#the post in question actually concerned its writing and writers more specifically

[natequarter]

every time i see a post about bts issues affecting doctor who all i can think is: you haven't known the triumphs and defeats, the epic highs and lows of charting the state of tom baker and lalla ward's relationship via carefully checking how much eye contact they make in a given serial

[afantasyoffiction]

a lil intro :)

hi hello to anyone who's checking this out!

i’m caitlin, an aspiring fantasy writer and maybe poet, english literature nerd and general fandom weirdo who likes to talk a lot about all my many many obsessions :)

i'm new to actively participating on this site as opposed to watching thru the window of pinterest...but now that i write more and 9-1-1 in particular doesn't post on pinterest so much, i'm on here too rip

i talk about: writing, procrastinating writing, reading writing and characters in writing who drive me insane!

my writing: i write poetry which i will post on here occasionally! but my main writing that is intended for other ppl to read is fanfic, and my fantasy wip:

my fics that you can go read literally right now if you want:

just to sit outside your door - buddie post-hiatus wip

if I glued myself shut (you would find your way in) - buck's pov during the 'are his concerns your concerns', feeling realisation

you've haunted me, so stunningly - eddie pov during the post -lightning convo w buck, based on that amazing edit making the rounds rn

just to sit outside of your (ipad screen) light - eddie post-hiatus mini fic, feelings realisation

the witches wip: a ya fantasy book (one day trilogy i hope!) about a world where witches are gone, but persecution of them isn't. trying to save her innocent sister from execution, my fmc gets dragged into a storm of political plotting, conflicting agendas and strange powers beyond her comprehension. a book about family, and realising that what you thought was a bedtime story might still be around to haunt you... tagged with #the witches wip

my ao3: a_fantasy_2 - all the good stuff is copied above! tags are #shameless fanfic plug and #caitlin's original writing

main fandoms: i have been in a ridiculous number of fandoms so this is not all of them but these are my main ones - bold are ones im currently in the trenches abt :)

9-1-1 (pls no ship war content tho i just cannot)

marauders (my og loml one true fandom its a canon event i fear)

good omens (book and tv show changed my life)

anything leigh bardugo but SoC and RoW especially

supernatural (its been a while but then again i'm fandom posting on this site so its kinda a given)

anything by chloe gong....(message me PLEASE. best ya fantasy writer and my literal writing idol)

EPIC the musical - i love this so freaking much, if you don't know what this is go find out u won't regret it

hamilton (i am in fact hamiltrash, unfortunately)

aftg (im not writing that out. if you know what that acronym is thats on you.)

tagging system: i got one of those creepy teeth 'frequent poster badges', so i think it might be time for me to get one of these. ahem. on an incoherent blog, i declare order:

#caitlin writes and yaps abt it - writblr content (these will almost always have the 'writblr' and 'writers on tumblr' tag as well)

#caitlin's homebrew hallucinations - any writing or OC content from my wips or poetry i share

#the witches wip - specific wip content!

#caitlin the english major - literature posts

#caitlin reblogs from even cooler blogs and/or #caitlin's moot besties - reblogging my moots or other cool ppl!

#caitlin does ask games / #caitlin does reblog games - making a separate tag bc i LOVE these

#shameless fanfic plug - fics that i write on ao3 and want to share here

#caitlin rambles miscellaneous - anything else thats incoherent

fandom posts will all be tagged with their fandom and with #caitlin a fandom nerd

sound good? let me know if this actually makes this blog make any more sense mk team

please send me: asks/posts/comments about these fandoms, short fic writing prompts within these fandoms, writblr content, writing questions, or literature thoughts :)

(pls don’t send me requests for money or ai content. i will block and delete, here’s why. )

basically reach out if you just want to ramble about any of these things because what else is tumblr dot com for ... seriously what. actually what was this site made for it beats me

[writingquestionsanswered]

I'm planning on publishing my written fiction online in both Portuguese (my native language) and in English (the other language I speak which might help to share the story with more people), but something is worrying me.

I watched a movie where the a main character (a writer) had a book that wasn't popular and another character "translated" into her language (what she actually did was rewrite it as an erotic novel) and the book was super loved there (the readers didn't know the book was supposed to be different)

Sometimes I see artists who allow fans to share translations of their comics, but I'm concerned on what could happen if someone asked for permission to translate. Do you think it's worth the risk of someone making my story popular with something that goes against my values, like supporting disregard to a human right or making it erotic when it was supposed to be family-friendly?

Worried About Fan Translations

I want to be clear that this advice is specific to fiction published online versus e-books or print books, which are a different matter entirely. First and foremost, if you post a story online, give permission to a fan to translate it, and then they rewrite it into something else, that is plagiarism and a copyright violation, and you have every right to ask them to take it down. If they refuse to cooperate, you can threaten them with a lawsuit, even if you don't really have the means to follow through. That could be enough to get them to take it down. If not you can report them to the platform for stealing your work. You can also let your fans know that this person has stolen your work and to please block them or refuse to engage with them.

If you post a story online and are approached by a fan who asks to translate it into their native language, there are some things you can do to potentially protect yourself:

1 - Do not give them permission to post the translation on their own account. Thank them for their offer and let them know you're happy to let them translate the story, but they will need to e-mail it to you so you can have it vetted and post it on your own account with credit. Be clear that you do not give them permission to post a translation on their own account. That way, not only does it dissuade people who are only interested in plagiarism or benefiting off your hard work, it also means you keep full control of your story and its translations.

2 - Do your best to vet the translation. You can try to find a beta reader who is fluent in that language who can read it and make sure it's a good translation, though you'll likely have to pay them, which is worth it to make sure the translation is accurate. Or you could copy chunks of the story into Google Translate, which isn't a great translation service, but at least you'll see right away if the person has added erotica or written anything that's drastically different.

3 - Do your best to vet the translator. Another thing you can do is try to vet the translator. Ask them if they've ever translated a story before, and if so, ask them for examples. Look at their account and see if they have posted other translations or have posted links to translations. Investigate the authors of the stories they translated and see if there are any complaints. Read through the comments of the original story and the translation (you may again have to use Google Translate if it's a language you're not familiar with... not perfect, but just fine for this application...) are similar. If a lot of comments on the translation mention elements that aren't mentioned in the source story comments, that's a potential red flag.

I hope that helps!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I’ve been writing seriously for over 30 years and love to share what I’ve learned. Have a writing question? My inbox is always open!

♦ Questions that violate my ask policies will be deleted! ♦ Please see my master list of top posts before asking ♦ Learn more about WQA here

[starstruckodysseys]

20 questions for 20 writers !!

thank u to @localdisasterisk for tagging me in this! i honestly do not know how many writers i follow so um. ill tag my pibe fic besties @wheelsupin-azarathmetrionzinthos @angelwiththeblue-box @fatestitcherr @incorrect-play-it-by-ear and the rest of u can fight amongst yourselves

1. how many works do you have on ao3?

48. i don’t know if its more concerning that almost half of them are from the past five months or that almost half are play it by ear. its the same almost half but still

2. what’s your total ao3 word count?

