#are you still a fic writer if you haven't published anything in....a year?

[booksteaandtoomuchtv]

Interview With A Fic Writer

I was tagged by @kazoosandfannypacks <3. You can read her interview here!

How many works do you have on AO3?

21

What's your total AO3 word count?

76,906.

Your top five stories by kudos/likes: 5. Just Breathe (More than a drabble, not quite a one-shot. More a moment.) 4. Burn the Ships (Incomplete) 3. For You I Would Crawl (Another moment) 2. Please, Be Mine (Complete) 1. Witchy Woman (Complete)

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes, I do. I am always thrilled when someone has taken the time to read my words and tell me their thoughts. The least that I can do is thank them. (Also, it fuels the muse a bit. Sometimes, fic writing feels a bit...lonely? You are so excited about this idea or these characters, but people in your immediate vicinity or in your life are less excited about it, and you wonder if you are the only person affected by them or who cares about the story brewing in your head about them. It is so, so reassuring and delightful to get a comment from someone else impacted by these characters and your words/thoughts about them.

What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

Oh, likely the ACOMAF story - Slipping Away

What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending?

All the CS fics? I don't mind putting CS through a bit of Hell, but they always work it out in the end because I cannot hurt them anymore than the writers (and @nachocheese-itsmycheese) already do. (Also, that is an endorsement for nachocheese-itsmycheese. If you need to feel something, go read her fics.)

Do you write crossovers?

I have a crack fic that is a cross-over in a way. It is OUAT meets Hoaring: Buried Alive.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I wrote fics for Twilight and Lord of the Rings in middle school and high school. One of the Twilight fics (on FF.net) got a comment along the lines of you should k**l yourself.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yes. And, yes?

Most of the published smut thus far is a fairly sweet and loving. But, I have a few scenes written that are a bit less "vanilla".

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope, but I have a few readers who have other languages. I would love to see one translated.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I've started a couple with people, but never really finished any. I have cowritten many a published engineering/scientific article and report, so I like having more authorial control and voice in my fic writing.

What's your all time favorite ship?

Captain Swan? Yeah, probably Captain Swan...

What's a WIP you want to finish but don't think you ever will?

I know my readers probably think all of my open multi-chapter fics, but it is likely the fic that I have started from Emma and Killian's fairy godmother's POV.

What are your writing strengths?

Oh, I am terrible at talking about my strengths. (You should see the first draft of my Chartership application.)

Maybe... my ability to tell pull you into a story without to much presence. In that, I use few words to tell the story and give the reader the space to dream up finer details.

I am a bit of an experimental author, so I hope that it gives the readers something unique and fun to experience in every story.

What are your writing weaknesses?

I am a slow fic writer. I will plot a story, love the plot, write the story (painfully slowly), and write a completely different plot, which slows my writing even more. I think in both pictures and words - when I write, I see the picture so vividly that I agonise over every word to ensure the feeling and key parts of the picture are translated correctly. Also, I think I tend to do the Steve Moffitt awful thing of building up something nicely and then failing on the delivery. I am working on having as much energy and excitement at the completion of a story as I do at the start to aid in that.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in fics?

I know pieces of other languages and have been known to use them when I felt like they would fit better. I am so interested in languages and cultures other than my own that I love finding ways to draw them into my work.

What's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet but want to?

Grey's Anatomy?

What's your favorite fic you've written?

Probably Witchy Woman or A Year Without.

[sonysakura]

✒ Poll to Decide the Fate of my Ao3

I'll be upfront, I'm unsure why I'm doing this 🤷 Maybe because I gained a couple dozens of new Ao3 subscribers recently and people have been reading my stuff actively, though they aren't commenting... Figured I'll give both new and old readers a chance to save the writing they (possibly) like.

For the past half a year I've been thinking about deleting my Ao3. Isn't news for the members of my server but might be for the others unless they noticed me deleting the last fic I posted (in July). The reason is simple: the situation with Sonic Big Bang 2024 thoroughly broke my confidence and frankly, my sense of self as a writer (esp as a Sonadow fic writer). And I know some would agree with that mod who basically told me she doesn't care about what happened to me because "we're just strangers online", and that what happened shouldn't affect me either... Silly me for whom my writing is my entire life and my only reliable outlet, being so affected by a blow to my core. Ha-ha. Sure, it should be embarrassing how much Sonic Big Bang 2024 wrecked me. But instead, it is scary how much this doodle is still true. I guess it is just unfortunate they decided to ban me the week of the elections in my country and the consequences of the anti-LGBT+ laws hitting us full-force… If there's one thing the event mods and my government agrees on, it's that gay hedgehogs are a threat to society. It's a pity that's what I write.

Normally, I write for myself and I always like what I write when writing for myself (hell, I wrote Married Hedgehogs series to read it before bed). But now... I almost hate everything I wrote and/or posted after March. I cringe about the 2nd chapter of Gloves and Rings and that Sonadow x Lethal Company fic, and I think that Merlina study is seriously lacking – any comments otherwise feel like pity, esp after I mentioned that I feel insecure about people not commenting. I re-read At the Castle Gate (that story I deleted off Ao3 in July) recently, and I disliked it again. Everything I wrote that I still haven't published (20 stories below, either fully completed or missing some final touches) feels fake, foolish and terrible. Everything I write – no matter what – is worthless to me. What's worse, I can't even look at my old stories the same now.

I have now been roughly 6 months on hiatus and 10 months mostly unable to enjoy my writing. It is safe to assume I'm not going to be able to do it for a while longer – if ever. I wanted to delete my Ao3 even. And I felt guilty about hoarding my texts. So, as someone who gets sad when authors disappear or delete their stories... I'm giving you, readers, a chance to decide what you want to see.

*Don't worry about forcing me to post smth I dislike if you pick this option. I wouldn't be offering it as an option if it brought me pain. I'm more apathetic about my Ao3 than anything else nowadays... In short, you want my Sonadow or SatBK or whatever stories no matter what I'm thinking about them myself? Pick option 2. Guilt-free.

Tagging with some fandom tags for people who read my stuff before but don't follow me.

🔗 Same poll on Twitter X

[altraviolet]

Thank you @spicedrobot for the template! (template HERE)

My stats are kinda wonky because Echo Garden took 4 years to write but since it ended in 2024, all its stats go towards 2024's totals.

Other than TEG, I only wrote 2* other fics and I love them all equally tbh so I chose Nucleus Memory simply because it isn't TEG and was a really fun big bang with Sync :)

The numbers for the fics at the bottom are total comments and total bookmarks (AO3 distinguishes between comment threads vs total comments and public bookmarks vs total (public + private) bookmarks so I went with total for both).

*I also wrote my secret solenoid fic but it won't be published until tomorrow which means it'll count towards 2025's stats!

Long post!

This was a challenging year for many people, for sure! Personally, there were a lot of things that took away the energy/time I need to write. Family things (2 funerals and a wedding) and my day job (which is killing me, sometimes fast, sometimes slow). TEG ate my brain completely and so even though it ended in February, I haven't written very much since then. But I've decided to try to take a healthy view of this and not be mad that it's taking so long to recover xD but I do hope it hurries up! I had an initial goal to move on to original writing after TEG, but I think I'll try one more Really Big Fic as practice before doing so.

