#these fanfics were actually very different from one another and depended a lot on what the author's fantasy is

[faeofdusk]

I was just going to ramble on the tags, but it was getting so long I decided to do it as an actual addition. With the caveat that I only read fanfictions in portuguese back then and some might have been exclusive to the brazilian scene, here are some of the memories this post unearthed

The silly interactions between the author and the characters that would happen before and after each chapter, almost like some behind the scenes extra. It was usually for the author to ramble about their thought process and make silly jokes about their ships, about how hot their favorite character is and how much they hate another one

Too often the hated character was hated simply because they "got in the way" of the main ship, be it by being part of a love triangle or by being the canon love interest of half of the ship, and would be subjected to all sorts of tortures in these after scenes

Sometimes these interactions would be longet than the actual chapter (which itself would also be riddled with authors note with silly jokes regardless of genre)

This sort of silly interactions spawned two subgenres of fanfictions: the "fanfics gone wrong", the "Talk Shows"

Fanfics gone wrong would silly comedy pieces where the author tries to write a serious story, but things keep going wrong. There are many ways this could happen, but a common one was for the whole thing to happen in a studio of sorts and things keep going out of control. Things like they not being able to afford the electricity bill so the studio has the shut down the sun and noe the scene takes place at night.

Talk Shows were just the author interacting with the characters without worrying about silly things like writing an interesting fanfic in the middle. There would be an attempt of normalcy at the start, but shenanigans were inevitable

There were also reaction fanfics for a time, but those weren't as exciting. Too many times it would just be the characters reacting to their own future story, which would be reproduced verbatim and be intercut with the random comments from the character's past version. It was specially problematic if the source material is an actual novel that is just being copy pasted.

And honestly? I ate that shit up everytime. I would read those into the night and have to muffle my laughter because it was late and I wasn't supposed to be in the computer. Sometimes I still giggle when I remember a random joke from one of these or cringe at my own.

Let's never do anything like that ever again.

full offense but none of you would have ever survived fanfiction.net in 2009

[lemonluvgirl]

The Miner's Wife by MockingJayFlyingFree (Review)

Hello Hunger Games fanfic readers, this week I am reviewing the wonderful and compelling tale of The Miner's Wife written by MockingJayFlyingFree. (Trigger warnings for  Drug abuse, alcohol abuse, forced prostitution, non-con, and mention of abortion.)

I picked this story first to review because it's at the top of Everlark Fic Questions Top Ten Fics by Statistics and because I've read it before so I figured reviewing it would be easier since I was familiar with the story. So with that reasoning explained let's get down to the review.

The story is set in Single Victor AU where Prim was never reaped but Peeta Mellark was. Peeta went on to win the 74th Hunger Games by himself and Katniss stayed in the Seam and married Gale at age 18. She had two children with him before a mine accident killed Gale and left her financially ruined and starving. In a last-ditch effort to feed her children, she turns to prostitution and finds some unlikely help in the form of the two District 12 victors.

One thing I really liked about this story was the setting felt a lot like the original trilogy. There's a certain grimness and desperation that makes it feel very authentic but the stakes are more adult in nature. There is also some extra world-building. We get to see the before-unseen shady dealings of the Capitol Elite who were not as prominent as in the original trilogy, as well as more of the Vicors/Mentors (from the Quarter Quell) who were previously one-dimensional characters in the original trilogy. By changing the timeline when the story takes place, 12 years after the 74th Hunger Games we get a different view of some very familiar characters, and different perspectives on some characters who were never fleshed out in Suzanne's Catching Fire.

Like the original books, the story starts in District 12 which is a microcosm of what is happening to Panem at large.

Peeta Mellark is back home after weeks of mandatory attendance at festivities in the Capitol. The district is dirty and grey, the people struggling even more than usual. There has been another large mine accident and many families have been affected. Including one familiar protagonist.

Katniss is all grown up with a family. She is once again thrust into the role of sole provider and head of her household. Except this time going beyond the fence to hunt won't save her family in time. She is forced to make the hard decision between her family's survival, staying true to her own values, and holding onto her dignity. Once again she chooses to do whatever is necessary to ensure her loved ones can live another day, which echoes back to the part of Katniss' character we saw in the original trilogy on the night before the start of the Hunger Games where Katniss said she couldn't afford to think about the moral quandies of killing other children because she had her sister to consider. The meaning implied is that Katniss' mindset going into the Games was doing whatever it took to win to get back home to her family because they were counting on her.

On the other side of the equation, we have Peeta Mellark. The story actually starts with his point of view and right off the bat we see that this story's version of Peeta Mellark is more in line with the hijacked version we became familiar with in the Mockingjay novel. Peeta is worn out and barely hanging on. It's been over a decade since he won his games. He's been mentoring children and watching them die for years and he's been sold as a prostitute in the Capitol for almost as long. The story delves into his depression and his alcoholism, as well as his dependence on drugs. It also touches on his past suicide attempts and his suicidal ideation. Yet through all of that, his desire to protect the people that are important to him is still there.

We see from the get-go that even though Katniss never had to go into the arena and Peeta made it out alive, they are still fighting a battle for survival mentally and physically every day. They have both been exploited in different ways and are dealing with the lingering effects of trauma. Katniss with the trauma and grief of losing both her father and the father of her children to the same mine that has killed so many Seam people, and Peeta with having to endure the horrors of being a young and desirable victor sought after by the Capitol elite, as well as mentoring a new crop of tributes every year.

The human tragedies playing out in District 12 set the stage for Katniss and Peeta's paths to cross again merge in new ways and evolve from what we saw in Collins' books. The struggles they face may be slightly different from their teenage counterparts in the original trilogy but one thing I think MockingJayFlyingFree does well is stay true to the inner core of these characters. Katniss is still a consummate survivor who in the right circumstances with the right people is won over by compassion and empathy. While Peeta goes through a horrible ordeal of having his humanity stripped away and becoming a ghost of himself, he is brought back by those who understand his pain, and his mission of trying to save the girl he threw bread to when he was eleven.

Their struggle to stay true to themselves, and find freedom and peace under an oppressive totalitarian regime is very inspiring and at moments heartbreaking. While this story does not have a clear-cut happily ever after it does end on a hopeful note and readers walk away with a very authentic and thought-provoking experience.

I enjoyed reading this story immensely and I can completely see why it's on the list of top ten Huger Games fanfiction stories. I highly recommend this fic to readers who enjoy the grittiness and high stakes of the Hunger Games.

[sunbunnyyy]

So I just saw your tags on the Mo Xuanyu art I reblogged - please talk Mo Xuanyu headcanons to me!

(I saw fanart with him and Jgy the other day and I'm like actual Mo Xuanyu is not explored enough. I need more of him)

Thank you ♡

hello friend!!! sorry I’m getting to this after so many days have passed—obligatory work life etc commitments that left me drained and not ready to answer!

I’ll list my biggest headcanons—I’ll admit that I haven’t explored him as much as I’d like, but these are the things I take into every scenario regarding him!

1. Mo Xuanyu is trans!

There’s something a little bit tragic to me about the way gender is handled in Ye Olde Ancient Societies. As much as I love what The Untamed did as far as removing some of the perceived gender biases of MDZS (such as female cultivators being Kept Apart in Cloud Recesses and showing us maybe?? one? female sect leader?) I do love playing around with two types of characters—those I can shoot with my “trans laser beam,” and tragic ones.

My specific headcanon for Mo Xuanyu (which gets explained in wi3!) is that his mother was told if her child was a girl, she would not be acknowledged and Second Madam Mo would be cast aside. Knowing what that would mean not only for herself but for her child, she raised Mo Xuanyu as a boy, and it wasn’t discovered until much later by a certain Jin that the truth was revealed. For his part, Mo Xuanyu never felt like a girl, and never wanted to portray himself as one.

I think Mo Xuanyu being trans also adds a fun little layer of struggle to Wei Wuxian’s return—he went from a cis man to a trans man and suddenly has to deal with that dysphoria, too.

2. Mo Xuanyu is a little crazy, but not the way he’s described in the books.

This is another thing that comes up in wi3–Mo Xuanyu’s mental health vs. his intelligence!

