#did I do way too much worldbuilding for a single drabble?

[independence1776]

@spiced-wine-fic asked: 2, 5, 9 and 20 please (for the Behind the Scenes of Fic Writing meme)

2. Do you participate in any writing events or challenges throughout the year? If so, what do you like about them?

Apart from Nano, it varies year by year.

Nano I’ve done since 2004 and I win most years. But 2023 is likely my last year of doing Nano; it’ll be my twentieth year and that’s a good stopping point. Right now, it feels like I’ve grown beyond Nano and the community I once had there is pretty much gone. Due to various things that came to light in early December, I no longer trust the Nano nonprofit.

There are always SWG challenges that catch my attention, though I can’t say that I always do them or that I post the results. They vary, they’re always interesting even if they’re not for me, and I love the effort that goes into them. I’ve often scrolled through the list of previous challenges just looking at them all. My favorite of these is the Matryoshka challenge; I will in fact go overboard given the slightest bit of leeway. (There was a lot of leeway with the recent one. I do not regret it.)

I’ve participated in TRSB as both a writer and an artist, but not every year. 5k isn’t on the face of it a challenge (blame Nano), but it’s been a challenge more often than not. As an artist, I like seeing what results from my artwork. But collaborations can be tricky and not everyone is on the same page about what collaborations entail.

I’ve also done Innumerable Stars off and on, which is always a fun, mostly low-key exchange. I’ve done other single-fandom exchanges, too.

I’ve participated in some themed multifandom exchanges (Darkest Night is the one I did most often) and those are fun. They’re also fraught because I’m too monofandom for most of them. Back to Middle-earth Month was something I did yearly because as a mod I felt I had to do something, even if that something was a true drabble. (Modding is hard work. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.)  I occasionally do fandom charity auctions, but not on a regular basis.

In general, apart from the Matryoshka challenge, my favorite writing events are Big Bangs, where you write X number of words and get art for your fic. I prefer the ones that are “X number of words due on Y date” and not ones that have staggered “first chapter must be posted but fic can be a WIP until Z deadline.” But there’s something about the combination of motivation, deadline, and art that works for me.

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

At home on my desktop with instrumental music playing in the background.

9. Do you prefer to write AUs, canon divergence, or canon-compliant fic?

Canon divergence AUs are hands-down my favorite things to write. I love exploring the what-ifs, how things could have gone differently, and the snowballing effects. In order to write them well, I think-- and I try to do this-- is to know canon as best as you can so that the divergence feels natural and that the consequences of that difference are realistic within the established worldbuilding. (It’s like if Frodo died on Mount Doom with Gollum. Even if Sam survives, what happens in the Shire after the Hobbits return wouldn’t occur the same way because Frodo isn’t there. But a story that ignores that falls flat.) As you can tell, I also like canon-compliant fic.

I have no interest in writing setting alteration AUs (like modern, mermaid, etc.). I write fanfic because I love the canon and I want to explore more of it. Changing the setting so everyone’s a werewolf or that they’re all human in the modern world takes away a large part of what I find interesting. The exception to this is Silmarillion space AUs, but those tend to keep the epicness intact.

20. What’s your favorite minor character you’ve written?

In Tolkien fandom, Elrond. Given how popular he is in general, it’s hard to remember just how minor of a character he is, but he is. He’s one of the threads tying the Legendarium together, both in-universe and thematically. And I love him to pieces.

[stab-the-son-of-a]

U-Nope-corns

No. 8 EVERYTHING HURTS AND I’M DYING Stomach Pain | Head Trauma | Back from the Dead

CW: a character expresses desire to not be alive, and makes an effort to that goal, but in context it isn't overtly suicidal. Still, be cautious.

Persica carefully worked on Scamp, not allowing her panic or desperation to influence her precision. Magic flowed from the well in her soul to the gaping wound in Scamp’s. She held the edges - she did not think about the fact that there was a hole in her friend’s soul, that their very essence was fading away in her metaphorical hands - together with every last ounce of determination in her body.

Not too far away, just out of reach of interference and just within the bounds of acceptable, Fleck watched Scamp’s too still form intently. “Please,” he whispered, as if Scamp could hear him so close to the Brink. “Please don’t leave me.”

Tuning his quiet begging out and certainly the soft sound of tears, Persica instead refocused entirely on stitching together the hole. They had been run through with the horn of a beast of purity. Scamp, always wanting to document the habits of every last magical animal they came across, had gotten too close. With unicorns, it was a simple matter to determine too close- so much as a glance in their direction. Persica should have discouraged their curiosity long before it caused issue, but she’d indulged Scamp instead. Perhaps she had pitied the fact they were so far from home.

Persica thought it was truly the greatest, and cruelest, prank on humdrums of all time that unicorns had the reputation of being shy, noble creatures of myth in their world. The truth was much darker and bloodier, as Scamp could now attest to.

Scamp had only just gotten their feet wet in understanding this new world they’d fallen into. Yet another cruel prank of fate, Persica mused as sweat beaded on her brow. Just as Scamp had seemingly made peace and formed bonds, a unicorn had to ruin it all. 

Fleck whimpered in fear or pain or grief, or maybe all three. Her attention slipped and so did her grip on the thread piecing Scamp’s soul back together.

“Fleck, if you don’t shut up,” Persica hissed as she hurried to hold the edges of Scamp’s soul once more. Performing magical surgery was child’s play, but only on another conjura. A healer as skilled as herself could easily piece together even an imp’s soul with only a half thimble of magic. But a humdrum? Oh that was another matter entirely. Almost literally.

Persica managed to slow the ebb of Scamp’s very essence from its steady flow to the Brink, but only that much. She couldn’t stop their soul from dissipating. She couldn’t stop them from dying.

And then Scamp was in the Brink. Their soul was gone from this plane. Gone from their home plane and now this one too. On the table, Scamp’s body went still and silent, even their labored breathing ceasing. 

“No!” Panicked, Persica closed her eyes and thrust her magic into the Brink.

It felt like plunging into the ocean, with ice all around her and in her every sense. It filled her from the inside and pressed against her being from without. Choking on nothing and yet everything, she didn’t allow herself to hesitate. She spread herself out like a net and yanked.

The way Scamp’s nose crinkled when they laughed, she captured. The way their eyes brimmed up with tears long before they ever admitted to them. Their humor, their smile, the scraps of hopes and dreams they had shared. She captured all of them.

She dragged herself back from the Brink, still carrying Scamp within her hold, scrambling and fighting for every foothold and purchase, because the Brink was a greedy thing.

With echoing, twin gasps, Persica bolted upright from where she’d slumped against the table when her soul had left her body, and Scamp arched their back like a cat’s spine bowing. Fleck had one set of hands on Scamp’s wrist and arm, and his other on either side of Persica’s jaw, desperately clinging to the both of them.

“You- oh you’re back- oh thank- oh Gods never do that to me again,” Fleck sobbed. He seemed not sure whether to stare at Persica or to bring their foreheads together, but the naga had his tail wound around her waist protectively.

That was when the screaming started.

“Put me back! What did you do?! Put me BACK!” Scamp shrieked, the sound unholy and ragged with equal parts rage and grief. “Let go– what did you do?!” They kicked and thrashed, dislodging Fleck’s hand readily, and all but threw themself to the ground. 

“Scamp, you’re safe,” Fleck cried, desperate to soothe them. “You’re fine now!”

That only served to enrage them further. They howled, “I hate you I hate you I hate you! I hate both of you!”

Persica could scarcely feel her legs. Disconnecting her soul and her body left her still numb and disjointed, so she could only watch in horror as Scamp picked up the nearest sharp implement - the scalpel she had used to carve the magic rot away from their wound - and turned it toward their throat.

With a wordless scream, Fleck tackled Scamp to the ground, three hands on their shoulders, and the fourth pinning the hand holding the scalpel down at the wrist. 

“Scamp, please, please calm down, it’s for the best,” Fleck assured them, or at least tried to. Tears streamed down his face and dropped onto Scamp’s, mingling with their tears. 

“I want to go back,” Scamp sobbed as they released their grip. “Why didn’t you let me go?”

