#this is about the multiple tim aus in my drafts

[erinwantstowrite]

sometimes i read my drafts and go "aw man when's the next part coming out" girl you wrote it

[potatoesarecheese]

batfam au where bruce gave up the batman costume when he became dick's dad, because he was mentally sane enough to realise that an actual child should not be fighting actual murders.

and the world carried on.

batman becomes a folktale, something that parents use to get their children to sleep, and something that every thug thinks about when the night just a little too quiet and things are going a little too well.

occasionally, some angsty teenager or some bitter man will make their own costume, and try to be batman. and it makes headlines, it keeps criminals in check. but these New Batmen never carry that mantle for very long.

Jason, Tim, Damian, Cass, Steph, Babs, Duke, everyone. They are never found, they are never rescued, they are never born. the villains never become villains. the joker disappears

sometimes, Alfred gets this feeling that there's someone missing, multiple someones, but he doesn't even know who. he mourns a family he's never had, and holds space for someone that he never knew.

but the world carries on

this all changes when two things happen very, very quickly.

One, some scrappy teenager flies to Ethiopia, looking for a mother he didn't even know and drops of the grid. completely unrelated to this teenager, a warehouse explodes

Two, dick starts poking around the manor, accidentally stumbling upon the remains of his father's past-- is father is Batman. was batman. and dick doesn't really know what to do with that information. so he does the only logical thing and tries to become the actual Batman.

At first, he tries to be batman without any training and immediately gets his ass handed to him. And, while he's dragging his broken body to the cave, he sees Alfred. Alfred, who patches him up and tells him that, if he's going to be batman, he needs to go back to the classics.

he needs to tell bruce.

he needs to tell bruce, or bruce is going to figure it out for himself. he isn't the worlds greatest detective for nothing, and it's better to tell him sooner rather than later.

when dick tells bruce, bruce... doesn't know what to think. he doesn't want his son -his precious son- to go out fighting the one-man war that he'd once tried to fight. but he also knows that there's probably nothing that he can do to stop dick.

the best way for Bruce to protect who he loves is to teach him how to fight. how to actually fight.

and so he does.

he trains Dick with everything that he knows. teaches him with the intensity and the drive that canon Bruce taught Tim. He will not lose his son, he will not let dick lose the one-man war. and he will not let his past as Batman be the thing that tears his family apart.

The Batman returns to the streets of Gotham. Criminal activity is at an all time low. the people who would have become villains have already moved on with their lives.

so the world carries on, bringing Batman with it.

end of part one (because this has been rotting in my drafts and I need to post this now or ill forget again)

[wolfjackle-creates]

1000 Follower Celebration!

I'm blown away, honestly. The last time I had any notoriety in a fandom was back in, like 2007 or 2008 when I was on the Dibbuns Against Bedtime fan forums for Redwall. I was made the head of my dorm as the site started dying because I was the most active member in said dorm.

But you all? You're here because you like something I'm making? It's so wild to me. I appreciate every single one of you. Every like, every reblog, every comment. They warm me up.

I've been thinking over the last few days what I want to do. The obvious answers—prompt fills, polls to determine what I write, story snippets—I do all that with too much regularity. And I'm trying to avoid taking on more fics as I focus on the ones I've already got going.

So we're gonna do something a bit different this week.

Over the next week (From Wed 2/21 to Wed 2/28) send me the title of one of my WIPs (listed below) and I will respond with a few paragraphs. Not my usual 1.2-1.6k that I like to do for WIP Wednesday, but a few paragraphs. At the end of the week, I'll compile them all and post everything in a single post.

I won't be adding all the links like I usually do with each addition to a story until I post that final draft, but I'll tag everything with "[story name] 1000" so you can click that and follow along with the fic in some sort of order.

There are six WIPs eligible for the game! Please limit yourself to one fic per ask, but you may send in multiple asks. I will request that, for now, you limit yourself to one request per fic (aka a max of 6 requests per person). If I find that I'm able to keep up, I may waive that request in the upcoming days. But it will depend on how busy my inbox (and life) get.

Bring Me Home

Ghost!Robin

Answer My Call

I'll Carry Your Heart (Until I Find You Again)

Want to Hold On and Feel I Belong/Bad Reveal AU

Empathy!Verse

I totally forgot about the Empathy!Verse when I did my last ask game. Mostly because that has been entirely written on Tumblr and I...kinda forgot to transfer it to a Scrivener document. Ooops. 😅

Something to Feel isn't on this list because I want to dedicate my time to it today. I'm close to the end, I think, and already have one ask in my inbox about it that I totally meant to get to before now (if it's your ask, I promise I haven't forgotten you!).

Brief Story Summaries

Bring Me Home: Tim and Danny are online friends and know each other's secrets. Currently in the arc where the Young Justice and Team Phantom help Danny escape after a reveal gone wrong.

Ghost!Robin: Jason is haunted by the ghost of the Robin he used to be. Danny finds out when Jazz introduces him to Jason over a meet-the-in-laws dinner. Currently, Jason and Robin are meeting with Frostbite to learn what may have happened.

Answer My Call: Jazz is sending texts to Danny after he escaped a GIW facility and they can't talk. But it turns out Jason is the one who's actually been getting them.

Carry Your Heart: Jason and Danny meet in the Ghost Zone while Jason is dead. They become friends. But Jason runs to Desiree to wish for his life back. A wish she fulfills. Danny goes to visit him, only to find his core left behind in a lair that's in ruin.

Bad Reveal AU: Danny is living with the Waynes when he finds out they're also the Bats. He freaks out because he believes the bats are working with the government (aka the GIW). So he shoots Bruce and runs away. The bats are now trying to convince him it's safe to come home.

Empathy!Verse: Liminal!Jazz is studying in Gotham and feeling the lack of other liminals to interact with. After getting used to the undercurrent of emotion that follows all interactions with ghosts/liminals, humans just feel...flat. Then one day, she literally runs into another liminal as she's going to the library. Jason Todd. Only... he doesn't know what it means to be liminal. So Jazz is there to show him.

[vinelark]

fic writer meme

thank you [checks notes] @megafaunatic, @cairoscene, @englishsub, @yuebings, and @cafecliche for the tags ilu

1. How many works do you have on Ao3? 15! which is solidly 14 more than i ever expected to have on there when i made the account

2. What's your total Ao3 word count? 277,844

3. What fandoms do you write for? on ao3: mdzs/cql, tgcf, shl, and dc. in groupchats/dms/my own head i’m running wild all over the place

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? 🐉 this river runs to you 💍 i’ll have you and you’ll have me 🪐 i will be chasing a starlight ⚔️ you’re the trouble that i always find �� a wave crashes to shore

5. Do you respond to comments? not often; i have made multiple attempts to start replying regularly but all have eventually failed in the face of me desperately wanting to show my earnest and genuine appreciation for each comment vs. wanting to hide my blushing face under a pillow every time. also, because of who i am as a person, each time i sat down to do it i ended up spending hours making little progress and eventually decided that i will make an effort to spend those hours writing or commenting on other fics instead. i am honored by each and every one though!!!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? while i tend to write angst it is always firmly of the “with a happy ending” sort. the one exception is my shortest fic (originally posted on twitter) never been away so long, which is more of an ambiguous/open ending with implied angst. i dooooo outline the eventual happy ending in the endnotes, though. also as it CURRENTLY stands buy back the secrets ends on one hell of an angsty note, but there are two more chapters in the works to fix that.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? despite the wangxian star trek au having like 20k of deliriously happy post-misunderstanding sex, i think trrty has to have the happiest ending because not only does the fic end happily, but there are also multiple very happy codas in which wwx gets a good night’s sleep, finally gets to bang his dragon boyfriend, and, my personal fav, one by aubreyli where wangxian go flying in a thunderstorm.

8. Do you get hate on fics? not so far, for which i am grateful but mostly lucky.

9. Do you write smut? occasionally; on ao3 there’s the aforementioned trrty coda, plus the aforementioned cowritten wangxian pon farr sequence 💪

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you have written? hmm, i’m not opposed to crossovers—i’ve read some really fun ones (recent fav crossover read here)—but i’d have to be really compelled by both source materials and have a very clear vision for how they interact to want to write one myself. i’ve written a few fandom fusions (aforementioned wangxian star trek au; i also started a wangxian dragon age au but again, no dragon age characters were going to show up, just the world/setting) but no full-on crossovers. i did have one partially drafted wangxian fic that was going to have a hua cheng deus ex machina, alas.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? not that i’m aware of! it’s not something i really go looking for/concern myself with, but so far, like with fandom hate, i’m grateful to not have encountered it.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? yes! my wangxian wedding fic was translated to russian.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? i co-wrote seventy thousand words of published fic with @feyburner! and probably two hundred thousand words of unpublished fic and outlines and story ideas just for fun. even when we aren’t co-writing we tend to talk through our individual fics with each other so we’re pretty in sync when it comes to writing. i also spent like a year in @cairoscene’s DMs concocting whole outlines/zerodrafts for batfam fics together that i still cherish and reread (notable favs: tim drake ella enchanted au, concept where the waynes are cursed to suddenly feel nothing but apathy about tim and he has to deal with that, story where robin!tim gets de-aged and oops red hood is the first one to show up…). i’d say the OCBFEU is fic-adjacent and cowritten by a group of us. also shoutout to the mdzs threadfic @cafecliche and i brainstormed/zerodrafted where lan qiren gets cursed into an owl and post-cql wei wuxian is the one who unknowingly saves him.

14. What's your all time favorite ship? oh yeah it’s [loud truck goes by]

15. What is a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? cyborg!wwx…i still think of you fondly. the only ao3 fic i’ve ever posted knowing i probably wouldn’t finish it but wanted to share just for fun.

16. What are your writing strengths? pangs… mining little character details for humor (or, more often, for more pangs)… i also think i’ve really improved my action writing/pacing over the last few years.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? i write actual drafts/prose fairly slowly, which can be frustrating for me. also like @yuebings i often get very caught up in trying to perfect one small part of a draft before moving on. ummmm describing outfits/settings for reasons other than immediate plot-relevant details, i’m terrible at that + remembering to do it—i literally make myself do a What Are We Looking At Here Pass while revising sometimes.

18. Thoughts of writing dialogue in another language in fics? i’m not totally sure what this question is asking tbh, but it’s something i think can be done incredibly well—and, like with many things in storytelling, it’s the sort of thing where if you don’t actually speak the second language you need to be willing to put in work beyond a cursory google to try to achieve what you’re doing, and be willing to admit if it’s beyond your capabilities. i really like how the portuguese dialogue in bbts ended up and that’s 100% because @tigerjpg translated it for me and also already understood the scene/concept/characters; without them i would have found a different way to approach that scene. also, stylistically, i personally like when dialogue in other languages isn’t italicized unless there’s a real reason for it to be.

