#writing/tumblr advice i guess haha

[dreamescapeswriting]

Hellooo!! I've been reading your fics for a while and you inspired me to start writing! I wanna continue and maybe even post some stuff on Tumblr! (not really mentally stable enough to post on AO3 and or Wattpad atm) I've been thinking of starting a new Tumblr blog just based for fics! I'm unsure how to start it or how to really have it play through or what I should do.. like the formatting or the wording and stuff... I'm still fairly new to making fics so I haven't posted anything, I do have a few fics I've made but I just haven't posted it since I'm still really unsure.

I really do love your writing and your fics and I want to try it out! You make great fics and I just seriously love it UGH! Anwys sorry bout that..

Any advice or help?

(ps: can I be 🎹 or 📜 anon?)

Hiya darling, Oh my gosh you're so sweet! Honestly feel you about posting on AO3, Wattpad isn't the best place tbf as a lot of plagiarism happens there but I get your apprehension!! asdfghjkl; I'm not sure if I'm the best help but I'll gladly try and help (or even if I cant I'll post it for other writers to be able to give advice)

Thank you so so much!!!

Formatting wise I have some videos on how to make masterlists and linebreakers/page breakers if those are of any use to you?!

Writing/wording wise I would go with whatever is best for you? Sometimes I find that writing in third person is easier but other days it's easier for me to write in first POV and I can change it up when I've finished the piece. I use grammarly a lot as it catches my grammar mistakes but after I place it in a google doc just to change the font and reread it (as I have dyslexia so seeing it in another font helps me pick up on small or big mistakes I make)

My biggest advice to give. Don't pressure yourself about it, take your time and remember why you're doing it in the first place. For example. I love writing as it helps me escape my reality and I really enjoy being able to do what I love on a day to day basis. I remind myself I'm mostly doing it because it makes me happy.

Find a routine that it's great for you. I used to write ALLLLLLLLL the time. When I first started I was post 7 days a week and twice daily (how the fuck I did that I'll never even know) but it wasn't good, I burnt out within about 6 months of doing that and ended up changing it all up. I have a schedule now.

Posting on set days and having it written on your account somewhere can really help too. I do Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and then I have a time I post to as well to help people keep track of everything.

When writing, try and take regular breaks, don't stare at your screen for too long. I try and use the Pomodoro methods. Working for 20 having a 5 minute break, or 30 minutes and a 10 minute break. There are some cool videos out there to help. I've been using a lot of different streamers recently as it helps me focus more.

If I (or anyone else) can help let us know!

[olderthannetfic]

I accidentally killed my own desire to write, and I need some advice. To be really blunt about it, what's the point of writing? When I would spend lots of time laboring over making a good story with a plot and characters who were in-character and connecting all the dots narratively so payoffs were satisfying, my reward was dead silence and virtually no clicks. I posted some mindless smut to my side account one day and got more hits in a day than most of my other works combined got in a year. I know, I know. "Write for ~*~yourself~*~" is the common response. It's the "be yourself!" of writing. It's supposed to be a magical phrase that'll make everything okay. But... I don't like knowing that something I spend months working on won't be read by anyone while something I write in a car while bored got thousands of clicks. I don't like making something I'm proud of and then no one ever looks at it. That's not fun for me. It's not fulfilling.

For a solid decade, I've tried to ignore how the level of interactivity in fandom is falling. Fewer comments. Fewer kudos. No comments in the bookmarks. You put your tumblr and Discord in the AN and get a handful of asks and one person who adds you, talks to you twice and then ghosts you. Most of the comments are "well, actuallys", made even more annoying by them being wrong as opposed to actually correcting an error. I avoid fandom drama, wank, and infighting. I don't engage with things I know will make me unhappy. I try to be happy over in my own little corner. I comment on every single work I read. I want people to enjoy fandom. I used to.

Some dumb smut I wrote in 40 minutes gets five times the hits of the writing I'm most proud of, and it gets it in just under three months. I am not a great smut writer. I haven't stumbled onto an incredible talent I had that makes it so the issue is that I'm so amazing my smut brings all the boys to the yard. People just don't like what I write and put effort into. It's very likely that despite 20 years of writing fic, I suck at writing. And people enjoy my writing most when they don't have to put up with anything substantial and can just skip to the sex.

So for the last eight months, when I write, I just sort of give up. Close the Word doc without saving. No one will read this. No one cares about this. There is no fan eagerly awaiting every update like I await updates from my favorite authors. There's not even someone saying, "update soon!" Close the Word doc. Delete old WIPs. There's no point. I do not tell stories worth reading. I used to. In the FFN days people genuinely enjoyed my work. I'd never have had an opportunity to do the 'I won't update until I get 3 reviews' thing because getting that many on a chapter was usually something I'd do overnight. Post before bed. Wake up. Read the reviews before school. I peaked in high school, I guess.

And now I'm just sort of lost. I still have lots of ideas. Ideas for fics fall into my head all the time. That's never been a problem. What I don't have is any motivation to write them. What's the point of writing? If no one else is reading, I guess the point would be so I could go back and read my own story and have fun with it. Write for myself. But I can review the story and have fun with it in my head without writing it down. It's substantially faster and more importantly, isn't incredibly depressing.

So, at the risk of definitely being calld the second-coming of True Art Anon or a troll or validation-seeking or haha mentally ill haha... what's the point of writing?

--

Okay, so write porn in a car while you're bored.

Look, you can whine all you want about my response, but what you've written here is blatantly about depression.

Lots of people in fandom are still interacting. And no, it isn't just on fics that are objectively written to some pro fiction standard or whatever. Teenagers still breathlessly review poorly spelled cracky masterpieces about this year's big anime and so forth.

Yes, there may be reasons why you in particular are in a slump when it comes to fandom friendships or "plz update" comments. We can talk about that. But this ask is all gloom about fandom in general. That's not realism: that's you having a problem.

--

As for why a person should write: because the actual hours you spend doing the writing are fun.

If they aren't pleasurable in some way, find another hobby.

--

But if you want an answer to the age old "Why did my 5 minute fic get 1000000x more asspats", I've seen meta about this for literally decades.

The most likely reason is that the fic we write quickly and without much thought often feels fresher and more fun. The things we labor over endlessly can feel overworked. Even in cases where they don't, they're often heavier subject matter or more niche subject matter. On top of all that, we just care more, so even a high level of feedback doesn't really feel like enough for the effort and care we put in.

