#super self indulgent fic ftw

[thefourchimes]

For the Fic Ask Game: 🥭🍇🥝

My bad for the late answer! Here we go:

🥭 Rank from most enjoyable/fun to write to least: Fluff, Smut, Angst, Crack.

Definitely Angst, Fluff, Crack, then Smut

I'd argue angst and fluff are tied, with crack being second only because I don't actually know how to write it intentionally (or more accurately, if the thing I write is even funny at all), but if I had it my way, it'd be a three way tie because I love all of them so much and it's fun to write for all of them when I can

And then there's smut—as mentioned before, I'm personally uncomfortable writing it, not to mention I don't even know how to 💀

🍇 Is there a particular scene/episode/book/etc that you want to just write a million fics about, over and over? Which one?

Oooh, this is an interesting one...I'm not fully sure if there's a specific one off the top of my head, as I just go with vibes and ideas out of the blue for the things I write

Though I guess Casita's fall scene and my love for the cool sisters spawned that one time travel au I thought about with how the two older cool sisters get sent back to the past after going back for Mirabel as Casita falls and protecting her, but I haven't made any progress with it recently

I also have this funny thing when I enter a new fandom, I sort of have a rite of passage every time of me thinking "is it possible to throw these characters into the underground of Undertale?" that tells me I'm really in deep in a media, hence why the Encanto Undertale AU exists right now

And on a more general note, anything that I'm hyperfixated on will usually always have ideas zooming in and attempting to form, like Encanto is right now

Case in point: my 235 page document of a (super super) self indulgent Encanto AU I'm planning right now (when will Mic ever shut up about this AU? Who knows!)

I probably forgot to mention others, but those are what I can think of atm eheh

🥝 What’s your favorite trope/AO3 tag to write?

Oooh, I got a couple I can think of rn:

Found family (or Friendship tags, and for actual ones that have related family members like Encanto, the actual Family tags, I just love dynamics and platonic relationships so much)

Angst with happy ending

Hurt/Comfort

Any relationship tag with the & because gen and platonic relationships ftw lets go!!

[Insert Character] needs a hug (I may love angst a little too much...)

Also, this is less favorite trope and more just an ao3 tag I like to use because of how convenient it is: "There's a Tag for That"

I sometimes just can't think of the right tag at that moment and couldn't be bothered to then, so that's another one lmao

Again, there are probably others but I can't remember them atm oof

Oh well, thanks for the ask!! :DD <33

[elasticella]

drown in my desire for you tvd: bonnie/kai, fae au, 1k, rated t 

It feels like someone is watching her. Which. That’s exactly it, she’s a witch. No one should be able to get the jump on her.

[amiwritesthings]

Fic Writer Questions

thanks to @venhedish for the tag, this actually got me thinking on a few things lmao

1 ) How many works do you have on AO3?

currently 17, will probably add no 18 tonight. there’s also a bunch only published on ff.net (from when i wasn’t on AO3 yet) and yet another motherload of self-indulgent shit rotting on my hard drive.

2 ) What’s your total AO3 word count?

80781 words, about 60k of that from this year alone. i took a major break from writing 2010ish and really just got back into it during quarantine last year.

3 ) How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

7 on AO3. Supernatural, The Last Ship, Walker 2021, Men’s Hockey RPF, TVD, Graceland, Chicago Fire. for purposes of saving myself the embarrassment, we’ll limit this answer to just the AO3 stuff. 😂

4 ) What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

ooooh boy, maybe a little embarrassment after all.

A Trip to the South (TVD)

hey lookie, my incest glorifying days did not actually start with SPN lol. Salvatore brothers feeding together, blood sharing and enjoying it. I blame this being at the top solely on the fact that it’s been up since 2013 because it’s really nothing special.

when i dream (I’m doing you all night) (SPN)

Collection of (mostly smutty) deanjohn Tumblr prompts, i can blame most of those on other people lmao

Holding on (until it’s over) (Graceland)

Episode Tag to 1x10, Johnny/Briggs because even then i was obsessed with manny montana and i refuse to apologize for it.

11:59 (Men’s Hockey RPF)

Sean Avery/Henrik Lundqvist Hooker!AU, and yeah that’s pretty much it.

even whiskey can’t do (what you do when you kiss me that way)

OG Stanford Era deanjohn first time smut, my first foray into SPN fics.

