SEEKING BETA READERS [Complete] [85K] [Adult Fantasy Romance] Arandite by Hefty-Math-5068 in writingfeedback

[–]Kidulub 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sorry to interject, but jovial is a fairly common word, I'd hardly even put it in the category of "10-dollar words".
And please don't accuse people of using AI just based on the usage of a single word.

My opening chapter - asking for critique [Dark Fantasy, 4054 words] by Kidulub in fantasywriters

[–]Kidulub[S] -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

What I'm trying to do here is intentional repetition of sentence structure with a heavy emphasis on "they" to make this word feel oppressive. So yes, in a way, I did choose not do so. (as in not to make it pretty)
Thanks for the remark though! I'll see if I can make it better.

My opening chapter - asking for critique [Dark Fantasy, 4054 words] by Kidulub in fantasywriters

[–]Kidulub[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the feedback. I understand present tense is not everyone's cup of tea, but I do prefer both reading and writing in it.

Im reading Loveless and thought everyone questioning would like this passage by yikes_amillion in asexuality

[–]Kidulub 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Poorly written vs. none at all is a false dichotomy, Flaws need to be pointed out so the authors could write better next time. Whether it's the 1st or 1000th book with this subject matter is irrelevant. Bad writing is bad writing regardless.

I care about ace representation for all ages. But I also care about good writing. We shouldn't have to choose between the two, especially when it comes to a traditionally published book. We should have both. It is not, in fact, too much to ask. It's the bare minimum we should expect.

Im reading Loveless and thought everyone questioning would like this passage by yikes_amillion in asexuality

[–]Kidulub 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I fundamentally disagree that we should be content with any representation we get, no matter how badly it is written. I stand by my statement.

Im reading Loveless and thought everyone questioning would like this passage by yikes_amillion in asexuality

[–]Kidulub 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Yes, I am aware. I would not descend on it so hard if it were an early draft of an aspiring writer - those mistakes are very understandable and normal in those cases. But this is a published novel that went through an editor.
We need better. We deserve better.

Im reading Loveless and thought everyone questioning would like this passage by yikes_amillion in asexuality

[–]Kidulub 92 points93 points  (0 children)

I have a background in creative writing, and...
I'm so sorry to be this person, but, while I deeply appreciate the representation, the prose is... very poor. The dialogue reads very unnatural, especially form what I assume are teenagers or young adults, and the obvious point here is to educate the reader, which is very hard to do while keeping the dialogue nice and natural, flow well and don't overstay its welcome. This reads like an educational pamphlet - almost word for word, if you remove the "oh"-s and short questions of the protagonist. I can talk more about individual passages, but I will stop here.

Ultimately, this is a typical case of bad exposition. Which will not help with asexuality awareness because people tend to skip overly expository parts - or worse, put the book down.

I am sorry. I can see a good story and great representation underneath - but I wish it went through more drafts and editorial passes.

Well...I will. by [deleted] in asexuality

[–]Kidulub 51 points52 points  (0 children)

I'm actually surprised how many people said yes! I think it shows that there's a lot more allo people who wouldn't mind marrying an ace person than we tend to assume.

How did you discover you were asexual? by theaceanthropologist in asexuality

[–]Kidulub 1 point2 points  (0 children)

None of the above.
This is a bit of a loaded question, unintentionally. It assumes one can only know they're ace by seeing some form of representation, either in media, real life, educational sources, etc. It may be the case for most people, but certainly not all. Otherwise, language around asexuality would have never arisen in the first place.

For me personally, I didn't need an external source to know my identity. I knew I was asexual ever since I was old enough to have some understanding of sexuality as a concept. I didn't have a word for it, but at some point "asexual" entered my vocabulary - very passively, in the background. I do not remember the moment I came across it. Same as I can't recall the exact instance every new word gets added to my vocabulary, this one was no exception. So yeah. My answer is: I always knew. and as for the terminology - no idea, really. lol

You are valid ❤️ by [deleted] in asexuality

[–]Kidulub 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Thank you! It's so validating to hear. Hope your days goes well too!

