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morocosmos · 3 months ago

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Writer Interview Game

Tagged by @arcaneoddity, tyyyy 💜

When did you start writing?

I noodled at an unfinished story or two when i was a kid (i drew comics a lot more tbh), the first fanfic i wrote was when i was 13 (it is consigned to ff.net, never to be perceived again). i started developing my writing during secondary school, we had to for english class but i genuinely enjoyed those assignments so much that it didn't feel like schoolwork lmao, it was smth of an outlet. i did write a couple of fics for other fandoms between 2016 and mid 2020, but in late 2020 FFXIV revived my desire to create, while @stellarfatalism and @lemoncakedesign's fics inspired me to actually start writing.

Are there different themes or genres you enjoy reading than what you write?

I read a much wider variety of smut than what i could be convinced to write. other than that i think they mostly overlap.

Is there a writer you want to emulate or get compared to often?

@haillenarte, @rabbitprint and @sezja's fics have stuck with me the most in terms of "god i want to be able to write characters like this"....i've never been compared to another writer before, never even considered it and idk how i'd feel.

Can you tell me a bit about your writing space?

I was writing on openoffice at first, but their software has a tendency to crash when you press two keys too fast, for example when you. try to save your work. moved to gdocs to avoid that and so that i could continue working on fic on my phone, but i also use the notes app on there, mainly to get down ideas that i don't want running away or to write more freely. it's easier to be experimental and loose when i'm writing in notes, idk, whereas i prefer sitting at the desk and working on my computer when it's a longer fic or a more """important""" piece.

What’s your most effective way to muster up a muse?

I've let it happen when it happens, for the most part. i was forcing myself to power through job around the time i really grew into writing, so i needed it to be a space where i wouldn't do it if i didn't want to. my feelings about that are more mixed now, because i'm a slow writer to begin with, and i can't help but wonder if more people would read my stuff if i updated more consistently. but i digress - the only time i've had to bring the muse in myself was for to sail your seas, and that was because there was accountability and a deadline. so i guess my most effective tricks are ADHD hacks and brainworms.

Are there any recurring themes in your writing? Do they surprise you?

Until recently i didn't approach fic writing with themes in mind, when i get an idea it's usually about throwing a character at something and seeing what happens. that something tends to be another character, sometimes it's more existential like touch starvation. that said, i do have a WIP where i sat down and thought about what i want the themes to be before i know how it's going to pan out, but it's baby's first attempt so i don't have an answer to this question yet, really.

What is your reason for writing?

Processing things i know and exploring things i don't. when i got back into writing in 2020 it was extremely cathartic, i've burnt out on several creative pursuits over the years and having that spark come alive was, and is still very precious to me. i spent two years writing simply because i had ideas and a vice-grip compulsion to write them out. now that that's slowed down, i've started to think more about craft, and how i might try to hone that when i'm lowkey afraid of this stage of learning, and there's no formal institution to kick my ass into it. but in some ways, i think i write because i can't afford not to.

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

I've been told by a friend that i'm good at continuity, which is nice considering it lines up with the obsessive approach i take towards trying to tie plot/character threads together lol. personally, i still consider descriptive writing to be my greatest strength. it's what i keep going back to, maybe because it was the first thing i discovered i was good at that wasn't influenced by someone else's decision.

How do you feel about your own writing?

I miss the honeymoon period when i thought my writing was the hottest shit LOL. that tapered off towards the end of 2022, but it's not like i think my writing is bad now, just that over time i became more aware of my shortcomings, and how much knowledge and experience i lack. i did have to fight a little to keep my relationship with writing from souring last year, but in hindsight it was more about frustration that i didn't have the energy to write (work burnout wooo) than a problem with writing itself. after a year plus of stalling and big fic projects i just want to have fun again, be a bit silly.

#if you were tagged here you're more than welcome to do this too #tag game

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valle-de-sombra-de-muerte · 3 months ago

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Homestuck Reread: Act 3, Part 2/3 (p. 892-1026)

Read the previous post here.

The second third of Act 3 introduces yet another new character: the Peregrine Mendicant.

PM is obsessed with the sanctity of the postal service in the same way WV is obsessed with democracy. The exiles hold dear symbols of their lost civilization while they're stranded in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. They cling to the desperate hope that society can one day be rebuilt as long as the memory of these institutions are kept alive.

Also, "brave soldiers of God in this righteous crusade"? I didn't realize these chess people were so Christian.

The fact that Mom Lalonde has her own secret littlespace in the lab is something that I never see anyone talk about. Can we please talk more about this grown woman who knows the world is going to end in her lifetime, who drinks every day to distract herself from that cursed knowledge, and also has this whole secret setup where she can hide away and pretend to be a little kid with no responsibilities?

This was probably all beyond Hussie's capabilities as a writer, so of course this is never elaborated on. What a hack. Maybe I'll write a fanfic about this myself one of these days.

Jade falls asleep in the foyer where Grandpa Harley's remains are and we get this unnecessary "psycheout" where instead of transitioning to Dave's POV, the next page immediately follows with Jade's "strife" with her dead grandpa. It's another lame interactive page like the one where she plays the flute (which I didn't mention last post because it's a waste of time).

Hussie "trolling" the reader is a character trait that he unfortunately leans into more and more as time passes.

It also would've been nice if it were better acknowledged that Jade has essentially raised herself for most of her life. What kind of strain would that put on a child's development? Obviously a lot if she's having imaginary arguments with her dead grandfather.

If Jade had been written as someone who was socially stunted from being raised without an adult human presence (she was raised by a fucking dog, remember?), and uses excessive positivity both because she literally doesn't know how to interact with others, and also as a mask to hide the stress she's under from experiencing constant visions of doomsday, perhaps she would've been a good character.

But, oh no, this is just another silly flash, you guys! Grandpa Harley is just a lifeless prop that Jade pretends is still alive because she's a manic pixie silly girl! No deeper meaning here.

Ah yeah, the cat's characteristic recalcitrance. I can't dunk on Rose too much here because I'm sure a lot of us tried to incorporate our pets in make-believe scenarios when we were kids.

I love the kitten playing with Rose's scarf off to the side.

The reason Rose wants to play Sburb is to resurrect Jaspers so he can follow up on his "secret." But... it's not like he can actually speak. You're telling me the whole reason she wants to bring back Jaspers is so he can follow up on the time he meowed in her ear nine years ago? And people really want to frame Rose as the most "serious" out of the kids.

Again, none of this seems worth ending the world for. Rose, you were like four years old here. It's time to move on. I know that "meow" actually ends up being somewhat important later, but Rose isn't aware of it at this point so it comes across as her being obsessed with something really silly.

Rose mentioned before that the funeral was held because of her request. So was it Rose who wanted a funeral for Jaspers, or was it Mom? Maybe both. I think it's very in-character for Mom to be torn up about the cat's death, so she wanted the funeral to have all the pomp and circumstance she believed he deserved.

The fact that the appearifier was already programmed to the moment before Jaspers's death means that Mom was trying to clone him through ectobiology. She really loved that cat. Rose is unable to realize this because she still views her mother as a callous and passive-aggressive bitch.

In what is perhaps the eeriest flash in the whole comic, we see a time lapse of Jaspers's body being recovered, his funeral, and the sequence of events leading to his body's reappearance on the transportalizer platform. "Chorale for Jaspers" is a strange track. The combination of the dreary organ and those sad, ethereal meows makes for an disquieting tune.

Coming off the heels of that somber flash is this overly dramatic flash where John has a mental breakdown after finding out how boring his dad really is. This so-called "reveal" that Dad Egbert is just a normal guy and not an undercover clown is like... no shit? Who in their right mind actually thought that he was a clown before this point? John's misconceptions made no sense to begin with and this payoff is equally underwhelming. At least this running gag is finally put to rest now.

