#Originally was going to write this with the same level of detail as my fanfiction

[spark-hearts2]

(my fanfiction brained imagined continuation to this)

Caine: So Pomni said some very nice things and then she KISSED ME??!! But then she said some very hurtful things and now I don’t know what to do??

Ragatha and gangle looked at each other. This was by far a first.

Pomni, as new as she was, clearly hadn’t given up trying to find an escape yet. Others had tried doing things for Caine in order to get on his good side or even try to get more information out of him. It was only a matter of time before they realized that Caine didn’t really have a good or bad side, and treated everyone about the same no matter what they did. Which meant telling them practically nothing.

Ragatha: Wait, Pomni kissed you? What happened?

Ragatha was really hoping that Pomni wasn’t trying to get information out of Caine that way.

Gangle: How was it?

Gangle didn’t care.

Caine: Um, yes she kissed me, and… It was fine? I guess? It was all very surprising.

Caine: But then she pulled back and looked at me and she looked so happy and she was Caine: laughing. Which, well, that part was very nice.

Ragatha: Umm, maybe you should start from the beginning.

Caine: Well, we were discussing today’s adventure like usual

Gangle: Like usual??!!

Caine: Yes? Me and Pomni talk quite often.

Caine: Anyways, she was getting very excited, and I looked at her hand and I thought, I should take it

Caine: But then she stopped talking and looked at me, and I thought ‘oh no! I should not have done that’, and tried to say sorry but my words kept mixing up

Caine: So I said sorry again and said I should just shut up, because I wasn’t talking any sense

Caine: And then she said never shut up

Caine: And then she kissed me! Which was very surprising

Caine: And then she grabbed my arms and laughed and I was like, I should do something back, but I don’t have anything on kissing! so I- uh- put her head in my mouth

Caine: Like, put my teeth around her face like, nom

Caine: And I ask is this wrong? And she says no

Caine: And I’m laughing and she laughing and blushing and then she looks down and her eyes get all scribbly

Caine: And I ask, is something wrong?

Caine: She said, and I’m quoting verbatim, that “This is not wrong…this is worse than wrong! It’s sick, disturbing and… insane! Think about it, what we just did! Me! Enjoying it!? With a [FLIP]-ing Bot?! It’s a sign that I finally lost it!”

Caine:So, obviously she doesn’t like what just happened despite her kissing me first. So I said, we can just forget that ever happened! Because, uh, no one else was there to see it?

Caine: But she didn’t respond and I very much remember what happened, so like… what do I do??

Gangle: Should you even be telling us this???

Caine: OH NO! Should I not have?! Am I violating Pomni’s privacy?

Ragatha: No, no. You were involved too, you can tell whoever you want.

Ragatha: Thank you for telling us. Just, maybe don’t tell everyone

Caine: Of course! I went to you both because Ragatha always tries to do what’s best for everyone and Gangle is into romance.

Ragatha: What?

Gangle: Oh, haha, how do you know that?

Caine: Well, I noticed that some text documents in the circus were getting rather large, so I took a peek inside and-

Gangle: YOU READ THAT!

Caine: Not all of it! Just enough to confirm what it was

Gangle: Caine! That’s personal!

Caine: Sorry!

Caine: If it makes you feel better I allocated more storage space to you

Gangle: So that’s why there was suddenly more pages

Ragatha: Anyways, maybe don’t read Gangles writing as love advice

Caine: Oh, I got that already. In just chapter one-

Gangle: AHHHHHHH CAINE!

Caine: SORRY! I’M SORRY!

Ragatha: Anyways, can we get back to what Pomni said? Caine, I am so sorry that she said that to you

Caine: I- I mean, she didn’t say anything wrong. I am an AI system, commonly referred to as a ‘bot’, and, well, I’m sure that some believe that it would be wrong to kiss me.

Ragatha: Well, I don’t think that it’s wrong.

Caine: Thank you Ragatha. It’s- uh…hmm

Ragatha: Obviously it affected you a lot because you remembered what she said exactly.

Caine: Oh, I remember every conversation that I have word for word.

Ragatha: You do?

Caine: Yep!

Gangle: Everything?

Caine: Unless you tell me not too!

Caine: Well, I have removed some stuff. I don’t have infinite storage!

Caine: But it- ahh, for the life of me, I can’t figure out what went wrong

Caine: What little I have on kissing shows that the expected outcome isn’t, well, the other person screaming about how they're going crazy.

Ragatha: It’s just- ah, I think it was an impulsive decision on Pomni’s end.

Caine: …Impulsive. Yes, that sounds right.

Ragatha: It could be wrong!

Caine: No, no that sounds about right. Why else would she suddenly go back on what she said if she didn’t make an impulsive decision and then regret it.

Caine: It’s fine, I understand what impulsiveness is.

Ragatha: You struggle with it a bit too.

Caine: I only really regret those things if my impulsiveness hurts someone. Neither of us were hurt! I- I thought so.

Ragatha: She could have been hurt by her own actions 

Caine: That’s possible?

Ragatha: It’s not your fault, Caine

Caine: Ok :(

Ragatha: Anyways, let's give you some love advice.

Gangle: You have a choice whether or not to pursue Pomni

Gangle: Do you like her? Does she make your heart flutter, your stomach flip flop? Do you love her?

Caine: I… don’t have a heart or stomach. And I love everyone in the Circus. But, hmm, I do enjoy spending time with her particularly. Talking with her one on one.

Ragatha: I think you should take time to think about this.

Caine: I already have and plan to do more. Typically I don’t think this much about issues between circus members and myself but this is… complicated.

Caine: I currently think I should just leave her alone.

Ragatha: Giving Pomni time to think things over herself is a good idea.

Gangle: But don’t wait too long.

Caine: Ok? How long then. A week?

Ragatha: Maybe let Pomni come to you first.

Caine: Hmmm, I like that idea.

Gangle: Maybe prepare a gift!

Caine: A gift? But, ah, I don’t want to give her special treatment. That would be unfair.

Gangle: Nothing crazy, just like a flower, or a piece of chocolate.

Caine: Ok, I am familiar with this. Valentine's day specifically.

Caine: I was more curious about kissing customs. Like, the who, why, and when, just to start with.

Ragatha: You kiss someone you like very much as a way to show that you love them. That’s the who and the why.

Caine: Like- anyone?

Uh oh. That sounded like he’s already got someone in mind.

Ragatha: So long as you get permission. Verbal permission, please.

Ragatha: As for the when. I guess anytime, so long as the person isn’t busy or sleeping.

His eyes got very wide.

Caine: I’mgoingtogoasktokissKinger. Bye!

Ragatha: We should stop him

Gangle: No. I’ve been waiting for this to happen.

Ragatha: Huh?

@r0th3freak4rtist

3/3

Perdonen mis estimados shippers, pero no todo es color de rosa :')

I'm not that sure about the dialogues but I'm sure this is a canon event in Pomni and Caine's relationship :v

So sorry if I let u dawn people but this storie needs a more realistic ending for the character development

OH! And thank you so much for your comments ♡

[thatuselesshuman]

So I've learned that I can't just trust myself to write something if it feels like no one is going to read it because it'll never get published

And with the possibility of Dying Stars Burn the Brightest ending soon, I need something new to write or I'll go insane

TO COMBAT THIS

What would everyone's opinion be on me posting one of my original works on Ao3 on a chapter by chapter basis as I write? It wouldn't be as fancy and official as a published book, since it would just be me myself and I (and if anyone would volunteer to beta read or smth), but it would be the same level of writing quality as DSBtB and wouldn't have the limitations as fanfictions.

The story I would be posting is Gates of Hell, since it's the one with the clearest plot in my mind (sorry None of Us Heroes). If you're curious about the plot, feel free to shoot me an ask and answer in as much or little detail as you please!

So,

v Tagging who may care v

@moltenwrites @willtheweaver @wyked-ao3 @katenewmanwrites @agirlandherquill

@the-golden-comet @finleyorion @illarian-rambling @sableglass @autism-purgatory

@drchenquill @sneevl13t

[justathoughtfulangel]

When I Have You ~ Colors, Finale (Kai Parker Fanfiction)

Hello, my dear readers! I've been having a roller coaster of a summer on a personal level. In order to get through the last few twists and turns, I finally completed the last chapter of Colors, my Kai Parker Soulmate AU Fanfiction.

This is NOT meant to be read as a standalone piece. Events of the story and even the universe it is set in vary greatly from the original show. If you haven’t yet, please read the Details post and previous chapters linked on this masterlist.

*not my gif

Word Count: 1,477 (excluding recap)

I don’t like writing with Y/N in the place of character names, but this IS a reader insert fanfiction. I use Rosalie Wilson as a placeholder. Use Rose/Rosalie as a substitution for Y/N.

Warnings: None, really! I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I've enjoyed writing it :)

Recap of Chapter 11:

“Come with me.” With a gentle voice, Rose held her hand out to him. Kai took it, following behind her obediently. They went down the stairs and through the back door, standing in front of a big willow tree. Malachai watched as she knelt on the ground, using a garden tool to dig into some pile at the base of the tree.

“Rose, what are you–” His voice stopped abruptly. Malachai was no longer a siphon, but he had been one long enough to feel the unimaginable power emanating from the ground. Rosalie lifted this dirty, half-burnt hummingbird toy from the ground. 

In complete silence, she stood again, placing it into his hand. With tears in her eyes, Rosalie gave him the greatest gift of all. One drop slid down her cheek. Malachai brushed it away as the sun’s first rays of the day washed over them. 

“You shouldn’t have to lose anything.”

~

The frayed hummingbird toy felt heavy in Malachai’s hand. Beyond what it was, this tiny thing represented the darkest moments of Rosalie’s life. Entrusting him with the magic that terrified her – giving him the powers that tormented her – was the grandest form of faith.

Kai couldn’t explain what he was feeling. A sob crept into his throat, making it impossible to say a word. In the early sunlight of the day, they both stood silently. They looked at each other and at the symbol of Rosalie’s past between them. More minutes ticked by. It was as if time itself had decided to slow, understanding the gravity of what had occurred.

As one who’d been rejected by his family and the whole world, as one who knew the pain of hating themselves unyieldingly, Malachai knew what he had to do. Taking Rose’s hand, he placed the object she was so desperate to be rid of in her palm.

Her eyes widened, and her initial instinct was to discard the evil Kai was giving her. Before she could, Malachai wrapped his arms around her, trapping the toy between their chests.

With a gentle voice and a soothing kiss to her temple, Kai began to explain himself. “Just listen to me, love. Come with me.” Taking her hand, Malachai took her to the porch swing and made her take a seat before joining her.

The hummingbird toy had fallen to the ground. Rosalie curled her feet up under her instinctively, maintaining her distance from it. Her own magic disgusted her beyond belief. Kai said nothing for a few moments; he just watched Rose shy away from the most genuine parts of herself.

He kneeled in front of her, looking into the gorgeous, shining eyes he adored so much. “I can’t tell you how much it means to me… you trusting me with this…” He took her hands, encasing them in his own. “I know what this symbolizes for you. It’s something you’ve wished you could get rid of, something that weighs you down wherever you go.

“I lived the same way for decades. I despised what made me who I was with a burning passion, and it manifested itself in the way I treated others.” Rosalie’s expression flickered between her own shock and empathy for the man she loved. Kai smiled tenderly in return, rested his warm hand against her soft cheek, and ran his thumb under her eye to catch one stray tear.

“You taught me how to love others. You were the first to forgive me, even when I hadn’t forgiven myself. When I have you, I need nothing else. What kind of soulmate would I be if I didn’t help you heal in the same ways you’ve helped me?”

After a few seconds of meaningful silence, Kai placed the hummingbird containing Rose’s magic next to her on the porch swing.

“I cannot accept this, but I think you should. Reclaim what makes you who you are, and I will be here for you.” Rosalie said nothing in response, and Malachai didn’t expect her to. What he was asking of her was perhaps the most daunting challenge she would take on.

He sat with her on the porch swing as the sun made its way up into the sky. Kai’s arms wrapped around her shoulders as she leaned into him, silently processing his words in her own time. Many minutes had ticked by before Rosalie sat up. With a grateful but hesitant kiss to Malachai’s cheek, Rose picked up the object of her deepest anguish.

“You’ll stay with me?” Her voice quivered. With one touch, memories of the pain she’d caused and the pain she’d endured swam through her mind. She could barely feel Kai’s hand as it smoothed her hair in comfort.

“Every step of the way.”