Since I only wrote 3 fics in 2024, I'll do a lil list of my thoughts:

The Echo Garden: massive fic! thanks so much to all the new readers and to everyone who's drawn art or left comments or rec'd it to new folks. it's astonishing to me that it's still drawing new readers :u I'm very happy overall with the fic. it was hard to write, sometimes, but I'll keep it positive here! there are so so so SO SO many posts about this fic, and comments, and the whole last chapter of it is a giant author's note with even more info. honestly I don't know what else to say about it that wouldn't either be a repeat of information or extremely long. it's very probable that if you're reading this post, it's because of TEG, so thank you for reading! :)

Nucleus Memory: reverse mini bang project with sync! they drew a pic and had a pitch, and I and another writer each wrote a fic about it! sync had some awesome ideas, I'm really happy I was selected to do their prompt. they did some beautiful art!! be sure to check it out if you haven't!

Bismuth: this fic was done for a Soundwave-centric zine! in Jan 2024 I read The Locked Tomb series and it had a big effect on my brain. this fic was an attempt to write something in an inspired style: disjointed, parallel timelines. scenes out of order. purposeful confusion to make the ending reveal rewarding. plus I got to jam another rarepair into the TF mire

In 2025 I hope to plan and post another big Rodimus/Soundwave fic, as well as any little idea that comes along, and also maybe participate in the TF big bang and secret solenoid events again! I'll probably abstain from zine events, but, I say that every time and then apply anyway xD

2020-2024 will always be the TEG years for me, and it's honestly strange to leave it behind. the 5 year anniversary of posting chapter 1 is in a couple months (holy moly :u) and that's wonderful and humbling. I don't think anything else I ever do will resonate so much with people, which is good in that I'm glad it gained such a happy audience and helped so many people. But it does make the idea of working on future fics to less reception a little less appealing.

There's nothing to do but keep going, though. I mean, the alternative is to not do anything? Nah. I do think unless another TF One style canon production drags a bunch more young people into the fandom, there probably will be a slow decline of new readers throughout 2025. Eventually it'll become less of a daily reminder for me, and it'll become more of a Past Thing and less of a Now Thing. If that doesn't make any sense, don't worry. It's like... idk. I get a lot of reminders of its existence every day. Which is fine! I think it'll peter off, though. And I'll work very hard again to make something to share, and I hope people will love it just as much =)

Anyway!!!!

Thanks for reading! I hope 2025 will be a very fun and productive year for all writers! 🎉✍️✨ That will mean so much good stuff for readers! Be sure to encourage your favs with comments!

Wishing you all the best in 2025!

[liminalmemories21]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

tagged by @screamlet (who I've been reading since at least 2010). Thank you!

1. How many works do you have an AO3? 48

2. What's your total AO3 word count? 711,517

3. What fandoms do you write for? 911 LS, and 911

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? Long Story Short (series) - LS A home isn't always the house we live in - LS It came without ribbons! - LS Always Wear Your Invisible Crown - LS Awful quiet here since love fell asleep - 911

5. Do you respond to comments? I really try to, sometimes I think they get lost in my inbox, but I do try.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? uh, none of them? I don't think I've written anything that doesn't have a happy ending.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? hmmm, maybe It came without ribbons?, or Knave 4 (The Knave of Clubs ... swears he'll take her part). They both end in marriage proposals.

8. Do you get hate on fics? Just a few on Knave 4, which I expected and mostly ignored.

9. Do you write smut? more often than I ever imagined I would

10. Do you write crossovers? I love a good crossover. Haven't written one yet, but would enjoy it.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I know of. Let's keep it that way. (finger's crossed)

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? no

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Yup! All the 911 stuff with @cecilyv - nothing better.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? Well, I don't publish WIPs, not because I have an ethical stance on it, but because I'm usually still changing things at the beginning right up until I hit post and I don't understand how people post things as they write them. Not my process.

That being said, there's a LS kidfic that I'd like to finish some day, but every time I look at it I can't figure out where it's going.

16. What are your writing strengths? I feel like this is a thing other people need to tell me? Dialogue? Plot (apparently? or so 200,000 words of Knave-verse would like me to believe).

17. What are your writing weaknesses? brevity

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I'd like to do more of it, because I have characters I write who I think probably do think in another language, but it's not a language I speak, so I don't.

19. First fandom you wrote for? published? Lonestar. unpublished? there's a Merlin story @cecilyv and I wrote for years that is mostly not great, but has it's moments.

20. Favorite fics you've written? ooh, okay:

There were a bunch I wrote early for LS that are kind of character studies that I love - A home isn't always the house we live in (Judd), Stitched with its color (TK & 9/11), and through same of am through haves of give (Enzo)

And, I'd be lying if I didn't say Knave-verse, because I think Knave 2 and Knave 4 are the best things I've ever written - and there is just so much of me in the way TK thinks about art.

And then Baggage That Goes with Mine - because there isn't necessarily me in there, but there is a lot of my history in fandom and the huge cultural shift that I have seen happen since I started reading fic in Tommy's story. Also, I do love me a split timeline narrative.

tagging @walkinginland, @rmd-writes, @alchemistc, @rcmclachlan, and @three-drink-amy

[mallgothyamaguchi]

ive seen that all of your bookmarks are tskym and you dont have many of them (not that thats a bad thing!!!) could you give a bookmark tour and like give a reveiw of each?

ofc! tsukkiyama bookmark tour begin!

autumn by windofjune - this fic is ongoing but i'm just totally in love with the author's writing style. essentially, tsukishima and yamaguchi have had mutual feelings for a long time, but nothing was ever acted upon, so in college, they begin to drift apart from one another even when living in the same apartment. tsukishima faces an injury to his knee and yamaguchi gets dumped by his boyfriend, leading to their slow-burning reconciliation as they both recover from their emotional and physical injuries. everything is so beautifully written and i'm not-so-patiently waiting for chapter 8 hehe

Sleeping Habits by BlueColoredDreams - piece written in a series of vignettes as tsukishima and yamaguchi grow older, ending in their high school years. very sweet and very fluffy. i'm a snuggler, so any fic that involves sleeping and cuddling, i'm there.

(Not) A bad day by WhereDoesTheTimeGo - yamaguchi has a bad day, and all of his insecurities bubble up, so tsukishima comforts him. they both have their own self-doubts and insecurities unveiled, but everything's okay with a snuggle and first kiss. you will notice there is a pattern in my fic tastes, lol.

Home Is Where The Heart Is by Pepper_Moon - very short and sweet domestic fic about the two moving in together in a cottage in the countryside after marrying. artist yamaguchi and writer tsukishima. SO COTTAGECORE. the author is also currently writing a chaptered piece for day 1 of tsukkiyama week i'm very much looking forward to reading!

just ourselves by beefybuttlord - another short and sweet fic where hinata asks yamaguchi what his relationship with tsukishima really is. essentially it's a "what are we" fic. puts how i think their canon relationship is in 800 words.

hottaru-kun by palebluestings - very much plays around with the significance of names and naming conventions in japanese culture, and the different ways kanji can be read. tsukishima has started calling yamaguchi 'tadashi', but yamaguchi still calls him 'tsukki'. also, cue tsukishima being a little jealous of yamaguchi hanging out with his brother. it's a cute and thoughtful fic.

