#you can't force an author to cater to you an author writes what THEY enjoy

[youdrewstarsxaroundmyscars]

"oh my god jegulus is taking over" "what about jily they're literally harry's parents" "why aren't the girls getting more representation"

y'all.

it's fanfiction. if you don't like something don't fucking read it. if you don't think there's enough of something. do it yourself.

chill.

[olderthannetfic]

Oky but I really wish people would actually go for artists and authors who already write the "diversity" or rather the dynamics and ethnicities they specifically want, instead of going after random artists and authors expecting them to cater to them. If someone wants to only do one thing, then that's their choice, and if you don't like that just go somewhere else.

Too many people want want want all the diversity, but when it comes to actually supporting artists and authors who create exactly that, they're just crickets and instead keep flocking towards the monoculture artists and authors. Artists and authors don't owe you anything, but you also don't owe them your attention, and that's fine. So why do you keep your attention on artists who create things you obviously don't seem to like?

It's even stranger when people decide to stick around, even when the artist or author is very clear about sticking to their own niche and the person doesn't like that. At some point you gotta just accept the line in the sand and move on.

If you wanna see more of something actually go find the artist who does that and support that artist instead. Hell, why not actually go for an artist who draws from their own experience? I see a lot of people expect people to write and create outside their niche, and having high expectations, instead of just reading people who already write that niche and have actual real life experience with what they're writing or drawing.

Like if you're the one picking up an almost completely mono-ethnic book, knowing what's in there, then that is the choice you made, instead of just going for an author who's work is ethnically diverse.

Sure you can voice your opinion that you'd think it'd be great if more people create more diverse media, but that's also where it stops. You can't demand or pester random people to create what you want.

It's also completely fine to just wanna read a monot-ethnic book as well. You don't have to feel guilty, and then direct that misguided guilt at the authors who write these stories. Some times that's what you read, and you enjoyed it. If you feel like you want to read more books with obvious diversity, you can do that, and you can also read the "not diverse" books as well. There's no right or wrong to consume things in private, as long as you don't make that anyone else's problem, or try and prevent or force people to do something.

--

[icedfairy]

And another book complete! Tied up in a bow and shipped. There's a bit of relief there. But I feel I also learned stuff. And I've got a plan on what I'm doing next.

For those not interested in going through 200k+ words to get to that I'll toss them up here too.

"The big thing I noticed is that a lot of what people love is world and character building. Probably why litrpg does so well, because it's a hefty dose of crack for both. But there's a great deal of desire for non standard building. The response the monsterpedias got was far above and beyond what I expected for filler (even with cute slime Fili as a cheat). The problem that I (and a lot of authors have) is that at some point your world is built. You either start going so deep into the weeds that the flaws show, or you run out of ideas. Especially if you're centered in a fixed city.

(Big secondary problem : World building and plot advancing don't always play together and you need to maintain the balance between 'what people came here for' and 'having a story worth caring about.)

Another thing I noticed is I am easily hit by character bloat. I can't write characters out easily. That's partly a me problem and partly a story design problem. If people stick around why wouldn't they get to know each other and rely on them for help?

Next personal issue : I'm terrible at responding to readers as webfictions usually do. Now I know I'm never gonna be the type of writer who has a discord to jabber about stuff 24/7, but I do think I can cater my extras more to things that interested commentators.

Lastly I find I have issues with deadlines. Not hitting them specifically. A deadline is a great way to force me to write 9 times out of 10. But in terms of quality I think there's an impact. And especially in terms of setup / payoff. I need to find a deadline balance to properly push stories out while not getting locked up purely in delivery mode.

So what do all these words mean?

For my Helena books? Nothing, I'm gonna keep at it making solid medium length fiction. Hoping to have another one edited and out sometime next year.

For more webnovel style fiction? I'm going to play to strengths. Traveling adventurers, unique viewpoint character, episodic regional plots, and a deliberate focus on interesting locale details. I've already got a new story started, and with this one done I hope to increase the speed of writing. My goal is ~100k ready before starting to post giving me a solid starter for people to enjoy, while leaving gaps in the extra sets to flesh out setting details readers are interested in. And also get some art commissioned and in hand.

