#makes my want to go back and rework stuff I have finished lmao

[emmster]

Some slight Ghoap in the morning

[eldritchmochi]

Saw the reblog are you still thinking about doing the CS restructure idea? I can see the benefits of splitting it up like you were talking about even just for finding sections when rereading from a reader perspective.

i had legitimately forgotten about that ask and then someone liked it over night so i reread it (and reblogged). i am again tempted, especially cos ur right, it WOULD make rereading ur fav part easier i hadnt thought of that. cherry keeps 🗞️🗞️ every time i mention reworking whats been posted (u gotta wait until you know where the ride lands before you start tweaking the tracks, and i have an idea but its not yet solid) so im hhhh but also, perhaps it would make me actually get back to working on it

leaving it would keep it with its bonkers weird pacing issues and leave out the handful of things i want to add (until the second draft, wherein i would also file off the serial numbers). would also include me not posting until i finish writing this first planned section, meaning there likely wouldnt be updates again til 2026, at the earliest

restructuring would include leaving the og fic as is, with a note at the start that theres a v2. would also include a number tweaks and additional scenes to fix the pacing overall, as well as general tidying of the early sections since my skill has increased leaps and bounds since 2021 when i started it. since it would be reposts of stuff with added content, there would likely be sooner "updates" cos i would post in MUCH smaller sections, but would probably have bursts of posts, then nothing for a few months, until the whole (and i mean *whole*) thing is posted

leaving it with notes on continuity errors is sort of a combo of the two; would still be a single fic post, but rather than having to contort myself into keeping continuity with the existing story, i would just keep going based around the changes i want to make. this would def make it easier for me to go in and add those things in draft two but would also be a bit awkward to read, given some of the changes, even with explanations of what those changes are. additionally, would make extra work for me because id have to *write* those explanations also. again, i wouldn't start posting until this whole section is complete, so probably not until at least 2026

if u say the forth thing pls tell me what lmao

[spicedrobot]

20 questions for fic writers

I was tagged by @bluedaddysgirl! Sorry this took so long. ;;

I'll tag: @withercrown @a-aristippus @lacertae-dreamscape @aevallare @loveoaths @kevystel @frogunderarock @wolveria @dreaminghour @bright-thorn @kitewithfish

And anyone else who wants an excuse to do this please tag me I'd love to read your answers!! 🥺💖💖💖

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

134.

2. What's your total A03 word count?

444,065

3. What fandoms do you write for?

I started my writing days in Overwatch and most of my fics are from that era, but most recently, I've written for Star Wars, Baldur's Gate 3 and Arcane.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

A New Era - First Jayvik fic I wrote, and somehow it's at the top of the jayvik ao3 tag by kudos even though it's mindrot I wrote between episode breaks. Sorry long form jayvik writers ;;

Lost Time - life-affirming jayvik sex after the s1 finale. I'm just now realizing that all my top kudos fics are jayvik LMAO

Opposites - jayvik fic where someone talks up Viktor at a party and Jayce gets jealous.

Arcane Ficlets - my randomly assorted Arcane stuff I wrote via tumblr asks. All jayvik too 😂

Warm Heart - Viktor has cold hands but Jayce knows just how to warm him up.

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

I try to! But sometimes it takes me months to get back to people. Once the inbox number ticks up I get a little nervous ;; which only makes the problem worse!

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

I tend not to write anything that ends too angsty. I have one or two that have a sort of bad-end vibe. Usually I'll write an angsty ending then delete and rewrite. LOL

Maybe this silco/viktor fic: Back Down? Since Viktor knows he shouldn't be messing around with Silco but he's so drawn to him.

Runner up: one of my ramyatta fics Stargazing because it shows the difference between their past relationship and the present at the end, where they are no longer together. t _ t

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

Probably Encore, since I wrote it because Outer Wilds canon endings beat me up so badly. LOL

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Very rarely!

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

Almost always. Any kind, basically. LOL I love pining and unestablished relationship like crazy, and both characters just falling into sex with each other. Blow jobs, possessiveness, breeding kinks, ritualistic sex, size difference, voyeurism, smell stuff, sex pollen, outfits... a VERY wide range. 😂

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

I almost never write them. I think I have written a few fics that just takes characters and puts them into another game's setting, but that's about it.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of?

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! Most I had one of my ramyatta fics translated into chinese. I've also had my only symbrock fic made into a podfic.

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

Not really. I've done a fic with bluedaddysgirl that was Thrawn/Cad Bane, but mostly I collaborate with artists to do illustrations of my work. I did some RPing back in the day, but none of that's going to see the light of day LOL

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

Probably genyatta? But honestly, I have so so many. Obimaul also has a special place in my heart.

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

My last year's nanofic. It was an AU where Bo-Katan never saved Obi-Wan from Mandalore, so he remained Maul's prisoner. It was going to be a what if where Maul realizes he doesn't know what to do with Obi-Wan now that he's finally exacted his revenge, and they would slowly fall in love while doing powerplays the whole time. LOL It was a bit weird because I had to write it so fast, so a lot of the fic was just Savage and Obi-Wan interacting, so it almost made it seem as if they would be the better pairing TBH. It just needs so much reworking and IDK if I have the power. It probably just needs an entire re-write.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I feel I'm very good at condensing ideas into short word counts. I also think my sex scene writing, specifically my dirty talk, is pretty good! That's one of those things that I can't stand to read if it's bad in fanfic, so I try to make what they say as in character as I can. 😳

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Writing anything longer holy shit. I'm really terrible at it because as soon as I have to deal with pacing it's a death sentence for my motivation. 💀💀💀

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

It can be done well? But only if you are a fluent speaker. I personally don't do it because I'm an idiot who only knows one language, and I don't want to mess up the mood of writing by accidentally making an embarrassing gaff in another language.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

In my life? Probably Kingdom Hearts. On my ao3 account: Dragon Age: Inquisition.

20. Favorite fic you've ever written?

Definitely Polite Company, my Obimaul reverse AU fic. It's the longest thing I've ever written and posted. SUCH a comfort fic to me, and it was a blast to work on. There's just something so fun about writing Jedi Maul that I still can't get over it. The ideas kept coming for that fic which almost never happens for me, and somehow it was fairly well received, which I'm just so ridiculously grateful for. I'm always surprised at how much Obimaul isn't a main pairing for Obi-Wan when they have such ridiculous chemistry. Not even 600 fics on all of ao3 for them💀💀💀 A crime!!

