#Great questions

[deadpresidents]

Gerald Ford vs. Teddy Roosevelt, no holds barred MMA fight. Who wins?

Despite his portrayal as a clumsy oaf, Gerald Ford was almost certainly the best athlete to ever serve in the White House. He was a legendary college football player who won two national championships at the University of Michigan, and was MVP of the team in his senior year. Ford turned down contract offers from the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers, but turned down a career in the NFL in order to attend law school. Ford was a avid skier until his 80s and continued swimming regularly for exercise into his 90s, and he would have had a notable size advantage over Theodore Roosevelt.

However, if someone genuinely knows what they are doing during a mixed martial arts fight, they are going to be very difficult to defeat -- even against an opponent who might be a superior athlete in every other sense. That has been a lesson learned throughout the growth of MMA as a mainstream sport dating back to Royce Gracie easily handling much bigger opponents in the early UFC with his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Or Rickson Gracie calmly controlling and systematically dominating literally everyone he fought in Japan, no matter who Pride FC threw at him.

Theodore Roosevelt would be giving up quite a bit of size and athletic ability against Gerald Ford, but TR was an early student of martial arts. As President -- in the White House itself -- Roosevelt kept active with wrestling (always the best foundation for a mixed martial artist) and boxing. And he was among the first Americans to actually train in jiu jitsu and judo, receiving lessons directly from the legendary Yamashita Yoshiaki. Because of that experience, I think Theodore Roosevelt probably would have given any of his fellow Presidents a rough day at the office if they had an MMA fight, no matter how big or strong or athletic his opponent might be.

[wannawrite999]

[musewrangler]

🦋 🌸 🐠 🌷 🍄 for the writer ask game, please?

As ever, lovely friend, you are so kind. ;D Absolutely!!

my current WIP-----as you know, at any given time I usually have about 3-5 xD. However, I'm so glad YOU in particular asked this because it was you who gave me the Piett as a Jedi AU five facts. And um----guess what happened. I am currently plunging through chapter three of what is likely going to be a MUCH longer story than I anticipated, but I am not complaining, no sir. I've never written Piett this way and I am enjoying the development of this story in my brain. My poor boy has to go through a lot of suffering first, but the upshot is this---rejected by his family and sold, it is Plo Koon who saves him and raises him. He ends up stationed on Coruscant as the Clone Wars break out and it is here that he not only befriends Padme and Bail, but also a very overworked Commander Fox. While they are not able to completely keep Order 66 from happening, they manage to put a dent in it [because Fox gets a Jedi in this story ;D] and go on to fight this corrupt Empire with far more living Jedi and clones than we were left with in Revenge of the Sith.

WIP I've been working on the longest---again it is timely that you ask this. xD xD I am HOPING to finish Stiffen Up the Sinews today, which is the latest installment of the Empire Reimagined series. I've been at it for over a year which is fairly slow for me, but I totally blame the muse rugby team. You know how they are. xD

Author who inspires me----I'll give a two pronged answer here. First is the published author and while I could name so many, I am going with Dorothy Sayers. I ADORE her Lord Peter Wimsey series----she is a deft hand at both rich character development and in describing a scene. I owe a lot of my writing voice to her I think. Second, in fanfic land, there are once again a good number I could name, but I shall go with Osheen Nevoy. This is the author who wrote The Adventures Of Darth Vader and who really shaped my ideas about Piett. We have been communicating and it has been a true delight.

Writing achievement I want to brag about---- Well normally I'm happy not to do this. ;D But...I am really thrilled to say that I've started work with a friend on an original fic. I've been dabbling a bit in original work lately, but this is the first serious full blown work I've attempted in years. It has been immensely satisfying and I'm stoked to see where we take it.

Name a song that represents my main character----Ooh wow. This is actually a tough one. I can think of a number to represent Firmus. I'm Still Standing would be one. ;D Here Comes the General is another. But I think I really like The Fire by The Roots and John Legend. Great lyrics for our Admiral. ;D

[scooplery]

are there any types of scent that never work for you but that you love on other people? and vice versa! are there perfumes u love to wear but u dont like to encounter?

