#real writer asks

[kindahoping4forever]

For some reason I really love ask games and I get super excited when I see one happening 😆 I have no idea why though! 😂

Okay, question time:

✨What's a fic you've posted you wish you could breathe life into again and have people talking about it? (or simply a fic you wish got more credit)

🕯️how do you think engaging with each other through tumblr, twitter, comments, kudos, creates healthy fandom experiences? How do you deal with that if you're not a social person/experience social anxiety?

Hope you have a good day!!!

I think ask games are so fun too! It's a fun excuse for us all to interact with each other and it's so interesting seeing different people's viewpoints on the same topics! I wish they went around more often tbh, it's a good time. 😁

✨What's a fic you've posted you wish you could breathe life into again and have people talking about it? (or simply a fic you wish got more credit)

In retrospect, I wish I would've spaced those last two Encore fics out a bit more because I feel like the Halloween chapter, Wild Horses Couldn't Drag Me Away, got overshadowed. And I get it! It's on me, releasing two 12k fics a day apart was asking a lot of people lmao and it makes sense that the Christmas one generated more interaction because it was the finale of sorts, holiday fic generally does pretty well, and (spoiler) it had the "I love you" scene everyone had been waiting a year for. But I wished Wild Horses would've had a little bit more of a moment - I think it's really fun and funny, shows some interesting growth within their relationship and I worked really hard to give the smut the right balance between unhinged filth and loving exploration. (Somehow I'd never written bondage before! I did research! 😂) It found a bit more of an audience on AO3 than on here but I still haven't heard much feedback about it on either platform.

🕯️How do you think engaging with each other through tumblr, twitter, comments, kudos, creates healthy fandom experiences? How do you deal with that if you're not a social person/experience social anxiety?

It's interesting because I am really not a people person at all but I joined Tumblr primarily to engage with fellow fans. I was enjoying fangirl life on my own but I knew it'd be so much more fun to experience that with other people, whether it was through direct correspondence or just scrolling my dash, reading everyone screaming about the same things and relating to the different reactions. And it took a while for me to engage with other people! To be honest, the Tumblr fandom wasn't quite as tight-knit or welcoming back then as it is now (we all kind of have our own lil zones we hang out in but I feel like we kind of recognize or are generally familiar with most people?) and I lowkey got brushed off by the first few people I tried to befriend but somehow I stuck it out and I couldn't be more happy that I did because I can say wholeheartedly that some of the best, most gratifying friendships I've had in my whole life have been in this fandom on Tumblr. As for the broader "fandom experience", I think engaging with each other and having discussions, whether it be about our art or just our opinions is a key component. Being a part of a fandom is to be a part of the community and it's always encouraging to feel seen and understood by a peer. To seek out and be found by kindred spirits is why I'm here and everyday I'm thankful I made that choice. 🙂

Let’s chat! Writer Asks

[lokisgoodgirl]

For the writer asks my dear 🕯️🎀🤍

Love u to the moon and back <3

Heloooo my little European muffin 😊❤️

Thank you!! Let's do it.

🕯️Is there a fic that took you to a place you didn't think it would take you?

So, the Schooling Steve (aka Satchel! Steve) series started as a oneshot, and grew into what it became. It was through that series (well, 5 parts) that I started becoming chatty with people like @gigglingtigger @ijuststareatstuffhereok89 @lokischambermaid @xorpsbane @vbecker10 @michelleleewise and others, and that's where a lot of our lil bonds started. And I love that.❤️

🎀 Give yourself a compliment about your writing.

I think my pace is pretty good, and my dialogue is in character without being too on the nose.

🤍 What's a fic of yours you don't think people 'get'.

I can't really think of one, honestly. I thought Role Play would be a massive ❌ from everyone and their mama but we love it. Which makes me smile.

If you feel like asking one of these Qs go nuts

[kindahoping4forever]

💞🦋🍉 Love you work Crys!

Thanks for the questions, Vee! 🫶🏻

💞what's the most important part of a story for you? the plot, the characters, the worldbuilding, the technical stuff (grammar etc), the figurative language

I'd say the relationship between the characters is always my first priority - my fics typically aren't the most high concept (though I have one hopefully coming this year that challenges that a bit) so they kind of live and die by if the relationship is entertaining and most importantly, believable. Something interesting (?) about my process is once I have a basic plot spark, I immediately plan the smut (and there's even been times when I have the smut idea first and then build a story to facilitate that scene). I love using sex scenes as a way to show the inner workings and complexity of a relationship and so planning the smut early on helps me determine what kind of dynamic that couple is going to have outside of the bedroom. So I guess the relationship and figuring out how to portray that via smut is most important.

🦋what are you most insecure about when you post a fic?

Um, everything? 😂 Honestly I think the thing I get the most insecure about is I'm always afraid no one will read it! I'm not typically concerned about whether or not people like it, art is subjective and I'm at the point where as long as I like the story, I'm happy with it. But still, the goal of sharing is ultimately for other people to engage, so when it feels like that's not happening, it can be kind of nerve-wracking and sometimes discouraging.

Sharing fic now is also a lot different than when I started in 2020 - 5SOS Tumblr was a lot more active but especially the writing community, I swear there was at least one fic a day being posted, if not more. Feedback was relatively instant and plentiful and the main method of delivery was via reblogs (and tags) and every reblog essentially gave the fic new life and opportunity for more feedback because it was being put on people's dashes constantly. For whatever reason, reblogs are a rarity now (for example, my latest fic has 315 notes but only 33 of those are reblogs) so the amount of feedback I receive has also greatly diminished - obviously less reblogs mean less tags but also the post is getting seen by less people because it's not being shared. So it's harder to tell if people are actually reading the stories or not because there's less conversation about them. You used to be able to tell if a story was popular because it would be inescapable the first few days after it posted because everyone was reblogging it. Now people just stuff it in their likes so it feels like a lot less of a communal experience, I guess? So that's something I've had to get used to and learn not to let that "reception" dictate whether or not I consider a fic successful or not.