143,389. woof

3. what fandoms do you write for?

obviously play it by ear. everyone knows that. also d20 occasionally and project sekai. unfortunately

4. what are your top five fics by kudos?

toya and mizuki’s step by step guide to romancing a shinonome — i will be so real with you guys i specifically crafted this one to be popular. and then i fell in love with it along the way. but it did start as a science experiment

let me take you with me (just like this) — WHY. this is my second pjsekai fic and my fourth fic ever posted. it’s not at all reflective of my current style. help

kiss it better — yeah. same issue as the other one. this one’s better though lmao

say you miss me (say you want to kiss me) — honestly? just impressed a honakana fic made it up this high. love my girlies

the moon is crumbling (but that’s okay) — yeah everyone pretend to be surprised the ruikasa fic got this high up. it was a new concept for me, though, so i’m pretty proud of that

5. do you respond to comments?

i used to, but not really anymore unfortunately. to be fair, i will point you all to the fact that most of my recent fics are pibe, and then to the discord where we all scream about them together

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

i don’t usually. write sad endings. bc i don’t like them. okay that’s not true i just usually don’t. i guess the moon is crumbling?? if i had to choose?? it’s more bittersweet than anything, but people did say they cried, so…

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

99.9% of my fics are getting together fics. it’s just the same ending a million different ways. you tell me

8. do you get hate on your fics?

not publicly!

9. do you write smut? if so, what kind?

i would simply be too powerful if i could. this is for your safety actually

10. do you write crossovers?

in the sense of characters across universes/media interacting? no. in the sense of “i am going to put my blorbos in every single other setting i slightly enjoy”? absolutely. putting them under a microscope. researching and recording how they react to their surroundings

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

not to my knowledge!

12. have you ever had a fic translated?

i simply do not think there is a demand for my fics in other languages. not in like a depressing way, it’s just that i’m writing for like five people including myself, so. yknow

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

no, but if someone wanted to… 👀

14. what’s your all time favorite ship?

i’ve never written for them (yet, at least), but by sheer volume and span of time i have to say souyo persona4. my silly boys. i’ve never scoured the entire tag for a ship multiple times on ao3 like i have for them. i have so many thoughts about them that have never seen the light of day but they exist!!

15. what’s a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

stares awkwardly at feed your anger like fire… i’ve tried!! but it turns out that sometimes you get stuck on clothing designs and stop writing and then lose passion for the project and then stop updating for three years because you were too ambitious and also you hate your old writing style. not that i would know anything about that

16. what are your writing strengths?

i think i’m really good at dialogue, or at least banter. unfortunately this makes me very judgmental but that’s not important. also i can create a vibe well i’ve been told

17. what are your writing weaknesses?

in general? i SUCK at character description, or at least knowing where and when to place it. i also always worry about characterization and if my characters sound too similar

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

i used to read so many fics that centered around using another language (shoutout bmc fandom when i was. in that. a dark period of my life, but alas) and honestly if it’s done well i think it’s cool!! i’m not going to get into the intricacies of bilingualism on account of being an english only speaker but it is rad to me

19. first fandom you wrote for?

wrote for? probably warriors. yes the cats. i had a whole fanfic for my oc. shoutout to… honestly i don’t remember her name but she was a real one! wrote for and posted is another story, by which i mean i don’t remember At All. probably bandori tbh, bc i don’t remember if i posted fanfic on my wattpad

20. favorite fic you’ve written?

either the venn diagram of curses and crushes (which is still my favorite fic title ever) or soaking in the glory. one of them is a 3k word expedition into the play it by ear canon space and the other is a 7k word fever dream i went into a fugue state to write in two days. honorable mention to the like the sweetest cup of chai series which i hold so close to my heart. silliest besties of all time

[butts-bouncing-on-the-beltway]

re: The ASL post

Surely I can't be the only one questioning the premise that if you shut down in one language, you shut down in all of them, equally?

Selective mutism is a whole Thing that exists. There's speech loss where you can somehow take a business call, but can't otherwise converse or ask for help or articulate anything outside of that specific compartmentalized embodiment. There's speech loss where echolalia is still possible. There's dissociation and compartmentalization and codeswitching which allow people to superficially bypass their own brain's shutdowns to produce the results they need.

And then there's the fact that different languages can mean different brainspaces! Thinking in and expressing yourself in language A versus language B can be sooo so so so so different in terms of emotional processing, sensory experience, gender realization, logic formation, etc, and that's even without getting into the root cultural differences. You can be groggy and overstimulated and find solace in a languagespace where you have more resilience, and it does not have to be a regression to a native tongue!

And that's staying within the same language modality! Once you change that, it's extremely possible that triggering conditions like fatigue/exhaustion/overstimulation can be relieved. How many writers have been utter wrecks in crisis while churning out beautifully written works in their non-native language? If a Deaf person has speech loss but can write in legible English during the event, is that marked as physically impossible with the same level of scrutiny?

Meanwhile, my experience with using ASL as someone who was already multilingual (including natively multilingual) before that is that the non-manual markers of the language are so embodied and so different from my natural performance state that of course it requires a different kind of brainspace, it's practically a form of masking except that it relieves the pressure of the other masking (tone, volume, pace, vocabulary, presque vu, cluttering, pitch, and then all those things but with stealth trans gender anxiety).

Also when someone is in crisis, why is it necessary for them to communicate with perfect grammar? What hill even is this?

(In addition, I resent the idea that it's impossible to have intuitive fluency in a language just because you didn't start it as a baby. And the idea that struggling with one parameter of a language will render native users utterly incapable of comprehending you... which is to not even touch the ways in which parameter prescriptivism hurts tactile sign users--*immediately falls through a trap door triggered by the anti-intersectionality police*)

As always, friendo, you speak mine own thoughts to the core, lol

I didn't really feel like getting into every concern I had with the way that post was presenting its conclusions, because I had already written several paragraphs and that felt.....unhelpful at best.

But yeah, I mean. I am not aware of ANY psychological research whatsoever that supports the assumptions they were making about speech/communication loss as an experience, about the way the brain interacts with language, and about the role of learning new languages. It sounded like a LOT of misunderstood moral/ethical arguments being made after hearing someone talk about a small piece of the complexity of Deaf/HoH language/communication sharing with other communities, that they didn't fully know how to apply because they don't actually know anything about the neuroscience of the situation.

Which like. Fine I guess. But that was sort of why I pushed back. I really appreciated the point that sign isn't AAC! I would really like to see that acknowledged more in the way speech/communication disorder folks talk about our interactions with it! And it worried me that the point didn't ACTUALLY seem to be "these things are different so here's the strengths and challenges of each/the outcomes one may hope for with each, so you can better understand how to utilize them" but rather "If you can't be confident that you have fully unlearned your prejudices and assumptions here, you're actually harming Deaf/HoH people by trying to learn our language." That doesn't make sense to me. And when the response was to completely misrepresent my words and ignore my explicitly coming from an intracommunal perspective while literally refusing to actually interact with what was said? That made me feel really uneasy about where that arguement actually was coming from.

One of the things I didn't talk about in the post is that my languages actually get employed in a clear and consistent order as my cognitive functioning decomps. I am "functional" if I can speak and/or write in English. I am "impaired" If I cannot use English, but CAN use Spanish. And I am fully "adrift" if all I can do is sign/use assistive gestures. Literally, what language I am using to communicate is almost always in indicator of my state of mind, to the point that long before I had language for any of this, I warned Wifey ahead of time when we first started dating that I might lapse into Spanish under certain circumstances, and they would need to tell me if they didn't understand because I prolly wouldn't notice. Despite being my "first language" English is genuinely the hardest for me to interact with. This remains true as I learn more languages (German is easier than English too, as is Italian, and even Russian.) English is - by literally every measure - a hot mess of a language. And it is actually really fucking common for even native speakers to find other languages more intuitive.

Why would that suddenly stop being true because your cognition is failing? Yeah, you won't have **the same access** bit you were never going to anyway???? And "more access than zero" is literally invaluable????

I dunno. I know it's poor behavior to get frustrated at people speaking with authority while repeating objective untruths in something I have actual expertise in, but there IS kinda a certain point when I have to wonder why people immediately internalize the stuff they see on tumblr without actually exploring the work of people who pioneered the research someone is attempting to convey? Why are yall happy NEVER interacting with a primary source?