While Mo Xuanyu never thought twice about being a boy, it sure doesn’t change the dysphoria of being told you’re something that your body doesn’t reflect! Not only that, but the poor treatment from the Mo family against him and his mother that I can’t believe didn’t happen in the ten years between when Jin Guangshan abandoned him and when he brought Mo Xuanyu to Carp Tower? During such formative years, it’s not a wonder to me that Mo Xuanyu’s not quite all there.

(I resonate a little with this headcanon. Okay, I resonate with this headcanon a lot, actually.)

But! I don’t think Mo Xuanyu’s unintelligent. The opposite, actually—I think he’s very intelligent, although not quite as smart and calculating as our boy Jin Guangyao. Because of the treatment at the hands of the Mo family, I don’t think Mo Xuanyu’s mother was healthy enough to have as much of a hand in Mo Xuanyu’s life as Meng Shi did with Jin Guangyao, but he was a young master of an affluential family who were under the belief that Jin Guangshan could, at any point, come back and claim Mo Xuanyu like he said he would. They would’ve given him at least some education, because it wouldn’t have reflected well on them had they not. And, given that they were an affluential family—they have a Manor and a Village, after all—they likely could’ve afforded much better learning materials than Meng Shi (who did her best!).

3. The Incest.

The allegations that Mo Xuanyu came into Jin Guangyao and whether or not they’re true are such an interesting thing to play around with in my brain.

I think this aspect for me will vary greatly depending on what I’m writing. They may be true in one fic, or completely fabricated in another. Or maybe they’re only slightly true! As mentioned previously, Mo Xuanyu isn’t quite in full control of his cognitive thought processes. I’m not sure if I read it as a headcanon or part of canon or one of mxtx’s interviews or even a different fanfic or the wiki, but I read somewhere that Jin Guangyao was actually quite kind to his half brother, despite the pointed way with which Jin Guangshan brought him around as a way to bully Jin Guangyao. I think that would have a very lasting effect on Mo Xuanyu, who likely only saw kindness from his mother by that point in his life.

Whether or not Jin Guangyao takes advantage of it… 🤷‍♂️ again, varies on the fic I’m writing, I think!

These are my big three at the moment. I’d love to hear any that you or anyone else might have! I really want to write a modern fic and it’d be fun to have Mo Xuanyu in there being the annoying younger brother to Jin Zixuan and Meng Yao* he deserved to be.

[duskpeak]

hellooo🫶

i love the way you detail each character it’s so realistic! would it be possible to request a zoro headcannon and how they would be in a relationship??

thank you🥰

-🌼🌼

Sorry for the long ass time it took to do this, my computer screen stopped working and I sure as hell am not using my school computer to write fanfic😭😭😭 anyway hope you enjoy!!

(SFW) Zoro Relationship Headcannons

- So Zoro is not a cold man, he loves his nakama and his partner is no exception.

- He can be a little oblivious at times especially outside of battle but honestly if his partner is part of the crew he’d probably just ask them to spar when trying to figure out what’s wrong (the man is terrible at words but give him the slightest taste of a physical fight he’ll have unlocked the secrets of the world).

- Could never say a bad thing about his partner ever, this man is absolutely whipped

- there are only three things that could keep him from his partner 1. His captain, Luffy’s orders come first no matter what and everyone on the crew knows and trusts him with that 2. His dream, Zoro will fight god for the people important to him ESPECIALLY his partner but if something were to interfere with him achieving his dream then he won’t be able to stay 3. Kuina’s sword, this is Zoro’s most valuable possession. Sure he loves and takes very good care of all of his swords but that one is special, this one is honestly a tossup depending on how long he’s been with the straw hats or with his partner. If it’s early on he’d forsake everything to save/find that sword but if it’s post time skip I think he’d go to save his crew first then find her sword later, it’s non-negotiable though he WILL find it and won’t stop until he does.

- on the topic of number 2 though he is adamant on the fact that he won’t die for his partner but he routinely throws himself in the way to protect both them and his nakama (he takes the hit because he doesn’t want them getting hurt and he “won’t die until he becomes the strongest so nothing can kill me” if push came to shove though he’d chance a fatal wound for his partner any day but this goes for his nakama too

- honestly there’s not a whole lot different with how he treats his partner from his nakama, you’re all important to him so he doesn’t really see a reason to do anything different

- however, his partner does get special privileges, free reign to touch him whenever they want, naps with him, hold his swords, kisses

- unfortunately for Zoro his partner probably takes advantage of those privileges, especially the first one and when I tell you this man gets SO red it looks like he got sunburn

- embarrassing him is so easy it’s unreal especially in the beginning, one little kiss on the cheek and his blush is as red as Shanks’s hair but he mellows out as the relationship goes on

- casual kisses and intimacy are frequent once he’s comfortable, he’s just so soft for his partner and how could he deny them the affection he so freely wishes to give.

- not a huge fan of pda but what are you gonna do out at sea on a ship full of people (the sunny is big but is there really anywhere that’s actually private for any long period of time?) he stops minding it around the crew but he hopes and prays his partner doesn’t pull anything on an island or when they’re hanging out with another crew.

This is probably part one of this, zoro is popular and this isn’t nearly the amount of ideas I have about this man I’m just hella tired and nearly about to pass out writing this. Anyway enjoy!! And thank you for the request feel free to do so again. I’m gonna work on getting a masterlist and a list of characters I’ll write for together if I can figure it out on my phone

[bigalockwood]

Hey hey Lia 💜,

I only just realised that you were doing the fanfic asks, so I am a little late, but I am wondering about 8,17, 18, 27, 29 and 37 ( I know these are a lot of numbers, so feel free to just answer the ones you want to)

Wishing you a so wenig stressig wie möglich weekend!

Sophia thanks for sending so many!! I love talking about writing 💜💜💜

8) Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

This took me ages to decide. I'm actually not even proud of it because I think it is necessarily particularly well written, but because it's a topic I have very strong feelings about and it felt so validating when I saw how many people resonated with it!

“No, you misunderstand, they didn’t out me. They just asked me about my sexuality and, you know, it was necessary. It’s the sort of thing they’d have to ask me for damage control.”

“Wille, I get that your life can be sort of strange at times and that it often follows different rules and all that, but that is, by definition, still what it means to be outed. I’m glad it didn’t feel like another violation of your privacy to you, but they still shouldn’t have done that,” Simon said, vehemently.

[...] “I’m sorry. I wished people stopped acting like they have any right to know our sexualities. [....]

17) Do you write your story from start to finish, or do you write the scenes out of order?

Depends on the story! Royally Whipped I'm mostly writing in order since I don't have much time to write the chapters, so I'll only write down ideas for future scenes. For my new WIP I've written parts of different chapters already. In the chapters themselves I jump around and hardly every write one in chronological order.

18) Do you use any tools, like worksheets or outlines?

No. I have a very, very rough outline, but it mostly only has specific scenes or emotional stages I want to write towards. I never keep to any outlines and overthrow them within minutes after making them, so I no longer bother with them lmao.

27) How do you feel about collaborations?

I did one ages ago, when I was still in school. It was a lot of fun and I'd definitely be open for it again, but it certainly takes up more time and you need someone you can trust in.

29) If you could write the sequel (or prequel) to any fic out there not written by yourself, which would you choose?

Honestly? The answer is none, just because I don't think I could do any of my favorite stories justice. Not because I think my writing is bad, but because I love them as much because of the special something they have thanks to the author who's written them. Wouldn't say no to a sequel or prequel written by them though asfdhsfdkja

37) Talk about your current wips.

I've briefly talked about my next projects here. But my BIG WIP's right now are Royally Whipped which is very close to being done (probably two more chapters) and then #Simon's revenge.

Some people have been asking for a social media chapter for RW, which is extremely flattering, and I love reading those, but don't even know how to begin putting one together. So, that might happen, if I ever get my shit together (or someone else volunteers to do it ahsjfdasj).

Simon's renevge is a AU where Wille isn't Prince (still rich tho) and meets Simon under... interesting circumstances. Simon is seeking revenge on someone else and poor Wille becomes emotional collateral damage. It'll be less fluffy than RW, though hopefully just as fun. It's very gremlin!simon (channelling all his dodgeball energy). I have a moodboard that I might post soon and maybe some snippets leading up to it's release, if anyone's interested.

[all-things-normaler]

i wanna write fanfics but i'm not sure how to keep everyone in character and to write normal dialogue. do you have any advice? thank you!

