#also p healthy communication and sweet romance scenes

[lostinfantasies38]

DEH Master Post

Since I’ve revamped my blog, I thought I should do a master post of my Dear Evan Hansen fics for anyone interested in reading them. I have seven on AO3 right now; six of them are romances featuring Evan and Connor, but the other one is a character study of Connor and his sister, Zoe. 

For those unfamiliar with DEH, let me preface by saying all the characters are dealing with trauma and mental health issues. And not necessarily in a healthy way, either. But that is what is so great about them. They are raw and working them through their issues is cathartic. In other words: mind the tags. I put them there for a reason.

In every one of my stories for this fandom, you will find large pieces of me in my main protagonists, Connor and Evan. If you know me well enough, you’ll find them faster than Bernie Sanders in a Where’s Waldo scene. Not that it really matters, but my ability to relate to the characters so viscerally is what led me to write for them, in the first place. 

I will list the stories under the cut since this will likely get long. 

The one that started it all. A bit of background: I wrote it hoping it would work the itch for these two out of my system, but when it was finished even I was amazed by how fucking good it was. I couldn’t resist dipping my toes in a new fandom, so I anxiously posted it and went about my life. Only to find IT EXPLODED OVERNIGHT. It’s been up for four months and is already nearing 1,000 hits. I’m still blown away by the response. I love everyone who bothers to read them!

Summary: Evan ends up at a house party the summer after junior year. As a kid with social anxiety this was probably not a smart move, but even he had no idea how much could simultaneously go wrong and right in one night. 

Part 2 of the series the above story started, this fic focuses on a day in the life of the boys and their fledgling relationship. It’s tropey as hell and syrupy sweet (as all summer fics should be) and includes the boy’s first smut scene. 

Part 3 is a bit darker. For those who are at least somewhat familiar with canon, this is the tree Evan breaks his arm from in the book/musical. It’s full of intrusive thoughts and depressed boys struggling to communicate without their brains and pride getting in the way. Don’t worry, there is a happy ending since I’ve never been one to adhere to canon. 

Rarely do I fall for the hype of writing stories simply to coincide with a holiday, but Halloween is my favorite and I couldn’t resist. All Of Life’s A Choice is gritty and graphic, but honestly, those of you who know my work from DA shouldn’t be surprised. I don’t shy away from horror themes or visceral descriptions. It’s also a Lamborghini in disguise with super fast plot development because it’s a one shot. I didn’t feel like dragging shit out longer than necessary. 

This one is a 5 times Evan didn’t tell his best friend/roommate he loved him and the 1 time he did fics. It was a new format for me, but I really enjoyed writing it. I aged up the guys a little in this one too, which was a lot of fun. It’s rife with poetry, and purple prose, and so much goddamn pining. So if you like literary tropes and mutually pining idiots, this one is for you.

Ahhh, the soulmate flower AU I always said I’d never write and then did. And holy shit, it’s probably one of my best stories ever written. This is angsty, yet soft, with enough floral symbolism to choke a person. The fan-base is already clamoring for a sequel and they just might get it. 💐

Tagging those who might be interested or willing to spread the word for me. No obligation to read! @fandomn00blr @kittimau @blarfkey @c-e-c-r-o-p-i-a @simper-fi @giraffesanddietpepsi @jennserr @jellysharkbat @river-of-asgard @scharoux @ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-cherrybooooomb @mysteriousxmidnight​  @sharkapologists​ @bigfan-fanfic

[tthael]

Fanfic meme - 2, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12

2) What is your favorite snippet of dialogue?

Oh, I love writing dialogue. But if I had to pick just one little exchange, and not a monologue, it’d be Eddie: “It’s tea tree. It keeps away lice.” Richie: “Do you have lice?” Eddie: “I don’t, I use tea tree shampoo.” from Things That Happen after Eddie Leaves.

5) What’s your favorite headcanon you use in fics?

Secret romantic Richie Tozier. I know that strict adherents to IT Chapter One (2017) tend to refer to Finn Wolfhard’s interpretation that Richie is a neglected child, but I really like the snapshots of Wentworth and Maggie that we get from the book--in which Went plays along with Richie’s eccentricity while winding him up and also putting him in his place as a child, and Maggie is bewildered and exhausted by her husband and child in equal measure. I think that the idea of Went being very sweet to Maggie is cute, and I think the idea of Richie subconsciously mimicking that behavior towards Eddie--the nicknames, “cute cute cute,” general flirtiness--is extremely funny. Especially if it never occurs to Richie until he’s in a room with both Eddie and his parents at the same time and Richie has the horrified realization that he’s transparent like glass, which I did in Indelicate.