I'd love to write this off as just another lame joke if not for the narrative weight attached to it. Yes, this load of shit is actually a pivotal moment for John's development.

Okay, I stand corrected. Dad Egbert is definitely not "just a normal guy" if he's able to hold that safe over his head.

He's also able to overpower the strongest Derse goon who was carrying a much larger safe. This dude is jacked.

Every panel we've seen so far suggests that everything related to the sylladex is flat like a card (especially with such terminology like captchalogue "card" and strife "deck"). Blowing into them suggests there's some kind of exterior housing and a hollow space inside where dust collects.

I get that Hussie is using this as an excuse to make this old video game joke, but if they're completely flat like say a TurboGrafx-16 game card, you wouldn't blow on those at all.

Trust me, I'm like one of the 10 people who grew up with a TG-16 instead of a Nintendo.

The admission that John's freakout over the Gushers is "stupid" suggests that his earlier mental breakdown was not "stupid." Uh huh...

Jade has a robot that her consciousness inhabits while she's dreaming on Prospit. Because at this point, why the fuck not? It's not like she builds anything else later on so might as well make this invention really complex. This is one last gasp at reminding the reader that, hey, remember this girl likes to invent stuff???

"guys'es"? That's a weird typo. John's username is "ghostyTrickster" in the past. According to the Formspring, Hussie noticed that the kids' usernames except John's all share the letters of DNA nucleobases, so this is him to backtrack and say "oh, his username used to fit the pattern until he changed it."

And like... it's stupid because TT, TG, and GG only correspond to two of the four nucleobases: thymine and guanine. That's hardly even notable, so why try to establish that pattern anyway?

The trolls came about later to complete the full set of nucleobase combinations. He created twelve whole new characters to complete a pattern that was half-formed and wasn't even intentional to begin with. Incredible.

John doesn't seem terribly concerned that the fire has reached Rose's house. This can be read as either a bumbling attempt at matching her sarcasm, or him taking her statement at face value and thinking she really is pleased that her house is on fire. Knowing John, the latter is more likely.

John refers to Bro beating up Dave in a very flippant manner. We can take this as evidence that Dave and Bro's strifes aren't actually that concerning. But if we're meant to take Dave's domestic situation seriously, then holy shit what the fuck is John's problem??

You know, for all the people who say John and Dave have such a strong friendship, John's been acting like a real dick to Dave so far. He insults him in his chats with Rose, ignores his messages, throws shade at him in his portion of the GameFAQs guide, and makes light of his distress. The only nice thing he's done for Dave so far is give him the Ben Stiller sunglasses for his birthday, and even that was an admittedly shitty gift that he assumed Dave would only appreciate "ironically."

Okay, this is what I've been waiting for. Rose says she knew about John's defaced posters all along.

But in this page, from Rose's own viewport, the posters are fine.

Rose also says that she can "see only [...] what John can see, or has seen already" which is why she can't see into his dad's room. Taking the above page into account, it's also reasonable to assume that since John was unable to see the damaged posters until now, Rose couldn't see them either.

Basically, this whole "twist" doesn't make sense and was poorly executed.

Not content with telling us himself how amazing Jade is, Hussie has characters in the comic say it too.

Aw yeah, there he is. My boy gets his first appearance. <3

Rose spouts a bunch of psychobabble about how John has been repressed all his life and it's only by learning the truth about his father that he's able to see what was once invisible to him. Not only is this event being framed as a pivotal moment where John grows from boy to man (further represented by John earning his suit after entering his dad's room), it's also supposed to be an enlightening moment for him. All because he solved a "mystery" that any reader with a brain would've figured out from the get-go.

As seen before in instances where she's either dismissive or totally ignorant of the motives behind others' behavior, Rose only possesses a superficial knowledge of psychoanalysis. Everything points to her being a massive pseud, so her theory here should've been called out as bogus. Except this isn't actually Rose positing a theory. This is Hussie literally spelling out the explanation for John's actions. We're meant to take Rose's words here at face value, so it means that Hussie somehow thinks any of this makes sense. This is what happens when dumb writers try to write smart characters.

It's funny that Rose correctly states the reason for Dad Egbert's eccentric nature, but fails to make the same connection to her own situation, instead continuing to insist that Mom Lalonde is just being passive-aggressive. Cruel irony. You don't know your mom that well either, Rose.

The further we go into this Act, the more elements Hussie seems to throw at the wall to further bog down the plot and create the illusion of depth. Let's see how things wrap up in the final third.

Read the next post here.

#homestuck #homestuck reread #peregrine mendicant #mom lalonde #jade harley #rose lalonde #john egbert #dad egbert #aimless renegade #grandpa harley

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onewomancitadel · 4 months ago

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The Distance Which Fools the Skimming Eye hit a little viewcount milestone...

thank you for reading... I appreciate it a lot, I am really blown away at how many people have read it for good or ill. My life has basically revolved around it one way or another since I started writing it (and kind of Jaune/Cinder as a ship by extension), though not in a bad way by any means (it's been put on hold at various points because of celestial reasons). I don't think you can ever anticipate how that sort of creative thing arrests you.

When I outlined the story and starting posting it, I knew at least two people were going to look at it and that fact made me thrilled. So I never went in with the assumption of writing a fic for anybody essentially except myself. I am sure there are always new people surprised by the fact that I actually, earnestly, genuinely canonship Jaune/Cinder. Hahahaha. This blog established more of a monstrous presence in part due to it; I think it made me more independent in my fandom antics and meta writing.

Of course it started becoming something else due to R/WBY's renewal or lack thereof, RT closing down, the ambiguity of R/WBY's future - and originally I was like, well I have to write this fanfic in case they don't ever do Jaune/Cinder, and now I'm like, well I have to write this fic in case they don't ever do Jaune/Cinder or anything else, which is weird. But I also love R/WBY very passionately and my writing was always intended as a love letter to it. My distant hope would be that people see R/WBY the way I see R/WBY through my fanfic.

I have a tendency to narrativise events and so I hope that this post comes off less self-congratulatory (gross) and more just a reflection, and something suggesting gratitude as well. To be a lifelong eccentric this sort of thing is always supremely weird.

I also know I am the person most obsessed with this fanfic, so perhaps this post is for myself most of all lol. I know it's small and silly, but it does mean a lot to me. I spend most of my daydreaming thinking about writing, whether it's this fic or my other Jaune/Cinder fics, so it does occupy a lot of mental space. Christ. And yes, lots of people have come and gone over time, but I did use my time away to finish writing the story, I just have to post it. I'm a miseryguts and I hate schedules so that will happen when it happens.

My boyfriend said I should get a treat for this and right now I am trying to find vintage black pearl drop clip-on earrings... they essentially don't exist, so I suspect the one pair I own (I got them for $5!) might be the only in the world. If I were a really hack writer, I would tell you this is a metaphor for the rare beauty of Jaune/Cinder.

#the distance which fools the skimming eye #flashing gif

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darkpoisonouslove · 4 months ago

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1, 2, 7, 8, 24, 25, 27 for fic writing asks :) Hope you’re feeling better!

Thanks!

1.the last sentence you wrote

Well, I posted the last fic I worked on so here's the last sentence(s) from my Fallen Love Chapter 3 doc:

Her head spun from just the couple inches her heels added to her height. She’d bet on practicality for years but combat boots would only take her back to the battlefield. They simply didn’t make sense without the threat of war hanging over her head.

(I was going to play by the rules but the angst doesn't really hit with just the last sentence so...)