--

Do you really need me to tell you why you don't feel the same as in high school when things were fresh and new?

Go read up on combatting burnout or dealing with post-college anxiety or managing stress in a dead-end job in your 30s or finding meaning in your 40s or whatever is going on.

Everyone goes through fallow periods in fandom and in life.

Feeling reinvigorated has to do with internal factors and some general life circumstance stuff. It doesn't have that much to do with number of kudos. That's just the surface trigger for a mood that was already there.

[gayrootvegetable]

wip wednesday !!

thank you to @littlemisskittentoes and @hgejfmw-hgejhsf for tagging me 💖

GUESS WHO'S BACK !!!! finally, after a 6 week writing drought, i have been making progress on my tumblr au! so enjoy this lil sneak peak of alex's anonymous ask and the first part of henry's response 😎

After watching two cinematic masterpieces—Shrek 1 and Shrek 2, of course—Alex feels much better. His sister always knows how to get him out of his own head. It’s 9 PM now, AKA prime tumblr-scrolling hours. This realization prompts Alex to open the tumblr app on his phone, sending a surge of nervous energy through his body. He doesn’t worry for long, though, because right at the top of his dash is H’s response. Alex slides into bed, pulling the duvet over his head to create a blanket cocoon, before beginning to read.  

Anonymous: hi i hope it’s ok that i’m sending you this. i’ve been following you for a while and your poems mean a lot to me. i thought i was straight but now i’m not so sure because surely a straight person wouldn’t connect with queer poetry, right? so i guess my question is, how did you know you were gay? and how do i know if i’m gay? (sorry feel free to not answer this i ramble when i’m nervous haha)

Hello, Anon. Firstly, thank you for this kind message. I’m glad my writing meant a lot to you. It’s nice to know that my sad gay pining isn’t completely useless. And don’t apologize, it’s okay to be nervous. I am quite the expert when it comes to being nervous, thanks to the anxiety disorder.  As for your question, I’m honoured that you trust me with giving you advice. Unfortunately, there is no way for me to definitively determine whether you’re queer or not, but I can offer you some anecdotes from my experience, and hopefully that will be helpful in some way.

i love them, your honor 😭😭😭 OH AND the tumblr work skin i've been customizing for myself looks SO GOOD i am so excited

idk who has posted for WIP wednesday yet and who hasn't but tags under the cut as always sjdfhksj🫡

@happiness-of-the-pursuit @songliili @leojfitz @rockyroadkylers @heartitinthesilence @read-and-write- @inexplicablymine @firenati0n @tinyarmedtrex @14carrotghoul @cactusdragon517 @anincompletelist @bidoofenergy @affectionatelyrs @gay-flyboys @emmalostinwonderland @rmd-writes @myheartalivewrites @xthelastknownsurvivorx @sparklepocalypse @ssmtskw @lizzie-bennetdarcy @ninzied @anchoredarchangel @benwvatt @magicandarchery @kiwiana-writes

[cult-of-the-eye]

MAG 83 woop woop!!

JONNY BOY

ooh first proper statement in a while

Wait he took some statements with him??

Georgie is actually so right. I love her so much. He really needed some good fucking advice in his life from someone he hasn't thought might've killed someone before

I COULD BE ON DRUGS HAHAAAAAA NO YOU SMALL LOSER BOY

Why did he even jump to that conclusion?? I wasn't thinking ah yes drugs and I don't think a normal person reacting to this situation would immediately jump to drugs maybe insanity yes but not drugs

Universal autistic experience, having someone you're close to say that they know you "get obsessive about stuff"

YES GEORGIE!!!!! SHES THE ONLY ONE NOT FUCKING ENABLING HIM!!! HE DOESNT NEED THE STATEMENTS

oh shit is this the start of him depending on the statements??

Oh shit I guess not being able to go back to his flat makes him homeless

Oh right someone dropped the statement through the letter box

SHIT SOMEONE DROPPED IT THROUGH THE LETTER BOX

SOMEONE KNOWS WHERE HE IS

AND IS GIVING HIM STATEMENTS???

Fucking Elias I bet, who else would it be??? he was like yah I know where Jon is but I'm not gonna tell you to daisy and he's creepy enough to fucking send statements through the mail so there

Ok I'm sorry what was my man doing in those four days??? Sitting there rocking and muttering to himself staring at a fucking piece of paper?? Hmm?? Not fucking sleeping???

Investigating MY ASS what INVESTIGATION do you plan to do holed up in your ex gfs house???

Ah fuck he needs it

When does it stop becoming paranoia and start becoming an addiction?

YEAH GEORGIE YOU SHOULDNT BE KEEN ON WEIRD STALKERS KNOWING YOUR ADDRESS YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY CORRECT AND THE ONLY SANE PERSON IN THIS WHOLE PODCAST (apart from Joshua Gillespie and Karolina gorka my loves)

AHHH HE DIDNT EVEN GET THROUGH HEAD HES JUST GOOD OLD JONATHAN SIMS NOW

He doesn't have any of that pomp and fancy pants titles anymore, it's just the fucking paranoia and realisation that it's not just a normal job, he can't ignore it anymore

It's funny how it finally sinks in how it's not just a normal job when he gets fired from it

Ok just did a quick google fanton isn't a real department store that's a good start

Haha yeah customer service people deserve medals

Omg of course the tma transcripts write Halloween as Hallowe'en that's so tma of them

Oh fuck stranger alert

Oh shit is that Nikola??? As in everyone on Tumblr talks about her Nikola???

Her condition?? Why does it sound like they're describing her as a fucking werewolf??

Ok this is fucking creepy I actually fucking despise mannequins I don't think I'm gonna enjoy these stranger statements

FUCK I HATE CLOWNS

AHHHHHHHHH

Ooh she's smart she goes in with 999 dialled love that for her

oh FUCK that shhh was terrifying

Oh god Lana was killed???

Blood in a single neat line across her lips???

Uckinf SHITBALLS

Jesus fucking christ

I BET HIS ASS MISSES THOSE "EXPERT" ASSISTANTS

FUCKING BREEKON AND HOPE???

Circuses, skin, not quite real - the STRANGER

It seems like now he sort of knows what's going on, he's catching on really quickly, he's categorising things and using what he knows which is good it's steps in a positive direction

I guess he doesn't want another axe table fiasco

The taxidermy shop oh yeah the guy who was like yeah this is paranormal and creepy as fuck but he's not committing tax fraud so it's fine loved that guy

Elias probably sent it

Oh shit he doesn't know Elias knows where he is

SHIT IT WAS HAND DELIVERED

God poor Georgie, she's housing his pitiful ex boyfriend who lost his weirdo job and is going insane and bringing the weirdness to her life

What was he looking into??? Like Not-Them stuff??

