sy5starplaty

[sy5starplaty]

read something recently that said a majority of people don’t have a wall clock these days, thought it was interesting since I’ve always considered it an essential and functional piece of home decor.

#There is 1 wall clock in my house... it's in mum's part #and when I go in there my disability is triggered by the ticking #not the sound of the ticking (which is annoying) but even with something else blocking the sound I still get... #triggered by THE VIBRATIONS of the ticking #which means if I was to get a wall analogue clock of my own I'd need one of those silent clocks with the sliding second-hand #or no second-hand at all #but those cost amounts I can't afford just in case they don't work out for me #also I haven't seen any that fit my aesthetic thus far #don't want to pay $80 for a plain white thing just because it's silent

[sy5starplaty]

If you are watching a TV show, it can be live action or animated.

But not when you're reading a book. Much to think about.

#I have aphantasia so... no images spring to mind #but that doesn't stop me from thinking of something that maybe *looks* like what the description says. #Not sure what I thought of re Moria in FotR #but when I saw it on screen it was EXACTLY what I had imagined based on what I'd read... #but again no actual image sprung to mind while reading. #My imagination's weird that way I guess... #maybe I dreamt it (I have vivid dreams). #Tumblr polls #reading #books

[sy5starplaty]

About the AO3 "No Guest Comments for a while" warning

If you're not following any of AO3's social media accounts you might be in the dark as to what kind of "spam comments" have engendered this banner at the top of the site:

These spam comments have been posted about a great deal on the AO3 subreddit for the past couple of days. Initially they comprised a bunch of guest (logged out users) bot comments that insulted authors by suggesting they were using AI and not writing their own fics. Some examples, from the subreddit:

But it then escalated to outright graphic porn images and gifs being posted in comments, again by logged out 'Guest' accounts. Obviously, I'm not going to give examples of those, but between these two bot infestations, AO3 has clearly decided to act and has temporarily closed the ability to post comments for users who are not logged in with an AO3 account.

Unfortunately, this means that genuine readers who don't have an AO3 account won't be able to leave comments on fics that they enjoy.

If you are a genuine reader who doesn't yet have an AO3 account, I strongly suggest getting yourself on the waiting list for one. More and more AO3 authors are now locking their fics down to registered users only - either due to these bot comments or concerns about AI scraping their work - which means you're probably missing out on a lot of great stuff.

Hopefully guest commenting will be enabled again at some point soon, but I suggest not waiting until then. Get yourself on that list.

Wait times are going to be longer than usual at the moment, due to the current Wattpad purge [info on Fanlore | Wattpad subreddit thread], but if you're in line, then your invite will come through eventually.

Update: There's now a Megathread about this on the AO3 subreddit.

#signal boost #AO3 #I haven't had any spam bots for any of my unlocked old fic... #so I'll presume it's just new stuff that cops it #FitW has been locked since I first heard of the AI scraping... #Anyway yes... want to read fic? (especially mine?) #go on the waitlist... #hopefully you'll get to read by the time I get to Riley's BIG REALISATION MOMENT #that definitely would've been in GMW had it had a s4.

[sy5starplaty]

Isadora Smackle & Maya Hart 🥼🎨 the friendship we deserved to see

You can find it in my fic...

FIRE IN THE WATER

(along with various other dynamics) Log in to AO3 to read/comment

UPDATE:

Chapter 33: VOLTAGE DROP (Isadora POV)

Chapter 33 features 👇

Isadora trying and failing and trying again to connect with Maya

Farkle seemingly more interested in Riley than his girlfriend

Patrick unable to lose his feelings for 'Dora'

Brandon acting suspicious

Zay being Zay

Lucas in a sad bad mood

...

#gmwedit #Girl Meets World #Isadora Smackle #Maya Hart #lucaya #GMW fic #userbriana #starlightsweetheart #beholdmysparkle #jayciethings #faithandlovewillkeepmestrong #I managed to get it under 9K! #Isadora-Maya occurs at the start middle and end #(start and middle moments are rehashes of previous Maya POV scenes) #There's also a convo between Isadora and Lucas... #The rest is Isadora with Zay or Farkle or OCs. #There'll be more Isadora-Maya stuff in the upcoming chapters... #Isadora is sorta filling the void of the 'here for you' friend Maya needs at the moment #without the complication of being emotionally invested (like Riley or Zay are)

[sy5starplaty]

*sees my mutuals logged on at the same time* ugh WHAT a day. Thank god you’re here. *doesn’t interact with them in any shape or form*

#Honestly... these days just knowing they're still ALIVE is a blessing #don't need to interact #just need to know THEY STILL OUT THERE #retag 2024

