#if I’m qualified to be giving writing advice anyway

[jenanigans1207]

Hi, i was wondering if you have any advice for a first time smut writer? Especially when the writer doesn't even have experience kissing?

I've had an idea for a bonus nsfw chapter for my long term GO wip, and over the months, I have created a detailed account of what will happen with dialogue in my head. But I'm worried that only reading NSFW fics will not be enough to help write it well.

I would ask in a discord server, but may end up gifting it to a friend, and they're in all my servers 😅 Getting advice there might ruin the whole "surprise! I've written a sexy fic!" if I do end up gifting it.

Hi!! Oh man, I don’t know how much help I’m going to be, but I’ll sure try!

I think the biggest thing I can say, and I genuinely can’t stress this enough: you’re going to feel awkward as hell the first time you write smut. To this day I still feel super awkward when I write smut, like I need to look over my shoulder in case someone is looking at my computer screen or this happens to be the moment I’m finally proven right that mind-readers exist and one is reading the smut straight from my brain. So if you feel that way when you write it, don’t panic! It’s not a sign that you aren’t meant to be writing it or that you’re doing a bad job writing it!

My second biggest piece of advice is to remember that this is part of a larger fic. And I hope this makes sense when I say this! It’s not just smut that you’re writing, it’s a natural progression of the dynamic that you’ve been building up for all those chapters. By now you have the character voices and personalities in your head— trust those! Lean into it a little, let them take the lead a bit. If you don’t end up liking how something is written, you can always rewrite it! (Though I will always advocate for simply pasting what you’re getting rid of in another doc instead of outright deleting it just to be safe!)

Third: remember that they’re people. Whether it’s an au where they’re human or they’re still celestial beings, the boys are disastrous idiots at the best of times (that’s why we love them). So don’t be afraid to let it be awkward or uncoordinated sometimes. If you feel like one of them doesn’t know what they’re doing, okay! A lot of us don’t!! And depending on the scenario you’ve put them in, maybe one of them hasn’t ever kissed before either, which allows you to lean into it a little and hopefully make it more comfortable! The point is, nothing is ever perfect. It’s messy, it’s full of emotions, and it’s usually clumsy and heartfelt and it’s okay to write it that way!

If you don’t have a deadline or need to post/send to your friend right away, I recommend taking a few days away from it and reading it again. It’s hard to look at anything you write objectively when you’ve been so close to it for so long. Taking a step away and coming back gives you a better chance of seeing the story the way your readers will— and I guarantee you that you’ll think it’s even better than you remember it being. Even if you thought it was the best thing you ever wrote, you’ll love it more when you are able to look at it a little more objectively! If you can’t take the time away, totally fair. Find someone you trust, someone who knows the rest of your fic so they have the whole story, and ask them to read it.

If you get stuck, and you have someone you trust enough, you can do what I do with my writing friends which is playing Questions! You talk a little about where you’re stuck at in the plot and they just ask you any question that comes to mind. Not always huge, plot-relevant questions, but questions about how a character feels, or how an outside character would respond, etc. and in working out the answers to those questions, I think you’ll find the bits of plot that you’re looking for! It’s always been a huge help to me, and it’s tons of fun!

Oh, and lastly— I think it’s absolutely phenomenal that you wrote an outline of everything! I’ve never been great at plotting or outlines so I’m jealous. But remember not to hold yourself too rigidly to the outline. If you forget something or veer off of where you intended to go for a bit but you like the outcome, don’t beat yourself up over it! Like I said before, you can always rewrite something you don’t like.

So I guess my biggest piece of advice is don’t take it too seriously and don’t put too much pressure on yourself. It’s still writing and it’s a natural progression of a story you’ve already spent all this time telling. You know how the story goes, you know how the characters act, you got this!!!

I don’t know if this ended up being helpful at all, but I hope it is! It’s lovely that you’re doing this for your friend and I’m sure they’re going to adore it!!!

#writing advice #if I’m qualified to be giving writing advice anyway

[explorationsoftheid]

Autism: A Senior Perspective

Recently there was a post on here where someone was saying how everyone automatically hates us because of our autism. How they may act nice to our face, but trash talk us once we’re out of earshot. How everyone will abuse, even kill us, because they can’t stand our autism. I replied that they were just wrong about that. That everyone doesn’t automatically hate us.

The more I thought about it though, the more I saw this was an opportunity for those of us who are older and are autistic, to share our perspectives, our experiences. I think it might help those who are young to know what we went through, how we coped, how our lives have turned out. Most importantly that it can get better.

I’ll start:

I’m 62 years old. Looking back with what I know now it’s clear that I was definitely autistic as a child. Today, my teachers would have pressed to get me tested, but in the 1970s, well autism wasn’t on anyones radar. I doubt my parents would have gone along with that anyway. They were the, “Straighten up and do what you’re supposed to”, and “Boys don’t cry” attitude so common of their generation. I had significant trouble with social interactions, I stuttered, and fought like hell to not melt down in loud and overwhelming situations. Public school was unfortunately full of those. I liked procedure and process, there was a right way and a wrong way to do things and I would get upset if someone broke ‘the rules’. I would obsess over particular subjects. Actually I drove some of my teachers nuts. They would give me a writing assignment and I would turn in a top quality report, but I would have somehow twisted what they wanted into what I wanted to write about.

High School was very confusing. People started dating and going to dances, and all that. I kept asking, only half as a joke if I had missed a class or something because it was all so strange to me. I went off to University and really did well there. My grades weren’t good, (I had to work well over full time to afford to stay in school) but I loved academia. The order, the quiet of the library, being able to study a subject that I was totally onto because I had chosen it as my major. The people I worked with, at all of my jobs, grew to understand my ‘quirks’ and were fine with them. I only wish I hadn’t had to work so much. My middling grades meant that by the time I graduated, I was mentally exhausted, and didn’t qualify for Grad School.

So, I got a job and had to move across the country. There I met someone who I have spent the succeeding 36 years with. They understand me, accept that sometimes I’m a bit odd. Sometimes I react badly to things. Sometimes I just have to say no, and they roll with that.

So I’m now approaching retirement. In the last few years I finally figured out that autism was the reason for all the trouble I’ve had over the years. I’m not lazy, or dumb, or anything like that, I’m autistic. I’m neurodivergent, and that’s the way it is. The worst time frankly was in my childhood and my teens. Since then I’ve learned how to deal with the world. I’ve found people who like me for me, people I don’t have to mask or put on an act around. I’ve found other autistic people and am not the only one anymore. I figured out what jobs suited my talents, and limitations (Retail? No! Computer Wizard or someone who makes things work in the background? Yes!) I’m approaching retirement and honestly things are going pretty well now.

So fellow Autistic Seniors, (That is to say anyone that thinks of themselves as older than most), what was your experience living your life as an autistic person? How have things turned out for you? What advice would you give to children or teens that are struggling to cope?

