#I am happy to help round out the stats for a character/ship/fandom

[zorilleerrant]

I got curious about how I’d tagged fics I’ve written that have trans characters or themes, so I decided to look them up.

(Newest to oldest.)

Star Wars (Clone Wars): Where There's Life There's Hope No tags. No explicit trans content, but it always feels vibey to me to give non-humanoid robots the gender of “man” or “woman”, because in a way they’re assigned a neutral gender.

Monkey Prince: Change! trans!Marcus, Identity Issues, Shapeshifting as a Metaphor. I think I would have given more specific character tags if anything had been canonized. It would be reasonable to add the tags “gender identity” or “trans” but I didn’t.

Loki/Legends of Tomorrow crossover: it's a love story baby just say yes No tags. Casey uses they/them and is a main character in this story. This is technically canon compliant on account of Casey doesn’t actually have canonical pronouns (possibly intentional on the part of the writers, actually). I will say I tagged this as Gen because it felt icky using M/M or M/F about a nonbinary character’s romance.

Batman: I watched the world float to the dark side of the moon No tags (unless you count Fuck Canon I Do What I Want). Both Damians are nonbinary in this, although not the same identity. It just isn’t important to the narrative, and, in fact, hasn’t even come up yet. There’ll be a thing about it later, but it’s not a central feature so I didn’t tag it.

Batman(ish): Dick Grayson, College Student No tags. Chronic (of Bluntman and Chronic) is a trans woman in this, to account for the reboot. That has been mentioned so far, but I’ve maybe kind of abandoned this, so other trans and nonbinary characters with planned appearances have only or not even been mentioned. A lot, though.

Batman: This Changes Nothing No tags, because this is focused on the sexuality aspect of identity. However, as I do headcanon Damian as genderfluid, some of that may come through in the narrative, I’m honestly not sure.

Loki: You're gonna go far, kid No tags. Sylvie is implicitly genderfluid or binary trans in the show, but it’s not explicit canon, and not terribly relevant to the fic, so I’m unsure if it counts, but I wanted to include it for completeness.

Loki: Another Loki someone said this ship was straight. That’s it! I didn’t even tag it with Genderfluid Loki! But Sylvie is explicitly trans (although of ambiguous identity), and Loki is explicitly genderfluid in the fic. I felt comfortable categorizing this as Other because I feel like both of them would self-describe that way, but it is uncomfortable that’s the only option.

Rick and Morty: Animorty Cricksing: New Pants Canon-Typical Queerphobia. No other tags. Possibly I should have specified transphobia, too, but I was looking for a catchall term. A fair amount of Morty saying incorrect and offensive things about trans issues. Also includes reference to a maverique OC as Summer attempts to correct him (also incorrectly).

HP: Don't Call Me Nymphadora Nonbinary Character. Entirely a character study on Tonks being pangender, so that makes sense, but no additional tags.

TAZ: Balance: Gift of the Magpie No tags. Includes Lup, who’s canonically trans, but there isn’t anything about it in my fic. A little bit of gender non-conformity from Taako.

Travelers: Narcissus at the River's Edge No tags. No one is explicitly trans, but does reference a side character’s gender changing over timelines. Implicitly, because none of them actually identify with genders, which is my headcanon, but not a big part of the fic.

HP: Brightest Witch of Her Age Trans Hermione Granger, Accepting Wizarding Society. Story about Hermione being trans and navigating that at Hogwarts.

HP: Seventh Son Trans Boy Ginny Weasley. Ginny being trans at Hogwarts, only he’s a boy, and closeted for a lot of the story.

HP: Just Tonks Nonbinary Tonks, Queer Remus. That second is in relation to their romantic relationship. About how Tonks’s sexuality intersects with her gender, and how that relates to Remus’s sexuality. Tagged as Other because I do think that’s the kind of relationship she’d think of herself as having.

Charmed: Something that Starts with a P No tags. Wyatt coming to terms with her identity and what it means for her to be a woman, also some coming out in there. I didn’t really understand tagging when I started posting fics and I’m still not good at it, so. No tags.