Her legs still mostly numb, Persica forced herself to stand and woodenly stagger over to Scamp. She drew their head into her lap and cupped their face, while Fleck sat back to wind himself around their lower half and to hug them around the waist. 

Scamp still felt deathly cold to the touch, and their chest heaved with their ragged breathing, but their heart remained silent and still. 

“It was so beautiful,” Scamp whimpered. They closed their eyes and sank into the dual embrace of their friends.

[shadowdianne]

Alright, so @delirious-comfort tagged me in something about wips and SHAME. That's what I got. Sure there was something else thrown in there but bottom line: shame! xD She, brilliantly, went for WIPS in the sense of works that have never seen the light and who knows if they ever will -please, I want to know what half of them are about, you evil- Since that's basically impossible on my end of things I'm just gonna go for unfinished stories and call it a day since they are -technically- works in progress

Painted Voices -SQ- Oh boy, 2015. I don't even remember what I wanted to do with this one. It was at the time there were a bunch of stories with either one of them being blind or deaf and I tried to jump into that. I'm ashamed of it and certainly will delete this because I'm sure it sucks and I was an idiot about the whole thing.

The recognizable stranger -SQ- 2015 as well... I remember this one. I have mixed feelings about this but I will simply state that I don't remember what I wanted to do with this one. I was the: What if these two met prior to the events of S1 that existed back in the day.

Words unsaid -SQ- Technically I wouldn't count this as a wip but A03 is marking it as such so I'm going to stick with it xD FixitFic. I used to do a bunch of those with every new episode or so. Eventually, however, I stopped writing them in a single series. I remember having someone telling me that it bothered them that I did it like that and so I started posting them as separate one-shots and I guess I forgot to close the thread of this one.

The missing page -SQ- 2015 againnn, honestly, I don't remember what I wanted to do here. I believe it was about Regina going back into the book or in time and just seeing things from an outside perspective. It was also the time when writing Daniel and Emma as the same person -sometimes Emma having Daniel's soul within her some other times in a more convoluted way- was a thing. So if I remember correctly this was my take to that.

A forgotten promise -SQ- The witcher au before the witcher turned mainstream xD Ah, I'd have loved to finish this one. It required a lot of work and I was in the middle of my uni years and the feedback was... uh. Let's go with uh, so I started to have second thoughts, think it was rubbish and halted it altogether. [For context sake the small amount of ego I DO have tells me to point out I was churning 4 to 7 prompts per day at the same time] I would probably erase it entirely if I tried to do anything with it now so I'll just leave it there.

It feels like magic -SQ- Ohhh, remember when we all did magic realism? I loved that. On this one Regina was transformed into a cat because things and the story revolved around Emma buying her as her familiar. It has 13k posted but I think I wrote like 30k beyond what I ended up posting. Same story: I started to think it was shit; cornered myself into a panic attack and never finished it xD Tag yourself: Dianne doesn't end up their wips edition

Sateen memories -SQ- No fucking clue what that one was about

I'm not afraid of the dark -Princess Rover- It was going to be a rewrite of a bunch of lore back in the Shannara Chronicles all the while shitting on canon and the books but didn't happen.

What you want -SQ- Emma is the Dark One, Hypersexualization of the character. If you have heard me rant loud enough you know I prefer teasing. I got bored.

Nothing is true, everything's permitted.-SQ- The AC au! I also have mixed feelings about this one due to THINGS. It involved lots of studying because I wanted to make an accurate enough portrait of the historical momentum I was writing about. This was in 2017 so whilst I don't remember exactly I know I was working two jobs plus uni so yeah, nah, I didn't have the mind to write more than the prompts I was doing at the time xD

There is no hex or spell I could unlearn with you by my side -SQ- The HP AU. I basically stopped due to -points at JKR- and that it was a series of drabbles so it was linked to the amount of prompts. I remember it was the time Tumblr did an inbox purge, lots like half the prompts, most of them for ever so... it just sits there.

Of magic and prowess -SQ- Steampunk! It was supposed to be the second part of And the cogs are ticking if I'm remembering correctly. Very short and sweet, 5 chapters. I got 11 eleven kudos, 2 comments, about 15 asks stating that they rather wanted me to keep writing prompts than whatever I was doing with this and I said fuck it. Yeah, yeah, the vitriol I have inside is not lost to me.

Tiny nothings -SQ- Same thing as some fics above this one. I started doing lost moments but I ended up migrating it to single oneshots. This one is set in S6 so added to the previous explanation I would also add the: S6 was a pain, one.

Hidden truths -Rizzles- It was a prompt(?) but I was never too sure about my ability to write Maura and my brain shortcircuited.

Deipnon -SQ- Actually this one is co-written. Life happened. Nothing more. -I hope you are doing good Eva, love you lots-

Lost words -SQ- One word prompts. Same story than before really: I wrote them solely on tumblr, someone told me to re-post them on a03, I did, I then got anons telling me that it bothered them, stopped altogether.

The miller's daughter -SQ- Ohhh, I used to love this one. Rewriting of... something I guess xD Enchanted Forest based, total AU but trying to give a Grimm-esque perspective. 2016... who knows what I did xD Again, overworked is the answer.

But I know this night you will come -SQ- Well, actually this one was a trio if I'm remembering correctly... yeah, Regina, Red, Emma. Dunno, is this time to state that I've discovered I'm demi? lol. I'm not sex-repulsed but it bores me to tears writing about it. Give me teasing and I will write a full novella out of it. But sex is *yawn* for me when writing about it.

Ghost of you -SQ- Ohhh Emma!ParanormalInvestigator! I have a bunch of those. There was a mirror, a very angry Queen and far too much worldbuilding to fit into a tiny story. Yeah, I also see that pattern xD

Arcadia -SQ- The only fic I will ever be ashamed that I didn't finish to the point of self-destruction. I actually wrote it, I then lost the files, corrupted, gone, puff. But then I didn't rewrite it and then I felt self-conscious and then... shame.

Beyond -SQ- 2019 Probably one of the last de facto prompts I accepted. I wasn't feeling all that good about my writing. I think I was basically trying to jump start something that had died. I would have loved to finish it. Honestly.

Annnd, that's it! Tagging @rubikanon for this one <3

[shadowsong26fic]

How did you get good at writing? Do you have any tips? Also I really really love the Precipice verse. It's probably my favorite star wars fanfic right now.

Aaaaaaaaa, thank you so much!!!! <33333333

In terms of how to get good...(first of all, thank you for saying that, it means a lot <33333)

I think the main thing that helped me get to where I am, in terms of fluidity/skill/whatever, was that I just...kept writing? Like, there was a year or two where, through Rainbowfic, I was basically writing one short story a day (some of these were 100 word drabbles, some were longer; some took more than one day.) I don’t write nearly that much/that steadily anymore, but I still write as much and as often as I can/have the brainspace and/or time to do it.

Plus, I like to build universes and play in big sandboxes, and put together my fractal AUs, so there’s a lot of different stuff for me to bounce around and play with. I also sort of...IDK how many other people do this, but I tell myself stories/RP with myself when I’m falling asleep? I like to think that helped me get a sort of feel for specific moments I’m going for and/or snippets of dialogue I really want to work in Somewhere.

I mean, I do also write straight-line stories, but a lot of the time, when I’m writing, I’m bouncing around in a single universe (like, I have snippets of Precipice!verse that are...Several years out in the timeline already written, lol). And one of the advantages to that is that...it can just be about the words, kind of? It’s still Part Of A Story, so it doesn’t feel like an Exercise For The Sake Of Doing A Writing Exercise, but at the same time, I can do character and worldbuilding in much shorter bursts. Which does lead to me Jossing myself on occasion, but it also helps me hone my craft without either getting overwhelmed by the size of what I’m trying to write or bored by doing things that are Just Practice, if that makes sense? Finding sort of...low-stress ways to just Keep Telling Stories while minimizing boredom and/or frustration. Something like that. Big sandboxes are helpful, lol, whether it’s original or fanfic based.

...anyway, uh, basically, really long ramble aside...I think writing is one of those things that you just have to keep doing to get good at it. So, my advice would be...keep telling stories, to yourself and other people. Like, I’m very much the gardener mentality when it comes to writing, in that gardener vs. architect question of How You Approach Storytelling, which I mostly bring up because it’s a useful metaphor. Basically, just...dig your hands into the soil that is Language and Story and eventually you’ll figure out what you’re doing and it’ll come more and more naturally. At least it did for me.

