#just cause I edit A LOT because I am SO SO SO SO SO picky about the writing...

[deoidesign]

i LOVED the season finale of TTA! You only broke my heart a little bit, i may recover yet😁👍🏾

While I will still be ravenous for season 2 and will also be EATING UP any other art you make during your hiatus(still screaming over the most recent steve with his thought bubbles), I hope you have a long, restful, and fulfilling break.

I’m very grateful i found you. Thank you for creating one of my favorite things❤️

Thank you so much for sharing this with me, genuinely it means the world <3

I'm hoping to return late May! so the break shouldn't be too too long before we're back at it :D

[otterish]

A weird favor please...

I'm in a weird sort of bind... You see, I'm autistic, and along with that, I have narcolepsy and misophonia. What does this fucked up collection of weirdness mean? It means I am very sensitive to sound (The misophonia and the autism), and I have seizures that are triggered by stress and the tension headaches I get because of my spinal fusion.

Why all this info? You see, I have a lovely little MP3 player loaded with the most perfect white noise that is guaranteed to calm me down. It takes corded headphones, which is great because I can never find any bluetooth buds that fit in my ears. I have a birth defect that makes it nigh impossible to find any that fit. I did find some amazing corded earbuds though! They are the JVC Gummy in ear earbuds, and I've been using them for over 10 years. They only last about a year or two, but they are like 9 bucks and fit perfectly. Here is an amazon link so you can see what I mean: https://a.co/d/0drGMzDN

The thing is... I can barely afford food (We were on SNAP but they fucked everything up. AGAIN!), let alone the earbuds I need. One of my main misophonia triggers is anyone snoring, mouth breathing, and even sometimes just breathing normally. My husband snores really loud, and tends to have a stuffy nose a lot, so I cannot sleep in the same room with him if I don't have my headphones. If I had to, I would find something sharp and puncture my ear drums. It causes that much anxiety that I sincerely want to lose my hearing.

I'm down to my last pair of headphones, and when I couldn't find them at first I had a severe melt down. I wear them to bed due to my husband snoring, and I want to stay near him. I sometimes rest my hand on his back to feel him breathe, and when I wake up screaming due to nightmares, he always wakes up and holds me until I stop crying.

I know this is a long post just to ask for earbuds, but they work best for me and my sanity depends on them. If you can, I'd love it if you were able to slide one or two my way. I'm not picky on color, so my amazon wish list link is here: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/GTTJGT54GKDN

If you want another way, my cashtag is $JustAddOtter.

THANK YOU SO MUCH IN ADVANCE! My disability case is still going slowly through the pipes, plus when it goes through I'm going to have to pay $85 out of pocket for some blue lenses which will help with the seizures.

Also, may the assholes who removed headphone jacks from phones always have angry wasps land in their ears.

TL;DR: I need new headphones to help with my disability.

BTW, no guilt in not donating or even not reblogging but I would appreciate a sage nod of understanding when you read this.

EDIT: Thank you to those pointing out that my wishlist wasn't working properly, it's all fixed!

[sagemoderocklee]

pleas my beloved, tell me more about cats guide and secret liaisons im blowing u so many kissies about it also hi it’s kel

genuinely was like "is that kel?" when i saw the start of this ask cause who else would be callin me 'my beloved' XD

ANYWAYS! i am sooooo excited for both these fics and it's a travesty that SL is still so far out... i NEED to work on Honor Bound T___T but god the editing on Alliance... and just the years and years its been since Alliance and how much my view of like EVERYTHING has changed...

okay so let's start with A Cat's Guide, which is a gift fic for @ghoste-catte (surprise!) that has been sitting for like 2 years now and was prompted by a video of a cat living in an apartment that i saw. this cat was like obsessed with the neighbor and always wanted to visit him, and i thought it would make a cute story from cat!Shukaku's pov as he tries to set up Gaara with his cute, nice neighbor who always gives Shukaku fresh salmon whenever Shukaku slips out of his own apartment to go visit Lee. it's 9 chapters cause you know cats have 9 lives (and i have years worth of gift fics for greyson to make up for) and the chapter titles are structured like a self-help sort of book and im genuinely so excited to work on this fic i just suck at getting anything started. but here's the opening:

---

Step One: Selecting an Ideal Match

Shukaku had been around for at least as long as Gaara had been alive, but for a cat pushing twenty-one he was a surprisingly healthy beast, except for the arthritis that had set in some six or seven years ago. Not that this deterred him in the least.

Quite the contrary, Shukaku spent much of his time climbing things he shouldn't and jumping from places far too high.

Yet however much trouble he managed to get into, Shukaku was a cat of breeding, and he took himself quite seriously. He did not, for instance, protest at the groomers because he liked to be clean; he did not, as a matter of pride, shove his face into his food dish and gobble it up; and he only slept on the nicest, softest cat beds money could buy. He ate expensive food, slept on expensive things, and shat in premium cat litter.

All in all, Shukaku was spoiled, and he liked it that way.

He was also picky, persnickety, and prone to biting for no discernible reason—at least, not as far as his human could tell. If Shukaku had been able to explain himself, he'd have told Gaara he was quite the sensitive soul and sometimes his mood simply got the better of him.

Gaara's brother might not be so sympathetic, having been on the receiving end of one of Shukaku's many fits of fury, but Gaara was understanding despite the language barrier.

(And that's all I have besides chapter breakdowns and chapter titles)

---

and now to Secret Liaisons, which is the third installment to the Allied Nations Saga and at one point was the FINAL part of it back when it was a trilogy, but I knew that there needed to be a fourth fic to that series because there were too many questions left unanswered at the end of SL.

So without spoiling anything for HB, SL continues to follow the ensemble cast with Gaara and Lee being like the main protagonists. This is yet another political drama and it starts off with a blow to Gaara and Lee.

SL is also where GaaLee actually comes into play, but I'm trying not to spoil too much so we'll leave it vague enough. However, I do have lots of snippets for this fic and can share the prologue because I'm just that generous. (Please keep in mind, I wrote this prologue like... 14 years ago and my writing has since evolved):

---

“We await your decision, Kazekage-sama.” The council rose as one, filing out of the room, leaving Gaara to sit with his thoughts, his siblings sharing significant looks over his head.

“Gaara,” Temari began, reaching for her brother.

Gaara rose quickly, stepping out of her reach. “I have things to take care of.”

Temari and Kankurou watched Gaara leave, helpless to do anything else.

***

“You wanted to see me, Kazekage-sama,” Lee said, bowing before Gaara’s desk.

Gaara turned from Lee, rising to his feet and moving to the window overlooking his village. This was his home, it was everything he had fought to protect in the war, it was the most important bond he had. He was the Kazekage of Suna, first and foremost, but that knowledge did little to sooth him.

“Do you miss Konoha?” he asked, not daring to glance at Lee.

“Of course,” Lee said, certain as always. “It is my home and my friends are there, my sensei. But I am happy here.”

Gaara didn’t reply, watching as a child ran past on the street, chasing a ball. It was his job to protect that child, to protect that child’s mother and father. The choice should not have been so difficult to make. He loved his village powerfully, he loved his people and his siblings just as much. They were a part of Suna.

Lee was not.

“I… have no more need of you,” Gaara whispered to the wind, not daring to turn around, almost hoping Lee hadn’t heard.

Silence stretched between them for a minute before Lee found his voice, cracked and uncertain. “I—beg your pardon, Kazekage-sama?”

Gaara closed his eyes, fisting the fabric of his Kage robe above his heart. “I am sending you back to Konoha.”

“Wha—but—why?! Have I done something to upset you? Whatever it is, I will make up for it! I will not do it again! I promise!”

Gaara shook his head. “You are a liability. You cannot stay here.”

“I do not understand,” Lee said, his words shaky and broken.

“It is not complicated: You will return to Konoha. I am releasing you from my service.”

“I—but I swore to stay by your side. I swore to always—you accepted me! Why would you do this?”

“Because I have no other choice.”

Lee was silent save for the heavy breathing that seemed to fill Gaara’s ears, making them ring. He had prepared for Lee to fight him on this, he had known Lee would want answers, but he had not been ready for the obstacle his own feelings created.

“Do you not trust me anymore?”

