#like when you’ve been a fan for 8 years you begin to grow impatient

[olibunni]

I think it’s a good time to drop this little Gerard Way portrait I did about a year and a half ago for school, although I thinkkkk I could probably do a much better job now I also don’t have energy like I used to so just take it and run

[betweenthepages]

Santa Tell Me; Dean Forester x Male! Reader (18+)

Requested by @winchesterzforever

Summary: For Christmas Dean dresses up in a santa costume, only it’s a lot more revealing. That, and he gifts you a vibrator. Enjoy.

Word count: 1590

A/N: Sorry if this isn’t that great, I didn’t really know how to go about this request 😭

The jingle of Christmas carols drifted in the background as you hung up the last few ornaments on the tree. You wanted everything ready for Dean since he was staying the night. You were a bit hesitant to make him travel his in the cold weather but he insisted on seeing you. You had everything planned tonight. You guys were gonna bake christmas cookies, give each other presents and watch movies all night long. His present was sitting on the dining table, wrapped in red paper with little candy canes on it. You thought long and hard about what to give him and you couldn’t wait to see his reaction.

The doorbell rang, signalling Dean was here. “Hey handsome.” You greeted. He let out a muffled ‘hi’ behind the big scarf he was wearing. You let him in quickly, not wanting him to freeze out there. “How was the trip?” You asked as he hung up his coat. “It was fine. Car almost broke down but I wasn’t gonna miss tonight.” He grinned. “Aw, I missed you.” You placed both your hands on his shoulders. “Now look up.” He was confused for a sec, but realisation set in when he gazed upwards and saw the mistletoe hanging on the door frame. “Well, isn’t that a coincidence. Come here you.” He brought you closer by the waist, pressing his cold lips against your warm ones. He felt like he could melt. He smiled into the kiss, squeezing your hips gently.

“So... Where did do you want me to put this?” He gestured to the present he was holding. “On the dining table. You should go get changed, I’ll get the ingredients ready.” You smiled, heading to the kitchen. You couldn’t contain your excitement wondering what he got you. His box was big, endless possibilities filling your mind of what it was. You’d have to be patient though. You knew you’d love anything he got you. Dean still hasn’t come out by the time everything was set and ready for baking. “Hey Dean, you ready yet?” You called, walking to the living room.

“Ho ho ho, what have we got here?” His voice startled you, and you swore on your life nothing could’ve prepared you for what you saw when you turned around. Dean standing there, almost naked accept for a pair of red latex shorts which hardly left anything for the imagination. He was shirtless, accompanied by a Santa hat. You didn’t know whether to laugh out of how completely random this situation was, or drool over his exposed muscles. “Dean I- what is this? What are you wearing?” You blushed fifty shades of red, averting your eyes to avoid getting aroused from the sight.

“You don’t like it?” He asked. “It’s not that it’s just- surprising.” He came face to face with you, so you could feel his hot breath fanning your face. “You’re on the naughty list this year. You’ve been a very very bad boy.” He whispered, nipping your ear. Fuck it, might as well play along. “What are you gonna do, punish me?” His eyes darkened, the corners of his lips curling to a smirk. “That’s right, naughty sluts need discipline. But before we get to that, I think you should open you should open your present.” Now you were confused. “B-But we agreed to do it after-” he cut you off. “Are you disobeying me? My my my, already in so much trouble and you still choosing not to follow my orders. What am I going to do with you?” He snapped. “No, sorry.” You hung your head, walking to where the presents were stacked neatly.

With shaky fingers you undid the ribbon (which Dean made a mental note to save for later) and ripped the white wrapping paper, revealing the contents inside. You swore you wanted to die right there. It was a vibrator, of all things. Roughly 8 inches. “You see this?” Dean snatched it out of your hand, “This is gonna be in you all night. I chose the prettiest one for you, aren’t you gonna show me how grateful you are? Strip.” You flushed, discarding your clothes and undergarments, leaving you bare under gaze.

