#idk why! there's not much plot to it! but ig i have a very coherent idea for what i want each part to be like. it's v concrete in my head 🤔

[daz4i]

local man way too excited abt a fic idea with no real plot that he hasn't even written yet

[catilinas]

old vic oedipus notes app ramble written entirely on the train caveats a) i have not read any of the promotional material for this play idk what they said they were going for i just went yayyy oedipus and bought tickets like. a year ago. b) i will probably have changed my mind at least a bit by tomorrow c) i promise not all my oedipus thoughts are about robert icke's oedipus. however i did see that twice and it was incredible. so this prod was always going to have a hard time in its aftermath but also lol you will never beeeee icke's oedipus. d) this is so incoherent. but i need it on my bloggue. the archiveeeeee

fucking dune??? muad'dioedipus?????? did that even cohere.

WHERES THE HOUSE. not even joking like where’s the incest. it’s political it’s about religious fanaticism but WHERES THE HOUSE!!!

emotionally hollow. the incest (even if it was more present) would/does not hit because the relationship between oedipus and jocasta is barely there. and when it is it’s like ohhh think of our/the children. gorl i thought the structure of the okay was criticising that exact attitude? AND ITS NOT EVEN INTERESTING HYPOCRISYYY

also the actors just shout there is sooo little variation in tone and the reason they only shout is that large parts of the play are like. press conferences ig? in front of the audience of The People. spoken from the edge of the stage to the rreal audience. except there is also the chorus of dancers who are The People? the imagined audience the speeches/arguments are addressed to never really overlaps w the chorus OR the real audience and that could have maybe been interesting if it wasnt MID!!!!!! even when two or more characters are having an argument nominally with one another they address their arguments more to the imagined audience that the other character which. could have been interesting but it wasnt. wheres my stichomythiaaaa

like the divergences from sophocles could be interesting if they were developed more and cohered with one another and the rest of the play but they don’t!!! leading me to believe a lot of the interesting/good bits are only interesting or good in isolation or by accident

like it was just going through the motions of the plot of oedipus and adding stuff like oh this is definitely an angle one could take. but not reallyyyyyy sticking with an angle? or understanding the inevitability of the plot? UNLESS the point there is that religion is wrong none of that IS inevitable but like. a) you chose to put on the inevitability play. b) sophocles is crying c) sophoclean tragedy can itselfff be ambivalent about the reality of divine intervention. READ ANTIGONE. feels clumsy to intervene to 'add' something that you could have more naturally developed out of the bits of it that already exist in the texttt d) robert icke already did that if you take the #noincesttheyjustdidallthat reading. COME ON!

and this is extra egregious after the robert icke freud museum talk too like he went into so much detail about how he dissected sophocles to be like ok well what makes the og work. in order to adapt it into something different that was still very tightly plotted and most importantly: good. and i know thats just how you do adaptation like you have to think about the source material! but i think his thinking about the source material was simply better. grimace

the dancing was very good though. like extremely good

do better climate change allegory though. :/

BUT FOR REALL it starts with oedipus’ giant head and then he shows up in front of it like a little guy and you’re like oh is he about to go on a revelatory journey where he and thebes find out he does not live up to his much hyped image and myth? AND THEN THAT DOES NOT HAPPEN. SO WHY THE STATUE?? also the script was mid

AND WHERE WAS THE HOUSEEE you can’t even argue like ohhh greek tragedy is set Outside the house in the political arena and that’s why No House. bevause it felt like there was just no coherent idea of the house/family WHICH IS A BIG PROBLEM FOR A LRODUCTION OF. OEDIPUS. not even saying this a an ickehead who loves #familydinnertable it’s like icke understands the house as the nucleus of the royal family -> society. you can understand politics through itttt like why is greek tragedy so focused on familial relations TGEY ARE METONYMOUS FOR POLITICS. this prod understood it outside inwards politics first family second and then you look inside and there’s just like. dust. why are they even fucking who is compelled by this. and then you get hints of jocasta’s long term family beef w creon and it’s vaguely good and you’re like. well why could the rest of the play not be good. just do antigone or oedipus at colonus if you like creon so much

