#so to me this is 104 fics at least v-v

[baekuras]

anyhow how the fuck did I miss Kiyan’s tag on AO3 getting over 100 now? Good fucking work team thank you

[tameila]

Was kindly tagged by @belphegor1982 to participate in this 20 questions for writers trend! thanks for the tag! 💕 tags for anyone who sees this and wants to take a whack at it. tag me in your responses, if you do!

How many works do you have on AO3?

I have 10 works on ao3 with plenty of little one-shots posted here on tumblr and at least triple that many WIPs lmao

What's your total AO3 word count?

My current ao3 word count is 165,375 words. TSAR is responsible for, like, 70% of that word count.

What fandoms do you write for?

On ao3, I've only posted for Critical Role, and I do not foresee that changing, but who knows! Before Critical Role, I never really saw myself as a writer that posted on public forums, and it's not as if I haven't entertained and dabbled in other fandoms.

Overall, including collaborative writing/roleplaying, I have written for Warriors (yes, the cat books), Bleach, Naruto, Hetalia (im sorry you have to learn this about me), Glee, Dragon Age, and Digimon.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

The Sun Always Rises (550 kudos), multichaptered modern AU Pikelan

give my regards to soul and romance (186 kudos), one-shot based in @jabletown's rejoice AU, Pikelan with Dadlan and Pike & Kaylie bonding

le petit encore (145 kudos), my mediocre TSAR 'verse smut fic. every time it gets another kudos i am pushed closer and closer to continuing my smut WIPs because i swear!! i promise!! i can write better smut!...but i am rather proud of this piece because it was my first serious foray into the world of smut and i gotta recognize my own hustle lol

As Easy as Riding a Bicycle (113 kudos), modern AU/college-aged Pikelan, Pike's bike gets stolen and she turns to a dating app to try and find it and finds love instead. super love this piece. everyone should read it and give it more kudos so it can be my third most kudo'd piece teehee

TLC is a Two-Way Street (104 kudos), TSAR 'verse, Pikelan, Pike looks after Scanlan while he is sick

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes, yes, yes! Even as I free myself from the shackles of needing that validation and feeling discouraged if I don't reach some arbitrary number of engagement, I cannot deny that comments are inspiration and writing fuel. So, when I get a comment, I think it's the least that I can do to respond, even if it's just to say thanks.

I am definitely guilty of sitting on comments that make me particularly happy for weeks on end before actually remembering to respond tho

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

the things we know and the things we wish they knew, which was my first CR fanfic and written in response to ep 85 iykyk

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

I mean, it's gotta be The Sun Always Rises

Do you get hate on fics?

No, thankfully not!

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

As mentioned previously, I only really have one serious smut fic, though I have written a couple other bits and bobs....and maybe I have a couple WIPs that may or may not see the light of day. I'm not sure what kinds of smut there are...but I guess I would describe my approach to smut as 'I am a sex-repulsed asexual and idk what's really going on here but I'm here to express closeness and intimacy and love in this strange new world' lol

Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

If we're talking crossovers in the sense that characters from two separate fictional stories meet and interact, I have written in roleplays back in middle school like that but never explored the concept in fanfic.

If crossovers also includes taking the concept of one fictional media and inserting the characters of another into it (e.g., Hogwarts AU or HDM AU) then I've definitely written and have plans for various fanfics like that. I don't think that I have any that I would consider "crazy", but I do think my brief notes and writings for a OTGW-inspired Nygmobblepot/Riddlebird fic were v inspired.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of and hopefully not! Very little gets posted in the Pikelan fandom that I don't see, so I like to think I'd be hard to pull a fast one on

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not yet, but I would love to see The Sun Always Rises translated into other languages someday!

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I've entertained a couple co-written fics that have unfortunately never gotten off the ground much, but I'm not closed off to the idea. I see it as being quite similar to roleplaying!

What's your all-time favorite ship?

Oof. As a lifetime shipper, that's a tough question. I never truly let go of a ship, even after I've moved on from a fandom, but there are definitely some that are far more enduring in my heart than others.

Of course, if we're going off of writing alone than it's Pikelan. Writing TSAR got me through some of the hardest years of my life and, despite what's become of them and what I'm forced to endure by continuing to engage in the fandom space, they're special to me in a way that a lot of other ships can never be, no matter how much I love 'em.

Also, in the case of writing, FenHawke. selfishly, of course, Fenris with my Hawke. I love writing for them, and I consider the pieces that I've written for them to be amongst my best. They're the Dragon Age ship for me.

