#i think the dialogue is kinda stilted which i did bc i wanted it to seem unnatural but i think it just seems a lil awkward

[weirdopponent]

She looks like this:

Hair the same color as mine.

Skin the same color as mine.

Eyes the same color as mine.

Her hands are smaller, but we share the same bones. Her hair is longer, in the braids my mother so liked. Her smile is bitten dark, but not chapped and ugly. She paints her nails in bright colors - this weeks' color is green like lichen. Green like the rich earth above the abandoned body.

"Gracie," my mother says - I look up, I start, "won't you tell us your name?"

I open my mouth, Grace says, "Grace Mountebank."

I close my mouth. It was the wrong answer. My mother smiles, beatific, like a dog tasting blood for the first time, bird feathers in its mouth. The lamb is too tender, it makes me want to gag. But I eat it, I eat it, I eat it until it is gone and all there is on the plate is the red it left behind.

"May I be excused?" Grace asks. My mother smiles more, as if there is more to smile about. My father smiles, too, sharp and full of teeth.

Where Grace goes, I go. We move the same way, at the same time. I walk two paces behind her, so my boots catch on her stockings. Today, Grace's color is green, like it was yesterday and tomorrow too. Today, it is the green that old velvet is, a rich and elegant matron. The folds of her skirt are dark.

Mother hates it when I track the dirt in. She says it gets in the floorboards. I think if it's so easy to get stuck there, then maybe it's because the floorboards are old and ill-set. Mother turns away from me. She never seems to hear what I say, unless it is Grace who says it for me.

Poor Gracie, I think. My boots are thick but silent. The toe hits Grace's heel every step, step, step again up the stairs. She closes my door behind her, but not fast enough to shut me out. Poor Gracie, I think, watching her watching me watching her. Her eyes the same as mine. Even with the door closed, she is careful to keep her face still and calm.

I know better.

[randombubblegum]

i got fIesh eater bc i wanted to see what travis’s writing is really like and read his story about gay furries with daddy issues. and i just finished it this evening while i had some downtime........ so here are my Thoughts.

(minor spoilers for fIesh eater under cut)

alright ill start w the stuff i liked. the plot was pretty interesting, like i definitely felt a pull to keep reading and i wanted to know what was gonna happen next? i mean i tend to get like that with most books so who knows. and his worldbuilding was interesting, if... heavyhanded, but its clear he has it all thought out in his head. ill probably read the other books in this trilogy when they come out, i think its a neat universe

the characters were. likable? if plain... not 2d, just not wildly exciting. their personalities feel described to the reader much more than theyre actually demonstrated in speech or action. his dialogue is kind of up and down, like its very stilted in some places and i figured it was just bc this is a fantasy book, but then its really modern and slangy immediately afterwards so i was left feeling kinda “???”. if it were like, some characters were stilted in speech and others werent, that would be one thing, but the main characters voice especially bounces around too much for me. i did like him, even if he felt maybe a little self-insert-y...? something ive been told travis has done with protags in his other novels, so who knows.

and what i really didnt like....... his prose!!!!! oh my god it was so. it was just not very good!! it wasnt strong or compelling, nor was it pretty. it was super utilitarian at best, clunky at worst, and there were some lines i read and just went “yeesh, really?” i think if he had an editor or god even a BETA READER to be like “um, this line sucks” it would have been drastically improved. sorry travis!!!! but your prose isnt good and if i opened a fic by you on ao3 i would hit the back button before i even got into it. like i respect that you can write this many words but your actual wordsmithing does not compel me.......

now...... the romance!!!!!!!!! the main character (a fox named coaI) enters a budding romance with a woodpecker named iIio. and honestly? its cute! is it particularly romantic? no, its sort of clumsy and robotic like the rest of his prose. but its sweet! i like that he wrote a fumbling gay romance and clearly put a lot of care into it. it doesnt really strike an emotional chord, because again its pretty robotic in the tone of the rest of the novel, but i liked it and i thought it was sweet. like they hold hands a lot and kiss by rubbing cheeks bc one of them is a bird and doesnt have lips which is cute. it was very natural in-universe and there was no fantasy homophobia or anything which i appreciated. also travis said this in his authors note and i thought it was cute.

so all in all, it was an enjoyable read, but it had some pretty glaring heavyhandedness in prose and worldbuilding. i wish he would do more showing, less telling, especially when it comes to how characters are feeling. also the dialogue needs workshopping in a lot of places. to judge him on ~the podcasts own rating scale~, id say its a 3/5, but i like travis so im gonna give him a 3.5/5 stars :-) and if i ever submit fanfic to him and he says one single thing about my writing abilities ill light him up on twitter<3 mwah

[lightwormlol]

ACOFAS REVIEW -INC SPOILERS

4.5 stars.

