Not dead, repeat, not dead
Mar. 28th, 2019 08:07 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ideen_elsterI'm not dead, just smelling like it *ba dum ts*
:'D
Writer's Block is still kicking my ass but overall I'm doing better than a few months/weeks ago. How are you all?
:'D
Writer's Block is still kicking my ass but overall I'm doing better than a few months/weeks ago. How are you all?
Edit: Is anyone else playing Pokemon Go???
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Date: 2019-03-28 10:13 pm (UTC)I've been really fascinated by how challenges and fests and things work on here, so that's what I've been looking at on DW lately.
As for writing, uh,, an excess of ideas and a lack of putting the pedal to the metal (or pen to the paper......... fingers to the keyboard?).
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Date: 2019-03-29 06:35 am (UTC)I feel you. It's like putting two same-poled magnets together, they just won't touch no matter how much you try! We can do it though! Eventually! Maybe! Someday in the (not so distant) future... ;A;
What do you want to write?
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Date: 2019-03-29 12:01 am (UTC)Writing is... uh, a lot of me getting halfway through a fic and losing interest/motivation. =__=;
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Date: 2019-03-29 01:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-03-29 04:40 pm (UTC)Sometimes I just come home and, when I look at the unfinished fic, I'd rather just go to sleep than work on it. Or I think "ugh what's the point of finishing this." I wish I wasn't so afraid of engaging with people and sharing the things I like.
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Date: 2019-03-29 05:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-03-29 06:33 am (UTC)I feel you. Why must writing be so difficult? What fandoms are you (wanting to) writing in?
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Date: 2019-03-29 04:42 pm (UTC)I've posted some fanart for recent fandoms in my journal; I'm kind of all over the place atm, so that could be why I have trouble focusing on one particular WIP (damn ADHD brain).
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Date: 2019-03-29 06:03 pm (UTC)I took a look and your art is really good :D Unfortunately I don't know that fandom. What's Perfect Strangers? :O
I feel you so much! That's me in the nutshell, too, lately, lots of jumping between Fandoms and WIPs. It's certainly hard to get to focus, especially if you're "only" writing for yourself.
That's what i really want to learn though, writing for myself instead of for others because it has led me to much anxiety when it comes to writing and being creative now ^^
Agreed though, that it sucks not to have much interaction in fandom and it being toxic on top of that! Bouncing ideas around with someone is a lot of fun!
Let's bounce ideas around :) Tell me about your fandoms, please? I found it's good to have people you can talk ideas to even of they don't exactly share your fandom (I'm certain my go-to person probably knows more about the Umbrella Academy now than she should be even though she never saw it ;P)
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Date: 2019-03-29 07:00 pm (UTC)(I'll just copy and paste another comment I wrote a few days ago bc I'm tired and can't Words Right)
Perfect Strangers is a 80s/90s sitcom that's basically "two distant cousins become Heterosexual Life Partners™". Some of the episodes include the classic tropes: Bed Sharing, Raising a Baby Together, Stuck in a Confined Space (twice, if memory serves), Fake Dating (sort of). And also the fact that they still live together in later seasons despite being married to women. The ship practically writes itself and I love it. Mostly because it's my favorite couple dynamic of "cheery soft optimistic sunshine boi" (Balki) and "grumpy pessimistic jerk with a heart of gold" (Larry).
Honestly though one of my favorite scenes in the entire show (for shipping fodder, at least) is from a season 2 episode where their boss separates from his wife and stays in Larry and Balki's apartment. Boss comes out of the bedroom and says to Larry, "I read your diary. You're a sick man." And Larry looks embarrassed, and Balki is all heart-broken and says to him, "You never let me read your diary." AND WE NEVER FIND OUT WHAT WAS IN THE DIARY. It's probably just a throwaway joke, but I like to believe it was Getting Crap Past the Radar and hinting at some (one-sided, at least) shippy goodness. My ships are all I have, don't take this from me...
All the seasons are on Hulu, if you ever want to join me in shipping hell. I feel like if you dig Wincest from SPN, you'll probably like Balki/Larry.
Bouncing ideas around with someone is a lot of fun!
BIG MOOD. My go-to person has been sporadic the last few months, so I don't really have anyone else to bounce ideas off. I hate being That Person™ who jabbers about something the other person doesn't care about, so I try not to talk about my interests unless someone asks.
I found it's good to have people you can talk ideas to even of they don't exactly share your fandom
Mood! And sometimes it's good to have an outsider take a look at your stuff, because they might have insights that someone in the fandom wouldn't have.
