#i used to post chapters EVERY WEEK

[wakkoroni]

I'm bored and procrastinating so i decided "Time to head to my local hc person!":

What are different ways the batfamily approach doing homework? (Tips, crack, angst, neurodivergent problems, anything's welcome)

As one does lmao, I shall join you in the procrastination. I love how I’m your local hc person- I’m just happy to make Headcanons. You see I misunderstood the ask at first so now I just random school related hcs in my notes so thanks for that lmao but here we go (also strap in because this one is a long one)

I’d like to add a disclaimer that THESE MAY NOT WORK FOR EVERYONE this is just my interpretation of how they would work

Batfam approached to homework

Young Bruce: He could not focus if he were alone in the room doing homework. He would read his Grey Ghost books instead of English homework. Alfred found out about this and made him sit in the kitchen while Alfred cooked; he did the homework. And with Alfred looking over his shoulder- he got that work done quick.

Especially if dinner were about to be served, Alfred would say, “you have 5 minutes,” and Bruce is speeding through his math worksheet. Nothing will get his work done quicker than someone being in the same room and having a time limit. He was speed. Flash had nothing on him lmao

So Bruce’s advice to get your work done: Have someone look over your shoulder (adds stress) and set a timer to finish your work

(A timer is really good if you work best under pressure because it lets you pace yourself, and with the time ticking down, it makes it kinda like a due date approaching)

Dick Grayson: He used the reward system and had to do his work in the same room as someone else. The person doesn’t even have to be paying attention to him. They just have to be there. If he were alone, he would zone out and get nothing done (he’s just me fr fr), so his common places to do work was the batcave, Bruce’s study, the kitchen, or somewhere in the yj cave.

As mentioned in the start, he uses the reward system. Or rather Bruce would use the reward system on him. Like for every worksheet/subject that got done he would get candy or get a 5 minute break to do whatever he wanted. (He usually spent the 5 minutes bothering Bruce or doing backflips and stretching) and it worked!

There were moments when he got restless and couldn’t stay still for very long, so Bruce bought some small fidget toys for him to fidget with while he did his work. But on like bad(?) days when Dick could not stay still or focus at all, he would go to the indoor gym they have and spend an hour getting all the restless energy out before sitting down and focusing on his work.

Dicks advice for homework: be in a public space or have people around and use a reward system. For every problem you complete you get a piece of candy or for every subject you finish take a break to relax. Also make sure to get all your energy out before trying to focus. Being restless and trying a focus is not a good mix.

Jason Todd: Look, I don’t know actually. He genuinely liked school and was pretty good at it. He worked great alone, he has to be alone too. If he’s with other people, he can’t focus because he’s busy tracking the other person's movements or trying to make conversation, so the silence isn’t so awkward. So, he would do his homework in his room. He would gobble up that work and do it so quickly so he could have the afternoon free to read his book of the week. (He loves his uninterrupted reading time)

There were times when he needed help and would cry over being unable to understand the work, so Bruce, Alfred, or even Dick would have to step in and help him. But that’s it- only help, and then they leave cause if they stay, he can’t focus. But he always made sure to get help and ask questions in class so he could understand the homework and do it.

(Jason is the one to be done with his work weeks ahead of time because then he’d have more time to read lmao)

Jason’s advice on homework: If you can’t focus with people around. Be alone and do the work. There’s time for socializing (and reading) later, but right now, the work needs to be done. Also, always ask for help because staring at the work and hoping it magically makes sense is not helpful. Having a quiet place to work is very helpful for some people.

Tim Drake: Let’s think about him for a minute. He lived alone for a hot minute, and Jack and Janet cared about his grades and were probably really strict about it, so he would do his homework in class- or he would just do it when he got home. Cause all the fun he has is at night when he stalked the batfam, so there’s nothing to do during the day except homework so he’d probably finish his work really quick like Jason, but only so he can go outside at night.

