#and all the writers don't even be writing anymore

[acid-ixx]

last night, i just had a terrible nightmare where someone sent in a really long ask that was straight up hating and criticizing every part of my writing. calling out the insecurities/faults, plot inconsistencies, and insulting my writing style—

which i admit: yeah, it's wordy and really long, sometimes i focus too much on one scene or on the emotions solely, and i focus on every single detail; i'm a very emotional and hypersensitive person who likes to overanalyze on the scenes and characters. i acknowledge that it's unconventional and unprofessional at times; but it's what makes me happy and it's up to readers to continue reading or not despite the length. it's my own writing, i write content for free and everything i post are indulgent on my part, hence why i explicitly state i don't really wish for constructive criticism since again, it's all for free and it's all done for fun.

though, in that dream, it came to the point where the ask straight up told me i should just quit writing, that whatever i'm writing for is utter trash (overrated, it says. there are better writers out there and, yeah, i agree. i've the passion and drive but not so much for talent) and not worth the effort to read. so i did what was told and deactivated my account and went on to never write anymore fanfics after just how shaken up i was, then i woke up HAHAHAH.

and it genuinely felt so real, ngl. i couldn't get it off of my mind even until now, so here i am rambling about it. sorry if anyone expected me to post a drabble, or a fanfic; but right now i need more time to ponder upon whether or not i should change my writing style 'cause chapter five pt 2 will be posted soon but it's longer and who knows? maybe my worst nightmare may come true if i post it and it's subpar, not up to expectation.

and if people don't really wish for something long that borders on boring or filler scenes, then maybe, maybe not i will change how i write (but i probably won't lmao). either way, i have to remind myself that i am writing for myself, and posting it to simply archive in this account. i just hope people won't be as cruel as that mystery person in my dreams if i ever do

it's genuinely the audience's choice to read my works or not if the length or style bothers them. and as entitled as i may sound, i wish to remind some that writing a chapter with more than 10k words is my choice, and it's an arduous process too that takes hours of my time. writing fanfics is for me is purely indulgent and are reflections of my real life experiences, if it's lengthy, then yes i chose it to be, but it's not like i'm writing a thesis or an essay, i'm writing a goddamn fanfic with stereotypical tropes (most especially yandere) because it what makes me enjoy my passion as an author.

i apologize again for the long ramble, i really just need this out of my thoughts. this is my own blog too so yeah 😭. if you guys follow me solely for my fanfics, then filter out the "🍨... yael's talking" tag if you wish to avoid these types of talks.

[deadlyflan]

Hey.

I'm old TMNT. Not the oldest. But definitely one of the older.

1. I'd love to talk. I'm Kyabetsu. I fell in love with TMNT back in 1987 as a kid. I found online TMNT fandom in 2001. I have TMNT friends who were writing TMNT fic in 1990. (That friend is a grandmother now!)

2. Back when the internet was new(er) & small(er), it was more likely that us turtles fans would meet up at one of the big forums (a website message board), one of the big mailing lists (an email chain), the web rings of personal TMNT websites (public), or on a fanfic archive (public). There were fewer silos of little ponds of fandom: private discords, or blocklisted-twitters, or private Facebook groups or dedicated hashtags. Just because of the old structure of the old internet and the options available to us, we were more likely to meet more different kinds of turtle fans.

Good and bad with that.

Bad:: Fewer privacy and filter options. Less ways to use your phone easily. More "we all *HAVE* to get along here because we are all sharing a public space."

Good:: You met more people! It was inevitable that you would be sharing space with folks into different aspects of the larger TMNT canon. You were gonna meet people of different ages, talents, and experiences. You would get more info (whether you were looking or not) about facets of TMNT that you didn't even know existed. All because we were in the same pot of soup together, and you just got exposed to new things... which, I think was pretty cool, and I kinda miss about our new app-centric internet communities.

