#but tbh it all comes down to how well the examples and stuff are written

[archaeren]

Hello!! I hope you're having a good day ^^ I came across your post about writing non-linearly on Notion and I'm excited to try it out because the advice resonated with me! Though, I'm really new to using the app and, if possible, need help with how to do this part: 'where every scene is a separate table entry and the scene is written in the page inside that entry.' ;v;

Hello! Thank you so much for messaging!!! Since that post about writing non-linearly (linked for context) blew up roughly ten thousand times as much as anything I've ever posted, I've been kind of meaning to make a followup post explaining more about how I use Notion for writing non-linearly, but, you know, ADHD, so I haven't done it yet. XD In the meantime, I'll post a couple screenshots of my current long fic with some explanations! I'd make this post shorter, but I'm unable to not be Chatty. XD (just ask my poor readers how long my author notes are...) (There is a phone app as well which syncs with the desktop/browser versions, but I work predominantly in the desktop app so that's what I'm gonna be showing)

(the table keeps going off the right side of the image but it's a bunch of unimportant stuff tbh) So this is more complicated than what you'll probably start with because I'm Normal and add a bunch of details that you might not need depending on what you're doing. For example, my fic switches POVs so I have a column for tracking that, and my fic follows a canon timeline so I have a column for dates so I can keep track of them, and I also made columns for things like if a scene had spoilers or certain content readers may want to avoid, which they can access in my spoiler and content guide for the fic. (As I said, I'm Normal.) I also do some complicated stuff using Status and estimated wordcount stuff to get an idea of how long I predict the content to be, but again, not necessary. Anyway, you don't need any of that. For the purposes of this explanation, we're just gonna look at the columns I have called Name, Order, and Status. (And one called Part, but we'll get into that later) Columns in Notion have different types, such as Text, Numbers, Select, Date, etc, so make sure to use the type that works best for the purpose of each column! For example, here I'm using Select for Character POVs, Number for Order and WC (wordcount), and Text for the In-Game Date. Okay let's get into it! Name is a column that comes in a Notion table by default, and you can't get rid of it (which drives me up the wall for some purposes but works totally fine for what we're doing here). As you can see on the scene I've labeled 'roll call', if you hover over a Name entry, a little button called 'Open' appears, which you click on to open the document that's inside the table. That's all default, you don't have to set anything up for it. Here's a screenshot of what it looks like when I click the one titled 'I will be anything for you' (I've scrolled down in the screenshot so you can see the text, but all the data fields also appear at the top of the page)

(This view is called 'side peek' meaning the document opens on one side and you can still see the table under it on the left, which is what mine defaults to. But you can set it to 'center peek' or 'full page' as well.) All my scenes have their own entry like this! Note that I've said scenes, not chapters. I decide the chapters later by combining the scenes in whatever combination feels right, which means I can often decide in advance where my chapter endings will be. This helps me consciously give most of my endings more impact than I was usually able to do when I tried to write linearly. So hopefully that gives you an idea of what I mean by writing inside the table and treating the table as a living outline. The 'Status' column is also pretty straightforward, and might require a little setup for whatever your needs are. This is another default column type Notion has which is similar to a Select but has a few more specialized features. This is how mine is set up:

(I don't actually use 'Done', idk why I left it there. Probably I should replace it with 'Posted' and use that instead of the checkmark on the far left? whatever, don't let anyone tell you I'm organized. XDD)

Pretty straightforward, it just lets me see easily what's complete and what still needs work. (You'll notice there's no status for editing, because like I mentioned in my other post, I don't ever sit down to consciously edit, I just let it happen as I reread) Obviously tailor this to your own needs! The Order column is sneakily important, because this is what makes it easy for me to keep the scenes organized. I set the Sort on the table to use the Order to keep the scene ordered chronologically. When I make the initial list of scenes I know the fic will have, I give all of them a whole number to put them in order of events. Then as I write and come up with new scene ideas, the new scenes get a number with a decimal point to put them in the spot they fit in the timeline. (you can't see it here, but some of them have a decimal three or four digits deep, lol). Technically you can drag them to the correct spot manually, but if you ever create another View in your table (you can see I have eight Views in this one, they're right under the title) it won't keep your sorting in the new View and you'll hate yourself when it jumbles all your scenes. XD (And if you get more comfortable with Notion, you probably will at some point desire to make more Views) The Part column isn't necessary, but I found that as the fic grew longer, I was naturally separating the scenes into different points along the timeline by changes in status quo, etc. (ex. "this is before they go overseas" "this is after they speak for the first time", stuff like that) in my mind. To make it easier to decide where to place new scenes in the timeline, I formalized this into Parts, which initially I named with short summaries of the current status quo, and later changed to actual titles because I decided it would be cool to actually use them in the fic itself. Since it's not in the screenshots above, here's what the dropdown for it looks like:

(I've blocked some of the titles out for spoiler reasons)

Basically I only mention the Parts thing because I found it was a useful organizational tool for me and I was naturally doing it in my head anyway. Anyway, I could keep talking about this for a really long time because I love Notion (don't get me started on how I use toggle blocks for hiding content I've edited out without deleting it) but that should be enough to get started and I should really, you know, not make this another insanely long post. XDD And if anybody is curious about how the final results look, the fic can be found here.

[peachdues]

Hiiiiiii Peach .

Could you do a NSFW alphabet with Sanemi and Setsuna. It'd be so cute to see their intimate intentions and how they treat each other in bed and stuff.

Also I hope you're having a good October and that everything us well with you. I honestly wish you nothing but the best dear.

Xx

SOMEONE ASKING ABOUT SETSUNEMI??? HERE??? lamalakakalalsmnslsms i am starry-eyed right now!!

Tbh, Wind & Moon is Setsuna’s and Sanemi’s story — I’ve been writing it with Setsuna as the FMC, and I plan to search + replace all references to “Setsuna” with “you” when it comes time for publication alsnskaksma. In that sense, I can’t give much away without giving away key parts of the story/their relationship.

That said, if people are interested, I would share the smut scenes I *have* written for Sanemi and Setsuna — I guess that depends on whether people want to read “Setsuna” or still would rather see Sanemi x Reader, if that makes sense? Like, this is the best example:

So, yeah 😭 this is directly from Wind and Moon, just in its original form. If people want to see more, I’m cool with that! But if they’d rather read it from the x Reader POV, I get that.

