#I technically haven't finished the very end scene and i need to edit the other chapters but

[forcebookish]

3, 17, 22, 23 and 24 for the fic writing ask game!

3. Describe the creative process of writing a chapter/fic

typically, something pops into my head and i either write it down on my notes app or directly in an ideas doc (i have, like, five or six separate ones), and then it just kind of haunts me - usually the notes i write are of specific scenes that involves a loose outline of stuff that happens and what people talk about with some actual dialogue mixed in. then when the notes get long enough, it gets its own document. i usually have everything plotted out, including the ending, before i start actually writing it, and i usually start from the beginning with opening lines and then i jump around. with multi-chapters, my notes are a little more organized and i'll write scenes individually. no matter what, it's a mess.

17. What do you do when writing becomes difficult? (maybe a lack of inspiration or writers block)

throw a tantrum lol nah there's usually a source for the writer's block, so i try to pinpoint it. it could be something that's bothering me irl, a problem i haven't solved in the story itself, or that my creativity is wanted elsewhere. when i got the idea for that soul thingie, i couldn't work on anything else and it was super frustrating, but once i actually turned my attention to tst, i got into a flow and was able to finish it very quickly - and after, all other writing came easily!

22. Are there certain types of writing you won’t do? (style, pov, genre, tropes, etc.)

the big ones are mystery and horror. i love reading or watching them, but i'm just not up for something that intricate and technical. i also won't write omegaverse/mpreg lol

23. Best writing advice for other writers?

this is gonna sound stupid, but write what you want and specifically don't try to make excuses for it. readers will notice when you hold yourself back and the product wasn't what you wanted it to be - the audience your work would speak to won't be happy and everyone else will be bemused. don't make something toothless just because you think you "should" - some fiction should have bite.

think pg-13 slasher movies. who are those for, really? not slasher fans!

24. Worst writing advice anyone ever gave you?

don't edit as you go. HEAR ME OUT: the goal of this advice is well-meaning, yes, it's so you're not fiddling or pecking away at your work and therefore never getting words on paper - but there is something to rereading your work especially when you're stuck to better know what you've already established, if something needs to be elaborated on earlier, and to not repeat yourself.

get to know your fic writer!

[therentyoupay]

If your weird asks are still open can you do 11 and 20? ❤️

from this askbox meme!

11. what do you have for breakfast on an average day?

i hyperfixate on my meals 😂 in that i have one (1) preferred meal for days on end and that's what i will eat for each breakfast and lunch until i get sick of it (dinner is different every day though because i love cooking). my breakfast meals are currently cycling this month through one of the three following options:

two pieces of toast with one avocado mixed with the juice of one lime, salt, tajín, pepper, and red chilli pepper flakes, topped with two fried eggs

two chopped mini cucumbers, one diced roma tomato, one avocado, rice vinegar, avocado oil, salt and pepper, and ritz crackers with red roasted pepper hummus

vanilla high-protein greek yogurt with granola, raw cashews, honey, and blueberries

for each of these, a cup of decaf or (if I MUST 👀) half-caff coffee!!

20. preferred place to write (i.e., in a note book, on your laptop, sketchpad, post-it notes, etc.)?

even though i don't recommend google docs as a safe place for creative works any longer (womp womp), it is the preferred location for mtyk simply because @callimara and i do SO much asynch writing and editing, and we need to be able to add art, gifs, etc. directly into the document!!

for all my other fics, i use a paid version of scrivener! i have used it for YEARS and, to me, it is worth it. i use it for all my "current"/"recent" WIPs (i.e., < 5 years since the last update), including at the center, frosted sea glass (which is now finished), snow globe, technical difficulties, that one night, etc.

my older fics that i haven't worked on for a long long time (monstrosity, break the ice series), i wrote entirely on LibreOffice, which was called OpenOffice at the time/back in the day! OpenOffice had predictive text before it was a mainstream thing, and i loved it so much more than the Word Office suite, which i didn't always have access to unless i was a student at the time.

the above info is in regard to PRIMARY writing, editing, storage, organization, etc. however, in addition to all of this, literally since as early as 2009 when i got my very first iPhone 😂 (an ancient relic), i have also always jotted down notes/brainstorming/whole scenes in my phone's Notes app! i then transfer them to the "main" doc and vice-versa; if i'm going on a trip and i wont' bring my laptop, I'll copy/paste my scrivener WIP chapter into notes, and read/write as i go along in my notes, until i can merge them again.

i used to be a big notebook girlie! i still have all of them in my home office. 🥹 but nowadays, i live and die by scrivener and Notes 😂

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE ASK NONNY 💕💕💕💕

[memento-morri-writes]

🦐🔪🥸📝!

hiii beck!! Thanks for the ask!!!!!!

