I Have An Ao3 Account Now.

I have an ao3 account now.

Writing advice from my uni teachers:

If your dialog feels flat, rewrite the scene pretending the characters cannot at any cost say exactly what they mean. No one says “I’m mad” but they can say it in 100 other ways.

Wrote a chapter but you dislike it? Rewrite it again from memory. That way you’re only remembering the main parts and can fill in extra details. My teacher who was a playwright literally writes every single script twice because of this.

Don’t overuse metaphors, or they lose their potency. Limit yourself.

Before you write your novel, write a page of anything from your characters POV so you can get their voice right. Do this for every main character introduced.

a piece of media that is bad: mundane. effectless

a piece of media that is bad but had the potential to be so so good: unbearable. agonizing. soul crushing even

There’s always a lingering question that I ask myself, which is why do I, a cis bisexual woman, enjoy romance between two men so much?  

There are easy answers, like that it’s just fetishizing.  And like, I find men attractive, yes.  But I also find women attractive.  I don’t have a problem with enjoying het romance, assuming I can find good ones.  I enjoy stories with female characters I can relate to.

But there’s something much deeper at play, IMO.  A friend of mine who is a gender studies professor was the first person to point this out to me, but a lot of women enjoy m/m romance and gay porn because of the lack of women.  It removes a source of pressure and sexism.  Without any women present, you don’t have to constantly evaluate the sexism of their portrayal, or be reminded of negative experiences in your own life.  It allows women to experience romance and especially sexuality without all the baggage that comes with it in our patriarchal society.

This was recently illustrated to me rather dramatically.  I read a recommendation for a het romance.  And it sounded cute, and came highly recommended.  The tropes at play were fun.  Until I read a snippet and realized this was a romance between a woman and her boss.  I had a visceral negative reaction.  

Instantly I’m thinking of sexual harassment stories I’ve read and heard from other women. I’m thinking of how uncomfortable it would be to have your boss develop feelings for you.  How icky the power dynamics would be, etc.  

And then I realized…this wouldn’t bother me if it were two men.  Now, there’s no logical reason for that.  Sexual harassment is just as wrong when its object is a man.  But I know I’ve read fics with a similar premise and never thought about it.  Because when it’s two men I can accept this is just a light romance, a fantasy, meant to be fun and sexy and not to represent the real world.

But I can’t when it’s a het relationship.  There’s too much baggage there.  Too much societal history of abuse.  I can’t relax enough with the premise to enjoy that story.  

Now some people can.  And that’s fine.  And some people are never going to be okay with power imbalances like that regardless of gender.  That’s also fine.  I don’t think having either reaction makes one morally superior.  It’s okay to just enjoy light entertainment for what it is without going into deep analysis.

But it’s much more difficult for me, and I think for many women, to relax and enjoy romantic and sexual stories when they involve female characters.  We’ve been burned too many times by shitty depictions, by shallow role models, by abuse portrayed as romantic.  We have developed a stress response, a trauma response to heterosexual romance.  We are hyper-reactive to a wide variety of triggers in regards to it.   But removing women from the equation makes stories safer for us.  And maybe it shouldn’t?  In an ideal world?  But for many of us, that’s the truth.

I made not one, but two robots write my blueshipping fic: Has Science Gone Too Far?

Maybe science hasn't, but I have.

This fic is a duet between ChatGPT and (free trial) Sudowrite. ChatGPT wrote the first ten or so paragraphs, then I plugged that into Sudowrite and used the "write: guided" options (I typed in suggestions, key details, and plot points and basically told the ai what should happen). Minimal additional editing was done.

Personally, I still don't think AI can replace real human writers. Especially since without human writers, there wouldn't be a bank of writing for the AI to pull from.

Is the result passable? You be the judge (or don't, that's fine, too).

-O-o-O-o-O-

James woke up feeling strange. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something was different. He got up from his bed and walked over to the mirror, examining himself closely. And that's when he noticed it. His stomach was slightly swollen.

At first, James thought it was just a result of eating too much the night before. But as the day wore on, he began to feel more and more nauseous. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

As he sat in his room, trying to figure out what was happening, Meowth burst in. "James, we've got to go! The boss needs us for a mission!"

James looked up at him, feeling even more overwhelmed. He didn't know how to tell Meowth what was happening to him. He didn't even know how to explain it to himself.