Not necessarily on a strict schedule or a set amount each day--that works really well for some people, but not so much for me--but the real important thing is to Keep Telling Stories. Getting feedback helps too, of course, if there are people you’re willing to share your stories with with that in mind, but...the storytelling/just Practice is a huge thing all on its own, I think.

(Also, read! Which a lot of people/professionals/etc. advise and it’s also good advice. Part of that digging into the soil is experiencing other peoples’ stories and other peoples’ use of language/writerly Voice, so to speak, but yeah, my main advice is just...tell stories. Or write poetry, or essays, or whatever it is you want to write. Practice may not make perfect, but it does make things better and easier with time. And some of what you put out will be Not good, or Not shareable, but it’s still storytelling, even if you’re only telling it to yourself.)

[thickenmyblood]

It would take me three months -if not more- to write 14 thousand words and you wrote that for a single chapter in 4 weeks... I read your replies to some asks and you said every one has different styles but how do I up my word count? Love wtsioa by the way !

Just to be clear, I don’t think length has anything to do with quality. Clutter in writing is a thing, which is why most final drafts are shorter than the original version/manuscript.

Someone who clearly knows what they’re doing when it comes to writing short pieces that have an impact on the reader (amazing because they’re bite-sized and always, without fail, leave you wanting more) is @goldencuffs. I believe it’s a matter of style, which is personal and can be taught to a degree. If you are more comfortable writing drabbles, one-shots, or shorter pieces of fiction there is no shame in that. This writer’s fics are perfect examples of how to de-clutter your work and weed out everything that is unnecessary, boring, repetitive, etc.

Now to answer your question: if you want your fic to be longer, you have to write more. I know it’s a shitty and basic answer, but it’s the truth. The way I see it, writing a chapter/fic is like making a dress. You need a lot of fabric because, as my mom says, it’s always better to have too much than too little. When you have a lot of fabric you get to experiment more, it’s as simple as that. You might even get to make a dress and a skirt. Is this analogy even making sense? Probably not. 

At least 25% of what you write won’t make it into the final draft. The dialogue will feel stilted, it won’t make sense, etc. You’ll have to cut it out, and so the WC will decrease. But that’s a good thing! Because you have written a lot of stuff, when you cut out 25% of it your model won’t be naked. She’ll have a dress that suits her fine.

Some people write one scene chapters. I can’t do that because I hate writing transitions and, consequently, I suck at it. I also take my mom’s advice of “too much is better than too little” to an extreme (i.e I write twenty pages of pure dialogue—I’m like Plato but stupider and less famous). So what works for me is to outline a chapter before I start writing. That way I know how many scenes I’m going to write. Like this:

Chapter 1

- X and Y talk about Y’s engagement

- Y gets drunk at M’s birthday party and throws up all over the presents

- X takes Y home and pays for his taxi (weird taxi driver talks about politics while Y heaves in the backseat)

- Y wakes up the next morning with a headache, calls in sick to work, goes back to sleep

- Y wakes up again and orders sushi -> bad idea

If I’m writing the first scene and I realize it’s gone on for too long (20 pages of dialogue), I force myself to stop and move on to the next scene. And when the scene is not working and the words are not flowing and I’m growing frustrated because I just can’t write it the way I want to I move on to the next scene. 

Maybe God can sit down and write ten thousand words in under two hours, but I can’t. However, what I can do is write 500 words each time I sit down to write. After a week or so (let’s pretend you write everyday, which is another issue altogether that I will not get into because sometimes my moms IS wrong) you’ll have roughly around 3.5k words. Three weeks after that, you’ll have 10.5k words. 

You’re probably thinking, “this bitch has been going off for an hour and I still have no idea how to write more” and I agree. Here’s some help:

Scene 1: X and Y talk about Y’s engagement.

- How did they get there?

- What are they wearing? Is this important? Does it have to do with their personalities?

- Where are they? Are they standing? If they aren’t, are they comfortable? Are they tired? Do they wish they were somewhere else? 

-  Dialogue. A lot of dialogue. This is a scene where they talk, so make them talk. A lot. BUT there’s a word of caution to this tale: beware of dialogue tags. “Said” is ALWAYS the best option. Adverbs? Everyone will tell you they suck, and I don’t agree. I like adverbs, they’re fun. Are they necessary? Not really. Should you use “softly” and “sharply” fifty billion times in the same scene? Er, no.

I still have reader PTSD from Twilight.

- What is going on around them as they talk?

- Feelings. How do they feel about what they’re saying?

I think the only advice I have is focus on the details. Clothes, the weather, inner monologues, feelings, food, scents, etc. Details doesn’t mean useless information. It means small and relevant information, like worldbuilding.

This only works for fics, in my opinion. The readers already know your characters and they have an emotional connection to them, which is why you can write longer chapters that are all about dialogue and relationships without having to worry too much about plot. I have very strong opinions about plot and why we should stop obsessing over it, but you didn’t ask about that so I’ll shut up now.

Also, I’m not qualified to give you any sort of advice. I just do it because it’s fun. If I followed all these rules my writing wouldn’t suck, but listening to my own advice always sucks, so I don’t do it. Which is why I end up having 20 pages of dialogue that I POST TO THE INTERNET.

Hope this helped.

[elliot-orion]

Fanfiction Is Real Writing

Mkay so Elliot has officially had 1 too many people look at me condescendingly when I say I mostly read fanfic so it’s time for a Post. Let’s get one thing clear here right off the bad. Fanfiction is real writing. If you write fanfic you are a writer. You don’t need to tack fanfic on there. You are a writer. You can participate in all the writing spaces without shame. You are just as worthy and valid as any writeblr on this site and what you do is impressive. And on the same vein, reading fanfiction is not inherently lesser than reading published books you get from Barnes and Noble. 50 Shades of Gray was a mistake, but at the very least it proved that. I have read books by canonized authors that were less engaging, dynamic, and well written than a fanfiction I found on AO3. Yes, fanfic might have the occasional gratuitous blow job, but that means nothing. Still real writing. 

Now that that’s out of the way, I want to get just a wee bit more in-depth with this, because I know I can say however many times I want that fanfic is real writing and still people won’t believe me. So let’s bring forth some actual arguments on why fanfiction is super fucking valid and fanfic authors are actual authors. 

Reason #1 - Published Fanfiction

Fanfiction is out there all over the place. You see people reading it all the time. They teach it in classrooms. They make movies of it. Don’t believe me? Well Dante’s Inferno is a three part, self insert, super self indulgent fanfic of the bible. Literally any Christian literature would also count under this bible fanfiction collection, and any and all biblical paintings? Those are fanart buddy. I don’t know how to break it to you, but Caravaggio’s St John the Baptist reclining with a single cloth covering his nether regions is on the same level as a digitally drawn Tony Stark with a flower in his mouth saying draw me like one of your french girls in terms of fanart credibility okay. It be like that. 

And trust me, it’s not just biblical shit. Ever read a book with some sort of Frankenstein’s monster in it? That’s making fanfiction off the goth queen Mary Shelley. Any single piece of vampire literature? Dracula fanfiction. Hotel Transylvania is an epic slice of life crossover with some OCs thrown in for spice. Are you starting to see my point here? Because if not I’ve got more examples, just send me an ask, I can go for a while here. Like, you know, literally anything that’s got to do with Romeo and Juliet, or Sherlock, and so on and so forth. Get it? 50 Shades is super far from being the only published fanfictions and if you think it is then wow you need to get out more. 

Reason #2 - AO3 Is Just Digital Publishing

As a self published author, I can confidently say that making an AO3 publication is super similar to self publishing something. I used Kindle Direct Publishing to publish Sparks Fly. I had to age grade it, like I have to put down General, Teen, Mature, or Explicit on my AO3 fics. I had to add tags for people to find it, much like you tag stuff on AO3. I had to mark off it was explicit. I had to list the genre, like one may tag Gen, M/M, and so on for an AO3 fic. I wrote a summary. I gave it a title. Really, taking an au fanfiction, changing the names, and publishing it as an E-book would be remarkably easy. Just actually let a beta read it this time, format it, and make a quick cover, and boom. You’re published. Does that extra step mean you’re any more of an author for doing so than you were already? Of course not, unless I missed the memo that said you need to know how to format and make covers to be a writer. 

