#ive gotten so much creative writing done

[captainsparklefingers]

The only downside of finally being able to be productive at work (a genuinely good thing considering how dead and slow most days can be here) is that it's cutting into my fic writing time. Which would be fine except for the fact that I've been on a groove and I'm afraid to lose the juice and hit a wall again.

#writing woes #for context: I'm doing an inventory project at work and until now we didnt have a scanner that worked #so I was typing barcodes in by hand and it was slow and awful and something very easy to get pulled away from #scanner came in today. it's great. the project will now go much faster #BUT I'm on a rare crest of actually having creative juice for writing a fanfic that decided to kick my Kingsley stuff to the curve (for now) #and take over my drive and its been great and I don't wanna lose it #I've gotten 4 chapters done and a 5th one in progress #of a roughly planned 12-13 chapters (give or take) #and I'm starting to struggle a little in this chapter and I don't wanna lose the groove dammit!! #but I get to actually DO SOMETHING at work for once! #its a very first world not actually a problem problem but ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯ #(also just because I wanna tell somebody anything about this: #im working on something ive been calling 'Unhappy Families' #(or: one went up two went down) ) #and it's been fun.

[valeovalairs]

Once I have an essay for school due my motivation and urge to write silly fanfiction increases exponentially.

#Does anyone else experience this lmao #I struggle with it at any other time #But then when I have to write something boring bam I’m cranking out like 2k words of fanfiction in a day #It’s incredible #ive gotten so much done for one of my stories as a result #fanfiction #ao3 #fic writing #creative writing #writerblr

[daiyu-amaya]

Ooooh!! I can’t wait to see what else in store for her next Devil’s Trap chapter!

#fanfiction #creative writing #my writing #asks #im so happy ive gotten so much done for it

[chiritori]

midterms are scrambling my brain and turning it to mush

#cant think straight... ritalin does nothing to help... havent called my bfs in like a week and i miss them so bad #chronic pain flaring up like crazy and obviously mental health is a trainwreck #and yet ive barely gotten any work done #i dont know whats wrong with me i want to get this shit done so bad #im gonna be honest man psychology is really fucking hard and im not good at it #im glad i decided to major in it bc now my career prospects are way less grim than they would be had i stuck with english #but dude i miss reading and writing creatively so fuckin bad #that stuff comes naturally to me so it was so easy to bullshit my way thru class #psychology on the other hand feels grueling to me #im tired of learning about all these chemicals and statistics and research methods #it feels like it all goes in one ear & out the other #i want to work as a guidance counselor for elementary schoolers not as a fuckin research analyst or psychologist #so much of the shit i learn in class feels totally irrelevant to my preferred field of work And Yet #whatever i just need to get these papers done and then i can have a stress free spring break #vent

[transmutationisms]

sorry if uve gotten this ask before but in ur opinion how do u think shiv’s (and tom’s) ending fits into the general themes/arguments of the show and her characterization? ive seen a lot of split opinions about it

my opinion is that the build-up to shiv's decision in the boardroom was shortchanged in the editing, and the moment is consequently cheapened a bit. but the decision itself is good character writing and shiv and tom's ending is very strong writing in the sense that it accomplishes exactly what the creative team were aiming at. shiv is backed into a corner by the end of this season; in the boardroom, she's finally forced to choose between kendall, who from her perspective has been acting entitled to this position by virtue of birth, and tom, whom she is still married to and has been in a business-romantic relationship with. there are multiple things happening in her head when she finally votes against kendall. the main two imo are reacting against the perception that voting for him would be handing him the power over her that she's always seen as unjust and undeserved, as well as the calculation that kendall has repeatedly used his power to push her out of the highest echelons of the company, whereas with tom she might still have the smallest possible in. so, choosing tom is both shiv trying to stay in the game, and shiv trying to preserve her dignity: for her, nothing would ultimately be more humiliating than admitting defeat against her flop older brother whom she thinks has done nothing to earn this position, not even being a useful suck-up like tom. in the final shot, shiv puts her hand on top of tom's in the car, but doesn't take it: body language that indicates both a partnership and a bit of power-play. she's still in the game, or trying to be.

for tom this is a pretty hollow victory. matsson explicitly plans to use him as essentially a puppet. he also has said that he views waystar as a parts shop, meaning he's going to dismantle much/most of the company, so who even knows how much of an empire tom will still be ruling in 5 years. for matsson, tom is basically just the guy who will be answering to the board for whatever matsson does public-facing. tom has also both ruined and cemented his marriage: shiv has reasons to ally with him (both personal and professional), but will also always see him as the social striver who took over her family's company after she was screwed out of it because of matsson's misogyny.

the show has always been cynical about the possibility of actual structural change. matsson taking over may mean waystar is dismantled, but it also means a consolidation of power for him and gojo. tom getting ceo is basically because he did the best job of sucking up. this is not a show that has ever been interested in radical departure from the status quo; if anything, the underlying philosophy is that very little actually changes because people don't change on a deeper level. those who seek power and wealth will continue to do so, and power and wealth will continue to accrete largely in the hands of those who already have some.

