#also Not The Same Thing: a reader not appreciating the fic vs a reader not TELLING you that they did.

[nostalgia-tblr]

kudos button discourse

A thing I read:

"The introduction of the Kudos/Like button at the same time as this move away from a platform designed around conversation/commenting fundamentally changed fandom from a community of equal exchange into one of consumption."

What I want say about this is that I don't think we know that's true. What has changed with AO3 vs spread out archives, Yahoo Groups, LJ posts and so on, is that 'consumption' of fanfiction has become more visible. There's a hit count on AO3 works, and the Kudos metric shows how many people clicked on the button (for the sake of argument I will accept the suggetion that kudos = not interacting with a work in any meaningful way.)

(Which is bullshit, btw, as anyone who ever got a low kudos count on a fic with a decent number of hits will tell you. It feels different as the poster of a work if it doesn't get much kudos, so I would say it definitely is different. Someone interacted! In some way!)

But anywho now you can see, at no expence of time or effort, exactly how many people clicked on the work. If you got 2 comments on a LiveJournal post you didn't know how many people had seen it, so maybe 2 was good for that unknown number of hits. (There were ways to 'cheat' and get a hit count but those I think were never that reliable? And it wasn't a feature of LJ itself.) Similarly I might be able to say that a 500-strong mailing list sent back 5 comments, but do I know how many of those 500 actually read it? In this ignorance there was some measure of bliss. Because now you know that 527 people clicked on your story, and 48 of them clicked the little Kudos button, and 1 left a comment. You can begin to see 526 of those people (or 478 if you're feeling more generous) as 'consumers' who cruelly sucked the fanfic blood from your weary veins and refused to interact with you because they see you as less than human. As a machine for making porn for them. As a - shudder! - fellow social media user!

Look I get it, we all love comments and many of us love kudos, but in the years of reading fic on archives I had to search for (RIP Google That Worked) I can remember once going to the effort of emailling someone about their fic. I got 1-2 comments that way myself. The easier it is to interact the more likely that interaction has always been. There are many days when I am just not up to commenting on a stranger's story but I can manage to click the kudos button. I say this not to excuse my poor feeble self but merely to state that removing the kudos button would not necessarily increase comment numbers, as many/most of those kudos came from readers who were never going to comment. They went with an easier option yeah but the harder option wasn't really an option sometimes, and sometimes it just wasn't what they wanted to do. Click, move on. But they did click! They could have just not! Most people do not click kudos on a fic, and this goes for any fic. Not everyone will have read the work all the way through (which is one of the flaws of counting hits as reads) but most probably did.

Also, since I did some 'research' once, I will say that having looked at comment numbers on my older fics (circa 2011-2017) they don't actually have more comments on them, or they do so only because they've been on the site for a decade and the time stamps on them reveal that two of three comments came in years after posting the fic. Weird how the grass is always such a nice bright green in memory, with plenty of comments about how green it is.

Not all fandoms have the same comment culture and of course they're not all the same size. Sometimes the drop is because you moved from 'Juggernaut Pairing' to 'Nobody Has Even Seen This Show'. Sometimes your fandom slowly died :( Sometimes there's no real reason. Sometimes there was no drop.

I think when there has been a decrease in commenting there are usually a few things at work, not just The Kudos Button. For instance: commenting to/with friends on a platform that was more social; an increase in non-native speakers reading fics in a given language; an influx of Guest readers who don't even know the kudos button is an option; BNFdom in a space where commenting is public and can create an image of friendship; readers' fear of leaving publically traceable signs of their presence; tumblr's active hostility to commenting on a post as opposed to 'muttering' in the tags; what time the latest kaiju attack took place.

Thanks for reading, please click the... well, the wee heart button will do. Because to me that is indeed a form of engagement/social interaction. <3

tl;dr - I think OP was likely onto something with the move from more conversation-based forms of social media, but the kudos button is not the problem and it's honestly weird and needlessly heirarchical to view the people reading your fics as mindless sheep consuming your (now so much less green) grass because they're not aware that you too are a human being, and one who is worthy of more respect than you'll show to them. Unless they can level up to 'real proper human' by typing out some words in the language the fic was posted in.

[dreadfutures]

#i'm sad to hear this because it doesn't reflect my own experience #i actually see more fic and art because i'm in discords with people who share those things and ALSO reblog #but my discord circles probably skew toward older tumblr users who reblog stuff - @anneapocalypse

#discord has me so much more connected to my fellow authors and fanartists#it's sad that it's not a universal experience - @inquisimer

This.

There are some servers where it really is a black hole: people will say "look at this" and it's just a piece of art with no source. Those servers suck tbf.

But.

Discord servers -- any community -- will be as crediting, and reciprocal, and engaged, as any other community, based on the people who build the culture in that community; new people joining communities see that culture and either conform with joy, or they get pushed to conform. And when that culture is one of mutual celebration of creativity, then that's what gets fostered in its participants--and it does leak out into other communities.

Every individual who asks for a source or for a link when someone shares their own or someone else's creativity -- that person who asks is spreading that culture of mutual interest. It becomes a norm, and your community will eventually thrive.

There are always people who will take without giving, whether the sharing/resharing/commenting culture is codified in a Rule or not. But Discord doesn't inherently make people less inclined to share, speak of, or comment on, art and fic. That's down to their own awareness and apathy toward that culture -- which everyone, on every platform, has been complaining about seeing a decrease in in recent years. "So much about fandom now is just pure absorption and no actual engagement" is definitely true.

But I have seen people get more brave about commenting, and more aware of how tumblr works with its reblogging feature, after joining our discords and seeing exactly why those things matter and why they make other people feel good and why it's worth them specifically reaching out and commenting/sharing when things cross their desk.

I'm really proud of the community culture that's been fostered in those servers. It's impossible to engage with everyone's works, but everyone makes an effort to make sure their interest and enthusiasm is known both to the author/artist directly (whether the artist/author is in the discord itself or not!), and to the larger internet where applicable.

This isn't directed to OP so much as it's directed to the 1 person who commented on their fic -- be the change, encourage that celebration in everyone, and encourage all your shy folks around you to actually tell the creators they like that they like them! it takes so few spoons to leave a comment or to reblog something, and those are acts of love.

we don't talk enough about discords place in the slow death of tumblr. and i say that as someone who uses and loves discord. but the seperation between reblogging and talking on discord def affected how we communicate here. something i see really often is people sharing gifs and art on discord and being like "how pretty is this!" and still never reblog it. or people will talk about a fic on discord or twitter and then the fic itself barely has comments on ao3, so the creators feel like no one is seeing their stuff, or worse, that no one cares. i remember being completely floored when one (1) person on ao3 said their entire server was talkin about my fic bc if they hadn't had commented that i would never know! so much abt fandom now is just pure absorption and no actual engagement.

