#BUT IT'S NOT ACTUALLY SOMETHING IM REQUIRED TO DO JUST LIKE NO OTHER FIC WRITER IS

[ceilidho]

do you have any tips for amateur writers who are just stepping onto the scene? like for example i struggle with how to make sentences flow right, etc. i have so many ideas but i struggle to put them down. any advice? 💖

all jokes aside, i think there's no "right way" to get into writing. for me, i started when i was in grade 5 and i wrote the most batshit, unhinged, god awful stories in my notebooks that i would inflict like a punishment on my 5th grade teacher so she could correct it and give me feedback.

i think some new writers would do very well with taking a more step-by-step approach to writing, and start with rigid outlines and not putting too much unnecessary detail or poetic elements into their fics (like just get the skeleton of the story down on paper and slowly add more and more to zhuzh it up).

while other new writers might do better with a more chaotic approach - like write the exact scene in your head and stick to prompts/short drabbles before you slowly begin to try your hand at longer fics. it totally depends on the person, but i think you owe it to yourself to try both and see what works best for you.

(got a bit long, so added more below)

i, for instance, am in the latter camp (chaotically just writing short scenes and slowly adding more) because i used to try outlining long stories and then i'd wind up completely abandoning them because the amount of work i could see ahead of me would freak me out. i think writing short prompts actually helped my writing flourish the most!! (prompt accounts on twitter are the BEST for this imo).

flow is a tough quality to give tips on because it's an intuitive thing but it's also based on your style. one big tip i can give, and i don't know if this will be of help to you but it was a huge realization for me, is that most people tend to miss how big of an impact format can have.

what i mean by that is, if you're writing a road trip or a long winding journey, you can evoke that feeling by having your sentences be long and serpentine, like you're mirroring the characters on the trip. versus, in a tense scene (idk, maybe the character is defusing a bomb or doing something that requires precision and concentration), short, clipped sentence might elicit that feeling better. it's not just what you're writing but how you write, if that makes sense.

but when you're just starting, the top things to focus on are:

what are the characters physically doing

what are they thinking (if you want to write a more internal perspective; you can also stick to third-person objective narration, aka no internal dialogue)

expressions on their faces

what's in the room/space around them (useful for descriptions, setting the scene, and also doing a little "chekhov's gun" if you want - showing something that might become more important later)

i hope this helps!!! that "idk how to get this out and put it on paper" feeling never really goes away lmao if im being honest, but that's part of it. you're constantly learning and improving!!

[olderthannetfic]

The “gift economy” complaint feels like it’s appropriated from discussions about other hobbies where people get competitive, because it’s true that the more you expect people to put a lot of effort into something they’re getting little economic reward for, your hobby is going to get wealthier because poor people have less free time and also can’t afford to have a “job” they do for free when they could be doing a second job that actually pays them. But I don’t see how that’s the case with fanfic. Yeah, sure, I wouldn’t be surprised if people who do exchanges and stuff like that are more affluent than the average AO3 user for those previously stated reasons, but most AO3 users never do anything like that, and as someone who is prone to doing this myself I do believe it is “on you” if you sign up for something with the time investment of an exchange and then it turns out to be too much for you. But I don’t feel like there is any pressure on AO3 to do that or to put a lot of work into fic in general, take it seriously, etc. or at least if there is, that’s a problem that can be fixed by curating your fandom spaces better. Also I think the “gift economy” issues I talked about in the beginning are worse with hobbies that can be more easily monetized, ironically, because there becomes an expectation with so many arts and crafts type stuff for instance that you need to eventually be opening up an Etsy store, which requires getting to a certain level of “good,” but of course the vast majority of people making stuff on Etsy don’t make nearly enough to live on and might not be even making a profit anyway so it becomes another expensive hobby that is out of reach to people who aren’t as well-off. Fanfic not being monetizable sidesteps that entirely, and ime it’s a space where it’s way more ok to just be average at it and do it for fun and not just as a stepping stone to becoming a Serious Writer. Anyway, it’s bizarre to argue that Marx’s theory of alienation says you can’t have things you enjoy that take effort but aren’t paid for when it’s saying almost the exact opposite. And granted unlike most people discoursing online I’ve actually read Marx, but even the Philosophy Tube video series on Marx could tell you that

--

Writing is also something with low startup costs. Time could be an issue if you're poor and working several jobs, but you could also be underemployed or disabled and stuck at home with a fair amount of time but no money to buy hobby supplies. Some people pour out reams of writing when they're stressed even with limited time, while other people need time and space and quiet to get anything done.

Privilege as a factor never goes away, but writing interacts very differently with privilege than, say, sculpting.

[n7punk]

i was going to describe something as a pet peeve but really it's just a let down lol and then it turned into a longpost but i gottaaaaa get this off my chest. anyway a big let down in romance writing (fic and published) is when the basis of the story is two total strangers meet for the first time and they're suddenly drawn to each other for no justifiable reason. you'll see this all the time in fic and it's supposed to be acceptable because we know the characters and know that they're perfect together, but it's lazy no mater the format unless you have a later plot point that actually justifies why they would feel such a pull towards each other.

like in a simple coffee shop au, it's inexplicable to be like "she's my favorite customer, i can't say why because she isn't different than any of my other customers, but i feel drawn to her." conversely, you could totally justify it by starting the story with "she's my favorite customer because one time i accidentally upcharged her and she pretended i didnt because she could see my manager within earshot and didn't want me to get in trouble" and that's a viable reason for a stranger to stick out that you can still establish in just one paragraph.

i feel like people don't want to make it attraction-based (it's a perfectly valid premise and the only actual reason strangers have ever asked me out because that's how it works) because it's not ~special~ and lacks deeper meaning, but, "i dont know why i just do" has no meaning! having a line like "i see attractive girls like her every single day but i feel weirdly drawn to her in particular" doesn't make it feel special, it feels unrealistic and dull, and for some reason these "magnetic pull" stories almost always include a line like this.

this is muddied by sometimes - very rarely - when you think a story opening with this kind of thing is bad and actually it's a smoking gun. maybe in a "the characters later realize they knew each other once" way, maybe in an "oh shit, we're both cursed by the same person and couldn't consciously figure out we're sensing the same magic energy from each other, now lets team up and take them down" way, maybe even in an "actually i really was just attracted to her but i'm so repressed i couldn't figure it out" way and at least you've learned something interesting about that character! i'm pulling stuff out of my ass here (clearly), but it could be a real plot point and the few times it is always make me doubt giving up on something that really isn't worth my time. plot stuff like this requires that your audience have some faith in your writing and are willing to stick around after they see the opening, though, and sometimes im not willing to do that even when a book comes recommended.

in fics it's a lot more low stakes and obviously, you can write whatever you want and whatever makes you happy (and honestly every writer should get one freebie on this kind of thing because writing is hard guys and sometimes you just want to write the shenanigans that come after and you don't owe anybody anything!) but i do think pushing yourself and your writing is good thing when you're up for it. we just don't always have to be up for it lol. anyway this is just a personal rant about stories that have disappointed me, not instructions for anyone to change the way they write to have fun

#mylife #that said some stories start out this way and build and are actually very good with just this one fault! #not most of the stories that start this way tho lmao #actually i just realized i did this ''plot pull'' with the reincarnation fic #but you knew going into that it was a reincarnation au! #the plot reason was pre-established and adora herself soon learned it when she began remembering #and im remembering now how i felt writing it like 'wow this is weird but the magic will make it make sense soon'

[punch-love]

conflict anon here again and im SO GLAD you agree man. i think what really gets me about it is that i was specifically searching for conflict-packed fic and that's why i was so let down. i also feel like authors are entitled to write whatever they want forever but it just FEELS to me when im reading their fics like they would be happier writing something more domestic, and i want to find something where they're more feral.

