#(also this post is talking about multi chapter fic mostly. i do have some oneshots i want to write)

[pandora15]

no one asked me about this recently but I figured I should say that modern au is probably not gonna be updated in a long time, as is shifting shadows.

for modern au, I think it's gotten to this point where it would just be really difficult for me to dive back in. I can give it a whirl maybe once I'm done with remnants of destruction, but just thinking about the story in a general sense makes me pretty sad. my brainspace has changed quite a lot in the past few months, and I think I'll find it very difficult to continue this story.

as for shifting shadows, I think where I left it off is that I had the rest of the fic outlined or something? I'd have to check my document. but honestly I regret starting that fic. I've since realized that writing sequels to fic is really difficult and I wish I hadn't completely undone drifting starlight's ending for the sake of "shock value". I can maybe talk about the upcoming spoilers for that fic since I'm pretty sure I won't be updating it but only if y'all are comfortable with me doing that. let me know.

(you'll notice this is why I was so insistent on not writing a sequel to kotf)

what I do have planned right now is finishing remnants of destruction. I have the rest of the fic outlined, but I'm already thinking of making some changes to said outline (I want to make sure I do the story + characters justice and it's not easy).

after that, I had some other vague ideas including a kenobi series AU or maybe even some fun time travel thing where there's multiple obi-wans at the same time. because what's more fun than one obi-wan? MULTIPLE obi-wans.

case in point:

TLDR writing is very slow and difficult but I'm trying! I would love love LOVE to write something like kotf again but that would probably (definitely) have to wait until after I'm done with grad school and I finish remnants of destruction.

[meta-squash]

More for @shamelessdvdcommentary since I just recently wrote and posted some new fic. (Thank you Calli for reminding me that this is a thing and that writing this commentary is really fun.)

High Elopement Risk Summary:

A sign on the door says 'High Elopement Risk' in bold black and white. He can't stop thinking about the idea of marriages of the mad; vows jumbled in cotton-dry mouths, church bells tolling crooked and joyous, benzo-sloppy kisses, heavily medicated laughter painting the halls. Glassy eyes and white gauze and rings made of toilet paper, promises made for or by the not-quite-there. It scares him that his fingers itch for Ian's skin. It scares him that even through the clenched heart, the way his stomach is in lovelorn knots, the way his mind shuts down at the thought of Ian doing the things he did, he still wants to stay. Mickey's POV during the time that Ian is in the hospital.

Give us some stats - (when you wrote it, word count, how long it took to finish, is it a one-shot/multi-chapter, etc) I wrote this fic a couple of weeks ago. It took a few days to write but mostly came all at once. It's a oneshot, 5,255 words.

What was the initial inspiration for your story? I read a short essay by a woman about visiting her aging mother in the hospital and she talked about reading the sign that said "high elopement risk" and thinking about weddings. That sparked an idea of Mickey waiting for Fiona in the hospital and thinking similar thoughts.

If the story is written from a character’s POV, why did you choose this character? I wanted more of Mickey's POV during this time because we get Ian, and we get the rest of the Gallaghers, but we don't get Mickey's true feelings really, when he's waiting for Ian to get out of the hospital. We see him trying to avoid thinking about all of it, but we don't actually get a sense of what he's actually thinking or feeling under that attempt to ignore/avoid it all.

What was your favourite scene to write? Writing Mickey's internal feelings during the scene in the hospital where Fiona is chattering away and Ian is so, so vague and sedated and Mickey's barely holding it together was really fun. Mickey is worried and sad in that scene but also totally freaked out by the difference in Ian and also still reeling from everything that happened in the days and weeks prior but also obviously still very much dedicated to Ian. So it was fun and interesting to try and figure out the ratios of all those feelings and which ones were stronger for which scenes.

How did you come up with the title? This title (for once) was really obvious considering the inspiration and also main theme.

Are there any little moments or references you hope readers will notice? That every time Mickey thinks about actually leaving, it's immediately contradicted by him realizing how much he wants to stay. I've always thought that part of what freaks Mickey out so bad during this time is that he realizes he's 100% in it for the long haul and even something this huge and upsetting as this isn't changing that he wants to stay, even though it would have other people running. And that realization of how dedicated and in love he is scares him, especially alongside how bad seeing Ian like that is freaking him out.

Was there anything you struggled to write? If so, how did you overcome this? I got slightly stuck with writing Mickey the morning that Ian comes home (but before Debbie comes and yells at him) because he's just drunk for most of it, which means he's mostly trying to not think. But I got through it by kind of building up what he's freaking out about. Like, what's he going to freak out about upon first waking up, and then what other thoughts or fears end up piled on top of that as he starts drunkenly spiralling?

Favourite line in the story?

Chewing at his lips like gnawing the skin tender will somehow make the other pain easier to bear. Like if he's raw at the place only Ian has ever touched him then maybe Ian will come back and they can kiss each other better. As if he ever believed in kissing anything better. He sure as hell wishes he could believe in it now.

Did the storyline change in any way as you wrote the story? Mostly I just couldn't decide whether or not to make the fic continue all the way up to the "Sorry I'm late" scene or not. I decided to write up to where I ended it in actuality, and then decide whether it felt like it needed more. It didn't, so I didn't end up going that far.

If you are writing a particular trope or genre, was it your first time writing this? Angsty fic is my signature style, and I mostly write Mickey POV, so no. But it's my first fic that I wrote that focuses on Mickey while Ian's in the hospital. So now I've written a fic from Lip's POV about Mickey when Ian gets checked into the hospital, and one from Mickey's POV about while Ian is in the hospital, and multiple fics about Ian and Mickey pre-diagnosis.

What are you most proud about in the story? (plot, characterisation, dialogue, twist/cliffhanger, etc) Characterization, for sure. I'm really happy with the way I wrote Mickey freaking out about the change in Ian, and then freaking out about wanting to stay anyway, and then freaking out about how he's freaking out. And then him making up his mind to stay anyway.

Are there any deleted scenes that didn’t make it to the final story? Well, I never ended up writing the "Sorry I'm late" scene, so I guess the concept of that is sort of a deleted scene? But no, this one came into the world pretty whole.

Are there any ‘behind the scenes’ info you’d like to share - e.g. what’s going on in a characters head in a certain scene or how you came to write a certain line? I just love season 5 Mickey because there's nothing but growth there, he really matures and becomes so stable and wonderful throughout the season. (Which makes me so pissed off about the end of season 5 and how much they fucked up his character in the last 3 seasons ugh anyway.) I really wanted to explore that growth, the moment of transition between him really scared and freaked out and heartbroken, and then coming over to the Gallagher house and from that point on being this pillar of stability and wanting so bad to take care of and love Ian even through all the shit that's going on. Also I wrote this line:

Waiting by the phone, calling and calling and talking and talking to the empty heartless beep of voicemail until the message box filled up, calling still after that and talking to the dead air, promises and declarations and pleas and all the things he wasn't sure he could have said to Ian's face, not before. Maybe not now.

because I've always been of the opinion that Mickey saying "I love you" in the voicemail was not a surprise to him, that he had been mulling over the feeling and the words for a long time and hadn't yet found a good time to say it due to Ian's manic behavior. He's surprised that he let it slip then, but I don't think it's a moment of realization for him. But I really liked the idea that the more voicemails he left, the more he just ended up saying things he might not otherwise say, really personal thoughts and feelings and stuff, both because he's scared and because he hopes somehow that opening up like Ian always wanted him to do might convince Ian to come back. And then when Ian's in the hospital, it gives him another layer of things to freak out about -- how is Ian going to react to him being vulnerable in that way over voicemail?

Reading back the story now, is there anything you’d change or add? Not at the moment, although I tend to reread old fics every few months and add a sentence or a word or two, so maybe in a few months I'll find something I want to add.

Would you ever write a sequel to this story? Nothing official. A lot of my Shameless fics tend to accidentally fit together, so I'm sure if you read Because Brothers Don't Let Each Other Wander In The Dark Alone and then read this fic, they'd fit together as prequel and sequel.

Are there any ‘easter eggs’ in your story - e.g. references to other stories you’ve written, a trope you often use etc? Nothing specific. Just Mickey being generally a pretty anxious person, which I think he is to some degree quite an anxious/high alert person but just good at clamping down on it or hiding it.

Were you nervous or excited to post this story? Excited because I really liked what I did with the themes and the base idea of "high elopement risk" as a concept with multiple meanings. But I think fics about that mini-story arc of Ian in the hospital don't get as much traffic (probably because it's a sad topic) so I was expecting it to get fewer hits and I'm not surprised that I was right. The happier Gallavich fic I posted a month prior has like 5x the amount of hits.

Anything else you’d like the readers to know about the story? Just that I'm completely obsessed with Noel's acting during this little story arc. He's just so good at body language acting and microexpressions and I think part of what made me want to write this fic is the way his expressions seem to flicker between a sort of panicky hysteric freaking out and a heartbroken worry and helplessness. And I just wanted to explore those two types of upset and how Mickey is dealing with it all.

[vinylfoxbooks]

Fox Intro Post

I'm finally getting around to my introduction post thingy, so here it is:

Name: Fox Pronouns: She/they Sexuality: Lesbian and on the ace spectrum Age: 18

Fandoms: Marauders, The Magnus Archives, VLD, etc. etc.

Ships: Jegulus, Moonchaser (mostly exes), Starrosekillerchaser (and any variation), Dorlene, PandaMaryLily, JonMartin, QPR TimSasha, Gerry/Micheal, Keith/Matt, etc.

I write primarily Jegulus oneshots here on Tumblr and also on my AO3 but I've also done a couple other things. I post on Saturdays (unless I don't have anything) and sometimes Mondays if I have a lot to post. I don't really do big projects often because I don't have the attention span for that so it's hard, but I will post chapters on Mondays on the off-chance that I do have a multi-chapter fic. I'm also a hard nonbinary James headcannon and it's in everything I write.

I am open to asks of any kinds: headcanons, advice (though IDK how much help I'll be), random questions, random things you want to say, microfic requests, anything!

I also have a second account (vinylfoxtalks) where I'll talk more about personal things and books (you can find my reading information on my storygraph, I'll try to keep it updated). This is also where I like from.

Here is my bingo master post

Finally, here's some of my favourite things I've written:

Microfics

June 15 - Release Jegulus microfic w/ canon divergence

June 23 - Brain Fluffy Jegulus microfic

June 24 - Improve Jegulus microfic w/ body horror, and killer James

June 28 - Lawyer Jegulus microfic w/ protective Effie

August 9 - Cemetery Jartylus microfic w/ the three dancing in a cemetery

August 19 - Invite Jegulus microfic w/ Six of Crows Halloween Costumes

Lilene Lily x Marlene microfic w/ Lily and Marlene going to their school's dance together

August 27 - Magazine Jegulus microfic w/ James doing fiber art for their friends

September 1 - Fashion Jegulus microfic w/ Sirius helping Regulus get ready for a date with James

September 6 - Glass Jegulus microfic w/ Mary learning that James is not, in fact, straight

September 7 - King, September 8 - Shadow, and September 9 - Curl Jegulus microfics w/ Regulus and Sirius learning their pirate lovers have been captured

September 11 - Journal Jegulus microfic w/ Sirius finding out about Jegulus and confronting James

September 14 - Metal Jegulus microfic w/ Regulus reacting to James' new piercing

September 23 - Candle Jegulus microfic w/ James joining Regulus in a self-care day

September 26 - Light Moonchaser microfic w/ James and Remus sneaking away from a party

October 4 - Honour and October 8 - Scratch Jegulus microfics w/ James coming to rescue Regulus while he's being forced to attend his parents' party

October 9 - Jealous Jegulus microfic w/ unrequited Moonchaser and Bartylus leading to Jegulus making a plan

October 13 - Wave Jegulus microfic w/ Regulus being forced to go to the beach with his partner and brother

October 26 - Remember Jegulus microfic w/ Potions teacher Regulus getting informed that James still has a picture of him in their room

Ao3 Fics

Got Some Spare Balls Jegulus oneshot, T, wc: 1,251 Regulus loses the ball to his lip ring and is annoyed by the fact that he has to wait and watch the jewelry until he can grab a spare ball from Evan or Dorcas. However, and much to his surprise, James comes to the rescue with a container of spare jewelry that Regulus didn't know about.