[choccy-milky]

I dont know why I had this vision of clora riding a scooter, like a cute light blue one with italy vibes, like a vespa, and sebastian panicking behind her LMAO

I SEE THE VISION AS WELL...idk how shes on a vespa tho since they werent invented yet so lets just assume theres time-turner shenanigans going on LMAO

but also anon this request was so funny to me because the SAME day you sent me it, i also got this one on twitter:

TRULY THE DUALITY OF MAN IS AT PLAY HERE!!! LMAOO debauchery vs wholesomeness...and it made me laugh so much

(and for anyone curious yes i WILL also be honouring the other request......eventually👀)

@jstfndmthngs splitting your ask into 2 again bc its a CHONKER but I LOVED READING IT🥹🥹 "how much they love each other to the abnormal level that i envy" LMAOO THATS FANFICTION FOR YOU, BABY!!😍 also YESS interacting with my readers in the comments was my fav parts of writing a lot of the time, and im SOOO grateful to the ppl who commented bc without them the story would have turned out DRASTICALLY DIFFERENT. like, i know there are some people who write the entirety of their fanfic and then upload it in chunks, but if i had done that/written my story in a vacuum and hadnt incorporated any of my readers ideas/suggestions it would have been SOOOO much worse honestly LMAO. like, not even necessarily putting their requests or ideas in my fic, but even sometimes just reading a comment that would say something like "i cant wait to see how clora/seb reacts to..." would make me think...oh. i was never planning on even showing their reaction to that. but now that they say that, good point, i definitely need to include that LOL. so yeah even just little stuff like that was SUPER important to my writing process and my story and helped me keep in mind what people wanted to see/things i may have missed or glossed over if i'd been writing by myself, but i also just loved getting comments in general bc i loved reading them and they were so motivating🥹 BUT THANK U SO MUCH IM GLAD U LIKED MY STORY/SEB & CLORA SO MUCH, AND TY FOR SHARING ALL YOUR THOUGHTS WITH ME!!🥹💖💖 im lowkey the same way... i cant read any other fics rn bc im still too attached to seb/clora BAHAHA so i still need to give it some time before i delve into other HL fics (i even downloaded a program that will let me replace names so that i can replace the mc's name with clora's LMFAOOOO THATS HOW MENTALLY ILL I AM ABOUT THEM!!😭😭DONT COME FOR ME🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🚓)

omg...i already love unlocking kinks in people but for it to be specifically seb x clora is even more of an honour BAHAHA omg i love that....but i get it too. clora is submissive and breedable af😍LMAOO (im sorry💀that wasnt me just now that was seb blame him)

@acrenna MERRY LATE CHRISTMAS AND ALSO LATE HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! this is so sweet THANK YOU SO MUCH😭😭im happy my story was able to get you out of your reading slump!! (and hopefully will continue to, with my oneshot im slowly but surely working on😩) BUT THANK YOU AGAIN I APPRECIATE YOU SM🥹🥹💖

@misskkfritz you actually arent the first to say this and i also saw a pinterest comment on my art say this........FELLAS DO I NEED TO WATCH GILMORE GIRLS NOW🤔🤔🤔

[disregardcanon]

this probably seems like a weird question from your end,but why do fanfic writers care so much about comments? aos already tracks hits and likes, sorry ""kudos"", so why are comments such a big deal to the point that people will stop writing?

okay, so i'm going to take this question very seriously and i promise it's not to make you feel bad. this is a comprehensive explanation of reasons that comments are important for me, both as a writer and as a reader

engagement vs numbers game

seeing trends

buy-in

community building

engagement vs numbers game

let's look quickly at two different fics of mine. this is the kudos count for a fic called Of First Kisses and Burnt Lips

it's old. it's been up on ao3 for almost 11 years now. 258 people liked it enough to leave a kudos, 12 people liked it enough for a bookmark, and it's been clicked on 3,859 times.

i have no clue what almost any of these people on ao3 THINK about it. beyond "huh. sure. i'll kudos that". compare this to its crosspost on ffn, where i got 5 reviews

3/5 mention it being cute. 3/5 give appreciation to me for taking the time to write it. 2/5 praise the writing itself from the attention to detail with grammar to the craft. 1/5 is an "um..." which is hard to decipher but appreciate and 1/5 is a silly reaction, but it's a reaction! look, someone felt a felling reading my thing! that made me giggle!

looking at the stats here from a purely numbers perspective, my fic DID better on ao3. it got a lot more kudos than it ever got faves or reviews on ffn. but those ffn comments are still what i think about when i remember this fic.

sure, a shear number like hits or kudos can be comforting and motivating. i'm definitely not telling you to NOT leave kudos! but the fics that i've come back to, recently, are the ones where i don't have a lot of kudos but i do have a few people who are invested in the stories and leaving comments to tell me

2. seeing trends

lets look at a few of the comments on my fic The Maid of Honor Made Them Do It

so just in these two comments, we see both commenters hone in on the same detail: my choice to include a special christian music playlist that this characters' friends made for her. a few other people in this thread mentioned that same detail, so i know this bit really worked well! it's great feedback that lets me know that a good chunk of readers agree with my characterization here.

these readers zoom in on specific details that they really liked! things that made them laugh, the absurdity of the concept, enjoying reading it, and that they could see it staged, which is a HUGE compliment for a work in a fandom for theater.

i've always had trouble with imaging where characters are in a space, how they're occupying it and moving, and how to use that for characterization purposes. however, i got more than one comment on this fic about how people could see it staged! that means that i'm improving in an area that i've always struggled with. that's huge. it makes me want to keep working on this thing! it makes me feel like what i'm doing here matters, because lots of people are picking up on similar things! they're invested enough to give me a comment! and it makes me want to keep writing for the hatchetfield fandom because some people are invested in my work here. that is BIG! seeing trends in the way that readers experience your story helps a lot with writer buy-in for a project and also for writers self-analysis.

as a commenter: this helps me JUST as much. when i really dig into what i enjoyed about a fic to tell the writer about it, that helps me analyze and articulate the strengths and things i might want to take away from the storytelling, and that makes my writing better too!

3. buy-in

this is a comment on a series that has less than 100 kudos across three fics, but has thoughtful, appreciative comments on each work. it's called Melting Pot

the commenter deleted their ao3 account. they may be one of the people who commented on the next fic, which i posted recently. they might NOT have been! honestly, it doesn't matter that much to me. this person gave me a gentle and nudge about a fic that matters to me and mattered to them at the time, and they were part of the push i needed to get back to it.

from a commenter perspective, i know that hearing a kind word can help someone keep up their motivation to write, even when i can't write in depth comments the way that i like to!

just recently i only had the time to comment "nice update" on a favorite fic of mine called Teeth That Turn. but they know that i come and i read and they know and talk to me by (user)name. because they know i care about this thing they care about! and it's way more fun to do something like this when i know i can chat with the author about theories and thoughts and ideas. and this isn't a "wow aren't i so cool other writers like me! tehehe" bragging thing, it's just evidence for the case of why comments matter?

if i didn't want this to be a two way buy-in, i'd ONLY read published fiction, you know? we're all playing in the sandbox on the playground and i like what they made. they like that i like what they made :) we're scheduling a play date to fight with sticks after school my mom said it's okay!

4. community building

now i know that i just mentioned above here why i like being a commenter and how it helps authors, as well as why i like HAVING commenters as an author. i'm still arguing those things as a lead up to this section, where i have two other points to make about community building here too.

1. you can comment on OTHER comments! if you go through and read to see what other people are saying, you can agree with them. you can add some commentary! sometimes you can make a joke! and i've only ever had fun responses from something like that. authors tend to love that their fics are getting such a response that people are talking to each other about it! like look!!!!!! my thing got you to talk to someone else about it holy shit?!??!

2. commenting on fics in your fandom builds you a good reputation and makes other authors you comment on more likely to read YOUR fic. i'm not going to post any screenshots on this one because it would be embarrassing for everyone involved, but there have been authors that i really admired who gave my stuff a try after i commented on theirs. and they've told me that's why they tried it! like obviously it's not just networking or whatever, but it's really nice to have someone give your stuff a try because you've been enthusiastic and thoughtful about theirs.

and you make friends this way! fandom friends! who want to talk about your blorbos! you get to go on little play dates in cyberspace with cool people who like what you like. you don't ever HAVE to be a writer, of course. if you don't want to throw your hat into the ring or make art or edits or gif sets or anything, that's cool. no one ever has to participate in fandom outside of their comfort zone! but if you want to, you know that you'll feel more welcomed if you have some people in your corner for it, and making friends in a space, screaming about how much you love the characters you love, and remembering that fic authors especially are just fans too will help you feel like you "deserve" to exist in the space. maybe you don't write, but you go here too. you've got a space in the fandom and your comments don't have to be, like, perfect literary essays for authors to appreciate them and get a motivation boost from them still existing and us being able to go back to them and go!!! look!!! i don't suck!!! this person liked what i did so i'm okay! :)

[weebsinstash]

Every day I get closer to writing the "You vs YouTwo trying to steal your identity in the Spider Society" fic (which, the fic even has a name as I slowly build it, I'm calling it Imposter Syndrome because, you know, 1 Reader is starting to get depressed and feel unneeded even before YouTwo comes along and 2. Well. It's self explanatory)

But anyways I keep thinking of all of these dramatic interactions and scenes (shit I was listening to John Mulaney stand up just to write dialogue for Peter Porker, for funsies) where, thinking of either Reader being kicked out of the Spider Society and such, and them having to literally hunt you down and search for you, but. What if YOU came to them?

