#the non benefit is that my friends are good writers and i don't want them to read anything i made so i do not have beta reader options.

[danmeichael]

i'm frequently embarrassed about the quality of my writing -- i am not very good at it, this is kind of an objective fact, i haven't practiced enough and i don't put care into the things i need to put care into to make my writing actually good™ -- but the stress of writing actually good seems immense so im fine with this actually.

[archaeren]

How I learned to write smarter, not harder

(aka, how to write when you're hella ADHD lol)

A reader commented on my current long fic asking how I write so well. I replied with an essay of my honestly pretty non-standard writing advice (that they probably didn't actually want lol) Now I'm gonna share it with you guys and hopefully there's a few of you out there who will benefit from my past mistakes and find some useful advice in here. XD Since I started doing this stuff, which are all pretty easy changes to absorb into your process if you want to try them, I now almost never get writer's block.

The text of the original reply is indented, and I've added some additional commentary to expand upon and clarify some of the concepts.

As for writing well, I usually attribute it to the fact that I spent roughly four years in my late teens/early 20s writing text roleplay with a friend for hours every single day. Aside from the constant practice that provided, having a live audience immediately reacting to everything I wrote made me think a lot about how to make as many sentences as possible have maximum impact so that I could get that kind of fun reaction. (Which is another reason why comments like yours are so valuable to fanfic writers! <3) The other factors that have improved my writing are thus: 1. Writing nonlinearly. I used to write a whole story in order, from the first sentence onward. If there was a part I was excited to write, I slogged through everything to get there, thinking that it would be my reward once I finished everything that led up to that. It never worked. XD It was miserable. By the time I got to the part I wanted to write, I had beaten the scene to death in my head imagining all the ways I could write it, and it a) no longer interested me and b) could not live up to my expectations because I couldn't remember all my ideas I'd had for writing it. The scene came out mediocre and so did everything leading up to it. Since then, I learned through working on VN writing (I co-own a game studio and we have some visual novels that I write for) that I don't have to write linearly. If I'm inspired to write a scene, I just write it immediately. It usually comes out pretty good even in a first draft! But then I also have it for if I get more ideas for that scene later, and I can just edit them in. The scenes come out MUCH stronger because of this. And you know what else I discovered? Those scenes I slogged through before weren't scenes I had no inspiration for, I just didn't have any inspiration for them in that moment! I can't tell you how many times there was a scene I had no interest in writing, and then a week later I'd get struck by the perfect inspiration for it! Those are scenes I would have done a very mediocre job on, and now they can be some of the most powerful scenes because I gave them time to marinate. Inspiration isn't always linear, so writing doesn't have to be either!

Some people are the type that joyfully write linearly. I have a friend like this--she picks up the characters and just continues playing out the next scene. Her story progresses through the entire day-by-day lives of the characters; it never timeskips more than a few hours. She started writing and posting just eight months ago, she's about an eighth of the way through her planned fic timeline, and the content she has so far posted to AO3 for it is already 450,000 words long. But most of us are normal humans. We're not, for the most part, wired to create linearly. We consume linearly, we experience linearly, so we assume we must also create linearly. But actually, a lot of us really suffer from trying to force ourselves to create this way, and we might not even realize it. If you're the kind of person who thinks you need to carrot-on-a-stick yourself into writing by saving the fun part for when you finally write everything that happens before it: Stop. You're probably not a linear writer. You're making yourself suffer for no reason and your writing is probably suffering for it. At least give nonlinear writing a try before you assume you can't write if you're not baiting or forcing yourself into it!! Remember: Writing is fun. You do this because it's fun, because it's your hobby. If you're miserable 80% of the time you're doing it, you're probably doing it wrong!

2. Rereading my own work. I used to hate reading my own work. I wouldn't even edit it usually. I would write it and slap it online and try not to look at it again. XD Writing nonlinearly forced me to start rereading because I needed to make sure scenes connected together naturally and it also made it easier to get into the headspace of the story to keep writing and fill in the blanks and get new inspiration. Doing this built the editing process into my writing process--I would read a scene to get back in the headspace, dislike what I had written, and just clean it up on the fly. I still never ever sit down to 'edit' my work. I just reread it to prep for writing and it ends up editing itself. Many many scenes in this fic I have read probably a dozen times or more! (And now, I can actually reread my own work for enjoyment!) Another thing I found from doing this that it became easy to see patterns and themes in my work and strengthen them. Foreshadowing became easy. Setting up for jokes or plot points became easy. I didn't have to plan out my story in advance or write an outline, because the scenes themselves because a sort of living outline on their own. (Yes, despite all the foreshadowing and recurring thematic elements and secret hidden meanings sprinkled throughout this story, it actually never had an outline or a plan for any of that. It's all a natural byproduct of writing nonlinearly and rereading.)

Unpopular writing opinion time: You don't need to make a detailed outline.

Some people thrive on having an outline and planning out every detail before they sit down to write. But I know for a lot of us, we don't know how to write an outline or how to use it once we've written it. The idea of making one is daunting, and the advice that it's the only way to write or beat writer's block is demoralizing. So let me explain how I approach "outlining" which isn't really outlining at all.

I write in a Notion table, where every scene is a separate table entry and the scene is written in the page inside that entry. I do this because it makes writing nonlinearly VASTLY more intuitive and straightforward than writing in a single document. (If you're familiar with Notion, this probably makes perfect sense to you. If you're not, imagine something a little like a more contained Google Sheets, but every row has a title cell that opens into a unique Google Doc when you click on it. And it's not as slow and clunky as the Google suite lol) (Edit from the future: I answered an ask with more explanation on how I use Notion for non-linear writing here.) When I sit down to begin a new fic idea, I make a quick entry in the table for every scene I already know I'll want or need, with the entries titled with a couple words or a sentence that describes what will be in that scene so I'll remember it later. Basically, it's the most absolute bare-bones skeleton of what I vaguely know will probably happen in the story.

Then I start writing, wherever I want in the list. As I write, ideas for new scenes and new connections and themes will emerge over time, and I'll just slot them in between the original entries wherever they naturally fit, rearranging as necessary, so that I won't forget about them later when I'm ready to write them. As an example, my current long fic started with a list of roughly 35 scenes that I knew I wanted or needed, for a fic that will probably be around 100k words (which I didn't know at the time haha). As of this writing, it has expanded to 129 scenes. And since I write them directly in the page entries for the table, the fic is actually its own outline, without any additional effort on my part. As I said in the comment reply--a living outline!

This also made it easier to let go of the notion that I had to write something exactly right the first time. (People always say you should do this, but how many of us do? It's harder than it sounds! I didn't want to commit to editing later! I didn't want to reread my work! XD) I know I'm going to edit it naturally anyway, so I can feel okay giving myself permission to just write it approximately right and I can fix it later. And what I found from that was that sometimes what I believed was kind of meh when I wrote it was actually totally fine when I read it later! Sometimes the internal critic is actually wrong. 3. Marinating in the headspace of the story. For the first two months I worked on [fic], I did not consume any media other than [fandom the fic is in]. I didn't watch, read, or play anything else. Not even mobile games. (And there wasn't really much fan content for [fandom] to consume either. Still isn't, really. XD) This basically forced me to treat writing my story as my only source of entertainment, and kept me from getting distracted or inspired to write other ideas and abandon this one.

As an aside, I don't think this is a necessary step for writing, but if you really want to be productive in a short burst, I do highly recommend going on a media consumption hiatus. Not forever, obviously! Consuming media is a valuable tool for new inspiration, and reading other's work (both good and bad, as long as you think critically to identify the differences!) is an invaluable resource for improving your writing.

When I write, I usually lay down, close my eyes, and play the scene I'm interested in writing in my head. I even take a ten-minute nap now and then during this process. (I find being in a state of partial drowsiness, but not outright sleepiness, makes writing easier and better. Sleep helps the brain process and make connections!) Then I roll over to the laptop next to me and type up whatever I felt like worked for the scene. This may mean I write half a sentence at a time between intervals of closed-eye-time XD

People always say if you're stuck, you need to outline.

What they actually mean by that (whether they realize it or not) is that if you're stuck, you need to brainstorm. You need to marinate. You don't need to plan what you're doing, you just need to give yourself time to think about it!

What's another framing for brainstorming for your fic? Fantasizing about it! Planning is work, but fantasizing isn't.

You're already fantasizing about it, right? That's why you're writing it. Just direct that effort toward the scenes you're trying to write next! Close your eyes, lay back, and fantasize what the characters do and how they react.

And then quickly note down your inspirations so you don't forget, haha.

