Phanfics Anonymous

Disclaimer: This is just from ONE personal experience and I advise writers to do more research beyond this post. However, every experience shared is one more resource. 

If you are pansexual and feel comfortable, please add your own experience!

First, what exactly does it mean to me to be pansexual?

There are variations to the definition but I use it in accordance with what I hear the most often: The attraction (both romantic and sexual) to another person regardless of gender identity.

This is different from bisexuality because that label is recognized to have gender play a role in attraction and tends to only include two gender identities. (This isn’t always the case, but that’s for another post).

And remember, as with most sexualities, it isn’t all about “love”. Maybe it’s just me, but I see most allyship focus on the right to “love”. Personally, I’d like to focus on the right to exist in all aspects. To be open with all one-night stands, crushes, flings, attractions, dates, etc. We have quick, messy, and dirty sex/love lives just like everyone else, just as we have long-lasting and stable relationships. Don’t forget that. 

Does the label matter?

Again, just speaking personally: not all the time. In modern stories, I appreciate when the term is used explicitly. I am one of those people who aren’t fans of labels, but I still keep this one because I know visibility to my queer peers is important. Often, I use the term “queer” interchangeably. Not everyone loves that word, but I like it when I don’t want to explain pansexuality. 

tl;dr: if you can use the label explicitly, please do.

However, these terms haven’t always been around and may not exist within your fictional world. For me, I personally appreciate an explicit line or two from/about the character distinguishing they have “no preference” in a gender or how they find attraction from one’s “soul” and variations of that. Of course, it’s nice to have other canonical elements, such as past/present beaus of all genders, but that isn’t a requirement for the label in or out of fiction. 

How would a character bring up their sexuality?

In real life, non-straight people have to come out again and again and again to people when the situation arises, like when introducing a romantic partner or mentioning past ones. I personally have come out in the form of a joke, a quick mention, a lengthy explanation to curious minds, confirmations/corrections to statements, and relatability to other out-pansexuals. 

People start to ask questions when you have a history dating/crushing on more than one gender. All you need is a short little line of explanation. 

Also, having pan/queer/lgbtq-themed things like stickers, phone wallpapers, etc is an easy way to spark the curiosity of others. 

What’s it like and when did you know?

I’ve always known I was attracted to people of all genders. Not everyone is like this, but I started out crushing on both boys and girls at school.

When I began to hear bisexual girls explaining they had preferences of a gender even though they could like both or when they would describe the attraction to each gender differently, I started to think I wasn’t in the same boat as them.

It wasn’t until I heard about pansexuality that I put my finger on why. The uniqueness of pansexuality is the blindness to gender identity when it comes to attraction.

Do you get more dates?

Yes and no. I’m sure I’ve dated more people than I would have if I was straight or a lesbian. However, there are many people who are bi/panphobic and refuse to date people like us. This prejudice is more common with straight people, but I’ve had lesbian women try to erase my pan identity while dating or flat out refuse to date bi/pansexual girls. It happens.

I’m not suddenly a player because I can be attracted to any gender. The title “player” can belong to anyone of any sexuality. It doesn’t come with a certain turf. 

What kind of personality traits come with pansexuality?

None. Zip. Zero. Pansexuality dictates my attraction, my love/sex life, and nothing more. We come with the same possibilities of traits as everyone else. 

What if my pansexual character only dates one gender?

That’s fine. The sexuality isn’t about who we date, it’s who we’re attracted to right off the bat. Just because I’m attracted to all genders doesn’t mean my history will reflect that. Sometimes it just happens like that. Especially if we’re in a community without a lot of openly queer people. 

Why should I include a pansexual character?

Because we exist and therefore have a place in stories, just as straight and gay characters do. Pansexuality is just an option for your character(s) like every other sexuality. Representation matters. And please don’t forget this iconic question…*

*Lando Calrissian is also a great example of a canon pansexual character that is WAY more than the label, while still repping. 

Everyone who writes has felt that moment of “EVERYTHING HAS BEEN DONE BEFORE I’M A FAKE I’M A FAILURE I’M WORTHLESS,” and it’s always been over a moment like this one.  That moment where you realize your idea has been done before.  But here’s the thing.  Ideas aren’t worthless, but they’re the pennies of your novel.  They’re the smallest component.

Execution, on the other hand…that’s what does everything.  That’s your dollar bills, stuffed into the jar until you have enough to go on the biggest adventure of your life.

Novels have been around for more then three centuries, maybe even more.

Do you think your idea hasn’t been thought up before?