in my communist opinion, what this narrative lacks is the larger frame that is an actually anti-capitalist analysis. to me, what makes it impossible for these people to change or for corporate power to be dismantled is the fact that everything is constrained within a capitalist system, which limits the characters' circumstances and the economic possibilities. this does not mean revolution is impossible; on the contrary, it means revolution is necessary, and is the foundational material change that will allow, among other things, the kind of psychological development that these characters can't access in their (our) universe. i'm not pretending that the show is making this argument explicitly (arguably it does occasionally implicitly), but i also think it has been pretty clearly conveyed since the end of 1x06 that this sort of bleakness is always where the narrative was going to go. there's no escape for these characters as long as capitalism (and resulting patriarchy, ableism, &c) continue to exist; since the writing has never been interested in discussing or exploring those radically alternative possibilities, this ending is tonally exactly what i would expect, and conveys the sense of entrapment that the show has always invoked.

[bisexual-horror-fan]

Omg Bexxx!!!! Been a fan for the longest time. Everything you write is just so hot! Ive been dying for an update on Through The Heart Is The Only Way.! My roomie showed me how to jailbreak ChatGPT and I fed it the whole fic and the little preview and the AI was able to finish the fic for me!! IT WAS SO GOOD!!! If you're still having trouble writing the next chapter you should def try using it to help you finish!! <3

Wow. Okay. So. Hi there Anon. 

I dunno where to even start with this. 

So you say you are a really big fan of mine, and have been for a while. So where were you when I reblogged this post? Talking in depth about people plugging fanfic into ChatGTP, and me wholeheartedly agreeing that it is fucked up. Oh! Or how about this time? Or this one? Orrr this one? This one too. I said in the tags of those posts if anyone does this to me I am going to riot, so get ready for a fucking riot. 

I have posted and reblogged several, SEVERAL TIMES, that I am not okay with and do not consent to this shit. I will repeat now, with my whole fucking chest, so the fucking nosebleed seats can hear me, like a goddamned theater kid trying to impress a broadway talent scout level of volume, straight up BELTING TO THE BACK ROW-

I AM NOT OKAY WITH AND DO NOT CONSENT TO MY WRITING, TO MY ART, BEING PUT INTO AI PROGRAMS! 

This is just, so far removed, I don’t know why you would think this is even remotely okay!

I write for the love of the game, for the sheer love of CREATION ITSELF! Do you understand how much my writing and love for it and the media these characters are in and those same characters themselves permeate my thoughts? My days? I pour so much care and thought and effort into my shit behind the scenes. Hours and hours of thought and parsing, re-watching, writing that you don’t see and I do it not because I am getting money, not for likes, or comments or followers but because I fucking LOVE it. The urge in me is literally uncontrollable to do this. I feel proud of what I do! Do you have the smallest conception of the time, effort, blood, sweat, hours of sleep lost to my craft and this hobby that gives me creative satisfaction? I do NOT want this discounted or tramped on or heaven forbid forgotten.

How about we really break this down so you understand it. Let’s do some math. 

Through The Heart Is The Only Way has not gotten an update innnn a little over two months, sixty four days to be exact. But. How much writing have I posted in that time since I last updated that fic, the last chapter of which was, if you remember, is twelve THOUSAND words? I have posted, in the past sixty four days, since that last update, thirty eight thousand words. 

Wow! That is a lot of words for slightly over two months! 

It is almost like I care so much about TTHITOW that I am purposefully taking my time with it, not rushing it and writing it when the inspo grabs me by the fucking ovaries and will not let go. I re-watched the entire movie franchise and the tv series for this fic, I have a doc with piles of ideas and character study, I have chapter ten plotted, outlined and had it started! But shit like this? 

It doesn’t make me want to write it Anon.

It is demoralising. 

I feel disrespected as fuck right now. 

I KNOW what I am doing with this fic, I KNOW where it is going, I have the ending already planned, we are about half way through this fic AT BEST! I have probably another over sixty thousand words in me to tell this story the way I want to but knowing me? Definitely more. The fact that you think the only reason this fic isn’t updated more frequently or isn’t done yet is through lack of thought, from not knowing where to go? Is insulting as fuck. Me taking my time with this fic doesn’t mean I don’t care, it doesn’t mean I am not obsessed with it or love it. Frankly, it means the opposite, me dragging this out is because I love it so fucking much and I want to do it right. 

I have a ton of love for lots of movies, lots of characters, I want to give them all attention, I want to follow my muse, I don’t want to FORCE myself to write something when the mood isn’t right. The readers deserve better but so DO I! This is my love, this is my hobby, I want to do it my fucking way, because I guaran-FUCKING-tee, that whatever the fuck ChatGTP pumped out for you is a weak, pale, pathetic, whisper of a God forsaken SHADOW of what I have planned to unleash for this fics ending. 