19. First fandom you wrote for? oh it was [a second loud truck whooshes by]

20. Favorite fic you have written? right now it’s bbts, because i think it’s also the fic i’ve had the most fun writing. trrty, though, will always hold a special place in my heart.

and i tag! @tlumeti, @burins, @smilebackwards, @bonesbuckleup, @hearteyeshayley, @sonosvegliato

[bluejaysandblackbats]

You're Just Like Quicksand

Fandom: DC Comics, Batfam, Batman Beyond

Summary: Jason Todd is ready to go into semi-retirement after fifteen years working with troubled youth, but one case in particular forces him to confront the sins of his youth and painful memories from his past.

Chapters: 4/?

Characters: Jason Todd, Terry McGinnis, Warren McGinnis, Mary McGinnis, Matt McGinnis, Bruce Wayne, Original Character(s)

Relationship(s): TBA

Additional Tags: Protective Jason Todd, Good Sibling Jason Todd, Retired Jason Todd, Multiple POV, Hurt/Comfort, Parent-Child Relationships, Canon Divergent AU, Angst, Mourning Jason Todd

Chapter Four: No Man's Land (Terry McGinnis' POV)

I sat across from Jason, working on my history paper, struggling to write the page on how that applied to Gotham today. Jason sat behind his computer, transferring files using the scanner. “You look like you’re stuck on something. What’s up?” Jason asked without looking up.

“You were a kid during No Man’s Land, right?” I asked.

“I was in a coma, so I wouldn’t be much help there,” Jason answered. “I have a brother who was alive during that time… When’s the paper due?”

“Rough draft’s due Thursday,” I replied.

Jason checked his watch and pressed three buttons on his office phone. “Hello?” a man’s voice answered.

“Bernie? Bern, tell Tim to come to the phone. One of my kids has a few questions for a homework assignment. Let him know he doesn’t have to speak to me if he doesn’t feel like it. This is for the kid,” Jason stated. He pushed his hair back, shutting his eyes as he breathed through his nose.

“I’ll get him… Wait a second, okay?” the man whispered.

“Who’s Bernie?” I asked.

“He’s my brother-in-law… He’s a good guy. Phenomenal cook. My kids love him-. Loved… They loved him,” Jason mumbled.

“Jason, what’s this about?” a stern voice questioned.

Jason looked at me. “I’ve got a student here who needs to interview a person from Gotham who was alive during No Man’s Land,” Jason explained, “I was in a coma, but I figured you might remember something about that time.”

“I do… How’re you doing? Kenny came home from school last week and asked about you,” Tim whispered.

“Did he get my gift?” Jason questioned.

“He did. I think he’d rather see his uncle… And despite our problems, I see no need in you avoiding Ken. He adores you-.”

“You’re on speaker, and I-. You know why I stay away… Tell him I love him, and I’m proud of him,” Jason interrupted, “No more small talk, okay? The kid’s paper is due on Thursday… And I’m sure it’ll take time for him to take notes today.”

Tim cleared his throat. “Okay… Fine. Hi, I’m Tim, Jason’s younger brother,” Tim introduced himself.

“I’m Terry. I guess you could say I’m a client of Jason’s… Are you busy?” I asked.

“Not particularly busy… Jason called the right person. I was in Gotham when it started, and my dad pulled me out to keep me safe,” Tim explained.

“Let me see your history book for a second,” Jason whispered. I passed him my tablet, and he read the pages to himself. “This is Tim. He’s right here.” Jason showed me a billboard of one of the missing kids in Gotham.

“That’s your brother?” Terry asked.

“Jason, don’t tell him that-.”

“Yeah, the search for him was like a nationwide incident-.”

“Okay, Terry, you had questions about that specific time, right?” Tim asked.

Jason gestured for me to answer him. “Tim doesn’t bite. He’s harmless,” Jason joked. I grinned.

“Tim, how old were you at the time?” I questioned.

“I was fifteen,” Tim answered.

Jason typed something into his personal phone. “Can you describe life in Gotham before, during, and after?” Terry asked.

Tim described Gotham as a crime-ridden city with a system of order kept neat by vigilante justice and police work before No Man’s Land (NML). During NML, the only system was that of criminal persuasion. The government abandoned the people, who were forced to fend for themselves against the different factions of super-powered and gimmicky criminals in their respective areas. Tim snuck into Gotham after it’d been shut off and got stuck there. When he returned home to Gotham after everything opened up, Tim’s dad enrolled him in boarding school. “A lot of us didn’t adjust well to being back in Gotham, and tons of kids, including myself, didn’t finish high school,” Tim replied.

“What did you do?” I asked.

Jason stood up, leaving me in his office alone. “Family business… But Gotham saw the problem in the school system and made it easier for kids to go to school and get their GEDs, go to college, and do whatever they had to to get on their feet,” Tim replied.

“Thanks for the help,” I smiled, “I-. Is Jason by himself a lot?”

“Jason, isolates… It’s what he does. He’s-.”

“Dad, is that JT?” a voice in the background questioned.

“I’m talking to one of his protégés,” Tim answered.

“Tell the kid to tell JT that ice cream’s on the house,” the voice replied.

“Okay, Kenny… I will. Now, make sure your father doesn’t cause a three-alarm fire making pizza again,” Tim warned him.

“Can do… Pop! You don’t need to put gasoline in a wood burner!” the voice yelled.

“That’s my son… Um, how old are you?” Tim asked.

“Fourteen,” I answered.

“He wouldn’t have called me had it not been for you… Jason must really like you. I haven’t heard from him in years. So, it was nice to hear his voice today. He almost sounded happy,” Tim whispered. His voice was soft. “I’ve gotta go. It’s dinnertime, but I want you to know it was a pleasure speaking to you, and I hope you get an ‘A’ on your history paper.”

“Thanks, Tim… And I’ll pass along your son’s message. Bye,” I replied.

“Bye, Terry.”

Jason returned with pizza and a large to-go container of fries. “Your dad texted me. He’ll be home late, so you’re having dinner with me. I hope you don’t mind pizza, breadsticks, and french fries. I didn’t plan on eating dinner tonight,” Jason stated without thinking. “Did I-? I meant-. I planned on having a drink, a piece of cake, and going to bed. Did Tim give you all the info you needed for your paper?” He seemed frazzled.

I nodded. “Someone wanted me to give you a message. I think it was your nephew,” I mumbled. Jason shook his head.

“No… It’s okay. Don’t tell me,” Jason whispered. I wrung my hands. “I’m not upset with either of you. It makes things easier when I don’t hear from the kids. That includes Ken… He’s my favorite, so that makes it even harder.”

“Oh… I almost forgot to say I watched your cage match against Michael ‘The Meat Grinder’ Gallucci. I had to watch it like ten times. How’d you do that so fast?” I asked. I had to change the subject. And well… He owed me a story.

Jason ate a fistful of fries and pushed the to-go plate my way. “Mm… That was my first match, but it wasn’t where the move originated. My oldest son was the first one to do the Thunderclap. He was eight, and we were play-fighting on the living room floor when he put his hands together, swung back, slapped me on one side of my face, swung, and hit me on the other cheek. I was so stunned-. I think he was too. He didn’t mean to hit me. I think he forgot it was only a game,” Jason replied. I don’t think he was convinced. He knit his brows together, a pained expression painted by the wrinkles in his brow and the tightness of his lips. I wondered what bubbled beneath the surface of his mind. Jason was interesting. Sad… But interesting. “You gave me a look.”

“I-. Jason, can I be honest with you?” I questioned.

“I’d like that,” Jason replied, “Don’t pull punches. I can take it.”

“He hit you, but he didn’t forget you were playing… He got carried away, didn’t he? He had a history of getting carried away-.”

“He did, but he was my little boy, and I loved him. Something in him was just-. Terry, there are things you’ll never understand in life until you experience them for yourself. I hope you never have to experience that, though,” Jason interrupted, “But you’re right. I covered over the truth. That was a great observation. I don’t mind being caught in a lie, so you can call me out as much as you like. No hard feelings.”

The truth. So, I felt compelled to give him the same heartfelt honesty. “Your son was lucky… I-. My dad loves me, but sometimes I can tell he doesn’t understand me. Sometimes I feel like a stranger to him,” I mumbled, “Maybe there’s something wrong with me.”

“I don’t think so… I don’t think parents and children are meant to understand each other… I think we’re meant to love each other despite the mystery. It’s easier to understand a complete stranger than to comprehend how a human you brought into existence, whose little face you washed and watched grow-. You wonder why they’re so different,” Jason whispered. His voice was soft and broken. It made me miss my dad. “Warren loves you more than most dads ever love their sons. I don’t know… It might be a psychological thing. Most dads hate their sons, but he adores you.”

“That’s nice to hear,” I replied.

“It’s the truth,” Jason stated. We both reached for a slice of pizza at the same time. “You remind me of myself, Terry… When I was young, I could’ve been anyone or anything. Don’t become one thing, Terry. You owe yourself more than that… Because once you trap yourself in one thing, it’s all you ever get. There’s no escaping it.”

“Did you get trapped in one thing?” I asked.

“Yeah, and I’ve spent my whole life trying to escape the ramifications of one misstep I made when I was fifteen,” Jason replied. And that stuck with me.

[incorrectbatfam]

Okay okay if you insist, sheesh.

The thing about most batkids band AUs is that they either 1) exclude half the family or 2) try to cram everyone onstage. Not that there's anything necessarily wrong with the second one—a number of real bands work that way—but in this case, it feels forced and becomes a case of too many cooks in the kitchen. So I'm gonna give you my take, because this is literally my world.

We'll divide the roles into three groups: the ones in the limelight, the behind-the-scenes musicmakers, and the non-musical crew. All are equally important, so don't take this as favoritism or me sidelining anyone. Also, keep in mind that none of these are mutually exclusive. A lot of roles are cross-disciplinary and people go back-and-forth or fulfill multiple roles.

Let's actually start with the crew. These are the non-musicians that, realistically, would be a full crew of people, but let's just ignore that for now.

Tim would be all over the visuals. Yes, the music is first and foremost, but things like album covers, promo material, and merch design are just as important—the merch is actually a huge portion of revenue in the industry. Yes, you could argue that Damian is good at drawing, but this is really about visual arrangement, and who better than a photographer? I can see him drafting different designs and playing with Photoshop to capture the band's vibes. I could also see him doing something adjacent like concert photos/recording or editing music videos.

