#lobstermatriarch's writing

[lobstermatriarch]

Fandom: Baldur's Gate 3

Pairing: Astarion x f!Dark Urge

Rating: E for violence and explicit content

His eyes trace the line of your pulse, healthy and strong after your revival. “If you need me to be that person," he says, "I could be persuaded.” Sometimes the only way to deal with cursed blood is to remove it.

Orin my beloved, I'm sorry.

[anosrepasi]

10 and 20 for the writing ask!!

Hello dear one! Thank you for the ask :D 20. How would you describe your writing process? Honestly, the best way to describe my process is web-weaving. Writing comes easiest to me when I can pull in a bunch of unrelated topics or content and use those to help create the structure of the fic around the plot points I want to cover. I'm mostly like this because I am a very curious person by nature and down to learn about almost anything, and also this is how my brain functions. I learn by connecting unrelated topics and finding overlap or differences in the material. This also means that I get stuck on very silly little things in fics because I haven't fleshed them out. A lot of my video game writing suffers because my brain refuses to want to cover the main plot points that show up in a video game unless i can put a spin on them and expand on the situation. However, if I just need that scene for a transition or to establish a piece of information I literally cannot get it written. Knowing this about myself has made me better about it, or better with being okay leaving things out unless i have something to say about them.

Other than that, I don't have much of a process beyond almost always having background music for my writing sessions curated to the fandom/fic/characters/pairing depending on what exactly i need to write.

20. Tell us the meta about your writing that you really want to ramble to people about (symbolism you’ve included, character or relationship development that you love, hidden references, callbacks or clues for future scenes?) First of all, I adore this question and want everyone to know they can ask me this whenever they want and I will write them a novel about whatever fic strikes their fancy. I have. I have so much "directors commentary" on all my fics.

First up is something from Kint because you're partial to Kint and I want to make sure you get a behind the scene that you enjoy. So in Chapter 2 where I introduced Shep, I have a section talking about "if someone ventured into the vault at this exact moment" and then use that section to set the scene for describing the setting of the vault and what Shep has woken up to instead of keeping it in her perspective for the entire chapter. I originally was inspired by a writing breakdown from a scene in one of Terry Prachett's books to describe a big traumatic event that way and Kint was my exercise in applying that writing method. The funny thing about that is I have never actually ready any of Terry Pratchett's books but everything i every read about them makes me feel like I'd learn a lot from his writing. However. I haven't actually gotten around to doing that.

Second is a director cut moment from Chapter 2 of Prima Lingua, which I realize I haven't shared except in a comment recently. So the formatting of that chapter is incredibly deliberate down to the page breaks from when Nicolo is shoved overboard down to the depth marker of (1090 ft). Every single line in that section correspond to one ft of depth in 20"ft"/page break increments so that the reader is experiencing depth along side Nicolo as they read. The depth of 1090ft comes from the most recent world record for deepest dive conducted by a human with only scuba equipment, which belongs to Amed Gabr who reached that depth (1090ft and 4.5 inches) in 2014. Thank you so much for the ask!

Fun Meta Writer Asks

[eraserspiral]

Writer Interview Game

thank you for the tag @slothquisitor <3

When did you start writing?

deeply!pretentious!, but I can't remember not writing.

Are there different themes or genres you enjoy reading than what you write?

absolutely. in terms of fic, I enjoy dark and twisted just as much as conventionally 'good' and happy. but I can't really see myself writing the latter.

Is there a writer you want to emulate or get compared to often?

I admire writers who distill language to its bare elements. there's something very beautiful about the concise expression of raw, violent emotion. less is more, etc.

Can you tell me a bit about your writing space?

I write on my laptop, sometimes in my study (with a keyboard and a screen and a desk and proper chair) and sometimes on the sofa (with a cat). depends on how cooperative chronic pain is that day.

& noise-cancelling headphones, usually with something like:

ambient skyrim noise

a quiet monastery

What’s your most effective way to muster up a muse?

go for a walk. do the laundry. anything that a) physically and mentally removes you from your writing space and b) allows your mind to wander.

Are there any recurring themes in your writing? Do they surprise you?

vampires, always.

but also family, home, identity - the absence of those.

I am jessica's complete lack of surprise.

What is your reason for writing?

I've written a lot over the past decade or so, but post-PhD burnout/depression hit hard; I thought I had no words left.

but it turns out there are bees in my brain that need to get out. even if that is just to the bottomless pit/wip folder on my laptop.

Is there any specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating?

variations on the theme of: "I see what you're trying to do here".

How do you want to be thought about by your readers?

fallible but mildly competent.