I know that a lot of people look down at sexual content which is what 99% of what I do is. Lots of people view it as base, lesser, shallow, no care or thought or heart. That is not the fucking case, certainly not for me. Sex has deep personal meaning to me dude, I CHOOSE, actively make the decision to write and do these fics in the fashion I do. I write these character explorations and studies centered around sex and sexuality and write them through that lens because that is what I want to do, that is what speaks to me, that is what is important to ME and what I want to contribute to the fandom space.

I am human. I write to an inhuman degree, (remember last week when I posted three fics, totaling over eight thousand words in one day? Crazy that still isn’t enough somehow and you felt the need to do this-) but I am still a fucking person. I am an artist, a writer, an author and I deserve the most basic respect of my supposed “FANS” patience and ability to WAIT. That is the barest minimum. I write so often, I give so much of myself to it but some days I just want to come home from work and watch a movie. I want to have a bath, I want to cook or bake or spend time with my husband and those times, those breaks, make my writing all the better. My writing, all writing that is worth a damn, is inspired and pulled from real life experiences, hence why AI writing sucks, there is no actual life experience or interpretation, no fucking soul. All it is capable of doing is vomiting back out what is put into it and the idea that my shit is in there, that you took my writing and it is contributing to that writhing mass of technological horror that is doing this to countless other artists and writers? It is genuinely fucking upsetting.

I am so unbelievably mad it is insane. 

This was so gross, never do this again, to me or anyone else. And if you ask what to do when you are having trouble waiting for a fic? How about you leave some detailed comments? Try to talk to the author? I bet that most would LOVE to be talked to and asked about their fics, they are the prime people who want to talk about this shit, they are writing the fucking fic, clearly have a lot of love for it and get it, and also if you talk to them about it and show interest it might kick start their inspo again which means you will get that real and authentic update from the artist themselves. Also. Re-read, just re-read or explore more new fic, like me for instance, I have, again posted over ONE MILLION WORDS IN THREE YEARS OF POSTING! I have so much backlog, go read some of that while you wait for the updates man fucksake. 

I don’t want to hear this is too harsh, I don’t want to hear this is too mean, I do not fucking give a singular goddamned shit at all. You fucked up here hard Anon, take a good look at yourself and do fucking better.

And in case it wasn't obvious, my writing? Isn't for you, not anymore.

#I literally cannot BELIEVE YOU ANON #The fucking BALLS on you #Like WOW #I know I usually try to be nice or calm or measured but this is SO fucked up #Never do this again to me or anyone #Full scorched Earth #Like this is legit heartbreaking #How dare you attach this to my baby to my long fic over year long passion project #My GOD #THE AUDACITY #BHF asks #I am sickened

[ohmygs-blog]

warning: didnt reread before sending, just me yapping lmfao

ik everybody goes thru phases, that's how we discover n experiment w diff hobbies, and so for some phases you'll go thru burnout eventually which i get cos ive definitely gone thru different phases of the content i like to create for my kpop acct (ie. i was rlly into editing like graphic design style but burned out from it and went on to gif making instead),, ANYWAYS MY POINT IS- you are one of the few writers i think as a reader i would be so sad to see burn out because i enjoy reading your stuff so so much. this isn't to like shame or pressure you if u do move on from writing, but rather just wanted to say how much i hope your creative fuel will continue to burn, not to feel guilty if it doesn't work out but that know it'd be such a big loss to czennies who love ur work :(

wanna reiterate that in no way is this telling u you'll let ppl down bc that is NOT the case, but rather how precious u and ur blog are to us n we value u sm in our little corner of the internet<3

sawree i am very clearly not a writer idk how to explain stuff but pls know u r so so so loved here and we appreciate all the hard work u put in for us to read, n for free too ?? ur truly a gem 🤍

you are so beyond sweet and i’m so thankful for you and your nice words :(( i love being on this little corner of the internet and i’m glad u guys enjoy my work so much 🥹🥹this message was so sweet to get and i’m so thankful you took the time to leave it for me :))

i can’t believe how much love and support i’ve gotten from all of you guys and i’m always always grateful. hopefully, fingers crossed i won’t burn out because i love writing and all of you guys.

honestly speaking i do feel better now, and i’ve gotten like two requests done lol. i have older ones that i wrote and just weren’t happy with, so ill be looking them over n rewriting. but yes for now, im back and im so happy!!! :D

#cutie pies #my anons <3

[sincerely-sofie]

The finishing of this fanfic has left me with some pretty mixed emotions. On the one hand, I dont want it to end. It's such an incredible piece of work and even though I finally committed to reading it a few weeks ago, it already feels like such a significant part of my life. On the other hand, I'm a little glad that it's over. FAR from the sense it was bad (I'll steal your liver if thats how you interpret it) but moreso in the sense that it was like a good crying session. It's something that a lot of us (or I assume a lot of us) typically want to avoid even though we know its good for us, and satisfying after the fact. It's like catharsis in a way. Endings aren't always a great feeling in the moment, but it's something that we can look back on with a fondness.

