#anyway… currently thinking two more chaps of fluff fic posted this week

[cargopantsprentiss]

Fanart era temporarily on hold. Fic era thriving.

[airplanelanding]

Heyyyy back with some more asks hehe! (I'm sorry but actually not really) So for the fanfic game: 1, 7, and 33?

Pshh you know I always love getting asks (especially ones with multiple thingys in them) I love doing these games. 

Okayokay so, I’m answering this on my laptop so I’m going to have to come back and like add in tags after I post it, ugh, I hate that. 

A n y w a y agskdhfsdaj

1. From one to five stars, how would you rate your own writing? (No downplaying yourself!)

Okay, so depending on the fic, probably 3-4 because I’m fairly confident in my works and proud of what I write, but know there is still room for improvement in my writing skills, and some fics are definitely better than others so 3 to 4 depending on the fic. 

7. What element of writing do you struggle with most?

This one is hard, tbh, and I’ve been thinking about it really hard, because I don’t know. I mean, not to say I don’t struggle with any elements of writing, because I’m sure I do, I just... I genuinely can’t name one I struggle with most because I don’t know. It’s something I’ll have to pay attention to. I struggle with planning in multi-chapter stories, if that counts? I always used to jump right into them and then 3 chapters in I get stuck because I have no plan, no guide, no chapter layouts, no plot diagram, nothing. So, I used to never get multi-chap fics done. I’m getting better with that, though, and for my latest multi-chap tGoD, I’ve already begun planning properly and creating chapter layouts and plot goals & major plot points. 

33. Is there anything you wish your audience knew about your writing or writing process? 

Okay this is going to be a long one so, buckle up. 

I do have one fun fact about how I write emotions, for example the anxiety and panic and paranoia in Honey & Hemlock or the anger and hurt in Together, or the sadness & pain from Keeping It Together. When writing these scenes, I tend to focus and think about how I am affected by these emotions and how I react to them and how they work with me, and that’s how I write them. For the anxiety/panic/paranoia in H&H, I thought about how I think and feel when I’m having an attack or spiraling, and I thought about the physical and mental affects I show when it’s happening and how I feel when it’s happening, then I tweaked it a bit just to fit the situation better, as obviously my attacks aren’t about getting caught for having magic. For Together & KiT, though, it was a bit different, as I used those to vent my emotions (which, vent-writing is very cathartic to me, it’s helpful for me to get out and understand my emotions), so what Arthur was feeling, was what I was feeling. I took my emotions as I was feeling them and I forced myself to put it into words as a way to process it. Same for Keeping it Together, I was grieving when I wrote it, and I was trying my damn hardest not to break down, so I wrote out how it felt and everything I wished I could say, and as Merlin cried, I cried. His thoughts, his feelings, his words about Kilgharrah, they were all my thoughts, my feelings, my words about my cub. 

A lot of the time when I write strong emotions, I want it to feel realistic and I want the reader to be able to understand how the character is feeling, and so, to do that, I do this. I think about how these strong emotions effect me (if I’ve felt them before) and I write that. Even if it’s a situation I’ve not been in (like being terrified of being murdered for practicing sorcery in Camelot lmao), I still think about how these strong emotions effect me, and I adjust it as needed to fit the scenario. 

Another thing I’d like to say about my writing process is that, I do a lot of research. Mainly for my long fics, but even sometimes on my short ones. On a fic like H&H I will spend hours upon hours researching and translating, and I put my all into writing the fic. Even short ones, I put everything I have into it. 

I am often anxious about if people will like my writing or not, because I put so much work into it, but I second guess myself frequently on whether it’s actually good or not. So, when you comment on my work with even just a short little “i liked this!’ it literally means the world to me and ilysm, because each comment I get sweeps away my insecurity bit by bit, and I’m actually a lot more confident in my work now than I was even just two months ago thanks to the kind words from my readers. 

And finally, my process changes a LOT based on the length and type of fic. A short, self-indulgent, tooth-rotting fluff fic will not be heavily researched or mulled over for weeks at a time, I’ll write that shit in one go, 2k words in 30 minutes or less, let’s go. A fic like H&H or my current longest wip tGoD, though? Months. It will take so much time and effort and research. My process changes so much. And, y’know this also depends on my motivation at the time. My process shifts at least a little for every fic I write. It’s rarely ever the same as a whole for multiple fics.

