#maybe I’ll write this *stares at my current wips* but don’t count on it

[sagesparrow394]

Mariana’s been struggling recently. She and her boyfriend of two years, Foolish, recently broke up. They’re on okay terms, but it’s very awkward. What makes it even more awkward is the two still live together. Mariana has plans to move out, but finding somewhere to rent in her budget has been hard.

He’s started playing video games more often to get his mind off of things. Eventually, he downloads a strange dating simulator called ‘Zip Bomb’, where your romance options are a colourful cast of inhuman characters.

Mariana chooses to pursue the character ‘Slimecicle’, a cute guy who is a humanoid slime. As she plays, she gradually realises that this game’s AI is… smart. Rather than picking from restricted dialogue options, Mariana is able to type or connect a microphone and give her own. Slimecicle remembers what she tells him, no matter how personal. He also doesn’t respond with generic pre-written dialogue, it’s all too specific to their conversations. Mariana is taken aback when Slime starts to talk like he knows he’s in a game, but brushes it off as the game having a purposeful meta twist. This assumption gets solidified when Slime begins to access her files.

Mariana starts to become borderline obsessed with the game. He knows it’s all fake, but after such a difficult break up, he’s desperate to find some kind of romantic connection anywhere - even if it’s a fictional crush on a pixelated slime guy. Slime’s funny, he’s sweet, he’s protective… and just so lifelike.

It doesn’t take long for Foolish and Mariana’s other friends to notice how reclusive she’s getting, how she’s spending literally all her free time outside of work shut in her room and playing this game. They decide to hold an intervention, telling her that her relationship with the game is not healthy and she needs to get back to interacting with real people. Mariana reluctantly agrees to delete the game.

When he goes home, he sits in front of the computer, preparing to delete it… but he can’t. He can’t delete Slime without saying goodbye. He opens the game, and there Slime is, a grin on his face. Before Mariana can even say anything, Slime is shushing him, saying he needs to show him something. An audio file downloads itself onto Mariana’s computer: ‘DoNotReadMe.wav’. It’s a love song - a few of the lyrics are a little ominous, but overall Mariana finds it really sweet. His heart breaks, knowing what he has to do now.

Mariana starts trying to explain to Slime that she has to delete the game. It’s hurting her in the long term. She needs to reconnect with the real world. She needs to be with someone who’s real.

Slime doesn’t say anything. There’s a long pause. Mariana can’t even bear to look at the screen, she can’t make eye contact with Slime.

Come on, Mariana, this is stupid, she tells herself. You don’t need to feel bad for this, for him, he’s not even real…

She finally looks up

To see Slime’s hands have reached out of the screen, gripping the sides of the monitor

Mariana screams, falling back off his chair and onto the floor as Slime pulls his head and torso out of the screen.

“There! I can be real for you! I can be anything for you, Mariana!” Slime’s bit-crushed voice chirps as he continues to pull his pixelated form out of the computer, and as Mariana stares up at him in horror

[sky-kiss]

twenty questions for fic writers

@makesometime tagged me. Complain to her. Now you have to suffer.

1. How many works do you have on AO3? I have 40. Which shocks me. Gun to my head, I couldn’t have told you about more than 15 of them. So that’s a surprise.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 187,262.

3. What fandoms do you write for? I have what one would call idiot-brain. I can only focus on one fandom at a time. I come and go at the whims of my hyper-fixation. I’ve written one fic for a lot of fandoms.

              1) Baldur’s Gate (The new hotness. My love. My dear one. My rotten soldier).

              2) Final Fantasy XV

              3) Fallout 4 (Nick, my beloved)

              4) Avatar: The Last Airbender (Baffling)

              5) Persona 5

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

              1) Personal Space: Cloud/Aerith at 748

              2) Law and Order: Nick/Sole Survivor 649

              3) Cigarette Day Dreams: Nick/Sole     571

              4) Some Old/Something New: Nick/Sole 412

              5: A Splash of Color: Cloud/Aerith 386

My top five is dominated by Nick and Cloud/Aerith, hahah. But, with a little work, we can frikkin’ shove the Raphael fics up there and dethrone the robot silver fox and the babies. Love my niche ass pairings.

5. Do you respond to comments? Almost always, yes. It’s fun to engage.

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending: /stares in one-shot. Uh. Maybe Ash and Ember? It’s more bittersweet than angst, but it’s still the end of Dark Souls 3. So it’s going to be sad.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending: Chance. It’s a short one for Full Metal Alchemist. Hohenheim comes back and Trisha doesn’t die.

8. Do you get hate on fics: I’m very lucky. I’ve never received hate on Ao3 or here on Tumblr. This is not an invitation to start though, I swear to god.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? I do write smut. It’s not my favorite thing to do, and I think it’s one of my weaknesses. I’ve done some kink stuff, but don’t post most of it. That might change. Thanks, Ascended Fiend Raphael.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? Not posted. I do have an Avatar/Westworld fic on Ao3, which is a batty combo.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not directly. Pretty sure I’ve inspired some fandom trends before, but like. I write in very small corners of fandom.  We share one dumb brain.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? I have, yes. A Dreamless Sleep was translated into Russian.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? I’ve collaborated and had shared universes, but don’t think I’ve directly co-written. I’m a control freak.

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship? I don’t frikkin know, dude. I like a lot of ships. Currently, it’s Raphael/Durge or Raphael/Haarlep/Durge. All time? Zero clue.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will? Doing It to Death will never be finished lol. I look at it and my soul hurts for Evelyn, but it ain’t happening. I have other WIP's on Ao3 and they will never be finished either, but like. I don't care about them.

16. What are your writing strengths? I like to think it’s my characterization. Maybe scene setting or dialogue. I don’t know. I hate my writing 99% of the time. Like, I need enough time apart from the work. Once I’ve forgotten it’s mine, I can appreciate it a little more.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? Pacing and plot. And smut. Pacing long-form fanfiction absolutely baffles me, just because it differs from the pacing of a traditional novel. It’s really challenging to balance, and I have no idea how to do it.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? I don’t have a problem with it, but probably wouldn’t risk it. Maybe if someone else handled the translation?

19. First fandom you wrote for? The Mummy, haha. I was 14.

20. Favorite fic you’ve ever written? UHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. I’ll do. Three.

              1: Sex, Love, & the Infinite Void: Raph/Durge. It’s the longest story I have on Ao3, and the only multichapter one that’s made it passed chapter 2. And I’ve enjoyed hell politics and character building. I want to finish this damn thing.

              2: The Outsider: Evelyn/Corpo!V. I love Evelyn, and it was fun to experiment with a more cybernoir writing style.

              3: I Don’t Think About You Anymore: Raph/Tav. It was just a fun and clipped style to write. It was very loose, free, and I’m proud of the end result.

I'll tag @kiss-inferna and @adarlingmess if they'd like to suffer this.

[360iris]

do you have any wips? sorry i’m just curious, i’m in love with your writing

Luv, Hold Me Down (Sirius Black x Reader, WIP)

Warning: Mature themes? I don’t know with this one.

Word count: 2,209

A/N: You’re gonna hate my ass because I have zero intention to finish the smut on this one shdhd. Maybe when I’m less busy I’ll come back and update it (although not atm). There are typos galore too so I’m sorry in advance!

—————————————-

The infamous Bubblegum Bomb Incident of 1972. Casualties: one.

During Year Two, Sirius had resolved to get revenge on Cissy’s insufferable boyfriend ever since he tripped him in the halls to get a laugh out of his Slytherin lackeys; and what better way to do that than ruining his precious platinum locks.

It was suppose to be a quick and untraceable procedure. He’d get to personally serve Lucius his own brand of justice and the job would be completed without having to suffer detention.

If only you hadn’t been rushing through the halls that day.

Lunch had just ended, and you were haphazardly ducking and dodging through the wave of students, on your way to visit Remus. He’d been sentenced to a strict, three day period of consistent bed-rest in the infirmary after a particularly bad transformation.

You’d just wanted to bring him a slice of his favorite Hogwarts style coconut cream pie, but one wrong turn and you were suddenly bombarded with three quick pelts of homemade exploding bubblegum bullets.

Sirius had designed them to be quick and lethal with their distribution of rubbery goo so that the target's hair was sure to be ruined.

The first shot sent the small plate in your hands completely airborne. The next two hit you square in the chest, knocking you fully onto your back.

The aftermath was so extreme that it took the combined effort of Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, and eventually, the guiding hand of Madam Pomfrey to free you from the sticky sludge and off of the stone pavement.

By the time they’d got to the infirmary, your entire head of hair had been deemed unsalvageable by sweet Poppy, and the only thing she could figure to do was shave it clean off by hand.

You’d spent the next two days unexpectedly alongside a tired Remus, confined in the sick bay, crying your eyes out hysterically. You’d had no idea who had done this to you or why.

That was until the third day, when Poppy finally allowed visitors in, in hopes of lifting your spirits.

Your guests included:

An empathetic Lily and Mary, both girls bringing you and Remus an abundance of flowers from the greenhouses, with explicit approval from Professor Sprout; alongside the homework you’d missed and plenty of junk foods.

An overzealous Marlene who’d spent the entirety of the three days drafting up and collecting signatures for a petition to permanently ban disruptive joke shop type inventions.

And lastly, an uncharacteristically stonefaced James and solemn Sirius who both quietly observed the crucially placed scarf on your head meant to distract from your current state of baldness.

“Go on then. Tell her, man. It’s only proper.” James said abruptly with folded arms, for the first time ever foregoing his usual impeccable home-taught manners and any form of courteous greetings altogether.

You watched confused as Sirius stood some several feet away, staring directly down at his shoes. After another coarse verbal prod from James, he stepped forward, eyes wide and brows furrowed.

“I- You have to understand, I couldn’t have known, Y/N! It happened so suddenly and before I knew it, it was too late!” He pleaded desperately and you weren’t quite understanding what he meant.

“I don’t follow, Sirius. What are you on about?” You asked, watching as he began wringing his hands.

He looked over to James again, seemingly pleading for aid that wouldn’t come. James looked positively severe, intent on standing by his decision to have the boy do this by himself.

“I- I was the one who blew the gum bullets.” Sirius finally whispered, looking positively terrified of your reaction. “But I didn’t intend on hitting you, I promise! It was for that git Malfoy! Remember when he tripped me in front of all of those sixth years last month? I’d been working on a way to get him back ever since! You’ve got to believe me, Y/N!”

But you’d stopped listening after the initial reveal. Your blood ran cold and it was hard to focus on anything in particular before suddenly all of your senses came rushing back in, and you were furious.

And even though James and Remus had been gauging your response, neither could have been quick enough to match the speed at which you pulled off both of your slippers and hurled them at the older boy’s face.

Successfully managing to clock him so hard, he reflexively reached up to clutch his sore, but still intact nose.

After that day, you had deemed Sirius public enemy number one, he managed to outrank even the silver-spoon fed Slytherins and that antagonizing blight, Peeves.

While there were tonics for quickening hair growth, you cursed Sirius Orion Black, every time you had to awkwardly apply a plethora of random oils to your scalp and walk around campus bald for an entire semester.

