#kudos if u actually read this entire post lol

[skyrislunaflower]

I Love Us

Honestly, I'm so, so very glad AvA is the first fandom I've actually been an active participant in.

LONG RANT INCOMING

Throughout the years, I have "been in fandoms", but I never felt like posting my own art or works, commenting on vids (i didn't have a youtube account back then, still don't), or being anything other than a silent observer.

Back in March, when I came home from that math competition, and found AvMath in my recommendeds, and just clicked on it, I did not expect to get dragged into a fandom about stick figures, of all things. I remember watching AvPhysics directly after, then finding "Wanted", and watching it with no context. I remember going to the wiki, seeing all of the content that was made, and and binging AvM and the actual shorts and literally everything else.

And most of all, I remember thinking, "I wish I could just erase all of this from my mind and experience the magic all over again."

-

In May, I took a chance and went to Ao3. I knew it was a site to post fanfiction, but it had never been something I was interested in. But I was just curious, to see if fanfiction about this amazing fandom really existed. I didn't have an account, no; I think I just wanted to see.

There were about 1600-1700 fics on there about AvA, during that time. I didn't know how hits worked or kudos worked, but I just remember scrolling down until I could find something that looked like a lot of people had liked it.

And even then, I clearly remember the first fic I touched. "Identity", by LeenaFreeBird (I'll link it at the bottom). I absolutely loved it. I spent the rest of the month simply reading, and consuming all of the cool hcs, learning what fan terms meant, having an idea for my own fic that I thought, back then, I could never write.

Because I didn't.

I never made an account or wrote. I never left comments because part of me though people without an account wouldn't be able to, and that was just habit, at this point.

And even though I stepped slightly away from there in the months of June and July (we were in the process of moving halfway across the country, I had just watched the new Demon Slayer season, and upon recommendation had binged all of Haikyuu in a week), I always made sure to keep updated on whatever new AvA/M videos had been posted.

In August, I went back on Ao3.

SO MANY AMAZING FICS HAD BEEN WRITTEN IN THE SPAN I WAS AWAY.

I remember binging all of them for the month. I sat alone at lunch (as I was new I didn't have any friends), just reading them on my phone and getting sucked back into there.

In September AvI began. On a whim I logged back into my tumblr account that I had made like 5 years ago in 4th grade to post random rambling stuff about my life (I tagged nothing but my username wth), and redid my entire blog. I was sooo happy when one of my posts reached 100 notes.

I felt way stronger, and way braver. I joined the invite queue for Ao3, because I decided I DID want an account, and I DID want to post my own fics.

And everyone was (and is) SO NICE about it. They love my fics and posts (which I still consider really crappy, btw) to pieces, and always give me good comments. Even my bad fanart (another thing I got the courage to post during this time). Shipping wars never happen here (if they did, I wouldn't know about it). Rarepairs are appreciated, and we unanimously know the ships that should be completely illegal (not naming ship names here).

Everything and everyone is loved, and this is like the one little corner of the Internet where mostly all is safe and your opinion is valued. Sure, your fan theory may be wrong, but people here don't go and tell you "that's so stupid lol, no way that's true". They'll give you actual feedback, explain the evidence that falsifies it, or add to it because they like it.

Even on YouTube, if someone posts a yellue ship video, for example, they'll get hate, or "the color quad are just siblings lol", or "they r stickmen why are u shipping them". If someone HCs Blue as a girl (ik that's been debunked where we are at rn), they'll get a comment saying "it's stickman for a reason".

Like, let people have their opinions. Alan has never confirmed the color quad as siblings, or their origin story. I know he has said that he would like to avoid romance by not making female characters, but it's not like the people who ship yellue or grapeduo barge up to his door and demand he makes it canon. They're just peaceful, and everything that you're saying is fanon. For all we know, four different animators could have collabed on the sticksfight website and each animated a different character (not saying that's true, but we don't know).

And even with hollowhead pairs. Alan created them, yes, but how does Creator transfer to father in this scenario? We don't know, because he hasn't confirmed the hollowheads as siblings either. They still get hate on YouTube.

But Tumblr just loves everyone. The AvA community, for example, will always make you feel like you posted something good. They lift you up, not put you down. They appreciate your headcanons because it provides a new way of looking at things.

They appreciate you.

I feel so much better about putting myself out there, and I know I will do so more in the future. I now cannot comprehend how someone can see all of this content and think "they are just stick figures". No they aren't. They are stick figures with trauma, feelings, pain, heroic qualities, fatal flaws.

You, tumblr, makes me feel this way.

Thank you so much.

(I did not expect to rant about my entire journey when I was supposed to be talking about how amazing the AvA tumblr fandom is, but now that I have I'll just keep it. Here's the fic I was talking about)

[willow-lark]

one thing about me is that i will always and forever be a stoncy girly. i occasionally rb posts about them but i'm mainyl involved in the byler fandom atm so i don't talk ab them as much as i want to. anyways

stoncy is really interesting to think about particularly considering where things are in canon for the three of them right now. so, firstly, my thoughts on that:

i am 100% rooting for jancy endgame in-show. i'm not a fan of love triangles (hence why i started shipping stoncy in the first place, they all have chemistry n i think they should all kiss each other at the exact same time) but up until s4 there was no reason to think that jancy wouldn't be endgame, and honestly i'm upset that the writers brought stancy back in, considering that steve's s3 arc was all about him learning he doesn't need romantic love to fulfill his life, and what he and nancy each want in life simply are not compatible. jancy r iconic. jancy r goals. jancy had a whole speech in s4 talking about all the things they love about the other. although they've hit a slight rough patch due to jonathan's conflicting desires in supporting her goals while also being there for his family which has historically needed a lot of his support, they just need to get on the same page about this. they WILL prevail i KNOW this i TRUST

okay, lark, you say. if ur so obsessed with jancy endgame then why stoncy at all? AND I WILL TELL YOU WHY.

it all comes down to stonathan. also shoutout to @messrsbyler for championing the stonathan agenda lately. we should all attempt to live up to your example. SO TRUE.

so. post-s1 era in-show. or, honestly, u can rework this and make it fit at any point in the timeline. but anyways: nancy's with steve, they r trying and somewhat struggling to make it work (though they did last an entire YEAR so kudos for that ig). nancy VERY obviously has feelings for jonathan, who hangs out with her sometimes but is generally avoiding both of them. and honestly? steve thinks jonathan's pretty cool too. and, like, he spent a while treating jonathan like shit so he should probably try and make it up to him. right??? AND THEN THEY KISS.

no, but actually: steve's the type not to even realize that he's actually in love with jonathan. he's like, well, nancy loves him, and i love nancy, so... (that's the transitive property, right? i don't remember anything from 5th grade math class.) he doesn't even realize it's gay of him to feel that way. (NOTE: stoncy r bi4bi4bi and you WILL NOT be changing my mind.) if u extend the timeline to post-s3, robin might be able to help him w this LOL, i've read a really good fic or two where that's the case

on the other side, i feel like jonathan would have an easier time accepting his feeling, especially now that steve is making an effort to make friends with him. not to digress about the byers brothers but i'm gonna. when it comes to accepting his bisexuality jonathan doesn't have nearly as much internalized homophobia to deal with as will does regarding being gay. will has really internalized all of the things lonnie/the bullies have said about him, whereas jonathan is openly defiant of them. but in true byers fashion, he's not gonna make a move about it.

honestly i'm inclined to say that nancy, the girlboss that she is, (perhaps along with robin, again, if the timeline goes later) is the one to witness stonathan making goo-goo eyes at each other and she's like. you know what. this Might Actually solve 90% of my problems. so SHE'S the one who prompts them into it. but to be completely honest all three of them are so completely dramatic about everything so i could even see it all coming down to robin and maybe argyle to force them to get their shit together ���

this is honestly just one way that it could go down, i've read a lot of different iterations and i love them all.

[biconickyoshi]

ive already put a comment on ur fic but i couldnt let it go without saying that i *literally* cant watch the main show without thinking about your fic and i wish that i could like. watch a version of the show that was your fic xD like ive been ranting and raving to my friends the entire time id been reading it and telling them to read it and i was planning on trying to get back into art so i could make some art of the boys, i am like. a changed person. this will be living in the back of my head rent free for the rest of eternity LMAO if you ever get like, doubtful of your skills or anything or unsure if people actually like anything youve wrote, i am here to tell u to not be cus i am *living* for this fic im running around in circles rereading it and getting zoomies lmfao, it is literally one of my fave fics of all time and ive been in fandom spaces for half my life now, its THAT GOOD (also anyone who follows you, you guys need to go read it honestly, IT NEEDS MORE HITS AND KUDOS AND AAAAGFAHGAF) im sorry if this ask is dumb or anything but. i had to let u know that u have CHANGED ME lmfao keep up the good work! i wish my brain worked the way yours does xD

Aaaaa it's so flattering to hear all of this anon!!! T-T Thank you so much!! I too very much wish there was a version of my show that was my fic lmao, I would loveeee to see so many scenes animated! Also it makes me SO happy to know that you're telling your friends about The Avatar and the Fire Prince!!! If you ever draw any fan art, pleaseeee mention me in the post and feel free to use "the avatar and the fire prince" and/or "taatfp" as a tag to help me find it! :)

Thank you so much for the encouraging words as well - I try not to get too in my head with worrying about whether or not people will like what I have planned for future plotlines, or if I'm writing in a way that stays true to the spirit/plot of the OG show while still being different enough to be entertaining/engaging... AtLA is such a precious piece of media to me, so I hold myself to very high standards, which can be detrimental when I just want to get a chapter out but I keep rereading it and finding little things "wrong" that need to be fixed lol.

Anyways this is NOT a dumb ask at all anon! I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to send this to me, and I apologize for not getting to it sooner! I've been a bit swamped with asks and comments recently so I've been trying to answer them in small chunks at a time haha

Hope you have a great day, and I'm super excited for you to see what I have planned for the future of TAatFP! :) <3

[beansterpie]

20 Questions For Fic Writers

Thanks for tagging me @marley-manson! <3

I would tag people but it's late and my brain is tired so literally, PLEASE just adopt this tag meme if you see it and read the whole thing. You have my full permission to say I tagged you, even if we've never spoken lol. Go for it, be audacious.

