tomatowrites reblogged
tomatowrites reblogged
Why is it in the house md font
tomatowrites reblogged
what's happening with James Somerton right now: a probably-incomplete primer
TW: suicide, including suicide as a threat and a manipulation tactic.
The short version:
James Somerton is a former Youtube essayist who focused entirely on queer history, queer media criticism, and queer issues in general. He is also a flagrant grifter who has made tens of thousands of dollars via fraud, both directly (lying about his finances to beg for money and getting donations for films he never even started making) and indirectly (stealing whole essays and articles and books, reading them out loud verbatim for his videos without indicating they were anything other than his own work, and then using the prestige he gained from using their work to get Patrons and sponsorships).
The story as told James and James apologists was that James attempted to apologize twice, was hounded mercilessly on the internet for weeks, and then, driven to the end of his rope, he posted a suicide note on Twitter, was MIA for several days, and from then on has been avoiding the internet.
The actual story, as revealed yesterday, was that James used two sockpuppet accounts to defend himself and parrot his talking points (again, while publicly claiming to be trying to take responsibility for his actions), using one to try to rebrand the con under a different name and another to deliberately stoke the panic caused by his suicide note. He was not only aware of the pain and anxiety he was causing people, but he encouraged it on one alt while hornyposting about his favorite movies on the other.
He is an unrepentant con artist who successfully used a suicide threat to prevent further interference with future cons. The only reason he was caught is because he is apparently incapable of going more than a couple of weeks without trying to get back in the internet spotlight, allowing people to tie his alts back to him. He lies for fun and profit and he should not be taken seriously, ever.
The long version:
In December 2023, Youtube essayist Hbomberguy (Harry Brewis) put out a four-hour-long video about plagiarism on the internet, and devoted two hours to addressing as much of JS's plagiarism as he could. I strongly recommend watching the entire thing, as the first two hours build on the concepts that he uses later in the video.
He also blew the whistle on James' fraud surrounding Telos, a studio James founded using thousands of dollars of IndieGoGo money that never actually produced any films despite him definitely working on them! Any day now they'll be released! Don't you worry!
A day later, Todd in the Shadows, a guy whose entire thing is music reviews, posted his own video debunking multiple outright lies that James had told about history, especially queer history. A few more days later, The Ace Couple, who run a podcast about asexuality, released an episode detailing how they'd lost $1.5k donating to Telos.
I have put the videos, Twitter threads, Patreon posts, and Reddit posts by other people discussing different aspects of James' fraud under the cut.
Every other time James was caught plagiarizing, prior to Harry's video, he would lie about it. Either he'd have some excuse (easily proven to be a lie) or he'd retreat to his favorite deflection: "I'm just being harassed because I'm gay."
This last lie was one he'd use not only to deflect accusations of plagiarism, but all criticism in general, no matter how trivial. Every time, the critic or someone associated with them would somehow dox him, or harass him, or send him death threats, or threaten to falsely accuse him of sexual assault.
This happened to The Ace Couple (who'd tried to correct him on something extremely acephobic in one of his videos), Jessie Gender (who'd tried to correct him when he claimed that there were no queer content creators on Nebula, given that she and a bunch of other queer creators were definitely on that platform), and the person who first blew the whistle on him stealing from Tinker Belles and Evil Queens by Sean Griffin (who was accused of being behind death threats he'd received, and hounded so harshly they had to leave Twitter).
It is important to note that every time James faced potentially damaging criticism, or even just a threat to his ego, suddenly he would claim to be harassed by people connected to the critic, including threats to his life. There has never been any proof of any threats being directed at him, nor evidence that, if the threats were real, that they are actually from people connected to the critic.
In the original video by Hbomberguy, Harry makes a compelling argument that James brought on a friend of his, Nick, as a co-writer specifically as a shield against accusations of plagiarism. "How dare you accuse me of plagiarism! Nick would NEVER do that!" This is even more apparent given subsequent developments which I will get into.
