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demdifferentstories-29 · 1 year ago

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20 Questions Game

Thanks for the tag, @bronzeagepizzeria <3

How many works do you have on AO3?

68!

2. What's your total AO3 words count?

734,052

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Currently, I really only write Doctor Who aside from a handful of other one-offs I've written, but I literally have at least a hundred WIPs/ideas in my drafts.

Fandoms that I have tons of ideas for are Broadchurch and Jessica Jones (TV series), which I hope to get around to publishing. But I have a fair bit of range hiding away haha.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

In descending order:

Broken-Hearted (cross-over with Broadchurch; multi-chapter; completed)

Braids (one-shot)

Desperate Measures (multi-chapter; completed)

Exes and Ohs (one-shot)

A Lesson in Romantic (AU; multi-chapter; completed)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Pretty much as soon as I can! I appreciate engagement so much and I want to make that known to commenters. Plus, I love a bit of banter and discussion where prompted - it's a delight!

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Oooo, boy. Probably Happy Together? Or maybe the first chapter of Sunburn? Violet Hill was also pretty sad. I love me some dark, heavy stories that fuck up my beloved blorbos.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Although I haven't updated in it in quite a while, I've written a fair bit of the sequels for the A Lesson in Romance universe, and, boy, have I made those two have a (mostly) happy life together.

In terms of published stories, I think Study Buddies would take the cake or one of the many TentooRose pieces I've done. The former is very classic, high school sweetheart vibes with just enough angst dashed in, and I tend to keep the latter sweet, fluffy and horny.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I received some very intense 'constructive' criticism whilst writing A Lesson in Romance - like I'm talking extremely long paragraphs pretty much deconstructing my writing and questioning my content. I was young at the time, it was my first multi-chapter Doctor Who fic, and the fact that this person also pretty much outright told me how I should write my story pissed me off a bit, so I, in the most polite way possible, asked them to stop reading my story and leaving these comments.

Aside from that? I've really only had one sort of bad comment since then, but I opted to not reply.

9. Do you write smut? If so what kind?

Oh, you know I do ;) I currently only write F/M; have explored M/M in the past so I'm down to write queer smut if the inspiration ever strikes.

I'm not really a fan of overly kinky stuff that is, say, explicit/specific (e.g. BDSM), but I don't mind stuff that is vaguely/lightly kinky (i.e. I tend to include voyeurism in my stories, but it's generally accidental). I mostly write either very horny or emotional, intimate stuff - I'm a sucker for the feelings associated with the couple.

It honestly depends on what kind of story I'm writing! But as of recent, I've been mostly producing first-time, emotion-heavy smut with a good serving of horniness/wantonness to build up the tension.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

I've written two - Broken-Hearted and Fobwatched (if you've been waiting for an update, I promise I think of her often... I'll revive her one day). I'd say BH is crazier, as it does entwine itself with the Human Nature storyline from Doctor Who, but Fobwatched has also had some pretty wacky moments!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge, and I really hope not! I have, admittedly, been a bit fearful of it in recent months.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Again, not to my knowledge! But I'm always open to that conversation if people are interested.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Back when I wrote band/music fanfiction (please forgive me for my crimes), I had started drafting out a fic with someone, but it never went anywhere and we didn't communicate very well either :,)

However, I have been beta-ing the lovely @quite-right-too's fic Dona Nobis Pacem, which has been a lovely collaboration <3 I'm so proud of Cody's work and highly recommend you read it if you haven't!

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

It would probably be DoctorRose! I've never really been more enthralled with a ship before, and the fact that the special interest is still going strong three years on is a pretty good sign. I also tend to come back to Ellie and Alec from Broadchurch quite often.

In the past, I was a hardcore Reylo fan, and I've always enjoyed random, niche ships within my realm of interests (i.e. Evey and V from V For Vendetta; Jackson and Lisa from Red Eye; an array of ships from my horror movies because I love being delusional).

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

Look, I'm quite stubborn in my belief that, ultimately, I will finish all my drafts, but I can say that the drafts from when I first started writing Doctor Who fanfiction have been quite difficult to work on because my writing has changed so much since then!

There are also maybe a WIP or two that I have written purely for myself and will never publish. I will probably take these to my deathbed lol.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Hm, I've always been complimented for character accuracy, which I do think I have down pact - writing characters like Ten and Rose have gradually become more comfortable for me over the years and I feel like I know them quite well by this point, which is really surprising considering I've never done a proper rewatch of the show since finishing it aside from some scenes/particular episodes!

I've also always been very anal about detail in my stories - I love including the most unnecessary shit in my work!! Do you need to know what Rose had for breakfast? No. Are you gonna know anyway? YES!!! I just love making my stories feel as organic and lifelike as possible.

I've been working really hard on scenery recently, which I've been getting compliments on! I have aphantasia, so this is something I've put a lot of energy and focus into as I've come to realise it's pretty important for readers lol.

And, not to brag, but I do think I write some pretty banging smut. It's taken ten or so years of practice, but I got there in the end.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Eh, I feel I'm not super great at coming up with like... proper action/plot. Like I can do circumstances and events quite alright, but coming up with something like... say, escaping from a villain/bad situation, I've always felt pretty shit at accomplishing. However, I always try to improve.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I only speak English, so it's a bit daunting! But I just use Google Translate and consult others where possible. And, as Niyati has mentioned in her own post, I recently used her technique of writing from the non-speaker's perspective and it's been a welcome addition to my skills! Shout out, girlie <3

19. First fandom you wrote for?

It would've been 5SOS, but those fics are long gone - I deleted them from Wattpad, and the iPod that the original drafts are on doesn't work, unfortunately.

I also wrote about other bands that I listen to - Asking Alexandria, Of Mice & Men, You Me At Six, Pierce the Veil, and Bring Me The Horizon. I still have most of the drafts, but I deleted all but four of them from the internet lol (the ones that were deleted were unfinished works).

I don't write about these people anymore as I did come to realise, Wait a minute, it's kinda weird and gross to write about these people like this lol (no hate on anyone who does). But I'm always down to chat about my sordid past haha.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

I would have to say "Come, gentle night, come" as it's probably the most amount of effort I put into writing. I think it's my best smut and cherish it deeply!

Tagging: @quite-right-too, @deardiary17, @insomniac-101, @metacrisisdoctor

#doctor who fanfiction #tenrose #doctorrose #timepetals #ao3 author #20 questions #tag game #thank you for the tag niyati <3

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makeitastrength · 11 months ago

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Writer’s ask, questions ending in 5 or 8 please ☺️

5. What techniques do you use to create believable dialogue?

I say it in my head or sometimes out loud to see if it’s how a person in general, and that character in particular, would actually talk. Also, @queseraone said this in her answer but it’s true and it bears repeating: learn by reading. Sometimes I read something and my brain just goes, “nope that’s not right” and then I’ll sit back and try to figure out what about it doesn’t feel right to me, and then I can use that to help me in the future.

8. Do you have any rituals or habits that help you get into the zone?

I wouldn’t call it a ritual or habit, but walking away from my computer and trying to sleep or shower or do something else always (annoyingly) seems to get the words flowing.

I guess one thing I do when I want to write but don’t have any particular ideas is just to open all my WIPs and start reading through them until my brain latches onto something. It doesn’t always work, but sometimes it does.

15. Do you plan your fics or prefer to let the story unfold as you write?

I plan in the vaguest sense of the word. Like, I usually know the start and approximately where I want it to end, and I may have a few vague ideas of how I’ll get there, but I don’t write outlines or anything like that unless it’s a very long multi-chapter that requires a clear timeline.

18. Are there any fics or authors that have been particularly influential or inspiring to you?

Well you, for starters 😊 Your ability to tackle challenging topics in a sensitive fashion is something I strive for, and your ability to write intense emotion is amazing! I think you've probably brought me to tears more than anyone else in this fandom. There are so many other amazing authors in the fandom as well, and I know I'm going to forget someone if I start listing names, so suffice it to say if I've ever flailed all over your fics in the comments section, you're on this list!

25. Are there any specific writing tools that you find helpful?

I use OneLook all the time because I frequently get halfway through a sentence and cannot for the life of me think of the word I'm looking for. Other than that, just the standard spellcheck/grammar checker in Word.

28. What's the most ambitious or challenging fic you've ever written?

Back when I wrote for Castle, I challenged myself to write a case-centric fic that read a little more like an episode. I'm actually proud of how it turned out, but it was super out of my wheelhouse and really difficult. More recently, I'd say the fic I just finished. It wasn't necessarily challenging, but rewriting the entire first 4 seasons from two POVs was definitely ambitious.

35. What do you enjoy most about being a fic writer?

Two things: (1) it’s my outlet, hobby, and a way to relax, and (2) the community. I never imagined I would make friends through fandom, but I did!

Thank you for the questions!

#asked and answered #fic writer questions #writing #fanfiction #roguetwelve

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merrivia · 2 years ago

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I’m curious about your reading experiences with CaPri, you seem as someone who understands the text so well! Could you share some of your experiences with the text? (When you first read it, how many times you’ve re-read it, do you annotate your copies, do you binge-read the trilogy in a week with each reread [like I do], do you have chapters you revisit a lot, etc.)

Hey, so I'm just going through a little backlog of asks!

I feel this is just a niche conversation between you and I tbh, but I'll answer haha. Feel free to directly message me in the future, I'm so open to conversations about the book.

Thank you for saying you think I understand the text so well! That's really kind.

I first got the books on my kindle on the 17th Feb and just binge read them all the way through. I got really fixated on them instantly and.... read them all the way through again, literally straight after. There was something about the way Pacat writes that really hit the spot for me.

I'll be honest though, I tried the book before ages ago (maybe 5 or 6 years ago?) and I was immediately turned off.

What changed? I think because I got into (a different) fandom and started reading fan fiction. Before then I was a huge bookworm, and read everything- though I did lean very much towards literary fiction, the older I got. My many open tabs on AO3 slowly changed my parameters around what fics should look like, the moral framework of them, the spice factor if you will, and so on. Coming from the lawless land of fanfiction where all is allowed and nothing really censored, meant I could come to the text with much more of an open mind.

When I read the trilogy my brain just lit up immediately- the intensity of events, the depth of emotions, the wit and humour, the political machinations and military warfare, the love story...it all combined to make magic amongst my neurons.

My first meta was about a month later, as my brain was 24/7 CaPri brain rot, and I read it another time all the way through, still on kindle.

Then I got The Summer Palace and finally bought all the books in paperback as well. And re-read the books in paperback! So since February I've read them four times. This is when I started to slow down haha.

I don't use tabs or make notes. I tended to just binge read, but do have a job so that meant pausing while at work. I don't necessarily go back and re-visit chapters unless I want to write a meta.

I think re-reading the text is enormously helpful, as reading it the first time is like a sensorial rush of emotion, and the second or third time you can really pay attention to structure and language and character development. Pacat leaves much unsaid and to be deciphered, a 'negative space' as she's called it in interviews, where we have to see what it not being said or what we aren't being directly told and figure things out.

