#cytarabi answers

[cytarabi]

Hey! I've become a huge fan of your fics on ao3. I wanted to know how do you push out so many beautiful chapters so quickly? What's your writing process like? I'm working on a big JB fic, which I'm trying to finish timely, but high quality. Always like to see how other writers do their thang! Thank you!

Hi! I remember your name!! <3 Thank YOU for the question and praise, that’s so sweet!!

I love seeing how other writers do their thang, too! And I’ve found it can be very, very different for each author.

TLDR I write a lot of my fic ahead of time. I outline the entire fic, chapter by chapter before I start writing. I use several tools to speed the process and/or to make it more artsy fartsy.

I’ve found that I’m a “plotter” and not a “pantser” (two main ways of writing, unless you hate being labeled lol.)

Plotter means that I prefer plotting out most of the story before I write the details. Here’s been my process for my multichapter fics:

1) I come up with an idea and let it brew! I think about key scenes or dialogue I love and I jot them down in my phone on Google notes. Write down your ideas, you’ll probably forget them.

2) During this brewing time, (for As Black As Thunder and my next fic) I take the time to read, read, read. I read works and jot more notes! I have an entire Google doc for Rebecca by Daphne de Maurier where I wrote down her tone usage, figurative language and summary of each chapter. I can’t tell you how much this has helped get me in the write TONE for the work. Tone is SO important. Readers reading a thriller will expect thriller beats! Deep Fried Drinks was a rom com, so the verbs, adjectives etc are very different from creepy Gothic. When I started As Black As Thunder (ABAT), wow, it was hard to nail the tone at first. But by the second half of the fic, I’m fully immersed in it and it’s much easier to create the tone naturally. Without using inspiration, I don’t think it would have turned out as well. For ABAT, I think I took two weeks of no writing, when I’m used to writing every day. It was hard not to write, but wow, was I ready when I started!

3) When I’m ready to outline, I do! I open a google doc for the fic and start throwing everything I can think of in there. My ABAT doc was only like three lines for 6 months... lol! I’ve only just started looking into story structure, so my older fics are all wonky. BUT for ABAT and Deep Fried Drinks, I tried to follow story structure for plots. First act, second act, third act, character arcs, etc. My longest fic, Time Stops, dropped a bunch of readers in the middle and I think it’s because my middle SAGGED majorly. I didn’t try to follow a structure, just sort of plotted it out how I wanted to, and it was probably very repetitive and boring. For ABAT, I plotted a mid point turn to spice things up, chose things to make the character more proactive, etc. I highly recommend Ellen Brock on Youtube for any plotting advice. She’s an editor, and I’ve learned so much!

4) Organize plot into chapters, write key notes for chapters and fill out background info. The first two are self explanatory, but the third is my favorite! One thing that speeds my writing (I have no idea if people do this or not) but I have lists. So many lists! For ABAT, I have lists of common outfits for characters (I usually hate writing about outfits but I’m glad I wrote more for this work). I also write the character arc for each main character. For ABAT, I have the following for Brienne:

Brienne 

Symbols: white crocus flower (purity, youthfulness, sensitive to rain), White begonia, Small birch saplings struggling for light

Goal: serve public, be idealistic, honorable

Lie: (hidden for spoilers)

Truth: (hidden for spoilers)

Flaw: stubborn, idealistic, watched her father get fame and respect for his engineering, wants to do the same thing and do it perfectly, doesn’t understand systemic racism 

Motivation: serve people, be accepted by the public, belonging, abandonment

Stakes: public rejection, Tarth name on the line, mockery, insanity, failure

So when I think about a curve ball for Brienne at any point of the story, this character section helps me stay true to character. I have a section for Brienne, Jaime, Cersei and Missandei. Cersei has a larger section because she’s a villain... ;)

In addition to this section, I also write down their personalities and strengths. You know, like if they went to an interview lol. For example, I have Missandei have the following strengths: 