All in all, I will give you some key takeaways to answer your ask:

Sanemi is a virgin in this. I deliberately leave open whether Setsuna/WAM!Reader is based on earlier events in the story, and I want people to draw their own conclusions

Because of said events earlier in the story, Setsuna is NOT open to missionary or doggy for a long, LONG time. Either she tops, they’re on their sides, or they’re standing/sitting, but her back is a big issue for her. They do eventually do it in missionary though (after one prior failed attempt).

She tends to be a little more focused on her movements during the deed than he is. Sanemi has more of the lost in the sauce/caught up in the emotion of the moment kind of vibe.

Both cry at various points during sex because both get overwhelmed by their feelies.

Sanemi is just as much of a pussy connoisseur in this as I’ve HC’ed him elsewhere — and he’s a VERY fast learner

The first time they kiss, they almost fuck — against a training pole at his estate. They get interrupted, and he tells begs her to meet him back at his estate later that night. She ends up shooting him down. Angst. But there are funnier bits/sweeter moments later on.

He’s incredibly gentle and patient with her at all times.

Finally, peep below for a bonus look at her turning his ass down that first time, if you’d like!

“Setsuna — wait —“

His fingers closed around her wrist, halting her. And though Setsuna did not resist him as he tugged her around to face him, she did not bridge the distance between them. She did not move to embrace him again.

With a shaky breath, she peered up at him through her eyelashes and beheld his anxious, pleading stare.

Sanemi’s eyes searched hers as though he already knew. “Don’t go.” He pled. “Stay —“

“I can’t.”

Sanemi stepped closer, his head bowing down toward hers until their foreheads nearly touched. “Why?”

“You know why.” She whispered.

He shook his head, his fingers gently tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear before caressing her cheek. “If you’re not ready, we can wait. As long as you need. I won’t push you — I’d never push you —“

It took everything she had not to melt into the comfort of his touch. “It’s not a matter of whether I’m ready, Sanemi. We can’t do this — you and I both know we can’t.”

[fangirl-docintraining]

do you have any tips on how to start writing fics?

the outsiders brainrot actually has me coming up with ideas and i have a desire to start writing them into actual stories but i've never written outside of class papers/assignments and i don't really know where/how to start since it's all just my own prompts and ideas and there's no grading rubric lmaoooo

like do you plan out each chapter with a list first or do you just start writing about the main plot point of the chapter and fill in around that out of order or do you just start writing and see where it takes you...

how do i know when to stop writing or decide on which endings/paths/plot points to go with... the deadly combo of indecisiveness and perfectionism along with having no guidelines or due dates is crippling me so im asking some of my fave fic writers (who have been inspiring me to write and be creative as well)

Okay disclaimer: I haven’t taken an English class in uhhhhhh 6 years which is whack to think about

Tbh I’m a big reader of fics and so as far as the inspo to write I just tend to want to write stuff that im like I’d love to see a characters thoughts or experiencing XYZ

My way of writing might be unique idk because I know a lot of fic writers have a like general idea of where the story is gonna go from start to finish. I uhh do not have that 😂 I legit come up with a general thing I want to happen for the chapter (ie current chap I’m writing is Soda’s birthday and I want him to have a moment of insecurity) and then I just sit down and start writing with that as a goal. I feel like usually I have one idea or a line in mind of like that’s where I want to end up. Last chapter I posted I was like okay goal is Betty and Darry are skinny dipping and she somehow ends up holding on to him in the water. And then I just free write and it just happens. I also have a tendency to edit as I go in terms of how to stop. To be fair I just like to pick a little moment where I feel like there’s resolution or a moment where I’d be like on a cliff hanger and stop there but I silly know I’m done with a chapter when I’m like okay this is enticing enough that I as the writer want to know what happens next so I stop and then make myself wait to write the next one. Basically I guess I write almost as a reader where I’m like omg I can’t wait to see what’s next 😂 (unfortunately then there are times I read my own stuff and I’m like wait I want another scene of Darry and Betty and then I go…. Oh girl you gotta write it first 😭 )

Idk if that’s helpful at all but also feel free to dm me if you’re 18+ I love talking! However in terms of writing I’m a chaotic example cause med students do very little writing at all, and def not creative writing unless we do it for funsies 😂

[angevinyaoiz]

saw Dune 2 (2une?), and since I don't have my dune blog anymore I'll post here, since blah blah this is my place for posting about Dynastic Weirdos. This is long but NO MAJOR SPOILERS, except about like, small detail things that aren't plot things but whatever

Tbh it was disappointing. It had all the correct elements to be liked but one thing grated on me the whole time...the Bad Dialogue and lack of Elevated Speech! Why the hell were all these characters saying stuff like "these guys" "we're ok" and "literally" it took me out of the fantastical world sOOO bad. Super bummer because what I loved about Dune 1 (D-uno?) As someone who went into it before reading or knowing anything was how much it didn't explain, how it let the visuals and the world unfold before you, and how serious and somber it was in a way that gave it a sense of scale and time.

I can only wonder if WB saw all the complaints and tweets about people being like "we didn't understand the first movie!!! It wasn't funny and quippy!!!" And decided to simplify it down so characters just SAY things really obviously and inelegantly. The writing has some competence in moving the story forward but there's no poetry or rhythm to the way characters say things, it's serving "Rings of Power" scriptwriting to me lmao. And it's not like any of the actors are bad? I've seen them do well in the previous movie and in other things, so wtf was going on with the direction. I know people complained Abt Villeneuve saying that whole thing about being more into visuals than dialogue but maybe he was right...there needed to be LESS WORDS. bc much of the words we had were NOT GOOD.

Positivity: the middle and latter part was where the movie picked up for me. The Harkonnen Freak Villain behavior was everything I could have wanted! Finally instead of EXPLAINING everything obviously we got to see a LOT of character building, for Feyd specifically in a very short amount of time. I know a lot of us complained about Bald Feyd-Rautha but Mr Elvis did a very good job. And we got Madame Fenring and weird scifi femdomming finally, which is Essential for the Duniverse! Wonderful fantastic no notes.