The sign on your heart said it's still reserved for me. by yamaguchiforpresident - as they get older, yamaguchi gets more and more attention from girls (and guys), and by their third year, tsukishima realizes he's in love with his best friend. lots of pining from tsukishima, and does he do anything about it? hmmm... a little bit of yamayama (at least from tsukishima's perspective), so yet again, jealous tsukishima >:)

Won't You Stay For The Ride? (The Views Will Be Nice) by xxet - self-hating tsukishima begins to have his walls broken down by yamaguchi as they grow up. tsukishima is totally whipped, and everyone knows. flips back and forth between past and present throughout. good mix of fluff and angst.

i wish to be found by TheFledglingDM - ok this one isn't in my bookmarks but i'm actually obsessed with this fic i'm shocked i didn't bookmark it. essentially a 'You've Got Mail' au, where yamaguchi is a small bookstore owner who took it over after his mother passed and tsukishima is a financial executive for a chain bookstore with aspirations to become a published author. when tsukishima helps to make the decision to put a store location near yamaguchi's bookstore, yamaguchi fears he may be put out of business. unknowingly, for a whole year prior, they've been online best friends over discord. mistaken identity, enemies to lovers, influence of and allusions to pride & prejudice, what more could you want from a fic? so skillfully written. i will never shut up about it. i finished it a month ago and i think about it every other day.

hope you enjoyed my thoughts on these fics! honestly, i haven't been reading many fics recently since life got pretty busy and then that makes me pretty tired and i've been very focused on writing my own fics...but! with all the entries for tsukkiyama week i have so much new content to read. i'm still pretty new to ao3 (it's been a little over a year since i started reading fics on there), so that kind of explains why my bookmarks list is pretty short, and also i tend to bounce between different forms of reading like manga to physical books to fanfiction. kind of just depends on what my mood is at the moment. now that i've started writing, i've really been fueling my tsukkiyama brainrot into that, lol. when it's slow at work, i'm collecting ideas in my brain for them.

bottomline: tsukkiyama will always and forever be my #1, so if there's a fic i'm reading it and if they have zero fans, i'm dead.

[scorpioriesling]

Questions For Scorpio Riesling!!

I've had a few trends / asks sent to me, so as I prepare more content for you guys, I wanted to take a break and participate in these fun trains being sent around. <3 I've found so many ACOTAR & Fourth Wing creators on here in the past year since starting this page, and I am so grateful to consume every work you all put out! Much love xo

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@shadowsingercassia mentioned me in this one (thank you, you're so sweet!), so I'll bite! Answer and then tag three or more creators to keep the game going! (tags at the end of the post)

1. How many words did you publish on AO3 in 2024?

I don't have anything published on AO3 -- I don't know how to use it, and I'm super unfamiliar with it, LOL.

2. How many fics did you complete this year?

54! I had not counted until now... wow.

3. How many in progress or ongoing fics did you start this year?

I had 3 (Unsettled, Invisible String, and Too Hot to Handle) series this year, all completed as of ... this morning? Haha. I have various upcoming parts, including part 3 for Casual and part 2 for Bad Idea, Right? As far as WIPs... 22. Haha. 22 WIPs.

4. What was your favorite thing you wrote?

I answer this again more in depth below, but probably Invisible String or Too Hot To Handle!

5. What piece was your most experimental or different from your usual style?

While Too Hot To Handle was definately different (elaboration later), I think Once Upon A Dream and Sing To Me were probably the most different from what I typically do!

6. Did any fics surprise you - either while writing or their reception?

A pleasant surprise was my first fic(s) and mini-series, Unsettled. I wrote it right after opening this page, and I was surprised how well it did and the support from everyone that encouraged me to keep going!

7. Do you have a fic you wrote and loved that went under the radar? (This is your sign to reblog/repost it!)

I Look In People's Windows was shorter, and I bit different as far as mood as opposed to what I typically write... however, I really liked it and I feel like more people should give it a glance. (;

8. Who is an artist that inspired you?

Omg... anything madschofield makes!!

9. Who is an author that inspired you?

My first inspiration on Tumblr was from @starlightazriel -- but in addition, works from @yourlittlebunnyy, all of @thehighladywrites works, and works from @velarisdusk!

10. Who is a new author you discovered?

@she-whatshername and @lilah-asteria !! Love everything from them.

11. Did you do any collaborations? How did it start?

No! I haven't collaborated on anything yet.

12. What accomplishments are you proudest of?

I'll say this louder for the people in the back... INVISIBLE STRING (and, Too Hot To Handle, honestly.)

13. What did you learn about writing or creating this year?

Some characters come so easy for me to write (I'll expose myself -- Eris, Azriel, Lucien, Liam, and Tamlin... oop) while others are challenging (Cassian, Xaden, Rhysand... oy). Nonetheless, pushing myself is ALWAYS worth it, and I enjoy a challenge! A Springtime Storm is still a crowd favorite, and a personal one too (I didn't think I'd like it so much, honestly).

14. What is your advice?

I write in a way that if I read it, I'll enjoy it. I make sure not to have character biases, and NEVER bully anyone or judge people for their preferences. Healthy discussion? Sure. But bullying isn't okay, and I make sure to put out stories I like and hope others will find amusing too!

15. What are your creative goals for 2025?

I've been dabbling in participating in Kinktober... HAHA that sounds like such a huge, scary task but honestly. I feel like I'm ready. Are you? hehehehe

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@thelov3lybookworm sent me an ask with these prompts (and now I can't find it back) but here are my answers! Hello ACOTAR fanfic writer!  This fanbase appreciates your creativity and passion for these characters and ships, and you did such an amazing job with writing this year!  The year is coming to an end, and I wanna ask: 

What is your new year’s resolution for writing? I want to be better about finishing my writing in a timely manner. I'm so grateful to those who stick around for the next parts in my series, unanswered asks, etc. but sometimes I get writer's block and even if I know exactly what i want to write, I don't make as much time for it as I'd like to!

What are some of your tips for fanfic writing? Haha one of my biggest ones is putting yourself in a reader's shoes, and even if it may not be your most enjoyable / easiest character to write, I always remember to appreciate the reader/asker for whatever request they send because it means they like your work, want more of it, and want it done in your writing style! Everyone prefers characters over others -- even if they're not your cup of tea, maybe they are for others.

What was your favorite thing you’ve written this year? Oh my God literally the Invisible String series. I started this page last year (tee hee) in LOVE with Lucien and Lucien only... now, while I still find other characters so freakin difficult to write for (Rhysand? Xaden? Like, why though?) somedays, I am married to Eris in my head; especially after finishing the Invisible String series! It took 4 months to write, and I am absolutely in love with how it turned out. I even go back and re-read it myself, I love it so much.

Another honorable mention is the Too Hot To Handle series! Oh em gee. I started the show last year, and immediately thought of how interesting it would be to incorporate ACOTAR into it. It was a different type of writing, and one where I had to wait a week to even begin the next part as it was a reader-voted storyline! So interesting, but so, SO fun.

