#sometimes it's just :/ like those 'for the cis writers out there here's how to write a trans character!' (cue terrible advice)

[stargirlfics]

I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting lately about being a black writer and the choice I made a few years ago to start writing for other black girls like myself, purposefully stating that my fics are written with a black reader or black OC or black latina reader because I had never seen that before in fanfic and wanted to make a space for us, and for myself too where that was possible.

I realized I could start writing the kinds of stories where someone with brown skin, dark skin and black features with hair like mine or my friend’s could be the main character, could be in love, and taken care and allowed to be sensitive and emotional and angry and at the center of the story for once!

At least to me, from where I was when I started posting my writing on here, I think it was just myself and a handful of other black writers that were really the first to start writing specifically for black readers, for a non white audience, because up until that point any character fic you searched for was mostly likely going to be white coded or have a white OC. I don’t think I ever really give myself much credit for it but I’m trying to get better at that so I’m going to take the space to say I’m really proud to be one of the first to do that in the fandoms I was in at that time.

Unfortunately a lot of those writers I was inspired by and was writing alongside have left or stopped writing or moved their writing elsewhere because as much as there was positive responses and people finding representation, there was also a lot of racism and harassment and just awful treatment thrown our way too.

Lately I’ve really stopped to think about how much harassment I myself experienced, how many times I had to turn my asks off from racist anons and hate I was getting, and how there was a point in time where it was frequent to see black writers or other writers of color on here dealing with racist comments.

So much of that was not okay at all, especially when I think about how nobody was really sticking up for us besides each other, it was hardly a peep from other white writers and I don’t think it was as called out as it should have been at the time which is why what my dear friend @obiknights says about that in their response here is what made me write this post because it was said so plainly and correctly! (That entire post including OP’s words is spot on and important to talk about btw so I encourage everyone to read it!!)

The writing spaces in fandom and just in general are not catered to anyone outside the white/cis box and I’m thankful it’s been a long time since I’ve had to deal with any harassment but I still see it happen and I still see how often we are ignored or given less recognition. I know that my writing receives less interaction and that less people give reading it a chance because it doesn’t cater to them as a white person and sometimes that still really frustrates me and makes me angry.

All this to say I think people, myself included need to be reminded that there’s still a lot of work to do and there’s always ways to support black writers, black queer writers and artists, human beings, on here who put so much of our love and time and energy into creating amazing stuff and we deserve to take up space too.

I’ll never stop writing about people who look like me, I love it too much, I love how rich our creativity is and frankly, out of pure spite for being told so many times my writing wasn’t realistic for having a black woman as the protagonist, I’m going to keep writing these stories forever! <3

[grandmother-goblin]

So I just got to that personal conversation with Taash and I’m not sure how I feel about it in terms of writing execution

Prefacing this with that this is NOT a criticism of the inclusion of non-binary characters. Seriously, I love that the representation is there and is talked about! This is more of just my thoughts on the writing execution of those scenes. I’m a cis white woman, I have no place whatsoever to talk about the quality of the representation, but I do know a bit about writing so that is ALL this is about.

(That being said, if I say something truly egregious, please gently correct me. I’m honestly just a bit of an idiot.)

So, the non-binary aspect of Taash’s personal journey seemed kinda… clunky in terms of writing and execution. Which I find really disappointing because I was pretty okay with how BioWare has handled these sorts of things in the past (Dorian and Krem come to mind).

It felt especially clunky compounded with that one non-binary Grey Warden who was basically like “hey, thanks for finding my now tragically dead friends who helped me discover I was non-binary.” YOU JUST FOUND OUT YOUR FRIENDS FUCKING DIED. NOW IS NOT THE TIME.

Like, the game already had Rook refer to that Warden as “they” so it just felt like they were overdoing it there. I think the line was something like, “They were there when I was figuring out who I am, you know, the non-binary stuff” and I feel like the last part was just not needed given the context.

But maybe that’s just me.

Now, I’m actually okay with BioWare spelling it out a bit for people who might not have much exposure or knowledge of what being non-binary means. It’s honestly a topic that I don’t hear much about outside of online spaces, and I’m sure there are others in the same boat, so I do appreciate BioWare being clear.

That being said, I think the writers didn’t have enough faith in the intelligence of their audience. And, unfortunately, it shows.

Both of the scenes I’ve seen dealing with non-binary aspects of a character’s identity felt kind of like…. You know those are educational skits that people sometimes use in training videos or at school?

It felt a bit like one of those.

Now, that might just be me. Maybe it’s perfect from the perspective of someone who has been craving that sort of representation, and that’s great! Maybe I just need to shut up and get with the program 😂 But if an aspect of my own identity were treated the same way, it would feel kind of bittersweet. Maybe frustrating. Because on one hand, it’s there and it seems to be handled with respect, but on the other hand, the writing just isn’t that well done.

It feels like a situation where BioWare needed to “trim the fat”, so to speak. Sometimes writers end up over-explaining things, not wanting to be misunderstood, and end up unintentionally insulting the intelligence of their audience. It feels like that might’ve been what happened here because there are parts of Taash’s journey that are excellent! I think it would have been more effective if the writers trusted their audience more.

Anyways, that’s my take on it. I absolutely adore Taash and they are so funny and sweet! They are part of my main party and they have the best commentary 😂

[soleminisanction]

I'm currently reading through tim's history chronologically and haven't gotten super far yet, but there's a question knocking around inside my head, so: how do you think tim views his own masculinity? from previous unorganized readings, I got a bit of a impression that both jack and tim can somewhat old fashioned and conservative in some of the ways they think and yet, tim is both pretty boyish but doesn't always appreciate what jack values as masculine interests and view points... so, how do you think tim views himself in that regard? how do you view him in that regard? does him being queer now change some of those interpretations?

Just to put my cards on the table here, my take on this is very much colored by the fact that I read Jack Drake as a direct parallel for Chuck Dixon.

Chuck is, notoriously at this point, a reactionary conservative, specifically of the racist, sexist and homophobic variety who thinks "I was fired for being a homophobe" is a relatable sob story and who's spent the last ten years of his professional career writing literal Q-anon propaganda and self-published Turner Diaries fan fiction. And his politics often got involved in his stories, especially in the form of throwing female love interests at young men like Tim and Connor Hawke to discourage the reading that they might be gay.

So while Jack is never (to my knowledge) shown to be openly homophobic in the comics, his tendency for conservative opinions and a heavy-handed, sometimes borderline abusive or neglectful parenting style makes me think that it makes sense for him to be a source of similar influence in-universe. I like this reading because it partially recontextualizes the conflict between Tim and his father into a metaphorical conflict between Dixon as a writer and the character he only thinks he has total control over.

As for how that affects Tim's views on masculinity... I guess the simplest way to put it is, it's complicated? A part of me is always tempted to filter out the moments when he's clearly being used as a mouthpiece for Dixon's Opinions; which, TBF, I do with other characters as well, even Steph. So I mostly tend to skim over his more Conservative moments as just Dixon Being Dixon.

My general perception is that Tim's natural personality gravitates towards the center of the sliding scale of gender, in that space where queerness intermingles with the punk, nerd and goth subcultures. Like he's fully a man (cis in the comics, trans in my heart) but he's also comfortable painting his nails and isn't really bothered by people considering him pretty rather than handsome. But, while his father was alive, Tim felt pressured to live up to Jack's expectations of masculinity, so he'd somewhat overcompensate by posturing with the positive aspects of masculinity he approved of: being a protector and a provider, especially of women, being brave in the face of opposition, being disciplined enough to choose celibacy until he's older, that sort of thing.

And then after Jack died, he was more free to just... let that go and be himself, because for as much as Bruce (and Jason, and many other adult male superheroes) is a Towering Symbol of Masculinity, none of them expect Tim to be that way if he doesn't want to be, and he's got plenty of other role models like Dick, Alfred and Ted Kord who clearly show that there are other ways of being a man that are just fine.

That this roughly corresponds with Dixon leaving the company and Tim fully changing hands to various writers, many of whom -- as we now know according to various testimonies since he came out -- always thought of him as some variety of queer, is simply narrative synergy.

Him coming out hasn't really changed my perception in that regard. I always read him as queer. That DC let him actually come out was just a pleasant surprise.

[findroleplay]

I'm seeking 1x1 Discord based RP again, friends. Specifically as one of two of my characters really, though I am always open to making more OCs if need be as long as the idea floats my boat and you think we'd vibe!

I am a lazylit, 1-4 paragraph in 3rd person writer. I'm here to have fun, not fill word count quotas, and I really dig people who feel the same. I love open and communicative partners who are just as excited about their OCs as I am about mine. I'd love to get some MxM, NBixNBi or MxNBi (with me playing either of those) plots going tbh. Will consider FxNBi for the one NBi OC if I like your idea, but no promises.

