#character study? idk if it is i've never done 1 before

[sd2006]

Finally watched Clone High and you'll never guess who my favourite character is!

It's Gandhi!

Na it's JFK! But Gandhi is close second though, he has a special place in my heart as a fellow ADD/ADHD person.

[quaranmine]

How do you go about writing mysteries? Like how your firewatch one has its slow drip of discoveries and backstories and stuff. I keep getting totally lost, cuz I already know my endings, and keep forgetting the audience doesnt and shouldnt know the same. Mysteries are fun. They are also the hardest thing ive ever tried to write.

Honestly, mysteries are SO hard. I don't really know how to write them well either. And your ask honestly surprised me some, because up until this point I have never really considered my AU to succeed as a mystery. There is some legitimate mystery in the story (as to where Mumbo is) but, as it becomes clear in chapter 10 I think, most of the things about the Forest Service, Grian's conspiratorial thinking, and finding someone to blame are just set dressing. Or, to give myself more credit, more character study than reality. Something I've had written in the outline since day one is "Is this a mystery, or is Grian just convinced it's a mystery?" Half of the mystery in the story is finding out what actually happened, and half of the mystery is actually just a character study on Grian's grief and thought processes.

I going to put the rest under a cut, it gets kind of long. I can probably talk about my AU forever honestly. And if anyone reading this isn't caught up to at least chapter 10 this will spoil things:

But anyway. I think the best advice I have is to work backwards. You say you already know your ending so it seems like you're doing that already. I knew from the moment I started working on the story how it was going to end, so working backwards from that is a matter of arranging things to be in the places you want them. Having a complete outline also helps because that's what helped me create that "slow drip of discoveries and backstories" because I wanted to reveal things at a relatively steady pace. As for forgetting that your audience doesn't know things...idk I just try to focus super hard on what has/hasn't been revealed and where everybody's povs are. I think that just becomes a learned thing. I don't just know more than the audience, I know more than all the characters too, and I have to make sure they all operate on exactly what they currently know. I think rereading your already-done work as you go helps to refresh you on this.

Another hard thing about mysteries is like....trusting the audience to make connections. I think that I often overplay my hand and spell things out because I am inexperienced in knowing where to draw the line. For this AU, I didn't really intend it to have any big twist ending. I wanted the truth to be telegraphed as the audience uses their own logic to realize that Grian's POV is biased. And even though I haven't released chapter 11 and 12 yet, I....think I succeeded? Based on the difference in comments from chapter 1 to chapter 10, I think most of my readers are where I want them to be. But I didn't know that until I actually released the chapters. Anyway, I think the surprise is less about what the answer is and more about how it all goes down.

In terms of backstories, Firewatch AU has an almost parallel "before" section. There is never a "flashback" to before Mumbo disappeared. The first scene of the story is the ground zero and we never go before that. So the timeline of the story is always "contained" despite skipping around sometimes? Over the course of the fic I slowly introduce scenes that eventually lead us into exactly how Grian got here in the present-day plot. Pretty much all the "before" sections emphasize one way or another that Grian has been struggling.

I guess I can summarize my intentions with the chapters? There's a specific structure to them and their purpose (if I could help it.) Sometimes I feel like I have this story structured within an inch of its life, which is one reason that I have been able to post as I go without needing to make any retroactive changes to already done chapters.

Chapter one: establishes the central problem in the story, introduces the main characters to each other, and introduces Grian's goals. Honestly, I think this is a great first chapter since it introduces everything it needs to. It swaps time periods more than any other one but that is because I specifically modeled it to reflect the intro of the game Firewatch.

Chapter two: introduces fire as a major plot element, and serves as character development and relationship development between Scar and Grian. Also introduces more of Grian's grief, his thoughts about search and rescue, and specifically (vitally, to the plot) allows Scar see just a glimpse of what's happening with Grian that Grian isn't telling him.

Chapter three: mostly vital character development (especially for Scar) and relationship development; I've got to set them up as becoming friends before the big stuff kicks in. also, fire lookout knowledge!

Chapter four: first big clue (found by chance, not by Grian, which sort of emphasizes the idea of things being out of anyone's control that comes up in the narrative a lot.) Bigger spotlight on Grian's emotions (understatement of the year.) Scar gets officially looped into the Real Story. From this point on the plot progresses relatively regularly.

Chapter five: more character development, and another backstory hint about Scar. also, now that Scar is looped in, he gets to contribute information to the plot by bringing the newest clue (that builds off the information revealed in chapter four) (hey grian, it turns out when you communicate to people they can assist you)

Chapter six: this chapter is mostly a flashback section, which i wanted to avoid in chapters but IIRC it was simply too long to include with chapter five. This section with Pearl serves to emphasize a few different self-destructive tendencies Grian has (isolation, his living space, his financial situation, etc.) And finally, more information Scar gives him since he has contacts from working there so long. Also, from here on out Grian's conspiratorial thinking grows.

-> side note, one part of this story being a mystery that was difficult was that like. without internet research being available in the 80s, most "detective" actions would naturally involve talking to people, interviewing, looking at documents, etc. but since grian is Alone, in the middle of the Wilderness, he has none of that. it's, uh, difficult to introduce clues when the main character has little ability to find them. I had to sit down and be like, realistically HOW can he solve this without just wandering around in the woods endlessly? It's not a fun story if all he does is hike around the forest. In the game Firewatch, that sort of worked, but that's because you're controlling Henry. It doesn't translate well to reading. But with Grian entirely on his own, exploring the forest is the only "tool" he has. So Scar is a useful addition since he actually knows people to talk to that Grian doesn't and can move things forward by bringing more information to the table. But I have to proceed carefully to ensure he isn't just a deus ex machina for any hard parts of the plot. Scar talking to someone off-screen can't solve every problem in the story or else it's a bad story.

Chapter seven: some conflict/roadblocks introduced, because Scar cannot just endlessly poke around and find information without repercussions. also, the govt loooooves to make information available only to specific people. you can and will get slapped on the wrist if you consistently overstep the boundaries of your job. also, i need Grian to contribue his own piece to solving the mystery without Scar, so with his boots-on-the ground he finds the trail Mumbo took to get to from point A to point B. He gets a dangerous idea that will later escalate the plot closer to the climax, since we're officially in the second half of the story. There's a flashback that is purposefully the first part of the story so far to have someone outright state they think Mumbo is dead (and of course it's Jimmy.) Ends with more character development for Scar.

Chapter eight: WOOOO SCAR CHAPTER! but not before some egregiously obvious foreshadowing and a distinct reminder that this is a story about fire. i break from my deep character pov for the first time just to give the readers some scientific and historical background. we finally learn more about Scar, which should in theory retroactively piece together why he specifically wants to help Grian so much: because he sees his own experiences reflected in what Grian is living through now. also, since so much of this story is Grian isolating himself and pushing help away, it is vital for him to be shown someone else Does understand him

Chapter nine: beginning of the end pt 1 of 3. we re-center fire as a risk in the story again. grian commits a few crimes, because his main motivation this whole time has been information. and he simply can't get that information sitting in a tower by himself in the woods. he is desperate to find puzzle pieces to slot together so that everything makes sense. this is also the height of his conspiratorial thinking and there's a big disconnect between how he views other people, and their actual actions. I initially didn't want the story to "leave" its main setting, I wanted it to be a bottle. But that just didn't work in practice when plotting this out.

Chapter ten: beginning of the end pt 2 of 3, and we bring the flashback scenes full circle by including grian's decision to become a lookout in the same chapter we learns he gets fired. a somewhat anti-climactic reveal of there not being all that much conspirarcy to Mumbo's disappearance, in a way that hopefully is not disappointing since hopefully everyone reading realizes Why grian was convinced of this and Why he's wrong. woooo fire again! the return of the mystical bike location that was introduced early in the plot! grian finally being forced to reckon with things he's been avoiding thinking about all story! a fallout between our beloved main characters at the 11th hour!

Chapter eleven and twelve: ???? coming soon but you can guarantee they'll deal with the loose ends here since this story is standalone in its plot

So, idk if that type of analytical breakdown is useful to you. But you can kind of see how my plot was guided by the constraints on my narrative--a lot of my choices involved either needing different characters to help grian, or needing grian to go somewhere else. but i constantly wanted to make sure that it made sense for Scar to help Grian, that Scar never overstepped his place in the narrative by being "all-knowing", and that all of Grian's decisions are driven, even to the point of Problems, by his grief. Also, to kickstart the plot, I needed at least one major shake-up to happen (in this story, finding the bike) or else Grian probably would have been just as doomed as everyone else to look in the wrong places. Since it's more or less a cold case, a breakthrough needed to happen to move things forward. So I suppose what I needed was: first, to know the ending I needed to get to; second, to know where I was starting; and third, to provide at least one major clue to give the characters an opportunity to unravel the rest.

