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darkpoisonouslove · 4 years

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I retaliate/reward you with writer asks 2, 3, 4, 12, 22, 24, 36, 37, 39 and 42 ;D

Sounds good to me. XD

Okay, let's break these down. (I've crammed things that should be separated in different paragraphs in the same paragraph because of the structure of the ask. I just think it is easier to navigate it that way even if more paragraphs would make more sense. That way every opinion is constricted in one paragraph and you can tell which point it refers to easier. (At least imo.))

(I can't put a read more link rn as I'm on mobile. Sorry.)

2. Don't use adverbs

I cannot begin to describe to you how much I LOATHE this. It is, by far, some of the stupidest writing advice I have ever read. No, I don't care Stephen King supports this. Stephen King writes mostly horror and in horror you need to maintain suspense so short and to the point is definitely better and cutting adverbs is certainly a way to do that. However, I don't think this applies to all writing. I think this isn't really a genre thing as much as it is a specific case by case thing. And in most instances I think this advice is bullshit. Think about it. Language was created to allow us to express ourselves. Cut all adverbs out of it and that narrows down your way to express yourself. It's kinda like "Oh, hey, my leading hand serves more purpose. I should probably cut off the other one because it's not that effective." Congrats, you just crippled yourself. It's the same with language. Why would you deny yourself the help of an entire group of "tools" to express yourself? I just don't understand it. I suppose you've seen the posts going around about "good" and "bad" adverbs so I won't go into that as I agree that an adverb is a good idea when it adds some meaning to the word that wasn't there before (eg. "cried happily"). Sometimes it can actually make things faster to just "tell" them rather than show them through the context. I think adverbs are as neat as any other part of language and deserve their place in writing.

3. Write what you know

Yes, you should know what the hell you're writing about. Whether it was something that you were familiar with before you started writing or you did your research on the matter. I might be a little biased on this because I kinda hate doing research so I can be swayed towards write only what you are completely familiar with but that would just make things boring. So I think you can write about stuff that isn't quite your area of expertise as long as you put the effort to research it to the proper level depending on what you need it for. If it's more of a mention, you don't need that much knowledge about it but if you intend to make it the subject of your writing, please make sure you understand what you're going to be talking about in the entirety of your story. I am begging you because when you don't, we end up with stuff like 50 Shades of Grey (and I'm not just talking about the sex parts since this book is full of poorly researched stuff that, shockingly, ends up being unbelievable at best, potentially harmful at worst). However, I think that applies to a greater degree to published fiction rather than to fanfiction but let's not get into that debate since it's a completely different topic and I already veered off course.

4. Avoid repetition

This I mostly agree with but it depends on the purpose of the repetition. If it is done in order to establish a theme or motif or to emphasize a point (without overdoing it, of course), I fully support it. (I do that a lot in my personal writing and it shouldn't be that hard to find examples of it when looking at my fics ("What Is the One Thing That Can Never Break?" is the best example of this but I have done it countless times in most of my fics if not all of them since this is one of my fave techniques).) However, there is a thin line between establishing a theme and making dead herrings aka something that is brought up repeatedly without any point to it other than boosting the word count since it doesn't lead to anything and it was already discussed at a prior point (which I might have done a few times myself in some of my longest fics). If you're bringing another angle to an issue you've already looked at or are furthering the point, you should be fine but this is indeed a thin line to tread so it demands a bit of caution. I do believe repetition can be a valuable technique in specific circumstances, though, so it all depends on how it is used.

12 is already answered here

22. Do not use semicolons

My personal opinion on this isn't very applicable to anything else because I am not really quite sure how to properly use semicolons so I avoid them. I also don't really like them in other people's writings. I'm sure they have their uses but I think a lot of authors also overuse them to make those horrendously long sentences that I hate (but have started becoming guilty of as well even though I think that if you can't remember how the sentence started at the end of it, it is too long and needs to be split in some way). It is why I haven't bothered to learn how to operate them. XD But I think that my point about adverbs should be applied here as well. It is another tool you can use and I am sure it can be helpful. So I am not necessarily against it and wouldn't tell someone to stop using them. Only, maybe try using full stops as well? And I'll try to do the same because, like I said, I have started becoming guilty of paragraph long sentences as well. (Just to be clear, sometimes longer sentences are okay. But not when literally every sentence is over 150 words. You need to break them down, spice it up with shorter sentences thrown in the mix.) Also, I think this is an instance of the trap of "bigger is better" for a lot of writers except that here it is "longer is better". It really isn't. And I can tell you why. My scenes have started getting thousands of words long and if I were to write novel, I could hit 50k words with about ten scenes. Most novels are up to 120k words total. Those would be 24 scenes in my numbers but don't you feel like a novel will need more than 24 scenes? Consice writing is definitely a good idea and it is much harder to cut things rather than to add (at least for me). Fanfiction gives more room with the word count but I still think that it is important to be able to convey your point in as little words as possible. (Btw, this is a tangent but long sentences and semicolons appear a lot in academic writing and I hate it even more there because it makes it more incomprehensible than it needs to be (and in a lot of cases it already is written to be as incomprehensible as possible). Just... start another sentence, I am begging you. This one already is a page long, for the love of everything in the world.)

