#i think i've read every fic on AO3 that had Amos in it

[greenerteacups]

Hi!

First I wanted to tell you how much I love Lionheart and how thankful I am that you are writing and sharing it with us. You really make my fridays better. Fiction has been such a refuge for me all my life, and it one of the things that brings me utter joy. Lionheart is that place of joy for me every friday and for that I don't have words to say gracias (spanish is my first language). I am leaving comments in AO3 every chapter, so I won't repeat myself. I just wanted to ask some thing that has been in my mind and see if you could share a light.

I've been reading Lionheart for the past 4 month, so maybe I forgot but has been say yet what role did Bellatix played in Lucius death? Your Narcissa is one of my favorite takes on her in all dramione and I've been wondering about her relationship with Bella. And with Andromeda. With her being a double agent like Snape I am DYING to see if we will have interactions with her and Sirius in the next book. Anything you can tell me about this would be much appreciated.

Also, I would pay money to read the interaction with Draco and Hermione from the last chapter in her POV.  When Draco tells her “That will be enough,” what was she feeling/thinking? I read it in two ways. In one hand -I heard Lucius so clearly- which is a feat in itself, because he has not appeared in the fic as a live character. That line is something that someone that had power and expects to be obeyed says. And it made Narcissa stop. On the other hand, I read it like her being aware of how much Draco has changed in the year that she hasn't been around him.  She now knows Hermione has an influence that she, as a mother away from his son for the better part of a year, can't compete with. Is that? Is she thinking something else?

I found so incredible the work you have done with how Lucius has influenced Draco with his absence. Mi nono (grandfather) died when my father was 10 years old, so I know all about then influence that mythical father figure can take in a young boy's mind and development. It's especially great with Draco. Did you planned that from the beginning? Is it something you wanted to explore? Thank you for your time!

Carla

Gracias! Me halaga mucho que leíste más de 500.000 palabras en una segunda lengua. Hay un nivel de fluidez que solo puedo enviar en mi propio estudio de Español — puedo leer algas obras cortas, pero no tengo la resistencia de perseverar por tanto tiempo! Algún día me gustaría leer y escribir con la suficiente fluidez para hacer una traducción al español de Lionheart, pero eso está en el futuro.

As for the questions:

(1) Bellatrix's role in Lucius's death: Okay, totally understandable that this gets lost in the shuffle, because it comes up in Book 1 and there has been a lot of stuff since. Bellatrix kills Lucius in 1988, when Draco is 8, before she is caught and taken to Azkaban. Draco doesn't have most of the details there, because he was too young at the time-of and neither he nor his mother have been eager to discuss it since, but the implication from Book 1 is that it was related to Lucius finking after the war. It's noted by Draco and Dumbledore (Book 1, Chapter 9) that Lucius testified to the Wizengamot about his Death Eater activities and gave names in exchange for a shortened Azkaban sentence (five years) and a pardon for his wife. Draco doesn't know what those names are, but he does know that the Lestranges were responsible for his father's subsequent death, and it's why his mother has never brought up Bellatrix or tried to visit her in prison. This is also the LH-canon reason that Bellatrix and Rodolphus were caught — the Ministry opened an investigation into them after Lucius's death, leading to their ultimate capture a few months later (Book 1, Chapter 1, see Narcissa's line about "the aurors are doing all they can"; see also, Book 4, Chapter 48, "The Misfortune of Amos Diggory," where Mad-Eye references the manhunt and Draco names the exact date the Lestranges were captured, which he remembers, ostensibly, because he and his mother would have been among the first people told).

(2) Future Black family interactions: I can't tell!! All I can say is that Order of the Phoenix is the book that spends the most time with members of the Black family, and I intend to honor that.

(3) What Narcissa is thinking in the last chapter: I can't answer that — I leave that up to you as a reader to interpret!

