#writers are unappreciated

[flowercrowngods]

when ao3 is back up i want all of you to leave comments on the fics you were interrupted from reading, the fics you were looking to find, the fics you were thinking about re-reading, and the fics left open in your tabs for months now.

when ao3 is back up, i want you all to show some love to your favourite writers, favourite fics, or even just the 600 word one-shot that brought a smile to your face that tuesday three weeks ago.

when ao3 is back up i want you all to remember that comments and explicitly voiced appreciation are what keep writers going.

[ominous-feychild-writes]

“What if we just… quit?” I ask suddenly.

Noah is washing the dirt and plaster off his arms, scrubbing them so hard that what little of his skin isn’t scarred is bright pink. His scars are so faded that they look decades old.

We’re only twenty, but he looks so much older.

“I can’t,” he says simply, not looking at me as he washes the last bit of soap down the sink. His voice barely even broke.

The television host’s voice chatters for us.

“Stormwalker and Supernova: heroes, or no better than the villains?” it says, staticky from poor connection.

Our apartment is on the outskirts of the city—even as government workers, we’re paid far too little to live downtown. Even if it’d make our jobs easier to be there.

“—today the two heroes helped make a record number of arrests, stopping three riots and two villain attacks within one day. But are they any—”

“Why not?” I ask, pushing myself off the stool and moving to put a hand on his shoulder.

He shrugs it off.

“Because it’s the right thing to do.”

He finally turns to look at me, silent resignation written all over his face. He tries to fake a reassuring smile, but I know better.

“—left thousands of dollars in damages and thousands more homeless as—”

That’s their excuse for paying us so little. ‘Because they need it to repair the destruction left in our wake.’ ‘If we want to be paid better, we should do a better job; don’t cause so much damage.’

If it’s so easy, why don’t you do it yourself? Try dodging lasers while saving people, while leading the villains away from populated areas, while trying to take them down! Then—then you can tell us to ‘do a better job!’

“Even if they can’t appreciate it,” Noah finishes defeatedly.

The pain in his eyes makes me want to fly all the way to the reporters, standing out front of the half-destroyed West Bank and talking trash about us, and to punch them so hard they go flying into the wreckage themselves.

Like Noah was when Genesis made him pick between himself and the people trying to flee the streets.

Lasers do an incredible amount of damage, even to people whose skin is hard as rock and bones are hard as steel. Even Noah—Stormwalker himself—couldn’t fight against those.

That kind of force—powerful enough to send a man of steel through stone walls—is strong enough to cause cuts and scrapes and bruises on one of the strongest heroes in the world.

But, yeah. ‘Do better.’

I can’t even step in myself. I have to stand back from afar, watching Noah get bloodied and bruised while reporters salivate at the thought of talking shit about us once the danger is over. I have to wait for Noah to get close enough for me to heal him.

Because that’s all I can do. Heal.

Next to Noah, I feel useless.

I’m just as squishy as everyone else, but I still put myself at risk in order to help the heroes. Well, mostly just Noah. But he and Supernova are the only heroes in this city, so.

‘Do better,’ they say.

I want to spit in all of their faces.

‘It’s the right thing to do, even if they don’t appreciate it,’ Noah says.

“Okay,” I say gently. I fight the urge to cup my hand around his cheek.

Part 2 | Part 3

Divider from @cafekitsune

[ominous-feychild]

“What if we just… quit?” I ask suddenly.

Noah is washing the dirt and plaster off his arms, scrubbing them so hard that what little of his skin isn’t scarred is bright pink. His scars are so faded that they look decades old.

We’re only twenty, but he looks so much older.

“I can’t,” he says simply, not looking at me as he washes the last bit of soap down the sink. His voice barely even broke.

The television host’s voice chatters for us.

“Stormwalker and Supernova: heroes, or no better than the villains?” it says, staticky from poor connection.

Our apartment is on the outskirts of the city—even as government workers, we’re paid far too little to live downtown. Even if it’d make our jobs easier to be there.

“—today the two heroes helped make a record number of arrests, stopping three riots and two villain attacks within one day. But are they any—”

“Why not?” I ask, pushing myself off the stool and moving to put a hand on his shoulder.

He shrugs it off.

“Because it’s the right thing to do.”

He finally turns to look at me, silent resignation written all over his face. He tries to fake a reassuring smile, but I know better.

“—left thousands of dollars in damages and thousands more homeless as—”

That’s their excuse for paying us so little. ‘Because they need it to repair the destruction left in our wake.’ ‘If we want to be paid better, we should do a better job; don’t cause so much damage.’

If it’s so easy, why don’t you do it yourself? Try dodging lasers while saving people, while leading the villains away from populated areas, while trying to take them down! Then—then you can tell us to ‘do a better job!’

“Even if they can’t appreciate it,” Noah finishes defeatedly.

The pain in his eyes makes me want to fly all the way to the reporters, standing out front of the half-destroyed West Bank and talking trash about us, and to punch them so hard they go flying into the wreckage themselves.