It's been like 3 months since you "died" after the Society mistaking you for your double and removing the dimensional watch that kept you tethered down, and there's a palpable air of depression. Spiders go to the training room you used to teach your classes in and leave flowers and mementos and share stories of their times spent with you. Maybe they even do something fucking dramatic like set up a memorial, like a plaque with your name and photo or something, but, something to help remind them to be wary of who they bring into the Society and appreciate the ones they have and so on so forth, and also like I imagine there were Spiders who were so attached to you that this entire incident makes them leave the Socety for good (like maybe Hobie equates the way you were exiled to fascist tyranny and hates Miguel more than he already does for letting it/helping it happen, for example)

But, anyways, months later, but not too terribly long for them to stsrt to forget about you, just enough time for the guilt and depression and the longing to marinate, and some Spiders are hanging out in the food court, Peter B and Jess and some of the others managing to drag Miguel out of his lab to eat and be around other people because he's just been holing up by himself almost 24/7 since you "left". Dude's a fucking mess, man, you can literally just look at him and see the dark circles under his eyes, the unwashed hair, the body odor because he fucking lives in that suit, and half the cafeteria is wondering if he's about to start crying into his stupid silly ass Miguel burger and

*FWOMP*

Some loud ass undescribable noise as the fabric of the universe suddenly shifts and, you glitch right back in and slam down on the floor besides their table. The entire room freezes as they literally had no idea you were still alive as you scramble to your feet, the first thing you notice being the food as you DIVE for Miguel's burger, snatching it right off his plate and beginning to absolutely devour it like literally gobbling that shit as the man amd everyone else is AGHAST. You've lost a significant amount of weight (like, an unhealthy amount for the time that has passed) and you're covered in bruises and scratches with tears and holes all over your suit. Your hair has knots and tangles and your Spidey suit is beyond dirty with a raggedy jacket and a tattered backpack on your body. You've just been constantly bouncing in and out of different dimensions, ricocheting all over the place this entire time, which made it hard for you to eat, sleep, bathe, do just about anything normally. One minute you're trying to swipe some food from a market because you have no money, the next you're glitching again and you're lost in an apocalyptic wasteland, or a thick jungle, or even places where shapes and colors don't operate the same as we can even comprehend it

You're constantly dropping the food because your hands keep glitching but you're clearly obviously starving, and Pavitr hands you his chai to help wash everything down, but you still pick up several beverages on the table and absolutely chug them as your friends are just stunned into silence, still in shock, quickly morphing into all kinds of different emotions. Joy you're still alive, horror and pity for your current state, guilt and anguish that all of them did this to you. Jesus, have you even been able to drink water? Like if you didn't have Spider powers you probably would have died by now and it's easy to see you're weak on your feet

And from here I see two options and I'll go with the less exciting one first:

Reader is so fucking hungry and malnourished and weak that after the Spiders make room for you to sit at their table and eat their food, you being just genuinely so fucking worn down from constantly not being able to eat and sleep properly, that you basically show up, eat the entire table's worth of food, and all but fall into a food coma right then and there because this is like the first time youve been able to sit and mildly relax for WEEKS, like here comes Spider Plushie for the save like he's trying to slide across home base, loyally stopping in front of you and directly under your head as you just kind of, slump forward, the little guy making the perfect pillow as he keeps your forehead from smacking against the table, and you're just, like O U T out as Miguel cradles you in his arms because, oh my god he thought you were gone forever, and he won't let anyone else touch you as he marches you straight to, wherever the fucking doctors in this place are

But option TWO: suddenly you pause your gorging as some burps rise up in your chest and you suddenly have some calories pushing enough energy to your brain that you finally look around, like REEEEALLY look around. The entire room is dead silent, some starting to cry with joy and relief, others still stunned, many looking absolutely confused, and your eyes eventually meet with Miguel's. He doesn't look quite as run down as you, but WOW is this one sad haggard looking dilf, and you blink at him for a minute. And then look around. And back at him. And around. And to him

And your expression morphs into something so fearful as you force out a nervous laugh, "oh, wait, it's... you guys..." And the second everything clicks for you, you're IMMEDIATELY TAKING OFF, and despite your weakened state you actually make them really work for it because wow that adrenaline kicks in as you for your life because you're thinking "shit they still think I'm the fake and they'll kill me this time if they get their hands on me" when in actuality Miguel is getting his ass on the intercom system ordering all available units to stop you so they can put a bracelet back on you so you aren't lost again, which i mean it is but isnt even a yandere thing at this point, youre literally going to die without some sort of dimensional tether. But during the chase Miguel realizes you aren't using your webs, and you're actually not nearly as fast as he's seen you before, and he realizes with a broken heart, oh Jesus you're literally too malnourished to produce your organic webs within your body, or a lot of it, anyways. You must REALLY be in bad shape

And I imagine like, the chase comes to a halt, not when they catch you, but when your physical exhaustion finally catches up to you. Sweetie you barely ate anything for the last several days, suddenly gorged on a whole spread of food, and then started sprinting and jumping and climbing and parkouring on shit. You HAVE to stop running because you're literally getting sick and VOMITING, like, your former students and fellow Spiderpeople and of course Miguel are hot on your heels and they all pause and give you space because you're literally having to throw up in a gutter with sweat pouring down your face and entire body developing the shakes as, oh no, you feel your strength leaving you as you can't even hold yourself up, collapsing onto the ground, barely conscious as something scoops you up with the gentleness of handling glass, your eyes unable to stay open as you whimper things. "Please don't kill me... I'll leave... I'll never come back..." before you pass out

Miguel has you immediately checked by doctors while the staff have to limit the amount of people trying to come and see you (because, uh, there are a ridiculous amount of Spiders invested in your wellbeing) and only he's in the room as the medical team details your current state. Severe malnutrition, sunburns, broken ribs, a finger or two in crudely-improvised splints, telogen effluvium aka temporary hair loss from illness/extreme stress, you're probably starting to come down with a cold of some sort, potentially something dramatic like pneumonia.

You sleep for like several days straight while hooked up to IVs and fluids because your body just needed to heal THAT badly. By the time you wake up you feel like you're rising from the dead, your entire body aching and heavy, taking minutes to blink yourself awake to take in your new surroundings. You've got a private medical suite that's pretty well-secured, and when you try to scratch a sudden itch on your nose, you feel a weight on your wrist after going to move your arm. Oh, it's another kind of watch, although this one doesn't have nearly all the features and buttons of the first one, and when you keep rotating your wrist over and over, you can't seem to find the latch to take it off, because, well, there isn't one

Miguel is already in the room with you, either having been working on a laptop or just legitimately sitting there watching you sleep for an unknown amount of time, even if its completely dark in the room. He's gotten himself all cleaned up and back to normal and looking like his old self again but he's honestly not even sure what to say to you. Emotions aren't really his strong suit? Where does he start, apologizing for this whole mess or promising it will never happen again?