Edit from 1:20am: I"M SO SORRY. I STARTED (AND FINISHED) ANSWERING THIS 30 SECONDS AFTER YOU SENT IT AND THEN I GOT DISTRACTED MAKING FUN OF THE WOKE GAME LIST PEOPLE.

🦐- Talk about a time when you made yourself laugh or cry?

Hmmm. I cry like, 3x a year max, and almost never over fictional things (no empathy gang, rise up!!) so that's probably a no go. But I can do laugh!! Here, I'll give you an excerpt from a dnd writing and one from my "real" writing. For dnd writing, nothing will ever top these two reveals, the first of which was 100% improv on my part. Btw, these happened on the SAME DAY. Rook was determined to give Sigmar a heart attack, it seems. (As an added bonus, he told Zara that he had died multiple times by saying "I told [Warren] that I would either end up dead or back in [Wolf's] hold. Turns out it was both." so this man has a GIFT for scaring the shit out of his mentors, lmao.

For my "real" writing, the only thing I have a whole lot written for is ATQH, which I haven't touched in like 3 years. But I gotta say that this line still makes me laugh. "No I'm not!" Yeah? Are you sure about that, buddy?

continuing under the cut because I talk too much.

🔪- How do you feel about writing fight scenes?

So, I think I'm really bad at them. But I got nice responses to my attempt at writing one for Carrion here. I actually have more that comes after that point, but I felt too iffy on the actual intense combat part to share it. I've done my very best to avoid ever having to write them for my Rook writing by starting just after the combat, but I can't do that forever, and I'd love to actually write compelling fight scenes someday. So basically just, I need to practice them, and I probably think I'm worse than I am.

🥸 - Which character is most like you?

Almost certainly Theo from CoS. We're both autistic animal lovers who don't like conflict or physical touch. And I guess we're both also Not Cis, although I do still use she/her pronouns. Most of my other OCs tend to share more extreme versions of my worst traits, so making Theo share some of the more neutral things about myself was a nice change of pace.

📝- What writing software do you use? Does it work for you?

For my serious writing I use(d) Scrivener, and yeah, I love(d) it! The ability to have all my scenes be separated, but still all in one technical document is exactly what I need, especially since I write out of order. For my dnd writing, I use google docs, mostly because I want to be able to share with the DM of Rook's game easily. Unfortunately, it's the most convenient way for me to do that. I do also keep character notes and worldbuilding scattered in both Milanote and Notion. I have a pretty elaborate character page setup in Notion that I'm quite attached to, and I love it dearly. (Even if I never remember to update it.)

[thedarkmistress16]

Because of the oc ask, I figured I'd give you a comprehensive list of the typical things I do for writing inspiration, how I usually write things, and what goes through my brain as I write and develop ideas and characters. Feel free to pass around and jump in.

I'll usually always want to find a pic but mainly a gif of the character I'm writing about for both headcanons and actual stories for inspiration as I work, like visualizing their expressions morph to the scene I'm thinking of (the gif helps with this immensely). In other words, jumping off the canon page into my own vision. Two gifs if I can help it at the most-one for the beginning of the piece and one for the end, with different expressions portraying the fic's progression, but exuding a tone I'm going for in the piece itself (as an example, my yan!ts blurb was written before I thought of the gif placed at the end of it, which conveys an expression/similar action I visualized during the story, compared to the other yan!ts blurb that was inspired by the gif itself and was placed before the writing itself.).

Some of you may already know I used Sims 4 CAS for my OC reveal in one ask, and it was a lot of fun to do then since that game can have some stellar cc content (praise to all modders). But I also like playing dress-up/avatar creator games online for existing fictional characters or OCs to see how many details I can get accurate to the source material or my own concept; and, again, done in various art styles so win for variety. Really aids me in adding more or different details to my characters (yes, this is also an endorsement for Ambition's Dream Girlfriend and YES, you should play it. You legit get so many MR outfits for free in events and the gacha it's INSANE.).

Transcribing hand-written words to digital ones is something I'm recently trying again and is actually very helpful for my writing process. I'm the type of writer that tries to make every sentence perfect as I go along digitally, like writing and revising constantly, and I usually don't make that much traction in the long run when I have very few ideas or plotlines to begin with. Writing by hand not only makes me think more meticulously about exactly what I'm writing and how to word it, but also the bigger picture in general. I'm also less afraid to make mistakes on paper because when I go to transcribe it, I get lost in the scene again and end up adding more details I haven't thought of before due to already having the mental building blocks down. It's similar to physically stepping away from your work and literally seeing it in a new light- or format- in this case. Also, handwriting, while slow and tiring, is very therapeutic on the soul for me especially when I've stared at a screen for too long.

