#writing complaint

[bebx]

Hi, about the fanfic writing ask, how do you deal with writing pressure, whether internal or external?

I don't.

#my inbox is open #writing #writing memes #archive of our own #ao3 #writer's block #humor #writing complaint #writing confessions #writing community #writing challenge #writing complaints #memes #ao3 memes #writing culture #writers #writer #fanfic writing #fanfic writer #writers on tumblr #writers on ao3 #fanfic writers #fanfiction #whump #angst #hurt/comfort #writing prompts #writing tropes #prompts #prompt

[hex-is-vexxed]

If the confession doesn’t feel earned it takes me out of the story and I cringe so hard I go blind for a second

(this is about a Merthur fic I just read that was so good until that mf confessed and the way it was handled ruined everything)

#fic #fics #fanfic #fanfics #ao3 fanfic #ao3 #merthur #complaining #writing complaint

[dudedidujust]

Au where Damian comes to Gotham with the goal of infiltrating and eventually overthrowing Batman instead of inheriting the mantle. Not much changes from canon except for the fact that he views everything that batman owns as his. That's his future cave and his future batmobile. This also includes his robins. After all everyone knows Batman wouldn't really be Batman without them.

Cue a very bewildered Tim being lectured on his eating habits by a righteous Damian who won't let one of his people take shortcuts with their health.

#Damian looking at the manor: its free real estate #he almost writes off red hood but after finding out his identity he switches to trying to lure him yo his side #jason gets the head of a random thug who was bothering him on his doorstep #damian: im gonna be a better batman than batman. I'll sway all his allies to my side and then there'll be no complaints when i take over #everyone else: he's such a sweet kid. sorta prickly but he has a good heart ❤️ #damian wayne #batman #batfam #bruce wayne #tim drake #jason todd #they all thinks he's trying so hard to be accepted into the fam when infact he's trying to get to the top

[momochanners]

Previous post

Happy Ending (in more ways than one)!

#baldur's gate 3 #bg3 #astarion #dwarf tav #bg3 mc dagmar #cw menstruation #consequences include cramp relief happy vampire and neighbour writing a complaint to the hoa

[heroesriseandfall]

Big fan of that one panel of Dick and Tim which is like "Quit it" "shush" "Quit it!" "Shush!" as Dick has Tim in an arm lock and giving him a noogie. Peak Brotherism

Yeah!! They’re sooo good. Another thing I love about that scene is how they’re playing games and messing with each other the whole time until Lucius and Bruce finally walk over and suddenly they’re standing totally normal and professional.

Gotham Knights (2000) #8

#I have my complaints abt DKG’s writing in this but one thing she does quite well is brotherly dynamic ❤️ #dick grayson #batfam #tim drake #bonds: I knew it was you #undescribed #gotham knights (2000) #batbros #asks #heroesriseandfall

[muffinlance]

Wait, what’s going on with Embers???? That fic has been on my read later list since 2021, what’s happened with it???

Brief overview, then I'm likely never touching this topic again, because this is not a Drama Blog:

Context: Embers is a super old AtLA fic that was written during the early fandom days, read widely at the time, and was the origin of the widely-used fanon name of "Wani" for Zuko's ship (kind of by default that it was one of the first popular fics to give his ship a name, I think?), even though most fic writers don't seem to realize it's from there anymore.

"What's Going On": I used to include a link in all my stories to it, because I believe in crediting other writers for borrowed elements, and I was using "Wani" in all my fics. But BOY did I not want to be sending readers that way anymore, so I've adopted a new name for Zuko's ship, and removed all Embers links.

None of the criticisms about Embers itself are new; I'm assuming they date back to when the fic was being written, because this isn't an "it aged badly" thing, this is an "actually yeah this gets worse the longer you think about it and I shouldn't have ignored my bad feelings just because some of the worldbuilding was interesting" thing.

An Incomplete List of Why I Made the Change:

I don't actually like the story that much anymore, and don't want to rec it

I tried to re-read it recently to see if some things were as bad as I remembered and it turns out they were So Much Worse Oh Yikes. More specifically, the treatment of Katara and Aang and their respective cultures has... rather a lot going on. One example: The Fire Nation and Air Nomads are both given multiple backstory elements in an attempt to make the average Fire Nation soldier's participation in the genocide/war in large part the fault of the Avatar and the Air Nomads themselves, and also fully justified from the Fire Nation perspective. And I do mean fully. One of its core tenants is "People from the Fire Nation (and only people from the Fire Nation) who don't follow orders Literally Die, therefore murdering pacifists and babies and continuing the war (and their regularly scheduled war crimes) is the only thing it is physically possible for them to do". I cannot emphasize enough how literal that is.