And literally? Don't tell me "well we don't have any intracommunal research!!! Because that hasn't been true in any significant field of study for a decade now. Limited? Sure. Explorations of genuine intracommunal priorities in their infancy? Absolutely. But at this point if we are 30yrs into "nothing for us without us" without being able to recognize that intracommunal knowledge generation has ALWAYS happened, and the problem was not an absence but an obfuscation?

We probably have bigger problems at that point honestly.

[moonshine-nightlight]

Any advice for writting longform stories like NWWD?

@honoikazuchis

thanks for this ask!

thats a pretty open ended question and my answer will inherently be relatively specific to me and the way i write, but i'm happy to share my advice!

I will link a few other posts where i answered some other writing asks:

worldbuilding [x] editing/exposition [x] writer's block/POV [x] plotting vs pantsing [x] how long does it take me to write stuff [x] my writing process [x] writing spicy scenes [x]

otherwise, see below for me rambling way too long about writing.

disclaimer: this is just my opinion and how i do things, obviously there's a lot of variety and nuance for everyone's writing process.

firstly, is that personally, i'm inclined to writing longform stories so thats a bit of a built in strength of mine. generally speaking my story ideas come with lots of lore (see above for my love of worldbuilding) and i like relationships that are deeper/longer, with slow burn being a favorite of mine (why basically all my short stories have the two people involved having met prior to the story starting). that being said, technically the main character in 'Nothing's Wrong with Dale' doesnt meet demon!Dale until the flashback of chapter 2 and why is part of why that story is so long/has a built in arranged marriage premise. Of my two potential long form stories i'm going to do next: one they already know each other (and are basically already in love just being pining idiots about it) or two the story takes place over several months/high stress situations and does not end with marriage etc. But thats more of a concern if you're writing romance.

in general, my advice for longform stories is to already have a relatively complete, high level view of the story when you start. some people can just improvise the entire story as they go--I cannot. i think its very helpful to know where ur story is going to end, more crucially when it is long and you'll be taking a while to get there. by this i primarily mean the setup for the story, then general ending, and vaguely what sort of metaphorical journey they take to get there. you do not need to know every scene and detail in the middle--and plot points/characters can and will evolve as you write and think more on everything--but having the broad brushstrokes figured out asap is critical, in my opinion.

I also, as a side note, don't set out with a story length in mind. i can generally get a good handle on how long a story will be by the idea and outline, but i dont try to make it long. if anything, i did try to challenge myself to write shorter stories, like my novellas, when i started this blog/posting original writing here. that was not only because i do tend to get very complicated/long original ideas, but also because i think it was important to me to actually finish some original work, which i had never done before.

shorter stories tend to have more straightforward plots. not that you can't boil down longer stories to simpler summaries, but generally longer story ideas have more stops along the way so to speak that come to me when i'm developing the idea because i want to cover more with the story. the main character in dale having had childhood illness, dale raised by his grandparents, there being tournament stuff and assassins stuff and uncomfortable parties and most importantly MC figuring out dale was a demon immediately and dale not knowing the MC knew that were all things i came up with (loosely) very soon after i started working on it.

which leads into my next piece of advice: write everything you brainstorm down - you will forget and you will remember there's something u've forgotten and it will annoy the hell out of you. write your notes, write your what ifs, write down possible character names, write down cool ideas for scenes--heck write some of the scenes up then, evn if its for chapter 24 of 35. dont save what ur most excited for as like a carrot on a stick, i find that it doesnt help and that having part of my story that i love existing already is a much better motivator to write the rest

i'm also a big outliner and planner. i think some people think what that means is that u should b able to write a plan once for a story and then never change or deviate from it--but no! change the plan as you go; scrap things that dont work out and add new ideas when they come to you. however, i do think having something down that covers the whole story, lets you get a good idea of the shape of the story, and reminds you of your end goal, are all incredibly helpful. i also keep multiple worldbuilding notes docs; character and location lists; picture inspiration; etc to support the longform idea

i think u also hav to hav confidence/delusion that you will in fact finished. i hav started multiple longform original writing ideas in the past. none of them are done except dale. and part of it was not taking some of my own advice up top, but i think i also just wasnt as committed? lik it'd get lost in worldbuilding, or writing other projects, or life happening (which is all absolutely fine) but dale was the first longform idea where i like, really believed i could write it all and where i was dedicated to putting in the time i'd need to finish it. i knew i would need to take breaks and it would take more than a year (which i did and it did) but i still believed i'd get to where i am now, with a finished draft which i think was really key.

also, practice, i've been writing for years and year; i've been reading for even longer; and i've been writing and posting fanfic for years as well. some of my longer fanfics were such good practice for how to plot a long story without having to generate all the lore myself and having guardrails on for the story/characters in general. aside from dale, my next five pieces of longest writing are all fanfic.

lastly, find at least one person you can talk to about your story. i really think that helped me stay excited and motivated about my longform story in particular. i of course like talking about shorter stories too, but i dont think i felt as compelled to keep talking about them during the process of writing them as i did for my longform stories (even my longer fanfics i talked with other ppl in the big bang about or other writers on discord). and i dont just mean posting the rough drafts as u go like i did, but friends, irl or online, that either are also writers or are just interested in what story you want to make. i think it helps make it more real to you, it gives you ways to talk through issues that come up, its a way to get excited because they're excited, and it makes someone besides you ask how everythings going. the longer stories ideas i had but never got finished are also ones i primarily kept to myself, because i dont think i'd realized how helpful it could be to share them and also because i was still sure that in order to justify telling someone or evn for someone to care, it would hav to already be written, but it doesnt! and in retrospect, i wish i had because maybe those stories would exist--or maybe i'll dig up those notes and talk to someone about them and then find myself back to writing about them (rip to Aftermath, that corrupted external hard drive did u dirty and killed my motivation).

i think getting to understand and figure out your own process, to really look at yourself and see what works and what doesnt (as honestly as you can) is extremely helpful. u'll also figure stuff out along the way--dont hesitate to try to new strategies or drop one that are really not working for you. its all a learning process. be nice to yourself! give yourself the grace to make mistakes (or tell a friend so they can bully you into to cutting urself some damn slack when u can't stick to a weekly upload schedule u made up for urself).

whatever longform story you've got in ur head is one worth sharing and seeing through to completion--and then inflicting on everyone else lol OUR problem now ;)

[bellysoupset]

How I organize this blog.

This is a post specifically for writers and kink-writers. I'm gonna be talking about how *I* organize my stuff and a system that I feel works well.

It doesn't mean my way is the only way, but it IS a way I've found manageable and as someone with 200+ fics, being easy to navigate is my number 1 concern.

Under the cut 👇

Tagging system

This is my touchstone, my everything in this blog. I have three "categories" of tags I use.

Character Tag: So I tag my sickee in every fic. JUST the sickee/whumped charcter. I try to use the full name (Lucas Atwood) or the nickname that is easier to come to mind (Vince Monacelli).

Why is this important? One day you're going to get an anon saying "hey I'd really like to read all your fics with John". And then you'll have to go and hunt for all your fics with John. One day you'll be writing something and be like "is Mary allergic to peanuts?" and then you'll want to go back and read just the Mary fics. This WILL happen and you'll be glad you can just click the "Mary" tag and go through all your Mary fics.

Organization Tag: I use #mywriting for every single fic I write, tiny or large. Other tags I also use #myocs for all questions I get regarding them and #ocsfaces for everything I've ever posted regarding their appearance. I also use #meta for everything regarding the act of writing.

