#and i don't understand! why someone with this perspective! would choose to write for a kids' show!

[summerlimeismethebrony]

...I think the people writing Ninjago season 2 may have hated children

[sleepymarimo]

𝕚𝕥'𝕤 𝕒 𝕞𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙!

summary: just a small list of qualities & traits which may be ideal for these op men when it comes to choosing a partner pairing(s): luffy x reader, zoro x reader, sanji x reader notes: based off my personal opinion of the monster trio and what we've seen from them! i also tried to utilize their alleged mbti and enneagram types. i totally didn't get butthurt while writing this (cries)

luffy

adaptability. luffy marches to the beat of his own drum. a dinner date might quickly turn into infiltrating an underground criminal organization. its just how he is! having a partner that can roll with the punches, maybe even enjoy it, without feeling neglected, is ideal

he doesn't like the predictable and will take any opportunity to spice things up. someone who panics when plans go off track, who finds comfort in having routine, may not be the best match for him

commitment. someone who is flaky and can't keep their promises is a big red flag for him. he craves connection and loyalty. despite his childlike enthusiasm, his feelings run deep. his pain isn't something he openly shares, as he opts to express himself happily, but he will open up his his soul to you if he knows you'll be there, no matter what

following the first point of adaptability, know that luffy will show up for you regardless of the situation. a date or outing or fight might not go as planned, but he won't leave you hanging he will want to take on your big emotions too. he loves feeling, he loves knowing your feelings and understanding you. while he might not necessarily agree with all perspectives, he can see where people come from. be open with him, don't hide

creativity. this captain hates boredom and routine. he does things his own way and enjoys thinking outside the box. his partner would likely be the same way. a big imagination and a lot of enthusiasm draws luffy in. if you constantly shut down ideas without offering any of your own, it frustrates him

he would love doing things like arts and crafts with a partner. anything hands on will catch his attention! loves talking about the future. goes back to the point regarding commitment. he doesn't care if the ideas you offer are crazy or unrealistic, as long as you have him in mind for what's to come, he's all in luffy attracts people, its just how he is. to keep him actively interested, he needs excitement. if the two of you are cuddling and you're looking too cozy, he might have to start a tickle fight

vocal and affectionate. luffy feeds off the energy around him and gets satisfaction from others. he loves seeing his nakama happy and the same goes for his partner. it could be as small as a smile or as grand as tackling him to the ground- let him know, verbally and through action, that he's doing well and making you happy!

words of affirmation and quality time! he'll never get tired of hearing you talk and very much prefers it over silence. even if it's the most obscure and obtuse topic, he doesn't care as long as it comes out of your mouth a partner who is easily embarrassed by pda may not be the best match for him. luffy has no shame and will not hesitate to pull you to his side and drag you off towards whatever adventure he has planned. he'll be confused and maybe even slightly offended if you push him off

patient. luffy is not the most easy person to deal with at times. along with being patient, he would love a partner who revels in the attention he gives and can also reciprocate it without getting too overwhelmed.

however, sometimes, you want your own space and time to do things. luffy might take this as a personal hit to himself, since he's much more receptive to the criticism of his partner. this is why he would also do well with someone who is...

gentle and constructive. don't snap at the man or suddenly grow distant! if he truly loves you and is in deep, he'll be hurt and might even force himself deal with an issue in a bid to 'solve' the conflict. taking the time to explain things to him while giving him a healthy dose of affection will work wonders

will very much ask what he did wrong if you ever say you want time away from him. his extroversion makes him able to be in the company of others for extended periods of time without needing to take time for himself a partner with emotional awareness would be great for him. he feels a lot, and he feels it very strongly, so having someone who can read him is great!

likes unique features! freckles, scars, killer eyeliner... luffy is drawn to people who look interesting. before he really gets to know you, he'll probably associate you with whatever he finds most captivating about you!

zoro

independent. this man values his ambitions. having a partner with a full and functional life, outside of the relationship, is something he would admire and respect. he sees a relationships as a union between two individuals, very much egalitarian. he's loyal and passionate to the core, would do most anything for his partner, but he also expects the same in return. all or nothing.

you recognizing him as a being, as an individual, really makes him comfortable. codependency and clinginess, too many expectations will have him retreating talks of marriage and future endeavours might also be touchy. as much as he craves stability in a long term partnership, he also values his freedom and being unconstrained by expectations. don’t set marriage dates or make a ‘plan’ for the relationship. he loves you, but he truthfully doesn't know what the future holds. all he knows is that he wants you now. the act of choosing you in the first place shows that he has you in mind for the future- he won’t get into a relationship for fun or for the sake of keeping his bed warm. he takes it more seriously than you think!!

private. you're a team, a unit. if something comes up, talk to him first. he gets needing to consult with friends for outside perspective, that's understandable, and he might even do the same. but giving your friends the hot gossip, spilling details about your relationship- it ticks him off

does not necessarily mean he prefers a quiet partner! he enjoys listening to his partner and participating in engaging conversations about obscure topics. does not care much for drama can be quite empathetic, but you have to let him know how you're feeling. he won't figure it out on his own, but once he understands where you’re coming from he becomes a lot more reasonable.

respectful. his pride is important to him. he doesn't like embarrassing himself or being embarrassed. he enjoys your teasing and affection in private, but in public prefers to hold himself to a certain standard

if you ignore these boundaries, maybe embarrass him for the sake of a good laugh, he gets a bit irritated, even if it is only for lighthearted fun preferring to do things alone, zoro knows he's starting to fall for someone when he lets someone join him for the smallest of things. could be polishing swords in silence or sharing some sake- the fact that he wants you around, even if he isn't too outwardly expressive of it, is meaningful. respect and cherish the time he gives you, don't complain of boredom or head off to do something with someone else loves you and adores you, but will not put you on a pedestal. will point out hypocrisies and double standards. don't take this point the wrong way, because once he's committed, he's committed, and won't let the relationship go that easily, but he respects himself he expects you to call him out if he ever treads over your boundaries as well

understanding & perceptive. this man very much does things how he wants, when he wants. not to say that he's inconsiderate, not at all, but sometimes things come up that simply demand his attention. if he's on his way to meet up with you and sees some marines unjustly terrorizing civilians, he won't think twice. know that in his heart, he'd never intentionally do anything to hurt you

if he chooses you, he expects you to have trust in him and his intentions. having a partner that can read between the lines and see the magnitude of his actions is something he appreciates he won't outright ask for much of his partner, so, ideally, they should be perceptive enough to give him what he needs. show him and tell him that you appreciate what he does acts of service and physical touch!

realistic, or perhaps even idealistic. he admires those with lofty goals and ambitions, those who are aware that what they seek won't just be handed to them on a silver platter

relationship-wise, zoro would appreciate a partner who is aware of the facts…without getting butthurt yes, sometimes he wants time alone, even from you. no, it doesn't mean that he doesn't love you. yes, he'll protect you with all his heart and soul, but you can't expect him to hold your hand on every island you stop on. you're pirates- this won't be a sappy love story

supportive. a partner who shows interest in his craft will get his attention. you don't have to be an expert on the ways of the blade, but asking him questions and allowing him a chance to engage in something he's passionate about will draw him out of his shell

asking about swordsmanship is probably what drew him to you in the first place. he won't bother with conversation if its not something he's interested in, so its a good way to get his attention! similarly, if he's genuinely in love, he would go the extra mile to learn about his partner's interests and passions. he is an intense lover

zoro is a bit indifferent when it comes to physical preferences. he's very much drawn towards character above all else. however, in my opinion, due to his friendship with kuina, he does tend to have a soft spot for those with darker hair and eyes, maybe even someone taller than him

sanji

generosity. sanji is a giver and is not afraid to show it. it's a double edged sword. he's shown that he is willing to sell himself short, willing to put himself down if its for the sake of others. while he enjoys giving, revels in it, he desperately craves someone who can coddle and spoil him rotten

ideal partner would not be embarrassed of him or push him away. he's a sensitive soul, afraid of abandonment from the one he loves most. accepting his love with a smile and returning it with equal or greater fervor would send him over the moon partner does not necessarily have to be super bubbly or extroverted to check this point! if sanji loves you, he knows you. a quiet partner who gives him a smile and squeezes his hand can be just as reassuring as an extroverted partner pulling him into a hug

emotional depth. this man would merge his very soul with yours if it were possible. sees partnership as a bond that will transcend all else and won't accept anything less. allowing him to explore you, all of you, will not only make him feel trusted, but truly connected to you

seconding this, a partner who can be open with him would be ideal. if you close yourself off, hesitate to divulge information, he might feel that he is doing something wrong. he understands needing time to process emotions, so if that's what you want, then at least make him aware of that he will be just as open. you're his safe space, his haven

committed and idealistic. this is a man who loves to talk about the future. marriage, kids, how your kitchen will look like… it warms his heart and makes him feel secure. it lets him know, even if some of the ideas are outlandish, that you have him in mind for the long run

partners that find discussing such commitments to be nerve racking, may make this cook a little panicky. you might not doubt him, but he would wonder why you felt the need to avoid the topic. did you not see him as someone you could be with in the future? talk with him, dream big with him

organized and orderly. he recognizes the effort it takes to formulate a plan and execute it, especially when it comes to dates and gifts. in the moment, spontaneous outings are meaningful, but don't hold as much weight as something which requires effort and is tailored to his partners wants and needs. he's a planner and likes when things fall into place

also ties to previous point about commitment. he finds comfort in planning a future with you and discussing your desires

compassionate. ties back to first point relating to generosity. sanji will very much push aside his own wants as long as you're happy. having a partner who can get him to speak up for himself, and actually listen, would be a dream come true. when he treats you and spoils you, he expects nothing in return. its just how he is. reciprocating and giving him his own spot in the limelight will heal him in ways he didn't even know he needed

unlike the marimo, sanji will put you on a pedestal. he thinks you're an angel, incapable of wrong. sanji needs a compassionate partner who recognizes this and gently reminds him that it takes two to form a partnership, and that he is just as worthy of love sanji does not do well being criticized by his partner. lack of reciprocation and a general disinterest in him will turn him away

reliability. he'll be in your corner, always. in a pirate world where everything is tumultuous and unpredictable, he finds solace in knowing that his partner is waiting for him. you being there for him, regardless of the situation, makes him even more eager to please you and show you that he's worthy of your affections. the simple act of showing up means more to him than most

sanji has been known to indulge in the finer things. aesthetics and looks are what catch his attention and he floods most any pretty thing with affection. however, its that emotional connection and depth, authenticity and passion, which ultimately keep him hooked

disclaimer: don't worry if you lack any of these traits- any relationship can work! these things work in mysterious ways... as long as there's proper communication and love, i'm sure any of these one piece men would adore being with you ૮ • ﻌ - ა

[ikementally-deficient]

Advice On Writing

I have a couple of writing friends who keep asking me for advice (which is extremely flattering and I love to infodump, please don't stop), but I thought getting my thoughts down on the metaphorical paper and putting them out into the world might be helpful for others as well.

