#skfa writer interview

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SessKag Fandom Appreciation Week - Day 5

Writer interviews - Mythicamagic

@mythicamagic was nominated by @anisaanisa

What was your first introduction to SessKag?

My friend recommended Inuyasha to me and I happily watched a few episodes. I shipped Inu/kag initially but then my friend pointed out Sesskag as a couple. At the time I thought it was a strange idea, but a hundred episodes later and I'd become frustrated with the love-triangle mess. I began reading Inu/kag fanfictions but came across a Kagome and Sesshoumaru interaction in the fic that intrigued me. I went searching for Sesskag fics (I think Frivolous Sentimentalities was one of my firsts) and came crawling back to my friend at college like - 'okay...I ship it' XD 

How long have you been a part of the fandom? 

Since 2010 

What is your writing/art process like? 

I get an idea that won't leave me alone for a long time. It'll usually sit in my head for a while- those tend to be the longer chapter fics. I'll dream about scenes at night before eventually writing them. Oneshots tend to be spur of the moment, hastily typed onto my laptop or phone. I don't plan them, I just make stuff up as I go like improv and then try to tie it all together with a theme, realisation between Sesshoumaru and Kagome or vibe. 

If you could let your fans know one thing, what would it be? 

I appreciate you for reading my stuff. Aha that probably sounds super generic but I do, genuinely. Every comment or like or just passing - 'hey I liked this' in discord means a great deal to me. I'm terrible with replying to stuff like that but I'm grateful. Fanfiction and reader engagement has helped me through tough times, so never think its wasted words to talk to an author of a story you like. 

Do you have anything you're working on right now that the fandom can look forward to? 

Urghhh ahaha um...I'm still working on Night Terrors! Promise! As for anything else, I hope to work on Spoils of War more during Winter break. 

What keeps you writing SessKag? 

I guess I haven't really thought about it that deeply before so this is an interesting question. I guess they're like my comfort characters. Love monster romance as a trope to death so Sesshoumaru being a demon scratches that itch- but I also love his haughty attitude and demeanour when paired with someone like Kagome. Snarky, adaptable heroines with a heart of gold are my weakness. Combine the two and you got a pretty explosive dynamic. Pride clashes. Wires get crossed. They're both so curious and display character development in the series, so it shows they're capable of changing and growing. Separately, they're great characters, but together? You can put them in any situation and it'll usually be interesting if its written well, and that's what I hope to do whenever I start a new story. 

What's the fic you're most proud of? 

Swimming in Silk at the moment, but if I manage to actually finish Night Terrors I'll be ecstatic 

What's your favourite genre/trope to write? 

Romance with hurt/comfort for genre, Enemies to Lovers for trope 

Are there any SessKag fics out there you would strongly recommend reading? 

Anything by Tally Mark or Drosselmeyer

[sesskagevents]

SessKag Fandom Appreciation Week - Day 5

Writer interviews - LadyGoshawk

@ladygoshawk was nominated by Anon.

What was your first introduction to SessKag?

It's been so long, I can't honestly remember for certain. I was coming up out of the worst depressive episode of my life, so my memory of that time is somewhat spotty. I do know that I was surfing the web, looking for distractions and entertainment. Probably, for anime-related topics. And I tripped over Dokuga! I had seen a few episodes of Inuyasha by accident back when it was first airing, dubbed, here in the US. It didn't stick to me at first, but the idea of a non-canon pairing like Sess and Kag, and a whole website dedicated to nothing but, struck me as intriguing. I believe the first fic I read was Nostawen Allesiel's "Laying Amongst Dokatsu" while it was still being written. It remains unfinished, but it lit a tiny little ember and I went on a researching binge. First, I inhaled the anime, start to finish. This solidified my interest in SessKag over the canon pair. I went on to voraciously consume everything SessKag I could find. The rest, as we say, is history! 

How long have you been a part of the fandom?

