#not a writing bb but the podfic bb

[klainelynch]

I love fandom because seeing other people get so excited about the things they create and my engaging with those creations makes me want to create more too. Part of me gets nervous when I feel this way because I've felt it before, and then have tried to level up, and I've fallen flat on my face more than once. And part of me is nervous because I've become less confident in myself in so many aspects of life, and whereas I used to be better about creating for me, I'm now more emotionally dependent on validation from others. But still—I love being a part of fandom, and there's no feeling like being able to add something of my own creation to it.

[smehur]

Drarry fic recs #4

Marginal Notes by @blamebrampton

When you're 18, and nothing is as it was meant to be, sometimes it can be hard to let the right people know what you are thinking. Thankfully, Draco Malfoy owns a quill.

What a delightful story! I loved the thoughtful, grounded, calm Draco and how well he applied his wit (and the penchant for fixing things?) to solving other people's problems. It's a bit on the side of wishful thinking - I don't really believe someone could change that much over night - but it's nice wishful thinking that I enjoyed and would happily inflict on myself again. Among other things, I enjoyed the crisp, flawless writing. It's not often the editor in me wouldn't change a single word in a fic. I very much plan to read BB's entire catalogue.

The Boy from the Piano Shop by @soliblomst

After going blind in a reckless attempt to avenge Ginny's death, Harry battles with severe depression. One day, he stumbles upon a quaint piano restoration shop in the heart of London and meets the owner, a kindly old man, and his introverted young apprentice, whose voice sounds strangely familiar. As Harry and Draco slowly reconnect through private piano lessons, the small workshop becomes Harry's refuge, offering him a glimmer of hope in a world without eyes.

Finally got to read this fic everyone's talking about. And for good reasons! It's heartbreaking and wholesome, starkly realistic and hopelessly romantic, all at once. I'm often annoyed by shallow depictions of low self-esteem that goes with depression, especially when it's used as an artificial obstacle in the way of romance ("I'm not good enough for you, so even though I love you, I'm breaking up"), and this is one of the few stories (by which I mean all my reading, not just fanfiction) where I could completely believe it, and sympathize with it. (Bonus points for not being used as an obstacle in the way of romance.) The general lack of obstacles in the way of romance was incredibly refreshing and welcome, as was the lack of drama around the revelation that Harry Potter is secretly friends with Draco Malfoy. Everything is very mature, to the point where I think the story would be better set in their 30s than in their 20s, but I didn't mind. Harry's grief is all-present and at times, harrowing, but never gratuitous, and it's well-balanced by the peace and joy he finds in Draco's company. The two scenes where Draco unexpectedly dons a scarf are etched in my memory forever. An incredible piece.

i stay by @hogwartsfirebolt

The darkening sky is dangerous for the shape of Harry’s desire, it makes it seem reasonable, as though it were a natural conclusion of having Draco once again within reach, rather than the mirage it actually is.

I said it before, and I'll say it again: this fic is exquisite. Tense and tender in perfect proportion and filled with a dazzling array of sensory details that painted each scene like a work of art. Although I could see what was coming in the end (thanks to expert foreshadowing), the finale still stole my breath away. A wonderful read!

All Life is Yours to Miss by Saras_Girl & podfic by originally

Professor Malfoy's world is contained, controlled, and as solitary as he can make it, but when an act of petty revenge goes horribly awry, he and his trusty six-legged friend are thrown into Hogwarts life at the deep end and must learn to live, love and let go.

Oh, this was such a joy to listen. I think I had a smile on my face for the whole duration of the podfic (about 12 hours), minus the few minutes when there were tears instead. I don't know where to start with the praise. The meticulously constructed world of Draco's self-imposed loneliness? The supporting cast of interesting and well-rounded original characters? The tangible, eminently relatable trials and tribulations of a teacher's life? Or maybe the deceptively simple concept at the root of the story, allowing Draco to break out of his shell on his own? Oh, how I love this gentle, fragile, vulnerable Draco hiding behind impatience and aloofness and his sharp tongue. And the fearless, unstoppable Harry, his bouts of bad temper and his naked honesty. And Stanley, with that inevitable, ill-timed tack-tack-tack! Everything felt so true, so real, so close, I felt just as exposed and frightened as Draco, just as desperate at his inability to make a move. I know I said this half a dozen times by now since I started reading fic in this fandom, but I can't help it. This may be the best fic I've ever read.

Correction! The best fic I've ever heard! The reading was impeccable, possibly the best I've heard so far, and infused the story with even more life and love and laughter. A beautiful, unforgettable experience.

Heartbeat by @saxamophone (eight_of_wands)

Harry hates Draco. Draco hates Harry. Only it's not hate, not even a little bit. Featuring: a cooperative independent study, golden hour on wrecked sheets, water from fountains of dubious origin, purple Mardi Gras beads, and a bird with silly legs. Also featuring: heated arguments, infidelity, unquenchable desire, and heartbreak. Over and over again.

I'll be honest: this fic did not grip me at once. I could even say I struggled through the first few stances. But then came the understanding of what "I hate you" means and I read on with eyes wide and heart thumping (Malfoy, Malfoy, Malfoy) and I was so very richly rewarded. Among all the things I loved about it, the most memorable are the incredibly vivid images and impressions of New Orleans, and the moment of searing, all-consuming jealous rage that I regret to say I could relate to all too well. The confrontations were exquisite, the dialog sparking with tension and more importantly, with truth. There's no melodrama here to create suspense, it's all raw and real and indeed, heartbreaking. But hearts can mend. :)

Many, many, heartfelt thanks to all the authors in this amazing fandom and to all the readers helping spread the word. 💞

[kiwiana-writes]

Hiiiii! For the love your fandom asks, tell me 5, 11, 16, and 20! 🥰

5. something you see in fics a lot and love

Words. I love it when fic writers give me words.

As for an actual answer: Oxford 👏 Slut 👏 Phase 👏

11. if you're a writer or artist, what fic or piece of art are you proud of making?

Wow, this question is mean. Who would ask someone this????