Please go on my blog and read my pinned post before you contact me. Some short notices before I get into it: I am 32, you should be over 21 to RP with me, and your muse should be over 21 or, even better, over 25. No anime/manga faceclaims. Nothing too 'off the wall' either. I won't RP against a Hazbin Hotel character for example. My links aren't done yet but I can ping some stuff over if you're interested.

These characters, and their accompanying plots/universes, are generally made for adults only. They are adults, they do adult things, and I too am an adult that wants to write about adult things. So smut, sex, whatever you want to call it is inevitable. I don't mind sometimes fading to black but sex and sensuality are important to both of these characters' stories and I don't want to totally ignore that!

As such, I'm only really looking for people who are cool with a good smattering of smut and kink, and some heavier topics too, which can include Omegaverse if we decide to go that route, cruising & cottaging, anonymous sex and all that comes with that, underworld supernatural goings on, kink of varying types (of course that's depending on your preferences and mine, and how they mesh!)... Just, be mature and willing to write about adult things.

Now onto what I'm looking for. I have two characters inhabiting my brainbits at the moment.

CIARAN O'CONNOR [FC: David Tennant in Good Omens] (which is just one of the many aliases that he has gone by) is lonely. He's been lonely and hungry, in fact, for the past 1200 years. Bitten and turned by a vampire long since perished, when he was at the ripe age of 48, Ciaran has wandered the Earth for a time longer than most people find possible to even imagine. Cursed to walk alone forever, or so he thinks, he pushes away anyone who tries to get close, believing that they will be in mortal peril if they so much as befriend him.

I'm looking for ideally a Male or Nonbinary character to play alongside this Masculine Nonbinary character, but I'll consider Female characters too for Ciaran, for a modern with supernatural plot. Give me fellow vampires, werewolves, the undead, selkies, shapeshifters/changelings! I'd love to find him a Werewolf to play against to teach him how to love and find companionship after 1200 years of loneliness, and maybe we could introduce some omegaaverse shenanigans in there too if that is a thing you also enjoy.

PROFESSOR LEON RITTER [FC: Michael Sheen in Good Omens] - a literature professor - has newly moved to [city of our choosing] from Berlin. He's looking for a few things, chief amongst them for his past to stop following him around. He's a simple man who lives for writing and his books, as well as his pet Chihuahua, Betty. He seeks solace in stories... And sometimes in the darker corners of the city's streets and parks, too.

I'm looking for Male or Masculine Nonbinary characters to play alongside this Cis Male character. This plot is more grounded in reality than the previous, and has no supernatural or fantasy elements, (unless we decide to do something like modern omegaverse? IDK, I am open to that though!) I'd quite like to go one of two ways with him - a younger person, maybe a mature student in his classes, finds out what he does at night and at the weekends, simply by coincidence because they're also out cruising and cottaging, too. Or alternatively someone to calm him down and make him take care of himself for once.

I really, REALLY want to keep their face claims as is. I don't enjoy playing gym bunnies or most models, and want to keep their approx ages as they are also. It's the one thing I'm really inflexible on this time around folks, sorry if you're not a GO fan I guess!

If you're interested in plotting or chatting about either of these folks, please message me on oli.writes.stuff on Discord and we can get something worked out! <3

-

[omegaverserping]

I'm seeking 1x1 Discord based RP again, friends. Specifically as one of two of my characters really, though I am always open to making more OCs if need be as long as the idea floats my boat and you think we'd vibe!

I am a lazylit, 1-4 paragraph in 3rd person writer. I'm here to have fun, not fill word count quotas, and I really dig people who feel the same. I love open and communicative partners who are just as excited about their OCs as I am about mine. I'd love to get some MxM, NBixNBi or MxNBi (with me playing either of those) plots going tbh. Will consider FxNBi for the one NBi OC if I like your idea, but no promises.

Please go on my blog and read my pinned post before you contact me. Some short notices before I get into it: I am 32, you should be over 21 to RP with me, and your muse should be over 21 or, even better, over 25. No anime/manga faceclaims. Nothing too 'off the wall' either. I won't RP against a Hazbin Hotel character for example. My links aren't done yet but I can ping some stuff over if you're interested.

These characters, and their accompanying plots/universes, are generally made for adults only. They are adults, they do adult things, and I too am an adult that wants to write about adult things. So smut, sex, whatever you want to call it is inevitable. I don't mind sometimes fading to black but sex and sensuality are important to both of these characters' stories and I don't want to totally ignore that!

As such, I'm only really looking for people who are cool with a good smattering of smut and kink, and some heavier topics too, which can include Omegaverse if we decide to go that route, cruising & cottaging, anonymous sex and all that comes with that, underworld supernatural goings on, kink of varying types (of course that's depending on your preferences and mine, and how they mesh!)... Just, be mature and willing to write about adult things.

Now onto what I'm looking for. I have two characters inhabiting my brainbits at the moment.

CIARAN O'CONNOR [FC: David Tennant in Good Omens] (which is just one of the many aliases that he has gone by) is lonely. He's been lonely and hungry, in fact, for the past 1200 years. Bitten and turned by a vampire long since perished, when he was at the ripe age of 48, Ciaran has wandered the Earth for a time longer than most people find possible to even imagine. Cursed to walk alone forever, or so he thinks, he pushes away anyone who tries to get close, believing that they will be in mortal peril if they so much as befriend him.

I'm looking for ideally a Male or Nonbinary character to play alongside this Masculine Nonbinary character, but I'll consider Female characters too for Ciaran, for a modern with supernatural plot. Give me fellow vampires, werewolves, the undead, selkies, shapeshifters/changelings! I'd love to find him a Werewolf to play against to teach him how to love and find companionship after 1200 years of loneliness, and maybe we could introduce some omegaaverse shenanigans in there too if that is a thing you also enjoy.

PROFESSOR LEON RITTER [FC: Michael Sheen in Good Omens] - a literature professor - has newly moved to [city of our choosing] from Berlin. He's looking for a few things, chief amongst them for his past to stop following him around. He's a simple man who lives for writing and his books, as well as his pet Chihuahua, Betty. He seeks solace in stories... And sometimes in the darker corners of the city's streets and parks, too.

I'm looking for Male or Masculine Nonbinary characters to play alongside this Cis Male character. This plot is more grounded in reality than the previous, and has no supernatural or fantasy elements, (unless we decide to do something like modern omegaverse? IDK, I am open to that though!) I'd quite like to go one of two ways with him - a younger person, maybe a mature student in his classes, finds out what he does at night and at the weekends, simply by coincidence because they're also out cruising and cottaging, too. Or alternatively someone to calm him down and make him take care of himself for once.

I really, REALLY want to keep their face claims as is. I don't enjoy playing gym bunnies or most models, and want to keep their approx ages as they are also. It's the one thing I'm really inflexible on this time around folks, sorry if you're not a GO fan I guess!

If you're interested in plotting or chatting about either of these folks, please message me on oli.writes.stuff on Discord and we can get something worked out! <3

/

[maochira]

Every time I get a request from someone that's either fem reader or for the Itoshi brothers I lose a part of my motivation to write on here because it's absolutely frustrating to know how many people don't even have the decency to read my request rules or at least my pinned. It never stops happening. It's been 8 months sinve I stopped writing for the Itoshis. EIGHT MONTHS. And it's been 13 months since I started this as a no cisfem reader blog.

If you want me to write something for you to read, take the five fucking minutes to read my rules.

And you know whats funny? This only ever happens with Blue Lock requests. I only got an Ao Ashi request once from someone who didn't read my rules but they then told me they didn't do that because they were excited to find someone who writes for Ao Ashi.

Some of you Itoshi brother requesters are taking writers for granted. You think you can just jump into writers' inboxes and ask to have something written with them, without reading the writer's rules, when there is SO MUCH Itoshis x reader out there already. Same goes for fem reader stuff. I get fem reader is the most common under x reader fics but that's not an excuse to not read rules.

If you like the Itoshis/fem reader stuff and write, request, read or whatever for that this is by no means an offense towards you. This is only about the countless people who haven't been reading my rules since I stopped writing for the Itoshis in August 2023 and ever since I said I don't do fem reader in March 2023. I only added transfem to my rules a month or two ago out of spite.

Sometimes I just want to delete my Itoshi writings but. I'm proud of a couple of those. And even if I did that people would still request them.

I might return to being a gn!reader only blog because that's easier to reply when people request cis fem not lesbian reader. I rarely get requests for male, lesbian and transfem reader anyways,,, (I'll think about that. Probably gonna stay with male reader for mutuals only)

God I'm just so frustrated. Sorry for the rant post but I needed to get this out here because this happens over and over.

