#Writer Atlas answers

[shitty-short-stories-anonymous]

Jesus Crist darling. I can't read the extra fun stuff... anyway, just sending something from one of my accounts. We will see which one when you respond. But more or less keeping this for later.

I changed the color a bit so it should be legible now

I’ve been messing around with the colors for a while

Also I got really excited when you followed this blog ngl

[ekwolfwriter-blog]

Warning Writers and Artist

If you see this or something similar in your messages or asking about if your art uses AI or if you use AI for your fics, do not engage them directly.

There is someone going around that is outright accusing people of using AI for works of theirs and asking to prove it. Either through showing their process with a video but the platform they used or the programs and are just being pushy about it. And while it can feel tempting to answer, it is just to get to harass artist and writers into complying about AI in any works. And from a cursory glance, they seem be going after popular blogs/ artists/ or specific ships that are being asked to be questioned. (I will not name which ships as that is not my business but I will tag in ones I am familiar with).

As for the person that asked me this, I will be candid and say this: Asking someone if they use AI in their works is not conductive to ones time. I only have a cursory understanding of AI vs Human in the arts debate as I know there is a lot of discussions about it and yes, it is scary times because of the scraping of fics and art. I considers myself an artist/ writer, so I am a strong believer in human touch as being necessary for any artistic front. But the subject of AI tools is not something I know all details about and cannot provide an answer I would be confident I can provide a suitable answer to this conversation. Also keep in mind - Microsoft and/ google docs use AI for editing purposes or suggestions unless you turn it off, so make of that what you will. (Or if you have a plug in with AI that give a suggestion of what to write in some websites so there is that too).

But if you are the person that I have heard that is going around and asking people for proof of creation - it causing more headaches than good and asking for "proof of it" is also potentially harmful for showing this unnecessary proof. Such as exposing someones computer background information or anything on their computer or names on files linking actual real life people.

There are ways to make sure that art is not scraped - such as artist finding programs to prevent their images from being used for AI searches to writers using sites like Ao3 that offer locking works from getting scrapped from AI that at as guests that are not registered to the system. It is not prefect, but it is a start. If that is what you are looking to accomplish, then promote the good ways to prevent AI from scraping works from content creator and or finding new methods to promote human artist/ writers in fandoms.

Asking me if I use AI is not one of them. And no, I will not be proving myself or showing off my works for anyone's amusement to rile up drama. If you want to ask about my genuine thought process or ideas for fics and concerns if I use AI, ask in the comments below. Let's talk publicly about this.

Otherwise, I see this as just someone trying get me to cause drama before more content comes out for a certain fandom. And I don't have the time nor patience for people looking to cause issues because you are bored.

[quillthrillswriting]

Hi! I just found your regency-kataang work and I am obsessed !!! do you have plans to update soon? or even have a part 3? 🤗

ah hi anon!!!!!!!

i'm so glad u asked:))) part three of the regency series will actually be uploaded for kataang week for the jealousy prompt!!! very much looking forward to updating that series as it is very near and dear to my heart and i love writing period pieces.

thank u for the ask, i'm so glad that you're enjoying it enough to check in about it:)))<3

[praetorqueenreyna]

One thing I have wondered for years, why wasn't there any Pacific Island/Polynesian inspired Water Tribes in ATLA? Why couldn't there have been a tropical tribe along with the two polar tribes?

Because ATLA was not an encyclopedia on every subculture of bending, it was an action/adventure fantasy about Aang, the last airbender.

I mean this in the nicest possible way but yall gotta stop taking headcanons like this and turning them into anger/frustration with the creators of the series for not including them. ATLA was never intended to include aspects of every single non-white culture on the planet. They created a world that supported the story that they wanted to tell, and left it AT THAT.

There are 61 episodes of ATLA, and each one is 22 minutes. That is not a lot of time to tell a compelling story of a group of kids that travels the span of the entire world. The show is incredibly well-paced and well-executed, and every episode is vitally important to the development of the story being told. Where exactly were the creators supposed to cram in another Water Tribe? What should they have sacrificed to make that happen?

idk man I'm just tired of this attitude where fans smugly point out all the ways that ATLA could have included MORE and act like it's a moral fault on the show that they didn't. This is what fanfiction is FOR. The show gives us this rich, diverse world and makes it very clear that there is more to it than we see and what the characters know! We're given glimpses into other bending types that do exist in the world, such as the sandbenders, the foggy swamp benders, the sun warriors, etc.

Like I get that we want ALL cultures to be represented, but no single piece of media is going to be able to handle all that. And attacking a well-made show like ATLA for not doing so actually discourages anyone from creating diverse media, because it tells them that no matter how hard they try, they'll always be attacked. Appreciate the show for what it is, expand on the amazing world in headcanon and fanfiction, and stop approaching every aspect of the show that you PERSONALLY think should be different with anger.

[ithinkyourerare]

noting like reading a fanfic for literally 2 minutes and getting the biggest urge to write a story. it’s literally not fanfiction i just needed something to unclog the creative gears and that was it. it’s been almost 3 hours, and now i’m desperately trying to figure out how to incorporate an entire (at least two page) scene where one character is speaking english and one is speaking italian AND show proper (hopefully) translation.