1. How many works do you have on Ao3?

2. What's your total Ao3 word count?

43,487!

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Well the posted fic is a Berserk fic, but I have various other wips that I pick away at when I'm bored. Among them include Eyeshield 21, MDZS, RotE, Harry Potter (technically?). Those are the most recent ones anyway.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Chain of Dissent, she's my favorite fic <3 (she's my only fic)

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yeah I try to! Though I'll admit uhhhh I haven't updated it in... fucking? two years? god, and so I've been bad about responding to the more recent comments because I feel guilty for not updating in so long :') Really gotta get back to it.

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

None, because I haven't finished a fic yet lol

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

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not so far! I've gotten a couple of comments that come across as unintentionally mildly rude, but definitely nothing that constitutes as hate.

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

Well not so far in CoD, but, ahem, I have written smut in one of my wips lol. Deeply self indulgent but I guess character driven? It's mildly nasty and desperate <3

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

I haven't actually written a crossover (yet. well, recently) but they are a bit of a passion of mine lmao. I love ridiculous crossovers, and I'm talking about "a magical portal opens up and throws characters from fandom A into the world (& characters) of fandom B" type shit. I don't need the ways in which the characters interact to make sense, I just want them to be thrown together and see where it goes from there. Fish out of water shenanigans! Characters questioning their own motivations and idea of life by seeing a world entirely different from theirs!! Just like, fun shit! I also absolutely don't need for the two fandoms to be similar lol. I have a somewhat detailed Berserk/Eyeshield 21 crossover living rent free in my head so clearly anything goes.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Lol no.

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

Nope!

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

I'll probably have to say GriffGuts, because it's a ship that's gripped me by the neck for the past 7 years or something, where my interest in it hasn't really waned.

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

Uhhhh, idk? I mean I am DETERMINED to finish CoD, so that's out. And the wips I write in my spare time are just like, things I do for fun where I don't put any pressure on myself over it. I'm not planning on posting them anywhere, and I'm not generally planning on 'finishing' them either. I mean if I do finish one, I might post it, but again, they're low key things that I'm not taking too seriously.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Hm. I honestly don't consider myself a very strong writer, at least in terms of things like prose and sentence structure, grammar, that sort of thing. I think I'm pretty decent at figuring out the direction that I want the story to go, and all the individual steps that need to happen to get to that point in a way that feels organic (at least, imo.) And I like to think I'm pretty good at characterization-- having the characters behaving and reacting in ways that feel like could concievably happen in canon is generally what I'm going for.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Yeah prose, lol. I mean, I don't actually dislike my more.... utilitarian writing style, mainly because I generally prefer reading more direct writing (unless the lyrical writing is really really good), but I do think I could inject some more illustrative details and metaphors into my writing overall. @marley-manson is SO good at coming up with perfect metaphors to describe a situation or feeling, all while perfectly recreating the character's voice, and I really admire that about her writing!

I also want to get better with having characters like, doing things while they're talking. I find a lot of the conversations I write happen between characters just kind of standing around, which obviously is fine but I'd like to construct scenes with a bit more specificity in the future.

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

Wait so like, say in a fic that is otherwise written in English, having a line of dialogue written in Spanish when a character is speaking it? I... don't have strong feelings about it one way or the other I guess lol. I mean ideally the line(s) written in the other language are correct lol, and not just badly google translated or something.

Though you know, now that I think about it, I feel like it would work best between languages that use the same alphabet (which does end up narrowing the possible languages down quite a lot) because that way the reader can still sound out the dialogue even if the don't understand the language, which could emulate what the pov character is experiencing. Whereas if it was a fic written in English, and then had a line written in, say, Japanese, the reader wouldn't even be able to sound it out so it's kind of a brick wall. (Unless there's footnotes, but that tends to be a little more clunky in fic than in a published book with pages).

If the readers are supposed to understand the dialogue written in another language, like two characters suddenly start speaking in said other language and we're meant to keep up with the conversation, then I feel like it's just easier to translate their words in whatever language the fic is written in otherwise.

But yeah idk, I think with intent and good execution, anything can work, but it could also be done in a way that's more annoying than anything.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

I think. It was neopets LMFAO. I remember writing a fic when I was like 10 about Hannah (the adventurer) and Jacques (from the maraqua plot comic) as a romantic couple because I was annoyed at the time that there were multiple fics about Hannah and Garin (or whatever his name was, also from the maraqua plot) getting together even though I thought Garin was BORING and they were just shipped together because they were both usuls (which are overrated imho), even though Jacque was obviously better.

... I may have had a crush on Jacques.

But the first fic that I think I posted anywhere was for Xiaolin Showdown lmfao, probably also when I was 10 or 11 or something. I wrote like four separate fics for that show.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Yeah it's CoD lol. It's the longest thing I've written so far, and I'm overall still very proud of it. I'd probably go back and change some things in the first chapter because it reads a little clunky and like, abrupt to me now, but I'm not doing that until I finish the fic. Allowing myself to go back and edit stuff before I've even finished the story seems like a road to ruin lol.

[mickmundy]

Hello dutchie! I've re-read your fics multiple times now and now I want to write my own! I have to ask: do you have any writing tips or advice about fanfic in general? I enjoy your pacing but I have no clue how you manage to update every week. Cheers!

OH MY GOD EEEEE ;___; IM SO HAPPY TO HEAR THAT MY FRIEND!! AND HIII ^_^ that's so awesome im so proud of you!!! hmm idk if i'm really a great person to get advice from, this is just stuff that works for me personally and my hectic irl schedule so just take it with a grain of salt!! ;-; <3 BUT i will gladly talk about it HEHE!! i'll actually just make an entire post about my writing process at some point because making long posts forces me to reflect and i'm overdue for a Self Reflection on how i write so! if/when i do that i'll link it back on this post heh ^_^ BUT ANYWAY!

i have a few Personal Rules about posting/writing fic that i must never break... and this is...:

feel free to break up your (longer) fic into parts. this prevents SO much burnout and gives you time to breathe between writing! if you're in it for the long haul like me, it's easy to get overwhelmed and feel like you're on a Crunch, which is never good! :'(

so i don't technically write a new chapter every week and post it on friday; i've had malus, for example, complete for a few months now! and so now it just "posts on a queue" where i just upload the next chapter every week! so for example, if malus is 21 chapters, at 1 chapter a week, that gives me 21 weeks (about 5 months) to write my next fic. that's a lot of time!

always finish the fic before you post it. this seems super unrealistic At First but i love the "arc/seasons/parts" style of posting, especially if it's long fics. nobody's saying you have to finish a 293849283498234 chapter fic in one day LOL but if you find that you're overwhelmed at the idea of writing Long Fics, then don't write one! write shorter parts that Combine and Create a long fic! :-) see what i mean? this is also an effective way to show time passing in your fic instead of just "~*~ two years later ~*~"-type of disclaimers.

chapters shouldn't be more than like... 3 google doc pages and paragraphs should be broken up. i like keeping my fic chapters short-ish so that they're easily digestible and force readers to Linger on the parts that i want them to. giant walls of text can sometimes put Huge Moments in your fics at the risk of getting lost!

let yourself sit on it for at least 2 days before you post it. do not read your own fic during the "sitting on it" time. let yourself back away from it and invite your mind to think about other things!! i've caught a LOT of my own mistakes or inconsistencies this way!

much easier said than done, but try not to let yourself get wrapped up in "the numbers" of posting (views, kudos, etc). obviously our goal as creatives is to get our work seen, but please remember to value yourself and your art above the numbers game! ;-; it literally took me a year (as of january lol) of constantly promoting my fics on twt (and later on here once i made an acct) before i found all of the amazing readers i have now! ^u^ and i wouldn't trade them for the world. i'd happily take 10 readers who comment and talk to me like a person over 100 hits/kudos or whatever!

that being said, don't be afraid to promote your fics. i felt annoying and stupid promoing mine but i'm ultimately so glad i did

there are probably others but i think these are my biggest ones (other than delving into like. tf2-specific "guides" i have for myself but i won't bore you with those). as far as tips for outlining or planning, i just have a channel in my gf and i's server dedicated to my fic that i post random snippet's i've written and want to include, random one-word concepts, like literally any time my brain has a Fic Related Thought i slap it in there. i'm also a huge fan of Linear/Traditional outlining too and do that with my more Complicated/Larger concepts that i want to execute in my fics so that i can stay consistent! :-)

ILYYY BEST OF LUCK ON YOUR FIC WRITING ENDEAVORS MY FRIEND! ^u^

[carpisuns]

I loved your self indulgent marichat soulmates fic don't be embarrassed!!! And Pink is so good and fluffy too and i keep trying to leave multiple kudos 😭😭🍄🍄🍄

Aw thank u mushroom 🥺 I’m not that embarrassed of tms (at least in a fandom space. altho. i mean it is kind of embarrassing djjddk) but I am always just overwhelmed and and awed by the idea that so many people actually read it all the way to the end! some people started reading from the time I posted the first chapter and then kept up worth every update until I finished over a year later! Some people binged the entire thing in one day djdkdk that’s insane and I’ll always be so grateful 🥺💜

aaaa im glad your enjoying pink as well :’) she’s just a little guy compared to tms lol but I’m enjoying writing it! thank you for all the support, u are so sweet 🍄💜

[saintobio]

i am usually VERY PICKY with how a story is thought of, and written. i usually never get attached to fanfictions either and yet... when i say this... i say this with a FULL CHEST MIGHT AS WELL ADD MY ENTIRE BEING AND SOUL WITH IT TOO BECAUSE that is how much i absolutely love your Sincerely Not series! congratulations for finishing season 1 that was seriously wow... rendered me speechless. you are seriously the BEST i love your works so much! cannot wait to see what else you got in store for szn 2! and those last two chapters? at this rate y/n won't be the only needing a heart surgery ashfisa once again thank you so much for this masterpiece! stay safe and healthy! please take that well-deserved break to the fullest! <3

Anonymous said

as a writer, your setup of their character development and the exposition of it all was sooo effective! like giving gojo’s pov attention throughout the last few chapters makes you feel bad for him despite his previous behavior, and even though the wedding is seen as a good thing for y/n’s fresh start, i feel people can’t help but be sympathetic towards and even feel really bad for gojo. plus starting out with toji’s really warm and inviting introduction then revealing him as y/n’s husband-to-be makes her marriage to him seem really naturally, and it makes the audience more receptive to the development rather than hating an unfamiliar groom. ughhh everything about the narrative and build up is just so well thought out and planned really well and executed so excellently. massive kudos.