Why is it important? Sometimes you'll want to reblog other creators' works or you'll go on an answering asks spree and then suddenly, if someone was to stumble in your blog, your writing is actually in page 3 or 4. This is why #mywriting is important, so people can go straight to that, sorted by the most recent piece. Also, updating your masterlist is a pain in the ass, but tagging is easy. You WILL get asks about your OCs eye color, height, whatever, this is the reason for the other two tags.

Please Notice Me Tags: Well, I write sick fics, so everything is tagged #sickfic, #emetophilia, #flu... etc etc. This is just so other likeminded people will find your stuff in the tag! It can also serve as an organization tag if you remember that you always tag "#stomach flu", but I sometimes flip flop between how to tag each illness so in my case is not for organization, is more for marketing reasons.

Why is it important? Well, you put time and effort into this! You want people to read it <3

-

Pinned Post

This is already common practice around these lands, but here are some things I think are important.

Add your tags (character and organization, only. Not the marketing tags) to your pinned post, so you can easily find them. My pinned post has every character I have tagged, because its easier for ME to navigate my own blog this way.

Please, for the love of god, assign a name to yourself. It doesn't have to be your name, hell it doesn't have to be even A name, it can be "Book/Seven/Cool Dog Name", it just makes it so much easier to interact with other creators when I don't have to call them "kinkmasteremeto102" every time I reblog from them.

Either have your masterlist under a "read more" in your pinned post or add a link to it. I recommend having a link to your masterlist, it has worked to me and this way you can reblog the masterlist without having to reblog your pinned post with more personal info every time.

If there's something you absolutely don't write, don't want requests, this is the place to put it! Make it clear from the get go to avoid exhausting interactions.

In my case I know people mostly come to my blog for emeto, so I mark my fics that have no emeto with **, but that's just personal preference, it doesn't actually make my life easier.

-

Archive

One day, maybe next week, maybe in six months, another tumblr scare "the website is going down" will happen. And then you'll freak out and cry, if you're like me and doesn't wanna lose your fics in case this website goes up in smoke.

I HIGHLY recommend saving your fics elsewhere, as well as tumblr. Not to have a reader base there, just for safety. Here are some options:

Archiveofourown, tagged as original work: it's a fucking hassle to put up, but if you're starting to post works, it's actually very easy to maintain. In my case, with 200+ fics it didn't work bc I didn't have the patience to upload all of them there, but as a creator who still has a small number and working your way up, I think this is a good one!

Google Drive. Scary, I know, because Google is watching over you, but this is the method that worked for me. Here's how I do it: have a google account JUST for my kink stuff, that has no ties whatsoever to my real person. Not the security email, not a similar password, nothing. Only use it in an anonymous tab and then you can use the entire Drive Suite to upload your fics in a big document, your OC info in a google sheet, etc etc.

Waybackmachine. I haven't actually ever used this one, but I know its an internet archive and you can take "snapshots" of your blog, so they're saved there forever. Unsure how it works, though.

----

Oh ANOTHER thing. Always tag your anons if they sign their stuff. I know it's common practice already, but doesn't hurt to reiterate.

If you get an ask signed as - 🙈anon, tag the fic/request/answer with "# 🙈 anon" as well, this way the anon can later easily find their question in your blog. 💛

If anyone has a question regarding this in specific, my askbox is always open.

[sdv-confessions]

(In response to the ai discourse question mod posted)

Generally speaking, at least as far as I know from the art, writing/writing adjacent, and dev communities I’m in, it has to do with the following (from least important to most important imo) -

5. It’s lazy/low effort/etc. This tends to be a concern in creative and fan spaces for the most part, as many people find it to go against the whole kind of ‘drive’ of fandom; sharing things you’re genuinely passionate and care about and are willing to put in effort for about something you enjoy

4/3. It takes away work and opportunities from actual creators, be it programmers, designers, writers, musicians, etc. and instead steals work from unconsenting creators who’ve had their work skimmed by the AI or training algorithm

4/3. It’s harming the environment/water usage/etc. (Yes, so does most tech, but the extent of power and water Generative AI use is far more than essentially anything else. It also comes at a time where many countries, including my own, are in states of emergency regarding water shortages, heat waves, droughts, or contaminated waterways)

2. It cannot be held liable for crimes. Given the status of AI as non-living, it cannot be held responsible for harm it causes. This has led to everything from everyday people being placed into NSFW stuff and it ruining their lives to theft to near-murder (see the many mushroom incidents, chemical incidents, etc.)

1. AI is not an actual intelligence, meaning that nearly everything in it is stolen in some way or another. Be it artists getting their work skimmed, authors (both fanfic and officially published) getting their words, plots, and the like taken to be used without their consent, or even everyday people using Google Docs and having whatever they write be possibly used to train AI without their knowledge

The way this applies to SDV mods and the like is that -

A) It takes work away from artists, programmers, and writers (many of whom would probably even do it for free)

B) Shows often a seeming lack of commitment or interest in the content being put out, as well as seemingly like they don’t care about their customers (similar to when a celebrity does a ‘cash grab’ project where they sell absolute slop for like thousands of dollars to scam their fans that have supported them and who helped build the celebrity’s career)

C) Sends the message that they support the use of AI, or at the very least don’t see much of a problem with it’s usage which just reinforces the idea that they don’t value their customers or other creatives

Sorry if that’s a lot! AI politics can be fairly difficult to research at times and rather difficult to sort through so I wanted to list as much as possible for folks who haven’t had time to look super into it. Personally I’ve not had my work skimmed by AI (never gotten big enough for that) but I know people who have and there’s really nothing that can be done about it after it’s stolen. Generative AI is, and seemingly forever will be, founded on the violation of intellectual property rights, copyright, and human rights in regards to a safe planet and that shouldn’t be seen as okay.

- 🌾 anon (if anyone needs further clarification please ask!)

while i appreciate you typing out a detailed response, i was not asking about AI in the broad sense but specifically about chatbots based on sdv characters. so #4 and 2 aren't relevant. CA is working on a new game and wont be bringing any more major updates to sdv, there's no job opportunities here.

#5 - this is very subjective. personally i dont think that Being Lazy is strictly a bad thing. just part of being human.

#3 and #1 - this is why i mentioned specific sources in my original post. most of the articles ive seen are about chatgpt, im aware of its issues. idk anything about the programs used to make sdv chatbots. what are they called? how do they work? do they rely on chatgpt? are they using its databases? are they trained the same way? are they more or less harmful than chatgpt or an older program like cleverbot? thats the kind of info i was looking for. i did get some program names so ill read about them when i have time.

and lastly... i do not care about intellectual property rights. i am a communist. copyrights and patents are capitalist inventions that stifle creativity and progress.

[pinespittinink]

Hi! I'm a novice writer who is looking to improve. I recently saw your post about how writers need to read published books to hone their writing skills, and I was just wondering if you had any recommendations for books/authors that are very strong in their craftsmanship to read and study? 

I know I should be reading books similar to the stories I want to write, but I haven't finished a published book in years because of work and school. I'm not even sure I know what I like anymore, and I think that's evident in my writing because I can't commit to a single story idea. At this point, I don't know where to start but I know I want to get back into reading by starting with a book I can learn from.

Sorry if this seems like a silly ask, please don't feel obligated to respond. Have a good day!

Hi there! Welcome, this isn’t a silly question at all. If anything I was musing on it because everyone has different taste, so I wasn’t sure how to answer exactly, but I’ll just list some examples I can think of that I’ve really enjoyed! These all fall under the sff genre for the most part, as that’s my jam. Though I will say, for a craft perspective, Stephen King’s On Writing is really excellent.