#autistic adult #autistic community #autism community #autism #autistic experiences #autistic #neurodivergent #autistic feels #actually autistic #autistic culture

[thepenultimateword]

Ok, so Imma throw something out there and hope it doesn’t come off as conceited.

I’ve really enjoyed writing prompt lists this weeks and imma keep doing it, but I also realized I have a really fun time giving writing advice/tips, and would kinda like to add more or they to my blog. (It will not replace snippets at all, it’s basically something I can give/respond to when I’m blocked/don’t have time and wouldn’t be doing any writing anyway.

I am by no means the best writer out there, and I like all writers, I’m learning more about the craft everyday, BUT, I have been writing for 12+ years and have a Bachelor’s degree in English (with a focus on creative writing and literature) and that makes me feel pretty qualified to talk about the craft and offer advice to others.

So if you ever have questions and feel I could answer, shoot me an ask. If you feel fine on your own, or trust other people more that’s fine too :) Just wanted to put it out there!

#no writing #writing advice #writblr #writeblr #writers of tumblr #writing communjty

[ghostxraven]

WRITER ASK GAME 3, 23, 32, 42 & 55

YAY thank you sm for the ask marz!!

3: Describe the creative process of writing a chapter/fic

hoo boy okay. so these are WILDLY different processes for me because i usually don’t do chaptered fics. that is because my usual process is getting inspiration, and before i lose that, writing a draft. what makes certain fics take way longer is when i CANT get through a whole draft without losing inspiration and then i have to just keep coming back to it. at that point i read through it and change details, add details, and refine, and once i’ve refreshed my memory on what the flow of the story is, i’ll try to add on. sometimes i can add a lot, sometimes i can only add little bits at a time, so fics will drag out from initial conception to actually being published. for my only chaptered fic, i am still struggling with that second part, where i need to keep going back and working on it. so hi, if you’re wondering if and i ache is EVER going to be updated, the answer is hopefully. the difference is that for that fic specifically, I HAVE AN OUTLINE WRITTEN. granted it’s a very simple outline but i rarely write down an actual outline, i just make a roadmap for myself in my head. i may actually try to start integrating that for longer fics like the still-in-purgatory exterminators au, as those tend to be more complicated and it would PROBABLY be helpful to not have it in my head. in any case, my process is usually to just keep going back to it over and over again and picking at little bits of it, changing something here, adding something there, until i feel it’s in as good a shape as it can be. if i’m stuck feeling like it’s not great but i don’t know how to fix it OR i just feel like having an outside perspective i will sometimes loop my friends into it and ask them for some feedback :)

23: Best writing advice for other writers?

oh, god. okay. i don’t feel like i’m very qualified to be handing out advice, really, i’m just some guy who writes stories i like about characters i like. okay. hm. i think what makes stories better though is definitely get some fresh eyes on it! get some feedback from people who DO know what they’re doing. ask your writer friends to look at it and tell you what they think is lacking or needs changing. that honest to god has improved my writing a lot. other than that, though, i think reading different kinds of writing, good writing, good fanfiction that rivals novels but also REAL novels, different authors, different genres, whatever. that will improve your writing because you’ll have a much more varied pool of inspiration to pull from AND you’ll expand your vocabulary, vary your sentence structure, learn new ways of expressing yourself. of course i’m not good at following my own advice because finding time to sit down and read is HARD for me BUT i KNOW FOR A FACT that it makes you better. god knows my own work has been easier to complete/i’ve had more inspiration, i’ve found the words flow easier, things sound better and more mature and less regurgitated, etc, when i’ve been reading other people’s work. but again like it has to be GOOD writing otherwise it’ll work in the opposite direction. read literature, kids.

32: Name three of your favorite fanfic writers.

WHEE okay! here you go:

@sleevesareforlosers /costumejail (danny doesn’t write for dd anymore but xe literally has over 150 fics to peruse. shilling for my bestie go read danny’s stuff ok ESPECIALLY since i know a lot of y’all like kobracola and funkobra)

allhaunting + semperfemina (as far as i’m concerned they’re a package deal and iirc they’re actually a married couple. anyways the dynamic they write changes slightly from fic to fic but it’s always realistically toxic and super interesting. plus they’re just really good writers. one of their fics’ endings makes me cry on a regular basis. anyways. it’s good give ‘em a look)

hard to decide on a concrete third…probably a tie between @agentcherricola /truefinches, present company/tiredstressed, and @discocritic . like YES i know only one of those three people i listed is actively writing dd fic rn and it’s you, marz, but i’ve been around for a long time by dd fandom standards. disco’s stuff is really good and solid and i feel bad for y’all that will never get to read the stuff of theirs that no longer exists on the internet /gen & matt’s got good stuff too plus we’re friends so i have to try and prod y’all to check his work out. OH and i almost forgot but @paralytic-states is another good friend of mine who i’d consider part of the remnants of the funpoison old guard still here on dd tumblr <3

give all these folks some love they’re very talented!! 💕

42: What’s the last fic you read? Do you recommend it?

last fic i read was Habit Forming by ros3bud009 and yes i would recommend it. if people were allowed to be gay on tv in the 60s this could have all happened in the show which should tell you something about how insane star trek already is <3 spirk nation

55: Of the characters you write for, which is your favorite? Has that choice been swayed at all by your followers/readers’ reactions to certain ones?

ghoul is my favorite character BUT. party is my favorite to write. that’s never really changed, theyre just fun because their perspective especially of themself oftentimes does NOT line up with reality and it’s fun to play with that. on the other hand i’ve started to really enjoy writing kobra and jet as well for fresh perspectives on things and also because it’s fun to get to write about different characters’ perspectives and motivations! like i mentioned in the last ask i got for this game character-driven stuff is my favorite to write :]

thank you again so so much for the ask!

send me fic writer asks from HERE!

#pi's personal #query on top #marz tag 🔮 #ask game #🥳🥰🥳🥰‼️

[just-a-cup-of-anxietea]

@daydreaming-optimist tagged me to bold all the things that apply to me! Thank you for the tag bestie! I don’t know why the bold is still showing up in the wrong places for me on your post, SO I’m gonna bold and add color to this post in the hopes that it doesn’t glitch. Dunno if that’ll fix it, but color’s great anyway!