[masarukt]

🏳️‍⚧️On Misgendering🏳️‍⚧️ - ⚠️I Would Really Appreciate It If The Non-Trans Folks Would Stop To Read This⚠️

TW/CW: Transphobia/Transantagonism themes and all (and I do mean ALL) the awful and horrible things that go along with it are discussed - such as suicide, death, misgendering, deadnaming, assault, anti-trans bills, etc. Please make sure to look to the tags for more.

So, due to the fact that there are literally SO MANY anti-trans bills that have been introduced across the country (The United States of America) and CONTINUE to be introduced across the country that seeks to block us trans folks from receiving the most basic of healthcare, education, legal recognition, and just the right to exist publicly, I feel the need to talk about this very real issue that seems to be considered a “small issue” to some folks:

Misgendering.

To some, it might seem like something small - a slip up here, a small issue there…and I am here to tell you that it is not. It is NOT a small issue to misgender a trans person. Ever. Even if it is by necessity (I say this because sometimes, I need to be misgendered for the sake of not confusing one of my relatives who has memory issues, for example - or if the trans person isn’t out of the closet just yet).

But, when it isn’t necessary to misgender someone, like in the rare cases like the examples that I just gave, then you ABSOLUTELY SHOULD NOT BE MISGENDERING THEM. This is especially true if you have known about them being trans and about what their pronouns are and what their name is for an extended period of time.

Some folks are also given a grace period to learn pronouns. This is very much true, even, for “They/Them” pronouns because for some folks, those ones can be hard for folks to wrap their brains around even though, technically, singular they/them has been around since 1375 at least - so over 600 years old. It was being used as a singular pronoun by famous writers such as Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Henry James, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. (I have not provided a source for this because you can easily find this information if you search via any search engine for “when was singular They first used”.)

So…I’m sorry folks, but there is really no good reason for folks to be getting their panties into such a twist over using “they/them” as a singular pronoun for folks…at all. And at the end of the day, if it IS an issue, there is a lot of educational material out there to help learn how to use “they/them” as a singular pronoun when referring to someone. Plus, if nothing else, you can always practice on your own in order to get the hang of it. That way, when you are talking to the person, or about the person with someone else, you wont run the risk of misgendering them on accident.

You could even write about them in a journal - that’s always good practice too (I am literally giving free advice here - please take this advice, I am BEGGING YOU). All that I, as a trans person, am asking here is for the non-trans folks, the Cis folks (and Cis is NOT a slur for folks who think that it is - all it means is “the same side of” and in this case, it just means that you identify as the gender that you were assigned to at birth; that’s all) to be better allies to us trans folks.

Because we need you now, more than ever before. We need you by our side right now. We really do. Because we are out here suffering, scared, feeling so very alone.

And dying. A lot of us are dying.

And do you know what else contributes to our deaths?

Misgendering.

It does. It really does. Because do you know what Misgendering does to us?

It makes us feel like you do not see us for who we are. It makes us feel like you do not care. Like as if we are a joke to you. As if we do not matter. As if our existence doesn’t matter. And it makes us feel as if our worth in this world, our struggle, means nothing. As if all of our battling through it all was meaningless.

And then, the next thing you know, another dead trans person ends up on the news…gone far too soon…

I almost lost one of my trans siblings, who will remain nameless because I want to protect their identity, because one of their family members refuses to gender them correctly, among other things…but Misgendering contributed to them almost being lost to this world.

They’re very lucky to still be here with us. I’m extremely relieved and happy that they’re still here.

So…This is one of the many reasons why if you do “slip up” with our pronouns and/or our names, we or someone around us who does know our correct pronouns and/or name will most likely correct you. And, if you are corrected? It is generally best to not get defensive about it. If you do get defensive about it, do you know what that does? It shifts the blame onto us - making it seem like it’s somehow OUR fault for being difficult or something when no, it isn’t our fault. It isn’t really the “fault” of anyone, really - all that this means is that you just need more practice in recognizing and/or remembering our correct pronouns and/or name.

So, a better reaction would simply be “Oh, thanks -“ then proceed to use the correct pronouns and/or name and continue on with whatever it was that you were saying. It’s as simple and quick as that. It doesn’t need to be a big show and dance, it doesn’t need to be a huge deal - it’s as simple as that, and we can move right along. And all it means is that a little more work needs to happen on your end.

Literally EVERYONE messes up at first - we all have messed up before, no one is perfect, we are all human. I’ve had to practice correct pronouns and names before - I’m sure everyone has had to before - especially neo-pronouns. Those ones can be hard for me sometimes, especially because my mouth doesn’t want to form the words properly sometimes so I actually have to practice as if I’m learning a new language or something. But, I do eventually get the hang of it.

Matter of fact, for folks who may want extra practice with names and pronouns, here is a great resource for practicing such a thing called the 🏳️‍⚧️Pronoun Dressing Room:

I need for the Cis folks to understand something: Misgendering IS IN FACT a form of Transphobia - Transantagonism. It is a form of violence towards us trans folks. Whether you realize it or not, that is EXACTLY what it is.

So is Deadnaming us. Even if you knew what our name was before we changed it, constantly Deadnaming us - unless ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY - is a form of violence towards trans people and can ALSO contribute to our deaths.

I’ve lost so many of my trans siblings over the years…so many trans friends…

So many…

I do not want to lose more. But I know I will…do you want to know why?

504 Bills in 49 States.

45 Passed.

362 Active.

97 Failed.

Source:

Right now. That’s where we are at…RIGHT. NOW.

So…where are my Cis allies at? What are you willing to do for us? It better not just start and stop at the voting booths at with the voting papers. It better not just stop there. Because trans folks are going to need your voices. Your actions. Your protection. We’re going to need you to speak up at town halls. We’re going to need you in the streets. We’re going to need you to say something if we are being attacked in front of you in the store, in the mall, on the sidewalk, outside your church, in the parking lot.

And what if it’s a cop? Would you be willing to step in if a cop decided that just by existing while trans was a crime, would you speak up for us?

Remember that once upon a time, it was LEGAL to round up and take into custody people for just being of Japanese descent in this country…so, as both a Japanese American AND a trans person, I ask you, Cis people:

What are YOU willing to do for us? How far are you willing to go for us? If you are our allies…how much are you willing to risk for us? If you ARE our allies…I, and every single trans person that you know and are close to, every single gender non-conforming person in your life needs for you to consider these things very VERY seriously.

Because I promise you…all of us, every single one of us are thinking about this every single second of every single day. Many of us are considering our “out plans”. Not because we want to…but because we HAVE to…and some of us have to consider if we even CAN (because being disabled ABSOLUTELY plays a factor if we can even leave the country).

So…Please…Cis folks…if you consider yourself to be an ally to the Trans Community…and if you have ever been wondering “when will be a good time for me to prove myself?”…now is the time. This is that time. We need you. Please be here for us. Check in on us. Please gender us correctly. Name us correctly. Please help us fight these horrific life-destroying bills. Please help us to be able to just exist.

Because that’s all that we want…we just want to exist. We just want to exist and to live our lives in peace, just like everyone else on this planet…

This is my plea…and I pray to HaShem that it will not go unheard…

🏳️‍⚧️To My Trans Siblings - I See You & I Love Each And Every One Of You🏳️‍⚧️

💜Masaru💜 They/Them

[golddustedqueen]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

1. How many works do you have on ao3?

13! Tho one of them’s cowritten so maybe 12? Hopefully it’ll be up by one in a week or so tho~

2. what's your total Ao3 word count?

149,077 words! Probably like another ten thousand+ in wips

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Currently it’s mostly Genshin, but I’ve written for BNHA and Black Butler before and plan to write more BNHA and break out into at least bsd and possibly Voltron?

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Benedictions of the New Moon (E) (490)

Forever Mine Even Your Breath (E) (326)

Love Me Honey Like Ambrosia Wine (E) (300)

I Love You Most But I’m Not Worthy (E) (274)

When Wind Meets Grief and Divinity (E) (250)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yeah! I love interacting with readers! If i don’t then it’s usually that i saw it, meant to respond, and forgot😔 its the ADHD

6. What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Probably When Wind Meets Grief And Divinity (E)? Forever Mine, Even Your Breath (E) is probably also pretty angsty, both are VERY dead dove do not eat so beware!

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Oooh I dunno, I think maybeeee Its a Love Story (E)? I do think that ending is soooo cute! Oh and True Soul Bound To True Soul(T)!

