#why is my prose so lengthy

[thefandomlesbian]

Me interacting with any media: Sometimes things that are shorter... are better. Me writing a 100k+ fanfic, sobbing into my hands: Sometimes things that are shorter... are better!!!

[vacantgodling]

i'd like to say that this year was more of a planning year than a writing year; not to say that i didn't write; but i spent a lot more time on outlining, worldbuilding, and a new skill that i've added to the fold -- conlanging(!!). because of that, i didn't hit all the goals i made last year but tbh that's aight. without further ado tho:

TOTAL WORDS WRITTEN [january 2024-november 2024]

111,535 (as of 11/15)

once again, if this was all in one place, that would be a full novel but. speaking of full novels:

2024 GOAL STATUS

❌ reach 150k words written overall ✔️ finish cage like it’s GOING to happen i will it ❌ finish the first draft of paramour!!!

so i'm only 1 for 3 and tbh i'm not that mad about it. finishing cage back in february was one of the biggest writing highlights of this year because i showed myself i could do it, i CAN finish something of novel length if i really put my mind to it.

(and yeah, i really did go and get it printed out lmao)

and more than just the accomplishment of writing 82k in one piece, it's also helped me really understand and work out what systems and processes i need to have set up prior to writing to make it work. this is why outlining has been such a huge undertaking for me this year, in varying levels of success (lmao). having a fully fleshed out outline with the literal beat by beat playout of how i want the story to go helped me TREMENDOUSLY in pushing through cage. even on chapters that were rough for me, having that outline to fallback on made it so much easier to stick to a every week one chapter system. and its something i plan to implement with my original wips too.

the only issue is, because original work inherently requires more work since there's no framework except what's in your own head... its been a bit slower for me writing wise. BUT next year i will be operating out of a desperate need for whimsey so i think i'm going to make my goals much.... less stressful than i did this year.

2024 WRITING HIGHLIGHTS

FINISHED CAGE! biggest accomplishment in my life right now tbh. seriously if you haven't and you have any interest in overwatch at all go read it and leave me nice comments while you're at it lol. technically i am working on the interlude piece between cage and its eventual sequel, schism, but that's been kinda slow going as i don't have much motivation to do it right now. first chapter of it is also up on ao3 though -> interlude - quiet

created a conlang??? in a very bizarre turn of events i have created a conlang for my wip with the working title HE WHO SMITES THE SUN (under the tag #s: ph). the language itself is called dzonime'si and if you want to see more of that process check out my #ren fights linguistics tag :)

finished the entire "first draft" of my wip betwixt thumb and forefinger--which is actually an idea that i only thought of this year so that's fun. for the uninitiated it is a gothic reimagining of twilight but with a shit ton more body horror and prochoice commentary. the reason first draft is in quotations is because it is technically a 16k word long outline that i am considering draft one. draft 2 is literally me going bullet point by bullet point and expanding the draft into something more akin to prose. i do have the first few paragraphs of draft 3 started, which is where i'm going to attempt actual prose writing for the first time. pretty much, btaf is becoming a very lengthy process but it's my first "test drive" on how this new outlining to written prose for my original projects will go. i've just gotten... distracted by other wips since then.

2025 GOALS

to be honest, i don’t know if i have many hard goals for next year. mostly because of *gestures at the state of the world right now* :))))))) it’s blatantly obvious that when things are tough, it becomes more difficult to do the things that you want to do that bring you joy. amid trying to just survive the day to day, there’s also my desires to get more involved in bothering the FUCK out of my senators, looking into ways i can be more involved locally (without burning myself out) and just generally trying to not let the state of the world get me down.

i think there’s a lot of things i want to do. i want to finish a bunch of outlines for my wips becuase i can’t tell you how REWARDING it’s been to be able to fully just go back and reread btaf’s outline whenever i like (and have the AMAZING multi leave comments on it like that’s actually another huge highlight of this year thank u friend 💛) and get excited about telling this story all over again. it motivates me to keep doing it! i'd also love to finish btaf's draft 2, maybe try and finish interlude - quiet etc. but—long story short. i don’t think i’m going to put myself on for any particular goals. next year is going to be about celebrating wins in any and every capacity. so all i wanna do is give myself wins.

looking forward to seeing y’all next year, crying about our ocs as usual

💛 ren 💛

[zorosdimples]

it’s so funny that you’re being a warrior for this lame ass opinion as if it doesn’t basically tattle to everyone you’re insecure about your own lacking talents 😂 anyone can summarize a story in a few paragraphs. that’s what it is, a summary !! a story being told does not automatically make it fic writing !! acting like your 300 words is a ‘fic’ is delusional. that’s hardly even a drabble and it’s okay to admit that honey 😂 no one said you didn’t have a place in fandom but acting like you can compare your work to actual lengthy, detailed, and time-committed content is so pathetic

this is the last of your asks that i’m going to answer as you are clearly talking to me in bad faith. but if my opinion is so lame, why are you engaging with it? you’re free to move on and block me if i’m so pathetic.

a lot of our personal opinions are formed by our own experiences, thoughts, and insecurities; this is part of being human. thank you for pointing out something so blatantly obvious.

i never claimed that my short fics are on par with long fics. but i also put hours of work into my prose, and it shows. i’ve read plenty of long-form writing that could’ve been told more concisely, is hard to follow, and is annoyingly repetitive as a result. quantity doesn’t equal quality—have you ever heard of that adage before? or are you truly as ignorant as you come across here?

