hey gamers I’ve started watching star trek does anyone else see the romantic tension between captain kirk and mr. spock

watching the realization publicly dawn in real time in the comments is fucking amazing

op's tags:

comments:

It is incredibly important to train yourself to have your first instinct be to look something up.

Don't know how to do something? Look it up.

See a piece of news mentioned on social media? Look it up.

Not sure if something is making it to the broader public consciousness, either because you don't see it much or you see people saying nobody is talking about it? Look it up.

Don't know what a word means? Look it up.

It will make you a better reader and a better writer, but it will also just make you more equipped to cope with the world.

So often, I see people talking about something as though it is the first time anyone has ever acknowledged it, when I've been reading reports about it on the news for months or years. Or I see someone totally misinterpreting an argument because they clearly don't know what a word means--or, on the other hand, making an argument that doesn't make sense because they aren't using words the right way.

Look things up! Check the news (the real news, not random people on social media)! Do your research! You (and the world) will be better for it.

Yes!

You have the whole internet in your pocket!!

When I was a kid, we had an encyclopedia in the house. And it was a normal dinnertime occurance to say, well, let's look it up.

But it was frustrating, because there were so many limitations.

But you have! the whole! INTERNET! in your pocket! ALL the TIME!

look that shit up

have realized that while i am not a fan necessarily of "people meet and immediately fall in love" i am a fan of "people meet and are immediately obsessed with each other." the love can come later but the absolute fixation should be immediate

someone: *mentions my favorite character*

me: *vibrating at frequency that shatters glass* yeah I love them a normal amount

this post is from january, it’s become my very least favorite ask

Love love love characters that present themselves as emotionally open social butterflies but the more you see of them the more obvious it is that they’re the most closed off fuckers in the story. Sure, they want to help you with your personal problems and messy emotions, but if you turn that shit back on them, they’ll shut down or deflect every time. Why are you sticking your nose in their business anyway? It’s not like it matters. They’re not a person, they’re just a role being played. They’re the guy who fixes things and saves people. Please ignore the man behind the mask, he’s fine. Everything’s fine.

CORPORAL MAXWELL KLINGER in M*A*S*H @lgbtqcreators creator bingo - wardrobe

we usually think of mood as a scale from 1-5, but there's actually a negative scale too, where the frown turns back into a smile, but just a little insane !

For reasons I can't elucidate, this is giving me "twas I who set the house ablaze" vibes

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: MASH (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Words: 3,246 Characters: Charles Emerson Winchester III, Honoria Winchester, Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce, Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan, “Trapper” John McIntyre Additional Tags: New Year’s Eve, New Years, Friendship, Post-Canon, gen but also kind of not in that hawkeye sort of way Summary: On New Year’s Eve in Boston, the winter after the armistice, Charles gets invaded.

My annual New Year’s fic is up!

Everybody go tf home I have officially found a worse name for eyes than ‘orbs’

can’t believe I had to read this with my own balls

Best fic comments ever

I just started following the blog @ao3commentoftheday

As somebody who has been writing fic since 2001, I thought I could write something about comments, and the power of commenting, so here it is:

1) So, I started writing fan fic as a dyslexic teenager who went to special ed to dictate her academic writing, because I couldn’t even spell “simple” words like friend. I never once received positive feedback on my writing before I started producing Star Trek Voyager fic. I ended up being an English lit major because people supported my terrible early writings. Every comment on my dear old 2001 fanfiction.net account is a cherished and life changing comment. If you see an author with messed up grammar and spelling, but maybe a couple interesting ideas, it’s worth taking the time to leave a compliment, I swear.

2) That time somebody went through all of my fics in every fandom I’d written for, commented, and then went on to my original stories and did the same. That was way more than a decade ago, and I still remember the user name.

3) The times when commenting on fic turned into friendship. The person whose house I stay at every time I visit New York started out as somebody who commented on my fan fics. We’re not really even in the same fandom anymore, but she’s so important to me. A lot of fic writers are trying to reach out and find other who like the things they do. You’d be surprised what can happen.

4) The times when a commenter has turned into a co-writer or RP buddy. Many many of those!