Teaser Title : Diary of a Traveling Mimic"

[ramonag-if]

Hi! I want to preface my message by saying this is not a critique, just a question.

I have a question about MC and their family. I remember you said at one point that we won't be forced to participate/interact with our blood family if we wanted. But in the recent update it's clear that MC can't have neutral/bad relationship with the ishari family. The choices to refuse to go say goodbye to them, to be there just out of politeness, being uncomfortable with them are absent. There's no "I don't know any of you and i don't want to/don't have emotional capacity to do so" way of playing.

And that's totally fine if thats how you want the story to function! Again, this is not a critique message. Sometimes some things just need to happen or to be a certain way for the sake of the narrative. Authors can't just satisfy everyone , they don't need to cater to everybody.

My question is about our mother. Will we be able to be neutral/cold towards her? Or the positive relationship must happen for the plot?

Please forgive me if my words upset you. I really enjoy your story and just want to know what direction are you wanna take with this?

Hi Anon 😊 So I started out the game wanting to add negative options for relationships etc but the reality is that the game is heavily character focussed and the plot wouldn't work as well without a good MC family relationship - so yes, for plot reasons and because I really have a hard time writing negative responses with certain characters - there won't be overt negative responses for the MC's family.

As for Salyra - it's like Ahlf. Parents are a lot different to extended family so there will be a wide range of feelings from anger to sadness to anything in between. Personally, I'm looking forward to the anger regarding Salyra's absence and the revelations that come with it 😅

You really didn't cause any offence! I'm just very bad with negative responses when offering choices 😬

[wishesunderthestars]

I think so many times we tend to forget that writers on Tumblr decide to SHARE their stories with us. I have always thought it's harmful to view them as products catered to our consumption because that's not what they are! You will never read a book and go complain to an author that it's bad because you didn't like a few parts, you'll either stop reading or push through to the end. At the end of the day this is what these are; stories that people have put their heart, soul and effort into.

I know that the recent chapters may not appeal to everyone but I am being completely honest, I do enjoy them just as much as the beginning. Not a lot happens in it literally but if you look into it so much changes during these chapters. Stories don't always have to be dramatic and keep us on the edge all the time; and stories like Eunoia especially express so much in the way that the characters develop and open up to each other. It might seem slower to others but literally so much changes in the way the characters view themselves and each other, how they come to terms with their pasts and trauma and how they learn to better understand others and even themselves. Character development doesn't always have to happen in a cathartic way because realistically and a lot of the times we too tend to heal and grow most in environments when things feel stable and you get the time to sort your feelings. These are IMPORTANT conversations and conversations that are worth having especially when they are afraid of burdening each other.

I also feel as a writer it's your freedom to be able to write whatever you want because if not then it defeats the point of you sharing your work with us, if it refuses you to be creative and experimental. I know a lot of people are here for eunoia but I (and I believe a lot of your other viewers ) love your other stories too. I especially loved the one where you wrote for Tae as a prince and we were the queen and we end up choosing him out of spite and frustration at the ball but then realize he's just soo adorable (I can't for the life of me remember the title of the fic but ik for a fact the moodboard was purple and we had a cool snake XD and I think you discontinued it- which is totally fine btw, but I had still enjoyed the first chapter a lot). Anyways the point is, that yes Eunoia is an amazing story and yes we eagerly wait for updates but that doesn't mean that we don't enjoy your other works and also we DEFENITLY don't wanna force you to rush Eunoia because it's just an injustice to the beautiful story you have crafted. It is such a phenomenal story and world that we will gladly wait for the end you write without any pressure or hurry because it is truly worth it; and I say we, because by reading the asks I am pretty sure a lot of others feel this way. It's just that people tend to express distaste and irritation more overtly than admiration. Ik that even if you get a lot of positive comments the negative ones still hurt, but if it's worth anything pls don't be sad cuz it'll make me sad :( Also I would've sent chocolates if I could; but here sending you chocolates in spirit <333333 Please take care of yourself, focus on your studies, drink lots of water and know that we love and believe in you and your abilities <33333

I think that there is an increase in consumer mentality, which I kind of get. A lot of people complain about art the way someone would complain about an Amazon product in the comment section. But the thing is that rating a book on good reads and complaining about it there is very different to sending a message directly to someone who wrote a story just for fun and is free to read.