APPEARANCE

I'm over 5’5” // I wear glasses/contacts // I have blonde hair // I prefer loose clothing to tight clothing // I have one or more piercings // I have at least one tattoo // I have blue eyes // I have dyed or highlighted my hair // I have gotten plastic surgery // I have or had braces // I sunburn easily // I have freckles // I paint my nails // I typically wear make-up // I don’t often smile // I am pleased with how I look // I prefer nike to adidas // I wear baseball hats backwards

HOBBIES AND TALENTS

I play a sport // I can play an instrument // I am artistic // I know more than one language // I have won a trophy in some sort of competition // I can cook or bake without a recipe // I know how to swim // I enjoy writing // I can do origami // I prefer movies to tv shows // I can execute a perfect somersault // I enjoy singing // I could survive in the wild on my own** // I have read a new book series this year // I enjoy spending time with friends // I travel during school or work breaks // I can do a handstand

**need clarification on what qualifies as wild. But very probably no. Working on it tho!

RELATIONSHIPS

I am in a relationship // I have been single for over a year // I have a crush // I have a best friend I have known for ten years // my parents are together // I have dated my best friend // I am adopted // my crush has confessed to me // I have a long distance relationship // I am an only child // I give advice to my friends // I have made an online friend // I met up with someone i have met online

AESTHETICS

have heard the ocean in a conch shell // I have watched the sun rise // I enjoy rainy days // I have slept under the stars // I meditate outside // the sound of chirping calms me // I enjoy the smell of the beach // I know what snow tastes like // I listen to music to fall asleep // I enjoy thunderstorms // I enjoy cloud watching // I have attended a bonfire // I pay close attention to colours // I find mystery in the ocean // I enjoy hiking on nature paths // autumn is my favourite season

MISCELLANEOUS

I can fall asleep in a moving vehicle // I am the mom friend // I live by a certain quote // I like the smell of sharpies // I am involved in extracurricular activities // I enjoy mexican food // I can drive a stick-shift // I believe in true love // I make up scenarios to fall asleep // I sing in the shower // I wish I lived in a video game // I have a canopy above my bed // I am multiracial // I am a redhead // I own at least three dogs

Tagging: @cris080799 @of-the-elves @senatorhotcheeto @cantankerouscanuck @yarnyarnbinks @courageisneverforgotten @permanentreverie @willowstea @deirdredoodle @percyjacksonwriter @obesecamels @justthatspiffy and anyone else who wants to do this!

#tagged #tag game #about me #daydreaming optimist #bryn twin #mutuals #friends #grace speaks

[nothingtoseeherebyeexx]

hello, its ria!

i was reading your fanfic, delicate [chapter four, to be precise] and i juist couldnt hold it in any longer; your writing is amazing!

do you have any writing tips for me? my writing is just... it doesnt feel like a stroy; more like a university essay. i would love to know how\when you started writing!

i love your art, too! its very playful, and makes me smile so much that my cheeks hurt!

with appreciation,

paria gasemi [AKA greek girl]

xoxo

hello!!

i’m glad you like my fanfic, it means so much to me!!

i don’t think i’m the most qualified person to give advice about writing, considering that english isn’t my first language and that i’m not a writer, but i hope i’ll be helpful!

delicate is my first fic and my first attempt at writing a *long* story so i’m not really experienced, but since i’ve consumed a lot of fanfiction i could pick before writing a few things i liked from the stories i’ve read: the fics that i enjoy reading the most aren’t too long, too angsty or too cheesy, and i wanted my fic to be just like that.

i think character study could help you a lot: ever-changing dynamics between characters keep the story intriguing, and knowing their personalities well can help you create some interesting situations (misunderstandings and fights, but also improbable friendships or alliances…) that are all entertaining to read (at least for me)

writing in an ‘essay-ish’ style isn’t necessarily a problem, in fact it could help exploring certain points more clearly, but i think those ‘static’ paragraphs should be interchanged with ‘action’ paragraphs or dialogue (…speaking of which, if you’re having a hard time making it feel realistic, reading it out loud should help.)

anyways, fanfiction should be something fun to write before it is to read, and since you don’t have to write a masterpiece (or a perfect mark essay), you can indulge yourself with all the cheesiest clichés, if that’s what you like. it doesn’t matter if they sound cringy, they’re fun to write and fun to read, and that’s all that matters.

and thank you for all the compliments!! knowing my drawings put a smile on your face makes my day better <3

love,

nothing (who wants to visit greece asap, you’re lucky af girl!!)

#nothing answers

[thatgordongirl]

Fanfic ask! 🥺 🤡 🛒💋🤩🤗

Thank you so much for the ask! If anyone else wants to send one, the list is here

🥺 Is there a certain type of moment or common interaction between your characters that never fails to put you in your feels?

Most of the time, I write singular character focused stuff, but Julian being uncharacteristically kind to someone has always been endearing to me. Whether it be taking Captain outside to avoid loud party music or reassuring Pat that it’s not his fault he got cheated on. Hugging his wife or hanging out with his daughter, stuff like that. 

🤡 What’s a line, scene, or exchange you’ve written that made you laugh?

I technically haven’t written it yet, but there’s a scene I’m planning for the fic where Julian and Pat live, and Pat finds some of Thomas’ poetry online, though it isn’t attached to him. Pat shows Julian and the conversation basically boils down to:

Pat: Well it really spoke to me….

Julian: it’s about worms

I don’t write a lot of funny stuff, I usually write when I’m sad, or if an idea suddenly hits me. 

🛒 What are some common things you incorporate in your fics? Themes, feels, scenes, imagery, etc.

I’m really attached to Captain and butterflies, not only does it symbolise his transformation, but also his disconnect from his former self. A caterpillar looks almost nothing like a butterfly, but it becomes it’s true self when it changes in such a way. Julian and alcohol intertwine quite a lot, but that’s probably due to my own experiences with people drinking. Stories involving Thomas usually have more similes and metaphors, or colourful descriptions because that’s how I think he would describe it in his head. He’d try to make a poem and end up comparing one thing to another in no particular pattern. I try to make it sound more pretty? If that makes sense? Like 1800s novels I’ve read. I know he’s from 1824, but I drew a lot of inspiration from The Picture of Dorian Gray when writing Thomas stuff. 

💋 First kiss fics. Love em or hate em?

I love reading them, even if it’s a ship I don’t like because how it comes about is interesting regardless. But I cannot write them to save my own life, I’ve done it before and it never seems to go well. It’s so much more natural for me to write love that can’t be expressed like Captain or complicated like Julian or Thomas. I’ll get used to it eventually, but for now, I’ll just enjoy other people’s lovely works. 

🤩 Who is your favorite character to write? 

Captain feels the most natural because he’s the first Ghosts character I ever wrote and probably the character I’ve wrote the most for, but I don’t know what more I can explore about him that someone else hasn’t already written, considering he’s so popular. I feel bad throwing my own Captain onto everyone else’s good Captain fics. Julian is really fun to write because me amuses and frustrates me so much as a person. The best way to describe what it’s like to write Thomas is flowery and I love it. 

🤗 What advice would you give to new fanfic writers that are just getting started?

I don’t know if I’m qualified enough to give advice, since I’ve only been posting a year or so, but I’ll throw my two cents in anyway. Don’t feel obligated to post or finish a story just because you think it’ll disappoint someone if you don’t. Engage with your readers and fellow writers, @ginevralinton always leaves wonderful comments on my fics and writes fantastic ones of her own. You’ll feel more connected with the fandom your write for. 

