#bobah speaks

[bobaheadshark]

when you find a fanfic writer whose work just sings to you… i would read anything you write…. i would wade into a tag no matter how deranged… i would travel to the ends of the earth for you if only to soothe your little oyster shell just so you would be comfortable enough to make another pearl whenever you felt like it … i would love you tenderly and support you as you carefully place every grain of sand onto your little castle, regardless of how long it takes, if only to enjoy your words just a little longer

[bobaheadshark]

this is true. but also sometimes, sometimes you’re able to talk in a strange and borderline magical language to the piranhas and you get teflon skin and can swim to the bottom of the tank and tap dance on the button. and that’s what makes it tolerable - it’s not forever, it’s usually very fleeting in fact. but it makes the years and years of fighting to swim kind of worth it.

if you've never engaged with a creative art on a regular basis you need to understand that it requires concerted effort to get into "the groove" to make something and every second that it takes to get into that groove causes physical pain, but the only thing worse than doing it is not doing it.

[bobaheadshark]

i am not a fast writer. i am a snail writer. i am a park yourself in front of the laptop for 150 words a time writer. i am a wringing my hands over placement of commas in an eight word sentence kind of writer. i am a half-agony-half-hope at the gdocs kind of writer.

but:

i hope there is space for me, in the world of algorithms and quick consumption.

i hope that the process is always fun, and the road less travelled is a surprising one.

i hope that in my quiet, you may join me at the table and find a slice of home.

[bobaheadshark]

ppl who are posting fic in their second or third language and apologising for it: do you know how hard that actually is? do you know how bigbrained you actually are? do u know the level of clearance and bravery and intelligence it takes to write in not only one but two, three, maybe even four languages? you are amazing!! i can't believe how awesome you are!! never apologise for english mistakes, ever!

[bobaheadshark]

choosing the title for a fic is a sacred process that should not be underestimated. it's a song lyrics or a noun or a random word or a witty one-liner you came up with and all are equally valid in the eyes of the ao3 gods.

[bobaheadshark]

ao3's "mark for later" is where one's reading aspirations go to die and no i will not elaborate

[bobaheadshark]

4. How many WIPs do you have right now?

14. If you could see one of your fics adapted into a visual medium, such as comic or film, which fan fic would you pick?

18. What’s one of your favorite lines you’ve written in a fic?

4. How many WIPs do you have right now?

too many unnamed sport rpf ones LOL. outside of that there were quite a few on the backburner but i am mentally prodding at two sydcarmy ones!!

14. If you could see one of your fics adapted into a visual medium, such as comic or film, which fan fic would you pick?

probably the horrifying squid game gong yoo rpf story (jagiya). tonally that was the most spooky thing i've ever written so it would be vaguely interesting as a contemporary korean new-gothic psychosexual horror film i feel. i was gonna be vaguely embarassed about that choice and it's 2024 and i've decided to no longer give a fuck

18. What’s one of your favorite lines you’ve written in a fic?

great question linny... i have a love-hate relationship with my finished fics and i hate re-reading them, but maybe this section from the sydcarmy christmas one 'cus i was trying to write something that was fun and light for christmas instead of angstville which is the barely habitable clime where i kinda live usually.

----

It’s the comfortable silence of gentle work. Syd had made a token effort to add to the festive vibe, and they’d argued back and forth about what music to play, until Syd finally grabbed the phone and smashed the button for Indie Christmas on Spotify. They sit through an ad about teeth whitener and a podcast ad about mindfulness before Eels starts blaring, all tinny from her phone speaker.

“You couldn’t spring for Premium? Do I pay you that badly?”

“I download all my music, usually. Just not sure Andre 3000’s weirdo jazz joint is like super fun for the 25th? Anyway, my dad’s usually got his vinyl at home.”

-----

it's been like four years since i started writing fic and i feel like i'm only just starting to skim the edge of what my actual desired writing style is, so that has been... interesting to navigate!

asks from here <3

[bobaheadshark]

I very diligently read the entire ask list then promptly forgot which numbers I wanted to ask you so at random: 2, 6, 7, 11/12, 14, 17, 20 :)

mads!! so many aaa thank you... at the risk of being very long-winded but i will try NOT to b....

2. Do you read/reread your own fics?

rarely tbh! i will go through like six to nine month bouts of not opening any of them ever and then re-reading a bunch and going, omg this was actually quite good??

i feel like i put everything into writing them for that moment and then get too conscious about what other people might think of them and that colours my perception for a while. so maybe new year's resolution is im trying to just meet the fics i've written like... where they were, rather than what i think they could or should be.

ok that was really long-winded already...

6. Are there any fics from others you reread all the time?

earthbound (reylo), i think about it every couple of months

i also think about ever_so_reylo's head over feet/lawyers AU quite a lot though i haven't reread it in a while. thought it was a masterclass in romance shortform that hit a lot of strong beats and just kept me reading while advancing plot really seamlessly. idk like, no surprise that ali's like a bestselling romance writer now???

7. How many ideas for fics do you have right now?

*long sigh* too many and honestly it's mostly sports yaoi this year. don't ask me how that plot twist happened, idk either

11. Do you have specific playlists for writing fics?

usually yes! i write a LOT to music. and usually for fics that are taking a while to percolate in my head.

12. Do you have a playlist for your current WIP(s)? Share it!

idk how to share it without giving away my spotify details but here's one for the sequel to infraction

14. If you could see one of your fics adapted into a visual medium, such as comic or film, which fan fic would you pick?

answered in linny's ask! the gong yoo salesman rpf one LOL

17. What’s something you’ve learned about while doing research for a fic?

not necessarily research 'cus i read these before i started writing sydcarmy fic, but i definitely think the kitchen memoirs and books i read for enjoyment factored into the authenticity of the kitchen stuff i wanted to write for subsequent the bear fic. specifically: kitchen confidential by bourdain, eat a peach by david chang, and salt/fat/acid/heat - samin nosrat's cookbook. someone in the fic comments said the cooking and kitchen details felt true to life to them as someone who worked in a kitchen before (and i've neeeever worked in a kitchen before), so i was v flattered!!

20. What’s a favorite title for a fic you’ve written?

the recent sydcarmy one ("you make christmas seem like a four letter word")! lovingly stolen from a sufjan stevens song. tonally appropriate. also bit of a departure from the one-word titles i'd been using.

asks from here

[bobaheadshark]

me? stay in a lane? pick a single “content pillar”? no babe. no gods, no niches