And who the fuck let me put two hundred and fifty nine works on AO3?

Podfics first: It's gotta be Going Platinum by @cricketnationrise. It's by FAR the longest solo project I've done (I think there's one posted podfic and one work in progress that I might have more audio minutes on, both as a narrator for a multi-voice project, but I didn't have to edit that shit so it's not my problem 🤣) and for some batshit insane reason I decided to do soundscaping/sound effects for the first time??? But I LOVED how it came out, and I was exceptionally proud of myself for keeping it a secret from cricket because that was HARD. (And yes I WILL be recording parts two and three!)

Schitt's Creek fic: Time until the end of time, the afterlife fic @ships-to-sail and I co-wrote over TWO YEARS and, not to toot our own horns, but the fandom at large slept on it 😅 It's amazing, actually.

RWRB fic: This one's brutal. It's almost Much Ado, and idk maybe it should be Much Ado, but I actually think it's Like loving the stars themselves aka the Doctor Who AU. Also a little bit slept on, actually, but not to the same extent as above 🤣 I am phenomenally proud of this one. The genre was way outside my usual comfort zone and I think this fic is the best example of the way I love to write media AUs -- the story bent to fit the characters, so it's very much an Alex And Henry Story, but there are little pieces of DW canon, RWRB canon, and something that's entirely my own.

16. a tiny detail in canon that you want more people to appreciate

There are so many, honestly, but Alex's slightly hysterical thought about wanting to send whoever taught Henry to suck cock a gift basket is so, so fucking important to me for an array of Overthinking/Over-identifying Reasons. Also it's just funny as hell. I was very proud of getting a different version of it into chapter two of the arranged marriage AU, actually; I think that bit in particular is one of the funnier things I've written.

20. your very first fandom!

The one owned by terf queen mcgee. That was bb!MJ's first exposure to fanfiction and where I started writing fic.

[✨ love your fandom asks ✨]

[sound0ut]

Nine people I’d like to get to know better

I’ve never done a post like this before, so be gentle, y’all. Thanks for the tag, @augustjustice!

Last song I listened to:

All My Exes Live In Vortexes by Rosie Tucker. Highly recommended if you need a way to vent your existential angst about living in the Anthropocene.

Currently watching/reading:

Currently watching season 2 of The Bear. I know I’m late to this one but as someone who used to work in a kitchen and had some of the most stressful days of her life there, it took me a while to feel ready. It’s really well-done, both in terms of writing and acting, but jfc it’s triggering for me sometimes.

Currently reading a bunch of stuff, as always, but what I’ll mention is that I’m in the midst of a reread of Elizabeth Gilbert’s Big Magic, one of the texts I tend to return to when I need a kick in the pants, creatively. Current favorite piece of wisdom from Gilbert (or Seamus Heaney via Gilbert) is this:

“A particularly elegant commentary on this instinct [trust in your creativity] came from Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney, who said that—when one is learning how to write poetry—one should not expect it to be immediately good. The aspiring poet is constantly lowering a bucket only halfway down a well, coming up time and again with nothing but empty air. The frustration is immense. But you must keep doing it, anyway” (148).

Sweet/savory/spicy?: Depends on my mood, but probably savory.

Relationship status: Happily married bi bb ✌️

Current obsessions: I tend to be a person of varied and rotating obsessions, including: finding the perfect early 80s tunes as the soundtrack for my current podfic project, Monster Theory scholarship (ask me about my personal theory about yonic imagery and the gates/monstrous mouths in ST), adding miles to my long ride, getting better at Travis picking, improving my voice acting/narration, writing my silly little stories (and never sharing them b/c 😱).

I have few mutuals on here and have talked to even fewer folks, so apologies if this is out of the blue, but @chaoskiro, @wynnyfryd, @cuips-not-cute, @onirislanding, @teddywesworl, @geddyqueer, @hullomoon, @n0connections, @xiaq I would love to learn more about you if you feel moved to share :) Or from anyone else for that matter, if you want to connect!

[kieran-granola]

20 questions for fic writers

I was tagged by @ladytauria! Thank you, bb ❤️

How many works do you have on AO3?

46 total, with 1 of them being @generatorcat way more than mine!

What’s your total A03 word count?

276,196.

What fandoms do you write for?

DC only on this account! I keep my obsessions separate haha

What are your top five fics by kudos?

Pretty (3,335 kudos) -> My beloved first long child that I'm hoping to post the next chapter of some time in January! Aka dysmorphic JayTim mutual pining feat accidental bonding

Whiskers and Wonder Boys (2,993 kudos) -> Adorable baby boyfriends! Or the story of Robin Jason saving Selkie Tim from starvation

The Best Taste in Omegas (2,713 kudos) -> The one in which omega hormones are catnip for children, and Jason keeps finding stray kids in his nests.

The House Always Wins (2,622 kudos) -> Top Dom Tim Wrecks Jason's Ass After Winning a Bet: The Story.

Mother Knows Best  (2,107 kudos) -> The reason why I will never beat the mommy kink allegations, aka Jason overcoming his kink shame with Dom Tim's help.

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

As much as I'm able to! I love to receive comments so I try my best to answer, but sometimes time just runs from me and it's either answering comments or writing.

What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Little Do You Know! This is a dark gaslighting fic, feat Bruce bitching Robin Jason without his knowledge or consent.

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

Probably Thicker than Water? JayTim end up happily married with children, both of them immortal vampires.

Do you get hate on your fic?

Not really? I've gotten some "I wish you'd write this", or some misguided comments but not hate.

Do you write smut?

Yeah.

Do you write crossovers?

Nope. I am Not A Fan.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! Several times! Podfics too. It never stops blowing me away 💕💕

Have you ever co-written a fic?

Yep! Speaking of, I really need to get to editing Trust Fall again. Sorry @themandylion

What‘s your all-time favorite ship?

