#so i post a chapter. maybe get 2 kudos that week

[adragonsfriend]

Ways to Write a Meaningful AO3 Comment…

…or frankly, a comment on any writing or artwork where your primary goal is to encourage and appreciate the creator.

It occurs to me that comments are a mini writing task, I have been a writing tutor, and if I’m going to ramble about how not to form communities and have meaningful interactions on the internet, I could maybe also help make it a little easier.

This post is written on the assumption that people want to interact, but struggle for whatever reason: nervous, tired, didn’t realize comments meant that much, can’t think of what to say. I myself spent years at a time on ao3 not commenting on literally anything—something about stones in glass houses. But in my experience, while getting comments on my own fics is kind of my favourite, leaving the kind of comment I know I would cherish—and sometimes getting replies from authors replying to my comments and actually chatting with them—is pretty damn magical too.

In that spirit, this post is henceforth a how-to, not an argument, and I’m not going to address anything to do with bad faith comments. I’m gonna try and provide some structures and simple formats to start comments from. I cannot emphasise enough, these are all intended to be used from a place of sincerity. Tools for finding and formatting the appreciation which is already in your brain, just hiding from you.

That said, we’re gonna take this in stages—

1. The Chapter Kudos

“Chapter kudos,” a little “<3,” an “I loved this,” or similar simple expressions of warmth and enthusiasm, slapped on a oneshot or each chapter of a long fic. These are a nice small gesture that lets the author know you’re here and you’re still loving the fic. Not every author is in love with the these type of very short comments, but unless they have a specific note about it, they’re almost certainly glad for the knowledge you’re still reading. This is minimal—great for days or weeks when you’re tired, low effort, can’t think of shit to say about a particular chapter, and so on. Comments, like all tasks, must be allowed to vary in intensity with available energy and time.

2. The 1-2 sentences

A one or two sentence comment. Here, a combination of a general compliment: “this was amazing,” and a specific compliment: “character A’s dialogue felt so realistic” works really well.

General compliments are typically easier to come up with:

What an awesome chapter!

Wow ok I did not see that coming—

I fucking. Love. Your writing.

This was so exciting!

I screamed when I saw this updated

Maybe a little over the top, but you get the idea—it’s hard to go wrong with these.

Specific compliments are often a little harder to come up with, but they generally fall into two categories which are both wonderful: content and writing.

Content includes things like:

I love [character] so much, seeing them in [particular situation] was so fun

Wow there’s so little content for [niche fandom/character/ship/trope] it’s great to see it here

Your idea about [authors headcanon] is so smart—that makes [weird element of canon] make so much sense

I didn’t used to be into [trope/ship] but holy fuck am I convinced now

The point being you’re noting a particular element content of the fic—what and who it’s about—that you loved. These are great because getting really damn excited about a character/trope/headcanon etcetera, really is the heart of fandom.

Writing takes a slightly different tack, and talks about the author’s writing skills—what they do well:

You write such good dialogue, it feels really realistic

Your action scenes are so exciting!

The tone of this chapter was so perfectly creepy—the way you describe [setting/character] gave me the shivers

The spacing you used really fit the piece—it’s a neat way to show the character’s mindset there they’re struggling to think clearly

The combination of a general and specific compliment can make it easier to start writing your comment, while giving you a second to think of your specific thought. It’s simple, but it means a lot to get any kind of specific comment, because it shows the author that you are paying attention to their writing and that you appreciate or relate to them, specifically. These comments are fairly quick to write, but can mean so much.

3. The paragraph

Several sentences long, with a bit more room to explain what you loved. Everything from the 1-2 sentence section applies here too. A general compliment is still a great starting point, and specific compliments are still where we want to end up. The main difference is you’ve got a little more room to talk, and you can take that in a few different directions.

You can talk about one specific compliment for a bit:

I love the way you write dialogue—character A saying “[quote]” was exactly what they would say in that situation. And their banter with character B was incredible, i laughed out loud. The way they both use cursing, but in slightly different ways is fascinating. The way character B does it is…

Or you can go through several different ones quickly:

I love the way you write dialogue—character A saying “[quote]” was exactly what they would say in that situation. The fast dialogue kept the pace up and the whole chapter was so exciting—I loved that you brought up character B and character C’s relationship too, it gets so little attention but I love it…

There’s also room for wider observations and questions (these can also totally go in 1-2 sentence comments, it’s just easier to have a little more substance around them):

Your writing always makes me feel so [feelings]

Wait I’m a little confused did [event] happen the way I think it did, or am I being silly?

Your ideas about [character] are awesome, I love everything you’ve written about them.

I’m so curious, what’s your specific lore on [character/event]?

4. Multiparagraph

Several paragraphs, or a very long paragraph. Hot damn, the author is in love with you now. Either you’ve got a whole lot to say about one specific topic of writing or content, or you’ve got a couple of different topics you want to pay some attention to—as you start writing your comment, you’ll probably discover a few more. Let yourself ramble, make bullet points, just get your thoughts out, if you have this many. All the principles from before apply: general compliments, specific compliments, wider observations, questions—all of these can easily feature in a long comment.

5. Fuck Formating

Write comments in whatever format works for you. Bullet points, google translated into the necessary language, rambling, well organized, short, long, emojis, copy-pasting your favorite quote from the fic with an exclamation point, pre-formatted general compliments, whatever will get your thoughts and enthusiasm down.

If you are communicating, the format doesn’t matter all that much. The same information from a multi paragraph comment can be done in bullet points or by quoting. Whatever communication you do will be meaningful to the author.

It’s hard to go wrong—

Like most writing, making meaningful comments and picking out those specific compliments gets easier with practice. There’s no need to write multiparagraph comments all the time. Those 1-2 sentence ones can be full of so much love, and chapter kudos are sometimes all there’s energy for.

The most important writing advice ever in my opinion is this: you have interesting things to say. About yourself, about the world, about writing, about that damn fanfic.

Go forth and use the structures above, or come up with comments I couldn’t even dream of. Whatever you do, you will find fic authors are probably the most willing and grateful audience in the whole world.

[miriadalia]

Things you can comment on the fanfics you love when you have no idea what to say

From what takes less time to what takes more

~show those writers your love, please!! They do it for free T-T and they deserve better

1. Emojis

You know the vibe of the fic you're reading, chose the ones that suit it better.

❤❤❤

💔💔💔

🙈🔥🔥

You may think this is kind of stupid, but trust me, it is NOT for the writer. It shows you've read until the end of the chapter and that you liked it so much that you decided to say it publicly. Your presence means A LOT.

Also, leaving kudos or votes takes literally just 1 second, what are you doing NOT doing that?? 🤨🤨🤨

2. Simple phrases

I loved it so much!!

Can't wait for the next chapter!!

This was just so good 😍

Amazing as always, keep it up!! 🙌🏼

Writing is a lonely work if you think about it. When I'm in a writer's block, just one sentence can hype me up for the rest of the day and give me the spirit I need 💪🏽

3. The emotions you felt

Yes, you DO matter. That fanfic author cares more about your opinion than your stupid ex so you better write to them instead 🧐

The plotwist was so unexpected, I'm shocked 😱

You can't end with that cliffhanger, how am I supposed to wait another week??

Excuse me, I will now lock into my room and cry all night, thank you 💔

I've read some people saying they won't comment how they felt because they feel ashamed or shy. Take it as if you were about to post a tweet or comment on a friend IG's story 👍🏻

4. One piece of dialogue/prose that really amazed you

Oof 🔥 this happened to me a few weeks ago and that comment still lives in my mind rent free. There's no better way to compliment a writer's work than to highlight something they wrote that left a true impression on you.

And it literally takes no time:

[Insert piece of dialogue], oh she didn't just say that, imma throw hands 🤬🤬

[Insert piece of a description], I could really see it with my own eyes, loved how you described it!

5. Hopes and wishes for future chapters

C'mon, you're going to comment this anyway with some of your fandom mutuals or friends, why don't let the writer know that too?? COPY AND PASTE IT ✍✍

I just need Chatacter A and Chatacter B to kiss, how long is it gonna take?? 😩

Watching that scene in [Canon series name] would have been awesome!! Maybe in future seasons 👀👀

I hope [Ship Name] don't break up in the next chapter, they are so cute 😭

6. Character discussion

Okay, we're entering deeper waters here.

But the truth is: if you love that fanfic that much is because the characters really resonated with you. So express your first thoughts without any fear:

[Chatacter Name] is so important to me, like you have no idea. All the things they went through... But they still manage to be a better person ❤

[Chatacter Name] was so forgotten in [Movie/Series Name], I'm glad they're getting the development they deserved here!

7. Scene discussion

Again, you might think the comment section is no place to start "fangirling" over the stuff you liked. But IT IS!! And the writer wants to know your thoughts on their work, especially if your opinion is all positive 💞

This will take more time, sure. But if you're going to write it anyways for other people, COPY AND PASTE AGAIN, hon!

8. How this story is impacting your fan life (or even personal life)

You don't need to overshare, but simple comments like:

Your fic has really changed the way I think about [Character Name]'s decisions, I feel like I can understand them better now.

This story has motivated me to rewatch all the episodes again 😢 the nostalgia!!!

What you did with [Character's situation] was incredible! I've been there myself and I could have not explain it better 😔

... They will be the ones the writer will remember the most, I can assure you that.