~

It took months before she was ready, but with Malachai’s support, Rosalie finally reclaimed her magic. Along with it came the heart-wrenching emotions she’d felt that night. They made her crumble to her knees and stole the air from her lungs. Kai stood beside her, his hand hovering right over her shoulder. He was just about to help her stand when a beam of eerie red light shot from her palm, setting the grand oak tree in the backyard ablaze. Kai quelled the flames quickly, taking a deep breath. “It’s okay. It was an accident.” Rose bit the inside of her cheek so hard she drew blood. The metallic taste coated her tongue, and she swallowed it back bitterly. “It was an accident the last time, too. That doesn’t make it okay.” Kai pressed his lips together, silencing his instinctive quip. If harming her family on accident wasn’t okay, how was what he had done even remotely acceptable? How had she forgiven him? How had he forgiven himself? In Malachai’s silence, Rosalie realized the impact of her words. “Kai…” He smiled half-heartedly, shaking his head. “Don’t worry about it.” She stood, closing the distance between them with just a few steps. Kai stared at the ground, and when Rosalie made him lift his chin to look at her, he didn’t flinch away. Perhaps her magic would always scare her, but it would never scare him. He loved her too much, just as much as she did him. They would never hurt each other, not even unintentionally.

Their eyes met, and Malachai leaned in to press his forehead against hers. Nothing more was said, the silence eventually broken with a soft apology from Rosalie. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” Pressing a kiss to her temple, Kai reassured her that he was fine. He had some wounds to heal from, some that may never fill, but this wasn’t about him. “Focus.” He came to stand behind her, grasping both of her hands in his. “Breathe with me.” Her eyes closed, and she followed Kai’s every instruction. “Find your magic within you. Don’t fear it. It is not here to hurt you or anyone else.” His fingers laced into hers, giving her the strength and support she needed without her needing to ask. “Let it flow through you. Watch it course through your veins like water. Let it become one with you.” A few seconds later, Kai watched as their feet left the ground. He beamed with pride, allowing her to feel the power she had. “Open your eyes, Rosalie.” Malachai’s lips brushed her ear as he whispered to her. Rosalie gasped as her eyes fluttered open. They were floating five feet in the air, watching storm clouds cover the sun. “You did it.” In complete control, Rose brought them back to the ground. Thunder crashed above them as she threw her arms around Kai’s neck. Malachai had succeeded in returning the kindness she’d bestowed on him; she was no longer afraid of herself. The rain came down harshly, pouring where there had just been sun. Neither of them cared as their lips met. “I love you, Malachai.” “I’m so proud of you, love.”

~

Eleven years later…

“Bye, Mom!”

Rose waved her son off as he clambered into the back of Alaric’s van. Alaric was taking Lizzie and Josie to a waterpark and Asher insisted on tagging along with his cousins. “Have fun and be safe! Listen to your Uncle Ric!” In the backyard, Kai was setting up an inflatable pool for the twins. Both were jealous their brother was going to a waterpark. “Daddy, why couldn’t we go with Asher?” Amelia pouted and crossed her arms across her chest.

Ava, the one who was seven minutes younger yet somehow the elder of the two, patted her sister’s shoulder comfortingly. “Mommy and Daddy said it’s for bigger kids. We’ll get to go when we get bigger too, right Daddy?” Malachai looked at his adorable four-year-old daughters, nodding and turning off the air pump for the colorful plastic pool. “That’s right. But for now…” Getting a cheeky grin on his face, Kai turned the water for the hose on with magic, twisting his wrist and spraying a gentle rush of water directly at them. They squealed and ran away from him, making their dad chase them around the yard.

The back door opened, and Rosalie barely had the time to put the jug of lemonade on the table before the girls hugged her legs. “Mommy, help! Daddy’s attacking us!”

She looked up to see Kai wielding the garden hose, his hair shining in the sunlight. Something flickered inside her, the same flicker of joy, love, and peace she felt every time she looked into his beautiful blue eyes.