That may depend upon how you define "part of the fandom". I've been consuming SessKag at least since 2008/9, though it took me a long while to work up the nerve to make a Dokuga account and "identity" in the fandom. Dokuga says I joined 8 years ago, so 2012/13-ish. I probably started writing my own fics after I read LadyBattousai's "Seven Feudal Fairy Tales" in 2010 or so. I didn't start *posting* stories until 2019, with an abortive attempt to join in SessKag Week. 

What is your writing process like?

Overwrought chaos! I will often get a fic idea and jot quick notes down, then leave it alone for a while. Days, weeks, sometimes even months. If, at some point, the bug bites me to revisit that idea, I'll get started by writing whatever it was that first came to mind. I see my pieces as movies running through my head, so I do my best to describe them as they go. Unfortunately, that means I tend to give too much description and I generally wind up having to go back and take a machete to my work in the editing process. I usually write chronologically, beginning-to-end, from a very general outline of what I intend to happen in the fic. Sometimes a scene will come to me whole first and then I'll have to go back and write what comes before. Rarely, a story will give me bits and pieces that I write, and then have to figure out the connecting bits, plus start and end. Research is my favorite part of writing, OG or fanfic, so I lose a lot of time in doing research for historical context, or timelines, or what to call the particular piece of clothing I can see but do not have a word for. I also spend a lot of time reading things aloud to myself (the cat and dog are so tired of my shenanigans, they ignore me) to make sure wording and phrases read properly. I'm a professional copy-editor, so I always go back over everything at least twice before it gets posted. And sometimes, I find that typos have *still* gotten through to the post! Anxiety and depression, plus a fairly busy RL, mean that sometimes I just don't have the creative juices to write with. 2020 and 2021 have been pretty brutal where that's concerned. I'm learning not to feel guilty about that and to give myself permission to feel how I feel when I feel it and then move forward from there. It's difficult, but I'm slowly finding that doing so means that I end up with more creative energy more often, rather than less. It's hard to accept that's part of my process, but in the end, it's very worth the trouble!

If you could let your fans know one thing, what would it be? 

Be kind to yourself and to your fandom peers. We're a relatively small niche in a much broader fandom context, so a habit of kindness can go a very long way. Remember that we're all of us human, and fallible, and RL happens to everyone. We do this for fun as a hobby, and if it stops being fun, there's no shame in taking a break. If we all practice kindness for ourselves and others, the fandom will be here when we need it for a good, long time to come! 

Do you have anything you're working on right now that the fandom can look forward to? 

I *promise* that I am still working on "Dreaming On", and that I will never abandon any of my ongoing fics! It's been a tough couple of years for everyone, and I'm no exception. I have a new chapter in the works there, it's just taking its sweet time in speaking to me again! That said, I've also started the next installment of the "Traditions" series and have half my second SAFE fic still on the fire. It's a werewolf!Kagome AU, and even if I fail to get it finished in time for SAFE points (RL went wonky on me again right in the middle of the event), I'll still finish and post it for fun. Additionally, I'm working with ForgettableFox and crew to get the new Pink Moon Observatory site up and running, and I'm really excited about it! I'm slated to be a site mod and a blogger, so I'm working on cooking up some fun fandom-related blog entries to go live after the site does. We're working hard to make it a safe, inclusive, one-stop shop for All Things SessKag. Thank you so much for your interest! I'm looking forward to this fandom flourishing for a long time to come. Hope to see you along the way!

What are some of your favourite fanfiction tropes to read or write, and why do you love them as much as you do? 