When evidence started dropping about different aspects of his fraud (not only Harry's video, but Todd in the Shadows' video debunking his misinfo, The Ace Couple's podcast about their experience donating to his fraudulent film studio, and Dan Olson's tweet thread about James' obvious lies about his finances), he went into hiding for two weeks, and then put out the first of two apologies. He then deleted that one and put out another one a few weeks later. And then he immediately deleted that one.
While his first apology was rambling, vague, and dramatic (lots of sniffing/crying), and his second was more measured, thought-out, and totally batshit (lots of hilariously and bizarrely implausible excuses for why he'd done what he'd done), they had roughly the same points:
- Not ALL of his stuff was plagiarized! Actually, a lot of it wasn't! No specifics as to what, though!
- Most of the stuff that was plagiarized was just a failure to properly cite sources, as he had no idea that putting someone's name in your end credits or video description (without specifying what parts are attributable to that person or disclosing that you are using their words verbatim) is not sufficient credit,
- Also, he totally had permission, in some cases, to use their work verbatim prior to publishing the video (this is not true, and is disproven both in Harry's video and his own screenshots);
- He definitely didn't commit fraud with Telos and would soon have a good explanation for where the money went! (he did not)
- He was going to keep the videos up so that he could either donate the funds from any monetization to the fund Harry had set up for his victims or to "help Nick's portfolio" by showcasing his work;
- He lost his best friend (i.e. Nick) over these allegations, who absolutely definitely wasn't a scapegoat, except Nick was also responsible for a lot of the stuff James was being criticized for;
- He was going to keep the videos up so he could either donate the advertising proceeds to Harry's fund for his victims (first apology) or to "help Nick's portfolio" by showcasing the work he'd done; and
- As a result of this entire ordeal, he had attempted either self-harm or suicide (he merely alluded to "doing something stupid").
Again, his response was to 1) downplay the severity of his actions or flat out ignore allegations against him, 2) come up with ridiculous excuses for his behavior, 3) throw Nick under the bus, and 4) claim to be in mortal danger. As far as I am aware, he has never taken any concrete action to make amends to any person, not even donating money to charity.
This was coupled with some kind of attempt to profit: monetizing his apology videos, closing and then reopening his Patreon right before the monthly charge cycle happened (totally to let people unfollow him, not at all as a grab for that money), creating a new Patreon under a different name, and changing his Twitter and Youtube handles to distance himself from the controversy while gathering new followers.
At one point (I forget if this was on Twitter or Instagram), he also said that someone had broken into his apartment due to the notoriety he'd received from Harry's video. I believe that was after his first apology, when people started to point out that he'd just changed the name of his Twitter and Youtube channel and had restarted a new Patreon under a pseudonym. (BTW, the pseudonym he used for his new Patreon was "The Gay Raconteur"; this will be important later).
It had what I think was the desired effect: any attempt at rebranding his grift now came across as weirdly fixated on minor things he was doing, which certainly wasn't worth putting him in physical danger. (Again, he has never provided any proof of this happening, nor provided any evidence that these people allegedly threatening him were, in fact, in some way inspired by Hbomb).
So along comes March 5, 2024, and James posts a suicide note on his Twitter, saying that he is going to set up his videos to automatically publish (for Nick's portfolio), provide in some way for the ad revenue to go to a suicide prevention nonprofit, and then kill himself.
The immediate response from the internet was compassion and totally chilling any further criticism, since you might be callously criticizing a dead person. Harry and Kat worked for a couple of days to get a wellness check for him while a substantial section of the internet called them murderers.
On March 6, a day after the note was published, Nick tweeted that that he had cause to believe James was fine. Kat confirmed that James was safe on March 11. Due to the drama of the "suicide attempt," however, the chill on criticizing James stayed in place for months.
And then yesterday Lady Emily, one of the cowriters for Sarah Z., drops two more bombs:
- James has not one but two alt accounts that he was using to rebrand and start over.
- The first one was created between his first and second apologies, and originally was for "The Gay Raconteur" until he changed it to "Will"/"thatgayyouknow" and, later, "The Achillean Boy."
- The second one was much older, under the pseudonym "Mikey JB," and used stolen pictures from Grindr instead of his own face. However, it is pretty obvious that it is, in fact, a sockpuppet account and not just some other person who happens to like James, as detailed below.