"I've got work to do." Fucking famous last words

Jonathon "workaholic" Sims strikes again

Although I guess it's not workaholic when it's threatening your whole life

I guess it's just...surviving

[choicesficwriterscreations]

September 2023 WOTM: lilyoffandoms

Each month CFWC highlights one of our talented fanfic writers, and this month’s writer of the month is @lilyoffandoms. We hope you will enjoy learning more about them and their work below! The writer is selected at random. More info can be found on the navigation page.

This month's Writer of the Month was selected a little differently than normal. We announced that we would be selecting the WOTM from the participants in last month's Writer Appreciation Event. But the eleven writers involved all agreed the honor belonged to Lily. Lily has been a staple in the Choices community for so long, and they continuously go out of their way to support creators and spread positivity while continuing to inspire and create themselves. We couldn't think of anyone better suited for the honor, so please join us in congratulating Lily... September's Writer of the Month!

Quick Links:

Tumblr Blog Name: lilyoffandoms Blog Masterlist

How do you want to be known on Tumblr? Lily is fine (they/them preferred)

1- When did you start playing Choices? What was the first book you played? 

Best guess would be back in January of 2018. It was a joke at first since a friend saw one of their god-awful ads and said we should both try it. Next thing you know, we were both arguing over which books were better and regretting our decision to start. Though their opinions on what constitutes good books are almost as bad as the Choices ad that got us to jokingly play (and I say this most lovingly because they are awesome and I love them). I started with Most Wanted, and my friend started with The Freshman. 

2- When and why did you join Choices fandom?

Oh gods! I joined back in March 2019. I know I’m a Tumblr baby by most everyone’s standards, but that feels like a really long time. I joined when Open Heart book one was released. I had lurked, reading fanfics, for a few months before biting the bullet and creating a blog and actually posting. Only joined because I was taking my editor’s advice and writing something entirely outside my norm to break a particularly bad case of writer’s block. Thought I might as well share those silly things if I was taking the time to write them. Maybe someone would enjoy them. Never did plan on sticking around, but found so many lovely people that I’ve come to call friends.

3- How did you pick your blog name? 

It was lilyofchoices. My name + Choices because I am super creative like that with those sorts of naming things 😅 I changed it to lilyoffandoms when I left the Choices fandom for a bit. I’ve thought about changing it more times than I can count but I can’t bring myself to actually follow through on it. How do y’all’s change your blog name with each new book release? You are a crazy different breed of tumblr and you fascinate me.

4- Pull up the first post in your archive, and tell us about it!  

I deleted the first one years ago. It was my first drabble. Currently, as it stands, the first thing in my archive is this post about Desire and Decorum, and it still makes me giggle.

5- How long have you been writing fanfiction?

I’ve only been writing fanfic since I joined Tumblr. I never really tried writing fanfic before that. Some nonfiction personal things before that but never anything like this world. It's been an adventure, to say the least haha

6- What is your favorite Choices book, and what is your favorite Choices book to write about?

My favorite book is probably Blades of Light and Shadow, book one, but there are plenty that are really close behind. This is also the book I’d say I enjoy writing for the most because it is my favorite book, contains my favorite LI, and has one of my favorite OCs (Maiele) in it.

Though recently, I’ve been writing more for Crimes of Passion because it's more of a challenge for me. It's a different vibe between the MC and the LI and it's one I don’t often explore so I’m here for that right now. But I have a sneaky suspicion once Blades 2 drops I’ll be back on my bullshit with that again.

7- Share the first fanfic you wrote with us. Do you still like it, or would you change it if you were writing it today?

I don’t think it exists on this site anymore. Maybe in someone’s reblog? I still have it in my files. It was an Ethan x MC drabble featuring my MC, Merida. I still like it. I’d not change it cuz I’m a firm believer in writing it and don’t look back haha.

This is it:

He swallowed the lump forming in his throat, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to form in his eyes. There it was. He had told her. Dr. Banerji was dying and Ethan was at a loss as to what was ailing his mentor and friend. Ethan stared at the young woman in front of him and then to the floor. He cleared his throat and made a small motion to turn back into Naveen’s room but froze instantly the moment he noticed her take a step towards him.

She threw her arms around him and hugged him, wishing to take away all of his pain, all of his loneliness. Silently willing him to understand that she cared for him. Cared deeply for him and much more than she should. “Ethan. I’m so sorry,” she whispered, one hand stroked through his hair while the other grasped his neck and slowly bent his head toward her shoulders as she raised herself to her tiptoes to meet him halfway.

He tensed upon feeling her arms around him. Arms, he thought to himself, that he had imagined holding him for a number of weeks now. Ever since that night spent sitting up with her watching little baby Ethan. “Merida,” he sighed as he gradually relaxed into the embrace.

She didn’t let up on the hug, squeezing him to her just a bit more tightly. God, she had wanted to comfort him when Dolores died but she didn’t know how he would respond. Now, he was facing the possibility of another friend dying and she couldn’t help herself.

He responded to the increased pressure of her hug and tightened his own hold upon her. Finding himself tracing circles up her spine and imagining what it would feel like to move his hands to tease along the skin of her back where her pants met her shirt.

Her breath caught when she felt his hands move lower. No longer making gentle movements along her spine but increasing their pressure upon her body, nearly massaging their way lower. She brought one of her own hands around to his chest, lightly bunching his white coat in her fist to try and pull him closer to her.

A loud crash echoed down the hall. “Shit!” a construction worker cursed. The two doctors jumped back from each other both staring into each other’s eyes seeming to question if they had both felt the same in the other’s arms. She blushed slightly. “I should see to my other patients. Dr. Banerji’s condition stays between us. Understand, Rookie?” he stated, his eyes narrowing. She nodded and he turned and marched down the hall.

8- What is your favorite fic that you’ve written?

I love asking this question of others but don’t like it asked of me. I’m so bad at self-rep and advertising my wares 😂 But if I had to pick one, I’d say this one. It was so far outside my comfort zone when it came to writing that I almost abandoned it two paragraphs in. But I’m a stubborn person, and I refused to let it beat me. Plus, I had been wanting to write a noir fic for this book since it was released. Furthermore, I adore Hayden’s work too much not to gift a little something back for all the art he shares with us, so I knew I just had to make it work.