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

voluntarily say something nice about myself? in this economy?

How do you feel about your own writing?

it's all a work in progress.

When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, or do you write purely for yourself, or a mix of both?

a mixture, in the sense that I aim to create structured narratives that are coherent to the reader—why are we here, where are we going—but in terms of content, it's purely for my sick enjoyment. sorry.

I've completely lost track of who's already done this, so apologies for any repeats. no pressure tags for: @wetcatspellcaster @kittenintheden @gilded-glitter @lobstermatriarch

[antimonyantigone]

Tagged by @lobstermatriarch thank yuuuu

(My AO3 is sayler_antimony)

1) How many works do you have on AO3? 37

2) What’s your total AO3 word count? 119,005 (I tend to write many shorter things)

3) What fandoms do you write for? DS9, MASH, did a little stint of one-shots in ASOIAF, started with BNHA though

4) What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Lost in Translation (a real shock, never expected this one to get any hype)

All The World's a Stage

Featherlight Touch

Lightning and Incense

Thermal Shock

5) Do you respond to comments? Most of the time! I really really try.

6) What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Either 'Between Two Worlds' or just anything I wrote about Jaime Lannister but only because of Jamie Lannister general reasons. Maybe possibly "Do Synthetics Dream of Electric Sheep?".

I feel like I don't angst that hard!!

7) What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? I suppose "A Rose by Any Other Name (A Gift for Garak)"

8) Do you get hate on fics? Once! (they came to tumblr to do it though)

9) Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Yes. Usually kinks. M/M, F/F and M/F are all on the table.

10) Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? No, but an anime recently came out with the title "Cherry Magic: 30 Years of Being a Virgin Makes You A Wizard?!" which is a title begging (begging!) for a Gale of Waterdeep Crossover. (Bonus - you get to be a psychic thought-hearing wizard in this yaoi if you are a virgin for long enough, which is no so different from getting a thought-sharing tadpole in your head, really.)

11) Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not to my knowledge.

12) Have you ever had a fic translated? Not to my knowledge.

13) Have you ever co-written a fic before? No but I would!

14) What’s your all time favorite ship? Uhhhh. I tend to bounce favorites. Garak/Julian is special to meeee. Currently on a Bloodweave kick. Clearly was on a Jaime/Brienne kick for a while.

15) What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? I have a Garak/Julian fic that is meant to follow along with The Divine Comedy but you see, I'd have to re-read The Divine Comedy again and.....

16) What are your writing strengths? If we're going by my comments, which we should, I think tone mimicry. Mimicking the tone of a source material. I love a little copycatting and I really, as a reader, need fics to fit the tone of their source.

17) What are your writing weaknesses? Plots. Long plots. :( :( :(

18) Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I haven't, but I don't envy those who do. "Lost in Translation" uses some loan words, invented language headcanons, etc, and all of that requires enough thought.

19) First fandom you wrote for? BNHA

20) Favorite fic you’ve written? Okay weirdly I love "Major Indiscretion" because I got my husband (straight man who grew up on MASH) to read it and he was like "stop doing this in a way that feels canonical :<"

Tagging @thebreakfastgenie esp because of the tumblr sleepover energyyy

[longroadstonowhere]

lobstermatriarch hat auf deinen Eintrag geantwortet

mhm mhm same. the biggest issues i found were some contrived lore/worldbuilding aspects and that one piece of the main plot is pretty rehashed from other bioware games. but like you said, that’s kind of par the course mass effect? backlash was way overblown imo. The foundation for an interesting new setting and set of characters is absolutely there and i had a fun time writing fic for it a while back.

okay, yeah, that's pretty reasonable - how was the gameplay? was it interesting or tedious or just kinda there but not intrusive enough to impede interest in the story/characters?

[lobstermatriarch]

Fandom: Baldur's Gate 3

Pairing: Astarion x f!Dark Urge

Rating: E for violence and explicit content

His eyes trace the line of your pulse, healthy and strong after your revival. “If you need me to be that person," he says, "I could be persuaded.” Sometimes the only way to deal with cursed blood is to remove it.

“I’m sorry,” you say, grinning as you rise to stand. “You’re right, that’s not fair. Even if Scratch is almost as handsome as you.”

“If you think you’re helping, I promise you that you’re not.”

In a surge of playful affection you plant one hand on Astarion's cheek, giggling as he grimaces at the feel of fur and drool on his skin.

“You’re disgusting, you know,” he says.

With that dog-scented hand you pull him in, kissing his clean cheek and pressing your nose against his skin.

“And yet here you are.”

“And yet here I am,” he sighs. “What has become of us both?”