- Both accounts, both between apologies and after his "suicide," talked about how criticism of James was unfair because the plagiarized stuff was "like a decade old" and repeating the same excuses that James had also made.
- The "Mikey JB" account not only supported James, but actively threw Nick under the bus, saying that a criticized part of a video "reeks of his co-writer."
- On March 6, the day after James' main Twitter posted the suicide note, The Achillean Boy account was hornyposting about Ryan Phillipe. James didn't even take a day or two off of Twitter. If he had been completely off Twitter for a couple of days, that could have been an indication that he really had hurt himself and was unable to access his phone, or at the very least unaware of the panic. But he wasn't. He was aware of it and did nothing. Actually, no! Worse than nothing!
- On the same day (March 6), the Mikey JB account was actively contradicting Nick saying he was okay (they "haven't spoken in months" so there's no way Nick could know if he was alive) and saying that "people like you" i.e. his critics, "drove him to it." Not only did he ignore the panic he'd intentionally created, he actively drove it.
- He saw people going emotionally through the wringer over the idea that they might have somehow caused his death, and intentionally made them keep thinking it. He say people calling his critics "murderers" for "driving him to his death," and he joined in.
Why am I explaining all of this? I want to make a couple of things extremely clear, and the context is necessary to my ultimate points, namely:
- James Somerton didn't merely "credit people improperly;" he conned his followers out of more money than some people make in a year with the Telos con, while raking in thousands more per month on Patreon and buying expensive equipment, while claiming to be near insolvency and in desperate need of money.
- James Somerton has never taken full responsibility for his actions or attempted to make amends. He has only ever tried to dodge responsibility, particularly by throwing Nick under the bus.
- Every time he has ever been criticized, for any reason, he has lied about threats to his life to gain sympathy and quell criticism. This is a standard part of his MO. He has done this over and over and over again. At this point, I think if he says the sky is blue, someone should go out and check first before doing anything.
"But BB, what if he really is getting harassed/threatened or really is suicidal?"
So, okay: people who are attempting to manipulate you may use legitimate problems as a tool. It doesn't need to be fake to be effective - in fact, it might be more effective if it it's true. An abusive ex who says "if you leave me, I'll kill myself" and genuinely means it and actually attempts it (and possibly even succeeds!) is a lot harder to leave than someone who says the same thing but is clearly just bluffing, because the threat is real.
My rule of thumb in these cases is to treat the threat like it's real, without caving to the intended manipulation. Whether your ex is lying or telling the truth when they say, "I'll kill myself if you leave me," the appropriate response in both cases is to immediately call a mental health service or supportive family member. If it's fake, it's inconvenient for them; if it's real, you reacted appropriately. Your response needs to be the same regardless.
You don't get back together with them because it's a real threat (presumably you wouldn't do that if you knew it was fake and they were never in any danger), and you don't tell them that they're a piece of shit who should be dead (HOPEFULLY you wouldn't do that if you knew for a fact that they were telling the truth).
In this case, I am extremely confident in saying that he was coldbloodedly lying the entire time and was never once threatened, and certainly not to the degree he claimed to be. But even if he wasn't, that does not and should not change anyone's behavior in terms of holding him accountable.
And I mean actually holding him accountable: making sure he doesn't try to start a new con on new people, continuing to point out that he hasn't paid anyone back for his previous con (so long as it's still true), that sort of thing. It doesn't mean people should tell him he should go die for real or, I don't know, try to get him fired if he gets a job at Tim Horton's or Target or something else that's not fraud. That would be wrong regardless of whether he's actually in danger or not. The point is to avoid being cruel without negotiating with terrorists.