Baccarat rouge 540 and Cloud both smell horrid on me but i looooove them on other people. they're supposed to be warm and musky and marshmallowy but on me they smell like dusty dishwater. they smell really similar so it has to be a molecule they share.... idk what tho 😭

i like Chanel no5 on me and when i smell it on other people it makes me want to fight them to the death. there can only be one bitch in this room wearing no5 and it will be me

[hypnotic-kink]

Hello 👋 a few questions for ya 🌸

1. How do you take your coffee or tea?

2. What would you say you're passionate about?

3. What is your favorite way to unwind?

4. What are you most excited about right now?

Coffee with cream and NutraSweet. Never drink tea. 🤢

Very passionate about riding and the biker community, we all band together and do a lot of good for people in need & it's very rewarding.

My favorite is laying in my hammock, in my back yard by the water, and either listen to music or read a good book. Backup plan, if the weather isn't cooperating ... look for pics for Tumblr, I love it, it's like window shopping, it's mindless and relaxing to me.

My trip to Mexico coming up soon!

Thanks for the ask @darkestmad-er

[masterangst]

🌈Is there a ship you wouldn’t write a whole fic for, but love in the background? 🌪️Is there a nugget of game lore that fascinates you, but you haven’t written about yet? 🌙Has writing for BG3 created any challenges for you?

🌈 I'm not sure. I can't think of any ships I wouldn't write but love in the background. I don't ship often, so if I do, then I'd be willing to write or read it. So every ship I like I would write for.

🌪 Some game lore, bg3 lore, that is super interesting to me is probably Lae'zels upbringing/her post game story. She's such a fascinating character, but also hardest for me to write correctly, but I'd definitely love to see someone else or even explore it myself.

🌙 Writing in general has been a challenge, especially lately, due to so many irl challenges. But a writing challenge it's brought up for me is tackling so many characters and making them unique, and exploring the characters as faithfully as I can while also delivering a new story. Making all the characters arcs all come together and have it all make sense. But there is what, 7 characters? It's very hard to juggle them all. So I tend to focus more on Gale, Astarion, and tav.

[loveinkfanfics]

🔮 Any advice for writers working through burnout or writer’s block?🤔 Would you ever want to write something canon if you got the opportunity?💌 Is there a favorite trope you like to write?

Hi!!! Thank you for the questions!!! 🥰

🔮 Any advice for writers working through burnout or writer’s block?

Take a step back and take a break for a few days. If its a fanfic you're writing, watch a few episodes/watch the movie to get back into that world! If I'm stuck on a particular scene, I'll change up the point of view and see if it can be told better by another character. Sometimes, I'll switch up whatever playlist I'm listening to and a lyric will just hit me and make me want to write (Taylor Swift's always good for this. Her lyrics just hit hard some times). ☺

🤔 Would you ever want to write something canon if you got the opportunity?

I'm not really sure what this question is asking, but if its to write for a show/movie/book then hell yeah! If its to follow along with canon for fic, then yes! I did it with Sons of Anarchy for Hands All Over, which I really had fun with and also for the Fast and the Furious in Diamond in the Rough (major throwback on that one there!!).

💌 Is there a favorite trope you like to write?

I LOVE friends to lovers! I think that's why I love writing She Will Be Loved so much more than other things I've written. I love building the basis for a deep connection and then letting it grow into something more. 💙

THANK YOU!!! For the asks!!! They were GREAT questions!! :D

[brown-little-robin]

1, 8, 20, and 49?

hi Nightwing! :3

1: who is/are your comfort character(s)? — definitely Murderbot, I listen to Murderbot audiobooks when I'm stressed because MB is just... such a comforting presence to me...; also Shigeo Kageyama my beloved (also a comforting presence); and my clone ocs, I like to rotate them in my mind at any time.