However, when he went to move with the Wayne’s all of that changed. Like he went from working in an empty, completely quiet house to a noisy place. He’d probably get sooooo annoyed because every time he wants to do work, he can’t. Because he will sit down and someone wants to hang out with him. He will sit down and try to focus, but all he can hear is the conversation down the hall or the laughter from Dick and Jason being siblings. There is not a period of quietness at all. He would get soooooooo irritated.

They’d question his bad attitude, and then Bruce figures out that, oh yeah, a lonely kid finally has a family wouldn’t be used to a lot of this noise at home and buys him some noise-canceling headphones. From there, it works great. However, now it’s too quiet, and he can only focus on his racing thoughts and not his work. So he plays a little tune (some ambiance probably) that’s just loud enough that he can make out what it’s supposed to be but quiet enough so it’s not distracting. It helps a lot.

However, he still gets distracted. That sucks. So then he also takes breaks between assignments, so that little mixed-up way helps him get work done. He also has a sign on his door that’s like “don’t come in, I’m working,” that the others will respect. If it’s something important, they will knock.

So Tim’s advice: find a quiet place to do work and play a little background noise to focus. Oh, and take breaks in between assignments to not stress yourself out. He’d probably learned how to prioritize/make a schedule for what day he does what assignment. (Lmao can’t be me, but if it works for y’all- kudos to you.) He’s very organized; it doesn’t look like it, but he is.

(He’d also be the one to try and get ahead of his work and do next week, but by then Dick or Jason will burst in and drag him and play a game and take the rest of the afternoon off)

Damian Wayne: Look, here’s the thing with Damian, right? I feel like the league might have taught him to focus on command. He is very task-oriented, so a task you give him is a task that is done.

But like- in the league it was life or death so the stakes were high. It was either finish it or suffer soooooo he had no choice. When he moves in the Manor the stakes are lowered. So like he wouldn’t finish an assignment on time and he’s like “oh no imma get kicked out-“ but instead Bruce is just like “do better” or some useless shit like that and Damian realizes that there really is no big consequences if he doesn’t do the work. As long as he passes the class he can be Robin so-

Alfred, however, does not allow this mentality to go. His grandsons have to pass their classes with an A or even a B but not a C. (Also, I feel like Damian would never get a C because that is a personal failure; a B is pushing it. He’s a perfectionist like that :3)

So the way he does his homework is out of spite, or Alfred is holding his pets or patrol hostage. You may ask yourself: spite? How would that work? If a teacher says, “this will take at least a week finish so don’t procrastinate,” he will do it in a day just to annoy the teacher. If they say, “you won’t be able to do it-“ he will be able to do it. He will force it to happen. He has to be the best, like simply- he gotta. He will be better if there is a “could be better” part in his assignment. Lmao he is the one student fighting for that one point to round his 99 to 100

But sometimes that doesn’t always work, because maybe the teacher will just assign the work without any comment, and he’s like, “well why should I do it because it won’t affect my grade that much-“ and that’s where Alfred comes in. He will hold Damian’s sketchbook (never look through it, who do you think he is? Bruce?), his pets, or just something he loves hostage until Damian finishes his work. (It’s not serious/bad because Alfred will never keep it overnight. He just notices that Damian works best with high stakes, so it helps him. Alfred has never held another hostage longer than 3 hours because Damian gets it done that fast. He’s very grateful for this because this means that Damian will never call his bluff)

Damian’s advice to do work: High stakes are always the answer. Always do things just because someone says you can’t. Even if it’s yourself saying that you can’t finish it. Do it to spite yourself, then. Oh, your brain said, “I can’t do this” fuck them and do it

Damian has a very aggressive approach to work lmao that’s probably a little unhealthy

But now I shall give my own advice to do work because yeah. (I am not an expert or professional, and these may not work for everyone)

First off, don’t force yourself to focus. Especially it’s only on one assignment. Like if you are in a math vibe and have math work due, but you're trying to focus on English work. Push English to the side and focus on math cause you never know when the vibe will change. Work with your brain; don’t work against it. It’s teamwork, even if it seems like your Brain is just trying to make things difficult.

