#i have not written anything fanfic wise I am sorry my loves

[kindlythevoid]

I did the roughest rough draft of my four-to-five page paper in one long tumblr ramble. Properly formatted, it reaches around five-and-a-half pages without citations. I have never felt so powerful in my life.

[aughtpunk]

A03 Questions Tag Game

I got tagged by: @coffincrows

I tag: @ventela1 @autumn2may @farshootingstar

1 – How many works do you have on AO3?

70

2 – What's your total AO3 word count?

552,955

3 – What fandoms do you write for?

In no particular order: Cult of the Lamb, Welcome to Night Vale, Disco Elysium, Good Omens, Overwatch and a bunch of series I've only written one fic in

4 – What are your top five fics by kudos?

Points on a Circle (Overwatch, lots of ships, mainly Yeehan)

Now Streaming: Love! (Overwatch, lots of ships, D.va POV)

White is Not the New Black (Good Omens, Ineffable Husbands)

Fusion is Just a Cheap Tactic to Make Weak Angels Stronger (Good Omens, Ineffable Husbands)

Welcome to Cyber Vale (Welcome to Night Vale, Cecilos)

5 – Do you respond to comments?

I may accidentally skip a few (sorry) but I try to respond to everyone!

6 – What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Another Pyramid, although I'm not sure I would call it angsty. The fic is about two robots (omnics) discussion an opera and the play based on it, and it ends with one of the robots wondering if the more opened-ended play could possibly be about the endless cycle of tragedy and romance, and how that's very fitting in the current war for robot rights.

7 – What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Probably To Forgive is Divine since it ends with the Bishop family back together AND Narinder and Lamb as a couple AND other happy spoilers

8 – Do you get hate on fics?

Okay so I wouldn't call it hate but I will take a moment to talk about the weirdest comment I ever got on a fic: Someone once posted in the third chapter of a fic that they hadn't read the first two chapters (on purpose) and they were only going to read every-other chapter from then on. And then every other chapter they kept posting about how the fic made no sense and kept asking questions that were answered in the parts they skipped.

Yeah I ended up blocking them and deleting the comments. Like, the fuck?

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

I have written smut. I would describe it as "bad".

10 – Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

Probably the Good Omens/Pokemon crossover fic The Evils of Truth and Love. Sadly I couldn't figure out anything to do with it plot-wise so it's only just three chapters of silliness.

11 – Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No idea. Imagine someone stealing my work. It'd be like someone stealing my twelve year old hyundai. Like, why?

12 – Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! I know Cyber Vale got partially translated, and one of my Disco Elysium fics was translated into Russian!

13 – Have you ever co-written a fic?

No, I'm not into co-writing.

14 – What's your all-time favorite ship?

Probably X/Zero. Which is funny considering I've never written a ship about them.

15 – What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Dear Notes in a Line and Five Shalle Ryde fans:

I swear I'll come back one day to finish these. Pinky-swear.

16 – What are your writing strengths?

Apparently I have a real knack for writing immortal God/God-like beings/Immortal Robots and I don't know what to do with this power besides writing fanfic.

17 – What are your writing weaknesses?

I am so, so bad at smut. I've tried, you guys. I've really tried. But writing it feels like someone is sandpapering my brain. In another timeline where I can write smut I'm probably making bank on a terrible amazon published erotica series.

18 – Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I try to avoid it myself because I can barely handle English most days. Never mind other languages Do you know how many times I've failed French 1? Six. SIX TIMES.

EDIT: It has been pointed out to me that I've written multiple characters in multiple stories that use ASL. I am not a clever person.

19 – First fandom you wrote for?

NiGHTS Into Dreams! It's called TWiNS and I actually dug it up from the depths of FF.net to post on Ao3 because I'm so proud of my teen self for writing it.

20 – Favorite fic you've written?

Probably As Mayflies, which I wrote one beautiful summer morning while I was feeling very emotional over Sir Terry Pratchett's passing and wrote a little story about how the humans Crowley and Aziraphale meet live forever in their hearts.

[sorcerous-caress]

hey I’m glad you’re not weirded out or anything by the tickling stuff (I’m the anon by the way) I might write something with my tav after I’m done with the “my tav as a companion” part 2 with the list questions you made after my first one but I don’t how long that’ll take since I kinda feel weird writing about my tav in that way since they are based off myself not that I don’t want to do it I would like to write stuff like that for an OC I’ve never done it before but it kinda feels like I’d be doing something “naughty” which I guess I would be but anyways I’ll write something I’m gonna try and get over the awkward feeling so I can go more in depth with the “my tav as a companion” romance part because I feel like I can touch more on that

(sorry for ranting, longer than I thought it’d be)

I get what you're feeling exactly, and my only advice to that is to embrace it.

All writing in some form or another, is based on yourself. Every character you've written fanfics about, every OC you've made, every small headcanon, all of them are connected to you.

All of them, hold a small part of you in them, a small truth that you might not be unaware of. Writers can only write about their own experiences and emotions, even in fantasy and imaginary scenarios, you have to base it around something you're familiar with to be able to comprehend it.

I'm aromatic yet I write romantic stories, I have never felt romantic love so I base all of my romantic stories on how platonic love felt to me and mix it with what I think romantic love should be like based on what other people said.

I get the feeling of vulnerability when revealing things about an OC that holds a lot of your own cores as a human, that was based on your own image. That's why it's good to remember that everything else was also based on your own image, you just weren't aware of it. You've left a trace of your personality and your fingerprints on every character and subject you've touched.

Honestly, I am not in the best state health wise to answer this, but I didn't want to leave it sitting for long.

There is a fear of being cringe, I genuinely truly get it. I still feel it too a lot of times, fear of being too weird or off putting. It's so easy to tell someone to "just express themselves" until that self expression manifests in a way that doesn't fit the socially acceptable ideas of other people.

Who gives a shit if I don't like tickle stuff? What right do I have to judge you? What right does anyone have to judge you? None of us matters when it comes to your own writing and self expression, only you matter.

Likewise for me, I like cringe worthy stuff too! And I subtily microdose them into my writing because I don't have the courage to come outright and say it. I am afraid. You are braver than me in that aspect and honesty kudos to you for being yourself unapologetically.

I had an old writing blog where I only wrote tame fluffy stuff that everyone wanted, only expressed myself within social acceptable limits, only showed the most clean and sanitized versions of my art.

And you know that phrase about if you don't like what you're writing then other people won't? It's a huge fucking lie. That blog was so much bigger and more popular than this blog in a shorter amount of time.

I had triple the followers I have now, so many nice comments and reblogs, too many requests than I could keep track of. People loved the sanitized version of my writing.

I didn't, I hated it. It was empty and souless and I had to force myself to sit down and write it. Scrub away all traces of my own personality from it and make it the most appealing to the general public.

Words never flowed like they do to me now, I dreaded opening my requests back then, I dreaded checking on my notes.

And so I left it at the height of its popularity, didn't even say a thing just slowly ghosted away.

Don't do what I did, is what I'm saying. You have a lovely OC and if you want to put more of your own self and your own interests in them then so be it. I promise other people won't know and even if they connect the dots, they'd have to be actual weirdos to make judgments on a real human being based on an imaginary doll they move around.