Okay, so! This was the first book I was able to finish in 2021. I've kinda been in a reading slump, and struggling to get past the 30-50% of books. I think its because I took essentially 3 months off my normal (daily) reading schedule and have been prioritising other things (health, fitness, job applications etc) - I think it's a testament to how addicted I was to this that I finished and consumed this at the rate I did! I recently went back and added some things to my ACOWAR review. To briefly summarise, I feel that, at the time I read it, it kind of gave me what I needed, but it definitely isn't getting a re read - my love for feysand has definitely lessened over time, but honestly i'm not that mad at sarah for this, as I find that whenever I've passed the sexual tension part of relationships in books, I tend to get bored of the domestic bliss. Like, leave that shit for an epilogue and keep it at that? As someone generally averse to relationships, but there is definitely a grace period for how long I can actively be smitten with a couple... before it becomes sickly. Taking all this into account, I honestly was nervous for this book, its release date totally took me by surprise, and I read it on a whim. As a Nessian shipper (I mean we didn't really have a choice after acomaf but to delve into the world of fanfic to keep us going) - this book gave me most of what I wanted and needed from them! I think,(some) kudos to SJM, for not disappointing in their relationship. This was definitely a character > plot driven story. In terms of the plot, I wasn't really invested until around the 38% mark? I'm not sure if I was adjusting to the writing style (lots of dramatic. sentences. that. are. so. abrupt. Nesta Archeron. Death etc) - or if it was bc I hadn't read an SJM book since the novella, which I basically skimmed. I was obviously reading for Nessian, but I didn't really feel intrigued by the wider plot (death gods, the human queens? Given I had lost my previous obsession with the world/ have outgrown 'fandom' culture, that made me actively update my knowledge, I couldn't remember a lot!) I think its clear that SJM excels character driven stories, but I think her worldbuilding and execution is significantly better in the throne of glass franchise. Now, I did say this was a character driven story. This is mostly regarding Nesta, Cassian and Azriel. I loved pretty much any interaction they had! I love a good training montage. Ngl though, I think, unless you possess an ardent love for Nessian, you're not going to be particularly wowed by this, if you've read heir of fire, or even acomaf. I obviously am never going to be able to be objective, because I've loved nessian so much from 2017-now, but I loved the dynamic those two (and three - friendship wise between nes/cass/az). One of the highlights of ACOWAR for me was the snippets of Az, showing tenderness, and opening up to the newer members of the inner circle (and i'm excluding any hint of an Elriel ship because FUCK THAT LOL) For me, the tip with SJM books is: once you outgrow them/the particular mode of narrative style, is to not anticipate anything other than a character driven story, albeit one riddled with smut. I personally am a romance heavy reader, so I'm honestly deconditioned to it at this point, (like, when I see reviewers scandalised I'm like... wow, the amount of trash I have consumed in the last five years loool.) While I disagree with the fact SJM marketed this series as y/a (or maybe it wasn't her per se, but the key booksellers definitely did this for her) - I think its clear enough now she's descended into the adult/borderline erotica genre.(very mild imo). I personally like to adopt a policy of skimming sex scenes when I find the dialogue cringy (most the time it is lets be honest any talking is v second hand embarrassment). Cassian and Nesta were definitely better than Rhys and Feyre post chapter 55 though! I was so glad there weren't a million moments of Cass/Nesta betraying their arousal with their scents, in front of everyone (like feysand, the voyeuristic pda pricks they are). I found the slowburn ish nature of their relationship great, and I actually think if you're a virgo/emotionally stunted reader, you will be happy with their relationship dynamic. It contrasts with the daemati sexual snark of acomaf, but it felt right, and authentic. This book was a journey of personal growth, for Nesta. It is clear SJM loves books about strong women, and maybe thats what makes me love this book so much. I think, out of all the archeron sisters, I love Nesta the most. This is for my Rose Calloway fans, my misunderstood, somewhat cold/left out girls, who are less receptive to being vulnerable. If you're a slowburn fan, it's not Mariana Zapata levels of slowburn, imo it's the perfect combo. Addictive enough that I don't want to put it down, but not so fast moving that I couldn't believe it. I loved the sex without emotion relationship they had!! This is honestly never done in mainstream n/a fantasy, unless its a caricature of a 'slut' that normally rivals the main character, lmao. Even if their inner conflict was p transparent, this gave me everything I needed! I know this is vapid lol but I also love the physical dynamic between the two, they just look so good together, the amount of fanart I'm going to reacquaint myself with after this review!! I adored seeing Nesta grow, (even if towards the end I kind of resented her sudden acceptance into the inner circle, i get SJM loves her and just wanted a fluffy ending, but, as a Nesta like character, it's awkward and stilted on her end to adjust to the inner circle like this - i mean, hugging rhys, really??)

I think, if I had to compare this to any other SJM book, I would say Chaols book (though I obviously preferred this). That being said, I felt less attached to new characters in this book than I was in even Chaols book (and even then ngl I remember nothing?) Obviously I loved what it represented, as a trio of traumatised women. I just, didn't love this the way I loved other inner circle members! I get that they gave Nesta exactly what they needed, a family that doesn't hold the history of her sisters, who she doesn't have to worry about holding preconceived notions of disappointment. I loved this for her! Even then.. I just wasn't attached to either of them. I found their interactions cute - but boring. Towards the end, when their stories/pasts are revealed, I couldn't help but cringe slightly, I can't put my finger on why, but I just didn't buy it. Maybe it's the brit in me but I couldn't be moved by this slightly forced bonding moment.. which was so anticlimactic. My 'aww how cute' tolerance is defo deserved for characters whose tropes I love. Maybe they just didn't fit into this list. Maybe I'm just being a cow here?

