#one of my proudest piece tbh!

[dasketcherz]

Once upon a time...

[tinukis]

day 4 - "I still have my friends!!"

[c0rpsedemon]

the thing abt dysmas's design is that while i like to joke abt them being peak bc i don't have to deal with the accursed color and get to stay in my b&w sweetspot ultimately they are held back by the fact that you could make them in every picrew ever

[jamorbital]

Mailbag III ✉️

Wow, there were a bunch this time. Thanks everyone!

@theloramir:

Me! 😷

If that doesn't count… Hmm. Cynthia from Pokémon? Or maybe Tifa?

@scout90-again:

I've been interested in it for as long as I can remember. Even when I was really little, I liked to tie up dolls with string and put pieces of tape on their mouths. A bit more on that in an earlier ask here.

(MORE UNDER THE CUT)

@noteverysaurisadinosaur:

Uhhh... I'm gonna say... Golden Toad. I like Dodos too, but I'm guessing that's the "everything but country and rap" of this question.

@directivexero:

Aw thanks!

Lately I've been slowly making my way through The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles! I play it in bed each night to settle in before I go to sleep. It's like a good book. The fickleness of the jurors always makes me laugh.

Another recent one I liked: Thank Goodness You're Here! It's basically a little interactive animated movie. Matt Berry is in it. I once saw it described as "Untitled Twat Game"

Deadly Premonition is the worst game I've ever played by conventional standards, but I'd still recommend it because it's bad in really fun ways. Bring some friends and a case of beer.

I like games that provoke a strong reaction. I'd rather play something like DP than a "good" big-budget game that's smooth and pleasing but not all that memorable.

Also on the topic of weird games: This is the secret best channel on YouTube. The more you watch, the better it gets. I mean idk, maybe other people don't see it and I'm just deranged. Still though. I've cried laughing at some of these.

@patientbard:

Summer! Lots of happy memories from childhood. I like to swim.

@nixalegos:

I don't often try to go for a specific texture, but when I do it can be tricky. In real life I love soft jersey knit fabric. Despite my best efforts, I haven't been able to nail it in 2D in a way that really scratches that kinky itch.

In general, my drawings rarely come out the way I pictured them in my head. (I think that's how it is for most artists?) If it's looking really off then I might redraw a character or body part from scratch, but for the most part I just go with the flow.

@accretion-disk-anxiety:

To eat, crab; to not eat, turtle.

@damianblack:

I'm not really into furries, but I like furries as people. They seem like fun and I admire how welcoming and liberated their community is.

For a while I've had "draw an anthro character" on my bucket list. I think it'd be a fun challenge and drawing a gag for an anthro snout could be hot tbh.

@onidrills:

What was that thing from Jurassic Park with the big neck thing and the venom? Dilophosaurus?

Aw man...

@goodboynijian:

Thank you!

For proudest: Maybe animation loops?

They're not as elaborate as some other stuff I've done, but seeing an animation come together just feels so satisfying.

For hottest: I gravitate toward a certain weirder type of piece where I draw myself (or "myself") with super-exaggerated proportions and/or humiliating captions:

It feels exciting to just go totally off the wall. I get turned on not just by drawing these, but also posting them. I guess it's kind of a public humiliation/exhibitionism thing. (Actually, that's exactly what it is.)

I used to put them up on Twitter, but it got a little too weird and embarrassing. Now I keep them behind the safety of the paywall.

@t-oppenheimer:

Smash if that counts! I used to attend locals weekly and was decently competitive at my peak. I stopped going in 2020 due to covid and never got back into it after that. I still play with friends here and there though. I'm a Wolf main. 🐺

I've also done a little SF6, but I'm still in The Cursed Zone on that one.

@microfoamgaglover:

Yes

(old pic!)

Thanks again to everyone who sent in questions! I'm feeling better now than I was this morning. If I didn't respond to you, it just means I couldn't think of anything interesting to say. I appreciate it all the same.

[salamanding]

a little while back i revisited my Dungeon Bun poster design (still one of my proudest pieces tbh) and gave it some color! i like it even more now

[fayes-fics]

✍🏼 Writing pride tag game

📝 Post a snippet you are extra proud of having written

Thank you so much for the tag @colettebronte

This was a bit of a thinker as I usually only see the flaws in my writing tbh 😬

I suppose so far, I’m proudest of When The World Is Free and Mrs Bridgerton. Maybe because they are in some ways so removed from the world of Bridgerton, they feel closer to original pieces? Maybe? Idk. Anyway…

Here’s a snippet from When The World Is Free that came out exactly as I wanted it to:

Later that day, you are perusing books in Anthony’s office when a painting of a man who looks remarkably like Benedict makes you stop short. Violet seems to materialise beside you.

