#i do tend to write a lot of introspection. it's something i need to work on

[derinwrites]

The Three Commandments

The thing about writing is this: you gotta start in medias res, to hook your readers with action immediately. But readers aren’t invested in people they know nothing about, so start with a framing scene that instead describes the characters and the stakes. But those scenes are boring, so cut straight to the action, after opening with a clever quip, but open in the style of the story, and try not to be too clever in the opener, it looks tacky. One shouldn’t use too many dialogue tags, it’s distracting; but you can use ‘said’ a lot, because ‘said’ is invisible, but don’t use ‘said’ too much because it’s boring and uninformative – make sure to vary your dialogue tags to be as descriptive as possible, except don’t do that because it’s distracting, and instead rely mostly on ‘said’ and only use others when you need them. But don’t use ‘said’ too often; you should avoid dialogue tags as much as you possibly can and indicate speakers through describing their reactions. But don’t do that, it’s distracting.

Having a viewpoint character describe themselves is amateurish, so avoid that. But also be sure to describe your viewpoint character so that the reader can picture them. And include a lot of introspection, so we can see their mindset, but don’t include too much introspection, because it’s boring and takes away from the action and really bogs down the story, but also remember to include plenty of introspection so your character doesn’t feel like a robot. And adverbs are great action descriptors; you should have a lot of them, but don’t use a lot of adverbs; they’re amateurish and bog down the story. And

The reason new writers are bombarded with so much outright contradictory writing advice is that these tips are conditional. It depends on your style, your genre, your audience, your level of skill, and what problems in your writing you’re trying to fix. Which is why, when I’m writing, I tend to focus on what I call my Three Commandments of Writing. These are the overall rules; before accepting any writing advice, I check whether it reinforces one of these rules or not. If not, I ditch it.

1: Thou Shalt Have Something To Say

What’s your book about?

I don’t mean, describe to me the plot. I mean, why should anybody read this? What’s its thesis? What’s its reason for existence, from the reader’s perspective? People write stories for all kinds of reasons, but things like ‘I just wanted to get it out of my head’ are meaningless from a reader perspective. The greatest piece of writing advice I ever received was you putting words on a page does not obligate anybody to read them. So why are the words there? What point are you trying to make?

The purpose of your story can vary wildly. Usually, you’ll be exploring some kind of thesis, especially if you write genre fiction. Curse Words, for example, is an exploration of self-perpetuating power structures and how aiming for short-term stability and safety can cause long-term problems, as well as the responsibilities of an agitator when seeking to do the necessary work of dismantling those power structures. Most of the things in Curse Words eventually fold back into exploring this question. Alternately, you might just have a really cool idea for a society or alien species or something and want to show it off (note: it can be VERY VERY HARD to carry a story on a ‘cool original concept’ by itself. You think your sky society where they fly above the clouds and have no rainfall and have to harvest water from the clouds below is a cool enough idea to carry a story: You’re almost certainly wrong. These cool concept stories work best when they are either very short, or working in conjunction with exploring a theme). You might be writing a mystery series where each story is a standalone mystery and the point is to present a puzzle and solve a fun mystery each book. Maybe you’re just here to make the reader laugh, and will throw in anything you can find that’ll act as framing for better jokes. In some genres, readers know exactly what they want and have gotten it a hundred times before and want that story again but with different character names – maybe you’re writing one of those. (These stories are popular in romance, pulp fantasy, some action genres, and rather a lot of types of fanfiction).

Whatever the main point of your story is, you should know it by the time you finish the first draft, because you simply cannot write the second draft if you don’t know what the point of the story is. (If you write web serials and are publishing the first draft, you’ll need to figure it out a lot faster.)

Once you know what the point of your story is, you can assess all writing decisions through this lens – does this help or hurt the point of my story?

2: Thou Shalt Respect Thy Reader’s Investment

Readers invest a lot in a story. Sometimes it’s money, if they bought your book, but even if your story is free, they invest time, attention, and emotional investment. The vast majority of your job is making that investment worth it. There are two factors to this – lowering the investment, and increasing the payoff. If you can lower your audience’s suspension of disbelief through consistent characterisation, realistic (for your genre – this may deviate from real realism) worldbuilding, and appropriately foreshadowing and forewarning any unexpected rules of your world. You can lower the amount of effort or attention your audience need to put into getting into your story by writing in a clear manner, using an entertaining tone, and relying on cultural touchpoints they understand already instead of pushing them in the deep end into a completely unfamiliar situation. The lower their initial investment, the easier it is to make the payoff worth it.

Two important notes here: one, not all audiences view investment in the same way. Your average reader views time as a major investment, but readers of long fiction (epic fantasies, web serials, et cetera) often view length as part of the payoff. Brandon Sanderson fans don’t grab his latest book and think “Uuuugh, why does it have to be so looong!” Similarly, some people like being thrown in the deep end and having to put a lot of work into figuring out what the fuck is going on with no onboarding. This is one of science fiction’s main tactics for forcibly immersing you in a future world. So the valuation of what counts as too much investment varies drastically between readers.

Two, it’s not always the best idea to minimise the necessary investment at all costs. Generally, engagement with art asks something of us, and that’s part of the appeal. Minimum-effort books do have their appeal and their place, in the same way that idle games or repetitive sitcoms have their appeal and their place, but the memorable stories, the ones that have staying power and provide real value, are the ones that ask something of the reader. If they’re not investing anything, they have no incentive to engage, and you’re just filling in time. This commandment does not exist to tell you to try to ask nothing of your audience – you should be asking something of your audience. It exists to tell you to respect that investment. Know what you’re asking of your audience, and make sure that the ask is less than the payoff.

The other way to respect the investment is of course to focus on a great payoff. Make those characters socially fascinating, make that sacrifice emotionally rending, make the answer to that mystery intellectually fulfilling. If you can make the investment worth it, they’ll enjoy your story. And if you consistently make their investment worth it, you build trust, and they’ll be willing to invest more next time, which means you can ask more of them and give them an even better payoff. Audience trust is a very precious currency and this is how you build it – be worth their time.

But how do you know what your audience does and doesn’t consider an onerous investment? And how do you know what kinds of payoff they’ll find rewarding? Easy – they self-sort. Part of your job is telling your audience what to expect from you as soon as you can, so that if it’s not for them, they’ll leave, and if it is, they’ll invest and appreciate the return. (“Oh but I want as many people reading my story as possible!” No, you don’t. If you want that, you can write paint-by-numbers common denominator mass appeal fic. What you want is the audience who will enjoy your story; everyone else is a waste of time, and is in fact, detrimental to your success, because if they don’t like your story then they’re likely to be bad marketing. You want these people to bounce off and leave before you disappoint them. Don’t try to trick them into staying around.) Your audience should know, very early on, what kind of an experience they’re in for, what the tone will be, the genre and character(s) they’re going to follow, that sort of thing. The first couple of chapters of Time to Orbit: Unknown, for example, are a micro-example of the sorts of mysteries that Aspen will be dealing with for most of the book, as well as a sample of their character voice, the way they approach problems, and enough of their background, world and behaviour for the reader to decide if this sort of story is for them. We also start the story with some mildly graphic medical stuff, enough physics for the reader to determine the ‘hardness’ of the scifi, and about the level of physical risk that Aspen will be putting themselves at for most of the book. This is all important information for a reader to have.

If you are mindful of the investment your readers are making, mindful of the value of the payoff, and honest with them about both from the start so that they can decide whether the story is for them, you can respect their investment and make sure they have a good time.

3: Thou Shalt Not Make Thy World Less Interesting

This one’s really about payoff, but it’s important enough to be its own commandment. It relates primarily to twists, reveals, worldbuilding, and killing off storylines or characters. One mistake that I see new writers make all the time is that they tank the engagement of their story by introducing a cool fun twist that seems so awesome in the moment and then… is a major letdown, because the implications make the world less interesting.

“It was all a dream” twists often fall into this trap. Contrary to popular opinion, I think these twists can be done extremely well. I’ve seen them done extremely well. The vast majority of the time, they’re very bad. They’re bad because they take an interesting world and make it boring. The same is true of poorly thought out, shocking character deaths – when you kill a character, you kill their potential, and if they’re a character worth killing in a high impact way then this is always a huge sacrifice on your part. Is it worth it? Will it make the story more interesting? Similarly, if your bad guy is going to get up and gloat ‘Aha, your quest was all planned by me, I was working in the shadows to get you to acquire the Mystery Object since I could not! You have fallen into my trap! Now give me the Mystery Object!’, is this a more interesting story than if the protagonist’s journey had actually been their own unmanipulated adventure? It makes your bad guy look clever and can be a cool twist, but does it mean that all those times your protagonist escaped the bad guy’s men by the skin of his teeth, he was being allowed to escape? Are they retroactively less interesting now?

Whether these twists work or not will depend on how you’ve constructed the rest of your story. Do they make your world more or less interesting?

If you have the audience’s trust, it’s permissible to make your world temporarily less interesting. You can kill off the cool guy with the awesome plan, or make it so that the Chosen One wasn’t actually the Chosen One, or even have the main character wake up and find out it was all a dream, and let the reader marinate in disappointment for a little while before you pick it up again and turn things around so that actually, that twist does lead to a more interesting story! But you have to pick it up again. Don’t leave them with the version that’s less interesting than the story you tanked for the twist. The general slop of interest must trend upward, and your sacrifices need to all lead into the more interesting world. Otherwise, your readers will be disappointed, and their experience will be tainted.