i want the ID reveal and the relationship-confirming to cause MORE problems, hell i want them to get together and blow out into a massive argument and breakup then have breakup sex and get back together and then realize the sex didn't actually fix anything and then break up again but they can't stop being obnoxiously in each others space either way

but it feels like fic im trying to find like this fights the very concept of conflict so hard and wants one singular plot point to fix everything as quickly as possible without even walking me through the characters' insight as to HOW that fixed anything other than "problem over, let's be together forever now!" let alone the level of conflict that'd be so engaging like that with a million curveballs

im so aware its a personal taste thing its just been frustrating reading fic after fic after fic and finding so little of it. its no ones fault i can't find fic perfectly tailored to my tastes specifically, i just tend to ramble about my frustration. you and oprime and sci and a couple other authors are my favorite for writing it the way you do, she's not gonna die today will always be one of my favorite fics of all time because it gave me that ever persisting conflict driven by their obsessive need to stick together even when they're fighting every step of the way. i just always get into a longwinded ramble when this comes up and i was hoping youd like to share your thoughts so thank you for answering 🙏

I think this pairing kind of presents a unique challenge to writers (at least it did for me) that action and conflict is such a huge, borderline essential part of their canonical dynamic. If you're not used to writing/utilizing both physical and emotional conflict, your stories can often fall so, so flat for these two, specifically because that's the fuel that makes the engine run. The first true action scene I ever wrote was chapter two of love-punch, and I like, now I'm an action writer for life now (editing an action sequence as we speak) but I had to get out of my comfort zone because I realized that type of stories I wanted to write about them required them to beat the shit out of each other to work.

These two are definitely not problem solvers so much as shit starters. I feel like for them, the problems they actually have to solve are the ways they perceive each other (because both of them heavily project onto the other) and what that means long-term for their relationship - every other form of conflict, to me, is up for grabs forever when it comes to their relationship. The shit talking, ass kicking, and fire starting is what makes them, them.

I've said this before, but a lot of people write fanfiction as an exploration of their own ideal relationships. (which is absolutely fine) I think spideypool is a difficult sell though, for that specific fantasy, because their relationship operates on instability and violence primarily. I think most people aren't looking for a relationship where your communication consists of name-calling, beat downs, and moral differences so severe it makes you almost kill each other a lot. That, does not make a good, a good or healthy real world relationship but SUCH a fun fictional one. People are going to write their fantasies out, though, and that fantasy is that one kiss/one fuck/one confession creates relationship fueled bliss forever because many people, hate conflict - both experiencing and reading it. It sucks, if you're a reader who likes problems. I also always say this, but I encourage you to channel that energy into writing your own work. It's what I did, and it paid off so great for me because now I have 12 works specifically catered to my own personal needs exclusively. Fandom is always going to suck, but you can be the change! (and if you don't want to write, that's cool too, sometimes it's good just to get your qualms out into the world and find people who agree)

tagging @primewritessmut again so she can read your praise straight from the source.

It's a tough fandom if you really like their canonical dynamic more than their fanon one, I feel you man. I am always holding a prayer circle that more writers who like problems more than they like easy resolutions joins in and starts writing some real fucked up shit.

#mailbox #peter parker confession booth #there's for sure an audience but you have to like. really enjoy writing about conflict and difficult solutions to said conflict #and that's a tragically small pool of people (lol) in this fandom #it means a lot of filtering. a lot of scrolling the top page #and for me. a lot of writing my own shit when I am unhappy #I again #feel you so hard on this one #conflict rules

[forlorn-crows]

hey! i'm really not a writer but i have to take a class on it next year and i'm really scared by it, so i'm trying to get opinions and whatnot from people who do write. (that's why you might see this ask in a lot of authors' inboxes heh) i'm wondering if there's anything that helps you get in the mood to write, if there's anything that causes/makes worse a writer's block, if you find it easier to write when given a prompt or if you prefer to make things up completely, if you prefer writing a story or more of an essay, how long does it take you to finish something and how do you know it's finished? and i know a lot of these could be answered with "it depends" but please avoid saying that if you can! thank you for helping me!

there's two perspectives i have here: one is writing in the context of college courses, and two is writing for pleasure.

when i wrote essays in college, i would always need a quiet place to go, or a place where conversations wouldn't be distracting. the 3rd floor of the library. a study cubby. starbucks at 4pm. but i would ALWAYS have instrumental music in my headphones. lofi. writing music playlists on youtube. classical. whatever made me feel 'scholarly' and didn't have words. that was my go to. and i think doing that same routine, getting my little drinks and always AFTER i had eaten was key to at least having some semblance of motivation to get my shit done. cause i had to write a LOT. all the time. different lengths of things too; 500 words to full length papers.

with school, the motivation was "i have to get it done by x date". and im a perfectionist, so it took me a looooong time to write the hard stuff. especially since i had to research as well. loooong time to gather sources before i actually did any writing, loooong time sorting and culling those sources, looooong time stringing them together to make them 'perfect'. i self inflict a lot of struggle, but thats how my brain functions to get the outcomes i did (and the grades I did).

I did do some creative writing in college, mostly poetry. for that, there were certainly deadlines motivating me, but the projects got my creative side flowing a bit more. often times, i would have to stop to jot something down while i was going about my day, because i knew i would forget it later. but, a lot of the same things can be said about my college creative writing; i slaved over the things until they were perfect, until they finally looked 'right' to me. and that takes a lot of time, personally. i hated procrastinating but sometimes you really do write better under pressure.

in school, i needed clear cut prompts/requirements for my long form work. i couldn't function without them, because i always outlined like crazy. it helped organize and cull my crazy thoughts.

now, with personal writing (which i 99% fanfiction currently), it can be hit or miss. sometimes, i need someone else's ideas to get me going. other times, im plagued by horny visions during work and i have to jot them down in my phone until i can write them out later. and sometimes i lose motivation by then, which sucks.

sometimes, it takes me a long time to finish stories. whether that be due to length, or simply because i took my time writing it little by little. I can crank out a full length fic in 2 days if im really feeling it, or it make take an entire week to write 1k words. it just depends on how into writing and into the idea i am.

lately, i have to go with whatever sparks my interest in order to write. i find its no fun to try and force yourself to write for pleasure, bc it just becomes a chore then. writing as a hobby is supposed to be fun, it is not supposed to consume you (wise words that crow does not follow a lot of times).

my advice for school is to keep track of your deadlines. start earlier than you need to for big projects, especially if you have an idea you really want to role with. dont be afraid to brainstorm with your teachers, they're your resource for stuff like that. they can help steer you in the right direction if you're stuck. carve out time to write and double down on it. take breaks when you need to, of course, but try to stay on task whenever possible.

my advice for personal writing is DO NOT FORCE IT. if you get inspired by something, and feel the need to write, and you can write at that moment, do it. those words will come like no other. second best thing is to write it down to visit later. i also think its important to remember you do not have to write every idea you ever think of, even if its a really good idea! its okay to have ideas that you dont do anything with.

overall advice, dont feel like you have to edit as you go. if you're unsure of your skills as a writer, just get down the ideas onto paper. thats the first step. write it how you might tell a story to a friend. all the fancy word choice and formatting can be done later. and know that you dont have to be the most seasoned writer to be a good writer. skills take time to develop. and the class may be boring at times. but its to help you learn, so dont fret! its okay to be scared at first.

let me know if you have any other questions, i have a lot under my belt, believe me!

#ask #anon #writing advice

[sadisthetic]

Dude your Jaya hanahakai au is everything. If you're not gonna write that uhhhh can I???? 'Cause it's so creative and intricate. Utter genius bro

Also I really love the unrequited/stay friends ending and the requieted ending. They're both just so good and so well thought out (i also dont want jay to die lmao). Also YES!!! GIVING NYA AGENCY!! You put so much consideration into her feelings and it's making me bark like a feral little dog. Like the worst thing about skybound is how it treats Nya as a character and I just shhdjdjd. This is driving me insane. Ninjago's writing makes me ill but yours has me on my knees.