“My husband, Edmund,” she explains, her voice wistful and evocative of the ache of lost love, undulled by the passage of time. “True love is a wondrous thing; never let it slip through your fingers, and treasure every moment,” she counsels, twisting to look at your face.

“I would never,” you answer quietly, even as you steadfastly refuse to do the same, staring at the painting, heart speeding up.

“That’s a good thing, my dear, and don’t worry about the judgement of others, especially those who are spirited and headstrong.” She can only be referring to Eloise: “They all come around eventually, believe me.”

At that, you have to look at her askance, unable to hide the nerves on your face. “You know?” unable to resist any longer.

“I know my children better than they know themselves,” she responds lightly, “and I certainly know when they are hiding something,” she adds softly, saying but not saying so much.

It feels like a weight is lifted from your heart, the undeniable urge to confess to someone - unable to do so to your usual companion.

“I have no idea how to tell Eloise,” you rush out. “This was never my plan, not what I intended to happen,” you clarify. “Benedict sacrificed his future to give me my freedom.”

“You sacrificed yours too…” she gently interrupts.

“But I never wanted mine,” you confess, your eyes drifting back up to the handsome man in the painting as if saying it to Benedict’s dad as much as his mum at your side. “At least, not once I met your son…. I thought I knew what I wanted in life. But I was a fool. And now… I….” you trail off, unable to finish.

“You love him, don’t you?” It’s a delicate, comforting inflexion.

“I can barely believe it myself; it’s been such a short period of time. But yes…” you admit sotto voce, hanging your head as a tear wells in the corner of your eye.

“As I said, I know my children better than they know themselves,” she repeats, wrapping an arm around your back, “and I know when one of them is hopelessly in love.”

Your head jerks up in surprise, and you finally look into her kindly gaze, your heart a kaleidoscope.

“Yes, my dear. It may take him a while to say it,” she qualifies, “but it’s no less true.”

That tear escapes your eye as she pulls you into a motherly hug. Already knowing this will be a secret you keep between you, for now at least.

“Welcome to the family, y/n.”

Zero pressure tagging: @thebabblingbrookenook @rosesatdawn24 @silverhallow and anyone else who wants a go 😁🧡🧡

[moodymelanist]

2024 Fic Writer End of Year Roundup

thanks for the tags @jsmelodies & @whyisaravenlike-awritingdesk <3

Answer and then tag three or more creators to keep the game going! (If you're in my answers, consider yourself tagged if you'd like to play!)

How many words did you publish on AO3 in 2024?

I published about 67,000 words this year! Normally I write a lot more (closer to around 200k each year) but this year was ~a lot~ so I'm just glad I made it to at least 50k lol. Hoping next year I can crack 100k and then eventually get back to my usual 200k!

2. How many fics did you complete this year?

I completed 19 fics this year (16 for ACOTAR and 3 for the MCU)! Woohoo!

3. How many in progress or ongoing fics did you start this year?

I have 2 in progress fics that I started this year (You Were Never Not Mine and once bitten (and twice shy)). I have a few in progress fics hanging over me from previous years (Where the Light Won't Find You, All the Wisest Women, PIR2, and technically my drabble series are open-ended but I don't count those as "in progress" the same way I do the others). we'll see what I get back to in 2025, but I definitely plan to complete once bitten (and twice shy) asap since that's a gift for @whyisaravenlike-awritingdesk <3

4. What was your favorite thing you wrote?

Hmm... for ACOTAR I'd have to say You Were Never Not Mine since I'd been working on that fic on and off since May and I finally got it done. I just absolutely love toxic!Nessian and personally I think Nesta could've (and should've) been so much worse to at least earn all the hate she gets from the fandom so. it's been such a blast writing that you have no idea how many times I've cackled to myself writing the crazy out of pocket shit she does in that fic LOL

For the MCU, I wrote 3 Stucky fics this year and I think my favorite is sometimes i hold you closer (just to know you're real). when I first heard bodyguard it SCREAMED stucky to me and it's just so soft and wholesome and I love them so much

5. What piece was your most experimental or different from your usual style?

hmmm... I'd have to say probably one of my non-nessian fics (either it's you (they add up to) or you look so pretty (and I love this view)). not that I don't love nessian to pieces since I do, but there's something so fun writing nesta with other people (esp in canon since canon!cassian makes me want to fight someone)

6. Did any fics surprise you - either while writing or their reception?

Step Back, Doors Closing, purely because I didn't realize how many people also have had WMATA experiences that make them want to fight someone HAHA

7. Do you have a fic you wrote and loved that went under the radar? (This is your sign to reblog/repost it!)

dumb love (i love being stupid) my beloved. I just really enjoy writing gender bent nessian and that fic was one of my favorite things I wrote this year even if it didn't get a ton of attention!