[becauseanders]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Spread the self-love ❤️

ahhh hi thank you! (finally answering this!) 🖤

It Took the Night to Believe: chapterfic, complete, 100k. dragon age ii, anders/male hawke. pacific rim au. i am honestly really fucking proud of this fic, like i thought it was great even though it didn't do super well kudos-wise and i did notice that i definitely did lose readers as it went on. i truly have no idea why, this fic is fucking great. it's got angst, it's got comfort, it's got near death experiences, it's got fluff, it's got kaiju—what's not to love??

No Wound as Sharp as the Will of God: chapterfic, complete, 99k. dragon age ii, anders/female hawke. canonverse, post-da2. it took me seven years to post a second chapter of this and a total of eight years to finish it, and the whole time i was writing it after i picked it up again i was so unsure of it, but turns out i really like it. very heavy content, please do mind the tags. takes place while hawke is with the inquisition. anders positive, justice positive. a very intense, very deep, very affectionate friendship between anders and fenris is an extremely important part of the story. like, seriously, the platonic fenders is just as important as the romantic handers. a lot of angst, like so much angst, but the hurt/comfort is real. the b-plot pertains to my theory that justice cures anders of the taint. cole is there. the emotions are high and you can feel them strongly in the writing. again, be careful, but this is a good fic.

A Thing With Feathers Now, Elevate: one shot, 11k. dragon age: origins, alistair/female amell. canonverse, takes place over the course of da:o. this fic is a fucking masterpiece. another that didn't do well numbers-wise but this is easily one of the absolute best things i've ever written and is quite possibly one of the best fics on ao3. i am so fucking proud of this one. the prose, the metaphors, the handling of trauma, the found family—this one deserved way more love than it got. like, i'm serious, this fic is amazing.

It Means Tumult: chapterfic, wip, 349k (yes, you read that right). dragon age ii, anders/female hawke. modern au. okay, obviously i've got to mention this one. i have been working on this fic for eight years and i am very sorry to everyone who saw this go from updating multiple times a week and asking me how the fuck i write so fast to three years without a single update and then i think only one more in the past two years. i'm working on the penultimate chapter, i swear i am, i'm just super stuck right now. this fic is…this fic. i'm not going to lie, i don't really know if this is any longer some of my better writing, but the premise is fucking solid and i have been told more than once that it's clear this is a labor of love and that this is endearing. au where the obvious metaphors are made reality: the circles are psychiatric institutions and being mentally ill is a crime. a lot of angst, but a lot of love. pay no mind to how much better of a character and person aveline is when i write her. i also do admittedly use this fic to deal with my own demons frequently. an andrea gibson poem helped me write one chapter and i later got to tell them about it and they hugged me. this is also very heavily centered on music and has a lengthy soundtrack. please ignore the fact that when i first started writing this i used british english when i typed because i thought it looked better, as i had started doing as a teenager, which tbh i still kind of do but i also realized that's just fucking pretentious to do when you're american, and it was already so long by the time i stopped doing it that there was no way in hell i was going back to editing all of that (as i actually did do with nwasatwog). so that's just the way it is. but yeah, there's a lot of feelings happening here. also the only fic on this list that has an original title instead of song lyrics despite being the one with the most music involved, lol.

Through the Fall and the Feel: chapterfic, wip, 52k. dragon age ii, anders/male hawke. modern au. this is the one i'm working on most right because that's just where the brainworms are. hawke is a teddy bear doctor and anders goes to see him because instead of a pillow from his mother he has a stuffed cat, and she has seen much better days. this fic has a very wholesome premise but has gone into some pretty heavy angst already and i did not mean for eating disorders to be as important to the story as they have become, so be mindful of that. but this fic has a lot of heart and it's absolutely tanking, so if this piques your interest maybe go give it a look? this is also my second foray into m!handers and i am again having fun writing them. but yeah, i actually like this fic a lot and i do recommend it.