Fandom is an interesting place, and as someone who approaches metas on the text as sort of experiment in literary analysis, I do find it interesting the way people's opinions on the text seem so disparate or different from mine. There are some very strong-minded people on tumblr, and I've seen different camps of people re-read things according to their biases, in different ways. I would perhaps call some of them (not all, but some...) misreadings, also. And regardless, they tend to try and strong-arm you into agreeing with them! I mean, I'm sure I exhibit biases too, but I hope that the least I do is pay attention, try to think things through carefully and come with evidence! And respect true differences of opinion. All I can say is looping back to the source material is important, but ultimately reading and decoding a text can be very personal.

As a final note, I would also say, I came to the books after years and years of intense reading across lots of different genres, and if anyone wanted to get into writing meta for specific texts, reading and thinking widely is an important foundation for that imo.

Hope that answered your question!

#captive prince #thanks for the ask!#sorry if this is of no interest to anyone else lol

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the-stove-is-divorced · 8 months ago

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🎈describe your style as a writer; is it fixed? does it change?

People see things differently, especially creators of stuff, so I'm wondering how you see your own writing? And if it was a metaphor what would it be? Or an object or something or anything that describe it?

Oh my goodness these are such interesting questions! You got me getting introspective! (o^ ^o)

I think my style generally exists as 2-3 general forms, two of them being incredibly similar, if not overlapping? I think in general it stays within these forms, because I actively seek to curate my style in these specific ways (tho if stop using one, it will get rusty). But for the whole curate thing, I look at other writing I like a lot to get into the mood of a certain style for specific fics! So in my eyes, I've got Comedic Style, Descriptive Anguish, and Voice Strong.

Comedic Style is exactly what it sounds like, it's when I want to try comedic fics with much sillier tones like with Metamorphosis which starts as a more horror-ish but quickly dissolves into silliness. I re-read authors whom comedic styles I adore, which is mostly cereal_whore on ao3! I adore their style! But I've diving so much into angst, I'm rusty with this style again. Ugh (ノ_<、). Still working on the next chapter tho.

Descriptive Style also what it sounds like, it's when I really try to dig deep into figuring out the best way to make physical sensations, more commonly pain 'cause I love angst, and really intense emotions feel almost palpable through descriptions alone. Like, comparing frustrations as a simmering pot that grew into a furious boil, something annoyingly unignorable like an unscratched, terrible itch!References I get for this style are a wide range of novels and fic alike. I even keep samples of styles I like to quickly skim through if that helps something flow better. Novels like "A Certain Hunger" by Chelsa G. Summers (a recent read of mine, I adore horror), or quotes from fics like "The sentence sits between them; decaying and astringent, Fushiguro unapologetically leaves it as such. Yuuji’s sure he’s been decomposing since he ate a corpse's finger."

Similar to this, and hopefully overlapping with the previous to make a fic feel good to me is Voice Strong, also sounds like what it is, haha! The character's mindset determines what their feelings get compared to, kinda like context, if that's the right word? I'm sure I'm over-explaining here, but I don't think I've described this before, since it's always been in my head? To me, it should always be a bit unreliable, a POV's always limited unless omniscient. I'm best at writing high intensity, like panic/stress because than character's actions are so much easier to understand and thus predict. If I can't guess their actions, I kinda can't continuing writing. And if I know their mindsets, I know what general arcs to keep in mind, so the plot can take any form while staying in general directions.

Like with it feels like we only go backwards , Steven 2.0 (human!steven) is pretty much on the verge of a very bad mental breakdown. Consequently, he is incredibly easy to predict and thus write for! It's easy to jump into his voice. It's kinda hard to describe, but he often repeats phrases like "you see?" and "he is kind" when he's really close to losing it because he's trying to cling to his denial as a (bad) coping mechanism. Chunks of him glorifying/romanticizing, for lack of better word, his own discomfort, distaste, or plain hostility, are split by the snippets of truth he can't ignore, like the fact he misses Pinko, or he's angry or he's tired. He repeats stuff alot, often trying to stick to the pedestal he's falling from, like "But perhaps, he hit a bit too hard, a bit too rough, because Steven Universe should be gentle, gentle, gentle, he knows, because he is nothing but gentle and kind, gentle and kind." He wants to be gentle, but in reality he's becoming more and more violent in this scene. Mf is just contradicting at all times. I love him so much. (´꒳`)♡

WOAH, this got really long. (」°ロ°)」 I hope I didn't chat your ear off, haha! But if I had to describe my writing, I'd say water? It can fit into any style if I really try, like water can take the shape of any container, but I try to keep it specific containers. Or, three specific directions to flow through, kinda like three diff rivers? If that makes sense! (・_・ )ゝI get incredibly frustrated when it doesn't move how I want it to (often), so it needs constant upkeep. Me writing is a million re-writes and edits plus scrapping entire chunks, like, constantly. It also has to feel right to be published. Like I have an entire draft of my body's in backwards sitting unpublished but that mf is not getting posted until it feels right. I may or may scrap it entirely. Again. (」＞＜)」

I guess another comparable object is like some kind of hedge/bush/etc I keep trimming for the perfect shape, but never quite looks right until it totally does. Which could take so damn long.

Hope that answered ya question!!! TYSM FOR ASKING (´,,•ω•,,)♡

#asks #i rambled A LOT so hopefully this makes sense??#if not just tell me haha #tho i lose the battle in being succinct every damn time #i like WORDS OKAY I LIKE BEING WORDY #also werid to think about talking about what always goes through my head while writing? like my rules and method and thinking? not bad tho!#tis interestingggggg #introspective hours #my fics

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beautyofsorrow · 9 months ago

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2, 4, 7, 18, 46

2. Do you plan each chapter ahead or write as you go?

evil. evil question. why would you make me think about my multichaps. ok so i tried the intensive outlining thing, i really did, and it flopped so bad because i'm pretty sure i have adhd which, among many other things, means i need novelty in order to stay interested in a thing. but i also need STRUCTURE so i know where i'm GOING or i'll never FINISH so i have started doing this thing where i have the vague outline of what happens and then go from there. for without anesthetic, i had a pretty good idea of what i thought the first four chapters entailed before i ever sat down at the word doc, just so i'd have a measure of security behind this wildly ambitious idea. turns out it was only enough for three chapters and i am spinning my wheels a little on the fourth/fifth/sixth, but it's going so much better than my last multichap did, and i haven't abandoned it like my first. so yay! it's my own version of what i call the ann patchett method of drafting (see "the getaway car" in this is the story of a happy marriage for more details on that, dear mutuals who are not zanna). more adhd, but just rigorous enough to keep me from walking out. this seems to be working, but it's also nerve-wracking because oh no, what if i get ?? chapters deep and i've written myself into a corner? (the answer: girl calm down, it's fanfiction and you're supposed to be having fun)

4. Where do you find inspiration for new ideas?

i rifle through the fridge at 10pm looking for a very specific food that does not exist and then get mad at myself when i realize i am gonna have to write it into existence.

see also: my love for the characters (/horny and emotional). a desperate need for non-romantic sexually intimate relationships in media. upsetting plotholes in canon. deranged character dynamics. weird takes on popular tropes. religious trauma. family estrangement. being queer. i also read a lot of books and find plenty of sparks ideas juice inside them, usually in their style and execution. i looooooooove studying form and how it influences a book's plot.

7. How do you choose which POV to write from?

whatever best serves the story! and/or whatever i feel i can handle best in a given moment. for example, the first time i tried my hand at sex pollen (drown me in glitter, glitter and gold) i had no fucking clue how to write from a sex-pollened person's POV, so the answer was to stay in la'an's head the entire fic. that let me get really comfy with the story so that by the time i had to write her being all high on horny juice, it flowed much more easily than if i had started in una's POV, who's dosed from the start. also, it was a much better, funnier, and stronger fic that way. la'an's mortification really came through and allowed me to hit a lot of comedic beats i wouldn't have been able to hit due to una's temporary plunge into angst.

18. Do you title your fics before, during, or after the writing process? How do you come up with titles?

i do all three lol. mostly during and after. sometimes i'll have one from the start and it will stick; other times it will change to something else halfway through. many many times i will come screaming into ur DMs complaining about being done with a fic but not having title tags or summary. i started keeping a file in my notes app of lines of poetry i love, and i'll occasionally plunder them for titles. i'll also yoink song lyrics (just give me trust and watch what'll happen), riff on character quotes or episode titles (without anesthetic, ad astra), or rotate the fic in my head until something appropriately vibe-y presents itself (dress me down and hold me open, aces wild, stitch)

46. How would you describe your style?

contemplative, lyric and/or comedic (depending on the fic), & character-driven

#that fanfic lyfe

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pacificwaternymph · 2 years ago

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Hello yes I recently read your Lim Life selfie fic and absolutely adored it. I’ve followed you for a while but haven’t had time to sit down and read through your works. I also binge read the kid Xornoth AU.

First of all, your writing style is amazing. I love how descriptive you are, especially with emotions and how they effect the body and mind. This is specifically seen with panic attacks, as both fics I’ve read are very much filled to the brim with them. Anyway yeah. I have a hard time communicating emotion over text, and if I try to copy what others do, like keysmashes and lots of emojis and whatnot, it just doesn’t feel genuine, so I stick with boring sounding sentences. But just know that I love your writing so much. Your way with characters is amazing. If you could hear my voice, you’d hear how happy reading your stuff makes me.

The selkie fic is so beautiful and heart-wrenching. Jimmy was just being himself, trying to help, and did something absolutely horrendous by mistake. I’ve re-read the part where he realizes many times now.

And the kid Xornoth au. Where do I even begin? I loved Scott in the latest chapter, how earnestly he believes that Xornoth is good and would never dream of hurting anyone. And to be fair, moving forward he doesn’t want to hurt people. Oh, but if only they knew his past. I simultaneously can’t wait for that reveal but also am very much dreading it.

Anyway yeah. you’re amazing, your writing is amazing, and I hope you have a wonderful day

- 🧁 (idk if that’s taken. If so, I could be 🎭 or 🎲)

Are you kidding me this is the sweetest thing EVER

What an absolute delight to wake up to <3

Thank you so much, cupcake anon (it is not taken so it is now yours!) that is so so so sweet <3

I've always prided myself on being able to accurately portray emotions and have worked really hard to be able to convey the strength and intensity of the characters' feelings, so it makes me so happy to hear that it paid off.

Yeah misunderstandings are my jam. Well- only a certain type of misunderstanding, you have to be careful or they can just get annoying. But when they're done right then MM.

Aaaaah I know! I live for good brother Scott. But oh yeah, there's a lot coming up for the both of them haha.