Of course, getting back to our heroes, I anticipated this 2 years ago sadly and it was true...the Fremen were badass but SWAGLESS. More Learned ppl have already written about the frustration with the erasure of the Arabic/North African cultural presence so I won't reiterate that here since I'm not super knowledgeable about the specifics of that but even as a casual watcher there was a weird emptiness to the way I feel the society was portrayed. There were individual good character moments, such as fun bantering among the Fedaykin etc, but for Pacing or Whatever they cut out the community aspects that served to make them feel more like well, a People rather than just either Grizzled Soldiers/ Religious Fundamentalists aka Marks/Panicked refugees. I have to guess this was ppl were like "we can't show a culture too cool and colorful and the part with Harrah (Jamis' widow) would feel too ORIENTALIST!!! But the result is something sadly very dry. At least in more older orientalist works, the interest comes from when the ~exotic~ stereotypes figures are able to have charming personalities and personalities and be known as people despite the cliches sometimes but this sadly wasn't even like that....

Jamis' funeral is a good example of this; in the Book, it's a moment where you first get a good look of what rituals are like in this world, and how people relate to each other and to the dead. In the movie, the funeral is looks more foreign and even a little creepy as the water is extracted from the body. There's not really a Personal or community connection aspect to it at all.

The ending was pretty good as it satisfied all the Cool Dune Moments I think we all wanted to see, and also did literally the end of The Godfather Part 1 Framing which was hee hee heh. Anyways, Messiah is MY favorite book of the series personally so curious how they get to that.

Maybe I've been too spoiled by Cool Historical Fiction lately? I've been watching too much of The Devil's Crown where action happens mostly off screen but the dynastic drama is written and acted so compellingly, the historical mindset and setting so alien and yet so human and relatable, it's frustrating to see when works try to do the opposite? Idk??? Dune books themselves is fun in how action is mostly an "offscreen, offstage"' thing.

*if ANYONE in the Universe is a quippy Bastard, it should be Leto II esp in God Emperor where he literally has nothing to do all day but quip all day to terrified acolytes

[kavalyera]

Who is laci reacher? Searching Tumblr and Google gets me no results.

Re: the question, why people would want to read about unpleasant subjects...well, because those things are an unfortunate part of reality, and one of the functions of art is to explore unfortunate and unpleasant things in a safe way.

I think it's perfectly fine to not want to read about any unpleasant subject, whether war, violence, hate, bigotry, abuse, etc. But trying to tell other people they're dirty rotten sinners, or support those things in reality, for being willing to read about them in fiction is going too far...that way lies puritanism and censorship.

A story about a little boy being sexually abused, for example, might actually be written by a survivor of such abuse who is working through their traumatic emotions by sympathizing with a character going through the same thing. Or it might be written by a sheltered, privileged adolescent with no experience of abuse or hardship, just because it's angsty and dramatic. You can never know exactly why someone online might choose to write a certain thing. Either you're willing to read it, or you're not...either it works for you as fiction, or it doesn't...but try to keep an open mind and not support censorship or judge real people for imaginary stories.

Backstory time (but this time I’m a little more leaning towards a more ‘neutral’ side but still not really liking her since it’s generally been a while since someone’s asked about her)

ADDITIONAL NOTE READ IT: Do not send asks pertaining to Laci anymore cause tbh I wanna focus on my own stuff and not yap about another person alr😭🙏

// underage, rape mention

So Laci is an author, she’s pretty niche from what I know. She’s one of the few consistent Marquis de Gramont-centric authors on ao3 but she has consistently been show to write underage porn/rape fetish fics about him and her OC (I lowkey forgot most of the details but I do remember a lot)

Anyways so, my problem isn’t that but rather specific icky details about her works are untagged such as…. awfully incestuous descriptions between Gianna and Santino (canon siblings), aswell as sexual descriptions for an underage Vincent who is 33-34 in the canon lore. Additionally, the rape fantasies included in her works seem to float towards being viewed through romanticized lenses rather than being written as a warning or a sort of way to cope. Not to mention the fetishization when it comes to queer relationships and stuff like that

I used to like her writing, she’s good at writing I’ll give her that, but it just kept getting weirder and weirder. I liked her work at first since back when I read it, things were toned down and the more she wrote the more fetishized and heavily romanticized abuse and s/a was written (+added incestuous descriptions between canon siblings for some reason). As someone who has dealt/is dealing with sexual trauma/sex related mental issues, I’m pretty chill when it comes to works that depict it but only when they’re kept at a minimum or not as descriptive but when it comes to her, they’re awfully descriptive and write about how intensely ‘pleasurable’ the experience is for both parties in the scene so yyyeahhhhhh

Anyways for the last part yeah, going back to what I said, she untagged like several weird things but ehhh whatever there’s equally bad things on John Wick ao3 let’s all be real (lolicon, full on rape fantasies, straight up romanticized rape idfk what else tbh)

“But trying to tell other people they're dirty rotten sinners, or support those things in reality, for being willing to read about them in fiction is going too far” <- did not tell anyone that but I guess I should be used to anons taking things I say out of context/not fully grasping them sighhh

and also it just so happens that everytime i meet a marquis fan that worships they’re either a rape fetishizer or an awfully weird person but that seems more like a correlation more than causation tbh

[celestemagnoliathewriter]

I really like how your stories don’t shy away from Remus’s flaws, because while I love him(and while you have really made me start shipping Remadora even more lol), he had a lot of stuff he needed to work on. Fandom likes to portray him as this guy who can do no wrong sometimes and that’s just not true. I think he really struggles with learning how to properly be there for people(as we can see with Harry and Tonks), and I think a lot of this comes with Remus expecting that his Lycanthropy will hold him back/result in other people being hurt. And so Remus tries to distance himself from a lot of people because of that fear/expectation, but he fails to realize that in trying to not hurt other people-he sometimes ends up doing just that. So it’s a bit of a self fulfilling prophecy lol. I’ve also always sort of seen Remus running away from Tonks as less fear for her safety(because tbh as the daughter of Andromeda and Ted Tonks and a member of the OoTP, she was already in danger even before meeting Remus) and more of his own fears and insecurities being the main influence for that decision. I believe Harry calls him a coward after that revelation and although that was definitely harsh, I think it’s an accurate way to describe one of his biggest flaws.