9- Do you have a fic that you didn’t expect to be well received, but it was? What about one you expected to be but found could use a little more love?

I didn’t expect last year’s Luck of the Draw fic to garner much love. Attention? Maybe. But not love and definitely not the response I got. I really enjoyed writing that one. 

10- If you could write only angst, fluff, or smut for the rest of your writing life, which would it be and why? 

Fluff. I’m a sucker for happy-ever-afters and an endless hopeless romantic. Give me the fluff. All the fluff. 

I pull a lot of what I toss into my silly drabbles from real life. Always been a believer in writing, most often what you know, and sprinkle that all with a dash of the stuff you don’t as a treat. And my life is pretty fluffy thanks to my incredible partner. 

However, I do so adore angst I’m just not able to write it often because it hurts more to write. But I’ll always always read it. That pain is *chef’s kisses*

11- Do you ever recognize yourself in any of your MCs or in your writing?

Maiele, my Blades MC, is most definitely me coded. His whole personality, his choice of partner when it comes to personality, his constant flirting with said partner, his sense of humor, his lack of a filter most times, it’s all pretty much me. Gabriel, my CoP MC, is me when it comes to romantic gestures and Valentine’s Day. I may be a romantic, but I get weird when it’s aimed at me 😂 

12- What element of writing do you struggle with most?

Editing. I refuse to do it. I hate it with the burning light of a thousand suns. Those of you that manage to edit your fics have all my admiration. I honestly don’t know how y’all do it. Doesn’t it just bore you to no end? 

13- Do you have any neglected work you really want to finish?

I have more drafts than I care to admit. I would like to complete a series I started long ago for Ethan x Merida, but I don’t know if I’ll ever do that. I’d settle for finishing one of my drafts 😅

14- If someone you know in real life (who isn’t involved in fandoms) asked to read your work, would you let them? If yes, what would you recommend they read first? 

Nope, haha, I’d not be able to do that. If I were that brave, I’d recommend this one maybe. I do so love Flynn. Or this one, mostly because I do so love the idea of Gabriel just pouting on the couch.

15 - Are there any writers (published authors and/or fanfic writers) who influenced your writing?

Not really. I mean all of em probably. I read a lot of books in a lot of genres. Mostly I use my drabbles as morning warm ups for my day job. 

There are definitely fanfic writers I admire around here that encourage me to share my silly things everyday. Especially all those queer writers out there that have a rather thankless existence sometimes around here but keep sharing their stories! They are all my heroes!!

16- Which one of your stories would you most like to see as a movie/series? 

Any and all of my Maiele and Tyril stories. I just love them sooooo much!!

17- Do you write original fiction? 

Yes, but until recently, I wrote mostly nonfiction.

I do have a fic I began a few years back when I was still teaching. I had a student who hated their writing class, so I promised to write a short story alongside them and read it to the class like all the students had to if they gave it an honest go. 

They did and so I did too, and I was asked the following year to do it again by more students and so I continued the same story. I’ve since continued that same fic, and maybe someday I’ll actually go looking to publish it. 

18 -  What other hobbies do you have?

I love the outdoors. Hiking, spelunking, kayaking, gardening, camping, anything and everything outdoors. My other favorite hobby, which I've done for years and years, is fencing. I still am part of a club and teach a few levels. 

19 - What’s your favorite emoji? 

😅 because it’s legit my state of existence at this point in life. 

20: BONUS - tell us anything you’d like (if you want to).

I want to send a special shout-out to all the absolutely lovely participants of August’s writer appreciation event I hosted. I still cannot believe y’all did this for me. 😘 These are each of my favorite fics you’ve written. Thank you for making our fandom a little brighter each and every day!

@aallotarenunelma Bathed in Sunlight @coffeeheartaddict2 Moths to a Flame @karahalloway A Leviathan Surprise @jerzwriter A Mother's Journal @ladylamrian Ma Cherie @mydemonsdrivealimo Run, Run @peonyblossom We're Gonna Get Married @petiteboheme Familia @storyofmychoices Passing Shower @tessa-liam All is Fair in Love and War @trappedinfanfiction What's In a Name? Lily's Top Three Commissions can be found here:

Crimes of Passion by @javsarts

A Year of Kisses by various artists: @lethendralis-paints @cashweasel @kundool @deheerkonijn @javsarts @weetlebeetle @kollapsar @mooreaux @rosefuckinggenius @/ArtbyAinna (IG) @littlestpersimmon @callmebeem

Trystan x Noel by @rosefuckinggenius

[angelmush]

hi molly, you inspire me so much, thank you for being you. im about to move to a new city by myself for the first time and im scared. how did you build your life into one you loved? how do i meet people? i want so many things but sometimes they seem so far out of reach!! anyway, wishing you well and it always makes me happy to come visit your page and see you living life so fully :)

hello sweet anon!! sorry i am just getting to this, i was out of town for a few days and have been pretty offline in general lately. to be honest, i feel really really really underqualified to answer any questions about meeting people and making friends, as it is something that has never come easily to me, but i will do my best because i am SO excited for you!! moving somewhere new can be really healing!! i also want to gently remind you that social media-- even tumbr --is a highlight reel.

building my life into one i loved.

i think it's a few things.

it's a skill to find excitement about small things. delicious meals, nice weather, cute animals. being intentional about noticing and allowing yourself to feel excited about the little stuff does some kind of magic in your brain, and in appreciating your life in general. i am not naturally gifted at this whatsoever, but it's a muscle that takes practice to build, like anything.

i also dedicate a LOT of my free time to hobbies. right now it's mostly knitting, but often it's cooking and training my dog as well. watching movies and talking about them with people. spending time decorating the house. i'm very very very much a homebody, often to my detriment. it is monumentally difficult for me to take the first steps to leave the house to do things, even fun things, but once i do i am almost always better for it.

one sort of silly way i have helped to mitigate this, is that my girlfriend and i have started making seasonal bucket lists and magnetizing them onto our fridge. it turns it into sort of a game i guess, and it makes me feel accomplished to cross things off. we did really really well with ours this summer! we have three sections, small things (make smoothies, try a new dinner recipe, make a playlist), medium things (take the dog to the lake, see a movie in the theater, have drinks on a patio), and large things (go camping, go to pride, celebrate my birthday), etc. we just made our fall/winter one and i'm already sooooo excited for it!! it helped me to have a reason to leave the house while we were still getting our bearings in this new city.

