Absolute Chaos Discussion Boards
Fic Talk => General Discussion => Topic started by: mare on April 03, 2024, 09:09:39 AM
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It's weird, but I can't find the thread we were posting in earlier. It just disappeared! :shrug: So I thought i's just start another one.
Nothing much to say though lol
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That's so weird! I don't see it either. Must have accidentally gotten deleted. Oh well... hope your day is going well!
The weather is a nasty wintry mix here, so I'm staying in and attempting to write all day. I started this one-shot so I'd have something to fill the word count of my April Fool's story, and now I have to finish it before I can make much more progress on my novel. I don't miss trying to balance more than one story at a time, but I guess it's nice to write something different now and then. I've been writing about Kevin for the past three years, so it's about time I took a little break to write a Nick and Brian story. Those two are probably glad I've mostly left them alone lately LOL.
How's your writing going this week? Are your Funko pops providing you with plenty of inspiration? LOL
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I must have accidentally deleted it. Not even sure how though.
We are expecting snow today and tomorrow but thankfully, not a lot. Although I don't really mind it as much anymore since I don't go anywhere ever.
Sometimes it's nice moving away from your main novel to write a short story about someone else. Did you get any comments on AO3? Did anyone actually read it that clicked on it with all those tags? LMAO
My writing is coming along. That's what I'm doing now, well after this. I have a whole routine. Shower, get onto my laptop and come here, check mail and then start writing. I love my little Funkos. Right above my Roys are my BSB IWITW funkos. If I wanted I could have them act this story out because Kevin and Howie are in it as well as David Wright. A Met that I also have a funko of!
I kind of laugh now when I write because, as I've said before, these are both suspense stories and at the moment both of them have become very similar in that Roman has been taken hostage. So, in one I have a teenage version of Roman kidnapped by the MINE serial killer and in the other I have adult Roman taken hostage by the turks who took him in season 2 aka one of the storylines Jessie Armstrong decided to go nowhere with. Poor Roman.
I feel like it's Kieran's fault because before they decided on Kieran, that part was going to Jeremy Strong. He was originally written as an older guy with a wife and kid. Hence the wife and kid in the first few episodes of the show. When they went with Kieran, he took the character and ran in a completely different direction which I think flummoxed Jessie Armstrong resulting in Roman always kind of hanging in limbo a bit with certain things. So, there's some Succession trivia you didn't ask for. The reason I brought that up is because there was a lot of complaining on the Succession twitter about the lack of storyline for the hostage thing that happens in season 2, which you might not have watched. So, I thought, hostage? I'm there! But that leaves me with two very similar storylines and people probably thinking there's something wrong with me if they are reading both.
Hope your writing streak is still going strong! And I hope that some other people pop their heads in this thread as well. Dee came out of her hidey hole on twitter at the mention of Crumbl cookies which I loved. So maybe she'll come back here someday. lol
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Sounds like it's been a little crazy in NY lately! I saw on Twitter that the Statue of Liberty got struck by lightning the other day, and today there was an earthquake? Could you feel it up in Buffalo? And now snow... and, in a few days, an eclipse! This is starting to feel like the beginning of a disaster movie LOL. Stay home and stay safe!
I did get some comments on my April Fool's story! Most of them were from friends who knew full well it wasn't going to be a smutfest, but I did get one yesterday from someone I don't know who may have clicked on it because of the tags LOL. They didn't say, and they did leave a kudo and say they were waiting for the rest, so I guess they liked it anyway.
LOL I love the thought of you acting out your fanfic with Funkos! Now I want a stop-motion animation movie of them acting out a scene while you read it.
I'm glad you've found your new favorite victim in Roman LOL, but I do miss the days when it was Nick being abducted and tortured!
I hit Day 800 of my writing streak on Easter, so it's still going! I've only been writing a sentence or two a day on The World Will Be Waiting because I'm trying to finish the one-shot, but I'm still writing daily. I always make sure I open the novel first so I don't get distracted by the one-shot and forget. I had a pretty good streak going prior to starting my current one, and the only reason I broke that one was because I got distracted by 00Carter when we resurrected that. So I'm determined not to let that happen again LOL.
I don't know if you know because I don't think she ever talked about it here, but Dee had a baby in 2022! I think that's the main reason she disappeared back down her hidey hole LOL. I talk to her every once in a while, and she's going to Cancun, so I will see her there. Hopefully she will eventually make her way back here and back to writing. I loved how active the writing discussion was the last time she came back!
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Yes, it's been wild here in general. We were a little too far to feel the earthquake, but they did feel it in Allentown. We did get some snow over the last two days. I seriously think this all has to do with Trump selling Bibles. The Statue of Liberty, the earthquake, a total eclipse. It's all related somehow. :shrug:
I love that you got a random reader from clicking on your story with that many tags! People on AO3 take their tags very seriously.
I really need a Connor Funko to properly act out my story although I guess I could just borrow one of the Boys for that one. I'm annoyed that the first wave of Succession Funkos didn't include Connor. So typical he just gets glossed over like that!
I have to admit that while writing the AU, I have on more than one occasion typed Nick's name instead of Roman's that I've caught while editing. And I've also had to fix a lot of D instead of calling him Howie because I never established that as his nickname in this story. People would be like and who the heck is this D person?
That's an incredible streak you're one. I think that's awesome! Are you still going to try to write while you're in Cancun?
I did know Dee had a baby because we are Facebook friends, and she had some pictures posted of her baby shower and random pictures of the baby when he was first born. I think it's a boy, right? it's nice she's going to Cancun. It seems like a lot of you guys will get to meet up while you're there. When you see her, tell her and everyone else to come back to the MB. I miss everyone! :bighug:
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Trump is the Antichrist, so it probably is all related. It looks like you had a cool experience with the eclipse! It definitely got a lot darker for you than it did here. It still looked cool, but we only had like 90-something percent totality. I'm just glad it was a nice, clear day so we could see it because it was cloudy and rainy all last week.
I've noticed that about AO3 readers and tags. I'm sure I'm frustrating to them because I post vague summaries, only tag the bare minimum, refuse to tag major spoilers, and rarely give trigger warnings. Sorry not sorry. 🤷♀️
That's weird that Connor wasn't included! You'd think all the siblings would be. I'm sure they'll release him at some point, though; they have Funkos for everything!
LOL I'm sure that's hard to switch to a new fandom and different characters after so many years of writing about the Boys! I sometimes catch myself automatically typing "Nick" when I start a random word that begins with N out of habit - and I'm not even writing a Nick story.
I am definitely going to keep the streak going when I'm in Cancun! And by that, I mean I'm going to get on Google Docs from my phone and add at least one word to my chapter each day LOL. I can't write in public or around other people, so I doubt I'll get much more done than that. But one word is all it takes to keep the streak alive, so that's okay. It takes the pressure off.
Yes, she had a boy and named him Carter! I will tell her! I miss everyone too. There are a lot of people going but, at the same time, a lot of people who aren't. Most of the people I used to hang out with on the cruises, many of whom were from AC, are hardly even active in the fandom anymore, which makes me sad. I guess it's normal for people to move on to other interests as they get older. I've always been strangely loyal and consistent with the things I'm passionate about, so I don't really understand that. Once I fall in love with something, I seem to love it forever. And I've found that it's harder to maintain online friendships that were formed through one specific interest when that commonality is gone. I'm still Facebook friends with a lot of people I've known online for decades now, but we don't really keep in touch beyond that anymore. I'm glad you've stuck around all these years, even when you weren't writing.
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Trump is definitely the antichrist, and it makes me sick that there's a movie coming out about him this year. Starring Sebastian Stan. I mean he doesn't have a big enough ego. This is just something else he's going to use to get try to make it seem like America loves him. I hope it flops majorly and one of my Succession guys is starring in it and I still hope it tanks!