I mostly had fanfiction in mind when I wrote this, but honestly I think the vast majority of it will be applicable to any kind of creative writing.

I would love to get feedback or have conversations about this, so if you want to squawk at or with me, please don't hesitate!

The Bare Minimum

Write

Write as often and as much as you can. If you manage to do nothing else on this list, just writing consistently and continuously will eventually improve your skills, even if it takes a long time.

The Basics

2. Read

Find things you enjoy, and read them. Read as much as you have time for. Things that speak to you and make you feel things (words, turns of phrase, tropes) will all work their way into your subconscious and feed your own writing.

3. Read Critically

Re-read the things you enjoy, and consciously think about why you enjoy them. Why did this scene manage to express such a clear sense of desolation? What about this interaction between characters made me relate to them so much? How did this story give me such a sense of satisfaction and coming full circle? Highlight the phrases you really love. Look for and circle the small details that foreshadow later developments. Identify the things you don’t like as well (nothing is perfect). How would you have done this differently? Do you hate the purple prose, or is it killing you that these scenes aren’t more detailed? Look up the words you don’t understand - maybe the author chose their words poorly, or maybe you’re one of the lucky ten thousand who gets to learn a new vocabulary word today.

The Cringe Parts

4. Ask for constructive criticism

This part is really hard, but vital. While you will inevitably find some of the weaknesses of your own writing, you won’t find all of them. An outside perspective is invaluable. If you’re frightened of constructive criticism, start small. Ask one person to look at SPAG (spelling, punctuation, and grammar). Pick one paragraph or scene to show someone and ask them how it flows. Have someone review your outline for plotholes instead of giving them prose. Brace yourself for things you don’t want to hear. Sit with any and all criticism for a few days before reacting. It’s okay to decide that someone just didn’t get what you were going for, but make sure that’s actually true instead of just a knee-jerk reaction to hurt feelings or a bruised ego. Listen to what your reviewer or beta is actually saying - ‘this part confuses me’ doesn’t mean your writing is bad, it means that your head holds the entire picture and you just didn’t put enough of that down on paper so your reader can see it too.

5. Re-read your own work

Every once in a while, go back and see how what you wrote six months ago or last year holds up. You’ve been writing for a while, you’re a stronger writer, so give yourself the perspective of seeing how far you’ve come. And see if there are any weak areas that are still giving you trouble; you can focus more on those in your next piece of writing.

6. Edit for other people

Editing is a skill. No one falls out of the sky able to give useful and actionable feedback. The act of reading and criticising something you have a little cognitive distance from is far easier than criticising your own work, but it’s still a muscle you need to build. Start with basic proof reading (SPAG). Ask questions: “Why did you choose this word, it seems obscure?” Explain your feedback: “I can’t tell who’s speaking here, I think the dialogue went back and forth one too many times without a tag.” Instead of “I don’t like this,” explain why: “This description feels like something I’ve seen too many times already and feel cliché, but I bet you can change it up.” Learning to give that feedback in a kind and helpful way is something you can bring back to your own writing. Remember that if someone asks you to beta read or edit their work, they too are trying to get better. Don’t just blow sunshine up their ass, give them the respect of being honest about elements that aren’t working. Just don’t be an asshole about it. 

Some resources on being a good beta reader - these also are handy guides for writers on how to communicate their needs effectively to a beta reader:

How to Be a Great Beta Reader and Give Helpful Feedback (dianaurban.com)

What makes a good beta reader? (smallbluedog.com)

Tips on how to beta read, from a beta reader : FanFiction (reddit.com)

Advanced Class

7. Try new things

Try a different format. If you mostly write long, multi-chapter works, aim for a short story. Write some poetry. Change up your genre. Consciously try to imitate someone else’s style. Stretch out of your comfort zone. Feel like you write too much descriptive detail? Force yourself to write nothing but dialogue, like Isaac Asimov. Feel like your characters are always floating in empty space? Indulge in some Robert Jordan, down to every detail of what the characters are wearing. This is going to be difficult, and the results might not be something you want to share publicly, but it’s still worth the effort.

8. Read about writing

There are university courses on this stuff. Check your local library for a copy of the Little, Brown Handbook - it’s aimed at academic writing, but it’s a great resource on grammar and syntax and planning and revising your work. Look for fun ones like The Transitive Vampire and The Well-Tempered Sentence, or Eats, Shoots & Leaves. Centre for Fiction has a great list of books on creative writing by writers, and industry professionals (if publishing for profit is a goal of yours). 

Back to the Beginning

9. Keep writing

You might not be the next Stephen King, or Jude Devereaux, or Isaac Asimov. Cool, me neither. You don’t have to be. As long as writing is still giving you joy, keep doing it. 

[tirsynni]

There's a popular mindset that I'm seeing within fandoms right now, and it's the type of mindset which destroys fandoms and makes enjoying any type of storytelling difficult.

"Well, I don't understand why the character just didn't do this."

"If I was in that person's shoes, I wouldn't have done that dumb action."

"OBVIOUSLY, the character just should have done this."

One, if the character did all of that stuff, there wouldn't be a story to tell. Two, if the character had such a godly, clear perspective of everything and the emotional detachment to complete all of the actions, it would be a boring story. Three, that's not how shit works. That's not how stories work, and that's not how real life works.

"Why did that character run up the stairs? That was stupid of them."

Do you think they knew what genre they were in? How many horror characters know they're in a horror story? Many of them think that if they're in any genre, it's romance or something.

In that specific moment, with the known options available and no information beyond what is immediately in front of them, what option will the character take? The viewer or reader is outside the action. They can pause the movie. They can put down the book. The character doesn't have that option.

Characters within a story are also bound by the laws within that story. If they have the time and ability to think on their options, that still doesn't give them complete freedom of choice. They are still bound by specific options, with each set of options having possible positive and negative consequences.

This character has concerns about his current military operation? What makes more sense? Dramatically going AWOL with all of its possible complications and consequences or staying in line? More often than not, the latter makes the most sense to the character at the time. They think that they have the time and ability to figure everything out. They don't have the information to know just how bad the situation is.

The tragedy within stories and what often makes them fascinating to us is all of the things which binds the characters to their negative choices. A story where a character realizes they're in a horror genre and are completely willing to get the hell out of there... except they can't. Because they can't leave their friends behind. Someone who knows their actions will probably lead to their own death but truly believes that it will benefit their loved ones. Someone who keeps making awful choice after awful choice for all the best reasons and can't back out now: they've gone too far and they're confident that the next choice will make everything better again.

The best characters are the ones whose positives are balanced by their negatives. Their strengths become their weaknesses. A character's confidence becomes arrogance which leads to their doom. Someone's love becomes obsession.

And sometimes, within the frame of the story, the character can make all the right decisions and still fail. As Captain Picard says, that's life, and that also makes for an intriguing story.

I love my fix-its. I love writing how something could have changed to make a happy ending. I rarely want the canon to change unless the writer made that awful ending for stupid reasons, though, like laziness or just going for stupid shock value. Even then, the best fix-its work with the tragedy inherent in the original story.

Darth Vader survives! Now what? It's never implied within the narrative that he thought the bad guys were wrong, after all: he just chose his son over the emperor, chose love and family over the Empire. Him surviving by a change in circumstances doesn't mean happily ever after. It opens a whole new can of worms.

And honestly? Sometimes the characters having two equal choices and choosing the bad, lethal choice is what makes the story that much more heart wrenching, because they were so close to that happy ending, and it was their lack of godly perspective and their mortal limitations which led to their tragic end. That's not a bad thing!

If every character made every proper choice and had no flaws which would impair their decision making, it would lead to a boring story. It would also be jarring within the context of the story and separate the characters from their own universe, elevate them above the narrative instead of allowing them to flourish or wilt within it. It's more fun to dissect what led to those choices than to just say, "Well I would have just done this!"

[olderthannetfic]

https://www.tumblr.com/olderthannetfic/758355990597025792/the-way-people-talk-about-first-person-narrative

This is a very stupid take because the way a story is told ABSOLUTELY changes the way the story 'feels', including the perspective it is told from, and it's perfectly normal to have preferences, even strong ones. Like, would you say the same thing about first person POV vs third in video games? Or can you not understand that the way a narrative is viewed (through one character's eyes vs following one character from a distance vs viewing all characters from a greater distance even as certain things get story focus) will change how it reads to the reader and therefore certain perspectives may be more grating than others?

Sure, good writing can make the difference, but good writing can also make me enjoy a trope or relationship dynamic or plotline I would otherwise dislike, that doesn't mean I don't have preferences it just means good enough writing can overcome them!

Authors choose first or third person, the pov character, present or past tense, vocabulary and tone, complexity of sentence structure, pacing, and other meta things like that based on the way they serve the story that's being told.

Ok, and? Authors choose ships, what the fic is about, and the medium and genre (like poetry or readerfic), and everything else you think people are allowed to hate, based on the way they serve the story being told, too! If I think the way the story is told is ass or the writing isn't good enough to overcome my dislike for the perspective of the writing (or my dislike for the genre or the medium or the ship or or or) then it really doesn't matter why the author chose to write things this way. I don't have to like something just because it was chosen with intent rather than done 'just because' (although plenty of people choose viewpoint perspective based on vibes or what they prefer writing, not everyone sits down and thinks 'well gee what will best serve the story???' and to be clear there's nothing wrong with this, especially for fic! but picking POV is no more sacred than picking a ship or whatever and the choice can still be disliked just by virtue of not liking that particular tool of storytelling!), and if someone isn't a good enough writer to make up for the reasons I dislike first person, then I'm just not gonna read their stuff!