I have about 4 WIPs right now: 2 for Perfect Strangers, 2 for Michael Jackson. Pretty much all are AU, because that's how I roll. The MJ one I'm "stuck" on (more like I just don't feel like working on it atm) is a weird mix of dysfunctional romance (that of course evens out into a healthy relationship because that's my kink) and an exploration of the powerful hold fiction can have over the writer. And also an exercise in "how many Stephen King tropes can I cram into one story?" :P Already the two main characters are writers. It's already at 73k and I'm barely to the "good" parts.
The second MJ one is finished, save for some editing, and it's a rewrite of an older Mafia AU I did a few years back. I love it. ♥ And I'm happy to share parts of it if you're interested! I have a few chapters shared on my google drive for beta purposes.
The first Perfect Strangers one is just a series of little one-shots and drabbles that form a longer narrative. The second one I haven't started yet, but I plan on making it a total AU. I haven't figured out too many of the details yet, and my urge to cram some kind of "literary" plot in there is unabated (probably because I read entirely outside my main genre, so I always want to turn my fics into mysteries/thrillers halfway through).
What are you working on? :D
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Date: 2019-03-30 05:32 pm (UTC)That scene sounds funny, too. WHAT WAS IN THAT DIARY DAMN IT??? xD Could very well be something shippy ;)
I'm not sure I have Hulu where I live, but maybe I can watch it somewhere else. Hell, maybe I can pitch that show to the friend whom I always watch movies and shows with! (I'm bad at watching stuff on my own, I get so easily distracted)
Gawd, I feel you on not wanting to as you put it "jabber(s) about something the other person doesn't care about, so I try not to talk about my interests unless someone asks" <<<< ABSOLUTE SAME! I've been burned so often with people making derogatory remarks about my interests that I've pretty much stopped talking about them unless asked (and unless the person is asking in good faith, just briefly outlining what I like instead of talking about it in-depth the way I'D LIKE TO)
Who are you shipping Michael Jackson with in your WIP, if I may ask? It sounds like a pretty intriguing story. Hopefully you can re-discover your motivation for it. :)
Also wow kudos for writing 73k! *envious* That's an amazing length for a story, double that since you're not even done yet!
Sure thing, send me stuff! :) My PM is open.
What are you two Perfect Stranger WIPs about? Haha nothing wrong with writing mysteries/thrillers in a fic. ;) That's pretty cool actually.
I've got some stuff for Detroit Become Human that I "just" need to edit (haha... ha... ;A;), that's like idk 6 WIPs? But they're all pretty short except one. There are a lot of ideas that I want(ed) to write for Red Dead Redemption 2 and now Umbrella Academy and some other fandoms but in the end I just printed them out now to sort of make the "pile of ideas" a little less immediate and terrifyingly big?? The most recent outline I did was for a short smutty Umbrella Academy fic which I hope to work on. It's for a prompt on the umbrellakink meme. (I love smut)
(I have no idea how to put stuff in italics in a comment?!)
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Date: 2019-03-30 06:14 pm (UTC)Just from the way you described them I'd guess the one in the blue shirt is Balki and the one in the red shirt is Larry?
Switch it around, and you'll have it ;)
I'm not sure I have Hulu where I live, but maybe I can watch it somewhere else.
Oh bummer! It might be on Amazon, if you have that, or even Youtube.
I'm bad at watching stuff on my own, I get so easily distracted
OH same.
I've pretty much stopped talking about them unless asked (and unless the person is asking in good faith, just briefly outlining what I like instead of talking about it in-depth the way I'D LIKE TO)
MOOD MOOD MOOD. I always feel like an idiot when I talk about something I like to somebody who isn't a fan. ;o;
Who are you shipping Michael Jackson with in your WIP, if I may ask?
uHhhhH speaking of feeling like an idiot! XD Long story short: the father of the 1993 accuser was thirsty AF for MJ's attention, jealous that his ex-wife and son were spending more time with Michael than he was, so he created the extortion scheme to get back at MJ. True story. I can't make this shit up (well okay, maybe the "thirsty AF" part, that's my shippy side coming out). IRL of course he was an asshole but fiction is all about exploration and "what ifs", right?
Also wow kudos for writing 73k! *envious* That's an amazing length for a story, double that since you're not even done yet!
HONESTLY I really don't know how I did it! The MJ Mafia AU is like 130k completed, but there's lots of subplots and different stuff happening so it feels faster paced than the other fic.
