#Io rambles

[ionized-alpaca]

sometimes you get a little emotional scrolling reddit

just. imagine. painstaking removing glue from teeny tiny bugs that most people don't even notice when they're outside. because you've decided these ones are yours and you're responsible for them. they're your babies. idk man, the human-animal bond just gets me.

[ikemenomegas]

Back when we were getting all these death-flags for gojo, my one hope for alternative was that gege would either have him sacrifice his powers or take one of his eyes. However, while jjk obliges itself to show us again and again exactly what sorcerer life is like, most of the sympathetic main characters' endings are not necessarily cruel.

I had thought perhaps satoru would lose his powers because it would demand growth from him, because I do think losing his powers is worse than dying. Satoru is the way he is largely because of how Infinity and the Six Eyes shaped how he was treated by others and the way it allowed him to move through the world.

I'm still not entirely sure by the end of jjk what story we were getting in terms of allowing growth of characters and the world. There is some implication that things have changed, but the title of the work, and the function of sorcerers, did not change. It is still the endless sorcery fight, sorcerers still battle curses. Maybe not alone anymore, and for some maybe with a better understanding of themselves, Yuuji grows, but then isn't really able to understand Sukuna, Megumi lives but is he really able to move past the guilt around his sister and the damage his body caused in what seems like a short time? Nobara reconnects with her sorcerer heritage, but is it really better to live as part of the jujutsu system or live freely, almost as a curse?

We get an ambivalent kind of answer that inspires thought in the aftermath.

But the story does seem to lump gojo in with those who cannot or will not change. However, we saw a willingness to at least learn from his experiences with Getou and Shoko and Yu and Nanami and Ijichi and the rest, so he cannot be totally doomed to stagnation.

In the end, jjk didn't give any main character a truly cruel ending, which is perhaps why so many of them didn't survive. Living was not the thing they were attached to - perhaps in true fashion of those living lives which tried to ascend over unnecessary attachment. But part of me still wishes the narrative had demanded that satoru was allowed to change, demanded to live, perhaps without what had made him stand out so much. He never did really get a satisfying answer to Suguru's question. But this would have allowed us to believe in a way to live without jujutsu in the world of jujutsu. And maybe that is something that can't be done...

[globmacerton]

I hate being autistic because one today this kid I used to have beef with got a shitty score on a test and told him very nicely “it’s okay you tried and did a good job” because you know maybe we could get over the dickiness but instead he wanted to report me for harassment??? He told the teacher and the teacher was all disappointed in me and was like “be kind to James” like??? I was trying??? My god do I have that much of a tone problem????

[iodoesdolls]

So the Remco I Dream of Jeannie has been my dream doll for a couple year now, since I spotted her for like $50 at an antique store. And I finally have her! Technically.

I bought her on eBay, nude except some underwear. The listing did tell me that she had melted hips. I went in fully aware of that.

However. Never before have a seen a doll with hips quite so melted.

The underwear was fused to her, so I had to cut it off. In the process, her legs popped out. Nbd, I thought, I’ll just pop them back in.

But they cannot be popped back in. Because her hips are made of soup, and the underwear was the only thing holding her together.

Photos:

(The thing about Jeannie is that she’s gorgeous from one single angle and so funny looking from all the others because her head mold is weirdly, like, deep? I love her anyway.)

I thought I could just pop her onto a space dawn body, but she has a slightly larger neck peg, so I get a wobble head. Not the end of the world, but I might see if I can salvage her original body.

Also need to to figure out clothes. I hate sewing at this scale, so looking for any way to avoid it. Some of my initial thoughts:

Both pants only, so I’d still have to sew a shirt, but I feel like that’ll be easier.

Also like this jumpsuit:

Not exactly the right look, but I feel like the vibe is soul

[iowriteswords]

So I'm posting a short fic this week, and I'll be starting a new fic in January, and there's another fic I'm really looking forward to writing, and the thing they all have in common is that Bruce isn't really in them.