Missandei

Adaptability: able to adapt

Intellection: introspective and appreciate intellectual discussions

Consistency: all people should be treated the same

Futuristic: fascinated by future

Learner: loves to learn

I ALSO have an emotion worksheet and this is SO USEFUL. They say in writing: show that the character is angry, not tell the reader. WELL, IDK about you but I can’t keep track of all the little quirks characters do and yet, I want them to be consistent. If while writing a scene, I sometimes think, “Hmm what is Jaime doing if he’s in awe right now?” I search for “awe” at the top of my fic, and bam, I have options, more or less. For a lot of emotions, I brainstormed ideas based on character traits, arcs, Gothic tone etc. I fill all of this out before I write the first chapter. 

Here’s an example of some emotions I have for ABAT:

Emotion List (remember to have introspection, unique perspective) 

Awe:

B: wrinkle deepened between brows, parted lips, fixed gaze, stands still

J: arched brow, open mouth, stare, goes closer

C: lowering chin or raising chin, goes closer

M: adaptable, quick to react

Deceptive:

B: looking away, walking away

J: scratching ear

C: smiling, neatly placed hands

M: long blink

Thoughtfulness:

B: staring off, quiet, daydreaming

J: staring at object important to him, twisting pencil or object in his hand, squeezing his hand

C: squeezing hand, staring at object she wants to get rid of or improve

M: daydreaming, staring off at her own outfit—it’s foreign

5) Now the fun part: writing! I used to write with scene structure outline, but I think I’ve grown off the training wheels. But it really helped me in Deep Fried Drinks to plot out the chapter scenes ahead of time, and I used Ellen Brock’s proactive and reactive videos to help me out with that. I throw on some music to get me in the mood of the story and I write during my kid’s nap, about two hours every day. Sometimes I’ll write at night, but lately I’ve been too tired to do that. My tip for this part is to try and figure out what you want to improve. What are you good at, and what could you improve as a writer? My first fics had like zero figurative language. Awkward. This takes a level of awareness that’s hard to reach but watching or researching creative writing technique really helps me. For example, I used to NEED to write all five senses out for each chapter ahead of time. Now it comes naturally to me! I would say now my main issue is phrasing? Pacing? And I need to tone down the melodrama for my next work....... lol! I write, write, write--and usually, I write 60-90% of the fic before I start editing!

6) Editing. Fun fun fun. I don’t mind editing, I just don’t think I’m that GOOD at it. I try to read through my chapter twice and edit as I go. I look for things I want to take out or add, look for show vs tell, formatting, etc--do things make sense? Did I miss anything? In ABAT, I’ll write something in chap 20 that I need to start in chap 18, so I’ll go back and make a quick note to “add part about document somewhere in this chapter” so I don’t confuse readers. When I edit chap 18, I’ll add that line or paragraph in. It’s all an intricate web! I also have a list of vague words I try to eliminate or replace with stronger words (I have more words if you want them). I found that I have certain words or phrases that echo a lot, like “while”, “turned around”, “turned” or “did not”--now I search for these phrases/words and try to change them:

Get rid of vague words, fix by explaining more:

Some 

While

Thing

Stuff

Very

Really

Big/small

Good/bad

Simple verbs: had, was, went

Got/get

Few

Several

What

Do/Did

It

Like with all writing “rules”, they can be broken, but it helps to know why they are rules. I steered away from adverbs, and I think it improves my writing. Other writers have different prose and adverbs work so well--it all depends on your style! If I find these vague words in dialogue, for example, I almost never change them because dialogue is usually freaking vague lol!

7) Beta reader(s)! I honestly think this work is better than my other stuff because I have a newer beta reader, theunpaidcritic!!! *I bow* She’s literally an expert so it’s SO helpful for me in every way--I can’t fangirl about her enough. If you’re struggling to get a beta reader, I recommend joining a JB discord (transformative werk is my favorite discord, and there is a beta read request thread) or post a request on reddit!

8) Post! Once you’ve edited and gone over beta reader notes, it’s time to post! Congrats!!!!!!!!!!