5 ) Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

YES, i try to respond to all comments. sometimes RL gets in the way but as a rule i try to always respond. i love getting comments so i feel like appreciating the time the commenter took to bring me this joy. ♥️

6) What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

boy, this is a hard one. I’m not all that good with writing angst but i guess if I had to pick something i’d say don’t give up now (there’s already so much at stake), mostly because of the character’s frame of mind in general and the impending threat of invading a foreign country to overthrow a dictator the next day while being mentally wrecked.

7 ) Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the craziest one you’ve written?

i’m not against it but i’ve never actually done it.

8 ) Have you ever received hate on a fic?

not that I recall. but i guess it wouldn’t be the worst thing, i struggle way more with getting no feedback at all.

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

do i? DO I? yeah, i do. usually the kind the story requires which can range from soft to awkward to plain filthy. also whatever kind the kinky anons drop in my inbox, i’m trying to keep an open mind.

10 ) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that i’m aware of. I don’t really operate in the super popular corners of the fandoms i’m in so i don’t think anyone feels the need to. it’d be pretty obvious to all the 10-20 people who are into that shit anyway lol

11 ) Have you ever had a fic translated?

again, not really running in the popular corners of fandom (rare pairs ftw) so imma say no. I could probably translate them myself but writing in my first language is fuckin awkward so no thank you.

12 ) Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, I’m a pretty solitary writer. I do love to come play in other writer’s ‘verses though if they don’t mind. i have written a few things in @vintagedean ‘s married!vibes for example (thanks for letting me play, dude!)

13 ) What’s your all-time favorite ship?

jeez, i don’t know. i’ve never really stuck with just one fandom, i’m a notorious multi-fandom multi-shipper. i’m the kind of person who watches eps of 4 different shows in one day and yells at the tv about all of them.

14 ) What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

we make a long way from easy lovin‘ look good, baby. i was honestly so invested in this project but then they completely torpedoed this pairing in canon in the worst possible way and i kinda lost the drive to keep writing. i have posted it to my graveyard collection of unfinished stuff for now but i don’t think i will finish it, sadly.

15 ) What are your writing strengths?

creating emotions, hitting you in the feels, or so I’ve been told. i like to think that (given that English is not my first language) just reaching the kind of level i’m at now can be considered a strength.

16 ) What are your writing weaknesses?

run-on sentences, endless run-on sentences. they serve a purpose SOMETIMES but mostly it’s just me and my rambly writing style. and repetition. i have actually started searching my writing docs for specific phrases while editing to catch most of them and rephrase. not being able to include just a bit of angst without it turning into an existential crisis for the character and me. and the worst thing I keep doing that i’m not able to stop is writing shit out of order. i start with the beginning, then some idea for the middle pops up, then I write the end and then I have to somehow weave it all together, it’s so inconvenient and annoying.

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

i speak a few languages (or you know, at least can understand/write/read them) so as long as i’m sure that it’s correct and it fits the story, I’m all for it!! language kink ftw.

18 ) What was the first fandom you wrote for?

it was either music or hockey rpf, i’m not even sure anymore at this point, that was like 20 years ago. nothing that ever got published anywhere lol

19 ) What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

my name engraved on your heart, hands down. that is my beloved, my baby, the project nearest and dearest to my heart. i can actually read this and enjoy it without nitpicking my own writing at every turn and i’m just so happy with the overall vibe of it. it’s like a niche in a niche of a fandom thing though, so i get that it doesn’t resonate as strongly with others as it does with me but it is my favorite of favorites.

honorable mention to the house don’t fall (when the bones are good), though, because it’s what got me back into writing and it was my biggest (published) project and that fix-it needed to be written.

i think all my fellow fic writer mutuals have already been tagged in this, so i'm not gonna add y'all again but feel free to steal if this strikes your fancy.

[goplainlane]

The Amazing Race KADENA AU Thoughts & Headcannons...

Ok so ever since I saw Starchasertonight’s AU idea about Kadena being a team on The Amazing Race, I can’t seem to stop all the random lil’ headcannons that keep popping into my brain… cos OMG can you just imagine? How entertaining that shiz would be?!? So anyways, here’s my attempt at putting some of these thoughts down before I drown in my own fangirl feels.

Kat & Adena are one of two all-female teams on their season. Their race journey sees them travelling within the US, Canada and Australia. They do not win but make it into the finale as one of the last 3 remaining teams. (Tho I haven’t really fully decided yet cos all of this may change if I ever decide to write an actual fic about this) But anyway, over the season’s run:

We’d get to see Kat & Adena showing off their individual and combined skills. Together they’re this strong, dynamic, kickass all-female team! Like I can totally envision...

