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wangxianficrecs · 3 years ago

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Follower Recs

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Hello Mojo, hope you're doing well and that you had a good break! I wanted to signal boost the MDZS May Diaspora event collection on AO3, and point out my favorite fic from there: 归心似箭 | Longing to Go Home by dragongirlG! It's both tender and bittersweet and it features such mature writing. The author got some hate for it when it initially got posted so I wanted to counter that and give it some love instead! [Who would do such a thing?! ��@dragongirlg-fics I’m sorry that happened to you, and here, have *so many hugs!* I’ll try to do a thing just for the diaspora event, but meanwhile, I’ll just treat this as a follower rec.]

归心似箭 | Longing to Go Home

by dragongirlG (M, 8k, wangxian)

Summary: The destruction of the Yin Tiger Seal does not kill Wei Wuxian; it ages him instead. He takes shelter in a cave expecting to die, but instead he lives, slowly learning to embrace life with each new day.

Thirteen years later, a young man with a Lan forehead ribbon stumbles into the cave. His name is Lan Sizhui.

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Hi Momjo!!! I recently read the most *adorable* fic, and I loved it so much that it dragged me out of seclusion (read: social anxiety cave) to rec it. It's called 'Covered in Bees' by ScarlettStorm in which the Cloud Recesses is an apiary, and Wei Wuxian has suddenly found himself host to a swarm of bees. ~ @akyra-talanoa

Covered in Bees

by ScarlettStorm (T, 8k, wangxian)

Summary: “Cloud Reccesses Apiary,” says a toneless, deep masculine voice, with zero question in it. Wei Ying doesn’t care, because whoever possesses that voice is probably going to come save him from bees like a fucking hero while wearing like, a suit of armor. That’s what you wear to catch bees, right?

“I have like, so many bees outside my front door right now,” he says, mouth running out ahead of him before he can even begin to think about reining it in. “It’s like a sandstorm of bees out there. There are so many bees. I got out of my car and there were just bees and I don’t want these bees. Do you want these bees? Please tell me you will come get these bees. I can’t leave my house and I have enough food for maybe a week but then I’m gonna have to learn how to cook dry beans and no one wants that, especially not me.” Wei Ying runs out of air, takes a breath, and belatedly adds, “My name is Wei Ying. Hi.”

Or: The beekeeping AU that no one asked for.

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Hi, you are a bless to this fandom. Your blog feels like a library, so thoroughly arranged and always within hand reach. [Thank you, wow!] Recently, I was going through Wèi Yīng | Wèi Wúxiàn is a Wēn tag and came across a fanfic, it has 3 chapters till now and is so intriguing that i thought to recommend it to you. I don't know if I can recommend or if you have already checked the story, The legendary Phoenix and his Dragon by Devipriya. I am in love with this story. I hope you will enjoy it too, do check it out

The legendary Phoenix and his Dragon

by Devipriya (T, 7k, wangxian)

Summary: Wen Wuxian, the essence of who he is, he is a naughty child, a prankster, an enchanting dizi player, a graceful dancer, an irresistible lover, a truly valiant warrior, a ruthless vanquisher of his foes, a man who left a broken heart in every home, an astute statesman and kingmaker, a thorough gentleman, a righteous individual of the highest order, and the most colorful incarnation.

He has been seen, perceived, understood and experienced in many different ways by different people. Different people saw different facets of who he is. For some, he is God. For some, he is a crook. For some, he is a lover. For some, he is a fighter. He is so many things.

But the phoenix, seen from the eyes of time was just a playful man. A man who plays with his awareness, with his imagination, with his memory, with his life, with his death. An individual who does not just dance with somebody. He dances with life. He dances with his enemy, He dances with the one he loves, He dances even at the moment of his death.

To taste an essence of who is Wen Wuxian, be with me in the journey of exploration, NO! playful exploration of life of a playful man.

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Hi! Thanks for running this blog, it's helped me find so many fics. For your next follower recs post, I wanted to rec "This love like a flood, a fire, a fear" by natcat5. Its summary is vague (which I suspect is why it isn't better known) but it is a beautiful retelling of canon from LWJ's POV with slight canon divergence. I love the author's characterization of him and the prose is gorgeous. It is easily my favorite fic in the entire fandom, and I don't say that lightly. ~ @nyanja14

This love like a flood, a fire, a fear

by natcat5 (M, 57k, wangxian, lan wangji & lan xichen)

Summary: “I will love you as misfortune loves orphans, as fire loves innocence, and as justice loves to sit and watch everything go wrong.” - Lemony Snicket

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i came to this ask to rec this baseball one called "Waiting for Spring" by thievinghippo on ao3. It somehow made me care about baseball soooo 'nough said ~ @scifikimmi

Waiting for Spring

by thievinghippo (E, 131, wangxian)

Summary: “It is a well-known fact across the major leagues that one does not smack Lan Wangji’s ass.”

Wei Wuxian rolls his eyes. Everyone smacks everyone’s ass in baseball. It’s how the game is played. Lan Wangji does not get to be exempt from this most sacred of baseball traditions.

Wei Wuxian will make sure of that.

Or, a Major League Baseball AU

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hi mojo! i wanted to rec Something Good by boxoftheskyking (a loose sound of music/canon divergence au) and also MDZS: The Golden Engine by iffervescent (immortal wangxian modern au where they gotta solve a mystery and save china, featuring jiang cheng/lan xichen)

Something Good

by boxoftheskyking (T, 43k, wangxian)

Summary: "That Wei Wuxian, you know he used to be such a promising cultivator. Head Disciple of the Jiang Clan, can you believe it? You see, juniors, the punishment for traveling the path of demonic cultivation. No golden core, not so much as a whisper of spiritual power."

As a punishment for real and imagined crimes, Wei Wuxian is sentenced to work at Cloud Recesses as the lowest of servants. When a surprising reassignment lands him with eleven children to care for, everything changes again.

A Sound of Music AU

MDZS: The Golden Engine

by iffervescent (E, 82k, wangxian, xicheng)

Summary: In the modern era, immortals Lan Zhan and Wei Wuxian return to Gusu. New evil and old friends + new friends and old evils.

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Hi Mojo! First of all let me just tell you that you are amazing and this blog is like a gift from the gods! Bless you and your endless patience and hard work. [Oh, thank you so much!] I know that you have just accepted follower recs and I have missed miserably but I still wanted to write and bring attention to a writer by the pseudo Xiao_Hua on ao3, I think they are quite good and I just recently found the account with so much content. If you do have the time to check them out, I'd rec catfish, my fox or the red ribbon.

The Red Ribbon

by Xiao_Hua (M, 21k, wangxian, TGCF crossover)

Summary: Wei WuXian died but not before saving HanGuang-Jun and A-Yuan, leaving so much more behind than just his ribbon.

My Fox

by Xiao_Hua (E, 13k, wangxian)

Summary: Once he headed to YiLing that all changed for him. His priorities have been mingled with and ordered in complete disarray even without him noticing as he was left heavily influenced by a creature.

Or one where Lan WangJi is a dragon-spirit and he finds his mate in the form of a fox.

Catfish

by Xiao_Hua (E, 15k, wangxian)

Summary: Wei WuXian has a common sense that believes it has a nine-to-five job while Lan WangJi finds that incredibly hot.

Or one where two catfish realise that neither of them truly catfished.

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Hi Mojo i'm recommending this amazing fic it is called song of joys and regrets. it's a time travel AU it's amazing. And your Blog is a Godsend Thank you! [Aw, you’re so sweet!] ~ @highgoddess

Song of Joy and Regrets

by HelloKitten (not rated, 59k, wangxian, WIP)

Summary: The Archery competition at Qishan this year has hit a snag. As the Sects face the wrongs perpetrated by their future selves, Wei Wuxian finds himself adopted by half of the cultivation world who are determined to save him from himself.

Baby Wangxian suffers. Adult Wangxian's job here is done.

"I'm starting to see a pattern to all his plans..." "Do they all involve him being bait?" "Yes" came deadpanned responses.

~*~

Here’s a 2021 Reverse Big Bang entry, in time for Father’s Day; [Oops, my bad, sorry!] Under a Blanket of Black Wings, by ChaoticAndrogynous (#31398395); LWJ, recuperating from the 33 lashes, tells A-Yuan a series of fairytales about a heroic monster and the brave little boy he befriended. Vampire! WWX (in the framing story as well as the story-within-the-story); happy ending.

Under a Blanket of Black Wings

by ChaoticAndrogynous (T, 19k, wangxian)

Summary: Lan Wangji tells A-Yuan a bedtime story about a beautiful monster and the brave little boy who was his friend. Thirteen years later, the monster returns.

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Hello Mojo! Have you read ‘Key Differences’ by Pupeez4eva? Its a MDZS!WWX meets CQL!WWX and its really good! [It’s on my list!]

Key Differences

by pupeez4eva (T, 6k, wangxian)

Summary: “I don’t understand,” Wei Wuxian said, while his alternate self continued to stare at him with almost a look of hurt in his eyes. There was longing in there too, which Wei Wuxian would have easily recognised if he paid enough attention. “How could you not get together, after everything. What even went on in the Guanyin Temple if you didn’t confess?”

“The Guanyin Temple,” Wei Ying repeated incredulously. “You’re asking me if I confessed at — honestly, a lot went on that day. It was a life and death situation. There was no confessing.”

Wei Wuxian stared at him, appalled.

(Wherein Wei Wuxian ends up meeting an alternate version of himself who, much to his horror, never married Lan Wangji. Obviously he has to do something to fix this).

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Hey Mojo i would recommend this fanfic if you already haven’t, it’s called “ take me back to a time “ by DizziDreams. It’s sooooo good

take me back to a time

by DizziDreams (T, 144k, wangxian, 3zun)

Summary: Wei Ying has a lot on his plate right now.

It’s finals week -- which isn’t so bad. He’s never had to study much to do well in classes. But that just means that things are that much more tense with Jiang Cheng, who, as far as Wei Ying can tell, only takes study breaks long enough to glare at Wei Ying where he sits on the couch playing video games.

It’s not studies that have Wei Ying stressed out. It’s everything else. It’s the recruitment for the research trial he’s coordinating. It’s jiejie and her impending marriage to His Royal Douchebag Jin Zixuan. It’s the volunteer work at the palliative care facility. It’s Wen Ning’s worsening condition. It’s Wen Qing working herself thin to care for her brother and Wen Yuan. It’s the way Wen Yuan never seems to have enough food.

So, yeah. There’s enough on Wei Ying’s plate already, meaning it’s not entirely welcome when he comes home and finds a man standing in his bedroom. A man in extravagant white robes, a ribbon tied around his forehead, long hair gathered into a topknot, fist clutching a sword at his side, who asks him, “Where am I?”

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Idk if this has already been rec’d (I’ve been off the grid for a while now), but there’s this absolutely incredible fic called Restitution by an anon on ao3 people should definitely check out!

this one?

on restitution

by Anonymous (M, 78k, wangxian, jin ling & wei wuxian, lan sizhui & wei wuxian, WIP)

Summary: When Wei Wuxian regains consciousness, he is in a bed. A real, proper bed, not the slab he called a bed in his cave in the Burial Mounds.

Jiang Cheng is glowering above him.

Wei Wuxian doesn't die during the siege of the Burial Mounds. Rather, he is captured in secret and confined at Lotus Pier. Things change accordingly.

~*~

Hi momjo! I feel like every time I come to your blog there's twenty more new and amazing fics for me to read. Thank you for everything you do for this fandom! [Thank you, sweetie! And yes, I think there ARE 20 new fics every day out there in the fandom. It’s amazing!] Today I come bearing my own rec to you. I've recently read this and it's IMO one of the best fics out there. It's called Lapsteel by carriecmoney and it's a modern stormchaser AU featuring country songs and coming home. ~ @manaika-chan

Lapsteel

by carriecmoney (T, 42k, wangxian)

Summary: Now and then, I think about you now and then...

It's been thirteen years since Wei Ying ran for the prairies, leaving behind a family in shambles and a secret on the Pacific wind. What happens when the storm he swirled catches up to him?

Modern AU with country music star Lan Zhan, stormchaser Wei Ying, and shared crossroads.

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#wangxian fic rec #follower recs #wangxian #mdzs #the untamed #follower rec #I HAVEN'T READ THESE YET

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lambicpentametre · 3 years ago

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The Once and Future Queen (10: for beatrice)

ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/34581256/chapters/88764679

Aleksander learns the consequences of turning away from Alina.

She appears to him whenever he tugs on their tether. It’s a blessing and a curse of her near-constant state of unconsciousness. He knows, intellectually, that she must bear some scars or wounds from what David does to her, but whenever she appears to him, she’s healthy and hale, an idealized representation of the woman she was on her way to becoming when she ran away from him.

The woman he was in love with.

Is in love with. Will be in love with for the rest of his damned days.

Author’s note: This fic is tagged Dead Dove: Do Not Eat. This chapter contains references to implied/referenced rape/sexual assault. Please take care of yourself while you read.

Chapter 10: for beatrice

“For Beatrice—you will always be in my mind, in my heart and in your grave.” - Lemony Snicket

The problem with wanting is that it makes us weak.

He’d once told that to Svetlana, right before he took her to bed the first time. The poor girl took it to mean that he wanted her, and in the moment he supposes he did; he wanted her to serve her purpose. He wanted Svetlana to believe him, to desire him, to marry him, because it would be the fastest way to the throne.

He pushes his emotions down and puts a ring on her finger, crowns her with his grandfather’s stag, names her Queen of Ravka. None of it tempers the desire that seeped deep into his bones, into his very soul, for Alina. It will be messy when the time comes for Alina to rise to her place at his side, but there’s a fire inside that burns away at a little piece of him each day that Alina is not with him, and this is the quickest way to achieve his goal.

Svetlana lost the game before she even started playing. She was less of a player than a pawn in his plans. She is little more than collateral damage, not when he knows that Alina is his true equal; when it’s been proven to him time and again, from their first meeting to all of the times he saw her through the tether that bound him to Alina, and not his wife.

He tells himself he wants Svetlana, because without her, there would be no way for him to ensure the future of the Grisha. And he so desperately wants to keep his Grisha safe, to see them as more than a standing army for the crown, with the true Sun Queen of Ravka beside him.

The problem with wanting is that it makes us weak.

Aleksander has kept himself closed off from the world for centuries. In a single afternoon, Alina Starkov manages to undo it all. He wears his heart on his sleeve for her and her alone; that anyone could ever think otherwise is unfathomable, made worse by the fact that Alina could not see it herself. But he made his life out of lies, and the world is so small-minded. They all believe him when he says that he loves Svetlana, that he wants to marry her, and they think he means it.

It would be easier for them all if he preferred Svetlana. Better, even.

But for all the regret and frustration and heartache, the only person he has ever loved is Alina.

///

Ivan brings Mal to his study with extreme force and prejudice and all but throws the boy at his desk. Although he is a dutiful oprichnik and talented tracker, Malyen Oretsev asks too many questions of his superiors. Mostly he asks about Alina Starkov, and Aleksander has ordered Ivan never to answer.

He’s on Ivan’s last nerve.

So when Aleksander proposes a transfer, Ivan all but skips out of the room to go and retrieve Corporal Oretsev and finally wash his hands of the boy.

If only Aleksander could do the same.

“Mal,” he greets as the boy stands back up. “So lovely to see you.”

“Moi tsar,” he says, dipping his head into a bow.

“Ivan says you’ve been asking questions about Miss Starkov,” Aleksander opens.

