#i’m almost done with my good omens wip like!!!!

[backhurtyy]

i thought i’d been in this class for like an hour and a half but it’s only been FORTY SEVEN MINUTES. kill me.

[ongreenergrasses]

20 questions for writers

tagged by @lesbianlotties, thank you! I was just thinking about how I’m actually proud of some of my writing so this is an opportune time

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

85. Because I’m certifiably insane, 27 of those have appeared since March.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

507,722. when I hit a million I’ll have a party (read: lie down on the floor and cry for a little bit)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

obviously thg but I have two slowly progressing fics for the old guard! they’re slow. but they will happen

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

almost a thing that my heart could endure. i was genuinely on the edge of orphaning this, like i was going to sleep on it and orphan the next day, and that night i got the most stunningly beautiful comment on it. it felt like some sort of sign. anyway i have a love hate relationship with that fic but i am begrudgingly coming around to the truth that it’s maybe not that bad

and so they did. now idfk why this one got as popular as it did but people liked it apparently

this is the way i’ll love you. has one of my favorite chapters I’ve ever written in it and i believe someone also commented that it was one of their favorite chapters in fanfiction

the sun persists in rising. you know what i did today? i was in my car on the way back from a crazy experience (bc my life just lurches from crazy experience to crazy experience) and I was singing Dream Girl Evil very loudly and thinking about this fic (bc i embarrassingly do still think about it) and then I said you know what ongreenergrasses. You should be proud of that. and i am.

on loyalty. now this is definitely the second best fic on this list, and i do credit it with being the fic that made me get more comfortable with OCs. so that’s cool because then it paved the way for directly above, which is the best fic on this list.

5. Do you respond to comments?

i sure do!! you leave me enough comments, i will write you back every time and we will eventually be in each other’s DMs and we will become friends. that sounds vaguely threatening

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

oof probably hallowed ground. that ends on a depressing note

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

the sun persists in rising! the whole point of that fic is a happy ending

8. Do you get hate on fics?

once and it was such a funny incident…I know now that people will rally behind me if it happens

9. Do you write smut?

I’m not good at it but yes I do. and one improves through practice ig? (real talk, some of my earlier smut is so bad that i literally cannot read it. which is unfortunate because my worst smut is the one i got caught writing on a plane and then had to post bc otherwise all that shit would be meaningless and i teeter on the edge of at least archive locking to limit eyes on it every day)

10. Do you write crossovers?

i used to and since i have at this point lost all my fucks i might again. if you want to see my crossover it’s on ff.net

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

afaik no

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

no

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

yes! @kitkatsandrainbows and I have one that’s just. sitting in google docs. which is my fault because i keep forgetting to edit it but eventually we will post it and it will be a beautiful continuation in the vein of our increasingly more intense dead dove horrible things that bring us such joy to write. it’s literally done it just needs to be edited smh

14. What is your all time favorite ship?

i am a multishipper extraordinaire but like. from Sherlock Holmes i come and to Sherlock Holmes I will return. i love whatever insane relationship those little gay men have going

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

there’s one wip for good omens that i keep genuinely forgetting about. so that is indeed an issue

16. What are your writing strengths?

honestly dude at this point i feel like it’s just me throwing shit at the wall and seeing what sticks and what sticks is increasingly horrifying things. i don’t think there’s some inherent strengths or even improvement there i think I’m just getting increasingly unhinged

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

everything? everything. it used to be plot but i think that’s. is it no longer an issue? maybe it’s still an issue idk

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

i am firmly in limited pov camp now because after strictly limiting my pov and getting such a strong reaction I was like oh yeah this slaps. so since i now write pretty rigid limited pov, I don’t write dialogue in another language in fics. I have lots of opinions about it but this is already long

19. First fandom you wrote for?

first fandom I wrote for was Doctor Who. first fandom i posted for was Sherlock

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

i really do love them all, some definitely more than others, and some were certainly more work than others, and this one isn’t really my favorite but i can say for sure that none have inspired more raw glee in me than this bitter earth did. i’m doing my part for thg cannibalism era

tagging @districtunrest @districtscare @the-sun-and-the-sea @anosrepasi @lyricfulloflight @thefloatingwriter @ghoulangerlee and anyone else who’d like to 🌸

[hushed-chorus]

20 questions for fic writers!

Thank you for the tags @wellbelesbian @orange-peony and @you-remind-me-of-the-babe! I’m always curious about how others respond to these things! I’ve been a little distant from tumblr recently so hoping this can get me engaging properly again!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

12!

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

223,290. 

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Carry On/Simon Snow! I love them boys too much, and I love all the weird speculative shit you can get up to in the World of Mages.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Accidents Happen

What Remains After The Storm

Call of the Sea

Just Say The Word (The Word is Hedgehog)

Worst Disney Princess Ever

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

I do! It’s just lovely to chat a bit with people, and I also want them to know I appreciate their comments. Sometimes it’s a little while before I respond but I always do.

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

I’m a happy ending person, or at least hopeful ending. That being said, The Danse Macabre ends on a glum note.

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

That’s a tough one (see above), but probably What Remains After The Storm.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not these days, but I got a couple as a teen. The silliest was someone angry that my fic was a canon divergence–nothing more, nothing less. It was silly.

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

Sometimes. I struggle with smut. If sex seems right for the story/plot, then I’ll add it, but I don’t tend to write it for its own sake.

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

No, the closest I’ve come is an idea for an AU, but even then I’ll probably strip out all the characters from that setting

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don’t think so!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No

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

Yes! Currently co-writing For All Intents and Purposes with @erzbethluna. It's been such a blast! I'm hoping to get back into writing soon

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Snowbaz (obvs)

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

I had an idea for a Piranesi-inspired fic. Wrote a bit of it by hand almost a year ago. I’d like to keep working on it, but realistically I don’t think it will happen.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Plots, maybe? I like writing little twists and reveals.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Smut or otherwise physically intimate scenes. 

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

Personally I don’t like it. If I can understand the meaning contextually, then that’s great. If I don’t need to know the meaning, also, great. But if that text is relevant to the scene in some way, I don’t like it, even if translations are provided at the end. No shade on anyone who does this, but I find it brings me out of a story. Edit: Now remembering I did this in When Pigs Fly, and while it wasn't plot relevant, I understand if anyone thinks me a hypocrit.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Good Omens (I think)

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

That’s a tough one to answer, but I’ll say What Remains After The Storm. There are definitely parts I think, in retrospect, I could have done better, but overall I’m really happy with it. Also, it just combines so many of my loves. The Ocean! Moors! The Fae! Stupid Sexy Mermen!

That being said, Accidents Happen will always have a special place in my heart.

Tags! Would love to see your answers @cutestkilla @artsyunderstudy @aristocratic-otter @shrekgogurt @theearlgreymage and anyone else who fancies joining in!

[lamuradex]

40K In 42 Days Update: Week Two

@the-wip-project

Alright, Week Two Update. We're one third of the way through! Let's go!

Last week I was at 4,140 Words, 10.35%.

This week I'm at 17,995 Words, which is 44.9875%

Okay! From being a bit under target last week, I have seriously picked up the pace. I've managed to find my feet with this book a lot more, even adding in some fun new chapters I didn't originally intend, and keeping up the momentum of writing a decent amount each day.

I hope I can keep this up, but I'll likely wind up taking a bit of a break at some point. I am enjoying this though.

Anyway, as with last week, I'll post an excerpt of the last bit I've been writing. This time, Gideon and Madeline are being questioned by a detective that Gideon has known for a long time.

Enjoy below the break.