Like Noah was when Genesis made him pick between himself and the people trying to flee the streets.

Lasers do an incredible amount of damage, even to people whose skin is hard as rock and bones are hard as steel. Even Noah—Stormwalker himself—couldn’t fight against those.

That kind of force—powerful enough to send a man of steel through stone walls—is strong enough to cause cuts and scrapes and bruises on one of the strongest heroes in the world.

But, yeah. ‘Do better.’

I can’t even step in myself. I have to stand back from afar, watching Noah get bloodied and bruised while reporters salivate at the thought of talking shit about us once the danger is over. I have to wait for Noah to get close enough for me to heal him.

Because that’s all I can do. Heal.

Next to Noah, I feel useless.

I’m just as squishy as everyone else, but I still put myself at risk in order to help the heroes. Well, mostly just Noah. But he and Supernova are the only heroes in this city, so.

‘Do better,’ they say.

I want to spit in all of their faces.

‘It’s the right thing to do, even if they don’t appreciate it,’ Noah says.

“Okay,” I say gently. I fight the urge to cup my hand around his cheek.

Parts 2&3

[eddies-ashtray]

obviously there’s a huge problem on tumblr w the terrible like to reblog ratio and it sucks for artists and writers and all that for so many reasons. reblogging helps spread the work and motivates people to keep creating the stuff you like. but also like. reblogging with comments is important because it’s just nice??? like if you enjoy something someone writes you should tell them!! because it will make them feel good!

[tenaciousnighttheorist]

I still laugh but not for u ,

I laugh because if I don't It will pent up and I would cry,

crying make it difficult to breathe

I feel like I am drowning deep into water, hurting myself helps me to overcome my drowning

It was ur laugh, your essence that was my lifeguard to prevent me from drowning,

now I am at shore near the ocean but not ready to drown yet

[sophiethewitch1]

i laugh evilly when i tease my readers about plot points/twists but you aren't allowed to do it to me back. it's not fair you don't understand I'm just a little guy D:

[arabaka]

once again, feeling lonely on this site. it's devastating to see my works (Reigen's particularly) under 20 notes while others get above 100s. sighs. can't do anything about it but hope im good enough. i just feel like shit.

i don't want to sound entitled but. man does it sucks to feel unwanted. its like when i left all over again.

ok I feel like a fool and I'm better again :'))) ty everyone for reaching out and helping me shoo the nasty feelings away!!!! much love

[soullessjack]

my thing with soulless jack is that it’s just sooo interesting and funny bc Steve Yockey looked at the other writers’ blasé characterizations of jack as a plot device with a pretty face and said “what if this dog was really fucked up” and I love him so much for it

[junsei-draws-rotasu]

If I were to ever make a ROTTMNT x 2012 TMNT, that is also 2012 Mikey-centric?

You bet Mikey’s thoughts would be so freaking scattered brain to the point I wouldn’t even know! Basically a crack-fic with some serious elements if I want to.

The serious stuff is just wanting to go back to his fam or flashback to him being alone in Dimension X, but it wouldn’t be much! Cuz it’s Mikey! Like He’ll stay on negative thoughts! Even though it’ll be at the back of his head in a constant state on how long he’ll be staying in this universe

[darklydeliciousdesires]

Is it me, or is tumblr dead? 

I can feel a hiatus coming on unless conditions improve. Thanks to the small handful of people who do make the effort I put in worth it. All ten of you are lovely. 

[maxanor]

I completely agree with you sentiment on scripts and canon however these aren't the early drafts these are the final versions of the scripts? Sure some things from the early drafts still made it in but op notes what colors pages they were i.e. when something was written or rewritten and they've talked about how they only took stuff that was of note (or interesting to them) if something hasn't been posted we can assume the scene was the same in the final episode. Just look at how different the episode 1 script was and we know that was the final script. It's clear when the writers cut something out completely or when something was changed based on the aired episodes but a lot of the stuff that's been posted is just the actors playing a scene differently, and correct me if I'm wrong, but they wouldn't go back and rewrite the tone of a scene or the actors's facial expressions or the blocking of a scene?

so i haven't personally been to the WGA library but i have a friend who went there over a year ago to look at these exact same scripts and she said they're very bare bones. you can compare them to other scripts at the same library:

i just grabbed a random black sails episode because that's another script my friend viewed, and you can see the difference between 'final shooting draft' and 'buff pages.' i do not necessarily think these are the scripts they filmed with, i don't know why we're assuming that the ep1 script they released was the final draft because as far as i know that was never said anywhere? i could be wrong, but it feels like an earlier draft than what they filmed with.

i agree that i don't think they would alter a script based on an actors facial expression or tone, but much of what is in the library scripts has different wording and intent. i don't think the actors were just doing whatever they felt like and completely changing the meaning of scenes just for fun.

i love viewing the scripts, i think it's so interesting to compare what was written down and what is on screen. it's fun to use them as a guide to what characters are thinking/feeling, but i just don't think the fandom should be taking these scripts as final shooting drafts. i don't have any issue with op posting these scripts, i just find the claim that certain things in early drafts are absolutely canon to be frustrating and purposefully misleading <3

[lvrsdrk]

My past is filled with users that ONLY wanted help. The moment I provided no utility or service I never heard from them again. It was crazy. I couldn’t be sick. I couldn’t be tired. I couldn’t be in disrepair. It was so bad I had to lie big enough to where it was barely enough for me to make a space to take care of MYSELF! I had to always perform AND be the perfect man mentally. I’m angry at myself for allowing these type of interactions. Alas, we live and we learn.