Video sources and links under the cut:
tomatowrites reblogged
ever think about how beauty and the beast was one big very intentional metaphor for gayness
caradelrey
christine what
majesdanes
howard ashman was a gay man and he was the composer & lyricist for batb. he finished it right before he died of AIDS, and it was dedicated to him. & alan menken who worked with him on the score said that the film was heavily influenced by his experiences/perspectives. he was already sick when he started work on it (which is why he had to be accommodated in that respect and write in new york, because he couldn’t be moved) and he knew he was going to die and that it would be his last work. honestly! there’s so much self-identification in it, biographers in a lot of the articles i’ve read (this one is good) talk a lot about how he had to conceal his gayness to pursue his career successfully. the entire movie is about like…people who are ostracized and isolated, and it’s all about belle showing the beast that he has humanity and he has worth and he’s not the image the townspeople project onto him. and his lyrics in almost every song! like: “it’s a pity and a sin, she doesn’t quite fit in” / “say a prayer, then we’re there at the drawbridge of a castle and there’s something truly terrible inside” / “grab your sword! grab your bow! praise the lord and here we go! we don’t like what we don’t understand. in fact it scares us” and for context this is all on the tail-end of the AIDS crisis when gay men everywhere are dying because nationally their health isn’t considered a priority, and ashman is about to be one of them…it’s so personal, there’s no way it isn’t imo!
scottymouth
An academic by the name of Sean Griffin talks about this in his book on Disney and queer theory, Tinkerbelles and Evil Queens. You’ve mentioned most of it here, but Griffin comments on something else worthy of note: the symbolism of the rose, which parallels impending death and oblivion. Wilting day by day, petal by petal, it mirrors the immune systems of those suffering from AIDS during the 1980s/early 90s. The Beast has a limited amount of time to find love and happiness or he will forever be entombed by his condition. Although he is revived by some magical force, he closes his eyes in death right as the last petal falls.
Griffin mentions the state of the castle’s west wing in conjunction with health decline. The painting of his former self is damaged by his own anger, embarrassment, shame, and loneliness.
Griffin quotes the academic Cynthia Erb, “The visual contrast made between the deteriorated form of the Beast and the painting of him as a beautiful young man possibly sets up a stereotypical opposition between ugliness and beauty … but in this context the ugliness/beauty dyad also supports a tension, crucial to the film’s AIDS allegory, between the issue of having health or not having it" (Erb qtd. in Griffin 134).
Griffin also mentions how “The Mob Song” serves as “a parallel to AIDS panic that many individuals, as well as religious and political groups, expressed during this press of the disease.”
Source: Tinkerbelles and Evil Queens, Sean Griffin.
If The Little Mermaid echoes the coming out process, familial discord, and first romantic pursuits of the gay man, Beauty and the Beast corresponds to his possible subsequent experiences. During the AIDS crisis, this concerned the fear of sickness and/or impending death.
Y’all are fucking idiots if you think a thousand year old fairy tale is a pro-gay message.
la-femme-noelle
It’s not a thousand years old. It started with Madame Gabrielle-Suzanne de Villeneuve (1695-1755) though it has some parallels with The Brothers Grimm The Singing Springing Lark.
Still, obviously it far predates the birth of the gay rights movement and the AIDS epidemic. Y’all reaching like whoa lol.
elsas
im not talking about the original story i’m talking about disney’s adaptation and lyrics and narrative choices that are specific to it. y’all know that but you just had to come on my post and bore us all anyway.
ur right tho, historically speaking gays weren’t Out There in the big wide world in the 18th century…we actually all came into being simultaneously when ellen aired in 1994, before then we didn’t exist! good catch
I hate to tel you this but most fairy tales are absolutely about the issues of the day, and those issues have to do with bigotry of all kinds. So yes, the monster in the forest? Almost always a metaphor for the outsider. That witch in the woods? Almost always humans trying to distance themselves from caring for the elderly or women in general.
Fairy tales and folklore aren’t pro-queer, my ASS.
There is LITERALLY a Romanian fairy tale about a princess who spends an entire quest in disguise as a man called Fet-Fruners and then is turned into a man thanks to a hermit’s spell. The hermit intended it as a curse, but the newly-minted man rejoices, since he now feels he is as he was always meant to be. And I quote:
The hermit followed at their heels, but seeing it was impossible to overtake the thief, he fell on his knees and called his most deadly curse down on her head, praying that if the thief was a man, he might become a woman; and if she was a woman, that she might become a man. In either case he thought that the punishment would be severe.