5) The times where a fic has gotten a comment literally years after I posted it. My brain just fizzles and turns into a stream of happy exclamation points. It’s like a random act of kindness, because when I first write a story, of course I’m constantly refreshing my email and hoping for commentary, but when a comment on an old fic shows up it’s just this random unexpected thing that brightens my entire day.

6) The times somebody left a long, analytical comment that totally got everything I was going for.

7) This one time where somebody left a long, analytical comment that completely misinterpreted what I was going for. I got this comment from somebody, much younger than me, who had read one of my stories, and it was a long, kind, gushing comment about how much a certain character in the story cared about another. What I’d actually been going for was that said character was messing things up and not doing enough. This person’s comment was what led me to revising the story into one of the best fics I’ve ever written. What I’m trying to say is, if you feel like going on about themes and motifs, but are afraid that they will be wrong, do it anyway. It might give the writer some food for thought, and if it is kindly written, it should be kindly received.

8) “Can I write a fan fic of your fan fic???” It’s happened to me twice, and yes??? Oh my god yes!! I’ve done a lot in my life, but I still consider that a pinnacle life achievement. Also, if I’m writing certain things about the characters, it’s almost certainly because I want to read certain things about said characters. (Disclaimer: probably ask first if you want to do this).

9) I drew art of your fan fic! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!!!!

10) So, I had this one fic I wrote between 2009 and 2012. It was epic, and I had this one reader who commented on ever chapter over the course of years. Amazing! In mid 2017 she decided to reread the story, and went back and commented again on her favorite chapters. Best thing ever. So good. Pure happiness that could conquer anything during the days that those comments rolled in.

11) “so I was talking about this story with…..”. YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT THIS STORY??? WITH A PERSON?

12) Rec lists. Recently showed up on one of those for the first time ever (outside of Yuletide). Authors search their names and get excited when they see them.

ANYWAY, that’s 17 years of fic writing highlights, but actually, every comment is a highlight. They really make fic writers’ day, even if all they say is “I like this!!”. Dear commenters, please take this as a glimpse into the fic writers’ psyche, which is mostly made up of bouncy enthusiasm at anything you choose to throw at us.

Best fic comments ever

I just started following the blog @ao3commentoftheday

As somebody who has been writing fic since 2001, I thought I could write something about comments, and the power of commenting, so here it is:

1) So, I started writing fan fic as a dyslexic teenager who went to special ed to dictate her academic writing, because I couldn’t even spell “simple” words like friend. I never once received positive feedback on my writing before I started producing Star Trek Voyager fic. I ended up being an English lit major because people supported my terrible early writings. Every comment on my dear old 2001 fanfiction.net account is a cherished and life changing comment. If you see an author with messed up grammar and spelling, but maybe a couple interesting ideas, it’s worth taking the time to leave a compliment, I swear.

2) That time somebody went through all of my fics in every fandom I’d written for, commented, and then went on to my original stories and did the same. That was way more than a decade ago, and I still remember the user name.

3) The times when commenting on fic turned into friendship. The person whose house I stay at every time I visit New York started out as somebody who commented on my fan fics. We’re not really even in the same fandom anymore, but she’s so important to me. A lot of fic writers are trying to reach out and find other who like the things they do. You’d be surprised what can happen.

4) The times when a commenter has turned into a co-writer or RP buddy. Many many of those!

5) The times where a fic has gotten a comment literally years after I posted it. My brain just fizzles and turns into a stream of happy exclamation points. It’s like a random act of kindness, because when I first write a story, of course I’m constantly refreshing my email and hoping for commentary, but when a comment on an old fic shows up it’s just this random unexpected thing that brightens my entire day.

6) The times somebody left a long, analytical comment that totally got everything I was going for.

7) This one time where somebody left a long, analytical comment that completely misinterpreted what I was going for. I got this comment from somebody, much younger than me, who had read one of my stories, and it was a long, kind, gushing comment about how much a certain character in the story cared about another. What I’d actually been going for was that said character was messing things up and not doing enough. This person’s comment was what led me to revising the story into one of the best fics I’ve ever written. What I’m trying to say is, if you feel like going on about themes and motifs, but are afraid that they will be wrong, do it anyway. It might give the writer some food for thought, and if it is kindly written, it should be kindly received.