ALSO HELLO. ABSOLUTELY CRAZYTO MAKE CREONNN THE RELIGIOUS FANATIC LIKE ONCE AGAIN. ANTIGONE??? and then tiresias is like noo antigone and ismene can’t leave w jocasta they still have another story to tell ;) like the CHEAPEST attempt at metatheatricality. if you really wanted me to care about antigone’s future story you would MAKE IT COHEREEEEE.

and what is even oedipus’ problem. it’s just that he fucked up one time. it’s not even interesting we don’t CAREEE. he's not guy trapped in a conflict he's not conflict trapped in a guy he's just like. there

if oedipus has to be toldfd to realise the prophecy has been fulfilled and the audience are laughing. YOU HAVE ERRED.

also wow jocasta literally escapes the narrative of sophocles' oedipus and then the scapegoat mechanism mythmaking epiphenomenon happens and im sitting there like ok. mimesis bingo card: discarded. who even give a shit

also oh my god the audience is literally just. there. not even complicit. like you dont feel catharsis (i NEED them to kill/blind themselves on stage) you dont feel guilty for witnessing their guilty acts or whatever you're just like. augh when is the next train from waterloo east.

[raelle-writing]

DFF is such great show and I enjoy the portrayal of the characters and the plot. Although I am not much into JinPhee ship (even though their scene was hot) - meaning I won't actively search fics of them;-D. But I absolutely don't understand the hate this ship gets. Or Jin character gets? Like, did I miss something? Why there is so much hate towards this pairing? I don't get it. Or do they dislike Jin character so much?

So I think there are 3 main reasons that people hate PheeJin and specifically Jin as much as they do, and I'll see if I can explain it coherently below lmao

First is cultural differences.

I've noticed that by and large a lot of the hatred directed at Jin comes from international fans being extremely harsh, and I think it's partially because they don't understand some of the nuance of Thai culture. Which to be fair, why would they?

One aspect is that they get angry that Jin lied to the police without taking into account that the police are corrupt - both in the narrative and also in Thailand in general.

Another is they get mad at Jin for recording Non - which to be fair, really does suck lmao. But they make it about Jin recording Non instead of reporting the assault happening, without taking into consideration that the age of consent in Thailand is 15, which means that what happened with Non and Keng isn't technically statuatory rape. Still bad and awful and Non was coerced and assaulted, don't get me wrong - but that makes it slightly less clear cut IMO when it comes to the question of Jin seeing Non "cheating."

You can even see within the show that the reactions to that video are by and large slut-shaming and not "omg that kid was assaulted."

So to recap: Taking the video = bad. But I think people get a bit too self-righteous about the reasons why Jin took it.

Second is purity/cancel culture.

I'm sure it hasn't escaped your notice that in the internet age, if you make one mistake you're a terrible, irredeemable person and should be canceled forever. I think that's playing a part in this. All of the characters make mistakes, and because of that they're all irredeemable pieces of shit who deserve to die. Except for Non who is just a victim and has never done anything wrong (sarcasm).

In seriousness, I think that's part of it. And the fact that Non is SO sympathetic it kind of overrides people's sympathies for the other characters. I'm not 100% sure why people hate Jin the most out of everyone else considering he's the one who has tried to help Non the most out of the friend group... I guess they just have higher standards for people who try to help? Idk. Either way it seems to me that they expect Jin to be a perfectly-well-adjusted little hero who always does what's right and never makes mistakes. Instead of what he really is: a kid.

And last is fan favorites/shipping.

A big part of the reason that PheeJin shippers are getting so much hate is because TaCode shippers and PheeNon shippers have decided their ship is The Ship of the series, and think that Phee is just using Jin for revenge and anyone who genuinely ships PJ is fucked up, etc.

It's just ship war bullshit waged by largely Barcode stans, but it's certainly tiresome.

To be clear, I have nothing against PheeNon. I am of the opinion that Phee and Non were a cute high school romance that wouldn't have lasted because they had conflicting styles of showing affection and love (I'll write a post about it someday lol) but that doesn't mean I hate the ship. I thought they were very cute and it was fun to see TaCode on screen since I wrote MacauChay in my KPTS days ahahaha I just like the spice and fire of PheeJin better, and Jin is my favorite character.