[saturnsuv]

8 episodes into tlok trying to fill the atla hole in my heart again and my impression so far is that it’s aggressively mediocre. sorry

[northerngoshawk]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💗

thanks for the ask @itsmoonpeaches and @chocomd!

all the following are ATLA fics

The Dishonored Blade

these sleepless nights we spend (waiting to come home)

dreamless dreams 

i don't know who i am (but i won't stop trying) (series which includes 2 fics)

[rathockey]

also if you want to start it over. and listen this is would mean a lot of work etc etc but sometimes the urge or need is overwhelming. anyways if you wanted to, you could just. make two fics that are the same but aren’t the same. and that would be okay. and then you’d be able to start from the beginning without scrapping it! and i know that’s an insane option but if you wanted to… (and then maybe you could combine them or edit either one to include scenes from the other etc if you’d like) (sorry for saying so much i am avoiding school)

tim your brain is simply so massive and you're so right

it would be so much work i think the current fic is at like. 17k LOL but. it is simply so tempting

i think the most realistic and likely course of action is that i'll just pretend all that doesn't exist and start almost from where i left off (just skipping ending chapter four) as though i'm starting anew and then go back and rewrite anything from the first four chapters as needed. bc looking at 17k of words and going. maybe i dont want this is SO INTIMIDATING LOL

[empty-blog-for-lurking]

Hiii for the ship opinion bingo, how about uhhh hunter/willow and azula/ty Lee? (Im not a ship person and every time i'm doing one of these games i just. forget every ship in existance lol, sorry)

It's fine!!

Huntlow-

I think it is such a cute ship!!! And yeah it is basically canon. I love it so much!! I still really wish there was more content on just Willow (canon or fanon) but otherwise i love it!!!

Ok so i have to confess something, i havent watched atla beyond some episodes of season 1, so i dont really know them, but yeah they are intriguing to me! But also i know a lot of spoilers and know things dont go well so uhhh...... yeah

Thank you for the ask!!!

[x-atlas-x]

Ooo ooo ooo 1 and 5 for the fic writer meme!

...alright, here we go-

1.) Describe your comfort zone-a typical you-fic.

I suppose it'd have to be something that I can relate to, such as my Unhealthy series, which includes trans Yugi and non-binary Atem struggling through college. I really like writing about gender because I've identified so many different ways and it helps me with my dysphoria more often than not. But, other than that, mostly puzzle/blindshipping - Atem and Yugi are my comfort characters and I'm usually writing about them more than anyone else.

5.) Share one of your strengths.

I guess building a character's life/relationship. I love describing a character's living situation, their routine, and how they've come to be with who they're dating if it's an established relationship. Basically, I like including useless details and going on descriptive tangents about how much a character adores their partner.

...Also, smut-

Thanks so much for the ask!! It's greatly appreciated <3

If you want to ask a question, here's my post for the list!

[dameferre]

I have been following you for years (since les mis times) and our interests always seem to magically align (minus atla... you almost lost me then BUT only bc i havent seen it yet) and I am so HYPED to see you're a fellow D20 enjoyer. Blessings friend-stranger who lives in my phone <3

omg i think that's so fun when that happens

love getting a new interest and seeing it on my dash without having to put it there myself bc other people have discovered it and love it too

anyway d20 took over my entire life for a minute there and really. has only to loosen its hold rather than let go altogether and i'd kill and die for, in no particular order, brennan lou ally aabria erika and zac quite literally any day of the week and twice on sundays

[nathaniacolver]

my roommate & i have been binging atla since wednesday bc i haven't seen it in 8 years & she hasn't seen it EVER. we are currently queued up to watch "The Puppetmaster," which I'm so stoked about, but i have to go to work first. anyway, sometimes i forget just how much of a masterpiece this is. not a dull episode, what with the story, humor, & characters. i love it.

[praetorqueenreyna]

25 for the fic writers ask?

(fic writer asks)

25. What fic do you wish you got more of a response on?

OOF that's tough, just because I seem to always find myself in fandoms that don't comment and share fics as much! So it's hard to gauge the actual response on them.

I'll say a knife for every heart, which I BELIEVE is my first crossover fic! Both Sandman and IWTV fandom are huge and seem decently responsive, but APPARENTLY they were not into my gay murder nightmare fic lmao. I guess I must continue being the only one with correct fandom opinions!

[willynillynonsense]

Hello? Is anyone? Oh hello! Long time no see, how are you guys doing? Has Glitchtrap sorted out the small glitching problem? And how were the clothes Quincy gave you Will? Did they fit alright?

I th-think I’ve finally reached a breakthrough. Phew. Thought some outside entity started to corrupt me for a moment there. Glad that wasn’t the case.

I can vouch for those clothes fitting William just fine. A shame that Pond and him have reached a strange stalemate in their… Whatchamacallit. I think her last move was so much of a finisher that she doesn’t know how to top it. She’s been pacing for a good while now. One of these days, she has to make one. last. strike… FINISH HIM OFF, YOU COWARD.

