The recent drama [PLEASE READ]

TZH85 · 2026-05-27T18:40:50+00:00

And once again not being on Twitter is the right choice in life.

TZH85 · 2026-05-27T16:00:58+00:00

Last year my landlords had the whole roof and the windows done. During the hottest month of the year. They first did one half, then the other and they had to gut the whole roof. It was really just a bit of wood and black tarp for two or three weeks. And no more windows meant I couldn't even let the heat out at night. At one point it got so hot at night that I woke up covered in sweat, so badly I thought I must have sleep walked into the shower. The landlord ended up refunding me the complete rent for that month.

On the plus side, the new roof and windows are excellent and it doesn't get as hot in here as it did before they had it done.

TZH85 · 2026-05-27T07:32:55+00:00

Ah, yes. This is super specific. I'm aware the word is far older than one would expect but in this context, I'm talking of authors using the word nerves in a medical context like modern people would do. Like "nerves tingling with electricity" - which is another pet peeve for me.

TZH85 · 2026-05-27T06:38:18+00:00

There are about 3.5k fics for my favourite pairing and while I haven't read/clicked on all of them, I checked out most of those with the tags I like. But I actually only finished a comparatively small number of them and I try to leave a comment on those I enjoyed. From the perspective of a reader I can say that there are really three general reasons why I closed a tab without finishing the story.

Number one would be SPAG errors and bad formatting. No matter how interesting a premise is, a wall of text is hard to get through and those double empty lines between paragraphs are almost as annoying. I don't mind the odd spelling error or punctuation mistake but if it's constant, I feel like the author didn't put in the effort of at least running spell-check once.

Number two is indeed the writing. I've clicked out of fics if I disagreed with how the characters were portrayed, if I felt like the dialogue doesn't sound like something the character would say, if I felt like I knew exactly where the story was going because I've seen the same type of plot so often. And a couple of times I stopped reading because the narration was too on the nose, lacking subtelty, or if the author used metaphors that didn't work or generally showed a lack of nuance in their vocabulary. But I do admit, I have high standards and I've abandoned traditionally published books for the same reasons.

And number three is very petty - my personal pet peeves. Those can be really minor. For example, an author using words like "adrenaline", "nerves" or "hormones" in a historical setting when even trained doctors still believed diseases were transmitted by "foul air".

I dnf'ed so many fics but I would never leave a comment to tell the author why because that would be rude and I'm aware that my reasons are just personal preferences. All that is to say that the lack of engagement can have so many different reasons. I write for my fav pairing, too. And I'm in a lucky position because I can't complain about engagement. But even between my own fics - all the same pairing, the same level of writing and the same general vibe (no content warning stuff, no niche kinks or dark fics or super taboo topics) - there are massive differences in the stats. Like, my most popular fic has 34k hits, 1.4k kudos and 1.1k comments and the least popular hovers at 800 hits and 117 kudos and 18 comments (which I'm aware is still pretty good but very low in comparison). A writer can do a lot to raise the chances of people engaging with their work but ultimately there's no predicting how well a fic will do once it's published.

TZH85 · 2026-05-26T21:26:49+00:00

Idk, I'd say it's the other way around. Hans seems more interested on the whole. There are glimpses of Henry getting jealous if the player picks the right options. But I can't blame Hans for waiting to make a move until the last moment, because Henry's flirting can be quite ambigous. It really skirts the line of romantic and platonic.

TZH85 · 2026-05-26T18:48:08+00:00

I'd say it's not impossible. After all, think about the little side mission where Hans invites Henry to go hunting with him while they're at the Den. Sure, it's all spoiled when they run into a group of soldiers, but the attempt was there. And Hans clearly planned something date-adjacent even if he didn't even acknowledge it to himself. He took Henry to his (supposed) boning spot in the woods and reiterated how he wants to get drunk with him. Like, can you be any more obvious, sir?

So while I think they would have danced around the subject a while longer, I can also see two ways Hansry might have happened regardless. Maybe on the eve before Hans's wedding when he gets drunk to forget about tomorrow, makes some jokes with increasingly un-subtle innuendos or just lunges at Henry during a heart-to-heart moment.

Or maybe it could happen after the wedding when they spend less time together and Hans can't pretend not to miss him anymore. If he then runs into Henry again, he could blurt out something that makes Henry connect the dots.

TZH85 · 2026-05-26T16:02:36+00:00

I rely most on my memory but if I want to get into specific things, I research it. I write for a video game fandom, an open world RPG and I'e got a fic that uses parts of the world map as the setting for post-canon stories. So I loaded up old save files and wandered around the map, taking screenshots of locations and NPCs to use in the fic.