Now, let's speak about the real star of the show.... A FUCKING MAGICAL HOUSE FRIEND??? YESSSSSSS. IF YOU ARE AN ILONA ANDREWS INNKEEPERS CHRONICLES FAN, U WILL LOVE! How was the animation of this somehow more touching than all of nesta's other friendships combined? Exactly what I ordered, thank you. This trope somehow touches more than any material bonding!! The cute witch x house dynamic (also maybe howls moving castle vibes?) I loved the trying to reach the target of 10,000 steps (a little Celaena HOF). I think this, heir of fire and acomaf are my favourite SJM books for this reason. Gripes: I definitely had some personal gripes with how other members of the inner circle treated Nesta (rhys i'm looking at you. Disappointed doesn't even cover it.) I inherently take offence to any elain scene, as i'm so over bland characters whose existence is reduced to wanting to fucking plant flowers?? like?? really? To go from moriel to that is such a downgrade, even if I fell out of love with Mor due to the way she snubbed Nesta (you're a 500 year old being and you can't see someone is clearly traumatised?). I adore Az so much, but if it aint polyamorous, I cannot see any pairing with Elain making me happy. (wouldn’t mind gwyn though) I think the whole mating bond that I do not want is a good dynamic, but I really hate that everyone has to be mates in this world. I don't think we were that surprised, but it would've been nice if the somehow, idk, developed a strong bond over time, without it being preordained? Like, even if they do not all actively stay with their mate, given how disproportionate mates are among the general population, what's the likelihood 6 members of the inner circle (including lucien) have mates?

My advice? Read this book if you love nessian and the acotar world in general, but don't expect the world building to be consistent with greater fantasy series'. This style of story is obviously what to expect. She writes what she likes, and if her fantasy is this - then who are we, as readers, to expect otherwise?

Final rating: 4.5 (no, i'm not objective, but objectivity does not exist if you are a real, human being, lol)

Original Characters: 5/5 (nessian/az/house wise) 1/5 (feysand - really over how they essentially take over the very end of the book - ugh, I wanted nesta's arc to be wholly separate from them) Writing style: 3.5 Cringe Scale: Low, with the exception of some dialogue. New Characters: 2 Plot: I went into it with a 2 and came out with a 4. Not in terms of complexity, but in terms of how addictive and enjoyable this reading experience was! (less)

[aloera]

The ask prompt is too long to fit into an ask TT_TT but here's the doc for it docs(.)google(.)com/document/d/1yDI7iFRhOJ8ENv_IwZAo3rDSUqj80EiJROS10RzRbj4/edit

the lengths u are going for this,,, much appreciated you're very sweet!!!

prompts + answers under the cut!!

INTRODUCTION

Name: aloera

AO3 account: aloera

Fandoms you write for: bnha

How many stories have you written so far: 19

FANFICTION PROFILE

What's your favorite fandom to write for? hmm,,, used to do pjo and eah (ever after high) and eah was fun as fuck i will say!!! i think bnha is my fav mostly bc i made the most friends in this fandom :D

What's your favorite character/person to write for? bkg and kirishima!! cannot choose do not make me <3

Fic you'd want to improve? probably what we deserve? i rushed the beginning and the confession is a bit stilted imo

Hardest fic you've written? between lion and men -_- bc there is so much canon compliant stuff i've gotta write out before i get to the divergence and its HARD

Easiest fic you've written? come home to me!!! it happened so easily,,, no second guessing no writers block just vibes <33 was lovely i miss it

What would you say is the most "famous" fic you've ever written? also probably come home to me? its got the most interaction

first line of the first fic you've ever written and published. [not including my 2014 ffnet fics] "The bell rings, class starts, and Katsuki and Midoriya are inexplicably absent." from come home to me

Have you ever done a collab with another writer? yes!!!!! on two separate occasions and its so fucking fun i highly recommend trying it out its the best

Do you beta? if asked but honestly im a shit beta lmao

Do you like joining fic fests/exchanges? depends on what i have going on irl but in general yeah!!

FANFICTION PREFERENCES

Fluff or angst? definitely fluff

"OCs" or "Reader" inserts? reader inserts!! have been going ham on them recently

Blurbs or drabbles? blurbs!!

One thing you love about fanfiction i just. i really love slice of life romance?? and most media doesn't give you that bc its dedicated to plot and action and that's valid!! but fanfiction fills in the gap which is really nice

One thing you don't like about fanfiction most of the stuff i don't like is less about actual fanfiction and more about how people behave about it

What is/are your favorite fandom author/authors? IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS ONE!!! TURN IT UP!!!

bnha: hiuythn, rae_tnub, Moniix, Ata_Lanta, wrunic, chezka, PurplePersnickety, surveycorpsejean, mahadevi, arxaris, deviance, Oceanbreeze7, MikeWritesThings, bonnia, wonhaebunny, dinosuns

voltron: hiuythn, Oceanbreeze7, DeerstalkerDeathFrisbee, arahir, dinosuns,

and honorable mention to loveclouds im not even in the haikyuu fandom i just love their fics So Much

these are just the ones off the top of my head i have so many favourites idc if i'm only supposed 2 have one!! die mad about it!!!

What is your favorite trope? secret relationship + relationship reveal til the day i die babie <3 <3

Least favorite trope? hm,,, probably just like. angst lmao i cannot stand 90% of it

A fanfiction cliché that you can't help but love? coffeeshop aus,,,, so good

Do you have a type when it comes to pairings? the otp where its like. piece of shit + himbo = love. ex. krbk, catradora, jade/beck

Favorite setting/au? hm,,, truly i cannot pick one KGKSJNHKj but i really like college aus!! and modern aus!! and roommate aus!!