Which is fine, they don't need me to, it's no great loss on either side. But it is, in fact, 'a separate thing [I] can hate'. And that opinion hasn't changed even though I have found the occasional exception to that general rule which I do enjoy.

--

This part of fandom is extremely weird about first person. It's inevitable that there are going to be posts pointing that out.

[overthinkthis]

Final thoughts on MMDIY

This is not going to be a review because I don't really do that kind of thing, but I do want to write about the point that I loved most about this show. I know it's not perfect but I will forgive a lot of wobbles in plot or editing when a show emotionally resonates with me or makes me feel seen in a way other shows don't. And the way queer struggles were portrayed in mmdiy definitely did that.

Neither Wan nor Kim are out as queer but it's like they're living in an open closet. It should be obvious to everyone (even themselves) that they love each other and yet, for the longest time they seem unable to make that last step and confess their love, even though they both desperately want to on some level.

We do get some explicit homophobia with regard to Wan's career but it very quickly becomes obvious that that isn't the actual problem. Wan is very well able to stand her ground when she is attacked directly, we see that with Jessie and with Marwin's family. She is ready to confess to Kim, plans to do so multiple times. Why is it so hard to make that last step?

I do not know what the creators of the show were trying to say, but what I feel when watching the show, is the impact of the invisible homophobia and misogyny woven into all of society. The kind that isn't openly hostile but consistenly equates happiness for women with straight marriage and queerness with being miserable. We can write essays about comphet, but to me, this show gives a good take on what it actually feels like to be pressed into this expectation (although, I should probably say that I come at this from the perspective of a trans guy, not a lesbian - I still think a lot of the feelings are similar).

I love the conversation between Wan and Kim and the end of ep 9, where Kim tells her that she is going to marry Marwin. She basically admits that she doesn't love him, but she is still going to marry him because her mother wants her to.

And we know her mum isn't really trying to control Kim or make her miserable - quite the opposite. All she wants is for Kim to be happy. She should probably know better - given how her own marriage ended - but the idea that marrying the 'perfect' guy is the pinnacle of female happiness is so ingrained in society that it's understandable why she still falls into this trap. I really like that they show how suffocating a parent only wanting what's 'best' for their child can be.

I love that this show made Marwin someone who looks like such a good catch. I mean, there were some red flags from the start, but at a time where Wan was more controlling and aggressive, he genuinely looked like the better option. Gentle, patient, rich (some people even commented that the show made them ship the straight couple). The kind of guy that would be endgame in every second cheesy het romcom.

The people around Kim can kind of feel that he isn't right for her (even Marwin on some level does) but they still all enable her terrible decision to marry him. Which is another aspect I like about the show: The conflict is only resolved when Wan and Kim choose each other.

Women are constantly discouraged from going for what they want, especially when it causes other people distress, but the show clearly says: They make this choice for themselves, even though it hurts people, and that is how they get their happy ending. Not by being perfect all the time, not by caring about everyone else's feelings, but by choosing what they want for themselves.

And yes, obvisouly the whole thing could have been resolved earlier with less people getting hurt. But in another sense it couldn't, because they weren't ready. It's easy to blame Kim and Wan for not being more honest earlier on, but we can't do so without acknowledging the silent (and sometimes very loud) pressure to conform to heteronormativity.

I know some people didn't like this show very much and I do hope you all get all the kinds of GLs you're longing for soon. But imo it shows important aspects of queer experiences that we don't see a lot. And I'm really glad it exists in the way it does.

[gilraina]

Sometimes when I browse the podfic tag I see posts like "I'd like to start making podfics, tell me what stories you'd like to see me podfic" and there's just something so weird about this to me? Imagine someone saying "I wanna get into making fanart, tell me what I should draw first", or "I'd like to try writing fanfic, give me ideas for stories". I know it's not a 1 to 1 comparison (and maybe it even happens sometimes, I dunno), but it just feels like such a backwards approach?

I started podficcing because I was reading a lot of fanfic and had so many fics I loved and wanted to try recording, either because I had an idea for what I wanted them to sound like when read out loud, or just wanted to experiment. Over the years I've had to tell multiple people that I don't take requests, or even commissions, because my to-pod list is already long and keeps expanding. Finding a good story, and reaching out to the author to get permission to record it, is all part of the process to me.

I don't know, maybe it just comes down to people being new to podfic and not fully understanding that part of fandom and its etiquette, but even so, my question is: if you don't know what stories you'd like to podfic, or it doesn't make a difference to you, to the point where your first instinct is to ask random strangers what they'd like you to record rather than to pick something yourself, then why would you even want to do it in the first place? Contrary to what some may believe, making a podfic is actually a lot of work (especially when you're new to it), and personally I just can't imagine putting all that work into something I'm not passionate about. And if you haven't even made a single podfic before, then how can anyone even give you a good suggestion, when they don't know yet what kinds of stories you gravitate towards, what would be the best match for your narration style, etc.?

Also, from the fic writers' perspective, I imagine there's a world of difference between

a) reaching out to the author for permission to podfic their fic, because you loved it so much that it inspired you to create something based on it

and

b) putting out a general "send me fics and (maybe) I'll record them" statement

One of those will get you a much more enthusiastic response from the writers than the other. Not to even mention that there are plenty of writers who have already given blanket permission for their fic to be podficced, and would love to get a surprise podfic of their story. If you're a podficcer or want to get into podficcing, I can't recommend using the Blanket Permission Highlighter extension enough. It highlights the names of AO3 authors who have given blanket permission for their works to be transformed, and allows you to filter the archive to only show works from authors who have BP statements.

If you'd like to try podficcing, but feel anxious about reaching out to authors to ask for permission, choosing a fic from an author who's already given that permission is a great place to start! Much better than announcing that you want to make podfics and waiting for people to reach out to you, I promise!

[meridiansdominoes]

I am LOVING "Dominoes" so far! I can't wait for what's next! Also, I have two questions. What inspired you to write "Dominoes" in the first place and gave you the idea for the story? Secondly, out of all the Jedi that could've possibly confronted Krell to arrest him, what made you choose Unduli and Windu? I understand why Anakin wouldn't be a good choice because he would've straight up murdered that sleemo besalisk on the spot. Not that I would blame him. But I know Obi-Wan is a good negotiator and seeing him sass Krell could've been hilarious! And seeing Plo Koon confront him could've been interesting as well with their completely opposite views on clones. Also, Master Plo doesn't strike me as the type to loose his temper easily. I don't know as much about Aayla so I can't really guess for her. But if she loves Bly, seeing her whoop Krell big time could've been interesting as well. Did you choose Unduli and Windu because they're were the most likely to be able to keep their cool dealing with someone like Krell? Or was it something else? Thanks! Keep being amazing!

Hiya! Thanks for the ask! I got the original idea when I was reading clone wars fanfics a while ago and every time travel fic was mostly Jedi! Not that there's anything wrong with that, and also now there's a ton of clone-centric time travel too, but back in the day it was very difficult to find clone time travel that was well executed. Since the clones had always been my favorite characters, I really wanted something like that, and the more I thought about it the more I became interested in how non-force sensitives and people with very little galactic influence would handle a time-travel situation! I decided to write it myself, using Domino squad because that way I could bring back three of my favorite characters and expand on characters who didn't get any screentime!

As for your second question, I actually chose Mace Windu to go after Krell because I decided that he had the highest chance of defeating Krell in a 1 on 1 lightsaber duel! I don't know how good of a fighter Krell actually is against other Jedi--we never get to see him fight another lightsaber user... maybe he's actually terrible and even Ahsoka could beat him, or maybe he's a monster. Regardless of reality, he's huge, and those dual double-bladed are super intimidating, so I decided he's probably pretty tough. With that in mind, I needed someone who was super competent at lightsaber dueling to take him on, so I chose Mace! It also made sense to me that the council would choose someone fairly important to go and arrest one of their own. I chose Luminara to back him up because, as you mentioned, she's good at staying calm under pressure, and I also felt like I had missed an opportunity to include her on Geonosis, so I wanted to make up for that! I also partially chose her because I'm a big fan of clone commander Gree, and I knew I eventually wanted to write a short about it from his perspective, which I did!

Plo Koon and Aayla both would have been interesting choices as well, you make really good points that their relationships with their clones could have really made them fierce opponents for Krell! As for Anakin... I didn't choose him for a very specific reason that you will find out in a few chapters hehe!

[thatmexisaurusrex]

your bt fics inspire me so much 💕 i especially love the way you write tommy! i love reading fics from his perspective which are hard to find. sorry to send this anon but i’m shy lmao!

Oh gosh, don't be sorry! Anon is on for the shy folk out there, I'm glad it gives you the space to write in 🥰 I'm so happy you like my BuckTommy fics! Thank you so much for saying this 🥺 Tommy is a character I truly love writing. Some characters just hit you and he did. He's a man who wasn't good in the past. He was terrible partially because of the environment that he was in, partially because of the way he was raised, and most definitely because of his own poor choices.

But he chooses to be better. To be someone he can finally be proud of. To free himself of the restraints placed on him by his father figures, by society, and by himself. He becomes something that makes him happy. Becomes somebody who does better for the people around him. Who can have people's backs even if he hadn't in the past.

And I don't know if he's really there yet. I don't know if he's happy with himself. There's a loneliness to him that sticks so well, that tells me at least that he had never fully given in to being happy. Never knew how to or ever had the expectation that someone would want to make him happy or even the expectation that he could be happy.

But I like letting him live in my stories as he tries to figure that out. I like delving into why he gives those hints. I like helping him grapple with what has to be depression and heavy but necessary introspection on his part.