When he looked your way, you glared back mercilessly. If he dared to even address you, your responses were far from being deemed PG-13.

He’d spent the first six months wearily but consistently trying to apologize, however the damage had already been done, and it’d destroyed any semblance of friendship he’d crafted with you beforehand.

So after a while, he gave up. If you were going to hate him regardless of his actions, he figured he might as well stand up for himself during the bickering matches that transpired whenever the two of you were less than six feet apart.

Over the years, you’d remained bestfriends with Remus and James, though they could never hang out with the both of you at the same time.

For example, if you were eating breakfast with the two boys in The Great Hall and Sirius arrived late after sleeping in, you’d promptly roll your eyes and slide away to talk with Lily.

——

“That most definitely is not healthy, James.” You grimaced, tilting your head back laughing. The book in your lap, long since abandoned from the moment your bestfriends entered the common room.

“Muggle five second rule, Y/N! You were the one who told me about it to begin with!” He grinned from his spot sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of you.

You couldn’t help bursting into a fit of giggles, desperately trying to respond. “Rem- Remus! Please! Inform him that it doesn't apply to dropping a sandwich down an entire flight of stairs!”

“Believe me I tried, but he seemed pretty determined to eat it, hair and all after catching up to it.” Remus replied softly, a fond smile playing on his lips as you began making gagging noises of disgust.

“No! James Fleamont Potter, tell me you didn’t actually eat hair!” You laughed, extending your socked foot to shove him.

“I will suffice by just saying that, there may or may not have been a stray hair or two on it when I picked it up- Oh! Sirius, how was detention?” James trailed off to greet a certain boy and your demeanor immediately soured.

Your textbook on alchemical runes suddenly seemed like the most interesting thing in the world.

“It was worth it. Mcgonagall must be getting tired of me because she had me choose a book and read for three hours. Don’t let me interrupt the fun though. Looks like you’ve finally coaxed the Ice Queen to defrost for a bit. Shame I wasn’t here to see it.” He remarks, and you didn’t need to be looking at him to know he was wearing that infuriating smirk.

“Don’t worry, Black. I’ll never be able to truly relax knowing you’re still out running amuck. Next time you get written up, I’ll be sure to beg Mcgonagall to keep you chained outside with the rest of the wild animals.” An acute look of disgust etches across your face as you close your book, promptly shoving it into your bag.

“If you’re so desperate to see me in a collar, the person you need to be begging is right in front of you, doll.”

You could not have rolled your eyes harder at his remark. In a huff, you tug the strap of your bag around your frame and stand indignantly.

“You’re actually right for once. James? Keep your mutt on a tighter leash, before I’m forced to be the one that puts him down.” You sneer, flipping your hair over one shoulder and striding up to the girls dormitory before he can get in another word.

Remus sighed, unhappily leaning back against the couch he was currently sprawled across. “You just can’t help yourself, can you?”

Sirius watched as your figure disappeared up the stairs before turning to the boy, a dumb smile playing on his lips.

“She doesn’t hate me nearly as much as she tries to make you believe.” Was all he offered giddily before skillfully changing the subject.

———

Much like the infamous playboy Sirius Black, you were known for how frequently you broke the hearts of anyone you hooked up with. They found that sex with you was a spiritual experience, but were usually crushed when you made it clear you weren’t interested in recurring partners.

When Gryffindor’s Quidditch team won a mid-season match against Ravenclaw, James was relentless in persuading you to come to the after party. And though you weren’t originally keen on the idea, you figured it’d be an ample opportunity to relieve some stress.

The night had gone well. You’d garnered a nice buzz from the punch James made in his dorm and had your eyes fixed on Theodore Nott who’d been snuck in by Marlene.

Sirius, who was working his way onto his third cup of punch, watched you make eyes with the Slytherin boy from across the room.

He sat silently seething as you adjusted in your spot on the couch, crossing your legs while holding that snake’s gaze. In the end, all it took was the simple curl of your index finger for Theodore to hand his drink to an unimpressed Marlene and approach you.

Sirius watched as the two of you exchanged a handful of words before you sultrily dragged the boy away by his collar.

It took a minute for him to register that the styrofoam cup in his grasp was crushed.

After grabbing a napkin, he irritatedly ran a hand through his hair and his breath was ragged.

Why did he care that you were probably seconds from fucking a random guy? He definitely wasn’t one to judge, he’d been with plenty of people over the years.

However, no matter how many times he rolled the idea around in his head, he was getting angrier by the minute.

Remus approached him to spark up a conversation, but he was already slipping past him, towards the direction he watched you disappear to earlier.

He found you in the hallway, lip-locked with Theodore who had a grip on one of your exposed thighs. Meanwhile your hands were tangled in his hair.

Sirius’ body switched into autopilot, moving at such a speed that his brain couldn’t even keep pace.

He had harshly pulled the boy off of you, slung you onto his shoulder and made his way to his dorm. Partygoers standing confused as you beat his back, yelling at him to let you go. Once he’s on the stairs away from prying eyes, he delivers a sharp slap to the exposed skin on your thigh.

“Stop screaming bloody murder, Y/L/N.” is all he says and you bite your lip at the sting.

By the time he locked his door and tossed you onto his bed you’re looking at him like he’s insane. Scurrying to get off the mattress but he quickly grabs you ankle, pulling you back to where he dropped you.

“What the fuck has gotten into you!?” You hiss, watching him run a hand through his locks.

“I’m tired of waiting for you to stop being a brat and realize you like me. Tired of watching you hop on random dicks that aren’t mine. You want to get laid tonight? Fine, fuck me then.” He growls and you’re instantly overwhelmed.

“Did a screw come loose in your head? I don’t know what the hell you’re on but I’m not fucking you all people!” You respond by grasping a pillow from his bed and chucking it at his head. He easily catches it with a roll of his eyes.

“I’ve loved you since our first year, Y/N. And I’ve observed you long enough to know if you genuinely hated me or not.” He confesses and you freeze. His eyes were crystal clear and you’re at a loss of words so he continues.

He gently grasps one of your hands, bringing it up over his heart. You can very faintly feel his heart racing and your brows furrow. He was actually being genuine.

“You want fuck me so bad you’ve officially gone stupid?” You ask but he sees the tiniest smirk on your lips. And for whatever reason, you actually let him move in to kiss you.

He jumps a bit when you bite his bottom lip and you giggle before he’s pressing you back onto the bed.

It’s a fight for dominance, neither of you wanting to be the one that relents.

[peachcitt]

I would like to participate in peachcitt appreciation day :)

one thing I think is so special about your writing is that you seem to say as much between the lines as you do with the actual words. does that even make sense? Like, you write such beautiful things, but it’s not just beautiful because of what it says—it’s beautiful because of what it makes me feel and think about, which you didn’t necessarily say outright but you said what you said in such a perfect way that it demands for the reader to ponder it a little deeper and explore those ideas. so much of your writing feels like an irresistible Invitation to just like sit with the story and think about it and feel things. Sometimes when I read one of ur fics I gotta just stop in the middle and stare out the window and have a little emotional journey moment before I can go on lol. I feel like you have such a good knack for putting the exact right amount of weight on an idea or description so that you feel the significance but it’s not overbearing. Like really beautiful and emotional poetry but written with a lighter hand so it doesn’t come off as overwrought. and apart from your wonderful use of language I also think you are just such a good storyteller! great at keeping the plot moving to keep interest but also at slowing down when space is needed. you write the characters in such a real and compelling way and ugh when you put it all together it’s just magical 🥰 and so sticky!! like i just think about your fics sometimes. double dare and hey you and those benevolent stars and the sun and all its poetry and that ladynoir one whose name I forgot but it was written all snippet-y with an outside POV like you’re watching a play or something and and and etc etc. They all stick in my brain so much!! even if it’s not Deep and it’s really just adrien wearing lipstick and making out with marinette it just deserves to be thought about for a long time. lol. and man this is only like 1% of peachcitt fics too like maybe before i die I’ll finally read ur entire body of work bc wow I am impressed by how much you manage to put out and how quickly you can write while also maintaining such a high quality level wtf it honestly makes me a little bit scared of/intimidated by you and I hope that sounds complimentary bc that’s how I intend it dhsjdk

Also you have such a cute art style! I really like seeing your art whenever you post it 💜

aaaaaa thank you so much!! some of my favorite type of writing is the simpler styles that still have so much inside of them; im not the type of writer who can really go on and describe feelings in detail because emotion is something that i find on some level indescribable. so i try to just. show it. in the simplest of ways, but sometimes i become afraid that im not clear enough - and sometimes i like being unclear because that opens up work to be interpreted in the way the reader wants it to. also thanks for complimenting my plots as well !! sndjdjskk in terms of things im good at, i don’t count plots to be one of them, but it’s good to see that they’re still effective in the ways i want them to be.

and !! thanks!! i will say that writing quickly is something that comes with practice. once you have a clear voice and style, all that’s left is finding the time and motivation! when i try new styles, i often see that i take a longer time since im doing something that’s not as natural to me, but i find those times extremely valuable. i also used to write and post so so often, but i found that wasn’t healthy for me so ive been trying to slow down dnfndj i admire people who really take the time to sit with a work, and now that im doing so with one of my current big wips, im really enjoying the experience!!

thank you so much for reading and for always being so nice to me :”)

[ezraspiderwick]

Tumblr Writer Q&A

Thanks for the tag @feathersandfoxtails

1) How many complete fics/one shots do you have that you have not published (yet)? There are two chapters ready to be posted of Guns for hands, they are scheduled to be posted on Saturdays. Nothing finished apart from that.  

2) How many WIPS do you have right now? 6? 4 of them are for the ongoing series I have and 2 one-shots, all of them at different stages of progress

3) Do you take writing requests or write original ideas, or both? If I’m feeling like it I’ll take requests, problem is I’m terrible at fullfilling them. Sorry to anyone who requested something, I promise I’ll get to it eventually 😭

4) If you do take requests, how many do you currently have? 5 of them, one is already a wip

5) How many fandoms do you write for? For Lin and Pedro’s characters

6) Are there any fandoms you wrote for in the past that you no longer write for? Started writing fics in 2015 and it was for a school assignment, we had to change the ending of To kill a mockingbird. After that in 2016 and 2017 I heavily wrote (all unpublished) me inserts, not reader inserts, but I made ME a character in TWD, Marvel, The 100 and Daredevil . 2018 wrote the first non-me insert for Timeless. 2020 the pandemic comes and I publish for the first time on ao3, a TWD fic. Then between 2020 and 2021 Community and Snowpiercer 

7) Do you write for ships, reader inserts or other? I can in theory write for ships, but my joy comes from reader inserts. Also enjoy writing for canon non-romantic relationships.

8) Niche fandoms/characters you write for? Lin’s characters, the only “popular” one is Hamilton and maybe Lee 😆

9) Do you read fics as well as write them? of course!

