#meant to add like i dont write fanfic and im amazed at people who do

[allbeendonebefore]

weird question but for the sake of fanfic accuracy, how would ralph and oliver like their steaks? my first instinct for ollie is to say well done lol

also this is my first fanfic so i wanna get their portrayals (mostly for ralph) right, as much as i can at least. how do you think they’d interact when it’s just them? personally i see ollie as very reserved/uptight and i feel like ralph would feel awkward bc there’s lots of underlying tension even if they aren’t arguing plus little things ollie says/does that grate on him even if ollie isn’t trying to piss him off.

ah the steak question, the one i always avoid because steak is my least favourite way to eat beef and i know bertie is like. PASSIONATE. about that. I think he'd raise an eyebrow at well done though, i think he is more a medium-rare/medium sort of guy and he is also a fan of beef tartare so the rawness does not bother him but he also wants that sear on the outside, yknow, like the cook put an effort into the Correct Balance. Well done is like. why are you drying out that poor cow, you might as well be eating jerky. [fellow albertans with steak opinions, please by all means tell me]

How they act together is definitely contextual somewhat but yes I agree that Ollie is generally uptight because that's the way he is around everyone, that's the cost of being the Good British Child and the Public Face - and Bertie has this roulette going that will either land on [high strung, take offense] or [make a show of being So Relaxed] because he's the one that Also gets flack for being the Princess Province from everyone, so he is out to prove (both to everyone and to himself) that he's NOT as high strung as OLIVER even though in a lot of ways he Absolutely is. Like, I will be masochistic and tough in situations I wouldn't be in private just to show him what a Real Man (tm) would do. (a real man may choose to buy heated seats for his truck but is not... he's not soft enough to use them... no sir... unless of course YOU want them on, I GUESS. i almost forgot they were there.)

[and like, the implication is that bert is "At Home" in his Element in the comic, which is a little different than Not Being At Home of course. no i didn't specify which airport they're at... oop. entirely depends on the reason why ollie is visiting which i also didn't specify]

Obviously with [gestures at the background radiation of political bullshit] though I think they are both tired. i'm tired. i'm tired of seeing it im tired of hearing it and we all need a break from political theatre. like yes, tension, its real, it's weighing on everyone, i often use it as fuel to vent when i do dumb comics, but its also like. we are in this same bullshit together, like me and my colleagues back in ON watched ford ripping up and selling off the green belt while kenney and smith are still trying to turn the mountains into open pit mines like "same hat". There's a point beyond "you don't get me!!" where it becomes "you get me...", its like, its this assumption that things are never going to change and the assumption about how one is going to react that is the actual crux of the personality conflict, you feel me? i don't know if this makes sense at all its just something i have been chewing on a lot. chewing on it like a dry well done steak

anyway its like. it would feel odd to me if there Wasn't teasing and jabs but for me there is definitely an ironic feeling to it, like they both understand what is actually going on but it's hard to figure out what to do about it and so they kind of get stubborn and stuck in their ways a little, but at the same time its also like "thanks for coming," "you see what i have to deal with," "i picked an activity i think you'd like (i hope you say so, i'm very proud of it even though i pretend its no big deal, this is me actually being very vulnerable and concerned with your opinion, i hope you appreciate it, but also if you did idk how to respond)" or "i knew you weren't going to like this but you should broaden your horizons and loosen up" hahaha...

(you see why i struggle articulating my thoughts, like, how do you Portray that idk man)

like, i do have more to say and im happy to try to be clearer about what i mean or to give some more specific examples or try to detail what i think the [+/- sims friendship points] things might be or those little grating things, I just need to stop somewhere before i stop making sense altogether hahahaha

[shijas]

hi chel! i hope this is ok to ask but if it isnt, you dont have to answer. lately, ive been struggling with my writing. i do still enjoy writing, but i find myself doubting myself more often. i sometimes wonder if what im writing is realistic to how the characters would act, or if my writing is embarrassing. i started posting my works on ao 3 more recently and... while my writing gets a somewhat decent? amount of attention, ill see other works with a lot of engagement and wonder if im doing

heyy nonny! ofc this was okay to ask!! firstly, i totally feel you. it’s completely natural to have moments when you’re unsure and dissatisfied with your writing. if you still enjoy the process of writing, then that’s great! i want to make it clear that your feelings may linger but they will pass!!