Anonymous said

Nothing in this world could describe how much pain I felt during the airing of this series. Every word, every sentence, and every paragraph is a masterpiece of its own. Saint, thank you so much for sharing such beautiful writing on this site for free. I remembered months ago that i binge read your oikawa street racer au to remember, forever to love, always and my pillow knows how much i screamed when I saw you posting a new series which is sincerely not. And God, wow. I just love how much emotion you made me feel while reading. Thank you for giving me—us the privilege to see you as a writer and your writing style improve and grow. I don’t know if you can read this with all the asks sent into your inbox but I hope you will continue to live a happy and healthy life ahead of you. Once again, thank you so much for writing and simply existing! I am so looking forward to your next works if you have any plans on publishing it ❤️

Anonymous said

Saint, Sincerely not is a masterpiece. No, actually that’s an understatement, because it’s so much more than that. Thank you so, so, SO much for all these amazing chapters and all the work you put into it. And thank you for not sticking to a happy end, because that‘s sadly not how our world works. Yes, it‘s so fucking painful; i can‘t even cry rn because i‘m currently on a train (i don‘t know why on earth i thought that reading the final chapter here was a good idea but anyways), but life‘s not a fairytail and many things happened between Gojou and Y/N that cannot be easily forgotten nor forgiven. Everything that happened was just… perfect. Yes, it was painful, it was heart-wrenching, but it was painfully beautiful. I haven’t been this invested in a story for a very long time, but man it is absolutely perfect and i want to thank you for that. I am heartbroken and i definitely need a good cry when i come home lol, but i can‘t wait what you have in store for season 2. Please take your well deserved rest and take care.

Anonymous said

Ahhhhh i was balling my eyes out through 90% of this chapter!! You have done a phenomenal job, thank you so much for writing sincerely not!! I’ve never been so invested in anything as much as I am with this. You are amazing, so please please please take some time for you and take a well deserved break and treat yourself maybe 😉💙

Anonymous said

HI SAINT!! I JUST WANTED TO TELL U THAT I'VE BEEN HERE FOR A LIL WHILE NOW AND I LOVE SN SMM<33 AND IM VERY GLAD U CONTINUED WRITING!I LOVED THE NEW CHAPTER AND AM SO EXCITED FOR THE REST OMGKCJS<33 - cupid anon (also pls take care of urself:))

@el13 said

I just can't tell you how much I love your work! I've been reading fanfiction for a few years now, but I didn't get that invested into it for a long while, as I did with yours. And with that I don't mean only 'sincerely not', but also your other series and one shots. I hope you can rest well and continue enjoying writing 🌻💕

@0003joker said

Yo…this finale chapter🥲…I’ve been reading sad stuff lately, I be getting myself depressed, why am I doing this to myself!!!😀🥲 But it’s okay because the sad things I’ve read are amazingly good, and this story Saint, SN, is amazingly good.😌 Get that rest in, those sleep in days, those eating good food days, get that enjoyment in because you deserve it.💛

@bakugousmrs said

Okay I just wanna say I LOVE YOU AND I'LL GIVE MY LIFE TO YOU for this MAGNIFICENT PIECE!!😭 Remember that Saint!! I love how you write this and making me feel every emotions acquainted with this Gorgeous Fic!! AAHHHHH!! I FEEL SO DEAD BUT ALIVE IDK ANYMORE!!!! The hiding-the-son part to Y/N and Toji were the fucking end game!!! gave me heart attacks!! You really went "THIS WORLD SHALL KNOW PAIN!" on us!!😭😭 I fucking love this! I just wish things would go better for the both of them!! I wanna see some BABY MUNCHKIN fluffy scenes pleasee!! Goshdarn it!! WAHHHH!! I WANNA GO TO WAR!! I FEEL SO HURT AND HAPPY AT THE SAME TIME 'CAUSE YESS!!! THIS SHOULD BE WITH SHAKESPEARE'S PIECE LEVEL OF APPRECIATION!! 😭😭😭 I don't think Y/N would really marry Toji 'cause I can't see their relationship like that, and what happened to the ballerina chick huh? Why? Huhuhuhu

And you are always welcome we literally love you on all ways possible. We appreciate your hardwork, time EVERYTHING and we will always be here for you!! This is one of the best thing I have for my entire life, meeting you was a wonderful, yet disasterous at the same time 'coz you make crazyyy! I REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY LOVE YOU! Take care of yourself 'cause we can't do that when some of us are on the other side of the world 🌎! I love you!!

@kazbrkker said

Saint you absolutely outdid yourself with Sincerely Not. It has been such a ride and I’m so damn happy that you can finally get some well deserved rest. Love you! 🖤

Anonymous said

sincerely not is one of the best fanfics i’ve read of all time and i have not cried as much or contemplated the events this heavily afterwards when reading any other fic and because of that i am immensely terrified for the sequel…that is all

@gojo-catoru said

You a legend for this one Saint. This was so bloody brilliant. I can’t even find the words or will to formulate how fucking show-stopping this one line was. ”But he hoped to every saint that he wouldn’t lose that part of him that loved you.” You have successfully and indefinitely raised the standards of both real like and fictional men/women for me. Now I’ll be single forever.

Saint, I can’t thank you enough for this amazing series you’ve so painstakingly write for us. I am one of those readers who stayed up late on update days to read the new chapter and then maybe catch some Zzzs (but I am a regular insomniac so no worries there). And each update was TOTALLY worth the hype and wait. I know firsthand that it’s not AT ALL easy to write such a complex and nuanced story, especially when it’s a weekly affair and 10k+ words, but you’ve done extraordinarily well and took us on a magical adventure for the past few months.

On a more personal note, thank you for giving me something to look forward to each week and letting me be a small part of an amazing fandom you have. I loved going through all the gallery pictures, the asks and the character interviews. It’s all the extra tidbits like these that sets fanfiction apart, in a league of its own as compared to novels and other books. I’ve never read an ongoing series before this one because I can’t handle the wait and suspense, but Sincerely Not kinda cured that and has made me more patient and open-minded as a person. I’ve never really interacted with an author so frequently on Tumblr as well, so I guess that’s a lot of firsts for me, as far as SN and your blog goes. You are a revelation and don’t ever let anyone/anything make you feel less than that.

Now coming to the chapter and the overall story. I WAS JUMPING UP AND DOWN MY BED, whisper-screaming when you revealed the wedding was Toji x y/n’s. I looked like a fucking mad woman here and I’m not even mad about it. MRS.ZENIN ERA, HERE WE COME. Long deserved. Legend has it, if one (Y/N) has been miserable enough for months, thou shalt be rewarded with divine Toji d**k. I know it’s not going to happen that easily (especially with those plot twists you’ve thrown in there) but we are here for the ride (pardon the pun, just a thirsty hoe here). Megumi as an older brother melts my heart. I can’t wait for a slice of some domestic and (hopefully) drama-free Zenin estate life.

Coming to the Satoru part, I can’t even imagine how painful it would have been for Y/n to raise a carbon copy of his dada. Like dayum, Saint you really have it out for our girl here xD. And ofc Gojo got into a bloody accident, hell o would be reeling too if I just found out I’ve been mourning a death of a child whose be secretly alive for 3 YEARS. It must be painful to see your rival get the woman of your dreams and your biological child in his arms. The angst in this chapter is more on the interpretation end and I LOVE IT. I’m figuring this is where the whole memory loss thingy you’ve mentioned earlier is going to come into effect. Can’t wait to see that arc. Holy shit, I just realized we’re gonna get some version of a bandaged Gojo. That man has really gone through it but I’m so glad you gave him a therapist. Poor thing needs it now more than ever. Oh dear, I sure hope Y/N is faring well now, she does have PTSD right? I hope she’s getting therapy as well.

The most poignant part to me was the return of the rings, cuz I’ve noticed it’s part of your SN header (with the papers and all). It’s been so symbolic throughout the series. Like as if it was some emblem of love and commitment. Was it intentional or just amazing story-telling? Please let us know later. I hope you’ll take a nice long and well-earned rest since you’ve finally finished SN (*you’re free!* in a Dobby voice) and you take out the time to treat yourself well, indulge in a few pastimes you were previously unable to participate in and above all feel as amazing as you make us readers feel. I’ve probably already said this before, but I do sincerely hope that you’re getting as much as joy and fulfillment as you give the readers of your work. You truly deserve it Saint. Cheers! Until next time, then. ♥️

Anonymous said

I'm literally crying but I just wanted to tell you that I really loved this story and that you're an amazing writer, it was all so bittersweet yet so beautiful, I wish you all the best and remember to always take care of yourself! (I hope there are no mistakes lol I can't see through tears)

Anonymous said

UGH I LOVE YOU I LOVE THIS ENDING SO MUCH the depth of the characters was BEAUTIFUL your talent is absolutely out of this world my GOD.

i have to say, i’m very glad they didn’t end up together. i think gojo got what he deserved, it was too little too late, and i hope yn finds happiness in toji (endgame fr 😮‍💨).

personal opinions aside ofc, gojo’s story is literally devastating but incredibly written. the development is literally BEAUTIFUL (my own prejudice to his actions overshadows everything i’m so sorry saint 😭 but i still acknowledge his pain and love his excellently written development).

so happy to see this devastating story end so beautifully. the ending you wrote came full circle and i for one am incredibly happy with it (megumi being a big brother 🥺🥺🥺).

so proud of you for working through so much throughout this entire writing process, don’t pressure yourself for the sequel and take as many breaks as you need. much love 💕

Anonymous said

Congrats on finishing sn!👏👏👏👏

All these chapters, the words. What a feat! And you're still going strong with a sequel! You work so hard😭 take a long and deserved break and come back whenever you feel like it.