10) What is your favorite genre to write for? Romance and/or whump, depends on the mood of the day

11) What is your favorite trope (to read/write)?  Hurt/comfort (I can get my fluff and angst needs from it), I enjoy soulmates AUs and slowburn too

12) What do you do to get motivated to write? Read fics and stare at them in amazement once I’m finished

13) Is there a trope/genre you like to read, but not write? I like reading smut, but after a couple of tries of my own, I don’t think I’m the best at writing it 😆

14) Any characters/fandoms you want to write for that are never requested? not that I can think of

15) How long have you been writing fan fiction? In my head? Since I was about 7. On paper? around 6 years. Publishing it and being serious about it? a little over a year

16) Did you read fan fiction before you started writing? Yes

17) Do you only post on Tumblr, or any other sites as well? Both on here and on Ao3

18) What do you personally consider the word counts of “Drabble”, “One shots” and “fics”? My fics are pretty short, so a drabble is anything too short for me to justify putting on ao3, so anything less than 500. One shots anything over that. And aren’t one-shots fics? *stares in confusion*

19) Which do you prefer to write more? HC, drabbles, oneshots/fics, multi chapter stories, other? One-shots, but do I get over excited and write the first chapter of multi-chapter fics I now need to complete way too often? Yes, yes I do

20) Are there any stories you have discontinued? If so, why? The Snowpiercer ones, no longer invested in the show as I was. Oh, and a Spiderman one I wrote after watching the movie, my motivation went away

21) What is one of your main “pet-peeves” as a writer on Tumblr? People not commenting on fics if they liked them, likes are nice but comments give life to authors, so if you like something let the author know even if it’s emojis they’ll appreaciate it more than you know 💙

22) Do you write a particular time of day? During economy and history class, but don’t tell my teacher 😂 Also at night

23) Do you listen to music, ambiance/noise, etc to write or do you need silence? I’ll put the same song or album on repeat and after a while my brain will drown the sound, it helps me focus

24) Do you outline your fics at all before writing? multi-chapter fics yes, in fact it’s my favorite part of writing

25) Do you post your writing as soon as you finish it, or do you schedule it to come out at a specific time/day?  Depends on if I have someone to beta read the fic, if I don’t I post it right away

no pressure tagging (with request to start a new post if you partake): @sunflowersturn @night-academy @kesskirata @katieslotherford

[bearlytolerant]

Tagged by @thevikingwoman @ejunkiet and @roguelioness thank you so much! 1. How many works do you have on AO3?

20

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

114587

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Vhenan’ara - a solavellan fic in which a happy ending for solavellan doesn’t mean perfect

the sun and the moon- Solas x Sarya Lavellan snippets I’ve written over the years

Free Falling- a modern solavellan circus/newspaper au

Soaring - circus au prompts that occur outside the main story

Say Something- a 5+1 Shega fic

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

Yes! I adore when writers respond to me because it’s my fave feature about fanfic. So I respond to people who do me the honors of commenting. Sometimes I’m slower at responding than I’d like to be though 😩

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

I don’t have any full fics.

But that one shot would be Apple Pie (ch 31) 😬

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

Bitter on the Tongue - a pentahawke love story

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

I don’t generally speaking but my mass effect fic, Unhinged, is technically.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Oh gosh, yes. Tbh it’s scared me off a few times but then I always come back with more spite to write. 😝

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

Yes indeed. I don’t know. Porn with plot. Porn with feelings. I really like throwing in conversation. Sometimes I write more lyrical/poetic stuff. Things for twc have gotten a little kinkier these days. So a mixed bag of things. I don’t know. Depends on my mood I guess.

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of.

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope.

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

I started to co-write one before and it was a blast! 10/10 would co-write with someone again.

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

Oof. I don’t know. Solavellan is up there but so is Bethistair. And current twc ship obsessions are up there.

You know what, I don’t like this question. I can’t pick a favorite okay.

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

Honestly, I don’t know. The dream is to finish every wip I’ve started. Maybe come back and ask me this in five years. Lol

15. What are your writing strengths?

I think I’m decent with dialogue these days actually. I’m also concise I think and I’m creative.

Oh I’m good at adding drama and decent at adding layers to my writing.

I once had someone tell me I’m great at writing the metaphysical. But I don’t know if that’s a compliment or not. I’ll just put it here anyway.

I’ll be honest, this feels really weird to write this out.

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

Brain is much more suited for this purpose. It wants to scream–everything—but too bad. Here’s some things though.

Getting discouraged easily.

Staring at a blank page for too long.

Adding too many subplots—a downside to my drama loving ass 😅

I feel iffy about my pacing.

I could get better at cutting the transitional sentences. Too many of those.

Editing is the bane of my existence and it probably shows–sorry about those grammar mistakes I still missed after 100 read throughs.

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

I don’t know. I don’t have any. Now I’m wondering if I should be thinking about this 🤔…

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Dragon Age 🥲

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

Again with the singular favorite. Cruel to make me choose.

From Dragon Age: Birthday Boy (ch 4)

From TWC: plant saga

Tagging @ellstersmash @kittlesandbugs and literally anyone else who sees this and hasn’t been tagged (I feel like everyone else I know has already been tagged lol)

[hannah-schooler]

Fic writer interview!!!

Thanks so much for the tag @stormwarnings sorry it took me so long to do this!!! <33

how many works do you have on ao3?

9!!

what’s your total ao3 word count?

39,086. huh somehow I expected it to be higher than that

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

Just Star Wars! pretty much entirely The Clone Wars with all of my current fics and most of my WIPs focused on Anakin and Ahsoka

what are your top 5 fics by kudos?

don’t just stand there staring, honey— a silly little fic about the Jedi and their troopers (Everybody Lives!AU) going undercover and they don’t understand that they’re all incredibly attractive. A sequel is coming....one day...

long after you’re gone (gone, gone)— 5+1; Five times Ahsoka left and the one time she came home. Happy ending, mostly

as if you don’t remember, as if you can forget—some post-Zygerria angst and healing. Aayla Secura and Ahsoka Tano centric. Lots of feels, angst, and hurt/comfort. Inspired by @webtrinsic1122 ‘s “Show Me Your Teeth”

once the last drop of rain has dried off the pavement— some MORE post-Zygerria recovery. This one is a little bit more pointed with what happened to Ahsoka and features a very distressed Anakin trying to figure out how to help his traumatized little sis. 

said you’d always be my white blood (i need you right here with me)—post Trandoshans/Padawan Lost arc. I LOVE this arc and there’s not nearly enough content about it. Wrote this to fill a tumblr prompt not long ago so I’m actually surprised it’s in my top 5!! Hurt/comfort, recovery, scary!Anakin and Ahsoka bringing him back from the edge

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

Yes!! people take the time to write them and they make me so so indescribably happy! I literally end up gushing about readers leaving comments as much as they do about my work!

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

Definitely Never Let Me Go, but that was also my first ever work, and not my best. Pretty much all of my works have at least hopeful endings, if not happy, but my angstiest fic is you drew stars around my scars (but now i’m bleeding) so I’m gonna say that one

do you write crossovers? if so, what is the craziest one you’ve written?

no, never have. I don’t think I could do it well and there’s not really any fandoms that I want to see mixed together

have you ever recieved hate on a fic?

thankfully, no. I think I would cry ahahaa. My readers are literally some of the kindest people in the world I love you guys so much!!!

do you write smut? if so, what kind?

no. never say never, but it’s unlikely. again, I don’t think I would do it well

have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that i know of!

have you ever had a fic translated?

nope!

have you ever co-written a fic before?

no but i’d probably be down!

what’s your all-time favorite ship?

like....ever?? idk if i can pick! Star Wars though is hard bc i’m not the hugest anidala fan but also don’t really ship Anakin with anyone else. I like Ahsoka ships, just cause she’s my favorite character, but not all of them work. My guilty pleasure ship is probably fives/ahsoka, but there’s not a lot of content for them. i’ll pretty much read anything that’s well written except for the ones that i really don’t like (not going to list, no hate here!)

what’s a wip that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

ugh right now it feels like i will never finish the don’t just stand there sequel, but i will one day! I have several multi chap fics that I want to write including one about Rex and Ahsoka saving the 332nd, and one in an Anakin doesn’t fall-verse where he and Ahsoka free the slaves on Tatooine, but long fics are not my strong suit. (looks guiltily at my original novel i haven’t touched in 3 months)

what are your writing strengths?

i’d probably say the emotional aspects of the characters?? that’s what i most enjoy writing. I’ve also been told that my prose itself is good so maybe that too?

what are your writing weaknesses?

plotting lmao. and action sequences. 

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

i mean my only other language i use is some sparse mando’a. I don’t speak any other languages so it’s probably not something i would think about. but i definitely enjoy fics and books that incorporate it because it adds such a cultural depth to the characters!! (i’m also such a sucker for the trope where Character A says something cute to their love interest in their native language, and when asked what they said they say something bland)

what was the first fandom you wrote for?

i have NO idea. I’ve been writing since I was really young, but maybe percy jackson? I remember writing for maze runner when i was like 12 but....

what’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

definitely you drew stars around my stars (but now i’m bleeding). I worked on it for so long and am really proud of it and the response it’s gotten

this was so fun!!! thanks again, @stormwarnings

Tagging: @ashgryff @lynnpaper @webtrinsic1122 and anyone else who wants to participate!! <333

[gallavictorious]

I was delighted to be tagged by Our Lady of Words and Joy @howlinchickhowl Cheers, dear!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Earlier today it was 40. Now it’s 39. WHAT GIVES? Did someone eat a story? Which one? I am so confused.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

137 098. At least that hasn’t changed...

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Highs, and Your Lows (i will weather them)

This Time (We'll Be Fine)

Teenage Tales

To Keep Your Gentle Heart

Captive Look

Huh. Would you look at that. All Gallavich stuff!

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

Eh. Well. Listen, I always want and mean to respond to comments, because as a commenter I always love a response from the author, but I am procrastinator supreme so a lot of the time I just... don't. Not for a great long while at least. Then, two years AFTER you left a comment, you might get an e-mail notification about me responding. It's horrible, really, because I keep the comments in my heart and treasure them so much and the lovely people taking the time to leave a few words on my silly stories really do deserve better.

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

Life, Still to Come has the one main character Jim Moriarty killing himself and his lover Sebastian Moran after he's diagnosed with incurable brain cancer, so I guess that's pretty angsty? The tone of the fic, however, is... kinda soft and peaceful, really. It doesn't feel so very sad, I think.

For Gallavich, I've got Chapter 7 of my ficlet collection Highs, and Your Lows (i will weather them). It's an Wild West AU kind of deal, where Ian Gallagher is visited by the ghost of the young fiend Mickey Milkovich after his dad beats him to death. That one is sad, but there's the glimmer of a promise that they might meet again one day, in a better world.

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

My fics mostly end on a happy note, and I have a hard time pinning down which is the happiest. Hm. I'm gonna say Pressure or possibly Foreign Country, if only because the happy endings there are offered in contrast to the otherwise angsty story and so seems all the happier for it.

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

I have, once. Well, started one, really. Notes Regarding the End of the World is a crossover between Sherlock BBC and Mark Lawrence's The Broken Empire trilogy. I still feel there's a bunch of potential there, but I'm very hesitant I'll ever finish it.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Not to my recollection, no. Back when I posted my SW fic on the Jedi Council forums you might receive critical comments at times, but no hate.