I just wish that PheeNon shippers would live and let live instead of acting like they're waging some moral war. They were even crying in BOC's comment section on IG today after they posted the PheeJin poster for episode 9 saying "nooooo Phee is there for revenge he can't really have feelings for Jin!" It's exhausting... 🫠

General disclaimer: if you don't like Jin or like PheeNon better I'm not saying any of the above things applies to you. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, I'm just dissecting some of the over-the-top hate I've seen/experienced in fandom spaces lately.

[fancyfade]

Ranking events I've read as I enjoyed them from most to least, with the top events being the most-enjoyable and the bottom events being the least.

No family specific events (batfam, superfam, etc) are counted, generally just big whole-world stuff.

Infinite Crisis - look is infinite crisis technically good? Probably no. But I enjoyed it a ton, it had both a coherent arc in the main comic AND a ton of fun side comic tie ins many of which were AWESOME.

Final Night - very nice self contained story that has a more survivaly beat than usual.... barda's like "RIP to all those other worlds the suneater came to but we're differente" and she's rIGHT

Our World’s at War - I remember disliking this one at first but then I started loving it and I have no clue why. Sorry. But it was fun. greatly boosted by jimenez's wonder woman.

Final Crisis - look, the main plotline is incomprehensible and stupid. But I love all the tie ins and if you read the omni it really succeeds in creating a universe-scale feeling conflict. is this most likely sunk cost fallacy? who cares

Crisis on Infinite Earths - it goes on too long (like IIRC they have to defeat Antimonitor 3 times?) But supergirl is super badass and george perez is the artist

Invasion - general fun alien invasion shenanigans. Superman clocks in to work at the worst time of his life

War of the Gods -IDK there were some good tie ins and wonder woman doing stuff. not the most amazing but not terrible either.

Blackest Night - too much boring green lantern stuff i didn't care for, but it gives us brightest day later which has amazing mera content, so that boosts it up.

Day of Judgment - I can't remember a ton about this so it's here. I don't remember disliking it. Hal became Spectre IG?

Zero Hour: Crisis in Time - i literally remember very little about this event. I remember I didn't hate it and there wasn't a lot to complain about, but not a ton besides Damage resetting the universe for what I liked... this seems like an appropriate place.

Joker: Last Laugh - mostly boring but there is some nice babs stuff and the scene where dick beats the joker to death is satisfying

Eclipso: the Darkness Within - the actual plotline itself wasn't *terrible* but the effects (eclipso 17 issue series which was pointlessly edgy and killed beth and yolanda) were awful

Knight Terrors - a pointless event that was way too long, but at least it didn't actively make things worse (except for comics being cancelled for a couple months). it was like. just there. who was this for?

Amazons Attack! (from the late 2ks, not the recent "Amazons Attack") - god this sucked so much. The writers were completely unfamiliar with wonder woman lore but still did a wonder woman event.

Lazarus Planet - a pointless non-event that didn't even have enough plot for more than 2 issues, tied into mark waid's cringiest miniseries, AND destroyed the pacing on Monkey Prince.

[silouvertongues]

FULL THOUGHTS ON THE RAVEN CYCLE PLEASE fave book fave character fave relationship??

HIIII it's so funny whenever u ask me questions like this about media I've consumed just bc. i don't think i have enough braincells to have coherent thoughts but im gonna try <33

ok fave book i can't pick one and bc i kinda read them back to back to back things are sorta blending together but i really liked the dream thieves bc the dream stuff is just really cool and ronan is so fun to read and there was quite a bit of him in it but i also loved the raven king bc all their little friendships and relationships sorta solidified and i loved it more than i can put into words. actually i think plot wise the third book was the strongest for me just because the stuff that happened felt more substantial? maybe? i loved how everything was written in the last one and how it kinda happened but i was expecting it to happen like that so i wasn't like . in awe or in shock yk

now the fave character . i love them all so immensely its a little crazy i didn't think I'd be this attached !! blue is literally my baby i need to shrink her and put her on my shoulder so we can be best friends forever i need to have her with me forever.

the funniest thing about gansey is that he's the stupidest genius around like my boy is so silly i love him for it but also idk how else to describe it but i have the like admiration for him that everyone in the book did??? idk if it was bc I read the others' povs but the way they were like we'd do anything for this man. yeah . yeah .

