#if i do; idk i'll continue writing chapter 7 or something

[lovemyromance]

idk why but i think itll be forced if gwyn and az get together. Like say elain accepts the bond and gets with lucien and azriel knows he has to step back and then suddenly he likes gwyn and they started to form a bond and get together. like... no. thats not it at all. like at least do some type of slowburn for gwynriel if elain and lucien get together. (Idk why but I keep thinking itll be like a forcing thing if elain and luc get together because they know they are mates. LIKE IT JUST WONT HIT THE SAME) But, I think thats why im so built up on elriel and cant fully ship the other ships because theres nothing for me to fully ship.

My meeting got cancelled just now and I'm in a silly goofy mood so let me just say this: if I were SJM and I for some reason DID intend to write Elucien or Gwynriel, I would not have done it this way. I don't think any writer would've done it this way.

The way the books are currently written, it is a clear setup for Elriel. People who deny that are those who still hold out hopes for their preference of ship, but the writing does not support that. It has not supported that since ACOWAR.

Not that I am in any way SJM equivalent but here's how I would've done it, starting from ACOWAR, which was when she started actively planning Nesta & Elain's spinoffs. (And this is in no way Anti Lucien or Gwyn. But I'm tagging it anti because I don't want them getting any ideas lmaooo)

1. The second they got back to the Spring Court, have Lucien grow a backbone and tell Tamlin he's going after Elain. Not simply "Get her back" but "I'm getting her back." (Ring any bells?)

Not wait for Feyre to leave and tag along to see if Elain was "worth fighting for", not simply think about how Elain had been thrown at him, not even think about Jessiminda. I would've had Lucien take action himself. He would've left to go after Elain immediately, and Feyre would've followed HIM - or waited till she got the spring court fucked up and then followed him.

2. Have Lucien be patient with Elain. Have more than just one awkward conversation with Elain. Have Feyre observe multiple moments between them. Have Elain slowly soften to him or get used to his presence. Have Lucien sit in the garden with Elain. Have him frown at her words and bring them up to Feyre and actually try to help her. But most importantly I would've had Lucien figure out her powers. (Sound familiar? Good. It should.)

3. Have Azriel go volunteer to find Vassa, not Lucien. Perhaps he goes into the library to research (starting the foundation for Gwynriel very subtly). Have Lucien join the IC as they fight at SC, have Lucien join them at the HL meeting. Have Lucien go into an angry rage at seeing Graysen and how that man's words hurt his mate. Have him comfort Elain and say "I'll wait - however long it takes."

4. Have Lucien save Elain from Hybern's camp. Have Lucien go feral and break the wards around the camp - setting up for his parentage plotline - and winnow in and save her. Have Elain kiss his cheek. Have Elain finally see him in a different light. (Wow where have I seen this before?)

5. Have Elain willingly invite him to Velaris at the end of ACOWAR. Have Lucien take her up on that offer.

6. In ACOFAS, have Elain & Lucien get each other presents. Elain does not get Azriel a gift, just Lucien. She appreciates the gardening gloves. Gets Lucien ... a fishing rod or hair tie or something idk "here's a rod: for all the fish that you catch with your hands" 🤣🤣🤣 Lucien laughs and Feyre thinks "wow I've never seen him so happy"

7. Continue to develop their relationship in the background of ACOSF. Lucien offers to help Elain train her powers in the background (idk how he would but still). He is there at solstice and gets her another gift. Cassian thinks Elain is sneaking around with him but won't admit it. Lucien goes with them to Hewn city and gifts Elain a dress that suits her better and is from the Day court or whatever. There's a bonus chapter with LUCIEN's POV where Elain & Lucien are about to kiss but they get interrupted and Lucien feels bad he pushed her too far so he says sorry this was a mistake. Miscommunication trope ensues.

8. After ACOSF, start their book with a major conflict that comes up immediately. For some reason, Lucien & Elain go to Day court to research and train her powers - maybe they have a Seer there idk. make something up, a la CC3 translation bean. Their friendship has been steadily growing since ACOWAR, and now it turns to love.

I would've set Elucien up for a slow burn, friends to lovers romance from the second Elain got chucked out that cauldron.

But again, SJM did not write it that way. She wrote all those key pivotal moments with Elriel, not Elucien. It would've been so easy to do the storyline above. It would've made us root for them more by the time their book came around. Lucien was a main character since book 1 (before he fell off) so their story would've been eagerly anticipated.

And I could do this same thing for Gwynriel, but she didn't exist until ACOSF so it would be much much shorter and basically would be Nesta noticing ACTUAL romantic moments between Gwyn & Azriel (not "bye Shadowsinger" or "you're new ribbon Az" but actual romantic attraction - like Azriel physically helping Gwyn cut the ribbon and touching her - with her consent ofc - and Gwyn blushing at him). Like - do the antis realize how EASY that would've been? I dare say it would've been easier for SJM to write Gwynriel than any moment with Elriel at that point in ACOSF, because Nesta spent more time with Gwyn.

There's absolutely no way SJM wrote the books this way with all this Elriel buildup, just so she could have a shock factor (?) of "Elain & Lucien are mates but she avoids him for 3 books and gets with Azriel but SURPRISE- Elucien is actually endgame! And Az gets with Gwyn!"

That just doesn't make any sense. At all.

[createandconstruct]

Ask game, i love these!! 7 and 76 for "thicker than blood", if that's okay ^^

MOON! THANK YOU!

7. How do you choose which POV to write from?

I do not choose povs. The truth is that povs choose me.

Sometimes in multi-chapter I may start writing a paragraph from one characters pov and realize that it just doesn't work and switch it. But sometimes I just find that another pov would work well. I found this in "Misstep" as I was going to continue writing Izuku's pov for a bit or even switch to Toshi during Izuku's seizure but then Katsuki appeared. I realized with his role in the story his pov made so much sense emotional since Toshi with his experience would be able to react. It felt better to go to the pov of a character who felt helpless and Katsuki worked well. Super happy with that decision though! I think it became my favorite scene of the fic besides the ending.

76. Did you have any ideas that didn’t make the final cut of [Fanfic Name]?

Oh man. There's SO many things that didn't make the cut. I have an entire document called "thicker than blood cutting room floor" but that's pretty common for most my fics. Most of it is scenes that got reworked. I'll share one cause what the heck ya asked and it's the most complete. For context this was the originally scene of chapter 3 of Toshi arriving at the school and running into Izuku and Katsuki. I was going back and forth with having them meet at the entrance or having Toshi go to the staff room first. This scene was written fully and I scrapped it because idk it felt a little too emotional too soon. I decided to redo it so it left off more emotionally unfinished, with things almost bubbling but not tipping as I felt they were here. Rereading it now it's not that bad honestly and I like it on it's own but the final scene works much much better.

Maybe it'd be fun to see it so I shall share! Here ya go!

But what he really can’t fight, is the smallest possibility of being inattentive to a message on his phone. 

He takes it outside with a small, “Excuse me,” though barely anyone notices, only Mic flashing a thumbs up before waving him into the hall. 

And he’s so glad he did, because it’s not Inko or some U.A. email alert. It’s Izuku. Breaking his mute silence since Friday that Toshinori had been too nervous to encroach upon. Reaching out, all on his own.

Not sure when you leave, and you might not see this but I wanted to wish you safe travels

There’s a second of confusion, and then another for kicking himself. 

Shit.

He never even let the kid know he’d be in Japan today.

Is there a right answer for this? Leaning against the staffroom door, he certainly doesn’t know. It’s foolish, stupid, that he never said anything. He knows that, he knows. But everytime it occurred to, he’d simply pushed it off because—

“What the hell?!”

That familiar yellow. It’s there. Suddenly before him. Before he’s ready. Coloring parallel straps running over Izuku’s shoulders, as he stares at Toshinori, stopped in his tracks, just behind Young Bakugou after following up the stairs.

“Aren’t you supposed to be in another country?” Bakugou barks, across the hall, while Izuku simply stares.

Toshinori stumbles on how to begin. He was going to—during school—before they left. He’s torn between meeting Bakugou’s glare or Izuku’s stiff expression, as he tries to explain, “I was going to but—something came up…I suppose, Young Midoriya told you?”

“Is that a good something or…” It’s fast but Toshinori’s catches how red eyes dart to the boy at their side. “A bad something?” Bakugou asks, ignoring Toshinori’s question, but answering it all the same.

Izuku meanwhile, looks away.

“Neither. Just a change of plans,” Toshinori says immediately, pocketing his phone, taking a step towards them to bridge the gap. “I meant to tell you, my boy. I was going to-”

Izuku’s face flashes with a mix of turmoil before it settles into a frustrated, tightened jaw. “So why didn’t you.”

Toshinori’s never heard the boy snap. Young Bakugou must have once before—he twitches at the tone but not with shock. There’s no anger, no malice. Just a wavering voice, from a boy pushed too far, asking quietly, in a way that says that knowing that Toshinori’s answer, whatever it is, won’t truly be enough.

It startles Izuku too. “I—” Worse though, is what comes next. In the second Toshinori takes to breath, a smile splinters across Izuku’s face. Forced, worse than the one he’d seen in the hospital, as those green eyes with a wet shine meet his before they fall away. “I guess it didn’t work out, huh?” A smile so harsh it hurts.

“No, that’s not what-” But the kid won’t look at him so he blurts out, “Izuku, I canceled it.” 

Even Young Bakugou looks taken aback.

“After we spoke on Friday, you were so upset that I… I couldn’t go through with it.”

The hopeless frustration melts from Izuku’s into pain of a different kind. “Oh…”

Bakugou’s brows furrow, red eyes darting between Toshinori and Izuku, though they linger on his young friend, “Didn’t…wasn’t that stupid deal supposed to be some way for Deku to still—”

He can’t finish, and Toshinori can’t answer, the stairwell resounding with laughter and familiar calls.

The chipper sound is polar opposite to the cold quiver as Izuku speaks.

The chipper sound is polar opposite to the cold quiver as Izuku speaks. “It’s fine. I was the one who said I didn’t want it.”

Bakugou reels back as Toshinori freezes, “What the hell are you—that’s because you were being stupid!” 

“Bakugou!” Toshinori scolds, “Don’t call hi-”

“Stay outta this All Might! Before you make things worse!” 

Toshinori nearly bites his tongue. 

Behind him he’s vaguely aware of a murmur of whispers joining the mix.

“Kacchan, stop! All Might didn’t—”

“No you stop!” And Izuku’s own mouth slams shut. “I’ve had to put up with your spiraling shit all weekend. We are not doing this at eight fucking AM.”

He grabs Izuku’s wrist, and yanks, so hard that Toshinori throws out a hand. 

