#c gives advice

[hide-in-imagination]

Hiiii <3 I love your fanfics, okay "love" is a very weak word, I'm literally obsessed with your ff. That's why I want to ask, I've been thinking for a long time about the fact that I'd also like to write a fanfic about Ámbar and Simón, because I'm not okay and in my free time I think about different situations that could have happened between them behind the scenes. I tried to write something, but either it was very short and by that I mean extra short, or I ended up thinking that it was horrible and decided to delete it, so to get to the whole question, how did you start writing fanfics and how do you do it in general that your stories are always soooo perfect? Do you have any advice for people like me who want to start writing? Aaaaanndddd one more time, I really adore your work, please keep doing what you're doing, every time I get a notification that you've released some update both here and on ao3, I'm like a little girl who was allowed by her mom to buy candy, I mean, it always makes my day 1000% better 💞🩷❤️💜

Hi!!! Oh my god, you're so sweet, thank you 🥹🥹 ❤️❤️

I'm so honored that you would ask me for advice. I'll do my best, but, honestly? I'm my number one critic! I don't feel like I have the right to be advising anyone kdsjs. You say my stories are perfect but I don't believe that. I'm constantly frustrated by my lack of ability and depressed when I compare myself to my favorite fanfic authors.

But this leads us to our first lesson: You will always find someone who likes what you do. So don't worry too much about your first fics being too short or not being good enough. They're your first creations! You'll grow from there! And someone will like it. I mean, look at my first drabbles! They were- what? 300 words long? That's very short, but people liked them!

How did I start writing fanfics? I just did. I got an idea and I started writing it just because I thought it was fun. That idea was 'What If'. Hell, the whole concept was in the title, I'm not that creative 😂 And it wasn't supposed to be more than a fun oneshot! But then I thought "What could happen after that?" and I got more fun ideas, and people were asking for more anyway, so I wrote them.

Now. While I don't regret it by any means, because, as I said, you gotta start from somewhere and it was fun at the time... I do wish I had taken more time to think things through. If anyone's ever wondered why I used to write fast and now it takes me months, it's because now I worry about a 100 different things I did not think about when I first started. I usually just wrote the first thing that came to my head. And again, it was fun! People loved it! But, there is sooo much that I learned later. So many things that could've helped me make a better narration. So many things that I wouldn't have to go back to and change years later if I had taken the time to consider them the first time around.

So. For the sake of helping you and any other person who might want some advice, here are some things I would encourage anyone to do or don't do when writing a fanfic.

No matter what anyone tells you, there is nothing wrong with using the verb "Say." "He said, she said, they said"-- It's fine. You don't need to use a different verb every time. Different verbs are a great help when you want to add an specific edge to it. For example, if you say "he spat" the words, that immediately implies he was angry. You could also say "He said angrily" and it would convey the same message, but "growled" or "hissed" or "snapped" add a different image to it. It's all about preference and nothing is right or wrong.

Having said that- Don't ever use the word 'orbs'. Never. Please just say 'eyes' sdkfs.

Don't use the phrase "their tongues battled for dominance" because it's a fanfic meme by this point 😂 (I didn't know this when I started and I wish I had! I'm sure I used it somewhere 😂)

Similar to the whole 'Say' debacle, there's nothing wrong with repeating words if the context calls for it! For example, if it's a hot scene, you can use 'moan' more than once, there's no need to look for 8 different synonyms. (Sorry for the example, it was the first that came to mind skdf)

(Actually, I might have a whole list of Dos and Don'ts specifically for smut scenes, but I won't go into that kjsn)

Try to keep all the five senses in mind: sight, smell, touch, hearing, and taste. This is something I personally struggle with a lot, I forget most of them knsf. This does not mean that you need to mention all of them in every single scene, jesus no, that would be too much 😂 Personally, it just helps me when I want to add more to an scene. I think of what sense I haven't mentioned yet and go with one that fits.