ADAM . ok this is ridiculous but i went in thinking I'd adore him right away and then i started reading it and the first book i did really like him but then the second book i. i didn't feel so good about him at times and i just couldn't understand why because it's adam and i thought I'd love him so much but then i realized it was bc he was a little too real? idk how else to describe it i was reading his pov and suddenly there was a mirror somehow despite me never having been in a situation like his before and then i understood why he was getting on my nerves and then i got over it as the books went on and he became less of a mirror lol and i am simply so fond of this boy now i need to take care of him and give him several hugs and put him on my other shoulder.

i don't even know what to say about this next guy im. immmmmmm . feeling very much jane austen if i loved you less i might be able to talk about it more. now this one i also knew i would like bc he's just . angsty angry little guy with a softest spot for the people he loves and im always gonna be a sucker for that BUT MYYYYYYY GOD he's like . he's in my heart he's around it he's inside it he's everywhere i love him :(( i think part of it was also because his story had more depth imo and was more interesting to me personally so I just enjoyed reading his bits more but he's so so lovely idk what else to even say

this is way longer than i thought it was gonna be so im gonna be basic and say my fav relationship was just all 4 (5 ig hi noah) of them i cried so many times over just like little moments of love between them im so insanely attached like they're all seriously in love with each other and i loveeeeee them i have moments just running through my head on loop since last night but also like romantic relationships wise i think i feel equally insane about the two main ones (well maybe a teeny tiny bit more insane about THE OBJECTS OF RONAN'S WORSHIP BEING FOCUSED IN ONE DOWNTOWN BLOCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCKK but also gansey feeling homesick and calling blue made me lose it i lost it i went insane)

[fivekrystalpetals]

In terms of writing, dabi > shigaraki atm. As a shiggy stan it does annoy me a bit. Shiggy was amazing back in 2020 but now you have people calling him mid tier villain and I can’t disagree with it. I blame it on deku’s arc and afo still being alive.

Yeah, sad as I am, I have to admit you are right. To be very honest, (and this is for me personally) I haven't had a memorable chapter the whole of 2021 save for maybe Touya's backstory. Ever since the War Arc got over, the manga feels as though the author has a checklist of items he got to finish and he is more focused in bringing the story to an end rather than writing coherent connecting arcs. The manga now reads like a different story altogether compared to the arcs written (and I especially loved) in 2019 and 2020. Even before that, the arcs were plenty interesting even for someone like me who isn't much invested in heroes. 

The manga these days seems to be going at a breakneck pace (at the cost of much needed heartfelt moments between the kids such as aftermath of war where??) yet if you look at the overall picture, the story hasn't moved anywhere at all. We are at a standstill both on the heroes and the villains side. (I have many complaints about how the much awaited traitor plot was handled but I don't want to get into all that discourse so I will leave it at that lol)

Coming to Shigaraki, I guess this is all we will get to see from his pov, anon. The MVA arc and the War Arc (ch. 270 and Ch. 281 stands out both in writing and art) were the highlights of his character arc. Now that he is fighting for control, if I have to say, going forward his body will be taken over completely by AFO (so that Hero Deku can jump into save him). Meaning, he will simply become a puppet at the hands of his master and if we get to see him, it will be from either Deku, Spinner (and rest of LoV) and AFO's pov. I doubt we will see his coherent thoughts again (or at the most, we might get to see more of baby Tenko like we saw in Ch. 334). Most of the villains' side of the story, we will get to see from Toga, Touya and Spinner ig. Of course, AFO will pop in to mess up everything from time to time. I am waiting for the LoV to split away from AFO and his useless inefficient decisions.