[stereax]

Make a new post with the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! Then, tag as many people as you have WIPs.

tagged by @tapedsleeves !

here we go! gonna put a small author's note about each in brackets after the titles haha. got two separate areas for wips lmao so some are better than others

r**** b********* fic [never got around to naming this one officially, it's more a collection of thoughts I need to officially turn into writing but it is consuming my thoughts atm]

01/24/24 - we'll meet again when both our cars collide // i'll stand before the lord of song with nothing on my tongue [trying to decide which title I like better, mostly done]

take me through the darkness to the break of the day [should revisit this one tbh]

urbex au [another one I have Ideas for but no actual Writing yet, let me finish my thesis first please sob]

you shouldn't be afraid [abandoned, probably won't go back to it unless I can change the pairing]

bless your waters, bless your doubts [probably need to entirely rework this one]

so six people... hm. tagging friends who I know do writing stuffs: @devilssacrament @eviesos @ryangravytrain @nonametis @forgottenflowers @mikathemad and you, if you want to do this and haven't been tagged yet! :3

[clit-eastwood-spicy]

🌗💕📚💎📒🎤🎁 heh heh

AAAA SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG, I'VE BEEN TRYING TO WAKE UP ENOUGH TO HOP ONTO MY PC TO MAKE THE REPLY PROCESS EASIER SKDJUFSDF

Honestly I love a good mix of both fluff and angst. Depending on my mood it can be just one or the other but writing both together is just so <3

2. I am nothing if not a self-ship monster. It's legit all I write. Generally I use like... ocs for it but I kinda use bits of myself for all my ocs anyway lmao. Someday I might try branching out and do reader x canon type stuff but for now it's just my ultra self-indulgent shit lmao

3. I think the fandoms I've wrote for the most so far is the MHA / BNHA fandom and Pokemon? I had an ultra-long Pokemon/Naruto crossover fic I wrote when I was like 14 that was like 50-ish chapters long and yet somehow still unfinished lmao. I still have that shit but I reuploaded it to Google Docs to make sure I never lost it, even if some of it makes me cringe now lmao

4. Forbidden love is a vibe I really dig ngl. Esp like.. older x younger type vibes where the younger person just like... absolutely lights up the older persons gloomy heart and makes them feel young again in a good way. I've also been really into soulmates type stuff lately. Also stuff with like A/B/O vibes but like I kinda cherry pick that stuff and rework it a bit for my own personal writing vibes.

5. I have a legit wasteland of barely started / half finished fics. I have only finished one and I have no idea how I managed to get the self-control to only make it 4 pages long ngl lmao. I really wanna go back and rewrite a few older fics but that's a lot of time and energy for someone like me (ADHD/Autism brain that hates doing something that feels unfulfilling in the moment lmao). Someday I hope to finish something longer though.

6. Honestly it's more an entire section lmao. The entire plot point was that my oc Riley was trying to ask probing questions in regard to my friends oc I wrote into the story, named Iseiah, who was in love with this character named Zisu and because of how Riley asked Zisu mistook it for Riley asking her out and any time Riley would attempt to interject Zisu would cut her off so the next day at lunch they're all sitting at the table and Zisu slips that Riley 'asked her out' and Iseiah loses his shit because he had just told Riley how he had feelins for Zisu. In his anger he didn't give Riley much of a chance to explain but accidentally let it slip that he was in love with Zisu. In that particular scene he says a lot of shit but my absolute fave line was “OH I SEE HOW IT IS, I TELL YOU I’M IN LOVE WITH HER AND YOU FUCKING STEAL HER, RIGHT UNDER MY NOSE! YOU RUG PULLING BITCH! I’VE BEEN WAITING YEARS TO ASK THIS GIRL OUT, BUT LO AND BEHOLD, LIL MISS AMNESIA FALLEN FROM THE SKY DECIDES SHES GONNA STEAL MY FUCKING GIRL!" and honestly I frequently quote "You rug-pulling bitch!" lmaoo. Best part was that Zisu is built like a bodyguard and legit took him down and pinned him to keep him from causing a scene lol. Just genuinely one of my absolute fave scenes because of the rollercoaster of shit in it.

7. I don't even think I have the file anymore but the line was "If nothing is real and nothing matters... then why not enjoy it? Allow yourself to live the way you want to for once. With no regrets. Not everyone has that chance. Take it and make this life, however fake it may be, a life worth living." - The fic was from a fucking Justice League / Batman fic of all things lmao

[baladric]

💘💫🤍🪄 🦋 for the ask thing!

ehehe thank u anon!!!!

💘 Is there any posted fic you want to rework/re-edit/re-write?

honestly kind of all of them? i am chronically dissatisfied with my end products—mostly because i look back at them and see nothing so much as pacing issues, and a propensity to attribute too much emotional intelligence to my pov characters. i'm not going to rewrite them, but if i had a perfect world and limitless time, i'd rework both Sweet Hope and a pearl in my hand. they're both so good, but they could be so much better :')

💫 What is your favorite kind of comment/feedback?

i'm very partial to the comments that involve people quoting the bits that personally victimized them >:3c with a very loud shout-out to the wildly sincere and personal ones—i write because reading has helped me through every hard moment in my life, and hearing that i've given that gift to other people means the fucking world to me

🤍 What's one fic of yours you think people didn't "get"?

i think generally people pick up what i'm laying down, but one thing that irks me a little is a minor trend of people reading Sweet Hope and walking out with the "Maia Drazhar Is An UwU Cinnamon Roll" thing still lodged in their heads. as a person who's been categorized by many abusers/toxic loved ones as A Faultless Ray Of Sunshine, i can say that it's an awful, awful place to be, and unfortunately i take my job as Disillusioner Of Maia Drazhar's Fawn Image very personally whoops, which was kind of a central motivator for me in writing that story? like that's one of the core themes, right? maia's aunt attributes a faultless and innate Goodness™ to maia, and everyone gets Upsetti about that because they all recognize that maia chooses to be good, though he has every reason in the world to be callous and cruel—and that it's the deliberate choice of compassion and consideration that defines him, and not some like. idk built-in Sweetness Coding. he is not good or sweet—he chooses goodness and sweetness, and that distinction is very, very important to me, and to my interpretation of maia, because it allows for the complexity of human (elvish lmao) error. he doesn't always say the right thing, nor should he be expected to by those closest to him. he doesn't always make the correct choice, nor does anyone. so like. idk!! he's not A Cinnamon Roll!!! that is very reductive to me and rubs me very wrong!!!!!!!!

🪄 What is your post-writing/sharing aftercare? How do you take care of yourself or celebrate yourself when you've finished a fic?

if it's a longer fic, there is a great deal of celebratory shouting and probably some excited dancing, followed by a jittery lap around the house before obsessively refreshing the fic page to watch the hits go up lmaooooo. for ficlets, i tend to say "NICE" very loudly, drop it and go do something else with a warm ember of satisfaction in my heart. usually there is a little drink involved in both of these.

🦋 What are you most insecure about when you post a fic?

oh boy uhh, everything kind of!! i worry a lot about my characterizations, bc i definitely have Opinions and i've come this far without getting my ass cancelled but i do worry about dumb stuff like oh no what if people don't like that i refuse to believe goblin emperor elves are all Literally paper-white and perfectly blonde or shit i shouldn't have leaned so hard into selectively mute link. and i do worry too about the self-indulgent Breakdown parts of my writing, eg the whole scene in Sweet Hope of maia breaking down at the opera or the big in pearl in my hand where link wigs the fuck out on sidon. those always feel too loud to me, somehow, like i've allowed myself and my characters too much license or awareness or Clarity or something? i usually refuse to reread those parts of stories tbh. like i'll do a cursory editing pass and then never ever touch those sections again bc i just get so embarrassed ;alkdfjwa;d

fic writer ask meme!!