For time reference, I started this process around mid-May for ABAT, and I will be done by early September. Maybe I’m just a fast writer? Compared to angel-deux, ha, I look slow. Everyone is different! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I am ALL about helping out! :) <3 <3 <3

[unadulteratedkr]

4, 5 and 7 for the behind the scenes ask!

I finished my exchange fic this morning, so I feel I can finally answer this with NO GUILT WHATSOEVER!

4: Do you outline before you start writing? If so, how far do you stray from that outline? 

I do outline before I write! I use Microsoft One Note to do my outlining for the most part, and it looks like this for my more planned out multi-chapter stories:

or this, for the cracky-adjacent stripper!Jaime story I’m gonna write soon ( @eryiscrye gets a special shout-out in this outline LOVE YOU MEAN IT)

I use my outline as a place to put a LOT of different ideas, and I’ll sort the text boxes to the left-hand side if I like the idea, and I’ll tuck the ones I don’t like over to the right because you never know when an idea might work for something else, you know? It’s very much a living document ready to be changed and tweaked up to the moment it gets moved into the “Completed Stories” tab.

5: What is the perfect environment for you to write in?

I’m pretty good at being able to write anywhere so long as I have my laptop and an internet connection. I can’t really listen to music and write, so I like being able to write at home, or if I’m writing out in the wild, I’ll have headphones on but no music so I can block out some of the environmental sound.

If they had more reliable internet, I’d LOVE writing on a ferry since I live about a 15 minute walk from the ferry terminals. Oh, and also if COVID-19 weren’t a thing.

7: Which part of writing do you struggle with most? 

I push myself to write when I don’t feel like it a lot, and it’s NEVER good writing 😅

I was putting a lot of pressure on myself to sit down and write the most recent chapter of My Fair Maiden, and I should have told myself it was okay to not write it until I was ready. I ended up trying to write that chapter three separate times before I actually felt ready to write it, and I could feel my previous writing on the chapter being bloodless and flat. Once I actually took a real step back from it and told myself to sit down to write it when I felt ready to do so... when I actually wrote the chapter as it is right now, it was SO MUCH BETTER.

I think one of the reasons why I pressure myself to write even when I don’t feel in the mood to do so is because if inspiration strikes me at work... it’s not like I can step away from making lattes to make a note. So I put pressure on myself to write when I’m home and I have a little bit of time to do so.

[ladym-rules]

30 Questions

Rules: Answer 30 questions and tag 5 blogs you are contractually obligated to know better.

Thanks for the tag @virareve !

Name/nickname: Lady M, Empress M, M

Gender: Female

Star sign: Capricorn

Height: 5′2”

Birthday: December

Time: 10pm

Favorite bands: I’ve been listening to a lot of musical theater lately. Escapism!

Favorite solo artists: I’m obsessed with a few particular songs rather than artists right now. A cover of “Both Side Now” by Josh Groban and Sara Bareilles. “POP/STARS” by K/DA. “Wings” by Little Mix.

Song stuck in my head: Tannhauser Pilgrims’ Chorus by Wagner. I was helping my boys prepare a piano duet for my dad’s birthday, since he loves this piece of music. They played it approximately 100 times today to learn it, and it may never leave my head.

Last movie: The Prom (on Netflix) – delightfully funny! 

Last show: Completed: The Mandalorian (love Baby Yoda!). Started: Bridgerton 

When did I create this blog: 2020

What do I post: Entirely Jaime x Brienne here

Last thing googled: The Mace of the House of Representatives 

Other blogs: None on tumblr, but I used to blog on Google Blogger!

Do I get asks: I haven’t requested any. Perhaps I should?

Why I chose my url: I’ve been Lady M online for ages. At some point, I joined a platform where the name wasn’t available, so I started upgrading (countess, baroness, queen, captain, commander, admiral), until I found a title that was free. And that’s how I became Empress M.

