#i hate that you can't edit tags without rewriting them

[interpolationz]

everyday i fear being blocked for spam liking

[foone]

Please don’t feel obligated to reply because this might be a touchy issue, but i see on one of your posts that you hate Hacker News. I just discovered HN a few months ago and have been enjoying it, but as a fellow trans person i’m curious if they’ve been transphobic or the like (based on the context of your comment) and if i should stay away

OKAY SO here's thing thing: as a reader, HN is... fine. They're not great. They have a history of sexism in what posts get boosted and a history of various shades of transphobia in the comments, but that's not particularly unusual as far as internet forums go. Reddit is much the same, for example.

My problems with HN are related to getting posted there. The way the site works when you're reading it and when you're getting posted there are very different. More explanation under the readmore since this got long. (warning: some talk of transphobia and doxxing)

The site is not avoidable. Back when I was still on twitter, getting posted on HN meant your notifications were useless for a week, because they are scraped by endless bots trying to farm for likes and reblogs, and every single one of them ends up tagging you. And even now when I'm off twitter, getting posted there means you still get informed that you've been posted there, by well-meaning people who know you hate it, or are just innocently commentating on how it's neat to see you on HN. Or hey, in the latest iteration, you find out because your askbox is now full of slurs (and not just the ones you'd expect!). Basically, it is impossible to be submitted to HN and not know about it.

And then it gets worse because it's now a known fact that I don't like being on HN. Meaning every time I AM on HN, it turns into a big debate in the comments about why I don't like HN, why I post the way I do, and people arguing with the explanation of my opinion. I'm not even there, and people are mad at the phantom of me for not doing things in the way they like.

Because how I post is part of what they always get mad at me about. I have severe ADHD: This is a well known fact about me, I post about it a lot. It means that I used to post on twitter a lot, because twitter was (at the time) one of the only sites I could post on at all: The way it makes you chop up your line of thinking into small chunks, each of which is small enough that I can focus on it. I've since managed to handle tumblr-posting, and I occasionally post on mastodon now, but for most of the time that I was posted on HN, I was posting this way, only on twitter, in long threads where I don't think much ahead or do editing/revisions BECAUSE I CAN'T.

And here's the thing about people who prefer more "traditional" geek news sites like HN: A lot of them are there because they hate the bite-size nature of sites like twitter and tiktok. And they are Not Happy with people submitting twitter threads to HN: They hate that kind of formatting of content, and announce that fact, loudly.

And then people in the comments point out that I have ADHD and can't post in the style they'd prefer (long well-edited blog posts), and then it turns into an argument there, often with people happily brining up their opinions on whether ADHD is "real" or things like that. Again, I'm getting argued about without being there to defend myself.

And this is where it gets transphobic, through the indirect route of sexism: Someone says something innocent but vaguely dickish like "well he should just hire someone to rewrite all his twitter posts as blog posts!" (like they think I am doing this as a job and can afford to pay an editor, rather than just some weirdo who rants because that's what they do). They assume I'm a man, because most of the people who get posted on HN (and especially the ones who get upvoted) are. They just assume everyone without an Obviously Female Name and a profile picture that's a photo of a smiling woman is male, and honestly they're probably right most of the time, because that's just how the gender balance on HN ends up working.

And then someone points out I use they/them pronouns, and it just goes to shit. You get people yelling that it's not their job to figure out the pronouns of everyone they're talking about, like it's a perfectly normal thing to just assume everyone is male, you get people arguing about how "he" used to be the gender neutral pronoun, you get people arguing that singular-they is ungrammatical, you get people taking offense at the very idea of they/them pronouns because "you can't force everyone to follow your religion" (as apparently either trans or non-binary is a religion now (well, I am a pope)), and then a bunch of "[post flagged]" and you can only speculate about how bad THOSE posts were, if so much other transphobia is still sitting in the comments, untouched by the supposed moderators who are supposed to delete it.

You get people calling you mentally ill, and then getting in arguments about how they mean YOU SPECIFICALLY for the crime of "wanting to not be posted on HN", and not all trans people. Because apparently the HN rules are fine with you saying "this specific trans person is mentally ill and should be locked up" as long as you don't imply that your statements also apply to trans people in general.

And then you get hate in your contact forms for days because people realize you're not active on the HN comments and need to bring the "fight" to you directly.

And frankly, this whole mess is made worse by the site's userbase treating it as a joke or something easily fixable. Like, aside from making my pronouns "obvious" (I'm not sure how, exactly? it's already in all my profiles) which wouldn't help, they want me to just move to a different site, one where I can easily block incoming links by their referrer? They always point to JWZ's blog as an example of this, but he's hosting his posts on his own site. He fundamentally is doing something very different than I am, and I really shouldn't have to CHANGE WHAT SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS I USE just because they're being a butt.

And treating it like a joke? oy vey! I once posted a rant on tumblr about WHY EXACTLY I don't like getting posted on HN, and guess what happened next? SOMEONE POSTED THAT THREAD ON HN.

They also have a history of getting mad at me for not wanting to be posted on HN, like it's prima-dona behavior or "egotistical". Like I should be just happy that my stuff got posted there, something that has only ever brought negative attention. I think maybe they assume I'm doing this as a job, and every time they link to my stuff, I make a bunch of money? That's not the case. I don't make any money from them. I don't have ads. This isn't my job. (Fun fact: I know at least one person who has their blog set up to show ads only when HN links to their content, and not otherwise)

I really don't know why they think it's egotistical of me to not want to get harassed, dismissed, and spammed by their site and their users. It's almost like they think it's me posting my content on HN myself, which I would never do because it doesn't aid me in any way. If I was making content for them, I would make sure it gets posted there. I'm not, so I don't. I post for the sites I post on. I could blog in a way they'd like and then post it to HN if I wanted to. I don't. I choose to tweet (in the past) or post on tumblr or post on mastodon, because I'm posting for those specific communities.

And the thing about it is that all these points are, to some extent, obvious. And people know them. Maybe not the people posting the most unthinking takes on HN, but others will point them out. So this just contributes to any HN thread on my posts turning into a big argument.