Harper isn't the only one good with gadgets, but I'd argue she has a unique perspective when it comes to engineering, making her perfect for practical effects, such as in music videos or onstage. More importantly, though, she can think on her feet and come up with the exact fix before the problem unfolds. This is especially important during live shows, where a minor mishap can quickly spiral. I think that her knowing her limits can actually lend to her getting creative and having more fun with confetti cannons, pyrotechnics, or animatronics if she so chooses.

Now to the second group: the ones behind the music.

Damian would be the key songwriter. Being a classical musician means that he'd have a solid grasp on composition and music theory, and all songwriters play an instrument of some kind. But that's not the main draw. Damian comes from two different worlds—the League of Assassins and Gotham. I think that would reflect in his songwriting style, combining tradition with modern influences. It would additionally reflect the band because everyone in the batfamily has similarly distinct before-and-after stages of their life. Also, I don't think he'd enjoy performing outside a narrow set of contexts, and a rock band wouldn't be on his list.

Duke is a poet, so I think he'd make sense as a lyricist. In canon, he and Damian work really well together, which is an important part of the process. The key to good lyrics, though, is knowing who you're speaking to. Duke takes his time to understand each batfamily member, so even if he hasn't lived their experiences, he can translate them into song. And although music is about self-expression, there is still the audience to consider. Duke has his ear to the ground. He knows what people care about and what needs to be said, and he's also not afraid to call out the powers that be.

Barbara would be a good producer, and not just because she's tech-savvy. As Oracle, she is coordinating a ton of moving pieces without losing her cool. She has to keep track of tiny details without losing sight of the big picture. As a librarian, she has to catalogue meticulously and often do the same repetitive tasks. Being a producer is essentially a combination of the two. A lot of people would get overwhelmed with the toolbox a producer has, but I can picture Barbara taking one look and knowing exactly what to do.

Finally, we have the band itself.

Dick would be on lead guitar. And yes, I know every AU puts him in this role, but there's more. Canonically, he plays the guitar, but I think his personality is ultimately what would lend to his artistry. He'd have no problem taking center stage with guitar solos and would have the most memorable riffs. Also, he's not afraid to try new things and go big. Like, Discowing, much? Now imagine that energy channeled into experimenting with pedals, distortion, or alternate forms of picking and tuning. (EDIT bc I forgot: Dick would totally troll people with the Buddy Holly riff.)

Jason would be the bassist. Now, a lot of people view bass players as simply secondary to lead guitarists—some musicians even think this and it's kinda annoying. The way I see it, the bass and lead guitar fill in each other's blanks, and you could describe Jason and Dick's sibling relationship the same way. Jason isn't outwardly flashy like Dick, but he likes to show off on occasion, which a good bass hook allows for. Dick and Jason's dynamic is also built on contrast, which I can see Jason accomplishing through the right harmony or countermelody.

Cass would be the drummer. She is highly observant and physically coordinated, so the drums would come as second nature to her even when all four of her limbs are doing completely different things. Cass doesn't need to be in the spotlight for everyone to see her importance, and like a mission, a song wouldn't be as effective without her. Also, speaking as a drummer myself: we're actually the ones in charge—if I feel like playing at 200 BPM, the song is now 200 BPM.

And lastly, we have our vocalist: Steph. The difference between a good vocalist and a great one is confidence. Steph brings that. She's confident, upbeat, and can turn the energy of a room. A good stage presence and knowing how to interact with the audience is important—reading the room, getting them excited, and injecting humor or seriousness into the right spots. A lot of vocalists also play another instrument (the synth seems to be popular), so I can totally see Steph doing that as a way to augment the sound and have fun.

One note and I'll give you my longwinded take on the batkids rock band AU concept

[nedlittle]

WHY YES I DO WANT THE DIRECTOR'S CUT OF QUACKS

unorganized commentary on quacks, my magnum opus

unfortunately i'm not the type of person to save multiple drafts, i just write overtop what i already have palimpsest-style so any cut jokes are lost to the sands of time

speaking of jokes this was the fic i was most worried about writing and posting because, imo, a lot of the time people write comedy fic--especially if it's a modern au for whatever fandom they choose--it ends up...not being funny because they try to hard. so i straight up didn't try. those jokes are for ME and me alone. the joke in part 2 about tim horton being cryogenically frozen in a vat of iced capp was just because i was unbearably homesick and it's one of my favourite jokes in the whole thing

similarly one of my favourite pieces of writing i've done period is the snippet of the fake article where harry writes about rachel carson. it's concise, it's evocative without being purple, it's just the right amount of melancholic when you discuss something you love

on that note, i hadn't actually read any of rachel carson's work when i wrote that! i'd read plenty about her--notably maria popova's figuring, a sizeable portion of which is dedicated to carson--and knew her biography, but aside from quotes, i was writing from the perspective of a devotee about someone whom i'd never really interacted with

hopefully it will relieve someone to know that i've read her stuff since and have to beautiful, borrowed first editions on my kitchen table

the lore with jimmy fitz/the james & dundy podcast is that jfj writes an anonymous and incredibly popular internet advice column called 'dear clio' and does the podcast as a side gig (it is a very popular podcast which is Just For Them) and drama arises when he has this moment of not wanting to hide behind this carefully-crafted veneer of companionable anonymity behind a screen where he can reveal both everything and nothing at once and wanting to accept the praise for his writing as himself and be proud of what he accomplished which eventually leads to a like. i am caroline calloway-esque viral essay

the other lore which is partially in the text is that gore & jartnell are dating but what has only been mentioned off-hand in ao3 comments is that they get together because jart's in the hospital for some reason or another absolutely blasted on painkillers when he realizes that hey wait the ~artist-in-residence for his favourite podcast which he is somewhat chummy with the hosts of is....kind of cute and so he slides into this man's dms absolutely off his ass on painkillers and somewhere, many, many kilometers away, graham gore immediately thinks 'i'm gonna marry this man'. it. is only half a joke.

also textual but quacks and dj's this guy makes sausages fic share a cursed universe

silna's "...going out with a bang" response to the uSeR sUbMiTtEd question of how many bjs does it take to cure scurvy is my second favourite joke in the whole thing

the best executed joke is, of course, the fake-out blue apron sponsorship

lastly, this is a general rule for most of my writing to check sentence flow but i read every line of this fic out loud no less than five times to ensure it all sounded like it could come from a human person's mouth because writing a fake podcast or really any medium where it's a character directly communicating to both the readers and an imagined audience you can't hide behind fiction-speak! it's just dialogue! it's gotta sound real

[jbbuckybarnes]

jbbuckybarnes’ Writing Challenge

I recently reached 900 followers AND it's my 21st birthday today. And maybe I had this challenge in my drafts for months. So I'm finally posting in celebration of my milestone AND getting older. People on the Tumblr Creators Community Discord got early access to the prompts. If you wanna join that great community and get some writing help and motivation you can join HERE.

Rules:

You don’t have to follow me, but it would definitely be appreciated.

Send an ask with the Headline and Number (or song) and your blog name! Just numbers aren’t enough!

1-2 prompts per person - Choose two if one is an AU!!!

1 person per prompt, 2 people per AU.

You CAN write multiple stories/ask for another prompt.

No non-con, inc*st or smut including minors.

General smut is absolutely okay, but please put warnings. That also goes for potential triggers.

MCU, Marvel comics & Marvel actors (MCU, NMCU, Sony & others). If you write real people fiction please *No RPF smut*

Can be character x character, but reader inserts are generally preferred. OC’s are very welcome.

Send me an ask with your desired prompt and I’ll tell you if it’s still up for grabs.

Feel free to ask me any other questions. I'm happy to help with anything.

Tag me and #jbbuckybarnesBirthdayChallenge when you post it

Post until: June 1st, 2020

AU’s / Tropes (2 per AU)

Apocalypse AU - @overlordintraining​

Assassin AU - @capsheadquaters​

Book Store AU - @fanfictionaries​

Hunger Games AU

Enemies to Lovers AU - @hidden-behind-the-fourth-wall​

Friends to Lovers AU - @nasarogers​

Neighbor AU - @bluehenley​

Nurse AU

Parallel Universe AU - @crushedbyhyperbole​

Road Trip AU - @idjitmonkey​

Roommate AU - @elsatxx​ & @romaxnogersav​

Spy AU - @corneliabarnes​

War AU

Soulmate AU - @sagechanoafterdark​

red string

matching tattoos - @trillian-anders​

lost items turn up in soulmates apartment 

flowers where soulmate is injured - @sassy-pelican​

no aging after finding each other - @arawynn​

Sentence Prompts

“What the hell just happened? Why the hell did I need to witness this?”

“You make me feel like I don’t matter!” - @hidden-behind-the-fourth-wall​

“Stop yelling at me!” - @candy-and-writing​

“Did you steal all my cookies?”

“I didn’t choose to be hyper-empathetic!”

“Why is your cat such an assh*le!?” - @elita1​

“There is a stack of magazines and letters in front of your door and I just wanted to check if you’re okay.”

“How the hell did I get here and who are you?”

“I need you to calm down, sir.”

“I’m pretty sure what we just saw was a skinwalker.”

“I really don’t want to carry your dead body for 5 miles, so please do me a favor and don’t fuck up.” - @capsheadquaters​

“All you had to do was NOT start a fight on an UNDERCOVER mission!” - @nekoannie-chan​

“You can be grateful I love you enough to not eat you alive!”

“Rise and shine, hoe!” - @elsatxx​

“We are NOT setting the kitchen on fire again!”

“You won’t ever see that jacket again.” - @justkending​

“Lightsaber fight in the living room?”

“Just gimme the book and fuck off!” - @fanfictionaries​

“You like what you see?”

“Out of all the places, why does it need to be in a car?”

“That’s not how soulmates are supposed to react to each other!” - @trillian-anders​

“Who did this to you?” - @romaxnogersav​

“No, I’m not staying in bed. Food is more important than you!”

“Go and read a book, dumbass.”

“Why are we fighting again?”

“I saved you some food.”

“Why is he tied to a tree?”

“If you don’t stop annoying me I’ll shoot you instead of the enemy!”

“In the case of me dying, I just wanted you to know that I love you.”

“Could you turn down this awful music?” - @idjitmonkey​

“Where does it hurt, soldier?” - @justkending​

“Why? Why are you being…so nice to me?” - @arawynn​

“He shouldn’t be allowed to look this good.” - @eurynome827​

“I think about you a lot. Like a lot lot.”