For reading, I love Found Family perhaps most of all because it speaks to me on a very deep level. I'm part of my own found family, and reading it applied to the characters of Inuyasha gives me all the warm fuzzies. Especially when Shippou and Rin have been adopted and are being parented by SessKag. That's why this is also a big favorite for me to write, too. I also really adore reading Coffee Shop AUs. They're a fluffy, guilty pleasure I indulge especially when I want to go brain-off and just drown in floof. I've never written one, mostly for lack of an idea to grab me. Maybe someday! I write a lot of Hurt/Comfort, Friends or Enemies to Lovers, and Slow Burn, and I certainly enjoy reading them as well. I like exploring the sorts of possible scenarios that might bring our favorite couple together, and these are rife with possibility. Virtually everything I write is Canon Divergence of one sort or another, for fairly obvious reasons - SessKag ain't canon, but I like to write in the Feudal Era because I'm a history nerd at heart. I'd been seriously studying Japanese history with particular emphasis on the "Warring States Period" long before Inuyasha ever caught my attention. I also like Yakuza fics because, well...tattoos! Swords! Codes of honor outside the norm! This is where my "Traditions" series was born.

Inuyasha is a pretty old fandom, and SessKag one of its oldest, most prominent ships at this point. What keeps you going with your writing these days? 

Mostly, I haven't explored all the possibilities for this couple that I would like to, and the fun bit about that is that every time I think I've seen everything, someone throws something new on the pile for consideration! I write because, as WP Kinsella wrote in his book "Shoeless Joe": "I have to write. I could work at selling motels, or slopping hogs, for fifty years, but if someone asked my occupation, I'd say writer, even if I'd never sold a word. Writers write. Other people talk." It is in me to write, has been in me to write since I was a wee small thing (thassa loooooooong time ago, for those keeping track), and if I don't write down the things I see in my head, I think my head might just explode. If I can throw them out into the world and find others who like what I've written because I like it? So much the better! I have found my folks! All the rest of the fun is icing on the cake!

[sesskagevents]

SessKag Fandom Appreciation Week - Day 5

Writer interviews - DeadlyGlacier

@deadlyglacier was nominated by Anon.

What was your first introduction to SessKag? 

In the good old days when FFN was more active (at least in the Inuyasha fandom), I started playing around with the search filters--just looking to see what pairings were out there--and I eventually found SessKag!  I was originally an InuKag shipper, but I very quickly shifted over after I found SessKag.  There was just something *about* it.

How long have you been a part of the fandom? 

In Inuyasha?  Since 2003-2004? In SessKag?  Since 2005ish. 

What is your writing/art process like? 

Well, I don't really write one fic at a time until it's complete--I get burned out.  So I came up with a "work rotation" thing, where I'll write a single *chapter* of a fic, post it, and then work on a one-shot, and then when that's done I go back to a chapter fic! 

If you could let your fans know one thing, what would it be? 

I love your comments so much!  Thank you to each and every one of you who has read and commented on one of my works. <3  I seriously appreciate it.  Kind words keep me going! Also--yes, my Inuyasha fics are named after birds.  It's a long story, but basically I like to keep a different "naming convention" for each fandom I write for.  Inuyasha is birds, FullMetal Alchemist is sciences, Mass Effect is space terminology--and any new fandoms I write for I have to come up with a new theme for the fic titles!

Do you have anything you're working on right now that the fandom can look forward to? 

For SessKag, I'm working on Nighthawk, the sequel to my other story, Hawk!  I'm currently working on a horror SessKag one-shot, called Cassowary.  Outside of SessKag, I have a FullMetal Alchemist story I've been working on (RoyEd, if you're curious), along with a few one-shots for that fandom, too. <3 

What is your favorite thing about this ship? - Specifically, what drew you to writing for SessKag? 

I just love the dynamic of those two so very much.  Enemies to Lovers is like catnip for me, and it's such a popular trope among all fandoms!  I love Sesshomaru's regal, deadly, sarcastic nature juxtaposed with Kagome's kindness, resourcefulness, and earnestness.  I think those two would bring out the best in each other, and I think that's what we all love about this ship at its core. 

I've read the majority of your SessKag works and it amazes me that you manage to put a different tone to each one and STILL include amazing smut - Where do you get your inspiration from? 