Whenever I’m looking at a new piece of writing advice, I view it through these three rules. Is this plot still delivering on the book’s purpose, or have I gone off the rails somewhere and just stared writing random stuff? Does making this character ‘more relateable’ help or hinder that goal? Does this argument with the protagonists’ mother tell the reader anything or lead to any useful payoff; is it respectful of their time? Will starting in medias res give the audience an accurate view of the story and help them decide whether to invest? Does this big twist that challenges all the assumptions we’ve made so far imply a world that is more or less interesting than the world previously implied?

Hopefully these can help you, too.

[stick-named-figure]

i wrote a bit under the cut. i think i got most of my main ideas across but if you have questions i'm perfectly ready to talk about it.

one of the things i think is important about writing angst (and mental anguish, hurtfics, so on) is that satisfying ones typically have a point beyond just the suffering (though "pointless" pieces still have literary value). it does not mean that the point must be that the character is comforted, ambiguous ends and unresolved troubles can still be a good read.

i treat angst as a vehicle to state something about a character. i tend to do a lot of introspection and patternmaking (which is likely a part of me being autistic) and then use the conclusions i come to in my writing.

people (and then by extension, characters) do not typically do things for no reason. things may be done on a whim, but that whim is the reason, and so on. thus behavior in my writing is cause -> effect. characters often don't know the explicit cause of their behavior when i write them or how their past shapes their specific actions.

example that in my fic "shelled out" is that purple is angry about the situation with the ender dragon. on paper, the reason is that it's an example of a dragon (which in this universe is an animal) caring enough about it's progeny that it would burn a village down for them. there's this frustration that purr's parent could not do the same.

on the writing itself, i saw this post the other day, which is how i tend to write. while this one is about physical pain, a similar concept can be applied to anger, sadness, and other emotions. a character experiencing emotions may not be able to identify and vocalize said emotions, but they are likely still acting on them.

Ah idk how to ask this but yunno- angst is a good way of developing a character, andd uh since most of y'all are good at it-

could you mayybe teach me ?

[tired-old-men]

Your jobs seem stressful, what do you guys do to de-stress?

Thunderhawk 

Our jobs can be really stressful especially since we are constantly on duty to keep Angel Island safe, however we do get some free time to rest and unwind. Everyone needs to rest and refresh to be on their A game including us Guardians. 

For me, I destress by spending quality time with the family when I can. As expected of people that constantly work and live together we tend to spend most of our free time independently, which is all fine and good.. but we are a family after all, and getting to share some genuine time together, watch a movie, maybe play a board game or two, sharing a big meal, just gives me a nice warm feeling and reminds us of the simple moments in life together. Slowing down and enjoying the little things. 

Sometimes when work gets really overwhelming I stop for a moment, I focus on my breath and pay subtle attention at whats around me, how things look, sound, feel, maybe taste, I notice my feelings in the moment and remind myself of those little happy moments in life. It’s helped me destress over the years and has even come in handy when my anxiety would try to get the best of me. -smiles- 

Sojourner

What do I do to de-stress? Besides beautiful women -smirks then clears throat-, I enjoy the occasional cigar as opposed to my usual cigarettes, I don’t drink too often but I’ll even enjoy a glass of whiskey on the rocks with my smoke. Just find a good spot to sit outside and enjoy the view and maybe some tunes, although the sounds of the Island’s wilderness is the perfect music to my ears. 

At times the best way for me to de-stress is to go out hiking and especially camping. Sometimes I’ll take my son or another one of the boys along for the trip but other times I’ll go by myself, just exploring and experiencing Angel Island’s raw beauty brings me a lot of peace and provides the space for personal reflection too. Can’t beat a walk in nature I’ll tell you that!

Sabre

To say that this job is stressful would be an understatement in my opinion… I’ve tried a few things to destress but I really enjoy some quiet time along with a nice cup of tea, perhaps even a book or a good album to listen too. I’ve also found working on my garden to be quite therapeutic for me in a way. Gives me something to focus on besides work, and as much as it reminds me to take care of my plants it reminds me to take care of myself too. Originally my wife started this garden so I’d say it also holds some fond memories to reminisce about.

Locke

De-stress? Hmm.. I’d probably say meditation is my biggest guide when I feel burdened. I’ve read some of my ancestors would meditate so much they would even reach new levels of consciousness and even find greater insight into their chaos abilities. For me it keeps me focused on the present and helps organize my thoughts. I um- sometimes go out maybe into Echidnaopolis or another town on Island, just socialize a bit… Although my favorite places I go to are some of the old ruins or caves found around the Island, lots of history to uncover, it fills me with such an exciting energy I tend to forget about whatever might have been stressing me at the moment. -smiles sheepishly- 

Spectre

Hm…I meditate. I read. I tend to write about my thoughts, feelings, and observations as it helps gather all my introspections and provide greater insight into them… … I’ll also swim or dive from time to time…water is rather soothing…

[inell]

Fic Writers Meme

I was tagged by @andrea-lyn

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

1617, which doesn’t include most of my Buffy fic and some Potter fics that I never archived.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

5,496,775

3. What fandoms do you write for?

911 currently. In the past, I’ve written for: Buffy, Angel, Harry Potter, Star Trek AOS, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Teen Wolf, and 911.

I’ve also done random one shot crossovers with some of the above and: Queer As Folk (US), Velvet Goldmine, LOTR crack fic, Hook, POTC, and some RPF.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Masks (Sterek) 3444

Operation: Chick Flick (Sterek) 2819

Karma’s a Bitch (Sterek) 2809

Lucky Thirteen (Sterek) 2428

Bliss (Hermione sex club) 2389

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes, always, I am a slut for positive reinforcement and I want to give thanks for that. (Stealing this answer because it’s true)

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

Moments (Cedric Diggory/Zacharias Smith) for obvious canon compliant reasons

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

Your choice. Most of my fics have happy endings.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I’ve had hate on fics in the past, usually focused on ships.

My first actual taste of hate happened back in like 2001 or so. Some folks decided to do this website about hate on all these various Buffy fic writers, naming them as awards or whatever. I got a little paragraph as someone with potential who insists on writing fanon ships and ignoring canon and, uh, I’m thinking something about catering to readers instead of honing my craft? I don’t really remember. I had a moment of self-doubt, considered not writing anymore, and then I realized it could have been much more hateful and who cares what anonymous people think anyway. I think that’s when I really opened up my ships more. Similar thing in Potter, only the hate was Dramione OTP folks who didn’t like that I branched out of that ship. I’ve now written like dozens of ships in Potter after those tantrums ruined some (I thought) friendships.

9. Do you write smut?

Yes. I have to be in the right mood for it these days, though. In the past, I could write smutlets easily, but, as I’ve gotten older, I’m more about the dynamics between the pairing than just the smutty acts, so I have to be in the right state of mind to focus on it.

10. Do you write crossovers?

Yes, I have written crossovers. My current Teen Wolf series is a crossover, actually.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Yep, I’ve had fic plagiarized before.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, I’ve had fic translated and even had someone ask to reference one in their thesis project once.

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

Yes, I have. Some positive experiences even if some of them remained unfinished. I actually have several fics lost to history cowritten with @andrea-lyn 💜

14. What is your all time favorite ship?

I don’t really have an all-time favorite. I tend to change my fandom and focus on one at a time. I will still read Kirk/McCoy if it crosses my path, and I’m still in Teen Wolf enough that I read Stiles fics. Mostly it’s Buddie at the moment.

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

I don’t have one. The WIPs that aren’t finished likely won’t ever be, and I do plan to finish Out of the Shadows eventually.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I don’t know. People have commented about my characterizations a lot, and I’ve been told that some readers can easily see the story in their head, which I think is good.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I don’t really enjoy writing action scenes. I think I have too much detail or introspection sometimes. Sometimes I fear that my writing needs to come with a cavity warning because it’s usually romantic fluff.

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

It’s tough because translate is often wrong, and I don’t usually do it unless it’s most appropriate for a character. I’ll usually have them say whatever it is, and I’ll indicate it was said in whatever language.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (October 1999)

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

I don’t really have one. It’s like choosing to your favorite dog. I really enjoyed the world building of Badass Supernatural Immortals and In the Shadows so maybe those.

That was fun. I always enjoy talking about fandom and writing. Tagging: @exhuastedpigeon @hippolotamus @letmetellyouaboutmyfeels @dangerpronebuddie @smilingbuckley @daffi-990 @diazsdimples @disasterbuck @rainbow-nerdss @glorious-spoon @rosieposiepuddingnpie @queerdiazs @kitteneddiediaz @tidesreach and anyone else who wants to do it!