I go back and re-read my work ALL. THE. TIME. Sometimes it yields ideas, sometimes I edit one word or add another and close it. Other times, I have nothing to add. But most of the time, I pretend I'm pitching it to other people as I read through it. Helps me pick out problems within my own writing to re-explain things or expand upon another. It's a cruel mistress on top of a bad habit- I'm either my own hype guy or my own worst critic, usually not accomplishing much of anything in terms of actually writing something.

I can easily stare at a gif or pic or amv for hours and sit there doing nothing but daydreaming, planning out the entire fic in my brain, and then measly writing a plot outline and never returning to it to flesh it out because I forgot most of the details and that I had technically already finished it in my head.

Like any true writer does, I keep all of my ideas no matter how shitty or out of place they are in the current document. I never know when I'll need it for a different scene or if I come up with something else it works much better with contextually. Or, y'know, when you get that fandom brain rot knocking on your door again.

I flip-flop a lot between adding details and taking them away. I initially try to add as many as possible that I think I can get away with without it being too overbearing before condensing it down later when the writing style doesn't justify it. More details help me paint the scene much better like the environment, character relationships, and senses, but including as much as I do on the regular is usually unnecessary. To include that much detail is really only helpful to me when I've been away from the piece for too long.

Most often I'll completely forget what I'm writing about and go off on a completely unrelated tangent that is vaguely connected to whatever I tried to do. Keeping it floating there in blank space as I re-write it again or revising pieces of it usually helps. See #6 for additional results.

In case no one who's seen my blog notices by now, I tend to be quirky when I talk about my writing; usually in a shitpost-esque style, and then the story/narration itself taking the concept either completely seriously or being aware of the batshit insanity of it all and rolling with it (see, uh, my yan!rpf headcanons for an ex. of this utter derailment.).

Of course I throw myself into my own writing situations, OC or no; what kind of self-indulgent writer doesn't? Also, what easier writing perspective you can write about than yourself?

Side note, being addicted to songs and playing them on loop while I happen to write occurs A LOT and isn't necessarily inspiration, but it certainly helps my mood and flow when it comes to writing.

[lord-squiggletits]

Hey, questions about wips to save you from boredom (hopefully)

Have you finished your megop week fics? Do you have a favorite? What themes are most present throughout them? Do you think your wrote a lot of variety in terms of vibes/moods, or did you explore similar ideas in all? Was there one that made you really interested in writing that world you created, or one you liked writing more than others? Are any based off a universe you've already created?

I've finished all of my MOP week fics except a couple. I need to finish writing Death (that one is gonna be amazing angst oh boy), and I ended my prompt for Sharing a Meal in a very half assed way that I should technically add a proper ending to/add the full scene I had in mind featuring Aileron/Arcee coming to Megatron and Optimus' house for dinner.

I'm honestly not sure what my favorite MOP week prompt is, esp since I've written like 5 in total and 3 of them I haven't looked at since I finished editing them. There's actually one for Private + Respect that I think is really fun though because it shows prewar IDW Megatron thinking about Orion Pax and wondering why he's so obsessed with him. It's not super shippy (because Megatron's thoughts towards OP are masked by his desire for violence) but I do enjoy it as a character study of Megatron and a way for me to express, this is why MEGATRON is interested in OPTIMUS.

I feel like it addresses something I find lacking in general MegOP fandom which is 1. I don't like whitewashed Megatron and 2. I don't like it when OP seems to be the one mainly fallen for/smitten with Megatron and Megatron seems more disinterested, or like when Megatron seems suave and in control when in reality Megatron is just as dumb and unhinged as OP is lol.

I think I got a good variety of moods and themes in. There's an extremely silly domestic fic (Sharing a Meal) right alongside a mega angsty double Major Character Death (Death), and some stuff in between. Two PWPs: one that's set in a specific part of canon and almost canon compliant (Betrayal), one that's just pure kink indulgence with tender Megatron expressing his love for Optimus by making him cry (Tears). And then there's Private/Respect that's as much of a character study as it is a ship piece, almost more about character than about romance.

I don't think any of them will have further fics written in that universe, and none are really based on existing universes. I think maybe the one for Tears might take place in NATP, but that's literally my "shameless kink and porn" series so it's not like I'm doing any intense worldbuilding and story in that one.

[kinderes]

Cold as Stone (Part 1)

Part 2

Summary: The sides take a little trip into the imagination. It starts off peaceful, but when Roman discovers what part they’ve wandered into things quickly get out of hand. 