I have SO MANY ships across too many fandoms, but if I have to pick a ship in DC... It would actually be BruJay. Sorry JayTim nation, I'm a sham 😂

What’s the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I genuinely want to finish Dead to Rights, but I paused it indefinitely when I got pregnant, and I won't pick it back up until the topic of difficult pregnancies/risk of miscarriage stops squicking me out. I love it a lot, and there's a lot I want to say there, but the Creature will need to grow a bit bigger before I'm comfy writing it again.

What’s your writing strengths?

Uh. No idea, actually. I feel like I struggle with everything haha. Possibly writing banter? Not sure...

What’s your writing weaknesses?

EVERYTHING, if you ask me. Though the thing I struggle with the most is endings. It is SO HARD to find a good stopping point that doesn't ring hollow.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

Not a full dialogue. A couple of sentences at most. I mean, I'm a native French speaker, so I could do a full conversation, but honestly I find it so unpleasant to read I wouldn't put it in my works.

First fandom you wrote for?

The Untamed 😊

Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

Oh God, that's such a hard question. I love all of my babies for different reasons. But I guess it's a toss up between Pretty and... Well. The unposted steampunk t4t JayTim WIP.

I am tagging anyone who wants to do this, as well as (no pressure) @bi-bats, @skalidra, @thenaphorism, and @beemotionpicture

[faejilly]

Week(s)-In-Review

Since I was too heavily invested in potato-ing to do this last week, this is technically two weeks worth. 🥔🥔

Watching: is actually REwatching M*A*S*H yet again. -ish?

As in letting it run on the tv in the background a lot. I'm already at Charles! He's such a better foil than Frank ever managed. (Glorious bastard vs snivelling ninny, the glorious bastard always wins.) I did stop and watch Mulcahy's War properly tho, since that's always been one of my favorite episodes. It is also where bb!jilly first learned the word 'tracheotomy' and bb!jilly wanted to be a pathologist when she grew up, so that's a pretty formative influence. Or something?

Adulting: Still enjoying my job, and they don't seem to want to get rid of me, either. 😄 Not so great with non-job to-do list, but whatever. Adulting is hard, no one's dying/starving/injured/fired, so we'll take it.

I finished my first "race" of the year! I don't have my medal yet though, you'll have to wait on that. I'm only averaging about a mile and a half a day which means I'm gonna need to be *over* three miles/day for the rest of the year, but I did the same thing last year, I just suck at January/February so it's not actually that discouraging. (I also lost a bunch of steps because I wasn't wearing my watch while I was shoveling out the driveway when we finally got snow last week, but whatever. 🤣)

Reading: Mermaids & Murder & Toad, oh my!

I liked Into the Drowning Deep more than Rolling in the Deep, but I'm glad I finally tracked down a copy so I could read it, it is very good. If tragic. But I knew that going in.

Adèle from Jane Eyre is an excellent heroine of her own, and for all I do actually adore the original, this is visceral & self-aware in a way I think Bronte would have appreciated, even as it does emphasize different conclusions.

Hey look I've had T. Kingfisher in *every one* of these so far, so are we surprised? No. Is Thornhedge spectacular & somehow adorable even around all the terrible fae violence? Yes. (I should let my mother know I'd like the hardcover for my birthday, since it was a library read. 🎁)

Playing: Cult of the Lamb, to poke around the new Sins of the Flesh update. It's a very silly game, but again, I knew that already 😅😅😅 (Thing 1 got it for me, I'm glad he knows I've put an embarrassing number of hours into it.)

Creating: No writing or podfics or fanmixing, despite the occasional intention for all of the above. However!

I did actually get Gerald & Piggie onto the bookshelf:

Only now I don't know what I want to try and make next...

[malevolentmadnessmixup]

✨ FAQS! ✨

Do we have to join the Discord?

Y E S. We know, another server, but you don't have to stay in it after the event is over. We need a central location to share information, do check-ins, and answer questions. It'll be fun! It'll have cool bots. Join us. >:)

Why is this an 18+ event?

The Mad Mods are over 18, and we don't want to be legally responsible for anyone else. The Malevolent fandom is, in our opinion, not one for minors in the first place. This isn't a slight against the potential maturity of minors, but in our humble opinion if you can't see a Rated R movie, you don't need to be writing/drawing/voice acting/etc for KiY tentacle smut or Arthur's suicidal ideation. Sorry. :(

Why do you separate NSFW options if this is an 18+ event?

The fact is, not everyone is into NSFW! NSFW doesn't only include sexual content, but violent and potentially triggering content as well. We want everyone to have the option to engage with the event the way they want! If they don't want to possibly get paired with a NSFW topic, they have that right.

What are the final submission requirements for this event?

ALRIGHT. This is a relatively short event, like a BB-lite. We are also slotting carefully between several other Malevolent fandom events (looking at you BB, Yuletide, and Anniversary) so we want to keep it reasonable.

The minimum word count is 3k, the maximum is 20k. We aren't going to be rules lawyers if you're at 20,100 but like, keep it tight. Anything under 3k is not accepted, push yourself! This must be a fully realized work with a beginning, middle, and end, appropriately tagged, and reasonably error-checked. One-shot style only (if you turn it into a series later that's your business but your work should be able to stand alone.)

The minimum art submission is one complete piece, the maximum is three. We do not limit the kind of art you do except no podfics or bookbinding (you just won't have time if you're collabing the way you should). Physical art/cosplay is acceptable but be aware you have a short window and the writer is writing at the same time as you are making your art. You will have to take nice photos of your work as well. Know your limits.

Why didn't you use my (insert fandom/trope/AU) submission in the event list?

Here's the tough love: We are under no obligation to use your suggestions. We love them. We long for your delicious ideas. But sometimes they don't work for what we're trying to do, and we already have something of a list compiled. Here's a short, non exhaustive number of reasons of why we might have left it on the cutting room floor:

Too common, too overdone in our fandom, too niche, too much explaining, too close to canon, too subtle, too NSFW (impressive), too triggering.

We also do NOT do crossover AUs or tropes specific to fandoms (we can do a high fantasy AU, but not a Witcher AU, feel me? We can have a comedy relief punching bag but not a Red Shirt.).