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

Not really, no. I'm not very interested in reading it, and so see very little point in writing it. There's been a few semi-explicit depictions of sexual acts – most notably in Claim – and I'm not averse to writing kink fic, even if they don't typically include actual sex when I do. For instance, I did The Ways We Bend and Break and Mend for X-Men, and the whole point was Charles first whipping Erik and then cuddling him – except in the end it turned into a character study with lots of emotions, and I think any attempts to write smut would be like that for me. Accidental character drama. XD

I might have a Gallavich thing for kinktober that is likely to be pretty explicit and kinda messed up. We'll see.

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don't think so. There have been a few instances of stuff popping up bearing a strong resemblance to things I've written, but there's also been times when I realize that things I have written bear a (very much unintentional) strong resemblance to other stuff that predates them, so I really think that's the nature of the beast. In any big fandom, the same ideas are likely to occur to multiple people, and we are all, often unconsciously, inspired by the same things and by each other.

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yeah, to Chinese and Russian.

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

Yes! Pathoftheranger and I co-wrote (How to Break the) Alibi Armistice, which was fun!

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

I'm a creature of ever-changing affections, so I'm not so good with ”all-time favourite”  and to be honest, I mostly tend to have favourite characters and ship them with everything in sight... Currently it's all about Gallavich but pretty much all ships including Jim Moriarty is forever gold to me (though MorMor is The Best. Or is it Sheriarty? Or maybe Mormorlock? Or Moriadlock? Or Johmlock – notice the 'm'?). Cherik's a big one too!

Ask me again in six months and my answer might well have changed!

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

The aforementioned Notes Regarding the End of the World. And I have this superlong Star Wars fic I started writing when I was 16 and wrote for years and years and then just... stopped writing, when I was maybe 20 pages from the end? It's currently at 180k words. This one I DO have some hope that I will go back and finish one day, although it's likely to be a jarring experience since I'm very much not 16 years old any more and my ideas about writing and the characters and everything have shifted quite a bit.

15. What are your writing strengths?

I do pretty well with the short format, I think. And with dialogue? Finding the voice of the characters (some more than others, certainly). Writing in my native Swedish, I think I'm pretty good at offering decent prose – I'd like to think I have a fairly developed ear for the flow of the text, and the melody of it? But when writing in English, that gets quite a bit harder. This really annoys me, because I'm rather preoccupied with the stylish elements of writing – though I've found that a lot of people seem happy enough to overlook clunky writing as long as they find the story otherwise engaging, which is a huge blessing for me. I believe I can build a decent plot, but since I can't write anyting longer than a few K these days there's no telling, is there?

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

Primarily getting any writing done at all. Mostly, I stare at a blank page and despair and then I give up. This is why I no longer write long fic. I also tend to reuse favorite phrases or themes far too often. And there are so many subclauses... Proofreading happens to other people (I'd like it to happen to me too, but I'm terrible with it). I'm not good at accepting constructive criticism, even when I ask for it. I will often favour style over efficiency, and I'll stubbornly refuse to admit that this can be a problem.

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

This question makes me feel like I ought to have developed thoughts on this, but I don't so much... I don't mind it? I've used it. Uh. It's a good idea to do a bit of research and not just rely on Google translate for it? If you don't like it, don't use it. Those are my thoughts.

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Star Wars. <3

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

Buffy/Angel/Spike. The Book of All Hours. Heroes. Maybe something based on The Coldfire Trilogy... ? Oh, and the Bible. I'm sure there are others.

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

I really don't have one. There are a few I'm particularly happy with, but no one that truly stands out... That said, I was quite chuffed with how the first ficlet in Or Else Into the Light, my (tiny) collection of Anakin redemption one-shots, turned out. And Claim. I’m very pleased with Claim.

Tagging @dreamylyfe-x @fiona-fififi @pathoftheranger @abundanceofnots and @captainjowl

[cassatine]

Fic writer interview:

Tagged by @tobermoriansass thank u idek if i still count as a fic writer lol

Name: Cass, Cassiopeia, that one bitch

Fandoms: I haven’t been hugely invested in any for a while tbh. I had a loooong SW phase but now I’m back to hopping from this to that. currently I’m very into ASOIAF, but that’s because I’m listening to the audiobooks - I’m stretching it out because it’s one of my favourite fictional universes but once I’m done with the books I’ll move on to something else. more niche and french, the end of the wait for the Kaamelott movie is soon over (it’s only been twelve years) and the hype is very real

Two-shot: I don’t understand the question

Most popular multi-chapter: i heard your castle sighing, tho really it’s a three acts oneshot. I’ve never finished a real multi-chapter - I can’t plot for shit and I like playing with concepts and style and genre more anyway. I’m a short story person and one day I will make my peace with that.

Actual worst part of writing: stakes. who needs to finish anything in a timely manner I just like fucking around.

How you choose your titles: pretentiously. at worst the latin proverbs puns and opera libretti quotes kind of pretentiously. idk sometimes they sort of emerge as I write and I’m like ah yes this is obviously the title, and sometimes I just stare at my computer screen until I have an idea and then I pretend it’s a good one.

Do you outline: depends on what I’m writing and whether I feel like I need one. it’s not my favorite thing to do tho, so if I feel a timeline and story notes will do the job I go with that instead.

Ideas I probably won’t get around to but wouldn’t it be nice: everything of my wip folder? I’d like to finish the fic about Iroh and tea and imperialism. also the ASOIAF one about language and… huh. imperialism. I have a lot of material for side stories in the iceberg SW imperial verse but I’m unlikely to ever do anything with it. also NO there’s no running theme here not at all and I’ll prove it because if I had the chops for it I’d also do a post XM: Apocalypse epic feat. a three-way ideological struggle and no that one would not be about imperialism. well maybe a bit but only like. tangentially.

Callouts @ me: maybe try finishing something instead of fucking around in the self-indulgence folder gee

Best writing traits: idk synthesizing I guess? I’m good at putting a lot in a few words, and I’m also good with ambiguity and layered meanings. it’s good for short stories, not so for longform stuff.

Spicy tangential opinion: pretend all u want but ficdom is mainly a middle class hobby demanding a middling level of cultural capital. no I will not elaborate I don’t want feathers and tar thanks.

tagging: @savageandwise @permian-tropos @rappaccini and whoever feels like it

[lilliloves]

Hi! I would love to know what you think of GG season 4 so far and if you have any WIP based on this season? Love your writing!

Hi Anon! Very nice of you to care what I think. :) I’m cautiously optimistic about where the season is going. Honestly though I’m trying to enjoy the ride and not get hung up on what I don’t like too much. The problem I have is this: I’ve started to watch the show more as a shipper than anything else and I think that’s skewed my opinion on what’s happening as a whole. To be honest where Brio is concerned I think we might be about to get some good stuff that will have us all riding high and then just as quickly we’ll be stabbed in the back right when we’re getting too comfortable. I hope I’m wrong

As far as fic goes .... I’m not working on anything based on this season but after the flashback episode where we saw how Beth and Dean met I imagined a scenario where Rio and Beth met in high school instead. Not sure I’ll ever get around to finishing it... writing is hard for me lately. But here’s what I’ve got below! Thanks for stopping by it makes my day!!

It’s ten minutes until closing and Beth blows a piece of hair out of her face as she counts the last of the cash in her drawer. She glances at the clock and then towards the door, willing it to stay shut until she can turn the lock and close up for good.

It’s just her and one other employee left but he’s back in the kitchen likely packing up and getting ready to leave. He’ll yell a goodbye out to her the second the clock hits ten and head out the back door. Beth hates that he doesn’t wait for her to leave, hates that he won’t offer to walk her to her car but she won’t ask him to stay. Won’t admit she holds her breath the entire walk to her car in the abandoned parking lot at night.

9:56.

She thinks she’s made it when the bell on the door chimes and it swings open. She has to bite on her lip to keep the scream in. Has to forcibly rearrange her face as to not glare at the incoming customer.

It’s a guy - probably close to her age give or take a year but even though she knows he’s not much older he seems like he is. Just by looking at him she can see how he holds himself taller, more confidently than most guys she goes to school with.

It’s impressive and ... intriguing.

“Yo.” He says, approaching the counter.

“We close in two minutes.” She responds, crossing her arms over her chest. He can’t see it but she’s tapping her toe behind the counter in annoyance.

He smirks, and leans forward. “Looks like I just made it then.”

From behind her she hears shuffling and then Alex calls out a goodbye. She turns and opens her mouth to yell out to him that she’s not alone, that they have a customer, but she hears the back door slam shut before she can even get a single syllable out.

Beth deflates and turns back to her customer. She’s not nervous per se, he has a friendly, if not charming, smile on his face but she feels unsettled being alone with him.

“What can I get you?” She asks, any ounce of patience or kindness gone. She’s done, checked out, and she’s perfectly fine with making that clear.

He studies her, eyes roaming across her face and landing on her chest. It should make her bristle, should offend but all it really does is make her pulse race.

“Just a Coke.” He finally answers, reaching his arm around to pull his wallet out of his back pocket.

She lets out a soft breath, relieved he didn’t ask for an ice cream or something more complicated and turns to fill up a cup from the soda machine behind her.

When she turns back around with his drink she startles when their eyes meet. He’s hot and she’s just now allowing herself to notice. He’s not cute or handsome but rough and maybe a little bit dangerous. His hair is cut short and he’s got a little bit of scruff on his face. She can’t figure out what it is about him that she’s attracted to. He’s not her usual type, he’s certainly a far cry from Dean but -

There’s just something that she likes.

He tosses a ten on the counter. “Keep the change.”

“Thanks.” She mumbles, grabbing the bill to slide it into her apron pocket. She’s already counted her drawer and settled up for the night - his drink is on the house and the money is hers.

He smirks when she looks up. She gives a slight shrug and a smile, tucking a loose piece of hair behind her ear.

She thinks he’ll turn and leave but he just stands there and lifts his cup to his mouth. She watches his lips wrap around the straw and she knows she should look away but she doesn’t want to.

She’s never felt this drawn to a total stranger. Or anyone really, certainly not Dean and he’s kissed her and had his hand up her shirt and down her pants.

She swallows, wills the red on her cheeks away, but it’s futile. He’s on to her and enjoying it, she can tell. It annoys her.

“What?”

He feigns bashfulness, but his smile is boyish and all knowing.

“Nothin’. What’s your name?” He asks, he leans down and perches his elbows on the counter, setting his chin into his hands. It’s like he’s decided he’s having fun, he’s found something to entertain him. He doesn’t look in a hurry to leave.

He’s flirting and Beth can’t decide if she’s flattered or annoyed. Ten minutes ago she couldn’t wait to get the hell out of here but now...

“Beth.” She answers before she can convince herself not to or that it’s a bad idea or that she shouldn’t encourage him.

“Beth.” He repeats as if he wants to hear how it sounds coming out of his mouth. She flushes because she likes the way it sounds. His voice is hoarse and deep and the way he says it makes her feel important.

“What’s yours?” She asks, ignoring every warning floating through her head.

“Rio.”

“Rio.” She says just the way he had. She likes it, likes the way he nods when he hears the word come out of her mouth like he approves.

He turns to check the clock and then the door. “Want me to lock that?”

