#And wade through the writer favoritism

[bonefall]

Did Brambleclaw actually disown the Three when the secret is revealed? I don't remember this happening (then again, it's been a while) but it does bug me how all three go "Poor brambleclaw :(( He was such a good dad to us and he has to learn we're not even his biokits :(((( poor guy" while simultaneously shitting on Leafpool and Squirrelflight despite them showing them more care and affection before AND after the reveal. If he does disown them, then.... WOW is the double standard real here.

In-canon? It's something you have to approximate. They don't seem to have a concept of ""disowning"" because blood relation is taken as such an insurmountable, FUNDAMENTAL fact of life. He doesn't write them out of his little kitty will and testament, but his actions ARE disowning.

It's as if the fact he is not their biological father is an automatic disowning. From the reveal onwards, he is immediately cold, distant, and the "betrayal" is mentioned often. The Three also explicitly don't blame him for his behavior, like it's just to be expected that he's Not Their Dad anymore.

Lionblaze in particular stares longingly at him several times, really missing him. And like... that's kinda what gets my goat so much

I do believe Brambleclaw is entitled to his feelings of betrayal. I believe Squilf was ultimately in the right to lie, actually, but he's still allowed to be upset and angry that she didn't trust him enough to tell him something so important. THAT SAID, YOU ARE NEVER ENTITLED TO TREAT OTHERS POORLY.

And that's what GETS me. He isn't upset that it was all revealed in such a painful and embarassing way when this could have been avoided, or that his lover struggled with this lie for so long without him, or that he feels he's lost his children. Squilf points it out in The Last Hope-- He's so ANGRY at Squilf that he will THROW HIS FAMILY AWAY

Lionblaze seems desperate to be his son again. Hollyleaf is gone for months, and Brambleclaw is still huffing about the secret when she comes back from the dead. Squilf is fawning in the hopes it makes him talk to her again. Doesn't matter. Brambleclaw Is Upsetti Spaghetti so the narrative will never examine his role in hurting this family he apparently loved so much.

(Narrative seems to understand full well that when Squilf lies for a good reason, that doesn't invalidate the hurt Brambleclaw felt... but when Brambleclaw is upset for a good reason, it actually DOES validate what he put her and his kids through)

In BB it is explicitly a disowning. He cuts them off as his children, and they reciprocate. BB!Lionblaze does so in a ball of fury, vowing that he has ONLY a mother.

#It does start getting.... ''better'' after oots. On the disowning front #Lion seems to be fixing his relationship with him #Which... actually is something I dislike tbh #Can we pls get canon acknowledgement of the Little Pogchamp scene where he lets Ash beat his son #And downplays this to holly #Pls #Idk i just feel lion makes a better mama's boy #Really close to squilf and then like... tries to get close to Leafp too but it just. Cant click. #In this very sad but also kind of validating way #Leafp isnt his mom... she didn't raise him. But shes still his aunt. She still loves him as ferociously as she always did #The reveal changed nothing about his family. In the end. #It truly was just a reveal. #(And then he stares angrily and also forlornly at bramble) #Bramblestar is honestly a very interesting character if you choose to take him at face value #And wade through the writer favoritism #I keep coming back to him man. #Such an incredibly mundane and honest type of terrible #Always consumed by his pride and terrible lack of self esteem. Everyone wants you to be better. But you keep messing up #Your honor. I hate him. I have a picture of him in my heart shaped locket. #I am putting him in an exhibit. I am blasting him with a hose.

[spark-glow]

When I think about how much I dislike the fandom's portrayal of Brainstorm (and Perceptor by extension), I think about this one thing that the writers of MTMTE did over and over and over that urks me and has urked me since I first read the comic.

There's this... repeated joke where Brainstorm will call himself a genius or talk about how smart he is, and other characters will mercilessly tear him down. Taking any recognition of his achievements from him, or flat out denying that he's a capable and intelligent scientist because he's abrasive. You're meant to laugh when Ravage says 'You're not even the smartest person in this conversation' because it's meant to be funny to laugh at people being mean to or dismissing Brainstorm.

But like. Man, I dunno. I don't think it's funny.

We have this situation where Brainstorm is desperately fighting for recognition from Perceptor, because Perceptor is the most brilliant scientist to ever exist (a belief that I think also probably weighs on him a lot too) and if he can earn HIS recognition, then maybe he'll feel a little bit better about himself. This of course leads to Perceptor being uncomfortable or dismissing Brainstorm, and you're meant to chuckle at the whole thing because it's silly for Brainstorm to think he might get that recognition some day. He keeps trying despite it obviously not working, and that's funny! Look at him fail over and over and over again and laugh.

But it sucks! It sucks and i'm not laughing! I think Brainstorm's intense need to hang his self worth on the opinions of others is a tragedy, and while I of course understand that some of the characters that participate in these tear downs are generally not great people and what they're saying is a product of that, the whole thing doesn't sit right with me. Perceptor repeatedly being made to bear the weight of his coworker's problems also doesn't sit right with me. He's not his therapist, he's his boss.

And of course this whole mess is turned into something that it isn't for shipping content. We take Brainstorm unhealthily obsessing over people he holds in esteem (to the point where he's willing to commit suicide just to save someone who never gave a shit about him) and instead turn it into him having big cutesy crushes. It's not right, man. It wasn't right when they had Perceptor go 'you know what Brainstorm, it's the end of the comic, and i'm going to finally tell you that you're an okay scientist to your face. Look at that, you finally have some self worth because I gave it to you! Isn't that great!'. It was forced and awkward and bad.