Give Sean the tickle kink if you want that's perfectly okay. Base all of his companion answers around yourself if you want, make him an extension of you. Maybe he will slowly take what you've given him and evolve to his own character, maybe he will always remain a beautiful reflection of you, both of these outcomes are welcomed as long as they make you happy.

I did it with Sol, bpd isn't the best, and making an OC that represents all the worst traits I saw in myself and showing them love and care helpled me unimaginably. And fuck yeah I definitely base their answers around myself, every writer bases their writing around themselves, how else are you supposed to create originality? Your mind is the only completely original source that only YOU have access to!

It's a fucking gold mine, an exclusive library of experiences and moments that no one else but you know about. And you want to ignore it and put 13 layers of irony between you and everything you create? For whAT?

Kids love plushies and get attached to them because the plushies are their own OCs in a way, the dolls represent an extension of their inner psyche. So when kids hug and shower their plushies with love, or even get reinact a dramatic sad story with their dolls, it's them talking to themselves.

Art is communication, whether it be with an audience or with yourself. self-indulgence is the thing that makes art worth making. It's what gives it a soul, it's what sets it apart form AI bullshit.

And some people will see themselves in Sean. Did I tell you that the tickle fic requests I wrote had likes and reblogs from other people? I would've never imagined someone would like it besides the requester yet there were others.

We're all really weird, inside. If you're going to be original and create art that you like then it will be weird and cringy, same goes for me, same goes for everyone.

Embrace it, peel the layers of irony, be yourself unapologetically. You are worth it.

And side note, I really enjoy your requests and reading what you send me about Sean. But my own enjoyment always comes after your own comfort and boundaries. You don't have to answer any questions that make you uncomfortable in the "as a companion part 2" list.

I will always view these answers through Sean and as a reflection of him, never a reflection of the author. That's a right only you have and a line only you can draw.

[ellecdc]

ik my last ask was a lil more serious (and suuuper long, although this one probably wont be much better, sorry 😬) but now i'm here for the goofs n catching up. sorry its been another bit of time again, i had to recover from the fact that YOU! missed little old me?!?! immidiate bedrest as i come to terms with that fact. i figured id answer the questions i asked you (and respond to ur responses) bc i can't help myself!

34) i get not being up to people watching anymore, i'm there too, although i used to be quite the people watcher. there are definitely an influx of people in cities where just having to be in their presence without observing them is tiring (i live by a famous one, boy do i know this fact. one time a guy came up to me on the transit and just started telling me jokes. i didn't even respond, but that didn't matter to him lol. honestly some of the jokes were pretty good.) it's like they do all the people watching work for you.

69) as someone who has unfortunately had to both wash my hair with soap and body with shampoo (don't ask, they were both emergency instances lol) i can confirm that the shampoo option is indeed better by a long shot.

83) oh no sorry for putting you into a tough spot! your song choices are so fun tho, like i just feel happier listening to them, makes me wanna dance (also completely forgot how much chumbawumba's album art fucks me up lol). i got this answer mostly down pat and its like the complete opposite vibe to ur choices lol. my all time favorite song is going to california by led zeppelin so that's my choice, i am forever a slut for it's layered guitar parts and finger picking (and zeppelin in general). a close second is lover, you should've come over by jeff buckley. "broken down and hungry for your love with no way to feed it"?! "my kingdom for a kiss upon her shoulder"?! "all my blood for the sweetness of her laughter"?! like stfu jeff this is too good for us mortals.

lastly, in my like 10 years of reading fanfic i have never once been inclined to write my own until now, and that's all thanks to you! idk if they will ever get done -one's a honker and it's maybe halfway written, the other is a smut fic which,,, idk man we'll see- much less posted, but you never know 🤷 maybe one day i'll be off anon and have a writing blog. but i want to say thanks for the inspiration to rediscover my love for writing!

hope ur having a wonderful day lovebug 🩷🩷🩷

-ʕ⁠·⁠ᴥ⁠·⁠ʔ

OMG SOMEONE ANSWERED THR WURSTIONS BACK IM SO EXCITED

People watching -> okay you’re so right though, people watching IS tiring. I don’t want to be perceived OR perceive!!

Body wash/shampoo -> Nooooo omg okay well I’m glad to know my answer was sound and should I ever find myself in a debacle I will choose wisely [thoughts and prayers to your hair]

Fave songs -> shut up did you actually look up the songs I listed?? That is so cool you’re so cool, what a cutie. Oof but your second song would be such good fic titles or prompts (hint hint you should do it)

And congratulations on your writing! I dont want to take credit at all though, I think you’re just a cool kid(tm) and are gonna do cool kid shit (i.e., writing fanfics) [no but fr, i think writing is so cathartic and good for the soul, it’s self care! I wrote for yeeeaaarrrrrssss before i ever thought to post anything, so even just writing for yourself is fucking tops, you rock it babes]

[aihoshiino]

If you don't mind sharing, where do you write Ai? 👀 Would love to read your works for her considering how well you understand her character! 💜 Will also admit that the X-over ship has me curious LOL /pos

anon, if you're still out there. i'm so sorry this one took me like two months to answer LKFJSJDSJSKSSKS

ANYWAY!!! Because I got this ask and your ask back to back, I have a big ramble up there about my crosscanon Ai ships…! As for my Ai writing specifically tho, I don't currently have any fanfics or anything up but I do have a couple projects I'm pecking at and I'm determined to finish and post at least one of them!!! As for RP, I don't mind sharing some of the stuff I've written for that in theory, but a lot of it obviously relies on bouncing back and forth with another person and I don't know how how much sense it would make without it but I would also feel weird sharing other people's writing without their permission…

So I dug around a bit and found some stuff I think works fine on its own! This is stuff where the context is easy enough to figure out on its own or I can easily explain it.

^ These ones are from 14~15yo Ai in the immediate aftermath of getting rejected by her birth family....... baby girl.......

^ These two are from the P5 AU... getting to amp up the skeeziness of the stuff Ai deals with as an idol to slot better in with P5 tone wise was interesting.

These ones below come with some CWs for blood and death as is canon typical..... for Ai......

Those last three are from an RP setting where characters basically get isekaied to have their wishes granted and I took Ai from the moment of her death because I am a demon <3

I'm still especially proud of that last one because I wrote it like a solid 2 to 3 months before 137 dropped and was like 'prey animal ai is canon btw'. i truly do not miss.

I think that's everything I can find off the top of my head you don't need a whole primer of context for... I hope to get an actual fic up for people to read soon, tho!

[sonosvegliato]

sorry im the same anon im gonna keep sending you asks bc the way you respond is fascinating i love it. what’s something ur looking forward to wrt scenes you’ve written/have yet to write & Also please tell me about your original work p.s this is probably strange but you’ve encouraged me to continue my calisthenic training <3

Go do those calisthenics, man. If you ever decide to do martial arts, bodyweight training is recommended over weight training because if you are ooga-booga circus strongman, the lil guys will DESTROY YOU in BJJ because you might be able to hold someone down but the LIL GUYS WILL SLITHER THEIR WAY OUT and you'll never see 'em comin'. Pro (I am not a pro but a pro told me this) tip.