Anonymous said

saint, thank you for sincerely not.

it will go down as possibly my favourite fanfic of all time.

thanks for putting your time and energy into making the story and i’m so glad you’re gonna continue writing on this platform.

you’re too good at writing. really. it’s unmatched.

i used to have problems with writing angst and ever since i discovered your account, angst is somehow all that i’ve been writing. so thanks for that too:)

congratulations on finishing the series, i cant wait for SN2 and i’m so proud of you

(also if gojohime actually happens in SN2 i will lose my mind)

Anonymous said

First of all

Saint. Thank you SO MUCH for making my nights so special waiting for an update and reading this masterpiece. Because of you and your work I met new people in your discord server and I learnt better grammar and new words which helped me getting my English certificate so again a huge thanks for all of this.

Your talent in writing is sooo good, I hope one day you decide to write a book cause I will definitely read it… Also if you decide to stop writing fics (of course I will support you in any decisions) and I wanna say that I will miss you and your writing so much..

Sincerely not has made me go through so many emotions like nothing else.. the writing style, the plot, the way you describe characters it’s just amazing…

I have a feeling that SN2 will be more heartbreaking but I’m ready for it haha..

And the Toji x MC (I loved it since I’m a certified Toji simp) but it hurt.

Hope Satoru will be okay and gets to meet his child properly one day my dude suffered enough (can’t believe im saying it omg)

Anyway thank you again Saint for everything you have done to provide us with such a masterpiece, take all the time you need to write SN2 no one is pressuring you and see you in SN2 I guess.

Take care of yourself

@girlruby23 said

Saint i know you said itll be a happy ending and i trust you but what really do you mean by happy ending bcz its a gojo x yn fic and im dying for them to end up together 😭😭

Please saint have mercy 😟😟

And Congratulations on completing the 1st season we saw you go through so much to complete it and trust me you outdid yourself, it was a rollercoaster ride and one of the highlights of my year. Thanks❤️

Anonymous said

can i just day that my bday is gonna be on this sunday so that finale was a great bday gift so thank you cuz u just made my whole week. YOU'RE WRITING IS SO GOOD OMG THAT CHAPTER MADE ME UGLY CRY AND JUST WTF AAAJAHSHHSHEHSHSH I HOPE ALL THE GODS BLESS U FOR UR WORK SAINT ILYSMMM

@asdfghjkl7things said

Omg.. Omg.. Gojo stay with us pleasee 😭 I was reading your latest chapter while I’m at work and I can feel my eyes getting wet.. I just can’t.. 😭😭

Please have a good rest too since you finished SN, you really deserved it! The story is too good that I cannot wait to read SN 2! 🥰🥰🤯

I don’t want to leave a long ass message but Thank you for this story, Saint ❤️❤️

@chicsailorscout said

Amazing finale I’m so shook and tearing up! 😭🤯👏🏾 you’re such an amazing writer! I look forward to the sequel 😎 ❤️

When Y/N dropped the flowers (I’m just thinking aloud here 😅) I betting that she either fainted from anxiety/stress and/or her heart condition came back 🤔 😭

@wobblewobble822 said

Aghhh! As always amazing and very heartbreaking 😩

Crossing fingers that Gojo survives and also (don’t hate me) postpone the wedding with Toji cause we get cold feet after seeing Gojo.

Also yes! Baby Gojo lives! 😩🥰❤️❤️

@sanzudopeamine said

Dear Saint,

Thank you so much for all the hard work that you put in writing Sincerely Not. It had been one hell of a journey reading this beautiful creation of yours. I really enjoyed each and every chapter from start to finish and still looking forward to the sequel. (Though I'm not sure if it's still happening after reading your note on the last chapter).

Anyways, whatever you decide to do, I hope you always keep safe, happy and healthy. ❤️

Anonymous said

Brilliant job as always Saint! While my heart has broken millions of times reading your fics, this one particularly is the first to once get me hooked! I’ve read many good angsty stories from many fandoms, but just how you’ve fluidly shown all the cards of each character and just how human they are (regardless of their mistakes/emotions/etc *not excusing any infidelity/crimes/etc*) and the attention to every scene makes me feel I’m running alongside them in this journey (despite us being the MC). This is one of the first stories I’d be happy with either ending (besides wanting some reconciliation from y/n and Satoru)! Continue your great work (while I wipe my tears) 😀🥰✨✌🏼

@fanficbrainrots said

hi saint! first of all, amazing chapter. the build up, the tension is like... WOW! tbh, i can't describe the emotions i currently feel after reading. i just wanted to address and applaud your magnificent writing first and foremost, since it's something that i've always wanted to say. i've never felt so emotionally captivated by a person's writing until i've stumbled on your page. (hold on i have a pt 2 of this. i didn't know that ask boxes have character limits pls, i'm not tryna spam you)

secondly, MIWA?! i love miwa soo so much. i feel like she represents a lot of us readers who see the good side in gojo. of course, the public and y/n's family will look at him in a different light, since they see gojo through another perspective, but i feel like miwa is the closest person to know both sides of the story (or at least, gojo's character.) (UGH how do people submit longer asks? pls help, it's limiting me again. saint i swear, i'm not trying to spam you. anyways this is pt 2, ig)

someone who witnesses gojo's character growth as a man who did not love his wife to ordering gifts for her and actually see his love grow for y/n over time. i'm not sure if her characterization representing us in a way is intentional, but i'm so glad that she did. again, phenomenal writing saint, you are truly an inspiration for many writers, especially me. (SAINT I'M SORRY, I HAVE ONE MORE POST AFTER THIS. (this is pt 3, i think??) idk, someone pls help me extend my ask limit)

i'm so happy to have had 'sincerely not' coincidentally pop up on the recent 'gojo x reader' tag back in july, because if i haven't read any of your stories, i don't think i would've had the courage to dive into fanfiction writing.i can't wait for the finale of sn and s2! (ok this is embarrassing but i'm done. sorry if it seemed like it was spam, but clearly idk how tumblr works! i just had a lot to say about my appreciation towards you :) )

i can’t thank u guys enough !!! i wish i could respond individually but i don’t wanna spam the dash so i’m compiling them. i sincerely appreciate every feedback/message i received from all of u 🥺 thank u sm for supporting sn and for giving this series a chance to grow like this. it’s a joy for me to see how many people have been/are invested in this fic. i’ll work harder for season 2 <33

[marsipspans]

i finished reading 泾渭情殇 - Jing Wei Qing Shang - Clear and Muddy Loss of Love and have several comments.

Not too Spoiler-y

- The schemes really do last all 300+ chapters and there are a lot of revenge schemes.

- Quite a few parts get pretty dark.

- It’s mostly presented from Qi Yan | Qiyan Agula’s and Nangong Jingnu’s POV.

- Wasn’t sure what to expect when the author said there was a happy ending despite all the things that happened between the main two, but it could apply. One of the better ways it could realistically end I suppose.

- “Ruse of Self-Inflicted Suffering” Indeed. Very applicable. Iconic words for this novel.

- Was enjoyable throughout. There are two Acts in the book basically and it covers the main pairing in their youth to their “retirement”.

More specific comments (w/ spoilers) under the readmore

- The amount of Times Nangong Jingnu is all “Wow, Qi Yan is prettier than woman”. The fact that the ministers in court notice that Qi Yan has not grown any facial hair despite everyone else having grown some and people thinking that she’s shaving because that’s her wife’s preference.

- Qiyan Agula’s unintended pining from the beginning to the end really did end up saving her life lol, kudos to the doting for ur enemy.

- so all three Nangong sisters had relationships w/ women at some point huh. And 2/3 stayed in said relationships. Nice.

- Was Ding You into Qiyan Agula? Was Gu Rolan also into Qiyan Agula? and Nangong Lie for a bit also?

- Qiyan Agula is canonically handsome.

- Qiyan Agula also almost dies more than a few times. The path of revenge is not kind to her. not at all. Needs more post-canon fluff. Where’s the post-canon memory recovery fluff fanfic that the people need. But also the fanfic expanding on what Qiyan Agula does w/ the rest of her life after revenge besides remarrying Nangong Jingnu in that fishing village. Throughout the novel, it seems to be implied that she actually would be a good teacher and it seems to be what she settles on in the end, but that’s because Ding You got it for her so she stopped staying inside all day and pretty much doing nothing. Story ends on that hopeful note that Qiyan Agula probably eventually recovers her memory with Nangong Jingnu, but the specifics aren’t given as the POV is more from an outside narrator than one of the two main characters at this point.

- First translated webnovel I actually finished reading and the one I’ll figure out how to use JJWXC for. I liked the premise and the plot throughout. The prose was unfamiliar to me, but didn’t end up being a pro or a con. I really liked it. Took about 3-ish weeks to get through it.

Specific Chapters

- Ch 65 : QiJing vibing by a koi pond and Qi Yan plays the Xiao. That’s kinda gay.

- Ch 76 : Damn, I wish there was a official design for Jiya. Also Nangong Jingnu almost discovers Qi Yan is a woman bc of the pierced ear, but not quite. Tender moment in this chapter. Nice.

- Ch 110 : A description of Qi Yan’s default appearances (One of the few specific descriptions in the entire thing, for fanart purposes if that ever happens)

- Ch 119 : Jiya and Nangong Shunu did what

- Ch 130 : Twins have been born under fucky circumstances.

- Ch 144 : Qi Yan and Nangong Jingnu have a playful moment in the rain. It’s cute. Fanart?

- Ch 145 : Oh, Qi Yan cried in front of Nangong Jingnu. Stress and guilt is bad for ur health.

- Ch 146 & 147 : Nangong Shunu and Qiyan Nomin did what? Oh, also the Fuma estate was set on fire. R.I.P.

- Ch 150 : Female Empress?! “I don’t want to die” - “Then just don’t lose” Oh boy.