He took the lube that came with the vibrator and smeared it on his fingers, ready to prep you. “I-I’m stretched already. Wanted to be prepared for you.” His eyes widened. “Needy bitch. Always gotta be stuffed huh? Can’t go a day without needing needing something inside you. I appreciate you saving me the work though.” He smirked. He smeared some more lube on the vibrator and let you hold onto him, getting ready for the intrusion. “Ahh...” Your knees buckled, almost collapsing if it weren’t for Dean holding you up. God you were every man’s wet dream. Head thrown back, eyes closed letting out the cutest whimpers. He hadn’t even turned on the vibrations yet. The show was just beginning.

He start slow at first, the room was silent except for the soft buzzing noise and your hushed moans. He picked you up placed you on the couch, pressing the remote to turn up the intensity. Your eyes closed in pleasure, unaware of what Dean was doing until he grabbed your hands, pinning them above your head. Your eyes shot open when you felt a soft material wrap around your wrists. You tugged at your restraints, realising it was silky ribbon. You hadn’t tried bondage in bed yet, but you trusted him. You writhed in pleasure, oblivious as Dean slipped a cockring on you. He grabbed the vibrator, pushing it further inside until it was right up against your prostate. “T-Too much,” tears slipped down your face. Dean watched intently, ridding himself of his shorts dragging his hand up and down his length. “D-Dean I’m close.” You mewled, back arching. Dean turned the vibrator to the highest setting, watching you tense up from the pleasure.

“Dean I’m gonna- Dean?” Your eyes opened in confusion, tears blurring your vision. The vibrations were still going, but no orgasm. You looked down, catching the piece of metal around your base. “Wha- no. I wanna cum!” You whined, sobbing in frustration. “You cum when I tell you to.” He growled. “N-No fair...” He ignored your complaints, mouthing over a nipple and tweaking the other in his hand. You looked so beautiful tied up, the best present he could ask for.

He figured he’d teased you enough, taking off the cockring and turning off the vibrator. You sighed in relief. He lubed up his cock, almost leaking at the sight of your twitching hole. “You’ve been good, sweetheart. Good enough to deserve my cock.” Your eyes lit up at that, your neediness growing. “Yes, yes! Give me your cock please.” You begged. He does as you ask him, groaning at warmth enveloping him. “How’re you still so tight-” he gritted his teeth. You whined, trying to fuck yourself on his cock impatiently.

His hips snap up into your sweet heat, stabbing your prostate over and over. Being on edge previously, you weren’t sure if you could last long. Dean was having the same problem, you felt so fucking good it was hard to hold himself back. Your nails dragged down his back, which would surely leave marks for a week or two. It hurt, but it was a good kind of pain. He liked admiring them in the morning. It was like your way of claiming him.

Slowly, you felt the knot in your stomach come undone, and white rained down on your stomach. Dean kept thrusting, chasing his own high, making you whine from the overstimulation. You sighed, feeling his warm semen being released inside of you. He pullled out carefully, undoing your restraints and pecking you on the forehead. He left momentarily to get some tissues and a plug so you wouldn’t get the couch dirty.

After you two cleaned and dressed, you sat by the fireplace, you curled up in his arms as he rubbed your shoulder lovingly. “So... am I on the good list now?” You giggled. “Definitely.” He smirked. “That was so... unexpected. It was fun, but where on earth did you get that outfit?” He the question flustered him, and he averted his eyes in embarrassment. “Um, a sex shop. Same place I got the vibrator. It was meant to be a joke but I got little too into it.” He chuckled. “A little?” You raised an eyebrow. “I liked the present though. I think I’m gonna use it a lot.” You winked. “Glad you like it, (Y/N). But that wasn’t my real gift to you.” He smiled. “There’s more?” He pulled out a little box from his pocket, placing it in your hand.

Inside was a golden heart-shaped locket, with the letter D engraved on it. “I’ve got a matching one.” He held up one that looked indentical, except it had your initials instead. “Aw Dean, that’s so sweet!” You practically pounced on him, wrapping your small frame around his big one. “Glad you like it baby.” He laughed, before turning serious. “But (Y/N), you’re the best christmas present I could ask for. I love you so much.” His voice was genuine and his eyes tender. “I love you too Dean.” You were happy. So, so happy. “We never got around to the cookies though.” You pouted. “The nights still young, babyboy. We’ve got time.” You hummed, stroking his face with your fingertips. “Later. Let’s cuddle for now.” Dean was more than happy to oblige.