And about Eunoia, I really couldn't describe it better. You put into words everything I didn't know how to say. Eunoia is a story focused on the characters, not on the action. I wish there was a more interesting way to move forwards that stays true to the story but there isn't, or if there is I don't know what it is.

The story you're talking about is Poison Heart and yeah it's been discontinued for now but I'm hoping to get back to it in the future. Thank you for sending this and thank you for the chocolates 💜💜💜

[sitp-recs]

hi liv! you're awesome and ily but this is kinda a confession more than anything else. idk why this happens to me, but sometimes some fanfics that everyone else loved, really don't hit the spot for me. like i appreciate them but i just find myself getting bored and distracted yet when i see other people loving it, i feel so freaking guilty. it feels like i should like it and im missing out but i can't force myself to read them too. it's the most frustrating thing ever and i don't know what to do

Hi anon! First of all I’m sorry you’ve been feeling like this, it breaks my heart to see anyone being guilt tripped into liking something popular just because everyone else does. I’ve mentioned a few times that I’m wary about reccing (what people consider) classics exactly because of that. Of course they’re brilliant and popular for a reason - especially the ones that introduced innovative concepts or headcanons we all love and share today. I love many of those fics but others are definitely a pass for me, and the idea of being required to read and enjoy them to be considered a valid shipper (??) drives me up the wall. I’m happy you felt that my blog was safe and welcoming enough to share this with me without fearing judgment, anon 💜

What you’re feeling right now sucks big time and I assume pretty much everyone has gone/is going through the same dilemma being in a huge, long-standing fandom like Drarry. The amount of available works is insane, there’s no time to check everything that’s going on at once, and I’ve seen a few “gatekeepers” around - whether or not intentionally - putting a lot of extra pressure onto newcomers, casual fans and even old shippers like myself, to read this and that.

It’s completely normal that not every story will would spark something in you. Fic reading is an extremely personal experience and everyone has their preferences, hard nos, squicks and whatnot. It’s virtually impossible to have one single fic catering to every single shipper’s needs, and I doubt that any author has that intention anyway. The heartkick factor is so subjective sometimes you read two similar fics exploring the very same trope, and one works for you while the other doesn’t 🤷🏻‍♀️ imo trying to rationalize and justify reading preferences only leads to frustration, I prefer to accept that my heart wants what it wants, and there’s that!

I’ve mentioned before that Lettered is my fave Drarry author, yes? I wonder how many people will be surprised to learn that some of her fics didn’t work for me at all, I either never finished or never revisited them. Similarly, GallaPlacidia is largerly adored and read - I do love some of her fics but others are just not my jam, mostly because I have no interest in a few tropes. No I haven’t checked every fic Saras_Girl has ever published, and I’ve never read Turn, her most popular one but not a personal fave, more than twice. And it’s okay. It’s all good. Even if they knew I existed, I doubt that Lettered, Galla and Saras_Girl would care as much about it as some readers do lmao truth is, this is a space I come exclusively for fun, and we don’t owe anyone anything. Readers are free to choose and read and enjoy whatever they want, the same way authors are free to write whatever they want.

(Which is why I will never understand anti comments - no one is forcing you to read shit so is there any reason why you cannot close the tab, block the tags and move on? Must you really leave unsolicited criticism after literally wasting your time reading something you didn’t enjoy?! Makes absolutely no sense to me)

If I were to stress over how much I haven’t read or enjoyed I probably wouldn’t have created a recs blog in the first place. I admit sometimes I do feel pressured about not being as up to date and knowledgeable about the fandom as I’d like to - then I remember I’m here to have fun in my very limited free time, and my only rule should be to please me, myself and I. If I’m not having fun or feeling invested in the read, you can bet I’m gonna peace out and focus on something that hits that special spot. There’s nothing more valuable than learning how to curate your experience, and knowing you’re not a lesser fan because of that is an important step, too.