Feel free to send this to your favorite fellow writers to spread the love and new year’s cheer!🎉🪩 (tags at the end of the post!)

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@velarisdusk tagged me in this WIP Folder Tag Game!! So, here we go. Rules: make a new post with the names of all the files in your wip folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Tag as many people as you have wips. People can send you an ask or comment with the title that most intrigues them, then answer with a little snippet or tell them something about it!

(Anonymous asked) Could I request a fourth wing xaden x reader where she gets hurt on a mission and xaden just goes bat shit protecting her injured/dying body “nobody touches her” style?

2. Juno

3. Liam (Fourth Wing) - Smut with fluff - prompts 18 + 19 + 21 + 32 + 49 + 67 - req. by @caramelmacchiato07

4. (@farintonorth asked) Hii, hope you are having a good week! I saw your prompt list and that your requests are open👉👈🥹 I was wondering if I could request number 4.Make up sex with Tamlin x reader where they are mates??? I love himmm (guys, I'm personally so excited for this one omfg)

5. (@mellowmusings asked) GIRLIE i have been reading 4th wing and holy hell, why havent we got an azriel x fourth wing yettt? like just imagine, that man is literally perfect for ANY book crossover, I would pay good money to see Az beat the frick out of jack (ew) (guys... another one I'm excited as FAWK FOR OK)

6. (Anonymous asked) Heyyy how are you???? Crazy idea what about if xaden had a sister who stayed in aretia, never went to Basgiath, but she still bounded with a dragon (how to train your dragon style) only brennan knows ( brennan X reader) the dragon is son of Tairn and Sgaeyl

7. no body no crime

8. friendly

9. She's Got A Boyfriend, Anyway

10. Somebody Else

11. Tattooed Golden Retriever (Anonymous asked) Hi! I don’t know if this is the right place because this is my first time sending a request, but basically I just finished fourth wing and it absolutely DESTROYED me so I was wondering if you could write a fluffy Liam mairi x reader fic or imagine where they are at Riorson house having a quiet day and decide to just dance around the kitchen and bake cookies or smt for the others! Please don’t feel obligated to do it btw! (oh, girly... yk I'm gonna do it bc Liam's fate destroyed me too... and I luvvvv him, so yes. I'm writing it.)

12. bad idea right? pt 2 req. by @hardcoremarvelfan (oh BISCUIT you know I'm frothing at the mouth to get this one up and running)

13. brennan smut for @nothanksehh prompt 31

14. @hardcoremarvelfan req. lucien smut - prompts 2, 23, 12, 71, 74

15. I (almost) Believe You pt. 2

16. Bed Chem - @hardcoremarvelfan lucien fluff + smut - prompts 66, 67

17. The Prophecy

18. @hardcoremarvelfan lucien fluff - prompts 32, 43, 60

19. Swimming in Sunshine

20. Casual (pt. 3)

21. You Belong With Me

22. Valentine's Day

Omg guys 21 tags? Let's see if I can find 22 people I know, LOL. @lilah-asteria @paintedbyshadows @mellowmusings @she-whatshername @callsign-rogueone @starlightazriel @starkeyspr1ncess @thehighladywrites @acourtofimagines @azsazz @pit-and-the-pen @princess-tulip-writes @littlefireling @acourtofmishapandmistakes @acourtofwhatthefuck @velariscalling @velarisnightsky444 @yourlittlebunnyy @thestarlightexpress @acourtofwips @acourtoflucien @assassinsblade

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[undertale-fic-librarby]

Hiya! I just read your pinned post, i actually didn't know librarby exist in tumblr and honestly- its really helpful for me as someone who often forgive what kinda plot but don't know what its name is. 👉👈 (Ack pardon grammars)

Also- If its still possible for asked this, do you have any completed fic for undertale sans x reader? :0 or deltarune sans is okay too! I've been wanting to read that has most fluff and slice of life with less angst xD i might found something that i haven't read yet, the long chapters the better, altho its actually not necessary, so its up to you!

Take your time and I hope you doing well!! Thank you for exist 💙

Howdy, thanks for asking! Here are some fics that might fit what you're looking for!

Save Point by JuniperJoy101 (Teen And Up, Complete)

Moving from a backwater town to a city bustling with human and monsterfolk alike, some things begin to change both for the better and the worse. What was left behind comes back to bite at you in the most unexpected times, current progress being put in danger as a result. It's hard to move on, though it's equally difficult trying to stay loyal to what you believe is right. With an adoptive seven-year-old son and the remnants of a recent divorce in your hands, your goal is to move on and adjust to life with monsters, these becoming an important part of your life -- one of them in particular reigniting the spark you thought gone with your ex spouse. • • • The following story is a re-write of the first UT fanfic I ever managed to publish on the Internet. Undertale belongs to Toby Fox. You belong to yourself.

A salting feelings by EvergreenEmerald (Teen And Up, Complete)

You cleared your throat loudly to get their attention; they jumped at the sound, turning to face you. You felt just as awkward as they did. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you, though I do owe you for the nice trip you sent me on earlier.” You pointed to the disarrayed suitcase that had been tossed around by your stumbling feet. They giggled as you motioned for them to come inside. They pulled their suitcase into the house, but paused in front of you, turning their head up with an adorable smile. You started to wonder if you had seen this kid before, they look so familiar. Maybe they remind you of one of your parents? *You are a family court lawyer with a dark past that caused you to be separated from your sibling years ago. Now they are placed in your care out of the blue because the government didn't like the idea of a monster raising a human, you have to deal with speaking to your sibling about your shared past and lost parents, the courts who make life hard, new monster friends, and this skeleton that won't stop interrupting you and being a nosy jerk

Curious laughter by SpiffySiffy (Teen And Up, Complete)

Sans is just keeping an eye out on his brother's friends. You have a strange personality and he finds it interesting. Suddenly he finds he's getting more and more curious about you and your thoughts on certain topics.

My Princess by Kyra1416 (Teen And Up, Complete)

(Y/N) was always a shy child. She was slowly to trust others and was scared of almost anything. This made it hard for her to form bonds and keep those bonds intact. She lived on Mt.Ebbot with her family. The story of monsters kidnapping children and eating their souls made her to scared to ever leave the house. Her whole life changed forever the day her parents where murdered right before her very eyes. While running from the killer, she fell into the underground. It was there she descovered her stange powers, and meet a certain punny skeleton.

Winter In Your Bones by cryptid_jack (Mature, Complete)

You're a modestly successful fiction writer living in rural Alaska; just you, your dog, and your horse in a small cabin on a large piece of property in the shadow of a mighty mountain range. You're used the the quiet, enjoy it even, but when you start having recurring dreams of a strange skeleton visiting you in the night you wonder if the solitude might be starting to get to you…at least until you realize you're not dreaming at all because Sans is, in fact, a real, live monster. Friendship, romance, and shenanigans ensue.

[siobhanbooks]

2024 Fic Writer End of Year Roundup

Answer and then tag three or more creators to keep the game going! Thank you to @yanny_77 for the tag! If you're tagged her, feel free to answer!! <333

How many words did you publish on AO3 in 2024?

187,571 with 176,948 in Empyrean fics

2. How many fics did you complete this year?

21 - that's more than a whole page on ao3!