And while he shouldn't be the main highlight of next season, I do hope he gets moments to show the growth he has had. To show once again that he does have Hen, Chim, Eddie, Bobby, and Buck's back. I hope he finds that family in the people he wasn't sure he could have as family before.

I understand why someone may not like his character. There are reasons not to like him. He was a coward in the past. He did allow patriarchy and white supremacy to prop him up and allowed his fear of how he would be treated to overshadow doing the right thing back then. Even if 9-1-1 has shown that Hen and Chimney have forgiven him and trust him through hanging out with him after work at a bar, the 118 giving him a fun send off when he leaves, and Chimney on several occasions asking for Tommy's help and getting it, I understand that his past can put some people off. And there's a valid critique that more on-screen growth would be helpful in showing just how far Tommy is from the person he once was in the flashbacks.

But I have faith that 9-1-1 will show more of that. And it's clear from the narrative that that's what we're supposed to see in him - a person who's grown from the man who helped perpetuate a toxic work environment.

I feel like I might have veered away from the original ask here a bit, but I don't know. It's like - you take the good and the bad in a character. You take his past and his loneliness and his insecurities, but you also take his deadpan dry gallows humor and his patience and his understanding of how to be that better person he wished he always was.

And you let that blossom in your writing. And the character is all the better for it. I think so, at least. Thank you for loving my fics. Thank you for loving how I write Tommy. It means so much to me that my writing inspires you. You've truly made my day 🥰

[angelosearch]

Happy b-day to my girl Rinoa. I wish I had fic or art ready to post today but I don't :(

All I will say is that writing in her perspective for an extended period of time, and therefore looking at her lines and behaviors over and over again, has just really made me appreciate Rinoa as a character.

A few things I love about her:

As the daughter of what we are led to believe are Galbadia's highest ranking general and one of the world's biggest celebrities, Rinoa is privileged. She comes from a position of power and wealth. She could have just lived a comfortable life but she chooses to use her knowledge and skills to help free a country from violent occupation. Doing so puts her at great personal risk, and although she may not fully understand how risky it is, it is extremely brave and righteous for her to do this. This is why I believe Rinoa is not Ultimecia - because at her core, she is someone who places her values over personal gain when she has power and influence. She can be possessed but I don't believe she corruptible (into Ultimecia, anyway).

On her bravery, we all know that Rinoa fears doing things alone. But many times in the game, she does things alone anyway. Bravery is not the absence of fear but the willingness to challenge it, and our girl challenges it all the time!

Further, she makes the active decision to rejoin the SeeDs after Irvine escorts her out of D-District prison. What I realized in writing my fic, which is an alternate timeline, is that Rinoa actually has no established reason to go to the missile base. But you can assign her to that party. And she will do it without complaint. She is risking her life, not to earn money, or to move her mission in Timber forward, or even to spend more time with Squall. She will go because she thinks it's the right thing to do, and because she wants to help Selphie, someone she has just met.

She gives people the benefit of the doubt. There is no denying that Squall is a huge jerk to her at times early game, but she is emotionally intelligent enough to realize that whatever he is projecting is not about her. And then she tries, over and over, to reach out to him. She is so patient. But also, she gives Deling the benefit of the doubt - they were trying to reason with him on the train, not even blackmail him or threaten him, but just have a conversation. She tries to not kill Edea TWICE. She tries to use the bangle to circumvent assassination and then tries to get the SeeDs to find another way to face her. She even returns to Esthar after they were hostile toward her. She believes in the good of people. Maybe that's being naive but if we were all as cynical as some other characters in this game, the world would completely fall apart.

Rinoa is always thinking. She is crafty, she comes up with interesting plans, and she can even be a bit of a schmoozer. Rinoa is only 17, and so some of this is not always executed in the best way; but I think she is extremely intelligent and creative. And, I mean, you GOTTA BE if you can teach your dog all those amazing tricks.

Don't you DARE call her a damsel in distress. She is just as much the hero of FFVIII as Squall is and YES I will die on this hill. Does she get into some pretty nasty situations? Yes. Are some of these situations caused by mistakes on her part? Absolutely. But this girl is far from helpless and goes all out to save Squall, her friends, and ALL OF TIME AND SPACE. She was willing to go to Edea by herself with a bangle that she had idea if it worked to help her friends. She was at peace with being locked away for probably the rest of her life if that meant keeping the world safe. She was willingly possessed by an evil sorceress for a second time after having a traumatic more-than-near-death experience the first time (she hadn't even experienced an Ellone dream before so imagine how scary this entire prospect was??? Like yes you need to lose your conciousness to some future bitch again and then you have to go into this other bitch's head in the past in this dreamscape you've never even been in and then yeah all of time is gonna collapse if/when you come to, you cool with that, Rinoa?). At the end of the game, she physically travels between dimensions/time/space/realities to find Squall and revive him, and then transport them back to their own reality which is obvious savior stuff. But she also saves Squall throughout the game by staying by his side, asking the right questions, listening to him, and giving him validation that, while he doesn't accept, he needs to hear. And oh yeah she fucks up Irvine to go get Squall out of prison. There's a reason they only call her "princess" once in the game - because she's NOT just a princess.

She cute as fuck js not just physically but also the things she says and her mannerisms. She's just so charming! No wonder Squall fell toss-myself-into-space in love with her! Me too tf

Tbh there are more reasons but this post is already longer than I thought it was going to be. Apparently I just have a lot of Rinoa feelings okay?! Okay.

Love you, happy birthday you absolute angel you ❤️

[inventors-fair]

And So it Begins: Intro Commentary

I'm finally awake! Criminy, what a week. And we're doing it all again next week, too! Hm. Look, I'll level with y'all: the way my work schedule is right now, commentary's gonna be consistently pretty late unless we figure out some other way to do this. I can attempt cutting to one paragraph or lingering in the workshop at night, which I do enjoy doing after work from time to time! I just want to make sure that everyone gets a timely response to their cards, 'cause that's what we're all looking for when we submit.

In the generic sense, though: positive notes include the massive amount of subtle and pleasant storytelling that went into cards this week! Whenever someone submits a card that has a strong mechanical bend with flavor implications, that's where my heart shines. I really appreciate the effort that people put it to make the blend work together, and it's a tough talent.

In things to watch out for, there were a lot of mechanical blends this week. It's super cool to see, and there are also a lot of wording interactions to keep in mind for how things should appear on card with new precedent, reminder text, etc. to keep the card smooth. It's always worth double-checking to ensure your presentation matters.

JUDGE PICKS are cards that I'm terrified of choosing because there were so many good ones this week. How many after the fact? 22? I'll select... I guess five, but there's more. Y'all brought your a-game fr fr. Read on.

@bergdg — Livio, People's Champion

There's the inherent timing question that this card asks: can I cast this without flash? And yes, on that technicality you can do that but I don't feel that ambush groks as well without that minor addendum—an easy fix, though, so that's not too bad. Where it gets tricky is what ambushing means in a format. There are combat-like mechanics such as ninjutsu that, when known about, make combat more complicated. The fact that ambush is castable during an opponent's turn, I feel, disincentivises attacking into a known trick in a way that's harder to play around than just having combat tricks in a set. I feel that it needs some tweaking to avoid being a "Gotcha!" mechanic.

As for Livio itself, though, I can also read this as just being a flash creature for combat, and on that note it's a perfectly fine card. Disregarding the ambush side of things, flashing in a a lord/anthem is a great piece of strategy at rare and can turn that tide of combat quite effectively. I'm curious about the juxtaposition of "rebel" and "knight," though that's more a questioning of in-world fealty. Looking back on precedent, I guess Knight of the Holy Nimbus and its ilk are reasonable comparisons, but that's from a set that's not the greatest for precedent. Hey, maybe there's some worldbuilding to check up on for me. I'm sure there's an in-world explanation to expound upon here—or it's just "knight because protector, rebel because people's protector." That's not quite as compelling but it's understandable.

~

@bread-into-toast — Young Telepath (JUDGE PICK)

I like the classroom perspective that you've provided here. This student's bored in class, delving into the minds of their classmates and mouthing off, and the early-Jace comparisons are in full force. It's a great way to tie together simple trope-based worldbuilding in a slice-of-life manner. Why are we looking at random? Because the student's just poking around the minds in class, unstimulated but talented. All of your strengths are sincerely on display here, and I could write out an art description based on this illustration quite easily with the same impact. Good stuff.

I will say that this is a fun support card for limited, and that's the extent to which its power would show up anywhere—and that's totally fine. Double-draw is a great archetype, or at least it was in the couple places where I've played it the most (FDN and BRO). Perhaps there's something to be said for slowing down the game when choosing randomly at higher levels; I doubt that's an actual concern, but timers are timers. I think this card could've easily been a 2/3 because of the supporting role that its supposed to have, maybe to be a better blocker as needed, but that's small potatoes. This card was really great to see among the mix, and I'm looking forward to some wild and worldly choices from you.

~

@brookeuwo — Malamet Cairn (JUDGE PICK)

First things first: great flavor text here, short and simple worldbuilding. Secondly, the design sensibilities are pretty neat! Ixalan's ability to boost with exploration, equipment, and/or auras is a fine reason to play this card and even more so to want it on-curve. Even if you don't have as many things to boost its power, the strong lifelinking blocker can be a real savior in the later parts of the game. Green and white weren't the easiest colors to draft in LCI, I'll say that for sure. Whether or not this card would've saved the archetype, I dunno, but I enjoy the little twist on a defender that pairs well with the world in question.

I also like how it's a good topdeck because of those defensive capabilities. Maybe it doesn't necessarily get around the evasive creatures, but that hardly matters when you're using it mostly to get around full swings and the lot. That's the gist, and there's not a whole lot I feel I need to add that the card doesn't already say. It awakens when you put the power into it, and it's still a staunch defender even without that. I feel the will of Ixalan's world coming into play here as a quiet and ancient force to be reckoned with. So yeah, not bad!