Word count: 2425

Author’s note: hey this is my first multi-chapter fic!! I hope you like it, there’s 4 parts to it! c: warnings for: panic, petrification (being turned to stone), violence, I think that’s all?? lmk if I’ve missed anything!! no pairings, all platonic!

tag list: @mememic-bry

Roman could already tell it was just going to be one of those days.

He sat on the floor in his room, sketches and outlines of ideas scattered around him. His eyes drifted between each of them, trying to find even one that got his creative spark going. He finally picked one up, staring at it for a few seconds before sighing and placing it back down. It was no use. What he needed was a completely new idea and, as luck would have it, he knew exactly where he could find one. He left the notes lying on the floor where they were and headed for the imagination.

“Hey kiddo, where are you going?”

Roman looked back over his shoulder to see Patton staring at him inquisitively. “Just for a little walk through the imagination, thought it might inspire me for Thomas’ next project! Why do you ask?”

Patton shrugged. “Just wondering!” He seemed to be considering something, before his face suddenly lit up with an idea. “Hey, could I come with you? I’ve been looking for something to do!”

Roman considered it for a moment. “Sure, don’t see why not! They say two heads are better than one, right?” Of all the sides Roman collaborated with, Patton might not have been the best at coming up with ideas, but he certainly was the most fun to brainstorm with. That, and he was very enthusiastic about all of Roman’s ideas, which was always nice.

Patton grinned and followed Roman to the entrance to the imagination. However, they’d barely even set one foot in it before they heard a clearing of the throat behind them. They turned around to find Logan standing behind them.

“I don’t suppose you two were planning on running off into the imagination alone, were you?” Logan asked, giving them a look that told Roman he already knew the answer.

“And what’s wrong with that?” Roman shot back, placing a hand to his chest in mock offense.

“No offense, but you two tend to get carried away whenever you go in there,” Virgil said, appearing out of nowhere and causing the others to jump a little.

“Yes,” Logan agreed, “and then you act surprised when Virgil and I have to discourage you from following through with your ridiculous ideas.”

Patton grinned sheepishly at Roman. “They might have a point there, kiddo. We do tend to go a little overboard sometimes. Maybe they should come with us? You don’t mind two more tagging along, right?”

Roman groaned, seriously considering calling the whole thing off before giving a resigned sigh. “Fine, they can come too I suppose.”

Patton grinned and clapped enthusiastically, as he was always up for family outings. The four of them set off single file through the door to the imagination.

Virgil squinted as soon as they stepped through. “Ugh, why is it always so bright in here?” he groaned.

“It does not seem very bright to me,” Logan commented.

Roman smirked. “It’s just because this part of the imagination is meant to be like the outside world, and we all know Virgil hasn’t seen the sun in years. Have you seen how pale he is?”

Virgil just rolled his eyes. “Just because you said that, I’m never going outside again. How long are we gonna be in here, anyway?”

“You know, if you don’t want to come you could just stay behind! Logan wouldn’t be able to veto my ideas as easily if it was two against one.”

Virgil snorted. “Yeah, you wish.”

They continued walking, casually conversing as they did so. Though he’d been reluctant about the idea at first, Roman had to admit it was nice in a way, having all of them there with him. The further they walked, the more they all relaxed, and even Roman completely forgot about what had taken him into the imagination in the first place.

With no particular destination in mind, they end up walking through a forest and into an open field, where they stayed for a few hours. Patton reached down his hand and picked a few of the flowers. Virgil and Logan were quietly chatting away to each other about something, while Roman was just enjoying the peace of his own little kingdom, lying on his back and staring up at the clouds.

Something shadow-like appeared to pass through them.

He tilted his head slightly. He could’ve sworn he saw… no, it must’ve just been his imagination. But they were already in the imagination, weren’t they? He sat up abruptly, neck still craned towards the sky. The shadow passed through the clouds again, and Roman finally noticed where it was they had ended up.

He felt very tense all of a sudden and got to his feet. “Well, this was a fine adventure, but I think it’s time we headed home!”

Virgil raised an eyebrow. “What’s up with you? You never want to leave this place, normally we have to drag you home.”

Roman laughed nervously, glancing at the sky. Virgil glanced up with him this time and gave him a perplexed look. Roman struggled to come up with an excuse. “I, ah, just remembered that I scheduled a brainstorm for this afternoon! Wouldn’t want it to rain on your Black Parade, would we?” Virgil rolled his eyes at the reference.

Logan simply peered up at the sky. “It doesn’t appear as though it’s going to rain, are you sure you scheduled it for today? It doesn’t seem likely that-” His eyes suddenly snapped to something else in the sky. “Roman?”