And he wasn't really in A New Flock, and barely in We're All Mad Here, and it was such a different version of Bruce in Pinioned and Bird and Bee. And, like, I feel like I've moved so far away from Batman for a writer of Batman fanfiction, and I miss him.

The problem, I suppose, is that both of the currently upcoming longer fics have sort of started from Flightless Birds, and are taking place in worlds where there is no Bruce. And again, I'm so excited to write both of these stories. But I miss Bruce. I miss writing him. And I want to clarify that I still adore Bruce, since I'm doing so many fics in a row where he doesn't show up at all, or he comes off as kind of awful, or both.

I do have two long fics planned that feature Bruce in a prominent and positive role, but they're just not at the top of my to do list right now.

(Also! Baby Bruce. Baby Bruce was supposed to happen roughly now, but life got away from me and I haven't had time to finish writing it. Hopefully soon. But right now I'm trying to manage a Christmas sale for my books, and trying to finish my third novel so I can release it in spring/summer 2025, and designing the book cover, and designing next year's Patreon merch, and sewing my Christmas dress, and baking for about ten different holiday events, and painting my hallway, and I need to buy a new fridge ASAP because mine keeps on fluctuating in temperature between 30 and 50 degrees, and, just. So many things.)

[iotenny]

Gani brainrot is going so hard right now I love my annoying little shithead

[io-ind]

i was talking about arcane with my friend and she said that mel as a mage was her biggest hear me out

i said it was a weak one then she said what's my biggest hear me out

i sent a few princesses liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiike

like im sorry, but as hot and pretty as mel is in arc 3 of s2, she is not that big of a "hear me out" because shes so like. conventionally attractive

[ionized-alpaca]

hii, ask game :)) - List 5 things that make you happy, then put this in the askbox for the last 10 people who liked or reblogged something from you!

!!! i have been on this blasted platform >10 years, guess it's about time i do an ask game lmao

a hot cup of tea

jigsaw puzzles

a good craft (i started on origami as a kid, picked up crochet as a teenager, finally learned to knit a little recently)

ice cream

spending time with friends :)

[ikemenomegas]

I forgot how hard Clarity goes. And how much it is a Sasuke song. to me

[globmacerton]

just started Arcane and so far I’ve gathered that Silco is just Mr. Burns without the silly bits.

[iodoesdolls]

I want to make her. And *not* using a DCSHG as a base feels weird, but idk if her face shape and body type are ideal for a DCSHG.

And what I really want to use is her:

But it’s so incredibly frustrating because the hair style Bo peep comes with is PERFECT. but completely the wrong color. It seems like such a shame to pull it all out and redo it.

But I couldn’t dye it black. Could I?

Or, like, even if I could, it would probably involve enough hot water to un-set her curls. In which case I might as well just reroot, because like 50% of the reason I don’t want to is I have an incredibly hard time getting bangs curled right.

[iowriteswords]

Hi Io! I was looking at your Tumblr and saw this post:

https://iowriteswords.tumblr.com/post/758746805347532800/fanfic-author-ask-meme

I wanted to ask you some of the questions! Actually all of the questions if you have time, but if you don't, I'm most interested in your answers to 3, 5, 7, 11, 12, 14, 17, 18, 31, 34, 36, and 38 (you can answer any or all of them).

Alternatively, you could just answer the questions you most want to answer. XD

Got this ask by email! Answered all of them, because I was bored last night, and I think I bolded all the questions you mentioned specifically.

Thank you for asking!

1. What was your first fic and could you stand to reread it today?

My first was Homecoming, and I’m still pretty happy with it. I reread it fairly recently when someone left a specific comment, and I had to go back and see what they were talking about. It was my first fanfic, but I’d already been writing for several years and had gotten a degree in literature and writing, so it certainly wasn’t any kind of early writing project. I’ve improved since then, but I already had a decent grasp on what I was doing.