He can see the boy hesitate. “I grew up with her, moi tsar,” he begins with uncertainty. “I am concerned for her, the state that she was in when I found her—”

Aleksander waves his hand and Mal stops speaking. “Alina Starkov is no longer your concern,” he says. “Your concern is your duty, and Ivan has had enough of you. You’ll be transferred to another patrol.”

“Moi tsar?”

“Ivan has discussed some of his personal concerns with me, you see,” he says. He loves it when Mal squirms. “So we decided to reward you, Corporal Oretsev. You’ll be a captain of the guard now. New responsibilities, new rotations, new hours. You won’t answer directly to Ivan.” You won’t have access to Ivan, to ask him questions about Alina Starkov, remains unsaid.

“Where am I going?”

“Why, to the newly established Queensguard, Captain Oretsev.”

They stare at each other; Aleksander lounges in his chair as Mal clenches his fists. It’s a plum gig that comes with a promotion and a pay raise, and Mal will likely never see combat again, but they both know Aleksander has just condemned Mal to days standing outside of the bedroom of a woman who never leaves. And if she does not leave her room, he cannot venture away either.

He cannot seek out Alina.

“Enjoy your time with my wife, captain,” Aleksander says as he dismisses him. “Your first rotation begins tonight.”

It’s a funny thought. From what he’s read in Alina’s letters to Mal and vice versa, Svetlana would have been the type of girl Malyen Oretsev would have tumbled given half the chance, a lifetime ago.

They’ve all changed since Alina ran away.

///

The queen has one of her rare good days. They are fewer now since Alina returned to him. His wife is a good Fjerdan girl raised by an upstanding family, and before she was Ravkan royalty, she was a Fjerdan noble with one job: to give her husband a large family.

She all but begs him to come to her bed that night, and he’s not one to pass up the opportunity to work out all of the frustration of the past year. He smirks at Mal, who is posted at the entrance to his wife’s suite and will undoubtedly hear Svetlana’s pathetic cries, wanting the boy to know exactly what it is he’s here to do, to suffer with him in bearing the knowledge that it isn’t Alina behind those doors. For all his faults, Malyen Oretsev acknowledges what few others do: Aleksander crowned and married the wrong woman, and he shames her every time he sleeps with the woman he calls wife.

When Svetlana starts to moan for him, he flips her on her stomach and presses her face into the pillows, all so he won’t have to hear her say his name. He brushes off her pleas that she wants to see him, that it isn’t proper. He ignores her sobs that his grandfather’s collar is digging into her skin, that it hurts, that she won’t get pregnant if he lies with her like this. He doesn’t care. He closes his eyes and blocks out the sound of his wife’s voice, imagining it is another woman—another sun summoner—beneath him, mewling and panting as he fucks into her.

///

She may have the crown now, but he knows the true prize Svetlana wants is his heart. He cannot give it to her when he has already given it away, not when the woman who holds it lies in a cold cell beneath his feet.

He feels no pity for his wife. Her days are numbered, and there’s no point in coddling her when she’s so close to the end of her life.

He tells no one of this part of his plan; premeditated murder of one’s wife is generally frowned upon. He’d had nebulous ideas of how to kill her once his ascension to the throne was complete, but he’d put them on hold when Alina ran away.

But it is Alina who gives him the perfect opportunity to rid himself of his wife without sullying his hands.

David Kostyk is popularly considered the most well-read scholar of amplifier theory in the Little Palace, but he suspects that David knows otherwise. He wouldn’t have given David access to his personal journals, to Morozova’s journals, if he didn’t think it was a possibility. David is still young, though, and wants to believe the best of him. He doesn’t ask questions when the orders come down. There is no Durast he trusts more than David, no other person who will get him the results he needs.

Aleksander knows what the outcome will be, but David doesn’t need to know that. David doesn’t ask the right questions or see the big picture, not like Aleksander does. The answers are all in front of him, if he considers it closely. It’s fairly obvious.

Alina chose the stag, and the stag chose Alina. The stag’s amplifier belongs to Alina, no matter if she bears it or not. Its power is hers to wield.

He assigns Alina a lab deep beneath the Little Palace, where no one in living memory (save for his) has ventured, and pushes her to the absolute limit of what her body should be able to stand, further than the Grisha who survived the laboratories in Shu Han, further than he wants to admit… but his wife still lives.

Each week, David reports that Alina withstands the tests, that her light remains unmatched, that he cannot seem to divorce Alina from the stag. Each week, David withdraws further into himself.

Aleksander knows he should feel pity for the brilliant boy he watched grow up, but he’s too old and jaded for that. He’s watched too many of his Grisha die to stop for the soul of one of the countless boys he raised, not when Alina is just out of his reach.

He orders David to test any and all amplifiers he can for compatibility, a particularly brutal exam by all accounts, and Alina is forced to be awake for it all. There’s no doubt in his mind that she must hate him by now, but he welcomes it. As long as she hates him, she still feels something for him.

Maybe she will give him what he wants.

That night, she says his name for the first time, and he could cry at how sinfully beautiful it sounds when she says it.

He never expected that it would sound so much like a curse, but he can’t help but preen every time his name falls from her lips. She indulges him, too; after that, she calls him Aleksander whenever she sees him. Even though it’s full of all her rage and hatred, it’s still the most wonderful thing he’s ever heard.

He still wants more.

///

The woman he was in love with.

Is in love with. Will be in love with for the rest of his damned days.

“You’re a very powerful man, Aleksander,” she taunts him one day. She vaults herself up onto the war table in front of him, crossing her legs. He can feel the heat of her body, so close to him.

“I am the tsar, milaya,” he responds. He’ll always prolong it however he can, anything to keep her with him for just a second longer.

She leans towards him, her hair brushing against his knees, and gives him a wicked smile devoid of any warmth.

“Then why haven’t you killed me yet?”

Her eyes light up when his breath hitches and shadows darken the room. He pushes away from the table and stands, turning away from her. How could she say things like that to him? The one person he would die for, and she believes he could ever kill her.

“What could you possibly gain from me, Aleksander? What more power could I give you that you do not already have?” she asks, imploring.

“I’m tired, Aleksander. Please. I don’t want this anymore.”

It breaks his heart to see her like this. He steps back towards her, his hand cupping her cheek. “You must think me more powerful than I am, Alinochka. I didn’t want this either, but some things are out of even my control.”

Alina stares back at him, confused at the truth he has laid before her. The girl she was when he first brought her to Os Alta is still there inside her, but she’s hidden under layers of scar tissue that will take years to heal. All because he failed her. He feels so much like the little boy in the story he spun for her all those months ago by the wishing well. In the next moment, she’s gone.

///

He keeps Alina away from the sun, away from the crowds, away from the Grisha who might question his methods.

David tells him that Alina’s wasting sickness is starting to set back in and requests a Healer to help her body recover. The wounds are not healing properly, and she’s looking worse every day.

He denies the request. David asks him to at least think about it, to come see the state that Alina is in, if he would just see her—

He throws David out of the war room, shadows slamming the door shut behind him.

He cannot bear to think of Alina. He will not look at her.

If he sees her, he’s scared he’ll shatter into pieces she will never be able to put back together.

///

Weeks pass, and David’s progress stalls. The queen is lethargic and continues to deteriorate, but the Healers tell him it’s more from wasting sickness than anything else. Alina remains gaunt, according to David’s reports, and she’s not improving despite all indications that she should be.

So when Genya wakes him up in the night, he assumes that David has caught a break, that Alina is getting stronger, that his wife is getting weaker. Anything but what news she comes to tell him.

He’d fallen asleep at his desk, pouring over agricultural reports, and he wishes she’d let him sleep through to the morning before she told him. At least he would have had one more night’s rest before he had to face the harsh reality she drags him into.

But at least it’s Genya and not Ivan, because Genya softens the blow in a delicate way that Ivan never would have.

He’s not proud of himself for it, but he cries when she tells him. He sobs like the boy he once was, alone in a dark forest, before he doomed the country with his own hubris, before he fell in love, before he squandered the only chance he had at happiness in his life.

Genya, ever composed and unwavering, says nothing as he breaks down, shadows pouring out of him in a cold rush. She says nothing when he falls to his knees, unable to support himself as the world falls out beneath him and crumbles. She says nothing as he screams his throat raw, loud enough to wake the dead.

Fate is a cruel bitch who has it out for him.

If he’d been kinder to his wife, if he hadn’t picked the wrong girl, if he’d let her go when he should have, if if if, he might have gotten what he wanted. He can hear his mother laughing all the way from her hut.

Headstones are not Grisha tradition, but damn it all to hell. He tells Genya to commision one with the date, but no name.

They had never discussed children. He didn’t bear and bleed the child, so it’s not his place to name him, and he won’t force his wife to name a child she never knew she had. Fedyor, Genya tells him, is already taking care of locating a coffin small enough for the tiny baby. She thinks it was about four months along.

It’s been weeks since he last spent the entire night with his wife, but he sits a candlelight vigil at her side. She doesn’t wake at all.

When Alina appears to him, it takes everything in him not to weep at the sight of her. He’s so tired, and lonely, and ready for this nightmare to end. Whatever Alina wants of him, she can have. Anything to end his torment. He says her name, he plays the game, he gives it all.

How could she know what he was going through? There was no way for her to distinguish between the life forces of the tether, and he knows in his heart that he’ll forgive her, that he’s already forgiven her, but then…

“She’ll never give you what you want.”

It’s a slap to the face. He was so close to getting the one thing his heart had desired for centuries, and even though he knows she is ignorant to his suffering, to his wife’s condition, to the funeral he has to plan in the morning, he blames Alina. He made her suffer, and she turned it on him.

He knows that it’s impossible, but he’s too raw to care.

He says the only thing he can think of to say, and it scares him how much he means it.

“I loathe you, Alina Starkov.”

///

Everything is a damn crisis.

He barely has time to mourn the loss of the only child he’s ever sired before he’s dragged away from his wife’s bedside and into the war room. Mal Oretsev stands at parade rest in front of the table, grimy and tired and smelling of the sea.

Mal tosses a silken drawstring sack on the table, disdain evident.

“I did what you told me. Tell me where Alina is,” he says. Aleksander picks up the bag, and sure enough, there are seven pearly scales inside.

“I don’t answer to you,” Aleksander says, slipping the bag into his pocket. “Or have you forgotten your place, Captain Oretsev?”

Mal seethes, his temper flaring. “You would not have found her without me,” Mal says, stepping forward. “I have done everything you asked, now tell me where she is.”

Aleksander says nothing but flicks his wrists to summon his shadows. They swirl around Mal’s ankles, biting cold, but Mal does not flinch.

“Where is Alina?” he repeats.

“Ivan was right, you are an insolent little shit,” Aleksander says. The shadows grip at Mal tightly, forcing him to sit in the chair that comes rushing up behind him. “Such a one track mind. Stubborn, like her, but you must have learned it from somewhere. I don’t like rewarding subordinates for their bad behavior, but I know Alina, and if you’re anything like her…” he smiles darkly to himself. He can feel Mal’s rising panic. “Well, I wouldn’t want to add to Ivan’s workload. You’re more trouble than you’re worth, so I’ll tell you what will happen.

“You’ll stand watch for the queen, my wife, as you’re instructed. You won’t ask inane questions about Alina Starkov of your betters. If you do, then I might be better inclined to tell you about her condition. It isn’t becoming for the captain of the queensguard to be so concerned about a woman who isn’t his charge.”

“You made her my problem—”

“That is the Queen of Ravka you speak of!” Aleksander thunders. He doesn’t particularly care how Mal treats his wife, but he’s angry. He’s angry and tired and he wants Alina, and there is nothing he can do about it but yell at Malyen Oretsev.

Mal shrinks back but holds his gaze. “Where is Alina?” he asks again.

“In the safest building in the world, Captain. Here, in the Little Palace, in my care, as she always should have been,” he says. “Where else would she be?”

Aleksander leaves the room and ignores Mal’s protests. There are many more priorities on his list than reassuring a lowly orphan.

///

He only stopped for a moment to present David with the sea whip’s scales and send him off on his new assignment, but she woke up in his absence.

It’s the first time he’s seen her physical body since he found her. She’s angles and edges where she should be soft curves, and her eyes are hollow and full of fear and hatred.

As always, she’s asking questions and raising Ivan’s hackles. Ivan would clearly like nothing better than to send her to sleep, but it’s been months since he’s physically been in the same space as her, and he can’t resist it. He goes to her side and whispers lies in her ear, anything to make her feel the same heartache that he does.

He motions for Fedyor and Ivan, and she begins to panic, scrambling to grab something. He presses a kiss to her forehead and reassures her that everything will be okay, because it will. He would never let her come to any harm under his watch. He holds her as she falls asleep.

“Moi tsar,” Fedyor begins, once Alina is surely unconscious. He sounds uncertain in a way he hasn’t since he was a green boy on his first assignment. “What are our orders?”

Aleksander doesn’t look away from Alina, carefully tucking her hair behind her ear. “Is she—” he begins, but the words catch in his throat. “Tell me if she’s with child.”

Fedyor and Ivan know what happened last night. They know that there is a tiny coffin, no bigger than a jewelry box, waiting for Aleksander in a secluded cell in the basement; they couldn’t place the baby in the morgue without gossip spreading around the Little Palace like wildfire.

“Did Kostyk…” Fedyor trails off.

“No.”

“Then how would—”

Ivan stops Fedyor mid-sentence. “It would be best if you stepped away from her, moi tsar,” Ivan says, raising his hands to wield the Small Science.

Aleksander knows he’s grasping at straws, but he needs this. He needs to know if, by some miracle from the Saints that have long since abandoned him, there’s a sliver of a chance that he might still have a child. So he does as Ivan says, and he stands from Alina’s bedside.

Ivan and Fedyor stand at the foot of Alina’s cot for ten long, silent minutes, and when they turn to each other, Aleksander knows what they found.

“Again,” he orders.

“Moi tsar,” Fedyor says.

“Again.”

They raise their hands again, concentrating on Alina’s prone form. Fifteen more minutes go by, and again Fedyor looks to Ivan as he shakes his head.

“Again.”

Fedyor starts to say something, but one look from Ivan stops him. They raise their hands in tandem, wielding the Small Science in a synchronized movement. He and Alina could’ve had that, if only she hadn’t run. He would’ve given her anything she wanted if she’d only stayed at his side.

“Nothing, moi tsar,” Fedyor reports.

“Again.”

“No,” Ivan says. Aleksander looks up.

“What did you say?”

“No,” Ivan says. “Not again. It will not change the outcome. Nothing will change. I’m sorry, moi tsar, but your child is dead.”

“No,” he cries, falling limply to his knees at Alina’s side. “Please, no.”

“You must acknowledge what is true, moi tsar,” Ivan says, coming to kneel beside him. “You lost this child, but your wife is young yet. You may have another child.”

“I wanted him,” Aleksander whispers. “I wanted him so much.”

“The queen is young and fertile, and she longs for you,” Ivan says, standing. “It won’t be hard to conceive again.”

“She won’t,” he responds with absolute certainty. Ivan furrows his brow, but he doesn’t ask. Aleksander knows that Svetlana will never fall with child again. Not by him.

In the long centuries he’s been alive, only Svetlana was able to conceive a child with him. No matter how hard he tried, no matter if his partner was Grisha or otkazat’sya, his seed never took. Perhaps it was only that he needed to lay with a sun summoner, that only the sun made human would be able to bear a child of the shadows. And now that he knows it’s possible for him, that he could have a child, he knows he will never lay with his wife again.

