#sequels so rarely hit for me and i hmmm

[rayvern-sheep]

Bro wtf is happening this season of Arcane

Animation good as fuck, love love love, kissing it, having steamy sex with the animation

The designs? YESSSSSS LOOK AT THEM STRONG WOMEN I AM DYING SEVIKA HAIRCUT VI GOTH MOMENT WOOF WOOF BARK

Plot? I am… I want to get off the ride now

[purplewitch156]

20 Questions for Fic Writers!!

Thank you for tagging me @racfoam! That was very sweet of you. <3

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Eight

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

342,149 words. And it's gonna get bigger. I love writing fanfiction.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Harry Potter.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Of Your Making – Harry and Voldemort are trapped in a magical artifact and must forgive each other to be released.

Entwined – Harry is trapped (I have a running theme here…) on a distant, hostile planet and Voldemort is determined to get him back to Earth.

Memento Mori – In the hope of freeing Voldemort from his endless purgatory, Harry chooses to seek him out in death and they end up on a roller coaster of various Lives.

When the Phoenix Cries – Sequel to Of Your Making. Harry and Tom are sent to another dimension where they must deal with a victorious Voldemort and a Death Eater Harry.

Sand In My Shoes – A non-magic AU. Tom is a professional chess player sent to a vacation island to deal with his temper and meets Harry, a comic book artist/surfer.

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

I typically do. It’s so exciting to receive happy comments that I want to be happy back. :D 

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Nightshade. It’s the only one I’ve written so far that is a tragedy.

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

Of Your Making.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Rarely. Negative comments are in the minority, but I still have to remind myself of that fact when one shits in my inbox because I tend to pay more attention to negative remarks – they hit harder than they should. I’m getting better at brushing them off. And if they are particularly shitty, I delete them.

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

I don’t think any of my sex scenes are smutty enough to be called smut, so no. BUT I would like to one day write a story that leans more into the smut as a personal challenge.

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

I have not written a crossover.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No. And if it has happened, I’m unaware.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! A few of my fics have been translated, especially Of Your Making, which blows me away to this day. People are amazing.

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

I have not.

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

Tomarry, but Harrymort is in very close second place.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Hmmm, that isn't quite how I work. When I get enough of an idea to jot it down in a journal instead of it just floating about in my brain in hypothetical land, I tend to intend to finish it one day. As time goes by, I may decide that the plot isn’t as strong or as compelling as I’d originally thought, and it gets downgraded or repurposed into something better. So I don’t necessarily look at my ideas and say, “I’d like you to happen, but let’s face it, you won’t.” I’m more likely to say, “I think I might strip you for parts��”

16. What are your writing strengths?

Oh lord, I get so stressed with these kinds of questions. I’d say dialogue and engagement.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I rarely spend time describing clothes or structures or people. I have a scene in my current WIP (Deimos) where Tom takes Harry robe shopping (this is such a wonderful trope, god bless) and I tried harder, which meant I Googled ‘mage robes’, found an artist’s rendition I liked, and described it as best as I could. lol

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

I’ve dropped in a few words from other languages when I feel like it might help immerse the reader in the setting, but it’s not something I do often.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Harry Potter.

20. Favourite fics you’ve written?

I love all my fics. I’ve enjoyed writing each of them immensely, but if I had to pick favorites I’d say Of Your Making and A Deathly Visit.

Tagging anyone who sees this and wants to participate! <3<3<3

[zemkzone]

20 Questions For Fic Writers

I was tagged by @simpledontmeanpeachy. Figured I'd do this for fun.

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Oof. I've written eight at this point. Oof.

2. What’s your total A03 word count?

As of December 16, 2023... 546,575. Most of it in the last two years.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

In my A03 life, I've written for Hannibal (NBC-centric Hannigram) and the CW Arrowverse. Mostly ColdFlash, but that's not where I started! I segued into Sladiver for a bit.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

When Lightning Hits Ice (ColdFlash, 979)

In Opposition of Solitude (Hannigram, 918)

Let the Unpredicted and InevitableUnfold (Hannigram, 656)

Strongholds of the Mind (Sladiver, 386)

That Rare Arctic Thunderstorm (ColdFlash, 186)

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

Oh, absolutely! I love hearing what my readers think. If it's a long comment, I'll do my best to respond in kind without giving away too much of what's coming next. But even if it's just emojis or an "I love this", I will at the very least say thank you. I am grateful for whatever way you choose to express your thoughts about what you've read, and it certainly helps keep me motivated!

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

Ooooof. Okay, considering it's also my only story on indefinite hiatus, it's Strongholds of the Mind. I wasn't in a good headspace at the time to deal with writing ansty!betrayed!Oliver properly. If we're talking completed fics, does When Lightning Hits Ice count? But there is a sequel and the other one-shots connected to it in my Sparks in the Ice series.

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

Hmmm... That has to be Perspective: A Regency Romance. After all, it's based off a Jane Austen novel and you cannot fault a good romantic and economical happy ending. :D

8. Do you get hate on your fic?

No. But I have had one nagging misunderstanding. And I simply refuse to engage with it.

9. Do you write smut?

Oh, yes, baby, fuck yes~! You guys can tell me if you like the way I do it or not.

10. Do you write crossovers?

Hmmm... Closest I've gotten is Perspective: A Regency Romance. Or basing OCs in my works on characters from other series. If you can guess who Mike and Avigail Birnbaum are loosely based of, kudos to you!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Really? See, this is why I prefer to play around with the canon universes. I worry enough about my original writing staying safe.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not as of yet! It's a dauntless task on a good day, and this is FANdom. Translating involves so much more work beyond a a direct substitution like "what is the word for 'apple' in XYZ language?"

13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

No, but I have been seduced inspired into writing particular scenes by the highly skilled artist @hardwiredweird.

14. What‘s your all-time favourite ship?

To write? ColdFlash. Just because it's pushing all the right buttons for me at this point and honestly, I've got entirely too many thoughts about the state of linked TV series writing NOT to. But I devour Hannigram and other similar (okay, not quite similar) pairings when I don't have the bandwith for writing or I'm in transit and a physical book would be out of the question.