I really don't want to compare Shigaraki's and Dabi's writing tbh, but the one common problem with both is that the abusive father figures are dominating the plots. We get to see more of Dabi because Endeavor isn't with him. But the rest of the Todofam? Do we never get to see any of their povs? Even Shouto has been shoved to a side in favor of his Dad who does nothing but feel pity for himself and how things turned out because of his own faults he isn't ready to admit yet. I have been seeing him from forever; I don't need more panels dedicated to him to know that He Is Sad. I really wanted to know the reactions of the rest of the family members (esp. Rei) post Dabi Reveal. Give me Natsu, Give me Fuyumi; I want to know what they are thinking about their long lost brother and their little brother who are the ones suffering the most atm. Shouto's "He is me" line was a good one esp. as he thinks back to his encounter with Dabi in the woods. But that was about it. I wanted at least a panel or two of Shouto talking to his Mom and his siblings before they went in to confront Endeavor. Why was all of that done offscreen? idk.

Also, the latest chapter? I know everyone seems very happy with it but is it just me or the Dabi we see in here either has had a big leap of character development or he is very out of character? I expected at least a scene between him and the rest of the League wherein they demand where his loyalty lies and then he realizes he has got to choose a side/he can't keep whittling himself away in the name of revenge/he has got people who care about him in his found family (and he cares about them too in some ways, of course coz Dabi isn't all that huge at showing emotions. The way he burnt down Toga's old house of abuse was sweet tho.) You know The Realization MomentTM before he starts warming up to the League? If I have to bet, that has been done offscreen as well :(

[waynedunlaptheorgandonor]

can i say a sort of pointless rambly thing i was thinking about that i can't put under the cut bc i'm on mobile?

jk, i'm not actually asking. ramble below, not edited for clarity. the following is completely unclear and i will not fix it:

i've been thinking about how part of the reason i'm so chill about caryl is bc growing up as a queer woc 99% of my main ships were like, never gonna fucking happen bc they literally couldn't. it was like, "omg, they gazed at each other from across the room, let's analyze the homosexual subtext of this one scene for the next fifty years, that's not necessarily hyperbole." i've watched all my ships fuck other ppl/have other love interests, and i knew that my thing was never gonna be canon, so to see like, one thing being like, "one half of my ship fucked another person several years ago while pining for the other half of my ship," i'm like...#nice, bc that can and likely will be used as a plot point to get them together later on, whereas in other situations i've been in i just kinda had to deal with it. so my impulse when i see ppl losing their shit is to be like

and to be slightly annoyed, tbh, bc the ship is still on track to be canon, and it's like, literally two white heterosexuals, they're prime candidates for juicy angsty pining that actually gets a resolution.

but!

that being said, i recognize that that attitude isn't necessarily fair. for one thing, i'm not the only queer woc (or some variation thereof) in this fandom, and some ppl's impulse might be exasperation instead, bc like, "wtf, even my mayohet ship has dumb fucking drama," and that's valid as hell, and i get it.

and also, i get that, even if you didn't grow up shipping impossible ships (or mulder/scully, bc that's a brand of bullshit all its own), this has been a suuuuper drawn out process where sometimes it feels like they're legit sprinkling crumbs to keep you hooked, just to play you again, and when you are invested in something, like /rly/ invested, especially if it's a form of escapism or hyperfixation or whatever, that can be e x h a u s t i n g. and i get that. i truly do, and while i make a lot of snide comments about the fandom being bonkers, i do get where the bulk of you are coming from (unless you're one of those ppl who hate on actors and esp actresses for just doing their jobs, and attack them on social media, in which case i am very much judging you and you need to get your life together).

i also realize that in the scheme of things i'm still a newbie. i've been here, what, twoish/threeish years, whereas some of you have been here since the beginning, so i'm not as worn out as y'all. but i also think that gives me a bit of objectivity that some of y'all have (understandably) lost.

my positivity is not meant as a sleight against those of you who are feeling negative, but is more of a semi-objective viewpoint (i say semi, bc lbr, i'm invested af in this, so i definitely have bias), and to me the threads of the storyline they're crafting seem sort of obvious.

like, let's look at it, yeah? they have one season left of this show that has been on for over a decade. they need to cater to everyone to give them a satisfying ending, while still hanging on to carylers bc of the spin-off. darylrreah seems like a very calculated move, bc it gives them both something to make abcers happy, while also creating tension and suspense and pining for carylers (i think they might underestimate just how fed up some carylers are tbh, and are banking on us to hang on for one last ride, which, honestly? if they play it right will probably work.)