9. A simple THANK YOU

At the end of the day, fanfic and fanart creators only have your feedback to rely on when the block or discouragement hits... This is about showing appreciation to someone you may not know at all, but that has brighten your day with their creations and efforts ❤

[reality-warp]

A word from Rella concerning AI, binding and selling fics, and Book 3 of Rávamë's Bane

Hey folks,

I’m treating this post as a bit of a blanket PSA for all those who read my work and follow me here, but I’ll also be copying the message over to AO3 once Book 3 of Rávamë's Bane goes up. Before anyone gets spooked, all is well, I am well, and I’m still happily working on the first 5 chapters of Amabilis Insania. However there are a few glaring subjects that have sprung up in the fandom space that I can’t really ignore. The fanfic community as a whole has changed a lot in the past decade I've been part of it, and given some of the unpleasant stuff I’ve seen going on in just the past year, I wanted to cover some housekeeping points ahead of posting the next RB book.

1.) Please don’t ever bind and sell fanfics.  Profiting from fanfiction in any way is completely illegal, and puts the entire community at risk.  I’m lucky enough that I’m a relatively small fish in the fanfic pond, so no one has sold bound copies of my story specifically (that I know of). However, I know several folks who have had their work bound and sold without their knowledge, and have had to take their fics down completely to stop it happening (which royally sucks). If you see any fanfics being sold on sites like Etsy, please do report them — they are absolutely not supposed to be there. And if you want a bound copy of a fic for personal use, I'd really encourage you to learn to bind them yourself. There's a tonne of tutorials out there, it’s pretty fun and easy to learn (I picked it up in a couple of weeks) and it doesn’t take as many materials as you’d imagine. Side note: I have made typesets of LM and CM for myself and friends, but honestly, I’m reluctant to share them publicly now given all the above. That said, if you really want a copy of LM or CM for personal use only, you can message me directly on Tumblr and I can maybe look into making a watermarked version to share on request.

2.) In light of the recent news that AO3 was scraped to create a generative AI dataset, I’ve decided I’ll only be posting the final RB book to AO3 from now on. On top of that, all my fics will be restricted to users with AO3 accounts only. I really don’t want to do this as it cuts off guest users from enjoying the story too, but for now it’s the only way to protect my work from being scrapped again. I don’t believe this will be a one-time occurrence given how carelessly AI is being used right now, and I feel very strongly that no one’s work should be used in model training without their consent.

The vast majority of you in my comments, asks and kudos are genuinely wonderful, and I’m so damned grateful that you aren’t a part of the issues above. However, with all that in mind, let me be absolutely clear just for the public record…

!!TRLD: This Is The Important Bit!! You do not, and will never have my consent to: - use any of my writing in generative AI (this includes making AI-generated fanworks, or scraping my fics for training AI models) - bind and sell any of my fanfics (profiting from fanfiction is completely illegal, and puts it at risk for us all)  - profit in any way from any of my work that I have publicly shared online (this includes putting my fics on recommendation lists behind paywalls, or selling my fics in the form of typesets or bound copies)

If you do any variation of the above despite knowing the risk it poses to the entire fanfic community, I respectfully hope you spend the rest of your life in clothes that smell damp no matter how much you run them through the dryer.

To the rest of you; a genuine thank you for making the community what it is. And thank you for making the RB comments section specifically such a joyful place to be.

I promise my next post/update will be less grim.

Until then,

Rella x

Edit: Since I literally just had to deal with this happening just earlier today 🙄 You also do not and never will have my consent to:

- advertise any generative AI apps in my review/comments section (Seriously? I firmly believe that generative AI has no place in the writing and publishing world, and more often than not, using it makes you both worse at writing and is no better than stealing from people who took the time to learn to do it well. Keep all that trash out of my comments section.)

[perseidlion]

There are these really outlier situations where people are talking about fic writers withholding chapters until an engagement threshold is met. Doing that is really tacky. It feels like emotional manipulation or blackmail to say "if I reach X comment threshold and X number of kudos, you'll get the chapter faster. Otherwise you'll have to wait."

Here's the secret though. A lot of fic writers do this mental math all the time. We just don't say it out loud because that's a jerk thing to do.

If I post a fic and it's getting a crazy good response and people are loving it, my butt is in the chair way faster to write, edit and post. If the reaction is okay but not amazing, I might stick to once a week. And if it's bad? I'm talking only a few kudos and few to no comments? Well, that will probably only get a new chapter if I'm mostly writing the story for my own joy.

If I'm not vibing with it that much AND I'm getting very little engagement? Well, that might be an abandoned or even deleted fic. Especially if the idea was kind of weird and I was embarrassed to even post it. No one matches my freak? Yeeeah, that's gonna be just one for me on my hard drive and no one else.

We write for ourselves: the stories we want to see, and the things we want to fix from canon. But we post for the community. If the community isn't there, it doesn't get updated. Hell, it might not even get written.

This math can also happen at any point during a fic's posting life. If a fic gets a strong first response, then all engagement crashes through the floor, I lose my motivation. At that point, there's no incentive to keep going because you feel like no one cares.

And look, it happens that readers stop vibing with a fic, or it just isn't holding their attention. In that case the lack of engagement accurately reflects the demand for that fic. But if you're sitting there silently reading and no one else is commenting either, the writer has no reason to believe anyone cares if there's another chapter.

I already know what's going to happen as the writer, so I'm not leaving myself hanging. I need some kind of incentive to write it down so other people can know, too. Cause that shit's hard work.

What I'm saying is...commenters can prevent abandoned fic. Engage with your local fic writer. Tell them you love it. Especially if it's like 2/3 of the way through a longfic and no one is engaging anymore. That's the best way to make sure you learn how the story ends.

We're not doing this for money. We're not doing this for fame. We're doing this to share the stories in our head with our fellow fans. If people just consume without giving anything back, we'll find other things to do with our time. Or the fic will just sit on our hard drives for our own enjoyment. Because we wrote it for ourselves.

Putting fic out there is a vulnerable thing. It takes time, effort and bravery. Shouting into the void is no fun for anyone.

It's not entitled to want community. That is literally the only reason to post fic other than maybe just wanting an archive of your stuff out there. And I'd bet those folks are in the minority.

[in-amor-veritas]

Thanks for the tags @phneltwrites @iwouldnevergetintofanfic 💕💕

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

19 !! Wow that feels like a lot to me although it’s nothing compared to phnelt.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

I checked this one recently: 903,861 since 2022 this doesn’t even count the writing I’ve done on my original novel. It’s crazy to think I’d never write again and now I’m almost at 1 million words

3, What fandoms do you write for?

Young Royals. Something about this Swedish show inspired me to write again I’ll never be able to express how grateful I am for that either

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Footprints, AINE, all the places, HMLYLM, Us Against The World (RIP)

5. Do you respond to comments?

Comments are so so so so important to me. I try to reply to everyone but I’m very slow and it usually takes a while for me to get to everyone. I have like AO3 paralysis for like a week or two after posting a new chapter where I get anxious going on the website lol so I tend to start replying later but I’m trying to get to everyone! I promise 💕

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

Good Luck Babe. Yeah that one was rough. Really rough.

Also the hanahaki one kind of was angsty

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

Maybe AINE? Or all the places? They both had pretty good endings with the characters in really good places in their lives. Footprints never really felt like a happy happy ending bc they still have so much shit to deal with waiting for them.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Super rarely, usually it’s just people being annoyed or frustrated at how long I’m taking to update lolol

9. Do you write smut?

Yes. Actually I have a lot of thoughts on my particular use of smut. This obvs is just my preference for my own stories but usually I plan smut scenes for specific moments in stories that need them to either move the plot forward or give us a glimpse into the characters mindset or to change their mindset or make them realize something.

I always try to use them in very specific ways with a lot of intent behind them. When I’m planning I always double check if I need the scene, if it could be stronger some other way or if it’s superfluous. I feel like that’s why they tend to be really information attack of info and emotions bc there is alot that needs to be conveyed.

This last chp of hmlylm had such a long ass smut scene in it. Those scenes are so hard for me to write bc it’s just so much action!! It gets so tiresome. I wrote it and didn’t look at it again once until I was going through the notes phnelt had made on the doc before I uploaded it.

I’ve actually never written pwp but maybe one day I try that lol I’m just really bad at coming up with ideas to make smut feel fresh or new so maybe I need to take requests.

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

Uhhhhh I could? I once had a crazy idea for a gåsmamman/yr crossover lol but maybe technically I have bc I wrote a Spider-Man wilmon au.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Fic? No. A whole scene from a fic yes 😭😭😭 the person apologized and all but I remember being freaked out that my stuff had gotten AI scraped and then when it turned out to just be a teenager it was a relief kinda.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No. Pod ficced yes but not translated to my knowledge.

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

Yes! Grasping at Shadows, Good Luck Babe ofc and I was in a huge fic collab that had such a fun start but kinda died 😭😭 in Unlabeled.

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

Honestly I’d love to continue working on unlabeled bc it was such a cool idea but I don’t think it will happen bc a lot of reasons beyond my control

15. What are your writing strengths?

I don’t know lol tbh listening to other writers who have a really hard time with dialogue I guess that? Only because I find it very easy to write, I usually start with the dialogue for most scenes and I don’t usually ever need to go back and change it. Idk if my dialogue is good but I don’t have a hard time writing it.

16, What are your writing weaknesses?

Weaknesses I think are inability to shorten things haha writing almost always out of order so it takes me forever to knit things back together, remembering continuity stuff, lots of grammar fuck ups and run ons and being to tired and overwhelmed to fix them lol

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

Considering I was introduced to fanfiction bc of anime I’m used to it. I feel like there’s ways to make it sound more natural than others and sometimes it just makes ✨sense✨ for the scene or the character but I have read some that does give me hives too. Idk I’m sure I’ve been guilty of giving someone hives while reading my fic so it’s all good.