And if a scene is so boring to you that even fantasizing about it sucks--it's probably a bad scene.

If it's boring to write, it's going to be boring to read. Ask yourself why you wanted that scene. Is it even necessary? Can you cut it? Can you replace it with a different scene that serves the same purpose but approaches the problem from a different angle? If you can't remove the troublesome scene, what can you change about it that would make it interesting or exciting for you to write?

And I can't write sitting up to save my damn life. It's like my brain just stops working if I have to sit in a chair and stare at a computer screen. I need to be able to lie down, even if I don't use it! Talking walks and swinging in a hammock are also fantastic places to get scene ideas worked out, because the rhythmic motion also helps our brain process. It's just a little harder to work on a laptop in those scenarios. XD

In conclusion: Writing nonlinearly is an amazing tool for kicking writer's block to the curb. There's almost always some scene you'll want to write. If there isn't, you need to re-read or marinate.

Or you need to use the bathroom, eat something, or sleep. XD Seriously, if you're that stuck, assess your current physical condition. You might just be unable to focus because you're uncomfortable and you haven't realized it yet.

Anyway! I hope that was helpful, or at least interesting! XD Sorry again for the text wall. (I think this is the longest comment reply I've ever written!)

And same to you guys on tumblr--I hope this was helpful or at least interesting. XD Reblogs appreciated if so! (Maybe it'll help someone else!)

[parmahamlarrie]

Welcome back to another post for the directory of fic recs on my blog! If you would like a specific theme or trope, let me know! As always, these are all fics I have read and loved, not all the fics out there. You can find more Girl Direction fics here! **This post will be updated as I have more fics in this theme to recommend!**

Tell Them We’re Like Magnets || @nobodymoves || 31.3k   Girl Direction, College!AU, Friends to Lovers, Oblivious Idiots

Dancing on the kitchen tiles (it’s all about you) || hopelesswriter || 30k Girl Direction, Childhood Friends to Lovers, Pregnant Harry

daydream about me || louistomlinsons || 21.5k  Girl Direction, Famous/Famous, Fluff, Coming Out (sorta), Idiots to Lovers

Read Me Like a Book || @1diamondinthesun || 21.5k Girl Direction, Librarian Harry, Writer Louis, Pining

darling, I’ll take care of you || @louly23 || 20.3k  Girl Direction, Famous/Famous, KidFic

Lesbian!Alpha Series || @bottomlinsons || 20.1k Omegaverse, Girl!Direction, Alpha x Alpha, Meet Cute (sorta), Ruts

Knew It As Soon As I Felt It || fondlyrainbows || 20k  Girl Direction, Lesbians, College AU, Getting Together, Fluff and Smut

pink like the paradise found || @disgruntledkittenface || 18.4k  Girl Direction, Fluff/Smut

‘tis the damn season || @louandhazaf || 17.9k Girl Direction, Christmas, Long Distance, Coming Home

The Sorority AU Series || louistomlinsons || 14.7k  Girl Direction, Sorority AU, Fluff and Humor

when half spent was the night || @juliusschmidt || 14.7k Girl Direction, Pregnancy

Don't Have to Be Good to Be My Girl || @homosociallyyours || 12.8k Girl Direction, Daddy Kink, Kink Negotiation

Tease You, Please You || @homosociallyyours || 12.5k Girl Direction, Famous/Non Famous, Boss/Employee (kinda), Friends to Lovers

Bluer than velvet were her eyes (softer than satin were her thighs) || @thebreadvansstuff || 12.3k Girl Direction, Fashion Designer Harry, Model Louis, Strangers to Friends to Lovers

Bambi Legs || @disgruntledkittenface || 11.5k Girl Direction, Fluff, Coming Out, First date

Only You (Blue Always Stays True) || @justanotherghostblr || 11k Regency, Girl Direction, Omegaverse, Friends to Lovers

I Want All Your Saturday Nights || @homosociallyyours || 10.8k  Girl Direction, Famous Louis, SNL Cast Member Harry

It’s Been So Long || @littleroverlouis|| 10.6k Girl Direction, Exes to Lovers, Older Harry and Louis

Let Mummy Take Care of You, Baby Girl || orphan_account || 10.1k Girl Direction, Age Difference, Mummy Kink, PWP

I'll drive and you just lay back || @alwaysxlarrie || 10k Girl Direction, Established Relationship, Watching Porn Together

Undo This Privacy || little_obelia || 9.5k Girl Direction, Established Relationship, Watersports, Fluff

When Louis Met Harry Series || @berzerkshires || 9.3k Girl Direction, Weddings, Porn with Plot

lend me your thoughts || HappyPrincess || 9k   Girl Direction, Some degree of Hurt/Comfort, Mostly PWP

Set It Up, Spin Me Round || @becomeawendybird || 8.9k Girl Directions, Masquerades, Dom/Sub

You’re Invited || QuickedWeen || 8.5k Christmas Party, Girl Direction, Meet-Cute, Dating Apps

Got Me an Appetite || zedi || 8.1k Omegaverse, Girl Direction, Omega x Omega

bright lights (she’s fading) || @loveloveolivia || 8k PWP, Girl Direction, College AU

Paint My Kiss Across Your Chest || @larrysballetslippers || 6.9k Girl Direction, Religion, Daddy Kink, Strap On

you were right in front of me || @non-binharry || 6.9k Girl Direction, Service Top Harry, Vacation

Painted On Jeans || @becomeawendybird || 6.8k Girl Direction, Greek Life, Friends to Lovers, Nipple Piercings

Gotta Get (Me) Out of My Head || @parmahamlarrie || 5.8k Girl Direction, PWP, Established Relationship, Collars

Under My Umbrella || @lululawrence || 5k  Girl Direction, Famous/Non Famous

Quiet Afternoon Crush / Violent Overnight Rush || harrys || 4.9k Girl Direction, Friends with Benefits, Halloween, Unresolved Feelings

Trenigh: Sweet Nothing || @littleohs || 4.9k Omegaverse, Girl Direction, Non-Traditional Omegaverse Dynamics, Alpha Louis, Omega Harry, Dom/Sub, Established Relationship

reckless serenade || thepolourryexpress || 4.4k Girl Direction, College AU, Valentine's Day, Established Relationship

Barefoot Bubbly || @berzerkshires || 4.1k Girl Direction, Strangers to Loves, Older Louis, Drinking Games

Wouldn’t Have it Any Other Way || @parmahamlarrie || 4k Girl Direction, Established Relationship, Car sex, PwP

To Sleep, Perchance to Ream || @uhoh-but-yeah-alright || 3.9k Girl Direction, Established Relationship, Somnophilia

just be mine || elusivedays || 3.7k  Girl Direction, Jealous Louis, Bisexual Harry, Humor

I'd Choose You Over Sleep || @homosociallyyours || 2.1k Girl Direction, Fluff, New Relationship, Established Relationship

[ryin-silverfish]

So, male Chinese fox spirits tend to be more scholars, good at medicine (but this also applies to females) and tend to be the ones to possess human girls the most. Can we say that they are more problematic than the female ones? I wanted to ask if there are other characteristics that separate them as well. Maybe male Chinese fox spirits tend to be more malicious?

Hmmm...not really. Foxes of both genders get the "seducer" reputation equally, even tho the "scholarly fox" and "sorcerer fox" archetypes are more commonly male, and just like there are lovely fox girls, there are plenty of male foxes who are good bros.

There is one Qing legend I can't remember the name or source of, where a guy was friend with a male fox spirit, and he tried to get the fox to use his magical arts to help him steal stuff, only to be rightfully rebuked first and tricked into humiliating himself later.

Like, here, the fox had higher moral standards than his asshole friend.

In Liaozhai, there are also some pretty wholesome male friendship between foxes and humans, like Che Sheng's story. Basically, he loved drinking, became best friend with the fox who snuck onto his bed and stole his wine, and the fox repaid him by leading him to buried treasures and using his divination talents to guide Che Sheng into buying and storing crops prior to a drought.

The fox bros in those stories tended to be tricksters too, but in a way that benefited their friends. They don't get involved in human-fox love stories nearly as often, and in Qing legends specifically, they were often depicted as the worst homosexual stereotypes.

But, to quote one of my previous posts: there are good and bad ones among fox-kind, just like humans. Just bc the writers were imposing the gender norms and prejudices of their times onto non-human characters don't mean you, as a reader, have to buy into them, and besides, there are plenty of counter-examples too.