Also, this is less about mysteries and more about characterization, but when writing Grian I put Mumbo at the highest priority in all situations. This means he is willing to tank his financial situation, his jobs, his relationships with his friends, and even commit crimes for Mumbo. He consistently does not consider his own future when making decisions. He's reactive and more than willing to take things to the extreme, which I think makes him honestly more fun to write about. I think his Drive pushes the story even when there's just dialogue sitting in a fire tower. One thing I never wanted to do in this story was soften characters' emotions or actions into something "easier."

anyway, this is a story about trying to find logic in places where there is none, coping badly and learning to cope, accepting support from others, grief, and finding closure <333 thank you for your ask it was very sweet to be asked for advice and hopefully SOMETHING in this essay helps <333

[rhodophoria]

ooo thank you for tagging me, @covfefeships! took quite a bit to work through this but it was fun <3

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

seven atm!

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

43,202! that's almost a whole-ass novel holy shit

3. What fandoms do you write for?

pretty much just undertale. i have to be super into something to really have the urge to write for it. there was one tiny little drabble i wrote for hazbin hotel, but that was just for me. i probably won't post any of that stuff.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

-The LVing Room (409)

-You're No White Dove (309)

-Daguerreologue (105)

-Liberosis (57)

-Hollow Hearts, Crooked Grins (45)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

sure! maybe not immediately when i read them but i try to reply to most of them (if i have the energy). i like the sense of community it fosters.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

mm, probably one of my character studies? idk i like to leave most of my stuff on a positive note. i do have some stuff upcoming in hhcg that dip a bit more into angst territory, but those are more one-shots than full-on fics.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

probably daguerreologue!

8. Do you get hate on fics?

nope

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

i do! most of what i've posted leans more heavily into rough play, with the reader character being more sub-focused. i have a few things in the works for some other kinds, though. thought i'd try my hand at a few where the reader doms. we'll see how that goes, haha

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

never written one!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

hopefully not :/ i haven't seen anything on ao3, but other sites are a whole different issue

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

no, but i'm not against it, specifically for my non-smut fics

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

i haven't, but i think i'd be open to it! no clue how well it would work out though, i'm just now easing into the idea of writing actual, plotted-out multichapter fics

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

i've never actually been that into shipping characters outside of selfship/reader insert stuff! i think the one thing that comes close for me is shakarian (and shali) from mass effect.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

considering all my active wips are for my current fandom, i'm gonna choose positivity and keep thinking i'll finish them all eventually lol

16. What are your writing strengths?

i do really like my prose. it might not be grammatically correct at times but i like the way everything flows together.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

i worry that i can dip into purple prose a bit, especially when i'm first starting out a new chapter. i have to keep reminding myself to keep it simple cause it reaches a point where it annoys even me. transitions are another thing i struggle with, i never know how to move things along

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

there's definitely a good way to do it. so long as the narration style calls for it, i usually prefer if it's translated and italicized versus having the phrase in english at the bottom of the fic. when that happens i always end up having to scroll up and try to remember which sentence went where

19. First fandom you wrote for?

oh, god.... probably hetalia? if you count roleplaying as writing in this context. if not then attack on titan. but that was back in middle school/high school and they will never see the light of day again alsjkf

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

oh man this is hard... probably no white dove! it's the first multi-chapter, semi-cohesive thing i've written and i'm hoping it'll be good practice for future projects. that and it's almost 25k (and only halfway done) and i never knew i was capable of writing so much!

i'll taggg @rhapsody-the-red, @owl-bones, and @snowcoffeee /nf!

[tyrannuspitch]

for the fic title thing:

only a monster (would bleed like this)

<3

-> send me a made-up fic title and i'll tell you what i'd write for it! (*within ten working days.)

hi hello i have not actually forgotten about this! sorry i left it almost two weeks! i've never done this game before, and title-then-plot is the opposite of my usual creative process, so i found it surprisingly hard. so... unfortunately i still only sort of have an answer. prepare for a lot of maybes and vagueness and vibes.

here's what i originally started writing (which is okay analysis, but sits strictly within canon, and on its own would only produce maybe 400 words of character study, which even by my standards is not quite "a fic"):

okay i had to chew on this one a little because i have so many favourite characters with guilt complexes... but i think this one works best for loki. i feel like the core idea for loki re: this phrase is like... how guilt makes him worse. how seeing himself as a monster is a self-fulfilling prophecy. how he tries to "atone" for violence with even worse violence because his moral compass is just absolutely fucked. this is all especially relevant to thor 1. but also, beyond all this, it's fun to explore how the guilt begins with things he shouldn't feel guilty for at all. like, he feels guilty for having emotions and for being born. he interprets everything about himself through the lens of "weak" or "coward" or "failure" or "monster", even when you could never reasonably expect anything else.

and the vague direction i was going with that was like... loki's fraught relationship with his body. how he does literally hate the blood in his veins.

i know it's incredibly literal, but like... IF you put that man in a situation - say, a curse - that meant he was suddenly, unexpectedly, both badly injured and jotun-looking... i think panic/self-loathing/disgust over looking jotun would win out over his already weak survival instinct, and he would have a visceral, *violent* DO NOT TOUCH ME reaction to anyone trying to help him. which would not be helped by the jotun frost-touch thing, which i maintain is not permanent... but which loki definitely doesn't know how to turn off. (but once he realises *that's* happening he might actually use it to try and drive people (okay, thor) away and prove his ~monsterhood~... and he might miscalculate and do more severe damage than he intended to.)

however... it is bothering me quite a lot, given the prompt, that i can't work out how to fit the guilt-for-not-being-worse thing in here. we have internalised space racism, and we have regular guilt for hurting people you care about, but where is the rancid ideology... where is the deliberate harm to others... where is the *coldness*...

but maybe that's a problem to work out if and only if i actually decided to write the damn thing. maybe it would solve itself if i found some context to put it in. idk. hmm.

ANYWAY. that's as far as i got. started making it, had a breakdown, bon appetit?

[olivieraa]

its gotten to the point where this word is basically slang since everyone uses it, but it reminds me of ocd as well since everyone uses ocd to describe being quirky or neat or somewhat clean, but "hyperfocused" is a word that's so attached to my being, that it irks me beyond belief when I see people describe their hyperfixation or whatever on something fucking stupid in which they really could just use the word "focused"

hyperfixation is absolutely integral to my ocd. its one of the main things I cant control.

the best way I can put it is someone being lazy and so they decide to procrastinate, do literally anything other than what they're supposed to be doing. and they just cant bring themselves to do the thing. they continuously nope out of it even when they sit their asses down to do the thing and then they're like "ah I need to go to the store for toothpaste!"

I have a fear of hyperfocusing on something bc then that's it. I'm glued to that till I'm finished/its over/its done, whatever it may be. could take days, or weeks, or months.

it has screwed me up in school, in jobs, in college, even just being online.

I used to love watching AMV's when I first entered the internet. just casually watching them. until my brain realised I shouldn't just casually watch them. they should be organised and categorised. and then 3 categories became 8, and then 14, and then I had 20 playlists of AMV's based on things I cant even remember until I one day had to stop watching AMV's altogether bc I turned it into a chore. and I knew then at that point they couldn't be enjoy anymore. I couldnt just put one on for fun. I knew I'd categorise it, and want to go onto the next one, and do it to that too. so I stopped altogether and never went back. this simple fun quick thing I cut off completely.

on tumblr, I casually reblogged everything and anything on this site when If irst came on here until I realised what tumblr actually was and had to start tagging things so that they were organised on my blog. but oh no. I didn't just tag the character, the anime, and the whatever else. it got to the point where a reblogged picture of just Joey had about 18 tags. to make matters worse, I wanted my tags alphabetical, and it was during the time you couldn't rearrange the order of tags. so if I realised I was missing a tag that started with the letter c, I had to delete all the previous tags to put that c word in and then retag again. post after post after post. I got to page 100 on my blog before I panicked that I may have missed something and started again. ...and then I started again. and again. so I stopped tagging. bc I stopped going to school bc I was tagging my blog. that's all I did for days. I didn't do anything else. I was completely focused on the organisation of my blog. and so I had to stop myself from ever tagging again. my '#niece watches' tag doesnt count bc they're there mainly for blocking purposes lmao

another online example, it happened at christmas when I decided to watch attack on titan. I'd made the decision to start again from the beginning (despite having seen season one 4 times) bc my plan was to put on something I could casually watch and pause and do work and then take breaks and go back to watching and it'd be so easy.

nope. I binged 100 eps in 5 days. I went to bed at 5-6am. I couldn't stop. and I'm not even kidding, the best way I can describe it is, lets say you've the most important test of your life in 1 week. and you need to study. and you ASSUME that during your lil break times you can casually watch attack on titan, SPECIFICALLY for chosen break times, maybe once and hour, but studying is priority bc the exam is in ONE WEEK and you haven't started studying. so maybe you'll get through like, idk, maybe 7 eps a day?

episode fucking ONE hooked me in. an ep I've seen so many times. HOOKED me in. like I hadn't seen it before. I was absolutely glued to it. ep 1 ends and I'm like "oh wait I should study............ but like, its fine. I'll do one more ep and then do EXTRA study."

another ep, another ep, another ep. I got to ep 6 and was about to click 7 and was like

to my goddamn brain.