But Bakugou spins on him with red eyes, “Deal with your shit later, we’re going to class.” Before practically dragging Izuku down the hall. 

He watches, a thousand things to say still stuck at the roof of his mouth, and yet, feeling as though somehow, Young Bakugou just saved him again. 

Because this time, even if it’s just once, Izuku looks back as he’s pulled along. 

[Get to know your fic writer! ask game]

[adhd-merlin]

2023 WRITING REVIEW

I really don't write much but it's the second time @eeverlark tags me in a writing meme (I think) soooo alright lys I'll do it. for you 🫶🏻

1. number of stories posted to ao3: 4, and yes I'm counting the fic I updated in early January because 7 out of 8 chapters were written in 2023

2. number of words posted last year: 49k

3. fandoms i wrote for: only Merlin I'm monogamous 💛

4. pairings: Merwenthur; Merwaine; background Arwen in an Arthur & Merlin fic if that counts

5. stories with the most:

KUDOS || BOOKMARKS: Call It Anything We Want (281 | 48)

COMMENT THREADS: my merwenthur vignettes have 31 threads (excluding the chapter posted in January 2024). makes sense given every chapter is basically a self-contained ficlet

6. work i'm most proud of (and why): every fic I write is simultaneously the best and the worst I've ever written and it remains so until I post a new one.

Honestly though every fic(let) has some things I like and some I think I could've done better.

Having said that, Call It Anything We Want is the first fic I posted on ao3 after a long writing hiatus so. I'm proud of that and of the amount of time I've put into this story as a whole.

7. work i'm least proud of (and why): hmmm see previous answer.

there's a ficlet called The Hunting Trip that I think I could have done better – mainly the conversation Arthur and Merlin have about Uther – but I just wanted to get it done tbh. I do like how it starts though. And Cavall the dog :)

8. share or describe a favorite review you received: I absolutely love any time someone says they liked my characterisation. for example:

your characterization is insane i am so obsessed. its so so good. like. idk how to describe it you just write relationships meshing so well together and not in like. an unrealistically flawless way but in a warm and familiar way. im in awe.

or

I love this story, your writing, this relationship, this dynamic, your details, your characterization, your everything and I’ve been meaning to tell you for a very long time. I’m sorry for not expressing this earlier. Your continuation of the original story was incredibly, believably, wondrously fantastic.

Comments like these give me life 🥺

9. a time when writing was really, really hard: 99% of the time if I'm being honest

10. a scene or character you wrote that surprised you: I wrote a ficlet that was supposed to be magically genderbent!Merlin x Arthur smut but it ended up being fem!Merlin x Gwen instead because Arthur wasn't cooperating

11. a favorite excerpt of your writing:

“Ah, the court sorcerer himself!” Gwaine exclaims, spreading his arms wide, and some wine sloshes out of his goblet and spills on the floor. He claps one hand on Merlin's shoulder. “Congratulations, Master Merlin.” “I told you to stop calling me that.” Gwaine just looks at him. Head to toe, with a grin that does nothing to hide what he's thinking, and must therefore come across as incredibly lewd. “You look good in green,” is all he says. Merlin raises an eyebrow. “You think I look good in anything.” Gwaine leans closer; close enough to purr in Merlin’s ear: “And even better in nothing at all.” Mainly for the pleasure of watching the tips of Merlin’s ears flush pink. — UNWAVERING

12. how did you grow as a writer last year: well I actually wrote something which is a good starting point

13. how do you hope to grow this year: I'd love to write a multi-chapter fic with an actual plot someday. also get better at titling things

14. who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer, beta, cheerleader, etc.): I think all the lovely people that left me some feedback made me push myself a tiny bit harder to keep writing and posting. a special shout-out to @castelled-away for writing whole essays about my merwenthur ficlets, I've loved every single comment 💛

15. anything from your real life show up in your writing last year: nothing apart from my desire to kiss Colin Morgan on the mouth

16. any new wisdom you can share with other writers: sometimes done is better than perfect. just get it done and move on it's fine if it's not a masterpiece. at least that's what I often have to tell myself but also I suspect I have adhd

17. any projects you're looking to starting (or finishing) this year: I would like to finish my Sefa-centric WIP, I wrote like 8k words but I'm not sure where it's going

[buffintruder]

@allpurposepanda sent me this ask game and since I have writing to procrastinate, I figured I'd just go through and answer all the questions I felt like answering

1. What’s something new that you tried in a fic this year? How did it turn out and would you do it again?

I think the most interesting thing I did was write a fic where I tried not to use any figurative language at all in the narration or dialogue from other pov characters. It wasn't as hard as I was expecting (actually, it was harder to determine what counted as figurative and what counted as a word simply having multiple meanings, one more concrete than the other) and I think it turned out pretty okay. I'd do it again if I wrote from this pov again or someone similar, but I don't think I'd seek it out

2. How many fics did you work on this year? (They don’t have to be finished or published!)

About 18 if I counted correctly! 7 have been posted, 1 is in the process of posting, and 10 are unposted. 9 are brand new while 9 are continuations of wips from previous years

3. What’s something you learned about yourself as a writer?

I'm not sure. I guess I've been thinking about the relation between a writer and the audience and feedback and community support a lot (I went from a bigger fandom to a smaller fandom, and the decrease in comments and people to talk to about my fics hit my motivation harder than I was expecting)

4. What piece of media inspired you the most?

I'm not sure, but I think I wrote the most fic for Donbrothers or Kamen Rider

5. What fandom(s) did you write for this year?

8 fandoms: Kamen Rider Blade (6), Kamen Rider W (1), Kamen Rider Drive (1), Changerion (1), Donbrothers (3), Ace Attorney (4), the Watchmaker of Filigree Street (2), and Les Miserables (1)

6. What ship(s) captured your heart?

Nothing new from last year, but Hajime/Kenzaki from Blade and Sonoi/Momoi from Donbrothers

7. What character(s) captured your heart?

Also nothing new, but Haruka from Donbrothers and Wakana from Kamen Rider W

8. Did you write for a new fandom or ship this year?

Donbrothers is new because I was waiting for the show to finish airing before I started writing anything for it. Changerion I only watched this year, so that's also new

9. What fic meant the most to you to write?

I am obsessed with my Blade soul nemesis au and my Ace Attorney Trickster au, and I don't have any fics that like particularly hit close to home for me or anything. However, I do think the winner would have to be Truer than Truth because idk. It was difficult and it feels like one of the best things I've written (definitely the best shorter fic I've written) and just had a lot of thought go into it

10. What fic made you feel the happiest to work on?

Definitely my soul nemesis au. Tbh I have enjoyed working on it so much I started posting it probably like a good 6 months later than I could have so I could work on it more, and it's also taking me forever to upload the chapters despite the fic being finished because I want to keep working on it (that and it has 0 comments, so I feel like no one is too invested other than the people I know personally, so I can take my time with it and get distracted from it)

11. What fic was the most satisfying to finish writing?

To Turn the World Upside Down is maybe the best long fic I've written, and finishing it felt like the end of the journey. However, I'm pretty sure I wrote the ending in 2022 (I just finished the editing in 2023), so I'll also put in Truer than Truth for the reasons answered in the next question

12. What fic was the most difficult to write? Did you finish it?

Definitely Truer than Truth. I mentioned I wrote a fic without figurative language, and this was the first fic in the series where I tried to write a fic with a ton of figurative language. Coming up with symbolism related to classic Japanese Buddhist literature that isn't too heavy handed is hard! Coming up prose with metaphors and pretty descriptions that doesn't sound unbearably flowery is hard! Also mapping out the character of progression of Sonoi, someone who both knows a lot about humans and also doesn't, in a way that makes sense and doesn't make him more ignorant than he is in canon is hard!

13. What fic was the easiest to write?

Trust Fall. I wrote probably about half of it in one day and finished writing+editing it in probably around 2 weeks which is insanely fast for me. It just sort of came out of me, idk man

14. What were your shortest and longest fics this year?

Technically Meetings is the longest fic (90k words), but that was originally meant to be a trilogy that I wrote most of years ago and just polished and posted this year, so I'm counting To Turn the World Upside Down (73k words) instead because it's finished and I like it more.

Shortest is Trust Fall (4k words)

15. Rec a fic you wrote or posted in 2023

This is hard because I do like a lot of the fics I wrote and posted in 2023. However, I've talked a lot (and will continue to talk) about my top 3 fics in this ask game, but one fic that will not be mentioned outside of this that I think is good is Across the River of Stars.

It's an outsider pov Cowherd and Weaver au where I think I did a good job with a sort of melancholic atmosphere

16. What were you go-to writing songs?

I don't listen to music a lot while writing, but when I do it's probably the How To Train Your Dragon soundtrack (movies 1-3), the Witcher 3 soundtrack, or the Black Sails soundtrack

17. What were your go-to writing snacks?

I don't think I have one. I don't particularly snack while writing, and if I do, I'll just eat whatever

18. What was the hardest fic to title?

Afterwards. I needed something short and simple and to the point to contrast the long and more poetic "truer than truth are those beautiful lies", but I still think it's a bit meh and doesn't really do much for the fic

19. Share your favorite opening line

Here is a truth: Momoi Tarou is like the sky, impossibly vast and unreachable; and Sonoi is like the sea, forever gazing up, reflecting that same blue.

This wasn't initially the beginning line (I switched around a lot of stuffin this fic), and the whole "here is a truth, here is a lie" bit was a totally unexpected unplanned bit that just happened when I started writing it. However, I'm pleased with how it turned out, and also the particular way in which I took a line from the show (Sonoi saying "we are like the sky and the sea") and expanding a bit on it and how the two of them individually relate to that

20. Share your favorite ending line

Okay technically it's 2 lines from Trust Fall, but it's still my favorite:

(All too soon, when the end does come, Kenzaki looks at Hajime and smiles like a blade to the heart and says, “See, I said that you could trust me to keep this hope of yours alive.” And Hajime does not have the time to tell him that no one has ever lied to him so cruelly before.)