This is all to say that i'm taking Brainstorm away from people until we can all learn to handle him and his issues with tact. And also so people can start respecting Perceptor's agency as a character and not turn him into a therapist for a character he simply has a moderately strained working relationship with.

#ECHOLOCATION #TF #sorry ive got this on the mind #hey did you know that brainstorm is one of my favorite tf characters of all time and i have very complex opinions on his writing #and how the writers really bungled any and all chances to give him closure that wasn't just a shitty nod to a shitty joke #that they couldnt let go and wouldnt stop making #<- it is full of poison #normally i'd just post this on my TF blog but im making all of you wade through my thoughts instead #sorry im allergic to being succinct

[apollosgiftofprophecy]

RRVerse Fandom, Please Hear Me Out...

Message to the wider Riordanverse fandom:

Please correctly tag your fanfics with the correct fandom tags.

I am getting tired of seeing non-Apollo fics cluttering up the Trials of Apollo tag (such as Percy/Annabeth. like. what. they're barely in ToA. why are they there.). If your fanfic does not deal with Apollo, Meg McCaffrey, or the story of ToA or the consequences of it, please do not tag it as such.

I have seen fics tagged as ToA and not even have the MC, Apollo, tagged as part of the cast. So please. I am begging you. Please stop. You have the Percy Jackson & the Olympians - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, AND The Heroes of Olympus tags.

Solangelo writers, you now have the Sun and the Star tag, as well as the All Media Types one. Unless it happens during or alongside something to do with Apollo & his story, please refrain from tagging it as ToA.

And no. I do not think just being Solangelo should qualify all Solangelo fics to be tagged as ToA. If anything, they should be The Sun and The Star tag or even The Heroes of Olympus tag because that's when it all began! However, if, say, it's during The Hidden Oracle or takes place in the ToA timeframe then sure! ToA tag it!

But if it's just like an AU or something that only focuses on Solangelo? Then please don't. It's not ToA then.

This is what the ToA tag looks like btw:

I know, Nico, Will, and Percy are all popular characters, but COME ON. This is Apollo's tag, please give him this! It's so hard to find fics I want to read because it's so cluttered! Apollo's not even in the top three most-tagged characters in his own fandom tag.😒

And look at the gap between the number of fics Apollo's in compared to Percy! A 354 gap! And there's 1,616 gap between Apollo and Nico! And I can say with certainty that not all of those fics Percy - and even Nico and Will - are in are related to ToA.

Meg McCaffrey, the second MC of the series, is not even on the board. And she's a very close second MC.

And trust me. I know a bunch of these fics have nothing to do with ToA. I have scoured the tag many times and have figured that out.

So please, please, please leave The Trials of Apollo tag be unless you are writing for The Trials of Apollo. We are our own fandom and frankly, it's getting annoying having to shuffle through a bunch of fics that have nothing to do with ToA just to find ones we want to read.

Fic authors, it would be such a big help if you could remove the ToA tag from your fic if it doesn't have anything to do with ToA. I know you want your fic to be seen, and use a bunch of tags to do so, but this really inconveniences the ToA fans who just want to read about our favorite loser god and his gremlin adopted sister. ☹️

Sincerely,

A ToA fan who just wants to read fics about her favorite character but can hardly wade through the fics even with the filtering system.

Thank you. It needed to be said.

#plunged into the toa ao3 tag #and returned annoyed and frustrated #so hard to find my boy #so hard to find fics for toa IN THE TOA TAG #like. please. please. i am begging you. please properly tag your fics. #proper tagging also means NOT tagging fandoms that have NOTHING TO DO with your fic #when i write my fics i tag them All Media Types and ToA #because they are about Apollo and the wider rrverse #but i've seen fics tagged as toa and NOTHING from toa shows up in them #NOTHING #no apollo. no meg. nothing. #and really apollo should be the main selling point #if he's not an important character in the fic than honestly the fic's not toa #exceptions are meg-centric fics or a character who debuts in toa #like lavinia or crest or emmie and jo or- #you get my meaning #so i've decided to throw this out there #please please please tag fics correctly. please. i know i'm not alone in this the toa fandom has a hard enough time okay do us this favor #AND YES. i know. “use the filter” and I HAVE been doing that BUT EVEN SO it's STILL difficult to find toa-centric fics! #i'm just. frustrated. it'll be a big help if ao3 writers would do this for us. please. i know i'm not alone in this #please and thank you #percy jackon and the olympians #the heros of olympus #the trials of apollo #pjo hoo toa #heros of olympus #heroes of olympus #trials of apollo #percy jackson #rick riordan

[nanowrimo]

Journaling Practices to Help With Writing Funks

Feeling stuck in your writing? Journaling might be your answer to getting unstuck! NaNo Participant Ashley has some tips on using journaling as a guide to get you writing again. We all know writing is no easy feat, and it can be especially difficult when we find ourselves in a funk. Sometimes it’s best to take a break, reset, and turn our energy elsewhere and inward to help us get re-focused on the goal ahead. So, whether you’re struggling to start a new work or find yourself stumped on writing that next chapter, try these tips to help you get over the hump.

1. Brain dump

A brain dump is exactly what it sounds like. Grab a journal and write down everything on your mind. It can be specific to what you’re currently working on, or just anything that’s taking up space in your head. Set a timer for 5 minutes and let the thoughts flow. If you find this difficult to do, maybe start with one of these prompts:

What are five things I accomplished today?

How can I prioritize myself and my everyday tasks better?

Are there any goals I’d like to accomplish this week/month/year?