[stars-tonight]

hello, id like a long romantic matchup if thats alright! 🌻

im a trans person (he/him) with a strong preference for men. my ideal partner is someone emotionally intelligent and understanding. im quite self aware and introspective, so having someone on the same level of maturity as me is important. someone who can communicate and firmly establish boundaries would be nice. i also prefer people taller than me (im 5’3) and have a weak spot for nerds / tech savvy people / glasses...

i have dark brown eyes and darker hair, and light olive skin covered in darker scars. i have a bad habit of picking at my skin (dermatillomania), so most of them are on my face or arms. it’s not uncommon to see me with bandages on. i also have horrible nearsightedness, so i wear glasses.

i’d like to think i’m a pretty cut and dry person; what you see is what you get. i tend to be very open (sometimes uncomfortably so) and try to foster an environment where people can be open with me in turn. communication is very important to me. i value honesty and transparency a lot, and often feel betrayed when i find out something has been hidden from me. despite this, i trust quite easily, a bit naive in giving people the benefit of the doubt. i often find myself analyzing others' actions and motives. monotone people can make me feel nervous as i can’t get as good of a read on them.

one of my biggest passions is creating. i’ve been drawing and writing since a very young age, and i take great pride in my work. it’s something i’m actually confident in, because i know what i’m talking about when it comes to art. i generally find my inspiration in people, usually drawing or drawing for those i care about. i’m very much a gift giver in a relationship, even if i don’t have much money to spare, so i make things instead. art, poems, songwriting. if it’s creative, i’ll do it.

romantically, i’m a huge tease, though i often can’t take what i dish out haha. i’m the type to relish in someone’s flusteredness, only to find myself stumbling over my words when they reciprocate. i’m clingy, cringy, and very unapologetic about it. space is important to me (as i can be suffocating at times and need to regulate myself), but i love spending time with those close to me. quality time is HUGE for me, as being with loved ones can be like recharging. i’m also big on words of affirmation, as reassurance is something i crave from others, and i’m very verbally affectionate.

while i usually say my ideal date is anything where i get to spend time with the person, i actually have a soft spot for amusement parks / fairs. i love going on roller coasters and other thrilling rides, and am a sucker for cute merchandise. ideally we’d spend most of the day there, get to see the place lit up at night, and go home to cuddle and watch a movie to wind down. i also think itd be really sweet having someone win a prize or buy something for me, just because it reminded them of me. id do the same too of course!

i’ve also struggled with my mental health since i was very young (untreated audhd, and later bpd) but have managed to push through. i still have my off days, and off my meds everything feels a lot more extreme and black and white. my emotions are sensitive at best, and unstable at worst. i love hard and mourn harder.

headcanons

🥛 akaashi fits your ideal partner list very well!

🥛 he's emotionally intelligent and super mature, and he'd be very good at communicating and making sure both of your needs and wishes are met

🥛 he's also taller than you, i believe he's actually pushing six foot which is crazy bc he feels like a 5'8 dude

🥛 he has glasses and he's a bit of a nerd 😫

🥛 i don't think akaashi would hide anything from his partner; he'd be very emotionally intelligent and mature and he knows that communication is key to relationships

🥛 he would highly value honesty and open communication, and he's glad that you're not fake or pretending to be someone you're not

🥛 akaashi also tends to read and analyze things like actions and facial expressions. he tends to overthink in this department as well, but he's working on it haha

🥛 but yeah you guys are similar in that way

🥛 akaashi is very artistic and i headcanon that he likes drawing too! so he'd love to spend a quiet evening in just doing your own projects side by side

🥛 please draw him he's ethereal and it will literally make him cry

🥛 he's not big on materialistic gifts but he would be so touched if you gave him something personal like a poem or wrote a song for him! that's actually so sweet and he'd melt

🥛 akaashi's more of a romantic than a flirt. he'd get flustered sometimes if you tease him, but then sometimes out of nowhere he'll come back with the best line ever and he'll laugh at how red your face gets

🥛 he would love spending time with you but he's also an introvert and likes having his own time to recharge

🥛 so like i said earlier, he'd love spending time next to you while you're both doing your own things; he finds it so peaceful and healing

🥛 he's great at verbal encouragement and support, words of affirmation is definitely a giving love language of his

🥛 he'd be very in tune with your emotions and would take the best care of you

A/N: hi 🌻anon! i'm so sorry about the long wait but i hope you liked your matchup 🫶

[bean-in-dice]

WIP meme

Thanks for tagging me @thelaithlyworm !

Rules: make a new post with the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

(Hope I'm doing this correct lol

Also, i usually name things after Im done writing, so none of these have names as they are wips)

1. A Bai Jintang and Gongsun Ce fic (for SCI: The Mystery Novel). I think I meant to name this something like "Blood, Glass and Bone Ashes"

With introspective GSC pov, where I analyse their horrific relationship start, and what continuing meant for both of them, and where they stand now. Though I HATED them in the first few books, by book 4 they had unexpectedly grown on me and I wanted to do something about that, but to my regret I only wrote like 500 words at the time and postponed it till I've read all of SCI, but by book 5 I kinda started losing interest on the series therefore I keep pushing this Wip to the back shelf. Sorry, fic. Maybe one day I'll get back to you🫠

2. Baby Pangzi fic

Probably will never happen because I wrote a baby Xiaoge fic and included all the best baby shenanigans in it already. Dui bu qi, Pangzi! Ive done you great injustice 😭

3. A Heixie fic that acknowledges Pingxie, Huaxie, Pangxie, Heiping and Heihua all at the same time.

Will probably finish this, it kinda feels all over the place but this is a headcanon so dear to me so I will try my best to brush it up.

4. A One Million Yen Girl (jmovie) au for Zhang Qiling

I've written like 1/8 of this, I really want to write it but I feel like it's beyond my abilities and it stopped being fun. There was this aloof and extremely introvert atmosphere in the Japanese movie but that's what... uh, handwaves....the Jmovie vibes tends to be like sometimes but that's so not the C-story vibe, not even in the most thought provoking, languid and quiet Cmovie/Cdrama, and I thought I could make it work because Zhang Qiling is aloof himself but the more I write the more I feel like this only looks appealing on visual media not when you write it.

OR it's not actually as bad as I think but because I already have this exact image in my head, inability to achieve it makes me more dissapointed. One needs to be careful when they adapt a story from one culture to another that is quite different from the first one, and if you are feeling awkward you better stop. Some things only work in your head and not on paper.

Now for the tagging

Hmm

I don't know a lot of dmbj people on tumblr huhu. @missfangirll @mekare-art @epicwalrus if you will? 🙈

Oh well, I realise I've left nothing for anyone to ask about anw, I've already provided descriptions. Should I remove them, then? Nvm 😂

[eponastory]

Heya! Me again! XD I might need some writing advice.

First of all, I'm trying to get back to writing something, but I want to write an ATLA AU retelling where the characters are older and it's Zutara/Sukka/and Taang-based! :) Problem is, I have like 23 unfinished stories on AO3(four more on FF.Net), and I don't want to like, make another story to add it onto the pile, but...well, in your expertise (I mean, I hear that you write really well), should I just focus on the ones I've written now?

Secondly, how do I get back in the groove of writing? I feel like when I get myself going back to it, it just makes my head feel heavy or something, or I'm just tired. ^^; I don't know, maybe I'm writing too much. I just got other stories to update that I haven't for a while and I want to like...not let everybody wait for the next update on those stories, and...well, I just need some advice on procrastination, I guess. ^^;

I hope I'm making sense. I want to write, but I can't seem to get it going. Maybe I'm distracted too much. What do you do when this happens? What should I do? :O

(Also, no worries about the crossovers! I have two one-shot fics of ATLA, but they're both Taang-centric. ^^; They also have Zutara and Sukka in them, but they're only minor. XD I also did some Taang Week stories that I did in 2020. :) Either way, if you don't do crossovers, there are those to read! :D )

I will definitely check them out!

When I can. Because I've got like... four papers to edit for these people in college that are too lazy to edit their own. That's okay, I get paid for it.

And then there is my current fic I'm obsessed (it's unhealthy, I know) with and then I have to start planning for ZKBB...

Please have mercy on me.

I'm also pretty hungry for Chicken Shawarma for some reason and I really need some ice cream. And chocolate. Lots of chocolate.

@omegansamurai *edited because I am a dingus*

I totally missed the middle part of this ask. I apologize for that... I feel like such an idiot for missing that.

So, a neat little trick I like to do is a word avalanche. It helps get the thoughts going and keeps you on track. You just start with one word, and then you find the words, emotions, or senses that go with that word. It helps with creating scenes and prompts, you name it. I've been doing it for years, and sometimes, it ends up being a whole outline for an epic adventure.

If you have the opposite problem of too many projects at once, cut back on the stories that you feel aren't cutting it. Don't try to force something if you get stuck. Let it sit. Think about it while working on another project. Then go back. I like to keep a journal of all my thoughts that randomly pop up when I'm having a difficult time with a story. I write down those thoughts so I can go back to them later. Most of the time, especially with some of my original works, I get really stuck, and they sit for months. With fan fiction, it can be years before I go back to them. But when I do decide to pick them back up again, I have a journal with everything written down on where I wanted to go with it.

Prompts are also a good thing to practice getting better at introspective and character analysis if you are having issues with that. Putting characters in sticky situations tends to develop them more.

Also, it's totally okay to let go of stories you don't feel connected to anymore. You can always go back to them later on if you ever get the drive for it.

But rule number one is always do what you can make the time for. Overwhelming yourself will cause burnout. One idea at a time. Develop it, write it down. Make it work. But don't try to do too much at one time.

Again, I'm sorry for totally missing the point of your ask... I think I had just finished up that chapter and was posting on both my phone and computer.

[deadwrites]

Well I was set to keep going on in the tags of the prev post but I think what I need to do is just make a seperate post.

The Tales of Nocturna-Illume (through the shadow of the sun) will be a pretty short cut and dry slavefic story, definitely self indulgent and the court of the gods origin story that is referenced in FNV and all other fics in my what, deadverse? how edge, I like it. It's about a secret prince slave, greco-roman-persian-egyptianesque inspired. Very self indulgent and cliche. I live for trying to make the cliche feel fresh. We see Emryth, the mc, in FNV a couple times, Book I and Book II. TTSOTS is going to be novella to novel length. I hope.

Even fire will burn itself out is euro-medieval era-ish, having Étienne--a dragon-burnt slave--going on a bit of an adventure (I HAD been considering following the hero's journey template but boy does that stress me out) that ends with him and a dragonshifter together. There are dragon hoards. There are wars. There are lots of godstouched creatures in it. Weird dragon sex. You name it. It's gonna probably be a trilogy.

