#heartfeltletters-written

[soopsiedaisies]

hii!! for the "i'm not from the us ask game" (which is so interesting btw)

4, 5, 11 and 23

dw, i’d almost entirely forgotten about it!!! 💀

4. favourite dish specific for your country?

Stamppot rauwe andijvie, always.

Andijvie is a bitter leaf-vegetable related to endives (its latin name is cuchorium endivia). I can’t find any references on it being eaten anywhere other than the Netherlands but please correct me if I’m wrong about that lmao. You can boil/blanch it, but generally we eat it raw. It’s (in my humble opinion) fantastic in ‘stamppot rauwe andijvie’, which is basically just mashed potatoes, chopped andijvie, some spices, and (usually) thick, baked-dry bacon bits. Some people also add cheese, if they finish it off in the oven like a casserole. We tend to add smoked sausage as well.

5. favourite song in your native language?

(choosing was hard) my favourite song is probably Het Regent Zonnestralen by Acda en de Munnik (‘It’s Raining Sunbeams’). I keep coming back to it.

11. favourite native writer/poet?

Omg I don’t actually read a lot of Dutch books anymore, but I suppose Harry Mulisch! He was a Dutch icon and a tremendously prolific author.

Books I enjoyed by Mulisch are Twee Vrouwen (Two Women), a tragic queer romance that plays with the Orpheus and Eurydice myth (opinions on it are… mixed), and De Ontdekking van de Hemel (The Discovery of Heaven), which is considered a masterpiece (it is) and I really… can’t describe it, largely because it’s so long and so much. But it’s beautiful nevertheless.

Some general lit recs (of which there are English translations):

I also really, really enjoyed De Engelenmaker by Stefan Brijs, a Flemish author—‘The Angel Maker’ in English. Creepy and intriguing and wonderful. Brijs sets an incredible tone. Love stuff that plays with hubris.

The other one is a classic and also has a movie: Het Gouden Ei (The Golden Egg) by another Dutch icon, Tim Krabbé. It’s a short thriller and an easy read. Totally recommend it.

23. which alcoholic beverage is the favoured one in your country?

Beer lol. Can’t go wrong with beer here. There’s some spirits too: jenever (the ancestor of gin), a variety of kruidenbitters (spice & herb liquor, very flavourful), and my beloved advocaat (an almost custard-like liquor made of egg(yolk)s, condensed milk, sugar or honey, and an eau de vie).

[skyfallscotland]

@heartfeltletters-written asked me 💥 How do you feel about criticism? and it felt like something that needed its own post, so here goes: the hypocrisy of critics in modern fandoms, an essay.

Criticism. I don't like getting it or giving it when it comes to writing. I struggle to even gently give it to friends, even when they ask me what I think of their work. Writing is such a personal thing that we pour our heart and soul into and like you say, many criticisms aren't necessarily valid. By that I mean, there's a difference between "Amy you use em dashes a lot babe" (I do) and "This story would have been so much better if Remi were a virgin" (actual criticism I have received, lmao). 

Unlike traditional authors, we will never make money from this, we do it for the love of it and it's time we will never get back. For some of us, it's time we could be working on our own original manuscripts too. I don't think people who give the second type of criticism are writers, generally. They don't understand the craft and what goes into it. Whenever I post and someone says a chapter was short or they immediately ask when the next one is, and that's all they say, I die inside a little. I try not to take it personally, but it's hard.

Personally, I think fandom behaviour is getting worse and that flows over into our comment sections and tumblr asks. I have a whole other dissertation on this that we’ll call ‘the slow death of fandom as we know it: an essay’, but that’s perhaps for another post. I don’t know how welcomed that commentary would be. 

You said the word ‘entitled’ in your original ask and I think that’s spot on. People have become more entitled in general and downright rude (which is not restricted to online spaces, by the way). I write for ACOTAR, but you’ve never seen me discuss it here because no matter what you say in that regard, you can’t win. Someone will always attack you and I do mean attack. Even in regards to Fourth Wing, I don't talk about my opinions a lot outside of my own little bubble of friends and readers.

And that's the kicker to this whole conversation, really. If I were to criticise Iron Flame/RY everyone would jump down my throat (as has happened on other platforms), even though I'd never say it to her face. Do I stand by my opinions? Absolutely. But it would be rude to tell her them, unless asked. I’m not allowed to (validly) criticise certain elements of her story, a published novel, without being attacked for it, but those same people are fine criticising my work directly to me. Hypocrisy at its finest.

There’s a new influx of people to fandom spaces who are completely unwilling to integrate and completely unwilling to be kind. You mentioned those who criticised your work could have saved themselves the trouble and read the tags, but the thing is: they don’t want to. They can’t be bothered to take five seconds and figure out how they work, to curate their own experience, because that’s what half these people are like. They want an algorithm to do it for them, gods help us.