18. First fandom you wrote for?

I watched Banana Fish and the ending made me so mad I wrote a fix it alternate ending and that was the first fic I ever finished and published on Ao3

19. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Gonna be honest the spiderwilmon fic lol grasping at shadows bc it was so fun to write and honestly the chapter I wrote for unlabeled I think might be some of my favorite writing I’ve ever done. It’s interesting bc all of those things aren’t necessarily things I would jump to read but I just loved writing them and they were just fun to create and live in,

Eeee this was so fun thanks for the tags im going to tag @caramelpenguin @gulliblelemon and anyone else who wants to do this! Pls tag me and let me see what you have to say

[undertale-fic-librarby]

Introduction Post

Howdy, & welcome to this blog! Here you can find different fanfic recommendations that I have read, people have asked for, or that others have recommended!

Discord

Guidelines:

- Please keep submissions & recs to things relating to Undertale, Deltarune, or AUs based off of them. This includes fangames, such as Undertale Yellow.

- Some of the fics will be explicit, & will be marked accordingly. If you are below 18, I recommend not clicking on links marked with the mature or explicit label.

- Feel free to submit your own stories! Whether sending a link through the ask box, tagging this blog on a post you made, or writing something in the submissions box, I'll accept all of it!

- English only! Unfortunately, I only speak English, meaning I can't properly recommend fics in other languages. If a fic has a translation into English, feel free to submit!

- You can also ask for help finding a certain fic! Maybe you read a great one a few months ago & can no longer find it. I'm here to help! Just send an ask containing what you remember, & I'll do my best to find it.

- Mind the tags! If you click on a link, be sure to check the tags of the story! I only include the rating, summary, & if it's complete or not.

- What counts as a fic? Any written piece of content that tells a story! Only 100 words? It's getting recommended! Written using a weird format? It's getting recommended!

- If you do not want any mature or explicit fics recommended, tell me! If you do not clarify, I will assume you are fine with those fics being suggested!

- If I can't find a fic after looking for it after a week, I will make a post containing what the person is looking for! If you recognize it, let me know! You can also just reply to the post directly!

- I do not read most recommendations personally! Most of the fics that I recommend are found using tags & summaries, & I'll do a quick skim of the first chapter! If a fic doesn't meet what you're looking for, you can send another ask or message me to let know I need to fix it!

- If you are looking for a fic you've lost, the more details the better! Include everything you remember! It makes it easier for me to find it!

- This is meant to be a library! This means that there will be fics that you personally don't enjoy, but others do! If you come across something that makes you queazy, I do my best to tag everything appropriately, so you can block whatever thing is making you feel that way!

Posts including mature or explicit fics will be tagged with #not suitable for minors! This also includes fics that are not rated!

Asks will be tagged with #ask!

Submissions will be tagged with #submission!

If I include your story & you would prefer that I remove it, let me know! Just message me & let me know that you aren't comfortable having your story on here.

I will do my best to tag everything appropriately, but I may miss things. If I do, let me know in a message or ask, & I'll do my best to fix it!

If you like a story, leave a comment! Bookmark it so you don't lose it! Show your love through kudos! Make sure you let the author know you enjoyed their story!

Fun Fact: The Annoying Dog in the profile picture is not centered! Now you can't unsee it!

Asks may take a bit to answer while I find the motivation to answer them! If you would like to know the status of your ask, if it has not been answered a week after you sent it, feel free to send me a message!

Personal Recs! (General Audiences, Teen And Up)

Personal Recs! (Mature, Explicit, Not Rated)

Featured Fic Fridays

Featured Fic Friday Template

Asks

Submissions

Lost Fics

QnA

UTMV Handbook

Ao3 Seach Guide (Part 1)

Ao3 Search Guide (Part 2)

UTMV Archive

Killer Sans

Ink Sans

Abysstale

Othertale

Events:

Birthday Event

Mods:

Mod Sleepy - Any pronouns. I'm the only mod so far, & I'm not currently looking for more. Here's my introduction post!

Personal Writings:

Corruption Numb Breakfast Melatonin Dust to Dust Self-Reflection Commit His Body to the Ground Starting Traditions Delightful Distraction "I don't think I would be who I am without you." Complications of Suddenly Being a Child Vengeful Spirit Chocolate Hearts are Better Enjoyed by You, so Take Mine! Déjà Vu

[awarmbowlofhomemadesoup]

How to Build Resilience in Long Fanfic Writing

Sometimes, when a fanfic goes past 20 chapters, people who had been commenting, began to lose interest. Maybe you'll start doubting your skill or whether you "have what it takes" to be a writer, even if you're doing it for fun.

But maybe you see all those beautifully written but unfinished long fics and mourn that they'll never be finished (for the writer's valid reason or another). And you don't want that to happen to yours.

There is also an advantage to completing long fics: you develop the discipline to write original novels which can take far longer.

So if you're in for the long haul and you want to stay steady and true despite whatever popularity your fic may have, here's how to have the resilience to finish it to the end.

(Disclaimer: this is not a reason to stop commenting on fics)

#1 Whatever You Think You're Owed, Let It Go.

Accidentally quoting Elsa aside, I'm talking about comments. Comments validate and can make you learn new things about your fics through other people's eyes.

But when you see a high-to-low ratio between kudos and comments, you may feel like you are owed.

When you push yourself to complete three long chapters and publish them all in the same day and only get one response, it can feel like people are being mean.

The truth is, we'll never know why the people who loved our fics will not talk to you about them.

Maybe they forget there's a person behind the fic.

Maybe they're having a bad day and just want to shut down after reading something enjoyable.

But whatever the case is, it's beyond your control.

This post said it best (shoutout to @radioactive-earthshine) :

"Remember - hits/likes/kudos/comments are not reflective of the quality of your fic or your ability to write. Most people just don’t comment - even if they say they do, they don’t... Even if your fic brought tears to their eyes and it haunted them for weeks and they printed it out and sent it to their friends they just don’t comment. You just have to accept it.

I'm not saying you force yourself to let it go now. But someday, you will need to let it go, and control what you can which is you.

#2 Put Your Life First Before Your Readers

I have to say this because sometimes writers would have thoughts like "I haven't written for a long time; people must be wondering about it." Nope. Stop. Not worth it.

Creating is fun, but it is also exhausting. Add into the fact that most of us have 8-hour jobs or classes.

The reason you haven't written for a long time is that other aspects of your life deserve your time and energy, too. And after all that, you would be understandably tired.

So put your life first before your readers.

#3 Make Preparations to Replenish Your Soul

Long fanfic writing is energy and time-consuming. But you cannot depend on external validation to make up for it.

External validation in the form of comments can be good because we don't want to imagine it's all in our heads. But seeking it too much leads to what I've read in the book, "Ego is the Enemy":

"If outside validation is your only source of nourishment, you will hunger for the rest of your life."

So before posting a chapter, list down what you can do to replenish your soul after. Treating myself to a cafe one time helped. So is taking walks when the air is cool.

To stop anticipating responses too much, what works for me is to post on Wednesday. Wednesday is when people are less busy. At the same time, when the weekend comes, I don't obsess over it so much and can focus on other aspects of my life or replenish my energy for the next week.

In the commitment to complete a long fic, it's important to be honest with yourself. This is to be transparent with your needs and watch out for any signs of burnout, like feeling sad and tired. If you need to walk away from your fic for a while, then do it.

#3 This is Between You and Your Creation

Yes, fandom should be two-way street. Yes, fandom shouldn't treat fanfics and fan arts like commodity. And yes, there should be interaction and engagement. But before all that, there is this thing between you and your creation first and foremost.

Just as a story has to have a "why", remember why you thought you should write your long fic. Your reason may change over time, but when you remember your "why", you remember your true goal to keep going.

#4 Write like No One is Reading

This is a perk I adapted when I only get two responses if I'm lucky after updating a fic that has more than a hundred subscribers. If people barely react, then you're free to write whatever you please in your story as if you're dancing like no one is watching. Just have fun improving your skills.

This is similar to an inspiring section of the same post that I've found:

"10.) Write for yourself, not for others. Write the fic you know no one is going to read. Write the fic that sounds ridiculous. You will be so happy you put it out in the world and there will be people who will be glad it exists."

#5 Cherish the Rare Friends You Find Along the Way

Sometimes, we get lucky and get something better than a hundred people interacting with our fic -we find a friend we would make in the way of writing the long fic that we dared to write. And they're the ones who would cheer you on and cry and laugh with you about the shared stories. Cherish them.

(dedicated to @lightreader1)

[shroomyifiy]

Kinda late but episode 15 dropped

Hi guys, I just finished watching the episode :)

Spoilers for Chapter 2, Episode 15 Below!

I CALLED IT!!!

I fucking called it baby, wooo!! (rip Ace stans, it really was Aceover for you all)

Man, what a wild ride this has been. I will miss Ace, but man, he was great this episode, and this chapter as a whole. And if he was going to die, this was the perfect time to do so.

Alright, breakdown time!

How much stuff did Shroomy get right?

A surprising amount, actually! Tbf, it was all kinda obvious when looking at it, but still.