The only child he wants, the only child he can imagine himself having in the future, is Alina’s.

Aleksander looks up at her sleeping face. She’s almost ethereal, like an angel out of a story in her slumber. He brushes his knuckles against her cheek.

“Moi tsar, shall I wake her up?” Fedyor asks. Aleksander stands, straightening his kefta. They’re all tired after last night, and Fedyor looks like he is dead on his feet.

Aleksander clears his throat and nods. Fedyor crosses his hands and moves to rouse Alina, but nothing happens. Fedyor cocks his head and tries again, but nothing. He turns to Ivan, who silently comes to stand at his side. They try again together, but Alina does not so much as whimper.

Fedyor dashes from the room to fetch Genya, and they try again, and again, and again. They’re three of the most powerful corporalki alive, and they can’t wake her.

He feels the dread begin to set in. “Is she awake?” he asks, even though he knows the answer.

Fedyor looks at him with pity. He shakes his head. “No, moi tsar. She won’t wake up. I don’t know if she can.”

///

Genya goes to find David, coaxing him out of his lab and away from the sea whip’s scales. Later, she says that David was sick when she told him Alina would not wake. He faints when he sees Alina’s unconscious body. When he comes to, the story comes spilling out of him, and all of Aleksander’s theories are confirmed.

Alina is bound to the stag. No other Grisha would ever be able to bear its amplifier the way Alina was meant to. The stag’s amplifier feeds into her, providing her with the power and strength she needed to stay alive when she was on the run and again when David put her under the knife. The amplifier does not distinguish between its own power and Svetlana’s, up to and including Svetlana’s life. It’s the price she pays for wearing an amplifier that does not belong to her. There is no way to separate Alina from the stag without possibly creating an abomination of light that would rival the Fold, not that he would want to.

For once in his life, David does not struggle to find his words. He sits with his back straight and looks at Aleksander directly when he reveals he’s known his true identity for months.

So that was how Alina knew.

David holds his head high as he tells Aleksander the consequences of killing the stag. The ring which represents his marriage to Svetlana, his union with her, ties him instead to Alina. He could take it off—David advises him that it may be better if he does—but he finds the very idea abhorrent.

It’s ironic, really; Svetlana had begged him for weeks in the early days of their marriage to wear the wedding ring she had made for him. She all but swooned when he had a ring made for himself out of the very same antlers that collared her. Even knowing that his ring opens him up to a situation that may result in Alina’s death, Svetlana’s death, his death, or any combination thereof, he still can’t find it in himself to take it off.

Not when it eternally binds him to Alina.

///

The Healers inform him that afternoon that his wife will not wake up. Fedyor is at his side when he’s told, and he sees Fedyor’s brow nearly shoot into his hairline out of the corner of his eye. They both know it must be more than coincidence, but there’s nothing to be done.

Svetlana’s unconsciousness doesn’t hurt him at all. It couldn’t be further from the pain he felt in his heart when Fedyor told him Alina would not wake, but he still pities Svetlana.

He’s sure that she didn’t know she was pregnant. But she won’t wake, so he can’t tell her. She won’t be present for the funeral of their child.

///

It takes two weeks for the headstone to be completed.

It’s the first time he’s left Alina without someone to stand guard at her side since she fell asleep. He doesn’t want to leave her alone, but he knows he must do this. He’ll never be able to forgive himself if he doesn’t go.

Genya has always had an eye for fine things, and the resting place she chooses for his son is one of the finest on the grounds of the Little Palace. An immature cherry tree is just a few yards away, far enough that it won’t disturb his son’s grave but close enough that it might provide shade once it’s fully grown.

His son will be able to see the blossoms every spring.

The grave is small, but he supposes it’s fitting. A small grave for a small babe. The headstone is made of dark grey granite. The date the boy died is carved in the stone, but there is no name. At the bottom is his symbol, the sun in eclipse: the only acknowledgment that this grave belongs to his son.

Only three people are aware that Svetlana bore and bled his son: Genya, who informed him on that horrible night; Fedyor, who made the small coffin that his son was buried in; and Ivan, who was with Svetlana when the bleeding began.

No one else knows about the funeral he is attending but the three people standing at his side as he lowers his son’s coffin into the ground. He even sends his oprichniki away, wanting to have as much privacy as he can while he mourns the child he never held.

He stands at the foot of the smallest grave he’s ever dug long after they leave him. He stays through the night until the next dawn.

It’s the first time he doesn’t think about how terrified he is of the dark.

#DEAD DOVE DO NOT EAT #grishaverse #shadow and bone #aleksander morozova #alina starkov #alina x aleksander #darklina #genya safin #ivan kaminsky #ivan no last name #fedyor kaminsky #david kostyk #mal oretsev #second best cinematic universe #the once and future queen #publish or perish

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solynaceawrites · 4 years ago

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Wires [3]: Bearers Of

Rating: Mature Archive Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Major Character Death Categories: F/F, F/M Fandom: Devil May Cry Relationships: Dante/Original Female Character(s), Implied Nero/Kyrie, Implied Vergil/Original Female Character(s), Implied Lady/Trish, Dante/Lirael Thorne, Dante/Lir Characters: Dante, Morrison, Nero, Original Female Character(s), Lirael Thorne, Lir Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Detectives, Violence, Gore, Dark, Horror, Supernatural Elements, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Serial Killers, Angst, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut Summary: In Red Grave City, a serial killer stalks the streets. Lirael Thorne, recently transferred from Fortuna and looking for an escape from her past, winds up on his trail. Hunting him with her veteran partner, Dante Redgrave, they try to piece together the wires that bind the three of them together. In a race to catch him before he leaves more victims in his wake, the things thought buried will come to the surface, tearing lives and comfort apart.

»»————-　⚜　————-««

“It is much, much worse to receive bad news through the written word than by somebody simply telling you, and I’m sure you understand why. When somebody simply tells you bad news, you hear it once, and that’s the end of it. But when bad news is written down, whether in a letter or a newspaper or on your arm in felt tip pen, each time you read it, you feel as if you are receiving the bad news again and again.” — Lemony Snicket

»»————-　⚜　————-««

“Sure, I know her.” The waitress pops her gum, handing the grainy photograph back to Lir. “Comes in every Friday like clockwork, doesn’t tip, takes a new man home with her when she goes. She in some sort of trouble?”

Dante smiles charmingly. “You could say that. She wouldn’t have happened to pay by card, would she?”

“You’ll have to ask Joan. The bartender? She handles the tabs.” After a moment, the waitress bats her lashes, reaching out to place a hand on Dante’s arm, and Lir resists the desire to throttle one or both of them. “I can keep you company while your partner talks to her.”

“Who am I to say no to a pretty lady?”

He cuts his eyes to Lir. With a snort, she turns sharply on her heel, trying to keep her irritation from showing on her face, adding lady’s man to the list of ways she’d describe him. It’s far from the worst, but the bright giggles that follow her to the bar have her wondering if pig would be better. A woman emerges from the back as she claims a stool, pretty with her dark eyes and darker hair, and if she weren’t on duty, Lir might have considered leaving her number. Which probably only makes her slightly better than Dante, a fact that has her reaching into her pocket for her badge to buy herself a bit of time to settle.

“What can I get ya, sugar?” the woman asks.

“Are you Joan?” With a raised brow, the woman nods, and Lir holds out her badge. “I’m Detective Thorne with the Red Grave Police Department. I was hoping you’d be able to answer some questions for me?”

Joan studies her badge. “Detective, huh? Sounds like your questions are gonna be heavy enough to warrant a drink. What’s your poison?”

Against her better judgement, Lir replies, “Vodka sour, with Chopin if you’ve got it.”

With a smile that seems a little more than flirtatious, Joan gets to work. Lir watches her deft, slender hands scoop ice into a strainer before adding the vodka and sour mix and shaking, and that coy expression is still on Joan’s face when she sets it in front of her. “On the house for the city’s finest.”

“Thank you.” Lir takes a long drink, closing her eyes as her tongue comes alive under the bittersweet flavor. Then she slides the photograph of Jane Doe across the bar. “Your friend said that you might know her?”

Joan studies it, bracing her arms on the bar and giving Lir a very good glimpse of her cleavage. “Mm-hm. That’s Sophie. Pays with her Amex, likes a frozen margarita with sugar instead of salt on the rim. She the body they pulled from the alley yesterday?” Lir shrugs, and she sighs. “Shame. She was a sweetheart.”

“I heard the opposite.”

“I’m sure you did. She tips for the service she gets, and Lacey’s usually too busy flirting to pay attention to her tables. Never did me wrong, though, and most of the girls here will tell you the same.”

“I have to say,” Lir watches her sharply, “you seem awfully calm for someone who just found out there was a murder next door.”

Joan looks back at her steadily for a long time, not saying anything. When she finally does speak, her voice is quiet, “Don’t get me wrong, Detective. I’m pissed as hell about what happened to her. I read the papers, y’know? So I know that she was . . . If I could find the bastard, I’d wring his neck myself. But I’ve got to trust you to do it, and me crying won’t get you any answers. I’ll do it after you’ve left.”

“Alright. I’m sorry.”

Just like that, the tension is gone, the warm smile sliding back onto Joan’s pretty face. “No hard feelings. You can make it up to me later, if you want.”

“Maybe. Anything else you can tell me?”

The way she catches her plump lower lip between her teeth has Lir vividly imagining what it would be like to do that herself, and she breathes deeply to push the thought away. “Nothing unusual happened last night, not that I noticed. Sophie came in, sat at her table, ordered her drink. She was with some friends, but they split up to dance for a while, and I didn’t see her again until she paid her tab. We get pretty busy on Fridays,” she adds apologetically. “It’s easy to lose track of people.”

Lir takes another sip of her drink. “Did she leave with anyone?”

“If she did, I didn’t get a look at him. But it wouldn’t surprise me. Nothing against her, people can do what they want, but she knew the effect she had on others.” Lir thinks of the face on the slab, beauty made sorrowful by death. “Give me a moment, and I’ll get her last name for you.”

“That would be great, thanks.” As Joan moves to the register on the back counter, Dante slides onto the stool next to her, and Lir eyes him irritably. “Get anything from your witness?”

“Nah, she was too busy cryin’ to talk,” he replies. “Drinkin’ on the job?”

Before she can reply, Joan is back, and she hands a folded piece of paper to Lir. To her pleasure and amusement, not once does she look at Dante. “Here you go. Let me know if there’s anything else I can do for you, Detective.”

Downing the rest of her drink, Lir gives a little salute and heads out of the club, Dante at her side. She ignores him for the moment to unfold the note, a small grin breaking tugging at her lips as she reads over it; there’s a name on the top half, which she tears off to give to him, but on the bottom is a phone number and Call Me written in an elegant, looping script. “Sophie Marons,” Dante recites. “Wonder if there’s a connection to Simon Marons.”

“The lawyer?” Dante exhales slowly, and she curses. “Shit. Draw straws to see who makes the call?”

“Nope,” he drawls. “Your lead, your visit. Let’s go.”

Lir frowns at him, an expression that’s becoming more and more common the longer she works with her frustrating new partner. Her mother used to warn her that her face would get stuck eventually, and she’s starting to wonder if that’s true; at least he’s not sending her off alone, which she wouldn’t really blame him for but would still be angry over. And he turns the volume on the radio down once they're in the car when he notices her pulling out her bottle of aspirin and popping one into her mouth. It looks like he wants to say something and thinks the better of it. Good. The less she has to talk to him, the better. The drive to Marson & Co. passes with only the harsh strumming of rock and the quiet purring of the engine, and their silence persists into the lobby, where Lir speaks briefly to a receptionist, and in the elevator ride up to the seventh floor.

Dante whistles when they step off into an office that sprawls over the entire floor. Glass windows that stretch from floor to ceiling on three of the walls give a stunning view of the city, allowing plenty of sunlight in, and it glows over the interior decorations: a large oak desk, numerous shelves full of books, a sitting area, a bar set next to the elevator. It’s the office of a man who wound up rich and, as the figure behind the desk stands, Lir takes a look at him and decides it was probably inherited. Simon Marsons is as immaculate as the space he occupies, his suit pressed and his salted hair pressed back from a hairline that’s only starting to thin, a lavender handkerchief folded into his coat pocket and diamond cufflinks glittering at his wrists. Lir walks towards him, her boots thudding dully on the polished tile floor; up close, she can see the vibrant green of his eyes and that his teeth, when he smiles, are too even and straight to be anything but bought.

“My apologies, but I’m afraid I’m not open for visitors today,” he says, his voice pleasant yet oily somehow. “If you leave your name with Mary, I’ll try to—”

“Simon Marsons?” Lir cuts him off curtly. “I’m Detective Thorne. This is my partner, Detective Redgrave. Are you related to Sophie Marsons?”

His tanned face goes ashy. “Sophie? She’s my daughter. Has something happened to her?”

“You might want to sit,” Dante advises him, not unkindly.

Marson’s legs go out from under him, and Lir watches with embers of sympathy as he collapses into his grand chair. “Please,” he says, his voice shaking. “Where is she? Was she hurt? I knew I should have called when she didn’t show up for work yesterday, but I assumed she was sleeping off a hangover . . . Which hospital do I need to go to?”

Lir takes a deep breath. “Is your office always open on Sunday?”

“What? Yes, yes, I have a number of clients, and Saturday and Sunday are when I go over all of my notes. Please, Detective, Sophie . . .”

That ember sparks to a dull blaze. Speaking quietly, Lir says, “I’m sorry. We found her yesterday morning.”

A low keening erupts from Marson’s throat. It’s not unlike the cry of a wounded animal, caught in a trap from which it cannot escape and too weak to continue struggling, and Lir thinks of the fox her father had snared one year after it killed their chickens and her mouth fills with the heavy taste of iron. Dante steps around her, his own face displaying a hint of discomfort. It’s oddly reassuring to realize that he probably hates these visits as much as she does, the transformation from detective to confidante and terrible messenger that is a cruel necessity of their job. “When was the last time you saw your daughter, Mr. Marson?”

The man mumbles something incoherent, and the two of them share a look. “Sir?” Lir presses.

“I don’t know,” he whispers, his voice choked. “You’ll have to . . . Mary will know. I’m sorry. Excuse me, I can’t . . .”

Lir exhales slowly. “Okay. Thank you. I’m going to leave my card. Please call us if you think of anything.”

He buries his face in his hands, and she slides her card onto the desk before heading back to the elevator. Once inside, she leans against the wall, and even Dante looks tired, the hollows under his eyes dark and deep. “Never gets easier, does it?” he mutters.

She shakes her head. Outside, she turns to him, her mouth dry and her limbs heavy. “I’m goin’ home. I need sleep. You?”

“Can’t argue that. Want a ride?”

The idea of him knowing where she lives makes her skin prickle uncomfortably, which is strange, given that they work together. Still, she points to the road. “I’ll catch a cab. See you in a bit.”

“Mm-hm.”

Lir leaves him there, feeling his eyes boring into her back as she hails a taxi and slides inside, nearly slurring with exhaustion as she gives the driver her address. She dozes on the ride, woken by the cabbie tapping the glass partition between them, and she fumbles to pay and tip before heading into her building. It’s quiet inside, warm in a stuffy sort of way, which makes her more drowsy. Another short trip in an elevator, and she’s at her door, which she unlocks with trembling fingers and kicks shut. Too tired to bother showering, Lir strips as she walks to her bedroom in the back, where she manages to pull the curtains closed and set an alarm on her phone before collapsing into bed. Behind her closed eyes, visions of Sophie Marson’s body linger, chasing her into her dreams.