Okay so, I've written fanfiction and roleplayed for nine years, and I know it's scary and hard at first, but eventually with enough practice, writing will become as easy as breathing air.

First thing I do is envision the scene in my mind, like a movie! What's the setting? The mood? What kind of characters are here? What's the plot? Materialize all of this in your brain and do not force yourself to make dialogue, it'll come up to you naturally. Think of yourself as the actor for all these characters, feel their emotions, study their motives, backgrounds, passions and even body mannerisms.

If you're dealing with a pairing or characters that correlate with each other, try to think. What are their similarities and opposites? Are they really all that similar or is it one or two few traits? This is where the Venn Diagram comes in! That's the method I've been taught at school, and honestly, I could make a list but the Venn Diagram helps me visualize things better. To be honest I have sharp memory to things I'm fixated in, so I don't do it physically, but it's very useful! And YES, while studying these characters annotate everything that could be useful in writing dialogue.

Do they have an accent? A lisp? Is there any vocabulary depending of where they were raised?

I have things to say about these things in dialogue and the first two are more personal and up to my taste.

Personally when people write "accents" that aren't like Country or Irish accents that actually have different words in the vocabulary, when you replace the letters to make the "sound" and in a way create new words, not only does it look messy, it IS messy to read! It's an unfortunate phenomenon in the Team Fortress 2 Fandom lol.

EXAMPLE: "Viz is not good. Vhat was a vad decision."

For these instances, use regional words and spellings for the dialogue, it says much more than what I've told you. Are they british? Use words like "favourite" instead of "favorite" etc. Trust me, the readers aren't dumb people, you can do ONE paragraph describing that your character has an accent and they would understand.

I think my gripe against that style of writing isn't only aesthetically but also because I'm bilingual (my native tongue being Spanish) so honestly, it would look a little offensive reading a fanfiction where my type of accent is typed like that.

When writing bilingual people ALSO avoid this:

Like prideling said, that one's a big example of what bilingual people do. Even in their own native language! I constantly forget to say "accurate" in Spanish lmao.

And we do not "switch" languages, we aren't Dora The Explorer. We can greet and talk normally to people. Only times I'd say bilinguals happen to jump back at their native tongue accidentally it's when they're surprised? It's happened to me, but for a very short time. Bilingual readers prefer to be represented with the struggles of knowing two languages and showcasing their culture throughout descriptive paragraphs over anything.

Anyway, moving on... DIALOGUE!

This is a classic. Do NOT get comfortable with the verb said. Try using other words like: exclaimed, announced, warned, shouted, whispered, etc!

The more you write, the more you'll learn about these verbs, adverbs and adjectives and it'll come handy tremendously. We don't want to have too much repetition do we?

I am also handing you this emotion wheel that will be incredibly useful if you're starting writing:

Speaking of repetition... Remember that thing I said about studying your characters? Try to avoid too much repetition of one word between the two characters. As you may have noticed people have a cadence and ways of speaking. If you do that a lot, people will break from the immersion and think it's you who's talking, not the character.

Another classic! SHOW, DON'T TELL.

If you're into writing, you'll probably have heard this saying before. All writers have committed this sin when they started writing, using adverbs and adjectives too obsessively instead of narrating how the character feels.

Is your character anxious? How about instead of doing:

“Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck! What am I supposed to do now!?” He anxiously exclaimed.

We do...

“Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck!” He tightly gripped onto his jet black hair and ripped it from his scalp into shreds. Pain was the last thing he cared about when a bigger torture was on his mind. His chest constricted, his lungs having less oxygen filled with hot air. The corners of his eyes burned, and his brain constantly banged to the corners of his skull begging to free it from this horrible outcome. The man started to lose his senses, he couldn't smell the horrible stench from his machines, or feel the bottom of his feet anxiously walking in circles, his fingers were getting tingly and numb. Onceler couldn't even see the insides of his destroyed mansion and the deforestation he caused from his window. All of it was a blur and too much too handle, the weight of his actions fell into his mind and stomach, forever scarred and stuck like that last stump in the middle of what used to be a vibrant Truffula Tree forest.

“What am I supposed to do now!?” He scratched his knotted throat as loud as he could, ripping his vocal chords. It didn't matter if he could hear himself now, he didn't listen to his real soul in the past, and now, no one will listen to him now. No matter how much he begged for help.

Alright, that was a little big example there haha! But you get it right? Here's a picture to help you visualize better.

Mind you, the first example isn't bad to use! Just don't constantly use it. It's good to show a story throughout the actions of your character!

Alright, what else... what else... oh yes!

Be mindful of spellchecking bots!

I'll be honest to you, I do use them! They come incredibly handy because sometimes I mess up verbs or I just simply add too many spaces or create typos without meaning to! But remember that bots are bots, and at the end of the day they don't have humanity. They're AI. Therefore, these bots might make suggestions to change certain words because they don't recognize it as part of the vocabulary, but if you do click on everything they suggest, your dialogue will become very robotic and lacking of stylization. Keep those peepers open!

Use a beta reader?

I never had one. To me, writing is a very personal thing and for me to have one, they would have to share the same fandom that I'm writing of to be trustworthy. Beta Readers can be useful because they can point out mistakes other than spelling ones. Something the bots CANNOT do. They can point out weird things in dialogue, plot holes, etc.

Learn of your narration voice.

The way you narrate is your brush strokes of art but in writing! What type of a narrator are you? The unreliable type? The classic? Or just a narrator with a god complex? Have fun with that! And remember, if you want to narrate not as a narrator or yourself but as one of the characters, REMEMBER to study the character. Basically, the first tip I gave you.

Stuttering.

Don't overuse it. And we don't always stutter like: "b-b-but!" NO! Instead, try slurring the words, and adding ellipsis (the three dots ...)

Not only is it more realistic, but it looks better on writing.

This image is something I struggle with too, but it'll be useful to see it now!

Honestly, my path for writing has been rocky and I raw-dogged this shit, so it's an honor being able to help you! If you ever have any doubts keep coming here! I love to get in more depth, but I've been making this post for like an hour already!

I think that's all I can give you for now! Lots of people that have read my fanfics and roleplays have pointed out that dialogue is my forte! It's rather flattering. As always, I don't give tips or boast about my writing without evidence, so here's a snippet of a Normaler fanfic I'm writing:

“I brought you some things. Water and a towel. Hopefully that's enough.” She handed him the materials and he gladly took them, opening the water bottles and damping the towels.

“Thanks. It's tomatoes. I doubt there's a lot to get me dirty with those.” He chuckled awkwardly, before rushing to rub the towel against his cheek.

Norma smiled, raising her eyebrows.

“I take it that you're a foreigner?”

“You can tell?”

“Your accent. Yeah.” Norma stretched her legs as she sat next to him. “You're one of those cowboys?” She grinned back at the man.

The Once-ler laughed, and my... did he have a goofy laugh. Not what she expected.

“I wish. It sounds like fun, but where I come from, rural life is pretty boring.” He continued to rub the towel against his clothes.

“Greenville doesn't like foreigners.” She explained bluntly. “They always come here with bad intentions.” She furrowed her eyebrows with a teasing smirk, causing the Once-ler to dramatically gasp, a hand on his chest.

“B-But I ain't coming here with bad intentions!”

[dunnounderscorewhatever]

How Byakuya met Hisana (some possibilities/AU maybe?)

As previously mentioned on this post, I've been thinking about Hisana a lot lately and that obviously includes how she and Byakuya met. Truth is, there are many possibilities and you will probably find all of them in some fanfic (I am currently working on a rec list of ByaHisa/ByaSana fanfics which explore various different scenarios of how these two met, so if you're interested keep an eye out on the tags).

I have different scenarios in my head and some of them might be slightly AU depending of your own headcanons and interpretation of the source material (which was not much tbh). We were given so little information about Hisana that she just became this character I can basically assume anything and everything about.

First scenario: Hisana as a shinigami

This is one of the easiest ways to explain how those two met. Maybe she was a seated or unseated officer at the 6th or 13th. Better yet, can you imagine Hisana at the 11th? What a plot twist that would be.

He falls in love, goes against his family and marries her. But how did she get sick though? Maybe from some mission gone wrong or some successful mission in which there was a high price to pay?

Second scenario: Hisana as a maid

Another scenario that could explain how they met, but also calls into question how are the staff of the Kuchiki family hired? They must probably come from Rukongai, right?