3. My point, which may be off-topic of fanon vs canon, but is at least tangentially related (I'll pull it together in part 4). Is that my experience in fandom has been one of multi-generational community. It was a gift I treasured as a young person. It is a gift I feel like I should share with younger fans now that I'm not that young person anymore. There are traditions! And creators who have passed! Websites that have disappeared! And cool turtle facts!

And it would be a crime if all that turtle joy ended with me and other olds.

4. So. If you *are* interested in talking turtle stuff with older people (me or other people) that's awesome! But lemme tell ya... generally speaking... Old-fandom people generally do not give a toot about policing how fans enjoy turtles.

Like...

Ship and let ship.

Don't like, don't read.

Your Kink Is Not My Kink And That's Okay

It's Okay To Not Like Things (Just Don't Be A Dick About it.)

These are great rules for fandom life!!

Because if you know that no one is gonna be mean to you, you feel safer sharing your own cringe AU. You feel more secure sharing your bonkers headcanons. You are happier releasing your OCs, your plot twists, your self inserts. If there's a 'No Bullying' policy built into the fandom, it's easier to be yourself.

5. Kya... for real? "Built into the Fandom?" No way. There's thousands of us. Surely, if this was THE TMNT RULE, we'd all know that?

Haha, *this* is one of those traditions I desperately want to pass down.

WE'RE TMNT FANS, DARLINGS!! MULTI-VERSE IS CANON!! THERE IS NO WRONG WAY TO TURTLE!!

The very first TMNT Comics were drawn and written by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. They founded a publishing company called Mirage Comics in 1984 for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1. They would go on to publish 62 TMNT comics issues in that first series of comic books. All in black and white. All featuring our boys in green.

BUT EASTMAN AND LAIRD DIDN'T WRITE OR DRAW THEM ALL!

In that first set of 62 comics, they had TONS of guest artists and writers! Those creators made up their own turtle designs, their own turtle continuities, their own turtle mini-series and one shots!

YES. There is a 'Mirage Turtles' house style and some famous story arcs. But DOUBLE YES. Even in the original comics, alternate universes and timelines were *part of the fabric of the source material.*

Michelangelo is horribly injured and Splinter prays to animal gods to revive him? Canon.

Mini-alien-vampires kidnap Raphael and a cow while the other boys sleep in one big cartoon bed at the farm? Canon.

Leonardo is ambushed and nearly killed by The Foot? Of course, canon.

But so is the time a leech sucked out all of Raph's mutagen, turned him into a meeping baby turtle, and went on a rampage. And the time Donatello became a shaman. And the adventure when the boys weren't quite as intelligent as humans and couldn't speak, but Splinter commanded them in battle.

All this exists in the source material right next to the stories and characters that became the backbone of so many of the spin off cartoons.

We have had permission from the start. Multi-verse is canon. Anything goes. There's no rules. There's no need to 'measure up' to anyone else's ideas of what the turtles *should be.*

You're free.

It's okay.

Go nuts.

Be kind.

There's room for all of us here.

It's late. So I've gone on too long. But I'm around if y'all like talking turtles and all that.

Hope your winter is treating you kindly.

❤️💙🧡💜

--Kyabetsu

You know, I think a lot of us would benefit from talking with some of the older tmnt fans around here more, its eye opening and they've got some real wisdom. I don't even mean just 2012 folks, talk to people who were and are still into 2003, 87 and the old movies, etc etc. I mean this so for real you learn so so much.

[mybiasisexo]

who are your fav or go to tumblr pages that write exo fics? or any specific stories you enjoy on here?

I have a tag for the fanfics I like

and im an old lady so I don't really know any new writers (I am so sorry I need to get back on it) but I do have my personal icons @baekberrie @yeoldotcom @j-pping @yeoldontknow @biaswreckingfics @ninibears-erigom @baeklination @byuntrash101 @breakyeol @vampwrrr @whimsical-ness (also rip to all the amazing work we have lost, all the talented writers who have gone. Thank you for your service)

my HIGHLY recommended fics are:

Break a Sweat by @breakyeol

I read this literally whenever my yeol thirst is too much and its gonna hit every time!!! My all time fav yeol smut

Sweet Lies by @vampwrrr

This is hands down one of the best bbh fanfics I have ever read. She writes bbh so damn well and its just so so amazing. I reread it every fall lmfaooo and I have hope that one day we will get a new chapter, amen ���

Guardian by @kpopfanfictrash

An oldie (all the fics I love are like from 2016 smh) but GOODIE even if you feel some type of way about chen fics now I still HIGHLY recommend.