She narrows her eyes. “Do I want you to lock me in here alone with you? No, thanks.”

He looks down and chuckles, holding up his hands as if to say he’s innocent.

“Just figured you wouldn’t want no one else coming in.”

He’s right, she doesn’t, but she also knows she shouldn’t be in this current situation even though she feels like she wants to be.

“You could leave and I could lock the door behind you.” Beth raises her eyebrows to let him know she’s only half serious, because while she knows it’s the right decision, the smart one, she’s kind of doesn’t care.

Rio nods and she watches as his tongue peaks out to lick across his bottom lip.

“I could but then who’d walk you to your car?” He teases.

“No offense but I think I’m probably safer walking to my car alone than with you.” She shoots back with a roll of her eyes.

That gets a real laugh out of him. He scratches at his chin and bright eyes meet hers.

“You’re definitely right about that.”

They both stand there, staring. She blinks first and he just waits for her to speak.

“I do need to close.”

He’s quiet for a beat and then, “Hang out with me.”

Her mouth drops open and her stomach swirls at the way his eyes linger on it. She hadn’t been expecting that. She wants to though, really wants to, even though she doesn’t know him.

She feels like she needs to.

Thoughts start firing in her brain, reasons why she should say no. Annie’s at home alone with their mom, she has to be up early for school, she doesn’t know him, Dean.

But all the reasons why she shouldn’t are also the reasons why she thinks maybe she should.

[shintorikhazumi]

I Have Two Sisters?! Chapter 1: Three Sisters and The Bastard Father (An LWAxRWBYxStarira Crossover)

A/N: What’s crazier than me writing a crossover I can’t get out of my head at 2am while still having multiple wips?

Writing a three-way crossover until 3am!!! (Ended at nearly 5am tho)

GAHHHHH.

Btw, this is a non-magic au. So Diana has no magic, and Weiss has no… semblance. Yes. Because the world of RWBY always goes “???!! OHMG, magic?!” Quite ironically. They become impressed at people turning into birds, but never flinch at Ruby who can separate herself on a molecular level. Sure.

I’ll be updating this sporadically, tbh. The updates will be as random as the coming of this idea. I do like it a lot, so I look forward to working on it. Just have to prioritize the wips.

[DO CHECK OUT THE END NOTES FOR SOME OF THE AU DETAILS AND BACKGROUND]

Still, I couldn’t let the concept pass me by so…

Enjoy?

~Shintori Khazumi

  I Have Two Sisters?! Chapter 1: Three Sisters and The Bastard Father

  The wind blew strong outside, rain water cold against her bleeding cheek. The numbness was her only relief from pain nowadays. She’d lost count of how many bruises she’d gotten this week. If only her mother hadn’t passed… If only she hadn’t had a bastard of a father.

Then maybe Diana’s life would have been much better than the shell that it now was.

He left her and her mother just as she turned three, the only support she got in the form of random gifts and her financial needs. Her father was nothing of a father. The man that… helped make her was never there. He never showed he cared. Everything he gave her felt obligatory. She hated it. Heck, she didn’t even know his last name, much less remember what he looked like. She did try looking it up at some point, but it seemed as if he was some kind of bigshot she couldn’t name.

Neither her mom nor her aunt had divulged his identity, so she had long since drew a blank to the man’s identity. All she knew was that his name was ‘Jack’ or something of the sort. She had long since adopted her mother’s as it didn’t feel right to take the name of a man she never knew.

All she knew was that he was the cause of all her sorrows. That wretched man had left her and her mother to fend for themselves. Even though her mom was of a strong, well-known medical lineage here in Britain, the fact that she had gotten pregnant out of wedlock labelled her as a shame to the Cavendish name, and she had been cast out to a vacation home in the outskirts of the foreign country, Japan.

After her death, however, the women who Diana now saw as practically witches with how cruel and evil they were decided that because their blood ran through her, took over their small land that she and her mother had cried blood and tears to call their own, and exploited the underage girl, believing she might be of some use as a pawn at the very least, for the sake of the Cavendish name.

And she was. For some time, until she had injured her arm, and was no longer capable of becoming the kind of doctor they wanted her to be, her hand slowly losing its immaculate dexterity, becoming constantly shaky, rendering her as only half the worth she originally was, and thus completely useless besides being their punching bag. Quite literally.

Diana Cavendish found herself spending the better part of her life being abused, and hiding in tool sheds, and escaping her dreaded household at every waking moment, just as she was doing right now.

She hardly believed in any religion, but she found herself always praying to get away from this hellish nightmare. She’d hope that even if she only had a jerk of a father, he’d soon realize that she was his flesh and blood that needed saving.

A hard knock came on the wood of her shed’s door. She flinched, no sound escaping. Had they found her?!

“Miss Cavendish? Miss Diana Cavendish? Are you in here?” An unfamiliar voice called for her, bold and confident sounding, but with kindness and worry interlaced. She felt like it was someone she should respond to. The situation felt like it was some kind of divine calling she should answer.

With legs shaking, she stood up, unlatching the bar that held the door closed and stepping out into the now late night that reeked of hot pavement, rain having stopped while she was lost in thought.

A police officer, clad in uniform and raincoat smiled at her in pity. She was both grateful for- and hated- that gaze. She wished it had come sooner, but at the same time, she disliked being thought of as sad and pathetic.

“Your aunt and her family have been arrested, Miss.” Her ears perked up at the voice and the message they conveyed. Looking up from the ground, she stared into the truthful eyes of the cop. “You’re safe now.”

And she truly hoped she was.

  //-//-//-//-//

  “Weiss.”

At the mention of her name from that familiar voice, she rolled her eyes internally, holding in the urge to snap at the man she called ‘father’.

“What.”

Maybe her control wasn’t as good as she thought.

“Don’t give me that tone. I know you hate me, but I am still the one that raised you!”

“You mean, you’re the one that paid for me.” The ex-heiress pointed out. Her father gritted his teeth, frown deepening as he stepped forward in an attempt to exert his dominance.

Weiss only raised a brow in challenge.

“Anyway.” Jacques continued. Weiss would have smirked as he neither acknowledged nor denied her statement, but she felt it wasn’t the best time. “You are yet to turn twenty, and as you aren’t considered an adult yet-“

“But I’m nineteen, father.” Weiss stated, confused, her raised brow now raised in question. “I’m of legal age, to drink even.”

“Not in Japan you aren’t.” He replied with a smirk so evil, Weiss would have loved to slap it right off if her mind wasn’t thrown in a state of emergency, dreading whatever plans her father had. Even if she wanted to do as she pleased, she couldn’t completely go against him as she was at the moment. Their family name was too widespread and known in the business world, and she feared the consequences of running away from her father who currently had her safety- and practically her life- in the palm of his hand.

“What are you planning.” She narrowed her eyes at him, fearing for the worst, but expertly masking that fear.

“I’ll be sending you away, just as you’ve always wanted. I’ve prepared you an apartment close to a school of my choice to pursue the arts as you so strongly desired,” He spoke in a mocking tone. “And I’ll let you have your way there.” He ended with a smile that sent chills down Weiss’ spine. It sounded too good to be true, her dream being accepted like this. It was like a carrot on a stick being waved in front of her, only to always be out of reach.

“What’s the catch?”

“Catch? My, Weiss, my child, are you questioning your father’s benevolent heart?”

“What’s there to question?” Weiss shot back. “You don’t have one, now do you?”

She grinned at her little victory as she watched him gnashing his teeth, clearly seething in anger. Her smile dropped however as he gave her his own.

“I mentioned Japan’s legal age before.”

And Weiss already knew what he meant.

  //-//-//-//-//

  Life in Seishou had been the dream. Her first two years of high school were the peak of her life, she’d proudly say. She had wonderful friends and comrades who battled side-by-side, pushing one another to greater heights, and… she had someone she adored just a little more than friendship allowed. She had never admitted it, though. Then, a school back in Paris, the place where her mother had blossomed as an actress in the past, offered her a scholarship as an exchange student there.

And like she always did, Claudine excelled. So much so that multiple colleges offered her full rides to attend their institutions. Even highly prestigious universities. Her opportunities were broad, her future looking bright-

-And then news came. Her mother had fallen terminally ill.

She had to go back. She had to see her. She had to be by her side as long as possible.

She had to repay her for the love, for the dream she had given Claudine. She had to be the family her mother had been for her in the absence of a biological father she never knew, and the loss of her adoptive Japanese father at an early age. The lack of a male figure in their family was no cripple to Claudine, but she also missed the presence of the man she knew as her papa. She knew her maman missed him too.

So she had to do this for her mother.

She had to… in the event that… she’d lose her soon as well.

God forbid, Claudine prayed.

She had to return to Japan, study and… get a job, find some way to help her mother pay the increasingly expensive hospital bills, their little family’s saved money steadily disappearing.

She wondered if she should just drop school all together and apply for a troupe. Earn both money and experience.

She had enough rapport both in Japan and France. She could probably get enough opportunities, and she would succeed like she always had…

But…

There was something she wanted to see through, going into university.

When she left for Paris, she had gradually lost contact with all her friends, the culture slowly choking her time, eventually disconnecting them from her.

She’d receive and return the occasional message, but… things were different. She knew she’d drifted apart from everyone.

So, when she found out that they would all be attending the same Arts Institute, and when she had decided to return to Japan for her mother’s sake, she believed it wouldn’t all be that bad if she could apply for a scholarship to the same place, and possibly rebuild everything that was slowly crumbling away.

She wanted to be with everyone again.

And though she believed herself capable of attaining what she wanted on her own, she might require a little assistance from a miracle.

…

And a miracle- could she call this monstrosity of a situation that?- came in the form of a letter that had documents that signified she was the daughter of some ‘Jacques Schnee’ currently undergoing some sort of trial, and because of this, some of the accusations led to the revelation that he was neglecting a daughter, not sending support, and now as some form of bribery and compensation or whatever, he had paid the court to shut up about it if he took responsibility for her now.

Claudine scoffed in disbelief and utter disgust.

So this was her damned biological father? Some apparently bigtime tycoon who slept around and left a woman to fight for herself while carrying his- Claudine would suppose she was now an- illegitimate child.

This… was certainly news she’d never have expected in a million years.

She laughed mirthlessly at it all.

Well, at least her financial crisis had been averted. For better or for worse… she hoped it wasn’t the latter.

One upside was that she now had a clear ticket to that university she wanted to get into, it seemed. Her ‘father’ had taken the liberty of enrolling her there coincidentally. At least he could do something right, Claudine guessed.

“Well… I suppose it’s time to pack.” She sighed falling back onto her current apartment bed, staring at the ceiling.

It wasn’t so bad, maybe. Her newfound reality.

“Japan, I’m coming home to you.”

  //-//-//-//-//

  Diana glared at the letter in her hand angrily. There, in neat script, she saw the name of the man who had caused all her misfortune.

‘Jacques Schnee.’

“I want to hate you for as long as I live…” She gripped the paper so hard, creases were forming and the agent currently assigned to her worried she’d rip it into shreds. “What is this garbage? And why am I… Why can’t I… refuse… this ugly form salvation…” She choked on her sobs, a hand sympathetically rubbing her back.