“Yes?”

“Is there perhaps something else in the sky that you’re worried about?”

“Well-”

A deafening roar cut their conversation short. Roman shot his eyes up, scanning the skies. “Get down!” he said in a harsh whisper, gesturing for them to crouch down. “And whatever you do, don’t look directly in her eyes!”

Virgil looked at him with fear and confusion. “What? Roman, what the heck is going on?!”

“Shhh!” Roman hushed him exasperatedly. “We may have wandered into the dragon-witch’s territory! I don’t have time to explain, just trust me and do not look in her eyes!”

None of the fear had disappeared from Virgil’s eyes, but he nodded anyway.

“What’s the plan, Roman?” Logan asked, which surprised Roman as Logan was normally the one who insisted on doing the planning. Although, Roman supposed, the imagination wasn’t exactly Logan’s area.

“I’m going to distract it, lure it away from here,” Roman explained. “You guys should get out of here, I’ll take care of it.”

Patton’s eyes widened. “No, that’s too dangerous! We’re not just gonna leave you here on your own!”

Roman drew his sword and rose to his feet. “I’ve dealt with many dragon-witches before, Patton. None of you have, so it’s far more dangerous if you stay here with me.”

“But-”

Patton’s protests were cut short by another roar. Roman put a hand on his shoulder. “There’s no need to worry about me, Padre. I’ll overcome this beast, I promise! Now go!”

Logan was already starting to move away. Virgil tugged at Patton’s arm, Patton reluctantly follow the motion. Virgil took one last look back at Roman. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

Roman smirked. “Do I ever not?” Virgil snorted at that, uncertainty still clouding his eyes, then he and the others crept away.

Roman tightened his grip on his sword, moving out into the open. He could see the silhouette of the dragon-witch circling above. Show time. “Come here and face me!” he called out. The silhouette stopped circling and began a rapid descent towards him before landing in front of him, causing the ground to shudder with the impact.

“So, the brave prince has arrived!” The dragon-witch spoke in a loud, echoing voice. “But he is alone? How strange, I could have sworn I saw that you’d brought some friends with you today!”

Roman grimaced. “That’s none of your concern.” He made sure to focus on the shimmering scales on her neck, never making eye contact.

Out of the corner of his eye, Roman saw her head tilt. “Oh? So they have abandoned you then!” There was a pause as Roman said nothing. “Or perhaps you hoped you could protect them?”

“I won’t let you hurt them,” Roman said, moving a step closer towards the towering dragon.

The dragon-witch laughed. “Ever the dramatic I see. But remember this well - you may be brave, Prince Roman, but it is not your role to protect them. You may try, but you will always fail.”

“We’ll see about that.” Lunging forward, Roman took a swing at the dragon-witch’s leg, but she easily lifted it up off the ground. She then tried to crush Roman underneath it, but he managed to dodge out of the way in time.

As the battle wore on, Roman found his mind drifting to the dragon-witch’s words. Of course he would protect them! Maybe the role of protecting Thomas belonged more to Virgil, but Roman was still a prince, wasn’t he? A noble prince, who would face every challenge with courage and honesty! Surely he wouldn’t fail.

The dragon-witch breathed fire at him and he felt its heat barely miss him as he dodged again. Roman noticed he was now breathing heavily. This was taking a lot out of him, more than he had bargained for. His movements were becoming more sluggish. At this rate, he might not be able to… no, it didn’t matter, as long as the others were safe. He swung again at the dragon-witch, but missed by a mile, throwing himself off-balance. The dragon-witch took advantage of this and easily knocked him to the ground with a swift movement of her tail. Roman didn’t have time to pull himself to his feet before she was towering over him, claws raised about to strike.

Roman closed his eyes and braced for impact, but before it came he heard Patton’s voice in the distance shout.

“Roman!”

His eyes snapped open and shifted his head in the voice’s direction. He could faintly make out Patton peeking from behind a bush, hand covering his mouth. The dragon-witch seemed to have noticed him too, as she had lost all interest in Roman and was staring at Patton with what was either a wicked grin or a vicious snarl. Then, with heavy, thundering steps, she began steadily moving towards him.

Roman winced as he pushed himself to his feet. At this rate, there was no way he would make it to Patton before the dragon-witch did, and there was no way Patton could outrun her. Virgil was now pulling desperately at Patton’s arm, with Logan standing a few feet behind them looking frantic. Patton finally began to move back, but it was too late. The dragon-witch was upon all three of them, and there was nothing Roman could do.

And then it happened.