24. Don't edit as you write

A complicated one. Mostly because I have done this. I used to do it a few years back. I (mostly) don't do it anymore. I might stop to edit a typo or change a sentence that just doesn't read right but nothing bigger than that. And you should, arguably, not do that either. Why? Because you may end up deleting the entire paragraph, page, chapter and all that perfecting will have been for naught. It has happened to me when I spent a ton of time perfecting the first chapters of several of my works and some of them I will never finish while others actually need to start from a different point in time so the whole chapter needs to go. Along with all of my efforts. I would say this is mostly for longer and chaptered projects since the structure of a one shot (depending on the length) is easier to figure out and you probably won't need to rearrange parts of it. And if something is really poking your eyes out, you can fix it real quick. But once you have the whole thing, it will be easier to see what needs to stay, what needs to go and what needs to be changed. Sometimes the temptation is hard to resist and it's fine if you give in as long as you're doing it with the knowledge that "yes, this may be all for nothing but I can't look at it like that for another second". Sometimes I would say that you need to go back and see where everything derailed if you can't move on. There was good advice that if you're stuck, the problem is probably a few paragraphs before the point where you hit a wall and it has helped me get over a block a time or two. However, if you can move on without touching anything, you probably should. That can also save you from deleting something that is actually good. I have felt like the whole thing I was writing was terrible but holding back from deleting or even altering anything and, instead, giving it some time to breathe has saved a few fics along the way from being completely butchered. So I think this is, generally, good advice because of the reasons I listed but just like any other rule, it can be bent and broken. (I would say fixing typos is a form of bending it which I allow myself all the time. Spelling is just really important to me.)

36. Never use a verb other than 'said' to tag dialogue

I hate this specific phrasing of it a lot. Never start any rule with never. Of course, you need to use other verbs as well since they were created to express the wide range in which a person may speak their chosen words. My problem with this is the reason that is usually given for it and that is that it distracts the reader. It has never distracted ME. Not a single time. And while I agree that using said most of the time works since people usually speak in a calm, even, steady manner which to describe as simply "said" works well enough, I think that other dialogue tags have their places too. Because people don't always say things. Sometimes they scream them, sometimes they whisper them, sometimes they hiss them, sometimes they snap and so on. Here I think a better phrasing would be to use Syndrome's lesson again that "when everyone is super, no one will be". Dialogue tags different from said are supposed to direct your attention to the change in tone. They're supposed to stand out. If everything stands out, nothing will. (This philosophy is so applicable to so many things and I think we have to take a minute to appreciate how valuable the lesson of "The Incredibles" is.) So as with every other writing tool, if used accordingly, dialogue tags (all of them, not just "said") can only be of help and will not hinder you in any way. Just don't put more frosting on the cake than there is cake, you know?

37. Do not start a sentence with a conjunction

FUCK THIS RULE so much. This one you have to keep to only in academic writing. The moment you step through the threshold of creative writing this rule should be crushed under your soles. I often start sentences with "and" or "but" because I am looking to emphasize whether this sentence agrees with the previous one or not. Think about it. When you say "I liked him. But I didn't trust him.", it reads very different from "I liked him but I didn't trust him.". It focuses your attention on that contrast and makes you pay more attention to the objection to the first sentence that comes in the second. That can be incredibly valuable and help emphasize what you're saying in a more subtle way than repetition would. This is one of my favorite techniques of focusing the attention on where I want it to be and I will never give it up. Sue me if you want. And see if I care.

39. If there's a story you want to read but it hasn't been written yet, you must write it

Must is too strong a verb. You are not obliged to write anything. I couldn't possibly write everything I want to see written in a single lifetime. Calm down there. I think what people need to understand here is more that "if you want the story done the exact way that you would do it, you will have to do it yourself because no one else will do it the very same way". Doesn't mean that someone can't come close enough (I had that luck once) but it is unlikely that they'll do it in a way that you won't have any complaints about. So, really, "if you want something done right, do it yourself". But this can also mean "you have something fresh that the world needs because no one else has done it yet" (or at least not the same way you would do it). Which is cool but you really don't owe anyone anything. If that story is what you want to read and write (emphasis on that because writing is hard and takes a lot of energy, guys), then great! Go right ahead. But if you don't feel like doing that, you can leave it alone. Someone else might do it in time but with that we loop back to my previous point. I think that you should write whatever you want to write whether no one has written it before or it has been done hundreds and thousands of times.

