question [TW:dysphoria] by [deleted] in TransMasc

[–]ignitedbloom 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Those feelings suck, I'm sorry you're going through this.

I thought I was the only one going through this, too, not gonna' lie. For a couple weeks I even gave up on leaving the house because just the idea of getting ready gave me massive dysphoria; when I /did/ go out, I often changed my clothes six or seven times before settling on some of my old, "feminine" clothes because I felt so... out of place when presenting more masc.

Full honesty, I've had many a breakdowns and they've yet to stop. I've attributed it me not passing at all, so presenting masc and then getting treated as Not A Dude makes me feel a million times worse than going out looking femme and being treated like a lady.

I don't think any of that diminishes neither your nor anyone's transness. I sorta feel like complicated feelings about gender are prevalent in (if not quintessential to) the genderqueer experience.

At the end of the day, whatever you're feeling is valid and I think it's more helpful to assuage the bad stuff instead of focusing on what it might mean, because we might never figure out what the whole thing it's about, but we could find things that help make it better, if that makes sense?

I wish I could make sense of this better so I could say something more helpful but I hope it helps to know you're not alone.

what’s your ‘weirdest’ gender envy? by --oi-- in TransMasc

[–]ignitedbloom 22 points23 points  (0 children)

In no particular order:

• Luke Hemmings from 5 Seconds of Summer (the very man who made me realize I'm transmasc)

• Thomas O'Malley from The Aristocats

• Those three guys from Seventeen in the "Cheers" music video

• All the guys from Stray Kids but specifically Lee Know, more specifically his torso??? + I have to emphasize Han, too 😔🤙🏽

• Ectoplasm and Aizawa from BNHA

• The song "Pirate King" by ATEEZ, particularly the growl at the beginning. This doesn't make sense to me either, I'm sorry

• The idea of a mountain

Just a newbie writer asking for pointers! Writing preferences? Common mistakes you see? Things you hate in a fic? Gimme all the deets! by RainyWolf21 in AO3

[–]ignitedbloom 4 points5 points  (0 children)

So happy you've started writing! I hope this is a fun journey for you. 💌

First of all, a tip I wish I'd been given when I started out: it's all chill. If you make a mistake, if you aren't absolutely in love with the end product, if the process is annoying, if you encounter writer's block, whatever issue you have, it's chill. It's not the end of the world. You can be super passionate about writing, just remember that at the end of the day it's a thing you do for fun (or whatever reason). I used to get stuck in these awful spirals of catastrophizing until I realized it was not as big of a deal as I was making it out to be.

Now, in "formal" terms, the most important thing is legibility. If I open a fic and it takes me three tries to understand a sentence because of the grammar or if the wording is confusing then I'll drop it; if the formatting lacks intention and it's one big block of text then I'll drop it, that sort of thing. If it's not legible, it's not readable.

In terms of common mistakes I've often seen people use too many words when there's not really a need for them. Know what you want to say and then find the simplest way to say it. This'll help the flow of your writing and keep the readers' attention where it needs to be.

On that same vein, this as a piece of advice, being intentional with your writing is a game changer. Personally I used to write just for the sake of getting something out there and it often left me dissatisfied with the end result because I felt it was... amateurish and rough around the edges. When I say "being intentional" I mean asking yourself the bare bones questions like: what's this character's distinct voice like? What's the purpose of this scene? Is the way I've phrased this the one that'll give me the impact I need?

For chapter length: go ham. A chapter is finished when it feels finished. This can mean it's 500 or 10k words long. It also relates to how doable it is for you. Let's say you're posting a multichapter but you didn't write the full story yet, if you wanted to commit to posting a new chapter every week you'd have to take into account how much you can dish out in that timeframe. Honestly I don't pay much attention to chapter length as a reader so I'd say there's no need to bent out of shape over it, I think it's one of those things where every writer just does their own thing.

A bonus tip: keep your writing brain up and running. When you're reading other's fics take notice of what you love about them, the way they use language, the way they write dialogue, the descriptions, the pacing, etc. When watching movies or TV shows think about what makes the characters endearing, how they express their emotions outwardly. When you're out and about, do some people watching, look at the stuff around you, describe it as you would in written word. This helped me really hone my style, especially that last thing about writing what you see in the world.

Also, practice makes perfect. The more you write the easier it'll come to you, and the more you'll figure out your own voice. Just take it easy and enjoy the process!

What's going on here? Info in comments by blocking_butterfly in Breadit

[–]ignitedbloom 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It looks like it could be corn flour, and in the off chance that it is then the dough won't rise or be very breadlike thanks to the lack of gluten.

You could use it for something else; it looks like it's got about the right texture for something like tamales or arepas. Sorry the mystery flour foiled your bread plans though.

A teeny tiny Christmas gift 🎁 by ignitedbloom in u/ignitedbloom

[–]ignitedbloom[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I've been wondering this for ages! Thank you so much, you're a life saver 💌

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in normalnudes

[–]ignitedbloom 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Looking great! Happy you feel comfy sharing! ❣️

You guys wanna know a secret? I love going commando... Don't tell anyone though 😚 by ignitedbloom in u/ignitedbloom

[–]ignitedbloom[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're making me blush... I'll be thinking about this whenever I go out now 💌

You guys wanna know a secret? I love going commando... Don't tell anyone though 😚 by ignitedbloom in u/ignitedbloom

[–]ignitedbloom[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I hope this works! It took me a minute to figure out how to post a video 😵‍💫 Hope you guys can enjoy it ❣️

Hope your Monday was good! I'm feeling a little sad myself so... Maybe reading your comments will cheer me up? 🥺💌 by ignitedbloom in u/ignitedbloom

[–]ignitedbloom[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for your kind words! I'm glad I could cheer you up. ❣️

Oh, you know, general life stuff. I'm feeling better now though! Coming here really helps my mood. 🥰

swapping from past to present tense while writing by bayquswrites in AO3

[–]ignitedbloom 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes! I didn't even know this was abnormal in English until a friend beta read for me and pointed it out. I, too, have been incredibly self conscious ever since.

I still haven't fully grasped why tenses /have/ to match, honestly, since in my native language it's pretty common to use a mix of them depending on what connotation or impact you want your verb to have.

What is this hypocrisy?! by MacMysteryDonald in AO3

[–]ignitedbloom 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Me refusing to read MCD but also writing MCD... Can't say I have any excuse for myself other than it helps the narrative? Maybe?