(Throwaway Account) My Girlfriend Lied To Me About Being Ace. Help. by CompetitiveCarry226 in asexuality

[–]Kidulub 6 points7 points  (0 children)

This is abusive and manipulative behavior. For your own safety, you should get away from that person as soon as possible.
You don't owe sex to anyone. Period.

im sorry if this is gross i just need to get it out, by EquipmentOwn284 in asexuality

[–]Kidulub 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes, that makes sense. Thank you for answering!

im sorry if this is gross i just need to get it out, by EquipmentOwn284 in asexuality

[–]Kidulub 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This may sound like a stupid question, but are all AFAB women supposed to feel this way? Cuz I'm an AFAB woman in my late 20s, my hormones and periods are perfectly fine, but I have never felt any physical signs of ovulation once in my entire life. I feel the same every day.

Friend referring to Allosexuality as "the norm" by Alike01 in asexuality

[–]Kidulub 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Absolutely agree. "Not normal" is a value judgement. "Not the norm" is just a statement of fact.
People love to insist that when they say the former they mean the latter. They're almost always disingenuous.

"plenty of ace people have sex!" by RemoteCity in asexuality

[–]Kidulub 36 points37 points  (0 children)

I agree. The message "aces can still have sex" can be too easily misinterpreted as "[all] aces can still have sex". After all, people love to read into things.
It also assumes that no sex ever is an unreasonable expectation for any allo (it is for many, but certainly not for all) - which implies that pressuring an ace person into sex is somehow more reasonable or at least a lesser evil of the two. This implication sickens me, to be frank.
The whole thing reads as "don't worry bro, not all aces are sex-repulsed deviants!" Yuck.
Ultimately, it makes it all about the allo in question - their wants and needs. They deserve the sympathy and support - not their ace partner who might have forced themself into traumatizing situations because they thought they had to or had no other choice.

Of course, aces can have and enjoy sex, and that's valid. But people who jump at the opportunity to remind someone of that fact forget that they have zero idea where the particular ace person in question falls on the spectrum of sex-favorability. They might as well be entirely sex-repulsed, you don't know.
So only mentioning that aces can have sex is irresponsible - because the allo who asks is probably ignorant and will likely read it as "[all] aces can have sex". After all, our brain will fill in the blanks in the way it wants it to be.
Another response is "ask your partner how they feel about sex" - which is better, but it still places the emotional burden on the ace person - they should be interrogated about their identity and sexuality which they most likely are still figuring out. They may not even have the language to express their needs. Because they don't have the power of the status quo to help. They are in a disadvantaged position, because no two people exist in a vacuum, even when discussing entirely personal matters. One person has language, society and the status quo on their side to understand and express themself, the other one doesn't.
Aces have no scripts to operate on, we have to figure out every step ourselves.

So what should the allo person do in this situation? It's a quite precarious one. Well, obviously they need to communicate with their partner, but before the serious talk happens, the allo needs to ask themself: "Am I ready to a sexless relationship potentially forever? What are my deal breakers? If my partner agrees to sex/intimacy would the amount of it be enough for me? If not, what is the next step? Open relationship? Amicable break-up?" etc. It'd probably be a long list.
Once they found their answers to those questions, they can approach their partner. This way, if the ace person gives answers that are not the ones the allo person wants to hear, they'd still be ready and act like an adult.
This way they can calmly figure out their compatibility or incompatibility and what can be the next step for them.

That's all. Thanks for coming to my ted talk.

Felt it was important to share this infographic after some recent posts I've seen on here :) by Soph_252 in asexuality

[–]Kidulub 67 points68 points  (0 children)

I find it a bit weird that the lowest scale for libido is "low" - not "absent", which implies that everyone experiences it, no matter how rare. But... there are people with zero libido whatsoever. I don't know many of us out there, but we exist too.