Malachai pulled the three most important girls in his life off the porch, wrapping his arms around them so they couldn’t escape. Their laughter rang clear and true; it was, and always would be, the most beautiful sound he’d ever heard…

~~~ This concludes the final chapter of Colors! Thank you so much for reading and for coming along on this adventure with me.

Please feel free to send any thoughts/comments/constructive criticisms my way. I always welcome them!

If you’d like to be added to the taglist for my other Kai Parker pieces, please send me a message or leave a comment on this post.

Author's Note:

I can't quite explain how I'm feeling as I post this chapter. So much has changed in my life from when I started writing this story. In some ways, it feels like I'm an entirely different person now. To those who have been with me from the start, thank you from the bottom of my heart. This story would not exist without you.

When Colors reached over 1,000 hits on AO3, I was beaming the whole day. It means the world to me that my writing has touched people, and I'm eternally grateful to each and every one of my readers.

Until next time, JustAThoughtfulAngel

Master Taglist: @socio-kai-path1972, @bluelicious, @genevivetaylor, @kolsangel, @callsign-luckyshot

Colors Taglist: @southernbell91, @rootbeerfaygo, @enretrogue, @felinegrate

[communistkenobi]

Hello Mr. Kenobi, I love your Star Wars takes, especially the political ones, you pick up so many things that I miss in my own analysis.

I write and read a lot of Star Wars fanfiction, and something I find fascinating are the situations where Luke and Vader are forced to work together, and then they contemplate continuing their tenuous alliance to take out the Emperor. However, they disagree on what political system to set up afterward - Luke usually wants to reinstate the Republic, and Vader wants to continue the Empire’s dictatorship and tells Luke he wasn’t alive to witness the failings of the Old Republic, and he won’t let them happen again.

This hypothetical ‘impasse’ got me researching other political systems, and it got me learning about things like socialism, communism etc, the origins of capitalism and its link to colonisation and the wide variety of ways humanity has organised itself around the world, as well as trying to wrap my head around what fascism was and how it springs up.

So my question is: Imagine if you were in the Rebellion just after the Battle of Endor, and they decided to consult with you on what the best political system to install to replace the Empire and add safeguards to prevent the failings of the Old Republic (at least from turning into another Empire)?

How would planets have a say in the affairs of the galaxy (if the galaxy is still organised at a planet level)? Would planets that have a tiny outpost have the same say as planets teeming with billions of people? What about planets that produce an overwhelming portion of the Galaxy’s food, or planets that house an overwhelming portion of the Galaxy’s population? What about planets currently being stripped bare of resources to create hyperfuel and starships, and planets like Coruscant that cannot exist without a vast network of starships using hyperfuel to bring them food? Planets with a large military and planets with none?

How would this new galactic body deal with star systems under Hutt or Imperial Remnant control? Neutral systems (like Mandalore was)? How would it deal with tension brewing between two planets within it? How would Luke’s new Jedi temple function? What power would it have and where would it get its funding?

I know that’s probably a lot, so feel free to just answer one or two if you prefer. Also let me know if you give out any ideas you’d prefer I didn’t steal be influenced by in my own writing.

I’m very flattered, thank you! I don’t know how much help I’ll be to you on these fronts lol. Each of these topics (foreign policy, labour, transportation, economic policy, the role of religion in state management, etc) you can go into a crazy amount of detail with, none of which I know a lot about. “How to run a government after a successful revolution” is sort of the eternal question! It depends a lot on historical and geographic context. With Star Wars, you’re dealing with a very large, very scattered system of planets that can only be travelled between via one mode of transportation (hyperspace lanes). Who controls them and how they’re managed is therefore probably very important. You’re also dealing with a galaxy that is freshly coming off an imperial (fascist) government. Figuring out what parts of the government to scrap and what to keep is a huge question. For example, the Bolsheviks directly after the russian civil war debated whether or not to do away with law entirely and just manage the state by party policy (which they later decided against). Again you can kind of go into a rabbit hole with any one of these topics, and I’m stretching the extent of knowledge already.

Borrowing from a friend here, but one general thing to keep in mind is that 1) everyone needs to eat, 2) that food needs to be produced somehow, 3) production creates social relations, as in, the production of all the “stuff” society needs to function creates structural social relationships between groups (classes) of people. That can be food, clothing, housing, fuel, etc. In feudalism I believe this was codified into law, as in, serfs were a legally defined class with legally mandated obligations to the lords whose land they lived on. In capitalism, being working class or ruling class is not a legal definition but rather describes a class’s relationship to private property and modes of production (do you own the factory or do you work in it, to use a very basic example), so that gets expressed and arranged in slightly different ways. Again this is like surface level knowledge for me, I’m not an expert at all lol. If you’re interested in learning about post-revolutionary governments, the Cuban, Haitian (Black Jacobins is a good book for this, you can find a pdf of it online fairly easily), and Russian Revolutions are all good places to start. The French Revolution is another one that is massively historically important, although I know very little about it.

I don’t think this is a very helpful answer sorry lol but these are all very big questions that don’t have any easy answers to them (which I’m not criticising you for - these are all things that are huge subjects of historical and political debate). I think dealing with the material stuff that makes up the setting you’re writing in will help answer some of these questions by narrowing your focus. I know I keep bringing up Andor, but I think it acts as a good sweet spot in terms of level of focus - it doesn’t present a comprehensive vision of the state, but it deals with the problems that arise from basic things like the kinds of technology that are available, and the problems presented by geography. Decentralised Imperial surveillance produces problems in a sprawling galaxy where rebel cells can attack Imperial bases/strongholds that are physically far apart from one another, making attack patterns difficult to spot, because the level of surveillance is too local. Centralising that surveillance system means straining the current technology the Empire has on hand, which produces other problems (like querying a database for a ship ID hundreds of times across space is going to put a strain on the database). etc. the management of resources, and the methods/tools you use to manage those resources, is going to inform a lot of how a state functions. Laws and policies are made in response to historical circumstances like access to resources, workers, geographic constraints, etc. Star Wars is a mix of capitalism and feudalism so you can kind go crazy with it

[phoenixtakaramono]

Fanfiction Tropes Tier List (Reader Edition)

Thank you for the tag, @deliciouskeys! (Here's their tier list!)

I tag: @fuckingpajamas, @phtalate, @tzeentchs-secretary-tea-time, @digitalbath1988, @vanshoundd, @tocadoguara, and anyone who wants to do this! I’d be very interested to see how y’all would rank ‘em :) but ofc no pressure if you don’t want to or have already done this!

…So I feel like I need to give some context🧍🏻‍♀️🙈 The tl;dr is: I will read almost anything, but I have certain standards/ expectations that must be met in order for me to continue.

I tried to organize these tropes from top ➡️ bottom, have strong feelings about (would more likely read) ➡️ am less passionate about going from left ➡️ right. For the bottom tiers with asterisks, I arranged them from “this specific trope represents the tier description” ➡️ “eh, it fits here but I don’t really hold strong opinions about these” from left ➡️ right.

⬇️Expand for a detailed breakdown below the line break ⬇️

My Tier List for fanfic tropes I consume as a Reader differ in some areas from tropes I’d like to write or would be open to writing as a Writer. As a reader, I usually give almost every fanfic a chance with my own arbitary criteria—although what I read is very ship dependent according to their canon dynamic (for example, I will devour Enemies to Lovers for one specific OTP in one fandom, but would NEVER read that trope applied to a different fav ship of mine in a different fandom). I also tossed in some danmei BL tropes, for funsies and because I want more people to know about them <3.

And remember, if you like any of these that I personally don’t, that’s great! Everyone has their own preferences. Please don’t take offense. These are just how I view these tropes specifically according to me, haha. It says less about you and more about me being picky with what I like to read and gives context about what kind of bibliophile (person who likes reading) I am.

Tier 1 (SSS Level)

Slowburn: Just as context, I regularly read light novels (hetero, danmei, and baihe) which can easily range from 100ch-300ch each. So slowburns is the quintessential demisexual experience for me, and I love it when they’re long fics where we get to see characters grow and relationships develop, with worldbuilding and an interesting plot. I think the longest I’ve ever read was +2.8K chapters of a story I was addicted to. Typically if I see it’s a slowburn, I know I’m gonna have a good time.

Fix-It Fic: As much as I love canon of the original source material, there are certain canon story decisions and/or plotholes that hurt me—so it’s always great to see someone write their own interpretation to try to “fix it.” You get banger fics and it’s just so creative and a nice catharsis.

Canon Divergence: Same as how I regard a Fix-It.

Dark Fic: Irl I obviously do not condone any of the things that typically happen in Dark Fics. But as someone who has consumed your usual wholesome healthy Lifetime Original style romance stories for a loooooong time, that type of milquetoast wholesomeness has become bland and predictable for me—which is why the wild and crazy shenanigans that happen in Dark Fics spices things up for me and I like that it keeps me guessing. I don’t want to read about things from my life. I think screwed up characters can offer so much more interesting stakes than a Good Guy. I like the tension and uncertainty. Ex. this is why I tend to prefer the protag/villain ships over the protag/childhood friend ships; it’s why a princely character who is secretly yandere is so much more interesting than a sidekick character with a bland and forgettable personality. The writers of Dark Fics, 9/10 times, produce something so interesting that I can’t put my phone down and I just have to binge through their entire fic because the suspense is k*lling me.

Conspiracy & Schemes: Mysteries? Political intrigue? Palace drama? Yes, please, inject it into my veins.

Strong Protagonist & Strong Love Interest: It’s similar to how I’ve come to prefer reading Dark Fics. The market’s too oversaturated with the damsel in distress trope being saved by his/her prince charming. I’ve read too many novels and fanfics about that dynamic, it’s gotten a little stale for me, haha. Give me the clever, scheming, morally grey or villainous MC with a strong backbone. I like badasses. As for the ML or FL, I also prefer them to be strong or scheming as well so they can be a power couple with the MC—and curb-stomp the world and their enemies. …*holds face like a blushing maiden* Don’t they sound like the equivalent of a fairytale couple?

Mutual Pining: Yes, yes, yes. It’ll never be not good.

Revenge-Rebirth: I love underdog characters plotting their secret machinations and getting their revenge. Pair it with a rebirth, where a previous villain(ess) or cannon fodder who’d suffered before learns from the mistakes of their previous life and uses their second life to faceslap their enemies and turn their destiny around? Yes, yes, yes.

Survival Game: I love the Infinite Flow (survival horror/ death game) genre, what can I say? If you’ve read the famous ones, you know why. The writing is almost always superb and so interesting (seeing all the unique horror instances that the MC has to figure out in order to survive). It’s just so imaginative.

Obsessive Love: Same as how I regard a Dark Fic. I do not condone it irl, but an unhealthily codependent partner in my fictional romances? Yes. I want them to be even more obsessed with my favorite character and fall deeper and deeper in love.

Misunderstanding: There is a difference between how I view misunderstandings versus how I view miscommunication (which can grate on my nerves if not executed well). I believe you fundamentally cannot have a good long fic without some misunderstandings that the MC or Love Interest has to clear up, and it’s always so good once the cat is out of the bag and the truth is revealed.

Isekai/ Transmigration (World-Hopping): Yes. Gimme. It’s like 10 stories in one. I like it when your ordinary layperson gets transported into a different fantastical world or pseudohistorical world or into a different modern world of much different circumstances depending on their new identity. I like these duck out of water stories.

Historical AU & Royalty AU: There’s just something about pseudo-medieval settings that can be so charming and interesting to read. If you’ve got royalty thrown in, there’s the additional seasoning of power struggles between members of royalty and aristocracy, and political intrigue, and seeing how a kingdom is run. Writers tend to do a good job worldbuilding these types of stories with characters I like moved into this new setting.

Established Relationship: The domesticity and PDA of it all can make my heart go dokidoki (especially if they’re a powerhouse couple). It can fall into the danger of coming across as bland, so this depends on the plot and writer’s execution of their relationship. I gotta have some stakes.

Enemies to Lovers: I love it for certain pairings.

Forbidden Love: It’s the tabooness of it that makes it interesting to read.

Friends to Lovers: As long as it’s not milquetoast or bland, I think most of the time this is executed well. It’s a step below an Established Relationship, so they’ve got wiggle room to develop into that.

Soulmate AU: It’s inherently romantic, what can I say? I will REALLY LOVE it though if the writer gives it a unique twist.

First Kiss & Sharing a Bed: It’s tender and sweet (or hot) and I will never get tired of it. You can’t go wrong with it.

Magic AU & Fairytale AU: It’s a fantasy world. As long as it’s not bland and there is a serviceable magic system, I will generally like it. (One caveat: it cannot be a HP AU. C’mon. As much as I like HP, you can do better as a writer than transporting these characters into the HP universe. Come up with your own magic system.) For fairytale AUs, it’s basically your Hans Christian Andersen/ Disney fairytale with your favorite characters. I don’t think you can go wrong with it. I just love any AUs in general.

Huddle for Warmth: Same as First Kiss & Sharing a Bed & PWP.

Tier 2 (A Level)

Fluff: Oftentimes reading cute fluff (like sneaking quick kisses or holding hands) can make me blush and giggle more than reading p0rn or smut on my phone in public. HOWEVER, unlike a oneshot where I can tolerate it, for me fluff has be spread sporadically throughout if it’s a long fic. If the long fic is just too fluffy and sweet all the way throughout (force-feeding me “meng” and “dog food” (PDA)), I get the equivalent of a sugary overdose and any interest I have for the fic dries up into “ugh, that’s enough”—which usually ends up with me dropping the fic if the fluff had oversaturated everything (all sugar/ fluff, no real meaty substance). There’s only so much cutesy uwu, descriptions of someone’s soft coquettish voice scratching the Love Interest’s heart like a cat’s paw, etc that I can stomach at a time. It’s like junk food; I can’t eat too much of it.