[neil-gaiman]

Hello Mr. Gaiman, My name is Rose and I have a question about the WGA strike. I have a friend who wants to be a screen writer someday, but she's living at home with a sibling that pays all the bills (which is nice) so she has no control over what streaming services are paid for. If WGA and SAG-AFTRA call for a boycott of streaming services and her sibling doesn't stop paying for their services will that reflect badly on her if she wants to get into the WGA someday? Her name is not on the accounts, but she has profiles on them. Would it be to her benefit if she did not use her accounts until the boycott is lifted? I know you're fielding a ton of these kind of questions. Thank you for taking your time to read mine. Also! Thank you for Stardust! Its my favorite love story! When Yvaine tells Tristian what she feels about love. That whole part is my favorite part of the movie for sure. I haven't read the book in a while so I can't remember if its in there. I'm sorry. I love it anyway. I also loved Good Omen's season one. I don't have the money to get Prime Video right now or I'd be watching. I love Aziraphale! Anyway! Thank you! Have a nice day! Sincerely, Rose

A boycott or a non-boycott by a member of the Public is a voluntary thing.

If your friend sells a script to a struck company during the strike then, yes, she would profoundly damage her chances of joining the WGA when the strike is over. She's taking the job of someone who is on strike and hurting the strike.

If her sibling (or she) pays for or watches a streaming service, that's not going to hurt her chances of joining the WGA one day.

[tarysande]

Hi! I’m considering becoming an editor but I’m not sure if it’s the right fit for me. If you don’t mind answering, what was your path like for becoming an editor, and what does the job mostly consist of for you?

Additionally, while I really do like helping other people’s work become better, I get too in my head to release a lot of my own work. Does editing require you to also be a writer most of the time, or could I get by mostly just editing?

Thanks!

Hi, anonymous friend!

These are really good questions for a potential editor to ask.

To (sort-of) answer your question, the amount of writing involved depends on the type of editing, honestly. So, first you have to decide what kind of editor you want to be.

Roughly, editing breaks down into three-to-four types: developmental/substantive, line/stylistic, copy editing, and proofreading. These terms are mixed up and interchanged ... often. Increasingly, line editing includes or incorporates copy editing, which is why I say "three-to-four."

Developmental is the big picture stuff, including manuscript critiques. Books of all kinds usually undergo some kind of developmental editing--by editorial agents, acquisitions editors, freelance developmental editors, etc. In my experience, this is also the kind of editing that requires the most writing and/or the most author/editor interaction.

Stylistic/line editing tends to be editing at the sentence level, looking at diction, structure, clarity, consistency, etc. Copy editing, on the other hand, is what many people think of when they think of editing--it's the mechanics of writing, like spelling, grammar, punctuation.

Proofreading is the rather specialized skill of editing proofs. They're the final eyes on a pre-published piece; they're looking for typos and errors rather than anything that will involve significant authorial changes because a proof page has already been "set" (as it were).

All of these kinds of editing can be applied to many different areas of communication, and the editors who perform them can be self-employed (like me) or work for an employer (i.e., as a more traditional employee). Employee editors might work in-house at a publisher (of books, magazines, academic journals, etc.), or they might have any number of editing-focused roles in business, government, education, etc. Self-employed editors may also end up working as contractors for other companies; this is pretty normal.

Many book publishers, including the Big Five, farm out a lot of their editing these days, by the way. Especially the copy editing and proofreading. So, those particular jobs are dwindling as in-house options. Publishers can pay freelancers less ... and avoid paying benefits. (#capitalism)

I will also say that, especially in jobs with anything to do with marketing or advertising, there's a lot of annoying scope creep where "copy editor" is often expected to be a copy writer, too. Again, it's a symptom of employers wanting to pay fewer people to do more jobs (and it's really annoying).

My path has mostly involved trying as many things as possible and slowly weeding out the ones I don't like. I've pretty much always been self-employed because the personal benefits (setting my own schedule, rates, deadlines) works better for me. That said, I'm Canadian (so I don't have to worry about employer-covered healthcare), and I have a partner whose salary is regular and whose benefits cover me, so I don't have some of the worries a freelancer in the US or a single-income household might have. I'm increasingly working on the development side of things because big-picture storytelling, including writing and editor/author interaction, is my jam. But I have also done a ton of line/copy editing on fiction, non-fiction, academic work, etc.

Without knowing what kind of editing you're looking to get into, it's harder for me to offer suggestions for next steps, but generally, I'd say it's important to get SOME training--whether through a school, a certificate program, or the various workshops and professional development offered by editing associations (Editors Canada, the CIEP, ACES, the EFA, ...there's an Australian one whose acronym has slipped my mind). Researching the flavor of editing you're interested in will probably offer up avenues for study, too. For example, most US publishers/authors use iterations of the Chicago Manual of Style. Most UK publishers/authors use Hart's Rules/Oxford. Academic journals/schools/students have different style guides (APA, AMA, MLA, Harvard, Vancouver). Law uses the Blue Book. It's good to have working knowledge of a few style guides--and then you have to keep up with the changes (Chicago's 18th edition is coming out this year, and I hear some significant changes are afoot--such as fully embracing the singular they!).

The tl;dr here is that yes, there are a lot of writer-editors. But there are also a lot of editors who aren't writers at all, or who have no interest in becoming writers, or who don't want their writing and editing to overlap, or who edit because they like helping people and they value clarity. At the end of the day, editing and writing are two very different hats, and you don't necessarily need to wear both.

...this is already a bit long, but if you have other questions or want me to get more specific about something, please ask!

[stephaniebrownslover]

HIII WELCOME MEE

FIRST I WANT TO SAY I REALLY LOVE YOUR WRITING STYLE. YOU'RE ONE OF MY FAVORITE CP WRITERS IN TUMBLR (Seriously, no joking)

Can you please write Kate x Nina's relationship for your main AU?

(Also it's one of my fav ship, I wanted to read my fav ships hcs by my fav writers)

I WAS ALMOST FORGET, HAVE A GOOD DAY/NİGHT :3

HIIIIIII AGAIN LOVELY PERSON!!!!

Bro. Bro stop saying things like this because I'm literally about to cry. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU SO MUCH

I really love and be surprised when people like my writing because of my self-esteem issues lol you have no idea how your kind words make me so happy and and make hate less from my writing style so thank youuuuuuu

I appericate you so much and and you're so sweet and nice and cool and awesome and cool and kind and sweet and and and

Okay I think I'll have an heart attack sorry if İ bothered you but I'm truly so grateful for your kind words<3333

I love NinaKate so much so of course I can do it for you even if I'm dying lol

(Ps: it wasn't seasonal allergies, turns out, it was the beginnig stage of pneumonia and bronchitis lol)

Also you can check this non-canon NinaKate headcanon post I made some time ago too!!

Okay but I can't get over how nice the words you say, really, I'm thinking about it since I saw the ask.

Sorry it's more like how they became friends and Nina and Kate lore but it would be so long that I had to split it into 2 parts. Hope you don't mind.

HAVE A GOOD NIGHT AND DAY TOO!!!!

Holy shit it's angst, I really didn't mean to...

NinaKate Romantic Relationship For My Main AU-Part I

Seeing each other for the first time

Nina has been known among the proxies since the night when Zalgo controlled her at the age of 15 and helped her find Jeff. Slenderman didn't want to take her with him because he didn't see any benefit to himself since Zalgo had reached out to her first, but he hadn't given the order to kill her yet just because he was curious about what would happen.

Nina was unaware that it was a ritual to summon Zalgo when she practiced one of the love spells she found on the Internet at the age of 13. Zalgo, seeing potential in her because of her obsessive love, followed her for 2 years, did not leave her alone. And since he decided it was the perfect time to take her with him, he took control of her body at the age of 15 and had her kill her own family.

Regaining control while plunging a knife into the heart of her younger brother Chris, Nina then felt so bad that she ran to the woods near her home. Zalgo led Nina through the forest, aiming to convince her that all this was Slenderman's and Jeff's fault and get her to the stage of wanting revenge. There she met Jeff, but Zalgo's plan backfired, as she hugged him and cried instead of hating him as he expected.

Kate had never seen the newcoming stray killer that Slenderman wanted to get rid of face to face before, but she had heard about the descriptions of her appearance and that she was a weird person in general. Since she was already someone who had been drifted away from humanity for a while, she had no reason to meet her, and these rumors didn't help either.

Kate, who was only 16 years old, had been a proxy for two years and had no one because of the fact that Masky and Hoodie were too focused on their own worlds and she didn't like them either. Rouge, Cody and Toby were not yet a proxy. So she was alone with Hoodie and Masky, who didn't even want to talk to her because they were afraid of her, and she wasn't looking for any human relationship.