It was cloudy for most of the day here as well, but we would get an occasional glimpse at the whole thing before totality hit and that was really cool too! For a brief minute we were thinking of heading over to Niagara Falls to watch but when we saw the news and how many people were there, we decided to skip that idea. LOL
Hey! A word a day works!
I still don't fully understand the tag thing at AO3. I truly believe no one even bothers to read summaries over there. It's its own beast.
I know! It should have been Connor instead of Greg. Everyone keeps saying they release them in waves so I'm sure he'll be in the second wave of Succession characters along with Tom and Gerri.
I tend to get fixated on something for a long period of time then one day it fades, little by little, but I don't completely lose my love for things ever. I still heart Duran Duran and they were my very first obsession. I tend to hang on to friends more than the thing I was into when I became friends, which is why it does bum me out when people tend to move on from you when you leave a fandom. I'm not going to lie, I felt pretty much deserted by most of my BSB friends long before I really started to lose interest. More like as more and more events were going on and I wasn't going to any of them. Suddenly everyone had something more in common than I did. Now the only time I ever hear from a BSB friend is if I post something about them on twitter. Like I knew with absolute certainty you were going to read that long post I made yesterday but you would also be the only BSB person who would bother. It makes me sad, but such is life. I will always consider myself a member of the BSB fandom. I just don't see me going all gaga crazy about them anymore. Most of the friends I made through the fandom that have since left the fandom, I keep in touch with, ironically. including Kat and Amy from forever ago although Kat is still a very big fan. Amy not so much. I love that you hold on to things you love, it's a great quality to have. So, that's why I stick around here. Not so much for the BSB stuff but for you! and Steph and anyone else when they show up! lol.
When are you leaving for Cancun? Is it next week? Did you have to ditch school? Or is it a weekend getaway? I don't even know how long it is.
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They should have waited until Trump dies to make a movie about him. Then they will have the full story, and he doesn't get to reap any of the benefits. I will not be seeing that one.
I understand the purpose of tags is to find things you want to read and filter out things you don't. That may be helpful in really big fandoms with so many stories that it gets overwhelming, but the BSB fandom is not that big on AO3, so I don't see the point in tagging much beyond the basics. I still prefer summaries as a way to get an idea of what the story is actually about and see a snippet of the author's writing before I decide whether to click on the story or not.
Regarding BSB friends... It's so hard to feel left out and left behind. Even though I've been to a lot of the big events, I still know how that feels. It's disheartening. That's why I will always be in favor of the boys streaming events or doing whatever they can to include as many fans as possible in some way. Even if they're not livestreaming it, I would love for them to record and release the 30 for 30 concert after Cancun. That would benefit everyone. I don't like the attitude I've seen from some people who are going that it should be exclusively for the fans who paid to be there in person. That kind of mentality just further divides us and pushes people who can't go farther away from the fandom.
I appreciate you sticking around here for me and Steph and whoever else decides to pop back on. Likewise, you know I'll always be around for you. I think it helps that we have other common interests to talk about besides BSB. That's what gets hard with some of these other online friendships - it's all based on conversation rather than experiences, so when you run out of common interests and things to talk about, it's harder to keep it going.
I do hope we can eventually meet in person someday and maybe go to a concert together like we'd planned to do in 2020. Hopefully Kieran will make it easier for you to get out and about more. How's that been going?
I leave for Cancun Thursday morning! It goes Thursday through Monday, so I am using my three personal days and taking Thursday, Friday, and Monday off work. I haven't missed a day yet this year, so I don't even feel bad about it. It's going to suck coming back Monday evening and going straight back to work on Tuesday, but hopefully it will be worth it. I wish you were going!
I hope you're enjoying your Succession rewatch! I wish I could get into it the way you are. I haven't even made it through Season 1! To be fair, I haven't tried watching it in a while, but it didn't suck me in the way I was hoping it would after seeing you gush about it. I haven't given up on it completely, but I also haven't felt compelled to watch an episode in a while either. I really haven't watched much TV at all lately. I've spent more time either writing or playing The Sims LOL.
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I agree with you! It’s too early to be making a movie about Trump! Especially with an election coming up. I don’t get it!
The few fics I’ve read on ao3 I haven’t even looked at anything but the summary which should really be the first thing there but it’s at the very end. I feel like you have to actually click on the story to read the summary. So weird!
Yeah, I’m not sure why so many people were against the streaming. It’s not like it’s lessening their experience. They have nothing to lose. That’s why I made that student loan analogy way back when that was happening.i would love to meet up sometime. Even if it’s not a concert. We should all do a BSB meet up minus the BSB lol come to Niagara Falls it’s lovely.
I have a love/hate relationship with Kieran. I’m also still trying to get used to him. I haven’t really taken him for a real run around yet. The legs aren’t in place which means I’m using my legs to move him around. The first time I used him was for the eclipse. I’m sure I’ll get the hang of it. I still have to rely on my sister to get out of the house because she has to carry him down the stairs.
Ooh I bet these next few days are going to drag for you! But I’m glad it’s more than just a weekend. You might be a zombie on Tuesday but hey, maybe you can call in sick? lol have a great time!!
I’m loving my rewatch! I always catch little things I missed the first go round. I just finished episode 6 of season 1 again lol I hope you do decide to pick it back up. I noticed more people started giving it a try after it won all the awards. The second season & 4th were stellar but of course I loved the whole thing. On the whole I’m not really watching as much tv this year either. Besides succession. There seems to be such huge gaps between seasons now especially with the streaming shows.The Sims, I used to play that but I quickly got bored, but this was at the way beginning. I’m sure it’s more exciting now!
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Hi everyone :)
I see Wales isn't the only place getting terrible weather, it's been like winter here and rained almost every day for I don't know how long. But hopefully that means a nice summer. I can hope anyway lol.
I wish I was in Cancun seeing the boys, but I'll just have to look out for people's videos on YouTube. Hope everyone there has an amazing time.
I've not been up to much really, saw the Amy Winehouse movie as couple of days ago, what a tragic waste of a life that was.
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Hi Steph!
Was the Amy Winehouse movie a documentary or a movie movie?
Seems like everyone is having a good time so far down there, it's only day one but still it was nice seeing everyone happy. My timeline on twitter yesterday was nothing but Cancun and Taylor Swift. lol
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Yeah, I’m not sure why so many people were against the streaming. It’s not like it’s lessening their experience. They have nothing to lose. That’s why I made that student loan analogy way back when that was happening.i would love to meet up sometime. Even if it’s not a concert. We should all do a BSB meet up minus the BSB lol come to Niagara Falls it’s lovely.
Oh, I knew exactly what that analogy was really referring to, and I was right there with you. My friend Liane brought a selfie stick and stood there selflessly recording every event in its entirety (or as long as we were there and could see) so she could post them on YouTube just to spite the people who wanted to keep it exclusive LOL. Her videos aren't professional quality, of course, and we weren't up close for anything because we didn't want to spend our whole vacation waiting in the sun to get a good spot, but better than nothing!
I would love to go to Niagara Falls sometime, especially now that I have a valid passport again and can get into Canada and back.
LOL I know I'm the one who asked about Kieran, but for a second, I forgot what you were responding to and thought you were talking about having a love/hate relationship with Culkin and still trying to get used to him. Finally realized/remembered we were talking about your wheelchair. Too funny. I'm sure it is an adjustment, and it definitely seems like it would be awkward having to use your legs to move him around. Do you not have the foot plates yet, or have you just not put them on?
