#Well anyway whatever I'm used to rarepairs by now lol

[thedragonagebigbang]

Bang Creator Interview: Tumblr: @twist-shout-and-shells | AO3: Aint_No_Holy_Ghost

The Collaboration period has begun! In these quiet months before works are due, we want to foster a sense of excitement, camaraderie, and celebration among our participants. To that end, all participants were given the option of a formal interview by our mod, Dema, or an informal “ask-game” survey. We hope you enjoy getting to know our phenomenal creators as much as we have!

This is how local political unrest can help your love life!

Izzy and Dema talk writing (surprise!), trying and failing to catch a train, and Those Greek Guys

Dema: Starting current events (at the time of the interview): It's pitch writing time! How's it going?

Izzy: I've reached the part where the fun and games end and the heavier plot begins, so I'm moving more slowly. I totally lost control of the direction my story was going after chapter 3. But it's been a great time writing this story!

Dema: It is funny how our own stories can get away from us. I think I have my vibes pinned down and I almost always deviate. Does that tend to be your experience or are you usually a make-a-plan, stick-to-the-plan-type of writer?

Izzy: I try to be a no-plan writer. That's usually how my stories start: I get an idea and start in it with no real direction. But eventually I'm forced to develop some plan for where I'm going, and I try to stick to it. But I think the nature of stories is that sometimes they just write themselves and I'm simply their vessel.

Dema: I'm trying to remember which writer described it as trying to catch a train...

Izzy: That sounds familiar... But I can't remember either.

Dema: Wow, it's gunna drive me crazy. I'll put it in later… it was basically, you're on foot, and inspiration is like a train, and you're just grabbing onto whatever you can grab. Except I'm pretty sure a nobel prize-winning writer said it so it sounded much better.

[Narrator: Dema never did find the original source, and it really will drive her crazy. If you know it, tag her!]

When you say you eventually need to develop a plan, at what point do you realize you need to do that?

Izzy: Either when I run out of inspiration or when I have a clear idea of where I want to get, but no idea of how to get there. With my story for the DABB it was the former: after writing three chapters non-stop I hit a brick wall of "alright, and where am I going with this?"

Dema: I was going to ask about the DABB next! Did you have your preliminary idea before you decided to join in?

Izzy: Yes. It was an idea that had been kicking around in my head for a long while, but that I wasn't sure I should actually write because it's a) kind of a cliche and b) not a very popular pairing, but eventually I decided to just get it out there anyway. It started with a very particular line of dialogue and grew from there.

Dema: Oh, we love a rarepair in this house…And of course, I know what it is, and am excited.

Izzy: Lol! It was strange for me actually, becoming a rare pair writer. The first big bang I participated in was for Supernatural, a pairing with 100k fics on their tag. Now I'm writing for a pair with 100 fics, 4 of which are mine.

Dema: Incredible. You are holding down this fort. Also I love this little teaser. When did you start writing for DA?

Izzy: October 2022 (We're in 2024 already, jesus Christ)

Dema: Yes, unfortunately it is a daily shock for me as well. But I love how many people come into the fandom and create new fanworks even so long after the last game came out. What drew you in? Were you already hanging around the DA fandom before 2022?

Izzy: I started playing...at the end of 2021, I think. My brother introduced me to the franchise and my autistic little brain became obsessed with it. I was going to name my favorite game and protagonist, but considering they're the center of the fic, that'd be a spoiler. Anyway, I started following some DA blogs on Tumblr, and eventually thoughts of that game had consumed my every waking thought to the point I wrote two academic essays about it in my first year of uni. I wrote a significant portion of those 4 fics in the bus on the way to said uni. What drew me in most were the themes, really.

Dema: Any in particular?

Izzy: Found family and the tragic undertones of it all, mostly. I really like the way DA2 works as a tragedy in between two epics. The mage x templar conflict is also quite interesting. The tragedy x epic was totally the subject of one of those essays, btw. My professors suffer.

Dema: So I assume DA2 is your favorite of the franchise? Have you played all of them?

Izzy: Yes, it is! I've played all of them a couple of times, and DA2...several times. I don't know how many. 

Dema: I'm so curious if you played them in order or started with DA2. The "best order" to experience the DA universe is an interesting debate.

