#a lot of fics default to having a thin reader most likely because the author is writing from their own experience.

[wooahaes]

god i rarely write chubby!reader fics because my fics by default dont include any (intentional) descriptors to paint reader as thin or fat or any race so that they're accessible for everyone. but i saw some absolutely rancid takes and i lowkey wanna write another multi-part chubby reader fic. i should finish some plans tbh

#wooahaes.txt #i dont know who needs to hear this but... the existence of chubby!reader fics does not take away from other body types representation #a lot of fics default to having a thin reader most likely because the author is writing from their own experience. #there's literally nothing wrong with that as long as the author puts a warning on the fic for specifying a body type #like imo you can really write anything you want as long as you put the proper warnings in place so that readers can pick and choose-- #--what they want to read yknow? not everyones gonna relate to a fic and thats okay #its the same thing as reading published books with a protag who best resembles you #nothing wrong with looking for the rep! but its not like its taking away from 'other' ppls rep to have a plus size protag #and so forth! but genuinely like... a lot of reader fics default to having a thin reader #my works dont and i have mutuals who write in a similar manner (and i love them v much for it mwah mwah) #and they typically dont have any warning that reader is written to be thin. we just kinda have to see it for ourselves and usually click of #its why i try to be careful in tagging my works accordingly so people know what they're getting into #anyway thats enough rambling. i'll eventually come back around and write another chubby!fem!reader fic #i have a chris one ive been thinking about for a whiiiiile now and its got some very cute moments teehee #i'll try to have an alternate fic being uploaded around the same time too for ppl who arent interested in a chubby!reader fic tho! <3

[quinloki]

Mini vent feel free to ignore

NGL I've always been proud of my height(178cm/5'10) but damn if trying to read x reader fics isn't difficult... I'm never going to be small or petite and I dunno it's hard. Glad 1P gives me a taste of that with how ridiculously sized some of the guys are

No, I can appreciate those feels.

It's one of those things where I do try to make my readers as neutral as possible, but also like - I have been a full 5'00" since I was 12.

That's 30 years at this height.

There is probably a *lot* of stuff I write that unconsciously marks the reader as Short-SHORT without meaning to, because it's a default perspective for me. Now, granted, when I'm writing Kid, or Crocodile, or Doffy, these are BIG guys. Everyone is going to feel small, an Kid's not just big in a height sense, he's a BIG GUY.

I also avoid describing body types anymore than I have to, but I don't think I could write a specifically fat reader. I mean, *I* am fat, I am most certainly 100% Not Thin, or slender, or athletic in any capacity. But I mean, I'm also flexible, and I might have way more stomach than I'd like, but I can still lift the back end of an empty Prius.

To which, I just mean, fat doesn't equate to someone being fit or not, so even when I write a feisty reader, I don't *mean* to imply they're fit. Or not. I mean to try and leave it open to the reader themselves.

The hardest part of X Readers isn't just trying to make them as close to one-size-fits-all as you can, but also in understanding we all make assumptions on both sides of the equation. Writer and Reader both.

That said, representation is awesome, so I LOVE x reader stories that do get into some description. Black Readers, Fat Readers, [Insert Whatever here] Readers, Readers that are almost practically OCs.

In the end, the author should enjoy writing it, and the reader should enjoy reading it, and that requires a lot of work on both sides. Cause even self-indulgent writing is still a lot of work, and shifting through mountains of fic is also a good bit of work.

But, I do understand your frustration. I've heard a few people struggle with it... You know, I realize this is on anon, but if there's a story I've written that you've really enjoyed, if there's ANYTHING you want to take time to point out to me and say "this really implies smallness because in my experience x,y,z." I can't promise anything, but it wouldn't hurt either.

It'd be good education for me - learning about other people's experiences will always help me be a better writer. I've certainly experienced a lot personally, but I'll still only ever have my own perspective. I can't promise I'll write a specifically-tall-reader story, but it might help me pull my writing into more truly neutral territory so I'm not subconsciously just writing all I know.

#quin answers #anon asks #the upside to fan fiction is that there is a LOT #the downside is that there is a LOT #and it can be hard to find what you're looking for #especially if you don't really KNOW what you're looking for #but that's digressing a little from the point of this post #anyway I mean it - if you're tall and can give me specific tips and pointers based on what I've written #that would help me. #x reader #reader insert #hang in there anon!