I'm so glad I found this work. I'm being completely serious when I say that this fanfic, and the other content you make, has changed my life for the better. Its helped me reconnect with that love I have for creativity after nearly a decade of not making anything even though I wanted to. It's helped pulled me out of a few ruts of depression. It's helped me realize that I'm not actually emotionally stunted (per my own conclusions) and be more willing to cry instead of burying those feelings. In the past I would just, kill these kinda thoughts before they got far because of how much I wanted to avoid crying. Much less actually writing them down, or express them to someone else. But now, I've been crying the whole time I write this, and for the first time in, I think ever, I'm okay with that. I know we don't actually know each other, but you've genuinely helped me become a better person with the things you make. Thank you so much for everything you've done Sofie. hey look! I got your name right!

But enough about me. I feel like it's getting indulgent at this point. (I've gotten dehydrated with how much ive cried writing this and from what I can tell, you cry a lot more than I do. So go drink some water first, and then) I wanna hear your thoughts. What are your thoughts and feelings about your work being finished? Do you have plans to take a break from creative endevors for a while, or are you gonna keep going? Are you going to be expanding more on this and other au's, different fanworks or move into something completely your own? Whatever the case may be, I'm excited to see what more you are going to come up with!

From the bottom of my heart, and on behalf of everyone else, Thank you for everything.

It's so surreal to have posted that final chapter. I finished the first draft almost 100 days ago exactly, and I spent a number of days after completing it kind of adrift. I'd go to my computer every morning like I had during the month prior and sit down, ready to write, only to remember that I was actually supposed to be taking a break before I made the final edits.  It didn't click in my head that I had actually done it… until a couple weeks later when it hit me like a truck that I had an entire completed manuscript sitting in my Google Docs. I think I was making myself lunch at that moment, and I had to bolt to lie down on the floor and put my legs up against the wall because I was ready to pass out at the realization. 

This feels pretty similar. For me, The Present is a Gift— the main fanfic, at least— was finished in mid-January. But the process of uploading it and agonizing over what people thought of every passing update wouldn't be formally done until about 3 months later. It still hasn't clicked in my head that I won't be posting a new update once Tuesday rolls around. 

On the subject of taking a break— I've actually been taking a break, at least partway! I've barely written anything after I finished TPiaG's first draft, and I haven't drawn much “serious” art, for lack of a better word, since I started my blog. I've still been making things, yes, but scattered oneshots and sketchy pieces without solid lineart are not my typical fare. I'm usually a lot more “exact” with what I make— words fail me here— I hope I'm not being too vague! I might take a brief break as I finish up the winter semester, but that would be less a break from creating and more of an “OH MY WORD I NEED TO FOCUS ON NOTHING BUT PASSING THESE COURSES” kinda thing. 

TPiaG (along with its derivative AUs) is still very much a living project to me— there's a lot more stories the characters have in them, even if I struggle to envision a full-on sequel. I'm absolutely going to answer the asks relating to it that I've received over the months along with any I continue to receive, and if I get any ideas for comics or oneshots here and there, I'll make them. As for what's officially next up on the Sincerely Sofie menu, I'm planning to make a visual novel that's a lot more meaty than the last one I made. I'm not sure if it will be original or based on TPiaG— but a visual novel is the medium I'm planning on! 

I'm so overwhelmed by your kindness. I truly don't have any words. This project started off as something private to help distract me from a depressive episode and to process trauma, and it's become so much more. I'm so glad it was able to help you. Catharsis was the keyword for TPiaG— I wanted it to uproot difficult emotions and help people start to heal from them, but I never dreamed it would really help anyone but myself. So to hear it was able to provide you with that is unbelievably meaningful to me. 

I gave myself the goal somewhat recently to let myself cry whenever the urge strikes me. I used to go months without crying, and whenever I did shed tears, it was alone in my room while muffling the few sounds I accidentally let slip. I'm a natural crybaby, but I had schooled myself into thinking for a number of reasons that it was bad to cry— that it was selfish, or attention-seeking, or weak— so I've been trying to reclaim my teary-eyed identity. It's been difficult, but it's so freeing to let myself feel things fully. All of this is to say: let the tears fall. I've helped more people by crying than my stoicism ever did. 

Thanks again. I can't properly word my gratitude, but know that it's overwhelming :,>

#sofie answers asks #the present is a gift au

[ryndicate]

describe your moots in one word?

Oh shit here we go.

I scrolled down my following list so if we're moots and you're not here it's literally bc I probably don't believe you follow me bc I have set you on a pedestal of some kind. And if you're on here and we're not actually moots it's probably just because I really really like you and your blog 😅

@dark-mnjiro ~ psychic. Lee somehow knows what I like without me having to say anything, sends me manga panels that have me climbing walls when i’m on the cusp of zoning from boredom, and introduces me to characters that turn me into some kind of feral territorial creature howling to the gods about my love for a character ive literally seen two pics of. We went from non interactive moots not knowing each other to talking all the time on discord within a few conversations and now im like what would I do without this friendship? 

@knchins ~ supportive! We haven't been moots very long at all but you've been kind to me and my writing manic keysmashes despite the short time, but thats the vibe I've gotten! And you are responsible to turning my mind toward spoiled Reo brainrot, i dont think i will ever thank you enough for Renunion hehehe

@boosyboo9206 ~ safe. It's really easy to talk back and forth with you and i love the way my heart flutters when send me puppy pics and art of my favorite pairings because that alone tells me that you’re thoughful enough to be thinking of me, and I’m so grateful that you don't judge me for being so awful with communication lol.