3. How many in progress or ongoing fics did you start this year?

5! (with a lot of fics still solely hanging out in my google docs lol)

4. What was your favorite thing you wrote?

'tis the damn season. I spent so much time researching all the American parts of it, it was so heavily beta'd and edited to make sure that side all made sense. It wasn't supposed to be that long but somehow it ended up as my longest oneshot. I started and finished it at a time when I was feeling a lot like Imogen does in the fic and it really helped to get my feelings out that way. special thank you for @essjaywrites for giving me the word homestuckness. it's the fic that shows my writing off the best in my opinion and shows just how much I've changed as a writer since May alone.

I put my whole heart into this fic. If you only read one thing I wrote this year, let it be this.

5. What piece was your most experimental or different from your usual style?

nothing really sticks out beside everything because this is my first year posting omg

'tis the damn season because it was my first 1st person smut

Nakey & Bakey because it was my most out there smut (in my opinion) - thank you @yanny-77 for that prompt and @greeneyedwildthing for everything you did to help me with it including giving it to me!

6. Did any fics surprise you - either while writing or their reception?

Amari save me got pretty dark and 'tis the damn season got pretty long but I don't think anything else to be honest

7. Do you have a fic you wrote and loved that went under the radar? (This is your sign to reblog/repost it!)

Amari save me - this is the saddest thing I wrote ever and not enough people have read it!!! please go read it!!!

8. Who is an artist that inspired you?

@essjaywrites internet mum and all round amazing person (also her writing is so inspiring as well)

9. Who is an author that inspired you?

there literally so many people that I can't tag you all so to cover, literally everyone over on the RQ discord server, you're all amazing!!

special mentions to @alexandia03 my other internet mum who is just so amazing and wonderful and talented, @yanny_77 who introduced me to bodoc, @ubiquitously_me who introduced me to bodhiam, @hockeyspiral23 who introduced me to bodociam, as well as my beta's: alex, sarah, @TeganTales, @saracasticmothwrites, and @copperfirebird.

10. Who is a new author you discovered?

everyone? I only read FW and IF this year (in April omg) so I actually don't know who to put here people I haven't mentioned yet - @softodettes love you loads

11. Did you do any collaborations? How did it start?

not posted…I have one in the drafts with @TeganTales which started from idea bouncing and my WIP ban meaning I couldn't start it on my own lol

12. What accomplishments are you proudest of?

like daylight having over 50k words is pretty damn impressive, but to be honest it's not about the numbers, it's more about the people I've met and the friendships I've formed this year

13. What did you learn about writing or creating this year?

that I can do it and i'm actually good at it!!

14. What is your advice?

Go for it!! Someone out there will read it and you never know…maybe someone adopts you - looking at @alexandia03 and @essjaywrites lol

15. What are your creative goals for 2025?

finish all of my WIPs apart from LD because that's got a lot to go lol

write some of my imrrick ideas

write that fic with Tegan

but mostly keep going!!

(yes technically it's 2025 for me but who cares - love you all)

[harlotofupdog]

AO3 Ask Game

Thank you for the tag @missunderstoodlyrics, and thanks lovely @cheeseplants for kicking it off!

What fandoms do you write in?

Just Good Omens! Though I did throw some Top Gear smut into writers chat one evening and I still think there's something there…

How many words have you published in 2024?

I published my very first fic on the 31st of December last year, and everything else has been this year - sooooo not counting collabs, 138,904. It's nowhere near as much as some, but I'm v happy. It's a lot more than I ever expected.

What is your greatest achievement this year?

Getting to the end of Storm Jizz! I never finish anything - my tiny sparrow brain is constantly distracted by the next shiny thing, and just knowing that I'm actually capable of finishing something a little longer is so confidence-giving.

What are your favourite top three fics you’ve written this year?

Someone is Calling Him Shorewards AKA Storm Jizz - I dunno, I just like it. I'd absolutely recommend @nosferatini's podfic over actually reading it though.

Spookake - eh, ghost jizz innit.

Zip Wire (Too Fast for Love) - v silly.

What was your biggest pit of despair moment?

There's not been a specific moment, but I've done a good bit of wallowing in self-pity about fics (both reading and writing). Something I've struggled with is trying to maintain creative momentum when I'm travelling, and I would like to have more discipline there instead of just getting in a sulk.

What have you learned?

That 'groyne' is a word (yes thank you Google Docs).

What fic did you want to do but never made it off the ground?

Oh, some weirdness, who knows. I have silly ideas all the time and it's for the best that most of them don't see the light of day.

Did you beta any fics? Any favs you want to shout out?

Yesssss!!!!! I am currently beta-ing Still We Know Each Other So Well by @paperclipninja, and it is gorgeous and delightful and all the things. I adore this fic and it's been an absolute privilege tagging along for the ride, chapter by chapter. It's soft, sweet, and mysterious, and I urge everyone to read it because you will fall in love.

I'm also beta-ing In Headlights AKA DEER FIC by @doonarose, and good lord - Doons is the absolute queen of smut and this fic is so ridiculously hot, with the most wonderful, considered characterisations of these dorks. It's an absolute feast and everyone should be reading it.

What three fics have you read this year that you love?

Soooooo many more than three. Like, SO many more. I'm going to stick with finished fics just to narrow it down slightly, but I have a few WIPs I'm following that I am obsessed with as well (Still We Know Each Other So Well, Scorn and the Saint-Maker, In Headlights!).

A Little Life by @gaiaseyes451 - I will never, ever get over this one. It was a masterclass in beautiful, evocative writing that tore me to shreds while at the same time being one of the loveliest things I've ever read. I cannot rave about this fic enough - it absolutely transcends fandom and Aziracrow, and I know I will read it again and again.

Stuck On You by @zin-lynn-c - I beta'd this one and it was such an utter, utter joy and a gift to get those chapters just a teensy bit early. This is the fic that has everything - humour, angst, smut, gorgeous prose and storytelling, the BEST Agnes Nutter, and so much more. Instant classic, go wrap your eyeballs around it if you haven't already.

Give Me Jizz or Give Me Death - A Choose Your Own Jizz (CYOJ) Adventure by the most amazing band of smutgoblins, along with transcendental cover art by @ineffablecrankshaft - I cannot list top three fics without including this absolute INSANITY that was my birthday gift. It is, without a shadow of a doubt, the most phenomenal, absurd, wonderful gift I've ever received in my actual life, and I treasure the fuck outta it.

What ideas are percolating for next year?

SPIES! CRUSADES! BADGERS! GHOSTS! PIGEONS!

Who do you want to thank?

@paperclipninja for being the ultimate beta, collab partner, cheerleader, chatter and all-round excellent pal. Somehow, despite both being absolute chaos demons, we get things done (about 40% of the time, at least): writing, beta, ridiculous songs, "online research", solving the problems of the world, and everything else besides. Couldn't do it without ya, Clip, and I mean that!

@zinlynn-c for all the cheering, limericks, gasbagging and ghost hunting. If you had told me this time last year that I'd end up sitting in the stairwell of a sixteenth century manor at midnight chatting to its resident ghost with another smutgoblin, I wouldn't have believed it. I still actually can't!