Also, thank you so much for the asks! And for enjoying my responses?? I literally don't do much social media and only have a tumblr so I can find those sweet sweet fic rec lists when I need something to read, so this is sort of a new experience. I feel like I am in the big leagues 😤

I will reveal nothing about the last installment of To an Athlete Dying Young until I finish it, but I did write about corpses while a coffeeshop with a very young child behind me and I got worried I'd traumatize him...even though he definitely wasn't of independent reading age. That scene was supposed to end up in and hold the low lintel up, but didn't end up getting worked in. I think it's a great scene, action and art wise, and I felt really smart writing it, but don't know if it'll end up in this last part. I'll post it and any other "killed darlings" once I know I'm finished with the work, like I did with some other scenes in and hold the low lintel up.

As for my original work...I want to write something that people get excited about the same way we do for fanfic. I know original work and fanfic are two vastly different spheres since in fanfic we're already attached to characters or an already built world, but I miss being enthralled in a good old-fashioned book. I don't read so much sci-fi and fantasy anymore because I feel like I've already read the same thing 10 billion times or it's too overwhelming. So I write (near future) sci-fi and (historical) fantasy that's mostly just a private playground for myself. I have a thing for reporters that get themselves tangled in political intrigue :/

I will say that an early Batman fanfic I started but never finished, Tournament of Lies (Slam Fight, Bright Light), never got finished because the vague idea I had for it unconsciously turned into an original work. Historical fantasy with mystery elements 👉👉

So turning the tables, ask for you and whoever else sees this, got any good mystery fanfic/book-book recs?? Or anything with spectacular world building or that you think is fresh in general? Because I am on the lookout.

[isleofair]

Twenty Questions for Fic Writers!

I was tagged by @nicoroni (and I am also tagging them back 💙) (Trust us, it works. )

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

12 as of a couple of days ago! 🥰 2 are from last year and 10 are my progress so far in the 2023 - Year of the OTP Challenge (my beloved 💖)

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

212,706 (that's about a Moby Dick's worth of words! 😦)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Just Tiger & Bunny, and just FireSky as a pairing, at that! (Who knows if I'll ever branch out... for now I'm very happy in my little corner of the fanfic world 🥰)

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

The best cure for free fall (3,295 words) Kudos: 87

Stereoscopy (The Hero's Shoulders) (72,000 words) Kudos: 74

Three Dates (8,854 words) Kudos: 40

Snowdrift (3,050 words) Kudos: 37

Love, Counted along the Fibonacci Sequence (7,123 words) Kudos: 28

(These numbers may not look like much, and perhaps they are not, but considering I write a side ship in a small fandom, I am honestly incredibly grateful for literally every single one of these 🙏💕)

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

I probably respond too much to comments, if anything 😅 I cherish them immensely, so I tend to get a little carried away, and I try to answer every single thing that people say in them 🥺💙

6. What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Oh. Uhm. I only really do happy endings, so... let me think.

Technically, the story that leaves the most angst still on the table by the end is Stereoscopy (The Hero's Shoulders), because there are some not-totally-solved things left in the background.

The one where the angst lingers closest to the end as a feeling, though, possibly enough to leave a tiny taste-memory of it in your mouth, might be To a Steadfast Heart, or possibly Second Song.

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

Oh, gosh. I suppose it depends on how you define happiest...

The most triumphant and satisfying ending I've done plot-wise, in my opinion, is hands-down Intertidal's.

If you're going more by something like "how much pink glitter and marshmallows is the final scene conjuring in my brain", though, it might be Love, Counted along the Fibonacci Sequence, or maybe An Honest Mistake, or Asterism (I write a lot of pink-glitter-and-marshmallows endings, sorry.)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

The haters would have to know little old me exists for me to get hate, lol. But more seriously, no, I get nothing but sweetness and I'm so grateful 💖💖💖

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

Welll... I never quite mean to, but sometimes the story (and characters) ends up asking for it/needing it, and I'm so bad at saying no 😅

As for what kind... the kind that can have a 10k, E-rated chapter solely dedicated to the characters having sex, without me ever having to pick a word for "dick", lol (No, there's no trashy euphemisms, either; it's just me, my deep embarrassment, Keith Goodman's Very Polite POV, and synecdoche, my beloved, against the world 😂)

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

I haven't, and I don't think I'm terribly interested in trying (never say never, of course, but for now I can't think of any that I'd want to write). AUs and/or fusions, on the other hand, are very interesting and I'm farily sure at some point I'll end up writing one.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Again, they'd have to notice the fic to steal it 😅 (Of course, it might have happened without my knowledge, but I don't see why anyone would steal unpopular fics. And besides, it would have to either be posted on a website I don't look at, or modified to be other characters, because "my" ship tag on ao3 is far too small to hide anything in there, lol)

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No. (I'd make a joke about them being translated from the Italian in my head to the English on the page, but I think them up in English in the first place, so it wouldn't really apply 😅)

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

No, but I've "co-written" a lot of concepts/headcanons in chats and I always have an absolute blast doing that! (I'm not entirely sure I could ever co-write a fic, honestly, because I'm a bit of a control freak about my creations, and I'd probably get insufferable during the process)

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

The only one I write, lol: FireSky!!! ❤️💜 AKA Keith Goodman/Nathan Seymour, or Sky High/Fire Emblem from Tiger & Bunny (... their hero names ship name looks like a pretty crazy crossover, lol)

15. What's a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

Ooof. I only have two real wips on my hands; the one I have more doubts about ever finishing is the one I was trying to write for the September leg of the 2023 YOTP Challenge (for which I ended up writing a different story altogether). It has very unconvincing logistics, and I don't know if I'll ever be able to fix that to my satisfaction.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Mmmh. I've gotten a fair bit of compliments about my characterization, so that's one, I suppose. I've also been very good so far at only writing one fic at once and actually finishing almost all of them (which is not nothing!) I also really like my metaphors/similes/analogies/symbolism a lot, especially in dream sequences, but I don't know if that's objectively a strength or just something I do well (mostly) only to my personal satisfaction.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I used to be good at not having run-on sentences, but I've gotten so much worse about it lately?!? I really need to check myself on that. And I think I'm not very good at coming up with complex plots (one initial premise to kick things off, and then following the flow from there? Doable. Several significant events actually shaping the story from more than one side? SAVE ME.)

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

Well, if the characters were speaking another language for some reason I suppose I might, but I'm only fluent in two languages, so unless I could find someone who could help me, I would probably try to avoid the issue altogether somehow.

I also think it's not an easy thing to handle, because if the reader is not supposed to understand, a few words and phrases here and there, that maybe get explained/translated in-story at the moment or later, are okay; but huge chunks that the reader can't understand would just be annoying, and if they're supposed to understand, you need to fit a translation in along with the foreign dialogue, and it might not always be easy to do so in an efficient / not cumbersome manner.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Mh. If we want to be really precise about this, I think somewhere in my parents' house is a tiny notebook with a lilac (or possibly pale pink) cover, where a strange, short scene set after the Season 1 finale of Smallville is written in pencil. But that was a one-off thing.

20. Favorite fic you've written?

Stereoscopy (The Hero's Shoulders) will always and forever be my baby; it's the one I poured the most time and soul and effort into, and the one that I consider, in a way, the definitive fic I could write for that pairing.

I do feel like I have to mention Intertidal, as well, though: it's by far my favorite of the rest my fics, and I think it has a lot to offer.

This was a lot of fun! 😃 My dear fellow writers, if you see this and you want to do it, too, I am officially tagging you! 💚

[ickmick]

Inktober days 11-15!!