They're Soulmates (Impossible Not to Love) Jegulus oneshot, T, wc: 5,013 James and Regulus announce their relationship in a very dramatic way--usual for a man like James Potter--but the Gryffindors are more shocked by the way that Sirius reacts to their relationship; not at all. And that's because Sirius has known about them for longer than any of them realize. They're childhood friends and Sirius has watched his brother and best friend fall in love, he's seen the way that they're perfect for each other.

His Bare Skin in Flashing Lights Jegulus oneshot, M, wc: 3,402 Remus, Sirius, and Peter sneak into a Slytherin party with the help of Marlene and Dorcas, though they're very aware of the fact that James was 'busy'. Upon being at the party they see a certain someone with a certain little brother.

Oh Boy Jegulus oneshot, T, wc: 7,476 Harry's family is going to be having one big dinner and Harry was told to invite his friends and Draco to it. So he does, and his friends get to meet the pure chaos that is Harry's family and see the interactions between them.

He Knows (Because He's One Too) Jegulus oneshot, G, wc: 4,410 Remus, a werewolf, and Sirius, a vampire are trying to hide the fact that they're not human to their overwhelmingly human best friend. However, they learn that they might not have to because there's the possibility of James dating a witch...

What a Coincidence (My Love and I are Wearing Red) Jegulus oneshot, M, wc: 6,899 The marauders are throwing a traffic light party and James is wearing red, but who is he dating? Who else is wearing red at the party, because Lily's wearing green.

You Please Yourself by Pleasing Me Jegulus oneshot, M, wc: 1,424 Reggie loves hickies. He loves the look of them, not necessarily the act that accompanies them. Luckily, James has an oral fixation and is all the more willing to give him a necklace of hickies.

And a Song Someone Sings (Once Upon a December) Jegulus oneshot, T, wc: 12,514 In which the Potters and childhood friends host a Christmas gala every five years for all the less fortunate wizards and everyone's invited.

He's Looking At Me Jegulus oneshot, T, wc: 7,160 Sirius and Remus encourage James to ask his boyfriend, Regulus, to the Yule Ball but Lily doesn't hear 'him' and assumes that he's going to ask her out. Through sharing this with the girls, Marlene gets her with Mary.

The Restricted Section JonMartin oneshot, T, wc: 2,020 Sasha and Tim are having a hard time getting a book they need for a follow up on a statement, because it's in a restricted section that they just can't access. Jon, however, happens to be able to help them--because of course the nerd would have access to a restricted section in an academic library. But that's not the only thing the two assistants learn about their boss because who is this Martin guy helping them?

You're Severely Mistaken JonMartin oneshot, T, wc: 1,788 Tim and Sasha are nervous about dressing up for pride month because Jon, to them, seems like the old homophobic boss that grumbles about 'kids and their sexualities and blue hair.' Turns out, they were wrong.

Love is an Art (And You're a Professional) Jegulus oneshot, T, wc: 7,628 James is a potter and Regulus is a painter. They share a studio and each other's hearts but neither of them know of their association with Sirius (just as he doesn't know about them). Just cute, fluffy moments between Regulus and James in their lives and prepping for an art gallery, and learning about their intertwined lives.

Fluorine Uranium Carbon Potassium (Barium Boron Yttrium) Jegulus oneshot, M, wc: 2,458 James is taking chemistry though they constantly complain about it. When asked why they continue to take it, they can't really supply an answer. Turns out the best thing keeping them in the course is one pretty boy that they can fool around with.

Oh I, Do I Love a Little Bit (Of Kiss Me Kill Me) Jegulus oneshot, T, wc: 4,715 Sirius convinces Regulus to help him and the rest of his frat run a charity event and he gets stuck watching the person he's had a massive crush on make out with people all day.

I'm Leaving Home for the Coastline (Some Place Under the Sun) Jegulus oneshot, T, wc: 11,470, for the Jegulus Bingo Prompt: 'Regulus Stealing James' Sweater' Regulus runs away from France and finds himself in a small town where he finds a very pretty person.

I'm a Creature of Fine Sensation Jegulus oneshot, T, wc: 1,903, for the Jegulus Bingo Prompt: 'Black and White Films' James takes Regulus along on a tradition that they have with Remus and Lily, going to a drive in theater that plays black and white movies.

Beauty in Betrayal Jegulus oneshot, T, wc: 7,368, for the Jegulus Bingo Prompt: 'Apocalypse' Regulus shows up at the Potters' house on Halloween and tells them that they were betrayed and that they need to run. They do and them, Harry, and their friends find refuge in a hidden area.

Starry Eyes and Warm Smiles Jegulus, 11/11 chapters, T, wc: 29,848 Regulus gets paired with his annoying classmate in his art class, James Potter. Regulus slowly learns that James maybe isn't that bad after all and James might be able to get a date out of this whole thing.

Following the Prophecy Jegulus fic, 5/5 chapters, T, wc: 17,927, for the Jegulus Bingo Prompt: 'Dungeons & Dragons' Lily is DMing a D&D campaign with some friends and new faces, that's it. It's just a kind of homebrew D&D Here's a link to the character sheets, one per chapter posted.

Oh My God, They Were Roommates Jegulus oneshot, T, wc: 4,066, for the Jegulus Bingo Prompt: 'Childhood Friends' Sirius invites Remus, the guy that he's been talking to and Regulus' coworker, over to their flat for the first time and informs his brother and best friend that they should engage in their 'plan', the same thing that they do to everyone new that Sirius brings about to the flat.

Protect Me (Take Me Away) Jegulus oneshot, T, wc: 13,784, for the Jegulus Bingo Prompts: 'Regulus Sings to James' and 'Sectumsempra' James and Remus are pirates that went under cover as knights to kidnap the princes. Along the way, they happened to fall in love.

This Man Belongs With Me, I Want Him Jegulus oneshot, T, wc: 5,193, for the Jegulus Bingo Prompts: 'Animagus AU' and 'Black Cat Regulus' James goes on the arduous journey to visit his husband, a vampire living in a faraway castle in France, and how he loves the journey.

Better Than a Movie Jegulus oneshot, E, wc: 6,310, for the Jegulus Bingo Prompt: 'Latex' The group convinces Regulus to go to a Halloween party, where he happens to run into James... James who's wearing a skirt.

Two Alike Minds Jegulus oneshot, T, wc: 7,234, for the Jegulus Bingo Prompts: 'Camping Trip' and 'A Proposal' James takes Regulus out on a camping trip to help distract him from his classwork. It turns out to be the best camping trip of Regulus' life, no matter the complaining.

All I Need is (To Come Home to You) Jegulus oneshots, T, wc: 3,336, for the Jegulus Bingo Prompt: 'Wildest Dreams' Regulus and James are together behind the scenes of their fame, and the Marauders go on with a little surprise during their London show during their Wildest Dreams tour. Said surprise being a special guest that turns out to be Regulus and a couple sweet love songs.

Mama's Always Right Jegulus oneshot, T, wc: 10,238, for the Jegulus Bingo Prompt: 'Codependent' James and the Black brothers have known each other since childhood and the Potters and Alphard always assumed that James and Regulus, long before his coming out and subsequent transition, would get together from the way that they acted around each other. That changed with time and gender changes, or did it?

Run Boy Run Jegulus fic, M, current wc: 6,293, current chapters: 2/15 Jegulus Divergent AU where Regulus is in the place of Tris and James as Four alongside various other people replacing the cast of Divergent. Regulus navigating being in Dauntless and learning to fight, face his fears, and attempting to find his brother.

[resha04]

Does anyone have recommendation for Hollow Knight fic(s) that's heartwarming/just a little happier? It doesn't need to be very fluffy, just.... a little happier. Fics featuring Little Ghost, Pure Vessel, Quirrel, or the Nailmasters are preferable, but I don't mind other characters too - hard not to get attached with the characters in this game, really

Thank you in advance!

AND WHILE WE'RE AT IT, here are some fic recs of my own:

One-shot:

Forgiving What is Faultless (by bluebellbygones) - My absolute favorite. I cried. THK recovering with Hornet looking after them, while the both of them are also mourning for Ghost. THK meets PK, or what remains of him, and they get some kind of closure, and did I say I cried?

To know, if nothing else (by Machine_Finch) - PK finding out that THK is not pure before the sealing. The ending has a twist, and the atmosphere is excellent.

On the subject of idols (by Aspidiske) - Lurien, Ogrim. It’s a fancomic, not a fanfic, but such thoughtful look into the nature of the two characters’ loyalty. The author also has a tumblr by the name @/asp1diske-art and they upload their HK comics here. Their HK comics capture the melancholy of the game really well – and punch the readers’ guts really well too.

Hope Floats (by SwoodMaxProductions) - Quirrel & Ghost fluff. Ghost being a floaty and saved Quirrel. Fluffy and made of feels.

Missing Person (by FollowerofMercy) - Quirrel & Ghost. Ghost being a creepy but adorable kid who employs the help of the Mantis Lords to find their friend. Adorable, but mostly hilarious.

Confessions whispered in the dead of night (by ruthlesslistener) - Lurien/PK. Drunk Lurien, protective territorial PK. This makes me soft.

To be another (by snowmints) - The siblings. Quoted from the tags: “Featured: THK learning to enjoy things; also featured: Ghost’s persistently affectionate nature.”

Notches by the Door (by Payasita) - Post-ending, where both Ghost and THK live and they stay at Dirtmouth with Hornet. Grimmchild is there too and becomes the fourth sibling. This fic feels very bittersweet somehow, and there’s an undertone of loneliness (or sadness) even though the story is happy.

“i’d live for you” and that’s hard to do (by YunaTuna) - Quirrel & Ghost, Quirrel & THK. What goes on in Quirrel’s head in the fight with Uumuu and at the Blue Lake, and what happens after. This fic made me scream for various reasons throughout the whole reading. It is a roller coaster of emotion and it hurt and heal me simultaneously.

Talk (by Syntax) - A short, cute oneshot taking place post-game. Ghost asks THK things, including why a certain beetle wouldn’t talk to them anymore. The sibling dynamic is wonderful, excellently shown by my favorite part:

“The larger vessel brought a claw to their cracked mask, massaging the spot above their eyes as if they had come to a painful conclusion. Ghost watched them, enraptured.  So wise, their sibling.  They wondered what the Hollow Knight might say.

White-Saviour, the Hollow Knight said eventually.  They sounded more tired than usual.”

Multi-chaptered:

Mellow in Softness (by UnregisteredCookie) - On-going. PK woke up in the ancient basin, climbed his way up, met and got roasted by Herrah, then met and got affection from Ghost.

A Lost Light (by elil) - Complete. PK got captured by a God Tamer, and the series of (mostly unfortunate) events that took him back to Hallownest. The other fics in the series are also delightful.

Tales from the White Palace (by Sitasita) - On-going. Oneshots from Sitasita’s Will Terribly universe. Excellent writing, wonderful world building and characterization, and saying the stories are entertaining is an understatement.

