#i only have so many published fics and there's only so much interesting material that i cut from them

[ilovedthestars]

👀 give us another number 18

okay i need to know if you saw bardic's shenanigans and decided to jump on the bandwagon or if you guys just have hilarious timing XD

seriously tho i'm running out of material, this is the LAST ONE

(Fic writer asks)

18. if you keep them, share a deleted sentence or paragraph from a published fic

This is another one from the rest is still unwritten. I had a bit where ART interjected, but decided to cut it to focus on Mensah and MB. This is right after the question of whether MB is staying with ART's crew comes up:

“I wasn’t sure if the offer was still on the table.” ART butted into my feed, and had the courtesy to loop Dr. Mensah in too. You just saved several members of the crew from a potentially fatal situation for the second time, you little idiot. The offer is still on the table. Dr. Mensah raised her eyebrows in my general direction. Okay, maybe I was a little bit of an idiot.

#ask game answers #stars fic #the rest is still unwritten fic #i am enjoying the shenanigans XD even if i should be going to bed now lol #i only have so many published fics and there's only so much interesting material that i cut from them #i don't think there's much else that would be actually interesting to share

[weebsinstash]

Babe! A new Helluva Boss episode just dropped! And Ozzie and Fizz are just so goddamn cute! 😍😭 and Ozzie is such a sweetheart! (I hope he’s genuinely such a softie and not playing an act, we need more softie demons).

Can we please talk about Yandere! Ozzie again? Pretty please with a shit ton of sprinkles on top? 🥺

Bestie thank youuuu I watched that shit immediately and I have so many thoughts

This episode actually shows a big reason why I haven't really published a lot for like, Ozzie or Valentino in terms of actual fics because, my take on Ozzie's personality based purely off his debut appearance would've been a lot more different and now we see that, bro he's, suave yeah, but also, a huge green flag lovable cinnamon roll dork??? Valentino, we only have seen so much of. To be honest the way he's been presented seems to sway from "scary as fuck during gangster business stuff" to "he's kind of a ratchet ho, actually" and I'm not, entirely super confident writing stuff for him because like, I'm more of, assuming? I can't, analyze his character like I can for other characters with more material out for them.

For real though, my current stance on this matter is: Asmodeus, you could go to him and ask for his knowledge and advice on like genuine issues or things you're curious or concerned about like, legit you could sit down and have STD talks with this man ("h-hey Ozzie is it normal to have xyz on my you know what" "oh honey yes that's just like a blood blister from friction you're fine" "oh my god ok good because I was worried it was cancer" "HONEY NO 😩") meanwhile fucking Valentino over here would be like "bitch why you got cellulite" and like make backhanded comments like, oh maybe he could reward you with a boob job instead of your next paycheck (as in like, cosmetic surgery 💀 you know I've thought about that? Yan Valentino who's crazy for ya but, not crazy enough to not make certain, tweaks to your actual body. Maybe he dyes your hair or has it styled a specific way and basically refuses to let you do whatever you want with it. Gets your boobs or ass done. Makes you get fillers/botox for any wrinkles/static lines. Controlling your wardrobe is a must. You're like his little.... pursedog)

(That being said though. I'd still let him hit 😩 reader who gets drunk and fucks around and finds out--)

Anyways though, over here in our corner we believe in unapologetic self indulgence and I still believe a Reader who has magical abilities or powers and whatnot and can travel the rings through whatever convoluted means is a fun time. So. We're gonna do that! I mean. Asmodeus honestly seems chill enough that even if you like, somehow crashed into his club, as long as you were polite and respectful, he'd be chill with letting your hang around, maybe even getting a kick out of teasing you (but never pushing anything too far unless you show interest, and if you show any discomfort or trauma he backs off to re-strategize). I imagine his club would actually be pretty fun? Drinks, live music, although, kind of makes me wonder, how openly horny is this place? Probably not like "coochie in your face" like working for Valentino, so, Reader could even be all "honestly this is such a much more safe welcoming environment to engage in like sexuality" and Ozzie hears this and its like, dude. You might as well have just struck him through the heart with cupids own arrow, but, also, he's curious, what other places have you been?

I'm kind of convinced that if a little imp cunt like Crimson thinks he has the balls to stand up against Ozzie, hostage or not, I kinda feel like. Valentino would probably openly treat Asmodeus like shit. He'd probably be a catty fucking bitch to him. He probably looks at Ozzie as like, a diet coke version of himself, a version who has so much power but doesn't go far enough, and probably scoffs at Asmodeus' romantic attachment (even though Val has some weird on-off thing with Vox himself). Valentino doesn't give two fucks about consent and would probably openly mock Ozzie'e values

Or. They could be big business partners because, maybe there's some sort of inter-Ring porn trafficking pipeline or something, smuggling the good shit up from Lust and trading it with stuff from Sinners, who have more visual variety besides other perks etc

But just picture, Asmodeus and Fizz are, minding their own biz, at the club, chilling, listening to music, eating food vaguely shaped like clocks, and Ozzie's cell rings, and they're both like "aw I bet Reader's calling to say they're having fun at that party or whatever" but they answer it and you're like, hiding in the bathroom or a closet or something, crying, whispering under your breath "d-do you still have a place for me to stay like you said before 🥺 Valentino is really, REALLY drunk tonight and he's really scaring me, he grabbed me and--"

They're both at your exact location in like less than 5 minutes and maybe have to play it off, Ozzie distracting Val while Fizz steals you away, or, juicier, like. Imagine Val snatching your phone from your hand, going through your messages, "who the fuck have you been talking to?" And he pulls like the classic abusive boyfriend move and when he sees you're in frequent contact with someone named "Ozzie" he calls him from your phone and as soon as a male voice picks up, they're both going at it "bitch who the fuck are you?" "Bitch who the fuck are YOU?" "Why you got my baby's number?" "Why do YOU have MY baby's PHONE???" "I'm about to HAVE my foot up your ass, you--" like, you know what I mean? Asmodeus is rolling up and these two are all but butting heads with each other as you have to awkwardly explain how you know both of them and of course, suddenly there's a not quite comfortable conversation about which one of them you... "belong to", neither of them wanting to leave you with the other (although I imagine in a physical fight Asmodeus would win but Valentino would have homefield advantage involving his security dudes)

Either way like.... oh my god watching them lounge in that nice big bed together. Fizz being on Ozzie's chest, like. Give me that 😩😩😩 "oh Reader, baby, so glad you took up our offer for a place to crash, but, since it was so short notice it'll have to be with us tonight" type shit and like you're fine with that but then bedtime comes and. There's Literally Only One Bed. And you're like ok you know what I'm not really in a position to be ungrateful, Valentino could have actually fucking hurt me or trafficked me or whatever, but, you're still small enough that Asmodeus could hypotheticallyyyy just, reach an arm over and scoop up you into his chest for a cuddle, or just have you in the crook of his arm like a cat or a teddy bear. Ozzie definitely sees an immediate perk on Fizz not being so much of a troll as to give you the airhorn treatment your first morning there, so, obviously, they have, multiple motivations to, keep urging you to stay 👀 after all, Val is going to be looking for you in the Pride Ring, and you don't have any other friends, so, you're kind of stuck with their whims aren't you? Unless you try to run off on your own, and I mean. Really. They can just hire someone to bring you back lmao. Or get you themselves. Could you imagine feeling way you uncomfortable around them and slipping away and suddenly you find a little white demon dog on wheels happily rolling up to you out of nowhere and it's. Fucking tracking you for Fizzarolli and Asmodeus, like. Damn, can't even trust the dogs in Hell. Demon dogs in Ohio be like

Anyways idk I just like the idea of like. Combining several ideas, you do the whole "accidentally did the whole Death Fall From The Sky and crash into Vals sunroof, he keeps you in servitude because you have to repay him, eventually you Fall into Lust and you start basically doing double jobs at both clubs and prefer Ozzie and he eventually has to rescue you". Also like Valentino "canonically" humiliates his partners on social media so I can imagine he's just publicly belittling and negging you all the time. One second you're happy at Ozzie's listening to music and eating unholy amounts of onion rings with your quirky well intentioned clown friend, the next week Asmodeus sees a Sinstagram post where Valentino is just like "cutie was whining she couldn't get any tips so I helped her out 😜🤭🍈🍈" and its just. A photo of you in your work uniform where he clearly just reached forward and tore open the front of your blouse and he is just. Full on deadass without any hint of irony making you basically work in your bra and he's just without any remorse posting photos of your running mascara and you're clearly crying but what can you do?