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I think I’ve gotten like one hate comment? Definitely have gotten some slightly annoying comments tho^^; readers pls, asking me to update does not make me go faster😭

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Smut is what I like writing the most! I love writing kinky queer smut, no one’s cis or straight in my fics

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

I don’t really tend to? Not on my own at least, I’ve cowritten/rp’d/brain rotted a few but never finished or published anything.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Gosh i hope not! If you see my fics anywhere but ao3 they’re likely stolen!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I know of but if anyone would ever want to do so id welcome it!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yeah! Loads of times! Most aren’t published tho and likely will never be, you can find the singular published cowritten fic on my ao3! Black Butler: House of Gold

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

Oh man I have to pick???? I don’t think i can! But I definitely love writing xv the most so far!! Smth abt them gives me violent brainworms

15. What's a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

Probably this one firefighter xiao/single mom chem major venti au i have, its plotted out pretty heavily and its super cute buuut i dunno modern aus aren’t my favorite to write and I have so many other ideas, but who knows! Maybe ill get brain worms for it eventually!

16. What are your writing strengths?

Id say prooobably my descriptions??? And world building?

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Repetitiveness for sure, tho i think im getting better at not repeating constantly

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I think its a great idea!! I do it a bit in my fics, a word here and there with translations, and I think it helps like i dunno pull their culture in? Also I think sometimes the English version of certain words don’t have the same Impact yknow?

19. First fandom you wrote for?

…One Direction… i had like the beginnings of a whole fantasy au written out at one point and i had a sorta shadow hunters au started too

20. Favorite fic you've written?

Ooh thats a tough one!! I looove Benedictions of the New Moon (E) so much but i also love Treat Me Right (E) and Its A Love Story (E), those two are very much labors of love but i also think they’re really interesting!! Our Love Is Holy (E) is also one of my favs because it was the first time I wrote Venti the way I see her, a genderfluid transfemme! And it’s just so sappy even though its filthy

[seaweedstarshine]

literally black king Emma was so fucking good. we were robbed. Like on the one hand they should have let Matt Rosenberg cook but on the other hand. the really brutal Ruth death and rahne trans panic murder were a lot 💀

Oh you’re so so right — the mutant metaphor suffers from cis white writers, but I remember people calling it trauma porn like there’s no narrative purpose for there being a massive death count overall, and I'm like… mmmmmMmm.

Personal preference rambles as a found family heavy angst enjoyer (this is not a defense of Rosenburg X-Men), but in a general sense I really like when — so they might not get along, but they got each other, because as life keeps gloating it's hell to fight supremacy when you're fighting each other (not that causes of divisions amongst marginalized people are unimportant, but if you don't have your people, no one else will, this is how I feel; also not that anyone is obligated to loyalty towards a specific individual that harms them) — Hope shooting Scott in the head isn't fine, but what binds them is more important than grudges. Logan finally leaving his MCU-esque Post Credits Scene Era to be with Scott! The way Black King Emma (!!!) will stoop to any low as she manipulates Scott into doing what she wants, but she is trying to protect him, she worries when he's shot, and when the perceived advantage of their separation ends, she just welcomes them all into the Hellfire Club?? It's just cathartic for me.

There are some very significant caveats in this run that I only hope I remember well enough to speak on… The Morlocks deserved better, eons before anti-mutant hate got to that level, and between Jono and Dani's roles — the X-Men having overlooked the way it's always godawful for the most marginalized among them before it was quite this godawful for all of them, the hypocrisy, it could've been explored better here with less focus on Scott and Logan. Like in Sabretooth and the Exiles, sort of, but not entirely…

(I think sometimes this works better with side books. The Simonson New Mutants run is debatably my fav and overhated in my opinion.)

Yeah, Rosenburg X-Men is very flawed, and it's extremely valid not to be into it when you hold the same energy for Krakoa's flaws, but overall (for me) it really nailed the tension and the stakes and the angst and I was extremely hooked, especially with Age of X-Men meanwhile making choices in the other books.

(I might be misremembering a bunch, too, I literally just reread my college essay from almost exactly 5 years ago to try and remind me! I was low-key exaggerating in those tags where I called it a paper, it was a 3-page one-week essay with two sources which were Rosenburg UXM and the textbook. I also re-skimmed the Ruth death issue…)

…okay one more thing also I can't lie I was heavy into David/Ruth at the time and I read that issue like three times that week it dropped, I'm not about to say it she wasn't fridged for the purpose of setting up how bad it's about to get, nor that the interesting shit it did with her powers didn't literally just mirror the excuse to write out Destiny in a very concerning pattern, but at least the story was about Ruth's pain rather than that of those left behind (which is very different from, say, the focus being on Peter Parker's pain when Ms Marvel last died; and also very different from Rahne's death, which is the worst of the run)— anyway in 2019 I was just so happy to see Ruth again after that wildly OOC Legion series that didn't mention her while David was also being a plot device in Age of X-Men (which I didn't love). I had pretty much lost hope that my X-Men Legacy babies would ever be relevant again, so it was a win for me. Not as big as Way of X, but the bar was on the floor. That said a content warning was so needed to be at the beginning instead of a fucking suicide hotline at the end.

But the Rahne trans panic murder, god. Masterclass in taking the mutant metaphor to depict the most brutal things to happen to real marginalized people (without bothering to represent them?) and it goes grossly exploitative so quick. The way X-Men's lack of sensitivity readers shows…

ANYWAYS I haven't read it in years please take my opinions with a grain of salt.

[kalopsiawasteland]

“SOMEONE LIKE ME CAN BE A REAL NIGHTMARE - I'M COMPLETELY AWARE”

INTRODUCING…

NAME: Kiera Lopez

GENDER & PREFERRED PRONOUNS: Cis Woman (She/Her)

AGE: 21

BIRTHDAY: October 13, 2002

ZODIAC: Libra Sun, Scorpio Rising, Gemini Moon

SEXUALITY & ROMANCE: Bisexual / Biromantic

FACE CLAIM: Jenna Ortega

OCCUPATION: Podcast host/Ghost Writer/Aspiring Screenwriter & Directer

HOMETOWN: Roswell, NM

CURRENT RESIDENCE: Downtown, Cape May, NJ

CHARACTER PLAYLIST: HERE.

UP NEXT: “NIGHTMARE” BY HALSEY

BIOGRAPHY: tw overdose mention, death mention

Born Marina 'Marnie' Lopez, the young girl legally changed her name to Kiera as a way to drive some distance between herself and her family when she turned 18; Feeling a bit suffocated and needing to re-invent herself. It’s funny though, since her eldest sister raised her, you can see so many similarities (the sarcasm, the intelligence and mannerisms) even though she claims they’re so vastly different. Kiera currently attends university online for film studies. She’s aiming on becoming a writer and director - mainly within the horror realm. This love for horror derives from a young age, and she tends to be a bit of a movie snob because of her studies. You can catch her at the movie theatre almost every Friday. Kiera has been working as a ghostwriter since she was 16 (thanks, Wattpad). Ultimately, Kiera is driven and seems well put-together to those who are unaware of how young she is on the internet and it opened doors for her in the writing realm. It was an immediate success when she launched her podcast; her love for horror and the unusual seemingly not as far-fetched as one may think.Despite coming across as someone with a good head on their shoulders, Kiera is genuinely a firecracker. Prone to anger and acting on impulse, her tongue tends to be sharper than she realizes. She’s caused a lot of trouble on purpose growing up; some situations meant to weigh on her sister, whilst others were her attempt to try to find herself and fix her own issues. To this day, Kiera is working on figuring out who she is through the broken pieces her mother left behind, and still causes some trouble here and there. Sometimes for fun, other times just to bring an off-balance start to another's day if they rub her the wrong way. Kiera is very artistic and sometimes comes across as pretentious. She loves to paint and sketch, but doesn’t want to make a living out of it. Instead, her artwork is loitering the walls of her apartment. She also likes living on her own, seeing that she lives in an apartment and tends to frequent thrifting in her spare time. Kiera is currently working on scoring a scholarship in order to transfer to NYU; this is something she's told no one about as of yet. Especially seeing that her eldest sister gave up the opportunity to go in order to take care of her. With the loss of her mother, who she was estranged to, only about a month ago due to an overdose - Kiera is now finding it harder to keep her sadness at bay over the loss of a 'normal' childhood (with a parent that genuinely cared).

EXTRA-EXTRA, READ ALL ABOUT HER!