I momentarily won. I managed to do about 20 mins of study, then watched ep 7-14 in a row. still on day one. I opened a book for a total of 20 mins. so I promise myself, bc this test is so important and high priority, that I'll properly start tomorrow.

it never happened. I did nothing other than watch that show and do basic necessities. for 5 days. I had no control over this decision. its like there's another me who always wins. always wins. and she's evil. I had to finish the show before I could move on. it had to be complete.

I dont know how to get out of these moments. I remember when I went to my second ever job I told them about how it screwed me over a little in my first retail job (stocking shelves, oh but didn't those shelves need to be perfect. even if I was supposed to have been on aisle 4 or 5 by the time the managers came back to check in on me, no no I was still on aisle one perfecting aisle one. and nobody was going to ruin it for me, boss or not.)

and they told me it seemed like a good thing in the second job! but I was like "no I cant let it happen here, I cant. it gets bad."

and it happened. they put me in charge of a task and I found it hard to do anything other than perfect that task to the point that I was focusing on doing that same thing every day to keep it perfect, even when I was told to do something else.

so... yeah. they overuse of hyperfixation and hyperfocusing when people just mean "I was focused on this thing" drives me insane

crazy person rant over

[tranakin-skywalker]

20 questions for writers

Was tagged by @jaguarys. Thanks for the tag!

How many works do you have on AO3?

14 so far. technically more because I have some orphaned works too

2. What's your total AO3 wordcount?

415,200 0.o

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Primarily Star Wars rn (the brainrot is strong). I have some Harry Potter fics that I put a lot of love and work into, but I haven't been able to engage with that fandom for... obvious reasons. I've also written for Bleach, Persona 5, Venom (the movie), Our Flag Means Death, and X-Men

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Enoument (Harry Potter)

Empiricist (Harry Potter)

Cytokinesis (Star Wars)

Star-Birth (Star Wars)

Ouroboros (Harry Potter)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try to. Sometimes it takes me a while to get around to it, and when the comment is just something like "I loved it" or "great fic" I usually won't because saying thank you over and over again is, idk, kinda weird. Usually when someone writes a really in-depth comment or theorizes or asks questions I'll respond almost immediately. It's a lot easier to reply when it feels like there's a conversation, ya know?

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

This is hard to answer since most of my fics are still wips lol. I'd say as of right now it'd probably be For a Son.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Again, same problem lmao. Also I don't tend to write happy fics.

8. Do you get hate on your fic?

Not really. I've gotten a few where people would complain about not liking some of the things I did but I wouldn't really call that hate. Just entitlement.

9. Do you write smut?

I've dabbled but I haven't published anything.

10. Do you write crossovers?

Nah. I'd be open to it if the inspiration ever struck me though

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope

13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

I've tried it a few times with some friends but we never got far enough to publish anything.

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

I don't think I have one. I'm open to basically any and every ship as long as I think they way the characters play off each other is interesting and compelling.

15. What's the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Sigh. Empiricist. I really do love that fic and had so much fun working on it. But it is... massive. 200k words and I'm only about 1/4 the way through the plot I had. Plus the huge difficulty I have with writing Harry Potter now... I just don't think I'll be able to go back to it any time soon.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Honestly I have no idea. Apparently I am very good at delivering gut punches? (if anyone wants to tell me what they think my writing strengths are, I'd love to hear it.)

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Action. I don't think I'm very good at writing action at all. Also getting to the plot. I tend to get distracted by introspection and character studies and forget to the big plot points lol

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I think it works really well when used right. I really like it when you have a pov character who doesn't know the language, and you don't give the reader any translation for what is being said so that they are just as in the dark as the character.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Guardians of Ga-Hoole, back before I even knew what fanfic was. (I actually emailed the author to tell her about my silly little story that I had written myself inspired by her books. Apparently Kathryn Lasky didn't know what fanfic was either and was very confused by my email. I was like... 10 maybe?)

20. Favorite fic you've ever written?

It changes. Star-Birth is up there because of all the cool things I've done with it and plan to do. Groundwater is probably going to be a close contender though

I can't think of anyone to tag atm but I'd love for any of yall to play and tag me. I wanna see what you're all writing

[sl33py-g4m3r]

|| welcome to my blog ||

|| I post various things; but mainly these: vaporwave, synthwave, lofi, y2k liminal spaces, nostalgia, retro anime, anime, larping, and personal stuff sometimes…

I have anxiety and will talk about it sometimes; also am visually impaired and might talk about that also... Hopefully not too many personal posts but its my blog so no guarantees...

also video games I'm currently into~~~ Either actively playing or just into the series; cause you can be into a series and not play the games, right? hopefully anyway.... Love bullet hell games and dungeon crawlers to death but haven't played any~~~

currently into: Paper Mario the Thousand Year Door, Pokemon Violet, Megami Tensei, Touhou Project, Len'en Project, Mushihimesama

Lots of music as of late, as I just like sharing stuff I find~~!

Might larp someone supposedly living in The Eastern Kingdom of Mikado, much to the annoyance of everyone, or so I assume ....

I have not a form for the larp character I’ve created, just that they’re from Mikado, still unknown to myself at present whether I want them working in the monastery or as a samurai….. I’ve posted about both as of late regardless… not how to allocate their stats if I were to make stats for them….

Guess the answers to those queries will come in time….. if my creativity doth not fail me henceforth

I've accidentally created two characters through text, lol. One a new recruit darn near killed in naraku (and is still unconscious), and one whom works for the monastery whom occasionally tests to see if whatever they're trying to post actually shows up here.... and likes studying relics a bit too much so that they don't get much sleep...

i know not what story I'm trying to tell or just senselessly goofing off... hope that the characters don't use the same typing and speaking patterns that I do to pull off the illusion that it is in fact other people and not myself. no idea how successful this is at present....

and that not knowing whether they sound like me so to speak is driving me up the wall... but maybe just have fun and it doesn't matter? idk...

tries to make 1 oc through writing, accidentally makes 2.... such is the way of creativity i suppose....

…..

I hope my larping for fun isn't as bad as I personally think it is; as I've never done this before....... online at least......

The annoying dog that is anxiety barks evermore

Enjoy my wares won't you~~?? Welcome~~ !! ||

☆♥︎☆ page under construction ☆♥︎☆

[theghostofashton]

1, 3, 8, 23, and 49 :)

thank you :)

1. What fic of yours would you recommend to someone who had never read any of your work? (In other words, what do you think is the best introduction to your fics?)

oooh, for glee i'd say blood and fire, and for LS... either tell me how for a canon fic, or you saw the truth in me for an au.

3. What are some tropes or details that you think are very characteristic of your fics?

hm... i'd probably say h/c, character studies, mutual pining, slowburns, friends to lovers? i'm not really sure lol

8. What song would make a great fic (to either write or read)?

i've wanted to write a fic based off bad love by grayscale for a while now. something raw and messy and dark. i think it'd be really fun to explore that, i just haven't had an idea i feel strongly enough about for it.

23. What’s a trope, AU, or concept you’ve never written, but would like to?

i've said this for years but i've always wanted to write a soulmate au. idk what it is about them that i love so much but they're so fun to read and i'd love to write one. i have a very specific vision in my head of how i'd want to do it but no concrete idea of a plot. they're hard to get right, so i want to make sure i know what i'm doing before i write one.

49. What are you currently working on? Share a few lines if you’re up for it!

i'm currently working on two fics; the exes to lovers au i've been posting about for the past few months, and a new fic that i started a couple weeks ago. the idea came to me so randomly, and i'm just going with it, honestly. i haven't talked about it too much and i still don't want to give too much away, i kinda just want to wait until it's done and see what it turns into lol, but i can share another tiny bit:

When Carlos opens the door, TK doesn’t give him the chance to even open his mouth before he starts speaking. “What the hell, dude?” “Huh?” Carlos asks. “TK, I- is everything okay?” “No,” he mutters, fixing him with a glare.

fic writer asks!!