Gaara turned enough to glance at Lee over his shoulder. Lee’s expression was crumpled, his eyes wet and his lip trembling. In that moment, Gaara understood the power he had over Lee: the power to break him by words alone. He had never known that power and he never wanted to again.

“Kazekage-sama?” Lee asked desperately when the silence went on for too long.

Gaara’s vision swam for a second and he turned away. “With my life. That is the problem.”

“But why? What have I done? Why would you send me back?”

“Because the council does not trust you and my trust in you gives them reason to doubt me.”

Lee faltered, the words he’d been about to speak dying on a choked back sound, as though he were trying to keep from crying. Gaara could not stand to look at him anymore. “This is… temporary, right? Until they see, until you convince them—”

“No, Lee,” Gaara said, his knuckles white against the windowsill. “You will return to Konoha permanently. We are done.”

“N-no, I cannot accept that!” Lee cried suddenly. “Y-you cannot just send me back—I—you are everything to me. I have given my life to protect you—”

“Then honour your promise and leave,” Gaara said harshly, turning to stare at Lee. “If you wish to protect my life, then protect my title as Kazekage and leave Suna.”

Lee reeled, lowering his head. “I did not mean to speak so forcefully, Kazekage—”

“I am not your Kazekage. You are no longer bound to me.”

Lee closed his eyes tight, his hands in fists at his side that shook with the effort Lee exerted to hold his tongue. He took in a shaky breath, his eyes on Gaara’s feet. “I will a-always be bound to you, Kazekage-sama. Even if I leave…”

“You are a fool to think that,” Gaara said. “When you return to Konoha, in time you will forget your loyalties to me.”

“Forgive me, but you are wrong,” Lee said passionately, looking up at Gaara, his eyes hard and wet. “I will never forget this bond.”

Gaara stared, wide-eyed at Lee. “Why are you so determined to stay with me?”

Lee looked away, hiding his gaze. “Because you are important to me. Why should I waver in my affections for you? Why should I deny my loyalties when they mean so much?”

Gaara had no answer, but Lee’s words would not change their situation, no matter how much they both wanted them to.

“You will go back to Konoha. This matter is no longer up for debate.”

Lee closed his eyes, his face still turned away. “…as you wish, Kazekage-sama.”

“Don’t—”

Lee bowed and turned, leaving before Gaara could say more, the door clicking gently closed behind Lee. Gaara let out a shaky breath, sitting back down at his desk and pulling his official statement to the council towards him.

Rock Lee will return to Konoha…

The words blurred for a moment and Gaara blinked several times before his vision cleared, the report now stained with several drops that smudged the ink. Gaara set his brush down, staring at the report, only distantly aware of the wetness on his face and the ache in his chest.

---

I would definitely want to edit this before actually posting. I don't really like how choppy it is from that very first extremely brief scene which is just the like obvious tail end of a council meeting, and i think the actual pros are just… not great. i can def do better. but this is like the main obstacle of the fic and well I'm sure you can guess who these liaisons are between based on that lol

anyways <3 thanks beloved for the ask! hope you enjoyed these and they satisfied your curiosity

[galadrieljones]

hiya gala!! 🎃 and 🍂? i hope you have a fantastic day!!

Thanks for the ask @myreia ^_^ I hope you have a great day, too.

🎃 pumpkin: do you have any favorite brainstorming techniques? how do you like to gather ideas for your wip?

I answered this one earlier, you can find it here.

🍂 leaves: what does your editing process look like? how does your wip typically change as you work on it?

Because I am seemingly always super strapped for time, the most important part of my process is getting started. Failure to launch is, in my experience, the only cause of "writer's block." I just need to break the seal, get started. My earliest drafts as I mentioned in the linked ask above are usually just super spare scene sketches in the notes app on my phone because of this. No details or descriptions. I just put a little (...) to note where I know I need an action, or a description, or a note on the environment to flesh out the pacing later on. I will do this sometimes before bed, or when I'm doing other things.

Once I'm ready to work on the actual story then, these days, I usually just work right in AO3 for fanfiction. It just keeps me in the right mode, since I write and read so many different things as part of my job, other projects, etc., and AO3 just makes me feel like, okay, THIS is the safe place lol. THIS is my happy place (I copy/paste frequently into a note or word doc to back up my work fyi haha). When I'm ready to write, like to actually type, I don't usually copy/paste writing from my notes. I retype it, now working in the details/actions/descriptions that I skipped before, because like I just really needed to get down the big beats, but now it's time to make the scene come alive. I find that retyping from scratch rather than copy/pasting is important, because a lot of the time, the emotional output or directionality of a scene will be a little different once I add in the details. Things almost always need to be tweaked.

Once I have a completed draft, I usually sit on it for as long as I can. An old professor once taught me that, with writing, you usually need a couple days to let a draft marinate before going back to it again. I can't remember what he called those days, but this was useful advice for me, as I'm always in a rush. Sometimes, I only have a couple hours to wait or one night. In any case, in that time, any problems with the existing writing usually bubble to the surface of my consciousness, and I can go back in and work on them later, often times on my phone, while I'm off doing other stuff or hanging with my kids or my husband on the couch, etc. I do a lot of my editing this way, like in the car while waiting for my kids to get out of school lol. I used to need solitude to write, but I have three kids and I have adapted lol. If I get too precious about my workspace, I get nothing done.

Anyway, even as my job entails editing books for a living, that editorial work is always grand scale, like finding the shape of a story. I am actually a terrible copy editor lmfao as I hate that kind of little nit-picky stuff. Line editing drives me insane. I will occasionally run things through the editor on word to make sure there's nothing glaring, but I don't get hung up on typos. You will probably see at least one per chapter with my work 😂 😭 I do usually reread my chapters after I publish them, and if I find something that's really bothering me, I'll go back and fix it asap.

Anyway, that's pretty much it!!

October-themed Writeblr Asks ❤️

[daemonace]

hellow!! i rly like the way u characterize sirius in your posts and i was wondering - if u do recs - do u know any wolfstar fics (long possibly) which have that portrayal of him? i love the way sirius is in tcoptp and atyd and im looking for a similar vibe. but ive not read any fics like that since:/ thank youu❣️

Hello Kind Anon,

Thank you for the ask! Unfortunately, I'm probably not the best person to recommend fics as I haven't read very many Wolfstar fics in the past few years because I'm so picky about how Sirius and Remus are written. I have a hard time finding Wolfstar fics that meet my Sirius-standards! And huge confession... I haven't read tcoptp (yet! it's on my list!) and I didn't like ATYD's. Blasphemous! I know. I tried.

If I haven't completely turned you away at this point and are still interested the best I can think to recommend is down below,

What I am currently reading, The MapMakers by Dizzy_Bird. So far it's lighthearted and enjoyably chaotic.

Fics that have been recommended to me that I haven't read yet but look promising:

Fairytales of Yesterday, by padfootandprongsy

Ripples of Light, by moonlighthowl, this one has Death Eater Sirius.

Fics I have read: Operation Toebeans, a short but funny story. Sirius is hilarious and I appreciate his dedication to the cause. While more lighthearted it does have some serious moments.

Text Talk by merlywhirls is a muggle AU where Sirius goes to boarding school and Remus has a chronic illness, and they meet when Sirius texts the wrong number. I think about this fic a lot and re-read it often. I would probably recommend this one the most if you like ATYD's.

You should also look up the Shoebox Project by Jaida and Rave, if you haven't already. It's the building blocks of the old Wolfstar fandom. Written as a series of letters.

I know you asked for Wolfstar but I also highly recommend The Last Enemy series by CH_Darling. It's slow building Jily centric with even slower building Wolfstar. It's by far my favorite fic and contains my favorite ever characterizations of the Marauder boys, most especially Sirius. He's cool, smart, suave, an arrogant ponce, and a bully. Lily actually reminds me of ATYDs Remus (I think? lol), which you might enjoy. This fic probably matches the vibe of ATYD's most, just with Jily at center stage. I took a chance on it while looking for Wolfstar fics and I am so happy that I did, even if Wolfstar is but crumbs so far.

These probably aren't exactly what you're looking for but like I said I'm kind of picky. Happy fic hunting!

(p.s. highly recommend Leslie Grace on Tik Tok, she makes awesome Wolfstar edits, and I believe she's an ATYD's fan. Her Sirius is very Sirius! I'm obsessed!)