[eddiebabygirldiaz]

20 questions for fic writers

tagged by @captain-hen @anxieteandbiscuits @lemonzestywrites @forthewolves @king-buckley @hippolotamus @watchyourbuck @shitouttabuck @lover-of-mine @thewolvesof1998 @heartshapedvows @jesuisici33 @hoodie-buck @wikiangela @monsterrae1 @exhuastedpigeon

thank you all! sorry it took me so long to do this <3

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

13

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

582,638

3. What fandoms do you write for?

only 911 at first but now i have a fringe fic and a wolfsong fic in the works

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

there's always been a rainbow hangin' over your head (eddie comes out to buck and to be supportive buck buys eddie a very gay mug)

today i live for a single drop of you (5 times buck dreams about sucking eddie's cock and 1 time he actually gets to do it)

when the violence causes silence (set after 6x10, eddie dealing with the aftermath of the lightning strike and working out how to confess his feelings)

we live and breathe words (buck finds eddie's poetry and realizes eddie is in love with him and decides to do something about it)

slowly getting sober from the taste of your skin (pwp, threesome between buck, eddie, and evil doctor buck)

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

i do! at least, i do my best, i know sometimes i get the notification and look away and completely forget asdfghjkll, but i love responding and weeping about my gratitude

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

ummm all of my fics have happy endings sooooo i don't have an answer for this

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

ummm maybe red life might stream again because eddie and buck went through a lot of shit in that fic so i made it my mission to give them the happiest and sappiest ending possible

8. Do you get hate on fics?

i have been very lucky in that i haven't

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

oh yes i do. and i suppose it's very emotional and sappy smut. i do try to balance filthy and sweet

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

never written one

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not to me knowledge

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

nope

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

me and @elvensorceress started writing a s2 rewrite where shannon lives that i absolutely adore, it's taken a bit of a backburner but it lives forever in my heart. also me and @spaceprincessem plan on writing one that im sure will be so very self-indulgent

14. What's your all time favorite ship?

gotta be buddie (though polivia from fringe is a close second)

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

im not sure. i plan on getting all of my wips done at some point and i don't really think there is one that i won't (at least not at this point)

16. What are your writing strengths?

descriptions i think. i can paint a pretty picture and definitely have flowery purple prose. and a lot of people have told me i am good at characterization which i always worry about but am glad to hear that's it's something im good at even if i doubt it

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

i cannot shut up. everything i write is so lengthy even when it doesn't need to be. being succinct definitely isn't my strong suit. and uhh i struggle with writing dialogue because i will get lost in the character's headspace and forget people are supposed to be talking

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

i absolutely love it though i don't do it often because i get nervous about it. thankfully i have friends that i can ask if i am unsure about something and im trying to get more comfortable doing it

19. First fandom you wrote for?

supernatural

20. Favourite fic you've written?

gotta be to you i'm just a man (to me you're all i am) because i put my heart and soul into that fic and i really loved delving into the 118's dynamic and everyone's relationship with buck and creating new circumstances for eddie and buck to fall in love

no pressure tagging (and sorry if you've already been tagged) @elvensorceress @spaceprincessem @bvckandeddie @colonoscopys @housewifebuck @prettyboybuckley @rogerzsteven @paranoidbean @911onabc @honestlydarkprincess @bigfootsmom @try-set-me-on-fire @bucks118 @devirnis @giddyupbuck @disasterbuckdiaz @transboybuckley @rewritetheending @eddiediaztho @callaplums

[snowandwolves]

tis i, lengthy ask anon! first, i am in fucking awe of your planning i can't outline for shit so i bow to your mastermindness

second on behalf of all your fans RELEASE THE BITS (only if you're comfortable of course but i for one will gladly eat whatever scraps from your writing table)(i'm not begging)(maybe i am)

more qs! if you choose, you never have to answer really truly madly:

re: your planning: did you create like character sheets for each of them..? what about outfits or location references?

every author seems to have an opinion about dialogue tags - do you actively try not to use "says"? (i love both approaches just curious your thoughts)

would Bea have given (I was going to write "custody of" lol) the bookstore to Lilith?

ok so we know Ava developed a ... sleeve? kink - what about Bea?

i'm slowly going thru other fics - what's been different about writing avatrice for you?

hello again, lengthy ask anon, i need you to know i’m about to develop a soft spot for you 😂 as for the bits, i’ll see which ones are mildly ok for public viewing and rb this ask with a screenshot if i find one 💀

on to the questions!

1. yes, i definitely had to have character sheets for them and the side characters too cos i thought that if i’m gonna write in ava’s pov alone, then i’m gonna need to make sure that everyone else has a clear perspective or purpose in the story that even ava doesn’t know. outfits nope 😂 but location yes! i have stared at v many photos and maps and weather forecasts of the location 😭 i may have a screw loose prolly

2. i’m not overly concerned about it, but i do try to space it out. also??? i didn’t actually know that there’s a thing about dialogue tags??? 😂 i was just actively trying not to make the prose too repetitive lmao

3. i think so, yes! lilith was already managing it while she was at the lighthouse and every other time she had to go away for it, so i thought it’d make sense for lilith to take over. with help from camila of course because lilith and customer service…

4. A SLEEVE KINK YES 😂 for bea, i think… ava and a hammer, ava and a saw, ava and just carpentry in general so an ava as jesus kink ig??? 💀 i’m of the opinion that ava can prolly make everything she does look silly-hot so RIP bea

5. definitely the depth of the characters. the show gave us so much material to work with for avatrice that i really couldn’t help but sink my teeth into everything. this is why sixth to the ninth hour exists 😂

hope that answers your questions this round! and again, thank you so much for this, anon 💙

[yurozo]

Hi! Hope you're having a good day :) 📥 + 🌙 + 👖 for the ask game! <3

hi babe!! i also hope you're having a wonderful day <3 i hope the sun is shining down on you and that your water is extra crispy. also i jusy realized that i did not follow ur writing blog after weeks of reading ur fics.... i am an idiot i fear....