Reason #3 - Fanfiction Is Fucking Hard Okay?

Fanfiction is no less creative or difficult than original writing. It requires a plot, characterization, worldbuilding, because even if it’s not an au canon gives us all very little to work with half the time, and dedication. You need to have a grasp on the English language and how to make written dialogue, description, and internal worlds. The only difference is that fanfiction has something to go off, but that does no make it lesser. In fact, in many ways I argue it’s harder. If your character is slightly out of character, no one will know. If you write Han Solo out of character, you’re in for a nightmare. 

Actually, fanfiction is an excellent way to develop as a writer, and I highly suggest trying it if you haven’t already. You can assume your audience already has a fairly decent grasp of the characters, their basic interactions and characteristics, world (unless it’s a new au), and general backstory of anything canon. You don’t have to spend time with developing a relationship from the ground up if you don’t want to, you don’t need to waste space on exposition, you can, as I like to say, get to the good stuff from the get go. If you start your fanfic off with Harry kissing Malfoy, people are going to understand the dynamic between those two and their history together, meaning you can skip all that and get right into the aftermath of two rivals kissing and whatever you want that to mean for your story. You have so much more room for characterization, and you don’t even need to stick to canon. I find the best fanfictions to be the ones where they take canon elements and break them. Canon means nothing you fools, the writer is now god and if they want those two to have a 200k slow burn coffee shop au then they will and it doesn’t mean shit that they are 2 ageless warriors from hell. It’s coffee time baby. But no matter how much you snap and step on canon, those characters need to be recognizable, which is especially difficult when it’s not a written media and that means you’ve got no idea what the inner world of the character is like and only 2 hours of material to work with and oh god.... Yea, fanfic is harder than you think folks. Again, as both a fanfic and original fic author I can say I’ve struggled equally as much with my 50k Hydra Peter Parker hurt/comfort au as I did with writing The Other Beings. 

And these are so very far from the only three reasons!! And even if there weren’t it wouldn’t matter because fanfiction has characters, plot, and is words on a page/screen, whether it’s a 100 word drabble or 200k agonizingly slow burn (seriously how do you have the PATIENCE) and guess what last I checked that’s all you need for fiction writing don’t you think? So now if people could stop snickering when they catch me pulling up AO3, that’d be just great. Have a good day. 

[quilloftheclouds]

Inspiring Writeblrs Tag Game

Been wanting to do this for a while now, but I suppose I’ve just now worked up the motivation: I made a writeblr tag game! Specifically a “OH HECK WHO DO I CHOOSE, THERE’S TOO MANY PEOPLE I LOVE, SHOOT” sort of tag game~ (Aka: please someone tag me back so I can rant more about who I adore. ;u;)

Rules: If you can, tag at least one writeblr in each question and give a bit of explanation on why! You don’t even need a taglist--your answers act as one!

Of course, there is no push at all to do the game if you are tagged, and it would be lovely to do this even if you weren’t!

And now, onto the questions!

1. Whose writing has inspired your own? Through what qualities?

2. What writeblr(s) do you appreciate for their engagement in the community?

3. Who do you absolutely adore for their support of your own works?

4. What’s a lesser known writeblr that deserves so much more?

5. Who would you recommend for their writing resources (advice, prompts, templates, etc.)? How have they helped you?

6. If they were to publish, who would you immediately buy a book from? Do you have a specific WIP in mind?

You can find my answers under the cut! (Be sure, THERE ARE SO MANY MORE ANSWERS THAN WHAT I DID.)

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1. Whose writing has inspired your own? Through what qualities?

Okay but. @abalonetea has such a recognizable, truly marvelous writing style. I love how Katie uses different font formats to convey the emotion and even the worldbuilding in her wips, I love her curt sentences that cut and chop like the action, I love the smooth flowing sounds of her peaceful scenes! I LOVE THE CHARACTERS AND THEIR DYNAMICS. Her characters are so well developed, so real seeming with their so many quirks and little things, the relationships are so cute and it’s all so full of hope, and yet, each character is so different and lovable all the same! (Even the villains! Oh no.) All of these factors have influenced my own writing, but the formatting of her writing and structure especially, since I’ve begun to experiment a lot with it!

@bookenders. Do I even need to say why? SO MUCH VARIETY. SO MUCH SKILL. Take the smallest of drabble ideas and hand it to her? She makes something glorious from it, as is obvious from her recent follower celebration. Wonderfully fitting diction, a deep knowledge and passion for linguistics and what she writes about that’s clear from her writing, the ability to have such a contrast in her writing style between different types of stories THAT ARE STILL ALL BRILLIANT. THE ABILITY TO WRITE SO MANY DIFFERENT TOPICS AND ALWAYS SO AMAZINGLY? That’s heckin’ inspirational. I’ve started branching out myself in attempting to write some things completely contrasting with what I normally do, mostly if not only because of this utter genius. Congratulations, 🌵 pal, I’m blaming you for this.

2. What writeblr(s) do you appreciate for their engagement in the community?

@mvcreates is currently on a bit of a hiatus BUT I DON’T CARE IF SHE NEVER SEES THIS Y’ALL NEED TO KNOW HOW ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC SHE IS. Of course, you probably already do, what with how much she does for the writeblr community! Positivity ask games, a beautiful discord group filled with wonderfully friendly writers, reblogs and reviews that are so in depth and with a wide variety of works reblogged that I likely wouldn’t have seen otherwise! SHE’S HECKIN’ AWESOME, FOLKS.

3. Who do you absolutely adore for their support of your own works?

I SEE YOU @tenacious-scripturient. I KNOW THAT’S YOU. I SEE YOU CONSTANTLY IN MY NOTIFICATIONS WHAT THE HECK. I HECKIN’ LOVE YOU AND YOUR WORKS. JUST SO YOU KNOW. I JUST. I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT, REALLY. A HECKIN’ AMAZING WRITER, BOTH OF WORDS AND SONG??? LIKING MY STUFF SO MUCH?? ASLKJFLDLKSJDK

@sunlight-and-starskies I SEE AND LOVE EVERY COMMENT YOU MAKE, YOUR EXCITEMENT FOR MY WIPS IS??? SO HECKIN’ APPRECIATED AND GIVES ME SO MUCH MOTIVATION TO CONTINUE? Seeing that others love my stories just as much (if not more???) than I do is so inspirational? AND YOU’RE ONE OF THE MAIN CULPRITS FOR IT. And honestly a lot of your comments are just... so heckin’ hilarious and/or kind. Love you so much, mate. <3

4. What’s a lesser known writeblr that deserves so much more?

I’m honestly not sure if she’s well known or not (she certainly deserves to be!!!), but in any case y’all need to go check out @clawhee-writes. Marvelous heckin’ writing, HECKIN’ INSPIRATIONAL WORLDBUILDING, an absolute delight to talk with, ideas that are yarn darn brilliant and an absolutely BEAUTIFUL wip, a wonderful person just all around! And she reblogs some really cool stuff, too! SO ANYWAYS I REITERATE, Y’ALL SHOULD GO CHECK HER OUT.

5. Who would you recommend for their writing resources (advice, prompts, templates, etc.)? How have they helped you?

@cogwrites‘ advice posts are likely one of the most major reason behind why I’m on writeblr in the first place! Her way of wording is super accessible, super interesting, and SUPER FLIPPIN’ HELPFUL, MY STARS. She has so many different series on such a range of wonderful advice!

Although she’s currently on hiatus, I also highly recommend @pens-swords-stuff! She has so much covered with absolutely marvelous advice and resources, and she’s so well organized, it makes finding everything feel like a dream come true!

And @imaghostwriter!! The sheer amount of resources they reblog covers just about everything, and their wonderful organization! IS SO HECKIN’ INSPIRING STARS. How??? Do you do it???? QUILL CAN NOT COMPREHEND.