- Ch 152 : Boom, an imperial exam. Qi Yan is only mildly treasonous in her job as main examiner.

- Ch 153 : “She had once again entrusted her fate and survival to Nangong Jingnu” just like with the fire earlier and the entire thing with Xiao Die.

- Ch 162 : That one nightmare where Qi Yan killed Nangong Jingnu cause revenge. Bad vibes for Qi Yan.

- Ch 206 : Qi Yan carried Nangong Jingnu back to her room and confessed she’s a woman while Jingnu is passed the fuck out from drinking.

- Ch 212 : Qi Yan p much says to hell w/ it after waking up from her poisoning. If u kno what i mean

- Ch 228 : Female Emperor!!

- Ch 231 : Nangong Jingnu is the empress, but there are 73 chapters left. What’s next, when will Qi Yan’s scheming be revealed?

- Ch 238 : Longevity festival or Nangong Jingnu’s birthday p much. Another detailed description of formal Imperial Husband clothing, one of the few so far also.

- Ch 252 : Agula goes to the You province. More clothing descriptions cause I like to collect those.

- Truly, the way that Jingnu is consistently on Agula’s side.

- Ch 276 : Qiyan Agula and Gu Rolan become sworn siblings and there’s a brief POV from Gu Rolan on QiJing as a couple. Jingnu trims a candle and Agula watches for a moment while lamenting that she didn’t learn painting. Gay.

- Ch 295 : The Grand Court Meeting. Reinstate the Husband. All this after Qian Tong put in that complaint. See, it pays to make loyal allies.

- Ch 296 : QiJing meets again.

- Ch 297 : “Who’s the wife” quote.

- Ch 300+ : Ding You is alive after all this time. And is back to help cure Qiyan Agula.

- Ch 302 : Even this late in the story, the schemes really don’t stop, but hm. Interesting.

- Damn, if it wasn’t for Qiyan Agula’s nice ass calligraphy, she wouldn’t have been found. Don’t like the thought of them never meeting again after separating like that.

- Extra 304 : The Masked Person’s backstory! How interesting, there seem to be some parallels between Qiyan Agula and this person.

[penny-anna]

i was tagged by @handwrittenhello, thank u! <3

How many works do you have on AO3?

i got uhh... 355! that's a lot

What’s your total AO3 word count?

aww don't make me check it. *checks* 988,031.

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

i have 12 currently listed on ao3 tho a couple of those are for crossovers. uhh i'm not going to say them all as some are embarrassing. the Big Ones are the Witcher, Doctor Who, Lord of the Rings & Merlin, anyway.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

they are all witcher fics are present!

New Monster Stories

The Price of a Touch

Somebody to Love

sandstorms and hazy dawns

Constellations

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

OH that's a good question! i actually used to but i got out of the habit (oddly) when i moved to a fandom where i get less comments. the reason for this is that getting less comments meant i liked to go back and re-read them as if they were new comments and once i replied that would mean i was 'done' with them. so if i haven't replied to your comment that is because. i am still enjoying it.

i do reply when someone has a question or other comment that i feel warrants a response tho

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

oof so the answer is definitely this merlin series which tbh i can't say i'd recommend as it's genuinely pretty brutal. i don't know if i can say that i regret the bleakness of the ending tho.

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

very rarely write 'crossovers' in the strictest sense BUT i do rly like writing fusions & of those i think the weirdest is the merlin/borrowers fusion bcos the whole concept of M-rated borrowers fic is just. frankly unacceptable!! but i did it anyway.

side note i do actually have a bunch more material around that one drabble (a whole au that's like the plot of the first borrowers but a romance essentially)

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

uhh kind of? yes. way back when i was about 14 and had just started posting fanfic i got a hm Scathing review on a fic i posted. however i was not especially bothered as i was very up myself when i was 14 and it would have taken more than 1 rude person to make me think what i was doing was anything less than Stellar and also the review was pretty dumb.

a lot of the stuff they didn't like in my story seemed to come down to them having failed to realise it was an AU & what i learned from that experience was you can't trust people to actually read your author's notes. the other stuff they took issue with came down to 'this was clearly written by a teenage girl' and in retrospect i'm like yeah no shit. this sounds like it was written by a teenager bcos i was in fact a teenager. do u have nothing better to do.

Do you write smut? If so what kind?

yes. tho not super often these days.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

sorta? once someone translated one of my fics & posted it without crediting the original. it was very very obviously a direct translation even without speaking the language it was written in. they'd been doing it for a while and i believe they got reported but i don't actually remember what came of it.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

answered this above lol. yes i've had a few fics translated!! i don't really keep track of them. i used to go through and look at the comments on translations but i don't really bother these days.

What’s your all time favorite ship?

ok so i'm going to go with my gut instinct on this one & say Two/Jamie, even tho i'm not that into it these days. just in terms of. the level of enjoyment i had back when i was shipping it.

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

OH you know i was actually thinking about this the other day! i always wanted to do a fourth installment of my Merlin urban fantasy AU that would tie some stuff together (and also feature gwen! who was absent from the entire fic bcos i was saving her for later!! i'm so sorry!) but i just lost interest in the fandom. i remember being conscious when i posted the 3rd part that it was kind of a parting gift to the Merlin fandom as a whole. am still pretty proud of that one.

What are your writing strengths?

dialogue!

What are your writing weaknesses?

basically. everything but dialogue lol.

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

i did it 1 time using google translate in an original story & then i ended up actually selling the story so i had to scrabble around trying to find someone who spoke the language who could help me in advance of publishing it and then the process of translating it turned out to be much more complicated than i expected.

i don't remember the usernames of the very kind people who helped me out w it off the top of my head but thank you again!!

anyway no i will not be doing that again probably.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

it was lord of the rings & tbh as lotr fanfics written aged 12 go it really wasn't that embarrassing but it is no longer online.

for some reason (and this is probably for the best) my tastes ran exclusively to crack fic & i also really liked legolas so it was just an extended fic about legolas having really stupid adventures which i thought was very funny at the time. it was co-written w a friend and tbph her chapters were legit funny. go figure.

What’s your favorite fic that you’ve written?

i feel like i end up saying this every time this question comes up but the thing i'm proudest of is prolly the LOTR daemon au (if you can count that as one fic lol)

uhh who do i know who writes fic & hasn't been tagged. @thescarletpaperback @uighean

[mostlymaudlin]

writer tag game wooooo

thanks @palimpsessed and @captain-aralias for the tags!!

a few tags.. @urban-sith @snowybank @tea-brigade @seducing-a-vampire @xivz @facewithoutheart @unseelieseelie @motherscarf @stillmadaboutpetra but as always i love reading these so lie and say i tagged u if u wanna do it!!

How many works do you have on AO3? 17, 15 of which are for simon snow series What’s your total AO3 word count? 97,953 How many fandoms have you written for and what are they? ive published for three! simon snow, check please, and one direction. ive also written some steve/bucky that never went anywhere. What are your top five fics by kudos? In black ink my love may still shine bright Want to mark you up (e-rated part two to "In black ink.."!) Nothing Equals the Splendor a bully and a snob and a complete arsehole Light Me Up

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I try to but if too many come in at a time i get overwhelmed haha. that's only happened a few times tho, toward the end of my multi-chap when people were subscribed and ready. i love replying to comments bc i write a lot more than i post — if something makes it to ao3, that means i really like the story! and if people want to talk to me about it, that's like.. the best thing ever.

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

i was gonna be like "oh i always give them a happy ending" but then ao3 told me — that's not true! Yellow was a lil deleted scene thing i did abt simon buying his yellow breakup stationery, so obviously the ending is big owie. and my humdrum fic, Hunger of the Shadow... i mean its a humdrum fic lol. idk which is angstier, its different types i guess.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

i got a comment that bothered me once that was like sort of judgmental abt a bit of my plot, and they were like "you should have done __ instead." and i was like ummmmmm... but not HATE i suppose.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

i wrote smut on my own once (Want to mark you up). i mostly wrote this one to capitalize on the horny momentum of In black ink my love may still shine bright, in which simon and baz go out to a bar, etc. also i wanted to make a joke about lamb hahahah.

then i did a few smut pieces with some pals via Frantic Fanfic. One of them, A for Effort, is actually technically my second most-kudos-ed fic, but it didn't feel right to claim it because Kay (xivz) did the heavy lifting on that one!

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don't think so!

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Just the Frantic Fanfic stuff!

What’s your all time favorite ship?

i wanna say snowbaz because im elbow-deep in it right now, but i don't know! i've definitely written most for snowbaz, but i think that's just because i'm more confident of a writer now than i was in my other fandoms. i think ill always be a slut for a certain 1d ship that really embarrasses me but i like..... can't get over it lmfao. also steve/bucky comes back to haunt me quite often

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

i have a lot of wips that im determined to do, but it might be a while. i have one wip that is heavily rooted in a new england summer setting that i recently moved to my Graveyard folder on google drive because i was like... i don't think i can write this as well now that summer's over. the first sentence in that doc (which is entirely scrambled outline) is "this fic should smell like sunscreen." i will probably revisit next summer if im still around because im super invested in it. it's a childhood friends>rivals>friends>lovers with copious new englandisms, ghost hunting, simpard, explorations of guilt that are like super catholic (again: hello new england), queer identity stuff. i think shepard is a trans dude in that one too which was fun. idk!! this answer got long. it makes me more certain i will return to it lol.

What are your writing strengths?

hmmm probably like - earnest descriptions of emotion? like, if the character is going through something, im going to take you through allll the stages. i personally think im funny, which is what matters to me as my own reader lmfao. and i think i like to break them out of the usual settings and plotlines! i really like setting as a literary tool, thinking abt the obstacles that come wherever your characters are. im in the ideas stage of a road trip fic and i think that's going to be a really good way for me to flex there.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Sometimes dialogue, sometimes not. Elaborate plots that can't be tied to character development. I've said this before, but I find my writing to be quite plain in terms of syntax/word choice/etc... this is usually fine but sometimes my writing can get very like "action, thought, action, though, action, dialogue." idk. i dont know that i have a word for this, am open to suggestions.