But punishments are things about which people do not always agree, and when the princess suddenly felt she was really the man she had pretended to be, she was delighted, and if the hermit had only been within reach she would have thanked him from her heart.
Fet-Fruners ends up marrying the emperor’s daughter and by all accounts, they live happily ever after. It’s called The Girl Who Pretended To Be A Boy, originally published in Sept Contes Roumains and later collected by Andrew Lang in The Violet Fairy Book.
“The Little Mermaid” is literally about Hans Christian Anderson pining for a male friend who he was in love with who ended up marrying a woman.
And don’t even get me started on Greek mythology.
Queer people, trans people, and gender non-conforming people have always existed, and folklore clearly reflects that. If the modern queer community is finding themes in these stories they can identify with, it’s hardly a reach.
#good thread but wild take to suggest fairytales are pro-queer rather than that they reflect the needs anxieties desires and fears#of the people telling them#anyway whatever#there’s a pretty similar Albanian fairytale to the Romanian one here & it has a happy ending :^)#the Albanian one’s p funny because the girl disguised as a boy keeps having wedding nights with her bride#& the bride is like THIS GUY SUCKS IN BED#& the village is like damn too bad we’re gonna have to kill your husband for being a piece of shit#& the girl in disguise is like UHHHHH WAIT I HAVE ONE MORE THING TO#before she’s transformed to a man at the end and finally can please his wife >:^)
tomatowrites reblogged
Every piece of dogshit art makes the world a better place to live. Better to create poorly than not at all.
tomatowrites reblogged
*This poll was submitted to us and we simply posted it so people could vote and discuss their opinions on the matter. If you’d like for us to ask the internet a question for you, feel free to drop the poll of your choice in our inbox and we’ll post them anonymously (for more info, please check our pinned post).
tomatowrites reblogged
saw this polar bear picture and couldn't resist
thinking about MY FANFIC THEMES
tomatowrites reblogged
My #1 recurring thing as an editor is to guide people away from writing shyly and defensively. If you preempt aggression and try defuse it in your writing itself, you are showing your belly. The audience wants blood.
If you write with the expectation of being hated, you are writing for your haters. This is exactly what they want. So the more you do it, the more of your readers will be haters.
can’t write but need 2 channel the last several weeks into my HP fanfic or I will implode
tomatowrites reblogged
My hypothesis is that in like 10 years gen z is gonna have a big cult boom the way the boomers did in the 70s
It’s already happening on tik tok. There’s a fun new thing going round that’s citing common symptoms of depression and anxiety as signs you’re about to have your awakening and that you are actually an alien and the reason you don’t feel right is because you’re home sick for your own galaxy. So that’s fun.
agreed, and i don't mean this in a "haha gen z is so dumb they're gonna join a tiktok cult lmao" i mean that conditions are perfect for the formation of cults right now.
- high unemployment and a lot of underpaying, pointless jobs = people are looking for things to do with their life, a purpose
- skyrocketing cost of living = most young people will not be able to live on their own, meaning some will end up in a group living situation with people interested in recruiting them
- it's a time of great cultural and political upheaval, nothing feels real, people are desperate for meaning and human connection. cults promise that
- there is a new wave of acceptance and understanding for ways of life outside the norm, which is great! ...except for when cult leaders tell you abusive and controlling practices are just their culture, their religion, their lifestyle, their beliefs, their tradition, and if you disrespect it you are the problem
- social media influencers have already shown us how easy it is to build a cult of personality and attract people from anywhere in the world who are interested in the exact brand you are selling
- spirtuality is having a boom, as are things like astrology, crystals, tarot, meditation, energy... those things aren't bad on their own but they are often used as tools of cult spaces
- wellness. i think a lot of people are already in wellness cults. you can make people do a lot of things in the name of "wellness" and a big factor of maintaining a cult is keeping members in a state of decreased cognition..... like say, with regular fasting
- i think people are just unaware in general of how cults function, especially because the satanic panic was a big stupid false alarm that convinced the youths that dungeons and dragons or doom were gateways to cults, which are scary evil child murdering, satan-worshipping gangs. people don't know how to spot them in real life.