i also have limited my social media time more recently on all apps except tumblr and pinterest to 15 minutes per day total. this helps me feel so much less frantic and it's easier for me to stay present than it used to be.

i also started taking medication! it's been a really big piece of the puzzle for me, personally. it helps my baseline be significantly more resilient and regulated and stable. it isn't a singular fix, but it opens up more space for that joy.

as far as meeting people goes, i will let you know when i figure it out LOL. im someone that needs a lot of quiet alone time to function and so i spend a lot of time with myself. i am still learning how to make the bridge from casual friends to a deeper and more meaningful friendship with the people ive met since moving here last august, and it's been a very clumsy imperfect process.

i'm sure this probably wasn't all that helpful haha it felt disjointed to write, and like i said, i am severely underqualified to give advice on this topic. but these are a handful of things i think have helped me in the last year, so hopefully there's something you can take from it!! wishing you all the luck and joy and wonder on your endeavors!! you can send me an ask anytime!! <33

[journey-to-the-attic]

Hi Kin. I wanted to ask, how did you manage things like writer's block or creative burnout while writing JTTA? I'm midway through a longfic now and it's kind of exhausting. I feel like I'm whining but I barely get any comments or asks or anything.

hi anon! honestly i'm not sure if i was the right person to ask this, because i... kind of didn't? as in, i didn't really have these problems - boring answer, i know!

i got lucky because i hit a sweet spot where the base story and characters were strong, but with just enough gaps in plot, worldbuilding, development, etc. such that the momentum of filling everything in carried me through the whole process. but there were definitely a lot of occasions where i sat there thinking "okay i have no idea what to do now"

in those cases, often i had to just step back and ruminate on it for a little while - i've pretty much constantly got little ideas bouncing around my head, and sometimes they hit each other like snowballs and form into more fully-fledged plot points, scenes, dialogue, so on. i try to keep track of these in notes apps, personal discord channels, etc, and dip into them if i'm stuck on something!

not sure if your fic is for obey me, but this could still apply even if not - with all the pop quizzes and devilgrams that put the characters in a bunch of new contexts, it's helpful seeing how that character's static vs dynamic traits persist/change depending on them, and often that'll give you inspiration as well. depending on what you've got available, you could browse through source material, or brainstorm aus, whichever you enjoy most

i'm really not sure HOW i've stuck with obey me for so long, but somehow it's just stuck with me. i don't remember being so invested in it before jtta, so that's probably why, but i just really love these guys, and i suppose that's why i never burnt out of it? i think it was also because i knew what story i wanted to tell, and i really wanted to make sure ik got her happy ending, and that carried me through as well

seriously, though - do take breaks. every writer's mileage varies, so take a step back whenever you need to. writing fics should be fun! sometimes it does feel like a chore, and it becomes more like 'the only thing i hate more than writing is not writing', but it happens to all of us. sometimes you've just got to rest until your second wind comes along

in terms of comments and such... yeah, it's a tough one! the unfortunate thing is that a vast majority of readers - even if they really enjoyed your writing! - won't leave a comment. don't take this as a direct reflection on your writing! often the reader can't think of what to say, is too shy, or quite simply forgot

again though... i'm not sure if i'm the best person to ask for advice here! i started publishing jtta without much expectation for an audience, given the genre of game it's written for, so any attention was more a nice surprise than anything. i suppose that, later on, when the fic was more well-established, i did start holding some expectation of response - and it really is tough when you don't get as much of one as you were hoping for

i've seen people talking about how the ask culture on tumblr has died down a lot in recent times, so i'm sure you're not the only one feeling like this! all i can suggest is trying to find more friends (mutuals?) and... networking, i guess? i've seen advice saying to share your fic within communities of writers, too

i can't honestly say if these things'll work, because i'm very bad about interacting with a wider fandom in anything - i usually keep to myself, so often i don't have much of an expectation for how and when people come chat. as in real life, i'm only a chatterbox when approached first haha

i'm not sure how helpful this has been, but i'm rooting for you! if you'd like to share your fic here, please do - though i understand if that's something you'd rather keep to yourself as well.

creating things is a joy - it might take some searching to find a circle, but the beauty of the internet is that you will, somewhere out there! wishing you the best ^^

[lucysarah-c]

hi! thinking abt starting up my own little writing projects on tumblr (obv with levi as the star) but i was wondering how ur experience was with building up your page?? also love ur work 🤍🤍

Hi, dear! How are you?

Aww, that's lovely! When I see little new Levi blogs, I always feel so much tenderness and love. The new blogs are the ones who keep the fandom going, so all my love and success to them!

I... don't know if I'm the best blog to ask for advice? Like, I think there are Levi blogs out there that are more known or loved, I guess, than me. Like, I feel deep down I'm a little blog too haha.

BUT, my only three pieces of advice are: write what you want. Look, as a person who gets a lot of comments like "your Levi is so canon," and stuff like that, I always, of course, feel very touched by those. But also, I feel like "what's canon Levi truly?" The whole point of fandom is having fun and connecting with people. Writing what I like has gotten me friends of many years. Yes, sometimes I've gotten comments like "your Levi sucks, bla bla," but the truth is that when you write what you want, people notice. Yes, you can write trendy stuff, but the truth is that only writing what you want will get you people who deep down love you for what you truly like.

Following the previous one, don't get sad or disappointed by stats. Look, some fics get more, some get less. Some blogs are well-known, some blogs aren't. But that doesn't define you. Yes, we all love to be recognized for what we do. But I usually tell myself and others, you should only compete or compare yourself to your version of yesterday and nobody else. AND also, the internet makes us feel like no numbers are ever enough. So think of reading your story out loud in a room and suddenly five, ten, thirty people come inside, take a seat, and listen to you. You'll think, "Wow, ten, thirty people dedicated a spare of their day to listen to my idea. Isn't that amazing? Wouldn't you be nervous?" Think of it that way, and if some of them leave in the middle of the lecture, the show must carry on and keep going for those who are still sitting down.

Finally, and certainly not least. This is MY personal approach. DO NOT reply to haters. Delete their comments, delete their asks. Those people don't want to have an exchange of opinions, they want attention, they want YOUR attention. Do not give it to them. Why waste time and energy on them when you can use that time and energy to create more content? Plus, this is just my personal belief, but I want people to log into Tumblr, go to my blog, and have a safe space to read about Levi and enjoy. I don't want them to have to log into my account and see that I'm picking fights with everyone. The difference between you and a hater anon is that you're using your time to create something you and other people are going to love. They are using their time to try to ruin someone else's day. That's the difference.