[sy5starplaty]

What still remains l Michael Shainblum

#⚡dreamscape

[sy5starplaty]

#Where did she go? #2014 me was really into the spinoff of Boy Meets World #guess what? #2014 me has NOT GONE AWAY #omg 2025 will be 10 years since I came up with FitW's concept... #I better be done with it next year. #Tumblr #retag 2024

[sy5starplaty]

This is Australia's current top news story

#When I saw this on batshit's Twitter I thought it was something from years ago... #Thankfully managed to miss all the silly horse puns last week. #retag 2024 #animals are awesome #especially when they follow the rules #(like staying behind the yellow line which humans have difficulty with)

[sy5starplaty]

One of the hardest things for me to learn and practice in my writing is that people do not say that much.

My characters frequently have tailored conversations about their inner struggles. They open up to partners, maintain perfect communication with friends, and remember to hold back exactly the right information from enemies. Yet irl I've observed and contributed to much miscommunication, lost opportunities, and unconscious distrust of friendly motivations. Natural speech is not tailored, and appropriately expressing abstract thoughts takes uncommon skill.

We've heard film media fans deride "therapy talk" wherein characters uncharacteristically divulge their inner struggles to others and receive perfect, textbook advice in response. This feels inauthentic because most humans don't talk like that! We skirt around our problems, we feel uncomfortable when others vent, we want to avoid conflict and rejection, and our well-meant words often do more harm than good.

People also tend to talk a lot, but say little. As writers, we generally don't want our stories stuffed with useless conversations, banter, and small-talk that don't advance the plot—we want that story grown up and moved out! lol. But please, include those things. Have scenes where friends hide thoughts from friends by joking around or discussing hobbies instead, where a rival saves the MC's thoughtless speech for later, where a happy couple argues over a minor miscommunication. These aspects can add depth to a story that feels manufactured, or life to characters that sound scripted.

If this is you, take your time; natural dialogue takes a while to finesse. Currently, I try to write the meaning behind the dialogue first and make it messier and more natural in redrafts. Conversation scenes where "nothing" happens can still tell the reader about the characters. As with all the lessons I've learned/shared, each piece of writing advice should come with a "Daily Value" label affixed, lol. Balance is needed and adjustments should be made until you have the story you want.

---

+ If you appreciate this advice, consider visiting my ko-fi and Buy Me A Coffee! Thank you for reading 🤗

+ Check me out on AO3, Pinterest, and Unsplash

#My fic characters talk a lot #but thus far they've mostly been talking around subjects... #They'll only tell the truth if they're basically pushed to breaking point #and even then there's a lot of pushback #(esp. Maya) #which explains why the word count is so long I guess #(along with the flashbacks and the 'editorialising') #When I plan a scene it's always with dialogue because that's my strength (somehow) #and it allows me to figure out the natural direction of the scene #when it comes to writing it dialogue often changes but gist of the scene remains #the reason for the scene remains #writing #retag 2024

[sy5starplaty]

There are posts for explaining your url but i want one for blog title, so ill just make one myself:

Reblog this and tell us in the tags what your blog title means!

#If only children could rule the world #is the English translation of a line from Thomas Bergersen's 'Мир' (from his Humanity collection) #I picked it because all the crap going on in the world right now #is affecting so many kids (directly and indirectly) #and while I don't have any of my own I feel for them and what they'll have to deal with in future. #If children ruled the world it would be a much fairer place. #retag 2024

[sy5starplaty]

If you are hesitant to comment on AO3 because it's just fanfic and it probably doesn't matter to the writers, know that I got a one word comment ("Beautiful") on a fic nobody ever has bothered reading before and it made my night. Merry Christmas to me! Seriously, though, comments feel so good to writers! Please feed us! We're hungry!

#AO3 #fanfiction #I'm very hungry right now... #2 of my regular readers are overwhelmed with life stuff so they can't catch up yet to comment #and that's fine yet... #that leaves my other 1 regular reader being the ONLY person around to feed me #and that's not fair to her #so I need more food please... #even if you just read THE FIRST CHAPTER #and leave a comment there #I will have been fed #link's in my blog sidebar #and on the pinned post #You will unfortunately need an AO3 account #but blame that on the tech folk for making AI steal creative things rather than actually helping society... #Or... you could read any one of the PUBLIC fics and leave a comment (especially if you don't know Girl Meets World)! #retag 2024 #comments save stories from being abandoned #comments make more stories appear

[sy5starplaty]