[jiangwanyinscatmom]

Just found your tumblr and idk why but I felt like telling you that I'm finishing the second volume of the English edition of svsss and so far I feel that I won't like SJ, I don't get liushen, I don't get LBH's hairdo and too muscular body, I don't get how there are people saying SY doesn't care about LBH... and a lot of popular takes I've seen the fandom having about it.

I think the reason I felt like telling you was actually because you're one of the few people I saw maybe not agreeing with those either? So I confess I feel a little frustrated about the fandom rn, lmao

Welcome anon!

I am... rather picky, to put it mildly about the SVSSS content I consume for its fandom.

I cannot stand many of the popular fanpairs (sorry luishen and cumplane stuff, but get that away from me... or tag it so I can block and remain happy with my day without wishing you can't ever be comfortable in bed again trying to fall asleep because I will curse you myself).

As well as much of the material for fics for Bingqiu and Moshang. It relies on shaving Shen Qingqiu's personality to have undue sympathy and self-esteem issues over "Shen Jiu" and his own existence where he just doesn't CARE if he became Shen Qinqiu because he was determined not to be a vile low empathy person to save his own skin (and Binghe but that OBVIOUSLY doesn't count cause of something something protag halo). Shen Qinghua is just as well made far softer than he actually is... when he is a little scummy rat man in the rain that you don't wanna touch ever. Come ON he made a hetporn harem novel!!! He is incel nerd without thinking he was the incel shut in nerd.

However I suppose my biggest pet-peeve is the way Luo Binghe is treated by fandom itself. I find something distasteful in the way it always makes Luo Binghe either pathetic or annoying to raise up other characters when from Shen Yuan's point of view, he is exasperatingly like a teen girl crying but very endeared to this. He never once hated or felt forced to do anything in regards to his own romance with Luo Binghe as HE was the one to step forward with making what they had no longer platonic as teacher and former student. He has a student kink, Luo Binghe has a teacher kink it is what it is, and they don't exactly care what others may think anymore. Given that Shen Qingqiu states himself if Luo Binghe was really unwelcomed he would follow him wherever. That doesn't sound as anything forced upon him other than anyone that tries to make him choose, at which point his choice is Luo Binghe. Yue Qingyuan at any rate, is the only one he seems to care about that blessing from, and he got it. Luo Binghe is a victim of several abuses over the years, to me, he's all those bits, good and difficult on paper.

Art is subjective and I could care less how it looks normally since I like it or not and can scroll on with my life if I don't or reblog what pretty art I think is pretty. I find the English art inserts endearing as it's very much reminiscent of late 90's and early 00's anime aesthetics. It fits for the world as a whole that PIDW was meant to be.

People will willfully put what is not there for fandom wants, I however, choose to ignore most of it, as I am vastly content with what the author has given me to play with in the playground of canon only.

[gaypiratebrainrot]

tag game! I was tagged by @chaotic-neutral-knitter , tagging @thetardigrape  , @mxmollusca, @theveriest , @knotwerk, @ghostalservice (no worries if you’ve already been tagged!)

Do you write in order?

yes, i must write a first draft from start to finish. once i have a first draft, sometimes i’ll go back in and add scenes, but on my first go i have to start at the beginning and work linearly to the end. it’s how i tell myself the story.

How fully formed does your writing come out the first try?

it’s different with fan fic and original work. fic ideas come a lot more fully formed than original ones, cause i’m working with existing characters in fic, whereas with original stuff i often figure out who the characters are in the process of writing and that shapes the story as i go. fic ideas tend to come as whole stories, and while they do change as i write them, my first drafts of fic are much more fully formed than my first draft of original work.

How many drafts do you go through?

technically 3 to 4. i write a rough draft, i do an edit with any additions, then an edit after beta (if i have one), and then a read-aloud edit right before publication.

Tell me about your process.

with fic right now, it’s all about catching the right brain worms. i have a lot of ideas, but they have to be interesting enough for the brain worms to go feral to get written, and i’m super burnt out at the moment, so the worms are kinda picky. but if the brain worms go feral, it just spills out of me. i am trying to move towards a less brain worm based writing process, because once upon a time i used to write 2k words day, every day, brain worms or not, and i would love to go back to that. but i’m also trying to give my poor brain some grace cause it has been through A Time, and is doing great, all things considered.

[itsjustalark]

@seeingteacupsindragons

" I hope you don't mind me breaking that ask up into smaller chunks to respond to instead of actually answering the ask in my inbox. Sometimes people send me really long things, and then I know having it on my blog and then having to read my probably accordingly long answer is not going to happen, and I just. Feel bad about it."

Mind? Hell no. I'm honoured that you've decided to give me the time of the day at all. It is completely fine with me and thank you for letting me konw. Next time ill make sure to post on my blog and just tag you.

"Tiadane's not actually a boy; this is made clear relatively early on, and he's not picky about pronouns because his home doesn't have a good concept of things like "gender" and "lots of gendered pronouns." I tend to alternate what I use for him when not in the book, and even in the book he shrugs off a couple "she's." And there's actually not any romance in that one; Tiadane and my deuteragonist's relationship is platonically weird in that one. I don't always like writing romance, but I usually have a deuteragonist running around because I just like paired character dynamics a lot."

I'm really sorry for just asssuming Tiadane to be a guy. On the other hand I love when fantasy worlds explore cultures that dont have the same understanding of gender as us. I feel it isnt done enough and where it is atempted its never done with the enough care.

Also when I said 'relationships' I didn't mean them as explicit romantic ones. I'm a big fan of interesting dynamics and I dont believe they always have to be romantic to get me interested. There are so many ways humans interact with one another. That is whats most facinating to me.

"I'm actually not super great at worldbuilding, either. I tend to do it as little as possible and only when I need to; a lot of my current revisions are fleshing the worldbuilding out. And now that I'm focusing on, a lot of the results are good, but it's often just sort of not really the most fun focus for me. "

I'm also not an intricate world builder and cant even imagine going to the flora and fauna level of detail. My points of interest in world building is societities. How they function different from our and how they effect the people living in it accordingly. I build my worlds around my characters becaude i also feel that a fleshed out world only gives more depth to the characters.

Glad to know your world building is going well. I cant even imagine the revisions i have to make one i finish first draft as ive completely given up ingraining the magic system as part of the characters perspective and how it effects their thing cause it was gettjng to complicated. So i will now have to add all of that stuff later on.

"What I shared was actually the query; queries and synopses are different in the publishing word. Basically, my query is supposed to sell people on making it sound interesting, so I'm glad it's working for those functions for now. It still needs to be edited some more later. "

Oh I didnt know that. Still new to all the publishing jargon but always happy to learn more.

"Tiadane's book originally came from playing too much Smash Bros and staring at Pit for too many hours in a row. And then I just typed some random shit to get some words out when I was stuck revising something and not having fun, and started writing this introduction to his world."

I love how we writers get ideas from the most rediculous of senarios.

"I am a very character-focused writer and have had recurring problems with getting a plot to attach correctly over the years. I think Tiadane's book is the first time I didn't have (too) many issues with one by the time I sent to to a CP, and I'm still ripping a lot out to replace it with something better. "

I also write character focused works. Characters are why i read books. I dont reallyenjoy plot heavy books. Every aspect of plot, fleshing out the world or magic i enjoy because it makes tge characters feel more real and elps highlights the themes if the book.

"Each of my fantasy worlds (I also write sci-fi sometimes, and some stuff just...set in our world) has its own magic system. I don't know how writers just have The One for tons of stories. Large universes to play in can be fun, but so is making up new stuff every time."

Also, would you mind telling me about your magic systems? I love that stumm. It facinates me how maging systems ingrain themselves into a story. When i was first materializing my story it was set in a normal world but my mund was like: no no no this story need a magic system and an exploration of the chosen one narrative even though back then it didnt have anything to do with the main plot. But thats me cause i love over complicating thing for myself.