2. a character whose POV you’re currently exploring

Oh, my god, I've got nothing for this. I have been sick for over a week. Before that I was barely working on that Erendor x Samara fic I wanted to finish. Tbh my head has been way more into House of the Dragon (heaven knows why when the writers are hacks) than any of my own stuff. Like, I am hyperfixating in the most annoying way where I'm not coming up with fic, I'm not really analyzing the text that much, I'm just rotating the same thought in my head like it's a microwave that doesn't work and I'm hoping the heat generated by the rotating motion itself will be enough to cook my fucking thought.

But yeah, if we're talking about actual writing, then I'd have to go with Griffin since Fallen Love is all from her PoV (and so are all of my other recent Griffin x Valtor ideas, which are all I have). She's, uh... She's having a bad time and I don't know how to make it better. The good news is that I don't have to yet but at some point she's going to have to figure out what to do with her life now that she's not at war every day and I. Don't. Know what I'll do then. For now she's having Realizations TM but those are def spoilers.

7. your preferred writing fonts

I don't have any. Unless the one that's already set isn't an abomination, I just don't care. I'm using Libre Office and my default is Liberation Serif so I'm just using that.

8. if you had to write a sequel to a fic, you’d write one for…

I suppose that fics that already have sequels planned don't count? I have several for which I'd write an AU but a sequel? Let's see.

Yeah, nope, I'll have to pick something from those that I've already thought of continuing.

Originally, Imitation Play was supposed to have a sequel but I decided that I don't have a clear enough idea for it so I've left it alone. I already have enough other stuff to work on but if I had to write a sequel to something I've already finished, I'd look at that one and try to figure out how to continue it.

24. how do you recharge when you’re not feeling creative?

Usually watch movies. Way more rarely read a book or fanfic. But if I'm looking to spark thoughts, then listen to a playlist or even make a moodboard (which I haven't really done recently). Recently I found out that spending time and having fun with your family can really charge you like nothing else. Huh, who would've thunk?

25. besides writing, what are your other hobbies?

There's watching movies and reading books. DIY. Drawing. Playing various games (sudoku, mahjong, jenga, crossword puzzles, chess occasionally). A couple more that I'd feel like a fraud if I list because it's really been years since I've done them.

27. your favorite part of the writing process

It's what would fall under outlining. When I'm making sense of the story and adding ideas, tying plot points together and just weaving it all into one. I like seeing how it comes together into a coherent story and since it's not super serious at that point, I don't have to stress out that much. I'm just throwing pasta at the wall and seeing what sticks. And then arranging the stuff that sticks into a coherent, beautiful pattern. I like that!

send me fic writer asks

#ask #her-majesty-wears-jeans #my writing #my wips #snippet #fallen love #winx griffin #personal #me

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oh-cramity-its-amity · 6 months ago

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Hello!!! :D Hope you've been having a nice day so far! 💖

For whe writers truth & dare ask game: 🍓🥤🦷🏜️🥐

hi!!!! you too!!!!! it's been pretty uneventful for me lol.

thanks for the ask!!

heres the ask game if anyone wants to see it.

🍓 ⇢ how did you get into writing fanfiction?

It was elementary school. 5th grade or so, but I was deeply invested in TMNT 2012 with a few of my friends. We would all talk about it, and at one point I wrote a little story in my notebook by hand without knowing what it was called about the show (its long since lost in a flood that happened years ago rip) but I found ff.net months later because I had two infatuations. TMNT 2012 and the original teen titans. I even remember reading fanfic on deviantart. I was really big into April and Donnie and Beast Boy and Raven. I didn't start posting anything until my Wattpad days around 14-16. That was about bandom, Pitch Perfect, then Citrus (I have made bad choices and I meme on myself now but I was JUST THAT STARVED for wlw ships.) Anyway wattpad account got deleted and there was a whole thing where my email got hacked and everything just is gone. (its really soulcrushing to lose work like that). But yeah!! I got back into fanfic during 2020 and the pandemic because I had watched a movie and just decided to write for it. I don't recommend reading anything of that era because it's cringe and just... no.

🥤 ⇢ recommend an author or fanfic you love

SHOUT OUT TO MY FRIEND GHOST!!!! @localowlhousefanatic. THEIR WORK IS AWESOME AND THEY WRITE SOME AMAZING VEESHA STUFF. ALSO SHOUT OUT TO @witch128chick!!!

Can I give multiple fanfics I love though?? I can't add everyone due to time but I'll give a couple.

TOH:

1.) learning how to be (with you by my side) by uniqueusernamegenerator (<- THIS is my favorite toh fanfic) 2.) I’ll Catch You by Black_Cat_Autumn 3.) all i got is my heart (and my pride) 4.) warm coffee, summer blues by uniqueusernamegenerator 5.) "I love you," ain't that the worst thing you ever heard? by kfaerie 6.) The Rest is History by amityadmirer for Shannon_shannon_shannon 7.) No Tip Necessary by Rohad 8.) i want you to be here (but please don’t come near) by stongrays 9.) Tallmity and Petite Luz future au by the_Shan_yousee 10.) You're My Rainbow in the Dark (HAITUS) by Underw0rld

Arcane: 1.)the oldest game by thehaakun 2.) the heart is a bullet by thehaakun 3.) The World Ends, Or Doesn't by Misthios 4.) how big, how blue (how beautiful) by panglosian

🦷 ⇢ share some personal wisdom or a life hack you swear on

Story sprints are a godsend. Also plotting helps alongside voice memos. I don't really have someone to bounce ideas off of but it helps me to verbalize what I'm thinking if I'm stuck so sometimes I talk through what I'm thinking aloud. Also making playlists or mood boards/collages of character outfits. Just giving you a more visual aspect of what you want to write.

🏜️ ⇢ what's your favourite type of comment to receive on your work?

Just genuine praise of my work feels nice. I don't get comments often. Sometimes they give me anxiety too. Maybe if you have any pointers of my fic to say something like that??

🥐 ⇢ name one internet reference that will always make you laugh

FOG HORN SOUND EFFECT. SORRY BUT IT CRACKS ME UP.

#thanks for the ask!!#writer ask game #ask game #billys replying to asks

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desceros · 6 months ago

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🦷 ⇢ Share some personal wisdom or a life hack you swear on? I'm always looking for wisdom to hoard

🌿 ⇢ Give some advice on writer's block and low creativity please? I'd love to know how you get around it

🦋 ⇢ What is something that's been on your heart and mind lately?

And soft 🧩 (As in I already asked three and you don't have to include this one!!) ⇢ What will make you click away from a fanficfion immediately?

I'm glad I finally got to participate in one of these! I tried to grab ones I didn't see you answer already!

hi hi hi!!! these are fun, aren't they? i don't do them very often but it's fun to open up a bit hehehe c: i did already answer the writer's block one already, so i'll skip that one

🦷 ⇢ Share some personal wisdom or a life hack you swear on?

i think one of my most powerful pieces of advice for people is to be weird. don't waste your time and mental energy managing someone else's reaction to your words, actions, or habits. things like. i want to write this fic but no one will read it because i suck/it's weird/it's too kinky/no one's into this show anymore. who cares? you want to write it, write it! i have things in somewhat strange places in my house because over the years, i've found the places where i Think about things, and if the thing i'm thinking about is There when i think about it, i'll do it! is it weird? fuck yeah! i get odd looks all the time when people come over. but who cares? it's my house, and it helps me live a better life. i tell the weird joke that only makes me laugh. i listen to the music that makes other people go eugh. i dyed my hair weird colors while working in a conservative industry. i'm so fuckin weird!!! but i'm also happy, and the people in my life are here because they like Me for Me, not some person that i pretend to be in order to fit in.