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

I could wax determinedly about my three-year-plan to finish Strongholds of the Mind, but I don't really know if I will. Will I probably hint at Sladiver in my other works? Maybe. But I don't know if it's healthy for me to be in Oliver Queen's head at that stage in the narrative. Leonard Snart's is all rainbows and unicorns by compare, in my books. And Hannibal Lecter. He's fine, like the finest of wines. What does that say about me?

16. What’s your writing strengths?

Foremost, I think it's my planning and plotting. There's a time and place for instant gratification, and while I do sprinkle that in, I'm in things for the long haul lately. I don't get distracted from a project easily, either. I do have a few ideas bouncing around at any given point, but I like letting them percolate for a while so I can both work on my current one satisfactorily and give the floaty ideas time to concretize into something worth writing. After that, I think it's my characterization, if only because I'm willing to ask the disturbing, uncomfortable questions of perfect strangers and do the most idiotic and crazy things to get the experience to make things as real as possible. I'm thorough. I won't release a chapter until I'm sure that I've written well past it and it still ties in together correctly.

Something I've also been told repeatedly that I do well, so I've become quite conscious of ensuring it, is cinematic writing. I want readers to be able to "see" what's going on. I'm actually constantly studying ways to make scenes come alive that way these days.

17. What’s your writing weaknesses?

Doubts. I sometimes finish a chapter or a piece and I'm suddenly struck with the horiffying thought I've fucked up bigtime or, more often, I've missed something important... which, let's be real, you can go back and fix in A03-land or your word processor. But the doubt persists, and that is an enternal issue I'm still working through.

On a more technical note, I am in absolute agony when I write group scenes—so I force myself to keep doing them. It's hard enough to balance dialogue without the tags, with enough intent, meaning, etc. Add in three or more extra people, and it's a game of keeping track of everyone and still making the scenes seem natural. Also, as a lot of M/M or F/F shippers must feel, it's a fun trip when you're using the same pronouns for both parts of a couple, isn't it? As an extension of that, I'm pushing myself to work with ensemble casts, as readers of my Sparks in the Ice series may have noticed. It's lovely for my writing practice, so I'm gunna keep at it till I can tick this off my to study list. I don't think there's any part of writing I find particularly easy, even if I've listed it as a strength. I've been stumped for hours or days on scenes that I don't have any exact frame of reference for.

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

I'm mostly comfortable with it. I do it in both my fanfiction and my original work. English is my first language, but I'm semi-fluent in two others, passably conversational in another, and currently baby-step learning a new one. I think it's a prerequisit for any Arrowverse scene that involves Hartley talking with Cisco and/or Eobard-Thawne-as-Harrison-Wells. For any language I'm not familiar with, I consult friends and the great wide interwebs.

But there's a caveat there. When you use languages that stray from the one most of the text is written in, there has to be a DAMNED good reason. If you can layer at least two reasons for this sentence/phrase to NOT be in English, consider it. If it's just for the sake of you, the writer, wanting to show off, skip it. At least, that's my personal rule. E.g. Hartley and Cisco talking: For Hartley, it's a refresher that he can speak these languages and, because of the choice of things he says, it reveals something of his snootiness and educational/cultural leanings. For Cisco, it's because he grew up bilingual to an extent, and his wording implies a casual, day-to-day useage in opposition to hifalutin Hart-speak.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Ohhhh... I don't recall, since I had a horribly long hiatus from writing in my teens, which I'm long past at this point. When I hit A03 in...2016, though, I ran headlong into Hannigram.

20. Favourite fic you’ve ever written?

Hmmm... I don't actually have one. I feel a sense of quiet achievement every time I finish a project, be it a chaptered fic or a one-shot. But I still have a LOT to say in my Sparks in the Ice series. I guess, in a way, that does make it a favorite, doesn't it?

I'm not tagging anyone specifically, but if you're reading this loooong post and feel like taking it on yourself, go right ahead!

[ghostmartyr]

Pokémon Black 2 Randomized Nuzlocke Run [Part 10]

Elite Four grind time.

With some time spent pushing rocks into holes, just in case I need to go places in the future.

Team:

Caspet (Gengar)

Nessy (Milotic)

Diego (Gardevoir)

Stormy (Metagross)

Vertex (Luxray)

Photon (Rayquaza)

So here we are, leveling up our team before our chaotic last stand, and that means... we’re in a new route. One more for the road.

What will it be?

It’s a Fire type!

I’m a moron!

No, Diego, no.

...

FUCK I HAD A MASTER BALL I COULD HAVE USED.

WHY DOES MY BRAIN CONSISTENTLY GO TO THE “yeah there could be a type problem but I’m sure it’ll be fine,” ARENA WHEN I’M TRYING TO CATCH THINGS. YOUR OPTIMISM IS KILLING THIS TEAM. KILLING IT.

IT’S CAUGHT ANYWAY.

I GUESS THE LITTLE MURDERER WHO’S LIKELY TO BE PART OF THE TEAM GETS A NAME.

YOU’RE DAMIAN. IN ALL CAPS.

I’m so sorry my optimism killed you, Diego.

I have a Dawn Stone now.

Maybe things would have gone better if I had it earlier.

I might be sorrier I have to grind something else. But I’m mostly just sorry.

-sigh-

Rest well, friend.

Now then.

Hey there. You’re Serious and often doze off.

I guess I’ll train you now.

We’ll be back when the demon child is up to 60!

Or when I’m in his patch of grass again and cool, Sunflora and Manaphy. Mareep is in more common grass. As is Rhyhorn and Manectric. Ninjask in the water. Look, the wild one live longer. Braviary is occasionally here too, with Marill in the deep spots.

Heeeeey, DAMIAN made it to 60 without dying! Also without anyone else dying! Nifty! We’re throwing Caspet back in front, handing the Exp. Share to Photon for now, and just going to go through this Victory Road.