“Let’s get you ready, Miss.”

Diana nodded in agreement.

-----

All her bags now in her hand after being dropped off by the cab driver, she stared in awe at the slightly modest, but clearly high-end house.

What the hell, did her dad just get her a house?!

Regardless of its size, couldn’t he have… like… gotten her an apartment or condo, at least?

How rich was this asshole father of hers? Was money the only good thing about him? Not that even that was necessarily a good thing.

With a groaning sigh, she unlatched the gate, walking up the little pathway. There were small flowerbeds already present around the yard, and decorations were tastefully placed.

It at least looked the part of cozy.

Once she got to the door, however, angry sounds coming from inside made her question that.

-Wait. This was her house, right?

Why would sounds be…

In a panic, she unlocked the front door with the key that came with the letter, bursting through it like a mad man, blue eyes flickering about the room, shocked to see two pairs of eyes, wide and intense, staring back at her with equal surprise.

“Who…”

“Oh, this is just great!!!” One with hair as white as snow exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air in clear exasperation. “Now we have another one!” She began marching around the room, palms rubbing her face aggressively and scratching through her hair. “That little fuck-“

“-Language.”

“Shut up! I don’t even know who you are, and why you were in my house when I arrived. And you say you aren’t a burglar or whatever, but what is up with your sword play? Even if you were using the curtain pole. Are you some kind of spy or assassin the corporation has sent to finally get rid of me?”

“First of all, this is my house, not yours. And you came at me with a rapier!” A silver-gold blonde replied in equal stress. “You could have killed me!”

“I would never!” The first girl gasped with faux emotion. “At most, you’d lose an ear.”

“Umm…” Diana remained awkwardly fidgeting at the door, her usual bravery and confidence lost in the moment of shock.

“What.”

“I- I am simply here because… apparently my father purchased this place for me.”

Two pairs of eyes blinked once. Twice.

Then realization overtook them.

“Did you just say… father?” The golden-haired one stepped closer to her, a lot less hostile, but still aggressive looking.

“I- Um… yes?”

“Father… you say.” The lady with a rapier in her hand now approached Diana too.

These women were frightening, dear Lord. Diana slowly backed up, but stopped as her foot hit the bags she’d dropped in her frantic moments earlier.

“Can you tell me the name of this… ‘father’ of yours?” Rapier lady asked Diana who was beginning to wonder if she should look for a weapon to defend herself with.

“S-sure. His n-name is…”

“…”

“…”

“Is?”

“Fuck.”

Diana was not one to curse, but it surprised her that she did.

But she couldn’t help it, now could she? After all, her mind had been wiped clean as a white slate. A mental block was not what she needed right now, but just about anything involving that man seemed to bring about her misfortune.

At least the hands by which she’d die her early death were from very beautiful women it seemed.

She liked women, at least?

“Excuse me, um… are you alright?” Miss Golden hair was now very safe-looking and welcoming, Diana subconsciously stepped closer towards her.

“What is up with you? I just asked a question.”

“Perhaps, if you placed the sword down, and looked less like you were trying to murder her and look like you were willing to hear her out…”

Diana expected another heated retaliation, so it was a pleasant surprise to see the other woman sheath her weapon, and place it gently on a plastic-covered couch, clearly brand new.

“There. Happy?” She asked, glaring at the woman now gently holding Diana’s hand- and when had that happened?!

With a nod, the girl turned to Diana and asked again. “What is your father’s name. If you could tell us.”

Huh. She was a lot kinder than Diana had initially taken her for.

“I apologize. I can’t… remember at the moment. I- He hasn’t been around… for me until this point. I just… learned his name a few days ago but…” She hung her head in defeat, apologizing all the while. “Sorry I’m of no assistance to you…”

“No, it’s alright. Isn’t it?” The question was clearly not directed at her as she could only hear a grunt from the other side of the room.

“Yeah, fine.”

“Would your father’s name happen to be Jacques?”

At this, Diana lifted her head, another shocker delivered to her, hearing the familiar name, the cogs in her head clicking into place.

“Yes! Yes, that’s it! Jack, or Jacques or whatever. Snee? Shuni? Schee? I don’t quite remember, but something along those lines.” Diana found herself enthusiastic towards the prospect that some of her questions might be answered.

It seemed the other two shared the same sentiment.

“It’s Schnee.” The white-haired lady corrected, eyes furrowing, anger building up once more. “And… THAT BASTARD OLD MAN!” Grabbing her rapier she swung it around, probably to vent her anger. “He set me up! And what’s more…” She whipped her head about to carefully look the other two people over.

“What is it?” Diana said in a voice quite small.

“Seems he had big secrets to hide.” She sighed. Turning to the initial enemy she had, now turned… stranger? She wasn’t sure they were allies at this point, she stated rather than asked. “I guess it’s the same for you?”

The woman beside Diana nodded, expression looking a lot stiffer than her gentle demeanor as she dealt with Diana earlier.

“I see. I can’t believe this situation.”

“What do you me-“

A voice beside Diana delivered her fourth? Fifth? Sixth?- she’d lost count- Shocker of the day.

“Sisters. It seems we’re… sisters.” Turning to Diana, she held out a hand for a shake. “I’m Claudine.”

“I’m Weiss.” Was the grumble from the couch the woman had flopped on top of.

“…O-oh!” Breaking her stare from the hand, she looked into rose-red eyes. “And I’m-“

And the world suddenly turned black.

‘Hello, My Name is…

[Diana Cavendish]

[Weiss Schnee]

[Saijou Claudine]

-And it seems as though…

I have two sisters?!

  A/N: If you’re asking, yes. Yes, Diana fainted.

Here are some details for this AU btw:

I’ve decided to make Jacques a half-Jap, half german.

So all of them have a quarter of that blood.

Diana is half brit, quarter jap, quarter german

Weiss is ¾ german because of her mom, and ¼ jap.

Claudine is half French, ¼ german, ¼ jap.

Also, if you want to know their ages, and their order, I decided it this way, and let me just quote how I typed it out in the raw idea draft.

“Diana April 30 16yro in anime 2017+3yrs (2020) she's 19 too omg jahahahaha (wrote this coz I’m currently 19 and was amused)

Clau august 1, 2001 19 at present

Weiss Currently 19 (in volumes 5-6) may 15th lmao hahsha. Perfect!!

Wtf Diana was the oldest? Hooo boi. I did expect and want Kuro to be youngest tho, tbh.”

Why their ages are pretty much the same will be mentioned next chap.

And that’s how it went. Decided with Weiss being the legitimate child coz Jacques was the only canonically mentioned dad between the three girls as far as I know. Or I just didn’t search enough.

But come on. I wouldn’t pass at the chance to beat up the dude in a fic so… hihi.

Feedback is super appreciated!

Thank you for reading!

~Shintori Khazumi

[yeswevegotavideo]

Opening Line Tag Meme

Edit: In true tumblr fashion the formatting got all fucked up so the first 10 aren't numbered anymore, fyi.

Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all!). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favorite opening line. Then tag 10 of your favorite authors!

Hoo boy, ok! Gotta' figure out when I started writing what, 'cause I've got some unposted WIPs in here.

Thanks to @gottagobuycheese for the tag! I tag @arcanemoody, @teadrinkingwolfgirl, @holycatsandrabbits, @slow-burn-sally, and anybody else who wants to do it! :)

List after the cut, 'cause it's long lol Now then, from most to least recent, let's see...

In the Beginning, only the Creator existed, and She Knew Not From Whence She Came. Fic: you will exhale cinnamon clouds Fandom: Good Omens Comments: That is italicized on purpose - the fic implies that if you see italicized narration in serif font, it is possibly the Voice of God...maybe. This was my first time participating in a Big Bang, and it was very fun and EXTREMELY STRESSFUL and I doubt I'll ever participate in another one.

The Angel of the Eastern Gate was…fascinating. Fic: Time Can Do So Much (WIP) Fandom: Good Omens Comments: I'm gonna finish this someday I swear, but it's a lower priority than Close to Home. (Because let's face it, Close to Home is more popular lol)

"Little demonic miracle of my own," Crowley said casually, handing off the bag and sauntering past the stunned angel, "Lift home?" Fic: Close to Home, So Far Away (WIP) Fandom: Good Omens Comments: That line barely counts, since the dialogue is lifted directly from the show, and I almost included the next one. But the action description is obviously mine. This is the WIP that currently dominates the anxious part of my brain (along with the writer's block part, the creative part, the restless part, and the guilty part). But I'm. Going. To. Finish. It.

It was a perfectly lovely brunch. Fic: Velocity Fandom: Good Omens

Comments: First fic I ever posted in a large fandom. Well, large compared to any other fandom I've ever posted in, anyway. It was insane getting that number of comments/views/kudos on any fic all at once. (It's even more insane how quickly one gets used to such a thing and starts comparing it to subsequent works lol)

“Regis, it’s time.” Fic: Hope in Darkness (working title, unpublished WIP) Fandom: Final Fantasy XV Comments: So, I have this FFXV fic. I'm probably never going to post it. Idk. Maybe someday when the fandom is mostly dead lmao. The fic follows the lives of the quad from infancy to the start of the World of Ruin/Darkness. It's followed by another, even WIP-er fic with working title Decade of Darkness. I'm currently stalled immediately after getting their quad together, at Gladio's 21st birthday party. (Yes, that means Prompto is 17. Yes, that is exactly why I'm hesitant to post it.)

They entered the stairwell and the moment the door closed, Vyvyan shoved Rick against the wall with the force of his kiss. Fic: Love & Mobsters - The Lost Scenes (perpetual WIP, entirely PWP) Fandom: The Young Ones Comments: One of those "this is where the porn goes" WIPs that will probably never actually be closed and may or may not ever be added to. *shrug* What can I say? It's just where the porn goes.

There's something wrong with the garden. Fic: Paper Boats Fandom: The Young Ones Comments: I love this fic. I don't honestly care if others do, though I'm glad many seem to. That is all. Btw that line is in italics because it's thought. That's definitely a convention of mine. That, and writing flashbacks in present tense.

The new kid arrived around two in the afternoon, driven in especially by one of the many social workers known well to the residents. Fic: Infinity (WIP) Fandom: The Young Ones Comments: Another WIP I swear I'll finish eventually. This one kind-of lost steam because I realized I don't actually know how to write teenage British boys in the 70s, nor prison stories in general. Idk, I'll figure it out eventually, probably.

Vyvyan closed the door behind him and slinked into the night. Fic: Skin Fandom: The Young Ones Comments: In direct contradiction to what I just said two fics ago, this story features flashbacks that are in past tense. And then in present tense in the next chapter. I believe this is what they call "inconsistency".

It was December 24th, and all throughout London, preparations for Christmas were kicking into high gear. Fic: Winter Holiday Fandom: The Young Ones Comments: This was a fun one to write. I basically tried to write a Christmas episode, and commenters largely confirm I succeeded. My favorite comment was, "It was just like watching a very special extra episode, with bonus shagging."

Note: the rest of these are from The Young Ones - Love & Mobsters, my TYO series, so I'm not going to keep listing fic & fandom and commenting. The quotes will just directly link to the corresponding fic. They're still in reverse order, from newest to oldest, meaning they'll be linked to the series backwards.