We will probably never have an amnesia trope because, surprise, that features in the canon quite heavily, AND it's been done a lot by fanfic already. This event is for pushing boundaries!

If you have that absolutely wild, perfect, worldbuilt, detailed, weird as fuck AU that you REALLY wanna see?? Do it! MAKE THE ART YOU WANNA SEE!! Just don't expect to get it in this event. (Been there. Sorry.)

Why don't you have a beta tag?

Cane is all the beta we need.

We don't offer betas because this is meant to be a more relaxed event, even if it is a more CRAZY one! The writing submissions are fairly small and don't require any standard of polish or 'skill'. It's too much work for the mods to keep track, frankly, and we don't think ya need the hand holding! If you would like to use a beta, we will have a channel for #beta-requests on the Discord where you can put the call out for one!

What if I get a trope/AU I don't like?

First, we ask you to really think about this assignment, an be sure you can't transform it into something more interesting for you! But if so, everyone gets one (1) courtesy reroll, no questions asked. We don't want anyone to feel really stuck or uncomfortable. Subsequent rerolls are on a case-by-case basis (mostly if we messed up and gave you something you shouldn't have gotten for xyz reasons).

What happens if I have to drop out?

Firstly, we hope everything is okay in your life! We hope you would only drop out from an unavoidable extenuating circumstance, our of respect for your partner who you have been working with. If this must be, we wish you the best, and we have pinch hitters standing by to step in with their crazy ideas to fill the gap! You will be expected to release your trope/AU assignment to the pinch hitter, no matter how far along you were with it, our of respect to your partner who will not be reassigned. You are welcome to continue your unfinished work to post privately outside of the event!

What if my partner drops out!?

DON'T PANIC!

This is part of why this event is so limited in scope. This is a big challenge, to collab and follow two trope restrictions is a lot to recover if one person leaves. If your partner has to drop out we WILL assign you a pinch hitter, even possibly one of the mods (though we are reserved for extremely last minute cases). No matter what, you WILL have a finished product, even if it posts late. No whacko left behind!

I'm having (x) issue!

Okay! If you aren't having fun, that's a problem. The entire point of this event is to have a good time. Is this a challenging art format? Potentially! Is this supposed to be a difficult or stressful event? HELL NO! Please contact a mod with your issue after checking that it hasn't been answered or fixed here, in asks (tagged #mmm faq), or on the #questions-and-solutions discord channel. But before all that: take a breath. Repeat to yourself that you are an independent, powerful, brilliant creator and a valued part of this fandom. Release the breath. You've got it. Maybe problems can be solved with a bit of confidence and a fresh outlook. We'll help you fix whatever else.

[samisnotlegend]

💝, 🍭, 🎙️, 🤲, 💌!!

💝what is a fic that got a different response than you were expecting?

Hmmm! All of them! No, genuinely, I am constantly blown away by people's responses. With Broke Boys, I never expected people to be interested in reading about bkdk being poor. (lol) I am so glad I was wrong! More recently though, I wasn't expecting the response I got in Joy of Being Forgotten. That fic was a one and done situation, and yet, it seems to have really resonated with people. I'd like to write more fics like it in the future!

🍭why did you start writing?

Growing up I was a really avid reader. Like the nerd in the back of the classroom who got in trouble for reading during class, type of reader. That kind of just naturally progressed into scribbling out fanfiction and strange original stories in notebooks. I guess I really started writing though because I love stories so much that I wanted (needed) to try creating my own!

🎙️which one of your fics would you like someone to make a pod-fic of?

Ahhhhhh!!! Gosh I don't know, I think if someone took the time to do that it would be incredible no matter what. JBF comes to mind though, because I tried to make it as audio/sound focused as possible. The Dynamy fic too though! Because it is short and silly and I think it would make a funny little podfic.

🤲what do YOU get out of writing?

Incredible joy. Okay I'm SORRY for being so cheesy but its true!! I just really, really like writing. Also though, lately I've been getting like, a ton of friends out it!!! Which is so freaking amazing. I love you all!! <3 <3 <3

💌share something with us about an up-and-coming work (WIP) that has you excited!

Izuku is going to be SUCH a punk in my next big fic. Facial peircings, bad attitude, the whole nine yards. The fic will be called Candy Teeth. (I know, funny name. But it was a placeholder and it stuck!) I came up with the idea while writing BB. I thought: "Hmmm, I wonder what would happen if BB Katsuki met BB Izuku back in his runaway/delinquent days..." and then the fic spiralled out from there.

It's developed since then, of course! It's fully plotted out, and CT Izuku and Katsuki are no longer related to the BB universe at all. They have their own thing going on. I was planning on writing this after BB ended, but I wouldn't be surprised if a chapter or two popped up between now and then.

Thank you for asking all these questions, anon!! This was so fun!

[snowflakechallenge]

Fandom Snowflake Challenge #8

Introduction Post* Meet the Mods Post * Challenge #1 * Challenge #2 * Challenge #3 * Challenge #4 * Challenge #5 *Challenge #6 * Challenge #7 *

Remember that there is no official deadline, so feel free to join in at any time, or go back and do challenges you've missed.

It's time to shine a light on your own fannish projects, whatever forms those may take. Ideas count too, so don't be put off if you have nothing concrete to show.

Challenge #8 Talk about a current fannish project (fic, art, vid, crochet, funko pop village) (that you are creating or enjoying) Post your answer to today’s challenge in your own space and leave a comment in this post saying you did it. Include a link to your post if you feel comfortable doing so.

One thing fans like to do is talk about the things they enjoy and create, and for this challenge we want to explore that. This is the time to let your creative side shine bright, and I just don't mean via fic. Though if you're writing/posting a fic right now; tell us, we want to know about your 10000k epic about Hawkeye, Lucky and the people who love them. But by the same token, if you're writing AU drabbles about Janeway the barista, well tell us about them, too.