Another piece of advice: turn it into a game, and try and make it fun. The reason I love math it’s because it’s like solving a mystery and the way I got to like reading is because whenever I had to defend my answer I could pluck it out of the text and be like “look I’m right” and it was like a court case in my mind. So make it fun. (I know it’s homework, and homework sucks, but you still gotta do it)

Another piece of advice: make it manageable. Break it down, if you can simplify it, make it simple. “I have to write an essay on this stuff.” Write down the basic parts of it. What do you want to say? What’s your point? Why do you care? And then, after you answer those in short sentences, go back and make it longer.

But more importantly: don’t stress. That might sound like a basic response but listen- stressing gets nothing done. It delays you. But if you work best under pressure, you do you, but if you can’t? Try and calm down and break it up.

One thing I’ve heard people say is, “you have to do it. One way or another the due date will come and you will have to submit it. You can panic, you can cry, you can get upset but that’s not going to change the fact that time is running. Why waste it crying when you can be doing it?” They always made it sound so easy (and low-key kind of mean), but it’s not always that easy. I mean, the advice helps sometimes, and they bring up a good point.

Whoever says focusing is so easy is a liar. Because it’s not. If it was so easy, these headcanons would not exist.

Take easy on yourself and enjoy these headcanons

Also research some study methods. I am not an expert at this

#I’m currently using the reward system every chapter in my notes I finish the more I can write here #I also use Damian’s way of doing work a lot too #accidentally gave him my nonexistent gambling addiction #the vibe speaks #vibey headcanons #batfam #damian wayne #tim drake #dick grayson #jason todd #batfam headcanons #alfred pennyworth #if anyone wants to ask about the other hcs go for it if not I’ll post them next week #batsiblings #homework #school #study methods in form of headcanons #I AM NOT A PROFESSIONAL AT ALL BTW THESE ARE SILLY HCS #long post #sorry #Alfred is the real mvp here #sorry for grammar issues I suck

[mangoisms]

i did plan to add to my queue then dip but i will leave with one thing. a couple things. um. Yes i know chapter 8 is late. it will be late until next week friday i am VERY sorry but this week, while unexpectedly great, was also super busy and i had no time to myself At All during the week and i’d like to do that this weekend.

also yesterday. i saw blue beetle. GREAT movie excellent movie everyone go see it immediately. i will talk about it more next week when i come back. so yes. i love you all. thank you

#it was a great week i was nervous as we all know about the start of the semester #but it was great! i made some friends. had an AWESOME conversation with 2 people in my cohort about comics (both dc and marvel) #also successfully recommended batgirl vol 3 and young justice 1998 but i am ESPECIALLY happy about batgirl. As we all know #my professors are all really nice. A Lot Of Reading. but really nice. not out to get us or anything #but yeah. i just. don’t have the energy to proof chapter 8. This Is An Issue Of Mine #where i get like idk fatigued of doing that every week bc i don’t have the foresight to proof chapters ahead bc i’m a silly goose #and i just really want to work on other stuff. but also my parents are in town and i’m not complaining but there’s like. Things taking my ti #my time** so. ck will have to be put aside #again. SORRY #and no i won’t just post it as it is like i said it Has To Be Proofed #For Me. For Me.

[horny-ex-catholic]

HELLO, I AM NOT DEAD, BUT I HAVE MANY FINAL PROJECTS AND WILL BE MILDLY INCOHERENT FOR THE NEXT 2-3 WEEKS

#am mildly delerious now tbh #i have to finish writing a chapter i was supposed to finish a week ago tonight #and also write an essay and response before 9:30 tomorrow morning #i also have to read two plays and design a website with a group based on EVERYTHING we read in class this semester #i also need to write a scene and revise a short play #and write responses to all my classmates stories for a class where we respond and give eachother feedback IN THE FUCKING CLASS #at some point i also have to meet with my advisor so i meet my academic probation requirements and dont get threatened with suspension again #an advisor who will tell me (like every advisor/teacher/adult with miniscule authority over me before her) to try using a planner #also should probably meet with a couple professors about extra credit #i have two weeks 🙃 #my post

[aparticularbandit]

This week I have a couple of things in my backlog that can go up on Monday, so once again, y'all get a choice!