@nosferatini - I can't quite reconcile the idea of Nos as one single person. I suspect she is actually a team of psychologists, an entire theatre troupe, David Tennant, four project managers, and a choir of slightly creepy British children in a trenchcoat. How? Just how do you do it? Nos, you're beyond wonderful, and it's an absolutely privilege to wobble about on the outer curve of your brilliant orbit.

Ridiculous, leg-humping gratitude to all the brilliant, talented artists who contributed art to Storm Jizz - @vavoom-sorted-art, @wingsofopal, @castle-behind-the-rocks, and @ineffablecrankshaft. I am in awe of all of you, thank you soooo much.

Every single person who read, commented, loved, or hated anything I wrote. I appreciate and treasure ever little feeling.

Huge thanks to the @goodomensafterdark community for letting me join in on the fun. Can't wait for another year of goblinery.

I tried to figure out who had been tagged and who hadn't, but omg effort, so just no pressure tagging a bunch of writers: @firstvisittoearth, @paperclipninja, @e-rated-beardo, @doonarose, @zin-lynn-c, @fuzzygoblin, @happynachohologram, @hermiola, @ladybracknellssherry

[anghraine]

Happy New Year Elizabeth! Hope the holidays are treating you well :) I just discovered Jane Austen Variations (or rather, Google Cards just recommended it to me) and so I was wondering if you had any thoughts on it?

Happy New Year, anon! They are now that the string of Christmas obligations are over and I'm back in my proper urban environment :)

I'm not sure if "Jane Austen Variations" means something more specific here than the usage I'm familiar with (I don't know anything about Google Cards). I've only encountered the term as a marketing euphemism for "published Jane Austen fanfic" (often AU, almost always P&P-based) used mainly by people who write or read a bunch of it. I do have opinions on that, though!

The "Variations" fic, as far as I've seen, has no more connection to Austen's work than random P&P fic on AO3, though sometimes smoother grammar. The better ones tend to read like solid Regency romances with P&P characters+occasional cameos from other Austen characters, and sometimes inherit major plot points from P&P like a Hunsford proposal scene, but still feel very much more like "Regency historicals" than anything else.

The real difference between Variations and run of the mill online P&P fanfic is that it's legal to sell P&P fanfic, with the bonus that Austen has a good-sized, active, modern fandom with enough money to make publishing fanfic potentially worth the trouble. However, the money element tends to change the fandom dynamics in a way I dislike, at least when P&P fics get pulled from where they were originally posted to add to the already glutted and kitschy Jane Austen industry (this is in no way a slight at Austen herself, whose work remains my #1 hyperfixation of choice and favorite author, but the industry around the pop culture idea of her makes Shakespeare's look restrained).

There are (alleged) writers who use genAI to churn out reams of bland slop that also gets lumped into the "Jane Austen Variations" stuff, for instance. There's been even more direct plagiarism to make a quick buck on Amazon (my P&P fics have been directly plagiarized multiple times this way, even though all of my fic is and has always been freely available online). That's not most of it, to be fair, but I haven't found "Variations" fic to be better or deeper or more connected with Austen, and I don't really have that much to do with that side of fandom any more. And I do feel a bit ... well, you know the people who are like "stop being pretentious, it's not chartreuse, it's fucking green"? I don't care about color terminology, but it's very much how I feel about the whole Not Like The Other Fanfic Writers "Jane Austen Variations" branding.

[andthatisnotfake]

Fic Writers Year-End Wrap-Up

@suzy-queued tagged me on this a few days ago, but I was waiting to do it because I literally posted the ending chapter of a fic on the last day of the year.

1. How many words have you written this year? Hard to say because I posted things I had already been working on, plus I've written things I haven't posted yet, but roughly about 23k.

2. How many works did you publish this year? 62, though some were only chapters of on-going WIPs, and others are still unfinished.

3. What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)? I'm proud of multiple of them, mostly because I managed to finish some WIPs, wrote a lot of drabbles, and overall wrote more than I thought I would.

4. What work of yours has the most hits? words written down (they are falling now), but I'm not sure if those were all from this year. Second place was Surprise?, also a Young Royals fic.

5. What work of yours got more feedback than you expected? Probably Surprise?, which was mostly a crack fic. Oh, and Fly Guy! This one was definitely a crack fic written in ten 100-word chapters, but people seemed to enjoy it!

6. Favorite title you used. It's a toss between my Gallavich Masquerade fic, which I of course can't reveal yet, and Pride, Prejudice & Video Games, (one of) my current YR WIP.

7. If you use song lyrics, which artist's songs did you pull from the most? Usually I just use songs for the titles, if anything, but occasionally I use lyrics in the fic. I don't think there were any repeats though, I only did it about 4 or 5 times.

8. Pairing you wrote the most for this year? Wilmon, for sure, 17 times. Gallavich and Madirosh came second, with only 2 fics each.

9. Favorite pairing you wrote for this year? You know what? Madirosh, actually. I need to write more of them.

10. What work was the quickest to write? All of the drabbles, especially the ones for the YR drabble challenge. I wrote several on the spot.

11. What work took you the longest to write? Come Jingle My Bells. I finally finished it after three years!

12. How many WIPs do you have in your docs for next year? 13, including 4 that I've already started posting and that are priority. The others are in various stages of writing.

13. What's your longest work of the year? words written down (they are falling now) (18,873 in total, but most of it had been posted before). Come jingle my bells is the longest one-shot (7,232).

14. What's your shortest work of the year? I literally wrote 48 drabbles lol

15. What WIP are you taking into next year with you? The four that I had already started posting and that are priority are two YR ones, Pride, Prejudice & Video Games and I think I dreamed you into life, one DRUK2 one that I've been writing for years and I hope to finish it because I actually enjoy writing it (it's very chaotic!), That's what you get (when you let your heart win), and one Galalvich fic I pretty much abandoned because I don't know how to continue it, even though I had planned it, but that I really hope to be able to conclude, even if not very well, this year, The One that Got Away

16. What's your most common "Additional Tags" tag? "Drabble", lol. Second place is "fluff".

17. Your favorite character to write this year? Wille

18. The character who gave you the most trouble writing this year? I struggled with some drabbles because I decided to write for fandoms I had never written for before. I think Charlie, from Heartstopper, is the one I agonized the most about, because I don't think I got his "voice" quite right, even if it was just a drabble.

19. What's one pairing you want to explore next year? Madirosh! They're not in my WIPs, but I'll make some room for them.

20. Which work of yours have you reread the most? I never re-read my stuff except to continue it, so probably Come jingle my bells.

21. How many kudos in total did you get this year? AO3 says 1,849, but I don't know if this counts the ones on the fics I started posting before and finished this year.

22. Which work has the most comments? words written down (they are falling now) by a landslide (67 threads)

23. Did you do any collaborative works this year? Sadly, no. It's one of the few things in fanfiction I've never done, actually! If anyone wants to collab in a Madirosh fic, let me know. Actually, Wilmon will also do, because I have a couple of AUs I have mostly just the vibes for, so I'd be totally ok with sharing it!