“Who loses that many ___?”

“You have flowers all over you all the time. What the hell is your soulmate even doing!” - @sassy-pelican​

“You have ____ in this universe?” - @crushedbyhyperbole​

Dialogue Prompts

“Fight me!” - “Learn how to fight first.” - @fandomwritings-cm13​

“I can’t live without you.” - “You just never learned that happiness comes from within.”

“Why would you do this?” - “Cause I wanted to.” @lookalivefrosty​

“Did you just shoot two guys with the same bullet?” - “Did it look cool?” - @what-is-your-plan-today​

“We’re roommates.” - “Oh my god, they are roommates!”

“Could you concentrate on the mission?” - “Not with that ass right in front of me.” - @softbiker​

“Do we turn left or right?” - “How am I supposed to know, you took away my navigation privileges!” - @overlordintraining​

“I was so concerned. Why didn’t you- What are you doing?” - “Do you...wanna marry me?”

“Isn’t this, like, illegal?” - “Probably.”

"Can we please pretend I never said that?" - “Never, cause I love you too.” - @shakespeareanqueer​

“Hold still! I’m not finished with the wounds.” - “It’s a bit hard if you’re so close to me.” - @hopingforbarnes​

“Stop looking at me like you want to fuck me against the next wall.” - “But I want exactly THAT!”

“Can you eat blueberries?” - “OF COURSE! What kind of question is that? Wait...you didn’t know that?”

“From a scale of 1 to 10, how fucked up are you?” - “Somewhere in the apocalypse range.” - @sagechanoafterdark

“You know that kiss was just for the mission.” - “I know, stop making it awkward.” - @corneliabarnes​

“Stop quoting pop songs before you walk into a place full of enemies!” - “First my Miami Vice references and now you take THIS from me?” - @spiderrpcrker​  & @the-omni-princess​

“You can paint?” - “A little bit” - *holds up realistic oil painting* “A LITTLE BIT?” - @lucky-bucky-boy​

“That skirt is short.” - “Wanna do something about it?” - @yunawrites​

“Who even are you?” - “A bunch of idiots trying to save the planet.” - “We’re still trying names.” - @fatbottombarnes​

“Take me out.” - “On a date or as an assassin?” - @littledarlinwrites​

Song Prompts

American Boy - Estelle - @imanuglywombat​

Watch - Billie Eilish

Lucky Strike - Troye Sivan

Take me back to London -  Ed Sheeran

Touch it�� - Ariana Grande

Like that -  Bea Miller

Don’t Play - Halsey

London Bridge - Fergie

Shivering Gold - Tove Lo

Dancing‘s not a Crime - P!ATD

Speed of Sound - Coldplay - @nasarogers​

Confident - Demi Lovato

Guys my Age - Hey Violet - @bluehenley​

Desire - Years & Years

Everyone that might be interested / Signal Boost:

@hey-its-grey​ @jbbarnesnnoble​ @softbiker​ @stan-by-me​ @avintagekiss24​ @blackwidowballet​ @brooksaza​ @buckyland​ @cake-writes​ @captain-kelli​ @wxnterxsxldier​ @free-2bmee​ @crispychrissy​ @darkficsyouneveraskedfor​ @evanstanwrites​ @samsgoddess​ @heli0s-writes​ @hidden-behind-the-fourth-wall​ @idjitmonkey​ @hysteria87​ @yaynewton​ @justkending​ @quiquimora​ @marquis1305​ @rubberbucky​ @sagechanoafterdark​ @sassy-pelican​ @sapphirescrolls​ @tim-thefrog​ @sunlightdances​ @the-omni-princess​ @ussgallifreyfics​ @xetoilerouge​ @nasarogers​ @renxzs​ @lucky-bucky-boy​ @harley-is-a-spiderstan​ @imanuglywombat​ @sinceimetyou​ @eurynome827​ @violetmrkey​ @trillian-anders​ @honeyhan-123​ @overlordintraining​ @yunawrites​ @crushedbyhyperbole​ @bucksbullets​ @suz-123​ @nacho-bucky​ 

[supersecure-blog]

Week 7 Case Study - Pre-readings

This week’s case study concerns privacy - specifically should the government be allowed to collect data for individuals to be used in the interest of public safety?

I’ve compiled some notes on the sources we were given:

2019 - Facial Recognition to Replace Opal Cards

Facial recognition could be used to replace opal cards

Digital rights groups say it would pose a risk to privacy

Transport minister said facial recognition would provide convenience for commuters -> envisioned something similar to Amazon's "Just Walk Out" technology. "All about making the journey easier and faster for people"

Opposition have major concerns about technology being rolled out -> data collected would be of large commercial value to owner. "NSW taxpayer shouldn't be used by their government to make money, and government shouldn't be trusted with this technology

Tim Norton - "worrying to see such flippancy from the gov about potential rollout of technology like this across public services like transport -> these decisions shouldn't be taken lightly, and require extensive public consultation to ensure citizen's rights aren't impacted"

People must have trust that governments are taking appropriate action to protect the privacy that people expect when in public

Justin Warren, board member of Electronic Frontiers Australia - how would an opt-out system be used if everyone is scanned. "needs to be public debate about plans to roll out this technology, need to stop taking the framing from government that this is something that needs to happen -> ask why?"

2019 - Australian Views on Surveillance

“Australians tend to accept government surveillance, particularly if they think it necessary or trust the government"

If surveillance continues to increase -> general public opinion might reach a turning point and start adopting measures to 'hide' themselves

Government surveillance justified as necessary to protect us from criminal or terrorist attacks

Intelligence agencies, federal and state police can request access to telephone and internet records. This can reveal info about location, recent contacts

Proposed legislation would allow the government to share photos and other identifying info between government agencies, and private organisations for law enforcement, road safety, national security purposes

Recently passed "Telecommunications and Other Legislation Amendment (Assistance and Access) Act 2018 - allows gov agencies greater access to encrypted messages like from WhatsApp

Study with 100 Aus residents about their views on gov surveillance

52% said they accept gov surveillance

Average response was 3.1 (acceptance for surveillance)

Two main factors that influenced acceptance:

Is surveillance needed

Most influential factor

Practical implications as lawmakers capitalise on people's responses to events to justify new legislation

For example - "The need for the powers in this bill has become more urgent in the light of the recent fatal terrorist attack in Melbourne and the subsequent disruption of alleged planning for a mass casualty attack by three individuals last month – also, sadly, in Melbourne. Individuals in both of these cases are known to have used encrypted communications."

Do I trust the gov?

Overall trust in the gov also determined their acceptance -> trust in the Aus gov is generally quite low

Might be more influenced by general view of gov rather than their views of specific policies and practices

Large amount of people opting out of the My Health Record

No link between people's level of trust in the way the gov manages data and their acceptance of surveillance

AI can analyse CCTV footage without human input -> when face recognition is used to identify suspects, there is the risk of matching people with similar, close matching profiles. Results in a high error rate, posing risks for innocent people.

Threat of repurposing - when info is collected for one purpose and used for another

Concerns that insurance companies could access and use info from the My Health Record

2018 - Facial Recognition Used by Aus Authorities

NSW police and crime agencies preparing to use new facial recognition system to match pictures of people on CCTV with their driver's license photo to detect criminals and identity theft

Federal and state gov has access to data and photos from passports, driver licences, visas for facial recognition system

People do not have the option to opt out of their details being included from the facial recognition system

NSW gov has allocated $52.6 million over 4 years to support this tool

Two parts:

Face Verification service: 1-1 image-based match of a person's photo against a government record such as a passport - already operational

Face Identification Service - one-to-many, image match of an unknown person such as a criminal against multiple government records to help establish their identity. Access to the FIS will be limited and expected to come online this year

 Monash Uni Professor said the system breaches privacy rights by allowing collection, storage and sharing of personal details from innocent people

Gov spokesperson said laws allow these services to be used for "identity and community protection activities"

Research indicates that ethnic minorities and women are misidentified at higher rates than the rest of the population

Significant concerns about the reliability or otherwise of its algorithms and biases that can be inherent

 "There are no proper definitions of how the data will be used under the current bill"

 Law enforcement authorities habitually push for greater access to private data and info to help them do their job

Government has to balance safety and welfare of citizens, and the limitation on people's civil liberties, and the threat to life in the case of terrorist attack

2017 - Benefits of Surveillance

Issue of mass surveillance

Amount of data collected - bulk collection only way to handle volumes of data

What data is collected - some places don't have clear distinctions of what data is to be collected

How data is collected

Key points of intelligence officials' statements on the effectiveness of surveillance technology are that:

Difficult if not impossible to evaluate the effectiveness of surveillance programs

Because data is aggregated with other data to form a larger picture, it becomes hard to evaluate the effectiveness of surveillance tech

Purpose of intelligence is to inform policy makers and to improve their decision making, but it is hard to measure this impact

Seven measures of effectiveness drawn:

Thwarted attacks 

Lives saved

Criminal organisations destroyed

Output

Context

Support

Informed policy-making

However: counting successful cases seems to have merit with officials as a measure of effectiveness of surveillance technology employed for tactical intelligence purposes, but not for strategic intelligence

2015 Australian Metadata Retention Laws

Following information need to be retained be telcom service providers:

Incoming and outgoing telephone caller ID 

Date, time and duration of a phone call

Location of the device from where phone call was made

Unique ID assigned to a particular mobile phone of the phones involved in each particular phone call

Email address from which an email is sent

Time, date, recipients of emails

Size of any attachment set with emails and their file formats

Account details held by the ISP such as whether the account is active or suspended

"The content or substance of a communication is not considered to be metadata and will not be stored"

ASIO, police, Crime Commission, ATO, ICAC are able to view stored metadata without a warrant except for journalists (need to seek a warrant)

Act was supported by law enforcement and security agencies including federal police and ASIO - argued telcom data is critical to criminal investigations, need to be made accessible through legislation

Act questioned for its effectiveness as a tool to combat crime, increasing encroachment of privacy in Aus, consequences for journalism and journalistic practice

2013 - Opinion: Why We Need Government Surveillance

Edward Snowden - leaked classified intelligence

Willing to give up on his job, family, home, relationships to stop the U.S government from destroying privacy, internet freedom and basic liberties with their surveillance

New revelations about gov surveillance programs -> why are same policies being used across presidents?

Government overreach

21st century war is different - requires new ways of gathering info

Move towards 'home-grown' terror will require collection of U.S citizen's conversations with potential overseas people of interest

Constant armed struggle against terrorist threats has adjusted beliefs on what citizen's expect government to do in order to protect society

Need for enhanced intelligence activities is necessary, but abuse can occur easily

After compiling these notes I’ve also drafted some points to answer the discussion from both perspectives, which summarise the main points raised in the articles above.