I still have another chapter of Agatha and Stephen Go on a Trip done and now have...eleven fully complete chapters of Of An Endless Infinity done, of which you would get the first.

AaSGoaT is the multi-chapter sequel to Finding Family, which focuses on Agatha and Stephen traveling to Neverland to rescue America and Wendy. (If none of those words make sense: Agatha and Stephen travel to another universe to save America and the Wanda who comes from that universe. Who is also America's girlfriend. (This makes sense in context.))

OAEI is the Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc ending rewrite I keep mentioning and (how do I say this without game spoilers) focuses on the squad who are left as they continue their lives still stuck in the school.

#musings #bandit monday fic poll #again #let's be real #if y'all choose oaei i may also post the first chapter later on in the week #because i'm aware how short the prologue is #(because it's a tone setting prologue) #and would like y'all to have more than that for the week #.... #and also for personal reason i don't want to put notes on the first chapter on ao3 because for some reason they then show up #on EVERY SUBSEQUENT CHAPTER #so i would like to give information in the notes on the “second” chapter which would be the actual first chapter which is not the prologue #but also mostly i know the prologue is short #it sets up the fic #but uses two pov characters who proceed to not be pov characters for the rest of the fic so far and thus not indicative #of what the rest of the fic looks/feels like #a n y w a y #queue

[morrowleaf]

I have officially been on tumblr for 10 years WOW. Incredible how much has changed! I was 17 and joined because all of my favorite fan-artists moved here from deviantart. Little did I know how much this site would affect me! I’ve learned so many cool things, watched so many cool shows, and laughed a lot thanks to this place. The last decade has been up and down but this place has always been a refuge so I’m grateful for that.

#crazy to remember the days when I was reading a new naruto chapter every week #ironically since she wasn’t so much into anime but burdge-bug was the artists that finally got me here #for a while I’d come on here and just check manually for any new art before I finally made an account #also I got into homestuck because of this site and man that sure was an era #I miss when gabzilla used to post more art #her naruto comics were always hilarious #tumblr

[sharkneto]

how is the writing progress going on the next JT chapter?

It's coming - it's like, I'll say... 80% there? I've had these last chapters half-written for over two years now, which one would think would make it faster but it turns out I'm a better writer than I was two years ago, so have to rewrite a lot because of that, and I've changed the specifics on how things go despite the overall events and trajectory staying the same. Also whoever let me write two giant chapters taking place explicitly at a physics conference where everyone has to talk at least *some* physics - terrible. Why'd I do that to myself lmao. But I am 99% through bullshitting physics and just have emotionally wrought conversations to write, which are difficult in a different way but at least I'm not squinting at physics words going "does that surface level plausibly make little enough sense that it makes sense?"

Anyway, it's coming. Life's been very busy and words have been hard. Good to know you guys are still out there looking forward to more!

#for real mostly it's been busy - lots of work lots of travel #so the little freetime i've had i haven't had the brain for writing #i miss it #but life should calm down enough in the next week or so that i hope i'll have more time #so no promises on when but i also want it to be sooner rather than later for a new chapter up #i miss the days of my backlog and hours upon hours to write #so i could post something every week #that's fucking wild i used to post weekly T-T #i should go back and look at comments i haven't done that in a while and that helps kick things into gear when it's been a while sometimes #because you guys are so nice and spoil me there #ask response

[reploidbuddy]

To those who read my fics and have been waiting for something new from me I'm so sorry