7) How much do you like symbolism in your fics?

I’m the kind of person where my first instinct is to put absolutely everything on the page and trust nothing to the reader; it’s the maximalist in me extruding. So I think that in most of my fic, the symbolism (if there is any) is kind of an afterthought. Also I tend to post as I write, and I think for consistent symbolism you need a better plot outline than I usually start with. HOWEVER the exception to this would probably be my dæmon AU Automatic - Mechanical - Pneumatic, in which everyone has a literal symbol of their soul accompanying them at all times. So I went pretty hard with the symbolism there, but also I couldn’t resist spelling it out for the audience--Eddie has a boar because a boar will kill a hunter that impales it even at the cost of its own life, and Richie has a capuchin monkey because he physically and emotionally cannot stop performing. (I need to go back and edit that fic sometime; I wrote it all in one day and the pacing bothers me, but also I could in theory wind that back a bit.)

8) How often do people catch onto your little details?

Constantly. I have been very lucky in the quality of my readers and the comments they leave on my work. I regularly get line-by-line comments on my chapters talking about the things that excited them most, or that got the biggest emotional reaction. I cannot say how much I appreciate this.

11) What’s a fanfic idea you haven’t done yet?

Something that I don’t even have a draft for? I’ve had an HDM-fusion AU for IT in my head for a while (different from A-M-P because it focuses more on the whole “children get together and kill God” arc from His Dark Materials) that has transman!witch!Richie Tozier, and I sort of have something simmering for after the Losers’ childhood adventures where Richie is like “well, I’m functionally immortal, I have killed God, I am in love with a man but afraid that if we ever express commitment there are circumstances under which I would harm him--what the fuck do I do now?” Very inspired by the summer I went nuts just reading all of Adventures in Effulgence by Alicorn and Pyth. Part of me feels like I’d have to write the preceding childhood adventures (very inspired by Republic of Heaven Community Radio by Sailor_Ptah and also a little bit by Kiki’s Delivery Service from Studio Ghibli) first, but part of me is like “pull the trigger, write about post-heroic adults.” Because, you know, I like to write romance.

12) What’s the hardest thing to write for you?

Honestly? What I think of as “the in-between bits.” There are parts that I really want to write, scenes that I have fully illustrated in my head--and then there’s a whole lot of work to be done on the page to get there. Like--I’m sure there’s an alternate universe in which I wrote Richie and Eddie having a full trip to Vegas towards the end of Things That Happen after Eddie Lives, but I was like “I have only the foggiest idea of what Vegas is like, I don’t care for gambling, and I am starving for the emotional confessions, I have to pull the plug on this” and so I have Richie make an emotionally healthy choice and abort the mission. I was just SO EAGER to get to the fun part, which was Richie finally admitting to Eddie in so many words that he’s in love with him, and having Eddie meet him halfway.

Thank you for playing!

[sage-nebula]

I wanna send BlueEx ships for the meme but I'm having a hard time choosing one. Pick your favorite between Rin, Shiemi, Bon and/or Izumo x3

Why not all of them? ;D

Rin/Shiemi:

I definitely ship this.

Aside from the fact that I’m 95% sure that this is going to be the canon endgame pairing (or at least one of them), this is one of the rare cases in shounen manga where I feel perfectly comfortable and happy with that because of how wonderfully it’s being developed. Although it was established pretty much from the start that Rin thought Shiemi was hecka cute and had a huge crush on her, their relationship has still been primarily developed in the arena of friendship rather than the arena of love interests. I mean, for starters, Shiemi hasn’t even realized until recently that dating Rin/being romantically involved with him is even a possibility; and when she did realize it, she asked him what the difference between romance and friendship was, because she honestly didn’t know (given that this would be her first relationship and they’re both still quite young!), and he didn’t have a real answer either (aside from what you’d expect from a hormonal teenage boy =P). Because of this, all of their interactions from Shiemi’s side have been steadfastly rooted in friendship, particularly since Rin was one of the first friends that Shiemi ever had (her second ever friend, actually, after Yukio), and she didn’t even realize that he considered her to be a friend at first, considering he was stupid and lied about it when Bon teased him about it right after Shiemi started attending the cram school.