[causticsunshine]

Heyy whatcha been getting into lately? Alternatively, what have you been enjoying being a hater of lately?

okay first hello i love how this question is phrased hajdks very on brand for me and two uhhh oh boy a lot of stuff tbh!

so to preface. over the years i’ve had many phases where i get out of some irl person based media (usually 1d or some random tv show) and back into animated series, then the inverse happens, the cycle repeats, etc.? so i’m currently back into animated stuff as well as fully leaning into kpop everywhere instead of what i was doing before, where i was trying to limit my posting in general or limiting it to twitter under the guise of trying to seem slightly Normal™️ but now i’m fully leaning into whatever makes me happy and inspired and if that makes me annoying so be it

anyway—in terms of animated shows i’ve been watching one piece for almost a year now as for some reason i couldn’t get into it when i was younger and then was deterred by the series length, but i’m really enjoying it! i’m about to start the long ring long island arc if that means anything to anyone lol. i’ve also been watching and loooving dungeon meshi, and i’m currently reading it as well! i tried reading it a few years ago and stopped a few chapters in (idr why) but now i’m hooked and am struggling to pace myself…. i might try and do some fanart soon 👀

with kpop mmmm i’ve actually been a casual fan since like 2010 (listened to some 2008-2009 but it was mostly early shinee and random kpop compilations on youtube lmao) but have gotten in and out of it several times? now though i’ve been pretty Involved consistently since 2019/2020, although the groups i follow the closest are ateez, oneus and nct (127)!

i saw oneus in seattle last month after missing them twice and had such a good time (i still haven’t finished sorting my pictures though and haven’t posted like. any oops) and i am tryyyying (like. praying on my hands and knees lighting candles talking to the moon levels level trying) to get my hands on VIP1 tickets for ateez in tacoma and tickets go live next week so wish me luck as i will definitely need it with how pricey it’s likely to be… but also i will proudly commit heinous deplorable acts for ateez barricade sooo either way i’m determined to get my way? aka: i want and need my own y/n moment ahfksksn

also to clarify i’m not a shipper or whatever when it comes to kpop! i may enjoy the odd fic or will cringe read things with my friends but it’s nothing like HL for me; it’s a very different dynamic overall and i don’t get those kinda vibes in a serious way from any groups i follow? although with ateez… i can kinda see why they attract some of those kinds of fans i’m ngl

and on the side, i’ve actually been working on original content again! the one group of ocs i tend to pick up and put down has been temporarily sidelined for a pair i dumped a few years back but am currently reworking and actually have a story for now! idk if i’ll do anything proper with said story as comics are exhausting so rn i’m mostly word-vomming into docs and trying to nail down my character designs. when i’ve got things worth sharing though i do plan to share here as well, if anyone would be interested 👉👈

alternately when it comes to my haterism… i still greatly dislike and am exhausted with miss swiftie for numerous reasons and my god my art twitter is swathed in h*zbin h*tel content?? like actually plagued?? otherwise though there are just things i wish i saw less because i’m simply just not interested right now (aka 1d stuff) or in general and don’t want to start disliking those things because i’m seeing them too much

ok def rambled more than i meant to oopsie doopsie but yeah uhh that’s kinda it! anon i hope you are well and enjoying yourself in whatever you are doing rn 💕 and feel free to share if you feel so inclined to!

[katetheworm]

Writing Questions Tag

thanks for the tag @emptyflowerpots ​!!! took a little bit bc finals are coming up and brain is filled with too much engineering lmao.

i’ll leave an open tag lol

what is your absolute all-time favorite idea you’ve ever had?

hmmm, I really like the idea I have for a few original stories that have been worked and reworked and reworked again lmao. Specifically there’s this sci-fi horror story I’ve been working on recently (plan to make it an interactive story) and I really like the idea I have. I usually focus on fantasy stuff, so doing sci-fi and horror (two of my favorite genres, as well as a mixture of mystery lol) has been loads of fun. 

idk if that’s my all time favorite tho, since my main fantasy story will always hold a special place in my heart lol

what is your favorite part of being a writer? which parts could you take or leave?

I absolutely adore simply creating worlds and characters. World-building is both the bane of my existence and the most wonderful part of it. Being able to create an entirely new world filled with characters and history and lore and just everything is so fulfilling.

then the other side of this coin is that is takes me forever to actually do because I am way too much of a perfectionist to ever leave anything and not go back and change stuff lmao

what is your greatest motivation to write/create?

probably to be able to talk about it to someone lol. Like having an idea is one thing and i can talk about my ideas for ages, but actually having stuff written down that I can show someone stuff that I’ve written lol. That and simply being able to put my thoughts into words so they aren’t swirling around in my brain too much. I have too many other things that I need to think about lmao

what is your favorite story you’ve written to completion? link it if you’d like and can!

uhhhh would one-shots count? Because I haven’t actually finished a multi-chapter story yet... so I’ll go with one-shots. Probably Sleepy Times, an Aragorn fic that I whipped up super quickly but I really like it and think it’s cute lol

what is your favorite out-of-the-box quote?

hmmm, I really like this one from part five of my fic Naud Bui Amarth, said by my lovely oc, Cefrey: “’Fate works in mysterious ways, do not forget that, dear ranger.’” It’s simple, but I think it shows her character a lot and idk, it was the first one I thought of 

which of your characters would you say has the most controversial mindset? why do you say so and how do you personally feel about their ideals?

Without giving too much away, probably a character from another fantasy interactive fiction I’m working on, Aeron Alincar. He’s not the most... honorable character? Or I suppose he has his own sense of honor that most wouldn’t agree with. He’s very set in his ways, despite them not being very nice lol

if you, when you first started writing, met you now, what would younger you think?

oh boy, the very first story I sat down and wrote I was... ten? eleven? It was in ,y fifth grade english class and it was very much based on lord of the rings lol. I think she would be rather amazed at what I’ve done since then, especially with how much I’ve written since then. I think she would want to know all about the world I’ve created and if it’s still heavily influenced by lotr. As well as wonder how the hell I’ve grown to like writing and reading horror as well, I got scared so easily when I was younger lmao

[socially-awkward-skeleton]

WIP List

Thanks @funkypoacher for helping to expose my growing list of WIPs and random ideas I have for fics (The ultimate callout post lmao)

As I'm sure most folks are aware I've got two major long form fics I am currently working on as the mood strikes:

1) Only You - FC5 Soulmate AU (Kit x Jacob)

Currently working on Chapter 10. This one is on a bit of a hiatus, the plot outlines for each chapter are more or less figured out its just having the words and ideas to craft anything that makes sense and that is remotely worth reading.

All I know for sure is that Kit will have an issue with one of the hunters who will very quickly be put on both her and Jacob’s shit list, and that Burke will be joining the story sooner than later. The Reaping is right around the corner now and Staci’s about to get a first hand look at what Kit’s been up to since being taken hostage (sorry Pratt)

2) The Animal in Me - FC5 Werewolf AU (Kit x Staci, Kit x Jacob)

Chapter 2 is being reworked because I am a slut for making Staci a more popular character and I will put in the work to make more people fall in love with him. Chapter 3 is already written and includes a reworked version of the scene I posted for writer’s month that really kicked this whole fic off in the first place. Plot outlines for each chapter are more or less decided on and I know how I want the fic to end so at least there’s that.

There will be silver bullets, much blood spilled and definitely a “Who did this to you?” moment thrown in for good measure.