The only guarantee for now is that you will NOT be leaving Nueva York again, or even so much as leaving his SIGHT, so long as Miguel doesn't want you to, and trust me, after being tricked and having you ripped away from him, to see you in such a vulnerable sad state because of his own actions when all he wanted was to protect you, he's got a whoooole lotta things he wants to do and talk to you about. First and foremost? Vowing that he's going to make everything up to you, starting now, by being your most devout protector

[devil-doll13]

Some Brahms Heelshire headcanons that have been little worms rotting my brain for a while. I want to understand him better <3

Many of these are x reader bc I couldn’t help myself

Starting with some ‘common knowledge’ stuff I generally agree on: yes, he is a sweaty boy. I actually think he has more anxiety than you might initially think he has, and this nervousness sort of goes towards causing it.

I touched on this in my Brahms fic months ago but this man really needs a routine in his life. He needs consistency and structure, and doesn’t react well to sudden change. He needs to approve of every nanny that is offered to him, they can’t just be introduced without his say-so. Nor can any of his rules be broken or altered, or ever strayed from. He’s very particular about certain things and what he likes and dislikes. Put it this way: if he isn’t pleased with something, you will know one way or the other.

His diet is very predictable and simple - some might even say bland - and this is also along the same line as this need for routine. Side note, but I think if you gave him spicy food he’d probably die or something… He’s English after all kwkdflf

Being confined inside the walls of the Heelshire estate most of the time has led to him developing a touch of Agoraphobia. He’s also definitely an indoors person, while I believe he may be able to appreciate the beauty of nature, mostly something like a well-tended garden, he’d prefer to remain at a distance. If he had to choose, he enjoys admiring english roses the most. He wouldn’t protest much if you decided to bring in a few to put in a vase.

Also, the vast amounts of time Brahms has on his hands (when not spent watching his nanny or parents, when they were still alive) goes towards cultivating his many hobbies; and he has many different interests. He may not have been part of any public schooling system, but that doesn’t really mean anything, he absorbs information eagerly regardless. He’s an avid reader and probably knows the Heelshire mansion’s library inside and out at this point, with both fiction and non-fiction (although you just know he was raised on a diet of pre-approved classics) catching his interest. Some of these beloved favourites are quite weathered and worn-out now. You know the kind I’m talking about, hanging practically by a thread from the spine…

Brahms is also a big music guy. His parents probably were as well. I mean, I personally believe they named him after the composer. We see in the movie that the music needs to be played loud, probably so he can hear reverberating all through the house (although tbh the way the house is, it doesn’t take that much. He still just wants it LOUD). Given that we can see a violin in his room, as well as sheet music, I think he can play both it and the piano. It would’ve been difficult for him to stop enjoying this, since he had to pretend he didn’t exist when a nanny/Greta was there.

Before the fire, his parents (particularly his mother) saw his upstart skill with music as the potential to become the next great composer, and pushed him towards improving it. Even if these expectations caused some stress for him back then, Brahms still loves playing dearly now.

He also sees this as an opportunity to impress upon you that he’s incredibly suave and attractive and cultured™️ so that you’ll stay. In his mind, if he comes across as interesting enough, he’ll have a better chance of wooing you into permanent residence in his house. That grocery boy is his sworn enemy in part because, deep down, he‘s self-aware enough to know that there are many difficulties to being with a man like him. Brahms is a complex mixture of quite spoiled and entitled vs insecurity, and he doesn’t enjoy confronting these thoughts either.

Oh, as for how he’d react to new music that isn’t classical, I don’t think it would entirely be a hatred for something new. While there may be a period of ‘what is this s/o this is not on the schedule?’ Brahms is a curious boy at heart, a man who was sequestered from the rest of the world and had much of his knowledge intake restricted, particularly by his mother. It will not be an immediate appreciation from him, but I think that this curiosity - and his desire to get to know you better - will win over in the end.

While I know it’s popular consensus that he’s a horny boy and very clingy and touch starved, (which I agree with to some degree), I also think one thing he’s been missing his entire life is good, intelligent conversation. His parents tended to talk at him rather than to him, and, well… It’s left him quite isolated and lonely, only able to imagine making a human connection through novels and daydreams. Brahms is one of the few slashers who does speak and I think he can speak quite well and eloquently. This might surprise you if you’ve gotten used to the doll persona, but Brahms the man is so real, so raw, and he’s formed an unbreakable bond with you before you’ve even realised he exists. He craves a genuine connection with you that goes beyond just lust, and I honestly believe he can be gentle. We see how tenderly he treats the Greta doll for instance, how it seems to be well looked after and given lots of space on his bed. A real person isn’t the same as a body-pillow, but… I don’t think he’d be as terrible a lover as people think.

He absolutely has major attachment issues and separation anxiety though. It only gets worse after Greta, after his parents… And yeah, he is clingy as fuck. Brahms can get addicted to actual, physical human touch very quickly. For far too long, he’s been substituting with pillows and dolls; but he’s had quite enough of dolls, now. I can honestly see him developing some resentment towards the thing, because although it has been his ‘persona’ for many years, it isn’t really him. Basically, once he’s revealed himself, Brahms could care less what happens to it… It might be therapeutic for him to even smash it himself, yeah? It’s a tantrum he needs to throw.

Anyway on a lighter note, it gets very draughty in the Heelshire mansion - it’s old, after all. He’s a hound for cuddles all the time, but especially during the winter months because he’s desperate for some heat and human connection. He enjoys lying on top of you like some kind of weighted blanket, and also likes it when you do the same to him. Curl up on his fuzzy chest and pour over a book together, it’s practically mandatory at this point <3

I can’t see him wanting children with you at all, sorry. He’s way too selfish honestly lol. He hogs your affection and love day and night and he’s pretty shameless about it. Besides, he’s just not father material to be entirely honest. he’s your baby why do you want another one

Also any pets you have are on on thin ice… He wouldn’t hurt them (I wouldn’t like to believe so anyway) but he’s always jealous and sulky if he thinks you’re spending more time with them than him, even if it’s like. Five more minutes yes he has a record, probably a calendar or something. He tends to plop his curly head on your lap and demand you stroke it and lavish your attention on him until he’s satisfied. Which will probably be never tbh.

[celestie0]

I came across your Rolex watch store worker gojo and Victoria secret worker reader fic and ooop🤭 it was sooooo cute! I definitely pictured both gojo and reader like early 20s at the mall, young lovers type of thing. Gojo has mad confidence to just walk over there and flirt, hit on her, and then have sex with her in less then an hour😭 my jaw actually dropped when they were doing it inside the VS fitting room, I was so worried someone was gonna hear them and they'd get fire or something 😭😭. Also reader using the wrong ladder and changing the mannequin in front of everyone is totally something I would do, I'd be so embarrassed if another worker told me😂

Reader and gojo were also really funny, when Gojo went to bother her and her co-worker saw and was like "is he bothering you?" And reader didn't even hesitate to say yeah, and then gojo had to fight for his life with the security to let him go, LMAOO I was laughing for good few minuets.

I feel like you portrayed Gojos goofy side really well! If JJK was written in a different au, I definitely see Gojo being the type to bother all the costumers and co workers, seeing as he already does that in Canon LMAO.

And at the end when he took reader to look at the watches, how much time had passed? Reader said it had been a few months, and Gojo seemed like he was starting to fall for her or was already really into her 👀🤭😏 him saying he'd buy her the watch and give up his computer, him getting jealous when geto hit on her, and then him saying she looked pretty with that watch 👀

Also were they just doing it at work or have they met up outside of work to hang out (or do other things)? ?