📥 What is your fave fic to receive comments/messages on?

any of them i love nice comments and i love yall when you tell me how much you enjoy them 😭 but on a serious note it depends on the length of time i've invested-- monomyth and w&l took me the longest mostly from research and perfecting prose, so it feels more gratifying to see other people enjoy the effort i've put in

🌙  What time of day do you prefer to write? Why?

for fanfic, i prefer to write early afternoon/evening. academics, i like writing early morning. i'm pretty flexible just because i mostly write this stuff at work, and since i work long days i just take whatever i can get lol. evening is when i get my planning done, ill just randomly shoot out of bed and write a couple lines in a google doc and then pass back out

👖 Are you a planner, plantser, or pantser? Is it consistent?

honestly depends on the fic. oneshots or anything lighthearted i usually just start writing until i finish. anything else i put a lot of research into. multichapter fics, i plan everything from beginning to end before i even start writing. i do have lengthy google docs for characterization though, which reference for everything i write :) if theres one thing about me is i go hard on character/dialogue

[yvesdot]

I do a lot of book reviews, and so I am occasionally asked how I handle the discomfort of trying to be "objective" when evaluating art. The truth is, I don't; I aim for empathy: the understanding that someone can do something I don't like and don't get and it can be good; and self-confidence: assurance that I make my judgments lovingly and with sufficient thought.

With that said, here are my Grand Thrix ways of judging good art (my own and others'). Maybe they will help some other people! (Even if only to decide that they don't trust my taste. ^^)

1. WHAT IS THE GOAL?

2. IS IT A GOOD ONE?

3. DID THE ARTIST SUCCEED?

focus factors: intention, good-heartedness, and surprise.

WHAT IS THE GOAL?

It's useful to ask what an author appears to be trying to do-- does this author value lengthy description, for example, or are they trying to be as concise as possible? Do they want to surprise the reader with a plot element, or is this a case of intentional dramatic irony? Does the author want their work to move slowly or quickly? How do you know this, and how certainly do you know it?

Above all else I want to read a confident book: a book where the author could not only defend every choice, but speak passionately on why they chose it. Is the prose concise or long-winded? Does the plot meander or adhere to strict regularity? How does the book maintain conversation with its fellows? "Effort," "difficulty," or "originality" are smokescreens: any choice can be justified, and I want to see the author choosing with intention.

Examples: Most Romance genre books are purposefully using simple prose. A book's climax is almost certainly trying to be climactic. It can sometimes be hard to tell whether an author is intentionally or accidentally confusing the reader.

IS IT A GOOD ONE?

What makes a good artistic endeavor, to you? I generally prioritize good-heartedness (love, joy, kindness, etc.-- which can manifest in making your reader sob like a baby!) and surprise (doing something new with something old, showing me something unique, working around my expectations) above all else. You might prefer goals of genre-busting, progressive politics, pushing the boundaries of language, and so on. Frankly, there's no objective answer to whether you "should" or "should not" try to do a given thing with your art.

Examples: Most literary fiction is not concerned with the kind of plot structure I personally love. Books written with other minority groups in mind may purposefully alienate me in order to make a point about whose perspective ought to be catered to. Some books intentionally insult the reader in a way I don't feel is merited.

DID THE ARTIST SUCCEED?

We all know the feeling: the book is supposed to be sexy, and it is not. The scene is supposed to be serious, and it is not. The dialogue is supposed to be funny, and you wish you were being shot in the head rather than forced to read it. I try to ask myself how confident I am in what the author wanted and why they might have failed before railing against a book; there's a difference between a debut author struggling with plot and an established author being transphobic because nobody bothered to hire a sensitivity reader.

On the other side of the coin, you have the books that don't personally connect with you but are clearly well-written: filled with tropes you don't like, effective at elements that annoy you, ultimately not something you enjoy at all but clearly effortful and lovingly crafted pieces of art. Often I have to concede the author is doing something fascinating and doing it well, but good Lord if it doesn't personally bore me to tears. Oh well! Someone out there is reading the same book and gushing; it's just a matter of getting the right reader.