It's good because of the misunderstanding. Kenzaki is sacrificing himself so Hajime can keep living, but of course that also really sucks on Hajime's end. I just think seeing something from the pov of the person/people left behind when someone sacrifices themselves is so juicy. Also Kenzaki's symbol is a blade while Hajime's is a heart, so the smile is from Blade to Heart but also metaphorically like being stabbed hahaha (i think i'm so clever when i do symbolism 101)

21. Share your favorite piece of dialogue

This is hard. Definitely, my favorite piece of dialogue comes from To Turn the World Upside Down because tbh I think that fic has some of the best written dialogue in anything I've ever written, but I'm not sure I could pick out something among it. I just went with the last scene because I am genuinely proud, like I don't normally like writing endings and it's especially hard in a long fic with a lot of build up, but I think I did well on this one. Also it's probably one of the parts I worked most on in 2023 (rather than 2022)

“I think you should do it, daddy,” Trucy says. Surprised, Phoenix looks up to see his daughter staring at him, her face set firmly. Of all the people who would encourage him to retake the exam, he hadn’t thought it would be her. She has never known him as a lawyer. “What? Why?” “You never stopped being a lawyer,” she says, as if it’s that simple. “Sure, officially, they took that away from you. But deep down, you’ve always been one.” “What?” Phoenix scoffs, something small and hopeful curling into a cold and defensive ball deep in his chest. “Prove it.” Trucy raises her eyebrows at him. “Prove it? Do I need physical evidence for it so that it may be accepted in the court of Phoenix Wright, or is pointing out your contradiction enough?” Phoenix flushes. “Okay, okay, point taken.” “She’s right,” Miles says quietly. “It’s your life to live, but please—at least consider it.” From the moment you asked, there was no question of the answer, Phoenix thinks. I became a lawyer for you once, I would do it a second time, as many times as you needed me to. “Are you sure about it?” Phoenix asks. “I mean, you know what it was like the first time I was a lawyer. You know the kind of shit that follows me. I was a lawyer for just two and a half years the first time, and look at the kind of mess I left behind me.” Miles smiles at him, so fond it hurts. “You say that as if that’s not exactly what I want. I want you back in the courthouse, Trickster and all. It all needs a good shaking up, don’t you think?” It was never meant to be about the suffering, the Trickster had said about their chaos. There already is suffering stuck in between each clean-cut brick of the legal system, trapped in the very foundation and everything that has grown on top of it. Maybe it’s time to knock things around and see what shakes loose, to see what can be built anew from the rubble. “Alright,” Phoenix says, and the way Miles and Trucy’s eyes light up already makes it all worth it. “I’ll do it. Let’s go turn turn the legal world upside down.”

22. Share an excerpt from your favorite scene

Tbh I could probably also post a bit from the Trickster au, but just to switch it up here's a sneak peak from my soul nemesis au. I was so excited to write this scene that it's the only one I skipped ahead to write. This scene (earlier parts of it, not what's here) is also the reason why I chose the mechanics for soul nemeses that I did, like I've been hyping up this scene almost since I first had the idea for the fic, and it's still one of my favorites

“Did...” Gou started. “Did he love you too?” Kenzaki thought about the way Hajime kissed back, the way his whole face softened as he smiled at Kenzaki, the way he looked like his heart was shattering when Kenzaki had last seen him, the way he had written don't go in his letter. “I think—maybe. But it doesn’t matter. I had to leave, so he could live out his life.” For the whole time that Kenzaki had known him, Gou had been all bright smiles and wild hand gestures. Even as the conversation took a turn for the more serious, his face had been an open book, but now his face turned still and unreadable. “It’s not worth it.” “What?” demanded Kenzaki. “I’ve been there,” Gou said, and now he looked angry. “Someone sacrificed himself for me, so I could live my life. And I will never forgive him for that, because if I had the choice, I would choose him over me every time. I may not have met Masaki myself, but I'm sure that he would rather have you in his life no matter what hardships. You can still go back—” “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kenzaki snapped, anger curling defensively around him. He knew that. He knew he was hurting Hajime, that it had destroyed him to be left behind. It had destroyed Kenzaki to leave. But he had chosen to defy fate, and this was their punishment. “It’s impossible.” "What's impossible? You're both still alive, aren't you?" "He might as well be dead, for all the difference it makes to me,” Kenzaki snapped. Maybe if Hajime had been dead it would hurt less. “There is no other choice.” Gou stared back at him, his expression set stubbornly on his face. He was so young, Kenzaki thought all of a sudden. Kenzaki had been like that too over a decade ago when he was around Gou’s age, so stubbornly set on how things should be, as if he could bend the universe into shape through sheer force of will. Kenzaki sighed, and let the anger drain from him. He would have had those same thoughts, and it wasn’t like Gou had any idea of the impossible circumstances that kept him and Hajime apart. “It's too late now. I would go back, if I could. And he would track me down across the world, if he could." “Right,” Gou said, and Kenzaki wondered if he felt the same envy towards him. Gou hadn’t specified what sacrifice had been made for him, but the implication was clear. At least Hajime was still alive. At least he was out there somewhere that Kenzaki could return to, technically. Gou couldn't know that the potential only made the separation ache more, he couldn't know that the impossible situation that trapped them went far beyond ordinary human concerns. “I’m sorry for your loss,” Kenzaki said, as much of an acquiescence as he could make. “Thanks,” Gou said, his mouth twisting. “I... don’t know if he’s gone for good though. That’s actually why I’m here. Trying to do some research to bring him back.” “Are there good medical facilities here?” Kenzaki asked, confused. Maybe Gou's person was in a coma or something? Gou shrugged. “Not particularly. I’m here more for the tech stuff.” “I hope it succeeds,” Kenzaki said, not entirely sure what to say. “Thank you,” Gou said, sounding tired. “And I hope you find someway around whatever’s keeping you two apart.” It was impossible, but Kenzaki smiled and nodded anyway. “If I ever run into him, do you want me to pass on a message?” Gou asked. What could Kenzaki say that Hajime did not already know, and that would not hurt him more to hear? “Just that I am well,” Kenzaki said at last. “And that I like his book. And... I still miss him.” Gou nodded. “I’m going to get my friend back,” he said, with all the confidence and naivety of a twenty year old. “So you better not give up on yours, alright?” “I never will,” Kenzaki said. And Gou smiled because he did not yet know that it was the hope that destroyed you.

23. Share the final version of a sentence or paragraph you struggled with. What about it was challenging? Are you happy with how it turned out?

There are definitely many of these, but I'd have to go through my fics again to figure it out and that would take a while so I'm skipping this

24. What's something that surprised you while you were working on a fic? Did it change the story?

I mentioned earlier that there's a bit in Truer than Truth where between each scene it goes like "Here is a truth: [...] Here is a lie: [...]", or in the other order (lie first then truth) that is vaguely related to the themes of that scene, and I absolutely was not expecting.

It ended up changing the story quite a bit. I was originally going to have the story alternate povs, but something like this could only work from Sonoi's pov, and I wasn't sure how to juggle things around to make it work. Because I also wanted to have it alternate between whether it starts with a truth or a lie, I had to add two scenes in order to make the pattern work when I realized that some of the truths and lies would work better flipped around. And I think the story is better off with those added scenes to fill in something that would have been a jump otherwise

Also, it just generally affected the tone, since I had to think about the themes of the scene to write those bits, and they're very heavy in symbolism and metaphor that I could reuse throughout the fic

25. What did you use to write? (e.g. writing programs, paper & pen, etc.)

Mostly google docs and occasionally a notebook and pen. I have occasionally written a bit on my notes app of my phone if i couldn't get to google docs for whatever reason, but i don't think i did this year

26. If you had to choose one, what was THE most satisfying writing moment of your year?

The writing spree during which I wrote the first half of Trust Fall. I was feeling a bit shitty and purposeless at the time, but I had an idea brewing in the back of my head for awhile, and the stars aligned so the idea solidified and I wrote like 2k words in one day. I remember feeling afterwards that I really love writing sometimes and maybe if I go too long without doing it, it makes me worse

27. Did you do anything special to celebrate finishing a fic?

Not really? Maybe tell all my friends about it

28. How did you recharge between fics?

I don't think this question applies to my writing style tbh. I don't have "in between fics" (i am always working on a fic) and I switch between them a lot, so I don't really get worn out by them. I recharge between writing sessions I suppose?? I'm not actually sure how I'm supposed to answer this question

29. If this were an awards show, who would you thank?

I do try to thank the people involved in me writing a fic in any way at the beginning of each fic, but in a general sense, I would thank all the friends and acquaintances who encouraged me to write whenever I was like "maybe this is stupid" and all the people who listened to me go "wait I have the coolest idea for a fic, let me tell you about it" and all the people who helped answer my questions from everything between 'does this sound like semi-realistic attraction or is it just weird' to 'what are traffic-related superhero/supervillain names.' And particularly to @magpiedragon who bears the brunt of all of this

30. What’s something that you want to write in 2024?

I still have that one Kamen Rider Blade post canon idea that crosses over with Star Trek ds9. Also some Kamen Rider Agito ideas I want to get to at some point, but who knows if I ever will

[islemeadow]

20 Questions for Fic Writers!

I was tagged by the lovely @suspendingtime - thank you, this was so much fun! 🥰

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Only two so far! But they are quite massive and there will be at least two more in order to finish the entire "ABCD-series of Kanthony and their offspring", as I call it. All of it is written already, but I'm a bit neurotic and want to hone them into perfection before releasing anything, so therefore the "one chapter a week" publishing pace...

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

151,977

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Bridgerton. The first fanfic I ever wrote was for Game of Thrones, several years ago, but it kind of blew out of proportion and I never finished it, so therefore did not publish it either. Maybe I will, one day...

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Like I said earlier, I only have two works published of my gigantic series so far! The first one is finished but the second one is not and has been out for only a couple of weeks, so here we are:

Aspire - Kanthony's continuation story (365)

Burn - Edmund Bridgerton II's story (35)

Covet - Miles Bridgerton's story

Dare - Lily Bridgerton's story

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

Yes - obviously. I have to quote @suspendingtime on this one, because they phrased it so well:

"Why... I sort of have a need? Idk, when I see a comment it's hard to just leave it hanging there and not to reply. Like irl if someone looked at something I made and verbally commented on it... and I just stared back blankly not saying anything. 😐 This is how it feels to me on the receiving end at least haha. And my replies saying various forms of 'Thank you!' is probably quite repetitive, but hey ho."

And every time I say "thank you", I really mean it. I'm honestly so tremendously grateful for every comment I have ever got, I did not even think anyone would care about my scribblings...! 🙏

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

Well, I'm trying to write very bridgertonesque happy endings, but I guess "Covet - Miles Bridgerton's story" will be the angstiest one as a whole.

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

Again, happy endings are what I strive for, but perhaps "Dare - Lily Bridgerton's story" since it'll be the last one of the entire series and you've got to end on a high note!

8. Do you get hate on fics?

So far no, fortunately.

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

I do, although that too has not YET been published! But there will be some, soooon... And what kind? I try to be as true as possible to the source material of my fics, in other words the Bridgerton TV-series, so I guess I have kind of gone with that smut-wise. So I would describe it in the same manner as the intimate scenes in the series. It's not pornography, but neither is it a "rom com fade out and cut to the next morning" immediately when two people collapse on a bed, so you'll definitely know what's going on between the characters even though it's not described in super explicit detail.