THANK YOU.............. DRAMATICALLY FALLS TO MY HANDS AND KNEES..... SWEET FEEDBACK AND BOOST TO MY EGO.... i was insane while writing that entire au too.

ALSO ITS FUNNY... I WROTE SO MUCH ABOUT NYAS FEELINGS IN THIS AU BECAUSE IT WAS ENTIRELY NECESSARY. LIKE. I HAD TO. especially for requited end. i knew when i got to that point in the story where i had to address i knew it in my heart that this was like. the most important part. nyas feelings are so important in this au.... and i knew without proper explanation/justification of nyas feelings of why she falls in love with jay again the au Simply Would Not Work. all that consideration is me doing the intense relationship math (math? i dunno. its a process of some sort.) TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO MAKE THEM WORK. because if anything. jaya should is a relationship that requires work. not effortless in the slightest.

i love jaya. its technically a terrible romance. fucking absolutely wretched and tormented by obligatory heterosexual writing. it only exists because straight writers Have to write het tax into their shows for some goddamn reason. but also. its the ship of all time. its because im delusional and have thought about it so much and put so much thought into how their relationship should BE and also wrote so much meta and shit to fill in the massive gaps in their relationship that canon doesnt address or skips over. YOU SEE JAYA IS ACTUALLY SO FUCKING INTERESTING AS A RELATIONSHIP. ITS SO INTERESTING BECAUSE ITS A FUCKING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THEY ACTUALLY HAVE VERY LITTLE CHEMISTRY AS COUPLE. AND YET AND YET AND YET. THEY LOVE EACH OTHER. THEY GET TOGETHER ON SUPERFICIAL TERMS. THEY BREAK UP. THEY GET TOGETHER AGAIN. BECAUSE THEY LOVE EACH OTHER. in my eyes they arent a perfect match for each other. actually. thats literally canon. jay isnt nyas perfect match (god i think about s3 so fucking much i hate it) but they love each other anyways and end up together in the end despite the things theyve gone through. i think theres something real about that. love that is mismatched and tried but they Work through it anyways. thats romance baby. theres something very romantic about love that takes effort (is the guy who is putting all the effort into the ship) (very delusional) (but very self aware about it)

jaya is like. a brain teaser. its like a fun puzzle for my brain to solve (fix) because its such a travesty in canon. the gordians knot of ninjago ships. i love thinking about it so much. i thought about it so much ive tricked myself into becoming a massive shipper who screams whenever they do something cute together

oh fuck im sorry i forgot to answer your question bc i got so fucking heated about jaya. its because im insane about them. it just happened. fuck. jaya............................ i love divorce...... anyways

YES you can write my au. because i certainly dont have the stamina to do it myself. i would like if you credited me for the idea tho if youre gonna use my plot beats. but otherwise? Feel Free. go nuts. i love fanfiction. i always think of my stories as fanfic anyways and man i sure do wish i could read my own au as a fic. but i lack the capacity to write this beast of an au in full. so like. someone else might as well. if you do. have fun

#ninjago talk #asks #jem.txt #thyburn thydust #christ this is long #guy who is just so normal

[bi-bats]

18, 43, and 78 for the Fanfiction Writer Asks?

Oh my god Jpeg!!! Hi!!!! Thank you for the ask 💖💖💖 Sorry in advance for turning this into an essay but hopefully you enjoy it and thank you!!!!

18 - Do you enjoy research? Which fic of yours required the most research?

Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't, honestly. It tends to feel like homework sometimes, but I'm a huge reader and I love reading comics. It's just hard for me to find time between working full time and the D&D campaign I'm writing/DMing and the academic article I'm writing and being in a relationship and figuring out grad school/future stuff. Basically, I'm a really busy person but I just want to read and write fic all day 😭

As for which required the most research that I've already started posting, I'd have to say Know Yourself. I had to read Battle for the Cowl, and I still have to read Final Crisis (is that a spoiler? 👀). I basically did no research for Rooftops & Bookshops (I feel like it shows) but I did read quite a few summaries.

But the fic with the most research I will have to do is definitely the fic I'm going to talk about in the next question, for which I'll have to read Red Robin, Under the Red Hood and some of Tim's Robin run. Probably more, but it'll be worth it.

43 - Is there a trope or idea that you'd really like to write but haven't yet?

YES. So many. I want to write one bed and also time travel and also identity reveal (thank you jaytimweek for forcing me to do it providing me with the opportunity). I actually have two ideas for identity reveal, one of which will hopefully be up for jaytimweek. The other identity reveal is definitely going to be my next long fic. I already know it'll be near 100k words and I PROMISED myself I wouldn't start working on it until Know Yourself is fully posted except for the epilogue (so a few months 😭). The identity reveal longfic is also going to be a soulmates fic 😈 and I think it might technically not be a love square but also it sort of will be? OKAY IF I SAY ANYTHING ELSE ABOUT IT IM GONNA SPOIL SOMETHING NEXT QUESTION

78 - What motivates you during the writing process?

Honestly, I feel sort of shitty being like "people's reactions," because I shouldn't base my worth as a writer on how many kudos/comments I get, etc., etc., and no one reading this should feel any pressure to comment if they don't want to, but when I get to see how someone reacted to my work??? OH that's the stuff.

I tend to be my own worst critic with everything, but especially my own writing, so every time I see a new comment, I have the urge to run to my computer and write. I basically get high off comments, especially when it's from authors I love to read!!! (@ you jpeg. Detective Timothy Drake and the Mysterious Case of the Unclaimed Dildo lives in my head rent free. That fic is a masterpiece.) There's just something about knowing that a writer I love enjoys my work. It really makes me feel confident in my writing, which makes me want to write more.

Also serial commenters!! I'm looking forward to what you think of every new chapter. Also people who just comment ahsjslakhdslkab or second kudos or a heart emoji. And people who post those really long comments theorizing or asking questions or copy/pasting quotes with their reactions??? My favorite. Satisfies the desire I have to watch everyone read my work so I can see them react to it.

Basically, knowing that people are enjoying what I write and want to read more is honestly the biggest motivator for me, which is why I tend to post chaptered stuff. I need the push to keep going, or else my piece would rot in my drafts (like some of my unposted works that I'll resuscitate one day)

Also if anyone reading this has ever commented on one of my fics, just know I think we're besties now. Come say hi. Even if you haven't commented and just want to motivate me to write more! Come say hi!

#batsasks #I was so totally normal about you sending me this ask I swear #<- lying #i still get super excited when you comment on my fics 😂 #which is especially funny because I know you sent me one like last week I haven't responded to yet because every time I sit down to #answer comments I get distracted actually writing #so yeah thank you thank you thank you!!!!! #we're friends now I don't make the rules 😊 #okay I'm going to go finish writing chapter 5 of Know Yourself now #it's almost ready for betaing!!!! #i want to have it up by next week!!!!

[raybyanothername]

Is Fear in his eyes the longest chapter/section of a fic/oneshot you've written? Because its like 3000 words but its such a good fic it doesnt seem that long because its so interesting. Btw I believe I've added about 104 more rereads since 2 days ago? Anyway this is a very long winded way of asking how your writing is going for FIHE and ur other WIPS. Plus now Im curious, how long do you spend writing these?

Fear is definitely one of the fics with the longest chapters. There's a few chapters of RAMD and CBK that have broke 3k, but I'd say most of my chapters hover in the 1.5-2k range. Like Mother, Like Son is my other fic with those big chapters. Both of these fics have a lot happen each chapter though, so it makes sense.

They're also the fics that take me the longest to write... ^^' Keeping Up and Targaryen Solution are on the other end of that spectrum, they're usually shorter chapters and when I'm writing them I can usually knock a few out in one sitting (I can and have done that with all my fics though to be fair). It really just depends on how much time I have to write and whether the muse is cooperating.