~

@corporalotherbear — Kami of Togetherness

Oh, affinity, how we love thee... It's pretty fun how this card plays with itself, in the same way that a lot of the best affinity cards do. Getting bigger and better means that you're gonna pop off effectively just as much as you need to in limited, and there's the encouragement of multiples and/or spirit-based synergy that makes it pretty awesome. Honestly, I'm reminded a little bit of the MHX cards, although I understand that it's reasonable to have affinity as a one-off mechanic; there was a pseudo-affinity in NEO, I remember that one quite well.

Fair choice of PT also, because I can imagine the earliest you could get this card would be... Well, depends on the other cards in the set, but if there's some kind of other Spirit token generation then turn four or five would be reasonable, yeah? And with that you can have a solid body down. Good choice of the statline. It's definitely playing to my Kamigawa love, and I do appreciate that, even if the name feels just a touch less ethereal than I'd expect. Sensible, but maybe a little too grounded. I think that what I'm really curious about is whether or not the AD would be totally gorgeous or totally horrific. All depends on your relationship with the spirit world, I suppose?

~

@cthulhusaurusrex — Fetid Lurker (JUDGE PICK)

The first comparison that comes to mind is that of Tireless Tracker, whose first line is effectively the same. That said, I'd still want to play both of them in the deck that's asking for it, because they play into somewhat different spaces. Sacrificing your clues to the Tracker is a way to get your card advantage and beef on the board because of it, whereas this fish just wants to eat them up, a trade in resources. I like that choice of differences. Sometimes you want to just get your power up and swing in, and sometimes you need the draw—perhaps into the next land for the next clue.

Regardless, I can imagine this card as a multi-archetypal card that can still stand on its own in a draft. UB evasion, UG ramp, UR artifacts, UW card-advantage-control... Yeah! Don't fix what isn't broken. There's this general trope as well, flavor-wise, of river monsters living in sewers and marshes and swamps. Where does this one come from, I wonder? Probably a place with lots of artifacts to spare (a cousin of Gearseeker Serpent? Or a resident of Capenna?). That's a minor inquiry, though, because this card's definitely focused on power above other things. Slam dunk and/or hatedraft this card in limited, that's for sure.

~

@deg99 — Mishra's Agglomerate

In the submission, you mentioned niches and the fulfillment of a niche for a card like TSP's legendary Mishra. The questions that follow are a) whether or not that's a niche that necessarily needs to be filled, and b) whether or not this is the best application of the necessary mechanics. The obvious one is the "relentless" aspect, having any number with that name. Is the remainder of the plan just to beat down with Assembly-Workers, then? Besides Mishra having random complicated combos in EDH already, I'm not sold on a rare card as the best place for "relentless" in general. This is more of a meta issue with distribution, honestly, but I hope it's fairly evident why it's a little bit of a limited feelsbad to open a rare that plays best when you have multiple copies.

I also feel that, regardless of Mishra's possibilities, there are some easier ways to word this card for a similar effect and/or ways to make it less wordy. The middle two can be combined into a single activation that's similar to the Enduring cycle from DSK, e.g. "UBR, Exile another artifact card from your graveyard: Return this card from your graveyard to the battlefield. It's an artifact. (It's not a creature.)" As it stands, though, for this niche I think having a common/uncommon artifact could've helped with the start of this idea. It's a solid beater if you're going for Assembly jank, and I don't fault it there at all. Execution is the name of the game.

~

@dimestoretajic — Sythis' Presence

I'll start with the positive parts of this card's intentions, namely that it's a strong aura for limited and deserves its legendary potential. My second thought is me wanting to make a token copy of it somehow, and the kinds of awesome shenanigans that you can get away with because of it. The weird thing is that there are only a handful of legendary auras that have been printed...ever? It's actually kinda weird! This would be fun for Yenna, though, and other loops that you can do with multiple copies. I keep thinking that this card gives it lifelink, and maybe that could've usurped the first strike, but hey, that's minor tinkering.

The major and minor wording issues are the other part. When an Aura gives both a PT boost and abilities, the PT boost use "gets" and the abilities use "has." And with the return, I think modern templating could say "this card" instead of the name in the last ability, but I'm not entirely sure. It's the middle trigger that's egregious, though, because you gotta say "another Aura you control" and also specify where it's going into the graveyard from. Is this from anywhere? From the battlefield? Specificity really does matter here because otherwise, well, the rules just don't work with it, and also I can't totally guess the intention. Also, the "instead" is only necessary on replacement effects, "if an Aura would" etc.

~

@feyd-rautha-apologist — Dawn of Faceless Days

I'm almost positive that the draw trigger goes first, so let's shift that around. Let's follow that up with the question of what this card does, exactly. Right now, I know that there are the various creature-shifting combos that you can use with Arcane Adaptation and Leyline of Transformation, all that jazz. So why play this card over those, besides the cost and the draw, to transform a number of other cards? I'm wondering what kind of limited environment could use this, and I'm thinking about Lorwyn. There are a few funny cast triggers there, that's for sure, although the effect of the cards remains the same and might usually care about the creatures types of that archetype as-is.

In a limited format with an abundance of creature types, I can imagine that this card could serve as a glue between shenanigans. It's also asking a massive amount from the format in question to be able to have that amount of kindred cards. I think it just kind of hit me that this card effectively acts as a noncreature type-changer for the usual creature-only type-changing cards, and I can sense the niche there. Is that either too powerful or too narrow for what these effects are supposed to do? Why not change the creatures that you're probably gonna have more of to match the kindred stuff rather than this? But there are certainly combos I know I'm not seeing and interactions yet to exist. This card might be a little too ahead of the curve for me, if I'm being honest, and ultimately I say that positively. BTW, the name is a 10/10.

~

@helloijustreadyourpost — Greel, Genteel Goblin

I think that we can all agree on how this card works and how neat it is overall. I really appreciate this week's efforts, with this card and others, to have more succinct and slice-of-life storytelling. This goblin has a hat, other goblins take the hat, and he gets mad when his hat becomes taken. Boom, easy enough and funky enough that he could easily be someone's favorite card from limited and/or become someone's pet commander deck. Pass the hat around, everyone!

A limited deck that runs this card has the minor issue of needing at least one other goblin around in order to give Greel trample for the turn and/or to use this equipment at all if Greel leaves the battlefield. I think that's the inherent flaw, honestly, because without at least one other piece of equipment and/or another goblin, a lot falls apart here. But perhaps that's just something that's inherent to this card with the deckbuilding that you'd want for it, y'know? Limited is really the only place that it would be the most likely to not work. Sometimes a 3/3 with haste is worth it. The other small note is that the second line should definitely be a trigger. Feels really weird that it doesn't use the stack.

~

@horsecrash — Seven Earth-Shattering Strikes

Starting with the amazing name, I'm more confused than anything as to whether there's no flavor text to go with it. This seems like the perfect place, where I want to know so much more about the card than I do in this moment. Still, regardless of that, there's the push and the question of whether or not this card is at the kind of limited power level that's acceptable for multicolor. And the honest answer is that I don't know, but I don't think so. Not necessarily. The difference between this and a Dreadbore is pretty narrow. Is this the amount of damage that's needed in a specific imagined format? Is this the kind of multicolor power that you'd want?

I'm thinking of the top end right now for two mana, things like Scorching Shot. Unholy Heat has limitations, others have color restrictions on what they can hit... This feels like it goes too far into destructive territory, even with the way that the name leads us to understand it. I'm really torn here, because as much as I want this card to work with its presentation, I feel that it's just...off, numerically. Red burn's efficiency needs to have limitations even in multicolor, and black wants to do other things for this mana. This is quite a difficult card to talk about, but a welcome challenge still.

~

@hyde-the-toad-bard — Serial Driller

The weird thing is that I think this card would be better at home in EDH than limited or standard constructed. Maybe that's me just thinking of how impulse draws work, and/or the question of what Gruul-stompy wants for the longer games. Don't wanna hit something too big, don't wanna hit something you're not able to use in the moment. Hm! I think from a pure design perspective that this card's a real pain in the butt to have to deal with on the other side of the table but not so much that it's an insta-remove. I'd definitely play this in my Xenagos deck after a little bit of ramp, just so I'm guaranteed to hit the big drops.

There are a few shouts and murmurs with the name and the flavor, and I'm kinda on board there. I think that the flavor text is leaning into the faux-dramatic a little more than necessary, and "You never know where they'll strike next" does the job well enough with the implication that they're an aggressive miner. The "killer" to "driller" name feels like it could be a lot more gruesome than the mechanics are presenting here, in the sense that I would be expecting the drilling to be even worse than murderous plans—but no, we're just digging away. The tension/surprise is difficult to do on MTG cards; it's possible I'm posting my expectations on top of what's ostensibly a card that knows just how fun it is and I should stop being a spoilsport. All I know is that I'd slot this card in, so heck, the rest is opinion.

~

@i-am-the-one-who-wololoes — Magic-Intrigued Corvid

Now, as a morally bankrupt Brago player on occasion, this card's an absolute delight with enough blinking effects, especially if you can make them happen more in your favor. The fact that you get to cast the cards that you exile even if they're not yours is pretty baller. There are always strange rules cases that come to mind, such as whether or not doubling the effect with Panharmonicon that somehow exiles multiple spells would make the LTB trigger cast one or two spells, but there are contingencies for that, I'm sure. We've been through Spell Quelling before, after all.

It's a really fun EDH card and a really fun limited top-end card. I think a five-mana 3/3 body would've been fine for modern power levels, considering the stage of the game in which that would be relevant, but that's a minor push and it's okay to err on the side of lower power rather than higher power. Design-wise, I think this is one of the coolest ones I've seen from you, well thought-out and quite cute. The name could use a little bit more mysticism, or at lease some other kind of adjective. Even "Curious" could do some work here, y'know? But names are sometimes the hardest parts of these things. Just like exiling an opponent's one-sided boardwipe...

~

@lanabutnotdelray — Excruciating Interrogation

When thinking about limited formats in which -1/-1 counters appear, there's the question of how they're going to be used, what they combo with, how they affect your side vs. an opponent's side. The ability to put a -1/-1 counter on whatever your want every turn can be beneficial for wearing something down. It's also worth considering the cards that have -1/-1 counters that they want to get rid of, like Grim Poppet or Channeler Initiate. I'm curious if the intent was more to put it on your own stuff or to put it on your opponent's cards and get the benefit? It's a real pain with defenders and the like, but all the same. I'm really curious about that part.