#Ask game #bbc ghosts #the captain #julian fawcett #thomas thorne #pat butcher

[rickie-the-storyteller]

i saw your ask and I really appreciated it. i have one question - how do i incorporate daydreaming into my writing? I have this story i want to try but I’m a maladaptive daydreamer and I’m daydreaming about these ocs ALL the time. I want to write about them but I am afraid no one will read it and it won’t be planned out well. I tried thinking of a new idea but I can’t connect with it like i do my daydream. What do i do?

Hey! Thanks for the question.

I don't know if I'm all that qualified to give advice in this department lol (haven't got a ton of followers and am still fairly new to this myself), but I'll try my very best to help anyways.

I've already advised you to practice as much as possible, as it will help you build your confidence. Try not to make it perfect - it's not about that. It is about making it authentic and unique to you. Capturing your imagination with words and giving readers a window into your mind.

I understand your fears about people not liking or wanting to read your work. This is something I struggle with as well. I don't really have advice for that apart from to persevere. Don't let yourself get too swayed by people's opinions of your work. Do this for you! Personally, I don't do what I do to get followers... I'm just having fun here lol. I'm not too sure how to build a following. I will say that the more you do it, the more people will find out about you and your following will grow and improve with time. It gets really fun when you have more people to share your work and provide feedback and stuff. It'll be a slow process to start with, but you'll eventually get the hang of things if you keep going with it.

As far as daydreams go... I definitely get what you mean by wanting to incorporate your daydreaming into your writing. I often daydream about my ocs too lol (especially when I've written a scene that I'm particularly proud of). My advice there would be to not overthink it, for one thing. There are so many ways (big or small) that you can put in aspects of your own life, including dreams/daydreams that you have, into your writing.

I'd say to capture as much as possible. So like, keep a notebook or a digital document dedicated to recording your daydreams, and update it as much as possible. Use it to write down any interesting characters, plot ideas, or scenes that come to mind. This will help you remember and develop them as you go. Then once you get to actually writing the story, you're practically halfway there!

It's also important to develop a good structure for your story. Once you have your collection of daydream-inspired ideas, start outlining your storyline. Decide the main plot points, character arcs, key events etc. A solid structure will help you channel your daydreams into a cohesive narrative.

I hope this helps! I believe you can do this. Just keep pushing through it, and you'll get there. Writing can be a challenge sometimes, but it is very rewarding in the end <3

#writing advice #writing tips #daydreaming #writing #writerblr #asks

[astrobei]

Also any other fanfic writing tips? Do you have thoughts on chaptered fics vs longer one-shots? Do you ever struggle with characters feeling ooc?

I'm working my way up to finishing a couple WIPs and am very very nervous about posting them on ao3 😬😬

ooshdjsfh i think it’s funny when ppl ask me for writing advice bc i am a Mess but i will try my hardest to be helpful w this!

for the first bit, personally i’m a fan of oneshots, both writing and reading (there are exceptions for both ofc!!) just because i usually don’t have the attention span to write or read chaptered fics unless they’re finished and under 5 chapters ! but both of my chaptered fics are/were chaptered literally because i wrote too much to make it a oneshot without it feeling kind of clunky and awkward LOL i don’t usually write fics with big fleshed out plots anyway, and it’s more like a general storyline with a focus on individual scenes instead of the overarching plot, so i’ll write it all in one go! and i always write more than i think i will, so stories i plan to be like 10-15k ALWAYS end up at least 20k somehow 😭 personally i just rly appreciate when chaptered fics are consistent w uploading (as much as possible for the author) because it’s really hard for me to commit otherwise, which is why i don’t rly write them myself!!

and Oh My God anon,, i struggle CONSTANTLY w characters feelings ooc im always so concerned w my mike especially, since so much of s3 and 4 was more will pov and we didn’t get as much of an insight into mike’s internal struggles and thoughts like we did with will (the castle byers scene, van scene, jonathan talk, etc) so i’m always worried that the way i interpret him is not the same way that others might! and characters like lucas and dustin and max are easier since their povs in the show have stayed pretty consistent since their first appearances, and even will is easier for me to write (although i prefer mike which is pretty obvious maybe LOL) but mike Stresses Me Out a lot,, whew !!

if ur having trouble w that my advice (or at least what i do, take it w a grain of salt siskfjsjf) is think whether or not u could imagine this character saying that in the show. like, if this dialogue was added to a scene would it feel weird and out of place? do they usually use words like that? are there words used in the show specific to this character? (e.g: robin with “dingus”) i do take a lot of creative liberty w characters like mike and will especially when writing fluff fics, since so much of s4 and the end of s3 has been Sad and we haven’t gotten much humorous interaction from them, but i always try to ask myself if it’s true to their dynamic. like, mike would never ever pull off being suave and cool (except maybe in will’s unreliable narrator pov) because he gets flustered and is kind of an idiot and will is canonically a little bitchy and a little snarky and one of the only people who can put mike in his place so .

and thinking abt their motivations and Why they act/think the way they do: in byler’s case for example, will is selfless to a fault where he keeps putting other people before him, he’s so scared of his own needs making him selfish or a bad person that he often backpedals too far trying to amend that (s4!!) but he gets frustrated pretty easily (he’s the one that’s Started both of the infamous byler fights, the one that blows up first) and isn’t afraid to call mike out on things !! vs mike who tries really really hard, and has so much love for the people in his life but he’s inexperienced in it and doesn’t know how to show it in the way they want (saying ily to el, being a good friend to will) and a lot of his own inner monologue being fueled by the fear that the people in his life don’t need him anymore and yk . stuff like that . idk i just think abt these things a lot when i write!

anyways i am not qualified in the slightest to give any of this advice so FEEL FREE TO IGNORE THIS !! but anon if u ever end up publishing those wips (pls do) PLEASE don’t hesitate to drop me a link i’d love to check them out! posting fics can be rly scary but my advice would be to have as much fun with it as u can! play around w tropes and dialogue and writing styles and povs as much as u want. it can be easy to get caught up in writing what u think ppl want to read or thinking u Have to write smth bc someone asked for it but literally just write whatever u want (that’s like . not insane and awful for obvious reasons) and enjoy urself!!

hope this helped !! <3

#why r people asking me for advice #i’m a loser #a LOSER #IDK WHAT IM DOING #ask #fic

[yuly]

Hey Yuly!! I just wanted to tell you how much I love your writing, it’s so deliciously soul destroying <3

If you don’t mind, do you have any tips on starting writing fanfiction? I really love writing but I have absolutely no clue where to start it’s painful 😭