[sassymajesty]

Hi Nina, I'm the person who recommended the stupid wife series (I originally asked on anon in case the Brazillian assumption caused offence 😔) I am an ABSOLUTE SUCKER for enemies-to-lovers fics so this was right up my street 😁 I think I personally would find it a bit weird with having the same name but thankfully their names are different in the show. They kinda skipped over how they got together & I would love to see what changed for Luiza cause she was not about it before. They also have a lot of BTS stuff on youtube with the actresses which is cool to see and the actresses are both so sweet.

it's been forever since i've watched anything brazilian and i've been stalling a little because i really want to like it, but oh, i'm so picky when it comes to brazilian acting. it's like i can see bad acting a lot easier than in other languages. but from the minute and a half i watched, it looks good!!

valentina sounds like a bitch but she's so hot she can step all over me, and luiza i already want to protecc🥹🤲🏻 i can't wait to see them married

let me just... link the playlist with all the episodes here, if anyone wants to watch it (there are english subtitles, folks)

i also already want to buy the book without even really knowing the story because support local queer artists and all, but apparently the second edition is already all sold out (i JUST missed the pre sale). i love that for nathália sodré but come oN

[seeingteacupsindragons]

@itsjustalark I hope you don't mind me breaking that ask up into smaller chunks to respond to instead of actually answering the ask in my inbox. Sometimes people send me really long things, and then I know having it on my blog and then having to read my probably accordingly long answer is not going to happen, and I just. Feel bad about it.

I have a couple longer essay-type things in my ask box I feel bad that I don't know how to respond to, and I wish people would post them on their blog and then maybe send me a link or something if they want my comments on it; I think it would just be easier.

Anywho.

I love readin your writing stuff as a fellk writer it really inspires me to write too. And I am mostly so intrigued by your stories because i honestly love the idea of exploration of the relationship between two boys set in a fantasy world. And also the fantasy worldbuilding just gets me. Im a big fan of character focused fantasy which are also kinda plot heavy and set in a rich world cause i think that only enriches and enhances the whole thing.  I dont know if im making sense. Lol. The point is the snippets of ur stories i have gotten kinda give me thpse vibes. Including your short story which world builds so well with so few words. And im gonna stop myself now cause thats gonna be a whole different post.

Tiadane's not actually a boy; this is made clear relatively early on, and he's not picky about pronouns because his home doesn't have a good concept of things like "gender" and "lots of gendered pronouns." I tend to alternate what I use for him when not in the book, and even in the book he shrugs off a couple "she's." And there's actually not any romance in that one; Tiadane and my deuteragonist's relationship is platonically weird in that one. I don't always like writing romance, but I usually have a deuteragonist running around because I just like paired character dynamics a lot.

I'm actually not super great at worldbuilding, either. I tend to do it as little as possible and only when I need to; a lot of my current revisions are fleshing the worldbuilding out. And now that I'm focusing on, a lot of the results are good, but it's often just sort of not really the most fun focus for me.

This kinda applies for both books and is a question actually: how did you come up for the names of youre mc's? Is there a meaning theind them or is it kinda like what gave the right vibes?

Tiadane's name is made up letters that sounded good to me. Cian's name went through lot of iterations and he had some very bad placeholder names before I settled on his full name (which isn't actually Cian). However, all of the wizards in that book have related names just For Because, I guess. It's sort of tied to some of the themes there.

Since Avel's book is contemp fantasy, I just went to Behind the Name and hit random name generator until I liked something enough to use for the random starter name.

The plot sypnosis sounds really interestings. The way you've written it makes the world seem really fleshed out and its own thing. I also adore the idea exploring heritage and culture of a lost civilization. But whatexictes me the most is the rebuilding part and how the mcs' would go about it. I also am very intrigued about how these revelations would effect their relationship.

What I shared was actually the query; queries and synopses are different in the publishing word. Basically, my query is supposed to sell people on making it sound interesting, so I'm glad it's working for those functions for now. It still needs to be edited some more later.

Thoughts on Avel's book: Ngl reading the sypnosis of this book is is what convinced me to send the first text. The writing of the scenes is something i really like cause good writing can make or break a story really. I can hear Avel's narrative voice as i read which is always a plus. The discription youve given for him got me excited enough to fan cast him in my head. I love when male characters accessorize, i feel it gives them personality. I'm very excited to see how you explore the being an artist with disability thing, especially how it affects mental state and the relationship with the ml. These kind of things really get me excited. Ive read so little and i already like the characters and want to get to know them better.

Thank you! I work very hard on narrative voice.

And i love how you focus on character design. As a frequent manga/manhwa reader imagery reallly matters to me and expecially the character design cause its such a good rool to indicate subtle things about the character whichadd another layer of depth.

Lmao. I actually don't. The bits with Avel in there aren't even the latest material, just the most recent parts I read because I went back and added it. But I was having fun with giving Avel a personality and interests beyond his violin and his medical things and other Plot Relevant necessities, so it was fun to make him vaguely queer emo punk silliness whatever he's doing.

TL;DR: You should be proud of these works. Its really good stuff. Never stop writing please!

Oh, I never intend to. Thank you.

Some other questions:

Do you have any specific inspirations for these two stories? Are you a fan of worldbuilding and what role do you want it to play in your stories? Is youre story more character focused or plot focused? Do youre worlds have a magic system? I have so many more tuestions but there are good starters ig.

I get told a lot that I inspire people to write, and I...never quite understand why, to be honest.

Tiadane's book originally came from playing too much Smash Bros and staring at Pit for too many hours in a row. And then I just typed some random shit to get some words out when I was stuck revising something and not having fun, and started writing this introduction to his world.

Avel's came from "I really want to find a new book" and writing something until I had a thousand words and then it warped entirely on me and I have to reconstruct it from scratch. I think by writing a lot, and this is a good example, Yikes. But I work in the pharmaceutical industry and read a lot about demyelinating diseases and rare disorders a lot, so a lot of that, plus my own love of creative endeavors and some medical trauma got wrapped up into whatever's going on with him.

I already sorta answered this, but no, worldbuilding's not my favorite part of writing, but it's gotta get done because of the kind of stories I write. I really do love stories where the world feels more expansive than we ever get to explore, but I'm not sure I'll ever write something that feels that way myself.

I am a very character-focused writer and have had recurring problems with getting a plot to attach correctly over the years. I think Tiadane's book is the first time I didn't have (too) many issues with one by the time I sent to to a CP, and I'm still ripping a lot out to replace it with something better.

Each of my fantasy worlds (I also write sci-fi sometimes, and some stuff just...set in our world) has its own magic system. I don't know how writers just have The One for tons of stories. Large universes to play in can be fun, but so is making up new stuff every time.

Part 1 of 2.

[sscoutregimentss]

could you please do L, U, V, Y and Z for Armin Arlert Please Queen, i just passed by and i already love ur your account💕💕

i teared up a bit at how nice this ask is (´•ω•̥`) i wrote this in modern au again oopsy daisy

edit: added a read more bc this post is kinda long

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

Armin is not terrible with kids, but no where near great. Growing up with no parents and having his grandfather die at such a young age led him to grow up fast, so he can't really relate to kids and what they... do.

Like he will see a baby and just talk normally to it. After doing some reading on why baby talk is important, he makes an effort to babble more to them but he really struggles. Or when he's with Gabi and Falco he asks them about quantum physics and Gabi is just like "uhhh I like fortnite."

He really tries. And it's not like he dislikes being around them, he just struggles, and kids don't really like him much either.

Also he cannot stand IPad kids. He blames it more on the parents then on the kids, because they're just kids, but one of his biggest peeves is crying, whiny children with snot on their bright blue silicone cases, eyes glued to a screen instead of dealing with the world. Since he is Armin, he's still polite and gentle with them, but the minute you're out of earshot he's complaining about it for a good 30 minutes.

In terms of his own children, he's actually a really good parent. He did a lot of research on how to raise kids well and he does his best to make sure his kids get what he couldn't in terms of upbringing. He's some what distant? Like his kids aren't ranting and raving about their new crush to their dad, but there's a really good bond between them and they go to him whenever he needs anything.

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

Armin is prone to telling a little white lie to get what he wants.

In general, he's subtly manipulative. Not in like an abusive or generally scummy way, but in a... human way. We all use manipulation to get what we want, in the end. Like puppy dog eyes or pouting.