Third scenario: Hisana as a courtesan

I've read many fanfics in which Hisana worked as a courtesan and they could perfectly fit in the story. Byakuya could have been her client and they both ended up falling in love, he had enough money and status to get her out of that life and bring her to Seireitei.

Fourth scenario: Byakuya on a mission

Another common scenario I've encountered in the fics of this pair is Byakuya going on a mission and for whatever reason it is at the 78th district. He either ends up getting hurt or helping Hisana in a way. I don't know why but I believe if Kubo ever writes anything about how these two met (he will never do it), I see him using this scenario. Don't ask me why, it's just a feeling I have.

Yadda, yadda, yadda, he takes her from her little hut in the woods to his manor in Seireitei and marries her.

I've also read some theories around the internet that both Hisana and Rukia were never actually alive which could have explained them ending up together in Inuzuri. Hisana is a very mysterious character for me and either she or Byakuya are unreliable narrators for me sometimes when I'm rereading the revelation scene. But I think that if Byakuya knew of anything else he would have probably told Rukia by now, but who knows for sure? I think not even Kubo knows lol

Anyways, does anyone have any other theory or scenario they would like to share?

[wildelydawn]

2 7 11 17 18 35 40 47 73 for the writers ask game

I know it's a lot feel free to not answer all of them hahaha

Hello my dearest!! I will do all of them for you <3

2. talk about a notable time a narrative or character has looked you dead in the eyes and said “fuck your plan, here’s what we’re actually doing.”

It's very minor because he has so few lines/so little presence in the story, but it's when Big dies in II4Y. I didn't want him to die but I realized he needs to die for Kim to understand what permanent loss is. In chapter one, Kim is dealing with a break up, which is definitely a sort of loss, but once Chay and him begin to matter to each other again, Kim begins to realize that loss can be a lot worse, a lot more permanent. By chapter four, he's sort of gotten everyone back, right? Chay is talking to him, he's hanging out with his brothers. Big's death shocks him into remembering that it can be all taken away very quickly.

7. tell us about the plot of the first fanfic you ever wrote

I know that my first fic was something written for classic Fruits Basket, but I can't remember the plot for the life of me. It was probably fluff or a retelling of Kyo's transformation when his bracelet comes off. The earliest, actual fic I can recall the plot too very vividly is a Supernatural Megstiel fic, in which I rewrote parts of Hello, Cruel World so that Meg Masters finds Castiel's trenchcoat and body. Unfortunately, I deleted that story because I wrote it at the height of SPN, and Megstiel was a rough ship to write at the time lol. I wish I hadn't deleted it! It would've been cool to take another look at it now, or maybe even potentially rewrite.

11. what’s something neat you’ve learned while doing research for something you were writing? also, how much do you worry about doing research in general?

The entire process of making Thai desserts/food for BSC90 has been so great. Like, truly unmatched. Outside of fandom, my research is really depressing and almost always about the Law/law. So to really deep dive into how these foods are made and how chocolate was/is produced in Thailand is really fun. I do take research pretty seriously, and I do what I can to be as accurate as possible. Right now, I'm pretty knee deep in reading about football/football RPF, and I recently followed a bunch of popular players on my Instagram, and that's been pretty wild. And, of course, can't forget my favorite Dutch politicians either. Though, that research wasn't for writing. I just really got interested in reading about the Netherlands and far right government officials. I find myself just rereading or watching Dutch debate whenever I can find translations, fan-written or official.

17. what is your favorite line you’ve ever written?

God. It changes so often, especially depending on my mood. Right now, it's from YLTTL:

The subtle but decreasing hesitations in WIK’s motions make Porchay unsteady and ashamed at the same time. In his dreams, he envisioned WIK as the criminal: keen on stealing Porchay’s heart and laughing mercilessly while walking away, leaving Porchay naked on the floor. He imagined, the other week, after WIK had left him alone, that at their best, they could only ever be temporary bliss: a mistake, heat of the moment, other clichés that left Porchay feeling angry and confused. He had resolved that if the moment were to come, he’d give himself entirely to WIK and blindly hope that WIK would do the same, and they could leave without saying anything more. 

Their togetherness, he cruelly imagined, would be one born of force, passionate with no regard for the future, a story as old as time: those with power taking advantage of those with none.

18. what is your most and least favorite part of writing?

The action of writing is my favorite part of writing. And also finding out if someone reread something of mine. Least favorite part is posting/submitting/publishing.

35. tell us about a character who’s very different than you who you love a whole lot

Definitely Chay. Chay is so different from me. I think what we have in common is poverty and independence, but other than that, Chay is such a bold, forward, dynamic character. He takes what he wants! When I wanted to ask out my current partner, I wrote a letter and then fled the country. Chay, on the other hand, just fucking shows up to where Kim is and calls it a date. I think he's the bravest character in the whole fucking show actually. All of what he does, what he navigates, is mostly done alone and independently and, up to a certain point, by choice. I admire that so much. He takes risks, even if it ends in detriment to himself. He's never static, he's never standing still. He feels things and acts on those emotions. Now, whether he processes them properly or maturely is up in the air, but he's not wallowing for long, and I truly think in a post-canon world, he would continue to do what he can to move on and adapt to his new life. That can be "Chay having a ho phase" or "Chay integrates into the mafia" or "Chay runs to Switzerland, meets Kang Yohan from The Devil Judge, and becomes a vigilante judge when he comes back to Thailand."

40. best piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten.

"You're probably going to get decimated, but everyone will have questions." This came from my dissertation advisor/mentor. And she was right!

47. what story are you most proud of?

It's definitely a tie between YLTTL and Still Painting Flowers for You. I'm quite proud of the latter. It's short and it has, what I feel, is a good balance of canon and a reflection of two very important women in my life.

Thank you for all these questions, my crunchy little friend! It was so fun to write this out hehe.

Ask me writer things!

[scummy-writes]

How do you deal with writer's block? How do you execute ideas even with writer's block?

ohhh this is a good question. I may not have good answers.

It may depend on the type of writer's block you have, as I feel like there isn't just one singular over-encompassing type.

Sometimes, the writer's block is having all the inspiration, but nothing is coming out. This one plagues me the most because 90% of my fanfics and similar nowadays are just me daydreaming 24/7, and writing some of those daydreams down. Like a lil movie in the background. In theory I could write so much, but I struggle with actually putting pen to paper and considering the actual word choices used.

What I end up doing here is read or....write.... So the reading I try to find a published book that is different from my usual writing style and removed from fandomism, this is to personally help me distance myself from fanfic a little, to see how the pacing in a longer piece may be- which can help with learning to describe 'smaller' scenes and movements, or see how the writer handles scene transitions and similar. And, well, I read! And when I'm reading, I will usually pick the writing apart.

"I really like the way the writer described this movement, how could I describe that in my own words?" , "Wow, you can see how these last few paragraphs built up the foreshadowing for this turn of events, lets break down how they did that." , and... well... sometimes it does turn into "Yikes!! I really dislike that!!! If I were to rewrite that in my own way, how would that go...?"

And I've found that I often struggle to finish books, because I'll get that train of thought going so much that I'll have to put down the book to actually write.

Another thing I will do is that I will open up a wip, have it in a window taking up half my screen, then open a blank document to put on the other half, and rewrite everything word for word. This often helps me catch mistakes, odd sentences, and similar, and it's an easy way to simulate actually being able to write without having the 'blank document woes' where I'm too scared to defile a blank document. I find that once I get in the process of this with some good music, once I catch up to where my wip left off, I've rewritten a few sentences or added in more details I thought of with a fresh mind, and I'm able to go past where I initially left off.

(thats how I set up the screen)

If it's the type of writer's block where you have NO ideas, no will to write and only the vague *want* to write............ you may need some rest. A lot of people talk about social batteries, on how people need to recharge after a social function with some alone time or similar, and then their battery feels recharged! well... You need to do that for creative outlets as well!! You need to make sure you're taking care of your body, and also your mind. Recharge your creative mind by reading, watching, and listening to new or old and beloved things! Play a fun video game with a story that's interesting to you, read a cheesy romance novel, maybe even just clean some dishes and daydream as you do so. Once you remove 'gotta write gotta write gotta write gotta write' from the equation, and chilling out a bit, you end up getting inspired again after a while.

