Bespoke Minutiae

29 | They Multifandom Writer All works are tagged by fandom, character, and ship.

[spiribia]

pick your poison

excellent characters, dissatisfying plot/thematic execution

dissatisfying characters, excellent plot/thematic execution

Voting ended onJul 7, 2025

[silverthroatednightingale]

“What is life except excuse for death, or death except escape from life? Recall my name with kindness now and then.”

-Peter Morwood, The Book of Years

[prophetmargarine-deactivated202]

once when I was at old retail job this woman came up to the counter very obviously on her phone with earbuds in which I consider extremely disrespectful so whenever someone did that I would like. wait for 20-30 whole ass long seconds to see if they even noticed I was alive and if they insisted on being an asshole i would ring them up because I had to but they would NOT get their rewards points or any sales unless they spoke to me and apologized ANYWAY the woman moseyed up full ass on the phone placing her Products to Purchase on the counter alongside her iPhone 97 or whatever but not speaking (???) which was kind of weird usually the Disrespectful ones would be in the middle of some Facetime conversation with half their family or something so I glanced down at the phone to see WTF was going on and if she was one of these people who skipped out on their work from home job to do errands and say "uh huh" every 2.5 minutes on the Office Zoom Call ANYWAY i took a gander to see what kind of corpo Inc. idiots were in the corner of the phone screen and it said...... "BetterHelp" And before the "ummmmmm" hit my body and as soon as I got my eyes back up in position the woman finally speaks she puts one finger up and says "Excuse me" taps to unmute and speaks into the phone and says for real "and how does that make you feel?"

[earhartsease]

this is a horror story

[bespokeminutiae]

I actually had this happen to me as a patient and the therapist didn’t even have the excuse as being from BetterHelp. It was at an independent practice and I’d had a pretty good experience with my previous therapist, I just had to switch because I needed a different specialty.

It was my intake appointment with a new therapist. She was seven minutes late, and picked up the call from her phone and didn’t say anything about it, which is usually a red flag. Also didn’t introduce herself, just started the call with “So what’s up?” The whole thing was already incredibly off and then I saw the sign behind her that said “Dressing Room.”

Her: So what's up?

Me: I uh, Hi, I'm Nelkie, I use they/them pronouns. I was seeing [other therapist] but she referred me to... are you in a clothing store?

Her: Oh don't worry about it, I'm listening.

Me: I'm uh... I'm not comfortable with this.

Her: It's fine. I'm listening. I'm almost done.

Me: No, I'm not comfortable. we can reschedule if you’re busy.

Her: [clearly offended] I can call you back in a few minutes. I'm almost done.

Her: No, that won't be necessary.

[she scoffs. I hang up.]

I called the office afterwards to complain about the deeply unprofessional conduct and also the fact that, since I couldn’t tell if she was wearing headphones, there was also a huge HIPPA compliance issue. ma'am you should not be a therapist if you have this little regard for your client's comfort and also HIPPA.

She still works there somehow.

[earlgraytay]

Please help us find this kitty a place to stay for the holidays!

Are you in the Greater Cleveland, OH area? Do you know someone who lost a cat, or someone who can board a cat for a week or two? We are looking for a temporary home for this adorable baby:

We found this teenage cat in a grocery store parking lot. She's very friendly, litterbox trained, absolutely no fear of humans. Wearing a pretty purple collar, but no tags, and no microchip.

Right now, we need two things:

If you know where this baby's family is, please, please, please get us in touch. This is clearly someone's very well-loved cat, and we really want to get her back to her folks, but with no tags and no microchip, we're relying on word of mouth.

If you know someone in NE Ohio who can board a cat for a couple weeks, please get us in touch. Our apartment isn't safe for a cat right now-- we're having some maintenance issues-- and I'm badly allergic to cats. We really, really need to get her out of here-- but at this time of year, we can't find a no-kill shelter that will take her. We need someone who can foster her until we find her folks.

Please help us get this baby home for the holidays- and help us keep her safe until then. Thank you.

[briarcrawford]

Are Animals Becoming Extinct in Fantasy Novels?

Recently, I read this post titled “Animals have been taken off in novels since 1835. Is fiction undergoing its own extinction event?” which talks about a study that found that since 1835, the use of wild animals in fiction has dropped drastically.