All in all, I loved the story! It was really cute 🫶🩵

honey i am SO sorry for the late response on this ask but i appreciate you so muuuch for your sweet words :''')

yea i think reader would be early 20s but i think l&l gojo is like....28? and PLEASE lol now that u mention it l&l gojo is kinda fkn insane for hitting on her n then fucking her in like the same sentence. he's got massive balls for that

LMFAOOO when reader calls the security on him i'm ngl that one of my fave comedic scenes i've ever written. i can picture it so vivdly in my head haha. and thank you! i'm glad his goofy side comes out. i often see him being portrayed as overly cocky but i feel like it has to be balanced out by goofy yknow? otherwise he's just... a dick lol.

i'd say maybe 3 months past when he took her to look at the watches!!! aaa maybeee i feel like he definitely feels some typa way ab her (tbh it might sway more on a side of possessiveness but i think it's born out of deeper feelings but he's too dumb to realize it)

and no! they've only ever done it at work. i had an idea where like they get into a huge argument over something and gojo shows up at her place and then that's the first time they fuck outside of work premises haha

thanks darling and again so sorry for the late response <3 your words mean so much to me! have a good one :)

[desceros]

hello! so new writer here, I'm just starting out with writing x readers, but I'm having a bit of trouble. I saw in a previous post that when you are reading a fic marked x reader, you want it to actually be an x reader, and (as much as possible) not be an oc from the writer. And I agreed with that and want to try to make my reader self-insertable for everyone. the only problem is that I'm not sure how much I can have set opinions for them and have things up in the air. You've written a lot, so I was hoping you'd have some advice? If not that's totally fine. I appreciate you and your writing 🫶 hope you're having a good day!!

hmm well what i Specifically meant by that was when you have someone who has a fic that is written in the first person or third person with a named character who has a physical description, but they've tagged it as "reader-insert". to me, that's not a reader insert. that's an oc, and your fic is incorrectly tagged.

to me, a reader-insert fic is very specifically a fic in the second person without a name or physical description as much as possible. which isn't to say that oc fics are bad!! i write them myself in other fandoms. i just... don't really like reading oc fics for fandoms where my brain has decided This Is A Reader-Insert Fandom. Nod Nod.

so there is a delicate art to writing second-person fics with the intent of having it function as a reader-insert. the balance between giving enough flavor to have it be compelling vs so much that a reader can't comfortably put themselves in an insert-chan's shoes is actually a real passion of mine!! it's one that is kind of... something that you eventually get a Feel for after writing them for a while.

that said, here are some little tricks and whatnot so hopefully you can shortcut things a little. also, obvious warning since you're asking desceros dot com for writing advice, but this is a long post:

first, embrace the fact that you're going to exclude some people. no matter how bland and empty you make an insert-chan, you're going to exclude someone. and that's okay! if you try to cast Too wide a net, you're going to have a boring, bland insert-chan, and that's not going to make Anyone happy. still, there are a few things that i keep in mind since i want to appeal a broader audience: 1. try to be mindful of race coding, and avoid it. very specifically, describing hair (length, texture, care, etc.) and blushing or general discoloration of skin besides bruising are both something i avoid. i don't describe someone's night routine beyond, say, taking a shower, putting on lotion, and brushing teeth. this allows for black readers to more easily read your fics, which is something i'm particularly passionate about since i've had friends who feel excluded from the reader-insert community because they're black and that really makes me sad. 2. avoid describing favorite things, clothing, etc. little things that don't matter don't need to be described. does the reader need to know that your character is wearing a green sequin dress? or does it matter that they're wearing a pretty dress? 99 times out of 100, the latter suits the writing just fine and allows for a reader to picture what THEY think is a pretty dress. hell, unless i'm writing something that involves removing clothing, 9 times out of 10 i won't even mention what a reader is wearing, because it doesn't matter, and describing it gets in the way of someone's imagination. same thing with favorite foods, what someone is eating for breakfast. in symphony, viola-chan is famous for a baking cookies--but i don't specify what kind, and i won't. because my favorite cookie is different from someone else's, and the specifics don't matter. what matters is that they taste comforting, and everyone else likes them a lot, too. 3. avoid physical descriptions where possible. as i said before, i typically don't mention hair at all. instead of having someone run their hands through your hair, i have them stroke your nape. same basic touch, but one allows for short-haired readers or curly-haired readers to insert easily, one doesn't. i don't mention an insert-chan's size or height, other than a relative "you're shorter than donnie" or "leo's bicep is so much bigger than yours." i try to avoid weight-coding as much as possible so that fat readers can feel just as welcome as very skinny readers. that stuff just doesn't matter, and so cutting it out broadens how many people can read and feel represented.

4. keep unimportant details vague. for example, in a lot of my fics, the insert-chan has a family, but communication with them isn't mentioned. the status of the family or its makeup isn't important. a lot of writers will tell you to kill them off for convenience sake (which i do sometimes write inserts with dead families), but to me this is just lazy. you can have an insert-chan with a family. but instead of showing their relationship with the family, show how that relationship has shaped the insert-chan's personality. for example, in the latest fic i wrote, infinite singularity, the insert-chan's family is alive and well, but they're distant. not only does this mean, yay, i don't have to define what that family is--but it also allows me to show that piercing-chan avoids pain, emotional as well as physical. now i don't have to say you don't like pain. i can show it. and that always makes for more powerful writing.

so that's how you keep things broad. but there's a flip side to this, which is "how do i make an insert-chan compelling without any details?!" and the answer here is, well, add details!! which, hey, didn't we just say to eliminate details? to which i'd say, yes, Except for the Ones You Need.

1. give your insert-chan something they like to Do. whether this is a hobby or a career, this one has several functions in your story. one, it gives you something on which you can hinge characterization. for example, in my fic electromigration, that insert-chan likes camping. now i can have conversations about it, have an excuse for you to know how to do things camping-related, etc. it propels the plot forward. and two, it gives your insert-chan something interesting, which is the secret to a good character. you don't want to go too overboard on this, since again we don't want to overload the insert-chan with things that aren't helpful, but one, maybe two hobbies, or a job, makes them rounder and makes the fic more enjoyable to read.

2. give your insert-chan a personality dot dot dot carefully. now this one sounds weird. "don't i want to have a blank canvas onto which people can put themselves?" well, kind of, but really, no. that's how you get a bland character that's so boring no one wants to read your fics. and it doesn't even have to be a mild personality! in my fic goldilocks, that insert-chan has a Very strong personaity, such that i've even gotten requests for a chef-chan/reader fic. but because i've stripped away all of the other identifying things, it can still read as an insert-character without being an oc. that said, this is a tricky one. the more personality you give, the more people you alienate. but also, the less personality you give, the less interesting the fic. it's a delicate balance, and one you'll figure out eventually as you write more and read more.

3. give your insert-chan a story. this one is one that is more relevant for longer fics, but is still helpful to keep in mind for shorter fics. what i mean is, okay. you're writing a reader-insert. but for a moment, treat it like an oc. where did they come from? how did they get to new york? what personality arc do you want them to have over your plot? are they going to change, and if so, how? for this, let's look at my fic amaranthine. the history is vague enough that it doesn't impede a reader's imagination, but there are enough details that you Feel like there is a story that was happening before, and you've dropped in at this point to ride along with these people before you leave them to go on their way again. things like being best friends with raph after he found you drunkenly crying on the sidewalk. things like leo having known you and donnie were gonna be a mess when you got together. things like splinter always loving to drink tea with you. these are small details that make the world feel rich, but not so much that it's impossible for a reader to build their own narrative around it.

anyway, these are just some broad tips, and i hope you found them useful!! my main, tldr thing i'd say is just to write. it's going to take practice. writing in general is hard, writing something new is Really hard, writing something new and being picky about how you want it to come out is REALLY REALLY hard. so be kind to yourself, and remember that this is supposed to be fun. don't fret, don't get stressed, just take it cool. maybe write a few that you don't publish, just so you can get the voice under your fingers and take some of the pressure of Oh God People Are Going To Read This off your shoulders. i always do that when i enter a new fandom, and it's soooo helpful.

good luck, and let me know if you have any specific questions! :D

[scaly-freaks]

I love love love dark stories. I don’t know why but they just itch my brain perfectly. Your stories I swear are thoughts I’ve had (let’s not get into that) and written out in a way I couldn’t fully conceive.