Insofar as authors i can think of immediately who really have their craft and voice down pat, ones who come to mind are Katherine Arden, Ava Reid, Madeline Miller, Erin Morgenstern, Tamsyn Muir, and RF Kuang. All of these authors really decidedly know what they’re doing with the craft, at least in my opinion, and the results are extraordinary. I’m currently reading The Warm Hands of Ghosts, Katherine Arden’s most recent adult book since the Winternight Trilogy, and the research she put into the setting of WW1 is so evident throughout it, especially in the voice and colloquialisms. She also did a ton of research for the Winternight books, which is historical fantasy at its finest, while creating an authentic old fairytale feeling

Madeline Miller is another with excellent command of voice, the queen of Greek retellings with Circe and The Song of Achilles, which are really tremendous character studies. Ava Reid I personally adore for the nuance of her characters—Juniper & Thorn and The Wolf & the Woodsman feature tremendously human and flawed protagonists—their language seeps through their settings, their metaphors are divine, and A Study in Drowning, her YA debut, is thoroughly saturated with all its core themes.

Erin Morgenstern, of The Night Circus and The Starless Sea, is known for her prose and atmosphere, a prime Vibes™️ writer. The Starless Sea is a more experimental novel, though both of her books play with disjointed timelines and perspectives, which is fascinating; The Starless Sea concerning itself with storytelling specifically.

Tamsyn Muir, the author of The Locked Tomb series, has such a handle on her characters and plot that it’s actually insane. Talk about a masterclass in writing a large cast with defined personalities. The difference in voice between Gideon, Harrow, and Nona, is unbelievably fascinating, just for how starkly different the headspaces of these characters are compared to each other. The layering and reread value is immense.

RF Kuang is a chameleon writer, who changes her style to match the genre she’s writing (grimdark historical fantasy, dark academia historical fantasy, contemporary satire-turned-thriller). Babel feels like her magnum opus, a modern day classic that I cannot praise highly enough. A slow start, but halfway through shit hits the fan, and it does not stop from there.

Shout outs also to: Simon Jimenez with The Spear Cuts Through Water, epic fantasy that uses first, second, and third person, and is a miracle for it. A masterclass of storytelling. Roshani Chokshi with The Last Tale of the Flower Bride, which might as well be evil toxic sapphic adult Bridge to Terebithia, dripping with decadence. Emily Habeck with Shark Heart, a contemporary spec fic novel that studies grief and caring for loved ones through a lens of terminal illness in the guise of a genetic disorder that turns people into animals; it plays around with script structure sometimes, and made me sob. Cormac McCarthy with The Road; bleak and dismal and post-apocalyptic, and nameless man and boy, nearly poetic. Camilla Andrew @aninkwellofnectar with When the Stars Alight, a romantic fantasy that positively teems with lush intentional language and is also a fascinating look at third person omniscient.

For classics: A Wrinkle in Time, the Lord of the Rings, Wuthering Heights, Frankenstein, Lord of the Flies, The Great Gatsby, Lolita.

I don’t think you can go wrong with any of these books or authors, though at the end of the day, there’s something to be learned from any book you read, whether it’s a good lesson or something to be avoided. I’m also down to try to give other recs, if you’re looking for anything specific!

[violettduchess]

More thoughts and clarification

I’ve gotten a lot of DMs, replies, asks and reblogs concerning this idea of mine and I think it would make a lot more sense for me to just make a post in response since a lot of the concerns/questions overlap.

First and foremost, this would not be a challenge to prove a point to any of those shady anons. This idea was something I have had for a while actually (@aquagirl1978 can confirm, we’ve discussed this before) but the anons only sparked my interest in revisiting it.

This next part is for Mo and others who have expressed similar concerns:

-Readers were included in the poll because without them, our writer’s voices would be shouting into an abyss of silence. If they said no, we have no interest in this at all, none of us would even bother.

-Mo, you said you “hate this idea because no one should prove they have a unique writing style and ideas.” That isn’t the point though. The point would be simply to show that even if writers have the exact same suitor and the exact same prompt, you will get a variety of different stories. It’s not about proving anything, it’s about celebrating the diversity of voices we have. Yes, many of us HAVE written similar things with some of the same suitors: kiss fics or comfort fics or period cramps or whatever but that isn’t the same thing as a concentrated group of writers saying, hey we are participating in this challenge consciously and with intent.

How this is viewed by the writers themselves is entirely up to them. If you look at this as a competition then that’s what it will be for you. Another writer may look at it as a chance to be a part of a mosaic of different stories, note count be damned. That is up to the individual.

How do I make it fair? Everything is randomly chosen.

I would make a poll for people to vote on which specific game the challenge should focus on. Whatever game wins, all the main suitors (no side characters) and 15 super generic prompts would be put into one of those wheel of chance things and then chosen. The writers can then decide if their fic will be nsfw, fluff, angst, the length of fic, the POV. They will write their fic however they want.

I think its important to remember: you (in the general sense of the word "you") can decide whether or not you as a writer want to do this. No one will force you or judge you if you do or don’t. If Ikesen wins as the game to be used, I won’t be writing for it. And that’s ok. If Ikevamp wins and then the wheel chooses Charles Henry I won’t be writing. If Ikeprince wins and RIO is the chosen suitor, I won’t be writing 😆 And that’s ok!

In the end, this should be fun. If you are worried about nasty anons or afraid this is too risky, then don’t take part. I completely understand that.

My DMs are always open ���

[scary-grace]

*ahem* I am here to ask a question, or at least, a couple questions about your barduil fic: Kairos.

When will it be updated, and is that soon... actually, I'm okay with that being a surprise. No pressure.

2. Why did you do that to me?! For context I will have to admit I am only currently at chapter twenty something or other which is pretty good for starting the fic only yesterday. And to avoid spoilers I will avoid saying anything too revealing. BUt HOly cOw You scared me half to death. Okay, to be honest, I do not read "scary books" ever. My imagination is too powerful. But this! This is something else. reading about certain creepy things that happened... okay, completely normal, very cool. *things get creepier* I think I need to take a break, maybe turn on my light and huddle underneath my blanket for a couple minutes.

3. I love this fic, probably one of my favorites ever. Hey everyone? Hear that? Go read Kairos. But in all seriousness are you going to add tags when you finish it? I panicked while reading it and flipped to the front because I was worried I had missed some tags and then it would be my fault, which it was... reading at midnight? Very. Bad. Idea. But still...

4. I want to say how fascinating the whole fic is. One of the things I love the most is how it mentions the Cambodian war. No. Not mentions. revolves around! And its so important that people learn about it and know that it happened. I'm just curious to know what made you decide for there to be where Thranduil and Rirosseth went?

I just wanted to say that though this sounds and has a couple mixed messages in it I am absolutely in love with this work. Sure, its given me the heebeejeebees but I can shake those off. What I can't shake off is how this fic haunts me, and I can't stop thinking about it and craving more and more. This is a love letter. Maybe a love letter with some complaints but Still!

-Short time fan but fan for life now.

-ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh-

<3 <3<3

Hello, and thank you for the ask! I'm going to address your points in order to make sure I answer them all (in recompense for you having to wait a few days for the answer to the ask.)

Kairos typically updates on the first Friday of every month! However, we're on an accelerated update schedule for the next few chapters, so while one will be released on September 6th, there will also be another released in September.

I'm really impressed with making it to Chapter 20 in a single day! That's a lot of fic to get through, and a lot of surprises of the pleasant and unpleasant variety to encounter.

For the tags...I originally went with "no archive warnings apply" because that was my standard tag for fics up to that point, but the more appropriate tag is probably "chose not to use archive warnings". It's possible that I'll update them with a few more specifics after the fic is complete, since I've gotten a few pieces of feedback now that I underestimated the spookiness level.