And there's always people going "WELL JUST DON'T READ THE POSTS ABOUT YOU" as if that's a reasonable option. first of all, I can't be ignorant about them, as mentioned before they kick down my door and go HEY FOONE YOU'RE ON HACKERNEWS. But more importantly, I'm trans. Do you know what happens if enough people get mad at you online? They start posting your home address, phone number, and pictures of your face and relatives. I have to stay at least SLIGHTLY aware of how the discussion on me is going, or I'll be completely surprised when someone shows up at my house with a gun. (This isn't hyperbole: I have gotten doxxed before because I made a twitter thread that got the wrong people a little too mad at me)

Anyway I've talked to the admins of the site and they have basically refused to do anything about it. They admit that they can block my posts from showing up on the site, but they don't want to because people enjoy my content. My wishes don't matter.

And anyway the epilogue is that this has mostly worked out by now. I stopped posting on twitter, not because HN was pushing me to a site where I could better control my post's reach, but because Elon destroyed it. I'm posting longer-form content now, not because my ADHD got better, but because years of training myself to write this way has made it so that I can handle writing as if I was on twitter-like sites, without the enforced restrictions of them.

And I have countermeasures against HN now. Offensive and defensive ones. I'm a little less likely to be posting Cool Tech Stuff here on tumblr now (because every time this happens it severely dampens my enthusiasm for the subject), but I'm a lot less worried that something I post will end up on HN now, as I have options. (I don't want to go into them because HN being HN, they might take preemptive counter-countermeasures to try to disarm them).

Anyway, tl;dr: it's okay if you like reading the site. my problems with it are with getting submitted there, not with reading it. As long as you don't submit my content there, that's 100% okay with me.

[time-to-write-and-suffer]

Seven snippets, seven people

Was tagged by @lonsdalewrite forty bazillion years ago, finally have enough material and spoons to actually share stuff. Thank you for the tag!!

Gonna do the elf marriage wip (Nettle and Song if you're pretentious (and I am)) cuz it's the freshest one

Tagging (lmk if you want off this ride or onto it)

@hanna-writes, @nabanna, @croaceian, @angelofthemornings, @descent-of-stars

@rrrawrf-rewrites, @scribble-dee-vee, @forthesanityofsome @meanceclosetohell and YOUUUUUUU!

Putting the snippets under a cut cuz I can't be bothered to edit them rn but I might feel up for it later also it got kinda long oops

1

“Relax. As long as you don’t murder anyone, these talks will be the most peaceful interaction we’ve had with humans since the war ended,” Del mumbled while they waited. “It’ll be fine even if you don’t speak. Or smile. Or make any sort of positive impression.”

“Uh-huh. I’m sure they’ll love giving their princess away to the meanest-looking asshole in the Given Earth.”

“Meanest-looking? No-no, dear prince, you’re a pretty elf boy. Humans find elves irresistible, you know. Just pout and bat your little eyelashes, and they’ll let you get away with just about anything.

Roel grimaced, hand tightening around the hilt of his sword.

“Wonderful.”

2

Mother sat down next to Teddy, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Nobody can force you to marry against your will, Theodosia. No matter who says what, no matter the so-called political benefits or diplomacy. You are not cattle to be traded.”

Mother glared at Elias, who winced, “Stop. I didn’t bring Teddy up to trade her.”

“Then why did you?”

“And why not? Is this better? What’s left for her here, where she’s not allowed into the royal palace without an invitation? Where her own mother and siblings can’t see her without sneaking behind the king’s back like criminals? She didn’t do anything wrong!”

3

“Ted? Is everything alright?”

He put rubbed her back gently. It made the tears sting harder, and she blinked them away stubbornly. If people noticed Efra, they’d notice her and her expression, and that would lead to gossip. Better to have the elves be the main talking point rather than the queen’s rejected child having a crisis.

“Yes, I’m fine,” she sighed deeply.

“Are you sure? I could tell them to wait.”

“No, it’s fine. I was just remembering some things. Nothing to worry about.”

She forced a smile. Efra didn’t seem convinced, but this wasn’t the time to figure out Teddy’s emotional traumas. He had to drop it almost as much as she.

“The elves are ready to meet me, I assume?” she said when he kept staring at her with that worried expression.

“Yes. But I’d rather come up with an excuse than have you break down in front of them.”

“’Break down’?” Teddy scoffed. “Please. If I were breaking down, there would be casualties.”

4

“I forgot that humans welcome women in combat,” Del said thoughtfully. “Androel, would you consider this a virtue or a flaw in a woman?”

Roel hated his brother in that moment, when Del forced all eyes to land on him.

He grunted vaguely, “Depends on who she’s fighting.”

5

“Do you have magic too, Lady Frye? Were you blessed by your goddess?” Roel wondered, genuine curiosity softening his tone.

Lady Frye smiled demurely. “I have been blessed by Etheme as well as any other member of my family, Your Highness. Even if it was never quite so obvious as those of my siblings, I am still grateful for it.”

“For what?” Roel pressed.

Her smile took on a strained edge. “One must be grateful for everything Etheme deems fit to give. My only gifts were a full belly and a loving family.”

So she hadn’t received a blessing, then. She had no magic. Wasn’t that so much easier to say than whatever other nonsense she’d been going on about?

The song was coming to an end. Soon, they parted, and Roel bowed along with the other men. She curtsied deeply.

“Thank you, Prince Androel,” she said. “I hope we can dance again sometime.”

He didn’t.

6

“But don’t you want to choose who you marry?” Mother asked. “What if they demand heirs? What then?”

Teddy hadn’t thought that far. Or rather, she hadn’t wanted to think that far. The idea of simply sharing a bed with Prince Androel made her queasy enough, but imagining touching him? Or him touching her? It made her want to peel her skin off.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. If we get there. Aren’t you worried a little too prematurely? What if Prince Androel says no?”

She half hoped he would.