I’ve been practicing some writing just as a hobby and I think for me to write dark stories it feels like I need to fully cross a wall of some sort to out those thoughts on paper. Not sure how to overcome it but I’m trying.

But yeah idk why but the sadder and more brutal a story is the better and I think it’s because on an emotional level I can just connect with it if that makes sense?

Anyways this is just a long winded way of me saying that I love your work and appreciate the effort you put into fleshing out characters and having us connect with them in that way. (I also love sappy moments too but idk with dark stories they feel earned in a way like we worked for it and achieved a short lived reprieve)

Also just a quick little question, how would an interaction between Daemon and Amara go? This is gonna sound terrible but when you mentioned the stepdad au my mind went to him before our Egg boy.

No because...same. I write dark stories and revel in them the way people revel in comfort media. I understand them, and the necessity of finding light amidst the darkness is something I've lived with all my life so familiarity breeds comfort in me. Sometimes I get a little startled because someone will read what I wrote and be like wtf how does this happen? How is it ever allowed to happen? And I'm like yeah...why did that happen to me? Why was it allowed to happen? But then I turn off the switch and dive back into fiction to cope (as I think many people who create art out of trauma will profess to - it's a way of distancing yourself but acknowledging it).

That wall (I know what you mean) will be crossed eventually I think. Just stay aware that it's not a wall you want to cross often or live beyond all the time. It's somewhere to retreat to, but always remember to climb over it and return to the other side otherwise it can get too much.

Thank you so much for this ask though, it makes me feel so seen and appreciated. I often worry that I'm upsetting people with how abjectly miserable my work can get, and force myself to lighten it up so it'll be more palatable. But the AU idea I posted yesterday named 'fuck puppet' is mostly what I write well and consistently (Amara does kill him in the end, so there's no romanticisation there, it's just pure victim vs abuser, beast vs human, and she wins).

And HMMM okay, so if you asked me about Daemon and Amara two years ago, I'd be like ew no. He really irritated me as a character when everyone was defending him, but the defence of him as stopped being as cloying and the writers have dug into the pathetic aspects of his nature more so I'm open to exploring him.

Plus, ironically whenever he interacted with Amara in my fics even when I hated him, there were readers who pointed out that there was sexual tension there (which I didn't even intend!) So clearly, there'd be something there, what with her daddy issues and his ability to appear put together and intelligent in front of a much younger woman.

I think where it takes Aegon longer to identify Amara's childishness and immaturity (because his own outshines hers a lot of the time), Daemon would snap at it in an instant. Eventually, Aegon gets there and is like okay, my turn to take care of you but Daemon reaches the destination immediately and does softer things to figure out whether she sees him in a remotely romantic/sexual way. So maybe a gentle hand on her waist to move her aside, resting it on the small of her back to comfort her (but only for a second) or giving her that odd little smile when she's yapping that has a twinkle of endearment in it. I think she'd fall for it pretty fast, and get a kick out of all her friends being disgusted by the idea of her having sex with an 'old man' (because obviously to them he is). She doesn't see it as exploitation, and she doesn't have to. When she's in his bed for entire weekends and he's using every trick in his extensive book of sexual tricks on her, she barely has time to think never mind wonder if this is right. I think he probably would need Viagra though bc canon Daemon strikes me as the type to wear out pretty fast, but Amara would be the insatiable party and well...there we go.

Anyway, over time, she is a little flighty, and her friends' constant judgement does weigh on her, along with the fact that Daemon's immaturity isn't like her immaturity. He's still ahead of her in experience. He can gaslight her into believing his pettiness is actually adult wisdom. So if he doesn't like her hanging out with boys her own age, he'll cut at her intelligence and make her feel diminished and stupid for thinking those boys could possibly want her for anything more than sex. And she'd fully believe him. She'd probably be reduced to tears after screaming at him for being a dickhead, and then accept his palm caressing her face telling her it's fine, and that he didn't mean it, and has she seen herself? She's so beautiful, anyone would want her. He just loves her and is worried someone will take advantage. And then that of course leads to sex and her feeling relieved Daemon cares so much and giving him everything she's got to make sure he feels the pleasure in return. Thus, the whole cycle starts again.

I can't believe I'm saying this but...Aegon might just have to be the rescuer in this situation LMAO. Daemon would not let her go easily.

[no-gorms]

I see a lot of posts on Tumblr about how authors love comments and they are super motivating, which makes total sense. Kudos are either implied or outright stated to be not nearly as motivating, which makes sense since they're so effortless. But i almost never hear how authors feel about bookmarks. In your experience (and if you've talked to other authors about it) how much do you care about your work being bookmarked vs commented on?

-----

Hi! I don't think I've discussed this topic with other writers (or if I have, I don't remember at the moment) but I personally find bookmarks extremely flattering, almost the same the way I find comments flattering, because of the implication that bookmarks = a desire to remember or come back to the fic again, which is tremendous!

But at the same time, unlike comments, bookmarks are primarily for readers and not necessarily for the author's gratification, so I try to remind myself not to put too much weight on bookmarks, if that makes sense? Though I still appreciate them a lot.

Plus there's also a thing where if you write REALLY spicy fics, the ratio of private bookmarks to public bookmarks* goes up significantly (the implication being that the fics are so spicy that people can get self-conscious about bookmarking them) which I also find tremendously flattering.

*For the unfamiliar, public bookmarks can be seen on the stats header of a fic; while on an author's stats page, they can see the total bookmarks (i.e. public + private) of a fic without knowing who made those private bookmarks since they are, well, private.

[neonscandal]

Just see this in twitter by someone : "I'm starting to think maybe people should read actual BL manga. perhaps considering manga written with actual gay characters in it in addition to shipping m x m from whatever battle shounen you're into."

Like because of those subtext, there can be fanfics and fanarts, right? And then I decided to come here, your blog is really one of my comfort place....

Comfort place!? This makes me want to carve out time to post infinitely more. 🥹 Even though it feels a bit aimless, I’m glad I could cultivate that for you and hope I can continue to do so.

RE: twitter, without context, it's hard to tell whether this person is earnestly recommending people to expand their interests into BL or if they're dumping on people who tend to support and identify queer shipping across other genres.

On the one hand, heavy agree that if you appreciate queer pairings of any kind to absolutely find media and stories that shows healthy (and authentic, if possible!) representation of whatever you're into. I feel like sometimes in BL, specifically, there’s a lot of toxicity or violence passed off as romance which is why I recommend being discerning. Here are some green flag recommendations and I kind of touch on the importance of identity through engaging with queer content by way of BL's featuring fudanshi's there. Isn't always the case, but it's a storyline I appreciate.

If the poster was side eyeing queer ships in "mainstream" or shonen stories... they should grow up. I've been in and out of fandom for like.. 20 years. There have always been people who recognize and popularize queer ships. Back in the day? Characters didn't even have to share the same show, universe or genre to end up in a crossover slash fic on Fanfiction.Net.

Don't get me wrong, I've definitely needlessly explored several crack theories or made off-base assumptions about a story for the sake of trying to guess at where it’s going. But I sometimes question people's competency for reading/watching comprehension when a particularly shitty hottake is making its rounds on social media. Like are we not watching the same thing?