8: how many water bottles are in your room right now? — two! my little blue plastic one with the Borg kitten sticker (backup water bottle), and my huge metal one that I actually use.

20: do you say soda or pop? — neither, because fizzy drinks have never been in in my daily life or vocabulary! I just mirror whoever is talking about them to me, so if someone says soda I say soda and if someone says pop I say pop.

49: can you skip rocks? — yeah, but only at a beginner level. I grew up practically next door to a lake, so I've skipped rocks before, but I always preferred to collect them rather than skip them! not to psychoanalyze myself on main, but as a child my natural tendency was to accumulate possessions rather than experiences; first hand adventures were always something of an ordeal to me, and it was safer to be mesmerized by the shape and color and texture of rocks than to throw them away, even for the joy of making them skip.

(from here)

[mumms-the-word]

🎁 💭 :)

Hiya!! Thanks for the ask, these are good ones!

🎁 Have a piece of a WIP you want to share?

I have been somewhat behind on my WIP Wednesdays and Snippet Sundays since the hiatus huh ;) But I'll indulge you with a sneak peek of the next chapter of Fathoms

“I often wonder what the first explorers used to chart this path to Nautera and carve out paths and tunnels like these,” he said to Minthara, as they led the convoy down a long, enormously wide tunnel. “It must have taken them ages. Years, even, unless they had other, very powerful wizards with them that the account doesn’t mention. I mean, look at the height of this tunnel! The sheer width and breadth and length of it is—” “All signs of a purple worm,” Minthara said, looking amused. Gale stopped talking, his mind instantly full of images of colossal worms, hundreds of feet in length, with sharp-toothed maws big enough to swallow half their convoy in one go. He looked anew at the tunnels as Minthara chuckled beside him. “Do not worry, wizard,” Minthara said. “No doubt the one that made this tunnel is long dead. Should you feel certain tremors, however…” She trailed off with her usual smirk. Gale elected to keep his mouth closed and focus on the path ahead.

💭 What inspires you and your writing?

Other creators definitely inspire me! I'll read something by @sorceresssundries or @weaveandwood or @alpydk and so many other amazing creators on this platform (I'd be tagging people for days) and be like "Oh my gosh, I want to write something like THAT"

Or I'll see art from awesome artists and be inspired to write something based on their art. That's what happened for quite a few fics in my masterlist haha especially Choosing to Live

Fathoms was inspired by Atlantis (and by sorceresssundries's Indiana Jones inspired fic), while Masquerade was inspired by a prompt list and a desire to throw my Tav and @elspethdekarios's Tav into the same weird universe. So in terms of where I get my ideas from, it's all over the place!

I'm inspired to keep writing by reminding myself that there are people who are interested in my fics, but the only reason I know that is because they like to comment on AO3 or they give me feedback in a discord I'm in. I think without those people, I'd probably give up halfway. I'm tempted to soft quit even now, because I'm in the "middle" of everything, and I hate writing middles, but when I remind myself that there are a handful of people who will be excited to see the next chapter, it gets easier to write.

Otherwise, when that doesn't work, I get inspired by finding a good song that fits the mood of the thing I'm working on!

[goldiejake11]

11, 13, and 29.

oooooohhh nice ones!!

11 what do you consider romance?

WOW!! Tough one! I would say I most likely fall on the side of ace and romance is one of those things that I feel like is sometimes an elusive concept for me. I DO think that romance for me would not necessarily be the physical things like gifts and flowers, although it can be...but for me it's more the simple things that people do that really say "hey, I GET you and love you for it. For instance when your partner says, "I know it bothers you when the tv is too loud so here, I will make sure it is comfortable for you. " Someone doing something like, even though it is something so very simple, melts my heart every time.

13 what are you doing right now?

I am just finishing up my next Duckvember submission for the day after tomorrow and eating some Mongolian beef.

29 what do you do when you're sad?