Honestly though, this is such a self indulgent fic and I don't even care anymore. Kit's getting a werewolf throuple and there is nothing anyone can do about it.Kit’s getting it all, baby (Mostly i just can’t let go of her and Staci because they make such an odd pair and I want them to be happy and somewhat normal while also letting her be feral with Jake under the full moon)

The Kinktober fics:

1) Breaking Pratt 2: Electric Boogaloo

Was going to post this one today but decided to wait and rejig it a tad. It's missing that je ne sais quoi that the thigh riding fic had.

2) Housebroken

The collar fic. The actual smutty part is all stage action and needs the details added still but the brain isn't exactly in a smut writing mood.

Then there are the fics that have stalled or are just a random collection of ideas that need a lot more time to stew before they are even worth writing:

1) The Hunter Becomes the Hunted

This one has been sitting on the back burner for a while. I’ve posted two chapters of it to AO3 but not much more work has been done on it since. It's Kit's background fic as a soldier so it means I have to be in the mood to do some research on the war in Afghanistan and I just haven't had the energy to do that as of late.

2) New Dawn AU

I have ideas, aesthetics, and a pinterest board and not much else. tbh, I haven't even finished playing the game but I know I gotta write the Canon divergent fic where Jacob is alive and well with Kit living that barbarian life in New Eden.

3) a million and one ideas for bunker fics. IDK what I specifically want to do with them yet. I need to write the one where her and Jake adopt the two kiddos in the bunker (whose parents Kit just happened to kill in the Trials...oops) and then the birth of Haven and her growing up. The plan is to get Kit a bit of her soul back and have her be less of the murderous monster that she is so she can become a good mama bear to her kiddos. The ideas are there, but the energy to write it is not.

4) and contemplating writing Kit's main timeline story out in full. I was going to go the short fic route (which is what all of her fics are so far) and just make them a series, but now I want to fill in the gaps especially after writing out the fic with her and Joey for the angst prompt. There's lots of stuff about Kit before she falls prey to the Seeds that I'd like to tell, stuff that might make her a little more sympathetic before she crashes and burns into becoming the monster I know and love.

5) and on top of all that are the random drabbles I've spewed forth about Homelander and Nightingale that really have no story or logic to them yet and aren’t yet ready to see the light of day

[deducitetemporacarmen]

WIP Tag Game

I got tagged by @ivorydice :D

As far as I know it's about listing your wips and people can ask stuff about them, so ask away if you wanna ;)

This is not a complete list, but the fics with higher writing priority in no particular order (nobody wants to see the entire list, trust me lmao)

Hangover Cures (TMFU, Gaby/Solo/Illya): modern AU meet-ugly where Solo and Gaby meet on their accidentally joint walk of shame, things spiral from there ;D I only need to finish the last chapter, which is a helloween party, so it's off-season af hahaha This was supposed to be a one-shot, but of course that didn't work out as usual (Sorry duck for dragging out your birthday gift over years xD Nobody is surprised tho). This is pretty lighthearted for me, only some sprinkles of angst for the finale :D

Shadow Play (FFXV, gen): Another WIP where I drastically underestimated the wordcount. So far it's 40k of gaslighting the shit out of Noctis in an AU where Regis died early, so Noctis became king before he could befriend Prompto, who now needs to save the day as a junior Crownsguard. Angst and Suspicion everywhere. The Kingsglaive crew snuck in uninvited as well haha Honestly it's great fun, but also very intensive on the plotting side of things. I have the feeling I need just to wing the next chapter to get back into the groove

Synthesis (BNHA, Hawks/Dabi): Dabi basically outs himself as a Todoroki pretty much instantly, which gets the ball rolling for a lot of media and family drama (and a lot of angst). Hawks is still trying to get to the League via Dabi. Both Dabi and Hawks lie their ass off to each other and to the public and to everyone honestly and drag each other deeper into the mess. This is not really a redemption fic in the classic sense, I guess, but the ending is going to be somewhat happyish, whenever that may happen xD I knew this was going to be a long one, but nevertheless I underestimated HOW FUCKING LONG THIS IS GOING TO BE send help pls

[untitled sick fic] (TMFU Gaby/Solo/Illya): I wanted to write this pinch hit for the last TMFU gift exchange, but I had another fic ready that fit well enough, so it got sidelined. So basically it's just Gaby being the sick one for a change. Illya and Solo take care of her and Illya feels a little useless (but that gets resolved). Pre-OT3 but they're like 0.5s away from making out aka my favorite setting. The amazing thing about this is that I planned it as a one shot and so far it stayed a one-shot :') I'm so happy :')

En Pointe Blank (TMFU Gaby/Solo/Illya): Mission fic Red Room style. They're infiltrating a ring that trains kids as both ballet dancers and assassins. Again Pre-OT3, but I think I'll end it with them getting together. Gaby and Solo pose as Heir-of-the-Teller-Nazi-Clan and her himbo husband, Illya adopts a bunch of baby assassins as their trainer. This is honestly a tough one. I wanted to experiment with a non-linear narrative, which worked fine in Spes Ardens (FFXV), but somehow it didn't flow. I think I'm going to rework this into a linear chaptered fic, but I need to plot a little more first.

Tides of Time [working title] (FFXV, gen): This is a gift for Lemon, so I won't say too much, but Bahamut is doing his Thing, Noctis is suffering and Gladio needs to step the fuck up as a Shield in a situation where his combat strength is pretty much of no use ;) I'm looking at a 7 chapter outline and I'm 12k in, but I don't dare to estimate a posting date or a word count :D

That's it! :)

(it's definitely not it but let's not talk about the length of my wip list)

I'm tagging the writers of the saline squad! @deviantaccumulation @takingoffmyshoes @canardroublard @every-lemon @saathi1013 @coaldustcanary

And of course everyone who wants to do it, feel tagged! :D

[dickpuncher420]

fic writer review

tagged by @chitsangenthusiast thank u kath <33

1. how many works do you have on ao3?

23! which is. so crazy to me?? no way i’ve written that many stories lmao

2. what’s your total ao3 word count?

144,536 (also like half of that is from this past year alone LMAO??)

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

only 3: atla, daughter of smoke and bone, and leviathan. and since 2015 ive only written for atla lol

4. what are your top 5 fics by kudos?

fumbling towards ecstasy

love language

sunday morning

the kind of love (i’ve been dreaming of)

before the storm

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

i try to!! i’ve def been slacking recently, and i generally only respond to comments on a new fic for a certain amt of time after it’s been posted. but i like to do it bc i LOVE when fic authors respond to my comments, so i just want to return the favour to other ppl who might feel the same way! :)

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

LMAO i was about to say none and then i remembered as we fade in the dark, which i wrote years and years ago so i just forgot it existed hfhsjs

7. do you write crossovers? if so, what’s the craziest one you’ve written?

nah, not a fan of em

8. have you ever received hate on a fic?

omg YES i got THE funniest comment on victory lap where this person was just SO MAD that sokka was a dick to zuko abt figure skating, calling him toxic and shit akwhdjwhs like i swear they just completely missed the entire point of the fic it was so funny

9. do you write smut? if so, what kind?

FUCK yeah i do baby. idk if i would say i specifically write a certain kind of smut but i am very fond of writing established relationship sex where they’re just very comfortable w each other and already know each other really well. which is funny bc my most popular fic is a first time sex fic but oh well ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

10. have you ever had a fic stolen?

as far as im aware no

11. have you ever had a fic translated?

nope! i did have fumbling towards ecstasy podficced tho if that’s anything?