Izzy: No, I played them in order. Personally, I think it'd be strange to play them out of order, at least for the first time, because of the way the stories tie into each other. What I did do was play DA2 twice before I played Inquisition because on my first gameplay I didn't really check the writing desk (there wasn't anything like that in DAO and I was still new to games more complex than The Sims) and I missed Fenris entirely. Detail: he's one of my fave companions now

Dema: I'm pretty sure I missed Sera on my first DA:I playthrough. It's wild how much it impacts the story, if you miss a companion!

Izzy: Yes! I mean, it's a whole arc and a lot of banter you just don't get. Fenris has so much good banter!! I truly can't believe I missed him.

Dema: When it comes to the DA fandom, would you consider yourself a gamer first and a writer or reader second, or something else?

Izzy: That's a really difficult question. I'm not exactly a big gamer. Like, I'm not a completionist and I mostly play on casual because my real focus is the story being told. So I guess what I truly am is a "reader of the game" lol. Though I have been getting more into combat strategizing and stuff like that for DA2, because you can only play something on casual so many times before it loses the appeal. If you'll allow me an anecdote, to paint a picture of the kind of "gamer" I am: one time I was playing DAI in my brother's room (his computer), and he walks in, sees me with a vein popping on my forehead, stupidly focused, staring unflinchingly at the screen, and asks "what the f* are you doing?" I was in the undercroft tinting armors. 

And then, after that, I'm a writer.

Dema: This story is very relatable, lol. You've touched on the narrative structure of the franchise a bit and I'd love to hear more about that epic to tragedy to epic format, and why that resonated. Since you wrote a whole paper on it, just distill it into like four sentences, that shouldn't be hard right??? (I'm sorry)

Izzy: Oh, god. Ok. I'll try not to get too carried away :V

Dema: Please feel free. Here is a box to stand on, and a megaphone.

Izzy:  So. Uh. The Greeks, right? Those guys. Aristotle, more specifically. The Poetics and all that. I think DAO and DAI follow the formula of classic epics: you have this larger than life hero going on a very important quest to save the world. Notice that those games are longer than DA2, kind of like an odyssey, if you will. There are many quests, many steps to the journey before the hero can rest. It's glorious and grand, regardless of whether the hero survives or not. Now DA2 follows the formula of tragedies even closer than the other games follow the epic. And I mean step by step aristotelian formula. You have Hawke, who rises into fame and fortune. The rising movement is very important, because you later have the downfall. He gets fame and riches, but everything comes with a cost, usually the lives of his family. So in DA2 you have this constant rise and fall movement, leading up to the end where (if you defend the mages, at least) Hawke is forced to leave behind everything they spend 7+ years building. They lose everything. In the essay I compared it to Oedipus: he becomes king and etc, there's this looming prophecy (remember Flemmeth when you do the amulet ritual), and in the end everything falls apart. That's as summarized as I can get lol. And Hawke starts out as a nobody! And the game is actually divided in acts!!!

Dema: I read a LOT of classics/Homer in undergrad and I love this. Ten out of Ten. Thank you! I could honestly listen to you talk about that epic/tragedy structure for another hour but alas, we are out of time. To close the interview, and just for fun: Can you come up with a buzzfeed-style, misleading, click-bait title for your fic? Without giving anything major away that would identify you lol

Izzy: Ok, so, this is as vague as I managed: This is how local political unrest can help your love life (Also, I just realized I went out to get wifi and did the whole interview wearing a DA2 sweater. It was a complete accident, I swear)

Dema: AMAZING. Please show me the sweater!!

Izzy: The culprit:

Dema: I love it. Thank you for chatting with me, Izzy!

[lily-alphonse]

Not super rare at all but Pierre and Morris 💔

Fantastic let's make these slimy weasels kiss

I literally just remembered Pierre's married LOL that's how much I care about his and Caroline's marriage.

With the Robin x Haley one I was like oh nooo I can't break up her marriage owie and this one I'm so chill with wrecking. Caroline will be fine I'm sure. She's already checked out.

If you like this pairing, I love this meme by @vilochkaaa , actually check out their whole blog there is so much great MorrisxPierre art. That meme is exactly how I imagine them.

Capitalism is their kink. They would absolutely exploit each other to make money if at all possible. Like, even if you like Morris' arc in his mod and want to think the best of him, he is not okay if he ends up with Pierre. That's his bad ending. They are making each other worse 100%.