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

i can only write in english!

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

one direction lol

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

pshhhhh....... i like really love everything ive published for the simon snow series so idk. im most emotionally invested in my multichap, Nothing Equals the Splendor. But also i had the most fun writing both Jump Up, Chosen One! (where they get stuck in a mario game lmfao) and Light Me Up (my stoner fic). theyre all my favorites for different reasons lmfao.

if you read this whole thing i love u. i put the read more cut in at the top and then i was like 'i can wax on as long as i want now" hahaha. i love talking abt writing and idc if it makes me self-absorbed i love my fics 😂

[elizabeth-mitchells]

I was tagged by @lilolilyr thank you so much!!! i loved your answers omg you've written a lot! <33

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

I have 49 words posted!

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

612122!

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1. five times Deena and Sam met in secret (and one time they didn’t) aka my pride and joy, love u fear street fandom. 2. Being with you (Makes the flame burn good) i'm very proud of this one, my first fic for the old guard. 3. Extremely Uneventful Subject although i genuinely love it it only got this many kudos bc i included men lmao 4. one day at a time one of my favorites!! why didn't i write more for bly manor?? 5. Andy and Quynh One Shots 101 one shots and i'm extremely proud of that lol

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

Yes! I reply most of the time. In fact, I should go reply to some today

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

Chapter 40: the work of loving them is worth the pain of losing them. or mortal Andy is losing her memory and i cry the entire time.

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

probably Extremely Uneventful Subject because, spoilers alert, it's all about andy regaining her immortality and being happy ever after with her wife, as it should be!

7. Do you write crossovers? If so what’s the craziest one you’ve

written?

I've only written one! (Red) Room For 8. I do think it classifies as crazy, maybe? What do ocean's 8 and the haunting of hill house have in common? this fic!! i actually really liked it and i should probably finish it oops! plus, we get lou and theo being friendly exes so that's... something

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

No, i don't think so?

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

Hmm a little. so not really. just when the fic really calls for it. for example Don't You Know? (That I'm A Moon In Daylight) helena/dinah vampire au, for reasons. and the only touchstone of truth the marla/fran backstory!

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Uhh not that i know of! hopefully not!

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! Which i think is the coolest thing! 【翻译】Being with you (Makes the flame burn good) in Chinese!

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

I'm on it 👀

13. What’s your all time favorite ship?

oh the most difficult question ever!! listen, i have to say at least four! Andromaquynh or Andy/Quynh, is so especial because oh my god they're immortal that's endless potential! and i don't think i'll ever write 101 one shots for another ship! Damie or Dani/Jamie, because maybe I only have two stories written for them but the love i feel for them is way too much, they are perfect, favorite characters too. Heistwives or Debbie/Lou, objectively i also wrote a lot for ocean's 8, they are the reason i started writing fanfiction! and they've lasted me a long time. plus there's also the ot3 i love. and a bonus mention for my current favorite Sameena! of Sam/Deena, because they are the only thing in my mind at the moment, except maybe for Sarah/Hannah

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

Okay so I genuinely started to write a The Old Guard x Hill House AU, like I had a full chapter ready I think and I was so excited about it, spooky, angsty, emotional. but then Fear Street took over my entire life. but! I love the idea and I have a full outline so I'm sure I'll write it at some point!! hopefully before the sequel comes out lol as soon as i can look past the problematic fandom again. but! one that i really don't think i'll finish, would be a tog x ocean's 8 AU, because i didn't feel as strongly about that one, didn't have an outline, technically didn't even start to write it, probably not going to happen

15. What are your writing strengths?

i genuinely have no idea what to answer, i swear

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

uhhh i don't know? if this counts, which i think it does because it definitely affects my writing, is that i have zero discipline. and i rather die than thoroughly proofread and edit everything i write...

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

I was going to say I don't love it but then I remembered I've done it a couple of times! I think it's nice, but when it's not overdone, just a little thing here and there. in my case, i did short sentences on one shots, which meaning can be guessed or wasn't very important to the story, so that the reader doesn't have to stop reading to look up a translation, and then at the end include the translation. it's mostly about the feeling of it, to me

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Ocean's 8! and it was a 30k ot3 story because apparently i'm ambitious like that. and shortly after i started writing for the haunting of hill house!

19. What’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to?

Gunpowder Milkshake! I have an entire one shot already planned out but I haven't had the time :((( (fear street please let me live) and i have written for these fandoms/ships but not nearly enough!! so i'm also going to mention Dani/Jamie from bly manor and Dani/Grace from terminator dark fate. let's not overthink why i love so many ships that include a character named dani jgkhghk

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

I have many favorites but I'm going to be completely honest here and say that it's my heart (is like a haunted house) my Andromaquynh Ghost AU!

Tagging: (if u guys want to do it/haven't done it yet) @villanelleskiss, @salzundhonig, @rupzydaisy, @moonlightandromache, @cryhardanddanceharder, @knoepfchen,

[highfunctioningflailgirl]

Tag- you’re it!

Fic Writer Review

Repost, don’t reblog!

Thank you for tagging me, @enigma-the-mysterious, @silvermillenniumqueenneptune, @bbcfandomsuniverse, @procrastinatorproject

How many works do you have on AO3?

20

(I have no idea why this keeps showing up so big, it's normal font jfc)

What’s your total AO3 word count?

(Why are you making me do math? I suck at math! I could totally make something up and no one would notice.)

Ahem. 154,812. Honestly.

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

4 fandoms:

24 (those aren’t on AO3, so no need to go looking)

The Musketeers

Cormoran Strike

Star Trek Picard

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

In Blood and Silence you Speak the Truth

Whumptober 2020

Trial by Fire

Leap

Busted

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

Unless RL forcefully intervenes, I always respond. I love it when a whole discussion ensues. And I squeak embarrassingly when readers quote their favorite lines back at me! 😊

What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

I think it's my very first Strike fic, Happy New Year or The Truth Hiding at the Bottom of a Bottle. Still glad I was welcomed so warmly by the Strike community on AO3 in spite of introducing myself with drunken sadness and angst.

Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the craziest one you've written?

Crossovers aren't my cup of tea. I rarely read them and I've never thought about writing one.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Not hate, but, weirdly, I seem to attract stans who will vehemently correct me on a character's/actor's height and why their fave is definitely the tallest of them all.

Do you write smut? If so what kind?

I'm not a big fan of graphic smut. But I do like erotic writing that's sensual and poetic and elegant. Use the words "cock" or "clit", and I'm out of there. But if you tell me about someone's breath ghosting over naked skin or lips igniting a fire, I'm in.

Since that's the kind of "smut" I like to read, I've tried to write it, twice, and the outcomes were Leap for the Strike fandom and Sacrilege for The Musketeers. Oh, and I keep forgetting Surrender, which was my very first Musketeers ficlet and is actually a bit kinky, even if that's not the point of the story.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not as far as I know.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Again, not as far as I know. In pre-AO3 days, I translated a handful of my own 24 fics from English into German for a German fansite, but it was hard and felt clumsy. Which means translators have my highest respect!

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, I haven't.

What's your all time favorite ship?

I don't have an all time favorite ship. Right now, it's Strike and Robin in the Cormoran Strike fandom and Aramis and Queen Anne in The Musketeers, but there have been others (Tony and Michelle from 24, ah, I'm looking at you!) and there will be others in the future.

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

Echo, most likely. I still want to get back to it, but a) there's not much interest in this particular story and b) it triggers my The Man in the Iron Mask PTSD every time I try to continue writing it. It'd be a shame, tough, since it's a story dear to my heart. We'll see.

What are your writing strengths?

I've been told I'm particularly good at writing whump and h/c, and I think my action writing is better than I think. And I believe I'm good at catching someone's characteristics and putting them into words.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Too much detail and wordiness (see this post, lol). And I'm just not good at coming up with a plot, mapping it out and planning ahead where I want to go with a story. My fics happen as I write, my characters have a mind of their own, my plots are prone to taking U-turns, and it often makes my stories feel like patchwork.

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

Short phrases or single words are fine, imho, but unless you're really familiar with the language, you should keep your fingers off it. Also, scrolling all the way to the bottom for a translation pulls me out of a fic as a reader. My take is using only words or phrases the reader will catch the gist of, even if they don't actually know the language.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

24, back in the Stone Age when AO3 didn't exist yet. And, if I'm entirely honest, I may have written Riptide fanfic into my school books back in the 80's when the internet wasn't invented yet, but nobody except myself ever read those stories, so I don't think that counts. (And yes, I am that old; get over it.)

What's your favorite fic you've written?

I don't really have a favorite fic, but In Blood and Silence you Speak the Truth will always hold a special place in my heart. It was my first really long fanfic, I made new friends over it and it really was the story that established me as a writer on AO3.

Whoa, that got out of hand pretty quickly. Like I said: My weakness is wordiness...

Tagging @lulacat3, @hobbeshalftail3469, @vgriffindor, @bluerobinwrites @cavanaughpark09 and whoever wants to play!

[sweetalnazar]

I saw your tags about people not reading fics bc its not smut but I just want to assure you you're underestimating the ammount of people who dont actually want smut in this fandom

Aaksjdhakjdas i didn't expect someone to read my vent post much less reply, so thanks for the reassurance, anon, it's very kind of you 💖

Don't worry, I don't think no one at all would read, it's more of the reception I'd receive I guess?

Statistically speaking, lemons (to use old fanfic speak) tend to perform much better than most fics. I wouldn't be surprised if reader fics were the same (fun fact: my most popular fic is both smutty and a reader fic lol). Those types of fic are just easier for a larger audience to get into imo, and as a result, will have a higher chance of getting more kudos/comments

It’s not a bad thing, but, well I have a lot of self esteem issues, particularly in regards to Validation™ (thank u childhood trauma). I compare myself against ppl automatically and if I don't 'perform as well‘, if there's an absence of sufficient Validation (in this case, a certain number of comments/kudos/etc), it feels like a rejection. I tend to take those quite hard and I almost always end up just quitting a project partway through when that happens

Good news is I'm getting a Lot better at managing my feelings and responses and being more mindful of my mental health in general, and preventing stuff like this from happening. 😁😁

That's why I'm doing my best to finish this entire fic so I can post the whole thing and not leave readers hanging (also bc i would rly rly like to finish a WIP one of these days 😂😂)

But I really appreciate the ask, and well, for the curious, here's the current summary I've come up for the fic:

“Let’s make a promise. From now on, let’s see each other again every year, no matter what. Even if it’s only once.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

This is a story of a love that was an almost, a nearly-meant-to-be.