They got about three steps outside the door before someone shouted.

“Mr Tailor,” the voice beckoned.

Gideon knew the voice. He turned, wearing his best smile, to the pleasant if slightly older face of Detective Holida.

“Johnny! Always a pleasure,” he greeted with a deliberately false grin.

“Mr Tailor. Miss Anthorne,” he greeted them in turn, lighting a pipe and taking a puff. He was the sly kind of man who, in perhaps a few more years, could carry off a pipe.

“Hello, Officer Holida,” Maddy said meekly, trying to remain invisible.

“What brings you here, Johnny?” Gideon said brightly. “And how’s the husband. Marriage counselling going well?”

Holida puffed his pipe. “I’m not here to discuss my love life, Mr Tailor.”

“I’m just trying to work out of there’s an opening.” Gideon shot him a wink.

“Really. Rumour has it you’re with Miss Scarlet, right?” Holida countered.

“Oh, Miss Scarlet doesn’t date anyone. Any of her regulars could tell you that,” Gideon parried. “But you? I wouldn’t kick you out of bed.”

Holida chuckled in a sour way. “You really think the gay jokes are doing you any favours?”

“Whose joking? You’re a good looking man,” Gideon answered. “But, anyway, what brings you to my door, Detective?” he continued, their pleasantries out of the way.

“Potentially a pair of handcuffs,” Holida said sharply. “I got an anonymous tip that you, Mr Tailor, were involved in a robbery earlier this week.”

“Me? A robbery? Which one?” Gideon put a hand to his chest in an offended way.

“How many robberies have you done?” Holida challenged. “Ever heard of Efram Malik?”

Gideon shook his head. “I’m not really a tech person.”

“But… how would you know he’s a tech person if you don’t know who he is?”

“What else would he be?” Gideon shrugged.

With that unassailably stupid reasoning, Holida moved on. “Mr Malik’s home was robbed last week of almost a hundred grand in art and electronics. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that?”

Gideon glanced around. There was a cop car waiting nearby, but this wasn’t an arrest. Not unless he confessed here and now. This was just so he’d lie and entrap himself.

“Why do you think it was me?” Gideon asked.

“Because the tip we got specifically named you,” Holida answered flatly.

Gideon paused. That was a ill omen. Still, Holida’s partner was still in the car. This wasn’t an arrest.

“And you believe them, this anonymous voice?” Gideon thought about that more. “And the tip didn’t come from this Malik gentleman himself? That’s weird, right?”

“It is odd, yes. You wouldn’t happen to have an alibi, would you?”

“You haven’t told me the date or the time, Detective.”

“Thursday, somewhere between eight o’clock and five in the morning. That’s when the cleaners found the place in disarray.”

“I would have been at home in bed,” Gideon said innocently. “I get to bed early these days. Busy with work.”

“And you wouldn’t happen to have a witness for this?”

“Well, there’s Madeline here. She can vouch for me. She goes to bed at the same time. Different beds though, of course.”

“Can confirm,” Maddy said simply.

“Right,” Holida rolled his eyes. The alibi was as strong as tissue paper and everyone knew it. “What do you two do for a job nowadays, Mr Tailor?”

“Currently unemployed but freelance,” Gideon answered confidently. “Maddy got fired from her cleaning job just this morning actually. Tell me, is it illegal to fire someone because they have a disability?”

“Are you looking to report someone?”

“I’m just wondering,” Gideon shrugged. “But, if that’ll be all, we do need to get going. Nice seeing you, Johnny.”

“And where are you going?” Holida asked, narrowing his eyes again.

“My niece’s sister’s birthday. It promises to be a big affair,” Gideon smiled. They were back in their obvious lying game.

“And you're sure you were nowhere near the robbery?”

Gideon caught that one. “You haven’t told me where Mr Malik lives, Johnny.”

"Right." Holida smiled in a frustrated way. “You realise I know you’re full of shit, Gideon.”

“I’m not inclined to argue,” Gideon said calmly.

“First of all, I know you don’t have a sister.”

“A hasty marriage in the family.”

“You don’t have any siblings whatsoever,” Holida asserted. Then his face creased. “Wait, wouldn’t your niece’s sister also be your niece?”

Gideon let false revelation crest his face. “You know, you might be right. Huh. That would explain the salty Christmas card last year. Oh well, I’ll apologise next time I’m round. I think I owe my uncle’s brother an apology too.”

Holida glared him down, acid in those eyes. Finally, he took a deep breath.

“Don’t leave town, Mr Tailor. We’re currently looking into DNA evidence found at Mr Malik’s home, and if your name comes up, then your little jokes won’t save you.”

“Well, let’s hope it won’t match then,” Gideon countered. And he knew Holida was confident about the DNA. The officer had snuck a bottle from the trash years ago for a sample. Too bad it was actually a bottle belonging to one of Fey’s patrons.

“I’ll be seeing you, Mr Tailor,” Holida said and returned to his car.

Gideon watched him go. Someone had tipped him off, and he suspected that was making Holida nervous too. People usually only tipped off the authorities about brown people looking suspicious on their street, being suspicious being code for them existing. They didn’t anonymously tip off the police about massive art heists. Especially not by name. But beyond the name there wasn’t enough proof to link anyone to it, they’d been sure of that, so he wasn’t too worried.

“That was… odd,” Maddy considered. “And do you always need to flirt with him like that?”

“Yet another oddity,” Gideon agreed, as they went on their way. “And yes. It’s how we communicate.”

[adverbian]

If you don't mind me asking: What's your favorite fic you've written this year? And which was the most fun to write?

Hi friend! Thank you so much for the ask! ❤️

My favorite fic I’ve written this year:

It’s the one that started it all for me: one more river (and that’s the river of jordan), an Ineffable wedding night of sorts (with Wimsey vibes). With French folk songs, John Donne, and Shakespeare!

Equal in the running is Set Me as a Seal Upon Your Heart, in which the Ineffable Husbands make it official (because human belief is a very powerful force). And formal contracts between supernatural entities have a way of becoming particularly real. Contains two chapters of unrepentant romantic fluff, and then two chapters of equally unrepentant romantic smut. Also a wedding night fic!

(Listen, the Ineffables are already married and they just need to get on with it, is my position.)

That first one, I wrote because I had to. I was legitimately distraught about the end of S2. I was crying and mainlining Ineffables-posting on Tumblr until 2 AM.

Then I woke up one morning with the opening lines of the fic fully pre-written in my brain. And after that, it wouldn’t let me go. I couldn’t eat. I got very little work done. I could barely sleep. When I tried to sleep, my brain just wrote sentences in my head and tried to memorize them. It was almost physically painful not to write it.

I do not, actually, recommend feeling like that. It sucked. (There was some Other Shit going on at the time, too.) But it did push me past self-consciousness about writing and posting fanfiction. So for that, I am grateful.

Most fun to write:

This has got to be Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, my first gift fic! My giftee’s prompt sparked a fun idea. And the short turnaround time (one week), combined with having time off for the holiday, made it hit just the right spot for my ADHD brain. There was enough structure for me to focus and not get too wrapped up in my own head, but also enough time to get enjoyably lost in hyperfocus for a few days.

I’m looking forward to having more fun in the new year! I’ve got a couple of WIPs simmering away now, and signed up for another fic exchange that looks like it’ll be tons of fun (the Good Omens Song & Poetry Exchange — the songs & poetry are the prompts!)

In conclusion, fanfiction is the best hobby and y’all are the best people. ❤️

[kaz3313]

20 question writer meme!! Tagged by @jaggededges123

1. How many works do you have on ao3?

I have 122!