In them, she is once again in the morgue. The lights overhead flicker as she stares at the slab in the middle, upon which rests a form covered by a white sheet, and her breath frosts in the air around her and chills her lips. As she stands frozen, the thing under the sheet moves, pallid fingers poking from beneath to curl over its edge and push it slowly down, and a low whine locks in her throat, the remnants of a scream she cannot voice. Creeping, unhurried, the corpse of Sophie Marson sits up, her pale hair spilling limply over her shoulders; when milky eyes focus on her, Lir twitches. But she’s paralyzed, her legs unresponsive no matter how desperately she pleads with them to work.

A low rasp falls from the corpse’s mouth, which forms soundless words. With every attempt it makes to speak, air whistles from it, barely audible over the thrum of the air conditioning, until, at last, it stands on trembling legs, bracing itself on the slabs as it clambers towards her. As it draws closer, the whispers take form: “You saw . . . you saw . . . you saw . . .”

No, Lir tries to shout, no, no, I didn’t see a damn thing. There was nothing to see! Just you, dead on the ground, and if something else was there I had to ignore it because things like that don’t exist!

Grasping fingers reach for her. The murmurs take on a fevered rhythm, rising in pitch and volume until they devolve into a shrill ringing, those dead eyes bulging as its hands land on her face—

Lir snaps up with a strangled scream, reaching to grab and shove and fight. Yet there’s nothing there; just her room with unpacked boxes cluttered around, and she hunches over and presses her palms to her cheeks, fighting to get her panicked breathing under control. The ringing cuts off, then starts again. Cursing, she fumbles for her phone, finding it buried under the covers, and jabs to answer it, fear making her bark into it. “What?”

Dante’s voice comes through the receiver. “Sorry to wake you, sleepin’ beauty, but Marson’s at the station to make a statement and Morrison is liable to rip you a new one if you aren’t there soon.”

“Fine, just . . . Wait, there?”

“Yeah. I’m outside.” Startled, she darts to the window and peers out, seeing Dante parked on the street below, leaning on his car, looking back up at her. He waves as he says, “Better get your ass in gear, Thorne.”

Furious with him, she hangs up and stalks to her bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. Then she grabs a fresh change of clothes, tugging them on as she follows the trail of dirty ones she’d left earlier to her boots, which she slams her feet into. Keys, wallet, badge, gun, Lir grabs all of them from the table next to the door, then she leaves, choosing the quicker option of the stairs at the end of the building hall. Dante straightens as she emerges, his lips twitching like he’s trying not to laugh, and she glares at him as she yanks open the door and slides into his car, vindicated by his, “Hey!” when she slams it fiercely. It’s his turn to scowl, climbing behind the wheel, and he cranks the volume up to near painful levels before putting the car in drive and pulling away from the curb.

Tired of his dickish behavior, she turns the knob back down and snaps, “How the fuck did you find my apartment?”

He scoffs. “We’ve got personnel files.”

“For emergencies!” Lir shouts. “You don’t just go into them whenever you feel like it!”

“If you’d just told me—”

“I don’t have to tell you shit,” she seethes.

Dante slams on the brakes, yanking the car into a parking spot and turning to glower at her. “You’ve had a fuckin’ chip on your shoulder since we met. Like it or not, we’re partners, and that means I need to know where the hell you live in case somethin’ comes up, like it did tonight.”

“I could have gotten there on my own!”

“Yeah, sure, and Morrison would’ve reamed your ass out for takin’ so long. Shit, I had to call you four times before you answered your goddamn phone. You think he’d have stood for that?” Lir merely shakes her head, and he throws his hands up in frustration. “What the hell is your problem? Jesus fuckin’ wept, you’d think I’m the biggest prick you’ve ever met—”

“Because you are,” she says curtly. “You’ve been ridin’ me since yesterday, havin’ me run your errands—”

“Oh, so you’re above goin’ to the morgue—”

“—acting like I don’t know my head from my ass—”

“—or dealin’ with reporters—”

“What is with you?” she cries, exasperated. “I get it, you idolize Sam Spade, but do you need his fucking sexism along with the outfit?”

Dante closes his mouth, staring at her intently for a moment, and she realizes that, in their arguing, they had each leaned in, as if to intimidate the other. Then he grins, slowly, and this one reaches his eyes, melting the glaciers there. “You like Humphrey Boggart?”

Thrown by the question, Lir can only blink at him. “Uh . . . I guess? I watched his films a lot as a kid, so . . . What does that have to do with anything?”

“Got a favorite?”

“What?” He’s still watching her. With a groan, Lir slumps back into her seat. “I dunno. Marked Woman, probably.”

Dante nods solemnly. “Bette Davis was a babe.” He continues speaking as he eases them back into traffic. “Look, Thorne—”

She huffs. “Can you just call me Lir like a normal person, for the love of God?”

“Lir,” he amends without batting an eye. “Me ridin’ you? Sorry to break it to you, but Red Grave is a beast of its own. Maybe you were good in Fortuna. Hell, your record says you were. Here? You’ll get eaten alive if you aren’t careful.”

“What a load of shit,” she mumbles.

Dante sighs. “You know somethin’ else? It’s been buggin’ me since yesterday, and the only reason I haven’t suggested Morrison take you off the case is because I’m worried you’d get yourself killed if I couldn’t keep an eye on you. You’re too eager to prove yourself.” Lir bristles, but his next statement, spoken flatly with no hint of emotion at all, has a faint prickle of fear creeping up her spine. “You look an awful lot like our victim. If this guy’s gonna go serial . . . Well, you’d fit his profile nicely.”

#dmc #devil may cry #dmc dante #dante #dante sparda #dmc oc #lirael thorne #lir #dmc fanfic #dmc fanfiction #writing #story #myfic #wires

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brialavellan · 4 years ago

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get to know me

thank you @magebastard for the tag!

name: Tali

birthday: Jan 27

sun sign: Aquarius

height: 5’2

hobbies & interests: Vidya games (duh) and also, to my eternal regret, US politics and policy (fucking wonks). I also like to write at times and read when the ADHD gremlin isn’t acting up and work isn’t sucking my creative spirit.

favorite color: Blue

favorite books: Hmm...I really like The God of Small Things (Arundhati Roy), Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (Lisa See), Native Son (Richard Wright) and right now I’m reading a book called The Murmur of Bees (Sofia Segovia). Also still have an eternal soft spot for A Series of Unfortunate Events (Lemony Snicket)

last song: Would? - Alice in Chains

last film/tv show: My roomie was watching this show on Netflix called Love Addict and I sat in for a little bit and it was ok. I liked it well enough.

inspiration: I dunno man...I guess for life in general, my inspiration is spite (kinda). I want to do and be better than I was given and leave people off better than I found them.

story behind url: It’s a ship I’m ride-or-die for which is Briala x fem Inquisitor (mine is a Lavellan, but I’d like to see anyone give Briala a good gf)

tagging @merrybandofmurderers, @isalavhenan, @enby-hawke, @dalish-gloves, @embajadora-montilyet, @doctoraliceharvey, @blacktabris and whoever else wants to do this. I mean literally anyone, I’m positive I’m leaving some cool ppl out and I want to get to know evrybody.

#misc: just yapping

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hayleysbookshelf · 5 years ago

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Shelf History BookTag

This tag is for those books that came to you in an unusual, interesting, funny, or sweet way. Pick 5 (or more if you want) books from your shelf and tell us the story of how you came to own that book. If you’re a public library user and don’t really own any books, you can still participate. Just tell us the most interesting/funny/sweet ways you came to find a particular library book.

Tag your posts #ShelfHistory so I can see them all!

When you’re finished, tag 5 (or more) readers whose Shelf-History you’d like to know about! This one can easily be done on any blogging/vlogging platform so feel free to tag cross-platform if you really want to.

Thank you @thebookbud for the tag!

1. Stephen King

my Auntie gave me her collection of Stephen King Books up to ~2015ish as she could no longer read them as they are too heavy for her to hold (she now has them all saved on her kindle). Although I must confess I haven't read many of King’s novels, I love how I can tell which of my aunts favourite books are by how well read they are- I remember having to tape pages back into IT for her as the pages became lose from being read soo much.

These bring back soo many memories of me going round my Aunt’s for a week or two over the school holidays and being able to binge watch Disney Films- yes, shes a massive Disney fan which I definitely take after her- and we would also happily sit in the lounge and just read all day enjoying each others company, and then discuss when the books get good, although id probably have my nose in Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket.

2. I Am Legend

Although this book doesn't necessarily come from a good place in time for me ( I had a bad habit of book buying binges when I was sad/ in a bad depressive episode as it made me happy for a while) i’m glad i did buy it as its quirky with its simple cover, sideways blurb, and the book and film adaptation always makes me cry.

3. Ink Heart

A well loved book that i used to read when I was younger. I believe I brought it when i was shopping with my aunt buying a Stephen King Book on release day, and glad i picked it up. A book about the characters being devoured by the book they read, and interacting with the characters of that story!

4. Wolves of Mercy Falls

I picked this series up from my local library on the off-chance that id like it because the covers were enticing. And low and behold Maggie is still one of my favourite authors to date. Finally a series with wolves rather than vampires, with topics of family relationships and a bit of romance- 13 yo’ me was loving it. And i’m thankful I did pick it up as it helped me get back into reading for fun outside of schools mandatory reading books.

5. Aids To Anatomy

My mum gave this to me at a time I really needed the reminder that I am a career minded, determined individual, who although may not realise it at the time, I will be okay.

background info: I flopped my A2 A-level exams, suffered through a secret battle with Depression, Anxiety, and Fatigue through pressures and stress of school, was rejected from all my university offers, did not have enough UCAS points to even get onto their foundation courses, and had no further support from my school to figure out my next steps apart from “leave your loaned textbooks at my door”. That morning, before I collected my results, I applied to college to do a 2 year Forensic Science course to “retake” my higher education as a safety net for if i failed my A-levels.

At college I managed to balance coursework and my job in retail much better then i ever thought i could, and graduated with A* A A equivalent A-level grades. I didn't do anything different with my learning style to A-levels,however I was shown more respect by the teachers in college with being treated as an adult, and had less pressures to do well for the sake of the school. My experiences at college showed that the learning method of 100% coursework showed my true capabilities in the field, and that “exam technique and grades” doesn't always represent a students true knowledge and understanding which is what I was always led to believe.

This book ^ was given to me by my mum on my college results day to remind me that I was, and still am, determined to be working in the Forensics/Police field. It took me some extra steps to get me on the right path, and that is okay.

And now I await my final year University grades, and this book holds the same meaning. I can look on my 3 years of university with I did my best, enjoyed the ups and downs of learning, and although my exams will heavily determine my final grade, it will not be the end of the world for my career path.

Hello @beem-of-the-books, @dropdeadfemme, @fiction-bibliophile, @doodlesofthemind !

do you want to take part and share some of your shelf-history? you can take photos or just list and write a little about what that book means to you :)

Also don’t feel obliged just because you are tagged

Anyone else who wants to join in, please do so!

#shelfhistory #Shelf History #BookTag #BookChallenge #sorry it got a bit deep there at the end :')

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aimmyarrowshigh · 5 years ago

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aheavenlyrush replied to your post “I’ve been on tumblr since 2012 and I was even a John Green fan for a...”

i checked and it happened in 2015

aheavenlyrush replied to your post “I’ve been on tumblr since 2012 and I was even a John Green fan for a...”

i saw that jg post on my feed and i had no energy to comment on it but truly when i saw that you had i felt such relief!! i remember making that one post about stiefvater defending him and telling teenage girls to be quiet and the response to it still fucking haunts me i swear

Oy, was it really that recently? The last three years have taken 900 years. And yeah... Maggie Stiefvater’s post about it was a Really Bad Look, and iirc that was the environment that spawned the beginning of the batshit “Keep YA Kind”* concern-trolling thing (yep, also 2015) that was mainly used to silence girls and women and people of color whenever the four white cishet men in YA fucked up between 2015 and 2018, when it finally publicly came out that most of them were, yk, fucking up because they’re legitimately horrible people and maybe the people calling them out should have been taken seriously.

* The other notable “why the fuck is this happening???? why is HE the one getting the sympathy here?????” events from “Keep YA Kind,” which, listen, I would bet you anything that it was very very nearly called “Keep Kidlit Kind” until the only person involved with 1/4 of a braincell managed to realize the acronym on their Twitter handle looked REALL BAD:

Andrew Smith, a straight white adult man, says out loud with his human adult man mouth, that he knows he can’t write female characters well and relies on fetishization and stereotypes because he never really met a girl until his daughter (??? SO WHAT IS YOUR WIFE, ANDREW? CHOPPED LIVER?) and, being as that is Bullshit and also his books were also being lauded as though they were Infinite fucking Jest Jr. even though the interview in question was for a book in which mutant grasshoppers take over the earth and a teenage boy gets trapped in a bunker with a teenage girl who eventually has to git to birthin’ babies she doesn’t want and isn’t medically prepared to have safely For The Good Of Humanity, he’s called out.

He’s called out mostly on a technical, writing level at first, even! Like, “Here’s how to write a female character: you write a fully considered, well-rounded character. They’re a girl.” And Andrew Smith FLIPS HIS SHIT, does some op-ed about how his mother used to beat him so he can’t see girls as people, and makes his twitter private. The “Keep YA Kind” sycophants support him HARD.

And then this happens to pop up on a mysterious Twitter that just HAPPENS to start while HIS twitter’s offline...

NOTE: Jay Asher, author of 13 Reasons Why, was literally dropped from his publisher and SCWBI for being a sexual predator. So like, I don’t think he was bullied, I think his predation was being remarked upon. Like, idk, maybe that he was being called creepy or sth idk idk idk

And then when A.S. decided to unsockpuppet to promote his next book, The Alex Crow, which is about mutant crows and a bunker or whatever:

The “asshole” in specific that Andrew Smith was calling an asshole was delightful human being and fellow author Kate Messner, who, coincidentally, was one of the victims to come out against Lemony Snicket’s sexual harrassment, so she’s had a BULLSHIT time just trying to do her JOB of being an author while female.

Which leads to Tommy Wallach! All-around fucknut! Whose major interest seems to be being That Guy In Philosophy 101 Who Always Has To Be Devil’s Advocate, Even Though No One Asked, and has a deeply vested interest in making sure that teenage girl readers -- who are his target audience, because he chose to write YA, as an adult man who made a choice in what he wrote and chose to make it YA, and not, like, any of the hundreds of genres that AREN’T largely written about and for teenage girls, yk -- know that teenage girls are Dumb. Victoria Schwab actually wrote an essay for YA Books Central about the incessant problem that IS/WAS Tommy Wallach called “We Need To Talk About Tommy” back in -- you guessed it! -- 2016, but it’s offline now and I’m not going to go Wayback it rn.

I’m just going to copypasta YAinterrobang’s Wallach timeline because he’s exhausting, he reminds me of undergrad.

Wallach’s continual pattern of behavior is worth discussing, especially in the context of sexism in YA and the continual marginalization of “diverse” voices in the community despite the efforts of the We Need Diverse Books movement.