He's always transparent about what he's doing, and it's not like he's causing any harm to you. In fact, most of the time its for your own good. Like if you're feeling a bit self conscious, he'll pretend not to notice until you manage to work up the nerve to think better of yourself, stuff like that. Or if something is bothering you, he'll figure out a way for you to bring it up instead of him so you get better at communication. He'll come clean after his little rouses work, but sometimes you wish he'd just tell you what he was doing as he was doing it.

He also takes a while to even consider you a priority. Even though his whole thing is taking your relationship slowly, you're quick to find out that he may call you his partner, but you're under school work, work, family and friends in the "Armin's Important Stuff" scale. He's not an easy shell to crack, so it's kind of expected, but unless you confront him, he will not even realize that he's doing wrong.

Chronic nail biter. Even when he's not nervous.

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

On a scale of "beauty guru" to "horrendously stinky" he's a "I care for aesthetics."

He's got a very distinct dark/light academia (depends on his mood) aesthetic that he must keep up. His clothes are always ironed, never tattered, and though most of it is second hand he looks very put together and sometimes even expensive.

But in terms of beauty, it's not his priority at all. He likes the way he dresses because it makes him feel like he's ready to take on the day, and he showers everyday for obvious reasons, but he doesn't wear makeup, and his skincare routine is just washing his face and sunscreen.

Speaking of skincare, he has effortlessly flawless skin and hair. So smooth, so silky, and he barely puts in effort other than the basics. You're convinced it's because he's blessed by the gods, but he says its because he gets enough sleep every night.

His hair grows back super fast, so he has Mikasa cut it since he can't afford to go to the hair dresser so often. He liked the long hair as a kid, but now he finds it annoying, so he keeps it neatly cropped. She's a good hairstylist.

He's also... surprisingly ripped. He looks super skinny but he's got abs for days. Unlike most of his friends, only works out for mental clarity, and not muscles or gaining strength, so he's not like huge and bulky but he's pretty fit.

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

He doesn't like overly judgmental people. It's only natural for people to assume things, but people who dedicate their free time to just assuming things about people annoys him to no end. Like people who assume the worst out of him because he hangs out with Eren, or people who think that he's some single virgin loser because he gets good grades.

Also, playing into Armin our semi-pretentious angel trope, he prefers a well read partner. Someone who he can make references too or will take his recommendations of classic literature, or maybe even watch ocean documentaries with him. They don't have to like every last thing he likes, and if they just haven't been exposed to things he won't mind at all, they just have to be open minded and not write off things he enjoys as "nerdy shit."

Piggy backing off that, he wants someone who somewhat cares about their academics. They don't have to be the next Einstein, or a straight A wonderchild like him, but rich brats who's parents are paying for their schooling just for them to party annoys him. It's not fair that he has to work so hard to keep his scholarships and other students are working hard to pay their tuition just for people to come because their Mommy and Daddy said so.

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habits of theirs?)

Armin falls asleep at 11 pm and wakes up at 7 am, without fail. It's amazing. You question if he's even a college student.

He uses an old fashioned alarm clock that's at the opposite side of his bed, but sometimes he wakes up on his own and forgets to turn it off, making him run out of the shower to stop the ringing before his roommates wake up.

Before you two started dating, he just slept on his side. But once you two got close, he can't sleep without hugging something if you're not spending the night.

When you do spend the night, he likes being little spoon, or facing you and having you nuzzled in his chest (or vice versa, he's not picky).

He's quite a neat cuddler. No limbs haphazardly thrown over you or anything. His legs are very gently intertwined with yours, he has his arms in a very specific spot to make sure you're comfortable, and he doesn't snore or anything.

Sometimes he sleep talks. Very rarely, though, but when you catch it, it is the funniest thing ever. He has really wild dreams for such a down-to-earth person— you caught him babbling about turning into a 150 meter skinless giant once. Weird.

[avrablake]

This or That: Writer Edition

Taking an open tag from @thegreatobsesso because this looks fun

1. Historical or Futuristic

In the past I always went for more historic vibes type fantasy settings in my writing, mixed with some urban fantasy. But BtD is more like futuristic science in a rustic setting.

2. The Opening or Closing Chapter

I guess opening chapter since I never know where I’m going in a wip until I get there. Getting started can be really hard too though. I’m more of a “random scene somewhere in the middle” person.

3. Light + Fluffy or Dark + Gritty

Light and Fluffy definitely appeals to me more. I’m all for lots of angst and stories that devastate me emotionally, but when it comes down to it I’m not big on Dark and Gritty, especially not for the sake of being Dark and Gritty.

4. Animal Companion or Found Family

Found Family gets me every time.

5. Horror or Romance

Ugh. I’m not big on either. I can be down for a well-written romance, especially outside of the actual Romance genre (because there are just so many genre tropes that I’m not a fan of); but I’m an actual big baby and can’t handle much horror at all. Like suspense and mystery and a bit of creepiness I’m down with, but straight up horror and I’m out.

6. Hard or Soft Magic System

Soft. Like I could spend more time worldbuilding, or I could think of more ways to cause my characters emotional problems. It’s an easy choice. As a reader it’s the same, I’m definitely more interested in well developed characters and character arcs than I am in a very detailed magic system.

7. Standalone or Series

My goal at this point is a series of standalones. I always wanted BtD to be a standalone. I certainly don’t plan any sequels. But there is so much backstory I want to tell. My goal is that someone could pick up the prequels and enjoy each one on its own, but if you’ve read BtD first they should punch you in the gut a lot harder.

I don’t have anything against series so long as that’s what makes the most sense for the narrative. But I hate when a series is drawn out past its natural conclusion.

8. One Project at a Time or Always Juggling 2+

I consider BtD and it’s prequels to be all one project, because working on one benefits the others. I do have a back burner project, but it’s mostly just occasional brainstorming and vibes. I’m not planning to devote a lot of attention to it at the moment.

10. Fantasy or Sci-fi

As a reader I definitely lean much more toward Fantasy, and I always thought the same was true of my writing. Pretty much all my wip ideas in the past have been solidly in the fantasy genre. BtD isn’t really either, but it leans more toward Sci-fi than Fantasy.

11. Character or Setting Description

I’m terrible with description in general. You have to drag it out of me. No one will have any idea what my characters or their surroundings look like. But if you want to know exactly what my characters are thinking at any given moment, I’ve got you (unfortunately no one wants that).

12. First or Final Draft

Do final drafts exist or are they unicorns? 

I actually think the first draft is so much fun. Just word vomiting out every possible idea that comes to me, whether it makes sense or not. Changing my mind halfway through and letting future me deal with it. Using all the em dashes I want.

Revising on the other hand is hard... future me has become current me and I don’t like it.

13. Literary or ‘Commercial’ Genre

As a writer I definitely will always be in the Commercial Genre. It’s just more fun.

But as a reader, I love them both and you can’t make me choose. 

14. Love Triangle in Everything or No Romantic Arcs

I despise love triangles with every fiber of my being. And I’m very picky about my romance in general. I absolutely love a good platonic friendship/found family story. Like romantic plots so often feel forced, but a good friendship/family bond ends me.

15. Constant Sandstorm or Rainstorm

Rainstorm. Like I definitely prefer the sun and have a hard time when it’s cloudy and gray, but sand and wind is just painful. Get’s in your eyes and your lungs and hurts your skin. It’s just really really terrible.

Tagging with no pressure @zonnemaagd @emelkae @odysseywritings

[nopeferatu]

How do you feel about ukus? So bottom/uke America and top/seme England.