🦋 ⇢ What is something that's been on your heart and mind lately?

hmm. thinking about changing jobs. not sure what i want to do. making it to the end of the day without having done anything towards fixing anything about it, day after day after day. annoying. hey, everyone, quick, pay me to write turtle smut

🧩 ⇢ what will make you click away from a fanfiction immediately?

i don't like things in first person, but that's true for novels as well, so i'm not sure i think it counts as a fanfic-specific thing. i have a moderate tolerance for some grammar issues, but if they're egregious i'll back out. same with characterization i dislike; i'll tolerate some, but at a certain point i'm like ehh i'm just not the right audience for this (see my argument on how ooc is a concept i don't agree with). if there's a fic with heavy angst, i scroll to the end and read it first. if it isn't satisfying to trudge through all of that emotional heartbreak to reach that ending, i give the fic a pass. for reader fics specifically, i'm not big into oc/ fics that call themselves reader fics but aren't. think... written in third person, and they're named, and they have a physical description, like... my dude, that's an oc. which is cool, go you. but i don't wanna read your oc/ fic. i clicked on a reader/ fic, i want to read something in second person.

#ask tag #ask games

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cbk1000 · 11 months ago

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Unpopular opinion, maybe, but sometimes in fandom spaces I see this weird hostility toward traditionally published fiction which I'm sure is a defensive reaction from a community that has been shit on for a long time by the sort of people who read one whole bad fanfic and declared the entire genre a gross perpetuation of illiterate pornography by a bunch of hacks who can't make it as real writers. And I understand this, but I also need you to know: fanfiction is not inherently better than traditionally published fiction. It's not automatically more creative, more passionate, more morally pure because it's done for free. I've seen just as much derivative garbage in fanfiction as I have in traditionally published literature. Of course publishing houses sometimes release twaddle that is so bad it's actually reprehensible they expect someone to pay for it. But there is still an element of quality control. The worst book you can find on the shelves of a Barnes and Noble is not going to be worse than the worst fanfiction you can find online, because Big Publishing does have some standards, whereas any eight-year-old with an internet connection can throw up a story they wrote about their favourite book.

Here's the thing: fanfiction, as a whole, is not better than traditional publishing. It is a space inhabited mostly by amateurs, with a few professionals dabbling for fun. Some of those amateurs are as good as many professionals; but more of them are people, often young people, still getting their feet under them. And there is nothing wrong with this. Something does not have to be superior for you to enjoy it. There is joy alone in seeing people creating for the sheer love of it; there is joy in watching them improve and grow. There is joy in being part of a community of people who are doing something that can never be monetized simply because they're having fun. You do not have to shit on traditionally published literature, and by extension the authors who write it, who are themselves storytellers passionate about writing just like you.

Fanfiction often fulfills a different need for us than much of traditionally published literature; there are people telling stories in fandom spaces that historically have not had a voice, or at least a very loud one, in traditional publishing. And too sometimes we need the familiarity of settings and characters we already know, especially in These Trying Times when our emotional bandwidth is historically low. Fanfiction does not have to be a guilty pleasure you have to justify by shitting on traditional lit. It can just be a pleasure that you enjoy, full stop, because storytelling is something humans have engaged in since the beginning of our species, and fanfiction authors are merely carrying on that tradition. They might not be doing it in as polished a way as the professionals; but neither were the people sitting around campfires passing down folklore in the dark. And quite frankly, and full offence, some of you could really benefit from reading one of those dread traditionally published books once in a while.

#writing #fanfiction #is this curmudgeonly?#i don't care #as someone who reads both books like war and peace #and free gay fanfiction #i need y'all to shut the fuck up and just enjoy yourselves

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thegodthief · 7 months ago

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When I saw the length of entries in The Memoirs of Papalo Palo were considerable in yesterday's updates, I realized that AO3 would probably be a better home for the project. (That and I don't have any backups of it.) This morning I created the new work and copied all twenty-seven entries as chapters to an ongoing work.

Image Caption: "Language: English Words: 28,903 Chapters: 27/?"

Two-thirds of those words were written yesterday, over the course of the day as I played FFXIV on the desktop and had a text editor on the laptop to write the posts as I went.

I am stunned.

I am crying.

The idea of Papalo Palo came about as a "You know what would be fucked up make a good story? What if...", and the main points of the story unwound into the past from there. As I started playing the Lalafell character, Dter encouraged me to start writing a memoir of the character for others to enjoy and so I could stop telling her the story as I went. Sure. Why not? It would make good typing practice, anyway.

Papalo Palo reached CNJ 30 in one day without any help of gear, buffs, or hacks. FFXIV has been reworked to get new players to the end times end game as quickly as possible, after all. When I got the white mage job stone on him is when I realized that the story of Papalo Palo was going to be much bigger than just something for me to kick around. I created the side-blog, told no one of what I was doing, and threw everything in the wind.

Y'all know I'm still stalled on Book Two. It has been over a year since I last posted a new chapter, and the draft sits there and mocks me for my hubris. Y'all know that I have been in a bad way since October of last year. I have felt that I didn't have anything in me anymore. I couldn't make anything. I couldn't do anything other than put one foot in front of the other. I felt like I was only existing to serve other people and that there was nothing left in me that could create joy, much less share it.

Book One was a NaNoWriMo project gone good that I published in 2020. It is also over 100,000 words. At the time, I had the hubris to think that I could duplicate that for five more books in a series that I never intended to create from the jump, but the characters in Book One kept begging me to keep it going.

I fell down a lot in 2021. And in 2022. I barely remembered myself in 2023. Then I fell apart completely in October of 2023, and it has taken until a few weeks ago for me to consider that maybe I should make an effort at continuing to live.

And through all of these dark times, I would stare at the draft and no words would flow. I felt like my skill was dead, and that I was rotting from the inside out.

"I have all these words stuck in me, and they are rotting."

The Memoirs of Papalo Palo was an attempt to see if I could write anything again. If no one knew who was behind the character, then there would be no expectations of quality or quantity. Papalo could write a few paragraphs of observation or pour out his heart to flood the page in grief. No one would care.

No one would care if Papalo wrote something every day or in weekend spurts. It's a fanfic after all, and fanfic writers are notoriously inconsistent with timing.

Today, after I finished copying everything to AO3, I permitted myself the arrogance of looking at the total word count. To be honest, I was expecting no more than 10k for the entire work to date. Not... that.

I'm still crying.

I still have in me to write. I can make the words flow. I can take the thoughts of a character and put it down in a way that others can read, that others can feel.

I'm not worthless. Not yet.

I'm going to continue with The Memoirs of Papalo Palo and post the entries here and on AO3. And maybe, I'll be able to face the draft of Book Two fix that thrice-fucked opening chapter, and get Melissa on her way again.

We'll see how I fare in the light of the Crystal.

#In a dream Mujuuk asked me what was I hoping to heal with Papalo.#Heal? I asked. Heal. She said.#At the time I didn't have an answer for her.#But now that I consider the scene that Papalo's story orbits I have an answer now.#And I realize it is the same answer for everything I have done since Oct '23.#Hope.#A sense of hope.#The sun has set and all I have is the light I bring with me.#All I have is hope.#It is a small and delicate light. So easy to snuff out. So easy to starve.#But nothing in me will turn without it.

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justkending · 2 years ago

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Finding Memories. Chapter 11.

Series Summary: Waking up with little to no memory of her past, and being saved by a group of individuals who call themselves heroes, sends a long time captive for a whirlwind trying to find some form of grounding in this world she quickly learns runs on chaos. But she’s not the only one trying to figure out her forgotten backstory. Bucky Barnes, along with the other Avengers, can’t help but sense that there is a lot more to the whole situation than a diagnosis of amnesia. Her background slowly starts to come forward in pieces of her past and hidden information discovered. Who is she? And why was she in the room they were meant to destroy?