[soracities]

where do you find articles or personal essays to read? and also do you have any favorite sources for news? i want to read more but i’m having a difficult time finding sources 🤍

I've answered this just recently but here's a more complete list for essays from places I visit most often (favourites are marked **)

LitHub**

Electric Literature**

Guernica Magazine**

Hazlitt**

Longreads**

Pangyrus

The Dial**

Bloodknife**

Aeon **

The Marginalian**

Asymptote Journal

N+1

Nautilus**

Quanta Magazine**

The Believer

Ordinary Plots**

The Point Magazine

The Baffler

Paris Review (Redux newsletter is good for things usu behind the paywall)

The New Yorker

The Artifice

The Collector

The Rumpus

Catapult

Tin House Archives (the online section is no longer running but past publications are still available)

Additionally, highly recommend switching to Mozilla Firefox and trying the "Pocket" feature on their homepage: it collects links to articles across the web on topics that are either trending or based on the Pocket suggestions you usually click on. I'm on private browser 99% of the time but there's still 2 or 3 articles at least that I'm always interested in and I love it!

Some other places I read things: Poets&Writers, Atlas Obscura, The Guardian, The Independent, New Scientist, Al Jazeera, The Atlantic, BBC, National Geographic, Wired, NY Times, GQ, NPR, The Irish Times / Independent, etc., I don't have favourite news sources as a rule since I usually read 2 or 3 articles on the same topic from different places depending on what it is (I don't like relying on single sources). But on the whole this covers most of what cross my orbit unless I'm looking for something specifically 💗

[cripplecharacters]

Hi, I have some questions regarding confusion over a certain topic. First off, I have a character with a severe scarring on the upper right side of their body. I've heard in some tumblr ppsts that such appearance shouldn't be fetished. Then I stumbled across some posts, mentioning how the character can be described as 'pretty with it'.

For sure, I'm trying my best to normalize the looks. Because I have a love interest set up for them and while they don't mind the looks, I feel confused on how to convey their appreciation for the character's looks even with the scarring. They like the character as they are and stuff.

Sorry if this is a lot, I tend to get confused on how to handle such scenarios. And this sort of varying opinions is making me go '???'.

It's okay if you take your time to answer! Have a good day ahead of ya!

Hi!

"Fetishization of a disability" and "thinking that a disabled person is pretty" are two very different things. Despite the somewhat similar sound, they're not connected by much.

In the context of scars, fetishization would be what I would call the "Zuko situation" (yes, I love ATLA as much as the next guy, let me explain) - the scar isn't really a scar, it's more of a, I don't know, make-up? It's just the color that changes, it's all sharp edges and intricate shapes, the facial structure stays the exact same. There's no physical symptoms. Essentially, it's permanent body paint.

It fetishizes a disability by making it inaccurate, sometimes almost mystical. You don't see anyone fetishizing how real people with facial burns look like because they only like the idea of it. They don't care for us; they don't care for Face Equality or why we are offended by "villain with scar #32482". It's just a fun splotch of color to add to your OC when you're out of ideas.

Another aspect of fetishization is the "a scar is the worst thing in the whole world", the tragedy porn. It's using a disability for cheap drama. Again; it's inaccurate and exploitative. I don't see writers excited to depict my "coming to terms with my facial difference as a teenager, and eventually being proud of it" experience because where's the shock value and pity points? Fetishization, again, is about liking the idea of it, not the real thing.

Describing your character as beautiful, well, isn't any of that.

The point that I tried to make on that post was that a scar is often considered inherently ugly. That it's a stain on someone's beauty, that it would be better if it wasn't there.

"Brown beautiful eyes, thick facial hair, strong cheekbones - he managed to be irresistibly handsome even with that nasty scar going across his nose."

This, well, sucks. It's as if the character's beauty and their disability are contradictory forces that have to fight each other. But in reality, scars and any other visible disabilities are neutral. If the character is pretty, their scar is pretty too. It's a part of them, so how could it not be?

"She was a cute girl; her pastel pink, thinly braided hair framed her face, defying gravity by curling towards her mouth. The burned skin on her lips shifted as she smiled, revealing a tooth gap. She played with her equally pink 'white' cane, holding it between the two fingers she had on her right hand, bopping it against the ground to the rhythm of the song."

This, on the other hand, just states her disability as a part of her person. It's nothing weird or shocking, she's pretty, has a burn on her face, she's blind, she's missing some fingers, she's enjoying the music - it's almost boring when compared to the usual "scar introduction". There's no "even with her horribly burnt face", no "if only she wasn't scarred she would be beautiful", no "poor thing, lost her fingers in a horrific fire" - instead, she is beautiful, and she has scars, and she sure is having fun. That's it.

This is my best shot at explaining the difference between "fetishization" and "yeah they're pretty :-)" ft. my questionable writing - I hope this makes sense.

I definitely took my time to answer, sorry about that. Thank you for your ask!

mod Sasza