if they end up doing a dumb love triangle thing, which, without seeing the episode and gauging the subtext i can't confidently say if i think they will or won't, it will ultimately end in our favor. it has to, bc leah isn't going to third wheel them on the bike in the spin-off. we can say with good authority that whatever that relationship ends up being (again, idk if they'll drag it out or not) it will be temporary. which leaves caryl open to ride off into the sunset and then bone down in every state in the united states and in puerto rico for good measure.

it's a lot of cheap drama, but i really and truly do not think it's anything to worry about, and i still really and truly trust kang to not make it out of character. ik ppl still don't agree with me on that point, and i'm not gonna argue, but to me it really does make perfect sense.

and i also predict that they are gonna play it up hardcore in the promotional shit and talking dead, but when that happens, remember it's bc it gets attention. regardless of where the story is ultimately going, relationship drama gets attention, which gets viewers, which gets amc and twd producers nice and comfy with full pockets

idk. to sum up ig i just wanted to clarify that i don't mean any harm with my relentless positivity. my history in fandom has just made this seem like nothing in comparison, bc while ppl are freaking out, i'm like, "oh damn, they're actually gonna get together by the end of this, aren't they? i didn't know that could happen!" and that makes me excited instead of upset

and you definitely don't have to listen to me. maybe i'm actually wrong. maybe i'm completely full of bullshit and am just good at making things sound confident. i got a lot of As on papers in college over books i never read, i know how to bs. but i also know how to analyze, and i while i will be the first to tell you i am not the best at a great many things, i do know that i am good at critically analyzing text while taking into account the context it was written in, and imho all signs point to canon caryl. when, i'm not entirely sure, but i see it happening. if it doesn't then they severely fucked up their storytelling, and that'd just be bad writing on their part.

(if you want proof that i'm good at reading writers'/producers' intentions, consider that i watched like, 8 seasons of supernatural before giving up, and said to myself, "i think they're gonna make destiel canon, but not until the very last second bc they are rly into catering to their fans but also have to consider their dumb fanboy audience so they can't do anything crazy overtly gay," and guess who hit the nail on the fucking head on that one)

none of this is important, but it was rattling around my mind grapes and i wanted to write it down into something vaguely coherent, and where else better to do it than here. i can word vomit and then send it into the ether and pretend i never said a thing. i love this horrible website, nothing can compare

i have no real conclusion to this, it was mostly stream of consciousness, but i hope it sort of helps y'all understand where i'm coming from, and why i am as chill as i am about things. not about y'all. y'all cause me so much anxiety i get physically sick and have to legit block tags, but with the actual show content i'm zen as hell

uh

the end ig?

it feels weird even signing off on this, but w/e

-diz

[yoursummerfrost]

Would you be willing to talk about your writing process? How many drafts you go through, how early on you run something by a beta, do you outline or not, etc.? I'm really curious to get a feel for how folks write!

Sure!! Not sure how coherent this will be but let's see lol. Also you'll notice that certain pieces vary a lot. Writing process under the cut! 

Getting an idea: Most of the time, I get my fic ideas from either songs or random conversations with friends, and they're typically a sort of precipitating event or premise that leads to a character exploration. (Examples: What if Geralt was a ghost haunting Jaskier's house? What if Dan actually stayed for that drink Lucifer offered him?) But sometimes I look for a plot on purpose (e.g., I had been DYING to write a time loop for literal years before I finally worked out how I wanted it to look by brainstorming ways to subvert the conventions w/in the trope). 

It's hard to like, delineate this tho because in reality it's sort of messy and mushed bc of how my brain works. Like, the truer to life approximation of deciding to write and yet so far from death was more like: receiving comfort as the reminder you are lacking it -> ooh ghost love story as ultimate yearning -> who would be more fun to write as a ghost? -> Jaskier as ghost = inversion of dynamic / Geralt as ghost = extension of dynamic -> Geralt as ghost sounds fun -> why would Jaskier be stuck in a house with a ghost? -> he's retiring from a life on the road -> what Jaskier is lacking is permanence/stability -> ghost story as paradox of permanence and impermanence -> okay but on the plot level what would happen if Geralt was haunting Jaskier's house?