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

yes, once, and tbh i don’t think i’d ever do it again djhsjshs it’s just not rlly my jam

13. what’s your all-time fave ship?

i rlly don’t think it’s that hard to guess LMAO

14. what’s a fic you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

ughh i hesitate to say lover come back bc i am still dead set on finishing it one day but i just haven’t made any real progress on it in so long and just arrfgghhdh it haunts me. i have so much of it written already and i don’t want it all to just go to waste :(

15. what are your writing strengths?

i’d say…dialogue and having my writing feel very physically grounded in the moment. personally, i don’t like to spend a lot of time in that sort of abstract, reflective headspace—i prefer to focus on specific, concrete moments and interactions. i try to bring attention to the sensory side of things to make it feel more tangible

16. what are your writing weaknesses?

both over- and under-editing lol. sometimes i’ll rework a line or passage too much when it was much better off the way i’d originally written it. and sometimes i’m so intent on just getting things done and posting that i don’t spend much time editing at all

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

personally i would never do it myself, and i’m not a huuge fan of it in other fics either. there is one rlly old makorra fic that i love tho that does it and i think it works incredibly well in the specific context that it’s in

18. what was the first fandom you ever wrote for?

leviathan! those books were my first introduction into any kind of fandom stuff, they still hold a special place in my heart

19. what is your favorite fic ever written?

my favourite fic that I’VE ever written is probably victory lap, closely followed by love language. i’m still incredibly proud of both of them, but victory lap wins out in that it was such a huge, daunting project that i never expected to actually complete—and then i smashed out 26k words of the most self-indulgent au i’ve ever written in a little over two weeks and i was like. holy fucking shit. i can’t believe i did that JFHSJSH

also i’m very happy with the way i managed to execute all the stuff about sokka’s feelings and motivations and the struggles of being an athlete. it was just such a fun and fulfilling way to combine two of my biggest interests ^_^

now if we’re talking abt my favourite fic that someone else has written….shit. pls don’t ask me that, i can’t choose >_< i have a favourites tag in my bookmarks for a reason

tagging: @dameferre @goldrushzukka @ofherlionheart @foyal @lesbianvampireboyfriend @quenchyest @zukkababey @badgerfrogzukka

[eldritchmochi]

Hi its the anon that keeps poking you about cs again! All of those ideas are great and just so the pain of fanfic often sort of being what would be a novel first draft by being episodic, but I feel like you could so weave in a tonne of this stuff past now anyway. Especially the cane leaning, im a cane user too and I totally get it, how my partner handles my cane is just.... it feels different to anyone else. Like they get to touch my body differently to anyone else and that applies to my cane too since that really sort of a part of my body??

the inherent eroticism of ur partner touching u(r cane) i should make a zine about this lmao

rn i am considering how much if any retouching i wanna do of the existing 260k of coping skills cos yeah, the struggle of fanfic essentially being the first draft of a novel. usually it doesnt get me too bad since a) i generally fully complete a fic before posting so i do have a chance to go back and adjust things here and there & 2) i really havent ever cared to redraft something in the more traditional sense and iii) i basically never write things over 100k let alone anything substantially over 100k

one of the options im considering would involve a fairly big overhaul where i pull out the individual arcs and flesh em out with additional scenes for better pacing, and then repost as a series with shorter individual fics (with the og in tact as is, just with a note). ive had several people tell me theyve balked at the length of this damned fic, especially since its barely half done plot wise for JUST this specific already plotted chunk of the whole shebang. it has quite possibly gotten a smiiiidge out of control lmao but its been a great learning experience and i am Determined to finish it

however, i am ALSO considering filing the serial numbers off this fic once its done. i absolutely plan on redrafting the whole thing with a bunch of developmental editing work so the end result would almost certainly be a very different form of the story from the fic as it is now. im still unsure of how much of the rework i have in my head i want to put on the internet as Coping Skills: The Fic tho. its really important to me that, whatever i end up doing, i keep this monster available on the internet as a fanfic cos i am well aware of how much it means to a lot of folks

at the same time though theres a lot of backend stuff i could build into the cs2.0 idea that would make writing the rest of the story a LOT easier, which would make dev edits and redrafting easier bc ill be starting with something that has more structure, etc

theres balance somewhere i just haven't found it yet, HOWEVER im absolutely gonna be stuck til i figure it out. im a plantser when it comes to plot, im more than happy to figure out the path to a fairly nebulous endgoal, but i struggle to write stuff if i dont have a good idea of the overall structure of how i tell the story, like pattern of pov shifts and theming, which definitely got a bit away from me the last like 80k lmao

[lumilasi]

I saw this in my feed and since I was pretty bored and FINALLY free from the said boredom, figured I could do this one. I generally enjoy question based tags, especially if they relate to art/writing/fandom/are some general things about favorite colors, music, foods, things about your home country etc.

(basically, you can tag me in stuff similar to listed above things and I’ll probably do them if I see them/have time lmao)

Fic Writer Questions!

How many works do you have on AO3? 

44 total. I used to have more but I’ve deleted an old Bleach one I knew I’d never continue to write, and two bnha ones for the same reason (those two were also at the very beginning stages so nobody missed a lot anyway)

What's your total AO3 wordcount? 

4 269 068......wow. It’s even MORE than I even imagined. Over 4 million words. 

....Someone take my writing tools away from me lmao

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

 Three. I started with MCU, moved on to Bleach and now I’ve done most ofr BNHA

What are your top 5 fics by kudos? 

Crossroads - 3069 

Family Secrets - 3015 

Reanimate - 1534 

The neighbor - 809 

Espada and Fraccion - 782

.....Admittedly this list surprised me. Not the first three but the last two. The fifth is an one shot for Bleach that I wrote AGES ago. I also for some reason expected this list to match the bookmark list more lmao

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I always try to respond to every comment I get, but often times when it’s just one word or a heart emoji I don’t really know what to say, so I might not reply to those. I do appreciate every comment I get, and read every single one, even if I don’t respond

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

I don’t do angst endings typically, but Family Secrets is probs the most obvious choice, given what happens at the end. 

- and its not even the real end, because I couldn’t help myself and made two more stories for the AU that was like “hey! this character I made you all love so much actually DIDN’T die, he just had unfinished business back home” lmao

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

Rarely, typically they’re between my own fics (the story that crosses the paths of Crossroads and Family Secrets AU’s, literally titled Crossover, creative name I know OTL I was out of ideas) 

Or between me and other people’s fics. Currently there’s two, both with Crossroads: one with Theteapotofdoom’s fic Something Good, and another with leontheneon’s fic Here with you. Both stories are basically a two part series that is non canon to actual Crossroads. The first story is finished, second one has two chapters left...that...I uh...struggle to write it seems OTL

(not tagging either person into this because Tea is very busy IRL right now so I don’t want to bother her, and Leon hasn’t been around in ages, IDK if they even use tumblr anymore)

Have you ever received hate on a fic? 

Not really no? I can only remember one time with somebody kind of demanding me to completely rewrite one fic in the past. It wasn’t really hate, more just...kinda unreasonable in my eyes? This was years ago by now.

While I did understand their side and the particular struggle they had (once they actually explained it, the first comment at the time came off pretty rude and demanding), I still feel them wanting me to re-write an entire multi-chapter fic just for them is a bit unreasonable, like said.