8. Who is an artist that inspired you?

@dustjacketdraws my beloved

9. Who is an author that inspired you?

Where to even begin! I get so much inspiration from my fellow nesta/nessian writers (esp @c-e-d-dreamer, @unhealthyfanobsession, @dustjacketmusings, @kale-theteaqueen... I won't tag all of you because that would be insane but you all know who you are).

10. Who is a new author you discovered?

So many amazing fellow Nesta fans - @wishcamper, @xxvalkyriesxx, @jsmelodies

11. Did you do any collaborations? How did it start?

Nope, but it would be fun to do <3

12. What accomplishments are you proudest of?

The fact that I kept going this year. I had a really challenging summer (my cat escaped my house for 2 months - she is since back, thankfully - and I had a lot of family issues) so that really sapped a lot of my creative juices tbh. I'm just happy I was able to keep going and participating in fandom and keep writing even if it wasn't as much as I would've liked.

13. What did you learn about writing or creating this year?

Doesn't matter what you're writing or how good it is as long as you just keep doing it!

14. Any advice you'd like to share with new or aspiring writers?

Don't be afraid to be the change you want to see in the world. If there's a fic idea that you'd absolutely love to see done but it hasn't been yet what's stopping you from giving it a try! That's how I got into writing Nessian (I wanted more modern AUs) so 10/10 recommend

15. What are your creative goals for 2025?

I want to try and post something every month, even if it's just a small drabble. We'll see how it goes!

Tagging: @somanywords @lavenderbuckyy @unhealthyfanobsession

[aurenflare]

my 2024 art summary 🫶🫶

for me, this year was the first time that i really tried out digital art, which has definitely been a journey! i think i’ll always feel more confident with traditional art (and there are a couple months where i didn’t do digital art at all! april has a sketch bc i was SOO busy that month, and october has a fun little marker piece) but it’s so interesting to explore digital!

i think i’ve really started to get the hang of it, especially in my november and december pieces — but i also think i’m going to make an effort to get back into posting traditional art. my alcohol markers are rotting over here …

anyways because i’m actually incapable of not babbling here’s a little explanation for each month

january, february, and march: all drawings i did for a mental-health oriented small business in my area — basically each one represents a different cognitive function. these were literally my first rendered digital art pieces ever but yk … there are 6 in all but these i feel are the best ones lol

april: i had ZERO time on my hands due to aps but luckily i was still sketching! my style has evolved a bit since then but what hasn’t changed is my love for coloured pencil sketches ILY COLOURED PENCIL SKETCHES

may & june: these are a couple of oc ref sheets that i was intending to use for artfight! except i never finished the full set and so never participated in artfight. next year i swear. this was also from my phase where i used the crosshatching pattern brush for every single background ever

july: so this was actually a design for a screenprint! the stippling made me and my art teacher miserable in the end but u know it’s about the experience … this was also inspired by kiki’s delivery service my 3rd favourite ghibli movie … i love u kiki

august: this is a wip that i will never ever finish (and i actually posted it on tumblr here over a month after abandoning it 😭) but it’s also the only kotlc thing i’ve drawn in like a year and a half (at least until the unravelled release) and i think it’s cute

september: listen i Love Laufey and every september 8th she does a little fan celebration called a very laufey day! so this was inspired by that, specifically the song “dreamer” — there are a lot of little details that reference various aspects of the lyrics or official video! super fun to draw and one of the digital pieces that i’m the proudest of 🤭

october: okay this one was sooo fun because i hadn’t touched my alcohol markers in a longggg while … it was inspired loosely by the inktober prompt “nomad”

november: this was a piece for one of my school’s publications, and was loads of fun to draw! one of the digital pieces that i’m proudest of tbh simply because there’s so much going on but it still feels fairly cohesive

december: this was my kotlc secret santa gift and also the first fully polished kotlc piece i had done in a VERYY long time — so while i was deathly sick while creating it (literally i was and still am On My Deathbed) it was super nostalgic and fun :)

if u made it to the end of this I LOVE U. why did u read all this u mean more to me than i could ever possibly articulate. have an amazing day u icon 🫶🫶

[wishcamper]

Fic Writer 2024 Year in Review

thanks for the tags @ everyone!

1. How many words did you publish on AO3 in 2024?

234,563

2. How many fics did you complete this year?

Eleven! All one-shots.

3. How many in progress or ongoing fics did you start this year?

Five I think? ACOVAV has a long way to go, smoke signals will probably clock in around 8-10, and choiceless hope needs one more chapter.

4. What was your favorite thing you wrote?

ACOVAV mostly because it was the one that started it all, the puzzle of plotting is so fun, and I loooove worldbuilding. I also go back to Thicker Than Water a lot because it makes me laugh.