I PROMISE I DIDNT FORGET TO POST THIS, I HAD IT WRITTEN AND EVERYTHING BUT YET TUMBLR DIDNT POST IT??? So erm.... I scheduled it for 'today' at like... 2 pm i think? my time, that is... LOL (turned out the queue didnt work! so its 6pm!)

so anyways, I'll upload yet again on sunday (tomorrow!) since I also need to post on Halloween!! oh boy!! so theres my uploads for the rest of the month, if you want to check back :D

I've actually gotten further than I thought I would! very proud of myself! and you should be too, even if you've only done a few days!

heres week one and week twos posts!

this one actually has the doc drawing >:3c

plus some other fun ones! its all under the cut, enjoy!

heres the key as always, referring to my prompt lists!!

wh = welcome home

hc = hermitcraft (I have 2!)

ink = official inktober

gore = goretober

(actual gore will be triggerwarned! so far none has any blood or violence!)

Day 11

wh: butterfly

hc: mischief

ink: wander

life: lava

oh noooo... our local pesky bird!! he fellll... (attempted a new perspective!! a lil wonky but I tried lol)

and can I just say I LOVE how peaceful grian is in the last drawing? hes so pretty and soft looking!! i surprised myself!!

Day 12

life: soulmate

I got that major life series brainrot... if you cant tell, haha... and dont even get me started on secret life!! more on that in the final notes >:D

also I didnt finish bigb im sorry BFMSVSSB

Day 13

hc: fashion

life: safety

GRIAN IN CUTE CLOTHES !! feat mumbo in the corner to make up for the last few times of neglect rip

also, was low on spoons and unfortunately did not finish the potentially adorable moment between the buttercups in grians wings... smth... xD

Day 14

hc: hermit with a background

gore: parasite

ay more like parasyte, am I right? *ba dum tiss*... ... yeah ok sorry LOL that was def more of a meme drawing ngl

AND THE FABLED DOC DRAWING!!! I posted it on its own already because im unbelievably proud of it!! listen... i know it meant to draw a bg... like a forest or smth... BUT!! i thought it was kinda funny... and I swear i was going to actually di the prompt right! but I ran out of spoons XD

Day 15

ink: dagger

life: spyglass

gore: fungi

another low spoon day, alas! but hey, at least we have some AHAA shenanigans (simply grian giggling) and a not so scar safe object!! (a dagger!! who gave him that?? /silly)

whew, there we go!! i think this weeks set was pretty good! (not that I actually drew any THIS WEEK, but thats not the point XD)

also, thank you for all the love so far!! you guys are very sweet :D

Im especially blown away from this post of tango, because it was rushed!! but im appreciative still because the post is sort of funny!! <3

*vauge talk of first secret life episodes!!*

PLUGS OVER LISTEN.... SECRET LIFE? THE SYMBOL? JIMMY POINTING IT OUT? AHHHHH!?!? /VPOS

its so good already omg... ive watched quite a few of the povs lol... i wont say anything specfic because I havent properly spoiler warned! so I will leave you simply with the wise words 'the fanfic writes itself' /silly (and oh my god scar giving grian the dang blocks ACK /pos /pos /pos)

heres week fours, 5.1s and the last post (5.2)!!

okay!! have a good week!! and remember to be easier on yourself!! I hope to see you next sunday for the next week of drawings!! 💜

[frankthesnek]

❦ ➷ get to know your fellow fanfic writers better ༊ ✧.*

Tagged by @chaos-monkeyy thank you so much! This was a really fun one to think about for some of the questions.

When did you post your first ever fic? Oh gosh first ever? According to FFN October 15th, 2008 😵‍💫

First character you wrote for? So I started off as an anime kid.... not gonna be specific but YuGiOh GX.

Main characters you are currently writing for? Tony Stark and Steve Rogers mostly. I can not stop with these guys right now. Personally wise that are so fun, and physically 😳 they are both fucking banging.

Characters you haven't written about before but plan on writing about soon? I am really trying to psych myself up to write for TWD because I looooove Rickyl and have never done anything with them. Since I'm into MCU I have been thinking about Thorki a lot. I loooooved them when I was younger so I might try that. Also, tinkering with a couple YuGiOh fics for Violetshipping. (Basically.....I'm all over the fucking place and have gone crazy 😁)

Fandoms your currently writing for? MCU, ed edd n eddy (sorry folks that though it was weird was not a one off I'm writing more!!!)

Platonic pairings you currently write for? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 none. And there will probably never be any.

Romantic pairings you currently write for? I feel like I covered this in my previous answers lol Stony, Kevedd, Violetshipping (a little bit, early stages), Style (hopefully will have a couple with them done soon!)

Your top 3 tags on AO3 if you post there? First time, established relationship, getting together..... well that was underwhelming 😮‍💨

Current platform where you post your works? Just AO3! I had FFN way back when, but I will not be going back there and will probably never claim those old fics. Small dribbles are sometimes posted here but not often.

Snippet of the WIP you are currently working on? This will be my 100th fic on AO3 and I am in love with it and can't wait 😭

Or… had been. Picking up the shirt from the counter Steve held it up against his body and couldn't keep the sad little laugh in. It was massive compared to him now. Shaking his head he balled it up and threw it in the corner. Would Tony even want him now? It was the question he had been trying very hard to push away but it kept coming back. This had started with sex for the former playboy, would this sudden physical change derail everything they had built together? The mirror fogged over, going opaque and saving Steve from having to see the tremble of his lip as that fear washed over him. Stepping into the shower he let the heat soothe him and tried very hard not to dwell on those dark intrusive thoughts.

Tags for @dedkake @spurious @sparrowsarus @colonelshepparrrrd @hero-in-waiting

[laminy]

Hello again! I know we talked like… literally a day ago and I got very distracted with talking about another subject (sorry about that, that was on me).

I’ve reached chapter ten of ITSBASM!! (I know you probably don’t need an update report on my reading of your fanfic lol but let me compliment you please)

And I haven’t even read THAT far into the story but oh my word… you’re one of the most talented writers hands down. You’re so descriptive, you’re great at slow burn (and normally I really dislike slow burn because I can be impatient lol but your slow burn is amazing).

The fact that you did research for the story is really awesome (and definitely tricky to find accurate and/or helpful information. It can also be difficult to find the exact information you might need so kudos to you!)!

Here’s my rant about your series so far (sorry if I mess anything up or if my rant sounds choppy, I am writing this as my brain thinks at the speed of light)

(Sort of spoilers for those who don’t want spoilers)

I love Gwilym so much. I also love his friendship with Rami and jeez Joe is honestly such a mood at times lol. I’m so so so pleased with the dynamics and even though they aren’t the wholesome family we know and love yet, that’s alright.

I of course feel bad for East since he certainly wanted his crew to be able to adjust to their “new life” and how East made sure they’d all be alright before he sadly died. I do like how you had John feel remorse towards East and his death, even though his last interaction with East wasn’t very pleasant. It shows that John did respect East nonetheless.

I also wanted to compliment you on how amazing you were able to describe Gwilym’s emotions and feelings. I love how you implemented Joe telling Rami that no matter how much he wants to help Gwilym feel even a little bit better, it’s ultimately up to Gwilym to “get better” if you know what I mean.

And I also love how you have written Ben. He is definitely the youngest out of them and to have such tough responsibilities and jobs, you’ve created the perfect atmosphere and mood to show that Ben is wise and smart beyond his years and beyond what people assume of him just because of his age.