The light without whom I cannot see (by Eloidyrm) - Complete. PK/White Lady. A fic about their first meeting up till their marriage. Very sweet, and White Lady is a real delight: wise and witty and never passed up the chance to tease PK.

Sins of the Father (by Nike (weirdpianist), Nike was never the nice one (weirdpianist), ReverseInverse) - Complete. Shade Lord Ghost took PK back in time with them, and he gets the chance to be a better father. Featuring baby vessels and Ghost being a child in an eldritch god body.

Changing Perspective (by Brackets_002) - The Pale King got attached to his children and threw the Vessel plan out the window. It’s multi-chaptered and still on-going, but there’s so much fluff in the available chapters and it’s so, so sweet how the babies respond to their parents and vice versa. Also, if you’re not sold yet, I hope Ghost being called “the bean” would do the trick.

Broken Open Revealing Hollowness and Vibrance (by JaxxCapta) - Complete. Hornet taking care of THK after the fight with Radiance while dealing with grief and trying to be everywhere and taking care of two kingdoms at once. I haven’t finished reading this, but the writing is really good and the worldbuilding(?) feels solid, and I hurt for Hornet. Baby girl needs rest, probably for the next ten years.

I am learning again to live with scars (hoping this time you’ll walk it with me) (by resha04 aka me, lol) - Canon-divergence brought about by time travel, where the Pale King stopped the Vessel Project halfway through and raised the vessels as his children. All is relatively well, as well as it can be with the infection spreading, but the formerly Pure Vessel struggled with living as a child - a person - would.

[fragmentsofsorrow]

2, 4, and 9 for the fanfic asks?

2. What fanfic do you wish you got more response on?

I'm gonna have to go with (Nothing Is) Whole; not that it's been ignored or anything—it's honestly been pretty well received—but I have to pick something. I've put a lot of work into both this fic and the much larger AU it belongs to over the last four years and it's definitely the favorite child, so I'm always going to want to share it with more people

and yeah, when all there is so far is a single introductory chapter posted just shy of a year and a half ago, it's understandably not gaining much new attention, but also consider: I love that AU so much

4. Do you prefer writing multi-chapter or oneshot fanfictions?

in general, I prefer writing multichapters. I like to write scenes and even lines out of order for my multichapters, and I really enjoy the whole planning process for my larger AUs

but it also depends on what works best for any particular story. if I have a fic idea and it works best as a oneshot, trying to write it as a multichapter regardless is not going to go well for me

9. What’s your favorite line(s) or scene(s) that you have written?

okay, look. I'll be honest, the entire 2000 word Memory's Skyscraper scene in the first chapter of Not Your Sacrifice is my favorite thing I've written. there's a lot of different things I love about it and I'm not about to quote the whole scene to talk about all of them

but that's a short and boring answer, so I'll talk about one of them!

there are two parts of that scene that involve Xion summoning a keyblade; one with Oblivion, and then another one later on with Oathkeeper. taken individually each one is some of the best writing I've ever done, and I'm really proud of having written them

but they're also intentionally very structurally similar to each other and are meant to mirror each other in a few ways. I'm really happy with how well it turned out

I'll throw the two excerpts under the cut because they about double the length of this answer and it's long enough already (plus, y'know, the fic link is right there anyway)

the Oblivion part:

There was a flash as Xion summoned their keyblade, and moments later one of the heartless exploded into darkness as the black blade cut an arc through them. Oh. That was new. Xion looked down at their keyblade, taking in its unfamiliar new form. Instead of the silver coloring they were used to, this one was mostly black, though some silver remained in the handle and at the tip of the keyblade. Two bat wings served as the guard, with a purple gem inlaid where they met at the base of the blade. A chain ran the full length of the blade, which ended with ornate teeth more detailed than the ones on their Kingdom Key. Somehow, they knew this keyblade was called Oblivion. A fitting name for a keyblade wielded by someone who wasn’t supposed to still exist.

the Oathkeeper part:

A flash of light accompanied Xion's last few words as they readied Oblivion, and when it faded, Xion held another keyblade in their hand. In their left hand. It wasn’t Xion’s keyblade. That was still in their right hand and once again pointed at Riku. In several ways it was the complement of Xion’s keyblade. While Oblivion had a pair of bat wings, the wings that made up this keyblade’s handguard were feathered. While Oblivion was primarily black, this one was mostly colored a silvery white. And while Oblivion had a single blade, the blade of this new keyblade was split into two. The name Oathkeeper came to their mind, but Xion barely registered it over the realization that this was Roxas’s keyblade. It was all they had left of him; a reflection of who he was, one last echo of his— They let out a pained scream, both keyblades falling to the ground and dematerializing, as the realization from earlier that day finally caught up with them. Roxas had a heart.

[grippingbeskar]

thanks for the tag!!! i luv talking about myself HAHAH @sturkillerbase

1) How many complete fics/one shots do you have that you have not published (yet)?

I have like 5 fics I could post if i edited them i just havent had time fml but I would call them finished

2) How many WIPS do you have right now?

Seven fml HAHAHAH

3) Do you take writing requests or write original ideas, or both?

Both! I have a lot of ideas but theres a couple of fics that have been inspired by requests, they usually take a little longer for me to write though bc i have no idea where to take them hahahah

4) If you do take requests, how many do you currently have?

I think I have two?? 

5) How many fandoms do you write for?

Marvel and Star wars r what I know best so 2? tons of charatcers in those worlds i feel like its enough

6) Are there any fandoms you wrote for in the past that you no longer write for?

I was a massive one direction fan, but I wouldnt call what I posted actual writing HAHHA thank fuck its all deleted now

7) Do you write for ships, reader inserts or other?

reader inserts mostly, maybe i should expand idk

8) Niche fandoms/characters you write for?

I do have a draft for Javi from Narcos is that counts?

9) Do you read fics as well as write them?

omg of course

10) What is your favorite genre to write for?

i want them to fuck. but with proper build up HAHHAH

11) What is your favorite trope (to read/write)?

hurt/comfort always omfg.

12) What do you do to get motivated to write?

I have no idea, it literally will come to me at random times when im day dreaming and ill just be like holy shit write this down 

13) Is there a trope/genre you like to read, but not write?

i cant think of any rn, anything i dont write is usually also things i dont read

14) Any characters/fandoms you want to write for that are never requested?

hmmm maybe more mcu characters??? 

15) How long have you been writing fanfiction?

nothing serious before a few months ago

16) Did you read fanfiction before you started writing?

omg i literally did nothing else HAHAHA

17) Do you only post on Tumblr, or any other sites as well?

yep just here! i might post on ao3 at some point but so far just here

18) What do you personally consider the word counts of “Drabble”, “One shots” and “fics”?

i feel like my standard for myself is different, but for a drabble anything like 500-700 words, one shot would be over 1k and then fic like anything over 5k??? mine are always longer tho idk i cant shut up 

19) Which do you prefer to write more? HC, drabbles, oneshots/fics, multi chapter stories, other?

one shots i think

20) Are there any stories you have discontinued? If so, why?

nope! my only series is on a lil hiatus but only bc i have no idea what to do next hahah

21) What is one of your main “pet-peeves” as a writer on Tumblr?

hmmmm i feel like the whole reblog/like ratio maybe?? i dont write anything for the likes or reblogs, but fics can reach a ton more people who might like it/give feedback if you reblog instead!!! support ur fave writers!!!

22) Do you write at a particular time of day?

usually at night/late afternoon

23) Do you listen to music, ambiance/noise, etc. to write or do you need silence?

i legit have tv shows on in the background. my mind can never concentrate unless i have like a thousand things happening at once hhaha

24) Do you outline your fics at all before writing?

nope we wing it out here

25) Do you post your writing as soon as you finish it, or do you schedule it to come out at a specific time/day?

usually i post right before i go to sleep because thats when i finish, but i dont really keep to a schedule or anything

tagging anyone who wants to do it!!!! tag me in urs i wanna read about all u beautiful ppl <3

[nymph-of-books]

a list of she-ra fanfics that i would recommend

these are gonna be little at first because i only want to be sharing the ones i truly deeply love; i will be editing this post as i go along. additionally these are like... basically all catradora as a general psa !!! i will be adding my own summary of the plot w/o spoilers (if i can help it), whether it's multi-chaptered or a one-shot & complete or ongoing, and my personal reaction to it !! if you didn't notice i adore au fics more than anything note: i'm posting this w/o having completed it because i just want to get it out rn, but i've read much more & these r definitely not the only ones i'd recommend !!! i just have to sort through my history to find the fics i actually read and adored and i don't have all the time to do that all the time rn :) before season 1 in-canon timing (season 1-5) the blood in your mouth written by artemiswords - alternative season five & beyond - written before season five was aired. catradora aren't automatically together - happy ending though! - multi-chaptered, complete - this was the first multi-chaptered fic i've read since like. fanfiction.net days & it got me into multi-chaptered fics because it's just so good. honestly the author's mind >>>> i keep sitting here waiting for something (but i know nothing will happen) written by nymphofbooks. - conversation between catra and adora after the events at the battle of bright moon. they talk about some things and reach a little bit of a mutual understanding - oneshot, complete - not actually one of my favs but self-promo ha. the first of my upcoming one-shots, mostly dialogue & i am a bit rusty on it. hiraeth written by erce3 - mara and angella find each other in the portal, and together they make the eternal loneliness a little less bad. - oneshot, complete - wasn't exactly sure where to put this because technically it's both before, during, and after canon... anyway this literally made me cry & it is very beautiful :( sad face bc it made me sad :( but it's beautiful! after season 5 alternate universe as long as we stay together (if we just stay together) written by herothehardway - astrophysicists in antarctica au. catra & adora are lab partners but aren't allowed to interact outside of the lab due to extenuating circumstances. they used to be roommates (and there's tons of flashbacks) and maybe they'll become something more than lab partners, despite the rules. also, hockey!catradora - multi-chaptered, complete - god, this fiction is incredible. it's clear the author knows a lot about the subject & spent a lot of time on it & it's just great. nsfw scenes though so read w discretion!! anyway this is one of my all-time favourites & i've loved herothehardway's writing ever since. seriously, the way they incorporate the show details... yes more grown up and a better daughter written by herothehardway - multi-chaptered regency catradora au. adora's family is on the brink of financial ruin, and she has to marry someone rich. she is presented to society & on the day of her coming out ball she meets catra, an old childhood friend who mysteriously disappeared without any notice. turns out catra is pretty rich... - multi-chaptered, ongoing - very neat, definitely recommend. again, herothehardway shows they're engaged in the situations of their characters & take a lot of time on accuracy which we stan (and i don't really do myself because i am lazy) the place where we fall written by herothehardway - oneshot wizard catradora au. adora and catra were apprentices to shadow weaver & shadow weaver cursed them before they died to make sure they dueled each other every year until one of them is dead. this is the fifth year - oneshot, complete - HELP IS IT OBVIOUS I ENJOY HEROTHEHARDWAY'S WRITING??? okay i swear this is the last one rn !!! i love it & the vibes & it's generally gorgeous 10/10 recommend :) baby, i'm a house on fire (and i wanna keep burning) written by wittchers. - arranged marriage au between catra and adora, set after the horde win over bright moon. slow burn & neither of them wants it. - oneshot,

complete - fluid & natural & amazing writing, and the original summary completely drew me in. would definitely recommend! i picture it soft & i ache written by erce3 - modern au wherein ceo!catra fucks up in wording & non-profit charity founder!adora defends her in an interview. she says that she knows catra and... you know the internet. everyone believes they're dating & they agree to start fake-dating in order to boost both their public figures - one-shot, complete - i'm normally not one for fake dating but i rly liked this fic !! i rly like how erce3 handled the trope. the writing is amazing! i made myself better to love you written by fairytaleslayer - feral children catradora au wherein catra & adora escape from the horde and find their home in the whispering woods. they are healthily co-dependent & eventually join the rebellion - multi-chaptered, complete - amazing au. i love this sm & it's so accurate to their characters. it's written beautifully & the relationships are absolutely gorgeous

[5uptic]

crewfu: fanfic spotlight!