Kiera never had a genuine perception of a family. Due to the fact her mother figure in life was her eldest sister and no father figure in sight. As a result, she’s not great at formulating healthy relationships on any plane. She has a mentality of leaving before she’s left, and hurting others before they hurt her as a fight or flight response to deep emotions and attachments in a any sense. She is aware of this aspect of herself, and hates it, but isn’t sure on how to really get better; it sort of became more of a last resort form of acceptance, seeing that she harbors feelings of not being enough to make her mother finally break the addiction, or even get her father to stay - she now owns up to being the source of her own problems as opposed to fixing the root issue that lays deeper. She’s overly self-critical, especially if she loses or if she feels she could’ve done better. There's an air of competition to her in academics as well as in the workplace - she's always striving for good recognition in these fields. She loves to learn new things, and takes up skills rather easily; and if she thoroughly enjoys the topic (ex: horror films), than you can forget it - she'll cream everyone at trivia. She loves to thrift, and always goes out of her way to support small businesses. Kiera is also very cynical with her outlook on the world, though her activism is borderline anarchist because she's just fed up with everyone and everything. Wise beyond her years, she is known to be quite pretentious in her tastes of music, movies and books, and can rant about all three for hours. Also very smart, in general? Graduated with high honors and has street smarts. Though, she does tend to be sarcastic towards others but she utilizes the excuse of being brutally honest to avoid being labelled mean. Kiera is super open-minded and prides herself in being a safe space. Even though she tends to escape into the night life, and has been sneaking into joints since she was 14 to party, she does have boundaries; she won't try any hard drugs, and knows her limits in alcohol. Even if she seems completely gone, she's not - she can't let herself get that way out of fear of a loss of control. Kiera can be sweet to those who she deems as good people in her life, but she's a type of black hole that kinda brings chaos wherever she goes. She's prone to huge mood shifts, and is known to be fierce for her small and young stature. Will 20/10 ruin good thing if she gets her hands on it. She’s just trying her best, okay? Life is unpredictable and messy, and she’s becoming more aware with that everyday. That’s all without mentioning her need to create battling her need to destroy.

PERSONALITY:

+ Adaptable, Driven, and Innovatory

- Detached, Explosive, and Sarcastic

[thewomanwhoboughttheworld]

Who am I

Hello to everyone who wants to read this silly little introduction (which will be ongoing, as I may forget something or want to add something in the future). I'd just like to tell y'all who I am and, let's be honest, to have a place in which I can easily reach things I've published.

This will probably be boring, I already know that, but let's still put it out there. Ongoing post, as I may be adding something more as things come to mind.

So, the basics:

I'm V. or Val, your choice.

I'm a she/her.

I'm cis, asexual and I don't want to define my romantic orientation - if I have to, I'd say queer romantic.

I was born in 1995, so I'm definitely an adult and definitely that confused generation between Millennials and Gen Z. I still consider myself a Millennial, tho.

My big three are Sagittarius sun (birthday is on 14/12), Sagittarius rising, Virgo Moon.

I'm Italian, so English isn't my first language.

However, I have a BD in Foreign Languages and Literatures and a MD in Music, Film and Theatre.

I can speak four languages: Italian (first), English, German and French.

I'm learning Gàidhlig and Cymraeg on Duolingo!

I work in the theatre! Not an actor or something artistic, I work in the offices, but still!!

I like writing. I'm not very good or consistent, but sometimes I like to indulge in it. I want to try and occasionally write something here.

If you get to talk to me in my DMs, it won't be long until I start talking about my cats. That's it, I'm one of those terrible people whose first thought in the morning is their cats. I have three: one is a senior who, in July 2024, is turning 19, and the others are 7 and 4. My little spawns of Hell ♡

Dream holiday destination? Japan. I'm sure one day I'll have enough money to go there.

Something more about my likes and dislikes:

My favourite band is Queen. I love a lot of other bands, like The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd etc., but Queen will always hold a special place in my heart.

My favourite singer is David Bowie. As for Queen, I love a lot of singers - Queen members themselves, George Michael, Harry Styles... But Bowie's got that je ne sais quoi that makes him special. I even wrote my MD thesis on him.

I generally enjoy reading classics more than new books. I don't think reading classics makes you superior, I think it's just something that has to do with what you're used to and what resonates with you the most. After all, it's all a matter of personal taste!

My favourite genres I think are horror, gothic, science fiction and I don't know. I mean, if I see something I like, I will read it.

My favourite writer must be Stephen King, though I love Edgar Allan Poe unconditionally. I know they are both problematic in certain ways, but what can I do? I just lose myself in their pages, especially in King's books.

Now this could make people see me in a bad light, but I can't help what I feel. One of my favourite books, one of my comfort books is Stephen King's IT. I KNOW, I KNOW but bear with me. I know it's about an alien eating and unaliving children and I am well aware of how problematic that scene is. But I can't help loving The Losers, feeling like they're my friends too. I love how friendship is portrayed, how much emphasis is put on trust and love, and how humanity is depicted. It's better to cut it short because I could talk about this book for hours lmao.

Back to the light - hah, you wish - my favourite playwright is Bertolt Brecht.

Some of my favourite films: Labyrinth (THE David Bowie is just *chef's kiss*), Jesus Christ Superstar (have seen it on stage with Ted Neeley, I'm so in love with this musical I can't put it into words), Jojo Rabbit, Young Frankenstein.

Some of my favourite series: Glee (extremely problematic, but you have to understand I was the right age when it came out and it reminds me of my teenage years. I can't stop loving it), Good Omens, Sherlock, Doctor Who, Bojack Horseman, Happy Days, Stranger Things, Barry.

I may be a little too much in love with David Tennant, but I mean. Who isn't?

I will rage if anyone dares say anything disrespectful in regards to Henry Winkler. That man is too sweet for his own sake and I love him so much.

Master posts under here, so that I too can find it more accessible if I want to get there:

Good Omens headcanons, incorrect quotes, edits & co

Fanfictions

[kelasparmak]

not to be a bitch but do you ever just see a post that’s like

‘i’m going to correct some misconceptions about [x]! i’m not here to shame anyone for getting it wrong, just please learn in future :-)’

and then all the information is just stuff that's the op’s personal experience, or the experience of someone they know because they’re not even [x] themself, and is absolutely not universal and sometimes straight up wrong.

[writingwithcolor]

What Does Our "Motivations” PSA Mean?

@luminalalumini said:

I've been on your blog a lot and it has a lot of really insightful information, but I notice a theme with some of your answers where you ask the writer reaching out what their 'motivation for making a character a certain [race/religion/ethnicity/nationality] is' and it's discouraging to see, because it seems like you're automatically assigning the writer some sort of ulterior motive that must be sniffed out and identified before the writer can get any tips or guidance for their question. Can't the 'motive' simply be having/wanting to have diversity in one's work? Must there be an 'ulterior motive'? I can understand that there's a lot of stigma and stereotypes and bad influence that might lead to someone trynna add marginalized groups into their stories for wrong reasons, but people that have those bad intentions certainly won't be asking for advice on how to write good representation in the first place. Idk its just been something that seemed really discouraging to me to reach out myself, knowing i'll automatically be assigned ulterior motives that i don't have and will probably have to justify why i want to add diversity to my story as if i'm comitting some sort of crime. I don't expect you guys to change your blog or respond to this or even care all that much, I'm probably just ranting into a void. I'm just curious if theres any reason to this that I haven't realized exists I suppose. I don't want y'all to take this the wrong way because I do actually love and enjoy your blog's advice in spite of my dumb griping. Cheers :))

We assume this is in reference to the following PSA:

PSA to all of our users - Motivation Matters: This lack of clarity w/r to intent has been a general issue with many recent questions. Please remember that if you don’t explain your motivations and what you intend to communicate to your audience with your plot choices, character attributes, world-building etc., we cannot effectively advise you beyond the information you provide. We Are Not Mind Readers. If, when drafting these questions, you realize you can’t explain your motivations, that is likely a hint that you need to think more on the rationales for your narrative decisions. My recommendation is to read our archives and articles on similar topics for inspiration while you think. I will be attaching this PSA to all asks with similar issues until the volume of such questions declines. 

We have answered this in three parts.

1. Of Paved Roads and Good Intentions

Allow me to give you a personal story, in solidarity towards your feelings:

When I began writing in South Asia as an outsider, specifically in the Kashmir and Lahore areas, I was doing it out of respect for the cultures I had grown up around. I did kathak dance, I grew up on immigrant-cooked North Indian food, my babysitters were Indian. I loved Mughal society, and every detail of learning about it just made me want more. The minute you told me fantasy could be outside of Europe, I hopped into the Mughal world with two feet. I was 13. I am now 28.

And had you asked me, as a teenager, what my motives were in giving my characters’ love interests blue or green eyes, one of them blond hair, my MC having red-tinted brown hair that was very emphasized, and a whole bunch of paler skinned people, I would have told you my motives were “to represent the diversity of the region.” 

