#author interview tag

[evilasiangenius]

He didn't so much hear Armand come in as he felt Armand come in. Like a moment of nullity moving through the room, a presence that was not a presence. A ghost.

“Daniel...” Armand sat down on the bed, his weight depressing the mattress lightly.

“No...go away.” Daniel tried to turn away but he was sweating and shivering, too cold, too hot.

“It's all right, Daniel. I'm here.” Armand shifted, bringing his legs up and lying down beside Daniel, moving into Daniel's arms. “I'm here.”

“You feel good.” Daniel pressed his cheek against Armand's cool forehead, sighing. He wrapped his arms tight around Armand and it was as though he could feel the heat melt away from him, soaking into Armand.

“My poor Daniel.” Armand stroked Daniel's pale hair. Daniel had only the faintest roughness of stubble clinging to his jaw, and his mussed hair had been cut and clipped in a slick modern style that suited him. Even his ruined clothes were new. That man had taken good care of him.

Daniel shifted, so he could move closer to Armand, so he could press his entire body against Armand. The fever was burning up inside Daniel, and Armand felt the twinge of that old fear, the fear of sickness and the death it brought. So often over the years he had seen Daniel shrug off coughs and chills that it had made him wonder at the strength of these modern mortals.

Death. His fingers brushed through Daniel's hair and Daniel sighed, turning so Armand's hand moved against his cheek. Just hiding under the skin, just beyond the bones. He wondered if he pressed his ear to Daniel's chest, if he could hear the little cells inside of him slowly dying, bursting and floating away.

“I won't let you.” Armand kissed his eyelids, speaking so softly that it was more for his own sake than Daniel's. “Not right now.” And he made that little cut on his throat and guided Daniel to to it. Daniel's dry lips moved against him, at first sluggish, but then he caught the taste of it and his mouth moved hungry.

x

[ominous-feychild]

✦ Writer Questionnaire 2 ✦

Thanks for the tag, @the-golden-comet! (And @the-letterbox-archives tagging me when I was almost done here, haha)

Heads-up! Long post!

How long have you had your writing Tumblr/Writeblr? A fast and loose estimate is fine!

Two months ago to the date actually??? Or, at least, that's when I first uploaded a story here. My first actual Writeblr post was me hopping in on an open tag on the 6th of June, haha. I thought it was just a month, but looks like the summer's gone by in a flash! 😭

What led you to create it?

So, I'm a writer on Tapas! I'd been attempting to social network on other social medias (twitter and bluesky) but wasn't getting anywhere, didn't like the general formats, and uh... I'm sure I don't have to explain why I don't want to touch Twitter with a 10-foot-pole anymore. Let's just say, if you haven't seen, it's just as bad as (if not worse than) everyone says. Anyhow, I'd seen lots of Tumblr short stories on other platforms and started investigating what it's like here. Didn't know what "Writeblr" was or that it even existed, but eventually stumbled into the field after posting my short story. Thanks, @darkandstormydolls! ❤️

What’s your favorite thing about the Writeblr community?

How supportive everyone is??? Like omg you guys are so sweet, idk how to take it. Also I love seeing how much passion everyone else has for their writing, haha.

What’s one thing you’d like your mutuals to know about you?

Uhhhh, I think I'm pretty open about the things I'd like people to know about me, haha. I never mean to offend, so if I accidentally say something wrong, please tell me! I'm autistic and very dumb.

Is there anything you’d like to see more of on your dash?

I'm ngl I keep meaning to build out my followed tags for my fandoms, haha. The only fandoms I really see things for are TMAGP (10/10, TMA is my obsession. I am obsessed. It is one of my Special Interests and I love it with all my heart) and House of the Dragon??? Except I'm not even a fan of HotD??? So that's kinda annoying, haha. (Aka, my fandom stuff, but that's on me.)

WIP it Good

Which Works-in-Progress (WIPs) or writing projects are you noodling about, lately?

Rising From the Ashes, tragically. (Because it's one of the LAST things I should be working on right now, haha.) Otherwise, I'm of course always obsessed with the Arcane Rifts. Then I force myself to be obsessed with Sun and Shadow, though it's slowly growing on me, haha.

How long have you been working on them?

Haha, so I've historically jumped around a lot in working on different things, so these are approximate guesstimations!

Rising From the Ashes has likely had 3 or 4 years put into it/the characters. If you include the Calamity Crew (which overlaps with it in the timeline and originally ended up merging with the cast of RFtA), I'd say definitely 4 years!

The Arcane Rifts has had 5 years put into it.

Sun and Shadow is very new; I'd say it probably only has about 4 months of work in it? It's part of why I'm less interested in it, haha. Less I've put into it and less I'm attached to.

Do you remember what inspired them/what got you started?

Oh... oh dear. How could you ask me this??? 😭😭😭

Rising From the Ashes has existed since, I think, 2016. It started (tragically) as an RP starter on Google+. I wish I was kidding.

To those unaware of how it worked in that space (and likely similar ones to this day), you'd post a starter and people would join in with their own characters. 99% of the time, they'd drop out before long. However, I'd work out details of the characters in the process and carry that info over into the worldbuilding. I eventually stopped RPing with the masses and settled down with a single "partner" who I'll call Kris.

She's the one who stole my docs.

The Arcane Rifts technically originated as another RP starter? It never got attention, though, and instead my ideas for it simply carried over into the worldbuilding in general.

One of the characters of the original starter was important in the worldbuilding. It was not a character you see in the early books of tAR, though, so don't bother trying to figure it out. But, since he was so important, his origins were also important.

The Arcane Rifts started in 2019, as I wanted to make a story building out said character's origins. It was originally going to be a duology, the first book being Gene's backstory and the second being how Gene and The Other Guy's lives intertwined. (No, they were not gay for each other! 😂) It's since changed a lot, and focuses basically exclusively on Gene, haha. The last book in the series will probably be focused on the other character, though!

Sun and Shadow started for a romance novel competition on Tapas which has since ended. I didn't get to finish it in time for a lot of reasons, but I primarily cite stress and exhaustion from working full time at a physically-intensive job. It grew shockingly quickly and I had some fans donate to me related to it, so I'm kinda forced to work on it, haha. Dw--I like it! It's just harder to work on for a number of reasons, haha.

How much time, in your best estimation, do you spend thinking about them?

Tragic, the questions you're asking me--

It depends, haha. I'm autistic and hyperfixate a lot. Also, for one, that's a suuuuuper vague question??? Like what do you mean "how much time"--how much time within the day? How often in general? Idk, man, haha.

I think about the Arcane Rifts a LOT!

I've put an incredible amount of time and effort into it, and I'm in love with 90% of the characters there. Even the background characters have had a lot of work put into them, getting relatively fleshed-out backstories to make their motives understandable (even if not agreeable!), and I love them all so much, haha.

Except Katerina. She's a bitch.

I also think about Rising From the Ashes a good amount, and it's invaded my brain again lately, haha.

I took a step away from RFtA and basically all of my other stories late 2021 when Kris (my ex-writing partner) and I had a falling out. It was incredibly difficult for me emotionally to look at anything I worked with her on, and obviously RFtA was a huge one (actually, tAR was the only thing of my early works she had nothing to do with). Since early this year, I've finally been able to work on it again and it's been incredibly fun removing her stuff, actually!

I think all that is a good part of why I keep randomly getting obsessed with it again, haha. It's like looking at old friends (the characters, not Kris) and being all "omg??? I HAVEN'T SEEN YOU IN FOREVER??? PLEASE TELL ME EVERYTHING YOU'VE BEEN UP TO!!!" except it's removing Kris's stuff, haha.

I think about Sun and Shadow a lot more than you might expect with how much I talk about not preferring it, haha. I love the characters! Crow and, actually, Valyarus especially. They're both super interesting characters, and I'll randomly find my brain working out scenes between characters interacting with them.