Typically with this one, I will end up writing notes that are very. bland.

So... if it's neither of those, or you have tried a lot of these things, then my next advice would be to try some basic writing exercises. Look up prompt lists, try to write the first thing that comes to mind when one catches your eye- i dont care if it's shakespeare or dahl, you just smack it down on paper. Much like drawing, you gotta do warm ups with writing! it helps a lot when you're stuck! If prompts don't work, move on to rewriting a classic story scene or story in general with your favorite characters, think about how they would act in the situation instead and rewrite it. If its fanfiction, look at some of the events in the game or routes, rewrite it with you or your mc, or how you wished the route/event went instead. write with friends! have friends send you prompts or detail a vague outline for you and try your hand at it!

If it stems from being too embarassed to read what you're writing.... turn the text itty bitty and just Type, to where you ignore what you're seeing and are managing to get words down. You can always make the text bigger when you feel less embarassed!

That's what I can offer off the top of my head!! I think there are plenty of more tips than this that exist out there, absolutely, so maybe some folks reading this might be able to offer to explain what helps them!

[amethystina]

I saw someone ask how many chapters you think Who Holds the Devil will be, and it got me thinking about how long (word wise) it might actually end up being since it’s already ~270K. This fic is a monster where it currently stands and if there’s still a lot left to go, the final word count might be insane. It makes me curious as to what the longest fic you’ve ever written was. Have you ever written a singular fic as big as this one before? What’s the most challenging part of writing stories this big? Is it outlining, continuity, or is it less to do with the story itself and more to do with things like potential burnout etc.?

(Okay, so, this is going to be quite long (which is very on-brand), perhaps a little more detailed than you asked for, and also delve into my insecurities in a way that might be TMI. Read at your own risk x'D)

Yeah, I can't say for sure how many chapters I'll write or how high the final word count will be, but it's definitely going to be a very, very long fic.

As for other fics I've written, my very first fanfic was a series (three parts that tell an overarching story, plus nine bonus chapters) that clocks in at 290k. And, after that, I've written two more than go past the 100k mark, one at 183k (if you count the bonus chapters) and another that lands at 127k. So writing long fics isn't anything new to me, but Who Holds the Devil is definitely the longest so far.

As for the most challenging part, that differs depending on the story. That first fic I wrote was a Teen Wolf one where I basically did a third season (before the actual third season aired) and the challenge was definitely the continuity, keeping all the details in order (both from canon and my own creations), and making sure to write the frankly rather big cast of characters in a believable way. It was meant to be a cohesive story that spanned over three parts, but each part also had to have its own internal structure and climax, slowly building up to the big finale in the third instalment. Hilariously enough, I was too young and dumb to even realise how big of an undertaking that was and just kept writing, blissfully unaware of my own hubris. And, somehow, I pulled it off.

But in hindsight? I was nothing short of insane. Especially considering my, at the time, untested skills at actually finishing a story of that length — in English, to boot, which isn't even my native language. I had written original stories before that, some of which were quite long, but none of that size or complexity. Like, I'm not sure I would dare try that now, even with the added experience and skills I've accumulated since then x'D

Sometimes, ignorance truly is bliss.

Anyhow, the more I write, the easier the outlining, continuity, pacing, characters etc. gets so that's rarely a problem. And a lot of that has always come naturally to me in a way I can't really explain. Like, that 183k fic? I wrote that entirely without a timeline, outline, or notes. I just kept it all in my head and went by instinct and, somehow, never had to go back and correct a mistake — not even once. Which is kind of wild when I look back on it (not to mention reckless) but yeah. And the fic is Autonomy, for those of you wondering.

I don't know what it's like for others, but I rarely get stuck on planning and outlining. I usually just figure out a beginning and a couple of key scenes and off I go. And then everything just falls into place as I keep writing, sort of outlining itself without conscious effort from me, long before I actually reach that point in the story (my brain works faster than my hands, I guess? xD). So I usually figure out the ending before I reach the halfway point and then it's just a matter of filling in the empty spaces in between. And, somehow, my brain just automatically manages to figure out the pacing, continuity, and details without me having to pay attention. Don't ask me how that works, it just does x'D

Since it's so much bigger, I do have a timeline for Who Holds the Devil, though, to keep track of where we are and remember important dates (like Go Eun's birthday! :D) as well as a document with notes for future scenes. But that's mostly because I got so excited about some of them and wanted to write down all the cool dialogue before I accidentally forgot it.

So I would say that the more experience I get, it's definitely not the story itself that makes writing long fics difficult — that part is honestly the easy one. Burnout is definitely a factor, though, especially for a fic of this length. Basically, I'm a sprinter, not a marathon runner. I will usually write a lot of words in a short period of time, then have long stretches when I write nothing at all. If I divide my total word count from last year, I actually wrote over 500 words a day, except it's usually more along the lines of 6k three days in a row, then nothing for three weeks x'D

Anyway, since I know this about myself, I usually never start posting a fic until I've finished writing it, since there might otherwise be months without updates. But I obviously had to change that with Who Holds the Devil and that has proven a bit of a challenge, I will admit. I'm not used to regular or even semi-regular updates like this, so I've had to change my habits quite a lot. But I still make sure to recognise when I have to take longer breaks (which does happen, usually after a very intense portion of the fic) just to let my brain cool down a little.

Fortunately, since I'm very goal-oriented, I never lose sight of what I'm doing, however, even during these breaks. I'm not someone who needs to feel inspired or motivated to keep writing, so I can just pick it up again whenever I like. That's not to say I force myself to write, but I can usually trick myself into getting excited enough to continue simply by taking myself over that first hurdle when everything just feels boring and uninteresting.

I'm stubborn as all hell, is what I'm saying, which is definitely useful when writing long fics.

Because, at a certain point, you're going to need more than just inspiration and eagerness if you want to finish. I have not written a single long fic during which I didn't have a moment — often more than one — where I questioned if I truly wanted to continue or not, either because I was at a boring part of the story or felt overwhelmed by the thought of how much further I had to go.

And that's honestly the most challenging part with Who Holds the Devil. I'm confident in my writing, my characterisation, my ideas, and even my plot, but sometimes when I look at my notes and see how much more I have to write, all I feel is doubt. And, in an interesting turn of events, it's not even my own commitment I'm doubting, but everyone else's.

I know I can get through this and stick with this fic to the bitter end, but can you?

Now, don't misunderstand me — my readers don't owe me anything. You can stop reading any time and you should if you're not enjoying the story, but I would be lying if I said that the amount of criticism and questions I get about the length isn't beginning to wear me down. It makes me second-guess every single choice I've made about the plot, pacing, and overall tone of the story.

At the same time, of course I get why people ask. Some want to know when they can start reading because WIPs are scary (I can totally relate) and these readers have no reason to trust me when I say that I will finish this fic, come hell or high water. Heck, I've already lost two grandparents during the writing of this fic and I'm still going. I even tried to write one chapter while sitting at my grandmother's bedside, waiting for her to die (bad idea in hindsight, my writing was very incoherent — do not recommend).

But it's not like everyone who runs across my fic automatically knows that. They don't know me so of course they'll ask, not knowing that they're the fifth person to do so in less than two months. And that kind of hurts.

And I won't deny that there's probably a bit of pride involved as well — it's annoying to have people question my choices — but, more than anything, it's telling me that I must be doing something wrong. My readers don't trust me. And, well, that's kind of alarming as a writer, when the whole point is to take someone on a ride and they keep asking you for directions or "are we there yet?"

Clearly, I'm doing something wrong.

Now, this is not EVERYONE. I have so, so many lovely readers who enjoy both the insane length and glacial slow burn of this fic — I know that. But there's always a niggling doubt at the back of my mind that I'm eventually going to alienate every single reader because this fic is just Too Long. Or that they'll simply give up on the story since it's going to take us beyond Yo Han and Ga On kissing. Like, this fic isn't just about the two of them getting together, but also how they'll make their relationship work in the long term with their individual and shared baggage taken into account. It's going to continue long past the point of them kissing for the first time, as well as them having sex for the first time.