[jackdawyt]

Since my last news update in March, today I’m dissecting everything that has come out of the woodwork in April and May regarding Dragon Age 4. So, get some tea and let’s get this show on the road, because we’ve got over 4,000 words of news to delve into!  

Reveal? (game shows/new hire/remaster):

Following the cancellation of E3, EA Play 2020 Live has been officially confirmed as a digital show, taking place on June 11th, at 4:00 pm PST / 7:00 pm EST. 

Before the outbreak cancelled E3 2020, we knew Mike Gamble, the Project Lead on the next Mass Effect game had plans to make a physical appearance at E3/EA Play. So, the question remains, will BioWare still have a presence at EA Play this year?  

Mike Gamble is one of the key members of the Mass Effect team, I highly doubt he’s talking about revealing the next Mass Effect game which is currently in very early stages of development, and won’t release until after Dragon Age 4. Perhaps, Mike back in 2019 was hinting at revealing the heavily rumoured Mass Effect Remaster this EA Play?

Earlier in May, EA had a quarterly conference call and it revealed some fascinating information regarding future unannounced titles. Currently, EA have “one more EA HD title, Four EA Partner titles and two mobiles games still unannounced”. Also, EA said "multiple titles" are set to launch on Nintendo Switch this year.

The EA HD title refers to a remaster of an EA game, hence why most people are speculating at the Mass Effect Trilogy. Venturebeat went on to officially state that this title was indeed the Mass Effect Trilogy.

So, there’s one rumoured possibility for the Mass Effect Trilogy Remaster to be revealed this EA Play, which is cool! BioWare may have a presence this year after all! But I know you all didn’t come for Mass Effect; you came for Dragon Age. So, what do we know about that franchise and a potential reveal?

Jo Berry, a Writer at EA retweeted EA Play Live’s announcement with a party emoji! 👀  

This could be absolutely nothing, but at a whim, perhaps a reference to a Dragon Age 4 teaser, or EA Motive’s new I.P since she has worked within both teams....  

On top of that, Brianne Battye, Writer at BioWare tweeted about her 8-year journey at BioWare. She’s very grateful for sharing her work, and the awesome people she’s worked with along the way.

Patrick Weekes replied saying they: “Cannot wait for everyone else to see what you've been working on recently. :)”

Then, Brianne said: “Right back at you :)”

Two HUGE witters on the Dragon Age team are excited for everyone else to see what they’ve all been working on recently! 👀 When I saw this tweet, I was trying to stay calm and keep my expectations low, but come on when you see a tweet like this, you just get so excited! The question is, when will we see what they’ve been working on, and is it anytime soon? Please?

Well, there is something else we need to talk about that may relate to a potential tease.

Hilary Heskett, who used to be EA’s Global Product Manager has returned to work at EA and BioWare. Put simply, she’s a Digital Marketer for BioWare.  

Hilary; particularly, was heavily involved in Dragon Age: Inquisition’s marketing! In fact, the majority of her work at EA involved representing BioWare as a brand online creating trailers, key art, screenshots, packaging, and advertisements. So, it’s a fair assumption that she’ll be fulfilling the exact same role for future BioWare titles like Dragon Age 4.  

With Hilary joining the team at this point in development, could the marketing stages of Dragon Age 4 soon begin, perhaps at EA Play? Or later on in 2020? Or is she going to be marketing the Mass Effect Remaster?

I sound impatient, but, in the past BioWare have a habit of starting the marketing stages of their products at least two years before an initial release.  

With that, we’ve got to ask ourselves, is hiring a marketer at this point in time a mere coincidence? or is it preparation for when marketing does start? Are we on the verge of seeing Dragon Age 4 official content soon?  

Not to waffle on, because we’ve got a lot to talk about in this video, but I was hired as a Digital Marketer for an app company in the UK. As I understand it, you normally enter projects, mid-to-end of production, because what would a marketer do in the early stages logically? Your role is to be there for the advertising of the product.  