Lead Bodies is what's going on on the human side of the dragonic war, specifically in the warring nation's court. It's court politics and forced relationship, with the mc, Aris, being the royal favorite/obsession. He had kids and a bad case of OCD and runs off with a knight (will not spoiler besides for saying it ends badly). I like this one because it isn't going to be an epic insomuch as the story of the grand battles etc go to Étienne in even fire will burn itself out. For Aris, I am thinking of less of what's the most epic thing happening in the world rn, and more of "why is THIS the part of Aris' life that deserves to be told". There's a fun little incubus-imp critter that he ends up with in there. It should just be a novel. A long novel.

(Man I would love to write a baroque/age of enlightenment/maybe french revolution? inspired story. I have a lot of french and euro art history under my belt so I tend to draw a lot of inspiration from that. But I need to chill with the stories until I FINISH something. Hmm. Plague, philosophers or alchemists, beheadings, powdered faces, maximalism...).

Next is The Lighthouse, which I started publishing then took down when I got serious about FNV, because it's not gonna get written anytime soon even though it's meant to be quite short (50-60k?) and is noncon FREE (?!) and about a pretentious existentialist gay guy who, in a lenin-era-russocommunist world, fucks a siren. Very fun, very much an introspective piece about loneliness and PTSD.

And then we have the siren and under the earth, which are modern era and may or may not ever see the light of day again.

Lastly, modern era, is Booters (working title), that is a novella tragedy pet whump story because I dislike pet whump as a whole and hate bad endings. But! I read a compelling essay by Arthur Miller (after reading death of a salesman) and found the idea that he proposed of a tragedy being great because it shows the tenacity of the human spirit in spite of impossible odds to be quite inspiring. We do live in an era of impossible odds, don't we? So anyway, pet Daisy works at bussy Hooters and had a bad ending. But at least he tried. I want to post an excerpt sometime. It's a novella, maybe short story, only has 3-4 chapters.

I am pretty terrible so I have about 20-60k written for each of these stories, sans Booters, but certainly most of it will get tossed by the time I am ready to get serious about them. Anyway that's the tour of my rough drafts. Don't get too excited (congrats if you read to the end of this) because it'll be ages before they get posted bc I am unfortunately a slow long format author.

[lady-of-endless]

Hello! May I please request a one piece matchup? If you're too busy please feel free to delete! <3

--

BASICS

Name: Mochi

Gender: Female (she/her)

Sexual Orientation: Pansexual (any gender match is ok!)

SIGNS AND TYPES

Zodiac: Libra sun, Libra moon, Leo rising

MBTI: INFP

Enngram: 4; the individualist

Alignment: Chaotic good

House: Slytherin

Love Language (Giving): Physical touch, quality time

Love Language (Receiving): Quality time, gift giving

PERSONALITY

Likes: Video games, reading, drawing, writing, crochet, cross stitch, Sanrio, frogs, mushrooms, cows, coffee, sweets, summertime

Dislikes: Chores (executive dysfunction), cold weather, bitter foods, crowded places, overload of sounds (sensory issue)

Personality: I'm a very quiet person, but I'm also very friendly and bubbly. I love making friends even though I have social anxiety around new people. I'm not the most talkative, though I can hold a conversation: I'm a great listener, at least! I love spending time with my loved ones, especially my special person. I try really hard to make people feel welcome and relaxed when they're around me. Despite being quiet, I'm generally quiet communicative. When it comes to negative feelings it does have to be dragged out of me a bit, but otherwise I'm an open book!

I'm very chill most of the time, and can be very laid back. More a follower personality. I can be a bit cavalier as I deal with everything through (often quite dark) humor, but if I ever make someone genuinely uncomfortable I'm good to stop. I do need to be told peoples feelings directly though as I'm not a good judge of others unless I already know them well. Because of this I don't sus out peoples intentions well and see the best even when maybe it's not there. I'm pretty naive and gullible tbh. If you dig my humor, though, I'm really funny.

I'm very mental health aware. I suffer from anxiety and bipolar II, so I can be a lot. That being said, I'm very observant with those I love and very good at dealing with ups and downs in myself and others. I'm very introspective and always in my head for better and worse. I'm always striving to better myself, but tend to doubt myself and give into negative self talk.

I value my found family above all else. There's nothing I wouldn't do for them and I've been told I'm too loyal. I also value accountability, a growth mindset, and ambition.

Im very indoorsy and a bit of a homebody. That being said, I don't mind being spontaneous from time to time or going out if there's something interesting to do.

I have my moments of insecurity for sure but I'm pretty confident most of the time. Like I said, I'm an open book - I'm not shy to talk about anything with someone who asks and is seemingly well-intentioned! I honestly just have a huge interest in how people think and love picking their brains lol. I also love silly theorheticals for this very reason.

I'm a big softie who unsuccessfully pretends to be a tough guy. I've got a major weakness for cute things and wouldn't hurt a fly in reality. Soft candy with a gooey centre fr.

APPEARANCE

Hair: I have shoulder-length very dark brown wavy hair with a side part and grown out fringe. My hair is plain but it's soft!

Eyes: I have beautiful, big chocolate brown eyes with long lashes. They're one of my favourite parts of myself!

Body: I have olive skin, a pear figure, and am overweight. I have about 7 smallish tattoos, and piercings in my lips, ears, and nose.

Style: usually I'm very hobo-chic with all sweats but my preferred style is either full alt or cute pink dresses and bows.

--

Tysm for your time! Don't hesitate to message me if you have any questions!

Author's Note: Thank you so much for this request and how detailed and well structured it is! It made my work really enjoyable. As a side note, you seem such a nice person. Hope you'll enjoy it! 🌹

I ship you with...Trafalgar D Water Law!

(lovely gif is not mine, please show appreciation to the OP)

- Your chill and laid-back way of being is what naturally draws him to you. Afterwards, your bubbly side is what keeps him close, all whipped and annoyed.

- He hates to admit that you are exactly what he needed.

- You both seem loyal, mature and ambitious. Once he discovers those traits in you, he decides that he wants you close. An ally, maybe. That's what he sees in you initially.

- A softer demeanor is what Law needs to heal from his past. You being a softie is what will keep him getting better. Is also a side of you that he wants to keep as a secret, not wanting others to try to use it as manipulation.

- Being introspective is a mutual trait so at times, it will be a little complicated for you to figure out and communicate what's happening between you two.

- He's the first to notice that you're feeling anxious. Maybe because he's a doctor or maybe because he worries for you, who knows? (Hint: It's both.)

- The innocent gullibility you mentioned is something that triggers Law to take care of you. And also to tease you, good luck.

- Soft hair? Lay next to him as he's studying and let him run his fingers through your hair while he's reading.

- A cute scenario? You two would have late night convos about tattoos and piercings. Both being half asleep, talking about what other tattoos or piercings you want/consider cool.

- About your style, I think you two would make a great power couple when you go for the alternative aesthetic. If you go for the cute pink aesthetic, there's something about it that makes him whipped.

[autumnslance]

Fic Writer Interview

Tagged by @sheepwithspecs technically on my main but this is where fanfic goes. Do this if you wanna!

How many works do you have on AO3?

47 as of 2/6/24. There's a few things I need to get around to adding there though.

What’s your total AO3 word count?

411,290 as of 2/6/24

What are your top 5 fics by kudos

Downtime (compilation of younger Scions & other teen chars being pals in Norvrandt) Unexpected (compilation of shippy nonsense) A Constant Distant Thunder (Thancred in ARR patches post-Lahabrea) Ruminations (General Warrior of Light introspections & adventures) Rogue's Prelude (My headcanons on Thancred meeting Louisoix, Papalymo, and Yda)

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I usually do! I often try to. So my comment count is almost, not quite though, doubled.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Hrm; I tend to do a lot of bittersweet endings. We'll keep it simple and say "Never Gets Easier", a fic where Edmont and Charlemend talk about their lost sons. There's no sweetness there, just men haunted by mistakes and losses.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

Maybe "When Everything Changes" which is kid fic from the POV of my WoL's older brother when she's born and his ambivalence turns to big brother joy and love.

Do you write crossovers?

Haven't yet.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Not that I recall.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Occasionally. Usually pretty vanilla. It's all right, I guess.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Had an OC's backstory on our WoW RP server's fic blogging site lifted wholesale; they changed the names and class, and then…walked into our weekly guild meeting that I was leading and tried to join our guild. When confronted, the person claimed their partner had leveled the character for them and based the backstory on Skyrim (my OC's story is very specific to WoW). They tried to message me later as if we were pals who would laugh this off someday. I informed them that was not a thing and btw the site mods knew they were a plagiarist now. Also everyone knew who their alts were and a bunch of other trouble they'd caused. So far as I know, they bailed from our server after that.

I hoped they learned better and grew up quite a bit; this was well over a decade ago.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Once or twice now; so long as folks credit and link back to my originals, and share the translated link with me, it's all good!

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Roleplay and actual story collaboration both. It's a lot of fun.

What’s your all-time favorite ship?

How dare you.

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

*stares at WIP folder*

Come back with a warrant.

(I won't say never, but there's a lot that probably are just noodling and scraps to feed something else later)

What are your writing strengths?

Folks seem to like my dialogue.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Impatience, and certain grammatical abuses that do nothing for length nor clarity.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

Depends on the fic. Depends on the intended audience.

For dialects, mostly the concern is "don't overdo it" as it can slow things down, be really jarring at best and offensive at worst, and difficult to understand if laying it on too thick.