#she speaks!!#kid xornoth au #selkie scott

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kareenvorbarra · 2 years ago

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i can only think about you (Laela/Samira)

here it is...my Laela/Samira playlist

it's a lot of sappy gay pop songs about the frustration of seemingly unrequited love, or about not being able to tell how someone else feels about you, or just about being hopelessly obsessed with your crush. these are not in any particular order, so you can listen to them in the order they're listed or just hit shuffle. extremely self-indulgent notes about each song below the cut:

Wanna Be Missed - Hayley Kiyoko

I wanna be held, fragile like glass Cause I've never felt nothing like that

This is a classic pining song, so ofc it's about Samira. having unbearably intense feelings for someone and desperately wanting them to be reciprocated! the lyrics above also make me think of Samira's particular situation. She wants a kind of physical and emotional relationship that she's never had before - with someone who sees her as a person and cares what she wants.

2. Prophet - King Princess

I can only think about you And what it's like to walk around you And why they like to talk about you Cause I can only think about you

Samira's POV again. I picked this song mostly on the strength of the chorus and the general vibes, but I do think the lines about other people wanting to use subject of the song for their own gain vs. the narrator just wanting her (Like it's gold, you're a prophet/Someone's gonna profit/Don't you know, I just want it) fit Laela and Samira's situation pretty well.

3. Love They Say - Tegan and Sara

Love, they say it heals all wounds, Love removes the hurt in you, Love, I know that this is true.

This is the only song (so far) that has made it onto both the L/S playlist and the K/M playlist. I first listened to it at a time when I was thinking about all these characters a lot. the hope and conviction of the lyrics juxtaposted with the characters' actual situations really got me. For Samira at this point in her life, I think it's more that she wants to believe this than that she actually does.

4. Delilah - Florence + the Machine

Cause I'm gonna be free and I'm gonna be fine But maybe not tonight It's a different kind of danger And the bells are ringing out And I'm calling for my mother As I pull the pillars down

This one is a Laela POV song, so it doesn't deal head-on with her feelings about Samira, and is preoccupied with lots of other things as well. It mostly makes me think of her many, many worries during Thick as Thieves; the choices she makes that disrupt her own life and the lives of the people she cares about, her hope that things will get better, her fear that it will all fall apart.

5. Chance - Hayley Kiyoko

Does she feel the energy the way that I do In the air whenever we get in the same room? Cause I don't know how to read her mind And I don't wanna cross a line

More Samira, of course. This song reminds me of how she's feeling as of chapter 10 - afraid that her time in the household is coming to an end, and that it's too late for her to admit anything to Laela. If I ever take a stab at arranging these songs in chronological order based on the events of the fic, it'll probably end up much later in the playlist.

6. 1950 - King Princess

I hate it when dudes try to chase me But I love it when you try to save me Cause I'm just a lady

Putting all these songs in order makes this whole thing feel very predictable! Anyway this makes me think of Samira again, but it's more her imagining the relationship she and Laela might have than the one they actually have at the moment. Also, having to deal with unwanted male attention while constantly thinking about a specific woman who you can't pursue openly is a very Samira mood.

7. Ela - Andromache

You could be my only one

This song is in English and Greek, and the English verses are okay but the lyrics I like best are in the chorus, which is mostly in Greek (translation here). The mood is, again, Samira fantasizing about what it might be like if she could actually be in a relationship with the person she loves.

8. Solid - MUNA

She is not a screen on which you project She is not a scene on your movie set She is not a mirror in which you reflect Yeah, she is of material substance

If I'm being honest, a lot of the songs on here are just songs I got really into during the long process of planning and writing What We Are Allowed, and this is one of them. Not that it doesn't apply to them! But the lyrics are a little less spot-on than some of the other songs. I think Samira and Laela both admire each other a lot for their competence in their respective roles, and for their strength of character in general. The first verse in particular feels like a dig against those people (like Nahuseresh) who view Laela and Samira as purely decorative or useful rather than actual people.

9. Mudbira - A-WA

This song is in Arabic (translation into English here). It seems to me like it's about a young woman who feels trapped, like her luck has run out and she isn't sure where her life is going, which feels appropriate for Samira. In the chorus, other women talk to the protagonist of the song, acknowledging her problems and inviting her to join them, which also feels right.

10. Ease My Mind - Hayley Kiyoko

Haunt me to my grave Don't you ever fade away Seeing every delusion I dont want to face You keep me up You keep me up at night

Samira is pining, folks. I just really like this song, especially the line Girl, ease my mind. When I first heard this song, I was still in a long-term LDR and the idea that my mind could be eased by the presence of a specific person (a specific girl) really resonated with me. I think it works for Samira's situation, too.

11. Silk Chiffon - MUNA ft. Phoebe Bridgers

Watch her silk dress dancing in the wind Watch it brush against her skin Makes me wanna try her on

Most of the references in this song are pretty modern, and it definitely feels more like Samira's fantasy than anything these characters have actually experienced, but it also makes me think of post-canon Samira and Laela, once they're actually free to live their own lives. The fabric imagery also feels like it fits them.

12. Without You - Oh Wonder

And I'm digging down holes without you Can't be on my own without you I'm a little bit lost without you

Samira again. On its face I think this song is pretty straightforwardly about missing someone, but in this context it's more about her being afraid of losing Laela, who she has known and relied on for her entire adult life.

13. La novia entre flores - Renaissance Players

Lyrics and translation here (it's not an exact match to the version on the playlist, but all of the lines are there, even if they're not in the same order). This one is basically just vibes - it's about a bride, there are two women singing together at the beginning, and the whole thing is sort of wistful.

14. Mary - Agnes Obel

In the dark I hear you sing Fingers move and chords they ring Be the witness of my shame

Agnes Obel's lyrics are never very straightforward, but the whole song feels right for them, I guess. The lyrics above in particular remind me of Laela and Samira's scenes in chapter 10.

15. Steady - The Staves

Steady, steady, steady Your steady touch I love so much I'm sleepless Oh God, oh God, oh God God, I'm only human and I'm helpless

Another Samira song, about wanting someone so badly that you're afraid of the intensity of your own feelings.

16. Las casas de la boda - Aman Aman

A song about brides and weddings and houses (lyrics and translation here). You've read chapter 10, so you know why I have emotions about it re: these characters. Of course, there are a lot of Sephardic songs about brides and weddings, and this one in particular I picked because it talks about multiple brides and other women dancing.

17. Which Witch - Florence + the Machine

And it's my whole heart Weighed and measured inside And it's an old scar Trying to bleach it out

Another Laela song! Like the last one, this is about lots of things other than Samira, because Laela has too many things on her mind and is too afraid to let herself feel much of anything besides fear. Some of the lines speak to her fear of what will happen if she's caught (who's a heretic now?), others to her fear for Kamet (I'm miles away/he's on my mind), and others to her desperate hope that the plan will succeed in the end (I'm not beaten by this yet/you can't tell me to regret).

18. Lamma Bada Yatathana - Lena Chamamyan

Lyrics and translation here. This song is in Arabic; the lyrics, at least, are from medieval Al-Andalus, but I haven't been able to find out for sure if the tune is contemporary or not. I'm also not sure whether the narrator of the song is describing a man or a woman - different translations use different pronouns, and I don't know enough about Arabic to have any idea why. But if the narrator is talking about a woman, then it's a female singer praising the grace and beauty of another woman, which is perfect for Laela and Samira. I'm definitely imagining Samira singing this for an audience and only thinking about Laela.

19. I Go Crazy - Orla Gartland

Oh won't somebody hold me and tell me it'll all work out Say that there's nothing to worry about now Cause I'm so sick of the drama and I hate to shout But you drag it out of me

This entire song is VERY "Samira as of chapter 10": freaking out because you have no idea if the person you're in love with returns your feelings. The lines quoted above make me think of the scene where Laela tries to comfort Samira but botches things by saying that nothing bad will happen, which seems inane and insulting to Samira because she knows better. Part of Samira does want someone to tell her that everything's going to be fine, but she's too pragmatic to actually believe it, and she hates the thought of Laela treating her like a child who might be mollified by a comforting lie.

20. Anything 4 U - Banks

I say you shouldn't do something I wouldn't do The problem is I'd do just anything for you Don't tell me I can't choose, cause every time it's you The problem is I'd do just anything for you

Samira again...a combo of trying to figure out how Laela feels about her, wondering what's really bothering Laela, and wishing she could do something to help. Laela, of course, is not telling; I think she knows deep down that Samira would do anything for her, and that's one of the reasons she's keeping her at arm's length.

21. Doghtar-e-boyerahmadi - Minoo Javan

A traditional Persian song where the narrator is talking about their feelings for a woman, sung by a woman (folk music in general is great for these). The first version of this song I listened to is actually a video of a live performance, which has an English translation in the subtitles (available here). I would have put that version on the mix, but as far as I can tell the YouTube video is the only recording, so I found a different version for my playlist.

22. Going Home - The Aces

Well, you could name a place and time There's nowhere that I wouldn't go As long as it's just you and I It feels like I'm going home

Another song that could be Samira fantasizing about the life she wants to have with Laela, as well as some foreshadowing about where they might end up :) The lyrics about seeing another person at their worst and helping them through it also fit really well, because even though Laela and Samira haven't been able to talk openly about their feelings or be completely honest with each other, they both have to spend so much time pretending that it feels good to let their guard down at all, even if they aren't communicating perfectly.

23. Play Along - flor

We used to run as if it mattered We used to get lost, play along, play along I wanna run to break the pattern Are you missing getting lost? Play along, play along

This song is also basically a fantasy about being free, through the lens of nostalgia. Even though Samira was from a poor family and Laela was born into slavery, they both look back on their their early childhoods with fondness, when things were (comparatively) simple and the adults in their lives were able to shelter them somewhat from the worst aspects of the world. Maybe a little bit of a stretch thematically, but I like the song!

24. forever - Hayley Kiyoko

I am always willing if you're ready for it Cold like the ocean breeze, healed all your broken pieces Saw you and I knew what I was headed for Loved you since seventeen and our love is all we need

Mostly this is just a cute f/f pop song, which would be enough honestly! The lines that made me put it on this playlist were Take me back to skipping classes/Second chances, I just wanna be close to you and Loved you since seventeen, because they remind me of the fact that Samira's crush on Laela did originate when Samira was a teenager and Laela was one of the cool older girls, but then Laela became Samira's sort-of-boss which made things significantly more complicated.

25. Mantissa - Marina Satti

A Greek pop song that an acquaintance sent me like eight months ago, and I'm still completely obsessed with it. Basically, the lyrics (translation here) are about someone vowing to do impossible things to be with the person they love, which is pretty much exactly how Samira is feeling (even if she finds herself unable to actually act on those feelings).

#sorry it took me a million years to post this #i got a little carried away with the commentary sjkdhfkjdfhgf but i had fun which is what matters #what we are allowed #my fanmix #laela

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dark-side-blog3 · 1 year ago

Note

Sorry for not being specific, I was talking about those fucked up fanfiction, that simply made you feel very bad (to the point that it was physically unwell to even finish or stay calm after all of that). Or at least your mood was ruined. It can include anything that you find fucked up to yourself. You don’t have to share any links, just please briefly retell, it would be enough. I’m just very curious about your opinions and tastes, that’s why I’m asking this. If you don’t want to answer, freely ignore me.