She had experienced a hellish life until she was 14, but since she became a proxy, she has literally not been a human being. Although she had all the necessary human characteristics, she was not treated as a human, she did not think like a human, she did not feel like a human. That's why she was Slenderman's favorite proxy, since the whole purpose of her living was to fulfill his duties. The fact that she unconditionally accomplished everything he said made the others even more distant from her, but there was no problem for Kate. After all, she was no longer a human being.

It's been a month since Nina started staying in the same cabin with Jeff. Actually, she could have gone back to her old life since Zalgo destroyed the traces of that night, but Nina didn't know about it yet. Since no one else was trying to communicate with her, she thought that Jeff was the only important thing in her life, and she was holding on to him with all her strength. Although Jeff felt sorry for her at first, they started arguing because he was getting overwhelmed by her sticky attitude.

One day, when Jeff was drunk and really hurt Nina's feelings, Nina ran away deep into the forest to calm down. After walking for a while, she realized that she had lost. Moreover, this time, since both sides considered Nina worthless, there was no one to guide her through the forest. Nina was completely lost. She crossed to the foot towards a tree and let the tears flow, which she could no longer hold back. She was crying not only for this moment, but for everything. Most of all, because she was a bad person, and the fact she deserved all this.

Kate was returning from a mission. She was incredibly injured, and if people really cared about her, they wouldn't have let her walk on her own. Actually, Hoodie, with whom she had gone on, had offered to help her, but Kate's snarling with hatred indicated that she had responded negatively to his offer, and Hoodie's fear of Kate had caused him not to insist any further. After all, Kate knew that no one really wanted to deal with a non-human proxy who was at the age of 16.

That's why Kate was staggering through the forest alone, trying to ignore the pain and depth of her wounds. She just needed to get to Jack's cabin. Ann had just arrived, and Kate still didn't trust her. She had many reasons not to trust a zombie. Smiley hadn't started working for Slenderman yet either. So Jack was the only one Kate could go to, and despite her bleeding wounds, she was trying to get there as quickly as possible.

Kate, who was trying to walk, heard a crying sound. It... it was a human cry. She didn't know what she had to do. She kept walking, thinking that she didn't need to do anything because she knew she wasn't a human. But there was something in that crying sound which bothered her. This stranger's voice was filled with more pain and anger than she had ever heard before. Although Kate was not ready to face an enemy, she decided to check the source of the sound.

The person crying was none other than Nina, whose name was mentioned only with hatred and contempt.

Their first real meeting

Kate watched Nina for a while without making a sound. She did not know why she was crying, and frankly she had wondered what made her so sad. Because as far as she heard from others, Nina was a person who was cheerful enough to annoy and never got upset. And obviously, Kate was surprised to encounter a sight that was the opposite of the rumors she had heard.

Just when Kate decided she had watched enough crying and was getting ready to leave, Nina, who heard the sounds Kate was making, shouted in that direction. Kate would never normally have made such a fatal mistake, her injuries had made it difficult to control her body and she hated it. She hated being weak.

When Nina screamed again, Kate knew she had to do something. Her first thought was to quietly leave the environment, but she was not in a good enough condition to do so, and Nina was not an enemy. So, Kate thought it would be enough for her to just say hello and introduce herself.

When she appeared, Nina tried to suppress her sobs and stand up, but she fell to the ground since she sprained her leg. While Kate was only frowning at this situation, Nina was thinking about how useless and incompetent she was, which is why her crying became more intense.

Not knowing what to do, Kate slowly went up to her and held out her hand to her. On her first attempt, she had pulled her hand out regretfully before she even reached the halfway point, but when she saw how upset Nina was, she tried to overcome her hesitation. Kate was sure that she had been disturbed by the sound of her crying, and that she had been so kind as to make her cease her voice. However, in reality, it was just a proof that her humanity had not completely died.

Although Nina wanted to hold her hand, she suddenly saw how badly Kate was injured, and Nina immediatly pulled the hand she was holding out to hold Kate's and took support from the tree. She then stated that she did this because she did not want to hurt her any more, but was grateful for the offer of help.

Then nervously asked if Kate, who she knew was not the enemy, could take her back to Jeff's cabin after someone checked Kate. Nina didn't know where she was supposed to go, but she was sure that the person in front of her knew. She had seen the proxy mark on her wrist from her torn clothing.

Kate only responded with a shrug and started walking slowly. Nina also went after her, hoping that this was a signal for her to follow the proxy. Along the way, although Kate occasionally looked at Nina, Nina didn't mind it. Nina had noticed that she was an observant person, and she even thought it was cute.

After a walk, they arrived at Jack's cabin, where Nina randomly asked Kate questions to distract her own mind from sad topics, and Kate sometimes gave audible answers, while most of them were in body language.

Kate knocked on the door and asked Jack if he could take a look at her wounds. When Jack called her in, Nina was standing in front of the door because she didn't recognize him. But later, when she saw Kate making a movement signaling for her to come inside, she entered the cabin and closed the door.

After first Kate's wounds were taken care of, and then her own leg, Jack insisted they should stay here. He said it was too late even for a proxy and the killer to be roaming the forest, and explained that he had enough places. He also mentioned that Kate wouldn't need to come all that distance for her check-up the next morning.

Nina, who heard the word , only burst into sobs. Killer. That's how people must have see her now. As someone who takes lifes of innocent people for no reason. She knew that her idol was a murderer, but she had convinced herself that his victims were for a purpose. That's why she hated herself while glorifying Jeff in her eyes.

While Jack was trying to calm her down, Kate also bizarrely asked why she was crying. Nina was angry at being asked so clearly, so she yelled and told what had happened to her. She said how she had a wonderful family, but now they're nine floors underground because of her own stupidity. And what a terrible big sister she was.

While Jack was patting her on the back just to calm her down, Kate said it wasn't her fault. She even tried to explain that she was aware of what Zalgo had done, and that Nina was considered lucky to have survived with this much, as Kate was someone who had seen even worse.

Nina, on the other hand, was only more annoyed and asked how she was considered lucky. Her life was completely ruined, she had nowhere or no one to go to. Then Kate told her that the cops weren't after her, that she didn't have to live this life like herself. She sat down next to Nina and controlled herself, even though she wanted to put her hand on Nina's back.

Nina was surprised now. She asked Kate about her own story. Nina wanted her to tell her why Kate was here, why she was a proxy. And Kate just paused.

She said she didn't remember.

She mentioned that she had no memories of before the age of 14. Hearing this, Nina felt an incredible sense of pity for the young proxy standing in front of her. Nina may have had bad memories, but at least she had good ones too. She thought what a terrible thing it was to not know who she was. Not being aware of the existence of anyone who loves her. Not having a real life.

And quite instinctively she took hold of Kate's bony hands, which were like ice.

Kate didn't know what to do. She reflexively withdrew her hand, but she also knew that Nina had not done it for any malicious purpose, and her apology was a proof of this. Then Kate said it was okay for her to hold her hand and placed it back on her own lap. Nina grasped her hands tightly once again.

She told Kate that not having a past did not pose any problems. And Nina even got a little overexcited and said that if she wanted, they could build a future together as friends.

Kate, on the other hand, was literally shocked. While Kate was content with just nodding, Nina excitedly let go of Kate's hands and clapped her owns in the air. This was how their friendship, which was quite meaningful for both, began.

The beginning of their friendship

That night they stayed in the beds that Jack had made for them. Nina was acting incredibly protective of Kate's injuries, and Kate felt that day for the first time in years that she was worthy of being cared for as a person. Of course, this feeling was not long-lasting, but it was enough to create an involuntary smile on her lips. And that was enough for Kate for now.

Nina was constantly jumping from topic to topic while talking, occasionally not neglecting to ask Kate questions about her own thoughts. Nina realized that she was someone who didn't like to talk too much, and she didn't see extra talking as a problem because she knew that Kate was really listening her. 

Kate, on the other hand, was starting to feel more and more comfortable answering Nina's questions. Maybe this could have been due to her slowly creeping sleep, which came under the influence of medications. After saying goodnight, she finished talking. However, realizing that Nina may have thought that Kate was bored with herself, she offered that Nina could come to the proxy cabin for a few hours tomorrow if she wanted.

Nina instantly accepted this with the joy of having found a new friend. Although she was physically hurt while sleeping that night, she was emotionally relieved. A voice inside her was saying that they would both be good for each other.

Kate kept her promise. After the necessary check-up the next day, they set off for the proxy cabin. Nina was upset that Jeff hadn't called her even though she'd been away all night, but she didn't care about it as much as she usually did. Because she was no longer alone, she had a friend.