What I assume to be Victory Road. This part of the game blends together for me even worse than the rest.

...Well, now I’m on it, so no matter!

Wait. We had a planned thing?

N, this is why there’s so much fanfic written about you. Thank you, friend. Even if it’s only because I remind you of your boyfriend from the last cartridge set.

What do I teach it to, though? It’s a physical Water attack. A very good one, but I don’t think any of my physical attackers can learn it. I might have to take something out of a box for it... In that case, I might as well also get something that can learn Cut. There are trees about.

Photon and Nessy are the only ones that can learn Waterfall. I don’t think I want it for either of them. To the nearest box!

I don’t know if this is a way to a box, but this is really, really cool and I dig it.

Okay, do I have anything that can learn both Cut and Waterfall? Mayhaps? Or Fly?

No, this isn’t going to be that straightforward. Nessy and Caspet are in the box since they need exp least. Replacing them temporarily are Amuro the Charmander (Cut), and Winn the Whiscash (Waterfall and Surf).

Photon’s in the first slot, Exp. Share moves to Vertex for now.

There’s this maze of Cuttable trees and trainers out before Victory Road proper. I don’t really understand what this gen likes so much about random maze areas, but I think most Pokemon games are into that on some level. It’s just annoying right now because Sun and Moon spoiled me. HMs are obnoxious.

On a related note, Winn now knows Strength.

There are also now Kabutops everywhere.

Having gone through the maze, I’m going down Victory Road with Nessy back in the party and Amuro back in the box. Thanks for your service, bud. Where we’re going, we don’t need Cut. ...I hope.

This gen’s needless drama makes me happy.

And the first pokemon of Victory Road is...!

Hi there. You’re gen appropriate. What are you doing here.

Quick Ball for a quick catch, and your name’s Kansas now. Get in the box.

Other possibilities that can no longer be counted as such are Lickilicky, Psyduck, more Psyduck, Aggron, Spheal, Smeargle, Dragonite, Dewott, Starly, Zweilous, Trapinch, Marill, Swellow, Mismagius, Weavile, Genesect... there were a lot.

Throwing the Exp. Share at DAMIAN for the now.

We’re secretly the same person.

The number of trainers on Victory Road who have history with Team Plasma one way or another is really satisfying. In this sequel game, the events of the game preceding it had an impact on NPCs. Delightful.

Also, I repeat my desire for NPCs to not be allowed to have things that have Sturdy. I hate Sturdy. It makes me sad. So do caves that need Flash to see in. Instead of teaching anything Flash, I’m going to stumble around in the dark. The dark that says this is probably an optional section.

I made my way to an outside!

Hmmm.

Russell?

Russell!

Fuck. Rival fights just when I’m really wanting to see a Pokemon Center are not my favorite thing. They are even less of my favorite thing when I have a  slot taken up by an HM slave.

!!!

Hey, this is the rival fight that starts with an Unfezant in this corridor!

It’s level 55, and Russell only has four pokemon, so this should be relatively okay. Bouffalant comes out as a result of Unfezant’s U-turn. Nessy deals with it, but is in the orange. Simisage is next, go DAMIAN. Samurott following, go Vertex. Samurott is level 57. Stormy goes in to finish the Unfezant since Stormy has a Quick Attack replacement.

And that’s the fight! Yay!

Pokemon Center?

Fine, I can take the Thunderbolt TM I guess.

Geez, what happened in the past two years, huh?

Oki doki, I’m going to go back through Victory Road and check out all the things I didn’t want to before finding the health point on the way out. When I’m done with that, I’ll look at the resting levels and decide what I think.

Stormy with the Exp. Share for the moment.

The heck.

Am I going to want to give something Flash?

Randomizer is fun.

Now then. What are you gonna do?

Nothing. Well great.

That kind of leaves with one thing to do, doesn’t it.

Yeah.

Soooo.

I think based on the levels I’ve been up against to get here, continuing to grind kind of defeats the spirit of the Nuzlocke. I also don’t have Fly, so I’m going to stick with what I have available here to construct team improvements.

To the TM page.

Nessy’s going to forget Twister for Ice Beam.

Photon’s going to... actually no.

DAMIAN’s ditching Crunch for Toxic just so someone knows it.

And that’s it for TMs that I could change up their movesets with.

Leftovers for Nessy, Magnet for Vertex, Wide Lens for Stormy, Charcoal for DAMIAN, Spell Tag for Caspet, and Razor Claw for Photon.

Going to spend most of my money on recovery items, and then. In we’ll go.

After giving Caspet all of my remaining Rare Candy. Caspet it level 69. Nice.

I think Fighting dude is to the far right. He’s been a problem in the past, so I’m going to go ahead and try to get that out of the way. Stormy up front because while Photon might have Air Slash and STAB, all these things are likely to have Stone Edge. The worst of everything. Next to Sturdy.

Yeehaw.

...Huh.

Well then.

So Marshal’s first pokemon is a level 56 Throh. At the risk of feeling very embarrassed in a few moments, I think I might be slightly overleveled for this. Uh. Stormy, use Zen Headbutt?

Bye Throh?

Mienshao is up next, and for that one I think I want to switch into Photon. Or do I. See, I can’t remember if Bug is super effective against Stormy or not. Steel clears up a lot of the Pyschic weaknesses, but I am not allowed to look things up, and gaaah.

Stormy can survive one hit of anything, probably. In Stormy stays.

One Zen Headbutt later, Stormy is also staying in to fight Conkeldurr. It’s level 58. It uses Bulk Up (yes, it lived. its berry even brought it back to orange!). Stormy uses Zen Headbutt. Conkeldurr is no more.

Next and last is Sawk. Let me guess. This is still the Sturdy version. It is. It uses Payback, which does a pathetic amount of damage. Stormy uses Bullet Punch to simplify the future, and Marshal Full Restores Sawk. Stormy uses Zen Headbutt.

Yay, I won.

...This is sincerely awkward. I thought they’d be in their 60s. And maybe they are for the second round, but I’ve spent so many hours in this gen that my plan is to call it after beating the Elite Four. So uh. This is my final battle.