Some of it was dictated by the time period the fic was set in -- I feel like it would be weird to write a fic set in the U.S. in the 1970s and not at least acknowledge the U.S.-instigated wars in Southeast Asia. From there, I had a choice about what to focus on and how much to focus on it, and I chose the Khmer Rouge and the Cambodian genocide. It didn't seem like a subject to acknowledge and gloss over, and with Thranduil's role as a doctor and his desire to help others with all the means at his disposal, the only place that seemed realistic for he and Riro to be was working with refugees. That's the part of the fic I spent more research on than anything else, and it's the piece of it I was most concerned about getting right.

Thank you so much for this wonderful asks! Getting any asks about a fic is exciting for a writer, but long ones like this are especially awesome. Apologies again for the delayed response, and I hope you enjoy the next chapter of the fic when it's posted on the 6th!

[1moreoffkeyanthem]

4, 12, 19, 27 for the fic writer asks!

Yoooooo hey some slay questions! Here we go bois!

4- a story idea you haven’t written yet! So I have a good amount of random ideas just languishing in my notes, and if a creek mood ever strikes me, I have a film school au with them in mind! I think that would be fun lmao

12- a trope you’re really into right now so this is a constant with me and a surprise to literally nobody, but I LOVE a character getting taken care of!!! Wounded, sick, whatever man I just adore the tenderness of that shit, like there’s a reason I’m the Whumpshot Wizard and it’s bc I’m a sucker for patching someone up leading to confessions of feelings, or a partner who is well versed in their partner’s chronic pain and knows what to do, or the soft sweet reassurances as they hold a feverish loved one and remind them that they’re safe, or the protective fierceness of a person desperately trying to get their love to safety and figure out why they just collapsed, the gentle encouragement of urging a barely conscious partner to wake up the rest of the way, the concern of the recovery period, just FUCK dude I’m so soft for that shit!!!

19- the most interesting topic you’ve researched for a fic dude I’m gonna be so fr a lot of the time I just wing it for even my more involved aus but every once in a while I’ll actually fact check myself, and I went down SUCH a crazy rabbit hole learning the history of the Missoula Smokejumpers and smokejumping in general for And The Lightning Cracks The Sky, also I taught myself a little bit of lotr style elvish for How We Began (and I use that shit in the OJV too lmfao Stan and Kyle are fuckin dorks who whole ass speak elvish to each other)

27- your favorite part of the writing process ok I absolutely LOVE the buildup to the climax, like even more than the climax itself. Like writing the calm before the storm is such an ideal place to put tender moments; I’m gonna reference The Webs In The Rafters, chapter 16 when Butters and Kenny have their sweet moment at the pond like RIGHT before shit hits the fan. A lot of the time my fics start out as a specific scene I see in my head and build off of, and fleshing out character interactions is another one of my favorite parts, like for TWITR example, what is Cartman’s role in the group? How does Kenny react to learning more about the rest of the ranch hands? What is Kyle’s role in the gang? Who is closest to who? That kind of stuff, I love being able to try and convey personalities and relationships through the smallest interactions! Also, my favorite thing about posting on ao3 is just absolutely unhinged authors notes, like I LOVE busting out a new au with a “HELLO MOTHERS AND FUCKERS ITS TIME FOR ANOTHER PCE MULTICHAP!!!” Bc I’m insane and it’s fun plus I love coming up with a Question Of The Day for the end notes and seeing people’s answers! And ofc I love getting comments in general (also leaving comments lmao)

Thank you for asking these dude and apologies for the long winded answers I am Extremely Annoying and enjoy being obnoxious!

[publishingconsultants]

Navigating the World of Words: Publishing Consultants in Victoria

Introduction

In the ever-evolving landscape of publishing, authors, writers, and aspiring novelists in Victoria, Australia, often find themselves seeking guidance and expertise to bring their literary dreams to fruition. This is where publishing consultants come into play. These professionals possess a wealth of knowledge about the publishing industry and can provide invaluable assistance in turning your manuscript into a polished, market-ready masterpiece. In this blog post, we'll explore the world of publishing consultants in Victoria and how they can be your guiding light in the complex world of publishing.

What Is a Publishing Consultant?

Before we dive into the specifics of publishing consultants in Victoria, let's clarify what a publishing consultant actually does. Publishing consultants are industry experts who offer a range of services to authors and writers, helping them navigate the often labyrinthine process of publishing a book. These services can include manuscript evaluation, editing, book design, marketing strategies, and even advice on self-publishing versus traditional publishing.

Why Victoria?

Victoria is a vibrant hub of creativity and culture, home to a thriving community of authors and writers. With its rich literary heritage and a growing interest in self-publishing and indie publishing, the demand for publishing consultants has been on the rise in Victoria.

Services Offered by Publishing Consultants in Victoria

Manuscript Evaluation: One of the first steps in the publishing process is getting feedback on your manuscript. Publishing consultants in Victoria can provide you with a professional evaluation of your work, offering constructive criticism and suggestions for improvement.

Editing and Proofreading: Good writing is in the details, and a well-edited manuscript can make all the difference. Publishing consultants often have a team of experienced editors and proofreaders who can refine your prose, ensuring it's error-free and engaging.

Book Design: They say don't judge a book by its cover, but in the world of publishing, first impressions matter. Publishing consultants can assist in creating a visually appealing book cover and interior layout that matches the tone and genre of your work.

Publishing Guidance: Deciding whether to pursue traditional publishing or self-publishing can be a daunting choice. Publishing consultants can help you understand the pros and cons of each path and guide you towards the best option for your book.

Marketing Strategies: Writing a book is only the first step; getting it into the hands of readers is equally important. Publishing consultants can develop tailored marketing strategies to promote your book effectively, whether you're seeking to build a platform as an author or reach a niche audience.

Distribution and Sales: Navigating the distribution and sales channels can be complex. Publishing consultants can provide insights into the best distribution methods, pricing strategies, and sales platforms for your book.

Finding the Right Publishing Consultant

With the growing demand for publishing consultants in Victoria, it's essential to find the right professional who aligns with your goals and understands your vision. Here are some tips for finding the perfect match:

Research: Look for consultants with a strong track record and a portfolio of successful projects. Reading client testimonials and reviews can give you a sense of their reputation.

Specialization: Consider whether the consultant specializes in your genre or niche. A consultant with expertise in your specific area of writing can offer more targeted advice.

Communication: Clear and effective communication is crucial. Ensure that you have a good rapport with the consultant and that they are responsive to your questions and concerns.

Cost: While cost is a factor, don't make it the sole determining factor. Quality often comes at a price, and investing in professional guidance can yield substantial returns in the long run.

Conclusion

In the dynamic world of publishing, authors in Victoria are fortunate to have a growing community of publishing consultants who can provide the expertise and guidance needed to navigate the intricacies of the industry. Whether you're a seasoned writer or embarking on your first literary journey, the right publishing consultant can be the difference between your manuscript gathering dust and your book gracing the shelves of eager readers. So, take that leap of faith, connect with a publishing consultant, and let your literary dreams take flight in the beautiful city of Victoria.

[star-anise]

Ok, I'll bite. What *is* the difference between Bridgerton and Jane Austen in relationship to their skirts?

Oh! Not in their costuming, just in their general *waves hands* everything. It's a comment I see a lot about Bridgerton: "Well, it's not much like Austen, is it?"

That's because there are 200 years of literary history between the two, and they have not been empty!

This ended up being 1.5k words, but when I put stuff under a readmore, people don't actually read it and then just yell at me because of a misread of the 1/10th of the post they did read. Press j to skip or get ready to do a lot of scrolling (It takes four generous flicks to get past on my iPhone).

First I'll say my perspective on this is hugely shaped by Sherwood Smith, who has done a lot of research on silver fork novels and the way the Regency has been remembered in the romance genre.