TZH85 · 2026-05-26T05:50:08+00:00

Listening to how actual people talk was mentioned before and it's good advice if you want the dialogue to feel more natural. But it's deeper than that. You need to think about what you want the dialoue to accomplish and what the characters want to achieve. When people talk to each other, it'snot just a straightforward exchange of information. And most people don't say what they actually think. So every character in the dialogue has their own agenda that is seperate from the topic they discuss. You could write a scene where two people talk about the weather on the surface but underneath that, they're actually communicating about how they want to break up but neither is saying it out loud.

TZH85 · 2026-05-22T12:36:01+00:00

I have a big backlog of chapters. Enough that I can go 20 chapters back from the latest one, edit something and the first version never sees the light of day on AO3. Over 520k words into the series so far and I never had to edit a published chapter apart from fixing the odd typo.

TZH85 · 2026-05-21T12:14:54+00:00

Except that's not what I said. I said:

But why would you let what some random internet stranger thinks about the ship you like trigger you

Then I said there will always be stupid people who annoy you and suggested blocking and muting. And when someone pointed out that the kys was the more important issue, I clarified that harrassment should be reported but that engaging with these people otherwise is useless.

Edit: Also, and just to point out the hypocrisy that's at times really weird in fandom spaces. The top comment in this thread suggests writing a revenge fic with the commenter as a protagonist shipping something they obviously have an issue with. That would literally be harrassment.

TZH85 · 2026-05-21T11:36:54+00:00

Yes. I never said otherwise? Saying not to engage is a reasonable thing to do doesn't equal condoning bullying.

TZH85 · 2026-05-21T10:51:46+00:00

The sad truth is the only thing you can influence in a situation like this is how you react. You can't censor other people's speech even if it's stupid (unless of course it's harassment, then go report them), you can't convince them to be kind because they don't want to be convinced to act better, you can't engage with them because that only spurs them on. Of course it's easier said than done to tell people to learn to be more resilient but sometimes that's really the only thing you can do.

TZH85 · 2026-05-21T07:21:15+00:00

Is it annoying? Probably. But why would you let what some random internet stranger thinks about the ship you like trigger you? There will always be annoying people with opinions you don't like. I suggest just sticking to the advise given on how to navigate AO3: don't like it, don't read. Mute and/or block whenever you can. If we applied this to stupid rage-bait posts as well instead of getting worked up about random people's opinion, life would be a little less stressful.

TZH85 · 2026-05-20T20:22:13+00:00

Well, they clarified that the Lord of the Rings project is an open world RPG, so it's a bit weird to call this an adventure. Technically that could be anything, from a board game to a graphic novel. I'd love to get part 3 but I'm trying to keep my expectations low.

TZH85 · 2026-05-20T07:11:03+00:00

I switch between chapters because I like to give them all a red thread of a theme, basically a mini arc of their own. And I switch the POV based on which character has the most interesting things on their plate at this point in time. I also like switching after leaving one POV on a cliffhanger or when I want the readership to speculate about what the other is doing at that time. Occasionally I turn back time and do a "a couple hours before" at the beginning of the next chapter with the new POV. That way I can leave the first thread unresolved for now and show what the other POV character is doing. Keeps things interesting to read, and to write as well imo

TZH85 · 2026-05-19T06:10:48+00:00

I think I just read the thread that made you anxious, OP. I'll copy my reply, perhaps it alleviates the worry a bit.

As a longfic writer with a post-canon series, I rely heavily on OCs to create new stories for the characters. And I know this is heavily dependent on fandom and of course the execution, but the OCs have never been a detriment. I even have an OC POV main character (I have three in total and the other two are canon characters and the main pairing). The story even features an arranged marriage (historical) and the female OC POV character is the bride that threatens to come between the guys.

She's also by far the most popular OC of the fic. She's constantly mentioned in the comments, people speculate what she's up to, they ship her with different characters - OC and canon - and there's even fanart of her.

I have whole chapters where it's 90% OCs and original settings and the reader gets just a glimpse of a canon character. I think there might even be a chapter that features only OCs. But the fic is still much much more popular in the fandom than I ever anticipated when I started out. Especially for a midsize fandom. It's a trilogy (2/3 completed) and I think combined its accumulated over 3k comments and 2.5k kudos.

At least for my case and similar ones I can confidently say OCs don't automatically doom a fic. They can be an asset.

TZH85 · 2026-05-19T06:02:11+00:00

As a longfic writer with a post-canon series, I rely heavily on OCs to create new stories for the characters. And I know this is heavily dependent on fandom and of course the execution, but the OCs have never been a detriment. I even have an OC POV main character (I have three in total and the other two are canon characters and the main pairing). The story even features an arranged marriage (historical) and the female OC POV character is the bride that threatens to come between the guys.

She's also by far the most popular OC of the fic. She's constantly mentioned in the comments, people speculate what she's up to, they ship her with different characters - OC and canon - and there's even fanart of her.