Mother shook her head, “I spoke with King Roendel. The prince is willing.”

Oh. So it was really happening.

After that awful first meeting, too! It seemed the prince must’ve had his own reasons for accepting, since he was openly disgusted with her.

And every other human.

And everything in general.

7

“How long do I have to stay?”

“There is no time requirement, Your Highness, and you may leave whenever you please. Though I would recommend staying for the better part of an hour at the very least, if you cannot tolerate a whole night.”

“Can you?” he challenged.

“I don’t see why not. I’ve a good book, some hot tea and biscuits, and it’s a warm summer night. There are worse ways to spend an evening.”

“Where will you sleep?”

“In the bed.”

“And where will I sleep?”

Theodosia pursed her lips, her cheeks bursting with sudden color. “I’m sure the bed can accommodate two people.”

“Which part of ‘I am not touching you’ escapes your understanding?” Roel sneered.

“If at least one of us is awake when physical contact accidentally happens, we each would be able to stop it. And if it happens while we’re both asleep, what difference does it make?”

[bee-barnes-author]

WIP Questionnaire

Tagged by @tabswrites

Gently tagging: @amandacanwrite @coffeewritesfiction @ellierenae @johnna-oneal-trash-writer @leahkentwriter @milkhoney531 @pheita @pb-dot @sirensatyr @theamazinggrayson @tombstuck @violeaes @vivrune and an open tag. Blank questions below the cut!

For 'THE BEAST IN THE GLASS HOUSE':

1. What is the first part of your WIP that you created?

The outline. I was at a client's house, dog siting for a week, and I just finished reading ROSEMARY'S BABY by Ira Levin. I put down the book, and thought about the gaslighting aspect of the novel, and how scary that is. Then TBITGH appeared in my brain, whole and grown like Athena herself.

2. If your story was a TV show, what would the theme song/intro be?

Idk about the song, but the direction would be very much like the intro from the first season of the sopranos. Probably it'd be the drive from Damon's office, to Freya's apartment, then to her work. It'd end on Damon putting sunglasses and a mask on.

3. What are your favorite characters that you made? Why?

I hate Damon. He's such a loser so I don't count him as a character LMAO. My favs will have to be Freya or JJ. My love for Freya is hard to explain without spoiling the book lol. To be vague, it's her character arc. For JJ, I love how he ends up and how he develops as a character. Again, can't say much without spoiling.

4. What other pieces of media do you think your fan base would share?

This q kinda confuses me? Like what other shows/books would ppl like if they like my work? Well, my book is for fans of stalker horror (such as YOU by Caroline Kepnes and MISERY by Stephen King). If you're looking for the inspiration of the male love interest, check out THE VAMPIRE DIARIES tv show (seasons 1-3~, the rest are garbageeee), TWLIGHT (both the books and movies, specifically MIDNIGHT SUN), 50 SHADES OF GREY (I've only read the first book so I can't vouch for the movies, but the book is meh-to-bad imo)

5. What has been your biggest struggle with your WIP?

Honestly, writing this thing has been a breeze. I wrote the first draft in under four months. It just flowed out of me. It's this whole 'getting ppl to read it' thing that's the hardest.

6. Are there any animals in your story? Talk about them!

Werewolves! Mentions of squirrels. The mc is a werewolf and he's a werewolf supremacist. Werewolves on the brain 24/7 baybeeee.

7. How do your characters get around? (Ex. Trains, horses, cars, dragons, etc.)

They run on all fours in wolf form, go around on two legs in human form and a special wolf form, drive cars, and drive snow mobiles.

8. What part of your WIP are you working on right now?

The manuscript is done. I'm just waiting on the last edits from a paid editor. Once I do those rewrites, I'll put this up for publishing. Aiming to launch mid June 2025!

9. What aspects (tropes, maybe) of your WIP do you think will draw people in?

Incomplete list: soulmates/instant-love, every werewolf/shape shifter trope under the moon (couldn't help it), billionaire boyfriend, stalker 'romance'. Every 'bad boy boyfriend' trope. I loooove taking tropes and turning them on their heads.

10. What are your hopes for your WIP?

To publish! I'd love it to go gangbusters but my primary hope is just to have ppl read it 'XD

1. What is the first part of your WIP that you created?

2. If your story was a TV show, what would the theme song/intro be?

3. What are your favorite characters that you made? Why?

4. What other pieces of media do you think your fan base would share?

5. What has been your biggest struggle with your WIP?

6. Are there any animals in your story? Talk about them!

7. How do your characters get around? (Ex. Trains, horses, cars, dragons, etc.)

8. What part of your WIP are you working on right now?

9. What aspects (tropes, maybe) of your WIP do you think will draw people in?

10. What are your hopes for your WIP?

[alexandia03]

20 question for writers tag game

tagged by @siobhanbooks and @sarahydeart :)

1. Total number of ao3 works?

Apparently... 5?

2. Total ao3 word count

134,522. Disappointing, I will have to write more I guess.

3. Fandoms I've written in

Fourth Wing. There is also a HP thing that I kind of hate... And when I was in highschool I used to write Shadowhunters, PJO and Throne of Glass stuff that will never see the light of day.

4. Top 5 fics by kudos

Memento Vivere "Admit it, we are lost" Darlin' Death of a Hero

5. Do I respond to comments?

Yes!! There is no better feeling than getting the new comment notification, it makes me so so happy. If you want to make my day and make sure I feel guilty motivated enough to start writing ASAP, leave a comment, or DM me or anything really.

6. What has the angstiest ending?

Well, if you ask my betas, I am incapable of writing happy stuff without angst in industrial quantities. Memento Vivere is full of angst (and there is a lot more in store), Darlin' is pretty angsty... but it is Death of a Hero that gets the prize (even though it is not finished).

7. What has the happiest ending?

Umm... I guess the two drabbles (Darlin' and "Admit it, we are lost")? The truly happy fics are still WIPs.

8. Have I received hate?

Nope, everyone in this fandom is so damn amazing and supporting <3

9. Do I write smut? And what kind?

Not yet. I have a scene or two planned out. Soonish.