[colifower]

20 Questions For Writers

wow thank you @thot-son-of-odinthis looks fun!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

34

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

247,836

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Thor mainly, but I've done some other stuff over the years, i dont mind writing for other fandoms at the same time

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

1. As blue as the sky itself (tessember 2021)

2. Loki puts the fun in funeral

3. A day in a king's life (a choose your own adventure story)

4. My immortal: 19 years later

5. The throne

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yess!!! i always comment and i love hearing from the authors, so it's only fair that i do that to my commenters as well :)

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I'm gonna go with either Paper, Scissors, Rock! or In the Air tonight. idk i had a good time writting the first and then idk what was going over my mind when i wrote the second one lol. i think i should write more about angsty odin being a dumbass and also kind of evil

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I'm gonna go w My Immortal: 19 years later bc it was so much fun and also ended w a bang

8. Do you get hate on your fic?

I used to write for my friends on a podcast fandom (podcast being related to The Terf Queen's works). I stopped writing for it bc the views of the original creator (the queen) views genuinely destroyed my connection to their work, but kept my writing up bc i still think they are pieces of an era worth remembering.

All this to say that a few years ago some group of terfs found my works on that fandom and tried to fill one of my fics comment section w terf rethoric. That's when i decided to change all of my fics settings so that I review the comment before it is allowed to be shown to the public.

9. Do you write smut?

I think so? Idk its a thing i am willing to try and im currently honest to god bad at it, but yknow, you live and you learn :)

10. Do you write crossovers?

Yeah! i have done a few before. As long as the concept is funny i am willing to put in the work!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Same as Thorsonofodin: no, and hopefully that never happens

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I do translate some of mine! I am fluent in two languages (spanish, english) and quite advanced on my studies in a third one (french). I've certainly submitted fics to my french teacher to check for spellings and such lol, this way i practice, do my homework, study AND get a beta reader at the same time XD

13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

Nooooo :( I will be willing to, once im done with this god damned university

14. What‘s your all-time favourite ship?

I'm a brodinsons fan first and foremost, but father-and-son laufey and loki fics are also so so good

15. What’s the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I have an idea for a choose your own adventure story. Each branch of the story would talk about the "failed scenarios" on the Cabin in the Woods movie. Such a cool concept, but a single cyoa story takes a lot of time to write, now imagine how long itd take when it makes up for what essentially would be 12 different scenarios w their downfall and traps, and all accounting for a setting in which the reader should guide the path of the sacrifices to make the choices of their "roles", knowing that those are well rounded ppl and do not necessarily fit the role they should play at.

16. What’s your writing strengths?

I write like a tpratchett fan

17. What’s your writing weaknesses?

I write like a tpratchett fan

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

Too many ideas for interlanguage fics, as in, for writing them. for the reader i can see why they can get annoying. as a general rule, i think that you should use a language that the reader doesnt necessarily understand *if* you want the reader/character to not understand what the other characters are saying. I think that is a very... missused writing trick

19. First fandom you wrote for?

My first publication was a Steven Universe/Super Mario crossover, but i am 1000% sure i have a red notebook somewhere with notes on a adopted-tony-stark-kid-that-turns-out-to-be-super-op. I am really proud of the SU/SM one tho :)

20. Favourite fic you’ve ever written?

It varies from moment to moment, but i do think I've peaked (for a while at least) when in My Immortal: 19 years later i wrote "They also called me Emobi because I used to be depressed but I went to the physiotherapist and now I’m only nonbinary."

Tagging @babygirlthor, @worstloki, @thorarm, @tori-artemis and anyone else who sees this and wants to do it!

20 Questions For Writers

I’m taking @galaxythreads’ post as unofficial tagging because I want to do this lol

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

23!

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

102,192

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Thor (unfortunately the hyperfixation has taken root)

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

1. midas is king (and he holds me so tight)

2. a shrike to your sharp

3. be as you’ve always been

4. I am loved (I am loved)

5. our truth is burned from history (this is actually my favorite of all five, I’m glad it’s on here haha)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I used to, I haven’t really been recently since I’ve been busy (and lazy) but I wanna start doing it again.

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

This since the situation that Thor and Loki in does not get resolved lol,,,,,maybe I should write a sequel.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I actually thought most of mine ended happyish but I’m realizing the really happy ending is probably this one???

8. Do you get hate on your fic?

Not really? I’ve been getting some weird anonymous comments that aren’t hate??? They’re just odd. And I feel like they come from the same person too. I’m not bothered by it, I’m just,,,,,,confused????

9. Do you write smut?

Yes! I only have one smut fic so far but I want to write more!

10. Do you write crossovers?

No, I’m just not really interested in them.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No, and hopefully that never happens

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not yet! Blanket permission if anyone ever wants to, please just let me know!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

Yes and I love doing it! It’s so much fun, plus you have another person to complain to when the fic isn’t going the way you want!

14. What‘s your all-time favourite ship?

Thor and Loki, but both platonically and romantically if that makes sense? I am a brodinsons fan before I am a thorki fan.

15. What’s the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I have too many, writing is hard :’(

16. What’s your writing strengths?

I like to think I have a good head for plotting and coming up with ideas

17. What’s your writing weaknesses?

Actually writing down what I have planned. People should look thru my idea list and write some of the fics I’ve thought of lol

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

Think it can be good in small quantities if you’re simply using google translate but if you’re trying to write a lot in that language, you should probably either already know it or ask for help from someone who does. As a reader tho, it’s not entirely helpful unless there’s a translation also given — I think it takes you out of the fic if you have to look it up

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Doctor who

20. Favourite fic you’ve ever written?

Hmm I feel like my fav fic shifts from week to week. Right now it’s mother make me a big gray cloud because it’s the longest I’ve written and it’s also finished!! So super excited about it!

Tagging @babygirlthor, @worstloki, @thorarms, @nostalgia-tblr, @shinysoroka, @thortwenty151, @colifower, and anyone else who sees this and wants to do it!

[chevvy-yates]

Have you done other cosplay other than CP77?

Ive always been interested in cosplaying but never found a way to explain to my parents about it... they think it's weird and I never got into it. As an adult in my mid/late 20s now, I feel like it's too late for me to start

Sure. I started to cosplay around 2005. I haven't done that many, tho because sewing/crafting process took me longer and longer the newer the costumes got with me having less and less time (first still in school, then lots of time during my studies and almost none when I started working). Btw my mum found it weird as well but in the end she was proud of what I did. She's still showing people my last/newest ones and just asked me yesterday when I do sth again. Also it is never too late to cosplay. I'm in my 30s now and I really want to pick it up again. I still have a small list of what I wanna do. So feel free to start any time! :) Also it doesn't matter if you buy the costume or you sew it yourself (the latter is more win for you when you finally finish it and can be proud of it that you did all that).

Well where to start?

I've started with J-Rock/Visual Kei cosplay. The scene was pretty big back then in my country (Germany) until 2012 when it got nearly extinct bc people started talking mean behind backs (also K-Pop taking over …) and it got lots of drama (kindergarten behavior). I continued on but then I got back into playing video games and thought, alright I'm gonna do some games cosplay, too!

I've done only three and they cost me over 600 bucks to make each: Arno Dorian from Assassin's Creed Unity, My oc Inqusitor Lavellan from Dragon Age Inquisition and Triss Merigold from The Witcher III. I've got no good photo from the last tho, and I felt somewhat awkard bc it was my first female cosplay ever — done only male characters before, felt weird, idk. Still want to wear it one day again to get some good shots that all the hard work was worth it.

My Visual Kei cosplays were mostly Kuina from Royz and Kyotaro from √eight and I did one of my beloved Hizumi (not my cp77 oc) from D'espairsRay. I did a few others but they are not worth mentioning.

chronologically order: left is me, right the original, I'll link videos if a music video is available for the jrock stuff.

KYOTRARO (Vocalist of √eight) (every) Taro cosplay (I'll only show this one bc the others are not worth it) was mirrored from the hair (and contacts), tho. I loved this one, I was very very close to the original I think. Kyotaro-san still has a special place in my heart. <3

YOSHIATSU (Vocalist of CrazyShampo (later DADAROMA)) when I wanted to be a cute anime boy or sth like that.

KUINA (Guitarist of Royz) — Haru no Yoru no Yume FYI: V-Kei bands often had an outfit for a single they did a video for and during that time they changed their hairstyles like once a week, therefore there's always a slight difference in the hair colors/styles/contacts/makeup. Also back then it was super annoying to get high res photos. V-Kei cosplayers mostly made their costumes from scartch using tiny pixel pics the band members uploaded to their ameba blogs back then.

Version 1

Version 2

KUINA (Guitarist of Royz) — AREA Still one of my favorites, ahhh.

KUINA (Guitarist of Royz) — Starry Heaven was a whole pain to find fitting patterns and to sew as well.

Arno Dorian – Assassins Creed Unity (Elise Reveal Trailer Version) Arno is my baby. Idk how many times I watched the trailer trying to analize the friggin' seams on his coat. the coat alone has over 40 single pieces to sew together.