Val posting a photo of him literally shoving a tip INTO your bra, his FINGERS in there, and other like little clips and snippets of him demeaning you while you're like actually fucking blubbering "and make sure to get me extra ice!" "*sobbing noises*" "I didn't hear a REPLY! Do I need to take some of those nice tips I'm helping you make?" "N n noOo I'm sorry" "sorry WHAT?" "M sorry mister Valentino, I'm sorry, I'll get your drink right away mister Valentino" and Val is just slapping your ass HARD as you turn to leave like and just laughing like this is the most fun he's ever had

like I feel like Asmodeus realistically would only be able to do so much IN Pride itself (because would You show up in your boss' turf doing your own shit? Big risk) BUT, I mean. You go down to Lust and you're basically fair game. You show up to your next shift after The Boob Incident and Ozzie's like "giiiiiiiirl imma keep it real with you, I know you wanna try and be independent but I got some concerns--" and he's barely even halfway through it before you're just, TEAR EXPLOSION, "i hate working for him, I HATE IT, I wanna work HERE full time, but I don't have a place to staAaaAaay" and just. Some UGLY crying because you're at wits end

Zero hesitation here's Asmodeus "Sweetie what kind of apartment do you want??? You want a penthouse? I can get you a penthouse?? You want some shopping money?? Tell Big O whatever you need." and the next thing you know Valentino is scrolling through Sinastagram and has to do a double take as your account starts posting all kinds of photos of you looking cute and having fun and, poolside in a bathing suit and you're becoming more comfortable with your body and your sexuality and, he's thirsty absolutely, goes to try and tease you or make fun of you and you're just like "you wanna fuck me so bad it makes you look stupid" and just ignore him as Val is forced to watch you pal around with Asmodeus (either as just friends or total fuck buddies like, deadass catch me out here "hey so, there's this position I've always wanted to try--")

#yandere x reader #yandere hazbin hotel #yandere stuff #sinprompts #yandere helluva boss #idk do i even. tag this series. idk. #you can tell this shits been in my drafts

[threadsun]

My other thought for the night is that. I miss oc x canon fics.

Like, I know there's still some people writing them, but mostly they're either gone or filtered through so many layers of irony or scrubbing clean that they don't actually land.

I personally have no interest in reading canon x canon or cannon x reader, and it's really sad to me how much oc x canon has declined in popularity since I was a kid. I remember reading all those stories about the main character's long lost twin sister from [random other country] who was super cool and powerful and special and different (like the main character often was in the source material) and some random side character who the fandom fell in love with would fall in love with her, and I loved them so much!!

But now even when you search specifically for fics with original characters, they're never the main character and they're never given the attention and love they deserve. And a large part of that was because of the bullying and whatnot around "Mary-Sue"s and oc x canon and just... idk fandom being shitty and obsessed with the idea of "good" vs "bad" stories rather than acknowledging personal tastes and the fact that fanfic is supposed to fill a different creative niche than professionally published works.

Idk I just miss reading those fics because they're the only kind of fic I'm actually interested in. And I remember not long before that change really came about, a lot more oc x canon fics involved trans/nonbinary/otherwise queer ocs, polyamoury, and more representation in general that clearly came from authors writing about their own experiences! We were so close to having a great thing! And then it just dropped off pretty much. No more unironic, unapologetic, self-indulgent oc x canon fic. So I stopped reading fic for a long time, and even now I don't read much of it tbh.

And it's not that people aren't interested in writing it!! I talk to people all the time who want to write oc x canon but are scared no one wants to read it. And it makes me so sad cause it's the only thing I want to read!!!! I don't give a shit about canon x canon, and I don't really care for reader x canon because it makes assumptions about the reader that frequently aren't accurate to me.

I'm definitely gonna try to move more towards writing oc x canon (and oc x oc, and even oc x reader) fic more because it's what I want to see. I want none of the irony or pushing ocs into side roles only. I want self indulgence and "overpowered" (read: main characters) ocs and oc x canon romance! I want ocs that are hyperspecific to the author, who live out the life the author wishes they could if they were in that world. I wanna read something and know the author had a blast writing it! I wanna get deeply invested in shipping someone else's oc with canon characters! I want it so bad, please give it back to me, please...

#sunshine #18+ only #okay maybe yes I'm going a little crazy about this. but can you blame me????? #they took her (main character's cool twin sister who all the guys are in love with) away from me!!!!!! #give her back!!!!!!! #anyway this is why I'm so in love with Teeks #thank you for giving us Hunter and Hunteralan to be obsessed over we needed it so bad!!!!!!!!

[azrielgreen]

Do you ever worry that writing dead dove fic could negatively impact your writing career in the future? I'm kind of struggling with this, I've seen so many authors careers ruined by doing much less "problematic" things than writing non-con in a fic. I'd be devastated if by some miracle I managed to write a book that actually got popular just to be canceled by someone digging up my fanfic. From what I've seen the book community is even more harsh than fandom, there's no nuance or room for discussion whatsoever, when the hammer falls that's it and no one wants to be seen as being on the wrong side so they won't read your book. I don't want to limit myself creatively or have to be secretive and paranoid, I'm here to make friends, but I also don't want to shoot myself in the foot. I'm just curious if you've thought about how you'd handle a situation like that.

This is a really sad way of looking at things and I'm really sorry that the absolute state of fandom has people feeling so down and so heavily policed.

I don't ever worry about this.

One of the first messages I ever got about 'You're Divine' was someone telling me that it meant so much to them that I was open about who I am and upfront about writing fic because it made them believe one day a fanfic writer might break into the publishing industry.

There are THOUSANDS of professional writers who also write fanfic, many who are very open about it. I will be one of them.

This Dead Dove "Panic" isn't new, it comes and goes. This discourse is old as shit and just about as interesting to anyone except the people who are eagerly learning puritanical ways to bully and harass.

I always write for myself. I write what I want, how i want and I will share that with the people who want to read for it for as long as I can. I will content warn and create as many safe barriers for readers as I can. I will always write with empathy and nuance and authentic curiosity and i will always stay open to the changes i can make to be more open minded, more inclusive, to broaden my horizons and explore with an open heart.

I will not censor myself.

I will not stand on a pedestal and loudly decry others to detract attention from myself and my own works.

I will not stand for bullying and I will NOT quieten my literary voice because there are those who think that depicting rape is endorsing rape. I won't bow to those who seek to remove the context every single time and I will never bow to purity culture.

If I sell 10 books in my life, I'll know that's 10 people who really wanted to read my work and they did. That's amazing to me.

I have nothing but respect for those who choose to shield their identity, who write with pseuds, who protect themselves.

But if I can make one fucking person feel better about themselves and their interests, about writing darker material... if i can make ONE person feel unashamed and confident enough to write what they want to, then that'll be worth everything.

I'm always going to write what I want and publishing will be the same. I have no intention of watering myself down for mainstream approval.

The literary world cannot be made up of only ONE type of story. It cannot be censored. It must not be purified and sanctified. Some stories are ugly. Shocking. Horrifying. Brutal. Provocative. The expanse of human emotion of vast and complex. As humans, we sometimes have a need to experience complex, ugly emotions within a framed narrative of safety. We read and we write for so much MORE than moral virtue signalling. It's tiring to see some of the most important stories being blanket labelled as "problematic" just for existing. To see people ignore warnings and context and thoughtlessly embodying the modern puritan.

I'll never stop being who I am and writing for myself. Everything else is secondary. Once you start writing for other people, bowing to purity culture, diluting yourself... it's already over.

Fuck that.

Love, Az.

💜💜💜

#askaz

[aerodaltonimperial]

Listen, Imma be real with y'all for a second.

In 2022, the Chrono Cross remaster came out for PS4. And that summer, I wrote a 50k epic about my two favorites from twenty years ago and dropped it on a long-dead fandom for an absolute rarepair. It was one of the most ridiculous, fruitless things I've ever written. I knew very few people would read it. I think I never got more than 50 hits on it. I did it anyway, because it was fun and I had a great time and I knew it was good. And then I got into wrestling, so I sort of never looked back at it, because I was writing other things.

I cannot tell you how many times I have opened up my AO3 account in the past... 6 months or so, and thought, so, people were only my friends while I was writing what they wanted, huh? I stopped writing this, and people just fled? I have opened up my old Hookhausen fics and sat with one finger hovering over the delete button so many times, because if that's all people cared about from me, I was gonna nuke it out of spite. I'm not necessarily proud of it, but it's felt awful this past half a year writing in such a bubble, and as my therapist can attest to, when I feel hurt, I lash out to hurt other people in turn. Vamp is the only reason I won't do it. But it's been so hard being plunged back into writing alone after so long of people caring what I was doing. It felt like writing that CC fic again, only this time, I knew that people had simply lost interest. In me as a person, really.