So, in BioWare’s case, it's my understanding that Hilary has joined the team with one year full-swing production, is she about to begin the marketing stages of the next Dragon Age game? Is the game ready for that stage? If anything, I think with Hilary’s background, she’s the perfect person to market Dragon Age 4.  

On top of EA Play, Geoff Keighley announced Summer Game Fest, a new industry-wide celebration of video games. Showcasing digital news, In-game events, & playable content. EA are headlining the event with EA Play, but there are many other world premieres spread throughout the summer. So, there’s a potential for other trailer reveals later on in the year, not to mention The Game Awards.

And, there’s also this leak that shows Dragon Age 4 on a list of PS5 games from the newest issue of PlayStation magazine UK. PlayStation are having an event on June 4th, so we’ll find out if this leak is true soon enough.

If we’re going to see anything Dragon Age 4 related this year, EA Play is the biggest contender for a reveal. I know the whole world could do with that right now! At this current moment, there is no schedule for the show. However, Saria, myself, Fusselkorn and maybe other content creators will be streaming EA Play, no matter what, so turn those reminders on and come join us in our clown suits.

Development (teases/production):

Moving on to teases and development updates. Currently, BioWare are hiring a ‘Senior Outsource Producer.’

This is a pretty big deal, to those who don’t know what a ‘Senior Outsource Producer’ would do...

“Outsourcing development means to hire out any process of a business to third party. The process helps your company or organization to grow.”

To grant more perspective, during Mass Effect: Andromeda’s development, major aspects of the game's animations were outsourced to other EA studios. 

However, this isn’t going to be the same for Dragon Age 4, this role is for one Producer to help the outsourcing team into a robust and comprehensive department that supports BioWare projects in all aspects of development.  

I have friend in triple AAA games, and they had something to say about outsourcing regarding Dragon Age 4: “To be honest, I'd say (outsourcing is) different per studio due to scope. But with something big like Dragon Age I'd probably say outsourcing would start early to mid-production as they have a hell of a lot to do. Some studios outsource from the get go though so that's also possible. And It's rare that outsourcing starts in the final leg of development.”

What I understand from the job posting is that BioWare are looking to hire a producer who will be dedicated to outsourcing so they can establish a pipeline and maintain proper standards for outsourcing. This hiring was posted in May, so the studio might be a few months early from when they actually have to outsource. However, this process will be coming up soon in major development.  

Moving on. In early April, Mark Darrah went on a twitter rampage sharing many tweets relating to Dragon Age 4. One tweet stated: “Is tweeting more going to make you all speculate more or less?”. Followed by a poll with the answers “more”, “less” & “Dragon Age 4!?”

The following week, Mark Darrah teased his three Wolf-Rook books he has placed on a shelf at home.

Later on, in the month, he decided to stack each of them, prompted with the caption: “Spoiler: these are a terrible building material…”

Just last week, Mark tweeted the Wolf-Rook book once more, with the following meme: “Dear men, what is preventing you from looking like this?”

This cheeky tease encouraged Melissa Janowicz (Gameplay Designer) to join the fun and share her own Wolf-Rook book! She said: “It's an absolutely gorgeous book. I'll treasure it for life.”

Ahhh. The secrets these books could hold about Dragon Age 4’s core concepts.... And Mark Darrah is just staking them together, making book forts out of them, as you do! 😂 Maybe one day, we’ll uncover the secrets held within every page, but that day is not yet upon on.

On the same memey day, Chris Anderson, (Application Development/Publishing Support at BioWare) tweeted: “Other people are teasing things, so what the hell, here's an image that I used in something I was working on today.” With a pink image shown.  

Chris and Melissa followed a Twitter conversation about pink being the “perfect colour for when you need something that screams temp.”

Basically, this pink actually has some context for the development of Dragon Age 4. ‘Temp’ means temporary textures, the first blocked out layer of a texture before actual detailed textures are added.

This can refer to many scenes or models in the early texturing phases, as art assets are still in the approval stages. On a wild, out-there whim, perhaps the team are wrapping up a trailer for a reveal? Maybe?... please?