Hizumi (ex-Vocalist of D'espairsRay, now in NUL.) – FINAL CALL There's two versions, the official from shoots and the live version – I did the last where Hizu had this fluffy hair <3 (klick the link). Didn't look like it was much of work, but I ordered fabric to be printed for this … expensive stuff, ugh. everything except the pants and bracelets is selfmade (yes even the belt).

Inquisitor Lavellan – Dragon Age Inquisition I just realized I have no real screenshot of my cutie elf wearing this outfit how I sewed mine together. It's kind of a mix of the outfit my human oc had along with my elf oc lol – I'm sorry.

Triss Merigold – The WItcher III Sadly only a selfie, ugh. Definitely doesn't do the costume justice – blood, swaet and tears were put into this costumes thrice as much as I already did with Arno and Lavellan. I punched the pattern into leather myself what you can see on the vest. everything leather was also dyed all by myself.

I mean:

Triss' outfit is my true maserpiece, so far. proud af

Wow compared to all my former cosplays my CP77 cosplay is nothing against that bc I didn't sew a thing for it, I just combined stuff together. But it is so satisfying when you don't have to prepare half of a year with a deadline to go to a convention being totally exhausted from a sewing marathon that lasted 3 months straight, each evening after work and all day on the weekends (therefore I stopped some day).

Okay done :,D

[fantastic-nonsense]

TAG GAME: FIC ROUNDUP

(not @sonicenvy tagging me in this because I'm a loser who shares all of my fic ideas with her at 2 in the morning 😭)

Anyway, the description: "new tag game i’m inventing for everyone and anyone who writes fanfic! Fic roundup!"

how many fic documents do you have/where do they live?

Somewhere around 30-35 that I'm willing to confess to; all of the others are either 'thing I wrote when I was 14,' 'here's a vague summary or idea of something I might want to write,' or single paragraph snippets that don't actually have a larger story attached to them.

MS Word: The vast majority

Google Drive: 2, and only one of them is an actual fic

Some vague ideas housed in my Android Notes app

a few that are still on notebook paper that I haven't transferred over to Word yet

what fandoms do you have fic for?

Several, and most of them are either unfinished or need major revamping. I've actually published fics for Nancy Drew, American Dragon: Jake Long, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Doctor Who, and Young Justice. All of those were written and published before I turned 16 and I largely no longer affiliate myself with them unless and until I do major revamps of them all.

For my WIPs....oh boy. Here's some of the notable ones actually worth talking about:

DCU: like.....10? Idk, It's a lot. Most notably, my active WIP that is 'Leave Me and Live' (aka, the "Jason and his mother figures fic"). I also have a "Tim is the glue that holds the Batfamily together" WIP, a couple of Dick-centric oneshots, a Cass-focused oneshot that's basically just me trying to build out her motivations for going to Hong Kong, and a Damian & Tim time travel fic on the backburner.

Star Wars: 4 or 5. Notably, I have my super expansive reworking of the sequel trilogy beginning with TLJ and a funny political drama oneshot (called 'Meanwhile in the Galactic Senate') about Padme and Bail trying to pass some legislation through the Senate.

Chronicles of Narnia: 3. I have a Susan character study oneshot, a Prince Caspian movieverse fic focused on why Susan the Gentle went on the Telmarine Castle Raid while Lucy the Valiant stayed behind, and a huge expansive book/movieverse AU where the Pevensies stay in Narnia at the end of Prince Caspian.

Miraculous Ladybug: 1. I have a Ladynoir 'East of the Sun and West of the Moon' AU I've literally had a vague outline for since Season 1 was airing, way back in 2015.

Doctor Who: 1. I started a fic called 'The Never Weres' back when I was 15 and Series 5 was airing that was all about the hypothetical lives of the Ninth and Tenth Doctors' Companions in Amy's Starless World (aka, the Doctor-less alternate universe from The Pandorica Opens). Obviously, I never finished it, and probably never will.

Young Justice: A few, but only two worth mentioning. I have a nearly finished 5+1 from a decade ago about the Team grieving Artemis and a "how the Teen Titans Apprentice arc might have happened in the YJ universe" WIP.

Macgyver (2016): 2; an infirmary fic set after 'Wilderness+Training+Survival' and another set in a canon divergent S5 where Jack never left Phoenix to hunt down Kovac but Desi still joined, where Mac gets kidnapped (and not just beaten up) by Murdoc during 5x10 and the rest of the Team has to hunt him down.

ATLA/Legend of Korra: 4. My unfinished 'Justice for Asami Sato' fic haunts me, y'all, but at this point it's never getting finished unless I go back and rewatch LOK...unlikely.

Those are the ones I actually have something written for; if you want my ideas folder well...that's a lot longer and contains a lot more fandoms (ask me about my Fullmetal Alchemist or Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries fic ideas sometime, lmao). tldr: I write too much fic for too many things and I never finish or post anything.

how long is your longest unpublished wip?

Right now, I think that's my Jason-centric fic "Leave Me and Live," which is currently clocking in at ~5k words with the fic about a third of the way done (💀). Excluding that one, it's probably "Control" (otherwise known as the aforementioned "Justice for Asami Sato fic"), which is somewhere vaguely around halfway done at 3k.

Technically, it's "Those Left Behind," my Young Justice 5+1 fic focused on Artemis; it's 9k with most of the final chapter left to write. However, since it is 'published' in the sense that 5 of those chapters are up on FFN, I don't really count it here.

what fic types are most common in your wips?

AUs and canon revamps, character exploration pieces, time travel fics, and hurt/comfort, with a couple of political dramas thrown into the mix (because unfortunately my professional life does sometimes bleed into how I consume fiction, and fictional politics both interests and bothers me immensely to the point of needing to write about it).

do you have any ongoing ‘verses/series in your wips, if so, what are they?

Oh yeah, I have two that I can think of off the top of my head:

My Star Wars TLJ/sequel trilogy reworking is tenatively a series of 3 fics: two long ones, covering the events of TLJ and my verse's equivalent of TROS, and a oneshot epilogue fic set about 5 years later.

My "Pevensies stay in Narnia at the end of PC" fic, which at the time I initially outlined it was (very ambitiously) four fics, each one loosely focused on chronicling 1-3 years that the Pevensies+Caspian spent ruling, with Fic 1 covering their first two years, Fic 2 covering Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and Fic 3 covering their fourth and fifth years in Narnia, with Fic 4 set a few years later and covering a modified version of The Silver Chair.

Theoretically I have more (there's a connected set of Batfamiily oneshots I've been vaguely thinking about), but none of them are actually formed or planned-out yet.

long or short fic?

both. both is good.

tagging @silverwhittlingknife, @bitimdrake, @diocletianscabbagefarm, @loracarol, @river-bottom-nightmare, @mollyhats, @titans-trash, and anyone else who wants to participate!

[vivalavi-daa]

Fav 2020 K-Dramas

1. Hospital Playlist

If there's anything I felt happy about in 2020, it's the fact that I've found my next ultimate fav kdramas. More than another, this kdrama feels like a home I could return to every time. Yes, hospital playlist is a slice of life drama that portrays the lives of people in hospital, but there's something about it that is so captivating to watch. I love how it realistically portrays the adults' daily lives & has no major villain of the story that heats things up whatsoever. Instead, I find it easy to emphatize with every character here, even with a patient who appears less than 5 minutes because this kdrama taught us that every life is worth it. And the friendship of the professors... it really has the power to bring joy & warmth to me.

(I also made a post about hospital playlist's characters study on my side blog. Here, if you’re interested).

2. Flower of Evil

Stories that revolve around someone who isn't capable of having emotions aren't nothing new in kdrama land. But this one, especially, is a gem. This one kept me on the edge of my seat because of how nerve wracking some of the scenes are. The suspenseful dramas, the mysteries, the romance...they're all so engaging to watch. I wasn't sure what to expect from the lead character and therefore it's exciting to see what was going to happen & to see how the characters would develop. And to be noted, I swear the cast who played the villain here gives off really scary vibes. He deserves an award for that alone

3. Mr. Queen

I'm not usually a big fan of Saeguk drama and yet here I am putting one on my fav kdrama list. I watched it merely to ease my boredom but then I surprised myself of how much I enjoyed this kdrama. The opening video was appealing & I love how entertaining Mr. Queen was. It became my weekly dose of serotonin (though it gets angsty at times). I thought the story's gonna be weird since it's about a man trapped in a woman's body in joseon era but heck, it was worth it; hilarious, and delicious (yeah, the cooking part) to watch. I've always known Shin Hye Sun is great at acting, but she truly nailed it in this one I swear.

4. 365: Repeat the Year

This drama is gold! It has a promising premise, and the rest of the story went better than I expected. It just never let me down. I thought it's merely about a time travel story, but turns out it's more than that. I never knew what to expect & every time I thought I figured something out, they always have a way to throw a surprise every week. This drama deserves more recognition imo.