This is a story of a quiet love that went unspoken, that could have been but never was.

This is the story of you and me.

Also another snippet from my (super duper extremely super) rough draft

Once, there was a little 5-year old, in his warm home with his parents. His mom had taken out her qanun, her most treasured possession, while his dad carried him, riq in the young child’s hand.

“Ready, habibi?”

The child bobbed his head excitedly.

“Just like I showed you,” his dad whispered, squeezing the child close.

Aisha began to play, and the small child joined in, his tiny hand slamming the riq as hard as he could while his dad laughed and sang snippets of Zadithi along with the melody.

The room grew brighter, pink light washing over the room, crystallizing the memory.

And then, Asra awoke.

[prince-liest]

fic writer interview!

How many works do you have on AO3?

37, though another one is going up tomorrow because haunted AO3 hours started and I don't want to post it in the middle of the night on a Monday. Also like 4 or 5 more in reserve from zines/bangs. I'm kinda impressed with myself, but also, side-eyeing y'all with fic counts in the 100s. Phenomenal. Effervescent.

What's your total AO3 word count?

257,246

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

In chronological order of first fic on AO3: Percy Jackson, Soul Eater, Steven Universe, My Hero Academia, Dragalia Lost, Avater: the Last Airbender, the Witcher, and Genshin Impact! That's 7 fandoms and I'm not counting Homestuck (I only wrote OC stuff) or D&D (same thing).

I also have works from Axis Powers: Hetalia and Katekyo Hitman Reborn! on Fanfiction dot hell that none of you will ever see. I definitely posted and deleted a Twilight OC fic once.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Dish Duty | ATLA

The Sword of Damocles is Swinging | MHA

The Ancient Art of Jerkbending | ATLA

Dishabille | MHA

Summer Break | MHA

ATLA is a powerful fandom so I'm not surprised both my ATLA fics made top five. Dishabille's popularity continues to pleasantly surprise me. Damocles is only surprising because it isn't first. I am so proud of Summer Break and that entire Shinsou series, I'm glad it made top 5 and is gonna break 1k kudos soon. <3

(Now get Dog-Tired up there, I fucking love that story. q^q)

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

To quote Mido: I do, but not consistently. Q^Q I read them all and I really want to reply to them all, but I very frequently simply to not have the energy. I have it posted on my AO3 profile, though, so hopefully it doesn't hurt anyone's feelings... I have recently been trying to at least answer all new incoming comments and not let the backlog increase! (That said, the backlog is over 100.)

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

I don't tend to do angsty endings (I am a hard lover of angst with a happy ending), but I've written some questionable and bittersweet ones. I think arguably the best contendor for angstiest ending is probably Kindred Spirit. I wrote it to low key revenge myself on @thegc4life for insisting that Shinsou gets a hug (he does! technically!) and it certainly ended ominously.

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

As much as I love "Edward Elric gets transported into X universe and proceeds to kick everyone's ass" crossovers, I don't relaly write any. I do enjoy full transplant AUs, though, and the one I recently posted on AO3 is an MHA-at-Hogwards AU called the Birds and the Mares that I wrote for the HP/BNHA Zine!

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Deeeeepends on what you mean by 'hate.' :X has gotten two comments (one much politer than the other, haha) complaining about my use of the r-slur in Shinsou's internal narrative in one of the chapters, but one person backpedaled and said they understood the purpose of it while the other (more vehement) one never replied to my explanation. That's all, though!

Do you write smut? If so what kind?

Yeah. It's never going on my main AO3 (and the one time it did, I orphaned the fic). I have a side account I might post it on once I get over the fact that people who know me also know about the account. It's all 100% PWP of stuff I personally am into, and I have a very specific set of things I'm into, so... idk, feels a little personal! ^^"

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No, but I've had people adopt general concepts I used (fabulous!) and steal my RP OCs back in ye olde fantroll days (not at all fabulous! incredibly hurtful, actually). I am vehemently opposed to plagiarism, even of concepts. It feels so gross.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Someone in the comments mentioned that they are translating Bloodied Hound into Russian and I am SO EXCITED. I desperately want to read it. Of all the languages, it happened to be the only other one I'm decently literate in! I also want to show my grandparents. I really hope the person follows through. <3

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I've roleplayed a lot, but I can't see myself ever co-writing a fic. I'm not even sure how it works, to be honest!

What’s your all time favourite ship?

Urgh. Pass. I can't pick one. Perils of a multishipper.

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

I was going to proudly say "I never post things I don't plan on finishing!" but in reality that is a lie, because Falling Down A Rabbit Hole exists from back in 2015 and is in fact the reason I made that rule for myself. ^^" Honestly, what's there still holds up, but the reality is that I didn't actually come up with a plot, so there's nowhere for it to go.

What are your writing strengths?

Interesting/relatable/funny dialogue, and also writing feelings in a 'show, don't tell!' kind of way that leaves strong impressions with people!

What are your writing weaknesses?

Plotting out long stories with good pacing! People thought Damocles had a plot, apparently? Joke's on you, it was a series of "I wanna see this happen" scenarios that I made Hawks suffer through and subsequently strung together like a haphazard multicolor plastic bead necklace that I told everyone was actually pearls.

That's why all my stories after Damocles are either short or split into a series. Shinsou's Bad Days is my attempt at proper pacing, hence it being so episodic.

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

I'll do it if I know the language well enough (so, Russian and ASL, I don't trust my casual Japanese), but I'm generally a stickler for making things come off naturally, so I otherwise will instead try to find the closest tonal equivalent in English (such as having Childe call Zhongli "professor" instead of "xiansheng"). Sometimes there just isn't one (like Kazuha calling Beidou 'big sis' but in a way that doesn't sound kiddish and overly casual for him), though, which sucks. :( Language is cool!

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

T. Twilight. QUQ I wish that fic still existed, it was like a single chapter of two multicolored hair OCs befriending Alice Cullen and being cool. I deleted it but I SHOULDN'T HAVE. IT WAS HISTORY.

What’s your favourite fic you’ve written?

This totally changes with each new slew of fics I post. I think currently it is Dog-Tired because despite being unsatisfied with the title, I think the story itself turned out amazing. I also am extremely happy with the entire Shinsou's Bad Days series (including upcoming installments).

Tagged by: @touchmycoat (THANK U LOVE <3)

Tagging: anyone who's read this far, LOL. seriously, though, I have a lot of writer moots and I don't have the time to tag them all but PLEASE do this and tag me so I can read it if you are so inclined! <3

[v-hope]

i am. in literal. shambles.

just a heads up, many typos comin thru.

n e ways. i LOVE u omg im not kidding. pls marry me.

HOW DID U EVEN COME UP W THE IDEA OF BELONG?!?!? LIKE- sis udek how attached i am to this fic!!

as ive said many times before i relate w yn sO SO MUCH... so reading belong gives me so much hope that one day ill have everyth figured out in my life too.. dk how.. but i will.. just like belong!yn

and this fic is so so wholesome... a guy who hated yn's entire existence ended up falling so so hard that he ends up having a family w her i mean????? i dont have words to express how much i love this

its the first series i got into, the first smau i ever read bc for THE LOVE OF GOD i couldnt find a good smau before this?!?! and as ive said this multiple times, i love how positive yo blog is, i love how u share lil things w us :D and how are aLL yo fics just super great maAM😭💕💕i love reading anyth signed by v-hope😌

but anyways. epilogue. 2.0. i still remember how i had a dream once of belong couple having a baby and i told u and i was like i needit so i mean.. i cred myself for this baby part kudos✌

and CAN I JUST TAKE A MOMENT TO APPRECIATE HOW CUTE HYESEONGIE'S NAME IS??! how do u find such classy korean names bc i cant ever (even lee sungjin is like whew a classy man comin thru) but yea i. loved the name. kim hyeseongie. wow.

okay and from what i get yoon and miyoung are living together and my heart went💖💗💕💞💓💜❤💝🧡 bc 🥺🥺🥺🥺 [i think bc he said "she's actually crying" like he wouldnt know otherwise??]

and eXCUSE ME JEONGGUK WANTS TO MEET HIS ARIEL'S CHILD LIKE HOSEOK PLIS LET HIM GO🥺🥺 ITS HIS CAFE AFTER ALL🥺🥺

but wait in one update yn said that jk is her fav boy but that changed to tae after that and now hyeseongie.. so he's no. 3 now??🥺🥺

and the pics u used just gave me a bigger baby fever like duDE I HAVE A CARRER TO MAKE STOBBIT.. esp the one where hyeseongie is sleeping w a bear... HE LOOKS SO CUDDLY ALEX

and when seokjin said "as his godmother everyone would expect you to" bITCH IM THREWW😂😂

tae teaching hyeseongie art---😃🔫🔫🔫 [dont ask me to not bc HOW CAN I NOT?!?!] and im w namjoon on that. it really is sO DADDY🥵 "come collect yo thot" yea good think is i am your thot kim tae😏

yn. van. gogh. could. never. yn how could u even think the other way round- ion geddit??

but yes. with that. its officially over. not met crying, nope. literal months of screaming and refreshing yo archive around the time u usually post whenever id be up and crying and going like :O after the angsts... ill miss this era :(( but also, its has been an abso pleasure to be on this journey w you so thank you miss alex to take out time and give us this fic from your "somehow sweetheart brain" bc wow ive never felt so attached to a fic. im :D rn.