2. What’s your total ao3 word count?

239,332. :D a lot more then I thought!

3. What fandoms do you write for?

So I’m a “i write what I fancy” BUT my top fandoms I’ve written for are MDZS,Nope, Good Omens, and Danganronpa (if combined all my fics of each series together). My current fandom I’m writing for is Team Fortress Two where I have too many wips 😂

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Kidnapped? Rescued? Lies or Truth? - Svsss, 500 on the dot, Shen Jiu/Tianlang-Jun, Not rated

Can Peacocks Swim? - MDZS, under 1k, Jin Zixuan/Wei Wuxian, Teen

Talk Dirty To Me (In that Unnatural Voice of Your’s)- Scream, under 1k, Billy/Stu, Mature

Crowley is a very bad demon who does terrible things. Like take care of a bunch of orphans. - Good Omens, 3k, Teen

A Mark Without Pain- TGCF, under 1k, Qi Rong/Lang Qianqiu, Mature

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

Almost always! Unless a comment makes me uncomfortable I try to respond to everything! Ive recently got some “more” comments that I haven’t but even comments that are just emojis i respond to. I love comments and love reading them so I try to get across to people I really appreciate them ☺️

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

I remember you… Do you remember me? ( https://archiveofourown.org/works/36298375 ) I had a whole 2022 Whumptober yet I think this one takes the cake on angst. So angsty I had to write an alternate less angsty ending 😂

7. What is a fic you wrote with the happiest of endings?

A New Beginning (https://archiveofourown.org/works/37391902 )

So I’m taking this as something that has angst but a happy conclusion - and I feel this fic is one of those.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Surprisingly no? I’ve gotten a few comments that are kinda iffy but most comments are very sweet!

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

Lots of smut- so much in fact most of its in my Works in Progress 😭 I’m so terrible at finishing smut but I usually go with darker themes ☺️

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

Oh!! Their all in my wips 😭 I did start making a Mdzs/Nope crossover which would probably be my strangest if I ever finished it up

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Nope, but one time one of my aus I made with a friend got stolen! But that’s s story for another time

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! Unfortunately I don’t have the link of the translation but my fic Pocky got translated into Russian ! (https://archiveofourown.org/works/27507364)

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before

Nope

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Statistically speaking- if going by number of fics- Aziraphale/Crowley. However, I have to say an all time fav would be Jessie/James (Pokémon) a ship I’ve never read nor wrote for. Just one of those childhood nostalgia ones.

15. What’s a wip you want to finsih but probably never will?

All of them 😭 In all serious though I’m terrible with long fics and while I have grand ideas it’s hard for me to stick through them. My Danganronpa/TGCF AU will forever be in my heart (and full planned on a discord server) but will likely never see any light of day.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I’ve been told my dialogue flows well and that I have a good hold on how people would react.

17. Writing weaknesses?

… Smut? I feel I’m slow on making it because I overthink it.

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

Oh!! I’ve done this!! It’s fun and also terrible. I feel I’m getting translations wrong but I do my best. I did once try to write a whole fic in another language— unfortunately that fic is lost to time.

19. First Fandom I wrote For?

On ao3 Rick and Morty. On amino, though, I wrote for Undertale first. And my first fics were mini comics I made at home for Pokémon.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

The Inter(Viewers) ( https://archiveofourown.org/works/40985745/chapters/102715464)

It’s the longest finished fic of mine and I’m really proud of that fact! I put a lot into it and it has some of my favorite scenes.

Tags: I’m sorry I don’t know who to tag- please my fellow writers jump on this if you want to do this!

[afrenchwriter]

Good Omens but make it more like James Bond (WIP Wednesday)

It’s been a while since I've posted for WIP Wednesday, so... Do you remember, for my next Good Omens fic, this James Bond/Q AU I was mentioning last week? Here’s a little extract from the first chapter, because it seems I can’t stop myself from writing it now:

[...] “Take the door on your left, Crowley! On your left!”

If he hadn’t been running like a madman after his target, Crowley would have let out a long, dramatic sigh. “I heard you the first time, Fell,” he replied to his quartermaster, miles away from him, as he pushed the door open with his shoulder.

“Well, sometimes you hear me, but you don’t listen to me. And that’s usually why you end up in the hospital. Take the stairs, up to the roof.”

“Why I… I’m sorry?” Crowley managed to huff while climbing up the stairs, two at a time. “Last time I ended up in the hospital, it was your fault!”

There was a long silence in Crowley’s ears, enough time for him to arrive at the top of the building. The sight of Paris at dusk, glowing and bathed in a pink light, was breathtaking - but, this time, he couldn’t afford the luxury to fully appreciate it. His target was still ahead of him, although much closer than before. Fell’s shortcut had worked - as it always did.

“An honest mistake,” eventually came the quartermaster’s reply, and Crowley almost missed his landing as he jumped from one roof to another. He swore under his breath.

“An honest mistake? Confusing miles and kilometers? Because of you, Fell, I-”

“Gentlemen!” Gabriel's voice boomed in Crowley’s ears. “Could we please leave the banter aside for one minute and focus on the mission at hand? Thank you.” 

Crowley clenched his teeth as he kept hoping and running, closing the distance between him and the target. Anger tended to energize him, and Fell knew it - the bastard. Everything to get the job done. [...]

I hope it sparks your interest! I was crushed to see that the title “From Hell with Love” was (of course) already taken... I guess I’ll have to come up with something else!

[a-swiss-and-a-spaniard]

Twenty Questions for Fic Writers

Thanks for thinking of me @yoellglia ! I had fun reading your answers and even more so trying to answer myself :)

1. How many works do you have on A03?

Jeez, should I consider both of my accounts? Let's do it, why not.

I have 12 fics in total. 7 for Tennis RPF and 5 for the DC Universe.

2. What's your total A03 word count?

37,211 words combined. Ngl, I thought it would be less than that as there are only two multi-chaptered fics and the rest are one-shots. Hopefully, I'll add some more words in the upcoming months :)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Currently, I only write Tennis RPF. I've been toying with a few ideas for the Good Omens fandom, but I haven't opened a new doc yet. And I used to write for the DC Universe, but I haven't done that in ages.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

(I’m gonna keep this Tennis RPF only bc this blog is tennis themed)

Waking in the Night Light: Fedal share their first kiss in a parking lot.

A New Target: Fedal have sex in the locker room.

Moonlight in Paris: Rafa goes to Roger's hotel room.

Strawberry & Dulce de Leche: Roger and Rafa get ice cream.

Somewhere or Other: Fedal phone call.

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

Yes yes yes! At least I try to. Although more often than not I get the notification, reply in my head, then forget to actually write back, and I'm too embarrassed to answer if more than a week has gone by… so apologies for that. That doesn't mean I don’t appreciate every single comment I have ever gotten, they always make my day in fact.

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

Mmh… perhaps Moonlight in Paris. It's not angst per se but it does have an overall sense of uncertainty.

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

Strawberry & Dulce de Leche, definitely. Rafa's joy at the possibility of Roger going to his birthday party is everything.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

No, thankfully. I’m glad I haven't unlocked that side of fandom yet.

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

I do, but I consider myself a newbie at it (smut writers, pls teach me your ways).

Generally speaking, I prefer it when smut has a little plot. It doesn't have to be anything complicated or serious, I just need a bit of a story behind what's happening for it to feel more organic. I also like it when the focus is on the emotional aspect of it, though descriptive can be nice as well. And I don't mind wordy smut as longs as it doesn't mess with the flow.