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

Not yet, at least. Normally I'm not a huge fan of crossovers, but I'm still open for it.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I hope not!! Not that I'm aware of. I don't really understand why anyone would steal something that is already out there for free?

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I have not. Apart from English, which is not my mother tongue, I speak Swedish and Finnish, plus very little German and Spanish, but it would feel strange to write fanfiction in any other language than English, I think.

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

No, but it could be fun if we're on the same page! (stupid writer pun intended)

14. What’s your all-time favourite ship?

Clearly and undoubtedly Kate & Anthony, since they have inspired me to write approximately a thousand pages of fanfic... 😅 But I'm in general a very passionate shipper and I'll get a lot more interested in a series or a novel if there's a couple whose (possible) story I fall in love with and begin to root for. Last ones I got mildly obsessed with were Bonnet and Blackbeard in Our Flag Means Death.

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

It has to be the Game of Thrones one I mentioned earlier. Somehow I got blown away by the character of the wildling woman Karsi who was VERY briefly part of season 5 (and is not even in the books), so I began to write an entire background story for her and how she became the chieftain of her clan, but never got to the (sad canon-compliant) ending of it all.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Um... I guess I'm very productive at least, haha. If I get into a nice flow I can write for hours and hours. Dialogue comes very easy and usually I only plan a little ahead, like what the premise of a scene is, but most of the time it feels like the characters surprise myself as well and take it somewhere more or less unexpected - but better.

That probably describes my writing in general, it doesn't feel like I actively have to imagine these stories happening, rather simply document everything that pours out of my mind onto my laptop. If I don't get to write I get peevish, as if suffering from withdrawals...

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Probably sometimes forgetting to describe the setting around the character/s, or at least that is something I have to often remind myself of and maybe add on later. For example describing how a specific room or someone's clothes look (maybe fanfic is quite forgiving in this sense, since everyone already knows e.g. what Aubrey Hall or Bridgerton House looks like).

Another thing I seem to forget is the fact that the sun can't always be shining, although if you look at the Bridgerton TV-series is actually does, EXCEPT for when something dramatic is happening, then it's POURING. So, perhaps that's just being true to the source material, as with the smut...? 😅

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

Well, the languages I know aren't especially useful considering a Bridgerton fic, unless I one day come up with some Swedish prince or princess etc, but Kanthony's children are in fact speaking Hindi in my series. Being raised as bilingual myself I definitely wanted that for them too and I thought that Kate would want it as well, but unfortunately I'm solely relying on translation websites and would love it if someone who actually knows Hindi would check the text...!

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Unpublished: Game of Thrones, but actually published: Bridgerton.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

Tough question...! But I have to say... The previously mentioned "Covet - Miles Bridgerton's story". And not because it's the angstiest one, but because I kind of feel like I can't even take credit for the story of Miles and his love interest to work out so well. I had planned an entirely different thing for Miles, a lot more boring one, but in the middle of "Burn - Edmund Bridgerton's story" I had this huge epiphany when one of the characters went rogue on me and I sat there writing and suddenly had to pause like "ah, damn... You're in love with Miles, aren't you, you poor thing?" and then I gladly went on with that, because it simply made so much sense.

You'll see soon what I'm talking about, I think we're still a few chapters away from that when I have only four chapters of "Burn" published at the moment...!

__________________________________________________

I tried to find some writers who had not been tagged to this yet, so please ignore this if you already have replied to these questions earlier or if you just don't want to, which is perfectly alright! ❤️ But I'm sending this onwards to: @fitrahgolden , @silverhallow and @waterlilyrose

[gendervapor14]

two fights for freedom ~ chapter twenty-six: the haircut

In the dresser, she found a spare towel. She draped it around his shoulders and stood between his parted knees. She found a nice, silver-handled pair of scissors in her basket and stood before him, holding his jaw in a feeble excuse to gauge how much hair she needed to cut. Her thumb swiped over soft skin. “You shave?”

“Yeah.” The projection of his throat bobbed as he answered in a soft tone. “Otherwise I get this horrible mustache that may have worked for my father, but it’s uh, it’s not for me.”

Bell-mère laughed. “You shave every day but you don’t trim your hair?”

He laughed along and leaned into her touch, admitting defeat with grace. Up close like this, with enough time to stare, she realized his eyes were a beautiful, warm shade of brown. Something like rust and dried blood. He stared into her pretty pale eyes and she could see his pupils dilate, and then she found the problem right away. That quiet, wistful sigh was additional evidence she didn’t need.

Maybe he wanted to fuck her, (who didn’t?) but there was more in that gaze. Lovestruck. He was keeping himself away out of fear. Fear of whatever was haunting him. Fear of disaster. 

the final chapter before the great hiatus... i hope it doesn't disappoint. i rambled a lot in the author's notes of this chapter but basically the hiatus is starting now, and i'm using that time to write at least 5-7 chapters before i start posting again. maybe the whole fic if i get inspired enough. in the meantime, i will try to post something here every thursday relating to two fights for freedom using the tag #two fights for freedom. i have a playlist queued up, i might do some doodles, or some other rambles, idk. i'll try to keep posting about it so it doesn't feel like the story dropped dead in the water. you're also more than welcome to end asks or such!!

anyway, thank you so much for sticking with me so far!! i will continue for sure, and i appreciate EVERY ounce of support <3 <3

title: two fights for freedom rating: M category: F/M, gen content warnings: graphic depictions of violence status: incomplete, twenty-six chapters, 77,420 words relationships: rosinante/bell-mere, cora & law, rosinante & hatchan, bell-mere & rosinante & law & nami & nojiko, rosinante & genzo, bell-mere & genzo characters: rosinante, bell-mere, law, nami, nojiko, genzo, nako, hatchan, arlong, arlong pirates additional tags: canon divergent, fix-it, everybody lives, pre-arlong park, angst with a happy ending, angst and feels, fluff and humor, hurt/comfort, suggestive themes, sexual tension, limes (yes i'm bringing limes back), eventual smut, romance, slow burn, financial issues, broken bones, references to depression, alcoholism, mental health issues, canon backstory, mentioned doflamingo, non-canon backstory (giving bell-mere a backstory), found family, medical inaccuracies, blood and injury, trafalgar d. water law is a little shit, developing friendships, past child abuse, nightmares, self-harm, fake marriage, selective mutism, PTSD, more tags to be added later summary: freedom for one means adventure. exploring all the world has to offer, while avoiding the occasional haunting. freedom for another almost costs an arm and two daughters. a home, a village. perhaps freedom is best sought back-to-back. {a cora and bell-mère lives au}

♥

[transfemlogan]

plz teach me how to start writing smth /silly

i want to write a fic but idk how to start lol

-rauberrauber

I WILL TELL U MY WRITING PROCESS (BADLY EXPLAINED) @rauberrauber

STEP ONE: THE IDEA PHASE !!!

Come up w/ an idea & then write it down like. Halfassedly. Like my current fic was written down as "Logan transforms in2 a wolf on a full moon & virgil stays w/ him & makes a potion or whatever 2 keep the pain away & then he just turns in2 a dogy" (exact quote) & then was added onto 2 make my outline

This is my current outline (censored just so you guys dont. Get spoiled 4 everything that happens in the fic HEHDKDN) its just a lot of like rambling, trying 2 get everything in ordsr

REVYS TIP: MAKE SURE YOU ARE DAY DREAMING ABOUT YOUR IDEA NONSTOP. /silly whenever I try to write something when I haven't thought about how it'll go while I'm doing a chore or listening to music or falling asleep, the idea will never ever come out bcuz I have no idea what I'm even trying to do.

STEP TWO: THE PLANNING PHASE !!

Start planning ! I use Notion 2 organise everything, but i used 2 use my notes app 4 the longest time (& sometimes still do if I am too lazy to open my computer).

I write down a basic summary of my plot, how many chapters there are if its a chaptered fic, the characters & relationships, a timeline if its needed, a to-do list (ex. Research [insert thing], give the characters last names, create the timeline, etc), a list of what I need 2 research (& then keeping track of everything I research), title ideas, world building, etc etc

My planning phase is like... A Lot of work bcuz i really like to plan! It is my favourite part of any creative work i do, bcuz there is something wrong w/ me /j /silly.

This is sort of what my notion page looks like for "To The Tune Of Your Death". I also have a page for character info, like pronouns & ages & genders & races & relationships w/ each other, & two separate timelines with exact years and days (bcuz it is very much needed 4 this entire au). One for the main fic timeline (like when Janus dies and when Logan and Virgil start dating) AND one for background information (like their parents divorces, bcuz it unforrunately relates to the fic)

REVYS TIP: DO NOT GET SCARED BY HOW MUCH PLANNING I DO. it is entirely a me thing. I have yet to meet anyone who plans as much as I do & enjoys it like I do.

STEP THREE: THE WRITING PHASE !!

Note: the writing & planning phase overlay each other A Lot. You are going to start writing & then pause 2 keep planning or u will be planning & realise you need to start writing to Continue to plan. This is very normal, esp if ur researching for a disability or a race— you will not do research One Time & know everything immediately.

START WRITING!!! I always have like 7-10 drafts & I'm usually rewriting as I write. I use CalmyWriter to write on my computer and then I transfer it to discord so I can have it on my phone. I also use my notes apps a lot of the time! Bcuz its easy to just write on my phone anywhere than wait 2 use my laptop. I avoid google docs, simply bcuz i absolutely hate google docs (& it usually lags real bad 4 me)

(I do however transfer everything to google docs once I am done, bcuz i like 2 share my fics w/ ppl who want 2 beta!)

When I start my first draft (which u will always have a first draft) I am not at all focused on grammar, spelling, or "good writing", I'm focused on getting the idea down & the basic flow of events & following my outline (unless it needs to be revised). Literally my first drafts are so awful & thats the point.

Its usually very like (example): Virgil walked to the store and he bought this. [Insert what he bought as it relates to what he will be doing later] logan said hi to him he is blushing & gay. They arw talking. [Skip kissing scene] janus dies yayyy yippee

Thats what my 1st drafts r like. & then either once I am done, or while I am writing, I'll start revising. I will go back and rewrite scenes or add scenes in or move stuff around. Sometimes I have my 1st draft side by side with my revision & sometimes I go off memory

& once I am done w/ my revision... I do it all over again. & then again. & then I keep doing that until its finished.

I always keep my sketchbook & a pen/pencil by me while I am writing, incase I need to make a quick note of something for later or if I need to sketch out a layout of somehing (for example, I stopped to layout Virgil's witchcraft/office room while writing tge analogical fic)

STEP FOUR: UM. THE REST... OF IT ALL PHASE !!