Anyway, getting into it, it ends vaguely spicy so yk reader discretion advised or whatever

Of the two of them, Pierre is more aggressively manipulative.

Morris is a general manager. He is living the hell that is middle management and absolutely used to getting shit on daily by his district manager, I'm sure. So when Joja closes and he gets fired, he’s left hanging with no one to boss him around, and Pierre can fill that role.

Morris doesn’t live in Pelican Town so why does he stay? Revenge. And also a job. Now that Joja is closed, Pierre is open an additional day and needs help managing the influx of customers.

Morris comes to beg for a job. He has no choice if he wants to stick around and get his revenge on the farmer. But he tries to sell the villagers on this whole changed-man act. He’s learned from his ways. He’s making an honest living now.

But he starts to see Pierre is actually more similar to him than he thought. He’s shady, passing off produce from the farmer as his own, changing expiration dates on pantry goods, etc.

Pierre always works with him, probably because he doesn't trust Morris. He always handles the sales, and relegates Morris to lowly stocking and loading. If Morris is working, Pierre is there over his shoulder. Surely it’s only a lack of trust and nothing else, right?

They frequently end up closing the store alone together. At first Pierre would send Morris away before turning off the main store lights. Then he started doing it earlier, while they were still cleaning. Morris felt like he was being tested somehow, so he only continued as he was.

One day Pierre corners him as he’s exiting the broom closet. The main store lights are off and the air is thick and silent. He asks him if he’d like to make a bit of extra cash on the side, and it’s exactly as nefarious as it sounds.

Morris isn't sure why he agrees at first. Sure he loves money, but he isn’t so desperate as that. Well, not desperate for money anyway. But maybe he is touch-starved enough to get on his knees in a dusty broom closet...

Oop lol That's my most scandalous ending so far. Yeah it'd be a smut what else am I supposed to do, insurance fraud? They're so toxic lol.

This ask is a part of the (now closed) SDV Rarepair Challenge! Check out the other answers here, and make sure to boost your favorite so it can appear in the final fic poll! More info on that here.

[heathtrash]

When you're working on TWW fanfic, how do you get like new inspiration or even just the motivation to keep going?

(p.s. thank you for keeping the fandom alive!!)

inspiration/ideas are something i almost never have a problem with. i come up with new scenarios for these gays almost constantly and it's everything in me to not just constantly begin new wips and crossovers and aus that have never been explored! and there's so much media to draw from with tww with all eight books, the shows, the movie, the spinoffs - idk but even like vanilla 2017 or 1998 stuff is always giving me life, maybe because i'm an insatiable multishipper with no chill and an adoration of rarepairs.

i also make sure i "read around" tww. i watch things or listen to audiobooks with a related genre or vibe, especially if i'm exploring au or want to go for a specific tone. keeping your brain active and making connections like this helps so much with inspiration and plot. it's like going on a silly little mental health walk, but instead of nature or whatever, you're opening your brain up to new possibilities. even something completely unrelated can spark something! it makes the worlds you write feel a bit richer as you're writing them.

motivation is something different, because i struggle with a lot of self-confidence in my own writing (lol, cptsd. i'm in therapy). comments on my works do really help with that. but these days people seem to feel weird about leaving comments on works that aren't like a week old??? bruh people still talk about books that are decades or centuries old. and we have some lovely people still in the fandom who are willing to read some of my work, and that is amazing to me!!

but of course, there are fics i've started that i am not sure will ever see the light of day because i feel like they're not good enough, or works that i've put up that very few people were interested in (rip to pippa university years my beloved. never escaped single digits on the kudos for 10k of fic). those embarrassments and failures hold me back so much because they confirm my own negative thoughts about my writing and make me not want to put my energy into this. i have a full plan of chapter 13 of a clock with no hands, but i keep giving myself imposter syndrome over my ability to write it well enough. idk. rationally, i know that the types of story i write are sometimes not what people want to read. i think it's important to talk about (please i am NOT fishing) because i'm sure there are many people who feel the same way. some people even look up to me as a writer?? but i cannot emphasise enough that it's a miracle that anything goes online with my mental health being how it is.