It was good for them that there was no one in the cabin. Both Kate didn't want to deal with others, and Nina wasn't ready to meet someone else yet. For a while they just hung out doing nothing and just chatted.

Kate then timidly asked Nina if she liked to play video games. Nina mentioned that she sucked at games and explained that's why she only watched other people play. Kate, on the other hand, in an even more shy manner, said that Nina could watch herself if she wanted to.

They played games for hours that day. They did not stop playing until nightfall came. And then Kate offered to take Nina to Jeff's cabin before it got too dark. Nina was actually staying alone in the same cabin with Jeff and Ben. Because they were considered one of the first inhabitants of the forest, and apart from the proxy cabin, other cabins had enough place for maximum 4-5 people.

Kate was very angry when she saw that Jeff was rude to Nina while dropping her off at the cabin, but when she saw that Nina was generally happy, she didn't say anything to avoid upsetting her. Then, when she was going to say goodbye to Nina and leave, Nina stopped her and gave her her number. Nina didn't have anywhere to write, so she asked if it would be a problem if she wrote in Kate's hand, and when Kate said yes, she wrote down her number. Then Nina asked for her own number and registered it.

After saying goodbye, Nina was waving enthusiastically to Kate from inside the cabin. Kate, too, shyly waved to her gently. When Kate turned around, she couldn't help but smiling.

When Kate came to the place where she was staying, she had a strange feeling inside. She wasn't sure what it was, but she liked it. Then, while she picked up her phone to check if there was any important message from Masky and Hoodie, she saw Nina's new message.

"Hiiiii, thx so much for helping me!!!!! Hop i can see ya soon sweetie :3333"

That day, Kate had found a real friend for herself. Maybe it could have been her first friend in her life. And she was glad of it.

Nina had found herself a true friend. Someone who really cared about her and doesn't use her for her own interests. There was a pleasant feeling in her.

Holly hell how long this shit is-

Also Nina's message might be out of character, English is not my main language and I'm not used to writing like that.

Sorry for shitty writing but I'm sick as hell

[evelhak]

*Sigh*

You know, I really try to give people the benefit of the doubt, I understand how hard it is to break through your own bubble when you've never lived as a part of any minority, I understand that when you've been able to take for granted that you're represented and accommodated in the vast majority of contexts in your daily life, automatically, it's really difficult to see how that isn't because you're inherently more "natural" than someone else.

Like, not long ago I had a perfectly constructive conversation with a friend, whose partner's mother tongue is a minority language, and she wanted both of their languages to have an equal role in their family's life. Despite all of her good intentions, she still couldn't see how she kept treating her own language as the default. I told her that her partner might feel less like he needs to defend his language if their daily life was worded differently, if his language wasn't always the one that needs to have especially designed days. And this was a completely new idea to her. She hadn't even considered that instead of wording it like "on these days we speak your language" and assuming that the rest of the days are for her language, she could word things in a way where both languages need to be named, both languages have designated days. She was just so used to being the default that she didn't even see it, and it never would have crossed her mind on her own to change her viewpoint.

This is what I initially assume about people when they say or do something thoughtless or insensitive. That they just don't know better yet, that they're just so used to not having to acknowledge wider reality than their own, that the concept doesn't fully exist in their brain. I don't think it makes them bigoted, just uneducated or inexperienced or something. So, if these things come up in conversation, I tend to have a lot of patience and energy to explain new things to people who genuinely want to learn and genuinely just don't yet understand. I even enjoy helping people expand their worldview, in fact few things are as personally fulfilling to me as lending a hand to someone as they're trying to grow as a person.

It's just that when someone says they aren't bigoted, when they say that they support [insert a minority], when they are painting the picture that they are informed about things enough to declare this, and still in random and casual contexts they keep acting like minorities are taking too much space...

*urge to pull hair growing*

Like if another writer tells me that my story would be more balanced if the purpose of it wasn't to showcase every sexuality and gender...

😩

While their own stories are ALL about straight cis perisex people.

🤔

And ESPECIALLY when the story of mine that was in question has like... One significant lesbian character. One significant asexual character. One (cis) cross dresser. One significant polyamorous character. And ONLY the lesbian character's character arc is in a mentionable way about being a lesbian. And the rest of the significant characters aren't queer which makes for at least 10 significant cishet characters and several well-developed conventional cishet romances.

I'm sorry but if even in a story where the clear MAJORITY still caters to your experience of normal, the queer rep is ALL you pay attention to, then this is DEFINITELY not my problem.

Like, where do you perceive queer characters to be natural or invisible enough?? When being queer doesn't impact their storylines?? When there's only one significant queer character among a bunch of non-queer characters?? Or when queer characters are only background characters?? When "normal" characters and queer characters exist only in separate works?? Or possibly when queer characters just continue to be invisible to you unless it's about getting a chance to show that you're a good person willing to share the space that was never solely yours in the first place.

Balanced my ass.

[bladeweaver-if]

Going around asking all my favourite IFs this-

My friend (who has written one and a half IFs so far) told me that she balances all the routes very carefully. If one choice reduces one stat and increases two others, then the other choice also does the same, though it might not be the same stats. She does this for most choices. She believes it's the only way to not have a route that's perfect or seems like the canon path.

I'm just starting writing an IF, but this does not seem to be working for me. Maybe I just need to add more stats?

Either way, do you agree with this? How do you balance your routes within the game?

With Bladeweaver, I'm currently only really writing scenes that increase/decrease personality traits. I don't try to 'balance' them in a sense, rather I include options that I think make sense for the situation as well as provide a good enough range of responses while making sure you're able to gradually alter bits of MC's personality over time.

Though it all depends on what you want to do with the stats in place, really!

I do plan on having stats that, when altered by player choice, eventually have a big impact on the story and outcome of events (as expected in IF lol, but you get what I mean hopefully)

I'm sorry if this isn't a very helpful answer, haha, I just thought I'd give it a go. I'm also a very novice writer and this is my first IF too, so I'm learning things about narrative and balance myself.

Tho I don't necessarily think having a 'best' route is the worst thing ever, it might serve your story well to make things a little more muddy. Good choices could come with a penalty, and be more difficult to thrive from, whether that's a lower monetary reward or even in-game damage being taken, or something haha.

I also think that no matter what, there is going to be an optimal route. It's sort of unavoidable, really! You could focus on making the other routes appealing in ways other than simply being the objectively best way to get through the story.

If you'd like to reach out non-anonymously, I'd be happy to talk about this more in-depth, as I think knowing more about the story you're trying to tell would be a benefit.

[fictionkinfessions]

Canon species confession: fuckin IKRAN

The movies would never have the time or the cultural good will to be able to explore the goddamn Implications of ikran-rider bonds being intended and followed a Lifelong and Unique the way bonding with another Na'vi mate would, and that makes me so mad sometimes.

No, its not SEX, that is and has always been a deliberate bad-faith """interpretation""" of the neural queues and their function (by people who refuse to meet the fucking movies where they are at and insist on needing world building concepts Spoonfed to them instead of just extrapolating shit for themselves), what i Mean is ITS BIOLOGICAL TELEPATHY. We are more or less TALKING to the ikran when tsaheylu is made. My banshee was my friend, in absolutely every sense of the word. She shared her memories, her life story with me, and I shared mine with her. She had her own ideas on how to do things -- good ones. Usually much better than whatever I'd had in mind.

The line between "intelligent" and "non-intelligent" animals on Pandora was EXTREMELY blurred -- much like we are straight up finding out about our own animals here on earth right now. (Have you guys heard about the elephants? The whales? With Names? Distinct, Unique names for eachother? Interesting interesting interesting. it's almost as if the Avatar films actually DO have something important to say that's worth taking a shot at absorbing just like every other story thats ever been written Ever, golly gee whoever could've seen this coming!)

Using spoken+written language and tool use as the Only metric by which to measure how "sentient" things are is and has always only ever been an excuse to demean and disregard inconvenient truths about what it means to be alive on the same planet of other autonomous beings at all. It's just another way of dampening our own sympathies for things that don't look like us, to help us not feel so bad when we kill and farm and mistreat them.

It pissed me off so much how casual fans or fic writers will talk about ikran or pa'li or any other animals on Pandora -- Like they're all just mindless beasts, that tsaheylu "tames" them, that tsaheylu is Strictly a way to dominate and control other creatures -- except, of course, when its with another na'vi! THENNN its sweet and romantic and hot and totally 100% mutual, obviously. Just like marriage. teehee.