OOH BOY anon are you trying to get me in trouble? lol ill put my answer under a read more ig, dont hate me fellow usuk stans

I don't like bottom ame/top eng. I'm really, very, extremely particular with the characterizations of my faves, but im especially picky about england and i find that a lot of ukus content makes him out to be really out of character, like...hes kinda weird? and creepy? And hes like really suave and IDK dont hate me but yanno that scene where hes pretending to be italian as an undercover thing? and hes like acting all charming and cringe?? Whenever i read ukus content specifically i ALWAYS am reminded of that scene and it makes me cringe SO HARD and i cant get through it

because im so particular abt ukus content i dont really read those fics

plus i kinda have a bone to pick with the ukus fans of yore (i mean circa 2012-2014) bc i remember a lot of those people were apart of the "england cant be feminine, trans, or anything less than a hyper masc top because he was a PIRATE!!!1 a god damn EMPIRE111!!!!" and like im sorry but multiple times hima has described arthur as feminine and has shown him having feminine interests, and idk...i just think amongst certain circles of fans that see england in a very specific light, theres a lot of hostility towards gender non conforming guys that comes across as really transpobic and (ironically) homophobic and just generally hostile against femininity to me. Ik that a lot of it stems from pushback against the stereotypes that queer men face irl, but like. Idk sometimes that pushback makes me uncomfortable because i embrace and love a somewhat softer version of arthur whos really comfortable in his feminine interests

I usually like to read fics and consume doujin content where arthur is a power bottom lol, cause i think hes really eager and hes a horn dog and he jumps at the opportunity for sexy times, or like content where he bottoms from the top. that kinda stuff. In my head hes very secure in himself and in the fact that he likes to take it up booty LOL

dont get me wrong i do like some ukus content but usually i avoid actively looking for it and reading it in favor of imagining scenarios that ill never draw/write out, because then if im the one creating it then im getting their characterizations down the way that I prefer

edit to add that like. irl there are gays who prefer to top and bottom!! i also think theres a lot of pushback against top/bottom stuff because i remember awhile back people were saying "if you say that a character strictly bottoms/strictly tops youre falling into heteronormative stereotypes, the only healthy relationship that gay people have irl is if theyre both switches" and I JUST WANNA REMIND YOU ALL...that MANY gays out there identify as strict bottoms and strict tops, or like mostly bottoms/mostly tops. Not all of them ofc but like...yeah i just wanted to get that out there because i see people say that shit all time, that the only "healthy" dynamic is if they are both switches and thats?? wrong and ahistorical

[pearlcaddy]

Hey there! =* Just wanted to ask how you deal with writer's blocks (if you experience them of course). It's been a disaster for me. I, a fully grown up, am almost crying over a blank page with ideas in my head and zero words on the list. I know in my case the greatest problem is that I've never written fanfiction in English, and in my country basically no one knows anything about JATP. But they are the only thing that managed to inspire me since 2018 so I'm immensely sad and just heartbroken(((

I definitely deal with writer’s block. I think everyone who writes does--you’re not alone!

I don’t know if this is the difficulty for you, but the thing that causes my writer’s block nine times out of ten is perfectionism. I get stuck on trying to think of the perfect way to start a scene, or the perfect way to phrase something, or the perfect way to transition between different parts of a scene. Even just thinking “what’s a good way to phrase this?” can shut me down.

For me, the thing that helps get around that is giving myself permission to write a bad first draft. (Some people call them zero drafts.) No one is going to read the draft but me, and I don’t need it to be good: I just need words on the page. I can fix everything later.

So my first drafts are full of a lot of clunky stuff.

If I can’t figure out how to start a scene, I start with the part I know.

If I can’t find a nice way to phrase something, I phrase it awkwardly, or I summarize what needs to be there. (A lot of my first drafts just have “They kiss,” and I come back to it later to describe the kiss in more detail.)

If I can’t figure out how to transition between scenes or within a scene, I just write [Transition] and come back to it later. If I don’t know the exact word I’m looking for, or if something will need to be researched, I write placeholder text like [City] or [Food], and I come back later to fill it in. (Similarly, if you’re having difficulty thinking of the English word you want to use, you might write the word in whichever language it comes to you in and look for the English word later.)

In later drafts, I go back through and fix that stuff and add the missing pieces, and I find it a lot easier to do with a bad first draft. The first draft is basically me making a bunch of puzzle pieces, and the editing process is where I figure out how to connect the pieces and make them into something coherent. It’s really important to me to keep writing and editing separate, because they’re very different mindsets. My writing brain needs to come up with ideas, and she needs to be free to do that without my editing brain immediately yelling, “But that’s not good enough, and here are all the problems with it.” As much as possible, I need my first draft to be a judgment-free zone.

Some people find things like writing sprints helpful--the key there is that you’re giving yourself a dedicated amount of time where all you’re doing is putting words down on the page, and you’re not allowed to go back and edit.

The whole time I’m writing a first draft, every time I get stuck, I just remind myself, “It doesn’t have to be good. It just has to be words.”

Generally speaking, the only times that the zero draft mindset doesn’t work is if I’m creatively burnt out and I need to step back and take some time to recharge. But 90% of the time, the cause of my writer’s block is that I’m being too picky and wearing my editing brain too early on in the writing process.

Facing a blank page can be really hard. Writing is often really hard, and writing fic in a language that you haven’t written fic in before is especially hard. It’s very normal for you to be struggling with it! So please be kind to yourself.

[strfd]

if you feel inspired, my url? 😇

send URL for opinion. always open.

small note : i just wanted to say that it took me a while to redo yours cause the ORIGINAL reply got deleted when i accidentally zoomed in while trying to edit the coding & it erased like 2k words that i had for you . so please forgive me if it isn’t as long or if things are different . because i REALLY liked what i had written for you before but it’s all been lost & i was trying to find the motivation to rewrite everything . im sorry bby !

MY OPINION ON ;

character in general / how the play them : i mentioned this before but i wanna combine these two together for now until we’ve talked more about your precious little girl & i can have a better that these two parts can be separated . but for now they will be staying together . my apologies !

that being SAID , i do want to say that i love & adore most children muses . i do think it takes a lot of heart & dedication to WRITE a child muse but not only that , people often forget that children DO think vastly different than adults . i have seen far too many children muses ( both canon & OC ) just horribly written because people just don’t KNOW how to write them . they dont understand them . & they aren’t really realistic by any means . 

like sure , i get some kids being incredibly bright or smart or quick on their toes , but the fact of the matter is that they are still children . they still have that part of innocent & playful nature to them . regardless of if they are shy or not - & yes , you can see this up in their teens as well . yes , i have also seen far too many people judge a teenager for their behaviour when , in reality , they're also KIDS . like i hate to burst people’s bubbles , but its the sad & hard truth , which is why i’m just generally picky when it comes to people writing kids of any age . younger kids are easier though , i would assume - but in that same regard , i think people need to understand that they are really simple minded often times as well . what i am trying to get at is that writing kids is a VERY special feat , in my opinion because , yea , i would LIKE to see something really realistic .

in your case , from what i have seen , though , i think ari is VERY cute . she’s adorable , she’s sweet , & honestly ? she’s wholesome & real ! i was genuinely really excited to have your promo come across my dash because i love & adore children muses a lot & ari is just ??? cute . cute cute cute CUTE ! honestly , please forgive me because i really did have so much more to say , but my words are just LOST since im still struggling to try to remember what i wrote 3 days ago for you ...

the mun : oh you are honestly such a sweetheart i am not gonna lie . i want you to know that i had like 5 paragraphs for you all written down in the last one and i got so sad because im burnt out now , im so sorry ! but here , allow me to , at the very least , sum up what i had typed up before .

it’s quite rare for me to find another mun who talks JUST as much as me HRNGH . i tend to like overexplain a lot of things , & i get worried that im being annoying or overbearing for a lot of people cause i HAVE been told that in the past & i just go FBLKSDHFG cause of it . cause i dont MEAN to . so when i saw that you do the same thing ??? damn it was like omg same hat same hat same h -

no really i got GENUINELY excited .

anyway , you are very VERY sweet & soft & kind . you remind me of the cute little flowers that i used to see when i was in uni . like daisies actually ! i get awee whenever i see you on the dash or get a message from you . i think ... honestly , i can relate to you in many ways . just the idea & concept of wanting to be kind & wanting to communicate with others .

oh ! also !!! honestly ??? so like i love how you put emojis in your messages a lot !! it’s honestly a very unique & very expressive way of talking to others . while i have other very expressive friends , this is the first time i have seen somebody be THIS expressive in their text & honestly it is just a LOVELY ray of sunshine ! i love it so so SO much ~ i LOVE talking to you , i swear . i promise . im only sad that we met at like the most UNFORTUNATE time since i get REALLY bad burnout during the holidays & i have been excessively burnt out since march of this year & havent been able to recoup T^T . i don’t regret it at all though , im only sorry that i haven’t really reached out more .

anyway . you are a sweat bean ! i look forward to talking to you more . i love your winnie the pooh icons / theme you have going . i grew up with pooh bear & co ( tigger , rabbit , & owl were my favourites growing up & when i was in uni , eeyore had come to be my all time favourite character so like i have a BIG fondness for winnie the pooh )

DO I ;

RP with them : not yet no . but i want to !!

want to RP with them : of course ! i think its a bit funny cause i had JUST talked to somebody else not to long ago ( before i spoke to you ) about how cloud does have a soft spot for kids , he’s just BAD at interacting with them HRNGH . but really im genuinely interested in interacting with you because i think it would be just very neat to have cloud interact with more kids . one of my favourite chapters in the remake was when you get to help out the kids HFBDSALKDHB . funny cause i don’t like kids but i personally think that kids still deserve the best . they’re precious little things . anyway ... yes . please . RP , plot , just TALKING about them would be fine for me . p - please ? 