Explain the meaning of your favorite line of dialogue you've written as if someone hasn't read it in context. “He doesn’t know,” Katsuki says, softly. “My timer stopped and nothing happened. He’s not mine.”

the line is from what we deserve!! it's a soulmate au where your timer counts down to the moment that you meet your soulmate!! bakugou's timer ends at USJ when he and kirishima attack kurogiri at the same time (impulsive kings <33) but kirishima's timer doesn't end until kamino because that's when he accepts himself as bakugous soulmate!! unfortunately, when bakugous timer has reached 0, he turned to see that kirishima's was still ticking and therefore believes that kirishima isn't his soulmate.

this line just,, idk. it's really sad. bakugou is such an action-driven character? if something doesn't go his way he Makes it go his way. he's got this insanely volatile quirk and he's got impeccable control of it!! but his love for kirishima isn't something that he can change and he's not going to ruin kirishima's chance of finding his own soulmate because he loves him and wants him to be happy. i really wanted to focus on how resigned he is? and how unusual that is for a character like him.

Favorite trope/genre to write? again, secret relationship with relationship reveals <33 fluff in general is my wheelhouse!!!

A trope/genre you haven't written but think would be a fun challenge? idk if this counts?? have been working on some dead dove concepts!! its super different from what i normally write so its a cool challenge

The one trope/concept you'll never touch and why probably cheating/infidelity?? it just looks,,, super difficult to write well and i don't have enough of an interest in it to try it out

Which do you prefer to write: longer or shorter fics? shorter!! low attention span gang <3

Ideal length to read? 5-10k?

Ideal length to write? 4-8k!!

How long was the longest fic you've ever written? control fraek is around 28k i think?

Have you ever written an AU? yeah!! i've done restaurant au's, soulmate au's, pro hero aus, and fantasy aus (general, not the bnha fantasy ending)

What's your favorite AU trope? hm,, probably when two people in authority are in a secret relationship? ceo's/uni professors/etc etc

Have you ever written smut? yeah!! was. difficult tho

What's your comfort genre? (the one you fall on most in writing/reading) fluff,,, hurt/comfort,,, fix-it fics with happy endings <3

If you were to start writing in other fandoms, which would they be? maybe jjk?? the characters are really cool!!!! fr i might go back to my ever after high roots i love the characters and setting so Much its so fun!!! idec if no ones into it anymore!!!!!

Is there a trope you think you could be easily recognized by in your writing? i've had people say they saw the mention of buff hagakure and recognized it was me so. probably that skdjhnksjd

WRITING STYLE

How would you describe your style? i tend to use shorter sentences and pretty simple words i think? and i gravitate towards lighthearted concepts that allow for ensemble casts and humour!!

Describe your style in three words romcom but fanfic

Favorite words to use when writing? the word reverent!! fuckin love including it!!

Dialogue tags or no dialogue tags? (she said, he said, they said, etc) dialogue tags!!!

Favorite dialogue tag (other than said, if you use them) again idk if this counts but "they said softly" is unmatched

Long sentences vs short vs a mix short <33

What colors would you use to describe your writing? hm,,, depends on the fic i would say?? control fraek is dark green to me?? kinda like a forest at night yk?? scary but there's still life there. sugar cookies is yellow like early morning sunlight, when it rains is yellowy-orange like a caution sign. not gonna list all of them cause theres a lot its just. do u get it? the colours change based on the vibe of the fic.

What song or music genre would you use to describe your writing? think. i am constantly trying to emulate that moment at the end of wasteland baby when hozier goes "im in love/im in love with you."

What kind of metaphors do you rely on? religious metaphors my beloved <33 they're just so pretty!!! i also love comparing stuff to water for some reason?? like that ocean vuong quote thats like "what are you now?/water." it goes hard!!!

What's something you'd say is experimental in your writing at this time? definitely action!! i have,,, no idea how to write it so anything i do is really just me playing around and seeing what works and what doesn't

Do you prefer to write by hand or to type? i've tried both!! personally i prefer typing because it goes way faster but i will say that writing by hand lets me get words down when i'm going through writer's block

What is your preferred place to write (notebook, laptop, cellphone, etc.)? laptop!!

What app/apps do you use to write (word, notepad, etc.)? google docs skjdnkjh its fine on desktop but mobile is,,,,, disgusting

Do you keep a notebook or file/notes page in your phone/device for notes on your writing? ngl i just have everything organized in my drive?? one folder per fandom and then sub folders for ideas+hcs, unfinished wips, and finished fics. multichaps get sub sub folders so i can organize outlines and drafts

Do you listen to music to help you write? yeah!! playlists organized by fic vibe :D

Where do you usually go to write (bedroom, living room, etc.)? mostly in my bedroom??? but moving around to different stops helps too i think!!

How long does it usually take for you to write? again this depends on what i have going on irl, how attached i am to the idea, my mindset at the time, etc!! i am,, the least consistent person skjnhdkjh.

What's your favorite font to use when writing? times new roman my beloved

Other writing habits? sometimes i'll write in the dark?? bad for my eyes but for some reason it gets the words flowing

CONCEPTUALIZATION

How do you conceptualize your ideas? (See specific moments like they're a movie, writing specific lines in your head, don't know until you put the words on paper, etc.) i tend to get inspiration from movies, books, poems, or other fics!!! sometimes one line just makes me go oh,, i want to write something like that,,, and then it helps me create an idea that makes me feel the same way?? i did this with control fraek!!!! i wanted a scenario where bakugou was cold and calculating and i was like hm. to do that he’d have to be focusing on something important. and from there i was able to flesh out the rest of the idea.