Pro tip: Using the voice note app on your phone works just as well! Go for a walk or hop in your car for a drive and talk all your thoughts out until there’s nothing left to say.

2. Use a guided journal

I’m a big fan of guided journals when I can’t seem to find the inspiration to write. Something about a journal prompt and the space to write freely about a variety of topics really helps me to get out of my head. There are a ton of guided journals out there, but these are a few of my favorites:

Cleo Wade’s Heart Talk

Rupi Kaur’s Healing Through Words

Michelle Obama’s Becoming

3. Keep a gratitude log

One of the best ways to get grounded and re-centered is by simply paying attention and being present to the world around us. Start your day or end your night making a list of 5-10 things you're grateful for. You can even take it a step further by choosing 1 or 2 things from your list and going into more detail about why you’re grateful for it. Give yourself a few minutes every day for this practice, and by the end of the week you’ll have a long list to look back on and come back to when you’re feeling stuck.

4. Get into nature

A change of scenery is another great way to switch up your writing routine. Find a new or familiar park, take a walk, and observe the nature around you. Take notes in your phone or in your journal of everything that comes to mind using your five senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch). Get creative with what you jot down and write a poem from your observations, or perhaps a short story.

Ashley is a content marketer by day and aspiring nonfiction writer by night. She’s built a career of brand storytelling and now hopes to share stories from her own life on healing and self-care as she begins working on her first book. Follow her journey on Substack or Medium. Photo by Charlotte May from Pexels

#nanowrimo #writing #writing advice #journaling #by nano guest #ashley #writer's block

[timberpen]

Chapter 1: SAGAU Horror Writer.

(Y/N) stared into those beautiful stars as they tried to figure out what happened. They were shot. Now they’re here. They feel completely fine. Better than ever in fact. They slowly began to accept what happened to them. (I’m an isekai protagonist. God damn it.) (Y/N) carefully got up, surprised that there wasn’t any of their usual back pain but ignored that for the moment as they looked at their surroundings. They were by a lake with an oddly familiar statue on a small island in the middle. (Is that fucking Venti?!). (Y/N) realizes not only were they isekaied but they were isekaied to Tayvat. The setting of their favorite game. (Y/N) has many questions. Particularly why the grass everywhere but where they step seems to be dying. It’s not only the grass but all of the plant life. There are also no animals in sight. Not even the ones that are supposed to spawn. Now that they look more at Venti’s statue, they realize it looked in disrepair. Instead of its normal blue glow, it glows red. Like one that’s still waiting to be unlocked. After having that thought (Y/N) waded through the water towards the statue and mimicked the action they had seen the traveler do many times. They put their hand on the statue and the statue started glowing a brighter blue than (Y/N) had ever seen before. (That might just be because I’m seeing it in person.) The statue also quickly repaired itself. When that happened it seemed as if life came back to the area. The grass was green and they could see small bits of wildlife starting to return. A burst of wind also came through. (Y/N) recognizes where they are as Starfell Lake. (Mondstadt should be nearby but would it be a good idea to go? This could be similar to one of those imposter AUs people were making. If that’s the case it would be a bad idea to stick around when no doubt someone will notice the change in the area soon.) (Y/N) looks at Mondstadt in the distance as they turn and start running in the opposite direction. After a while of traveling they end up at a beach with one of the Teleport Waypoints right where they came in. (Y/N) debate whether or not they should activate the waypoint before deciding not to for now. (That would just make it easier to track me if this is an imposter au situation.) (Y/N) knows this is where the game started well… unless you counted Celestia. They begin to think about what they should do when they hear a sound. They see a flash of red come down from the nearby cliff as they feel a sharp pain in their shoulder. They can’t help but cry out as it burns. (Amber. Of course Amber would be the one to find me. Amber who has been part of my team from the very beginning.) “Stop! Imposter!” Y/N ignored Amber’s yells for them to stop until Amber lands another hit on them with her bow. This time the burning was in their leg and sent them tumbling to the ground. As (Y/N) carefully flipped themself over, (Y/N)’s eyes are wide with fear as they see Amber looking at them from a distance with a look of fear, regret and confusion. (Y/N) soon realizes it wasn’t (Y/N) she was looking at. (Why is my blood black?)

#sagau #sagau brainrot #genshin sagau #genshin impact sagau #timber rants #genshin amber #genshin impact #I bring you more content finally. #sorry it took a while

[vintagegeekculture]

I started reading some of R E Howard’s books because of your blog! They’re lots of fun and I can see so many of the standard fantasy tropes forming. What are some of your favorite covers or illustrations of his work?

My favorite Conan might just be this very off model one, in the Gnome Press editions. At this point, Conan was as completely forgotten as his fellow Weird Tales character, Jules de Grandin, Occult Detective, who was the more popular character at the time. I love it because it's so off-model. Unfortunately, the Gnome Press editions went nowhere, and Conan would not be rediscovered until the paperback boom, where he was kept alive by fantasy superfans like L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter.

A friend of mine, and fellow pulp collector, asked me a really interesting question in a late night bull session: what would have happened if Robert E. Howard had lived?

As most pulp aficionados know, Howard was clinically depressed and dedicated his life to taking care of his elderly mother. When he discovered his mother was not going to live through the night, he committed suicide that very night.

We can never really know the answer, but by examining his trajectory and that of his pulp writer contemporaries, we can make a pretty educated guess.

I have some bad news for Sword and Sorcery fans: Howard had completely abandoned the Conan character for months following his death, and indeed, any kind of horror or fantasy fiction, primarily as his relationship with Weird Tales went south. For a while around his death, Howard entirely transitioned to being a Western writer, and in the general opinion of many Howard fans, his most mature and best work were not his sword and sorcery yarns, but the Westerns he wrote at the end of his life like "Vultures of Wahpeton" and "The Last Ride."