To the Psychic room?

I like how two years later, the Elite Four has agreed to stairs instead of moving spiral stairs.

Caspet is up in front.

Caitlin sends out a level 56 Musharna. Caspet uses Shadow Ball. Musharna faints. Caitlin sends in a level 56 Reuniclus. Caspet uses Shadow Ball. Reuniclus faints. Caitlin sends in Sigilyph. Caspet uses Shadow Ball. Sigilyph faints. Caitlin sends in a level 58 Gothitelle. Caspet uses Shadow Ball.

And that’s Caitlin.

Ghost girl next because I already have Caspet up front.

Shauntal sends out a level 56 Cofagrigus. Caspet uses Shadow Ball. She’s about to send out a Golurk, and to keep from being too arrogant, I switch to Nessy. Nessy uses Surf. Bye Golurk. She sends out a Drifblim, I go back to Caspet. Caspet uses Shadow Ball. Nessy gets sent back in against a level 58 Chandelure. Nessy uses Surf.

Nessy’s level 67 now.

Three down.

Stormy, you can sit in front for this next one.

Grimsley sends out his level 56 Liepard. It uses Fake Out. Then it uses Night Slash. Stormy is at 156 HP out of 192. Stormy uses Hammer Arm. Liepard faints. Nessy comes out to handle the Krookodile. It uses Earthquake. Nessy uses Surf. One is left standing.

Scrafty is next.

I don’t have anything I’m super comfortable having out against it, so I think I’m going to go for an odder pick and have Vertex fight it. If nothing else, yay Intimidate.

Vertex uses Spark. Scrafty uses Rock Tomb. Vertex’s Speed is lowered, but Scrafty’s down to half health. Vertex uses Spark. Ugh, a sliver of health left. Scrafty uses Rock Tomb again and Speed is lowered again. Grimsely is going to use a Full Restore, so I’m going to use Charge.

Scrafty uses Crunch.

A moment of fear for Vertex. Yike.

Charged Spark takes out Scrafty, though.

Grimsley’s final pokemon is Bisharp. DAMIAN, this is your time.

DAMIAN uses Flamethrower. Bisharp faints.

4/4.

Yay.

The question now becomes what I want in front. If memory serves, Iris is now the Champion. I don’t know if her Dragon theme is changed up at all. I do know that her levels will be a bit higher than what these four fights have entailed.

I think I’ll put Caspet up front. She’s faster than anything, and does enough damage that unless something goes very wrong, she has an excellent chance of just nailing the first thing.

...On second thought, no.

Iris might have a Hydreigon. Likely not first, but I do not need to ever give a Hydreigon extra moves. So.

Stormy, I guess. Stormy’s reliable, and whatever happens, probably won’t die in one hit. Okay.

Hi I’m Iris and I’m extra af.

AF.

Oh, I don’t remember her theme music. Feels... prancy. I like it.

HEY WAIT LOOK I DID A SMART THING SHE DOES HAVE HYDREIGON FIRST.

STORMY USE HAMMER ARM AND PLEASE HIT.

(It’s level 57.)

Hydreigon uses Flamethrower. I figured there was a very good chance of that happening, but Stormy endures the hit in the green, and Hammer Arm hits.

Hydreigon down!

Stormy grows to level 65!

Aggron is next.

I don’t want to risk Earthquake, Nessy’s taking this.

Level 57 Aggron, Nessy uses Surf. No point wasting Hydro Pump on something likely to have Sturdy.

Okay so it doesn’t have Sturdy.

It’s also gone now.

Nessy’s level 68.

Iris sends out a Lapras, Vertex needs something to do. Vertex uses Charge as a safety measure/to see if I can one-shot the Lapras. Lapras uses... Ice Beam, I think, but I was typing in this window when the attack went off. Because this has my full attention.

Vertex uses Spark. Lapras faints.

Iris has a Haxorus. It is level 59.

Well, Nessy has Ice Beam.

Haxorus hits first with Earthquake. Nessy stays green.

IRIS WHY DOES YOUR HAXORUS HAVE A FUCKING FOCUS SASH COME ON I’M SUPPOSED TO BE ABLE TO LIKE YOU.

Siiiigh. Nessy gets to use another Ice Beam, likely after the inevitable Full Restore comes in.

Yes to both those things.

Haxorus faints.

Iris sends out Druddigon, Nessy stays in. Nessy uses Ice Beam. ...Druddigon survives with a sliver of red, but is frozen. Nessy uses Ice Beam again. Druddigon faints.

Last up is Archeops.

I am, at heart, a sentimental man.

Caspet. I believe in you. You, the closest thing to a starter this run had after the first hour.

Use Shadow Ball.

WE WIN.

That...

Geez, that certainly happened, didn’t it? I can’t say I’m disappointed, exactly, because I like winning too much, but. Outside of Vertex vs. Scrafty, there wasn’t much fear involved. Kind of anticlimactic.

And sad, to think that Diego could have been part of it if we hadn’t met DAMIAN first. He missed it by so little.

Iris.

Iris.

Please.

Wait, where’s the shot of my entire team? Game!

No.

Here are our available living pokemon in the box. Hark and rejoice, my friends I will never play with again. The friends most of you never met are victorious.

Here lie Dreamor, Tagg, Sylarana, Sasuke, Itsy, Stella, Puff, Boruto, Cerberus, and Diego.

Thank you, and farewell.

Final team:

Nice job, guys.

Caspet, level 70.

Photon, level 65.

Nessy, level 68.

Vertex, level 64.

DAMIAN, level 65.

Stormy, level 65.

Phew.

So all of the tension went out of order for this one. My starter died early, I was massively overleveled for the Elite Four and didn’t even expect to be fighting them this round, then I was, and meaningful deaths weren’t that common or devastating.

But I had fun, and I hope the two of you who sometimes read these enjoyed the adventure. I’m done with this gen for like. at least a year, but I have decided to do a Nuzlocke of either Fire Red or Leaf Green. I don’t know which, but I’m not going to Randomize the run. I am going to have one very specific rule changing things up to make going back to the gen three version of gen one hopefully very worth it, but yeah.