Which comes first: the pairing or the plot? with krbk its always always the pairing,, i'll be sitting there like wow <33 i love them <33 what if one of them had amnesia <33 (which, yes, wip!!) otherwise it's usually the plot!! and i slot in characters that i feel make sense

Have you ever used a prompt? yeah!! used a prompt for wlw week 2020 and it was fun as hell

Do you write around the story around a specific scene you want to get to or do you start from a plot idea definitely the first!!!! i almost always write like,,, a super messy scene thats 90% dialogue, keep it in my head, and then write the entire fic around that one moment

Do you find that you include a projection of some part of yourself in the way you write a character? a lot of the time when i write love confessions or love in general i'll have one of the characters think or say that the other person makes their head quiet? and it's because that's what i feel whenever i'm in love?? a quiet mind. i project on characters yeah but i think most of the projection actually goes to the way that i write love

Do you research some of the things you write deeply, partially and kind of wing the rest, or play entirely by ear (in this case, go with whatever base knowledge of the subject you have)? most of the time if i do research it'll be about the setting (ex. the izakaya in to have and to hold) or if i'm having the characters interact with an object that they like. need to know how to use (me, in control fraek: google. hey google. does someone die if they get shot in the foot??? no???? awesome thank u <3)

Have you ever had an idea for a story and forgot about it? lmaoo yeah all the time i'll find like 500-2k words of concepts in my gdocs like i do. not remember this at all

Is there a trope you think you could be easily recognized by in your writing? probably krbk secret relationship lmao

Are there concepts you've tried that turned out better than expected? yeah!! i fully thought the action in control fraek would be awful but it turned out not bad??? which im happy with

Are there concepts you've tried that turned out worse than you expected? again, what we deserve, i personally think it would have worked out better if i'd paced it slower and drawn out the pining but i. do not feel like going back to fix it so its staying the way that it is. pining is so fucking hard to do AHHHH i get so tired with it!!! im like just date already!!!!

PROCESS

How do you come up with titles? in rare occasions (literally. all my multichaps for some reason) the title comes after writing like .5 words of the first chapter im like YES this is it!!!!! sometimes i write the whole thing and pick out one line that fits (what i did with come home to me) a lot of the time i just. steal from songs or poems that i like

What's your favorite emotion to cause on your readers? i like making people happy!!!! love when people comment saying they're cheered up

What's your favorite emotion to write? lovelovelovelovelovelove

Have you ever cried or felt any emotion while reading something you've written? never cried?? but sometimes i'll rereading my hurt/comfort fics 4. yk. comfort

Do you write in order or whatever comes to you? in order!! unless i have a scene that i Need to write and i'll quickly jot it down so that i don't forget

Usual way you procrastinate while writing? ...doing asks like this, making playlists, discord, watching netflix. what don't i do smh

Do you outline or free write? i am. so shit at outlines. i mostly free write and write lil notes for stuff that i wanna add later

Do you set word goals or scene goals (scenes you want to include)? yes!! like i said i'll write loose notes for scenes that i want to add later!! it gives me something to write towards :D

What do you consider when writing your scenes? what goes into making the atmosphere and mood you want? to set a scene i do two things? the first is like,, the five senses bc that always sets the scene really well and makes it feel Real. i'll visualize stuff in my head like its a movie and write out what i would want to tell the set designer?? if the lights are low, if the space is busy, if it's supposed to exude comfort or not.

for putting forward the character's mood one thing i've found that makes a difference is sentence length!! long sentences are good for making a character seem flustered and nervous or not really in control of their emotions? good for love confessions. short sentences are good for when the character is focused on something or short on time. good for fights!!

What's something you never considered to include in your writing that you can't leave out now? def buff hagakure,,,, once i thought of it i was like. if i don't include this at least once in every single fic how could i look at myself in the mirror!!!!!! how could i face anyone!!!!

How do you start a story? establishing a fact about the character or describing the setting! option a is one single thread of gold, option b is between lion and men

How do you end a story? either by tying it back to the beginning or doing like a funny kind of closing??? option a is sugar cookies, option b is a godless society

How do you get out of writer's block? change something!! move something!! i go from typing to handwriting, moving from my bedroom to my living room, switching wips to work on something else!! i do sprints as well?? give myself like fifteen minutes to write something and sometimes 200 words opens up the way for another 2k. sometimes i'll just delete like 500 words and start fresh

Do you edit? or do you toss your writing out there? i edit!!! i'll go over it myself then send it to one or two betas (bee my beloved <33)

How do you edit? do you use spellcheck, grammar checkers, etc? bee is my grammar checker bc he is So Good with grammar. i use grammarly as well for spellcheck stuff mostly?? sometimes my edit process is just like "am i tired of looking at this!! yes <3" and then i post it

PROGRESS

Do you usually like what you write? yeah!!! i post stuff that makes me happy and that i'm fine with rereading!!! i write stuff for self-indulgence reasons first and foremost and i think my writing reflects that sjhnksj

Have you ever written something you didn't like but posted anyways? nope!! even what we deserve i LIKED even if i see a lot of room 4 improvement!! if i don't like smth it's not getting posted

Do you find yourself rereading your writing often? yeah!! the reason i wrote so much krbk secret relationship is because i loved it but i'd read all that there was so i just,, wrote more,, ngl its kinda nice being in a place where i actually like my writing bc i can write stuff that i want to see and really enjoy it!!