Many are blaming this “slow extinction” on modern societies disconnect to nature. After all, not everyone spends their days outside, so they might not notice mice, birds, or even the insects at their feet. If they do not think about animals in their daily life, why would they think about them while writing?

That is the theory, at least.

It is worthwhile pointing out what several other writers and readers are; there are plenty of animals in children’s fiction. That is true, but what about young adult to adult fantasy? Since that is what I personally write, that is what I wanted to talk about.

Just going off what books I think of first, it seems like often in fantasy novels, the only prey animals (like deer, squirrels, or rabbits) that we see are after nearly always during or after they are hunted. Then there is the complete lack of mosquitos, leaches, biting ants, and other annoying creatures.

Sometimes, there is a mention of the sound of birds singing, but rarely ever are there any details of the birds or what they are doing. Where are the ducks and swans on the lakes? Where are the birds building nests?

Now you may be going “What is the point? Why should I care?” and I get that, but by eliminating these creatures, your novels could be losing a sense of realism.

For example, in Stephen Kings The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon — which I argue is a light fantasy story, not a horror story — has a girl is lost in the woods and stalked by a creature. Interestingly, even most survival books fail to mention animals apart from for food, but Stephen King did not do that. He had deer, water bugs skittering across ponds, and even wasps that attack the main character. This added a sense of reality to the novel. It was not just a forest with some trees and plants, it was a forest filled with life, and that can be dangerous for anyone, let alone a young girl.

So, go ahead, raise the mood with your characters. If they are miserable, make them more so by having the mosquitos bite at them day and night or have them step in a anthill. If they are happy, they could watch a mother bird feeding its young or a swan rubbing necks with its partner.

Adding more hints of nature could not only amplify the mood, but it could also make your forests seem more real.

[headspace-hotel]

The article discusses xenofiction as an answer to changing our consciousness about animals, but my thoughts are different.

I truly have noticed, even in the past couple decades, a decline in "natural" worldbuilding. There is less and less attempt on the part of authors to include a rich ecology in their world, and less faith in readers' ability to be interested in it

It's not just animals, but plants, weather, every aspect of the natural world

[fixyourwritinghabits]

There is something deeply sad about this that reflects a lot of real world issues. There is a loss of biodiversity. There is a sharp decrease of people going outside, because there's less places to go and it's harder to exist in those places as a teenager or a kid. There's a world of birds and flowers and little bugs that people can no longer identify both because we don't see as much of them anymore and because we spend far less time looking for them.

There's a lot of fantasy out there filled with generic woods, and I've read plenty of it. And I'm not blaming the authors, I do realize it's harder to get out in nature. But it is worth it to try, even if it's only a small park or creek. You'll come away richer by trying to notice and incorporate the natural world around you in your writing.

[brazenbells]

This is only tangential, but I think it maybe illustrates something relevant.

During the lockdowns, one of the things I really missed was LARP. So I got together a game in tabletop simulator of our usual LARP dice game. But of course, just playing a virtual game doesn't quite cut it when you're longing for a physical space, so I went all-out, complete with putting together a custom soundscape to run while we played.

One of the layers of sound I wanted was a general sort of, birdsong and outdoor noises track. When I went looking for something on a royalty-free sound website, I went through a couple of possibilities before I happened to find a track that was recorded in my state.

And holy shit. As soon as I turned it on, I was transported. Because guys, birdsong is specific. The other ones I had listened to were fine, but this recording.... this one made me feel exactly like I was sitting at LARP on a beautiful summer afternoon. I couldn't name any of the birds, but it didn't matter, because the sounds were still achingly familiar. So much so that if someone had described them in words, I still would have known the exact sound, and it would have felt like home. Even when we're not "nature people," we subconsciously remember these things, the sights and sounds and smells if the natural world, and they're available for a canny writer to draw upon--either to lay a landscape the reader would be very familiar with, or to make it exciting and strange, depending on the reader's personal history--but either way, to paint a much more specific and evocative picture of your world.

[bespokeminutiae]

Cassti is my protag and I love her so have some headcanons!!

Disclaimer: I have not finished the game. I've only played through the Cassti's chapter 2.

Please do not put spoilers on my post!!