Government agencies should collect and have access to your data for good purposes:

Necessary to sacrifice privacy for the greater good - if you're not a criminal then in an ideal system you shouldn't have to worry about being falsely accused

Protect against terrorist/criminal attacks - lives saved

Identify suspects/unknowns in the database before they are able to execute an attack -> prevention, attacks thwarted

Can be used in biometric technology like facial recognition which has applications for public transport -> replace physical cards, and provides convenience for commuters

Data can be used to help inform policy makers, and better increase the quality of their decision making

Shift towards 'cyber warfare' context has caused a shift in people's expectations for what role the government should play in protecting the welfare of all citizens ->collected intelligence might be necessary to thwart terrorist attacks

Government agencies should not collect and have access to your personal data:

For use in public transport, etc:

Does the benefit of convenience really outweigh the cost of lack of privacy, and risk of having data being stolen from the government?

For use in the interest of public safety:

Are terrorist attacks so rampant that they warrant action of this scale?

Can we put complete faith into this technology to make life-implicating decisions for individuals?

Studies have shown that minority groups and women are more likely to be mismatched -> higher rates of error

Can policy catch up to the technology -> currently there are no definitions in bills/acts which distinctly determine what data is allowed to be stored and collected -> grey area

Significant concerns about the reliability or otherwise of its algorithms and biases that can be inherent

Risk of matching people with similar, close matching profiles. Results in a high error rate, posing risks for innocent people.

Threat of repurposing - when info is collected for one purpose and used for another

How is data collected and stored? Is it ethical? Are there any risks of data being leaked or the risk of an insider attack?

Overall increase in surveillance activities -> might lead public opinion to distrust the government, and ask why is it necessary to be monitored so heavily -> where are our human liberties to privacy?

Public opinion of NSW already as the "nanny state" -> could be the tipping point for complete rejection of government

[tgdstaceattorney]

What inspired the whole premise of the fic? You mentioned before that you were really surprised that Nenilein's Complete Turnabout was similar to TGDST, as you never came across it before writing your fic

I’ll just address both asks since you both ask a similar question.

My inspiration. It’s actually funny, I am new to the Ace Attorney fandom. I started texting @coolman229 about my ideas in May of 2017, when I barely started playing Trials and Tribulations for the first time. More ideas flew into my head the further along I got into Ace Attorney but I always knew I wanted Apollo and Athena and Trucy in the story even if when this idea first came about I hadn’t gotten to their games yet.

Basically the idea sprang from a lot of “swap” aus. Like in Voltron where they swap the roles of characters like “X character is the fugitive survivor with the robotic arm and Y character is the tech genius and Z character is the altaen royalty, etc”. Or how in Miraculous Ladybug they do Kwami swap AUs. I was seeing a lot of fanart for that on my dash. Then it got me thinking what if we had lawyer swaps? Like Phoenix is a prosecutor and Edgeworth was the defense attorney? I started creating in my head what would be different in this universe, why they would be that way and how they got that way, who would they associate with, and how would that overall effect the Ace Attorney universe with this change. It kept doing a domino effect one after another.

For example, DL6 never happened, because it never happened Misty never disappeared and raised Mia and Maya, met Gregory Edgeworth and they got married and now Miles has the Feys as his step-family. This of course dominos into other things you’ll see in my story because of it.

I kept thinking of multiple “what if x case never happened and what would be the effects of that?” or “what if x case still happened but went about differently”.

It was a lot of fun brainstorming that.

So I started a foundation of this alternate universe.

Well THEN at the same time texting the concepts of this fic to my friend, I was rewatching some of the DCAU, specifically Justice League.

And I got to one of my favorite episodes:

The Justice Lords episodes, not only does it explore an alternate universe, but it swaps the characters. Putting the Justice Lords in the main universe and traps the League in the alternate universe.

It leads to some great interactions as well as debates as if things went differently WOULD our own canon heroes do the same as them? This is a question that went on to be explored in later seasons of Justice League.

But it got me thinking…what if this alternate Phoenix I created ended up in the mainline game universe, while our Phoenix ended up in his counterpart’s universe!

How would the other characters react to this different Phoenix? How would the two Phoenixs adjust to these circumstances? How would the alternate worlds affect them and how would they effect the alternate worlds…etc?

Then I decided it was gonna be a body swap AU on top of an alternate reality au. Because it was too interesting to explore to not think about. I felt just a simple role swap AU wasn’t gonna cut it.

Then I told more of these ideas to @coolman229 then later @just-absolutely-super. 

@witchqueenhecate​ I came across Nenilein’s fic during most of my ideas were finished. By the time I started reading her fic I had already finished most of the outlines and notes and even some basic drafts for future chapters for my fic. So while it didn’t influence my story it was fun to find out something that had a similar premise. If anything it motivated me further to publish my different take. Because Complete Turnabout is a fantastic fic and I do recommend it, however I do disagree with a couple of things here and there but I think that is interesting how a similar premise can create different conclusions. So her fic wasn’t an inspiration but it does motivate me to work hard because her fic is popular and she clearly worked hard at it, and I want to be able to work just as hard as her and hopefully be as successful. So if someone wants to read a similar premise but makes a lot of different choices from me then go read Nenilein’s Complete Turnabout. 

But I digress, it was too good of an idea to just stay as an AU that I text to Tim and Janie. I’ve texted multiple “what if” aus to my friends but they just stay that, fun texts but never more than beyond emailing notes and mini chapters to them of these concepts. This one finally saw the light of day because my friends loved it so much it convinced me to make it into a fanfic.

And well…here we are.

[cdelphiki]

Do you write a story from beginning to end, or do you do particular scenes? BC I just found out apparently most writers skip around stuff when writing like they multiple folders for one story, and that sort of stuff.

I jump around, for sure.  I plot out and heavily outline my stories before I do most major work on it, and I’ve recently learned that what I’ve been calling an outline is actually a rough draft.  So, apparently I draft out my stories first.  

Usually I start with a basic outline, such as how it starts, what the conflict is, what the end goal is.  Then I start coming up with the scenes that need to happen to get me there, and as I’m working through that, I end up drafting out scenes.  

I use scrivener to write, so I can actually write each of these scenes on what is basically a notecard, and then order them around later.  For example, here is my Baby Damian AU project file:  (Kind of spoilers for the Jason fic, but this is literally the first chapter that I plan on finishing for Sunday, so like, I don’t think it’s that major an issue.)

You can see on the left there I have the Jason fic very outlined, and heavily drafted out.  The first chapter is partially written, and partially rough draft still, with some just flat out dialogue jotted down.  A few of the chapters have no scene written yet, but each has a summary of what needs to happen, at the very least, but every one with a little notes symbol on the folder has full on scenes already written.  Then looking ahead at the Tim and Cass and later Jason folders, you can see I have scenes already written for those, as well, even though I’m no where near ready to write for them.  

I have about 10 projects going, between my fan fiction and original work, that all look like this.  And once upon a time In For a Penny looked like this, as did Life Happens.  I find it fun.  It’s like putting together a puzzle.  Stories come to me in little pieces and I get to figure out in which order they go, and half the time I’m super wrong in my initial guess.  It’s just a really fun process.  

[helloblobbyblobfish]

Avengers U.N.I. Reports: Charly Rogers

So, I was writing my vampire!Tim Drake that I had left on the side for a week, in favor of the Among Us AU for the Arthurian Legend. When, SUDDENLY, A dream I had about a next gen/Daemon AU/Some Isekai non-sense for Marvel decided he was to be written. Being at over 3500 words and missing at least a third (maybe half) of the shenanigans needed for the plot AND TWO MASSIVE PIECES OF WORLDBUILDING. Might be the first time I do a second draft of a story. Absolute carnage.

Anyway, I realized quickly than, as usual for me, a story focused on a few characters (4 main heroes were planned) has turned into a ensemble cast story where three GROUPS have their own storylines, and one of the original planned heroes is now a recurring character that is part of none of them.

So, I’ve decided that i would write some characters sheets for everyone is this AU. For now, for each day where I didn’t finish the first chapter, I will do a sheet for a character from the universe I haven’t written yet! And to start with, here is Captain America’s (Steve Rogers) son! (When this was just a dumb idea in my brain, he was supposed to be a major side character. now? I don’t know when he’ll even get MENTIONNED, and he has a whole different costume. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh....) :

CIVILIAN

Name: Charly Buck Ferdinand Rogers

Age: 17 and a half (birthday on the 7th of January. IN third year of training)

Height: 1m87/6′1 feet

Eye color: Brown

Hair color: Honey Brown

Skin Tone: Light cofee

Other distinguishing features: Eyebrow scar. Often found wearing blue, white and red combos.

-

HERO

Codename: Protector (despite multiple asks from his teachers, he has refused to use a name related to patriotism or his country)

Suit: All white suite with red hoot, boots and gloves. A golden thread makes a dove on his chest.

Super-powers:

Super-Strengh, can lift up to 1000 pounds (454 kg) without breaking a sweat.

Advanced Stamina: Can hold his breath for 7 minutes, average speed of 32 miles/hours (52 km/h). Actually faster than his father, whose peak speed is 30 miles/hours (48 km/h)

Durability and agility enhanced to the highest human potential

Enhanced Human Physiology: While impossible to test without his consent (or his father crashing down the Avengers C.A.M.P.U.S), previous people with the super-soldier injected in their veins reached what his physical perfection for a human male, and will keep this physique no matter their life-style. it is presumed it is the same with protector, even if it might be slightly weakened by the blood receive from his mother.

Enhanced Human Reflexes: Reaction estimes at eight time faster than a normal person

Peak Human mental Processing: Can learn any weapon/Martial Art training in a matter of a dozen of minutes. Always thinking. Hard to mentally influence.

Peak Human Senses: Protector’s sens of smell, taste, hearing, sight and touch are enhanced to nearly the limits of human potential.

Equipment:

Gantlets that produce force field. He can project those force-fields over anyone he wants by pointing at them. Can create a bigger dome around him by putting a glove to the ground. Unfortunately, can’t shield himself if he is shielding someone else, or the other force-fields protecting the others will dissapear.

Gun filled with tranquilizer gas. Knows to use it very sproadically, and never for crowd control, for reasons uncertain.

-

Personality: There is a strak divide between Charly Rogers’s actions and how he presents himself as the Protector.