I’m sure readers of the blog will spot the really, really toxic and colourist tropes present in my choices. If you’re new here, then the summary is: giving brown people “unique” coloured eyes and hair that lines up with Eurocentric beauty standards is an orientalist trope that needs to be interrogated in your writing. And favouring pale skinned people is colourist, full stop.

Did that make me a bad person with super sneaky ulterior motives who wanted to write bad representation? No.

It made me an ignorant kid from the mostly-white suburbs who grew up with media that said brown people had to “look unique” (read: look as European as possible) to be considered valuable.

And this is where it is important to remember that motives can be pure as you want, but you were still taught all of the terrible stuff that is present in society. Which means you’re going to perpetuate it unless you stop and actually question what is under your conscious motive, and work to unlearn it. Work that will never be complete.

I know it sounds scary and judgemental (and it’s one of the reasons we allow people to ask to be anonymous, for people who are afraid). Honestly, I would’ve reacted much the same as a younger writer, had you told me I was perpetuating bad things. I was trying to do good and my motives were pure, after all! But after a few years, I realized that I had fallen short, and I had a lot more to learn in order for my motives to match my impact. Part of our job at WWC is to attempt to close that gap.

We aren’t giving judgement, when we ask questions about why you want to do certain things. We are asking you to look at the structural underpinnings of your mind and question why those traits felt natural together, and, more specifically, why those traits felt natural to give to a protagonist or other major character.

I still have blond, blue-eyed characters with sandy coloured skin. I still have green-eyed characters. Because teenage me was right, that is part of the region. But by interrogating my motive, I was able to devalue those traits within the narrative, and I stopped making those traits shorthand for “this is the person you should root for.” 

It opened up room for me to be messier with my characters of colour, even the ones who my teenage self would have deemed “extra special.” Because the European-associated traits (pale hair, not-brown-eyes) stopped being special. After years of questioning, they started lining up with my motive of just being part of the diversity of the region.

Motive is important, both in the conscious and the subconscious. It’s not a judgement and it’s not assumed to be evil. It’s simply assumed to be unquestioned, so we ask that you question it and really examine your own biases.

~Mod Lesya

2. Motivations Aren't Always "Ulterior"

You can have a positive motivation or a neutral one or a negative one. Just wanting to have diversity only means your characters aren't all white and straight and cis and able-bodied -- it doesn't explain why you decided to make this specific character specifically bi and specifically Jewish (it me). Yes, sometimes it might be completely random! But it also might be "well, my crush is Costa Rican, so I gave the love interest the same background", or "I set it in X City where the predominant marginalized ethnicity is Y, so they are Y". Neither of these count as ulterior motives. But let's say for a second that you did accidentally catch yourself doing an "ulterior." Isn't that the point of the blog, to help you find those spots and clean them up?

Try thinking of it as “finding things that need adjusting” rather than “things that are bad” and it might get less scary to realize that we all do them, subconsciously. Representation that could use some work is often the product of subconscious bias, not deliberate misrepresentation, so there's every possibility that someone who wants to improve and do better didn't do it perfectly the first time. 

--Shira

3. Dress-Making as a Metaphor

I want to echo Lesya’s sentiments here but also provide a more logistical perspective. If you check the rubber stamp guide here and the “Motivation matters” PSA above, you’ll notice that concerns with respect to asker motivation are for the purposes of providing the most relevant answer possible.

It is a lot like if someone walks into a dressmaker’s shop and asks for a blue dress/ suit (Back when getting custom-made clothes was more of a thing) . The seamstress/ tailor is likely to ask a wide variety of questions:

What material do you want the outfit to be made of?

Where do you plan to wear it?

What do you want to highlight?

How do you want to feel when you wear it?

Let’s say our theoretical customer is in England during the 1920s. A tartan walking dress/ flannel suit for the winter is not the same as a periwinkle, beaded, organza ensemble/ navy pinstripe for formal dress in the summer. When we ask for motivations, we are often asking for exactly that: the specific reasons for your inquiry so we may pinpoint the most pertinent information.

The consistent problem for many of the askers who receive the PSA is they haven’t even done the level of research necessary to know what they want to ask of us. It would be like if our English customer in the 1920s responded, “IDK, some kind of blue thing.” Even worse,  WWC doesn’t have the luxury of the back-and-forth between a dressmaker and their clientele. If our asker doesn’t communicate all the information they need in mind at the time of submission, we can only say, “Well, I’m not sure if this is right, but here’s something. I hope it works, but if you had told us more, we could have done a more thorough job.”

Answering questions without context is hard, and asking for motivations, by which I mean the narratives, themes, character arcs and other literary devices that you are looking to incorporate, is the best way for us to help you, while also helping you to determine if your understanding of the problem will benefit from outside input. Because these asks are published with the goal of helping individuals with similar questions, the PSA also serves to prompt other users.

I note that asking questions is a skill, and we all start by asking the most basic questions (Not stupid questions, because to quote a dear professor, “There are no stupid questions.”). Unfortunately, WWC is not suited for the most basic questions. To this effect, we have a very helpful FAQ and archive as a starting point. Once you have used our website to answer the more basic questions, you are more ready to approach writing with diversity and decide when we can actually be of service. This is why we are so adamant that people read the FAQ. Yes, it helps us, but it also is there to save you time and spare you the ambiguity of not even knowing where to start.

The anxiety in your ask conveys to me a fear of being judged for asking questions. That fear is not something we can help you with, other than to wholeheartedly reassure you that we do not spend our unpaid, free time answering these questions in order to assume motives we can’t confirm or sit in judgment of our users who, as you say, are just trying to do better.

Yes, I am often frustrated when an asker’s question makes it clear they haven’t read the FAQ or archives. I’ve also been upset when uncivil commenters have indicated that my efforts and contributions are not worth their consideration. However, even the most tactless question has never made me think, “Ooh this person is such a naughty racist. Let me laugh at them for being a naughty racist. Let me shame them for being a naughty racist. Mwahaha.”

What kind of sad person has time for that?*

Racism is structural. It takes time to unlearn, especially if you’re in an environment that doesn’t facilitate that process to begin with. Our first priority is to help while also preserving our own boundaries and well-being. Though I am well aware of the levels of toxic gas-lighting and virtue signaling that can be found in various corners of online writing communities in the name of “progressivism*”, WWC is not that kind of space. This space is for discussions held in good faith: for us to understand each other better, rather than for one of us to “win” and another to “lose.”

Just as we have good faith that you are doing your best, we ask that you have faith that we are trying to do our best by you and the BIPOC communities we represent.

- Marika.

*If you are in any writing or social media circles that feed these anxieties or demonstrate these behaviors, I advise you to curtail your time with them and focus on your own growth. You will find, over time, that it is easier to think clearly when you are worrying less about trying to appease people who set the bar of approval so high just for the enjoyment of watching you jump. “Internet hygiene”, as I like to call it, begins with you and the boundaries you set with those you interact with online.

[duckprintspress]

Ten Things We Hate About Trad Pub

Often when I say “I’ve started a small press; we publish the works of those who have trouble breaking into traditional publishing!” what people seem to hear is “me and a bunch of sad saps couldn’t sell our books in the Real World so we’ve made our own place with lower standards.” For those with minimal understanding of traditional publishing (trad pub), this reaction is perhaps understandable? But, truly, there are many things to hate about traditional publishing (and, don’t get me wrong - there are things to love about trad pub, too, but that’s not what this list is about) and it’s entirely reasonable for even highly accomplished authors to have no interest in running the gauntlet of genre restrictions, editorial control, hazing, long waits, and more, that make trad pub at best, um, challenging, and at worst, utterly inaccessible to many authors - even excellent ones.

Written in collaboration with @jhoomwrites, with input from @ramblingandpie, here is a list of ten things that we at Duck Prints Press detest about trad pub, why we hate it, and why/how we think things should be different!

(Needless to say, part of why we created Duck Prints Press was to...not do any of these things... so if you’re a writer looking for a publishing home, and you hate these things, too, and want to write with a Press that doesn’t do them...maybe come say hi?)

-

1. Work lengths dictated by genre and/or author experience.

Romance novels can’t be longer than 90,000 words or they won’t sell! New authors shouldn’t try to market a novel longer than 100,000 words!

A good story is a good story is a good story. Longer genre works give authors the chance to explore their themes and develop their plots. How often an author has been published shouldn’t put a cap on the length of their work.

-

2. Editors assert control of story events...except when they don’t.

If you don’t change this plot point, the book won’t market well. Oh, you’re a ten-time bestseller? Write whatever you want, even if it doesn’t make sense we know people will buy it.