i talked about this in an ask on my writing blog once but my three biggest writing tips are: “a first draft is a first draft”, “if you’re writing is indulging you then it’s met your target audience” and “as long as your characterisation is consistent to how you feel about the character everything is fine”.

i think, especially, when you’re writing fanfiction that these are things that you keep in mind! when characterising characters, i can’t personally tell you whether how you feel and thus write about them is ‘correct’ or not! no one can, because the lens of which you read and write them is dependent on your whole life worth of experiences!! and this is fine!! you don’t have to write characters exactly as they are in canon, and in all honestly no one truly expects you too. people read fanfiction because they want other interpretations of a story/characters that they love!! as long your characterisation is consistent to you, rather than realistic to someone else’s standards i think you’ll be okay!

now, posting on ao3 is always a double edged sword, and once again, i totally get where you’re coming from. i think everyone who posts semi frequently has a work that they love, which gets barely any attention, and other works that maybe are more of a joke or a quick thing that do surprisingly well. sadly, you can’t force readers or engagement, you can only put your stuff out and hope. if your numbers seem small and the engagement does seem low in comparison to other people, this doesn’t necessarily mean you’re doing something wrong and as hard as that is to internalise or believe, please trust me on this!! i’ve read many a fic with barely any interaction and they’ve been brilliant, likewise i’ve read a lot of fic with a whole bunch of engagement that i personally didn’t enjoy.

a quick initial solution that helped me when seeing numbers really started to bog me down was using the site skin that removed all statistics from every work, my own included. this meant that i could still read fics, but i wouldn’t see anyones numbers, and it also meant when i went on my own page i was forced to look at my works for what they’re about rather than how “well or not” they did by numbers.

another thing that really helped me was advice from a tiktok i can’t currently find which basically said: “30, 60, 100 views might not seem like a lot on the internet, but imagine if that many people walked into your room and saw what you’ve created. they chose to come and see what you’ve created. 15, 40, 60 likes may not feel like a lot but imagine if that many people who had walked into your room to see what you’ve created and told you they liked your work. it would be pretty overwhelming.” i think there’s a really important message in that tiktok. every view, every kudo, comment and bookmark — even if it’s few — is an individual who chose to take a look at your work! they wanted to read it! some of them felt brave enough to kudo and tell you they enjoyed it! some of them were even braver and left a comment saying what they enjoyed! sure, it can feel underwhelming in comparison, but people are engaging, people do care and like your work!

the only person your writing has to be ‘good enough’ for is yourself! and if you enjoyed writing it then external numbers are just a bonus, no matter how big or small!! dissatisfaction is natural and expected from time to time, like i said earlier it will pass. sometimes it’s even a good thing, because if you finish something but feel dissatisfied, that might motivate you to write another draft, or redo a section or take a section out or add a section in! as long as this process is because you want to and it’ll make you happier with your work that’s good. if it’s draining it might be a hint that you should take a break from that project and try something else that you enjoy. you can always comeback. and on that note your ao3 and the fics you post there are not set in stone. if one day you decide you want to revamp a fic, do it! that’s allowed! it’s not a printed published fic! just hit that edit button and change at your hearts content. no one will mind! if anything those few people who might love you fic may be super happy that when they reread it, there’s something new or things have changed a bit!!

i’m really lucky that i have a friend that is not only is doing an english degree but writes fanfic herself, and other friends who frequently read fics and hc stuff over shared fandoms, so there’s always someone there to read my stuff — if you’ve got irl friends that are in your fandom spaces that you trust, i say subject yourself to the mortifying ordeal of being known and talk to them about it!! writing fics in isolation can be pretty hard!! online, i think if you’ve got the nerves to handle it (i do not OTL), twitter is a great place to interact with other writers!! my tips are maybe follow some of your fave writers and try and strike up a conversation?? be wary of the numbers again on twitter!!! similarly, if you do have a tumblr, talk to some of your favourite writers on here, and follow some writing/ao3 based blogs to see whose in the community! apparently there’s even discords for writers these days, so if you’re up to it that’s a great shout. if we’re in overlapping fandoms i love hearing people’s hcs so you can always throw them at me here or on my writing blog!!

i’m sorry that my reply got so long!! i hope that in some way it helps you even a little!! i’m sure you’re writing is pretty amazing and that it’s only going to get better the more you read and write!! have a great day nonny, and good luck, you can push through this!! 💗