#the only other one of these 14 chapters written only has a few paragraphs

[mysterynoel]

12 Days of Ficmas Day 5 - Preparations

Title: Preparations

Chapter Title: Secrets (Night 6)

Fandom: Fire Emblem Awakening

Ship: N/A

First made: August 2020

Last worked on: August 2020

(Mentions of character death.)

There were some things people were never meant to know. That was a thought Lucina constantly dwelled on. She had seen many of the world’s strongest fall to the Risen. She had known the havoc wrecked by Grima. But there was one thing she learned that no one should have ever known about.

That evening, Lucina called Owain and Inigo out to talk to them. As they walked into her quarters, she shut the door behind them. “There is something we need to make sure we all understand.”

Inigo looked confused. “Should I get the others?”

“No, this only involves the three of us. It’s about Aunt Lissa.”

Owain’s expression now matched Inigo’s. “Why did you want to talk about Mother?”

“Because we need to discuss the matter of her death.” Lucina grew quiet at the thought of her aunt’s death. Watching as the Risen tore into her, not being quick enough to defeat them and save her, it was a burden she carried. It was clear that her brother and cousin felt the same. “Do both of you remember what we learned that night?” The room was silent, no one wanting to discuss that night.

“Oh, Mother’s brand.”

“Yes. We’ve never told anyone about it, and we are not to tell anyone about it in the past, either. Do you two understand that?” They both nodded their head. “It stays a secret.”

As the night continued on, Owain and Inigo both left. Lucina knew she should get some sleep, but her mind was caught up in other matters. All she could do was hope her sleep was not marked by that memory. Seeing her aunt fall before the three of them could reach her.

Standing over her body.

Spotting the brand on her heart. Its location was one that was never meant to be known. And the three had agreed to take that secret to the grave.

[catsandgoodbooks]

20 Questions for Writers

Tagged by @bleue-flora (I am sorry it took so long it's been like a month I was procrastinating)

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

22, because my brain hates to stay focused on one idea at a time and I just have to make everything worse. I've got a lot more half-formed ideas and three-paragraph beginnings of fanfiction too <3

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

124,920 - that's...a lot. And it's only been about a year, so yay!

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Dream SMP. I'm lurking in a couple other fandoms (mostly the Locked Tomb and Dragon Age), but I haven't written anything for those yet.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

1. Off the Planned Course

Not that surprising because it's one of the fics I've been writing the longest, is the longest of my actual stories (so not counting Whumptober stuff), and it also has the most people reading it (I blame including the Syndicate for that). It's probably my favorite too, so the validation is really nice (even if I keep getting writer-blocked by it).

2. Unfortunate Circumstances

Also one of the long ones, so it makes sense that it's on this list. Also, literally the second Dream SMP fic idea I ever had, so it's great that it's still going.

3. Easier Said Than Done

This one I kind of feel bad about - I decided to change a few details a while ago and I'm still not done with editing the old stuff so I can start on new chapters, so I really haven't been writing much for it recently (i.e in the past six months). Maybe this will get me to work on it again but I wouldn't hold out hope. It's not abandoned, but it's still basically on hiatus.

4. Shared Scars

I really like this one, but I didn't really expect anyone would read it because it was just a random AU with no basis in canon about two side characters, y'know? It's just really fun to write.

5. Dive Deep Into The Dark

This one is the one that surprised me, because it's just a collection of Whumptober oneshots that I wrote in like an hour each. But, hey, apparently people liked that, so yay?

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

Whenever I can, because they're taking the time out of their day to read my stuff and going the extra step of leaving a comment, and because I just like talking about my stories and stuff <3

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

Okay, this and the next question are kind of difficult because I am allergic to finishing anything, ever, and that means I have to stick to oneshots, but I'd say either everything I've ever written for a Whumptober prompt (because those are all terrible, basically) or Old Habits Die Hard (Old Reliances Die Harder) because it's an angsty canon-compliant (ish) oneshot where nothing is resolved and everything is just terrible. In my longer fics, I don't really plan for tragic endings, because the ending should be happy even if the journey there wasn't, or else the whole things sad and there's not really any point.

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

Again, only oneshots count for this, so I'd probably say burn the scorecards, balance out the scales, because the ending is hopeful and probably the best possible outcome via rivals duo.

8. Do you get hate on your fic?

Not really, which is great. The most I ever get is a confused comment or someone making assumptions, and that's all fine.

9. Do you write smut?

No, and I don't plan to.

10. Do you write crossovers?

No, but I have some ideas I might write that involve crossovers and I might write them eventually.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, I have not <3

13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

No, but I would like to in the future.

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

Drunz, for sure. It's the ship that really got me into the fandom and I've always liked that sort of toxic codependence even though they're terrible for each other.

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

All of them? Well, besides that, I'd probably have to say Off the Planned Course, because, although I really love it, I have no idea how to end that thing or when.

16. What’s your writing strengths?

Absolutely no idea, maybe internal monologues? It's hard to evaluate your own writing.

17. What’s your writing weaknesses?

Dialogue. 100% dialogue. I get in my head about if it sounds natural or if anyone would ever say that or if I'm writing a character right and then it turns about clunky because I'm too busy worrying about it.

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

I don't have a problem with it, but you should provide translations in that situation so the readers have context and know what's going on.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Dream SMP

20. Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

Probably Off the Planned Course, there are some chapters were I was just having the time of my life writing that thing even if they were immediately followed by two months of struggle.

Not tagging anyone because it's been ages and I'm bad at doing anything quickly so yeah. Also, it's my birthday today and time is really fucking weird <3

[yes0another0outsiders0blog]

Finally rereading The Outsiders like I said I would. I think I'll probably be doing a chapter a day, even though it's short enough that I could probably bust it out in one or two sittings. I'm really prone to burnout and I am trying to write a bit each day and I have a job to work and adult tasks to do and such, so a chapter sounds like a good goal with that considered.

Also, I'm sick as a fucking dog while reading this first chapter. Not relevant, just a little fun fact.

Anyway, have my thoughts while I read it!!

The Outsiders Reread : Chapter One Notes

less than a page in and I'm already tired of Ponyboy being Not Like The Other Girls

he's 14, that's positive, I should not be able to stomach a well-written 14 year old on account of them acting very 14, but also shut the fuck up

"yeah, I read books, unlike EVERYONE ELSE" go to hell

not to intentionally misread and water down a character, but Ponyboy saying "but sometimes I just don't use my head" is literally all you need to fucking know. that's it, that's the book

we get it, Pony, you come from a very hot family, yall are all conventionally attractive. paragraphs, ffs

also, I love that Soda doesn't drink. that he has a drunk on life attitude. could absolutely never be me, love that for him, unfortunately I fw Two-Bit's vibes with alcohol a bit more--

and the fact that Soda is the only one that can tease Darry.

there isn't a single positive thing said about Dallas besides "I didn't like him, but he was smart and you had to respect him." but frfr he's so great.

but if I met any of these fuckers irl Soda is the only one that I'd have a chance in hell at not hating. and that's only because he seems like he'd be enough of an emotionally/socially intelligent people-pleaser to actively try to get someone to like him, lol.

kinda salty about Johnny being called the gangs pet, wtf Ponyboy. not like he's one person's main reason to live, is SUCH fucking ride or die, later kills a man for Pony. but yeah, he's a pet. he tags along. what the fuck ever, man. if anything, Ponyboy (you know, the person that's mainly part of the gang bc he tags along with his older brothers, the BABY of the group, the quiet & sensitive one that doesn't have a single braincell outside of pure booksmarts) is the pet. like, sure, Johnny has trauma and is really quiet, but let's be so fr right now.

despite what is said in the book (bc it's Ponyboy's pov so we only get his perspective, obviously) I'm sure Darry gets after Soda too.

also, oldest children that become parental figures in some degree are allowed to be mean to their baby siblings. it's our right. as a 20-something year old with a young teen baby brother with common sense in the negatives, I am very biased in saying that Darry is always objectively 100% correct in every situation ever (heavily exaggerating, I just relate a lot).

forever mad that we don't get more Sylvia!!! my most random fav!!! so much love to her!!! she's basically an oc with how little we get of her and how many headcanons I have, I don't even really like the main fanon version of her either, but GOD she's my girl fr

NO BECAUSE WHEN I WAS 14 IF SOMEONE PULLED THEIR OWN KNIFE TO DO A DISSECTION THE WAY MY TONGUE WOULD BE DOWN THEIR THROAT. Ponyboy, babygirl, you did NOT deserve for that girl to hate on you like that. RUDE.