The next few movies are probably going to be clearing SOME things up, but I also have a feeling it's going to be a little painful watching myself champion that exact homo-sapient attitude in them, too. The human identity is so wrapped up in the idea that we need to micromanage and dictate every little of iota of the matter and interactions happening arounds us aaaalllll the fucking tiiiimmmmeeee and it only ever hurts us, but we keep going, because at least when we feed into it, we can feel like "we know who we are".

I say 'human', but of course -- even that's a gross over simplification. There's countless indigenous people across the continents who understood what bullshit that way of approaching life is, sometimes before they even reach the age of majority. Its the fucking white man's issue, injected into everything, because that was the whole point. It was a choice made, to colonize and spread and seed that voracious perspective into children so they'd grow up and do the same -- for fantastical "benefits" that have left the planet exactly where it is right now. The people who started all this got what they wanted, and most died happily, in the lap of luxury.

Prioritizing the self at every and all costs, and justifying it to ourselves with blithe, shallow perceptions of the other, just to try not to feel so guilty about it after the ash and dust settles, and the next generation is left to try to till that scorched soil.

Anyway. Ikran are cool. I miss Cupcake. -- Quaritch

[melodious-tear]

fic writer interview

Thank you @bitterflames for tagging me! this was fun <3

How many works do you have on AO3? currently 24

What’s your total AO3 word count? 189 321 words (more than I expected 👀)

What are your top 5 fics by kudos? 1. Amour phew: 112 2. Mail from Ye Baiyi and other inconveniences: 107 3. Bed hair: 88 4. Lava Cake: 77 5. Rhythm of the night: 59 Lava cake is actually a surprise lol. I do not like this one very much.

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? Always! Even if it's just a comment with some hearts. I appreciate every interaction and I also know how it feels to create something for the void, that goes for commints too.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending? I'd say that's "Evening with an old friend". Or "keep me cold?" oh I forgot about "Puppet play". hmmm 🤔 XD you see, I wrote lots of angsty stuff ("point of no return" is surely the worst (tm), but it's a collage so I won't count it in)

What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending? That's "A ghost in the neon light", I think, at least out of the dark fics.

Do you write crossovers? no, not a fan of it at all

Have you ever received hate on a fic? not really, I got one passive-agressive comment from the XiYao troll back then, but apart from that I only get nice comments. one benefit of writing niche things, I guess :P

Do you write smut? If so, what kind? me, an ace, writes smut surprisingly often XDDDD, but only non-explicit

Have you ever had a fic stolen? not to my knowledge

Have you ever had a fic translated? yes, that silly little fic "Bed hair" got translated to Spanish

Have you ever co-written a fic before? no, and I'm not sure if I could do that

What’s your all-time favorite ship? oh, I can't really answer that, I love them all <333 And I'm sure there will be new ones. But XueYao was always the easiest to write for me!

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will? hhhhhhhh ... I'll consider only the published WIPs, otherwise I'd have to cry XDDD "synchronize me with the night" is one of my faves and I really like to finish it someday :(((((

What are your writing strengths? that's a bit hard to say as an insider XDD I think I'm good at dialogues and I really like writing them, and my muse is a crack addict, so I thrive at funny things. otherwise ... I think I'm also good at being true to the original character traits even in a modern setting, but that's something others can judge better, I'd say

What are your writing weaknesses? to actually write of course, and also finishing things :)))) I mourn the times when I only wrote one-shots, but now I almost always get myself into multi chaps (multi as in no end in sight) - so I fall out of fandom until I can finish, or the lack of interaction gets to me, or something doesn't work out as I thought it would ... I deleted some unfinished fics that kept haunting me. it's sad, but I felt bad whenever I opened AO3

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic? untranslatable things like suffixes are okay imo, and sometimes when two characters speak in a language that's foreign to the one from whose POV it's written for example, then it makes sense - otherwise I think it's not good for the reader's flow.

What was the first fandom you wrote for? SS-GB! that was before I fell into the cdrama trash bin

What’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to? there are quite a few, I want to write something about the snow boys (as I call them XD) from My journey to you, Luo Mingxi/Linlang (Legend of Anle), mmmmmaybe Ning Yuanzhou/Yu Shisan (A journey to love), and I still haven't written Yuan Lang/Lize Palace Leader (Love and Redemption) even though they are very dear to me!!! they are so complicated and one of them doesn't have a name ffs :(

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written? please don't make me choose between my children :))))))

tagging @moonstone-vibe @bitterfrosts @qinghe-s no pressure ofc and everyone else feel free to do it!

[ghostcat3000]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged by the super talented @theawkwardterrier

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

54

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

985,499 😅

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Currently SKAM. In the past I've written for: Call Me By Your Name, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, You're the Worst, Veronica Mars, and New Girl. I've also written a bunch of one-shots for Yuletide, mostly for films.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?*

Rest Easy (SKAM, Isak/Even, Nordic Noir AU, 18 chapters, Rated E, 168K, complete)

The Boyfriend Experience (SKAM, co-written with @irazor, Isak/Even, Gentle Sci-fi Love Story AU**, 21 chapters, Rated E, 177K, complete)

III. Rondo: Allegretto Moderato (Call Me By Your Name, Elio/Oliver, Post-Canon AU, 6 chapters, Rated M, 33K, complete)

A Lord's Sauce (SKAM, Isak/Even, Food Critics AU, 6 chapters, Rated T, 20K, complete)

1 Thing (SKAM, Isak/Even, Friends With Benefits AU, 6 chapters, Rated M, 31K, complete)

*I feel like this is crazily inaccurate. In terms of hits, The Boyfriend Experience is far and away the leader of the pack.

Lately, I've been getting so many guest kudos and I hate that I don't know if they're legit or bots run amok. I've gotten some fantastic comments from guests without AO3 accounts, so I'm reluctant to shut them out, but that might be what the future holds.

**This is a gross oversimplification of what kind of AU The Boyfriend Experience really is. All I can say is: trust us.

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

Yes. Sometimes I'm a little late in replying but I will reply. If someone took the time to read my story and tell me how they felt about it, then I want to respond to them. Say thank you.

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

I'm not a sad ending fic writer. Early on in my fic writing days, I worked on a non-chronological Veronica Mars fic series and a one-shot in that series, The Teeth by the Shoulder, had an angsty final chapter. That story was meant to connect with the one following, and what came next wasn't angsty at all. BUT, unfortunately, it didn't read that way and readers were like wtf, GC??? That was a structural experiment that didn't quite work. It happens. I still like the story though and how it sets up the one after. A noble failure.

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

Oh gosh, most of them are pretty happy, weirdly enough. Probably Rest Easy, because the happy ending was a departure from the Scandinavian Noir genre and I felt it was pretty earned.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I've gotten some weird things.

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

I do. What kind? I don't know. The kind with feelings, I suppose. I think sex writing is a great tool for revealing character. That's usually the best kind.

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

I wrote one tiny crossover for Veronica Mars and New Girl (who famously share an actor, a fact that in typical-me fashion, I did NOT take advantage of) called Legs Up To Her Waist (The French Have a Phrase for It Remix) for a remix challenge. I think it's a lot of fun, I got to delve a little into my Raymond Chandler fixation.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Probably lines here and there, fanon, but not whole stories. I think they're considered too weird by the general population.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! My Handmaid's Tale fic, We Must Refuse to Disappear has been translated into Russian.

I also have a SKAM story, A Lord's Sauce, that was translated into Italian as part of Fandom Trumps Hate. I hope to post that before the end of the year.

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

Yes, quite happily, The Boyfriend Experience with the wonderful @irazor.

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

I don't play favorites. I am enjoying writing Isak/Even now. Probably because they have such a good foundational story to work from for AU purposes.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

The last two chapters of my CMBYN series, Piano Sonata in G Major, "Pense-bête", are so removed from fic expectations (one half of the ship is barely present/there's another, albeit temporary, love interest in one chapter, other nuanced themes are explored in the other) and are so labor-intensive. Every time I look at what I have drafted, I feel exhausted. I am not currently in a place where I can work on it, but I would like to finish it someday. So I can't say for sure that I won't do it, just not anytime soon.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Some nice language, in-character dialogue. Interest in improving.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Simplifying. Proofreading grammar.

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

It's a LOT of work. However, I was very lucky when I was writing my CMBYN stories, which feature French and Italian dialogue. I got a tremendous amount of help from some lovely people.

That's partly the reason I haven't continued writing them. I don't like bugging people about translations. It's one thing to spend time writing stories, it's quite another to drag people into the vortex. Free labor is still labor.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

New Girl. Great readers, awesome betas. Really great place to start.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

I have a lot of love for my co-written fic with @irazor, The Boyfriend Experience and my Nordic Noir story, Rest Easy.