Like it wasn’t just couple of grammatical errors that was their issue, we’re talking weeks and even months long process of completely reworking multi-chapter story, because the grammar wasn’t tip top perfect. (I’m not a native speaker so there’s bound to be some mistakes; pointing out small occasional things is one thing - asking me to rewrite an entire multi-chapter story is another)

You can imagine that is not exactly high on my priorities list with IRL responsibilities and being more focused on the actual content of what I write, the ongoing stories I’m updating. This fic isn’t even finished yet either, so...yeah. Like after they explained their side of the story I was a bit more understanding, but its still....a bit ridiculous and unreasonable in my eyes to ask somebody to do such a massive overhaul when the story isn’t even finished yet?? Like maybe once its done and I have time I can go and edit it, but not when I haven’t even finished it lmao

Do you write smut? If so what kind?

Nah. I don’t care about smut a whole lot personally. I much more enjoy writing emotional scenes, character interactions and mystery. Plot over porn basically lmao 

Have you ever had a fic stolen? 

I don’t...do people actually do this? It feels like such a weird and pointless thing to do. It’s fanfic. stuff you write for fun and for free, for people to read for free. I’d also imagine its pretty easy to get caught given AO3 shows when you first posted your story. 

Have you ever had a fic translated?

 Yes, a couple of times. In Russian and I think other one was Chinese?

Have you ever co-written a fic before? 

Writing the crossovers was kinda that? Like I asked feedback from Tea and Leon on how to write them. there was also actually third crossover story that was supposed to happen (only I wasn’t going to be the one to write it) but this project has been shelved as the other person had to drop majority of online activity due to some IRL health related things. (I’m just glad they recently contacted me to inform they were doing better)

What’s your all time favorite ship? 

Right now it’s..probably pretty obvious its Shigadabi, but I can never really say any ship is my all time fave, as it always changes depending on the fandom lmao. 

I guess my favorite character x proper sleep/emotional stability/happiness will always be the OTP

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

Oof. I always try to finish every single one, and if I absolutely know I won’t, I tend to just delete them. Thankfully I’ve only done it thrice. Which I guess is still a lot, but compared to how much I write, in context not really? 

What are your writing strengths?

From what I’ve gathered of feedback, its typically emotional moments/character dialogue and interaction/character arcs and so. Mystery plots too. Or maybe that last one is just me lmao

What are your writing weakness?

Personally, while I tend to get positive feedback on both, sometimes I feel like I struggle to choose a good pacing for a fic, and fight scenes are always a pain. Namely, I might struggle with making the pace too long-winded and slow sometimes. Ironically, my IRL update pacing is probs a bit too fast in turn. (To add another layer of irony, I got an update ready for Unravel that I’ll post after making this tag)

Also writing shorter stories. I’ve been trying to write one-shots more (like the Spinaraki series thing) to kinda try and get myself to pack up my stories better and not let them always spiral out of control haha

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

I did try to do that once with a fic I deleted, I had a native speaker help me with the canadian french bits. This person is no longer active on tumblr, and I deleted that fic because I realized I’d never finish it. 

Technically tho, as a non-native English speaker, EVERY word is in other language to me lmao. I could only add Finnish as an extra one easily, and it rarely makes sense to do so anyway.

What was the first fandom you ever wrote for? 

MCU. It’s what I originally made my AO3 for, as I felt brave enough to post things. I also can’t remember writing fandom related stuff before that, it was typically more oc related. Writing fics has helped me learn a lot about world-building, character consistency and all that stuff, without having to make everything from scratch (tho I do enjoy doing that as well of course). I feel like my original work writing has improved too thanks to my fic writing shenanigans in a way lmao. Tho that might just be me, IDK

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written? 

Oooof. This changes a lot depending on the time. I can never really pick just one either: my current favorites are Stringmaster, The neighbor and Family Secrets

Stringmaster because I love building the Steampunk AU, and Tomura’s relationship with Dabi and his Sensei, The neighbor because I personally think the romance build up in that one is probably one of the best I’ve done so far (the character dialogue in that is among my favorites I’ve written as well) and FS, because it taught me a lot about character building through writing a character like Hisashi.

 Plus I just really like Hisashi. 

And baby Izuku and little Tenko are super adorable. 

And Inko is the best mum.

 Also the fact the whole story is so ironic in a sense its still kinda funny to me. 

The only writer I know that might be around rn is @nightlilly0110 soo...I guess I’ll tag them if they want to do this! Anybody who’s a writer can snatch this too of course ;)

[incomprehensiblelentils]

@dollsome-does-tumblr​ does this and opened it up to anyone and I am feeling chatty today SO!

Because I co-write a lot with my lovely wife, I might answer some questions including those co-written stories, or I might not, depends on how I feel when I get there.

name:

Megan but I go by Lentils most places on the internet, Shadowcrawler over on AO3

fandoms:

at the moment: MCU, especially Agents of SHIELD and Daredevil; Terminator: Dark Fate; Halt and Catch Fire. Oh and I wrote Dollhouse fanfics a thousand years ago. Sometimes I will watch a movie/show and think “those two girls should be gay” and bang out 2k of fic about it and then never write for that fandom again. (I THOUGHT this was going to be HACF but as it turns out, no, it’s not done with me yet.)

where you post:

AO3, at Shadowcrawler. I also have a tumblr @lentils-writes​ where theoretically I post links to fics/advertise them in the tags, because I used to be real precious about not putting porn on this blog, but fuck it.

most popular multi-chapter fic:

Co-written, it’s definitely mallverse, which is I think the reason most writers definitely hate us because it’s very long and there are a lot of tags lmao. The problem is that every tagged character HAS shown up in a significant fashion at some point so we can’t just...untag them! It doesn’t update weekly anymore because we’re exhausted by life lmao so at least there’s that???

As for a multi-chapter fic that was just me, I don’t tend to do that so much, so actually it’s say you will, my 3-chapter Endgame fix-it where Clint dies instead of Natasha and Natasha and Laura have a past. It actually has over 1000 hits which is very exciting! I feel like it’s...niche in a way that is frustrating but understandable lol. I put a lot of my heart into it and some people really liked it, so that’s gratifying.

favorite story you’ve written so far:

Co-written, I think our SHIELD Dollhouse AU is very underrated for the amount of work we put into it. Author bias evident here because I love Dollhouse warts and all, and it’s a lot of fun translating episode plots as well as the general trajectory of the show into stuff that will work with SHIELD characters. We don’t just rewrite episodes, we really try and rework them as needed. Also it features both Skimmons and my beloved rarepair Bobbi/Kara, though of course they won’t get together until later.

Of my own stuff, I’m still really really proud of the AU where Kara Palamas didn’t die. I think that was a pretty severe misstep of the show and I think I did a good job of fixing it. (I haven’t forgotten Kara, promise!)

fic you were nervous to post:

lolololol I wrote some uh. Terminator pornography last year and. They are very porny! I had co-written a bunch of smut obviously, but that was the first time I’d posted like, PWP all by myself on purpose??? and that was TERRIFYING. Also I was very nervous to post the Engame fix-it because that was my own personal goodbye/tribute to Natasha.

how you choose your titles:

They are always either song lyrics or jokes (such as Three Lawyers and a Baby, my Daredevil Accidental Baby Acquisition fic). My WIP docs are always titled either obvious shit like “RoseJannah horse girls” or memes like “what if we belonged to a fire cult and we fucked haha just kidding unless...?” or “Morgan has two mommies.”

do you outline?:

B and I typically outline for the co-written fics, although it’s more often chapter-by-chapter outlines since that’s how we write them. On occasion we’ve fully planned multi-chapter stuff out in advance but that’s less common. Oh and the one-shots are nearly always outlined as well, just to keep ourselves organized.