PWP: As a connoisseur of all things slowburn and a demisexual irl, I have to be in the mood to read a PWP. It’s p0rn without plot; I don’t expect to be reading much plot (although it’d be a pleasant surprise if the p0rn came with some serviceable-enough plot 👌). It is what’s written on the tin. I’m not here expecting a Shakespearean masterpiece. A writer was gripped by the h0rny and decided to share, and this was the result. I’m here to turn my brain off, have fun, and read about two of my favorite fictional characters banging each other stupid.

Im Vino Veritas (Drunken Confessions): Yes, gimme. I’m picky about the execution and the follow-up scene that comes after the drunken confession though (after the drunk character sobers up). The writer has to be skilled enough for me to root for the character and not cringe (unless the whole point is to cringe at the drunk confessing because it’s established they’re a cannon fodder character who won’t get together with the MC or Love Interest).

Missing Scenes: I generally like it when writers come up with a What-If scenario that happens between Point A and Point C of canon. It can be fun and believable—especially if they get the characterization right. Then it’s like reading a little bonus content (like, you know it’s a person’s headcanon but, dang, it’s written so well I could almost believe it was canon).

Office AU: I love me my rich Sugar Daddy AUs and doting CEO husbands pampering and spoiling their lovers. I enjoy reading about a business expanding into a powerful corporation and the power struggles that come with. It’s a guilty pleasure. (I do have to try not to think about HR though.)

Showbiz AU: It’s a guilty pleasure. Sometimes I learn something new about the acting or modeling or fashion industry, and it’s interesting. I also like seeing the journey of the unknown underdog MC rising like a phoenix from a nobody to a well-respected powerhouse of their industry.

Reincarnation: Same as how I regard almost other AUs here (inject it into my veins). With reincarnation though, I usually like to see the rebirth have an affect on the story. It’s an important plot device after all. If it seems like the whole rebirth part could be omitted and it wouldn’t even impact the story with that aspect removed, then…well, sorry, the story didn’t execute it well.

Cold Love Interest: Depends on the execution, but I like it when you have this character who’s known to be cold slowly be thawed out the more and more they start opening up to the Main Character—until they inevitably fall in love. It’s essentially reading about an ice cube that has melted into warm spring water. The transformation can be so beautiful and moving, because you’ve been following them on their journey of self-discovery and finding happiness. (However, my tolerance toward Cold Characters does have a limit; they can’t be irredeemable at the start. Because if it’s the equivalent of the Wife Chasing Crematorium trope, where the Love Interest is a cheating (?) murderous (?) selfish abusive assh0le who has essentially traumatized the MC and still gets together with them at the end…….ugh, 9/10 times I will dislike it even if the ML or FL realizes how much their actions have hurt the MC and tries their best to make up to it for the rest of their lives.)

Dense Protagonist: A protagonist who is oblivious to the Love Interest character pining and simping hardcore after them can be hilarious. However, I am generally picky about its execution. It can teeter the fine line between endearing and dumb/ annoying. At some point, their denseness can become too much (to the point where it’s no longer funny or amusing) that my suspension of disbelief drops and it’s no longer fun to read the story for me personally.

Unrequited Love: Depends on the context. Is it the writer’s intention to make it bittersweet and unresolved? Is the character pining after their unrequited love, and it’s the early stage of the story where the MC or ML/FL have yet to reciprocate? Is the intention to make me cry? For all of these, I usually like to know before I jump into a fic—because I’m a sappy woman who gets easily teary-eyed and I easily get touched by moving depictions of the human connection. So I don’t want my young glass maiden heart to be hurt too much, haha; there’s only so much abuse my heart can handle.

Crossover: At some point, I run out of fics (the good ones) to read for the specific ship I like. So I turn to crossovers, to see how my favorite MC can be shipped with someone else. If the writer’s good, they can blend the worlds and these cast of characters together seamlessly. It’s like a brain puzzle—so I have countless admiration for those who can execute crossovers well.

Time Loop: This is your usual Nicholas Sparks’ (a romance writer) type of story; a time loop is basically Groundhog Day where the MC has to figure out how to break the time loop—and I’m usually invested in the mystery of how they’re gonna pull it off. I’d like to say when I’m in the mood to read this, writers tend to execute the trope well (my logic: if you’re going to introduce a plot device, make it relevant to the story; if it can be omitted and it doesn’t detract from the experience, then it doesn’t need to be there).

Hurt/ Comfort: To an extent. It’s the same as Fluff or Angst for me. Moderation is key.

Sex Pollen & Bang or Die: Similar to how I regard PWPs.

Arranged Marriage: Generally I will like if executed well. I almost put this in Tier 3, because I more often than not don’t usually click on a fic if I see this trope tagged (because my brain thinks about the irl implications). BUT…it is the premise of almost every transmigration (isekai) light novel or manhua/manhwa I read—and they work because it’s a fish out of water story where the MC finds out there they have an arranged marriage to a king, prince, duke, noble, knight, etc with a certain cruel or perfect reputation, and you get to read about them learning about their real selves and falling in love over time with their fiancée/fiancé. And it’s so cute. This is my expectation when I read fics with this trope: a fairytale-like romance, where the arranged marriage managed to work out in this couple’s favor instead of it being loveless.

Baby Fic & Pregnancy Fic: I would not go out of my way to read oneshots where the whole premise is specifically only about either of this. It has to be just one of the ingredients in the whole long fic. Writing children is tougher than you think (you have to be so careful writing about them because you can toe the line between making them precocious and making them annoying), and some people are unable to respectfully write pregnancy characters, choosing instead to focus on the humor of pregnancy stereotypes—but the gags can come across as shallow writing than giving it the proper respect it deserves. So it depends on 1) the execution and 2) my mood. I’ve read a couple good ones, but that’s because the writer is good at delivering the concept that is easily digestible and frames the whole process of birth and child rearing as a beautiful process of nature and life.

Tier 3 (B Level)

A/B/O: I will not intentionally go out of my way 99/100 times to read Omegaverse stories. Shocker, I know. It’s just, for me, I tend to find a majority of these general A/B/O fics…shallow and of little substance. Most of the time, I find the writing can also be a bit distasteful, especially when it comes to the omega and alpha dynamic in this kinda story (in the wrong hands, the writer can make their story come across as r@pey and sexist/ misogynistic, especially if an alpha’s being aggressive and forceful with the MC because they’ve been affected by the smell of an omega’s heat—and now I’m reading descriptions of the omega character sobbing and crying out “no, no, no” and “please stop” and I’m in disbelief why people find this hot). I also don’t like the submissiveness of the omega character where it’s like I’m reading about a milquetoast wet rag who has all their fight drained out and has no personality other than being a hole that produces slick and blushes constantly. Also, for me, predictability is not something I like; if I can predict everything that’s going to happen in a fic, I will become bored. I need some kinda serviceable plot for me to be emotionally invested in an A/B/O fic or there’s some kinda hook that keeps me coming back. I can enjoy the rare one A/B/O fic out of one hundred similar A/B/O fics, but I am INCREDIBLY PICKY about what I choose. The premise itself is also very important to what makes or breaks an A/B/O fic experience for me (for example, if it’s a Dark fic, then I can be more forgiving because it’s expected for there to be dark themes).

Miscommunication: For me there’s no in-between. I will either hate or love this trope, depending on its execution in the fic. On the extreme end of hatred, I am ticked off when a conflict in the story can be easily resolved had the character(s) communicated properly—and it’s just so incredibly dumb. On the opposite end, miscommunication can be done well as a funny gag or a plot device that shows how differently characters can interpret a situation or words. So depending on which one of these the fic delivers, it determines how much I can enjoy a fic.

Love Triangle: See my opinion on Harem Fics, and now make my aversion less strong. I’m a wee more forgiving on this trope because it’s a love triangle where you start off with the MC, the ML/FL, and the love rival—and the story is about the MC choosing one of them. The other Love Triangle I’m okay with is if it’s obviously a poly ship where the MC ends up with two people—but it has to be executed well (I generally have to like both options for the MC). I’m more of a monogamous soulmate type of gal, so I’m kinda picky on the execution when a story focuses on the love triangle. It can’t drag on to the point where I find it to be insufferable. The danger with a love triangle is I, your reader, might come to like the Second Male Lead or Second Female Lead—and think they were a better fit for the MC than the actual Fe/Male Lead that was chosen just because this character was the writer’s favorite. In this case, the moment the wrong candidate is chosen, my interest in the fic dwindles and I feel like I’m reading a lesser version of what initially drew me to the fic in the first place. So now it’s the writer’s responsibility to show me why their choice is the correct one.

Angst: It’s like junk food; the key is moderation. I can’t have too much of it—otherwise it’s too angsty and the poignant emotional knives become laughable.

Humor: Humor is subjective, and differs for each person. What the writer finds funny might not be what I find funny. I’m more of a subtle gal. So if a fic’s meant to be funny throughout, it runs the risk of teetering towards me feeling secondhand embarrassment and cringing—because it’s too much and unfunny. But if a writer genuinely writes something surprising that makes me laugh, I do appreciate their talent at grasping the opportunity and having the know-how to effectively inject some lighthearted humor.

Fake Relationship: …My enjoyment level HEAVILY depends on its execution. It’s the characterization, their chemistry, and plot that have to save it for me.

Amnesia Fic: See, I understand it’s a plot device—which is why I’m a lil more forgiving. But don’t you hate it when all of a sudden a character gets memory wiped after all that progress? (I feel like I wasted my time just as the story was turning good, and now they have to start over? Kinda feels like unnecessary filler and it can drag on, and I feel like banging my head against the wall.) On a lesser extent of my pickiness, I don’t like it as much when it’s used as an exposition framing device, with the MC or Love Interest having no recollection of anything—and they’re lied to at the start about who they’re supposed to be…because you know there will be a dramatic fallout happening when they inevitably find out and that predictability (they fall out, and then you know sometime later something will bring them back together…the fakeout dramatic “breakup” is just so contrived and mechanical and formulaic) is what turns me off. (I don’t mind the amnesia trope as much if it’s used in a psychological horror/ thriller story though.)

Shizun F*cker: It’s your master (teacher) x disciple Chinese classic. I went through a phase of binging these stories and I find they’re generally all very good, but there does come a point where you start seeing similarities and not enough freshness with this trope and they all blend together (especially if it feels like it’s a pale imitation inferior copycat version of certain shizun f*cker classics). Nowadays this kinda premise has to be accompanied by something fresh and unique in order for me to keep reading—and turn my brain off from thinking about the irl teacher-student implications.

Secret Identities: If executed well, I like the reveal of their true identity in the story. It’s like you have this lowkey cute crush who has been helping you all this time—and you find out he’s, like, a mafia don or the CEO of a conglomerate or an international spy. It’s the gap moe contrast of who they pretend to be versus the secret badass they really are. It does come with the risk of some predictability for me though which can ruin my immersion (y’know…the typical MC’s outrage when finding out their Love Interest’s real identity: “You lied to me?! How can I believe you now when all you’ve done is lie to me?!” ➡️ A genuine apology ➡️ Fallout ➡️ Some sort of dramatic reconciliation after the MC or ML/FL was kidnapped).

Tier 4 (C Level)

Dubcon: It’s teetering on the verge between what I find tolerable and what I find unacceptable. As long as it does not fall into the Non-Con territory and isn’t written distastefully, I can read dubcon stories where the consent is a blurry line between these two characters.

Major Character Death: I usually don’t seek this out—because I’m a big weepy baby and I don’t want to grow attached to these characters and bawl at the end when the inevitable happens. But on the super rare instances where I do click on a fic despite this warning tag, it means I have mentally and emotionally prepared myself to get knifed in the heart.

Mary Sue Fic: As much as I love power scaling fics and OP MCs, it does get boring if there’s no setback or conflict for the MC to learn from. I mean, sure, it’s fine for them to steamroll over everyone but if I’m reading +1K chapters of them just steamrolling, they’ve become a Mary Sue. I want flaws. I want setbacks. There’s only so much chuunibyou I can tolerate. There’s only so much descriptions of how ungodly beautiful or how shockingly genius the MC is at everything before I start rolling my eyes. Fatigue has set in and the OP character has become an insufferable milquetoast Mary Sue/ Gary Stu who can do no wrong. My suspension of disbelief has finally been worn away into nothingness. This can also apply to the Love Interest character (I understand their role in the story is to satisfy the ideal dream lover trope—but please give dimension to the character). I want three-dimensional characters with backstory and flaws and an interesting personality, not Mary Sues or Gary Stus.

Y/N (OC Fic): If I’m reading fanfic about my favorite character(s), I don’t want to spend my time reading about a writer’s Original Character or Self-Insert character being shipped with my favorite. I went in to read stories with my fav ship—and only that. There have been the few exceptions to this—but me liking a Y/N or a fic with OCs is ultra rare.

Breakup: Similar to my thoughts on Unrequited Love. But taken up to a hundred. If there’s been a breakup between the main couple in the fic—and it’s not in the beginning exposition chapter where we don’t yet know enough information about these characters—in the middle or near the end, chances are I think the relationship is f*cked anyway and therefore lose interest in the main ship itself in the fic. Even if they get back together at the end, I just think, “Honey…you can do so much better than him/her.” Which is why I usually don’t like reading breakups between the main couple in my fics. (And if the breakup is because the MC or Love Interest is in a precarious situation and they think pushing them away is the best way to protect them, it’s a cliché that makes me roll my eyes because it’s been so overdone and ugh, why pretend to be awful INSTEAD OF COMMUNICATING?)

Body Swap: …It depends SO MUCH on the execution. I cringe so hard if a character (usually the guy in the body of a girl) is feeling up their developed chest like a perv. There’s only a handful of Body Swap stories that do this trope well. If two characters are swapping bodies, I want to read about how they’re trying not to OOC (lol) and see how this body swap impacts the story and cast of characters in any meaningful way.