Sometimes less is more! Don't worry if your writing style isn't as detailed or flowery as others you've seen before. Some people thrive describing settings, for example, and they might write 3 full paragraphs about the exact shade of the leaves on the trees and what kind of trees they are and how the sky looked and what the wind tasted like. If that's not you? It's okay! Sometimes, just saying "they were at a park with lots of greenery" it's enough. Hell, you could just say "they were at a park" and let people imagine it! Don't force yourself and just write what makes sense to you <3

It's okay to repeat characters' names! This is also something I wish I knew right away. Don't say "the Italian and the mexican" just say "Matteo and Simón". Same thing with "the brunette" or "the blonde". Those are fine sometimes, but I try not to use them either. "Girl," "boy", "woman," and the like are fine too sometimes.

Play with subtlety and try to make it feel human. AKA: try to avoid the melodrama. I've unknowingly fallen into it before so I know that it's hard. Hell- some people like it! And if you do, by all means, go ahead, I can assure you you'll find readers who love it. But if you want to avoid it, like me, just... try to avoid anything that sounds like it could be on Wattpad?? LJDKSF I don't even know how to explain this😂 The only example I can come up with is that, if someone is sad, they don't need to fall to the floor sobbing. How many people do you know that do that? Reserve any big displays of emotions only for huge emotional blows (Someone died, someone is dying, huge betrayal, someone is or could be sent to jail and it's innocent, apocalypse AU, stuff like that).

Also, try to avoid anyone being 100% right or 100% wrong. Real life isn't like Disney. People usually have reasons why they think or act a certain way. A girl might start acting cold to her boyfriend because she thinks he doesn't love her anymore. The boy might be confused and hurt by this because he does love her. If they talk about it, it would be wrong of the guy to just say "Well, you're wrong, I do love you" and leave it at that. We should focus on why the girl thought that. The girl might be "wrong", but feelings are never wrong; they just are. (And she should've talked to him instead of acting cold, they were both wrong in this scenario. See? No one's 100% right)

Personally, I see scenes in my head as if it were a movie or an episode and I describe in words what I see the actors do. That might help you or it might not-- Everyone is different! For thoughts, I just go with what I imagine they might be feeling based on what I know of the characters. Sometimes I have to reign myself in and not make them too self-aware though 😂 They haven't watched all the youtube videos on human psychology and couple's therapy that I have! 😂

That's another thing that might help you! Especially if you'll be writing romantic stories. I was first introduced to the concept of Couples Therapy because of this duo of therapists. They have some YouTube videos and a Podcast on Spotify if you wanna give it a listen. Recently, I've been watching a looot of Cinema Therapy. I totally recommend them! They're very fun and I always find something I can relate to Simbar bc I'm insane

Of course, I research so much because I don't have any personal experience, but if you do, draw from that! Whoever said that you shouldn't put your own stuff onto the characters is a liar! Simón talking about what he missed about México? I was thinking about what I missed while I was away from my own country. Ámbar not knowing that bowling balls have different weights? Literally happened to me- I wanted the blue one! The important thing is to keep in mind what the character is like and not just force your own beliefs on them. For example, I hate Luna with a burning passion, but I don't make the characters hate her too because I know that's not them. My friend Chiara has asked me multiple times why I haven't just killed Luna off in a fanfic. My answer is always the same: Simón would be so sad!!

You can also draw from experiences your friends told you about, or something that happened to your family, or you can read people's experiences on Reddit-- Anything works!

And since we're on the topic, I think one of the things that have helped me the most is just: Read. If you want to write, you have to read, that's just how it works. It helps you a lot to discover what kind of narration you like, what kind of narration you don't like, what phrases you like, what words you like. You can start analyzing what this specific author does so well that makes you love their stories. You can start realizing "Oh, I was liking this so much until they wrote that, I better not do the same thing." It's not about copying word for word, it's about trying to capture the essence and then shaping it onto your own style. (But C, what's my style? What is a style? I don't know! I don't even know what my own style is but I'm sure I have one. If you have your own brain, you have your own style, it's that simple. Everyone thinks differently after all!)

Lastly, but very important in my opinion, once you've written something: Check your spellings and grammar. There's this cool Chrome extension called "Grammarly" that I always use. I didn't know it when I first started and now it's a life saver!