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Word Count: 3200+

TW: Torture, cussing, and blood.

A/N: I just want to say thank you for the messages:) They really helped make me feel like I wasn’t stressing any of ya’ll out. BUT I am VERY HAPPY to say that I finally started getting back into the natural flow of writing for this story. I think it helps I found an amazing fanfic on Wattpad recently, here’s the link, and it’s helped motivate me and give me inspiration :) I think reading similar writing styles are for sure a nice little cure to writer’s block when you need it most. Anyway, I’m already working on chapter 12 and hope to have it out soon. Also, I promise some Bucky and Y/N scenes are coming up soon, but I needed this chapter to build up to it;) XOOXOOXOOXOXOOX

Chapter 11:

Putting two and two together, the position of where the scent and sounds had been coming from, and the direction of Y/N’s room... Someone was watching her.

He was so one track minded he didn’t even remember the record breaking sprint he made to Y/N’s room. But as soon as his eyes saw the door in front of him, he realized rushing in while in a frenzy probably wasn’t the best idea considering she was already on edge as it was. If he came in a panic, she would no longer have her room feel like a safe space. Especially if she figured out why he was panicked.

Luckily, he knew Y/N didn’t lock her door, so he quietly opened it and was careful not to startle anyone on the other side of it.

And sure enough, Y/N was fast asleep in her bed, unbothered.

He couldn’t leave without checking the balcony locks and making sure any entry point besides the bedroom door was impossible to break into.

Without waking her, and still doing a whole room security check, he found it all secure.

He knew he needed to leave so he wasn’t invading her personal space, but a part of him didn’t feel comfortable doing that. But she was safe and there was nothing he could do but be there in close proximity for now.

He went back to his room, grabbed his computer and quickly hacked into the security system. As he checked the cameras, he sat himself along the wall in the shared hallways of their rooms.

Sat up against the wall and in easy view of Y/N’s door, he began investigating the perimeter cameras for anything out of the ordinary.

There was nothing of concern to come across the screen within the last few days, up to the point of late afternoon present day.

Some agents and other workers had walked on the trail, but none of them ventured off into the manicured lawn. A few gardners came through, but they were spraying the lawn and not actually doing much gardening.

The tree line was hard to see through in the night's low lighting, but he did see the playback of him running and stopping.

He rewinded it a few times trying to see if he could see the movement that caught his attention in the first place, but nothing gave away what he seemed to have heard.

He watched himself investigate and look around the tree line a few times before he came up empty. But after playing it for the 6th time, he noticed a movement in the corner of the screen barely making the picture.

He zoomed in and messed with the lighting to try and get a better look at the anomaly. The bush on the edge of the screen moved in an interesting way.

It wasn’t something as simple as the wind because it looked like the leaves had been pushed away for someone to move around, but there was no one to have done it.

He couldn’t seem to process reasoning for the bush to move the way it did.

“Hey, what are you doing out here?” Wanda asked, just now getting back to her room.

He looked up surprised by her presence, as he thought everyone was in bed for the night since it was late. He released his breath seeing it was just her and no one else.

She looked to Y/N’s door then back to him.

“You ok?” she asked, genuinely.

“I’m ok,” he tried to brush off his anxiety of the night. “What are you doing up?”

“Was running an errand,” she lied. “Why are you up? And why are you just hanging out in the hallway instead of your room that’s two doors down?” She joined his position along the wall and slid down to sit next to him.

“I went for a run and needed to check some of the security cameras.” He wasn’t lying, but he also wasn’t giving her all of the truth.

She waited for him to go on and explain the random research, but he just kept clicking things on his computer and continuing on his self-proclaimed mission.

“Is this the part where you tell me why, or do I have to peek into that head of yours?” she asked, with a friendly nudge.

He smiled some at her teasing and appreciated the joke to ease some of the tension from the given scenario.

“After I went to the gym, I decided to go for a late night run around the compound. I needed to clear my head of some things,” he explained, and she nodded following along. “When I went along the backside of the perimeter, I thought I heard something along the treeline that way,” he pointed toward Y/N’s side of the hall, showing the direction of where he was at.

“Did you see anything?” she furrowed her eyebrows.

“No. That’s the issue,” he grumbled, clicking more keys on the computer and trying to get different angles of the spot. “But I know something was there,” he said in a determined manner.

“Did you hear anything else after the first time?”

He paused thinking about it. “Kind of, but the wind was strong enough that I couldn’t differentiate it from things moving in the wind or someone trying to hide.”

“And nothing on the camera either?”

He moved the laptop for her to see better and played back the only piece of evidence he could find. She watched it a few times and Bucky noticed she had grown a look of confusion like he had.

“Did that plant move?” she asked.

“This one?” he pointed to it.

“Yeah,” she nodded.

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out. Can’t tell if my brain is just seeing what it wants, or if there is something actually there.”

“Something seems like it’s there,” she said in an intrigued tone. “Play it again.”

They watched it a few more times and still weren’t positive about what they were seeing.

“I want to write it off as nothing to worry about,” he paused. “I don’t think it’s nothing.”

“Why’s that?” She was curious.

“The placement of where I thought the noise came from had a perfect view of the rooms on this side of the hall,” he motioned to Y/N’s side and Wanda’s side of the building. “And after looking a little closer, it has a really good view of Y/N’s balcony and into some of her windows. Whoever was out there, chose a spot that would be discrete, yet give them all kinds of access to Y/N’s privacy. I don’t think the placement was random.”

___________________________________

Bucky ended up staying near Y/N’s room until early the next morning and when he heard her wake up through the door. He quickly made his way back to his room for a shower and a change of clothes before going to his next assignment of the day.

The only thing giving him some form of peace about Y/N’s security was knowing Wanda was in the loop of his worries and had promised that once she was up, she would be with her for most of the day and keep an eye on her for him.

After the shower and feeling a tad bit put together, he was headed to the med bay.

The first person he knew to ask about the strange occurrence wasn’t any of the Avengers. It was someone who knew a thing or two about spying on Y/N.

“Sergeant Barnes, I wasn’t expecting you to drop by today,” Alma, the head nurse that practically ran the place, raised an eyebrow at the super soldier as he walked in with a task at hand. “Anything I can help you with?”

“I need to speak to the woman who we talked to yesterday. Were you ever able to get a name on her?” Bucky asked, looking in the room behind her as if she would magically be there.

“Ava,” Alma responded after a second. “And she’s not here. Got released this morning.” Bucky gave an uneasy look. “Not released, released,” she emphasized. “They moved her to a holding room. She’s still under our jurisdiction and is going to be questioned later.”

“Level 10 or 11?” he asked, already making his way to the elevator.

“Ten,” she answered in a shout as he was halfway down the hall already.

He nodded and went on to his next stop.

In his rush, he didn’t notice Tony coming from around the corner behind Alma. His hands in his pockets and a curious and intrigued look on his face.

“Who was he looking for?” Tony asked Alma who was now busied by a chart she had grabbed.

She looked up at him in a quick glance then went back to the paperwork in front of her.

“Ava, or that woman who was the second attacker the other night at the museum,” she answered truthfully.

“What about the one I just talked to?” he pushed on.

“Is she still unresponsive?” Alma questioned like it was an obvious answer.

Again, she had been around the Avenger’s long enough to have an attitude with them and not have to worry about getting reassigned to a new job. It was also one of the main reasons they kept her around. She was the only other person stubborn enough outside of their group to put up with them.

“If by unresponsive you mean no longer throwing things at people when they come in to question her, then yes. She’s unresponsive. Though I’m sure the straight-jacket she’s in may be playing a part in her silent treatment,” Tony said with a sassy judgy look in his eyes.