Sometimes, a beta or an editor will point out that an aspect of a story doesn’t work - because it’s nonsensical, illogical, Deus ex Machina, etc. - and in those cases it’s of course reasonable for an editor to say, “This doesn’t work and we recommend changing it, for these reasons…” However, when that list of reasons begins and ends with, “...because it won’t sell…” that’s a problem, especially because this is so often applied as a double standard. We’ve all read bestsellers with major plot issues, but those authors get a “bye” because editors don’t want to exert to heavy a hand and risk a proven seller, but with a new, less experienced, or worse-selling author, the gloves come off (even though evidence suggests time and again that publishers’ ability to predict what will sell well is at best low and at worst nonexistent.)

-

3. A billion rejection letters as a required rite of passage (especially when the letters aren't helpful in pinpointing why a work has been rejected or how the author can improve).

Well, my first book was rejected by a hundred Presses before it was accepted! How many rejection letters did you get before you got a bite? What, only one or two? Oh…

How often one succeeds or fails to get published shouldn’t be treated as a form of hazing, and we all know that how often someone gets rejected or accepted has essentially no bearing on how good a writer they are. Plenty of schlock goes out into the world after being accepted on the first or second try...and so does plenty of good stuff! Likewise, plenty of schlock will get rejected 100 times but due to persistence, luck, circumstances, whatever, finally find a home, and plenty of good stuff will also get rejected 100 times before being publishing. Rejections (or lack there of) as a point of pride or as a means of judging others needs to die as a rite of passage among authors.

-

4. Query letters, for so many reasons.

Summarize all your hard work in a single page! Tell us who you’re like as an author and what books your story is like, so we can gauge how well it’ll sell based on two sentences about it! Format it exactly the way we say or we won’t even consider you!

For publishers, agents, and editors who have slush piles as tall as Mount Everest...we get it. There has to be a way to differentiate. We don’t blame you. Every creative writing class, NaNoWriMo pep talk, and college lit department combine to send out hundreds of thousands of people who think all they need to do to become the next Ernest Hemingway is string a sentence together. There has to be some way to sort through that pile...but God, can’t there be a better way than query letters? Especially since even with query letters being used it often takes months or years to hear back, and...

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5. "Simultaneous submissions prohibited.”

No, we don’t know when we’ll get to your query, but we’ll throw it out instantly if you have the audacity to shop around while you wait for us.

The combination of “no simultaneous submissions” with the query letter bottleneck makes success slow and arduous. It disadvantages everyone who aims to write full-time but doesn’t have another income source (their own, or a parents’, or a spouse’s, or, or or). The result is that entire classes of people are edged out of publishing solely because the process, especially for writers early in their career, moves so glacially that people have to earn a living while they wait, and it’s so hard to, for example, work two jobs and raise a family and also somehow find the time to write. Especially considering that the standard advice for dealing with “no simultaneous submissions” is “just write something else while you wait!” ...the whole system screams privilege.

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6. Genres are boxes that must be fit into and adhered to.

Your protagonist is 18? Then obviously your book is Young Adult. It doesn’t matter how smutty your book is, erotica books must have sex within the first three chapters, ideally in the first chapter. Sorry, we’re a fantasy publisher, if you have a technological element you don’t belong here…

While some genre boxes have been becoming more like mesh cages of late, with some flow of content allowed in and out, many remain stiff prisons that constrict the kinds of stories people can tell. Even basic cross-genre works often struggle to find a place, and there’s no reason for it beyond “if we can’t pigeon-hole a story, it’s harder to sell.” This edges out many innovative, creative works. It also disadvantages people who aren’t as familiar with genre rules. And don’t get me wrong - this isn’t an argument that, for example, the romance genre would be improved by opening up to stories that don’t have “happily ever afters.” Instead, it’s pointing out - there should also be a home for, say, a space opera with a side romance, an erotica scene, and a happily-for-now ending. Occasionally, works breakthrough, but for the most part stories that don’t conform never see the light of day (or, they do, but only after Point 2 - trad pub editors insist that the elements most “outside” the box be removed or revised).

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7. The lines between romance and erotica are arbitrary, random, and hetero- and cis-normative.

This modern romance novel won’t sell if it doesn’t have an explicit sex scene, but God forbid you call a penis a penis. Oh, no, this is far too explicit, even though the book only has one mlm sex scene, this is erotica.

The difference between “romance” and “erotica” might not matter so much if not for the stigmas attached to erotica and the huge difference in marketability and audience. The difference between “romance” and “erotica” also might not matter so much if not for the fact that, so often, even incredibly raunchy stories that feature cis straight male/cis straight female sex scenes are shelved as romance, but the moment the sex is between people of the same gender, and/or a trans or genderqueer person is involved, and/or the relationship is polyamorous, and/or the characters involved are literally anything other than a cis straight male pleasuring a cis straight female in a “standard” way (cunnilingus welcome, pegging need not apply)...then the story is erotica. Two identical stories will get assigned different genres based on who the people having sex are, and also based on the “skill” of the author to use ludicrous euphemisms (instead of just...calling body parts what they’re called…), and it’s insane. Non-con can be a “romance” novel, even if it’s graphically described. “50 Shades of Gray” can sell millions of copies, even containing BDSM. But the word “vagina” gets used once...bam, erotica. (Seriously, the only standard that should matter is the Envelope Analogy).

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8. Authors are expected to do a lot of their own legwork (eg advertising) but then don't reap the benefits.

Okay, so, you’re going to get an advance of $2,500 on this, your first novel, and a royalty rate of 5% if and only if your advance sells out...so you’d better get out there and market! Wait, what do you mean you don’t have a following? Guess you’re never selling out your advance…

Trad pub can generally be relied on to do some marketing - so this item is perhaps better seen as an indictment of more mid-sized Presses - but, basically, if an author has to do the majority of the work themselves, then why aren’t they getting paid more? What’s the actual benefit to going the large press/trad pub route if it’s not going to get the book into more hands? It’s especially strange that this continues to be a major issue when self-publishing (which also requires doing one’s own marketing) garners 60%+ royalty rates. Yes, the author doesn’t get an advance, and they don’t get the cache of ~well I was published by…~, but considering some Presses require parts of advances to get paid back if the initial run doesn’t sell out, and cache doesn’t put food on the table...pay models have really, really got to change.

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9. Fanfiction writing doesn't count as writing experience

Hey there Basic White Dude, we see you’ve graduated summa cum laude from A Big Fancy Expensive School. Of course we’ll set you up to publish your first novel you haven’t actually quite finished writing yet. Oh, Fanperson, you’ve written 15 novels for your favorite fandom in the last 4 years? Get to the back of the line!

Do I really need to explain this? The only way to get better at writing is to write. Placing fanfiction on official trad pub “do not interact” lists is idiotic, especially considering many of the other items on this list. (They know how to engage readers! They have existing followings! They understand genre and tropes!) Being a fanfiction writer should absolutely be a marketable “I am a writer” skill. Nuff said. (To be clear, I’m not saying publishers should publish fanfiction, I’m saying that being a fanfiction writer is relevant and important experience that should be given weight when considering an author’s qualifications, similar to, say, publishing in a university’s quarterly.)

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10. Tagging conventions (read: lack thereof).

Oh, did I trigger you? Hahahaha. Good luck with that.

We rate movies so that people can avoid content they don’t like. Same with TV shows and video games. Increasingly, those ratings aren’t just “R - adult audiences,” either; they contain information about the nature of the story elements that have led to the rating (“blood and gore,” “alcohol reference,” “cartoon violence,” “drug reference,” “sexual violence,” “use of tobacco,” and many, many more). So why is it that I can read a book and, without warning, be surprised by incest, rape, graphic violence, explicit language, glorification of drug and alcohol use, and so so much more? That it’s left to readers to look up spoilers to ensure that they’re not exposed to content that could be upsetting or inappropriate for their children or, or, or, is insane. So often, too, authors cling to “but we don’t want to give away our story,” as if video game makes and other media makers do want to give away their stories. This shouldn’t be about author egos or ~originality~ (as if that’s even a thing)...it should be about helping readers make informed purchasing decisions. It’s way, way past time that major market books include content warnings.

Thank you for joining us, this has been our extended rant about how frustrated we are with traditional publishing. Helpful? No. Cathartic? Most definitely yes. 🤣

*

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[veliseraptor]

☕️ American SFF

wow so how long ago did I do this meme? too long probably to be answer this ask now is probably the answer, but I found it in my drafts and felt like it, so sue me. and also I have fresh hot spicy opinions* on this now so *fingerguns* here goes

So I’ve been looking over “most anticipated” lists for 2022, and...I think I referenced a while ago the way that I’m feeling kind of detached/alienated from the state of much of the new SFF coming out right now (at least, that gets a lot of press/attention), and I’m still very much feeling that - it seems like what is “in” right now is just not what works for me.