This is all I can think at the moment. I'm sure there's more advice that could help, and I'm sure I'm not a paragon of wisdom, so, I invite you to google writing tips if you like, or you can search for that tag here on Tumblr too if you want some more profesional insights.

My main message to you is to just enjoy the love you have for these characters and let it inspire you. Fantasizing about your favorite ship is very fun! Let that fun be your guide ❤️

Lots of love, Anon. I hope you have a great week^^

[cocksley-and-catapult]

Am i allowed to put something long in your ask box or would that be annoying

[cent-scratchnsniff]

reread tiphs dialog recently. i love them lots

[thevegetablewhichnoonedaresname]

I also kind of dig how they're splitting up the crew in season 4. I love having everybody together but by now everyone's been around long enough that it feels appropriate to see how they work in pairs. I really liked seeing C-53 and AJ, C-53 and Dar, Dar and Pleck, Nermut and Bargie, AJ and Nermut, Bargie and C-53, the list goes on--everyone has great chemistry so you could literally draw any two random characters out of a hat and I'd be excited to see what shenanigans they get up to.

[pixelatedraindrops]

Nurse Pixel: I'm going to examine you!

Kazin: ...Eh!?

Usually if friends of mine are not feeling well or are sick I send them my best wishes and they get better in the next few days. (or they tell me their symptoms and I get inspired by it somehow lol)

But with Kazin, I found out she's had bloating and stomachaches for almost a year multiple times a month and hasn’t gotten any better. She didn't seem to know what was wrong with her.

So I did a full examination. (aka asking questions and taking a guess from my knowledge)

My final diagnosis: She has IBS-C

...and yet she probably still won't resist the urges to fill herself with caffeine and junkfood... xD

(your funeral bestie haha i tried)

but yeah I doodled our lil’ sonas for funsies

I gave hers a coffee color scheme ☕

[distinguishablesong]

sometimes in particularly precarious situations i pull out my inner cpunz, ctechno, and cdream

i will be in a dire situation and cdream pulls up in my head and tells me to exile a child

i will be hanging out with toxic people for me and ctechno will tell me to spawn withers

i will be in a situation that calls for me to pretend to hate my friend so i can dig up more information for said friend and cpunz will tell me to put the friend in a big box prison named pandora's vault and let them be tortured

[fareehaandspaniards]

Check out my fight with Malenia. Defeated her today and you may say GIT GUD but I am proud!!

DLC is coming!

[mentally-spiraling]

ok google how do i get over the anxious feeling of talking to my friends and convince myself that they don't find me annoying whenever i do interact with them

[drop--pop--candy]

feeling a lot like ichika in that one 4koma rn

[vampyr3wife]

how would you describe your style? where do you recommend shopping?

I have a hard time describing or labeling my style honestly , I’ve always flip flopped between cutesy n creepy ! I think the best way to describe my style is morute (morbid + cute!) I personally like shopping second hand online / thrifting the best, I can find rlly sweet n unique pieces that way n it’s also more affordable c:

[v-akarai]

“everything that moved mother to do things she did was that person’s plan”

okay HOW??

[radioprune]

really fucking unhelpful google docs

[cats-of-eden-valley]

ADHD strikes again with oddly specific thoughts! I've been falling down rabbit hole after rabbit hole today, and thus I have more questions 😅

1) What kind of natural disasters occur in the Valley? Like, do Goldspring get earthquakes due to their volcanic terrain, or do Coldbank or Bogden experience flash flooding? How do the Prides deal with that kinda stuff? Are there any areas prone to hazards (such as areas prone to landslides, or places with a lot of dangerous animals)?

2) Are there any myths/folklore regarding natural disasters? Sorry if this question is too spoiler-y!

3) I'm not sure if you've answered this before, but what is the terrain/climate like outside of the Valley? I follow so many similar concepts that it's all starting to mix lmao

4) What kinds of pollinators live in the Valley? Are they more similar to bees, or things like butterflies or birds?

5) Do the cats have a symbiotic relationship with any other animals? I've been researching the relationship between wolves and ravens for a while now and the question just popped into my head.