John Epler (Narrative Director) shared his most controversial opinion of all time:

I loved the Hinterlands, but as a fan of the previous Dragon Age game’s ‘linear with freedom' approach, I appreciate John’s take on open world’s since Dragon Age: Inquisition, perhaps this will shape the way forward for future BioWare titles?  

Alix Wilton Regan, voice actress of the Female British Inquisitor retweeted Autumn Witch’s poll asking if people believe the Inquisitor will return as a voiced appearance in Dragon Age 4. Alix tweeted: “C’mon #DAI Fans, you know what to do ;)”

Patrick Weekes replied to Alix’s post with an eye's emoji 👀.... I think I speak for everyone when I say, in some capacity, the Inquisitor has got to return in the next game!

In another tweet, Patrick Weekes teased potential new companions when a Twitter trend placed 5 Dragon Age characters in 6 different camps went around the platform.  

When choosing their preferred camp, Patrick Weekes tweeted: “Finally, in Camp 7, it's turned into a bit of a mess, with coffee grounds spilled everywhere and the couch inexplicably on fire after a drinking game gone wrong. But that's another story.” 

Of course, there’s not much to tear apart here, but we have acknowledgement of the next party members! It sounds like they’re a wild bunch already!  

In early April, Mark Darrah answered a few current development tweets:

So, that’s...Splendid.

Karin Weekes (Editor) tweeted that they “got to sort/catalog/document updates to made-up languages at work today.”  

Following that tweet, @ladyiolanthe asked Karin: “Do you think BioWare might ever be able to release Qunari, Dwarvish, and Elvhen lexicons in a World of Thedas Volume 3 sort of book? Or is that unlikely since they're ciphers and maybe there isn't a standardized grammatical structure, etc?”

Karin replied with: “That’s an interesting idea - I, for one, would find it a hoot! I might send out some feelers…” Any books of made-up languages I can get my hands on would be greatly appreciated!  

Alain Baxter, (‘Production guy’) tweeted: “BioWare review of content today. All I can say is “Scriplet”. 😎

Apparently a ‘Scriptlet’ is an action verb. Alain is teasing premature scripts as they ‘perform their function’ So, something exciting is going down in the scripts, to be worked on in-engine. Or maybe it’s just an inside joke?

John Epler tweeted a great design message about “how 90% of ‘bad’ decisions are, in fact, the best decision at the time. For John, that will always be the camera zoomed conversations in DA: I. People didn’t like it, and asked why not just make them full scenes. But that’s not the decision they make in-house. It was 'make them simple conversations or else cut them'. Game dev is all about making the best decision you can at the time, with the resources you have .A lot of stuff you thought was weird or awkward came down to a gut call of 'this is the best I can make this and I trust it's good enough'. Sometimes we're right, sometimes not.” 

 Awesome words to think on, Dragon Age 4 will be amazing, I’m sure, but just remember to set your expectations right and realise everything design-wise, happens for a reason.  

Shifting to other design aspects. Jos Hendricks (Senior Level Designer) tweeted:

Mike Jungbluth (Animation Director) tweeted: “Just reviewed something in game that hit THIS LEVEL! Hot damn, moments like this are what I live for.” 

Both tweets are incredibly excited and telling of development for Dragon Age 4, it sounds like they’re building and prototyping an epic scene equivalent in scale to the attack at Haven scene? Perhaps, Solas destroying the Veil? Who knows, but it sounds epic, and I’m living for both dev.'s enthusiasm!

For the final tweet regarding the development side is from Åsa Roos (Principle UX Designer)

A UX designer writing about Solas? That must be for codex entries? Right? More lore on our Rebel God!  

Unannounced Dragon Age Game:

In my previous March news update, I discussed brashly about the developers on Dragon Age 4 still claiming that this project has not officially been announced yet, however, The Dread Wolf Rises teaser in 2018 certainly alluded to an announcement regarding the next Dragon Age title. Following this story, we have many sources providing clarity on Dragon Age 4’s current ‘unannounced’ situation.  

Patrick Weekes confirmed that they are “working on an unannounced game in the Dragon Age universe.”