I've been working on these fics rather than my book as late so... that's why they're being updated regularly. I think I average an hour or two of writing a day. Spread across various fics and projects, probably around 2kish a day? Fear is special in that it gets written in a notebook and then I have to type it up when I finish the chapter. That's also how I'm writing my current book, which is why it's so easy to procrastinate on them. ^^'

I'm just like: I could write a bit more... then I don't have to type... oh, look, here's something I can write on my phone, no typing required! *takes a nap instead* What was I working on?

I am a rather chaotic writer. That's why I have a day job. Which I can fortunately write at sometimes. I think I've written half of Keeping Up during my office hours. XD

As for actual progress:

Fear has 1 of... 3? major scenes written.

LMLS is the same, and at 1k, so Fear is probably the same size.

I actually started The Beast, which is my big modern omegaverse AU. I have almost 600 words and it feels amazing to finally have something written for it!

My other fics all have, like, maybe 2 sentences each in progress? I've been trying to finish up some of one-shot WIPs so I'll have fewer untitled documents. ^^' I'll probably try to dive back in to Keeping Up this weekend though, because I have *plans* for the wedding night...

My plan for tonight is to finish the brim of a hat I'm knitting and actually type up some scenes from my book. I'm finally gonna get to write about my own dragons instead of GRRM's! Maybe... if I can wrangle my attention span...

Either that or I'll reread LMLS so I can channel Jace's attitude for the Daemyra wedding properly.

I've actually been struggingly to decide what to focus on the last few days, and that ends with me working on nothing or (maybe) on something new rather than current projects. My brain is very annoying like that sometimes. I wish I could put up a poll asking people to tell me what I should write some days. Just take that decision out of my hands so I can *start* when my brain is being frustrating.

If I'm close to the end of a chapter or fic (like, within 500-1k words) I'll sometimes try to wrap them up when I get asks about them. That's why both my A/B/O one-shots for HotD got posted in the last 24 hours. ^^'

I'm definitely rambling now... Oh well, enjoy what I'm sure was a very convoluted answer to your question! XD

#ray rambles #ray writes #writer life #house of the dragon #hotd #fanfiction #ray answers

[zgvlt]

talking about my own chocolate ask, i literally remembered twst's semi(?) valentines celebration where you can buy something and send them a letter and they'd reply to you too

never ako na di natawa by the fact that leona canonically actually uses proper grammar and like ..... "etiquette dictates that i must.." 💀 for some reason i never remembered kalim referring to the receiver as "love" though. also sebek thinking the gift was for malleus tho, i dont know if its funny or sad😭

also take your time with the idia ask its fine i wrote it at like 3am i lose my mind at that time -💅

RIGHT!! leona's reply is genuinely my favorite. i feel like he's just really used to the stock standard replies that it comes to him naturally lol. poor sebek, i feel like you really have to declare a gift whether it's food or what is really for him otherwise he'll just think ah, an offering for my young master? it's an inadequate present according to fae standards, but i'll pass it on nonetheless like sebek PLEASE IT'S FOR YOU I BEG

anyway in terms of your idia ask, since there's spoilers for chapter 6 i'll just put it here under the cut

The Idia Ask in Question:

have fun camping!

I DID! thank you! 💖💖

welcome again to 💅 anon's weird dreams, this time for some reason it was horror mixed with like a weird ooc wedding? anyways i won't be sharing the graphic stuff so just read in with the weird wedding thing. Apparently, while i was running away from a whole mystery k-worder, idia (who was very much ooc) was suddenly my groom. what's the context? why is he ooc? we don't know(yet) . he's literally just there like he was my government assigned boyfriend/fiance.

HELPpSp not the government assigned... what in the teen wattpad dystopia fic

anyways the whole thing was actually kinda wholesome (despite me actually running away from .. yk a kworder) we did all these fun prep stuff despite it being a bit awkward( i did his skincare, picked out his suit, practiced vows etc). plot twist turns out he was specifically affectionate towards me because i'm his creation, similar to ortho, i was a humanoid made by idia. like he made a humanoid lover ...

THE PLOT TWIST what kind of dreams are you having why is it oddly complex like omg a humanoid... which brings the question did he make u to be his lover or did it just happen lol

which reminded me of something from chapter 6 there was this part where he was like.. "but you're not ortho! you're an ai i created"

THE ORTHO REVEAL AND HOW THEY TALKED ABOUT IT LIKE i expected it but i was still so distraught omg

which reminded me he only allowed himself to be affectionate towards ortho was because he never truly saw him as a real person, and idia in chapter6 obviously can make friends if he tried- it's only him stopping himself to make these friends because they're people, and people are unpredictable unlike coding or in game things, there's a safe limit in games (both in contacting other people ingame, and actual ingame things to do) but he really can't bring himself to socialize in real life because it's ... again harder for him because he thinks in a set of rules due to him being a shroud.

every time i think about the shroud curse i sob and wail i am so sad for him like it's just so :< and i just oh my god twst writers really had me gripped by the neck when i learned about the overblot thing like stfu why did u do this to idia has he not suffered enough !!!

him being a shroud, let alone the oldest one, means he is the one who needs to take care of STYX whether he likes it or not. he’s required to put his all for this ob research, he probably internalized it as “i am going to be stuck here . in this stupid research lab . for the rest of my life. what’s the point of having friends if im born to be stuck in this depressing place? ``Maybe that’s why ortho was that important to idia to the point that idia wanted to recreate his brother. they’re both shrouds, they are both chained to the family business; maybe that’s why he only sees (both OG! and robo)ortho as his only friend, because in the end of the day, they will be stuck together in this sad lonely pit full of phantoms and blots. all of them, have no choice. like hades, they had no choice but to be that little bitch guarding the hell hole. the little bitch with no friends and everyone thinks their a wholeass weirdo. all they wanted was their own concept of freedom, yet here we are.

you can argue that “oh lilia and idia are online friends! that means something right?” idia refuses lilia’s offer of in game marriage, “not only the distance he keeps with me…” + “you will talk to me even though i always play solo..” (both said in chapter six) implies that though he is very grateful for the relationship, he still has no desire to make a deep relationship with anyone offline or online, he likes distancing himself from friendships. there’s more in relation to him being an otaku etc but i feel like i would be saying too much lol ... is this the sign to convert to be an idia stan? -💅

anyway yes absolutely 100% you should become an idia stan genuinely he's always been cute to me but chapter 6 really made me an idia stan his supporter

#—nathyask #—banathyaqueue #💌: 💅 anonnie

[hella1975]

I’m gonna need chapter 34 now 😔🔫

it’s almost like i explicitly said no updates until may 🤪🤪🤪

#i'm MAINLY joking here bc i know anon isn't like pushing me or anything #but i've had MULTIPLE asks badgering me about ch34 since the last upload and its literally been a week #like i hate to say it but when i'm doing exams that dictate my future for the next few months #i'm gonna prioritise them #and i shouldn't even be having to explain that here and the majority of you have been so supportive of that #and even sending me things daily wishing me luck on exams and such #and i really fucking appreciate that like it's small shit but it goes a long way #but a very small minority have completely ignored what i've said and i'm lashing out here #sorry anon <3 kinda <3 #but yeah i care enough about taob and you guys that even small mentions of it like this that SEEM harmless to you #actually really grate me and make me start stressing over taob #and it's just not a distraction i can afford at the moment #so no anon you're not getting ch34 and in fact i haven't written a single word of it and you're not encouraging me to either #rant over but STOP BADGERING CONTENT CREATORS FOR CONTENT WHEN THEY LITERALLY DON'T OWE YOU SHIT #I DO THIS FOR FREE BECAUSE I LOVE IT AND BECAUSE YOU GUYS ARE VERY COOL #BUT IT'S NOT ACTUALLY SOMETHING IM REQUIRED TO DO JUST LIKE NO OTHER FIC WRITER IS #just think about your messages please #they seem harmless to you and i know you don't mean any harm by it #but if you consider that you're not the only one sending shit like this then it all builds up and becomes draining #ask #taob asks

[qiuwen]

D1LUC/ READER [c4ke]

cw: none applicable // abt 400 words!