10. Do I write crossovers?

Nope, this universe allows me enough creative licence and room to play with complex characters.

11. Have I ever had a fic stolen?

No and I hope I never will.

12. Have I ever had a fic translated?

Nope.

13. Have I ever co-written a fic?

Not yet. @sarahydeart and I keep talking about a certain project but... have you seen how many projects we already have? It might take a while.

14. What is my all-time fave ship?

Imrrick. I can't say I care that much about other ships, but these two? They are my heart, my soul and my joy (and my heartbreak). Hurt them and prepare for the pitchforks.

15. A WIP I'll never finish

Probably Inkpot Gods at the pace I am managing the others. And considering how many scenes and chapters from MV I want to rewrite and edit... I am not a quitter though, it might take me an eternity, but I will get all of them done. I will pull an Argos from the Odyssey and die only after I finish all my WIPs lol.

16. Writing strengths?

Angst. I can sprinkle some angst in anything.

17. Writing weaknesses?

Everything else. Especially dialogues, I struggle with them.

18. Do I like foreign language dialogue?

Sure.

19. First fandom I wrote for?

PJO when I was 12.

20. Favourite fic I've written?

All jokes aside, Memento Vivere. I poured my heart and soul into it and will continue to do so. It takes me forever to update it, but that is only because I obsess over giving it my best and doing these characters justice. Bear with me. A close second would probably be Death of a Hero - the best is yet to come.

tagging: @istarbel @ubiquitouslyme @sarcasticmothwrites

[gracelesslady23]

20 Questions for Fic Writers!

Thanks so much for the tag @strugglequill!!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

18 :)

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

336K (wow thats so much more than I thought it would be) - but this does count the 3 unrevealed and anon-ed fics so...

3. What fandoms do you write for?

I've written bits and pieces for a whole bunch of different fandoms, but mainly write for Harry Potter and I've only ever posted HP fics online.

4. Top 5 fics by kudos?

the ghost of you, it keeps me awake (currently unrevealed for rewrites); and a love that I dreamt of came to me at my worst; In Plain Sight; The Wedding Date; Just Mates

All prongsfoot :)

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes!! I adore receiving comments on my fics and try to respond to as many of them as I can (even if it sometimes takes me a while to get to it).

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

I'm very much a happy ending writer (these characters already go through so much angst in canon, I can't help it) although I certainly enjoy building up some angst in the lead up to the happy ending... but if I had to pick probably my jilypad-if-you-squint entry into this year's Kill Your Darlings MCD fest flickering light in an endless night although I tried to give it somewhat of a hopefully ending, even if its not necessarily a happy one.

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

All the others lol. Haha but maybe you'll see me in hindsight I certainly spent more time with S/J after they are officially together in that fic than I usually do and there's like two chapters of smut/fluff to make up for the earlier angst.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Luckily, only few times (thank god for the small insular fandom that is prongsfoot <3), but it always hurts and turns me off writing for a period. I feel so sorry for any writer who has experienced it.

9. Do you write smut?

Sure do. Although, I do struggle a bit with writing it. I've also realised preferences sway towards the vanilla (with maybe a bit of voyeurism, exhibitionism thrown in), so that's usually what I feel comfortable writing :)

10. Do you write crossovers?

Nope. I wrote some dreadful Queer as Folk/HP crossovers as a teenager (which will NEVER see the light of day) but haven't for years and years.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! I was so thrilled that someone liked my work enough to do so.

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

No I haven't. I am quite insecure in my unfinished drafts so I think I might struggle to share that with someone in order to co-write, but maybe one day!

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

Can't go past Sirius/James. I've loved them for over a decade (which is insane) but Merlin/Arthur have been a close contender at certain times of my life <3

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

I want you to ruin my life I just lost steam on the project and it went in a direction that I wasn't completely happy with. I do feel guilty though, which is why its now on permanent hiatus and anon-ed lol.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Ummm... I think I can come up with a cool concept / AU idea once in a while.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Writing Endings is probably the thing I'm most annoyed with myself about at the moment!! Finishing projects without being distracted by new ones. Purple prose (probably), sometimes even I get tired when editing my ridiculously convoluted introspection scenes (although I think, or at least hope, i'm getting better at editing them down). Writing characters and POVs outside of the ones I'm most familiar with. Writing oneshots and actually keeping them at a reasonable length (see issues with endings lol). Self confidences... the list goes on.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language?

I'd love to be fluent enough in another language to do so one day.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Harry Potter, probably Harry/Hermione (but I didn't finish or post anything until fairly recently).

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

Probably and a love that I dreamt of came to me at my worst, its probably the fic I've re-read the most and has so many of my favourite tropes in it. And idk I'm just really proud that I actually wrote something that long and managed to see it through and finish it.

Tagging (No Pressure): @lovelymasks @groundzero-v @mycupofrum @roalinda @bronzeagepizzeria

or whoever else would like to share :)

[jajanvm-imbi]

You know what, I put al my thoughts in the tags but I have so much more to say about this so EDIT, i'm putting my thoughts here instead of studying for my math final that I have in 2 days.

Klance was 10000% queerbait but I only blame the producers for it. The creative team was put through HELL because the producers couldn't decide on a course of action to take after Dreamworks forced them to keep Shiro alive instead of killing him off permanently like they originally planned. (There is a fantastic video essay about some of the behind the scenes drama that was uncovered. I'll link to it here. The creator of the essay was a Shieth shipper so you know I mean it when I say its a good video essay)

(NO HATE TO SHIETH SHIPPERS PLEASE DONT INTERPRET THAT AS ME DUNKING ON THEM. YES I DON'T LIKE SHIETH BUT I WISH NO ILL WILL ON ANY SHIETH SHIPPERS)

Anyway, Dreamworks made the VLD creative team keep Shiro alive because he was so popular, and since that pretty much fucked up the entire rest of the story in order to have Shiro be in it, the producers were stuck with the mess Dreamworks put them in. But instead of making the logical decision of asking for an extension on production for whatever reason, because it be too expensive to rewrite and reboard all of the following seasons that were already in production after season 2 was released, or something, the producers continued with production as scheduled but completely blind. (All this is covered in the video essay I linked, seriously i recommend watching it, it actually puts a lot of the issues with VLD into perspective) Literally anything beyond season 2 had no clear plan. If it feels like the story was being made up as it went along, its because it literally was. Thats why so many things made no sense in later seasons, there was absolutely no plan.