Charly Rogers is a well-known social activist, whose extra-curricular lessons in politics have led to becoming a well-known public figure on social medias. He is known for advocating radical decisions, like changement of amendements of the constitution or the dissolution of the current Supreme court, that he calls: “anti-democracy”.

His classmate call him “a very convincing dude with strange opinions”, “ awannabe ally”, “a true friend”, “A very protective dog who got into politics but doesn’t get how the world works”, “the most trutstworthy man alive”, or “a wild mess that somehwo feels like you’re too dirty to touch his purity. Not that he does it intentionally”.

Protector is a lot less provocative. A strong leader, he still decided to follow the actions of his team leader, the second Madame Masque. He is ready to lend his life to protect anyone, and is well-known for being generally one of the heroes with the less collateral damage responsible for. While he is sympathetic to the plight of many common criminals, he is known to not care much for the safety or health of anyone suspected of connections to A.I.M, H.Y.D.R.A or other terrorist organizations. Has refused to work for S.H.I.E.L.D. or  S.W.O.R.D, stating “I prefer to not work for any group whose leadership I can’t rely on to be just or abled of mind”, in one of his rare case of open political anarchism.

His teameantes called him: “A genius in denial” (Madame Masque), “The guy you want on your team” (The Totally Amazing Hulk), “A strange guy, but reliable” (Salem’s Spirit) and “The heart of the team” (Tempest).

-

History:

On the 13/01/2002, Steve Rogers entered the Avengers Tower with a baby less than two weeks old in his arm, declaring it his son. DNA test proved that he was indeed the father. The other DNA has never match with any woman in the S.H.I.E.L.D. database, and Steve Rogers always refused to give any answer to anyone. Suspicion than Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson have an inkling of a potential mother have been raised, but if they have an idea of this mystery’s explanation, they are very good at keeping it down.

Raised pretty openly after an incident where the two years-old Charly was seen crawling in the background of a press conference after he broke the barrier of his playground, Charly became a source of intense speculation and public attention, whitch lead Steve Rogers to home-school the young Charly, who already had a 7th grader knowledge at 9.

In february of 2017, Charly applied for Avengers C.A.M.P.U.S. without his father’s knowledge. Once warned, captain America declared that he would accept only if all ressources were put to make certain than Protector’s identity would never be discovered or revealed without his explicit permission.

Growing up with many members of the faculty, Protector immediately got many positive attention from students and teachers for being the ideal of the cape archetype: always following rules, generous, humble.

Starting with August 2018, however, Charly Rogers, in his civilian idenity only, started to make loud political statements that don’t fit with C.A.M.P.U.S’s beliefs. however, as he never once stated those opinions inside the faculty and few even know Charly and protector were one and the same, it was accepted than protector would be allowed on the grounds, in a plausible deniability kind of way.

No known association with any radical group was found, but agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. are listening all his conversations 24/24 h. Thanks to the popularity of his father, he is for now protected of any ingerence by the FBI or the CIA.

-

His true identity is known by: The Upper-levels members of C.A.M.P.U.S, Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, Madame masque II/ Ygraine Bloodstone, Danny Rand and Stephen Strange.

[miraniel]

l85 questions tag game

Tagged by @peppermintfeminist​. Hi mate! You’re the best!

— What was your last…

1. Drink: Alcoholic? You’re kidding right? I recently tried a milliliter of Somerset Apple Brandy and NOPE, never again. Non-alcoholic? Water with lemon. 

2. Phone call: My parents, just before I left for England, where I am now (not over the excitement yet)

3. Text message: “Yes” in response to my grandmother, who asked if I got her text. 

4. Song you listened to: Reflection from Mulan

5. Time you cried: Two days ago, in the middle of a back country road in Somerset, over a goddamn Severus Snape fanfic. I’m still mad that the writer actually managed to make me care about fucking Snape. 

— Have you ever…

6. Dated someone twice: No. Have I dated someone once? Yes, but only by accident. 

7. Kissed someone and regretted it: No.

8. Been cheated on: Look I’m ace as fuck and have never dated really ever. 

9. Lost someone special: Yes, I’ve lost friends in multiple senses. 

10. Been depressed: I don’t think so. 

11. Gotten drunk and thrown up: Any alcohol has this taste for me that the best I’ve been able to describe it is “rancid nickles,” it’s bloody awful, and I’ve never been able to stomach more than a sip of the stuff, so no. 

— Fave colours

12. Olive green. 

13. Purple. 

14. Deep cerulean. 

— in the last year have you…

15. Made new friends: Not really. I made a couple of cordial acquaintences in the drama productions I’ve been in, but no one close.

16. Fallen out of love: No, see above about being ace as fuck. Now, my brief obsession with the show Sherlock...

17. Laughed until you cried: Yes. So many times. 

18. Found out someone was talking about you: Yes, in both good ways and bad ways. 

19. Met someone who changed you: So many people. Just one who springs to mind is my Education professor at college. She was amazing. 

20. Found out who your friends are: I am fully aware that I am a terrible long-distance friend. It’s my worst flaw and I wish I was better about this. I think I’ve betrayed more friendships by just letting them slip away than I ever have had people turn on, or abandon, me. 

21. Kissed someone on your facebook friends list: Unless we’re referring to familial pecks on cheeks... no. 

— General

22. How many of your facebook friends do you know irl: Nearly all of them, apart from one random guy that my cousins met online and who has since befriended the entire family. 

23. Do you have any pets: I no longer live at home, but my family still has one of the two cats we had when I was growing up. 

24. Do you want to change your name: I think about it sometimes. I think about it a lot. I’ve just started using a new name with an eye to it becoming my official pen name. I don’t know if I want to start using it as my everyday name. 

25. What did you do for your last birthday: Oh, crap... I can’t remember. I think my mom was there, and my grandparents. We had cake and a tiny family party. I think. All I remember is I was glad I didn’t have a play rehearsal that day. 

26. What time did you wake up today: 6:50 am

27. What were you doing at midnight last night: Sleeping, for once in my life. 

28. What is something you can’t wait for: Finally achieving my lifelong goal: being employed, being published, and being financially stable enough that I can afford a little house, with a dishwasher and laundry, and a cat, and food, and health insurance, and Netflix. It seems... a long way off. Also the next episode of Supergirl?

29. This question is mysteriously missing, so I will pose a question to the universe/the people I’m going to tag: What was the first piece of media (film, book, world, comic, game, character, etc) that you were ever obsessed with?

30. What are you listening to right now: Silence.

31. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom: Several Tims, but no Toms. Excluding possibly some random middle aged guys back when I was growing up because who remembers that sort of thing

32. Something that’s getting on your nerves: People assuming I’m in my early teens and asking me things like how high school is going. Then I’m like, “Nope, I’m like ten years older than that, graduated college a while ago now,” and they’re like “Oh, you look so young,” and I’m like “I know!!” and then (and this is the bit that’s driving me crazy) they all say “You’ll be so grateful when you’re my age!” Like... I just kind of called you out for patronizing me? And your immediate response is to patronize me again? Also there’s no guarantee that I’ll still look ten years younger than I actually am when I’m 50? Also, I may be grateful or not when I’m your age but it sure isn’t doing me any favors now? Please stop. Just stop. 

33. Most visited website: I may or may not be slightly obsessed with Nonasuch’s fantastic Dogfather Harry Potter AU and I might check their tumblr once or twice a day. 

34. Hair colour: Somewhere between dirty blond and light brown now. It was blond when I was a kid. 

35. Long or short hair: Okay, so I really want to be able to braid my hair elaborately again, but I also love the feel of short hair on the back of my neck.  Right now it’s in an inbetween stage and I can have neither of these things. What is a person to do. 

36. Do you have a crush on someone: I had things I called crushes when I was in high school and hadn’t figured out I’m ace as fuck. I get hardcore friend crushes. 

37. What do you like about yourself: I’m proud of my talents, though I play them down more than I should, and I neglect to practice them more than I should. I like how far I’ve come figuring out my identity and who I am these past six years or so. 

38. Want any piercings: Under no circumstances am I voluntarily going to sit still and let someone poke a needle through me or into me for anything other than a medical necessity. This applies to tattoos as well. I respect people who have them, but hell no for me. 

39. Blood type: SOMEONE knows because I’ve had a blood transfusion, I think, but I don’t have a clue. 

40. Nicknames: I have wanted a nickname my entire life and nothing has ever stuck. 

41. Relationship status: Single asexual inactively seeks person willing to share habitation, bookshelves, Netflix, pet, and nerdy conversation for the rest of their life. 

42. Sign: I don’t do the zodiac thing at all, but I’m an INTJ and a Hufflepuff. 

43. Pronouns: Um, this is a weird place and time to do this, but since you asked, I’ve just changed them to “they/them.” 

44. Fave tv show: Ever? Avatar the Last Airbender. Right now? Supergirl, The Flash, Miraculous Ladybug

45. Tattoos: See above regarding NEEDLES

46. Fave city: Albuquerque. Fight me. 

47: Ever had surgery: When I was a kid I had The Case of Pneumonia From Hell and Fun Times in Hospitals and got chest tubes and part of my lung removed. Also a few minor random stuff. 

48. Piercings: See above regarding needles. The needle phobia is directly related to the Fun Times in Hospitals. 

49. Sport: Literally none. I’ll watch gymnastics and skating every four years, but apart from that the highlight of my interest in sports was that time that JKR was live-writing the Quidditch World Cup on Pottermore. 

50. Vacation: I’m in Oxford right now, somewhere I’ve always dreamed of being! And I’m on my way to Scotland and Wales. 

— More general

52. Eating: Sushi, macaroni and cheese, fruit, chocolate, scones

53. Drinking: tea, tea, tea, milk, orange juice, non-alcoholic lemonade or apple cider, water, tea, tea, tea

54. I’m about to watch: Brooklyn 99 (The UK has it on netflix!!)

55. Waiting for: My betas to come back to me on my novel draft. Then it’s agent shopping!

56. Want: A cat, the ability to focus, the ability to read properly without stupid eye problems, a job, writing time

57. Get married: ... growing up I fantasized about getting married because I wanted my paternal cousins to meet my maternal cousins and I couldn’t think of any way that would likely happen apart from my marriage and I think they would get on like a house on fire.. this still seems like one of the only motivating factors for me ever to get married. 

58. Career: Author and poet and crazy cat lady

— Which is better

59. Hugs or kisses: hugs

60. Lips or eyes: Neither. I don’t actually like making eye contact even though I’ve learned to do it, and why would I stare at people’s mouths?