Anyway, yeah, so that was really long, um, tysm for the ask! I love answering these. 

Sorry the last one is so long, the answer got away from me a little there, and I got carried away. 

Send me a number (or a few) and I’ll answer them! 

[bettsfic]

I didn't even realize it was possible to get 2000 subscribers to a story on AO3 until I just read your post about comments. I've been thinking lately about how insignificant my writing is (my current WIP has like 160 subscribers). At what point do I acknowledge I'm just not very good at this? Like my most recent short fic (in a new fandom) was two days ago, has about 400 hits and 69 kudos. Others posted at the same time have way more. Am I just bad?

personally i think 69:400 is an excellent ratio. i’d be over the moon with that. moreover, it’s friday, which means you posted wednesday. very likely, people saw the fic, marked it for later, and will come back to it on the weekend. give it time.

when i say 2000 subscribers i mean aggregate user subscribers and fic subscribers. i don’t remember the exact number of people subscribed to the fic specifically. 300 maybe? anyway, traffic is dumb and you should never look at it to determine the quality of your own work. 

i understand the inclination to lend meaning to traffic, but doing that will never help you. popularity and quality are different things. just because a lot of people like something doesn’t mean it’s good. in fact, the best things tend not to be well-read at all. my favorite fic of all time has been up for 10 years and has less than 400 kudos. some of my favorite fic authors whose work i read no matter what fandom they’re writing in are not well-known at all.

quality-wise, the two best fics i’ve ever written have the following stats:

this one has been up for 3 years. last month i reread it, forgetting all the details of it, and i couldn’t put it down. i stayed up until like 3am reading my own fic, utterly riveted as if i hadn’t written it. the DREAM. and look at all those comments! the bookmarks:kudos ratio! not many people read it, but those who did really, really liked it. god i love that fic.

this one has been up for a year and a half. i come back and reread this one a lot because i find it comforting. on a quality level it’s one of the strongest pieces i’ve ever written, ofic included. this is another one where not many people read it but those who did really loved it. it was written for a very very small fandom though.

and here are the stats of the *worst* things i’ve ever written, and which make me cringe a little when i think of them:

when it was a wip, it had like 1200 subscribers. i haven’t looked at it once since i finished it. a lot of people love it, but i just wish i’d never written it at all. 

and this is the first long multi-chap i ever wrote, which i had no idea would really ever be read. i had absolutely 0 following at the time and honestly i don’t know how anyone found it. i wish i could look at it without wanting to die but i can’t even open it anymore; that’s how bad it is. 

this is my highest traffic fic, written for a massive ship. it’s not a bad fic; i still like it even if i haven’t read it in a long time. but i also wouldn’t say it’s good. i pounded it out in about a day and a half. i didn’t put a lot of thought into it. the only thing special about it was that it happened to find and feed its audience to satisfy that exact fandom’s tastes in that exact time. that’s all.

traffic (and the success of all writing) is nothing more than a function of audience. if you get undesired traffic, it’s because you either haven’t found your audience or you’ve misunderstood it (it is not your obligation, however, to understand your audience or write to it; your obligation is only to honor the story you want to tell). when you’re in a fandom and you see fics with higher traffic than you have, it’s likely because those writers have been in that fandom longer and everyone in it is subscribed to them already, or they were big in another fandom and people are moving over to read them. the same goes with publishing ofic. it’s very unlikely that your writing is bad; more likely, you have not found the editor willing to fight for it. the riskier you write, the harder it is for your work to find a home. and risk is, to me, all that matters. all good art takes risks. so you may find success by playing it safe all the time, but why would you want to?

if you want traffic, write a 100k, 20 chapter stucky or reylo fic updated twice a week, with a lot of drama, comedy, and tooth-rotting fluff. you’ll get 20k kudos in like a day, and 8000 comments. or get in on the geraskier buzz right now and get a page 1 fic in before the fandom is firmly established. i’m serious; try intentionally to pander. write something with absolutely no integrity, that you don’t care about at all, and see what happens. you’ll find that all the traffic in the world still isn’t fulfilling, and it’s way better to be disliked or disregarded than widely liked at the cost of your own creative inclinations. 

it is very, very rare that your creative interests will ever align with your ideal audience. that is all high traffic means: an alignment of work to audience. it’s meaningless. when it comes to your writing, your opinion is the only one that matters. 