Ah! Well in that case, there have been quite a few fics I had to stop reading because the writer began including physical descriptions of the character who was supposed to be reader insert; And whats worse, there have been a few times while reading Kuroshitsuji fics where the writer threw a bitchfit about black readers commenting on their reader insert that the insert character is clearly supposed to be white and ruins the immersion, and the writer reacts in a crazy rant about how its not meant for black readers anyways.

I fucking hate that. Like, firstly, don't be a dick? I feel that that isn't a hard rule.

And second, I can't stand when the reader-insert is just some OC but it's written in second person. "You have large blue sapphire eyes and silver hair that goes down to your waist"-- No the fuck I DO NOT! Oh or when this fic (it was one of my first-ever-read yandere fics) slowly retconned the reader into the writer down to making the readers Christian and read MORNING PRAYERS AT THE START OF EACH CHAPTER. For a yandere 2p england fic???? Ma'am? This might be an exaggeration I stopped reading it when the prayers happened

This doesn't make me stop reading permanently, but just last night I did have to stop reading so I could rant to myself like a crazy person that no one fucking wears a burgundy cocktail dress with a sweetheart neckline black mesh sleeve and above-knee to a black tie event! So I guess another pet peeve of mine is when someone describes an outfit for the reader to wear. 9/10 times the outfit they choose isn't something a real person would wear to the event they describe, it's just something they thought was fashionable.

Oh! When someone says a fic has a gender-neutral reader but then they have other characters use "She/her" and the character wears exclusively feminine things.

I also had to stop reading a fic when I learned the yandere character with a weird name was actually a youtube that people were, inexplicably, referring to by his online name? While trapped in his apartment? I don't vibe with real-person fanfics.

Exiting the meta in terms of what I don't like... Well, the basics like incest, pedophilia, and animal fucking are hard nope for me. But deeper than that... It's hard to think of a fic where fucked up shit happens that I didn't enjoy.

I mean... I like gore. I like emotional manipulation. I like when a fictional character's life is ruined. I really like the horror aspect of yanderes. And I'm asexual, so every kink seems just about as weird as vanilla sex to me.

I sat with this thought all night, and I don't know if there is a fic that was so intense I had to stop permanently.

I might take a break to ramble about character choices and what I would have done, or the outfits, or the graphic beatdown with perfectly described wounds and splatter horror. Various tubes being fed through characters orifices. Of chemicals being slowly dripped into sensitive eyes and ears, blinding and deafening the victim, no matter how hard they struggle against the torture. I've had fun reading a writer include their niche kink for something I didn't know could be a kink! I've had fun reading writers who have what's considered a standard kink in yandere.

I honestly end up having fun with almost any yandere fic-- and the fun gets amplified when the writer has good grammar and takes care in the way they describe the reader so it doesn't give anything away but also doesn't give off generic pop-song-pandering vibes.

In conclusion: I am just here to vibe. All yandere fics that have a writer above 18, and don't have real people, animal sex, incest, or pedophilia, are good fics.

#anon ask #it might be more helpful to ask what I do like i suppose #but knowing what i don't like is important too #i don't like being mean but i do love to bitch #writer confession

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gale-gentlepenguin · 3 years ago

Text

ML Fic: Soulmate Survey Part 37

Shout out to @asongeverlasting for beta reading for me and making sure I actually got this out.

Check her writing out on AO3 as Ramblingwren

(Master post)

(Read the fic in a more condensed on Ao3)

(The latest chapter will be up on there once this reaches over 300 notes on tumblr)

_____________________________________________________________

Simularé looked out over the city from the top of the school. Using her replicated powers, she took the form of Volpina so they'd be able to alter the illusion quickly should something pop out and accidentally reveal the true form of the school. Thankfully the sentimonster didn’t need to do much in order to maintain the illusion; Paris was a surprisingly quiet city.

As far as they could tell, no one in the city outside of the school had any idea what was going on. And that worked out perfectly for them.

“So, this is where Lila has you stationed,” a voice called out, resulting in the faux fox turning around. The figure behind them was a woman clad in dark blue, with blue skin and a feathery fan. She looked confident and the sentimonster instinctively felt that this individual was very much aware of what it was.

Mayura had quickly deduced it was the sentimonster as it was in Lila’s previous akuma form, Volpina. With Lila now Masquerade, it was unlikely she would choose to take such a form. She would likely want to stay in her new form to show it off.

“Do not be alarmed, Simularé, it is your creator. Mayura,” Mayura spoke again.

The shapeshifter leveled a sharp glare at the woman. What made her so certain of that?

“How do I know that is true?” Simularé questioned.

The villainess took a moment to examine the sentimonster. Mayura had to admit that this sentimonster was her finest work to date. The amount of emotion harnessed from Lila to create it made it far more unique, much less of a mindless creature than her previous creations. Amoks were created much like akuma were, locking on to intense emotions before sending off. But unlike akuma, amok can be shaped and tailored with enough focus. Simularé was a special case, as it was made from the conclave of emotions that Lila was experiencing during her breakdown. It had been quite difficult to focus on one specific feeling but Mayura had pushed through. Simularé was sculpted to be Lila’s ideal ally, but it was also so much more than a simple asset. This Amok embodied Lila’s core personality. Her cleverness, her cunning, her mistrust of others, her playfulness, her pride and so much more. To put it simply, this Sentimonster was Lila’s spirit given a new form.

“Trust me Simularé, you would be best not to ask that,” Mayura warned.

The sentimonster felt as if it was being talked down to and clearly did not approve of anyone talking to them in such a tone, save for its master. It charged at the peacock villainess, ready to make contact, But, before it could get close, Mayura stuck out her hand and pinched her fingers together, causing the sentimonster to feel as if some force was pulling its essence out. The pain it felt was indescribable! It felt as if its very being was being ripped out. Mayura was in range to sense the Amok and could easily remove it without difficulty, much like Hawkmoth could with an akuma. Though Mayura had a feeling that letting the Sentimonster know that keeping her out of range of the item was the key to its survival would not be wise. It was best in this moment to display power.

“Stop! Please!” Simularé begged. “I … I believe you! I will do whatever you ask, just please stop the pain!”

The villainess smiled, it seemed there was even more to this Sentimonster than Mayura had anticipated. It had a powerful sense of self preservation, something controlled sentimonsters didn’t seem to have. She took note of that.

“Good. Now, you are going to explain to me your master’s end goal and where Ladybug and Chat Noir are in the building.”

Simularé felt the grip that Mayura had on its essence and held back its burning resentment towards the blue bird villainess. She would behave. For now.

“Okay… I will tell you everything.”

_____________________________________________________________

“Duck!” Ladyice called out as she had Ice Noir lower their bodies to avoid oncoming ice projectiles.

“Surprising that she's only attacking us with ice. She's Stormy weather. You'd think she would be attacking with more, maybe some rain or like a vol....” Ice Noir commented.

“Don't talk about that! Do not give her any ideas!”

The two had skated out of the room and made their way through the now icy hallway while Stormy Weather gave chase.

“I was just saying it seems weird how...mediocre her attacks are.

“It’s like we saw before, the akuma servants are like robots, they can’t react quickly so changing up her powers is likely just as much of a problem. She's probably not as dangerous as we initially thought.”

“So maybe we should face this problem head on now that we aren’t cornered?”

Ice Noir changed direction and began skating towards the umbrella-wielding akuma.

Stormy Weather noticed the approaching cat and raised her umbrella, creating a mighty gale to blow him back and ending him flying past Ladyice to the end of the hallway.

“She can use her other powers… can confirm,” Ice noir commented as he got off the wall, still dazed.

Ladyice skated up to the dazed cat and helped stabilize him. Despite seeming like a wasted effort, the cat’s brash antics actually inspired Ladyice with a way to take her out.

“I just figured out how we can stop her, think you can give her one last charge for me?”

“Why Bugaboo, asking me to rush headfirst into danger? How heartless.” He feigned hurt.

Ladybug rolled her eyes.

“Silly Kitty. Just be ready to hang in there when she blasts you with wind. Don’t get blown back this time.”

“Got it.”

Ice Noir quickly skated across the ice as he drew his weapon. He was ready for her this time.

“Hey breezy weezy! The weather today was supposed to be sunny with a 20% chance of raining Cats and Dogs!” Ice Noir called out, clearly happy with his lame joke.

Stormy Weather saw the cat approaching once again and prepared to send another wind blast at him.

But the cat was prepared this time around and extended his staff to anchor himself to the walls on either side.

“Nice try!” Ice Noir snarked. “But a small little puff of wind won't blow me back again.”

The storm akuma decided instead of creating just another wind blast, she was going to step it up with a cyclone attack! A powerful tornado tunnel would surely blast the cat down for good.

“We were wrong! She can amp up the power too!” Ice Noir exclaimed as he held onto his staff with all his might while his body was being blown back by the massive winds. “This was not well thought out!”

He focused on digging his claws into his staff and doing his best to remain in the wind tunnel. The powerful winds blew into his face and he could see Stormy Weather slowly approaching.

“I don’t think I can hold on much longer, Ladyice!”

He felt his grip slipping. Any second now, he was going to get blown back.

“Don’t worry, Kitty. I got this.”

Stormy Weather didn’t get a chance to react when she felt something tackle her full force and rush her into the wall on the opposite end of the hallway.

The wind died down and Ice Noir was able to land on his skates. He released his grip on his staff and fixed his windblown hair to resemble its original state before quickly skating down the hall to help his partner.

“Nice job, Ladyice.”

The red-clad heroine stood up from her grapple with the storm akuma.

“Actually…”

Ice Noir looked up to see that his partner had shifted power ups. Her skates and ice skater aesthetic were replaced with a suit that had red spacesuit-like plating, a jetpack with retractable wings with red and light blue colors that matches her helmet.

She had changed into her space form, Cosmobug.

“Space power up! Because you can fly through the wind! Genius!”

Cosmobug smiled.

“Well, Stormy Weather is dazed but probably not for long.”

The two heroes noticed her about to grab her umbrella, but Chat Noir’s cat-like reflexes helped him snatch it first.

“Oh no you don’t!”

Ice Noir broke the umbrella over his knee.

“I don’t think she will be as mobile without her powers.”

Stormy Weather tried to stand but slipped on the icy floor she had created.

“Let’s just make our way to the boss,” Cosmobug said. She used the jet on her back to swoop up Ice Noir and fly slowly down the icy hall.

“Just like you to sweep me off my feet. But don’t think I will be a smitten kitten like usual.”

“Oh? Is that so?” The bug heroine raised an eyebrow. “It’s hard to imagine that you haven’t been dreaming about this scenario.”

“It helps that you aren’t riding a horse with the wind blowing in your hair,” Chat Noir joked back, catching Ladybug’s teasing.