"Dallas deserves everything he gets, and should get worse, if you want the truth." agreed, that's my though process as I'm making the nastiest headcanons for him. my life's goal is to make this man suffer or make him into a loser, and all my hcs do both

breaks my heart so much how Ponyboy talks about Darry, leave my boy ALONE, dude!!!

my headcanons for Darry are usually the exact opposite of my hcs for Dally, I just want this guy to have the very best ong. I'll get so unrealistic with it too, bitch, YES I'll give you an absolutely stunning sugar mommy, babe!! just stop being stressed and stop having bad things happen for a few minutes!!! I almost struggle making in character, good headcanons for him because I just want to give him fluff and filler only and nothing else--

[aintgonnatakethis]

For the ask game: 3, 16, 18, 42, 54 😁

Thanks for the ask! 😄

3. Describe the creative process of writing a chapter/fic

I need to have multiple projects on the go I can jump between; if I'm stuck with just one fic I get very bogged down and frustrated if the inspiration doesn't come. Knowing I can just switch to another fic if it's not happening takes the pressure off.

Similiarly, I never write fics chronologically. Sometimes it's simply 'let's write all the interesting bits first' and others I get stuck on what the next thing that's going to happen/be said is so I just skip forward a few paragraphs. I know that kind of method doesn't work for everyone, but it's such a good feeling when I stitch together all the parts smoothly enough so it looks as if I've written it all in order.

Lastly, I do much better when I go into fics blind. If I have the whole thing planned out (even mentally), my brain is likely to shrug and go 'well that's done now. what's next?'

16. How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Share one of them?

I have 14 WIPs in various states currently: 11 SGU, including 7 for the Rush/Telford kink series I've got on the go. The next instalment of that series is going to be a long one, slotting in after the aphrodisiac fic. Its basis is edging and orgasm denial and I've got a whole laundry list of other kinks in there alongside, as well as the first 2k words being all negotiation! (Rush went back to Earth on the stones specifically to do research because he really doesn't want to fuck this up, only his brain cells don't kick in and he ends up doing that research on a government computer at Homeworld Command. 🤣)

The non-SGU ones are 1 for SGA (Sheppard/Todd), which had its first 3 chapters written in 3 months and has been sitting with its 4th and final chapter half-completed for the last 6 months... I've been considering just starting to post it to give myself a kick.

The other 2 are for a show called Durham County, where we get to see Louis Ferreira play a serial killer and JESUS CHRIST is he hot in it! There were only 40 fics for it on AO3, which dropped to just 5 when I excluded crossovers, so I decided to give writing for it a go.

18. Do you title your fics before, during, or after the writing process? How do you come up with titles?

During or after. I have a document of titles, quotes, lyrics, etc (that's 19k words long jeez!) so that's where the majority of my titles come from.

42. What’s the last fic you read? Do you recommend it?

Seven days, a SGA Sheppard/McKay 50k kink fic with Sheppard being the subbiest sub to ever sub, and you know me, my type is always gonna be the military guys being massively submissive in bed!

54. What’s your favorite part about the fanfiction writing process?

Definitely when things click together. I go into something blind and end up with 'well of course! that's what always had to happen'. For example season 1 of the vampire fic: I had no idea Rush and Young were going to kiss in the final chapter when I began writing it, but when it happened OF COURSE THEY KISS.

[theevilcactus]

Cosmicocean here! Thanks for the asks! 13, 14, and 15!

Hi!

13. What’s your longest work of the year?

This is fun because I haven't actually posted anything this year (even though I have been writing) so instead of just checking my stats I actually have to think this through.

My longest work of the year has got to be the original novel I'm working on, the working title of which is On The Nature of Dreams. It's currently sitting at just under 10k, which is... less than I thought it was, actually? Guess I need to do some more work on that. It's nowhere near finished, though. It's about teenagers murdering each other and getting away with it, and then a few years later it comes back to haunt them (literally. He's a ghost.)

As far as fanfiction, I don't think I've written anything longer than a couple of thousand words max all year, and nothing that's finished (or else I would have posted it). It hasn't been the best year for my writing lmao

14. What’s your shortest work of the year?

Again, I haven't actually posted anything, so it's hard to say. I've got several barely-started WIPs that are only a couple of hundred words each, so probably one of them.

Actually, there was a 100-word drabble I did as a free write in class a couple months ago, and that's actually complete (for a given value of the word) so we'll go with that one. It wasn't intended to be exactly 100 words, but I checked the word count just now and apparently it is. Nothing really happens in it, though, it's a paragraph and a half of description of a creepy siren woman on a beach.

15. What WIP are you taking into next year with you?

The only WIP that I'm very consciously taking into the new year is my original novel (progress may be slow, but I refuse to give up on it!) but honestly, if I've started writing something and still have the document lying around somewhere, there's always a chance I'll continue working on it. I've recently gotten super into the Off Book fandom and started writing a couple of things for that, so maybe I'll bring those with me, too.

And hey, maybe this will be the year I actually write the promised second chapter of the Tim Drake buried alive fic. Probably not, though. It's been like 3 years at this point, I think he's just staying buried.

[yourlunarspice]

so many good ones mmm ok. 3, 14, 49 <3 <3

Ahhhh thank you so much for your ask, Llyn! I love getting responses to ask games. It's gives me an opportunity to ramble about the most random things, lol

3. What are some tropes or details that you think are very characteristic of your fics?

Something that I've always tried to do with my fics is about descriptions, and I'm gonna try to explain it properly. There's always a risk of writing too much description. With too much description, you get something akin to Tolkien that is vivid but it drags the storyline/pacing down. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE visualizing a scene and wanting to write down LITERALLY EVERYTHING, but that's not practical.

For me, I try to only put the barest information about setting (if it's important) and focus on the characters and their blocking through the scene. This ensures that the story isn't bogged down with unnecessary descriptions but gets the important parts solidified in the reader's mind.

One example is in my first bnha story Those Damn Flowers, where young Aizawa was walking down a hall as he reflected on recent events. It could have been a hall at UA, his home, or some other place; point is, it wasn't important. It lets every reader have a unique perspective on the scene's setting (and, by proxy, Aizawa's clothes and the people around him) while keeping the important parts (Aizawa's thought process and physical reactions to them) unchanging.

14. Are there any tropes you would only read if written by a trusted friend or writer?

Noticing really comes to mind, tbh. I get most of the fics I read through AO3feed blogs, and I don't really pay attention to the author. If the summary looks good, I check it out, simple as that.

That being said, if I had to give an answer, I don't really read most fantastical AUs (i.e., fantasy/dragon, steampunk, fallout, space/alien, etc.), HOWEVER, if a trusted friend or writer wrote something in one of those more fantastical AUs, I'd give it a shot.

49. What are you currently working on? Share a few lines if you’re up for it!

I've been writing/posting some weird stuff lately, lol. Most recently, it was 'No Cure' (one of my favorites), but before that it was 'You call it 'torturing', I call it 'mercy killing'. Same difference' and 'Do you know how to tell where a corpse is buried?'. Real snappy titles, I know.

The next thing I'm planning on posting is on the 19th, and it's the final chapter of my biggest story yet, Heaven And Earth Between Us. Here are a few paragraphs from Chapter 6: New Beginnings (censored so no spoilers!):

((Also, I knowwww I said I wouldn't read many fantastical AUs, and I don't, but I was inspired to write this, ironically, a fantastical AU. Don't read into it too much))

Toshihiro’Máni met the Death god’s gaze. “I wish for compassion on this soul,” he said. “He did not understand the weight of his actions and died unecessarily.” [Death god] gazed at the corpse before raising an eyebrow at Toshihiro’Máni. “I take it you’re another god?”

“Yes, I control the Moon and the stars. Please, will you help him?”

Hands reached forward and lifted [Victim]’s body out of Toshihiro’Máni’s hands. “Please,” the Moon god found himself begging. “He doesn’t deserve this fate.”

“And you think no one else was undeserving of theirs?” [Color] eyes flashed, pinning Toshihiro’Máni where he stood. “People die all the time, some deserving their fate, others innocent. Your friend is a drop in the bucket.”

Toshihiro’Máni gulped at the sudden anger, but pressed onward: “I just want to save one. And if I can make a difference to one person, that will be enough for me.

“Everyone I know has saved countless lives,” he continued, the faces of Aizawa, Midoriya, Kirishima, …Katsuki flickering in his mind’s eye. “But all I can do is prevent bad dreams. If I can save just one…” tears sprang to his eyes. “...that will be enough for me!”