#I'm wearing a dark blue long sleeved top #a dark blue t-shirt over that with light blue writing #my 2nd pair of socks (yes... it's THAT cold) are mostly blue with white stars #and... that's all the blue I'm wearing right now. #retag 2024 #Tumblr polls

[sy5starplaty]

people always talk about leaving comments on ao3 like it's a nice thing to do, or the best way to encourage writers to keep writing, or overall like it's how you Do Your Part in fandom

and yeah, all those things are true, but having spent the past few months leaving enthusiastic comments on as many things as i can, i have a different perspective

you should leave comments on fics because it's fun

taking the time to stop and focus on what i like about a story has made me way more aware of what's going on in stories and what i like about them. there's bit more actual comprehension and appreciation and not just beaming content into my eyes to fill time

i like noticing cool little things in fics, or riffing on funny events. i've never been very good at speculating or picking apart characters, but sometimes something clicks and it rocks.

and of course it's pretty nice when you get a response and it's clear you've made another person happy

so yeah, you should leave comments for your own sake, too. it makes reading better!

#Part of the reason why I'm starved for comments in regards to #Fire in the Water #is that I put all these little 'easter egg' things in there #(i.e. things that relate to GMW or real life or what's coming up later in the fic...) #mostly to make it FUN for me as I'm writing #but I also want people to NOTICE #which they may do... but I'm unaware of it because they don't comment #fanfiction #AO3 #retag 2024

[sy5starplaty]

Reblog if you are ASEXUAL, SUPPORT ASEXUALS, or really really want to WEAR A REALLY FANCY BLACK CAPE

#All 3 #retag 2024

[sy5starplaty]

My mother gave me COVID. 😒

Ugh. My mother's recent RAT says she's got COVID. She did one on Tuesday (3 days ago), as she usually does before she has to get chemo, and it was negative. Yesterday, though, she sounded really bad & cold-y, so she did a test this morning and...

I started getting an itchy throat (& tingly lips too?) yesterday AFTER Mum got in my car to drive her back home [she unfortunately mingled with people while feeling crook which I didn't know until I drove her back home]. She's the only person I'm in close contact with; most other gatherings I tend to keep my distance & in stores I always wear a mask [Mum doesn't].

I've done a RAT today, and it's negative. But as it took a while for Mum's positive to show up, I'll do it again in 2 days.

Mum's trying to organise a proper test, so she's calling her GP now for a referral... and then I'll drive her there - but she's going in the back seat... Them's the rules.

e (3hrs later): GP's sent a script to the local chemist for antiviral meds. So I'll do the pick up for that now.

#the dreaded lurgy ending in 19 #5*p family

[sy5starplaty]

So... turns out infection may've occurred on Sunday, at church, when a whole bunch of visitors showed up for the Easter Day service.

Whether I have it or not, it probably came from Mum because I didn't sense anything different with me until Thursday. I don't blame Mum; I blame people's idiocy for making it 'a-okay' to spread a virus around. But I guess if you've had it before your ability to think clearly drifts away.

My symptoms have progressed to muscle aches and the kind of fever I used to have when I got my periods... Meaning this may be a dose of perimenopause+ in the guise of the flu. Won't know until I take another test tomorrow. Seems too early to try again now.

Ugh. My mother's recent RAT says she's got COVID. She did one on Tuesday (3 days ago), as she usually does before she has to get chemo, and it was negative. Yesterday, though, she sounded really bad & cold-y, so she did a test this morning and...

I started getting an itchy throat (& tingly lips too?) yesterday AFTER Mum got in my car to drive her back home [she unfortunately mingled with people while feeling crook which I didn't know until I drove her back home]. She's the only person I'm in close contact with; most other gatherings I tend to keep my distance & in stores I always wear a mask [Mum doesn't].

I've done a RAT today, and it's negative. But as it took a while for Mum's positive to show up, I'll do it again in 2 days.

Mum's trying to organise a proper test, so she's calling her GP now for a referral... and then I'll drive her there - but she's going in the back seat... Them's the rules.

e (3hrs later): GP's sent a script to the local chemist for antiviral meds. So I'll do the pick up for that now.

#5*p family #5*p health #the dreaded lurgy ending in 19

[sy5starplaty]

Babe, listen

Your fic isn’t a flop, it’s a cult classic. Only the coolest freaks like it, don’t worry about it, it’s great.

#retag 2024 #I've only just hit the halfway mark... It can't be a flop yet. #That potential title needs to wait until at least 1 year after it's done. #I'll consider it a flop if I don't gain any more readers who comment in that time... #Cult classic also maybe... but without feedback I won't be putting up the sequels [the much much shorter sequels]. #writing #fanfiction