Wish you the best of luck with your blog! Have fun! Enjoy! I may see you writing around any time soon!

Have a lovely day!

[honeygrahambitch]

do you have any advice on not caring about numbers on written work? I know they dont matter but that doesnt stop my first reaction being that I must suck at writing

Tough question honestly.

Sometimes I think it's more about finding your "public"/"target audience", and sometimes that doesn't have to be ao3. I am currently working on something for ao3 but I am feeling a lot more fulfilled when I post my writing here on tumblr. My area is short fics, dynamic dialogues, domestic content I guess? It's important to be consistent with posting, that's how your people will find you. When I was younger I wrote fics for many other fandoms and my mistake was sticking to only fanfiction. net haha my works were very unpopular.

It takes ages to figure what you are best at when it comes to genre and structure and length. Cause we all have strengths and weaknesses when it comes to writing. But I think the most important part is that it should bring you joy. Like, if you are excited to sit down and write that one scene, then you are already on the right track. Then, it's figuring out all I mentioned before.

I don't have an answer because I also struggle with the "I suck at writing" thoughts but sometimes I'm like "Oh I'm so happy I put this on paper" and I completely ignore the numbers haha i really hope this helps a bit.

[fayes-fics]

20 Questions for Fic Writers!

I was tagged by @suspendingtime. Thanks my dear. 🫶🫶 Apologies I'm a little tipsy right now haha. 🤪

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

155. Ahem, hush you. I started writing 18 months ago. When I get a new hobby, I REALLY lean into it.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

481,485. Yup, almost half a million. Again, shhhh.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Only Bridgerton. Look, I have my hyperfixations, ok?

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

On AO3:

In His Lap (Short Fic) 181 

Temptation 177 

The Lesson 155 

Insatiable 149 

Are We Friends? 148

Tumblr notes:

Second Son 3,436

Sonnet #29 2,199

Rescue & Ruin 1,841

Awakening 1,827

Temptation 1,788

Wattpad readers:

Innocence, 30,600

Benedict Bridgerton Regency One Shots 23,000

Kinktober 2022 collection 16,300

Anthony Bridgerton Regency One Shots 10,400

Moments 5,800

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

Yes. Always. It's just wonderful to get feedback. I read and respond to every single comment. They mean the world to me, truly.

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

Probably No Good Advice. I ended up writing Moments multi-chapter as I (and a friend) couldn't bear the idea they didn't end up together lolol.

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

All of them, tbh. I can't write an unhappy ending. Maybe the mushiest is Second Son, Moments, or It Had To Be You.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Luckily not much yet. I did get one hate anon early on. It wasn't about a specific fic, though. It said they didn't know why I had a 'please don't steal my work' disclaimer (the standard one that most writers here use) cos I was delusional that my work was worth stealing. 🤷‍♀️

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

Yes, it's my trademark. It's rare when I don't write smut. 😬 I'm not sure what is meant by kind of smut. I've written it all, from vanilla romantic sex to kink threesomes with harnesses and double penetration lol. I haven't had a request yet that I've turned down due to sexual content.

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

Not yet. The closest I've gotten is It Had To Be You, which is based on When Harry Met Sally.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Yes, sadly, it has happened quite a few times now. I was so fed up with filing copyright takedown notices that I set up a Wattpad account to try to counter it.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No. I've been offered but have turned it down. I have no way to check that any translation would get across the nuance I aim for. So I know that may be anglo-centric, but its how I feel for now.

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

Not yet, but I am always threatening to lolol.

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

Hmm, tough one. I do love Kanthony tbh.

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

Benedict as a virgin. I just urghhh.... it's been a WIP for 17 months now. I just dunno why I won't finish it; I just get the feeling I won't.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I have no bloody idea. I'd prefer readers answer that tbh lol. My inclination is to say I don't have one, except perhaps a willingness to describe sex in ridiculous levels of detail? Is that a strength?

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

World building. I will do anything to shortcut it. I'll find an economical way to describe a situation e.g. she's a widow; they're old friends. Got it? Good! Let's get down to business.

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

I've done a smidgeon of French as I studied it for ten years. But I doubt I'd do another language tbh.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Only Bridgerton so far.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

Bloody hell, I have no fucking idea. It literally changes depending on my mood. But I don't really care for my own writing that much, all I see is flaws lol. I guess the universe I would most like to write more for one day is Mrs Bridgerton and its sequel. Does that count?

No Pressure Tagging: A couple of my talented writing moots were tagged along with me on this (the lovelies @colettebronte and @eleanor-bradstreet). So lets go: @thebabblingbrookenook @fiction-is-life @ferns-fics @silverhallow @mothdruid @queen-of-the-misfit-toys @urchintoast 😁🧡🧡

[iphisesque]

hi gio can you please direct me to some jjk meta? honestly I did not notice the grooming thing with gojo and megumi and I want to talk about it with my mutuals, but none of them seem to have even considered this theme as well, I tried searching through the jjk tag but you and your circle are the only people talking about it 😩 also is it really true that gege said he hates gojo?

hi dear! starting from the easier question here, haha — gege has made reference to his dislike of gojo on several occasions, both in-story and in extra material! there's constant remarks in the text and paratextual materials on gojo's terrible personality and his creepiness and how much other characters dislike him (like nanami or utahime, characters gege writes as sensible and reasonable), and gege himself often makes sarcastic comments about gojo, i remember when gojo won some type of valentine's day contest in shonen jump gege's only comment was "well, i guess he's not dead yet" LMAO. i have seen some people say that in japan this type of needling from an author to a character can be considered a form of respect, but im doubtful as to how much water that holds, so take all that with a grain of salt.

as for the meta — i assume you mean meta about the relationship between gojo and megumi, of which there is a sore lack on tumblr! the jjk fandom on here is quite monotonous and self-righteous and it tends to coagulate around stsg, itfs or self-insert ships, and there's not many people who write meta in general (the most notorious one being lele of tempenensis), let alone meta for a "problematic ship" that doesn't have a large presence here in the first place. i myself emigrated to twitter to find more meta or analysis posts on gojo and megumi, where i encountered the proship side of the argument, or the people who are actually hardcore into shipping gofushi as a normal hot dreamlike couple while completely ignoring its canon aspects (here is why i don't "ship" gofushi); that said, there's a lot of people over there, even shippers, who are invested in dissecting their canon dynamic, such as seaurchincage who writes threads explaining nuances in japanese, or this specific thread by s0ftymegumi which is fairly thorough in collecting all the crumbs of gojo and megumi characterization. unfortunately there is no great big tumblr meta that i know of explaining why and how gojo groomed megumi yet, though we should probably write one at some point, but as you well know you can find a lot of smaller posts about it browsing me and my mutuals' jjk tags; it might seem silly, but the best advice i can give you is to reread jjk with this interpretation in mind and you will start noticing a lot of things to support it — this goes for anything really, i clocked the grooming subtext on my first read but i didn't clock the sukufushi subtext until my reread when i was already partially skfs-pilled.