5. When the Weather is Fine

This drama is a pleasant to eyes and heart. Watching it is like having a warm tea during winter days. I wasn't truly engaged with the first eps, but I slowly began to see how beautiful & heartwarming this drama is. Yes, the story pace is a bit slow, but I realized that it's important to make us understand each character deeply, what they suffer from, and how the characters slowly develop. It shows us that the journey toward emotional healing may take time, but it's worth it. Choosing to heal itself is a big step & deserves an appreciation. Another thing I highly praise from this drama is how it implicitly reminds us that if we do suffer emotionally, don't be afraid to ask for help, or to let someone help you.

6. Tale of the Nine Tailed

From the first moment I knew who would cast in this drama and what the drama is about, it's obvious that I'd love it. And I was right. The first eps had already got me hooked. The stories were amazing & funny at times. It has unique lovable characters that complete the drama. In addition, I love the mystical fantasy vibes and how they wrapped up urban legends in modern settings. Not to mention how adorable Kim Bum's character here. He & Lee Dong Wook's bromance is to die for.

7. Do You Like Brahms?

I watched it by chance, and then I fell in love the instant I watched the first eps. The drama is just beautifully done. It has soothing music & ambience and mainly revolves around good people. It's appealing how they portrayed the different perspectives between the lead couple--one who doesn't have talent but works hard to achieve her dream, and one who has talent but wishes he didn't have it. Though the lead couple has different dreams, I can't help but rooting for them... as I've never seen a relationship so awkward yet so real and so adorable before them.

8. Record of Youth

Honestly, it took a bit long for me to be completely enamored of the stories and feel what the characters feel. But as the stories developed, I began to cherish what this drama tried to show us: of how important it is to have good communication & to support each other in our family, of how everyone has different timings in life, and that everyone could have second chance in life. It's also refreshing to see the main couple here & how they interact; we could learn a lot from their communication & relationship. Overall, record of youth is one light & comforting kdrama that's perfect to watch while we need a short escape or need something to cheer us up.

9. Start Up

Honestly, I have a conflicted feelings towards this kdrama. It started off as great but...I have a hard time making sense of some of the stories afterward. And not to mention how we used to ship-debating every week it was a bit draining 😅. But to exclude it from my last year fav kdrama list seems wrong anyhow because I did love this drama. Idk, it gives off this positive energy that I needed to go through a crazy year. It somehow encouraged me to move forward & fight for my dream no matter what. The story's also quiet creative and relatable in nowadays world, while also educating us about the world of business.

10. Find Me in Your Memory

I started watching without any expectations and turns out it's really good. It's not hard to love this drama since it has likeable characters with interesting background (a guy who can't forget everything & a woman who forgets some of her important moments). The lead couple's interactions were interesting to watch. They have the kind of romance that grows slowly & when it finally reachs its peak, it burns. I loved every minute of it.

K-drama recommendations: 5/?

[khiphop-discussions]

Hello, I wanted to ask aside from lessons how did you learn Korean and how long it took you to learn the basics. Thank you!

This is hard to answer cause IDK if you are planning to start or if you've already started. So I'm just gonna write this as if you haven't started at all or are maybe just working on learning hangul at the moment.

OK so I started with hangul. I had the tengugo app on android but it seems like it doesnt exist anymore or maybe they rebranded. This was around like 2017 maybe? There's probably a lot of apps for it thought especially now. Try one that has lessons AND tests so that you can actually test yourself.

If you stay on it, it should take less than a week. If you don't then it'll take longer obviously. Took me around 2 weeks cause I didn't stay consistent. Everything is much easier with hangul. Romanization is literally the devil. I never know which hangul character the "u" for example is REALLY supposed to be making. I just take a guess and most times its right but others it isn't. I've noticed other people have the same issue. (ex: jung vs yongguk vs seungyun vs seunghyun; first two are different sounds but the third and fourth can sound like the 1st one or the 2nd one)

Also, get a hangul keyboard on your phone (also available in the app stores). Try typing things in hangul when you need to type something that's is Korean. So if you're typing "oppa" then TYPE IT OUT IN HANGUL! 오빠 same thing with words like 사랑. Obviously to someone who speaks Korean or can read hangul (I just noticed I haven't taken my own advice with hangul but I don't think I've ever actually typed or written that word in hangul in my life weirdly enough LOL). Or just when you are typing songs into Spotify or apple music or Youtube! That helps A LOT if you can find the song using the English translation or romanization tbh. But over the years I've noticed most songs are searchable with romanization or English translated name. still comes in handy when its a common song name in English though!

Here's a desktop keyboard I use a lot but google translate has one as well https://www.branah.com/korean (you can also buy stickers for your keyboard but I haven't done that yet cause I don't wanna spend the money or stick them on LOL. It's not that expensive but since I have the virtual keyboards I don't really care anymore.)

BUT I WILL say that the thing that helped most was taking classes. It really kept me accountable cause I'm a master procrastinator and I never really built good study habits growing up. If you're similar then I think classes would be good for you. It forces you to do at least SOME work and studying otherwise you fail. I've also had other friends who say it's hard to find time to practice or study outside of school.

Going to Korea helped IMMENSELY as well so if you are able to study abroad and take Korean classes then definitely take it! I've talked about this before but despite almost NEVER using the language outside of class, classes helped me A LOT with speaking. Being in the country and passively listening made my listening skill improve LEAPS and bounds (NOTE: I was only there SIX weeks compared to studying in the US for close to a YEAR but hadn't improved that much here). I can at least make out a lot of words/sentences now even if I don't understand the content.

Some GREAT resources I've used are:

Integrated Korean textbooks. They are not super expensive and they have LOT of vocabulary. Only downside for some people is that they are paperbacks. My first book in the series (beginner 1) got a bit messed up because it was in my backpack on days it rained and it got wet. Also not in color. The dialogues can also be a bit short. But overall I think it's a really solid book to use especially for vocab/grammar patterns and the amount of chapters and info. One good thing is that is seems like people have already made. This is what we used at UCLA.

Yonsei Korean textbooks are GREAT as well. They are much thinner but "longer" length wise. They also have color. I think there's A LOT more dialogue in this book. They may not be all that much longer but it seems to me like there are more of them. I don't feel like it's as vocab and grammar heavy as Integrated Korean BUT I think that might be because it's split up into so many sections per chapter so it seems like less even when it's not. The pacing is just different. These are also similar price but I think it is easy to find them free online. Same as integrated Korean BUT I prefer physical books for certain things and language is one of them. (I think in some of the downloads people were missing certain pages for some reason from what I remember in class so that's another thing to watch out for).

These books also have a writing ,grammar, and reading book for each section. So I guess it can be expensive if you want all three or even two of each. I guess that's another reason they seem thinner or less packed than integrated Korean. Some info is in different books. For Yonsei Korean, I used the books while studying abroad at Yonsei. At UCLA I only used this for upper division Korea classes which were advanced and from what I remember I think it was more focused on reading/writing

For both sets of book books it seems like people have made pretty comprehensive quizlets so if you're running low on money or just don't wanna spend it on that then go look there!

I'm still not fluent and I DEFINITELY need to brush up on basics Those particles I can get MOST of the time but in certain situations they STILL mess me up. Everybody struggles with them though from what I've noticed. People are prone to just dropping them though since it's possible BUT avoidance = you'll never get better at them or at least struggle to so just struggle through it.

EXPERIMENTAL STUFF:

I'm planning on making a playlist of listening practice stuff (beginner to advanced listening practice videos) on Youtube so I can try and replicate my time in Korea. I will play the playlist out loud on my TV while I go about my day and see if it works the same. Hopefully my listening improves even more. There's also this method called "Repetitive Listening" that I've seen around but never tried so I think this might help with that as well.

I also at some point wanna work my way up to studying THREE hours a day (speaking, grammar, listening/reading which again was supposed to replicate my time in Korea as closely as possible). So far I failed HARD at doing this in January. I think I studied around 2 hours the whole MONTH!!!!! So now I'm gonna try and just ease in and work my way up. People almost always fail when they set lofty goals like that anyway but it's better to set expectations high and then fail to a lower, more "realistic" (whatever that is for the given person) goal then to start low.

I'll get back to you with updates on how the playlist is going!

*Just wanted to note this in case anybody is reading this: but the playlist thing is different from trying to learn when you sleep or methods like that. Playing any language while sleeping isn't really a good method. It might help a bit during REM sleep but that's a small portion of your sleep time. The noise will probably just interrupt a person's sleep quality which will make them worse at language learning (and pretty much everything else) the night after. Listening while you're awake is a bit different. But I'm not sure if passive listening through recordings works the same as it would if I was listening to ambient noise in an actual environment in Korea so that's why I'm testing it out! I suspect/hypothesize it would work similarly but again, I'll let you know!