[ID: Spongebob wrestling meme format. Buff Patrick labeled "predatory cult" flexes and growls in a wrestling ring at a stern, buff Spongebob labeled "my intelligence". In his corner Mr Crabs is labeled "my education". Final panel shows Patrick and whistling Spongebob walking out hand-in-hand, both labeled "rationalizing why this isn't really a cult" /ID]
(This is actually more relevant here than standalone.)
Our popular media has tended to portray people in cults as ignorant or as losers when that’s really not how they work. Cults don’t want dead weight they have to support; they want talented, clever, energetic people they can exploit to siphon wealth and labor out of.
Some are religious, but some are political. You find yourself moving into a house full of Maoist revolutionaries because capitalism really is that awful and ecological collapse is imminent—but for some reason, the leader of the self-crit sessions is also the person everyone else in the house is in a polyamorous relationship with, and they can’t see anyone else outside of the house without her approval. Or you need a little extra money and you get told you’d be so good at selling Keto products. You’re a natural, and after you get through these first tough months, the leg under you will be developed enough you only have to work if you wanna hit bigger goals. Etc.
Loneliness, a lack of purpose, and desperation all make you susceptible to cults no matter how smart you are. In fact, your very clever brain is also extremely capable of redirecting your thoughts away from realizing you’re being exploited and abused because, after all, you’re not some idiot, are you?
We’ve got a ton of very clever young people fully aware that they’re going to have to suffer through decisions of the selfish dead, and they’re going to crave salvation of all different kinds because the future is going to suck, and it won’t have been their fault, and they won’t be able to do anything to stop it.
You may be thinking still “I’m not one of those WEAK MINDED FOOLS who would join a cult” let me remind you that there’s no one type of person who joins cults. But lots of people who join cults do so when their life is in some kind of crisis and they are extremely vulnerable, seeking a place to belong or escape.
Right now, I have a place to belong and I’m happy and I am hyper vigilant about high control environments and I probably wouldn’t join a cult…but if I had recently lost my job? My partner passed away? If a handful of my friends who function as family left Texas? If my house burned down? If I began struggling with addiction? If I became very ill? Who knows what I would do if just the wrong kind of predatory group bumped into my life at just the wrong time?
All cults start with some level of reasonable introduction. The whole boiling frog metaphor…none of us are as bulletproof to social manipulation and control as we may wish we are. Our circumstances impact us greatly.
I very much think we are not only going to but are already seeing modern cults in a big way. And it’s interesting how many of them are led by women. Gwen Shamblin Lara. Teal Swan. Mother God.
I am a clever woman. I've spent my entire life being the smartest person in the room and being annoyed by it. People have told me since I was a small child that I'm exceedingly bright and gifted. I have never in my life gotten less than a 95% on a test or paper. I solve puzzles like they're all on par with finger trap toys.
I'm not saying that to brag, I'm saying it because I'm the kind of person most people assume is "too smart" to fall for things.
I have been drawn into three different cults in my life. They didn't pull me in because I was ignorant or weak minded. They pulled me in precisely BECAUSE I'm smart. They prey on loneliness. On pattern recognition. On passion. On hope. They find people who feel different and show them how to fit in to their group.
Cults will take anyone. They have tactics to take anyone. There is no specific profile of people who are susceptible to indoctrination, because they need as many bodies and skills as possible to succeed.
The only trait that most cult members have in common? We believed we were too savvy to be drawn in by a cult.
tomatowrites reblogged
AO3 IS IN TROUBLE IF CALIFORNIAN AGE VERIFICATION LAW PASSES
An upcoming Age verification bill centered in California will be voted on Monday-- And as always,instead of actually protecting kids, it will lead to more online censorship and privacy risks, as it will force websites hosting to verify their users age by sending their ID, your browser history would be linked to it. if you live California, call your reps and tell them to oppose the bill AB3080 as it highly unconstitutional.
They also deem LGBT content harmful to minors, as well as mentions of weapons and tobacco, putting them on the same level as NSFW content.
Since AO3 headquarters reside in California, much like Reddit, Twitter,Discord and Youtube (and others) who knows how bad the effects would be. Instead of just effecting Californians (even then its concerning.) the effects would be US or even worldwide. VPNs wont help.