Cosmobug quickly moved them to a part of the hall where there was no ice. Both undid their potion transformations, reverting back to their usual hero forms.

“Not keeping the jetpack?” Chat Noir asked. “It is really cool.”

“The room halls are pretty limited, and there's not much mobility, otherwise I might have,” Ladybug confessed.

The two heroes took a moment to catch their breaths and figure out their surroundings.

“We should thank Stormy Weather.”

The cat looked at his partner skeptically, remembering how a few minutes ago, the wind had nearly sent him flying through a brick wall.

“What makes you say that?”

“Lila probably had Stormy Weather out and about to flush out other people in the school and make sure the area was difficult to traverse. She likely sent out a bunch of other akuma to do the same, which means her forces are scattered and we have a better shot of dealing with her with fewer obstacles.”

Chat Noir nodded. He would not have deduced such a thing from one encounter with a weather akuma.

“Good to know, so the plan is to locate her and save the day.”

“No need to figure out where she is, I already have a good idea where she should be.”

Chat Noir noticed Ladybug had already started moving. He quickly followed behind, though he didn’t need an explanation this time. He already knew where Ladybug was heading — to his homeroom class, but he couldn’t say that without revealing what he knew.

_____________________________________________________________

‘This was a ridiculous decision.’

That was the thought running through Chloé’s mind as she ran for her life from a large group of Reflekta clones.

The two or three she had run into early were easy to avoid, but now it seemed like a horde of those tacky clones. And all of the ice that surrounded certain hallways made it impossible to traverse. She was limited in her running space and she was running out. But what made it all worse was that now those Reflekta copies had adjusted to running.

“HOW CAN YOU RUN IN THOSE HEELS!?” Chloé screamed as she ran down the hall.

She just had to try and be a hero. Why was she even doing this? The assistant probably got turned into one of those gross clones or got masked like those other students. She could have just sat back and just waited for Ladybug and Chat noir to find her or let them handle it.

“You can’t run forever” The crowd of clones sang in Rather impressive and creepy harmony.

Chloé took a turn down the hall and went into the door of the nearest room.

She closed the door and locked it before smelling the musty wet air.

“What the… EWW!” She spat in disgust as she realized she had locked herself in a janitor’s closet.

“Why did it have to be in such a gross smelly room?” she moaned.

Unfortunately, her comments caught the attention of the crowd chasing her.

She heard banging on the door.

“You can’t hide, we will find.”

Chloe put her back to the door to keep them out and felt herself slide down it in despair.

Was this how it was going to end? Getting turned into one of those fashion nightmares after hiding out in such a rank smelling closet? She didn’t even save… wait. She did save someone. She saved that old man. It hadn't been glamorous, but she did manage to save at least one person.

“I guess I did do something good after all. May not have been exceptional… but it was something.” Chloé smiled for a brief moment.

She took a moment to look at the positives, Ladybug and Chat Noir would likely come in and save the day, plus there were those other two heroes. Perhaps that would be enough. But she had to admit, finding solace in that was getting harder to do when the smell of the closet was destroying her nostrils. Just then, she remembered she had some nice perfume in her bag that she could spray to alleviate the smell.

“Well, at least I won’t smell awful when they capture me.”

She put her hand in her bag and felt around for her perfume. As she searched, she felt an unfamiliar object in her designer handbag. She pulled it out.

“What is this?”

She noticed a note on top of it. It was a bit dark to read so she pulled out her phone and turned on her flashlight.

“Return to Ladybug after mission?”

Chloé’s eyes went wide. Could this be what she thought it was? How was it possible? She didn’t have time to question it.

She opened the box and out came a floating bee creature, who Chloé recognized right away. It was real.

“Pollen!” Chloé exclaimed with cheer.

“It has been a while, my queen.” the bee kwami said.

Chloé would have loved to revel in this moment more but she knew that door was going to burst open any minute. She needed to be the bee heroine.

“As much as I would love to talk more, we need to hurry. We have some akuma clones that need bashing.”

“Right away, my queen!”

Chloe put the bee miraculous in her hair.

“Pollen, Buzz on!”

_____________________________________________________________

“It is a good thing there are so many copies,” Ryuuko stated as she leaped over a few Reflekta copies.

Viperion swerved and dodged the replicas of his sister’s akumatized form while avoiding getting caught in the bubbles that froze them and floated them up in the air.

Deadzone had been doing a lot of friendly fire thanks to its single minded obsession.

“After this, I really hope I never have to see my sister take this form again,” Viperion commented.

“Right, Adrien mentioned that you were Juleka’s brother. Older brother, right?”

“Older twin brother. But yes.”

“Really? You seem older.”

“I am a grade ahead of her, but we are the same age,” he explained.

“Could have sworn you were at least a year or two older.”

“A lot of people think the same thing. Even my mom forgets, sometimes. Rose, my sister’s girlfriend, says I radiate ‘big brother energy’ or something.”

“You learn something new.”

“What about you? Any siblings?”

“Sadly no. I was an only child.”

“Too bad, I think you would have made a great older sister,” Viperion encouraged

“A snake charmer, are we?”

“Well I am the snake, and I am not charming myself, so I think the more correct term would be dragon charmer.”

“Change that to fun killer because you killed my fun right there.”

Before Viperion could retort, they had made their way down to the end of the hall and noticed that it was frozen off.

“Dead end,” they say at the same time.

“No, Deadzone.”

The two turn to see the deadly akuma amalgamation pointing its blaster at them.

The two heroes looked at the deadly akuma.

“Any ideas?” Ryuuko questioned.

“Just one.”

Viperion moved his hand to his bracelet.

“Second chance!” Viperion activated his power.

“Now we have some options.” Viperion explained.

The akuma fired a bubble blast at Ryuuko, and she was frozen.

“Second chance!”

Things reset to how they were a few seconds before. Viperion grabbed Ryuuko and pulled her out of the way of the oncoming bubble blast.

“Thanks. For a minute there, I thought that thing had me.”

“It did, but I used my power to stop that. we still have to get out of here.”

“Look out!”

Ryuuko got hit with another bubble as they got up, protecting him from an attack.

“This might take a few attempts…”

_____________________________________________________________

Hawkmoth paced inside his lair.

Mayura was out there, his son was out there… and things were not going the way he planned. Masquerade seems to be building a base for herself and was more concerned with that than getting the miraculous. Adrien is MIA, and Mayura isn’t responding.

“I might need to step in. But there is a lot of risk in this. Far too many variables that I can't account for”

Hawkmoth never liked leaving his lair. It had too many risks to it. After Heroes' Day, he had nearly been exposed. And after that fiasco in Shanghai he didn’t want to risk getting taken out by his own akuma. He had already taken plenty of risks that had blown up in his face. Would this be another one of those times he would need to risk his miraculous?

“But it could also be just what is needed to beat Ladybug and Chat Noir once and for all.”

With an akuma this powerful, the two would likely have to use their special powers multiple times. If he can just locate them and wait for them to do so, he could potentially gain the advantage. Maybe Mayura was on to something with her actions.

Hawkmoth walked to the window.

“There will be a right time. I just need to wait for it.”

He felt an itch in the back of his neck. He wasn’t sure what it was but he could tell one thing, something big was going to go down, and he needed to figure out the right call soon or it could cost him dearly.

_____________________________________________________________

“…And that’s her plan.” Simularé finished. “As for Ladybug and Chat Noir… I am unsure. I lost track of them before I was given a new assignment. But they are in the building and they have not tried to leave.”

Mayura smiled at the information. While it was quite unfortunate that she didn’t have the exact location of the two heroes, it was good to know that they were still in the building, and Lila’s plan was certainly something interesting.

“Indeed, that is quite a clever plan. Ensuring everyone in the school couldn’t escape was pretty smart. You likely had a few escapes anyway, with how clumsy some of the akuma were. You are fortunate that neither one was Ladybug or Chat Noir. Still, though, it isn’t your master’s fault for that. They are basically mindless puppets. But then again, it seems that there might be zero escapes since there seems to be no new reports on the subject of a school takeover.”

Simularé let the peacock villainess muse, analyzing her movements as if trying to figure out any advantage it could handle.

“So, the next step now that all communications are cut is to send out a message that Ladybug and Chat Noir have already been defeated, so as to cause massive despair in order to create even more minions. Sounds a bit derivative, don’t you think?” Mayura mused.

Simularé said nothing. It held its tongue. Deep down, it knew that starting any dispute with this peacock was not wise. Especially given that crazy power she had over their being.

“Still, it is quite a plan. And with all those extra akuma recruited and Ladybug and Chat noir cut off from their guardian, they wouldn’t be able to get any sort of back up. They wouldn’t be able to put up much of a fight before all of Paris is under Masquerade’s thumb. I approve of the plan.”

“I am glad you do,” Simularé stated with a forced smile.

Their conversation was cut short when an akuma appeared. Seeing one it did not recognize, the artist akuma prepared to fight. But thankfully the shapeshifting sentimonster stepped in.

“Stand down Evillustrator, this one is not our enemy,” Simularé ordered.

Evillustrator eased and walked over.

“Masquerade has ordered that we start reinforcing the building. She wants this place to be like a fortress,” he parroted.

Mayura looked at the artist.

A fortress? Yes, Simularé mentioned that Masquerade wanted to reinforce the school so that she could ensure Ladybug and ChatNoir would have less chance of escape.

Simularé nodded at the akuma servant.

“Alright, so she wants us to drop the illusion, then?”

“She wants the place to be like a fortress.”

“Go ahead and start,” Simularé motioned. She figured that her master likely didn’t care about the illusion much as she was prepared for stage two. But she would maintain it for a bit.

The akuma moved to the end of the roof and begins working to reinforce the walls

Mayura began moving to the door of the roof to get back down into the school.

“Tell your boss I will be heading to her, and she best be welcoming,” Mayura ordered.

“As you command,” Simularé replied, hiding a large amount of anger and resentment towards the blue bird.

As soon as the blue peacock is out of sight.

Simularé contacts its master.

“Simularé, what is going on? Did Evilustrator reach you?”

“Yes. He is working to make this place a fortress. You want me to maintain the illusion, right?”

“I am about to go public shortly. After I make the announcement. Drop the illusion and make sure this place is a full-on fortress. After that is done, report back to me.

“Yes master. By the way, I had an idea.”

“Oh?”

Simularé smiled sinisterly. She was going to show Peacock why she was sorely mistaken.

“I will report the details to you shortly.”

_____________________________________________________________

“Everything is set up,” Robostus noted.

“Excellent. Let’s do it now.”

The Reflekta camera crew was all set, and Gamer had set it up so the moment they went live, every screen in Paris would show Masquerade.

Masquerade got off her call with Simularé. Something seemed a bit off with her sentimonster but she was intrigued that she had a plan.

“We are live in 5….4…3….2…” the gamer stated before pressing the go live button.

Masquerade smiled.

“Good afternoon, citizens of Paris. You may not know who I am, but don’t worry! You will be very familiar with me very soon. I am Masquerade, and I have decided to make Paris my personal kingdom.”