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

Nope, and I'm not a big fan of those tbh

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Story time! Yes 💀 Although it wasn't the whole thing, just a fragment. The fic in question was None but the Lonely Heart for the DCEU. And I only found out bc a lovely person left a comment on my fic, letting me know what had happened and the link to the other fic. I checked and the writer had indeed literally copied and pasted one of my scenes, they'd just changed the names of the characters. So I reached out to the AO3 team and they took care of everything.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No

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

No. Stef and I had an idea for a Fedal fic, but who knows if we'll ever get to actually write it lol

14. What's your all time favourite ship?

I don't think I have one, really. I would say my main ones/the ones I keep coming back to are Fedal (Roger Federer/Rafael Nadal) and Superbat (Superman/Batman). Though right now I've been reading almost exclusively Ineffable Husbands (Aziraphale/Crowley), so it mostly depends on my hyperfixation at the time

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

Oof, that might be a Superbat (long) fic set post BvS, where resurrected Clark has lost his powers (and the sun seems to actually make him sick now), so Bruce helps him to get back on his feet and of course they fall in love in the process. I have the whole thing outlined, sheets of dialogues and a couple of scenes already fleshed out, but I took a break from the fandom bc it was draining me out. Idk, maybe one day I'll get back to it. I mean, never say never and all that, but it's looking highly improbable right now

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think I'm good at setting the tone of scenes, be it fluffy, angsty, whatever.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I tend to write in long, long sentences. Seriously, you should see my drafts, sometimes a whole paragraph can be a single sentence. I don't know if it's due to my Spanish hard-wired brain or what, but I’m working on breaking things up a bit more.

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

I love it! But you need to make sure readers will still get the message through context, so I think it's best to stick to single words and/or common phrases. Unless, of course, you want to leave your character (and thus your readers) feeling confused.

I do it often when I’m writing Rafa and it's part of the reason I love writing him so much.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

DC Universe

20. Favourite fic you've written?

Tough question… can I say an unpublished one? I have this sort of introspection/character study of Domi, his struggles coming back on tour after the wrist injury and dealing with all the ups and downs. There's not a story to it per se, like I'm not trying to get him from A to B. It's just a dive into his mind, where it gets kinda dark real quick, and it's unlike what I usually go for in tennis fics (fluff), so I've been enjoying the challenge of getting out of my comfort zone there

[absenthiium]

Re the ask game...1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 (take the noose off, wrap it tight around my hand, which I will never not adore), 12, 13, 14 (for your war is the context (god is a boy) stories that I also adore), 16 (for εἴδωλον), 17, 20, 21, 23, 24, 25, 26 (for παλλακή), 27, 28, 29, 33, 35, 36, 37, 38, 40, 41, 42 (for take the noose off, wrap it tight around my hand and i’ll lay on the floor, touch me ‘till i vomit, again my beloveds), 44, 45, 46 (i’ll lay on the floor, touch me ‘till i vomit, I only feel more insane about that one after starting my Ethel Cain phrase), 47 (for "suffering is nigh, drawing to me" or any Ptolemaea lyric because I feel that is such a Leo song), 48, 49.

(I am so sorry if this feels like too much, please don't feel pressured to answer any of these, but you said you like asks and I love your writing so much, so)

twelve. my very first one was a terrible merge between pandora hearts and dante's inferno, if i remember correctly.

4. definitely angst (and i love post-apocalyptic stories, but i'm yet to include the genre in a fanfiction, i've mostly done so in my original work).

5. i don’t have many, so i’m not sure. but she will talk like a friend (she will kiss like a man) has a special place in my heart (and i really need to continue it!).

6. for those i’ve posted on ao3, maybe my first one? it’s a good omens fic i translated (badly) from italian, it’s very trope-y and not really my thing anymore. 

7. i write whenever the need to strikes, so i’m almost constantly scribbling. but when it comes to writing from start to end, it’s mostly at night (might be ‘cause it’s the time of day i have less to do).

8. a lot of things! most of it comes from music, some from my own state of being or random things i've experienced. plus, books or poetry. sometimes, as i write, i keep a few books close for inspiration (these days, it’s mostly T.S. Eliot's the wasteland, Richard Siken's crush, Beppe Fenoglio's a private affair; plus, and I'm mentioning it mostly since it directly impacted take the noose of, wrap it tight, 4.48 psychosis by Sarah Kane).

9. part xii, the one about medications, was done through a lot of research on topics i’m wholly unfamiliar with, so it was interesting, and quite fun (plus, reading Sarah Kane at night while listening to Ethel Cain which was. something). plus, the last part! i think it’s really representative of the style i’m going for.

12. I go through phases of concentrating on a single character, and at the moment it's Leonardo from TMNT (who would've thought). other characters have been Izzy Hands from our flag means death, Jesse from breaking bad, and Spadino from that shitshow (affectionate) that was Suburra. 

13. i tend to avoid the issue by. not writing them, i guess. but at the moment, maybe Donatello from TMNT. i like him a lot, but i still haven’t figured out how to write him.

14. all the titles come from Norma Jeane baker of Troy by Anne Carson! i really like that book, and it has some chapters focused on explaining a few ancient greek words, while still tying the explanation to the myth of Helen of Troy.

16. it’s actually very much inspired by a concept i’m exploring in an original novel of mine, which follows, among other things, the relationship between the protagonist and his aging father, gone mad after experiencing the death of three of his kids in a war. the novel itself is inspired by the last ronin so i guess the cycle is complete.

17. “the last thing Leo remembers was taking the shovel from Raph’s unsteady hands and digging a grave deep enough to bury a secret - their arms brushed, in passing, and it stung.”

(the WIP in question is, by the way, inspired by your incredible i see things that nobody else sees, that i just adore  too much for my own good).

20. not really, but there are a few things i would've changed in execution.

21. i’m pretty much in awe at a lot of people whose works i’ve read on ao3 (or other places), there’s just so much creativity and sheer talent. oh, and there’s this writer i really admire that writes an incredible range of styles and characters, consistently creating amazing stories, and whose writing has impacted me and my own work a lot. plus, she’s very kind and sends nice asks and, oh, look! it’s you!

23. i listen to music, generally the same song, on repeat, for hours.

24. not my favorite thing. i’m alright with making them not very explicit, otherwise i kind of cringe. not sure why.

25. i don’t think so, but i might if i keep up with the angst (i will).

26. the whole concept was very hard to tackle, because i wanted it to be very raw but not misrepresent the issue. other than that, maybe the final line. it’s just a handful of words, but i rewrote it many times before i got it right.

27. a go with the flow guy! i start with a concept, with a very minimal outline, and than just go until it feels done.

28. i wish i’d been capable of not attaching my stories’ worth to how many hits or kudos they get from the start. obviously i’m glad whenever a story of mine gets attention, but i want to learn to write for myself, mostly, not only to feel rewarded. but i’m getting better at this.

29. not sure, maybe παλλακή? but i do understand it’s based on a concept not many are comfortable reading about. plus, maybe my Suburra fics, but i probably can’t expect much since they are from an almost dead fandom and in italian (and quite untranslatable, since the dialogues are in Rome’s dialect).

33. first things that comes to my mind are some comments i’ve gotten on got a good look and measured my answer. many people told me it made them feel seen at a very visceral level, and, i don’t know, it moved me a lot. 

35. i don’t really talk about my story ideas to people. my cats know all about them, though.

36. i have a few, but for now it’s mostly ideas -but i really wanna try writing something about across the spiderverse.

37. there’s a few fics i’ve improvised (both by writing and recording) with a friend of mine -they were a messy mix of disney characters and tropes. one of those predicted the Queen’s death. funny times.