WHAT IS MY ;

overall opinion : a precious bean . 10 / 10 , 5 stars , & 2 enthusiastic thumbs up ! an actual sweetheart . like really . 

**Note: Mun’s answer are all to be completely honest. Don’t send url if you don’t want brutal honesty

[thedispatched]

Analyzing The Victim’s Statements + My Thoughts

disclaimer: I am not choosing a side. As I was reading the translations of the op’s statements, I started to overthink and over analyze. This is my personal view on things that are happening.

I am not choosing a side and I am not hating on anyone. I’m trying to look at things from multiple perspectives.

This is also based on the assumption that the translations are accurate and the op’s are telling the truth.

I also tried to avoid saying things that I felt were obvious/most people thought of when reading the statements.

Something to remember: these statements were written after the girls had realized what happened and had time to process. If these were written when they were still in love, it’d be written differently. When written after being able to look back on it and realizing they were played, they view everything differently than when they did at the time. They’re no longer in love, but now they’re writing this as someone who is hurt.

Some stuff i say about one person’s statement may also apply to another statement.

Thoughts I had when reading op 1’s statement.

Why did she stay friends with him after they broke up. Why did he contact her literally the day after? Maybe I shouldn’t say anything because I’ve never been in a relationship, but even if we ended on good terms, I wouldn’t stay friends immediately. I’m gonna need some time before we become friends. But everyone is different.

He contacted her the day after the break up? One his rest days she still paid for hotels and he came to her house? Lucas sounds like he’s just using her. If you broke up with her, why are you still doing this?

OP, you’re no longer dating, please stop buying him things. I understand buying him things when you’re dating, but spending that much when you’re not, please don’t do it. And why is coming over so often 😭😭😭(or were they dating during this time and the translation wasn't clear ??)

On the day’s she didn’t buy him cigarettes he says “why didn’t you buy them i thought you definitely would.” First of all, just because you thought she was gonna do it, doesn’t mean she has to. Second, the ‘why didn’t you’ can be interpreted in different ways, depending on how it was said. Either it comes off as an asshole way and he always expects her to do what he wants, or he says it in a way that comes off in a more manipulative way if that makes sense. We don’t know what tone he used so I’m guessing.

My imagination might be running wild here, but don’t lots of celebrities buy things/do things without getting caught? If he thought it through enough, Lucas could definitely buy cigarettes without getting noticed. Do managers have access to their cards/bank info? If they do then I’d imagine lots of people opening secret accounts. (Also use cash???) If not, then the fucking lie……….

“He had a picky personality so I had to match him,” does this mean she had to change her personality around him?

If Lucas was picking out the hotels they stayed at, I bet they were expensive since he had her buy him designer clothes. I wonder how much op had cause I’d hate to think she spent everything she had on someone who isn’t worth it.

When she says that she bought him designer things and after a while he’d stop wearing them and he said that because he’s earning money now, if she isn’t going to buy him a house or a car then she might as well not buy him anything. He sounds really ungrateful. It also can come off as manipulative and shitty in general.

I wonder if op ever asked for anything/got gifts, especially when he started making money. After everything she spent on him, he could buy something for her. Cash can’t be traced right? Op never mentioned if she got any gifts or not (at least to my knowledge) so either he never bought her anything or he did and she left that out.

*edit: i looked their wechat messages and from what i personally was able to translate with my limited korean (and a dictionary), op did ask for something and lucas said no. someone can correct me if i'm wrong though.

Every time they went to the hotel all he did was order room service, eat, and sleep. Sounds like he’s using her.

She mentions how he never said thank you and thought it was a definite thing she’d pay all the time. Using, ungrateful.

He sounds like he was trying to be a sugar baby without telling the other it was that type of relationship.

She tells him she’s gonna sue him and the next day left the kkt room and changed his number. Can op sue? If the law is the same, I don’t think she can. Even though she was blinded by love, she still chose to spend all that money. Plus, him being a foreigner might make things harder/different.

“It’s a good thing I didn’t answer the call yesterday.” He was contacting her just before this came out ?????????????? What’s his game?

Thoughts on OP 1’s second statement.

If Lucas really does use the same lines on everyone, classic fuckboy.

Honestly, I’d find it ironic if the one messing up choreography and delayed filming was him and not another member. (What if he actually talks about himself when he “talks bad about the members” but replaces him with someone else….)

So allegedly the manager knew he had a girlfriend. I feel the members must’ve known also. I doubt the manager would know and not the members. They probably didn’t know about the other girls, but I bet they knew about her. Unless he lied about the manager knowing.

I find it interesting how they break up when he’s busy and date when he’s not. Yes, he could not want to date when working, but if we look at everything op claimed he did (like spend all that money), to me it comes off as only using her. Like when he’s free he has all the time to get all the things he wants and make sure he doesn’t fuck up and make a slip of tongue to expose his plan. Stuff like that. (I would say it would also leave more room to meet other girls, but clearly being in a relationship isn’t a problem).

And if they met on Chuseok, I wonder why she wasn’t with family (or friends?). I know there could be personal reasons for that, but I got curious.

I wonder why Lucas stayed with her for so long. Did he stay with her longer than the others? If he did then why?

Overall, he just seems like a spoiled asshole and a player who is using these girls for their money in this statement.

Thoughts when reading op 2’s statement

The biggest thought/question I had when reading op’s statement is about his alleged private instagram account.

First, her screenshot shows she isn’t following him. Did she take the screenshot before following or after unfollowing? Was it after everything and she was blocked and looking at it through a different account?

It says the profile has 5 posts. I feel like at least one of those posts could have an some indication that it was Lucas’ account and taking a screenshot when following would’ve been better, but op could have her own reasons as to why she didn’t so I won’t question that too much.

It also says 2 followers. When people have private accounts, don’t they usually let their closest friends and family follow it? I see this as either no one wanted to follow it or don’t know about the account or he didn’t let them follow it.

Is it an account specifically to hit girls up? Is he not as close with some people like we thought? Does no one know about this account?

I would also like to know who those followers are. Are they other girls he was dating or someone else? If op was taking this picture from a different account, then possibly she is one follower. But we don’t know.

If it were me, I’d look into who was following as best as I could.

If it was an account dedicated to hitting up girls, then…………..

But let’s also leave the possibility that it’s not even his account and someone else who we’re being led to believe is Lucas.

(I do find it interesting how she included dms but a screenshot of her not following which still questions when she took that screenshot)

When he mentions his ex-girlfriend, part of me can't help but wonder if it’s true or at least how much of the story is true.

The amount op claims Lucas smokes is pretty worrying… if he does smoke that much I hope he gets help and stops. How does one dance like that when smoking so often?

Did he mean that he thought K*is *u took training for granted and never practiced or someone else? Cause if he meant K* then was he even in SM at the same time? I sound stupid lol

It’s been a while since I watched Lucas on Real Men and I don’t remember much but I feel like I would remember him saying he was injured on the show unless it wasn’t filmed. Correct me if it was included though. It’s been a while.

I will say though that it’s nothing new. I was just watching this video on Kim Jong Kook and it mentioned that when he did his military service, there were lots of celebrities trying to get out of it and paid doctors to lie saying they were injured (KJK didn’t just to be clear). Obviously this is different because it’s a tv show and he’s not actually enlisting, but people fake injuries all the time to get out of things. And yes, it’s horrible to do, especially since his fan’s would’ve been worrying and all that, but let’s not act like we’ve never seen this before. (Also if he did do this, I wonder if he got caught or not. Like if he did, how did SM react?)