i promise to stick around and read anyth that u post bc u are fuCKING AMAZING😍😍

woah this became too soft nsbjwjfb okay imma sign off before i kiss u thru the screen mskwbkjf

loads of love and well wishes to you. sorry this got super weird and long🤧 and all the best for yo finals💕💕

ily uwu🥰 (🧚‍♀️)

i think i am the one in shambles bc of this ask oh my god 😭😭😭😭💕

idek how i came up with it, i just remember staying over at my best friend’s one night and then the next morning on my way back home my mind just went !!!!!!!!!!! although the story was quite different at the beginning lol.

aw, i’m glad you can relate to her and i reallyyyyy hope you get to figure your life out as well. no rush tho<3

for real tho, if you told taehyung at the beginning of the story that he’d end up married to y/n he would’ve 🤢🤮 but look at him now. in love as fuck, married and with a babie 😭

i didn’t know this was the first smau series you got involved into and i am so honored wtf 🥺 ahhhh, thank you so much for appreciating my writing, it means so much to me 😭💕

omg yess, i remember your dream! back then i already knew i would give them a baby in the end so i was like 👀 don’t spoil aNYTHING ALEX

you have no idea how happy you appreciating the name hyeseong made me ksñslsñs. i looked through so many names and i wanted one that sounded kinda elegant (?) but with a cute meaning and one of the meanings for hyeseong was ‘blessing’ and i was like yup. this is it. bc that’s what he is to y/n and tae 🥺

miyoung and yoongi have not moved in together yet but they are very serious and stay over at each other’s pretty much all the time so. they kinda live together anyway lmao

don’t worry about gukie, he met baby bear later that same day and was there to support his pretty mermaid like the ride or die he is 😌 and lmao i mean tae and hyeseong are y/n’s entire world like she said so 😬 (but shh, don’t tell jk)

ksñsksñsks sorry about the baby fever, if it makes you feel any better i gave myself some baby fever while looking for pictures to use 😹

tae is so excited over having a lil one to teach art to 😭 and babie already loves watching him paint so that can only make him happier. and wbk joon won’t let him live with all the daddy jokes he’d been saving for this exact moment in life 🥵

van gogh could truly never, no one could ever compare with tae’s family 😔

ahhhh, honestly i don’t even know what to answer to the last part bc i’m just so emo over it 😭😭😭 i’ve said it a million times but thank you SOSOSOSOSO MUCH for sticking around and always sending me this kind of long detailed asks because they make me the happiest istg 😭

so yeah, thank you so much :( honestly :( 💕

[arofili]

how’d u get into writing? like, writing fic and being part of the silm community, being Known, that stuff? i’m really new to being a silm cc and i’d love to know ur advice! also: how’d u build up the confidence to start posting meta/hcs? bc i have a Lot of hcs and meta ideas but also i’m really anxious abt posting them bc yknow anxiety is like that

these are some great questions, anon! I’m gonna go through them one by one :)

how’d u get into writing?

not to be like, super cliche, but I’ve...kind of always been a writer? as long as I can remember I’ve been telling stories, and when I was too young to read or write I would dictate them to my mom, who would type them up for me and help me choose clipart illustrations to accompany them. when I got old enough I would always be writing; I attempted my first novel at age 9, and while that never really went anywhere I did finish the darn thing and it had some pretty sophisticated plot twists for a 9-year-old!

like, writing fic

around the same time I got into fandom! I was deep into Warrior cats (like. really deep) and I believe I started writing my first fics when I was like? 10 or 11? my memory is kind of fuzzy on the order of things, but I know I got an account on the Warriors forums when I was 9, and that I was already posting my fic there when I made my FFN account. I believe I was 12 when that happened, but who knows. I haven’t the faintest idea of what happened with those forums, but uhhh pretty much all of my Warriors fic is still up on FFN lmao. you could probably find that if you want to but um...maybe don’t?

my first Big Fic was a self-insert of...my entire 5th/6th grade class into the then-current timeline of the Warriors books...well. I honestly think that might still be my most popular fic of all time l m a o though I try not to think about it because Hashtag Cringe. though as much as I look back on that time with a “yikes,” I am very grateful for the Warriors fandom in a way? that place was so accepting and encouraging of OCs, of AUs, of completely disregarding canon, of worldbuilding that is completely alien from canon - it was a fantastic sandbox to begin with, there were so many ways to write stories and practically all of them were accepted and had fellow fans invested in them!

and being part of the silm community, 

soooo I wrote Warriors fic until my freshman year of high school (wow sdjfhkdsjfh), which was when BOTFA came out, and I was absolutely wrecked by the ending and immediately started writing my own fixit fic. I was also super hooked on Kiliel! so that was my intro to the Tolkien fandom; and simultaneously, I joined tumblr, and, well, the rest is history tbh.

I honestly do not remember when I first read the Silm, but I kind of got into the more obscure parts of the Tolkien fandom through fandom osmosis, and I do have a vague memory of doodling the Finwean family tree in geometry class so it might have been later on in freshman year? that was also the same time I was having my Queer Awakening, and Russingon definitely contributed to me unlearning my internalized queerphobia, so probably around then.

anyway - queer awakening, tumblr, Tolkien, transitioning from FFN to AO3 - all of that was happening around the same time. I know I dipped my toes in the Silm fandom then, but I was still primarily a Hobbit fic writer focusing on Kiliel. toward the end of high school I kind of shifted to LOTR and (qp) Gigolas...but somehow the Silm fandom is the most active of the Big Three within the Tolkien fandom, and I was getting dragged further and further in.

it wasn’t until @backtomiddleearthmonth 2019, my freshman year of college, that I really dove into writing Silm fic! I picked some Silm-specific bingo cards and never looked back :D that was really not all that long ago but I am obsessed in a way I don’t really remember being even with TH/LOTR, I obviously cannot see the future but I anticipate hanging out here for a long time. the Silm fandom is great overall and there’s just so much material to work with!! <3

being Known, that stuff?

so I don’t really have a whole lot of context on how “well known” I am in the fandom?? definitely within the past year and a half or so I’ve noticed that I like, get asks like this, and get a significant amount of notes on my posts, and I’ve made a lot of fandom friends especially since I joined some Silm servers on Discord (hmu if you want invites; I’m on the SWG server and 2 general Silm servers and the Russingon server) this past year. and I have 3,000 followers as of this month - and while ever since I hit 1k I don’t particularly pay attention to my follower count I can definitely say that I have more engagement now than I used to! but it took me a long time to build this “audience,” I suppose; I’ve been around the Tolkien fandom since late 2014, so nearly 6 years of this, lol.

really the best way to build a following, in my experience, is to just post a lot of stuff. when I started making edits I got a lot more engagement, because for a long time I would post one every day! (I made them in batches and queued them; I didn’t actually make one every day lol...and now I’m too busy to do that, so I just make edits for events and whenever I feel like it) And I have [checks ao3] 145 works in the Silm fandom as of today - I’m fairly prolific! I’ve come to generally expect 3-10 comments on most of my oneshots, which is a lot more than I used to have back in the day. consistency and quantity are more likely to attract people to your work - and quality, of course.

also: how’d u build up the confidence to start posting meta/hcs?

I’ve been writing since I was very young, and I’ve been writing fic for like...11 years? I think? in that time I’ve produced a lot of garbage, but imo most of that was in my Warrior cats phase, so I came into the Tolkien fandom with confidence in myself and my writing. I’m also working on original fiction on the side (I hope to eventually become a published fantasy author, but right now school takes up most of my time that I don’t devote to fandom, which gives me more immediate gratification and also is just Very Fun) and I know I’m a good writer.

basically, I’ve been doing this for like...half my life, and I’m still fairly young, so I’ve had time to build up my skill and confidence and I know I’m only going to get better with time. you will get better with practice. like I said, I’ve written a lot of terrible stuff, and it’s only through sucking for a long time that I’ve gotten to the point I am now. and I am far from perfect; I know I still have lots of room to grow!

for meta and headcanons specifically, I started with writing fic, and then when I didn’t think I could stretch something into an entire fic I would just make a hc post. I have a vivid memory of writing my first meta in a notebook during driver’s ed because it was so goddamn boring and I had Thoughts about Tauriel and Thranduil!

in my experience, meta comes from having Opinions and wanting to share them and most importantly to back them up - you need to have sources! you need to have reasons! you need to have justification! otherwise it’s not meta, it’s a headcanon or an AU. which is fine!! I love hc/AU!!! but they are not the same as meta, and I’m a stickler for being accurate when it comes to meta. if you have sources and shit to back you up, that will help you build the confidence to share your meta.

sharing disinformation and passing it off as meta instead of just coming out and saying this is a headcanon/baseless theory/AU or whatever is such a fandom pet peeve of mine; it’s not bad for something to not be Accurate! you just have to have that disclaimer - and even when you’re writing meta, you’re offering an interpretation of the text, and you need to acknowledge that other interpretations also exist and are valid.

um. I hope this answers your questions? and sorry for basically word-vomiting my entire life story, lol. this post got long; the main reason I’ve written so much fic is because I really just cannot shut up for the life of me. sooo if you can tear of that filter of being shy and just. say shit. you can go so far~!

OH and one more thing - I can’t believe I almost forgot this - but part of being a writer is participating in the community. this is code for LEAVE A DAMN COMMENT IF YOU LIKE A FIC. that’s how I made most of my fandom friends before Discord! I follow @ao3feed-silmarillion and stalk that blog for new Silm fics; I read the ones that interest me and comment on them.

I know this is not really the most common way for folks to find fic but it’s so rewarding to interact with new fic, new writers, new commentors, new stories - you can find gems that don’t rise to the top of the kudos/bookmark lists; you become friends with your fellow writers; you can watch people grow and change; you support smaller content creators. yeah, you might not be getting Just The Best Stuff, but it’s so so so worth it!!

and if you make friends in the comment section of other people’s fic - I guarantee you some of them will go to your AO3 profile and check out your fic, too! and they’ll leave comments! this is a fic community, and that’s what I cherish about fandom most of all, tbh.

anyway - again - sorry for rambling so much, but I hoped this helped! feel free to send in another ask, or to come talk to me off anon if you’d like! and definitely send me your stuff if/when you decide to share it; I would love to support you!!! <3