It's funny, I got into The Sims when it first came out and played it obsessively for quite a few years in my teens. Then, when I started teaching, I guess I just got too busy for it and gave it up. I was hesitant to take it up again as a hobby because of what a timesuck it is, but I finally caved and downloaded it the week I had Covid a couple years ago... and, yeah, it's still just as much as an addicting timesuck as it used to be. I will go months at a time without opening it at all, but when I'm actively playing it, I can play for 8+ hours without even realizing how much time has gone by. In my current game, I made the Boys and a bunch of my fanfic characters and created their houses and other settings I've used in stories. It's obsessive and creepy, and I love it. It's what I do for "inspiration" when I want to spend time in my story world without actually writing. LOL
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Cancun was a lot of fun! It was great to see the guys and friends I don't get to see very often. But, as with any BSB event, there was also a lot of standing/waiting around (in the blazing sun) and battling crowds of people. I didn't personally witness a lot of bad behavior, but I hear there was pushing among the people who were desperate to be up front. The day of the 30 for 30 concert, which was scheduled to start at 8:15, people were already lining up at 9 a.m. Other people skipped the concert to sit in front of the smaller stage where the after parties were held so they could be up front for that and try to get selfies, which I think is even crazier, considering that concert were what most of us were looking forward to the most! My friends and I went to every event but didn't worry about getting there super early or trying to push our way to the front, so we didn't have any direct interaction with any Backstreet Boys. Instead, we enjoyed the pool and the food and our random animal encounters, which started on a high note with the lemur we saw right after we arrived and went downhill from there, ending in a dead cockroach on the sidewalk as we were leaving the resort LOL. Despite slathering myself in SPF 100 sunscreen, I am super sunburned and beyond exhausted... but, of course, it was worth it, and I would do it all again! But I can't wait for the weekend so I can catch up on sleep LOL.
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That was incredibly nice of Lianne. I loved that she did that. I know a lot of people really appreciated it. And good for you guys not worrying about standing in line all day just to get the best spots or interact with the guys. You were at a luxury resort, why not just enjoy it.
The Canadian side of the Falls is far nicer than the American side, but it's a great perk to only be twenty minutes away from Niagara park, not that we go all that often because there's a lot of stairs and it, like so many other places, is not really handicap accessible, but there are plenty of places to park and just sit and look at the falls. People in western NY get a special driver's liscence which allows us to go over the border without a passport.
I do have the legs on Kieran now, but before they weren't on. LOI have no beef with the Culkin it's the love hate with the chair.
I might have to revisit the Sims one day. That sounds like a blast including your characters in there. I would imagine that would easily suck me in as well. I could play Simscession LOL
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I saw every one randomly posting from Cancun and that seemed to be the general consensus. Very nice but really crowded and a lot of waiting and standing around. I would imagine it wouldn't be ideal for someone like me, although I did see a few people on scooters driving their way towards the stage. I wouldn't think they'd be great in the sand, but I guess the resort probably rents them out.
I was getting so annoyed with some of the posts about people complaining about the song choices for that concert. I get that was the focal point of the entire trip for some people but for many, I bet it was their very first concert from the boys. I think sometimes people forget that there's fans and then there's FANS and sometimes it's the FANS that get a little carried away by things. Like being annoyed that IWITW was performed for instance. I had to bitch about that, even though there was a lot more I wanted to say lol
As far as the multiple repeats on the DNA set and this other concert, a lot of people saw that DNA set a ton of times not just once and they had no problem listening to the same songs over and over again. Some of these people, maybe never got to see the DNA show and didn't mind hearing the same songs repeated. I was glad to see that they did sing a bunch of songs they haven't performed in a while though, like Siberia and Poster Girl!
I also saw people bitching about fans not knowing the words to all the songs or even knowing all the titles. Again...FANS know all the bonus songs and B sides and all the words by heart. Fans probably only know the biggest hits so it makes sense those would be the ones they'd want to hear. That was driving me crazy! I know you totally get it. I wish everyone else did.
I'm sorry you got burned. I would imagine it was hot as hell. Was it a dry heat at least? Or was it humid? I could've done without the roach sighting lol but with heat comes those lovely bastards. I'm glad you'll get a chance to catch up on sleep this weekend. Only two more days to go! This week has really dragged, and I didn't even go anywhere. LOL
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So glad you enjoyed Cancun, sounds like fun apart from people queuing ridiculously early, but you always get that for events and I bet it's always the same people too. I wouldn't be able to handle the sun and the heat either and would be frazzled as I'm fair skinned and burn easy too lol. Hope you aren't too burnt. I'd hate to see all the creepy crawlies that the heat brings, I'm bad enough when I see a spider or wasp in my house.
Mare, the Amy Winehouse movie was a movie about her life, it was good, but sad too.
I've never played The Sims games, I'm not really a game person, but that sounds like one I could like if you can create your own characters and houses etc.
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I saw every one randomly posting from Cancun and that seemed to be the general consensus. Very nice but really crowded and a lot of waiting and standing around. I would imagine it wouldn't be ideal for someone like me, although I did see a few people on scooters driving their way towards the stage. I wouldn't think they'd be great in the sand, but I guess the resort probably rents them out.
The resort actually seemed pretty accessible! There were ramps everywhere that had stairs, and every event space had an ADA section with seating and open spaces reserved for wheelchairs/scooters. I saw plenty of people in wheelchairs who looked like they were having a great time. The concerts were held on the beach, and we stood in the sand, but there was a paved terrace in back that still offered a decent view and an ADA section that was accessible via a paved walkway. I know there were accessible rooms, too, but I'm not sure how many. It seemed like it would be doable for you, from an accessibility standpoint. Something to consider for if/when they do more of these. It sounds like they will - the Boys didn't outright confirm it, but Kevin hinted at it, and the resort staff were telling people they signed a contract for four years.
I was getting so annoyed with some of the posts about people complaining about the song choices for that concert. I get that was the focal point of the entire trip for some people but for many, I bet it was their very first concert from the boys. I think sometimes people forget that there's fans and then there's FANS and sometimes it's the FANS that get a little carried away by things. Like being annoyed that IWITW was performed for instance. I had to bitch about that, even though there was a lot more I wanted to say lol
As far as the multiple repeats on the DNA set and this other concert, a lot of people saw that DNA set a ton of times not just once and they had no problem listening to the same songs over and over again. Some of these people, maybe never got to see the DNA show and didn't mind hearing the same songs repeated. I was glad to see that they did sing a bunch of songs they haven't performed in a while though, like Siberia and Poster Girl!
I also saw people bitching about fans not knowing the words to all the songs or even knowing all the titles. Again...FANS know all the bonus songs and B sides and all the words by heart. Fans probably only know the biggest hits so it makes sense those would be the ones they'd want to hear. That was driving me crazy! I know you totally get it. I wish everyone else did.
I get your point about the songs. While I was happy to be there and would have listened to the Boys sing the phonebook, I'm not gonna lie and say I wasn't disappointed with some of the setlist for 30 for 30. I assumed it would be mostly hardcore FANS going to this who would want to hear the deep cuts, and I guess that was the wrong assumption to make. I think some people probably voted for their top 30 BSB songs of all time, while others tried to be strategic about choosing 30 songs we've either never heard live or haven't heard live in over a decade. If I was listing my top 30 songs of all time, of course it would include IWITW, Everybody, ALAYLM, etc... but since I knew I would hear all those Friday night, I went the other route and voted for the songs I haven't heard them sing in a long time or ever. I was disappointed that they only sang 4 of my 30 picks, although I was happy to hear the other deep cuts they did, even if I didn't vote for them. But hearing so many of the hits that we'd just heard two nights earlier instead of the songs so many of us were hoping to hear was frustrating. But, hey, majority rules, so if those were the legit results, it is what it is. I hope the Boys put together their own setlist of deep cuts next time and don't leave it in the fans' hands because I think they were a little surprised and disappointed to be singing so many of the same songs, too. They kept saying stuff like, "Don't be mad if you don't hear your favorite song. This is what you guys picked!" and acknowledged all the repeats.