I don’t know when that will be happening, but I seem to enjoy having one of these going. Plus, I think the rule changes I have in mind would make my posts less meandering.

Anyway, thanks for reading.

[creideamhgradochas]

Thanks to the lovely @green-eyeddragonfanfiction for taking the time to answer these! Get to know more about her, go give her a follow and then show her some love!

These questions are from this list. You should check it out, there’s 50 questions all together and they’d be great to ask your favorite fic writer!

1) How old were you when you first starting writing fan-fiction?

Around 20, I think.

2) Do you prefer writing OC’s or reader inserts? Explain your answer.

Reader inserts, definitely. I don’t mind throwing OC’s in there if I need to, though. I really like reading reader inserts. I think it’s really fun and engaging to imagine yourself in a story.

3) What is your favorite genre to write for?

Super Heroes! Although I really adore fantasy. If I were to write a book, it would be fantasy.

4) If you had to delete one of your stories and never speak of it again, which would it be and why?

I’m… not sure. I s'pose it’d have to be One Mistake, simply because I think it’s worst piece.

5) When is your preferred time to write?

Whenever I actually find the motivation to write, which usually ends up being around 1-4 am. Aka I’m a Mess: Part 1

6) Where do you take your inspiration from?

Have you seen this man?

I suppose I also draw inspiration from comics, movies, TV shows, and video games where applicable.

7) In your Winter’s War Series, what’s your favorite scene that you wrote?

Out of the entire trilogy? Dang, that’s tough. Maybe in Ghosts of War when Bucky, Reader, and Nat are sitting together, sort of like some messed up little family? If not that, then it’s probably in Winter’s War when Reader, Steve, and Bucky reunite after the Azzano goes up in flames.

8) Have you ever amended a story due to criticisms you’ve received after posting it?

I don’t think I’ve ever received “criticism.” I’ve received very polite corrections of some of the German in WW from some native speakers, but that’s about it (I haven’t corrected any of it yet because I’m a lazy pos).

9) Who is your favorite character to write for? Why?

Bucky Barnes. Because he’s Bucky Barnes.

10) Who is your least favorite character to write for? Why?

I don’t really write characters that I don’t like. Even villains are fun to write, even if I hate them. If I had to choose, I guess it’d be Ashley Williams, from the Mass Effect series. I’ve only written her once, but she’s a damned space racist and I hate her, even if I didn’t hate writing her.

11) How did you come up with the title for the Winter’s War Series?

Winter’s War was named with the final scene of the first book in mind, as well as what reader and Bucky would be turned into for the second book; Winter Soldier(s), and the war that led them to being created. And because they “die” in the snow and ice. Ghosts of War because that’s what Reader and Bucky are in the second book. Ghosts. Shells of themselves. War torn and weary. Weapons. War of Attrition because, in the third book, they fight tooth and nail for every scrap of memory, personality, humanity, and they don’t always win. They’re going to hit a lot of roadblocks, mostly in the form of other humans, their past and their guilt, and sometimes each other.

12) How did you come up with the idea for Winter’s War Series?

I always liked the thought of a Bucky x Reader series where they both ended up as Winter Soldiers. Everything kind of grew from that. It follows very closely to the canon, so everything was trying to figure out the most believable way to weave a reader character into the existing story.

13) Do you have any abandoned WIP’s? What made you abandon them?

“Abandoned” is a strong word…. *stares guiltily at The Way I Do and Two of a Kind.* I just haven’t found the inspiration to write them recently, but I do plan on finishing them… eventually.

14) Are there any stories that you’ve written that you’d really love to do a sequel to?

I plan on doing a second part for A Night to Remember when October rolls around. I also plan on adding more monster!Bucky’s to The Monster Series. My other series are complete or in progress and I don’t plan to add more to them (except to finish them in the case of the WIPs).

15) Are there any stories that you wished you’d ended differently?

I don’t think so, no.

16) Tell me about another writer(s) who you admire? What is it about them that you admire?

@angryschnauzer​ writes absolutely divine smut. I absolutely hate writing smut, so I wish I had her skills. There are others, but she’s the first one that came to mind. If I listed out every single author on here that I admire and why I admire them, we’d be here for another ten paragraphs!

17) Do you have a story that you look back on and cringe when you reread it?

I only started writing back in August. Anything written before that’s been lost to the Great Laptop Death of 2017. So, luckily, most of my writing is relatively recent and cringe-free.

18) Do you prefer listening to music when you’re writing or do you need silence?

I prefer listening to music (I love loud music and hate silence), but it’s distracting. My brain sometimes can’t process correctly so it tries to write the words I’m hearing instead of what I actually want to write. RIP me and my stupid brain. Aka I’m a Hot Mess: Part 2.

19) Have you ever cried whilst writing a story?

Haha. No. I’m dead inside. I very rarely (if ever) cry when reading, too.

20) Which part of your Winter’s War Series was the hardest to write?

Oh god the entire Agents of SHIELD part of War of Attrition. That show is so dense and woven so intricately into the MCU that it was difficult as hell to figure out where to put the reader so that it’d be relevant and set up for the next parts of the story. I love that show, but it was so hard *sobbing*.

21) Do you make a general outline for your stories or do you just go with the flow?

I almost never make outlines. WoA has been the exception because, as stated above, the content was way denser and I needed a clear path to be able to write them from point A to point B. That being said, I’ve only gotten as far as just after AoU. I haven’t decided what to do with Civil War or Infinity War yet.

22) What is something you wished you’d known before you started posting fan-fiction?

A) How Tumblr worked and B) that it’s a terrible, terrible site with horrible coding that, if it were a person, I would shoot as a mercy. Other than that, I read a lot of fics on here before I started posting some myself, which meant I had a pretty good idea of how to format it to be reader-friendly. Still had to google a lot of stuff, though.

23) Do you have a story that you feel doesn’t get as much love as you’d like?