“Can we make cake Diluc? I like cake.”

He stared at you with those pretty amber eyes, a blank look painted across his features as he thought about all the ridiculously flirtatious lines he could never say to you, regardless of how much he wants to see your face flushed with red.

My soul sings when it feels you

All that my being yearns for is your presence

My life missed yours forever

Although rather than voicing them, he plainly lets out a squeak, responding yes to your query.

“What kind would you like to have? Simple banana cakes? Or should we go for something grander… maybe one with cream and strawberries on top?”

All coherent thoughts had left his mind as he watches the smile that graced on your lips. Why did he love you so much anyways? Why does his heart insist on being with you?

Albeit listing all the infinite reasons why not to fall in love with you, his foolish heart still rejected the desperate attempts from the brain to seal away those feelings.

In the battle between Aphrodite and Athena, Athena lost in complete defeat.

“Well?”

Your voice snapped him back into reality as the train of thoughts he produced slowly ebbed away. Now looking at you with gaze so sincere, you could feel the heat that rushed to your cheeks.

“Diluc you need to stop staring at me like that or I might just need to stick my head down a sewer to cool down.”

The next words that sprouted from his cherry lips didn’t exactly help your flaming face.

“sorry… I was just thinking about how your eyes captivate me like no other, akin to a moth searching for its' flame.”

Silence washed over the both of you as even more blood rushed to your face.

He had the audacity to say such sweet things with a blank look, as if his mouth didn't just sprout the most flirtatious lines you had heard in a lifetime.

“Diluc!”

If your face could redden more than it already has, your whole head would be set aflame.

“You can’t say things like that so casually! It isn’t good for the heart.”

“But however so is your heart hurting? Do you require the need of a doctor? I should demand the presence of one at once-“

“No you little… little…!”

You could not manage to find the words that best describes him, and his oblivious state.

“Whatever is on your mind that is troubling you then? What I have spoken is only the truth.”

“Diluc!”

WRITER’s NOTE!!

🖋 : WAAAHDJD THIS IS ACTUALLY MY FIRST EVER FIC FCUK IM SO SCARED LAMO G IF YOU ENJOYED THIS PLEASE TELL ME/ DROP A LIKE IT WOULD BE DEEPLY APPRECIATED!!!

REQUESTS FOR FICS ARE OPEN IF ANYONE WANTS TO MAKE ANY! BUT PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT IM A MINOR SO NO NSFW PLEASE

#;potions #diluc ragnvindr #master diluc #diluc scenarios #genshin impact #diluc x y/n #diluc headcanons #gi diluc #genshin diluc #diluc #diluc x reader #diluc x gn!reader #diluc x gender neutral reader #diluc x female reader #diluc x male reader #diluc imagines

[coolbeansbuddyofmine]

Damn, if i had your talent i would never stop writing. I have so many ideas but when i try to put write them down it just, has no life.

I've read everything even from fandoms i don't belong to. Do you write profesionally?

first of all, thank you so much. this was so kind that i was genuinely shocked and stunned speechless. i've been having a rough year, really, with some personal and family issues recently so this was a nice pick-me-up.

(anon, if you have a tumblr, i'd love to put a name to the person who brought a smile to my face)

secondly, don't disparage your own skills !!! i'm glad you like my writing so much. truly. but there are lots of my currently still published (i've orphaned some works from pre-pandemic) works that i'm not excessively fond of. i like them all, but i can safely say i'm not satisfied with any of them per se. i think it's difficult to be satisfied by your own writing ever. so truly, if you feel your own writing is shit, i want you to know i feel that too, even about the fics you may love. one man's trash is another man's treasure, and writing is so inherently personal and subjective, it's hard to analyze quality by your own judgement alone. i say with this full honesty and frankness, i dont think your writing is shit, anon op.

i don't think writers give life to their works, as much as readers do. readers adopt these worlds i've written and breathe life into it, by connecting and sympathising with it. just as i can say, i don't think writers will love their writing the most, it'll always be the readers. there are certain fics out there which i'm entirely obsessed with, my holy grail truly. and i hope for you, and any of my other readers out there, i hope you find comfort in any of my fics. i think the hallmark of a writer isn't necessarily to persuade their readers to do this or that, but to help them find something, a small thing, in a certain work that identifies with them. i hope my works identify with you. again with writing being so inherently personal, almost like you're like looking into myself, it takes a lot of courage to publish and put it out there, and knowing others empathise with me is another joy, unable to be put into words. i don't think i write action, romance, emotions, metaphors, or description or a very good many list of things well, but that doesn't matter as long as someone can identify and find comfort in certain aspects of my fics.

(apologies for this long and dragged on explanation, concision is something i really struggle with. and my virginia woolf is very much so responsible for the stream of consciousness writing that i can't stop.)

also, i'm truly flattered you've read my fics. i've written 91 ones as of rn, and i have countless others i've anon-ed and orphaned, and it's no joke to even read 91 of them. i have an insane schedule and i know that (amongst my many flaws, lack of self-awareness isn't one of them). i truly don't know what to say but thank you. it really is motivation for me to write more, esp when im struggling with many irl things rn.

finally to answer your question, the answer is sort of. i write for my uni newspaper (it's actually pretty renowned but since this platform relies on anonymity that i crave, i won't say which) as a journalist. other than that, i publish poetry and creative writing to my uni creative writing journal (see above explanation) and i get paid to write basically. because i won a fellowship, and it ranges from around 10k usd per sem. besides that, i do academic writing for my econ lab and internship at an international economic non-governmental authority.

i also work as a graphic designer and copy writer.

so, yes. i'm kinda a professional writer. i do not have any proper published novels and the like, but as a uni student, i do a fair bit of writing. other than what my school homework already requires and what not.

#my writing #very long answer im sorry #writer problems #writing advice #ask box answered!

[notnctu]

under the mistletoe | l.ty

lee taeyong x fem!reader genre - fluff, barely humor idk, very little bit of angst details - enemies to lovers!au, childhood friends that have been apart, high school!au warnings - explicit language, one mention of death, there’s a kiss scene lol word count - 2.7k  synopsis - the holiday season brings a change of heart this year. you see your old friend, now enemy, Lee Taeyong at Mark’s Christmas gathering and through snowman shaped cookies, you two re-kindle your old friendship. 

a/n - this is for @neoculturechristmas​ ‘s secret santa collab! this piece is dedicated to @soliverse​ :) hello lovie!! i’m your secret santa!! i hope you like it and im sorry that it’s not funny LOL thank you for letting me participate in such a fun holiday collab! im so happy to be able to write a fic for another writer:)

Through the heavily crowded Christmas party, through the people that dare walk in your way, you still see him in the midst of the chaos. Lee Taeyong stands only a few feet from you, in a ridiculous Christmas sweater and messy frosty hair. The universe is absolutely obsessed with placing you two in uncomfortable situations, as if the fuming feud between you two is not enough.

His absentminded actions cause him to foolishly knock over someone’s drink, what a fucking clutz. Rolling your eyes, you wander off in search of your good friend to announce your departure for the night.

“Already? Y/N, you got here like, five minutes ago.” Mark mixes the glass bowl that is filled to the brim with red sugary punch. Any forceful spin will have it spilling from the rim, and that won’t be the only mishap of the night that you witness. “What’s the rush? It’s Christmas Eve!” 

And before you can utter the blacklisted name to explain your sudden change of heart, the culprit walks in with his stunned puppy eyes that grow sharp and a frown at your appearance. There is a small spark in the shared eye contact until it completely drops and he returns to ignoring your presence. 