No idea is original on this earth, no matter how creative it can be, one other has probably thought of the same thing in their life time.

In turn, what does it matter if its “not creative?” Fuck em’. Write what you want to write, you’re not a failure, you’re a visionary, and you know what the difference if between you and the ones who also dared to dream of the same things you dreamt?

make up an origin and meaning of a name

write a family history going back centuries

pick a character and make them ramble about their favorite thing

make up a fable, pretend it’s as famous as the Grimm fairytales. how does this fable affect the world and what would people reference from it? (i love this one because it can be as crazy and silly as you want)

make a commercial for something that really shouldn’t be sold at all. try to convince people to buy it.

ACRONYMS. but, like, try to have it make sense

make a poem about your story/something in your story

rewrite a classic but put your own twist on it

make up a detailed recipe

make a monologue with a plot twist or punchline in the end

create a ridiculously detailed timeline for a character

childhood memory (real one or make it up!)

improv rap lyrics

the story behind an inside joke

make up a mythical creature

pretend to be a commentary youtuber and pick a topic

the what if? pick a story and create an alternate ending to it

From your local ex-hijabi and someone who lived in a country that enforced mandatory hijab.

1. Hijab is not just necessary for a woman. Hijab also includes men, who have to wear modest clothing, cover their arms, and grow a beard.

2. No one wears their hijab when they get inside the privacy of their home. Wearing hijab, especially if you wear it tight or its really hot out, can get uncomfortable so often times I would just whip it off.

3. We don’t wake up and put the hijab on, it’s only to be worn around men who are not close-relatives (husband and son) or children. Some people don’t follow this to a T and that’s ok.

5. Being a hijabi doesn’t mean you understand the dynamics and philosophy of islam. It just means you want to wear the hijab and took that step. Hijabs dont make you Holier Than Thou.

4. Hijab is not only a headscarf, but it’s literally a dresscode. You can’t wear a hijab with short shorts and your whole tit hanging out. You need to cover up to your wrists, ankles and neck area— clothes should be baggy and not tight. Once again, some people don’t follow this to a T, that’s fine.

4.5. Hijabs are suppose to cover the ears, hair, and neck.

6. “Can I draw this character without their hijab in the privacy of their own home?” Yeah it’s fine, no one wears hijab in their house unless they have guests.

7. Hijab means different things for different people. They can mean security, they can be a means of achieving confidence. They can also have absolutely No Reason for wearing the hijab besides that they want to.

8. At the end of the day Hijabis are still human beings, and often times they’re treated like aliens and it’s not okay. They’re a human who is wearing a headscarf for religious reasons. There’s nothing “exotic, ethnic” or “mysterious” about that. It’s like considering anyone who wears a hat to be some weird foreign creature.

The words “down” and “up” are often unnecessary and can be edited out of your writing. More often than not, their meaning is implied in the words they’re attached to.

Before:

I sat down on the couch.

After:

I sat on the couch.

Down is implied in the verb “sit,” so it’s unneeded. Same thing goes for “up” in many cases:

Before:

I stood up.

After:

I stood.

Unless you’re a soldier, you probably aren’t going to “stand down,” so you can safely omit the “up.”

Of course, there are times when the words “down” or “up” are necessary. A quick test to see if they’re needed is just to delete them. If the sentence still makes sense without them, you’re good to go. If not, put them back in.

Hope this helps!

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• Binders👏are👏not👏like👏bras👏You👏do👏not👏hook👏them👏on👏zip👏them👏up👏or👏any👏of👏the👏sorts👏You👏slip👏it👏on👏like👏an👏undershirt👏 (edit: I was informed that binders with hooks do actually exist, I just can’t imagine the binder that I’m currently wearing with hooks it sounds like the most uncomfortable thought to me) (another edit: binders with zippers do exist.)

•Unless you’re writing dramatic scene or something, make sure your character follows the recommended time limits for binders which is 6-8 hours or 8-10 hours if I’m going to be honest the internet is saying two different things.

• Chest binders can sometimes be uncomfortable. Don’t write your character like “they were in extreme discomfort” no cause that can lead to some pretty bad things sometimes. But just write that the fucking hem was itchy, and sometimes it does hurt.

• As cute as the thought is of drawing on binders, that shits expensive, and unless they’re drawing on it with washable markers, I don’t think they would want to permanently ruin their binder that was expensive as fuck.