“Cool it, Stark,” she rolled her eyes, pulling the clipboard to her chest and looking at him with a tired look. “If you had to be here close to all hours of the day with patients who don’t want to be here and are brainwashed 50% of the time, you too would put one of the physically harmful patients into something that kept you from changing scrubs every 30 minutes with another yogurt, saline, and bodily liquids accident on you.”

“You speaking from experience?”

His question was sarcastic and ended with a shit-eating grin that Alma knew all too well. He knew that even if she claimed to not be in the mood for his type of humor a majority of the time, she was happy to have some of the relief from frustrating shifts that were daily occurrences.

“Is she still playing the quiet game?” She went on to ask with the slightest smirk on her face she actively tried to hide by looking back at the paperwork in front of her.

“Only person to beat her out would be Morgan when I ask her why there’s permanent markers drawn all along the halls of the house,” Tony sighed. “But the girl, Ava, she is talking?”

“Last I heard, yes. She has a completely different discourse to this whole situation. If you ask me, I think something made that girl snap out of whatever loyalty the other one has toward whoever hired them,” Alma sighed before tapping another nurse that passed by and handed her the chart, mumbling some tasks for her to do. “She hasn't thrown a bowl full of luke-warm clam chowder soup into my bra at any point in her stay, so I’d say I prefer her.”

“Bleck,” Tony shivered at the thought. “No wonder she threw it on you. Who would want hospital clam chowder?”

“Is there anything else I can help you with Tony, or are you just going to keep haggling with me about the various types of liquids I go home covered in?” she said with a quirked eyebrow and hand on her hip.

“You deserve a raise,” he pointed, walking backwards after passing her. “Just checked with the boss,” he raised a finger as if waiting for an answer. “Done. Congrats and thank you for your service.”

“I’m still expecting that Christmas Bonus,” she waved him off, walking back to her round.

“How do you feel about unlimited soup in the hospital cafeteria?” he shouted her way after reaching the elevators.

“I think that sounds like me quitting more than it does getting a bonus,” she flipped him the bird before turning the corner and disappearing.

______________________________

As Bucky was heading to his new location, he called Steve asking him to meet him there. He had just entered the room they waited in before getting to the cell the girl was in.

Less than 30 seconds later, Steve was already walking through the door.

“Hey, what’s going on?” he asked, looking at Bucky in a worried way and then at the glass that separated them from her.

She had no clue they were there since she couldn’t see through the double sided glass.

Bucky was quick to inform Steve of his discoveries and concerns after his late night run and went onto discuss his questions he needed answered.

Steve was there mainly to have a second set of ears in his talk with the girl and for a second perspective.

“Ava?” Steve questioned when they entered the room.

She was lying on top of a comfortable cot that was placed in the corner and was staring up at the ceiling with a concentrated look on her face before hearing the lock on the door click.

“Captain America,” she responded, sitting up quickly and doing her best to be respectful even though inside she was terrified to see the two again.

“Please, call me Steve,” he waved her off.

He could hear her heartbeat racing at the anxiety that was not knowing the reason for their presence again. She had become used to agents and other workers hauling her around, and hadn’t really talked to the two Avengers besides the first night here.

“A-Are you sure?”

She was truly surprised by the kindness he was giving her. He didn’t look like he was here to interrogate or torture her. Hell, there would be no reason to as she would tell them anything they wanted to know.

Steve nodded with a small smile as he moved into the room, moving a seat in the chair they had by a desk in the corner and flipped it around before sitting.

Her set-up had been a nicer one since she had been nothing but cordial to all that had helped with her. She hadn’t proven to be the enemy besides the night at the museum and she claims she didn’t want any part of it to begin with.

“Sergeant Barnes,” she nodded his way, not sure what else to call him since the Winter Soldier was more of a form of slander in ways. Bucky didn’t correct her, but however nodded in agreement. “Is everything ok?”

“We came down to ask you a few questions that came up,” Steve replied. “If you can help us, great. If not, well… We’d appreciate it even if you tried.”

“There’s not too much I can tell you about my bosses. At least who they are specifically if that’s what you’re asking. They’ve asked me multiple times since coming here, but I don’t have any memory of who they are.” Bucky and Steve shared a look. “I only really have memories of what they did.”

Her nerves tensed quickly after she hinted at the torture they were sure of her to have gone through, the look in her eyes just proved their guesses.

“I’m sorry,” Steve said softly, saddened for the girl who sat in front of them. “Unfortunately, what we have questions about may connect to those things. Do you think you can help us still?”

She hesitated but nodded timidly.

“I can do my best,” she answered him before turning to Bucky more. “I promise that I didn’t want to do anything I did, so anything that could help that girl we were hired to kidnap-...” The words coming out were more upsetting as they were vocalized. “I would like to help where I can.”

Once again they could tell she was telling the truth. Whatever manipulation this young woman had been through was clearly something she was trying to process herself.

_________________________

After their talk with Ava, they learned that Y/N was most likely not the only person in the facility to have mutations. From their research, and from confirmation from a prisoner within the walls itself, their work revolved around finding the strongest mutant they could.

By default, they came to terms Y/N was probably their strongest project if she was in the room labeled, HIGH VOLUME WEAPON. HIGH CLEARANCE PERSONAL ONLY.

On top of that, there were no other mutants within that facility that they knew of. Which proved the point they already knew to be possible, there were more facilities out there they hadn’t infiltrated yet.

Throughout the last week Natasha, Steve, Sam, Tony, and Rhodey had been sent on side missions when a possible hit had been made on another underground science lab like the one Y/N had been saved from. However, each time they came up with empty and abandoned buildings and on a few occasions, labs that knew nothing of the higher order other than to send their research to them.

Ava had mentioned that most, if not all, bounty hunters, spies, and muscle men sent to complete jobs like the one she had been on, were enhanced in some way. Sometimes as simple as extra strength or slightly more enhanced agility on top of highly trained combat skills.

Other times it could range from invisibility, telekinesis, x-ray vision, being able to change the density of one's body, and the list went on. But those types weren’t usually sent unless it was a bigger job.

However, when asked why she and her partner had been sent instead of someone with more power if Y/N was such an enhanced person, she shrugged.

“I couldn’t really tell you. I know before we went in for the job, they injected us with something. Made our adrenaline high and all my normal strengths seemed to be heightened. Maybe they thought the sedatives would work and they didn’t have to worry about us having to hold our own,” she replied, hoping that would help some. “Truthfully, I don’t see any form of advantage to sending just two trained fighters with a syringe in rather than the other, but they sent us either way. ”

That was a hard one to understand as her job seemed to be doomed before it started.

After most of the mission talk was had, Steve was kind and asked if they had been treating her well and if she needed anything.

She was grateful for the sympathy and reassured him that no one had been ill-willed toward her even though she was in for the reasons that she was.

“They have every right to be, but they’ve been very hospitable,” she smiled softly at him. “And truthfully, I don’t mind being here. It’s a lot better than the places I’ve known and I know I’ll be safe in these walls.”

She seemed to say that in a way that she was trying to convince herself. She truly wanted to be safe in these walls.

“I’m glad you feel that way. If you need anything though, just let anyone of us know. We really do appreciate your help,” Steve nodded, walking to the door following after Bucky.

She thanked him and the door hissed as it locked behind him.

When he came out, he saw Bucky frozen with a glare on his face. He followed his eyeline and saw Tony sat across the room at the table that overlooked the cell’s window inside, leaning back in his chair and arms crossed. His signature sunglasses, red in tint, showed his expression perfectly in those brown eyes of his.

The red tint doing something to give him a gleam of gratification at the scenario.

“Tony.”