Wallach’s problematic behavior runs back over a year, starting with a defense of Andrew Smith where he ignores the opinions of author and advocate Tessa Gratton in favor of a dictionary definition of sexism. (Andrew Smith’s behavior and the fallout around his statements have, of course, already been documented on YA Interrobang in “The Curious Case of Andrew Smith, Twitter & sexism.”) Wallach postures that women are inherently ��other” from men, accuses Gratton of “gin[ning]up the controversy” and explains that he is a feminist because he was “raised by a single working mother and she’s still my best friend in the world.”

[View Wallach’s defense of Smith and attack on Gratton as a .pdf.]

Fast forward to later that year. Author Justina Ireland takes to Twitter to discuss a book where she feels the black character is self-hating. Ireland, being black herself, is asked about the book in question; she says that it’s Wallach’s debut novel We All Looked Up. Though Wallach is not tagged, he swoops into the conversation and demands Ireland provide proof that his character Anita is self-hating before claiming that author Dhonielle Clayton, who is also black, is friends with him and “engaged” with him on the issues in the book.

Clayton later stated publicly that she had not done any sensitivity reading on We All Looked Up.

What brought Wallach’s behavior to the attention of the YA world as a whole came this past November in the wake of the horrifying terrorist attacks in Paris. When the hashtag #prayforparis went viral, Wallach responded with multiple social media posts and a blog post about how atheism was the only belief that could make the world a better place. (Though Wallach argues that it is not, in fact, a belief: “The fact that we have a word for it makes it seem like it’s equivalent to other belief systems, but it’s not. The absence of something is not equivalent to the thing itself.”)

[View Wallach’s comments on atheism as a .pdf.]

After Wallach Tweeted that he was a “a rabid atheist, and the world would be a better place if more folk were” – a Tweet he subsequently deleted before deleting his account in its entirety – he doubled down in a block post that outlined all the way religions failed and all the reasons atheism was awesome.

Those who tried to explain to him why this behavior was – to say the least – problematic found themselves quickly blocked or shut down; at once point, Wallach tried to explain anti-Semitism to Jewish author Hannah Moskowitz before claiming that “if [her]parents are atheists and [his]dad is Jewish, [he’s] as much Jewish as [her].”

(For those wondering, Wallach blocked me during this incident despite being friendly with me and having taken my advice previously; while he did believe me in regards to his behavior towards Justina Ireland, which you can see in Tweets above, my snarky comment to him about “the only good people are the people who are exactly like me” was, apparently, too much for him to take. As Wallach’s account has since been deleted and I purged my social media account in January, that interaction is no longer publicly available.)

Take this behavior in comparison to author LJ Silverman, who recently received a sea of anti-Semitic hate mail – including crude manipulated images of her in an oven – for Tweeting that she was worried about the upcoming election in the context of history. Wallach painted himself to be the victim, somebody “attacked” for insulting all of the religious folks in the YA community, while Silverman, who simply shared a worry plaguing her, became a victim of virulent trolls.

While Wallach deleted his social media accounts after this, there were no public consequences to his actions despite ill-will from the YA community at large. If another member of the YA community had spoken out – one of our Catholic or Islamic or Jewish or Mormon authors, for instance – the backlash would have been substantially worse, possibly career-ruining.

Wallach’s career, however, was not ruined; he recently landed a six-figure deal for a book trilogy centered around a “holy war.”

And thus, we return to Wallach’s dismissive comments on suicide – which, it turned out, were neither new or original. In a blog post deleted after it came to light during this discussion, Wallach rated “the top ten literary suicides (organized by emo-ness)” which included all of the characters of HBO’s Girls – “It’s really just a fantasy of mine.” – and, ranking at number one, Sylvia Plath – who is not a character but a real person who suffered from depression before taking her own life at a young age.

[View Wallach’s post on suicide as a .pdf.]

“I’m only going to talk about the fact that a successful YA author found it appropriate to glorify, romanticize, and mock what for many of his readers is among the highest causes of death,” wrote Schwab in her “We Need To Talk About Tommy” post. “That this author could be so very careless and flippant and insensitive about such a very serious issue is abhorrent. That two years after penning this post he still sees suicide as something to be made light of, to be used as a marketing tool.”

Simon & Schuster made no public comment about any of Wallach’s comments. His career, save for making enemies of some fellow authors, seems relatively unscathed by his callous actions.

Anyway, the moral of the story is, like, if you wanna read books by straight white dudes, go for it, but check them out from the library. Spend your book-buying money on books by women, nonbinary/other folks, and dudes who aren’t straight and/or white. Straight white men, PARTICULARLY in categories of literature that are largely targeted towards girls and women, and largely written by girls and women -- but published, edited, and marketed by other straight white men -- are lauded FAR above what they’re actually worth, as like, storytellers or human people go.

The Glass Escalator is a one-way trip to wonderland, but YA is a skyscraper that was built by women and I PROMISE you, whatever book by one of these dudes you’re considering reading, there’s a better version by a woman and/or person of color on the shelves nearby that just didn’t get 1/10th of the marketing money.

And of course there should be an effort to be kind on social media, but “keep YA kind”... to whom? To the people who were being silenced when they were pointing out legitimate problems with the behaviors of men in social power? (And one of whom, in the case of Jay Asher, was LITERALLY DANGEROUS BC HE IS A SEXUAL PREDATOR.) Like, really? There had to be a hashtag campaign to silence dozens of people with legitimate, not-bullying-just-pointing-out-problems-that-are-problems-with-stuff-you-did-dude problems, to make social media feel more comfortable for four middle-aged straight white men?

As though the outside world isn’t comfortable enough for middle-aged straight white men????

#asks #aheavenlyrush

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prettylittlelyres · 6 years ago

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Inside the Writing Process - Part 5

I’ve been so excited about the ideas this chart has given me for Violins and Violets, so I’m making this fifth “Inside the Writing Process” post about it. It’s immensely useful for...

Expanding a Story into a Series

OK, so I’m sure a lot of people with ADHD have seen this going around and related to it a lot, but I think a lot of writers could relate to it as well in terms of things that can distract us from the main points of our WIPs (and of course some writers have ADHD anyway).

I saw a copy of this chart on Facebook yesterday, and it got me thinking. Disclaimer: I don’t know if I have ADHD (I have executive dysfunction and a lot of trouble concentrating, but I don’t know why, and don’t have time or energy to get it looked into), but it did get me thinking.

It made me think about how to organise my expansions of the world around my WIP Violins and Violets (currently seeking beta readers), because I wanted to address a lot of things in the book that just weren’t practical to address (because there’s only so much you can put in a book without it become completely unreadable. This is why I’ve never finished Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey, even though I love it, especially all the beautiful world building... it’s just too much to hold in my head). It was always in my mind that I could solve this problem (too many ideas for one book) quite simply, by writing more books.

This is a really long post, I know, but if you want to learn a fun way to come up with ideas for prequels, sequels and companion books for your story, keep reading! It’s a little bit like the snowflake method, and of course you can then use that to expand each individual idea that you have. It’s also available in shorter form here.

I’d been letting ideas for storylines involving other characters rustle around in my head since I finished the first draft of Violins and Violets in August... and then I saw this yesterday, and realised it would be a pretty good place to start thinking about the ideas that I do have, and listing them in relation to the main storyline of Violins and Violets. I spent about an hour writing down everything, just letting it all spill from my head, and this is what came up.

(Side note: I really do adore Pukka Pads Irlen refill pads. Another thing I may or may not have is Irlen syndrome, which would explain why I can’t read off white backgrounds for very long, and why my eyes hurt if I try. All I know for sure is that these pads help me so, so much, and they come in very gorgeous colours! These pages are from the “rose” pad, but I use “lavender” ones as well, a very soft and relaxing pale purple.)

Expanding Violins and Violets

Pre-Story Prologue for “Context”

Write down all ideas about character backstories to help you develop a prequel (or set of prequels) by exploring those.

Magdalena’s upbringing and Conservatory training with Dorota and Maja (these characters also never appear in Violins and Violets (with the exception of Magdalena) but I really want to explore their lives, going into more detail about Dorota and Maja’s relationship, how they raised Magdalena as their daughter, how they met, and Dorota’s fight to get Magdalena an education).

Käthe and Hansi touring Europe with their music. I’d be missing out on the opportunity to portray a fun sibling dynamic like the Mozart siblings had if I didn’t write this story. However, I do feel it might be better suited to a series of short stories, a collection of small standalone pieces, than a full-length novel, but it’s early days, and I have a lot else to do for this project in the meantime.

Franz and Julia’s early marriage/courtship, particularly how it really only happened once they were married; it would go a long way to explaining why Katharina’s parents are so relaxed about her having an arranged marriage; they genuinely believe it’ll work for her, like it worked for them (and they’re not entirely wrong, but that’s quite literally another story).

Start of Story

Consider all the characters involved in the main story, and ask yourself what’s going on in their lives that the protagonist doesn’t see. If a character only appears partway through the story, ask them what they were doing before.

Katharina goes to Prague (which is of course the main story of Violins and Violets).

Hans tours Europe with a comically large and ever-increasing pet entourage (this post goes into that in proper detail!).

Renée finds her way to Malá Strana and makes friends with Magdalena. Not for a second does she realise that a) Magdalena is with Katharina or b) that she, Renée, is in love with both of them. And then she meets the man who becomes her husband, also a big bi disaster, and Realises™.

Johann and Wilhelm meet at university; they’re both Law students. This would be a fun opportunity to take a step into the Dark Academia genre, but I’m not exactly sure what I’d do with them. Perhaps a poetic treasure hunt sort of mystery love confession? (I know already that this will be tricky because I manage to write about two proper poems a year and I’ve already written one in 2019, for Violins and Violets. I may have to put this off for a while.)

Semi-related side-story

Now think about the characters who come and go in the story and think about why that happens. Develop the stories of what they do after they leave.

Herr Benes and his boyfriend have a marvellous time in Budapest, enjoying their retirement away from the scrutiny Benes faces in the Malá Strana Opera House in Prague.

Herr Havelka is a devious and sacriligeous boi, also a sneaky bastard, but why is that? What other yuck things does he do after he leaves the Malá Strana? What is the origin of his malice?

Herr Janda retires and leaves Katharina (or Sebastian) in charge of the Malá Strana Opera House, but how does he spend his retirement? What does he think of Katharina’s continued work after she’s discovered? He’s a composer, himself, so I want to explore the compositions he works on, later in life. Maybe he’s quite inspired by Katharina both in terms of technique and ideas for music to compose in her honour.

Magdalena’s husband, Bartolomeǰ, runs a bookshop, and this is how they meet. He’s a big fan of Katharina’s music, and gets to know a lot of his regular customers. What are their stories? Who are his friends? What do they think of Magdalena? What do they think of Katharina?

Wait, OK, back to the main story

If you’re a fan of time-jumps, then a) Violins and Violets might be right up your street because it has a massive one, and b) this is probably a good and useful step for you. If not, maybe not. But ask what happens in the time-jump and then write about it. What stories can you tell about the space in between one part of your story and the other?

I want to explore Katharina's life in Salzburg, her friendship with Johann, Wilhlem, Lulu and her family, and her reconciliation with her parents after so many years apart. They're not angry at her, nor she at them, but things aren’t perfect between them, especially while they’re grieving Hans, and I want to look at that.

Something I just now remembered

Do you ever get deep down a rabbit hole, thinking about your story, and realise part of it you’d never thought about particularly deeply is actually very sad or very happy or makes you angry? Go into detail about it.

Magdalena and Bartolomeǰ never have any children born to them, but they're everyone’s Cool Aunt and Cool Uncle, and are basically extra parents to Evžen after Bartolomeǰ took him on as an apprentice.

Magdalena and Renée never lose touch after Renée leaves to marry, and Magdalena also stays in touch with Herr Benes, and they each eventually figure out the other is bi (Magdalena) and gay (Herr Benes), and have many fun letter exchanges not dissimilar to meetings in a Lesbian Crying Cupboard. I love their friendships and I want to dive into them more than I could from Katharina’s perspective alone. Imagine something like Lemony Snicket’s The Beatrice Letters, and you have some idea of the absolutely delicious format I’d want for this--because it wouldn’t be a traditional prose novel; it would be mostly epistolary, and for that, I need something a little different--all the letters bound together in a collection along with diary entries from the characters, ticket stubs from operas, playbills, pictures of gifts they send each other over the years, absolutely everything. A treasure trove and a mammoth project, but I am so entranced by this idea! The Baroque/Rococo aesthetic of the late 18th century is right up my street.

Wrap up story and finally get to the point/end of story

I’m, uh... not excellent at fully understanding the sentiment of instructions, but I feel less bad about (deliberately) misinterpreting this one, because I do so to have it mean “create an epilogue/a sequel”. Write down any ideas you have to that end.

Lulu’s children all grow up to follow careers in music. Hanna becomes an opera singer following help from Katharina and Magdalena to get her into a Conservatory in Berlin. Minna becomes a highly renowned composer (arguably a successor to Katharina), and Theo... well, I’m not exactly sure what he does, but that’s the point. I don’t have to know just yet. All I need to know is that I want to find out.

After grieving Johann, Wilhelm finds happiness and new love. Perhaps he brings his new partner to Prague, or perhaps he meets him there. That’s something I want to explore, as is...

...Herr Benes’ return to Prague with his boyfriend, meeting Wilhelm and his boyfriend (boyfriends for everyone. In this house we write gay joy or we write nothing (or we write angst)). Maybe there follow some nice rag-tag-band-of-elders adventures (quite literally a band, too, since they’ll all be musicians) and/or shenanigans. Do they all--with Katharina and Magdalena, of course--go on a fun trip to Salzburg and Eggwald together? That would be rather lovely. Some kind of Best Exotic Marigold Hotel story. Happiness.

Too many details/lose train of thought

Now’s your chance to get away from the main story! Ah, the guilty pleasure of AUs. Ah, the even more fun version of AU-related guilty pleasure where you get to write AUs of your very own novel! Go on. You deserve it, because you wrote a whole novel and you’ve read it at least as many times as you’ve drafted it... but you still want more content. You want to see how these characters that you love will cope in different worlds, different situations, different everything. Go for it. And if you have any details about the far-flung prelude or coda to the story (music terminology drop? Who’s that? I don’t know her), get into those, too. You know the ones I mean. The ones where you discuss the impact of the storyline on people centuries later, or get into the creation story of the world your characters live in.

I was fool enough to start thinking about a Vampire!AU of Violins and Violets before I had finished the first draft of the actual book. But that’s going on this list, because I have already written a slightly-related one-shot, Daughter, and I certainly don’t plan for that to be the only thing I ever make for it.

Violins and Violets and Varsity - a high school AU I’ve been thinking about since December 2018 - drawing on my experiences playing Swing Band and Pit Band in secondary school. It would be set in the UK, though, and characters would have more Anglophone-sounding names. I have some ideas for this written down somewhere in my computer, but, for now, I’m just going to leave you with the names, because I’m not certain I’m super happy about the current premise for the plot.

Katharina - Kate

Magdalena - Maddie

Hans - Henry

Bartolomeǰ - Bart

Renée - Rena

Going back to the dark academia mentioned earlier, I think it could be interesting to explore--not a modern AU, but in the modern day--how people now would look back on the lives of the characters from Violins and Violets had they really existed. I grew up not far from Reading, where an original handwritten manuscript of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was found in a charity shop in 2011, and I want to take that idea and run so, so far with it. I adore dark academia, as my followers will know, and it seems like a perfect chance to combine my knowledge of Music History and Music Theory with my current studies of Sociolinguistics. Here’s what I’m thinking:

Music History students team up with Sociolinguistics students to study the letters exchanged between the characters and coming to realise that everyone involved was a big and lovely Queer Disaster in some way or other, and that Katharina and Magdalena, as Johann and Wilhelm, were in love. And then all the students fall in love, too, because dark academia plus romance is my downfall (hence my current WIP, She Has No Name).