“Mark, where are your napkins? I spilled something in your living room.” It had to be a whole year since you’ve last heard his voice and you still remember his low cadence whenever he was trying to be cool. Cool and mysterious Taeyong, and how he lives up so perfectly to his title. However, there was a moment in time that you knew him for more than that. He was warm and comforting Taeyong. 

While he tried so hard to be winter on the outside, spring bloomed blossoms on the inside and a bright sunshine radiated enough for you to witness its glow. You wished to stay with his spring for as long as you possibly could, but like the changing seasons, Taeyong eventually changed with it.

“It’s in the upper cabinet.” Mark does not realize the initial situation in the room, merrily going back to his large bowl of delicious liquid. It takes one big sigh from you for your friend to finally realize the elephant in the room and the unknowingly stiff tension in the kitchen. Mark’s eyes grow a bit bigger and as subtle as he tried to be, he clears his throat, “I think Christmas is all about joining together and being in each other’s company. Stay, Y/N.”

Mark did not choose his words wisely as Taeyong peeks over his shoulder, catching the last words of his sentence. “You’re leaving already, Y/N?” That is the first time he’s acknowledged you in the past few years.

There is an internal battle of whether or not you should acknowledge him back. Crossing your arms, you grumble something underneath your breath. “Why do you care?” 

“I don’t.” Taeyong says sternly, making sure he asserts his nonchalant attitude. “Just sucks that Mark threw such a happy Christmas party for his good friend to leave.” He slings an arm around Mark’s shoulders, snuggling his face into the side of Mark’s chocolate colored hair.

And Mark dares to show a small smile of affection back. “Sorry that Y/N is always walking out on things. She does that quite often.” Before you can give him a piece of your mind, Mark shoves a snowman shaped biscuit in your mouth. 

Taeyong gets away laughing, feeling an overwhelming sense of pride as he walks to clean up his other mess. You groan, biting the head of the snowman off and glaring at Mark. “Why did you let him get away with saying that to me? And when did you become friends with him again? And why are your cookies so hard?” 

“Taeyong lost a friend, like a month ago. Just be a bit empathetic, please.” Mark wipes his hands on his apron and continues kneading at a random ball of dough. If it’s one thing that Mark always does too well is overachieving at his holiday gatherings. There is a reason why he’s head of the Prom Committee and student officer for event planning at your high school.

Washing your hands, the cold water bites at your skin. It’s been a really cold winter this year. When you dry your hands off, you scoot Mark over to make room for yourself to help with his endless amount of holiday treats.

“We’ve all lost friends, Mark. Sometimes people don’t work out with others and that’s just how it goes.” There is an underlying bitterness that does not seem to fade when you speak. 

“Speaking from experience, maybe?” Mark chuckles, but dismisses the brief second of giggles to a more serious and low tone. “Not that kind of lost, Y/N. He lost a friend forever, like this person is in a forever sleep.” 

The moment the words hit the air, a chilly draft sweeps at your ankles and you freeze in your place. And as you stand with dry flour on your hands and a person you thought you’d never become warm to again stands in the next room over, your heart softens at the information and immediate guilt preoccupies your system. 

“Oh… well you should have started with that, then.” You slightly graze a finger across your nose at the faint tickle. Your mind is running at high speed, merely wondering about all the pain that Taeyong possibly felt this past month and remembering how it’s difficult for him to process his feelings. 

“He actually wasn’t going to come tonight, until I mentioned you were coming.” Mark unloads a batch of fresh cookies from the oven and replaces it with another tray. The aromatics take you back to Christmas many years ago and the memory of Taeyong getting frosting everywhere you could remember. It took weeks to get the red and green stains out of the carpet, but the laughter made up for every clumsy mistake. 

Not completely sure where the melancholic spirit erupted from, you rinse your hands and grab two cookies off the still hot tray without another response. Hurrying off, Mark yells out, “Wait-- those aren’t decorated yet!” but you choose to ignore his pleas.

Why is it harder to find him in a crowd when you are actually looking for him? Perhaps the saying, the best things in life come when you’re not looking for them, holds some truth to it. But your feet take you directly to him; he sits at the leather couch with the burning embers from the fireplace reflecting in his eyes. 

Your abrupt appearance startles him a bit, but his face falls sullen when he sees that it’s you. Shoulders touching, you’ve missed the intimacy you two use to share. The blank snowman shaped cookie feels warm in your hand as you thrust it into Taeyong’s face. “For you.” 

Taeyong scoffs, pushing your hand away lightly and looking away from the pitiful undecorated treat. “This feels like a trap.”

“No trap. Just a truce. Remember the time when I got upset at you for forgetting me in the parking lot and I told you the only way to fix it was to buy me food?” Your hand begins to drop, but Taeyong catches your wrist and takes the cookie from your possession. He gently places your hand back onto your lap.

“I know no other love language.” You explain the reasoning behind the old memory. 

“Pretty sure food isn’t a love language.” Taeyong chuckles, like Christmas carols to your ears, he sounds like home. 

“It’s not, but they all require me to be too emotionally vulnerable and you know how that makes me feel…” Your voice unintentionally trails off the end of your sentence. Does he still know how you feel? 

Taeyong’s eyebrow raises subtly, catching your implication. “You’re still the same person you were three years ago?”

Three years, has it really been that long? You nod without needing to ponder the thought. There is a stark difference between change and growth. You are who you’ve always been, that is never going to change, but you’ve grown to be stronger and a little more independent.

“That’s not surprising.” Taeyong bites at his cookie, turning the figure in his hands as he stares off to reminisce about the past. He thinks about his pain. He thinks about his own self growth. “I’ve been thinking about you recently.” 

The bold comment causes your chest to burn and your throat to grow a bit dry. Taeyong finally looks up at you, eyes dropping between your own and your lips. He doesn’t shy away from staring, taking in how much you’ve changed appearance wise since you two used to be friends. His eyelashes dance against his skin every time he blinked and the white strands of his hair fall around his crown like snowflakes. 

“Why?” 

“I learned how important it is to have friends around you. You never know when you’ll never see them again. The falling out we had should not have ruined the friendship we built for so long.” It’s difficult for Taeyong to continue with his feelings. It’s not a secret that he’s liked you since you two were close, probably half of the room is well aware of it. But there has never been a moment where he was out right too vulnerable to you, he was and is afraid of showing his feelings. 

It’s an immediate body reaction when Taeyong leans in to you and you defensively back away. The confusion shows on your face very blatantly and his dreamy laugh rattles your bones. Taeyong’s hand softly caresses your cheek as his thumb brushes the tip of your nose. “You have some flour on your face.” This skin to skin leaves you speechless as his hot hand holds your cheek so delicately, making your heart race rapidly.

“Your Christmas sweater is ugly.” That’s all you can utter, out of pure panic too. Your eyes dip away and he retracts away from you, elbows on his knees as he leans forward and ducking momentarily to examine his choice of festive clothing. 

He laughs, “it’s called an ugly Christmas sweater for a reason. It’s better than wearing a lame red sweater and calling it festive.” It’s surreal how quick things settle back into being the way that it used to be. As if the last three years of silence and constantly pretending the other didn’t exist disappeared. Taeyong is back, he’s yours again. And you hope that he’ll be by your side for longer than you had let him go.

“Red is not my color, I agree, but green is definitely not yours.” You joke back and Taeyong ruffles your hair, just like old times. The holiday spirit practically wraps its arms around you two. The holidays are really about being in each other’s warmth. In this very cold winter, you’re happy to have found an old flame that kept you from frostbite for many years. 

“Y/N, we’re putting up the mistletoe.” An acquaintance interrupts you and Taeyong, quickly grabbing your arm to follow her. Your eyes dart between her and Taeyong. One thing you know no doubt about is that you aren’t leaving Taeyong alone again, so you take his hand without another second thought and drag him along with you.

You’re all ushered into the foyer and Mark is on a step ladder under the frame of his door. He notes Taeyong by your side and discreetly smiles to himself. He securely pins it to the wall and claps his hands together to gather everyone’s attention. “We’re going to blindfold two people and they’re going to have to kiss underneath the mistletoe.” 