In conclusion, I never tag fics with trans characters or themes! Regardless of how important or unimportant they are! Maybe I should change the tags on some of these fics, I dunno.

[laughingpinecone]

ToT letter 2021

I am laughingpineapple on AO3

Hello dear author! I hope you’ll have fun with our match. Feel free to draw from general or fandom-specific likes, past letters, and/or follow your heart.

Art likes: characters doing something, even something very simple, illustrating a moment rather than abstractly posing. I also enjoy seeing them wear different clothes, getting a feel of what their fashion sense is like beyond their canon outfit(s). Or dressing them up for some outlandish AU!

Likes: worldbuilding, slice of life (especially if the event the fic focuses on is made up but canon-specific), missing moments, 5+1 and similar formats, bonding and emotional support/intimacy, physical intimacy, lingering touches, loyalty, casefic, surrealism, magical realism, established relationships, future fic, hurt/comfort or just comfort from the ample canon hurt, throwing characters into non-canon environments, banter, functional relationships between dysfunctional individuals, unexplained mysteries, bittersweet moods, journal/epistolary fic, dreams and memories and identities, canon-adjacent tropey plots, outsider POV, UST, resolved UST, exploration of secondary bits of canon, leaning on the uniqueness of the canon setting/mood, found families, characters reuniting after a long and/or harrowing time, friends-to-lovers, road trips, maps, mutual pining, cuddling, wintry moods, the feeling of flannel and other fabrics, ridiculous concepts played straight, sensory details, sickfic, places being haunted, people being haunted, the mystery of the woods, small hopes in bleak worlds, electricity, places that don’t quite add up, mismatched memories, caves and deep places, distant city lights at night, emphasis on non-human traits of non-human characters (gen-wise, but also a hearty yes xeno for applicable ships), emphasis on inhuman traits of characters who were human once and have sort of shed it all behind

DNW: non-canonical rape, non-canonical children, focus on children, unrequested ships (background established canon couples are okay, mentions of parents are okay!), canon retellings

All requests are for both fic and art!

Death Crown: Death, trick

(I haven't played the DLC yet so, alas, no demons, or no spoilers for the demons, at least) I am absolutely charmed by the overall mood of this game and would like to see something more in that vein! Anything! Got more sacred (or unholy?) geometrical architecture for Death to interact with, maybe in greater detail than just wrecking it? What else feels like a contemporary take on a Bosch painting? Can Death get lost?

Ghost Trick: Jowd, Cabanela, trick, treat

Anything focused on Cabanela being an unstoppable force (confident, untiring, sparkling, stubborn, dexterous, loyal to the bitter end, legs) and/or Jowd being an immovable object (sarcastic, strong, depressed, self-deprecating but knowing he's hot stuff, also stubborn, clever but an emotional dumbass, round). Figuring out stuff? Something in the new timeline is linked to the old timeline? Coat? Dancing? Scarves? Halloween costumes?

I like Cabanela/Jowd and Cabanela/Alma/Jowd and Cabanela/Alma in scenarios where Jowd isn't around and Alma/Jowd in general (REALLY like all these, okay. like this is the one request where I'd love the most self-indulgent shippy takes as well), and dig Lynne/Memry. Yomiel/fianSissel and Emma/JM also cool!

Hylics: any, trick, treat

(I have only played the first game so far so please no overt spoilers for Hylics 2. Feel free to include stuff from it but... stealthily, I guess?) This is an "anything that feels somewhat like canon, please" sort of request! Love the mood, love the cast, love the little added details in their menu screen. Those can be prompts? Or the oddball stats? How do ToT's trick and treat freeforms apply to Hylics' overall... hylicsness, what would those guys think constitutes a "creepy" moment or a "fluffy" one?

Not into ships for this one, however I WILL say that Dedusmuln has all the proverbial curves in the right places. mostly their face.

Kentucky Route Zero: Weaver

Math, debt, the liminal state of almost being a ghost, seeing the world with a strange clarity... just anything Weaver, please! How'd she make her way to the town? What was it like for her to be working on Xanadu for a time? What about the community broadcast! Does she have an opinion on Carrington's oeuvre? You know... things... stuff. Weaver things. and stuff.