38. never thought of it, so i don’t have a specific person in mind, but i’d be very interested in trying! i’ve done a collab only once with an irl friend, and i’m definitely open to do one again.

40. a couple of my irl friends do, but they haven’t read anything.

41. i have this pre-canon fic about Eddie Munson (from stranger things) that i’ve been meaning to complete for a while, and i love working on it. very coming-of-age, smalltown queer boy-ish. i hope i’ll finally get around to finish it.

42. a whole ass fixation on Ethel Cain’s music, particularly Family Tree and Inbred. i listen to those two a lot while writing, in general.

44. not from a fic but: “this room’s a narrow place. everyone is talking.”

45. i have many words to say, and i love saying them. not much more, i think.

46. the sequels are, in fact, in the making! (i hope). no spoilers, but it’s a few missing moments from the first two stories and a bit of development on Leo’s state (from very bad to normal bad, i guess).

47. so, so Leo! you’re, as usual, very correct. plus, by mentioning Ptolemea, you’ve kickstarted a whole inspiration process in my brain, and i’m definitely writing something about it. not sure about the specifics, but i’m thinking: some feral behavior; Leo being his usual mother/widow self; someone’s getting eaten alive.

48. is angst a trope? if so, angst. 

49. a mildly explicit Inuyasha fic that involved stalking and divinity. read it on my mom’s phone at a family dinner at about eleven.

(thank you for the questions!)

[natigail]

August 2023 - natigail

It was time for my Posting Every Day In August (PEDIA) challenge, so I posted 31 chapters/one shots/excerpts this month!

I posted all six chapters of my skz ace/sex worker AU - oh, you kissed me just to kiss me

I posted all five chapters of the side piece to my skz wolfpack AU - What if I Told You I'm a Mastermind?

I posted the December chapter of my phan Stardew AU - Broke, Gay and New in Town

I posted four new chapters of my skz wolfpack AU - Rest in the Belly of the Wolf

I posted a one shot prologue of Seungcheol to my svt mafia AU - 돈’t Blink (at least not here) 

I posted a chapter to another svt mafia AU prologue, this time about verkwan - 돈’t Resist (at least not me) 

I posted both chapters of my Legend of Zelda fic focusing on optaining the Master Sword - to become an immortal dragon is to lose oneself (why did you do it?) 

I posted the first chapter to my bts insomniac/baker AU - the donuts are warm for you

I posted my Good Omens one shot focusing on the season 2 finale - contains information in a tuneful way (stop, you’re losing me)

I posted three excerpts from an original novel wip of mine (x, x, x)

I posted a bts one shot focusing on Yoongi getting his 7 tattoo - Future's gonna be okay 

I posted my The Untamed one shot about Lan Wangji’s grief - you can’t talk me through the fall if we don’t know if i can land 

I posted my phan one shot inspired by Taylor Swift’s Timeless - In another life you still would’ve turned my head

I posted my Nimona one shot focusing on a scene from the film - Say that I'm a monster

I posted my phan one shot about not attending pride - so tell me i’m a rainbow (it makes me feel alright)

I posted my Good Omens one shot about Aziraphale doing an apology dance - it ends with a garden (and a cottage in the south downs) 

Bloody hell, that’s one hell of a list. And it’s not likely the last one I’ll do, I think I’m going to do one with their summaries and stuff too but I wanted to have my usual monthly recap, even if PEDIA always messes with everything in the best way. Same can be seen on this pie chart.

I didn’t even attempt to untangle all the small entries that’s about 1-0% in the grand scheme of things. It’s the fics that were done before this month but needed to be edited before posting. I had given myself the goal of 2k a day because I knew I needed write a lot to complete PEDIA but I also needed to spend a lot of time editing, but I still went past the goal and almost hit 75k.

That definitely held true, but man, I’m still so proud of myself for managing to keep up even while feeling burned out and getting sick. Like, look! I did it. Yay. You’ll get my monthly overview of PEDIA as well, because why not?

Over 253k words posted! Not my record for a PEDIA but it’s the third most I’ve ever done during one of these challenges, which I’ve been doing since 2017 (except my thesis year). Like this month is kind of stressful and getting into a bit of grind with it all, but the sense of accomplishment when sitting back is indescribable. And I still try so very hard to keep the quality top notch, because despite how I like to get lost in my stats - it’ll always be the words that matter more than the numbers.

I’m going to take a very chill time in September. I’ll still keep up with my daily writing habit but we’re aiming for 1k a day instead, and for this coming week, I am going to maybe only keep up with the journalling to take a break.

[lgwilt]

WIP tag game

Rules: Pick five fragments from your unfinished WIPs and then tag five people to keep it going. Let’s have fun with it and help each other shape those fragments into published fics!

Thanks @insert-witty-user-name-here and @dewdropreader for the tags 💕 I’ve been meaning to confront the multitude of WIPs/fragments/incoherent half-finished sentences in my drafts folder (a chaotic jumble of fic + original works) - this has prompted me to finally start working out what I want to prioritise for 2023! (Urg, time management. Always such a challenge.)

Some self-indulgent fic fragments for various fandoms (Lokius, Life on Mars/Doctor Who crossover, Good Omens, Jack x Ten, Clone Wars) under the cut.

Variation on a Theme

AKA the in-progress Lokius fic that I’ve been distressingly slow to update 😩 Life keeps rudely getting in the way.

Longish fragment from Chapter 9 (ok I've only posted four chapters so far... but on a positive note, the final chapter is already written!):

“Thanks, Loki. Guess I wasn’t thinking this morning.” Overthinking would be more accurate. As usual, his relentlessly ticking mind had prevented him from getting more than an hour or two of fitful sleep.

He reached for the tie, preparing to go through the familiar motions of tying the knot, but his brain seemed to have decided to stop communicating with his hands. He felt sluggish, uncoordinated; his fingers moved frustratingly slowly, almost like they were numb with cold. Try as he might, he couldn’t seem to remember how to get the infuriating strip of fabric to resemble a tie, despite having done so thousands of times before. 

“Here,” said Loki, taking a step towards Mobius. “Let me help.”

“I’m fine,” he responded irritably, restraining himself (though only just) from swatting Loki’s hands away. He tried again, fingers fumbling with the knot.

“Mobius.” Loki’s voice was gentle, with no trace of his usual imperiousness. Mobius couldn’t remember the last time someone had spoken to him with such kindness. To his shame, he felt tears pricking the back of his eyelids.

He surrendered with a slightly shaky sigh, lowering his hands. Loki moved closer, fingers skimming lightly over the hollow of Mobius’ throat and along his collarbone, pausing for a moment as though silently asking permission before slowly doing up the top few buttons of his shirt. Mobius shivered slightly at the touch, cool despite Loki’s gloved hands. It suddenly seemed unusually difficult to breathe.

Loki made quick work of the tie, but he didn’t draw back right away, humming thoughtfully as he brushed non-existent specks of dust from Mobius’ collar. 

The Man Who Wasn’t There:

AKA my in-progress Life on Mars/Doctor Who crossover. A foray into a classic fic genre.

Fragment from Chapter 4:

Sam noticed, with a strange sort of detachment, that his hands were shaking. He turned away and gripped the railing until his knuckles went white, staring out into the darkness as he tried to remember how to breathe normally. The night sky was completely black, inky and impenetrable. It took him a moment to figure out why this seemed odd. No stars, he realised. It was as though all the light in the universe had been blotted out…

“Earth to Sam. Do I need to call the men in white coats?”

“I’m fine,” hissed Sam through gritted teeth. “I just… need a minute.”

