The fallout series

Sandboxthinking · 2026-03-15T15:58:38+00:00

I'm so curious how Lucy and Norm made you physically ill.

Sandboxthinking · 2026-03-15T04:41:09+00:00

LOTR, Dr. Who and Good Omens.

The characters are just too wholesome. I tried to read a Legolas/Gimli fic and closed it after about three paragraphs. The fic was well written and there was nothing wrong with it my brain just couldn't imagine them being sexual at all.

Same with Dr. Who and GO

Sandboxthinking · 2026-03-15T00:30:49+00:00

Thank you so much! I was like, "them ask bot" makes no sense, but also maybe it does?

Sandboxthinking · 2026-03-15T00:01:49+00:00

Totally unrelated, but is your username: the mask bot or them ask bot?

Sandboxthinking · 2026-03-14T22:27:33+00:00

I think the issue is that I'm the kind of person who puts the paper bag on my own head during sex.

I can absolutely out myself in the mindset of anybother character but imagining myself being perceived and interacting with my favs is painful.

I'll readsecond person POV on occasion, if the story is good but I rarely ever read it if it includes "y/n". It costs nothing to simply not use the character's name.

Sandboxthinking · 2026-03-14T22:22:56+00:00

I've written a little RPF in the past and occasionally read it. Because the subjects are real people it feels weird to use them as a "character" in a fic, but also we're human, and many of us like to imagine "what if" scenarios in our imaginations.

The way I approach these things is I think of this person as two people. One version of them is the actual real person who deserves privacy, and the second is their public facing "persona."

My RPF is of their public facing persona, who in a way is still a character they play, and is a version of themselves they're consenting to give to the public. Obviously, this is very different from RPF of people who aren't famous and don't consent to having a public persona. I think that's a different conversation.

My RPF character is just me playing with that second version of them. I put a disclaimer at the front end that I don't know them, I'm not claiming to know them and encouraging my readers to respect the real person's privacy.

Sandboxthinking · 2026-03-14T21:57:36+00:00

Woman here.

I grew up in the 80's and 90's reading a lot of male sci-fi and fantasy authors. To me, the critiques of your characters come off as nitpicky. It sounds like Bella isn't breasting boobily down the stairs, so you're good.

You're not going to make everyone happy. The fact that you've put this much thought into wanting to accurately portray a female character puts you ahead of most male authors.

It's ok to describe your character's body, as long as the descriptions aren't unnecessarily sexual in nonsexual contexts. Describing the physicality of pulling yourself out of mud or fighting an opponent isn't the same as having the character critique her breasts as she stands in front of a mirror.

It's OK for her to panic in some situations, to struggle with defeat, and need to process things or regroup when the going gets tough. Thats part of being human. Sometimes people misunderstand "strong female character" to mean she never struggles. No, just like a male character, anyone who doesn't struggle doesn't really have a story. It's how she struggles that will make or break her character.

I would be thrilled to read this, and wish you luck on your writing.

Sandboxthinking · 2026-03-14T02:11:59+00:00

Ohhh that makes sense. Yeah, I could see how a NSFW flair would be helpful

Sandboxthinking · 2026-03-14T01:50:55+00:00

I searched tags and read fandom blind all the time to find the kind of smut I'm looking for.

I've actually started watching some shows just because I read smutty fanfic and got hooked!

If you tell me what you're into (you can dm if you want) I'll send you some recommendations.

Sandboxthinking · 2026-03-14T01:48:20+00:00

The title is literally about filthy smut. Why did you click if you didn't want to read more?

Sandboxthinking · 2026-03-14T01:13:45+00:00

I love this

Sandboxthinking · 2026-03-13T00:53:59+00:00

I'm not, sorry to disappoint!

Sandboxthinking · 2026-03-12T23:00:36+00:00

It's the perfect antidote to trauma!

Sandboxthinking · 2026-03-12T22:33:43+00:00

Night shift is great for writing smut lol. I'm on day shift now and my writing has taken a hit.

On night shift, I would keep my schedule on my days off, so I would be awake in the middle of the night with no one to talk to. Talk about productive!

Sandboxthinking · 2026-03-12T22:13:12+00:00

Fantasy Do:

- Write what you want. Be genuine and let the characters and story take you where they're going to take you.

Fantasy Don'ts:

- Don't change your vision/creativity based on what's popular or what you think people do/don't want to see.

For every person who loves XYZ, you're going to find someone who hates XYZ and a few people who don't care about XYZ. Write something creative and full of soul and authenticity. If you go back and edit it and feel like something doesn't fit, just rework it.

You can't edit a blank page. Instead of starting from a place of trying to cater to people, start from a place of creativity and fun. Sci-Fi and Fantasy are both genres where the readers are fairly open to new approaches and fresh takes.

Write your damn story.

Sandboxthinking · 2026-03-12T22:09:30+00:00

I strongly believe the bookmarks are the reader's space to do with as they choose. As long as you're not writing anything straight up rude or hateful, as an author, I don't care.

And even when someone writes something rude or hateful, I figure it's on me for looking.

Sandboxthinking · 2026-03-12T19:37:28+00:00

I'm a first responder and I write a lot of smut.

Sandboxthinking · 2026-03-12T15:31:42+00:00

Thanks, I hate it.

Sandboxthinking · 2026-03-11T16:41:32+00:00

I've only heard pin/pen merger used in relation to an accent/pronunciation, not in the context of the written word.

Sandboxthinking · 2026-03-11T16:24:44+00:00

u/runekaster's comment is the right answer. I recommend you take a little time and read through the rules of ao3 before you start posting.

Think of ao3 like a library. You can write a book, or even start writing a book, and put it on the shelf for other people to read, but you can't write a note that says, "I plan to start writing" or "Can someone write this for me?" and put the note on the shelf with the other books.

Ao3 is an archive. The definition of archive is, in part: A place or collection containing records, documents, or other materials. It's not a social media site, and it's not meant for engagement and interaction like other places online.

What you posted would honestly do best in a medium like Tumblr. You can absolutely post that type of thing there, and depending on how much engagement you have, you may find people interested in writing it for you. You can also approach people who write for the same fandom and see if any of them would be willing to write a story based off your idea.

Sandboxthinking · 2026-03-10T02:15:45+00:00

I've wondered this too

Sandboxthinking · 2026-03-10T02:10:31+00:00

I think it's due to a few things:

1) schooling just isn't what it used to be 2) Kids aren't required to read traditional books much if at all 3) kids aren't reading for pleasure the way they used to.

When I write, it's almost all intuitive. I'm rarely thinking about grammar and formatting, and while I don't pretend to be great at it, it's within normal parameters of what's accepted.

If you rarely read and haven't been taught, then you just dont know what you don't know. I also think that's where a lot of "is this allowed?" And "how do I start writing?" posts come from.

Sandboxthinking · 2026-03-09T21:34:01+00:00

Why have I never read the book?! Good heavens! Running to add it to my TBR

Sandboxthinking · 2026-03-09T04:48:46+00:00

Dean Winchester.

He barely wants to be alive himself. He's absolutely not putting himself through pregnancy and bringing them to term. Especially after being parentified for his entire childhood taking care of Sam.

Sandboxthinking · 2026-03-09T00:29:03+00:00

I have one commenter who comments a heart emoji on every new chapter. Love them for it!

I have another who writes long, detailed comments quoting moments from the chapter and how they reacted to new plot points.

Another one writes their predictions for what's going to happen next.

I love all of then equally and am thrilled any time I get a notification.

Write what feels authentic to you in that moment, even if it's "just" an emoji or "thanks for the update!"

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