[andyfrills]

Andy’s Fanfic Log 21/02/2017

So how that I've got this blog up and running I thought it might be a fun idea to regularly share the fanfics that I've recently read/am currently reading (since I tend to go through a lot of fics). The inspiration to do this actually came from @victuurificrec​ who, as the name suggests, runs a fic recommendation blog for yuri on ice. She is honestly a Godsend, the blog is so helpful and she gives amazing recommendations! So go check her out! Fair warning, I've been reading a heap of her recs so a fair amount of the yoi stuff you'll be able find on her blog.

I'm planning to do this once or twice a week, give or take~ I think I'll be organising the fics via fandom, with crossovers going under the fandom it displays most (e.g. a yoi Hogwarts au would go under yoi for its large interaction with yoi characters). If you have any tips or ideas surrounding this, then please don't hesitate to tell me!

Other posts in this little series will be able to be found under the read fanfiction tag on my page~

Fic Count: 23 Fandoms in this Log: Yuri!!! on Ice, Voltron, Harry Potter, One Piece, NCIS

On a cautionary note, I end up reading a lot of random shit. Until I’m a bit more comfortable I might censor a few things out, but there will be explicit fics, darker themes, crazy plots, and insane ships amongst all the sugar and fluff I find around the place. So the really important thing is to carefully read the warnings that I occasionally give & that are on the fic itself, and back away if it’s not for you.

Now, without further ado, let's get into this loong first log!

Yuri!!! on Ice

Enchanted by FlishFlash121 Words: 5.8k, Rating: Teen, Status: Wip Relationship(s): Victuuri (Viktor Nikiforov/Yuuri Katsuki) Viktor Nikiforov is the eleven king of an enchanted forest. Mortal Katsuki Yuuri finds himself on a mission in said forest. - Cool concept for a fantasy au. Quite good so far and I'm looking forward to seeing more of it~!

of dusk and dawn and a love beyond by exile_wrath Words: 5.5k, Rating: G, Status: Complete Relationship(s): Victuuri The King of Day, Victor, drops flowers to the Ruler of Night, Yuuri, to express his love for him; yet, they are always returned, as Yuuri thinks that they’re dropped by mistake. Victor cries and plucks wishes off the petals every time, remembering the time when once, they had been together. - Rather sweet imho <3

Stamina by Watermelonsmellinfellon Words: 1.1k, Rating: Mature, Status: Complete Relationship(s): Victuuri “Can’t you go another round with me, Victor?” Yuuri purred, voicing teasing and deepening erotically. Victor’s eyes dilated once more and his breath hitched again. - Innuendos but no doing the do~ <3 Beautiful fic, go read it if you're into this sort of stuff!

After Banquet Special by Watermelonsmellinfellon Words: 1.1k, Rating: Mature, Status: Complete Relationship(s): Victuuri What would happen if Victor had escorted Yuuri back to his hotel room after the banquet? - ;)

we're like two halves of one heart by grandeur Words: 2.9k, Rating: G, Status: Complete Relationship(s): Victuuri The man smiles at this, looking both unfairly beautiful and amused. “Very cute.” “She is,” Yuuri agrees. “I wasn’t talking about the dog.” - Dogs and fluff. All things seem right in the world with this fic~~

shape of you by grandeur Words: 8.5k, Rating: Teen, Status: Complete Relationship(s): Victuuri From: Viktor [06:59:20 A.M.] I checked over my schedule and I’m free on Friday night if you’re still up for a date~ ))) Yuuri almost throws his phone across the room. - Sequel to the previous fic in this list <3 The perfect addition if you ask me!

in need of melted marshmallow cuddles by Hitsugi_Zirkus Words: 1.7k, Rating: G, Status: Complete Relationship(s): Victuuri “Viktor. You’re Russian.” “I’m so glad you noticed, lyubov moya,” Viktor said, overly sweet as he kissed into Yuuri’s hair. “You’re a figure skater who spends most of his life on the ice.” “I don’t understand what you’re getting at.” “I mean how is it that you’re always so easily cold and-- Wait,” Yuuri’s eyes fell onto Viktor’s bundled up form under the comforter, “are you wearing my jackets? How many layers have you got on?” - Fluff and cuddles galore!