And you know what? From Rin’s side, things have been pretty focused on friendship, too! While not as obvious as Shiemi, Rin also has a pretty much friendless background; he was always getting into fights and being disruptive as a kid, and as such pretty much no one outside of his family wanted anything to do with him. The fact that the other ExWires consider him a friend is shocking to him, which is what makes it so heartbreaking when they all become terrified of him a couple scenes later thanks to Amaimon’s shenanigans in the woods. But it’s because of this that even though Rin has a crush on Shiemi (and has since he saw her, pretty much), his interactions with her have still primarily been platonic. Even in instances where he confessed that he liked her, or asked her to dance—even in those cases, Rin still put their friendship first, rather than his desire to date her. They’ve been steadily coming closer as friends and companions rather than love interests, growing as people in addition to building their budding relationship. And we can see that this is only going to continue with Shiemi formally turning him down for the time being, because she feels that she still has a lot of growing to do, and wants to continue to grow as a person (and wants him to wait for her, though she refuses to say that out loud because she knows it isn’t fair—baby). So this is a rare situation in a shounen manga where it’s very, very evident that even though Shiemi is Rin’s primary love interest, she’s also much more than just his love interest, and whatever eventual romance they have is going to be one built on a solid foundation of friendship. I’m pretty sure this is going to end up canon, and I’m excited for it, because we’re seeing relationship development in this series on par with FMA, and that’s pretty hard to accomplish.

Rin/Bon:

But that said, I also definitely ship this!

I’m pretty sure that the BlueEx mangaka is going to go the typical route of only having het ships, so I don’t have any hope for this one being canon. But that said, if it was, I’d be really happy with it! This is one of those rare instances in shounen manga (so many of those) where we see an actually healthy rivalry. Rin and Bon are rivals, sure, but they’re rivals who encourage, inspire, and support each other. Even when they fight, it’s clear that they aren’t fighting with the intention to be hurtful, per se, but rather because they’re coming from opposite views and they’re both headstrong, passionate people who sometimes have a hard time seeing where someone else is coming from. This has made it difficult for both of them to reconcile with others in the past (most notably, both of their fathers—but god damn it, Bon, Rin warned you). But with all of that said, it’s also pretty apparent how they each care about the other quite a bit and hold them in high esteem. Rin has felt that Bon was super cool since the moment they met (and only had that opinion drop when he saw Bon going off on his own father, making the same mistakes that Rin himself did), and while Bon was eternally frustrated by what he saw as a lackadaisical attitude from Rin at first, the fact that Rin continually managed to succeed and so very plainly cared about all of them regardless of the circumstances won Bon’s respect, too. I also think that, as of S2E5, Rin flipping out on Bon for treating his father like that has cut deep to Bon’s core as well. I think that is what is inspiring his change of heart toward Rin after the whole “son of Satan” thing repulsed him so.

Essentially, I think these two are a wonderful example of rivals who actually boost each other up rather than tearing each other down. They have a lot of similarities and differences, and while this causes clashing sometimes I think that, on the whole, they work beautifully together. So I ship this, too. x3

Rin/Izumo:

I like this … but I lean more toward brotp. 

I do think that Rin and Izumo work pretty well together. They’re both honest, blunt people, which means that communication isn’t likely to be an issue. Izumo also knows what it is to be a pariah, ostracized and looked down upon by others for being unapproachable or frightening, which I think is a big part of the reason why she was the first of the ExWires to reach out to Rin after what happened in the forest. Rin isn’t afraid to cut right through Izumo’s BS, either, which is something that she needs considering that she has a lot of it (I mean, I love her, but it’s true). So I definitely see the merits in this ship, especially since—like every other possible ship among the ExWires—it’s been developed wonderfully as a friendship.

That said, I will admit that the attitudes of some Rin/Izumo shippers have been pretty terrible from what I’ve seen. Namely, I’ve seen quite a few of them tearing down Shiemi with some pretty horrible things (everything from calling her a useless bimbo to accusing her of not caring about/being afraid of an ungrateful toward Rin, wtf), and that kind of behavior can cool me off a ship real fast. It’s fine if you prefer Rin/Izumo, but you don’t have to bash Shiemi or Rin/Shiemi in the process of celebrating your ship, you know? So I do like Rin/Izumo, but at the moment I’m more solidly in brotp territory thanks to the way some Rin/Izumo shippers have behaved.