Fic is the only place I feel worth anything as a writer. Years of failure, and fandom is my only source of positive feelings about my own words and my own work. It's hard to lose that, especially in the wake of giving up a decade-long dream. It's HARD to lose the only thing keeping you going with a hobby, and I'll be the first to admit that I haven't been handling it well. I used fandom interaction on my fic to help fill all the pieces left exposed and smarting from failing at trad pub over and over and over. It's not a bad thing to do, really - a lot of writers suggest doing this, to help build motivation and confidence while trying to get published. But it only works when there are people there to read your fic, haha. Fandom, for me, has been contributing to my depression symptoms big time. At one point, my therapist suggested maybe I should step out of fandom and fic writing, because it was spiraling my mental health. And to have him tell me that, after our years together, really opened my eyes to how bad it had gotten for me in regards to my self-worth and self-confidence.

I got a comment on that CC fic this morning. It happens so rarely that it really caught me off-guard, but it was one of the nicest things ever, and I sat reading it thinking... okay. This is worth it, isn't it? That fic has been there for years, garnering so little attention it wouldn't have mattered if I had deleted it. I was reminded this morning that it does matter. That single comment on an obscure fandom that peaked twenty years ago and still never had many people in it, made me feel like spending my time in fandom is still something worth doing. I can't thank that reader enough for taking the time to leave it for me. If you ever think that your interaction with people's work doesn't matter, I hope this helps you feel differently. Maybe people aren't reading your fics right now, but maybe they'll find a fic you poured your heart and soul into a couple of years later.

Not sure why I am posting this LOL. I expect people will unfollow me. Sometimes, I feel like I can't talk about these things without seeming like a bitch, but y'all already know I'm a bitch anyway. 🤣 We write fic because we love it, because we adore the source material, because we have passion for the characters. But we post because we want to share and connect with people. It just feels so much like that second part has somehow gotten lost recently. Anyway. Back to your regularly scheduled Tumblr lives. 💚

#to delete later honestly lol #no one wants to read your sad poem katy

[sighonaraa]

Answer the questions and tag five fanfiction authors you know!

Tagged by the wonderful @lady-of-the-spirit and the lovely @kvetchinglyneurotic and the incredible @altschmerzes!! thank you guys <3

1. How many fandoms have you written in?

3 (ted lasso, daredevil, and thor & loki which i'm counting as one)! but i have a lotta fics in the works for different fandoms ESPECIALLY as of now the bear. because. if you've been on or near my blog lately. You Know.

2. How many years have you been writing fanfiction?

writing fanfiction? probably since i was like 11/12, so 8 or 9 years. but that was just for goofy fun in my google docs. i didn't publish my first Actual fic till just last year in fact!!

3. Do you read or write more fanfiction?

i think i go through like... idk, waves or something? when i first watch/read something that Sparks The Brain, i'll devour all the fic i can tailored to my interests/character dynamics/etc. but then i usually start writing and once i do that i read fic a loooooot more sporadically and i'll go through long periods of not reading any fic, just writing my own and re-watching/re-reading the source material.

4. What is one way you've improved as a writer?

hmmmmmm. Hmmmmmmmmm. i think that writing fic has allowed me to get more comfortable with writing platonic intimacy and affection and love? i've always wanted to, but there's so much amatonormativity (no, autocorrect, i don't mean noninflammatory JDKLFJ) in the world and especially in fandom spaces that it always felt like. idk. something that i Shouldn't be writing, i guess? but entering into the fandom space myself and engaging with other incredible lovely brilliant creators has given me SUCH a boost in terms of like. really leaning into what i love writing because it is important and good and true and necessary.

5. What's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

for the mom city fix it, i had to do a lot of research about funeral planning in london specifically, and it was really reaaallyyyyy hard because apparently every single place has different laws and rules about what you can do, what you can't do, et cetera. i was trying to figure out how jamie could just like. Not. have to deal with that. and i finally stumbled across the possibility of public health funerals, which was so perfect and only took ten hours of me frantically googling "what do you DO if a family member DIES and you HATE THEM".

6. What's your favourite type of comment to receive on your work?

is it cheating to say any and all? because it's true! but i do have a special place in my heart for comments that pull out specific lines and react to them they're very :') to me.

7. What's the most fringe trope/topic you write about?

i feel like in the general Fandomness of fandom gen affection/love/intimacy tends to be sparse? i'm so so lucky to have found people here that enjoy those types of stories as much as i do but. i guess they would still kinda be considered fringe to most.

8. What is the hardest type of story for you to write?

happy stories? where nothing goes wrong?? Who Is She

9. What is the easiest type?

it's not like. EASY easy because it often ends with me clawing out my hair but. more often than not my fics will quickly spill over from "ooh a 2k one-shot" to "HOLY FUCK the sub-plots are multiplying". and those longer fics often come more naturally and tend to be more introspective, messy, full of emotion.

10. Where do you do your writing? What platform? When?

i toggle back and forth between google docs, scrivener, and my phone notes app! and i do most of my writing like. whenever, i suppose? we've got a couch by three big ol' windows and i love sitting there bc i can look out and there's so much natural light. unfortunately, i think most of my Best writing happens at the beautiful sexy hours of 2 in the morning.

11. What is something you've been too nervous/intimidated to write, but would love to write one day?

i really want to write like. something explicitly Whump-related, i suppose? i think a lot of my fics have definitely done the emotional whump side of things, but i want to do a fic that's also got the physical whump. luckily i have a bad things happen bingo card now, so! we shall see where the tides of fate take me!

12. What made you choose your username?

oh my god. [buries face in hands]. embarrassing. when i was twelve and didn't have tumblr yet i decided that when i One Day did have an account it was going to be 'sighonara' because. haha. sayonara but SIGHonara . puntastic. and then when it did come time to make my tumblr account that idea had kinda stuck so i was just like. might as well! and i'm not displeased with that tbh. feels good feels right.

i'm doing this so late that i'm not sure who's been tagged and who hasn't so! feel free to ignore this if you've already gotten it (or if you just. don't want to do it which is so fair <3)! @thirteenemeraldcats, @jamietarttsnorthernattitude, @orbitalpirate, @anguishmacgyver, @roughroadhaley, @eluvion, and @jamietxrtt!!

#tag game! #sid speaks

[waytooinvested]

Fandom creators tag game

1. What sort of content do you create, and what is the thing you’ve made that you’re most proud of? Mostly I write fanfiction. Sometimes I make little needle felted character dolls. Over all proudest is probably still The Hands I Used to Touch (Call the Midwife), but for my current fandom (Supergirl) it's Forgotten, Not Forgiven, as that is my latest big project and home to all the fluffy supercorp that I need in my life (okay not in the published chapters but IT WILL BE EVENTUALLY I PROMISE)

2. What fandom(s) do you create for? Right now just Supergirl, and I have only written three fics for that one so far (but hopefully more to come!) Before that it was Call the Midwife.

3. What is your current favourite ship (or brotp if you prefer), and how controversial is it? Supercorp, ie Kara/Lena for Supergirl (I know, I’m so quiet about it on this blog you would never have guessed). It occupies an interesting space of being simultaneously entirely non controversial in that it is by far the biggest ship I have ever engaged with, while also being extremely divisive, both within and beyond fandom spaces. But I arrived here LONG after most of that had happened, and am now just happily playing in the sandpit of creative space while the bones of drama stay *mostly* buried. Always a bit of a shock when one rises up to try and kick down your sandcastle though (yes, I am aware that that is a mildly horrifying visual)

4. For your answer to question 3, are they canon? They are not (TECHNICALLY), but there is enough raw material in canon to build The São João Baptista, and that is enough for me. That and the 21,302 (and counting) fics with their relationship tag on AO3.

5. What was your first fandom, and how old were you? The first I actually engaged with other fans over was Call The Midwife in my early 20s, and that was because I snapped after seeing one too many tv lesbians get hit by a car.

6. What is your most unhinged fandom creation to date? Unhinged is not really my brand so I don't really have anything good for this one. Is Kara gets accidentally miniaturized unhinged? Or a bait and switch Lena "villain" arc? I think probably not really to either, but that's the closest I've got for this fandom so far...

7. Do you remember what started you off creating fandom content, and if so, what was it? The aforementioned incident between Delia and a car, which left her with amnesia and taken away to Wales mere moments after she and Patsy had moved in together. But I’m over it. Honest.