Anyway ilysm ur an angst genius and I just wanted you to know it 💗💗

oh anon 🥹🥹you've made my entire day week with this ask thank you so very much for your kind words and support ❤️❤️

soul destroying 🫢hehe😈🤪

my advice for writing ??? as someone who started writing in Dec 20222???? i'm not sure i qualify to give any type of advice darling😭 but i will say this:

you said you love writing so start there!! don't be afraid!!! if you feel like writing something GO FOR IT, it doesn't have to be novel, hell it doesn't even have to be a full paragraph, write down your idea, tell your story and see how you feel about it, my golden rule is as long as I like it and it makes ME happy reading it, then I’m good!! Literally just open up google docs, or your notes app, whatever, take a breath and type away!!! flood the page with our ideas and then start organizing it a bit etc, don’t put too much pressure on yourself because thats when you lose train of thought and lovely ideas float way, forget about posting and what the reader will think, for now just put your energy into story telling :)

don't worry too much about grammar and schematics in the early stages, just get your idea out, tell your story! In my first few stories I was very insecure about the fact that my tenses were all over the place, I obsessed over it wayyyyy too much (I still struggle with it ngl), we aren't writing legal documents here, cut yourself some slack!! also, english isn't everyone's first language! I use free grammarly its very helpful, I am terrible at spelling etc.

at the same time, be honest with yourself, yes you are a brand new writer and there is lots of room to improve so if and when you receive some feedback, take it!! don't see it as an attack or a reason to not write anymore, incorporate it to the best of your abilities and keep trying!!

be yourself!!! I cannot emphasis this enough, you may not be aware of it yet but you have a certain niche that is going to hit juuuust right for your reader! i've started using tumblr and reading fanfic again since nov2022 and i have come across a wide variety of writing styles, some i personally enjoy more than others (and that's ok!) but there are so many insanely talented writers in this little fandom alone it blows my mind, and each of them has their own unique writing style and a different way to tell a beautiful story, and we appreciate them all!! there is room for everyone <3

most importantly: don't let lack of engagement discourage you, this is easier said than done!! right before I posted child's play, I posted a small one shot titled A Two Way Street, it was different from my usual fluff and actually, it was my very first time writing angst! (a tiny amount lol) and I was so excited !!! I even wanted (and still do) to make a part 2 and had this whole idea planned out, but it sat around 10 likes for nearly two weeks, with no feedback or anything, it was crickets lol. It made me really sad and I started to second guess my idea and just the story overall, I even thought am I writing too much too fast for someone who just started?? Maybe I should take a break. When I got the idea for childs play not long after that, I said fuck it ,I posted it with 0 expectations, I just genuinely liked my idea and telling the story, again, I had an idea for part 2 but this time I told myslef to not expect anything and just take whatever comes my way. The response to that story is still unreal to me, I'm so glad that I didn't let something so small discourage me from writing all together, truthfully some of the best stories I've read on here get way less recognition than I believe they deserve, but that does not take away from the writers talent or the story itself!!!

anyway, that was sooooo much rambling, I hope I was able to encourage you even a tiny bit, you are absolutely capable and worth the shot, don't be afraid, I’m no genius I'm just a regular girl and if I can do it, you absolutely can!!!❤️❤️

#yuly answers #writer things #writers and readers #i belive in you anon!!!

[lovemyavatar]

HI * HERE i really want to start writing but i don’t know how to start 😭😭😭 I REALLY WANT TO MESSAGE U BUT I’M LOWKEY NERVOUS 😭

omg plsss don’t be nervous!! my messages are always open and I love you already anyways!!

Idk if I’m qualified to give writing advice tbh but I can just tell you what I do, I’m more than happy to talk to you and answer any questions you have!!

[peachypizzicato]

Hi!! Sory to bother you but this letter to dorian is very interesting! Im new to fandom but you mention many things which are annoying me too already. Its so harf to find smth nice to read 😖☹️😑 Sadly Im not much of a artist so i cant "be the change you wanna see" 😅😭 do you write/draw? Im so curios what a story/fanart would look like if done RIGHT for once. Thanks!!

hey anon! don’t worry, you’re not bothering me at all! thank you so much, i’m glad you enjoyed reading my impromptu essay-thingy! i was really hoping it would resonate with people in the fandom, so your message makes me very happy :)

i totally understand the feeling! sometimes you can kinda get lost in the shuffle and it can feel like there’s nothing good- but there’s good things and good creators out there! i honestly can’t really give super specific suggestions on that front, but id say just keep an eye out for anything showing or talking about characters in an unsavory manner (for example, if a majority of the art of ESPECIALLY the brown skinned characters is sexual or suggestive in nature, or if grown adults- julian and muriel most usually- are infantilized or otherwise treated as incapable on their own)

as for doing the story itself right, i actually feel uniquely qualified to speak on exactly that! i had actually started on my own retelling of sorts– before i realized that i had not done NEARLY enough planning and jumping in both feet first had stressed me to the point of burnout such that i had to shelve that whole thing. but i digress! in the meantime, i’ve actually done a bit of that planning stuff retroactively in the form of light analysis. nothing super crazy, mostly reading accounts from other marginalized groups affected by the messaging of the game and taking into account my own knowledge to jot down specific issues with the original and how they could be fixed (its kind of fun actually if you’re into that sort of thing)

without overloading this answer with a wall of literary analysis, many of the most visible problems end up coming down to a choice between specific traits or a specific background, as keeping both causes said problems (for example, will rewritten muriel stay the stoic woodsy wild man or will he keep his indigenous coding? will rewritten julian keep all of his imagery or will he be a recognized jewish character?) many of the routes also face deeper issues that would need a case-by-case handling, but for anyone looking to rewrite them my advice would just be to look at things with a very careful and purposeful eye: why is this event happening to this character? does it play into a harmful stereotype or trope? what can be done instead to add to their character and their arc?

thats just my two cents, anyway! i hope this makes sense and is helpful, thanks again for reading :)

#kinda ship related #sorry this is so late! i just wanted to make sure my response was well said and thorough! #but yea :) #the arcana #the arcana game #asks #peanut gallery #peachyrambles #im actually thinking about. maybe rewriting muriels route? #sounds like significantly less of an undertaking than. a whole ass game lmao #idk just a thought

[wordsgood]

this long post is originally posted on my writing blog, random pattern generator.

I don’t remember where, but I came across some article about how to write blog posts if you’re trying to grow your authorial platform. Of course you have to write about writing, but, according to the article, no one wants to read about what you’re writing. You have to write advice posts for the readers, instead.

I might have advice that people would want to hear if I already had a book or two published, or if I already had some kind of platform. But since I don’t have either of those things, what do I have to give anyone besides the kind of generic advice that thirty people have already written about in actual books about writing, and that 300 people have already blogged about for free? Characterization, in media res, save the cat, five tips to make your villain more formidable? I don’t have anything of substance to add to these conversations. I’m not a beginner by any means, but I haven’t achieved the kind of success that would make me qualified to advise anyone.