Exception by @moonlightjongin

Now, this story also isn't finished and prob won't be but...the edge of your seat??? The DRAMA?!??? Ugh I just love this one so much I really need to reread it cause its just amazing and I feel not enough people know about this one. A gem, truly

The Greatest Gift by @wonderlustlucas

Its giving everything it needs to give. Literally idk its just so good! The chemistry, the writing, the smut, chanyeols characterization. Just v brilliant and smart and truly my writing inspo. The sequel is just as scream inducing god I love it

and of course there is this little writer called @mybiasisexo who has this one story called Entangled that's ok. like she's cooking or whatever 👀😂

[bedlamsbard]

talking about SteveNat is always a bizarre experience because I probably cannot be clearer about the fact that I ship them and want them to kiss on the mouth and yet whenever a post moves out of my orbit it immediately morphs into "yeah they're such good friends, I love a brotp."

[thatbuddie]

i'm sorry. i have kept quiet about this for so so so long. but i can't any longer. i'm just sorry.

if you call buck "evan" you don't understand him as a character. if you call buck "evan" you don't understand the show.

the minute someone refers to buck as "evan" they are immediately telling on themselves.

[kryptonbabe]

You will get a new Wonder Woman run planned to be a long and structured one - but it's written by Tom King

You will get a new Black Canary run - the thing is, it will be written by Tom King

You will get a series of some silver age partially forgotten characters you like - Adam Strange, Omega Men, Metamorpho - but here's the catch: they'll all be written by Tom King

Why all these times I got something I wanted from DC it was like meeting this wise and cruel Jinn trying to warn me about the potential harm of my heart's desires?

"Be careful what you wish for, little one. Now take this Tom King book" the creature whispers while I sob

[seraphic-sibyl]

On waiting for the perfect day to create.

Something I've learned--and it's taken me a while to realize what it actually means--that "write it now, edit later" is a real thing. You can always revisit it in a few years if you think it's not strong enough and re-tackle your story with a little more experience under your belt. But the "half-written Word doc" phenomenon is also real; often we start stories and then lose steam halfway through, and that's fine. Creating anything is a good thing.

But if you never start, you won't even have a half-finished Word doc. You might think about that really cool story idea you had and realize you just don't think that way anymore, that you just can't bring yourself to write it anymore. And people change, it's true, and looking back at something you created and realizing it doesn't reflect you anymore is a real thing too. But maybe it would have been really good, even if you can't believe in it anymore, and you kinda wish it existed while you still did.

I dunno. I've been thinking lately about the novel I wanted to write when I was 15, and how so much has changed since then that I don't know if I could write such an optimistic story. I don't know if it would just be tone-deaf at this point. I think the way I view the intended themes is a bit more nuanced. But I wish it existed. I wish I hadn't waited until I had more writing experience and just...put words to a page. Made something, even if it never saw the light of day, just so I can look at the way I used to see things and the product of it.

It may not have been perfect, but I think I would have loved writing it, and I wish I didn't keep waiting for a flash of inspiration to give me the rest of my world, characters, and story. The flash would never come.

Make your stories. If you know you don't like it or you need more experience to do it justice, you'll at least have a framework to come back to. Create the thing.

[hearts401]

We need to start treating bad writing like bad art and im not kidding

[majortomwaits]

so i haven't used fictionpress since i was like 16 or 17, i used it to post my original stories at the time, and today, so after nearly 10 years, someone messaged me there, telling me how much they love my work and i'm baffled?? like thanks, i suppose, but man.......