6) Are there any carnivorous plants in the Valley? Because the idea of someone getting eaten by an enormous plant is both horrifying and kinda funny.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love this project, and it's rare that something like this gives me such insistent brainworms. But, I'm happy - it might even be developing into a hyperfix!

As always, no pressure to respond! I'm content just yelling into the void.

(Also, I don't know is it okay to ask for advice here, especially for my own writing, and I would appreciate knowing-) (/gen)

Have a good day/night! (Sorry if I'm becoming annoying lol)

-🦇

The reason this took me so long is because this post is longer than the colour of the sky. see you in hell (affectionate) o7

1.

Lots! Most earthquakes are little rumbles, but of more note are the seasons. Eden Valley has two: Rain and Fire

During monsoon season, the river gets muchhh bigger. When water levels rise, while it does eat up a lot of land space, there are several "living islands" of matted vegetation which float with the water while remaining tethered to the bottom. Flooding is typically pretty predictable, and never passes certain levels.

Once monsoon season ends, fire season begins. And I do mean Fire Season. You know how all the leaves drop for dry season? The flora here doesn't even bother, it's evolved to just let it get burnt away (or sheathing leaves for the season). Bogden and Goldspring both retreat up the cliffs into stone holts to let the burn go by, and live there for the season for subsequent burns (caused by the mushrooms that grow stupid fast off all the ash)

And then you have everything else, like landslides, Many dangerous animals (have you seen the croc-snake), storms, droughts, but like we'll be here all night if i keep going

2.

Dunno if it counts, but it's common belief among the prides that the Moons reached down and scooped out a divot in the mountains for cats to escape the burning eye of Hiverne

There is also currently a rumour that has been bouncing around among the outsiders about some apocalyptic change, which can only be escaped by travelling west, but like. That's nothing to worry about, nothing can harm the prides in their cozy, impenetrable little valley :)

3.

So, as far as the cats know, Eden Valley is nestled in the middle of a mountain range, with uncrossable deserts on one side and endless mountains on the other (with the occasional claim that, if you go far enough into the mountains, you'll see something vast and blue far in the distance)

The prides ignore the outside world and like to believe they live in the only oasis of life left in the world, which they believe was scorched and destroyed by Hiverne. Obviously this isn't true, because Windswept aren't even from this region, but y'know.

4.

I haven't thought much about pollinators cus I've been hemming and hawing about the existence of flowers in the Valley (because im a baby that doesn't want to learn to draw them)

But now I'm kinda thinking about the role that mushrooms play in the Valley, where they actually thrive in hot and dry conditions (vs the fungi we know preferring cool and wet) and grow like nuts during the Sleeping Year, and maybe they make?? Mushroom flowers? I just like the idea of applying "here i have this tasty treat for you in exchange for you taking my junk gunk to some other guy" to mushrooms and then making that system easier to draw

5.

Nothing like. Specifically. I need to do more research so I can really start hammering out the relationship the cats have to the rest of the ecosystem, but the only thing I'm capable of reading at the moment are research paper #3453239 about felidae evolution

It will be a thing, though!

6.

There are but the great thing about plants is that they don't move much, so the cats know where they all are.

Hell, maybe that's your mutualistic relationship: the cats have learned that the sticky traps close if you place small prey sacrifices into them, allowing them to safely harvest nectar. Or something. Then spread that pollen babey (and get good, good nectar, tastless yet thick and soothing to the throat)

[crxwnedalex]

More OT!Discduo cottage core shenanigans

<Tommy building a tree house for no reason and enlisting forcing the help of Dream to build it>

"Hey, can you gather more wood, the stash's empty." The younger blond asks as he closes the double chest.

"How is the wood already used up? what have you been doing with it?" Dream pops out of the stove oven, turning his upper torso to face Tommy as he questions him.

"Well i'm building a tree house and also, what are you doing?" Tommy replies before skating across the uneven floor to dig into the cupboards for a snack.

"I'm fixing this hunk'a'junk, won't turn on." Dream added to this by knocking on the side of the stove's white exterior.

"Did'ya try using gas?" Tommy asked absentmindedly, pulling out a stored apple and looking over it in distaste.

This made Dream freeze, "Oh, didn't think of that." He crawled out fully from inside the oven, green hoodie covered in light gray ash.