I still love him ofc, but he had some stuff to work through to say the least lol. And I love how your stories both acknowledge his flaws, but also allow him to work through it as well :)

(And I really like how Tonks is a perfect person to help Remus truly realize that yes he is loved, but also she’s not afraid to put her foot down when he needs to be put in place lol)

Thank you @puppyduckster times a million for this wonderful message. I find one of two things in fandom for Remus: either he's a baby cinnamon roll who can do no wrong, and it's his pesky lycanthropy getting in the way, or he's written in such a way to make him utterly unlikable. Most people like to make their favorite characters very likable and present them in a positive light (Oppenheimer is a great example, I just saw the movie last night and left thinking 'ok, so that probably only scratches the surface of that guy's morally questionable life).

Yes, Remus is a coward, no doubt about it. He can be brave when it matters for other people, but not himself. I agree that with running from Tonks, it's less about her and more about him. That's usually how it goes for most people though, in my experience. Reactions tend to be more about the self than others.

I adore Remus so much though. He has all these great redeeming qualities. He's clever and caring. Despite his general melancholy, he keeps going. That's something that's always struck me - how and why did he keep living after the first war? He had to have some hope, and that carried him through the darkest years of his life.

And yes, I am always on the Tonks as perfect for Remus train. He needs someone firm, but tender and forgiving. He needs someone who will gently correct him, be patient with him, and persist. Very few people have the kind of patience or self-assurance to be with someone like Remus, and it almost breaks Tonks to watch Remus try to break himself apart.

[traumasurvivorshelpingsurvivors]

Hi,

(I hope that I didn't send in this ask in the past, I am a little dissociative rn).

TW for self harm mention, panic attacks, dissociation

My therapist wants to work on "my connection to my body". I am pretty cut off from my emotions, body signals etc. For example, in the past I had panic attacks "out of nothing and for no reason" and sometimes in hindsight I could say "Well, that could've been expected". So she gave me some papers on which I hourly should note my "stress level" as a kind of first step. I think I saw these papers in the past on friends who had BPD and were supposed to write down their stress and urge to self-harm, but in my case it is rather a chart that ends in "panic attack" or "dissociation", I don't self harm.

And I have to be perfectly honest, I have barely felt that overwhelmed by anything in the past weeks. Even if I think about it, my mind races. I hope it is fine if I write my thoughts down and maybe you could give me some ideas and comments about them? My therapist is on vacation the next 4 weeks and I really regret having agreed on that...

For some reason I need super much clareficiation on this thing and so many details to understand it, I honestly don't know what my problem is.

My therapist said "You should strive for something between 30%-50% stress level, that's the growth area" but tbh 1. I never feel like I am growing, 2. All the time 30%? Or X hours a day? 3. If I use my one dopamine to panic clean my kitchen in 5 hours, that might be 50% stress level but certainly no growth. 4. I never feel like 30-50%? In my mind I use as an example "I lay in bed and read a good non-fiction book, which sadly isn't written for a non-academic, so I have to google a lot of stuff" (which is very specific and I haven't yet finished that book). I hope this is even a good example. But this doesn't really feel like "medium stress". It feels like "No stress, while reading the paragraphs I understand" and "Much stress when googeling stuff". Like a wave. 5. Who says you always need to be in a medium-stress area? Forever? Or during your young and growing years? Is my dream of a farm far away from human civilication so wrong, from a therapists viewpoint?

So far (and I have overthought this nearly every second the last week) I have made this list (please tell me if you think it is right):

10% - Almost falling asleep (that's what my therapist said); 20% - reading a fiction book or maybe crocheting while watching a movie; 30%-50% - ???? ; 60% - (the first number above the "growth zone") curling up in bed crying, 70%- panic attack/ or mild dissociation; 80% - aggressive "????" (aka overwhelmed and everything at once); 90% - bad dissociation, 100% severe dissociation, non-verbal, potentially with amnesia.

Is that ok? Idk I think it is maybe to much to already start with "crying" just after the "good growth zone" but, as an example: I visited my therapist, which means I had to take the train, it takes a long time and I come hope so exhausted that I fall asleep immediately. I can rationally maybe say, that's growth. But it only takes one delayed train, or tripping over my own feet, one too loud and rowdy passenger on the train, or something else so small, and I won't fall asleep immediately but break out in tears immediately.

Which brings me back to "I don't feel growth". In my past I was pushing my limit everyday (my limits in this case being, leave the house and go to university). And it never gotten any easier in 3 years. So idk how growth feels, when to feel growth, am I unable or did I do something wrong etc.?

I thought this chart was too small and limiting, so I made a notebook in which I (tried) to write down what I feel emotionally and in my body, at least three times a day (and try to stick to the percentage thing). Ngl many entries are "too overwhelmed already to open up the bottle of "what do I feel rn"". But I also felt much worse the days I used this notebook. Which can be coincidence, or maybe I lived in peaceful bliss until now, and maybe that's something I am not ready to open up yet? I don't know what the right way is tbh, and I am very afraid of sabotaging the therapy.

Any help, ideas, suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Hi anon,

I can understand how that kind of format can feel much too rigid to categorize your experiences. I've never heard of stress levels being tracked in that way, or that a moderate amount of stress is the only way to grow, although it may be somewhat related to the concept of eustress. But it's absolutely possible to be productive without any stress whatsoever, and the spectrum of stress provided sounds more like a spectrum of mood from positive to negative.

If you feel that this way of looking at your ability to grow is unhelpful, I encourage you to tell your therapist. They should be more than happy to tailor their approach to something that makes more sense to you. It might even be better to try and document what you did immediately before a panic attack to see if there's a pattern and potentially identify a trigger, although some triggers take hours or days before a reaction, especially if you experience dissociation.

If anyone has any other comments or suggestions, please feel free to add on. Otherwise, I hope I could help and please let us know if you need anything.

-Bun

[catusbeanius]

tagged by @smollestduck-sketches !!! thankies!! also i'm gonna extend this to fics ive written but never published bc the only fics I've published were my frantic fanfics with some friends LSKSLKDJ

1. how many works?

If we count each franfic fanfic, then easily over twenty. A lot of my fics are half-finished though so if we discount them and the frantic fanfics, then more like 3 or 5? Probably just 1 actually smh

2. total word count?