Patrick said: “We would LOVE to be able to say more. We are really excited about what we’re working on. But we can’t share anything right now. Sorry!”

In April 2019, I painted this unannounced situation rather conspiratorial, I said that perhaps the Dragon Age dev’s can’t share anymore on the next game because Anthem was the next project, and EA are forcing them to not speak on Dragon Age. In an attempt to maintain the crowd by not letting BioWare developers regard Dragon Age 4 as the next working project in the works.

However, I don’t think it’s that deep. I think the developers are just under an NDA, and literally can’t speak about the game.  

In Episode 121 of the Anthem-based ‘Freelancer Codex’ Podcast - as a guest, Melissa Janowicz shared that the developers on the secret Dragon Age team cannot talk about the next game, in fact, they can barely talk about the contents of The Dread Wolf Rises teaser trailer.

Chris Anderson also emphasised this same point in a tweet:

As a side not, someone asked Chris why not lie and come up with fake answers to fool the fans, and Chris said: “That can, unfortunately, get me in nearly as much trouble!”

Which shows the validity and value in BioWare developer tweets. The developers can’t just lie about the project either. Which honestly helps someone like me out.

As we know, a game is coming, yet it’s still is very much unannounced, probably because as Jason Schreier reported in 2018, Dragon Age 4 is going to change at least 5 times in the next two years, perhaps BioWare don’t want to show us anything because they don’t want to set anything in stone, or show gameplay that is not representative of the final game.  

But that doesn’t extend to a CGI trailer, or a full title drop, Maker knows that would be amazing, and is within the realm of possibility.

New Lore/Fun:

We have some new lore, and other fun things I wanted to share.  

Dragon Age Comic Writer, Nunzio DeFillipis talked HUGELY about the red lyrium idol and what was originally planned for their comics.

Nunzio recently mentioned in the Unofficial Bioware Forums that the comic characters from Deception were originally chasing the red lyrium idol.

Nunzio stated that the original plan for the comics would've had the characters retrieve the red lyrium idol. Only to have Solas take it back. Eluding to the idol's planned whereabouts before the plot changed since Joplin's cancellation and BioWare's shift regarding this idol in the comics.

Does this still mean that the location of the red lyrium idol is most likely in the hands of Solas and might only be discovered in Dragon Age 4? Or does the next protagonist have a shot at retrieving the idol before Solas finds it?

It seems like a bummer that the original comic idea was scrapped and the writers were forced to change narrative direction regarding this particular idol.

As a funny tweet I saw. Emily (Domino) Talyor tweeted using her overheard in the office hashtag:

BioWare dev’s can’t even tell their kids, folks.

And, regarding the Fuzzy Freaks livestream. Patrick Weekes’s response to my question, asking how does Solas kill dwarves in their sleep if they have no connection to the Fade, was “very effectively.”  This will be a mystery I will personally be investigating when we have our hands on the game.  

Considering it was really fun for those who watched the Fuzzy Freaks livestream, I’m going to share other silly takeaways:

Patrick Weekes doing a New York accent for the Carta Dwarf is amazing!

“DREAD DUMBASS” - is a jokey dialogue option that Karen Weekes scribbled notes for future reference.  

Patrick likes soft romances and happy endings! IRONICALLY.

Patrick’s style of writing is less high fantasy and more modern.

@DrunkDalish, Co-founder of Dragon Age Day interviewed both Karen and Patrick Weekes. As a lover of Dragon Age lore, these interviews reveal so many loving tidbits that you should read for yourself. However, something I noted that was very significant regarding the future is based on Masked Empire’s ending. So, spoilers for that, but Felassan’s fate isn’t what it seems. Perhaps this elf could come back in the future if needed.

Wellbeing:

And, we come to the last topic, this one is centred on the BioWare staff’s wellbeing. Last year, there was a Kotaku article revealing the crunch and working conditions at BW, there was a lot of worry and confusion in the air that the people working on these games were struggling mentally because of senior management and many other reasons. With that in mind, I’m dedicating a section in these news updates to the wellbeing of the developers, any signs/tweets of positivity and hope will be shared in an effort to see if there has been any change in the BioWare offices since Anthem’s release.