anyway, enough about me! mostly i try to think primarily of the fandom and what's best for us right now. that's why i'm running the drabble exchange, which i think will be a really fun way to get little sparks of inspiration going for everyone, as well as hopefully providing a chance for new writers to dip their toe into whatever ship they like! please sign up to join in - this is the last weekend before i close sign-ups!

i'm certainly not solely responsible for keeping the fandom alive though!!! there are some incredible artists who are doing a much better job of that than me with the recent influx of art - as well as all those who are writing new fics that are providing after the slump we had with the conclusion of the 2017 series. it was really hard to recover the fandom after s3, and i know i've had a small part to play in that with the twitter group chat evolving into reviving the discord. but i couldn't have done any of that if no one else was around to join in!

(also side note - general invitation extended to anyone who wants to join the discord!)

[djemsostylist]

Since starting this blog as a Vampire Diaries blog back in 2012, I've gone through a number of iterations. After my stint as a TVD blog for the better part of three years, I expanded out into a multi-purpose, whatever is my current hyperfixation blog. There are, of course, always the long running staples (Star Wars, Warhammer, LOTR) but I have gone through some pretty specific weird ones. The summer/fall of Mad Max: Fury Road, my years long Steve Rogers obsession, my summer of The Musketeers, that month of The Originals. The year I lost my mind and started watching dizis (lol, thank god that one is over).

The point is, I've had many throughout the years, but I haven't had one ongoing and deep since maybe the first season of House of the Dragon. (That one ended abruptly when I finished reading Fire and Blood and realized that the source material was stupid as shit, the writers were possibly dumber and this show was going to make me mad sooner than later.) In addition to an extremely busy past year or so and the disappointment of the end of The Siege of Terra, I haven't really had anything that has captured my interest for a long period of time. (Decimus Androndinus Felix, Lord of Vespator and the Eastern Marches is the current love of my life but he was only in four books and now they are done and I am SAD).

Welp. This summer I spent a week with my brother @bonesingerofyme-loc as I do every summer, and in light of the extreme heat and our extreme laziness, we decided to binge watch the animated Avatar: The Last Airbender. He's been a fan for a long, long time, but since I was like, 16 when it came out, I wasn't exactly the target demographic. And its taken me a while into adulthood to truly embrace certain interests, and he patiently waited to spring this one on me.

And buddy. This show got me. It's got everything I love in a show, in a children's show (I love children's media that isn't just mindless entertainment, and there is a particular type that just does it for me) and it's the sort of thing that is just beautiful as it's written and also really needs no explaining. It reminds me of Bantam Star Wars (it's best era), and that sort of unique blend of magic and mystery and family and despair and hope and love and everything in between. Aang is just so Luke, with his love that is greater than the world and also for the world, with the breathless way he uses his power but with so much thought and care. With the family that they build, with the truly excellent writing. I could go on at length, and probably will in later posts on in later drafts, but this show. This fucking show man.

And then, of course, bc he can never leave well enough alone, he tells me about his ship. The ship. And it's a rarepair, which is insane because I NEVER ship rarepairs, both because rarepairs are usually silly, often more infuriating than not, and so limited that the full scope of fangirling and obsession is hard to fully realize. But like, it's fucking perfect and I'm handling it about as well as you'd expect lol. (It's Zuko/Toph, because of course I would fucking fall in love with that pairing.) Anyway, expect Avatar span for at least the next two weeks until work starts again (or even more if I'm stressed enough to need an escape lol).

[coresurgery]

my other jiang yanli rarepair thought is: au where jyl marries jin guangyao instead

JGS puts the idea forward; he has bigger aims for JZX now that the Jiang sect is so weak anyway, but he still wants the connection to the Jiangs and WWX, and JGY will be able to play her better than JZX would

Obviously this is also kind of an insult. But JYL at this point doesn't believe JZX loves her, she's okay with a political marriage if it will help out the Jiangs, and she isn't irrationally prejudiced about JGY's background. Maybe his situation reminds her a bit of WWX's. If Jiang Yanli is okay with it then Jiang Cheng is too. So they get married

This could be a fixit. JGY doesn't have the guilt of being a sisterfucker hanging over him. Jiang Yanli is legitimately politically savvy. As JZX's wife she would have been kept out of the loop on the demonic cultivation stuff etc but as JGY's wife she'd be much closer to it and may have a chance to pick up on what's happening before he realizes how much she understands.