Except, maybe, in one area: the “does my writing really matter?” area. Not that I’m hugely successful there, either, but I’ve gotten over a pretty rough dry spell in the past few years. I thought I’d lost my calling for good, but here I am, a year or two later, keeping a spreadsheet of my various WIPs’ daily word counts. That’s a comeback story of sorts. That might count for something.

I don’t think it would be honest of me to comfort anyone, though.

The thing about having this question - “am I worthy of this craft that I love?” - leeching uncertainty, self-hatred, and lethargy into your atmosphere is that, in my experience, no one can answer it for you. It makes you think you need validation from other people. And, of course, it never hurts to have people in your corner; you may need other people’s words to keep you hydrated while you cross the desert. But no one can carry you across. There is no Sam Gamgee for this particular trek. It’s just you and whatever god you own.

You can receive the kindest, most well-meaning, supportive words, and there’s every chance in the world that they’ll dry up in your ears before they can ever reach your head. The Question has locked you up like a princess in a castle or Amontillado in the wall or Ariel in the pine and there might not be anything that can reach you until you erase the question mark for yourself.

I won’t pretend that’s easy. It took me a long time and a couple very hard conversations before I finally got out of the desert.

Right here is where the script dictates: But I broke through anyway. All it took was trying hard enough, long enough - I will not elucidate what ‘trying’ means; Just Do It - and now I’m free and happy and whenever I doubt myself now I just look back on how I beat The Question already and it doesn’t have any power over me anymore, and all you need to do is keep trying, too, like me.

This is where I’m supposed to say, It’s hard work, but it’s worth the effort.

Screw that. It wasn’t worth the effort. Nothing is worth how much and how long I let The Question hurt me and hold me down. I’m not far enough out of the desert to pretend like I’m fine now, that it doesn’t still hurt even when I’m finishing novels and getting my 1-5 kudos per week on AO3. Some part of me died in the desert and it’s not coming back.

So, no, I’m not going to tell you - should you be uncertain, desperate, hurting, empty, any or all of the above - that I think your pain is only temporary or that your struggle is worth it. If that’s what you need to hear, you can find other people who will be happy to pass on that message. If you need to hear that all you’ve got to do is just keep trying, just keep going, just keep hoping and believing, you’ve come to the wrong place. When I was in the desert, hearing that kind of encouragement was the opposite of encouraging. I was tired. I had already spent months or years trying, going, hoping. I’m sure, now, that the effort wasn’t made in vain, but hearing that I had to keep trying to get where I wanted to be - well, there’s an or else hidden at the end of that sentence. That was the encouragement of someone who’d already made it out of the desert and was floating by in a hot air balloon, having forgotten how it felt to have your feet in the sand and a sword over your head. Keep going, or else. I’m not a child, I wanted to tell them. I’m no writing noob. What do you think I’ve been doing but trying? What else have I been sobbing over my keyboard about?

Here’s the only thing that gave me an inch of peace: T.S. Eliot and the book of Leviticus.

T.S. Eliot may be obvious - I’ve already made at least a couple blog posts about how I basically live my creative life by Four Quartets - but Leviticus is a little newer. Not the whole of the book, but, specifically, the concept of the year of Jubilee, every fiftieth year, the year of release. And specifically the part of the year of Jubilee that deals with letting fields lay unsown. You let the land alone. You let it lie fallow. Don’t touch a spade or toss a seed. “It shall be holy to you”: a holy abandonment.

You can try for as long as you can hold out, but you may well reach a point at which it doesn’t matter. The tank is empty, the field is dry, the stone is out of blood. You have to stop trying or you’ll break something vital, like a bone or your faith in yourself.

You know what’s coming now:

I said to my soul, be still, and wait without hope For hope would be hope for the wrong thing; wait without love, For love would be love of the wrong thing; there is yet faith But the faith and the love and the hope are all in the waiting. Wait without thought, for you are not ready for thought: So the darkness shall be the light, and the stillness the dancing. Whisper of running streams, and winter lightning. The wild thyme unseen and the wild strawberry, The laughter in the garden, echoed ecstasy Not lost, but requiring, pointing to the agony Of death and birth.

Darkness and stillness will be the light and the dancing. Your neurons will flash again in the darkness and your thoughts will dance again in the stillness. The seed will grow when it’s buried like the dead.

That’s what got me across the line in the sand: the idea that I didn’t have to keep trying. I didn’t have to prove what I was or what I wanted. My God knew that already; in some deep place, so did I. None of that mattered, though, when I had given all I had to give. Some people may be, but I am not a bottomless well, and I’d drunk myself dry. I didn’t need to try harder or work longer; I needed to exist without effort, so that the well could refill. I needed to wait, not with hopelessness, but without hope. Even hope takes up precious energy that you need just to put one foot in front of the other.

I needed to spend months doing crafts with my hands, reading books and watching movies and shows and listening to music and looking at nature, not trying to write. I didn’t need platitudes about how everything would eventually work out, because that would be hope for the wrong thing. I needed rest. I needed to lie fallow.

That’s the thing about The Question. Am I worthy of this craft that I love? cannot and will not be answered definitively by other people. It can barely be answered by you. If you thought the answer was yes, you wouldn’t be asking. If the answer were no, you wouldn’t be doing your craft. (I’m talking about writing for myself, but I’m sure people have asked themselves The Question for every conceivable calling or career.) But if you’re asking The Question of yourself, you’re tired and scared and in pain, your faith is flagging, because you’re driving on close to empty. You’re asking because you want the answer to be yes but you don’t have it in you to believe it.

I’m here to tell you that you don’t have to believe it, or even try to. Your craft will outlive you; it will not cease to be when you let it go. For whatever it’s worth, you’ve got my permission not to be graceful about your fallowing; you don’t have to look starry-eyed to the future or speak of “this season of difficulty” or whatever the religious or self-care language might be this month. Forget your craft. Forget writing. Screw it. You shouldn’t feel obligated to enjoy this time, or make it Instagrammable or TikTokable. It sucks. End of sentence. It can feel like the ending of your life and I don’t believe in guilting people into feeling optimistic or positively about such things.

I’m not here to tell you that you’ll get everything back twice over, that you’ll look back on this time and laugh and be grateful, that you need to do or prepare for anything, that you’ll one day float back over the desert in a hot air balloon as a wiser, more enlightened individual. If you’re asking, Will I ever write again? or When does the creative urge come back? I’m not going to say, Oh, of course it will, just be patient, it’ll come back one day. Just keep going. I don’t know you, I don’t know your life or your future. Maybe it won’t. Maybe that chapter is closed for you. Weigh the possibility in your mind; what’s your reaction? Fear, relief, agony, all of the above? It doesn’t matter. Your emotions will most likely not be a good compass to follow. That, in some way, is the point: there’s no good compass at all. We all drive by the light of our grubby headlights.