"I feel like that would be the first thing you think about." Tommy pointed out, shrugging after inspecting and biting into the apple. Dream dusted his hands and patted the top of the stove, sighing.

"Well, I was busy helping the village after someone almost burned it down with glitter, so it might have slipped my mind, yeah." Dream replied, looking pointedly at an unbothered Tommy who spat out apple skin. Dream recoiled as Tommy continued eating the apple and spitting out skin like a toddler.

"Did you wash that?-" Dream askes, pointing towards the apple. Tommy freezes, mid-bite, like a deer in headlights before slowly continuing, still staring into dreams soul.

"Anyyyways, why did you decide to build a tree house, and out of the wood I gathered?" Tommy then returns to normal, shrugging and spitting out apple skin.

"It's simple really, I saw a cool tree, I saw the money-making vision, and I went for it." Tommy says matter-of-factly.

"Great." Dream doesnt even try to argue that there is no money to be made out of it, but knows that Tommy wont change his mind.

"Also, you're helping."

"What, no i'm not!"

Tommy spits out Apple skin.

"Of course you are!" Tommy randomly throws the half-eaten apple behind him, and it clips into the backrooms or something because where the fuck did it go. He then pulls out a wooden axe and an iron axe.

"Here ya go!" He gives Dream the wooden one.

"This is literally falling apart; you suck at making tools."

"oh, fuck you."

[dream-sans-mogai]

Anyway, because I'm considered a bigger creator within the mogai community and I have a responsibility to address things given my bigger audience-

Please remember that Tumblr, especially LGBT Tumblr concerning discourse and intracommunity issues, is a hyper niche, reactive, violent, sensitive community with next to zero basis in reality at large and you should not take any of its opinions as absolute fact. Especially the mogai community's opinions.

A lot of people on mogai Tumblr talk big game with very clearly fake the-whole-bus-clapped stories about the real world concerning acceptance towards mspec monos, Neopronouns and Xenogenders and it's my job as an adult and guiding voice to remind people these experiences may happen but rarely do and you absolutely should not just tell random people you use purr/purrs pronouns or your a bi gaybian or you identify as Chronosian or other things like that because it's really fucking dangerous even in hyper progressive places like new york, cali and Detroit. It can be deadly in many many small towns, including ones in progressive states. Especially dangerous in non accepting states.

I don't say this to burst your bubble or ruin your hopeful world view but many stories of acceptance are fake, even if some are true, most of the community is underage and just cause your teacher may approve of your Soniccharic identity, doesn't mean they won't tell your transphobic parents. It's scary and dangerous out here for trans and gay people rn and I won't be one of the idiots who tell you to run and frolic with your Xenogender pins Infront of increasingly hostile transphobes. I want the younger gen z trans people to survive and I won't lie to you about the reality of the battle we all are staring down concerning project 2025.

Most of the people telling these stories live in progressive states and do not tell you about the failed times or exaggerate the acceptance they supposedly received. I'm telling you from the mouth of someone who grew up in a tiny town in South Ohio with less than 1,000 people, it's still just as dangerous as it was 10 years ago. I still get followed in my home town. I still get stares in my home town. My actual home town, a place I grew up in where people knew me as the gnc dyke for a good while in my last 2 years of school. Do not spread this shit around to everyone. Nex didn't think they would become a victim, Brianna didn't think she would be one of the unlucky ones, plenty of those we've lost did not think they would die in hate crimes. I almost died in two of the hate crimes I've experienced.

You need to be really fucking careful and although I love than Neopronouns and Xenogenders are becoming more accepted by the larger LGBT community, you need to be very very VERY careful about what you do, what you wear and who you tell what because word spreads fast in suburbia and hate spreads faster. You do not want to be wearing a pin the day some white cishet magat decides he's tired of the "pedophiles" and chooses you as the first victim because you were the first he saw. Don't hide who you are but Be. Fucking. Careful.

[apatheticanachronism]

I'11 never understand why there are prebans here giiviing quadrant advice. ☸ar why any☸ne thinks it's a g☸☸d idea t☸ listen t☸ 'em.