I'M SO HAPPY WITH HOW HEAVEN HAS TURNED OUT, IT'S THE FIC IM PROUDEST OF

After that, I have something in mind for Shinny boy, but I haven't started writing it yet. It's gonna be another one of those "I need help sleeping, please use your Quirk to help me sleep" stories. I've seen so many of those, but I can't help it. I love the sleepy purple boy.

Thanks again for the asks, Llyn! Sorry my answers got SUPER long

From this ask game

[tfisathoughtfulnickelbakeryfire]

Ooh, ok, this'll be fun.

My AO3 user is: Anonymous_Orphan

1. How many works do you have on A03?

Just one for now, but I have so many ideas and plans, so hopefully that will change soon.

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count?

47,065

3. What fandoms do you write for?

The only fandom I've published for is Harry Potter, but I write for literally anything. So far it's mostly Harry Potter, The Chronicles of Narnia, and assorted other fandoms that surround real people, but I'm likely never going to publish those, at least not unless they're anonymous, just because I'd feel a bit weird doing it. I'm also unhealthily obsessed with my OCs, but that doesn't count as a fandom if it's just me.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

I haven't even gotten up to five fics yet, but kudos are rare as is. I've gotten 18 so far and I'm not gonna lie, I cherish all of them.

5. Do you respond to comments?

I try to always respond because I truly do love it when I get comments, but I'm gonna be honest, sometimes my mind blanks and I don't know what to say.

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

I generally go for overall happy endings, but the ending I wrote for Mary MacDonald is pretty sad I think, even without the rest of my fic present for context. I haven't published it because it's the epilogue, the 47th chapter, but it was one of the first things I wrote for my Harry Potter rewrite.

Also, a couple versions of my OCs have gone through some angsty as fuck endings. Like, I genuinely made myself cry a few times because their stories ended in the way that they did.

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

Most of them have happy endings planned honestly, but I haven't gotten far enough in most of them to actually write the endings, so we'll see how happy they turn out.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I haven't yet, but we'll see.

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

I totally would, but I haven't actually written any yet. I've written some borderline sexy stuff, but only a couple of times. I still get a bit embarrassed to actually put my depraved thoughts down on paper for the world to potentially see, but a little blushing won't stop me from actually writing if I want to put it into a story.

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

I haven't physically written any down yet, but I would write crossovers, I think. I'm partial to the MCU and Percy Jackson universes being put together. I also like putting my OCs in every situation ever, so I've come up with ways to work them into character's lives or stories.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not yet, but what a nuisance and an honor that would be.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope.

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

No, but I've been realizing that I'm a bit of a control freak when it comes to things that are personal to me, and for me writing is so deeply personal that I don't know if I'd be capable of co-writing anything. I'd definitely give it a try though.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

I can't choose, okay, I have so many that I love.

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

All of them...

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think I'm pretty good at dialogue and humor, and I've also been told I have a good vocabulary.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Consistency I think, because I tend to go on tangents without realizing it and then have to reformulate whole paragraphs, and I obsess over the littlest details and drive myself crazy.

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

I usually try to describe that they're switching languages and then write the words in italics or something. If it's a nickname or a word that has no equivalent in English, I'll transliterate it and either incorporate an explanation into the flow of the story or write a footnote or something.

Actually, I sort of created a language for my Chronicles of Narnia fic and my strategy there is to write out the words phonetically and them write the translation in italics. It adds to the vibes, I think.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

If this question means public fics then it was Harry Potter.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Absolutely not, how dare you make me choose. These are my children. I don't play favorites.

...

I don't know who to tag, but if anyone wants to do this, go right ahead.

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thanks for the tag @tracingpatternswrites . I haven't done it yet and am happy to do that :)

Username: Shadowmun

1. How many works do you have on A03?

Pi - no really 314 over all fandoms. :)

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count?

1,841,241

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Mostly Harry Potter, some witcher, Old guard, altered carbon, and whenever I feel like it a multitude of other (nerdy) fandoms. For open challenges I specifically seek out small fandoms. It's fun to explore them. :)

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Opposites attract (Harry/Regulus)

I died but I got better (Old guard Nicki/Joe)

The Spin (Harry/Theo)

Half a Soul (James/Tom Riddle)

Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen (Sirry)

5. Do you respond to comments?

Always and as soon as possible. I am so hyped about every single one. If you are chatty, I will get chatty too :)

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

Guilt and Shame. It didn't get the tag "Shakespearean Tragedy" by accident.

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

Oh, that's a hard one, as I don't really do "happy endings". I go for The bat, the dog and the dancer, because it ends with a lost family found again.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I have. I have dared to do some unforgivable things. Writing grey characters. Writing characters with flaws. Writing fandom favourites differently. Surprisingly though the hatred I received on my Trans fic, wasn't about the Trans character being trans but about their decisions that are kept closest to canon.

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

I absolutely write smut. I have written M/M, F/M, F/F, moresomes. The connecting factor is, that I want to tell a story, so it's never JUST smut. There is always something extra.

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

I haven't yet. But I consider Harry Potter meets The full monty. I have to rewatch the film though.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Kind of. There are unauthorized translations of two of my fics out there, one on Wattpatt, one on a Russian fansite.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, I have. A very nice other user asked for permission to translate Window of Opportunity into Spanish

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

I haven't. I have at several points have had very helpful alpha readers and plot helpers, but a full cowrite is still in the future.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

If I had one OTP, it would be Snack (Sirius/Severus), because they are the ultimate Enemies to lovers and have so much in common. But I have always been a fan of rare pairs and love to try myself out, so very nearly any pairing will tickle me, if the time is right

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

There are three. One is my soulmate-Snack that I can't seem to make work entirely, although the basic arc is done start to finish. Then there is my Amnesia AU, and I fight with the last bits nail and tooth. And then there is my original, which is also just.... almost done.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue. Emotion. Short descriptions that invoke pictures without going into detail. All three are remnant of being a GM for RPG for a LOOOONG time :)

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Humor is hard, and so are fighting scenes. I also struggle to figure out endings. They hate me.

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

I have done it in several ways. Translation, just description and lately, because it was so fun: footnotes. I absolutely love my fic with Russian in it, and seemingly many people love those little footnotes. Surprisingly.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Uhm... it depends what counts. On Ao3? Definitely the Old Guard. If writing summaries of RPG sessions count... Star wars... and hopefully those remain forever buried.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

You monster! Making me choose???? From all my babies????

No really, it's hard. It depends on my day to day mood and what I am looking for. I have written so many different things. Today it feels like a day for Bad things , a piece I wrote as a longfic and then foolishly released in one go, because @metalomagnetic liked the snippets. Not so foolish after all, I think, because it brought us closer, and I appreciate the companionship greatly. :)

Speaking off... I no pressure tag @metalomagnetic , @squintclover and @tfisathoughtfulnickelbakeryfire. and of course everyone else who feels like it. Open tag, people :)

[strawwritesfic]

Oh My Dear Master List

Summary: For [F Name] [L Name], Manhattan was nothing but a hellhole. She got out and wasn’t ever coming back. When a set of cut-rate superheroes tears the city apart, however, her grandmother sucks her back into that familiar life of loneliness and angry customers. Even worse, one of those superheroes has decided to use [Name] in another crazy plan to “help” his best friend. Unfortunately for everyone involved, Tony’s plan just might work-if only for a few months.

Challenge:  “#1 AVENGERS ULTIMATE CHALLENGE!!!!“ by DancingBubbles on Lunaescence Archives.

Ratings/Warnings/Tags: T (foul language; sexual references; manipulative friends who won’t take no for an answer; dead parents; difficult relationships with family members; some language that might border on verbal abuse from a family member; angst; contrived coincidences; a generally unresearched depiction of paraplegia; set post-Avengers (2012) and pre-Age of Ultron; Tony & Bruce friendship)

Pairings: Bruce Banner/Female!Reader; Tony Stark/Pepper Potts; Past!Bruce Banner/Betty Ross

Notes: This is my very first (and thus far admittedly only) completed novel-length fan fiction. As a result, it is, in my humble opinion, not great. It’s not quite to Old Shame levels, because I’ve definitely written worse...*casually shoves Digimon 02 OC fan fic written in high school into a dark room* I’m pleased to have completed something, however, so I continue to tote it around with me from site to site. The style is simply very bare bones compared to my current writing style. Also, while I did do research for some things, there’s a lot left that, if I were to write this story from scratch today, I would spend more time researching (or things I would research, period, that I didn’t at the time).

