actively enforced a rule for myself that i can't edit every single sentence until a chapter has been written in all its ugly disjointedness. and actually ended up writing instead of editing every single sentence. why the FUCK does that work

Self-Betrayal Dialogue Prompts

⭒ "Stop apologizing for taking up space you were literally invited into."

⭒ "You're not 'too much.' You're just around people who prefer you at half-capacity."

⭒ "How many versions of yourself have you buried trying to be easier to love?"

⭒ "You keep calling it compromise, but you're the only one getting smaller."

⭒ "When did you start treating your own needs like they're optional?"

⭒ "You say you don't mind, but your face says you've been minding for months."

⭒ "At what point does being understanding turn into being a doormat?"

⭒ "You're allowed to be angry. Stop repackaging it as disappointment."

⭒ "You don't sound grateful. You sound like you've forgotten you're allowed to want things."

⭒ "How long have you been pretending your boundaries are suggestions?"

⭒ "You keep saying yes when your whole body is screaming no."

⭒ "Stop acting like having standards makes you difficult."

⭒ "You're not keeping the peace. You're just swallowing your anger until it rots."

⭒ "When was the last time you asked for something without apologizing for asking?"

⭒ "You don't have to earn the right to be treated well."

⭒ "You keep shrinking yourself and then wondering why nobody sees you."

⭒ "Being low-maintenance shouldn't mean you get nothing."

⭒ "You're not being selfless. You're being self-erasing."

⭒ "Stop calling it patience when what you mean is silence."

⭒ "You act like wanting respect is the same as being demanding."

⭒ "How many times are you going to forgive something you never said was okay?"

⭒ "You're not avoiding conflict. You're just having it alone in your head instead."

⭒ "Stop making yourself digestible for people who are never going to appreciate the meal."

⭒ "You keep waiting for someone to notice you're drowning instead of just saying you can't swim."

⭒ "Being kind to everyone else doesn't count if you're cruel to yourself."

⭒ "You don't get points for suffering quietly."

How to Fix Underwriting

1. Slow down at emotionally important moments.

Big emotions need space to land. If a scene feels rushed, pause the plot briefly to show how the moment affects the character.

2. Add reactions, not explanations.

Instead of explaining what a character feels, show it through physical responses, hesitation, or small actions that reveal emotion naturally.

3. Ground every scene in the senses.

If a scene feels thin, add one or two sensory details—sound, texture, smell, or temperature—to make the moment feel lived-in.

4. Let thoughts interrupt action.

A line of internal thought can deepen a scene without slowing it too much. Thoughts show stakes, fear, longing, or conflict beneath the action.

5. Expand consequences, not events.

You don’t need more things to happen—you need to show what matters. Focus on how events change relationships, decisions, or self-perception.

6. Strengthen setting where emotion peaks.

The environment should echo or contrast the emotion of the scene. Setting is not decoration—it’s emotional reinforcement.

7. Add specific details instead of general ones.

Underwriting often relies on vague language. Swap “they argued” for one sharp line of dialogue or a specific breaking point.

8. Let dialogue breathe.

Short dialogue exchanges without pauses can feel flat. Add beats—silence, gestures, interruptions—to give the conversation weight.

9. Show transitions between scenes.

If scenes jump too quickly, readers feel disoriented. A brief transition helps establish time, mood, and emotional continuity.

10. Clarify stakes early in the scene.

If readers don’t know what can be lost, scenes feel empty. Make sure the character wants something specific and fears losing it.

11. Use the “what are they feeling right now?” check.

After each major beat, ask what emotion is dominant in that moment. If it’s missing on the page, the scene is likely underwritten.

12. Expand scenes that feel “too clean.”

If a scene resolves too neatly or quickly, it probably needs more tension. Messy emotions and unresolved feelings add depth.

“You’re manipulating me.” First of all, I’m encouraging you. Second of all, you look hot when you’re susceptible to my influence.

Hot take but actors are allowed to lie about their personal lives if that’s what it takes for them to have some privacy. Stop being nosy bitches they don’t owe you anything.

HUGE fan of the enemies forced to work together trope. not even in an enemies to lovers way just 2 ppl who absolutely despise each other being forced to tolerate the others presence and being like once we’re done with this i won’t fucking hesitate. top 10 tropes of all time

[guy whose bedtime is approaching fast] I need to write one billion words right now. and draw everything that has ever existed.

it should be a crime to have 101 things to write and a pitiful attention span

Huge shout out to all the people who read fics. Who actually take the time out of their busy days to open a fic and read it

Before I started writing in earnest, I did not understand how much writing was going to eat into my fic reading time. We joke about having too many tabs open, but I have a different problem: the amount of tabs I have open on new fics is way smaller than it used to be. My ao3 wrapped would be a sad affair. Unless I’ve subscribed to an author or come across something on my dash, I basically don’t see it

Which has really driven home for me how much fandom cannot just be creators. You have to have people who want to read fic and meta discussions and joke posts. You have to have people who want to look at art and gifs. It has to be mutual.

Community thrives on flow. You have to have that movement of people sharing things with each other for a community to exist

Thank you fic readers. You keep things flowing

Beware of yourself