Other languages entirely have different guidelines though, from sprinkling in single words or short phrases, to entire passages, and whether or not you translate or leave it up to the reader. Depends on fandom, on the characters, on the story, author intentions.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Narnia, in a my little girl diary as a pre-teen. I wanted to pick up Susan's story as a grown up and bring her and family back to a magical land. Cuz I knew it could, would happen someday, even if Lewis never got to write it himself.

What’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to?

Final Fantasy XVI. Midst. The latter is tricky as I really don't have ideas at the moment, but really want to dig into that vibe. My writing needs to be more weird in general, really.

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

How dare you, come back with a warrant!

[karliahs]

💻🤔✨- for your fic ask game!

from this - thank you!!

💻 Do you do research for your fics? What’s the deepest dive you’ve done?

i'm not a huge researcher but i do little bits here and there...most recently for a soft place to land i did some research about japanese customs and also some about child development to check that my sense of what 7 year olds are like was semi-accurate...and that did then lead to me reading a whole book about parenting, but at that point it crossed over from being fic research to just me remembering that i find kids and parenting fascinating

🤔 What is the hardest part of writing fic?

insecurity/the mean bad faith reader who exists in my head. this is the hardest part because it makes everything else harder - fixing problems i've noticed in my work, taking risks/going out of my comfort zone, just taking time to write in general because i have this weird fear that if i go work on something i'll suddenly realise it's irredeemably bad. shame is not conducive to making stuff

i'm also profoundly conflict-averse and fear discourse, and that does definitely affect what i'm willing to post and therefore work on. although i do think the level of bad faith reading i bring to my own work is probably a lot worse than what would happen in reality (and also even if people are doing that, they have almost never felt the need to tell me about it, so it shouldn't really be an issue)

i'm a lot better about this than i used to be!! but it's the biggest roadblock for sure

✨ Choose three adjectives to compliment your own writing.

introspective

this is a thing i did not really realise until people mentioned it in comments, but yeah i do tend to find the most interesting thing about a scenario to be how people are thinking and feeling about it, and my main goal with a piece is often to get across a vivid sense of what it would feel like to be that person in that moment.

this is also why when i've played around with a more distant 3rd person perspective, it hasn't really worked for me. gotta be right up in someone's head

2. grounded

i am truly just cribbing from comments with all of these...this is another thing people pointed out and i'm like yeah! even when i write tropes like bodyswap or de-aging, i tend to take a sort of grounded perspective on it that i really enjoy (even though i also love the wild & zany takes that are more common with those tropes)

there's an interplay of fantasy and realism in hurt/comfort fics in general which i could ramble on about for ages, and i think i'm pretty good at couching fantasies of comfort that are common to a lot of people in a kind of semi-realism that lets you really feel it.

3. succinct

it took me infinitely too long to think of a word that means short but in a good way 😂 i would not say no to suddenly gaining the ability to write 200k plotty epics, but i realised recently that i enjoy reading oneshots and shorter fics more than i do longfic, and i really admire when other writers achieve a lot in a short word count...so it seems kind of silly to deny myself that praise just because it's me, especially when nice people in comments keep telling me it's true

ignore the fact that my current project is 30,000 words of domestic softness. this is an anomaly and should not be counted

[arthurs-notes]

Linguistic Identity: Existential Crisis of Polylingual People

I remmener the day I've written my first article for the syg.ma project. It was a rainy day, I was sad and to overcome this blue mood I've pushed myself towards writing. I would like to share my work with you. I think that I gonna continue to share my texts like that with you guys, just let me know what do you think about it.

In nowadays reality linguistic questions appear more seldom than usual. I observed that my Instagram feed was submerged with different posts concerning linguistic identity. The era of globalization, mass migration, provoked by the War in Ukraine, economic crisis all these factors increase drastically the level of migration, according to the EU’s migration poll. [1] 

Subsequently, I was touched by this trend. I have a lot of friends from different countries and some of them use several language codes in their daily life. The least numerous group of my friends is polylingual. One week ago, we discussed what we think about the sociolinguistic point of the actual conflict. The situation is particularly interesting: the most frequently recalled question was “who am I and what is my mother tongue?”. On one hand, the answer is simple “a mother tongue is the language that you use in your everyday life” or “a mother tongue is a language that you use to think”. But what should you conceive if a person uses several languages to think and to communicate if this very person lives in two, three, or even four different linguistic realities? Who is he/she/they? 

To answer this tricky eternal question, I will enlighten several concepts that I consider to be abstract and they need several levels of determination to be analyzed. Firstly, I am going to talk about linguistic identity itself and how it affects our lives, then, I would like to be precise about what is it like to be a polylingual person, after we are going to look at how migration changes the context of existence and the perception of reality. Finally, we are going to clash all these three parts of your cognition in the conflict of identity crises, we will see how the pluralism of assimilation could change each static universals into always changeable substance.

2. Linguistic identity

When I heard the expression of “Linguistic identity” for the first time I was really surprised. Primo, this term comprises ‘identity”, something that we have already heard about. Putting it simply, that’s the way we see the world, our relation to life, and the way to live it. Second, the linguistic part pushes us to suppose that it specifies the given concept by adding the image of language. However, this is not as simple as it could seem. 

First of all, we need to understand that “identity” in language learning research is not a concept but a construct that is way more complex than an object because it takes part in social interaction, not only in perceiving reality. The language constructs a meta-person’s relationships across time, and space and changes the vision of a person’s identity and its vision of the future. The identity, at the same time, influences the language of a meta-person, by modifying lexical preferences, grammar, and syntax. They are linked and cannot exist one without another. [2]

To imagine this in a better way, try to draw a picture in your mind where the identity sphere has a language part inside and the language one has an identity part inside. Depending on a starting point of analysis, we can consider “identity” or “language” as a nucleus or a periphery, or form and content 

This language duality was firstly described in “Cours de Linguistique Généralé” by Ferdinand de Saussure. Using the introspective approach, we can observe that “identity” and “language” do possess the nucleus and periphery sides. [3]

People generally tend to associate themselves with one or more social groups to perceive reality, and the way it works, and to make decisions. [4] The question of language identity was always crucial not only for linguists but also for politicians as a really strong construct that can form some sort of ideology based on different levels of culture, where the language itself makes a part. Depending on your language, your vocabulary in some spheres will differ drastically from others. For instance, In Japanese-speaking reality, there would be more words to describe senses, tastes, and colors. The reason for that is hidden in Japanese education, where the empiric and observational approaches are deeply integrated into the school system. [5] 

The most cited example is the word umami which means a taste that describes as savory and is characterized by broths and cooked meats. Even if we could imagine this concept, several languages do not possess such a word for umami, which leads people to loan this word in their languages. That was a strict nucleus, the heart of a language, something that describes the reality of the world where a meta-person lives. As for the periphery, a language, forms to some extent, your vocabulary. If a language is fusional, or a language that uses a single morpheme to form new grammatical or semantic features, it is possible, that your language would be more open to new cultural codes, and terms and assimilate them in a faster way, comparing it with the analytic one.

As for the nucleus of the identity part, it helps you to choose the linguistic reality. If you consider yourself French, you could speak French, so you don’t have a dissonance in your world’s perception, you acquire the inherent logic of the language, e.g. tenses, word structure, phonetics, etc. The periphery part links to the culture. I have already mentioned that language is a part of a culture. It goes with the history of people speaking this language. We cannot forget about songs, movies, books, ideologies, and other important parts consisting of the cultural iceberg.

One identity differs from another, and by choosing one of them, several individuals could even change some physical features such as mimics, facial expressions, and furthermore. These two parts create the Linguistic identity, a strong social construct that leads people, it can be used as a manipulation instrument or even a weapon. Hence, I have explained the reality of a monolingual person which is a rare phenomenon in the world. Taking into consideration the fact, that the vast majority of people live in multiple linguistic realities, we should turn to bilingual people or even polylingual ones.

3. Who is a polylingual

The definition of this term was always problematic through the ages. Several specialists in different domains gave so many descriptions of this term that is it impossible to pick one that is suitable for each situation. I consider that we need to determine the limits of this notion before speaking about polylingual people. [6]

The vast majority of definitions differ depending on the “donor” of language. Here, I am talking about the person who transmits the language to the child. Even the motivation of the word “mother tongue” means that, in general, a child takes the language from its mother, and less frequently, from its father. Taking into the consideration increasing level of immigration and globalization, the situation, where each parent represents different language communities has become usual. This reality pushes language specialists to consider this fact, so the number of definitions concerning the ability to speak multiple languages is always increasing. [6]

In the aim to understand all the complexity of terminology in this field, I propose you imagine that there are several families: Family A, Family B, and Family C. We are going to study their cases, and after that, I propose you talk about the definition itself. 

For each situation, we can enumerate external and internal factors that could be named as context. The external context is the language environment of the majority of the population placed in a given territory, while external ones are mostly conventional and depend on the parents. I have omitted several factors such as language status, like the situation with the Tatar language in Russia, to shorten my essay, which is slightly becoming a novel. Here, we are going to imagine the situation by putting it through some level of generalization. The way people perceive a language is way too complex to put into several words. 

For instance, In Family A, parent 1 speaks French, while parent 2 speaks English, both of them are living in France, where the official language is French. Taking into consideration the internal factor, parent 1 and parent 2 can decide which strategy should they choose to communicate with. their child. There are three possibilities. 

The French domination. Both parents speak French, but parent 2 does not speak English and a child would not be able to learn it, in the condition of both of them do not speak English. In the opposite situation, the child would be able to analyze the language, decorticate it, subconsciously, and learn English. 

The English domination. Both parents speak English to the child, parent 1 does not speak French and the child would not be able to learn it with the same conditions. 

The bilingual environment. Both parents use two languages in their communication, mixing them, or switching them with the child. The final result would give a certain level of fluency. 