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

.....[shamefully hangs head] A-Side and B-Side, the sequels to TSAR. I'm gonna keep writing them for as long as I am able but, if there ever comes a day that I post an update and get zero engagement, then I think I'll just have to move on. but! if even one person keeps coming along for the ride, then I'll stick to 'em. I just don't know if there's anyone who loves my writing enough to stick around for, like, another 5 years lol

The other big one is Vex's Delivery Service...which is exactly what it sounds like. A Kiki's Delivery Service inspired AU but it's about Vex. though truly, it's a thinly veiled excuse to write about domestic Pikelan is what it is. I have the whole thing planned out. I just can't ever seem to get it off the ground and, at this point, with the way I'm halfway out of the CR fandom, I don't think I ever will.

What are your writing strengths?

I have been extremely lucky to have been complimented on multiple facets of my writing over the years. However, I think what I pride in myself the most is my ability to let each scene breathe and take its time. It means that I take forever to write and nothing's ever short, but I don't think I would like writing quite as much if I wasn't allowed to let each moment have its breathing space.

What are your writing weaknesses?

It's a bit of an oddball pick maybe, but it's something that I feel like I have to own up to as a notorious modern AU writer:

People say that modern AUs are uninspired and boring, especially when you're taking characters out of a magical fictional world just to put them into our world and....the rumor's are true. I just don't get that into the lore of a fictional universe to ever feel comfortable writing in it. I do just find it easier to write everyone as humans in a modern-esque society. Now, I will stand by the fact that part of the fun of modern AUs is taking these magical characters and interpreting into a modern space (I often do the opposite with modern era characters into a fantasy world of my own design), but I just want to fully own up to the fact that...yes, I am too lazy to research the intricacies of canon in order to write a proper canon compliant/adjacent fic.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I think it has it's place.

For me, if it's a language that the POV character understands/that the reader should understand alongside the POV character, then there's no reason to write it in that language. Simply include a dialogue tag to explain what language the character was speaking in. and I say this mostly from a logistical/ease of reading standpoint. Having to scroll down to the bottom of a fic or switch to a separate tab with the translations interrupts the flow of reading.

If, however, the language is included, untranslated, to reflect the POV character's own lack of knowledge of the language then that makes more sense. because you, as the reader, are meant to keep reading at the same level of understanding as the POV character and there's no pressure to be rushing for a translation just to make sure you're not missing an important line of dialogue.

but of course, as with most things, it's writer's choice!

First fandom you wrote for?

Warriors, probably...maybe Hamtaro. I definitely read fanfic for it and had my little daydream musings, but I don't think I wrote anything down.

Favorite fic you've ever written?

Oooh, we talkin' fic fic? That's long gone, and it's up in the air which of those many early fandoms that it was for.

If we're talking that's readily available on ao3, then my first was the things we know and the things we wish they knew. though, I was writing and posting Dragon Age one-shots on tumblr before that one.

Coming back because, for some reason, I misread this question as what was the first fic I'd ever written lol. Obviously, the answer to favorite is The Sun Always Rises.

[404-brainnotfound]

Live-blogging/reacting to the Black Tapes 303

And apparently shit gets real and it’s really painful, based on some of the posts I’ve seen. I’ve been a little absent lately, adjusting to a new apartment and figuring out a new job (programming/IT - officially a STEM lady!) and starting a Java college class, and just getting back from a trip, so those are my excuses.

Anyway, here’s my long-winded live reaction:

“enigmatic”

I can’t believe this still is so accurate describing Strand.

“...But first I went to Turkey”

LOL WTF is this segue? I bet Terry Miles wrote that stupid line.

Simon sounds more raspy than normal, like Simon to the power of 10. Reminds me of the transformation from Wolf 359 season 1 Hilbert voice to season 3(?) Hilbert voice.

In fact, Simon’s monotone is a little Extra (TM) to me

Why does Simon use “tapestry” here when he’s been so fond of music metaphors in the past?

ALEX YOU WOULD LET SOMEBODY BLINDFOLD YOU

Nice imagery Alex describes post-kidnapping-and-blindfolding

Bet Paul wrote this part. Has nice show, don’t tell vibe, which Terry fails at most of the time.

Side note, “magic hour”/“witching hour”/“golden hour” plays a big part in the Japanese animated film “Your Name,” and it has a GORGEOUS song composed specifically for golden hour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZH_tMmaMGO8

“But first we’re headed back to Seattle”

man this episode is really jumping around

I LOVE the Pythagoras stuff. Episode 109 with the Pythagorean comma was my fave behind 104.

Of course the modern day group is a death cult

“or at least that’s my theory”

Oh Alex.