I'm sorry you got burned. I would imagine it was hot as hell. Was it a dry heat at least? Or was it humid? I could've done without the roach sighting lol but with heat comes those lovely bastards. I'm glad you'll get a chance to catch up on sleep this weekend. Only two more days to go! This week has really dragged, and I didn't even go anywhere. LOL
It was in the upper 80s, sunny, and humid every day! I didn't even bother to put on makeup because I knew I would just sweat it off, so I guess it's a good thing I never got close to the boys because I looked like a hot mess the whole time LOL. Not that that would have stopped me if the opportunity had presented itself. But at least there was no pressure to look cute for a planned meet and greet LOL. Thankfully, the only roaches I saw (2 of them) were outside and not in our room. There were also stray cats running around (we saw two fucking by the pool one day LOL) and so many clever birds that would swoop in and steal food from the buffets. And deer! We saw multiple deer at night. Never saw any lizards, which was surprising.
I am so glad it's Friday! In addition to being exhausted, I'm now sick... not sure if it's Nick Plague or just from being around so many people, eating from buffets, or the change in weather. I definitely need a couple days to catch up on sleep and do nothing!
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I've never played The Sims games, I'm not really a game person, but that sounds like one I could like if you can create your own characters and houses etc.
It's so much fun! I haven't played any other video games regularly since I was a kid, but The Sims is fun because you can play it however you want. Building/decorating houses is my favorite part, probably more than the actual gameplay, but that's fun too.
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It's nice to hear it was so accessible because honestly, it sounds like the kind of vacation I'd like. Was the hotel room included in the package, or was it all independently done? Did you pay something just to see the boys? Depending on how much the flight would cost plus the event, meaning how much they jack up the price from the normal, maybe I'd do it. That's a big maybe lol I'd be one of those people who would want to get there at least a day before the event and leave a day or two after, if I'm going on vacation, I'm going on vacation.
I only follow a very few BSB people, so I was confused to see my feed bombarded with BSB tweets during Cancun but then I realized it was the 'for you' feed. I saw a lot of posts from a lot of first time BSB concert goers on my feed. People who had never seen the boys in concert or met them ever. That's why I brought that up, I understand why you were disappointed though. Yes, no one should ever leave anything up to the public to decide anything. Maybe they should have made it a pick one of these three songs...yada yada yada. At least if they are doing it again, hopefully they learned from what went on this time to improve for next time.
I'm sorry you're sick! I bet it's a little from column A- all the people and B- Nick. You should have brought some of your Nick plague antibacterial soap with you!
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Everything was included! Room, food, drinks, concerts and events, even transportation to and from the airport. The only thing that wasn't included was airfare. And there was a payment plan so we didn't have to pay everything at once. It was nice knowing that everything was paid for by the time I set foot on the plane. I brought some cash for tips, and that was about all I spent there. You should definitely consider going if/when they do this again! And I agree with flying in early or staying a day later if possible. I probably wouldn't be able to do that because of work, but I wish I could have or at least taken an extra day off to sleep when I got home.
That's so surprising for me that people who had never been to a BSB concert would go to something like this, but good for them! Go big or go home, I guess. There were also plenty of husbands/boyfriends there with their wives/girlfriends, and I assume they probably voted for the hits if they voted at all.
I had my Nick sanitizer with me and used it, but alas, it wasn't enough.
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That's great that there was a payment plan. It's a great feeling knowing everything is taken care of before your trip. That's how I feel about the cruise. I made my final payment and now all I have to do is board the boat and look for a hotel to stay in the night beforehand. If they announce another thing, let me know. Just in case a miss it. I'd have to convince my sister to come with because I know I wouldn't be able to do things on my own. It'll be a hard sell, but we'll see lol
Yeah, I agree that it's a weird time for a first experience, but I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that it was such a landmark anniversary.
Hope you're feeling better!
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Yay that your cruise is paid off!! That is a good feeling!
I'll let you know when they announce it. Hopefully they won't for a little while. I think last year, they started hinting at it in May, and we booked over the summer. I hope you can come and convince your sister to come, too! The nice thing about this is, even if she's not a big fan of BSB, she can still enjoy the vacation aspect of it - the pool, the beach, the "free" food and drinks, etc. She wouldn't necessarily have to go to all of the BSB events.
I am finally feeling almost back to normal! I went to bed at 9:30 Friday night and stayed in bed until noon on Saturday, and that helped LOL. Even managed to get a few hundred words written last night and finish the chapter I've been working on all month, so hopefully I'm back on track with my writing, too.
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So glad you're feeling better after catching Nick Plague :) Also good to hear you're writing again
Mare, I bet you can't wait for the cruise, it's a good feeling when you've finally paid it off as it feels real then. We're going on a cruise in June, this will be our second one as we loved last years so much.
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Yay that your cruise is paid off!! That is a good feeling!
I'll let you know when they announce it. Hopefully they won't for a little while. I think last year, they started hinting at it in May, and we booked over the summer. I hope you can come and convince your sister to come, too! The nice thing about this is, even if she's not a big fan of BSB, she can still enjoy the vacation aspect of it - the pool, the beach, the "free" food and drinks, etc. She wouldn't necessarily have to go to all of the BSB events.
I am finally feeling almost back to normal! I went to bed at 9:30 Friday night and stayed in bed until noon on Saturday, and that helped LOL. Even managed to get a few hundred words written last night and finish the chapter I've been working on all month, so hopefully I'm back on track with my writing, too.
Glad you're feeling back to yourself! Sometimes all it takes is a good night's sleep or two lol
I'm sure your readers will be happy to know you've finished your chapter!
That's how I'll try to sell it, that she doesn't have to do the events if she doesn't want to. But it also depends on how much more expensive it is because they will be there. I know my sister and she'll bring that up. Even if I don't want to go to see them, I'll still be paying for them, argument. Honestly, I would probably skip out on some of the events as well only really wanting to go to the concerts. I know I can't play volleyball and I don't really care about watching other people do things.
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So glad you're feeling better after catching Nick Plague :) Also good to hear you're writing again
Mare, I bet you can't wait for the cruise, it's a good feeling when you've finally paid it off as it feels real then. We're going on a cruise in June, this will be our second one as we loved last years so much.
I'm really excited about the cruise. At this point it's probably one of only two items I have on my bucket list that I'll get to actually accomplish! Have fun in June! It seems like the general consensus is once you go cruising once, you'll want to do it forever! I hope that happens to us. I'm pretty frugal, but I would be able to afford a cruise every other year perhaps! I don't spend money on anything else really besides books. lol
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I'm excited for you both with your cruises! Sounds like fun!
I hope the Boys come up with better events when/if they do another Cancun thing. The only one that was really fun was AJ's karaoke event. Brian's was my second favorite because it was inside with seating, which was worth putting up with Leighanne and Baylee LOL. At least Leighanne didn't sing... but Baylee sang his solo music, and Brian didn't, which was disappointing. I would honestly rather they do fewer events but make the events one that involved all five guys and were something entertaining to watch. I love Kevin, but watching him DJ is not entertaining. I love Nick, but sitting in the sun on the hot sand for two hours to watch him play volleyball was also not that entertaining. And I love Howie, but I did not get any guacamole or shots at his Guac and Shots event, so... meh. I'm not complaining, but this is just another example of things looking more fun on the Boys' social media than they actually were for the average fan who was there LOL. So you could totally skip out on some of the events and do something more fun. The concerts and the game show they did were the best parts!
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Yes, I think I'd only be interested in the concerts or if they did something all together with the exception of maybe if Howie does one of those Howie eatz things lol
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Today someone asked me in a comment if I take requests. I've never heard of that before. Do you have any idea what that means? I'm assuming she or he is asking if I'll write a story based on something they want? Is that a thing? LOL
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Yes, that's exactly what that means. It is a thing. I would not recommend doing it LOL. I tried writing a story or two based on someone else's idea that they wanted me to write back in the day, and it did not go well. Even if it's a decent idea, I've found that it's harder to maintain enthusiasm for an idea that isn't mine.
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I mentioned that at the moment I had 3 WIP and I only enjoyed writing Roman and siblings centered Fics and wasn't into ships. I haven't heard back from the person so maybe they've moved on lol
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Hopefully! People can be so pushy. I don't mind people throwing out suggestions as long as they can accept the fact that I may not use them. It bothers me when people I've never heard from otherwise do that, though. Like, have you even read my work?? How come you've never left a comment before? So rude.
