#just bastet talking sht

[bastetwastaken]

It’s so easy to feel alone in a fandom. Well, in any situation too, but this post is mostly about fandom loneliness. 

Fandoms are wonderful spaces, they’re communities full of wonderful and like-minded people who you can share your thoughts and feelings with, but they can also be very lonely places. They’re not lonely for everyone, but they can be for some and that’s what this is about. 

You find a form of media you love, a book, TV show, movie, anything. It may make you feel happy, it may make you feel sad, it might move you in ways which you never thought something could, it may consume your every waking moment and fill your head with what if’s and buts and maybes. So you go online. You find that other people share these feelings and there are wonderful amazing places for you to sit within. 

Communities of artists creating amazing pieces with a variety of mediums, writers fixing your heartbreak or at least making the pain a little easier to deal with, people sharing their thoughts and feelings on particular moments, re-living the ways in which it made them feel and you realise that you’ve found a great place. A safe place, somewhere you can indulge in your favourite media and connect with people. 

But though those spaces may be full of people, you feel as if you don’t really fit in. You feel as if you’re just hovering on the fringes of this amazing world and you so desperately want to dive right in and join everyone and share that experience with them but you realise that you just…can’t. 

Perhaps you’re shy, an introvert, and talking to people is just a little scary to you but you really want to try, you just haven’t found a way to do that yet. Or maybe you’re feeling like you’re not good enough, that your thoughts are a little too out there, your headcanons don’t get the love you feel they deserve. Maybe you’re trying so hard to be an active member of the fandom and hundreds of people love your work yet no one actually talks to you. Maybe you just want to be there as a spectator yet you feel excluded from the wider fandom because you feel like you’re not contributing. 

You can be an active part of something and still feel alone. You can be in a group of people and still feel as if you’re the only one there. 

So what’s the point of this post? 

To shed a little light on loneliness, something which maybe most of us don’t give a lot of thought to, but something which is such a big part of all of our lives. A little reminder that we all need to be a little more kind to ourselves and to others, show people kindness, reach out to someone in the fandom you may not have spoken to before, if you have an artist or author you like (and they consent) talk to them as a person. 

Behind all our usernames we’re real people, and we should make more of an effort to remember that. 

Fandom can be lonely, but it doesn’t have to be.

[bastetwastaken]

7 & 11 for the fic writer ask :)

Thank you <3

7. How do you choose which POV to write from?

Usually by listing the things each character would experience at a given point and then deciding which set would better suit the overall story.

For example: In Area Of Effect, that's all Yami's POV because of the fact he knows the same guy under different names, so it made sense to keep it all on him and how he interacts with both Horus and Weird Syrup Guy. In A Tale of Two Kingdoms, it's all Yugi because he's hiding something from Atem and it makes much more sense to have the reader in his head to explore that rather than in Atems who is none the wiser.

11. Link your three fave fics right now.

Gladly! ^.^

Board the Red Eye by @puzzl-d Lieutenant of the English Royal Navy, Atem Sennen, is on a secret mission to gather information about or even better capture Yami the Red Eye, one of the most notorious pirates currently sailing the Spanish Main. Though following some rumours he heard around the darkest corners of Tortuga, his mission quickly heads southward.

(It's sweet, it's romantic, it's got PIRATES in it. It's just everything I love and it feels nice and safe to read and it's just wonderful.)

You Are My Lovesong by @vixxxfiction (LLAngel) Atem Sennen is a young game developer going through an incredibly hard time in his life. His girlfriend has left him, his boss is threatening suspension, his landlord is threatening eviction and he is one argument shy of his parents disowning him. His life could not get worse, he surmises from the bottom of a bottle. Then he meets Yugi, a talented and spirited young musician. His music saves his life, but it's his optimistic and bubbly soul that saves him from despair. This story is going to be incredibly sweet and romantic, lots of stupid moments between boys discovering their feelings and stoking flames neither expected to find. Lots of boy love, new relationship stuff and a fair amount of drama. It wouldn't be one of my fics though if there wasn't a good balance between angst and the most stupid, tooth rottingly sweet romance!

(It's so incredibly sweet and lovely and warm. A good time all around honestly.)

Sphinx Yugi AU by @saijspellhart A sudden and mysterious sandstorm separates Pharaoh Atem from his priests and soldiers during a skirmish. After wandering blindly, he takes refuge in an oasis, where he wakes up the next morning quite literally on top of a Sphinx.

This Sphinx wants to be his friend though, and Atem can’t help falling for him.