Subtext does exist. I don't know that all authors are as elegant or intentional in its execution but if you're not bothering to consider the possibility, you're potentially missing out on critical pieces of a story you're choosing to invest hours/years of your life into! This isn't simply as it pertains to shipping but also picking up on critical exposition (Attack. On. Titan.) or even questioning whether the information we're getting as the reader or viewer is conveyed with any sort of narrator bias. Yes, this is absolutely a My Hero Academia call out. ✨

Queer coding does exist. Tons of reasons why queer characters aren't always explicitly identified as such. More often than not, there's some form of censorship. Whether at the editing level during manga production or when it comes time for manga/shows to be approved for international distribution (re: information that's lost in translation vs outright decisions to alter the flow of the story). Most glaring example of this that comes to mind is Haruka Tenou or "Sailor Uranus"/Michiru Kaiou or "Sailor Neptune. In addition to gratuitous name changes when Sailor Moon was pushed abroad, several countries would rather portray the two as unusually close relatives despite the clear romantic undertones exhibited whenever they were on screen together. Also, IDK why, but pretty sure I'd seen somewhere that, initially the creator of Naruto did want to canonize Sasuke/Naruto but, truth be told, I've never watched the series and that could have been a fanon theory I'd seen.

Overarching messages exist. Similar to the first point, a story is seldom just a story. More often than not, you're looking at some sort of social critique or opinion that's being expressed or explored through the story. To not bother thinking critically about what you choose to spend time in enjoying is a pretty bland way to miss the point of it.

When all else fails, it's not our fault that the only relationships most shonen mangaka focus on developing is the one between "rivals". That's it. If there were more dynamic characters or literally any consideration toward the depth of intimacy between the main character and whatever tritagonist female lead the male lead inexplicably ends up with (aside from the simple rationale that "she is the girl 🎀"), then maybe fans won't have to hone in on how the only agency, equality and intimacy is between the only two characters of substance. That was a mouthful but so are the overly poetic soliloquies shonen rivals inevitably share about one another.. ✨

I'm guessing this question might be related to the last anon ask about fanfics? I agree regarding the fact that subtext allows for a richer selection of fan art and fics. I think, depending on content, the motivation for reading fics will subsequently differ. For instance, I'm less likely to read fanfics for a romance series even if I sometimes write for them because the source material generally satisfies what I wanted from them. But fix it fics, angst and romance fics for shonen/seinen series'?? I'll definitely pick them up because, 1) there are usually unexplored relationship dynamics in the source material, 2) there are alternative domestic/fluff storylines you'd never see because the genre doesn't allow for it, 3) the canon plot is usually so devastating *cough, JJK, cough* that I need a respite, and/or, 4) the developing plot tends to have a lot of holes that writers can explore to craft uniquely compelling AU's and alternative plotlines that I wouldn't imagine.

Man, it's been a while since I nerded out and really took the time to bang out a rant. I've had so many thoughts bouncing around but just zero time. Thank you for your ask and the reminder that there's someone else out there in the shipping trenches. Stay safe out there, anon!

[wetcatspellcaster]

So I have finally completed my first (of I’m sure to be many) complete rereads of Pieces now that it’s completed!! What a difference it is actually to read all the way through vs reading as it updates. I truly felt like I was in fight or flight whenever you released a chapter and read it with a resting heart rate of 92837383833 beats a minute. This read was much less stressful but I still caught myself holding my breath at some parts. The story is so amazing, it may be one of my favorite stories overall, not just one of my favorite fics! You are so talented I honestly don’t know how you are so funny one minute then making feel like I’m going to cry in another. I think my favorite funny line is Rose scandalized at Astarion not eating the muffins, it lives in my mind rent free. I’m so happy we still have An Honest Lie because I am now parasocially too invested in you and your updates for all of them to be gone 😅

I have rambled a lot now but I made a tumblr specifically to follow you and a handful of other writers because I loved getting to see WIP snippets and behind the scenes talk of stuff you all work on. Your posts about how appreciated comments are is the reason why I comment on all the fics I am reading, was always too anxious to do so beforehand. I had a baby in November so these fics have been with me while being awake at all hours of the night and kept me sane knowing I had something to look forward to reading while feeding the baby. I feel like they’ve been through the trenches with me and I will always be thankful for the work you do to give such amazing stories!!

PS one last thing I was never a big Hozier person but I finally listened to Unknown and I am VERY EMOTIONAL NOW 🥲

hey darling! thank you for messaging!!!

Unknown/Nth gets us all, eventually :') what a song! I had to write a whole fic about it and everything.

I'm really glad that you enjoyed Pieces on a reread. from my experience of posting with the full fic outline in mind versus the comments I was getting... I can definitely imagine the two experiences being very different!! Definitely easier to go certain places (and end chapters on certain cliffhangers lmao) when the end is in sight. I love seeing stories as serialised narratives versus complete wholes... one of the reasons I'm such a sucker for fanfic! I'm glad it still holds up as a story and I'm really pleased that you like it.

(Also, thank you for the comment about the muffins. It was just a silly bit but... Oscar Wilde would be so proud.)

And just generally, thank you! I often write myself through and out of tricky times in my own life, and it feels strange to know that someone else is going through much bigger changes than me (a baby! you absolute superstar!) and my writing is doing something similar for them that it is for me :) either providing comfort or just a way to relax or have a silly moment to themselves! anyway, I hope you know comments like these are literally the fuel that keep writers writing, and while we are not entitled to them and you are not obliged to give them, it is literally taking the time for messages like this that have convinced me that this is actually something I'm good at and that it is worth my time! I have a silly goldfish memory when it comes to my own talents, I can convince myself my writing sucks in 2hrs or less, and so I am unfortunately doomed to forever need positive reinforcement... and the thing is, I think most writers are the same!

so thank you!! you clearly have a busy life rn, and so spending any of your time talking to me is a massive compliment that I do not take for granted. readers and commenters are a vital part of this little eco-system and so thank you for sharing my writing with me :) you're probably one of the main reasons it happened at all :) xx

[lottiecrabie]

just wondering, it's obvious from your (amazing) writing that it's something you've put a lot of time/effort into crafting and are good at!! do u have any plans of pursuing a writing career in your life?? also, is fanfiction a sort of practice for your writing? because you can use matty as a vehicle, bc he's already this person with a personality, so u dont have to focus as much on building his character and can focus on other aspects of writing, or is it just kind of a fun thing on the side? sorry if this comes off as weird or invasive, im just genuinely really curious!! ive been here since the rockstar gf days lol and have been in love with ur writing and ive just been thinking abt this stuff for a while!!

thank you so much!! i do spend perhaps an unnecessary amount of care into my porn lol. i actually would like to have a writing career! i am currently studying screenwriting and i hope to publish smutty romance novels. i don’t know if it will actually come to fruition, but it’s a dream i have!

i’ve started writing fanfiction in 2020 because i was obsessed with a show and i had nothing else to do. it’s immediately been a very fulfilling creative outlet for me. the number of unfinished wips i have is Criminal and the only time i’ve managed to actually complete something is when i had the external validation at the end lmao. i always say i am my first reader because everything i write is things i want to be out there and i reread my stuff perhaps Too much, but i also 100% write for other people. it’s very nice to know people are reading and enjoying and i’ve given fics as gifts to many of my friends. i love making people happy with something i’m good at<3

anyway, by writing fanfiction i have gotten infinitely better as a writer because i practice and produce a lot more than i used to. a few words of a beginning of a story vs entire 100k, 60k, 20k fics makes all the difference. so i’d say it started as a fun thing on the side but accidentally became much appreciated practice that has made me a much more skillful writer

i do think having sort of built in world building makes it easier. exposition is not my strongest suit and not what i’m most interested in. it’s nice to be able to forgo it most of the time. however, i do think i end up writing characters through matty healy and the reader. how is a man so different between pfms and linecook for example if he’s supposed to be The Same Guy. reader is the same— i give them personalities and i always giggle a little when i write “you” as though it’s not an incredibly narrow precise character.

it is not weird and invasive at all!! i love talking about my writing process i could go on and on about this

[ziracona]

I just want to say though thank you for writing ILM and all your other DBD fics. I don't think i can truly articulate just how spectacular the writing is and the impact they've had on me and countless others. My friends and i joke that ILM changed our brain chemistry, and the truth is that they're right.