Gwilym and Rami’s friendship is written amazingly and I’m absolutely loving it! Joe and Ben’s friendship is also amazingly strong and I love that as well! I love all the moments with Gwilym and Rami and Ben and Joe, again I’m a sucker for special friendship dynamics!

Anyways I just wanted to tell you about how I feel with the series (I awkwardly don’t have an account yet on AO3 so I can’t reply on that… I’ll end up making an account someday but not this day lol).

But yeah again, I absolutely am loving your series and it’s probably going to be one of my absolute top favorites ever so yeah!

And by the way, if you don’t want me to continue to send you asks about your series, just let me know! I can be quite obnoxious at times lol. But yeah your series is amazing!

You can send me as many asks as you want, oh my gosh, I don't mind at all. If you don't want me to publish my responses or want me to just message you privately, please let me know! I don't want to post anything that you don't want people to see.

Chapter 10 is always where I thought, if this were a TV show, Chapter 10 would be the end of season one, with Gwil coming out of his room. So, that's a pretty good turning point in the story. There is still a lot more to come but that was a pretty big step for Gwil.

I loved writing all their friendships, as they grow and get closer, Gwil and Joe will have their little moments (bigger moments as things go on) and same with Ben and Rami. I enjoyed writing the romances and obviously I think a lot of people were on board with them, but I knew that just as many people, if not more, wanted a story about their friendship and as I was writing it, I just wanted them all to be a really happy group of four.

As for all the compliments, I will happily take them and tell you how much I appreciate them. I think I have other shorter stories, one shots, that I would rather read, but in terms of like, the world created, ITBASM is probably the best thing I've ever written. It's definitely the story that made me really feel like a writer, and it helped me through some dark times. So, I'm really happy you're enjoying it, thank you for letting me know :)

[epicyclical]

Dear Author Letter -yes it's done now! Sorry!

Dear Yuletide Author,

Happy Yuletide season! My favorite time of the fandom year :). I am always happy with any gift, so no pressure and feel free to ignore any prompts/suggestions!

Without further ado, my requests!

1) Rivers of London (up through Foxglove Summer)

I’m getting the other books for Christmas so I doubt I will have read them by Yuletide, so if you could avoid spoilers for anything past Foxglove Summer that would be very kind! But I couldn’t resist requesting RoL anyway, because I am SOMEWHAT OBSESSED. (Also I consume it as audiobooks so apologies for any misspelling!)

Soooo I love Thomas Nightingale an unhealthy amount. Stylish, self-possessed, an INSANE TANK-DESTROYING BADASS, with a dust-dry sense of humor and deeply buried trauma. What’s not to love? I also like Peter although DEAR GOD BOY keep it in your pants, for real. I love their relationship, how seriously Thomas takes his responsibility to Peter as his ‘master’, how exasperated Thomas is with Peter’s experiments (and tendency to only use his brain to make pop culture references).

Ship-wise: I love gen, I like Peter’s love interests (except the jazz vampire, I forget her name) but would prefer a story not focus on his relationships, I personally ship Thomas/Varvara secretly in my heart. I haven’t read any Thomas/Peter but am willing to be convinced!

Things I love: Thomas being a badass, other people talking about how much of a badass Thomas is, master-apprentice dynamics, protectiveness (going either way), Thomas’ adventures pre-RoL, Peter please stop telling people you’re a wizard I’m begging you, daily life in the Folly, Molly and Toby, cop talk

Things I DNW: the usual (rape/non-con, permanent major character death). Canon-typical violence and gore is fine.

2) Dracula

Yes I’m basic and obsessed with Re: Dracula (the podcast), sorry not sorry. I'm also Magnus Archives trash so I have imprinted on Jack Seward like a baby duck, but I love every single character!

So I read this when I was much younger and didn’t really engage with it on a Fannish level, so I’m absolutely delighted by all the tumblr discourse surrounding dracula daily and re: Dracula. Seeing fans talk about this book from 1897 the way they talk about Supernatural is just so weirdly charming to me, so really I don’t have any specific requests re: characters/plot/etc, but I would love to see some old-fashioned fanfic, if that makes sense. Shipping trash, h/c, crossovers, AUs, meta, songfic, bodyswap, genderswap, sex pollen, soulmate, etc -- everything you would ever see on a cliche bingo card. (I’m an Old Fangirl, sue me) What kind of fic would get written if this book had come out in 2005? Or 1995? (Honestly that goes for any of these requests, I love this stuff)

If that doesn’t float your boat, no worries! Things I would love: OT3/4/5/+, Jonathan and Mina OTP 5EVA, Jack/Abraham, Jack and Abe’s adventures when Jack was in school, the Suitors having adventures (esp pre-canon), Everyone is Poly except Dracula, Everyone Is Poly Including Dracula, what-ifs (Lucy vs Mina, Mina vs Jonathan, etc.), Victorian sensibilities, Victorian sensibilities being absolutely wrecked, train travel, boat travel, horse travel, gothic atmosphere

No DNWs for this -- if you want to lean in to the Darker Elements, go for it.

3) Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

I've been playing DnD for *mumble* years and this movie was the first that really captured how it FEELS to play Dnd. It's not the lore, gods and kingdoms, it's the party of different classes trying to accomplish a small scale task chaotically. I love that you can tell in the movie when they fail a skill check. (Though I am still sad that we didn't get any real Bardic magic from Ed. I love a good bard singing during fights!)

So meta is highly encouraged! Anything acknowledging that it's a game, the rules of the world, etc. would be delightful! Showme the players if you dare haha

I also really enjoy pretty much all the characters from the party, I am a total sucker for Found Family in all its forms! I also adore: Ed and Xenk's ridiculous dynamic, Ed and Holga's platonic bro-hood, Holga as Kira's warrior surrogate mom, Forge and his scheming, Simon's awkward crush on Doric, Jarnathan and the poor patrol board -- basically everyone lol. I adore backstory -- all the stuff that gets referred to in the opening montage, how everyone met, various previous adventures. Or future adventures! Where to next?

Just let me hang out with these doofuses some more haha.

Shipwise I ship Ed/Xenk but am happy with gen, please no Ed/Holga (their platonic-ness is too precious), I think anything else is fair game. DNW: rape/noncon, character death. DND-typical violence/gore are fine (and somewhat encouraged haha)

[normspellsman]

Hi! I would like to ask these please: 🙋‍♀️, 💞,⏳ 🦅. Sorry, just really curious abt you and I love your writing!

hi love!!! no need to apologize!! i love answering your guys questions & interacting with you all <3

🙋‍♀️ — Do any irl people know you write fanfic?

like one or two people do. a really close friend of mine knows & he does write as well. he’s on wattpad & not tumblr, from the last time we talked. the other person i’m 50/50 on bc she knows that i read it but idk if she knows that i write it lol

my parents also know but idk if they know that i still write it since it’s been a while. i think they thought it was a phase or something but i’m not too sure.

