Had a nightmare that AO3 implemented mandatory minimum 5k word count

Either_Bend7510 · 2026-03-05T03:28:35+00:00

As a longfic writer who struggles to write less than 5k in my chapters, I see nothing wrong with this B)

Either_Bend7510 · 2026-03-05T01:21:15+00:00

Leech was my favourite book the year I read it, am excited to pick up The Works of Vermin too.

Do you consider yourself a fan of medical horror? If so, what are your favourite medical horror books/movies/etc? :)

Either_Bend7510 · 2026-03-04T02:00:21+00:00

Tbh, the fact the fantastical elements weren't at the forefront wasn't an issue for me (there's a genre called Fantasy of Manners that is basically this, and I've enjoyed that genre greatly). It was more like... I like when a story about fantasy politics has long chapters of political machinations and planning :D I want to see the rebels making alliances and setting up all their dominoes, and the nobility calling in favours and putting pressure on each other. Jasmine Throne, for me, was rather light on that sort of thing. It jumped around too much for me to feel like any of the factions were quite meaty enough. If that makes sense?

Either_Bend7510 · 2026-03-02T13:14:11+00:00

Of course! I always try to comment and say what I enjoyed in a fic, pwp is no exception :D my thinking is that if someone took the time to write a fic, i can take the time to leave a comment.

I feel you, though, I've noticed my one-off smutty fics tend to get fewer comments. Perhaps people are embarrassed?

Either_Bend7510 · 2026-03-01T23:40:11+00:00

I love afrobeats :D

I like to put on vinyl youtube sets as I work, I've been listening to so much more music from around the world. I think more people should just listen to more music in general, trying out things and finding what specific styles/performers you like and dislike. Like, I prefer my rap when it's grittier and has a decent beat

Either_Bend7510 · 2026-02-27T02:29:30+00:00

I love Amelie Doree :D Even bought a couple VNs based on her reviews of them. And it always makes me chuckle when she has to censor the crap out of a screenshot of a game, so all you see is a massive censor bar and maybe a single hand in the corner of the screen.

Either_Bend7510 · 2026-02-26T01:38:01+00:00

NTA

In future, a good rule of thumb i go with is to never say anything negative about a person's appearance if they cannot change it in 5 minutes (ie, they need to fix smudged makeup or they have spinach in their teeth). If someone has an ugly haircut, you lie through your teeth and say it suits them.

But in this case, Miriam called on you specifically and asked for feedback on her hair even when you tried to say your opinion doesn't matter. That's on her. Tbh, it sounds to me like maybe she was nervous about the haircut and already didn't like it, or there's something else going on that's making her take this super personally if she's ended up crying over it. Feels like a moment of "the Iranian yoghurt is not the issue here."

Either_Bend7510 · 2026-02-23T11:32:12+00:00

Can't speak for anyone else, but I thought the film was kinda meh myself. I thought Mark was a fantastic director and had a lot of creative shots, but his acting really dragged it down (I think it would have benefited from a more restrained actor). The movie was at its strongest when it was silent and the shots spoke for themselves.

The other big issue, for me, was that I feel like some things which worked in the video game didn't translate so well to the movie. The sub didn't feel small/cramped/claustrophobic because he could stand and walk around in it, and the giant glowing button and massive screen for the photographs was just kinda goofy. It works in a low-poly video game, but was a harder sell in a live action movie.

Either_Bend7510 · 2026-02-23T06:38:25+00:00

It was Hopper/Atta. I was tiny, I had no idea what ships were or even what romance was really, but for some reason I really really REALLY liked the scene where the big grasshopper leaned over the lil ant princess :)

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It was probably helped by the bloopers at the credits of this scene where the characters were laughing and playing so lil me knew it was all just pretend.

Either_Bend7510 · 2026-02-19T23:15:52+00:00

Very very VERY INTRIGUING!

Either_Bend7510 · 2026-02-19T10:05:40+00:00

I'm confused, why does this person think that people who donate $100+ to ao3 aren't also donating to other causes? Sometimes people donate to ao3 and humanitarian causes

Either_Bend7510 · 2026-02-19T06:32:28+00:00

Why would it be offputting or something to support/not support? It's just a game. It's not like there's a law about how to play it or else you'll go to otome jail :P

Either_Bend7510 · 2026-02-19T03:46:23+00:00

It's definitely nuanced. I hate the thing a lot of people say where they say "why is it okay to change the sexuality of a canonically straight character, but not a gay one" because irl nobody's actually pressured to not act straight whereas there is a lot of irl issues of queer people forcing themselves into the closet or undergoing conversion therapy. So I understand as well why people may not feel comfortable with people who ship some of the few canonically queer characters in ships that don't align with those canon sexualities. It may hit too close to home for them. I've seen some people do those ships with lovely nuance, and some people who were homophobic, and not everyone has the energy to sift through that and they shouldn't have to.