But for this challenge, anything goes. Do you throw pots shaped like BB-8? Have you created a Funko village full of random characters where Jon Snow has a place next to Groot? Do you knit Pokémon? Made Roy Kent out of paper mache? Have you created a model Enterprise out of pipe cleaners? Have you recorded yourself singing The Black Parade with a folk song slant? Do you have plans to create a webcomic or have a list of things you'd love to podfic? Painted a portrait in oils of Venom? We want to know it all.

If you're creating it or have created, tell us, let your love and talent shine. The product doesn't have to be finished or posted, heck, even an idea that you've been thinking of for years will count. It doesn't even matter if those ideas will never materialise, we just want to know what you'd love to create if you could.

We're waiting to bask in the incredible fannish projects that are out there, no matter what form those take.

Tip: It helps folks find useful posts if you mention some of the fandoms or topics when you comment here.

Check out the comments for all the awesome participants of the challenge and visit their journals/challenge responses to comment on their posts and cheer them on. (And because we were gifted with paid time for the month of January, you can search comments! So don’t forget to list the fandom(s) in your comment so people can search for it.)

And just as a reminder: this is a low pressure, fun challenge. If you aren't comfortable doing a particular challenge, then don't. We aren't keeping track of who does what.

[shadowsong26fic]

Coming Attractions!

Yes, I know it’s Wednesday, not Monday, but shhhhhh.

(In my defense, there’s been A Lot of IRL stuff the past couple days so. Anyway.)

As always, this is just a general overview of what I did last month and what I Hope to do next month; also an Open Question Night. Any asks about fandoms I’ve posted about here or on Ao3, or writing stuff in general is fair game. I do also accept prompts, but I make no promises on how quickly I fill them (there’s one currently sitting in my inbox that I’m hoping to get to later tonight, lol).

Anyway, here goes!

Star Wars:

I ended up dropping out of SWBB as a writer this year--just couldn’t get things to come together right--but I’m participating as an artist/podficcer! The story I’m recording is SWTOR-based, which is an area of fandom/canon that I have very little knowledge of, so it’s been a lot of fun working with my writer and getting to know a little more about that part (though it is apparently Very AU so.) I’m posting the podfic chapters as the writing chapters are posted, and you can find it here:

Writing: https://archiveofourown.org/works/47347087/ Podfic: https://archiveofourown.org/works/47517721/

I have also been keeping up with my OTP meme fills for Obianidala. The one I put out this month was fun; it was a chance to go back to the Heralds of Valdemar crossover/fusion which I haven’t played with in ages. I haven’t even looked at this months prompts yet, lol, I should probably do that...

(Precipice!verse is still also extant in my head but I have done no active work on it lately unfortunately and am not sure when I’ll get back to it but, as I’ve mentioned, it’s too big a part of my life in this fandom for me to abandon. Until and unless I entirely leave the SW fandom, Precipice will be there.)

BSG:

Again with the OTP meme stuff; this month’s fill came together sort of last minute. I wasn’t totally sure what I wanted to do? I thought about something related to them eventually having kids on Earth (one of the available prompts was ‘pet/child acquisition’; also thought about something super self-indulgent involving Atia, but I think what I ended up writing turned out really well, so I’m happy.

Of course the Big news is that Galactica Big Bang officially opens in less than a month! I need to finish actually, like, Making the sign-up forms, haha. But I’m really excited for the event. I’m not sure if I’m going to be a participant as well as running it (podficcing is less intimidating than I thought it would be, based on my current SWBB experience, and I think especially if it’s something I already come to with some investment it’ll be nice? Also I do have BB-scale storyline ideas, lol. Not just the Massive Epics like TOB or continuing in the Backup Plans AU...right now the sort of top choices, if I do write, are going back to the Selkie AU or doing a Zarek character study? But we’ll see.

Other Fandom Stuff:

As you may have noticed, based on some things I’ve posted in the last couple weeks, I’ve gone down a very specific Les Mis rabbit hole XD I have two longfic projects being worked on; one I’m actually hoping to start posting later this week (I want to get at least three chapters prewritten, plus I think I want a second pair of eyes on chapter 2 just to make sure it’s not too Infodumpy, so. If anyone’s interested, lol. (on the other hand would it really be a victor hugo pastiche without at least one random infodump? lol)

The other one I haven’t started actually writing yet, but I have something of an outline for it (it’s a Groundhog Day AU which includes a few different endings out of Spite and/or Loving Mockery of other adaptations; along with a few others I just want to do). This one will have some very heavy TWs that should absolutely be taken seriously (Javert is the one looping the last like 36 hours of his life, you do the math). Anyway, once I get started on writing that, I’m hoping it’ll go pretty quickly.

I am signing up for pod_together again! As always, signing up to get assigned a podficcer; I think signups close the end of this week so I think I should be matched by Monday? This will be my third time doing the event. I’ve actually done crossovers both of the prior times? But I’m pretty proud of both pieces I put out, and it was a lot of fun to work on. We’ll see how it goes!

I think I mentioned last month that some of my AtLA plots may have resurfaced? So far not enough for me to actively work on them, but we’ll see. I did list that (as well as my other usual suspects of SW and BSG; plus Les Mis because the current brainrot is Strong and a couple others) as a primary/first-choice fandom for matching for pod_together, so that might produce something. Again, we’ll see.

Original Stuff:

Mostly OTP meme again, though a couple other things for Rainbowfic challenges have come out as well. Not really much to report here, although I am producing a lot more than I have in recent years, which is good, I’m pleased with myself on that.

...I think that’s everything? So, yeah! Open Question Night, as I mentioned above, let me know what’s on your mind! Or what you guys are working on/excited for!

[oh-hush-its-perfect]

3, 14, 25 :)

3. Favorite line/scene you wrote this year.

"He looked me in the eyes. 'Magnus, I think you were born with an innate sense of love. You have a talent for bringing that into the world in ways that you don’t even realize. You write "love" with the same effort as I say "pain." Adrian wasn’t like that. Adrian knew exactly what love was, and he was always reaching for it, striving for it, working hard to make that word his own. I admired him so much for that. But he’s gone, and your instinctive love is no less rich.'” — And I Want You Right Here, Chapter 4: "On the Subject of Gluttony."