[valleydean]

hello :) I hope you don't mind me asking, I am unsure if I've asked this before, but in terms of writing fanfic, do you often do a plan whilst writing wips? e.g. for a ghost story (great work btw) have you already written everything but it's currently drafting atm? What's your process if you don't mind sharing? :)

hey! thanks for asking!

for wips, i do plan ahead. i usually start by creating an outline with characters, general plot points, and setting. like, this is my own for a ghost story:

and then i plot out a more detailed outline of the chapters. like, here it is for the first two chaps:

(I usually write it in black and then, when i’m actually finished writing the scene, i mark it in red - but i had two separate timelines for this fic so i originally color coded them in green and blue. because destiel!! and it’s all red because obviously those scenes have been written for a while.)

a lot of times, as you can see, the info on here is very general and a lot of times it’s either nonsensical to anyone who isn’t me or it’s shorthand. like, a lot of times, i’ll write something like “benny teases him” or “night” and i’ll know what that means but it seems batshit to anyone else. sometimes i’ll just straight up write jokes that are extremely vague references to what’s supposed to happen, and i just know what i’m talking about while also making myself chuckle! but i do have some instances where the outline is more detailed and i’ll put in dialogue or very specific things that happen.

and there are other times where i’ll put actually character or relationship arcs instead of just story arcs in the document. like, for example, spoilers but here’s a section of the outline i have going for the season 16 i’m about to write:

mostly, i only use this document as a reference guide more than i use it as scripture. because the fic is constantly changing and i don’t always update the outline! lmao. but yes, i do initially plot out a lot of it.

and then, when i’m writing, i definitely don’t write in order! i’ll write a scene from chapter 4 before i write anything for chapter 1 sometimes. but i’ll kinda put the plot points from my summary in the chapter documents and have them as a marker until i write that scene.

and i do like to have at least half of the fic done before i start posting anything on ao3. for a longer fic, i like to have it 75% done, actually. i feel like this gives me a lot of time to have my beta readers check it out and to rap with them about the story, and then like - kinda figure shit out for myself too! because the story is always evolving and the characters sometimes just up and do things i never planned for, which makes the fic go in another direction! so i can go back and change things in earlier chapters if i need to and not have to worry about contradicting myself with a chapter that’s already posted.

so yeah, i do have an outline, but also my process is a mix of that and “fuck around and find out.”

and that’s about it! i mean... idk how many people do it like this. i feel like my method of pre-writing is very like...... screenplay-esque. because i studied production in school and my job is in tv, so this is how i’ve learned to approach projects - by creating a “bible” (which is the term used in the industry.) i know nothing about outlines for published books though, so they may be similar!

but anyway! thanks for the question! i’m sorry my answer is so long. but i’m SO happy you’re liking a ghost story and i very much hope you enjoy the ending! thanks so much for reading it!

[whoiskt]

End-of-year questions for 2021 under cut

1: What did you do in 2021 that you’d never done before?

Lots of running related based ones so I'll just say the biggest accomplishment which was running a 5k, without hardly stopping to walk. Got my passport finally. Went the furthest East I've ever been. Finished and wore an entirely handmade cosplay. I worked 9 days in a row which was horrible. See, not all new experiences are good 😅

2: Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

My resolution was to stop saying "I think" so much, especially when I was completely sure. Confidence-based thing yet. I've gotten better but I still mess up.

What matters most to me going into the new year is getting out and doing stuff. I want to go out more and just do more of everything. So, my resolution will probably be something related. Thinking of making weekly goals even?

3: Did anyone close to you give birth?

Nooope.

4: Did anyone close to you die?

Also, no!

5: What countries did you visit?

I stayed right where I am, thank you continued global pandemic.

6: What would you like to have in 2022 that you lacked in 2021?

(Leans into mic) a career, please. AND ALL THE FOO FIGHTERS MERCH (the character not the band)

7: What dates from 2021 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

You overestimate my memory.

8: What was your biggest achievement of the year?

I made a friend :) and many people have told me that the pictures I took of them was their all-time fave which means so much to me 💕

9: What was your biggest failure?

Eh, probably not finding a job still but that's acting like I haven't given up which most of the time I have. I study and practice for interviews but I'm just not a smooth talker. Just isn't cutting it, I guess.

10: Did you suffer illness or injury?

I got sick 3 times this year!! THREE! And they were all pretty nasty. I hate working in retail, oh my god.

11: What was the best thing you bought?

My phone. Although it was a gift... But I was prepared to buy it myself.

I also rocked at Christmas gifting this year. 🤟 Hell yeah!

12: Whose behavior merited celebration?

I love my boyfriend so I'm always inclined to say Will. He's so nice to me 🥲

I also enjoy the people who stand up for themselves. One little example of this was there was a new boss at work who was helping a customer who swore at him and he shut it down like, "Ma'am I'm trying to help you but if you're going to use language like that then we're done here and you can shop elsewhere." Mad respect.

13: Whose behavior made you appalled?

So, so many people. Definitely the guy who was revealed to only being hanging out with us to get to this one girl, cheated on his girlfriend with her, and messed up our friend group. I'd legit slash his tires but I hold back.

14: Where did most of your money go?

Damn, I don't even KNOW sometimes.

15: What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Going back to in-person events. Vacation. Ugh, I just love being in hotels away from home. So magical.

16: What song will always remind you of 2021?

Probably the big Lil Nas X songs released this year.

17: Compared to this time last year, are you: (a) happier or sadder? (b) thinner or fatter? Richer or poorer?

Probably happier? Bring quarantined was not fun. Probably about the same, idk. Also still probably about the same, haha. Richer in having more stuff, I guess?

18: What do you wish you’d done more of?

Chores. But in that way where I more wish they were done by past me rather than current me having to do them. Ya know?

19: What do you wish you’d done less of?

Sweat. 😅

20: How did you spend Christmas?

Usual Christmas with the family back home. I will never do anything different.

21: Did you fall in love in 2021?

I fall more in love everyday and it fucking rocks.

22: What was your favorite TV program?

Some things I enjoyed this year: Mob Psycho, Invincible, HunterxHunter, New Girl, Castlevania, Schitt's Creek, Demon Slayer, The Queen's Gambit, Attack on Titan, and Doctor Stone. Did a lot of rewatching this year too 😅

23: Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

Yes 😒

24: What was the best book you read?

I haven't been reading books but I got Dune for Christmas so I'm gonna read that soon. I read Chainsaw Man and loved that, though.

25: What was your greatest musical discovery?

Not sure I branched it too much this year? Or I branched so much out and forgot to discover?

26: What did you want and get?

Foo Fighters merch increased from 2 extremely obscure keychain/figure, to now several things. I haven't actually bought any of them yet though.

27: What did you want and not get?

A jooooooob 😔

28: What was your favorite film of this year?

I have some catching up to do because quite a few films I wanted to see I accidentally missed their run in theaters. Spiderman was pretty good. I'm glad Tom Holland finally got his own movie since the previous Spiderman movies were more about Ironman than him. I also enjoyed Free Guy.

29: What one thing that made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Stone Ocean announcement and first batch of episodes dropped.

30: How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2021?

Target apparel. Pretty much exclusively. 😂 Using that discount.

31: What kept you sane?

Foo Fighters animated. Vacation planning. Periodically melting down. Socializing (even when I didn't want to).

Going for walks/runs.

32: Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

None but I keep seeing the actor who plays Winston in New Girl everywhere in ads and I scream every time. Not for the actor. For Winston.

33: What political issue stirred you the most?

Hm, well abortion access is back under threat this year. Worker's rights. Vaccination. Fatphobia. Transphobia. I don't know I get stirred by a lot of things it's probably not good for me mentally.

34: Who did you miss?

I miss many people. Some I'm not sure I know. Will's in the other room right now and I miss him.

35: Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2021.

It's all about connecting with people who are open to growth. It's about consistently dedicating yourself to personal change. I suck at that but it's true. (Kinda knew this already but! Sometimes you gotta learn a lesson multiple times.)

Not the best year for my social anxiety. It is deadass so hard to become my friend right now because I don't trust anyone. What I realized about closing myself off to people is it doesn't hurt any less when the "betrayal" comes. It doesn't feel like a bullet dodged, it's still a wound.

So, it's not about avoiding people. It's about finding the right ones.

36: Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.

[shibalen]

💥hewwo can I pwease get a romantic male matchup for bnha (darkbox bc I live for angst) (music box) when you have the time uwu

Levi he/him gay entp supposedly (also if it's not too much to ask please no characters under the age of 18 please)

I've been described as having a strong and loud personality, I'm extroverted and outspoken. I'm pretty eccentric too.

I value friendship, kindness and standing up for others.

Goal wise I'm pretty aimless. I dont have any goals, if I die well I guess that's it babey. In the meantime I'm just here to help animals and people who need it.

Positive traits: I always stick up for people in need, I'm good at reading people, I'm good with animals, I love to make people smile and laugh, cheerful, good at talking my way out of bad situations, uhm. Friendly!