Following: 70

Followers: 106

Average hours of sleep: Between 6-7 hours

Lucky number: I used to say 13, but I’ve never felt strongly about it 

Instruments: Piano and cello

What am I wearing: Layers of fleece, legwarmers, fuzzy socks. I get cold easily.

Dream job: Prolific fiction author

Dream trip: NYC once the theatre district opens again! And Scotland/Ireland. And Italy/Spain. And Washington DC, once things have quieted down. (That was going to be our summer trip with the boys, pre-pandemic, to see the Smithsonian, and get our American history fix.)

Favorite food: I don’t think I have one favorite food. A few situational favorites: Delicate spring rolls with family. Bagel BLT at the airport before a long flight. Good burger and a Coke after a long flight.

Nationality: American

Favorite song: Current fave: Cold, by Leslie Odom, Jr. and Sia. It changes frequently.

Last book read: Non-fiction: Diamonds (about British royal jewels). Fiction: For the last year, I’ve mostly read JB fic, but my sister gave me a copy of “Vanessa Yu’s Magical Paris Tea Shop” for my birthday. I’m 8 chapters in, and it’s a delight!

Top three fictional universes I’d like to live in: My problem is overthinking questions like these. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere without the equivalent of modern medicine, or the right to my own legal and financial independence. A lot of historical fiction is only lovely if you’re rich, and that usually requires the servitude or slavery of others, so. 1) Hobbiton or Rivendell at mealtimes (seed cakes, elvish delights!), 2) The fictional world that I have created in my mind of the behind-the-scenes comradery in big movie shoots, like LOTR and the Marvel series, 3) The fictional world that I have created in my mind of the Broadway musical theatre world, where a talented costumer is making beautiful gowns for me, and a brilliant composer/lyricist is writing a masterpiece, so that I am witty and charming on stage. Too much to ask for? Well, fictional universes are indeed that!

Tagging: @cytarabi @ilikeblue @samirant @tall-wolf-of-tarth @naomignome if you haven’t already been tagged!

[nire-the-mithridatist]

(Supposedly) 21 Questions

I was tagged by @ajoblotofjunk

Rules: Answer 21 questions and tag 21 people you would like to get to know better!

Nickname? Here? Nire. In my head, I pronounce it near-uh, but like, you do you.

Real name? Kira.

Zodiac? Gemini. Pretty textbook, except not as flirty because uh, anxiety.

Favorite musicians or groups? Um. So. I don’t listen to a lot of music with lyrics. So. Um. Claude Debussy, Erik Satie, Max Richter.

Favorite sports teams? I also don’t... follow sports?

Other blogs? I’ve got a handful of defunct blogs, but they’re defunct, so.

Do I get asks? Yes, but mostly just for memes.

How many blogs do I follow? 191.

Tumblr crushes? About a quarter of those!

Lucky numbers? UHHHHHHHH. Five.

What am I wearing? Running shorts, a “Team Rogers” Captain America tee.

Dream vacation? Technically, I’ve had my dream vacation. I went to Japan, and I love Japan for exactly the reason you’d think a millennial on tumblr loves Japan. *cough*anime*cough*

But I’d love to go there again and um, be more pampered. Stay at a nice hotel. Eat kobe beef. Yakno?

Dream car? I can’t even drive. (I let this slip to an older lady at my ex-office the other day and she rolled her eyes so hard and scoff and I told her, sincerely, that my family didn’t have enough to buy vehicles for their children, they could barely pay my tuition. She looked uncomfortable and I felt a deep sense of triumph. Try to shame me for taking public transports growing up, I dare you.)

Favourite food? Don’t do this to me. DO NOT. I’m INDONESIAN. I can’t CHOOSE ONE FOOD.

Drink of choice? Tea. Green or herbal, unsweetened. Sometimes, black tea with milk and sugar. Boba optional.

Instruments? I used to take piano lessons. Nothing really stuck. See above re: not a music person.

Languages? Indonesian, English, a lil Japanese (enough to ask for directions), a lil French (on paper I’m certified DELF B2, but rusty as heckkkkk).