(The problem with SaS is that, as a book, it's incredibly different from my usual works. It's a small cast of Frey/Crow and technically Daleira, while most of my stories focus on larger casts. It makes for a VERY different experience, and so it's a lot harder to work on)

When someone asks the dreaded, “What do you write about,” question, what do you usually say?

Actually, I've got a ready answer for this one! Until SaS, I was dedicating my time to the Arcane Rifts and had prepared the answer:

Percy Jackson meets Lord of the Rings in a steampunk fantasy world full of ✨mysteries waiting to be uncovered✨

(I'd say the "mysteries waiting to be uncovered" part ironically/accidentally mockingly most of the time, whoops, haha. I always feel awkward advertising my works.)

It was awkward when people would get actually interested in it from there and ask more questions, haha.

To clarify: that's my tagline for the Arcane Rifts! The story has gods and demigods messing with mortals, using them as their playthings and being REALLY immature babies because they don't really face consequences for their actions like PJ. Then, it's a lot more "grounded yet fantastical" like LotR, where magic is kinda infused with reality and yet you still have issues like starving to death and whatnot.

Let’s Rotate Blorbos

Name any characters you created.  Side characters, protagonists, antagonists, characters who’ve never been written, the first original abomination you ever pulled from your ass; whomever you’d like!

UHHHH THERE'S A LOT TO LIST???

Try this for a taste! These are just the guys I've gotten colors for!

Freya, Crow, Daleira, Valyarus, Grimnir, Soren, Gene, Tazin, Mislav, Adilzhan, Ludmila, Rada, Caspar, Nikolai, Gennadi, Oska, Rieka, Liesel, Carmin, Nora, Sammy, Kieva, Caron, Varik, Elazi, Riaan, Roman, and Tiberius! (Though Tib is getting a name change sooner or later)

Who’s the most unhinged?

Unhinged in which way? There's a lot of options there, haha.

I'm going to give honorary mentions to Valyarus, Gene in the later books, Tazin, Rieka, Gennadi, and Tiberius ! (Why does it not surprise me that most unhinged characters are from tAR? 🤣 Also I swear it's a coincidence most of the unhinged characters are red.)

(... Probably.)

In general, I'd say that, incredibly ironically, the Existence of Order is the most unhinged of all my characters. She's just incredible at hiding it.

(Tbf half of the Existentials probably belong on the "unhinged" list anyway but eh. They still don't compare to Order!)

Who comes the most naturally for you to write?

I'm going to give this as a tie between Gene and Sammy!

Gene has my 'tisms and just about all of my trauma, so we have a lot in common, whoops, haha. Also there's a... very specific detail about his character that makes him easier to write in general. It's just a major spoiler. 👀

Similarly and actually identically to Gene in some ways, while Sammy has a lot in common with me, he's also incredibly perceptive! (Although we don't share that fact.)

Due to the way I write, their analytical natures allow for them to spit straight facts about the worldbuilding and the people around them rather than beating around the bush, haha. Both are highly investigative, try to learn and understand everything around them, and notice small details other characters wouldn't! It makes it much easier for me to write, because uh... well here's an example of what my outlines look like.

Long story short: I include a lot of detail which I then transfer into the POV's character narration, cutting out details which they wouldn't notice or think about, haha. In Sammy's case (which that scene has Sammy as the narrator/POV character), very little information gets cut out because he's so perceptive!

(Here, as a treat--have another example!)

(In this scene, Nikolai is the narrator. Even the outline gets "filtered" to mirror the characters' way of thinking--like it's Nikolai himself seeing Caspar as "doll-like". The crossed-out stuff is details I most likely won't mention, but noted for myself, haha. I do the same thing if/when including details about the motives and thoughts of non-narrator characters.)

Do you ever cringe at them?

Gene and Sammy?

A B S O L U T E L Y .

Gene is a wreck in basically every way and desperately needs help (that he won't get until he meets Dimitry). As much as I love him, there's a lot of moments where you just can't help but wince and be all "shit, did you REALLY have to do/say that?"

Sammy on the other hand? He's a terrified, control freak manipulator who panics the moment he feels like he's losing control of a situation. It can be painful to watch, even if simultaneously fascinating.

How much control do you feel you have over your characters?  AKA, do they ever “write themselves,” refuse to cooperate, or do things you didn’t expect? To what degree? Are some less cooperative than others?

I explicitly go out of my way to add backstory to and develop each and every one of my characters until they "write themselves", haha.

I want my characters to feel like real people, so I do my absolute best to make them as real as possible. (That's part of why tAR is so massive...)

Special shoutout to Dimitry here, btw. Dude COMPLETELY screwed over the planned and intended from the earliest days path of the Arcane Rifts. I've mentioned before that Gene is villain-coded, yeah? Want to know why?

Because he was MEANT to be one! Then Dimitry had to come along, be the sweetest, nicest fucking person around to Gene while he was going through the worst part of his life, and keep Gene from slipping off the deep end!

MITRY, YOU PIECE OF--

Do you enjoy people asking questions about your characters? And do you have a preferred means of receiving said questions? For example, as Asks, as replies, as reblogs, as tag notes, as comments on AO3, etc.

I absolutely love, love, love!!! people asking questions about my characters!!! 🥰

I would absolutely prefer them as Asks sent to me, and especially would prefer if separate subjects/questions were sent in separate Asks! Like, say you were going to ask me about Gene and Dimitry. I'd rather two separate Asks, one asking for whatever you wanted to know about Gene and another for whatever you wanted to know about Dimitry, haha. However, if you wanted to ask a single question about both, that obviously is fine as a single Ask!

On writeblr engagement

What makes you want to follow another Writeblr account? Do you follow ‘em as you see ‘em, or take time scoping out the blog to make sure you align with its content? Do you follow based on WIPs, or vibes?

I definitely scope out before I follow, yes.

I choose based primarily on the personality of the person behind the blog, but the WIPs/vibes can also have an influence on my decision, haha. I'd rather follow people with kind/supportive personalities, and I'll eventually start liking their stories even if they're not initially my thing!

What makes you decide against following?

Bigotry. Moment I see it, I'm on the lookout for even the slightest hint of more and, if I see it, I'm OUT!

(That includes things like: homophobia, transphobia, TERFs, ableism, racism, xenophobia, etc.)

Also, while I include angst in my stories, the people who are big on "I have nothing but bad stuff in my writing and I'm proud" are, uh... not on my "follow" list. While they can write what they want and enjoy it, grimdark is not my thing. Angst is best in moderation and I very purposely control the amount of it in my life.

(Also Kris's--my ex writing partner's--obsession with "grimdark-ness" is a good part of why I'm so ecstatic to remove her stuff from my writing. Yes, I've tried it. For years. I hated it. Please and thank you. Also note that I proudly call myself an evil writer, so it's not like I don't love angst, it's just--moderation. Seriously.)

Do you interact with non-mutuals often?

Yes! I think a good 50-30% of my interactions are with non-moots, haha. I go out of my way to try to support my moots, but I'll definitely share support with anything that catches my attention, no matter who it's from!

To be fair, though, I think a majority of non-moots I interact with are on my mental "probably going to follow soon" list. I can be slow to make decisions, haha. It doesn't help that I try being active with my moots, so I'm trying to avoid growing that list too quickly!

Do your mutuals’ characters occupy space in your noodle?

Haha, depends what you mean by that? My brain is definitely too full of my own characters to have any space for anyone else's, but I definitely do think of others' characters at times! There's plenty of y'alls characters I really like, haha.

Just... omg, my hyperfixated AuDHD brain refuses to focus on anything except for the Hyperfixation of the Moment™.

This was a huge one! Hopefully I'm not screaming into the void with this one, or you guys enjoy finding out more about me and my WIPs.

If you're curious about the reason this is labeled Writer Questionnaire 2... well guess what!