(4) Planning from the beginning: Fatherhood, and parenthood in general, is one of if not the prevailing theme in the Harry Potter series. A work about an orphan almost inevitably ends up being about family, and how different families shape us, and when I was sketching out the plot, it occurred to me how much Draco was shaped by the shadow of Lucius in canon; I didn't want to get rid of that trait, because it's deeply tied to his character, but I also wanted to play with it. So I decided to make it a different kind of shadow. Without actually being there for most of Draco's childhood, Lucius transforms from a powerful but mortal human being into a mythic figure, a titanic predecessor that everyone goes to great pains to remind Draco he must embody and live up to from a very young age. That's why the prologue is sort of a thematic shot-across-the-bow: it establishes what drives Draco, where his grief comes from, and also how it's warped his character slightly even by the time we meet him that first year on the Hogwarts Express.

It also happens to highlight his relationship with Narcissa, which I haven't seen explored as often as his relationship with Lucius is — I've often seen fics either treat Lucius/Narcissa as a thematic unit (Disapproving Parental Figures, a classic) or focus on disapproval coming from Lucius, while Narcissa gets to be the soft/nurturing/reformist pureblood who's willing to compromise. Which is a fair interpretation based on limited source material — but also, she's a Black. Of the same generation as Andromeda and Sirius, both of whom she has shunned for her adult life. Her relationship to blood status and privilege and power is far, far more interesting/rich than her husband's, and her canon backstory involves quite a few more (admittedly, implicit) personal choices than Lucius's does. Narcissa gets more texture than Lucius ever does. I think killing Lucius allowed that texture to come to the fore in ways it couldn't if he were still alive and acting head of the family.

[verecunda]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged by @firebatvillain... er... a few weeks ago, I think. Thank you! Sorry it took me so long.

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

136.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

396,444.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Oh, God. Loads, too many to list. Tolkien is currently at the top of the list, and I'm also deep in the extended Jacobite Literary Universe. :D Generally, my fandoms tend to have some sort of historical and/or fantasy setting.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Amo, Amas, Amat (NATM, Jedediah/Octavius) Slightly Scandalous (NATM, Jedediah/Octavius) Kindred Spirits (Ghosts, Captain/Thomas) Reality Bites (NATM, Jedediah/Octavius) Poetry Slam (NATM, Jedediah/Octavius)

My NATM fics are still my most popular ones by a country mile. I still get almost daily kudos on all of them, which is somewhat bamboozling, given that they're pretty old, very short, and there's been a lot more NATM fic written since then. But it is nice that folks are still finding them and reading them. :D

Then there's that random Ghosts one in there, too!

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

Yeah, almost always. I like to let readers know I appreciate their feedback, and it's fun to flail about our favourite characters and ships. Though right now, I have to admit that I have a bit of a backlog of comments that I need to respond to. But I'll get there. :S

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

I've written a few, but possibly Nunc Dimittis, which is about Morgoth sending Sauron away at the final fall of Angband. It ends with Sauron feeling the moment that Melkor is taken captive, then later, when he's cast into the Void, and realising he's now truly alone. That fic was entirely Dark Lord angst. :P

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

Oof, a fairly tough one. I'm quite big on giving my ships happy endings, wherever possible. But I'll go with A Few Good Years to Spend, because that whole fic was an exercise in giving Andreth and Aegnor a happy ending. But I very much liked the final scene, with Andreth growing old and Aegnor as totally, utterly besotted with her as ever. It also had them all surrounded by the various kids of the House of Bëor, and Aegnor being the confirmed favourite, and the image was cute. :3

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not really. I did get one really weird comment on a fic, which was basically a diatribe against the POV character. But it had nothing to do with the actual fic, it was about the character in the canon, and it seemed like it was part of some larger screed had just been c+p'd from some other site. Very strange.

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

Yeah, every so often. I wish I wrote more tbh, because I'm a pervy wee hobgoblin. I've never even written an f/f scene or a proper threesome. So far, all my smut has been fairly tame, but I'd like to try my hand at some more kinky stuff at some point. ;)

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

Yeah, when inspiration strikes. I don't know about the craziest, but I think the daftest must definitely be And Long Would Mandos Hold Him, where Death from Horrible Histories meets Saeros from The Children of Húrin and is, naturally, delighted. That one was a riot to write. XD

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge, but fuck, who knows. The internet is huge.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

A few times, into Chinese and Russian.