(Not to say that JGY underestimates her because she's a woman or too nice or whatever - I think he'd actually get where she's coming from as a people-pleaser very well.)

And she's a favorite of Madame Jin (who is PISSED about this but not pissed at JYL specifically) so she could use that to hers and JGY's advantage.

I think also Jin Zixuan doesn't go to Qiongqi Pass if WWX isn't his shidi-in-law. So he lives.

SO - there is a version of this story where JGY has a lot more support and is softened considerably and more people make it out alive. Maybe even the Wens and WWX. He and Jiang Yanli may not be in love but there is a genuine affection between them and they could make a good team. And maybe have an open marriage once they know each other well enough to have the "i'm in love with your brother and you're in love with your sworn brothers" convo lol.

BUT there is also a version where JYL has the terrible suspicion that her husband arranged for her shidi to be killed. and she can't know for sure. he'd never admit it, and how could he have done it anyway? wwx. got himself into a lot of shit. and maybe she's not being fair, thinking the worst of guangyao the way everyone else does. he's a good husband, a good father, good for the sect and the common people, and--

she can't tell jiang cheng. she doesn't know for sure. she doesn't want them to fight. but she wonders.

what would a jin sect run by jin zixuan with JGY/JYL as a power couple behind the scenes after JGS's death look like anyway? honestly pretty good worldstate.

the good ending here is that jiang yanli is alive in guanyin temple so the jiangs + wwx like jin guangyao enough to let him and lan xichen flee to japan. (novel canon so wwx doesn't have to make sure jgy dies no matter what.)

well good ending for everyone but NHS. sorry NHS.

[littlesparklight]

Hello!! For the fic writer ask thingy: 3, 5, 21, 22 and 23

Have a good day/afternoon/evening/night!

thank you <3

3. Describe the creative process of writing a chapter/fic In the case of a one-shot... I just write. I only (generally, anyway) do bullet point style plot-points and ideas for conversations and etc in multichapters. I also generally write from beginning to end, but I've stopped holding so tightly on that; if I feel inspired to write a later scene, I'll write it out! Years ago, I didn't do plotting to such a degree/in the same style I do now, but with my TF longfics I started, and then I never stopped because it really does help me.

5. Do you like constructive criticism? Not... really, no. Maybe if it was someone I knew really well and, most important of all, I've deliberately asked them for concrit because I was uncertain about a story or something, then it'd be fine. But otherwise? I don't know anyone else from Adam, so if someone came in wanting to give concrit I'd be unhappy. I'm sharing a story that is how I want it to be - at the point I'm posting it concrit wouldn't be useful and thus not wanted.

21. Would you ever collaborate with another writer for a story? HM. I... don't think so? Or rather - I only do so when I RP lol. But RPing is its own beast, and while I love it, I don't think I could do collaborative writing fic-style.

22. Are there certain types of writing you won’t do? (style, pov, genre, tropes, etc) Horror, 1st person POV (this is a plague, fic-wise or in "regular" fiction. I hate it haha).

23. Best writing advice for other writers? Write what you want to write.

Like, yes. I often get dispirited and (really) sad that I am writing rarepairs (and especially rarepairs a lot of people don't like/don't like one half of them) or otherwise niche content in most of my fandoms (SW being a bit of an outlier haha) and thus don't get much in terms of response for it. But I'd rather pay that price and have fun while I'm writing, getting to dive into my ships and the worldbuilding and so on, in ways I want to do it, than try to write the juggernaut that I either don't care about or actively despise, just for more feedback.

That's just going to kill your creativity, in the end.

Obviously it's all well and good to say "write for yourself, who cares if you get comments/kudos/etc" because at the point we're posting a fic, we do want some connection and appreciation and proof others like the same things we like. That there's others who like what we as writers have put so much effort into.

I do honestly not really like that statement, because I do care about the comments/kudos/etc when it comes down to it!

But at the same time, doing anything differently wouldn't, for me at least, work. Because as depressing as it can be, I am having a lot of fun while I write. Even when it's hard, and a slog, and my brain isn't cooperating.

I definitely would not have that fun if I didn't write what I want to write. (And even if you do go try to write for the most popular ship or whatever, that's still not any guarantee anyone will like how you write it, or notice it. And then you've put effort into something you don't even like for something you didn't even get.)