Maelstrom by feelslikefire Words: 43k, Rating: Explicit, Status: Complete Relationship(s): Victuuri Victor Nikiforov is poised to win gold in his fifth consecutive Grand Prix Final. He has the world at his feet, is unparalleled in the sport--right up until a snowstorm blows into Sochi, and he finds himself repeating the same day over and over and over. He stumbles over Yuuri Katsuki, and everything changes. - This is a time loop au and I think it's amazing! I really enjoyed reading it~!

I Want to Skate like Him by IdunAurora Words: 27k, Rating: Mature, Status: Complete Relationship(s): Victuuri At age 27, five time consecutive world figure skating champion Yuuri Katsuki decides to retire. He has barely made it home to Hasetsu before he finds an eager and all too enthusiastic silver-haired Russian on the doorstep of Yu-Topia Akatsuki, demanding Yuuri to coach him. Well, it's not as if the Japanese legend has been able to get 23-year-old Viktor Nikiforov out of his mind since the young man enchanted him at the GPF banquet in Sochi months earlier, anyway. Also, Yuuri's smirks should be illegal. Viktor is certain he has spent more time imitating a tomato than he has been skating. - A really good role swap au!

our doubts are traitors by astoryaboutwar Words: 11k, Rating: Explicit, Status: Wip Relationship(s): Victuuri “Back then,” Yuuri asks. “Did you love me?” The cigarette hangs low, tucked between Victor’s lips. The end glows steadily orange, devil eyes on a coal-black night. (Some ghosts of your past you leave well alone.) (Or: the powered assassins AU in which betrayal comes first, forgiveness second, and love was always somewhere in the equation.) - A really interesting au! Waiting eagerly for more~

That's the trouble with us by heygorgeous Words: 6.3k, Rating: G, Status: Wip Relationship(s): Victuuri [AU - Elemental Magic] Viktor Nikiforov is a legend. That, anyone within a five mile radius of the porcelain demigod can tell; the fact that there’s a statue of the man smack in the middle of the institution’s courtyard goes to show exactly how deeply regarded he is. It’s just a little awkward, seeing as Viktor’s still, well, alive; his many achievements and breakthroughs in ice dancing, secondary Elements, and magical therapy may seem superfluous to the common man, but it’s what’s inspired the fusion of scientific, practical magic with the traditional aesthetical appreciation of wizardry. The man is a living legend, an urban myth, a collector of headlines and trophies and tokens of appreciation. This statue is nothing less. Enter Katsuki Yuuri, back as straight as a broom, fingers tightly anchored to the strap of his messenger bag. He’s sure there’s been some sort of mistake that his application got through, but the paper of acceptance is strangely durable and far too ancient to be some sort of joke. - Arrrrgh, this fic is so good! I feel like I need to read more T^T

Re: Yuri Katsuki by Ishxallxgood Words: 33k, Rating: G, Status: Wip Relationship(s): Victuuri, ChulaCometti (Phichit/Christophe - is that what we're calling this ship? If so I’m jumping aboard! Just hints in recent chaps btw) Phichit Chulanont is fiercely loyal to his best friend Yuri Katsuki. So when he randomly gets a direct message on Instagram from one v_nikiforov, it's only natural for Phichit to assume it's a prank. That is until he comes to realize it's not a prank. A story about how Phichit and Viktor bonded over their most favorite topic; Yuri Katsuki. Phichit knows all the things. - Phichit is a devious gift to the fandom, just like this fic. <33 It's beautiful, I love it, go read it.

Amateur Night by Ishxallxgood Words: 3.3k, Rating: Not Rated (I’d say around Teen), Status: Complete Relationship(s): Victuuri, ChulaCometti (Hints) It all started with a Groupon for a pole dancing class... Phichit convinces Yuuri to actually dance for Amateur night and is pleasantly surprised when he recognizes two faces in the crowd. - Fic about a night mentioned in chap 27 of the previous fic in this list. Phichit strikes again! <3

Warmth by SuggestiveScribe Words: 1.4k, Rating: G, Status: Complete Relationship(s): Victuuri "I love nights like tonight," Viktor commented as he allowed a momentary pause in his gait. He lifted his chin to the sky, gloved fingers still securely fastened over Yuuri's hand. "It feels dream-like, doesn't it? It's so..." He didn't pull his eyes away from the sky as he thought, and in the light his lashes were pale threads of golden silk. "Euphoric," he decided. - So cute~ So pure~ <3

Voltron

Marital Mayhem by genello Words: 21k, Rating: Teen, Status: Wip Relationship(s): Klance (Keith/Lance) Cornered by the Galra, Lance and Keith find shelter in a local temple. There's just one problem—the natives seem to think the two of them are engaged. - I live for this type of fluff <3 Can't wait for more!