Feel free to follow me on Wattpad too and vote on any of your favorite chapters:) It helps promote my story & also makes my brain release tons of endorphins everytime I get a notification about one of ya’ll❤️

If you would like to be tagged in this series, please send an ask here.Thank you:)

Finding Memories Taglist: (some would not let me tag. so if you see your name but didn’t get the notification, double check if your blog allows tags:)

@tinkerbelle67 @a-beaverhausen @caruhleener @fanfictionjunkie1112 @sjsmith56 @nancymcl @kaygilles @laisbeltrans @matchat3a

Marvel Tags:

@thejourneyneverendsx @death-unbecomes-you @mythos-writes @srrymydood @xa-dia @redhairedfeistynerd @morganclaire4 @connie326 @captain-asguard @mollygetssherlockcoffee @teenagedreams-bucky @shower-me-with-roses @livstilinski @basicallylool @starryeyeseunbyul

My Lovelies forever:

@natura1phenomenon @lauravicente @kakakatey @traceyaudette @notyourtypicalrose @awesome-badass-cafeteria-sauce @sandlee44 @thorne93 @thefaithfulwriter1 @essie1876 @greyeyedsmile14 @capsiclehan @xostephanie @averyrogers83 @awesomenursingstudent @gh0stgurl @cs-please @jjlevin @rainbowkisses31 @deannotmoose @their-bibliophile @kitkatd7 @willowbleedsonpaper @mariaenchanted @snffbeebee @couldabeenamermaid @rebekahdawkins @alyispunk @billyseye @hallecarey1

Bucky Barnes Tags:

@chloe-skywalker @charmedbysarge @jbarness @bellamy-barnes @katiaw2 @aikeia @stopjustlovethemcu @enchantedbarnes

#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes series #bucky barnes x enhanced reader #finding memories #justkending bucky barnes series #bucky barnes #justkending #marvel series #mcu #mcu series #bucky barnes x reader series

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khalaris · 1 year ago

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Twenty Questions for Fic Writers

Ooh lots of fun questions, thank you @justhugsplz for tagging me <3

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

25.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

61,430 which is absolutely mind-boggling to me. And of those about 45k are Tatort Wien. Which I started writing exactly one year ago. For comparison, I've been writing fanfic for over 20 years and until I fell into Tatort fandom in 2021 I'd posted less than 3k in total.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Exclusively Tatort Wien at the moment. If I ever manage to peek my head out of that particular rabbit hole, I might get back to some Münster WIPs. Not in the near future, though :D

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Aufgeben -> Der Anruf -> Die Welt in unseren Händen -> Bordsteingespräche -> Loslassen

Haha, Tatort Münster with a little sprinkle of Wien. I don't usually sort by kudos, so it's a bit surprising to see Die Welt in unseren Händen rank so high. Well, high in a range between 75 and 34. That's just how it is in small fandoms :D

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes, always. Sometimes it takes a while to get to it. But I always want to take the time and energy to write a proper response, because a) if someone else took the time and energy to tell me how they feel about my story, the least I can do is tell them how much I appreciate them commenting. and b) A comment always feels like the start of a conversation to me. I remember the long comment/discussion threads under fanfic on Livejournal and I miss the community of that. Nowadays it often feels like there's this growing gulf between author and reader, probably because of the current content creator/consumer culture that does little to invite equality or discussion.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Silence, a Torchwood CoE fic about John Frobisher's last moments.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Bordsteingespräche. I'm really proud of how everything came together in the end in that one :)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Nope, thankfully never.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

If you'd asked me that a month ago, I would have said no. But recently I kind of got over my terminal embarrassment at even trying to write anything smutty. I haven't posted anything yet, but there's several fics/chapters in the works. Tbh I don't find vanilla sex interesting and most of the usual kinks in fanfic are either squicks or a snooze-fest to me. The stuff that I am writing is either weirdly specific kink or just downright unsexy (which my characters are having a frankly outrageous amount of fun with atm, bless them).

I'm a bit hesitant to put any real smut in a fic that isn't actually primarily about the smut. I fear enough people might be put off by that, so hardly anyone would end up reading it then. Bit of a stupid fear to have, perhaps, but still...

(Yes, I know, I should just get over it and simply write and post whatever the hell I want 😅)

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I've had a lot of crossover ideas over the years, but the only thing I've ever written was an MCU/Agents of Shield thingie I hacked out during NaNoWriMo a couple of years ago. Let's be honest, that combination is the least crazy crossover of all time and hardly counts as a crossover at all. Like 99% of the stuff I've ever written during NaNo, it's completely horrible, unfinished and should never see the light of day again.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Don't think so.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I've translated Bordsteingespräche myself, but was very unhappy with the result, which is why it's unavailable at the moment. It's going to get reworked at some point.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Many many years ago, when the world was still young and some of you not yet born 😂, the lovely @hope-calaris and I cooked up a tentative plot for a rather ambitious Star Trek: Voyager fanfic. We didn't end up writing that one, but later co-wrote a CSI: Miami one with someone else iirc and I believe there might have been a 4400 (?) fic, also. Due to depression, my memory of that time is hazy at best, though, so it's possible that I'm missing or misremembering things there.

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

Didn't expect this question to be so difficult to answer, but is kinda is... 🙈 I guess any combination of my 3 Tatort Wien blorbos. Apart from that, Boerne/Thiel and Stephen Strange/Tony Stark are ships I can always come back to.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

The aforementioned MCU/AoS time-travel epic.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue, especially banter-y dialogue. And editing sentences/paragraphs for maximum impact (when I take the time to do it)

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Action. What characters are doing, how they're moving, getting them from A to B and so on. Ugh.

External conflict. I despise conflict in real life and find it extremely difficult to write. You won't find an antagonist in any of my current stories or wips. And when I do write conflict between characters, that's always rooted in their internal conflicts and mostly the result of them not communicating properly.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

It's very hard to do right. Translations in footnotes are annoying and leave me confused while reading. Translations in brackets behind the dialogue also annoying and missing the point of having different-language dialogue in the first place. It can be good when the author puts enough context there that you can get the gist of what is being said without needing an actual translation.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

X-Files. There's probably some 23-year old notebooks in the back of a drawer somewhere at my mom's house that have fanfic snippets mixed with homework assignments.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

Oof, that's another difficult one. I have several that are favourites for different reasons.

Bordsteingespräche for the sheer joy and ease with which it was written.

Kaputt for how much of my heart and soul I'm putting into it.

Die Welt in unseren Händen, because after twenty years of trying and failing I am now finally writing an epic long-form multi-chapter fanfic and I have so many plans and ideas for it. I cannot put into words just how wild that is. And I simply adore this version of my favourite characters.