Hmmm. I’m lucky in that I think I have a lot of readers/followers who leave lots of likes/comments/reblogs, but if I had to choose one? I think it’d be my recent Steve x Reader fic, Promise.

24) In contrast to 23 is there a story which gets lots of love which you kinda eye roll at?

Oh god. Again, I’m grateful for every like, comment, and reblog I get, but By Chance. It’s by far my most popular one shot at a staggering 1,925 notes. I like the a/b/o verse, but I posted it pretty early on in my writing career and it skyrocketed which completely blindsided me. The same thing kinda happened with Dumped, Drunk, and Angry. I wrote a one shot in a day or two because inspiration hit me like a freight train, and somehow they’re both over a thousand notes now.

25) Are any of your characters based on real people?

I s'pose Reader is always based off of me, just a little bit? Every other character (except the rare OC) has an established personality, but if I made reader a completely faceless, bland being it wouldn’t be that fun to read, would it? So even though I’m always careful to never describe reader too much physically, s/he always ends up with at least some of my personality.

26) What’s the biggest compliment you’ve gotten?

Oh goodness, I don’t know. My readers are amazingly kind people. I get a lot of asks and comments saying very, very nice things all the time. I don’t think I could choose just one if I tried..

27) What’s the harshest criticism you’ve gotten?

I was told very politely I spelled some German words wrong/used the wrong German words.

28) Do you share your story ideas with anyone else or do you keep them close to your chest?

I word vomit on my real life friend sometimes if I’m really stuck. It’s not always super useful because she doesn’t follow/watch any MCU stuff. Mostly, ideas just bounce around in my head until one sticks.

29) Do people know you write fan-fiction?

Yeah, most of my real life friends know. The friend I mentioned above writes fanfic, just not for the MCU. The rest are big nerds, too, so they don’t judge me.

30) What’s your favorite minor character you’ve written?

I loved writing Ran Shen and Mila Hitzvig for The Bitter March arc in Ghosts of War. As far as OC’s go, Dean from my series Time is probably my favorite.

31) What spurs you on during the writing process?

Interest in the source material has a lot to do with it. For example, I was writing easily 4k+ words a day when I was writing about the events of Captain America: the Winter Soldier. Other than that, I wait for the urge to hit me… which sometimes means I don’t write for a few days and sometimes a week depending on what’s happening in real life.

32) What’s your favorite trope to write?

So far? Soulmate. A/B/O was also fun and I’ll probably write it again at some point.

33) Can you remember the first fic you read? What was it about?

Oh jesus, no. I have the worst memory ever. I’m lucky if I can remember things a week ago, much less years ago.

34) If you could write only angst, fluff or smut for the rest of your writing life, which would it be and why?

Uhh… Not smut, I know that much. But I have this bad habit where I can’t write fluff without some angst and vice versa? I don’t think I could deal with writing cotton candy fluff for the rest of my life, though. So…. angst, I guess? But I wouldn’t be happy about it.

[heleentje]

For the fanfic ask: 1, 3, 13, 15, 18, 20, 27, 28, and 10,14,16, 46 for So Far, So Good? (Forgive me, I am curious by nature and have no self control. Please don’t feel like you have to answer all of these if you don’t want to. ^^’)

I started on this, lost everything I’d already written and had a hard time picking it back up again. So my apologies for the delay and here you are!

1) How old were you when you first starting writing fanfiction?

I’ve been writing in some capacity since I was 8, but I was 12 when I wrote fanfic for the first time. It was a story about the Founders of Hogwarts, it lasted for two pages and has never seen the light of the internet, nor will it ever :)

3) Do you prefer writing OC’s or reader inserts? Explain your answer.

OCs for sure. There are only so many variations of myself I can write and I vastly prefer creating OCs. Sometimes only for minor roles, sometimes for very big ones. I’ve had to cut some of my OCs from my stories, sometimes very late in the editing game, and that always hurts a lot.

13) Who is your least favourite character to write for? Why?

In general I have trouble writing characters I can’t find at least some common ground with. Examples are Jack, Amon and Divine. That doesn’t necessarily mean I don’t like the characters (I like Jack very much), but I have a hard time getting a grip on their voice. 

15) If you write OC’s, how do you decide on their names?

I check a lot of baby name sites :p Usually the names have some kind of meaning that connects to their personality or role in the story, though I do try to keep it something their parents would actually name them. Every once in a while, the name comes to me before the character does, but that’s admittedly rare.

18) Do you have any abandoned WIP’s? What made you abandon them?

A couple that I’ve since taken down. Usually I lost interest, figured the plot wasn’t what I wanted it to be, or my writing had progressed so much that it became old shame.

20) Are there any stories that you wished you’d ended differently?

Hmmm, while there are always things I would’ve done differently in hindsight, I can’t think of any story that I would’ve ended drastically differently. The ending I have is usually one I’m happy with.

27) Do you make a general outline for your stories or do you just go with the flow?

I am a dedicated plantser! I usually have a concept, a general outline of points I want to hit in the story and some character notes, but aside from that, I’m making it up as I go. That means the stories can change drastically. 

(To give an example, One Second Per Second was supposed to end after what is now chapter 24. In the current story, that’s the halfway point.)

28) What is something you wished you’d known before you started posting fanfiction?

Gosh, I’ve always been a lurker so I actually picked up on a lot of conventions before I started posting. I can’t think of anything that I would have been able to change. I would’ve liked my English to be better, but since I learned English through reading and writing fanfic, that wouldn’t have been possible.

So Far, So Good

10) Why did you decide to end it like that? Did you have an alternative ending in mind?

No alternative endings! SFSG was always going to have a... well, not entirely happy ending, but mostly happy, at least. It’s an intrinsically optimistic story and I don’t think I ever made any secret of the fact that it would have a good ending. Let’s just say I’m definitely not a fan of tragic endings just for the sake of tragedy.

14) How did you come up with the title?