Your hands grow sweaty at the thought of such a risky game and immediately, you two let go of each other’s hands without realizing the clutching feeling of each other’s anxiousness. “I don’t think I’ll be chosen.” Taeyong mumbles to you as Mark and a few other people unravel the blindfolds. Nevertheless, he doesn’t sound very confident and you notice Taeyong’s shifty eyes. 

“Right. Me either.” You shrug off, trying to hide slightly behind Taeyong’s stature. However, Taeyong instantly catches the uncertainty in your voice as well. 

“Aren’t there four couples in the room?” Taeyong whispers over his shoulder at you.

Crossing your arms, you roll your eyes at his obvious thinking. “Yeah, but Mark isn’t going to choose a couple to kiss. How boring.” 

Taeyong chuckles out of disbelief at your comment. “I’ll volunteer you if you want to really spice things up.” 

And your eyes grow wide at his mischievous suggestion, pinching at his arm lightly. Underneath the fleece, Taeyong feels sturdy and strong. It’s only another reminder that you two aren’t kids anymore. “Lee Taeyong, do not. I don’t want to kiss anyone in this room.” That might’ve been a lie, even if you didn’t want to admit it to yourself that you are just a little curious how Taeyong might have matured. 

“Everyone close your eyes.” Mark excitedly smiles and everyone obliges. You gulp the pooled saliva in your mouth, trying to manifest every possible hope that you aren’t chosen in this room of twenty people. Mark wouldn’t screw you over like that, would he? The more you pondered that thought, the more you believe that he totally would.

Then, you feel a hand on your arm and you’re being guided somewhere. A cloth covers your eyes and you’re quick to snarl, “Mark Lee, this is your only Christmas present. You get no more favors from me.” your cadence is only loud enough for him to hear and though you’re robbed of your sight, Mark’s boyish laughter says enough about his enlightened facial expression.

“This is what you get for trying to leave five minutes into my extravagant party I tried so hard to put on.” Mark sarcastically comments and pats your shoulders for a last indication of reassurance.

You hear footsteps in front of you and an uncanny presence of another in your close proximity. “Okay, everyone can open their eyes.” Mark cheers and it’s not like you can see much through the dark cloth that covers your eyes, but yours open anyways.

Gasps fill the room, slight hollering and cheering. The reactions cause an unsettling stir in your lower stomach. “Kiss!” and before you know it, the unknown person searches for your face and cups it gingerly. The feeling being very familiar to a scene before.

The both of you lean in and it’s difficult with the lack of sight, but people kiss with their eyes closed right? It’s not your first kiss, but also the sense deprivation is something different. When you tilt your head and go in for it, your noses bump together clumsily. You’re slightly embarrassed, your heart is leaping out of your chest from the sudden display of affection and you’re strangling Mark in your imagination.

“I’m sorry.” You whisper, but there isn’t a response back. Instead, your partner dives in without any trace of struggle. Their lips glide perfectly with yours and it’s almost like you’re kissing snow. Any form of awkwardness melts away; their hand on your cheek feels natural and comforting. Your heart yearns for this sense of security as the same warmth from the fireplace embodies your chest. 

When you two pull away, the room bursts into a loud chaos of cheers. Before you can take off your blindfold, you can feel everyone running toward the both of you to give you excited pats on your head and arm. 

“I can’t believe that just happened!” Your friend’s voice can be heard in your ear. As you lift off the cloth, you see him in the midst of the chaos. Through the heavy dog pile of overly joyous people, Lee Taeyong stands a few feet from you in his ugly Christmas sweater, messy frosty hair and a pink hue across his pale cheeks. 

He looks over at you and shyly smiles. “Hopefully that spiced things enough for you. Happy Holidays, Y/N.” He can barely process everyone else's excitement, but he feels joyous for once. After a long cold bitter winter, he feels warm. 

“Happy Holidays, you big goof. Good to have you back.” You push at his arm, laughing happily at the ridiculously wide smile he has on his face. You’re glad to see Taeyong smile again. 

#neoculturechristmas #nct-writers #kpopscape #neowritingsnet #neothestars #nct scenarios #taeyong scenarios #nct scenario #taeyong #lee taeyong #nct imagines #nct fluff #lee taeyong scenarios

[arofili]

i haven't read the silmarillion or anything related but i was wondering how do elves's fëas work?? like i read somewhere about them sharing this fëa bond with people they marry so their fëas meet and that's what makes the marriage marriage in the first place. but im not really sure about that, don't people's fëas normally touch even if they're not married? and what happens if they do touch? this is weirdly specific but im just curious,,,you don't have to answer if you don't want to ofc! thank you if you do answer my curiosities haha and you still don't, ty too! (i asked you this bc i feel like you have a lot of knowledge about elfs)

Hey anon! So, a lot of what you're talking about is fanon, though it does have basis in canon. From "Laws and Customs among the Eldar" we learn about fëar and hröar and elvish (largely Noldorin, to be specific) marriage customs.

It's worth noting, though, that LaCE underwent many revisions and is a highly dubious document as it was written in-universe by Aelfwine, a mortal from the 9th century CE who found the Straight Road to Valinor. That concept in and of itself is a framing device for Tolkien's "translation" of the Red Book into English, and isn't one he kept consistent throughout his writing or one he was ever fully satisfied with - it never made it into the texts published within his lifetime, and doesn't make an appearance in the published Silm, either. And as I said in a previous meta dealing with LaCE:

Maybe this is something Tolkien changed his mind on between writing LaCE and writing this section of what became the published Silm. Or maybe this is an in-universe distinction: the in-universe writer of LaCE is unclear but implied to be a human, not an elf, possibly Aelfwine; the writer of the Silm as we see it is Christopher Tolkien’s edits of JRRT’s translation of Bilbo’s translation of Noldorin loremasters, the chief of whom was Pengolodh. It’s complicated.

That being said:

LaCE doesn't actually offer that much information on the nature of elvish fëar in relation to marriage. We do get the quote that "It was the act of bodily union that achieved the marriage, and after which the indissoluble bond was complete." Since human concepts of marriage are mostly legal/social engagements, and by no means indissoluble, this strongly implies something different is going on with elven fëar when they marry, but it's not stated outright. Still, the wording of "bond" in relation to "marriage" gives rise to the fan-embellished concept of a "marriage bond" that is very popular in fic/meta about elf marriages.

This concept is further supported by the description that a "greater share and strength of their being, in mind and body" is required for elves to create children (when compared to Men). It implies a closeness between a married couple where their "minds" (aka fëar) are as involved in the child-making process as their bodies. Later it is specified that after marriage, elves remain individual people with individual "gifts of mind and body that differ" - a strange thing to emphasize if there was not the possibility for misconstruing married elves as becoming literally one being.

For elves, marriage is forever: the Valar state that "marriage resides ultimately in the will of the fëa." Yet later in the same paragraph, it is explained that elves who are re-embodied need to be married again, because marriage is also of the body and the first body had perished. Confusing!

There are more notes about fëar in this essay, and the concept is mentioned in other places as well, but that's the basic gist of the concept AFAIK. (I highly recommend perusing LaCE yourself if you're interested in this topic! And remember that this is fandom, you can accept or discard certain aspects of the document as you see fit. I know I do.)

Most of your questions deal in extrapolation from canon - I would argue there's a strong basis for the concept of a marriage bond in LaCE, but it's not explicitly spelled out. I can't give you firm answers, but here are my personal headcanons about fëar and bonds. Everything that follows is headcanon, unless I explicitly state otherwise.

Elves are born with bonds with their parents; these bonds are important for the health and happiness of a growing child. (There's another line in LaCE about how the parting of parents and children in their youth is "a grievous thing," which is my starting place for this particular headcanon.) I also think that they have bonds with their siblings, though this is less supported; I just think that living with and sharing parents with someone is likely to foster the slower/less formal creation of a bond. Twins, however, are born with strong bonds between one another, having shared a womb.