Can you tell us anything about your current WIP? sure!! i'm currently working on when it rains which is a fic where bakugou gets hit by a crying quirk!! i'm gonna be using it to explore So Much of all might's character and his relationships with bakugou and aizawa (and i think some people from his past!!)

Can you give us a sneak peek on your current WIP? “You did something. What the hell did you do?” Kirishima sounds pissed off. It would amuse Katsuki if he wasn’t fighting just to stay standing.

“Nothing he didn’t ask for,” Shinsou replies.

“K’ri… shima,” Katsuki croaks out. “‘S fine. Not him.”

His chest collapses back into the familiar dry heaving after that but Kirishima shuts up. He doesn’t apologize to Shinsou.

Kirishima’s a good friend, stubborn and loyal. He stands by Katsuki’s side like an attack dog, blocking him from the view of anyone ogling at his tears.

The last line you've written Ochako knows more than she'd realized. She knows enough to keep her guard up.

It’s not enough.

Open a wip. what’s the first line?

Katsuki wakes up feeling like absolute fucking shit.

INSIGHT

What's your favorite thing about writing? touched on this before but it's mainly just being able to write the things that i want to see and actually enjoy them!!! actually reread them!!!! i thought "wouldn't it be cool if bkg and kirishima owned a restaurant together" and then i wrote it and i like it enough to reread it!!!! being able to create content for myself makes me. so happy

How do you keep yourself inspired? this is gonna sound narcissistic maybe but honestly i'm just really excited about my ideas and where i'm gonna take them and the idea of "i'm gonna get to That scene" keeps me going through the entire thing. also my friends!!!! i'll talk to them about fics and their reactions keep me hyped up enough to finish!!!!

What is your favorite thing to write? just,, slice of life romance,,, stuff thats silly and makes people laugh!!

What do you think your strengths are in writing? i'm good with dialogue!! i do lil voice acting sessions with myself to make sure everything sounds natural and like it's coming from that character skhjnskj

i'm comfortable with my portrayal of love as well??? i spend a lot of time thinking about what it is exactly that i'm trying to get across and i think it turns out well!!

What are things you wish you could practice more? on one hand i wanna get better at writing angst on the other hand i dislike writing angst. do you see my issue

One way you've improved your writing since you began? characterization!! i think i've gotten better at writing characters that are all Different and bring different things to the table!!! i used to project a lot more and it would compromise the characterization because the character was like 70% me and 30% them? not to say that projection is bad but if you do it too much it just,, doesn't read like the character and from a reader's standpoint the narrative can become less compelling

One aspect of writing you're still working on? writing action!!! i. literally hate writing it but i write for a fandom about superheroes so. Unfortunately i gotta learn.

A piece of writing advice you've learned while writing saw this on another tumblr post but they said sometimes if you're struggling with a scene, the problem is five lines back. i've found that to be true!!!! sometimes u gotta delete a chunk and start a little ways back!! i did this with too busy being yours because i was stuck for Weeks and i deleted like 25% of what i had but it helped me actually finish it :D

A bit of writing advice you can't stand when people shit on show don't tell for being overrated lmao bc when u read their writing you can Tell

Something you wish you knew when you first started writing? ,,,,honestly i kind of wish i could know some of the stuff that i used to when i first started writing?? technically i'm better now but creatively i was must better when i wasn't stressing about whether anyone would like what i was writing. so i guess i wish i knew that i should keep that confidence? i kinda wish that i wasn't as insecure about other people's writing styles because i never used to be!!

Something you've learned in life that you apply in writing there's no point in feeling inferior?? writing one genre isn't better than the other. being in one fandom isn't better than being in another. the kind of language you use or the length of your paragraphs- none of that stuff like. matters. what matters is that you're having fun and happy with what you're creating!!!! enjoy other peoples writing but don't let it make you feel worse about yours :D

[jvnex]

favorite family relationships/friendships you’ve played out?

Brace yourselves.

Empire is a very special place where I’ve been able to play s o m a n y amazing relationships out, let’s compile a list, shall we~

First and foremost— JJ & Harv Jarv the main man. Rip Marv Jarv the best uncle to ever exist unkno. I really do adore Autumn for playing my character’s father bc like who does that, no one. I appreciate that she can bring to life a father figure and make him so believable and accurate? Despite being in her twenties and... not.... a father... yeah. He truly is a lovable character and the fact that we can play off each other for inspiration/how our characters act and react to things is AMAZING. We’re like a guide for each other, ily and Harv mwah.

Liam & JJ have this incredible dynamic that I think is so fun to write out, he’s so human and you can clearly see that in everything he does. A true man. Accompanied with Millie the Jarvis fam is complete and we love all its members and everything they choose to do with their characters. I like that we’re able to headcanon things about their past without talking in depth about it with each other because we just know the family, we always figure a way for it to work out and fit in with their crazy shapeshifter hating asses. Liam making bets he can’t win and JJ taking advantage of that, Liam getting attacked by wildlife or spending all his money on Arizona tea— it just works.

Juju (JJ & Julian), JJ & Jonah— connections with the Rhodes are quite possibly the most important for her and Julian and Jonah are among those. I’m grouping them together bc I see them hanging out and doing random shit together don’t fight me. Junie B can be playful, sassy, serious or bitter with either of them and they always have the most entertaining (random?) threads. We still have SO MANY plots to explore with them and there is SO MUCH more potential, but we will get to that yes, yes we will. The shapeshifter hatred is strong in Juju, and burrito love is strong in JJonah.