24. Did you write any gifts this year? Yes, "Come jingle my bells", "I think I dreamed you..." and "words written down" were both late gifts. My Heartstopper drabble was also a bit of a gift to a friend who gave me the idea for it.

25. Did you receive any gifts this year? Yes, a couple of drabbles during the YR drabble challenge.

26. What's your most common category/trope? Fluff? Also, soulmates AU, somehow. And meet-cute, apparently.

27. What do you listen to while writing? Absolutely nothing, I can't. I do sometimes listen to songs that inspire me, then I stoppe listening to them and start writing, not at teh same time.

28. Favorite work you wrote this year? Probably Surprise?, it was fun! I also really liked my Masquerade story, hihi.

29. Favorite line/passage you wrote this year? Bold of you to assume I remember what I wrote lol. I'll go with the Ellie/A'Whora talk in "Come jingle" because I thought it was really sweet.

30. Biggest surprise while writing this year? That I managed to write this much! And that writing drabbles, as I already suspected, is a lot easier. Oh, and that I can totally write on my phone if it's in short bursts, and it's actually easier because my brain computes it as "not serious", so I can get a few hundred words out that way and use the laptop for longer spurts, for editing and posting.

No pressure tags: @daughterofscotland @bluedalahorse @junosjukebox @piebingo

[roslynwrites]

you’re such an incredible writer, so i only imagine u read extensively too. i’ve noticed ur ao3 bookmarks are empty, but i’d love to get a list of your favorite titles whether it’s zutara, other fandom or traditionally published works.

I do indeed read a lot. The past few years I have read much less fanfic and have focused on original stuff, but I have actually been able to read a few fics in recent times because my brain didn't want to write, I did have a bit of Zutara burnout I think so no Zutara recs here (yet).

But if you, like me, enjoy some Dramione, then, for starters:

anything by phlox (Slowly Toward Desire is my favorite)

Amateur Cartography by worksofstone

A Darker Blue by skitter (legitimately cannot believe this fic didn't blow up, one of the best Dramione fics I've read and that fandom has a ton of good shit, so like. wow. skitter also has a Zutara! I have not yet read but it's on my list and I'm already sure I will love it)

Lights Out by Phoebe

I used to read every pairing under the sun in HP but as I said, haven't read as much fic lately, but two others are Blood & Gold (a Tomione, by the legendary ObsidianPen) and The Wilderness (Luna/Ginny) by speechwriter. If you try nothing else on this list, try The Wilderness. That fic is high art. It blew my entire goddamn mind, my god. I also highly recommend anything by PacificRimbaud (esp. the Paneville)

*cracks knuckles* now for some original stuff:

The Liveship Trilogy by Robin Hobb altered my brain chemistry

Scholomance Trilogy by Naomi Novik. I mean, okay, I worship Naomi generally, so I was shocked to discover it took me a while to get into these. Read the first, thought 'meh', came back to it again later, liked it better, second and third proceeded to BLOW me away

NK Jemisin's Broken Earth trilogy. In case you want a nice dose of a darker twist on Earthbending and an exploration of prejudice.

Juniper & Thorne by Ava Reid for your Gothic horror needs

Lost Boy and Alice, both by Christina Henry. Dark fairy tale retellings, so you know I'm there. She does them so well.

The Burning series by Evan Winter. It has dragons and a dual-sword wielding badass, in case you need those itches scratched

If you want some good published romance (I tend to like fanfic for pure romance stories tbh so I'm usually pickier here) that has some fanfic vibes, I enjoyed Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert

If you want dark Zutara vibes, my go-to rec and one of my favorite series is The Poppy War trilogy (I will never get over #rinezha)

I wouldn't say I adore The Legendborn Cycle series, but I still like it, you can tell the author has roots in the fan/fanfic scene I think, and again, I think it has some Zutara vibes. Tracy Deonn 100% had to have been inspired by Zuko for her character Sel, I'm convinced. And her take on the Arthurian legend is really unique and creative.

[lady-bess]

A Lady Bess announcement!

Bess is back in their writing nook, and things are about to take a turn! There is a new series on the horizon!

Well, this one might be a little too niche, but oh well! I need my boys together in the same universe somehow.

"Lost in the West" - a Doctor Who x Kingsman crossover (11th Doctor/Jack Daniels/Reader) is in the works! (Rating TBC)

For those of you who are new to my blog, or haven't had the misfortune of me talking your ear off about it, I grew up with Doctor Who. I got into it with 9, adored 10, and I would go on to really enjoy 12. But 11? Dear readers, I fell in love, and I fell hard. Rumour has it I still haven't got back up, fourteen years later.

*whispers* the rumours are true

Writing for the Doctor Who franchise is actually how I got started with fic writing. When I was 13 I wrote a full Wattpad story on my iPod Touch Gen.2 (a blast from the past, am I right?), but it would be another six years before I started on A03. Before I was LadyBess, I was MrandMrsDoctor, and I uploaded a handful of stories back in 2018.

Some of them didn't live to see today - I used to write RPF for the cast, and while I think some RPF definitely has its place from an artistic standpoint, mine did not age well at all. It wasn't anything crass, not by a long shot. But those stories no longer reflect me as a writer.

But, the rest remain! And I'd like to dip my toe back into writing for Doctor Who/11 specifically - I revisited the franchise in November with my story "Run", and it was lovely to see it get some traction. Also good to know I don't just write for Kingsman 🤭

So, what will this story entail?

Well, we're still in the rough draft stage at the moment, so I can't give away too much. This post is just to get y'all excited! But let's just say that there'll be a trip to a small town in the American West, and we'll meet a very familiar looking cowboy...

But what will happen when your time is over, and you're supposed to leave?

I'll do posts about this as it develops more! As with Fallout, I'll personally want to have written a good amount of this before I start publishing. But updates and artwork will start arriving soon!

Like what you just read? Drop me a follow! And if you want to read something from either the Kingsman or Doctor Who franchise in the meantime, check out my Masterlist! All my Doctor Who fics still live over on A03 only, but they're in my Masterlist nonetheless.

With love, Lady Bess xox

[a-most-beloved-fool]

fanfic writer interview

tagged by: @spirkme915! Thanks for the tag <3

what fandoms do you write in? Star Trek, pretty much exclusively. Only TOS and DS9 so for (and I haven't even really finished anything DS9, I just have plans and WIPs). I may branch out a smidge someday, but I'll probably stay mostly in Star Trek.

how many words have you published in 2024? 4,763. I am a very slow writer lmao. Honestly even answering these questions feels like overkill with so few words published, but c'est la vie. I'll just pretend that I'm a Real Fanfic Author™, and if I do that for long enough, I eventually will be.

what is your greatest achievement this year? Posting anything at all! I had hoped I would, at the start of last year, but I hadn't really expected it. Now, I'm very glad I did (and that I joined Tumblr!).

what are your top three fics you've written this year? I only wrote two! So. Those.

what was your biggest pit of despair moment? I've had a fic that's been sosoclose to done since. like. July. And I have noooot finished it. So, probably that one. I wound up getting wildly discouraged with it, and have just kind of been, um. ignoring it. in the hopes that it'll start feeling salvageable again soon. It's not bad, I know it's not bad, but I can't actually convince myself that it's not bad, and I can't find the right ways to finish the few areas that still need more meat on their bones. I am fighting the urge to just up and delete half of it

what have you learned? That it feels really, really good to receive comments! I've also been slowly figuring out how best to wrangle my brain into Actually Writing, but it's. a work in progress!