• Top surgery is literally removing a part of your chest. There are very few instances where the person getting top surgery doesn’t end up with pretty bad scars afterwards. And is impossible for those over a C cup. (Edit: okay it seems as if I phrased this wrong. What I meant by the last sentence was that it’s practically impossible to end up without noticeable permanent scaring when you’re over a size C. There are two different types of operations, one for those with a size A sometimes B called Keyhole/peri-aeoliar surgery which leaves scarring but can fade away in about a year or so. But with larger chests there’s a different surgery which can leave better results as it gives more control to the surgeons but can leave more noticaly permenant scarring. I’m sorry if this came out wrong to someone.)

• Top surgery includes wearing a sort of chest binder for about 6 weeks (thanks you human who told me that, I forget your name) at most after the initial surgery and special tubes for extra fluids and shit. And with evry surgery tjey put you inder laughing gas, so don’t write shit like “they just came out of the doctors office as energetic as ever. "Look!” They exclaimed lifting their shirt to reveal a flat chest" which leads me to my next point which is

• Top surgery is not pretty at first. It’s bruised and scared and scabbed for a while.

• Testosterone, though it is most commonly injected, can also be used in like a sticker/patch form. For injections, the first one anyone gets is at a doctor’s office, then they teach you how to inject it at home. You can get your injections at a very small dose even week or I know some people get larger doses every 6 weeks it depends on the person. The sticker/patch things you wear on your arm all day everyday. You can also have it in different areas but the arm is most suggested. The max dose in patches is a fairly low amount compared to the other alternatives which means less intense effects and sometimes a slower process.

• Don’t even get me started on dysphoria. Not👏liking👏skirts👏doesnt👏mean👏they👏are👏dysphoric👏dysphoria👏in👏this👏sense👏means👏when👏a👏person👏feels👏DISTRESSED👏as👏a👏result👏of👏their👏biological👏sex👏WHICH👏LIKE👏90%👏OF👏THE👏TIME👏CAN👏CAUSE👏DEPRESSION👏OR👏ANXIETY👏

So I’ve been reading a lot of fics lately where people are either

A) Putting wings onto canon characters

B) Making OCs with wings

So I decided that, with the influx of people who are writing winged characters (and therefore the influx of errors that come with writing winged characters), I’d make a little thing to help you slap a pair of wings onto anyone!

This is also a bit personal, too, because the MC in my upcoming novel has wings!

1. Know that there are a lot of types of wings to choose from

Part of being a writer is the desire to take something (whether it be a pre-existing work or an idea in your head) and make it into your own. So, instead of just going with the classic bird wings, why not spice it up a bit? If your character is an angel, you certainly don’t have to stick to the classic depictions of angel wings. Why not give them butterfly wings or dragonfly wings?

Here’s a small list of different types of wings to choose from:

Bat wings

Beetle wings

Bird wings

Butterfly/Moth wings

Dragonfly wings

Note that these wings are for animals who can fly. There are also animals who can “fly” that actually glide, such as sugar gliders and flying squirrels.

Yeah, so the options are pretty limited, but feel free to make up your own kinds of wings that aren’t necessarily based on a pre-existing creature’s wings!

2. Be familiar with the anatomy of your character’s wings and their limits

If your wings are completely unique, draw them out. A diagram or picture is key when it comes to things like description. I’m not gonna tell you what everything does and give you Animal Wing Anatomy 101, that’s for you to research. Know that there are different types of wings and that they have different uses, strengths, and weaknesses.

3. Never use the full extent of your research! 

Surprise, surprise!

“But wait, Maddy!” you cry, writing utensil in hand and poised to stab me. “I thought we were supposed to were supposed to show our research!”

Well, you are. Technically that’s not wrong. But, readers don’t want to know ALL of it. Over-described wings are sometimes worse than under-described wings; what sucks more than not knowing what a character’s wings look like is having to look up wing anatomy in the middle of the chapter!

Only use the most basic of vocabulary when it comes to describing the parts of the wing. Most of the time, you just have to say “bat wing” or “feathery wing” and the readers get the basic idea. (Like seriously, do you think the readers know what a dactylopatagium brevis is????? It’s a part of skin on a bat’s wing btw)

4. Don’t bring your character’s wings up only when they’re needed!!!!

Unless your character’s wings can fade away when they’re not needed, wings are a 100% real, 24/7 thing! It’s bothersome when writers mention the wings in one chapter and then only bring them up when there’s a daring escape that needs to be performed! Most of the time, I forget that the characters even have wings at all!

There is also the fact that wings aren’t all pros and no cons. If they’re functional, they’re probably big, and if they’re muscular, they’re probably bulky. If your character is clumsy, they’ll probably knock things over constantly, and if they’re not clumsy, they’ll still knock things over constantly.