Uhhh...... Lemme count rq. 1800 on the frantics (not distinguishing between my writing and my friends' writing), and then 7200 from whatevers in the obsidian document I opened. Theres more on scrivener and random sheets of paper, but my laptop is slow and I don't have time to find them all :(

3. what fandoms do u write for?

Twst and Enstars, pretty much. Technically some crossovers with Sam & Max as well!! Ig technically OM as well then

4. top 5 fics by kudos

Don't have any :(

5. do u respond to comments?

I would if I got them!!

6. fic u wrote with the angstiest ending?

That one fic about Cherio angsting over Trickstar (i think it's on my old laptop and that one's even slower smh. I gotta transfer these things at some point. If I find it, maybe I'll post it!! But it was a mild vent fic)

7. fic u wrote with the happiest ending?

All of my fics are mildly hopeful (if I finish them) but I liked this one Cherio lore Mally birthday fic I wrote where rat-kun showed up and ate his cake. I could probably post that one, but it doesn't make much sense without the Cherio lore context (which I haven't written down yet :( )

8. do u get hate on fics?

Yeah, from myself (I'm jk, I don't hate my writing)

9. do u write smut?

Teehee :3 Technically, I have. Probably won't do it again, though. Eh, we'll see.

10. craziest crossover fics?

OM and Sam & Max

11. have u ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of

12. ever had a fic translated?

Very, very technically yes though bc I would write fics in class in a secret script and then decode them at home SLKD (but, as I said, that's more decoding than translating)

13. ever co-written a fic?

Yes! The frantics

14. all time favorite ship?

Lilia Vanrouge x urmom /j Serious answer, idek ;v; Anything that makes Mika or Malleus happy, I suppose! (ShuNaruMika especially). I'd also say anything that makes Lilia happy but you can't really ship him with anyone bc he's so old it'll always be a little weird

15. what's a wip u wanna finish but doubt u will?

Cherio Lore :( I can write a synopsis of it, but I really want to organically present the ideas through typical novel writing as practice before I really write my own stories. Alas, idk what happens in the middle (as always)

16. writing strengths?

Abstract descriptions! I hope, at least. I love writing them!!

17. writing weaknesses?

Dialogue fs. Idk how people talk. Also, sentence variation. I'm a predictable guy and I have my favorite words!!

18. thoughts on dialogue in another language?

The thing is, if it's in a different script to the language you're writing in (for example, English and Japanese), there's not a way for the reader to read it, yk? And idk if there's a way to organically integrate a translation. Even if your reader isn't supposed to know what they're saying, what's the point in including the dialogue in the first place? You can just say they said something in Japanese. Unless it's assumed your reader knows the other language, then it adds some dramatic irony. Ofc, there's gonna be ways you can fit it in well since each situation is different, but I wouldn't add it explicitly in quotations, per se. This is coming from a semi-bilingual language nerd semi-studying to be an editor (aka, don't take it to heart bc I'm not a professional)

19. first fandom u wrote in?

Bnha. Bad, bad, bad stuff. I get chills thinking about it.

20. fav fic youve written?

Any Lilia angst, tbh. I don't even care for angst why do I always write Lilia angst istg (and it's delicious every time)

This was fun!! Hopefully it was interesting!!

I pass this game onto you, my friends :>

@unnecessarilysalty @multilevelwriter-blog

[help-im-a-medstudent]

Hiiiii! I'm a 4th year medical student. Do you have any advice/resources you recommend about how I can explain a treatment to a patient?

Hi!

The main thing is to remember that patients won't remember a lot of verbal information, no matter how well you explain, and the more information given, the patient will remember proportionally lass and be more likely to misremember.

The best way (if you have time) is to give them written information and allow them to read and then come back later if they have questions.

There's loads of good things out there, for example the British Heart Foundation guides (both the hospitals i've worked in had these on the cardiology wards to give out), Cancer Research UK, Macmillan, Diabetes UK etc. Most conditions will have patient friendly information leaflets

For patient's whose first language isn't English, giving the information in the way they will best understand is really important. Health Information Translations has lots of different topics, and all their guides have English as well so you know exactly what information you're giving to the patient.

There's some specific treatment information guides on Geeky Medics too, it's a great site for everything during and after med school tbh.

In terms of generic advice I just use the stuff they taught us at med school because it does tend to help, like checking what they know already, breaking information down and checking they understand, making sure there's no distractions and giving them options and working out what is important to them to allow for shared decision making. I don't know if there's any resources for that, if anyone knows any feel free to add to the post!

Hope this helps :)

[glittercake]

could you go into your writing process a bit? i’ve been a fan of your fics for years now, and i still find myself in awe of how you’re able to create these cohesive worlds and voices and dynamics and just how tight your writing is. like i never feel like anything should be cut and even if all the loose ends aren’t tied up, i feel like it ends right where it should. like i’m so curious to see how your brain turns out so much magic!!

Oh my gosh, this is so nice of you to say 😭 Thank you first of all!  Secondly, I'll try to map out my process for big wips below the cut! Hope it makes sense 🤭 But this ask literally put a smile on my face all day, so thanks again. 

So to start off, I usually have a good idea of exactly how the story should end. That helps big time with everything else. If I don't know kind of what happens in the middle and exactly how it should end, I really struggle. 

Then I have a separate doc where I write down all my notes or thoughts about the stories, and also do the outlines. The story ideas come either extremely randomly, like me falling down a rabbit hole of presidential assassinations on YouTube (y'all know what this resulted in) or they're a result of my friend and i spiraling about something in the DMs (lighthouse, boxing fic, soulmate fics, most of the horny ones too 😂)

I also like to gather some pics just to get an idea of what the characters look like in whatever universe I'm writing about, as well as the scenery and buildings/layout. So for example, i used these inspo pics for The First Gentleman:

So every time I open the doc to write I'd have these, the outline, and the notes open. Other visuals like the banner or graphics I make also help put me in the right mindset for the story.

So, before I start writing, I draft an outline. I try to keep it brief tbh, the longer and more involved the outline the more intimidating the story feels which means less chance of me actually writing it 😅 (there are about 3 outlines that will probably never see the light of day!) but brief doesn't always work so what i do, especially for long wips, is make a short bullet list for what needs to happen in each chapter.