We work together by Anonymous (5up & DK, unrated, gen | 248 words)

Summary: One likes plants and baking, the other loves to create and design video games. They stay up and create monstrosities together, it's their fun, it's their favourite game. Aka a 5up and Dk roommate au!

No matter how life tangles, I’m still here with you. by hungryandsleepy (5up/Steve, general rating, m/m | 279 words)

Summary: 5up has been working so hard on his new map, and of course, he needs someone to give him a motivation to go to sleep.

objectively pretty by vesque (5up/Steve, general rating, m/m | 462 words)

Summary: steve is drunk. he's pretty sure 5up is too. that doesn't mean being called pretty is any less momentuous.

you plus me by mangoedges (5up/Steve, teen rating, m/m | 489 words)

Summary: 5up and Steve meet.

he said to me by mangoedges (5up/Steve, teen rating, m/m | 656 words)

Summary: 5up and Steve share a moment.

by the snowmen by mangoedges (5up/Steve, teen rating, m/m | 670 words)

Summary: Steve has a moment when it's all over.

today you got to know me (a little bit too slowly) by runninohhoney (5up/Steve, teen rating, m/m | 675 words)

Summary: Steve lights up a cigarette. 5up doesn't smoke.

what would it take by mangoedges (5up/Steve, teen rating, m/m | 787 words)

Summary: It's Steve's first mission. He hecks up. Or does he?

sorta cute by floweruru (5up/Steve, unrated, m/m | 822 words)

Summary: ‘I wouldn’t do that,’ he said. ‘That’s just disrespectful,’ he said. Yet there was 5up, crushed like a can in Steve’s embrace, feebly kicking at nothing as his feet leave the pavement.

i was gonna kill u, but ur kinda cute?? by Cthulhuer (5up/Steve, general rating, m/m | 1k words)

Summary: Steve is a mess and 5up is worse.

I hear a Symphony by AwkwardAce (5up/Fundy, unrated, m/m | 1.1k words)

Summary: He exhaled until his lungs ached for air, fingers twitching as he opted to remove the sleek white gloves he wore in a feeble effort to soothe himself. It didn’t work. He wrung his trembling hands together as his eyes raked down the worn leather case taking in the doodles- some etched some drawn- across the faded surface. He snapped the buckles open and his breath hitched, catching in his already tight throat. For a moment the world span, his head throbbed and he wanted nothing more than to run and hide. 5up breathed out slowly, shakily.

staring by lytriis (5up/Steve, teen rating, m/m | 1.1k words)

Summary: steve asks 5up out. 5up doesn’t know how to respond.

and it's four am, and yet, you're here by vesque (5up/Steve, general rating, m/m | 1.2k words)

Summary: in which steve shows up at 5up's house, in the middle of the night, completely spontaneously

more than this by mangoedges (5up/Steve, teen rating, m/m | 1.2k words)

Summary: Steve catches 5up venting.

3:15 by vesque (5up/Steve, general rating, m/m | 1.2k words)

Summary: Steve tries to guess Five's name. It's much more difficult than he anticipated.

things were different by fourpebbles (Apollo/Steve, teen rating, m/m | 1.5k words)

Summary: His eyes circled around to his friends, Kimi and Janet engaging in pleasant comversation, sleepy and becoming increasingly more sober. He looked, finally, across him, and caught Dumbdog staring at him. What now bro, what did this guy want. small talk, turns into not small talk, then there's no talk

Once Upon A Dream by SmearedWords (5up/Steve, teen rating, m/m | 1.5k words)

Summary: 5up looks ethereal, while Steve is struggling to breathe. "You're not real either." Or: Steve has a crush and a nightmare in three parts, 5up is tired, the crew life is hard and Polus sucks.

the ones you love will call you back by homeward_bound (Apollo/Steve, teen rating, m/m | 1.8k words)

Summary: stevesuptic: dude, is it weird that i miss vegas   DumbDog: No? I do too.   stevesuptic: okay [steve misses vegas and apollo. they talk about it]

cough it out by cj__writes (Apollo/Steve, teen rating, m/m | 2k words)

Summary: Apollo thinks that Steve must be well and truly gone, at this point, because he giggles, like Apollo’s just told a particularly funny joke. He looks Apollo right in the eye and asks, “Do you trust me?” “Absolutely not.”

ivy by Secular_Czar (5up/Steve, teen rating, gen | 2.1k words)

Summary: It might be a sad day, in general, but Steve isn't about to let it get to him. His friends won't ever let him wallow either.

The Colosseum by WhenTheFogClears (general rating, gen | 2.1k words)

Summary: Five squinted, looking at the colosseum intensely. He thinks Apollo was latched onto the sphinx’s shoulder, fur matted with blood. Janet was slumped against a column, probably out, with Kimi whose bow was snapped in two, her leg twisted at an odd angle. DK was in the corner trying to cast various supporting hexes and charms with a broken arm, whilst Hafu was dragging a heavily bandaged Steve away. or 5up slaughters a cat

Oneshots :) by woofles1990 (5up/Fundy, 5up/Steve, teen rating, multi | 2.5k words, oneshot collection)

Summary: Just a bunch of MCYT/Among Us oneshots, mainly featuring 5up's crew because yes :)

the adventures of 5up and steve staying up late because they're under 30 by 5280ft (5up/Steve, teen rating, m/m | 2.5k words)

Summary: “The night is young!” Steve yells at the ceiling, throwing his hands up in the air. “Take advantage of it! Commit crimes! Fuck hoes!” Five catches his hands in the air and laughs. “You wish you had hoes.”

unreasonably in love by cj__writes (Apollo/Steve, teen rating, m/m | 2.6k words, chaptered WIP)

Summary: "It was like pieces of a puzzle, everything coming together. And now, here they are, standing in their apartment, which looks more like a hollow shell than a home, filled solely with scattered boxes and the minuscule amount of furniture that they brought with them to Vegas." Or: what happens after Apollo and Steve move in together.

cant be love by fourpebbles (Apollo/Steve, teen rating, m/m | 3.5 words, chaptered WIP)

Summary: He had chuckled to himself, he felt so stupid. Who in their fucking minds names a playlist 'sugr?', he thought, internally cringing. A story where a Steve meets an Apollo, and some things happen.

Somewhere in the darkness, us together for a while by tumtummeke (Apollo & Kimi & Steve, teen rating, gen | 3.6k words)

Summary: Apollo worries about Steve. Steve breaks his vape pen. Kimi plays power washer. Self-indulgent angst, with a generous helping of friendship and cuddles.

odyssey by 5280ft (5up/Steve, teen rating, m/m | 23k words, chaptered WIP)

Summary: "First you will come to the Sirens who enchant all who come near them. If any one unwarily draws in too close and hears the singing of the Sirens...they warble him to death with the sweetness of their song. Therefore pass these Sirens by and stop your men's ears with wax that none of them may hear." -Homer, The Odyssey

Also: SilverSprinklez10‘s yupwaves collection.

Summary: This is a Harry Potter AU based on the characters/personas of the youtubers/streamers.

FAQ:

Wait what is this: pretty straight to the point! i’ll regularly share crewfu-related fanfictions to this blog :)

How regularly is “regularly”?: great question! LOL. it depends on the flow of fanfics that get uploaded, which i do not have any control over, but i’m looking forward to do this twice a month. after all, it’s only me doing this and i often run on a tight schedule.

What’s the format like?:

[title of fic with link] by [author of the fic with link] ([main pairing(s), if there is one/multiple], [fic rating: eg, general rating], [relationship: eg, m/m] | [word count in k] ([added prompt to specify if it’s complete or not)])

Summary: [summary provided by the author. if it doesn’t have a summary, a “No summary” prompt will be put instead]

(What does WIP mean again?): Work In Progress :)

Why are you doing this?: from the beginning, my blog has hosted conversations about RPF (real people fiction) and crewfu pairings. this has evolved into people sending me updates about certain fics in the crewfu tags every now and then, but i wanna take the next step and just do these things myself. after all, i’m already lurking in the tags often to see the fics that get posted. as someone who is both a writer and a reader, i wanna appreciate fanfic writers and help out other people that want to read fanfic and consume more fandom content!

Will it be AO3 only?: well, ao3 has a very helpful tag system that makes finding fics incredibly easy, as well as allowing people with no accounts to like and comment on fics, so that’s the site i will personally look in for fanworks. but if there are any fics you’ve written or liked in any other platforms, such as wattpad, you can always contact me through my inbox (send an ask or a dm!), and i’ll make sure to include for the next fanfic spotlight :)

Does it mean you won’t reply to fic asks anymore?: yeah, i guess. since i’ll be doing the searching myself it seems counterproductive. but if i ever skip a fic or again, it’s in another platform, or you’ve posted/read the fic a while ago and you want to get more traction on it, hit me up and i’ll take it into consideration!

Will you read every single one of the fics on your list?: oh no. again, i run on a tight schedule, and also i have my own taste when it comes to fics. i won’t be reviewing fics or any of the sort, and my intention extends to simply sharing these fics to this page so people will have easier access to them :) that’s where ao3 tagging becomes SUPER useful!!!

So what’s the criteria for the way you’ll sort out the fics in your list?: word count, going from lowest to highest. in case of fics in other platforms, i guess i’ll put them at the top of the list. i’ll also be looking for fairly recent fics, so let me know if you want any old-ish fic to be included.

I see you talking mostly about 5up/Steve and Steve/Apollo. Can I still send/see other crewfu fics?: why yes absolutely! my goal is to push every fic which heavily features regular crewfu characters - 5uptic and supdog just happen to be very popular pairings. so, to give you a list: core 4 (5up, hafu, dk, steve), apollo, aipha, annie, janet, kimi, ellum, koji... you know the drill. it doesn’t have to be centered on a relationship, or about 5up in specific, etc. my only requirement is that any of the previously mentioned members are a central part of the fic or are HEAVILY featured in it (sorry, minecraft fics with 50+ tags who only mention 5up as an afterthought won’t make the cut :/).

Isn’t shipping Bad™?: well, it’s a little more nuanced than that. i will go out of my way to discourage and shame people who often violate CCs’ boundaries by acting like so and so has a crush on this person, or that this and that are Actually Into Each Other or secretly dating. any sort of tinhat bullshit is a big nono (think larries). but i run on the assumption that people who write rpf understand that what they’re doing is simply write a completely fictional story using real life personalities, and understand the boundaries necessary to do it - aka they’re not tinhats, they understand they can’t assume everything about CCs’ thoughts and personalities, they understand that what they’re writing is strictly fiction, they keep these works only in fandom circles, etc. (but again, it’s only one me doing this, so please be kind if i don’t happen to know that this person is Actually a tinhat or whatever).

show fic: NO. (seriously. i don’t feel comfortable putting my ao3 account out there. please respect my privacy on these trying times <3)

I REALLY don’t care about your rpf/fic talk: fair! i’ll be tagging every single one of these posts as “fanfic spotlight”, so just mute the tag using tumblr settings so you’ll never have to look at these! likewise, you can follow the tag if you want to keep up with it, or search it on my blog to look at the other entries you might have missed (but this is the first one! lol).