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

Not really, not if you mean both of us writing. I think the closest I've come so far was when I collaborated with peasina for last year's Pod_Together, which involves teaming up to create both a written fic and a podfic version of the same. It was a really fun experience, coming up with ideas for a story together, and interesting, because it's the first time I've ever written a story specifically intended to be read aloud, so it was something to keep in mind all the time I was writing. The end result was A (Confirmed) Knight Bachelor: written version here and pod version here. I really enjoyed doing this one! :D

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

God, I don't know. I have no idea how to gauge that.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

ahahahaha... oh God, right now, it feels like all of them. XD

But really... sadly, probably the Legolas/Gimli post-LOTR fic I started. Honestly, I think the fact it was looking to end up as a multi-chapter affair kind of scared me from the get-go. Then I wrote myself into a knot trying to work out Legolas and Thranduil's dynamic immediately after the War of the Ring. No doubt it's the sort of thing that could be easily worked out with a bit of tinkering, but I got discouraged and ended up shoving the whole fic on the back-burner, where it's like to stay. :[

(Of course, talking about it inevitably makes me want to open it up and have another crack at it. But realistically, I don't think I'll ever finish it.)

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think I do character voices pretty well, and in book fandoms, I think I can usually pull off a decent pastiche of the style. And on a good day, I think I can do good descriptive prose.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Fucking plots, how do they work??? On a bad day, I think my prose is overdone and pedantic: too fussy.

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

It can definitely add something - authenticity, atmosphere - but should also be used with caution. Writing is all about communication, after all, and if you start writing whole screeds of conversation in a language that you're not guaranteed your target audience will understand, you're not serving the story, just trying to show off. Economy is the key, I think. I also usually include a translation, either as an endnote, or as a hover-over caption.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

lol technically, I think it must be historical RPF. I used to write wee stories about the historical peeps I was obsessed with at the time.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

Oh, how the hell is anyone meant to answer a question like that.

Tagging, with no obligation: @nocompromise-noregrets, @cilil, @bryndeavour, @chiropteracupola, @regshoe, @sanguinarysanguinity, @technicallycleverdetective, @swanmaids, @cycas, and @di-daydreamer.

[elirandom]

My brain keeps spinning on 4x09 - 4x10. Like when everyone's back on Rocinante including Murtry. And Holden has asked (that look demanded a promise) Amos not to kill Murtry previously.

"Oh and Amos, don't kill him while I'm gone."

Amos face is so frustrated that Holden asks this of him. "He has it coming".

And Holden's face softens in that honest way he has of asking people difficult things "I know but it's important to me. [read do this for me, I need this from you] Promise."

And Amos dunks his head back like he can't believe he's doing this but he's gonna, and then looks at Holden like do you know what you're asking of me? But yes, I promise I won't do it. And it's all in a look & it's there between them, wordless trust. And Holden nods, complete faith in Amos.

And then Amos just looks at Murtry who sighs like he'd been tense the whole time over these homicidal assholes who's ruined his day. But at least the one who shot Wei won't kill him for now.

And then back at the ship, where Amos had his hands healed and Alex comments on his hand looking good. And Amos being Amos wiggles his regrown fingers, " I'm gonna test it out right now" & heads for Murtry's cell/room. Because he promised Holden he wouldn't kill him, & there's a lot of leeway in that promise.

Still he waits til Murtry throws the first punch, & then he opens the floodgates with a thank you. Like Murtry made this so much easier for him, his mind is such a mess right now after what what Murtry made him do. Because he put Wei between them, she was just a chess piece on Murtry's board he could sacrifice. And Amos held to his principles, he stood by his team, protected his captain, yet had to kill this woman he liked for it. And if her head hadn't been so full of Murtry's bullshit & lies about money & dreams about climbing out of the mud & on top the pile maybe she would have listened to Amos.