I title my fic (if it hasnt been titled already), I create a summary for AO3, I send it out for my friends who want to beta, I reread it like 50 times & go "wow I am so good at writing", I create drafts on tumblr & ao3 and make sure its tagged correctly & the correct ppl r @ ed if i had a taglist of some sort etc etc

Any of my fics (or art) that you see get posted, were 100% in my drafts for like 3 hrs b4 they were posted bcuz i kept going through it and making sure everything is good (esp bcuz i cross post on tumblr & ao3)

& that is... pretty much my entire writing process broken down.

I think one of the scariest parts of starting to write for me personally was the first draft part. I always felt like it needed to be good IMMEDIATELY or else i wasnt being a "good writer". But most, if not all, writers dont start off "writing good", they start off with a shitty rough draft. & then keep revising & rewriting.

The best advice i have ever seen was "just start it", bcuz if ur so caught up on writing well, nothing will ever get done. Just GO START IT RIGHT NOW GO QUICKLY RUN!!!!!! RUN !!!!!!!!!!!!! WRITE !!!!!!!!

[draconixiaa]

tired but i'll do a bit of this (will be a bit rambly:D)

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

24,, wow not bad

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

165.5k wow thats a lot,, most of it comes from one tho; everything else are shortfics

3. What fandoms do you write for?

DSMP and ive just started a bit of genshin at the behest of my Tartaglia-obsessed irl and he's kinda cool but like for 95% of my other fics its all cdream ahahahhh(dies)

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

"Consequences" tops the charts obviously bc its my one and only longfic and it was written during the peak of dsmp and man id link it bc i love my storyline (cdream obviously gets messed up in prison but then gets a healing arc) there but at the same time i feel like the writing had too many grammar mistakes and could be better so nahh

"North Star to Freedom" is one im actually really proud of, like obviously the writing could be better bc ive improved, but i just like it and id deffo rewrite it too if i had time or steal it into an original fic (premise is that cdream escapes prison with the rebibe book and oh lord my lingo anyways (spoilers) he dies and he gives techno book)

"Persevere" is third, wow that's a long time ago, its alright, i like it in general, but it feels almost cheesy. idk. i like it, but i dont like it. its not mixed feelings, but eh. anyways, something about cdream getting captured by the egg which is about to take over the world but he sacrifices himself to cleanse it. the most acute thing i rember about it is that its a 3parter

"Coup de Grace" ok wth i didnt expect this to be on there it was a small little cdream suffering in prison and cphil comes over, sees him in pain, and cough relieves him of it, and i dont like the writing in a specific part of it, but i like it in some other parts, so eh

"turn the claret tides" whoops i forgot what this one was about ok i glanced through the doc its ctechno getting cdream out of prison wow that title was really vague but he gets the letter and things went on.. it was inspired by another fic and happened during the hype of the prison arc which is kinda cool

(man im looking at the amount of fics i want to rewrite but it aint happening sadge)

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

Sometimes, most of the times nowadays, if it particularly made my day or it has something deep and insightful or literally makes any observation on my fic. sometimes im just too tired to answer,, maybe laziness is a part of it too, but i stare and its like,, i cant generate a response . but nowadays, i do it most of the times bc i appreciate my commenters :D

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

my recent fics mostly have happy endings, but all my pre-like, mid 2023 fics were all sad sad sad. they all ended in cdream dying, one way or the other. so idk which ones the saddest now its been too long,, the one i personally think is the saddest is one that i like, was listening to sad music to, the song being 'sociopath,' an orchestral piece (or was it piano?)

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

consequences

8. Do you get hate on your fic?

once on consequences bc that was max cdream apologists vs inniters era

9. Do you write smut?

nop never ever ever

10. Do you write crossovers?

dream + tartaglia is one i wrote in fudging october that i am still trying to find time to continue

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

prob not, if there is, then i wouldnt know of it

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

nope, if there was, i also dont know of it

13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

wow thats crazy that i havent, but idk, teamwork and coordination just go meh when i only share my interests with online people

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

idk i dont do ships but my fav friendship is dream + techno or dream + punz

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

all my chapter continuations except the tartaglia + dream one i Need to finish that. but also the palace of stone idea will Never Ever get written

16. What’s your writing strengths?

descriptions idk they go lengthy but ive practiced with them a lot so ive gotten kinda good

17. What’s your writing weaknesses?

dialogue, pacing, idk literally everything, i can prob improve on anything and every aspect of my writing rn, and i just need to practice more

19. First fandom you wrote for?

DSMP lmao

20. Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

consequences i love the storyline + ending of that one even if the writing couldve been better

uhh tagging? idk if theres anyone that doesnt overlap wiht people whove been tagged b4 les see: @milktearosethorn , @victoriacoffee , ,, oh theres only two ok well, have fun if u decide to do this!

[waywardsou2]

Oh this is fun! Imma tag my writer friends at the end because this is going to be so interesting!

Here we go!

14...wow that is a lot more than I thought (how many of those are unfinished tho lol)

I tired getting into real whump like going deep into it and actually formulating it well, which...I tried but it didn't last too long

Deadpool and Wolverine is where most of my interest was based for a while in terms of writing. But more recently it's become Arcane

Only 3, my writing goes through fluctuations depending on the hyper fixation so I haven't had much difference in fandoms recently

5. DeadClaws was a big one for me for a while but Jayvik has stolen my heart most recently

6. Bucky Barnes was a big one for me even though I never ended up writing much for him. And now recently Jayce and Viktor (obviously)

7. Yes, Arcane was a new one for me. I don't count Deadpool and Wolverine because that is technically Marvel

8. So far my fic You and Me and The Music I make which is almost finished has meant the most to me to write. It's been a hug comfort honestly

9. Again, You and Me and The Music I make has made me extremely happy, it's all fluff which is something I never do. It has been so uplifiting

10. Welp I have a habit of not finishing my works (so many WIPs collecting dust right now) but when I finished You and Me and The Music I make I know I'll feel so amazing about it

11. I feel like my Summer of Bad Batch prompt challenge works were the hardest mainly because the hyper fixation died half way through which made it difficult for me to continue, but I did get it done in the end

12. Probably my one-shot series, because it was just shit posts here and there of smut. So it wasn't anything that big

13. Shortest was: My post movie head canon one, mainly because it was two chapters and it was just very basic

Longest was: Was Lost but never gone which was one 5 chapters (incomplete) at 15k words already

14. None just my general playlist but when I started You and Me and the Music I make I made a playlist specifically for that ship with songs that were actually included in the fic

15. The Sun will Set on Another Day and I will Still Sit in my Cage, which is super fucking long but it felt right? Idk it was just stupid for me to try and figure out how to name this one I ended up going with a fallout boy song title (LMAO)

16. "Fuck you" "Do it yourself, coward" was pretty funny but I also like You and Me and The Music I make, just coz it's sorta romantic? And I'm a sucker for romance

17. Tbh none of my opening lines particularly stand out to me...I find it hard to write good eye catchers, I mainly focus on the body content but since I'm in love with You and Me and The Music I make I'll have to pick that one

Viktor tuned out the methodical tapping of his shoes and cane working in tandem across the polished floors, he was well adjusted to the sound by now. The day was at its end and his bones had begun to creak. The hallways felt cavernous in the black with him unable to see the expanse of the celling or the depth of the hall. It only stretched out into more darkness.

It think it's nice and descriptive, sets the tone

18. I haven't finished any of my workssss I don't really have one

Their presence was the only thing that brought the other peace.

That's all I've got really

19. ...I suck at writing dialogue...so this was a struggle

“Just hold onto me, I won’t let you fall, and if you need to stop we will. Just…try this for me?”

^^^ This was just really sweet, it was so caring and kind in context. Litteral tooth rotting fluff

20. I thought this was pretty funny but I'm not really a comedian

"I will slice your dick off if you don't stop" "Oh kinky" "Fuck you"

21. In Lost but never gone the characters kinda ended up writing themselves. It was very interesting, enjoyable, but definitely an experience

22. I sometimes write in a dedicated notebook if I don't have my laptop on me. But I only use word and them I post on AO3 afterwards

23. Just the brainstorming stage for all of my works, when the idea pops into my head and I realise I can write it

24. No? Do people do that lol

25. I don't really have anything in particular I do. I usually just stop writing and switch to art for a while (I don't always have a choice) and then come back to writing when I feel the inspo again. It's weird

26. Yeah I made some art, though it wasn't very good

27. I took part in 3, I only completed one all the way to the end and abandoned the other two. I also created my own but I haven't participated in that

28. My friend DM and Emrys for being my biggest inspiration and supporters, for giving me ideas and being my beta readers. I would also thank a few of my discord servers for entertaining my bullshit

29. I want to finish You and Me and The Music I make because I genuinely think that will be the only WIP I can finish lol

30. More Jayvik fics...pfft that's literally it. I love them so much I want to keep writing for them

As for my writing friends

@desired-misery @bunnwis @emrys-study @fionajames @kybercrystals94

A slightly revised version of last year's questions! Two ways to play: Reblog and have your followers send you numbers, or answer the whole list!

How many fics have you worked on since January?

What’s something new that you tried in a fic this year?

What piece of media inspired you the most? (This can be the fandom you wrote the most for, the one that spawned the most ideas, the one you thought about the most, etc.)

How many fandoms did you write for this year?

What ships captured your heart?

What characters captured your heart?

Did you write for any new fandoms or ships this year?

What fic meant the most to you to write?

What fic made you feel the happiest to work on?

What fic was the most satisfying to finish writing?

What fic was the most difficult to write?

What fic was the easiest to write?

What were your shortest and longest fics posted this year?

What were your go-to writing songs?

What was the hardest fic to title?

What's your favorite title of the year?

Share your favorite opening line

Share your favorite ending line

Share your favorite piece of dialogue

Share your funniest line

What's something that surprised you while you were working on a fic? Did it change the story?

What writing programs did you use? Did you write by hand?

If you had to choose one, what was THE most satisfying writing moment of your year?

Did you do anything special to celebrate finishing a fic?

How did you recharge between fics?

Did you create fanworks other than fic?

How many events did you take part in? (bangs, exchanges, ship weeks, zines, prompt memes, they all count!)

If this were an awards show, who would you thank?

What's left on your to-do list for 2024?

What would you like to write next year?