Tagging (gently! This is a lot, haha): @honeybewrites @yourpenpaldee @paeliae-occasionally @mysticstarlightduck @illarian-rambling @.darkandstormydolls (tagged you earlier in the post haha) + open tags!

Divider from @cafekitsune!

[the-golden-comet]

✨Writeblr Interview✨

Thank you for tagging me @nczaversnick , @phynewrites , @mrbexwrites , and @foyle-writes-things ! Appreciate the heck out of y’all 💛✨

Short stories, novels, or poems?

Novels for sure, to read and to write! ✨

What genre do you prefer reading?

Same ones as I write—BL Romantasies, high fantasies, low fantasies, adult fiction, Slice of Life, Enemies to Lovers, Slow Burn, Hurt/Comfort, Angst/Fluff/Smut 💫✨

Are you a planner or a write as I go kind of person?

Little of column A, little of column B. I think a healthy balance between the two makes for some great planned (and unplanned) adventures! 💛✨

What music do you listen to while writing?

So funny thing….I don’t listen to music when I write. But, my favorite writing white noise is gameplay of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Dead by Daylight, or Friday the 13th without commentary, played at a very low volume. Something about a revving chainsaw sparks my motivation to write (or maybe it’s fear? 🤔)

Favorite books/movies?

Anything Disney +mutuals’s stories ✨

Any current WIPs?

So far finishing up YWIMC before I move on to something big….👀✨I have a lot of stories on the back-burner and am focusing on one at a time 💛

If someone were to make a cartoon out of you what would your standard outfit be?

Very comfortable gray-knit turtleneck or hoodie, comfy pants, stylin’ shoes, and my bag of holding (numerous things. Backpack I carry around that has all my daily necessities ✨)

Create a character description of yourself:

Okay picture Link from The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. Got it? Okay. Make him gay. Give him some cartilage piercings. Maybe a few eye bags due to the insomnia. There you go. ✨

Oh also make him chaotic good. Because the world needs more kindness, and I will give the world more kindness. The world does not have a choice in the matter. 🌏💫✨

Do you like incorporating actual people you know into your writing?

Considering what I write? Absolutely not.

Are you kill happy with your characters?

Depends on the character and the narrative. I like happy endings, but sometimes a character must die. 🤷‍♂️

Coffee or Tea while writing?

While I write? Water. While I wake up? Coffee. While I get ready for bed? Tea.

Slow or fast writer?

Fast writer, slow motivator. Once I get on a groove I can usually go on 5-6 hour writing binges at a time. I just have to get there first with all of my projects….🫠✨

Where/who/what do you draw inspiration from?

Myself mainly, and my friends and mutuals secondly. I’ve been writing for myself since I started making fanfictions as a teenager, so I’ll never NOT make stories for myself. Gaining a supportive community on writeblr has given me an extra boost of motivation, because now I feel like I’m writing for myself AND for my friends and mutuals ✨

If you were in a fantasy world, what would you be?

The person that somehow finds themself in harrowing situations only to stumble my way out of the problem through sheer coincidence and bullshit. Or a bard. Probably a bard. Maybe both of these things 🤔✨

Most fav book cliche:

Two dumb idiots (/positive) go on an epic quest and learn about each other in the meanwhile. (See: The Emperor’s New Groove)

Least favorite cliche:

One-trick pony characters that lack depth, or exist just to check off a box.

Favorite scene to write?

Anything involving the two main protags.

Reason for writing?

My own personal enjoyment, and to share my crazy mind with the world for entertainment and create joy and inspiration to a community of genius minds (You. I’m talking about you. Yeah, YOU. Keep writing, keep inspiring, and keep on keeping on) 💖✨

Thank you again! I’m going to tag (no pressure): @tragedycoded , @wyked-ao3 , @gioiaalbanoart , @sableglass , @words-after-midnight , @saturnine-saturneight , @marlowethelibrarian , @davycoquette , @lychhiker-writes , @glasshouses-and-stones , @aintgonnatakethis , @honeybewrites , @drchenquill , @theink-stainedfolk , @the-letterbox-archives , @ominous-feychild , @mysticstarlightduck , @finickyfelix , @autism-purgatory , @moltenwrites , @rivenantiqnerd , @thecomfywriter , @somethingclevermahogony , @authorcoledipalo , @houseplantblank , +open tag ✨

[pynkhues]

https://x.com/snow_droplet/status/1836806686041944275

lots of people see this scene (louis reading madame bovary) as a one more confirmation of louis = housewife = mother. just as the yellow painting depicting mother and child. why do you think he relates to these works so much? and what do you think it says about writers' intent wrt his character?

Mm, I can see the thought process, but having read Madame Bovary a number of years ago, I'm a little surprised at the interpretation of Louis as Emma, who cheats because she finds monogomy boring, provincial life even more so, and dislikes motherhood - three things that I'd associate a lot more with Lestat than I would with Louis given a) Antoinette, and the fact that Louis never cheated on Lestat given he only had sex with Jonah when the relationship was opened up, b) Lestat spent most of his mortal life trying to escape the French countryside when Louis has only ever lived in cities, and c) his Whole Deal with Claudia.

I do think that it's worth noting too that the copy of Madame Bovary Louis' reading is actually Lestat's, not Louis':

It also shows I think a real sense of taking Louis' self-assessment when he's at one of his lowest points of depression across the course of the series, as an actual representation of himself? Claudia calling Louis a housewife was pretty specifically about trying to emasculate him into action, and we're sitting with Louis here where he does feel emasculated. Louis does find purpose through work - he's an ambitious man and a capitalist from the moment we meet him - and him being forced out of the upper echelon of earning capacity due to his race is both, of course, racist, but I think also is something he does find emasculating.

Louis always took his role as provider seriously with the du Lac's, I think both as eldest son and patriarch (and I kinda touched on it in my post about Grace, but the show flirts a little with gothic themes of a perverted family structure there in that Louis is both father and brother to Grace and Paul, and son and husband to Florence), and I think even having the illusion that he was providing for at least Claudia, if not Lestat (who of course is cashed-up from Magnus), was still a crucial part of his identity. It's why it's easy for him to fall into a (again, perverted) version of that role with Armand.

That's even without getting into the Capitalism of it all, haha. I actually forgot this and just caught it again on my (very slow) re-watch, but The Azaelia isn't Louis' only business at the time when it starts getting targeted. He's invested in, at the very least, grocery stores and millineries, which Lestat points out to him when Louis' making his No Whites Allowed sign:

This - - again - - is emasculating. Grocery stores and hat makers are very specifically pink-collar industries, and Louis' been making a fortune not off women's quote-unquote 'interests', he's been making it off women's bodies. And again, one day, I'm going to write my Louis-is-a-misogynyst post, but for now, my point is that it's the insult of this that fuels Louis' (rightful!) anger, not his relation to it.

The painting I do think is a bit different, but that's kind of harder to talk about given visual art is so subjective (and honestly I know less about it / can speak to it less). I do think it's significant though that the artist is a Black man, and someone who's still pretty up and coming. The maternal side there I can see, but I don't think it's as absolute as others, just personally.

[tavyliasin]

Writer Interview Tag

I was tagged by @redroomroaving and once I'd finished feeling about a hundred emotions from reading I managed to follow it up.

I definitely got a little personal as well, and I know I’m prone to rambling so I’ll pop the questions and answers below the cut. A mild CW for discussion of physical pain and some very very light mentions of mental health. Tagging @morb-untamed @sweetmage @dmbakura @hydropyro @ineadhyn @nicocoer @wixed to do this if you would like to, but there is absolutely no pressure to talk about yourselves or in any personal detail. And anyone else reading this who I missed tagging (I forget names and tags so often, forgive me) please feel free to use me as your tag-in and let me know so I can read your answers too.

When did you start writing?