8. Do you let people you know in real life see your fandom creations? Not usually, I get shy about it. The exceptions are my wife (but we met via fandom so that one maybe doesn’t count) and on occasion my best friend, who talked me round by being an enthusiastic sweetheart.

9. How do you feel about fanworks of fanworks? Has anyone ever made something based on a thing you made? A few people have made fan art for my fics and it felt like the absolute highest compliment that could be paid to my writing. It was amazing to know that something I wrote meant enough to people to inspire them to go and create their own thing from it, and I loved getting to see other people’s takes on the version of the characters/story I had created. I think it's one of the best things about fandom communities! But I do understand why other people might feel differently about something they have poured so much of themselves into making, so I guess the main thing is trying to be respectful with it, crediting the source, and accepting people's boundaries. Basically I think we should all just be kind to each other and have fun.

10. What feeling do you most often try to evoke with your creations? I'm generally seeking my own catharsis through writing fix-it fic for painful things that happened in canon, so I guess a certain amount of pain followed by the eventual fluffy feel good satisfaction of resolution, but honestly I consider it a win if I can evoke a whole spectrum of emotions along the way.

11. Has someone ever paid your work a compliment (in any form) that has stuck with you, and what was it? Someone once liked my fic so much that she married me about it, so it’s hard to beat that haha. But on a more usual level, people making fanart for my fic was a HUGE one. And also just when people have left particularly in depth comments, commented on every chapter, told me they're rereading or that a fic of mine was their favourite etc... Basically just knowing that something I made has really meant something to someone gives me all of the warm fuzzy feelings, and I am very grateful to each and every person who has taken the time to tell me so!

12. What’s your favourite thing someone else has made that you’ve seen in the last 24 hours (and link it if you can find it again!) Originally I had the bouquet toss ficlet by @fazedlight here, because it just captures the characters so beautifully, but then I left this sitting in my drafts and it is now more than 24 hours ago that I saw it, so I'll add this adorable art by @awaitingrain, because LOOK AT IT! They are so cute??! Also I relate to gentle nomming as a display of affection XD

13. Give a small sneak preview of something you’re working on right now (eg a couple of sentences of fic from a WIP, a gif set theme, a small piece of a larger picture, whatever you feel happy to share) "Lena Luthor was dangling from the side of a cliff, nothing between her and the vast chasm of space below but the small jutting nodule she was clinging to to keep from falling.

How the hell had she ended up here?

Well. She knew how of course.

Kara Danvers was how."

14. Have you ever seen/read anything made by the person who tagged you? If so, what was it and what was your favourite thing about it? (pick a favourite if there are several) SO MANY!! it’s hard to pick a favourite of hers honestly because she is a RIDICULOUSLY good writer, but I’m going to go with The Next Best Thing by @cynicalrainbows. I don’t tend to read many kidfics but this one is the absolute best I have come across, she captures the child perspective fantastically well while also being incredibly engaging and entertaining to an adult reader. It is what successfully pulled me into reading Six fanfic despite (at that point) never having seen the musical. Even if you haven’t either, I wholeheartedly recommend checking it out. Or go and read her new Paperdolls fic and help grow that fandom, which I think currently has all of two people in it!

15. Do you leave comments on fandom works, and if so how would you describe your comment style? I do! I know how much I love it when people do it for me, so I try to leave comments on every chapter of the fics I read (or add tag notes for tumblr art/fic reblogs), and give specifics about what I like about it. Sometimes I just fully liveblog the fic reading experience, which is always fun. I also find it makes you engage and appreciate the work more because you’re taking your time to really think about it, AND it makes an author happy to receive (at least so I hope), which makes me happy.

16. How many works in progress do you currently have? Will you finish them all? Not counting a couple of dump documents of ideas and snippets, technically 3, I guess? One is Forgotten, Not Forgiven (Supergirl) which is my big one and will definitely be finished. The others are less certain – Storybooks and Siren Suits (Call The Midwife) is the one kidfic I have ever written, and is both my longest story at 151,020 (published) words, and also the one I am least likely to finish, because it has been stuck on the same chapter for around 3 years now. The other is Small Problem… (Supergirl) which could be counted as a finished oneshot, but I will probably end up adding further Adventures of Tiny Kara at some point.

17. what’s the longest it’s ever taken you to finish a fandom project?Well, see above re: 3 year stall on new updates. For actually fully finished and published stories I think it was around 6 months.

18. Describe the thing you made most recently in a way that is technically true, but also completely misleading. Link the thing if it’s published! Lena discovers Kara in Lex’s bed, then decides to lure her into friendship under false pretenses. Alex helps her do it. Forgotten, Not Forgiven.

19. Do you ever engage with fanworks for a fandom you’re not in? Which one(s) and how did you get into it? See above re: getting into fanfiction for Six!

20. Recommend a fan work from your fandom to your followers That’s tough because there are so many amazing ones, but I think I will go with I Guess I Live Here Now by @fabulousglitch, because it was both the first fic I really got into for supercorp and also contained everything I wish the characters could have had in canon. I know I am several years late to the party so if you are in the supercorp fandom you have probably already read it, but if you haven’t read it GO READ IT, IT’S SO GOOD!

Suggested tag list, but there are no rules here, follow your heart.

A mutual you have never actually spoken to but think seems cool @nottawriter

The most recent person whose content you engaged with (eg read a fic, reblogged art, whatever form you feel best fits) @sideguitars (and I still owe you a comment on AO3 for that!)

Someone whose content you saw via tags/reblogs and you followed them because of it @sssammich

Someone in your fandom that you think makes cool things @fazedlight

Someone in a different fandom that you think makes cool things @havaamina

Someone you always tag on things like this @cynicalrainbows

Someone you have never tagged before @thatonebirdwrites

Someone you would like to get to know better @thecasualqueer

Someone who makes art you like @pea-green (I don't know if you still do fandom drawing/writing these days, but your commissioned art is still up in my house/in my profile picture and I love it so much)

Someone who writes fics you like @fabulousglitch

#tag game #fanfic writing #fandom creators #I have only been here a couple of months so the number of people I could actually claim to *know* on any level in this fandom is tiny #So if I have tagged you and you have no interest in being tagged in things by random unfamiliar internet strangers #please accept this as the compliment it is intended as and feel free to ignore it! #If you ARE interested in being tagged in things by random internet strangers and decide to play the game #please tag me so I can see your answers! #And if I didn't tag you but you would like to play anyway please feel free to name me as your tagger if you want to :)

[cryptid-crawly]

Advice for Writing Fanfic

Assume your readers know what’s up. People read fanfic because they are, well, fans. Write with the assumption that your readers know the basics of the source material.

Don’t rewrite canon scenes unless you’ve significantly changed them. Whether it’s and AU or canon divergence, reading a play-by-play of the exact same scene as in canon (or one nearly identical with few or cosmetic changes) gets really old really fast. If there’s an important minor change, reference it in an original scene. If nothing changed and it’s canon divergence, your readers will assume it’s the same as canon. Want to rewrite an iconic canon scene in some vastly different AU? Change it up. Identify what elements of the scene are the most important and make something new that keeps the essence of those things.

Do not change your tags after the fact. To elaborate: this *specifically* means that you shouldn’t tag your fic with something only to go “ah-ha! It was a red herring!” and delete the tag later. Don’t do that. (A very dramatic example is tagging the fic as Everyone Lives/No One Dies and then deleting that later so you can have a surprise character death). Yeah, you might change your mind. In that case, let your readers know in the Author’s notes. But don’t do this on purpose.

Don’t worry about spoiling your plot. Have the greatest plot ever? Awesome! But people aren’t reading fanfic for new and original ideas (it’s transformative work for a reason). It’s great to write a complex and compelling story, but remember that first and foremost, people read fanfic to have a comfortable and familiar experience. It really really sucks to read 50k of something only to have a new tag/element thrown in as a surprise twist, when you intentionally try to filter that stuff out.

Write your summary to reflect what tropes/ships/setting your fic will have. This is part of not worrying about spoilers. Again, you may have a fantastic idea, but if you’re too afraid of spoiling it you may leave out too many details in the summary and people won’t be interested. Let your readers know what this story is about! Don’t be afraid to spoil some of the plot—I guarantee you it will make some people excited to “get to that point” in the fic. (For example, if character A secretly being a werewolf is an early plot twist, maybe don’t worry so much about revealing that in the summary?)

Don’t say you suck at summaries in the summary. Just trust me on this one. Write a summary like you’re convincing yourself to read the fic. Slap it on and go.

Stop using greenette, [color]-ette etc. That’s not done in published fiction.