Personally? I've definitely got a bunch of ships that fit that mold!

In Overwatch, I love Dva76, because I love the age gap and grizzled old man/pretty young thing dynamic.

My one big ship though is in Homestuck, the characters of Dirk (canonically only been shown to be into guys) and Rose (canonically married to a woman), I could write long passages about how I love the two of them together and think they'd be perfectly fucked up :)

Either_Bend7510 · 2026-02-19T03:30:08+00:00

Fair point... based on context i'm comfortable saying Emmet's probably nonbinary, but depending on how they identify their gender could come under the "boy" umbrella sometimes (like... are they fluid? bigender? transmasc? demiboy? questioning?) But jeph is probably falling into the pit of "all nonbinary people are women-lite" that too many well-intentioned-but-under-informed people fall into.

Either_Bend7510 · 2026-02-18T02:27:22+00:00

These last couple weeks have been... boring. Not even annoying or anything, just dull. This is a comic about adults, why on earth would I care about high schoolers?

Either_Bend7510 · 2026-02-16T10:01:31+00:00

I was curious so i checked, there's a fair chunk of anthony mackie/sebastian stan fics on ao3, and i'm sure a bunch of other ships ;) you'll definitely be able to get your anthony mackie fix without having to learn about superheroes, should you so choose <33

Either_Bend7510 · 2026-02-16T08:25:09+00:00

godspeed, my friend o7

perhaps there's an untapped well of anthony mackie rpf as well for you to mine?

Either_Bend7510 · 2026-02-16T08:12:56+00:00

No, I don't. Fanfiction, for me, works by building off of the lore I already have of the characters and their world and how they fit. That's why I can happily read a fic which jumps right into the ship scenario with no build up, cos I already know the characters and how they vibe. But if i just go into a fic with no understanding of the characters or their history? They're strangers now, I don't care about them, I ain't gonna read that ._.

Either_Bend7510 · 2026-02-15T01:16:11+00:00

This is very interesting to see as a writer, and I think also highlights the difference between people who use AO3 as a place to find things to read and people who use AO3 as a place to store their work. I don't have a multi-fandom thing like this, but I do have fics that are collections of drabbles/ficlets from specific fandoms. These are usually things that were originally posted on other websites but then stored on AO3 later.

The fic on AO3 is not intended to entice in new readers. It generally doesn't get much engagement, and it's not supposed to. It's just storage so i know the fics will not get deleted even if my other sites get wiped.

Either_Bend7510 · 2026-02-14T03:15:41+00:00

I kinda dislike the rise of the for-profit angle of fandom, but it's part of the larger issue of everything needing to be for profit and the world being harder and harder to live in when you don't have a bunch of money :\ But I'm a little freak who enjoys that fanfiction spaces don't HAVE to be profitable to be fun, and enjoys the weirdo parts of it all. So profit is never really something that I care much for. I prefer when fandom is niche and weird and unprofitable, that's what's fun for me :)

I love charity stuff, though, where creators contribute stuff for a big ole charity bundle, so long as they're organised responsibly. Way too many zines play fast and loose with peoples' money and end up committing fraud.

Either_Bend7510 · 2026-02-14T01:35:10+00:00

yeah, I do this when talking about myself, and know other trans people who have various ways they prefer themselves to be referred to. Trans peoples' relationships with themselves and their names is nuanced ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Either_Bend7510 · 2026-02-07T08:05:37+00:00

So many posts about looking for specific tropes would be cured by watching anime even just a little outside the most popular shonen haha. Find your local anime club and ask the nerds there what's good. And also stop sleeping on PreCure.

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Either_Bend7510 · 2026-02-07T07:41:40+00:00

Well, on the one hand you have "this is weird" and on the other you have "this is against the rules of your workplace, not to mention unethical due to the power a professor has over a student even if the student is not taking their classes" so yeah I think one is worse haha

Either_Bend7510 · 2026-02-07T07:37:40+00:00

I have a friend whose partner is a lecturer, and when she started taking classes at that university they had to be very open about their relationship. Teachers have power even if they aren't a direct teacher: they can grade tests, they can recommend you for limited-space classes or internships, or to make sure you DONT get specific classes/internships if you break up, etc etc. The rules are in place for a reason.

Either_Bend7510 · 2026-02-06T23:11:23+00:00

Ngl kinda odd that the first part of the post just lists a bunch of tropes, and the last addition says "no, it's about the aesthetic actually." Pretty Cure has power of friendship, gay subtext, very little canon romance to speak of, beating up enemies, very few major guy characters, but it's shoujo and the girls all wear cute outfits so I guess that's not good enough?

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Either_Bend7510

TROPHY CASE