This got too long and I’m not sure if it helped, but I hope you feel better soon! Be gentle to yourself and prioritize your preferences, go after what makes your heart tingle and focus on having a good time. Sending lots of love 💜

[ravenwritesstuff]

Hi Raven! I hope u are doing well❤️ I am following you since the beginning of the kristanna fandom and you are one of my favorite author. You have such a powerful way with words, you are amazing! I read that you disliked kristanna in frozen 2 and, if you are willing to share, I would like to know why. I hated it too btw, but I can't seem to find a cause... It's just so annoying 😐 regardless you're going to answer or not, know that you are loved and appreciated❤️

First things first: you are a wonderful and lovely person.

Second I could write roughly three thousand words about this but I will try to keep it short.

I will break down my grievances into three very specific points.

1.) The characterization of Anna

2.) The characterization of Kristoff

3.) The characterization of Anna and Kristoff together

I am drawing from Frozen and Frozen II for source material on this and ignoring the shorts, books, comics, etc..

FUCK TON OF OPINIONS UNDER THE CUT

The Characterization of Anna

Anna is determined, has a tremendous capacity for love while also being able to be self contained, and a can-do attitude. She looks for the best in everyone and can be a bit rash but is capable, resourceful, and knows when to ask for help.

From Frozen we know that Anna has tremendous trauma and it is not unexpected that she becomes desperately clingy to her long lost sister. How they handled this quickly went from being a loving and devoted sister to a co-dependent barnacle of a girl that has little to no sense of her own self and her own autonomy. She is constantly catering to Elsa and her many meltdowns (Elsa and her trauma is a whole different conversation) instead of enjoying the moment or being able to truly spend time with Kristoff in a meaningful way.

The Characterization of Kristoff

Kristoff is introduced as a gruff, capable, ice harvester that doesn’t take orders from anyone. He is confident, experienced, able to navigate harsh terrain, and make split second decisions in life-or-death scenarios. He is physically coordinated, well loved by his adopted family that are love experts and by implication have taught him how to handle emotional issues (e.g. he knew it was inappropriate for Anna to get engaged to a man after only a few hours).

THEN FROZEN II KRISTOFF HAPPENS

And he is a bumbling idiot who cannot hold a ring, move his feet etc, who has somehow also become completely codependent, but not on Elsa. No. He is codependent on Anna so it becomes this vicious cycle of where Kristoff is always chasing after Anna and Anna is always chasing after Elsa and Elsa just does whatever the fuck she wants.

The Characterization of Anna and Kristoff together

Just murder me.

From the get go they miss the mark.

Anna, the girl with tremendous abandonment issues and deep desire to love and be loved, would never duck under the arms of her beloved for his reindeer (some things never change).

The botched proposal scene after charades.

How Anna never just stops to listen to Kristoff the way she constantly stops to listen to Elsa and forces unneeded drama into the relationship.

That Anna would just LEAVE Kristoff without insisting that they take five minutes to find him and let him know what is happening.

Kristoff’s song (hilarious, but so troubling and the fact that it starts with Reindeer Are Better Than People Reprise[which is fantastic] just adds insult to injury here)

The proposal with Elsa standing... right... there?

It all just exemplifies this strange amalgamations of the worst of their characteristics.

Honestly Kristoff picking her up and asking her what she needs is the best moment of the movie for their relationship.

I hate the “My love is not fragile” line in the context of the Frozen II relationship because Anna’s treatment of Kristoff is borderline abusive. Your love may not be fragile, but the object of your love should not treat you like crap. 

I HAVE 2,000 MORE WORDS ON THIS but this is just off the top of my head why Kristanna in Frozen II is problematic and why I do not like it.

These are just my opinions.

If you don’t like it - feel free to leave.

[elly-bird]

How come you famously can't stand critical role?

Before I get into it, let’s attach a warning

WE ARE ENTERING THE OPINION ZONE

That’s right, I don’t contain mystical knowledge that is going to spoil Crit Role for you.  Similarly, I doubt there’s anything you could say to fix what is, essentially, just a distaste for me.  I also deeply respect the various performers and crews that go into producing CR, Matt Mercer especially (I love that man dearly).

"Famously” refers to the fact a lot of people talk to me about CR, and I’m always forced to stop the conversation with “well I don’t actually watch that show...” which leads into the question of why, which leads into me simply saying “you don’t want me to get into it.”

So the clarification at hand is I’m treating this question as; “why don’t you actively watch anything D&D related?”  Critical Role will simply be our stand-in for a franchise title.  It’s not any better or worse than the competition for the flaws that bother me.