5. What piece was your most experimental or different from your usual style?

Hmm maybe Out of the Fog, Into the Mist? It’s my first crossover and I worked really hard (aka played a lot of The Witcher 3) to get the vibe right.

6. Did any fics surprise you - either while writing or their reception?

tbh ACOVAV - i sort of expected to shout into the void and was really surprised when people wanted to follow along. it’s also gone in directions i didn’t expect, deep diving into IC inter-dynamics, the catastrophe that is Rhys post-ACOWAR.

7. Do you have a fic you wrote and loved that went under the radar? (This is your sign to reblog/repost it!)

i think i’m lucky in that most of my stuff gets some love. i really enjoyed writing the bonus chapters for ACOVAV, especially the Feyre/Tamlin/Rhys scene.

8. Who is an artist that inspired you?

our lord and savior @janearts. also loving @froggybogwitch and @dimalry 's characterizations of Cass and Az

9. Who is an author that inspired you?

miss thing @kale-theteaqueen/@moodymelanist ‘s toxic nessian.

10. Who is a new author you discovered?

EVERYONE

11. Did you do any collaborations? How did it start?

No but loved participating in character weeks

12. What accomplishments are you proudest of?

just starting. just posting the first thing! i’d been away from fics for a long time.

13. What did you learn about writing or creating this year?

the more personal i get from an emotion sense, the more it tends to resonate with people. i think about craft but especially in short pieces it's been freeing to just sort of trust that the emotional core can carry the arc, and that symbols/pacing/structure/etc spring forth from that.

14. Any advice you’d like to share with new or aspiring writers?

hahahah this might be horrible advice, but edit less. when i go over everything with a fine-tooth comb, my chapters end up feeling empty and mechanical because I’m overthinking. when i let it fly there might be typos and incomplete sentences but i end up happier with the story.

side note: does anyone want to be my beta reader lol

15. What are your creative goals for 2025?

Finish ACOVAV.

Write more ships.

Make Cassian cry.

Figure out a way to redeem Rhys in fanon. (tbd)

[hockeyspiral23]

2024 fic writer end of year round up!

I was in theory tagged by both @siobhanbooks and @softodettes so let's go.

(if you see this and want to participate ... this is your tag)

1. How many words did you publish on AO3 in 2024?

... a whole lot. 179,849.

2. How many fics did you complete this year?

Officially it's 9, although ttios is like 98% done (despite being only about a quarter published).

3. How many in progress or ongoing fics did you start this year?

Two. the truth in our scars and agony brings no reward ... the first which will finish up in ... March, I believe? And the second which is essentially finished but am leaving open-ended just in case inspiration strikes for more.

4. What was your favourite thing you wrote?

Oh, this is a good question. Knee jerk reaction is to say victory is all you need because it is my BABY and the first long-form piece I've ever finished, but in terms of a piece that I still reread often, it might have to be The Backup Plan.

5. What piece was your most experimental or different from your usual style?

... I actually enjoy playing around with different styles, but I have to mention three in particular:

The Backup Backup Plan because it is solely dialogue

karma is a cat (purring in my lap 'cause it loves me) because it has NO dialogue

unrequited which is probably the truest answer to this because it is angsty and I do not consider myself a Writer of Angst.

6. Did any fics surprise you - either while writing or their reception?

The Backup Plan blew up more than I ever expected it to. And learning that I wrote a fictional proposal that people are hoping their real life significant others live up to? I'm still not sure how I feel about that ...

I'm also a touch surprised to the reception to the truth in our scars even though I shouldn't be - I've noticed that people in the Empyrean fandom tend to prefer in-canon works as opposed to (more modern) AUs, but it's still a little jarring experiencing it.

7. Do you have a fic you wrote and loved that went under the radar? (This is your sign to reblog/repost it!)

... I don't know if it's one that I *love* per se, but I really feel like In the Cordyn Aerie is extremely underrated ... probably because it deals with a very underrepresented/underexplained aspect of the series (the gryphons).

8. Who is an artist that inspired you?

@essjaywrites and her cat!Xaden drawing prompted me to finally finish karma is a cat.

In general, I adore @jmoonjones's sassy Andarna.

9. Who is an author that inspired you?

So many, but I still have to do my OG shoutouts to @skyfallscotland and @justallihere for inspiring me to start writing in the first place. And Amy's The State of Rider-Flier Relations is how ttios even came about because I couldn't get the idea of scar mates out of my damn head.

10. Who is a new author you discovered?

... I don't even know. Most of the fandom, probably. So many other wonderful Empyrean authors have been mentioned, but I'm going to tag a couple of the more underrated ones in @lizardsrunfast, @lovemedarkly29, and @thoughtsaboutshows.