[butterflydm]

Nynaeve and maybe Lan for the blorbo bingo?

Thank you!

Nynaeve! <3 <3

I love her to pieces. Her PoV is a genuine trip, utterly delightful. I also love how the show feels like it distilled the essence of her and filtered out Jordan's weird obsession with making all authority figures cartoonishly violent, I have to say. Nynaeve doesn't need a thumping stick and I'm glad it was taken away from her, lol.

I love how she adopts these kids as her responsibility and then takes that so seriously that she turns her own world upside down in order to help them. I love that she both underestimates how wonderful she is while at the same time believing she is the only person in the world who isn't a fool.

The "writer's dropped the ball" is pretty much entirely about how she basically disappears as a headlining character after she and Lan get married. After that, she mostly plays back-up singer in other people's plotlines, even though there were still tons of plots that she could have headlined (I am crossing my fingers hard that we get Nynaeve doing the Black Tower plotline in the show!). Her being essentially a battery for Rand in the cleansing, for example, is just... Jordan did not have to write the plot that way.

I think that the show will absolutely not make that mistake and we will get Peak Nynaeve for the entire run. <3

I like Lan so much more in the show haha. In the books, I honestly mostly just tolerate him because many characters that I care about love him, but I genuinely love him for his own sake in the show!

The relationships that we got to see him showing with Moiraine and with the other Warders were a genuine highlight for me and I'm looking forward to seeing where he goes in the future. <3 <3 <3

The biggest issue I have with Lan is that he often gets treated as a Cool Mentor With Great Advice and some people (though not as often on tumblr) don't seem to realize that the advice that he gives Rand is awful, actually, and that the books are critiquing Lan's advice and following his advice is one of the big things that turns Rand into 'brittle hard' rather than 'flexible strong'. The thing about Lan is that he's been essentially abused since childhood by the remnants of his culture -- in a way that is understandable emotionally (he is the Lost and Last King of Malkier) but raising a child to believe it's his duty to go kill himself in an unwinnable war is a bad thing. Jordan actually DID see this very much about Lan's character -- that's the whole point about Nynaeve (and Rand) breaking down the walls inside him and letting hope back into his life. Or even back in New Spring, when Moiraine gives him a reason to dedicate his life to a purpose instead of just promising his death to a purpose (and we actively see him being abused by his culture in that book via that lady whose name I forget).

Book!Lan is the Fight Club of Wheel of Time, I guess I'm saying.

[taurasiluvr]

I rly want to start writing and admire ur writing sm!! I had a few questions if you wouldn’t mind? no worries if not!!

I know it might seem like a silly fear, but I am going to school for a profession u have to be v careful abt with public image, unfortunately, and writing erotica is def not allowed. Tumblr is totally anonymous, but is there any possible way a future employer could somehow know it was me?? I can’t imagine how lol I guess IP addresses exist etc.

I’d include no identifying details and never tell a soul I was on here. I think I’m being Catholic and paranoid but jw before I unleash my caitlin Clark thoughts on the internet lol.

Also any other advice you have for new writers welcome 💗

hi my love, this is a great ask! my good friend evangeline goes to a similar school as you do, and she is proof that as long as you keep everything anonymous, you'll be fine!

they can't pull up ur ip address i promise haha 🥹🫶🏼 i don't think that is legal but as long as you keep it anonymous (fake name, not sharing any personal details, etc) you will be fine :)

i can't think of any more advice, just be respectful and kinddd! also ignore the negativity that comes with being in the wbb circle it's not worth it

if you do decide to make a blog and start writing pls follow me and we can be moots :)

[rainbowskittle]

I’m thankful for all my friends I met on here. I feel closer to you than anyone else in ‘real world’ aka offline. Plus making offline friends sucks so much harder to make friends … if you have tips please help… need advice…haha.

@fuckinnproblems I know you don’t use this anymore … but I’ll still tag. We been mutuals from day one I feel like. Maybe was first week of tumblr but still thankful for you. From the moment I got Tumblr so 9 ish years?? We ‘met’ according to tumblr. So thank you for everything you do, advice you give, and even listening to my rambles even when I was sick. Sooo yeah thankful for you Syd!

@coldbrewqueer So many letters I can put into words to describe you. You’ve helped me in so many ways it’s silly. I’m thankful for all your advice and your photography is goals too. You truly incredible human! Definitely love your aesthetic haha. I wanna be you when I grow up.

@ad-meliora-0 Ayeee my memory is like Dory and you shark knowledge you probably know a shark with bad memory… that be me. But I’m thankful we stumbled upon each other. You are amazing person too. I love when you share music too since it’s always fun to find new music since looks like we have similar taste. Or it slowly turns to same cuz I burrow your music you share haha. I’m thankful for your music and you as a person too.

@aribeexx You so cool! I love seeing when you share your singing or stage performance! I could never but definitely cheering on from the sidelines / through screen. You need to go to AGT or a show like that you have talent! I know we don’t talk talk much but I’m thankful for you too.

@acetrainerjen I know I’m worst with never answers or slow answers sorry! But I promise I’m so thankful when we talk or even rp. Haha. I may not be good writer but rp fandoms with you has helped me. I still not the best but it’s eh. So thankful to write and just talk fandoms with you.

@girlswithguns22magnum YOU ARE MY ONLY BESTIE IN REAL LIFE AND SORRY BUDDIE YOU ARNET GETTING RID OF ME EVERRRR !! Ah we been through so much !! Won’t share cuz that’s just us together. But dude !! Bro!! Thank youu ! You will always be my favorite Taurus!!

@making-the-most-0f-it Sharing Scotland and Eddie Munson (and Steddie) with you been so fun! I know we haven’t talked much but this year? Ish right? But just know I’m here for you ever need to rant. I’m thankful for you listening to me rant haha.