14. A fic you didn't expect to write.

I have a WIP about Fierrochase and Hanahaki's Disease. I really like it and hope that I can finish it sometime before next summer, 'cause it takes place in springtime. Other than that, I guess I didn't really plan on making a podfic of "Family Recipe," but here it is.

25. A fic you read this year that you would recommend everyone read.

I actually didn't read very much fic this year, and most of the good ones I read were actually explicit (yes, I read explicit fics, I'm an adult, yadayadayada), so I'm not about to expose myself by recommending them. Tried to read BB's fics again this year. Failed again. I guess I'd recommend those, even though I can't seem to finish reading them for some reason.

[senlinyu]

Works List

Although I do occasionally cross-post to fanfiction.net, wattpad, and inkitt, most of my stories are solely on ao3. I decided to compile a full list of my works for reference rather than just keeping them buried in my FAQ.

A quick note about my stories: I have an open policy about my fics, anyone who wishes to is welcome to archive, print and bind (personally or via a non-profit fanfic bookbinder), remix, podfic, translate, write meta about, make art for, or write in the same universe/fanon as any of my fanworks. I’d love it if you send a link. Credit is appreciated but not mandatory, fandom is open source.

Avatar: The Last Airbender

The Sun, The Moon, And The Truth: art and fic collab with @elithien. Zuka/Katara. Rated: M. Post-war AU. Firelord Zuko. Water Tribe Envoy Katara. Forbidden Love. Mutual Pining. My usual.

Harry Potter:

All You Want: Draco/Hermione. Rated: E. My very smutty a/b/o fic. Eighth Year. Alpha Draco (and Theo and Neville), Omega Hermione. Miscommunication and mutual pining.

Anthology: Assorted prompted ficlets of varying lengths. All Dramione. Including:

Prompt: “He set fire to the world around him but never let a flame touch her.” Category: Angst. Rating: T

Prompt: “But how can you walk away from something and still come back to it.” Neil Gaiman. Category: Comedy, Fluff. Rating: M. 

Prompt: One bed. Rating: T. Category: Rom-com

Prompt: Harry and Draco trapped in an elevator after Draco and Hermione’s relationship has become public. Rating: T

Prompt: Draco blackmails Hermione. Rating: M Category: angst, political enemies.

Prompt: Meet me in the stairwell in a second for a glass of gin. (From the song ‘Nobody Else Will Be There’ by The National)

Prompt: Accidental pregnancy. Rating: T

Prompt: Tabula Rasa. Memory loss fic. Rating: T

Prompt: “No, no, no, stay with me. Don’t close your eyes.” Category: rom-com, fluff

Whatever You Want Granger for @nikitajobson. Rated: T

Married art and fic collab with @avendell. Rated T.

Prompt: Dramione University Students AU.

A Slow Cruel Descent: Draco/Hermione. Rated: M.

A Slow Cruel Descent. My very first angst/dark fic. Wartime AU. Voldemort doses Hermione with a love potion, making her fall in love with Draco, and then uses the threat of harming Draco to extract information. 

A Fragile Ascent. Sequel. Post-war, Hermione struggles to move on and heal from the trauma of her imprisonment. 

A Thing With[out] Feathers. Draco/Hermione. Rated: E. A plot I invented just because I wanted to write extremely indulgent wing kink. Fake relationship with benefits. Veela Hermione. Wing sex. That’s it. That’s the plot. 

The Bestiary: Assorted creature one-shots and ficlets of varying lengths. All Dramione. Including: 

Kiska: 8th Year. Hermione secretly has cat-ears and Draco is suspiciously interested in them. Rated: M for heavy petting.

Demon!Draco. Rated: M

the business we’re in: Tom Riddle Jr/Hermione. Rated: M. Mafia AU. Cleaner/Assassin Tom is given the task of killing the ‘very ordinary’ Hermione Granger. 

Compendium: A collection of prompted ficlets originally posted on tumblr. Pairings vary and are indicated in the chapter titles. Ratings and any relevant warnings are listed in the chapter summary of the particular ficlet.

Cordial Enemies: writing collab with @stargazing121. Draco/Hermione. Rated: M. **WIP.** Bridgerton inspired fake relationship fic. Minstry co-workers. Tabloid news. 

Do Not Go Gentle: Severus/Hermione. Rated E. 8th Year. Hermione is suffering from a terminal curse following the war and Severus attempts to find a cure. Not ‘really’ a student/teacher relationship, but does occur at Hogwarts. Feral cat personality Severus.

Forever Is Composed of Nows: James Potter/Aurore Malfoy. Rated: T. Post-Manacled one-shot about James and Aurore. 

Height: Draco/Hermione. Rated: E. Dramione Height Differences Minifest 2020. 8th Year. Erotic hand holding. Hermione initiating the relationship. 

Ice: Draco/Hermione. Rated: T. DHr Advent 2018. Co-workers at Gringotts. Accidental bonding. 

Impress Upon You: art and fic collab with @mia-moriarty-art. Draco/Hermione. Rated: T. Deck The Halls with Dramione 2020. Draco asks Hermione to show him the Muggle world in an attempt to impress a Muggleborn. 

I Think It Might: tumblr live-write with @lovesbitca8 and @liliansilverstuff. Draco/Hermione. Rated: E. Drunk Draco. Cam Girl Granger. Crack.

The Library of Alexandria: Draco/Hermione. Rated: M. Librarian Hermione. Annoying Draco. Trapped together and required to have sex for some reason. Accidental marriage. Librarian Draco.

Little Hearth Fires: for @kumatan0720. Draco/Hermione. Rated: M. My one and only foray into entirely angst-free domestic fluff writing. Married  Dramione with bb bean Scorpius.

Love and Other Misfortunes: Draco/Hermione. Rated: M. My very first story. Veela Draco. Ministry workaholic Hermione. Veela bond where Draco will die if Hermione doesn’t mate with him. Ministry conspiracies. 