-Ace took the tape (I called it being grabbed possibly for first aid, and also murder attempt, although I said to kill Nico)

-Ace isn’t as stupid as everyone thought (Man, that one was personal. Intelligence is pretty subjective in all honesty, and I stand by the ‘no one is truly dumb’ in DRDT, everyone here is equally stupid /j)

-Ace figured the murder method out later (No but seriously, no one would know by looking around for ~5 minutes. Maybe Charles but he would be out of commission at the sight of blood so no)

-Ace tied Arei’s hands because he was able to fight back (Self explanatory; I did like how Teruko calls him out for having fought back, so he would know to tie her wrists)

-Ace was trying to frame Nico (This one was obvious, but it at least explains the fish)

-Ball of clothes to get rope up and broken lights (I didn’t figure out the slingshot, but otherwise was spot on. To the person who first figured it out, kudos for your massive brain)

-Ace being sneaky and eavesdropping (yeah 👍 we been knew this, but hey it was relevant)

I think that’s all I directly called out. This is not me bragging or anything, but I was cool seeing my thoughts come true (even if body placements were not relevant to the ace murder scene, rip)

Moving on to my favorite section~

Thematics and Parallels

God, yknow, I think this is just going to become my thing atp. What can I say? As a writer, I do love some silly themes and parallels

But anyways I was right about this!!! The Ace-Arei and Ace-Teruko parallels were not the ramblings of a crazy person! They meant something!!

Ace wanting to change, but not having the strength to do so is tragic. God he is so tragic, everyone is in this cast, it’s why I love them all.

I’ll probably end up making a whole separate post about the parallels after episode 16 drops, just for completion sake. I want to have all the cards available for that, yknow?

But man, Teruko being both sympathetic to Ace about his injury but also trying desperately to get him to defend himself is so sad. Like girl completely understands, they are besties your honor.

And by god the VAs blew it out of the park!!! Man, next week is going to be something, huh?

Back on topic

Look, I get a lot of people are sad to see Ace go, as they wanted to see him grow. Unfortunately, this is a death game, and people with amazing potential are always killed off.

In fact, it’s kinda a running trend in drdt (goes to show how good the writing is, even if you personally disagree with it)

Xander, who could have been an amazing support and leader to the group, defending justice and the innocent

Min, a smart girl who also could have been a good support character and grow to see more to life than just studying

Arei, who could have become good friends (girlfriends) with Eden, who could have become a better person like she wanted to

Ace, who could have grown to be more brave and make more connections, who could have survived despite all odds against him

It’s tragic that any of them had to die so soon. It’s tragic that none of them got to survive the killing game. It’s tragic any of them are here to start with.

But, someone has to die. It’s a death game after all, not everyone can survive. Some characters and potential arcs have to be sacrificed to tell the story you want to tell.

And isn’t it ironic that both the killers so far (Min and Ace) killed because of their fear of death?

Min, who came across Xander over Teruko’s body, was scared and panicked because she thought he would kill her too.

Ace, who no one liked and who was almost murdered, knowing that someone else would likely try again.

Min, who cried and denied it was her, even when caught red handed. Ace, who gave up after he was truly backed into a corner. Two people, pleading for their lives because, by god, they want to live.

It’s actually something so interesting about drdt, because MonoTV’s motives have nothing to do with it. Everyone is just scared of dying, which is really realistic for this situation. Of course more people are going to kill because they don’t want to die.

(wait did I just start making Min-Ace parallels? Oh goddammit)

Overall thoughts (for now anyways)

I loved this episode, it was basically the highlight of my horrible day. I’m excited to see where the story goes from here, and I cannot wait for the bonus episodes for Arei and Ace.

I know a lot of people were not as happy with the conclusion of the case, understandable if your favorite was Ace. But I do have to remind everyone to be respectful about writing choices drdtdev has made. You may not like it, but they know the story they want to tell more than any of us do. And oh boy, does this story seem like a good one.

This was kinda short, and less analytical, but guys I am actually really fucking tired. I’ve been up for way too long and got like, 2 hours of sleep.

Expect me to do another post soon. Idk when, but probably before next Friday.

I have so much I want to say because ahhhhh, I love this series!!!!

Feel free to leave your thoughts here as well!

Bye for now, have a wonderful day!

[chacusha]

Fanfic writer interview meme

Thanks to @jazzypizzaz for tagging me! (This took me forever to fill out and post…)

How many works do you have on AO3? 134 (a lot of that is art for exchanges that require posting art on AO3, though).

What's your total AO3 word count? 352,428

Your Top 5 stories by kudos

You've Got Subspace Communication -- Makes sense! A cute rom-com featuring a premise that works REALLY well for Quark and Odo (bickering enemies IRL and e-penpals falling in love online lol). The identity porn and that love/hate dynamic is really good for Quodo.

[Art] Basket-weaving -- Not sure if this counts because it's not a story but I feel like Brother Bear fandom deserves a shoutout for pushing this to #2 -- it's a very enthusiastic and feedback-heavy fandom, at least in my experience. I guess it's a nostalgia fandom for a lot of people. As someone who posts both art and fic on AO3, it is INSANE for a single (1-chapter) art piece to get this many kudos, but Brother Bear fandom is made of something different.

Every 16 Hours -- I consider this my masterpiece, so I'm glad it's gotten so many kudos despite it not being one of my oldest Quodo fics.

Written Correspondence -- This one I always feel a bit weird it's so high. I guess post-canon fluffy getting-together is something people are into. I'm not sure how I feel about it, though.

[Comic] That Pervert -- Huh, so it's been so long since I started writing up this list that the ranking shifted… Anyway, #5 used to be the first Quodo fic I've ever written ("Accidental kiss"), but now it's apparently this Quodo humor comic!

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I do try to, just because I really like comments and I want to at least thank someone for doing something that made my day. Probably the exception is if somebody is leaving comments on every chapter of a multichapter fic -- then I might not reply to every comment, especially if I don't have anything to say, but I'll try to at least respond to some, and to the comment on the last chapter.

I also spend a lot of time writing up my comments and I appreciate authors who take the time to respond/reply and I like talking to authors, so I personally feel a bit disappointed/weird when I leave a lot of comments on someone's fic and get radio silence in response, to be honest. 😅 People can of course do what they like when it comes to their fic and the comments that people leave on their fic, but that's just how I personally feel about it.

I also don't get a lot of comments, like maybe 2-4 comments per week on a busy week, and less than that a lot of the time, so it's not hard for me to generally keep on top of comment replies.

Do you write crossovers?

Very rarely. I have written a crossover when the perfect crossover request came along (Bravely Default x Soulcalibur!), but otherwise, it's not really a fic genre that appeals to me.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yes, although I don't post it on main. I mostly just do, like, fade to black on my main account.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No, but I have once had my art (this one) posted to a Discord I was on with no credit/acknowledgement that it was mine. My guess is that it was reposted to various sites and probably ended up on Facebook or somewhere like that before making it to that Discord. But I don't think I've ever seen someone take something I made and be like, "I made this. 😊"

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, once or twice.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not a finished one, I don't think, but this is how I got into fannish writing, actually? I used to have nerd friends and I'm very good at typing quickly and with good SPAG, but am not particularly creative, so it generally worked well for friends to come up with OCs and plots and stuff and I would do the drafting. I'm also pretty good at carrying projects to completion, so I feel like I'm not a bad person to collaborate with.

What's your all time favorite ship?

I don't know if it's my all-time favorite but I gotta say Quodo has been my most intense ship experience. XD

What's a WIP that you want to finish but probably never will?

I live under the delusion that I will finish all my WIPs. Actually, I have a lot of REALLY old WIPs from when I was in fandom circa 2010-2014 that definitely aren't getting finished, although I don't know if anyone is expecting they will at this point. Oh actually, being realistic, if this counts as a WIP, I'm probably not actually ever going to finish my Quark KiSS doll, at least to the extent I think is 100%. I am intending to finish it, but my strong guess is that I'll only get to about the 80% mark and then decide the remaining items just aren't that important to spend the extra time it would take to finish them. But getting even to 80% is going to be a many-year slog, is my expectation.

What are your writing strengths?

Mm… Honestly, SPAG. orz I like introspection; no idea if I'm good at it, though. Sometimes, I can do feels.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Description; any kind of distinctive prose/voice outside of a fairly bland/inoffensive AO3 house style; editing, especially once something gets above ~10k…

What's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet, but want to?

Can't really think of any fandoms I'd like to write (I tend to not stray too far out of a writing comfort zone, or value, like, versatility in writing lots of fandoms? I just want to focus exclusively on the small number of fandoms I really love). There are a lot of ships I'd like to write, though. For Soulcalibur, for example: YunMina, Sophitia/Taki/Rothion, Pyrrha/Tira, Setsuka/anyone -- there's just a lot of stuff I'd like to try writing at some point. For Final Fantasy X, I request a lot of Lulu/Wakka and have a lot of ideas for fic for them, but I've never written anything myself. D:

What's your favorite fic that you've written?

"Every 16 Hours" is my masterpiece -- aside from the sheer length and amount of Quodo, I also think this fic implicitly contains a lot of my thoughts and feelings about time loop fiction in it. I also have a soft spot for "Old Men of Time", which is a relatively less popular Quodo fic of mine but it has a feels-y ending in a way I think I am good at, and it also implicitly contains a lot of my thoughts about why I didn't think certain plot points of the "Children of Time" episode worked (in particular, I think substituting Kira (and her moral code) with Quark (and his moral code) as Odo's love interest here makes Odo's actions much less obnoxious than they were in the original episode without significantly changing the plot, consequences, or Odo's personality). It's a very satisfying fix-it for me, personally.

-

I don't know who has done this or wants to do this meme, but I'm tagging @futchbrownie @laikaflash @neptune-flytrap @vanyalanthirielofmana and @firebatvillain because I'm curious!