8) “Can I write a fan fic of your fan fic???” It’s happened to me twice, and yes??? Oh my god yes!! I’ve done a lot in my life, but I still consider that a pinnacle life achievement. Also, if I’m writing certain things about the characters, it’s almost certainly because I want to read certain things about said characters. (Disclaimer: probably ask first if you want to do this).

9) I drew art of your fan fic! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!!!!

10) So, I had this one fic I wrote between 2009 and 2012. It was epic, and I had this one reader who commented on ever chapter over the course of years. Amazing! In mid 2017 she decided to reread the story, and went back and commented again on her favorite chapters. Best thing ever. So good. Pure happiness that could conquer anything during the days that those comments rolled in.

11) “so I was talking about this story with…..”. YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT THIS STORY??? WITH A PERSON?

12) Rec lists. Recently showed up on one of those for the first time ever (outside of Yuletide). Authors search their names and get excited when they see them.

ANYWAY, that’s 17 years of fic writing highlights, but actually, every comment is a highlight. They really make fic writers’ day, even if all they say is “I like this!!”. Dear commenters, please take this as a glimpse into the fic writers’ psyche, which is mostly made up of bouncy enthusiasm at anything you choose to throw at us.

Help Keep British Columbia Lighthouses Staffed

The Canadian Coast Guard decided to de-staff two British Columbia light stations without consulting the light keepers, keepers union, mariners, or the local First Nations. These light houses protect the safety of mariners, aviators, and hikers, and many of the tasks performed by the keepers cannot be automated.

Supporters of the light-keepers are trying to get the decision reconsidered -- at the very least to consult the First Nations, the union, and other stakeholders before moving ahead.

If you're Canadian, here are two petitions you can sign:

Petition to the House of Commons (make sure to do the confirm by email step!)

Union of Canadian Transportation Employees

If you're not Canadian, please signal boost!

Folks, I hope whichever writing you’re working on today creates joy for you!

Just this past week, I wrote a good 3k worth of words that were born from an idea 2AM me had. 2AM me is a different animal, you know. 😉 2AM me does not really care about what I’m “supposed to be working on”. 2AM me sees my prompt-filled inbox and shrugs at it. 2AM me has never met an outline she can’t ruin, has never encountered writer’s block once she gets going, and has most certainly never given a hoot about if there are going to be people willing to read the thing. 2AM me cares about one thing and one thing only: does writing this vague idea fill me with complete and utter joy?

So. Here I am. 3k words into a mafia AU that will likely not see publication beyond a groupchat with friends. 3k words into a story that features no canon characters from the shows we love, but features several of my original characters instead. 3k words into a story that is, in no particular order, doing the following: feeding my love for particular tropes, allowing me to explore my OCs in a different setting, giving me a better handle on how my OCs express certain emotions and ideas, fueling and clarifying certain aspects of the main fic these OCs inhabit, and taking away all my self-imposed pressures about needing to have a finished and publishable story as “proof” that I have spent my precious free time well by being productive.

And, friends, I’m having a blast. I’ve talked some of my friends to death about this already because I’m so excited. I’ve spent more time working on the outline for my actual fic in this past week than I have in all the weeks of this year so far because writing this silly AU gave me the confidence boost to sit down and figure that out. (That pesky outline that's been eluding me for months? Pretty much complete at the time I write this.) I’ve gained a truckload of stuff to use as special tools that will help other writing later on. And it’s all made possible because 2AM me had an idea and morning me went “well okay why not try it on for size just once”.

So, I’m writing you a permission slip. Work on what sparks joy. Work on something that inspires love in you for an aspect of your storytelling, for your characters, for the world you’re creating in. Forget about your inbox and comments and requests. Forget about your WIPs you’re either rotating in your head or threatening to smack like a piñata until the complete fic rolls out. Forget about prompts, polls, and whatever you think people’s expectations of your writing are. Work on the little idea you can’t shake, the OC that’s bugging you, the ship that won’t let go, the AU that can fit soooooo many tropes in it, and I promise you that all your other writing is going to fall into place too.

Give yourself the opportunity to love and be joyful about your creativity! I’m allowing it! 💙