I wonder if Lucas still has all these gifts.

Notice how when Lucas mentions traveling to the moon, op says she wants to follow and she’ll buy the tickets. And Lucas smirks and says he would think about it. He only says ‘we can’ when mentions she’ll earn enough for the tickets.

It does seem like a cute conversation between lovers, but you can see once again how Lucas is being smart with his words and getting her to use her money and he won’t use his own. Also, at first he basically says he’s going alone, it’s like he’s checking to see how much she’s into him. That smirk after her asking if she can come, it’s like he’s smirking because he got what he wanted. This is my opinion though and I could be overthinking and looking too much into something that isn’t there.

Also, smirk, to me, is more sly. Did she originally see it was a smile, but after everything sees it as a smirk? Did she realize after it was a smirk or wrote it that way intentionally?

When she says, “In the end, he couldn’t give his everything to me, but I was willing to give everything to him.” Again I ask, did they leave out certain things? This could mean she just gave him everything emotionally. I wonder if Lucas did do some things for them and they don’t mention it. Of course it would seem unfair if he did small things compared to their big things, but small things can be really thoughtful. So I once again wonder if Lucas did “small” things that they don’t mention.

This girl went to every concert. I have the same question of how much money she has and I hope she didn’t spend it all on him. I wonder if he only seeks out rich girls?

She mentioned he went to 1 dinner with another fan, but stopped seeing them after the one meal because she wasn’t that pretty. Really horrible thing to say, but what if she just wasn’t rich enough? I don’t see Lucas going to dinner with her if he didn’t find her attractive at first. She could also have had a personality he didn’t like, but we’ll never know. (what if she wasn’t so blinded by her love for him and he realized he couldn’t scam her?) afterall, op claims that he wasn’t interested when reading the chats between those two. what if, what if, what if.

Did his mother really raise him to respect and treat girls well because if she did, how could he do this?

Thoughts on op 3’s statement

I think the airdrop thing is really weird. I’m someone who never keeps their bluetooth on. But why would someone famous have it on when anyone could find your phone? If this is true, then he really is just scouting for girls -- hoping someone finds it and contacts him.

I kinda hope Lucas isn’t the type to talk bad and start rumors about these girls behind their back cause that’s a dick move.

This is what I wanted to say about him allegedly talking bad about his members. Op mentions they were drinking and alcohol could have played a part in what he was saying, but it depends how much they drank. Part of me feels like he wouldn’t have said this without some liquid courage, but I also don’t personally know him.

There is also the possibility that this is being exaggerated or worded to make it seem worse than it actually is. Everyone has something they don’t like about a person, even their best friends, but we also all go through bad days so maybe he was feeling like shit and was just ranting. I know when I rant I sometimes go off a bit and make things seem worse than they actually are. But again, we don’t know.

I find this complaint about Keep Running understandable. The show has been on for years and has seniors on it, of course you’ll feel pressured in some way. It just comes down to how bad the pressure was, if you know what I mean.

Disliking fans taking pictures of him at the airport, am I the only one who finds that understandable as well? Even what he said about his family’s financial situation, I get it. I find everything he said understandable. It just comes down to how he said it and what he said exactly. She didn’t quote him so this could be better or worse than it is.

If his actual wording was worse, I’ll take back what I said. But going off of vague statements, it doesn’t seem too bad. Of course, him badmouthing his members seems bad, but that all depends on context we don’t have.

If we do look at it in OP’s eyes, she says this was a tactic to gain sympathy. There’s not much to say because yes it obviously can come off that way.

Again, it all depends on context we don’t have. (Like what tone was used, etc)

I wonder if he really does dislike Burberry.

The clothes part, I will say, he seems very sly and it seems to be planned out. He claims he didn’t bring enough clothes. Op offers to buy and he asks for designer stuff. He told her before arriving he didn’t have enough clothes, an easy lie. He probably hoped she’d buy him stuff. Used her money to get expensive things.

Take notice of how the op said “I asked if I could buy some clothes for him before he came over.” She offered.

Now, either she was so in love or he is a really good manipulator.

Notice how he ignores her when she mentions she doesn’t live alone.

I have two thoughts about this: wants privacy for sex and less witnesses to catch on his play. If someone who isn’t blinded by you sees what you’re doing, they will much easily catch onto your bullshit and you don’t want that.

What teammate was exposed?

Interesting how he tells her he doesn’t drink with other girls, but openly told op 2 he went out once.

Almost forgot to mention that there is a claim(?) going around that op’s pictures of the Balenciaga jacket are fake. An anon sent this to me the other day about it. And this was my response to it:

“i won't say much on the clothes/receipts but it's always good to remember that even if you believe the victims, you shouldn't always be behind them 100% at least in the very beginning. everyone is capable of lying. we've seen in pretty much any celebrity scandal people fake things all the time and pictures are the easiest to fake.”

(i talked about everything in the article including the prediction tweets. If you wanna read my response here it is).

Lucas choosing to eat a pricey place...seems fitting with everything everyone has claimed so far.

This text conversation. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?

Thoughts on OP 4’s Statement

I don’t have too many thoughts on this statement.

Interesting how to this op he praises his teammate but op 3 said he talked bad about them. Is it the same teammates or different ones?

They met while he was working and she only says good things about his personality. To me, because he wasn’t in private, he was wearing his professional facade. I don’t mean this in a bad way as everyone acts differently in public and private. But because of the environment difference, it’s important to remember how much this statement will differ from the rest.

Did they have the type of relationship he had with the others?

Correct me if I’m wrong, but he only flirted with her when they met for the vlog and we’ve seen him be like that on camera. He talked to her after because he showed interest, but let’s remember what I said above.

I’m honestly really confused about the second part because one translation account makes it seem like another person is talking and another makes it seem like it’s still the surf instructor. Or maybe I’m just dumb lol.

*read the one of the other translations I linked and they said the instructor was bribed by SM’s PR team to make some weak excuse so that explains why her first statement differs.

Allegedly he bought a cat op didn’t want? And WinWin is allegedly taking care of it? WinWin is allergic to cat fur which is why they bought short haired cats. I don’t see WinWin taking care of a cat that isn’t his when he’s allergic.

We don’t know what actually happened to this cat. We don’t know why he really bought the cat. I feel like you wouldn’t buy a cat for someone unless you know they wanted it.

There’s a photo of WinWin where people suspect cat hair to be on his shirt. Maybe it depends on the type of cat, but that doesn’t look like cat hair to me? I had a friend who always had cat hair on his clothes as he had several cats at home and my sister’s car was covered in it also.

WinWin’s photo looks more like dust or lint or something. But again, it might just depend on the type of cat.

Also, where did WinWin come from? Does op know for a fact he took the cat? If she didn’t give the cat away how would she know where it went? Was she told where the cat was going? (if she was told, why would she care if she didn’t want it in the first place?)

Let’s also leave room for the possibility that the cat wasn’t even for her. Maybe Lucas picked up the cat for someone else (like he didn’t buy it, just picked it up). Or maybe he bought it for a friend. Since we don’t know much about this cat, anything could be said about it.

And why choose winwin of all people? Just because he was in China? Just because that picture exists? It seems weird to me.

Conclusion

These statements were written after the girls had realized what happened and had time to process. If these were written when they were still in love, it’d be written differently. When written after being able to look back on it and realizing they were played, they view everything differently than when they did at the time. They’re no longer in love, but now they’re writing this as someone who is hurt.

We have no way of knowing what happened. I’m not choosing sides, I’m not hating. I just wanted to take a deeper look into what was said and share my thoughts.

These statements give off the impression that Lucas used them for his own gain and didn’t care about them. However, I wonder if there is something being left out.

I also wonder how many of Lucas' words to the girls were true.

In Lucas’ short, vague, statement, it gave off the impression that something was true, we just don’t know what. That leaves room for people to think the worst. SM’s statement seemed like they don’t look after their artists closely enough. But these are all assumptions and we’ll never know.

Everything is written with a bias. Even Lucas’ side would be. Be careful of how things are worded.

This is all my opinion. If you have anything to say, please do so respectively in my ask box. If I have anything to add, this post will be edited.

Thank you for reading.

Translations used are the ones linked in my pinned.