💞 — Who’s your comfort character?

i have quite a few but for avatar, it would have to be neteyam. i feel like i can relate a lot more to neteyam than to any other characters in the franchise. it may be because we’re both the eldest in the family & considered the ‘golden child’ of the family or that he has all this weight put onto his shoulders & can’t do anything about it. but i’m just drawn more to him than anyone else. he makes me feel seen in a sense. like through his story, mines (& any other eldest child) is also seen. if that makes sense lol

⌛️ — How long does it take you to write a fic or a chapter?

it all honestly depends on what i have in mind & if i’m busy or not.

like for “tidal wave”, it took me a little over a month to actually write & finish the thing due to what i had in mind & what i had going on in my life. it’s my longest fic that i’ve ever written so it took me some time in getting it out.

the shortest fic i’ve written & published would be “this time, let me take care of you”. i wrote that bad boy within a single day & published it the same day i wrote it lol. it’s also only 1k words, which i think is one of my shortest fics (word count wise). idk if that’s sad or i should be proud lol

🦅 — Do you outline fics or fly by the seat of your pants?

both lmao

sometimes i have a clear vision of what i want & quickly jot it down on a new document & then i think it over for the next couple of days. other times i need to plan it all out so i’ll outline the fic just to make it easier, especially if i’m in a writing stump & am struggling w/ coming up w/ complete ideas.

for some of the fics that i have written, i completely just flew by the seat of my pants & just wrote what came to mind. it all really just depends.

thank you so much for asking anon!! i’m glad you enjoy my writing!! love you mwahhh 🫶🏼🤍💋

[justhannigramfics]

Hi I was wondering, on your ao3 profile, you made it seem like you had just made it to read but found yourself inspired to start writing them as well. I've noticed that you have tons of WIPs that you frequently update, and I was wondering if you had any tips on planning and writing longfics. Im so amazed you're able to keep the plot organized for so many working pieces and would love to hear your advice on planning your plots. I find myself in the very same situation as you were, where I still love reading fanfic and now I find myself wanting to write fanfic for hannibal too but I've never written anything before. Thank you!

Hi! I hope you’re ready for a bit of a long response. I tend to ramble a bit. Hopefully you don’t mind.

Yes, that’s what happened. I hadn’t planned to write any fanfiction for the Hannibal fandom, but I wanted to read. I had written for other fandoms on fanfiction.net (fandom elder just about) but they hadn’t been for media as mature and complex as Hannibal. I found the idea intimidating, to say the least. After reading a good amount of fics, I had an idea I wasn’t satisfied to put into the world and hope someone else would pick up.

So I started writing.

I’m not sure how helpful I will be in the facet of giving advice. Perhaps you’ll understand why after I’ve rambled a bit more. I understand many authors write in a very different way than I do, at least method-wise.

The truth is that I almost never plan anything beforehand. The only time I remember planning a fic at all before I started writing is for my Fit for the Gods series, because I wanted continuity through all three stories. I usually just start writing, and see where it goes from there. I couldn’t even tell you what is going to happen in the next chapter of my fic unless I’ve already written it. I might have a vague idea, but that’s if I’ve been thinking about it more than the others.

As for keeping them organized, I am similarly unhelpful. I just remember what each fic is like. If it’s been a while since I worked on an idea, I’ll read some to refresh the story in my mind, but for the most part I just remember. It’s like having a bunch of cassettes (really making myself sound old here) and whenever I write, that’s the cassette playing. When I’m not working on them, the ideas go back on the shelf, and they keep their place for as long as it takes me to get back to it.

I’m sorry I’m not helpful for that. I almost feel like saying it is bragging, but I’m genuinely disappointed I can’t give advice to people who ask.

The best advice I can offer is to just start writing. Try different things until you find what works for you. I have a friend who plans out every detail of their fic before they so much as begin writing. They enjoy the process if planning more than the actual writing, which bewilders me whenever I think of it. Everyone writes differently, and the only way to find out how you do it is to do it.

I hope you will start writing, and that I’ll get to read your story. Any idea you have is worth sharing.

[sohin-ace]

Retirement Note

Hello my gangsters.

I hope you are doing wonderful and healthy in this early 2022.

As you may have noticed, I hardly have been active on any of my accounts lately.

I've written this message over 5 times and have been trying to avoid it for 2 months, like a coward.

I wanted to keep this short, yet, my best friends have advised me to explain and tell you the truth of all that happened, and I agree, you deserve to know.

Due to a serie unfortunate events, I am pushed to terminate my career as a fanfic writer.

There are exactly three reasons for that, but one in particular was the catalyst.

1 . You may certainly not know, but my health has been deteriorating for the past year, and even more so since Summer 2021.

I developped chronic migraines, sensory overload and my immune system is getting weaker and weaker. I get sickly like never before, so writing, among other activities, for long hours have been more straining than ever, especially for my eyes.

I could push through though.

2. I've been getting more and more responsibilities as the years went by. I'm not 18 anymore, writing out that first Bakugo fanfic sitting bored in college, before dropping out without remorse, not caring what would become of me.

I'm 22 now, have many people that all are very dependant of me.

You may joke that I'm a 'mom friend', but there's always a part of truth in a joke.

They would be lost without me.

I also have a life-long project that takes a lot out of me, and as much as I love writing for you beautiful gangsters, I have to choose the empire I'm building for myself and, once it's done, I'd be more than happy to show you what I've accomplished, if any of you are still here when that time comes.

Then why am I retiring so soon? Time and health can be balanced easily right...?

3. What is pushing me to stop is that, on the 1st of January precisely, technology has eventually failed me, and my phone died.

Pretty mundane, it happens to the best of us. But none of my data was able to be recovered. Nothing. Not a spec.

And that includes all two years worth of fanfictions, drafts, requests, ideas that I had ready for you. It's a miracle I even got my accounts back to recount this.

I know, it's really underwhelming of a reason, but for all the time and effort I've spent, I can not imagine redoing all of that work all over again. Especially with the two factors I've mentionned earlier. I don't have that luxury anymore, neither the time, or the strength. It's over for me.

I was planning on retiring sometimes this year actually. I was planning on finishing up my current written fics, post them all and close the requests so I could retire in peace.

I'm not in the right place to dedicate my life to writing anymore, be it health-wise, or priority-wise.

I wished I could have continued a few more years in fact, I had it all planned out, but alas, things happen in life that are out of our control, and all we can do is move on.

However I don't wish to mourn over the epitaph of my own grave, I still do want to spread positivity in my gang ✧

Something tells me this was just a sign. Whether you believe in signs and fate or not, I sure do. And I guess fate forced himself onto me to let me know what I had to focus on and what I had to leave behind.

All is good, my gangsters. Please don't worry your little faces about me. Everything will be okay.

The future is bright for all of us. As they say, "Don't be sad because it's over, be happy because it happened."

I love you. I truly do. And I spent amazing hours writing for you, reading all your hilarious comments, your sweet messages and reactions. If anything, I'll miss these the most. I'll miss you the most.

I'm sorry for those who are disappointed. I am as well.

I apologize for all the unkept promises.

I thank all of you for the endless love and support. You have been only sweet to me and this decision was not taken lightly, or without guilt.

Your presence have given me something I never had the privilege to experience, and that is Love. The wave of warmth in my heart, the butterflies in my stomach, the electricity down my spine. All of the things I write in my fics, it's all you.

I want to give a special thank you to:

@cocojumbohno , for using your notoriety to give me visibility. If it wasn't for you, I would have never been seen on this plaftorm.

@gio-is-writing , for being a friend.

And of course, Thanks to you, reading this. Take amazing care. Drink water, get some sleep, prioritize health and mental health.

I hope my stories brought a little sliver of peace in your day.