[teriwrites]

The Insurgence: Chp. 7-9

My Live Reactions to Reading Through My 2016 Novel

Dollie's making a visit to our boy Lionel

She's still kind of a grouchy bitch, but, tbf, we've caught her on a bit of a rough day, what with the King placing massive bounties on the heads of all her agents

Aww she's offered Lionel official entry into the Insurgence, and he's so happy about it

"I just... forgot about the whole moving away from Newsham part is all," Lionel admitted. He rubbed his arm and stared down at Dollie. "My inn... ah, it's nothing, of course. I'll just have to find somebody to take care of it for me." "It may be wiser to sell it," Dollie said bluntly, swiveling away from Lionel, who bit at his lower lip and frowned at the wooden floor. Dollie continued as she reached the door. "I cannot possibly leave the owner of the pub out in the cold any longer, though it is also impossible for me to explain any of my information to you when they are present. I suppose that if I wrote it all down, you would be able to read it?" (it's starting to make sense to me why Dollie had no qualms about sending Lucile abroad with no diplomacy training... nobody to teach it to her)

'Dollie muttered under her breath as she fished for the keys in her pocket. "A bar, what a place for a meeting. I do suppose it is the nicest place they've got in this entire town, though, seeing how rundown it is. I cannot believe what kind of people live here, it's absolutely horrid." dollie, you live in an underground system of tunnels, you really have no grounds to bitch about an impoverished town

Also generally what a POS

"Did you not trust him enough to not think that bribing him was necessary?" "Mr. Archer has worked for the Atlonian military before," Dollie said curtly. "I did not wish to take any chances." Ross ran his fingers through his short hair. "His military service is what caused him to harbor so much hate for Atlona! The Atlonian military refused to provide him with assistance after he lost an eye in the war, and they sent him home with nothing because they believed him to be useless without being able to fire accurately! You really believe he was planning on selling us out to the people that betrayed him so horribly?" (the way this was probably written around Veteran's Day oop)

Okay we're switching back to Miles and Lucile for this next chapter, thank God

Lucile is Very uptight as they push into the capital city of Eulova

Alrighty... she just faced one of their contacts, froze, and then Sprinted away with zero explanation

"That woman is your mother." It was not a question, but a statement as recognition lit up in Miles' eyes.' firstly, !!! contact being Lucile's estranged mother feels like something that Dollie should've been able to figure out but I'm not sure Dollie would've cared

Secondly, yet another phrase that wheedles its way into my writing a lot: 'It wasn't a question.'

Ahh... Lucile's mom has a very... traditional approach to a woman's role, and when she refused to find a husband after the death of her father (to help 'provide' for the household), her mom kicked her out

So, yk, a little bad blood there

Miles, in turn, was raised on the streets and got involved in the Insurgence after saving Dollie's life (Lucile wanted to hear his life story in exchange for offering up hers)

Well they went back and actually met with Lucile's mom, who is Shocked that Lucile went on to join a rebellion and yet she herself is a contact in said rebellion

Idk man

"There are several marketplaces," Miles responded monotonously, glancing at Lucile curiously out of the corner of his eye. "You would know that, of course, you grew up here. But you don't really suppose I would want to spend my time in a stuffy marketplace staring at goods that cost far too much. Money would be more wisely spent elsewhere." It was then Lucile's turn to roll her eyes, and she did so as dramatically as she could. "You're no fun, Miles." (somethingsomething 'rich girl and poor boy' trope somethingsomething)

Okay I think eventually these two Were slated to become a thing

"I never thanked you for all you said to my mother," Lucile mentioned. Miles suddenly turned a bright scarlet as well. He stumbled over his words as he tried to speak. "Oh, well, of course, it's unnecessary for you to thank me. I mean, I meant every word... what was it I said again?" (like... ohh bud)

Lionel POV!!

Awww he seems like genuinely such a good innkeeper, he's always keeping things tidy and helping out the people visiting, even when they accidentally break his dishware

'In a quieter tone, Lionel continued, searching Ezra's face for a reaction. "I couldn't abandon my friends, Ezra." Ezra immediately tore his gaze from Lionel's face, focusing on anywhere else in the room.' (i think these bitches gay!! good for them!)

Ezra's the bartender at that one bar in Newsham that requires a secret passcode to get in, btw

Despite his excitement when talking to Dollie, Lionel really doesn't wanna pack up his life and move out of Newsham, but Ezra is being so encouraging and supportive and swearing to help out however he can aww

"Dollie providing compliments does help build confidence," Lionel offered, though his voice quickly grew darker. "Because she is so often harsh with her words." she's truly awful

Uh-oh

'One man crept to the edge of an alleyway as Lionel passed, a street lamp opposite him illuminating the man's face and revealing it to be the same as the customer who had broken a dish.' if this man tries to sell Lionel out i s2g

Ending Thoughts:

After running through these chapters, where we see all of our main cast largely in their elements (Ross only makes an appearance, but he got spotlight earlier), I think I can confidently say that Lionel is probably my favorite character, but Miles and Lucile have the most interesting story so far. Lionel is just an absolute sweetheart. He's so genuinely good, in a story that's filled with people who, even on the side of 'good' (even kickstarting the rebellion, *cough* Dollie *cough*), aren't. Most of them are allowed at least little shades of gray - Ross maybe isn't as critical of the elite as he should be, Miles is a grumpy ass, Lucile is inhibited by her own insecurities - but a lot of them do come across pretty poorly on the whole. Which maybe that makes sense, seeing how tense the story is, but it's hard to establish reasons to cheer on these characters when they're all Like That the whole time. Lionel is actually able to provide reasons. Also he's the first canonically gay character in a relationship in my writing, I'm pretty sure. Although, I don't know how explicitly it wound up getting written, as opposed to where I was planning to go with the story.

[lilolilyr]

4, 5, 6, 7 (especially interested in this one, I've never seen this question before!!!!), 8, 9, 11, 20, 26, 29! oh, and 30 of course!!!! self promo babeyyyyy <3

answering yours last because you sent so so many questions and a couple were also asked by other ppl, and so now everyone gets at least a couple new answers xD

4. a story idea you haven’t written yet - answered here

but more specifically interesting for you, I've never written an AU for Avorah, like anything Action or Sci-Fi or Fantasy or a crossover or something... maybe some day!

5. first sentence of the fifth paragraph of an unpublished WIP

good thing to specify 'unpublished' bc I tend to just throw my abandoned wips at ao3 xD

from my Bering & Wells gift exchange fic: “Wait, does that mean there really are ghosts?"

6. the words that appear the most in your current draft

for the B&W draft: 'myka' 3% - main character name, makes sense, 'xx' 3% - my place holder/marker for when I still need to fix or add something, fic's only half finished, makes sense, 'claudia' 2% - minor character they're on the phone with for like half the fic lmao (I think her name's more often than Helena's bc Helena and HG makes for more variety), 'ghost' 2% (makes sense for the fic even tho there isn't an actual ghost xD) & 'bag' 2% - snag, bag, tag! (along with some other words also at 2% but they're filler words like when, just, etc.)

for a Star Wars fic idea: 'obi-wan' 5%, 'jango', 'cody', 'just', 'some', 'force', 'jedi' - very on point for Jangobi Star Wars fic lmao. But my memory is so bad, it's only been a week since I wrote that 7k draft (in one go right after waking up and before forcing it upon @toboldlynerd lmao) and I already don't remember what Cody is doing in that fic??? Lmao

& for my Avorah longfic that I've only published 3 out of 12 chapters so far so it still counts as unpublished right: 'deborah' 2%, 'about', 'just', 'even', 'still', 'when', 'all', 'like', 'more', 'ava's' - definitely a lot due to how Ava talks with many filler words xDxD

interesting how the Character from whose POV the fic is written is always first! and the longer the fic, the lower the percentages.

7. your preferred writing fonts

uhhh sorry I'm boring I write in whatever happens to be the default of whatever I'm writing on? which tends to be either a chat in telegram messenger with just me in it, discord server with just me in it, Ao3 draft, or Word doc (in which case it's probably Aptos, I just checked my last docs)

8. answered 9 answered

11 a WIP you’d like to finish someday

Well, the Avorah Hacks HBO S4 thing is definitely gonna get finished, because it's already finished, I just gotta keep posting the chapters at this point?

Apart from that, like I answered in 8., there are fics I'd like to continue/finish but that's wishful thinking and not actually gonna happen.

I have a couple Star Wars drafts atm like the one mentioned above, where my only plan is to make a new draft pile on Ao3 (bc I haven't got one for the fandom yet) and post them as chapters there. And I'm alright with that! I don't want to leave them to die in my drafts and I'm realistic enoguh to know I won't ever finish all the fic ideas I have. Too many ideas, too little time!

20. in what year did you publish your first fic?

2014

26. are you able to write with other people around?

Oh hell yeah. like I answered here I tend to write in public places, there are always ppl around. And at home I live with my parents again so they're usually around. I just type type type away on my phone and completely forget what's going on around me. If there are annoying noises (weird voices, inconsistent noises, electricity noise, idk), I'll use headphones, but usually I don't even need that.

29 answered

30 share a fic you’re especially proud of:

I know I'm a broken record but it's still in my header gif for a reason: Andromaquynh In Your Stead. I even had that shit printed out in hardcover copies for myself and those friends who had illustrated scenes and painted the cover image :) I made a proper timeline for that fic, it's a longfic with actual plot, you can probably even read it without knowing TOG (though I can only recommend the film if you like action movies) because I follow the whole plot just slightly adapted to my fic verse :)

in general that year and the time in TOG fandom was great for me in terms of fic writing, I'm also still proud of all the lore I created for my vampire-ish fics, and the college AU...

More recently I'm proud I'm finally posting the Avorah longfic xDxD and that I dared to dip my toe into a new fandom and post some Star Wars fics!

Thanks for the questions! :D

Fanfic ask • ask me something and reblog the ask meme, I'll ask you something back!

[raving-raven-writing]

7, 8, 10 for the ask game 🌱

Thanks for the ask anon! (Also, what is that emoji you used at the end, I can't tell what it is lol) 7. Any worldbuilding you’re particularly proud of?

...Worldbuilding is something I struggle with sometimes....Putting my original stuff aside, and just in regards to fanfiction, I like the bit of worldbuilding I did for the story Path of the Lost Men. It's nothing drastic, but still, effort was put in to creating other Na'vi clans and settings that weren't the forest or similar to that of the Metkayina beaches. 8. What song would make a great fic (to either write or read)?