This way i can accommodate plot bunnies, shift stuff around and kill the darlings before i get too attached, i usually also have a few key scenes in my head and i then fit them in here. Outlines also include stuff like a quick character write up like age, quirks, bad habits, cute habits or sayings they have (in Ain't No Grave they had this cute back and forth "keep up now" or in Ruins Bucky called everyone meatballs.)

This is roughly what a chapter outline looks like for me:

lmaooo. as you can see it's very informal. basically a scribble.

Usually when I'm super inspired, i can get going straight away, otherwise I let it turn over in my head a little bit until i come up with a good starting point. What also helps me cement the character voices and specific characteristics is re-watching whatever source media it relates to. So for me it's always Cap 2 & 3 and TFATWS, Endgame where Sam gets the shield, and Sam’s scene in AoU and Antman.

I prefer to write in order from start to finish. I find I lose interest too quickly if I don't. Having a point to work toward is easier for me. BUT at the bottom of the notes/outline doc I also have a section for scenes that I absolutely can't get out of my head and need to write down right the fuck now. For example Monica’s induction in TFG was written waaay before anything else, so was the sambucky reunion in that fic. But, because I placed it at the bottom of a separate doc, the fic was still technically written in order 😌 makes perfect sense, I know lol.

Then whenever I finish a bullet point in the outline, I color it off the list. This process helps me keep track of what has been done and what still needs to happen. Seeing how much I've completed also really helps to keep me motivated, plus the colors are fun! Helps with sticking to what i had planned too, i find if i don't follow outlines, the scenes and characterization kind of jump all over the place. Mostly i only have some time on weekends to write so knowing exactly what i need to write and how i need to write it beforehand is key to me. Having the outline done before I start means I have a week to play those scenes out in my head or play with the dialogue until it sounds right. 

If I get stuck, I read either a book or my favorite fics, do some art, or just leave it be until inspo strikes again.

And I think that’s about it. Don’t know if this is what you were looking for but there you have it 😂 

💕 

I’m always happy to get asks about my fics and writing, so don’t be shy!

[lansplaining]

Hi, I followed you because you have a lot to say about jin guangyao and I enjoy reading it. When I first watched cql I thought he was an enetertaining and satisfying villain both to watch and also to watch being taken down in the end. Such drama! Much style! Then I read a lot of meta about him and watched the show again and realised how much he was being set up as a villain without there being much truth there. The more I read/thought about this, the more interesting and sympathetic I found him.

I am still reading more and more points which point out ways in which the ending and jin guangyao's portrayal is misleading - like the post today pointing out that nmj didn't know that jgy had a part in his death, for example. nmj apparently just hated jgy by the end of his life and that was why his fierce corpse kept attacking jgy. I am a little skeptical about that last part - it may be true but I can't help but feel that the hatred was pretty equally shared around which makes blaming any one party pretty pointless.

I really enjoy jgy as a character. I also enjoy nmj and jzx (who you were vague blogging about today) and tbh I love pretty much the whole cast minus a few obvious dickbags like jgs. Before I take what these posts have to say at face value, I guess I wanted to know, how much do you dislike nmj and jzx? Neither the nmj post nor your jzx post come across as though they are characters you (or op) like. I personally love them and as much as I want to learn about jgy and see different sides, I don't really want to read a lot of negative content about characters I love - especially if it's not written in a way that is particularly balanced.

I hope this does not come across as impolite or disrespectful. I think I am feeling a bit defensive but I don't want to be rude or for you to feel upset or angry. The obvious thing to do is for me to say I should agree to disagree and just unfollow if it's too much but that always feels so drastic to me - maybe I am misreading/reading in bad faith!

<3 <3 <3

first of all, i definitely think JGY also hates NMJ by the end. absolutely mutual hatred there, stemming from a range of reasons, justified and otherwise.

i definitely reblog some stuff from people who actively dislike NMJ, so I wouldn't blame you at all for unfollowing me if you don't want to see that! i actually really like him-- i watched CQL first and totally bought it when the Wens lied and said he was dead and was really sad! i think his structural role is so interesting, and in many ways the story only works if he is both a guy you don't know much about, but think is pretty cool from what you do know. then you find out things that paint him in a far less flattering light, but there's a kind of tragedy in that.

i actually quite like jin zixuan as well. again, CQL first, i loved his moment with the swords at evil wen summer camp, this unexpected proof of how his pride could be a good thing, and in fact had some courage to go along with it. i was so so shocked and sad when he died!

what makes me occasionally get salty about NMJ and JZX both (and again, that totally happens, and i don't blame you at all for not wanting to see that) is honestly over-exposure to fanon takes on them, which i feel are overly simplistic and smooth over the things that make them interesting in favor of making them just really nice, stand-up guys. for NMJ in particular, i think you'll often see JGY fans going extra hard on all the things that are bad about NMJ because they/we feel like we're always implicitly pushing back against fandom's love of him with reminders that he did bad things, too.

the JZX thing is just a total personal pet peeve honestly-- i think he's fun and interesting because he's probably not the nicest or most generous person, but he is ride or die for this one lady and, by extension, sometimes her family. but if he was out here wanting to become besties with jin guangyao, he had a whole year+ to do that and... did not do that. that's okay!! he's a more interesting character for being an imperfect guy!!

my favorite characters are lan wangji, jin guangyao, and jiang cheng-- i like my little guys to be an absolute mess and a bit mean and to not make good choices. throw in the desire to-- not exactly defend JGY, but to resist the parts of fandom that paint him as a 2D villain, and the accompanying attempts to discuss/remind people of the ways those characters hurt JGY/are maybe not such good people because of how they treated him, things can absolutely take on a tone where it seems like characters like NMJ and JZX are being disparaged. but for me, i like them more for being imperfect.

(i am kinda Actually Mad at huaisang though)

[abcd-em]

Talk Shop Tuesday: because you are a marketing girlie, eye would love your thoughts on the idea of fanfic marketability as it relates to popularity/traction. It’s one of those things that’s rarely ever gets put into words (except to be derogatory) and is undersold as a part of what makes a fic “take off” I’ve known plenty of fantastically written fics that never get their time to shine just as I’ve know abjectly terribly written things become the most kudos and recommended fic ever.

How much of marketing are /you/ thinking of, if you’re thinking of it at all, when it comes to publishing a fic?