@kingkatsuki / @kingkunigami ~ assertive. its like jo really has her own brand and always just seems so unshakable, has the patience to respond to the constant stream of blank blogs asking why they’ve been blocked like its not obvious already. i love knowing when i go to her blog that im going to see her being herself. on top of her fabulous writing of course, im on her blog more than its healthy to admit.

@killsaki ~ real. Every time i’m scrolling their blog i find something to either cackle or bite my fist about. Dal is my favorite blog for unfiltered thoughts about their faves and just their life in general. if we met in real life im dead certain they’d be a friend i could count on to call me on my bullshit

@cyancherub ~ vibrant. Everything cass does is done brightly with all of her love. Her interactions with her followers are so lovely and its easy to see how much she enjoys hearing from everyone. And I can trust her to put her whole pussy into any of her fixations, and her fixations are ~top~ tier. While you were sleeping is still easily my favorite thing she’s ever written, ive read it through like 4x and it still leaves me breathless with its characterizations, the descriptions that im not sure she was even breathing as she wrote them, the energy is so wild and intense, and yet how well thought out everything is on top of it! 

@iwaasfairy ~ talentedddd. Fairy is either making me wet with her writing or leaving me soaked with her art, living the life of being amazing at more than one creative outlet. I thank the universe that we’re friends and that she trusts me enough to send me the snippets that she’s working on and letting me howl at her in discord about how awesome her shit is. I get some of the first looks and I’m damn proud of that hehehe.

[lohstandfound]

55 57 58

55. Have you noticed any patterns in your fics? Words/expressions that appear a lot, themes, common settings, etc?

I'm a sucker for repetition or rule of threes like:

or just sort of repeating the same sort of phrase 3 times (usually)

which leads me onto ive noticed that paragraphs in my fics have gotten a bit shorter compared to my older ones?

not just spreading out dialogue more on ao3 because it used to be

"Character A would say something." "And directly beneath Character B would respond." "Another shift enter and Character A continues the conversation" "And we're left with a big block of dialogue"

The closest way I can describe it is that my fics are taking on a similar (at least visual) structure to poetry. or my fiction writing is taking a huge influence from my poetry, if that makes sense. hence the repetition and shorter paragraphs and more line breaks.

(also run on sentences. sometimes)

57. How conscious are you about including symbolism or foreshadowing in your fics?

I sometimes don't notice it a lot? Sometimes. But that is mostly because I don't write a lot of longer fics.

for things like deities or regicide au, i think it definitely needs it once deities au has a proper plot. because i know who is definitely behind jake's murder, i've said it before. and the fic starts off with discovering jake dead in the pool. but there's so much room for red herrings like one of the plays in the drive folder i wrote, paranoia. (there were so many ways that the foreshadowing and red herrings could have been done but being limited to an audio-only format made it limiting)

58. Do you have a favorite piece of figurative language you’ve written?

i spent three years studying creative writing and i had to google to remind me what figurative language was one of my favourite things i have written is jake making a metaphor of chloe and brooke's relationship out of pineapple on pizza. which comes right after him and chloe insult each other's taste in pizza/frozen yogurt.

also the poetry-adjacent fic of comparing Jake to a porcelain puppet

that's just off the top of my head

#lohst.txt #ask tag #theabyssgazesalsointoyou #does any of this make sense i think i just started rambling about things

[wantonwinnie]

I just read The Jedi Path by Daniel Wallace (2016 edition as part of the Secrets of the Galaxy box set, which are all in-universe guidebooks in the Legends continuity). It's not often that a Star Wars book leaves me with a terrible taste in my mouth and was generally not enjoyable, but that's how bad this one was (worst one Ive read so far, unfortunately). This is very ranty, so sorry in advance (and contains spoilers). I've read The Rebel Files, which I really enjoyed. I love the Jedi and was excited to read this book, which makes this one so much more disappointing. I'd give it a 5/10, which is honestly generous.

I'll get the few good things out of the way. It's chalked full of lore from legends about the Jedi (the book was originally published in 2010 and rereleased later). It covers many eras. I like learning details about the different lightsaber forms. The illustrations are nice, if not a little same-y.

However, the content is generally awful and sounds like fanon, even to the legends continuity. I'm not a legends buff but there's a part near the end where one of the in-universe writers disputes misconceptions people have about the Jedi, one of which is that they are kidnappers. The writer's response is that the Jedi can't be kidnappers because they have a legal right to take custody of any force-sensitive child, and part of their duty as a Seer is to take those children. If this was actually a part of the legends continuity, that's a terrible practice to attach to the Jedi, but I suspect this was fanon even in 2010.