I enjoy your occasional tweet thread about the importance of giving feedback, btw. The lack of comments on AO3 is really pathetic. I feel like I can't complain because, if you sort stories by number of comments within the BSB fandom, many of my novels show up on the first page... and yet, I get very few comments there compared to what I used to get on AC. And most of the ones I do get are from the same few people. (Thanks, Steph!) I always reply, too, which then doubles the total number of comments. I don't like that replies count because that is also misleading. I don't know why people there - even fellow writers - are so reluctant to comment. You don't even have to be registered or signed in to do it!
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I know! I hate that about the replies to comments too!
Thanks! It's a rant that needs to be ranted every once in a while. lol I read a girl's short story last night and left a comment and saw I was the only one who did. Then I looked at her kudos and noticed all these names of people who actually write stories in the fandom and for some reason it made me really angry! It's like, they all know how important feedback is and they are too lazy to leave just a good job! Or something like that? I get it, a little with people who don't write. They may not understand how time-consuming writing tends to be, but writers get it.
The lack of feedback is crazy on AO3. I wish that stupid kudos button didn't exist. People hit that thing and think okay there ya go! We all did a lot better giving feedback on AC. I wish I could go back and see how many reviews I had and read the ones I got. I think we were spoiled there. I know I had way over 100 reviews typically on most of my more popular stories, and that didn't include our author responses which as you know is another pet peeve of mine. People who don't respond to their reviews.
At least the girl who randomly requested something, actually has left a couple reviews. But yes, don't make a request after not saying anything or like I said in my rant, don't let your very first comment be "How come this hasn't been updated?" lmao *smack!*
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Yes, I kinda get it for people who don't write. They may not realize how much it means to most of us or may not know what to say. But writers can't make that excuse. That being said, I also see so many posts pop up on the Fanfiction subreddit complaining about receiving "hateful" comments just because someone said something that was less than a 100% positive, gushing, glowing review, and I can see how that would be a deterrent to people who already feel awkward about commenting. I guess you never know how the other person is going to react to what you say. The younger generation seems a lot more worried about triggering or offending people than we ever were.
You can still read your reviews on AC! When you're logged in, go to Account Info and Reviews Received. They're all still there. We were definitely spoiled, but we also established a culture of reader-writer interaction and set the expectation that people leave reviews and reply to reviews through our many discussions on this forum. There's not really a way to do that on AO3, other than modeling the behavior you want to see from others. (This is a very teacher response LOL.) I could definitely be better about stepping outside my comfort zone and reading other people's stories, but unless the summary sounds interesting, I don't read much fanfic anymore aside from what I'm writing.
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Oh, I'll have to try that, thanks! I remember in my head thinking, as long as I have at least one review per chapter posted, I'll feel like the fic is on the right track. now it's like as long as I have at least 10 comments on the entire thing, maybe it's not that bad.
Yes, this younger generation is very sensitive. That's why I read the room nowadays. Luckily the few fanfics I have read have been incredibly well written, but even if they weren't, I would just go for the standard, great job! I enjoyed this, type reply. I know I've seen people complain about reviews where the person has told them they wished they didn't ship so and so because it's not believable. If you don't want to read about so and so, then why read this? I don't really venture onto the fanfiction subreddit. They never really talk about anything I feel like I understand.
I still wish AO3 had a forum. They would benefit from one. I miss the old days!
Today is my posting day for one of my stories. We'll see how it goes. This one tends to be pretty popular; we'll see if the requester comes back. LOL
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LOL I know what you mean. I pay a lot more attention to hits on AO3 than I ever did on AC. I figure as long as the hits are going up, I'm doing something right. One of the few things I do like better about AO3 than AC is the way it records hits. It's based on IP address, so one user clicking on a story counts as one hit, no matter how many chapters they read, and it doesn't record a hit when you click on your own story. If I remember correctly with AC, every click counted as a hit, which inflated the number and made it less accurate.
The fanfiction subreddit tends to be geared more toward shipping and fanfic based on fictional media than what I write, so I also feel like the discussions can be hard to relate to and chime in on. I tried to be a regular on the RPF subreddit when it was created because it was smaller and less overwhelming, but even there, a lot of the posts revolve around ships, which I'm not into. I'm not opposed to writing another slash at some point if inspiration strikes, but I don't "ship" any of the Boys together sexually or romantically. I much prefer bromance to romance. Most of my romances are between one of them and an original female character, but I think I'm in the minority there. AO3 does have its own subreddit, which I guess is the closest thing to its own forum: https://www.reddit.com/r/AO3/ Definitely not like AC, though.
Happy update day! I hope you're getting some good comments on the chapter you posted.
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We haven't done any Q&As here in a while, but I thought of a question. This is for you, Mare, but if any other writers pop in and see it and want to weigh in, please do!
I was just wondering if any of your writing habits have changed since you came back from your hiatus. If I remember correctly, you used to be more of a panster or plantser than a planner - as in, you would just write and see where the story took you instead of planning everything out in advance. That always impressed me because I probably would have written myself into a corner or plot hole trying to write suspense without a plan. Do you still write that way, or have you become more of a planner? Feel free to comment on anything else that has changed or stayed the same for you!
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Oh, I had no idea hits went based on IP addresses there. I knew it wasn't counting when I clicked on it, because I frequently had to do that to remember names of my original characters and I liked that the hit count didn't move when I did that. So, does that mean that, like Kudos, only one hit per address which means all the hits are all new people? Or possible same people who just aren't logged on? If it is, then that is kind of encouraging. I didn't even pay attention in the slightest to hits on AC. isn't that funny? But, on AO3, I feel like that's really the only way to know if people are actually reading. But then again, are they just clicking in then clicking out? People just need to leave friggin' comments! Problem solved!
I got two comments on this new chapter. One from my steady reviewer. Thankfully this story has one of those and one from an occasional one. No newbies yet. Although I have to say with this story, I do tend to get a lot of random comments from people I haven't heard from before which makes me feel good too. That it's not always just the same one person leaving all the reviews. This one already has more hits in the 9 chapters I posted as opposed to my MINE serial killer story that it just surpassed, even though that one only has one more chapter to go and is at 24 chapters total. The only difference between the two Roman gets abducted stories is that the first one I mentioned has him paired with Gerri. Annoying lol
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Planster lol I like that! Yes, I am still very much a planster. I never fully know where my stories are going until I get there. Same as before, I have a general idea and most times I have a vague ending in mind, but how I actually get there is anyone's guess. I guess the closest I get to planning is just making sure I'm always at least one full chapter ahead of myself, just in case I don't like the direction I'm going, I'll have time to change something. I don't know why it works for me, especially in suspense, but it just does. I had no idea the serial killer was going to be the MINE killer until I was about three chapters in and decided to have that be one of the things the police didn't report on the news. It's also a little exciting to write that way, for instance, I currently do not have the slightest idea how I'm going to resolve this hostage situation I have Roman in now. LOL Like not one iota, I'm just going to let my characters get out of it themselves.
I don't really think all that much has changed for me. When I first started up, I had a hard time keeping a flow. I sometimes didn't feel like writing, but now I feel more comfortable with it again and like you, try to write a little every day. I have it scheduled into my daily routine, After I shower, I come in here and write for at least an hour. Even if part of that is coming on here and responding to you. I generally only check this forum during my writing time. Sometimes I have a double writing day, usually when I update because it takes me almost an hour to html everything, so I tend to come back in the afternoon to write write.
Oh, I guess the thing that has changed is my willingness to write female characters now. I kind of enjoy writing Gerri, even though she's not always attached to a partner, but before I never even considered it. I still have difficulty writing Shiv for some reason. I even had an original female character in my first story, which I agree with you, people don't tend to like. I seem to pop in at least a handful or original characters in everything I write now.