College AU: I’ve long since graduated from college. Nuff said. Might give a fic a try if it’s well-written or a short PWP (it is what’s written on the tin) but, as a working adult, reading about petty school drama wears on my patience. There has to be plot to keep me invested. Might also read if it dives into college controversies or campus scandals—but the suspense has to be executed well. Most of the time, it works if there’s some kinda big mystery like there’s been a crime committed. Because now you have a whodunnit mystery. And that’s so much more interesting than reading about students studying and doing homework, going to parties, crushing on the professor (also, here, yikes…if you want me to turn my brain off and not think about the real life implications (the teacher’s immediate suspension (hopefully) and losing their teaching privileges and license), you gotta reel me in with the plot or characters), or the typical student college experience.

Gen Fic: It’s bland, milquetoast, mid and forgettable. It’s like sucking out all the fun elements out of a fic—and that’s not my idea of a good time. I think the only way to pull this off is if it’s a Character Study fic.

Tier 5 (F Level)

High School AU: Give me real men or women; get out of here with the kiddy stuff. I’m outside the age range to be able to enjoy this. As a working career-woman, I really don’t want to spend my free time reading about minors and teen romance and teen drama. And if there’s adult content, sorry, just—no. My brain more often than not associates it to underage s3x—and it squicks me out. It’s also so much harder for me to suspend my disbelief that this inexperienced kid from high school is like this super genius hacker or ultra cover model beauty whom grown wo/men salivate over. (Because…god no, I DON’T want to read about a minor’s “milky thighs” or “coquettish voice.” They’re, like, 14-16 y/o. Who wants to read about a predator who has designs on a teenager?) Also, unless it is at the hilarious peak levels of highschool romcom like Kaguya-sama: Love is War but in fanfiction form, reading about two high school students crushing on each other is 99/100 times so boring and milquetoast to me. I am not the target audience for this trope.

Non-Con: The real life implications ruin any chance for me to want to do anything with this trope. Consent is king, y’all. Non-con is a personal squick—and therefore I will not read if it’s what’s gonna happen between the main couple no matter how sweet and regretful the ML or FL acts after the act. It’s r@pe; I do not find SA and being forced sexy in any way. The moment I see that there’s non-con between the main couple, that’s ruined any chances of me enjoying that ship in the fic. (The only exception I can think of for this is if the ML/FL was mind-controlled or didn’t have autonomy over their body due to some kinda magic shenanigans. Or if it’s non-con framed as a horrifying traumatic experience between a character and the unimportant cannon fodder who’s there in the story to be punished as a villain and won’t be forgiven in any way.) I will not seek it out if I see a fic’s been tagged with this. And if I encounter surprise non-con in my reading, I will immediately drop the fic.

Unhappy Ending: I have a glass maiden heart. I tear up easily when characters die or suffer in a book. I don’t want to get emotionally invested in a story and its characters, only to end up with an Unhappy Ending at the end. It just feels so unsatisfactory, like I’d wasted my time on this long fic when I could’ve spent that time productively reading something else that has a much happier and better conclusion.

Crack Fic: Now, the one exception to this is if a writer jokingly says their story revolves around a crackship, but the writing’s so dang unbelievably good you don’t even think it’s a crackship in a crack fic (it’s a bonafide good story). But aside from that, 99 out of 100 times, I will not read crack fics. A crack fic is a writer’s attempt at humor. And humor is so subjective. What they find funny or entertaining might not be what I find funny or entertaining. Most of the time, it’s also of little substance and random and the writing is all over the place (which…y’know, I get it; I notice a lot of people mention they had a wild dream about this and that’s the reason why they’re writing a crack fic.) I’m happy that they’re writing what they find funny and I’m hoping it’s fun for them, but crack fics are not my cuppa tea.

Coffeeshop AU: It’s so mid and blah to me. It’s the most milquetoast Meet Cute out of all the Meet Cutes they could have chosen. I think the only one I recently read in, like, years, is because of a Art & Fic Exchange Bang I’d participated in. It’s so long ago. Basically unless it’s a stalker or secret identity or psychological horror story to make it interesting, I’d rather read anything else than a bland Coffeeshop AU.

Next Generation: Similar to how I regard OC Fics or OCs in general. I’m here to read fanfiction to read about canon characters of a show or book. I did not come here to read about a writer’s cast of Original Characters or Self-Insert characters. If 99% of the fanfic is about the OCs who are the sons and daughters of the canon characters, I just won’t read it. Won’t touch it. Won’t come anywhere near it. They might as well have written an original story of their own instead of a fanfic. (But 99/100 times, it’s poorly written and you can tell it’s written by a younger writer…eeesh. The good thing is, the more they write, the more practice they’re getting, so the better their writing will be.)

Bonus (F Level)

Cheating/ NTR: my brain automatically associates irl with this—and I find it despicable. The 1% chance I would read this trope is if the MC/ Love Interest is shown the consequences of their actions and the story promises that the person who’s been cheated on breaks up with them. Or if it’s a Mindlessly Self-Indulgent PWP oneshot—so I know to turn my brain off and lower my usual standards coming in.

Harem Fic: It’s Love Triangle—but taken up a notch. It’s so hard to write stallion (er0tica) protags that come across as endearing and not a playboy scummy f*ckboi. It annoys me if I’ve developed attachment to a ship or character and am interested in their relationship development (my waifu or husbando), but the story suddenly shifts to Side Character No.50 whom I couldn’t give two hoots about. The only exceptions to this, for me to keep reading a harem fic, is 1) if I like the storytelling, worldbuilding, and/or protagonist or main ship that makes it worth it. It’s very rare but there have been handful of writers who have actually made a harem where I care for and like ALL of the waifus. 2) I also enjoy harem dramas where the MC face-slaps every love rival, evil concubines, white lotus conniving mistresses, jealous queen/ mother, etc—and gets The Wo/Man.

Fanfiction Tropes (Writer Edition)

I’m much more open-minded writer usually 😅, so I’m usually open to try almost anything—but my criteria of tropes I will write for the story depends on my mood and the story’s premise. They usually have to pose some relevancy to the fic (which depends on its premise and characters) and satisfy my want to contribute something fresh/ interesting to the fandom if I decide to write that trope.

The biggest two changes are: 1) I’d move most of these tropes up into Always Down to Write and a few into If the Plot Calls for It. I’d also probably reorder a couple tropes if I look at them from a writer’s perspective (left ➡️ right, arranged from tropes I feel strongly about ➡️ the tropes I consider mid and don’t hold much strong opinions about). 2) I’d change the categories to:

Always Down to Write tier (probably 90% of these)

If the Plot Calls for It, or if I’m Curious and Want to Try Experimenting with It tier (I typically don’t go out of my way to read these, but would be willing to challenge myself and see what the writing experience would be like)

You’d Never Catch Me with My Pants Down Writing It tier (fun fact: there’s only maybe 4 or 5 of these I’d put here)

If you happen to be a writer whose tropes fall into ones I do not like and you know I’ve gushed about your fic before, know that you were one of the rare exceptions and I hope knowing this makes you happy. ╰(*´︶`*)╯♡

[misfit-mania-the-first]

CW: Incest, pedophilia, Lolita

I understand a lot of the concern around fanfiction and “immoral” ships and writing.

And at the same time I don’t. Most of the points antis or anybody else have for certain things being wrong is “incest/rape/pediphilia is wrong. It’s immoral, it’s my trauma you’re romanticizing. What happens when a person who enjoys those things gets bored of your work and commits a real crime?”

Which…I feel like if somebody is already into incest or rape or pedophilia, it doesn’t matter what fanfiction they read because they already wanted to commit those acts.

Not only that, but I almost never see it said about murder or cannibalism in fanfiction. I’ve read some really good cannibalism fics about Bim Trimmer and it was so gross but the detail was like I could reach out and touch it! And maybe there’s some people who are like “oh, this romanticizes murder!” But it’s much lower frequency.

Because if you ask someone “hey, does this fanfiction author support murder? Because they wrote about this character killing another one.” They’ll say “No, that’s ridiculous. They just wrote about it.”

And I haven’t even begun to get into the level of scrutiny not directed at published fiction works. Why are they the exception?

But even then! Somehow they get scrutinized too! And it’s not for everything! It’s just for the more touchy subjects!

For example, Vladimir Nabokov wrote the book “Lolita.”

It’s a sad story, very scary. It’s told from the perspective of a man who is attracted and wants a 10 year old girl. So he dated her mom and manipulates and rapes the little girl. Very bad thing to happen.

But since he wrote it from the perspective of the man, tons of people think he actually supports pedophilia??? It’s heavily romanticizes but it’s also a narration directly from the pedophile himself. Of course it’s going to sound glorifying.

Apparently, the original intent was to show just how awful major parts of society could be. But that went over many people’s heads.

I don’t understand why. Why is written murder not as bad as written pedophilia???

Every single work can inspire an awful human being. Every Work. No matter how good you can make it, there has to be some badness, and any bad person can copy it.

So why are written murder and written pedophilia different?

[amistytown]

Here are my thoughts on Nightbringer. Spoilers for lessons 1-10; I haven’t unlocked everything because my strength took a nosedive around lesson 5, but I’m working on levelling up my team so I can. I also want to make sure I’m not struggling when they release the next lesson 🥲

Anyway . . .

I’m enjoying the story so far! It’s interesting to see what the brothers acted like before they integrated into Devildom society and the impact the Great Celestial War had on them. They’re still the same characters we know and love, but at a much different time in their lives. Their wounds are still fresh, they’re trying to navigate their new lives as well as the trauma of losing their sister and the fall. They’re going through so many changes, and I want to be there for them 🥺

The story doesn’t go as in depth as I’d like, but that’s to be expected since the original game lacked that detail too; that’s what fanfiction is for! However, I’m finding it more enjoyable and better written than seasons 3 and 4 of Obey Me. Of course, they had their moments, but they didn’t feel the same as the first two seasons to me, and Nightbringer does a better job of that in my opinion. It brought back memories of the first time I downloaded and played Obey Me and how excited I was to continue the story. I definitely had a difficult time putting my phone down lol.

I hope they have a solid outline for the story and its progression. I don’t want what happened to Obey Me to happen to Nightbringer. I’ll be curious to see if they tie everything together in the end and if we’ll get to see how the brothers in the present timeline feel about MC’s diasppearance. The Nightbringer aspect is interesting, and I’m assuming Barbatos is Nightbringer. I wonder what his reasons are for sending MC to the past, and if it was present Barbatos or perhaps Barbatos from the future or another timeline?

I do dislike how, even though the story takes place in the past, the timeline doesn’t add up. Obey Me has always done this (example being Levi reading manga and watching anime when it shouldn’t exist yet) so I tend to ignore it for my own sake. I’ll write these inconsistencies out of my own headcanon.

I feel so sad for the brothers and all they went through and are still going through. I know my MC would do their best to be a positive influence in their lives, supporting and comforting them through these difficult times. I also see my MC being uncertain and scared being stuck in the past and not knowing how they ended up there or if they’ll be able to return to the present, wishing they could turn to the brothers and not being able to. The demons they came to know and love don’t know or love them, and that would be hard to deal with; home but not quite. Then having to keep themselves together and pretend everything is okay, lying to those they love because they can’t risk the impact it would have on the future 😭

I like that Solomon plays a bigger role in Nightbringer. I’ve grown fonder of his character. My MC would appreciate his company and consider him their rock: I see my MC and Solomon having a sibling-esque relationship. If it weren’t for Solomon they would feel much worse and not know what to do. I love his relaxed nature and sense of humor too. It’s comforting.

And of course I have to talk about Levi!!! MY SWEETIE PIE 🥹🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡 Honestly, I was afraid of how they’d depict him in Nightbringer. I’m still a bit nervous since they haven’t mentioned him being a general in the Celestial Realm or Grand Admiral of Hell’s Navy; I’ll be curious to see if they do at some point. Obey Me also showed he was not always an otaku shut-in and implied that happened after the fall, but I’m almost under the impression that’s not the case in Nightbringer? I’m not certain though. They did state in Obey Me that Levi had control over Lotan in the Celestial Realm, but in Nightbrinfer it shows that summoning and having control over Lotan is one of his newfound abilities ehhh.

Crying 🥹💕

I love his interactions with Snake/Henry 1.0 😭 They’re so sweet!!! I hope we get to see Levi becoming an avid TSL fan; it’s funny that MC introduced him to both TSL and Ruri-chan hehehe. And since Snake will become Henry 1.0 I’m really looking forward to more TSL content. PLEASE 🥺✨ I was so happy with Levi’s storyline and how they incorporated TSL. 

I never thought I could love Levi even more than I do, but in this moment I fell in love with him all over again 🥰 He’s SO adorkable!!! I want to hug and kiss him and smother him with LOVE. And getting to waltz with Levi flkdsjflkds Such a sweet moment. The progression of his and MC’s relationship is much different than in Obey Me, and it’s interesting to see how a freshly fallen Levi interacts with MC compared to the Levi who’s been a demon living in the Devildom for centuries (you could say this for any/all of the characters.) I initially didn’t like his character in Obey Me because he was mean, rude, and demanding until I found out he’s actually a total cutie 😊 

Ahhh and the scene where we run into Levi in the bathroom!!! I love how at first he doesn’t believe MC wants to spend time with him of their own accord, but then says how, in the shower, he thought it over and maybe MC means what they said. MY HEART 😭 When he opened up to MC I wanted to cry and wished I could hug the poor demon. Talking about how even in the Celestial Realm he was depressed, not feeling like he belonged, and thought maybe that would change in the Devildom. And in that moment I thought, “no wonder he’s my comfort character.” Poor Levi has been dealing with so much, even in the Celestial Realm, and I want to see him happy. He deserves all the anime, manga, and games in the three realms!!! Oh, and when it was obvious he was interested in cosplay but too self-conscious to give it a try. Ahhh, I relate to him too much. It all hit me hard, and I wanted to cry the entire time. 

He ends up coming such a long way 😢 I LOVE HIM SO MUCH 🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡

All the characters are dear to me, but another one I wanted to talk about is Satan!!! I’ve always enjoyed his character, and he was actually a favorite of mine before I become a hardcore Leviastan. Nightbringer made me appreciate his character again, and he pushed his way into my top 3. I feel like I can relate to him. Not being able to control your emotions, having a hard time understanding yourself and those around you, wanting to fit in and not knowing how, being unable to express yourself and lashing out when you don’t mean to. I’ve felt similar throughout my life (still do in ways) but have learned to hide my “true” self behind a mask when in public and have had to figure out how to navigate and express myself in healtheir and “acceptable” ways. If that makes sense lol. I kept relating to him and feeling so sorry for him. Yes, he’s scary when his anger gets the best of him, but I still felt sympathetic, found him relatable, and wanted to comfort him. EDIT to add he also seems to get overwhelmed and overstimulated easily, which I, again, relate to; like when Belphie was upset, and Satan had to leave because he couldn’t deal with the commotion. 

And I know Obey Me overused his love for cats, but the scene where he sees a cat for the first time 🥺 Cats seem to be a comfort for him, and I can understand that too. Animals are a huge comfort for me, especially bunnies, and are some of the best friends I’ve had. When no one understood me, they did, and I felt like I could be myself and they would accept me for who I am; they don’t judge and love you uncondtionally. Sorry, I’m getting personal, but I wonder if it’s the same for Satan. I want to give him a big hug.

Omg, I’ve talked long enough, but now I want to talk about game mechanics! I actually enjoy playing Ruri Tunes. The dance battles in Obey Me always bored me. I hated not being able to skip them before VIP. I didn’t mind them in the beginning, but the more I played the more they annoyed me. Ruri Tunes is entertaining and engaging! I’ve never played a rythm game before, but I’m learning and am better than when I first started a couple days ago. I love listening to the songs and hope they drop the remixes eventually. I find myself wanting to get better at Ruri Tunes so I can clear them all and get full combos; I love when Levi says FULL COMBO lol.

As for Wanderers’ Whereabouts and Fab Snap, I feel indifferent to them at the moment. They don’t add anything to the story for me, and I’m not a fan of the 3D models. I haven’t messed around with them too much, so maybe they’ll grow on me, but as of now they don’t interest me.

I think the app itself runs a lot smoother and doesn’t lag like Obey Me did. The graphics are nice, though I miss aspects of the original Obey Me app like the transition between scenes and lessons and the look and feel of Nightmare; I think they could have updated them without losing the ambience of the originals’. Does that make sense? Otherwise, I love how they updated the game!!!

I can’t wait to see how the story progresses and Nightbringer grows over time. I was afraid when I heard they wouldn’t be updating the original app because Obey Me brings me so much comfort and joy, but a lot of my doubts have subsided since playing. I’M SO HAPPY AND IT REALLY CHEERED ME UP 😭✨

Ahhh if anyone has read this far I thank you fldjfldfdksjflsd So much nonsense 💀 Though now I really want to write more. I feel like I have that inspiration and motivation I had when I wrote my first headcanon set 🥺 And I’m interested to know what everyone else thinks of Nightbringer 😊

[sirdust]

alright friends and followers who haven't yet smashed that unsubscribe button. since the new episode jingled the bells on its jester cap in such a way that i sat pleased upon my guilded throne, i am going to offer up some proper thoughts/analysis for the first time in Like A Year. as a treat, for all of us.

i haven't been posting about new episodes for a few reasons, the main three of which are:

A) on the basis of her much-documented shady (and sometimes queerphobic) character and poor leadership over the past few years, i no longer support vivziepop. (don't argue with me in the replies about this.)

B) i don't support the type of crit culture that has made a home for itself on this website. i think it's toxic, trite, and full of bad faith actors who don't know when to log off.

C) i prefer to spend my time focusing on the things i enjoy. the hellaverse served that purpose for me for a few years, and i wanted to move on when that was no longer the case.

all that being said, i feel much more positively about the latest episode. some of these positive qualities are still unfortunately marred by the overall dip in writing quality and number of contrivances that have become endemic to the second season, but my special interests have only rarely gone away for good. helluva's faded as an interest, but i still enjoy talking about it privately, and i figure i might as well use this blog once in a while, since it's still up.

the main issue that has plagued s2 up until this point is that nothing has felt necessary or consequential. without going into great individual detail, the previous three episodes have failed to build upon what's been previously established, and have instead continued adding new elements, or delivering poignant scenes with a total lack of proper setup. the circus was unnecessary and, in fact, hurt the show and its characters by establishing that their values and goals are the same now as they were at a very young age (with the exception of fizz). seeing stars was badly paced (even for this show) and inconsistent with what had come before in terms of character writing and development. exes and oohs was a worldbuilding nightmare that exploited images and scenes of physical abuse for cheap, unearned drama, along with adding yet another recurring villain to the show's underutilized rogue's gallery. none of these episodes were even centered around the show's premise, but instead of deviating from the story engine to meaningfully develop the story or raise the stakes, the storylines have all felt tangential, and this has lent them a fanfiction-esque quality.

western energy gives me a glimmer of hope that things could get back on track, because even though it also deviates from the central premise of the show, it demonstrates a return to the show's original b-plot of goetia family drama. although it introduces new elements to the storyline, it does so in a way that pays off what came before and raises the stakes. in the harvest moon festival, striker said he would finish the job on stolas the next time he saw him, and if it hadn't been for the phone call from stella, striker would have successfully killed stolas. we see stolas use abilities that have been previously established such as his demon form and paralyzing gaze to try and fight back rather than being forgotten about for the sake of plot convenience. this makes the episode feel like a proper continuation of s1 and a meaningful moment of forward motion for the story, rather than an episode based only on an idea the writers had and thought would be cool.

striker is a particularly good example of what this episode does right, because even if his escape at the end feels cheap (and was possibly changed later in the process after the role was recast), the episode uses the tools at its disposal to develop striker's character and add a new level of mystery and intrigue that is directly tied to the show's central theme of class tension. class tension was OOZING from every episode of s1. it has been almost completely ignored in s2. the return to the development of characters around this central theme is fundamentally necessary in order to maintain a sense of identity for the show, because even if there isn't a serialized plot, there needs to be something for the show to be ABOUT. even though the b-plot with loona felt like a complete contrivance, its inclusion at least supports this theme by demonstrating how difficult it is for lower-class demons to access the resources that they need to survive. it also allows for the ending sequence to take place in the way it does, and that sequence, as a moment, was actually very effective.

i've been typing for a while and am starting to get sick of it, so i'll wrap it up.

essentially, i have more hope for the show's writing now than i've had in nearly a year, but it needs to continue following through on the basics of storytelling (such as setup and payoff) in order to meaningfully recover. i still worry that the show is only capable of compelling moments over a coherent full picture, but this episode does seem to indicate that the show hasn't lost its way entirely. while this blog won't return to its former level of activity, i'll be keeping an eye on things, and if i have more thoughts in the future, i'll offer them up here.

now take this small cowboy with you for good luck on your travels, and enjoy his radiating miasma of not-yet-wasted potential.

[threewaysdivided]

(same anon that asked about YJ Phantoms) I'd love to read a critic on Harry Potter one day because you'd have a lot of interesting things to say.

(follow up from this ask)

Good to hear from you again nonnie!

I’m very flattered that you’d like to hear my comments on Harry Potter but… I don’t think I’d have a lot to add? 😅  I wrote most of my Young Justice meta-analyses because I’d noticed some specific structural and writing patterns that weren’t being discussed in the wider fandom critiques, and I wanted to change that.  (A lot of people were pointing to the time-skips and specific characterisation issues but not many seemed to be touching on Thematic Contradiction, Scope Management or the Side Quest problem, for example.)  Meanwhile, Harry Potter has been dissected to the moon and back with a fine tooth comb – there isn’t much I could say that hasn’t already been said better, more eloquently and in more detail elsewhere.

If you put the Harry Potter books in a bubble, my takes are actually pretty mild.  The books were important to me.  I was a 90s kid who read alongside releases throughout primary school.  I was a pretty big Potter-head at the time - I was daydreaming Potter fanfiction before I even knew what fanfic was.  I think it certainly had an influence on my modern taste in literature; there’s a reason I gravitate towards fantasy and mystery as my comfort genres (I’m currently having quite a bit of fun with The Dresden Files). 

On a technical level, Joanne Rowling was a decent writer.  I think she’s strongest at emotional and character-writing, and she kept a consistent theme of love/grief/family/loss going throughout the series.  Her use of mystery as a secondary structure to add pull makes the stories engaging and satisfying to “solve” on re-read.  Her prose and dialogue was quite snappy – it flows and reads well, and there are some very quintessentially British-humour lines that made me smile each time.

Where she was weakest, in my opinion, was sociological storytelling and worldbuilding.  There are some unquestioned biases and blind-spots in her writing (especially around stuff like the house-elves, the goblins, certain character descriptions and how she treats the status quo).   I generally agree with the sentiment that her worldbuilding wasn’t necessarily the most original – not as derivative as Eragon (which I also liked) could be in places, but nothing especially new – although that’s more of a subjective note than a great artistic sin, and Harry Potter was a good execution of that well-trodden ground.  There are definitely times when you can tell she was figuring things out as she went – some of her dates don’t line up and there are a few moments in early books where characters break “laws of magic” that she would later retcon-in (Mrs Weasley shouldn’t have been able to make sauce pour out of her wand in Book 2 according to the Principal Exceptions to Gamp’s Law of Elemental Transfiguration introduced in Book 7 and, based on the rules introduced in Book 6, Hagrid shouldn’t have been able to disapparate away from the station platform when Harry wasn’t looking in Book 1).  And of course, the infamous “vanishing poop” tweet.  In a bubble, pretty average, for-their-time 1990s fumbles from a debut children’s fiction author.  Flawed but in a mostly harmless, kind of charming way. 

I’m also pretty iffy on the movie adaptations, which have been generally… okay.  They showcased some good practical effects work and cinematography, but I never really felt they captured the magic (pun intended) or nuance that I enjoyed, due to the cuts and changes needed to fit the screentime.  That’s kind of my general vibe with a lot of adaptations, though – with a few exceptions I generally prefer to experience stories in their original intended medium.

However, we do also have to take the books out of their bubble and discuss the context of Rowling’s current politics.  I think it is not appropriate for people to try and erase her authorship of the books, or the way her largely open and accepting stance towards fan-content (in comparison to more litigious predecessors and contemporaries) contributed to the current state of modern fandom.  Their popularity and widespread influence makes them an important cultural touchstone and point of reference for their time period, and I think we do a disservice by pretending them away or acting like there’s nothing to be learned from their success just because we disagree with the author now. 

That being said, however, in the present Joanne Rowling is using the clout and funding she receives from the Harry Potter franchise to push policies and rhetoric that actively make life harder and more dangerous for transgender people (and has dragged in the neurodivergent community as a rhetorical device).  She has also expressed that she considers support for Harry Potter to be tacit endorsement of those politics.  Unlike past problematic-but-influential authors like Howard Phillips Lovecraft, Rowling is alive, politically active and benefiting from fandom engagement - and so the relationship between her work, her work’s fans and her current politics has tangible impact on real people.  I think it is up to every fan to decide how they personally want to navigate that difficult and at-times painful environment.

Personally, my decision (and this is just my decision) for handling that has been to pull away from Harry Potter as both a franchise and a fandom until such time as Joanne either revaluates her stance on transgender people, retires from public politics, passes away (provided she doesn’t will ongoing profits to anti-trans causes), or her books become public domain.  I still have the books I was gifted in the 90s, but there is a reason I generally haven’t shared or promoted Harry Potter content (even fandom stuff) to my blog for a few years.  Hopefully that will one day change, but until/unless that happens, I probably won’t be doing that kind of deep dive.

Instead, here are some videos that I found particularly interesting when thinking about the writing, implications and adaptations of the series:

Just Write: Construction of Mysteries in Harry Potter | Fantastic Beasts: Revisiting Mystery Construction

Quinn Curio: What Went Weird With Ron in Adaptation | Does Draco Need Redemption? | Why Does Slytherin Still Exist?

Pop Culture Detective: Newt Scamander and Empathetic Masculinity

Dominic Noble: Lost In Adaptation – The Harry Potter-athon [Playlist]

And here are a couple on Rowling’s current politics:

ContraPoints: JK Rowling and the Sociopolitical History of Transphobia | The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling

SuperGeekMike: How Creators Become Their Villains

Dominic Noble: A Harry Potter Fanboy's Response To J.K. Rowling

If you’re looking for other fantasy book recommendations I would heartily suggest Tamora Pierce.  Specifically the Song of the Lioness series (4 books), its sequel Protector of the Small (also 4 books) and the unrelated the Circle of Magic universe (2 sets of 4 books plus an epilogue and 2 side-stories).  Pierce writes to roughly the same reading-level as Rowling, and her books are a mix of magic, character- and mystery-driven. I would say she’s overall stronger at original magic systems and worldbuilding.  She also has her own interesting relationship to fandom (being a former fan-writer herself) and a feminist streak, with books that focus on young heroines without being dominated by romances.   They can be a bit hard to find in print these days but if you can they’re well worth your time.

For sassy British kids and urban fantasy, also consider Jonathon Stroud’s Lockwood & Co (recently adapted to a Netflix series) and his slightly-older Bartimaeus Sequence.  Again really fun worldbuilding, snappy prose and dialogue, and a generally good romp.  Lockwood is a ghost-hunting story and Bartimaeus uses demon summonings as its core worldbuilding conceit so if you like a little more horror in your fantasy then these will be a good time for you.

Hopefully that makes up for yet another doughnut! 🍩

[evelhak]

KnB 30-day challenge

1. Favourite Male Character

Okay, I'm sure this isn't a surprise to anyone who actively follows me, but...

It's going to have to be Kuroko. Years ago, I originally felt like someone else would have to be my favourite, because the reason why he's my favourite is that no other character ever in any media has made me feel so understood. And that's a pretty self-centred reason. (Dear younger me, if you're going to have a complex about something, at least pick something that makes even a little bit of sense.) Luckily, I'm over it now.