6. If they were to publish, who would you immediately buy a book from? Do you have a specific WIP in mind?

@lady-redshield-writes. And no, because every single yarn darn wips of hers are HECKIN’ STUNNING. Her worlds are so expansive and fascinating, her character dynamics are to die for, her wording and writing itself is BEYOND STELLAR. Every time she posts something from her original works I jump at that notification. The two of her wips I know the most about are Symphony Number Five (ORCHESTRA NERD UNITE) and And Miles to Go Before I Sleep (I just! Can’t! Get over this wip!!! THE WORLDBUILDING! THE CHARACTERS! THE CONCEPT ENTIRELY!!! SO COOL.)

Also probably every single one of the above tagged as well. Because all of them are amazing as I’m COMPLETELY CERTAIN THEIR WRITING IS, TOO.

[kusunokihimea]

     [ Sooo I’m gonna talk about a thing under the cut that’s honestly been eating at me for like...a good while now, and that’s: RP burnout.

     I’m not really sure when I started feeling so...disconnected? from RP here on Tumblr. Don’t get me wrong: I love my muses, I love my threads, my partners, my friends...something just feels...off. I feel drained whenever I go to tend to my drafts. And it’s not that I don’t like them, or want them, I just feel...uninspired? I guess? Like I want the stories to continue, I just...don’t feel like I can.

     At the beginning of June (and technically for a week or two before) I worked REALLY HARD on my OC x Canon ship week, and wrote MASSIVE drabbles. Seven of them. All in a row. And I LOVED it. Before I was ever into RP, I was into writing fics. It’s how I got into fandom way back in like...idek when. 2006? 2007? I got into Naruto, my first real fandom experience, through Quizilla and the fic writing community. Then I moved to fanfiction.net. Then I started RP in like...2012? 2013? with a few friends. And I loved it! It was a whole new way to write stories and flesh out characters...some of it even inspired an entire worldbuilding project of mine, Nightwalkers. And a few years later, when I started getting really sick, I dropped fic writing completely, and devoted entirely to RP a few months later. I’ve been here ever since.

     But lately...I dunno. I guess it’s just the pendulum swinging back the other way? I’m enjoying writing fics again. I’ve been doing daily drabbles over on @365daysofsasuhina. I haven’t missed a single day, and we’re halfway through the year. Granted, some nights I’m tired or grumpy and don’t feel like doing it, but I do it. I did the OC x Canon ship week. And I’ve been doing both RP-related drabbles and prompted drabbles from friends for months and months. And keep getting new ideas, when in the past...that was gone.

     So what does this mean? I dunno. I love RP. Maybe I just need a break. Maybe I’m spreading myself too thin, cuz gods know I do that literally all the time. There’s so much I wanna do! I have like a dozen sideblogs, all for different projects, and...all are suffering because I just don’t have time to tend to them all. Icons. Art. Drabbles. Other RP blogs. A personal blog.

     I love all my muses. But lately I’ve gotten this feeling that I’m just...trying to do too much. Hyuuchiha has 17 muses. This blog has 12, including some NPCs. I’ve had itchings to do two more, move things around, try to branch out...but at the same time I also wanna just strip the blogs to their bare bones. I’ve thought of making Hyuuchiha purely Sasuke and Hinata, maybe their two kids. Because I don’t have enough time for all those muses, and...most get overlooked anyway. Probably because most are OCs, or underrated canons. Just stinks when you put so much work into building muses...and then have no time for them. And when you DO, it seems no one else does (except those of you who are always around - I see you, I do). But I mean in the grand scheme of things, I get single digit percentage interaction in regards to followers. On both blogs, tbh. And I love the interactions I get, it just...feels like there’s this crowd of people around, with maybe 5 who even seem to notice I’m here. And I wonder if me and my habit of taking on too much is to blame.

     I feel the same way about this blog. I have muses who hardly get touched. And while I’m sure that’s partly my fault for not putting them out there enough...I dunno. It makes me wonder if it’s worth having them around at all.

     ...to be fair, life itself has been REALLY hard on me lately, too. I’ve had friendships go south, family being nasty, my job is dragging out and I’m not getting paid, all while having to work even harder and getting extremely tired. My health, mental and physical, is suffering. I’m barely hanging in there most days, in all honesty. Which I know most folks don’t wanna hear about: we’re here to RP, not talk about our real lives and problems...but that DOES affect how and when and if we can RP. And I’m not one to pretend that RL doesn’t play a role in my hobby(s). I’m human, and so is everyone else.

     I’m getting all sorts of off-track, but...in short: I’m majorly burnt out. In MANY regards, and I’m not sure how to like...salvage the situation. Do I just majorly downsize my blogs and turtle to active followers? Do I take a hiatus? Do I drop RP altogether and go back to ficcing full time for my writing hobby? I dunno. I think this has been a long time coming between life and frustrations here.

     So...just a heads up, that for now, I’m gonna just...take it slow. I need to think about these blogs and how I wanna handle them. Maybe make another sideblog for archiving muses I need to put on a backburner. Cuz I don’t want all that work to go to waste, and granted, 98% of those OCs are ALAS related, and...gods know I’ll never finish that. I haven’t even worked on it in years because...what’s the point? So what’s the point with the muses, too? I want to keep writing, and I’m not dropping threads. It just...might be a while until I get to them. Some muses (and thus their threads) might be dropped, but...not for now. I need to think first. I guess most of this is just me thinking out loud (well not out loud, but...you know what I mean).

     Anyway...change is probably coming either way. Just...not sure how, yet. All I ask is that you be patient with me. This community and the friends I’ve made have been what’s kept me afloat for about four years now. I’m not leaving or letting that go. But something’s gotta give =/ ]

[lovingnikiforov]

2017 Fic Writing Round-Up

Total year-long word count: 397,326 words.....jfc

Word count by fandom:  ~ Bungou Stray Dogs: 304,788 ~ Yuri on Ice: 92,002 ~ Noragami: 536

Fics completed: 34

♥ Drabbles: ~ 15 tumblr prompt fills - bsd, yoi, noragami ~ chasing happy - bsd, odazai

♥ Oneshots: ~ Unwrapped - bsd, soukoku, pwp, IoL companion ~ just a start - bsd, soukoku, eating disorder, pre-canon ~ Seventy-Three Hours - bsd, soukoku, IoL companion ~ Reaching for Normal - bsd, soukoku, first date, IoL companion ~ Masterpiece - bsd, soukoku, tattooed Chuuya, IoL companion ~ all night long - bsd, soukoku, pole dancing Chuuya ~ You're Mine - bsd, soukoku, choker kink, mafia boss dazai, IoL companion ~ PDA - bsd, soukoku, choker kink, mafia boss dazai ~ on cliff's edge - bsd, soukoku, pre-canon, alt first reunion ~ Touch - bsd, reader-insert, pwp, gift fic ~ Closure - bsd, pre-canon, alt first reunion, gift fic ~ Deals Kept - bsd, soukoku, college au, gift fic ~ slow dancing in a burning room - bsd, soukoku, alcoholism, self-harm, gift fic ~ Drop the Act - bsd, soukoku, pwp, mafia spy Dazai ~ reach out and touch - yoi, viktuuri, touch-starved viktor ~ Puppy Love - bsd, soukoku, kid fic, jealous Dazai

♥ Chapter Fics: ~ Illustrations of Lying - bsd, soukoku, mafia boss dazai au ~ don’t you ever tame your demons - bsd, soukoku, dystopian/mafia boss dazai au

Works-in-progress: 3 ~ Equivalent Exchange - viktuuri magic/fantasy au ~ where your loyalties lie - soukoku arranged marriage/yakuza au ~ Rent a (boy)Friend - phichuuri fake dating au

This year I wrote and posted: 37 fics in total: 2 completed multi-chapter fics, 3 wip multi-chapter fics, 16 oneshots, 16 drabbles.

Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you'd predicted? So, so much more. This is the most fic I've ever written in a year by far.

What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January? Yuri on Ice. There's already so much content for the fandom and I spent the first 6 months of the year without a single piece of inspiration for a yoi story and now I'm writing two.

What's your own favorite story of the year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you happiest? Rent a (boy)Friend. It's definitely not my normal genre and that's why it's entertaining to write. Also the fact that I have no idea what I'm doing amuses me everytime I go to work on it.

Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them? I feel like my writing theme this year was taking risks. dyetyd was a big one for me: I've never tried my hand at dystopia and I've also never written anything that was as dark as that story. There's also some stylistic choices I was playing with in terms of narration. I also tried writing in present tense for the first time with wyll (which has stuck, I like it). Not to mention the scale of the worldbuilding for EE considering that it's my first yoi fic almost made me not write it.

Your best story of this year: Hmm, this is a hard one. I think I might have to go with Equivalent Exchange even though it's not finished yet. I'm really pleased with the worldbuilding and the character development in the story.

Your most popular story of this year:  Equivalent Exchange, though to be fair the yoi fandom is a lot bigger than the bsd fandom.

Story of yours most under-appreciated by the universe, in your opinion: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Looking through my fics I couldn't pick one that feels under-appreciated. The amount of support I received this year for all of my fics has been humbling.

Most fun story to write: Puppy Love. I had a lot of fun swapping headcanons with Rie (AnonLearnsToWrite) on twitter and the story practically wrote itself.

Story with the single sexiest moment: You’re Mine. Honestly I think this overall was the sexiest story I wrote this year, but I'm partial to the bit when Dazai learns just how prepared Chuuya is.

Most "Holy crap, that's wrong, even for you" story: slow dancing in a burning room, this was a prompt fill though so I feel like there's a gray area here.

Story that shifted your own perceptions of the characters: Illustrations of lying. Since this was my first bsd fic it's the one where I kind of fumbled my way through understanding the characters. Some of the choices I found on accident here ended up really impacting how I characterized Dazai and Chuuya for the rest of the year.

Hardest story to write: don’t you ever tame your demons (i know let’s all act shocked). My goal from the start of this fic was to challenge myself and I think I did too good of a job with that lol.

Biggest disappointment: Closure. There were things I wanted to do conceptually with the fic that didn't end up reading the way I wanted them to. I just always feel like I could've done better with this one.

Biggest surprise: Sora's Piece (wyll companion). I literally wrote this on a whim in response to an ask and was not prepared for my wyll readers to latch onto the character.

Most unintentionally telling story: reach out and touch. While this fic is about a viktor headcanon I've agreed with for a long time this definitely ended up being more of a vent fic than I anticipated.

Favorite opening line(s): ~ Of all the things that Dazai would have expected to find in Chuuya’s apartment, a stripper pole was certainly not one of them. - all night long ~ It is an universal truth that power rests in the hands of only a minority of those who seek it. - don't you ever tame your demons

Favorite closing line(s): ~ (He’s fairly certain this next mission probably would manage to kill the older man, and he’d prefer not to fuck this up). - Puppy Love

Favorite 5 line(s) from anywhere: ~ Her gaze runs over Chuuya’s face and she cocks an eyebrow, “you voluntarily married Dazai?” - wyll, ch. 9 ~ Kouyou turned her back to the city and met Dazai’s gaze. “When you break him, Dazai, do not be surprised if I tell you he is beyond repair.” - dyetyd, ch. 2 ~ Gin’s lips curled into a wry smile, “I don’t think whatever causes some to have abilities and others not to have them gives a damn about how the world handles it. - dyetyd, ch. 16 ~ "Hey, Kunikida-kun, did you know that I finally achieved my dream?" Dazai hums, as if the question was never asked. "I'm blissfully dead."..."If you're dead, why are you still bothering me?" - wyll, ch. 10

Top 5 scenes from anywhere you would choose to have illustrated: ~ Yuuri telling Viktor the story of the First Mage- Equivalent Exchange ~ The reveal of Mary Shelley’s ability- Illustrations of Lying ~ Chuuya touching Dazai’s tattoo- where your loyalties lie ~ That bit in You're Mine with the mirror....u kno what I'm talking about ~ Chuuya and Dazai's first kiss- don't you ever tame your demons

Fic-writing goals for next year: This has been the first time I've had a 100% completion rate for my chapter fics and I want to continue that into 2018. No more abandoned fics from Dessa 2k18.

[itsclowreedsfault]

2017 Writing Round-Up

Total year-long word count: 87,840 (holy fuck)

Word count by fandom:

Mystic Messenger » 6,830 Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle » 2,022 Bungou Stray Dogs » 1,862 Yuri!!! On Ice » 169 Boku no Hero Academia » 76,957

Fics completed: >1k words

mosaic » yoi, viktuuri, angst Untitled Drabble » mysme, zen/mc, fluff Untitled Drabble #2 » mysme, v/mc, fluff something more » mysme, juminv, fluff  all our colors » bnha, todobaku, soulmate au Kitchen Disaster » bnha, todobaku, fluff Heroes » bnha, todobaku, hurt/comfort Shooting Stars » bnha, todobaku, fluff Your Hand in Mine » bnha, todobaku, angst Untitled Drabble #3 » bnha, todobaku, angst Untitled Drabble #4 » bnha, todobaku, fluff Untitled Drabble #5 » bnha, todobaku affection » bnha, todobaku, fluff

1k-5k

Kingdom of Words » mysme, saeran/mc, soulmate au a secret among the flowers » mysme, juminv, fantasy au Never Enough » trc, kurofai, angst Shatter » bsd, soukoku, angst Operation: TodoBaku? » bnha, todobaku  Unravel » bnha, todobaku, fantasy au Baby, It’s Cold Outside » bnha, todobaku, fluff It Started With a Game » bnha, todobaku Just Listen » bnha, todokiri, hurt/comfort and I know you’ll have my back » bnha, todobaku, fantasy au When It Snows » bnha, todobaku, fluff Of Movie Nights and Smashed Bowls » bnha, todobaku, roommates/childhood friends au

5k-10k what really matters » bnha, todobaku, soulmate au  The One I Want » bnha, bakukami

10k+

Silver Lining » bnha, todobaku, modern fantasy au Wandering Wolf » bnha, todobaku, fantasy au

Works-in-progress:

everything we (never) planned » bnha, todobaku, urban fantasy/fake dating au

This year I wrote and posted:

31 fics, 13 of which are drabbles (under 1k),15 one-shots, 1 completed multichapter, 1 wip (ongoing), and 1 wip (abandoned)

Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you'd predicted?

I wrote so much more than I even thought I could write, no kidding. I’m still thinking about that word count and crying.

What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January?

Considering that in January I hadn’t even watched the anime/read the manga, BNHA! I never thought I’d get this invested in the series and more especifically, in TodoBaku (but I’m glad I did!).

What's your own favorite story of the year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you happiest?

I will never stop being proud of Wandering Wolf. Writing it was a really comforting yet challenging experience, and it holds a special place in my heart.

Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them?

So many! Especially ever since I started writing TodoBaku, I started aiming for longer fics with a little more plot, instead of the moment-focused drabbles I was used to. It has helped me become more confident in going deeper into the character’s feelings, exploring how they react to different situations; it’s also been a challenge to figure out pacing and worldbuilding. Through many mistakes, I feel like I’m slowly learning to improve on those things.

I tried writing smut, something I had told myself I’d never attempt again lol And I feel like my attempts actually turned out half-decent, motivating me to keep trying to improve on that aspect of my writing.

I gave another try at multichapters, too, and managed to finish my first fic of that kind that was being posted as I wrote it, and not all chapters at once like I did for the AkaYona Big Bang last year. It was a journey that took months but I never felt more fulfilled than when I finally posted that last chapter. 

Your best story of this year:

Wandering Wolf. I feel like my writing was at its best for this fic.

Your most popular story of this year:

what really matters (considering hits/kudos on AO3). I actually never expected this story to be so popular, especially because it was only my second try this year at writing something with an Explicit rating, but I’m glad people seem to enjoy it so much!

Story of yours most under-appreciated by the universe, in your opinion:

Huuh, I guess Shatter, my Soukoku fic. I’m really proud of that one but it barely got any attention (maybe because it’s the only story I’ve ever written for the BSD fandom lol).

Most fun story to write:

Operation: TodoBaku?. I had so much fun writing TodoBaku from the perspective of other Class 1-A students, as well as coming up with their shenanigans and trying to fit some humor into it :’)

Story with the single sexiest moment:

Silver Lining, when Bakugou is touching Todoroki’s wings for the first time. I just have a thing for characters with wings, okay. 