As for external factors, you remember, that all of them are living in France, so the child would be exposed, sooner or later to the French language outside of its household. In the case of French domination, the child would be a monolingual person, because she was not exposed to several language systems. In the case of English domination, the child would become a monolingual person too, however, its situation will be different. As the child lives in France, sooner or later, he would be exposed to French, and he would learn it at school with his friends and relatives. Furthermore, everything depends on a symbiosis of external and internal factors, we do not know if a child is going to pass more time with his parents or with his friends at school. In general, children tend to distance themselves from their parents, from the age of 10, and then, progressively, they would gain their fluency till the beginning of puberty. 

And finally, the most interesting case, the bilingual domination, where a child would speak both French and English, hens, without a strict distinction between the two of them. However, with the age, the child would use more French in his life. If we imagine that it would use the same strategy as a child, raised in an English-dominated environment, it would be more fluent in French as well. 

The situation with Family A shows us that a person cannot physically know two languages at the same level, because we cannot control their usage. One of them is going to be dominant. 

If we switch the language in Family B, of Parent 1 into Russian, and would keep the language of Parent 2 as French by default, for example, there would be the same situation, however with little differences, as the language itself is far more distant from French on the level of structure, grammar, lexis, morphology, etc. The more the difference is significant, the more the situation changes. 

To illustrate this, imagine child B is risen in a Russian-dominated environment, where Parent 1 and Parent 2 tend to speak Russian only, supposing that Parent 2 is fluent in Russian and possesses a C2 level certificate. In that case, while in Family A, English would not influence the French language of Child A on the level of pronunciation, because there is a native reference (a slite difference could be remarked on the level of prosody), in Family B, Russian would influence several lexical and their semantic structures because of a big number of loan words and expressions. For example, let us look at the expressions that are semantically close in both languages. They mean “Speak of the Devil”:

• “Вспомнишь Солнце — Вот и лучик/Vspomnish solntse vot i luchik”. 

• «En parlant du loup».

These two expressions can mix and several parts of them could be mutated. In this situation, the child C could transform these sentences into:

• «Вспомнишь волка вот и он/Vspomnish volka vot I on», transposition and interference;

• «Кстати о волке/Kstati o volkie», a literate translation from French.;

• «En voyant une lueur», literate translation from French. 

This situation changes with the begging of the academic experience. Child B would use more French expressions and would probably loan them in Russian. 

In the French-dominated situation, there will not be any drastic differences from Family A. To be fair, according to my personal experience, I could tell, that several Russian expressions were loaned into my French language vocabulary. 

In the bilingual situation, the level of modifications and linguistic experimentations in a child’s B brain is constantly growing with age till the end of puberty. The further situation depends on the symbiosis of factors that would help child B choose a dominant language. 

Since the Economic crisis of 2008, there is another interesting tendency that could be illustrated by Family C. In this case, we use the same parameters as for Family A, P1 speaks French and P2 speaks English, one parameter that is changed is the external factor. Family C lives in Germany. In this case, child C enters into the three-dimensional linguistic reality, where the result would not be the same as for Families A and B. [1]

As was already told, there could be three possible scenarios, based on conventional relations between the P1 and P2 in Family C. In this situation, the external factor gives three additional scenarios: German dominated environment, Bilingual dominated environment with French and German, and three lingual-dominated environments. So, just to be precise and to better understand the situation, Family C could be: 

• French-speaking;

• English speaking;

• Bilingual (Fr-En); 

• German-speaking; 

• Bilingual (Fr-De);

• Three lingual (Fr-En-De).

In all of the cases mentioned, child C would speak German, because of the German-speaking environment, especially with age, however, we need to take into consideration multiple varieties of socioeconomic factors such as the city’s population, its region, municipality area, scholar establishment, etc. 

These factors are too numerous to illustrate each situation, however, it gives a perfect example of the complexity of the studying subject. As we have already seen, in several situations, a child could become a bilingual person and even in this, it would not be able to speak languages at the same level. Even if the difference is not drastically evident, one of the languages, one of the language would be dominant. [7]

The next important question, a bilingual person is complex and constructed, living in two linguistic dimensions, and different cultures, and sometimes, the child is exposed to more than two cultures. This tendency created a dilemma in the determination of a bilingual person. 

I will not bother you with some further examples on this topic, but, an individual has an identity, the essence that is closely connected with his language and culture. Not all bilinguals in the world become bilinguals from the very beginning. They could be born into a monolingual family and then change their country of residence. In that case, they would not be able to stay nontransitional and they would become a bilingual person, taking into consideration the age of the person. 

This occurs because a child will be integrated into the society of the majority’s language. His friends, teachers, neighbors everybody speaks another language. However, what should we call a person that starts to speak another language after puberty starts? The teenager’s new language would become its mother tongue in the condition it would acquire it by the age of 14-15 years old, till the end of the puberty period, because the way of perceiving the world will change. [8]

There are too many questions and particularities that are used to understand bilinguals. I must inform you that I need to use the generalizing approach to facilitate the comprehension of this interesting and never dying subject. 

So, who Is polylingual? I gave you examples of people speaking two or three languages, and society calls them bilingual and trilingual people, however, there is a more general way to call this — multilingual or polylingual, or just polyglots. 

According to the Oxford dictionary, the definition of the term multilingual is the following: “speaking or using several different languages”. It is considered that it is more than one language. It is important to understand that in Europe the fact to speak several languages is no longer surprising. It highly depends on the economic center of the country and in rural areas, it is not considered a norm. If we are talking about enormous, large business centers such as Paris, Rome, Milano, London, Berlin, etc, globalization, international trade, and cultural openness has created an advantageous situation for the people living there.

In general, the vast majority of Europeans, more than half of its total population claim to speak several languages, hence, in practice their level is not homogeneous. Some individuals can write, some of them read, and third ones can read, write and understand several languages but they use only one of them. 

It is understandable, taking into consideration the level of information we need to deal with in our life. People need to filter this information, and multiple languages' knowledge ability does not help it. Thanks to our brain, a fantastic machine that decides to optimize our way of thinking to economize power, it redirects the placement of these languages from the active area to the passive one. 

Some children were able to acquire two languages natively from an early age, and they are called simultaneous bilinguals. 

Knowing the constantly increasing number of terms describing bilingualism, I am going to use the term polylingual in my article. My choice is motivated by the will to call a situation of people that are the subject of my work. When I say a polylingual person, I mean a meta-person that was born in a multicultural context and speaks more than one language, from a very young age, on a daily bases. So this meta-person is living in a two-dimensional world. 

When I say a multicultural context, I mean a meta-family, speaking two languages, and at least one of them is not the language of the majority living on the given territory. 

We have discussed the linguistic identity of a person that comprises the cultural iceberg and world perception globally. In the case of polylingual people, they see the world divided by two, three, or more linguistic realities. 

So, as you can see, multilingualism is a highly complex subject that is studied by multiple domains, however, because of its complexity, we can not consider a single situation suitable for all multilingual people. The generalization is necessary in that case. 

4. Migration and linguistic identity

This ability could be seen as advantageous for polylingual as they are opened to new ways of seeing the world. Hence, we are speaking about the situation where they are living on a given territory and when a person leaves the territory, all the factors change. 

I propose you talk about people that moved in their post-puberty age for humanitarian, economic, or political reasons. 

In this situation, polylingual people enter a new linguistic reality. In general, bilingual and polylingual people tend to choose a country of one of their Level 1 languages e.g. if person A speaks both French and English, he or she lived in the USA, this person A could choose several French-speaking countries. The cultural descendants of one of the relatives help to determine the final choice. Let us suppose that this person’s mother was born in France or has a French heritage. In this case, person A would choose France for the settlement. [9]

We can also think that the assimilation process would be easier in this condition because the mother of person A transmitted not only the language but the French culture. That is true but to some extent. We do not know the exact amount of culture transmitted to the child if it could be possibly measured, and we do not know what were the conventional principles of his or her education, so I propose to you imagine that this person was raised in some kind of a mix of French and English culture. I am going to describe his or her life briefly, to analyze it better. 

Paul Lapain is 32 years old, he was born in the city of New York, New York state in the mid-nineties, he lived with his French mother Monique et his American dad Peter in a small apartment in the Bronx where he went to a simple school and lived a simple double-culture life. At home, they used to speak both French and English. French was a lingua franca in their family, because Monique was a little bit ashamed of her accent, even if her husband, Peter, tried to persuade her that her pronunciation was good. They used English to talk about concepts that are purely American and related to the administrative sphere of life, migration lexis, etc. 

Paul watched movies both in French and in English. Monique tried to choose the newest cartoons that were available, however, in the majority of cases, she preferred those she watched when she was little. She read books by French authors to Paul, so he could conserve her part of the culture. Do not think that Monique was open to different cultures, no, she was not as progressive as it might seem, she was not a cosmopolite and even if she lived in the USA she dreamed to move back to France. 

When Paul graduated from school, Monique proposed to him to apply to a French university, because it was free and the higher education system is considered to be one of the most performant in the world. He did not hesitate for a lot of time and, after being accepted, he moved to France. 

The first two weeks were full of joy and new experiences for Paul. He rediscovered the country of his mother. However, after these two weeks passed, he started to realize that he imagined things to be in another way. He tried to make some French friends, but the way they spoke was a bit different from that of his mother. There were more closed and distant. Small talks were not his strong part too. His new acquaintance from the university was choosing topics he was not so performant in, such as cuisine, and medieval culture.

Time passed. One year later, he made a great friendships with some of his university mates, he find an internship and everything seemed to be perfect for him, but, unfortunately, he felt lonely, and was not understanding much. New jokes, memes, and song artists, there was too much information to digest, and everything he learned differed from his mother’s perspective. 

