Filling the Silence

Words have crossed the horizon to be here.

[everywaythatmatters]

Rereading A Memory Called Empire and I have arrived at the most relatable line in here. I have thought about this at least once a week for the past several years

[dk-thrive]

If people were always kind and obedient to those who are cruel and unjust, the wicked people would have it all their own way: they would never feel afraid, and so they would never alter, but would grow worse and worse. When we are struck at without a reason, we should strike back again very hard; I am sure we should—so hard as to teach the person who struck us never to do it again.

— Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre (Smith, Elder & Co. of London, October 19, 1847)

[queenangst]

idk if this is a young fan thing or new fandom culture but some of yall think fics are abandoned way too quickly. a few months or a year or two is not unusual to go without a fic update. sometimes fics take longer to write, other times writers have rl events, or maybe there's multiple fics and one gets more priority. there are tons of reasons for fics not to be updated every week or every month. it also isn't uncommon for people to come back and update fics after a number of years—ive read updates that took five, or ten years. people's lives change, but they still want to tell their stories. personally, i never consider a fic abandoned unless the author has said so; though if it's been a few years i manage my expectations. but a last update being a year ago is... generally not a sign that a writer has abandoned their fic

[liladiurne]

That! Exactly that!!! Writers have lives and writing is hard! It takes time. Stop assuming fics are abandoned!

[heywriters]

Original fic usually goes through this same process before being commercially published. Readers just don't know that bc they aren't receiving it in bite-size chunks online. Large periods of stagnant writing are historically just another Monday for most writers.

[holylulusworld]

This☝️.

[barrel-fish]

A comic based on this poem

[nosimpincurly]

You’re not depressed. You just need $250,000 in your bank account.

[catherinebunnington]

Reblog to materialize $250,000 in prev's bank account

[inexplicifics]

I’m also a writer, of both fanfics and works I hope to publish someday, and I was wondering if I could ask your advice. I have a number of larger projects that I want to undertake, but thinking about how long it’s going to take to finish them makes me anxious and then I won’t even start. You’re an incredible writer and you have so many finished works; how do you do it? What would you recommend for someone who feels incredibly daunted by the lengthy and disheartening process that is writing a novel or series?

Also thank you for your Accidental Warlord series; it brings me inexpressible joy every time I read it

Oooh okay this is a complicated one. Let's see.

First off, and this is hard: don't compare your output to other authors. I have what my friends affectionately refer to as Wordy Bitch Disease. I write a lot, I write fast, and I write clean enough copy that Rose isn't doing copyedits, she's doing plot and characterization fixes. I start a new WIP...pretty near daily some weeks, and they do not all get done. My WIPs list is frankly fucking terrifying. But it's important to note that I have been writing pretty consistently for twenty years at least, and I was not as fast, coherent, or skilled when I started. For that matter, when I'm tired or stressed or just feeling blah, sometimes the words don't come, and it's important not to beat yourself up about it when that happens.

Second bit of advice: start smaller. I really, really like flash fic challenges and themed prompt lists and tumblr ask memes, because they make me limit my story to what can be told in a few thousand words. That lets me improve my craft without getting bogged down in enormous plotlines. (Yes, sometimes the story still grows a plot. But it's less frequent.)

Third bit of advice: take little bites, and accept that it's going to take a long time and possibly several drafts. When I started MBTT, I genuinely thought it would be 50K. (I am bad at estimating finished lengths of stories.) But I still took it one chapter at a time, and tried to have each chapter be a coherent whole, a chunk of story that needed to be told. When I'm working on the AWAU, if I think about the whole overarching storyline too much, I get overwhelmed and have to go stick my head under a proverbial rock for a while. But one story is doable, most of the time. I've had to restart drafts for some stories two, three, four times to get the voice and style and plot to cooperate. Be willing to say, That's not working, and try something else, even if you're really fond of what you've written so far.

Fourth bit of advice: learn what style of planning works for you. Some people like to outline in great detail. Some people like a sketchy outline. Some people, like me, can't outline - it kills the story for me. The WIP I started this morning has a notes section for important characterization details and the single plot point "Bandits?" Anything more than that, and I won't write it, because in some sense I've already written it so why bother doing it again?

Fifth and final bit of advice, because this is getting long: if you can find a cheer-reader, cherish them. Having someone in the doc leaving comments or emoticons helps immensely with knowing how my readers will react and with keeping my own enthusiasm for a story stoked high, which vastly increases the likelihood of it getting finished.

Good luck! Be brave! Thank you for the compliments!

I hope to read your stories someday!

[hashiramashonkers]

Aggressively physically affectionate Tobirama is real to me... He learned young that actions speak louder than words so he will express his affection by willingly putting himself into contact with his loved ones. See: Leaning on Hashirama or outright pulling his brother's arms around him when it seems as if Hashirama needs a hug.

Then... there's Izuna.

They hook up ONCE and suddenly Tobirama is constantly touching him. Leaning against his BACK in the office to read over his shoulder, resting limbs against him, sitting uncomfortably close to him on benches, holding his hand when the situation even vaguely calls for it and god FORBID they share a bedroll on a mission.