“Okay...” “..if you’re not happy with my response, I don’t know what else to provide-”

LMFAO their interactions are so weird and have ALWAYS been. There’s this insidious tension, feelings of derision and mistrust between the two of them, but it’s mixed in with a general fondness of the other person, because they’ve been forced to spend so much time together and share so much of their personal lives. It’s like they see each other as unfortunate but permanent parts of each other’s lives, like a toxic relative who they can’t help but feel obligated to try and maintain a relationship with, so they mistake that obligation for actual love. I’ve heard of this concept in romantic relationships as “misattribution of arousal” where a person mistakes their feelings of arousal as romantic attraction rather than a physiological response to fear and shared trauma. One of the queer YouTubers I follow just put out a video about a similar phenomenon that occurs between queer people who become friends only because they’ve both experienced the trauma of societal marginalization for being queer. Those queer people bond quickly and deeply over that shared trauma, only to later realize that they have nothing in common and make poor friends. Here’s that video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGrtCRMbq9Q

“Your podcast is about the Black Tapes, but it’s also about us...you are at the center of this with me.”

How VERY true Dr. Strand. In fact, I hate horror, but the characters of Alex and Strand drew me in so much that I stayed all this time.

TBTP has always been intimate and character-driven in a way that Tanis never was, and that’s why it has the staying power even after a year-long hiatus.

The TRUST discussion, why didn’t this happen EONS ago, but here it is, the core of what makes this relationship (in a non-shippy way) SO interesting

“We have to watch over each other” ;___;

And damn Alex’s reaction is INTERESTING

She’s TRYING to be skeptical of her subject! FINALLY, oh my bb, look at your character development, just look at it!

Did anyone else think that Alex was going to talk to Nic instead of Simon when she mentioned “needing perspective”?

“We all have a choice, Alex” = Key theme of this season?

i.e. We choose what we believe, we see what we want through our own confirmation biases? Just a thought.

I love how Simon is so much more present this season.

Horn of Tiamat is actually a song? Back to the spooky music motif, YASSSS

side note, how does Simon know cuneiform/ancient Sumerian?

I guess he knew sacred geometry so there’s that

Stored beneath the Vatican? Does this tie back in the exorcism machine stuff left hanging last season?

These dental ads are boring, I low-key miss the Me Undies cringefest of last time.

Simon’s phone was out of service the next day

That boy is SO extra

So the cuneiformist doesn’t think it’s a song, interesting. I bet it’s a song though, so it matches the spooky music thread we’ve had going all this time.

Aaaaand cueniformist already sent numbers in an email, MK would be proud.

This mention of Sebastian Torres after so long makes me want someone to write a fic set 10 years later in a “Where are they now?” style confessional show.

Any takers, @the-wonderful-jinx​, @buckybabs​, @luminescent-wanderings​ & co?

“What do you mean I’m at the center of it?”

Um, see the discussion you have with Alex not 10 minutes before in the episode, my dear amnesiac Dr. Strand.

“Perhaps I should sit for this presentation. [sigh]” “I’m serious.”

This line had me laughing hard. I love Strand-style humor when he lets it out. Similar Strand humor instance is this quick interaction from 107: ALEX: You know Tannis Braun’s bi-locating sounds an awful lot like the Simon Reese situation. STRAND: Tannis Braun and Simon Reese have a lot in common. ALEX: You don’t like him. STRAND: Who? Simon?

“Ex-wife” “WIFE... we never divorced.”

JESUS CHRIST ON A CRACKER THE AWKWARDNESS

Why are you being so confrontational Strand?

I guess Alex kinda ruined the Strand & Coralee reunion.

Didn’t Alex also call Coralee Strand’s ex-wife in 104ish?

Even more Strand humorous quips/snipes... he’s such a diva!

“We’re all male?” truly stood out

“Everything about that man runs counter to what I consider civil behavior.” “...” “What?”

Just a fucking beautiful exchange with humor that rises out of character rather than a joke for the sake of a joke (for example: ‘What’s a podcast?’). When PNWS is good, they’re so good.

THE ME UNDIES AD IS BACK, WOO

It changed Alex’s LIFE, guys!

Not nearly as good and cringy as the now-infamous “cradle your jewels” one

And she called him “Richard” again, just hitting home the weird dichotomy of their relationship, that mix of fondness and severe mistrust

“Are you serious?” “When am I not serious?”

So, so many good, quality, humorous lines that match with the characters’ personalities perfectly. This episode really had some great character-driven dialogue, and in fact might be my new favorite episode!

OOOOOOH SPOOKY CLIFFHANGER

Is Sebastian Torres a clone of Simon Reese?

Do they look alike? Do we have any descriptions of them in past episodes?