When I'm sad I usually find a nice quite space alone somewhere and cuddle with my cat.

Thank you for the asks!! 💛

[leoneedincorrectquotes]

Oh these are fun!

💫🔮🚩🎙️🎞️ for Shiho please!

💫: Shiho places a lot of pride on their dedication and skill. If Shiho wants to be good at, or do something, She will put 100% into it. She thinks this is the best thing about themself, and most of his friends agree.

🔮: Shiho would probably be dragged into a dnd campaign by Ichika and Saki, but once they get going, Shiho would probably enjoy playing a rouge. Getting all that angst, and funnelling it into a character would entice Shiho. They would later play other types of characters and races, but their favourite is by far Kenku Rouge.

🚩: Most would say their bluntness, how Shiho really struggles to say things without seeming rude or mean, and will often not pick up on what the other person wants to hear. The rest of L/N, Minori, Kohane, and Shizuku, after getting to know Shiho well, would probably say Shiho's tendency to push others away, or to be alone, in order to protect them, as it often results in feelings of hurt or Shiho struggling alone.

🎙️: (I'm fairy certain this is the podcast one) Shiho probably isn't that interested in podcasts, but I think a podcast with An, where they talk about different musical events and their significance, would peak their interest. Different guests would be invited to talk about events which they have fond memories of, or alternatively have no feelings about any events whatsoever.

🎞️:(Again, fairy certain this is the movie one) Hear me out: Heathers, with Shiho, Saki, and Honami as the Heathers with matching colours, and Ichika as Veronica. The rest of the roles can be filled out by other characters, like Rui, Mizuki, or Mafuyu for JD, but it feels funny to imagine L/N being the popular kids, cause they sure don't give of that vibe in the actual game jgignjgfhgfs. Alternatively, Heathers as a stageplay that WXS are putting on, with L/N, in which Saki and Honami are struggling hard to be this kind of character, and be even slightly rude/powerful/

[wannawrite999]

[lotsofsq]

Hey there! Book Curtain for the character ask game with 2, 3, 12, and 22 (feel free to pick and choose if you want!) :D

thank you so much for giving me this opportunity. almost all of these are also about sq, so you know where my priorities truly lie.

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

the fact it’s canon he loves sq. it fucks me up. why would they do that it’s literally perfect for me. oh my god. and he says “snakes and dogs” as a curse it’s so good.

3. Least favorite canon thing about this character?

i’m not sure. i really like how he is written. all the stuff that makes him terrible adds to the appeal.

maybe the bit about sq seeing him as a father. family maybe but father doesn’t fit, i feel like it just doesn’t really fit everything up until that point, or after for that matter.

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

i think sq is the first person he’s felt any particular emotion towards at all ever and he just has no clue how to deal with it, he doesn’t particularly care if he is being horrible as long as he can have sq around.

22. If you're a fic reader, what's something you like in fics when it comes to ths character? Something you don't like?

i haven’t read too much book specific fanfic (that’s my next hurdle) but of what i have read i like when he accepts a heart to heart of some kind.

i don’t like when he acts as a father to sq WHEN ITS BOOKVERSE SPECIFICALLY!! i know he’s actually his dad in the show, but in the book i just don’t see it. i know there is that one line in book 3 but.. idk man it just doesn’t make sense to me

[musewrangler]

🍓🌵🥤🔪🪲 for the ask game!

As ever, you are so great for asking. ;D

Rubs hands. This is such a fun list.