I love the whole cast and Weaver... wove... her story through most of them so feel free to bring in whomever. Not interested in ships here though.

Paradise Killer: Lady Love Dies, trick

A post-canon glimpse of life on '''''perfect''''' 25? That's not QUITE enough class consciousness to make the whole thing work, you guys. What does 'normal' life feel like to LD now? After following Henry's case and talking to Shinji so much, can she see that it's doomed to fail again, and then what? What IS Island 25 like, anyway? (what comes after Island 25, even?)

I liked the choice of canon romances - if it has to be just one I'd prefer it to be Crimson, but I'd also be interested in seeing what a V or triad with Doom Jazz would look like. They're all so chill about stuff

Pyre: Volfred, trick, treat

Pragmatic idealist, charismatic and bad at people, pacifist, activist, physiologically incapable of shutting up for a hot second, what's there not to love... I am very into either of the following: C. Volfred Sandalwood has a fantastic day; C. Volfred Sandalwood has a terrible no good day. Everything is great! Pre-exile antiestablishmentarian antics, maybe with Bertrude? Political gambits? The very physical dangers of the Downside which may or may not catch a scholar by surprise (who saves him?)? Tree problems? Meeting Oralech for the first time and Volfred thinks he himself is hot stuff but out of the two, Oralech is clearly the VIP? Feeling like he should live up to Lu Sclorian's legacy but he feels much closer to other Scribes (and what does Lu have to say about it, one way or another?)? The thrilling intimacy of Reading? The thrilling intimacy of lowercase reading also, maybe reading old manuscripts found in the Downside?

I very much ship him with Tariq and/or Oralech. The only canon ship I like is Hedwyn/Fikani. I also like Soliam/Gol, Bertrude/Pamitha and Celeste/Jodariel. Love all the Nightwings + Dalbert (+Deluge...?); love to dunk on Manley, Brighton and Lendel (I don't enjoy flat-out bashing, more like... I enjoy the way they are portrayed as horrible gremlins in canon and if they turn up in fic I'm not interested in more positive portrayals)

Signs of the Sojourner: Rhea, Elias, trick, treat

Once again pretty much an "anything in the style of canon" request. I love this setting, its themes and all the little lives that fill it. I am interested in a wide range of postcanon scenarios and love the whole cast - does Rhea come back to $town any number of years down the line and find $character? How'd their storyline end up in the medium-long term? What the hell is up with the Stranger (seriously, three runs and I never managed to speak with them, I have no idea)? What's life like for Elias back home, or in a new home if they can't keep the store, or if Rhea landed the Oscar ending or whatever (just, please, not dead Rhea. I love that ending but can't stand to consider what it'd do to Elias)? Or does he join the caravan just once? Who did Rhea grow to really like and can't wait to see every time? Any ghost stories or creepy encounters on the caravan's route? Does Thunder help?

I'm neutral on ships here - good with Rhea&Elias, good with background Rhea/Elias but I wouldn't like a romantic focus.

Totally Normal Wizard Apprentice: apprentice, wizard, master, trick, treat

(conflict of interest disclaimer, I illustrated this but didn't write nor nominate it) What awaits the apprentice outside the wizard's tower? It sounds like a pretty wild moon out there, I loved all the worldbuilding hints of the bigger setting. Does the wizard keep track of the apprentice, with her telescope or otherwise, and how does she take care of her ruined parlor? Was this all some sort of 5d chess on the master's part, and if so to what end? And what kind of otherworldly patience does this man possess, anyway, to handle the apprentice on a daily basis?

Twin Peaks: Margaret, Diane, Lucy, Tammy, trick, treat

(bass-boosted ethereal whooshing) For tricks, I would like to see any of these characters face the woods, the mystery of the woods, and/or a new symbol of your liking. Or: Margaret in the city, Diane and the moon, Lucy and the color blue, Tammy incognito.

For treats, a happy meeting. I love the whole cast and I'm always thrilled by gonzo "&" pairings, bring in whomever! Coffee and pie? The Bookhouse Boys? A kinder aspect of the woods?