In addition, we have an example of what happened to a lot of other writers of Howard's generation, like Hugh B. Cave, another Weird Tales guy, who eventually stopped writing horror and action, and transitioned to being a Caribbean regional writer, or how Manly Wade Wellman wrote about his native Appalachia and North Carolina. Wade Wellman's old 30s characters like John Thunstone and caveman Hok the Mighty were vastly overshadowed by his regional creation of Silver John, the Appalachian balladeer.

It's very easy to imagine a scenario, then, where had Robert E. Howard lived, he became a Texas regional writer mainly known for his Westerns, where he produced his most mature work, and the fact he wrote horror and sword and sorcery is a barely remembered fact only known to the most thorough of academics, who might just chance on the name of a Harold Lamb, Talbot Mundy, and Edgar Rice Burroughs influenced set of yarns starring some guy named Conan.

#robert e. howard #pulp fiction #weird tales

[maryonaccross]

I was enjoying browsing through your HOTD tag and I cannot agree more about the absolute headache that is wading through ao3 and trying to find a decent Aemond fic. Why is he always paired with some fucking oc daughter of Rhaenyra/Harwin or Rhaenyra/Daemon? Are people that hung up on Romeo & Juliet?

Hey Anon💚.

The pairings are so uninspired and repetitive. Since hotd features one insanely problematic and abusive incestuous uncle niece relationship fanfiction writers have somehow come to the conclusion that uncle niece relationships are an unproblematic pairing and that incest is the best thing in the world.

The Aemond/ non Targaryen OC fics are not much better unfortunately. 99.9% of them don’t go beyond hot sex god with eyepatch when it comes to Aemond’s characterization.

Unfortunately my favorite Aemond fic “of flames and snow” by Verande has come to an end so I’m extra aware of how bad most of the others are by comparison atm. 😔

#pro team green #anti team black #anti team black stans #anti daemon targaryen #pro alicent hightower #anti rhaenyra targaryen #anti viserys i targaryen

[rejectory]

𝑮𝒆𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒎𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓!

alias/name: you'll likely never know sry

zodiac sign: no astrology bullshit please father son and the holy sprite

height: as tall as you think

hobbies: conversation, wading through life a certain way, words, exercise, skin things, languages, the mean cold animals people don't prefer between The Two, scientific studies, movie magic

favorite color: that one girly one that more people should like

current book: waiting impatiently for it to arrive. other than that, choke by chucky p

last song: i just died in your arms tonight, cutting crew

inspiration: some frankenstein stitch conjoining life and chewy meaty media; my dear co-writers here -- a kiss to the sky for u

story behind url: one day i was like what's a word that's not too long and doesn't exist much

tagged by @petitsdieu :] tagging you, filthy reader, let me get to know you in the most generic sense

#1.

[fairytales-and-folklore]

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

Hi Prince! Thank you so much for the ask! <3

Hmm, since I've had huntlow brainrot for nearly a year, I think I'll go with my five favorite fics for them:

A Guard By Any Other Name

They wake in a forest filled with wildflowers and tall, waist-wading grasses, soft summer sunlight pouring through the surrounding thicket of towering trees in misty slivers. Beautiful is the first word that comes to mind when Willow takes it all in, a feeling that intensifies tenfold when her gaze lands on a figure sitting in the shade of a magnificent tree, feather-veined leaves spilling from long, lithe branches like rainfall frozen in time. It doesn't escape Gus's notice that the inner Hunter has chosen a willow tree as his sanctuary, chuckling to himself as the two of them approach him. "I was wondering when you two would finally get here," the inner Hunter affectionately teases, glancing up from the book he'd been reading — From Bones To Earth: A Study Of Wild Magic — to greet them with a radiant smile. "So, journey to the center of my mindscape," he prompts, squinting in the direction of a winding path leading through the denser, darker part of the forest. "Well then, we'd better get started."

Gold Rush

"They're staring at you because they think you're cute," Willow says with a small shrug, like it's an obvious fact, and Hunter nearly falls off the steps. "What?" Hunter's voice cracks about an octave higher than its usual register. "No, that can't be it," he insists with a half-hysterical chuckle, batting the absurd notion away with a wild wave of his hands. "I'm not— no, it's got to be something else." Willow stares at him for a moment, head tilted to the side. "Wait," she says slowly, brow furrowed in genuine concern. "Do you really not know how attract— um. I mean…has no one ever told you that before?" "Do you think I'm cute?" Hunter ventures in a soft, awed voice, and Willow's heart skips about a thousand beats. He's never looked more adorable than he does in this moment — fluffy blond hair coiffed in a windswept halo around the top of his head, dark eyebrows pulled upward in stunned disbelief, plush pink lower lip jutting out ever so slightly in a stupefied pout — and titan have mercy, Willow is so far gone on this boy. She's never been so stupid in love with anyone in her entire life, but this boy downright threatens her IQ.

She Has A Type (And It's Bad But Sad Boys)

"This is weird," she says after a few moments, and Hunter's heart sinks to the depths of his writhing stomach. "Talking to you like this," she clarifies, whiplash sending Hunter's heart soaring so high it nearly leaps right out of his mouth as Willow leans forward, hands coming up to rest on the sides of his face. "Mind if I just—" she asks, fingertips finding the grooves where his mask meets the curve of his jawline, and gently tugs it upward, exposing every bit of pale, scarred, blushing vulnerability underneath. "Hunter," she says, breathing his name between them like a sigh of relief, bursts of golden light from the string of fairy lights dancing in her pale green eyes as she stares up at him with a smile that could turn the dark into daylight. Her hands drift between them in mid-air, like she isn't quite sure what to do with them, fingers twitching like she wants to reach out and touch him, trace the line of his jaw, the curves of his cheekbones, the swell of his lower lip. Or maybe he's just projecting. He needs to leave. He wants to stay.