Strawberry: I started reading fanfic quite late in the game. I was craving more Merlin actually and so found fanfic.net back in 2009. Old, I know. xD

So I have been reading it for a while, but I never had any intention to write mostly because time constraints. Flash forward to all the Covid shutdowns of 2020. I was at home and for whatever reason I rewatched Star Wars again. And then Piett walked in and I saw him with fresh eyes. So I began hunting for fanfic about him and there was precious little. Literally, that first story wrote me I didn't write it. The feeling was like being dragged behind a high speed train and I was writing for HOURS. Posted a chapter every day. xD And you know quite well how it feels to put a new baby story out there and see what happens. Direct shot of serotonin to my brain when people began reading and then COMMENTING. I was hooked. And haven't stopped though my pace has slowed considerably. xD

Playlist I love---See while I totally listen to music, the playlist I have is too massive because I am old and lazy and just keep piling things into the liked list. xD But here---this one I found recently and it is GREAT for angst stuff, or pining, or slow burn, etc. :D

Recommend an author: Ok the best Star Wars I've ever read was hands down Meet the Skywalkers by frodogenic, which focuses on Piett interacting both with Vader and his kids AND grandkids. It had the full range of MASTERFUL emotion and I was laughing and crying throughout. A close second which features Piett and Veers is This Time of Year, by impishgrin. It hits their friendship so hard and so well and this author gave Myra Veers her name and the backstory I assume to be canon. :D

Weirdest topic I've researched: Ha. A lot of contenders there, though admittedly most of them were random and niche as opposed to outright weird. I'll settle on investigating the plumbing situation in the American West of the 1880s. xD I was trying to figure out if any homes in the plains would have been able to have running indoor water. And lo---yes they could if one was wealthy enough.

Aha--the beetle. Devious, my friend. All right, here we are:

Damn it. There was no other opportunity to speak to her, and I was haunted throughout the rest of the feast by the desperate fight the man had put up. He he’d had no chance, no hope, of truly escaping. But he’d fought so hard… My chest hurt as I thought of him even now.

Decided to test myself and write in first person for the first time. :D

Thank you so much for this!! :D

[forustothinkistobealive]

Not me reading a jegulus fanfic and stopping every few chapters to take a moment to ponder on how much I hate jegulus

[harrowitzer]

1, 2, 14, 20, 21, and 38

(I think I got these copied right, it's a bugger on mobile.)

1. Describe your comfort zone—a typical you-fic.

Gorsh that's a toughy. Dialogue and action heavy, I don't do well on inner monologues. Plotty. Themes that mix science with a touch of the unknowable. Well researched but it's the stupid little details no one cares about. Smutty. Probably too heavy handed on the mental health themes. People trying to be the best they can within their circumstances.

One of these days I wanna go back and write out @periodically-puzzled 's structured elevator pitch thing for all my old stuff, because I'm bad at meta-analysis of my own work.

2. Is there a trope you’ve yet to try your hand at, but really want to?

Not a trope, but a genre- sci-fi! I'm a huge sci-fi nerd and I wanna write more of it. I guess comic book characters sorta count, but I want to write a space adventure.

14. What’s the worst writing advice you’ve ever come across?

I genuinely can't think of anything! (I know I asked you this but I figured you'd have Opinions 😆) I've gotten some hella good advice but I can't think of anything really bad atm.

Here's some I just don't follow: I heard recently that you should rewrite the whole story after getting a quick and dirty draft out of your system. It seems like great advice, but I don't have time for that jazz.

20. Describe your perfect writing conditions.

Wake up early on a weekend, pad downstairs with coffee and a bagel, curl up at my gaming PC with the nice big screen and mechanical keyboard, and get lost for a few hours. Second breakfast might happen somewhere in there. I haven't been able to do this in quite a while. Currently my writing time is in stolen chunks of 40 minutes after kiddo falls asleep, or one-handed on my phone.

21. How many times do you usually revise your fic/chapter before posting?

I usually write the chapter, do a general read through to set some revision goals, a second pass for revisions, then read it backwards, then a final pass. But also lots of random edits as my ADHD brain thinks of them, and at least one ninja edit after posting. It's not really a strict system, honestly. It usually doesn't change a lot in structure after the initial draft.

38. Talk about a review that made your day.

I will probably always remember people reading the second to last chapter of Snake Oil and freaking out at me 😆 there's something so satisfying about walking your readers to the cliff's edge. I have yet to push them off though. I'm too nice for that so far.