(What's not to love about an adorable and chaotic Sphinx boy)

---List can be found here if you fancy asking anything ^.^

[bastetwastaken]

Hello, hi!!! :D 23, 37 and 73 for the fic writer ask please! Much love 💖💕✨

Hi friend!!! <3

23. Best advice for writers.

Write what you want to write. I know everyone probably says that, but as someone who has tried so desperately to write what people wanted rather than what I want, I can very confidently say that it doesn't work. It makes you miserable and it makes you hate the hobby you once loved.

Write what you like, and you'll always enjoy writing. It'll never become a chore. Even if that thing you want to write has been written a thousand times before, write it, because it hasn't been written by you.

Write the silly meet-cute in a coffee shop, write the cliche romance of star-crossed lovers, write that AU a million other people have written because it'll still be yours.

If it makes you happy, write it.

37. How do you choose when to end a chapter?

I don't think it's a conscious choice xD For me anyway.

I just kinda write everything and then I find a point where I think it'd make sense to stop in the context of whatever I'm writing. I very rarely have a set idea of what I want to end on, but occasionally I will have some sort of half-baked idea that I aim for.

I try to end a chapter in a satisfying way but also a way which makes people wanna read more (but I don't like the idea of baiting people to stay around so I try not to do that cause I know how slow I can be with writing)

73. What do you think makes your writing stand out from other works?

Oh no, I have to be nice to myself? How very dare you.

Ummmm... I guess I've found myself a little genre which is "stupidly cliche romantic bullshit" as I like to call it. I write things with minimal angst, everything I write I try to make light and romantic and just so crammed full of cliches the characters can barely move.

I just want to give characters happy endings, I don't want them to suffer, they suffered enough in cannon.

So I guess the thing that makes my writing stand out is that. The fact that it's just a good time and always a happy ending.

---List can be found here if you fancy asking anything ^.^

[bastetwastaken]

Hello! Number 25 and 26 please! Thank you!

Hey! Thank you for the ask ^.^ <3

25. What fic do you wish you got more of a response on?

Ooof, it's difficult to say honestly.

I have a new fic I've literally only posted a chapter of, so perhaps it's unfair of me to pick that one, but A Tale of Two Kingdoms is a fic I am crazy excited about. It's the only fic I have planned and created a whole entire world and lore for. It's kinda a mix between an original type work and a fanfic AU. I've created the world of Miotas, the race of the Deorum, the kingdoms of Luceras and Tuath De and it's just something I'm so excited about writing.

Another one, if I may pick another, is a fic I'm writing with a dear friend. My love, Angel and I are writing quite a big piece, but for now we're starting with The Story of Our Hearts Its a fic we're both incredibly proud of, and writing with someone I care so much about and am very close to is also just plain wonderful. I wish we'd have a little more discourse about it from readers, a little more encouragement as we both care so dearly for this fic and the boys in it.

26. Which of your fics would you call your wildest ride?

Easily Do Not Summon Demons in your Front Room.

It was a wild ride for a number of reasons.

1- I wrote an entire fic for puzzlejune. I wrote it all in a month. All 75,095 words of it. And it was HARD. I mean, really fucking tough to do but I set myself a challenge and I did it.

2- I had a lot of negative comments on this fic, comments which hurt. Comments which pointed out every single mistake, typo, and possible plot hole I'd accidentally made. Comments which ignored the fact I was very open with- that I wrote each chapter in around three hours max, and on the day they were posted, around a full time job and a part time care role. Comments which made me want to leave the fandom all together.

3- The plot. Oh my god the plot. I had to break my no angst rule for this fic and it damn near killed me. But I did give them a happy ending!!

4- This fic and everything which came along with it made me leave the fandom for a while. I stopped writing for months, I didn't actually want to write again. Partly because of the rudeness of those few people who made those negative comments which I was met with daily (seriously, it was soul destroying) and partly because it just damn near broke me to do such a challenge.

I'm glad my motivation came back, and I'm glad I'm still a part of this fandom. I've met some amazing people, and I'd love to meet more (especially if you're in the UK, fuck, I need irl fandom friends, please.)

---List can be found here if you fancy asking anything ^.^

[bastetwastaken]

36 and 63 for the ask game, please! I love your writing a lot! Keep at it!

Hey! Thank you <3 That's very kind of you ^.^

36. How do you write kissing scenes?

I think the main thing I try to do is focus on the feelings of the action rather than the actual action.