Outlining: I usually start writing without formalizing an outline, just to get a feel for the story itself, but I tend to have an idea for the major beats/the thesis statement living amorphously in my brain. Then partway thru the fic I type out an actual outline tracking major occurrences and functions of scenes; occasionally I'll write a whole fic without an outline tho, especially if it's shorter (<16k).

Drafting/Editing: I do somewhere between 1.5 and 2 drafts, depending on how you define a distinct draft ig? I've never completely rewritten a whole story like some schools of writing suggest, but I will definitely go back and make edits. I usually self-edit as I go and then do a full re-read/edit at the end of draft completion. For the as-you-go stuff, I typically re-read everything I wrote the day before which helps both 1) get me into the mood for writing again and 2) make any small tweaks etc + catch typos. When I do the big edit at the end, I try to change something about how I physically read the draft (e.g. read on computer instead of phone, change the font) which helps shake up my brain I guess?

Betaing: I am deeply spoiled by my friends and endlessly grateful for them, lol. At minimum, I like having someone I can excitedly flail about my ideas with while I'm writing (usually multiple someones) and talk through stuff that might be stumping me (e.g. idk if it would be funnier if X or Y happened, hey do you think vampires can feel the cold), and then someone--often the same person but not always--do a full read-through after the fic is done. A lot of times, especially for longer stuff or when I'm feeling down on myself, I'll ask someone to beta and/or cheerread along with me while I write. And I bug them with lots of questions like "Is this landing for you? Do I need to slow down the dialogue here? Am I funny even a little bit?" and they offer feedback and/or encouragement. But also sometimes I get impatient and/or cannot tolerate concrit so I just fling it into the void without beta lol

Other stuff: it's also worth noting that I daydream about my projects constantly? Showering/laying in bed before or after sleep/driving places is all prime fic plotting time. If I'm listening to music, whatever song I'm listening to will probably become related to a fic. This isn't like, a conscious ~dedication~ thing: it's pure, unadulterated neurodivergent hyperfixation. Also, I rarely read other people's fic if I'm writing any of my own, bc for me the writing and reading circuits are quite different, but I re-read/re-watch the source material a lot.

I do also re-read my own fic a decent amount, partly because I genuinely enjoy my own writing and partly because I like noticing my own trends/recurring themes/etc which is easier to do if you take in your work later, at more of a distance. Reading people’s comments about what they enjoyed is also helpful, because it gives me a sense of what things land and what things don’t (or don’t get commented on as being a stand-out, at least). I don’t enjoy getting concrit outside of beta I’ve specifically asked for, but I very much enjoy hearing what people did like so I can do more of it.

Titling/Summaries: Usually I come up with a title partway through writing based on a song I've found to take inspiration from. I get really excited when I find a title, lol. I hate summaries very much except for when I love them? I semi-recently converted to the school of using a snappy quote from the fic to make the summary, which makes my job easier lol. I usually like picking quotes that are 1) relatively brief, 2) encapsulate the tone of the fic, and 3) not huge spoilers. Sometimes I'll write a line and go, "yup, that's gonna be the summary," which is fun.

[snoppy]

hate how subtext is treated as this gingerbread trail to “actual gay plots” as if it isn't a coherent device on its own. its called subtext for a reason its not supposed to be completely obvious 😭 if well written, subtext can absolutely be fulfilling. not to mention that there's a lot of media with gay characters and relationships but often they get called queerbait if they don't have an explicitly happily ever after ending

also there's a very weird understanding of where the line falls for subtext and stories that need thought and further interpretation as compared to in your face plot, which is why i think you guys have so much trouble with movies like the menu and glass onion as compared to movies like parasite.

while the first two function fine in terms of their role (class consciousness movie ig) the message is definitely not subtle and i think even the most inexperienced viewer could understand what they're talking about. parasite is a movie rich with themes and nuanced ideas about what class disparity and poverty really mean. this is why it blew up in the first place.

also as a viewer i kind of idk like when the plot challenges you 😭 i don't want everything explained to me or shoved in my face i want the freedom to think about it on my own

some of you need to look up the definition for subtext