Examples: I was confused, but I see that the author wanted to confuse me, and though I didn't enjoy that confusion, I agree that it made sense and it worked; credit is due. When I'm reading YA I often give allowances for a novel which has a lot of silly unbelievable drama, because it's more than fair to write that way for teens. You won't find me knocking bara just because that's not my kind of man; clearly it works for its audience (whom I love).

To put it more broadly, did the artist go into their work hoping to do something (with intention)? Was the thing they were hoping to do something worth doing (something good-hearted and interesting)? Did they succeed? If so: 5/5! I hope this metric is useful to someone else, and that it brings infinitely more artistic joy into the world.

[anotherhumanpet]

NAME: Madmud, Muddy, or Mud. Most people are going with Mud these days and it suits me just fine.

PRONOUNS: She/Her please.

MOST ACTIVE MUSE(S): It goes back and forth between Dennis and Jaden. I actually kind of feel... bad? ashamed? that Jaden has been getting more of the spotlight than Dennis, especially since this is a blog meant to be focused on Dennis with Jaden as a supporting character, but what can ya do? I'm certainly not gonna make a blog meant for Jaden because the thought of moving all of his stuff somewhere else exhausts me.

RP PET PEEVES: Making up angst for the sake of it/to invoke feelings, replies that are written almost entirely within the character's head and give little to no external output what so ever, purple prose and novella styled writing for aesthetic rather than genuine exposition, any sort of scene where the human has to justify their existence/presence around non-humans for non-plot related reasons, characters being written as The Most Ever

EXPERIENCE/HOW MANY YEARS: I think I've hit roughly 12 years on Tumblr, and overall years like 15 or so.

FLUFF, ANGST, or SMUT: Adventure anyone...? :( Fluff is good, but gets dry on me fast. Angst is good fun too but I'm very particular about it, as stated in the peeves point. Smut's always good but it's honestly like a dessert piece. I love my sweets but it's important to have a balanced meal!

LONG OR SHORT REPLIES: I love them both to be honest. Although longer replies can take more energy out of me and thus take more time to do, I genuinely appreciate both! Short stuff is great for banter and figuring out how characters click together, while the lengthy stuff is good for really getting down into the details and dynamics of characters after the spark between them has been ignited.

TIME TO WRITE: Late morning or early afternoon, which sucks because I work from early morning to late afternoon. Hence why I'll try to get things out before work, during work breaks, or just struggle bus my way through it after work - assuming my muse doesn't completely deflate by then, anyway.

TAGGED BY: @ourcwnside, thank you very much ♥ TAGGING: @wardogxicarus, @ask-human-ratchet, @autobotmedic, @hirvenxsoturi

[scham-wcan]

KNOWLEDGE GATHERING TIME!

Let's go with....

3(star swoosh), 4, 6,9, 13,14,21 (podcast fic), 23,26

Thanks for the lengthy ask!

3(star swoosh), 4, 6,9, 13,14,21 (podcast fic), 23,26

3. what is your favourite kind of comment or feedback?

I enjoy when people enjoy or have an emotional response the chapter or work honestly, there isn’t much else better than seeing someone have some reaction to something in something you wrote in any regard

4. there a fic that you worked *really fucking hard on* that no one would ever know? maybe a scene/theme you struggled with?

I think the more expected answer is Elemental because that story has been planned and has been developed since volume 6 basically. From that whole story the themes of self acceptance and carving a space for yourself were both really special to me so they became core to that whole story.

6. what makes you want to give up on writing? what makes you keep going?

The thing that makes me not want to write anymore is just not thinking I have any skill, capability, originality and so on and so forth. Too many times have I thought about quitting when I couldn’t write a few thousand words in a day, haha. I think spite it probably the thing that most effectively keeps me going honestly, naturally every supporter around me helps but wanting to shut up that voice in the back or my head is equally helpful in keeping going.

9. give yourself a compliment about your own writing

no

13. what is a fic that got a different response than you were expecting?

My most recent one for Star Rail honestly, no idea why that got so much attention, haha

14. what one fic of yours you think people didn't get?

Stitches and CinWins honestly or Wandering Heat. One for being horribly written, the latter, and the former being that it was more for Rookie and I so some of the larger things and ideas in it didn’t really come across well.

21. what is your post-writing/sharing aftercare? How do you take care of yourself or celebrate yourself when you've finished a fic?

Honestly I don’t really have anything different that denotes celebration, most often I jump into the next thing or sleep or the rest of my day. When Ele finishes I will probably just make a new plan for a multiparter

23. What do YOU get out of writing?

I get to do my drabbles and nonsense in a socially acceptable fully made prose format.

26. how do you think engaging with each other through tumblr, twitter, comments, kudos, creates healthy fandom experiences? How do you deal with that if you're not a social person/ experience social anxiety?

Well I think it is important for creators to stick together and always look to one another to benefit out and one another’s works. If we all stay closed off there is just no way to think about expanding repertoires or anything like that. But it isn’t about comparing 1:1 because its ludicrous to compare your work to someone else’s because that isn’t you and the work they made is from a whole different world than your own.