Example:

“Yugi.” Atem said his name so softly he couldn’t help but look back at him, his lips parted as a breath left them. Atem was…beyond anything he had ever seen. He wasn’t even sure he had words to express just how beautiful he found him.  Atems eyes moved down to his lips and he felt himself do the same. They were moving closer to each other and he held his breath when he felt Atems warm against his lips.  When Atem kissed him, it was unlike anything he had experienced before. His lips were soft, warm, his movements were so gentle. Although he was not inexperienced, Atem made him feel like this was the first time he’d kissed another.  He briefly wondered if that was because he was kissing a divine being. Atem sighed softly and moved closer to him, a hand came to rest against his cheek and Yugi grasped at it for something to hold onto and keep himself grounded because Atem threatened to overwhelm him.  When he pulled away, it was only to take a quick breath before pressing his lips right back to Atems and moving even closer. The prince's muffled noise of shock sent a shiver down his spine, a shiver which returned when he felt the hand on his cheek slide back into his hair and the other against his waist.  He tilted his head and moved closer, his own hands finding the sides of Atems neck. The masks they both wore made things a little more difficult, the soft metal clashed and made getting even closer more of an issue but they managed.

I try to focus more on the feelings. Although when I'm actually writing a scene it'll be much more simple than this and honestly? Really bad. Sometimes I just have (kiss) halfway down a paragraph to come back to later.

I think about what a character might see, smell, taste in that moment, what would they hear and how would it make them feel? How would they react to being kissed? Or is it them making the first move and are they preoccupied with wondering if their affection will be returned? Just small things which I try to include to make a kiss more "real" and tangible in a way.

The biggest thing I do is I don't try to shy away from what people deem "cliche" or "overused" I don't care if a trope is overused, if I like it, it's in the fic. ^.^

63. Something you hate to see in smut.

Okay, so I'm prefacing this with the fact that this is my personal opinion, it's not a slight on anyone who may write such things or an insult to those writers, you write what you like.

On a high level- Non-con or dub-con, violence or aggression (unless specifically asked for and agreed on by both parties).

On a not quite as high level- A lack of trust, lack of actual intimacy, lack of connection.

Smut is one of those things I find very hard to write and something I don't always like to read either. I identify as Asexual. I'm not repulsed by the idea of sex, it's just not for me. So when I read smut I like it to be more soft and caring and to show a clear connection between the two characters, for it to be a part of something more meaningful? In a way?

That probably really doesn't make much sense, but it made sense in my head xD

---List can be found here if you fancy asking anything ^.^

[bastetwastaken]

fic writer ask: 29

Thank you ^.^ <3

29. Whats your revision or editing process like?

Stressful?

I joke, it's actually usually alright, although I do have the tendency to overthink things sometimes and that makes editing what I've written so hard.

I've thought about getting a beta but I'm not sure what I'd want from them if I did get one, so for now its just me and my friend Angel who check my writing.

What I usually do when I write is I just word vomit onto a page, write whatever I feel like writing and not worry about it too much, or how it reads, I just get all the ideas down on paper first and then once I'm sure I have all the ideas down, I go back and "pretty it up". I'll read through it again and again, usually about ten times, editing things and adding words, taking things out and all that ^^

It seems to work pretty well for me too, and if I find myself overthinking things I just put the doc down and walk away for a bit then come back later :)

---List can be found here if you fancy asking anything ^.^

[bastetwastaken]

I'd love to hear your response to 54, 63, and 64 for the fic writer ask but no pressure to answer all three! 💜

Hi there friend!! <3

I'll happily answer all three ^.^ <3 <3

54. What's your fave part about the fanfic writing process?

Oh it has to be giving characters happy endings. Just letting them live their lives, and experience things, to have them be out there having a good time with each other.

I will write my fave characters a thousand happy endings and I will never get bored of that.

63. Something you hate to see in smut.

Okay, so I'm prefacing this with the fact that this is my personal opinion, it's not a slight on anyone who may write such things or an insult to those writers, you write what you like.

On a high level- Non-con or dub-con, violence or aggression (unless specifically asked for and agreed on by both parties).

On a not quite as high level- A lack of trust, lack of actual intimacy, lack of connection.

64. Something you love to see in smut.

I love to see characters not being serious. Them laughing, awkward moments which break that tension between them and show that they're just human. Intimacy which goes beyond the typical "insert x into y" too- Kissing, hugging, touching, eye contact.

I love reading their feelings as well as their reactions, to have that inside look at the connection they have which goes beyond just the physical.

Smut is one of those things I find very hard to write and something I don't always like to read either. I identify as Asexual. I'm not repulsed by the idea of sex, it's just not for me. So when I read smut I like it to be more soft and caring and to show a clear connection between the two characters, for it to be a part of something more meaningful? In a way?

That probably really doesn't make much sense, but it made sense in my head xD

---List can be found here if you fancy asking anything ^.^