A Twitch Upon the Thread:

Fragment from the conclusion to my two shorter Good Omens fics, An Unexpected Meeting and An Evening Out. I wrote most of this back in 2019 (what is time), it "just" needs a few more scenes to tie everything together!

“‘Paralysing fear of existing forever’. Twelve letters. Ends with an ‘e’.” 

“‘Apeirophobia’,” said Aziraphale promptly, leaning over Crowley’s shoulder for a closer look. “And five across is ‘Gomorrah’, my dear, not… whatever this is supposed to be.” Aziraphale peered more closely at the crossword in a vain attempt to decipher Crowley’s carelessly childlike scrawl. “I’m surprised you didn’t know that one. You were there, after all.”

“Obviously I thought of Gomorrah,” the demon responded peevishly. “Didn’t look right. Five across should have an ‘s’ in it… and maybe a ‘t’?” Crowley squinted, turning the paper upside down.

“For Heaven’s sake, Crowley,” Aziraphale chided fondly, “you know perfectly well that the third circle of Hell is ‘Gluttony’. Now if you’d just let me tidy this up for you –”

Crowley vanished the newspaper in a puff of smoke and twisted round so that he was grinning up at Aziraphale – purely, Aziraphale suspected, to savour the look of indignation on his face.

Only the Dance

Jack travels with the Tenth Doctor post-Journey’s End. Adventure, flirting, angst. As you'd expect.

“A rescue mission?” This felt like familiar territory. “When do we start?”

“We’re already here.” The Doctor was bouncing on his feet and buzzing with energy, clearly impatient to get started. “If you’d stop lazing about and put some clothes on…”

“I was relaxing,” said Jack, rolling his eyes affectionately. “You should try it sometime.” He jumped out of bed, grabbing one of the identical shirts the TARDIS had helpfully replicated for him based on the one he’d been wearing the day he decided to skip town with the Doctor. (The Doctor had offered him free run of the TARDIS’ extensive wardrobe, but Jack had given up after several hours of rummaging produced an assortment of impractical garments such as a Pierrot costume, a Viking helmet, a 1920s sequined flapper dress, and an alarmingly vibrant multi-coloured coat). 

Well he couldn’t exactly leave now, could he?

Precipice:

Unsure about this one. I’ll admit I'm not hugely familiar with Star Wars fandom, but I do love Obi-Wan. I watched a curated selection of Clone Wars episodes a while back (recced by my sister) and couldn’t resist drafting an adventure romp with plenty of snark and a generous dollop of angst + hurt/comfort.

“If you have a better plan, Anakin, I’m all ears.”

The droids drew closer, heavy metallic footsteps reverberating through the winding stone tunnels and causing alarmingly large chunks of rubble to rain down from the temple’s ancient ceiling. The noise was deafening, like a stampede of banthas.

“Fine,” Anakin conceded gracelessly, crossing his arms over his chest in a familiar gesture of reluctant acceptance. “We’ll do it your way. But if we end up impaled on those giant spikes Windu told us about, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Master Windu, Anakin,” Obi-Wan reminded him, deftly Force-levitating a stone slab that had been a split second away from colliding with Anakin’s head. “And under such unfortunate circumstances, I very much doubt I would be in a position to say anything at all.”

--

I'm pretty sure the talented writers I'd like to tag have already been tagged, probably multiple times! (@mirilyawrites @cha-melodius @blackbirdofasgard), so this is an open invitation to anyone who stumbles across this and feels like giving it a go! I love hearing about other people's WIPs and the stories behind them 💕

[ramblingoak]

TAG NINE PEOPLE YOU WANT TO GET TO KNOW BETTER

tagged by: @leezlelatch

currently reading: Lots of fanfiction!  So many good wips out right now it’s hard to keep up. Otherwise I love horror novels and old fantasy novels.  I just reread Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.  Next up is How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix (probably one of my favorite horror authors).  

favourite colour: I would say a tie between like a deep, rich blue and a bright aqua color.

last song: Lady Lucifer by Green Lung

last movie: The Omen (original).  Last one in the theater was The Thing (my favorite movie just fyi)

sweet/spicy/savory: Spicy, I love making my mouth burn.

currently working on: Oh god, well there’s a specific one I’ve been struggling with that I think I’ve bitched about to 30 people, just straight smut between Copia and the reader.  There’s a little wholesome one with Primo and a young Terzo I’m almost done with.  And like five others that I’ve started in one way or another.

Thank you for the tag! I’m tagging these folks but feel free to do this if you see it:

@whatawonderfulexistence--blog , @ghostchems , @vampghoulette @copiousloverofcopia , @writingjourney , @ladyrevealedofcloak , @zombiequeenblog , @angellayercake , @seester-of-mordor

[ongreenergrasses]

tagged by @anosrepasi 💜💜💜 thank you my fellow previous night shift crew and writing friend!!!

1) how many works do you have on AO3?

58

2) What’s your total AO3 word count?

224,834 although that is about to skyrocket

3) What fandoms do you write for?

right now tog, thg, and good omens. i am done with longfic for tog but i still do shorter works and prompts. if i think about the behemoth for too long i’ll just start laughing hysterically so i try not to but that’s uh. that’s a long motherfucker

4) What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

almost a thing my heart could endure sweeps, then it’s and so they did., this is the way i’ll love you, on loyalty, and he ain’t heavy, he’s my brother . imo out of those fics on loyalty is definitely the best and i’m really glad that so many people liked it

5) Do you respond to comments?

yes! Sometimes it takes me a good long while but i respond to all my comments. if i’m posting something regularly then i will respond to comments as i post but otherwise it can take up to a year sorry everyone

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

mmmm probably I lie

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

i do bittersweet i don’t really do happy, but i think The Logic Of Color has a happy ending!

8) Do you get hate on fics?

the closest i got to hate was with be on your way because it’s Joe/Nile, but i wouldn’t consider it hate per se

9) Do you write smut?

sometimes. i’m learning and people have been very kind

10) Do you write crossovers? If so, what’s the craziest one you’ve written?

i was writing fic back in 2011/2012 and that was the wild fucking west. i loved it. i wrote something that was Rose Tyler/Loki and people actually liked it which blew my fuckin mind but that’s just how things were back then

11) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

afaik no

12) have you ever had a fic translated?

no but i’ve thought about translating a couple of mine myself

13) have you ever cowritten a fic before?

no, there were a couple times i briefly flirted with the idea and casually talked to people about it but the moments have passed and rn i don’t really know what i’d cowrite

14) What’s your all time favorite ship?

i’ll be real with you i’ve kind of stopped engaging with media through the lens of shipping…like obviously you still find me writing fics but actual ships and shipping itself isn’t nearly as important to me as it used to be. HOWEVER. i’ve been a johnlock girlie since about age 5 so that’s the longest running ship and probably my favorite

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

i finish all my WIPs lol i’ve abandoned two fics in my life and my current WIPs are either a) still in the brain or b) finished and being revised within an inch of their lives

16) What are your writing strengths?

i write about a lot of difficult topics and i do it as carefully and respectfully as i can while not making it so dark as to turn people away. i think i’ve got that balance down. of course these things are experienced differently by everyone so my work won’t always resonate and i’m aware of that and fine with it

17) what are your writing weaknesses?

dude idk. everything at some point or another? at least that’s what it feels like. a thing i consistently really struggle with is i feel like I can get way too florid and indirect with language, which in some contexts is fine, but in others really fucking distracting

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

oh boy do i ever have thoughts. but I’ve collected them and because i mostly write third person limited, i don’t put dialogue in other languages in fic for 2 reasons. a) if the character would understand the language, i translate the statements being made in it into English because the story is being conveyed in English and that’s how the character would show their understanding. b) if the character would not understand the language, they would be unable to recognize the words and express them because it’s third person limited. the exception with this is if there is an untranslatable word that has no English equivalent. that i’ll keep in the original language

however. with the behemoth there are consistently two languages being spoken and intermingled throughout. i have kept all the dialogue in English but the parts that are being spoken in Spanish, i am translating from Spanish back into English to try and keep the cadence and vocabulary. it is hard as hell and i know that people will not notice but it matters to me ig

19) First fandom you wrote for?