So let’s start from the beginning.

This will not be a conversation.  It’s not worth messaging me “you should look at it like-” because I can’t.  This isn’t blind hate or fanaticism, it’s the way my brain’s been trained through the hobby.

I’ve been writing and roleplaying all my life.  For as long as I can remember I’ve been a mixed-modules DM, a guild manager, a public event organizer, and an RP planner and guide for everyone that’s ever asked it of me.  This had its ups and downs; at one point I embraced the lows so hard that I found myself in a string of projects I utterly despised working on just because it felt vaguely familiar to older, more interesting work.  Even so, I got very good at identifying and managing personalities.

You’re sort of forced to put people in little boxes.  Boxes like “the drama queen,” or “the OOC talker,” or “the shy one.”  Boxes help you micromanage the various archtypes of players you’ll deal with in big campaigns.  It’s not hard for someone to simply not have fun at an event due to their various hang-ups, and it was frequently my job to make the event cater to all the types of people I could identify as we progressed.

You do this because, as an admin or an organizer, your fun isn’t a priority; you’re a referee.  The event itself is just a puzzle of IC and OOC problems for you to solve.  You enable everyone else the ability to enjoy themselves, whilst you pull your hair out in the corner in admin chat, discussing how to whack the moles as they pop up. 

It turns out Group B’s DM is late and didn’t leave his documents for backup with anyone in the crew.  Or wait, this is a PVP event, but Group A is completely imbalanced in that regard and won’t be able to compete.  Or wait again, you’re literally the only piece of management that showed up, and three people want to have chats with you about the future of the campaign or issues they’ve been having.  Etc, etc, etc.

(This is obviously not the dynamic for small, tight-knit D&D sessions - I’m talking MMO events and campaigns involving multiple groups and DMs.)

Working this hard for other people’s storylines, or the enactment of group projects, really coloured my attitude towards RP as a whole.  I started to realize how easy it was to see players through their characters.  I’ve talked before about how I can’t follow a lot of authors because their personalities outside of their writing have become so transparent through their works to me.  RPers are, unsurprisingly, not any more tactful.

Which leads into the fact that; I can’t stand popular D&D.  I just can’t.

When you have a show that is essentially just a large group of actors trying their best to put on a good performance, (the very nature of commercializing roleplay) it can feel a lot like being thrown back to those management days, trying to find the right words to keep Steve from godmodding too much, or to tell Anna to please stop tugging the spotlight into her own face so god damn often.

D&D/improv shows feel a lot like staring at a popularity contest, the very attitude I used to work tirelessly to prevent from happening.  Everyone is their own main character and their livelihood can actually depend on making themselves the most entertaining of the lot, which can often mean aggressively blanketing their character over everything.

D&D groups usually aren’t as vulnerable to these flaws as bigger, more public forums, but that’s exactly what happens when you turn it into a show and start making money off it.  The public forum that used to be contributing RPers is now sitting, waiting patiently for the moment to throw money at the screen in the name of their favourite.

So while I do deeply love and respect Critical Role and the work put into it, actually watching the show leaves a person like me incredibly drained.  My brain goes into overdrive trying to work out what decisions are made organically and what ones are made for the sake of branding, same as it does every other piece of performance media.

So that’s why I don’t watch Critical Role.  Or The Adventure Zone.  Or Friends at the Table.  Or- you get it, now.  See?  You get it.  I don’t like commercializing performances because in my experience, even the best RPers and writers I’ve ever met would either crumble or completely rewrite themselves under that pressure, and that’s not something I enjoy witnessing people going through.

I’m naturally drawn to analysis and pulling apart the rationales behind decision-making in all creative worlds.  Hell, I once got told off because I was informed the way I looked at someone’s favourite show was “like an autopsy.”

I’m not above these things.  I’m not better than them.  I don’t think they’re bad, or poorly written, or poorly performed.  I also don’t think getting paid to do your job is a bad thing - holy shit, duh.

I’ve been condensing this rant down to one single sentence whenever I’ve been asked in the past, and I’ll likely return to it now;

“It’s just not for me.”

Crit Role is a fantastic show.  I’m never watching it.