Bon/Shiemi:

I haven’t really thought about this too much, but I think it could be really cute! I could see Bon getting flustered with trying to date someone like Shiemi, who is still pretty sweet and, well … I don’t want to say naive, but she is learning about romance via shoujo manga, so. =P (Which isn’t all that different from Rin, so hey!) I could especially see Bon trying to follow tropes to the letter, too, but getting flustered when things don’t go exactly the way he thinks they’re supposed to, and ultimately just throwing caution to the wind to just be himself. I don’t know, I really haven’t thought about it, but it could be cute! I wouldn’t be opposed, even if I mostly see them as a brotp at the moment.

Bon/Izumo:

Again, I haven’t thought about this one a lot either, but it could be cute/funny, even if I … don’t really see any romantic chemistry between them at the moment at all, heh. I’ll have to get farther in the series before I can really make a judgment on this one either way, since at the moment they haven’t interacted very much beyond insults and arguing.

Izumo/Shiemi:

EXORCIST GIRLFRIENDS. I really, really like this one because of all the wonderful development they’ve had. I mean, let’s not kid ourselves, they started off on a horrible foot. Izumo was downright horrid to Shiemi (something Paku called her out on, finally), and Shiemi took it because she was so desperate to make a real friend for what she felt was the first time in her life (because she didn’t feel that she was on equal footing with the Okumura twins). But thanks to Paku’s callout and Shiemi’s steadfast tendency to be wonderful, Izumo realized the error of her ways and has really improved. These two have had a steadily developing relationship built around the fact that they encourage and support each other. Izumo, thanks to Shiemi’s support, is realizing that there are people who support her outside of her one friend (Paku). And Shiemi, thanks to Izumo’s encouragement, is finding her own confidence and inner strength and is learning to stand back up when things get her down. I’ve also seen spoilers from a most recent chapter in which, after Shiemi makes a rather shocking declaration, Izumo is the one most upset about it, which really shows how far they’ve come, both as individuals and as companions.

So yeah, I definitely ship the exorcist girlfriends. ♥ They’ve come a very long way and I’m so, so happy that they’ve been allowed to develop such a strong, wonderful relationship outside of their relationships with the male characters. Seriously, bless Blue Exorcist, it makes me so happy. ♥

(Put a ship it my ask box and I’ll tell you if/why/why not I ship it.)

[journey2motivate]

A Long-Distance Friendship Is Really The Most Genuine Relationship | Journey2Motivate

A Long-Distance Friendship Is Really The Most Genuine Relationship | Journey2Motivate

If you assume that long-distance relationships never function, you should change your mind. Because long-distance relationships are the greatest as well as most real relationships.

Because having a long-distance best friend suggests having someone who constantly makes certain they stay in touch with you and also…

[stacyjergerbookeditor-blog]

Do You Have a Healthy Relationship With Your Editor?

This blog post is a little bit different than my others. I was discussing this subject with a writer friend, and I realized this isn't really talked about enough (at least on my radar). When choosing a developmental editor (DE), there are a bazillion articles and posts about what to look for: experience, skill, rates. And while all of that is important, a writer-editor relationship is so much more than that. 

It's more intimate than most people might think. It requires not only a level of skill and professionalism, but support, honesty, and trust (and not being a psycho, how about that?). 

I work predominantly with fiction and romance authors, a VERY intimate, VERY creative subject matter in developmental editing, where anything can go wrong. So that's what this post focuses on.  

Here's the problem: Many times authors stick with editors who bully them, maybe because they aren't confident about their work, and think editors know everything. On the other end, editors may stick with poorly behaved authors just because they need the job. 

*Note: I don't mean situations where authors secretly hoped for praise and can't handle any feedback. I'm talking about writers and editors who make an effort but may not be good for each other.

How do you know if you've found The One? Here's what to look for in a good developmental editor:

Skill

A good DE has a trained eye for storytelling (different than good writing), story structure, writing techniques, content editing, and the ability to generate new ideas or solutions. It's mentally intensive and the editor is deeply invested in your characters. (More so than any critique group ever, trust me.) 

After you know that a DE has mad skills, she must also be able to communicate her findings. If she loves a part of your story, she needs to provide a reason why, so YOU know why it's working and what you're doing right.