I have no idea, truly. Stories and reading were a big part of my life since before I could read, and as soon as I could read independently I devoured books and imagined stories in quiet moments. There are a few things I’ve worked on under another name, another identity, but no massive published works. A couple of unfinished SFW fanfics, and some larger original projects that remain on hiatus. As for writing smut and spice and taking fanfic more seriously? That all started in September 2023, and has just grown from there. I was hesitant at first, and you’ll see that in my early author notes, but from there I feel I’ve truly grown in my style and skill, as well as my creativity and ability to delve into character details and kink alike.

Are there different themes or genres you enjoy reading than what you write?

Since writing more, I’ve become a terrible reader. I can’t really focus on it for long because my brain goes into ADHD rebellion and says “no, no, we don’t want to read story we want to create story” which is endlessly frustrating when I have stacks of unread books and a ton of fics earmarked by very talented authors. I will say there is a particular thing many may notice in my works – when writing, I very rarely refer to genitalia in direct terms. It’s just a personal preference when writing, you won’t find the word “cock” in any of my works, but contrary to how it might sound I have absolutely no issue with reading it in the works of others. I am an odd creature, I freely admit that. So…yes, there are themes, pairings, styles, and vocabulary features that I enjoy reading but do not write myself.

Is there a writer you want to emulate or get compared to often?

I don’t hear comparisons really, and I don’t aim to emulate anyone either, though I will admit I try to keep just a few little moments of humour or sly winks to the audience in similar ways to Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams. Just those quick lines or cutaways that for a moment join reader and author in a little shared joke.

Can you tell me a bit about your writing space?

I can only really write comfortably in one place, at my PC. I have 3 screens set up around my seat, which is actually the end seat of a reclining sofa, so I have a heated pad behind my back to reduce pain. I have a mini fridge with drinks on the table beside me with the side screen that has Discord on it at all times, my larger screen (the TV) sometimes has character images for reference or notes or just Spotify up so I can swap songs and playlists quickly. The last screen is in front of me on a table that goes over my footrest, and my keyboard is on a lap desk over my legs. 

I’ll almost always have my headphones on, and a small fan when it gets too warm. Sometimes I do end up a little chaotic with snacks in reach and meds also on the table so I don’t have to have anyone fetch them for me.

What's your most effective way to muster up a muse?

It can’t be controlled. The muse is as fickle as it is demanding, when it’s there it wants everything all at once, and when it’s gone?... It leaves a devastating emptiness that honestly I struggle with at times. Even right now, tonight I planned to write, but when I finally got the free time and got set up…nothing feels appealing to try. So I’m doing this instead, and not forcing it. 

There are things I try at times, and things I recommend, too. First? Before you start writing, tend to your basic needs. Do you need a drink? Food? Relevant medication? A nap? A talk with a friend? A bit of fresh air or physical movement? If one of these needs hasn’t been met, it’ll likely soon become an obstacle to your writing. I like to have a drink and snack ready and with me when I start so it’s there as and when I might need it, and I do rely on caffeine like a stereotypically unmedicated ADHD author…

Second, set the mood. It can help for some people to have this routine, to get their playlist going, to be in the right place, to have the things that set a whole zone and bubble. For a while, I had a specific hat I would wear when writing for another project. I could tell myself “I am putting the hat on now, so I will focus and do this thing” and in some way it trained me to write more. I know others who have done things like always listening to a specific genre of music to write, so now when they hear that genre they get the urge to write. Third is take a shower. Nothing gives me more ideas than a good shower, and I even bought a waterproof notepad and pencil set so I can make those notes whilst in there and not fret about forgetting an idea. Other than that, I recommend going back to the thing that inspired you to write. Play the game or watch scenes with the characters you want to write about, find their voices and mindsets. You can also close your eyes and imagine the scene like a play – put the characters on your stage at the start of the scene and watch what they do in the scenario. Let them show you how they react. Some people also do well to write out a plan or bulletpoints, but I find personally this can bite me in the ass because the process of writing can often stray from my original plan. Which isn’t a bad thing, but it can feel frustrating that I didn’t use ideas that I was initially passionate about.

Are there any recurring themes in your writing? Do they surprise you?

Ah here it is. Whilst I could go quite simply with the kinks that I keep utilising that don’t surprise me in the slightest – I know well that I enjoy writing a spicy shifting of power balance between strong-minded characters, as well as a lot of BDSM kink – there are deeper parts to this. Identity. That’s a theme that keeps rearing its head beneath a lot of works, and you’ll find it most noticeable in how I write both Haarlep and He Who Was, but it tends to worm its way into other things too. It…did not surprise me, though, because it’s something I have struggled with over this past year within myself.

I created this name, this identity, as a way to be comfortable in sharing kink fiction and spicy works without it being easily identifiable under my actual name. I still don’t like to be too personal, or share my face or real name under this one, because I would rather keep a few close friends and family out of sight of my fandom thirsting. I’m certain a lot of us are the same – it isn’t really about shame but knowing that I, and they, would likely not be comfortable discussing this level of subject matter. I’ve relaxed a little over time, and have no doubt that a few may have worked out who I am and simply kept it quiet which I appreciate endlessly, just as I appreciate that those who do know both of my identities have never shared that information or made it public. I’m happy to meet people in person, just not to have my self online shared with my other self, as I’m sure you can understand. Anyway, I digress…

Something that the keen-eyed accomplice might have noticed in me is a shift in my speech. I used a few more mannerisms and speech patterns, particularly terms of endearment, under this name when I began. It was a way to separate the self, as well as to engage with a different audience in a different way. I explained it to the few who knew both early on as “same person, different font”, because I don’t change who I am just a few parts of how I speak or interact…but I’ve dropped a lot of the endearments now. Partly because there were more than a few who expressed they were uncomfortable with this in conversation – which I fully respect and understand – so it was easier to just drop them entirely rather than double checking or switching vocabulary between people and servers. But it has also fallen away a little as I have become more comfortable with both sides of myself, allowing them to integrate again more, and I owe a good amount of that to being able to meet fandom friends in person and find that they didn’t turn away from knowing all of me and instead have become even better friends. 

So…yes, the theme of names and identity keeps popping up. The power of names, the importance of identity, how one can hold on to one’s sense of self when it feels as if it is wavering, or when a role must be played. It’s little wonder I was so strongly drawn to so many favourites. Another recurring theme, of course, is pain. Physical. Whilst this is often in the form of kink and pain play, I’ve written a few pieces where it has been a point that is not about the sexual and positive side. I am in pain. 24/7. Without end. It will not get better. It has been this way for over 10 years. The level of the pain is “I cannot walk more than 10 metres before it is too much”, and “I have to drastically reduce and monitor my physical activity to prevent pain getting worse”, so I feel very intimately familiar with pain. You’ll find it in my writing as visceral and detailed descriptions of the sensations, because I’ve felt every one of them and might just be feeling them in that moment as I write. 

I’m going to keep trying to write short comfort pieces, too. Because as I once wrote as a dialogue line for Halsin, when Tav asked how he always seemed to know the right thing to say:  

“Sometimes we say the things we need to hear the most.” 

What is your reason for writing?

Every reason ever. There’s…not a lot I can do in this body. So many hopes and dreams and even careers I’ve had to leave behind, through the struggles of mental and physical health. Whilst the former is far better, the latter is the issue… But writing is something I can do with little physical effort. If I’m in pain, I can take my medication and absorb into fiction. 

I started writing smut as a challenge, but also as a way to tell a story I was becoming rather attached to. My main longfic was one born from playing the game, and wondering about telling the story between the lines, giving reason to the choice the player character was making under my instruction. Since then, it has grown to be so much more.