All with a poker face.

Izuna is genuinely shocked, repulsed and offended by this constant and unwanted contact. And a little turned on 😒

[syndrossi]

Yes Hello! I was in the middle of my fifth or sixth reread of resonant and thought I'd give you a follow and a thank you! I really love it I think it's one of my favorite ASOIAF time travel fics! You do such a good job not vilifying the characters, while also keeping true to their flaws and complexities. I've backed out of a LOT of fics before because I'll get a little ways in and see someone SO mischaracterized that it yucks me out lol. But you really do everyone perfectly- from Alicent, to Daemon, to Viserys, to the twins and the all the other children. Really excellent job! There's not a single POV that you write that I don't enjoy just as immensely as the last.

Fifth or sixth??? I'm so delighted (and awed) when people love the story enough to reread once, let alone half a dozen times! And very honored that you feel I've been fair/true to the characters.

Sometimes I wish I wrote more POVs outside our mains of Jon and Daemon, because I have such a blast each time. I wanna say Otto remains my favorite "guest" POV to write, because he's always trying to scheme his way around or out of problems and his frustration with Daemon brings me joy. But what fascinates me in all POVs is that particular character's biases and motivations.

I've spoken about Rhaenys in the past as a great example. She's a classic "yas queen" character for fandom, and plenty took her advice to Daemon as gospel in ch25-26, but she isn't perfect! Her advice is clouded by her own preconceptions and self-interest! Not out of malice, but because it's impossible to look at things objectively, nor is it generally in your best interests, when you're in the upper echelons of power.

And that's just very fun to write. Every character is the hero of their story, and it can be so satisfying to dig into why a character might behave the way they do (in whichever canon I'm drawing from). No one is truly evil, except maybe Crayne, and even he is the product of a past that shaped who he is.

[syndrossi]

Re-reading your chapter end notes about dragon eggs of destiny and how without them, Jon and Rhaegar would have bonded with Vermithor and Silverwing and TORTURED poor Daemon with their independent ability to travel.

I'd like to know more about this AU where they claim Vermithot and Silberwing at the age of eight, please. Specifically, how proud and terrified is Daemon? How horrified is Otto? How would they even manage it?

How would the realm as a whole feel about the biggest, scariest, old king and queen's dragon's belonging to eight-year-olds? 😂😂😂

... shh, I never send you too many asks.

Ooohh, so in this AU, it's either a Rescue AU flavor, aka Ser Thoren lives and takes them to Dragonstone, where naturally Rhaegar drags Jon out to try and bond to some dragons only for them to pull the two heavyweights of Vermithor and Silverwing. Or it's one where Daemon arrives a day earlier and roasts Crayne before he can meet up with Jephyro, and then he takes them to Rhaenyra on Dragonstone naturally! Where etc.

Daemon is pleased as punch until Rhaenyra points out the obvious pitfall of children bonding with giant adult dragons. *cough* Independence. *cough* But he still reminds himself that his sons' dragons will be kept at the Dragonpit, and he can control when they get to visit them. Even so, to properly build on that bond, they need time with their dragons! So he can't get around that.

Otto is screaming bloody treason, casting the absolute worst aspersions on Daemon as possible. Does Viserys think it mere coincidence that Daemon set for Dragonstone first? Don't be naive! He specifically sought out the two largest unbonded dragons for his sons to threaten Viserys's line. Lest the king forget, only Rhaenyra is bonded to an adult dragon, and her sons are bonded to mere hatchlings. Should Daemon think to seize the throne, he has three at his disposal.

(Poor Laenor and Serpentsmoke get discounted as useless by Otto, who also conveniently fails to mention that Rhaenys and Laena would have something say about a coup that threatened Rhaenyra's children.)

I don't think Viserys is having it, though. He's too pleased that Daemon's back, and if he were so bent on treason, why did he so eagerly greet Rhaenyra at Dragonstone? And look at his sweet and precocious little nephews, how could either of them ever threaten their family?

That said, you can't have an event as monumental and symbolic as Vermithor and Silverwing being claimed by Daemon's twin sons without there being political consequences. Daemon, who has been discounted as irrelevant for quite some time, is suddenly super relevant. He's eligible, too. (Poor Daemon has no reprieve from the unwed daughters of lords in this AU.) Those houses in support of Rhaenyra's inheritance are going to be watching very carefully to see if he appears to be supporting her as well. Other very ambitious houses may do some subtle outreaching to see just how interested Daemon might be in a coup and be eyeing matches with Jon and Rhaegar.

The matter of the Runestone succession becomes politically charged too. Giving it to Jon means handing Daemon a stronghold from which he could wage civil war. Fierce debates would take place on which way the Vale's loyalties would swing in such an event. Even if Viserys happily hands it over, any extended time spent there would be heavily scrutinized, and many overtures would be made at Runestone itself, away from the eyes of KL.