I guess a question I have for you and anyone else, now that the boys are older and really have established their family lives, do you tend to write them as they are now? Like this age? And if you do, do you incorporate their real families? Or do you find yourself writing them when they were still younger? I think I'd only ever be able to write old school BSB before the wives and kids.
I know you tend to give them an original female character over their real wives, but do you have them as middle-aged men? and do they have children? etc...
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So, does that mean that, like Kudos, only one hit per address which means all the hits are all new people? Or possible same people who just aren't logged on?
This is how AO3 describes hits in their FAQ section:
"A hit is registered every time a visitor navigates to a work's page, with the following exceptions:
- If two visits in a row come from the same IP address, only the first one is registered.
- Moving between chapters in a work will only register one hit in total, not one hit per chapter.
- If you're logged in, hits are not counted when you visit your own works.
Note that hits only log the number of visits to a work, not the duration of the visit. "
So some of them are repeat readers coming back different times, but it's not logging multiple hits per person per reading session like AC does. Unfortunately, you can't tell how many of them are actually reading full chapters and how many of them are just clicking on and clicking out again.
Congrats on already getting two comments! It's nice that you're hearing from a variety of people, not just the same ones every chapter. That seems like new people are discovering your work. Awesome! Do you think the pairing with Gerri increases readership?
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Planster lol I like that! Yes, I am still very much a planster. I never fully know where my stories are going until I get there. Same as before, I have a general idea and most times I have a vague ending in mind, but how I actually get there is anyone's guess. I guess the closest I get to planning is just making sure I'm always at least one full chapter ahead of myself, just in case I don't like the direction I'm going, I'll have time to change something. I don't know why it works for me, especially in suspense, but it just does. I had no idea the serial killer was going to be the MINE killer until I was about three chapters in and decided to have that be one of the things the police didn't report on the news. It's also a little exciting to write that way, for instance, I currently do not have the slightest idea how I'm going to resolve this hostage situation I have Roman in now. LOL Like not one iota, I'm just going to let my characters get out of it themselves.
I like the term plantser too! LOL That makes sense and does sound similar to how you used to write. It's impressive that you don't seem to write yourself into corners and plot holes with your suspense stories - or, if you do, you figure out a way out of them, which I guess is what makes it exciting for you! I would probably just get writer's block and give up, which I have done with suspense stories in the past LOL. Suspense is not my forte, but the last one I completed was pretty intricately planned out ahead of time. I can't imagine doing it any other way nowadays.
I still skew toward the planning end of the spectrum, but I'd consider myself more of a plantser on my current novel too. Like you, I have an idea of where it's going and some plot points planned out, but I figure out how I'm getting from point to point as I go. I'm trying to be more character-driven and let my characters take the reins instead of forcing them to go in a certain direction. Usually they still end up going where I want them to go, but every once in a while, they surprise me. A few chapters ago, there was a spark of something between my main character, Kevin, and another character who was never meant to have anything more than a platonic relationship with him. I was like, "Whoa, where did that come from?" but I was kind of intrigued by it, so I just kept writing the scene the way it wanted to play out, which was not at all the way I had planned it. And now I find myself questioning whether it's something I want to pursue further, which would change my plan for the rest of the story, or whether I should keep the relationship purely platonic, which I respect. I usually don't change my mind on big plot points like this so late in a story, so this is new territory for me, and it's a little bit scary... but, like you said, also kind of exciting? Anyway, it was on my mind last night, and that's what sparked that question.
I don't really think all that much has changed for me. When I first started up, I had a hard time keeping a flow. I sometimes didn't feel like writing, but now I feel more comfortable with it again and like you, try to write a little every day. I have it scheduled into my daily routine, After I shower, I come in here and write for at least an hour. Even if part of that is coming on here and responding to you. I generally only check this forum during my writing time. Sometimes I have a double writing day, usually when I update because it takes me almost an hour to html everything, so I tend to come back in the afternoon to write write.
Oh, I guess the thing that has changed is my willingness to write female characters now. I kind of enjoy writing Gerri, even though she's not always attached to a partner, but before I never even considered it. I still have difficulty writing Shiv for some reason. I even had an original female character in my first story, which I agree with you, people don't tend to like. I seem to pop in at least a handful or original characters in everything I write now.
It's nice you've gotten into a daily writing routine! That has definitely helped me be more consistent. I'm the same way as you; I usually shower first, then make a cup of coffee and write before I get too distracted by anything else. If I wait until later in the day, it's usually harder to get started.
It's nice that you're more willing to write female characters now! That makes sense with the change in fandom, though. The BSB fandom doesn't have any female "characters" except for the guys' wives, and it feels weird to write about them in anything other than minor roles because they're not celebrities. I like creating original characters, but like you said, not everyone wants to read or write about them. I'm glad you have some good female characters to work with!
I guess a question I have for you and anyone else, now that the boys are older and really have established their family lives, do you tend to write them as they are now? Like this age? And if you do, do you incorporate their real families? Or do you find yourself writing them when they were still younger? I think I'd only ever be able to write old school BSB before the wives and kids.
I know you tend to give them an original female character over their real wives, but do you have them as middle-aged men? and do they have children? etc...
I've written both ways, but most of my recent stories have either taken place in roughly present day with the guys as middle-aged men or specific time periods in the past where most of them were still with their current partners. My current story takes place during the IAWLT era, so most of the guys have kids and are married, and Nick is soon to be engaged to Lauren. The only difference is that I killed Kristin in first story in the series, so Kevin is widowed and dating an original character. Mason exists, but Max does not. I don't write much about the other guys' wives or kids because the focus is on Kevin, but Mason gets a fair amount of story time. I don't usually like writing about their real kids, but I'm enjoying Kevin and Mason's father-son relationship in this story. Mason feels almost like an original character because I don't know much about the real Mason, so I just make up most of the details. He's only 5 in this story and was a baby in the first one, so I just try to make him act like a typical little boy that age.
That being said, I still try to find ways to avoid writing about their families as much as is possible/realistic. In 2020, I finished my ER crossover, which took place in 1995, so there are no wives/girlfriends and kids in that one. I also wrote a survival story that year called The Road to Bethlehem that was about the five of them quarantining in a cabin together to work on the Christmas album during the pandemic, which worked well for leaving their families out.
I still don't like denying the existence of their families or creating fictional families for them, unless it's an AU, so it's either include them as necessary, find creative ways to write around them, or set everything in the 90s. And as much as I love 90s BSB and dynamics of their relationships in those early days, I do enjoy writing them as adults. It's easier now than it was when I was a teenager, and they were in their twenties LOL. I figure forties and fifties can't be that different from late thirties.
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This is how AO3 describes hits in their FAQ section:
"A hit is registered every time a visitor navigates to a work's page, with the following exceptions:
- If two visits in a row come from the same IP address, only the first one is registered.
- Moving between chapters in a work will only register one hit in total, not one hit per chapter.
- If you're logged in, hits are not counted when you visit your own works.
Note that hits only log the number of visits to a work, not the duration of the visit. "
So some of them are repeat readers coming back different times, but it's not logging multiple hits per person per reading session like AC does. Unfortunately, you can't tell how many of them are actually reading full chapters and how many of them are just clicking on and clicking out again.
Congrats on already getting two comments! It's nice that you're hearing from a variety of people, not just the same ones every chapter. That seems like new people are discovering your work. Awesome! Do you think the pairing with Gerri increases readership?
Interesting. I need to read FAQs. I am admittedly very lazy when it comes to stuff like that, which you probably know about me lol I complain about not getting AO3 but I haven't done all that much to rectify that either.
I got a third comment yesterday. This one is pretty successful. And yes, I think that Gerri and Roman together make a huge difference. I am pretty sure most people do searches according to pairings, so they are more apt to click on this one than they were my other one. It's kind of funny though, because Roman has been alone this entire story except for the first chapter so besides being 'together' in name, that's all there is because part of the plot behind this is the fact that Gerri doesn't want anyone to know they're a couple. So, I've managed to totally Gypsy Rose Lee their relationship. LOL Which is fine by me because even though I've grown more comfortable writing female characters, I still don't enjoy making them couples.