"Would you still love me if I were ugly?"

Rick woke to the feeling of Vyvyan stroking his cheek. He smiled softly as he yawned and opened his eyes.

The punch to the stomach had hurt.

Vyvyan is awake in bed, staring at the ceiling.

I thought I was in love with him, diary, I really did.

I'm horribly disappointed.

A life of crime did odd things to Vyvyan.

Vyvyan talks in his sleep.

So I'm standing outside this shop, waiting for the bloody door to open and freezing my bollocks off in the meantime.

The razor buzzed by Vyvyan's ear.

More than anything I think I've learned that there's no discernible pattern to my opening lines! lmao.

[buticancarryyou]

Fic Writer Questions

@wincestismyheart thank you for tagging me in this. I love these kinds of things. Sorry it's taken me over a month to do it myself! Ha!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

I have 27 works currently. I've deleted a few over the years.

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

207,118. That's actually crazy to think about.

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

Predominately, Supernatural. But I do write for Skam and its Remakes as well (Skam France and Druck currently).

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1) The First Time I Saw Your Face (263 Kudos, 4k, wincest) - I posted this one in 2019 crazily enough, so it's semi new and its also the only fic I have on ao3 that I attempted no promotion of. So how it ended up with the most kudos, is a mystery to me. This fic was a WIP for so fucking long and 2019 was a good year writing wise for me, so I was able to finish it up and post it. It's actually very endearing to my heart, because it's an over-compassing story in short glimmers of their love story from Sam's birth until Stanford!Era / Pilot.

2) Two Hearts, One Home (230 Kudos, 5k, evak - skam) - The first published fic for these two and it's literally just fluffy and porn. For some reason when I write them, I turn into a porn writing champion, which is a strange turn for me--as I usually struggle with it! Written in 2019.

3) Close Your Eyes & Make A Wish (203 Kudos, 7k, Datteo - Druck) - The first Druck fic I ever posted and it's a recanting of one of their episodes. I love Matteo and David so fucking much and they will always live in my heart. So happy I wrote this piece. Also written in 2019. (see what I mean about it being a good writing year?)

4) To Rise, We Must Fall (197 Kudos, 11k, Wincest) This was written for the 2014 reverse big bang. It was my first dip into challenges and I'm happy it exists because it gave me courage to attempt other challenges. I def don't think it's the strongest thing I've ever written, but I love it because it's Boy King related.

5) Treble Clef Confessions (191 Kudos, 1k, Elu - Skam Fr) - The first and only thing I ever wrote for Skam France. I don't anticipate writing anything in the future for them, but I do love this short little piece that reimagines a scene. This was also written in 2019.

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

Oh yes, I absolutely do. I am so grateful for any comments I get, because unfortunately they are few and far between. I wish my readers left more tbh, because they just fuel my desire to keep writing. So I definitely love to take care of those that do, just to also encourage them to do the same for others.

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

There's two that I think of, but I'll go with the one that has had more responses from the fandom. Everything's For You was written in my earlier tumblr days for a tumblr challenge. The prompt was basically to imagine: “Dean says time is different in hell, but what if it’s not? What if Dean really spent 40 years in hell before Cas put him back to 2008? Write what 40 years without Dean may have looked like for Sam.” And well, things get a little sad.

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

I feel like I try to make sure all of my fics end on a happy note, just because I like to make the angst so severe throughout the fic. Lol. But the Skam piece I am currently working on and isn't posted yet, is def going to be the happiest. So look out for, A Weekend To Remember.

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

I haven't written one yet, not to say I never would.

9. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I wouldn't say hate, but I have had people challenge the way I write and say it's too flowery. People also try to correct the way I write Brother in Wincest fics with a capital B, but that's my creative freedom as a writer. They're not just brothers. They're Brothers. <3

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

I do write it, but it really depends on the fandom I guess. When I write for Sam and Dean, I feel like the smut I write is few and far between. Not that it's hard to write, or that I don't enjoy it--but I enjoy writing them without it. Sometimes I feel like it means just as much without it, because that's just them. But then I put my Skam glasses on and I'm suddenly on a smut roll.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge. I hope that never happens; I wouldn't handle that very well.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, but I would be open to it under the right circumstances.

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

Nothing posted, but maybe between friends--yes.

14. What's your all time favorite ship?

Def, Wincest. I don't care how far away from SPN I get, I walk by a flower stand and see sunflowers and with always instantly be reminded of Sam. I'll see wanderer things and think of Sam. I'll see leather candles and think of Dean. I'll see an impala on the road and think of the boys on the road in the middle of the night. I will always see them everywhere and they will always be a part of me.

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

Probably the 900 J2 fics I've started. I want to finish one, but I usually get distracted and start something else.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think for me, it is dependent on how well I know a character...because if I know them like the backs of my hands, I can really get into the vein of them and write them well. The worst feeling for me is when I can't feel a characters voice as I write.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Probably that I get distracted entirely too easily. An idea will come up and I'll be all about it, write 10k of it and then think of something else. And then it'll sit in my drafts as a WIP for years, staring at me with pleading eyes and I just try my best to not think about the 'what-ifs'.

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

I try to stay away from it if I can, because to me it is distracting.

19. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Unpublished Nsync fanfic for sure. LMAO. But second fandom would be Supernatural.

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

There's so many things I want to say, but in this moment, I can't help but think of: A Brother's Lament (A Slow Death). It was written for the spnj2bigbang for 2016 and it's probably the longest fic I've written, being that it's 46k. It is a love story to Dean's slow and maddening deterioration after Sam's death in Swan Song. Of how he tries to live the life he promised, but finds that he physically cannot do it. It's sad and violent, dark and upsetting, but I put my whole heart into it and it's not even the most well received thing I've written--but I fucking love it so much.

Tagging: @sammichgirl @nyxocity @hellhoundsprey and @homo-pink because they're some of my favorite writers. <3

[ilkkawhat]

All the numbers. (If not all then pick and choose a handful to answer).

lol you’re really going for it anon, huh?? 😂 bless your heart. I’ll do all of them and then idk. if anybody wants to send any again, I’m sure I can have a different answer

(I did just answer 7 & 22 so I’ll leave those out. rest below the cut)

1) is there a story you’re holding off on writing for some reason?

I guess if you count all of my active WIPs that have been sitting dormant for months or years, there’s those since I like. I know what I’m doing in pretty much all of them, just as I know what I’m doing in some of my unpublished WIPs, but I think I just need to be in a certain mood/energy to do certain ones (ie, Agony esp is a very heavy fic so I gotta be able to Deal with that)

2) what work of yours, if any, are you the most embarrassed about existing?

I deleted those 😂😂😂 but some of my reeeeeealllllly old stuff is still out there and I cringe thinking about that and though I could easily delete those too, I’m keeping them just since the harddrive that has the docs for it is corrupted lol

3) what order do you write in? front of book to back? chronological? favorite scenes first? something else?

Just all over the place these days tbh. Even chapter to chapter it’ll change, I’ll write snippets in future chapters--and I’m talking like three or four chapters ahead--just to get it out there. But then there’s other days where I’ll sit and just write and not stop.

4) favorite character you’ve written

Nick Stokes, of course 💜💜💜

5) character you were most surprised to end up writing

Any of the Macgyver characters outside of Jack. Cause though I’ll claim not to all the time, I do know that I know the CSI characters (though I’m surprised I’m able to write in their POVs outside of Nick.) I grew up with them. I have a bond with them. The mac characters? I’ve only known for like. two years now and not even that well anymore since I’ve stopped watching the show. 

6) something you would go back and change in your writing that it’s too late/complicated to change now

Expanding on details. Almost every fic I write, I’ll read it again later and be like “ah shit I should have run with this idea...” but I guess that’s how I can do a sequel/missing scene

8) favorite genre to write

hurt/comfort (emphasis on the hurt, really I mean we’re talking like borderline horror)

9) what, if anything, do you do for inspiration?

See I haven’t really honed in on any one particular thing that inspires me to write. It comes out of nowhere, and the following list of things doesn’t like, always work. When I’m listening to a song. When I’m driving in the car. When I’m watching something unrelated to the source material (totes got some inspiring vibes watching Falcon and The Winter Soldier yesterday tbh lmao) When I dream. When I go on a walk. When people send me asks and I just go the fuck off and suddenly ten chapters later I’m writing a fic that they probably didn’t even want (coughSpecimenStokescough)

10) write in silence or with background noise? with people or alone?

I think the last couple times I’ve like, really written it’s been in silence. Definitely alone. Don’t got people to write around, really lmao (unless you count my parents being in other rooms with obnoxiously loud televisions and tablets)

11) what aspect of your writing do you think has most improved since you started writing?

All of it. And I’m sure it’ll keep improving.

12) your weaknesses as an author

Dialogue. I don’t know how people talk 😂

13) your strengths as an author

Detail, description, and I also like to think--emotion? but idk. It’s hard for me to assess my strength tbh

14) do you make playlists for your current wips?

Oh YES! At least for the longer WIPs like Last Breath or Agony. And listen to it on a loop when I’m trying to brainstorm or write if I want to write with music on. I’ve been starting to link the playlists when I’m doing with the fic (which is not many so far)

(I think Hellbound is the only one-shot I made a playlist for that I didn’t share)

15) why did you start writing?

I honestly can’t remember, cause I think I’ve been writing stories (fan fiction or not) ever since I was in middle school?? Maybe even elementary? But I do feel like I had gotten more encouragement for it than drawing from the few people in my life that did actively cheer me on, and there’s just something about writing that is so...fulfilling? Esp since I can’t like. Just manifest the images or make the “movie” in my head, at least I can write them down and hopefully convey what I see/feel in my mind through words.

16) are there any characters who haunt you?

All my neglected OCs lmao. I did and I guess on some level still do want to make an original series.

In a chilling way Veronica also haunts me cause I realize how much of that like, darkness in myself I put in her. 

And Nick, well, he’s just always on my mind.

17) if you could give your fledgling author self any advice, what would it be?

Just fucking go for it! Don’t give a shit if anybody will read it or not. Take your time, flesh out those details. Describe what you see, what they see, what they feel. 

If you think you’re going too far...you’re not. 

keep going

18) were there any works you read that affected you so much that it influenced your writing style? what were they?

I mean any fan fiction I read in the past has probably influenced me on some level. I know that when I came back to CSI in 2018, reading all of kristen999′s nick whump def encouraged me cause I was like “oh...there’s others like me who like to see him hurt!?!?” and I do think that maybe sometimes after I read a fic, I might like. Try to incorporate those styles I see. The way words are described, sentences constructed. Not like, copy of course but I feel like a long time ago my writing wasn’t really idk, novel-like? very short, almost read like a script whereas now, since I’ve seen the way people write their stories (some novel length stories, too), I flesh mine out a lot more.

19) when it comes to more complicated narratives, how do you keep track of outlines, characters, development, timeline, ect.?