For the common folk, it would be an even bigger story than it is in Resonant! Like, it's cool that they ended up with hatchlings in Resonant, but hatchlings are tiny babies with no history, no oomph to them. Vermithor and Silverwing? Again, symbolism! Is this a sign that Daemon's line might be destined for the Iron Throne? (Oh gosh, we haven't even talked about how Viserys is supposed to interpret fireproofness plus the twins having Jaehaerys's and Alysanne's dragons!)

It's fun! Lots of juicy politics to be had in this AU.

[creativepromptsforwriting]

Have you ever read so much fanfiction and consumed so much fanart that you genuinely forgot what canon is?

[ofishal-fish-posts]

With more and more Ao3 authors restricting their works to the archive (due to AI scraping), they're going to be losing guest interaction. And probably generally feeling down because. You know. AI is stealing their hard work.

So! Now is a great time to stop by your favorite authors/stories and drop them some comments! They really appreciate it!

[boyslit]

also put in a request for an ao3 account if you don't have one! an account will let you make bookmarks of your favorite fics, store a reading history of fics you read while logged in, set a profile picture, all sorts of goodies :)

[fourohfourlifenotfound]

I know the invitation wait list numbers look intimidating, but it maths out to like 12 days rn.

[ofishal-fish-posts]

That's not that long! Plus there's a lot of folks in the notes with invites offering them to people who don't have accounts!

Readers: Make an AO3 account!

Authors: Restrict your works to the archive!

[demonslayedher]

Wish me luck! And good luck to you trying to make any sense of these images, much less what I'm putting myself through. Here's some links to explain some of what the hell I'm talking about:

Kimetsu no Yaiba Noh/Kyogen overview

Presentation slides about Kimetsu no Yaiba "holy sites" around Japan

Some of the stuff at Hashira-ten

Kimetsu Theater somewhat explained

[demonslayedher]

Yes, indeed!!

After Hashira-ten!!

And KnY Noh/Kyogen!!

And visiting two Kamado Shrines!!

I MANAGED TO ALSO GO WATCH HASHIRA ON THE BIG SCREEN WITH MORE KIMETSU THEATER

Map app had a lot of faith in me to get there within ten minutes of being released from a highway bus, but it did not take into account how slow the elevators and escalators from the deepest subway station up to the ninth floor of a crowded department store would be. I forewent lunch (and caffeine) and get there right in time for the Aniplex, Shueisha, and Ufotable title cards and then Tanjiro waking up to see a bunch of terrifying Hashira looking down at him. Since I've been squeezing these Kimetsu Cinema visits in among a bunch of travel here and there, it was really satisfying to add a theater in a different location again. Got my stamp at the end of this one too, and this time I finally got the in-theater VR to work! Right outside the theater doors, there is a place to watch Tanjiro appear out of a magic doorway to talk to you. It's probably different each time, but this time he had a little Taisho Secret to share about the Kasugai-garasu all having their own names, like Tennoji Matsuemon.

There was also a display set up in the lobby to get people hyped for the 2-week Mugen Ressha revival coming up.

Needless to say, the dork in the Rengoku t-shirt is excited (but also relieved it will be two weeks since I already have another countryside trip coming up--but at least for a few more hours, I was still on my FANDOM TRIP).

Well, that's a wrap for this fangirl travel. I have one more personal trip to squeeze in to see a friend (and do work) until My Research really takes back over for a few months.

But there will be theaters.

And I will get my butt in them.

Especially come July.

Wherever the hell I'll be traveling in July.

[ninjasmudge]

worlds slowest fanfic author tries really really hard

[ninjasmudge]

everyone in the notes we are all holding hands. everyone who hasnt worked on a wip in weeks or months or years, its okay. we are going slow but we are going

[ninjasmudge]

worlds slowest fanfic author tries really really hard

[ninjasmudge]

everyone in the notes we are all holding hands. everyone who hasnt worked on a wip in weeks or months or years, its okay. we are going slow but we are going

[semperintrepida]

This is the worst timeline. (x)

[pftones3482]

If you do this with my fics, or anyone's fics, please know I HATE you. I hate you more than every troll comment, every "your writing sucks kys" comment, every "update soon" comment. I hate you. Other authors hate you. If you want my fic, you either WAIT for it or you pay me for it. And if you won't do one of those things, you don't deserve my fic or anyone else's.

[thatrandomsarahchick]

I like to think about the latest update right before I go to sleep, so that I'll dream about the fic that night. Then I compare the next update to the shit my dreams come up with

[oh-no-its-bird]

Beautiful things happening in my corner of the world (aka my wip pile)

No one ask me how my other wips are going. Or ask if slash when I'll finish this one.

[creativepromptsforwriting]

What to do in case of a plot bunny attack: Keep calm. Save your last work. You will likely not come back to it very soon. Write down everything you've got inspired to. Do it now or the plot bunny hops away. Feel good and excited about this new piece. Go to sleep. You need the rest, because the plot bunny will attack again. And then rinse and repeat.