The title comes from the very first line of Shasta (Carrie’s Song) by Vienna Teng. The song itself has very little to do with SFSG but it’s a lovely song that I greatly enjoyed at the time and still do today.

16) How did you come up with the idea?

At the time,  the idea of a Good Light as a counterpart to Judai’s Good Darkness had already come up several times in discussions with a couple of people (among which @higuchimon​ and @silvormoon​). The rest of it just grew organically from that idea. 

46) I really loved your fic. If you were ever to do a sequel, what do you think might happen in it?

Thank you! I’m still amazed by how much love this fic gets even years later.

I actually did plan for a sequel once upon a time, though I fear it’ll never get written. In it, the Light of Hope, still split between Yubel and Johan, is trying its hardest to reunite, something that would also merge Yubel and Johan. And well... it has no idea why either of them or Judai would have an issue with that. 

[surveysonfleek]

362.

5000 Question Survey Pt. 6

501. If you could rename yourself what would your new name be? i don’t think i would. 502. What is your Glam Rock name (the name of your first pet plus your street name)? isn’t this the same formula as your porn star name? anyways it would be dopey wrentmore. haha. 503. Have you ever created your own 'what ___ are you' quiz? If you did make one what would it be about? nope. 504. What is your favorite song from the 70's? haha i have no idea. 505. What do you feel like complaining about? my damn life lol.

506. What do you feel like celebrating? my birthday. it’s still in a couple months. 507. Have you lost touch with anyone you should call? yeah, one of my best mates from uni. it’s his bday. 508. Deep in thought do you forgive everyone? yeah i guess. 509. Can a person speak out against their government and still support their country? yeah, that’s what freedom of speech is for. 510. What do you have faith in? hmmm. idk. 511. Do you believe your government has a file on you somewhere? haha i’m pretty sure they have. 512. What (not who) do you care about? a lot of things, mainly the wellbeing of the people i love. 513. What is the worst thing that could possibly happen to you? something to fuck up my life, oor losing someone i love unexpectedly. 514. Who or what is really the absolute root and source of all evil? money. 515. What do you want to change about the world? idk. 516. Why did you decide to complete this survey? i’m bored. 517. Has anyone ever led you on? not really. 518. What was the last thing you did against your will? work hahaha. 519. What are your plans for the rest of today? the day is over. just sleep. 520. How can you make tomorrow better than today was? be more productive. 521. Would you rather date someone 4 feet tall or 9 feet tall? idk, depended on their personality. 522. How often do you get jealous? rarely these days. 523. What is the one thing you do that your friends wish you didn't? smoke lol. or get anxious too easily. 524. Do you do any soul searching? not really. 525. Do you believe you have a soul? sure. 526. Would you rather have a child that is more confident or more curious? curious. 527. Are you a slave to love? nah. maybe lol. 528. If you were going to write a bedtime story for someone you loved what would it be about? haha he would not be into bedtime stories. 529. Does anyone understand you? yes. 530. Do you understand yourself? most of the time. 531. Earth, Air, Fire, and Water: Which is your element? fire. 532. Who influences you to be the way you are? my boyfriend, family and friends. 533. What is one idea that you live by? work harder. 534. How can people act to make you want to get to know them? just be really open and willing to talk to me. 535. Are you more delicate or tough? i’m in the middle. 536. Would you rather be smarter or more beautiful? smarter. 537. Have you ever had a surprise party? no. 538. When are you at a loss for words? when i’m surprised. 539. What is the worst time to be alone? when you’re feeling down or you need help and have no one to ask. 540. What do your parents do that you will try never to do? nothing, they live a pretty honest and healthy life. 541. What gets you through the night? sleep. 542. Do you really want to live forever? no, but i want to live until i’m old obviously. 543. Do you often experience powerful emotions? not unless something significant is happening. 544. What could make you so happy right now that you would cry and laugh and sing? if i had won the lotto or be offered my dream job lol. 545. Who is your favorite visual artist? frida kahlo. 546. What would you like to protest against? idk. 547. What or who do you support? gay marriage, feminism, no more racism. 548. If you found out you were pregnant today, would you have an abortion? nope. i’d have it. 549. Do you like picking out greeting cards or would you rather write your own? i like picking them out but damn they’re starting to be expensive. 550. Do you like to be thought of as mysterious? nah. 551. What is the most magical thing that has ever happened to you? idk haha. 552. How would you tell your friend his or her fly was open in public? i’d tell them subtly. 553. Does a good friend tell you you've got something in your teeth or pretend not to notice it? they freaking tell you! 554. The world has many secrets. Have you learned any? Will you share it? idk. 555. Are there any bands you like so much that you want to get their music video collection on DVD? sure. 556. What do you need advice about? how to go about finding a good job. 557. Have you been half-asleep and have you heard voices? yes. 558. Do you have a good luck charm? no. 559. Should animals have the same right to life as people? sure. 560. What is your least favorite body part? my stomach. 561. Do you enjoy British comedy? not usually. 562. Are there ever happy endings or does nothing end? i’d like to believe there are happy endings. 563. What is your worst trait? i’m lazy. 564. Is the world more beautiful because of love? yes, it can be. 565. What is the essence of you? idk. 566. What really inspires you? my parents. 567. Have you met your soul mate? i hope so! 568. Is everyday a special occasion? in essence, yes. 569. What sound would you rather hear than any sound in the world? idk. 570. Of the following which word best describes you: natural: outgoing: polite: quick thinking: 571. Do any commercials make you want to break your TV? nah. i hardly watch tv anymore. 572. Have you ever lost your religion? not really. 573. Do you want to share your life with someone? yes. 574. Where ARE the wild things? idk. 575. Would you rather have a child genetically related to you or an adopted child? at first i would try genetically. if my partner or i can’t conceive then i would consider adopting. 576. If I had a birthday party would you come? if you were a friend, sure. 577. What seemingly impossible thing is POSSIBLE? anything haha. 578. What song do you love to sing out loud? idk, there’s a ton. 579. Have you ever run through the woods naked and played in a stream (you should)? nope. 580. Have you ever taken long solitary night walks? no. 581. Is there more to you than anyone knows? yeah, of course! 582. Can you make tonight the night that you do the things you always wanted to do? haha not really. 583. Would you rather watch life on TV or LIVE it? live it. 584. What keeps you chained down? idk... 585. What is the nagging feeling in the back of your head? i’m constantly telling myself to get my life sorted. 586. Do you celebrate yourself? one day a year, or unless something else interesting happens. 587. Does everyone get the same opportunities in life? definitely not. 588. What would you consider to be better than sex? a bomb ass meal. 589. What evil is necessary? failure. 590. What's your favorite one hit wonder? i can’t think of one right now. 591. What would you do anything for? my boyfriend and family. 592. Do you celebrate the full moon? no. 593. Have you ever gone in the water at the beach at night? no i haven’t actually. 594. Are you ordinary? kinda. 595. What makes people want to hang out with you? i’m always down to hang, that’s probably why. 596. Have you ever felt like you've been a little bit too good to someone? yes. 597. What book did you like that you had to read for school? to kill a mockingbird. 598. What book should everyone have to read in school? ^ 599. Do you like the store Old Navy? we don’t have it here. 600. What movie sequels do you like? ummm... shit i’m blank.