Please take actions here (a script is included to help you) https://www.defendonlineprivacy.com/ca/action.php
Find your rep here https://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/
You can also send faxes using this https://faxzero.com/
If you don't live in California, please talk about this,tag your friends and urge others to take actions, make posts and tweets using the hashtags AB3080 and NoOnAB3080
More info HERE
Also reminder that the arguments of your message don't matter. You're not going to convince your legislator by the quality of your words, so don't worry about just sending in the default message. What their office does is record the quantity of messages sent in.
sorry to my many fans, the last week of police brutality against 18-year-olds has really taken it out of me
tomatowrites reblogged
a poem about art making from a post about "ai art"
tomatowrites reblogged
why write a story if no one's going to read it?
Sometimes you don't want to share a story with others. Sometimes you do want to share it, but no one clicks on the title. So why bother writing it down if the only person you can guarantee will read it is you?
- You need to get it out of your head. It just keeps replaying in your imagination on a loop and the only way to get it unstuck is to pin it down on paper.
- You need to figure out what the story is. You have a lot of disjointed scenes or lines that you know are connected but you can't quite figure out how.
- There's something in the story that's important to you, and you don't want to lose that thing by forgetting it. Future you might find that thing important too.
- You want to be able to go back to the story again and again. Maybe to make adjustments over time. Maybe just to revisit a story that gives you the emotional release you need in that moment.
- You want to be able to use text-to-speech to read the story aloud to you. Maybe it's a bedtime story. Maybe it's keeping you company while you do errands and chores.
- You want to find out whether you can write a story (because not everyone can).
- You want to be able to have almost the same story, but a little bit different, and you want to have it 15 times with slight variations. Then you can go through your own personal menu picking exactly the combination of beats that will satisfy you most on this reading.
- You enjoy the process of finding just the right words or phrases or scenes to paint the pictures you want to shape the scene.
- You want to find the exact rhythm and syllables and structure to make a sentence really sing.
- You don't really have any particular reason, but you know you want to write that story down.
tomatowrites reblogged
Ten Ways To Express the Concept of Your Father "Grounding" You, In 1857, Without Using Slang That Literally Came From Airplanes (Attn: Emma Alban)
- Father would confine me to the house
- Father would mew me up at home
- I'd be practically cloistered if Father found out
- Father would keep me as close as his watch-chain
- Father would scarcely let me out of his sight
- Father would put me on the shortest lead imaginable
- I'd never get away from Father's side
- Father would never allow me out
- Father would make a perfect prisoner of me
- I'd lose any liberty at all if Father caught me [XYZ]
tomatowrites reblogged
I’m noticing an increase in new fic writers on AO3 who…uh…mayy not know how to format their fics correctly..so here is a quick and VERY important tip
Using a random fic of mine as example..
The left example: ✅✅✅
The right example: ❌❌❌
Idk how many times I’ve read a good fic summary and been so excited to read before clicking on it and being met with an ugly wall of text. When I see a huge text brick with zero full line breaks my eyes blur and I just siiiigh bc either I click out immediately or I grin and bear it…it’s insufferable!
If a new character speaks, you need a line break. If you notice a paragraph is becoming too large, go ahead and make a line break and/or maybe reconfigure the paragraph to flow better. I’m not a pro writer or even a huge fic writer but…please…ty…
This is a good thing to keep in mind! It is often and unfortunate that a really good fic doesn’t get love because its formatting makes it too difficult to read!
I think I figured out why this happens!
AO3's posting form has two modes: Rich Text and HTML. the vast majority of people write in Rich Text editors, aka any normal word processing software (MS Word, Google Docs, Apple Pages, what have you). but when you first open it, the posting form opens in HTML view. if you paste formatted text into HTML view, it erases every piece of formatting, including paragraph spacing.
this is an easy fix. when you go to post your fic, make sure the posting form looks like this:
not like this:
and please spread the word! this is an important piece of computer literacy that nobody is teaching to the new generations and they deserve to know
do you guys not know about the google docs ao3 formatting script. use the google docs ao3 formatting script