DOCTOR WHO BABY

20) Favorite fic you’ve written?

i think the best fic i’ve written is hips but all my work has a special place in my heart. every fic means different things to everyone and i’ve gotten incredibly meaningful and powerful comments on things that i didn’t think were really my best, which made me like those fics more. you never know what will resonate with people and what won’t!

tagging @isabellehemlock @goldheartedsky @unintentionalgenius @genyathefirebird @godihatethisfreakingcat @scorchedhearth and any other writers who would like to!!

[internerdionality]

Can I ask if there is anything percolating in the Suffer a Sea Change series? That "pre-ship" tag is haunting me.

I am also equally haunted by the I'm Not Ready for Whatever This Is series. The impending poly situations. help.

Yes, you absolutely can, thank you for asking, and yes, there is! The latter will be out well before the former, but both are very much in the works.

I am kind of a classic case of ADD “takes on too many fics” kinda writer. Right now my top priorities/fics I feel driven to write are:

My winter exchange fic for the Sprizzy server (currently untitled, about halfway done, will be posted third week of January come hell or high water)

The next Stizzy installment for I’m Not Ready for Whatever This Is, which is going to be titled "Add a Flourish" (I was hoping for this next part to plunge into the SteddyHands but Stede wasn’t done wallowing in angst. Almost done, will be posted second or fourth week of January depending on how progress on the exchange fic goes)

Finishing Fuck it Through as a Crew (draft of the chapter is done but needs some heavy editing, also January)

Final chapter of Paid with Sighs and Rubies (about half done, aiming for late January/early February)

Always another chapter of my “Batman becomes a cat” fic, whenever I have time

Past that, things get hazier. I really want to get back to my Marvel time travel fix-it but I’ve been a bit blocked on the next chapter. I have a T4T4T modern GentleScribed that I keep meaning to finish but have barely touched since Season 2 came out. The next chapter of Burning Like Embers, Falling Tender is actually about half done but every chapter of that thing is a monster, now, so it still has a lot of writing before it'll be ready to post.

Annddd yes, the sequel to Soaked to the Skin, which is titled Cut to the Bone and explores Izzy and Lucius settling into Stede's crew and figuring out what Lucius being polyam actually means for them, while Ed wrestles with having lost Stede and Izzy! I have about 35K written for it, but most of that was drafted in late 2022 and very early 2023. I haven't had the motivation to work seriously on it for a while, I'm afraid, but I do really want to get back to it.

To be honest, I have some insecurities about it being not as good as Soaked to the Skin—I don't want to follow my baby with something that'll disappoint readers! But I'm hoping once I clear the decks from some of my top numbered priorities above (assuming they don't immediately get replaced with new plot bunnies, lol), I'll find the energy to focus on it again. I've had some beta readers go through the current in-progress chapters recently and they have been giving me some more hype about it!

(Although if it's the Ed/Izzy pre-ship tag that's haunting you, that plot thread isn't going to pick back up until the third — and final? maybe? unless I turn in into a quartet? — installment for that series, tentatively titled Struck to the Heart. Except for how, you know, his devotion to Ed is always driving Izzy's character and motivations. But they're not going to be in the same zip code at any point during Cut to the Bone. I'm so, so sorry. )

And then finally, down here in my purgatory, I have my "I swear I haven't abandoned you" fics like Unmoored (next chapter started, at least?), Dining is Pageantry, my three Good Omens WIPs, the sequel to Learning at the Foot of One of the Greats, the next chapter of What Do You Do With a Drunken Sailor (I swear I'm gonna finish that fic one day, I swear), Praying on the Height, and that Rizzy cannibalism fic I keep promising HopelessScribe I'll finish :D

And below that I have my graveyard fics that I haven't worked on in months but really do want to go back to one day—the DC/Slayerverse crossover, the insane Dragonriders of Pern OFMD AU, my winter piece (from last year, oy) for Dragonmuse's Leda House series, and all my poor abandoned SuperBat wips!

[stinastar]

MI6 Cafe Creators Tag Game

What work of yours challenged you when you were creating it? Well, I’m new to the fandom & only have one thing I’ve finished and posted in the fandom so far, lol. The first was pretty easy. So, I guess the 5+1 that I’m currently working on. The first four sections of the first draft came pretty easily, but I’ve been stumbling a bit on the fifth.

What is a fanwork you’ve seen which gave you a new headcanon about a character? Hmm... OH. I read a fic where Q loses a bet to Eve and has his nails painted gold, and was a bit obsessed with that visual. I don’t know if it’s exactly a hc, but I think he deserves gold painted fingernails and it would be utterly distracting and tantalizing. I encourage everyone to give him painted nails, as a treat :p

Is there a fanwork that you really want to make, but you haven’t started yet? So the 5+1 is something like 5 times Q unintentionally hurt James by reminding him of Vesper, and one time it was a comfort, but it ended up being from Q’s POV. So, because I’m a little angst gremlin, even though I haven’t finished writing it, I’m already thinking about writing a companion piece that’s from Bond’s POV for 300% more angst lol.

What fanwork of yours surprised you, and how? The first 4 parts of the 5+1 did in how easily they flowed onto the page, and I’m really happy with Q’s voice in it.

What themes/styles/subjects are common across many of your fanworks? Alternatively, what themes/styles/subjects are you most interested in creating? I think if you go all the way back through my fanworks the results are a bit skewed, because I did a lot of prompt writing. But I guess I tend to write pining, getting together, fluff, h/c & angst. I always have happy endings and I do not accept MCD lol. I throw MCD in the trashbin. The things that are born from my brain rather than prompts tend to always centre around angst / h/c. I am generally starving for angst, I really love a good angsty fic with a heap of comfort. I thought you were dying and confessed my love kinda flavour. I thought I lost you/almost lost you and will now never let you go 👌🏻👌🏻

What other fandoms do you create for, if any? I started in Good Omens and still write for it occasionally, I was most prolific in The Witcher and still have a ton of WIP for it that I may or may not ever finish, and I wrote one for Our Flag Means Death, which I have notes for a follow up for, again, if I ever actually write it... I have notes for a LOTR fic that will probably never see the light of day 😅 I also have some original projects, current WIP is MLM with a vampire. I also write poetry.

Is there an artist that you like to listen to while you create? Or one whose work always inspires you? No, I need music without lyrics when I write, or I get too distracted. ADHD, baby! I usually listen to lo-fi music while writing, occasionally something like “peaceful piano.”

Share a fanwork that you’ve found yourself thinking about weeks after reading/seeing it. Ok, again, I’m suuuuper new to the fandom. I read my first 00Q fic maybe a couple weeks ago. Mlle_Heloise’s general universe lives rent-free in my head. I adore their OC Stella. I read most of their fics in a bit of a fugue state, and literally read them back to back over the course of a couple days, so they’re a bit mushed together in my head. So I’ll just go ahead and say all of their works, lol. Then living on the faultline by @thestalwartheart was one of the tastiest angsty fics I’ve read in quite a while!