The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter

"Is this…did someone write a romance novel about grimwalkers?" Hunter asks, turning to see Willow peeking at him through the gap between her fingers, face flushed an adorable shade of pink. "And you used to read it?" he asks, lips pulling up into a smug little smile. "It was a really long time ago!" Willow blurts out, rushing to defend herself. "Way before I ever met you, back when everyone still thought that grimwalkers were just the stuff of fairy tales and folklore. Obviously it's completely inaccurate — I mean, grimwalkers don't feed off of witches' magic like basilisks or vampires, and they certainly couldn't craft an engagement ring out of a piece of their own—" "Ah, bup-bup-bup! No, no, no, no, no spoilers!" Hunter exclaims, covering his ears and shaking his head. Willow pauses mid-ramble, eyebrows arched in surprise. "So, this book," Hunter ventures, gaze flitting between Willow and the bright blue glowing galdorstone illustrated on the front cover of the novel held in his scarred hands. "You said it's a series? As in, there's more?"

Advanced Friendship

Maybe friends routinely catch each other mid-air. Hold each other in their arms like they're holding their own raw, beating heart. Feel that heart quicken and leap into their throat every time the other so much as smiles at them. Maybe friends start fires inside each other's chests that feel like they could simultaneously warm a winter village and burn down a rainforest — a heat so powerful it spills past their ribs and sinks into their skin, igniting their cheeks in bright, ruddy bursts. Maybe friends tell each other they mean the world to one another. Link their pinky fingers in an unspoken promise. Tilt their wrists so that their hands are pressed right up against one another's, like they just couldn't get close enough. It's more than anything he's ever done with any of the others, and it definitely feels different. Maybe it's…advanced friendship? Hunter glances up at her, breath catching at the way all the stars in the night sky seem to dance in her bright green eyes as she gazes back at him, that signature soft smile she seems to reserve just for him tugging at the corners of her lips as a delicate shade of pink blossoms across her cheeks like spring hydrangeas — and a wondrous swell of hope sparks to life inside his chest, because the last time Hunter checked, friends don't look at each other like that.

#ask #ask meme #fanfic author self rec #huntlow

[ineedlelittlespace]

21, 23, and 26 for writer asks?

Hello, friend! Thank you for asking! 🥰

21. Share your favorite piece of dialogue

“Ironic,” Murderbot repeated in a mutter. That was another one of those nebulous terms that appeared a lot in media, but which it hadn’t quite bothered to fully integrate into its vocabulary. It folded its arms, happy to pick at something that was not its own emotions. “Are you sure that means what you think it means?” “Yes. I looked it up,” Three said pointedly, its lips tipping upwards as it left the walkway to wade through the grass. 

From "The Tree That Owns Itself". Writing MB and Three at a later point in their lives where they're comfortable enough to bicker gives me great joy.

23. Share the final version of a sentence or paragraph you struggled with. What about it was challenging? Are you happy with how it turned out?

As the spotlight shifts off of it, Secunit relaxes a little further. Gurathin watches as it hesitates in the doorway, its bag still hitched over its shoulder with both hands white-knucking the straps. It purses its lips as it considers.  Finally, it hangs it carefully on one of the hooks by the doorway and turns away, putting its back to the escape wrapped up in that little satchel and its face to its…friends? Clients? Whatever it’ll claim them as, Gurathin supposes. Secunit catches him observing, then, and its hand lifts in an insulting gesture. A fairly mild one, but insulting nonetheless. Gurathin offers it a smirk in return. Some things, at least, seem to be consistent regardless of Secunit’s mental state. That shouldn’t be comforting, but somehow, it is. This is good. This is…progress. 

From "Enough." To be honest, I struggled with most of this fic since the narrative I had in mind was a series of little moments, not necessarily a smooth one-shot. Knitting them all together, then finding a way to end it (e.g. with this paragraph) took a lot longer than I planned, but I'm happy with it now!

26. If you had to choose one, what was THE most satisfying writing moment of your year?

Probably finishing "Trust Returned." It isn't the longest or the most complicated of the fics I've written this year, but it is my favorite since it gave me an excuse to ramble about the Murderbot & Mensah relationship in fic form. It's the fic I was ultimately the happiest with for this year.

Writer Asks

#ask games #murderbot fanfic

[longitudinalwaveme]

Flash #1 (or #801) Review

As I promised a few days ago, here's my thoughts on the newly-released Flash #1.

SPOILERS below the cut.

Let's get the smaller things I noticed out of the way first:

-It's nice to see Max Mercury and Impulse as a pair again. I'm particularly glad to see Max getting some focus, since it's been a long time since he's gotten to do much of anything.

-The art looks good for the most part. I think the panel layouts are interesting, most of the people look okay, and the horror stuff looks really creepy (so the art is accomplishing that goal).

-Gorilla Grodd is back! Hurrah! (Like all those Silver Age DC editors clearly believed, everything is better with gorillas.)

-Having lots of text is nice. I read really fast, so I appreciate comic books with a lot of text. Otherwise, I can burn through an entire comic in seven minutes. (One reason I like Silver and Bronze Age comics so much is because they tend to have a lot of text, so I'm glad to be seeing something similar here.)