Celebrity crushes? Yes. More lady celebs than dude celebs, to no one’s surprise.

Random facts? I just DMed my very first D&D game (a one-shot) and it ended in a near-total party kill (one of em got a nat 20 on his death save, got back to 1 HP, and instead of fight he abandoned his party members to run and be a farmer). Believe me, I tried my best to herd them and even gave the enemy some handicaps... and yet. We had fun tho! Just... never trust your stoner wild magic sorcerer friend.

Also, I never graduated uni.

Tagging 21 people in my notifs: @bookishpower @lielith @angelowl-fics @notherefortheanonhate @melrows @samirant @sharksister @oddlylovingdreams @seralicetarrant @diabeticjedi @jennabarton @cytarabi @darcydash @jenni-rose @naomignome @slipsthrufingers @nethyswain @agirlnamedkeith @sabakunoai @kiraziwrites @the-world-unseen

[nossbean]

I was tagged by @sarahoftarth, @ajoblotofjunk, & @cytarabi for two different versions of this meme but! they’re substantively pretty much the same, so doing the most recent XD thanks so much for tagging me❣️

Rules: Answer 21 19 questions and tag 21 19 people you would like to get to know better!

Nickname? karlsbean is probably the most common atm, but also k, kepps, kells. my sister and i call each other ‘twu fwen pearl’ or 🌿⚪️ Someone referred to me as noss once on here which was new and cute too 🥰

Real name? Kelly 

Zodiac? Gemini. 

Favorite musicians or groups? In no particular order: Dessa, Janelle Monae, The Decemberists, Vienna Teng. Of these, though, I probs feel the strongest about Dessa 💕💞💖(so maybe there was a slight order there but shh)

Favorite sports teams? Ahh hmm... I am vaguely interested in watching swim races? So I’ll say not a team but a general favouritism to all the swimmers out there, whether pro or just for funsies ✌️

Other blogs? Not anymore! Oh, actually, if it counts, I v, v occasionally write for a local feminist non-profit’s blog.

Do I get asks? Rarely, but I am always open to them and love each one <3!

How many blogs do I follow? 161

Tumblr crushes? Platonically several!

Lucky numbers? Erm, none particularly.

What am I wearing? I am pottering around in an off-white tank top and green-blue plaid pj bottoms

Dream vacation? Oh boy. Well. Probably one of those open plane tickets, all-expenses paid, and like a four-month stretch where I could go to all the places in Europe that I didn’t make it to when I was more conveniently located to do so, then hop around the rest of the world from there. Wrap things up with a chill week or so somewhere with waves and sand and sunshine and then curl up at home for another week or two to recover. And as we’re talking dreams, I also echo sdw’s sentiments about everyone being properly compensated for their labour in any and all locations for any and all work they’re doing, pls and thx. ideally also with fancy things like paid sick leave, and a proper number of holiday days, and reasonable working hours.

Dream car? Welp. I spent too long thinking about this one and deleted a tl;dr answer to narrow it down to: maybe a sports coupe? Something agile and fun to drive!

Favourite food? hot carb with melted dairy. << this was @ajoblotofjunk‘s answer but honestly I am right there too.

Drink of choice? I mostly drink mango juice mixed with water because I never grew out of my juice phase. Also love a cold, blended coffee though, and collect tea like it’s my job.

Instruments? ... voice? Not that I’m particularly good, but I can’t play anything else and I sing all the time.

Languages? English, with a bit of high school Japanese. By rights, I should know French, as I was taught it between grades 2 and 10, but to demonstrate my shameful lack, a story! I spent a month on exchange in Germany as a teen and my host family once asked me to read the French side of my Canadian passport. When I finished they were all staring at me blankly, before finally my host brother said, with the unerring and inoffensive directness only a German can manage, “Why are you so bad at French?”

Celebrity crushes? my blog... reveals me... NCW is by far and away my most rebageled bloke. I’m also celebrity!crushing on Oscar Isaac, Pedro Pascal, Gemma Chan & Tessa Thompson atm.