- O -

Tagging @irazor, @imminentinertia, @cheesybadgers, @htbthomas, @khaotunqs, @codswalloping

[kyofsonder]

This is important, especially because I think a lot of writers have been scared by the oversimplification of disability rep in discourse. A lot of writers are hesitant to write disability at all, believing that they'll handle it wrong by default.

While the best way to be sure you're handling disability rep in a respectful way is to either be portraying your own disability (like OP is doing, like my disabled writing friends do, like I do) and/or hiring sensitivity readers, there are key things to keep in mind when writing disabled characters on your own.

1) OP's point ×100. Disabled people are not a monolith, there is variation from community to community and from individual to individual. Some want to see disability portrayed x way, others want y. Still others want z or a or g or so on. Some will benefit from seeing disabled characters be cured of their disabilities as part of their disability rep, others will not. Even if you're also disabled, you don't get the final word on which form of disability rep is more validating or cathartic or appealing to your disabled audience. That's up to us as the ones consuming the media you create, as communities and as individuals. We decide whether we want to see cure stories or not, using our own communal histories and personal feelings as our guide.

2) Framing matters. If your disabled character is cured and that cure is framed as the one and only, sole solitary thing that could have ever given them any modicum of value or worth or autonomy or personhood, then you have misunderstood the point of disabled people wanting to see characters be cured of their disabilities. This is not to say the character or their peers can't believe, in canon, that the cure is the sole thing giving them worth. That can be explored in relation to your narrative and thenes without being framed as something that would be true outside your canon. This doesn't even mean that you can't let disabled characters gain self-worth and improved quality of life when they're cured, either. All this statement of "framing matters" means (in this context) is that if you frame your disabled character's cure in such a way that your real disabled readers feel like our own worth hinges entirely on whether we're disabled or abled -- when you make (any significant portion of) us feel like the media we're consuming actively hates us and wishes we didn't exist -- you have written your disabled characters and their cure arc in a way that's likely to do a lot more harm than good. You need to be mindful of that and always think about your framing.

3) Disabled people are people. Use your disabled characters' disability(ies) in a way that supports the narrative, but don't use them as props. Let them be background characters, but don't treat them as decoration. Make their disability(ies) incurable or give them a cure, but stay consistent in treating them as people the whole time. Different people need different rep, of course, but (pretty much) all of us want to be respected on a basic interpersonal level. Do that in your writing and art. Remember that real disabled people will be consuming the media you create, because many of us enjoy media, and write us as people. You (hopefully) wouldn't write a gay character as a running gag and then stop featuring them in the story once they get a same-sex partner, or stop featuring a trans character once they've become comfortable with their gender. You (hopefully) wouldn't write a BIPOC character as a token non-white cast member and then abandon them once you've met some "proving I'm not racist" quota. Don't write disabled characters as running gags or tokens or props and then leave them as soon as they're cured and thereby uninteresting to you. Treat the characters you write as people, and listen to your audience.

That's my advice as a disabled writer and fan of media. Representation as a concept has been wildly oversimplified, but it's not impossible to represent marginalized groups respectfully. Just remember that respect is the key word.

I just saw something again so

Different people want different types of representation.

Some disabled people will not want to see a disabled character cured.

Some disabled people do want to see a disabled character cured.

It all depends on the circumstances, people.

My ADHD, autism? I've had it since the day I was born. I don't know any better. It's always been there.

My chronic pain, my bad eyesight? That only started later.

And I don't wanna do anything about my ADHD or autism. Even if it could somehow be 'cured' I wouldn't take the 'cure'. Sure, it can be annoying, but it's just me.

My chronic pain, however? My bad eyesight? If I could do something about it, I would. Immediately.

So if I ever have a character with a disability that I do cure - it's not 'wrong' or 'bad' representation, it's not 'inspiration porn' even if some people might want to call it that.

It's the representation that I want.

Even if it isn't the one you want.

[gojuo]

I just finished the show and my goodness it is such a boring show...i had such high hopes. The strong boys seems like brats to me...again with them saying I'm paraphrasing: don't care about what others say. If a normal person says this it's fine...but they are heirs and so need to care what their subjects say. Unfortunately even alicent seems weak and keeps wanting rhaenyra to be her friend when rhaenyra doesn't need her at least not above daemon. Rhaenys and aemond was great. Vaemond was spitting facts till the writers made him unlikable and I felt like it was out of nowhere since he was polite towards rhaenys. The writers should have give lines for rhaenys to argue for her granddaughters inheritance. This show is so bad.

Also viserys is the worst...he hasn't throughout his life ever involved with his and alicents children and now he feels like he can ask them to get along for his benefit? He sucks. They should have had one of his sons confront him in private at least.

Rhaenyra's ideology of "me me me only I matter the rest is beneath me" being instilled on her kids ... I feel bad for them really, they really are just kids and deserve better :(

You're very right in saying that this show is boring. The main characters are not the ones moving the plot forward, it's the background and secondary characters doing it for them. The writers have stripped Rhaenyra of her agency and made her a passive character, so they can absolve her of the crimes she commits pre-Dance in canon. Because, for example, Rhaenyra orders Daemon to behead Vaemond and then she feeds his body to her dragon. Like, this is her moving the plot forward, this is her making her own choice, this is her having agency. But in the show it's someone else making that choice for her. And so instead she's just standing there like O.O all season long. The show wants to have its cake and eat it too: Make Rhaenyra a good person but in book canon she is the exact opposite of that so we can never show her committing any crimes or wrongdoings and so they have made her a non-character that does fucking nothing the entire season. BOOOOOOORINGGGGGG !!!!!

[torterragarden]

001 pokemon specifically x and y bc im making you take pity on Kalos

Fine 🙄

Favorite character: Shauna because of the rivals she has the most discernible personality, she's pretty funny and likable. Diantha is very cool and very hot but really doesn't do enough or live up to her potential so. yeah idk I think Shauna

Least Favorite character: Lysandre makes my head hurt trying to understand what the fuck he's about. He makes me like Chairman Rose more by comparison and that says a lot

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): uuh Shauna/Serena is boutiqueshipping I think, right? Anyway, that's one. perfectworldshipping is pretty funny so that's another one. idk if phaesporiashipping counts cause Cynthia isn't actually in XY but if it counts then that. I don't know of any other Kalos ships sorry

Character I find most attractive: Diantha, I really love her design. The old movie star vibe she's got really does it for me. Plus she's Champion so like #girlboss even tho she's one of the easiest Champions to beat

Character I would marry: Diantha. See above

Character I would be best friends with: uuh... Diantha? I guess?

a random thought: I really don't dislike XY as much as I make it sound like lmao I don't dislike it at all really, it's just that there's nothing about it that makes me want to play it over any other Pokemon game. Like I just don't Care about it is all

An unpopular opinion: Here's a big one, I never liked megas. A mechanic that only benefits like 30 out of hundreds of Pokemon, most of them being Pokemon that were already strong and popular anyway, was never that interesting to me for a casual playthrough, and only like 5 megas were even viable in competitive so it wasn't any more interesting there. And none of the Pokemon who got megas were gen 6 Pokemon despite the mechanic being introduced in gen 6? not even the starters? Oh no but lets give megas to the Kanto starters, hell lets give our special little guy Charizard two. come on. At least the Galar starters got gigantamaxes eventually and there were still plenty of gen 8 Pokemon that had them from the start. Also literally the only one that looks good is Mega Sableye, and that's just because it's regular Sableye but with ruby eyes and a big gem to hide behind. Every other mega is at best Fine and at worst ugly as shit, because the design philosophy for megas seemed to be "it's [Pokemon] but cooler, and cooler means busier". Have you seen mega Garchomp? Have you seen what they did to my boy? Disgusting. I never want to see it again.