And a lot of people lose interest after the first kiss or the first sex scene. Which is fine — each to their own — but it's very disheartening to be told that as the author. I've had people ask me in what chapter they'll finally kiss so they can jump to that chapter and ignore the rest. I've had people tell me they're going to stop reading because they just can't stand the annoyingly slow burn anymore. I've had people tell me the fic is already too long for them to read and, here I am, knowing it'll take a lot more words to even come close to finishing it.

And that, at least in the case with Who Holds the Devil, is the biggest challenge — to stay motivated and committed when more and more people are telling me I'm not doing this right. It's daunting enough as a writer to look at your fic and realise that, damn, I have such a long way to go, without also having people tell you, to your face, that, yeah, that's way too fucking long, what the fuck are you doing?

It makes you wonder why you should even keep going, especially when you know how much time and effort you're going to have to devote to the project.

What's the point?

Because despite all the lovely comments I get, praising the level of detail and how realistic everything feels, we all know that negative comments have a tendency to stick with us longer. I can't ignore them even if I desperately want to. And, to make matters worse, not all of them are even intended to be mean. Some just want to know how long the fic will be — which is fully reasonable. But those entirely reasonable questions just pile on top of this mountain of doubt I already have, telling me that this is all pointless. My commitment to this fic is a mistake. I'm wasting my time. It's not Good Enough. It's Too Long.

Now, all that said, I love Who Holds the Devil. I love exploring the characters and the story, and I honestly don't think I'll stop writing it. Because, cliché as it might sound, I do write for myself, not others. I share with others because I know people like my writing, but I'd still be writing even if no one wants to read it. So, worst-case scenario, if people are no longer interested, I'll just keep writing it but will stop posting.

Because, when it comes down to it, I don't need validation to write. I can write in complete solitude. As mentioned, I usually finish a fic before posting, which means I've sometimes completed a 60k fic without a single word of encouragement from another person. I LOVE validation, as most writers do, but I don't actually need it to keep working on a project.

Interestingly, what I'm seeing with Who Holds the Devil, is that too much attention can, apparently, instead make me doubt my commitment to a project in a way that's honestly pretty fascinating? I felt more confident about the fic BEFORE I started posting it, BEFORE I knew if anyone would even want to read it x'D

Now is when I feel the doubt, because what these comments are telling me is that, sure, a lot of people would want to read this fic, but it's too long so now they're not gonna. And, in many ways, that feels like a failure on my part, even if I of course know that tastes differ, we can't please everyone etc. etc.

Tell that to my anxiety.

So yeah. For me, personally, it's definitely outside things that make writing long fics difficult, more specifically opinions from other people that make me doubt my skill level, intentions with the fic, and if it's even worth writing in the first place. I'm actually pretty confident about the rest and, even if I struggle sometimes, I can usually push my way through those issues.

Sidenote: As someone who likes to analyse people's behaviour (including my own), it's pretty fascinating to realise that my biggest issue isn't that I feel pressured to produce more or post on a certain schedule — which is what most fanfic authors struggle with — but that I might, in fact, be doing too much? My fic is just too goddamn long for people to handle.

Like, you gotta admit — that's pretty funny xD

Anyway. All of that said, know that I don't regret writing Who Holds the Devil and that I certainly don't regret posting it. I also have every intention of finishing it and I doubt I'll actually reach a point where I'll stop posting. As long as there's even one person out there who enjoys reading the fic, that's enough for me to keep posting.

So to all of you out there — especially if you happen to be one of those who just casually asked me how long the fic will be without knowing all of this shit — I'm fine. I'm not angry or upset with you. I know the majority of you love the fic and wouldn't want me to change a thing. I also know that these insecurities of mine are… well, not unreasonable, but I don't need to listen to them. And I try my best not to (it's just difficult some days, you know?)

So, to finish this off, just know that I love you, appreciate you, and have no regrets. And thank you so, so much for reading my fic, even if it's long, and taking the time to comment, kudos, or even just gush about it with your friends. To know that my writing brings joy to other people and that it can help support you through difficult times or make your day better is the best feeling ever.

Thank you 💜

… also, chapter 29 will probably be another 15k one, because fuck my life x'D

[robbierants]

THE FIRST OFFICAL POST OF ROBBIE RANTS

Todays Rant: Transgender Representation In Modern Anime

Hello Yall! I was reading fanfics pn A03 and that got me thinking about modern representation in anime of Transgender, Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual people. Specifically Trans Rep.

Alright, so I did some research on what everybody else thinks about this topic. A lot of people who were not trans thought that representation in anime was complete bullshit. As a person who identifys under the trans umbrella, I've actually been quite pleased by my representation in media. Everyone knows about Ouran High School Host Club, the story of Haruhi, who goes to a high school for the rich and bored. They (I see them as nonbinary) makes friends and explores their identity, and everyone looks like they were drawn in Ibis Paint, I found the anime amazing and have seen it many times (ive read the manga 5 times in. Row man) . If you want an intro into LGBT in anime though, this is your go to.

Now if we want to talk about something very cerebral and powerful, Black Butler/Kuroshitsuji's Ciel Phantomhive is our guy. I see him personally as nonbinary (He/they respective)

Alot of people see his romp through gender in the first few episodes as a reflection of drag, or an excuse for man-in-drag humor. Well, there's a lot more to it than that. When I was coming out to myself, I was incredibly transphobic (being raised by catholic parents also doesny help) to myself, saying that "I can't be anything but a girl. It's not allowed". This mindset kept me from my own truth, up until a few months ago.

Ciel is very opposed to many things he defines as feminine and un-manly. When he has to infiltrate the party of a perverted count (I love his design tho!) he dresses in a frilly dress and pigtails. We can see how uncomfortable with it he is at first, squirming and complaining. Later in the series however, he comes to embrace parts of it. He wears clothes that could be considered androgynous, embraces a feminine side, and becomes quite the diva (I love Ciel Guys)

I like to think of the first season as a reflection of Ciel's mental state. He lives the first couple episodes blissfully, as a Cisgender male. In episode 4, he "dons an evening gown", and allows the possibility of this other sex.

I remember doing this very briefly when I was 10 with a suit. To be perfectly honest? It freaked me the fuck out. I was terrified of being who I was, so I ripped the idea from my mind. This is exactly what happens to Ciel. The only difference is that when I thought I might be man, I wasn't almost sold on the black market like Ciel.

Later in the season Ciel allows the possibility again, through subtle remarks at his butler, servants, and peers. He realizes that there are deeper levels to his psyche, and without spoiling anything, he confronts his traumatic past in a number of ways. One major piece of evidence is when the theme song changes midseason. Originally, the opening lines of the song say, "The monochrome blows Through our colorless encounter. I shall entrust each of my pains to you." Later in the series, the opening lines change to, "Since then, I've actually come to like the night. In a sea of dependence I forgot even to breath." If that doesn't convince you, nothing will. Ciel is nonbinary (He/They) who likes to wear femanine clothing some times. Don't @ me

Another awesome example of a Trans female in anime is Chihiro Fujisaki of the Danganronpa franchise. This is a slightly more to the point story of Transgender psychology. Chihiro Fujisaki is one of the many students trapped in the hellish prison school of Hope's Peak. Chihiro is "the ultimate programmer", having created game changing software and programs. Chihiro is also biologically male. We don't know this until she turns up dead, and the only reasonable cause of this was someone in the Boy's locker room murdered her. Chihiro got into the locker room using her birth sex as an excuse.

Chihiro is also known for being very socially awkward, depressed, and kind. These are all characteristics very common of teenage Trans females. I know a couple of my trans femme friends fall under these categories. Chihiro is a perfect example of a passable Trans woman flying perfectly under the radar until being looked into further. If you knew how many Trans people would kill for this, you'd realize how truly rare Chihiro is as a character.

Chihiro notably built herself what is known in the programming world as a "Construct".

For those of you unaware, a construct is a direct copy of the users brain, rewritten via computer code. "Alter Ego", as she is called, is a version of Chihiro built to protect and inform the other students.

Now, if only I had an artificial intelligence to answer peoples stupid questions about being Trans!

Of course, on the subject of Trans anime, there's enough transmisogyny to go around. Let me show you some iconic anime clips you may not have known were transphobic;

Naruto's "Sexy Transformation"? Transphobic

Ouran High School Host Club's Over-explanatory Lines? Transphobic.

Black Butler's Pronoun Butchering of Grell? Transphobic.

(CMON BLACK BUTLER!)