[aspecbuddie]

Writer Questions

tagged by @multi-fanforever 💚 this was fun to do, I love tag games that make me rediscover fics I forgot I'd written

1. How many works on AO3?

24... on this account 👀 I think I've got like 10 posted on an old account (and more on wattpad but we're not gonna talk about that)

2. Total AO3 word count?

77,456 at the moment

3. Top 5 fics by kudos?

I Spent The Night Dancing (I'm Drunk I Suppose) If You Were Here, I'd Never Have A Fear Your Distance Feels Like I'm Not Enough It's Best This Way (I'm Used To Being Left Behind) They Stared Us Down When We Met In The Emergency Room (shockingly, all my chemical romance or frank iero titles lmao)

4. What fandoms do you write for?

Currently, almost exclusively 911, but I've got a couple of 911LS fics that I could technically post and I'm so close to finishing a station 19 fic (I haven't forgotten about the travic fic, if anyone is still waiting for that)

5. Do you respond to comments?

I try to! Sometimes a few years late!

6. Angstiest ending?

I think maybe Everything I Feel Is More Than Just Some Sad Excuse, purely because there's no solution to Buck's problem in that moment? Idk I'm not great at angsty endings. Or maybe Life Goes On And Things They Change or Can't Find My Way Home

7. Fic with the happiest ending?

I like to think most of my fics have relatively happy endings?? But Please Stay With Me Until You Close Your Eyes and If You Were Here, I'd Never Have A Fear may be my favourites

8. Do you get hate?

Not that I'm aware of? I think the closest I've come is someone saying that a fic would have been better with romantic buddie

9. Do you write smut?

I have in the past... kind of... my partner found it very funny. (It wasn't for 911 and also may or may not have been RPF)

10. Do you write crossovers?

I once wrote a HP/Gallagher Girls crossover, and I'm sure I've written other ones that have never been posted. idk if the bandom crossovers count???

11. Ever had a fic stolen?

Nope, don't think so

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not to my knowledge

13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

Not for 911, but me and my best friend used to sit and write fic in the school library at lunchtime, swapping paragraphs or chapters and then posting it on ao3/wattpad

14. All time favourite ship?

I think buddie might take the crown here, but destiel is a close second (and frerard and ryden had SUCH a hold on me back in the day) (I feel like if I'm forgetting a ship then it can't be my all time favourite, right?)

15. WIPs you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

My hope for finishing aroace eddie to the extent I wanted to is fading every day. I think I'll get a version of it out at some point, and then maybe post some random scenes for it as an addition later on. Also the pt 2 and 3 for the thanksgiving fic are looking less likely, as much as I want to finish them

16. Writing strengths?

I've been told I'm good at writing things that would be plausible within the show? As in people could see it actually happening in canon (although tbf for 911 this bar gets lower every episode)

17. Writing weaknesses?

Description. Especially when it comes to characters being romantically or sexually attracted to other characters, because I don't know what that feels like so it feels fake/forced/is probably wrong.

18. Thoughts on mixed language dialogue?

I think it's good! It makes it more realistic, and if it means I don't entirely understand what's going on then it's my problem, and I can just go look it up or ask someone. However I will avoid writing it 99% of the time, because I don't think me writing anything (other than maybe some basic german) would be accurate, and I would want to get it right if I incoporated, say, Eddie speaking Spanish into my fic.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

... I think it may have been Harry Potter

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

The eddie in texas fic I started a week or so ago and is already at 10k, this fic has SUCH a hold on me. But if we're going with ones I've already posted, then Please Stay With Me Until I Close My Eyes or I'm Scared Of Shadows From My Past or Do I Have To Die To Hear You Miss Me or-- okay I'll stop because I'm gonna list half my fics cuz I'm bad at making decisions and shockingly all my fics have my favourite things in them!

no pressure tagging 💚: @aroeddiediaz @steadfastsaturnsrings @sunflower-eddiediaz @lover-of-mine @inell @your-catfish-friend @dandelioncasey @theotherbuckley @bidisasterevankinard @a-walking-fandom-reference @happyhauntt @icyfox17 @lavenderleahy @monroemary @discoverthebeautyinlife @darkrose6578 @walske and anyone else who wants to do it! 💚

[tag list post here 💚]

[amberlynnmurdock]

Blind Faith

Chapter 3: Temperance 

Pairing: Matt Murdock x Reader

Chapter Summary: You get private self-defense lessons from the Devil of Hell's Kitchen, who you call Mike now.

A/N: The POV switches a bit frequently in this chapter, between Matt and the reader. I tried to make it as clear as possible. Basically, if you see Matt's name when he's with the reader, it's from his POV. But if it's just described as "he" then it's the Reader's POV. Thanks to all for the kudos you've left on this so far <3 this fic is in its beginning stages but I am really excited to see it through. Enjoy! P.S. This entire series takes place after Season 3 of Daredevil, but Matt kept the black suit.

Chapter 2 here

Hell’s Kitchen

8:00 AM

You hated mornings.

You specifically hated mornings when you were hungover. Your phone alarm woke you up obnoxiously. Groaning, you slammed your finger on the button to shut it off, worried it might wake your friends.

The bright 8 AM sky of Hell’s Kitchen shone directly in your face. No amount of blankets covering your eyes could keep the darkness inside, and you forced yourself to wake up knowing your sleep was well over. You stretched in bed and reached for your phone again on your bedside table.

You scrolled through your notifications.

The Daily Bulletin posted a new article about new restaurants coming to Hell’s Kitchen this summer. You scrolled through mindlessly as you tried to stay awake. You had a few emails from professors, wishing you a happy graduation and good luck to prospective law students. You remembered your job searching app and that you had one new message from one of the firms you applied to.

Nelson and Murdock: 1 view, 1 new message.

You clicked open the message:

Hi __,

Thank you so much for applying to be our new legal assistant. Of all the applications we received, your resume stood out the most to us at Nelson & Murdock. We’d love to have you come in for an interview next week. Does Thursday at 4:00 PM work? We look forward to seeing you.

Sincerely,

Karen Page

Office Manager at Nelson & Murdock

You couldn’t help but smile at Ms. Page’s message. Finally! I get to have some experience working in the legal field before applying for Columbia Law.

You quickly typed out your message:

Dear Ms. Page,

Thank you so much for reaching out! Of course, I would love to come in for an interview. Thursday at 4:00 PM is perfect. Thanks so much for your consideration.

Regards,

___

You added the interview to your calendar and immediately texted your friends’ group chat the exciting news.

Hell’s Kitchen

8:30 PM

You wanted to go out with your friends, but you had other plans for tonight.

“I can’t believe __ is skipping out on tonight!” Hannah exclaimed as she was getting ready in the bathroom. You looked up from the LSAT book in your lap from the couch and mustered up the most convincing shrug.

“If I want to be a successful lawyer, I’ve got to get into law school first. Columbia, no less. That means studying for this Godforsaken test,” you held up the textbook in your hand and clumsily dropped it in your lap.

“Oh, you’ve got the whole summer to study,” Emily pried, dabbing her lipstick on.

“Better start now, then,” you retorted. The truth was, you were absolutely not going to get any studying done tonight. But it was unlike you to decline a night out with your friends, so you used the LSAT as your excuse. You had other plans… of course, if your savior decided to actually show. Who knows? Maybe vigilantes also played games like every guy you’ve ever met at NYU.

“Well, we’ll miss you,” Bella said as she walked out of her room. You smiled at her.

“The bright side is if you guys need me to pick you up, I’ll be sober to do so!” You tried to reason with them.

“True, though we may crash at Ben’s place. Depends how the night goes,” Hannah explained. You nodded, thinking that might be preferable, but you didn’t say so.

You waited patiently, hiding behind your textbook for your friends to leave for the night. Luckily, they decided to get dinner before going out. You would’ve been jealous had you actually needed to study, but the thought of seeing your savior was too exciting to be jealous about anything else.

As soon as they locked the door, you hopped up from the couch and changed out of your pajamas and into a relaxing outfit of leggings, a sports bra, and a hoodie.

It was 9:30—only thirty minutes until your secret meeting with the man in the mask on the rooftop of your apartment building.

Office of Nelson & Murdock

Earlier that day

“Okay, who’s ready to hit up Josie’s tonight?! Karen, Matt?” Foggy Nelson cheered as he slammed his hands on the conference table. Karen Page laughed in her seat as she leaned back in her chair. Her strawberry blonde hair was pushed to one side of her neck.

Matt Murdock suppressed a smile and paused the case file he was just listening to on his Orbit reader.

“I might be inclined,” Karen thought, leaning forward on her desk. “It would be nice to have a drink after coming in to work on a Saturday…”

“Oooh, yeah,” Foggy squinted his face, “sorry about that. I mean, it’s a good thing we’re getting a lot of clients but at the same time, we don’t have enough people here to talk to all of them,” Foggy explained. And then, he remembered something. “Hey, did that applicant ever reply to your message?”

“Oh!” Karen pointed a finger, “Let me check. Ahh, okay! Yes, wow, she did. Uhh, so she’ll be coming in for an interview next Thursday. I just calendared it.”

“Yes!” Foggy put his hands into fists. “Karen, I trust your judgment, unless you want Matt or I to sit in on the interview.”

“Either works. Whoever’s available, I guess,” Karen nodded.

“Cool. So, Josie’s tonight? Matt?”

Matt shook his head.

“I’ve got plans,” he simply said, a smirk on his face. Foggy rolled his eyes.

“Come on, man,” Foggy begged, “you can’t take one night off?”

“I—I can’t,” Matt answered, “I promise next time I’ll join you guys. But not tonight.”

Karen sighed. Matt knew neither of them was pleased with his nighttime activities as they called it, but they’d be happy to know that wasn’t entirely what he was up to tonight—then again, he’s not sure they’d be happy to hear what else he had planned. That was a secret he wouldn’t tell.

“Just let us know if you’ll need us, okay?” Karen asked. Matt nodded.