[midnightwind]

sometimes I wonder how obvious it is that I grew up writing on rp forums lmao

[kleiner-detektiv]

I just love™ doing a collab event where I'm supposed to draw something for a fanfiction, but the writer won't share or write anything until the 3rd or 4th check-in at all.

If one doesn't have the time for it, they shouldn't participate.

Or at least they should communicate!

Artists have a schedule, too!

No writing, no art! We artists, too, need some time for a decent artwork and this is not my only project! Dx

[not-poignant]

Hey there. Do you have any tips on how to stay consistent with writing, and how to stay focused on the task at hand?

Hi anon!

So firstly, I've answered versions of this question quite a few times so you might want to go into the 'Pia on Writing' tag because they'll be there.

A quick look has found:

How to write more words regularly - This one is good for just...straight up practical advice.

But I wanted to speak frankly which is - what works for me might not work for you! We all have different strengths and weaknesses and depending on how we orient towards writing depends on what those weaknesses are. For example, I need to learn how to take more breaks and rest more, and not write as much. The 'writing a lot and sometimes too much' comes pretty easily to me these days.

Not all writers are meant to be consistent writers. I don't have a daily habit and I haven't written anything at all in a week and a half. I have my monthly wordcount and that's it. Someone else might need to write or edit every day, in order to not lose sight of their projects. Someone else might need five intensive days a month. It will depend on their nature, their personality.

Not all writers have the same reasons behind why they can't stay focused on a task. I have ADHD, but I can also hyperfocus on characters and a storyline. Others have ADHD, and cannot hyperfocus on their characters or storyline long enough to finish a story. That's a problem I don't know how to remedy, because I don't have that kind of ADHD, so I've never had to 'solve' it before. Some writers are perfectionists which hamper them, I am not a perfectionist and I'd rather the thing be out in the world with some flaws, than on my computer talking to no one. I need the dopamine more than I need something to be perfect. So you see anon, sometimes the things that impact us just aren't universal, which means you need more specific advice. There will be perfectionist writers who will have lots of great advice, there will be ADHD writers who get bored of a story who have great advice. :D

What I will say is that pretty universally, writing consistently and staying focused are both like muscles in the body. I'm where I'm at today because I've had 9-10 years of practice doing this, and when you start out (which the above link addresses) you will need to aim more realistically and reasonably, and start there.

It's also worth having a really grounded sense of why you want to write more consistently / focus more on your writing. Is it for fun? Is it because you want to finish a project? Is that project something you'll feel good if you finish or are you over it? Is it because you want to make an income? (Have you considered there are approximately 40 billion easier ways to make an income?) Is it because you just want to see if you can do it?

Sitting down and thinking about your motivations here will help motivate you if you can keep your goals in mind. And it will also help clarify what you get out of writing in the first place.

Re: Staying focused. It depends on your distractions. I use music, that helps me. That might be terrible for you. I make sure I'm eating well - the brain needs carbs and fats, and my whole body needs protein and fibre - so I'll have a decent breakfast before starting out. Sleep is important. Drinking regularly is important. There's very basic things here which seem obvious that help a ton with concentration, but if you're not doing them, they're a good place to start. You'd be surprised how much just 'eating balanced meals, drinking regularly and sleeping enough hours' helps with concentration. Like, so much.

A friend of mine uses the Pomodoro method (that would drive me nuts), there's using write-ins like Twitch streams to basically 'body double' with other people who are writing at the same time (I find this very motivational). There's gamification like 4TheWords (love this site). There's 'I get to have a cookie if I write another 200 words.' There's 'actually I've lost focus because this part of the story might be broken and if I just do this the river will start to flow again' as a writing technique.

Mostly, you'll need the time and space to just amass the number of techniques you need to help with both focus and writing regularly. But in all of this, it's vital to be patient with yourself. You can't expect yourself to take a week to end up somewhere that someone else took 3 or 4 years to get to. And it won't be...consistent. Don't side-eye me or anything, but like, we're not meant to be machines, even people who write relatively consistently (like me) need breaks, get burnt out, get tired, are over it, and sometimes need brand new techniques to start working again. Knowing that it's not a linear upward curve of ever-increasing focus lets you also just...be compassionate and patient with yourself.