What are you two Perfect Stranger WIPs about? Haha nothing wrong with writing mysteries/thrillers in a fic. ;) That's pretty cool actually.
The first one is just sort of fluffy one-shots that connect into a larger narrative, focusing on Balki and Larry's relationship developing throughout the seasons. The second one is AU; Larry is a divorced single father who recently lost his job, so he takes his kid (still need to get through the end of the show and find out if the kid is a boy or a girl XD) to Chicago to live with his distant cousin Balki, who is pretty well-off due to being the creator/voice actor of the cartoon Dimitri's World (think something like Garfield, Heathcliff, etc, talking animal cartoons). Larry's kid is a huge fan of the show, so Larry feels like he has a leg up on his ex-wife in the "favorite parent" department, since he's the one related to Balki. Balki is fun and gets along with the kid almost immediately, and of course a romance develops between Balki and Larry. I feel like there should be a mystery/thriller plotline coming in at some point, but URGHGHG sometimes I just want to write a fluffy feel-good romance without feeling obligated to justify the story's existence with a "more literary" plot.
I've got some stuff for Detroit Become Human that I "just" need to edit (haha... ha... ;A;), that's like idk 6 WIPs? But they're all pretty short except one.
I don't know the canon of DBH, but if they just need some editing I wouldn't mind looking them over for typos/grammar/general story sense. I can't speak to whether characters are IC, but another set of eyes can't hurt, right? I'm totally free today and tomorrow!
The most recent outline I did was for a short smutty Umbrella Academy fic which I hope to work on. It's for a prompt on the umbrellakink meme.
Sometimes it's best to work on short things and gear up for the bigger ones! A short fic can sort of "test" the waters for the fandom and see if you get an audience or positive response. Nothing's worse than writing a huge epic fic and posting it to a whole lot of nothing. XD (Can confirm)
Here's a list of html you can use in entries/comments: italics is em
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Date: 2019-04-06 04:53 pm (UTC)Oh no! How are they going to destroy your OTP? Did you spoil yourself to know that? :)
Btw I feel I know those actors from somewhere! Didn't one of them play a part in The Community or something? ... I'm not even sure that was the name of the show.
I'm sure I'll find it somewhere to watch. :)
We need to stop feeling foolish for speaking about our interests. >_< Our interests are good and we should share it!
Long story short: the father of the 1993 accuser was thirsty AF for MJ's attention, jealous that his ex-wife and son were spending more time with Michael than he was, so he created the extortion scheme to get back at MJ.
That's some really wild stuff. o_o But I can totally see why you'd ship them. :D What's your WIP about with them?
The MJ Mafia AU is like 130k completed, but there's lots of subplots and different stuff happening so it feels faster paced than the other fic.
A MJ Mafia AU? Please do tell! :O
Your Perfect Starnger WIPs sound pretty damn good! It's canon that one of them gets a kid? How does that happen?
You should definitely finish those ;) Do you have an AO3 where you post your fics?
Also same with the "not wanting to write a real plot sometimes". Just some fluffy feel-good romance is so nice, too.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR OFFER! Maybe some other time when you got time and I got time, I'll get back to you on that whole editing thing. :') Right now I'm just trying to figure out everything to do with writing and my stories and where to go with them from now on. Also testing out a writing software called "Ywriter". Do you know that one?
Thanks so much for the link to the html. I hope the italics I've used in this comment actually worked.
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Date: 2019-04-08 02:44 am (UTC)No worries! Happy to hear from you regardless!
How are they going to destroy your OTP?
The typical "get all the main characters married by the end of the show" ending. Which would be fine if they were marrying each other. :P I've been dragging my feet on watching the last couple episodes just because I know they're going to be bummers (read: my OTP will explicitly be not-canon). XD
Btw I feel I know those actors from somewhere! Didn't one of them play a part in The Community or something? ... I'm not even sure that was the name of the show.
I don't think so! Unless it was a super brief cameo (which I'm unsure about too). I think they kind of drifted off after the show ended and didn't do much of anything else. 8(
We need to stop feeling foolish for speaking about our interests. >_< Our interests are good and we should share it!
Let me just repeat that to myself a couple million times and maybe I'll start believing it. :P
What's your WIP about with them?