For me, personally, I'm my biggest critic. I also have raging generalised anxiety, so just posting on the internet is enough to send me spiralling (seriously, I feel sick just typing this out). It's very, very out of my comfort zone and I've been very, very lucky so far to have cultivated the readership I have, full of very like-minded people. Perhaps due to some of the darker content matter. But the second I get harshly worded comments, I get upset.

I don't say that to elicit sympathy, it's just a fact. I get upset about it the same way I would if you were standing in front of me saying it to my face, and for someone with depression and anxiety, that lingers. I'm getting better at laughing at them, but it's like when someone tells you they don't like you and your mum says "just ignore them"—not that easy, right? 

So yeah, I don't mind if you want to tell me I use a lot of em dashes, or that I've used a word incorrectly in context, but I don't need to hear how much you hate original character fic when you could just use your last remaining braincell the back button and continue on with your day. Just be kind, is all I'm saying.

[widebrimmedhatsblog]

20 questions for writers tag game!

tagged by @softodettes (very exciting, thank you!!)

Total number of AO3 works

Seven! 

Total AO3 word count

151, 278

Fandoms I’ve written in

Empyrean and the Marauders 

Top 5 fics by kudos

One Night, and Then Another, On The Road Again, To Soothe And Be Soothed, Of Mothers and Storms, and One Night. 

Do I respond to comments? 

Yes, always! Sometimes it takes me a while because I get nervous and sometimes it takes me a while because I want to reread each comment 437534598 times, and I feel weird about re reading AFTER replying. But, I always try to reply, especially if I’m already on AO3 to post something. 

What has the angstiest ending? 

None of my Empyrean fics have angsty endings! My one published marauders fic, If, If, If. does have a pretty angsty ending, but only if you know the marauder's story going in.

What has the happiest ending? 

All my empyrean fics? But going off of what currently has a published ending, I would say Of Mothers and Storms. Although, we get some nice orgasms in To Soothe and Be soothed, so that’s also a happy ending. 

Have I received hate? 

No! And please keep it that way. I think it helps that everyone in this fandom is so damn nice. 

Do I write smut? And what kind? 

I do! I have my Violiaden smut, and also just regular old Riorgail stuff embedded in my longer fics! I want to write more smut actually, and I keep thinking about doing kinktober this year, but that’s scary, so we’ll see. 

Do I write crossovers? 

Not published ones! I have like three pages of a marauders/empyrean crossover that will never see the light of day. 

Have I ever had a fic stolen? 

Nope! 

Have I ever had a fic translated?

Nope! I am not that cool. 

Have I ever co written a fic? 

Not yet! It seems very fun, though, and I am intrigued. 

What is my all time favorite ship? 

I think AO3 would say wolfstar, but my current fixation is obviously riorgail. 

A WIP I’ll never finish?

I have a few chapters of a riorgail arranged marriage AU, but working in the canon world was way too hard for me. I have too many questions we don’t know the answers to just yet. I guess MAYBE I’ll finish it once more books are out, but probably not. 

Writing strengths? 

I get a lot of comments saying I write emotions well (which I appreciate SO much). I like to think I’m good at realistic dialogue, if only because it's something I pay a lot of attention to.

Writing weaknesses?

I don’t see the scene very well in my head, so I always forget where people are, and also what they’re wearing. Clothes have been driving me absolutely crazy lately. 

Do I like foreign language dialogue? 

I do! I actually just read my first fic with foreign language dialogue I could actually understand, and that was so much fun! I don’t know if I‘ll ever write any? Just because I don’t think I know enough of any other languages to not butcher it, but maybe one day! (I am so excited for the scene @skyfallscotland promised, where Xaden learns Remi’s understood his Tyrrish, I think about it regularly) 

First fandom I wrote for? 

Marauders! 

Favorite fic I’ve written? 

Probably my exchange fic, Homesick. I kept this one in my drafts for a WHILE, and I grew really attached to it to the point that I do not care whatsoever how it performs. It’s my baby, and I love it no matter what. 

I'd like to tag: @justallihere @hockeyspiral23 @heartfeltletters-written and @caeli0306 (but no pressure!!)

[acloserlook2012]

When your favorite fanfic writers all update their stories at pretty much the same time....!!!!!!!!!!! And my book on reserve on Libby came in. Don't mind me, Don't disturb me, I'll be reading on the treadmill at the gym tonight. Probably "How to Loose the Time War" by Max Gladstone cause it has to be returned in 10 days. And I have to work and drive across the state on Friday so I should do the smart thing. But I'm also weak and easily distracted by the wonderful writing of these people.

@luniellar

@yanny-77

@heartfeltletters-written

Also love @alexandia03 who has a beautiful in progress Imogen fic that is worth a read but she is kicking ass at uni and didn't also update chapters over the last two days.

[badasgirlfriend]

@heartfeltletters-written U ATEEEE nah bc mfs started reading too much fanfics now all they say is that lucius was abusive towards draco😭

[impishtubist]

Thank you, @heartfeltletters-written , I am always correct 😘

I mean, if you abandon your boyfriend in wizard torture prison for 12 years, then you don't deserve to grieve after he dies. 🤷‍♂️