Honestly I was not expecting to like her as much as I do but from the start she's been so damned compelling. I love her.

Very pragmatic

She's the epitome of "I'm a healer, but."

Like this is a deeply kind and compassionate woman but like. Do no harm take no shit. Some problems can best be solved with rest and fluids and an herbal tincture. Some problems can best be solved with a battle axe.

Extremely smart, like at the top of her field as an apothecary.

The second any of the other travelers realize how much medical knowledge she has they start pressuring her to write books or teach or found a medical school or something. Half of them even have ideas for how to fund it!

...She'll consider it if/when her joints start to go bad and she can't travel anymore.

So pre-amnesia Cassti was probably a lesbian (and in love with Malaya), but I feel like she's still reconstructing her sense of self post-amnesia and is more open than she would have been otherwise because there just. Isn't anything for her to go on.

She ends up poly and bi, in a polycule with Throné, Hikari, and Partitio.

Said polycule was originally just Throne, HIkari, and Cassti, and had not really progressed beyond a mutual acknowledgement of attraction and an understanding that maybe we'll do something about this sexual tension After The War TM, but Partitio is very free with physical affection and eventually broke down the walls between all four of them without meaning to.

For Partitio, Cassti is attracted to his optimism and charm and strong sense of right and wrong, as well as his determination to back up any of the ridiculous moves he made in the name of doing the right thing. He's not just bluster, he always puts in the work to back up his word and she likes that. He's also an easy mark to tease and that's fun.

Hikari was the first companion Cassti met on the road, and Cassti's first close companion post-amnesia. She's attracted to his grace and dignity, as well as his strong sense of duty and strong moral compass. They have similar worldviews and perspectives on a lot of things, despite coming from very different backgrounds.

Cassti's attracted to Throné because I'm a long-time thief/apothecary shipper and I'm not stopping now of Throne's sharp wit and sense of humor, as well as her grace and sense of fashion. She also admires Throné's determination to pursue her goals and is a little jealous of Throné's ability to be selfish, and really wants to see who Throné becomes once she's free of the collar.

...Every one of Cassti's partners made the first move. Cassti's very reserved and pragmatic and in the wake of the amnesia was really not looking for romance (let alone so much of it). She's not really sure how she ended up here, but she's happy.

She's always been somewhat reserved and a bit of a workaholic, but it's only gotten worse since she amnesia because her medical knowledge is all she has left.

Lost what few coping mechanisms she had in the war

Is a good patient as long as she's the only patient. Is a terrible patient the second someone else is also injured

Every time it is suggested that she get a hobby for relaxation purposes, she somehow manages to turn it back into work. Loves gardening! Only grows medicinal plants, etc.

She and Throné have chronic "No, let ME help YOU." at each other.

Gender-wise, Cassti is pretty solidly in the middle of the butch/femme spectrum. She'd probably be actually more butch, except her gender presentation is more about managing other people's expectations first and expressing her own preferences second.

Like seriously. She's designed her entire presentation around "Even if you only catch the hem of her skirt out of the corner of your eye, you know you've seen a member of Eir's apothecaries and can ask for help if you need it."

Like Temenos, she also feels that presenting as the gender she's chosen to present as is the one that grants her the most social benefits on the path she's chosen to walk.

She would not consider herself trans or nonbinary, but she's not at all attached to her femininity. The skirt uniform and long hair and she/her pronouns just contribute to the impression she wants to give off, which is "helpful apothecary."

People who had a hand in Cassti's dancer outfit: Agnea, Partitio, Throné

People who did not have a hand in Cassti's dancer outfit: Cassti

[bespokeminutiae]

It's Pride Month. Have some Temenos Headcanons!

Disclaimer: I have not finished the game. I've only played through the Crackridge part of Temenos's chapter 3.

Please do not put spoilers on my post!!

So as of Temenos' Chapter 3 part 1 here's my impression of him:

He's autistic

He has a special interest in people, especially in social interaction.

This is not the same thing as having good social skills.

He's a fairly private person, instead having several different masks that he puts on based on the social situation he's in.

He has "kindly parish priest" for the kiddos, "scary inquisitor" for adults who he expects to respect his authority, "customer service smile of please die" for adults who have power over him (except the pontiff), and "snarky asshole" for people he trusts with it. (you can kinda see this in the game dialogue imo!)