Another tidbit is when the book straight up says the "Gray Jedi" are a not only a real in-universe term but a direct threat to Jedi progress. The provided definition of Gray Jedi is just someone who disagrees with the council and is not like the other girlies, and Obi-Wan's annotation says some Jedi considered Qui-Gon to be gray. Also completely fanon as far as I know- the gray jedi was a misinterpretation of a cosmetic option in KOTOR ("gray jedi robes", i.e., the color gray).

There are other wonky bits too. A part of the traditional Jedi trials is the Trial of the Flesh, in which padawans suffer immense pain to test their will. Even though it was relaxed in later eras, I think this is an odd lore at best for Jedi. It doesn't comport at all to teaching compassion or peace. Surely Jedi will face physical pain in active duty, and a religion's practices are going to change over time. But it seems a bit too removed from fundamental principles that it breaks the immersion.

There are also the Jedi Shadows, who straight up try to assassinate Sith lords. I think long ago during times of great conflict it is a bit more believable- but the way it's written makes it seem like they're still around. The Jedi writer also basically says the Shadows are willing to bend their morals to do what needs to be done in ways that other Jedi would find distasteful, which, yeah! Duh! What the fuck!

The general tone of the writing is way off. It comes off as a bit too self-righteous and indignant. The content itself is in that direction too. This entire book almost seems written with preconceived fanon notions in mind. This is why some of Legends is so bad- I like creative freedom for authors, but not to write things that break all immersion or make people have mixed feelings about the Jedi. It's one thing to show the Jedi evolving over time as circumstances or theories shift. But it's another to say "yeah, we take kids, so what?" and other things that just totally break down the intent of the wider story.

I haven't even gotten to the annotations, which honestly degraded the experience, not enhanced it. Most of the weird lore was closer to the end of the book, so I was having a meh time with the main content. But the annotations were at best, only somewhat interesting, and more often they were not worthwhile or downright antithetical to the characters writing them.

Here are a couple examples. When the book discusses the Jedi Code, Qui-Gon basically says that attachment = compassion and this part of the code is thus incorrect. This is not Qui-Gon's character at all from the movies. At least from what I remember, Qui-Gon wasn't questioning the fundamental precepts of Jedi thought about being too attached/obsessive. Also, at one point, Obi-Wan suggests in an annotation he doesn't like spending time with animals. Maybe this is earlier in this life, but it's strange to see this coming from Obi-Wan, who clearly loves animals in TCW and did in ROTS. I know they're extrapolating from his line in TPM about Jar Jar being a pathetic life form or whatever, but it seems counter to his broader character. At best, if this is actually reflective of his legends version, that version sucks! I like that he likes animals! Seems like the book would rather reference a line than actually focus on what the characters would say.

This problem is present with the general approach to annotations, which is that they went for using well-known characters instead of those who could actually make comments that add depth to the story. The annotators are Yoda, Thame Cerulian (Dooku's master), Dooku, Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Anakin, Ahsoka, Sidious, and Luke. The best you can say is that they wanted a wide variety of perspectives, but even that is poorly executed. Yoda and Luke's annotations are probably the best just because they cover different points in time, and Luke talks some about how he can apply past teachings to the new academy. But Thame, Qui-Gon, and Ahsoka have very little interesting to say other than to insult non-attachment, make a few references, and Ahsoka chiding Anakin. (Aside: why does Ahsoka even have this book? Half of her comments are "who cares, we are fighting a war!" Which, yeah, you wouldn't be reading this while fighting a war when you would be reading up on tactics, strategies, reports, and training). Dooku constantly complains that the Jedi tolerate inferiority, and Anakin complains about attachment, not using certain powers, etc. Ahsoka, Dooku, and Anakin's comments are all definitely on-brand, but they're more annoying than anything. Of course Sidious' comments are all just "haha Jedi suck, they died". In-character but not interesting or fun to read.

I'm sorry but I came to this book to read Jedi perspectives on Jedi teachings, not Sidious, Dooku, and Anakin. The latter two were Jedi, sure, but they clearly did not subscribe to the Jedi fundamentals even at the time. Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, and Ahsoka had little interesting to say- no depth of understanding. I loved The Rebel Files from 2017, partially because the annotations were limited to fewer characters and added much more depth to the content. This book, perhaps a product of its time, did not, and actively went against the characters. In all, I'm really sad this book did what it did. It advances false narratives about the Jedi for people to point to. I wouldn't blame fans who only read this book to be like "The Jedi do good things but they also take kids! They kinda suck!" because that's how this book is written. What the fuck.