Random facts? Through a strange series of events, I was once invited by Norwegian Eurovision winners, Bobbysocks!, to come to Norway and they’d show me around. They were very cool and very political in all the best ways and I remain bummed that I lost their contact before I could take them up on the offer.

So 19 people is so many people and honestly it intimidates me lmao so here’s half that which feels more reasonable and less intimidating! @theopensea, @amuserobin, @brynnmck, @firesign23, @djeli-beybi, @beesreadbooks, @anniegetyourbubblegum, @klingofff, @kurikaesu-haru, @wildlingoftarth & anyone else who wants to play! honestly, i want to get to know you too, so consider yourself tagged! and pls tag me so I can find your answers <3!

[cytarabi]

15, 17, 19 for the writing asks!

Thanks, birdsofprey202!

15. A Hollywood producer tells you that they want to film just one of your fics. Which fic would you want it to be?

Omg hmmmm in terms of plot, dialogue and overall quality, I think Deep Fried Drinks is the best to adapt to film (this is so funny to think about). There are not a lot of rom coms out there where the main couple never breaks up, and I think that trope (where couples break up in rom coms) needs to dieeeee. Like, there are better stakes out there, come on.

17. What fic are you most proud of?

  Hmm, I’m not sure. All of my stories are fairly different from one another, so it’s hard for me to compare. For example, I think my writing is best for my recent works, but the very first fic (The Gift) to get me started will always hold a special place in my heart. Idk how I wrote that mess of a fic, 60k words in like two months without a lick of writing experience. So we’ll go with The Gift (thankfully, I’ve revised it once, but oh dang, it needs endless revision).

19. Who is the easiest/hardest character for you to write about? Why?

Definitely Tywin is hardest for me--that stinker. For characters like Tywin (and Tyrion to an extent), I don’t know their canon characters very well. I want to write them accurately because they influence Jaime. I have to get into a very particular mindset to write Tywin.

[cytarabi]

💕 self love time! tell me which ones of YOUR creations (edits, artworks, fanfics) you like the most then send to five other creators to do the same 💕

Aww, thank you! This is probably a surprise, by my favorite published work is First Breath After Coma.

With a whopping 29 kudos, it's my least popular work (almost embarrassingly so), but it's the only work to make me cry while writing. It's a Westworld JB AU, very cryptic and written in 1st person, so it's not everyone's fanfic jam. I also need to edit it again. I'm a sucker for sci-fi and this work really helped me solidify my outlining process.💕

[cytarabi]

For the guessing game 'dress(es)'.

Chapter 13 - Crimson Peak AU

Brienne stopped midway down the stairs and toyed with the train of the dress, forcing it to drip down the steps like liquid.

[cytarabi]

Would you be interested in #34 for the short fic AU?

YES. This may or may not be a favorite of mine. Here’s a 1.1k ficlet, rated E, has little plot, some angst and a hefty chunk of smut. I made Brienne into a female Bond badass. 

#34 --->  meeting at a masquerade ball au

...

Brienne sipped her martini, dry and chilled. It stung. Her plain white mask covered her forehead, nose and cheeks—leaving her eyes, lips and chin exposed. String quartet waltzes ricocheted across the extravagant, golden ballroom hall. No one recognized her dressed in her blue ball gown. She couldn’t have asked for a better scenario. A masquerade ball hosted at Casterly Rock, home of ex-agent Cersei Lannister. Brienne had been sent to find her, interrogate her and save King’s Landing from her satellite weapon. She hoped she wasn’t too late.

But Cersei was nowhere to be seen. 

Hundreds of costumed and masked people stepped in tempo, wafting invisible clouds of floral perfumes and woody colognes. Brienne set her glass on the bar and stepped into the crowd of dancers with confidence. She walked through, eyeing any potential clues to Cersei’s whereabouts. Large carnival and historic costumes donned with ribbons, feathers and jewelry made her job harder, as did the Walther PPK strapped to her thigh. Damn thing was hard to walk and dance with. Musicians finished their lively song. 