I hope I am not misunderstanding the question, but I am assuming this in regards to music that would inspire fic ideas? Because I know I have seen people write music fics, where they includes lyrics from the song in between the prose. Hmm... Well, there is a song I came across the other day by Tx2 called Degrade Me. It sparked an idea for a Total Drama fanfic between Courtney and Duncan. But I haven't written anything on that idea, yet. Another song would maybe be Mommy Issues by Cloudy June, where I actually do have something written up for Avatar, focusing mainly on Lyle, although this is not published. (Idk if I will post it on ao3, even for me, I find it to be a bit too kinky, but if people have an interest, then yeah, I'll put it out there). A interspecies love relationship, strangers to lovers I suppose. The song was applied to it later, but the initial idea was writing a submissive Lyle (I see so many people write him as a dom, but he honestly seems like a switch to me, but I do like my submissive men....hehe) 10. How do you decide what to write? I like this question. Thank you for asking it. Idk if other people experience something similar to me, but sometimes, when an idea presents itself in my head, it will play or repeat. If I am alone, I will act out scenes or dialogue between the characters. If I don't write the idea down, it will continue to harass me and infiltrate my dreams. I have a lot of sleep issues, so sometimes I wake up too early and I am just lying in bed, thinking on the idea and how I can write it. I tend to slide around when it comes to my obsessions, which is why I try to keep a lot of my stuff to one shots. But I am getting better at finishing multi-chapters. Currently, three of my Avatar fics are one chapter away from being complete, with the final chapters in drafts atm. And there are four other multi chapter fics that I do really want to finish...I just have to pull myself away from Avatar and TDI long enough to do it. Anyway, thanks again for asking! I love these types of things; they're so much fun to answer.

[gnomewithalaptop]

Ok, finally getting to those other Asks I wanted to do. So the TAU blog reblog of ur "The last time I saw you (you were so young)" fic post, u said this: "'LISTEN I know I’m meant to be working on that one longfic but my mother told me a story about my deceased grandmother & then I just blacked out and wrote this idk what to tell you", I thought for a sec, u were talking about: "The Man Who Knew the Future You" (I love the idea of Alcor meeting a past Mizar; prob. so weird for both, lol), 2/?.

(Continuing on from my Last Ask(s)): , but then I realized u were prob. talking about "Cue the Sun" instead actually, which I found out from the Ask from toothpastecanyon asking: "What is cue the sun? 👀" (having trouble linking links), & now, I am obsessed w/ that idea/it. Like, a civil war, a R!Ford Mom having a R!Gideon (of all people) Troubled teen of all people (it's also cool to see more Ford & Gideon stuff in TAU & R's of them too), trying to find something to win the civil war 3?/?.

(Continued from Last Ask(s) again, sorry for how many Asks): , but then them finding like a 2016 (I think it was 2016) Gravity Falls and meeting a skeptical and/or sus. Stan (Stan meeting reincarnations of his brother and enemy and/or past enemy, man, oh man) and the OG Mystery Twins (Dipper and Mabel, right? Awesome. That/This should be very fun), and they all think it is 2016, and not, 7098 (man, the year differences is gonna be strange &/or confusing for everyone), &/or etc. 4?/?

(Continued from my Last Ask(s) again): Like, sign me up for "Cue the Sun"! And it is gonna be a longfic (probably)? Like, even if it wasn't, I would still be interested in it, but it being a longifc is even better (as a Gravity Falls, TAU, and/or etc. fan even more esp.). The map(s) u did for "Cue the Sun", & the thought u are putting into "Cue the Sun" is amazing. 4 or 5?/?. The next 1 should hopefully be my Last Ask. I didn't realize the/my Asks would get this many.

(Continued from my Other Asks. Just 1 more after this): Is there any more "Cue the Sun" posts besides that Ask I mentioned in my other Ask(s)? When I try searching up "cue the sun" on ur blog, this is all I get "Sorry, no results for cue the sun". I didn't even get that Ask I talked about, that literally has "cue the sun" in the Ask. Tumblr's Search can be so bad sometimes. Anyways, really excited for "Cue the Sun", whenever that is. & I love ur other TAU fics and posts too! 5 or 6?/?.

(original cue the sun post)

Oh dude. Dude. Never apologize for sending too many asks -- getting this in my inbox literally made my day. To your first question: yes! The longfic in question is Cue the Sun -- I'm still working through it rn, and I'm hoping to start publishing sometime this summer/fall -- woot woot graduation time! Right now, it's looking to be about 6-7 long-ish chapters? Which is def a longfic in my book lol (I'm trying to get it all written out before I start posting -- that way I can keep with a consistent update schedule)

I am SUPER excited about it though -- I've been having a blast working through the twists and turns of it all and making sure all the pieces fit together (and dropping Easter Eggs to as many other pieces of TAU lore as possible lmao)

But yes! OG Mystery Twins are 16-17 y/o Mabel and Dipper Pines, Stan is extremely sus (but lbr that's par the course for him), and Olya and Fatima (r!Gideon and r!Ford) are about to have the worst week of their lives.

Featuring: dead sisters who haunt the narrative, utopian society models gone wrong, weapons of mass destruction, the long-term effects of magical radiation (i.e. what happens when you stick a Chernobyl disaster inside Gravity Falls), and narratively significant golf carts

FINALLY: you can find all my writing posts under #this-is-gnomes-writing-tag, but since you're the second person to express interest in this fic, I'll start tagging Cue the Sun stuff with #cue the sun. Right now there isn't really much there (read: it is a barren wasteland) bc I tend to just vague post about things, but I'll make sure to tag any future excerpts/asks/milestones

[ssomething-vague]

Renewal Master List

Hi. I'm writing Renewal on AO3, and for some reason I thought I should try posting it here as well? idk, I'm old and I haven't used Tumblr in more than a decade. But I see lots of my fave OL fic writers here so...?

Anyway. Renewal can be found on my AO3 account, ssomethingvague.

Summary: It was odd, having another person in the house. Jamie supposed this was what he was working toward, though—the rooms of the old lady full, bringing her to life again. A refuge, a gathering place. And he couldn’t deny it pleased him to see that someone like Claire could relax a bit in Lallybroch’s embrace.

The days of the Lairds of Broch Tuarach are long gone, but Jamie Fraser hasn’t given up on Lallybroch. And when newly widowed Claire Beauchamp arrives at the estate by chance, he jumps at the opportunity for help as he works to give his ancestral home new life.

Fandom: Outlander (TV), Outlander Series - Diana Gabaldon Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Claire Beauchamp/Jamie Fraser Characters: Jamie Fraser, Claire Beauchamp, Jenny Fraser, Rupert MacKenzie, Dougal MacKenzie, Ned Gowan, Ian Murray, Minor Characters, Lord John Grey, Glenna FitzGibbons, Angus Mhor Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Slow Burn, Light Angst, Fluff, Slow Romance, Mutual Pining, Alternate Universe - Bed & Breakfast, renovation, Strangers to Lovers, Smut, Smut Starts Chapter 14, You're Welcome, ...and there was only one bed Series: Part 1 of Renewal Universe

Chapter list and summaries below the jump. The summaries are pretty vague but there are some light spoilers, so if you want to be surprised, just start at the beginning.

Chapter 1: Stuck Claire Beauchamp gets lost in the Highlands after leaving her home following her husband's death.

Chapter 2: The Arrangement Jamie and Claire come to an agreement.

Chapter 3: Gone to Ground Claire tackles her first project, and Jamie has a run-in with his uncle.

Chapter 4: Spring Awakening A sprouting and an unexpected visitor.

Chapter 5: The Truth Will Out Claire shares a little bit about Frank. Jamie runs into trouble.

Chapter 6: The Fall Jamie tells his story.

Chapter 7: A Solicitation Claire won’t take no for an answer. *Brief mention of a NSFW moment*

Chapter 8: All In The Details Claire deals with the aftermath of her conversation with Jamie. Jenny has an idea.

Chapter 9: A Fine Mist Jamie and Claire go to see Ned Gowan.

Chapter 10: Secrets, Not Lies Jenny arrives and preparations for the surprise take shape.

Chapter 11: Lord And Laird Jamie's birthday arrives.

Chapter 12: Into The Fire The real festivities begin.

Chapter 13: The Small Hours Claire and Jamie spend the night together.

Chapter 14: Say If You Do Jamie and Claire make up, and then make up. *NSFW*

Chapter 15: The First Jamie and Claire hit a big first together.

Chapter 16: Eyes To The Heavens Jamie takes Claire on a date. *NSFW*

Chapter 17: Hot Blood Jamie and Claire make it to a bed. Bathroom renovations begin. *NSFW* Side note, I wrote a very smutty one-shot that occurs sometime during the time jump in this chapter. So feel free to pop over to that one if that's your thing. A Sound Investment

Chapter 18: Chocks Away Claire berates Jamie. Jamie puts his foot in his mouth. A delivery, and a phone call.

Chapter 19: Salve Regina Construction on the main house ramps up. And then, something unexpected. Content Warning on end note.

I'll continue adding chapters here as I publish them, and I'll do announcements in a separate post.

[stealing-jasons-job]

fic writer interview

Tagged by @burninghoneyatdusk and @andromedabennet — thank you, my loves ❤️

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

24 (but 25 will be posted this week, if this smut scene will cooperate)

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

204, 782

3. How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Two — mostly Bellarke, but one Gendrya. I'm hoping to start posting Darklina, Zutara, Helnik, Darknik (Dark Daddy + Nina), and maybe Chenford if I ever escape the hellscape that is my Bellarke prompt list. lol

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Intertwining your soul (with somebody else): Rated E. Canonverse AU where Bellamy is heda. He's supposed to marry Gina to solidify the coalition, but him and Clarke are in love with each other. A fuckton of angst ensues. This is a WIP, only a few chapters shy of being completed! This fic is definitely my baby, so I'm really excited that the response has been so great.

But if this man came up to me: Rated T. Modern AU. Clarke and Bellamy accidentally go TikTok famous... and fall in love in the process.

Darling you and me, we can take the world: Rated E. S7 Spec where they torture Clarke with M-Cap and Bellamy finally breaks. Yk... back when we had hope for a Bellarke endgame for this godforsaken show.

The Choices We Make: Rated M currently, but it'll be E by the end. Greys Anatomy AU. This was my very first WIP posted, and it's on hiatus right now while I write my @t100fic-for-blm prompts. But I still love it and can't wait to be able to dedicate more time to it eventually.

Whatever may come, your heart I will choose: Rated M. The post-S7 AU we all deserved with the perfect dash of angst, a good bit of fluff, and a happy fucking ending. Oh, and a jab or two at Jason for funsies.

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

I try to! Usually, it's in batches, but some slip through the cracks. But just know that I love every single comment I get, and I am so very happy anyone deigns to read my shit. lol

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Probably the original ending for @wreck-jroth-club. After some debate with the broader group, I decided to add an extra chapter that was a continuation of the final chapter that actually ended happily. But originally that fic had a very bittersweet ending.

I've flip-flopped a lot on whether to end Intertwining your souls happily or not. But I think @burninghoneyatdusk might actually murder me in my sleep if I don't end it happily, so idk if I'll follow through on that. lol

7. Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the craziest one you’ve written?