Read published fiction. I don’t care what you read but read some of it occasionally. Otherwise you get used to the way that other fanfic writers write and ily all and am blown away by the creativity people put out into the world but many writers are new and learning and you’ll pick up bad habits. I personally recommend reading literary classics because 8 times out of 10 the writing is legit good. Not always, but it’s easier to guarantee good quality then just picking a random book.

Write for yourself. Yeah, whatever, this is lame advice. But it’s also true. Write what you want to read, otherwise you probably won’t have any fun. Eventually you’ll get to a point where you’re confident in your writing and you can go back and read your stuff and go “I am the funniest motherfucker in the room” and you’ll be right. (Replace “funniest” with whatever genre term applies to you. Like “angstiest”. Ignore that that isn’t a word.)

Comment on other people’s fics with questions. So technically this goes with the read published works one but it applies to both. The point is to develop literary analysis skills. When you read anything, think about it. Vague and unhelpful advice? Hell yeah that is. So if you want some concrete starting places: when you’re reading fic, ask yourself if you agree with how the author characterized your fav. Why did they act that way? Would you have written it that way? And engage with the author! This doesn’t mean point-blank saying “well I would’ve written it like this…” but if you notice a character decision you agree/disagree on or is interesting, simply ask “hey [xyz] scene/moment was interesting, why did you decide [blorbo] would do that?” Understand why authors made the choices they did in their writing. Learn. Grow. Flourish. Take over the world.

Occasionally revisit the source material. Reread or watch it or whatever applies. Dump fanon out of your head and think about the source. Please. I love you all, but please. Thank you.

To anyone who writes fanfic: I love you and thank you for sharing with the world. Hope this helps.

#thanks for coming to my Ted talk #writing advice #fanfic writing advice #fanfic writing #fanfic advice #idk wtf to tag this #read it and internalize it thank you #i have fallen into some of these pitfalls before #we are all susceptible #not the red herring tag thing tho but I have seen that #don’t do that #as someone who consumes a lot of fic the rewriting of canon scenes is my hill to die on #like it’s not a fanfic writing sin but by god #i suffer #AND AGAIN #i too have fallen astray #and done that

[remusdocx]

your typesets are so gorgeous!!!!

I'm really inspired to try myself !! Do you have any resources that you'd recommend? <3

Thank you so much!! :)

This is mainly going to be a list of accounts to check out and programs I use. Most tutorials I've seen are on TikTok, and TikTok video links sometimes don't work. I'm not sure if you want resources over typesetting and binding or just binding, so I will give you everything since I don't gatekeep. (Everything is under the cut.)

For typesetting, my biggest resource was just looking things up. I'd see something done in a published book or in a fic bind and try to figure out how to do it. Page layout is difficult to figure out since everyone does theirs differently, so I just messed around with it until I liked what it looked like on a PDF or one of the account below had margins I liked.

Here are some accounts that have typesets and/or binding tutorials. I want to say right now that the main fandom having fics binded is Harry Potter, so about all of these are HP fic binders.

ladybobbitt (Instagram)

hana_bob (Instagram)

Beautifully Bound (YouTube)

beccasbookbindery (TikTok)

poppypressbindery (TikTok)

jmbinding (TikTok)

claudiatalksfilm (TikTok)

omgreylo (YouTube)

Accounts with binding tips, such as binding on a budget or just materials needed for binding

whenindoubtusemor (TikTok)

litty_lydi (TikTok)

ddaviiie (TikTok)

I use Adobe Acrobat to convert my Word Docs to PDFs since it's the only program that doesn't erase the fun fonts I use and lets me have photos in the document. Then I use the free program Bookbinder JS. There's apparently a computer program you can buy for $20, but I think what I'm using now works and is free.

Another tip is that watching tutorials for rebinds are incredibly helpful as well. There's multiple ways of binding a book, so you have options and it's good to know them.

I hope this is good enough? Sorry that I'm not linking videos, but so many of those creators have series of how to bind fics and tips on how to make the process easier. For typesets, I am always willing to make one if you're interested (no pressure, though).

#typesetting #fic binding #ask

[literaphobe]

Also what you said in your tags about older fanfics — so true that sometimes it’s hard to figure out if something's “popular” (defining as high kudos/comments count) because it is from Ye Olden Fandom days and/or continuously got new chapters (and thus, comments) over time or if it's really. a fandom classic. Either way the MLB fandom has a bunch of amazing and talented writers and we're lucky to have so much (diverse in genre and style) material in both canon and especially fandom! And I hope you can publish your WIP(s?) soon, I loved the snippets you posted!!!

(And btw this is absolutely not meant to shit on popular fics!!! To me personally it’s sometimes hard to enjoy a story that’s set in canonverse but at this point in time diverges so much from canon, because canon has, logically, expanded since 2016; but like I said one of the upsides of a large fandom is that there's something for everyone)

(and can someone PLEASE explain the Bat Family Crossovers there's just so MANY)

Anyways sorry for spamming your inbox but!! Happy 8th anniversary to all fellow “new” fans I hope we only get more passionate and annoying over time <3 (2/2)

omg no i totally get what you mean!! and even if something that’s popular is good not everything is for everyone!!!! you can dislike things that other people like and its all perfectly fine as long as we are all somewhat kind to each other ^_^

i also agree that its awesome having such a talented fandom!! big too for the most part so HEHE!! ive read some life changing things and also know theres so much out there that i havent read that id LOVE if i read!!!!

i also hope i can publish my WIP soon i have been working on it since um. late december last year/january this year KFKSKDKDJ ITS UM. its been a while. But i promise i am speeding it up and will be somewhat hopefully done soon!!!!! its gonna be like 12 chapters, i just started ch9, and um currently i have over 90k words written??? GET READY TO BE STUFFED LMAOOO im shoving these words down ur throats and i hope u guys like it…. First fic for a fandom is always so unnerving u never know how something’s gonna be perceived BUT IM GLAD U R INTERESTED ANON MWAH MWAH

bat family thing um. well. marinette is based on spiderman. so um. uh. superheroes…? (i have Not read any of them)

HAPPY 8TH ANNIVERSARY TO US NEW FANS FR WHO HAVE NOT SUFFERED IN THE SAME WAY AS MOST FANS. also anon u r not spamming me i LIVE to answer asks

#ask #i used to answer dozens of asks everyday #it got so bad that i refused to make regular text posts #id be like guys send me emojis so i can talk #LIKE GIRL? THE TEXT POST BUTTON IS RIGHT THERE? #i felt like i wasnt allowed to make a post unless it was a Post yknow #w Tags #and Purpose #well. i am neurodivergent after all #mlbposting

[dracomort]

Is there a reason why you dislike Red, White and Royal Blue?

Honestly, I read it and enjoyed most of it, but the ending I hated. But that's just me, I like fluff, but that ending was something else...

What is your gripe with the book?

RWRB fans keep scrolling. I'll try to keep it nice (post-writing edit: this was not kept nice) but I really disliked this book. I am also NOT AN AMERICAN and I think that makes the biggest impact on enjoyment of this book. If it were a romcom between a random American boy and British boy then I could critique it on its writing merit alone, but the choice of the author to engage with politics in such a brainless manner is really symptomatic of the cancer that is modern American liberalism.

Disclaimer: I did not finish this book. It's one of the only books I've ever DNF'd. I paid real monnies to buy the ebook. This waste of $15 is probably why I'm so bitter.

With RWRB it really comes down to four Ps:

Premise, pacing, prose

This is perhaps on me, but when you look at the blurb: "photos of a confrontation with his longtime nemesis Prince Henry at a royal wedding leak to the tabloids and threaten American/British relations. The plan for damage control: staging a fake friendship between the First Son and the Prince."

See now, to me, that premise reads as—fake friendship, enemies/rivals to lovers, where they slowly come to understand what they like about each other. From a narrative pacing perspective, I would expect to see this click for our protagonists at the midpoint or perhaps the climax. Certainly not them having a conversation and resolving all their differences within the first 10% of the book (hospital broom cupboard). It's been a couple years since I (attempted to) read this book, so correct me if I'm wrong, but I strongly feel that they went from hating each other—with no substance to that hate beyond a petty misunderstanding—to resolving their differences, to kissing and fucking, within the first 20% of the book. What is this pacing??

After that I realised that this book should've been pitched with a forbidden love/Romeo & Juliet premise, because clearly that was what the author was going for. I don't necessarily have an issue with that. It's just disappointing to me because it was misleading and I wasted my money on a book that's actual premise doesn't interest me in the slightest. I read romance primarily for the internal conflict within the relationship, not the external conflict, though having both is fab (e.g. Captive Prince).