Most "Holy crap, that's wrong, even for you" story:

I don’t... think there was anything like that? My stuff is pretty tame lol worst thing I wrote was MCD and there wasn’t even any detailed description of anything.

Story that shifted your own perceptions of the characters:

Hmm, Wandering Wolf, I think. I had to do a lot of thinking to fit the characters into the universe I created, and then make them develop as the story progressed - and that involved thinking a lot about Todoroki and Bakugou’s core traits and what makes them who they are regardless of canon.  

Hardest story to write:

My current wip - everything we (never) planned. It’s hard to make my writing style work with the genre and it’s a more complicated plot than what I usually write, so that has been a challenge, too. I’m having fun with it though!

Biggest disappointment:

Your Hand in Mine. It wasn’t a disappointment as in I didn’t manage to convey what I wanted - the fic turned out exactly like I’d planned - but I just regretted ever writing it. I’ve even thought of deleting it multiple times, but decided not to. 

Biggest surprise:

Silver Lining and Wandering Wolf! I was so excited with both AUs, and really afraid I wouldn’t be able to do them justice. But both stories developed so well and writing them was so much fun, I’m very proud of the finished works. And they were both extremely well received by my readers, which was the biggest surprise of all and made me incredibly happy.

Most unintentionally telling story:

Just Listen. The entire thing is me projecting myself onto Kirishima lmao

Favorite opening line(s):

“There's a myth about the forest that is hidden among the distant mountains.” - from Wandering Wolf

Favorite closing line(s):

“But the thing is - not everything about a myth is true, is it?” - from Wandering Wolf

Favorite 5 line(s) from anywhere:

This would get pretty long and coincidently I chose exactly 5 favorite lines for the favorite quotes prompt of Fic Writers Week so I’ll just link to that post here.

Top 5 scenes from anywhere you would choose to have illustrated:

» Bakugou holding Todoroki in the forest as he disappears, from Unravel. » Bakugou touching Todoroki’s wings for the first time, from Silver Lining. » Bakugou and Todoroki sitting side-by-side in the snow, from When It Snows. » Bakugou holding Todoroki’s hands to calm him down, from Chapter 4 of Wandering Wolf. » Chuuya playing the piano, from Shatter.

Fic-writing goals for next year:

Finish my current WIP and my ideas for BakuTodo Week. Do my best to write a great piece for a zine (!!) I got accepted into. I also have a rather ambitious project I want to work on that will involve mixing my writing with graphic design.

And this is more of a personal goal, though it’s still related to fic writing so I suppose it counts: stop obsessively comparing myself to others and hating myself and my writing whenever I don’t measure up to them. Stop depending on numbers so much. It’s something that’s been hindering me a lot these past few months to the point where I have to force myself to write because it’s almost like constant writer’s block.

Despite the ups and downs, I feel like this was an amazing writing year for me. I’m proud of what I achieved with my writing, and it has improved a lot even if I have a hard time believing that most of the time. I’m thankful for all the support I’ve gotten and for you lovely readers who always interact with me or my content in one way or another. Y’all are the real MVPs ❤

[maychorian]

Weekly Voltron Fic Recs #36

Rules: You can find past weekly rec lists here, and non-list recs in my general fic rec tag. Also follow @maychorianrecs for individually tagged posts, the easier to search and reblog. This is stuff I like, and I have a huge bias toward Lance, hurt/comfort, and general fluff, in that order. Gen unless otherwise noted. Please comment on the fics if you read and enjoy them!

The Hunter from the Hill by valkyriered Words: 5,741 (3/?) Author’s Summary: Post-series, the Holts welcome Shiro into their home. A series of ficlets crossposted from tumblr. Not necessarily in chronological order– posted in the order they were written. My Comments: Warning for heavy angst, depression, PTSD, and various anxiety responses to trauma. This is realistic and very well-written, but mind the tags. I love the idea of the Holts taking in Shiro post-series and caring for him, but everyone is having a very rough time. The fic is technically complete, as each chapter is its own story, but the author is leaving it open to add more in the future. I adore these aftermath stories. Exactly the kind of stuff I want to read.

Space Hell by firesfly Words: 5,008 Author’s Summary: “I wonder if there’s such thing as space-hell,” Lance mused. “Like, the higher you go into space, the closer you are to hell.“ or. The paladins find Space Hell and it’s just as bad as it sounds. My Comments: Really interesting episode-like fic with the paladins fighting a horrible environment, plus some monsters. It’s up to Keith to save them all, and it’s a rough road.

Cookies, candles and some care by SerenePhenix Words: 3,603 Author’s Summary: It had to come full circle. That was the way things worked. That’s what made the world go round. Shiro’s just glad that Lance is there to help. -OR: After Lance it’s now everybody else’s turn to get the sniffles. My Comments: A follow-up to that modern AU sickfic where deathly ill pizza boy Lance stumbles onto the other paladins, who instantly take him under their wing. This time everyone else is sick and Lance is the best nurse ever. So sweet.

Dear Little One by SunshineAndRainbows Words: 3,986 (2/3) Author’s Summary: The paladins hadn’t been expecting to find the baby. Allura hadn’t been expecting their reaction to it. My Comments: The paladins with kids or babies is always adorable, and this one is particularly so. Very interesting worldbuilding here, too, more plot-oriented than most kidfics. I’m interested to see how it will shake out.

Perdu by SerenePhenix Words: 7,130 (1/3) Author’s Summary: He did everything they’d asked of him. He had fought a war that had not been his to begin with because it was the right thing to do, because at the end of it all stood the promise of returning to his family. He was done. He wanted home. What he did not expect was for a man obviously just as lonely as him to join him on the journey. A man willing to listen, willing to understand.So many possible realities and so many ways that it could go wrong. Or maybe just right. My Comments: Really interesting fic with Lance leaving Team Voltron after Shiro’s loss makes them all a little crazy, then running into Lotor and traveling with him without realizing that they’re supposed to be enemies. I’m not sure what’s coming next, and I am both nervous and excited. Really well done and heartachey.

Black by Any Other Color by mckinlily Words: 4,430 Author’s Summary: Team Voltron is in shambles. Lost and hurting in the wake of Shiro’s disappearance, they can hardly stand each other, let alone work together. And in the midst of this, Hunk finds Keith in the Black Lion’s hangar.Hunk learns something about Keith, leadership, and his role as the Yellow Paladin. My Comments: I love Hunk as the heart of the team, chasing down hurting teammates and doing his best to bring them in and show them some love. Keith desperately needs support here. They all do.

Takashi Shirogane Takes the World by EdgarAllenPoet Words: 4,384 (2/?) Author’s Summary: Shiro has seen more foster homes than he has years on Earth, but he’s certain that this one is the last. He’s fiesty, angry, and thinks he can handle anything. That’s until he meets his new foster parents, with their never ending patience and understanding; his foster brother, with his bizarre habits; and the ghost of a boy who lives in his room, who turns into his best friend. He’s not ready for anything, but especially not a new family. My Comments: Family AU in which the Holts take in Shiro and Keith, based The Great Gilly Hopkins. I haven’t seen or read that one, but already this AU is tugging at my heartstrings and making me eager for more. Great stuff, very well-written.

Allura and the Paladins by rebornlover Words: 3,096 Author’s Summary: The Paladins learn abit more about their commander and Hunk holds an Altean celebration My Comments: Really sweet fic with Hunk and Lance making an effort to understand Allura better, and then attempting to ease her and Coran’s grief for the loss of their civilization.

Advanced Maintenance by VelkynKarma Words: 1,392 (1/?) Author’s Summary: Maintaining an alien prosthetic limb can be difficult even with help from your friends. Fortunately, Shiro’s able to get a little extra assistance from a few unexpected places. My Comments: Poor Shiro, but I’m so glad the mice were there to help! Very cute and fluffy fic. And there will be more in the future! I’m looking forward to it.

Recoil/Release by Cheshyr Words:  20,696 Author’s Summary: When Keith is bitten by an alien creature with venom that causes your dominant emotions to be amplified, the team is ready for a day of dealing with an incredibly angry paladin.Which means they’re not ready at all for what actually happens. My Comments: Warning for implications of past child abuse. This is heartbreaking, but so well done. I loved the way everyone got a moment to interact with Keith while he was in a fear-driven state and try to help, even if it wasn’t quite successful in the end. They all just care so much.