I hope this has informed you on the potential of Trans people in anime. I highly suggest you check out shows like Black Butler, Ouran Host Club, and Danganronpa.

[grimalkinmessor]

For the fic meme: 🌟, 🎨, 📚?

That first one is not on the list so I'm using my amatuer detective skillz to infer that you meant the sparkle one ✨

✨️ Out of the comments you’ve received on your fics, what are two or three of your favorites?

Well, THIS one is my all time favorite:

aND YOU CAN PROBABLY SEE WHY LMAO. It's beautifully long, it takes me on reader's commentary throughout most of the fic itself, and watching my dear reader slowly descend into the madness that has already stolen me is always always fun :D But I think about this one in particular a lot because they GOT it, you know? They got the exact vibes I was going for, they understood the intricate relationships between the characters—basically they read it exactly how I wrote it to be read. And yes many other people have likely done that but this one TOLD me about it (⁠*⁠˘⁠︶⁠˘⁠*⁠)⁠.⁠｡⁠*⁠♡〜⁠(⁠꒪⁠꒳⁠꒪⁠)⁠〜

Another one of my favorites is this one:

Again, because it's long and thoughtful, and because it's from one of my friends whom I admire and value deeply 🥰

And last but CERTAINLY not least is this one :3

Because this one is ALSO from one of my friends that I respect and admire deeply, and because I enjoy making them go absolutely insane 💕 Mwahaha yesss go feral >:3

I adore every comment I receive, these are just the ones I hold the closest :3

🎨 If someone were to make fanart of your work, what fic or scene would you hope to see?

Ooo another hard one! Hmm. The imagery that I put in Notre Dame would be beautiful, I think, because I wrote it to be that way lol. But the dark magic symbolism of Tomura and Izuku's wedding in Nickel and Silver is also near and dear to my heart. Nickel and Silver has two, actually, because the scene where they're arguing in the river is one I think has the potential to be really pretty as well!! Though the scene in Cosmic Entities where Light and Matsuda are in the elevator has the potential to be very fun too >:3

But tbh the scene on my brain right now that I would ABSOLUTELY commission someone for if I had the money to spare is one that I haven't even posted yet 😭 AFOFA ballroom dance scene my beloved 🙏

📚 Is there a fanfic or fanfic writer you recommend?

*cracks knuckles* GET READY FOR THIS.

It depends on what fandoms you're into, but for BNHA authors I recommend surveycorpsjean, terryh, lukewarmbeefstew, RayShippouUchiha, katydid, Space_Cryptid, Gentrychild, whatagoodegg, cassieopia721, and I WOULD also recc mrjengablock but she's recently taken all her BNHA stuff down due to an AI scare 🥲

Yes all of these authors are WILDLY different but these are the people I enjoy reading the most ^^ For fic reccs I'm gonna go with Candor by OwlF45, Awakening by Zyla_Sweetbean, Why Are We Here Again? by cloud_nine_and_three_quarters, Play for Keeps by supercrunch, and A Difference of Perspective by town_without_a_heart 💕

For Death Note authors I'm reccing ASmallMoon333, TrashKing, sharptoothed, tsukinousagi, sn0w_quill, neallo, foreskinsmoothie, Min Daae, and TzviaAriella ✨

Again, a lot of different topics and styles here but I enjoy all of them immensely :3 Some good fics I like are vertigo by crimesofhallowed, louder than bells by relic_crown, metempsychosis by palant1r, Behind the Lens by arcadevia, and likely many more I'm currently forgetting :'D

Harry Potter authors I'd recommend are ObsidianPen, Nekositting, Cybrid, and asterisms!

Danny Phantom authors I'd recommend are GothMoth, thevillainofthisstory, EctoplasmicSoda, GhostMalone, and passionateartist. For fics I'm reccing Flight of Defiance!

Marvel authors I'd recommend are ladylapislazuli, tuesday, feyrelay, doctorestranged, Orcusnox, SpiderKatana, and LearnedFoot. Reccing Frostbite by writer168, and The Third Option by Uncertainty_Principal for those who can handle angst :3

Aaaand I'm gonna stop there because if I list everything and everyone that I like we'll be here all day 😅

[elinorwritesstuff]

Writing Advice Answers #3: How do you keep canon characters in character?

How do you keep canon characters in characters while writing them?

So there’s two halves to that for me: Does the character sound like themself? And, “Would the character do/say this?” 

“Does the character sound like themself?” can be really easy, or really tricky, depending on the character. I’m from the northeast US, so a lot of characters sound enough like me that I don’t need to be super particular. So I start with reading/watching/playing the material a lot, which is something I’m usually already doing, because I like the material enough to want to write fanfic in that fandom. And you get a feel for which character is going to say “I’m leaving,” which character is going to say, “I’m gonna get outta here,” and which character is going to say, “I’ll take my leave now.” You can look at contractions: Some characters say “would have,” some characters say “would’ve,” and some characters say “woulda.” (Sometimes the difference between “would’ve” and “woulda” is a style thing, tbh, but you get what I mean.)

And then you have the tricky characters. I’m going to talk about Devil May Cry because that’s where all my recent works are: I was really nervous about writing V, and I still feel like I’m terrible at writing Nico. With V, now that I’ve been writing him for a while, I feel like I’ve hit my stride, and with him, and to do that I had to intentionally look for patterns and lines that stuck out to me. What I really noticed with V is that he tends to alternate overly formal/archaic speech or poetry with very informal speech. So if you look at his voicelines (I have watched the “All V cutscenes” and “All V voicelines” videos on youtube so many times), he’ll say “pin ‘em to the wall!” one time, and the next time he’ll say “Enjoy the taste of despair,” or “Your death shall end your nightmare.” And honestly my big secret to writing V is one line that always stuck out to me: the line at the end of the Nidhogg fight where he says, “‘The cut worm forgives the plow.’ Whaddaya say?” I use that pattern over and over: Formal speech and/or poetry quotes, and then the last line is very informal, and it always comes out sounding like V.

I have one big piece of advice for “Would the character do/say this?” Dig into the character’s backstory, motivations, personality, wants, fears, etc. the same way you do for your OCs. This is especially important if they’re not the viewpoint character. Why would they react this way? Why would they want to do one thing, and not another thing? What are they actually thinking?

Once again, you can also look for patterns. Go back to the original story and look for similar situations: what did they say or do then? This is great if there’s enough material in the story to come up with more than one similar situation and find what’s in common with their reaction. When they’re confronted with a difficult topic, are they open when they talk about it, or do they close down, or get angry, or crack a joke to change the subject? When they’re afraid, do they charge forward, or run away, or freeze.

For me, the big guns are to write part of a scene from their point of view. I had a fic a while back where I was having a lot of anxiety along the lines of “would the character really do this, or am I just having them do what I want them to do?” So I wrote the scene in question from their point of view to see if what they were thinking (or what they would have needed to be thinking in order to act they way they did) made sense. As a bonus, this can be really fun, and spending more time with the character’s voice can really help with writing their dialogue.

Sometimes the trickiest thing is letting go when you realize that they wouldn’t do or say the thing; I have a WIP with Vergil, and there’s one line I have marked to rewrite on the second draft because he just wouldn’t say it. But that’s not a big deal; it’s just one line. Then I have this Dante/OC idea that’s driving me nuts, because I really like it, but I came up with it while playing DMC4, when he’s very much in his confident scoundrel kind of persona. Then I watched the anime and played DMC5, where most of the time he’s dropped that persona, and spent more time thinking about who he really is, and realized he just wouldn’t react the way I had him reacting. And it’s driving me nuts because I haven’t found a way to fix it and still have the story go the way I want it to.

[pacificwaternymph]

Fanfic writer ask game, sorry that this is a long list:

🥺 Is there a certain type of moment or common interaction between your characters that never fails to put you in your feels?

🤡 What's a line, scene, or exchange you've written that made you laugh?

🛒 What are some common things you incorporate in your fics? Themes, feels, scenes, imagery, etc.

🙋‍♀️ Do any irl people know you write fanfic?

🌞 Do you have a preferred time of day to write?

💌 How do you feel about comments and feedback?

💖 What made you start writing?

✅ What's something that appears in your fics over and over and over again, even if you don't mean to?

🧐 Do you spend much time researching for your stories?

🤲 Would you please share a snippet of a wip?