Also the name "Wani" means "Alligator" and is... objectively a pretty lame name for Zuko's ship? Where's the personality, where's the deeper meaning, where's the resonance with Zuko's themes? @tuktukpodfics initially thought I was calling the ship "Wanyi", and that's what I've switched to, because it is Objectively So Much Better. In their words: “Wànyī (萬一): Literally ‘one in ten thousand,’ ‘perchance.’ Used grammatically in Chinese to mean ‘what if’ or ‘just in case.’ I think a ship called ‘The Perchance’ is perfect for a boy clinging to false hope.”

TL:DR; I don't rec Embers anymore, because I don't actually like the story anymore, and there are things about it that get worse the more I think on them. I've removed links to it and renamed Zuko's ship to "Wanyi" ("The Perchance") because our boy deserves a ship name that reflects his character arc.

#for the record if you ever find something kind of rancid in my fics #do please let me know #EX: I've rewritten scenes to be better Actual Blind Rep for Toph based on blind reader feedback #and I'm debating how hard it would be to ignore/re-write the canon issues of Water Tribe sexism (for the Southern Tribe at the least) #because that is a common complaint I see from the people who's RL cultures the Water Tribes was based on #probably I can do more interesting things with that going forward #in other words justice for Hama and Hahn #at least the show itself made Hama excellently complex #anyways back to doing actual writing #please no follow up questions #though I will say anyone who wants to update their own fics to use Wanyi (or any other name): go for it! #all you need to do is plop your chapters in a word editor and find/replace the ship name! it took about 40 minutes to do literally #all of my fics and I had some other editing to do besides! it'll be even quicker for you! #let's sink the Wani #avatar the last airbender #atla #Zuko

[otrtbs]

it is not my fault that my silly fucking fanfiction wasn’t what was “advertised” to you on tiktok or twitter by an outside third party.

“people said it would be [x] but i was so disappointed. it was so bad. it wasn’t like that all.”

that’s on you for coming into it with expectations and then using your disappointment to hurt my feelings.

#people lodge complaints against me and the whole time i’m like … who told you this fanfic would be this ??? #because it certainly wasn’t me. #also you’re not “cool’’ or “edgy’’ for voicing your unpopular opinion. you are just a dick. #it’s always the people with no public writing themselves no fandom writing themselves that are the meanest #fucking jokes they are #:((( anyway #ouch !! 🤕

[eggy-the-boy]

*poking my blorbos with a stick* 

#I was gonna write something after the poking my blorbos with a stick thing but my mind blanked and honestly I'll just leave it #it's still very accurate #I love them so much please stop almost getting yourself killed for each other holy shit #if they don't kiss next season I'm sending a formal complaint to Mr. Netflix himself #anyway I'm still clearly very deep into this fandom #also!!!!! I'm over half way into the 3rd book and FUCK it is so good!!!! ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh #I'm loving it!!!!!!! If I didn't have a full time job I would have finished it in one day I bet you #anyway #lockwood and co #lockwood & co #lockwood and co netflix #netflix #anthony lockwood #lucy carlyle #as usual I hope no one has done this one already

[a-dauntless-daffodil]

Vaggie: “A letter of complaint probably isn’t gonna do much, babe.”

Charlie: “I don’t care.”

Vaggie: “Neither will Lute.”

Charlie: “I don’t care! Emily- will she at least read it?”

Emily: “Reading stuff is one of Lute’s main jobs, since Adam never wanted to.”  

Charlie: “Then she’ll have fun reading FIFTY of these in a ROW.”

Emily: "I don't think she'll actually have fun with that..."

Charlie: "GOOD."

Charlie: “…....wait. Her name is spelled L-U-T-E?”

Vaggie: “Yeah? How’d you think she spelled it?”

Charlie: “I thought it was loot. Like, pirate’s loot, loot boxes, stolen loot, people looting during a blackout…”

Vaggie: "Nice idea."

