@niobiumao3. I Think I Love You For All This

@niobiumao3. I think I love you for all this 👆🏼

So about Crosshair

Some drunken rambling by my housemate which I have distilled

This goes under the 'why Echo doesn't trust Cross and is mad at him' heading alongside 'actual Imperial Tech seems unlikely'.

Although Cross was all in on getting out of the torment nexus once it was within reach, there's the fact that he now gets to grapple with, okay so now what. He thought being with the Empire was the right thing, was the safe and if not good at least the smart thing. But it wasn't. So was he wrong about everything? About his squad, the war, ALL of it? Has he literally ever done anything right in his life, is he even capable of it? (Can he even shoot anymore with his hand tremor?)

He's going to be (once again) searching for stability, for a place to belong. And he'll probably get an offer from Hemlock, who of course had to let them go because of Omega. Now, though, Hemlock might be thinking 'Really this is okay, I have an in. A plant.' He'll make an offer to Cross, a tempting one. Hey come on back and we'll make you a commander again, give you a spot, etc, all water under the bridge.

And despite how it has to be a trap Cross WILL be tempted, until he finally comes to grips with himself and everything he did and didn't choose to do. This is why it's reasonable for Echo to distrust him; until Cross is offered the choice again and freely turns it down, no one can be sure he's really ready to move on.

This is also why (IMO at least) actual Imperial Tech (as opposed to Sneaky Undercover Tech) is unlikely. They're not gonna have Cross be distrusted by Echo only to have Tech show up brainwashed. That's just awkward and detracts from the focus of Cross' reintegration, turns it into Cross and Tech's reintegration. I mean, bad writing aside, obviously that's always on the table. But things have been so good in the overall, especially for Cross and Tech, I just struggle to see them fumbling that hard.

Cross's real redemption/atonement begins when he tells Hemlock no, of his own free will.

As small fry, I’ll tell you I know everyone who regularly leaves kudos. I absolutely don’t think someone is weird if they kudo their way through my series. And I would kiss commenters on the mouth if I could.

I’m 100% that post I can’t find now that said something like “I just write these for myself. ::reloads Ao3 repeatedly checking for hits and kudos::”

This is addicting, and I curse the name of my beloved friend who convinced me to post my smuts.

me, quietly whispering to the ao3 page of an author who doesn’t even know I exist: I am obsessed with you

I literally cannot stop writing smut, so: Challenge accepted!

Silently praying that this new season of the bad batch will encourage people to write more fics about the batch 👀

lords know I try not to be thirsty on Ao3, but, hoo-boy, commenters and regular kudos givers are just ::chef’s kiss::

That shot of serotonin from a comment is the fuel that keeps writers going.

I try to leave something wherever I go to practice what I preach. 😘

Fanfiction Comments: Why Bother?

Genuine question: If ya’ll like a story, why not comment?

This question, born out of previous discussions and Discord chats, is one writers have been dealing with for a long time. Feedback/reblogs on art tends to be more common than on fics. Yet writers continue to beg for comments on stories. So what's stopping people?

Don't know what to say/an emoji/script feels too impersonal

Forgot to comment

Read everything and how do you pick out one part?

Rather give feedback personally

Feels like an expectation/I owe them

Send me a string of emojis? I love it. Send a single heart? I love it. Keyboard smash? I love it. Copy/paste a "thank you for writing"? I still love it. "I don't know what to comment or how to put my feelings into words." Then put that! That's a compliment! Can't think of anything to say, then "I don't know what to write but asgfdhgf I liked it." is fine!

Seriously, I don't care WHAT you put, because it shows me you cared enough to take a few second to show that love. I recognize and look for my regular commenters, even the ones who leave just a heart or "extra kudos".

Forgot to comment? Leave the fic open on your phone or get in the habit of dropping SOMETHING right as you finish. If you had time to make it through the last 100 words, you can probably tap an emoji. It's likely more of a habit to build up than anything.

Read it in one go and it's all a blur? "I read this all in one go and it's a blur, but I loved it!" We don't need specifics; just tell us you loved it on the chapter you stopped on. That in itself is a compliment because Hey! You loved it so much you had to keep reading!

Personal feedback? Well, I'll never say no to friends gushing about stories to me! And it might not be the same for everyone, but if you stop commenting on AO3 and only tell me personally...my assumption is you don't like it enough to say it publicly. I've spent many a time wondering why people stopped giving that support and what I should do better. If it's a friend, try asking them which they prefer! We can go back and reread (and do!) AO3 comments. Much harder on discord/dms/etc.

Owing authors? Look, we put a lot of time and work into writing and providing content for free. Hours of idea planning, actual writing, editing, catering to requests, etc. My partner once said I have a second job, writing, but I don't get paid. If you read and enjoyed something that someone put a lot of work into, it's nice to take a few seconds and tell them that.

You don't owe authors comments. They also don't owe you free writing. Sometimes, you forget there is an author at all when you're reading. But there is. A real person put out a story hoping you'd love it, or connect to it. You'd see yourself in the writing and feel less alone, or cheered up when you have a bad day.

Writing is art, and all we want to do is connect with you. Comments help bridge that gap.

The rumors were true. This picture exists. It’s better than I could have dreamed of.

I also want it known that if I ever see his hands, I will clutch my pearls and faint. I will waken from a fugue state having written 100 filthy smuts.

click for best quality bc tumblr is absolute buttbutt

Love men that dual wield