The Regency and Napoleonic eras stretch from basically the 1790s to 1820, and after that, it was hard to ignore the amount of social change happening in Britain and Europe. The real watershed moment is the 1819 Peterloo Massacre, where 60,000 working-class people protesting for political change were attacked by a militia. The issues of poverty, class, industrialization, and social change are inescapable, and we end up with things like the 1832 Reform Act and 1834 Poor Law.

This is why later novelists, like Charles Dickens and Elizabeth Gaskell, are so concerned with the experiences of the urban poor. Gaskell's North and South has been accurately described as "Pride and Prejudice for socialists."

So almost as soon as it ended, people started to look back and mythologize the Regency as a halcyon era, back when rich people could just live their rich lives and fret about "only" having three hundred pounds a year to live on. Back when London society was the domain of hereditary landowners, when you weren't constantly meeting with jumped-up industrialists and colonials.

Jane Austen is kind of perfect for this because she comes at the very end of the long eighteenth century, and her novels show hints of the tremors that are about to completely reshape England, but still comfortably sit in the old world. ("The Musgroves, like their houses, were in a state of alteration, perhaps of improvement. The father and mother were in the old English style, and the young people in the new. Mr and Mrs Musgrove were a very good sort of people; friendly and hospitable, not much educated, and not at all elegant. Their children had more modern minds and manners.")

Sherwood Smith covers the writers who birthed the Silver Fork genre in detail, but there's one name that stands out in its history more than any other: Georgette Heyer.

Georgette Heyer basically single-handedly established the Regency Romance as we know it today. Between 1935 and 1972, she published 26 novels set in a meticulously researched version of London of the late 18th and early 19th century. She took Silver Fork settings and characters and turned them into a highly recognizable set of tropes, conventions, and types. (As Sherwood points out, her fictional Regency England isn't actually very similar to the period as it really happened; it's like Arthurian Camelot, a mythical confection with a dash of truth for zest.)

Regency Romance is an escapist genre in which a happy, prosperous married life is an attainable prize that will solve everything for you. Georgette Heyer's novels are bright, sparkling, delightful romps through a beautiful and exotic world. Her female characters have spirit and vivacity, and are allowed to have flaws and make mistakes without being puritanically punished for them. Her romances have real unique sparks to them. She's able to write a formula over and over without it becoming dull.

And.... well. The essay that introduced me to Heyer still, in my opinion, says it best:

Here's the thing about Georgette Heyer: she hates you. Or, okay, she doesn't hate you, exactly. It's just that unless you are white, English, and upper class (and hale, and hearty, and straight, and and and), she thinks you are a lesser being. [...W]ith Heyer, I knew where I stood: somewhere way below the bottom rung of humanity. Along with everyone else in the world except Prince William and four of his friends from Eton, which really took away the sting. But my point is: if you are not that white British upper-class person of good stock and hearty bluffness and a large country estate, the only question for you is which book will contain a grimly bigoted caricature of you featuring every single stereotyped trait ever associated with your particular group. (You have to decide for yourself if really wonderful female characters and great writing are worth the rest of it.)

So Heyer created the genre, but she exacerbated the flaw that was always at the heart of fiction about the Regency, was that its appeal was not having to deal with the inherent rot of the British aristocracy. I think part of why it's such a popular genre in North America specifically is that we often don't know much British history, so we can focus more on the perfume and less on the dank odor it's hiding.

And like, escapism is not a bad thing. Romance writers as a community have sat down and said: We are an escapist genre. The Romance Writers of America, one of the biggest author associations out there, back when they were good, have foundationally said: "Two basic elements comprise every romance novel: a central love story and an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." A strong part of the community argue that publishing in the genre is a "contract" between author and reader: If it's marketed as a romance book, there's a Happily Ever After. If there's no Happily Ever After, it's not romance.

It's important for people to be able to take a break from the stresses of their lives and do things that are enjoyable. But the big question the romance genre in particular has to deal with is, who should be allowed to escape? Is it really "escapist" if only white, straight, upper class, able-bodied thin cis people get to escape into it? In historical romance, this is especially an issue for POC and LGBTQ+ people. It's taken a lot of work, in a genre dominated by the Georgette Heyers of the world, to try to hew out the space for optimistic romances for people of colour or LGBTQ+ people. These are minority groups that deal with a literally damaging amount of stress in real lives; they are in especial need of sources of comfort, refuge, community, and encouragement. For brief introductions to the issue, I can give you Talia Hibbert on race, and KJ Charles on LGBTQ+ issues.

Up until the 1990s, the romance genre evolved slowly. It did evolve; Sarah Wendell and Candy Tan's Beyond Heaving Bosoms charts the demise of the "bodice-ripper" genre as it became more acceptable for women to have and enjoy sex. The historical romance genre became more accommodating to non-aristocratic heroines, or ones that weren't thin or conventionally pretty. The first Bridgerton book, The Duke and I, was published in 2000, and has that kind of vibe: Its characters are all white but not all of them are aristocrats, its heroines are frequently not conventionally beautiful and occasionally plump, and its cultivation to modern sensibility is reflected in its titles, which reference popular media of today.

This is just my impression, but I think that while traditional mainstream publishing was beginning to diversify in the 1990s, the Internet was what really made diverse romance take off. Readers, reviewers, and authors could talk more freely on the internet, which allowed books to become unlikely successes even if their publishers didn't promote them very much. Then e-publishing meant that authors could market directly to their readers without the filter of a publishing house, and things exploded. Indie ebooks proved that there was a huge untapped market.

One of my favourite books, Zen Cho's Sorcerer to the Crown, is an example of what historical romance is like today; it's a direct callback and reclamation of Georgette Heyer, with a dash of "Fuck you and all your prejudices" on top of it. It fearlessly weaves magic into a classic Heyer plot, maintaining the essential structure while putting power into the hands of people of colour and non-Western cultures, enjoying the delights of London society while pointing out and dodging around the rot. It doesn't erase the ugliness, but imagines a Britain that is made better because its poor, its immigrants, its people of colour, and the foreign countries it interacts with have more power to make their voices heard and to enforce their wills. Another book I've loved that does the same thing is Courtney Milan's The Duke Who Didn't.

So then... Bridgerton the TV show is trying to take a book series with a very middle-of-the-road approach to diversity, differing from Heyer but not really critiquing her, and giving it a facelift to bring it up to date.

So to be honest, although it's set in the same time period as Austen, it's not in the least her literary successor. It's infinitely more "about" the past 30 years of conversation and art in the romance genre than it is about books written 200 years ago.

[nagisasstunningpersonality]

Please stop making AI Fanfics; it's art theft.

AI programs still from pre-existing fics to write the prompts you ask of them, A03 is currently fighting against AI programs but they can't do much if people keep feeding the machine.

Please don't feed the AI!

So I did look into this, mostly because the state of the internet has forced my natural response to anything to be "don't believe it without evidence".

Since you didn't cite anything, I just did my own digging. It appears that this specific claim originates from a reddit thread. The OP cites this article as their main source. Ironically, a good chunk of the post is straight up copy-pasted. The website is Communications Today, which is apparently an Indian telecoms magazine, but I could not find much information on it at all about them that wasn't produced by them.

According to their own LinkedIn:

"Communications Today provides a platform to build corporate image and influence purchase decisions through advertising. The magazine reaches decision makers who allocate budgets for procurement of equipment and services and identify and evaluate vendors for supplies. In-depth coverage and comprehensive research has made Communications Today an important referral for telecom, network equipment purchasers, and broadcasters."

Source

This publication appears to have some guest writers who have legit positions, however the specific AI article has no credited writer. This is questionable. Point is, I have doubts about the trustworthiness of this source to begin with, but there is clearly going to be some level of bias involved with its reporting. The article is pretty sensationalist anyway. This is how the media world works - outrage and fear sells.