42. Write your first draft by hand

Very mixed feelings here. I used to do that. The main reason for that is that I didn't trust myself to edit quite as sufficiently if I wrote it directly in a document as I would if I had to transcribe it from paper to the computer. For me personally, it is easier to change sentences when there is only blank space after that sentence since I don't have to worry whether the next sentence I have will still make sense once I'm done rewriting the current one. It was just easier to change things. A way to deal with that is to just press enter a few times before you start editing the sentence so that it looks like there is nothing after it and you're free to change it as you please. However, writing directly in a document is definitely faster and since I was having a lot of things to do in a limited time, I started doing that. It helped get over the fear of a blank page to a degree. It is faster. And I don't think I have noticed a change in the quality of my fics. Not a negative one at least. I just know that if I had had to write the 10k+-word ones by hand before typing them on the computer, I would've lost it. It would've taken way more time and patience than I was willing to give these ideas. Writing the words by hand sometimes helps me feel them better, though, (if that makes sense) and I wouldn't completely give up on it. I like to go with my intuition when deciding whether to write it by hand or type it directly in a document and it has worked out well enough for me so far.

#ask #her-majesty-wears-jeans #writing #writing advice #writing rules #my opinions

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cryptidsandcatacombs · 4 years

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Riddle Me This Fuckboi

Ship: Riddle Rosenheart / me ( ye we self insert cringy keep scrolling )

Rating : N as in nsfw smut be here so everyone under the age of 18 better back the fuck up cause you’re not allowed to read this. Anyone breaking this rule will be excommunicated from the premises

Riddle Rosenheart is aged up to 18 +. All participants are depicted as being over the age of 18.

Summary: Like 50 shades of grey but everything is red and Riddle Rosenheart is that healthy kind of horny (sex jeans not included but may be purchased as DLC)

A/N: My s/is real name is Oz but is referred to as Alice by the Wonderland dorm. He does play the role of Alice in several Wonderlands and has been to them. He’s also a trans male who still has all his female parts. Anyhow disclaimer over. My lovely s/o @ampersandies gave me the hc that Riddle is into bdsm so I went ham by writing a fanfic. This fic is a small one but if anyone wants to see me continue it I’d be happy to. Is was written at 1 am so apologies if this isn’t my best work. This fic was brought to you by the sound of one hand clapping from the ageless void. The void supports you in all you do. Say thank you void .

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You know how the story goes. The Queen exerts their authority. Alice defies this and like a failed game of chess the Queen falls.

However, the game isn’t won while the King still stands. It’s true Alice had a knack for stealing hearts and toppling Queens, but a King is a whole new beast. Can’t steal the heart from a King who guards his with an iron fist and will to hold his position at all costs.

Any so called Alice wanna be would have given up and phoned it in long ago. Riddle was stubborn as he was domineering. However, Riddle was also not naive. Even he could see this one was different. This one was more of a…genuine article. Alice had been to countless Wonderland and stolen every heart without falter. Now it was Riddles turn.

And oh how foolish it would prove to be.

This Alice was so lucky enough to catch the King on a bad day. His prized roses were stained with red paint. How vile. Heads would roll later. For now though, a five foot thorn in his side once again graced his presence towards the King.

Amusing. Or at least it would be if Alices very presence didn’t rile the King up every time.

“Alice, ” his royal bastard addressed him not even bothering with his real name. Every Wonderland addressed him like this. Mostly out of respect for the role. However, for Riddle it was so much more. It was a power move. Plain and simple. He would have to earn the right to be called by his True Name.

“Hm,” Alice said turning to the king. He was currently preoccupied with the painted roses. He’s been in this situation before. It never turns out different. Still amusing to watch them try though.

“I don’t think you should be here I have to…” Wait….is that? Riddle spotted on Alices hand a familiar streak of red paint. No that was just a coincidence. No way Alice could have been this ballsy as to paint his roses red with those foolish card guards.

Riddle stuttered out the rest whether out of shock or anticipation of the answer no one knew. “D-did you paint my roses red?”

“I was just trying to help,” Alice answered plain and simple.

Suddenly Riddles gaze went from shock to thinly veiled anger. Forget the card guards. This Alice needed to be taught a lesson. He would not have such an act of rebellion in his kingdom and this Alice has spent too long running around without punishment. This wasn’t even the first incident. Let’s say Riddle never forgot the time Alice ruined his mood at the tea party by saying he was too harsh to the con artist of a tea maker who gave him subpar. Brat should learn his place.

Alice noticed this increasing amount of frustration in Riddle. This might be the best time to book it. “Uuuu I’ll b–”

“Don’t even think about it,” Riddle said in the harshest, most commanding tone he could muster without completely yelling.

Alice froze in place at this. He was never really good with being yelled at.

“You think you can just defy me at every turn and not expect retribution?! No Alice. That ends TODAY. You’re going to learn your place or die like the brat you are. Now, don’t make this hard. Get over here or I make you,” Riddle ordered.

Alices eyebrows furrowed. Did he just call him a brat? Yeah no. Alice began to walk away. He wasn’t taking that.