2. What’s your most recent fic and how far do you think you’ve come?

I have one called Voice that I’ll be publishing on November 19. I don’t know that this is the best demonstration of how far I’ve come; it’s a short piece that doesn’t necessarily show off a lot of my strengths. But I do think I’ve come pretty far. I have a better understanding of my characters, I’m better at writing more complex characters, I can juggle a large cast better.

3. In your opinion, what’s your best fic?

Probably Robins and Other Flightless Birds.

4. In your opinion and without looking at any numbers, what’s your most popular fic?

Definitely Robins and Other Flightless Birds.

5. Is there any fic that makes you super happy to reread and remember you wrote that?

The Most Important Thing. I just like it.

6. Is there any fic that makes you super embarrassed to reread and remember you wrote that?

Nope. Occasionally I’ll read back, like, a certain line or scene and be embarrassed, but not a full work.

7. What’s the fic you most want to continue (unfinished or no)?

Right now what I really want to do is the sequel to Who Shall Make the Clown Laugh? I mean, excluding my current project; it doesn’t seem right to talk about plans to continue when I’m, like, actively working on it. (15 chapters written, 0 posted.)

8. What’s the oldest (longest since last update) fic you most want to continue (unfinished or no)?

I guess the Flightless Birds series? I mean, it hasn’t been long at all yet, but I know it will be a while, and I don’t really have very many other things I’m planning to go back to? It has been way longer since I worked on Ozma, but idk if I’ll even post the next bit on ao3; it’s in the public domain, so eventually I’m going to heavily edit and what I have posted now will be the first 2 chapters in a book.

9. Have you ever written for a fandom without watching/reading/playing the source material?

No, though I’ve definitely read a lot more of the source material since I started. There is just so much Batman to read and watch.

10. Have you ever written for a fandom without reading other fanfic for it?

Nope.

11. Have you ever written a fic for a concept you know someone else has done before? How did it impact your writing process or feelings after posting?

Not really, although someone else did start posting a Tim and Jason in Arkham fic after I started mine but before I started posting it. I just avoided reading it so I wouldn’t be influenced, although I do intend to read it now, if it ever finishes.

12. Have you ever written a fic and decided never to publish it? Why?

Not a complete fic. Before I started Batman I tried both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but only got a couple hundred words into each.

13. What’s the biggest change between your style when you started in fandom and today?

I don’t think my style has changed much. I’ve matured and become a better writer, but I think the core of what I do and how is basically the same.

14. What’s the biggest change in your taste between when you started in fandom and today?

I don’t think it’s really changed very much. I’m more inclined toward Redemption for Everyone, probably, and much more reluctantly to let anyone die. I have less tolerance for anything tragic or unhappy. I read a wider range of things, in terms of both fandom and subject matter.

15. Have you ever purposefully written one fandom/fic idea over another because you knew it’d be more popular?

I’ve only ever posted fic for Batman and Oz, and I definitely prioritize Batman because people actually read it.

16. Have you ever stopped writing a fic/for a fandom because it wasn’t receiving enough attention?

I will eventually finish my Oz stories, hopefully soon, but for now, yeah.

17. In your opinion, what’s your most overrated fic?

I don’t want to say any of them are overrated? Like, I do not want people to like any of them any less. I’m always surprised by how much people like them, but also I don’t want to be like, no, that one’s not as good as they think it is - I worked really hard on all of them.

18. What’s your most underrated fic?

The Oz ones. For Batman, probably Maybe Someday We’ll Laugh again? It has the fewest views out of the ones that weren’t posted pretty recently.

19. If you had to pick one fic/scene/chapter of your work to describe your entire portfolio to a stranger, which would you pick?