When I have written planned multi-chapter fics in the past I have used outlines - particularly for the Kara one and I had to do that for the SHIELD Kill Bill AU because I was trying to follow the format of the movie. For things that are allegedly supposed to be one-shots I almost never outline, which turns out to be a terrible idea when they inevitably balloon beyond my control and become 45k like say you will. That one, I wrote out a list of scenes I thought needed to be in it and then I wrote about 75% of those scenes and then I wrote a bunch more scenes I hadn’t planned for. Don’t be like me, kids!

complete fics:

According to AO3, 89 as of right now. Uh, you do not want me to list all of them, here’s a link, I guess!

in progress:

I don’t understand what the difference is between this question and the WIP questions lmao help????

posted WIPs that I have active plans to continue at this time:

Cowritten: mallverse as I said, and its femslash smut oneshots spinoff and character flashbacks spinoff and older characters/teachers spinoff (these get updated, uh, irregularly), the first half of a Piper/Snowflake SHIELD s7 fic that we are planning on finishing the second half of soonish, SHIELD Dollhouse AU, SHIELD Teen Beach AU, SHIELD Buffy AU. You may notice a pattern!

By myself, I have: Have Your Elf a Merry Little Christmas, a Terminator Hallmark Christmas fic that I ambitiously posted the first chapter of in 2019 and then lost steam immediately (I am going to go back to it sooner or later bc I had some cute ideas for it); the SHIELD Fate of the Furious AU that has one chapter to go and which I do intend on finishing eventually; Three Lawyers and a Little Lady, the Daredevil Accidentally Baby Acquisition AU that is literally just cute kidfic and poly avocados and which I have a bunch of ideas for and just need to buckle down and finish some.

posted WIPs that I have given up on:

Lol so there’s a Dollhouse Caroline/Bennett Doctor Who AU that I wrote purely as idfic and which nobody ever cared about except me, and I think that ship has sailed! RIP darlings. I also had an ongoing Skimmons series waaaay back when where I posted oneshots that were like missing scenes or gay readings for each s1 episode, and I just feel like it would be inauthentic to even try and finish it at this point. (It does include the first ever Skimmons fic to be posted on AO3! Really truly, there’s one fic that shows up as older but it’s an ongoing fic and was updated with the tag way after I posted mine.)

exchange fics due soon/unrevealed:

I haven’t done an exchange since like 2015 lololol I am so bad at them. I am currently working on finishing up my MCU Femslash bingo card, very late, and I do have plans for almost all of the remaining squares!

WIPs that live in my fanfic folder and are incomplete and who knows when they’ll be finished:

“RoseJannah horse girls,” which has been put on hold temporarily but is literally just Rose and Jannah being gay while riding orbaks

half of a Daisy/Gwen fic from Marvel Rising because I know they’re not making any more of those but I stg those two were really gay

multiple fics about Elise Nelson-Page including: avocados Halloween with smol Elise, Aunt Elektra very reluctantly taking smol Elise shopping until she realizes smol Elise also likes weapons (she buys her a fake katana), Uncle Frank is a pushover and spoils the shit out of Elise, and baby Elise has a high fever and everyone freaks out but then she gets better and smile at them for the first time (inspired by baby me lol).

coming soon/not yet started:

“Morgan has two mommies,” yet another Endgame fix-it where Maya Hansen did not die in Iron Man 3 and she resurfaces and she and Pepper kiss and eventually she adopts Morgan

Claire and Colleen go on a nice date to get coffee/tea where Danny doesn’t interrupt them goddammit

Bobbi/Kara Warehouse 13 AU which is sort of like “For the Team” but gayer ft. grappling hook

X-Men: Evolution Tabby/Amara fluff

Cameron/Donna character study disguised as smut

Grace proposes to Dani with a ring made out of the metal from her power source and Carl officiates the wedding 

Dani gets horny watching Grace eat a peach and jerks off and Grace ends up hearing her and then they fuck (I have been calling this “the peach fic” in my head but I gotta stop being delicate about it lmfao it is just porn)

B and I have plans to do a Nico/Karolina Jasper in Deadland AU but we keep forgetting

I MUST WRITE FOGGY AND KAREN SADLY FUCKING IN A CHURCH WHILE THEY MOURN MATT THIS YEAR I STG

do you accept prompts:

uhhhhhh I have on occasion written a prompt for someone before but it’s pretty rare and I have enough trouble writing the shit I come up with in my own head lol. but never say never?

upcoming story you are most excited to write:

I’ve got a bit of the Bobbi/Kara Warehouse fic written and it’s nice to go back to that world. Also I’m weirdly excited about the Cam/Donna smutty character study I mentioned above, I have a lot of what I think are good ideas for it and it’ll be fun.

tagging @unwind-myself @swiftzeldas @swashbucklery @loved-the-stars-too-fondly and, if you want to, you!

[besanii]

Writing advice?? Please??🥺❤️❤️ My MDZS hyperfixation has been spilling over into ideas for a particular fic for a while, I have plot points all listed, and now there are just too many layers!! I don't want to write it as separate fics, but how many pies is too many for one's fingers? Do I carry on with my super self-indulgent over-the-top fic that swings wildly from one plot point to another, or do I cut some of them out? Oh yeah, and I have 0 writing experience to back up my ambitious plan 😅

Hi nonny!

Honestly? DO IT. Go nuts. Fanfiction is meant to be self-indulgent—that part is DEFINITELY not an issue. And psssh writing experience? This is for fun, you’re doing it because you love the characters and the story and the idea so much you want to share it with other people who feel the same. Fanfiction is the perfect place to get writing experience if you don’t have any!

Write it in however many parts you want, in whatever order you want—the most important thing is to actually get the words on the page! Take advantage of your surge of inspiration! \o/

If writing chronologically is more helpful for you, then do that. Personally, I’ve found it helps to just write whatever part I am inspired to write at the time, finish it, and then move onto the next one, finish it, and then the next and so on. Even if it’s not in chronological order (lmao have you seen Shattered Mirrors? It’s written completely out of chronological order and I love it cos I won’t get bored of a particular arc).

I’ve found that worrying too much about things like “is this too long?” or “is this too many parts?” etc. makes it harder for me to get into the writing vibe because I’m too busy worrying how it affects other parts. And then the scene/part never gets written because I feel I have to fix that other part before I can do it, and by the time that’s done, I’ve lost my inspiration for the original scene.

If you’ve finished writing a part and it doesn’t quite fit at the time? Paste it somewhere else (end of the doc, separate doc etc.) and save it. Maybe it will come in handy later. Chances are you can rework it to fit a different section, or maybe it’ll become a different fic altogether, but you don’t want to just delete all that work you did! (Personally, I find deleting a chunk of writing I worked hard on very demotivating, so I avoid it when I can.)