Well, at least he would have if he didn’t suddenly feel something wrapped around his neck tight. Was this a collar?

“I said get over here or I make you,” Riddle said growling in frustration. Riddles hands were wound tightly by a rope. The same rope attached to the collar thst Alice was sporting as of a few seconds ago.

Alice stood there frozen. Mostly out of shock not quite sure how to register what is happening exactly.

Oooohh that defiance again. Riddle had enough.

Suddenly, felt himself being yanked hard by the collar. Riddle tugged hard on the rope dragging Alice along with it. Alice found himself face to face with Riddles firey eyes.

Riddle took the collar into his hands, tugging it pulling Alice closer. Alice could feel Riddles breath on his face.

“I told you I’d make you. I will not sit here as I watch you disobey me time and time again. You will learn your place whether you like it or not,” Riddle said voice shaking with anger.

Riddle tugged Alices collar once again. This time towards his throne. Riddle took his place on it, crossing his legs and placing his arms on each side of the throne. Riddle tugged the rope once again.

“Kneel,” Riddle ordered lightly tugging the rope as a warning. Alice stood there still registering what exactly was happening. It was a lot. How did he even get here? He just wanted to keep some cards out of trouble.

“I SAID KNEEL,” Riddle said interrupting the silence quickly. Riddle tugged on the collar hard forcing Alice into a bowing position.

Alice took the hint and kneeled before him. Not like he had a choice.

Riddle lifted his scepter, pointing it towards Alice. Soft skin met cold metal as Riddle put the scepter under Alices chin. He lifted Alices head forcing him to stare at Riddle. One boot from Riddle met Alices chest.

“This is where you belong Alice. You may have forgotten who the boss is around here. Every Wonderland spoiled you with their love and adoration, but they never showed you whose boss. Not this Wonderland. Not this time,” Riddle said leaning close to Alice from his throne. The collar was once again tugged to meet Riddles face close and intimate.

Riddle studied every feature on Alices face. Those lips, the nose, freckles…and the eyes most of all. They still held a spark of defiance in them. He figured it’d be harder to break.

However, looking deeper, he noticed something more.

Was he…enjoying this? Was Alice actually enjoying being bossed around and made an example of? Did Alice really enjoy being subjugated that much? That’s …new.Not something the king would have predicted in a million years.

It may have been shocking news but it wasn’t unwelcome.

Riddle pressed the collar around Alices neck tighter with his fingers. Alice let out a lustful gasp as if by instinct.

Something about that made something in Riddle snap. He might just be enjoying this too much. Who knew the great legendary Alice could be brought down by something as simple as bondage of all things.

Riddle truly counted his lucky stars that day. Maybe just maybe Alice was good at stealing hearts after all. Riddle would never admit it, but Alice truly toppled the king that day. He was as much at Alices mercy as much as Alice was his.

With that Riddle tugged on the collar pulling Alice into his lap. With one burning kiss and Riddles free arm wrapping around Alices waist, they were weak.

Alice prepared for a day of not being able to walk and Riddle mentally preparing for giving anyone who interrupted what is to come a peace of his mind.

Maybe just maybe a defiant Alice wasn’t such a bad thing after all. This impulsive game of cat and mouse wouldn’t be any fun if he wasn’t.

#self indulgent fics

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volturialice · 5 years

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Spork Haven chapter 8: King fucking Lear

welcome to spork haven, where I spork the EL James fic you’ve never heard of

previous chapter | next chapter | contents

real quick before we do a Previously On I need to warn y’all about what’s coming in this chapter because holy shit

in the grand tradition of Stephenie Meyer, EL James makes a Shakespeare reference. but in the grand tradition of EL James, it’s completely horrifying (and hilarious)

but it isn’t so bad in hindsight because right before that we get the WORST, the very W O R S T, title drop of all time

if you’re brave enough to read on I just hope you’re prepared for the snakes that will physically manifest in your house. you’ve been warned

previously on Spork Haven:

actor!Edward and hotel maid!Bella went on a date! Bella is a cello-playing orphaned virgin who is definitely in the Witness Protection Program! The paparazzi may have gotten a picture of Bella! Edward and Bella are gonna bang!

chapter 8 is pretty much entirely smut so it is [gag] very hard to read but very easy to summarize.