Meh: "This is good."

Better: "I love Miranda's thoughts about her body issues, how she struggles with her appearance and feels awkward around other women. Readers can relate to this insecurity and feel sympathy for the main character." 

If the DE points out an issue that can be improved, she can't just say "This character needs more development." Why? How? What is this *dramatic air quotes* development you speak of?

Better: "Readers may like to know where Miranda's body issues come from, if they were created by a harsh, unforgiving parent; or maybe she had an emotional incident at school. This will help deepen her character and backstory, which relates to her present outlook."

With every piece of feedback, a good DE needs to diagnose the issue and, if possible, brainstorm a suggestion for the author. Otherwise, what are we all doing here? 

Professionalism

If you wouldn't say it to your mother, don't say it to your client. I've actually heard authors confess that their editors yelled at them or sounded impatient with them. All I have to say to that is NOPE. 

Okay, I have more to say. 

A good DE will never let personal pet peeves interfere with her work—whether she's pointing out a story issue or communicating with an author.

Eeeep: "I don't like your main character because I was a victim of kids throwing their barbies at me when I was a child." or "I told you to watch your cliches!" NOPE.

A good DE will express her suggestions from a constructive viewpoint (that's the skill part) or on behalf of future readers (knowing the target audience and anticipating its reaction). 

Better: "As a reader I was a little confused about Miranda's childhood. On p. 2 she says she's an orphan, but on p. 102, she mentions her mother's role in her life." or "That sex scene was a level ten hot with a whopping side of dirty, and very well written. However, this is a sweet romance, and readers might not be prepared for this scene. Let's discuss this more."

A good DE will also communicate with an author in a clear and supportive manner.

Nice: "I love Miranda's fierce reaction to Kevin in Chapter 3 (adds great chemistry), but throughout the rest of the story, she feels passive and subdued. Maybe add a turning moment before Chapter 5 for why her personality changed, or you can add more of that fierceness into her character. For instance, on p. 47, when Kevin comes to her rescue by the cliff, instead of mumbling her thanks and fainting in his arms, maybe she's clutching his shirt and arguing with him about not showing up sooner. Certain reactions like that may help keep her character more consistent."

A bad DE might say:

Blech: "Once again, Miranda is simpering and sighing and completely out of character. She needs more development."

NOPE.

Empathy

This isn't always the first thought when it comes to the writer-editor relationship, but it's an important one. The fact is, writers and editors will disagree about something, whether it's about a plot point or the ending, or whatever. A DE can suggest a lot of solutions, but only the author can pick the one that feels right for them and their book. That's basically a non-issue for healthy, professional partnerships.

But a writer and editor must share the same goal. That means the DE will understand what the writer is trying to do or bring up questions for the writer to consider.

A bad DE will try to change the writer's entire book without prior discussion or thought. 

The only way for two highly creative people to understand each other is through empathy.

One more thing: Having empathy is basically another skill set for editing fiction and romance. A DE needs to be able to understand the intricacies of human nature.

Trust

All of these qualities amount to Trust, capital T. A good DE proves their storytelling knowledge and editorial prowess, communicates in a productive way with the author, and works to understand the author/project in order to share the same goals.

And they lived happily ever after. 

Bonus Tip (because that sounds cool). 

If you love yourself enough, you'll recognize when someone treats you the wrong way.

Before we all spiral into writerly self-loathing.... 

With any relationship, pay close attention to your gut and show yourself some compassion. Like you're giving advice to a friend, "Girl, he said what to you? Oh, no. I think you should dump his ass. You deserve better." If you would tell your friend that, then tell yourself that. 

I think you know what I mean.

For editors: If you're feeling anxiety and stress from an author, feeling like the author isn't receptive to your good sense or continuously misunderstands your intentions; or you're sensing a lawsuit down the road, it's probably time to end that relationship. 

For writers: If you're feeling distressed, scared, or humiliated; you feel a constant need to satisfy an editor (or she'll spit fire at you); you're not getting productive help with your work; you don't feel like you're becoming a better writer in the long run; or you feel like the editor is always suggesting story ideas way off base from your goals...it's time to find a better developmental editor.

 Disclaimer:

Finding the right DE may give you heart eyes, a sense of accomplishment, tools to revise your story for the better, and the realization that you never want to publish another book without her. (The love is mutual.)

Need help with your story? Check out my editing services.