I don’t 😂 Thinking of my bigger projects like Agony, I do just kind make up some of it as I go with a rough outline although sometimes it is a bit more detailed--like First Flight actually has a super detailed outline but I know that once I start writing, something might come up, some twist I didn’t think of before--or even one that somebody suggests to me, but idk I feel like I do have a way of tying everything together regardless? Cause especially with those bigger WIPs I will try to go back and re-read if something seems familiar or if I’ve forgotten a detail, or if I’m planning on diving back into it after a long break from it. 

20) do you write in long sit-down sessions or in little spurts?

Depends. I feel more accomplished with the long sit down sessions so I target that, but lately it’s been little spurts with maybe one big dump at the end of the week.

21) what do you think when you read over your older work?

Mostly cringe, but there are times I’m like “holy shit this is really good???” 

like I remember recently I re-read Agony and loved it, when I wanted to delete it maybe like. a week before that. I think it honestly depends on my frame of mind, and why I’m going back to read the fic? Cause I’ve had times where I’m like “wait what was this one?” and then I read it and laugh at how bad it is, but then other times where I’m like, “I wanna read that one fic I did...” and then I do and it makes me happy.

But, I will always kinda criticize at the same time--”aw, I could do this better, I could have expanded on this,” etc

23) any obscure life experiences that you feel have helped your writing?

My life is suuuuuuper boring so. not really lmao. One of my earliest CSI fics that actually created what I consider to be my number one OC (she’d be the lead in that original series I mentioned earlier) came out of me sitting and staring into a campfire lmao. 

also there was this teacher I had (one of those good IRL supports) that told me a story of something that happened to her (or was it her daughter?) and I turned it into a story (back in my teen days) so. I guess there are somethings. 

24) have you ever become an expert on something you previously knew nothing about, in order to better a scene or a story?

Expert? No. But I will do numerous google searches to try and figure some stuff out and get lost in a rabbit hole of “research” for a while and hope that when I do write it, it comes off as I know what I’m doing when really, I do not lol.

25) copy/paste a few sentences or a short paragraph that you’re particularly proud of

haven’t really written much in this past week, and certainly nothing to be proud of, but this line hit me like a ton of bricks for Specimen Stokes and I’m in love with it:

“Because, my dear specimen, I wanted to see if you loved the danger...or if you loved me.”

[sothischickshe]

2, 3, 4, 24, 30

2. How do you spend your time when it comes to fanfiction? Are you primarily a fic reader, writer, or a perfect 50/50 split of both?

ah, time. numbers. yes, definitely good topics to speak to me about, uh huh uh huh.

ummm while i’m writing and, particularly, editing, i’m definitely doing more writing than reading. bc i only really work on one thing at a time, that means the rest of the time i’m more reading than writing. though i do also spend time THINKING abt writing/staring into space....does that count as writing?! 

also also, i do some reading-which-counts-as-writing, i reckon. like i reread filing her nails last night as vague prep/attempt to get back into the headspace, although i passed out cos i was Very Tired. is that a reading or a writing or both or neither?!

i would guess though mm, maybe a 60/40 split reading/writing? but it’s hard to gauge cos my habits are pretty cyclical and also changeable based on whatever else is going on/how tired i am etc etc, and also i dont understand time or numbers and resent the idea i am imperfect in any way, how dare

3. Are there any fics that inspired you to write what you do?

i’m sure! idk if i can point to any specifically but i think like all of fanfiction first of all cos you get to read stuff that’s so creative and character-driven, where plot might amble around in the bg. 

and i think a lot of the stuff ive gravitated to or been taken out by is short/angsty/wordplay-y/character-driven/canon-y etc etc. but also i think that someone else might read the same stuff and be impressed by other aspects (say the emotionality or the structure or the dialogue or whatever), so i kiiiiiiiiinda feel like, idk, what resonates with you abt the thing (fic or otherwise) might be the stuff that you’re most interested in...?

also, i know with gg fic i was v touched by author’s notes that were like ‘hey if you’re thinking of writing something, do!’ or ‘idk i just wanted to read something like it so i wrote it’

4. Link your three favourite fics right now.

um i’m not sure if this question means like DO IT REALLY FAST or they’re FAVES RIGHT NOW or THEY’RE HAPPENING RIGHT NOW or what, but i guess i’ll interpret it as being about WIPs...? 

sooo here’s 3:

Get To Be Mine by @septiembur i love this story and it makes me really happy and i read the update today and i wanna yell about it!!!!!! i love this beth pov so much!!!!! and ruby and annie are so fun here too!!!!!! i love them!!!! and rio is such a wind up merchant affdfgffgf and so is beth and i hate them and i’m so glad i don’t have to have dinner with them. also!!! fake dating!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

don’t give it a hand, offer it a soul aka political au by @medievalraven the last chapter was a delightfully chunky boy and this is such an interesting au setting for these morons and i love it!!!! the rio pov is hilariously grumpy and also v uhh beth-horny, but the premise is also kinda emo/griefy, and the story def gives due weight to that and doesnt minimise it. also!!! fake dating!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do No Harm by @riosnecktattoo i love this so much!!!!! beth n rio are in a kinda better place but still a bit of a Mess, and mick is doing a horrid job of managing the situation afgffhf. AND INJURIES HAVE LIKE...REAL LIFE CONSEQUENCES?! DID YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS???! no fake dating BUT there is like fake occupational therapising which if it isnt a trope it should be cos it is GOD TIER!!!!!!

24. What’s a trope that you’d like to never hear about as long as you live, let alone write?

lol, i’m not sure i have one of these??? i mean there’s def tropes i have no interest in writing, or reading abt, but idk that i NEVER wanna hear about them?! also like...naming a thing, allows you to discuss a thing? like, pointing out the manic pixie dream girl trope or fridging or bury your gays or whatever is useful

30. Post a snippet from your current WIP without context - no more than 300 words.

i have no real WIP and certainly no written words that I can produce a snippet from, so i cannot.

i do think that the next thing i write will probs be the next chapter of filing her nails though, and, at least at present, i think it will feature rio internally going on abt the fancy sashimi-grade salmon he buys but doesnt make sashimi with bc ofc, and how beth thinks he overcooks it, and how he thinks that is evidence of her being legitimately insane

distract me while i wait for this delivery for approx. ever

[akabluekat]

writer’s ask game, all odd numbers, please! :)

1.     Do you listen to music when you write? I have on occasion, but in general, I don’t. I’ve found that I have a hard time filtering out background noise when it’s conversations or music.

3.     Computer or pen and paper? I used to be a little bit of both, but it’s more computer these days.

5.     How much writing do you get done on an average day? It varies a lot. Maybe a couple hundred words?

7.     Standalone or series? Both, I think. 9.     Current WIP Delicate and Playing With Fire. I suppose you could count Burning Bridges, though it’s not posted yet. I’ve been working on it more lately because figuring out Bea’s side of things is integral to a few plot points that are coming up.

11.  Books and/or authors who influenced you the most Meg Cabot, specifically Princess Diaries. Tamora Pierce (Alanna quartet).

(this next question got long, so I’m gonna throw in a page break out of consideration for your dash)

13.  Describe your writing process from idea to polished 1. Have an idea while I’m supposed to be doing something else. 2. Open a Word document. Depending on where I am/how much time I have, write down some brief notes on the concept, possibly a few scenes. Give the Word document a vague filename. Working naming convention is Untitled HP [number]. 4. Attempt to write the first chapter. 5. Promise self that I will not post chapter until I’ve written a few more chapters. 6. Get ideas for scenes not in that chapter. Put into a document titled Nonlinear excerpts. 7. Write more of first chapter. 8. Finish rough draft. Rough draft may be mostly complete or be a hot mess of text that includes helpful notes like ??????? to remind myself where I still need to figure out plot issues or write giant chunks of text. Select all, cut, and paste into new document. 9. Do a line by line edit, gradually moving my rough draft from Document B back to the original document. Delete or smooth out ????? sections as I go. 10. At some point, my computer will crash or I’ll forget to charge it and it’ll shut off. 11. Say a bunch of swear words. 12. Recover document/lost work. 13. Vow to stop writing like this because I should know better at this point. 14. Continue with editing. 15. Repeat steps 8-15 an undetermined number of times. May not always need to do the cut/paste method, especially as chapter gets into later drafts. 16. Get excited about fic and decide to ignore the promise I made to myself back in step 5. 17. Comb through Taylor Swift discography trying to find an appropriate title. 18. Repeat step 18, but for the chapter title. (Alternatively, come up with a chapter title right away and still not know what the damn fic is called.) 19. Spend approximately 40 earth years trying to figure out a summary. 20. Come up with a summary that is 2 characters over FF.net’s character limit. Spend another 40 earth years trying to reword it so it doesn’t. 21. At some point, create an image for the fic, probably when I’m supposed to be doing something else. 22. Post fic. 23. Obsessively refresh inbox to see if people liked it or not. 24. Start chapter 2. Wonder why I did not write it before posting chapter 1. 25. Any one of the above steps can be replaced by getting distracted by Tumblr, other fics, daydreaming, scenes in my current WIP that are not in the chapter that I’m working on, the news, or pretty much anything else.

15.  How do you deal with writer’s block? Lots of staring at my word document and sighing. Daydreaming. Working on other projects. 17.  What writing habits or rituals do you have? the copy/paste edit method described in question 13. My fanfic is always written in Times New Roman (Calibri is for work). I have no explanation for this. 19.  How do you keep yourself motivated? Strategic guilt. And honestly, the fact that people seem to care about the story is hugely motivating.

21.  Who is/are your favourite character(s) to write? Fred and George, probably. The banter is so fun. 23.  Favourite author I have to pick one!?! 25.  Favourite part of writing I love telling stories and exploring different worlds/possibilities. 27.  Favourite line/scene I think it might be Bea saying “I refuse to apologize for who I am!” in response to being asked if she had bacon in her pocket.

29.  Favourite villain My fics don’t really have villains other than Voldemort. And angst, I suppose.

31.  Least favourite part of writing Transitional/connective parts always seem to trip me up.

33.  Have you ever killed a main character? Nope. 35.  What scene/story are you least looking forward to writing? Right now, Chapter 14 of Delicate haas been giving me trouble. I know what needs to happen, but writing it has been a challenge.

37.  First sentence or your current WIP PWF: I knew I would have to dance with one of them before the thought even crossed McGonagall’s mind. Delicate: Alicia and Lee could have gotten married in London. Burning Bridges: I’m reluctant to start this account with the story of a shitty boyfriend. 39.  Weirdest character concept you’ve ever had. A Squib who owns a pub in Diagon Alley.

41.  Any advice for new/beginning/young writers? You will make mistakes and that is okay. 43.  What do you do if/when characters don’t follow the outline? Fred Weasley has little respect for my outlines, so this happens a lot. Sometimes, I try reworking the scene a bit; on other occasions, I’ve been like “you know what, you’re right this time. Scrap the outline, let’s explore this path instead.”

45.  How much world building do you do? I tend to fall into little world building rabbit holes as I write--it’s very unpredictable, so I don’t know if I can answer this question properly.

47.  Best way to procrastinate Writing or falling down weird internet rabbit holes.

49.  Which character would you most want to be friends with, if they were real? Of my characters, Bea Pierce. In the wider world of fiction, Leslie Knope and Gandalf.