The way you write about human emotions and experience even in an uncontested hellscape is unparalleled. The way the fear of pain and death never truly goes away, the knowledge that you know you're going to suffer but still hoping that maybe this time will be different - it is entirely what people are made up of. Of hope and determination and courage.

The moments of levity in a world made to cause the utmost of despair. The care and love, and how persistence can win out.

I also adore how you unabashedly show the killers how they are. They're human - the good ones still have their flaws. Susie is bratty, Joey indecisive, Philip self loathing. On the flip side horrible people can have desirable/good traits. The doctor is genius, the trapper unrelenting, the nightmare (fuck you freddy) creative.

The way the core facets of their personality stay the same no matter what is something so many people (myself included) can struggle with - you may want a character to act a certain way for the plot, but that is not how the character would act. The balancing act of telling a story that you want to portray vs the reality of characters being utmost true to themselves is a harsh one, but one you seamlessly pull off.

How you do things - the prose, the plot, the insights.. it really is like a movie. The emotional high and lows, dealing with such fantastical elements yet remaining so realistic, entrenching your reader so it feels like they are almost living in the characters skin, experiencing what they are. It's incredible dude. It's really, really fucking incredible.

I've only recently gotten back into playing DBD after like a 3 year break from the game, but i still use ILM as canon in my head. I think about how the new characters would fit in there, the dynamics, the jokes - Leon clinging to Tapp as a Familiar Figure (Older Cop), Vittorio depending on Adam to translate for him because while traversing the fog has taught him many things it has not granted him modern language proficiency and Adam is the only one who knows Latin, Feng getting to have a Jane Romero moment with Yun-Jin and Trickster (imagine Justin Timberblake killing you).

Or alternatively their grim faces at the news of certain peoples disappearance knowing that statistically it'll probably be okay - but fuck man, what if it's not? (Felix, Haddie, Mikaela, Zarina, and Nicolas Goddamn Cage would definitely be reported missing. I think the joke 'Nicolas Cage got taken by the entity' conspiracy theory unknowingly being 100% right is hilarious.)

This fic lives in my head rent free and has done so for years, and i cannot thank you enough for writing it. Sorry this is so long, i just really, really appreciate everything you've written and done.

So so extraordinarily sweet of you to say! I don’t know how to respond, except to say it means so much to me you feel that way and joke about it with your friends.

I’m deeply proud of that fic and my others and how they turned out, and that people found them meaningful. I’m a writer, so it’s always good to hear the works was, well, good. Well done. But it means even more to know they meant something to someone.

Also, ‘imagine Justin Timberlake killing you’ shot me like a lame horse absolutely losing it at the metaphor. 🤣 The survivors getting the experience Legion got running into Jane the first time (or, the ones from late enough to know him. Imagine being killed by Justin Timberlake while your best friend goes ‘Who?!??? That guy’s famous???’)

[garoujo]

hey emmie! Ok so I hope this isn’t too long and boring and like wtf but you’re my favourite author on the app so I think I’ll just ask you though anon. im not entirely new to tumblr, been on it for slightly over a year but all I do I read fics, like I don’t interact with people (kinda scared to in a way💀). Anyways, so id been reading without an account for a long time and recently made one to simply keep a tally of my fav fics and follow people I like, so my page is like... blank?? Yea. Then I commented on someone’s post for the first time ever recently, asking, along with other people, for a part 2 of what they posted. tell me why they literally blasted me in their next post because my page is blank?? And a lot of people have been saying the same stuff about blank blogs so like long story short, is there some kind of beef with blank blogs or something? Like my age and gender and pronouns and all the important stuff are in my bio so like what am I doing wrong??😭 I felt so sad when they posted that like I was showing appreciation to their content then got slapped in the face man😭 so like yea, I hope what I’m saying is making sense? You’re Literally so bbg and kind so I rly want to know your take on this. much love and I hope I’m not to late to say happy 1 year anniversary for your account <33

hiiii nonnie !!! to put it in as short an explanation as i can there’s always been a sort of ‘problem’ with the ratio of likes vs reblogs when it comes to fanfiction ! a lot if not all writers always urge writers to reblog their work because it helps to boost it, it lets us know you enjoyed it, you can leave tags letting us know you enjoyed it & all that other good stuff !

so alot of writers when they see a blank blog in their notifs (having an age in ur bio aside) it can be disheartening esp if you’re asking for things like “part 2?” for example because if you’re not reblogging, it can come across like ‘i didn’t like this enough to reblog but i’m also not satisfied with just this so can you write more?’ which is why a lot of people can get upset about it even if you’ve not meant it in a malicious sort of way !

it’s been a long standing sort of discussion / fight because writers put a lot of time into their craft etc. and all we really want is just someone to tell us it was worth it yk? esp when like you said you just want to have a way to bookmark your favourite pieces, that is when reblogging can come in handy so i can understand where that writer is coming from because it does upset alot of people to be sort of seen like a ‘content machine’ of sorts !

i hope this makes sense because it is sort of like an ongoing problem in the fandom i guess you could say, a lot of writers just want to know you enjoyed their stuff because it motivates them to write more ! as much as most write for themselves, we post for the readers so it just makes us feel a lot better if we know it’s not just a waste of time yk? <3

[valeriianz]

It's a long list of writer asks so I asked a bunch: 4, 6, 15, 16, 29, 30, 50, 73, and 77!

AHH! Teej you spoil me <3

4: How do you choose which fics to write?

i dont. my heart wants to write one thing but my brain takes a hard left and never cooperates with me :')

6: What’s the last line you wrote?

for BitB:

“Hey man, I just work in the shadows. Same as you.” He looks sideways at the sound of someone calling his name. “I’ll see ya in a bit.”

15: What’s your favorite time to write?

morning. my brain is fresh and ready to go.

16: Do you write by hand, on your phone, or on your laptop?

laptop 100%. notes get written on my phone but i absolutely can't be serious on my phone.

29: What’s something about your writing that you’re proud of?

uh. i guess dialogue. my favorite thing to read is character stories and i think that is reflected a lot in my writing. i often read aloud dialogue that i've written so it makes sense and i obsess over the little details. i know that's not everyone's cup of tea, and i do feel like it gets overly fluffy at times, but yeah. dialogue and descriptions.

30: How much do you edit your fics?  Do you edit as you write or wait until you finish the first draft?

i perform the cardinal sin of editing as i go. i physically can't write a rough draft. ive tried. im in my 30s now. it will never change lmao. and the editing never stops. if i choose to sit on a fic or chapter, i can look over it for days and find things wrong with it/add on, whatever. i also love stressing myself out and re-reading it after it's posted and editing after the fact pfft.

50: How would you describe your writing style?

inconsistent haha. especially my tumblr fics vs. my ao3 stuff. someone else would havta tell me if i have a certain style. like, could you pick me out in a crowd of 5 other authors? not sure.

73: What do you tend to get complimented on the most about your writing?

the attention to detail. the specifics. which i appreciate because, as mentioned above, i tend to draw things out and get fixated on the details. thank you everyone for encouraging this behavior lol

77: Why do you enjoy writing fanfiction?

i just love writing my OTPs getting into shenanigans. but also the community it builds. i love interacting with authors/readers, i love sharing ideas, and it's just a part of fandom culture that's always been very near and dear to my heart.

fanfic asks!