So I am not typically very anti-social or anything like that, I do have issues of self esteem but that’s something I deal with closetedly. For the most part I participate in spaces where the upward trend is positive and uplifting and stray away from degradation or hitting down on others.

[harmonicabisexuals]

You rated Moby Dick 4/5 and I'm wondering why? I read it in 2022 and didn't love it although a lot of people do so I'm just looking for different perspectives. Maybe I got too caught up in the chapter on whaling 😅

lol I hear you! I thought the prose was absolutely gorgeous, some of the best I've ever read. I also love media that focuses on the eternal human conflict of fate vs. free will (see also my obsession w East of Eden and The X Files) and I really liked the philosophical message of how happiness is not found in abstract ideals but rather in the comforting mundane of every day life and being with the people you love. I also love how Ishmael comes to this epiphany during the chapter where he talks about being elbow-deep in whale sperm lol.

I do agree that the book drags in the middle with all the chapters on the taxonomy and physiology of whales and whaling though. There are only so many essays on whale tails and blowholes I can read in a row before my eyes start to glaze over. But if you push through it's totally worth it imo because the ending is mic-drop amazing.

I also think it helped to read Sparknotes analyses after every 5 chapters or so to help catch some of the more subtle themes and metaphors, especially bc I didn't have anyone to discuss it with at the time- so it was almost like a one-sided virtual book club. Overall I've found with 19th-century novels you have to adjust your perspective on what makes for "good" writing- obviously the language and style is different than modern authors but you also have to be okay with books taking a lot longer to get through. Moby Dick took me three months to finish (with some lengthy breaks) but I can't imagine getting the same experience out of it if I had read it in a week or so.

[vacantgodling]

❄, 🔥, 🌈, and ☀️ for the ask game !!!

thank you henrike i hope ur doing well 💛

☀️ Sun - What's your favorite part of your WIP?

ough since i’m writing paramour ig i’ll answer for that wip and it’s basically just the actual lengthy overly flowery and descriptive prose has actually been so much fun for me. i should write all my wips like this (i can’t bc it doesn’t fit the vibe of every story so i won’t but ough i love it)

❄️ Snow - Who is your coldest / most stoic character and how do they express themselves (if at all)?

i very much enjoy making stoic characters so i do have several of different varieties. the MOST stoic characters would probably be

jenna magboo (jenna the reaper): because she has flat affect and she has no intonation in her voice whatsoever (until yehna partially possesses her). she usually expresses herself through her actions and she’s very physically affectionate with people she likes. her and carlos hold hands and cuddle quite often and she tends to cling onto people’s clothing as a means of showing care.

rosmarin “red” (red death & the oracle’s favor): our lovely mc who has severe trauma and thus has an extremely difficult time expressing her emotions. she doesn’t tend to show her feelings because showing emotions makes her have physical panic attacks. she does grow a bit better at expressing them through getting closer to hel but she’ll always probably be awkward.

kalifia fandel (tcol): she doesn’t express emotions mostly because being [redacted] she is not familiar with the range of emotions that terraneans feel or can express. she comes across as cold and heartless but she’s honestly very, very neutral about most things. the only thing she expresses any emotion towards for a long time is flowers. she likes them and presses them in notebooks. but other than that she has no interest in being palatable to others because that would impede her mission regardless.

tomb (the graves we dug): similarly to kalifia, tomb is a man bound by duty. being a bounty hunter, attachments get you killed or the other party killed and it’s better to simply detach yourself from all things. he thinks graves and dove are in their predicament because they both care too much. this being said, he isn’t completely cut off from his emotions. he’s just very good at repression and restraint. in another life (his youth) he used to be very expressive and still could be if he chose to. so it’s less that he can’t express care or himself, he just doesn’t.

🔥 Wildfire - Who is your most emotional character and why?

oh god i have a Lot of emotional characters but let’s see if i can narrow it down to my beacons of emotional range:

marco azarola etxebarria (vdtrt): he just has a zest and zeal and love of life, literal ray of sunshine who can draw virtually anyone into his orbit. probably the biggest extrovert of all the vlad protection squad (runner ups being awilda and darren respectively). he’s one of those who doesn’t let his circumstances damper his vibe. +weed helps LMAO.

piper fairwind & san dearborn (tcol): yeah these two but in opposite directions. piper is similar to marco except it’s somewhat more internal. she feels everything intensely as she’s only had herself to rely on for much of her life and in turn she had to become her own advocate, her own cheerleader, her own parent etc. it’s an attitude born out of necessity perhaps. for san it’s the opposite because she was constantly spurned and pushed to the side so she had to fight for what little respect she could get. because of that they tend to run hot tempered and take things that may just be jokes too seriously;;; especially when either of them are with each other emotions are WILD and all over. i just know someone out there is going to ship them and lemme just say, i understand.

thei (god eater): it’s a bit of a cheat to put him here but it’s true. being the last god eater, thei has access to the entire combined consciousness of the singularity within him; so thats hundreds of thousands of emotional ranges potentially at any given moment. he’s kind of like an extreme empath LMAO. he actually tends to be more stoic to try and regulate these intense emotions, however when they get the better of him and he cries, his emotions literally can destroy the entire world basically. it’s why it’s a good thing he has taj to help him bc tbh he was barely holding on before taj came into his life.