I’d love to sit here and tell you “I only write for myself, I don’t need external validation” but that…would be a half-truth at best. I write because I love sharing these stories, I love that they can reach out and touch hearts and minds in ways I might never know, but I adore when someone does send back their echo across the vast void between us to say “I enjoyed this” or “this story made me feel something”. That’s…it’s everything to know I have some value. Which sounds a lot like I’m pinning my self-worth on feedback or kudos, and whilst I can’t deny that’s a hard habit to break, I do know it isn’t everything. I just want it to still be something. To know I can do more than just…exist. 

Truly if you were to ask me what I feel the purpose is to my entire life, it would be “to leave each corner of the world I touch a little brighter and better than it was before I got there”, and whilst I know that’s impossible to do all the time I still want to try. And writing? Sharing stories? That’s leaving a positive mark, giving someone enjoyment in their day – yes, even sexually, with the kinky and sexy writing. That is still a positive to someone’s day, an indulgence, something that lifts them and certainly nothing to be ashamed of.

If I can do more than that with emotional writing, with comfort pieces, with cathartic moments and with stories that have more meaning behind the words…all the better.

Is there any specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating?

The best are the ones that pull out favourite lines or moments, but honestly every single comment means the world to me. An incoherent keysmash, a simple “I loved this”, even those are such a boost particularly on a hard day. 

Readers, please know how much it helps. Even a click on the kudos as an anonymous guest, it’s…it lets us know we aren’t just shouting into the void. It tells us those Hits are not people just opening up the fic then closing it because they hated it. It means the whole world to know we’ve done something that you enjoyed, in whatever way that was.

I’ll also say that some of the ones that have meant the most and have stuck with me are comments on the more personal pieces, like with The Love of Loviatar – the Abdirak x Reader fic where I play a little with worlds colliding to allow a reader character who experiences chronic pain (remarkably similar to my own, don’t think about that too hard) to have that moment with Abdirak who validates and appreciates them exactly how they are. Gentle care mixed with BDSM, trading the bad pain for the good pain, the pain that is welcome and has purpose, a little fantasy of enjoying what the body can do rather than being trapped by what it cannot… Every time I get a comment there, I damn near cry. Or just openly cry. They mean so much. I know how much Abdirak can mean to us, and I am so glad I can reach you all. 

How do you want to be thought about by your readers?

I…well… To be thought of at all is an honour. I’m shocked any time I encounter someone who has read my works, despite logically knowing I have a good number of readers from the numbers alone. I just…don’t look at those numbers often, it’s not good for me. 

I’d like readers to know I care about them. Every last one. To know I would love to tell all the stories they want to read, and that I fully welcome their messages, comments, and even friendship when we share social spaces. There’s something special about the connections we can make in unexpected places, and I’m just delighted to be here sharing stories with you all. 

I don’t need high respect, endless adoration, or some kind of pedestal. I’m a human, unfortunately – squishy and fallible and flawed and suffering and there is still beauty and worth to me even when I don’t see it myself. Just saying that last part louder for everyone else who has loud negative thoughts of themselves. It’s ok for you to see my flaws, and it’s ok for us all to have love for one another despite those flaws. Love in the platonic sense, of course – there are levels of connections we make with people from a distant echo of a brief exchange of words to the direct warmth of a friendship. It’s as important to not underestimate the value as it is important to not overestimate our closeness to people we don’t truly know.

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

I am beginning to believe it is the wild ideas I have for crackship pairings and turning them into something serious and meaningful. I love taking an unlikely coupling then finding what makes them actually genuinely work. 

I’m also getting quite confident in sensual writing as well as kink, in the particular style that I have for it. I know well that it isn’t to everyone’s tastes, but those who do enjoy my style and method will always have something in the buffet of fic to fill their plate.

I really hope to transfer this to my original work when I get it finished, as I feel like just maybe I might have a niche of style that isn’t as often seen in published works. Then again, I’m not exactly devouring raunchy original fiction so perhaps I’m entirely mistaken and would get ripped to shreds by critics of the genre. Who knows? But I will try to get published when it’s done. I hope a few of you might even read it someday.

When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, or do you write purely for yourself, or a mix of both?

Ahh definitely both. I have written characters and pairings I’m not personally into that much, though sometimes (Yurgir) I have found myself enjoying the character after writing with them. It’s a fun little quirk, I start writing something thinking “am I into this?” and realise later “oops new kink acquired” or “ahh ok I see why people like [character] so much now.” 

I do really love writing requests or rare pairings/characters that readers haven’t seen before or are excited to see more of. I hope to keep doing a mix of that and the characters/pairings that I love most myself. If there’s something you’d like to see, I’m more than happy to take suggestions – there are a few kinks, characters, and tropes that I have a hard “nope” line on (not kink shaming, just personal comfort levels – I love that you can enjoy those things elsewhere I am just not the chef to cook that dish for you) but otherwise I love wild ideas and writing something that someone explicitly wants to read~

How do you feel about your own writing?

I really struggle with this one, but I think many of us do. I go from feeling confident that people enjoy what I’ve written and that I have this skill to bring worlds and characters to life with mere words on a page, yet other times? I will freely admit some works of mine take longer because I just hit this point where I just cannot tell if it’s any good. I know intellectually that I have the same style, tropes, stories, kinks that people like and enjoy, but as I’m sat there staring at it I’m questioning everything because I’m just not feeling it. That seems pretty natural, I think, that we are the worst critics of our own works because we’ve read them so many times or thought far too hard about every word and line… But I tend to solve this with an external view. Beta Readers have saved works from near extinction by checking it over, telling me what does need fixing, and reminding me that actually the rest of it is just fine I’m simply overthinking it all because my mind is struggling with something else like fatigue or pain or just a low kind of day.

So… Overall, writing has been a new life for me. Particularly in this last year, trying something new – expanding into NSFW fanfic has found me countless new connections, friends, experiences I wouldn’t have had otherwise and a real feeling of accomplishment and validation that just wasn’t happening in WIPs that were taking too long and getting no feedback at all. 

Writing isn’t just something I do, it’s inextricably a part of who I am, and in its own way it continues to shape exactly what “who I am” can mean.

And I am grateful to every single one of you who has shared this journey with me so far. I cannot wait to see how far we can go together~

[dollopheadsandclotpoles]

Kinda fucked how even authors of queer literature or creators of queer media refuse to use the word "asexual" in relation to their characters. Why do I keep seeing these people say things like "yeah I consider this character ace but I didn't want to commit to it in the text"

[butch-chastity]

I know we joke a lot about how x major property is a homestuck fanfic or y major property is a star wars fanfic but I think people underestimate how many properties are sailor moon fanfics

[theverumproject]

Character Interview Tag!

Thanks for the tag @moltenwrites

I'm gonna chose Zri’Kla for this one

Have you ever been in love?

Yes… We met in… our planet's version of a university, we fell in love there. We were together for many years. We both wanted to become soldiers, to fight for our people. And we succeeded in that. One day we were on a simple mission, guarding cargo as it was being transported. Then a Tapzian ship attacked… Most people died, including my boyfriend… I still feel guilt to this day, though it has been many years.

What is your least favorite thing in the world?

Tapzians… Our species have been fighting each other ever since we've existed. We share a common ancestor. …We all want them extinct.

What is your pet peeve?

Us Kotrulians, we all have the same gender. But there are members of other alien races that don't understand that. Though it is a minority.

Your questions:

How's your relationship with your parental figure/s?

What would your ideal garden look like?

If you could eradicate one disease from the entire world, which one would it be?

Tags: @creative-author @mrassassinscreedhimself @rivenantiqnerd + Open tag!

[helloiamacashier]

It's a travesty that I can't reblog gifsets of books.

[killerandhealerqueen]

Fic Author Interview

Thank you for the tag @hils79!

How many works do you have on AO3?