So what does this have to do with Klance? Well its simple. If the rumors are true and Klance was originally planned from the very beginning (which I wholeheartedly believe), then this change of plans completely fucked everything over. The reason why Keith was barely in seasons 4-6 was because the producers had to make the choice of either keeping Keith or Shiro more present in the series. The whole "Shiro was a clone" thing was made to cover this. Keith was barely in those seasons because Shiro was taking his place, and Shiro was never supposed to be there. (Again, all covered in the video essay) Because of all the last minute changes being made to the story, Keith was almost completely written out of season 4-6. How are you supposed to write a love story between two characters if one of the characters isn't even there??? You can't.

But here's where it gets messy. If Klance was originally supposed to happen, but the last minute changes made it almost impossible for a natural romantic progression to happen between Keith and Lance, why the fuck did they keep hinting at it? You know what I'm talking about: the thumbnails, the tagging, the fucking HotTopic merch. If Klance was no longer logically possible because the story had to be taken in a completely different direction, why was Klance being hinted at like it was?

I'll tell you why.

Its because Klance was the driving force behind VLD's popularity. Without Klance, VLD wouldn't have been nearly as popular as it was. Check Fandometrics from 2017-2019. In 2018, VLD and Klance were listed as two separate fandoms in the Top 10 Most Popular Fandoms list. Klance held first place rank for most popular ship from 2017-2018, and was in second place in 2019 being beaten by Good Omen's Ineffable Husbands. And thats just on TUMBLR, thats not even considering Twitter and Instagram. Klance was obnoxiously popular from 2017-2019 because literally everyone saw its potential. Without the numbers and the ratings the Klance fandom was raking in, the show would have probably been canceled because the story was a MESS, it was either super confusing or super boring. The Klance fandom was what kept VLD alive, and the producers knew this.

(Does this justify any of the Klance fandoms actions toward the VLD cast and crew? Absolutely not. There's a reason why the VLD/Klance fandom is one of the most notoriously toxic fandoms on the internet.)

So instead of just dropping Klance and leaving the early season Klance interactions up for speculation, the producers made the worst possible decision and kept hinting at Klance even though they knew it probably could never happen due to the decisions they had to make because of the Dreamworks exects. And since literally no one on the creative team knew what was happening because they were all making it up as they went along, they too thought Klance was still a possible endgame. So the storyboard artists drawing this stuff and the cast (Jeremy Shada specifically) continuing to talk about Klance as if it was endgame wasn't them baiting us, it was them being baited as well. The producers could have easily been like "Hey, we don't think Klance can be possible anymore because of XYZ, lets stop talking about it to please the fandom" and instead decided to exploit the Klance fanbase in order to keep the show running.

The whole Shiro and Adam thing is the more famous and obvious example of queerbaiting the VLD producers did, but Klance was the more sinister example. They kept feeding the already violent Klance fandom with hope because they needed their devotion to keep the show alive. They were using Klance as bait since SEASON 3, for practically the ENTIRE SHOW'S EXISTENCE.

Yes the Klance fandom was rabid and insanely toxic, but the blame can't be 100% put on the fandom when the producers were knowingly enabling the Klance fandom. Again, Klance was no longer a logical possibility because of the direction the show had to take in order to meet Dreamworks' demands, but they still depended on Klance's popularity to keep the show running. The actual fucking lives of the VLD cast and crew were being T H R E A T E N E D by the rabid Klance fans, and the producers really thought to themselves, "Yeah, the safety of our cast and crew are being threatened by obsessive fans, but lets keep baiting them with the thing they want so we can get the numbers and ratings we need to continue to run."

The producers were put in an incredibly tough spot when their story was forcibly being changed because of the exects, I'll give them that. But it doesn't justify any of the queerbaiting bullshit they pulled in order to keep an already declining show running, and it certainly doesn't justify allowing the Klance fandom to threaten the LIVES AND SAFTEY OF THEIR CAST AND CREW for ratings.

Remembering how this is all art by official VLD crew members.

"Klance wasn't queerbaiting" my ass

[sillyfudgemonkeys]

By p5 you mean in terms of plot and themes or in terms of salt? (Go off either way I'm always down to hear riffing on Wish)

It's the plot/themes tbh. In terms of salt...... I didn't mind the film but it def gave "undercook chicken vibes" TT0TT (I could probs bitch about Raya more, but I guess I can muster up some grievances with this film klasjfdlkj;af but before that P5). (edit of me from the future after getting to the end of this ask: while writing this I went from "eh" on Wish, to "I hold this new hc rewrite very dear to me for some reason" I dunno if y'all wanna hear a outline rewrite of Wish but I'd be down for it kasfdjklf):

Before the bitching about Wish's issues, let's address the P5 (well more P5R/P5S with the whole stealing OTHER people's wishes-I mean desires, and then also granting said wishes) parallels first. So I DID NOT know it was going to be.....technically a heist film (without the fun heist tropes ;w; and technically also only for a small duration ;w;) Suddenly it was "You can't take people's desires-I mean wishes", and "I'll take them back! They don't belong to you!" and the villain crushing the desire-I mean wish harms the original person (as well as it being taken seems to affect them too??? Or was that just Sleep-I mean Simon? Or was there even a connection? It's not really explored well! :'D) And then the team uses a star to take down a wish granting god, AND the masses of the people take down the controlling god as well-....you have a rag tag team of people to help rebel against the authority, as well as someone from that same group who betrays them and is controlled by the godly being ("controlled" in Goro's case, Wish did a better job exploring that than P5 imo >_> by that I mean literal bare minimum) and also has a knight motif (I think black mask, along with Mako's outfit, have a knight motif)

There's a lot of similarities. aklfjdlksajf I was NOT expecting it.