What I do believe, even at my lowest point, for myself and for you, is that no love is ever wasted. If you’ve loved your craft, if you still do even in the desert, even in the stillness and the darkness, then it wasn’t and isn’t for no reason. Whether you find your way back to your craft or you move on to something else once you’re out of the desert, you’ll carry what you learned and how you loved either way, and there is always value in that.

I’m taking your face in my hands and repeating it until you believe it: love is never wasted. Neither is time in the desert. I’m not saying that you should try to find some amorphous beauty in a painful time, that if you aren’t grateful for it or productive through it then you aren’t suffering properly and thus don’t deserve what you want, but I am saying that the dry spells don’t disqualify you from your craft. They are, unfortunately, a part of the creative life. Will you ever write, paint, animate, carve again? Maybe, maybe not, I’m not going to make you empty promises. But a yellow light isn’t a stop sign, and the struggle may well be temporary. You won’t know until you do.

That’s my anti-advice for those who may be struggling with their art: it might be your fiftieth year. It may be time to stop trying so hard. It might be time to do a Yoga With Adriene or two and see if candle-making is for you. It might be time to write three thousand angry, bitter blog posts about how it feels like you’ve spent your life thus far on a hopeless dream. Drop your pen, your paintbrush, your needle, your sculpting tools, your power tools. Let your soul grow wild; let your well refill. Don’t tell yourself that the art will be back, don’t hope for the wrong thing, don’t let internet platitudes and toxic positivity convince you to spend energy you don’t have.

Breathe.

Sit.

Wait.

No matter the answer you find at the end of the desert, love will wait with you.

#michael-annals #trying a new thing with the ol blog #idk i finally feel like i have something that might help someone somewhere. if just like..... one or two people #this is what i would have wanted to hear tbh. this is what i would have preferred to be told

[adultswim2021]

Saul of the Mole Men #9: “A Hammer in His Hand” | April 8, 2007 - 12:00AM | S01E09

Saul of the Mole Men continues to be bad, and this episode is not a good one. I am going to be summarizing it using disrespect, and bad writing.

After the events of the last episode, Saul and Fallopia’s relationship is muddled, but emotions and tensions are high. She flees from him after an awkward almost-exchange. Just then Bertram shows up to bring Saul to the worksite at Project Thunderhole, demanding that he inspect the hole (which hovers over a giant pile of dead workers). Saul crawls inside and starts pointing out how the structural integrity of the hole is in poor shape. In the middle of offering some helpful advice, there’s a cave in. But instead of joining the ranks of the freshly dead, Saul is trapped inside, losing the will to live. 

Meanwhile we periodically cut back to the boat with the Strata operators (Dana Synder and Gary Anthony Williams, whose name I didn’t bother to learn until now. Just now realizing he was on Malcom in the Middle and was the voice of Uncle Ruckus on Boondocks, among probably many other more recognizable things) on it. They’re bringing a big drill ship to Indochina so they can drill upwards to the Mole Men to save the previous digging expedition that’s currently trapped there. We cut back and forth to them just to remind you that that whole thing is going on. They are going through a bad storm, and the captain makes them watch Remains of the Day, the Merchant-Ivory classic. Things go south when the captain insists that the drill ship needs to be dumped or else they won’t survive the squall, opting not to dump Johnny Tambourine merchandise that is apparently taking up the same amount of weight. That’s the end of their story line for this episode (GOOD!!!).

The rest of the episode is basically Saul with American folklore character John Henry, the steel-driving man. He’s real and alive, and living in an underground cave apparently not far from Mole Man land. Dumb premise? Sure! But I’ve literally watched an episode of Ark II where they meet Don Quixote, so I’m not gonna dog it. They eventually make friends with one another. Things seem to be going alright, but then Jim E. James and Jen E. James, now with rocks for heads, bust in to attack Saul. You might recall from the last episode that they want his amber gem. Saul gets out alive thanks to John Henry, who not only fends them off, but gives Saul a parting gift; a similar-looking gem of a different color. Saul puts them together and they generate some sort of energy, or at least a cool glow. Episode ends. 

Okay, so I noticed one line in this that qualifies as a “running joke”: When John Henry urges Saul to come get his crystal/gem/rock/whatever, it’s inside a little furnace embedded into his abdomen. He calls Saul over and says “this ain’t no sex thing” or something like that. That line was also uttered when Saul was in Jail, and a cell mate of his said the same thing to him asking for a spot while lifting weights. At least I wish it were a running joke in that I want it to run AWAY!!! HAHAHAHA SAUL YOU FUCKING JERK!

Anyway, this one seemed particularly like a waste of time. I guess I appreciate the effort to make these episodes have standalone elements as well as a serialized arc. It’s mostly telling a story about a guy getting trapped in a cave with John Henry while also advancing the overarching plot, and that’s a good thing. And I’ve already stated elsewhere that I appreciate the show’s irony and design and all that. I just wish the show were more actually-interesting and funny.

EPHEMERA CORNER

MAIL BAG

User “burpingcontest” (disgusting name by the way) asks:

You brought up Tom Green's internet show but forgot to share that it gave you a chance to talk to one of your comedic heroes one on one. Mind telling the folks at home how that went?

I blocked that out, thank you. Okay: so the fun thing about Tom Green’s call-in show, was that he would frequently formally end a show or come on at random times between episodes and just take calls for fun. One night he had a skateboard guy named Jeremy Kline? He was really annoying, I remember his one note was just pressing teenagers about weather or not they’d had sex before or not. He literally did it on every call. He was also very fixated on the idea that they could have strippers and naked chicks on the show because it was the internet and there wasn’t any censorship. This lead to a repeat appearance where he torpedoed the Michael Showalter episode by bringing a stripper without running it by Tom. It was a marvelous train wreck.

To this day I still think about this one moment, it was after a proper episode of Tom’s show: Tom was screwing around wearing a rubber horse mask; the scary one that I think is basically an overused meme now. He called for food delivery and invited the delivery person into his home studio, and brought him on camera. He was nervous and small and probably spoke English as a second language. Tom stared at him with the horse mask on and asked him: “would you like to wear the horse mask?” the man looked at Tom dead serious and grimly said “No. Never.”

ANYWAY: At this time me and my friends would regularly get on Skype to watch Tom Green’s web show together. After this first Jeremy Kline episode, I was sorta dared to call in by my friends on Skype, so I worked up an obnoxious bit that was just a dumb inside joke: I would do a dumb guy voice, identify myself using the first name and city of another one of my friends that was in the Skype chat, and repeatedly ask Tom if he smoked weed. I think I came up with this premise because I was pretty sure it wouldn’t actually go well. I’ve never in my life been good at prank phone calls and this was a dumb idea. At the very least I could just dismiss the whole thing as just trying to do a dumb thing to make my friends laugh rather than have it be seen as a sincere attempt at a fully-formed prank phone call. I wasn’t committing to the pure comedy of it all, is what I’m saying.