Virgil’s fight-or-flight reflexes kicked in. He realised that there was nowhere to run, and did the only thing he could think of - he pushed Patton behind him and stood between his friends and the dragon-witch. As soon as he did, though, he froze - and Roman’s stomach dropped. Virgil was now staring straight into the dragon witch’s eyes. He looked as though he might bolt at any second, but then Patton gripped tightly onto Virgil’s arm and all of a sudden his entire demeanour changed. He stood up straight, and glared at the dragon-witch, shaking yet defiant.

The dragon, on the other hand, seemed to be considering Virgil with interest. She didn’t move for a long minute as everyone held their breath and waited. Roman saw Virgil utter something, but is too far away to hear it. Then, as quickly as she had come, she spread out her shimmering gold wings and took off, the ground shuddering as she did so. It is then that Roman, finally, ran over to where the other sides are standing.

Patton flung his arms around Virgil’s neck in a hug and thanked him repeatedly, while Logan stood off to the side looking both slightly shaken and impressed. Virgil looked utterly overwhelmed and was trying to steady his breathing.

Roman, however, felt a mix of pride and grief as he stood staring at Virgil’s feet. “Virgil-”

Virgil cut him off, his voice shaking. “I know.”

“But your legs, they’re-”

“I know,” he repeated, his voice starting to distort, and now all four of them were staring at Virgil’s legs. Patton gasped in horror and Logan reeled back. Roman thought he might be sick.

Virgil, starting from the feet up, was slowly being turned to stone.

“We can fix this, right? Right, Roman?” Roman didn’t know how to answer Patton’s pleading, and so remained silent. “Roman, Virgil’s going to be okay, isn’t he?”

Roman finally stumbled out an answer. “I-I don’t know,” he answered honestly, but seeing the look of panic on the others’ faces he added, “but I’m sure there has to be someway to fix it! It’s a curse or a spell or something, so we just have to find a way to break it!”

Virgil didn’t look convinced. “So what you’re saying is that there might not be a way to fix this. Great.” The effect of the spell had now engulfed most of his legs and was rapidly climbing up the rest of his body.

“If there is a way, then we will do our best to find it, Virgil,” Logan tried to reassure him, although he looked at though he was barely containing his own panic.

“Of course we will!” Patton said, his voice coming out high-pitched.

“Okay, but I’m still going to turn into stone completely before then, aren’t I?” Virgil’s voice broke in panic as he spoke, still distorted and deep.

“I-it’s going to be okay, kiddo!” Patton said, reaching out to hold his hand to comfort him, but immediately flinched back as he realised that was turning to stone too.

“I think you should stand back, Patton,” Logan warned. Patton hesitated, but did as Logan said.

Virgil gave a nervous laugh and eyed Roman. “You better fix this, Princey, or...” His laughter soon died as he found he could no longer move his arms or his torso, and he began breathing shallowly as the stone began to cover his neck.

Realising he didn’t have long left, Roman spoke to Virgil softly. “I swear to you, I will find a way to bring you back.”

Virgil didn’t have a chance to respond as the stone engulfed him completely.

[bionicallywriting]

The Three Phases of Dramione

When I read these works, I feel like the fanon itself is evolving. The very early works, in the 2006-2011 range were mostly comprised of very young writers. As someone noted, there was a dearth of material after Goblet of Fire, which spawned fanfic like crazy. Most were unfinished.

The ones that were finished seemed to be mostly comprised of angst and most depicted a vulnerable, weak Hermione set against a ruthless, even cruel Draco. Most speculated about the coming war, so were endlessly tragic. A classic example is The Fallout, which, though well-written, could have done with some major editing to cut out perhaps five hundred pages of the everyday descriptions that failed to add to the plot. Hermione, in this version, is cut out from the Golden Trio to fight and she fails miserably at this. Even though this technically has a “happy ending,” it feels like ash because it. Is. So. Tragic.*

*Don't get me wrong. This writer is very talented, but this work was needlessly verbose. I say this from the standpoint of someone who regularly DNFs books, so the fact that I even skipped to the end to find out what happened already means something.

The second period is 2011-2016, give or take a year or two. This is the period after all the canon came out and happy endings started to fill the fandom. Draco saw a revival of his snarkiness. Hermione often got one over on him. Draco is often depicted as having been in love with Hermione all along. The biggest indicator of this high point of fanon is the depiction of Ron Weasley in their relationship--he is almost always a cheater and seen as an emasculated and sore loser.