Charlie: "Thanks!"

Vaggie: "Waaay too imaginative for her and Adam though. It's just Lute."

Emily: “Oh, so it isn't short for Lutecia??”

Vaggie: “No. But PLEASE tell me you’ve called her that.”

Emily: “A few times… no wonder she glared at me…”

Vaggie: “You’re the most beautiful angel I’ve ever seen.”

Emily: “Y-you’re welcome!”

Charlie: “You're both gorgeous. Try looking in a mirror sometime, Vaggie. Anyway- I guess it being a stringed instrument makes more sense? Adam did have that whole guitar playing thing going on.”

Vaggie: "Huh?"

Emily: “Aw, theme naming~”

Vaggie: "What?"

Charlie: "I guess it's kinda cute. I guess even mean people can be cute..."

Vaggie: “What the actual hell are you talking about sweetie?”

Charlie: “Lute! Like the ye oldie guitar thing!”

Vaggie: “It’s lute. As in, lieutenant?”

Charlie: “….”

Emily: “…”

Charlie: (horrified) “No…”

Emily: “E-even Adam wouldn’t be that lazy-”

Vaggie: “You’re talking about the guy who outsourced bothering his ex.”

Charlie: “But-”

Vaggie: “And then outsourced dealing with the people he’d outsourced the work to.”  

Emily: “Oh heavens he would.”

Vaggie: “The only thing Adam spent energy on was Adam, the only things Lute cares about is Adam and murder- that’s why I figured I could go waltzing back up there with you, babe.”

Charlie: “You really didn’t think they’d recognize you!? But you- you literally just grew out your HAIR!”

Vaggie: “I wasn’t in uniform or covered in blood. And those were the only times Adam or Lute ever paid attention to any of us before, so…”

Charlie: “They- rgh. RrrrrrrRRGHHH.”

Emily: “I think I need to write a few letters too, now.”

Vaggie: “I think we need to get the letters away from Charlie before she sets them all on fire-”

-FWOOM FLAMES-

Emily: “Fire extinguisher?”

Vaggie: “Under the desk.”

#hazbin hotel #charlie morningstar #vaggie #emily hazbin hotel #chaggily #chaggie #lute hazbin hotel #incorrect quotes #a seraphim and the hellborn daughter of a seraphim get upsetti spaghetti and write complaints to heaven #vaggie thinks this is a slight waste of time #but supports them in it anyway #meanwhile... not me assuming lute's name came from the musical instrument #for a very long time #a very #VERY #long time #-w-;

[be-right-bach]

can't believe an anime called buddy daddies did not end up being, in fact, just a silly little comedy of two hitmen raising a child together but instead an actual heartwarming, well written show about (re)learning to love and to be loved, about how the meaning of family goes way beyond blood and no matter how unconventional it may be, it's still as perfect and valid because it's yours and you wouldn't trade it for anything else

#it was a silly little comedy #but it was also More than that #and if i CRY #at first i was like haha buddy daddies as a joke but bro i dont think it's a joke anymore #i feel so normal about this anime (no i dont) (it altered my brain chemistry in ways i cannot explain) #yes i do have complaints about certain ~ things ~ of the ending like almost everyone else BUT #that doesn't take away the fact it was a surprisingly well written anime given the topic they chose to work with #like i had no faith At All the first time i read the synopsis lmao but here we are #buddy daddies #miri unasaka #rei suwa #kurusu kazuki #misaki unasaka #kugi kyutaro #edit: if u saw me write heart wrenching instead of heartwarming no u didn't #gonna use my english is not my first language card

[factorialsotherfandoms]

"Do you think Philza's okay?"

Fit rolls over to look at Pac, his roommate staring up at the ceiling. He reaches over, cautiously offering his hand. Pac, of course, takes it just as hesitantly.

"Cell's back, maybe after you, and you're worried about Phil?" Okay, so Fit is worried too, but his point is well made. Pac had only told him some of the situation, in whispered tones and terrified whimpers a few hours ago, and he was worrying about someone who was at least safe?

Pac turns his head, and looks Fit dead in the eye. "You're with me. I know you won't let anyone hurt me. But who's with him?"

"He's safe enough," Fit says. "Physically at least."

"He just didn't seem, ah," Pac struggles with his words for a moment. "Well?"