Steps I missed out of this process, I missed out because I couldn’t think of ways to relate them to my storyline. Those are:

What was I talking about?

Realise I’ve been talking too long.

Apologise.

If you can think of ideas to go along with those steps (although I’m hesitant to encourage anyone to apologise for what they write), too, go for it, and please let me know! I love hearing about everything you write! Now I dare you to have a go at this process for planning expansions of your story.

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char-writes · 6 years ago

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Tag Game: 11/11/11

If I’m not mistaken, I was tagged back by @hyba for this game. Thank you very much!

1. Write down the name of the book that is currently nearest to you. Written on the Body by Jeanette Witherson! I had to read it for one of my classes here and I loved the writing style. I’ve been rereading it in hopes that I can try my own take on the writing style in one of my current writing projects.

2. What’s the last song you listened to? Oh man, you’re here to expose me, haha. Okay, so, the last song I listened to was “You Should See Me In A Crown” by Billie Eilish. I didn’t want to fall into that hole but, yesterday, one of my friends was playing the song in her car and it sounded cool so I had to check it out. And I actually think a few of her songs might actually end up on some character/wip playlists!

3. What’s the last video you watched on Youtube? The video for billie eilish’s you should see me in a crown song haha

4. Biggest pet peeve? I’ve recently figured out that it’s noise. But only when I’m working on something. Like, if someone is tapping on their desk during a test or if I’m writing but can hear someone whispering on the other side of the room, it’s going to bother me to no end. I think it’s because I get easily distracted.

5. When was the last time you finished writing a story? Yikes. Uh... February 28, apparently. I write fanfic so that’s the day I posted the last chapter to one of my fics, haha.

6. Other than being a writer, what would you like to be? A journalist!!! I write for a local newspaper and it is so much better than I could have ever expected it to be. It gives me the chance to write, talk to cool people, do cool things, learn new stuff, AND the news desk is full of great people. I’d love to be able to continue that.

7. Have you ever published a story, poem, or book? Um, I have two self-published books on Amazon but I did that right after high school so they’re not good and I’m not really proud of them. One of them was really pretentious and the other is a poetry book that is typical nineteen year old angst and extravagance.

8. What characterizes writing style? Internal monologue, I think. I love a good introspective paragraph or two. I also really like metaphors and the more obscure they are, the better.

9. Have you ever considered writing children’s books - or, generally, books for any other age group? It’s crossed my mind a bit but I don’t think it’s ever been a serious thought. Maybe after I get these out there, I’ll look into other stuff!

10. What’s the worst job you’ve ever had? (if not applicable: What job would you hate to have?) Oh my god. I used to work at McDonald’s and you don’t want to know how bad that was. Like, I was at the height of my anxiety at the time and the managers were awful and pretty mean. And it was during high school, too, so, yeah, anxiety. I would feel physically sick before each shift because I knew I’d have to talk to so many people throughout the day. And there was never any real training. I was just kinda tossed into the deep end and was too scared to ever ask for help. It was a vicious cycle of anxiety. Anxiety kept me from asking for help and then I messed up; messing up led to anxiety attacks as soon as I got home. Like, tight chest, can’t breathe, might cry kind of anxiety attacks. It was awful.

11. Has a book or a story ever made you cry? If so, which one(s)? SO MANY but the first to come to mind is this series by Libba Bray, the Gemma Doyle Trilogy. It’s a fantastic series and one of my absolute favorites and the last book broke me. I was on vacation with my family reading it in the car and I was just torn apart. I won’t get into spoilers but, basically, there are deaths and my absolute favorite character was a victim. I was destroyed. And it was also middle school (or maybe even grade school) so you know I had the little kid confusion of but how could the author get away with that????

And now I plan character deaths for my books so we could probably all blame Libba Bray for that when the time comes.

BONUS QUESTION: Books that have made you laugh out loud or grin the whole time? Aww, I don’t think I read many books that are that light-hearted! I’m more in the camp of wanting angst and dark emotions! OH! And there’s also this book called The Name of This Book is Secret by, get this, Pseudonymous Bosch. It has this Lemony Snicket vibe to it but it’s not quite so perilous in the story. I don’t remember if it made me laugh out loud or anything but the voice was definitely really fun. It’s part of a series and I really loved it back in middle school.

It’s late here and I don’t have much time to figure out a list of questions. Do the ones I did, it’s a great list!

Tagging a few people from my activity/recent followers. Feel free to ignore!

@minusfractions @scribbling-salmon @athiefswarwriteblr @drown-in-lava-choke-on-rubies @dreamstormdragon @greenwood-writes and anyone else!

#rambles #tagged

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butcanijustnot · 6 years ago

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Another Get to Know Me Tag

I’m procrastinating like a motherfucker right now because I’ve got ToTL and other fanfics to work on and three essays I’ve gotta write for school and my brain is just going ‘No! None of that! Something else!’ so I’m doing a tag challenge to get my head back in the game.

I wasn’t tagged by anyone, I just felt like doing it. I’ll tag @idontgiveaflyinggrayson69 because I thought you might like this but no pressure because it's a long one and IDK if you’d want to answer it all.

1. What is your full name?

I don’t give my name out online, but my online name is Crystal. If I had to pick a last name for my online persona, I’d probably pick Kyle or Celestial. Both of them are equally stupid and ridiculous, but they're last names of some of my favorite OC’s throughout the years and I’d love to have either one.

2. What is your nickname?

Cry. My partner says its morbid but I think its cute. I also like Criss but for the love of god, please don't call me Crissy (or Crissie or however the hell you want to spell it) because it makes me feel like a five-year-old or a pet dog.

3. What is your zodiac sign?

Sagittarius.

4. What is your favorite book series?

A Series Of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. I could name every reason why I liked it in painful detail but I’m just going to go with ‘Lemony Snicket wrote them really well’

5. Do you believe in aliens or ghosts?

I believe in aliens and I don’t NOT believe in ghosts. I’m not one of those people who think that aliens walk amongst us or even that aliens have ever visited earth but there are too many planets and possible combination of planetary environments for us to believe we are alone in the universe.

6. Who is your favorite author?

Either Tiu T or Lemony Snicket.

7. What is your favorite radio station?

Don't have one. I don’t listen to a lot of radio because it requires A) a radio or B) a car. I have neither.

8. What is your favorite flavor of anything?

Strawberry. I freakin LOVE strawberry.

9. What word would you use often to describe something great or wonderful?

Valid. Beautiful. Awe-inspiring. Pure. Rad. I have a lot of positive words.

10. What is your current favorite song?

The soundtrack to Spiderman: Into The Spiderverse. I thought I was over it by now. I was wrong.

11. What is your favorite word?

Omnipotence.

12. What was the last song you listened to?

Castle On the Hill by Ed Sheran.

13. What TV show would you recommend for everybody to watch?

Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Digestible funny humor, excellent representation of characters throughout the cast. Kickass bisexual lady is the best character, don’t @ me.

14. What is your favorite movie to watch when you’re feeling down?

The Lego Batman Movie or Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse. They’re good films that never fails to make me happy.

“Don’t tell me how to parent my kid I just met!”

‘Play dumb.’ “Who’s Moralis?” ‘Not that dumb!’

15. Do you play video games?

Assassins Creed Origins. It’s beautiful, The main characters great and the story is wonderful. I always come back to it whenever I leave. I must have completed it three times over by now.

16. What is your biggest fear?

Confrontation. Deep water. Spiders. Heights. Meeting new people. Making phone calls. I have many fears.

17. What is your best quality, in your opinion?

I’m a very good listener and loyal to a fault. I’m quiet and I love doing housework (dishes and vacuuming and all that good shit) so I’m a great roommate.

18. What is your worst quality, in your opinion?

I’m terrified of conflict and never want to argue with people. I’m a chronic pushover. I’ve lost count of the number of times that I’ve told my partner “I don’t want to be an inconvenience.”

19. Do you like cats or dogs better?

Dogs. I love both animals, but dogs like me better so I like them better.

20. What is your favorite season?

Autumn. Autumn in Australia is absolutely beautiful and the mildest of all the Australian seasons.

21. Are you in a relationship?

Yep. I gots myself a lil lady! I’m in a potentially polygamous, currently monogamous, asexual-bisexual lesbian relationship. Come June, we will have been together for three years!!! Yay us!!!

22. What is something you miss from your childhood?

Nothing. My childhood was entirely forgettable.

23. Who is your best friend?

My Partner, if that counts. She’s amazing and I love and trust her with my life.

24. What is your eye color?

Hazel, leaning on the brown side.

25. What is your hair color?

The top part is brunette, my natural hair colour, and the bottom half is a reddy-orange-almost-blond colour. I’ll probs redye it to be a better shade of red. I want a more Natasha Romanoff sort of colour.

26. Who is someone you love?

Other than my family and partner, not really anyone. Telling someone that I love them is incredibly personal for me so I don’t do it very often. @idontgiveaflyinggrayson69 comes pretty fucking close though.

27. Who is someone you trust?

Either @idontgiveaflyinggrayson69 or my one friend who reads my fanfics for me. they are both pretty cool people who I feel comfortable enough to share my writing with, which is a big deal for me.

28. Who is someone you think about often?

My glorious partner.

29. Are you currently excited about/for something?

Avengers: Endgame. I mean, I’m terrified but I’m excited.

30. What is your biggest obsession?

Marvel. Marvel comic. Marvel movies. Don’t care, just make it Marvel.

31. What was your favorite TV show as a child?

Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. It was good honest fun and got me into Marvel at a really young age. My favourite characters were Black Panther and vision, and to this day I’m not sure why.

32. Who of the opposite gender can you tell anything to, if anyone?

My fanfic reading friend I mentioned earlier.

33. Are you superstitious?

Yeah, kinda. I don’t go out of my way but I also don’t walk under ladders on principle.

34. Do you have any unusual phobias?

I have a lot of fears and phobias but the most unusual one is dipsophobia. I have a fear of being drunk and not in control of my own actions. I don’t really have a fear of drinking itself but the being drunk is absolutely heartstopping terrifying for me.

35. Do you prefer to be in front of the camera or behind it?

I like being behind the camera, writing the scripts for videos and movies that the media and drama students at my school make. Its fun watching your stories come to life around you.

36. What is your favorite hobby?

Writing stories.

37. What was the last book you read?

Othello but William Shakespeare. It was earlier today for school.

38. What was the last movie you watched?

Doctor Strange.

39. What musical instruments do you play, if any?

None. I used to play the violin, guitar, and piano but I stopped.

40. What is your favorite animal?

The snow leopard.

41. What are your top 5 favorite Tumblr blogs that you follow?

Only got one that I can think of off the top of my head and its @idontgiveaflyinggrayson69

42. What superpower do you wish you had?

The ability to change into any animal at will.

43. When and where do you feel most at peace?

Not sure. I’m kinda always an anxious fuck.

44. What makes you smile?

Seeing a message from a friend for no reason. It warms my heart.

45. What sports do you play, if any?

I’m a kickboxer.

46. What is your favorite drink?

ICED TEA IS THE GOOOOOOD SHIT

47. When was the last time you wrote a hand-written letter or note to somebody?

For my partners last birthday I wrote her a book with each page having a thing I loved about her on it. That was about a month ago.

48. Are you afraid of heights?

Yes but not of flying in planes. It’s strange!

49. What is your biggest pet peeve?

People explaining things to me like I’m an idiot or treating me like a five-year-old. This especially happens when I tell people about my cognitive issues and they start assuming I need assistance with every stupid thing. No, If I need support, I will ASK for it. Your not my knight in shining armor, you’re just an annoying prick.

50. Have you ever been to a concert?

I wish but no. I’ve been to a couple of musicals though.

51. Are you vegan/vegetarian?

Nope.

52. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to make drone and tech but I fucking suck at making stuff so I went the way of English instead.

53. What fictional world would you like to live in?

The MCU. I died in the snap according to that one website but I still wanna be there.

54. What is something you worry about?

The people that I love being annoyed by me constantly being around them and needing so much emotional support and wanting me to leave them alone.

55. Are you scared of the dark?

Not particularly.

56. Do you like to sing?

I love singing. Shame I fucking suck at it.

57. Have you ever skipped school?

Yes and No. I’ve skipped classes in school, but never a whole day’s worth of school other than for doctor’s or dentists appointments.

58. What is your favorite place on the planet?

Don’t have one. Haven’t been in enough places to truly have a favorite.

59. Where would you like to live?

I’d love to go live in Europe for a while but permanently I’m fine living in Australia. We don’t have much gun violence and the cost of living is pretty low so I’m happy.

60. Do you have any pets?

Yes. I have a dog named Jack, a Border Collie- Australian Cattle Dog cross.

61. Are you more of an early bird or a night owl?

Night owl 100%. I work so much better at night.

62. Do you like sunrises or sunsets better?

Sunsets.

63. Do you know how to drive?

Nope. Never learned. Never had the money. Never had the time.

64. Do you prefer earbuds or headphones?

Headphones. They won’t fall off if you’re running.

65. Have you ever had braces?

No. I need them though. My teeth are awful.

66. What is your favorite genre of music?

Probably movie scores and soundtracks.

67. Who is your hero?

Anyone who fights for someone else's rights is a hero to me.

68. Do you read comic books?

YES.

69. What makes you the most angry?

All sorts of little things. Being demeaned is probably my biggest one. I don’t like being looked down upon.

70. Do you prefer to read on an electronic device or with a real book?

Electronic device. It helps with my attention issues.

71. What is your favorite subject in school?

English Lit. I would say Accounting but technically I’m not in the class. I just chill out in there during my free. It's awesome.

72. Do you have any siblings?

Yes. I have a half-brother that I’ve never met and a step-sister I can’t get rid of.

73. What was the last thing you bought?

A bunch of candy and drinks.

74. How tall are you?

Somewhere between 5′3 and 5′4. Not sure exactly because I haven’t measured myself in a while but it's about that.

75. Can you cook?

Not to save my life.

76. What are three things that you love?

My writing

My family, friends, partner and pets.

Generally chilling out and listening to music.

77. What are three things that you hate?

Being demeaned and told I’m not good enough.

Sexist/racist/homophobic people

78. Do you have more female friends or more male friends?

I mostly have male friends as I’ve had bad experiences with female friends in the past. That being said, I have had two female friends in the past couple of years. One worked out and one really, REALLY didn’t. However, my partners’ a woman and I love her to bits.

79. What is your sexual orientation?

I’m about as Bisexual as they come.

80. Where do you currently live?

Australia!

81. Who was the last person you texted?

I have a Snpachat group with my friend and his boyfriend and me and my girlfriend, which is called the “HA, GAAAAAAY” group chat. My last message was on that.

82. When was the last time you cried?

This morning. In the car. While thinking about my future.

83. Who is your favorite YouTuber?

Danny Gonzalas.

84. Do you like to take selfies?

Not really, by myself I hate it, but with my friends, yeah.

85. What is your favorite app?

Social media app is either Snapchat or Tumblr.

86. What is your relationship with your parent(s) like?

Varies greatly depending on the day. Some days It’s amazing and other days it's awful.

87. What is your favorite foreign accent?

French and Spanish.

88. What is a place that you’ve never been to, but you want to visit?

Rome, Italy or Paris, France.

