#and FOXY?? FOXY YOU ARE POOR. Foxy the most recurring thing about you is that You Need More Money. and then you.

[bleetusmcyeetus]

Oh my god I was NOT expecting to leave the Sun & Foxy fake date ep. mildly shipping Puppet and Foxy?? Help when I clicked on it I was kinda thinking “oh. More fake kidscove stuff. That’s always fun :)” but then everything happened and???????????? Huh??????? Like I don’t really ever ship TSBS characters just cuz it feels weird to me but?? Oh my god

[ink-flavored]

Writerly Questionnaire

Taking advantage of the open tag @vacantgodling offered, thanks !!

Tagging everyone ahead of time because this is long: @foxys-fantasy-tales @noblebs @ceph-the-ghost-writer @auntdarth @damageinkorporated @srjacksin @wyked-ao3 @duelistkingdom @void-botanist @ink-enchanted @sigridhawke and anyone else who feels like it!

About Me

When did you first start writing?

I’ve been doing some form of writing for basically my whole life. I kept approximately one hundred journals as a child, I would tell improvised stories to my younger sibling, I wrote my first fanfiction in an email when I was like 12. I don’t really think there was ever a time in my life when I wasn’t crafting some kind of story, or creating some kind of art.

Are the genres/themes you enjoy reading different from the ones you write?

I’ve been reading a lot more non-fiction these days than anything else, so I guess in that sense not really (unless you count poetry as non-fiction, in which case eeehhhhh it depends). When I do go for fiction, it tends to be fantasy, sci-fi, a smattering of contemporary fiction, and softball horror like House of Leaves or the Welcome to Nigh Vale novels. I definitely write mostly fantasy, I’m more of a dabbler in sci-fi, I usually only write contemporary fiction if it’s romantic or urban fantasy or both. I don’t really write horror, nor do I read much of it, so that tracks!!

I used to read a lot more romance novels than I currently do, and I’ve been meaning to pick that habit back up. Also erotica, since those are the two genres I’m currently writing the most these days.

Is there an author (or just a fellow writer!) you want to emulate, or one to whom you’re often compared?

Emulate, not really. I do take several truckloads of inspiration from Christopher Paolini, though. Reading The Inheritance Cycle over and over again is basically why I know how to write at all—it’s what taught me about formatting dialogue and paragraph breaks. Emulating his style is how I got started writing, so I wouldn’t be surprised if I ever got called out on it in the future. Especially in some of my high fantasy writing, it’s only a matter of time.

Can you tell me a little about your writing space(s)? (Room, coffee shop, desk, etc.)

I got a laptop desk this past Christmas, so I do most of my writing on the couch now! I sit with my tiny Windows Surface Pro and clack away with a cup of tea or a snack. Until the battery dies on this poor thing, and then I go back to my desk.

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

Extremely detailed daydreaming while my brain is melting at work. Usually if I do that long enough, I’ll have to write the scenes in my head before they start leaking out of my ears. Failing that, though, I’ve found that you can’t force it. If I can’t write today, I can’t write today. When that happens, I try to read something instead.

Did the place(s) you grew up in influence the people and places you write about?

Probably! I don’t tend to write about suburban America specifically because it’s where I grew up and I think it’s boring as hell. My dad was a huge fantasy buff and is basically 60% of the reason why I’m like this, so that checks out.

Are there any recurring themes in your writing, and if so, do they surprise you at all?

Opposites Attract is a big one, and it surprised me a little when I noticed it, but not that much. I think it’s compelling when people from completely different backgrounds are forced to find a common cause. And maybe kiiiiiss? 😳

Redemption, I guess? I write a lot about the idea that nobody is unforgivable. You can grow and change and become a better person no matter how shitty you used to be, and you don’t need anyone else’s approval to become that better person/forgive yourself/etc. It’s not surprising to me at all, because it’s one of my most deeply held beliefs in real life.

Struggling With Religion/Religious Identity. This one is because of my issues 👍

Way more under the cut!

About My Characters

Would you please tell me about your current favorite character?

Saying it’s Pride feels predictable, but yeah, it’s Pride. He’s my current brainworm.

I created Pride in a way that’s much more intentional than most of my other characters, which means there is far too much I can say about him. I invented him from the bottom-up instead of from the top-down, if that makes sense.

The transgender/demon metaphor is obvious I think—the whole of his arc is that he needs to learn to forgive himself to heal instead of wallowing in his pain, and he gets to craft a version of himself he loves, with people he loves, and no longer needs approval from the God that cast him out. Deeply metaphorical there, but when I was creating him, I was also struggling with gender issues in real life! I was living in Florida at the time, had no idea if I would be able to get HRT, I didn’t even know if I wanted HRT in the first place because I was nervous about the changes and if I would even like them. I really did craft Pride as a sort of… subconscious test-drive. He’s very much a Gender Envy Projection on my part, but I didn’t realize that until I thought about it later. I made a guy who looks the way I’m nervous about looking, and it turns out people still love him, and he loves himself too. Crazy how I’m on T now.