Fandom-specific notes: love s3, love the books too. I like Lucy/Andy, Margaret/Sam fwiw, and rarepairs Tammy/Cynthia and Diane/Constance. Please no Fireman's-house-is-the-white-lodge, no Twin Perfect, no Judy-was-destroyed (nor is destroyable).

Arcade Spirits: Percy, Teo, treat

More than anything, I love the sense of group and camaraderie among the arcade's staff and regulars, and I'd love to see some more of it. I picked Percy and Teo 'cause they're my faves but anyone you may want to add, up to and including Sue, is very very welcome. Is there any aspect of gaming that feels like it could be adapted to this strange world of contemporary arcades? Cosplay shenanigans for everyone courtesy of Ashley? Any other activity that could show how Percy and/or Teo get along with the others, like they were all forming little groups during the beach chapter? It's such a feel-good canon, any feel-good situation would be great!

My Ari is with Percy but I'm not really interested in shipping here. All sorts of friendships though!

[rueitae]

Tagged by @sp4c3-0ddity Thanks! Lets take a crack at this. It’s a bit boring for others, but helped me focus on what I want to do for 2018.

Tagging @ritsuka-aoki and @eddiefook because I know you both are able to do this. You don’t have to post it though.

STATS:

Fics posted:  2

FF.Net:  Don’t Stop (14,168 words) Pokemon kid fic, full of as many ironies and references as I possibly could fit

Archive of Our Own:  N/A

Tumblr: Magic Castle Bus (1702 words) VLD crack fic. High school AU where the Castle is a magic school bus.

Ship/Character breakdown: Ship breakdown: Surprisingly no ships. Technically pokeshipping and rocketshipping in Don’t Stop, but it’s a kid fic, so romance is a bit of a done thing. Character breakdown:  A bunch of OCs and the Voltron ensemble cast, no one in particular stands out with what I actually posted in 2017.

Characters that had the main focus: Again, I really didn’t get focused on any one particular character.

Specifics:

Best/worst title? Best title: Don’t Stop had the most thought put into it. I struggled for a long time with it. My coworker tried to make me name it ‘Skye’s the Limit’ after the main character. I groaned too hard.

Worst title:  Since I only have two fics I posted, Magic Castle Bus is a bit generic. But it does let you know what’s involved.

Best/worst first line? Best: This first line gave me an easy way to introduce the main OC for Don’t Stop. So it’s more a matter of convenience.

“Did you decide yet, Skye?”

Worst: I wanted the opening to be far more chaotic in Magic Castle Bus than it actually ended up being, so I’m not really a fan of it anymore.

When Allura opened the door to the classroom, it was as she expected.

Best/worst last line? Best: I wrote this ending to Don’t Stop before I had written half of the actual fic. I had a lot of feelings about parenting that day.

Surrounded by good friends, chased by Team Rocket, and watched over by legendary pokemon; Ash was confident the formula that had worked for him would help his daughter grow into a well rounded human being. She would be able to do whatever she wanted with her life.

As her father and fellow trainer, that was all he could ever ask for.

Worst: I struggled to find an ending to Magic Castle Bus. I could have easily had them go on an actual science adventure - and I almost did - but I wrote the entire thing during one 8 hour shift at work and I didn’t want to lose interest and not finish it. So Shiro became my scapegoat.

He resolved to find himself a hobby. Fast.

General questions:

Looking back, did you write more fics than you thought you would this year, less than you thought, or about what you predicted?

Considering last January I wasn’t even reading fics, I’d say more than expected.

What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted last year?

VLD, I didn’t really get involved in the fandom until this past July despite having been watching it since season one aired. Since it isn’t finished and has a set number of episodes, I didn’t think I’d be motivated to write anything until the series was over. I was wrong. What’s your favorite story this year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you the happiest.

Don’t Stop is my baby.

Okay, NOW your most popular story.

Don’t Stop actually still Reviews: 3 - Favs: 15 - Follows: 6, which is more than I expected to get.

Story most underappreciated by the universe?