Kat being a smart and resourceful HBIC, often finding interesting and     unorthodox ways to help them complete a task or get a one-up on some of the other teams.

Adena having been an avid and experienced traveler, navigates and read maps like a total boss. Her sense of direction &  internal body compass is on-point (Thus Kat gets delegated to being their sole driver in the very first ep while Adena looks up and fires off directions)

Adena being multi-lingual (Persian/French/possibly others?) and familiar with various languages and cultures giving them a huge advantage on all the other teams when one of the legs of the race sees everyone flying to  French-speaking Quebec, Canada.

Kat being confident and decisive and having no problems making quick-snap decisions on things like which Detours to tackle and which of the other teams to U-Turn or give an Express Pass to etc.

Imaginary Scenario: Kat being witty and teasing Adena... but really, she makes the firm decision to be the one to take on this particular Road Block task cos she is fully aware just how much her gf hates getting her hijab wet. (Kat knows Adena is totally game and would totally kill it if given the chance... but she also knows that her poor baby would then be stuck wearing a wet soggy and uncomfortable hijab for the rest of the day, or until their next pit stop (And Kat is way too considerate and chivalrous of a gf to ever let that be.)

Adena’s calm and level-headedness helping to balance out some of Kat’s rash impulses (cos let’s be honest, Kat’s impulsiveness can sometime be self-sabotaging)

Both Kat & Adena being really competitive but also honest/fair and friendly not to mention charming af so all the other teams can’t help but like them (probably more than they should... cos it is a competition after all). This is seriously a BIG advantage for TeamKadena when it comes to game strategy and making alliances.

Oh and of course Kat & Adena have both made full use of their individual and combined charisma to charm the the socks off the many locals whenever they’ve needed to seek out their assistance.

Other than their competitive badassery, we’d also get to witness Kadena’s witty & hilarious banter with each other as well as with the other teams/contestants... and tiny tiny glimpses into some of their more intimate coupley moments, like whenever one of them makes a mistake or gets stumped/frustrated with a challenge and the other offers up a quiet quip of encouragement, or a soft kiss of comfort. (And like seeing them in the background displaying small gestures of affection when the scene/camera is focused on another team etc.) You know, just Kat & Adena being mutually supportive girlfriends!  

I don’t know if anyone followed season 4 of The Amazing Race Canada last year but there was a lesbian couple (Kristen & Steph) on there that were super sweet and adorable and they quickly became fan favourites. I can totally see TeamKadena achieving something similar, taking up the mantle of fan/viewer faves and gaining an enthusiastic international following due to American fans sharing all of their cute and funny moments on various social media platforms.

Ok so obviously I’m technologically challenged and have ZERO photoshop skills, but BEHOLD! This is how I imagine TeamKadena to be like on The Amazing Race USA, (Total powerhouse couple and soft n’ sweet girlfriends FTW!)

Wow, this post is wayyy longer than it should be so let’s just leave it at that. If you made it this far, thanks for reading and indulging my inner Kadena thoughts/feels.

tl;dr - GAH! Kadena on competitive reality TV would be pure entertainment gold! And I want this so bad!… someone fic it? Pretty Please???

[lithugraph]

I was tagged by gummyboots for another one of those writing things ;)

Fanfic Asks!

Why/how did you get into fanfiction?

Um, this is kind of a two part story -- and the first part is...kinda weird?

So, how did I get into fanfiction?  My mom.  I know.  I know.  She is a complete otaku, in the American sense of the word. She had/has a Livejournal (remember that ol’ thing?) account way before I did and would go on and on about fic writing and ideas and stuff -- and I had no idea what she was talking about.  It made me think fanfiction was a  thing only for manga/anime lovers...until a little movie called “District 9″ happened, which quickly became my favorite movie, hands down (and probably still ranks among top ten).  Okay, I was obsessed.  There was still so much story left to tell.  I was foaming at the mouth for a sequel.  Hell, I woulda written the darn thing -- I had so many stories I wanted to write about it.   I remembered my mom talking about Livejournal, and decided to see if it wasn’t just something for otakus, and found a whole community dedicated to D9!  I was in heaven!  Of course, I didn’t start writing anything, then.  This was before I developed my hard outer skin and I was very much intimidated by the idea something so personal, something I had written, would be so readily available for people to read and critique and (heaven forbid) hate!  But of course that eventually changed ;).   So.  Yeah.  That’s how I got into fanfiction -- my mom and a movie called “District 9.” Why did you get into writing? Pretty much for what I said above: there are just too many stories to tell. How long have you been writing? Fanfiction: 7 years