[ominous-feychild-writes]

Check out Parts 1 and 2 first!

Death stands before me.

And before you ask, no, I do not mean metaphorically.

A being dressed head-to-toe in black and red robes towers over me, every bit as intimidating as you’d think when imagining Death before you.

A little cliche, but maybe that’s for a reason.

“Alina Jones,” Death begins��

I don’t let it finish.

“Please!” I beg, trying to step forward. I can’t move. I’m frozen in place, eyes burning without tears, as I try to bargain with Death. “I can’t be dead, I can’t die! He needs me—NOAH NEEDS ME!”

I can’t see it, but I know Death is grinning underneath its black hood.

“Why,” it begins—

I try to scream more pleas, but nothing comes out.

“Silence,” Death commands. After a moment, it continues slowly: “Why, Alina, do you think I would take a single soul when, through sparing it, I could claim countless more instead?”

What… do you mean? I want to ask.

Before I can, a flash of light sweeps over me like a barreling train.

I’m amidst rubble, bleeding but not injured, as fighting continues above me. Noah lays a few feet away, the glider much further.

I don’t feel his life force.

Time drags as I tear myself from the rubble, crawl to him, and reach for his pulse.

It’s not there.

Death may have spared me, but it didn’t spare Noah.

I hadn’t understood what Death meant by its words of sparing me to ‘claim more instead.’

Now I do.

My power isn’t just healing—it’s aging.

And I am not as kind as Noah.

Without him, there’s nothing stopping me from getting revenge on all those who’ve hurt us—starting with the thing that killed him.

Part 1 | Part 2

Divider from @cafekitsune

[ominous-feychild]

Okay I just want to say I came across a little bit of your superhero story and must say that I absolutely love it. Realistic superheroes dealing with the issues of being superheroes is so much fun and I felt like I was the only person who ever played with it (especially because I’m not much of an action person, so if it was just mixed into there, I wouldn’t have seen it). So, anyways, just wanted to tell you that I love your writing!

Thank you so much!!! I love putting realism (genuine realism, not grimdark) and themes of discrimination and/or poverty in my writing, so it was a given for me to write those into that short! I did it inspired by two different writing prompts which I'll share after I've posted all of the short story, haha. I've seen a good few stories that deal with "what kind of struggles would a superhero go through?", though most of them play it for grimdark or unnecessary angst. Y'know, stuff like Invincible, a lot of modern-day DC, and even Incredibles with the anti-superhero rhetoric.

There'll be two more parts for my superhero short, though! The first of two will have some action mixed in, but the narrator isn't part of it if it makes that better for you! Last is, ah... spoilers. 😉🤭

They'll be out in the next couple days, and I hope you like them too! 🥰

(confession: I might have given an audible "eeeee!" when I read your message. 🥰😊)

[jonathanbiers]

-

[aligustie]

This certainly makes it difficult for me to keep up motivation to write. I don't understand how it can be so clear that this is a problem, but it just never seems to change. Are fanfic writers just looked at as commodities of some sort, who are obliged to work and work to provide for readers while receiving almost nothing for it? Not to mention I found it interesting how when Ao3 was hacked a year or so ago, people found plenty of time to post their unending complaints about losing access to the stories they rely on so much, yet as soon as it was up again back to radio silence. It needs to be understood that if people do not start taking this seriously, there may not be anything left to not comment on anymore in the near future.

i don’t think people really get how little feedback fanfic authors actually get? like the effort to reaction ratio is so abysmally skewed here that a fic nearly 50,000 words long takes an entire year to amass like. 16 comments. someone reblogged a fic i wrote at 4 am and tagged it with a 5-word compliment and i can’t stop thinking about it, not because it was so nice but because half the time you post a fic you’re going to hear nothing and anything feels like so much

fandom culture is so, so good about giving artists the credit they’re due, but we gotta start doing that for writers too. you’ve got no idea how much people put into their stories and get maybe a handful of reblogs and a dozen-odd kudos. that’s not enough. writing is an endurance sport and y’all need to start giving fic writers a reason to endure it and improve their craft. encourage writers like you encourage artists. reblog fics, leave tags, leave comments, acknowledge that these stories do not just spring into being for your entertainment. 

every single damn writer i know feels like half of their readers see them as a machine. that’s gotta change.