“Of course,” he said.

“Alright well, guess we’ll hit up Marci to join us,” Foggy suggested.

“Matt, we trust you’ll be fine.”

“I’ll be fine,” he reassured them.

“Well then, I’m going to get a head start on Josie’s martinis. Karen, let’s get outta here.”

Hell’s Kitchen

10:00 PM

You stood by the edge of the rooftop, looking down at the people who walked the streets. You never came up here at all. Sometimes, you and your friends would take pictures up here, but that was it. Being up here alone felt different—it felt like a hideaway. There you were, watching as stores began to close, and bars began to open up. You could see the lights from Times Square in the distance. You shivered when a cool breeze passed.

And then you were startled by something—a thud, somewhere around the back of the rooftop access. You turned around in defense mode, waiting to confirm the identity of what the noise was.

Then, he appeared. Out of the black, into the soft light that reflected from midtown. His black shirt hugged him so tightly, you could see the outline of his muscles on his chest, his abs… his arms. His face was of course covered by the mask, but you saw his lips and the light stubble he had. His hands were wrapped in rope, like a boxer's. He wore black pants and boots to match.

“I wasn’t sure if you would come,” you decided to speak first as you walked toward him. You stopped after a few feet. The man in the mask walked toward the edge of the roof and sat on the edge, facing you.

“I keep my promises,” he replied. “It’s the Catholicism.”

You raised your eyebrows in surprise, “you’re Catholic? And you act outside of the law? Seems like a subjective way of justifying things.”

“I don’t think about it too much,” he responded with a shrug. You eyed him suspiciously.

“So, before we begin,” you cleared your throat to keep the mood light, but truthfully he was making you nervous, for some reason. He had a smirk on his face you wanted to wipe off. “Why did you agree to come here and teach me how to defend myself?”

He was quiet for a few moments.

“You had a convincing argument, from what I remember,” he said.

“That can’t be enough to come out of your way and onto the rooftop of my apartment. Surely, you have more important things to do. So, why did you come? And don’t say it’s because of religion, because that’s bullshit.”

“Maybe I wanted to,” he returned. Your heart pounded when he said this. You were thankful it was dark out, or else he might’ve seen your blush. “And you know, it’s important you know how to defend yourself.”

“Hmm,” was all you said. You pressed your lips together. “Do you give all the girls you’ve saved before private self-defense lessons?”

He laughed. You liked how his laugh sounded.

“You’re my first student,” he said in a low voice.

“So, what should I call you? In my head, I’ve been calling you my savior.”

He smiled, then he got a bit serious.

“Call me Mike,” Mike said.

“Well then, Mike,” you walked closer to him so you were no more than a foot away. You crossed your arms and tilted your head. “I’m a quick learner.”

Mike pushed himself off from where he leaned, so the space between you shrunk even more.

“I don’t doubt that.”

~~~

“Show me what you’d do if someone were to approach you in front of you,” Mike ordered, placing his hands on his hips. You squinted your eyes at him, thinking.

“I’d try to do this,” you began as Mike pretended to “attack” you. You took your arms and tried to hit him away, but he grabbed you by your forearms and steadied you from losing your balance.

“That’s how they can get a hold on you, as I do now,” Mike explained, with a sly grin on his face. “Instead, you want to make sure you move both your arms to one side and do a swiping motion, so they can’t grab you. Try again.”

He got back into position as you did. You braced yourself as he came to you, holding up his arms. You did exactly what he said before, and moved your arms in a swiping motion, gently hitting his arms away.

“Don’t be afraid to hurt me when we do this. I want you to fully grasp how you’d handle yourself, God forbid, you ever had to,” Mike stated. “One more time.”

You repeated your stance as before, and this time, you aggressively swiped his arms away, feeling your forearm clash against his.

“Good girl,” he smiled in satisfaction. Your heart was pounding again in your chest. You weren’t sure if it was from his comment, or that self-defense training was like a workout. You huffed as you caught your breath.

“And what if they anticipate that? What next?” You asked, genuinely curious. Mike thought for a moment before answering.

“Then you have to use your legs,” he replied. “Let’s try that. Give me your arms,” he held up his hands. You raised your arms, and like slow motion, he wrapped his fingers around you, pulling you closer to him. You gasped at the contact. The tip of your nose barely touched his.

“Listen carefully,” he said in a low voice. “I’ve got your arms. You’re going to want to slip from under, using your whole weight.”

You nodded your head, understanding him. His grip on your arms tightened. You took a deep breath and then plunged, slipping out of his grasp.

“Now stop!” He halted. “Raise your right leg and try to kick my shoulder.”

“I don’t know if I can stretch that much,” you stressed.

“You can. This is life or death. Just try it,” he urged you.

You raised and kicked your right leg, hitting his shoulder and using the weight to push him away. He nodded and clapped his hands.

“Exactly that,” Mike smiled.

“I need a water,” you uttered, “I don’t know how you do this every night. Do you need a water?”

“I could use a water,” Mike answered.

“Okay, I’ll be right back.”

Trotting down the rooftop access stairs, you hurried for two water bottles from the fridge. You glanced at the clock—11:30 PM. Sheesh. Time flies when you’re learning self-defense.

Upon entering the roof again, you were confused to not find Mike where you left him. You scanned the roof, looking for him. Did he leave?

Suddenly, a dark figure came charging at you. You dropped the water bottles and immediately went into defense mode, realizing it was Mike. You thought fast and swiped his arms immediately, swaying him to the side.

“That was a test,” Mike said out of breath.

“Jesus!” You exclaimed, “You scared me!”

“That’s how fast an attacker will be. Out of nowhere, and just like that,” Mike explained.

You shook your head, picking up the water bottles from where you dropped them. You handed one to Mike.

“Let’s take a break, shall we?”

~~~

Matt contemplated coming tonight.

There was something wrong about why he chose to come to you, to fulfill his promise. When he started his activities, he told himself he’d never get attached to the people he saved—never get emotionally involved. He would strictly leave it to business: stop the criminals, and save the innocent person. But for some reason, with you, he couldn’t let go.

The second time he saved you was a complete accident…fate, as you had said. He was in a completely different part of town, and you so happened to be in the same area. He remembers hearing your voice, dignified, yelling at that punk kid to leave that innocent girl alone. He recognized your voice immediately. Matt’s hearing was so sensitive, even after hearing someone’s voice once, he could pick it out in an entire crowd. He liked that you talked to him; that you weren’t afraid of him in his suit.

And still, he wasn’t sure if coming tonight was a good idea. Because he knows he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from coming again.

And now, here was, on your rooftop, sharing a bottle of water with you. He sat against the wall, knees pulled up. You sat next to him with your legs in front of you.

“Don’t you ever get tired?” You suddenly asked in a soft voice. Matt tilted his head to listen to your body. You were calm now. You weren’t when he first showed up. Your heart was beating steady. She feels safe. She is safe. He could smell a lingering scent of your perfume on your skin. It smelled like black cherry and vanilla.

“Of what?” Matt asked in return.

“You know,” you shrugged, “expecting to be everyone’s savior.”

Matt shook his head, “not really. It’s easy to not get tired when you’ve accepted this as your purpose.”

“It’s your purpose, to bear the burden of other people’s situations?”

Matt laughed, despite himself. “Maybe.”

“Well, if you ever need someone to share that burden with—I’m right here,” you told him. “Even though I don’t actually know who you are.”

He smiled a little. “It’s better that way.”

“Is it?” You questioned. “I mean, you could literally be anyone. You might be one of my professors and I might not even know it. Actually, I’d hate that. I take it back,” you shook your head. Matt laughed again.

“I promise I’m not one of your professors.”

“Phew,” you said. “Well, who are you?”

“A New Yorker, like you.”

“I guess that counts,” you smiled. “How old are you?”

“Oh, come on,” Matt sighed.

“What? These are valid questions. I won’t figure out who you are, but I can know basic information. Can I guess? You’re definitely older than me.”

Another reason why this felt wrong. He wasn’t that much older than you—about seven years.

“I’m not that old,” Matt argued. You laughed.

“I didn’t say you were, Mike.”

“Let’s try another defense technique,” Matt said, changing the subject. He stood up from sitting and held out his hand for you. You grabbed it and he pulled you up. He let his hand linger in your touch before he let go again.

“Okay,” he said, “turn around.”

“What?”

“Turn around,” Matt repeated. “Do you trust me?”

“Yes,” you answered. Matt listened to you closely. You weren’t lying. You turned around.

“Do you mind if I…get close?”

It was your turn to pause. “No.”

“Okay,” Matt took a deep breath. He listened to you closely again, and using his senses, he took you in. He knew your hair was down. He slowly raised his hand and moved your hair to one side, revealing a part of your neck. He felt your goosebumps rise at his touch. You shivered. Matt pretended not to notice. He placed both his hands on either side of your waist, bringing you snug against him, so your back was against his chest. You felt warm against him, and delicate. He slid his arms underneath yours so he rested at your collarbone. He was completely holding you against him now.

“You okay?” He whispered in your ear. You took a shaky breath.

“Yeah,” you said in a small voice.

“Someone could come up from behind you, and grab you like this,” he held you tighter for emphasis. “Similar to before if they got hold of your arms, you have to slide out from underneath. And kick back, too.”

“Okay,” you said in understanding. “Let me try.”

Matt anticipated your moves. He felt your muscles tense as you braced yourself to slide down. And you did, quickly. You exited his restraint, and he didn’t feel warm anymore.

“Good,” Matt said, “exactly.”

You caught your breath. “Can we do it again?”

Matt nodded, motioning for you to come to him.