She paused to let that sink in.

“Now you are likely very alarmed by this declaration and that is normal. It will only be a matter of time before I spread my influence to everyone in Paris.”

She paused to let her words hang in the air before continuing.

“Do not be afraid, I am no monster. I plan on being a fair leader. All I ask is for your undying admiration and absolute loyalty. After that, you are free to live your lives as you normally would. Do not resist and you will have no problems. However, if you do… well, I can’t guarantee your safety.”

Masquerade took a calm breath before finishing.

“This last message goes out to the heroes of Paris, Ladybug and Chat Noir. I know you are here, I know you believe you will stop me, and I know you have allies here. But you will fall to me. Your days of superheroing have come to an end, your miraculous will be taken from you, and I will expose you as the failures you are,” Masquerade finished with venom.

She ended the transmission.

“Now make sure that it is being looped,” she ordered.

“Already is,” Gamer confirmed. “And panic is starting to rise.”

Masquerade smiled. Her plan was already working.

It may have seemed like a simple ego boost, but that speech of hers was a crucial part of her plan. Her charm bracelet could hyper focus on anyone that was akumatized in the past and have their biggest insecurities exposed. But that one by one process took far too long, if the hope of the entire populace of Paris was already demoralized. Then all she needed to do was send out her masks and let them take hold. And all she needed to do was go out there and send the masks.

She could already feel massive amounts of negative emotion from outside of the school. As soon as she headed out of the school, she could easily go and get more akuma soldiers. She could feel her bracelet trembling with all the potential additions.

She was prepared to leave, activating one of the charms to give her black angel wings, but something she remembered caused her to stop.

“Simularé I am moving to phase two of my plan. Get down here.”

It only took a few seconds for the sentimonster to jump from the roof and knock on the window.

One for the Reflekta copies opened the large window to let in what appeared to be Dark Cupid, before it shifted into the phantasm form that was its base.

“Right on cue. So, what is this plan you wanted to suggest?” Masquerade inquired. “And be sure it is not a waste of my time.”

“What if I told you I could get you a Miraculous?”

The sentimonster could feel that Masquerade was very pleased with that idea.

_____________________________________________________________

37 attempts.

It took thirty-seven resets before Viperion figured out what they needed to do.

“Ryuuko, follow my directions exactly,” Viperion instructed. “I know how to win.”

He quickly pulled her towards him to make sure she dodged the first bubble.

The akuma was surprised by the avoidance.

Viperion smiled.

“Your next line is, ‘How did you know I was going to blast at her?'” Viperion stated confidently.

“How did you know I was going to blast at her?” Deadzone parroted in shock before realizing they had said exactly what Viperion had said they would say.

The dragon heroine looked at the determined expression of the snake. She could see experience and certainty in his posture. All her years of fencing taught Kagami the art of reading body language, and the hero in front of her was someone that exuded an aura of confidence. She knew she could trust him.

“Alright, Sassy Snake, I will let you take the reins.” Ryuuko responded.

“Jump to the left in 2 seconds and start running.”

Ryuuko followed the instructions and sure enough avoided yet another bubble attack from Deadzone.

“Head to their left and bounce off the locker at the end.”

Ryuuko dashed past the akuma and jumped as Viperion instructed, perfectly avoiding the barrage of blasts sent her way. Viperion had perfectly mirrored her motion as he explained the next steps.

“Now somersault twice and draw your sword.”

Ryuuko somersaulted as Viperion leaped over her and the dragon turned to draw her sword, now on the other side of the hall.

“Now as soon as it fires a bubble at you, activate your wind! No matter what! I believe in you Ryuuko.”

The last words seemed a bit strange to the fencer. What did he mean by that?

“Will you shut up!?” Deadzone shouted before sending a bubble at Viperion.

“For my final glimpse into the future, you will say, ‘Not so tough now are ya?'”

The bubble contacted Viperion.

“Viperion!” Ryuuko cried out.

The bubble enveloped the snake and floated to the ceiling, taking his frozen form along with it.

“No…” Ryuuko muttered. She looked down in sorrow.

I failed to protect him. He ended up protecting me. He had been backing me up to make sure I wouldn’t do anything reckless.

Ryuuko felt her mind flashback to a few days ago which now seemed almost like it happened a year ago. They had made such a good team back then and now… they get a chance to be heroes again and she couldn’t cover him like he did her.

“Ha, not so tough now are ya?” Deadzone stated with confidence.

Ryuuko’s ears perked up at the statement. That was the line Viperion predicted they would say. That means… Viperion knew this would happen! Which meant his previous statement was to show he planned this. She knew what to do.

Deadzone turned its attention to Ryuuko.

“Don’t worry, you will join him shortly.”

Deadzone fired another bubble right at her, but this time Ryuuko wasn’t moving. She was at the perfect distance to do what she needed to do.

Ryuuko smiled.

“Wind dragon!”

The dragon-themed heroine turned into a cloud and blew the bubble right back at the akuma.

“What!”

The bubble encapsulated the akuma, causing it to freeze in place and then float to the ceiling.

Ryuuko returned to her original form and smiled, seeing how they had finally incapacitated the akuma.

“We did it, Viperion. We took them down. I'm sorry it cost you so much… I won't let you down!”

She raised her blade, upon realizing that her partner was indeed trapped in a bubble.

“Wait a minute…”

Ryuuko walked underneath Viperion’s bubble. She wasn’t entirely sure if this would work, since akuma magic was weird and often unpredictable, but it would make a lot of sense if it did.

“It is a bubble, so this should work right?” Ryuuko questioned as she used the tip of her sword to touch the bubble. She pushed it forward a bit causing the bubble to pop.

Her partner dropped to the floor.

“Ugh… my head.”

“You’re okay!”

Ryuuko hugged her friend, but then realized her sudden action and quickly jumped back up. A bit flustered, she could swear Marinette was rubbing off on her.

“I am glad you are alright, friend. You had me concerned — slightly,” Ryuuko corrected herself.

Viperion was surprised by the quick motions but managed to steady himself.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Of course. But make it quick, we will need to get a move on.”

“Okay… Who am I?”

Ryuuko froze at the question. She could see the confusion on his face. He was completely serious.

“Oh… that is not good at all.”

_____________________________________________________________

Masquerade is on phase two of her plan and Simularé is starting to make waves.

Who will get to the akuma first, Mayura or our heroes.

What will happen to Viperion now that his memory is gone?

Will Queen bee be the right choice?

Reblog and Comment . Your support is invaluable in keeping this fic alive. And I love hearing your thoughts on it

#ml #ml fic #miraculous ladybug #ml fanfiction #ladrien #miraculous fanfiction #drama #ladybug #chat noir #slight ladynoir #fan akuma #masquerade akuma #ml au

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sometimes-love-is-enough · 2 years ago

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2, 4 (eucatastrophe), 7, 12, 15-16-17, 23, 24, 41, 47, 49 (melliferous) :>

2. Go to your AO3 “Works” page, to the sidebar with all the filters, and click the drop-down arrow for “Additional Tags.” What are your top 3-5 most used tags? Do you think they accurately represent your writing habits?

Body Horror (5)

Remix (4)

Friendship (3)

Suicidal Thoughts (3)

Time Loop (2)

I don't think they don't represent my writing habits, I'm just kind of surprised more common tags aren't in there.

4. What detail in [insert fic] are you really proud of?

It's very simple and very stupid, but I really love that Thomas's reaction to seeing Janus for the first time in Syzygy is 'so beautiful. so mysterious. i'm in love' and Janus's POV of the exact same moment is 'what the fuck is wrong with him. he needs a fucking nap'. It makes me laugh.

7. Any worldbuilding you’re particularly proud of?

most of my favorite worldbuilding I've done in Syzygy hasn't come up just yet, but I'm really fond of a lot of the stuff I did there that I've been explaining through epistolary. apart from that, the whole 'fae seven year sacrifice recontextualized as a eldritch lovecraftian ritual' is definitely up there.

12. Are there any tropes you used to dislike but have grown on you?

tragedy babyyyyy

15. What’s your favorite AU that you’ve written?

genuinely, it's still the Inception AU (not really an AU, I guess? I guess it's more like a flat crossover since it's actually plausibly canon in both universes. Okay. I'll pick another one) melliferous OBVIOUSLY

16. What’s an AU you would love to read (or have read and loved)?

hmmmm Fallen London AU. I just think it would be neat. Also, see answer to next question.

17. What highly specific AU do you want to read or write even though you might be the only person to appreciate it?

the one I occasionally rotate in my brain is the dungeons and daddies au. (NOT a bdsm AU) instead, it's the AU of six sides flung into the forgotten realms to rescue their missing centre, except they're all really bad at D&D. this week's side fact: patton is like 50/50 on the moon landing actually happening, to logan's intense anger. the other one i've been rotating i plan on writing next year so we'll see how that pans out

23. What’s a trope, AU, or concept you’ve never written, but would like to?

i want to do a soulmate AU to specifically deconstruct the idea of soulmate AUs. and/or hanahaki, same thing. i've had some ideas in the past but never got around to writing them.

24. Are there any easter eggs in [insert fic], and if so, what are they?

you didn't specify a fic so I'm going to go with Syzygy and I'm pleased to announce that quite a lot of the epistolary sections feature mini-cameos from either friends of mine or writing projects that i never ended up finishing. the play that thomas is in is vaguely based off a story i wrote in high school, everyone in the hollow-host.net chat room in chapter two is from one of my group chats (guess which one is me). oh, and in the review of AAHTDTL in chapter one, two of the plays listed are (obviously) Melliferous and Eucatastrophe.

41. Link a fic that made you think, “Wow, I want to write like that.”

In this fandom? Love and Other Fairy Tales kicked my brain with electric shoes and set me into writing overdrive with fairy emotions and a feeling's not a thing you own did the same with Thomas-Side feelings.

47. If [insert fic] was a pair of shoes, what kind would it be? Describe the shoes.

i assume this one's for melliferous. a good pair of walking boots that you loved dearly, but they're kind of squishy with all the honey you've been walking through and you know you're going to lose them eventually.

49. What are you currently working on? Share a few lines if you’re up for it!

Got the next chapter of Syzygy all drafted out, just need to polish it. It includes the phrase 'snex life' and a background weedmobile. Here's a bit:

Thomas isn’t sure if he should be shaking Janus’s hand or not. It seems like it would be a weird sort of thing to do. He actually kind of just wants to hug Janus as hard as he can, but that seems like an even weirder thing to do. He settles for a normal-person verbal introduction, instead. “Um, my name’s Thomas. Hi.”

For some reason, this gets a small frown out of Janus. “It is?”

“I... think so?” Thomas says, momentarily doubting it, before he shakes his head. “No, it is. Thomas. Thomas Sanders. Why are we being so weird about our names?”

the other thing i'm currently working on is a plan and research for (what will hopefully be) next year's big bang fic. nothing non-spoilery there to share, unfortunately. talk more about that later!

