BlueFire-RedIce

Me: you don’t have all the facts.

Officer: which are?

My best friend, the woman I loved for 13 years, was a fic writer in the middle of an especially long piece. She updated on a schedule and had for years. She had a small, but loyal following.

And then she died out of nowhere. One day we were laughing, the next she was in a coma, 3 days later she was dead. She hadn’t been ill and to this day we don’t know what took her. She was just gone.

I knew she had friends all over the world so I went into her email to see if I could find addresses and notify people after a week of blind grief. In her inbox were about a dozen concerned messages from her readers. I cried. I cried and cried and I responded to all of them, telling people she had passed.

And the messages kept coming. Those people spread the word and message after message came in, most of them addressed to me now, as I had given those original readers my contact info. There were words of comfort and grief and just every emotion imaginable in that scenario. I wrote back to them all, thanking them and comforting them.

For months after she died, during the worst of my grief, I had those messages. I had those people. And they had me. I really think I might not have made it to the other side without them.

So, the fact that you care? That you think of them? That these authors who became a presence in your world are missed when they aren’t there? It means something very real. On the off chance that the author did die? Anyone who has seen this post will find comfort during the loss of their friend or family member, knowing that you all exist. That they aren’t alone. That you CARE that the world now lacks their loved one.

So, yeah. I’ve seen this post and ones like it for years and wanted to share this story. I finally could today.

When Natasha finds out about this quirk of Steve's, she introduces him to the world of the future's awful-looking but sinfully cozy fuzzy socks--the kind that are hideous and nearly unbearably warm and thick.

Nat buys Steve his first few pairs for his birthday. Despite it being in the middle of July and the last time anyone would be thinking about literally cold feet. Steve is immediately obsessed. He rarely wears any other kind of socks after that. Steve loves these socks so much he goes out and spends his own money on these fuzzy monstrosities, even though just looking at the price makes him feel guilty, much less actually handing over the cash.

When Bucky returns, living in Steve's apartment, silent and rarely seen, like a shy, vaguely feral, and scrappy cat... all of Steve's fuzzy socks go missing.

Sam: Isn't the Steve way just the illegal way?

Variant cover for

CAPTAIN AMERICA: SENTINEL OF LIBERTY #1

The bad thing is that sometimes we choose wrong.

Like. Americans have fries and chips vs brits have chips and crisps. Both valid.

Here? We have chips and chips.

I hear a lot of people bitching that they can’t leave kudos multiple times per story, or can’t leave kudos on every chapter, or whatever.

Well, take a page out of this marvelous book, because I swear I’ve never been so happy to receive kudos as waking up to multiple people having done this on multiple chapters on a story I just posted.

LOVE LOVE LOVE!

(✿◠‿◠) – “I heart this so much!!” ⊂◉‿◉つ – “OMG, the surprise was so sweet! ☆(❁‿❁)☆ – “AHH! Love it!” ≧◠‿◠≦ – “All the feels!” ٩(˘◡˘)۶ – “Woot!!” ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) – “I see what you did there and/or that smut was on point.” ┑(￣▽￣)┍ – “Sweet praises for you!” ლ(╹◡╹ლ) – “I love this story so hard, I get tingles when it updates!” ʘ‿ʘ – “WHat?!” (●⌒∇⌒●) – “Squee!!” (❁´◡`❁) – “Oh dear god, cavities!” (ﾉ´▽｀)ﾉ♪ – “This made me siiiinnnnnggggg!!” ┏(＾0＾)┛ – “Happy dance!” ヾ(＾∇＾) – “Wonderful fic! Thanks again!”

OMG sadface.

(┬＿┬) – “Literally crying, rn.” (^)o(^) – “Holy moly!”  (◕﹏◕✿) – “How … how could you do this to me?!” ಥ‿ಥ – “I’m not crying you are!”

FLAMES!

ᕕ(◉Д◉ )ᕗ – “WTAF?!” (⊙…⊙,) – “Did yoU JUST.” ᕕ(˵•̀෴•́˵)ᕗ – “HOW DARE YOU! With my OWN EYES!” (ノ°Д°）ノ︵ ┻━┻ – “TABLE FLIP, you son-OF-A-!”

I canNOT with you!

(@[]@!!) – “WHAT IN THE HOLY HELL ARE YOU DOING?!” ＼(◎o◎)／！– “WAS NOT EXPECTING THAT.” (´･_･`) – “I do not know how I feel about this.”

Assorted.

it's okay to stray from your story. go write that short fic you can't take your mind off of! give you—and your characters—a break.

you! won't! always! make! your! word! count! -- you don't need to keep stretching sentences because the scene you finally got right is a hundred words too short. sometimes it's better that way.

the "rules" and "tips" are just ~guidelines~ (especially for people who like to swear by them) -- writing has no laws. especially first drafts. scrap the grammar, scrap the emotional tips, write it because it feels right, not because someone else says so.

every writer procrastinates. it's not easy being a writer.

take time off for yourself. the only thing harder than writing a story is to keep pushing it when you need a break the most. come back to it later. I promise there will be no dumpster fires when you're gone.

all writing is "real" writing. I don't think there's an explanation here?? fiction writers are writers. nonfiction writers are writers. fanfic writers are writers. (like how all reading is real reading!! in every format, too!)

it doesn't need to be perfect. honestly, it might never be. but it can be really close to it. if you're not satisfied with it, move on and come back when you're ready.

you are just as skilled as any bestselling author. remember that everything you read has been heavily edited by teams of people! their first draft could not even be as good as yours is now.

not using clichés is cliché. you will find one in any story. no one can bring you down for liking a certain trope. just because it's common doesn't mean it's bad!

no writer is fully well-rounded. dialogue will be easier to write for some, and description for others.