You slid easily back against him, like putting on a glove. It was like your body melted against his, the way you sunk back into position. You rested your head in the crook of his neck, taking a deep breath.

Matt could feel every muscle you had relax when you did this. It was then he slipped his arms under you again, holding you tightly—but not in the way he instructed before, a different way. He held you tighter against him and touched his covered nose on your temple. He took a deep breath, and instantly, like inhaling a drug, you filled his senses to the max. Your fragrance was intoxicating. He listened to your heartbeat slowly pick up its pace until it was pounding against your chest. He heard you take your own deep breath, as you sunk even more into his body.

It took everything in him to practice self-restraint. He repeated Bible verses in his head, the longer he held you.

A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls. Proverbs 25:28.

“Ready,” Matt whispered.

~~~

You slipped out of his grasp, and you were almost successful, but he held onto your right hand. Mike kept holding on, and suddenly, you were pulled right back into his grasp. This time, facing him, you collided flush against his chest.

He was breathing heavily, and God did you wish you could see his face underneath that mask. His mouth was slightly parted, and you were breathing heavily. You felt Mike’s strong arms snake around your waist, pulling you closer to him. His nose gently touched yours. You felt his hand run up the length of your spine before it rested on the back of your neck. And then, his lips were on yours.

The kiss… you felt his stubble tickle your face, but you didn’t care. His lips crashed into yours, which you accepted gracefully. His lips were soft, but his kiss was rough. Needy. Curious. It was intoxicating, being kissed like that. The closest thing to describing it was like a brand new day. It was like exploring a new universe, where only the two of you existed. Yeah, that’s what it felt like right now. You weren’t in New York City, on your rooftop anymore. It was you and him sharing this kiss, with no one else to see. In secret. His head tilted to the side to take more of you in. You breathed in sharply, desperate for more.

And then, he pulled back and rested his forehead against yours.

“Was that your plan all along?” You asked suspiciously.

“No,” Mike answered. “It wasn’t.”

“Good,” you said, “because that’d be messed up.”

Mike laughed.

“I fear we are way past messed up now, sweetheart.”

Hell’s Kitchen

1:00 AM

Your friends stumbled into the apartment. You were on the couch, LSAT textbook in your hand. You kept reading and re-reading the same paragraph over and over. Your mind kept replaying your moment with Mike, just an hour ago.

“There’s our girl,” Hannah walked in the living room, plopping on the couch next to you. Bella made a beeline for the fridge and Emily sat on the floor, turning the TV on.

“How’d studying go?” Hannah asked drunkenly.

You sighed and closed your textbook.

“Terrible,” you answered with a knowing smile, “I’m in deep trouble for this test.”

[crazylittlejester]

So... because of timezones (i think) you posted that question about what fics we're looking forward to at like past midnight and I didn't have the mental capacity to answer. Now it's 10am where I am and my first order of business is to send you an essay on the fics you've written that I've enjoyed!

So if I remember right, I started following you when you were writing the Your A Part Of Me series. I LOVE your portrayal of Warriors and Time (and sometimes Wind) and I'm pretty sure you're the reason i love war of eras found family fics! Though if I could choose a single one of these fics for you to update it would be the body swap fic. For a fic with only 2 chapters, I've re-read it an unhealthy amount of times 😅

I was also here when you were brainstorming the Twilight but Wars is Bella AU and I'm waiting with baited breath for that one. Crack fics usually don't interest me, but for some reason this one sounds amazing and I can't wait to bingeread the whole thing in one sitting! (No pressure though!)

And of course I can't end this rant without mentioning your modern au. I love aus like this, I love seeing each authors interpretation of what our blorbos would be like in a different setting, I find it FASCINATING and yours is one of the great ones! You've put so much thought into it and the only reason I haven't read/kudos more of those fics is because uni started up again last week for me and I've got a deadline soon for a project that is the equivalent of a dissertation (AND I'm doing a dissertation as well which was a ✨️mistake✨️ im having fun cus im writing/composing video game music but theres so much work!!!) and i use fic to escape the real world not be reminded of it. I'm sure I'll get round to your other modern au fics after my deadline 😀

Anyway, before I go back to lurking, I just wanted to remind you to write what YOU want to write and not force yourself to write something you've lost the motivation for just because people are asking for it. I can say from experience that writing out of obligation is a great way to take the joy out of writing and I wouldn't wish that fate on anyone!

I'm going to sink back into the void whence I came now. Bye! 🩷💚💜

thank you so much for this!!

im definitely working on chapter 3 for the body swap fic so dw dw :)

I told myself i was going to finish that entire au before i start posting it so it can have consistent updates aldkdkk but its taking sooo long. i have not forgotten about it, im still slowly working on it, maybe i’ll post chapter one when its half done or something

im glad you like the modern au!! and good luck on your work 🫡🫡🫡

take care if yourself!! 💙

[kinja145]

The evil has been defeated ; the french translation of DLTD is complete !!!!!!!

It has been almost 9 years since I started it. I was in my first year of highschool when I started, I've gratuated, I went to university for 3 years, graduated again, and now I'm working. It has been a long, long thing to do. I did it with passion, but sometimes I feel like I wasn't as much implicated in the translation of some chapters compared to others, but I still loved it from start to end. Sometimes I wonder how I managed to stay so implicated and how I didn't just abandon the project ! But at the end, DLTD is always somehwere in my thoughts, I just can't escape it lol DLTD is a story, a fandom, I can't quite seem to leave. I've been way less into it these past few years, but everytime I came back to it, it felt like home and it still does. I think I've felt almost every emotion with DLTD, and I'm not just talking about the first part, but DLTD as a whole. I don't have the words to drescribe how much this story means to me, how it changed my brain chemistry.

I know the story isn't perfect, God knows I can tell that. But I just accept it with its flaws and kind of cringe parts that are so reminiscent of 2010s ! Without DLTD there is no drawings from me, or at least less, and probably not so much progression. So DLTD saved my imagination in a way, even tho time and energy is missing now that I'm working but I still love to draw for it. Thinking back on those 8 years, I'm amazed to see how obsessed I was with it. I did a comic adaptation of the first chapter, an ending, a parody I never finished with Daniel, dozens of fanart, a discord (that didn't really work but it's still out there !). I met lot of people, including my beta reader YuuKyun whom I haven't heard from for almost 3-4 years now. I really, really hope she is okay and will reappear someday. Big kudos to her, she was so helpful in the early years ! This translation wouldn't exist without @burakkuenjeru19. She is the reason I even started translating it. So kudos to her. She also listened to me yapping about DLTD for all those years, and yapped back so yeah, really kudos. This story has literally marked me. Even today, we still quote the lizard in the toaster from chapter 2 with my friends (iconic !), and more parts of the story. We had so so much fun reading the story together, giving each other a character to voice. We did it again a few weeks ago for old time sake, and it was still so wholesome !! The chapters aren't all out right now, but I'll start posting one chapter per day in december. Wich makes me think ; ever since 2016, I've always had at least 10 chapters of advance on the publication. I think I can take pride in that uwu As for DLTP, I don't know for now if I'll get to it. It's just a whole lot of work, way more than the first part. But I feel like I'll miss it so maybe there's a world where I start the translation of it too. I'm just not making any promesses !

And to end this post, I have to thanks the one and only : @hateweasel

I don't even know what to say to thank you, Hate. You brought to me and to many more people so much with your story and your imagination. Your interest for the surnatural stuck with me and you put it so well into the story, I just love the fact that you don't represent surnaturals as monsters. Yeah, they're people too. I just love this concept !!

I was so, so scared the first time I sent you a message here to ask the permission to post the translation. I think I read my message like 10 times to make sure that there wasn't any mistakes... And then, you helped me tons of time with words, sentences, and parts I didn't get. And you let me have so much liberty with the adaptation of the story in my language, it was really, really great from you, thank you !!

We started talking a lot at some point even with jet lag, and it was really great even tho we had multiple conversation at the same time lol

You made me discover a lot of things outside of DLTD with your blog too, and I'm thankfull for that too.

I just can't thank you enough, and I think everyone else who has read and loved DLTD can say the same. Thank you again, Hate (especially if you read all that) !!!

I'm going to keep on posting the last chapters, and then post drawings here and there I guess, now. Until then, farewell duckies !!

[teamdilf]

AO3 Q&A

Tagged by @omniblades-and-stars - thanks!

Tagging: @ariannaserissa, @davenswitcher, @gefionne

You can find me here!

How many works do you have on AO3?

202

(I have no idea why the text is this big but Tumblr formatting, go home, you're drunk.)

What's your total word count?

3,913,208

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1. Come Back Alive - Shepard/Garrus - Mass Effect.

Set during the last weeks of the Reaper War and then the first 15ish years following the war as Shepard and Garrus build their life together in retirement.

2. Cerberus HR Presents: Sexual Harassment in the Workplace - a Miranda Lawson Seminar - Shepard/Garrus - Mass Effect.

After an incident perpetuated by an unnamed crew member (Kenneth; we all know it’s Kenneth), Cerberus HR, in a bid to protect crew safety and morale, forces Miranda to put on a sexual harassment seminar.

The crew, of course, acts in an entirely mature fashion and there are absolutely no shenanigans whatsoever.

3. Rook, No. - Rook & Solas and Lavellan/Solas - Dragon Age.

As roommates of a very specific sort, Rook learns quickly that the actual disaster of an ancient god sharing space with her is easy to annoy. Better: annoying him is actually really fun. Not Veilguard-compliant but speculative based on the preview content released.

4. In Search of a Sniper - Shepard/Garrus - Mass Effect.

With Zaeed not cutting it on the sniper front, Shepard insists they go after Archangel - at least until Cerberus can track down Garrus.

Now in Archangel’s hideout, she receives the surprise of a lifetime…