Manacled: Draco/Hermione. Rated: E. Voldemort Wins AU. Handmaid’s Tale premise. Memory loss. Espionage. Dark fic. Don’t read without checking the trigger warnings.

Manipulation: Blaise Zabini/Hermione. Rated: M. Vampire Blaise with a crush.

Nontrivial Pursuits: art and fic collab with @gubabubas-sketchbook. Draco/Hermione. Rated: M. Post-war Ministry coworkers engaging in a strip trivia competition. 

Now Is A Gift. Draco/Hermione. Rated: T. Sunbeam Hermione sets out to prove what a nice person she is by getting grumpy Draco the perfect Christmas present. DHr Advent 2019.

The Seduction: Draco/Hermione. Rated: E. Pining Draco trying to seduce Hermione by starting a bookclub and cooking dinner with her while she doesn’t notice...for two years.

The SenLithien Collaboration: art and fic collab with @elithien. Includes:

United We Stand. Rated: T

Beltane. Rated: M.

Seeker Fit. Rated: T

One Night. Rated: E

the first kiss. Rated: M

A Witch’s Wedding. Rated: T

consumed, obsessed, and attached. Rated: E

For Want of a Jumper. Rated: T

Switch. Rated: E

Power Couple. Rated: T

Insomnia. Rated: T

Fate and Plans. Rated: E

Rebirth. Rated: M

Common Spaces, Empty Places. Rated: M.

Snow Fall: Draco/Hermione. Rated: M. DHr Advent 2020. Newly weds having their first Christmas. Hermione helpfully teaches Draco muggle methods of staying warm during a blizzard.

your lonely calls to me: art and fic collab with @avendell. Draco/Hermione. Rated: T. Healer Hermione realizes that Draco is being abused in Azkaban and takes him in.

Star Wars

after the fall [we rise]: Ben Solo/Rey. Rated: E. My fix-it fic for The Rise of Skywalker. 

Binding The Light: Kylo Ren/Rey. Rated: T. Following the destruction of Starkiller, Kylo Ren obsesses over what he wants.

Reputation: Ben Solo/Rey. Rated: M. Rey is in a forced relationship with Hux and so out of spite she asks Kylo Ren to take her virginity.

Short: Ben Solo/Rey. Rated: E. Jealous Ben with a choking kink disapproves of Rey’s outfit. PWP modesty trope subversion. 

[podcastbigbang]

Archive Poltergeists

Podcast: The Magnus Archives

Rating: T+

Pairings: Jon/Martin, Jon & Martin & Tim & Sasha

“Oh, uh, no, sorry, I was just wondering if- if you needed anything else? Biscuits, or help transporting anything?” Martin gave another flash of a nervous smile. This was normal behaviour, Martin was behaving normally.

Jon shook his head, but he did pick up the mug of tea, which Martin counted as a win. “No, Martin, all I need is your research on cases #0121102 and #0112905. Thank you very much,” Jon said primly, taking a sip of the tea.

His face promptly scrunched up. His eyebrows knit together, he drew up his nose in disgust, and the twist of his mouth couldn’t be interpreted as anything except utter distaste.

Martin was ecstatic.

He watched with hidden glee as Jon struggled to swallow the small mouthful of tea he had drunk. It must have hurt to swallow that much salt. Martin had waited and stirred the tea until the salt was fully dissolved. God, Jon’s face. This was better than he imagined.

Okay, act normal.

“Oh my god, Jon, is something wrong?! What just happened?” Martin asked, maybe laying the concern on a little thick.

Jon spluttered, confused for a moment before glaring at Martin, “What happened is your bloody tea’s-”

Time to sell it.

“The tea?” Martin said, cutting Jon off quickly. He swiped the mug from Jon’s desk, took a swig and swallowed it. God that was awful. He’d need to wash his mouth out after this. “What’s wrong with it? It tastes fine.”

AUTHOR

@vanroesburg

as an adamant lover of bitchy martin, the thought of tea revenge came to me one day and i decided it needed a whole fic about it

BETAS

@franzis-frantic-thoughts

Writing a fic for this BB myself wasn’t enough responsibility, so here I am adding my opinion to others’ works.

@atlas-of-galaxies

Hey! I'm Miles and I'm happy to be betaing for this adorable fic. :)

ARTISTS

@pass-the-salt

hiya, i'm salt and i'm very excited to be making a podfic for this fic

@trans-gerry-keay

I love to see some soft tma fluff. Helps distract from all the heartbreak

[sasamelons]

I figured that now would be a great time to update my @guardianbingo​ card, since I added a bunch of fills in the last little while, especially as part of the The Marvelous (Mis)adventures of Da Qing, King of Cats event.

I think I’m doing pretty well based on my original goal, which is just 3 completed lines, although I am tempted to try for the whole card after seeing all of Gracie’s beautiful badges 😍 (Although I have to say I’m not very good at completing lines hahaha thank goodness for bonus prompts)

So here’s my list of Bingo fics (and I always love to chat about any of my works and wips if anyone’s interested)!

Completed Prompts:

Fluff: Episode 30: Operation Fluff — Da Qing cheering up Zhao Yunlan

Suits: Episode 23: Nap-worthy — Da Qing considers the implications of Shen Wei in his territory

Lao Li: Episode 26: To Follow and To Guard — Da Qing’s important relationships

S.I.D.: Episode 21: The Presence of a Cat — Da Qing and bb Zhao Yunlan

Cong Bo: Episode 15: The Best Investigator in Dragon City — Da Qing shares the tea on Weilan

Betrayal: the last cup of tea — Shen Wei meets Shen San in the underworld

Flirt: Focus on: Da Qing and Zhu Hong gossiping about Zhao Yunlan, Ep 8 (meta)

Mountain-River Awl: Chapter 11: Sparks — Da Qing investigates the Hallows

Lollipops: the sweetest thing — pendant of pining drabble

Zhao Yunlan’s Housekeeping: the minor gods — Zhao Yunlan discovers tiny dragon Shen Wei’s secret powers