Ok now for just.......salt. Diet salt? Frustrations but w/o the hate? *shrugs*

So the pacing was a thing. I was wondering how they'd get from one point to the next, and then realized they were just gonna barrel and quirk their way through. TT0TT

I REALLY hated Asha's character when she was *~quirky~*. That only worked for Tangled/Frozen, `1) it wasn't overplayed (Tangled literally started it, so by Frozen it was like 2 instances by this point only), 2) It made sense for those chars (locked away during a critical part of their life, yeah no wonder they weren't well adjusted), 3) they looked similar and the cameo just kinda fueled the theory they are (distant) cousins (aka so maybe hereditary personality trait).

Everyone else has been......not original and it's just......boring/annoying. (Raya I think was the closest we got away from it, but she's kinda just a Korra clone, cool but with dorky moments.......sigh I'll take it).

I physically cringed in the theater during her interview bc of the dorkiness. TT0TT I cringed so much that....I think I might've missed the reason why the king even bothered to show Asha the wishes???? He trusted her? She interested him??? That's the vibe I got but like.....WHY?????? (again was cringing and she was like 'oh I'm bombing" and he's like "no you have my attention" and I'm like "oh this dialogue is so bad TT0TT Get me outttttt!!!!") Before moving onto the next point, when she's not *~quirky~* she's......there. Fine. I prefer her at her basic just don't give me her worst, I can't handle her at her worst. TT0TT

This whole thing could've/would've/should've been avoided if the King didn't let her see the wishes! Or explain in detail! Like you're smarter than this aren't you my dude? This seems like something you keep hidden only for the MC to find out later and THAT causes a big stir. Not "let's show the MC I'm sure nothing wrong will surely come from it!" Like????? I need a better reasoning!!!

Now the actual act of the villain. Not saying what he was doing was right or good. The guy is a dick, a narcissistic dick. But.......everyone seemed relatively happy? TT0TT Like not even in a mind control way. And he wasn't doing anything bad to the wishes (not doing a lot in general but at least he wasn't hurting them??????). Like I know it's technically using it as a means to keep people there (dangling a carrot in front of their face, manipulation) but....I just feel like we aren't given enough information and they spend so much time on people being so chill it's like???? Is it really an issue??? TT0TT Like we have the dialogue about Simon losing his spark or some BS but like.....no one else seems to have the same issue TT0TT

I dunno, his whole "using it for control" and lack of doing anything evil with them to begin with is kinda.........not well developed. :') Like on the surface, yeah he's bad, but digging deeper ...well it's just not that deep. All the shit he does afterwards is bc Asha challenged him and accidentally wished a star down. (tldr; his "control" on everyone doesn't really feel well defined)

Basically, if they were doing a grey->evil pipeline, they didn't do a good job. Either he needed more fleshing out, or just start him off as pretty not great and then going full blown sorcerer at the end.

While I'm still on the king, I was REALLY BOTHERED by how much they kept leaning into his sad backstory. Once? Ok. But like they ref it like 2-4 times so I'm like "????? Did HE cause the tragedy???? WHAT was the tragedy????" Like I kept expecting more of a twist with it (like the king was actually the reason for it) and for them to go into detail but no it's just dropped. TT0TT ????? Was it really just there to make him grey/justified in his actions??? Well it'd help if I KNEW MORE OF WHAT HAPPENED!

I also kept expecting more from Asha's dad. Like they kept bringing up that mfers back on that gd tree but...nope nothing!

Ok moving onto songs. Wow only 6 songs? I'm surprised. Tho one felt like it went on for WAY too long.

"I'm a star" was a song....that when it showed up I was like "Oh geez.....why???" It just brought the pacing to a halt. TT0TT I don't want to hear people bitch about Fixer Upper ever again, at least that progressed SOMETHING. (both are still better from A Guy Like You from the looks of it......and F1's "In Summer" but not cause In Summer was bad, but because the point could've been summed up in a line or three/was summed up already.......those mfers almost cut Do you want to build a snowman but were gonna keep THAT??? I would've rioted fsakljdlkfja TT0TT....oh right Fixer upper vs I'm a star)

Ok ok, so both have something that's important to the plot. Ngl I was wondering what IAS was doing until.....the climax where I was like "OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH ok, ok I....alright." (aka where everyone uses "the star power within them to defeat the evil). So the meaning behind it I don't mind, it's the.....execution.

So with Fixer Upper, it's a similar thing. FU (haha) contains something important to the plot that'll help the heroes out later (or explain a key part of the story). FU is basically stating/reminding the audience (and Anna) "Elsa is scared and stressed, but if you keep showing your Love to her, Anna, you'll break through to her. Love brings out the best in people!" It's the point of F1. It's the point of The Snow Queen. It's what's been going on this entire film. It also helps develop Anna/Kristoff as well. Because of this it doesn't derail the plot.

I know it DOES feel similar to A Guy Like you, where they put some comedy right in between more serious moments. The difference is Paris is on literal fire, and Anna....due to dramatic irony, isn't aware of shit hitting the fan just yet (or that she's about to die). So she's in a position of just one last moment of brevity unlike Hunchback (from what I remember of Hunchback, gotta rewatch tbh but I know people HATE A guy like you so TT0TT)

Now FU is towards the end of the film and.....F1 is paced fairly well imo. Stuff's happening, nothing feels wasted. Back to Wish.....I'm a Star....doesn't. It has answers for later, but it felt like it brought the pacing to a screeching halt to give me a weird and very eh version of Be Our Guest.

I know in musicals "when talking isn't enough, you sing. When singing isn't enough, you dance."