Turning, a man dressed in a golden suit with a full faced black mask stood in front of her. His eyes landed directly on hers. He held out his hand and Brienne swallowed. Beside them, twirls of people left tiny gusts of wind from their large outfits as the quartet started a slower tempo song. The man, maybe a couple inches shorter than her, continued to hold out his hand. A subtle smile crossed Brienne’s wine colored lips and she reached forward, accepting his hand—warm and strong.

Slow waltz allowed Brienne the chance to scan the room for Cersei’s trademark hair, but this man’s presence stole her attention instead. Her left hand wrapped loosely around his bicep, but his right hand burned on her back. Brienne turned her eyes to him, only able to see his eyes and nothing else. His firm hand pressed her closer and their chests brushed together. Tingles trickled down her body like rain. If only she wasn’t supposed to be working tonight. Brienne smirked at the distraction in front of her, but his black mask simply stared back without a smile. It was for the better.

The song ended, and neither of them dared to move away—their eyes locked in a wordless challenge. She knew that look. Offering a smile, she stepped back and lowered her hands, trying her best to ignore the lingering drag of his fingertips against her back and hand. She turned away first and refused to look back, feeling her heart sigh at their missed opportunity.

Working, Brienne scoured the party with zero success. No one mentioned Cersei, no one looked like Cersei. Necessity led Brienne upstairs, away from laughing and flirting crowds. She walked with purpose, trying to hide the truth that she did not know the anatomy of Casterly Rock. Using her peripheral vision, she waited and carefully tried closed doors whenever privacy allowed it. She found closets, bathrooms and locked doors down a large, darkening hallway. Dead ends.

Across the hall, the golden suited man exited a locked room. She needed his key. If he was a manager or friend of the family, whoever, he was expendable. When given the choice to seduce him for information or pickpocket his key, taking it by force was much faster. He appeared strong, but she could take him. Brienne walked towards him, mind focused and heels clicking while music faded behind her.

She reached for his forearm, grabbing it with strong force and twisted it behind his back. He jerked as she pressed him into the room. Tensing, he whirled around and out of her grasp while she slammed the door closed. They stood in an office, full of wooden furniture, walls full of books and large windows. The man reached up to yank his mask off, revealing the handsomest men Brienne had ever seen. His brows furrowed angrily until he looked at her—his lips parted.

Brienne debated pulling out her gun or finding rope to tie him—anything to get the key—but he made up his mind first. He crashed forward, kissing Brienne with a harsh roughness, leaving her stunned. His taste of salt and hints of alcohol assaulted her far better than she attacked him. Her moans and roaming hands encouraged him as she kissed back. He pressed his weight against her, forcing her back against the door and they both grunted on impact. Lost, she failed to stop his hand snaking under her dress—the gun—but he ripped her expensive undergarment instead. Brienne growled a moan and leaned her hip forward, grinding her cunt over his warm palm. He broke off the kiss and exhaled, “Fuck.”

With her help, they unbuckled and shoved down his pants, and all on his own, he lifted her thighs into his palms like she was weightless. She curled over him, clutching her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist while he pinned her against the door. His cock burned against her thigh, hotter than his palm during their dance. One thrust forward and Brienne was in another blissful place, one more exciting and adventurous than any mission she’d ever been on. She refused to trust him—he couldn’t possibly hold her weight—but with each thrust, she immersed herself further within him. Her mask slid part way up her face, forcing her to see white and focus entirely on him. His fingers dug into her thighs, his stubble scratched her neck and his lips nipped the exposed skin beside her shoulder. He grunted, breaths hot. She clenched his golden suit jacket with one hand while she forced her other hand between them. Instead of grabbing her gun, she rubbed her clit—faster and harder.  

Her legs tightened around him and he sank deeper into her, leaving them both moaning. His cock stiffened, her wet cunt could feel it. The sound alone of him unraveling sent her over the edge, throwing her body into a tight mess of sudden pleasure. He held her long after his cock stopped throbbing, and when he slipped out, she missed him. She would relive this moment for years to come.