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I still skew toward the planning end of the spectrum, but I'd consider myself more of a plantser on my current novel too. Like you, I have an idea of where it's going and some plot points planned out, but I figure out how I'm getting from point to point as I go. I'm trying to be more character-driven and let my characters take the reins instead of forcing them to go in a certain direction. Usually they still end up going where I want them to go, but every once in a while, they surprise me. A few chapters ago, there was a spark of something between my main character, Kevin, and another character who was never meant to have anything more than a platonic relationship with him. I was like, "Whoa, where did that come from?" but I was kind of intrigued by it, so I just kept writing the scene the way it wanted to play out, which was not at all the way I had planned it. And now I find myself questioning whether it's something I want to pursue further, which would change my plan for the rest of the story, or whether I should keep the relationship purely platonic, which I respect. I usually don't change my mind on big plot points like this so late in a story, so this is new territory for me, and it's a little bit scary... but, like you said, also kind of exciting? Anyway, it was on my mind last night, and that's what sparked that question.
Considering how I write, surprisingly I don't really write myself into corners all that often. Most of my ideas for the next chapter comes to me during the night as I'm failing to go to sleep. So, I might feel stuck, but then a lightbulb pops up on top of my head and I'm able to move forward. I think one of the reasons the lack of readership or whatever it is concerning the MINE story is because of how intricate the plot was. Not that anyone would get how hard that is to write a complicated suspense storyline unless you've tried it yourself, but the fact that no one is reading what I consider to be some of my best work is annoying! LOL
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It's nice you've gotten into a daily writing routine! That has definitely helped me be more consistent. I'm the same way as you; I usually shower first, then make a cup of coffee and write before I get too distracted by anything else. If I wait until later in the day, it's usually harder to get started.
I agree. If I wait until later, there's less incentive to write.
It's nice that you're more willing to write female characters now! That makes sense with the change in fandom, though. The BSB fandom doesn't have any female "characters" except for the guys' wives, and it feels weird to write about them in anything other than minor roles because they're not celebrities. I like creating original characters, but like you said, not everyone wants to read or write about them. I'm glad you have some good female characters to work with!
It is easier to write the females in this fandom because they are already established characters and with designated parts to already play. It's been a nice change writing a strong female lead all by herself though. I didn't think I'd enjoy that as much as I did. Not sure how people felt about her, but they did continue reading and no one said anything bad about it, so I take that as a good sign.
I've written both ways, but most of my recent stories have either taken place in roughly present day with the guys as middle-aged men or specific time periods in the past where most of them were still with their current partners. My current story takes place during the IAWLT era, so most of the guys have kids and are married, and Nick is soon to be engaged to Lauren. The only difference is that I killed Kristin in first story in the series, so Kevin is widowed and dating an original character. Mason exists, but Max does not. I don't write much about the other guys' wives or kids because the focus is on Kevin, but Mason gets a fair amount of story time. I don't usually like writing about their real kids, but I'm enjoying Kevin and Mason's father-son relationship in this story. Mason feels almost like an original character because I don't know much about the real Mason, so I just make up most of the details. He's only 5 in this story and was a baby in the first one, so I just try to make him act like a typical little boy that age.
That being said, I still try to find ways to avoid writing about their families as much as is possible/realistic. In 2020, I finished my ER crossover, which took place in 1995, so there are no wives/girlfriends and kids in that one. I also wrote a survival story that year called The Road to Bethlehem that was about the five of them quarantining in a cabin together to work on the Christmas album during the pandemic, which worked well for leaving their families out.
I still don't like denying the existence of their families or creating fictional families for them, unless it's an AU, so it's either include them as necessary, find creative ways to write around them, or set everything in the 90s. And as much as I love 90s BSB and dynamics of their relationships in those early days, I do enjoy writing them as adults. It's easier now than it was when I was a teenager, and they were in their twenties LOL. I figure forties and fifties can't be that different from late thirties.
Okay, interesting. I think writing them became increasingly difficult for me as they got older. At first people really enjoyed reading the bromances, but then I feel like as they settled, everyone became more about romance. It's weird you don't really hear Romance as a genre anymore. It seems like it's all about 'shipping' more so than calling it a romance.
I had forgotten you wrote and ER crossover. I was going to ask as a question, do you find people are asking for crossovers more? It might just be because this is a show, but I find that so many people are just taking shows or movies that already exist and plopping the Succession people in them. Like Bridgerton, or The Bear, stuff like that. I don't think I'd ever really be successful at anything like that because unless I really knew the show, I would feel lost. I know you're a huge ER fan so I'm sure it was easy for you, but I had toyed with the idea to do a BSB Supernatural crossover back in the day, but I couldn't handle it.
I do think an Only Murders in the Building crossover might be fun, but again, not that comfortable with that show, but that might be a fun one to play around with. LOL
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I got a third comment yesterday. This one is pretty successful. And yes, I think that Gerri and Roman together make a huge difference. I am pretty sure most people do searches according to pairings, so they are more apt to click on this one than they were my other one. It's kind of funny though, because Roman has been alone this entire story except for the first chapter so besides being 'together' in name, that's all there is because part of the plot behind this is the fact that Gerri doesn't want anyone to know they're a couple. So, I've managed to totally Gypsy Rose Lee their relationship. LOL Which is fine by me because even though I've grown more comfortable writing female characters, I still don't enjoy making them couples.
LOL Genius! Great way to lure in people who ship them without actually having to write much about them together.
Considering how I write, surprisingly I don't really write myself into corners all that often. Most of my ideas for the next chapter comes to me during the night as I'm failing to go to sleep. So, I might feel stuck, but then a lightbulb pops up on top of my head and I'm able to move forward. I think one of the reasons the lack of readership or whatever it is concerning the MINE story is because of how intricate the plot was. Not that anyone would get how hard that is to write a complicated suspense storyline unless you've tried it yourself, but the fact that no one is reading what I consider to be some of my best work is annoying! LOL
That's good! Lying in bed at night is a good place to get ideas. So is the shower. I'll also get them driving to and from work sometimes. I always feel so inspired on my way home, and by the time I get home, I'm too tired and hungry to write anything. Hence why mornings work better these days.
That is so frustrating when you put all that effort into writing a complicated plot, and it turns out well but gets little to no response from readers. I've been there before, and it sucks. But so much is dependent on readers' preferences. For example, AU stories rarely do as well as canon stories, and gen fics are not as popular as romance.
Okay, interesting. I think writing them became increasingly difficult for me as they got older. At first people really enjoyed reading the bromances, but then I feel like as they settled, everyone became more about romance. It's weird you don't really hear Romance as a genre anymore. It seems like it's all about 'shipping' more so than calling it a romance.
Yes, we probably sound old-fashioned calling it "romance," but that's what it is. In the BSB fandom on AO3, there seem to be more slash stories shipping the Boys together than platonic bromances. Romance with original female characters is still pretty prevalent there too. But slash has made a big comeback. I don't mind slash as much as I used to because at least it's still centered on the guys, but I still prefer bromance. It is definitely harder to come up with those bromantic storylines now that they're middle-aged men who don't really hang out with each other much outside of work. That's where a little creative license and occasional killing of wives comes in handy LOL.
I had forgotten you wrote and ER crossover. I was going to ask as a question, do you find people are asking for crossovers more? It might just be because this is a show, but I find that so many people are just taking shows or movies that already exist and plopping the Succession people in them. Like Bridgerton, or The Bear, stuff like that. I don't think I'd ever really be successful at anything like that because unless I really knew the show, I would feel lost. I know you're a huge ER fan so I'm sure it was easy for you, but I had toyed with the idea to do a BSB Supernatural crossover back in the day, but I couldn't handle it.