Hey, my fic is here and I don’t feel comfortable with it being shared over here: no problem! let me know as soon as you can and i’ll take it down <3

[lullabiesandgoodbyes]

Hello! Where can I read your LCDP fics? This button here doesn't work, the url cannot be found. Also: do you have Monver fic recommendations?

😍😍😍

Yeah, it seems like Tumblr changed tags somehow; I've been away for quite some time and now I can't find a single thing on my own blog... 😖 Anyway, they're all published on AO3, both in English and Portuguese ( except for my multi-chaptered Monver!AU ), and I'm planning to add new projects soon.

You can find them here : https://archiveofourown.org/users/BelinhaZpears/works?fandom_id=23669129

Now, Monver fanfiction, unfortunately, is very rare and they mostly appear in the background of fanworks focused on other ships. Still, I'd recommend you to read:

- A Spanish Tale - it's a parody to telenovelas and probably the only piece I've found so far where Mónica and Denver remain in character to what we know from the show. It's Berlermo main, but Monver's subplot is marvellous 💓

- Como esas flores que crecen en el asfalto agrietado - the first ( and for some time ONLY!! ) oneshot I've read focused on Mónica and her POV when she started to reveal her attraction for Denver in P1

- A Heart of Gold - a sweet oneshot post-P4, Denver tries to fix things with Stockholm

- Unlucky in Love - AU oneshot, Denver and Mónica meet at a bar... Don't forget to check Part 2 😉

- Sobremesa - Serquel main, each chapter unveils the background of the band members, their relationship with food and how they apport those feelings to the joined meals at the monastery. There are only two ( great ) chapters and - lucky us!! - they focus on Mónica and Denver

- Plan Normandy - it's focused on the entire gang during and after the Bank heist ( post-P4 ), the only one where the Denver - Mónica - Tokyo - Rio 'thing' has an actual nice development

For now, I can't remember more titles. Talk about underrated ship and characters... 🤧 But if anyone knows more, please, be free to share! And thank you so much for your interest, I'm actually crying here... *-*

[terrainofheartfelt]

WIP Tag Game

tagged by @lucbian (thank you!!!)

Rules: List all of your WIPs and tag as many people as the WIPs and whichever fic you (followers/anyone reading this) find interesting, you can ask about it and I'll either tell you about it or post a snippet or both!

okay well, um...there are so many...so many...I'm going by the "most recent" sorting feature on my google docs

Dair Pride & Prejudice AU [working title: (the more you say) the less I know]: I've talked about this one before but, y'all know. Dan as Lizzie, Blair as Darcy, the van der Humphreys as the Bennet Family, romcom shenanagins ensue. I recently got a couple more ideas sparked that I'm excited to plug in, the most fun about writing an au like this is puzzling out which characters can fit into which roles of the original, and there a few that have me really just *does mr. burns "excellent" hand thing*

Postcanon fic (currently titled "Spitefueled jenate endgame fic" in my docs): Blair POV, but centered around Jenny & Nate reconnecting at Derena's engagement party, and how it indirectly serves as a catalyst for Blair getting out of her marriage to chip wiskers. Dair endgame, but not much Dan, mostly Blair pining and making amends with Jenny. musicians!Humphreys are involved. may take a WHILE because there's heavy shit to untangle. I was feeling neutral about this fic idea and then the antis were about and now I'm like "I will write this!" also Dan isn't gossip girl bc the medallion says that's dumb so we're not gonna do that.

Dair - In I know a place where your heart can be safe series (aka the Milo-verse): a pwp oneshot of Dair's honeymoon. Involves extreme sappiness, Italy, and a polaroid camera

And you can have this heart to break - my s4 Date AU, or, the next installment of the work, that is, title will be some Billy Joel lyric lifted from "And So It Goes": this is a Dan x Nate-centric au of s4, which also involves justice for the Blenny friendship, Serenessa, Blair x Raina Thorpe, and none for chip wiskers bye. this is the next "episode" as it were, and will cover Saints & Sinners and the fallout of it. Drama ensues, but there's also lots of himbos-in-love fluff to compensate.

a Dilfs!Date fic: Inspired by these headcanons I wrote, the story of how Dan and Nate Humphrey meet their kids. I burnt myself out on the kid fic a lil bit but this is a sweet sweet one that I want to get back to soon.

series Mouthful of Forevers - next work: such a lot of world to see: the multi-chap sequel to gladly beyond any experience, spanning the next year of Dan & Blair's adventures in Europe together. It starts with their fabulous summer Eurail trip, most notably finally going to Rome together, and having what I've been calling in my head the "post-mortem" talk of why they broke up the first time (and I think it may be one of my favorite things I've ever written), later chapters will include: the Love Letters I shared a long long time ago, Rufus & Lily's 5 year wedding anniversary, Scott's wedding weekend, and Dan's graduation from Oxford (and wherever he decides to move next, wink-wonk).

Untitled Blenny fic (current title in my docs is "blenny fic: hookup at date wedding"): Jenny POV. Dan & Nate invite their close friends and family along to their annual summer beach vacation, during which they're getting married. Jen & Blair reconnect. Includes married!Date fluff, wlw yearning & sexual tension, and of course a teensy dose Alison Humphrey apologism.

tagging (with lots of love but no pressure whatsoever): @strideofpride, @insistonyourcupofstars, @natearchie, @mysteriesofloves

[princip1914]

A few thoughts on writing longfic

I’ve had this post brewing for a while and I figured since today is a Friday I might as well let it out into the wild. 

First off, this is not writing advice. I don’t feel qualified to give writing advice. This is a few observations I’ve made over the course of trying to write something that feels, well, long. Fandom is full of excellent authors writing long chaptered fic, but I don’t see a lot of people talking about how they go about producing such fics. I remember feeling like long fic was really out of reach for me when I started writing again in the summer of 2019 after not writing for years and years and I wanted to talk a bit about how that changed for me. Of course, this post comes with all the caveats that there is no need to ever write long fic if you’re not feeling it. Some of my favorite authors write mostly or only oneshots! But, if you are interested, here’s my lengthy, self indulgent, and entirely personal take on ~the longfic process~ below the cut. 

First, to get this out of the way: long fic is anything that feels long or complicated to you, the author. “I’m working on my long fic” can mean that you’re branching out from microfiction to write something that’s 2k long, or it can mean you’ve got a multi-part 800k epic. There’s no objective measure of if something is “long fic,” Your own personal definitions can also change as you grow in confidence or change your focus as a writer (a little over a year ago when I finished Doubt Thou the Stars are Fire topping out at 31k, that felt very very long to me. Now it feels….still long, but not very very long.) 

Here are a few specific things that helped me write something long. I don’t know if they will be interesting for anyone else, but at the very least writing these down has been a fun way for me to reflect on my own process. 

Practice exercises. Ok, this is going to sound exceedingly obvious, but writing one shots prepares you for writing chaptered fic. Here’s what I mean more specifically: if you know you want to write (as a totally hypothetical example) a chaptered fic set in America in the summer that relies heavily on a nature metaphors, is written out of chronological order, and features a melancholy tone--it helps to write a few one shots like that before you embark on the Big Fic. Just like artists tend to do sketches before starting a big piece, it’s very helpful to write something small that gives you a feel for the ~vibe~ of what you’re trying to do in the long fic. It’s helpful for all the usual reasons--you get to know a specific version of the characters which helps plan out a character driven plot for the long fic--but it’s also helpful because you will learn if the tone and mood of the fic has enough staying power to capture your interest for the long haul. For instance, I have a few unfinished chaptered fics that have a humorous tone. I wish I had done more short humorous fics before starting them, because I would have realized that I don’t currently have the mental stamina to hold up a humorous tone for the length of a chaptered fic (hopefully that will change and I will finish Last Days some time this century!). 

Plan it out ahead of time. I used google sheets for The False and the Fair. I do not think God intended google sheets to be used for fiction, but that was not going to stop me. On a more serious note, I think the best tool for planning fiction is the one you’re the most comfortable with--the notes app in your phone, handwriting, word, google drive, sheets, chalk board, summoning circle, the blood of your enemies, etc. The reason I chose to use sheets is that I knew from the very beginning that I wanted certain things to happen at specific places in the story--for instance, I wanted the first kiss to happen at the end of the first third of the story and I wanted the “reveal” about the mine accident to happen at the end of the second third of the story. But, I didn’t know what was supposed to go in between those elements. A traditional outline for a story at this point in development might have looked like: 

Meet cute

Kiss

Reveal 

Ending 

But, what my brain needed was to preserve the blank spaces in between these story elements, and specifically to preserve the right amount of blank space between these story elements so that it didn’t end up, for instance, that the first kiss was halfway through rather than a third of the way through. In this way, I found google sheets an invaluable tool for pacing in the early parts of the planning process. I simply made 30 rows assuming 30 chapters, and started plugging in the elements I knew I wanted in the locations I wanted them. Then I filled in the blank spaces by asking myself “how do we get from X plot element to Y plot element in Z amount of chapters.” I’m not a mountain climber, but I’ve often thought about the first things that go into the spreadsheet in terms of mountain climbing terminology.  In climbing, a crux move, which can be anywhere along the route, is the most difficult move of the route: if you can’t do it, you can’t do the route. I think of the first things that go into the planning spreadsheet as the crux moves of the story, the most important pieces around which everything else turns. It was not an accident that those were also all the first scenes of the fic that I wrote; if I couldn’t do those scenes, I couldn’t do the story the way I planned it so I wanted to know early on if I needed to make changes.

Make changes if you have to: even though it helps to have things planned in advance, don’t resist the story if it tries to change on you while you’re writing it. Usually the feeling that you have to make changes stems from having a plot that is not entirely character driven. As you write the story, the characters reveal themselves and sometimes the plot has to change to change with the characters’ motivations. Here’s an area where fanfic writers have a leg up on everyone else: if you write fic, you already know the characters really well. That means, (in my experience anyway) it’s less likely that you’ll have a surprise character development which leads to a rethinking of the whole plot. Less likely, but not completely unlikely, unfortunately.

Lie to yourself: The False and the Fair was supposed to be 90k words. I thought that sounded reasonable, a little less than 3x the longest fic I had ever written. Now it's 161k and will probably top out a little over 170k. Ooops. But I never would have set out to write something that long. I wouldn’t have thought I could do it, even though anyone more experienced looking at my plans for the fic probably would have laughed at the idea I could cover all those plot points in 90k. Ignorance is bliss. Protect your ignorance.

Scrivener: Long fic for me means “fic that is long enough you can’t hold all the parts of it in your head at once.” That’s where Scrivener comes in (or another app if you’d rather, but I really like Scrivener for the ability to see the project either linearly or as condensed notecards). You can put together an organizational scaffold in Scrivener that allows you to move back and forth between the forest and the trees. So, for instance, you might be going for a jog and come up with the perfect line of dialogue for chapter 27 when you’re only up to chapter 5 in terms of writing progress. With Scrivener, you can go home, and put that dialogue in the “bucket”/index card/whatever for chapter 27 without compromising your ability to see chapter 5 clearly or muddying up your google doc. You can then use the fact that you’ve started writing bits and pieces of the later chapters in conjunction with the tool of lying to yourself that, actually, you’ve written a lot more of the fic than you realize and that when you get to chapter 27 it won’t be as hard as chapter 5 because you’ve put in the groundwork already. In my experience, this lie turns out to be true about 50% of the time, which is better than 0% of the time.

Digestible mini arcs: The False and the Fair was originally broken up into thirds. I thought it would be 90k and 30k was the longest I had written, so thirds seemed to make sense. Also, 3 is a nice, time honored storytelling number. I think it’s good to give yourself seemingly achievable milestones along the way to completion. These milestones (for me anyway) lined up well with the “crux moments” I’ve described. If you’re someone who likes to write out of order, writing your way to an already written milestone can feel like sailing to an island where you get to rest for a bit from the stormy seas before setting out for the next island in the archipelago.