He set her down on firm ground and stepped back, wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his jacket. Brienne’s thighs trembled, feeling a small gush of hot liquid crawl down her skin.

She looked him over, remembering the key. But she couldn’t do it—she couldn’t hurt him. Couldn’t even ask. She needed to find another way and she accepted her loss. Brienne licked her lips and turned around, flattening her dress before she reached for the door.  

“Party’s not even over,” he said, still breathless.

“It is for me.”

“You don’t even want to know my name? What’s yours?”

Brienne wanted to roll her eyes. “Save your pleasantries.”

“I’m Jaime. Jaime Lannister.”

Brienne stopped turning the door handle and peered over her shoulder. She decided to stay.

[cytarabi]

6, 16, 20?

Thanks @firesign23!

6. What character do you have the most fun writing?

Jaime is a hoot and I miss writing his POV. Brienne is so straight-forward (which I relate to) so she’s a bit more “stable” to write, if that makes sense? Granted, any time I throw Olenna into my works, I LOVE writing her lines (even though they intimidate me) and I love that she’s so sassy.

16. Tried anything new with your writing lately? (style, POV, genre, fandom?)

First Gothic work is coming up! It’s my first historical fiction (other than my canon-ish stories) and let’s just hope it works lol. I’m trying to use more semi colons? I’ve usually avoided them because they’re so formal.

20. Tell us the meta about your writing that you really want to ramble to people about (symbolism you’ve included, character or relationship development that you love, hidden references, callbacks or clues for future scenes?)

Well, let’s see... I love plants and plants play an important role in my Crimson Peak AU. Victorians had literal books describing the meaning of flowers (you could form sentences with bouquets) and I’ve included a lot of heavy handed symbolism. It’s embarrassing how many symbols there are in this work, but hey, it’s Gothic. 

Another subplot of my new work is racism in Victorian/Edwardian times. A lot of JB works are only about white people (JB are white, I get it) and I want to include stories of color. I want to rant about this subject because I find it infinitely harder to find information about Victorian/Edwardian racism when compared to 1800′s American racism. And I also want to avoid a lot of white savior tropes in my work because JB are still the main focus of the story.

 https://cytarabi.tumblr.com/post/622854933575811072/fun-meta-asks-for-writers

[cytarabi]

For the guessing game: alcohol?

Ooo, love this one! So far, I have used the word “alcohol” 18 times and half of those are in newest chapters. I mean, it’s a reality show AU, of course there’s a shit ton of alcohol.

Here’s my favorite alcohol WIP sentence from Chapter 12:

It crunched in Jaime’s mouth—warm, sweet and tart with a melty, alcohol drenched center worthy of a deep moan.

[cytarabi]

Mercenary for the ask?

LOL I do not have this in the Crimson Peak WIP 😬 *looks at Jaime* but now I'm thinking of some good similes and metaphors. TBD

[cytarabi]

“hand(s)” for word wip guessing asks!

Hand’s a great one! I have so many uhhh...

Chapter 15 (I’m writing right now) Crimson Peak AU

Brienne offered her smile, but he offered his hand, stretching forward to seize the left side of her face.

[cytarabi]

so... u are saying that ur crimson peak au will end happily for jb ? :)

Spoiler alert below (kind of?...)

I don't have Jaime die. JB stay married.

Not a happy ending for Cersei... 😅

At the same time, this is gothic and dark, so there are elements of tragedy. Not everything ends "perfectly" but JB remain strong.

[cytarabi]

For the guessing game: smile?

Thanks, Firesign23! Last line of Chapter 10 of Deep Fried Drinks!

Her smile was a bright balloon, lifting and lifting.

[cytarabi]

For the guessing gameq: green?

Chapter 3 Crimson Peak AU

His chin tucked lower and his green eyes corrupted in a certain way, as if he knew the scandal of dancing with her; with all her faults.