Flavorfully, though, it would make more sense to put it on something that you don't control. Extra card advantage is the side benefit, and I suppose that uncommon can get the extra push from this card. Could encourage some chump-blocking, definitely speeds up the game. I wonder what the environment would be to allow for such a card, because there are times and places where the draw is just advantage on top of advantage, and others where it's a slow burn down. There were some murmurings about this card, and I think I'm curious enough about it to give it a thumbs-up overall. The flavor text certainly scans well, although I'm not sold on what it actually means? Why wouldn't the prisoner just keep screaming, I suppose. I might just not be parsing.

~

@melancholia-ennui — Channel the Scarlands

The thing that stands out to me first and foremost is the use of the UB property as a mechanical name here. It feels strange to me, but perhaps not to the people who enjoyed that sort of thing. Perhaps. If this set isn't a callback to Fallout itself, then that deliberate choice lands more awkwardly than not, all things considered, and IIRC this is meant to be a different U-within world. So... I don't know, I'm not sure about this concept in a standard set in general. Milling works well in Commander because of the 99 cards; in a draftable format where practically all of your cards matter, having a milling mechanic as a main aspect of the set doesn't seem like the best choice.

Conceptually, for Commander, I would've removed all the ability-things you put on here and just gone with the whole rad counter shenanigans as-is. Without that, I don't personally believe that this is the best place for rad counters in general. Multiplayer mechanics are often overpowered in 1v1 formats, see Monarch and Undercity. Having a set with a major theme of rad counters could be relatively balanced if the entire set was worked like the sets that used poison/toxic. Big 'if' there. Even then, rad counters are majorly more difficult to remember rules-wise than poison. There are just too many caveats to make this work in the way it needs to, I'm afraid.

~

@piccadilly-blue — Pontiff's Alms

—205.4i Any permanent with the supertype "link" is a link permanent. Any link permanents are subject to the rules regarding link permanents (see rule 704.5z). —704.5z If a player controls a link permanent, any player may choose another permanent they control and link it to that permanent as a sorcery. This is a special action and does not use the stack. A player may unlink a permanent they control from a link permanent as a sorcery. This is a special action and does not use the stack. The link and unlink actions may only be performed once per turn per link permanent. A permanent can only be linked to one link permanent at a time, and a link permanent can only be linked to one permanent per player at a time. A permanent cannot be linked to itself. If, somehow, a permanent would become linked to itself, the link fails to form. —704.5aa A link permanent is considered "fully linked" when each player controls a permanent linked to it. —704.5ab Link permanents linked to each other form a chain. A chain has a number of links equal to the number of link permanents in that chain. Multiple separate chains may exist.

You are a mad person and I highly respect that. Firstly, unlinking should probably be something you add as reminder text. Secondly... I think that this card is garnering a lot of respect from me, but what the heck do I actually do with this? Maybe I can just leave this card on a miniature pedestal as a reminder of what MTG's future could be, but maybe I'll do a little bit of theorizing.

Battle representation. Multiple link enchantments can be really strange if there are different links on the battlefield, but that's fine. As a visual representation, what about when a permanent has auras and equipment attached to it, but that aren't linked to an enchantment, or vice-versa? There are some pragmatic weirdnesses, but I'm imagining on a digital client you could have little red strings of energy that chain them together. Having "Link" as a supertype is pretty neat, too, although I've been hanging around too many YGO players not to have an unconscious connection. All the same, though: three life for the alms, that's a real clock. Not the wildest clock in the world, but a clock all the same. I think this might last one turn, honestly. You link something up probably as soon as you play it, and  an opponent sacrifices a permanent (basically) to not have that happen again. I... Huh. Sounding it out, that doesn't sound that powerful all things considered. I think I'd like to have seen a more perpetual linkage, perhaps? The thing that I'm imagining the most of, as a last thought, are links on links on links, giant chains of cards. What a nightmare, but what a visual into the world of possibility.

~

@real-aspen-hours — Gnaw from Within

With the modern wording, "this" should at least be "this enchantment" or "this permanent," right? Nine Lives Familiar and all. Feels weird without that stuff... Anyway. I think the art direction is pretty great, and I saw it got some attention by word of mouth. Totally reasonable there, it's a nasty time for everyone involved. Mechanically AND flavorfully, though, why is this an enchantment? Something like Stab Wound represents the grievous injury, bleeding out over time, and it's the wound that's causing the life loss. This card feels like it should've been conceived as a removal spell similar to Stolen by the Fae, as a similar example. It works best as a kill spell and I can't see a pragmatic reason for it being an enchantment.

I'd definitely play with it as either, though, although I'd only use it as a kill spell if it was released as an enchantment. Getting to kill something and get a bunch of tokens is usually a safe place to be if you're going to remove what you want to remove. In a rat-themed strategy, or any wide black one where you're going to want fodder and/or to go wide, the late-game benefits of this card can't be overstated. Maybe having guys that can't block is a little bit of a rough spot, but what're you gonna do, right? It's the next turn that's gonna blow them out of the water, and into a dark alleyway. 

~

@reaperfromtheabyss — Shapeling Artisan (JUDGE PICK)

I can say for sure that some interesting choices were made here. Having checked for precedent, I don't believe that "changing" counters is something that the rules really allow as such. I think this could be an activated ability you can do at sorcery speed once a turn, removing a counter as a cost to put a counter on something else. That said, it's more about the weird notions that this card allows for. The absolute floor is that you have a 4/4 that can graft itself onto other creatures you control as they enter, but shifting things around to give your current hand extra abilities when the creatures enter is a really neat idea.

Playing into the UG +1/+1 counter space allows for some strange things to happen, and while I'd argue that Evolve was the best iteration of Simic's mechanics as it plays in that space, this is a breath of fresh, squiddy air. I like the way that this card works conceptually a lot, even if that upkeep trigger isn't something that's currently supported to the best of my knowledge. You know how the humble octopus will sometimes remove its arms in various circumstances? I can imagine this creature taking a limb and just hucking it at an ally as it transforms into a grafted addendum to their body. Huh! I wonder how the 200X Simic would feel about ability counters these days. I'm actually really glad that you're tapping into that, assuming this is a Simic-themed design at all. If not, it's evolved into one.

~

@sparkyyoungupstart — Salvaging Phalange

This card feels like it's trying to tap into some Horizons-y territory, and I'm really trying to meet it halfway here. Foraging feels a little odd here when there's no specific Food feeling here, and I wouldn't expect this thing to necessarily be a squirrel skeleton, but... Is the Swarm here from the Golgari? I assume so, because my other consideration would be Grist's swarm, and that's a whole other kettle of bugs. My point about the flavor is that it doesn't mesh with the presentation, and foraging with Food wouldn't actually do anything to beef the power and toughness, so the question is why not have a direct mechanical tie-in with something like Escape?

Even though the mechanical aspect is powerful as well, I get the sense that it's looking to turn the exile zone into essentially a second graveyard as far as the numbers go. No matter what plane you're on, the intended gameplay/flavor intersection of these sorts of cards should be tied to the graveyard for play balance reasons. The exile zone has pragmatically no interaction, and I don't feel that that's a gameplay style (especially for these colors) that should be pursued. Caring about the graveyard as a resource matters for gameplay balance. The intent is noble, but the establishment of BG graveyard resources is established for a reason.

~

@tanknspank — Ovalchase Mechanic & Reliable Roadster

In general, unless it's specifically asked for we do ask that you submit only one card for the purposes of intent/balance. That said, this was an open-ended contest, so I get the appeal, and I also get the general story that's taking place here—the mechanic beefs the dragster, the dragster swings in. Colorless partners does open up a few possibilities for limited, but that said I never drafted Battlebond, so what would I know about that specifically? The independence of each piece makes the individual possibilities open, which is a fair thing to keep in mind, while also begging the question: why partner?

The inherent problem is that partnering these cards doesn't actually add anything to the synergy that would inherently be found in a limited environment. Playing these cards together would be awesome! So, you just hope to draft both of them, and that's that. All that partner does is tutor up that synergy and make limited slightly less randomized. Is that necessarily fun? Is that what a standard limited environment necessarily needs? I'd argue: absolutely not. Partners in Battlebond were designed with a hyper-specific draft strategy in mind that could reward a number of cross-color interactions between players on a team. And otherwise... I'm just not sold yet, honestly.

~

@xenobladexfan — Gesserith, Master of Shields

MSE is great for a number of things. One of the things that it's not necessarily good for is reminder text stacking. Things got a wee bit hard to parse in there, eh? I'm teasing a little bit because otherwise, well... Actually, jeez, looking more, there's a lot of text on this one; I feel the flavor text could've been sacrificed for legibility. That's just what happens when you combine abilities like this, right? I feel I'm being harsh: to be clear, I like the card overall. It's a decent one with some strong limited capabilities, definitely a snap-up for the archetype and a card you'd hope to draw in basically any situation.

There's a little futzing to make it absolutely perfect, though. The wording in the trigger feels a little off, but that's just because of the wording of bolster. Imagine if the attack/block (maybe when it enters as well?) gave the bolster, and there was another line that whenever you put a +1/+1 counter on a creature you control, if it doesn't have a shield counter, it gets a shield counter? I did a mockup and it's about the same amount of text. What I'm trying to say is that there are a couple minor tweaks to get yourself really up to a great legend, and the choice to give shield counters makes this a limited bomb for sure. Those things were a real pain in SNC... But hey, it's a flavor fit, and good stuff overall.

~

@yd12k — Nifah, Skysurfing Amateur (JUDGE PICK)

It feels good and probably plays great, so that's a good start. I feel that there were a few cards this week that blended lots of counter types—is that where we're at now as designers? I'm not complaining, I'm just more fascinated that there's that space. I was NOT a fan of ability counters when they premiered, but I've come around on them as a complex tool. Nifah certainly likes them, and I think this space wants to play into some synergies that are...different? Very different. I'd love to see Ride the Horizon cast after I make a Spider Spawning play in limited, for example. Really gross but in the fun way.