Oh yeah, because you'll have to get good at both of these too anon. :D Learning discipline and being firm with yourself can't work successfully if you also then mentally punish yourself for not doing it 'well enough' to the point where you don't want to do it anymore. Cultivating the 'I'll try again tomorrow' or 'I did great today!' parts of your brain help a ton with consistency. If you know you're going to be kind to yourself for doing well, and firm but compassionate with yourself when you don't, all of this gets way, way easier.

[sally-mun]

Since I've been settling back into Tumblr I keep thinking about the fact that this is where I did most of my writing. About all kinds of things.

I haven't really written anything in a couple of years. It started as a bit of burnout but got exponentially worse due to a very bad thing that happened. My therapist has been trying to help me find that piece of myself again. It's been lost for a really long time, and is probably a big part of why I have so much trouble being 'me' anymore, or even knowing what 'me' is. It's really difficult to like 'me' now. On the off-chance I actually do, I feel guilty for having done so, because I still haven't quite shaken the instinct that shouldn't like 'me.' I should be ashamed of 'me.' Maybe that's a big part of why my writing disappeared. I always really liked that about me. Writing would threaten my the paradigm where I can't and shouldn't like myself.

But I mean... I do really miss it.

I hope it comes back.

Maybe being here again will help with that.

[milkyspine]

[bipaulinadlm]

what if simone/manuel was haunting the narrative

(aka there are worms in my brain)

The past coming back to haunt you (to set the scene): DANTE (episode 2): Perché il passato ci segue. Ciò che abbiamo vissuto, le cose per cui abbiamo sofferto vivono nel nostro presente, sempre. (Because the past follows us. All we've lived, the things we've suffered for, they always live on in the present. VIRGILIA (episode 5): Non si può lasciare il proprio passato in sospeso, perché prima o poi ritorna e ti chiede il conto. (You can't leave your own past hanging over you, because sooner or later it comes around demanding an explanation.)

Things that repeat, not least among them: a. "Hai una cotta per uno che non ti pensa" (Manuel to Simone s2) vs "Tu hai perso la testa per uno che manco te se incula" (Simone to Manuel s1); b. Simone getting drunk at a party because Manuel hurt him; c. Simone's feelings for both Manuel and Mimmo leading to him helping with criminal activities; d. Conversation By The Pool; e. Anita & Dante getting together being the ending of both seasons, to which Manuel and Simone say this:

(episode 12) (What are they doing, starting over? / What do I know? I have no clue.)

Parallel universes + source material (or, what if you were two characters in a story that's been told before and you should be fated for each other, but for whatever reason you're not):

(Episode 6) (MANUEL: Do you ever think about parallel universes? / SIMONE: No. Do you? / MANUEL: Yeah, sometimes I wonder what my life would be like there.)

(An image of the scene in Merlí where Bruno and Pol are about to get married)

In conclusion:

(episode 12) (SIMONE: Have you what horrible tricks destiny plays? / MANUEL: I have. / SIMONE: It seems like a bad dream.)

So basically, what if you were two people trapped in a TV show and somewhere there's a world where you're fated for each other, but it's not this one, but you can't help running through the same moments again and again, and you can't keep the past from coming back to haunt you, and the narrative hates you so bad, and either everything goes wrong or you're not yourself.

[strawberriesinmoominvalley]

i would tell so many stories to people growing up, but my teachers would always tell me my written stories weren't the best :( so i stopped trying to write

anyway, kept telling stories aloud until one day i had so many thoughts i had to start writing them down. and people in my life went "hey! this isn't too bad, it's a cool idea!" and it all spiralled from there :D

idk who to tag, so anyone! feel free to pile on from here :)

“how did you get into writing” girl nobody gets into writing. writing shows up one day at your door and gets into you