Edward is, as usual, profoundly horny, but he tells himself “not to be such a fucking Neanderthal” because since finding out that Bella is a virgin he “needs to get her aroused” because he doesn’t want to hurt her (was he going to fail to arouse her and then hurt her if she wasn’t a virgin? ok erika)

Edward begins by taking off Bella’s shoes and she reacts like it’s the sexiest goddamn thing that has ever happened to anyone.

mmm...shoes.

then he takes off her socks...but in excruciating detail!

and this is around the point where I was like ‘jesus fuck erika how long is this going to take’ and I definitely jinxed myself

anyway. throughout the undressing process, Bella is

which. I know “bloody” is British slang and not meant literally but in this context it kind of sounds like she’s just been biting her lip so much that it’s now bleeding all over the place. charming.

just when things are heating up, Edward carries Bella into the bedroom and we get the weirdest non-sequitur imaginable:

if y’all’ve read 50 shades of grey, this weird fixation on food and feeding your lover will sound familiar! except (and I can’t believe I’m about to compliment 50 shades) at least in that story, there was a starvation backstory that made christian’s fixation on food make a shred of sense. here it’s just...bizarre and out of place. they literally just ate lunch, for fuck’s sake.

anyway the sentences in here range from disgusting to cliché to bafflingly weird. for example, bella’s bellybutton tastes “like fucking Christmas” (because who hasn’t wanted to fuck Christmas? nothin sexier than Christmas.)

we discover that, in keeping with Pure ‘N Virginal™ EL James heroines, Bella has never so much as masturbated, and Edward thinks that’s the hottest thing he’s ever heard. magnanimous soul that he is, he fingers her a bit and then mansplains masturbation until at last we reach the sentence

which I could not help but hear in Owen Wilson’s voice. you’re welcome

is it just me or does Edward’s use of “wow” here imply that his partners usually don’t come? good one erika lmao

anyway, now it’s time for some penetration! Edward continues to explain sex to Bella in the most patronizing possible way. he sounds like a middle school heath teacher and a victorian mother at the same time and it’s about as sexy as it sounds, which is to say not at all. then we get the hilarious return of Personifying Edward’s Dick. his dicksona, if you will.

ok then.

but at last, we get down to business. Edward slowly pushes in, as you do, and then. and then.

it happens.

the sentence. the worst sentence.

“a safe fucking haven...

....for me and my dick”

a safe fucking haven for me and my dick

A SAFE FUCKING HAVEN

FOR ME AND MY DICK

erika...oh erika...do you mean to fucking tell me...that the ‘safe haven’ of the title...was Bella’s vagina all along?

THE SAFE HAVEN WAS BELLA’S PUSSY ALL ALONG

just for reference, like just so y’all know, there have actually been a few other title drops before this. but always, when the phrase “safe haven” popped up before now, it was referencing Edward’s hotel room. this one, though? this one feels like the Thesis™ of the story. like obviously Bella was always going to be the safe haven but nope, erika just had to take it a step further

kill me.

anyway, Edward and Bella have sex, there are many gross sentences and implications but they have nothing on that title drop, Edward finally (at last!) gets to suck on Bella’s earrings, and then, when Edward is trying not to come too quickly, we get this delightful paragraph:

some quick background: I am a Shakespeare Bitch. his image is plastered all over my bedroom, my fridge, my car, and my heart. I have an encyclopedic knowledge of his life and works. I have been in King Lear.

which is why I can’t help but wonder...why exactly does Edward know King Lear’s storm monologue? did he, a 24-year-old, play oldass geriatric King Lear at some point?

yes obviously he could have been in a high school production like I was where there were no actual old man actors to cast, but tbh I am having the time of my fucking life imagining an early twenties RPattz playing Lear in old man prosthetics

don’t come crying to me about this horrifying image, it’s nothing compared to the horrifying title drop you just read.

anyway, back to the smut! when at last Edward runs out of Shakespeare monologues and Arsenal stats, we are treated to what might be the dumbest description of an orgasm ever written:

emptying...his soul.

hey good news @ canon!Edward, you can stop worrying about your soul! turns out it was in your balls the entire time! the soul is in the testicles! what was that edward? edward? oh he hung up

and thus concludes chapter 8! may I suggest treating yourself to a nice Snake Rack for all the snakes that just manifested physically in your home?

be sure to organize your snakes by size and color according to the konmari method