5. Krogan Observations on Human-Turian Relations - Shepard/Garrus - Mass Effect.

Wrex doesn’t particularly like the turian, but watching him moon over Commander Shepard is a particular source of amusement for Wrex. Maybe he’ll even grow to like the pup.

Wrex’s POV on the relationship between Shepard and Garrus.

Do you respond to comments? Why/Why not?

I do! I always love to read what people think about my work.

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

How We Met - the story of how Castis met his wife, Cecilia. It gets into her terminal illness and the last chapter is such a damned gut punch that left me distraught as I wrote it.

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

I write a lot of happy endings but I'll go with a recent fic of mine - A Melody in a Forest. It's set three years post-Veilguard and does contain ending spoilers.

I picked it specifically because I waited a long time for the ending to Iris and Solas' story and being able to give them their happiness - canonically, brought me a lot of joy as I was writing it.

Do you write crossovers?

I've written one - a BG3/Dragon age crossover called Glowing Glass.

Oh, and a Barbenheimer fic too, I suppose, which was a short little thing I wrote to cheer myself up in the summer of 2023

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I have. Please don't do this - it's such a cruel thing to do, and I recall posting a chapter I'd worked so very hard on, that I was extremely proud of, and receiving an unkind comment that made me bawl my eyes out. It was a real kick to the confidence and I happened to be on vacation at the time, so it spoiled what should have been a relaxing long weekend.

Do you write smut?

Occasionally but not especially often. I'm not a confident smut writer so it's always a little nerve-wracking to post it.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No and I don't think I ever would.

What's your all time favorite ship?

I have a lot of ships I'm fond of but Lavellan/Solas is the one I've been drawn to for years so I've got to give it to them. I came and went from the fandom but they always remained in my heart.

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

It's unposted but I've got one or two chapters left of a Shepard/Adrien Victus fic that I'd like to finish one day but I'm not sure I ever will.

I also have a fic that looks at the final year of Adrien Victus' life, and his daughter, Aurelia, working to write/draw a graphic novel based on her father's life. I've written about 10,000 words and it's just so damned sad and tough to make progress on. I don't know if I have it in me to finish it.

What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue and character voice, but also comedy. I write some very good comedy!

What are your writing weaknesses?

Action scenes - so much so that when I was writing Blume, I very nearly cut the action scene that wound up being the climax of the fic because I was so sure I wouldn't do the scene justice. I'm proud of how it came out and a lot of stress and tears went into that chapter.

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

I've done it in a very limited manner, but generally prefer to just indicate that they're speaking another language rather than trying to write dialogue in another language.

What's the first fandom you wrote for?

I posted a Lost fic as a teenager but the first fanfic I ever wrote was for Pirates of the Caribbean. I have it hidden in a notebook somewhere!

What's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet, but want to?

I have an idea for a de Riva Rook/Lucanis one shot that I may write someday.

What's your favorite fic you've ever written?

Cerberus HR Presents: Sexual Harassment in the Workplace - a Miranda Lawson Seminar might be the one I'm most proud of, if only because I can re-read it and find myself laughing at my own jokes.

The Wolf's Flower - It's now firmly an AU, but I was proud of how I took all of the hints/preview material we'd received and wrote about how Iris and Solas found one another again, and the consequences of Solas' actions after he was found and stopped. I wrote this back when I was unsure we'd ever get an ending to Lavellan and Solas' story so I found a lot of comfort in finding an ending of my own that satisfied me.

[demonkinguwu]

FANFICTION PROGRESS

This is an update since I'm back in a mental space where I can start writing again. [A bit of my personal thoughts at the end] I am continuing all of my current fics, none will be abandoned but some will be on a long hiatus before I get to them, so I'm sorry for the delay on those, but I'll most likely fix the aus they are based on. Now for the statuses of those:

The Witch Bride and The Groom Ghost: I will most definitely be finishing this one in the next coming year, I have been plotting it out and have all the chapter drafts finished. However, I will most likely be moving the chapter upload from once a week to once every two weeks due to the chapter length [boy they are long jdsknf] and my work schedule picking up. Art will added later on.

Subcon Waltz: This will most likely take a while for me to revisit, mostly because I am plotting out the chapters and reworking most of it, no drafts have been done as of yet but I have a pretty good idea of where the story is headed. Plus this has been a story I've been wanting to get back to since it's been in the works for so long, it's a nice mix of the fairytale tropes, horror, and that good old Subcon dark humor lol. I really come to love it :>

How To Be a Loving Family: This is definitely one that will take me the longest to get back to work with due to the amount of rework that I'll do with the AU. A lot of it going to change from what I had in mind but it's for the sake of feeling comfortable with it. That said, once again, the current chapters will be reworked a little at a later point once I have a clear idea of the reworked AU.

I'm also working on 2 new fics not yet to be announced but they're being worked on behind the scenes on occasion. Thank you so much for sticking with me on these, your kudos and comments are appreciated!

A bit of a personal journey with writing these fics

Last year hit me pretty hard, I experienced big-time burnout. I wasn't really capable of doing much that I felt I like doing artwise, especially with writing. I only did doodles on discord but aside from the occasional post, not much else.

Back then, rereading my old writing, my old rps from the old servers I was in, I just cringed at how bad I was. I don't consider myself a good writer, heck even now I'm so-so on my writing, but reading back on my old stuff, man I feel like I kissed a lemon dkjnfddf I was pretty bad and writing felt off to me since then. I did still do private oneshots but I couldn't get back to writing these series. The thing about the Hat Mom AU and the Subcon Waltz AU fics being felt in the dust was that I wasn't as invested in A hat in time much, it was just a mix of my hyperfixation on the series dying off, the fics not being ironed and plotted out properly [Literally didn't plan a thing on Subcon Waltz and just winged it out impluse] and the fandom drama had drained me [Yeah, remember the whole Vanessa hating asks I got? Yeah those certainly didn't help with my mood at the time]

The only reason I got back into writing at all was due to how invested I grew in TGOGM but it didn't have that many fics at the time so I decided to throw my hat into the ring with my own au. By then I learned how to properly plan out chapters and writing and remembered I was just doing this for fun, I wasn't being paid to do this so I could take my time with this.

Eventually, I applied this mindset to my other fics and aus once I got back into ahit, these are my aus/fics, I can rewrite them if I don't like them. So that's what I'm doing right now, just taking the hammer, smashing stuff and just fixing them into something I like. Because at the end of the day, I'm not really a popular artist nor have a grand story everyone is invested in, I'm just a silly little creator with my own silly ideas that I choose to share with the world. If they like it, then poggers!!! I will cry and sob for weeks over a nice comment dkjnfds If not, well, I like this, and maybe one day someone else will too :>

I know this is long but I just needed to share my thoughts out there alongside telling you guys they're not dead, they're just being fixed with the hammer lol :> If you read this far, thank you for reading this madness fdnjf I'll try to get these to a place a like while taking my time in doing so uwu

[jules-writes-stories]

Thank you so so much for tagging me @zenkindoflove (I think you tagged me lol, I can't remember now) and @fieldofdaisiies

1. How many works do you have on AO3? I'm a baby fan fic writer, so only 5! (but I have 3 more WIP on the way...)

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? <- BABY. How do I figure this out? I mean, other than mathing?

3. What fandoms do you write for? ACOTAR

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Just Enough Light to Cast Shadows | Azris

Held Close, Like a Secret | Azris

Into the Night | Azris

Heart of Gold | Elucien

Valkyrie | Emerie

5. Do you respond to comments? Always! I love engaging with readers.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Angst is necessary to any longer fic, but I rarely play for keeps, at least where my OTPs are concerned. The saddest fic I've written is probably my Eris Week fic "Monster" which isn't posted yet. But even that ends on a hopeful note (I think?).

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? I'm pretty proud of my ending of Into the Night, my Azris retelling of Hades x Persephone.

8. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? I do, but only included in a larger work. I've written Azris, OCs, and Elucien... and maybe a little LoA/Helion that might be coming in future JEL chapters (spoiler lol).

9. Do you write crossovers? Not yet

10. Have you ever had a fic translated? Nope

11. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Not yet, but sounds fun

12. What is your all-time favorite ship? Azris! I have a soft spot for elucien, and Helion/LoA. Oh! And Thesan and his Peregryn. I want to write them so badly! I didn't follow directions for this question. Sorry. Azris is my OTP.

13. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? This summer I started writing Amarantha's origin story, and I really want to finish it, but I keep getting sidetracked. Stories gnaw away at me until I get them out though, so I generally finish what I start. It's a sickness.

14. What are your writing strengths? I don't know? I've been told I write dialogue well. Sometimes I will act out character interactions because that's totally normal. I like descriptions too. Not sure I'm good at it, but I love a metaphor lol.

15. What are your writing weaknesses?  My comfort zone is with short fiction and poetry, so I worry about timing/not having a good enough plot/arc for longer fics.

16. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? It is fun, but hard. I speak several languages (poorly) so I try to sprinkle words in that I know.

17. First fandom you wrote for? I'm a trembling new born FF writer, so, ACOTAR. But long time reader. My first fan fic was maybe Harry Potter? (Surprise! A little Drarry grew up to be an Azris, lol)

18. Favorite fic you’ve written? Just Enough Light to Cast Shadows is the love of my life, but I'm really proud of my Eris Week fic Monster, which I'm posting for Day 3!

No pressure tags (and sorry if you've already been tagged): @the-darkestminds @c-starstuff-man0 @unanswered-stars @mistandmemories @chunkypossum