Do you see the problem? Exactly, Paul moved to France, bringing the culture of his mother’s youth, of the France of the 1980s. His brain is shocked by the number of changes and he started to feel the cultural choice. These two visions of the same country co-exist in his brain creating a dichotomy in the world’s perception. 

His education plays a big role too, but the fact of being conserved in some kind of a time capsule perturbates him. In this very particular case we can see, that even if a language identity was already formed, we cannot say it was a universals, something that is not changeable. Arriving in France, he was forced by the will of integration into society to learn some new cultural and linguistic codes. This forms a new linguistic identity. 

It could seem evident that in this case, we are talking about a new linguistics identity, what if it is not new, but a changeable one? 

This kind of identity is a social construct that is considered externally as a stable, consistent thing, comprising a lot of different branches of our life. Even Paul considers himself as a strict point, a substance that is not changed. We could agree with his point of view, but there is a thing, he does not analyzes his status, he prefers to confront a conflict and to stay with what he already has. 

We observe him, as a human being, and we see that he uses terms, and definitions, he tried to understand who he is and what or whom he would like to become. But who is he? Is he American? Is he French? Maybe both? 

On one hand, there is a simple answer to that. He has an American passport, so he is American. But he speaks French, his mother is French and he decided to move to France. So who is he? What is that being American or being French? 

According to Napoleon Bonaparte’s law on immigration, being French means speaking French, sharing the Republic’s values, and being catholic. This concept has changed with time, and Catholicism was replaced by laïcité or secularism, to put it simply. But is it enough to be conformed to these three simple rules to become, or to be French? 

This principle was and is today debatable. The jus soli and jus sanguinis are the main points of all political discussions on TV, on the radio, and in the newspapers. France is a multicultural country with a long history of immigration and this social construct of being French is also changing to something more open and inclusive. 

It was the administrative part, something that we could place into the brackets, something that is describable. But what about Paul? Does he need a passport to be considered French? Can he become French? And what is it “becoming French”? 

In his had there are two worlds, two perspectives to understand and to make decisions, he tries to choose the variant that he considers to be more “right”, and “socially acceptable”. He lives in a society, where everyone speaks French and thinks French. I would like to emphasize this part. Everybody thinks French. It means that a language is a code that we use to give labels to things of non-linguistic reality. So, people who speak several languages can understand the world in different ways. That is the dilemma. He is both American and French, but too American to be called French, and too French to be called American. 

He is called like this by society, by his friends and family, and, as you have certainly remarked, they use adjectives. I adore this part of the discourse because adjectives are subjective, they describe things that we see, based on our experience, taste, and mother tongue. 

For instance, think of a noise. There are a lot of cars, and business people walking, they speak loudly, and everything is loud. That’s it! They speak loudly. That is how an English speaker would say it. But would a French say it like this? No, a French would say “ce bruit il est trop fort”, “le bruit est fort”. In the French language, a noise could be strong and not loud. But we see the same thing, we understand the same thing. Is it so the same? We code it differently and you can see the difference in the world’s perception.

The substantives “American” and “French” could be easily transformed into adjectives, if we transpose them into another grammatical class, they will be still the same words with the same characteristics, but the semantics would change. They are not objective anymore. They passed from the static substance to the non-static one. 

Now we can choose the level of Frenchness that we would like or Americanness. So, these two non-constant characteristics need to be applied, to see, if could they be changeable or not, helping our poor Paul to find his identity. To do that, let us do the permutation. 

• Paul is (American) and he is (French).

• Paul is X and he is X.

You can put every adjective that you would like to, starting with good, bad, nice, sportive, and beautiful, try it by yourself. The more you permutate the X, the more you feel the subjectiveness of these terms. for example:

• Paul is (good) and he is (nice). 

To what extent is Paul good? Is he the best person that you have ever met? Or on the planet. Or he is better than your friend, or your teacher. We do not know. We need a certain point to compare it with the actual Paul at this moment in time. I emphasize this moment because he could become better or worst, or something could become better than Paul or visa-versa. Some concepts could go away from the discourse, and we need to fix all the parameters to make a decision.

Then, change your adjectives to American and French. Do you feel the difference? The same questions. To what extent is Paul American? Is he more American than his friend? What are the criteria to determine the level of Americanness? And so forth. 

The subjectiveness opens Paul to the reality that everything is changeable, everything is moving in time and space, because, new subjects create new terms and new characteristics. They enter the world of perception and their Americanness or Frenchness can be compared with him, or with others. 

Being American or French is an essence, something determined, something objective but the way of living your life to become one is existence, something that you live not only in society but with yourself too, with your thoughts, feelings, and fears. One sort of action will make you more American, and others do not. 

If we return to Paul, at this time and space, he lives with the vision of an American who would like to become French, to connect himself to his mother’s culture. He lives in another country by himself and all alone, so he searches for a social group to be associated with. We remember that his mother is conservative this reflects in her vision of the world, where everything is predetermined. Monique gave to Paul Aristotle’s vision of things — static and predetermined. You are American, or you are French. 

Paul thinks that his essence precedes existence which is the source of the internal conflict. He has a real existential crisis, everything that he loved and cared about so much is falling apart and he does not know what to grab to be saved. But this is a part of assimilation that is also a complex subject that I will cover in the next article. 

Paul’s identity is based on his linguistic identity which comprises culture, history, stereotypes, and a whole world of vision. The problem of polylingual people is that they cannot find their way in the world, because they always have two roads, three, and sometimes even more. Language is not always just a bunch of grammar structures, it is the logic, the way a group of people decided to understand the world we live in. Two identities, two problems, two sufferings. In this case, I could only propose Paul remember Spinoza’s and Simone Weil’s advice: suffering is important to save your dignity.

“Too American to be called French and too French to be called American.”

References

1. « Statistics on Migration to Europe ». European Commission — European Commission, https://ec.europa.eu/info/strategy/priorities-2019-2024/promoting-our-european-way-life/statistics-migration-europe_en. Consulté le 20 octobre 2022.

2. Norton, Bonny. Identity and language learning: extending the conversation. Second Edition, Multilingual Matters, 2013.

3. Saussure, Ferdinand de. Cours de linguistique générale. Payot, 1995.

4. Firth, Alan, et Johannes Wagner. « On Discourse, Communication, and (Some) Fundamental Concepts in SLA Research ». The Modern Language Journal, vol. 81, no3, septembre 1997, p. 285 300. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4781.1997.tb05480.x.

5. Sugimoto, Yoshio, éditeur. The Cambridge companion to modern Japanese culture. Cambridge University Press, 2009.

6. Romanowski, Piotr, et Małgorzata Jedynak, éditeurs. Current Research in Bilingualism and Bilingual Education. Springer International Publishing, 2018. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92396-3.

7. Anderson, Benedict R. O’G. Imagined communities: reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism. Rev. and Extended ed, Verso, 1991.

8. Taeschner, Traute. The Sun Is Feminine: A Study on Language Acquisition in Bilingual Children. Springer, 1983.

9. Peirce, Bonny Norton. « Social Identity, Investment, and Language Learning ». TESOL Quarterly, vol. 29, no 1, 1995, p. 9. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.2307/3587803.

[vicsy]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

I was tagged by @pitconfirm and @boxboxbrioche. Thank you <3

1. How many works do you have on ao3

Currently I have 20 posted works (and 1 on anon, we don't talk about it)

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 

198,413 - not that many!

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Formula 1. I used to write for wrestling fandom, too.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

green light, red wine (and i don't feel fine) – 571 kudos, Fernando/Lance (ongoing).

wish you away in my dreams – 412 kudos, Daniel/Max.

shatter my life apart (see me for somebody else) – 334 kudos, Fernando/Lance.

your smile, so bright (i want to save that light) – 294 kudos, Daniel/Max.

guess my future and map it onto your fantasy – 290 kudos, Fernando/Lance.

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

I respond to EVERY comment I receive. It is very important to me because I really value people choosing to spend some time to write a comment that will definitely brighten my mood and inspire me. I have to thank them and that's out of question.

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

Oh, I'd say it would be my piarles magical realism au fic – bless my darkness; bless my light. I think it's more of an open ending but I intend to expand on that fic one day, so it makes more sense and what I have in mind for it is very sad (but it gets better).

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

Uhhhh. I feel like most of my fics read as "happy for now" or maybe it's just my perception. If I had to choose, then evocatio and aforementioned your smile, so bright (i want to save that light).

8. Do you get hate on fics?

No, never. Hope it stays this way.

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

I do! All kind?? I am not sure how to answer ahaha but tbh I tend to write the smut that "fits" my personal view. It is easy to fall into the "everyone reads fics with smut more than without smut" hole but I won't force something just to be more appealing.

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

Not a big fan of crossovers.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No. If somebody steals my fic, better run.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yeah, back in wrestling fandom. I also translated some of the fics I read and wrote (also for wrestling fandom).

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

Yes, with @boxboxbrioche! We have something else cooking together but our existing baby is, in my very humble opinion, fucking amazing – sink your teeth, Fernando/Lance vampire au with a twist.

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

Oh, tough one. I'd say, as of today, Strollonso and Maxiel.

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

I have some fics marinating in my gdocs that I came up with a long time ago and some things have changed since then. Like a major werewolf au, vampire piarles fic and an a/b/o fic that will get me in fandom jail if I ever get it done (it's very ambitious).