Long story short, things have been generally hard lately and have negatively affected my writing schedule and speed

Doing my best to get something out from my new fic beginning-to-mid November though

#Trying to get a bit ahead before posting just to be sure #I'm writing and doing things!!! it just doesn't show bc my rhythm and progress doesn't please my perfectionist self #I’d like to show at least the first chapter #shows the kinda ambiance and narration things will get #rambling #what used to be 2 hours per day every day of the week kinda turned into more or less 1 hour 3-4 times a week #so progress went from 1000+ words per day 6 days or so to 600-800 per day 2-3 days 4 #*4 when lucky #So apologies it's really the best I can do in the current circumstances #I have no idea if even one of my readers is here to see it hut yknow #if they are it's there

[rotisseries]

I JUST FINISHED REREADING LEGENDBORN AND STARTED BLOODMARKED LAST NIGHT AND COME ON HERE AND YOU'RE ALSO READING IT 😨😨 WE SYNCED

CLOWN TO CLOWN COMMUNICATION. OUR UNBREAKABLE BOND

#come talk to me when you finish bloodmarked I reread legendborn last night and got to the gala bit #that I'd completely forgotten about where bree says something about how her nick and sel are all bonded to each other #and like. combined that with bloodmarked as a whole but especially chapters 51 and 58 #I am absolutely fucking certain I'll die on the polyamory hill like THEY ARE ALL FUCKING BONDED ALL 3 OF THEM IT'S CONSTANTLY REITIRATED #NO WAY SHE PICKS JUST ONE IT WOULDN'T BE RIGHT #WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT THE POLY CODING. WHAT THE HELL. #every time I'm in the bathroom I start looking into the nearest mirror and start talking to myself crazily #about how actually fucking insane it is like I'm losing my mind tracy deonn what are you on can I take a hit #so yeah keep me posted on your reading progress lol #speaking of rereading legendborn though I'd forgotten just how mean nick and sel are to each other in the first book #and it was like. actually crazy to see that continue pretty much right up until the end bc they don't really get a chance for reconciliatio #and then to compare that with having also just recently finished bloodmarked #which is literally like. a complete fucking 180 #idk if nick's month being kidnapped by his dad just gave him a lot of time to reflect or something #but he never has a genuinely bad thing to say about sel. like right from the start and his first appearances in bloodmarked #similarly for sel lmao #contrasted with the. everything in legendborn. like it's actually fucking crazy #what spending a month away from your magically bonded bro does to a mf #anyway. in regards to us always reading the same shit have you been keeping up with chloe gong's books? #bc I read foul lady fortune and last violent call earlier this week as well #ask #lyoshaland #hi lyosha!

[brittlebutch]

working on splitting everything out into proper chapters and it's making me laugh a little bc it's, the lead into this fic is like 8 chapters of build up just for the plot to sweep in from left field and knock you on your ass; i'd feel inclined to make it Less like that but tbh i think it's kind of perfect that way

#N posts stuff #bleed more fic #there's. frankly i don't think there Is a way to integrate the Plot in any better bc it is Functionally a very left field thing #even In The Text so i feel like it has to hit the readers and the characters the same way if it wants to read coherently #i absolutely will not elaborate if it's getting done this way i want it to be as much of a car crash as possible absolute T Bone #but if everything Goes Well then i'll have the final draft for this fic done by like. the weekend gd willing #then i'll sit on it for a week and give it one last read before i start posting chapters regularly #i thought about dropping it all at once but it's been so long since i've done a multichaptered fic i can't resist #Wish Us Luck my computer is killing itself with every page i make it open; took 25+ minutes to turn on for today's work klfjglj

[you-will-return]