What world is Nifah soaring through, too? Let's put the mechanics on the back seat for just a second, because there's a bit of joyous worldbuilding that makes me want to know more about this character and where they're coming from. The simplicity feels nice. Again, that seems to be a running theme through a lot of these cards, but it goes to show the power of consistency. Exploration and exuberance is a combination that creates uplifting intrigue. Back to mechanics! The support for exploration might be a little tight here, but in all the Ixalan sets where it was prevalent it also had some weird buildy-aroundy feels, so I'll give that a bit of a pass. I do love exploration as a mechanic, too, and I like how this card gives that evasive necessity to the grounded feel of UG explore as a draft archetype that often felt missing.

~

@yourrightfulking — Fungus-Feeder Ants

I do distinctly remember helping you out with this one in the workshop, your highness. And how am I to judge it now that I helped sculpt each of these six golden legs? I dunno. I mean, obviously I can't be 100% impartial here. Yeah? Let's talk instead about the general polish and overall stuffitude with this card. It's...a weird set that has a double-pip common with no generic mana attached to it, but it's not impossible, I suppose. There were power concerns, I remember that... Eh, 1G could've been fine on second thought. 

What if you were able to get back any land card, not just one that been milled this way? Maybe that would necessitate a bigger cycling cost, or maybe a rarity up because it's a generic way to get some mana fixing, but whatever, there are lots of minor things. This card plays into the archetype well enough and there's nothing inherently wrong with it that a number couldn't fix. If you're not gonna add cycling reminder text, though, you might as well add some flavor text; right now the card's about as dry as the sawdust that the ants just ate through. Heyo! But in all seriousness, it's got this jungle-potential that could've been upped just a teensy bit.

~

Time to go back to sleep <3 Be well, nerds one and all. @abelzumi

[ainsellshadewalker]

Hi ainsell! I might or might not he making a fully fledged Dark AU (Wings of Fire-fied version) that I want to make into a fic on ao3... but I'm working on Reader, and don't want to call them Reader or y/n... so, um... may I run a few name ideas by you? I admit, I was inspired by your ideas, about mutants having obvious signs or helpful add-oms to their mutations, so I thought- why not make all of the mutants hybrids or hybrid-related, this that is why they have such strange abilities? And the normal dragons are just normal dragons, not hybrids or at least don't appear as ones or have their powers.

I guess back to the naming dilemma (I've been up for too long working on this au, I need sleep), I am having Reader present as a HiveWing, but their other tribe/ancestry is unknown as of now (it leaves this open in case someone is their parent or if Reader has some super special ability). So HiveWing names...

There are some like Bee, or Honey or Honeypot (like the ant), there's Hornet or Jasper (a type of wasp/alternate name for wasps), or something like Hive, maybe? Or there's other names too, like Mantis and Bumblebee and Honeybee and Grasshopper and Tarantula... or even something like Thrips or Velevt or Weta or Firefly or Chalcid...

There's a LOT of names, and I'm trying to figure out what would be a pretty okay umbrella name for Readers...

My apologies, this is a lot. I just want to hear your opinion on this small writing block, and maybe help me narrow down the options, if not actually choose a name.

(Also yes, your fifth chapter of Lost and Found was amazing! I like older brother/nephew Cable, I liked Morph visiting Reader, the Brotherhood visiting Pieteo was making me feel fuzzy feels, Logan brooding over Kitty was a dad moment for him, Kurt being loved on is a yes, and woo I can't wait to see where it goes!) (Eat a cookie, please, or some pudding, or a candy, you deserve it and might need or want it; drink your water too; and have a good day!)

I'm going to confess I'm not the most familiar with wing of fire (I was an Eragon kid) but what about WaspBee? Something cute with a touch of edge. And thank you so much! Try to get some sleep but I understand the trouble with sleep when the creativity demon's visit I've been kept up days because of them.

If you like that in Ch. 5 there's more in Ch. 6! I won't say with who but I also want to switch povs more from reader to the other three as I adore them and want there perspective and throught process to be seen as well

[alygator77]

I came back to apologize for my previous ask about the smut in M&M. Not about the question, but the delivery.

Reading it in retrospect, it sounds terribly abrasive, abrupt, and rude. That was not my intention. I’m actually quite embarrassed that I typed it out the way I did. Very disrespectful, and I am sorry.

I’m also a single mother, AND a business owner, who happens to read a lot. And as a matter of fact, I do write my own fics.

When I came across yours, I was immediately enamored by it, especially because I had never seen anything like it. I LOVE the entire concept. Its creative and extremely relatable. Especially for people like me. I realize I should have led with that.

I felt very strongly that you needed to know I truly wasn’t trying to be an asshole when I asked. The delivery was awful though, and since I wrote it in the middle of the night when I was already tired and my brain was looking for smut (lol but not really funny), I projected that in a bad way.🤦🏼‍♀️ I truly regret it.

In an attempt at an explanation, I saw most of what I said as a joke, i.e. “Good God. If they moved any slower, they'd be going backwards ... Sorry ijs...” I remember actually laughing when I typed that.

It wasn’t meant to be an insult, but more rhetoric or hyperbole. I wasn’t careful with my expression, so I apologize for that, too.

All of that being said, I also just happen to be a straightforward person, but I wasn’t angry at all when I wrote it.

When I said “Why not omit the smut altogether?”, I was actually wondering why you didn’t just choose to just make it fluff instead (though you can do what you choose). As I read it, it didn’t feel like it was even mandatory, especially considering the dynamic between them, and how it was clear he had strong feelings for her from the beginning, even when they worked together.

I also admit that with the tags, I had an expectation of more, which is where the mess that came out of me originated, but I was absolutely not expecting it for every chapter.

I don't agree with adding too much, adding it in every chapter, or that the only thing that matters is sex. His character really is objectified a lot, and all of that can dilute a story very quickly or even ruin it.

My question was more geared towards gaining an understanding of why you chose the route you did. Which was a far better way of asking than the way I did, and there’s no excuse for that.

I hope you continue to write great stories, and again, I SINCERELY apologize for my insensitivity.

Firstly, I would like to say I really appreciate you reaching back out to me — I was pleasantly surprised to read this and it makes me SO happy to know that there are people like you on the internet, capable of addressing a misunderstanding in a respectful and thoughtful way. You being willing to send me this says a lot about who you are as a person, so seriously, thank you.

No hard feelings on my end, all is forgiven. I can completely see where you were coming from and I also relate — there have been many times in my life where I’ve said something and it came out different than what I intended. It happens love.

When I said “Why not omit the smut altogether?”, I was actually wondering why you didn’t just choose to just make it fluff instead (though you can do what you choose). As I read it, it didn’t feel like it was even mandatory, especially considering the dynamic between them, and how it was clear he had strong feelings for her from the beginning, even when they worked together.

I will happily go ahead and answer this question! There are two answers to it.

The first answer is that I will not omit the smut altogether simply because… I like sex? 🤷‍♀️ Idk, it’s a simple answer really, lol 😅 But I think to put it in perspective, I like sex in a different way most people consume on this platform. I am demisexual — so I have to have that close emotional bond with someone before I find them remotely attractive. When it comes to writing smut (and sometimes even reading it), this really plays a big part to both my inspiration and my comfort level.

Secondly, I’ll address what you said regarding the characters in the story, specifically relating to the comment about how the smut wasn’t mandatory. 

Personally, I do think the smut scene in ch 3 was relevant to the story bc it gave readers an insight into Satoru’s feelings/perspective. While yes, Satoru was drawn to reader in the beginning, he didn’t understand his own feelings, and there were walls he built up around his heart (you get a glimpse of this when he talks to reader about how he never wanted to get married; it was after their courthouse ceremony in ch 2).

Also, most of the interactions between him and reader were subtly intimate in chs 1-2… he really did not start acting more bold until after the smut scene in ch 3 (ie, he tries to kiss her in the supply room and in the kitchen). Basically, his walls did not come down until they shared that first kiss, because it solidified his own feelings for her. He mentions this to reader when they share their second kiss in ch 6.

If you listen to the song on my playlist for mhm called “Cardiac Arrest” by Bad Suns, it really speaks to the image I had of Satoru while writing the scene during/after their kiss in ch 2.

The moving too fast thing plays into readers character. She was cheated on by naoya (also naoya is just a prick lol), so of course trust is not something she is going to give lightly. I did not feel comfortable having the smut continue in ch 6 bc it felt like their relationship would regress — reader wasn’t honest with satoru yet yk? It would’ve felt super hypocritical for her to preach about how important trust is to her, but then not deliver it herself. putting myself in satoru’s position, I would feel pretty hurt if immediately after I fucked someone for the first time, they suddenly decide to tell me a secret they were hiding from me? 🙂‍↕️ Again... idk, that could be just me though, bc as I said, emotional bonds are big when it comes to physical intimacy for me.

Anyways, I hope this gave you some perspective to my own thought process and answered your question love.

As a fellow mom myself, just wanna say, you single moms are literal super heroes 🥺 Sending you love bc it is NOT easy. Thanks for reading my story and apologizing 🫶🏻

-aly💕

[olderthannetfic]

You were posting asks about writing pet peeves, and I wanted to throw in my two cents.

I find it really grating when perspective swaps are overused.

Like, if the perspective changes every chapter or when a scene changes, that can be really interesting to read. But when the perspective switches mid-scene for like two paragraphs, or in the middle of a fucking paragraph, I tend to just close the browser and read a different fic.

I've noticed it across fandoms and I tend to find it in newer fics and I just, don't know why???

I understand that people write fanfics for fun and a lot of people are learning as they go, but it's just so jarring to read. I don't understand why someone would choose to write that way.

--

LOL. Do you really not know why?

It's because it's an RP poorly converted into fic.

And yes, it's garbage and I will only put up with it for a rarepair.