a̴̧̛̩̖̰̫̲̮̙̓͊̐̄̿͝ ̵̧̦̠̪͚̫͌͐͜ş̷̳̝͔̖̲̟̀̑̆̓̋͂̓a̷͙̙̝̫͂͂͛̊́́̎́̕̕̚f̷̪͎̰́̆̊͊͌̿̄̃͛́́̂͑͆e̵̪̜̻̱̗̭̤̬͙̥͔͉̘̼̓̾̑̽̀̕͘͠ ̵̧̟̤̃̐̎͌̔͋f̵̧̡̭̭̘̰̹̹̼̬̳͎́ͅͅư̴̢̯̗̲̱̣͍̪̦̰̾̈͌̿͛̿̏̓͘͜͜c̷͙̦̳̗̀̀͐̒́̍͒̚̚k̴̡͕̩̗͇̪̘̥͊́ͅͅi̶̦̘̎̊̂̒ͅn̵̦̪͙̪͓̓͌̌͐̈́͗͂͠ͅg̶̡̳͔̳̻̻͖̩̤̹̜͖̺͆̈́͛͂̆͑̃̃̑͌̔̚͝͝͝ͅ ̷̜͉̱͉̆̎̋h̷̛̟̽̀̚̚a̷̹̠̺̤̘̲̪̤̾͂̈́͂̋̐̅̑̎̄̚͘v̵̧͓̫̯͇̼͖͎̭͎̿̒̊͑̕͜͝e̷̢̛̲̱̭̙̭͂͐̈ǹ̴̛̩̦̯̹͇̰̒ ̶̨̡͈̤̫̼͉͖̮̬͎͖͋̿̄̍̀̈́͝͝f̷̝̞̤͙̤͖͕̖͐̏̋̑̇͗́͑̈́̕ͅo̷̢̱̠̳̞̰̺̩̙̔̐̅̀̓̒̈͑̅̈́͝͝͠r̸̨̢̼̺͖̬̱̹̠̻̽̅̏͊͗͋͑̅̕̚ ̵͚̤͎̜̆̋̏̋̔̔̊́̾m̸͎̫͙̼͈̖͍̜̯̻̝̝͔̍̔̈́̉͆͛́́͝ȩ̶̺͓̪̳̫̞̳͖̝͇̪̩͎͌̓́́͊̓͆̂̑̎̾̚͝͝͠ ̶̧̬̠̳͇̠̤̦̑̍̋̊̉̋̓á̶̯͚͒̏̃̿̈́͒͌̿͝͝n̴̨̡̟͓̟̖͓̪̗̼̩̞̣̻̰̔̈́̿̑̌̅̋̈́̒̔̅͋̚͝͠ḑ̴̧̡̱̲̱̮̻͎̩̼̺́͂̅̽̈́ͅ ̵̭͙͙͍̞̝̥́m̴̨̝̠͔̲̺̺̜͙͗̒ŷ̷̛̜̳͓̹̹͔̻̥̗̔̈́͐͐̀̀̏̐̚͜͜͝͝ ̶̯̮͙̆͆̀̓̉d̷̛̗̮͂̂̇̊͊̊͊̊̚͝í̶̡̗̠̘̜͙͓̟̙̼̱̌́̈́̾̑̅͂̉̐͐͊ç̸͙̳̠̞̣̙̥͎̣͓̠̝̟̾̈́ḳ̸̮͈͇̏̑̈́͘͜

best “fucks”

over-fucking-whelming (the temptation)

a fucking go signal for my dick (a gasp)

best “shits”

happy and shit (edward)

next chapter: the fucking inquisition

#spork haven #twilight fanfiction #unsafe for work text //#here there be smut #I mean it IS EL James #food mention //#snakes //#suicide //

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transmxnfenris · 5 years

Text

My Discourse Thoughts

I know I speak out against antis a lot but I just wanted to specify I’m not an anti-anti either. I just think antis cause more harm than anti-antis but tbh this is my Middle Ground opinion. I don’t like either groups. I think this discourse is not as black and white as people make out. Before you start, I am saying this as an incest, rape, child porn, and abuse survivor. So. Yeah, my feelings aren’t about something I’m not aware of. It’ll be kinda focused on written stuff, because I’m a writer, but I try to be inclusive. I’m mostly writing this so I never have to say my opinion again and can just link it here.

Yes fiction can affect reality, of course it does. See the Jaws affect and discussions about representation of marginalised groups for evidence. So, artists do have to be careful and try to do better in terms of bigoted stereotypes and stuff like that. But. But. This is kind of like the “murder played violent video games and became a murderer” thing. Violent video games would only cause someone to become a murder if that desire is already in place (this is what the trauma control model says. - info on that from adopduction.) Abusive relationships only normalise abuse if they portray the abuse as normal. So like, 50 Shades of Grey - that portrays abuse as romantic and fun. That’s normalising abuse. Running with Scissors is a book that very much shows the abuse as clearly really bad. It doesn’t explicitly say it, but it assumes the reader knows that these abusive acts are horrible and wrong. Which is a fair assumption. I don’t think people should create things that suggests bad things (abuse, rape, etc) are fine and even normal, I don’t think that means we shouldn’t have art about these topics, we absolutely should. For one thing, it’s therapeutic for a lot of people to get the dark things out of there head and into the art their creating / consuming, for another - spreading awareness isn’t normalising. Books talking about things that really happen is showing you that people are capable of awful things. Their reaching out to survivors and validating them, and sometimes their helping everyone see the signs. Books like Haunted show that anyone can be an abuser, and that’s important. If we think of the perpetrators as monsters, then it makes it difficult to believe someone we know is an abuser or rapist - that’s how we get the “but he seems like such a nice guy!” Defence.