Quiznak Actually by fairy_laughing Words: 10k (expected to be around 30k), Rating: Teen, Status: Wip Relationship(s): Klance, Shallura (Shiro/Allura) Hunk ships Klance so hard. Too bad those two idiots are blind as to how crazy in love they are with each other. Hunk decides he’s going to get them together by any means possible. There will be misunderstandings, awful dad-jokes, 60s cable, and space flu for all. This was written for the Primary Paladin Big Bang 2017 and there is artwork inside! - What it says on the box~ Very cute so far!

Harry Potter

Victory Day by WhiteWave14 Words: 301k, Rating: Mature, Status: Complete Relationship(s): Harry Potter/Voldemort (I know, I was a bit surprised at first too) Harry grew up in a Rebel camp with Sirius after Voldemort's triumph over Wizarding Britain. Burdened by the Prophecy, he begins to doubt the Rebels' morals and slowly gets caught in his fascination for a certain Dark Lord. - I actually quite enjoyed this one. I found the plot interesting and well thought out, and the character development quite good. It has been a little while since I read this, and I don't remember if it gets explicit anywhere or not, so please tread carefully on this one.

Lonely Moon by eleventy7 Words: 65k, Rating: Teen, Status: Complete Relationship(s): Draco/Harry More than a decade after the Battle, Harry returns to Hogwarts as a professor and discovers a student with a familiar face and an unexpected past. - Sweet with a bit of angst ft. Papa Draco and his Cutie Son

Between Ruin and Salvation by ms. commas and ampersands Words: 44k, Rating: Mature, Status: Complete Relationship(s): Draco/Luna - Actually a hetro pairing for once ww It was only one second. One second when Remus stared at the rigid body of his last best friend falling through the veil. One second when he heard James's son too late, when he wasn't fast enough to catch him. Then Harry ran through the veil. - I somehow found this old fic a while ago, it's an interesting read. The pairings listed on the summary aren't right btw.

Full Circle by tetsurashian Words: 14k, Rating: Mature, Status: Wip Relationship(s): Harry P./Tom R. Jr. Harry and Tom's souls are tied together. Which is why they're in this endless loop of rebirth. At some point, they stopped caring and just started f**king with people. - The humor is on point in this fic. Needless to say, I really enjoyed it.

Recreated Fire A Harry Potter/One Piece X-over by Mai Kusakabe Words: 117k, Rating: Mature, Status: Wip Relationship(s): Ace!Harry/Marco Harry Potter has always dreamed about a dark haired boy, his thrilling life and adventures. When his Hogwarts letter arrives, he discovers a new, magical world, and that not everything is what it seems to be, all in the form of a mythical bird that insists on befriending him. - This is seriously one of my favourite fics around, I absolutely love it. I'm constantly rereading it, I've lost count of the number of times, and I still enjoy it just as much the tenth time round as I did the first. I'd say that this is one of the best reincarnation fics in the HP/OP x-over verse.

One Piece

Azure and Ash by Mithril Lace Words: 86k, Rating: Mature, Status: Complete Relationship(s): Marco/Ace For years Ace has dedicated himself to supporting his brothers. When the kingdom falls on hard times, Ace is forced to take drastic measures to care for his ailing little brother. Against Sabo and Luffy's wishes, he volunteers for a dangerous mission from the king: to kill  the creature responsible for the kingdom's distress and bring back proof - a single feather from the phoenix. - I love this fic~ I've re-read it a number of times now and it's one of my favourite Marco/Ace fics <33

NCIS

Burning Rubber an NCIS/One Piece X-over by Kitsune Foxfire Words: 217k, Rating: Mature, Status: Complete Relationship(s): None - That I can remember... It's never just another case, particularly not when conspiracies are involved. The corpse of a modern pirate shows up on a naval base, a continent away from where he was last seen. Signs show he had unusual abilities; so did the UNSUB. What role do two black haired brothers play in all this? Can the team figure out just what is going on here before it's too late? - A brilliant, brilliant fic. Well thought out and executed. I've only read it twice since finding it, but it's definitely a fic I'd be more than happy to read over and over.