Thank you so much for reading!! This is kind of a tough question to answer, honestly.  I know that one thing I'll think about when writing smut are scenes from movies and television shows I like (there's a particular moment from Shameless that I want to incorporate into a fic one day, and I've thought about it for *years*).  Another is certain tropes I like but I want to make them "different." But I think, mostly, I try to avoid writing sex scenes that sound like clinical instructions ("peg A into slot B").  I keep it sensual--I write about the way it feels to have someone's warm breath on your skin, the way a someone feels *through* their clothing, and I build the anticipation.  I tease, but I deliver!   And I like to write about the way people connect through sex (not just in the obvious way, lol).  After-sex talks are probably my favorite thing to write.  I get to write characters being close with each other, learning about each other, being vulnerable with each other--the dialogue can go anywhere, and that's always fun for me.

For those that have never read your stuff, what's something you want your readers to know about you and your works? 

While, yes, I write smut most of the time, I try to avoid pure PWP.  I do porn with *feelings*!  I've also written horror and MCD! 

Are there any topics that are off limits for you or that you won't write about? 

Underage and/or "barely legal" characters.  It's just off-putting for me.  Other than that, I wouldn't say anything is off-limits, or that I have a hard line on things to *not* write about.  It's just about tweaking it to make the subject matter more palatable for me.  One of the things I tell other writers is "Write what YOU want to read," and I take that to heart for myself too! 

What are your top 3 recs that you feel everyone should read? 

1. "Risks In The Dark" by troubleinshangrila (the fic that made me fall in love with SessKag--I have to re-read it from time to time.  I think about it often.) 2. "Tease" by Resmiranda (this is just a hilarious and sexy read.  I love Kagome's personality in this story, lmao) 3. "A Mere Digression" by elle6778 (this one inspired my story, "Hawk"! It's a bit more dubcon than my fic, just a fair warning!!)

[sesskagevents]

SessKag Fandom Appreciation Week - Day 5

Writer interviews - AshMish111

@mrfeenysmustache was nominated by @sheremylunadandelion90!

What was your first introduction to SessKag? 

I started out reading InuKag after I first discovered IY fanfic. After reading one I particularly enjoyed, I went to the author’s page to see if they had more stories, and found they also wrote SessKag fic. I was confused but intrigued so I gave it a go and was instantly converted into a lifelong multishipper, with SessKag eventually becoming my OTP

How long have you been a part of the fandom? 

Nearly 10 years now! 

What is your writing process like?

I get an idea, I write the idea down so I don’t forget it. If I get inspiration for that idea, I write as much as I can as fast as I can until my inspiration moves on to another idea for a while. It’s probably not the most efficient way to operate but it gets my stories told!

If you could let your fans know one thing, what would it be?

Thank you thank you thank you ❤️ Bringing people joy and connecting is why I started doing this, and I’m so grateful for everyone who’s had any hand in making that possible.

Do you have anything you're working on right now that the fandom can look forward to? 

Of course! I’ve got several SessKag stories brewing, as well as a couple of KogKag and another InuKag. I hope to always have something up my sleeve 😉 

What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?

I write everything in the basic notes app on my iPhone 😬 No, I do not recommend this.

What’s your favorite writing snack or drink? 

CHIPS. They’re pretty easy to eat while writing since they don’t require any utensils lol 

What, to you, are the most important elements of good fanfiction? 

Characterization. You can tell when someone really loves and understands a character, and I feel like you can tell almost any story in almost any AU if you have a good grasp on a character and how they would react to things. 

What was your hardest scene to write? 

Anything with fighting and action. I end up rewriting those scenes multiple times because they just don’t come naturally to me. Action scenes are just not my favorite in general, and I try to avoid them, but I can only do so much of that when one of the main points of the media I’m writing for is fighting lol 

Which music do you listen to when you write?

I don’t usually listen to music *while* writing, but when I’m getting ready to write, I like to listen to songs that make me think of the pairing I’m writing for. Helps me get into the “SessKag” or “InuKag” or “KogKag” mindset so that writing goes more smoothly.