I haven't written one to date, but I do have one planned and on my prompt list! It'll be a Queen of the South/The 100 crossover where Jeresa are... well, Jeresa, and Bellarke are DEA agents trying to take them down. Lots of angst. Some smut. All the pining. Maybe a happy ending, but likely not for one of those ships.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

None. But I also haven't really written anything the Bellarke fandom would consider controversial (read: I've never dared to have Bellarke sleep with anyone else or written their relationship as that messy).

I'm sure it's only a matter of time, though.

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

Yes, though most of my fics are more T or M. Smut is something I struggle with from a writing perspective, so on prompts that don't require smut, I tend to just fade to black. But my WIPs pretty much all either do or will include smut.

I don't know what kind of smut I write. It's just...smut. Sometimes kinky. Sometimes more vanilla. Always orgasmic for the characters involved. lol

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of, but honestly who knows? A few of my friends have had fics plagiarized or stolen (a couple even within the Bellarke fandom, which seems like a stupid move but bitches out here be bold, ig), so I wouldn't be shocked if a stolen fic of mine lives somewhere.

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Someone has translated one of my fics into Russian for a different fansite, but I think that's it!

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

If you count the @wreck-jroth-club fic collab, yes! And @writetheniteaway and I have a co-written fic prompt coming up for @slyth-princess soon.

13. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

Bellarke is really the only ship I've written fanfic for or been involved in the fandom, but my actual OTP is Cammie/Zach from The Gallagher Girls series.

A few other heavy-hitters include: Bellarke (The 100), Braimie (Game of Thrones), Jess x Rory (Gilmore Girls), Japril (Grey's Anatomy), Jem x Tessa (Infernal Devices), Darknik (Grishaverse), LoVe (Veronica Mars), Josh x Donna (The West Wing), Danny x CJ (The West Wing), Garcy (Timeless), Zutara (ATLA)

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

My Timeless AU. I'm actually going to take it down and convert it into a Darklina fic. So the idea will live on, but not as Bellarke.

15. What are your writing strengths?

Writing within a canon storyline. I'd like to think I'm pretty good at taking characters and staying true to who they are in canon through my writing.

I am also an ideas person. So outlining plots, coming up with prompts, workshopping plots...those are things I really enjoy and am good at.

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

I have many, but here are the top three. lol

Worldbuilding: You'll notice my larger fics are almost all either canonverse or an AU of an existing show/movie/book — both of which require minimal worldbuilding on my part.

Imagery: I write fic, but I'm a TV writer at heart. If you want beautiful prose that describes what's happening through the character's 5 senses, I am not ya girl. lol

WIPs: Anyone who has ever read any of my shit knows I take a million years to complete anything (and I greatly appreciate everyone who has refrained from beating me with a stick at my sporadic update schedule). I tend to hyperfixate on projects or ideas, and jumping from WIP to WIP to update gets hard.

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I think there's a place for it, but it has to be done respectfully and for a reason — showing a cultural difference/language barrier, keeping your POV character or your audience in the dark on something being discussed, showing your character's culture/heritage/background (example: When Jane and Abuela argue in Spanish in Jane the Virgin).

But in fic/writing, either you need to work in the translation naturally in the surrounding text, give obvious context clues to the meaning of whatever you've put in the other language, or you need to purposefully not want your audience to know what was being said. If you have to put a footnote with the translation, you're risking taking your readers out of the story.

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

First written was Gendrya from Game of Thrones. First published was Belalrke from The 100.

19. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

We are all caught in the in between (Of what's real and what's a dream?): The @wreck-jroth-club collab fic.

This fic was a labor of love by @sparklyfairymira, myself, and so many writers/creators in the Bellarke fandom. And I'm incredibly proud not only of the way we collaborated in this massive undertaking of brainstorming, organizing, writing, editing, creating moodboards for, and then publishing the 55-chapter fic, but also of the broader story told throughout this collab.

I came up with the premise of the fic; wrote the first chapter, final epilogues, a few of the chapters themselves, and every intro for each chapter; and helped with the overall organization of the collab. It's definitely the best thing I've written, and the fic I'm most proud of so far.

——

Tagging: @sparklyfairymira | @eyessharpweaponshot | @pawprinterfanfic | @nakey-cats-take-bathsss | @icantloseyou-too | @bookwormforalways | @carrieeve | @arysafics | @writetheniteaway + anyone else who wants to join!

[beloved-child-of-the-house]

Fic Writer Questions! (you can find me here on AO3 if you're interested!)

tagged by dear @theburialofstrawberries mwah!

1) How many works do you have on AO3?

112 yowza!

2) What’s your total AO3 word count?

750,421 kinda tempted to go delete one word so it can be 750420 which is a far more Pleasing number

3) How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

12ish but some of them overlap: BBCS/Sherlock Holmes/ACD (these are all different bc my bbcs fics are not the same as my own modern fem Sherlock Holmes adaptation are not the same as my ACD Holmes fic; Good Omens; Harry Potter/The Werewolf Draco Malfoy Cinematic Universe; Captive Prince; The Hobbit; Fleabag (it was a crossover with BBCS but Fleabag is the perspective character so it still counts as a separate fandom imo); Doctor Who; The Office; Parks and Rec; Broad City (one a piece for those last 5 but I AM going to write a Parks and Rec polycule fic for @gaykagome)

4) What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

They're all Good Omens fics from the 2019 Summer of Good Omens! Susceptible to Summer, Fragments Shored Against My Ruin, Something So Magic, Enter Serpent, and Anything We Like

All of those have over 2k except the last one, but average engagement for me is like 400 kudos or so

5) Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I try! It depends on what's going on with me. Sometimes I just don't have the energy, and I figure people would rather I spend my brain power on writing new fics than on writing replies to comments. Wish I had a fave button tho so I could let people know I read and reread comments, because I do!

6) What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Oh I wrote this ficlet series called A Chemical Defect about John and Sherlock's relationship in s3 of BBCS, and it's WILDLY unpopular. People don't read my fic to cry sad tears I guess! John and Sherlock are having an affair in the story, and it ends with the implication that their relationship is unsustainable and that Mary knows about it anyway. I intended to come back to it after s4 and write a more optimistic ending but LOL! Didn't have the heart.

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

I know this answer is kinda up my own ass, but like. I think stories that feel true to life sort of feel like they end on a beginning if you know what I mean? You don't really consider a chapter of your life closed until you look back on it from the next? SO that said, I think I'd have to say that it's my big BBCS serial The Only One in the World. I spent 2 years writing it, and it ends with John retiring from medicine to solve crimes and write books full time.

Could also be my WDMCU (werewolf Draco Malfoy cinematic universe) series Moonrise, which starts with Draco isolated in his abusive mother's house, trying to cope with lycanthropy essentially alone and ends with him in love and surrounded by found family in a cozy cottage in Hogsmeade, having gotten some lycanthrope rights legislation passed after working at it for years and talking to Harry about whether they want to have kids. Oh man I feel warm and fuzzy just thinking about it

8) Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

I have written one crossover. It's BBCS/Fleabag, because me and @loudest-subtext-in-tv were laughing about how John seems like one of the horrible guys Fleabag sleeps with basically out of self loathing, so I wrote this fic to make Nattie laugh, and you should read it bc it's so good and so underrated.

9) Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Not really, but people don't seem to know that authors can read bookmark tags unless you private the bookmark, and someone once put in the bookmark tag on one of my fics 'writing was meh but it was okay.' Okay so why bookmark it then??

10) Do you write smut? If so what kind?

Fuck yes! I'm not sure what 'what kind?' means? People fucking? Sloppy, silly, and awkward, with lots of laughing. I also really like writing afterglow scenes which are even sillier and gigglier and often involve one character cooking for another. Food as love language is a very distinct pattern of mine tbh

11) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware of, but occasionally I'll write a post on here where I make some elaborate head canon, and I'll see people in the tags talking about how they want to write fic of it, and it makes me breathe fire out of my nose like a dragon like PLEASE DON'T. The WDMCU came out of a ficlet post I made on here like a year before I actually wrote the 60k series so like!!! Please don't do that!

12) Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! To Russian and I believe Chinese. Not my entire oeuvre but a handful of BBCS and Good Omens fics

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

No, but I wrote a fic inspired by an RP I did with my gf right around when we met (actually now that I think about it, it's two fics), and I waaaaaaanna do a WDMCU collab with my beloved Sally @clytemenestras at some point if he has time bc he inspired me to even write werewolf draco with his original lesbian werewolf story

14) What’s your all time favorite ship?

favorites are hard for me? I always think I'm currently doing my best writing lol so I'll say drarry

15) What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

I don't post fics unless theyre finished, so I don't have any WIP up on AO3, but I did intend to continue with my fem Sherlock Holmes series, Your Many Tendencies. I just haven't been in a Holmes mood for a long time. Maybe I'll come back to it idk. This particular series is honestly very unpopular? People will just straight up say they don't read femslash, and it hurts a lot. This series feels really personal too, bc it's about a Black autistic nonbinary lesbian, so it does hurt my feelings that no one seems to care, yknow? I mean the people who read it are extremely kind and thoughtful in their engagement with it, but it has vastly less engagement than my m/m fic, and that's painful. It gets literally 1/10 the attention my fics usually get.

16) What are your writing strengths?

Almost all of my writing is romance, but I tend to write concurrently about recovery and found family, and I think I'm very good at doing that in a way that connects with my audience. I once had someone ask if they could use my words in their wedding vows, and I've had people tell me they started doing things with their spouse that my characters do with their partners in order to express love. I think about that all the time. My Impact. It makes me feel like I have a real duty to my audience yknow?

17) What are your writing weaknesses?

This question is hard for me like I've been writing so long and so much that I'm literally always happy with my final draft! It's always exactly to my taste, yknow? I suppose I could say that my fics tend not to be terribly plotty but so WHAT? That's beside the fuckn point for me. Plot who? I don't know Her. Also honestly like. Stories feel more True to me when they aren't ruthlessly devoted to plot bc like life isn't like that yknow?

18) What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

If you're not fluent in that language, get a beta who is!!!!! That said, I have written scraps of very simple dialogue in French using mostly Google Translate (sometimes I check w Sally bc he speaks French but I am usually too impatient), and I am perfectly well aware that I take my life in my hands each time!!! Also don't do that bullshit thing where it's in italics? That shit is weird and exoticizing. Just write it in quotation marks like normal dialogue.

19) What was the first fandom you wrote for?

BBCS babey back in 2012. Ended a 5 year dry spell for me after I got my writing degree.

20) What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

Hmmmm I think it's probably gonna be the fic I'm working on now that I haven't posted yet, but I know it's called Names for a House, and here's a tiny bit of it

Thanks again Shreya for asking me to do this bc I really love talking about myself. I tag @the-moon-loves-the-sea, @clytemenestras, @tomiano, @gaykagome and @totallysilvergirl

No pressure <3