My Canon OTP: "otp" is too strong a word for it but boutiqueshipping. That fireworks scene was so romantic coded this IS canon idc

My Non-canon OTP: phaesporiashipping. I just think Diantha and Cynthia should kiss

Most Badass Character: Diantha, at least in theory

Most Epic Villain: no. I am not giving Lysandre and credit lmao

Pairing I am not a fan of: I really don't know enough of the Kalos pairings to know which ones I don't like specifically, if it's obviously gross and bad for the obvious reasons etc etc then yeah throw it all out but like I don't Know

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): LYSANDRE. Also Diantha. How did they set her up to have an opposite philosophy to Lysandre in her first scene and then just never have her play a part in anything involving him later

Favourite Friendship: Shauna and Serena I guess, or Shauna and whatever the male player character was if you prefer. Calem? yeah

Character I most identify with: Sycamore because I am also a dumb idiot villain apologist

Character I wish I could be: I would sooner die than be French

[castiel-left-his-mark-on-me]

Hi, Ary, very inactive ex-mutual(i think???) here. Good to see you thriving! ♥ It's been a while since I've dipped my head into cockles stuff. Could I perchance maybe ask uuuuum tf is going on??? lol I see Mish apparently confirmed he used to stay over at Jensen's in Van, and heard newbs were apparently freaking out about it and getting a bit messy, which I get that, business as usual. But I'm also seeing shit about spin-offs? And Jared getting in a twitter fight with Jensen, causing/resulting in stans to going feral and sending hate?? I know you're not as big a fan of Jar, but that's part of why I figured I'd ask you, you usually have a really level head about this kinda stuff. If you don't wanna answer publically, or at all, that's totally chill!

Hey, Rhi! We're still mutuals! Of course we're still mutuals! When I saw the notification of your ask, I was like "Hey! I haven't seen you in a while!" and my husband was like "???" and I said "Tumblr" and he said "Oh."

It was a wild time haha.

In any case, welcome back to the dumpster fire! We are obviously still a mess. So to catch you up, I guess I will start by summarizing both before and after the finale (not sure where you left off so this might be redundant for you) ... basically, it became obvious as the end of the show neared that Jensen was not on board with the plan for the finale; although Jared never stopped singing its praises.

We got confirmation of this during a zoom interview where Jensen said that he actually went into the writers room as well as called Kripke to basically voice how he didn't agree with the direction the final season was going, but he was shot down on all fronts. In another interview, he was asked "What would you tell your younger self going into this career?" And Jensen responded with: "I would tell myself to just keep your head down and do the work" meaning, "Don't try to change things because you can't." I also think that this whole situation is what he wrote "Let Me Be" about for his first Radio Company album, but that is just my own speculation. All of his reluctance, even though he always followed it up with "But I eventually saw the value in the script" or "I came around in the end" (which never sounded sincere, and I don't think he was really trying to sound sincere) made us all very nervous about what was to come for 15x20; and of course, when the last two episodes aired, we saw just how badly they fucked it up.

After the awful finale, the entire fandom became aware of the CW's heavy handed role in the thing, basically squeezing all the life out of SPN to shape it into a ramp from which Walker could launch itself. They not only erased all the love and joy and representation that Cas's love confession gave us, they also tore apart the things that made sense about the bond between Sam and Dean, making it really just about Sam-- and therefore Jared, which of course, Jared seemed to be fine with ... even though no one else was. Misha barely said anything during the finale, and a few of the other actors talked about the show ending in various posts, but Jared tweeted up a storm ... and Jensen? Jensen just sat in sexy-silent resentment of the whole thing. He didn't tweet, he didn't post, he didn't say a word once he no longer had to, and I think that's because he was already going full-steam-ahead on his plans for redemption.

Which brings us to Chaos Machine-- Jensen and Danneel's new production company that is being run by a queer creative director and has a mantra of inclusivity and representation woven throughout it's fabric; and apparently, the first story that Jensen wanted to tell through this new platform is the origin story of Sam and Dean's parents; so last week (?) he announced the upcoming production of "The Winchesters" -- the untold love story of John and Mary. Obviously, John is not the most likable character from the show, so the idea was met with a lot of resentment when it was first announced, but Jensen has gone on to say that he is excited to take on the task of telling the "true" story behind these characters-- the one that makes sense with the pre-established canon and doesn't reject it. So, given that, the idea is being mulled over with a bit more optimism from the fandom.

Who isn't being optimistic though?

Jared Padalecki.

When Jensen made this announcement on Twitter, many of his friends and coworkers congratulated him, but not Jared. Jared responded with a passive aggressive: "I'm happy for you, man, but I wish I didn't hear about it through Twitter." This of course, sent all the die-hard Jared fans into a tizzy and they immediately began asking him if he was serious (hoping it was just a joke-- we all hoped it was because there would be fallout no matter what one's opinion on Jared is). Instead of leaving it there though or just deleting that tweet, Jared went on to tweet some more, saying that he was being serious that he didn't know about the plans for the prequel, and that he was "gutted" that Sam apparenlty wouldn't be included (mind you, this a prequel to SPN... meaning BEFORE Sam and Dean were even born, so how could Sam be included? But Dean is apparently narrating this story so maybe Jared thought Sam should be helping to narrate it? I don't know). But Jared being Jared couldn't just leave that there, he then went on to tweet at Robbie Thompson who was announced as a writer for "The Winchesters" so then Jared went off on him too, calling him "Brutus" and a "coward" acting like Robbie betrayed him (speculation is-- Robbie refused to write for Walker, so Jared is pissed that he essentially chose Jensen over him). He did fairly quickly, remove that tweet attacking Robbie, but of course the damage was done at that point. And it truly only took his first tweet calling out Jensen for some people to be like "Jared-- that sucks if you didn't know but why are you saying any of this publicly?"

As you might know, Jared has had issues in the past with posting hurtful things on social media, and has even used it as a tool for attack before-- calling out customer service agents and public workers that he felt have wronged him, which is bad enough ... but for him to then do the same thing to his best friend of well over a decade? Many people who had once liked him or at least gave him the benefit of the doubt (I used to ...) stopped after this latest twitter tantrum.

However, some people have suspected for some time that J2 had a falling out either shortly before the finale or just after. Their public/social media interactions have seemed awkward, stilted or even non-existent in moments that they normally wouldn't be. In the past year, when Walker premiered, Jensen didn't say much about his friend's new venture other than a "Congrats. buddy" here and there. Later, we learned that Jensen refused to work on the show ... Jared said he make him do it, drag Jensen to the set "kicking and screaming" which made many fans quirk up an eyebrow because, why would Jensen put up a fight unless the two weren't as close as they used to be? And then Jensen moved his family to Colorado (either permanently or for an extended period at least) which is notable considering how he moved to Texas seemingly to be closer to Jared, even buying a house that was near his. All this was just speculation though; but it wasn't until Jared's tweet complaining about not knowing about the prequel that the theories behind them falling out, became less theory and more fact.

The day after his twitter tantrum, Jared tweeted again-- not retracting his statements or apologizing, but instead saying that he and Jensen "talked" and were "all good". Jensen then tweeted too, parroting this statement to some degree, which only made the whole thing even more sour in the mouths of the fans. The fact that Jared didn't apologize for his outburst and throwing his friend under the bus, and also the fact that Jensen-- Mr. Sexy Silence, Mr. Never Tweets, Mr. Tech-Ignorant-and-Proud, actually had to POST SOMETHING saying that he and Jared made up, it just screamed OPTICS. It was obviously the work of agents and PR firms and lots of people going "Look, if you two keep beefing, that will mean the death of both of your projects. Even more people will stop watching Walker, and this SPN prequel will never get picked up due to the scandal." So, the two "made nice" publicly to quell the chaos, but in my opinion, it's all too little too late. Jared started a storm that he can't contain now with a little tweet, and it seems like he knows that too because before he talked about him and Jensen making up, he asked that people "not send threats". He could have just as easily said that he shouldn't have made this a public issue and that he's sorry, but instead, he continued to play the victim and stoke the flames by alerting us all to the damage he's done.

Now, like I said before-- I used to give him the benefit of the doubt. I don't think he's an awful human or that he deserves to be attacked or anything, but he is an adult man with very poor judgment and an obvious selfish-streak a mile wide. He should know better, and he should have more respect for his so-called "friends" and "brothers" than to make them targets to public ridicule. I have a hard time believing that Jensen still sees Jared the way he used to, and I wouldn't blame him a bit for wanting to pull away-- especially when he's moving on to so many new and exciting things. Jared certainly deserves happiness just as much as anyone else, but he went on twitter and basically asked for a scandal, and he got one.

The question is now-- was there a motive behind it? Was just looking for a reason to bring his and Jensen's falling out to light-- while making himself looking like the victim in the process? Or did he genuinely not know about the prequel and just decided to go about "not knowing" in the most toxic and hurtful way he could manage?

In any case, that is the drama ... that is the J2 insanity in a rather lengthy nutshell ... that is the tea ... and I hope it all makes sense.

But the good news out of all of this is, Cockles is thriving-- they are happy and in love and Jensen calls Misha "Babe" and Misha misses waking up to see Jensen in the morning, and they are just as cute and wonderful as can be.

So, I will end that there. I am so glad to see you back, and I hope I answered all your questions in a way that made sense ... I tried anyway!

💖💖💖