Monthly Prompts:

February, “Tiger”: top of the food chain — the SID gets ready for Chinese New Year with at Da Qing’s help expense

June, “Dragon”: midsummer offerings — Zhao Yunlan, Da Qing, and tiny dragons Shen Wei and Ye Zun celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival

July, “Meeting Again”: [podfic] No Matter How Long by rlyqueer

August, “Star-Crossed Lovers”: weaving twilight — Sailor Moon AU “Silver Millennium” prequel aka YOHE xianxia AU

October, “Supernatural Elements”: stillness — novelverse Mama Zhao and baby Yunlan

November, “Short and Sweet”: hell or high water — novelverse drabble

Works in Progress:

Alternate First Meeting: first part of vigilante!Shen Wei aka triple identity porn au longfic that I’ve been writing forever aka the fic that keeps on giving (1, 2, 3)

New Beginnings: [podfic] Kite With a Broken String by teyla

Transformation: big cat Da Qing fic

Students: Sailor Moon AU — Zhu Hong fic

Legends: yashou legends fic OR shen wei & ye zun roleswap au

Plot Bunnies:

Mountains: weilan soulmates AU (soulmarks)

Lollipops: pendant of pining fic (1, 2) OR everything everywhere all at once AU aka multiverse fic

Cigarettes: interlude between parts 1 and 2 of vigilante/identity porn au

Soulfire: ghost kitty fic

Guardian Lantern: Doctor Who AU

[cap-ironman]

Cap-IM BB 2021: Pace yourself and get that draft in!

EVENT INFORMATION | WRITERS’ GUIDELINES | GUIDELINES FOR CLAIMING CREATORS | FAQ POST

The draft submission deadline for the Cap-IM BB 2021 is drawing nearer.

One of the questions that pops up around BBs very often is: HOW DO I GET TO THAT WORDCOUNT? Whether you usually write shorter fic, or you get epic plot ideas that fizzle out before you can reach the ending, it can be intimidating to think about writing 25,000 words.

Keep in mind: Everyone is different. People develop their own process over time - and often it changes. So there really is no one-fits-all solution to how you become a BB length fic writer. But in trying we hope you’ll come out with a draft for a new SteveTony story to delight the fandom - whether it made the deadline or met the wordcount or not. Any fic that gets finished is a win for all of us!

Here are some tips that might help while you’re racing towards that finish line:

Know where you’re going!

Sometimes when you’re stuck it helps to know what you’re trying to go towards. What is the ending to your story? Try to think about the endgame. Outline the steps and definite scenes you have planned out and make notes for the things that are missing. Then you have a rough outline (that you can still adapt and change while writing) and you’ll see how much of it you’ve already written and how much writing is still ahead of you.

Don’t worry if things don’t go exactly as planned - sometimes a story will sprawl out of control and get longer than you thought it’d be, but it will be easier to stay on track if you know where the train is heading for.

Remember this is still a draft!

Perfectionism can get in the way. You’re stuck because a scene and dialogue aren’t coming out right? Leave it and move on to the next scene regardless. You can tell yourself you can do this all day and tire yourself out with getting one paragraph polished to perfection... but this is still a draft. It doesn’t have to be perfect yet.

Sometimes it’s better to write out all these imperfect words, get the draft in and afterwards take a hard look and improve on what you have - for example with the help of a beta reader. It’s easier to improve when a draft already exists.

You only need to submit a complete fic by our September 15th deadline if you would like to opt in to be claimed by a podfic creator.

Pace yourself!

We all know it and most of us have been there: the deadline draws closer and we’ve put everything off to the last minute. After all, if he has to, Tony can build Iron Man armor from scratch in one night! And we’re not saying we don’t know people who have written their 20K draft in one weekend…

But not everyone can go at that pace and it will be less stressful even for those who can, to start a little earlier. You may be the kind of writer who knows they can do 9-10K in a day if the pressure is on, but why not try to spread that out more in case something comes up last-minute?

Try to set yourself word or scene goals for each week. Don’t forget to leave a little breathing room for yourself and work towards that finished draft at a steady pace.

If you’re stuck and want to hear more tips and strategies from other BB writers and veterans, check out this post, or join our next Big Bang chat for writers! Here is a Discord invite for the server - we’ll be announcing the date soon.

Running since 2011, the Cap-Ironman Big Bang challenges the community’s writers to create Steve/Tony-focused fic with a minimum of 25,000 words. Creators are then invited to claim a fic and create accompanying fanworks! To sign up as a writer you need to send us your 20,000 word draft and summary by September 15th 2021.

For the full 2021 BB Event Guidelines and information for creators, click here!

[luckywatersao3]

school is high-key kicking my ass recently but i just wanted to pop in to say that there might be another drawing (or small animation) coming soon. i really do love your writing and i’m sorry i haven’t been able to comment on every chapter, though i have been reading. also, just wanted to point out, i believe draco and virgo would say heracles and zeus or hercules and jupiter. they have no reason to be influenced otherwise.

as for my girlfriend’s recommendations, school has been similarly kicking her ass, but she recommended a few things:

everything from this author - https://archiveofourown.org/users/OhCaptainMyCaptain/pseuds/OhCaptainMyCaptain

and these two podfics - https://archiveofourown.org/works/13392882

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21749617

haven’t personally read but she writes well so i’m not going to question her judgement

School comes first bb (learn from my past mistakes lol) so don’t worry about not commenting. (Also I would never want readers to feel obligated to comment-- you all can interact with the story as little or as much as you like)

That said, I would absolutely love to see anything you feel like creating for the story! Animation would impress the shit out of me.

I’m ashamed that it took me several minutes to realize what you were saying with the heracles and zeus/hercules and jupiter thing because my brain somehow read past the spelling difference. I actually didn’t know that hercules was only the roman spelling, although it makes sense. I will change it in Chapter 37-- thanks for bringing it to my attention. 

I’ll check out those recs, thank you! I’m jealous that you’re dating someone also in fandom, I’ve never been able to talk to any of my partners about fanfic.