🍉in what ways has writing helped you process trauma and/or navigate through your own life?

It's funny, this is something I've actually discussed in therapy before (oh are we not all talking to our therapists about our fan fic adventures? 😂). I grew up in a very conservative, religious family and while I felt like I worked hard at the time to maintain a healthy attitude towards sex, my body and my view of myself as a woman (both independently and in a relationship), a significant part of my adult life has still been spent sifting through the subconscious shame and overarching trauma that resulted from spending my formative years in such a repressive environment.

Something I particularly struggled with was fear of being judged or perceived differently if I was open about anything regarding my sexual self. I wasn't prudish by any means in my private life but basically I got too good at masking that side of myself, essentially living dual lives, that my instinct was still to publicly project manufactured purity and shame even when I didn't need to anymore.

Even when I first joined Tumblr, I was hesitant to interact with the fics I was reading because it felt embarrassing being publicly associated with sexual content. And look at me now! Known for writing thirsty tags and smutty fic 😂 In all seriousness, writing and sharing the types of stories I write, plus having open discussions about them with others (with both commenters and friends), has been an immensely healing and rewarding part of my Tumblr journey that I really did not expect but am entirely grateful for.

[kindahoping4forever]

💎💌🕯️ i hope you’re having an amazing day!!!✨

Thank you, I hope you are too!

💎why is writing important to you?

I touched on this in answering a different question but writing began as a fun distraction and has gone on to enrich my life in ways I never could've guessed. The past 3 years have been pure chaos both globally and personally and I honestly don't know how I would've made it thru without this outlet. At it's most basic, it's been a comfort and means of escapism and on a deeper level it's given me confidence, motivation and purpose during a time when I have been sorely lacking. I also really appreciate the opportunity it's given me to connect with other people, whether it be friends or anons/commenters passing by. I truly don't know what my life would look like right now if I hadn't started writing.

💌share something with us about an up-and-coming work (WIP) that has you excited!

I've gotten to the point where I feel bad teasing fics because it takes me so long to write them! 😂😭 I have a few different WIPs I'm shuffling thru at the moment... I had a pretty fun Valentine's Day fic that I shelved when - in very Crystal fashion - it ended up a much more complex story than I initially planned and I couldn't complete it in time for the holiday. I hope to still finish it and post at some point, if there's interest. This was the premise:

🕯️how do you think engaging with each other through tumblr, twitter, comments, kudos, creates healthy fandom experiences? How do you deal with that if you're not a social person/experience social anxiety?

Specifically in relation to writing, I think that engagement through feedback, Tumblr reblogs and AO3 kudos are so vital! Writing can be a very lonely hobby, authors spend a lot of time in their own brains and so when the finished product goes out into the world, it's always such a lovely reassurance to hear back from other people that your story made them feel something. It's like I was saying in my previous answer, it's all about feeling seen. And when someone reaches out after reading one of my stories to say yes, I also found this funny or touching or hot or whatever, it's just a really nice feeling of connection.

Reaching out can always be a bit intimidating, regardless of whether or not you're socially minded but I've always been grateful we have anonymous messages here on Tumblr because it provides people with bravery they might not have otherwise. Yeah, it can be a mixed bag when some people use that for evil and are dicks but as a smut author, I'm confident that I wouldn't get the chance to discuss my work nearly as often as I do if people were having to sign their name to their asks. I think it definitely helps people feel a little more comfortable interacting whether it be due to general hesitancy or shyness about the subject matter.

Let’s chat! Writer Asks

[kindahoping4forever]

hiiii! for the fic writer ask: 🍭 💫

Thanks for asking! 🫶🏻

🍭why did you start writing?

I've written on and off since I was a kid (both fiction and non-fiction) so it's always been somewhat of a passion. Once I became friends with @cal-puddies, we just kind of naturally started bouncing ideas off of each other (I was an anon requester of hers before we started talking) and I really enjoyed exploring that creative side of my brain again. I randomly wrote a short blurb for Cass's eyes only at the end of 2019 and after a few months of "helping" her with her fics (suggesting concepts, lines, just generally brainstorming), our first official collab was written within the first few weeks of the 2020 lockdown and I began tentatively putting out my own fics about a month later. So I guess all that to say, I was really inspired by reading Cass's work (her fics feel so lived in and familiar, it gives you an "I could do that" feeling but are also so fully realized and well constructed, it's a bit intimidating to try 😂) and later on, having the opportunity to watch her work, it all reminded me how fun the creative process can be. When the pandemic happened, writing my own stories gave me a reason to get out of bed each day. It provided me with an escape, a purpose and a great way to get to know and bond with my new best friend. Writing became even more of an outlet once I began having some (non-pandemic related) health issues in 2021 and though it's been a bit of a struggle trying to balance my health and creative obligations, (see: my limited output last year), I remain devoted to trying because I can't imagine my life without it now. It's like my brain is forever altered in the best way.

💫what is your favorite kind of comment/feedback?

I'm sure this is a popular answer for this question but I really love when someone quotes my dialogue back to me or cites a specific scene/moment that they loved, or even mentions that they've read a story more than once. I really like hearing what resonated or why, that a fic affected someone enough that they continued to think about it even after they clicked it away. It's a cool and weird feeling to think that an idea once lived in my brain and now a stranger's brain is being impacted by it, whether it's that it made them feel a certain emotion or that now a certain piece of content is tied to me and my story in their memory. I really appreciate being able to connect with people in that way, it's something I never would've thought I'd have the opportunity to experience.

Let's chat! - Writer Asks