[lobstermatriarch]

Fandom: Baldur's Gate 3

Pairing: Astarion x f!Dark Urge

Rating: E

Word Count: 3525

Two centuries he’d spent caged in a boudoir, an expert provider of small deaths before the true one came to call. It all feels useless in the face of this, of her, looking up at him with absolute certainty. He takes her chin in hand, seeking out whatever scraps of softness the world has not yet torn from him, and settles her again just at his feet. “Are you ready, darling?” She nods. ------- Yrie has a penchant for biting that makes intimacy difficult.

[lobstermatriarch]

Fandom: Baldur's Gate 3

Pairing: Jaheira x f!Dark Urge x Astarion

Rating: T for now, E in chapter 2

Some distant part of Jaheira thinks she should be afraid. It would be good sense when cavorting with a Bhaalspawn and her vampire lover. But her claws itch just beneath her skin, and for the moment she is just as much a predator as either one of them. ------ A year after the Netherbrain's defeat, Yrie tracks down Jaheira once again.

[lobstermatriarch]

Pairing: f!Durge x Astarion

Rating: E

A layer of dirt and time rests beneath your feet. A foundation. The soil that coats it is thin but protective, blanketed in new growth, and that growth will rot and die and rise again and again until the layered graves are so deep that none remember the place as you see it now. That memory will have to fall on you alone.

The end <3

[lobstermatriarch]

Fandom: Baldur's Gate 3

Pairing: Astarion x f!Dark Urge

Rating: E for violence and explicit content

His eyes trace the line of your pulse, healthy and strong after your revival. “If you need me to be that person," he says, "I could be persuaded.” Sometimes the only way to deal with cursed blood is to remove it.

Sad that patch 7 didn't fix one specific, important scene in the resist durge ending? Here is a chapter just for you.

[lobstermatriarch]

Fandom: Baldur's Gate 3

Pairing: Astarion x f!Dark Urge

Rating: E for violence and explicit content

His eyes trace the line of your pulse, healthy and strong after your revival. “If you need me to be that person," he says, "I could be persuaded.” Sometimes the only way to deal with cursed blood is to remove it.

🙃🙃🙃🙃🙃

[lobstermatriarch]

Fandom: Baldur's Gate 3

Pairing: Astarion x f!Dark Urge

Rating: E for violence and explicit content

His eyes trace the line of your pulse, healthy and strong after your revival. “If you need me to be that person," he says, "I could be persuaded.” Sometimes the only way to deal with cursed blood is to remove it.

From your pocket, you pull a few scorched items— the spine of a book, pages burnt beyond repair. A cracked ring covered in ash. Dull needles scorched black, charred spools bare of thread. You lay them on the grass, at the foot of the stone, along with a flower, as pale and lovely as the man who had been buried in the ground beneath it.

“I hope you rest well,” you whisper to them, and to the lost years carved into weathered rock.

He waits patiently for you as you turn from the grave. You are slow to catch up, reluctant to leave behind the little world you have created, but the dawn is coming fast and there is no time left to linger. He offers you his hand, and you take it, and for just a moment you are the luckiest person who ever lived.

[lobstermatriarch]

Fandom: Baldur's Gate 3

Pairing: Astarion x f!Dark Urge

Rating: E for violence and explicit content

His eyes trace the line of your pulse, healthy and strong after your revival. “If you need me to be that person," he says, "I could be persuaded.” Sometimes the only way to deal with cursed blood is to remove it.

A proper update this time

[lobstermatriarch]

Fandom: Baldur's Gate 3

Pairing: Astarion x f!Dark Urge

Rating: E for violence and explicit content

His eyes trace the line of your pulse, healthy and strong after your revival. “If you need me to be that person," he says, "I could be persuaded.” Sometimes the only way to deal with cursed blood is to remove it.

In spite of all your resentment, he shines, just as he always has.

[lobstermatriarch]

Fandom: Baldur's Gate 3

Pairing: Astarion x f!Dark Urge

Rating: E for violence and explicit content

His eyes trace the line of your pulse, healthy and strong after your revival. “If you need me to be that person," he says, "I could be persuaded.” Sometimes the only way to deal with cursed blood is to remove it.

Another quiet interlude.

[lobstermatriarch]

Fandom: Baldur's Gate 3

Pairing: Astarion x f!Dark Urge

Rating: E for violence and explicit content

His eyes trace the line of your pulse, healthy and strong after your revival. “If you need me to be that person," he says, "I could be persuaded.” Sometimes the only way to deal with cursed blood is to remove it.

Cazador part 2: a chapter in which a lot of bad things happen.