So in terms of subjects discussing dark topics - I think people should absolutely be able to. I think people should stick to things they have experience with (eg Chuck Palahniuk got the idea to write fight club because he got beaten up on a camping trip by homophobes and when he went to work the next day people said nothing even though he was visible beaten up) but I’m not gonna police people - so long as they do their research and are being respectful it’s fine (besides, saying only survivors can do it says people have to open up about their trauma even if their not ready and that’s not cool.) I think as long as people aren’t normalising these topics it’s fine but by normalise I mean 50 Shades of Grey style stuff. Writing about them isn’t inherently normalising them. A general rule I use to see if someone’s normalising something is is it tagged or classified as abuse? Or does it explicitly say abuse? If so, it’s not. 50 Shades of Grey doesn’t ever say it deals with non-consensual BDSM, stalking, and abuse because those are awful things as everyone knows. So, if an Ao3 fic is tagged ‘abuse’, ‘pedophilia’, or ‘rape’... it’s probably not normalising it. It’s classifying it as a bad thing. I think a fic is normalising pedophilia when it’s got a seventeen year old with a thirty year old and saying it’s fine because it’s legal in the U.K. thus they don’t tag it. Like, that’s a creepy age gap your normalising. It may not technically be pedophilia, but your pulling a Call Me By Your Name, it’s kinda normalising grown adults grooming kids. However, if a ship is about the same thing but the adult is the villain, the creep, the ‘everything is done to show their a bad guy’... That’s not normalising anything. I write about incest, because I’m an incest survivor, so I have some incest ships - none are healthy. I could go on, but seriously. So long as they’re not showing how incestuous relationships are healthy and fine, who cares?

In terms of ships... Oh boy, this is a tough one. I live by Don’t Like Don’t Read and Live and Let Ship. I think shipping adult characters regardless of whether people think it��s bad or abusive is fine. It doesn’t mean I like all ships. For example, I do not like the ship Reylo, but I have friends who ship it. I have it on my blacklist. I don’t care that they ship it. It doesn’t remotely affect me. I only really see it when people are complaining about it. I think in this case it’s also important to note shipping and fanfiction aren’t mainstream, your fanfic on Ao3 won’t have much of an effect to any mainstream audience. If you identify as a woman and love m/m fics? I don’t care. I’ve seen amazing fics and art by women of m/m ships. Hell, the community is what helped me realise I’m an mlm trans man. Do I get a bit skeeved when homophobia and fetishisation happens? And transphobia and intersexism? And racism? And ableism? And bigotry in general? Yeah. But why don’t we just, approach them in a civil manner because it may be by accident. A lot of people like that apologise then improve if you’re nice about it. Do I like women getting off on mlm? Erm, I don’t care. So long as their not homophobic and weird about it. Final note: shipping doesn’t always mean “I love, approve of, and want this ship to be canon.”

That being said... NSFW art between kids if you’re an adult is weird. I do actually have ships with under 18 characters, and I don’t care if anyone else does. Ships aren’t inherently sexual. But I’ve never written porn or anything sexual for them. Because the thought makes me feel sick. If you’re a 15 year old writing about two 15 year olds that’s totally different and of course you will, but I would strongly suggest fans like that be careful because weirdos might get ahold of it. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with people creating art with underage characters in these situations if they are in them, but be careful. I’m going to specify at this point I mean smut and porn. Stuff written for actual sexual purposes. Not all art involving sex is like this, I’m ace as hell, and I’ve... Never really written sex for that purpose. I explore power dynamics because it’s interesting, and dark topics because it’s therapeutic. I don’t ever write actual sexual (abusive or otherwise) scenes with anyone underage because it skeeves me. I just imply it. So I think underage ships are a grey area... but porn involving kids and teens is really weird. And hand drawn porn of kids is illegal in the U.K. even if it isn’t in the US so don’t rely on that if you do draw it. I’m gonna specify though, I mean kids who are like, actually under age definitely children, not ageless figures in an anime who’s age you only know if you research the background bit they all seem like adults. This isn’t about porn with the guys from Voltron, it’s about porn with like, Dipper and Mabel. Another shipping trend that skeeves me is real life people shipping. It just crosses a consent line for me, I particularly started to dislike it when my abusive ex’s friend wrote a fanfic of my ex-girlfriend with another person. It fucking sucked. Now, if someone explicitly says “write about me in weird sexy ways if you want” fine, but like... Otherwise it’s fucking creepy.

To expand on that, I really don’t think “do what you want” is a good rule. For example, erasing representation is a shitty thing to do. Dorian Pavus of Dragon Age fame, has an entire backstory dedicated to being a magical conversion therapy survivor... so let’s not make a “bi Dorian Mod”. I don’t like that. And as I said, I don’t like child nsfw stuff, and lolicon, and babyfurs, and whatever else. It’s creepy. Basically my opinion is “do what you want, just don’t be bigoted or a fucking creep.” And... maybe don’t invest your time into being angry about it. It’s not healthy. If you see something bigoted or creepy, report it, block the person, and move on. If you see something you personally don’t like, but isn’t bigoted and isn’t harming anyone (like, whether you think Reylo or Kylux are abusive or not... it’s not mainstream, it’s not harming anyone really) maybe you should just. Leave it alone. Block the tag, and move on. This whole, deciding what harmless ships are bad and good and causing witch hunts is fucking conservative, cultist bullshit.