This has been edited for basic grammar and spelling and paragraph formatting and a handful of quick fixes to the more egregious plot holes in the past year. I’m sure there are still mistakes. As always, you are welcome to make me aware of any that you find.

I was actually asked to answer this challenge. The only two requirements (well, for the most part) were that it be a certain amount of chapters (20, if I recall correctly), and that the reader be a civilian. I’m happy to report that I won…but there was only one other entry that didn’t even meet the requirements, so it’s not really something to brag about.

Posting Status: Complete

Chapter 1: Meet Cute

Chapter 2: The World for a Coconut

Chapter 3: What Else Is New?

Chapter 4: With Friends Like These

Chapter 5: Wrong Place, Wrong Time, Wrong Life

Chapter 6: Blind Date

Chapter 7: Dead on Arrival

Chapter 8: Second Time’s the Charm

Chapter 9: From a Different Point of View

Chapter 10: Just Who’s in Charge Here?

Chapter 11: An Ass By Any Other Name

Chapter 12: Two Steps Forward, Three Steps Back

Chapter 13: Can’t Keep Your Demons in a Bottle

Chapter 14: Regrets? I’ve Had a Few

Chapter 15: Ghosts of the Past

Chapter 16: Baby Steps

Chapter 17: Just Beneath the Surface

Chapter 18: Skeletons Live in More Than Closets

Chapter 19: It’s Never Pretty

Chapter 20: Breakdown

Chapter 21: “Luck�� Is Not the Right Word

Chapter 22: True Beauty Is on the Inside

Chapter 23: Let’s Just Get This Over With

Chapter 24: NDA

Chapter 25: Beautiful Things

Epilogue

[anna-hawk]

Tumblr Writers Q & A

Tagged by the awesome @darlingshane

1) How many complete fics/oneshots do you have but haven’t published yet?

5, hopefully 6 by tomorrow. I'll be posting them soon 😉

2) How many WIPs do you have?

12, and I'm only counting the docs that already have a few paragraphs written or have a clear out line. Otherwise, it would be 20.

3) Do you take requests, write original fics, or both?

I love writing out my ideas, but that being said, I'm always happy to get requests. As I've mentioned before, though, I often don't have the time or energy for it anymore. The request would have to hit right with the mood I'm in that specific moment, and it might take a long time until I do it.

4) If you have requests how many do you actually have?

I don't know if they count as requests, but in the poll I made a couple of months ago, I left a free space for people to give me ideas/suggestions. Some of them I might actually write, so I'd say 5.

5) How many fandoms do you write for?

Currently, 4-ish: Daredevil/Punisher, Detroit: Become Human, Stranger Things, and Jon Bernthal. I'm counting my Fratt fics and my JB reader ones as different fandoms.

6) Are there any fandoms you used to write for?

The first fic I've ever posted was for the Harry Potter fandom, but I seriously doubt that I'll ever write for it again. Reading, yes. Writing, no.

Teen Wolf. I wrote one fic for it, but I've fallen out of the fandom after falling into other ones. I might go back to it someday because that OTP is still one of my favs ever.

7) Do you write for ships, reader inserts, or OC?

Mostly reader insert, but more and more ships. I love creating OCs for the stories, but not for the main character.

8) Niche fandom/Characters you write for?

I guess any smaller role or less known movies that Jon has been in like The Mute or Brax or Swaino.

9) Do you read fics as well as write them?

I do, but muuuuuuch less than I used to. I miss it, but writing has taken up most of my spare time.

10) Favorite genre to write for?

I love some good angst, but with a good dose of fluff. Hurt/comfort? It's honestly a big mix of a lot of genres.

11) What is your favorite trope (to read/write)?

Slow burn, Coffee shop (or anything food related) and Enemies to lovers. Mix them all together, and it's fanfiction heaven for me, both in reading a writing.

12) What do you do to get motivated to write?

Start writing? I don't do anything special to trigger my motivation to write. It's either there or not.

13) Is there a trope/genre you like to read, but not write?

Fantasy/historical. It's not really that I don't like/want to write them, but anything that has a bigger world building or a specific language is something “too big” for me. I like staying in modern time.

14) Any characters/fandoms you want to write for that are never requested?

I think that a lot of the people who read my fics or follow me here, mostly know me for my reader inserts. Meaning that my ship fics don't get as much attention, when it's something that I want to write more of.

15) How long have you been writing fanfiction?

I've been writing fanfiction even before I was aware that that's a thing. I wrote my first reader insert for Hugh Jackman when I was around 17. Ah, good cringy times XD. If I count that, then 18 years… Ouch! Posting, since 2018.

16) Did you read fanfiction before you started writing?

It was the only thing I did, tbh. I've always read a lot, but fanfiction took over my whole reading time. Before becoming a mom, you could find me sitting anywhere with my e-reader and making my way through who knows how many open tabs.

17) Do you only post on Tumblr, or any other sites?

I mostly post on AO3. I only post the shorter fics/drabbles here.

18) what do you personally consider the wordcounts of "Drabble", "One-Shots" and "Fics"?

Personally? I think Drabble would be anything under 1k. In my head, a one-shot is something that you post in one go, no chapters. I'm aware that some people can post a 90k fic with no chapters, and that isn't a one-shot in my head either. So, let's say, up to 20k I consider a one-shot. The rest are fics.

19) Which do you prefer to write more?

One-shots. I want there to be some plot to the story without it taking forever to get to the kissing, if you will. Yes, yes, I know that The Teacher and the Deputy makes this sound like a big ol' lie XD.

20) Are there any stories you have discontinued?

I'll say 2:

There's one that I haven't posted but planned to, before I changed my mind for reasons and stopped working on when I was nearly done.

I posted the first chapter of a reader insert with The Mute, but I doubt that I'll ever finish it.

21) What is one of your main "pet-peeves" as a writer on Tumblr?

How Tumblr works. It's not only for writers, but it's two I could think of right off the bat. I guess it still counts.

Not being able to find your posts/fics on your own blog despite knowing that you used a specific tag.

In the same line, posts don't show up when you go hunting through tags. It's a shame for new people who want to share their writing.

It's not only an issue here, but in general, the lack of engagement on fics and other content.

Longer fics that don't have a cut (I don't like super long posts and scrolling through them).

22) Do you write at a particular time of day?

Starting 8.30pm when my kids are asleep.

23) Do you listen to music or ambiance/noise to write, or do you need total silence?

I sometimes write in total silence, but generally, it's with movie soundtracks, or with no-talking ASMR.

24) Do you outline your fics at all before writing?

For drabbles, I come up with a general idea and write towards it. It's made for funny moments because I just write whatever comes to mind. For longer fics, definitely. All the time. You see me cooking? I'm actually thinking about a particular scene and how I want it to go. I overcooked pasta not too long ago because I needed to write something down on a doc on my phone before I forgot that new idea… XD

25) Do you post your writing as soon as you finish it, or do you schedule it to come out at a specific time/day?

I don't really schedule anything. It doesn't work for me. Except when it's for an event, of course (Spring Fling @bernthirst-events is nearly here ;)). It has happened that when I'm done with a chapter or a complete fic, I can get too eager and post it straight away. Only to realize the next day, that I've missed a lot of typos and other stupid stuff, despite editing as I write.

Tagging (if you want :D): @jessarioferebor, @gamingaquarius @neonponders, @coffeeboy900

[justoneofthoseghosts]

fandom end of year asks

1, 2, 8, 10, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 27, 29

1. favourite fandom you joined this year

Definitely Chicago Fire although I did not expect it to break my heart so soon

2. favourite fic of the year

There can't be just one okay because there are too many talented writers out there so here are a few that I loved so much:

Ons shots:

you remind me of home by @alittlextrathatway - Christmas fluff in the best possible way. It's so comforting to read and makes me feel all warm and fuzzy (and if I haven't said it enough, I love fluff)

My Pain Fits in the Palm of Your Freezing Hand by @farfarawaygirl - In the notes, Emma mentioned that she got inspiration from the painting Meeting on the Turret Stairs by Frederic William Burton and you sort of get a visualization for this paragraph: "Because this moment exists outside of time and space, she leans her head against his shoulder and breathes in. Matt laces the fingers from his right hand with her left. It’s nice. Matt’s hand is calloused and warm against hers, Sylvie likes it so much. Too much."

And it's just an incredible read.

Multi-chapters:

Sprucing up Chicago by @katie-049 - a completely perfect AU where absolutely no angst exists. if you're a Brettsey fan, you probably read this already but if you haven't yet, highly, highly recommend.