[togenabi]

Hi!

I love your fics! 💖

I want to start writing too and I have a question for you.

I saw that you shared a screenshot of the draft of the royalty story and I noticed that you are working with smaller margins in your document. I just realize that it would help me if I do the same (because of Tumblr's phone format). This is really clever. Can you tell me exactly what is the size of these margins?

Also, do you have any useful tips like that that could help me as a new author on Tumblr? What do you do exactly when you are ready to post a story? (Headliners, image, etc.)

Thank you so much! 💖💖💖

Hello, anon!

Thank you so much for enjoying my writing! May your journey here be fun and gratifying. It's always exciting to get into something new, I'm sure you'll do a lovely job. <3

I'd be happy to share more of my process in case it helps you with anything. Though just a quick disclaimer: this is how I do things, and isn't universal or for everyone.

With that being said, info dump under the cut!

1.) writing the thing✨

For brainstorming ideas, I use the notes app on my phone. For the fics themselves, I write on google docs! I like it because it works both on my phone and pc.

I have a specific format, but it's not actually the margins that I change. I write with the pages halved using columns! These are how my files look like on pc:

You can do this by going Format > Columns > 2! I like to write in TNR 12 like a research paper lol. (Though, I can't remember if you can do the columns on the docs app, because everything looks like it's just one column there. But once you set a doc in this format, you can just duplicate the file and it'll still show up with columns on pc.)

Like you said, this helps me gauge how a fic will look like on mobile, since that's where most people are reading. It also helps my peace of mind since a full, blank page without columns can be a bit intimidating. It can feel like you have to fill up the entire thing, when you really don't!

Another brilliant thing about google docs (on pc) is that, if you use italics or bold in the file, when you copy paste it onto Tumblr, it retains those italics and bolds. This saves me so much headache and I consider it a lifesaver.

2.) formatting (and by extension, branding)✨

I feel like this is really vital on Tumblr, since an established aesthetic can help readers remember and recognize your blog better. My advice would be to pick one or two colors and always use them on your posts.

You can also pick an emoji and use that with your aesthetic! For example, I associate the sunflower emoji 🌻 with the wonderful @songsofadelaide. (hi Mari! hihi)

If you want to use them, have a default divider. Mine is just a png of a blue line haha, but you can get creative with it. Though I suggest you keep the photo thin so that it doesn't eat up too much space.

Off the top of my head, I think the most important things on a post are: the title, header, and preview. (I'll make a separate point for preview since it's a lot.)

TITLE : Self explanatory!

HEADER : A header does more than make the post look pretty, it helps you differentiate fics when Tumblr only shows you the fic thumbnails on archive or on notifs. I have a folder of manhwa screenshots that I save for headers, and I add an overlay with my blog's signature color using a drawing app. Gifs are also fine as headers, though I don't personally use them because gifs make Tumblr crash on my phone sfhlsdjfkl, but that's just me!

3.) the preview ✨

(I don't think preview is the official term for this, but it's what I've started to call it.)

When I say preview, I'm talking about everything below the header and above the fic. Mine looks like this:

It's up to you what you want to add, but I would say to always keep the blurb/short summary, genre, and word count. Everything else is optional, and you can play with whatever suits your style best.

For the blurb, you can go one of two ways: keep it short, or go more in-depth with the summary.

If you keep it short: One sentence is the best, but two should also be okay. It doesn't have to summarize the whole fic, but give a preview of what readers can expect from your work. I use my blurbs to hook in readers, then use the content notes to make up for what I didn't add in the blurb. If you go in-depth: This would be a standard summary, and you can get away with not needing content notes.

AH. Can't believe I almost forgot, but always add warnings and MDNI tags if your fic needs them! (Some people also use a banner for warnings. Search 'mdni banner' on Tumblr and you'll see examples.)

Once you have a preview format you want to stick with, always use it and keep it consistent! I have a draft with just my preview format so I can just copy paste it whenever I post a new fic.

I'm sure you can find guides for anything specific you're curious about if you search here. But of course I'd be happy to answer more questions if you ask! Also feel free to shoot me a dm <3

I hope you don't mind that I went on a bit of a tangent haha! I wish you the very best with your blog!

#togenabi-ask #anon I hope I stumble into your fics eventually!