It seems like things are going pretty well and people seem happy and optimistic about the next Dragon Age.  

If there are any major updates to a Dragon Age 4 tease at EA Play, I'll be sure to make an update video, but otherwise, be sure to join our livestream as see for ourselves what waits us this EA Play.

Let me know your thoughts down below, what do you think about a potential EA Play teaser, where are your expectations at?

[bughead-fic-request]

I would like to thank @leaalda for making these amazing banners.

This is an effort to spread the word about all fan fiction writers in our little fandom. If you would like to be featured or nominate a writer, please contact me. Please reblog this post if you can and check out some of @lessoleilscouchants work!

1. First things first, if someone wanted to read your stories where can they find them.

I’m singsongsung on AO3. My older work is available on Livejournal at ampersandstars.

2. Tell us a little about yourself.

I’m a twenty-something PhD candidate specializing in American Gothic lit. I’m an east coast Canadian living in a city and I really miss the beach. I take weekly ballet classes, I have a Starbucks addiction, I’m impatiently awaiting Tana French’s next novel, and my current favourite podcast is “With Friends Like These.” Like any good millennial, I treat my cat like she’s my child and enjoy avocado. I hope to one day get my act together and write a novel.

3. What do you never leave home without?

My phone, because I am a predictable citizen of the twenty-first century.

4. Are you an early bird or a night owl?

Definitely a night owl. Very much not a morning person.

5. If you could live in any fictional world which one would you choose and why?

I really struggled to come up with an answer for this one. I guess the world of Harry Potter, circa now, so that I could just do some magic and not have to worry about Voldemort.

6. Who is the most famous person you’ve ever met.

Noam Chomsky, I guess?

7. What are some of your favorite movies/TV?

I’m into Game of Thrones, Westworld, Mr. Robot, The Americans, Brooklyn 99, and of course, Riverdale. My favourite movie is The Sound of Music.

8. What are some of your favorite bands/musicians?

Lana del Rey, July Talk, The Lumineers, Fleetwood Mac, and I’m currently loving old-school Beyoncé.

9. Favorite Books?

I have so many! The His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman, Light in August by William Faulkner, Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen, Caucasia by Danzy Senna, The Likeness by Tana French, The End of Everything by Megan Abbott, and about a hundred others.

10. Favorite Food?

Strawberries.

11. Biggest pet peeve?

People who don’t respect the fact that the left side of the escalator is for walking.

12. What did you want to be when you were little? What do you want to be now?

I wanted to be a ballerina. Now, I generally say I want to be a professor, but in truth I’d like to be a trophy wife with 12 dogs who spends her days writing in front of a window that looks out onto the ocean.

13. What are your biggest fears? Do you have any strange fears?

I’m scared of being trapped in one place. I’m fine with spaces of any size as long as there’s an exit available. If there isn’t one, I get panicky – airplanes are an excellent example of this.  I’m also terrified of raccoons and their creepy little humanoid hands. They’re not trash pandas, okay. They’re little devils.

14. When you are on your deathbed what would be the one you’d regret not doing?

I really regret letting my imposter syndrome prevent me from applying for grants. It was stupid of me, and it could have an impact on my future, but I can’t change it now.

Okay… lets talk about your writing!

15. Which is your favorite of the fics you've written for the Bughead fandom?

Probably “(my youth ain’t) tangled up in bad decisions” just because it’s been such a blast to write.

16. Which was the hardest to write, in terms of plot?

Thus far, “fragile little flame,” because I keep wanting to put Betty in situations so unrealistic that I can’t expect people to suspend their disbelief re: White House internships to that extent.

17. How do you come up with the ideas for you fic(s)? Do you people watch? Listen to music? Get inspired by TV/movies?

Music, almost always, though two fics I currently have in the works (including “fragile little flame”) were inspired by prompts. Movie/TV plot AUs are also fun, but I haven’t written any of those for Bughead yet.

18. Idea that you always wanted to write but could never make work?

There used to be this MTV show about students at a performing arts school called Taking the Stage, and I have, for years, wanted to write a fic based on that show. I tried to write a Gossip Girl one, and now (unsurprisingly) I want to write a Riverdale one, but the plot just never seems to work for me.