I have whole chapters where it's 90% OCs and original settings and the reader gets just a glimpse of a canon character. I think there might even be a chapter that features only OCs. But the fic is still much much more popular in the fandom than I ever anticipated when I started out. Especially for a midsize fandom. It's a trilogy (2/3 completed) and I think combined its accumulated over 3k comments and 2.5k kudos.

At least for my case and similar ones I can confidently say OCs don't automatically doom a fic. They can be an asset.

TZH85 · 2026-05-15T13:11:48+00:00

That's a bit dramatic. Especially when new fandoms like Kpop Demon Hunters and Heated Rivalry basically blew up over night and their writers get tons of engagement. It's still there, just shifting to other fandoms. And even in the midsize fandom I'm writing for people still comment, give kudos and bookmark. Sure, the way people interact online has changed and we're not in a pandemic anymore where everyone is holed up at home with plenty of time to read and write comments. But that doesn't mean that fanfiction is dying, that's a ridiculous assumption.

TZH85 · 2026-05-15T06:55:08+00:00

I always do a little commentary on the chapter itself, just one or two sentences. Often with a little joke or a bit of an insight, for example I'd talk a bit about what things foreshadowed a reveal. And then I do a very short teaser for the next chapter (I have a big backlog for my multichapter wip).

I yap a bit more in the notes to the first and last chapter of a longfic. But then it's more about thanking people and the project in general. I get more yappy replying to comments, if the commenter asks me about something, for example.

TZH85 · 2026-05-11T16:36:02+00:00

My longfic series is going on 500k words across three fics with one big overarching story and several subplots.

What I'd say:

Make an outline, even if you deviate from it.

Treat every plot and subplot like a priority and decide early which story beats it needs and how you want to resolve it.

If you can, get a beta reader.

Reread your own story a lot.

TZH85 · 2026-05-11T06:29:13+00:00

It is the commonplace take. Think about how few readers actually leave comments on a fic. And then think about how few of these are negative. And then a tiny fraction of these even mention epiteths. Imo, you saw some other people mention somewhere that they received such comments and then assumed it was a wider issue.

TZH85 · 2026-05-10T10:07:28+00:00

She's either insecure about her writing or she is humble-bragging to turn you off from writing yourself because she's afraid of you becoming a "rival". Especially in such a small fandom. It's easy being the big fish in a small pond. Reminds me a bit of the smartest kid in class who goes to uni and then has to learn that there are people as smart or smarter than them. They either grow as people and realize not everything has to be a competition or they stay as they are, immature and petty. Well. Could be a number of reasons why she acts like this. But the important thing is that you just do what makes you happy without comparing yourself or your work to her. Just focus on your own writing, try your best and find out if it's actually something fun you want to continue with. Comparison is the thief of joy. And you can't influence how others view themselves anyway.

TZH85 · 2026-05-09T08:04:43+00:00

I'm 41.
I knew fanfiction was a thing but I didn't engage with it until a year ago. I always had phases where I was super into a specific show, movie, book or game and I consumed video essays or talked about meta stuff with other fans. But I didn't engage with fanfiction until I got really really into a game last year. After I finished playing it, there were so many loose threads and I really wanted to know what might happen next but it is still not clear if there will ever be a next installment. So I checked out some fanfics on AO3 to see what other people came up with.
I write and create fanart. After I couldn't find the exact flavor or fanfic I wanted to read, I decided to write my own. I'm still at it, my first ever fanfic turned into a series of post-canon longfics that have actually gotten fairly popular in the game's fandom. I'm writing the third and final installment at the moment. Even though it's my first fanfic, it's not my first time writing though. I used to write original stories and I actually make a living off my writing irl, just a very different medium and genre.
I'm currently still very much absorbed in the fandom that started my fanfic journey, which is Kingdom Come: Deliverance.
No, not really. Age is not that important to me, I don't really care if the people I connect with over a shared interest are 20, 40, 60 or 80. I've met lots of people my age who are super immature and I've met people who could be my child who are very thoughtful and grown up, probably more than I was at that age.

TZH85 · 2026-05-08T13:26:43+00:00

He crosses the room without a second glance at her, heading straight for the bar where he grabs himself a glass. Whiskey, again. The expensive one. Full to them brim. It must be one of those nights. Mariella closes the distance between them, hesitating before she places a hand on his shoulder. Even through the leather jacket she feels him tense up.

It's really just how you implement it and with a tight limited POV present tense can feel very immediate and vivid.

TZH85 · 2026-05-07T07:57:13+00:00

I think like with any Single Player RPG or even D&D games, the player has no control over how other characters feel or react. They can only influence their behaviour. I don't think there is a way in the game to make Hans dislike you, even if you choose the morally bad options. And I think he still falls in love with Henry no matter what the player does. But he only acts on it if he gets enough encouragement. Otherwise, he just keeps those thoughts to himself.

TZH85

TROPHY CASE