#my disappointment is immeasurable #if you liked the book then #idk #the jedi path #jedi #star wars legends #star wars

[authorityissues]

can i ask what youve done to fill the void of addiction? youve become 1 of my icons(?not the right word ig but) you and another creator i follow have gotten sober recently and made me realize whats best for me is i should too but idk how to fill that void if even possible

lmfao i am very much still figuring that one out for myself. personally i couldnt have gotten anywhere without AA tho it's v much not for everyone. the mutual aid/community aspect spends a lot of time floating me when i cant float myself.

other than that in my best moments (i actually had one of these today) i realize how much creative do-ing ive gotten under my belt and how much more im actively trying to do...it doesnt look as linear as i wanted it to when i first got sober but aside from drawing ive been writing (a LOT of drafting for comics ideas), baking, reading, i've gotten behind the wheel of a car, im trying to get a guitar out here, i'm trying to get a power source so i can fuck around on the tattoo machine my brother gave me. i'm a fundamentally useless person so the fact that im spending time meandering into these activities instead of being strung out or at a bar or hungover or whatever feels like slow but steady progress when i think about it not just as an end product

#i will say for me personally 'detoxing'/rehab/what came after that was absolutely mentally DEBILITATING to me and i could barely lift a #finger for months #well and physically clearly lmfao* #so that def hindered my ''''progress'''' creatively for quite some time #but dif strokes for dif folks some people feel great the second they get clean some people take longer for a million dif reasons

[hinacu-arts]

I really love you fight for Mikey fic! Is super well written and I love the ending! I’m glad that Mikey stay with the rise gang but both groups go back and forth between worlds and act like 1 big family..

But I see lot of hate for your fic! I was wondering how do you feel about that?/gen. Also; any writing tips?

Im so happy you liked the fic!! I love the ending too ❤️❤️❤️

Ive only actually seen a few negative things about my fic (im not surprised theres more tho)! Most ppl have been decent enough not to be mean in my own comment section. I think the reason ppl dislike for the fic doesnt get to me (which i was not expecting bc i am bad with criticism) is its first and foremost a crack fic. It started as a joke/satire of the same concept most of these ppl probably dont like/wont read my fic for and then it got to be 25k lol. Ive also gotten so much positive response that the few negative things that i have seen i actually brushed off. Plus, the things ive seen ppl not like (ex. Mikey staying) are all things that happened in the fic, and not the actual grammar and stuff (its my first ever fic, so thats what i was more concerned about). I did have a couple ppl let me know about typos and i still havent gotten to fixing them... i will tho! I know ppl are tagging my fic on here when they make stuff for it (😍) but it wont show up when i search for it, so that also helps with not seeing it.

As for writing tips i found allowing myself to write crack, essentially allowing myself to go crazy with bad or silly writing, was unexpectantly freeing! Ive written a couple of things since then, and all the slightly serious ones have been so difficult in comparison. But now im learning how to do that! And im excited to see what im capable of

Ironically ive gotten most of my writing done when i'm not supposed to lol. The busier i am the more creative i seem to be

#tffm fic #hinacu ask

[kenjo-arts]

Hey I wanted to ask on how you deal with extrem motivation loss, especially for art. Sadly I am so bad at finishing anything and I mostly have just random sketches and scribbles :/

Mostly i either power through or i say "done" on my scribbles and make a new one. And then keep making scribbles and sketches untill i find something im happy with (that's usually way diffrent from what I set out to draw [but I also have aphantasia so I never truly have something specific i set out to draw so like im used to it] ) For basically every more polished drawing you see here on my Tumblr Ive got maybe 1-3 sketches and 2 erased scribbles i never did anything with. Sometimes i just colour a sketch im only mildly unhappy/happy with and post it like my recent c!Bedrock bros art.

The thing is you don't have to be dishearted about only making sketches if you keep doing it because then you get better and youll be able to make sketches youre more and more proud of. (art is also sometimes also about habbit-> the biggest advices Ive always gotten is to keep drawing everyday (even if it's just boxes or idk hair) that itll help you improve even if the motivation isn't there or youre in an artblock)

Currently im feeling alot of motivation loss myself, which is why Ive not posted as much as I usually do. Which is why I've resolved myself to just keep drawing things im unhappy with untill i get over it <- i brute force it a bit... 😓 Or in worst case ill look at old sketches and just finish something im not that happy about to just get drawing back into my hand.

Worst case you can do like i did in the past (which i still SHOULD DO because Ive been struggeling too sometimes) and draw legs in diffrent poses. Just legs. Legs. Legs. This sounds strange but the likelyhood of you starting your drawings with the head is high so you might actually find it easier to draw more starting from somewhere else on the body. (comon advice is the hips bc that's where everything else goes out from in both directions)

Sometimes it also helps using a diffrent medium or brush. The reason my art shifts sometimes is because sometimes I find a brush i find it easy to draw losely and creatively with <- it's a strange psykological trick like writers writing in casual or funky fonts because it's not as "formal" which lessens pressure.

Because pressure is the killer of motivation in my personal experience, not pressure in deadlines, but in perfroming to perfection. It's also why i draw for myself mostly and kick myself mentally in the face when I get to caught up in drawing things that will do good on Tumblr or twitter instead of what give me brainrot.

Visual of my brain when it's going really well, regardless of how good the drawings are->

I hope any of this made any sense, i feel I rambled a bit all over the place so feel free to ask any questions. I don't have any profisional artist advice because Ive never had any art education outside a few videos on yt, so this is whatever i could think of right now.

ALSO REMEMBER TO USE REFRENCE OH GOD IM SO BAD AT THIS BUT YOU!!! YOU REMEMBER IT!! BE BETTER THAN ME!!! USE REFRENCE FOR POSES!!! FOR TEXTURE!!! FOR HAIR!!! FOR FACESS!!! FOR EVEYTHING IT ONLY IMPROVES YOUR ART!!!! AND ITS NOT CHEATING!!!