#fic ask meme #asks

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theoraeeken · 3 years ago

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Is everything changes worth reading? I took a brief look a while ago but i didn't have the stamina for it.

this is a very complex answer to what is probably a pretty simple question but also i have quite intense feelings about this fic.

if you are easily triggered by discussions of rape or physical abuse, depictions of emotional abuse, and probably depictions of abuse specifically in a health care enviroment, this is not ideal for you. like just off the get go, this fic can be a HEAVY read.

that aside, i love EC. i love that it's SO long, i love what it's about, i love that someone truly took the time to do this degree of research and actually write this. i have a lot of feelings about fanfic in general but EC really encapsulates everything i love about it. i've done a pro and con list because a) i think it's handy to know what you're going into ans b) i love talking about EC.

(this is.... uh.... long) (no real spoilers, just some insinuations)

pros

one of the best depictions i have ever seen of the reality of mental illness. there's no fix. there's no quick solution. and even if there is a small hint of 'love fixes all', it never actually does. seb has ptsd, and he relapses several times. he gets frustrated over it. it's incredibly imperfect and actually, extremely real. recovery is portrayed much closer to reality than i have seen in almost any other form of media hands down. i suppose the downside to this is that the narrative of recovery can be quite arduous to read but as i'll discuss below, if you read EC the way i do (and assume others do) that's not an issue.

(also: recovery from physical injury??? miss georgia where did you get your medical degree i have to KNOW)

the attention to detail is genuinely?? insane?? and again, yes, having every detail mapped out (like, down to each overtake) can be a slog to read but it's so real. in other stories, if a character is eats toast instead of cereal for breakfast, chances are, there's a reason, but there's a real sense of the natural chaos of life in EC because characters have bad days and think random things and have preferences that never impact the story, they're just... there. this is probably not to everyone's tastes but i find it utterly fascinating to see all the aspects of people written down and documented and maybe mentioned?? a million words later?? it's such a strange way to write but it's SO effective.

speaking of: the characters are imperfect in a way that never suggests that they are morally evil. real people have awful thoughts, they think bad things about their coworkers and daydream about shagging the neighbour. in one scene, seb's parents react BADLY to a bit of news and it's awful and uncomfortable to read but it's never suggested that they're bad people for it.

oc's that i genuinely dont know are real people or not until i google it because they're so well developed.

THE SLANGGGGGG. fuck my entire ass, georgia_k either grew up in a british-german-aussie household or has done enough research to qualify them for an honourary doctorate from oxford. the consistent use of british slang from british characters and the way mark and seb slowly start influencing each others's language i am simply in fucking awe, tolkein is writing notes as we speak.

lewis hamilton characterisation that lewis hamilton himself could not write. crazy because he's a side character but they really nailed this dude in this fic.

cons

the quality of writing isn't the best (up to chapter 120 - this fic has been written over eight years so i fully believe and have seen the quality get better which makes sense because who doesnt improve over a decade and honestly my fics from eight years ago i would rather die than let see the light of day so this isnt really a criticism)

the characterisation of some of the characters is.... not to my tastes. mark especially. that being said, if you like martian and you like hurt/comfort, this would not be a deal breaker. it's not how i envision some of them to be, but it's very cathartic to read.

the sex scenes are...... also not to my personal taste. also why did georgia_k decide that seb cannot ride dick??? like he fully goes for thirty seconds then his legs give out fgdfgshsj sorry but why did they do that professional athlete so dirty like that

the way the pov changes either once every 1000 words or once a paragraph can be extremely jarring.

none of this negates the fact that this fic is longer than seb's ass in thicc, however, i encourage you to look at EC less like a book and more like a tv show with a million series. you really?? dont have to read the whole thing?? there are natural breaks in the narrative that you can very easily stop at without actually missing out on anything. my first read i think i got to chapter 100 and then lost steam. when i went back to reread, i only read up to the 'get together'. the next time, i skipped to another major plot point and started there. dont be intimidated by the length, be intimidated by how much you're going to be invested in mark webber's fictional house keeper visiting her son in canada over the holidays.

TL;DR: fuck yeah you should read everything changes

thank u for enabling my nonsense <3

#friend tag #everything changes #jay.txt #now THIS is shitposting

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louwhose · 2 years ago

Text

All the Fic Writer Answers

😅 What's a story or scene you've created that you're a smidge embarrassed exists?

It's only been a few months since I've gotten back into writing, so I don't think I'm removed from any of it to consider it embarrassing. However, from a previous excursion into fic writing three years ago and any of the many things I wrote when I was thirteen... 😅 is accurate.

🥺 Is there a certain type of moment or common interaction between your characters that never fails to put you in your feels?

It may sound a little cheesy, but things like hope in the darkest situations and love and friendship inspiring people to be better. It's more than that but it's those vibes and all I can say is that I love it.

🤡 What's a line, scene, or exchange you've written that made you laugh?

"By the Goddess, Robbie!" Impa said. "You can’t just ask someone you just met to strip!" "Why not?" Purah retorted. "I wanna see it, too." Why did they all want to see him naked? Link was very uncomfortable with this. "Enough!" Zelda finally inserted herself back into the conversation. "No one will be stripping anyone. Understood?"

From Turn of the Century.

😈 Has there been a point in a story where you did something just to be playfully mean to your readers?

Maybe the end of chapter 5 of that fic I did for TwiYor week? Otherwise maybe if I ever actually get far enough along in any of my planned long fics...

✍ Do you have a beta reader?

I wish, but I've never gotten the confidence to try to get one.

🛒 What are some common things you incorporate in your fics? Themes, feels, scenes, imagery, etc.

Characters being very introspective, and usually an overall hopeful feel to it, maybe? It's really hard to analyze my own work on this one.

🎢 Which of your fics would you call your wildest ride?

Turn of the Century? Or at least it probably will be eventually?

✨ Give you and your writing a compliment. Go on now. You know you deserve it. 😉

It's getting better on the action and not being quite so dialogue heavy? Also, the emotions are written well?

💋 First kiss fics. Love em or hate em?

LOVE LOVE LOVE! I cannot get over two idiots falling in love and coming to accept their feelings and admit them to each other and kiss. Or even if the order is messed up a little, it's always a delight!

🎶 Do you listen to music while you write? What song have you been playing on loop lately?

I've started doing it more. Lately, I've found that looking up specific music correlating to a scene gets me really into it and I enjoy it. Like listening to the Lost Woods music while writing about how chilling the place could really be was... intense.

🛠What tools/programs/apps do you use to write?

Basically just Google Docs. Mostly because I love the convenience of switching to my phone when I'm out and about. Even have a few things I wrote nearly entirely on my phone while on vacation.

⛔ Do you have a fic you started, but scrapped?

I've talked about it a lot, but my BOTW2 speculation fic that was ruined by the Tears of the Kingdom trailer coming out.

🙋‍♀️ Do any irl people know you write fanfic?

My family, because I cannot shut up about it when I have an idea I like or want to bounce an idea off of someone and they're right there. In fact, I'm not shy about sharing it, so basically anyone I spend time with and have gotten moderately comfortable with is told.

🍦 What's the sweetest fic you've created so far?

Probably I Choose You.

🍷 Do you drink and write?

No. Nothing about alcohol appeals to me.

🍆 Do you write the spicy stuffs? If so, what's your most popular nsfw fic?

🌞 Do you have a preferred time of day to write?

Anytime, really, but a little more in the mornings since I'm a morning person and that's when I have more energy to do things rather than consume them.

💖 What made you start writing?

I've always had story ideas, but when I consider it to be actual "writing" was when I was twelve, had finished eating my lunch and I guess I must've finished my book already because I wasn't reading, and I decided to actually start writing down, on pencil and paper, my story, and had actually finished the first chapter by the end of the day.

💌 How do you feel about comments and feedback?

I love it!!!! I'm admittedly not the best at responding, but it just delights me to see people enjoying something I've written.

❌ What's a trope you will never write?

anything really very nsfw. it's just not for me

💲 Would you ever open commissions?

No, not for fics. I have way too many ideas of my own, and even if that weren't the case, I would ask for requests rather than anything.

🧐 Do you spend much time researching for your stories?

Entirely too much or entirely too little. Depends on how much I care about a detail and how easily I can figure out the answer.

🏆 What's your most popular fic?

Blind Spots. I think it's mostly because of how large the SPY x FAMILY fandom is now.

🎃 Do you write fics for certain holidays? Which is your favorite holiday inspired fic?

None yet, but I think I'd like to do some for the holiday season this year...

🎯 Have any of your readers accurately guessed major plot points? Care to share which?

I don't think there's really been that much guessing plot points because I haven't really done much multi-chapter stuff. Yet. But I'm trying to figure out a way to getting those actually worked on seriously.

🎨 How do you feel about fan art of your stories?

I would LOVE

📈 How many fics do you have?

🦅 Do you outline fics or fly by the seat of your pants?

Fly by the seat of my pants because outlining typically makes me lose motivation on a fic.

👀 Tell me about an up and coming wip please!

Witches! (hehehe)

🤗 What advice would you give to new fanfic writers that are just getting started?

Just write. It may not be masterfully done, but we all need to start somewhere. And no one else will have your idea, or at least do it exactly the way you do it, so don't be afraid to share your stories!

💞 Who's your comfort character?

I am honestly torn between Link and Zelda because I project onto both of them a LOT.

🤩 Who is your favorite character to write?

Probably Purah. There are some other characters that are pretty great, but throwing her into the mix always makes things fun.

🤲 Would you please share a snippet of a wip?

Link had forgone the challenge, and sportsmanship, to kill an unconscious, half-dead foe in cold blood. Maybe he didn’t quite want to be the Hero. But he didn’t want to be that, either.

😬 Which of your fics would you be most horrified for friends, family, or coworkers to stumble upon?

x I... may have self-projected a little too much and a few of them might know exactly what I am referring to and I don't want to admit that this was my poor way of coping with it.

🎉 What leads you to consider a fic a success?

I like it when at least someone likes it. Because that's what I need, is for someone to like it, because otherwise I'm content with a story in my head for myself, despite enjoying the process of getting things to actually work in an actual story. So I like it when someone likes it, especially if they give actual feedback, which is part of the reason I try to comment on fics I read pretty often.

✅ What's something that appears in your fics over and over and over again, even if you don't mean to?

Zelink. I love them, don't get me wrong, but... not every fic is trying to be about them, or at least not their romantic relationship.

📚 Would you ever want to turn writing into a career?

Well, an author is what I've wanted to be since I was twelve, so... yes.

⌛ How long does it take you to write a fic, or a chapter?

Honestly honestly honestly depends on a combination of length, motivation, and how much time I actually spend working on that particular one. Longest one so far is HERO x FAMILY taking a couple of months, though that was admittedly time concentrated more towards the first couple and last couple of weeks.

🤯 What's a genre you struggle with as a writer (ex. romance, action, etc.)?