Hopelessly Devoted to You by @sylvies-chen - again, if you're a Brettsey fan, you probably already read this but if you haven't, you really should. I love the premise of soulmates being able to hear each other's music and the pace of it is just right, enough to get you to want more of it in the next chapter. Also, what I love the most about the writing is how great Abby is at describing things - anything from the emotions of the characters down to the color of the snow on the pavement. It makes if very visual, if that makes sense.

The Unexpected by @emdeedot45 - I love this so much. I love the concept, I love how it's written, it's just great. It's a season 7 AU but the characters are still very much in character (for lack of a better word).

Heavy is the Head by mags_writes (Ao3) - I love this because it feels like an alternate season 10. There's some romance, some mystery, a lot of intrigue.

I Forget Where We Were (The Rookie) by @farfarawaygirl - ooh, the angst - it hurts so good and Rosalind is just so evil, it's kind of amazing to read. I still have to read chapter 3 but nobody writes angst like Emma does!!

The Places You Don't Walk Away From (Gilmore Girls) by starsholiday (Ao3) - technically, this is a re-read but it's one of a handful of Gilmore Girls fan fiction I've read before and I looked for it after I binged 7 seasons + the Netflix special again this year. It's a Rory/Jess one and so, so well written and reads like episodes of the show - the quick wit, the banter, everything!

8. favourite author of the year

Again, there can't only be one so a few of my favorites:

@alittlextrathatway @farfarawaygirl @emdeedot45 @katie-049 @sylvies-chen

10. favourite blog of the year

@fighterkimburgess - I love reading all their takes!

14. best fixit you read this year

I Choose You by @emdeedot45 because we all need a dose of post 10x05 fluff

15. favourite headcanon of the year

Probably anything related to domestic Brettsey or the recent Get Lucy Laid project has been fun to read because come on, your girl deserves it!

16. best BTS (behind the scenes) moment of the year

Honestly, anything season 9 Chicago Fire related because it sent the fandom in a tailspin every time a BTS photo would come out, lol. I would low-key lurk on Twitter just to scroll through any BTS pics.

I swear, we were all clowns.

17. WIP you hope gets updated next year

I don't want to put pressure on anyone! Honestly, writing is not easy.

18. fandom you plan to join next year

Not yet sure. I'm on season 5 of Chicago PD now so probably by early next year, I'll be up to speed on all the One Chicago shows.

20. favourite character of the year

Dude, I cannot limit myself to one.

Sylvie Brett and Matt Casey (Chicago Fire), Lucy Chen (The Rookie), Kim Burgess (Chicago PD) and maybe everyone from Ted Lasso because that show is amazing.

21. favourite ship of the year

Brett and Casey for sure! They have me in a choke hold and I wouldn't have it any other way.

27. best fandom moment of the year

When all the Brettsey fans exploded with joy during 9x16. I mean, we waited three years for that!!!

29. fandom “first” you accomplished this year

I started writing fanfic! Something I never thought I could do.

Send me some asks!

[springsaladgaming]

Progress Update 8/6/21

Happy weekend! Another week gone by, another week’s worth of progress to report!

Today’s update got kinda wordy, so I’m putting it under the cut.

Ninelives

I’ve outlined and started working on the next scene in the ChoiceScript version of the game, which is the follow-up conversation with Alex. There are about 2k words total to the scene so far.

In the past, when writing the conversations in Ninelives, I have gone through one possible variation and written it until I’ve hit what seems like a good convergence point. I then would write the convergence point paragraph and then go back and write the other variations to meet up at that point.

The conversation with Alex is going to be developed a bit different. There are a lot of factors that affect how the conversation unfolds, starting with the following:

Whether or not MC told Alex about their ability in Chapter 5

How MC reacted to what Alex did at the beginning of Chapter 6

How MC reacts to Alex now at the beginning of the conversation

The type of relationship that MC and Alex have, including whether or not a romance-pursuing MC backed out of talking to Alex about that in Chapter 5

(It is simply too much work for me to go back through the CS version of the game and make the same revisions that have been made as I transfer the game into Twine, but there is an additional factor that will affect the conversation, and that’s when Alex and the MC meet. In the CS version of the game, it will assume that MC met Alex after the drowning incident as well as after Alex learned about their own abilities, but the Twine version of the game will account for those factors.)

The various combinations of these factors means that MC may or may not be able to reconcile things with Alex just yet. They may be willing or unwilling to answer questions, they may be too upset or uncomfortable to talk to MC about things - it’s complex and has everything to do with Alex’s thought process and isn’t something that can necessarily be “scored” in terms of game mechanics.

Which means that I’m writing each route of the conversation, accounting for every variable, from start to finish to ensure the flow of the conversation makes sense. When I said that the first half of Chapter 6 was only the first half in theory, this is what I meant. The total word count of this conversation with Alex is likely to be pretty large compared to most conversations in the game thus far.

And, just to allay any concerns, if the conversation here ends badly, that doesn’t mean getting locked out of any friendship or romantic relationship with Alex. It just means dynamics with Alex might be different than normal for a while.

The Twine version of the game is up to about 22k words total (including code), making Chapter 2 roughly 9k words so far. I’ve officially finished up the new content relating to meeting Alex. For review, the additional choices added makes it so that you can choose between meeting Alex when the MC was 7, 12, or 14 (making Alex 9, 14, or 16). This add a few different variables concerning both the MC and Alex in terms of when they met. It also has an additional personality choice.

From there, I’ve started into the present-day scene of Alex and MC getting brunch, which adds a small little choice for a favorite drink, because why not?

That about wraps it up for Ninelives progress, so moving on.

Everlight

Still no additional writing on this one this week. I’ve been fleshing out more details about the characters to release some additional posts about the project.

Everlight, similar to Ninelives, is being adapted from a novel I was working on in the past. Most of the characters are in the original story, so I’ve been going through really determining which traits and aspects can be carried over and which can be scrapped.

In terms of the ROs, Valentine, Jessalta, and Heidal were all characters in the original story. Heidal has always been nonbinary, and I wanted to keep it that way, but the other two underwent some changes. Valentine used to be called Valeria and was originally a woman. (I simply didn’t like the name, which is why I changed it.) Jessalta’s name has not changed, but they were originally a man (I only very recently decided to make them gender-selectable).

The other ROs, like Diadomee and Azelas, were not technically in the original story. “Not technically” meaning there are very minor, barely-mentioned characters that they are filling the shoes of in a more major way.

The other characters all existed in the original story, though some of them went through name changes. The biggest changes, however, are for the character Everett, whose gender identity and physical appearance are now conditional based on certain other factors in the story.

Most aspects of the plot are the same, but some factors are inevitably changing due to the necessity of choices. This is not actually that difficult to accomplish since the original novel was only half-written, so I am able to make changes to the story and easily envision how different routes might change things.

I will keep making character and lore posts as time goes on. Those of you interested can also feel free to ask questions. I’ll do my best to answer anything that isn’t a spoiler.

That about covers it for this week, y’all. As always, stay happy, stay healthy, and have a wonderful weekend! 😘

[unfortunatelycake]

Fic writer meme

Tagged by @anonymousedward! Thanks Ed! 

1) How many works do you have on AO3?  131

2) What’s your total AO3 word count? 2,430,852

3) How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?  MANY! OPM, Binan Koukou Chikyuu Boueibu LOVE!/Happy Kiss!, Tokyo Ghoul, BtVS, LOTR, Kuroshitsuji, OHSHC, Gravitation, Lost Souls, YOI!!!, Good Omens, M DZS, Seikaisuru KADO, Gundam Wing, Double Decker!, FFXV

4) What are your top 5 fics by kudos? 

Anon (OPM, Genos x Saitama)

100 First Kisses (OPM, Genos x Saitama)

Found in Silence, These Things Unheard (OPM, Genos x Saitama)

Begin Again (Tokyo Ghoul, Hide x Sasaki, plus others)

Counterfeit Boyfriend (OPM, Garou x Mumen Rider)

5) Do you respond to comments, why or why not?  Usually! I appreciate when someone has taken a moment to comment, whether it’s a paragraph or keymashing or a simple ‘ahhh!’ type of comment! 

6) What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?  Probably Last Call (Tokyo Ghoul, Hide x Kaneki). 

7) What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending? Most of them have happy endings! 

I’ll say Love is Glimpsed in a Magic Mirror (Boueibu LOVE!, Akoya x Arima, Fairytale AU) Because it’s a fairytale AU, and so far nobody has noticed the absence of something significant across the entire fic (which sort of becomes a plot device in the sequel).

8) Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written?  Sometimes! Craziest is probably A Tweed Slipper (Good Omens/Lost Souls; Aziraphale x Crowley & Steve x Ghost). Though it’s not the crackiest. 

9) Have you ever received hate on a fic? Someone once waited an entire five chapters of a fic to tell me they like the ship but the fic was too OOC? Don’t think I’d call that hate though, just an opinion.

10) Do you write smut? If so what kind?  Sometimes. Either as gift fics for smut-loving friends, offshots of things implied on @vote-sensei, or when it suits the plot of a bigger fic/series. Not overall a smut fan and don’t feel I’m that great at writing it, but big respect to the people who can write it endlessly and always manage to make it fresh and new!

11) Have you ever had a fic stolen?  Not as far as I know!

12) Have you ever had a fic translated?  Not as far as I know!

13) Have you ever co-written a fic before?  Yes

14) What’s your all time favorite ship?  Hnnn no this one is too difficult.

15) What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?  There are too many! 

16) What are your writing strengths?  I have lots of ideas and will work my ass off until the fic is finished

17) What are your writing weaknesses? More ideas pop up when I’m writing and what starts off as a sweet and unassuming one-shot in my head becomes an eldritch horror of a multichapter with side-plots and side-ships I never dreamed of, all because I have no self-control. 

18) What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?  Sometimes reasonable (e.g. character having no clue what other characters are saying) and sometimes unnecessary (e.g. all the characters speak that language but they’re speaking in a different language to the one they normally use to communicate)

I know there’s classic novels where a character will randomly come out with something french/latin/greek and honestly it drives me up the wall because all too often there is no translation. 

So I guess I’m mostly against it, though I’m probably guilty of doing it in old LOTR fics ^^;

19) What was the first fandom you wrote for? Buffy the Vampire Slayer. 

20) What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?  There’s a few that I’m particularly pleased with! Restricting myself to only one per fandom and avoiding repeating ones that were already mentioned...

Nightmare for all Seasons (Lost Souls, Steve x Ghost) 

A Place of Healing (OPM, Genos x Saitama, Garou x Mumen Rider, War AU)

Love is Sung in a Minor Key (Boueibu LOVE!, Io x Ryuu & Akoya x Arima, post-canon/ Bandman AU) 

My fics: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kakera/work

Tagging: @rayadraws​ @mostlikelytofangirl​ if you please, plus anyone who wants to do it!

[lnterjection]

What's the most hardest thing you have written on the Valley of Serenity? Politics? Nations? Worldbuilding or Culture?

The worldbuilding is actually the easier part for me. I've been avidly studying history and politics for years and putting that knowledge into worldbuilding practice for nearly as long. This isn't my first stop on the historical analysis rodeo. I usually start with the general geography and go from there - and in the case of New L'Manberg's politics, I take inspiration by reading the news articles forwarded to my email from various sources every morning. Not the ones about mutant puppies or lost kayakers or whatever most people deem interesting enough - I subscribe to sources generally about political dealings, both domestic and international. The daily Politico Playbook is especially helpful in mapping ways politicians navigate around each other and public opinion.

I'd say the hardest overall "thing" I've written in Valley of Serenity has been the character moments, which is hard to define because nearly everything is character in this fic. I can plan Tubbo's daily depressing routine in running New L'Manberg and what documents he might have to look over and statements he might have to give all I like, but it doesn't change the fact that the story is incredibly character driven - for as much worldbuilding praise I've gotten, the central focus of the fic has always been about sbi and their navigation of their trauma, pasts, and how they'll work together as a family now as a result. The emotional conversations and talks the characters have with each other to build more trust or come to more realizations are usually the areas of writing I agonize over most.

I would say, however, for example, that the hardest chapter to write so far has been chapter 28, which leads to the scene where Tommy, Wilbur, and Techno walk in the woods while discussing the events of Pogtopia and working through their feelings on the issue. It end with Tommy saying he hasn't forgiven them, but that he still considers them brothers. It's an incredibly important scene - important enough the summary of the fic shows a few lines from it. On the surface the description I gave sounds plain. In reality, it was a fucking pain to pull off and have feel authentic in any way, and I'm always left with a vague sort of dissatisfaction when I'm finished writing scenes like that, which lingers even after a few revisions. Not only is the narrative and prose itself hard to write, the things the characters are saying and the realizations they're coming to are all things I have to plan out and consider whether or not it's appropriate or helps building their character arcs in a good way, and I'm always anxious about that.

Might as well add that the second hardest chapter to write in this fic was chapter 17, which is when Phil, Tommy, and Techno finally talk with Wilbur again after he tried to commit suicide and of course that was a pain to navigate. Third hardest was chapter 14, which included the suicide attempt itself - not only was that scene hard to write and even harder to plan for, the build up to it in the earlier scenes were just as difficult. I cry with relief when I get to a worldbuilding segment in comparison - the hardest part about those is less the worldbuilding, which while sometimes time consuming is something I know how to research and plan out, and more delivering the information in a way that's not a few paragraphs of dry, blocky text.

[flapperdame16]

The Queen by Matthew Dennison Book Review!

(image: Head of Zeus Publishing)

Anyone who knows even a little inkling about me will know how much of a supporter I am of The Queen and the British Royal family. Since my childhood, I've been fascinated with Queen Elizabeth, even telling my Mom as young as age three (in the late 90s) I wanted to, "visit a place with a Queen".

At that age I didn't know the Queen by name, but the image I had inside my head was definitely of Elizabeth. A woman with short white hair wearing a crown was what the image of a, "Queen" , was to me. Fast forward to late 2010, just before William and Kate's engagement, and I became a full blown Royal watcher. Since I have been 14, I collect magazines, make an effort to watch video appearances, see documentaries, and follow many Monarchy devoted blogs and social media accounts to keep up with what is happening within "the fold". I watch The Crown every season on its release date (or close to its release date), and know all the latest buzz, but bizarrely, I never have sat down to read a full life biography of Queen Elizabeth. I have magazines, and coffee table books about her, but never chose out a biography. It's so difficult to choose a good one in a sea full of books, and for that, I am so thrilled I got the opportunity to read distinguished royal author Matthew Dennison's (he has written three other royal biographies) newest book simply and elegantly titled: The Queen. What makes Dennison's book stand out against the rest is firstly it's one of the first books to be published about the Queen after the death of Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh. It looks at their relationship throughout its entirety, giving a fresh examination on the longest royal marriage in history. It was comforting to be reassured how strong the bond between Philip and Elizabeth was. Sure they had their rough patches in their relationship, and nasty rumors along the way, (particularly in the late 50s), but I'd venture to say any marriage, and relationship that was established for 73 years does. It's not so much the bumps in the road they had, it was how they were able to navigate and work through them that counts. It's important to remember Philip and Elizabeth fought for their love, at the time of their marriage with anti-German sentiment, and they endured right up to Philip's death. Its inspiring, especially in the time we live in now. Secondly, I will mention this book does not deviate on tangents about others, its focus is always centered on Elizabeth. Throughout  her long reign, many players both personally and professionally have crossed paths with HM; prime ministers, daughters-in-law, members of staff, and a whole bunch of others. Rather than devoting entire paragraphs to other players such as Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Princess Diana, HM The Queen Mother, or Private Secretary Martin Charteris, Dennsion gives us info about them on a need to know basis in relation to their relation to Queen Elizabeth. This keeps the writing focused with a strong flow in regards to the star subject. At the same time, it allows you to have basis of facts of certain players you may not know much about. During my own reading, to have a background context of the Prime Ministers was certainly a highlight for me, as I personally don't know much about the British Parliament and the people in it! Moreover, I want to point out how fascinating it was to read an in depth analysis of HM's childhood and young adult life before becoming Queen, as it's really the "least" documented part of her life. As with Queen Victoria many people only see Elizabeth as, "The old lady Queen", and it's sad many  forget at one point she was a vibrant young women who reveled in being a 1950s military wife, and someone who grew up in a close knit household in a family unit of consisting of "we four" (herself, her parents, and sister, Margaret).