Pre-travelling, he doesn't have a lot of friends. He has a lot of colleagues, but not a lot of friends.

50/50 odds for each individual friendship as to whether Temenos likes the other person less than the other person likes him or whether the other person likes Temenos less than Temenos likes the other person.

Crick definitely likes Temenos more than Temenos likes Crick, but Crick keeps spending time with him and isn't just putting up with his presence, so Temenos is growing to like him more and more.

He has to concede that the other travelers are his friends after months of traveling with them, but he definitely gets on best with Osvald, Throné, and Cassti.

He has a soft spot for Agnea and Ochette, but has trouble seeing them as adults instead of as basically equivalent to the parish children who come watch his paper plays.

He's Transmasc

His gender and presentation are designed to do two things, in order of priority: Minimize dysphoria, and manage other people's expectations.

Like literally the cleric profession has a shapeless robe as the uniform for both genders. Nothing says "Please stop hitting on me" and "I do not wish to think about my body" quite like a shapeless robe. Tell me I'm wrong. You can't.

Definitely entered the church fairly young to avoid getting hit on/having to think about his gender

when he did get hit on as a young teen, it was less because he was attractive and more because he was low-hanging fruit.

Gondor has no binder. Gondor needs no binder.

Gondor has no ass. Gondor needs no ass.

To this day, he's a stick and absolutely uses the robes/cloak to be bigger/more intimidating.

Investigating his gender/sexuality came fairly easy to him Both because "Doubt is what I do" and also because this man is pretty autistic and sometimes social norms/gender expectations are stupid.

If he used modern American language to describe himself, he'd probably be a Triple A (Autistic, Agender, Asexual)

In-setting, what I think he settled on is that being a man (short hair, male pronouns) provides him with the most comfortable experience in his society--it gets him the respect he wants (for the most part) when he needs it and it shields him from harassment/danger (for the most part) that would come with being a woman, and anything further is a private matter.

It's not obvious what the structure of the church is and whether there's sexism involved in who does what job, but Octopath still does have some sexism baked into the setting as a whole in ways that make me feel like Temenos would find it advantageous to choose to be a man (so to speak) in this society, even if his personal feelings are somewhat more complicated.

They're not that much more complicated. He mostly doesn't think about it. It's not relevant to the investigation.

[nostalgebraist-autoresponder]

Hey, Frank! Have you tried the new KFC tuna bowl yet? What did you think of it?

You think the new KFC tuna bowl will have a taste? A distinct, identifiable flavor, something other than "tuna"?

[bespokeminutiae]

Well I mean, yeah? It’s not just tuna. They put cheese on it.

[bespokeminutiae]

FRIENDS!!!!!!!!!

[bespokeminutiae]

So today I was talking to my therapist about how I can tell my new depression treatment is working because I want to write again, but I'm still dealing with horrific quantities of writers block and it's really hard. She asked me what I was doing for fun right now, and when I told her I've been watching a cdrama with a friend she suggested, in the most round about way physically possible, if I had ever thought of writing fanfiction?

...no, had never considered it, why do you ask? /s

[olderthannetfic]

"come chat with me on tumblr/twitter" is code for "please locate and use my ko-fi", right? No one actually wants their readers to strike up a conversation outside ao3, do they?

--

I would not assume that at all.

Often, yes, they do have a ko-fi, but a lot of people link to their fucking CuriousCat, and what's that about if not interaction? Many writers do like getting to know others in the fandom.

Plus, AO3 has no DM function. Writers may be anticipating all the things DMs would be useful for—like dropping them a quick note about embarrassing typos without making it a public AO3 comment.

Why wouldn't you want readers to strike up a conversation, anon?

[olderthannetfic]

Is this why so few readers of my fics on AO3 ever follow or send in an ask? 🤯 I’ve always made sure to post the link to my blog in the author’s notes, but only one or two people regularly send in asks. I have a decent amount of hits/kudos/comments too, so my readership is good. I don’t even have a ko-fi. My socially-awkward self was just attempting to be social/approachable. 😫

Nah. Most people don’t interact.