61. Shorter or taller: For a dance partner? Taller, but not significantly so. 

62. Older or younger: If this is meant to be about romantic partners? Because why would anyone ask this question? Significant age gaps are generally not a good thing either way, except possibly between two consenting adults who understand and work to alleviate the uneven power dynamic a significant age gap typically creates?

63. Nice arms or stomach: The heck?

64. Hookup or relationships: Relationships. 

65. Troublemaker or hesitant: Hesitant and trying to overcome it

— Have you ever

66. Kissed a stranger: NOPE

67. Drank hard liquor: See above regarding the horrors created by my taste buds and any alcohol.

68. Turned someone down: Yes. It was awwwkward, but he was a friend. Normally, when I suspect someone likes me, I run away and never speak to them again. Trying to get over that. 

69. Sex on first date: Uh nnnoooo

70: Broken someone’s heart: I hope not

71. Had your heart broken: By friendships, yeah.

72. Been arrested: Nope

73. Cried when someone died: Not really. 

74. Fallen for a friend: A couple times, but in like, a really aggressively platonic way

— Do you believe in

75. Yourself: Yes.

76. Miracles: Yes.

77. Love at first sight: Yes, because it basically happened to my parents. Theirs is a story of being bookstore managers, an immediate attraction, a mutual failure to understand origami, and a shared love of Star Trek. It would make a perfect rom com but there was literally no drama. My parents are adorable. 

78. Santa Claus: I have always had the ability to choose what I believe in. Santa Claus was one of those things, long after I knew the truth. 

79. Angels: Not really of the stereotypical “feathery wings and flawless skin” type. In the possibility or even likelihood of benevolent forces or beings outside human comprehension that are not a divine creator but may be from or of the divine, yes. This likely has a lot to do with how many times I read Narnia, The Dark is Rising, and A Wrinkle in Time as a kid, now I think about it. 

— Misc

80. Eye colour: Green

81. Best friend’s name: I have a few. One starts with a C. 

82. Favourite movie: The Fellowship of the Ring. Or 101 Dalmations. 

83. Favourite actor: Maggie Smith

84. Favourite cartoon: Avatar the Last Airbender. I didn’t discover it until I was about 18, but I love it to death. 

85. Religion: Ex-roman catholic Episcopalian 

Tagging @nerdiekatie, @swimmingbirdrunningrock, @dragon-feathers, and @fantasiavii

[theboardwalkbody]

@scumsucking YOU DID THIS rip to me for doing this and rip to anyone who reads this

PLEASE TALK TO ME ABOUT THESE lol

also i am NOT tagging this many people. I dont even think I know this many people.

WORKS IN PROGRESS LIST

Ongoing Series – Maladaptive Daydreams (multiple fandoms)

In Progress on Archive of Our Own:

The Reporter’s Shadow (Generation Kill)

Not Such an Ordinary Night (Generation Kill)

Meet Cute (9-1-1)

The Shot (Stranger Things)

Sharp Intellect and a Heart from Hell (Penny Dreadful)

Lewd and Lascivious in Annville, Texas (Preacher)

Modern Day Penny Dreadfuls (Penny Dreadful)

Under New Command (Mad Max: Fury Road)

Letters Home (The Pacific)

Our Private Traps (Preacher)

Of Love and Lies (Across the Universe Trilogy)

The 12 Days of Grounder Christmas (The 100)

Back Before We Met (Pacific Rim)

A Light in the Shadows (The Princess and the Frog)

Life After Godspeed (Across the Universe Trilogy)

In Progress on FanFiction.Net:

Between the Wars (Harry Potter)

Support (The Walking Dead)

In Progress on Mibba:

My Guardian Angel (personal + RPF late celebrities: Kurt Cobain, Steve Irwin)

All That I’ve Got (Hangman’s Curse)

The Developing Country of HP (The Dudesons RPF)

Two Weeks with CKY (RPF CKY + other bands and probably the CKY Crew let’s be realistic)

Remembering the Past (RPF Brandon DiCamillo + CKY Crew)

The Vacation (RPF bands – I haven’t looked inside the document to list them)

I Need You Here (The Whitest Kids You Know RPF)

Saved In Drafts on BigHugeLabs Internet Typewriter:

Stella (Across the Universe trilogy)

Natalie (The Walking Dead)

AU (Lord of the Rings)

2012. New York (UNKNOWN – I honestly have no idea what I was writing about)

Nov 2013 (Harry Potter)

Dec 2013 (Thor – MCU)

Jan 2014 (The Walking Dead)

That’s What You Get for Waking Up in Vegas (Boardwalk Empire)

March 2014 (Bioshock)

May 2015 (Across the Universe trilogy)

March 2019 (Star Wars – sequel trilogy)

The Anger of Angels (Supernatural)Jan 2021 (Twister)

Unpublished from the disgusting recesses of my Word Documents Folder dating as far back as 2005:

My Soldiers (multiple – Forrest Gump, Across the Universe Musical)

A Pippin Story (Lord of the Rings)

Dr. Cox Story (Scrubs)

Little Jimmy Urine story (RPF Mindless Self Indulgence)

Dudesons story (RPF The Dudesons)

Jimmy oneshot (RPF Mindless Self Indulgence)

Chad story (RPF CKY)

Neil story (LOST)

The Cat and the Mouse (CSI:NY)

DFnd (CSI:NY)

TFANFIC (Titanic)

Don Flack Oneshot (CSI:NY)

Jason Stryker (X-Men)

AD (RPF Andy Dick)

Welcome Home (RPF CKY)

Looks Like A Star (Doctor Who)

Alone (Lord of the Rings)

Dependent (Inception)

Sexy (RPF Joseph Gordon Levitt) ** Finished but too smutty to post LOL

Reminders (CSI:NY)

Untitled.wps (Doctor Who)

Fgh (Dollhouse)

Time and Space (Firefly)

Untitled Document (Once Upon A Time)

Average (Watchmen)

Letters From Alcatraz (Alcatraz FOX)

Untitled Documentf (RPF Rise Against? *Its so short and the only descriptor is of a man with heterochromia and Tim McIlrath is the only man I know fitting the description I wrote LOL)

63 (Alcatraz FOX)

Lessons In Love (MCU - Vision)1. Stand fic (Alcatraz FOX)

Stand fic (Alcatraz FOX)

Loki Throne (Thor/MCU)** This one IS completed but I thought it was too smutty to publish LOL

Haze (The Walking Dead)

JA formal (UNKNOWN – FILE CORRUPT)

PROLOGUE (Once Upon A Time)

Torchwood Hunger Games (Torchwood/Doctor Who crossover)

Ahk (Night at the Museum)

Ahkmenrah story (Night at the Museum) *yes a completely different story to the one above

AR fic unfinished (Boardwalk Empire)

Billy Bibbit fic start (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest)

Ficlet (Across the Universe trilogy)

Gyp Rosetti (Boardwalk Empire)

I robot first chapter (I, Robot)

Lenny & Squiggy fic start (Laverne & Shirley)

McKee Shower Fic (Alcatraz FOX)

Melting (Across the Universe trilogy)

Orion sunrise (Across the Universe trilogy)

Orion younger prologue (Across the Universe trilogy)

Orion (Across the Universe trilogy) ** Can you tell I have a thing for this guy?

Superwho Plot Bunny (Supernatural / Doctor Who crossover) * Oh I was on TUMBLR TUMBLR.

The Great American Novel (Across the Universe Musical)

The Philosophers fic start (The Philosophers)

Untitled Merle (The Walking Dead)

The Showers (Alcatraz FOX) * This file is also corrupt which makes me sad

Untitled1 (UNKNOWN – FILE CORRUPT)

Untitled2 (Across the Universe trilogy)

Untitled Orion (Across the Universe trilogy)

Weird TWD story because of dream.odt (The Walking Dead) **THIS FILE IS CORRUPT AND I AM SO DISAPPOINTED I WANNA KNOW WHAT IT WAS – OH. OH NEVER MIND I REMEMBER (it’s from 2013 so what the fuck)

What a Catch (CSI:NY)

MC UT (Across the Universe Musical)

Rules: Post the file names of all of the files in your WIP folder regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous the name. Then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

Send me an ask with the title(s) that intrigue you the most and I will tell you something about it!

Tagged by: @sonnista - thanks for the tag <3 hope you don’t mind i’m answering from my sideblog >w<

wips under the cut

Keep reading

[carnationbooks]

Poppy Alexander Q&A

Back in March of this year, Carnation Books hosted an online party during which we watched a Bruins game with fanfiction author Poppy Alexander. Poppy, who is currently wowing us with her Sherlock Hockey AU Boyfriend Material, taught us about the game, gave us the scoop on her favorite team, and shared her thoughts on her fics and the writing process. We have reproduced portions of this conversation for our followers to read!

Note: The text below has been edited minimally and cut for length and clarity.

Lee:

So Poppy, have you been a Bruins fan your whole life?

PoppyAlexander:

My dad played hockey as a young kid and young man, and he took me to see the B's back at the old Boston Garden! I saw Cam Neely, Ray Bourque, so many greats. The '80s were great years for the B's. No Cups though.

It's currently the only thing my dad and I can relate on--other than his grandkids/my kids. We used to watch the UMass Lowell "chiefs" (now Lock Monsters), those games were local and cheap.

Lee:

Did something in particular inspire you to write Boyfriend Material?

PoppyAlexander:

I have wanted to write a Sherlock hockey AU since 2012. Sherlock as the goalie who reads the whole game, John as "captain"... so I've been cooking it up for a LONG time[...]

Sherlock is a much better goalie :3 [than Tim Thomas]. Sherlock is Tuukka Rask.

[...] John's career story (traded to get a Cup) is the story of a former Bruin (my FAVE), Ray Bourque, who played 22 years with the B's but had to go to Colorado to get his Cup. His playing is probably a bit like our man Tory Krug, though Krug is much younger than John is in the story. Especially since in his early years they didn't require helmets!

Kocur is Chara; tallest player in the league, veteran D. Thurston is Shawn Thornton, former Bruin now playing with FL Panthers, an enforcer. Bouchard is Patrice Bergeron, 37. Mellon is Brad Marchand, 63. Hatch is Tory Krug. Sawyer is Tyler Seguin, now playing for Dallas Stars, probably bisexual, so handsome, but too young for me. Gerhardt was former Bruin Dennis Seidenberg.

See if you can't google a pic of him with his shirt off and you'll see why John liked him.

[Someone in the chat points out Bruins goalie] 

Yeah, watch Rask; that's Sherlock. Cool as a cucumber.

Gary_king:

Does an injury happen in the fic?? I imagine injuries are moderately common 

PoppyAlexander:

No injuries in the fic tus far. Nothing to fight about yet. Nobody wants to take a penalty for no reason.