did you beta any fics? any faves you want to shout out? So far, I've not had the chance to beta for anyone.

what three fics have you read this year that you love? Um. Oh god. Just three?? I suppose I'll say We can only be who we are by @jennelikejennay, Vision Awry by @walkingstackofbooks, and there may be a power cut (and maybe i love you so) by granspn (who afaik doesn't have a tumblr, but if they do, lmk and I'll tag them too)

(My bookmarks are always a good place to look for fics I've particularly enjoyed, so if ever you are in need of a rec list, that's a good place to start)

what ideas are percolating for next year? Oh, I have so many WIPs. There are a few in there that I'm very excited about, including one where Kirk drags Spock out of Kolinahr early and one where Spock is pining so obviously (to everyone except Kirk). I'd also kind of like to get a DS9 fic or two (and/or my mcspirk fic) published this year, but that relies on me being considerably more prolific than I was this year, so we'll see what happens. (Though, I should be getting ADHD meds at the end of the month, provided that my EKG checks out, which. will hopefully make things a bit easier lmao. I'll need to fight my brain a little less.)

If I am very, very lucky, I'll even be able to get a fic done for the KS Spring Fever. I've got an idea, but, well. Deadlines are rough, and the mind is fickle. I'll do my best (and anyone reading this has permission to hassle me about it and hold me accountable)!

who do you want to thank? Pretty much everyone who has given me a warm welcome on Tumblr & in the Trek fandom, @spirkme915 and @walkingstackofbooks in particular! I have... never really tried to join a fandom space before, and am also Bad And Lousy at starting conversations and getting to know people, so I'm really very grateful to people who have gone out of their way to be friendly and welcoming. <3 Even if all you've done is Exist As My Mutual or Occasionally Reblog My Posts, I am sending you internet hearts <3 <3 <3

tagging: uhhh @walkingstackofbooks, @purple-iris, @wwillywonka, and anyone else so inspired

[aerodaltonimperial]

Listen, Imma be real with y'all for a second.

In 2022, the Chrono Cross remaster came out for PS4. And that summer, I wrote a 50k epic about my two favorites from twenty years ago and dropped it on a long-dead fandom for an absolute rarepair. It was one of the most ridiculous, fruitless things I've ever written. I knew very few people would read it. I think I never got more than 50 hits on it. I did it anyway, because it was fun and I had a great time and I knew it was good. And then I got into wrestling, so I sort of never looked back at it, because I was writing other things.

I cannot tell you how many times I have opened up my AO3 account in the past... 6 months or so, and thought, so, people were only my friends while I was writing what they wanted, huh? I stopped writing this, and people just fled? I have opened up my old Hookhausen fics and sat with one finger hovering over the delete button so many times, because if that's all people cared about from me, I was gonna nuke it out of spite. I'm not necessarily proud of it, but it's felt awful this past half a year writing in such a bubble, and as my therapist can attest to, when I feel hurt, I lash out to hurt other people in turn. Vamp is the only reason I won't do it. But it's been so hard being plunged back into writing alone after so long of people caring what I was doing. It felt like writing that CC fic again, only this time, I knew that people had simply lost interest. In me as a person, really.

Fic is the only place I feel worth anything as a writer. Years of failure, and fandom is my only source of positive feelings about my own words and my own work. It's hard to lose that, especially in the wake of giving up a decade-long dream. It's HARD to lose the only thing keeping you going with a hobby, and I'll be the first to admit that I haven't been handling it well. I used fandom interaction on my fic to help fill all the pieces left exposed and smarting from failing at trad pub over and over and over. It's not a bad thing to do, really - a lot of writers suggest doing this, to help build motivation and confidence while trying to get published. But it only works when there are people there to read your fic, haha. Fandom, for me, has been contributing to my depression symptoms big time. At one point, my therapist suggested maybe I should step out of fandom and fic writing, because it was spiraling my mental health. And to have him tell me that, after our years together, really opened my eyes to how bad it had gotten for me in regards to my self-worth and self-confidence.

I got a comment on that CC fic this morning. It happens so rarely that it really caught me off-guard, but it was one of the nicest things ever, and I sat reading it thinking... okay. This is worth it, isn't it? That fic has been there for years, garnering so little attention it wouldn't have mattered if I had deleted it. I was reminded this morning that it does matter. That single comment on an obscure fandom that peaked twenty years ago and still never had many people in it, made me feel like spending my time in fandom is still something worth doing. I can't thank that reader enough for taking the time to leave it for me. If you ever think that your interaction with people's work doesn't matter, I hope this helps you feel differently. Maybe people aren't reading your fics right now, but maybe they'll find a fic you poured your heart and soul into a couple of years later.

Not sure why I am posting this LOL. I expect people will unfollow me. Sometimes, I feel like I can't talk about these things without seeming like a bitch, but y'all already know I'm a bitch anyway. 🤣 We write fic because we love it, because we adore the source material, because we have passion for the characters. But we post because we want to share and connect with people. It just feels so much like that second part has somehow gotten lost recently. Anyway. Back to your regularly scheduled Tumblr lives. 💚

[arwainian]

The F@tT Fic Marathon!

One man's very stupid quest to read every work published in the Archive of Our Own tag for the actual play podcast Friends at the Table (A. Walker et al.)

...why?

I had this whim months ago and in the interveneing time I haven't quite shook it off. I read a lot, and it seems like fun and it would be an interesting process to document!

fatt is a moderately sized fandom with (currently) under 2000 works in its ao3 tag. this makes the project technically possible, if still incredibly daunting

I am a small time fic writer sometimes and I want to find the hidden gems of this fandom buried deep in the tag and bring a bit of love to them out of appreciation for the work it takes

how?

i will be reading through the entirety of the friends at the table tag on ao3 in publication order. whatever had it's first chapter published first i read first!

every 20 works (ie. one entire page of ao3 results) I will post a quick summary of what I've read, and highlight/shout out the things i would recommend, or share any other thoughts that seem cool and relevant

if a fic is multichapter and unfinished i will subscribe to it in case it updates during the course of the project and read that chapter whenever it comes out and probably(?) share in the next relevant check-in

I will try to read every fic, but for the sake of my own sanity undergoing this project, I reserve the right to stop reading anything that really just doesn't work for me

when?

now! if you're seeing this, I have already begun on my Quest and posted the first of my 20 fic check-ins

these check-ins will arrive when they arrive. fics vary greatly in length and my Life varies in freetime, but as soon as I reach 20 fics read, I'll talk about it! check out #fatt fic marathon here on my tumblr to see what I've gotten to so far, or me talking about this project in general

I am most likely not the first person to try to read Every Fic, and- based on some observations of the kudos and comments sections- I don't think I'm even the first to attempt it in publishing order in the past year! BUT i want to talk about it as I go, so you get to see me talk about it as I go

that's my silly contribution to this very cool fandom I joined this past year: putting myself through a fanfic gauntlet! watch me suffer and thrive for your own amusement, or feel free to read along with me!