89. What is your favorite number?

8 or 13.

90. Can you juggle?

No. I’m not coordinated enough. My friends can though.

91. Are you religious?

I mean I’m baptized Anglican and I go to a Catholic school but personally, I practice no religion and lean towards Agnosticism.

92. Do you find outer space of the deep ocean to be more interesting?

Space. The ocean is terrifying and I hate it.

93. Do you consider yourself to be a daredevil?

HAHAHAHA LOL NO

94. Are you allergic to anything?

Strawberries (but I eat them anyway), dust, cut grass, and other assorted minor things.

95. Can you curl your tongue?

Si.

96. Can you wiggle your ears?

No.

97. How often do you admit that you were wrong about something?

I'm stubborn as hell but when I’m wrong, I’m wrong (*cough* Puffins *cough*) and I’ll admit it. I’ll argue but I’ll admit it.

98. Do you prefer the forest or the beach?

My aesthetic is the forest but not an Australian forest because there are way too many spiders.

99. What is your favorite piece of advice that anyone has ever given you?

If you’re not going to remember it in 5 years, It’s not worth stressing about.

100. Are you a good liar?

Sometimes.

101. What is your Hogwarts House?

Ravenclaw.

102. Do you talk to yourself?

Oh, of course, all the time. I’m the only one who understands my crazy ideas and characters.

103. Are you an introvert or an extrovert?

I’m very introverted.

104. Do you keep a journal/diary?

Nope.

105. Do you believe in second chances?

For lesser offenses, sure, but for stuff like Rape, Abuse, Murder, and genocide, No. They made there bed and now they sleep in it.

106. If you found a wallet full of money on the ground, what would you do?

I’ve done that before, twice. The first time I opened it and saw that there was a student ID for a local school, so I handed it into my school (It was closer) and they called that school and returned it to the kid. The second time I opened it and saw a teacher ID for MY school and recognized the guy as my old DnT teacher, so I called the school and got him to call me. He arranged to have it picked up and I gave it back. Both times I didn’t think about taking anything from it because it just seemed wrong.

107. Do you believe that people are capable of change?

I believe people can make mistakes and change for the better, but I also think they have to prove it. Actions really do speak louder than words. I also think its reasonable that if you’ve wronged someone, they have the right to reject your company/ friendship even if you’ve changed. You broke their trust once and its reasonable for them to question whether to trust you again.

108. Are you ticklish?

Extremely.

109. Have you ever been on a plane?

Yes, quite a lot actually. My father lives in England so I’ve done Australia to England trip about 9 times. That’s a twenty-four-hour trip so its daunting but seeing him is worth it.

110. Do you have any piercings?

No. I had my ears pierced but I forgot to put earrings in after kickboxing one day and they closed over. I haven’t bothered to get them re-pierced since.

111. What fictional character do you wish was real?

Steve Rogers. I want him to fight Donald Trump.

112. Do you have any tattoos?

Nope. Always been scared that it will hurt too much. My step-sisters got a bunch and my mother’s got one and they all tell me conflicting stories about how painful it is. Plus, If I got a tattoo, I’d want it to be something memorable and special to me and as of right now I haven’t found anything that is that special for me.

113. What is the best decision that you’ve made in your life so far?

Leaving an abusive relationship.

114. Do you believe in karma?

I do but its more of a loose definition of Karma. I believe that if you do good things, good things will happen to you and vise versa. I know it’s not always true, sometimes awful things happen to good people and sometimes the worst of humanity get high honors and great experiences.

115. Do you wear glasses or contacts?

Yeah. I’m severely short-sighted so I need to wear glasses every day. I’ve thought about wearing contact lenses, but don’t like the idea of voluntarily sticking stuff in my own eyes.

116. Do you want children?

Yes and no. I’m open to the idea of having children but I don’t like the idea of actually giving birth. I’d like to adopt or foster children later in life when I settle down and have stability.

117. Who is the smartest person you know?

There’s this kid who when to high school with me who got a 98.6 ATAR, which was the highest of my grade that year. He was super smart, hacked things for fun and was the kinda kid that wrote assignments the day before and still got A’s. It was ridiculous.

118. What is your most embarrassing memory?

Nothing comes to mind presently. I’ll have to get back to you guys on that one.

119. Have you ever pulled an all-nighter?

Yes, quite a lot actually. I have two modes. Sleep is for the weak and I could sleep for a week.

120. What color are most of your clothes?

Dark blue or black with some sort of superhero logo on the front. Blue jeans.

121. Do you like adventures?

Not particularly. The comfort zone is aptly named and I see no real reason to do anything stupid or dangerous just for the sake of it. I’ll explore new places but I’m not going bungee jumping or deep-sea diving.

122. Have you ever been on TV?

Yes. I was on a news in a segment covering the steampunk festival, middle of last year. I looked like a wreck because I’d been standing in the Australian sun for hours but it was so much fun doing the interview.

123. How old are you?

18.

124. What is your favorite quote?

If you love something, set it free. If it comes back to you, then it’s yours. If it doesn’t, then it never was.

125. Do you prefer sweet or savory foods?

Sweet foods. Desserts and sweets are a lifeline of mine.

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paladin-andric · 6 years ago

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Get to Know the Writer

Tagged by @emberris! Thank you very much, and apologies for the delay!

Rules: Answer ten questions, write ten questions, and tag ten people

My questions to answer:

1. Do you listen to anything while writing? What is it?

A lot of stuff! Mostly atmospheric pieces without lyrics. Lyrics really throw me off while I’m writing, I end up mixing up what I want to write down with words from the song. Because of that, I mostly stick with things like background music from videogames. The tracks from Civilization 4 and 5 are good easy listening, along with stuff like the Fable and Oblivion soundtracks.

2. What’s the longest you’ve worked on a single WIP?

Uh, well I had a story I started writing back in high school. I finished it about a year ago so nearly a decade. I wasn’t satisfied with it, though.

3. Are there any authors who have inspired you? Who are they?

“Lemony Snicket” and Diane Duane. A Series of Unfortunate Events and the Young Wizards series were my two favorite book series as a kid. I really loved them.

4. What’s your favorite thing about your WIP(s)?

The universe it leaves me with! The longer I’ve spent on lore, characters and history, the more and more invested I get in the world of Deaco! You’ve got all these different creatures, lizard and birdmen, monsters and dragons, all so different and unique. All the different climates, kingdoms and races with such lengthy histories leave many, many stories to be told! I’m beginning to want to make a book of short stories set in the same universe...

5. If you had to choose a secondary character from a WIP to have their own book, who would it be and why?

The adventures of Razorwing certainly has potential! His history as a wandering hero could lead to a lot of interesting plots. On the other hand, Andric’s career as a paladin is really long and accomplished. He’s undergone so many trails and tribulations that there’s plenty of fate-of-the-world scenarios I could put him in. Andric is a pillar of dogged resolve while Razorwing is a playful and dramatic character, so both of them would be interesting to see more of.

6. Why did you start writing? What do you like about it?

To be honest? I couldn’t draw. In high school all my friends were drawing characters and scenes and stuff (one of my friends is so good he’s becoming an artist, actually!), but I never evolved past stickmen. So I just wrote. Then I realized it was a lot of fun to create your own story and read it over. It was like getting to read a book, but the plot and characters all went in the directions YOU wanted. Oh god, I still have some excerpts of unfinished stories from freshman year in high school...it’s like The Hindenburg on paper.

7. Is being a writer a gift or a curse?

Is saying both a cop out? I feel like saying both is a cop out. I’ll say gift. It’s a skill, one that some people never fully get to develop. Also, just knowing that you’ve brought something to life, have worlds and characters and stories you created all by yourself...it’s nice.

8. When you develop characters, do you know who they are before you start writing, or do you let them grow as you go?

I know who they are. The plot is what I improvise as I go along, but characters are different. I generally start with a concept. A soldier, a priest or a fisherman. Then I decide more about them. Sex, homeland, family, age, personality and name. Finally I think about specific events that have happened to them that have in some way shaped or define who they are. Razorwing’s abusive relationship shows his optimism and strength, his ability to bounce back and not let bad things that happen to him sour his view on others and the world in general. Leianna’s active resistance against the crown and the exile shows her passion and fiery temperament, while Lexius’ passive resistance shows his less confrontational nature, simply trying his best to protect his friend Rascal. Beasts are a bit different. Dragons generally don’t have a “profession” in the way most people do. When I’m making a dragon, the fact they are a dragon is the first decision, of course. After that is scale color, personality, sex, name and finally their role. While dragons don’t have jobs, they certainaly have roles they settle into. A self-proclaimed guardian or lord of a human city, a traveling seeker of magic and knowledge, a cave dwelling observer who lives on the fringes of society, or tyrants and killers who terrorize the land they inhabit. It’s a lot of fun to work through all the dynamics of these different characters, and how they interact and react to the world and each other.

9. Which of your characters do you relate the most to? Why?

Probably Lexius. He’s just an ordinary priest in an extraordinary situation. He’s nowhere near prepared to brave the demon-infested streets of Palethorn, but he does it anyway, because it’s the right thing to do. He takes the situation seriously, very seriously, because he knows he’s already outmatched, and one slip up could mean his death. I imagine this would be what it would be like to be in this story. There’s all these veteran knights, holy warriors, heroes and champions, and then you just have this guy way in over his head. His average-ness is relatable on its own.

10. Are there any systems you use to organize your work?

Hardly. I’m a damn mess, I just write whatever I think is a good idea at the time. I keep everything on google docs though, so least I have a place dedicated to my work.

My questions for you:

1. What’s your favorite genre? Why?

2. What kind of research do you do for your stories and characters? How extensive is it?

3. Do you pull inspiration from real life places, cultures and religion when creating settings and characters? What about naming conventions?

4. What kind of world do you enjoy the most as a setting: Utopias, dystopias, or something in between? How pessimistic or idealistic is the setting and its people?

5. What kind of messages or morals do you put into your work?

6. Do you main characters tend to be underpowered or overpowered for the task at hand? Are they strong, but their challenges extreme? How do they match up against the ordinary people of the world?

7. What are your favorite positive traits and flaws?

8. One day you wake up and find yourself in the world of your current WIP. Do you stay or try to find a way home? Why? Are there some things you’d like to do before you went back home, if that’s what you wanted?

9. How extensive is the history of your world? Events, famous people and old leaders? Time periods?

10. How do your emotions, at the time of writing, influence what you write, for better or worse? If you had a rotten day, are your characters in for a bad one as well?

I’m always excited to learn more about other writers and their ideas and approach to their craft, so I hope I get to see some responses! Of course, if you don’t want to, that’s fine too. Tagging:

@paper-shield-and-wooden-sword, @lady-redshield-writes, @elliewritesfantasy, @erinpensdragons, @zwergis-spilledink, @oceanwriter, @gettingitwrite, @homesteadhorner

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writeinspiration · 7 years ago

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suggestions for a young writer? im 15 and i just started seriously writing about a year ago~ since then I've written mostly poetry but I really write other stuff like short stories or plays too! but i always have trouble making my ideas ideas into something and just deciding how or what i want to write. and i get so worried that i lose motivation! i think that i first want to tackle trying to make characters/a simple short story. advice, tips, or tricks? thank youuu!

Hi! I’m glad you’re ready to get started! Beingeager about writing is the best. Writing a poem is a lot like writing a shortstory, so you’re on the right track. Good writing is precise and almost lyrical.

It can be really difficult to maintain motivation.Most people will advise you to write every day, which is good advice, but it’sjust not always feasible. The more you write, the better you will get!

Personally, titles and concepts and characters areall equally likely to get me started on a project. A cool title might pop up inmy head, and then I develop what story and characters go with it. Or I’ll havea concept that I’ll develop and label. Other times, I start with a characterand figure out who they are and what they do.

Here’s my most popular post regarding charactercreation: https://writeinspiration.tumblr.com/post/158687382194/how-do-you-create-characters-or-do-they-come-find

Keeping motivated can be really difficult whenyou’re unsure of your capabilities as a writer. But the more you wait to putyour ideas to the page, the harder it will be to pick things back up. Onceyou’ve gone a week without writing, one more day seems like nothing. One moreweek, one more month… where does it stop?

I’ve seen people suggest leaving off in the middleof a sentence. When you do that, you are setting up for success. You alreadyknow exactly how that sentence will end and where it will lead. So once you sitdown with it again, you can hit the middle of the sentence without staring at atotally blank page.

I have a lot of different posts and tags that mayhelp you out!

Writer’s block and depression (1), and again (2), and some pick-me-ups (3)

First drafts don’t have to be good.

Write a whole bunch of crappy sentences if that’s what it takesto get a good one.

Don’t let it get you down. Just get it done.

Your big ideas are worth pursuing.

This post in particular will likely resonate with you and how you feel right now: https://writeinspiration.tumblr.com/post/132168477614/ive-been-trying-to-write-for-years-unfortunately (full text included at the very, very bottom of this post)

More below the “Keep reading” line!

Important links:

Big projects on the way!!

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Useful tags:

https://writeinspiration.tumblr.com/search/young– stuff relating to young writers and characters

https://writeinspiration.tumblr.com/search/inspiration– inspiration

https://writeinspiration.tumblr.com/search/motivation– motivation

https://writeinspiration.tumblr.com/tagged/depression– depression

https://writeinspiration.tumblr.com/search/characters– everything relating to characters

https://writeinspiration.tumblr.com/search/writing+prompt

https://writeinspiration.tumblr.com/search/prompt

https://writeinspiration.tumblr.com/search/rapid+prompt

– writing prompts

Specific posts that address some of your concerns:

https://writeinspiration.tumblr.com/post/144610505447/if-you-see-a-need-fill-it– If you see a need, fill it.

https://writeinspiration.tumblr.com/post/152075979524/fuckyeahyoungadultlit-tachycardiia– diversity in YA lit

https://writeinspiration.tumblr.com/post/132168477614/ive-been-trying-to-write-for-years-unfortunately– starting to write

https://writeinspiration.tumblr.com/post/131428782622/cliches-in-ya-romance– clichés in YA romance

https://writeinspiration.tumblr.com/post/131034862609/lizardpeopledearreader-honestly-if-stephanie– There’s always someone worse.

https://writeinspiration.tumblr.com/post/104205593649/jetpack-johnny-rose-for-a-tenner-actually– Curiosity is important.

https://writeinspiration.tumblr.com/post/23740953643/setting– starting with setting

https://writeinspiration.tumblr.com/post/151665809147/learning-the-essentials-of-plotting-your-novel– plotting

https://writeinspiration.tumblr.com/post/149405245039/i-have-an-insanely-bad-time-writing-dialogue-any– dialogue

https://writeinspiration.tumblr.com/post/169191903744/behind-me-is-infinite-power-before-me-is-endless– possibilities

https://writeinspiration.tumblr.com/post/167418537238/startledoctopus-ronibravo-i-started-writing– any reason to start writing is a good reason

https://writeinspiration.tumblr.com/post/96119396642/cranky-crustaceans-pupukachoo– Pixar’s rules for storytelling

30THNOVEMBER 2013

QUOTE REBLOGGEDFROM BLOTS& PLOTS WITH 105,191 NOTES

Young writers should read books past bedtime andwrite things down in notebooks when they are supposed to be doing somethingelse.

— Lemony Snicket (via blotsandplots)

14THDECEMBER 2012

The question for each man to settle is not what hewould do if he had means, time, influence and educational advantages; thequestion is what he will do with the things he has. The moment a young manceases to dream or to bemoan his lack of opportunities and resolutely looks hisconditions in the face, and resolves to change them, he lays the corner-stoneof a solid and honorable success.