This post also includes three examples. As someone who has written research based papers before, this is far from enough to prove anything.

To be clear, the AI I used was not sudowrite, which much of this discussion seems to centre around. The one I used (nor sudowrite itself apparently) don't use user input as training. This means that it responds to prompts and questions, but this doesn't actually teach it anything new permanently. Thus, me using it in this way has zero impact on its dataset and is certainly not feeding it. I also paid no money to use it. Your claim of me interacting with a chatbot somehow making AO3 action (can't find much in the way of evidence of this either by the way) harder also appears unfounded. If it did specifically scrape and train from AO3, then the damage is already done, so again my interaction with it would not mean anything to legal action.

GPT3 (which is what these bots use) have sourced data from the scope of all areas of the internet. It is not, as far as I can tell, any kind of specific targeting of AO3 as a training ground. The issue in this lies in the way this information is presented. "AI BOT SCANS AO3 TO STEAL YOUR FANFICS" stands out a little more than the alternative. AO3 even responded to the OP mirroring the fact that bots are everywhere, have been for a while, and they can't do much about it - not sure if this constitutes 'fighting AI programs' as you claim.

Look. I've been on tumblr a while. I've seen fear explode and spread like wildfire before (4chan incident, for example). I think it's a little misguided to mass panic (about something that has existed for years). The only evidence I could find was those three examples on reddit. I really don't think that equates to the chaos on this issue.

I'll also be clear that I'm not exactly an AI defender, and I dislike Elon Musk for many many reasons. I do think AI writing is a little more murky than AI generated images (certainly worthy of concern) because it's hard to prove much direct copying, especially in the case of Fanfiction which, by nature, involves existing IPs.

Does AI call into question a lot of potential societal problems? Yes. Is it straight up nefarious and evil? Nope, not in my opinion anyway.

That aside I also don't really care on a personal level. For me, writing is a hobby that I'm fortunate to be able to share with others. I also think there comes a point where the concept of artistic 'ownership' becomes asinine anyway, but that's a whole other debate.

My specific posts:

I have been using my OWN existing fanfic summaries as a basis. I don't think I can really be accused of stealing my own work. And as I said, I don't see enough evidence to prove in anyway that these bots are directly ripping things from AO3 in the copyright sense (as in, content in tact enough that it could be traced to an original author).

In other words, thank you and all, but I don't really like this kind of scare posting. Especially if you're not going to source or back up your claims, whatever your intent this comes across as spreading misinformation. I found my little experiment both interesting and amusing, and ultimately what I share on my blog in my relatively tiny corner of the internet is my decision.

TLDR: Don't believe everything you read on the internet - do research before forming solid opinions.

[everythingsinred]

what follows is a long, rambly, and possibly sappy thank you note to the best fandom ive ever involved myself in. if you have ever sent me an ask, commented on my fics, or replied to a post i made (or even liked it tbh)--then this post is for you. (and this is most certainly not a good-bye or even close; i just occasionally get into sappy moods)

i want to start working on a career that i like, and my mom’s recommendation was to start a writing blog (she insisted i dont call it that though--to call it a “website” so it sounds more professional when i apply for writing gigs). its not the first time shes given me that advice but i have for some reason always resisted that idea before. “nobody would read it” was always the bottom line. that whole “it has to be perfect to make up for the fact that it’s me” has always been my outlook on anything i produce. its why i feel so poorly whenever i post a new chapter of a fic or any art ever. its why im taking so long on the next batch of ga essays. its why ive never formally submitted any writing ever for publishing. why would anyone read anything i have to write, especially with no dead fandom to prompt them? who would choose me out of all the aspiring writers out there?

for ga it was a bit easier after a bit of breaking through the initial anxiety of sharing bits of myself. its a small fandom. not much content going around. theyd take anything right? even if it was from me! 

but something really weird happened these past few years in the ga fandom. i started writing essays and became more vocal, posting my thoughts, writing a long, dark, fucked up fanfic. i got feedback from people who wanted more from me. theyd ask me my thoughts on things, when id never considered myself an authority on anything or even very interesting to talk to (a lifetime of being the substitute friend will do that to you). ppl sent me asks about questions. they replied to my posts to further discuss things. me! what on earth?

then it got weirder. i posted my weird messed up little fic and now every once in a while ill get a comment from a person that says that my fic is their favorite, not just in the fandom, but ever. EVER. what? a couple of people have told me that they’d read anything i wrote, even if it had nothing to do with gakuen alice.

that they’d read something just because it was me.

this isnt a rant or a vent. something has changed in my self esteem in the past few years because today, when my mom told me i should start a “writing website” and post weekly writing, it actually sounded like a decent idea. no part of her advice was different than it had ever been, but i was. i could for the first time imagine starting a blog (website) and picture someone actually liking what they found there. and that’s bc of the ga fandom and bc of the writing ive done it for it and SPECIFICALLY the writing ive actually had the guts to share. 

none of it has been perfect. im lazy when it comes to self-editing and when i finish writing a chapter im eager to just throw it out there instead of rereading it once, let alone twice. a lot of it has been imperfect, but you guys still read it. you enjoyed it, even. “it has to be perfect to make up for the fact that it’s me” has never been a problem for you. for whatever reason, quite a few of you like me, like my writing, like my ideas and thoughts. a couple of years ago i wouldnt have been able to fathom that, not even in my wildest dreams. 

im proud of myself for taking those first steps a couple years back, for posting those first couple posts and letting myself get involved in the fandom for a manga ive loved for half my life. im proud because if i hadnt done that, then maybe my self esteem wouldnt have developed like this. maybe i wouldnt have been able to picture a career in publishing as clearly as i can now. i obviously still have issues as far as my self esteem is concerned. i second-guess myself. i talk down to myself. i put off rereading bc i dont want to hate what i create. but you guys have helped me like my writing and helped me see that other people can like it too.

i am beyond grateful for that. i dont get a lot of traction or feedback like i would if i were in a larger fandom, but i dont mind. the feedback that i do get is of such good quality and has meant so much to me that it has potentially changed my life. i just needed you all to know that. that the people who have sent me asks, both on and off anon, requesting my thoughts on any topic; the people who leave comments on ffn and ao3, giving support ranging from long paragraphs to a brief sentence; the people who dm me or message me to share their thoughts on my work; the people who commented on my natsumikan essays telling me that ive helped them see something from a different perspective--you all have helped me see that there’s value in the things i create. 

i just want to say thank you. it has meant so much to me so far to be able to feel so confident in my writing. i really didnt even notice the change until today. how bizarre is it that something so important can change without you even noticing? i look forward to sharing more with you, from more fics to the mikan essay (which still has to be perfect, just maybe not as perfect as it wouldve had to be a few years ago lol). 

don’t be nervous that this a good-bye. it is not. it’s strange because whenever i’ve said anything like this (sent a message of adoration to a person i love, for example), people think it’s a bad sign. that i’m saying good-bye, or that it’s somehow a sign of something unsaid. i understand. this kind of nonsense sappiness (like all that stuff i wrote up there ^) is usually saved for the ffn bio when someone is leaving the site, for the good-bye post when someone decides to leave a fandom. “you’ve all meant so much to me and i’m leaving now.” that’s because usually people save all the important things for the end. you only say how you’ve felt when you say farewell. i don’t think life should be that way. i’m not saying good-bye, i’m saying i love you. i think people should say that more. i want people to feel good about themselves for what they’ve done, however small, to make my life--and undoubtedly the lives of others--a little brighter. and you have. you should know and i don’t intend to keep it to myself until i say good-bye (whenever or even if that happens). 

tldr; i love you gakuen alice fandom <3 youre not dead because dead things cant give life the way you have.