CJ & JJ, the unholy,,, duo. They’re the best of both worlds, the brains and the brawn, the skill and the looks. Fight me. The hunting thread we had that lasted for literally 8 months will forever be engrained in my fucking memory, it has impacted JJ a lot and she’ll always bring up that evil sai blade, believe me. CJ pushes her where any other character couldn’t, it wouldn’t make sense, but with her it does. Among the most important characters for her to interact with for sure, period.

JJ & Hendrix are kinda like Liam & JJ in a way but also not because he’s, like, old. From inappropriate to childish jokes and jabs, they cover it all. It’s just rp crack like, we write mostly dialogue of random shit they bring up and I feel like I’m rping Wronah again. Again, we can headcanon shit and it makes sense right away. Let me picship my tvd universe fcs in peace, thanks.

Moving onto my witch bitch— Corrina & Lucian: two incredibly similar yet somehow different witchy woo siblings, very close in age and personality. They’re both so completely bitter and pretentious it kills me, it makes their interactions ridiculous and gives me drive to rp Corrina whenever I get the chance. I’m ready to explore future plots with them, there is so much we can do (Bordeauxs, vamp biz, Tallis family line bullshit) that I think will blow up the dash. Let’s do more six paragraph threads.

Hudson & Corrina make me wanna kms lbr. Her complex makes no sense but somehow Beca understands it and plays it out so beautifully in game. Hudson is a model older brother, even now as a serial killer black magic witch gone awry, he looks out for his siblings’ best interests at every waking moment which makes it difficult for me to be mean to him in replies like? I want to hug him, but I also want to jump him, climb him like a tree bc why are you using Justin Hartley the man, the myth, the legend. Planning out threads is like... a no, because somehow we figure out where they’re going through crude jokes and assumptions, and their relationship has evolved into the most extra thing on this planet.

Corrina & Kels are like, idk, I love Kels bc he’s normal in comparison to everyone else in the family idgi. He makes me happy, he makes Corrina happy. Nothing she holds against Hudson could ever be held against him, nothing she punishes Lucian for could ever be applied to Kelsey the main man because he is so good it hurts. Guardian angel plant brethren with a heart of gold, just living his life and helping others, being a good big brother (little brother, too) and mentor. With the recent addition of Laine there is more of this to come.

Elise & Corrina, Lola & Corrina— my very favorite friendship trio. I can say with the utmost certainty that my favorite species to play are witches. The power and the connection to the earth they have is really therapeutic?? w/e I really enjoy writing them, so to have three amazing witches to explore this with outside of immediate family connections is just astonishing. Coco and Lolo met and were friends before Eli and the gang were, but I feel such strong pulls from both of them. It was only when Elise came to the city that they became the best friends they are today. With the similarities between the Blossom and Buttercup, Bubbles is a breath of fresh air. A bright light shining on a field of flowers, keeping them strong, showing different perspectives and bringing some much needed niceness and humility to the table. Elise will always have two loving, supporting witch families to fall back on, the Carringtons and Tallises welcome her.

Corrina & the Vales. Close from a young age, exploring the frey and subways together, casting spells and shifting into bears—- these supernatural clusterfucks have it covered. Sheamus, the newest edition to the Vales (god bless an Autumn), is what I would call the perfect big brother, and I can see Corrina envying the Vales for their relationship with their eldest brother, wishing she could let go of her superstitions to go back to how she used to view things, *cough cough hudson*. Addison, fav vale of resident bratty Tallis, they have a very nice relationship. Maybe they can bond over Noah fucking them up ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ or maybe just more over ice cream. She’s seen her in diapers, Addison was a mess after Halloween and Devon’s death and the bitch was there to see her then, too. We are a #teamAddison fanbase over here, or I’d like to say Corrina is, but family is important to her so I really need to explore that with her and figure out where she stands on that— #teamHudson can choke. Levi is like,, idk she had a crush on him when she was younger but she’s comfortable enough around him to this day that she can almost forget about that. Threatens to kill him on the daily when he brings it up, their dynamic has me over the moon. Where a stranger with his personality would undoubtedly annoy her, she finds him charming and happens to see him as good company. And last but not least, Rosalie. The youngest Vale has a special spot in Corrina’s heart, a spot reserved for the ‘you-annoy-me-but-i-would-also-kill-for-you’ type people in her life. One day she loves her, the next she can’t stay far enough away from her. But they’re the same age and are family friends, I’d like to think they’d do anything for each other given the right circumstances.

As for characters from past rps it’s literally all wren who am i kidding,, here I go. Once again, BRACE.

Wren & Savannah, let’s talk about wREN AND SAVANNAH. Cousins turned siblings when we moved rps, but I could argue the cousin dynamic was better, don’t hate me. I used Ansel why? Idk, but it was a good choice, and Savannah was his reason for doing everything idc. She cared for him like a cousin, sister, and mother all in one— from when he had not-so-great parents to when they were siblings and had the BEST parents in all the land. Savannah Fontaine was a fucking rock, she never let up, never let anyone see her at her worst, never said anything she didn’t want to and she was so amazing. I love this bitch I could talk for hours and I will. Their dynamic was like,, well, Wren as the youngest was very goofy, he had his own way of thinking and was basically in his own little world. But Sav somehow brought him out of that and made him look at the bigger picture, asked impossible things of him (take over the coven why don’t you) and didn’t treat him like a stupid kid whereas so many others did. The overwhelming pain and love we felt when we played them was special, because I’ve never rped siblings that impacted me or my character so much, as weird as that sounds. Much love, xoxo your favorite brother