I do think an Only Murders in the Building crossover might be fun, but again, not that comfortable with that show, but that might be a fun one to play around with. LOL
Considering it took me like 8 years to write the ten-chapter ER crossover, I'm not surprised you forgot about it LOL. I talked about it here way back when I was first planning the idea, but it was always a side project, so I didn't devote much time to it until 2020. I had fun writing it, though, and I think it turned out pretty good.
No, I don't think anyone has ever asked me to do a crossover LOL. It may just be due to differences in fandoms. Most of the BSB crossovers are with other musicians. I still see NSYNC and Eminem being paired with BSB in the tags. I have mixed feelings on crossovers because they only really appeal to people who are familiar with both fandoms, but they are fun to write. They're also a challenge, though, because you do have to be really familiar with both. The ER one was a natural fit for me because I love ER, and so was the Harry Potter one I was writing until The Cursed Child ruined it for me. But I'm not sure what other fandoms I could write that knowledgably. Maybe The Walking Dead? But I don't think I have another zombie apocalypse story in me LOL. Only Murders in the Building would be fun and a great opportunity to write a mystery! But that does sound like a challenge.
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I can't believe people actually ask you to write for them, especially if it's someone who you don't know and doesn't even comment on your stories!
I keep saying I'm going to get back into writing and then don't do anything about it lol. I've had ideas, I just can't seem to motivate myself to write anything. It's been so long.
The Cancun event sounds like only the actual concert would appeal. I wouldn't be interested in watching Howie do shots, or Kevin DJ either. Don't even think I'd be interested in Nick playing on the beach either, I'd rather be in the shade and cool somewhere :) I sound old lol
I would love to write a crossover fic, or read one if it was about something I love (like Walking Dead, Supernatural). I did my own crossover one on here years ago with Supernatural. I quite like the idea of setting them in a historical romance, like Pride & Prejudice meets BSB.
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I know! I'm an evil genius. I just got another new reviewer for that story, so I don't think people have caught on yet. I'm in the process of doing that with a new story I'm writing as well. This time I'm being a double evil genius because not only have I paired him with Gerri but also a male character Mencken, which you probably have never heard of because he comes later on, but he ends up being the guy the Roys get behind as the next presidential candidate. In the show, he's very much patterned after Trump except for the fact that he's played by Justin Kirk who is a hottie.
Next to Roman and Gerri, there's is the next biggest ship because of Roman's up in the air confused sexuality. I've only written two chapters of that one and posted one, because even implied slash is hard for me, so I wasn't totally sure if it was a story I was going to pursue, but like the other one, I've been able to write their encounters as an afterthought. Roman shows up at the hotel then he's back and his desk and vaguely talks about it in flashback. LOL We'll see what happens.
That MINE one is an AU so that might be it as well, but like I said, they enjoy their crossovers over there and seem to enjoy them as AU characters. Most of the time, those crossovers have to have them not as the real authentic Roys for it to work. I don't know. I'm posting the last chapter of that MINE story today, maybe it'll be one of stories that will get discovered later on and have more success. I should have paired Gerri and Roman in that one, although he' a teenager and she's still an old lady and married. Don't think I hadn't considered 'accidentally' adding that tag though. hehehe
Did you not enjoy the cursed child? I never read that one. I don't think I'd ever try an Only Murders one, because of the fact that I'm not all that comfortable with that fandom, but a murder mystery might be fun. I read a novel called Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone which I thoroughly enjoyed, and it was a great murder mystery and hilarious. The author breaks the fourth wall a lot. I am thinking of trying a story like that perhaps. you should check that novel out, it was great. I just found out they're making it into a MAX series. I can totally see Kieran playing the lead.
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I can't believe people actually ask you to write for them, especially if it's someone who you don't know and doesn't even comment on your stories!
I keep saying I'm going to get back into writing and then don't do anything about it lol. I've had ideas, I just can't seem to motivate myself to write anything. It's been so long.
The Cancun event sounds like only the actual concert would appeal. I wouldn't be interested in watching Howie do shots, or Kevin DJ either. Don't even think I'd be interested in Nick playing on the beach either, I'd rather be in the shade and cool somewhere :) I sound old lol
I would love to write a crossover fic, or read one if it was about something I love (like Walking Dead, Supernatural). I did my own crossover one on here years ago with Supernatural. I quite like the idea of setting them in a historical romance, like Pride & Prejudice meets BSB.
Well, there ya go, Steph! If you decide to do Cancun, i'll be your hangout buddy. LOL
I even had trouble with Supernatural. I did a one-shot Supernatural story and was surprised at how hard it was for me.
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I keep saying I'm going to get back into writing and then don't do anything about it lol. I've had ideas, I just can't seem to motivate myself to write anything. It's been so long.
The Cancun event sounds like only the actual concert would appeal. I wouldn't be interested in watching Howie do shots, or Kevin DJ either. Don't even think I'd be interested in Nick playing on the beach either, I'd rather be in the shade and cool somewhere :) I sound old lol
I would love to write a crossover fic, or read one if it was about something I love (like Walking Dead, Supernatural). I did my own crossover one on here years ago with Supernatural. I quite like the idea of setting them in a historical romance, like Pride & Prejudice meets BSB.
I wish you would get back into writing, Steph! I'm sure it's easier said than done, especially after it's been so long. Maybe start small with a one-shot or something. A crossover could be fun, too. Mare, how did you get back into it?
The concerts were definitely the best part of Cancun! Most of the other events were hot and hard to see unless you got there super early to get a good spot, which would mean being even hotter and more crowded. I wish they would go back to cruises instead. The cruises were better - not as big/crowded, not as hot, and the guys were more accessible. But it was their first time doing this, so hopefully the organizers will take the feedback they got and find ways to improve it for next time, if there is a next time.
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Did you not enjoy the cursed child? I never read that one. I don't think I'd ever try an Only Murders one, because of the fact that I'm not all that comfortable with that fandom, but a murder mystery might be fun. I read a novel called Everyone in My Family has Killed Someone which I thoroughly enjoyed, and it was a great murder mystery and hilarious. The author breaks the fourth wall a lot. I am thinking of trying a story like that perhaps. you should check that novel out, it was great. I just found out they're making it into a MAX series. I can totally see Kieran playing the lead.
I have mixed feelings on The Cursed Child. It was entertaining enough, just reading to see where it went, but it was glorified fanfic. J.K. Rowling approved it but didn't actually write it herself, and that was very apparent. Some of the characters were written way out of character, and some of the plot points were so random and weird. The play is coming to Chicago later this year, and I'm not sure if I want to see it or not. But the main reason I say it "ruined" my crossover is that it included an idea I was planning for mine, and now I don't feel like writing it anymore LOL. I dunno... it's one of those stories I haven't officially discontinued but haven't actively tried working on in years. Maybe someday.
A murder mystery does sound like a fun challenge! I'll have to check out that novel.
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I got back into writing mainly because of all the giant holes that needed filling in Succession. Not that there were major plot holes, but there were no flashback episodes or anything like that, so a lot of stuff was mentioned in passing as if we were privy to what happened and that kind of killed me, so I needed to create those stories. Plus, it was a wide-open ending, so what happens next was up for interpretation . That's what really got me back into it. The ideas were gnawing in my head for so long, that I HAD to write them to get them out.
I wish I had done that after watching the finale of Merlon a billion years ago. It never occurred to me that I could write the ending I pictured, and that people might want to actually read it. LOL
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That's interesting. I didn't realize that JK didn't write the Cursed Child. Isn't that play like really really long? I'm not sure I could sit through a play for more than 90 minutes. A musical, yes, but not a play. Ugh, that is annoying though when someone steals your idea, even though they didn't realize they did!
I'm having a writing fail today. I'm not really feeling the new one I'm writing just yet so haven't been able to focus on it, plus this is the first time in a while that I haven't been feeling all that great. It's probably the changing weather. It seems to really affect me. After this I'm probably going to go watch TV or something lol