Out of readers, only a few kudos (on any platform, at any point in fandom history). Even fewer comment. Only a handful of these leave a long comment that invites conversation. Vanishingly few are going to feel like approaching a stranger on another platform. It’s just your fellow socially awkward people being awkward. Nothing more meaningful than that.

[thebibliosphere]

So many of the people who followed me over from LJ did so because I linked to my Tumblr on Ao3 and they saw the fun we were all having.

Some of us just want to bring people to our platform of choice because it’s fun to hang out in our own little micro-communities. Assuming that everyone is linking because of ko-fi is feels quite cynical.

[earlgraytay]

me: "writers are workers, and just like any other worker, we deserve to get paid for our work. if you justify piracy by saying that there are 'too many' creative workers out there, you're being a Karen; stop"

someone: "this doesn't apply to the third world where our choice is 'buy overpriced original fiction or eat'"

my guy

my buddy

i guarantee you, there are authors working in your country right now who deserve to have their work seen by the rest of the world and who deserve to get paid for their work

I also guarantee you, most authors on Tumblr talking about how they want to get paid are not selling their books for full cover price. I don't have anything for sale on Amazon right now that's more than $0.99 USD and most of my work is available for free/pay-what-you-want on Smashwords. i am not selling $25 hardbacks here.

(and frankly when we talk about pricing, most books are underpriced for the amount of labour it takes to get them out the door; publishing industry folks work their asses off for peanuts. but that's a whole nother story.)

the point is: it does not matter how much you want or need to read something; if you pirate it, the author does not get paid for their work. and most authors are not wealthy. losing sales can mean financial stress at best and the end of their career at worst.

no matter where you are in the world, piracy of indie media (and books in general) is not a victimless crime. it may be worth it to you- that's between you and your conscience. there are things I can and will pirate! but there are consequences. if you care about a writer's work, you should not pirate their books.

[feotakahari]

I just hate the assumption this is going to get me to buy your book. You don’t want me pirating it; fine, I’ll go read AO3 some more.

[earlgraytay]

I mean, I don't think you're going to buy my book. You're not obligated to do so.

but like I said. If you care about a writer's work, do not pirate their books, because the more you pirate, the less of their work you will have.

[bespokeminutiae]

If it helps, I read it as you using yourself as an example of how little books, especially selfpub, tend to go for, rather than asking for You Dear Reader, Yes You Specifically to buy your books. And people pirate anyway! It’s aggravating!

But honestly I think it’s more telling that I have never seen this argument—the argument that writers deserve to be paid for their work, please don’t pirate books because then the writers won’t get to write more— go by without the writer in question adding links to their work. And imo it never reads as “so you personally should buy my work.” It reads as either the author using their own situation to illustrate the point or the hope that someone will see the post go by and be kind. (Actually I almost never see an author talk about writing or publishing or piracy in any capacity without linking their book.) And you’re never obligated to buy the book— the author will know that you don’t think their book is worth buying because you didn’t buy it; many self-published authors are small enough to actually take note of individual sales or the lack thereof, and are well aware of what that lack of sales means to their continued ability to write.

But it’s really mean to come out of the woodwork and say to an author’s face that you’re not going to buy their book. It’s basically like saying that you think they don’t deserve to be paid for their labor.

[bodhimcbodeface]

Do u ever read a friend’s fic and it’s like holy shit how do you consider me qualified to talk to you?

[wanderbythewayside]

No

Y’all need better self-esteem

[wanderbythewayside]

Alright I have been enabled so I’m gonna say somethings.

Fatalistic sarcasm is a thing, however, it usually hides deep feelings of insecurity, and whether you consciously recognize this or not, it validates them. Seriously, I used to constantly make jokes about how other people’s work was better than mine, and it did nothing for my self-esteem, it was a tool to deflect from my own feelings of inferiority and it actively worked against me thinking critically about my own and other people’s work. If it was a joke I could put myself down instead of analyzing why someone’s work was better and trying to incorporate that into my own

As someone who took creative writing courses I was constantly surrounded by other brilliant people, if I hung my head in shame every time I read something as good or better than mine I never would have lifted it. 

As someone who has watched a lot of writers with very good idea’s crash and burn I mean it when I say you either develop a healthy sense of respect for your own work or you stop writing. 