So, again. Do what you want to, write what you want to write. Because you are the one who's having to write it, and the first person who sees that writing is you. You have to please yourself first.

[bloodsoakeddoodles]

The differences are what makes the other so intriguing!

[bibiana112]

aoi and/or akane for the headcanon thing?

Them!! Aight, Imma start with Aoi

Sexuality Headcanon: Well it's not really headcanon, he's bi and there's nothing you can do about it <3

Gender Headcanon: Gender nonconforming he/they dude that often goes over the top with acessorizing and honestly good for him I too will die if I am perceived without a tiara, scarf, gloves and earrings all at once

A ship I have with said character: @gaulemtypefemale-dm-l-016 talked my ear off about Aoilight once and completely sold me on the two. I'm not big on shipping but I want good things for Aoi and they're really cute and snakegay so like yeah I really enjoy this one

A BROTP I have with said character: Him and Phi! I read a fic once that had a bit about them getting along and forming a friendship based on being the only blatantly queer people in the crash keys meetings, and I love that for them lol

A NOTP I have with said character: Him and Clover... I won't tag my friend they haven't been active in forever but we've talked about this So Many Times lmao. They really like the two together and whatever good for them but?? I can't?? There was even one time we were on a freaking field trip bus and they were trying to make this pairing make sense and I was absolutely losing my mind. It was a ton of fun lol. Anyways, yeaaah.. she axe murdered him and he called her a stupid bitch while holding a gun, not my definition of romance

A random headcanon: I came up with this literally yesterday or so cause of the whole health thing I had, but like, I can see him giving himself a scar from scratching the syringe mark too much in the aftermath of the first nonary game

General Opinion over said character: Gotta be one of my top comfort characters of all time, no joke, don't wanna give away this bit of my tragic backstory so like, what can I say, seeing this story from his perspective just means a lot to me. The system and general life circumstances were never kind but he was just that stubborn and determined to find a way for their little family of two to be happy again despite all the compromises, like, being the older sibling as well sure helps appreciate some stuff going on there mostly the willingness to commit a crime in retaliation. Also I genuinely love that he's, by his own words, just a secretary and there for support lol

Okay now for the girl boss half of the dynamic duo

Sexuality Headcanon: Idk never thought about it much, she comes across to me like as someone who's not necessarily aroace but will not give a crap about picking a label because she doesn't give a crap about getting in a relationship with, or even paying this kind of attention to anyone that's not her boi™ but who knows when they're not star-crossed anymore how she'd be about it

Gender Headcanon: Nonbinary she/her because idk I get gender vibes from her, I feel like she'd have a lot of gender feelings going on under the surface, like, idk how to explain it. Is it because my hair used to look like that and I used to dress in a lot of baggy purples and blacks? Probaby Love the idea of her weaponizing her inner gender ambiguity with the Zero stuff tho

A ship I have with said character: Junepei, for the soul, it's got so much to it and none of it is straightforward aside from the fact that they have like a bond™ I like all flavors this ship comes in, divorce wins junepei, healthy lovestruck junepei and c-team polycule

A BROTP I have with said character: I think she would be besties with Clover, they'd go shopping and pester the hell out of their big brothers together <3

A NOTP I have with said character: I honestly don't know? I haven't really seen many ships with her that aren't Junepei or super tiny and valid rarepairs... Well I don't like Sigma, some people must ship the two right, don't like it

A random headcanon: Everytime she comes across Junpei or Aoi asleep on some part of their houses she kind of stops for a moment to make sure their chests are going up and down and they're like... alive. If she didn't stare and check then the images she'd have in the corner of her eye would be a bit too bloody. She doesn't tell either of them but abruptly wakes them up from time to time

General Opinion over said character: Here's the thing, I always use the word Ambivalent to describe my opinion on her, like, specifically that word. Not neutral, ambivalent. Contradictory feelings, much like she herself is quite paradoxical. She's absolutely outstanding as a character and though she's the kind of person I know I'd loathe to have to deal with on many levels there are also so many other levels that I like, can relate to her on? Going back and playing through 999 again made me stop and realize that, It's weird, I'd be fully on board with her if her motivations didn't graduate to a generic saving the world plot later on tbh