You will always be my gangsters and this gang will always be open for you.

I love you. I love each and every single one of you.

I will stay for a bit to answer some of your messages. And on that...

I take off with a smile, so please send me off with one too.

Thank you, and goodbye 💙

※ Sohin Ace ※

[captainaikus]

im so sorry you have to go through that as a writer 😭 i personally find it unfair and stupid?? i feel like things are never completely original and always Inspired off of something one way or another even if it’s unintentionally and small. out of all the fan fictions out there and plots and aus and suddenly when someone picks a popular au and theme it’s copying someone who used the same? i personally never read whatever this is about so maybe im misunderstanding something but fully trust that you make your own work. i really hope you dont listen to any of the hate you get because it’s just not true 😭 youve made other great fics and are a good writer. people need to just chilll, its not the end of the world (swear some might act like it because they have nothing better to do). people want to stick up for a writer they like and so will i but please use your brain sometimes gah damn. theres probably a similar fic out there but with a different anime 😭 copy is such a silly word in the writing field. unless its word for word or the resemblance is actually really noticeable that it’s a replica then yeah sure— but similarities in a popular trope? 💀

Exactly my point! fanfiction is never purely original- its basically things that we experience, fantasize and think about that are strewn together for characters that are/ were never originally ours to begin with (and it makes me think if we can be technically sued for defamy or not- but then again these platforms are famous for it)

To begin with, i write my fics according to the character's personality. After making breaking rules and showing how Sae can be, its only time that i write a bullying fic about it. And its not like this troupe was created yesterday, its been present since fanfiction came. There are so many troupes like fwb, bully x nerd, villain x hero, mafia! au, smau, royalty au, forbidden! love etc. and there are so many fanfics that have been written along these troupes that they tend to coincide or even match - dialogue wise or even plot line. now if i pick up the troupe bully! x nerd! there are so many different routes to it like :

Nerd being the bully's tutor ,Nerd being the bully's lab partner - either for chemistry or biology, Nerd being the bully's childhood friend etc. depends on which one you pick and in this case i decided to go with the second one. Picking up with what anon said abt me taking an ask and outright accusing me of seeing it and using it- since i follow other blogs, if anyone knows me here (and i say this not from a place of arrogance)- i am a very closed off person and literally don't interact with other blogs, neither do i tag them or vice versa nor go into their ask boxes - the last time i dropped in a suggestion for a fic i was planning to write in a fellow fandom writer's box - which was a street racer! fic for one of the characters i wanted to write for (after watching tokyo drift) , it literally turned up the next day in the 'x reader' from a famous author with the excuse of anons asking them for a street racer fic of the same character i wanted to write for. And i felt really bad and hurt cause someone took it with it going over 2k notes in a week when i was just a small time writer - but i didn't say anything neither did i want to jump to conclusions so i shook it off. and even now i see people paraphrasing my work or twisting the plotline so that it looks like the work wasn't originally mine and after talking it through with a friend who pointed it out; erotica and romance are not unique genres and there tends to be an overlap between the two, so i can't call a person out like that. and this is not even literally published work.

Even tumblr has their own writing prompts along with many other blogs that create them for writers to use - would they fight over the same dialogue that fits the plot line that they saw would fit which matches with each other?

And yes, i do create my own works. i'm open to suggestions sure- but i produce my own content. i followed writing prompts for a while but wasn't really interested in and started thinking of my own dialogues along with plots. For eg, i started working on an emperor! sae fic earlier in april this year, but since i wanted to be of a good quality, i went down to the point of studying about imperialism in japan in more detail - but the fic is still a doc and not out yet and i am pretty sure there is someone out there who is working on something similar or maybe the same thing or discussing about it unlike me cause i had one too many ideas taken from my blog - again benefit of doubt cause some minds can think alike.

So when anon decided to come at me, i wasn't happy about it- esp when i have gone through the same thing and when they don't even know me or the kind of person i am nor interact with my posts. and it was only one - i can tell cause the way they were waiting for me to answer their ask. Luckily, Zari stepped in and ended the discourse early cause from my time on tumblr for 4 years i've seen how bad it can get along with how far anons can take it.

And even after Zari and i settled the matter, this anon wouldn't let go of it- coming into my box and pinpointing out even the smallest of the detail despite the writers (who are supposed to write the content) settling the issue. To begin with, they don't even know me and even had the cheek to tell me about my online activities despite not knowing me (that too from behind anonymous); i literally don't owe them or anyone a justification for the content i write or post especially someone who wouldn't even show me who they are. And i totally agree with you. Standing up for a writer you like is good thing, but use some common sense before you decide to accuse someone or think through twice before you write something about someone you don't even know cause it could cause damage to a reputation they have built online - while you are on anonymous. cyberbullying and harassment are real issues and they can hurt people (luckily it didn't get to that point) and why would i even copy an idea? i would literally have more to lose than to gain with backlash; does it really look like i would want to put myself through that? sadly some people lack that sense of logic.

Anyway, this was just a small bump along the route. i'm keeping the fic on the blog cause some people liked it, but i probably won't revisit it- and i'm moving onto writing for more characters based on wips i created a while back but are unfinished. And i'm glad to see you enjoy my works, it means a lot to me when someone drops in messages like these!

૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა♡

[incoherentbabblings]

Hi!

I love your content, your love for TimSteph, and I was actually going to ask what you love so much about them. I, for extra credit for English, decided to write an analysis of Stephanie (and why I love her so much), but I just got into comics, and cannot really put my feelings for her in words ... which is odd, considering how much I love her and writing. Also, I was going to do a section on why TimSteph is narrative genius, and I needed help elaborating on that too.

Could you help me out, please? Thanks!

(I feel the need to mention that I have read quite a lot of comics with Stephanie in them, though not all. I'm not much of a comic book fan, but I'm really interested in the Batfamily!)

I'll be very happy to write out bullet points that you could talk about, and feel free to go through my ask and I'll babble/TimSteph meta tags for anything that you think may be worth discussing in your own words - there's like four or so years of stuff there to spark your brain.

HOWEVER!!!! Keep in mind though that much of what I have written is half based on textual evidence and half me just writing what I like/wish would crop up in canon.

For example, yes I like to draw comparisons between Tim being cold and Steph being warm, moon and sun and so on, but there's genuinely nothing in text to hint as this being an actual character trait or symbolism. If anything Tim's stated to be warm several times, more than Steph.

So, and I am sorry to be so blunt, but if I take your request in bad faith for a moment, don't use either directly or indirectly what I've written for your work. Especially without actually going and reading the arcs I talk about. A lot of the time it doesn't hold up under genuine textual scrutiny, and we want to be good academics here! There's Death of the Author and then there's me making crap up because I want to include it in a fanfic. Not the same thing! My blog is called IncoherentBabblings for a reason after all!

I will therefore say this: If you want to write about Steph as a character, I would use the below video as a point of reference. Using the below, you can then go into why she resonates with you the way she does, or why her relationship with Tim is so interesting to you.

If I were you: focus on her dynamic character development: cynical to idealistic. And use three points in her publication history to do this: her introduction in Detective Comics, War Games, and Batgirl. I am sorry to recommend War Games as something to read but it is important to her character. Use the Stephanie Brown Wiki to help!