 Lee:

Why do fights usually break out?

PoppyAlexander:

Breaks the other team's rhythm, the blue jackets and the stars like taking penalties for no reason (ugh bluejackets). sometimes as payback for a "bad" hit on one yr guys. sometimes personal beef (those usually come early in a game)

Sometimes team rivalries, like Bruins and Montreal Canadiens. Fights are nearly unheard of in the playoffs, though; can't spare the players for those penalties.

Colleen:

[...]it seems like goalies are so well loved.

PoppyAlexander:

Very well protected. I love a player puffing his chest at a guy who gets too close to his goalie.

Colleen:

[...] Do they tap Sherlock on the head?

PoppyAlexander:

Yeah, of course. Hockey ritual!

Lee:

Do you read any hockey RPF, or is that not your thing? A few of us ship the cute boys in the penguins, just for fun 😄

 PoppyAlexander:

I do not read RPF.

 Lee:

Before Boyfriend Material, which of your fics is your fav?

PoppyAlexander:

My special baby is always Dissolution: Our Plague Days. Doesn't get as much love because it's rated T. But I love it. I am mad proud of At Night in the Floating World. And Dawn Before the Rest of the World is my happy, safe, cozy place.

 Lee:

What was your first fandom? 

PoppyAlexander:

My first fandom was Duran Duran. Like in the sense of being a swoony lunatic about something. I started writing fic in 1984: self-insert/Mary Sue RPF where I was married to John Taylor. We didn't know it was called fanfic back then, though.

It was just "my story" that I wrote 1000+ pages of in five years. So I forgive the MarySue-ing.

 My first online fandom was Morrissey, in the mid 'Aughties.

 Lee:

How far in advance do you write the chapters for your fics?

PoppyAlexander:

[Boyfriend Material] I started posting when I'd written about 50k, and currently I'm about 30k ahead of where the posted chapters are. I write the draft, then "pretty up" each chapter right before posting. This was a "15k" fic when I conceived it. HA! It will be 100k+ It's a novel. This is what happens when you cook a story for five years

I have not had a chance to mention Sherlock's number in the fic… John wears 18. I wanted him to wear 19 because it's my favourite/lucky number, but then I put Sherlock in #22.

So when they stand together: 2218

Gotta get it in the fic; so far it's only in my head.

 Lee:

Do you have any fandoms besides Hockey and Sherlock? 😄 

PoppyAlexander:

Currently? Still and always The Smiths/Morrissey. Criminal Minds. RuPaul's Drag Race queens. Doctor Who before Moffat took it over and wrecked it.

 Lee:

Do you have a favorite sex scene and a favorite fight scene, from any of your fics?

PoppyAlexander:

I love the Johnlockstrade threesome in Overwhelm. And John and Sherlock fighting/fucking in the church in Body and Blood. It's hot. SO. MANY. KINKS in one place. church, fighting, hate sex, rimming… it really has it all. Lol

 Lee:

I know a lot of the guests are writers too--any tips for writing hot sex scenes? 😉

PoppyAlexander:

OMG, so many. My main tip is subscribe to my blog at PoppyAlexander.com because I'm starting twice-monthly "how to write" series of posts, beginning next week. And one subset of that will be how to write erotica. I think there are some key things.

Have a "word bank" that suits the tone of the fic.

Like, in my really rough smutty stuff I use "cock" and "prick" but in a softer, gauzy 'verse like the 1920s one, I used euphemisms like "length" and "hardness." If it's romantic, loving sex, they might rock or glide, but in lusty, dangerous sex they will thrust and shove.

I think having one strong POV is the key to keeping those pronouns straight. It's hard to explain, but if you're writing John's POV, and you're really in it, you'll kind of automatically make John the default he/him and Sherlock will most often be Sherlock. or vice versa or whoever.

 Epithets are awful. Use their names, I promise it's better. It scans better, makes sense, is not distracting.

I also think it's important to engage all five senses.

Personally, as bad as epithets are transcribed non-word sounds? (Like "ngh") Say grunted, groaned, snorted, hummed, moaned. Oh and Mm and Hm are OK, they're almost words. But ngh! is not sexy, in my opinion. But definitely check in with the sounds, the flavours, smells, temperature, texture… It enriches the scene. And those kinds of things can add to the tone. Like, if the sheets are scratchy and awful and omg I might be allergic to this detergent but my partner is RIGHT. THERE so I can't stop...

 Lee:

Have you ever written with a partner, Poppy? Gary_King and I are writing partners and write together almost exclusively. Have you ever written a fic with someone else?

PoppyAlexander:

I have never written with a partner. I can't even imagine how it would work? Though there are a few writers I would say YES YES YES to and make it work, if they asked. No one has asked to collaborate, though, so. I wait.

 Lee:

What's your editing process like? 

PoppyAlexander:

Well, word processing is itself a kind of first-pass editing.

Write in a notebook with a pen sometime and you'll see what I mean.

But some of the best writing advice I EVER EVER got was to write the draft, start to finish, and at each writing session, DO NOT reread what you've written. That slowed me down so much, and I was constantly tweaking and tinkering. Now I just pick up where I left off.

My editing process is (for long fics) as each chapter is ready to post, it gets a last going-over.

If I have some kind of big epiphany about a scene I already drafted, that will have a major impact on things, or is a big rewrite, I'll go back to it when I think of it and work that scene.

But mostly I just write from start to finish, then go back to the beginning and rewrite.

I don’t work with a beta reader. Every upside-down bit of writing that says "Trust Issues Continue" ever, is about me. So that's not my jam.

 Lee:

[...] Do you ever worry that you'll run out of steam on a fic? How do you keep your motivation going, or what keeps you going?

PoppyAlexander:

I worry more that quality starts to suffer in the third act because one does start to get itchy. You can see the end from there, you know how it's going to end, often writing the climax is challenging, and you have ideas for other things you've back-burnered and really want to get to. So that last third can get shaky if you're not careful.

 Lee:

Do you juggle multiple stories or finish one at a time?

PoppyAlexander:

For some people working on multiple projects works. It does not work for me.

That can turn into seventeen awesome beginnings, thirteen middles, and zero endings.

I do have one other open WIP, a short one-shot, that I work on now and then for fun and will post when it's done, but I work on one thing at a time, no matter the length.

The exception is tumblr ficlets? I write those quite often to warm up for my writing session.

Like I wrote 10 of the 12 days of "Ficmas" on tumblr while I was writing Boyfriend Material, which is like 10k words together, not a small project, but it was not a priority.

And I haven't written the last two!

 Lee:

Do you warm up every time you write?

PoppyAlexander:

Not really. I have rituals that lead to writing, and since scrolling tumblr is part of it, sometimes I end up writing a ficlet or an Ask answer or something, that's like a warmup.

But I have an established habit every evening, sit in the same place, at the same time, do the same stuff, and that time is sacred, and at 9:30ish, my body/brain knows it's time to write.

My productive hours are 9 - midnight. Most nights I write from 9:30 - 11.

If I'm stuck I might listen to a song that puts me in the right mindframe for the story, but I don't write to music. I prefer talking voices to music, so I turn on the TV, or use rainycafe.com .

But usually I just have it quiet if I'm at home. I like the noise of a coffee shop or whatever but I don't write out in the world much except during NaNoWriMo when my word goals are higher.

 Lee:

Sometimes when you write for a fandom as big as Sherlock, you worry your fics won't get seen. [...] Do you have any thoughts on building an audience (besides "write things good enough to make people subscribe to you")?

PoppyAlexander:

I actually do not think I get read that much, in Sherlock fandom. I have loyal readers.

But I don't think I'm that well known. Maybe I'm wrong. LOL. BUT.

To answer that, I'd say I'm a good self-promoter. I think being reliable is a big thing. People know I will finish my shit. I've never left a thing unfinished.

And I'm prolific because of the time I devote to writing.

So I guess just flood the market and bang your own drum.

 Guest:

When you first started writing (anything), how did you push through the writer’s block (and, what I struggle with, plot failure)?

PoppyAlexander:

I don't believe in Writer's Block. Just do the thing. I have never felt blocked. I have felt discouraged. I have doubted the quality or direction of what I'm writing. But the only way out is through, so I just keep writing and the next bit will be easier/better, and I can fix this mess later. But I love writing. I look forward to it all day every day.

 Crysceles:

You may have answered this before, but what do you think is your greatest motivation to write?

PoppyAlexander:

It's just my thing. I've written since I was a little kid, it's just… automatic. It's my art. I just love it. Of course, the wonderful thing about writing fic is instant gratification, feedback, and interaction with readers. I love that and wouldn't give it up.

 Lee:

Do you outline?

PoppyAlexander:

I don't outline in the traditional sense but I make notes and stuff. I kind of write a "treatment" at the beginning so that I always know what's happening next or at least later.

I have a thing I'll be posting on the blog, but there's a three act romance structure I like. The Point of No Return is the plot point [at] the midpoint of Act Two.

You open in the Ordinary World (before I met you). Then there's the Call to Adventure (first meeting) Debate and Denial (Who are you?). A Threshold to Cross (beginning a relationship) throws the characters into Act Two. Progress/"Fun & Games" (getting to know you). The Point of No Return (a deeper commitment), then Complications and Higher Stakes (falling for you). Then we get the Black Moment/Whiff of Death (break up) that puts us into Act Three. the Final Push (winning you back) the Climax (the happy ending), and the Aftermath (together with you).

It's a reliable organizing tool for a love story.

 Lee:

It's more of a framework/tool, rather than a formula?

PoppyAlexander:

Right, it's a framework. Like a skeleton.

Romance is formulaic, with a few exceptions, but having this skeleton to hang it on can help organize a story so it doesn't meander.

 Lee:

Do you have any thoughts on writing a story about an existing relationship? Would you adapt the framework somehow?

PoppyAlexander:

Sure, ignore those parentheticals I put in there, such as "first meeting" and "breakup" and substitute in the plot points in your story that fit. Maybe the Call to Adventure is a partner being offered a job in a far off city and the threshold to cross is asking the partner to move with them. Then the progress/fun and games would be talking them into it. The point of no return would be them agreeing. the complication would be...their credits don't transfer or their mother gets sick...leading to the whiff of death, Can we survive long distance? etc etc. You can use the basic structure to tell any three act story, really.

Carnation Books thanks Poppy Alexander for taking the time to chat with us. We hope you all have enjoyed reading this Q&A, and will follow us for more author chats like this!

For more of Poppy’s work please find her on AO3, and on her blog at PoppyAlexander.com