270 (as of right now)

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

2,888,650 (as of right now)

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Wait, We're Married?! (The Devil Judge, Kang Yohan/Kim Gaon) - 1,543 kudos

Succulents and an Overprotective Kang Yohan (The Devil Judge, Kang Yohan/Kim Gaon) 1,243 kudos

Kang Yohan's Relaxing Day Off (The Devil Judge, Kang Yohan/Kim Gaon) - 844 kudos

Protect You (The Devil Judge, Kang Yohan/Kim Gaon) - 817 kudos

Kim Gaon Is Mine (The Devil Judge, Kang Yohan/Kim Gaon) - 761 kudos

I'm honestly still kinda surprised my Devil Judge fics are doing well, considering that I don't write for the fandom anymore

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

I always do, unless they're rude, then they're just deleted. There's no point in fighting/arguing with someone who doesn't understand the story I'm trying to tell

5. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Oh, my Chinese Paladin 4 fic Promise to Keep. It's one of my only fics that has Major Character Death, which is INCREDIBLY rare for me, but it's the only fic I've ever felt comfortable writing an MCD for because I was actually okay with the ending of the drama. But it won't ever happen again because I cried while writing this fic and I don't think I can go through it again

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

All of them but Promise to Keep

7. Do you write crossovers?

Yeah. I mainly do crossovers between Killer and Healer and S.C.I., but I've done crossovers with other dramas too

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I did, yeah, and made a whole fucking post about it because the person was really fucking rude and not only came for me, but for my readers and if you come for me, fine, I'll just delete the comment, but the moment you come for my readers I will fucking end you

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

Nope

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I did, back when I wrote for the Untamed. Someone had took my The Untamed Moments and started posting it, word for fucking word, in Spanish over on Wattpad. Thankfully a reader told me about it and I got it taken down but to my knowledge, none of my fics since then have been stolen

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Oh yeah, a few. It makes me really happy/honored

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

Waaaay back on AsianFanFics...haven't since then

13. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

It's been almost 3 years and I'm still not normal about them

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

I always finish my WIPs, for the most part. It's very rare that I don't

15. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue and anything that has to do with describing crime scenes or forensics. Or anything mafia related

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

Run ons, maybe. But sometimes, you just gotta

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I never write full dialogue in other languages, but I will use words, like "gege" or "hyung". Sometimes, I'll curse in another language, if I know what it is (mainly in Japanese)

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

First proper fic was either for Dragonball or Black Butler

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

I don't know, no new fandom/ship has like...caught me and made me want to write. If I watch a new show, I mainly just like...want to make an au out of it for my current ships

20. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written

My baby, my beloved, my Killer and Healer rewrite, right here: 恨君不似江楼月 | Killer and Healer.

It's a fic that I don't think I can ever top. The amount of time and effort and tears that I put into this fic...I just love it a lot. And I'm super proud of it. I mean, I love all my fics, don't get me wrong, but nothing can ever probably beat this fic

Tagging: @sunriseverse @clawbehavior @godotismissingx @fourth-quartet @ahhhnorealnamesallowed and any of my other writer friends who wants to play

[alexagirlie]

Writer Interview Tag Game

thank you @ladyaldhelm for the tag! I'm sorry this took me like 4 months to finish.

This was fun :D under a cut because it is loooong

About me

When did you start writing?

I start writing seriously in December of 2021. I had dabbled when I was younger but never published anything online.

None that come to mind immediately, ive dabbled in most genres or themes that I also like to read.

Are there different genres or themes you enjoy reading other than the ones you write?

Is there an author you want to emulate, or are compared to often?

Nope!

Can you tell me a bit about your writing space?

I write on my phone using googledocs ao that I can write wherever I can. Most commonly that is curled up on the couch listening to music.

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

Looking at pictures of the blorbos or brainstorming with peoppe on discord.

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

Not in the slightest lol

Are there any reoccurring themes in your writing? If so, do they surprise you?

Does PWP count as a theme? I write fic to smush my blorbos together so end up with smut with minimal plot the most and it does not surprise me at this point lol

Characters

Would you please tell me about your current favorite character?

To the surprise of no one who follows me my current favourite character is Sihtric from The Last Kingdom. He is kind and loyal and has a praise kink a kilometer long, no one can convince me otherwise. He is also played by the most beautiful man I have ever seen in my life

For original characters that would be my bb Xander. He is a very queer wizard who loves to paint and read and has very questionable mental health.

Which of your characters would you be friends with in real life?

I have a couple of original characters I have developed over my life which I think would be amazing friends IRL.

Xander is probably top of the list, he already fits the description of several of my irl besties lol

Tell me about the process of coming up with your characters?

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

I tend to like all the characters I have created myself, characters from ny shows though... probably Aethelred or Aethelwold from The Last Kingdom.

Its something Ive done a lot over the years and just used to happen without me thining about it too hard. These days if I plan anything involving original characters then I tend to adapt either Xander, or my other bb Ellixia, to fit whichever fandom im hyperfixating on.

Do you notice any reoccurring themes/traits in your characters?

I like to create characters with tattoos, have some sort of fight training and are usually some flavour of queer.

My writing

How do you picture your characters?

.. in my head? Or I draw them

What’s your reason for writing?

It's the only way to make the voices inside my head shut up. I kept them contained for so long but now I cant put them back.

Is there any specific comment or type of comment from readers that you find particularly motivating?

Honestly any comment lol I get so few that I love any time of comment! How motivating they are does vary though.

How do you want to be thought about by your readers?

Well I know I have converted many to the m/m game and honestly that is a legacy i shall always cherish

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

I'm honestly not sure lol

Have you been told is your greatest strength as a writer is by others?

I get a lot of compliments on my characterization.

How do you feel about your own writing?

Most of the time pretty good. I know I am not the best writer out there but thats okay, I still have fun which is the most important part.

When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, do you write purely for yourself, or is it a mix of both?

If you were the last person on earth, would you still write?

Probably not lol.

I would say its a mix of both. I write because I am compelled too fet the pictures out of my brain but I am also very susceptible to peer pressure lol that would be why i started writing readers fics lol then turns out i like writing them anyways.

Its been so long since this circulated so not sure who did it but tagging my OC loving girlies on the off chance you havent done it.

@gemini-mama @zaldritzosrose @legitalicat @foxyanon @thenameswinter99

[suzy-queued]

New Year's Ask Game for Fic Writers

To close out 2023…

1) What fic did you have the most fun writing this year and why? Or, if you can’t decide, what was most fun about writing this year for you?

It was a lot of fun writing the Masquerade story, because there was a lot to consider. Should I use my own voice or try to mimic someone else's? Should I write a story that I normally wouldn't take a chance on? Game-ifying fic writing makes it really exciting. And now it's fun to guess on everyone else's stories!

2) What’s a scene/story that you finished and felt “wow, I really accomplished that, that actually went so well”?

Chapter 13 of Out of Nowhere. I knew from the beginning that I'd have to write that angsty sex scene, and I felt like I was training for a marathon leading up to it. It had to balance anger and love, had to involve force but not be rapey. There were so many complex and competing forces in the scene, and I wasn't sure I could pull it off.

3) What helped provide the most inspiration for stories, if anything? Was it poetry? A song on repeat? A gorgeous gifset? A walk outside? A book you read that made you want to change everything? Whatever it was! Tell all.

Songs! Always songs. Murder ballads. Heavy metal opuses. Raw 2000s emo. Give me all of it.

4) What is something you want to share about what you’ve written this year? A particular line, a comment that made you feel really good, a scene that was difficult to write — you get to choose! What do you wish someone would ask you about when it comes to what you’ve written?

I tried to write novels back between 2012-2018. I wrote 2 YA fantasy novels and pieces of four others. But none of them ever felt complete. None of them gelled in my mind. I don't know why. I shelved them all. Then, I discovered the Gallavich fandom. I read the fics and a fire got lit inside me. And now I've written five novel-length stories. FIVE. And they all feel right! I can't thank this fandom enough for being supportive, inspiring, and transformative. I may not have a ton of fics, but completing a fifth multi-chap makes me feel like a superhero.