To elaborate on that a little - I feel like some of it can be summed up by my reflexive grimace whenever I hear the word “hopepunk,” or the fact that as far as I’m concerned Becky Chambers has overstayed her welcome by several books, or the fact that I am very tired of reading book blurbs that talk about how sweet and tender and soft it is.

It seems as though (and this is anecdata and personal, please don’t take me as an authority) there’s an impulse in SFF lately to offer stories that serve as solace or comfort - that, if they’re not utopias, gesture toward the concept. I can understand that impulse, certainly - the world is a mess, things are scary and miserable and, per Tolkien, it is peoples’ right to want to escape that and find reassurance where they can. And some of it, too, is I think a correction/backlash against “grimdark” works. Which...yeah, grimdark was a Thing, and it was a thing that drove me nuts, but I also feel like the definition (as with so many things) gradually expanded to cover a lot of ground, and became sort of “dismissive way of categorizing a thing I don’t like” sometimes. Consequently, from my perspective it feels like an overcorrection. It feels...toothless. It feels like the book version of the sensation of trying to squeeze a very soft pillow.

Of course this doesn’t cover everything on the shelves, but when I turn the other way what I find is a lot of stuff that feels very...Single Dude Protagonist, if that makes sense as a shorthand. And that’s not what I want either! I just find that boring; generally speaking there’s not a lot there to draw me.

And the thing is that I feel like I can’t talk about this, because people are going to hear it as, like, me bitching about SFF becoming a more diverse publishing field, the uptick in books with queer characters and romances, more mind being paid to how things like race and gender are handled. That’s the association that I feel like gets made, but that’s not what I’m talking about. I think about that genre of Tumblr post that was like “why would you ever put homophobia in your fantasy world, that’s horrible.” It’s this idea that writing darkness into a fictional world, writing pain and suffering and inequality, is somehow perpetuating the wrongs of the real world, as opposed to it being a way of examining those things, responding to those things. Not just I read this to cope or whatever but I read this because it gives me something to think with.

I feel like there was this brief window of time where there was this influx of writers and books that were doing some very interesting things with the genre, particularly thematically. I think of Broken Earth, and Imperial Radch, and The Traitor Baru Cormorant, and Machineries of Empire, and Divine Cities. Books that were grappling with heavy shit, that could hurt you, that offered a challenge of one kind or another. But now...I just feel like I don’t see those kinds of works popping up as much anymore.

This isn’t universal, obviously! The Poppy War and its sequels came out recently and certainly were not this; same with the Green Bone Saga. There are still books coming out that are wrestling with the kind of things that I want to read about, that feel like something I can sink my teeth into, and that sink their teeth into me. But I feel like they’re getting harder and harder for me to find.

*citation needed

[madhare0512]

The Chaos Crew

hello and welcome to me explaining/talking about my aus:

today's au is: the Chaos Crew

~~~

this started out as a dinky little idea presented to me by my good friend @galaxysanduniversesinmymind. their idea was, "what if Street from S.W.A.T., Deeks from NCIS, and Buck from 9-1-1 knew each other" and then spiraled from there as we added more and more fandoms. the first fic was posted in January of 2021 and a year and a half later, now has 6 other writers and 38 fics with more planned.

let me tell you, if you'd told me two years ago that a universe I made would blow up so much, I'd laugh because nothing I've ever made has ever blown up like that.

the Chaos Crew universe was originally named 'how two LAPD officers and one firefighter accidentally become the most powerful people on earth' and mostly featured S.W.A.T.'s Jim Street. then, as I branched out into other shows, it gained more and more stars. galaxy started writing a chat fic and truthfully, it only went uphill from there.

if I'm honest with myself I couldn't have done this without galaxy or another friend of ours. this universe grew out of my control and I'm happier for it. so, in honor of 1 and a half years (a totally real anniversary I definitely didn't just make up) here's a bit of explaining what the CC is:

the CC refers to the universe of the Chaos Crew. it also refers to the Chaos Crew consisting of 12 members well versed in creating and survived chaotic situations.

the twelve members are: Jim Street (S.W.A.T.), Marty Deeks (NCIS: Los Angeles), Evan "Buck" Buckley (9-1-1), Matt Casey (Chicago Fire), Jay Halstead (Chicago PD), Will Halstead (Chicago Med), TK Strand (9-1-1: Lone Star), Christopher LaSalle (NCIS: New Orleans), Nick Burkhardt (Grimm), Nick Torres (NCIS), Diego Hargreeves (Umbrella Academy), and Clay Spenser (S.E.A.L. Team)

they have a group chat called Chaos Incarnate, which we'll sums up their interactions and their daily lives. the CI chat has a sister group appropriately named the Chaos Caretakers, nicknamed the Caretakers chat. this chat is for the people who take care of or care for a person in the CI chat.

the people in this chat are Chris Alonso (S.W.A.T.), Eric Beale (NCIS: Los Angeles), Josh Russo (9-1-1), Kelly Severide (Chicago Fire), Adam Ruzek (Chicago PD), Greg "Mouse" Gerwitz (Chicago PD), Connor Rhodes (Chicago Med), Judd Ryder (9-1-1: Lone Star), Sebastian Lund (NCIS: New Orleans), Monroe (Grimm), Jimmy Palmer (NCIS), Klaus Hargreeves (Umbrella Academy), and Brock Reynolds (S.E.A.L. Team)

this is also a Soulmates universe. there are three types of Soulmates: romantic, platonic, and familial.

~

ships include:

The S.W.A.T. Polycule (Jim Street, Donavon Rocker, Victor Tan, Bonnie Lonsdale, Chris Alonso, Erika Rogers)

Densi (Marty Deeks/Kensi Blye)

Calic (Eric Beale/G Callen)

Russley (Evan Buckley/Josh Russo)

Sevasey (Matthew Casey/Kelly Severide)

Mousestead (Jay Halstead/Mouse Gerwitz)

Buruzwater (Adam Ruzek/Kim Burgess/Kevin Atwater)

Rhodestead (Will Halstead/Connor Rhodes)

Tarlos (TK Strand/Carlos Reyes)

Jace (Judd Ryder/Grace Ryder)

Monrosanick (Nick Burkhardt/Monroe/Rosalee Calvert)

Palmtorrezzo (Nick Torres/Jimmy Palmer/Tony DiNozzo)

Lundkingsalle (Christohper LaSalle/Sebastian Lund/Dwayne Pride)

Patchgreeves (Diego Hargreeves/Eudora Patch)

SpiritWitch (Klaus Hargreeves/Elijah Mikaelson)

Reynser (Clay Spenser/Brock Reynolds)

~

Soulmate bonds work quite similarly to a telephone game. Romantic Soulmates get thoughts and feelings, Platonic Soulmates might be able to catch what you thinking and they can feel what your thinking, familial bonds are muted feelings and work of those feelings alone.

the distinction between Soulmates isn't quite clear, sometimes you end up dating your Platonic Soulmate or someone in your familial bond. most people find their Soulmates, but some people don't have Soulmates or don't want a relationship beyond friends or any relationship at all.

a good example of this is Julie and the Phantoms. Julie and Luke are Romantic Soulmates, however, Julie is dating Carrie while Luke is dating Alex and Reggie.

~

fandoms for this universe include:

- SWAT (2017)

- 9-1-1

- Lone Star

- NCIS

- NCIS: Los Angeles

- NCIS NOLA

- NCIS Hawai'i

- Chicago Fire

- Chicago PD

- Chicago Med

- Chicago Justice

- Grimm

- Umbrella Academy

- SEAL Team

- Scorpion

- MacGyver

- Hawai'i Five-0

- Magnum PI

- Supernatural

- Shadowhunters

- Percy Jackson & the Olympions (and relating books and fandoms)

- Mission Impossible

- Sherlock

- Law and Order

- Criminal Minds

- Flashpoint

- Vampire Diaries

- The Originals

- Legacies

- Charlie's Angels

- James Bond

- Numb3rs

- Marvel Cinimatic Universe -- X Men

- DCU

- House MD

- CSI

- The Listener

- Teen Wolf

- Brooklyn-99

- Ghost Whisperer

- Lucifer

- The Old Guard

- Fast and Furious

- White Collar

- Now You See Me

- National Treasure

- Lie to Me

- Baby Driver

- Grey's Anatomy

- Station 19

- FBI Universe

- Julie and the Phantoms

- Doctor Who

- Torchwood

~

special thank you to my fellow CC writers:

- @existential-bisis

- @chewiemadwriter

- @madddddy

- @bravo-four-seal-team

- @ispeakmorelanguagesthanyou

- two friends who don't have tumblrs I'm aware of

- and galaxy

~~~

thank you! and please feel free to ask any questions!