🌈 Rainbow - What do you think makes your story unique / stand out?

round this out with paramour again but tbh i feel like the entire premise and the style i’m going for is sort of a slight modernization of types of gothic adjacent stories we haven’t really seen in books the past some odd years. also the fact that it’s got an all black cast for the subject matter and themes is definitely different!

[seerofmike]

ask meme: 5, 6, 7, 13, 14, 20

5. Share one of your strengths.

everyone has always told me that i write invidiual character voices very well. i try to make narration and dialogue distinct and i think i do a great job!

my vantage is completely different from my crypto who is completely different from my octane, and on the surface octane may look like he'd share the same narrative voice as leo from rise but my leo rise voice is different from octane's and ohg i just love writing how different characters would describe things or percieve situations.

i do want to give a special shout out to my vantage from my mad science fic. i don't care for her character that much but writing her was so fun and judging by the reception i got from it when posted people really enjoyed her character voice too.

6. Share one of your weaknesses.

scene-setting, environmental description, action. god this problem plagues me when reading, writing, AND drawing. i simply cannot picture where characters are or what they're doing or how they're having this conversation, sitting down or standing up. in my brain, everything takes place with characters standing around in a white void until something happens in the environment. visually it looks like that one scene in coraline. you know the one

here's how my fic writing process goes. dialogue, emotion and feelings and shit, basic plot action like going to the next necessary location, or maybe a super important event, or the set-up and punchline to a non-verbal joke. then i go back and add like 1k-2k words of just...setting. description. action. response. reaction. physical action. THEN i go over it again for like actual editing and proofreading

i can give you an example right now of what i mean

everything highlighted here was not what was originally written and was added later so the scene would be more than just "he said/he said" and maybe it's because i'm the one who wrote it but like...you can tell it was tacked on.

i'm trying to get better at this and started drawing a storyboard for my current rottmnt fic because that one relies on action more than introspection and dialogue, but if u ever ask me to describe a location...girl i would need 30 minutes to think about it

7. Share a snippet from one of your favorite pieces of prose you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

umm...this one is kind of hard actually i don't really remember specific pieces of prose i write outside of dialogue!! if i had to pick it would be maybe this specific bit from chapter five of my simulacrum Crypto AU, Four Oh Three:

this is way more than a snippet lmao but writing this entire chapter was super satisfying with everything i'd set up so far. crypto not knowing if he actually felt attraction to octane or if his feelings were just the lingering result of his programming, trying to figure out what he could feel, IF he could feel, octane touching him and inviting him to touch him in turn, all the conflicting emotions that came with that.

i really felt at the time that it all really came together in a very drawn-out but deserved scene of intimacy (nearly the whole chapter?) after the result of like uhhh 30,000+ words of tension that i don't think i've ever really written before or since. i usually like to get straight into the dick in hole action lmfao but i was very satisfied and proud of myself for this one

13. What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever come across?

so this isn't even writing advice it's programming advice LOL but several years ago i heard of rubber duck debugging in which programmers tell a rubber duck their code line by line until they realize what's causing them a problem. and ever since, for lengthy fics or things outside my comfort zone, i've described overarching plot details and invidiual chapters to either stuffed animals or my cat and if it sounds stupid being said out-loud then i usually decide it'd be stupid and nonsensical in a fic too and i change it up LOL

14. What’s the worst writing advice you’ve ever come across?

controversial opinion maybe but i think telling people that every scene in a book should only serve the narrative/plot is STUPID!!!!!!!!!!!! books aren't movies, you don't have a runtime limit!!! i think you lose out on so much character and introspection and world-building by forcing every scene in your book to only be plot-relevant stuff. sometimes characters interacting with each other and doimg stuff in their world is just fun or interesting and that's all it has to be

20.) Describe your perfect writing conditions.

i have my headphones plugged in and am listening to my music. the chair is comfy and i can lean back but my laptop is on a solid surface. i am supplied endlessly with coffee and fizzy drinks. all is well

[gluion]

i love u, mon nom nom hehe

1. my favorite fic of yours is probably a given: of linked arms and bruised hearts :] she lives in my brain as a measure of beautiful platonic relationships, and i hope you know just how much i adore that 70-something-k fic 🤧 i know i havent read all of your works thus far, but at some point, i swear i will, because your style of writing is just so lovely and i'm always so in awe of your prose.