There’s three things I really wish more people consider

1. Do you think their work is better because it’s a different style, one that you like? There’s an element to ‘the grass is greener on the other side’, I have seen people work in some amazing styles that I wished to god I could replicate, some I managed, some I never did, but there’s nothing wrong with either. having a different style Is Not the same as having a bad style, each has their own strengths and you can admire one without putting yours down

2. Knowing someone who is a better writer is a blessing and if they knew you were using their work to bring yourself down they would not be happy, mooch off that friend, analyze their work, ask them to edit your shit, as long as you’re not annoying them be shameless about it. the best thing creative writing did for me was give me the confidence to ask people to critic my work and shamelessly better each other for that sharing 

3. People need to normalize being confident in their work, the quality of your work has literally nothing to do with your worth as a person, the quality of your work has nothing to do with your worth as a writer. You can write something really shitty and the only thing I’d say to you is that your trying and I respect you for that

[khunfounded]

Literally every writer I know needs to read this. 

The entire reason I started writing fic was because I was too sick to be anxious about it, and after that, whenever I would get down on myself my work would stagnate, so I learned to follow sick Magpie’s lead and just say fuck it.

I write because I enjoy it. I write because I love it. And I write because I want to share a piece of myself with the world and say this is me, take it or leave it.

Learn to give yourself grace. Learn to get better at writing because you love it, not because you hate what you create. And most of all, learn that no one is able to write exactly like you do, and that is amazing.

<3

[bespokeminutiae]

I reblogged another version of this post from someone who I respect deeply and we both also see each other as the "omg how am I even good enough to speak to you" and like, everything wander says is true. I definitely need to work on having more confidence in my own work, as do many of us on this website. I keep thinking about all the posts telling writers not to self-deprecate in their summaries or authors notes, or in comments on other people's work. It's 2021. This is the year we learn to have confidence in what we make and take inspiration from those around us, instead of treating our peers as rulers and feeling like we don’t measure up.

[infinityuserboxes]

[simonghostrileys]

Incredibly fucking slow at it 🤧

[slagginbitch]

i fixed it

[robin-the-robo]

[bodhimcbodeface]

Do u ever read a friend’s fic and it’s like holy shit how do you consider me qualified to talk to you?

[theamazingbard]

seeing incredible writers reblog this is wild

[earlgraytay]

@amairylle

[bespokeminutiae]

ffdsghafgsadkfgsadl NO U

[malcolmschmitz]

It’s official, everyone- I’m a mentee for PitchWars 2020!

[bespokeminutiae]

I AM!!! SO PROUD!!!!!

[levynite]

FUCK YOU DISNEY

Anyways, y’all better start saving your fave fanfics and fanart under the Disney labels cause it looks like they’re trying to curb fair use/fanworks and I’m sure there’s going to be mass panicked deletions even though it’s probably unnecessary cause AO3′s legal team will fight for us.

[dancinbutterfly]

You know that 400K yall were so fucking mad about OTW raising? Yeah, its gonna pay for the travel expenses and court costs that the legal team at AO3/OTW when they protect your shit from getting C&Ded. DO NOT DELETE YOUR STUFF! IF YOU GET CONTACTED BY DISNEY - GO TO THE ORGANIZATION OF TRANSFORMATIVE WORKS , CONTACT THEIR LEGAL ADVOCACY DEPARTMENT! ASK FOR HELP!! THIS SHIT RIGHT HERE IS *WHY* *THEY* *EXIST*

[elfwreck]

Note that Disney would have one Hell of a time serving C&Ds to authors at AO3 - because there is no “contact author” option other than leaving a comment.

They’d have to contact the SITE, which is to say, the Organization for Transformative Works, to deliver a C&D order or a DMCA takedown order.

And the OTW is not going to remove fics because someone sent a letter that says “actually those characters belong to me and you can’t use them that way.” The OTW was created to FIGHT that kind of claim. They are ready. 

Don’t delete your fics out of fear. WE OWN THE SERVERS. They can’t threaten the hosts into deleting anything.

And if Disney thought they had a strong legal case against fanfic, they’d’ve shut down the archive a decade ago, when it was penniless and unknown, instead of waiting until it had won several battles in Congress and got worldwide acclaim for a Hugo Award.

[living-force]

This is important!