Fic, scene, and chapter are, like, wildly different options to choose from. I generally point people toward The Most Important Thing, as a good representation of my work that isn’t a major time commitment. For one scene I’d say the one in Robins and Other Flightless Birds where Bruce and Kate are talking about the kids on patrol, which contains one of my favorite lines I’ve written: “Mine is a pity bat theme, so you don’t have to be a dork on the streets of Gotham alone.” I think it’s a good summary of the kind of Batman I like to write. I do not remember individual chapters clearly enough to answer for that.

20. Have/Would you ever rewrite a fic? If yes, would you take the original down?

I’ll rewrite the Ozma ones as I turn them into the start of a book. Otherwise no. And I don’t plan to take them down.

21. If someone starts kudosing and commenting your fics in a spree and has a few works of their own, would you go look through theirs?

Yes, I’ve done that several times.

22. Has there ever been anyone who’s made you freak out because they read your work and followed/favorited/reviewed?

I remember on my first or second fic someone whose work I’d read a lot of commented, and that was exciting. But I don’t remember who it was - that was like 6 years ago.

23. What’s the nicest review you’ve ever gotten?

Most of them are so nice. Like, I don’t know how to single out one review. Raberba girl leaves a long, amazing comment on every chapter of everything. I got a review I loved on We’re All Mad Here that I didn’t answer for like a year and felt horribly guilty about; I think the commenter was seaofserendipity.

24. What’s the meanest review you’ve ever gotten? Do you think the reviewer intended it?

I don’t know. I try not to think about them. Something from Rewind, Reset, I’m sure.

25. What constructive criticism, however well-meaning, always makes you feel bad when you see it in a review?

I can’t think of any, like, genuinely constructive criticism that I’ve felt bad about.

26. What aspect of your writing do you most enjoy to see praised?

I’m not sure. Maybe when people think it’s funny? Or maybe when they like how I handle complex issues around mental illness and trauma. Which are two very different aspects.

27. If you could only ever write crossovers or single-fandom fics ever again, which would you pick?

Single fandom.

28. if you could only ever write for a single crossover or a single fandom again, which would you pick?

Batman.

29. Does the division of your writing across fandoms line up with your reading? What’s the biggest discrepancy?

No. I really only write Batman. I read Batman, other DC, Buffy, Veronica Mars, and Star Wars pretty often, and Marvel, Harry Potter, and Supernatural if I’m in the right mood. I love Oz fic, but don’t read a lot of it because there’s not a lot currently being written.

30. Do you continue to write for a fandom after you’ve moved on or do you focus solely on the new one?

Not really applicable to me with my single fandom writing.

31. Who’s the one character you’ve just never managed to get perfectly right?

Idk. I don’t know if I’ve ever gotten anyone completely perfectly right. I definitely struggle with Damian. Yeah, my answer’s gonna be Damian. I have gotten around the difficulty of writing him by making him younger twice (and have a 3rd story planned where I’m also doing that), and since he’s younger/newer to the family/newer to existence as a character, he often just doesn’t show up at all because I’m starting from a pre-Damian point in the timeline.

32. Who’s the one character who shines without you even trying?

Probably Tim. I have a Tim thing.

33. Is there any particular character whose scenes always wind up being longer/more frequent than you expected? Does the quality hold up?

Tim. Always Tim, in every fic. And I think so, for the most part.

34. Was there any fic that you wrote that really surprised you in the fandom reaction? Was it just by the numbers or did they take it an entirely different way?

How upset people got about Rewind, Reset, definitely.

35. Have you ever written a ship into a fic without meaning to?

I almost never mean to. It just happens. When I wrote my 2nd novel, the first scene I wrote was one from the middle of the book where they had a conversation about how Definitely There Is No Romance Here, specifically so that the platonic were locked in and it couldn’t happen to them.

36. Have you ever sincerely written a ship you do not support into a fic?

Nope. My fics aren’t, like, super ship heavy, and I don’t have really strong feelings about any Batman related ships. I just go with whatever feels right for the story.