“It's all part of the process”: I’m categorically incapable of describing things without resorting to running metaphors, and so I apologize in advance, but I am now going to do the insufferable thing of comparing writing a long fic to running a marathon. Here’s the thing with a marathon. You are not going to feel good every step of the way. We all know this. It’s a marathon, it’s supposed to hurt a little bit, especially at the end. In the same way you literally cannot write something novel length or even novella or long short story length without, at least at some point, feeling bad about yourself and your writing. But you also can’t run a marathon if the whole thing is agony, and for most people, it’s not--your meat sack shuffling along the course is subjected to the slings and arrows of all sorts of weird body chemistry that only happens when you push it to its limits. So, you’ll be in agony and then the endorphins will kick in for a while and you’ll be thinking “this isn’t nearly as bad as everyone said,” and then you’ll drink some water at a rest stop and feel like a God for half a mile before you crash and you’re in agony again until that one perfect song comes up on the playlist...and you get the idea. Writing something long, for me at least, is a bit like that. There are massive ups and downs. The key for me is to just understand it’s all part of the process, a necessary step on the way to the finish line. If the fic is 10 chapters long, at some point you have to write chapter 5. Just like you have to write chapter 5, at some point you also have to go through a bit of despair before reaching the end. It is unfortunately non-optional. In fact, despairing is something you can check off your list each time you’ve done it. Cut dialogue tags, check. Feel awful about my writing for thirty minutes, check. Write ending section, check. Often I feel that the stress and shame and fear that come with bad emotions while writing are worse than the bad emotions themselves. It really helps me to remember these emotions are all part of the process and nothing to worry about. If I didn’t have them, then I would worry! 

I certainly have plenty more to say about writing, but this ramble has gone on long enough. If you’re interested in any of this stuff, please feel free to send me an ask. 

I would also love to know more about everyone else’s writing processes, so feel free to pop into my ask box to talk about your own approach too! I am very interested in this stuff! 

[lostmykeysie]

➶*✧*⤪･*✧*2022 FIC GOALS*✧*･⤪*✧*➶

first up, thanks to @theonlywolfpants and @wolfstarhaven for being generally all round amazing, but also for tagging me in this

1. finish Trust is Earned

so this is a two in one, because i need to finish this, but i also need to learn from it: never plan a beginning and an ending for a fic and then just dive in. i need structure!! i need plot!! and yet here i am, without either!! as much as i love writing fluff i cannot write multi chap fluff, i am directionless. but i will finish it!!! i originally told myself i'd do it in time for christmas, but that's not going to happen. 2022 it is.

2. finish and publish my regulus black redemption fic

so this one i am excited about. i have learned from past mistakes and have planned the entire thing, every single chapter, but it means so much to me that i'm worried i'll be writing and re-writing and editing forever and just never post. i've never read anything reg focused/centric and it's all very new but i already love it so much and i'm hoping it'll be my best so far. just need to take the plunge! i have decided i will do it today. promise.

3. read non-wolfstar fic

so my issue is that i have a lot of problems with focusing and attention. i love fanfiction! it completely made my life during lockdown when i was in a situation (that i'm unfortunately still in) where i can't watch any tv or films because my mind just can't focus for long enough. imagine lockdown but without netflix or disney+ or anything - that was basically me. subscriptions to every streaming service out there but no brain that will let me watch, i was genuinely just lying in bed every day staring at the ceiling lol. then something or other got me onto ao3 and i've always been a wolfstar fan in concept but never in practice but next thing i know i'm hooked, and i've finally found entertainment my brain is happy with!!! but now i'm seeing all these talented writers with so much to give and i really want to branch out and read something else so i can appreciate them fully but i need a good introduction to trick my brain into caring about something other than wolfstar. i would really love some fic recommendations for non-wolfstar HP ships (and preferably not remus or sirius because wolfstar are endgame) fic that is short/semi short that you think showcases the characters or pairing and could kickstart my interest - please please please!!!!!!!

4. interact more

i honestly think i've only had tumblr for about a month which is insane. i had it when i was a teenager (makes me sound so old, i am still in my 20s ok leave me alone) - this super angsty depressing black and white blog. i'd love to find it but i can't remember my url and i don't have access to my old email :( but anyway, i've not hopped on here for long, but i am so glad i did, because it's great, but i am so out of the loop. so my plan for 2022 is to interact more and get to know everyone (lame)

5. write more!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Meeting With a Stranger is honest to god the first thing i've ever written. it all started after many bottles of wine with two of my greatest friends. we were talking about ff and how we'd love to write, but didn't have the stones to/didn't have anything to say. (they're completely different fandoms - V is all about supernatural (destiel!) and L is a huge k-pop fan (loves BTS)) and i was saying how i'd love to beta work but could never write because my brain was empty of plot. then it got me thinking, and then the first MWaS scene with remus and james came into my mind, and then i would think of some stupid/funny line and be like haha sounds like something remus would do, and then boom, i'm writing a whole ass fic, and the rest is history.

i have a doc with prompts and inspos and scenes that i would to build on, mostly oneshots (i love writing fluffy oneshots so much) including a christmas wolfstar that i'm going to try and write next week and my reggie redemption fic eek! so i think this one will be my easiest goal only because now i've started, i canny stop

6. beta fics

i want to beta fics!!!!!!! in reality i want to live out my secret dream job of being an editor. i've never beta'd a fic and i'm not sure what the level of involvement is but it's something i really want to start in '22 so... if anyone is in need of a beta hit me up in 2022 :D

sorry this ended up really long, i am apparently an oversharer. all my mutuals have already been tagged and posted their 22 goals which tells me i need to get cracking on #4 asap!

[polaris-thehunter]

AOT Fic Recs Masterlist

I made this masterlist for all fic recs I will be sharing to you moving forward! Damn, I need to work on them more now. As soon as I post lots, I will be categorizing them soon. (I love categories and tags! They make our lives easier! Helps us know what we really want or prefer in our lives...)

As I have mentioned before in my previous posts, I do this to show my appreciation for these awesome, brilliant and dedicated fic writers because they deserve the shoutout, the praise and the audience! If y’all are here on Tumblr, hello!!! Also I see this as my way of giving back to the fandom for giving me so much happiness! Y’all are hilarious!!!

EREMIKA FIC RECS

Fluff Canonverse Oneshots

High School / College AU - Eremika in the high school / college setting (yep, teenagers)

Modern AU

Smut Edition - YEP ����😉🥵

Eremika and the Gang - Just some Eremika fics with their hilarious friends from the 104th or New Levi Squad. Fics are generally light-themed and with humor. Teenagers, yet again haha

Companion Pieces/Series - Fics best read together as a set. Mostly Eremika but with other ships like Aruani and Jeanmarco!

GEN FIC RECS

Levi, Best Captain Ever - fics showing the soft side of our fave heichou

EMA - Fics highlighting EMA friendship

Survey Corps Veterans - Funny and crack fics featuring the Survey Corps Veterans

Fics for First-Timers - Basically fics that I read first that got me hooked in the fandom! (Has Eremika fics also)

MULTI-SHIP FIC RECS

Slowburn Fics - Fics here are all multi-chaptered, complete, and focuses on slowburn romance where the pair meets and fall in love. Eremika, LeviHan

AruAni Edition - AruAni-centric fics

Let me know which ones are your favorites and let’s talk about them!!! 

[nagisasstunningpersonality]

TINSITOGS, a retrospective (happy birthday)

(yes I’m like two days too late I know I’m sorry) 

Why hello followers and ass class fandom, nice to see you there. I’m sure MOST people know about this, but in case you don’t, hi. On AO3 I’m better known as livixbobbiex, writer of maybe one of the most infamous Assassination Classroom fics. 

Which I mean like, if you haven’t read it yet you totally should it’s fanlore at this point I promise- 

Shameless plug that I don’t need aside, I felt that, on its first birthday since actual completion, I just wanted to share some things about it. Some tit bits about writing it, fun facts, maybe even some author advice TM. I appreciate that it’ll be super annoying if I do that in the tags, though, so that’ll all be under the cut. If you don’t want to read the whole post, then no matter what, thanks for the support in general! 

I also want to take the opportunity to announce that I’ve reopened my discord, so if you want to talk about my fics with me (and others), you’re more than welcome to join! (the link is here) 

The origin story 

I’ve stated this many times, I think, but TINSITOGS was never supposed to be a serious story. Taking you back, quite a long time, it actually started in a facebook DM with a friend. We used to come up with “head canons” with each other, which were basically just very condensed fanfiction plots over a multitude of text messages. I believe I was trying to cheer her up, and I tried to come up with some kind of plot line. 

At the time, I was fairly fresh to the Ass Class fandom, and I was joking about how there were no teen pregnancy melodrama fanfictions. It wasn’t that I wanted one, I just thought it was strange for a school centric anime with a bunch of ships to NOT have one. And, back then, I only really cared about karmagisa. So I just decided ‘right it’s happening’. The reason I decided to make it ABO was due to ‘it making sense’. Fun fact: it was almost written as AFAB trans Nagisa, but I decided against it as I didn’t rate my ability to handle it well back then. Looking back on it, I’m glad I made that decision. 

Over around two months, writing out the plot of this story took over my life a little bit. I had no idea where I was going with it, but I was having so much fun with the drama that I decided that Karma and Nagisa shouldn’t get together soon at all, and I had a lot of fun teasing my friend with the ‘will they won’t they’. It was only when I got bored that I invented this intense drama plotline to finish it all off. 

That period of time was a lot of fun. And whilst that friendship didn’t end well, I still have a lot to thank her for. She chose Daichi’s name because I had no idea, and she wanted to annoy me because I didn’t like Haikyuu. When I couldn’t decide on his hair colour, the purple was her suggestion because ‘why logic?’ Daichi speaking Korean was because of how much she liked Kpop. She even helped me choose the title of the actual fic, so there’s a lot you can thank her for, honestly. 

After I finished that story, though, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Whenever I daydreamed, I used to think about that damn Daichi Akabane, and how much I wanted to tell his story. I’d even come up with extra stuff to fill in a lot of the gaps, and developed his character in my mind. I decided that I was really desperate to write it down. Usually that worked when I had an idea I wanted to work through. 

I wrote the first chapter in late 2017, and then the next two as well. I just, kept going, and realised that I could go further still. TINSITOGS was never something that was supposed to be shared, but I decided I may as well. After all, that fated ‘teen pregnancy drama’ fic still didn’t exist, and I thought it would be funny to make it happen. 

Yes, as I’ve stated publicly a few times, TINSITOGS was a crack fic. If I wanted attention from it, it was infamy. We even joked about me cursing the fandom if it ever became the most popular fic (whoops?). What I wasn’t expecting was a bunch of people, in a fandom where at the time there were NO ongoing karmagisa fics and it was pretty dead, to really seem to enjoy it. It was enough to have me keep writing it, at least. I still don’t know at what point I actually started taking it seriously, but somehow I did, and the rest is history? 

The reception 

In my wildest dreams, I never thought that I would be the author of one of the most popular fics in the fandom. To this day, the amount of views TINSITOGS has is insanity to me. For the record, across all platforms it’s on today it has 238,000, which is literally a number I can’t even visualise anymore. Almost quarter of a MILLION. To this day on AO3, it’s the most viewed Ass Class fic that’s an ACTUAL ass class fic (the others are multi fandom compilations). So yeah, I achieved the original goal, I guess? 