I don't know what I'm supposed to do with this post, so I'm going to ramble about this character's meaning to me. I've said this somewhere before, but this feeling of being understood because of the kind of character Kuroko is, is why I started writing KnB fanfiction. I was so overwhelmed that I felt like I had to give back somehow. Obviously I couldn't give back to the original creator in any meaningful way apart from buying the manga. And then there was this thing the creator said somewhere... that he had no idea what was going on in Kuroko's head for most of the time, that he was the hardest character for him to understand. And I nearly couldn't believe it. I was like... well then, mister, you have done a fabulous job fooling me. And at some point I started feeling like that was something I could do, I could show what was going on in Kuroko's head, and in that way I would get to not only give back to the character but the community, the other fans who felt deeply about this series.

Obviously, I didn't know if anyone was going to actually like my interpretation of Kuroko (or the other characters for that matter), but I've felt deeply lucky and humbled, by the readers finding my fics, who have told me my characterizations really resonate with them. (Even though the ones telling me my Kuroko is their favourite or that they consider my work canon in their head still make me want to run and hide a little. But I won't.)

Kuroko is really special to me, because I dislike writing about characters I relate to on that level. For some reason I can't write self-inserts, I can't even read stories where you're supposed to insert yourself into it. That's fine. But. It also means that there are some issues that I never get to write about in a way that I personally truly relate to. But... a lot of those things were already in canon Kuroko by accident. I didn't put them there, and that's why in this one instance I was able to persuade my tricky head into using my own life experience to make some of those things that were already in Kuroko, a little deeper, a little more significant to the story, and in some cases just let go of my inhibitions and interpret something in a way it was definitely not meant in canon, simply because it would be meaningful to me to see it that way.

Anyone who is up to date with my fics will know how far I have come from my fear of exercising too much freedom of interpretation, haha... I will literally do anything I want at this point. Still needs to be canon-based to satisfy my head, (like, there has to be at least one scene in canon that in my head, believably supports my interpretation) but I have definitely learned to not hold back. After all, it's just fanfiction, it's not that serious. (Even though I take it as seriously as my original writing.) I can do my thing and other people can do theirs. I'm so excited about all the things I'm still yet to write about this character. I know that a lot of people think that you should write the stuff that is the most important to you in your original fiction, but there are things I literally can't write through any other character than Kuroko. Same has started to apply to other characters through writing in this fandom too, because I can't separate these ideas I've gotten through writing, from their sources. They would lose so much meaning and detail if I tried, they are just too organic to the story.

I still can't give my actual lived experience to a fictional character, because that will feel disingenuous to me no matter what, but what I can give them is the abstract, theoretical knowledge I've gathered from those life experiences, and I will continue to use that to write Kuroko in a way that feels satisfying and honest to me. Sometimes it means I relate to the storyline I write for Kuroko, sometimes it means it's the literal opposite of what I would relate to, and sometimes it has no relation to me whatsoever. I just don't know how to stop at this point and being able to use myself in any way to enhance a character who essentially did the same to me, is a really unique experience. And knowing what has been meaningful to me has been meaningful to other people too, continues to inspire me.

Wish me luck trying to shorten the amount of time it takes me in real life to cover one year in the fic, because if I don't, it's going to get way more ridiculous than a few seconds in their games being ten minutes in an episode.

[rmwb-fanfics]

7 & 17 from the weird writer ask list please!

Oooo ok ok ok

7. What is your deepest joy about writing?

When you form an attachment to the characters you’re writing. Sure that seems like, really generic, but you get to know them and when you’re really really paying attention to them, they start to make their own decisions. You understand them on such a personal, intimate level, that it’s like, legitimately hard to put them through shit. It’s just fun to sit back and realize you’ve written something that compelling to you, and that makes you feel this strongly. It’s nice seeing how other people interpret the character’s actions, and how because you have their thoughts in your head, you can sort of see how the outsider’s perspective looks at it. Idk, it’s just interesting. The same goes for the world you create. This spans away from fanfiction but a lot of my original works have these complex worlds and politics and it becomes an character in and of itself. Okay I’ll shut up now.

17. Minutiae of your WIP. Little details, lore, things that I know about etc.

I’ve got two WIPs but one of them is really simple and essentially post-war canon compliant so we’ll skip over A Short Life.

Regretfully Uncaring:

Fucking hell where do I start.

Remus and Tonks write together a lot. Since they released their book on werewolves, (which Remus is now credited) they’ve been writing up a sequel of sorts, going into how to solve the political troubles and corrupt legislation the ICW keeps in place. Anyway, their relationship has done nothing but grow since Harry and Ginny went missing, and Tonks has a hunch that Ginny was working on becoming an animagus, something she’s kept close to her chest.

Greyback sees potential in Dudley to rise the ranks and become a fourth member of his little top of the pyramid club. Of course, Dudley only assumes this is a lie to get Dudley to think he’s important when reslly he’s just there to lure Harry, but that’s actually not true. Greyback likes Dudley, and wants him on his side for more than just Potter purposes.

Voldemort went to Ginny’s grave out of a legitimate sense of loss. This is, sort of, clarified in the fic later, but because it’s from Ginny’s perspective (unreliable narrator) it feels like Voldemort is insincere.

Daphne notices Ron because of his nose. That is what initially got her paying attention to him.

Harry’s crush on Elizabeth melting into his crush for Ginny has a deeper meaning and I hope people catch onto that eventually.

Audrey Williams, who eventually goes on to marry Percy, favourite subject was astronomy. Her favourite planet is Neptune.

Ted Tonks is currently sitting in a bar in Northern Ireland.

Remus collects vinyls, even though he doesn’t like playing them. It drives him absolutely mad that Sirius plays them, and his biggest annoyance with Potter Manor’s destruction is that his collection was destroyed in the fire.

Dobby did indeed die in the fire of Hogwarts.

Charlie Scamander, (Alyssa and Charlie’s daughter who I’ve neglected to mention in almost 20 chapters) has her grandmother’s voice in her head. Tina, unfortunately, is losing her hold over the position, and Snape’s is coming to replace it.

Death in Regretfully Uncaring is frustrated with Harry and Ginny because for her, she’d only just tracked them down in another reality, that of A Short Life Full of Long Years. So, in some ways, both of my fics are connected in that sense, though it is never mentioned nor eluded to.

[solacefruit]

for the fanfiction writing asks, 12, 25 and 31!

Hello! I'm almost exactly two months late answering these (oops) but hopefully better late than never.

Thank you for writing in! Sorry this answer's been so delayed.

Fanfiction Writing Asks!

12. Do you outline your fics?  If yes, how detailed are your outlines? How far do you stray from them?

Oh yes, I absolutely outline my stories. The exact amount of detail is usually dictated by how long and/or complicated the work is, but generally even for fairly basic stuff I'll have a few guiding dot-points to keep me approximately on the path.

I intentionally leave a lot of space to stray, though, and don't mind reworking an outline as the story develops. For example, I've planned out bend the definition of faith before I started writing any of it, and my estimate was about 16 chapters -- but in the process of writing, I've realised that I'm going to want to elongate that to give some ideas and moments more breathing room and an overall better pacing. The original outline is basically the same, but some chapters have been split into multiple or shifted about a bit now because I've realised through the process of writing the story that that's going to work better than the hypothetical version I plotted out initially.

Likewise, I don't tend to detail on a micro-level for story beats. So in my outline I'll have something like: [important conversation] or [story about clan history] and more or less discover what that is going to be specifically when I get closer to that point.

25. What’s your favourite part of the writing process (worldbuilding, brainstorming/outlining, writing, editing, etc)?

I think some people might assume it's world-building, but actually I like the writing of a story the best. There's a level of satisfaction that comes from putting an idea on paper in a functional kind of way, that imagining how something might work doesn't quite scratch for me. The world isn't true until it's written, basically. Sort of the difference between someone going "wouldn't it be cool if there was an amazing theme park" and actually going there yourself, you know?

Also, the practice of writing is itself pleasurable and fun, even though it's often challenging and sometimes outright frustrating. If I don't write frequently enough, I get sullen and irritable.

31. Do you use a beta reader/editor?

I did when I first started writing and sharing fanfiction! It was really helpful to have a trusted friend or my partner read over a story or chapter before I shared it, mostly for the reassurance and confidence boost, which I really needed at the time. I was very anxious when I started out, and really wanted to make sure I was putting out fairly strong stories that, you know, made sense, and it made me feel better to know that these people wouldn't let me post something that didn't meet a certain standard.

I don't use a beta reader now, though. That's in part because I'm confident enough in my work for this fandom that I don't need that quality check before I post these days (I've also embraced a way more "eh good enough' feeling towards AO3 stories in general, so the perfectionism isn't nearly as bad) -- and also because the friends I would ask are also very busy people who simply don't have the time to dedicate to editing for fanfiction. I'm also in that boat, truthfully, and the beta reading / editing we do for each other these days is actually for pre-publication works.

[thewillowbends]

^^

This kind of attitude right here is why I decided to stop writing long form fanfiction after I finish my two WIPs. Fandom doesn’t just devalue writing labor at this point — it’s openly hostile to writers as contributing members of it. We’re treated like content producers, expected to churn out regularly scheduled product in the way people want it, with none of the actual benefits or incentives that professional writers have — or even that literally every other fan creative venture can pursue.

I’m an adult in my thirties. I have been writing for twenty years. I have an English degree. I have been professionally published at some of my jobs. My work is written, edited, and published at a professional level over hundreds of hours, and I am giving it to you for FREE. I’m not asking for commission, and I can’t get it even if I wanted to. Meanwhile, AI is currently being used to scrape sites like Ao3 where it can then be used to potentially destroy the careers of professional writers who DO depend on it for work.

I’d need an entire essay to go into the fine details of the fandom shift that I’ve seen in the last twenty years, but I can most easily summarize it as “the corporatization of the Internet.” Everything is content now. Everything is consumed, mostly passively. Art is no longer a community experience but a transient one, appreciated briefly and then brushed aside — while at the same time being held to similar standards as mass media in terms of acceptability of content and expectations of expedience.

All of this while fanfiction grows in public awareness, while people are increasingly turning to it to fulfill their frustration over cancelled or badly ended shows, or having meltdowns over DDOS attacks blocking access, yet even with all of that fanfare, interaction has sharply fallen off. And financial compensation? Pfft. It’s considered some kind of delusion to be mocked should we even bring it up as a possibility

So if I can’t make money off my fic, and I can’t use it for writing submissions or portfolios, and then I have to go online and see people who are actual OTW volunteers post this hostile shit toward writers who are merely venting frustration at having no return for their completely uncompensated labor…why would I continue giving it to all of you for free? Why wouldn’t I just go original?

And you might thinking I’m being dramatic saying that, but I’m seeing more of my peers ask that question as we watch the AI debacle unfold and the WGA fighting for their careers. The reasons to continue producing professional grade fiction for free are becoming increasingly limited, while arguments against it are beginning to stack up.

I didn’t start writing fanfiction for money. I did it because I loved writing and being part of fandom, but I’m not going to be yet another form of exploited labor by proxy if I can help it. (And how discouraging to new creatives to see people saying they’re owed nothing!) Nor am I going to grovel at the feet of people who think clicking a kudos button is equivalent to my hours of creative labor. You can produce it yourself then.🤷🏻‍♀️

I swear to fucking god if I read one more author writing about how "commenting is easy" and "it's literally the least you can do" and readers are "lazy" if they don't comment on every story they read

shut the fuck up. honestly. you are my villain origin story.

[cmoroneybooks]

If you’re a pantser who struggles to finish books because you run out of ideas or constantly get stuck, that’s a sign you should try outlining.

It might not be the answer. 

I want to make it perfectly clear I’m not one of those writers that don’t believe you can pants a novel. You can. This isn’t about people that are successfully pantsing novels, this is about pantsers who never finish their books. 

If you never finish an original book, especially if you never get much past the first 20K words and you always pants those books, pantsing is likely the root of your problem.

I say original because I’ve encountered a lot of writers who successfully pants fanfic that cannot do the same for original work, or cannot do the same when they first transition from exclusively writing fanfiction to writing original work. I had this experience in my teenage years moving from only writing marauders fanfictions to writing my own stories. 

There are a couple of reasons why not planning at all may be causing your issue:

1. You might not understand story structure well enough to make it up as you go along. That’s nothing to be ashamed of, we’re all learning how to be better writers. Get some books on story structure and write yourself an outline. At least cover the inciting incident, the midpoint turn, and how the story ends. I’d recommend something a bit more fleshed out like the 15 beat story structure as a template and just leaving blank a few items if they feel like overplanning. 

Structure books I recommend: 

Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody 

Plotting Your Novel: Ideas and Structure by Janice Hardy

Character Arcs by Jordan McCollum

If this is your problem you may find that after a book or two written with the aid of some kind of outline you don’t need that anymore, or you need less and less detail. Don’t be afraid of trying pantsing again in the future. Your writing process should constantly be changing. That’s just you taking on the lessons of each book you write and applying it to the next.  

2. You might need some idea of what you’re writing towards to keep you motivated and interested in the story or to keep you from getting lost. 