When she was born in 1926, Elizabeth was not in immediate line for the throne as her father Bertie (later George VI) was the second son of George V. David (later the abdicated, Edward VIII) was the oldest son and therefore, first in line. Elizabeth's childhood until the 1936 abdication (and the following Second World War) was spent as minor royalty, that only serious royal watchers in the 1920s/1930s would read about. Yet at the same time, she was the only "princess" at the time of her birth, and she was the only titled royal grandchild. Elizabeth had cousins who were daughter of her aunt, Princess Mary, Countess of Harewood, but those two sons were not HRHs. I learned just how fascinated people were with HM in her childhood, and it really drew parallels to how today people are fascinated with Princess Charlotte. From sparking name trends, to clothing trends, to making popular toys come en vogue, princess inspiration has always been in the public interest! Finally, I'd like to bring the to attention the fair criticism this book brings to Elizabeth's reign: it's no secret that no one is perfect. Elizabeth has had her fair share of political clashes, family problems and even scandals within her long reign. Its balanced in saying the longer one lives, the more events- both good and bad- you witness. The book is pretty nuanced when bringing up touchy topics such as the Princess Margaret and Group Captain Peter Townsend's romance, HM's parenting skills/ relationships with her children, the Aberfan disaster of 1966, and Princess Diana' death to name a few.

As in within the book, it's all about points of view and the facts. I'm delighted to say the book doesn't take sides when viewing these topics, rather gives enough info for the reader to form their own opinion. I must say, however, I particularly didn't care for the slightly snide remarks given towards Princess Diana- always calling her every move "revenge" towards the family. That rubbed me the wrong way, but as I said, it's all about perception.

Overall, this book was a really informative read that is not just a rehash of the same ol', same ol' you would read in any random biography of Queen Elizabeth. With the last chapter clocking in at page 506, it may seem like a long dung out read, but it goes by quickly once you start digging in. (Personally I spotted one error on page 403, it's William Arthur Philip Louis, not William Philip Arthur!)

What I personally took away from the read was The Queen is an enduring woman. She's witnessed hardships of war, family crisis, premature deaths, scandals, and even the covid-19 pandemic, yet she's always been there for her people, her family and her country. She's been able to navigate changing times and as The Crown actress Claire Foy has said in her 2017 Golden Globes acceptance speech, Elizabeth has been at "the center of the world" since 1953 when she ascended to the throne. I don't think I myself could do better if I were in her shoes, and all that's left to do now, I believe,  is to appreciate her hard work and dedication. God save the Queen!

Above: My Copy of The Queen with (some of!) my other Royal books! :)

I'd like thank Hailey and the whole team at Kaye Publicity for sending me a copy of the book to read and review. The Queen by Matthew Dennison will be available to own on September 1, 2021 in the USA and is available worldwide online and in participating stores. Links are as follows, and check out my YouTube Review video HERE)

AMAZON USA (Hardcover)

Barnes and Noble

AMAZON UK (Hardcover)

The Queen Goodreads' page

Matthew Dennison Author page

The Queen (Head of Zeus Publishing page)

[fanfoolishness]

Interview with a Fic Writer

Tagged by @novantinuum, thank you!

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How many works do you have on AO3?

242 works. The actual fuck??? Wow, me. Of course, this does span about 9 years, so I guess that's not that insane?

What’s your total word count on AO3

549,737! But that averages out to only 2271 words per story, haha. You got me! I think I have less than 10 fics that have more than 1 chapter. I love one-shots, what can I say?

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

Oh, you want to get into this? All right. We'll get into this:

The X-Files, proto-fandom, ur-fandom, first OTP ever... yeah, 15-year-old me went. WILD. Many horrible Mulder/Scully stories, and some Doggett/Scully and character study stories as well. Mostly not very good, but with occasional flashes of decent writing. Really had a difficult time writing romantic feelings between 30+ year-olds given a) I did not date in high school and b) was 17 and not an emotionally stunted FBI agent.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - not a huge volume of stories, but definitely some very angsty Spuffy and Spike tales.

Harry Potter - just one published fic (Lupin grieving Sirius), and one with Snape and Harry having a heart to heart I could never quite get right.

Then came the dark times (vet school) where I was exhausted and hard at work for a few years and I thought, horribly, I might have outgrown fandom. Thank god for...

X-Men First Class and the undying love of Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr! I'd never fallen for a slash ship before but my god I fell hard for this one and wrote my first fandom smut and my first real AU (mutants with zombies) that I never finished.

Then.... let's see...

Quantum Leap drabbles!

Two Avatar the Last Airbender fics!

Agents of SHIELD fics, mostly focused on Coulson and FitzSimmons, and super angsty.

Bioshock Infinite sads (god I love writing the sad bad dad)!

And then the juggernauts of Mass Effect (my longest fic to date with 30 chapters!) and Dragon Age, which were endlessly productive and are still productive given the variety of different protagonists you can create, different choices, and different relationships to canon characters. I'm still working on a Hawke/Varric fic in the back of my mind here.

There's one random Gravity Falls fic (wish I could have got a little more obsessed with it, or gotten into it while it aired) of Stan sads, and one tiny Avengers ficlet of a sad Tony and Peter.

There's one Wheel of Time fic! Dammit I wanted Rand and Tam to reunite so much sooner than they did.

40-odd Steven Universe fics! So many SU fics!

One random Schitt's Creek fic of David and Patrick!

And finally, The Mandalorian, with 47 fics. Phew!!!

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1. The Invitation, The Mandalorian. Din Djarin finds himself in dreams that seem realer than real, reminding him of his loss, but he begins to find a sense of hope again. A promise is kept.

2. The Outstretched Hand, The Mandalorian. Din Djarin is a man of action, but sometimes, the quiet finds its way in. Din reckons with the aftermath of the events of Chapter 14, the Tragedy. (My very first Mando fic!)

3. Not the Sentimental Type, Steven Universe. Priyanka Maheswaran has long prided herself on keeping her emotions in check. But a mother's love can only grow, and sometimes it expands to people she never anticipated. Like the Universe boy.

4. Translation, The Mandalorian. Din Djarin was a man of few words, but many languages. Some might have thought the Child had no language at all. Din Djarin and the Child grow to understand each other.

5. Full Disclosure, Steven Universe. Just as the world begins to recover from Spinel's attack, Steven starts having nightmares. The more he ignores his fears, the worse they become, until he's left with no other choice but to ask for help. (My thoughts on what would drive Steven Universe Future, and I wasn't far off.)

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I really try to! Even sometimes years later if I realize I've missed some. I appreciate each and every one, and have definitely made friendships through comments <3

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

Oh, hell... I'm too lazy to link these but if anyone wants to read them let me know or find them on my AO3!

A Stopped Clock from Bioshock Infinite has Booker DeWitt ravaged by Korsakoff's amnesia from his long-standing alcoholism. Is Columbia real or imagined? Hard to say.

The Viscount's Way shows Varric Tethras having become his parent, and a cruel, hard viscount of Kirkwall.

Songs in the Key of Red shows how Cullen fared under the dark future in Redcliffe in DAI, and they write happy endings, don't they? shows what happened to Varric. Both horribly depressing in different ways!

Two by Two, Hands of Blue shows a not unexpected end to lyrium addiction :( Poor Cullen, he got a lot of angsty developments, didn't he?

Do you write crossovers? If so, what’s the craziest thing you’ve ever written?

Never really got into crossovers or AUs. Just... meh for me!

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

No, I don't think so.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Charles/Erik, Shepard/Garrus, Shepard/Liara, Shepard/Tali, a mess of different f/f femShep drabbles, and most of my Dragon Age pairings have gotten sexytimes. On the other hand I helped start the NoRomo Mando tag for the Mandalorian to help find non-pairing Mandalorian content. Depends on the pairing and the fandom, for sure.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Nope, thank goodness!

Have you ever had a fic translated?

I think so! There used to be a Spanish-language wiki linking to some of my old X-Files stories XD

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, but friends and I definitely will beta each others' things to help with sticky points.

What’s your all-time favorite ship?

ALL-TIME? Just, why? So many ships I loved in years past turned out to have pretty damn problematic elements I didn't see at the time, so it's hard to say... Mulder/Scully actually has a ton of issues, Buffy/Spike obviously has issues... so maybe Hawke/Varric (except not canon!) or Garrus/Shepard or Brosca/Alistair.

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

Still need to finish my Hawke/Varric fic for after Adamant! I have 3 chapters written that I haven't posted. Maybe posting them will help inspire me....

What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue and POV writing from different characters; I feel fantastic writing Steven and Greg, though totally at sea trying to write from Connie's POV, randomly. But I think my dialogue and emotional beats are what people tend to tune in for. When I do write romance, it's usually very sweet and silly and pulled from life. I also love writing nature scenes and settings to help establish mood. Mood and emotion and catharsis are my bread and butter, and I like my poetic prose.

What are your writing weaknesses?