19. Least favorite plot point/chapter/moment you’ve written?

I didn’t love writing Polly and Jason’s wedding in “(my youth ain’t)…” The wedding was important to the plot and the progression of Betty’s feelings, but I felt like it kept dragging and I still kind of have “urrrghhhh” feelings toward that chapter.

20. Favorite plot point/chapter/moment you’ve written?

The end of chapter 4 of “we were both young (when i first saw you)”:

And then Betty begins to cry, great big breathless sobs in her chest, making strangled sounds that wrench at his heart. Archie unlocks the truck and Jughead opens Betty’s door, leaning into the car to put his arms around her. “Shh, I know,” he murmurs, holding her tightly. He puts his hand against the back of Betty’s head. “It’s okay, baby, I know.”

Archie has never, in his life, heard Jughead use a term of endearment before, not even sarcastically, but he supposes he’s also never, in his life, driven Betty across town in the darkness with the mark of her mother’s slap on her cheek and blood in the middle of her palms.

This was such an important moment for Betty, Jughead, and Archie, and I’m proud of the way it turned out. Even though I was in charge of Archie’s character development, given that I was writing the fic, I was still sort of proud of him, somehow? It’s a moment in which all three of them really have to grow up – and they do.

21.Favorite character to write?

Cheryl! Cheryl is so, so fun to write. But Betty is my favourite character if I’m choosing a PoV to write from.

22. Favorite line or lines of dialogue that you've written?

I don’t think dialogue’s my strength, but I’m fond of this exchange from chapter 2 of “(my youth ain’t)…”:

Veronica narrows her eyes, inspecting Betty for a moment before she turns her gaze to Jughead. “You look secretive.” He’s concentrating on his computer again, editing photos, and he doesn’t look up when he says, “That’s just my face.”

And this one from chapter 4 of “we were both young”:

“Yeah,” she says quietly. “He gives me something that I need, Arch. I don’t have the words for it.” Trying to keep his voice light, Archie says, “I remember you saying something about love.” “It’s more than that,” Betty says. Last year’s dead leaves, hidden under the snow for so long, dance along the sidewalk in the wind. “I’m not perfect. I’m actually… kind of a disaster. And it’s like… it’s like, that part of me, I can give it to him.” She sighs. “Does that make any sense?” Archie shrugs. “I hear love’s not supposed to.”

23. Best comment/review you’ve ever received?

There was a line in “(my youth ain’t) tangled up in bad decisions” that had a certain meaning I wanted to get across, but I worried that it was too subtle. I hemmed and hawed about it before finally deciding not to clarify it, since I generally try pretty hard to “show not tell.” It ended up not being super obvious, and none of the initial comments mentioned it – and then the next day one comment pointed it out, and I was so happy I may have shed a tear.

24. How do you handle bad reviews or comments?

I’ve never received a constructively critical review or comment, but I’d definitely welcome those. For ‘bad’ comments that are just rude, I delete ’em.

25. If you could change anything in any of your stories, what would it be?

All the fic I wrote in my youth could certainly use some help. Like, for the love of god, 2008!me, stop referring to eyes as ‘orbs’ in every third paragraph.

26. What is your favorite story you’ve ever written? Any fandom?

I think it has to be a tie between “make up words to songs you used to know,” a Gossip Girl Serena/Nate, Serena/Tripp fic and “give me a second, i (i need to get my story straight,” a Hunger Games Cato/Clove fic. 

27. What are you reading right now? Both fan fiction and general fiction?

Fanfiction: pretty obsessed with @stillscape “for the life of me” and “all the road we have to walk,” and also “heart rise above” by @onceuponamirror.

Literary fiction: currently rereading Little Sister Death by William Gay.

Fiction: Every Last Lie by Mary Kubica.

28. Do you have an advice for writers that want to get into this fandom but might be scared?

Just do it! Honestly. I dove into this fandom blind and I haven’t regretted it for a moment. If you have a fic in your head, write it down so you can stop musing over dialogue in the shower. Post it, and adopt a que sera sera attitude about whatever happens next.