Tl;dr:

Don’t like, don’t read and ship and let ship are good rules. Within reason.

Let people create art and write about whatever they want. You don’t know their life, you don’t know who benefits from it, and art deserves freedom. Within reason.

But. We shouldn’t let bigotry and weird creepy stuff get a free pass though. But sometimes people don’t mean to be bigoted so try being nice and explaining stuff before abusing.

But also... witch hunts are like, bad?

#long post #my discourse opinion #fandom discourse

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writinggeisha · 5 years

Link

Chapter 2: Plagiarization and You

Plagiarizing and you

Or : how some really clear-cut rules and examples would be really nice

Also, some things are plagiarizing and some are copyright infringement. There is some difference between the two, so do your research as good as you can.

So, you really love this one show and you're going to write a story about it. Which is nothing to be ashamed off, but there are some pitfalls you will have to be careful about. First of all, let's start with the two biggest no-no's out there. Why are they the biggest? Because these are the only two that I have found conclusive and uniform agreement about that they are bad, even in FF's rules (which really could use some extra work as well.)

No-no 1 : Completely copy-pasting (or typing with the original source next to you, whatever) an entire work, only changing a few names along the way. Seems like there are a lot of people out there who do that (some call it novelizing a movie, but it's still not okay unless the creators of said movie actually asked you to do it and you've signed a contract and shit)

Why is this bad : because you can't really call it writing anymore, now can you? It's like when I really love an online novel with the main characters Adam and Steve and I change their names to Morticia and Eve and that's it. This is not writing fanfiction.

No-no 2 : adding the lyrics of a song to your work. This doesn't go for all songs, but let's call it safe and say pretty much every song you have on your ipod or playlist or whatever belongs to this category. Why? Because you are once again distributing material the creators would ask money for. Only songs that are in the public domain are 'okay' to be used, but you should still inform people where you got them from.

Why is this bad : because you're giving away for free what your favorite band would actually like to sell - or give as a bonus with purchased items - and it's bad for their sales. If you love a band, don't steal their money.

BONUS : If an author doesn't want fanfics made about their work, respect that.

Time to go into the greyer areas. I call them grey because from here things just get pretty hazy because nobody agrees on anything. But I did find two sets of rules that are pretty important, since they get quoted a lot.

Set of rules 1 called fair use, from the organization of transformative works (I have copied these from their website, yes) :

Note : these apply mostly to the US in one form or another, so perhaps check the dealings for your own country as well.

Fair use favors uses that

(1) are noncommercial and not sold for a profit (as in, you are not making any money of your fic. Because you have based your work on the original and it is still recognizable as being based on it, ergo, don't sell it.)

(2) are transformative, adding new meaning and messages to the original (Did you copy-past? Then you're not being transformative. Being transformative is more than just changing events and supplying different names. What do you want to tell with your fic that wasn't covered in the original work?)

(3) are limited, not copying the entirety of the original (again, did you just copy-past the entire thing and leave it at that? Not good!)

(4) do not substitute for the original work. (Is your work replacing sales that the original would have made if your fic didn't exist? If the answer is no, you're good. If it's yes... well, apart from having done a smashing job you also broke the rules. Delete it and write an original work, which is bound to be great if you're capable of replacing a selling author)

None of these factors is absolutely necessary for fair use, but they all help, and we believe that fanworks like those in the archive easily qualify as fair uses based on all these factors.

And this is a set of rules from the school of law website in San Fransisco - they also compared the rules with 50 Shades of Grey and Harry Potter fics - that are pretty much the same but worded a bit differently :

If a writer of fan fiction is sued for infringement the writer can make an argument of fair use. Under fair use, there is a four factor test that the courts apply:

1) the purpose and character of the use (commercial in nature or nonprofit educational purposes) : the same as the previous rule 1, but it never hurts to remind people you cannot sell fanfiction. EVER.

2) the nature of the copyrighted work (this refers to transformative but in the case of some types of fanwork could also apply to their content. People often make the case that Rowling supports fanfiction but forget that she has had several taken down that were sexual in nature.)

3) the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work : one group called this the 25 and 33 percent rule. The 25 percent is how much of the original work was 'copied but still credited to original author' that is consecutive in a work (For example, a chapter). The 33 percent rule dictates that if you have over 33 percent of copied material in your entire work you are in violation.

and 4) the effect of the use on the potential market of the copyrighted work : the same as rule number four above.

Go over this list, keep it in mind. The entire area is one huge grey zone, but you have to keep one thing in mind. If an author ever says they don't want fanfics made of their work, you respect them.

Also, if there are things that should be modified inform me. My source for this was the internet in general and a chat group concerned with this kind of thing. Accurate information is also important, since it drove me crazy to know if I was correctly accused of plagiarism. I'm glad to know that I was not, which would have surprised me, but that copyright infringement might (and always will be) a possibility.

#advice #tools #links

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