[tanmath3-blog]

It is no secret that I love Jeff Menapace’s writing nor that I think he is an amazing guy. He is definitely one of the reasons I fell in love with the Indie world. The Bad Games series is the first 3 books I read by him and I couldn’t put them down. I have begged and pleaded that he needed to write another in this series and I’m so thrilled that he has, of course it’s not out yet but I will be reading it as soon as it hits Amazon. I can not even imagine where he will take this next but I’m so ready for it. He has written horror, creepy, suspense, post apocalyptic and everything in between. He is amazingly talented and I’m so proud to call him my friend. I have also read everything he has written that I could find. I can honestly say that if you haven’t read anything by him you need to immediately! No passing go, no collecting $200….just get a book and read it! Remember to leave a review they truly help authors more than you realize. Please help me in welcoming Jeff Menapace back to Roadie Notes……..

1. It’s been awhile since we talked what new books do you have out now? Latest release? The fourth Bad Games book, Bad Games: Malevolent, will be out later this summer. Also currently working on follow-ups to Wildlife and Numb.

2. If you could pick any author alive or dead to have lunch with who would it be? Why? Gillian Flynn. I love her dark mind and would love to pick it. She’s also easy on the eyes.

3. What is the strangest thing a fan has ever done?

Yeesh—there have been quite a few things. I’m not too comfortable mentioning them, but what I can tell you is that I’m outlining a project based on a particularly unusual exchange I had with a fan that escalated into some creepy shit.

4. What is the one thing you dread to do when writing?

I don’t dread any of it. I love everything about writing. I’d be lying, however, if I didn’t say that when I’m road blocked on a scene, I tend to get very irritable. Ask my wife Kelly—she’ll confirm the hell out of that.

5. Did you have imaginary friends growing up? Tell me about them Nah. My imagination was already pretty f*cked up. No room for allies, I guess.

6. Do you go to conventions? If not why?

No. I don’t know why, to be honest. Maybe if one came near me and it was worth my while I might.

7. How many times did you have to submit your first story before it was accepted? Hmmm…I don’t remember. I remember my first short story was published fairly quickly to a small magazine for contributor copies. I was over the moon.

8. Ever consider not writing? If so what made you continue?

No way. I worked way too hard to establish the little following I have. I wouldn’t give it up for the world.

9. Ever thought about writing in a different category?

All the time. And I have. The results weren’t so great though. I was/am extremely proud of the books (Side Effects, Cling) but reader reviews are somewhat lukewarm for them, and sales on them are modest. Oh well…

10. Any new additions to the family?

Nope.

11. What is coming up next for you?

Well, like I mentioned before, Bad Games 4 is coming out later this summer, and follow-ups to Wildlife and Numb are in the works. Of course I’m always crossing my fingers that the first three Bad Games books get financing to put them on the big screen. They’ve already been optioned for film, but the guy who optioned them just signed on to direct the new Amityville Horror film (kudos, Daniel!) so he might have his hands full for a bit lol.

12. Do you do release parties? Do you think they work?

No, I don’t. Not sure if they work or not. I usually do a short, exclusive sale to all my newsletter subscribers though.

13. Do you have crazy stalker fans? Have you ever had one you wish would go away?

Yes, a few. Fortunately, they did go away, and I’m now stalker-free.

14. Do you still have a “day job” ? If so what do you do?

I do odd jobs here and there. Usually pet-sitting. I always have time for animals.

15. What is your process for writing? Do you have a voice in your head?

My process is kinda all over the place at times. I usually start with an idea and a brief outline, but as the story gets going and the characters become more fleshed out, things tend to take on a life of their own. Very rarely will a story turn out the way I initially intended.

16. Is there a book you want to make a sequel to you haven’t yet?

Other than the ones I mentioned, I started a sequel for Side Effects that I have put on hold for now. I really liked that book and the characters, but I think it was too much of a slow burn thriller. I may release an updated version in the future, and then proceed with the sequel.

Anything else you want to add please do so! Thank you for doing a follow-up interview!!

I love to hear from my readers. Please feel free to contact me to discuss anything and everything, and be sure to visit my website to sign up for my FREE newsletter (no spam, not ever) where you will receive updates and sneak peeks on all future works along with occasional free stuff.

You can connect with Jeff Menapace here: 

http://www.facebook.com/JeffMenapace.writer

http://twitter.com/JeffMenapace

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffmenapace

https://www.goodreads.com/jeffmenapace

https://www.instagram.com/jeffmenapace

Also, please visit my Amazon Author Page or my website for a complete list of all available works:

http://www.amazon.com/Jeff-Menapace/e/B004R09M0S

http://www.jeffmenapace.com

​ Some of Jeff Menapace’s books:

    Getting even more personal with Jeff Menapace It is no secret that I love Jeff Menapace's writing nor that I think he is an amazing guy.