Which of your characters do you think you’d be friends with in real life?

I really want to be friends with Hayden, because he has 5 pet dragons and I desperately need to know someone who has 5 pet dragons. Also, he’s a nice guy! I’m sure he’d also be happy to have another friend who’s 1) willing to believe that dragons exist and 2) willing to help out with the 5 baby dragons in his small Chicago apartment.

Which of your characters would you dislike the most if you met them?

Honesty. She is the exact kind of old white lady who needs to get a grip that I dread interacting with and am not excited to see at my cousin’s wedding next month. Anyway,

Tell me about the process of coming up with one, all, or any of your characters.

Every character that spawns from my brain got there in a different way. Sometimes they come to me in dreams, sometimes I make them up on purpose, sometimes they just show up one day and are like, “Hi, I represent something about your subconscious you won’t realize for a few months,” and I go, “Sure, whatever you say, little buddy.”

Most of the time I have a silhouette or a role in the story that needs to be filled by someone with [x] personality trait, and then craft them around those details. Like, in Pride’s case I needed him to make a human friend, but it would also have to be someone he would respect enough to be friends with. Boom, Olivia was born, the exact kind of person who would never take Pride’s bullshit lying down, but is understanding enough that he doesn’t just hate her right off the bat. I made her trans because it gives them something to connect over besides his Issues, and then from her I crafted the rest of his friends to balance out his inner circle. Most of the time it’s very “domino effect,” where I decide one thing, and the rest just happens, as if it had always been that way.

Do you notice any recurring themes/traits among your characters?

The Struggling With Religion of it all, surely. Most of them are striving to do good for others, or to become better people, whether they know it or not. A lot of them are emotionally suppressed in some way, which probably means nothing.

How do you picture them? (As real people you imagined, as models/actors who exist in real life, as imaginary artwork, as artwork you made or commissioned, anime style, etc)

Well, one of my girlfriends (@/auroblaze) is a gem and an artist who just draws my OCs for me, because she is the best. Even if she hasn’t drawn whatever character I’m thinking about, I picture them either in her style or as close to real life human people as my brain can conjure.

About My Writing

What’s your reason for writing?

Honestly, because I have never been able to imagine myself doing anything else. It is so hard to picture Future Me doing anything except writing. That’s the one thing about myself I know will remain constant, from now until I’m in the ground. I will write. I must write.

Is there a specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating coming from your readers?

I am a huge fan of when people spot my literary devices. The people who pick out the foreshadowing or metaphors or symbolism or intentional repetition, those are my favorites. Like, yes!! I put those there for you to find!! Someone found them, awesome!!!!!

How do you want to be thought of by those who read your work? (For example: as a literary genius, or as a writer who “gets” the human condition; as a talented worldbuilder, as a role model, etc.)

I don’t know, I’ve never really thought about it. I just want to inspire people. The highest honor I can think of is being called “the author who got me into writing.”

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

Prose! Description! Love that shit! And character writing, I think I’m good at writing dynamics between characters and I can build a damn good character arc.

What have you been frequently told your greatest writing strength is by others?

People have often told me that my work makes them feel very intense emotions (crying, intense rage, laughing embarrassingly loud in public, etc.) so I would say, according to my readers, I am an “affecting” writer. I can Getcha.

How do you feel about your own writing? (Answer in whatever way you interpret this question.)

After most of my life and a degree, I am confident that I’m a good writer. I’m not a genius or anything, but I’ve been doing this too long to think I’m bad. I know what a compelling story needs, I’ve developed my writer’s voice, I have a good grasp on how to put all the pieces together to create a solid piece of work. I think at worst, I am competent but over-confident in how clean my first drafts are. At best... I'm fuckin’ epic babey 😎

If you were the last person on earth and knew your writing would never be read by another human, would you still write?

Well, all the ancient files on my flash drive certainly aren’t being seen by anyone now! I think I would probably be less motivated to write, but I don’t think I could ever completely stop myself from telling stories. Even just to myself.

When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, or do you write purely what you enjoy? If it’s a mix of the two, which holds the most influence?

Ehhh, I try to write mainly for myself. I don’t think it’s practical to be chasing trends or what you think people will like. Audiences are fickle, they hop from one thing to the next all the time, and often don’t know what they want until they have it.

I have the outlook that, “If I enjoy writing it, someone will enjoy reading it.” There’s no point in writing something I hate, or even just think is kinda boring, because a lot of people can tell when you’re not invested in the story you’re telling. It’s hard to hide contempt in something as personal as art. I do, ultimately, want people to like the things I write, but my priority is making sure I like it too. There’s no point in writing it if I don’t want to be there.