And to start off 2024…

1) Do you have any writing/creation goals for the year? What are they?

Finish Out of Nowhere, which will happen ... any day now!

2) Is there a fic or idea that you’re really excited to be able to continue to work on in the new year (shout out to my fellow fic writing folks who take forever to finish wips, sometimes it’s nice to be able to continue working on something even if you wish you’d gotten it done! Now you get even MORE time with it!)

I am exited to continue the @galladrabbles series No Sleep 'Til Nashville. It makes me giggle to put all the fandom tropes in there. It might go on for the entire year, who knows? There's a lot of story left to tell, and I have a lot of shenanigans planned.

3) What’s something new in your writing you want to try/are going to try? A different writing style? Different fandom? Darker works? Fluffier? Longer or shorter?

I might write more short stories this year. I might write a non-Gallavich original novel (if the idea strikes). All I know is that I'll always be writing something.

4) What’s something you love about your own writing that you will continue to appreciate in the new year?

I love creating suspense — in a scene, in a chapter, in an entire fic. I enjoy the challenge of making every scene sing, or at least having narrative tension. I don't see that going away. Here's hoping I can succeed!

Tagging, if you'd like to participate: @sweetperversiongirl @sweetbee78 @depressedstressedlemonzest @juliakayyy @notherenewjersey @metalheadmickey @creepkinginc @whatthebodygraspsnot @arrowflier @crossmydna

[ladyramora]

Fic authors self rec! When you see this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers (◠‿◠✿)

Tagging all my writer followers~

Rec your fics ❤️✨

[fancyratlady]

I only learned about Murderbot this morning and already it is all over my dash because it is getting a TV show. I am either very lucky or very unlucky.

[mistressheroine]

author interview

Thank you for the tags @gneebee & @im-immortal

Happy New Year everyone!

1. how many works do you have on AO3?

6

2. what's your total AO3 word count?

43,408

3. what fandoms do you write for?

The Walking Dead - Beth Greene/Daryl Dixon

4. what are your top five fics by kudos?

Keep Me

A Stolen Moment

La Dame Blanche

I'll Be Home For Christmas

Something

5. do you respond to comments?

Yes, and I try my best to respond to every comment I get. I massively appreciate all the support and feedback I get so I try my best to acknowledge that.

6. what is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Something was definitely the angstiest thing I've written so far, although I do have a second part for La Dame Blanche in my notes that would probably beat it...

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

I Want Your Midnights probably 😉

8. do you get hate on fics?

No, thankfully I haven't had any hate directed my way since I started posting earlier this year but I know it happens.

9. do you write smut? if so, what kind?

I want Your Midnights was my first attempt at writing smut and I gotta say I'm so proud of how it turned out. Writing smut always made me really nervous but once I got started it was actually so much fun and it's defintely something I plan to do again.

10. do you write crossovers? what's the craziest one you've written?

No, and I don't have any plans to.

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware of.

12. have you ever had a fic translated?

No.

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

No, although it sounds like it coulld be fun!

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

Beth & Daryl - I am literally never getting over them.

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

I have a lot of ideas jotted down, snippets of fic ideas or scenes rather than stuff in my WIPs. I do intend to get around to them all eventually. I did have a whole Beth Lives idea that I came up with a while ago about her going back to the farm but I think it's more likely that the idea is going to get incorporated into Keep Me at some point rather than it growing into it's own story.

16. what are your writing strengths?

Oh wow, I don't know. I'm not very good at critquing myself. Hopefully keeping them as much in character as I can?

17. what are your writing weaknesses?

Right now I feel like action sequences (I'm trying to write some action sequences for the latest chapter of Keep Me) - creating the right vibe for them and building the suspense. I also think sometimes I'm in danger of repeating the same words a lot when describing something. Having the confidence to trust myself once I've written something out as well, I do look to @im-immortal for a lot of reassurance and I massive appreciate her taking the time to read the stuff I send to her 😊

18. thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I did a bit of this in La Dame Blanche but I don't think I'd ever be confident enough to use more than a few words at a time. Google translate is notroious for messing stuff up and I wouldn't want to do it if I wasn't confident that I was getting it right.

19. first fandom you wrote for?

Alias on FF.net - I post one very short fic there once and then Something was originally posted over there back in 2014 but I didn't write anything from then until earlier on this year.

20. favourite fic you've written?

Keep Me has my heart right now because it's the biggest thing I've ever attempted, but writing I Want Your Midnights was so much fun and really made me feel more confident as a writer.

A lot of you have been tagged already so sorry if I'm tagging you again but anyone who wants to join in please do! @burningupasun @boltthrutheheart @sasusc @fairybellworld

[phynewrites]

🍓 Author Ask tag 🍓

Thank you for the tag! @leisoree (here) and @at-thezenith (here!) These are all wonderful questions and a perfect moment to share with others

This is a long post ahead so I'm going to put this here already:

Gently tagging (no pressure) @writingamongther0ses @distortedsense @alnaperera @sm-writes-chaos @bluet-s @silviathebard @caxycreations @inseasofgreen @sableglass

Your questions are:

Which OC are you most fond of and why?

Is there any form of media (other movies, books, theater, news, etc.) that inspired your wip/s? How so?

What wip-related activities do you do aside from writing your wip? (making moodboards or playlists, etc.)

What are you most proud of in your wip/s and why?

What tropes are common among your wip/s? Why do you enjoy incorporating these tropes?

Which part of your wip are you most struggling and how do you plan to overcome it?

Any advice/ words of encouragement or just really a greeting to any writeblr who would have read this far?

From @leisoree

What is the main lesson of your story (e.g. kindness, diversity, anti-war), and why did you choose it?

This is kind of tricky. Karikultura is essentially a satire/social commentary on the woes of my country as a former colony of Spain and America, as well as the neo-Imperialism that I learned during my years as an activist. I guess I wanted to impart my ideals there that we, as a nation, continue to operate in a colonial mindset by patronizing the foreign and especially putting attention on foreign needs instead of the welfare of our own people. We have not learned, that's essentially what I want to say

For In Death, Forever, at its core is just about how love endures everything, even the universe itself. But at the same time, there are things that are beyond our control no matter how we fight it for. Despite that, fate can be kind and it can work out in our favor even though the outcome is not something we want.

What did you use as inspiration for your worldbuilding (like real-life cultures, animals, famous media, websites, etc.)?

I'm going to mention a wip that I think hinted at it before and that is Mantra (I think I remember talking about it with @yesireadbooks and @holdmyteaplease I don't know why I can't tag you HAHAHA), although I never got to fully flesh out the story I did go HARD! on the lore, which is mainly inspired by Hinduism and Philippine mythology. It has a polytheistic religion, each person has a specific deity they worship (except if you're a sage, you're mandated to have more than one deity to worship). The landscapes, I was not able to flesh out but I wanted to take inspiration in ancient India. It was also at that time that I was rereading the Ramayana and Mahabharata that I wanted to incorporate the same values of heroism, bravery, remaining true to ones vows, etc.

Karikultura isn't so deep in worldbuilding, but it's heavy on symbolism. Each character represents an idea that is personified. The main character, of course, represents our country. His friend represents our countrymen. His sister represents language. His mother represents glory. I guess that counts as worldbuilding?

In Death, Forever was supposed to be a simple time-leap story, until it just, like any other wip as you would know, expanded. I included, like in Mantra, a polytheistic system but they are not a form of religion. These gods, compared to the ones in Mantra, are not worshipped. They are considered personified forces in the universe that control various dimensions of human life. (Father Time, Sister Fates, Mother Death, I'm not sure if I'm gonna add someone else, maybe if I thought of it and if they play a relevant role in the story.) The time leap structure was based similarly on Tokyo Revengers, to which I still am an avid fan of today.