I'm not quite sure anything happens in this book. The protagonists are 'enemies' for maybe 10 pages and then fuck for the rest of it?? I skipped pages and pages and pages of 'banter' between Alex and those girls, and politics that read like it'd been penned by a 12 year old, and somehow managed to miss nothing. I've never read a book where I could skip so many pages with it having so little material impact on my understanding of the narrative.

I also found the prose and dialogue very... 'aliens guess at the way humans speak based on a diet of nothing but mediocre social media themed fanfiction'. And I say this as a fic writer myself. There's a bunch of female characters that serve no purpose other that to cheerlead the main couple and be wholesome, flawless, quippy and supportive, because that's feminism, baby. I can't speak at length about the characters because I dropped the book pretty early on.

2. POLITICS

RWRB is very much a product of its time and its author's nationality. That it was written and published during the Trump administration is no surprise. I think, just as Cinderella (2021) will be a perfect specimen for future study of the hot mess that is 2020s liberal feminism, RWRB will serve the same for 'left-wing' democrat politics for the 2016-xx political landscape. It's an AU where a while, blonde female presidential candidate wins the election and leaked emails have no effect on the outcome of said election. Jee, I sure wonder who she's meant to be 🙄

I understand that this book was intended as a light-hearted romcom, a silly romance for readers to turn off their brains and enjoy the wholesomeness. But clearly I am not the target audience as I am incapable of turning off my brain under any circumstance, especially not when reading a book. I am also not a romance reader, nor much of a genre fiction reader. Again, not the target audience. I also do not think you get to introduce politics as one of the most prominent themes and then not have your book critiqued on its handling of that subject matter.

I am far too much of a political cynic to read about this wholesome good working-class American political family that hold all the right views and have no flaws. I was disappointed but not surprised as soon as I realised this was really gonna go for the pro-democrat lens. I'm too foreign to view that party as anything more than middling centrists and outright antagonists on the global stage. Perhaps some people enjoy reading books that put them in a fantasy lala land where everything is good and just in the world, but I think this sort of passive idealism is exactly why the USA is a conservative hellscape in the first place.

A goodreads review that articulates my thoughts well: "This is the most idealized, grotesque, good-versus-evil look at politics I have EVER SEEN. In this book, the Democrats are a rainbow-wearing gloriously diverse coalition of kumbaya-singing angels, and everyone else is a villain we won’t talk about. Democrats are 100% motivated purely by the love of Doing The Right Thing, and they have never done anything wrong, ever, in their lives. The American people love them implicitly and will turn historically red states blue just to show them that. It’s not only sickening, it’s damaging. DO NOT IDEALIZE POLITICIANS."

And even moving away from politics to just address the wealth and privilege of these characters who fly back and forth over the pond on private jets to see each other... like, I don't have an issue with rich MCs (tbh Henry should be exactly my fave type), but I do have an issue with the desperate, self-aware attempts the author makes to keep things 'progressive'. Yeah, sure the characters lampshade their privilege. But these themes are not engaged with in any meaningful way, to the point where I wish they'd been excluded entirely. If you're going to write a book about the top 0.000001%'s issues, at least be unapologetic about it. If you keep mentioning privilege but do nothing about it then it feels hollow and insincere. I have nothing but contempt for philanthropy, so don't get me started on that.

Bonus: (not a P but) Anglophilia

As a foreigner from a culture closer to the UK than the US, the British fetishism vibes were pretty hilarious. I am certainly not gonna call it 'problematic' (I hate that word regardless). It's just cringe and excruciating to read. No one talks like that! No one. Not even the Prince of England.

Edit: this goodreads reviewer really gets it

#i don't like to talk politics on this blog but let it be known i think both major american political parties are conservative af #who decided to publish this president!hillary au sdfghjkl #i'm sorry i'm a hater #asks #anon #the sorry attempt at politics that this book makes is honestly sickening #anti rwrb

[saint--claire]

Invitation to the Deep  - Term Glossary

Hi Everybody!

I was blown away by people’s interest with Invitation to the Deep, and to continue sharing the love (and because I’m a nerd) I wanted to continue the glossary in a more readable form.  The term definition overviews were really blowing out some of the end notes, so I decided to shuffle everything here, where I can make a nice tidy list.  It’s in alphabetical order per chapter, because to do it any other way would have annoyed me.

As I say in the story, please, please take everything you read with a grain of salt.  The story is fictional, some of the scenarios I put everyone in are blown well outside the bounds of plausibility.  I don’t specialize in diving, much less tec diving, and my marine license has been expired for a good few years.  Someone who has a metric ton of dive experience is J_Bailler, who wrote the outstanding ‘Thermocline’ in 2020, and whose technical experience inspired me to get my hands dirty with this fic.

I won’t continually reblog this post, but I will edit and update it each time I update the story itself, which will contain a link to this. 

**I am apparently now editing this post with the final additions of the story, only to acknowledge that many of us have now had a crash course in imploding submersibles.  I only have two main comments on this - the first being that I originally began writing and later publishing this story early this year, and the second is that the entirety of this story occurs less than a kilometer below sea level.

Chapter 1

FIFO - fly-in-fly-out.  Usually applicable for people working mines, oil rigs, or certain other trade jobs where the site you work on is highly remote.  You might work a 4-on-2-off schedule, which is where you’d fly out and work on site, staying in provided accommodation for 4 weeks, and then you’d fly home for 2 weeks before rinse and repeating.

LKP - last known position.  Think vessels (or submarine pods) lost at sea, or who’ve sent up distress signals before become non-contactable.

Lucet Tenebris - an entirely fictional underwater cave labyrinth set somewhere off the Indian ocean, near Indonesia.

Ring of Fire - Too long to explain in a post.   A very real and not made up geographical feature of the globe.  https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/ring-fire/

VHF - very high frequency (radios used at sea).

Yamaha - in this setting, a boat engine.  Noisy.

Chapter 2

Neoprene - The material wetsuits are made out of, to help people keep insulated and stay warm under water.  

Chapter 3

Fenders - big squishy things you put between ships to stop them damaging each other if they bump together.  Also used to stop boats banging into the wood/metal of marinas.

Chapter 4

Blood bent - a version of a slang term used to refer to decompression sickness (DCS) where pressure changes alter and form bubbles of the gases naturally inside human blood vessels.  DCS can often cause air bubbles to settle in and around major key joints and cause people to bend over in excruciating pain, which is how it got its name, the bends.

Embolism - In diving contexts, a gas embolism or an AGE would usually refer to a bubble of air in the blood.  This is really, really bad - it has the potential to shut off blood supply to major organs including the heart, brain, or lungs.  There’s no short or simple way to explain how they form, put if you look into barotrauma embolisms it’s a fascinating matter.

Equalising ears - Underwater at changing atmospheric pressure, water pressure bends the eardrum inwards.  You equalise this change by a variety of techniques, the same way you might in an aeroplane.  If you keep going deeper and don’t equalise your ears, you run the risk of damaging them or blowing them out completely.  Hurts like a bitch.

External airway - a measure of first aid and emergency resuscitation - if there is risk to an individual’s own airway collapsing or not being able to be maintained in the middle of an emergency scenario, intubation or an external airway implementation will be performed at speed.  An intubation tube is semi-rigid -the aim is that when you’re connected to oxygen, we want full confirmation that the air is traveling down the trachea and into the lungs, not stopping in its tracks because the airway’s collapsed.

Hyperbaric chamber - would suggest searching for a picture.  In a hyperbaric chamber, air pressure is increased higher than normal air pressure so a person’s lungs can pull in more oxygen than they would under normal circumstances.

Chapter 5

Klick - kilometre.

Neoprene ratings - Wetsuits come in varying thickness.  You might see them referred to as a 3:2 or a 5:3 or a 7:5 - this would indicate the material is 7mm thick over the chest and torso, 5mm thick on the arms and legs.  The thicker the material, the warmer you'll be.  The deeper you go, the thicker you'll want it!

Chapter 6

Buoyancy vest - also known as a BCD. It allows you to control your buoyancy in the water, allowing you to easily float on the surface without sinking under all the weight of your gear, and maintain neutral buoyancy while submerged (so you don’t sink further than the depth you are aiming to go to).

Dive computer -  a meter or device used by divers that measure elapsed time and depth during a dive, and use this data to calculate and display an ascent profile which will aim to prevent DCS.  Most will also monitor real-time ambient pressure input, some allow for gas switching during the dive, other features include water temp and compass info.