And in my head Holden knows exactly where Amos had been when he comes into the galley still wiping his hands on a towel. But he hadn't interfered because he'd left his trust in Amos hands.

"Did you leave him alive?"

"I promised I would didn't I?"

"Coffee?" And that would be it between them, even if it feels like something so big of a building block has been set between them. This steady rock underneath their feet, the captain & his second.

[mychemicalficrecs]

Do you have any frikey recs that aren't on o3? Because I think I've read all the good fics there . Please I'll be grateful forever, I'm so bored

Hi Nonny!

So I had a fun afternoon today that I spent fic hunting :'D I found a couple of things, but honestly it's a little all over the place. Some of it I found on rec lists, some by googling and following promising links, some of it spontaneously manifested in this post, I think. I hope you find something you like!

Non-AO3 Frank/Mikey

Days of Promise by agalinis, Frank/Mikey, Bob/Frank/Mikey, ~52k, PG-13. Way Ranch is the largest outfit in a very small town. After Mr. and Mrs. Way die within a month of each other, operation of the ranch and the family falls on the shoulders of Mikey, his foster brother Frank, and their trusted ranch hand Bob. But when Gerard comes home--scarred by war and dealing with his own demons--the easy rhythm they've been trying to find their way back to is thrown off beat. While Bob tries to keep the business running with only himself, Spencer, and Amos, an old hand who would rather be Gerard's drinking buddy than work, Mikey's focus is wholly centered on Gerard while Frank is just trying to keep them all together.

Cause What I'm Thinking About You Is Not Okay by lizibabes, Mikey/Frank, Gerard/Bob, 33k, NC-17. For bandombigbang 2012 and the 50kinkyways prompt: Submissive. AU. Mikey Way loves his job in his favorite music store and he's starting to think he loves Frank Iero who owns the sex/fetish store next door, too. If that wasn’t awkward enough, Gerard doesn’t have anything better to do than come to work with Mikey. And that might be less awkward seeing his crush every day if Mikey didn't let Gerard come to work with him, Gerard thinks Mikey should stop pining from a far and go for it, but there’s no way Mikey can flirt with Frank in front of him. And what does Gerard know about relationships, anyway? He won't even say hello to Bob Bryar - Mikey's boss and the real reason Gerard’s always bothering him at work – who Gerard's been crushing on for as long as Mikey's been working at the music store.

frankxmikey I was never active on livejournal so I have to admit I have no idea how any of it works, but this is a community dedicated to Frank/Mikey. I only checked the first four entries and two of them led to deleted journals that weren't available on the Wayback Machine, but the other posts were still there, so you might find some gems!

This one is Frank/Mikey and Gerard/Ray/Bob and I found it on a rec list, so I'm including the reccers description: The Watch by missmollyetc--My newest Favorite Thing Ever. Gerard is an ex-mobster who decides to change his ways and fights crime with him brother and a group of trusted friends. Pretty painful in places, especially for Frank and Mikey. If Frank's speech stammering speech at the end of part one doesn't break your heart then you are made of stone. Also awesome is Mrs. Way, particularly towards the end of the second part. Starts as a fic concept and shifts into a real fic a few paragraphs in. The gang makes great strides after some...unfortunate mistakes (apparently, some ice cream trucks in the neighborhood ACTUALLY JUST SERVE ICE CREAM.) And they gain enough success and influence that the crime syndicates start to get antsy, which is where Matt and Frank come into it. Or as the author put it: "an extremely long, somewhat non-linear, Gay Anti-Mafia AU with threesomes and betrayals and Fighting (because my love is PURE, Chow Yun Fat!) starring My Chemical Romance with bonus Pete/Patrick."

Just Off the Key of Reason by Arsenic, Gerard/Pete, background Frank/Mikey, 23k, the podfic is rated Explicit. Gerard is always the guy people want. This was complicated to find and I only realized Frank/Mikey was only a background ship when I'd already spent quite some time on it so I still wanted to include it. Also, I found the summary on the podfic (which is on AO3: [Podfic] Want Need Have by Ailis_Fictive, Arsenic).