No-pressure tagging @carlomenzinger, @kathastrophen and @all-my-worlds-a-stage if you want to :)

#I spent an extremely unreasonable amount of time answering this 🙈#tag game #on fanfiction #writing

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aidaronan · 8 months ago

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ASK GAME! 🍓🦷🌿🏜️🦋

🍓 - how did you get into writing fanfiction? I think to some degree I always wrote it. I've been writing since I was about 7. One of my earliest things I remember writing at like 9 was NOT Indiana Jones fanfic, but it wasn't not Indiana Jones fanfic. Lol Funny enough, I think this was inspired more by a game we played in gym than any real love of Indy. Writing it on purpose though? How does any hopeless sapphic get into writing fanfic? A girl I was crushing on (even though I didn't realize it was a crush at the time) was super into bandfic. So I started writing bandfic in hs on Quizilla. One thing led to another and blah blah... 🦷 - share some personal wisdom or a life hack you swear on I forgot all my wisdom immediately after reading this. lmao Uh.... Remember that life is ephemeral. Not in a morbid way. Just in a "this thing you are very stressed about today will not matter in a [time period]. breathe." way. And in a "try your best to fully live this moment and internalize this memory" way. Also. If you want that job, apply for it. You aren't qualified? Apply anyway. Worst case, your resume goes in virtual recycle bin somewhere. Oooh not a fake trash can. APPLY. Which I guess leads into a thing that is true for jobs, submitting to lit mags/antho calls, dating, and a whole lot of other things that can feel so scary: don't self-reject. Life hacks? ADHDs, keep the floss of your choice somewhere you tend to hang out the most (bedside table, coffee/side table) and maybe you'll do that shit. 🌿 - give some advice on writer's block/low creativity 1. Re-read what you have so far or at least a big chunk up to the point where you're stuck. Sometimes just re-reading gets the ball rolling again on momentum. 2. Back up. Cut a few sentences or paragraphs. See if those were what was actually in your way. 3. Commit to writing something super short. One whole sentence. Three. If you do more than those? Swell. ;) 4. Keep signing up for fandom events so that there's always a deadline to get your ADHD to behave. 🏜️ - what's your favourite type of comment to receive on your work? Any of them? lol I think we all love to see we got a comment that is just massive and full of a lot of analysis and general screaming. At the same time, some short comments can be so impactful. I also love when people comment on every chapter of a work and leave their hopes and theories and I get to be like "ehehehe" if they're right OR if they're wrong. But ultimately, I think it's any comment that shows that I made them feel something or/and gave them something to really think about. And these don't always have to be super serious. Amusement is a feeling. :) 🦋 - share something that has been on your heart and mind lately I miss my mom and hope I get to see her again soon but I'm not sure when it'll actually be possible.

#ask game #asks

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astaralys · 1 year ago

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it is I, simplesnowflake!

I rebranded to astaralys now that I'm shifting into original projects but I'm very much still the same snow sisters supporter. I've just levelled up with an interest in game dev and picked up pixel art as well, so you'll be seeing less frozen content and more me content

you can find me on these places: twitter (listen I am not calling it X): https://twitter.com/astaralys bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/astaralys.bsky.social ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/astaralys I'm part of a studio! have you read our webcomic oneshot, Midnight Hour?: https://www.webtoons.com/en/canvas/midnight-hour/list?title_no=872088

But what's happening with TNU, you ask? I admit I have much less time for fic now but still very much enjoy TNU and hope to see it to completion. It's something that sporadically crosses my mind, and when I reread what I've written, I fall in love with the story all over again. So I pick at it during my commute and lunch breaks. We'll get there slowly!

in the meantime, please enjoy this wip chapter 23 scene join me in my struggle to remember what happened in ch 22, it's been 84 years

As always, thank you so much for following my journey and reading my stories. I really want to finish writing TNU for us, and hope you wouldn't mind sticking around for my foray into original stories beyond that. I've been writing fanfic for over a decade (oof my back ached typing that) and knowing every word I've written has been read and enjoyed by at least one person has made me the writer I am today. Thank you for finding my words!

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There was nothing quite like the slipperiness of blood. A slickness that smeared and clung to everything and anything, as if it already knew there was no way to return to the veins from which it had gushed. Its new purpose was to stain and horrify. If it could, with its sheer, crimson volume, petrify those that had evicted it from its rightful body, then its existence had purpose. A river, it would become.

“Your Highness! Are you hurt?” Ronny. A familiar face. An anchor.

“I… y-yes. I mean, no. The�� the blood’s not mine.” Kristoff made to get up and slipped. Instead of hitting the marble floor, though, his knee crunched into unmoving flesh. It was a small blessing he hadn’t speared himself on one of the dozen crossbow bolts protruding from the man’s torso like a pincushion.

Herman dragged him upwards and back, none too gently. “We’ll guard the prince! Make sure these bastards are really dead.”

“Wait—” Bile overtook words. Kristoff dropped to all fours and retched.

Scattered words swirled around him as his guards waded through the bodies. “—that big talk about their military. These idiots fought like lumps of wood!”

“Any news from the general? Did we manage to intercept their fleet?”

“Still can’t see a thing out there; the fjord’s completely covered in mist after the wall fell. How did they break Princess Elsa’s magic—”

“Forget that! The queen and princess are missing—we need a search party—”

“With what men? We’re already stretched thin as ice—”

Ice. If he’d kept his head down and continued hacking at the frozen tundra and going home to his family of trolls, he wouldn’t be here, crouched in a lake of dark red. Staring at a canopy of death spattered across the hallway like the reaper itself had danced with a conductor’s wand. How easily could he have been one of those bodies splayed out across the same floor Anna always slid down in her socks, laughing and crashing into his arms? Where was Anna? What if she was lying in a ditch somewhere, just like—

“Oi! Got a live one here!”

“You telling me this runt was the commander of this freak show? What, did you use your own soldiers as meat shields? You cowardly little—”

Kristoff looked up to see his men crowded around a huddled figure. If these southerners hadn’t brought swords and bloodlust to Arendelle… if they hadn’t spilled mortality in these sunny halls…

Don’t be pathetic, Bjorgman.

“Let me talk to him,” Kristoff rasped.

“Sir, this scum tried to kill you—”

“Trust me, I’ve noticed.”

The soldiers quietened. A few stepped away from their quarry, blinking like they had snapped out of a trance. Kristoff knew them all by name, but when they had come to his rescue in a flurry of unforgiving steel, he momentarily couldn’t recognise them. But he recognised himself in their sudden cruelty. They weren’t baying for blood— they were afraid for themselves, their families, their homes. They needed a leader, and Mattias was out the fjord.

Come on, Lord Regent, he could hear Anna teasing. You’re in charge when I’m gone, remember?

But you’re not gone, Kristoff thought. You’re safe with Elsa somewhere, and you’ll come back to me.

He rose to his feet. He’d kept his balance on cliffsides and frozen lakes; he could stomach standing on solid ground, nauseatingly slippery as it was. He stopped before the only survivor of the Isles’ ambush party.

“Let’s hear what the crown prince of the Southern Isles has to say. That’s you, right? Jesper Westergaard?”

Spindly shoulders jerked. Bitter memories of another sneering, auburn-haired prince made Kristoff’s fists and jaw tighten.

“Your father sent you into our tunnels to secure the castle, didn’t he? Bet he didn’t expect us to be waiting for you. He’s probably sitting on the fjord in his big ship, waiting for you to open the gates for him.”

The prince’s sword tinkered on the floor. Herman pushed Kristoff behind him, but Jesper made no move to attack. He only kept his head bowed and rocked slightly on his heels, clenching and unclenching his hand on his sword. Staring down at him, Kristoff realised their adversary was more boy than man.

What would Anna do?

Giving Herman the standby signal, Kristoff knelt down in front of Jesper. “Calm down. Work with us, and no one else needs to get hurt.”

Jesper’s glazed stare remained unerringly fixed on his shoes. Kristoff saw pale lips moving, though. He cautiously leaned in.

“Hurry up hurry up hurry up…”

Kristoff waved a hand in front of the prince’s face. “Hey. Can you hear me?”

“… up hurry up hurry—” The frenetic whispering halted abruptly as Jesper’s head snapped up. Dilated pupils locked on Kristoff’s, swimming in fear and adrenaline and… triumph?

A shiver slithered up Kristoff’s spine.

Freshly spilled blood could melt snow. Yet it only struck him now, as his soldiers let out shocked cries and whipped out their swords for the second time, that the blood he had been kneeling in was icy enough to chill him to the bone.

Jesper finally met Kristoff’s eyes. He wiped his nose on his sleeve, a wicked smile spreading on his face. “Be a good sport and remember to scream, yeah?”

#life update #can i finish this fic before F3 comes out #frozen fanfic #frozen #kristoff #the next unknown #TNU #writing

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