Honestly Magic Castle Bus is a genius concept. I just wish I could have executed it better.

Story that could have been better?

Same as above

Sexiest story?

Um. I did use Lance’s crush on Allura in Magic Castle Bus. He falls off a desk.

Saddest story?

Don’t Stop is sad in the respect that it has the feel of a parent saying goodbye to their child for college, where they’ll be far away from home for the first time. Most fun?

Don’t Stop again because I was definitely into it.

Story with single sweetest moment?

Don’t Stop in which Ash simultaneously becomes a mentor and gets sweet revenge.

Ash wasn't sure he liked the inevitability with which Billy spoke of the meeting, but he wasn't surprised either as he did see them with some regularity still. “I'll keep your secret,” he promised.

The boy was clearly relieved, a weight off his shoulders lifted.

"Pikapi, pikachu pika." Pikachu tugged on Ash's jacket for attention and then pointed to the trainer's backpack.

Ash understood and looked back and forth between his best friend and the unfortunate boy beside him. "Are you sure, Pikachu?"

Pikachu nodded. "Pika chupika."

Ash grinned. Pikachu had always been an excellent judge of character.

The two of them were also never above having a bit of petty revenge.

"Billy," Ash started. "I think it would be a good idea for you to travel some. You know, just for fun. I'll bet the girls would be happy to have you. You seemed to get along with them pretty well this afternoon."

Billy stared incredulously. "I just told you that I'm the son of the guys who stalked you across the world and to this day try and take Pikachu from you. After all that you're asking me to travel with your daughter?"

"Well, you really don't seem like you have any interest in following in their footsteps. So whether you go or not, Pikachu and I have something we'd like to give to you." Ash was satisfied he had at least planted the idea in the boy's head.

Billy was skeptical. "You? Have something for me?"

Ash reached into his backpack and pulled out the egg from its protective tube. "We brought it to the ranch to be around the pokemon outside, but I think it would do better with you."

Billy took the egg gingerly. The look on his face was uncertain. "I've barely scraped through as a trainer, I'm not sure I can take care of a baby pokemon." He paused. “You know my parents would flip if they knew about this.”

"Pokemon eggs are tougher than you think, and this one is special." He paused, then decided to at least impart some adult advice. "And if I know your parents as well as I think I do, I'm sure they're worried about you. Even if you don't tell them where you are, they would appreciate knowing you're safe. So promise me to give them a call when the egg hatches, okay?" Ash then produced the biggest grin. "And tell them it was from me and Pikachu."

(The egg is Pikachu’s and Billy is the rocketshipping kid)

Hardest story to write?

Magic Castle Bus I wanted to take them on a fun meteorological adventure. Then I realized I’d actually try and start deriving the Q-G Omega equation and decided it was not worth it.

Easiest/most fun story to write?

Don’t Stop It got written in three days, which is like a small miracle for me.

Did any stories shift your perceptions of the characters?

Not my writing specifically, but reading from others helped refine my perceptions of almost all the characters.

Most overdue story?

Don’t Stop I have been developing this story since I was 12.

Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them?

I’d say writing Magic Castle Bus was a risk. I purposefully restricted myself for time and forced myself to finish, which kept me focused on writing. So even if I’m not the happiest with it, it helped me learn that if I just stick with it instead of going to tumblr or reading other fic when I’m stuck, that I actually can get something coherent out and add to the fandom.

What are your fic writing goals for next year?

Write more VLD now that I feel more comfortable with it. I have three open fics that I would really like to finish.

Write some original stuff. I am already on this! For years I did a lot of role play since my friends and I couldn’t meet up personally anymore to play dungeons and dragons. So we ended up playing our characters through online chat and created such a rich and interesting world and I want to play in that sandbox. Incidentally it’s where my tumblr name comes from.

Stay involved in the fandoms I enjoy and comment as much as possible.

Continue with Don’t Stop. I’ve got at least 14 chapters mapped out and 2-3 actually written besides what is posted. It’s my comfort fic that I’ll always go back to. I also have something of a beta reader for it who keeps asking me for more. Easy motivation.