"It's not really my place to say," he replies. "But he's Philza. He'll be fine."

"Will he?" Pac asks, fretting already. "If the Federation is inside his head, making him see things..."

It's a worry Fit has too, one he really doesn't want to think about. He wants to pretend that his old friend is fine, that going and murdering blazes and magma cubes will have fixed everything. He needs to believe it, because the alternative... The alternative is there's nothing he can do.

"Do you really believe him?" Pac asks. "That there was a book there."

"Yes."

"Why?"

Fit sighs, and sits up. He turns on the lamp and stretches, looking around his room of missing texture flooring and ugly walls - the safest place he could think to bring Pac when he heard the news.

"It's not the first time," Fit says. "Phil... He swears it was a dream, that he was just sleeping. He wasn't. Tubbo and me? We checked every corner of his house. He wasn't there. Then he takes us to where he thought he was taken and he swears there's nothing weird about it? But it's full of parrots - they shouldn't have spawned there. Tubbo even found an avocado sapling."

"Philza has a lot of avocados," Pac agrees. "You think the Federation took him?"

"I'm not sure, it's not their usual behaviour," Fit frowns. "But I don't know who else it would be?"

"The codes?"

"Maybe." Fit cracks his head to the side. "But I know Phil. Whatever he saw? It terrified him. And anything that scares Philza Minecraft is nothing you ever want to see."

"Should we ask him if we can visit?" Pac has a calculating look on his face. "I can cry scared all over again, I just need to remember why. And his bunker is very safe. They might look for me in your house, but they'd never think of his."

"Why? Is my company not good enough for you?" Fit is mostly teasing.

Mostly.

"No! No, no, no," Pac waves his hands in a desperate attempt to be understood. "I just... I'm worried, you know?"

"Yeah..." Fit sighs. "Yeah, I'm worried too... I'll ask him."

Pac nods, and Fit types.

You whisper to Ph1LzA: Can I bring Pac over? We might need to stay the night.

Ph1LzA whispers to you: sure mate

Ph1LzA whispers to you: is everything okay?

You whisper to Ph1LzA: We'll explain when we get there

That's the end of that; Fit shows his communicator to Pac, who agrees.

"I'm not really faking the tears," Pac promises, already tearing up. "I just don't think about it, and then it isn't real."

Pac's not the only one acting like that, Fit presumes; Philza's constant denials even with evidence in front of him... Whatever the fuck happened in that forest, it's nothing good. Something so terrible believing his memory is at fault is somehow better.

"To Phil and Missa," Fit reminds Pac, not really needing it.

They warp together, and at the same time.

---

Philza is waiting at the top of the hatch when the pair arrive. To most people he would look entirely normal, but Fit can see the way his eyes flitter as he waves. Pac waves back, while Fit gives his traditional "oi!!!"

Philza laughs, and leads them down into the basement.

"What's up?" he asks the two of them. "Need more toast or something? I thought you were both asleep."

"No, um," Fit looks to Pac, realising they didn't quite work out what to say.

"Bagi told me more about the murders," is what Pac says, his voice dropping very quiet as he does. "She thinks... We think someone from my past is on the island."

"Shit," Philza closes his eyes for a moment. "How bad is it?"

"Last time I saw him," Pac's pace picks up; Fit squeezes his shoulder as he sees panic come in. "Last time... He nearly killed me. And the messages..." Pac grabs the hand on his shoulder and squeezes it back. "Some of them might be addressed to me."

Philza doesn't ask questions, he just glances around his children's bedroom, then looks at Fit. Fit meets his eyes.

Philza sighs, and caves.

"Alright," he says. "Do you want to sleep in Chayanne's room? I can adjust the door to just the three of us, Missa, and my eggs for now."

Fit knows it isn't for Pac's sake that Philza is changing the doors, he knows it for sure.

They get their beds set up, tucked behind the chests where a casual observer cannot see. Philza doesn't have a bed, but Fit makes them for him and Pac, placing them tucked away.

"Would you stay with us?" Fit asks, before his old friend can slip away.

Philza looks genuinely surprised by the request, "why, mate? I'll just be in the eggs' room."

"Safety in numbers, right?" Pac asks, glancing between the two. "I would... Feel safer if you were here too."