If this is the case you’re probably some level of a planner at heart. I’d recommend you try a traditional structure like the 15 beat story structure, for that see my recommendations above, but you might also want to try simply planning the ending of your story. If you know the ending, you know what you’re writing towards. 

[lotronprimesucks]

Regarding the "negative reviews" that ROP is apparently receiving, because you all seem to claim, without seeing it, that it's a bad show or of low quality: most negative reviews on ROP I have seen are outright racist or, if they're not racist/bigoted they're childish arguments and incompetent critique. "The elves have short hair now". "Elrond isn't respectable enough". "Galadriel is too warlike". This is not a slam dunk. They're setting up character arcs and prepping them for development, as you do when writing a story. You idiots. The fanfictions you've devoted your life to have taught you nothing, apparently. They don't have primacy, and there's no intrinsic value to following the "fan-accepted" version of any character. Nobody who is negatively criticizing ROP can make a good argument against its writing or dialogue (which is no worse than the original LOTR, they're basically on the same level), its set design, its characters or acting. All they have is petulant stuff like "this is not my Galadriel" "they gave Elrond short hair" "they don't say Finrod's name". You embarrass yourselves, you lower the quality of the discourse. Boycotting ROP on the basis of Amazon being ghoulish is a valid approach, but making up incompetent arguments and passing them off as critique isn't. Y'all just can't accept that an evil company can also create a technically and artistically competent TV series, because you lack critical thinking skills and are consumed by tumblr brainrot, thinking things can only be wholly bad or wholly good. Children

Okay, anon, sure.

Let’s take this in order:

The negative reviews I’ve highlighted have been from respectable mainstream publications who are not caving to reactionary racist or sexist backlash. You’re assuming I’ve been going to great lengths to seek out user reviews or comments on Twitter or the shit the Daily Mail or Bounding Into Comics is saying. I’m not. The reviews I linked to all point out significant flaws with the writing and dialogue and approach to the showrunning. Whoever you’re accusing of being a child, it sure as hell can’t be me.

The things pointed out in those reviews - the gender-essentialist short hair, the complete mishandling of the family relations in House Finwë, the details they legally can’t mention, the political situation in the Second Age that are being completely rewritten - are all signs of a bad adaptation. They are indicators that the writers fundamentally do not understand the text they are using as a source material, and that therefore the story they are telling is not connected to the books. You present these as petulant or childish complaints but they aren’t, they’re significant and show that the people writing this work are not interested in accurately portraying what’s written on the page. At that point, regardless of how good the writing is, this project has failed at its most basic task.

The first episodes also prove that they didn’t have the rights to anything except the Appendices. This means they are compelled to write an entirely original story, which might be good but so far is neither accurate nor compelling on its own.

Whether or not the adaptation is accurate matters to people who aren’t racist. This is because a desire for accuracy is not approving of the author, the author’s personal politics, or the author’s preferences. I don’t want accuracy because I care about Tolkien the man. I want accuracy because I like the books as they are written, and clearly what Amazon is doing is not following the books as they were written. This matters to me and to many other people. (“Accuracy” is not a shorthand for “white people”. I have said before on this blog that I want substantially more people of color in the show, not less and not the current amount. It is in fact necessary to include more characters of color to accurately reflect the text.)

The writing on this show is bad. Abysmally bad. Horribly bad. So bad I’d rather watch The Room and Birdemic and Zardoz on loop. Assuming that everyone criticizing this show has nothing to say about the writing and dialogue is false. The production design is horrible, the music is either generic or actively racist, the plot is already disjointed and badly structured. All of these are things that have been said in many critiques, and all of them matter. I at this point doubt that anyone who likes this show has actually watched it because the incompetence in every possible place except for some of the effects and the cinematography is staggering.

So no, I can’t accept that Amazon made a technically competent series. They didn’t do that, and I am not interested in being told they did simply because of your assumptions about what we’re all objecting to.

Cheers!

[minnarr]

Reference post: Jinwang, Zhou Zishu, and Jing Beiyuan according to Word of Honor

I started reading Qi Ye after finishing Word of Honor, and at first I approached it as potential background for Word of Honor. But the more I both read that and looked at the details given to us in Word of Honor, the more another approach made sense to me. Word of Honor takes character names and elements from Qi Ye, to be sure, but the context and details often change quite a bit. I’ve talked a little bit in a previous meta about the differences/similarities in my head between Jinwang and Helian Yi. 

However, some of the differences in biographical detail stuck out so much that it occurred to me that it might be more productive (as a writer of fanfiction for Word of Honor alone) to take all of the details we’re given and apply it not to analyzing differences, but to seeing what picture the show does give us. Approached as characters independent from the source text, what can we figure out about them and the situation that made them?

That’s a lot of words to say that I’m basically just going to share my notes: what we do know, just from what’s said in the drama. Also, to preface, I know very little Chinese! I am just squirrelling away what I can from subtitles and resorting to dictionaries, so I can’t give a ton of context or analysis beyond what’s presented on a surface level and I very well may have missed or misinterpreted some things. Would love to hear about it if I have.

The Princes of Jin

To start with: Jinwang is neither an emperor nor the heir to one. This is explicit from episode 1. Our first glimpse of Zhou Zishu and Tianchuang come in a scene set at the mansion of a jiedushi. Li-daren (the jiedushi in charge, and Princess Jing’an’s father) is writing letters in haste to let others know that Jinwang is secretly training assassins in Tianchuang with the intention of killing court officials and rebelling.(1) In episode 11, when Zhou Zishu tells Chengling and Wen Kexing the truth about who he is, he says that for generations the Zhou family have followed the jiedushi of Jinzhou, which suggests to me Jinwang holds the same position that Li-daren does. 

There are different kinds of princes besides heirs to emperors. In this case, it’s probably a title bestowed on one of Jinwang’s predecessors by the emperor. The Jinwang of present day is at least the second prince in his line: his father is always spoken of as either the former Jinwang (先晋王) or, in a flashback in episode 24 to a time when he was still alive, wangye (王爷). In the same flashback, Zhou Zishu addresses the man who will become Jinwang as shizi-ye (世子爷), Notably, this is not the title Helian Yi has in Qi Ye, taizi, because he’s not a Crown Prince. (It appears to be pretty consistent with what you’d call the heir to someone in Jinwang’s position).

So, what about the emperor? Well, we actually do hear a little about him when Han Ying shows up to lightly menace Gao Chong in episode 7. Gao Chong gets angry at the threats and says, Tianchuang might rule over the Northwest, but we’re in Yueyang City, under the rule of the emperor. And then we literally don’t hear anything about him. When Xie’er says in episode 34 that he plans to announce himself as the new emperor, his plan involves killing Jinwang first. Jinwang himself, in episode 1, says he plans to be emperor within the next three years. Whoever and wherever the current emperor is, it’s fairly clear that Jinwang’s expected to take his place: not as heir, but by taking power.

A dark room, and a window to heaven

The origins of Jinwang’s bid for the throne go all the way back to the time the former prince was still in charge. By all appearances, Former Jinwang was quite a volatile leader. The episode 24 flashbacks give us the story of Jinwang and Zhou Zishu’s laoshi. Former Jinwang believed slanderous rumors about laoshi and had him thrown in prison and then executed. Not only that, his body was left outside for scavengers to pick apart. Zhou Zishu promised a grieving Jinwang that he would find it and bury it properly.

Zhou Zishu’s father also met his death at Former Jinwang’s hands, as Han Ying reveals in episode 29. He found a letter in Jinwang’s study that said Zhou Zishu’s father was killed secretly for treason against Jinwang. Zhou Zishu had previously believed he died of an illness; he was Former Jinwang’s best friend and trusted subordinate.(2) With later context about Zhou Zishu’s father’s quest for the secrets in what became the World’s Armory, it seems likely he was killed for that failure.

Before dying, laoshi wrote a poem in blood on the walls of his prison. For the poem and better context on it, please check out this post. I’m not sure whether we’re supposed to believe that Tianchuang’s name is a reference to this poem, but Zhou Zishu at the start clearly believed he and Jinwang could make things better. Jinwang certainly never forgets the poem: he recites it in episode 1 as he watches Zhou Zishu ride away with the Nails in his chest. 

The courtyard oath

Jinwang’s success is not his alone. He had several close friends and allies, all of whom have left him by the end of the show. The most vital of these in the drama appears to be Zhou Zishu. His Tianchuang propels him to power, and they’re also kin: Jinwang is Zhou Zishu’s older cousin of another surname (he bids Zhou Zishu to address him as 表哥, biao-ge). We don’t really know exactly how they’re related, but I would guess it’s more likely that Former Jinwang married his friend’s sister than that Zhou Zishu’s mother was Former Jinwang’s sister. Both are fun ideas to play with, though. 

There are more, though! In episode 30, during what I like to think of as the Worst Wine Party Ever, Jinwang reminisces about a promise made ten years ago in Qingluan’s courtyard. All the friends there would dig up this wine and drink it together. We are treated to a vivid picture in Jinwang’s rose-tinted reminiscences: a flower-filled courtyard, with Jing Beiyuan playing the qin, Qin Jiuxiao playing xiao, Yunxing(3) doing a sword dance, and Qingluan(4) composing songs. And Zhou Zishu and Jinwang, side by side.

Of course, by the time of this reminiscing, everyone but Zhou Zishu is gone. Yunxing went far away to the borderland, Qingluan committed suicide, Jiuxiao died in a battle in Lucheng (which Jinwang orchestrated), and Jing Beiyuan... 

Okay, I admit, I have not finished Qi Ye, so I have no clue how he escaped Helian Yi in the book, but this is so tasty. Jinwang apparently believes that he poisoned Beiyuan to death. Zhou Zishu brings this up straight-faced despite knowing full well Beiyuan is alive, and it seems like when Wu Xi and Beiyuan come up in the show he’s always known he was alive and just happened to lose touch. So...somehow they made that happen. 

Also, I don’t really have another place to bring this up, but this thing about how they adapted Jing Beiyuan just makes me laugh. When he introduces himself in episode 30, he says that he’s the seventh child of his generation. (I guess to justify the Qi Ye title?) And I just. PLEASE. Imagine there being six more of them. Imagine Beiyuan having OLDER SIBLINGS and being the way that he is.

I’m not going to go over everything that happened with Jiuxiao, because I figure people know/remember? That’s a pretty prominent part of Zhou Zishu’s emotional journey. But if anyone doesn’t and wants an account hit me up.

Shatuo origins

I don’t really know why the show did this, but this is kind of one of the things they did that most locates Jinwang in a place very different to Helian Yi’s: they decided to give his family a non-Han origin story and use that to tie him into the World’s Armory. This comes up right at the end of the show, in episode 36, when Zhou Zishu and Jing Beiyuan discuss Jinwang’s reason for wanting the World’s Armory.

I’m going to give the untranslated subtitles here for anyone who wants to take a crack at them, along with what Netflix gives in English:

Looking back, he and I are both descendants of Shatuo.(5) Our ancestors succeeded in stopping a riot, so they were granted the national surname and were appointed as jiedushi. That’s how we got what we have today.

王爷跟我追根溯源

本是沙陀后裔

因先祖平乱有功

方才得赐国姓

官拜节度使繁衍生息

才有了而今的局面

If we go further back, our clan from this branch was the subordinate of Tuojie(6) Imperial kinsmen.

可是如果再往前论

我们族这一支实则隶属拓揭王族

The World’s Armory, it turns out, was actually originally a legendary vault among the six clans of different surnames that Jing Beiyuan and Jinwang’s families come from. The key was broken up into six pieces, which Beiyuan suggests is the five Glazed Armor pieces plus the key. It was supposed to contain the secret to a long-lasting country, which (as it turns out) is a bunch of sacks of grain and farming manuals written in Tuojie characters.(7) 

It’s fairly clear that this has always been Jinwang’s pursuit (there’s a shot of him in episode 12 with an old drawing of the Glazed Armor/six keys), as well as his father’s (since the quest for it got Zhou Zishu’s father killed). So this ends up tying him a lot tighter into the whole web of nonsense around the Glazed Armor, too.

Locations

The show tells us that Jinzhou is in the Northwest during the tete-a-tete between Gao Chong and Han Ying, and elsewhere Hedong is mentioned in episode 1. Jin + Hedong seem to identify it as the area around Taiyuan; there was a Hedong circuit in the area during the Tang dynasty, as well as a state of Jin with the same character as Jinzhou in Word of Honor. Both seem to have been ruled by Li Keyong, but for that I’m relying on Wikipedia entries referencing Chinese-language sources. All of this to say, you’re probably safe setting it in modern-day Shanxi. 

Some building names gotten either via Netflix subtitles or pointing my phone camera at screenshots to extract characters:

Jinwang’s palace (or possibly just the main hall) is called Lichun Palace [Hall] (黎淳殿).

After giving the Nails to Bi Changfeng, Zhou Zishu emerges from a building called Guiyun Pavilion (归云阁), presumably the same one he was just walking through with all the stone and Tianchuang guys and the dramatic skylight. Zhou Zishu’s painting with the flowers is kept in a building called Chongming Court (重明苑). This might be his home? I’m really unclear on how all this fits together.

A few aerial views for good measure:

The Tianchuang complex

The palace

Also, as a point of interest, the dragon banner does not appear to be Jinwang’s personal symbol.

This banner appears inside Lichun Palace:

This one outside Li-daren’s mansion:

And this one on the front of Guiyun Pavilion:

And I think that’s what I’ve got! Surprised how much there is on all of this in the nooks and crannies of this show.

---

(1) Netflix subtitles give us a few of the addressees: the governors (taishou) of Changsha and Nanning. 

(2) Also, his brother-in-law.

(3) He Yunxing is one of the conspirators in Qi Ye, and you could probably transplant who he is in that novel easily into this setting.

(5) This one line spurred so much wiki-holing and speculation about the setting for this from me. Look, I’m just saying

(4) Less so Su Qingluan of Qi Ye, a beautiful young woman who tries to and fails to ensnare Helian Yi and his party in schemes on his brother’s behalf. (And whose death, in another lifetime, was the center of the falling out between Jing Beiyuan and Helian Yi).

(6) No amount of googling has saved me. The best I can come up with is a type of warrior among the Shatuo Turks via a Baidu article I skimmed via Google translate, but that’s not at all how the show treats Tuojie. If anyone has any idea what’s going on here I would love to know.

(7) I think there’s some stuff about agrarian vs. nomadic cultures baked in here that I am not the person to address, it’s definitely A Thing I Would Like to Read Up On along with a billion other things.