Now you might be wondering, “omg the karmagisa fandom is fujoshi trash”. And, considering the origins, it is kind of funny. The thing is, though, TINSITOGS was written at incredibly good time. It was written when there were, essentially, very few long form Karma/Nagisa stories. If any other fics did get posted on occasion, they were usually just oneshots. I was also, at that point, writing very fast. A symptom of ADHD is becoming obsessively productive over certain things. Since I was able to get a 3k chapter out every few days/once a week, TINSITOGS was consistently bumped to the top of AO3′s default view. And some of those first few chapters were altered canon, and transcribing the canon dialogue didn’t take very long. The more views it got, the more people would read it out of sheer curiosity. 

I think it also helps that, at least after it started getting some positive feedback (which was honestly after the pre written chapters), I purposely tried to make it ‘not terrible’. I mean, I personally think the first chapter is pretty weak and if it wasn’t somewhat iconic to a lot of people I’d rewrite it. But in general, I purposely tried to make the world of ABO my own, to make it more accessible to those who don’t like that genre, and stay away from the inherently grosser stuff as much as possible. I genuinely do get comments about how I introduced people to the genre as a whole, still not sure if that’s a GOOD thing but hey, it happened. 

TINSITOGS turned into a lot more than just a joke. It turned into my favourite hobby. It turned into a research project (honestly, you would not believe the amount of mummy vlogs and legit scientific articles about child development I consumed). It turned into something that, at least I believe, was widely loved. 

Meaning 

I think it might be wrong to say that I don’t have AN idea of when I started to take the fic super seriously. For me, it was around the time someone commented something along the lines of saying my writing meant a lot to them, that they’d spent all night reading it and had been unable to put it down. 

Not to get too dark here, but I do have a past in writing a very long, somewhat popular fic (it’s still on my fanfic net profile if anyone’s interested, but I don’t recommend it). However, in the latter part of my teenage years, the depression struck. Writing was the love of my life, and I couldn’t bring myself to do it anymore. Maybe I’d be able to muster an idea or even a chapter at the best points of that, but I’d never completely finished any story. Starting to write again was a huge step in my recovery, and one of the reasons I convinced myself that life was worth it was being able to impact someone’s life somehow. Even to this day, I still remember the fics I read when I was, like, thirteen. How much I still remember them, and how much they meant to be at the time. I wanted to be that writer for someone else. To be honest, it was actually Yuri!!! On Ice that got me out of the super bad, but I still never wrote anything of real consequence. TINSITOGS was the first time in a long time I actually committed to something. 

And, to be completely honest, there were a lot of times I was tired of it, and wanted to just quit. But, the thing was, I felt like people depended on me in a way. I got so many comments that were just FILLED with support, telling me how much they looked forward to every update. It wasn’t just empty words, either, a lot of the times these comments would be super engaged with the actual writing. I can’t even describe just how much they meant to me, how much I would look forward to reading everyone’s opinions. And then discord happened, which was a lot of fun. 

TINSITOGS went a lot further than I ever thought it would. There were comments, discussions, fan art, fan FIC (which is honestly incredible to me). Someone even added it to TV Tropes, at one point. Not to mention the Cards Against Humanity deck and quiz It makes me so unbelievably happy that I could inspire that much creativity, but it’s a two way street. It was all of that which inspired me to write, too. 

Writing 

The only real goal I actually had was aiming for around 3000 words per chapter. I had a whole facebook log of plot points as planning, and I was mostly just trying to expand on them into prose. I honestly thought that, at its completion, the entire fic would be around 100k words, if that. Not, at one point, being literally the longest ass class fic on AO3. 

There are a lot of aspects that were directly adapted from the original messages, and I tried to stay faithful to it more so at first, even if I later removed some of the pure crack. But the style was also vaguely similar, with the story being told mostly from Nagisa’s perspective with swaps to Karma when it made sense. All the main plot beats, too, are pretty much identical. The plus to this was I was able to add a lot of really fun foreshadowing, and I feel like it’s a fun reread because of it. 

Honestly though, if there’s a demand to release those OG message logs, I will. Mostly because it’s kind of funny, and interesting to see. Isogai and Nagisa were engaged at one point, even. 

Obviously, it changed somewhat. 3000 was the minimum length, and the time to completion was whenever it felt right. One of my big concerns was about pacing, so it took a lot more fleshing out and maybe ‘filler’ content for some of the main arcs to work. 

There’s parts of TINSITOGS I don’t think aren’t written that well, and some that I’m still super proud of. I think you can definitely tell there’s a gradual shift in style, and I get a lot more comfortable with writing them as characters as it goes along. To be honest, my pride for the fic overall is what it represents. 

It is funny to think about the places it got written in, though. I started it when I worked at McDonalds with no life direction, then it went through my first year of university with me. It’s been written in at least four countries. Aeroplanes, night clubs, long haul buses, a train through the Japanese southern coastline. Even the start of covid. TINSITOGS managed to see a lot. I even turned a scene in (the boat scene during the India chapter with altered names) to my university as a legitimate assignment. 

There were also a few messages I wanted to achieve, once I realised I had the platform to put them across. One of them was, obviously, ‘use protection kids’. It was important to me that I didn’t glamorise it too much, and I think that came across. I also wanted to dispute some of the issues with ABO, and subvert the consent issues as much as I could. An arc I really ‘liked’ writing was how abuse doesn’t always look the same way, and that it can be a drawn out change in behaviour. How the most important part of ‘being a good parent’ isn’t perfection, but genuinely loving and doing the best you can for your kid. How love doesn’t solve everything, and effective communication can take a very long time to learn and build a functional relationship. I mean, there definitely was a lot I tried to put in, and you’re free to interpret it all how you want. But, I like to think some people learnt some of these things, at least. 

Daichi 

Honestly, Daichi developed almost of his own free will. I had a good idea of his appearance, and that he was smart. Writing him from birth until around nine years old (older if you read the sequel fic) pretty much allowed that fluidity. It was really fun to explore a nature vs nurture development, and let his own characteristics speak for themselves. 

He’ll always have a special place in my heart. 

This is the first image I ever made. When I was trying to figure out what Daichi looked like, I honestly just edited Karma’s hair (pretty well, actually? I’m impressed with my past skill). That’s where the ‘he looks just like Karma’ meme kind of came from. 

This was the first image I actually created of Daichi. I THINK it was on rinmaru games mega anime creator or something, but it’s literally not available on the internet anymore as far as I can tell, so I can’t double check. This was in the pre-piccrew days. His eyes are closed because they didn’t have the right tone of goldish/silver.  

His sister, Kaguya, didn’t even exist originally, even though I decided on that ending pretty early on. Actually, she was going to be called ‘Irina’ due to some hijinks. Initially, when Karma found out about Irina’s pregnancy, she was going to get super emotional and mad at him and basically force him to name his first born daughter after her. Karma agreed to shut her up, never intending to have another child, so when the surprise second child later came along they had to live with the pain. However, to be honest I just forgot to write in the actual scene that set it all up, and I decided against adding it anywhere else. The name Kaguya was a very last minute decision, and it was a chance for me to explore some ideas that didn’t fit with Daichi’s character. 

Interestingly too, Daichi and Nao were never intended to be a thing. I only decided that towards the VERY end. Even though the reason I named Nao that was because of a ship I had in a J Drama (Good Morning Call). It just kind of ended up happening because I won myself over with imagining the cute. 

The music 

I used to write with a lot of background music, though not all the time. Particularly towards the start, there was a lot that didn’t really make sense thematically, yet I would write to a lot. 

Here’s a link to the spotify playlist if you want it it’s basically all the ones I noted I’d listened to a lot. Not including the smut ones, though, I have a whole playlist for that. 

Some of the notable ones: 

Five String Serenade - the first scene I wrote of the entire fic, in Chapter 25 New Year Time where they fell asleep cuddling. 

Cosmic Love - when I wrote Nagisa’s love confession scene in hospital (I also wrote this pretty early on) 

Northern Downpour (though it was actually a cover by Emma Blackery) - The chapter after Daichi’s born (30) 

When The Party’s Over -  Confession Time Third Period, Chapter 69. I literally listened to this song on REPEAT when I planned and wrote the kind of ‘break up’ scene, and it’s one of the few parts that made me cry writing. 

Turning Page - I know I said no smut, but this song actually gave me the idea to have the “I love you” in chapter 108 be less on a whim and actually more built up. In the original plan, Karma really did just say it without thinking. I’m glad I changed that.  

Bury Me Low and Numb - pretty much all I listened to when writing the last few chapters, because Evil Nagisa core. So much so that Bury Me Low was in my top 2020 songs rewind. 

As for the title, there’s actually quite a funny story. I had no idea what to call the fic, and when that happens I usually just try and find some song lyrics. I really wanted to use something from ‘October’ by the Broken Bells. Not only because it’s my favourite song (has been for years), but thematically it really worked. The issue was, it worked as the WHOLE song, there were no individual lyrics that captured everything. And, if they did, they didn’t flow very well. And naming the fic ‘October’ would have been weird for a lot of reasons. There Is No Sweeter Innocence That Our Gentle Sin really was just plucked randomly, in a desperate search to find any snappy lyrics from any song that had some kind of meaning. After a bit of discussion, we settled that it kind of worked... if Daichi is innocent and they committed a sin or something. It also wasn’t the most obvious lyric from the song (Take Me To Church if anyone doesn’t know) so I just went with it. It works out, I think, because TINSITOGS turned out to be a pretty good acronym and pronounceable word in its own right. 

The merch  redbubble drama 

It’s a well known fact that I’m not very good at art. However, I decided to try pixel art because it seemed the easiest to not mess up. I made Karma and Nagisa, before deciding to also give Daichi a try. 

This, to this day, is the only good quality art of Daichi that I actually own. The only one I’m actually happy sharing and thinking it doesn’t look terrible. As much as I love people sending me fanart, it’s not ‘my property’, right. 

So, I was kind of joking about TINSITOGS having merchandise. At first I just made two funny quote things, and uploaded it to redbubble. I was never intending to actually make money from this, and I’d agreed to myself that if I did, I would just donate it to charity. I was joking with the quotes, but since I had this artwork I figured I may as well uploaded. Separately, there was also an image that had pixel Daichi next to pixel Nagisa and Karma (which I also created). 

Aside from showing up in a few people’s adverts across the internet, there was no real harm with this. In fact, I didn’t make money anyway. It was just... more the joke of it existing. I did, however, buy myself a Daichi phone case, which is one of my favourite possessions. 

The funny ‘drama’ comes in when they got taken down due to copywrite. Sure, the one with Nagisa and Karma, I understand. But the other three literally had no mention or anything to do with Assassination Classroom, aside from being from a fanfiction. So basically, someone who owns those rights claimed my OC as theirs. Which makes Daichi canon? Whatever the case, I found this hilarious don’t worry. 

How has TINSITOGS changed my life? 

This is quite a strange thing to think about. Because, in a lot of ways, it really hasn’t. As I’m sure a lot of people know, I don’t really consider myself to have any real ‘fame’, despite the impressive numbers. Whenever I tell people in my personal life, they seem to think I’m some sort of internet celebrity, but that’s never been the case for me. I mean, it’s hardly a cultural phenomenon. 

In a lot of ways, I’d much rather befriend someone than have them admire me. Possibly because being someone’s inspiration is kind of weird... I’m just an awkward duck who likes to write after all. I don’t mind it, though. I genuinely find it an honour, even if I don’t necessarily agree. I also want to take this time to say that if anyone ever wants to talk or message me, you’re more than free to do so. I’m usually super casual with people who do that, I promise. 