Negative traits would be: hot headed, loud, stubborn, arrogant, comes across as intimidating:( good at getting into bad situations, gets into fights very often. Can be spiteful, I've been described as a pyromaniac so theres that. Can be sadistic

What pisses me off: my father. I can and will cause trouble for that man for as long as I live. And people who pick on the weak.

My hobbies and interests areeee: true crime babey! Crying over video games, baking, the occult, taking naps, dream interpretations and tarot readings

Likes: animals, cats specifically, stars, fire, sunsets, supposedly haunted places, storms, being dramatic for the hell of it, tormenting people in a good hearted way

Dislikes: uhhhh hot weather I guess.

Quirks: uh I have 5 cats! Ones my fathers but he never takes care of his cat so i pretty much count him as my own (plus he likes me more than my dad and it pisses my dad off hehe) I have weirdly accurate intuition, it makes reading people easy, knowing what they want to hear and what they dont.

Uhhh dates and relationship wise I'm honestly happy doing whatever my s/o wants to do. All I want is to see their face light up.

My love language is physical touch, I dont like touching people but if it's someone I feel strongly about youd have to pry me away from them.

I once got kicked out of a library for starting a fight in it, trashy I know but I wasnt going to stand there and do nothing while my friends were being bullied and pressured into getting involved with a really dodgy man. I scared the bullies off for good at least B) they never bothered my friend again babey

Oh I'm also known around the area I live in as someone who's good at finding homes of lost pets. Often times I come across a lost animal and befriend it in no time and use my connections to find its family.

Sorry if this was rly long and thank you for your time!! I hope you have a fantastic day uwu if anything's too difficult to come up with ideas for I'm more than happy for you to change anything to make it easier for you too!

♡︎ matchup for anon

heya! here i am with another late matchup but i hope you still see this. i'm sorry about the delay (╯_╰)

bnha: i match you with . . .

natsuo todoroki !!

• this was one of those "heureka!" moments for me. you both hate your dads and hot weather? it's a match made in heaven! okay jk, these are just nice add-ons.

• what really made me consider Natsuo were your values and personality. kindness and friendships are important to both of you. Natsuo's a medical student so i am convinced helping others is high on his priority list too. he loves your driven and passionate nature because he doesn't go sugarcoating bs either.

• you're definitely the more energetic one while Natsuo only gets hot-headed about the things that are the most important to him. i think it's a good compromise, you can help each other out :)

• he was a little taken aback and cautious of your explosiveness at first but warmed up to it quickly after learning what a kind person you really were. now he thinks your dramatic attitude is funny during your sillier moments ٩(◕‿◕｡)۶

• speaking of, you lads met at an animal shelter. there had been a dog that was astray in the neighbourhood of his home, so Natsuo, being a responsible boyo, took it to the local shelter.

• then there you were, standing by the help desk with five kittens wrapped in your jacket in your arms. apparently someone had been trying to drown them so you'd taken care of the situation accordingly.

• Natsuo understood jumping into a lake to rescue the poor animals because he would have done the same, but you could have had just called the police?? it was extremely ridiculous but admirable at the same time to beat all those guys up.

• your chat turned into a pleasant conversation afterwards as you were waiting for the animals to finish their check-ups. Natsuo was a bit shy but you didn't mind and kept the chat going which he appreciated.

• later he volunteered to help you look for good homes for the animals you'd both found. during this project the two of you got to know each other quite well and ended up hanging out together afterwards!

• and from that point on, everything fell into place naturally. the growing spark between you was undeniable and you both knew it. Natsuo definitely liked you longer, he was just a lil dense about it . . .

• you're nothing short of a hero in his eyes but dear lord he worries for you. when he's attending lectures he sometimes can't help but wonder if you're all right and not getting involved in anything violent.

• attends to your possible injuries while nagging you not to be so quick to start a fight next time. in return, you playfully bully him for being such a mom.

• you join forces with Fuyumi to pick on him about your relationship. even though you're already together, soft Natsuo still blushes when his affection for you is brought up, it's entertaining for both you and Fuyumi.

• idk if you've heard but Natsuo's 181cm tall!! hugging someone has never been easier even if you happen to be taller than him. the only thing is his skin's naturally kind of chilly so he's lowkey worried if you dislike it but you always assure him he's perfect!

• one time he was stressed over exams so you baked him some blueberry muffins. he gave you the biggest hug and kiss because it's exactly all these little things you do that set his heart racing for you ♡︎

• "last night i saw a dream about being a frog and eating giant flies, it was gross."

• "oh, that just means your love life is about to become fun."

• "i'm not sure how those two are related."

• "just trust me. i'm a pro at this."

• he also likes giving you headpats as much as he likes receiving them! his hands are quite big so he often runs his fingers through your hair when you're cuddling or hugging. it's especially relaxing after a long period of studying. also him carring you on his broad back ԅ(￣ε￣ԅ)

• you enjoy the little things in life and complain about your fathers together. you've agreed to wait a while before even mentioning your relationship to them because, honestly, Natsuo doesn't want any more horrible influences in your life.

• you get him sucked into the world of video games. it's always fun to watch him struggle but he never gets salty about losing maybe a lil he adores your smile as you laugh at him for being so bad at them.

• your dates include: helping out at animal shelters and retirement homes, video game and movie nights (especially about true crime), arcades and astronomy tower explorstions. i feel like Natsuo's more into traditional, romantic and chill dates and that's your usual thing. though i see sometimes you going to get coffee and ending up solving a 50-year-old murder case instead (✧ω✧)

❦︎ ink box

— despite Natsuo's best efforts to distance himself from Endeavor, it wasn't quite as easy and everyone was very much aware of the Todoroki family. and now the son of the number 1 hero had a lover.

— it wasn't actually that troublesome at first. some newpaper paparazzi occasionally annoyed you but you didn't care for them. most of the time Natsuo and you had your peace during dates aside from a few casual fans.

— but of course there are all sorts of people out there, some out for revenge, some for money, and being desperate means using even the lowest of methods to get what you want.

— so one time it happened, and it was all that took. several bitter villains thought they'd get their revenge through you, silly as it may sound. they made a big show of kidnapping you and demanding Endeavor to 'make up' for his wrongdoing. but all got resolved thanks to heroes, the only casualty being Natsuo's heart from almost exploding from worry and his deepening hatred for his father.

— later on, it wasn't that Natsuo was worried about you not being able to handle yourself, he feared what might happen if more of powerful villains came after you.

— so, after some debate, you agreed not to meet up for a short while to let the fuse of the incident settle down. it would be safer once the media forgot about it. you still texted and chatter over phone though!

— but then a week turned into two weeks, then into a month. you were wondering what was taking Natsuo to say the coast was clear and did a straight-up inquiry through a video chat.

— you could see he was restless the entire time. he said you should wait longer just to be sure everything was calm before meeting up. you became irritated because he was obviously lying and not being his normal, brutally honest self.

— why was he giving you this crap straight to your face?

— truthfully, Natsuo hadn't been sleeping all right recently. ever since that day he had reoccurring nightmares about something awful happening to you. they were just dreams, he knew. yet considering his ruffled up past and the frequency of those horrible visions, it would have been lie to say he was unaffected.

— paranoia just wouldn't leave him alone, and no matter how much he wanted to hold you in his arms again and hated making up stupid excuses, the voice at the back of his mind whispered this was for the best.

— after a month and a half had passed you've had just about enough, however. whatever reason he was keeping you in the dark for did no longer stop you from crashing into his house and demanding the truth.

— Natsuo knew you and expected this to eventually happen. after you made such a powerful entrance though he also knew there was no getting around it this time. really, it was comforting knowing you cared so deeply.

— he told you exactly what had been happening and you resisted the urge to punch him in the arm for having such a mindset. but the look in his beautiful grey eyes was so heartbreaking you threw yourself to embrace him instead. your touch was everything Natsuo had craved for for all this time.

— you skillfully assured him for the next couple of hours while keeping the talk light-hearted (he had obviously been overthinking way too much already). soon enough the issue was resolved and you had a sleepover right there to make uo for the lost time (Shoto and Fuyumi kept eavesdropping on you because y'all were being way too loud in a cute way).

— "i love you, Natsu, but if you ever keep something like this a secret from me again, i can't guarantee the safety of your arm or your front door."

♫︎ music box

— If I Had An Airplane by SayWeCanFly

— This December by Rick Montgomery

— Round & Laundry from Carole and Tuesday

— Haven't Had Enough by Marianas Trench

— Bowie On The Radio by Ryan McMullan

♡︎ runner up: Dabi / Touya Todoroki

thank you for requesting, hopefully you enjoyed this! i'm really pleased about matching you with Natsuo, it's just so perfect. have a lovely day and remember to take care of yourself ♡︎