Gas blending - To dive at the depths of this fictional reef, you can’t just use straight oxygen or atmospheric air.  Gas blending mixes very specific concentrations of a variety of gases to create a breathable component.  It’s very specialised work and you have to undergo highly specialised training to do it.

Tec diving - I’m going to borrow J_Bailler’s explanation and hope she does not mind, which explains it far more concisely than I can.  The key differences between regular recreational scuba diving and tec diving:– scuba divers use air or air mixed with oxygen and generally stay at depths shallower than 40 metres.  Tec divers use various mixed gases to be able to go deeper and to stay there longer.  To breathe pure oxygen at deep depths can kill you.  Technical diving also includes cave diving almost as a default term, because you need advanced training to dive in an enclosed environment that has a ceiling.  In a normal dive, if something goes balls to the wall wrong, at least you can come up, whether you bend your blood or not.  In cave diving...

Trimix - Put simply, trimix is a blended composition of oxygen, helium, and nitrogen, used on deep descents.

Safety stops - planned stops as you reascend from the deep to decompress and allow your blood the chance to off-gas the excess nitrogen forming, and hopefully prevent decompression sickness.

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Cleat - The metal, wooden, or plastic part that protrudes from a jetty that you tie off a boat to.

S&S34 - A fibreglass monohull sailboat, primarily designed for cruising and racing.  For those of you who are interested or know the name, this is the yacht Jessica Watson sailed around the world in, at age 16.  

Hope everyone enjoys reading!  Let me know if there are other terms you’d like to see laid out.

#StClaire speaks #Invitation to the Deep #TGM fic #proof of how far this thing spun out on me

[islemeadow]

20 Questions for Fic Writers!

I was tagged by the lovely @suspendingtime - thank you, this was so much fun! 🥰

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Only two so far! But they are quite massive and there will be at least two more in order to finish the entire "ABCD-series of Kanthony and their offspring", as I call it. All of it is written already, but I'm a bit neurotic and want to hone them into perfection before releasing anything, so therefore the "one chapter a week" publishing pace...

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

151,977

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Bridgerton. The first fanfic I ever wrote was for Game of Thrones, several years ago, but it kind of blew out of proportion and I never finished it, so therefore did not publish it either. Maybe I will, one day...

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Like I said earlier, I only have two works published of my gigantic series so far! The first one is finished but the second one is not and has been out for only a couple of weeks, so here we are:

Aspire - Kanthony's continuation story (365)

Burn - Edmund Bridgerton II's story (35)

Covet - Miles Bridgerton's story

Dare - Lily Bridgerton's story

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

Yes - obviously. I have to quote @suspendingtime on this one, because they phrased it so well:

"Why... I sort of have a need? Idk, when I see a comment it's hard to just leave it hanging there and not to reply. Like irl if someone looked at something I made and verbally commented on it... and I just stared back blankly not saying anything. 😐 This is how it feels to me on the receiving end at least haha. And my replies saying various forms of 'Thank you!' is probably quite repetitive, but hey ho."

And every time I say "thank you", I really mean it. I'm honestly so tremendously grateful for every comment I have ever got, I did not even think anyone would care about my scribblings...! 🙏

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

Well, I'm trying to write very bridgertonesque happy endings, but I guess "Covet - Miles Bridgerton's story" will be the angstiest one as a whole.

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

Again, happy endings are what I strive for, but perhaps "Dare - Lily Bridgerton's story" since it'll be the last one of the entire series and you've got to end on a high note!

8. Do you get hate on fics?

So far no, fortunately.

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

I do, although that too has not YET been published! But there will be some, soooon... And what kind? I try to be as true as possible to the source material of my fics, in other words the Bridgerton TV-series, so I guess I have kind of gone with that smut-wise. So I would describe it in the same manner as the intimate scenes in the series. It's not pornography, but neither is it a "rom com fade out and cut to the next morning" immediately when two people collapse on a bed, so you'll definitely know what's going on between the characters even though it's not described in super explicit detail.

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

Not yet, at least. Normally I'm not a huge fan of crossovers, but I'm still open for it.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I hope not!! Not that I'm aware of. I don't really understand why anyone would steal something that is already out there for free?

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I have not. Apart from English, which is not my mother tongue, I speak Swedish and Finnish, plus very little German and Spanish, but it would feel strange to write fanfiction in any other language than English, I think.

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

No, but it could be fun if we're on the same page! (stupid writer pun intended)

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

Clearly and undoubtedly Kate & Anthony, since they have inspired me to write approximately a thousand pages of fanfic... 😅 But I'm in general a very passionate shipper and I'll get a lot more interested in a series or a novel if there's a couple whose (possible) story I fall in love with and begin to root for. Last ones I got mildly obsessed with were Bonnet and Blackbeard in Our Flag Means Death.

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

It has to be the Game of Thrones one I mentioned earlier. Somehow I got blown away by the character of the wildling woman Karsi who was VERY briefly part of season 5 (and is not even in the books), so I began to write an entire background story for her and how she became the chieftain of her clan, but never got to the (sad canon-compliant) ending of it all.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Um... I guess I'm very productive at least, haha. If I get into a nice flow I can write for hours and hours. Dialogue comes very easy and usually I only plan a little ahead, like what the premise of a scene is, but most of the time it feels like the characters surprise myself as well and take it somewhere more or less unexpected - but better.

That probably describes my writing in general, it doesn't feel like I actively have to imagine these stories happening, rather simply document everything that pours out of my mind onto my laptop. If I don't get to write I get peevish, as if suffering from withdrawals...

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Probably sometimes forgetting to describe the setting around the character/s, or at least that is something I have to often remind myself of and maybe add on later. For example describing how a specific room or someone's clothes look (maybe fanfic is quite forgiving in this sense, since everyone already knows e.g. what Aubrey Hall or Bridgerton House looks like).

Another thing I seem to forget is the fact that the sun can't always be shining, although if you look at the Bridgerton TV-series is actually does, EXCEPT for when something dramatic is happening, then it's POURING. So, perhaps that's just being true to the source material, as with the smut...? 😅

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

Well, the languages I know aren't especially useful considering a Bridgerton fic, unless I one day come up with some Swedish prince or princess etc, but Kanthony's children are in fact speaking Hindi in my series. Being raised as bilingual myself I definitely wanted that for them too and I thought that Kate would want it as well, but unfortunately I'm solely relying on translation websites and would love it if someone who actually knows Hindi would check the text...!

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Unpublished: Game of Thrones, but actually published: Bridgerton.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

Tough question...! But I have to say... The previously mentioned "Covet - Miles Bridgerton's story". And not because it's the angstiest one, but because I kind of feel like I can't even take credit for the story of Miles and his love interest to work out so well. I had planned an entirely different thing for Miles, a lot more boring one, but in the middle of "Burn - Edmund Bridgerton's story" I had this huge epiphany when one of the characters went rogue on me and I sat there writing and suddenly had to pause like "ah, damn... You're in love with Miles, aren't you, you poor thing?" and then I gladly went on with that, because it simply made so much sense.

You'll see soon what I'm talking about, I think we're still a few chapters away from that when I have only four chapters of "Burn" published at the moment...!

__________________________________________________

I tried to find some writers who had not been tagged to this yet, so please ignore this if you already have replied to these questions earlier or if you just don't want to, which is perfectly alright! ❤️ But I'm sending this onwards to: @fitrahgolden , @silverhallow and @waterlilyrose

#20 questions for fic writers #tag game #fanfic writing #fanfiction #bridgerton fanfiction #kanthony fanfic

[captainswanapproved]

HOTD & Daemon and Rhaenyra have been such a blessing.

Under the cut I get really sappy about this ship and the fandom.

I never thought I would be interested in House of the Dragon because I never rooted for Daenerys or a Targaryen restoration in GOT. My loyalty was to the Starks and they were my favorites. Because of this, I didn't hate season 8. For the most part, I enjoyed the journey of the characters in the final season. It should have been better executed with more episodes, but I more or less liked where the characters ended up. So when this show was announced, I dismissed it because if I didn't like the character that is arguably the most influential Targaryen, why would I want to watch a show about the family and its civil war.

So now here comes House of the Dragon. I tried watching the first episode, got to the tourney and I wasn't feeling it, despite my love of Matt Smith.

Then I listened to one of my favorite podcasts that was reviewing House of the Dragon. I wanted to see if it was worth giving another chance. Episode 5 had just aired.

I decided to give it a chance and I absolutely fell in love with Rhaenyra and Daemon and Syrax and Caraxes and Viserys (even though I was frustrated with some of his decisions.)