What the hell is a long, well-thought-out plot? Like what even is that???? My longest fic with 30 chapters is basically "Shepard has PTSD and hangs out with her crew. They have some funerals." THAT'S IT. How the heck people actually come up with plot that ties into the lore of a fandom I genuinely have no idea and it's the biggest thing that's held me back from finishing original work. I can come up with a setting and characters and then trying to make them do stuff that's more than just talking to other characters and deepening their relationships with them... how the fuck???

I also definitely have 10-20 words that I am in constant danger of reusing like every other paragraph, LOL!

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

I don't speak any other languages so I always avoid it as much as possible. I've seen people describe sign differently in fics and picked one way to depict it that made sense to me for Grogu, but that's about it.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

The X-Files, of course!

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

Towards Another Day, the tale of how Cullen went from being a templar in Kirkwall to commander of the Inquisition, is definitely up there.

Reverberations is one of my rare multi-chaptered fics and one of my favorite for the catharsis at the end. It makes me tear up every time. 5 times Din and Grogu encounter the Dark Side, and one time they find the Light.

Either a world for the birds (Steven develops a closer relationship with his Uncle Andy, learning birdwatching along the way) or on the subject of rocks (Steven and Jasper finally reach a peace) might take the prize for favorite SU fic.

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Tagging (if you’re super bored and would like a fun thing to do) fellow writers:

@lastwordbeforetheend, @runrundoyourstuff, @honestlyhufflepuff, @art3mys, and @fake-starwars-fan if you would like to play!

[mcfiddlestan]

Fic Writer Questions

I'm bored and this was in a note on my phone from forever ago, so I must have been tagged at some point. Apologies to whoever tagged me. 🥴

1) How many works do you have on AO3?

52. Though, I used to have a few more. I deleted a few fics some years ago bc I hated that they were just sitting there unfinished. I was going through a particularly brutal bout of writer's block that affected both my fic writing and my RP writing.

2) What's your total AO3 word count?

720,782. And I was stressing about a 30-page thesis. 😂 (which ended up being over 15,000 words)

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

I started writing fic in 2000 with *NSYNC, Christina Aguilera, and Backstreet Boys fics. I stopped writing a bit around 2004-2007 (because of a stupid boy) and picked it up again in 2012 after reading some awesome Cherik fics and wanting to write my own FrostIron College AU when I read one that was good, but kind of disturbing. I think I write for one fandom -- Marvel -- but, like different factions of it. FrostIron and WinterFrost mostly, with a dash of Stucky, ThunderFrost, DashingFrost, and WinterIron.

4) What are your Top 5 fics by kudos?

Black Light Special (WinterFrost) - 628 kudos

Can I Bum A Ride? (WinterFrost) - 425 kudos

Empire State of Mind (FrostIrom) - 420 kudos

Dark Side (FrostIron) - 398 kudos

A Worthy Collection (FrostIron) - 309 kudos

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

I really do make an effort to respond to every single comment, even the not-so-nice ones. I want people to know I've seen and read the comment they took the time to post, so even if I just thank them for reading and commenting, I respond.

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

Considering it features two -- count 'em, two! -- major character deaths, it's definitely Empire State of Mind. Though, I'd argue Dark Side is a pretty close second.

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

Probably Ghosts That We Knew. It was the final fic in the trilogy that is the Picture Perfect Series. It follows Loki and Tony from when they meet in college and ends 30+ years later.

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

No, not really. And I rarely, if ever, read them. There's no real reason behind it other than I've just never come upon one and thought "ooh I need to read that."

9) Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Yes. I got a lot of hateful messages after I completed Empire State of Mind. People were really angry at me for killing off two major characters. I mean, a lot of the messages were "omg I hate you but I loved this!" kind of vibe. But there were a few that cussed me out and called me names for writing it.

I had some chapters of a Fools Rush In FrostIron AU posted a while ago, in which Loki was a female, the only daughter in both the Odinson and Laufeyson families. Following the storyline of the Matthew Perry/Salma Hayek movie, Loki meets Tony Stark in a bar and gets pregnant from a one night stand. Anyway, I got a lot of messages telling me that Odin's misogyny and mistreatment of Loki was unrealistic -- even though I had literally modeled his behavior after the movie that inspired it. 🤷🏽

I have some prompts done for the 100 Ways to Say ILY writer's block challenge and for one of them, I borrowed the storyline from an episode of Will & Grace when Will's father dies of a heart attack after they have a bad argument where his father basically admits he wished Will wasn't gay so he could have had an easier life. In the epsiode, the fight starts because Will's parents gift his baby blanket to Grace, who is pregnant with her ex-husband's child. Will takes offense, they don't understand why bc he never mentioned wanting children, and a fight ensues. Similarly, in my fic, Frigga and Odin offer a pregnant Natasha (his BFF) Loki's blanket. Some readers did not like this and did not understand why I would write it. In another prompt, one that was literally how my last relationship ended, got some harsh critiques. Those ones hurt especially bc it was such a personal experience I wrote about.

And I actually got into a fight -- like a screaming match -- IRL with my best friend's boyfriend at the time. One of my bestie's friends asked about my fanfiction and I gave them the gist of one of my stories where Loki has a brief relationship with Sif that results in a child and later reconnects with Tony. Later on, Sif offers to be a surrogate for Tony and Loki and eventually births three more children for them. Bestie's boyfriend could not fathom why a woman would purposely get herself impregnated and then give the child away. I tried to explain that this was a thing that a lot of women did IRL -- and some don't even use their own eggs, but the eggs of a woman who cannot conceive; Sif used her own eggs so that all four children were half related (two by Loki, two by Tony). But he just did not believe me and told me I must not be a very good writer. Worst night of my life.

10) Do you write smut?

I was just telling @teadrinkingwolfgirl the other night how when I first started writing fic I did not write sex scenes. It was always inferred or glossed over. When I started writing again in 2012, for FrostIron, it was my first time writing more detailed sex. I cite Jackie Collins as my smut-writing mentor. I've written almost exclusively M/M smut.

11) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of.

12) Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! Which is like the best thing ever! A couple of my older fics have been translated to Russian. I have one *NSYNC fic that was made into an audio fic. And someone recently messaged me on ff*net to ask to translate as many of my fics as they can to Spanish. :D

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

No, not technically. I've gotten a lot of prompts and ideas from friends and mutuals, and I started reformatting my WinterFrost RP with my ex from 2014-2015 into novel form a while ago. That's tecnically the only thing I've written with someone else and published.

14) What's your all time favorite ship?

I have two that will always, ALWAYS, have my heart and attention. FrostIron (Tony Stark/Loki) and WinterFrost (Bucky Barnes/Loki). They are the two ships that I write the most, read the most, and seek out fanart for the most.

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

Probably The Flame. It's a fic that starts out ThunderFrost (not related; Asgardian Prince Thor semi-rescues an imprisoned Jotun Prince Loki) but eventually ends up FrostIron. It's the only fic I've ever written that features Loki with both male and female biology. I have a few chapters done but I haven't worked on it in years.

16) What are your writing strengths?

I like to think I write realistic relationships. And I think my dialogue is also realistic and easy to grasp. And I put a lot of humor in between all the angst and hurt.

17) What are your writing weaknesses?

I think I get too detailed with background. I just reread my Picture Perfect series (which I do like once a year), and there are literal paragraphs of background that in Google Docs is like pages and pages. But I want to make sure people understand my characters! LOL

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

I'm a big fan of it. I featured a lot of Norwegian in the Picture Perfect series. And French. I think as long as it flows with the storytelling and it's not forced on the characters it can be really cool. It should be natural. I always leave a translation list at the end of the chapter or explain in-text what was said. Which I think most authors I've read do.

19) What was the first fandom you wrote for?

The Backstreet Boys. LOL. Don't judge. I started writing my own fics after discovering BSB fanfiction written by an author named Mistress Lynz. She wrote a lot of fics about bloodletting, but I really enjoyed the fics where the guys were hooking up with each other behind the scenes, LOL explains why I write mostly M/M now. 😂

20) What's your favorite fic you've written?

They're kind of like my babies so at different times different ones are my faves. But if I really had to pick one, I would say Stay With Me is my favorite. I got some of the most amazing comments on this story from people that found meaning and themes in the story that I didn't even realize I'd put in there. It was one of my first WinterFrost fics I'd posted and the response was more than I could have asked for.

And now I have to tag people! @teadrinkingwolfgirl @incredifishface @incubigirl @rabentochter @marvelswinterfrost and whoever else feels up to it.

xoxo