(I also think certain Unbegotten elves - aka the first 144 elves who awoke at Cuiviénen - came into being with bonds, thus allowing for Unbegotten elves to have siblings, like Elwë, Olwë, and Elmo. But you could also argue that, depending on how you deal with timelines, those three brothers are not Unbegotten and were born the "normal" way.)

Then there are chosen bonds. These are the kind we hear discussed (albeit vaguely) in LaCE. Marriage bonds specifically are formed when elves "unite in body" and invoke the name of Eru. My personal (aroace) take on this is that sex makes the process of bonding much easier and faster, the naming of Eru and the intent to bond is what's really important, so if a couple would rather not have sex they can still bond. And it also opens up room for debate on which specific sexual acts count when it comes to bonding, what would happen if Eru's name wasn't invoked, etc.

But I also think bonds can be created in contexts other than marriage - found family, for example. I've seen this most discussed in the context of Kidnap Dads, but it could apply in many scenarios: you decide you want X person to be part of your family, and that means you want to bond with them. In the case of orphaned children, if you go with the idea that they need a parent-child bond in order to develop properly, this could provide substitute/adoptive parents to fill that role. Or it could be that you feel like a certain person is your sibling, but you weren't born of the same parents, but you still want them to officially be your family, so you form a sibling-bond with them. These are bonds that occur without the ~physical union~, and therefore take more time and effort, and thus are less common - but they do happen.

All these bonds are basically the same in terms of function: they make ósanwë (mind-to-mind/telepathic communication) much easier and more natural, they connect two fëar together in an indissoluble way, they show a depth of commitment and love between the bonded eldar. But they are valued differently in society, and created/brought into being in different circumstances.

As for fëar "touching" - that is, in my opinion, poetic license for communication/closeness through such a bond. If you touch your spouse's fëa, for example, that's connecting with them to see how they're feeling, possibly passing along comfort or a message, etc. This "touching" is basically ósanwë, I guess? Which, in my headcanon, you can do if you're not bonded to someone, it just takes more effort and closer proximity if you don't have a bond in place.

Hope this helps, anon! Feel free to send in another ask if you have more questions!

#silm #silmarillion #silm meta #laws and customs among the eldar #lace #lace meta #tolkien meta #my meta #headcanons #fear and hroar #marriage bonds #my writing #tefain nin #long post #anon #answers

[ramabear]

hello hello how do you deal with writer's block? or a writer's slump?

kinda depends on what kind of slump it is, i guess? like, at any given time i have about three to seven writing projects i'm shuffling my attention between. so if i'm blocked on something specifically, i'll put it away for at least a week (or longer if i dont have like, some sort of internal deadline on it) for it to stew and i'll come back to it later. then in the mean time i'll work on something else, usually something with an entirely different tone or a different fandom (since all my stuff is ficwork)

if its a more serious block for a particular fic, i can generally tell after a while that the problem will require substantial changes so like, i have to decide what im gonna do with it, if im gonna continue it or rework it or just be done with it as is.

on the other hand, if its a total writers slump, like, i'm not writing anything at all for anything, well. i generally take a step back from requiring myself to write anything. these kinds of slumps usually go one of three ways: 1: i'm just too tired to write after work and just want to decompress and then sleep 2: i can't focus on what im writing, to the point that even rereading it is a challenge so i just,,, cant think of new stuff or 3: I just Dont Want To Write. so i don't write

i'll play games or watch shows or whatever, to like, feed that internal creativity. I tend to be uh, a bit particular bc i dont generally like to get into new fandoms while i'm still so deep in other fics? so i watch a lot of youtube videos about other shows lol.

and then, periodically, i'll pull up my main project(s) and poke at them to see if something's like, shifted in my head to open up the creativity gates again or not.

after this last year and a half of some pretty solid writing, i hit a pretty dead spot this fall. i wrote only 7 days in november and my wordcounts for october and september were also pretty low. ther are various reasons for that, but mostly i just kind of hit a wall where i couldn't write so i just had to like, back off a little bit.

because i did the million word thing last year, i tend to not uh, beat myself up about not writing for a day or three or seventeen, you know? every written word is a good thing, but zero days dont mean you're not a writer or that you're a shit person. zero days happen. even when i'm fully engaged, i'll have one or two zero days sprinkled in the midst of everything bc you gotta rest, you know? your brain needs it and so do your hands.

so i guess my advice, if thats what you're looking for, is try to identify what kind of slump/block it is and figure out how you want to deal with it while keeping in mind to just like, be kind to your creative self. it takes a lot of effort to come up with and then actually write all this stuff out, you know? your brain is doing its damnedest and you gotta be forgiving. it can only do so much.

#trustfall has been in a three month time out writers block for me #but i'm finally getting back to it soon....at least i hope so lol #writing advice. #ramables.

[kitasfox]

hii i had a genuine question! if you really love writing and all of that, why do you think it's your followers specifically that took it from you for not interacting with your work? would that not be the want of notes or attention on your work leading to demotivation? just genuinely curious cause if you love it i'd just keep going no matter what notes you get, but maybe i don't fully understand <3

man idk if it's my mood rn but this feels too fucking passive aggressive to me rn but okay. as I screamed out of my ass many times before on this and my old blogs— yes writing is something we do for ourselves, but only partly.

If you write you know how hard it is to actually complete a fucking fic. Daydreaming is something but writing something else. First of all, it takes time. It changes of course but for me writing a linger fic around 3-5k takes me minimum a week, usually 2 weeks. You write whenever you get the chance; on the subway, walking somewhere, in the cafe waiting for you friends, with the friends, hell even on the fucking toilet sometimes because fuck you haven't written for so long and people forget about you and the interaction fuck fuck fuck—

It takes energy. Look if you aren't a writer idk how to explain just how much energy writing requires because holy fuck— you have 50 drafts. You want to write. You really really want to write. But you cant. The characterisation must be right, the plot must make sense and planning feels like fucking hell sometimes because it won't won't you just can't think nothing sounds right nothing sounds good is this becoming boring will people even read this I spent so much time and energy will people read this is this boring fuck im rewriting this you know what I hate this where's my other wip— yall we don't just sit, drink, think, write. That thinking part sometimes doesn't work. Sometimes you literally spend HOURS on one fucking scene and it doesn't work. Just no. You rewrite. The energy you spend while trying to think of another scene to make this rewritten version work because the whole fucking plot changes. I sometimes wake up from my sleep bcs FUCK THAT SHOULD BE THE PLOT THATS HOW IT SHOULD GO and my notes are a fucking disaster of 3 am ramblings for a fic.

You have no idea how frustrating it is to not be able to write what you think. Daydreaming is one of my favorite things but writing it is fucking hard man it's HARD. Cuz be honest do your daydreams make sense? Does anyone else would want to read it? But again, writing can be very very frustrating. I sometimes curse the day I started it.

But then, there's sharing it.

Why do we share? Because every once in a blue moon you see validation from someone, there's that one person who says thank you for writing this, it made my day. That makes my week, month year life. To know that that thing you spent so much energy and time on did make someone happy. It's addicting jts fucking addicting— it's like working so damn hard on a project for school yes? And you present it and that prof you absolutely adore tells you you did amazing. Now you understand how happy it makes us feel?

But then there's you guys who stare us with a poker face, the audience that applauds faintly as an act of courtesy. They don't say anything go you, they just smile and wave until the next presenter comes. No feedbacks, no that was cool! nice idea, no sharing it w the friends to say hey look this was a cool project! nah, just a nod of head and there, you can leave the stage now. That hurts man. Hurts like a motherfucker because you did this for yourself but also you really really wanted to see the audience and your professor tell you that you did good and that was nice because you gave too much for it and you want to know,,,, it was worth it.

Long story short; it makes us feel worthless.