— Hamilton Wright Mabie

7THNOVEMBER 2017

PHOTO REBLOGGEDFROM FIXYOUR WRITING HABITS WITH 2,493 NOTES

[Image transcript:The Rules of Writing

1: Write crappy first drafts.2: Words don’t bleed. Cut them.3: Write now. Edit later.4: There are NO mistakes–only creative opportunities.5. Don’t think. Just write.6: Rules? There are rules?]

Starting to write:

https://writeinspiration.tumblr.com/post/132168477614/ive-been-trying-to-write-for-years-unfortunately

deathtotheselfie asked:I’ve been trying to write for years. Unfortunately I’m very young and theschooling I’ve received on writing is nothing like I what I write about. I’monly 14 now, but little phrases and ideas bounce around in my head. Howeverwhen I write I feel like it’s not good or mature enough because of my lack ofexperience. I can’t tend to think of original plots as I’m just surrounded inother people’s work. Do you have any advice on plot development? And do youthink I should continue trying to write?

Hi! Your question makes me quite sad. If you liketo write, then you should pursue it. It’s that simple.

School doesn’t help much in terms of creativewriting. Over the summer, when I was little, my mom would make my sister and mewrite short stories. It kept me in the habit of writing even when school wasn’tin session.

(Wanna know a secret? I often got stuck halfwaythrough my story, so I’d coerce my sister into showing me hers. Then I wouldwrite the same events but in my own words. I did this for quite a while onesummer. Maybe two.)

Not only does school keep you ridiculously busy,but it also doesn’t like teaching creative stuff much either, because math andscience are deemed as more important than anything related to the arts.

All those negative voices banging around in yourhead along with all the good ideas you have? You need to learn to silence them.Those things are what you are being trained to think.

Here’s what nobody seems to know about writing:you have to start somewhere. No one starts off as an amazing writer.

People expect writers to have this magical well ofintuition, but honestly, it just comes from practice.

You know that thing about practicing 10,000 hoursin order to become a master at something? It applies to writing, too.

Writers write.

You need to watch and write things down–what youobserve can be the basis for characters or plot or whatever. Eavesdrop on astranger’s phone conversation to get a peek into other people’s lives. Sit on abench in the mall and watch people go by.

Do you know how babies learn? They observe otherpeople doing things and then try to mimic them.

I don’t mean that fledgling writers are babies, ofcourse, but I mean that you can get your best work by reading other people’swork.

Figure out what you like to read, what you don’t liketo read. And then ask yourself WHY.

What is it about that book you hated? Was it thecharacters? The plot? The slow story-telling?

What did you love about that one book? How did itmake you feel? What parts made you feel that way?

I was in middle school when I began reading a Series of Unfortunate Events (I’m25, for comparison’s sake). Do you know what my writing sounded like while Iwas reading those? Lemony Snicket. It wasn’t on purpose, but that’s just whathappened. (Also for comparison’s sake, I now have had a short story publishedin an actual anthology and completed a 60-page poetry collection as my creativethesis, as well as a book that I’m trying to get published.)

The more you read, the more you gain. If you readenough books, then you’ll have influences from all over that create a uniquewriter: you.

You are the sum of everything you have ever reador seen or thought about.

Yes, you’re a teenager. But that doesn’t stop youfrom observing the world and teaching yourself to understand other writers’work.

If you want to write something but are worriedthat it sounds too much like somebody else, then figure out why it sounds thatway. Is it just you that thinks it sounds that way? Or do other people tell youthat as well? Find out what it is that makes it sound like that. Is it thenarration? The plot? The themes?

Regardless of your answers, you are able to makeit unique to you.

You are a writer, and whatever you write will beyours and yours alone.

As far as plot development goes, I find thatoutlining helps. I don’t always keep to the outline, but askingyourself “Then what happens?” after each event that you write down is thebest thing you can do for yourself.

A plot is a series of events. If you know whathappens naturally after something, then you write that down. It also helps ifyou understand WHY something happens.

She goes to the mall.

Then what happens?

She ends up going home and crying in her room.

Why? What caused this? What physical actionscaused her to want to leave the mall? What mental actions occurred because ofthe physical actions?

She runs into someone she used to be best friendswith, and they get into a fight. This makes her feel disappointed in her friendbut also unsure of herself because she doesn’t know what she has done to makeher friend act that way. She places the blame on herself instead of on herformer friend. This is because she has been told growing up that everything isher fault and that her younger brother can’t do anything wrong.

See what I mean? And it’s okay to ask yourselfwhat you would do in that situation. But your characters are not you. Theyprobably won’t react like you would. And that’s okay and important.

As I told my students last year, ask yourself WHYand HOW after each sentence, after each paragraph, after each plot point, aftereach whatever. It will keep your story going until it reaches its naturalconclusion.

Okay, this ended up being way, way longer than Iintended it to be, haha. But I’m completely serious and obviously verypassionate about this. And I can say way more on the subject at the drop of ahat, so if you have any more questions, then just give me a shout. :)

Best of luck. And don’t stop writing.

I mean it. :)

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nihterne · 7 years ago

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Get to Know Me!

I was tagged by @queenofreylo01 Thanks for tagging me!

Rules: Anwser these questions and tag 20 blogs you want to get to know better.

Nickname: Vanny, Nessa, Rooney, Vanilla, among others.

Gender: Female

Star sign: Leo

Height: 4′11 (LOL)

Time: 10:00 PM

Birthday: August 13

Favourite bands: Crywolf, Kye Kye, EDEN, Dawn Golden, Koda, Pvris, A Winged Victory for the Sullen

Favourite solo artists: Olafur Arnalds, Loreena McKennitt, Lord Huron, Jami Sieber

Song stuck in my head: I Already See It by Kye Kye

Last movie I watched: The Last Jedi (last night)

Last show I watched: The Ancient Magus’ Bride

When I created this blog: Early last year, I think. I wasn’t as active as I am now.

What I post: My art, Reylo stuff, other’s art, tutorials, as well as Ancient Magus’ Bride things.

Last thing I googled: Adam Driver’s face. For artistic purposes, of course..

Do I get asks? Occasionally! I’d always accept more, I am annoyingly open about most things.

Why did I choose my URL? I started off as Blackbirdhaggard, because I like alliterations and interesting adjectives, but the name was too long for most website usernames, so I changed it to Nihterne (I pronounce it as Nye-Turn) because I needed something across multiple platforms that wasn’t taken. It is an Old English word that means “for a night” which is poetic, I think :)

Following blogs: 378

Followers: 1,291 ... nice

Favourite colours: dark blues, greys, black, deep red, forest green, and gold.

Average hours of sleep: Maybe 5-7 hours typically

Lucky number: 813

Instruments: I used to play the violin as a child.

What I am wearing: PJs! Unless I am in public, it is always safe to assume I am in pajamas.

How many blankets I sleep with: Two blankets and about three/four pillows to fit me on my tiny twin bed. I make it work.

Dream job: I think it’d be interesting to be a graphic novelist, or an illustrator for books (children’s or otherwise) My biggest inspiration growing up was Brett Helquist who illustrated Lemony Snicket’s popular series.

Dream trip: Ireland, Scotland, Japan, Canada, pretty much anywhere outside of USA. Can’t say I’d want to come back.

Favourite food: That’s a loaded question which I refuse to answer because it is frankly impossible to narrow down for me.

Nationality: From the USA.

Favourite song right now: It will probably be Windswept by Crywolf, because wow, I can’t always feel emotions on a daily basis, but when I hear that song I feel like I’ve lost the most tragic love ever known to mankind.

Languages I speak: English. I know a handful of German words from High School, but never was able to form a sentence.

I tag: (I can’t think of 20 blogs) @matt-i-guess @julianna-jottings @nerdalicos @terapid @straightouttajakku12 @quietdreamcatcher @roselinath and anyone else who wants to join is absolutely welcome.

#get to know me #personal #get to know me meme #stuff about me #nihterne

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panticwritten · 7 years ago

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10 Questions from Breakeven2007

Haha, thanks for the tag @breakeven2007, I’m always a slut for answering questions.

Since I forgot to put the rules on the post last time I got tagged, I’ll go ahead and do that this time. Basically, if you’re tagged, you answer the questions your tagger left at the bottom of the post, then you tag some other folks and leave your own questions at the bottom for the next people to answer!

I’ll do this under the break again.

1. What OC makes you want to tear your hair out and why?

Okay, when it come to writing a character, like getting the writing down when I’m writing them, it would probably be Jay. They spend so much time locked away in their lab that they talk to their androids more than they even see other people. They have shaky morals and I always want to write them as being better than they are.

With the way characters act and general ‘what are you doing?’ tearing my hair out, I’d say it’s Sawyer. Because most of my writing is daydreams and I’m writing the things that happened in my daydream, I write with the knowledge of how much those decisions fucked me over. Sometimes I wish I could go back and whisper in my past-self’s ear saying “NO!”

Retrospect is 20/20 and I hate it.

2. Do you like going back and reading old writing or looking at old drawings? Why or why not?

Oh my god, yes. To a point. I love reading 2014-onward writing. Before that, there are things I should just let die. I have a completed Johnny the Homicidal Maniac/”Gory Demise” by Creature Feature fanfic in the depths of my DA, for Christ’s sake.

The worst part is, on my particularly nostalgic days, I have thought about rewriting that ;^;

But I like looking back and seeing how far I’ve come in my writing. I like seeing how different projects change the way that I write. If I read my god-awful writing for 2010, I can actually start to believe it when people tell me my writing is good. Because no matter how many flaws it might have, It’s better than it was. That’s all that matters in the end.

3. Have you ever had a daydream so long and extensive you actually have to catch yourself before writing all that shit down because it was good.

HA yes.

I’d like to say that all of my daydreams that I end up writing are like that, but I know that isn’t true. I waited about a month before I started writing Breaking Furnace, and it took one of my friends asking questions about what in my daydreams was bothering to get me to write Sequence of Regrettable Happenings. I started writing Trollhunter’s: Subverted a few says after the daydream started, but I wish I’d started sooner. So many little details were lost from the first couple days.

The daydream sequence that brought Journey to the Center of Our Mind around is what I’m thinking of for this one. So much just started happening at once and I started writing it as soon as I could tear myself away from the actual daydream.’

On a vaguely related note, the beginning plot for Savior Destroy came out of an actual dream, and so did Damien, one of the paras/characters I have.

4. What is the hardest genre for you to write?

I’m not sure if this actually counts as a genre, but the hardest thing for me to write is physical fights. I’ve never experienced an actual fight, and I have a hard time balancing pacing, action, emotion, all of that stuff.

5. How often do you pull all-nighters (if you do)?

I don’t really pull all-nighters, but I come close a lot. I normally go into staying up past 2am expecting to stay up the whole night because I used to all the time. I never do, though, because I get tired and can’t function. I’m already so tired all the time, I have a hard time when I reach the middle point between normal levels and the I’ve-been-awake-for-36-hours-I’ve -never-felt-so-alive high. I miss the manic feeling of staying up the whole night, but it’s probably not a bad thing that I can’t seem to get there anymore.

I normally just end up making bad decisions lmAO

6. Is your writing better with or without sufficient sleep?

Without. I do good writing between like 8pm and 6am which is why I try to stay up so often, even if I know I’ll fail.

7. Do you have a favorite fandom? If so, why?

Favorite fandom, not really. If I stay on the very surface of fandoms, they’re fine but most of the time if I go any deeper I just end up getting uncomfortable so I tend to not delve. I probably like what I’ve seen of the Dragon Age fandom the most, though. Particularly DA2 because I will fight on my stance that DA2 is the best game in the series.

I just like things. I like the things and I especially like it when I watch/read/listen to things without my brain deciding to give me another 500,000 page-worth daydream to obsess over. Can I just be a casual fan for once in my goddamn life please.

8. What book would you recommend to anyone who asked, regardless of personal taste? (Doesn’t have to be your favorite.)

The Belgariad and The Mallorean. It’s actually two five-book series, but they are everything to me. It’s a fantasy series by David Eddings (and his wife, Leigh Eddings, though she wasn’t credited until much later), and it’s a wonderful coming of age story.

The Belgariad is really focused, most of the characters (except for the protag of course) know roughly what they need to do and who the bad guys are and where they need to go.

The Mallorean delves a lot deeper into the particulars of war. That even the ‘bad guys’ aren’t necessarily evil or irredeemable. There’s a lot more confusion, mystery, and the unknown plays a big part in how the story plays out and the decisions the characters make.

They’re Good Books.

9. Is there an author that you can’t stand? And conversely, one that’s on your auto-read list? Why?

I think I’ve answered a question similar to this on this blog. I haven’t really found an author that I hate, partially because if I start a book and can’t get through it I tend to forget that it and its author exists. Mostly, though, it’s because of how writing grows and a writer can do terrible work in one genre and be great in another. For example, I don’t really like most of James Patterson’s work because the way he writes crime fiction is a little too much for me. I love his YA modern fantasy/science fiction writing, though! Maximum Ride and (okay god I can’t remember what the series was called, like ‘W’ or something, it’s about witches) were genuinely enjoyable, even if they have some big continuation and plot issues that come along with the past pace at which authors like JP write.

I’d say that I want to read every piece of writing that Daniel Handler has ever created as Lemony Snicket. The voice in his work is SO GOOD and fun to read. I’ve been reading TSOUE to my sister and I’m noticing more and more that went completely over my head when I first read it in middle school. Some jokes that are more relatable now that I’m older, and I fully appreciate how terrifying Count Olaf is as a villain. I’m also in the process of reading ATWQ, which takes place in the childhood of Lemony and his first mission as an apprentice in the VFD.

10. If you were a published author, would you support fanfiction of your work? (This is tumblr so I kinda assume so, but some people wouldn’t want someone to “mangle” their work, if you will.) Would you support complete crack ships or ships that you didn’t agree with canonically?

This is kind of a double edged sword, to be completely honest. Since, even in the works I could publish, the main character is a version of myself from my daydreams, fanfiction could be a little weird for me to read.

But, like, fanfiction?? And fanart????? Of something I wrote?? That would be awesome. It would be cool to see how people see my characters, even if they completely fuck up the actual characterization. There is only one noncanon ship that I wouldn’t just say ‘oh, okay, not what I had in mind but fine.’ I wouldn’t ask people not to write it because you know write what you want, but Sawyer and Dominic is something that doesn’t sit well with me.

And that’s a wrap!

I’ll go ahead and tag @cadewrites @itstheenglishkid and @alextriestowritestuff

Okay, here are my questions for you!

1. Do you have any pets? How about your OCs?

2. How do you beat writer’s block?

3. Where do you draw most of your inspiration from?

4. How do you and your OCs feel about pineapple on pizza?

5. If you had to choose a fictional universe to live in, which one would it be?

6. Would you get along with your OCs if you met them in person?

7. Which of your OCs would burn a house down or overreact in a similar way if they even thought they saw a spider?

8. What’s your favorite time of day to write?

9. Have you ever written an AU of your own work?

10. Have you ever written a scene so emotionally charged that it hurt you upon rereading it?

A fun story relating vaguely to question 7. Once, I was drawing during the summer with the window open. A dragonfly zoomed in as I was about to close the window and go to sleep, so I abandoned my room in terror, screaming, and slept in the living room instead.

I’m not even scared of dragonflies?? They just don’t belong in my room.

#tag game #questions #this was fun #story time

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