---

#i just noticed that i've been suuuper inactive on this blog #for which i'm sorry #but also uni has been hell #one of my professors has decided that we should do two courses worth of reading for her seminar every week #and i've been stuck in group project planning hell for like three weeks now #i also might have put a bit too much pressure on myself when it comes to project so besides correcting the new Hot Mess chpt #i've also been working on three other projects and still need to do work for my uni classes #i really wanted to put out the new chapter this week but that has.... left the realm of possibility #i want to write so so badly but i have to finish like 30 stickers/ finish 2 other chapters/ knit 2 scarves/ hand in 3 more projects #all before christmas #i read a post yesterday that was like name one thing that you're gonna do for yourself this week #and i came up blank #eveything i'm currently doing is either for class or for other people so they're happy #don't get me wrong i enjoy writing/ drawing/ knitting but... #i don't know #Hot Mess used to be my self-indulgent project but now #the seasonal mentol illness hasn't been helping either #all my friends are miserable and all i do is either drown myself in work or be miserable too #my last short story made my bff tell me to go talk to my therapist about it #so that's how my non-fanfic efforts have been going #there's another story i need to write a date chapter for but I haven't been able to write actual romance for about a year now #idk what's wrong #maybe nothing is wrong and this is just what i'm like when i'm off my meds and i simply forgot #i've been forgetting a lot of things

[ungaroyals]

👑

#man looking at all these missing moment requests has me wishing I could pump fics out as fast as I used to #I was posting like once a week or every two weeks. #what happened to me #now I can barely get a 6k chapter out in under a month? #it's sad #and a bit disappointing #I just see all the mm requests and I wannnt to write them #i really do #but when I sit down to do it #I feel literally now inspiration #ughhhhh why is writing so complicated #i was feeling so inspired to write today and then out of nowhere I hit that wall again #I miss season one yr days #life was simpler then #personal #delete later

[sabraeal]

💝what is a fic that got a different response than you were expecting?

💥find your least kudos'd fic - say something wonderful about it.

💝what is a fic that got a different response than you were expecting?

If You Dare! My hakizana fics are not usually SUPER popular, but they tend to garner at least a little interest, but that one didn't even get a blip 🤣Too bad, that one was going to get smutty in the next chapter or two. ONE DAY.

💥find your least kudos'd fic - say something wonderful about it.

That would be To My Esteemed Enemy with three whole kudos, which is both surprising and not, because it's a fic with a pairing that is more popular than my main ship in that fandom, but it 1) doesn't have any ship content in it yet, 2) is using canon characterization of Kazama, which displeases the people who want him to be a sexy villain and also the people who want him to be a uwu good boy trying his best. It's easy to say something nice about this, because I spent HOURS poring over Hakuouki lore to get this into shape and was SO PLEASED with the results. It just needs a few more chapters to really find an audience, I think, but I don't have the time right now to put my effort into it.

#asks #meme #fic meme #my posting schedule was so regular over the last year that i really lost any sort of idea of what was popular at all #because i would post something and then everyone was so used to something being posted #that they'd sit on it instead of like...ravenously reading it and commenting in the hopes that I'd come back to it #so when stuff made no splash i wouldn't even notice until weeks later when I was looking through stats #usually just to find a fic i needed to reference #and i'd be like oh okay hm that's data #when not even popular stuff gets a lot of movement it doesn't hit you so hard when other stuff doesn't either #it's been weird this year because i haven't been able to post weekly due to life getting in the way #this is cold and snow season and it makes my writing days very spotty and i'm trying to just go with the flow on it #so when i DO post something there's like an EXPLOSION of activity #it's been interesting to see how when you regularly post no one say anything unless you miss an update #but when there's no promise of an update to come suddenly everything you post is much more valuable in people's heads #i have fics in other fandoms with SUPER rare pairs #and they really only get updates once every two months because i focus more on ANS #and like those chapters just explode on contact now. everyone comments and wants to talk about the characters and what's going on #and now that i'm really only posting ANS every 2-3 weeks it's starting to be the same here too #just SUPER interesting how the human brain works when it comes to this stuff

[solipsistful]

Automatisms — XX01: Re-entry

“The stages you’ve seen described are identification, indoctrination, reinforcement, and deployment, but Grace has seen other documents that borrow the semiotics of the supernatural: ‘manifestation, infestation, oppression, and possession.’”