I do not get the....well...NEED for the scene to be like this. Just talking could've done it justice, and esp saved time (a handful of seconds vs minutes TT0TT)

Like for the climax a scene with THIS SONG needed to happen. But how it comes about is just......it's not it. It's not paced well. Be Our Guest works because Belle knew ALL these chars for a bit. FU worked because the AUDIENCE still recognized these chars from the beginning (and at least KRISTOFF knew who they were). I'm a Star is mostly with random animals and plants that just....happens. TT0TT "Just go with it" no I don't think I want to little rabbit (I feel like a plant/animal said that line but I don't remember which, maybe it was Bambi)

I dunno the set up isn't....great. Wait, it's really just "I have a dream" but.......shittier, like not as well executed. But I have a dream doesn't come outta nowhere, it's set up by Flynn and then executed. The Star just sprinkles some magic dust and it's like "well I guess this is happening."

Tldr; I'm a star isn't well executed even tho it's important to the plot. It needs to be paced better.

Ok other songs (tbh I was eh on the songs but I'm not really liking At all Costs and This Wish).....Welcome to Rosas reminded me a LOT of Encanto's opening and dancing (only thing I was positive towards that movie on). But that dancing is....never brought back? Ok. The framing of the intro song is similar. Exposition through song is ok. (I didn't like F2's Some thing never change but it does catch us up). It's fine.

This is the thanks I get: I liked it when I heard it. Kinda laughable, because of how evil he just....turned into. The king is a real let down ngl, but I already kinda went into my issues with him earlier. I think it's nice he doesn't make them pay rent like wtf let me live there. u_u

At all costs. I........really like this song ngl. It sounds like a love song. The demo even more so (to the point people wondered if it was originally for the King/Queen and/or Asha/Star). Part of me likes the K/Q and Asha/Star duality, but I also........really just like the twisted-ness of King/Asha just singing their own mindset. I dunno I find the idea hauntingly beautiful and is a better villain song for King. Why couldn't King be more evil earlier? It would've been SOOOO GOOD HERE! TT0TT

This Wish: I like it. Was looking forward to this song ngl. Not my most fav song in the world or disney verse, but I like it. I also like the reprise version, they stuck the landing the best they could with that imo. (it's only held back by the other issues of the film). I think I read on TV tropes this song was written first and then a plot made around it? TT0TT I dunno.

The Revolution song I literally forgot of: Probs the most forgettable, like ok sure whatever. At least it wasn't cringy like I'm a star but 8U

Also I JUST found out (after typing most of this) that apparently the song writers were......mostly known for pop songs????? And not musical theater???? Which...ok that makes sense with the whole "when talking isn't enough, you sing. When singing isn't enough, you dance" combined with the thing I read on TV tropes and This Wish..... There wasn't a lot of synergy with how/why some of those song scenes are happening. TT0TT

I mean I'm a basic bitch who likes pop songs don't get me wrong, I'm over here vibbing to This Wish (OG and Reprise) and At All Costs. But Disney did not let those two live up to their full potential ;w; And I believe it's because they......forgot it was a musical and to do more musical theater choices. TT0TT

Thoughts on characters. I don't care for the grandpa/mom ngl. I don't hate them but I don't care. Not a fan of Asha's dad, just.....such a nothing char. Her 7 friends are ok (too many perhaps, put some on the chopping block jalkfdjska). I wish the goat didn't speak (or just sounded cute), or if he did speak in that voice he didn't appear in ALMOST EVERY SCENE (I think Asha/Star duo would've been best). Queen ok, should've been evil. King is ok, should've put him in the over longer tho (and made him more evil from the start).

What could've been: Queen was also suppose to be evil (she should've). Star was gonna be a tumblr Jack Frost esque twink. Disney dropped the ball on that u_u Did he HAVE to exist? Depends on the story (twink or cute star creature, either work it just depends on what the focus is and how you go about it). But the Queen should've been evil.

Oh my thoughts on the meta ending........I.....don't.....it .....didn't make sense? I know people are saying 'oh Disney's just saying it's references! They're backtracking on the extended universe!" and.....like it feels more like references tbh. Like Peter Pan, the guy iirc was an adult (wait of course he has to be an adult, you give your wish away at 18!), he wants to make a plane with the lady. He just looks like Peter Pan. I don't think they are the same Peter. Same with Bambi, OG Bambi isn't a surfer stoner. I think it's just a reference. I think the movie is just too full of references.

"Asha changes race and becomes the fairy god mother to Cindy!" I..dunno.....maybe? She said she'd be ROSAS' fairy god mother....I don't think Cindy takes place anywhere near that. No seaside from that movie iirc. (I mean she can travel but......I dunno)

The only thing I'd buy is Star maybe connecting with Pinocchio or something from across the milkyway. And the sky is the cinematic universe, because I just....can't buy the other refs being part of something greater. So if it's just the sky part.....then 1) it's kinda just pointless tbh cause it doesn't really matter. 2) they wanna be Kingdom Hearts so bad TT0TT I hope KH4 has Wish in it, I'd love to see how that mess will roll. (they can't make it any worse :'D it can only go up from here....esp compared to KH3's Frozen world *sobs* I'll never forgive you KH3 *sobs harder* A game about hearts......and a plot device of a FROZEN HEART YOU COULD'VE EXPANDED YOUR LORE! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH *ugly cries* *coughs* I can see them doing something with your "inner star" and KH hearts tbh >_>)

Anyway I do think it's more references than cinematic universe.

[hylasregilla]

I hate you can't edit individual tags on mobile without deleting them. I'm not rewriting all that just hit post

[waywardsou2]

No one Tagged me but I really want to do this so I'm gonna do it anyway and start a chain!