@re-bec-ca-ann I know we’ve only talked recently?? But wow. Tumblr is good about that you may be across the planet for example and yet we have same fandoms. That’s what I love about this app / social media. You can share fandoms and find others in those fandoms. Cuz real world makes it hard / impossible. So thankful we have similar fandoms to talk about. And even finding new fandoms to join when we talk about are favorites we didn’t know about.

And EVERYONE else sorry if I missed you to give you shout out ! I’m not joking my brain is foggy. Even if I read just the other day 12% sleep in black and white AND remember their dreams .. I can only dream in b&w BUT not remember them. Endless I’m already slowly waking up.. but yeah maybe one day if I ever can afford it maybe I’ll go to therapy about it but pfft nah. Need money on food. and trips instead. But yeah if you didn’t get a shout out and we are mutuals talk to me! You can literally send a gif or talk about a fandom you see we have in common. I will respond. Might be slow or take a second but I won’t ghost you I promise!

But I want ALL of YOU to know YOU are loved, valued, important, suppose to be here, and incredibly wonderful person.

Soooo yeah that’s all I guess haha sorry for rambles again. Uhhh have a great rest of year !!

But hey if you don’t celebrate too I hope you have a good day too. Or your day was good at least. I know life can be hard but just know better days will happen.. it may not happen right away but it’ll come..

Happy Indigenous Peoples Day!!

[kellodrawsalot]

Thanks I just wanted to make sure I'm not a hardcore Sonic fan just like having fun with Sonic the Hedgehog that's it I'm not too crazy about the lore or that stuff I guess the reason why I bring it up because like Anonymous said there is been someone been gaping keeping and trying new people you know what Fuck I'm just going to say it right now RandomFox kind of has been gatekeeping Sonic the Hedgehog and same here for his friends and threatening people and not to mention he has been interacting with minors has been threatening them so that's why I asked that question got a little nervous after the weird anonymous question you got??

But thanks again I think you're a pretty cool person I have looked around your Tumblr page and from all the way from the beginning I don't always agree with everything but that's okay don't take it too seriously there is one wise thing Ian Flynn one time his podcast don't take time to Hedgehog seriously and fight over it there's plenty of other doors something like that I can't remember.😅

I just butcher that..😅 anyway see you around.🙂

Ah man sorry to read that, that's horrible. threatening people is already wtf but minors too? you should tell your friends to report them and offcourse block.

and thank you! you seem like a very cool person too! Haha, you know I'm not a fan of Ian Flynn, but that's a very good advice that I think many peple should take. I never really understood the deep hatred for Flynn, like I'm not a fan of his writing either but he's not the worst thing to ever happen in Sonic and i don't really care if he makes a mistake when talking about Sonic lore, because he's far from the only person working in Sonic to have done that lol. I get why people hate Ken Penders, (art theft, disrespecting the dead, disrespecting the holocaust, calls himself the savior of Sonic, being really weird about fictional minors, insulted other writers and artist he worked with, being rude towards cosplayers) I think those are way worse things things lol.

[voxofthevoid]

hello omg I’m super delighted to have you here in the goyuugo fandom and I SO can’t wait to read your fics of them (PLUS your thoughts on goyuu that you post here on tumblr)!!! the interesting premise of each fic got me buzzing, chewing glass and punching the wall when I was saving all of them for later. oh I’m gonna be eating so good when I have the time and I’m in a good headspace where I can savor the fics the way they deserve to be. thank YOU ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

also I just wanna share the way I was instantly filled with even more glee to know that goyuu/yuugo is the only gojo ship you’re into… I was like, “YEEESSS!!!!!” 🫡🙇‍♂️🤩🥳😌🙏🏼💯❤️‍🔥 all’s going according to plan 🤩 lmao but it’s true, I’m happy about it cause same!!! extremely based of u, really.

btw, I would like to kindly recommend you to use yuugo as a tag if their dynamics are top yuuji/bottom gojo, most particularly on ao3! there’s a top yuuji/bottom gojo tag in there hehe it’s just so people who prefer that dynamics can search for it easily and people who don’t go for that dynamics won’t get landmined without them knowing! 💛 as for me, I like both dynamics so I’ll definitely enjoy anything you put out!

anyway I hope you’re having a lot of fun here in the goyuugo fandom and hope that you’ll continue to find it fun here!! ❤️‍🔥

(you don’t have to reply to this ask at all btw!! just you reading it is cool!)

Thank you, anon! I'm in this corner of JJK to stay for a while, judging by my current word count, so you'll see me haunting the tags for a long time. I'm glad you're happy to have me there! And it's lovely to hear that you like the fic premises.

Haha, yeah, goyuu is the only Gojou ship I like, though I'm prone to writing other Yuuji ships alongside goyuu. I shamelessly play favorites. Well, there's also Gojou/Gojou...does that count?

Re the tags: It's not that I'm unaware of their existence, I'm choosing not to use them.

The goyuu/yuugo distinction (and similar ones for other anime ships) is an Eastern fandom feature rather than a Western one in my experience, and while I can tell there's some bleedthrough these days, I'm still more used to a single ship name being common on the Western side. While I appreciate the specificity of the Eastern style, I prefer the uniformity of the Western one. Links to my fic are tagged with 悠五 on Tumblr for extra organization, but other than that, I don't use "yuugo" in any meaningful sense.

I haven't tagged who tops or bottoms (or switches) in my Ao3 fics since 2018 for reasons that can be summed up as "some shitty fandom attitudes/behaviors pissed me off." That's not going to change. I understand having strict preferences, and I encourage people who don't want to read top!Yuuji x bottom!Gojou to avoid my works; however, they don't need me to tag top/bottom for this. All my fics are rated as "explicit" and tagged with "anal sex." Readers with strict preferences can (a) avoid fics not tagged with t/b entirely, (b) Ctrl+F for "cock" or "dick" to see who puts it in whom, or (c) ask me outright.

I understand that you intended this as well-meaning advice, but my tagging practices in general have been put in place after a lot of thought and for particular reasons. The best part of Ao3 is that it lets writers present their fics how they want. Mine have enough information to allow people to curate their experiences, but the specificities of that information cater to my standards. To go by your metaphor, there are no landmines here, but I expect people to watch where they step carefully.

That got a little long, but I see this question often, so I wanted to clarify. I guess I can just link this ask if someone asks again.

Thank you again! I hope you'll enjoy the fics if you read them 💙