11. Did you do any collaborations? How did it start?

I did not. I ... don't know if I could let myself collab due to my own particular writing neuroses, tbh ...

12. What accomplishments are you proudest of?

That I even started writing and posting to begin with. That I not only was able to write a whole bunch of fun little drabbles, but that I wrote not one, but TWO full-length fics (because ttios is like 99% done). That I put myself out there.

13. What did you learn about writing or creating this year?

That shitty first drafts are actually helpful. That there's no one way to write. That it's really good to stick to your instincts, and it's okay to sit on something for a few days. That cooking is surprisingly great for coming up with ideas.

14. Any advice you’d like to share with new or aspiring writers?

... first and foremost, write for you. It's something that I still need to yell at myself for. Kudos and comments are wonderful (and I live for them), but ultimately, they don't define worth.

To just start writing. That it doesn't have to be anything good - just write. That there's no one way to write. That we all have our own wonderful writing voices and you just have to find yours. Also, that you don't have to just stick to one voice. I have so much fun playing in different styles. It's also a great way to grow.

15. What are your creative goals for 2025?

... somehow manage to adapt IF for the second soul-scarred work. It's currently a terrifying proposition (even though I do have a few scribbled thoughts). Get way out of my comfort zone by working on the These Cursed Ships project. Finally wring out the song parody idea I have out of my brain.

If we're not talking writing ... paint something. Seriously get back into drawing. Finish a few of my never-ending sewing projects.

[sparklepocalypse]

2, 4, 11, 12 - yes I'm greedy no I don't care xoxo MJ/kiwiana-writes

Like I could say no to you anyway, TBH 😂😘

2. a headcanon you weren't sure about at first but have come to like!

King Grandpa is less overtly homophobic in the movie than Queen Mary is in the book because of the Harry & Meghan interview with Oprah where they implied that Granny (Queen Elizabeth) wasn't the prejudiced one in the family.

Also, Henry's one unsuccessful attempt to use Grindr was the guy King Grandpa found out about.

4. say something nice about a ship you don't ship (it can be another ship in your fandom, a mutual's OTP, etc.)

I haven't fallen into the Oscar/Raf rabbit hole, but I definitely appreciate the "Alex has two dads" concept -- especially if Alex is characteristically slow on the uptake and Raf and Oscar can make fun of him forever about it.

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

I'm proudest of three WIPs and three published fics:

Be Worthy Love, and Love Will Come: childhood penpals to friends to lovers with bonus Arthur Fox Feels™

So I Will Weather the Storm: RAF helicopter pilot!Henry rescues FSOTUS and idiot!Alex from a mountain in Scotland after a little whoopsie

Late Bloomer: omegaverse, but Alex Claremont-Diaz says fuck your secondary gender norms

[WIP] Facing Tempests: lovingly referred to as the Big Giant AU; my King Henry IX fic I've been working on since last September

[WIP] Graceless Heart: my "sugar boyfriend" AU, in which Henry thinks Alex is his sugar baby and Alex thinks Henry is his boyfriend

[WIP] Meet Me on the Other Side: my RBB fic in which bounty hunter!Alex seeks runaway Prince Henry in Texas in 1890

12. compliment someone else in your fandom

Just one person? Absolutely not. Have several!

@seanchaidh7 makes phenomenal RWRB comics (including four and counting for Facing Tempests, which will be published with the fic once it's done). @cha-melodius' plot pacing is better than a lot of commercially published work. @england-would-fall's movie edits have made me literally cackle aloud, especially the Red Room one. And like, there's this one guy whose writing fits my brain like a... brain glove -- IDK if you've heard of @kiwiana-writes, though?

[Send me "love your fandom" asks!]

[piedoesnotequalpi]

2024 Fic Writer End of Year Roundup

Thanks for tagging me @somanywords! Sorry it took a minute to respond. Anyway, I am currently in a state of wanting to write but being exhausted due to post-juggling festival collapse + bad sleep, so I will talk about writing instead of actually writing! Anyway @agentsnickers @we-are-inevitable @chair-in-a-ditch if you would also like to do this feel free to join in!

How many words did you publish on AO3 in 2024?

AO3 tried to claim 207,722 words, but that felt inaccurate so I double-checked and it turns out AO3 was counting the entirety of HIWB towards 2024 so I checked the word count from the back half of HIWB in the document and I posted about 108,144 words to AO3 this year!

2. How many fics did you complete this year?

10, apparently (of wildly varying lengths)! Unfortunately the juggling AU is still not complete :(

3. How many in progress or ongoing fics did you start this year?

4, I think? I have the juggling au, the camp au, and two bachelorette one-shots that may or may not end up being finished (one is more likely than the other, but it needs some revision to make the plot more cohesive).