Any parent-child dynamic, especially of the found family variety, makes me go weak at the knees. Something about the unconditional love of parents, man. It just gets to me. So like any of Shrub and Xornoth's interactions in the Wolf Mother.

The chapter after the full moon detailing the aftermath, where Shrub learns that Xornoth jumped off the balcony and gradually grows more and more horrified as she realizes that once this kid actually becomes more comfortable being himself she is going to have her hands full? Had me dying.

I'm sure you'll notice hurt comfort is my BRAND. A lot of my works have themes of healing, dealing with complex emotions and trauma, and reconciliation, and put a heavy emphasis on deep interpersonal connections between the characters.

A good deal of my family does, actually. They've known about my writing ever since I've started. I've never let them, you know, read any of it, but like yeah they are aware of it. And as for friends, a fair number of my friends are also consumers and producers of fanfiction, so yeah they all know.

Not really? Whenever the motivation strikes. Which just so happens to be... right before I tell myself I'll go to bed.

Love love LOVE!! I adore hearing what you guys think of my stories, all of your ideas and suggestions and predictions, it's so so so wonderful to see that so many people read my stuff and like it, it's so surreal.

I had a really vivid image for a story in my head and was frustrated that I didn't have the art skills to draw it out. So I turned to using my words as an alternative. I've been doing this for about 5 years now.

Characters fearing being hurt in some capacity, only to be treated with kindness. This usually takes the form of a child character who is used to cruelty being adopted into a loving family, but also fairly frequently shows up as an antagonist I'm attempting to redeem expecting some sort of harsh punishment for their actions and instead being faced with, if not forgiveness, then at the very least a willingness to hear them out and a demonstration of the heroes' goodness.

Depends. Sometimes I'll completely wing it, like me not doing any research for my pirate au and just going by vibes alone, but for some specific things as well as topics I want to be able to give an accurate and respectful depiction of (such as disabilities, different cultures, religions, etc.) I'll go a little more in depth with my efforts.

Snippet beneath the cut:

Having wings was… different.

Xornoth wasn’t quite sure how he felt about them yet. Growing another pair of limbs overnight wasn’t exactly a pleasant experience, to say the least. He could only remember vague flashes, a searing pain in his back that wouldn’t abate no matter what he did. He remembered a hand in his hair and concerned voices surrounding him. But other than that… nothing.

He’d faded in and out of reality the entire time, horrific flashbacks so lifelike Xornoth almost could have sworn they were real plaguing his every moment. But the one thing he knew for sure was that his mom had been there the whole time. 

- The first couple of paragraphs from chapter fifteen of the Wolf Mother

[shadowgamerhalo]

1 2 9 17 for the writers ask game

Ah thank you for the ask my mutual! Now to answer your questions.

1. Okay it honestly depends if I decided to use Microsoft Word and I tend to like the roboto option. Most of the time I use things like a notepad app or wattpad, so there's not an option to change the font.

2. I mean yes I could, but it would be very tiring and probably take much longer. This is due to chronic pain I get in my hands, and also how many spelling errors I make while off of autocorrect. I did used to exclusively write like this as a kid and teenager, the above reasons are why I moved on to the keyboard.

9. Yes?

17. Okay so i have two works in progress at the moment, one is a fanfic, the other is an original story. I'll try to think of one for each.

Fanfic: It's gotta be what the main character's twin got up to while in different realm while they were separated from each other. I don't go into a lot of detail in the story given that there's less time of being around the twin, while the two are an excellent duo they actually go their separate ways cause they live very different lives by the end. I also find it funny to add that the reason why it's not mentioned is because they were an absolute menace to this realm, and the higher ups of this realm want to deny it as much as possible, due to the fact that the twin is half angel.

The lore behind what happened is that this character is impulsive and louder than their sibling, they pulled pranks, broke shit for kicks, swore at people, caused several riots, found ways to blackmail, cheat, steal, and sneak in the weirdest stuff into this realm, and found ways to escape most if not all the consequences of their actions. And when they had their angel side unleashed, cause it was suppressed like the main character with the demon side, everyone in the realm went collectively 'is this going to chill them out?' And then after 10 seconds of silence realizing that they actually managed to do that, they go back to menace activities, but this time cussing out their father while they were at it.

Original story: One of the main characters has 15 exes. This is never explained farther than, 'I dated around a lot in college' when the character meets another one of their exes by pure chance. This is also elevated for the comedic effect, because of initial impression of them is that they don't appear like someone who would have dated that many people.

The lore behind this is yes some of them from college, they are stretching what they mean by college for the rest of them. The rest of them dating for varying reasons, but they all shared one thing in common, they all lived in the same apartment complex. This is also the reason why the character doesn't live there anymore, when your neighbors realize that they all have dated the same neighbor, shit hits the fan real quick.

No cheating happened, but plenty of heartbreak did. This also the main thing they all bonded over and how they eventually formed their own polyamorous polycule, given this is what they first deeply and actively talked about to each other, outside of greetings and talks about the weather.

As of right now I haven't fully figured out the details of the why of the breakups. But I do know is the main character refuses to mention how things went down, because they were messy as hell, to the point where it effects both parties to this day.

Not because the main character is some sort of heartbreaking dick, but more of the tales of dating people who aren't right for you in that moment of your life. This aspect is apart of their character arc, due to the fact that's the general reason why they have so many exes and why they are a loner, but the details behind it aren't going to get touched on. This is to emphasize that there's things you just don't learn about people even if you're really close to them, yes you learn a lot, but people are ever changing and ever growing, some details aren't going to get mentioned and that's okay. You don't need to know everything about someone, especially the details they don't want to mention or talk about.

Also I like it when people theorize about characters and figure out their own headcanons for the details not given. Gives them more room to work with if they love the character if there's some spots that aren't explained.

For the college exes, details are given sparsely cause yes the same line of person not right for you dating wise, but I wanted the college ones to have more comedic aspects of what happened, and those exes are less hurt by the breakups.

[cal-writes]

⭐️star⭐️ for the writers ask game if you're still doing it? 🥺

sure!

Fanfic Writers: Director’s Cut

Reblog this if you want readers to come into your ask box and ask for the “director’s commentary” on a particular story, section of a story, or set of lines. 

did you have a particular story in mind though? you can specifiy if you'd like. other wise mhh sth ive been dying to talk about

well a lot of my wips im dying to talk about but they arent done so i'll stick to something ive already published!

Fun Fact for my RvB Fans

A Fragmentary Picture was written partially in 2014 while i was working in a hotel doing breakfast service. some days were so slow id just write fanfic on the notepad i had for taking orders with. i used to do that a lot actually. most of the fics written like that never got typed down. i always really liked the dynamic of wash and maine and the whole idea of how wash got from prison to going on a manhunt with the meta was intriguing. i usually have a problem of thinking in one shots - many of my story ballon into big arching adventures and end up abandoned in my wip folder. im happy i got this one polished and done though! there was some more stuff in that story that i didnt publish or really finish - yet. who knows maybe one day

-

Most people here are probably more interested in Detco stuff I imagine so

I was really worried posting Glue Trap I even considered posting it anonymous or making a second account that wasn't tied to my main. its fucked up content matter and fandom really hasnt been kind to that sort of thing in the past. but people surprised me and were really nice! it was a good feeling to know i can explore fucked up shit without getting cancelled haha (pls nobody get any ideas) but yeah

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for the Future Detco AU actually another fun fact. originally the stories happened in a different order. the order of the series is the chronological order but when i initially drafted the timeline (yes i have a whole spreadsheet with the order of events post canon and its massive) i had Make a Home and One Trick Pony switched. dunno why i think mostly just because i always intended for shinichi and heiji to get their shit together muuuch later. they still arent even together adjhgdjk slow burn my guys. i have parts of them actually getting together written already but Lucky Charm needs to be done first. im usually working on several installments at once so i also have parts of their engagement storyline written but thats muuuuuch muuuuch later in the pipeline for me. i also got another one shot for future au basically done, i should polish that up. my beta reader has been very busy currently sadly so i dont want to swarm her with work

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i have also plotted out the Black Org AU with some significant changes to what i already posted here. got a few scenes written. i do hope to have that out eventually but its not a priority right now. sadly the reaction to that one and some people's entitled comments made me less enthusiastic about it so i pushed it back but depending how i feel the whim of writing that is a future possibility.