Everything else: since I was like 8 Do you think you’re a good writer? Compared to who or what?  Any type of artist -- writer, musician, designer, etc. -- has a tendency to look at their work with too critical a lens IMO. Do you think you’ve improved? Yes.  There’s a reason they call writing an exercise -- because it is!  You can’t expect to chop through a block of wood your first karate class or pull off a perfectly balanced Vriksasana yoga pose your first day.  These things take practice.  All form of exercise does -- including writing.  I can definitely tell when I haven’t written or read anything in awhile because my brain can’t words. Name one thing that helps you write Music.  And running.  And sometimes those two combined -- listening to music while running. Have you ever gotten hate related to fics? Surprisingly no.  I’ve been told I’m intimidating in real life (not sure if it’s the height thing, or guys can’t handle chicks who speak their mind or what), so I like to think my intimidation carries through to my fic as well, lol! Fanfiction or books? Depends on my mood.  If I feel like a quick read, then fanfiction.  But if I want to get utterly lost in a world and forget reality exists for five hours, then books. Do you want to professionally write? If not, what would you like to do/what do you do? I used to dream of being a professional writer when I was younger, and even still have a rough draft of the first few chapters of my space opera floating around on one of my thumb drives, as well as a Frankenstein-esque gothic story, and my one where robots become self-aware.

As of right now, however, I have a job title that sounds important and fancy and has absolutely nothing to do with what I really do, so....but I earn enough to be able to pay for my tuition, so there’s that. Have you ever been published professionally? I had a poem published in one of those coffee table book things that only the people who submitted the poems buys, does that count? What is your favorite story/ies you’ve written? ”In the Lion’s Den” and “You and Me and the Bottle Makes Three” will probably always be my favorites. Why is it/are they your favorite(s)? ”You and Me....” because of the atmosphere -- and for being one of my first ever fics, I think it was pretty damn good!

”In the Lion’s Den” because (and I’ve said this a hundred times, but it’s still true) it was an experiment with narration and a very stripped down tone -- no super flowery language, written very it. just. is. -- and I just feel it came together so well. What is your least favorite story/ies you’ve written? Ooooh, gosh...do I have to name them all?  Haha, just kidding.  But seriously...looking back at my earlier fic makes me want to cringe because it was super self-indulgent, but at the time, I think I needed it?  Why is/are they your least favorite(s)? *see above* What is something you expect from a fanfiction? Um, I really don’t expect anything?  But if a fic gives me new perception of a character I hadn’t thought much of, then bonus!  This one’s a good example: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8092521/1/What-Are-Little-Boys-Made-Of How do you feel about troll fics? ...I don’t even know what a troll is, so........ What is your favorite writing style? Several:

-Stream of consciousness (T.S. Eliot, FTW!)

-Second person narrative -- ever since I wrote “In the Lion’s Den” I’ve found it difficult to write anything else.

-that really atmospheric prose that is almost like poetry (I can’t write it and keep it up for a whole story -- I max out at, like, a paragraph -- but I deeply deeply admire it)

Do you write things for the sake of popularity? Hell’s to the no.  What’s the fun in that? Do you think fanfiction is a good way to get into writing? I think it’s good practice. What is something you like about the fanfiction world? Talking about characterization with other writers and finding out what made them write a particular story. What is something you dislike about the fanfiction world? How cliquey it can be. What is a pairing you’re currently shipping? America/Austria (pfft! there’s no shame in my game!) What is something canon you’ll never ship? Harry/Ginny.  Why?  Just...why?  You mean to tell me, after all those years after Hogwarts, he still had a thing for his best friend’s sister?  You mean to tell me he never tested the waters, so to speak?  It’s just one thing that’s always bothered me.  Like, Ginny went through this transformation her fourth year and suddenly becomes the coolest chick in Gryffindor tower and Harry starts to notice her -- Ginny, the cool chick, instead of the shy/awkward version we had in the first four books.  What is something fanon you’ll never ship? GerIta.  It’s cute, it’s adorable, it’s what got me into shipping in the first place, but I just...can’t.  I can’t ship it outright.  To me it’ll always be a one-sided, mixed emotions/signals type of thing.

Also PruCan.  What is this even? In conclusion: Any writing advice? Read all the rules then break ‘em.  The mechanics of writing (grammar, punctuation, etc)  can be helpful...but they can also put a block on your flow (wait...how many sentences do I need for a paragraph again?)  The best kind of writing happens when you’re not thinking about it and are just doing it.

I tag (and you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to): @niniel-kirkland