UhhHhHHHh it's this really long meandering thing right now that's just about them meeting and falling for each other. I spent a couple minutes trying to sum it up here but I'll just copy and paste my rough draft summary, since it does a much better job:
In his lonely childhood, Michael created a special dreamscape of the ordinary and extraordinary. He calls this place Neverland. Through this seductive fantasy world, Michael became a bestselling novelist, living vicariously through his characters and transcribing their adventures. After meeting Evan, a divorced father and wannabe screenwriter, Michael’s nocturnal visits to Neverland grow infrequent as he creates a new family composed of himself, Evan, and Evan’s son Jordan.
When Michael’s relationship and pseudonym are exposed with nationwide publicity, his healthy and happy life begins to crumble. His mother and two sisters, devout Jehovah’s Witnesses, cut contact with him. Two of his brothers, too traditional to accept Michael’s homosexuality, avoid him. And Michael’s father, a violent ex-boxer, is the worst of all. This mass disapproval revives the demons from Michael’s childhood, and Michael retreats to Neverland, this time for good. Following the clues Michael left behind and their own intuitions, Evan and Jordan must journey to this mysterious, magical world and rescue Michael before his own darkness consumes him.
A MJ Mafia AU? Please do tell! :O
Another copy-paste summary, because I'm shit at casually describing my work:
For hot-tempered New York mafia boss Evan Chandler, the death of his wife June in an accidental shooting is devastating. Lost in his grief, he’s left to maintain his crime empire and care for his twelve-year-old son Jordan. Evan’s at his wit’s end until Joseph Jackson—don of the prestigious Jackson clan on the west coast—sends his son Michael to live with Evan and run the Chandlers’ bar. Michael’s set to inherit the family business, but he’d rather eschew the seedy underworld of the mob and instead settle into a nice suburban life.
Romance sparks between Evan and Michael as Michael’s warmth and upbeat positivity slowly heal the deep chasm in the family. That’s when their picture-perfect life begins to unravel— Joseph wants Michael back home, but Michael’s not going: he’s in love. This love puts Evan, Jordan, and Michael’s lives at risk as they’re hunted down by Michael’s own family, who will stop at nothing to bring him home. How far is Michael willing to go to protect the people he loves?
Your Perfect Starnger WIPs sound pretty damn good! It's canon that one of them gets a kid? How does that happen?
Ah thank you! :D Here's hoping I can actually get the darn thing off the ground. I haven't seen the whole show, remember? :P So I don't know exactly how the show ends, but judging by episode summaries it's canon that Balki and Larry both have kids. So I'll have to watch those episodes in order to get the canon details right. :P In my AU, I'll shuffle dates around so Larry and his ex-wife have their kid earlier than in canon, in order to shift the timeline and have the kid at an age I can write. XD
Do you have an AO3 where you post your fics?
Right here!
Also same with the "not wanting to write a real plot sometimes". Just some fluffy feel-good romance is so nice, too.
It's SO GOOD, but sometimes I think I've written so much of it that I'm not really sure how to make each fic different from the ones that came before. Since I do tend to write the same couple dynamics... (optimistic sunshine boi + grump with a heart of gold)
Maybe some other time when you got time and I got time, I'll get back to you on that whole editing thing. :') Right now I'm just trying to figure out everything to do with writing and my stories and where to go with them from now on.
I know that feel! But feel free to hit me up whenever you've got something to share!
I hope the italics I've used in this comment actually worked.
yes! :D
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Date: 2019-03-31 03:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-04-06 04:40 pm (UTC)My Trainer-Code is: 4022 4999 8694
I've only been playing for a couple of weeks xD
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Date: 2019-05-04 08:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-04-04 10:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-04-06 04:42 pm (UTC)I absolutely feel you with wanting to be more present on DW, that keeps failing for lack of spoons and no lack of other stuff to do. ^^ And yeah, just take it easy. There's no obligation to be on DW after all. :)
What are some projects you're working on? If I may ask, of course.
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Date: 2019-04-06 08:00 pm (UTC)I suppose it's not so much that I feel obligated to be on DW, as I fear being somehow left out. . . I don't know I'm thinking that there is probably something subconscious going on but I should just let it go. (Lingering middle-high school trauma *hands*, lol)
Of course it's okay to ask! :D (Looking back it was rather a leading thing to say on my part. ;P) I have fallen down the rabbit hole of DeviantArt and the Azalea's doll and scene makers. Oh boy, this was all the rage like six or seven years ago and like always I am SO late to the party it isn't funny. But I've found that it is something lowkey creative and fun to do in my spare time. As I have cyclical hobby habits I will probably circle my way back to DW, reading, and writing before to long though. :D
If you want to have a look (no pressure ;), oh and all SFW) https://www.deviantart.com/isabellerecs.