-Baby Wade is adorable.

-"As always, it is not until the house is perfectly silent...that the pipe begins to play." Is this a reference to Hartley? Please let it be a reference to Hartley. I miss him.

-Why does Irey look like a teenager? She's only like ten, right? So far, she's the one character whose design really stood out to me as not looking right.

-I am disappointed by the lack of Evan in this comic.

-Good to see that we're maintaining the friendship between Irey and Maxine that Jeremey Adams established during his Flash run.

-I have no idea who this Chad guy is, but he sure did suffer a gruesome fate.

-On the last page: Hey, is that a reference to that time that Wally West became the Porcupine Man during William Messner-Loebs' run? It's definitely got the spikes, and that was also the result of the speed force going out of control.

And now for the major plot points:

-The sudden undercurrents of stress in the West household kind of seem to have sprung up out of nowhere. I'm not opposed to the family going through a rough patch, but I feel as though it would have been better to build up to it a bit. As it stands, the conflict kind of seems to have sprung out of thin air.

-Why is the Speed Force suddenly a massive problem? Where did that come from? Why has it only now started to become an issue? Again, this seems like it should have received a bit more build-up, because right now I feel like I've been dropped into a story that's already in progress, rather than being at the beginning of a new story.

-Is Linda supposed to be suffering from post-partum depression? That could potentially be interesting, but only if it's handled properly.

-Wally's shared his super speed with Linda before (notably, during Mark Waid's run), and she didn't seem particularly upset about not having it afterwards. Granted, that was for a few hours rather than several months, but it does seem perhaps a bit out-of-character for her to be so upset about not having super speed. In fact, Linda's characterization was the biggest sticking point for me in this issue. She just seemed off (something that was also a problem in the story Spurrier wrote for issue #800).

-I can't say I'm super thrilled about having yet another story that focuses on the speed force. I feel like most of the stories that can be told about the speed force have been exhausted at this point. It probably doesn't help that the speed force has never been my favorite aspect of the Flash mythos. Some writers handle it well (Mark Waid and Jeremey Adams come to mind), but I'm much more interested about the Flash, his family, his supporting cast, and his villains than I am in the vaguely-defined source of his powers. Oh, well. At least Evan and the Folded Man are supposed to get involved. That should mitigate the problem somewhat.

-Wally's periodic issues with depression have returned with a vengeance. Spurrier seems to have a better grasp on Wally than he does on Linda.

Overall, I'm curious about where this story is going to go, and I am very eager to see how Spurrier uses characters like Evan and the Folded Man, but I'm not confident about how the run as a whole is going to turn out. While there's certainly room for horror in the Flash, I generally prefer a brighter and more cheerful tone for the book than what Spurrier seems to be going for, and I'm worried about how he's going to handle Linda.

Tentative Rating: 6.5/10.

#flash comics #flash rogues #comic reviews

[wordthieve]

20 questions for fic writers!

tagged by @apothecarose (thank you! I've been so absent lately, but really enjoyed this one)

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

15 (feeling quite inadequate)

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

340,933 (feeling less inadequate)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Schitt’s Creek (suspect I'll be rattling around there when active membership is down to single digits)

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

You can fall

Anything for Us

Bon Hiver

Open arms and wide awake

Working Out

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

I still get blown away by comments on my work. I can't believe people are so kind. I try to respond to all of them, even if it's just something tiny. but owing to some personal crap I've kind of fallen off the response wagon lately. I'll get to them.

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

I don't think I have a single angsty ending. Maybe in the other fandom I used to write for there are some less happy endings, but ... fic writing has become a kind of safe, happy space. It's all about the wish fulfillment.

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

It's You can fall (which privately I can appreciate is a little ironic). Partly because of all the angst they waded through to get there.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I feel like I'm tempting fate. No? Everyone is so very kind. It's part of the reason I like this fandom so much.

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

Did you know I started out not reading smut on SC? Hooo boy! I do write it, but it's always chock-full of feelings.

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

Nope.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Have I??? Okay, now I'm paranoid ... no? Why, what have you heard???

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope.

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

Nope. If it had ever come up, I might be worried I'd be too much of a control freak/nice way of saying 'control freak'. I've only really thought about it in terms of a fic I have in my head that would require me to learn a LOT about gardening, and ... I'm quite lazy, really. Many, many of the collaborations I've read are incredible, though.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

David/Patrick

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

Positive thinking! None of them! (See above answer about being the last to leave the fandom)

16. What are your writing strengths?

Ohhhh man! I think I'm good at emotions and creating a cohesive story.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Overdoing direction. I have such a clear picture in my head, I have to actively stop myself from describing every detail of it.

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

I mean, this would require me learning another language. But if it fits the character, I'm all for it - maybe include the translations at the end, or provide a link to google translate? I enjoy trying to figure it out on my own though.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Friends.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

This will surprise exactly zero of you. I'm in danger of overselling it. But it's You can fall. Always.

#schitt’s creek #20 questions for fic writers

[punch-love]

12, 19, 21, 25, 27, 28, 29 (real curious about this one), 31, 34, 37,

OKAY fuck that's a lot of questions ik. But like if it's too much ya can answer whichever the ones ya want. Also the <<<40>>>> this question deserves a special place cause I AM FERAL AND BAT SHIT CRAZY TO ANYTHING RELATED TO LOVE-PUNCH.

12. Is there an episode above all others that inspires you just a little bit more?

I really enjoy the (singular) episode we've gotten for these two. In the context of the comics, one of my favorites is the one where Wade has to talk Peter out of going too dark-sided, which was a really fun contrast and something that Peter ended up thanking him for which is pretty rare for him.