(And bonus: what’s the reason you think your underrated WIPs aren’t doing as well as the others?)

As the second person to ask me that, of course I can!!!!!

Fandom, as with any other community on the Internet, goes through trends of what they like to see and how they like to read. I'd argue that it's impossible to truly predict when a fic will 'take off' bc of this but there's definitely things you can assume.

The marketability of a fic rarely stops me from writing what i want (obviously there are exceptions), but its something i keep in mind when planning to ensure theres little hooks here or there. There's things that I know in the back of my mind, that I know almost for certain (for my writing and what's I've observed at least):

- kid fics will do well (or more low stakes, domestic fics)

- fast paced [blank] to lovers will do well vs. A slower burn (I could say this has smt to do with fear of fic abandonment and maybe attention span)

- MCD will not (at least in mcu petermj)

- platonic or character driven stuff can be a mixed bag

- etc.

Your fandom, your tropes, the bare bones of your fic (not the actual words just the vibes/direction) can definitely have an impact on reach and inevitable audience size - not forgetting that HOW ur fandom interacts with content should be considered. Example:

My Insomniac fics didn't get many hits bc it's a smaller audience (though i tend to find more of those hits also equal comments). From that, My Peter/Harry centric fic got more engagement and interaction VS. My peter/MJ centric fic - I knew this would happen when I was writing it BECAUSE the main thing talked about after the release of the second game was Parksborn. (Understandable I was also consumed by the brainrot)

Not to get SEO about it but tags and summary are also going to impact these things. Themes and tropes all have their own popularity innit. Your tags are there to give an overview (AND WARNING!!!) about the contents of your fic. Boiling all your plans down to the right tags will help it appear to the right people that WANT that kind of story, and exclude it from others. Your summary will also help with that (and from my experience main characters & romantic hook/tease is what gets most attention). This is probably where I consider marketability the most tbh and why I struggle so much with summaries bc why am I thinking of work when I'm writing fic???

But tags and summary definitely impacted Forever: there's a big tilt towards 'sadder' tags bc I want to be transparent about the topic. And the summary is very focused on Peter and Gwen (which is why I added the little line about MJ and Peter at the end).

The focus on Peter and Gwen also impacted the divorce AU. I didn't anticipate that fic getting as much traction as it did, but It wasn't until chapter 8 or something that it really began to take off.

Also. As with anything on the Internet. There's the 'right time, right place' effect where something just CLICKS, the perfect storm of a few small things that gets swept up to huge numbers and its difficult to pinpoint a single one.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: creating content for the sole purpose of marketability will make it less fun and kill your joy

Talk shop tuesday

[namor-shuri]

So that fic you wrote was hot and I was curious if you plan to write more 🙈 Love your page btw!

Me pleasantly surprised that y’all enjoyed the one shot when meanwhile I was nervous af with spicy armpits posting it. Well I’ll be damned. Cheers to trying new things and being horny creative 🥂💗 lol

No but fr, thank you! Tbh I’m not really sure. I haven’t written fics before so I don’t know where to start or what I would write about. I’ve read a lot of fanfics over the years so I think that’s why I could get this one shot out but even then, it felt like A LOT lol. I’ve always respected writers [whether you build fictional worlds or create non fictional anecdotes and everything in between] but after writing that, I BOW DOWN even more. Like how do you write whole chapters ?? And how do you write explicit scenes and NOT cringe the entire time?? I’m realizing there’s a thin line between telling a story and describing something. Showing vs telling. Whether you’re a pro at writing or just starting off, we seriously appreciate what you do and please keep putting your stuff out there. I have a bunch of ideas in my head but I think they come to mind in visual form first before written. If anything, I’m realizing I like making stuff that’s the jump off point for a story vs writing the actual story itself lol if that makes sense. Like this battle post or revenge cowboy edit I made, for example. But we’ll see, maybe I’ll give it another go. Never say never, right? 🤷🏾‍♀️

On that note, I’ve been really wanting to sprinkle in more nsfw posts on my page but I completely forgot that with the new guidelines, every page went to a default setting of not seeing mature content on Tumblr. There was a gap where I wasn’t on here so I didn’t realize that I needed to go through my main blog and physically change my settings. So unfortunately if I post mature content, a majority of you won’t be able to interact or see it unless you have this setting changed yourself. I understand there’s probably creative ways to work around it and post nsfw stuff without having to put a label and all that jazz but I haven’t figured that out yet. I literally reblogged someone’s post once and made a joke and because I used a certain word the entire post was immediately labeled mature 🥴 So *inhales exhales* I gotta figure that out. Send help pls lol

If you prefer to see mature/ nsfw posts on Tumblr, here is a link that will help you change your settings.

THANK YOU 🩵

[hillofthehank]

it sounds like you really like the souphanousinphone family. what's you're favorite thing about them? (i think connie is well written for a child character tbh all the kids are)

Season 4 Episode 7 "Happy Hank's Giving"

I love this ask so much! Well I relate to them kinda culturally (I'm not Laotian but am still Asian) and I really like that dynamic in koth, especially since they are some of the only major poc characters. I also just find Minh hilarious and absolutely adore every scene she is in. She has some of my all time favourite jokes in the series (ex. "Good luck, Peggy Hill. Goodbye" from season 1 episode 9 "Peggy the Boggle Champ"). I agree with you about Connie and like seeing that she isn't a one dimensional smart kid and has flaws and changes throughout the show. She has her own wants and desires separate from Bobby and her family and she is well fleshed out, as is the whole family! And when it comes down to it, that is the major draw of the Souphanousinphones for me. They aren't one-joke stereotypes to make fun of Asian people (though some stuff is to be desired) and feel like real people with interesting stories. In particular, I think Kahn centred episodes tend to be well balanced in terms of emotion and comedy with interesting themes (season 10 episode 6 "Orange You Sad I Did Say Banana?" for example) and all three of the Souphanousinphones have their own desires and interests. Wow I could go on about this forever, but yeah basically my favourite things about them is that they are fleshed out. I grew up a lot on The Simpsons and growing up and realising that, although Apu has spotlight episodes, he is never really a character a lot of the time. A lot of his appearances hinge on the jokes they can make about him being Indian (even in his spotlight episodes). And while I do think there are jokes like that about the Souphanousinphones in King of the Hill, I think that barely scratches the surface of how the Souphanousinphones are portrayed. Thank you so much for the ask, and sorry for this reading assignment!