They set out on the mission, but James could hardly concentrate. His mind was racing with thoughts of what could be happening to him. Could he be sick? Could it be something more serious?

As they made their way through the forest, James stumbled and fell. Meowth rushed over to help him up, but as he did, he noticed James's swollen stomach. "James, what's going on?" he asked, his voice laced with concern.

James looked up at Meowth, tears welling up in his eyes. "Meowth, I think I'm pregnant. With your kitten."

Meowth's eyes widened in shock. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "How is that even possible?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

James shook his head. "I don't know. But I can feel it growing inside me. And I don't know what to do."

Meowth pulled James into a hug, holding him tightly. "We'll figure it out together," he said, his voice gentle and reassuring.

James smiled, feeling relieved that Meowth was taking the news well. "But we have to tell Jessie," he said, his smile fading.

Meowth's expression became serious. "I know. She might not take it well."

They both knew that Jessie had always been fiercely protective of their trio, and the idea of James and Meowth starting a family without her might cause some anger.

As they approached their base, James and Meowth could hear Jessie's voice from inside. They took a deep breath and went in.

Jessie was sitting at the table, going over plans for their next mission. When she saw James's swollen stomach, her eyes widened in shock. "What's going on here? Why is your stomach so big, James?"

James looked at Meowth, who nodded at him, silently encouraging him to tell the truth. "Jessie, I'm pregnant. With Meowth's kitten."

Jessie's expression turned from shock to anger.

"How could you two be so irresponsible?! This is going to get us in serious trouble with the boss! We all need to stay focused on missions, not starting families!" She slammed her fists on the table, the sound echoing through the room. "We need to figure out some way to keep this quiet, or we're all going to be in big trouble."

James and Meowth both knew that Jessie had a point. They needed to keep this pregnancy a secret, or risk being kicked out of Team Rocket entirely.

But as the weeks went on and James's stomach continued to grow, it became harder and harder to keep their secret under wraps. Soon enough, their colleagues began to notice the change in James's appearance and started whispering behind their backs.

One day, as they were getting ready for a mission, their team leader pulled James aside. "What's going on, James?" he asked, his voice low. "You've been acting strange lately and I've noticed your…condition."

James gulped, knowing that he couldn't lie any longer. "I'm pregnant," he said, his voice barely audible.

Their leader's eyes widened in shock, but he quickly composed himself. "Well, this changes things," he said, his expression serious. "We can't have you out in the field like this. You're going to have to sit this one out."

James felt a wave of disappointment wash over him. He had always been an active member of Team Rocket, and not being able to participate in missions made him feel useless. But he also knew that he had to think about the safety of his unborn child.

As James stayed back at the base, he started to feel more and more isolated from his team. He could hear their laughter and chatter from the other room, but he no longer felt like he was a part of it. And to make matters worse, Butch and Cassidy, their rival duo, found out about his pregnancy and started taunting him about it.

But as James sat alone in his room, Meowth came in and sat down next to him. "Hey, don't listen to them. You're still a valuable member of our team, no matter what," he said, placing a reassuring hand on James's back.

James sighed, feeling grateful for Meowth's support. "Thanks."

Jessie had been listening in on their conversation, and her heart went out to them. She stepped into the room with a determined look on her face. "Butch and Cassidy are not going to get away with this. We're gonna fight back!" she declared, fists clenched.

Meowth perked up, feeling ready for action. "You know I'm always down for a good fight!" he said eagerly.

James smiled, comforted by his friends' support. He knew that with Meowth and Jessie by his side, they could take on any challenge that came their way - even Butch and Cassidy!

The next day, the trio confronted Butch and Cassidy in an abandoned alleyway. With determination on their faces, they engaged in battle - Meowth taking direct hits from Butch's Machamp while Jessie fought off Cassidy's Golbat with her own Pokémon at her side. It was an intense fight that seemed to go on forever, but eventually Jessie and Meowth were able to come out on top. Butch and Cassidy were left in the dust, defeated by the team that had proven to be stronger together than apart.

As Jessie and Meowth stood triumphant over their defeated foes, James watched from the sidelines with pride. He knew that even in his current state, he was still a valuable and important part of their team - and no matter what challenge may lie ahead, they would stay united as one.

-O-o-O-o-O-

I quickly learned that (at the time of this posting) you can just keep making burner email accounts and keep getting free trials of Sudowrite.