(Since fanfics take a few years to finish, when I note the years, this is supposed to be when the fic is started.) The most classic example is one that falls before this time period, but the writing style most depicts this period--the Politician's Wife. Now, this work is really ahead of its time, because it was written in 2006, before the series ended, but the author guessed correctly on a majority of points--so close to the actual ending that you really have to give her major kudos. Key points of this fic that reflect the period--first person narrative, written by an author who's clearly older, plot takes place post-Hogwarts, Ron is a cheater, snarky Draco + humorous tone, and very realistic depictions of relationships, although this one does slightly reside on the greyish morality boundary. Whereas the Draco of the earliest period would have cheated on Hermione purposefully just because he could, in this one, he's slightly more vulnerable.

This period makes me sad because when I go back to see the roster of authors, so many are gone from the fandom. They graduated college or graduate school and started working and moved on. You know these writers as well as I do: worksofstone, riptey, drcjsnider, to name but a few. If they haven't left, they've joined a few fests and lurk a bit but are no longer working on long fics. Very sad.

Alright. The third period. The current period of 2017+. How exciting. The biggest, biggest trend I see for this period is the gradual demonization of Dumbledore (or has this been happening for a while?) and the backlash of the emasculated Ron. In recent years, Ron has regained some much needed favor and is no longer Wizarding Britain's most hated individual.

I don't know if it seems that the smut has been increasingly on the rise as well. Where some earlier works could gain favor just by being finished or by being there, now there's an increasing demand for smut-based Dramione. Now, I don't think I'm a prude, but just as someone who's been reading romance novels since the second grade (yeah I was wandering in the wrong section at the library), I've just read too much literary porn to be invested in just another sex scene. I think porn scenes are less well-written than when they first came into popularity in the mainstream fiction world (circa 80s) when they were then still seen as very, very risque. Because they were seen that way, the sex scenes of books of that era seem to be better than any of the ones now, and I mean just in published books. I read a Harlequin Presents book the other day by a writer who's been going at it for maybe thirty years now, and her recent stuff is filled to the brim with really unnecessary pwp. In fact, in an unprecedented move, a Harlequin Presents romance was split into two books, where one would have sufficed, since the second book was only 150 pages (most HPs clock in at 195) and had three bedroom scenes, each of which lasted some fifteen pages. Basically, the two books could have been condensed into one by cutting out completely unmemorable sex scenes.

I guess what I'm saying is just that the porn content seems to be on the rise. That or, over time, the ones containing smut garnered more readership than those without, so by comparison, it seems as if those rated M+ are more popular. The term lemon has even been replaced with smut, just because, I guess. If you like that sort of thing, it's cool. I mean, it's at least a bit educational, isn't it? I mean, that's really how you went about learning of such things before there was internet.

Only, just as a long-time reader, I can maybe detail like three scenes I've remembered in the course of my entire life of reading romance just because the dynamics and character development leading up to the first scene was so well done, either between the two people or the tension between them. What I mean is, sure, there are readers combing content for smut. But can you honestly tell me that every single smut scene you've read have been essential for the characters? Have they been so meaningful that you remember that scene as essential to their development?

That, to me, is what defines a good sex scene. Not just the requisite action movie bedroom kiss/take off shirt in the dark scene that's so generic that I can't help but roll my eyes EVERY time I see it.

I would probably say this to directors as well as writers: make your sex scenes count. If done well, even a handshake can feel just as earthshattering. I think you all know what I mean.

[scottishhellhound]

Tagged by @silver-wields-a-pen

1. When did you first learn you enjoyed writing?

Oh gods, umm...probably when I was like 8 years old? Between 8-10 years old.

2. Tell us about the first project you ever wrote.

My brothers and I wrote a Christmas play when we were 5/10 respectively. That's the first thing I really remember writing.

3. How does your favorite media shape who you are as a writer?

My fav media is, unsurprisingly, the written word. I love that with writing, especially novels you can throw rules out the window. But with that I try and find unique ways to describe mundane things. Putting words in a way to use the least amount of them to make the most visual impact that I can.

4. What's something you've wanted to write, but aren't sure you could? (A tv show, a genre, a style, a time period, a video game, etc)

I've been trying to write a paranormal romance for ages! I love the genre itself, bit dont think I'm quite capable, or comfortable, writing one myself just yet. I'm sure I'll get there though.

5. What is the thing that keeps you from writing the most?

Life in general. My job is very physically demanding, and some days when I get home I'm too tired to concentrate on much of anything. My home life is also very tense, and uncomfortable a lot of the time, and I'm always made to feel like I have to hang out and "entertain" my mother, like I can't just go hang out in my own room and have time to myself, or I'm "ignoring her".

6. How do you deal with an inner editor?

I lock him in a box in my closet when I need to write, though he occasionally picks the locks and harasses me anyway.