4. What was your favorite thing you wrote?

Excluding HIWB/the bachelorette au, probably It turns my head inside out, which features high school age UKsies Sprace realizing they're both bi! I had so much fun with UKsies Spot and leaning into the Vermont of it all.

5. What piece was your most experimental or different from your usual style?

There are a few, for various reasons: give me years (and i'll want more time) for the sole reason that it is my second-ever non-Newsies fic (outside of my cursed English class Shakespeare mashup, that is); all dressed up for someone you never see since it was my first venture into present tense in a while and was a series of fairly introspective vignettes; and Got these itchy feet for a change of scene since it was not focused on any sort of interpersonal relationship and also was outside my usual preferred genre.

6. Did any fics surprise you - either while writing or their reception?

Reception: Be a little boulder. People really liked it!

While writing: I've mentioned this before, but in the Men Tell All chapter of HIWB I was writing a scene between Spot and Race and they kind of took on minds of their own and I didn't realize until I looked at the page and realized that what I had to write next was very much not what I had planned.

7. Do you have a fic you wrote and loved that went under the radar? (This is your sign to reblog/repost it!)

(sling)shot through the heart! It was for last winter's fic exchange, and it was not necessarily a broadly appealing fic (i.e. it is focused on a less commonly written platonic relationship), but I had fun writing it and the person I was writing for really appreciated it.

8. Who is an artist that inspired you?

@agentsnickers' Clarence Plumber art lives rent-free in my head tbh. I am never not thinking about him and also about Katherine and her relationship to gender and gender presentation.

9. Who is an author that inspired you?

Uhhhh I do not know if I have a good answer for this unfortunately :(

10. Who is a new author you discovered?

I started reading 911 fic this year, so some authors there? I've been really enjoying lesbianrobin's fic second child, restless child, and I've also read so much of letmetellyouaboutmyfeels' backlog of 911 fic.

11. Did you do any collaborations? How did it start?

@echofive7567 was the artist I worked with for the Newsies mini bang, so yes! I did technically do a collaboration! Also, Finn and Alex continue to contribute brain cells to the very important cause that is me writing my silly gay fanfiction when it comes to figuring out plot points and such.

12. What accomplishments are you proudest of?

Finishing How It Will Be! It is over 150,000 words! It was my first time writing a throuple! I wrote a rarepair! I balanced a very large cast of characters! I researched locations and flight schedules and activities! I wrote some very dramatic fight scenes! And people seemed to like it!

A smaller thing I'm proud of is that I have written 1/5 of the fics in the Crutchie/Albert tag on AO3 >:)

13. What did you learn about writing or creating this year?

It's okay to write slowly. After finishing the bachelorette au at a rate of about one chapter/month (where most of the chapters were over 10,000 words), I'm pretty tired.

14. Any advice you'd like to share with new or aspiring writers?

I know a lot of my writing friends are pantsers rather than planners, so they might disagree with me, but if you're writing something that is a) multichapter and/or b) over about 10,000 words, PLAN👏YOUR👏FIC👏OUT👏 (at least a little bit). I cannot tell you how many times I've lost steam because I knew how it started and knew how it ended but could not figure out what happened in the middle. You don't have to be like me (My multichapter fics have several tables involved to keep track of chapters/separate plotlines/POVs/dates/characters/god knows what else) or the one author whose event I went to that said she uses Microsoft Excel to plan her novels, but like. figure out some of what goes on in the middle of the story?

My less controversial advice is to 1) read your dialogue out loud when you're editing, and 2) use paragraph breaks early and often.

15. What are your creative goals for 2025?

Finish the juggling au! Maybe finish the camp au! Write something set in canon era! Maybe do something for that NTMD challenge I reblogged! The world is my fancy clam with the pearl inside!

[vividiana]

Fic authors self rec!

When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Spread the self-love ❤️

hi, thank you so much for thinking of me! 💕

I only have 6 fics posted so far, so this should be pretty straightforward 😅 in no particular order:

the blood on my hands (scares me to death)

my first fic that will always have a special place in my heart. basically I had just completed the personal quest of my redeemed Durge, Eve, and I felt like the finale was missing some emotional closure. I started typing up some dialogue between Eve and Astarion in my notes app and then that evolved into a 20k fic and the first piece of creative writing I've done in years. I wrote most of it over a year ago and it took me until this August to gather up the courage to post it. I do think my writing style has changed a little since then and I've gotten more of a grasp on both Eve and Astarion's voices, but I'm stil l very happy with how it turned out.

2. the light we shut out

my ongoing post-canon longfic where I'm basically just writing a happy ending for Eve and Astarion. it's full of domestic fluff and comfort, very chill, more vibes than plot tbh. sometimes I don't want intrigue and conflict, I just want them to be happy, you know? no mortal peril, just date nights and assembling furniture together.