What is your MC trying to achieve, and what are you, the writer, trying to achieve with them? Do you want to inspire others, teach forgiveness, help readers grow as a person?

Felipe in Karikultura appears to be a businessman who intends to expound his reach and conquer the world together with his American friends. As I've said, what I want to achieve in this story is neo-imperialism awareness through the decline of his character, that this is a faux success and the real success would rely on the prosperity of the people and not the foreigners.

Mary in In Death, Forever's goal is simple: find a way to stop the death of her husband Connor. Compared to Karikultura, there isn't really a deeper meaning in her journey apart from showing her resilient and determined nature despite her hardships, which in itself is, I think, a worthy message to the readers. It's going to a be a story about her grief, understanding the ways of the world, pushing its limits, and the raw power of the human mind against the universe and those that govern against it. In the process, she gains an unlikely ally.

How many chapters is your story going to have?

Well, I'm not really one to set a wordcount or number of chapters for my wips, but Karikultura is finished now! YEHEY! And I have finished editing it! It has Three Acts: Act 1 with 15 Scenes, Act 2 with 8 scenes and Act 3 with 6 scenes, a total of 19 scenes of 18,967 words (Kinda short but I think it's an ample size for a playscript)

In Death, Forever currently has 12 chapters with 9,519 words in, and that's not even halfway (or even a thirds) of the original plot I have in mind.

Is it fanfiction or original content? Where do you plan to post it?

Oh boy HAHAHHA, all my wips are original content. My top contenders of where I plan to post it are in Wattpad and A03. Actually, Karikultura is available in Public now, in Wattpad at https://www.wattpad.com/myworks/374982617-karikultura

It's in Filipino and English, a little bit of Spanish.

When and why did you start writing?

I formed the love for writing when I was in 3rd grade. The first book I read was Roald Dahl's The Magic Finger and I thought I wanted to write stories like that. I started to read more -- a hobby that I got from my mom -- and that's where I started concocting stories. I would write in notebooks about stories in schools and ideas that pop in my head. I started formally writing in high school, when I was 14 years old I think. It was a retelling of the Little Red Riding Hood except werewolves. I posted it on Wattpad then and it got good reads for a while, but I didn't get to update it frequently due to busy studies. I picked up on my writing slump when I was a college student again, a few moments before I made my writeblr account. Truly, the reason why I started writing was because I wanted to put my thoughts on paper and have an outlet for my emotions

Do you have any words of engagement for fellow writers of Writeblr? What other writers of Tumblr do you follow?

Keep being you. Don't lose sight of why you write in the first place, and that is for yourself, your leisure, your feelings, and your story. Don't be discouraged if there are challenges, these are normal. The way you handle and react to them is completely in your control, so keep going and always remember to write because it is what you love to do. It is not for anyone else to dictate to you. All the love <333333333333

From @at-thezenith

what was the first piece of writing you did where you thought "wow I'd love to be a writer"?

Okie, so I said a while ago that technically it was reading first that got me into writing, but I think the first piece that I wrote that really inspired me was a story I made about my friends in 5th grade. We were playing a royalty roleplay-esque game that my friend invented. I wrote about it in my diary, and then a flash of inspiration came into me that I could turn it into a fantasy story where each of us were queens from distant lands with different powers, each needing the other to balance the world. Kind of like that. I think that's the earliest wip I've had.

how do you gather inspiration for your works? (pinterest boards, writing prompts, etc)

The biggest inspiration for most of my wips just come into my head from either a (1) dream or (2) various media. I remember specifically having an abandoned about attending a magic school that was based on a dream, and then another about venturing into the depths of a volcano to retrieve an ancient artifact and then using lucid dreaming to travel to another dimension. (please don't ask me to revive these I literally don't know anything about them anymore, maybe in the future something might inspire me)

However, a good chunk of my serious works are from other stories, that's why one of my inspiration as a writer is also to instill inspiration to others (and that's how I also get inspiration from my lovely moots!)

For example, Karikultura is specifically a mishmash of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Grey and Chinua Achebe's Things fall apart. The story is literally an adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Grey and at it's core is the message of Things fall apart.

In Death, Forever is an awful mishmash of Ken Wakui's Tokyo Revengers and Chinese series Link Click in regards to the time travelling logistics, Crisostomo and Maria Clara from the Television series Maria Clara and Ibarra as well as the extreme grief I felt from Demon Slayer: Mugen Train. I think even the atmosphere and the multiple universes of Sonny Boy also had an influence.

Another wip (unnamed but what I have in mind is "Berserker" or something like that) is based on Carnby Kim's Bastard Manhwa in regards to the atmosphere and the motivations of the main character. It also has elements of Venom such that the alien specie is like a symbiote but not really.

All these unrelated media mix together to create the shitshow I am brewing now.

what genre is easiest to write? what's the hardest? why?

For me, fantasy and science fiction is the easiest to write because of my exposure with the genre. With all the books and movies I have read and watched in this genre, I find it easy to pick apart how to make an effective story and create a world that is intricate according to this genre.

On the other hand, the hardest for me to write is Romance. Listen, sometimes love can be an overwhelming thing to write for me. I feel like I might be overdoing it or underdoing it. Do the characters have chemistry? Am I glamorizing a red flag? Do normal couples even do this? And it doesn't help that there are a lot of romance books that I have criticized a lot. That may be one of the reason I'm skeptical of my own writing when it comes to romance (which is kinda ironic considering In Death, Forever is also a romance story. Anyway, it's always good to go outside of our comfort zones once in a while)

what does a typical day of writing look like for you?

My job required me to write a lot of technical stuff so really, it's also a part of my daily life now (just not the type of writing I do to enjoy.)

When I'm writing for my wips, I want to remain focused and undisturbed as much as possible. If you would observe, I reblog some others writers' works here sometimes. That would mean I'm not in my headspace and want to get there, and most of the time I read stuff to get in the writing headspace. I also put on ambient music, mostly piano, to stay in that headspace. I have a notebook where the ideas are propped up and its sitting in a book stand next to my laptop. I have my favorite mechanical keyboard propped up, and a cup of cold coffee by the side. I really need the external orderliness to coordinate well with my headspace HAHAHA.

free space! ramble about a character you've most enjoyed writing about

Oh boy, this is actually from a short story that I posted here a long way back, it's a prompt fill that just sparked something in my brain and I knew I had to write it down, get it done. I don't care that I have a class in the next few hours, we still have time to get this shit.

Not just the characters, but I really love the worldbuilding I did here, especially since it was all in a whim but I'm really proud of it. I really like Luna and Skye's character. Actually there was another one that was supposed to appear which is a childhood friend of Skye. I think I have written her story somewhere, I just need to find and edit it before I get it out here. I wish I could expound more on their world, but there's nothing that coming out of my brain right now lol HAHAHA. I think what I most enjoyed writing about them is the spontaneity and how I was able to come up with their stories as fast as I could, on a deadline before my classes start.

I have a lot of babies, most of them are residing in my subconscious and I love them all.

if you could pick the brains of one author, who would you pick and why?

That would be Khaled Hosseini. I was deeply moved when I read The Kite Runner and it really made me feel... feelings. There's something in the way that Hosseini weaves words into not just a story but a prose. He was the first writer that I truly admired for the way he placed words together. I said that I want to have that kind of poetic way of writing and I would love to get into Mr. Hosseini's train of thought while writing so I could write like him and string the hearts of people like what he has done for me.

7. what's one writing tip that has stuck in your head?

Write for yourself. It's very simple but powerful because it reminds me why I'm doing this in the first place: because I love it. It gives me a chance to bring my stories to life, be productive, do something meaningful, and create. Also, I'm the kind of person who believes that the universe will give people what they need the moment they do. I might not be writing just for myself. There might be someone, somewhere out there who needs to read what I wrote just as how the countless works of other authors have found me. But for now, these stories will not be finished unless I do it for myself first.