[thickenmyblood]

With 15/20(?) chapters completed for hand in unlovable hand, I still can’t understand how any version of Laurent could have a sexual and romantic relationship with a person he barely knows and clearly doesn’t love. It seems so totally out of his nature. I respect you making this choice for the story you wanted to tell, I guess I’m just curious why you made it. Pacat said that Laurent is an “all or nothing” person, so the idea that he could dump Damen and shortly start hooking up with some random jerk like Maxime is really hard to fathom. The guy seems like a pretentious, performative douchebag that the canon Laurent would have ridiculed and excoriated, not someone he would have considered as any type of partner. Laurent choosing to have sex with someone like that is inconceivable and unrecognizable to me. I love how you write Nicaise and a lot of the other relationships, and again, it’s your story and so whatever characterization you choose is your right! But regardless of whatever in-story reasons your Laurent has for being like this, I hope at some point you as the author will also talk about why you wrote him in this way. Thanks for reading my opinion.

hello! my reply will be below the cut.

i don't think we're at a point in hiuh where you can fully understand why laurent started seeing maxime, so i don't exactly fault you or anyone else for asking this kind of question. this reply will sadly give you very few spoilers on laurent's motivations. what needs explaining will be explained in the fic, and whether you or other readers agree/disagree with it (as in, laurent's intentions and actions and thought process), from a moral or even psychological point of view, exceeds the limits of my writing.

however, what does concern my writing is the characterization aspect of your ask. i understand that fanfiction, by definition, does not exist in a bubble. it is a derivative work. it comes from somewhere else. obviously, when compared to canon (where laurent turned down every single romantic/sexual offer he had before and after damen), hiuh exhibits a lot of contradictions and apparent ooc-ness. it is impossible not to compare fanfiction to its original source. without the og material, there would be no fanfiction.

having said all of this, i think your ask and overall perspective overlooks the main point of the fic itself. in order to understand hiuh (boiled down to its bare tags: a breakup fic), you have to understand why laurent dumped damen. for the first half of the fic, damen himself doesn't understand this. he looks at the truth and denies it, time and time again, rewriting the narration of their break up to fit into a more comfortable lie: he didn't dump me, it was a mutual agreement. later on, once damen has had some character growth, he realizes that it was laurent that initiated the breakup and why.

laurent did not break up with damen because he was cheating on him, because he was bored, because he was suddenly straight. laurent broke up with damen because he felt that damen was hurting nicaise, emotionally and psychologically. in fact, we have seen in early chapters how nicaise absorbed damen's harmful messages on mental health/masculinity/self-expression. whether or not that was the right decision is not the point. whether or not laurent became the Perfect Single Parent after the breakup is not the point. laurent broke up with damen because they were vastly different and they were no longer good for/to each other. that was laurent's reasoning, flawed or not, morally correct or not, hypocritical or not. in real life, people make decisions and convince themselves of why they're right all the time. why should fiction be the exception?

now that we have established that the breakup was not simply a whim on laurent's end, we can perhaps approach laurent's dating life with a more balanced perspective. is laurent truly and irrevocably in love with maxime? so far into the story, damen doesn't know, which means we don't know. he sees them together, they seem happy, he concludes that they're in love. has damen always been right in hiuh and, dare i say, in canon? no. why did laurent start dating someone so radically different from damen and yet so much like him? have you thought about how much damen and maxime might have in common and where they differ? why is maxime more awful than damen? maxime made some bad, reproachable comments. but so did damen at the start of the fic. has damen not been pretentious throughout the fic? has he not thought himself above others, judged them, ridiculed them, and hurt them? has damen not hurt laurent? (yes, laurent also hurt damen, i will address this in a different ask). i know i have said this before, multiple times, and i stand by it: economic class is NOT examined well or thoroughly in hiuh. however, are maxime and damen not rich? do they come from different economic backgrounds? aren't they both slightly out of touch with reality? what is it about maxime that truly gets on your nerves?

it is more than okay to read this version of laurent and 1. not understand why he is the way that he is, given that it hasn't been explained in the story yet and 2. not like it. you and anyone reading the fic is completely, 100% allowed to dislike, hate, loathe, be irritated to the point of tears by this version of him. what i care about is that when the fic is done, you look at him, IN THE VERY SPECIFIC CONTEXT OF THIS STORY, and see a consistent, well-written characterization. this is not about readers rooting for lamen, for laurent, for damen, for true ever lasting love... this is about the story making sense. that is what i care most about: coherence and consistency.

to answer your final question: why did i choose to write laurent like this? i chose to write laurent the way i saw him to be in canon. snarky, smart, sometimes unjustifiably mean, and at his very core self-hating. that is my personal interpretation of laurent. from the moment we disagree on any of those pillars, it becomes quite difficult to think that we are talking about the same character. yes, he is frigid in canon, he is saving himself for the grave, he is not at all promiscuous. but to me, his self-hatred is perhaps his most defining feature. and, obviously, my favorite. which is not to say you can't read laurent as someone that doesn't hate himself in canon. you can. these are not my books, and even if they were i wouldn't dream of telling you what you can or can't think about them. yet this is my vision, this is how i see him.

as for the "all or nothing" quote, i believe you are talking about a snippet from the summer palace. if not, correct me. i have many, many, many issues with that short story. that is why i have decided to exclude further commentary on that from my reply. i hope you understand. either way, I don't see how that statement contradicts what's happened so far in hiuh.

i don't want you or anyone reading this to take my reply as a slap on the wrist or some sort of "angry writer yells at a cloud" exposition. i am not mad, and i like getting questions and comments that challenge my writing, that ask for clarification, that complain. this is part of being a writer and sharing your work with others and i am more than fine with it. i wish, if anything, that i had more time to explain and reply, to quote my own work and give you specific examples for things, but i do not have that luxury.

thank you for your time!

PS. this entire commentary is not to be taken as The Author's Interpretation Is The Holy Word.

[oh--jeez]

FIRST OF ALL: there is nothing wrong with being bad at something, whether you are doing your best or not. you are obligated to nobody and nothing to improve your art or your appreciation of art, as long as you don't make it someone else's problem. i am MAGNIFICENTLY BAD at sewing, and i sew my own clothes anyways, and wear them! where people can see!! and if i download a sewing pattern and fuck it up - which is inevitable, given my dyspraxia and ADHD - that's on me, and i can either fix it or walk around looking lumpy. i choose lumpiness at least 75% of the time, because i am now old enough to be eccentric and not just unfashionable.

THAT SAID:

i keep seeing fic authors apologising for their clear, well-written, engaging fics being "confusing" due to reader complaints about, among other things, changes in narrator perspective, use of subtext, and (tagged, always) unreliable narration.

these are extremely basic narrative tools in story writing, and it's fine to use them.

stop apologising for your readers, who, until they found fanfiction written by other children their age, hadn't read anything they weren't assigned in school, for being functionally illiterate. stop apologising to people who prefer manga, and have decided to get mad at you for writing a wall of text instead of publishing your story as a dōjinshi manga.

you have done nothing wrong. you are writing a story, and you absolutely are not obligated or even advised to provide a humble apology with your author's note c-notes to people who want to read horny fic about tobirama in the potterverse, but refuse to engage with written medium at a level, frequency, and breadth of topic that would allow them to GET BETTER AT IT.

reading fiction is a practiced skill that gets easier and more enjoyable with time, barring the interference of chronic disabilities. there is a reason why we start with 'THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR' and work our way up to 'Hóng lóu mèng,' and it's not that little kids can't invent and enjoy more complex narratives, or that an adult, upon entering an adult literacy program, will automatically be able to take in and enjoy advanced literature with intricate grammar and subtle wordplay, simply cos they're adults. it's the reading. you have to put in the time and effort to get better at reading written language, and familiarise yourself with the function and utility of basic-to-complex grammar, even if you don't study the technicalities.

i ask you to stop apologising for doing nothing wrong, because people are starting to believe they're entitled to an apology from creators for creating things they don't like. i'm not talking about racist, misappropriated, or misogynist content, or people producing fetishising, transmisic, or pedophilic material for the delight of rapists and chasers. i'm talking about people just not liking where the story is going, or how you choose to portray inner monologues vs spoken ideas, or your use of techno-jargon. those are stylistic and creative choices by you, in your art, and if they don't like your flavour they can go read someone else. you are not responsible for entertaining everyone, all the time.

your readers are free to enlarge the text, use a dictionary, pay attention to who is talking instead of skimming cos the chapter is "boring" and "too long" (?!?!), or any other material or ephemeral adaptation they need to make it accessible and enjoyable to them, before coming to you and complaining that you're writing for a level of literacy they are unable or refuse to get to.

"reading with a dictionary what kind of nerd shit is that" the kind of nerd shit that wants to know what words mean so they can enjoy what they're reading, until they know so many words they don't need a dictionary to understand what's happening. it's what nerds used to do before the internet, when we didn't have a way to reach out instantly and demand the author explain their story to us, personally. we had to write LETTERS demanding that, so most - not all - of us opted to just open a dictionary or consult a grownup about what a turn of phrase meant instead of waiting a month for a reply.

to readers who want a story explained: the story you are reading is the explanation. that's the author explaining it to you. they have taken a piece of their heart and carefully written it out and posted it for you to read, for free. if you didn't understand it, read it again to see if you missed anything. if you don't want to do that, or you didn't enjoy it, move on. otherwise, you're like people who leave bad reviews on free advanced sewing and advanced knitting patterns, complaining that you tried it and it is too complicated for you. the world is full of accessible, beginner-level fiction and crafts. either resolve to get better at the thing you want to enjoy, or stop complaining that fun and challenging things exist for people who are good at reading, knitting, and any other pleasant recreational or cultural pursuit.

NB: if the author was being a bigot and not just writing about a bigot, by all means yell at them. learn the difference, first.

also, if you're fixing your mouth to talk about how i piss on the poor, this isn't directed at people with learning disabilities, of which i have several.

because of those, i'm not an author. yeah, imagine that: i'm someone who is passionate about being kind to creators and engaging with their chosen medium in an informed and honest way, without myself being a creator. it's called "being a person, and understanding other people are also people."

i could probably try writing fiction, and maybe get better at it, but it's not a pressing issue and i'm perfectly happy just reading. fic authors are magical beasts we should value and love, not treat like AU spank bank vending machines that ate our money.

EDIT: man this sure is a lot of words about how i don't write