I love House of the Dragon because it is so character focused and feels more intimate than Game of Thrones. We get to know the characters better because there are fewer to focus on. We also get hints of a love story with so many high romance tropes, which is unusual for Game of Thrones.

I knew nothing about Fire and Blood except for the fact that it existed, but I picked up on Daemon and Rhaenyra as a future couple from episode one, and I started to root for them. Only after I was caught up after episode five did I actually look up Daemon and Rhaenyra and how their relationship happened in the book.

I decided to get back to tumblr and start shipping. And once I ship something, I am ride or die.

House of the Dragon brought me back to tumblr and fandom after many years and an accidental deletion of my blog sent me away.

This show is also important to me because right now I am in the hardest semester of nursing school, constantly being beaten down by how much material there is and how busy and draining it is.

Watching this show gave me what I desperately needed. An hour a week to just take some time for myself and obsess over a story I loved and fictional character that I loved. It brought me back to writing fanfiction again, which I honestly haven't done because I've been focusing on publishing my books (which granted are Jane Austen Fan Fiction, but that is a separate thing).

In writing for stories for Daemon and Rhaenyra I found a way to get back into writing post the release of my fourth novel and during one of the most stressful periods of my life thus far.

I love writing so much, but working on my novel during school felt overwhelming. It was much easier to write short drabbles and a short multi chapter story about Daemon and Rhaenyra.

I am so entirely grateful for this show, and even though it has only been a month, it brought me so much joy and helped me cope with my crazy and stressful personal life.

So no matter the questionable writing choices, I'm in. All in. Until the very end. Daemon and Rhaenyra have taken a part of my heart, and I will watch their tragic and beautiful journey together.

That being said, it will be nice when season 2 happens because I'll be done with school and hopefully I'll have more time to write some fix it fic, which we are going to need in season 2.

Thank you to everyone who has followed recently and interacts with my posts and supports my writing.

I love you, Daemyra nation. Let's enjoy this last episode, or at least enjoy all the discourse, fan edits, gif sets, and fix it fic that come after it!

#daemon x rhaenyra #daemyra #personal #my writing #I get sappy #I love you all #let's enjoy seeing our babies for the last time until 2024

[veratasswrites]

Cross-Post of Writeblr Intro!

Writeblr Re-Intro

(Originally posted to @directionoftime - just moving my writeblr to this blog!)

Hey Writeblr!! I attempted to join the community a few years back but way too quickly found myself overwhelmed and ended up fizzling out >.> but I'm back now and hoping to make a better (less stressed out) effort! A bit worried I might have burnt-off some of the writeblr folks by just kinda peace-ing out, but I really do hope to make a better go of it this time around and post/interact more often! (I have so many writeblr posts to catch up on, yikes!)

About me: Vera (she/her) I have been writing consistenly for a solid 15ish years now, have a creative writing master's behind me, (and over a million combined words in fan-fic LOL) and finally feel in a creative place where I'm ready to (hopefully) start publishing, in whatever form it takes!

So, onto the point here: Novel Intro!

YES! Some of you (might) remember my novel Sauvarin - well, it's back, babey! And about 95-99% complete!! Currently on my last round of scene-rewrites and line editing before I begin the horrifying task of querying!

Only been ten years in the making, lmao >.>

So, what the heck is SAUVARIN??

TLDR: fantasy post-apocalypse featuring an autistic blacksmith who is utterly oblivious to the local boot-legger Trying Very HArd to be her girlfriend (pray for Yenn, y'all! She is being SO brave about it!) Said blacksmith, Isaura, is instead on A Mission Of Great Importance to inter the ashes of her surrogate father, Soo-young, in his childhood home town. Except, no one's ever heard of this town, the internet's broken, and she accidenatlly discovers that METAL IS LIVING NOW???

Why do all "simple requests" always end up being the most cataclysmic???

Want to know more? Please go ahead, if not, thanks for looking in this far :)

Well, on to major themes and elements! We've got:

NON-DYSTOPIAN post-apocalypse (we're currently living in the dystopia, y'all!), set in the near distant future where the vast majority of humanity has fled climate change to an orbital space station leaving circa 10million people on earth. The endlings determined to protect what they still can, raise their children, protect their towns, and face whatever magic storms come their way. But right now? They have food, they have community, and there's always something silly to laugh at!

It is a LOW-FANTASY, meaning we've got: freaky and intelligent animals! A magic so new to the world, most people don't realise it's possible! The corpse of god! Cool mushrooms! A darkness that watches YOU! Baba-Yaga (she's a scientist now)! Old women who Take No Shit But Absolutely Know How To Harm!

NATURE mutating - what it "reclaims" in some areas, it mutates in others, or simply allows itself to start anew. Nature in this novel is very much embodiying the quote: "you cannot kill me in a way that matters". Freaky deer. Metal predators. Plants that grab onto YOU.

NOBODY WINS, BUT NO ONE LOSES EITHER the head of Department for Zoology took one look at the "provisional government" and just fucked off into the woods (Baba Yaga). "The Hero" of the orbital space station realising what their heroism actually cost the earth in raw materials. The dead are returned, but not to the life they remembered leaving. Sometimes you do, in fact, find the ghost of a child in the woods (it's okay if you are not sure what to do next).

Well, that's probably enough for now. I'll do some character intro posts (as memes!) hopefully over the weekend - it's a fairly big cast with a lot of minor-in-screen-time-but-major-in-plot characters so it'll be a bit of a series, I think.

Any questions? Feel free to ask! But I will be moving all writeblr stuff/posts about this blog over to my new side blog @veratasswrites so if you want to follow the posts, please follow that blog!

I'll tag some of the old writeblrs I'd followed/who were so awesome and welcoming the first time - but if you're not interested or anything I really mean NO PRESSURE!

@ryan-shepard-writes, @writeblrfantasy, @magic-is-something-we-create

Anyone's welcome to be +/- tag list!

Thank's so much for reading! :)



#writeblr intro #writeblr #fantasy writeblr #sauvarin

[liminalweirdo]

6 / 17 / 34 for the fic writer q's! <3

Thanks for such interesting questions! <3

6. Do you have your work beta'd? How important is this to your process?

I try to have my work beta'd/edited when I can. With fanfiction it's not always possible or practical. The only beta I have atm is my husband and I write faster than he feels up to editing which it absolutely fair, so usually I post things with just my own editing.

I say that the worst writing advice anyone ever gave me (or anyone) was "you don't need an editor," and I think that's mostly true. Fanfiction is... maybe not so serious, you know? I forgive other writers their typos and mostly just gloss over them and barely notice, but I hate when I find them in my own stories haha. But if you're doing something for publication, even if it's a self-pub — if multiple people are gonna be spending money on your finished product, please please please get an editor. Just my opinion as a writer, an editor, and a bookseller for over a decade. I've seen many an awful self-pub that could have been improved so much by editing.

I think a trusted second eye can make your work better. If I can't find an editor/beta reader I'll usually write something and try to edit it myself, but even though I have experience editing professionally (i.e. for money) I am still catching and correcting at least grammatical errors in my published work even months later, which sucks for the reader (sorry!). It's harder to edit your own stuff because you know what you meant so you tend to accidentally miss errors and not catch things that don't make sense/don't line up just right plot-wise, if that makes sense.

One of the tricks I use is handwriting my story and then, when I type it up I can often flesh out the story better, but that may just be how my brain works. Idk, see if it works for you!

Also, I'm usually willing to beta people's stories if they want me to so just lmk and I'll try to help out if I feel like I'm qualified (i.e. I know your fandom, and if I have enough time).

17. What do you do when writing becomes difficult? (maybe a lack of inspiration or writers block)

I never ever had writer's block until a few years ago, which fuckkinnnggg suuuuucks. The pandemic messed me up, I guess. I think the best thing is either just sitting down and writing either a set amount of words or for a set amount of time even if I hate every moment of it and if that's too much -- because let's face it, sometimes life/shit is hard — I will ... take a break! I'll either do something totally unrelated and let my brain chill out, or I'll re-watch the movie/film/read essays or other fic etc., just to get excited about it again. This is a lot harder in small fandoms or with things that have limited source material. When that happens I read/watch/find things adjacent to it and hope to find inspiration there.

34. Five years from now, where do you see yourself as a writer?

I mean, I think and I hope I'll still be writing fanfiction. I hope that in five years things will be different with the pandemic and I'll be able to be more out in the world, actually having wider experiences again. If I ever publish anything, I think it will probably be nonfiction before it's fiction, but we'll have to see. I'd like the opportunity to write for film.

#liminal asks #liminal answers