1. How many works do you have on Ao3? I currently have 14 but hoping to have many more into the future

2. What's your total Ao3 word count? 105, 991 (and a few of those are ongoing WIPs / Abandoned WIPs)

3. What fandoms do you write for? At the moment mostly The Bad Batch, but I'm hoping to do more into the wider Star Wars community. I also wrote for Supernatural, How to Train your Dragon, My Hero Academia and Marvel

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Sleepy Mornings - A Destiel Smut fic (53 Kudos) Welcome to Mary's Popin - Another Destiel Smut fic (41 Kudos) Lost, But never gone - A Tech fix it fic (on-going) (38 Kudos) What did you do to my angel?! - A Destiel Hurt/Comfort fic (30 Kudos) Love on the Road - Fluffy Destiel one-shot (26 Kudos)

5. Do you respond to comments? Yes OMG I can't believe there are people out there who don't. I start kicking my feet whenever I see a comment on my work (which isn't very often) so of course I respond

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? My Marvel Trauma one-shots is probably has the angstiest ending because I just rewrite the scene in my image without fixing it at all. So I make it angstier than it already. I think that's the closest to what I have

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Supernatural Pride is most likely my happiest one because I wanted to spread some love and comfort for Pride month like...two years ago I think

8. Do you get hate on fics? So far no. But I'm still kinda waiting, yk. Like I'm not invincible and not everyone is going to like my work so...yeah :)

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? I have, and I can. But it's not my first choice. Usually its MLM, I'm not comfortable with writing WLM, so I just don't.

10. Do you ever write crossovers? I haven't but I have a few planned that I would like to write eventually!

11. Eleven disappeared I guess?

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Nope, I am not that popular lol.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? I have tried on two accounts before but I never completed them. So...no.

14. What's your all time favorite ship? Out of every ship?! Dude you are making me choose? Oh damn well...I gotta say Destiel but I have so many it's way to hard to choose one.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? My Eret Son of Eret x Trans reader fic. IDFK what I was thinking when I wrote that...but I did. And it's currently collecting dust and I don't think I will ever dust it off and work on it again. There would have to be a very specific occurrence for that to happen.

16. What are your writing strengths? Uhmmmm...I guess I would say that my strengths lie in my ability to write a pre-existing character as they were originally designed. i often find that some fics make pre-existing characters ooc and it's frustrating but I would say that I'm not bad at that.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? Grammar. Dude every fucking time, not matter how much I try to edit and check over my work there are always grammatical errors.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in a fic? I do it sometimes when it's relevant, like in Na'vi or with words like Kriff and such but I don't often include lengthy dialogue in different languages. Just a word here or there.

19. First fandom you wrote for? My Hero Academia sigh I'm not proud of it, and tbh it's so fucking cringe but I was young and agsty and...yeah we aren't gonna talk about it

20. Favorite fic you've written? So far it would have to be my Tech fix it fic. It's my most recent one but damn is it a whole load of fun and I cannot wait to continue it!

Tag list...omg I don't even know I'm gonna have to check my moots list and writers I follow

@aaaaawolfquarters @tbbtechlover @kurlyfrii @jedi-hawkins @stars-n-spice @the-chocoholic-writer @amansabastris @ippyhaj @flowersareverypretty @winters-secret-star-wars-blog @fionajames @disastercyborgecho @thisisallyourfaultmiguel

20 Questions for Fic Writers

1. How many works do you have on Ao3? 75

2. What's your total Ao3 word count? 92,568

3. What fandoms do you write for? Currently, Star Wars (mostly Bad Batch); however, I've written for a lot of TV shows over the years. (I prefer TV shows over movies simply because I can get to know the characters better and have a better feel for them when writing)

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

1. Unconventionally Easy (Star Wars: The Bad Batch) - a pre-Order 66 story about a mission gone awry for the Batch. 2. I Miss You (Star Wars: The Bad Batch) - Echo finds an unexpected message from a brother. 3. Regroup (Star Wars: The Bad Batch) - Tech and Omega have to leave Hunter and Wrecker behind when a job for Cid goes sideways. 4. Just Sit With Me (Star Wars: The Bad Batch) - A Cadet Batch fic featuring young Crosshair and Tech. 5. Resilient (Star Wars: The Bad Batch) - Echo struggles with his PTSD.

5. Do you respond to comments? Yes! It's one of my favorite parts of writing fan fiction!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? This one is really hard since I did Whumptober and Febuwhump and Angstpril 😅 I'd have to say maybe Haunting Failures or Sick Day (although my readers would probably choose different ones).

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Probably the Stardust Conspiracy or Detail Work.

8. Do you get hate on fics? In other fandoms, I have...I have yet to experience hate in this fandom.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? I don't read or write or watch it...not my thing.

10. Do you ever write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written? I haven't really written any...but I did kinda play with the idea of writing a Psych and Bones crossover 😂 I was gonna call it The Psychic in the Capital.

11. ?? (there was no question for #11...so I'll just say....nothing, I guess)

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Not that I am aware of, but that would be so cool!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Kind of! I wrote Where Fears Are Born & When Fears Are Faced as companion pieces of @just-here-with-my-thoughts' fic Phobia. And then @just-here-with-my-thoughts wrote a couple cute companion pieces for The Stardust Conspiracy! (Find the Stardust collection here!)

14. What's your all time favorite ship? Kanan and Hera 🥰😭

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? Mmmmm...I don't know. Any WIPs I have chapters posted for I have plans to finish...the ones slowly dying in my folder, however...😅

There's a Fives Survives AU I've been writing where he's actually the one who finds and rescues Omega from Kamino that I would really like to see through.

16. What are your writing strengths? I love character studies, so I feel like that really helps my writing!

17. What are your writing weaknesses? I hate writing action scenes...and I tend to lean heavily on dialogue.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in a fic? The only time I've used "another language" in a fic is when I have clones use Mando'a words...but they don't usually use full sentences.

19. First fandom you wrote for? When I was an early teen I wrote for the Disney show Pair of Kings. 😂 However, I think I deleted the story after a couple of days...the first fandom I stuck to for a bit of time and still have stories floating around out there was Bonanza.

20. Favorite fic you've written? Basically any story I've written with the boys as cadets. They All Fall Down is probably one of my favorites, just because it reminds me so much of growing up with siblings. I also loved writing the Stardust Conspiracy.

Thank you for tagging me, @the-little-moment! This was so fun!!

Is it possible to tag all my moots?? Because I wanna see all your answers...(**cough**cough**if you've read this far, consider yourself TAGGED)