Platonic VLD Week 2 - Double Drabble Collection by hufflepirate Words: 1400 Author’s Summary: 7 double drabbles from the second Platonic VLD Week.See chapter titles for basic details like which characters are in/the focus of each one.Prompts: Day 1: Restraint / Impulse Day 2: Traditions / New experiences Day 3: Tandem / Separation Day 4: Home / Exploration Day 5: Temporary / Constant Day 6: Fighting / Forgiveness Day 7: Free tropes day / Week 1 leftovers My Comments: Absolutely every single one of these is perfect in just 200 words. Hufflepirate writes very powerfully in a very small space. I think my favorite was the Coran one, but they’re all amazing.

Seventh Wheeling by Swump (Zelan) Words: 952 Author’s Summary:  So I see lots of fics where Lance refers to himself as a seventh wheel and I’m actually getting a bit tired of the phrase. So of course what better to do than write a prompt entirely centered around it. My Comments: Shiro does a really lovely job of reframing this issue for Lance and helping him see himself in a different light. Really sweet.

Accidents Happen by EdgarAllenPoet Words: 2,169 Author’s Summary: “ ‘He’s grown!’ Antok cheered, leaping to his feet as if his previously sore joints had been entirely renewed. He scooped Keith up effortly, one massive hand around his middle, and tossed him up into the air. Keith screamed. Antok laughed with glee. ” My Comments: Keith temporarily morphs to a Galra form, and Antok is DELIGHTED. It’s adorable.

Forgiveness by luoup (ravenic) Words: 1,698 Author’s Summary: Day 6 Prompt 2:  ForgivenessHow to be forgiven My Comments: Finding Matt isn’t as happy for Shiro as it should be, because he’s so worried about how Matt will react to what he did. Of course, Matt doesn’t see it that way.

Only Temporary by Revasnaslan Words: 1,241 Author’s Summary: Following Shiro’s disappearance, Allura finds it difficult to sleep… so she and the Black Lion have a chat. About as well as they can without having a bond.—Written for Shallura Week Day 6 (Black / White) My Comments: Lovely bonding moment. Allura deserves all the appreciation.

And The View Will Be Different Tomorrow by this_book_has_been_loved Words: 1,882 Author’s Summary: Pidge had an uncanny ability to find each and every nook and cranny and hiding place on the Castle. There were more secret rooms on this ship than even Allura and Coran probably knew of, and Lance was sure Pidge had discovered them all. - Pidge and Lance have a heart to heart and do some stargazing. My Comments: Absolutely precious. I love these two hanging out and bonding and sharing their grief about their families.

Dogs of Marmora by EdgarAllenPoet Words: 3,517 Author’s Summary: ’What is that thing and why is it in my castle?’ Allura asked. None of the paladins replied. Kolivan offered her a helpless shrug.‘It’s a dog.’ “ My Comments: The cutest, sweetest Dads of Marmora fic yet. The paladins explain to Kolivan why having a dog is a good thing, and then he gets to see it with his own eyes. Adorable.

A Space Birthday! by icycoldmoonprincess for gardenofmaris Words: 2,320 Author’s Summary: It’s just too good that one of my dearest friends and Lance share a birthday month….not to mention how much like Lance she is…..Happy Birthday, Mari! Hope you enjoy the fic :) (Since I gave you a birthday present super early, I just had to do something for today) My Comments: Super cute fic with everyone pitching in to give Lance a nice time. Very pleasant read.

The Peace of Order by Katerie Words: 1,402 Author’s Summary: Lance starts to see why Zarkon’s been allowed to rule for over 10,000 years. My Comments: Lance has an argument with an alien and realizes that some moral quandaries cannot be resolved. Really interesting to read.

Heroism Gets You Killed by teacupfulofbrains Words: 15,428 Author’s Summary: Five times Lance McClain recklessly risked his life to prove his worth to his teammates, and one time they showed him he had nothing to prove. My Comments: Maybe just a little over the top, but man, I really enjoyed this fic. Lance’s team loves him. A lot. It’s his own head that’s preventing him from seeing that. Klance is included, but the focus is on the team.

Accidents Happen by Swump (Zelan) Words: 3,198 Author’s Summary: don’t go on tumblr too much or you’ll write i&i fic for a show you’ve never seen Real Summary: Keith gets something in his eye and then he gets something worse in his eye. Whump ensues. My Comments: Poor Keith, but it was great to see everyone leap into action to help him.

Tasting Science by Anonymous for Longpig Words: 1,470 Author’s Summary: Coran discovers something while preparing a dinner for his new family. My Comments: Really cute fic with Coran enjoying a treat from Earth, then sharing it with everyone else.

trust fall by prophecy Words: 1,574 Author’s Summary: The story of how Allura got her earrings. My Comments: Love litte Allura being stubborn and nosy. Her relationship with Alfor was so lovely, too.

Treat by Eastofthemoon Words: 1,690 Author’s Summary: Keith takes Shiro grocery shopping. My Comments: This is from a really cute AU where pre-teen Keith ends up on the run through the universe with Shiro and the red lion. This installment is adorable, as usual. It’s sad that Keith has had to focus so hard on survival at such a young age, but it’s lovely to see Shiro spoil him.

It’s About You (it always has been) by Yellowtaffeta Words: 11,562 Author’s Summary: For thousands of turns the Prides have defended ARUS from the baleful eye of the dark star. It is now the ninth pass and the lion men have dwindled. Only Pride Garrison is left to face the coming sweep of the rouge planet. Not that anyone thinks the dark star more than a legend after such a long interval. But the Galra are coming. It is up to four newly impressed rookies and a Paladin with the wrong lion to face the coming disaster. Lions must fly when there’s Galra in the sky! My Comments: I’ve never read the series this AU is based on, but now I want to. The author does a good job of giving enough worldbuilding for the story to make sense, even while just throwing us straight into the middle of an extremely crazy and chaotic sceen. All of the paladins and their lions are very intriguing, and their interactions are well done. This feels like the start of a very epic adventure, and I would happily read more. The fic could definitely use a beta, though.

Quit Playing Games by BossToaster (ChaoticReactions) Words: 3,116 Author’s Summary: Lance makes a deck of Uno cards. It goes as well as expected. For Platonic Week 2.0 My Comments: This is one of the funniest fics I’ve read in the long time. The chaos and petty revenge of a Uno game is out in full force. It’s great to see the kids just having a good time together, for a certain value of good.

The Field of Blood by Genesister (papirini) Words: 4,607 (1/?) Author’s Summary: Takashi Shirogane is about to go on a journey to find himself. A journey where, supported by his friends, he learns a secret so shocking that it could potentially decide the fate of the universe - and, along the way, he comes to understand what it means to be a leader. What it means to be himself. Well. Provided the experience doesn’t kill him first. Or worse. The final part of the Helvicta Blues. My Comments: I’ve already recced the other stories in this series, but I would be remiss not to inform you of this one, too. The start is already so INTENSE, with all of the paladins captured by the Galra, under threat of death and torture, and then that first cliffhangar, hoo boy. I do recommend reading the other stories first, but this is so so good.

Bonding with the Princess by TheForeverGirl Words: 6,201 (3/?) Author’s Summary: Allura feels that she doesn’t know the Paladins as well as she should. Her solution? She bonds with each of the paladins My Comments: This fic could use a beta, but it’s really cute to see Allura deliberately taking the time to get to know her paladins one-on-one. Great characterization and lovely chats for each so far.

Previously Recced Fics That Updated:

Light on the Dark Side of Me (20546 words) The Machinations of Perception (30182 words) mostly void, partially stars (17349 words) Dislocation (19250 words)  -  now complete familiar (74649 words) As Color Fades Away (69760 words) The Ones Who Were Left Behind (22902 words) Lost Boys (9051 words) Truce (139049 words) Down Time (Don't Let Me Down) (11142 words) When You Reach Me (30133 words) Someplace Like Home (369075 words)  -  now complete cough syrup (7992 words) The Times They Remembered Pidge Was a Girl (11908 words) earth shaker (3263 words) Ten Days (16478 words)