19. Stephen King once said that his muse is a man who lives in the basement. Do you have a muse?

I'm very much my own muse, and I mean that in the vainest and most honest way possible.

21. How many times do you usually revise your fic/chapter before posting?

I can't even begin to count this number. It's a lot. It's like - it's a lot. I really won't post something until I can read through it and not feel the urge to adjust or change anything. I'm a picky reader, so that - is not an easy thing to accomplish. I also have a great beta who will sometimes rewrite portions, reorganize my flow, or pick specific sections that should be rewritten or re-evaluated, and so I'll send a couple of drafts over in that case so - yeah, the number is high. I take the editing stage very seriously.

25. What do you look for in a beta?

I was very lucky to have my beta @maybe-haunted ask to work with me on chapter one of my first posted work, so I've never necessarily looked for one. I've just been very fortunate to have the perfect one find me. I don't ask for creative help often, so the thing I appreciate about my beta (one of many) is that they make me feel very safe sharing something in a very raw, very imperfect state. I only publish polished works, but they've seen my writing at it's roughest and most incomprehensible, and they're always able to be very direct about what does/doesn't work while making me feel comfortable in that experience. I love knowing what's going on in the reader's mind, and they're a very good audience for getting that type of feedback. They also individually comment on all the sections/moments they like or hit really well for them, and that is just - let me tell you. The best part of the editing process is getting to read what they thought about it and getting to experience in real-time how my writing is being ingested by another person weeks before it's ever shown to my bigger audience. I really appreciate them a lot.

27. How do you feel about collaborations?

I don't enjoy them! I really like being the only guy steering the ship. I have never enjoyed collaborative projects. I have talked about writing something with @periodically-puzzled, and they're probably the only person I'd do it with. That being said, I love collaboration within idea sharing and editing, and I've taken a lot of ideas/feedback/snippets from my writing friends and beta before, and I love seeing how the hand of another person influences and changes my writing. I also enjoy seeing my hand in other people's work, but it's the difference between adding spice to the soup and making a soup with someone else. I much prefer adding spice/having spice added then having to share kitchen space.

28. Share three of your favorite fic writers and why you like them so much.

@periodically-puzzled: funny and immensely clever, such a clear narrative voice, and very intentional with the stories they like to tell. the first time I read their work, I felt like I had found a pearl in a sea of rocks. there's just something very individualistic about how they write. you can see the person behind the wheel and it makes it all that more interesting. also one of the few people to actually trigger me with their writing.

@primewritessmut: gnarly and so violent in a way that actually makes their writing almost bleed with it. there are writers who are like "wow I'm such a psychopath for writing this there must be something wrong with me" but they are literally babies in the face of whatever is happening inside prime's mind. her writing makes me flinch and I really enjoy that experience of not being able to look away. also just, the ability to finish so many interesting and complex stories is always something that impresses me.

@x-gon-give-it: really, immensely obsessed with their current WIP with a mercenary spider-man. the writing is just - incredible. there are passages and bits from it that cycle around my head in a loop. really just cracked peter parker on the sidewalk and made us all look at the inside of his fucked up brain. really very talented at writing violence and like, razor sharp intimacy. I take notes whenever I read one of the new chapters, honestly.

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

I know you were interested in this answer specifically, but I honestly would not do write a sequel or prequel for anyone else's work. that's just not how my brain works. part of that comes from the fact that I have a complicated, often negative relationship with people creating works inspired from my own, so it's not something I would do to another writer.

31. Do you take liberties with canon or are you very strict about your fic being canon compliant?

I take liberties by claiming everything I write is inspired by canon even which it's in direct opposition of it.

34. What are your thoughts on non-con and dub-con?

I love it a lot. I read a lot of it. I write a lot of it. I think it's a safe space for people to explore something complicated and/or objectively horrible that is often inspired by real world experiences and fears. I used to say that I wouldn't write non-con, and I still stand by the fact that I probably wouldn't write sexual non-con for my own mental health, but I am exploring a technically not sexual non-con scenario in a one-shot right now.

37. Talk about your current wips.

The not sexual non-con scenario I'm working on is one where Spider-Man goes feral and Wade keeps him in a cage and starves him on purpose to see if he can get Spider-Man to cannibalize him.

40. Write an alternative ending to [insert fic title] (or just the summary of one).

I'm going to be so real, I almost didn't answer this one because I don't like to talk about my endings (even their direct opposites) before I write them, but I did end up thinking about this enough to probably warrant an answer. I think that if (redacted) didn't happen, then they would remain enemies who absolutely hate everything about each other in the way that only bitter ex's really can.

I think that they would know too much about each other and that they would intentionally make each other's lives miserable because of it. They're both very vindictive people who love to hold a grudge, and both of them would feel victimized by how (redacted) went down and would feel like the other person was their personal villain.

I think Wade wouldn't kill Spider-Man, not out of love, but because he'd enjoy hurting him too much, and I think that Spider-Man would break his no-kill rule specifically to shut Wade up sometimes. I think Wade would bring the worst out of Peter, and Peter would make Wade want to destroy the best inside himself. It would be a 24/7 divorce court, but the court is the city and neither party is happy with the verdict and keep on trying to hurt each other to make up for it. I think eventually one of them would leave the city, and they would never see each other again, but the hate would never fully go away - and if they made their way back to each other, it would burn twice as hot. It would be like a full circle moment, then ending with how they started but this time with twice the amount of knowledge and the hate would be actually personal this time. That would be the alternative ending.