7. How long have you been writing?

Umm....do I really have to date myself like this? Umm 10-15 years.

8. What is your general writing process? Do you write chronologically? Do you do a lot of planning?

I usually write chronologically, but will not down quick notes if I have an idea for a future scene. I didn't used to plan, but found i fizzled out part way through on bigger projects, so now I do at least a bare bones, beginning, middle, end, and a few scenes in between to get me started. Kind of like a vague road map from start to finish.

9. Assign a scent to your writing style.

Is manic confusion a scent? Cause I have no idea what I'm doing half the time, Haha!

No? Okay, ummm, the scent of ozone after a lightning strike, burnt paper, soft rain, and fresh squeezed lemons.

10. One book you hope everyone reads?

Of mine or in general?

Of mine, Drakewytch. I'm very proud of everything I've created for this story so far, the world, different cultures, the magic system, the characters, just everything.

In general? The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. It's a fantastic example of story telling, world building, and the subtle magic of both.

11. What is it about your least favorite genre that makes it your least favorite--and how might you change that to better appeal to you?

Sci-fi!! I cannot read it, it gets WAY too technical, too involved with itself. I find. Maybe I just haven't found the right author. I love Stargate and Transformers, but maybe it's because their visual rather than written.

I wouldn't change anything, if I changed it, it wouldn't really be sci-fi anymore, and then there'd be no point.

12. Design a "collector's edition" for your first novel. Include items that might be of interest to your audience.

Collector's Edition of Godlings would probably include character profiles for everyone, or at least the side characters that directly interact with the 4. A map of the mythical locations they go to. Underworld, Olympus, Apollo's Grotto, maybe short stories/ drabbles of fun character interactions. ART!!

13. If one thing was real from your project, what would you want it to be?

The Soul Dragons from Drakewytch. I want me a housecat sized dragon, please and thank you.

14. What's something you always include in your work? Do you have any other Easter eggs?

I don't think I do? I use colour, scene, and sound a lot to describe characters? Does that count?

15. What is your favorite passage from your own work?

Currently it's this:

A thick, dark mist, the colour of twilight skies swirled and twisted, as if it were a living breathing entity, whirling around the form of a kneeling figure, bronze chains wrapped around up raised white wings, and held arms and legs fast to the ground.

The figure looked up – gold eyes, bright and angry, flashed an eerie blue in the hellfire that floated about – as another entered the cave they were being held in. A cloak as black as night, absorbing whatever light touched it, hid them from view. The mist swirled faster, twining around the legs and arms of the approaching figure, like a snake, curling around a branch. Or a pet seeking affection.

The cloak he wore melded and became one with the mist around it; twisting and growing, throwing grotesque shapes along the walls of the cave. A wolf attacking a sheep, a man raising a stone to bash in the skull of another figure pleading for mercy. More and more visions of death flash along the smooth walls of the cave, as the person drew nearer.

A pale hand twitches out from inside the cloak, long slender fingers curl, then snap, a bronze sword now clenched tightly in their fist.

The bound figure raised their head, long black hair falling down their back like ink spilled from a fount. They raised their eyes to meet their captor’s in defiance, pulling at the chains fruitlessly, ignoring the bite of the chain into toned, tan skin, blood welling along the skin.

“You know this won’t kill me.”

They can’t see it, but they can feel the smirk that spreads across the other’s face, cruel and twisted. A child ripping off the wings of a butterfly.

“No, but it will buy me time, and time is all that I require.” They flip the sword easily in hand, shifting to an overhand grip, and laying the blade against their captive’s neck.

“Farewell cousin.”

Tagging: @quilloftheclouds @aslanwrites @typewriter-jade @otters-holding-hands @alessia-writes

Writeblr Q&A

Fill it out, post your answers, and tag some pals.

1. When did you first learn you enjoyed writing?

2. Tell us about the first project you ever wrote.

3. How does your favorite media shape who you are as a writer?

4. What's something you've wanted to write, but aren't sure you could? (A tv show, a genre, a style, a time period, a video game, etc)

5. What is the thing that keeps you from writing the most?

6. How do you deal with an inner editor?

7. How long have you been writing?

8. What is your general writing process? Do you write chronologically? Do you do a lot of planning?

9. Assign a scent to your writing style.

10. One book you hope everyone reads?

11. What is it about your least favorite genre that makes it your least favorite--and how might you change that to better appeal to you?

12. Design a "collector's edition" for your first novel. Include items that might be of interest to your audience.

13. If one thing was real from your project, what would you want it to be?

14. What's something you always include in your work? Do you have any other Easter eggs?

15. What is your favorite passage from your own work?