That lends itself to a biography of her character, a look at her motivations and values, her role within the batfam, and so on. You can also use this to make comparisons with her peers, specifically Tim moving in the exact opposite direction development wise; Babs and Cass in their approaches to Batgirl; and the other Robins through her similar character progression as Dick, which in turn allows her to be a good mentor to Damian, and finally how her character arc runs perpendicular to Jason's. Does that make sense?

Anyway, let's get going! If I were to write an academic piece on Stephanie, these are the main points I would work through. In other words, this is what I would do. You probably will not need nor want to go into this level of depth, and you will want to make it much more personal about why she resonates with you, which may be different to why I love her. So don't worry about touching base with all of them. This is like... 10,000 word essay level stuff. And don't get overwhelmed. I've taken your request far too seriously is all.

Again, I can't write it for you! You gotta do the reading and writing I'm afraid.

...But I still wrote 1,500 words anyway. Gosh darnnit.

Steph’s Character Development

Always keep three points in her character history in mind – her aged 14/15 in her introductory arc in Detective Comics, her aged 16 in War Games, and her aged 18/19 in her Batgirl run.

How does she change? How does she grow as a character? What events caused these changes? Compare that angry 14-year-old trying to choke her father, to the 19-year-old crying happily on the roof. A lot happened between those two points! Outline the main plot beats.

Steph's Role as a Batfam Character:

Protagonist or Antagonist: Supporting Protagonist

Static or Dynamic: Dynamic (think of her character development - angry to alturistic; she softens in her life outlook and in the way she treats others as the years go by)

Minor or Major: Minor and we all mourn that fact :(

Foil or Symbolic: A foil to Tim Drake (and to a lesser extent the other Robins, specifically Jason Todd)

Importance of the character/Position in Society: Fourth Robin, third Batgirl, own superhero. Tim's girlfriend, Cassandra's best friend, one of many of Bruce's 'children'. Initially introduced just as a one-off character for a small arc in Detective Comics, brought back with the intention of being a supporting character to Tim Drake, and eventual love interest. Eventually gained enough popularity on her own terms to support her own solo comic, but has since returned to a supporting role. The character she supports, at the end of the day, is Bruce Wayne.

Motivation

What influences their decisions?: Stephanie's dynamic characterisation comes in here. Compare her motivations during her introductory arc, versus why she does what she does in War Games, versus why she dresses up at Batgirl - Stopping her father, getting Batman's approval, need for redemption.

What do they value?: Values emotional openness, vulnerability, second/third/fourth chances.

Goals/Hopes/Dreams: No long term goals/hopes/dreams in the domestic sense... Continue to be vigilante. Be respected by her peers. Continue to improve self worth through deeds. Graduate college?

What are their views: Views the justice system and police as corrupt, but still trusts in the inherent goodness of people. Focus is usually on the individual, rather than societal or structural.

Actions

Behaviour, Attitudes, Impact on Story and other Characters, Internal Struggle (Wants versus Needs): This is why I think you are best to look at three points in her story - Intro Arc, War Games, Batgirl. Focus on her Wants versus Needs - Steph's take a very long time to align, but they finally do in Batgirl.

Character development is usually driven by the conflict between what a character wants. The plot forces them normally to confront the fact that what they want is not gonna work out, and what they needed instead takes priority.

Everything usually goes tits up for Steph when she is in the driver's seat of the narrative because what she wants from a situation is rarely what she actually needs to happen. See every time she seeks Bruce's approval. She wants it. She absolutely does not need it. And only as Batgirl do we get that acknowledgement, which coincides with her being at the healthiest point in her life emotionally. Look at what she wants as Spoiler during her introductory arc, as Robin/Spoiler during War Games, and then as Batgirl. Why is she so unhappy in the former two? Why have her wants finally aligned with her needs with her time as Batgirl?

Character Traits

Personality: Cynical but perky. Sardonic but sincere. Think about how she changes over the time. This can be attributed to her different writers, but - for example - is there a universe reason for why Batgirl Stephanie is so much more socially awkward than Spoiler Stephanie?

Strengths & Weaknesses: Link these two together because Steph is a very good example where her strengths as a character can simultaneously be a weakness. Her determination can lead to her making ill conceived decisions. Her empathy can lead to her putting her trust in the wrong people. Her forgiving nature can lead to her being taken advantage of. Her temper, whilst landing her in hot water, can also just as often get her out of it.

Relationships

How do they interact with others: Focus on which characters pop up in all three arcs – Steph and her parents; Steph and Bruce; Steph and Tim. I am chucking Cass out the window here, sorry Cass, but if you’re focusing on these three arcs, Cass doesn’t really fit in.

How others view them: Conditional love/affection from her father and Bruce. Unconditional love/affection from Tim and her mother (though both are not without serious pitfalls).

How they view others: Stephanie has explicitly never loved her father. She has also never explicitly hated him either. What does that say about her? Look at her changing closeness with her mother. What changed between them, and again, what does that say about Stephanie? Crystal got sober, supported Stephanie through her pregnancy, Arthur was removed from their lives, Stephanie makes a conscious effort to be closer to her after returning ‘from the dead’, though continues to lie consistently to her. Stephanie admires Bruce, whilst also right from the get go insisting she does not answer to him. She never quite lets go of wanting that approval.

How does society view them: Her outsider role within the Batfam. She never quite belongs, and at points her closest relationships are actively discouraged from seeing her. Which Tim specifically never entertains. This outsider nature bites literally everyone in the butt during War Games. Her outsider status is still in place by the time Batgirl concludes, due to its largely self-contained nature as a book, but this is less being an outsider more having earned to right to operate independently. Trust has been given and earned.

Dialogue

What does she say and how: A teenage girl in New Jersey from a working class background has a very distinct voice. She does not mince words, nor does she hide what she is feeling. If she is happy, she will say so. If she is annoyed, she will say so. What she won’t do is ask for help when she needs it, due to her background formulating a need for her ‘to do things on her own’.

Think of famous/important Steph quotes from the three arcs I keep talking about – the excuse me if I don’t jump when you bark, the I really was part of the legend, the only variable you can control is yourself. These show how Steph views others and herself.

When I was writing I Would Have Loved You, I literally made a spreadsheet where I have picked out what I think are pertinent quotes from every New 52 issue featuring Tim or Steph along with a synopsis that explained what they were up to/what the main theme of the issue was. Not saying you should do the same because I’m just that goddamn anal when it comes to this sort of stuff, but the point is – look for quotes by/about Steph which highlight the above things we’ve talked about. You have thirty years to go through!

Author Intention

What purpose does this character serve?: A character that young female readers could get attached to – the every girl/girl next door archetype or a character that young boys could have a crush on – the kind of girl who’s into the same sort of stuff as you, I think Chuck Dixon once said of her, from her initial appearance. Fodder for Bruce and Tim’s man pain in War Games. Batgirl it’s a combination of filling the void for a female lead solo character in the batbooks, but also tonally taking on a much lighter and self-contained book that new readers could jump into very easily, directly compared to the more lore heavy Batman, Detective Comics, and Red Robin books.

What is the author trying to communicate: Steph’s character shows that determination can only get a person so far, a support system and doing things for the right reasons (again remember that want versus need argument) is the only way a person will genuinely succeed.

What is her main theme?: Balancing cynicism and idealism – doing acts for the right reasons, and discovering what these reasons actually are.

...

Is this even usable for anyone but myself? Possibly not!

Still... Go write! And good luck!