#mailbox #ask game #oh the alternative ending to love-punch would be so fun to write but it would end SOOOOO poorly #it's a miracle it ends well at all. is what I'm saying #thanks for the questions some of these were hard to answer but for sure made me think #not sure if that's the alternate ending you wanted to hear about. honestly it surprised me it didn't end with wade killing peter #but like. I don't think he could. by the end. not because he's a good person but because peter wouldn't let him

[youleavethetardisbrakeson]

so I know you write awesome fic, but do you have like a top five fave fics of Rhaenys or Farah by other writers?

Oooh this is a great ask! First of all, thank you, that's incredibly sweet. Obviously, my top two fic writers are gonna be my 'Eve Besties,' @joycieillustrations and @evebestt. They're my writing buddies (and beta readers), and I'll read anything they produce, even if it's 5k of Farah werewolf smut 🤣

@evebestt writes a LOT of Farah fic, so there's a whole back catalog to explore. I confess I am not a conesseur of Farah fic, so I'll just recommend her work in general lol. My favorite Rhaenys fics she's written are probably Take My Hand, Hold it Tight (all the baby feels) or the infamous Lady of the Tides (throne sex! throne sex!)

ex libris and Salt and Smoke by @joycieillustrations are both WONDERFUL multi-chapter Rhaenys fics

Some other wonderful Rhaenys fic:

who shall i say is calling? by Charis

That Line Where The Sky Meets The Sea (it calls me) by GrantMeGrace

Dragon Blood by fiveroundsrapid

Also, hot tip I learned from a tumblr post: if you like a particular author on Ao3, check out their bookmarks!

I was actually considering writing up a list of authors who write Rhaenys and/or Rhaenys x Corlys fic, since that Ao3 tag is such a mess to wade through. Just the author names, since listing/updating with individual fics would take a lonnnnnng time. So if you or someone you know writes Rhaenys fic, drop it in the comments (along with a link please) and I'll add it to the list!

#ask #rhaenys targaryen #farah dowling #hotd #ftws #eve best #fanfiction

[primewritessmut]

B, E, R if they haven't been asked already

The way I saw this come in and then just. couldn't. access. my. inbox. suddenly? Anyway, I made it. We're here. Let's go.

B:  What was the first fandom you read fic in?  Which was the first you wrote fic for?

The first fandom I ever read was for Johnlock (Sherlock Homes/TV). In fact, I think the first fic I've ever read is also my first bookmark ever. It's a sweet little domestic fluff/love declaration and man have I branched out since then.

The first fandom I wrote for was Symbrock. I don't think it's the first fandom I ever published for, but my very first fanfic was Need a Helping Hand? at the beginning of 2022. I hit the ground running, one could say.

E: What character do you identify with most?  Is there a certain fic of yours that captures these qualities particularly well?

I don't truly identify with any of the (fanfic) characters I write. That's sort of the point for me. I write to get away from things; life, responsibilities, myself, and the last thing I want to do is have to follow around some asshole on a journey of self-discovery that acts just like I do.

That being said, there are some characters that are easier for me to write than others. For example, Eddie is easier than the symbiote. Wade is easier than Peter. Harley is easier than Ivy. Mobius is easier than Loki. I'm sure that does say something about me, but I refuse to listen to it.

R: Which writers (fanfic or otherwise) do you consider the biggest influence on you and your writing?

I'm usually pretty heavily influenced by whatever I'm reading in the moment. But there are a few writers that have managed to alter my brain chemistry through my reading life: Christopher Pike (I know!), Chuck Palahniuk, and a plethora of romance writers. Just the romance genre, in general, I think. The bloody, macabre parts come from the first two and the bubblegum of my writing style comes from the last one. There's also a place in my heart for authors that can blend both, and authors that manage to be funny or clever throughout. (T. Kingfisher is one of my favorites for that.)

Also, over the last year @punch-love has probably had the biggest direct impact on my writing. Mostly in the role of the devil on my shoulder telling me to push the knife deeper and draw more blood. There are a truly wild number of things I never would have explored in writing if I hadn't stumbled into his path.

x

#ask game #inbox #nothing makes me feel more like i don't know myself than ask games #excellent questions #sorry they're late #thank you

[wild-karrde]

Okay okay.....look... THIS fic is so freaking amazing and the author @saturn-sends-hugs is such an amazing writer ❤️

I just love the way they just get the emotions, thoughts, and the innermost workings of each character (specifically in both Hunter's and Crosshair's reactions to Echo.) Sick!Tech was also just 👌👌👌

❤️❤️❤️

Without spoiling it, just know that I laughed and cried and got my heart ripped out and then softly bandaged back together.

This is a MUST READ!

(Link leads to the AO3 page. 3 amazing chickens so far and I believe more are being written and on their way! Completely SFW)

An Echo fic to punch me right in the feels? I AM ON BOARD. I love the idea of exploring Echo's headspace right after he joins the batch and how he's working through his trauma. I can't explain it, but the way he goes "Yeah, just like old times," to Rex right after his rescue has always messed with me. He seems so weary, but also determined somehow at the same time? Like he's relieved and afraid at the possibility of wading back into the familiar, which to him, is battle. I love this idea and am always down for a good old helping of angst. Thanks so much for the rec!

Participate in Fandom Friday to show your favorite creators from this week some love! :)

#FANDOM FRIDAY #creator appreciation #fic rec #fanfiction #fan fic #star wars #the bad batch #tbb #arc trooper echo #tech #hunter #crosshair #wrecker #whump #angst #fluff