#Ask

[zenaidamacrouras1]

I ask you 1 and 13! Have a good drive :)

Heyyyyy! Thanks for asking! 😎 (This is me in my sunglasses because it's really sunny.)

(I already answered 13 here!)

1. What led you to start writing fan fiction?

Well Ive always always done maladaptive daydreaming about blorbos, starting with My Little Ponies (the original in the 80s) and most popular over my childhood probably Chronicles of Narnia and Star Wars. I would miss my bus stop, things like that, while imagining what if Luke hadn't gotten the prosthetic arm and how that might have adapted his narrative arc.

In high school I tried to write them down, but they were deeply terrible and it ruined my beautiful daydreams to see such awful mutated versions written on paper, so I stopped. I did write poetry and have a masters in creative writing, but wrote literally one piece of fiction in college and hated it so much (it was hard to write and really bad) it turned me off fiction writing again.

Then I went deeeeep down the Stucky rabbithole after TFATWS and after a year or two of reading fanfic had some stories I wanted to tell for myself and thought I would try writing fiction again. The first time I wrote a paragraph and slammed my laptop lid down in a panic. It was hard to write and terrible and I was so embarrassed I wanted to hide it from myself.

But the stories would not leave me alone. So I kept trying to write, and reading fics I liked with the express purpose of thinking about what the writers did. I would actually cut and paste passages I admired into my draft and re-write them (for example: passages that describe a kiss really well, or some really good yearning). (I didn't publish these early fic attempts though I do think there are a few passages in my first Stucky fic Plastered that are more derivative than I would prefer, I think the plot on the whole stands on it's own and is original).

#writer asks #ask games #writer ask games #zenaida talks (too much)

[vampire-the-askerade]

ive thought of a funny one!

any vampires of your choice just get done with a long meeting with some piece of obnoxious asshole.

their malk s/o turns to them after that person left, and with perfect clarity says "I fuckin hate that guy"

[This was great! Really fun to write for :)]

LaCroix- This was something that happened more than he would like. As a prince he had meetings with everyone, and everyone had a problem with him. After one particularly rough meeting was when you said it; before the guy was even all the way out the door and could possibly hear you. This actually managed to pull the briefest instant of a rare event: LaCroix laughing. He was quick to stop and compose himself before scolding, “Behave yourself!” You could still see him smiling as she said it though.

Bertram- There was a lot of things that he had to do for the sake of the clan, and this time it was making sure that there was a clear communication with Toreador that they had to work with; something that as Nosferatu they all didn’t want to do, but he had drawn the short stick in the group. You thankfully said that you would accompany him so there wouldn’t be too much tension and the possibility of messing things up. After a horrible night with so many offhanded comments and backhanded compliments, the guy was finally gone, and that’s when you huffed the line. “Me too, cupcake. Me too.” He grumbled.

Jack- Now, he wasn’t the one having the meeting per say, but he was stuck in his usual corner while it was happening. Now most people tended to forget that the Anarchs weren’t technically one big group. There were plenty of subsections that had different thoughts on certain things. Which was why Nines needed to have a meeting with one of the other leaders in the area, and it wasn’t turning out pretty. Finally, it was decided that everyone had said what they were going to say for the night and that they should talk things over again in about a week or so. After the other leader and his group had made their way down the stairs, you turned to Jack and snorted that you didn’t like them. “Yeah, not the happiest guy is he?” Jack laughed with fake disgust in his voice.

VV- There was one thing that came with running a place in the HollyWood area, no matter what kind of place that was, and that was landlords. Now, the one for Vesuvius was supposed to go to Isaac, or rather someone that Isaac sent to deal with him. But, lately, the slime-ball had taken to trying to harass VV, thinking that she was some brainless ditz that he could pull one over on. Now, she certainly wasn’t, and would have been more than happy to take care of him herself, but he would always come when there were other people in the building, be it customers or her girls. This time he was instant that he hadn’t gotten paid his rent, something that you both knew Isaac was more than punctual with things like this, or if he wasn’t there was a power play going on and the land lord still wasn’t supposed to get the money anyway. He had just tried to make his most recent attempt and had stormed out of VV’s room, making some sort of threat that neither of you really cared about. You looked at the doorway well after he was gone and told her what you thought about him. She responded, “I know, sweetie. But, don’t worry. I’ll tell Isaac about him, so we won’t be getting bothered again.”

Andrei- He wasn’t one that was often met with, and even less by someone that was stupid enough to be rude to him. But, there every once in awhile there was someone, either new or underestimating, and things got interesting for awhile. He always liked to let them go as far as they wanted to with the insults, just to see how creative they could get. The answer was, not very creative at all, he’s heard the same schlock for years. After the most recent perpetrator was leaving his lair you said your peace. “Though I would not use those words exactly, I must agree.” He started before a wicked smile stretched across his face, “Do not worry yourself about him. He will not even make it back to the door.”