Action. I mean, describing people doing things as opposed to talking or freaking out internally? Especially if they're doing a lot of things like in a fight? It's a struggle, because it's not really what I think of it and I am slow getting it written.

💔 Is there a fic of yours that broke your heart?

Tough choice because I love angst but A Lifetime Ago just is a heartbreaking premise and I think it takes the cake on this one.

💥 How do you feel about criticism?

Give it but please be nice about it?

🤭 Do you have a favorite tag to use when posting your works?

I have been trying to use #lou writes

🥰 How do you feel about reader interaction? Are you open to receiving questions about your fics?

um yes please. These stories live in my head and I love to talk about them, and usually my siblings aren't that receptive, so if someone would like to talk to me about it and ask about it to know more, I would be delighted!

#stealing this idea from fate just cuz it's a great idea #lou writes #casually drops lots of links to fics in here in pitiful promotion of them #drops this and then scurries into bed for the night

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paperandsong · 3 years ago

Note

Hi I read your post where you spoke about phantom of the opera and authenticity. I’m curious to know what was omitted in the original translation of the novel. What were Christine’s feelings about Erik that weren’t included?

Hi anon! I love this topic so much thank you for asking. I want to say first that @fdelopera’s blog has lots of great information about the different PotO translations and every phan should check it out. I have learned a lot from that blog and from other phans, especially @catcorsair and @lebzpel.

The first English translator, Alexander Teixeira de Mattos, left out around 100 pages worth of text. Sometimes entire passages are missing, sometimes it’s just a single word. It isn’t known why Teixeira left out so much or why he left out certain details specifically (but I speculate in my fic Men of Letters and Erik is not happy about the omission).

Some of the omitted passages are quite emotionally heavy and can affect the way the reader understands Christine’s actions. The omitted passages leave out a range of Christine’s feelings for Erik – a pendulum swing from tenderness to terror. These passages don’t hold the answer to the question we all want to know: Does Christine really love Erik? But they do add more layers of complexity and intensity to the relationship.

Here are three examples from the Apollo’s Lyre chapter. This is the chapter in which Christine takes Raoul to the rooftop of the Garnier and tells him the entire story of her abduction. It is the chapter where the reader gets the most vivid descriptions of Erik’s house, his face, his emotional range. We must keep in mind though, that this is Christine’s story as she tells it to Raoul. We should ask, is she telling the truth or is there a reason she might alter certain details for Raoul’s benefit?

1. Desdemona’s Willow Song

Teixeira: “That night, we did not exchange another word. He sang me to sleep.”

Ribière: “That night, we did not exchange another word. Taking up a harp, he – the man with the voice of an angel – started singing Desdemona’s Willow Song. I had sung it myself and felt ashamed of my memory of it. Music, Raoul, has the power to make one forget everything save those sounds that touch your heart. I forgot my extraordinary situation. The Voice was back. Enthralled, I followed his harmonious lead; I became one of Orpheus’ flock! He took me through sorrow and delight, through martyrdom, despair and bliss, from death to triumphant love. I listened. He sang. He sang pieces unknown to me, new music that induced in me strange feelings of tenderness, languor and peace…music which, having stirred my soul, soothed it little by little, bringing it to the threshold of dreams. I fell asleep.”

*This passage is reminiscent of the tender Music of the Night scene of ALW’s musical. Except that this passage is completely absent from the Teixeira translation and a more complete translation would not be published until 1990 (Bair). Perhaps ALW read the original French? Does anyone know? I have my doubts.

2. The Scissors

Teixeira: “I was very angry, slammed the door in his face and went to the bath-room…When I came out again, feeling greatly refreshed, Erik said that he loved me, but that he would never tell me so except when I allowed him and that the rest of the time would be devoted to music.”

Ribière: I slammed the door in his face and went into the bathroom. But before I took my bath, I placed a magnificently crafted pair of scissors within reach, determined to kill myself should Erik in his madness choose to behave dishonourably. Having bathed, I felt greatly refreshed. I wisely resolved not to antagonize him or hurt his feelings in any way and, if need be, to flatter him so as to regain my freedom as soon as possible. When I joined him, it was Erik who spoke first, saying that he wished to apprise me of his plans for me so that I might feel reassured. He enjoyed my company too much to leave me on my own, as he had done the previous day when confronted with my fear and indignation. Now I must understand, he continued, that there was no reason to be afraid of him. He loved me, but would never tell me so without my consent; the rest of the time would be devoted to music.

*This scissors are so important. Her use of the term “dishonourably” implies that Christine found Erik sexually threatening. She is afraid he is going to rape her. This omission can really change the way the reader understands the nature of Christine’s fear. I bring up the scissors in my fic Apollo’s Lyre: Uncensored Insert.

3. The Coffin

Teixeira: “…know that I am built up of death from head to foot and that it is a corpse that loves you and adores you and will never, never leave you!...Look, I am not laughing now, I am crying, crying…”

Ribière: “…understand that I am entirely made of death – from head to foot – and that it is a corpse who loves you, worships you and will never, never leave you! I will have a larger coffin made, Christine, for when our loving days finally come to an end! Look, I am not laughing now, I am weeping, weeping…”

*Erik’s threat to enlarge his coffin-bed could also be seen as a sexual threat. His mind is on marriage and the marriage bed. Christine is probably fingering those scissors in her pocket.

Feel free to discuss in the notes! I'm not an expert, but I do love PotO translation issues. For me, they are just another fascinating part of the story.

#phantom of the opera #le fantôme de l'opéra #gaston leroux #phantom translations #alexander teixeira de mattos #ribière #apollo's lyre #asks

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thanks-mike-stamford · 3 years ago

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Fics that inspire my writing - Part I

This is Part I. The other parts will be linked here as they are posted: Part II | Part III

When people ask "What's your favourite fic?" I can't truly give an answer. It depends on my mood! How can I choose only one? Sometimes you want to reread that one fic for emotional comfort, sometimes you want that other one for the hots, sometimes you want to suffer a bit with the characters and have the relief of the happy ending, and sometimes you love a fic so so so much, but it hurts and you don't pick it up again ever. There's no way I can choose a favourite.

So this is just a disclaimer that this list is not really about favourites.

This list is about writing.

I'm not as prolific as a writer than I am as a reader. I try to do my best, of course. The best way to learn a lot about writing, though? I have to say it's reading. I can attribute most of my vocabulary (in all languages I know) to reading. When talking about writing fiction, it's more than vocabulary, though: narrative, prose, dialogues, plot, characters, themes... It's a lot happening.

These fics I'm going to mention are the ones that I read and think yo myself: oooh, I wish I could write like that. So I use them to study! Perhaps I could try this type of narrative? Or I could build my characters to be complex in this way? Perhaps I could phrase things in a less mechanical way, like this author does?

I'm drafting a lot of stuff recently and in these new works I'm trying to improve the way I write. I'm a quick reader but slow writer, but I hope my future works can show I learned from these stories below.

So, here we go, 10 Fics That Inspire My Writing, in no particular order. This list is not exhaustive either, it was horrible to choose just 10.

Part I

Limping forward series by bendingsignpost

I absolutely love this series, which is a main fic from John's POV and a short prequel from Sherlock's POV, supposed be read after the main story. I'll refer to the main story from now on.

This fic is dialogue-heavy. The moments of description are usually very close to the POV, and while it's used to indicate actions, the main purpose is always to show what John is feeling by how he interacts with whatever and whoever is around him. Sometimes we are left with dialogues that are not explicit. The characters know exactly what they mean, by the described reactions, but the reader is left to wonder - or most importantly, to actually think about what they mean given the context. The fic feels almost like an intelectual exercise in which we practice how to read people's feelings. The climax of the fic doesn't come from a misunderstanding that can be fixed with a conversation, for example. It comes from an emotional misunderstanding, and it's brutal, because there's no way it couldn't happen. Both John, Sherlock, and the reader need to understand the meanings behind the actions - if you have a bias or trauma, it can be hard. Sherlock's deduction at the climax scene comes from an emotional perspective - he deduces how John felt, and that would finally explain John's actions, which weren't clear for him. Just like Sherlock says in the story - it's magnificent.

These two aspects - dialogue with implicit meaning and description with a purpose - are aspects I lack in my own writing. I struggle immensely with dialogue, and my descriptions are usually "Character A is here or there, talking to B or C, and they're thinking X or Y". I look up to how this fic works in trying to get better, and I did try to incorporate those "invisible conversations" into my works.

The Illusion of Control series by starrysummernights

Uuuh, omegaverse! Not everyone's cup of tea. I love omegaverse though, for two reasons: you can create completely different world dynamics and sex/gender dynamics, and play with it.

This series needed to be a series. Every part is important. We have alternating POVs of John and Sherlock. If you read the series as a WIP, as it was posted, you could have been under the impression that it was strictly porny. But it helps a ton to read it following the chronology of the story (the prequels and sequels to the original one were attributed accordingly). Because the trick of this series is John's character arc. We are immediately presented with John's life story since childhood until he starts a relationship with Sherlock. He has endured great emotional trauma, but at first he doesn't even recognise he has been traumatised. Lifelong issues build up and eventually will spill over. It's not quick to deal with it, that's why it needs a full series. His relationship with Sherlock deepens, he needs to make some important choices, he faces great struggles. And step by step, we follow John's journey. It's absolutely brilliant to get there. It hurts, but it hurts good. And it's nobody's fault, at the end. He's not reduced to his issues, he's an entire complex person, but we are always aware how said issues played an important role in shaping this character.

Writing such a long story, posting it out of chronological order, and not losing sight of the character arc is what makes this fic stand out. One of my published fics specifically took great inspiration in this one while building a character arc for John.

Trying to Find The In-Between by NoStraightLine

Later on this was re-posted as a multi chapter fic, but I originally read it as a series when it was a WIP, and personally I think it works better this way.

This amazing work taught me a lot about causes and consequences. I think the entire series can be grouped in three parts. First part is the beginning of their relationship. They are learning about each other, playing piece by piece like a puzzle. Then second part is around Reichenbach Fall, they separate and emotional fuckery ensues, up until Sherlock comes back, the pinnacle of angst. Third and last part is them relearning each other from scratch. The relationship needs to be completely different - and they don't even know if they will get together after all, if it will ever work again. And here's the main point: it's not a single decision that warrants consequences. They had a super intense relationship at first - but if you go too high, the fall is worse. Everything is borderline unhealthy, but it could easily be attributed to love. The author doesn't shy away from showing us it's a bit of both: big love can be a bit unhealthy. To put up boundaries between them so they both keep sane you also need to limit how you treat each other, and what you expect from each other.

This fic made me think I need to estimate the consequences of how I build up characters' interactions. The reactions need to be accordingly to that measure. In one fic I tried to play with this intensity ended up being borderline unhealthy. Not something you'd want in real life, of course, but in fiction... anything is possible.

This is the end of Part I. Stay tuned for Parts II and III!

#johnlock #sherlock fanfic #writing #hoverseas talks about fic

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