Fit knows its a manipulation tactic to convince Philza to stay, to make sure the old crow is not alone. It still rings so very true - and so very against everything ingrained within Fit's soul.

It's fine. For a few nights he can manage it, if its what his two closest friends need.

"Alright," Philza hesitates, but comes over and sits on the edge of Pac's bed. He takes off his backpack, and leans his scythe just in reach. Pac and Fit take the opportunity to remove their prosthetics, hastily reattached to travel over here, and stretch.

When Philza stands again, both of them can see how unstable he looks.

"Let's push our beds together," Fit says. "If we put Pac between us, there isn't an angle they can get him from."

Philza looks at Fit, and knows exactly what he's doing. Still, Philza crafts up a third bed, and squishes it between the two.

He nearly falls as he walks around to do it; Fit catches him, helps him steady, but is brushed off before he can say a word.

"Alright," Philza says. "Pac in the middle then. You won't get too warm, will you?"

"I'm Brazilian," Pac says. "It's always too cold here now Mike is gone."

They both see how heavily Philza drops to the bed, curling himself back to Pac and defensively ready. Fit, on his side, curls close to Pac - his one arm over him.

It's not really a surprise how quickly Pac falls asleep, with the sheer trauma and strain of the day on his back. He quickly falls into dreams, and Fit can only hope they are kind.

"Phil," he asks, once he knows Pac is asleep. "Won't you sleep?"

"You needed a guard," Philza says.

"You know we don't. You and I? We'll wake if anything so much as tests the hatch."

It's true, and they both know it.

Philza, however, doesn't speak.

At least, not for a long time; Fit considers conversation a lost cause and is about to give up and call this good enough when he hears Philza again, voice broken just like it was in the garden.

"If I sleep, will I wake?" is what Philza asks, whispered almost silently. "How will I know when the world is real again? What will I see this time?"

"I'll make sure you wake up," Fit promises, because he can. "And I'll do something to make you absolutely certain its really me."

"Promise?"

Philza sounds so weak, so small like this. Fit... Fit cannot stand it, not at all. He reaches a little further, and manages to put his hand on Phil's shoulder.

Philza's own hand reaches over, clinging to it.

"I promise," Fit says. "We'll wake you if we leave. We won't let anything weird happen, its just sleep."

Philza turns, and his eyes do not seem to trust Fit. But they are also exhausted, and desperate, and terrified.

"Go to sleep, Phil. I won't until you do."

"I'm sorry," Philza whispers, sounding absolutely broken. "Thank you. Both of you. I know... I'm sorry."

Fit squeezes his shoulder again.

"It'll be alright," Fit replies. "I've got you. I've got both of you. It's going to be okay."

Nothing else is said before they eventually fall asleep.

#qsmp fanfic #qsmp philza #qsmp fit #qsmp pac #this is what I actually wanted to write today but working out the stuff with Bagi as well was hard #coping mechanism: worry about someone else instead of yourself #none of them are okay and they all need a hug #they got one in canon! #this is some more #and now my hands are completely dead #fuck three minifics in a day ow #brain really is just on nyoom today #it will not shut up #ao3 might take a bit see hand complaints #i'd like to get it up before bed but we'll see if I can handle the mouse #else it'll be... sometime tomorrow I have meetings

[deruta07]

Idk…I was really bored and couldn’t find anything to do….sooo (yes I have those socks)

#incredibox #incredibox fanart #sepbox #art #he is so fine with red heels #I think Alex keeps making stupid complaints to Dallas about Tam #my writings are so ugly sometimes even I can’t read them

[ladyofthenoodle]

marinette's friends while chloe is accusing her of theft

adrien:

rose:

juleka:

mylene:

#sorry but their faces are so funny to me #also adrien cmon dude stop standing there uselessly while the writers give zoe all your lines #(this is a complaint about the writing not about adrien don't get it confused) #(it's not his fault that the writers wanted to make zoe the hero but needed chat noir to be on the roof already) #ml adoration #miraculous ladybug #noodling

[zahri-melitor]

I think there’s a discussion to be had about how the lack of current consistent character bibles affects comics in terms of characterisation.