37. Have you ever purposefully bashed a character/ship in a fic?

I don’t think so? I definitely portrayed some characters as worse people in earlier stories than later ones, like Harley and Talia, but that wasn’t, like, bashing - I just hadn’t read as much about them yet and didn’t have a very nuanced understanding of their characters.

38. Have you ever purposefully written something you know your readers would find uncomfortable/would not enjoy? If yes, why?

The scene where Bruce shoots Black Mask in Rewind, Reset, and the scene where Barbara lets aliens get tortured in Pinioned. Although no one was really unhappy with the alien situation like I worried they would be. They just felt like the right moves for the story.

39. Do you consider yourself to have a readership?

Yes. I have a good sized group of people who read all the bat-fic I write.

40. Do you feel like you put out enough content?

Yes.

41. If you cross-post your fics on multiple sites, do you have a favorite? Are there certain fics you would only post on certain site?

I only post on ao3, except occasionally snippets on tumblr.

42. How many views has your most popular fic gotten?

250,247 (Robins and Other Flightless Birds)

43. Your least popular?

680 (Ozma: Part II)

44. Do you follow/favorite/kudos/comment/review more stories than you have received?

I don’t comment as much as I should. I kudos everything I read. Sometimes even if I don’t finish reading it. I don’t really keep track of numbers.

45. If you had to call yourself an author of a single genre (besides fanfic) what label would you give yourself?

Outside of fanfic, I’m definitely a fantasy author. But in terms of, like, what genre my fanfic falls in besides just fanfic - idk. Is Trauma Recovery a genre?

46. Do you consider yourself a diverse author?

Does this mean do I have a diverse range of stories? If so, not really. I always write for the same fandom, I do the same things with characters again and again (JJ!Tim), and in non-fic work I almost exclusively retell fairy tales.

47. If someone you know in real life who isn’t involved in fandoms asked to read your work, would you let them? If yes, what would you recommend they read first?

Depends on the person, and probably The Most Important Thing. It’s short, it doesn’t get into complicated multiverse stuff, and I like it.

48. Does anyone you know from outside of fandom know you write fanfic? Are they involved in the same fandom too?

My parents know and a few friends, and none of them are particularly interested in Batman.

49. Has anyone in your life ever read your fanfic just because you wrote it?

I think my ex boyfriend started one, but he wasn’t a very fast reader and didn’t have much time, so I don’t think he ever finished. My former roommate read my first fic and part of my second before I posted it, mostly as sort of a critique partner.

50. Has writing fanfic had a significant impact on your life? Would you say it’s entirely positive?

Yes, and yes. I’ve gotten so much better at writing male characters, at writing large casts, at maintaining a schedule, at finishing projects. I’ve become a better and more confident writer. I’ve build up a small audience for my original work that I know came over from the fanfic.

[morgan-n-cheese-91]

old Obi-Wan is so funny to me because his sass and overall bitchiness is like the last thing he's got and I'm so proud it survived the great depression of his 40s.

[ionized-alpaca]

wtf why are avatars gone from the dashboard

not being able to tell at a glance who posted anything longer than a couple lines is wigging me out

everything is too far left

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

filing a complaint with @staff immediately >:(

[globmacerton]

I hate stuff that's like "only 90's/2000's" kids will understand. And it's like a CD. Or a generic toy that literally everybody played with. Or a TV show or Movie that is still very much widely available. Yes, my birth year does start with a 20. Of course that makes me physically incapable of cognitively processing anything that was around before that. I only understand phone and social media and pronouns.

[iodoesdolls]

I love DCSHG dolls. A lot of people love DCSHG hands. This means I wind up with a lot of handless dolls. Currently trying WWE Superstar hands as alternatives. I have tons of them to steal their clothes and shoes for the DCSHGs.

The Superstar hands are much larger, but maybe I’ll get used to them? Fortunately I have just about enough DCSHG hands for all of my currently planned characters. I’m now up to six dolls that are finished except for clothes, so it’s probably sewing time.