Problem was, this friend I was shouting out signed off before I got on the air, so it made even less sense, but it was the only bit I had. I did manage to say “you gotta smoke weed, right?” to Tom, who calmly explained that he was drug free and proud of it. “That’s great Doug” I said, calling HIM by MY FAKE NAME (AHHH). “I mean, Tom. I’M DOUG!” I said, desperate to not break character. Tom hung up on me and mocked me saying I was auditioning for MADtv and mockingly repeated the phrase “I can do a funny voice!” Very scary situation all around. I went back to the Skype chat and pretended I didn’t make a fool out of myself.

What is sinful about tomato sauce and cheese? What a bizarre thing to say. You would not be welcomed in my italian mamas home with that kind of mouth.

Brother, if you only knew how fucked up I am with food preferences. I think there’s weirder stuff going on with me. I think an alien might be controlling me

Prankass is on youtube. It's less than 7 minutes long. Give it a watch and tell me what you think. Is it Adult Swim material? Thanks - Patrick

Patrick, the film is great and I love it and it needs to be in theaters and not Adult Swim. I love you son, thank you

Funny to see a young Tim match wits with Neil Hamburger. Little did they know they would eventually become the best of friends and Neil would replace Eric entirely. Not counting Doug Lussenhop because he's too much of a ho-ho (like David Cross says!) to be Tim's numero uno. See you later. (as David Cross says!)

It’s funny that this never even crossed my mind. I so think of Neil and Gregg as separate entities. Hell, even though Neil starts cracking and letting the Gregg voice through in this video I still enjoy the movie magic that goes into every internet show.

He emptied out the mailbag boys. Fill it to the brim with more inane shit! We can do this together like JJ Pepper!

Gonna empty this thing again all over your face and chest you nasty lad

#adult swim #adultswim2021 #saul of the mole men

[aceofshitposts]

hii um I’m sorry if this is annoying but you seem really sweet and nice and I love your writing and blog. Anyway I met this really cool girl who’s pretty and nice and just AKSJS and IM SO NERVOUS IDK HOW TO TALK TO HER OR IF SHE EVEN LIKES OTHER GIRLS. we’re like kind of friends but idk. your attitude and Fics are really inspiring and so I was wondering if you could maybe give some advice? just if u have any idea how to let her know I’m interested without being too bold THEN THANK YOU I LOVE U💕

Oh man, anon, that's very sweet of you to say! I'm very happy you like my writing and my weird eclectic collection of posts. That being said though, I'm extremely aromantic and don't know if I'm qualified to give relationship advice 😂

So, with that in mind. Honestly, I would just ask if she wants to go out on a date sometime.

Is there a stealth way you could probably find out? Sure, but honestly I'm not the type who would do or appreciate that.

Does this increase the chances of a straight up rejection to your face? Also yes and that sucks but getting told no is a part of life we've all gotta accept. Sometimes you don't get the answer you want and things don't work out but that's okay! There will be more chances in life, you gotta believe that.

Respect her boundaries for whatever she says. Unfortunately, sometimes people don't want to remain friends when one party has expressed romantic interest. This also sucks. Personally, I don't think it's a big deal and am open to being friends provided my boundaries are respected but not everyone is like that. The idea of losing a friend in addition to a potential partner is scary, I get it! You don't want to mess things up but you can't control other people's actions or feelings. You can only control yourself and what you do with the information you get.

So... Yeah, I would just shoot your shot, anon. Best and fastest way to get an answer. If she says no, make it clear you'll respect her boundaries about that. If it works out, that's wonderful!

And I hope it does! Just be yourself and be respectful and no matter the outcome, you'll be fine in the end :)

#Man I hope this made some amount of sense even #I know I write romance fanfiction but the real life machinations of romance really just tend to confuse me lmao I'm sorry #If anyone has better advice for anon please go for it #I'm touched you trust me enough to ask though! #astrix answers #Good luck anon

[massivedrickhead]

Hey. So... I have a weird thing to ask? Like-

For context, I've been struggling with my mental health for quite some time now. I'm pretty sure that I have depression (not diagnosed though). ANYWAYS. About a year ago, my (now former, sadly) biology teacher asked me what was up because she kinda realized I was struggling. I told her I wasn't too well but not to worry about it. Soon after that the school year ended and I got different teachers. She, however, still saw me in the school yard and once or twice held me up to check if I was alright. Long story short, almost one year later, I opened up to her, told her about my struggles etc...

(Un)fortunately I was forced to inform my parents. Don't get me wrong, my parents are nice people. They'd do everything to make sure their kids were alright. It's just that I don't trust them. I don't feel safe around them. And I'm not quite sure why.

After all of that ^, now to my question: What does it say about me that I feel safer and more comfortable around my former biology teacher than my own mother? What does it make me when I wish for my biology teacher to comfort me, not my mother? Am I a bad daughter? Am I ungrateful? Am I just being a weirdo?

I'm very sorry for the entirety of this - it's late and I need some opinions from strangers on the internet. Have a lovely day :)

Hi :) So there’s a lot going on in that message that I’m not in a qualified position to answer 😂 I don’t (think?) I know you, your parents, or your teacher. I don’t know your situation, your history with this teacher or your parents, and I’m not in any way a mental health professional. I work in an office and I write fanfic in my spare time.

So I don’t know why you feel more comfortable talking to a teacher, but I’m pretty sure it’s not because you’re a bad daughter or a weirdo.

All I can do is tell you my own experience with this kind of thing. When my mental health is at its lowest, the last people I want to speak to are my parents. And I love my parents. I have a pretty great relationship with both my parents and my step-parents. But they just aren’t the people I turn to when I’m struggling. Likewise, I don’t speak to my close friends about it. The people I turn to are people on the internet. People who don’t know me. More often than not, I just post a random thing on here expressing how I’m feeling, and that will be it. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s down to my history with using self-destructive mechanisms to cope, and I don’t want my family or friends to think I’m in danger of going down that route again? I don’t know, I just know that I don’t want to hurt or worry the people I love. I also get uncomfortable talking face to face with people about this kind of thing. I’m not a good communicator, I get embarrassed, and I just find the whole thing stressful. To the point that I would rather suffer in silence than speak to someone about it, and risk them wanting to talk to me face to face.

I know that my way of doing it isn’t the healthy way. I’m not in a position to give advice regarding mental health and I’m not sure why you came to me specifically, but hopefully this has answered something?

Anyway I’m going to stop typing now because this has just turned into a long post about me talking about myself. I’m glad you have a person you can talk to. That’s the important thing, whether it’s your parents or not, it’s good to have a person you feel comfortable with.

#ask #anon ask #mental health ask #anon #anonymous #long post