3. what a wicked thing to do (to make me dream of you)

this is probably my favorite one-shot I've written. it's a re-imagining of Astarion's confession and what led to it, which is just such a turning point in their relationship and one of my favorite moments in the game. it's full of pining and they're both so bad at feelings but they get there eventually! this was also the first time I tried writing from Astarion's POV and I absolutely loved it (see: points 4 and 5).

4. she's an undiscovered element (either born in hell or heaven-sent)

Astarion's POV of the night the Urge tried to get Eve to kill him. this was definitely my favorite moment in my Durge playthrough and it really showed how much of a ride or die Astarion is. so I just wanted to explore this protective side of him a little more.

5. fall into your eyes like a grave

a pre-canon exploration of Astarion's worst memory—the night he met the “darling boy” he couldn’t bear to bring back to Cazador, and the punishment that followed. it was quite hard to write given the subject matter, but it's probably the fic I'm proudest of. I just think that story is so fundamental to Astarion's character and it makes me appreciate the comfort and happiness he eventually finds that much more.

[adverbian]

29, 36, and 79 for the fic asks!! <3

29. What’s something about your writing that you’re proud of?

Oh this is a very healthy challenge for me today. Hmm. I am proud of the way I write smut, honestly. I draw on long-ago acting classes: connect to past experiences and try to inhabit the scene in my own body, with strong awareness of physical sensations at each moment — as well as what emotions/thoughts are provoked by those sensations.

It means that writing smut can be a slow process for me. I pause to fully experience each moment in my mind and do an imaginary body scan. And then grasp for the right words to express the sensations. And then let that moment tell me what the POV character wants for the next moment.

I got one delightful comment on AO3 (on Christmas morning!) that said “I like what you do with the sex: the moment-to-moment detail, not clinical or filthy but vivid and multisensory,” and that meant so much to me because that is what I strive for.

36. What fic are you proudest of?

Set Me as a Seal Upon Your Heart — an Ineffable Wedding (and wedding-night) fic. The whole of the Auprès de ma blonde series is about marriage — how I experience it and think about it: not only about the joy of private commitment, but also about the power of having everyone around you recognize and validate your commitment. And that fic is the most about marriage. It has so many threads about ritual, and belief, and love that doesn’t have to hide anymore, and joy.

Writing it was such an unexpectedly delightful process, too. It grew and transformed and coalesced. Brief vignettes opened up like flowers. I delved into the perspectives of other people around the Ineffables, and that was so surprisingly rich and satisfying.

79. Do you have any writing advice you want to share?

Tbh, the smut-writing process in my answer to question 29 is advice I love to share! Writing smut can be so hard — it can feel so awkward, self-conscious, or even detached, like you’re just reporting an observed sequence of events. I think the “method acting” approach helps a lot to get at that juicy internal experience.

Other advice:

It helps to become aware of patterns in your emotions as you go through the process of writing, revising, getting beta feedback, more revising, and publishing. I go on an entire emotional roller coaster every time. It’s less scary now that I know what to expect.

For example, I always go through a phase during initial revisions where I feel like my fic is hot garbage and I am a trash writer. It’s temporary. It usually means I am really starting to get at the main ideas of the piece, and realizing where I need to do more to explore/express them.

I always go through a phase of feeling Very Delicate when I get beta feedback, no matter how kind and helpful it is. I just have to let the anxiety pass (which can take hours or days), and then I will be able to feel good about people being awesome and helping me make the fic better. (I am always scared that this will make people afraid to beta for me. I truly feel love and gratitude for everyone who beta-reads for me! You are helping me! You are not responsible for my weird brain reaction!)

And I always go through a stage of high anxiety right after I publish a fic, terrified that maybe this time everybody will hate it.

It’s useful to recognize these emotional stages, and know that they will pass.

[analog-cottage-gore]

Ivy finds out a little bit more than expected.

Ships: Lyrassir/Ivy/Raphaella/Marius (tho Marius is just implied tbh)

Gace myself the challenge of "Don't use the same pronouns for Lyf twice"

While reading please invision @/reegis 's designs <3

Also @hurtmionedanger you were excited so-

Ivy was not having the best day. Or, well, couple of months really.

Both Lyf and Raph had been having near constant nightmares that Ivy couldn't soothe, and though Marius was mostly helpful, he could only do so much. The only information she had was that both were having nightmares of their families and death. So, Ivy did what she always did; took to her files to find answers for these nightmares so she could be better equipped. It always went at least somewhat well!

It wasn't going well.

Ivy was reviewing her files over and over, but coming up empty. Sure, it helped that she had her guilty pleasure playlist on, but she was still stumped. She hummed along to bubblegum bitch whilst translating old norse and copying pieces of asgardian police reports to a document full of clues.