You can think about fitting everything together at the end so it all flows coherently. That’s what editing is for. Once you have all your pieces together, you can lay them out in the intended order, read through it, fix inconsistencies, remove parts that don’t fit and fill gaps etc. Have someone else read over for you too, because they’ll probably be able to pick up stuff you didn’t notice because you’ve been so immersed in this fic that your brain starts filling in gaps for you automatically.

If I’m working in Word, I like to put everything into one document but separated by page breaks and with a brief descriptor in a Heading style at the top of each section (e.g. ‘WWX goes to Gusu’). This way, I can generate a Table of Contents at the beginning (or use the Navigation pane) to jump back and forth between parts if I need to reference it. The split screen view is also very useful for scrolling back to previous/other pages while staying on the current one!

I’m starting to work in Scrivener now for a few longer fics and it’s super helpful for organising bits and pieces of the fic and getting a complete overview of the different parts (and rearranging the order etc.). But it’s a paid app, so it might not be for everyone. Try different ways of managing your files to see which one works for you.

IN SUMMARY: 

Do it. Write it in any way, shape or form you feel like writing it in. Worry about the editing later. Even if you feel like it’s not fitting together, or it sounds like garbage at the time. If that’s where your inspiration is taking you, then KEEP GOING.

I studied Publishing and Editing in university, and one of my lecturers (who is the Chief Editor of a major publishing house) would always say: You can always edit a pile of garbage, but you can’t edit a blank page.

Hope this answers your question??? I think I rambled and got off topic for a bit, but hopefully you’ll find this useful!

Disclaimer: This is just my style of writing and may not work for everyone. Try different approaches and see which one works best for you!

[janiedean]

fic writer tag game

tagged by @randomingoftherandomness ty!!!

AO3 name: janie_tangerine

Fandoms: asoiaf/got (currently active regularly), the witcher (sticking to reading/writing fic for now but I’m planning on being somewhat active in that sense), dark tower/iron fist/bastille day/deadwood (not active because there’s no audience at any given time for three of them and with IF I need to be in the mood but like... I can become active in a moment if there’s the need xD), spn/lost/mcu that’s not IF/tvd (probably not going there anymore but it’s been a nice ride and might revisit I MEAN I REVISITED WITH TVD SO), various others I can write for occasionally which are all on the fandoms and ships page

Number of fics: 477 on ao3 but if I crossposted the lost/spn fic I have on lj that I still haven’t managed to import we’d be at 600 at least not counting the stuff I wrote on tumblr that I should crosspost but eh a lot

Fic I spent the most time on: lmao some flowers bloom dead, that’s because I still haven’t finished it

Fic I spent the least time on: anything under 2k was probably written in twenty minutes tops

Longest fic: sticking to ao3, in the darkness on the edge of town (asoiaf, jb, 102k hahahahahahaha)

Shortest fic: in which Robert Baratheon really, really hates pigeons (asoiaf, robert & ned + ned/cat, 568 words)

Most hits: I'll be the frosting to your cupcake, wench (asoiaf, jaimebrienne) which is at 54431 and I’m still in complete awe of it

Most kudos: five people who didn’t believe Ned Stark for one second about Jon’s paternity and one who did (asoiaf, ned + jon + various others) which is at 3437 and I’m honestly flattered that many people found it that funny xD

Most comment threads: and give all the love that you have in your soul (asoiaf, jaimebrienne + jonc/rhaegar & omc) at 216, understandable as it was like eight chapters spread over six months of me agonizing over how much I hate writing timetravel XD

Most bookmarks: more like the man you were meant to be (asoiaf, jb + jaime & cat, jaime & jon, jaime & ned & various others) at 1367 which I’m v. glad about that fic fluff I’m 100% proud of xD.

Total word count:  3806645 (with good peace of everyone who ever told me I was snobbish towards fanfic back in the day xD)

Favourite fic I wrote: I don’t wanna pick favorites because honestly they’re all my children but if I had to pick one it’s in the darkness on the edge of town for various reasons which we can sum up in I wouldn’t change a word of it and that usually doesn’t happen X°D

Fic you want to rewrite/expand on: there’s a few I’ve wanted to sequel and I def. need to finish sfbd (one day) but like atm your best bet is that I’m going to add part three to that series I somehow started where geralt likes wearing dresses and more opera singers au xD rewrite... not really because I don’t have the patience for it, if I don’t like something enough to share/I know I can rewrite it I don’t post it xD

Share a bit of a WIP or a story idea you’re planning on:

I haven’t technically written shit these last two days and I should rectify but for sharing ideas... I need to do part four and five of her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you ie the jaimebrienne witcher fusion as in I need to find a way to rework the last wish so I can have yennefer!catelyn in it with some sense and I also want to have pod being the resident child surprise but I can’t have it like in canon for obvious reasons so I’m still plotting, also AGAIN I SHOULD FINISH SFBD AND THE TARG TELENOVELA NOW IF ONLY MY CRACK MUSE CAME BACK FOR GOOD (but for the targ telenovela it’s all on here under its tag lol) and I could do a bit more of the soulmates hearts thing but I should see, anyway since I want to give you a WIP too let me see ah well have part of the next sfbd chapter that has been in the works since nanowrimo 2018 which one day I’ll hopefully finish kdslg have at it

“Lannister,” Robb interrupts, “I think everyone knows. If you want to say he’s your son —”

“Fair, fair. Well, before I left, he wasn’t… relishing his position, so to speak,” he sighs. “Actually, he was downright hating it. Cersei pretty much always ignored his existence but now she can’t, of course, since she thinks she can rule through him, and as much as she never really let me near him if not for the bare necessary…”

“She didn’t?”

“She figured someone might have asked starting questions if I had any relationship with any of them,” he says, and now he sounds bitter, as if he rues having let her. “I — he really has no stakes in this war and he didn’t even want that position.” He takes in a breath. “The lady and I, we might have discussed what to do after this is over.”

“What’s your plan?”

“Going back to her island for a while, take a well-deserved rest, and other things that you really don’t need to get concerned about. But I was wondering, after we’re done in King’s Landing, would you be amenable to send Tommen there if we come with you to the Wall, until we come back?” He’s staring at Robb with tired green eyes that for once don’t seem to be making fun at him or anyone. “I know it would mean —”

“I don’t think it’s undoable,” Robb tells him, if anything because he can hear that he sounds as if his sister didn’t let him have a relationship with Tommen, maybe he wants to, and if he wants to bring him to Tarth where he’s supposed to go following the woman he loves or so it seems, it’s not hard to imagine why he’s asking this. “He’s young and he hasn’t been anything like Joffrey as far as we know, we can just say that if he gives up any claim on the throne he can go with you, as you would be his closest relative willing to house him, and I highly doubt a Targaryen king would want you in his guard. But you were planning to leave it anyway, weren’t you?”

“His Grace is very perceptive,” Lannister says, sounding relieved. “Very well then. I — thank you,” he says, and then he turns on his back and leaves the room as well.

Robb sure as the seven hells had not foreseen this turn of events, but he’s not going to be the person complaining about it.

“If he is thanking you I guess anything might happen at this point,” Theon says after neither of them speaks for a long moment, and Robb has to laugh at that, some. It was funny, after all.

aaand tagging let’s see @lodessa @lordhellebore @vanessawolfie @uniwolfwerecorn @myrxellabaratheon and if you’re a fic writer and wanna do it consider yourself tagged u__u