Your wings are two (or four, or five, or six quintillion) extra appendages; they’re a part of your character! You don’t have to spend every second reminding the readers that they’re there, but don’t go long stretches of time without even mentioning them.

5. Your character’s wings can be a good way to indicate their mood or to provide for that little bit of description that you think you make be lacking

Why wouldn’t you want to describe the wings? I mean, you don’t want to describe every minute detail over and over again, but it’ll boost your word count a lot more than you think. They can also be used to convey your character’s feelings without explicitly telling the reader! It’s like a new set of facial expressions!

See? You can tell he’s wary and ready to fight from the movement of his wings! Also he’s crouching next to a dead body but that’s not relevant right now

Here’s a list of wing language (?) that you can incorporate into your story that will not only increase your word count, but will also add to the sustenance of your story!

Nervous

Twitch

Flutter

Ripple

Fold tightly

Fidget

Flap

Angry

Flare

Bristle

Fluff up

Ripple

Beat

Raise up

Snap open

Happy

Flutter

Curl up

Ripple

Wave

Flap

During Battle

Bludgeon

Smack

Bat

Clout

Whack

Kick someone’s legs out from under them

Snap someones neck (only for muscular wings like bat and bird wings)

Problems that may come with having wings

Poke out from under blankets and let all of the cold air in

Stepped on

Get pins and needles from being folded for too long

Squashed on chairs/ in beds/ in crowded hallways

Vulnerable in battle

Molting (for bird wings)

first drafts are for making it exist

second drafts are for making it functional

okay no shade at all I just want all of u to learn and grow and become better writers! so here’s a handy tip list!

we don’t stutter on every word. okay, sometimes it can seem it, but honestly, we don’t, so leave a few words in there to give your readers some breathing room.

we stutter more on specific sounds. for me, f and s sounds are big ones. everyone has their thing and most stutterers have sounds that are harder to get out.

we don’t just stutter at the beginning of words and sentences. okay, honestly this is a big one for me. sometimes, a word starts off really well and goes down the drain at the second syllable! and the stutter doesn’t disappear once we’ve made it past the first word - it clings in there, so don’t forget it.

some of us don’t always stutter. some, not all, of us have what’s known as an anxious stutter, which generally comes alongside anxiety disorders. so, while it may be usually present, when a person with an anxious stutter is particularly comfortable with a situation, it tends to get better (or even almost disappear).

we don’t stutter when we swear. this is why some of us can stutter and stutter and stutter on a word and then shout fuck and everything’s cool. as far as science knows, this is because swearing is from a more primitive part of the brain, and so it bypasses the bit that makes us stutter! it’s so cool honestly.

we don’t stutter when we sing. the biggest two reasons for this one is 1) music comes from a different part of the brain to talking (language=left; music=right), and so it once again bypasses the stutter, or 2) ‘easy voice’, which is the voice that people sing in, is softer and smoother, and the sounds are longer so there’s less opportunity to stutter. either option is way cool but we don’t stutter when we sing.

sometimes, we give up on words. after a certain amount of stuttering on a certain word, you may see a stutterer take a deep breath and either try again, or replace it with a synonym. sometimes that word just won’t fit right in our mouths!

we hate it when people try to guess what we’re trying to say or try to speed us up. this might be a more personal thing for me, but there’s nothing I hate more than that clicky sound people make or the weird hand gestures or being told to “spit it out.” because we can’t control this shit and it gets tiring. it’s better just to let the person get it out and take their time with it, so when you’re writing, keep this in mind!

it gets worse when we’re anxious or stressed, and when we’re excited! I get really really stuttery when I’m enthusiastic about the topic of conversation, because I know so much about that thing that I try to talk really fast and my mouth can’t keep up! it’s the same when I’m anxious or stressed - when there’s more on our minds, the more everything gets a little muddled.

me: don’t say it

me: don’t say it

me: don’t say it

me: don’t say it

me: don’t say it

me: don’t say it

me: don’t say it

me: don’t say it

but before [Character] could [verb], ACTION!

[Character] was about to [verb] when ACTION!

but no sooner had [something] than ACTION!

but just as [something boring], ACTION!

BANG!/CRASH!/BOOM! ACTION!

“Character dialogue starting some sentence about–” ACTION!

Character’s internal monologue starting some sent– ACTION!

Narrator starting some– ACTION!

… ACTION!

“Well, what could go wrong now?” [Character] said.