Bonnie & Wren are the best brotp I’ve ever played out to this day. Kori and I have a knack for playing best friend duos (enter Junny), but Wronnie was a special one. People shipped them which was.. weird, but Bonnie was a fucking mess and idk why they were friends other than we just made them friends. It developed into something so fucking amazingly beautiful that it killed me. I still read their threads whenever I think about them and envision so many things we could do with them now. Having a past like her’s wasn’t something that always pushed them closer but separated them at times. A hunter and a witch, weird unlikely friends I’d say, but would have done anything for each other. They were there for each other through parental struggles, advice about ship shit, supernatural problems, and just about anything you can think of. I wanna thank this bitch for playing the best best friend I’ve ever had in or out of rp, my life is sad.

Jonah & Wren, Benji & Wren. banjo bonjo, bingo bong the best times of my fucking life. Here I am praising Autumn again, my fucking queen, #1 bitch back off. Ok. I’m gonna put Jonah in a trash can. Benji is a friend with stilts. National egg day. Rp crack at its finest, I can’t make this shit up. Ted Cruz is an icon— these are just inside jokes sorry.

Wrenny (Wren & Lenny) were uh............ they had issues like, she was bad juju magic he was light shit and he hated that she did it. A good brotp until he went searching through her mind and she sent him flying fifteen feet backwards, then they were a notp. Like severely, Wren could probably kill her bc he hates the bitch. What reason, you ask? idk. Can we talk about Wriana (Wren & Diana) in the same paragraph,, I’m gonna do it. They’re both played by Marty anyway what do I care. I literally never have ships and when you ship with marty it’s an experience. Like I said: rainbow ringlets, mind blown, I am nothing. Mozzarella fucking fiends, they’re in love, virgin prince and princess.

Vince & Ivan and I’m mentioning this bc when do I play siblings with Martha. Rat kings, kings of not bathing, kings of vampiric murder, kings of hating original vampires. Uh idk I really liked that they were from Bulgaria or some shit, google translate is my friend tbh, their whole predicament was a lot. Surprise bitch, I bet you thought you’d seen the last of me, sike. Vince couldn’t control him, it was a lot, Ivan hated him, but also like his only living relative so whatever we’re brothers let’s go have some fun. U feel.

honorable mentions bc I’m too fucking dead to write anymore: tatum & wren, tatum & danny, shelby my bitch, ethan, TATE, caity cait, every sibling I’ve ever played to arianna. the delacroixs are thriving

[superfluouskeys]

Fanfic questions: 3,4, and 6??

THANK YOU FOR INDULGING MEEEEEEEEEEE (i see you reblogged the thing awhile ago but i might send some your way anyway wheeee)

3. name three favorite writers

Hahaha whenever I’m asked for favourites I usually go with “recent favourites” bc my mind changes every 5 seconds.  Margaret Atwood, Ally Condie, and currently very obsessed with the fics of @tetrahedrals like I’ve straight up read April Come She Will about 10 times already if you haven’t read it and enjoy suffering literally what are you still doing here.

4. name three authors that were influential to your work and tell why

Charles Dickens - a.) wordy, and very careful with his word choices.  Each one has specific nuances that correspond to the character or the situation.  b.) Melodrama, suffering, existential angst.

George Orwell - Read Animal Farm for the first time when I was like 7.  a.) moral ambiguity--the climactic scene between Winston and O’Brien in 1984 is hands-down one of my favourite things I’ve ever read.  That and the convo between Mustafa Mond and John in Brave New World were a huge influence on Rose’s confrontation with Sara in The Prisoner.  b.) gruesome, gritty, unreliable narrators but doesn’t really telegraph how the reader should be feeling about what’s happening, which I think evokes the best reaction.

Robin Cook - This is kind of an odd one, but I read a fuckton of his novels as a young teenager.  (he writes medical thrillers--his most famous one is Coma)  He isn’t great at creating rapport between his characters, and his dialogue and romances are kinda weird and stilted, which at that age really spoke to me hahaha.  But I really dug the plot twists, the revelations of characters’ ulterior motives, and the endings that didn’t wrap things up tidily, but rather left one feeling very uneasy and unsettled.

6. how did writing change you?

Especially when I was younger, I had a lot of trouble relating to people for various reasons.  I used writing as a form of escapism, then as a form of self-expression.  When I had a hard time dealing with the world around me, or with something that was happening in my brain that I couldn’t make sense of, it helped me tremendously to try to write it out, either stream-of-consciousness or as a fictional story.  When the words were stilted and halting, it meant I was trying too hard.  When they flowed more freely, it meant I was onto something.

Later on, when I got a little braver, I started to use writing to try to convey more of myself to my friends and romantic interests.  Though now I’m usually able to voice what I’m thinking or feeling about a situation, even a few years ago, I was sometimes completely at a loss.  I would want to say, I like you, or I enjoyed this thing that you did, or I felt bad when you said this, or I’ve been thinking a lot about this conversation we had, and those simple phrases just would not come out.  

Though the people in my life who have been the best to me have generally accepted that I’m not the easiest nut to crack, and more than likely have been able to see me fairly clearly without verbal confirmation, it made me feel better inside to be able to show them a little more of the person I truly am in a way that made sense to me, rather than the person who’s kept at bay by anxiety and a long life of conditioning to keep myself hidden.