Because I think there actually is a lot more consistent characterisation than people sometimes want to realise when they’re complaining about appearances being out of character. There tends to be a background set of character notes writers who DON'T follow a character obsessively know about them when writing them, and they're often based in their early or most prominent stories. Even if people are willing to look, they’re mostly going to dip in to a couple of recced stories to refresh their memory of what their characterisation is like. Which is part of why character growth has trouble sticking (if what a less-frequent writer is referencing is not the most recent run) but also is frustrating when you're having the 'is this in character' debate because if 8 writers over 10 years all pull this trait out and use it again, there's a level of consistency that's hard to overlook, even if the main writer for the character isn't using it anymore.

It’s particularly noticeable in characterisations in crossovers and events. Because when a writer is juggling half a dozen characters they don’t usually write, they’re going to draw on their memories rather than do deep dive reads for the ones they’re less familiar with. So you get the ‘everyone knows’ character traits and beats.

And this leads to people who love a character vs people who are fine about the character but don't specifically read their runs having differing views on their personalities if these things clash.

Let’s use Damian for an example, because it’s really really obvious by comparing what I’m reading at the moment: Batman & Robin Eternal, Robin War, and Robin: Son of Batman. Two events (one with a crossover issue) and his main title in 2015.

Because if you only encounter Damian in crossovers and events, Damian being a little turd who uses insulting nicknames and proclaims his superiority to everyone is…a lot of what you’ve seen in previous crossovers and events. And he’s doing it again in Robin War and Batman & Robin Eternal. Now there are specifically different beats to this – Damian’s fully ready to sacrifice himself for Dick when he realises Dick’s in trouble. But he’s using frankly derogatory nicknames to Jason and Tim and insulting their abilities, and is even nastier to the We Are Robin kids. And he shows up in Eternal and out of the gate tells everyone they’ve been an idiot.

While if you’re a Damian fan reading his own titles, some of this characterisation rings as backsliding, as he doesn’t really use nicknames anymore in his own titles and has been soul searching about his own past and actions, so it’s not congruent with what you expect to see him doing.

Because if you're fully enmeshed in a character's lore and all their appearances, you obviously centre their protagonist stories and discount the crossover appearances that don't match. But if people only read those crossover appearances… that’s the character they know. And see. And it’s pretty consistent BETWEEN those appearances, so telling those people they’re wrong about a character they’ve encountered in multiple storylines is only going to get backs up on both sides. When actually these are two different completely valid views on a character, sourced from comics. It’s just that those personalities are particularly out of sync between “how they appear as a protagonist/regular” and “how they appear as a side character”.

And that can be incredibly frustrating to hear, when that’s your blorbo. But also, people who are treating repeated characterisation they encounter with a character over many years, across many titles and writers as ‘this is who the character is’ are not deliberately out to be mean to your blorbo. That’s the character they know!

And I think we should all think about that a bit more and take a deep breath.

#dc meta #people can have completely valid comics-sourced opinions on characters that differ from each other! #and I think this element often drives a lot of characterisation complaints #if you're claiming a whole swathe of writing someone has read about a character 'doesn't really count' you're going to have an uphill battl #to convince them that your opinion should be listened to

[snoelledarts]

hii i’m a huge fan of your art as of ten minutes ago and was wondering if you could make a silly little percabeth doodle of them in college? maybe just walking around campus being all sappy and/or annoying?

I imagine college for them is a lot of percabeth being an old married couple and making kissie faces at each other while their friends a) wonder how Percy is passing any of his classes and b) cry over the fact that no one will ever love them as much as Percy and Annabeth love each other.

Percy’s greatest enemy in college is his urge to watch Vines all day. Annabeth’s is trying to get work done while Percy shows her Vines all day.

#percabeth #percy jackson #annabeth chase #aged up characters #pjo #pjo hoo toa #it’s 2015 to me when they go to college and idc if that’s cannon complaint #it’s just true #i refuse to write the mention tiktok on one of my posts so vine it is :) #Percy passing all his classes bc he’s actually a decent student and classes r easy when he has the right accommodations and no monsters? #a wild concept #snoelledarts #snoelledasks

[wheresurmoose]

They should invent a room where I have to write a certain amount of words every day (on my fanfics, book I’m working on, poems, etc) and I’m not allowed out of the room until I’ve done that certain amount each day.

Also I get paid a livable wage for it.

Also I have a person there to give me feedback anytime I ask.

Also I have a person there to correct all my typos.

#writing #writer complaints