Okay, speaking of crazy a) I am because b) this infidelity fic seems to be written by someone who isn't human, BUT I KEEP READING. She seems to have no idea that infidelity may be wrong. She's not just writing Dean theoretically sympathetically, she absolutely fails to frame the conflict in any way recognisable. Dean doesn't seem to realise there's a choice to be made, and she, just...

Like when she uses the wrong word, I can't get a feel for what she meant to say, there's that little context:

Castiel was more than happy to let the subject go so he didn't say anything to alleviate Dean's worry, he simply sunk deeper into his embrace and sighed competently and hoped it would make everything a bit better

I need the author to guide me a bit more...

Castiel couldn't help but hate her just a little bit for it, he couldn't help but wonder that if she wasn't so pretty then maybe he'd have Dean all to himself. Not to mention that everything Castiel had told him about her indicated that she was an amazing person

But if she doesn't stop writing, I apparently won't stop reading, because I'm sure the next chapter is where everything comes together.

She even has pedantic author's notes where she spells out that there are no humans in her life, but I can't take the hint...

I used to bite my nails, but then one day I just stopped. Now my sister's boyfriends habit of biting his nails is driving me up the walls. I've actually smacked him with a book to make him stop, and apparently my sister has done the same thing couple of times. FYI, violence doesn't seem to be the solution on this case.

Is there something I can install onto Opera that prevents me from going to her URL? I never understood those things when they were about keeping you on track for work, but suddenly frame it in terms of fic compulsions and I need all the external help I can get...

Okay, maybe copping to it here again will help.

Oh, "sighing competently" could be the best malaprop ever. EVER.

Okay, choice #2 is just not fair.

You can't make me choose, and so I won't choose. Too much in both of those.

What does sighing competently mean? She has so little flow or mood in her stories that my brain doesn't fill in when one of hers really doesn't fit. But with her style of writing it's hard for me to be sure it's a mistake.

You have an argument with your wife because you've been spending kissy time with someone else, and when she blows her top and gets some space because she wants to avoid a divorce, you bring the other guy into the house, let him look at your wedding pictures, fuck him in your married bed (but only reveal this as a memory on the way to pick up Sam). Sam doesn't get to meet Cas because Dean has rushed Cas back to his hooking before anyone can see him.

What should he do????

Jump under a bus? He's fucking up two relationships, and if Sam has any sense he'll avoid him for a while too while he runs around from bed to be being neither shameful nor eager.

You discover you're bi and you cheat with a hooker--I want some emotions! I want drama! I want guilt...or not guilt, as you realise the hooker is making a part of you alive that your marriage just wasn't reaching, or you realise you can't have that dream with the whore because you have responsibilities that are bigger than just who you are with but it tears you apart.....

I don't know. I don't fucking write stories. But this is the shallow West. We do need a conflict in our plot. Be mundane that way.

Posted without comment: [link]

Jensen dances like Chandler Bing!

But this is the shallow West. We do need a conflict in our plot.

Where was I just reading about that? That other traditions don't require conflict?

I can't imagine it, frankly, but I grew up in that tradition, so. Although honestly, slice of life pieces and vignettes don't have to have conflict -- but they *do* have to illustrate something perceptively. If you're not going to show me someone in conflict, then show me someone doing what they want to do, but tell me why they love it, or at least why they do it.

Shit, I had a GIF of Jared dancing just like that, but I can't find it now. I can find this: [link] and this: [link] and this: [link] But not that. That will frustrate me today. Because it's better than worrying about real things.

For some reason, Amy, I'm vaguely recalling it being a statement about Chinese fiction? But my brain is for crap. Things you can substitute for conflict: PWP, intense mood setting, character or plot revelation or alternate viewpoint to canon.

But it's totes best if you've got, like, all of that in there.

Well, those .gifs are adorable anyway. Giant dancing moose.

I'm vaguely recalling it being a statement about Chinese fiction?

It had to be on Tumblr. Or possibly io9?

Aha! I found the article in question: [link] Is this the one you were thinking of? It's definitely the one I had in mind.

That's the one, although I think I only saw a piece of it on Tumblr. I didn't get as far as the four-act manga explanation, which does make more sense now.