TINSITOGS was the first story I ever finished in the way I truly wanted to. Start to end, a full narrative. And it took a LOT. There were so many times I almost felt like quitting, or took super long breaks. For me, ADHD queen, actually finishing something was a huge deal. And I know I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t owe it to everyone who read it, and myself, to see it through. You know like, if I were to die tomorrow, at least I’ve left something behind. 

In a lot of ways, it’s changed me for the better. It’s helped me develop my writing styles, and way of thinking. It encouraged me to become more active in the fandom, and develop some important friendships. I always feel like my Tumblr and Fanfiction ‘known’ factor is separate. I think most of my Tumblr following is more to do with my theories/Japanese context research if anything, for example, but I know I wouldn’t be so interested in that if TINSITOGS hadn’t lead me to deeply examine character and really look into analysing source material for clues. I also think there’s just... a lot of myself in it. 

I was 17 years old, when I first came up with the idea. I finished the story when I was 20. Now, at the time of writing, I’m 21. That time has seen some pretty significant changes - just in general life facts and my own personal human development. For me at least, a lot of that was pretty turbulent, and TINSITOGS stands as a time capsule for that, in a way. 

I know I gained a lot of confidence, and it affirmed to me that writing is what I love. Telling stories and sharing them is what I love. 

Conclusion

Do I think TINSITOGS is an outstanding piece of writing, or the best fic ever? No. I really don’t. It’s strange to say because I definitely spent a lot of time on it, but it’s not like I put my full unbridled efforts into the story. I don’t fully plan, use a beta, or even read through on my own. And that’s okay - that’s not what I write fanfiction for. Fanfiction is my place to have fun with characters and stories I like, without the pressures of having to stand on my own complete originality. Yes, I’m fully confident that I can write at a “higher quality”, if I really wanted to. I’m also aware that some authors put their full effort into their fics, and that’s just as valid! 

It feels odd to say this about my own writing, but I honestly think there’s just something in this story. It might not be written in the best prose ever, and the premise might be kind of dumb for a lot of people. But, I think, there’s some part of this fic that managed to grab people. Somehow, at some point, many readers get captured into the emotions and so drawn in that ‘they just have to finish it now!’ Again, I’m not sure myself how I actually achieved that. Of course, that won’t apply to everyone, but I do feel there’s some truth in it. And it makes me happy, to have caused that. 

If TINSITOGS is your favourite fic, or if you genuinely think it’s the best story you’ve read, then thank you. I really appreciate your support, and I’m happy to have been a part of your life, I guess. I know how much fanfics can mean to a person, and that’s why I’m not going to take it down, or edit it at all. And it’s fine too, if you loved the fic for a while and moved on -i t happens. Whatever the case, I’m very honoured to have been able to occupy a moment of your life. Or if you find this fic in 10 years time, even, I still wholly appreciate you. 

This story was incredibly important to me, and thank you for reading if it was ever important to you too. 

You may ask, what now? Well, this is only intended to be a detailed look back for whoever’s interested, and it’s likely the only one I’ll actually do, a year after completion. Of course, if you ever want to ask me anything or just discuss the story, you’re honestly good to contact me in whatever way I have available. 

I’m still writing my ongoing stories, of course, despite taking a small break due to the university work load. I fully intend to complete the stories I’ve already started to tell, at least. After that... I’m not sure if I’ll still write fanfiction. Don’t panic, this isn’t a ‘I’m quitting writing’ thing. I may, however, have bled the Karmagisa genre a bit too dry at that point. Who knows? I am pretty interested in writing something original for once, so maybe that’ll work out. 

For now, at least, thank you to anyone who read this fic. To anyone who commented, liked, or interacted with me over it. To anyone who created or learnt from it. I’m really glad that I got to share this story with you all, and ultimately left some kind of mark, no matter how big or small. 

Happy birthday, TINSITOGS. I had a lot of fun writing you. 

[chaoslynx]

Hey, Im glad ur okay and safe! I just wanted to ask if u have any tips on getting beta readers to go over your work?

Hey! I wasn't sure if there's anything specific you were looking for, so I tried to cover everything I've learned about from working with beta readers, including whether you need one, how to find one, and how to work with them once you do. Sorry this got kinda (really?) long.

How-To: Beta Readers!

Do you need a beta reader?

Short answer: No. But it can be helpful and fun!

I'm gonna start by saying that none of my oneshots (with maybe one or two exceptions?) are beta read, and it's definitely not something that you need in fanfiction, imo. (Traditional publishing is a completely different story.) Don't think of it as a big milestone that you have to reach or anything like that, and if you do get a beta reader, don't get stuck thinking that you have to have one forever now. Most of my favorite fanfic authors don't work with beta readers at all.

How do you even get a beta reader?

Good question.

Honestly, the first beta reader I worked with was on my first multi-chapter fic, and she reached out to me first. I had expressed in the author's notes of a oneshot that I was considering writing a multi-chapter fic but was super nervous about it, and she commented offering to beta if I needed extra reassurance. I went through a whole existential crisis of sorts where I had no idea if I wanted to accept or not. She actually ended up working with me on both Feelings and Water!

All of the other beta readers I've had have also been people that I met through the fandom. If you're looking for a beta reader, you could try asking in the author's notes of a fic you post on ao3, or making a Tumblr post. If you have IRL friends who are familiar with the media you're writing for, you could ask them!

Okay, I have my beta reader ... now what?

If you do want to work with a beta reader, and you're able to find someone who you think you'll work well with, here are some tips for how to actually do the thing!

Talk about content warnings. Are there any specific triggers your beta will want to avoid completely? Anything they need to be warned about in advance?

Tell them if there's anything specific you want them to look out for. What are you struggling with? Characterization, dialogue, description, grammar, plot? What's your weak point? Why do you want a beta reader?

Make sure you're both comfortable with you rejecting any of their suggestions. On the beta's end it can be hard to see your suggestion shot down, and on the author's side it can be difficult to trust your own judgement, but usually the final call should be up to the author.

Also, make sure you're both aware that either of you can end the agreement with no hard feelings at any time. There could be a million reasons why it might not work out: real life obligations, scheduling/deadline issues, creative differences, or maybe one of you just decides that you'd rather work on your own. Please do not feel like you're stuck with your beta reader (or that you're stuck with your author) if anything comes up.

Talk about if any issues come up! Would it help your confidence more if they left positive comments, or does it feel like they're not actually helping if they compliment your writing too much? Are they paying too much attention to grammar when you only really wanted help on characterization? And on the beta reader's side, do you prefer if the author replies to your comments? Do you want it to be a back-and-forth communication, or do you want to be Done once you've finished a chapter/fic? Make sure you're in communication about this stuff.

How do we get the info back and forth?

Ah, of course, the actual technical aspect of it. I use Google Drive (for all my writing, not just for beta reading purposes), so I just make the document sharable (turn on "anyone with the link can comment"), send the link to the beta reader over Tumblr messages/Discord/whatever, and then ask them to let me know when they're done looking at a chapter. You can also use Google Drive to share directly with someone's email address and choose whether they can comment, edit, or just view. (I give beta readers comment access, but not edit.)

In the trad pub world, I've mostly seen critique partners use the Track Changes option on Microsoft Word. (I think the option is also compatible with OpenOffice so you don't have to buy MS Office).

You could also just tell each other your thoughts over messages, or whatever works best for you! I'm sure there are a million ways to do it.

For safety reasons (and deadname reasons lmao), please keep in mind what display name your Google Drive or MS Word account is going to show to your critique partner. This goes for both parties.

[frumpkinspocketdimension]

fic writer interview

tagged by @meikuree -- sooooooo... I realise this was 35 days ago but like... really did the whole “oh, i got a text! I’ll reply to it later!” adhd thing with this...

gonna tag people up here, and then responses will be at the bottom because it’s my post now and that’s how I’ve decided it will go. no pressure to do it, anyone who wants to do it also can, this is your free invite

@thefaustaesthetic @junozeta @searchforthescars @ghostmartyr @eviefrie @stardustedknuckles @lionettscourage @enechelon

name: dilapidatedcorvid

fandoms: I... used to write for CritRole and the Locked Tomb? On a writing hiatus at the moment, liable to return when Hermes grants me a vision

two-shot: *nervous laughter* I don’t actually have any... but if you count two works in a series, I have Glass: A 1920′s Bootlegger AU (NSFW), Camp Hupperdook: A M9 Adventure, and Sins, Smugglers, and Syndicates: A Tommy Gun Tragedy (NSFW)

most popular multi-chapter: I’ve decided we’re not going to talk about That Fic, so I only have one multi-chap, which is Glass (NSFW), so I’m going to broaden this question to include oneshots too

by hits? Taste Your Lips, Feel Your Skin (Kiss Me Slowly) (NSFW)

by kudos? Blue Eyes, Black Jeans (I’ve Been A Fool)

by bookmarks? I Get on My Knees and Pray (NSFW)

by subscriptions? Glass

actual worst part of writing: in general? putting a fic that exists in fragments in my brain (mostly in Vibes and phrases that slap immensely) onto paper. But I really hate when I’m trying to get something done in a certain amount of time and my brain refuses to go and give me ideas and words. Feeling stuck fucking sucks

how you choose your titles: at one point they were all song titles but lately they’ve been one word titles that sum up the theme or vibe, or really just any part that slaps particularly, and I’m starting to really like that format

do you outline: no, I am simply given visions and sit there for four hours until I’ve gotten to that part and then I wait for the next vision whenever it arrives, this is why I can’t write for shit on a timeline, sorry

I have outlined once before, but that was for a 30+ chapter behemoth that we were trying to get done before a timeline and it turns out I find it very hard to be creative when I’m penned in (it also didn’t help that I was writing it with someone else), and also I never write fics that long in general. I am the master of the one shot that’s All Vibes No Plot

ideas I probably won’t get around to but wouldn’t it be nice: Er, I’ve been sitting on a nsfw Beauyasha piece for a while, but other than a few lines, I don’t have much. I’ve also thought of a Expositor Beauregard/Volstrucker Astrid one-night-stand buildup fic, but again, it’s on the wayside at the moment. There has also, at several times, been a fourth installment of All of the Canyons in My Mind in the works, but it is unlikely to manifest at this point in time.

At one point I have mentioned and toyed around with the idea of Harrow/Ianthe flesh magic smut for TLT but quite honestly you likely won’t be seeing it for a while, I’m not writing for TLT in the near future until some of y’all learn to behave, you don’t deserve to read my smut until that happens

callouts @ me: I’m not great at plot, this is known. A lot of my fics tend to be very in-the-moment and introspection based to avoid that particular weakness. The last fic I wrote that was plot-focused rather than introspection-heavy or (buildup to) porn is a 2.7k crackfic from a year ago. Also, I spend too much time on the “it’s not perfect yet’ stage and then eventually hate everything I write until someone else reads it and hits me over the head with a rolled up newspaper

best writing traits: er, in the words of one of my last commenters, my writing is “verbose, poetic, lyrical, rhapsodic smut”. I think the words most often used to describe my writing are “lyrical” and “atmospheric”, which like, fuck yea tutti frutti. I am also told I am very good at certain character voices, which, also fuck yea

spicy tangential opinion: some of you write essentially entirely new characters in fanfic, slap book character names on them, and call it a day, which is great, I’m all for you writing that stuff. Hell, I did 125k of that, I can’t be a hypocrite about it. My greatest regret with that is that some people went and started taking those essentially new characters and interpreting them as faithful representations of the book characters, which they are not. It’s on the reader to know what’s for shits and giggles and what’s a faithful representation, or else the fandom read of characters goes sideways and looks nothing like the original text. And if you’re disappointed by the next book that comes out because your interpretations are influenced by pieces you couldn’t recognise were for fun and not particularly serious, then I can’t help you