And btw I still love The Simpsons, no shade to them. Tbh that is probably the show I know the absolute most about.

[yume-x-hanabi]

4, 6, 12, 19 please tell us about Minah, 27, 30, 37, 49, 61 and 65 for Concubinage, and 74

4. How do you choose which fics to write?

ig it depends on how obsessed my brain is with the random plot bunnies hopping around in my head? When I start thinking up narration sentences, that's when I know a particular idea wants to be written. Doesn't mean I always do it, though (in an ideal world with infinite free time, maybe...)

6. What’s the last line you wrote?

I haven't written in so long I don't even remember 😭

Looking at one of my latest wips, probably this one because it's incomplete lmao:

The room was as dingy as the rest of the inn and smelled vaguely of stale tobacco, but at least the bed was soft and the sheets were clean. He collapsed on the bed with a sigh of relief, head swimming from all the

(wtf was I trying to say? it's a mystery 🤷‍♀️)

12. Do you outline your fics?  If yes, how detailed are your outlines?  How far do you stray from them?

Usually not, and then it comes to bite me in the ass when it's ten months since I plotted the idea and I don't remember what I was planning to do 😅

There's one fic that's an exception cuz it's a fusion AU type of thing so I'm planning carefully how it follows (or not) the original's plot. Well, idk if I'll actually write the fic actually, maybe in this case the outline will be all there is, as a fun exercise for myself XD

19. Do you enjoy creating OCs or do you prefer to stick solely to canon characters?

I love creating OCs, but like, they need a purpose. An OC just for the sake of having an OC or self-insert isn't my kind of thing (no shade to those who do, I'm just not wired that way), but depending on the story I might need to flesh out a supporting cast. And I love it when they slowly take life and develop.

Minah was a really fun case because she was supposed to be a kind of "throwaway" role, only there for a scene or two. She wasn't even planned like she turned out to be (I originally imagined her younger, for example). But then she... just happened lol. Within a few lines of her dialogue I was in love with her and she was just so fun to write, in a way she wormed her way into a bigger role than intended and I'm really glad she did because it works out so well in so many ways. Funny how things go sometimes 😂

honestly my OCs often end up surprising me in one way or another haha. rare are those who stick to the plan

(rest under cut cuz it's getting long)

27. What area of writing do you feel strongest in?

Battle scenes, apparently 8)

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

I actually... don't edit that much 😅

ig in a way I edit in my head before I write? I've always been like that tbh, even at school--what I write down (whether fic, essay, translation...) is often very close to the final version. Of course I go over it a couple times once I'm done and tweak a few things here and there, but it's usually minor stuff. Sometimes I end up redoing entire scenes/chapters because I feel something's not working, but it's rather rare when it happens.

37. What fic has been the hardest for you to write?

Probably Fractured Lives? There's a reason it's only gotten five updates in nine years so far. I have to be in a very specific mood to write it, which doesn't happen often. A pity, cuz I liked the concept...

49. What fic of yours would you say is the best introduction to you as a writer?

I'd say The Best Laid Plans. It's got my particular brand of humor, and also some kickass battle scenes :p

Another one would be Strong Currents, cuz worldbuilding (plus getting Gaius and Wingul to have emotional talks lolol)

61. In Concubinage, what’s your favorite scene that you wrote?

Probably Lin and Arst's first kiss. It's such a significant moment<3

65. If you wrote a sequel to Concubinage, what would happen in it?

I am actually vaguely planning a sequel if I can finish it. Basically it'd be the events/plot of the game, but with all the changes in settings brought about by the events of Concubinage. I'll have to think carefully about what will change, what will stay the same, and what will be a slightly different spin on things that'll still happen. I think the main difficulty will be to juggle Milla's journey with Gaius&Wingul being the main characters without them overtaking the plot. And also how close or different it should be to canon...

74. Do you have a fic you wish got a bit more love?

Among my least kudosed ones, I'd say Chaos in the Ballroom (my Tales Big Bang fic). I know it's a bit different from my usual stuff, and relies heavily on knowledge about Agria's side story, but I put a lot of thought in that one.

[gayspock]

for the reverse unpopular opinion meme: what do you like abt bsg

its actually surprisingly soooo hard for me to find one thing i like abt bsg, or think of one single episode tht i like for bsg, not hard to think of a fave character though im a sharon fan to the grave. and i KNOW this is meant tobe posi- but its genuinely hard, bc i feel like...

the thing is, i dont think theres any single "element" of bsg that's unanimously GOOD. stay with me... i think like- theres some insanelygood characters. for all my clowning on gaius, i do think hes like- incredibly well done, incredibly well acted, and incredibly well written. his self-entitlement is so- so fucking realistic. it aches to watch him bc its verging on fucking ridiculous but no, no i KNOW guys would do that and most especially guys like him whove convinced themselves theyre special... and its like- good for the show for striking that balance, bc they do temper it so FUCKING WELL with him being laughably pathetic, but not holding back the punches with the heinous shit he does. i feel like lesser shows would either villify him completely or make him some sort of tragic figure- but no, hes just well done.

but ironically theres also so many OTHER characters ive found lacking like... tom zarek is the obvious one that comes to mind where hes the polar opposite of like "god i think this character could be done so well if you just- got it down better!!!" and THE SAME HAPPENS ELSEWHERE. i think they can do insane political drama- so fucking good- the pegasus arc in s2, for example, and tbh anything within the actual military side is really well done. BUT then there's so many shortcomings elsewhere within the show- like within the civilian side, ive found a lot of THOSE political-adjacent plots severely lacklustre AND LIKE-

MY POINT IS I KNOW IM BEING #POSITIVE HERE I SERIOUSLY LIKE THISSHOW OMG its like... i just think its like got so much solid, well done work running all the way through it that no matter how much OTHER stuff is a bit undercooked there's always something so good too offer. i havent ereally experienced a major lull in the show. the pacing is always fucking brilliant imo and its like my attention is always held and im always wanting to see what happens. so even when there is shit like, i.e right ow theres the love square bs that i dont care about, theres so much other good well done shit going on that im actuallyyyy crazzyyy forrrrrrrrrrrr i dont even CARE