Or: what if the Lowry in Control’s head was more than figurative?

Fandom: The Southern Reach Trilogy - Jeff Vandermeer

Rating: Mature

Category: Gen

Archive Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Additional Tags: Multiplicity/Plurality, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Body Horror, Self-Harm

#southern reach #southern reach trilogy #annihilation #jeff vandermeer #:) #like i said -- posting in order to stop fiddling with the early chapters ahhh #maybe like. a chapter every two weeks? #the real Area X was the ghosts that haunted us along the way #automatisms

[drinkurkombucha]

Catharsis was WOW! What’s next what’s next what’s next! 😅

Thanks anon! Next up is Living With George. I haven’t written a blurb for it yet because I still don’t really know what’s happening, but it is the sequel to Talking to George that no one asked for, but I’m writing because I love it 🥰

So if you haven’t read Talking to George, get on it. Otherwise some of the jokes in LWG will fly over your head and you’ll be like “Wtf is wrong with this person?” 😂

#living with george #coming soon #I’m on chapter 4 as we speak #but just want to give myself some wiggle room before I start posting #remember when I used to post every week? #I still can’t believe I was able to keep that up 😂

[youngpettyqueen]

chapter 1 is WRITTEN 1 down 3 more to go

#fic bitching #every day I sink deeper and deeper into the Garashir insanity #the last part of this chapter was giving me hell but I wrangled it #and I like what ive got #will edit it once I have more written out #im thinking of writing out the entire fic #and then posting one chapter a week #and using the week in between updates to edit each chapter before it goes up #we'll see

[jasontoddiefor]

Yeah sure we’ve all binged a long fic, but have you ever read a WIP and followed someone’s life?

Tidbits of information - (“I graduated today!”) - and small joys (“It’s my birthday!”) and you get to be there to say “This chapter made me cry, happy birthday, thank you for gifting us this”.

I remember reading this fic of someone at the end of high school, older than me then. They seemed infinitely wise, spoke of their future career and getting into the college they wanted. I remember them posting on days they felt like nothing could bring them down - and on days the whole world did and it’s the aftermath of a hospital visit. Cancer, I think it was, their father. I got to the end of the story, I know their father was fine, but also they got to finish their WIP. I graduated three years later than them, still dutifully wrote thank you notes in every comment. I wonder if they remember me, or just the collective of people reading the story as it updates.

Four years ago I was into my first year of university, my first year of figuring out being out in public spaces. I made excuses as to why my name didn’t match my paperwork and read a fic on the train, the same five chapters over and over again for the next years as I thought the story abandoned. It updated this week after such a long hiatus, I left another thank you comment.

There’s an author I love, they update their stories like a clockwork. When they don’t, I check their blog, just to see if their doing alright, not because I feel like they owe me, just to ensure whether I better get out my laptop to write that really detailed university level essay chapter analysis to get them smiling when their day sucked.

And then, once, when I was 17, I read a fic that hadn’t updated in over a decade. I wasn’t even in primary school when it started posting. On the last chapter, I left a comment that, in retrospect, was horribly rambly and most likely full of grammar mistakes. The author replied and though I couldn’t see their face, I thought of them crying. They were married now, had children, and hadn’t thought about this fic in years. They went through their files again, found another half written chapter and an outline. I got two new chapters to read that year.

And then, recently, someone told me they got back into writing original fiction because of my comments. I get to read nearly weekly chapters.

I love binge reading a finished fic, but nothing is ever going to top the feeling of anticipation of waiting for a chapter, the pure joy when someone tells you I was done with this, but you made me think of it again, so this is for you.

Anyway, I think we should romanticize reading WIPs more, growing up alongside the authors writing the stories we love.

#writing #fandom #fanfiction #ao3 #archive of our own