16. What are your writing strengths?

This feels like bragging lmao... I write action well. And introspection, character study. Metaphors are my best friends and boy or boy do I love to use them. I want to say... the plot in general? I feel like that and pace in general is something I can write well. I rely a lot on "mic drops" and always make sure they hit the spot.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I OVEREXPLAIN EVERYTHING. THIS WON'T GIVE ME PEACE. and also dialogues. I do not know how humans communicate apparently. Smut isn't my biggest forte and it always feels like a convoluted strategy I need to play out.

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

I don't mind it. I sneak a couple of phrases or words of endearment for characters whose primary language isn't english. It's always tricky to write someone who isn't a native english speaker solely in english. You kinda walk the fine line between keeping it as close as possible to the way the character speaks in real life and how you would interpret them speaking in english.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

God......... anime fandom when I was 12.... bye.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

Well, I gotta give it to my first love – green light, red wine (and i don't feel fine). Beloved mafia au <3 it brings me joy.

this was fun! I'm gonna tag @mysticalbreadcollective @leclercenjoyer @flawlessassholes @wolfiemcwolferson @lil-shiro @pinkierre <3

[tyfinn]

20 questions for fic writers

Thank you @smblmn @apothecarose @a-noble-dragon for tagging me when I need it. I think my toxic work environment is rubbing off into other aspects of my life, and I've been doubting so many things lately. I hate feeling this way- I'm usually pretty self-assured about myself. So it thrills to me to no end when someone wants to know more about my writing. Thank you, lovelies!!

How many works do you have on Ao3? 91

What’s your total AO3 word count? 390,497

What fandoms do you write for? Schitt's Creek and I did one other for another fandom under a different pseud that I'd rather not discuss here

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Rings Around Your Heart Man about Town What Happens in Vegas Can last Forever Lost Time

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or Why not? I do! If someone took the time to comment, I want to do the same. I remember the first response I received after leaving a comment, and it was so exciting. And, some of those first authors I read I now consider friends. Also, if I'm having a bad day, seeing a notification that someone commented makes that day not so bad.

6. What is the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending? I think I specialize in humor, fluff, and HEs. I want someone to feel good after reading one of my fics, or to have a good laugh. But, in Breaking Down (the prequel to Rings), Arielle has the baby. You already know what will happen to her, so, for me, it was sad because I really liked her as a character, and she was just what David needed at that time in his life before his world was turned upside down.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Probably the epilogue in Rings. David and Patrick finalize Patrick adopting Maddy and she changes her last name to Rose.

8. Do you get hate on fics? No, but I did get a criticism on Open Wide because I did not use the right anesthesia on David! LOL

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Not really, but I have dabbled in it. I don't feel particularly good at it, so I tend to keep it to soft kisses, tender moments, fluff.

10. Do you write crossovers? No. I do have an idea of Marcy meeting Sarah, Nick's mom from Heartstopper. Not sure if anything will come from it, though...

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? No

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? No

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Yes! One A-maze-ing Night with @mallpretzles

14. What’s your all time favorite ship? For writing- David and Patrick

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? I don't want to think I'll never finish something I've started, so I'm not gonna answer...

16. What are your writing strengths? Introspection, dialogue, and humor? IDK Those are what the most positive comments are on.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? Description, probably. I also use a lot of italics, ..., -, But would we call that a weakness?

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I do not think about that...

19. First fandom you wrote for? Schitt's Creek

20. Favorite fic you’ve written? Probably Rings. It led to an entire series and I was able to create Madeline, who I love with my whole heart.

[stars-tonight]

hi!! could i have a matchup? ur super cool for doing this, i know it means a lot to so many people. and i love ur writing too!

i want to be this emoji pls 🥭

long

romantic matchup pls

i use she/her pronouns and id like to be paired w a guy pls

my ideal partner is the perfect balance of serious and unserious, someone who’s quietly smart (like they don’t make it super known and won’t rub it in your face if you need help with something academic but also aren't like dense), and will indulge my odd interests and hyperfixations without judgement

i am 5’10” which is one of my favorite traits about myself

so i actually have no idea how to describe myself cause im scared of sounding vain but my friends have said: “witty, introspective, passionate, strategic” or “confident, loyal, hardworking” and idk which is more accurate to people around me, so im giving both

i’ve been playing field hockey and lacrosse since i was 11 as a defender for both. never had a knack for offense. wish I did though. (had a coach ruin lacrosse for me though so i’m going to quit though… love field hockey though)

i also love any form of media. classical lit, films (love psychological horror, letterboxd, and my amc subscription). anything i can find deeper philosophical meaning in is right up my alley. 

my love language for giving is physical touch. i love giving hugs, getting them is another story

receiving is definitely quality time and words of affirmation. i get a little nervous that people don’t actually like me so i really appreciate when people make time for me.

stargazing and a picnic. i study astrophysics in school and the amount of deep conversations i’ve gotten in while sitting with friends at night is astonishing. also will totally be judging to see if people let me rant about the constellations and philosophy of the universe.

here are my biggest pet peeves: slow walkers x1000, slow drivers, traffic, people who cancel plans last minute, really anything that wastes my time

you're so cool! thought u should know that in case you don't hear it enough <3 hugs

headcanons

🥛 i know we always focus on kuroo for that "docosahexaenoic acid" comment

🥛 but i believe in the manga yaku also made a chemistry comment

🥛 so he's definitely not dumb

🥛 and while kuroo would probably tease you first if you asked for help with homework or a project, yaku definitely wouldn't say anything

🥛 probably swears by flashcards as a study technique

🥛 hopefully you don't mind that he's shorter than you lol

🥛 he probably wouldn't mind since it's not like he's insecure about his height

🥛 but he WILL get made fun of

🥛 especially by kuroo

🥛 and especially if you wear heels

🥛 yaku would definitely be attracted to your confidence and work ethic

🥛 he's also very strategic and passionate (especially when it comes to volleyball) so you have that in common

🥛 he also strikes me as a bit of a media lover

🥛 so you'd definitely spend a lot of time watching movies or reading books

🥛 i don't think he's a horror or psychological guy though

🥛 more like . . . documentary

🥛 or science / historical fiction

🥛 also strikes me as the type of guy to lowkey get road rage

🥛 he feels very no-nonsense, especially post-timeskip, so he'd also hate people who waste time

🥛 man is loaded with money and is determined to keep making it

🥛 so he tends to live life at a fast pace and doesn't always make time for the small things

🥛 he'll definitely appreciate it if you hold a deep conversation with him or teach him a bit about astrology

🥛 he's never given much thought to the stars before but once he looks at them closer he realizes they're pretty cool

🥛 will definitely walk away from a stargazing date with a new worldview and a higher level of appreciation for you

🥛 even though yaku is very busy, you can tell he really appreciates you because he always makes time for you

🥛 he's definitely not clingy so it's perfectly fine if you don't want to be hugged or cuddled all the time!

🥛 however he'll never turn you down if you want to hug him

🥛 actually sees it as cute that you trust him enough to want to hug him

runner up for you was sugawara kōshi!

A/N: there you go 🥭anon, i hope you like it! and thank you for the compliment, you're so sweet!

[alphacrone]

Answer the Questions and Tag 5 Fanfic Authors

thanks for the tag @pfirsichspritzer!

1 . How did you get into writing fanfiction?

ohhhh boy i don't really remember. it was either bc of harry potter or the bartimaeus trilogy, i got into reading it while waiting for books to come out and then i started writing stuff that would never be published. eventually i got really into twilight at 14-15 and created a ff.net account to start publishing and never looked back.

2. How many fandoms have you written in?

oh lord ok i've had three ff.net accounts, a livejournal account, and an ao3 account over the span of 15-ish years. i'm gonna say a minimum of 10, likely more.

3. How many years have you been writing fanfiction?

i've been publishing for 15-ish years, but writing fic for much longer. at age like 12 or 13 i had my own hp fan site (my dad wanted me to learn html) that i technically posted fic to but i don't count that bc no one ever saw it.

4. Do you read or write more fanfiction?

lately i've been writing more but usually i read more.

5. What is one way you’ve improved as a writer?

i don't quite understand what this is asking. if it's asking one manner in which i've improved, i could not tell you that. i'm TRYING to cut down on superfluous adverb/adjective usage, but i know i'm not successful in that yet. if it's asking one exercise or trick i've used to improve, the answer is by reading, always by reading.

6. What’s the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

london sewer systems, the diamagnetic properties of water, how nighttime and darkness affect the earth's magnetic field.

7. What’s your favorite type of comment to receive on your work?

i LOVE when someone will pick out a line or paragraph that really resonated with them.

8. What’s the most fringe trope/topic you write about?

i don't quite understand this question. i write a lot of rare pairs? my l&co writing used to be for a pretty fringe fandom before the show came out?

9. What is the hardest type of story for you to write?

anything with a lot of action. i struggle with pacing and the scenes tend to get choppy or awkward.

10. What is the easiest type?

introspection, emotion-heavy one-shots, or anything with lots of banter. i love writing dialogue.

11. Where do you do your writing? What platform? When?

i tend to write on my computer, sometimes phone or in a journal. i use gdocs though i know i need to stop bc of ai scraping, so i'll go back to ms word or a similar word processor soon. either late at night or when i'm supposed to be working lol (shhh)

12. What is something you’ve been too nervous/intimidated to write, but would love to write one day?

hmmm i've been wanting to do fic in the form of like epistolaries, video/podcast/radio transcripts, 2nd person narration, newpaper articles, mixed media, etc.etc.

13. What made you choose your username?

lol which one. my ao3 username comes from the song deeper well. i wish i could change it to alphacrone tho, it's easier to remember and i'd like more consistency.

tagging: @ghosthorse @injustspring @displayheartcode idk tag urselves