She'd figured out that Lyfrassir wasn't a midgardian when they were back in Yggdrasil, and she'd recently gotten the information that he was half jötunn, which were normally restricted to the planet Jötunheim, however that clearly wasn't the case for her dear (ex-)inspector. So pan must have at least one partially non-Jötunn parent, which made the scope both bigger and smaller for potential family members.

Gently singing Dollhouse (one of these days she was going to cover some of these old earth songs even if Johnny complained), she finds an… interesting picture.

"D-O-L-L-H-oh, what's this?" She mutters, examining the photo.

It's distorted and damaged, but nothing she can't fix with some time. The caption reads, "Family Photoshoot Before The Trip!". It shows three people, two adults that are sloppily scribbled out, and a child. The adults are standing on either side of said child, who has the biggest and proudest grin on their face. That child is, as expected, Lyfrassir Edda. This is what Ivy thought she would find, what she hoped to find, even. But this isn't what catches her off guard.

What makes her falter is the fact that the adults are wearing Midgardian Resistance uniforms.

Now, she'd known Lyf had asgardian blood in her, xe were relatively open with the fact even in Yggdrasil, so ae being a child from the time before Odin fucked it all up with her train made sense, given asgardian life spans. But a child of the midgardian resistance? She hadn't even considered it, let alone had a percentage in place. The up-tight cop who had seemed just as pro-asgardian as the other cops (an issue Ivy and the others in jail had known would be worked past), was from the resistance. Okay. Sure.

Ivy set the photo up for restoration, to find out who Lyf's parents were, and got to looking through Raph's oldest sketches to distract herself.

There were a lot of designs for medical stuff and toys, the latter likely due to her being younger when designing them. What's interesting is that Ivy finds designs for wings. No, not wings… wing extensions, designed for underdeveloped wings, sort of mobility aid for flight, with a note in Raph's handwriting on what seems to be the finalized version;

To my father,

I feel these new designs I've made could have massive impacts on life for people with conditions like mine. I hope that you might see the same potential in my work.

Your child, Icarus.

Icarus.

Oh.

It all starts to fall into place in Ivy's mind.

Raph would wake up screaming in the middle of the night, and would immediately check to make sure her wings were there, not letting anyone touch them. Of course she wouldn't let anyone touch her wings after those nightmares. Ivy could almost see what had happened in her mind, based on what she had heard of "Icarus", now Raphaella, and the records of Raph pre-mechanization flashing through her mind.

Wing Status: Cut Off At The Top Of Back

Nine words brought far too much anger than they should have, but Ivy didn't care. If they ever got back to The City, Ivy would like to personally strangle Daedalus-

Ding

Ah. The photo was restored. Well, it'd provide a good excuse for Ivy to calm down a bit. She viewed the newly restored image and-

…

......

.........

what the fuck.

why were Loki and Sigyn there.

what.

Ivy took a few moments to process before reflecting on the past few minutes and her newest data, before concluding she really didn't want to just walk away because what the Hel-

In all honesty, maybe she should have expected this. Maybe the utter disdain in "extorting quicker tyranny to midgard", and awe for Loki and Sigyn being on the Ratatosk that was shown in Lyf's voice in the original transmission should have given it away, but fuck it if Ivy wasn't shocked by it anyway-

Well. At least she could help her partner's with nightmares now...?

[niennawept]

🏡 💪 🍎?

Hi! Thank you so much for asking! I sorely needed a distraction.

🏡What is your perfect writing envrionment?

I tend to write best in a dim, warmly lit room with folk music playing and a candle burning. Basically, those "aesthetic writing blogger" situations, tbh. I think the thing that actually matters is the ritual about setting up my room that way, more so than the actual atmosphere. There's an intentionality to shifting tasks that way. I think it helps.

💪What motivates you to write?

Ha! Good question. For the pieces I'm proudest of, it's been because I wanted the story to exist. It felt like it was burning a hole in me and I needed to write faster than it burned. Now - a lot of that sudden flame has cooled off - probably because I have learned a lot about writing from a craft perspective and have perfectionistic tendencies (that I'm fighting but it's a whole war over here). I don't think I'll ever be one of those people who can write a truly rough first draft. I keep going because I want the stories told, but it's harder than it used to be.

🍎What's something you learned while researching for a fic?

Oh - a lot of things. I tend to go into research rabbit holes because they are fun for me. I didn't know how to spin silk thread before I wrote Scars. I knew about drop spindles, but I didn't understand the specifics of how the silk was softened in hot water and unwrapped from cocoons to twist into thread. This made it into a scene because I wanted them to have silk thread for sutures, though I invented a flower to be the source of silk instead, because fantasy and I wanted to, lol.

Thanks for giving me a chance to ramble ❤️