Finally, share where you post your works! I post all of my fics to both @stinawrites here and on AO3 under stinastar.

Tagging @aprettyspy @boffin1710 @slimysuckers I realize y’all might have done this ages back, but I’m new here, so... apologies, haha.

@spiritofcamelot @mi6-cafe

[hkblack]

Keeping One Fic Version in both Word & Google

A question was posed in a Discord Server I am in about what file format folks send their fics to Beta Readers in. Do you send it as a Microsoft .docx file? A Google Doc you are also writing in? A separate Google Doc?

A large part of the answer to this question depends on what tools and resources you as the writer have and are using, and what tools and resources your beta-reader has. Not everyone has a PC, and not everyone has Microsoft Word. Ten years ago, I didn’t blink at people sending Word Documents back and forth with fics, but these days—I don’t want that many downloads on my computer.

As a Beta Reader, I prefer to work in Google Docs. Some of this is because of the downloading thing, and not having to worry about system compatibility. (Shockingly I do know someone who is still using a very old version of Microsoft and Word Docs from them get a fun warning because they were written in such an old version of Word) I also find Google’s commenting & suggestion functionalities a lot better than Word. I also like that the one Google Doc can be used for multiple readers. A Story Flow reader can work along side an expertise picker and a SPAG beta and they can all see when things get changed, why they were changed, and help follow any of those notes forward through out the rest of the story.

Right now, I think all active beta projects I’m working on are in Google Docs. I have a free gmail account that’s got my fandom name. Some of the Google Docs are imports from Word, some are from Scrivener, and some are the same doc that the writer is actively writing in, where others are Google docs that are copies of other Google docs. Whether you have an editor in the same document that you are writing in is up to you. I personally find it distracting as a writer to see the beta notes in there. I’ll get distracted with editing and won’t write unless I have a separate writing file. Some of the people I am reading for are actively typing away a few pages below me as I edit the most complete section. When that’s happening, I generally tell people to make a clear break that says “HK – don’t touch past this line!” I might go skim and read over it to see where we’re going, but I won’t leave any comments until my reader tells me they’re ready. To each their own! Find what makes you most comfortable.

For me as a Writer, I write in Microsoft Word and then import my fic into Google docs. This does mean I always have at least two versions of any fic going at the same time. The one I am writing in in Word, and the one I am editing with my Beta-Reader in Google Docs. This isn’t an issue for complete one-shots. I finish writing, toss it into Google, and then when I’m done editing, I’ll post it from that version. But if it’s an incomplete long story, things can get odd.

Thankfully, there’s several ways to work around that and make life easier, and that’s what we’re going to look at today. This is a long post with lots of screenshots. So buckle up!

The fic you’re going to see in screenshots is a WIP that you may have heard me refer to as my Good Omens “Goats” fic. It’s a Human AU in which Crowley owns a Goat Scaping company and Aziraphale is a professor at the University that employed such Goat Scaping services. It was supposed to be a short and sweet one-shot meet-cute, so naturally I’m currently writing Chapter 11 and am up to almost 50k words. (help)

I write in Microsoft Word and as each chapter or major section is complete, I copy and paste that section into a Google Doc for the excellent @ambrasue to beta read.

Let’s get into the mechanics of this. First, I’m going to go to my Google Drive and click the “New” button. “Yes HK,” you’re saying, “and you’re going to create a new Google Doc and copy paste”

No.

I am going to select “File Upload” and select my Microsoft Word .docx file into the Drive. This is very important for the rest of the steps to work. You cannot just open a new Google Doc and copy and paste for this to work. You have to leave the file as a .docx.

You’ve uploaded the .docx into Google Drive, and you’ve shared it with your Beta Reader. You and your beta have made changes and left comments, and the editing is at a point where you’d like to bring the two files together and have them aligned as you’re still writing.

Copying and pasting will get the changes you’ve made—but not the comments left, and maybe you want to keep those comments because, as above, there’s a comment on a sentence you want to go back to but haven’t gotten to yet. So instead you’re going to go to File, Download, and you’re going to download the doc as a .docx.

Once you’ve done that, you can open your newly downloaded file in Word and viola! You have the comments and edits!

But now you have two .docx files in Microsoft Word that are different. Do you now have to move into this new file? What if the new file doesn’t have the latest chapter in it? Do you just copy and paste from the original .docx and add that to the new .docx? What if you did make changes in the original .docx that you didn’t put in the Google Doc though?

This is where we start to fall in love with the “Review” menu in Word.

I love this tab. It has all my favorite tools and is why I write in Word. That Thesaurus button is my bestie. The Read Aloud? Why waste my voice when the computer can do it for me? And most importantly for this: the “Compare” button.

Now I usually use the “Combine” function of the Compare button. Ultimately I want this file I’ve downloaded from my Google Drive and the Original Word Doc to be one single file. If you’d like to just compare and contrast the changes, you can do that as well, but I think Combine is more helpful.

So I’ll put the .docx and give it a label in the Original Document Slot, and then the Google Doc Download in the Revised Document Slot.

Word thinks for a moment and then gives me one big file. On the left it shows me all the revisions I need to accept or deny, on the right it shows me the original .docx and the downloaded Google doc as they are in the same position I’m looking at in the new “Combined Doc.”

Now for Goats, I haven’t given Ambra Chapter 11 yet, it’s only in the Word version of the document. So to Word it looks like the “revised” document has had Chapter 11 cut. This is when we start to use the rest of the buttons in the review pane. The “Accept” button in the review tab will delete that Chapter 11, because Word thinks I’m accepting the revision of not having a Chapter 11. The “Reject” Button will keep Chapter 11, because it is "rejecting" the "deletion". I’ll go through the whole document and use the Accept/Reject Changes buttons to pick and choose the differences between the two documents that I’m keeping, knowing that Word thinks that the “Revised” Document (The one from Google that my Beta Reader has touched) is the most “Correct” Version

Look at that! We kept Chapter 11. When I’m done consolidating all of this, I will then save this new consolidated document under the same name as the original Word Document on my computer, thereby replacing the old one with the new, deleting the download from Google Docs, and getting me back down to just two versions of my story. One in Microsoft word, and one in Google Docs.

We have one last thing for me to do before calling this complete. I now want to take this version and put it back into Google Docs, and again, I want to keep the comments relatively intact.

I’m going into the Google Drive folder and right click the file in it’s folder. And then I’m going to select “Manage Versions”

Remember when I said “do not just open a blank Google Doc?” This is where it comes into play. If you start with a Google Doc, you do not get the ability to “Manage Versions” like this. The file has to be a file that does not have a Google Root. A PDF, a .docx, a .xlsx, etc. You only get to manage versions if it was not originally a Google file.

Here I’ll select “Upload a New Version” and import that new document. When I do this, it replaces the current document with the new one—but the cool things is, I can always download the last version if needed.

When you import a document from word back into Google Docs, you keep all the changes, and those comments. The one thing with the comments is that it does lose the tie back to your beta-readers email address. Their name will still display the same, but you’ll need to tag their email back in for them to get updates on that comment if you use comment threads as conversations like Ambra and I do. These were all comments left before I took the file out, but if I needed to add a "better" or if I realized she hadn't responded to one yet, I'd have to tag her.

Finally when you do this, if your beta reader has the file just hanging out in a tab on their browser, you’ll want to ping them and let them know you’ve done this so they can refresh the page to get everything correct. But! That’s it! You’re now down to two matching versions of your story. One for you on Word to write in, and one in Google Docs for you to edit in with your Beta Reader.

Now if you excuse me, I’ve got some revisions to make!!