2. a favorite part of linked arms and bruised hearts of mine is probably the moments when yn was realizing they were in love w changmin at his family house. i mean, the entire time they were there was so lovely too in general, but every time they had like,, a thought session (is that how i should describe it??) where they marinated on their friendship w changmin, i was just so so soooo soft and tender-feeling. like omg i was just thrashing around with the biggest pout cuz WTF I WANT THAT.

6. okay im gonna talk abt the same fic again, but i need u to know that the third part almpst had me crying. like i actually had tears welling up in my eyes and SNIFFLED. you have actually brpught me pain and tears—

8. i love that you dig deep with your writing. taking a step away from my beloved, but even in your brief jacob fics, you really take your time to explore relationships and establish a certain environment/ambience. its dazzling and enveloping and just .... ugh, sometimes i just have no words to describe /your words/ :'))

oh beam, i love you ☹️❤️‍🩹 i am genuinely so happy to know that a fic so personal to me means a lot to u!! it’s not easy to write 71k words in the span of two months probably? and before the writing process, i had to outline it (so i guessing this whole fic took 2 and a half months from ideation to writing phase tbh) and please dont feel pressured to read all my works!! admittedly, i havent read all of urs (and i think my other current works dont compare to of linked arms and bruised hearts imo) and as someone who was still figuring out their writing style, it really means the world u likes my writing style :]]

im so glad to know that u enjoyed those moments in jichang’s family home </3 IT WAS ACTUALLY SUPPOSED TO BE LONGER FYI!! there was going to be moments of them revisiting their old school, doing winter season traditions, really just more moments for them to reminisce abt their friendship after all these years. i feel like periods where u look back at ur friendships are just ones i love experiencing bc its a look back at not only ur relationship but even how u grew as people </3

PLEASE IM SO GLAD TO KNOW THE THIRD PART DID THAG TO YOU??? I FEEL LIKE REREADING AND EDITING IT HAD ME ACTUALLY SO SAD … i feel like it was closing a universe ive grown so attached to u know </3 but its okay i still have those oneshots lined up, and if i miss them i will def write them

beam :((( thank u for saying this. like it actually does mean the world that someone appreciates the fact i like to just explore dynamics </3 i think its why my fics end up being SOOO lengthy (and one can definitely argue that i do not need to be saying all this) but i feel like it’s needed, you know? it doesnt even have to be main pairing dynamics but even the side characters </3 it actually reveals so much abt the characters as well. and THANK U FOR SAYING THAT ABT AMBIENCE/ENVIRONMENT :’) admittedly, it’s still smth i def need to work on (and even finalizing my writing style really) but i am so glad that even at this state, someone likes what i do—i feel like im going in the right direction.

i love you always beam!! thank you always :’)

[strawhatsoraya]

see, THIS is why I am so patiently impatient because the way you understand Sanji is the exact way I do too!! I can't help but notice the way he's just so full of love and care and I love that in characters, when they face horrible situations but still treat others with love and kindness – bonus if they don't expect it back. Like cmere my baby boy, I will shower you with all the love YOU DESERVEEE TT.TT

I'm super super excited for this fic, so don't even apologize! I know it will be worth the wait, so take your time and trust me to come scream in your askbox when you do finally put it out <3

also, I'm curious if you're also writing the Zoro and Ace prompts I gave? no pressure tho, I know you said you might not do every prompt and I'm already over the moon that you're doing the Sanji one, I'm just curious about everything like how many wips you have going on rn 😂

uni is great!! I have exams coming up in October so this is rush period to finish the syllabus and start prepping >< how's things over there for you? anything interesting going on that you would be okay sharing? <3

- 🍥

(p.s. if my long asks are overwhelming, just let me know, I'll try to cut back haha~)

HII~! I'm sorry for the delayed response. I just got my laptop charger last night. My dog is a terrorist and likes to eat my chargers when I don't pay attention to her.

That being said, I haven't been writing cause I've been mobile. ;~; I know a lot of people write their fics on their phone but for some reason my brain likes a bigger screen so I can see where I'm going with the story. I go back to read a lot because i have bad memory, and want my prose to read fluidly. *babbling forever* But I have the weekend! So i'll be working on it bit by bit.

I have not started on the prompts you sent me yet but I do want to do that Ace one because I think it would be a quick little short exercise to flex my writing muscles! So I'll be doing that one this weekend while working on the Sanji slow burn.

I love the Zoro one you sent me....because it seems like so much fun LMAO And I love messing with Zoro but that one is going to be LENGTHY. Because...I am obsessed with putting Zoro in difficult situations. So that one will take time too.

I do have a Soulmate AU request for Zoro someone sent that's cuuuute. I may do a lil short thing for that too. So I have many WIPs. I should make a list and put in my pinned post? Idk whoever is interested lol.

I do not miss exams ;~; I've been doing better! My health is touch and go, and we had that Hurricane scare (I live in Florida) but so far the coast is clear? Good luck with studying and your exams <3 although I have a feeling you're doing to do great.

(no they don't overwhelm me lmaooo i am a long winded person this matches my energy)