#which is why my multi chapter fanfics never get finished

[wehangout]

Shameless DVD Commentary

The wonderful @i-think-you-mean-reduction asked for a DVD commentary on Suncatcher! This was the first time I'd read it since finishing, so that was a lot of fun, too! This whole thing got away on me, so hit that read more if you want to read more 💜 as usual, thanks to @callivich for starting this awesome idea!

Which fanfic is your DVD commentary about?

Suncatcher!

Give us some stats - (when you wrote it, word count, how long it took to finish, is it a one-shot/multi-chapter, etc)

Okay, I started posting this in March of 2022, which leads me to believe I started writing it in 2021 (I'm on a borrowed laptop, so can't check). It took some time to finish because ~real life~ and word count hits 58,592.

What was the initial inspiration for your story?

Oooh, okay. This post. If you don't want to click, it's a text post saying "au where thief!cas tries to ride dean's dick and keep track of when his flashdrive is done stealing the contents of dean's computer at the same time". Obviously, that kind of scene never happened in Suncatcher, but vibes, you know?

If the story is written from a character’s POV, why did you choose this character?

Mostly Mickey because almost everything I write is Mickey pov. But I did experiment with this by writing those 3rd person Ian snippets, and literally the only reason for it is so the reader could be there for that moment of realisation when Ian figures it all out.

What was your favourite scene to write?

I don't know that I have one, but I really enjoyed the scene where Mickey asks Ian to come to Mexico. Getting to write them being soft, even just for a minute, was nice. And literally any of their flirty banter was fun to write lol.

How did you come up with the title?

I feel like this doesn't need an explanation, lol. I will say, though, I had three other titles in mind. I had "Denouement", "Encontrar", and "Atrapasol". Encontrar means "to find" in Spanish (because I knew it would end with them in Mexico), while "Atrapasol" means "suncatcher". At least, according to Google translate lmao.

Are there any little moments or references you hope readers will notice?

I did a reread in order to write this commentary, so, please, have a list of moments, foreshadowing, and references.

* Mickey's nautical-themed sleeve! “Sailing? Nah, man. I just really like pirates.” Get it? Because he's a thief? And pirates steal shit? Literally no one caught onto that haha * “Uh … growing up the way I did, I’m probably better at the B&E itself rather than tryin’ to solve it.” -- Mickey literally says this in the first chapter lmao * His mind doesn’t go over every detail of the North Side burglaries and he doesn’t obsess over the thief committing them. No thief. Just a bartender. Just Mickey. -- Um, hello? * “Never gonna give that up, are we?” “Never gonna live it down.” “Those aren’t the lyrics.” “Okay, lyric police.” -- 27 Dresses, thank you * Ahh, Mickey's blowjob tattoo. The amount of erotic tattoo designs I looked at for this, but nothing was right. Until Mitch 💜 * He snorts. “Clearly you don’t know many writers.” “I don’t. Should I?” “No. They’re the worst.” -- I'm dying 😂 * Well, this really has turned into a commentary, huh? Apologies. * "A little dry, to be honest." Chapter 3 and 9. Did anyone catch that?

Was there anything you struggled to write? If so, how did you overcome this?

The last two chapters. Life completely turned upside-down on me and I couldn't write a thing. Zero motivation, infinity depression. Then, at the beginning of this year ... I dunno. I don't know what happened, but suddenly I was writing again and I haven't stopped yet.

Favourite line in the story?

“Catch me if you can, motherfucker.”

“Two, I give you the keys to the cuffs and leave. But first I suck your dick until you come down my throat.”

“I’ll give you what you want, Red, you just have to decide what you want more; the thief, or his mouth?”

“I didn’t do anything,” he whispers. “You did everything, Ian.”

“Interesting,” he says. “I was already half in love with you by then.” 😭

“I’m gonna fuck you now. You know that, right?” You groan and drop your head. “You might just break my fucking heart if you don’t, Gallagher.”

“So long as that lover is you, Gallagher.”

Did the storyline change in any way as you wrote the story?

Yeah, but only chapters 9 and 10. Initially I was going to write Ian having a depressive episode and Mickey talking to him about everything while he was down, but I hated the idea. I didn't want it to seem like Mickey/the thief was the cause of his episode, and I also didn't want to use it as a tool. The idea changed into a possible attack on Ian, but that still wasn't working for me. So, instead, you got the scene with Mickey handcuffed and Ian asking questions. I switched the vulnerability around and made it way more fun.

If you are writing a particular trope or genre, was it your first time writing this?

Nah. A little crime with my romance is my go-to lol

What are you most proud about in the story? (plot, characterisation, dialogue, twist/cliffhanger, etc)

Finishing it. Kidding. Kinda. Not really.

Actually, though, the dialogue and banter is pretty good. It reads very natural, so I'm proud of that.

Are there any deleted scenes that didn’t make it to the final story?

Only what I mentioned above. I wrote the attack on Ian, Mickey sitting with him in hospital ... it wasn't good.

Are there any ‘behind the scenes’ info you’d like to share - e.g. what’s going on in a characters head in a certain scene or how you came to write a certain line?

Oh, the moment where Ian finds the camera and leaves it. He'd just heard Mickey tell him that he stopped watching before things got interesting, and that's what he's thinking about as he puts the camera back down with a smirk. About Mickey not stopping just as things get interesting. I had thought about writing it, too. A scene where Mickey doesn't close the laptop, working consent into it and Ian putting on a fucking show

Reading back the story now, is there anything you’d change or add?

I don't think so. I'm pretty happy with most of it.

Would you ever write a sequel to this story?

Kinda did. Wouldn't be opposed to doing more. All the cream pie banter I'm rereading is def giving me inspo for if I write more of them oops

Are there any ‘easter eggs’ in your story - e.g. references to other stories you’ve written, a trope you often use etc?

I think I mentioned this in the commentary for Thicker Than Forget, but Jim Morrison/The Doors lyrics. I don't know, man, it just works for me haha.

Also the name thing - Gallagher/Ian/baby and Mickey/Mick.

There's also the line "It’s gone from bartender and customer having a bit of fun flirting and teasing, to silk sheets and Nine Inch Nails pounding through the speakers." - The NIN might be a reference to Help Me (Tear Down My Reasons) 😏 iykyk

Were you nervous or excited to post this story?

Excited. Probably more excited to post ch2, though, just for the reaction to Mickey being the thief haha

Did you have a beta or a friend who helped you as you wrote?

@whaticameherefor always 💜

Ask your followers to pick a snippet (no more than 500 words) and share your thoughts about it.

@i-think-you-mean-reduction asked for the scene where Ian asks Mickey on a date which I've pasted below.

A couple of notes on it:

The Riverwalk Cocktail Festival is a real thing in Chicago

I put a stupid amount of research into finding them the perfect date and this just fits.

Reading it back, I love that the Mickey doesn't think of the thief or anything to do with that shit once during this conversation. It's just two guys who like each other, and one's asking the other out on a date. It's just happy.

I think Mickey was so surprised that Ian was asking him out that everything he said and felt and thought was genuine. He even has a moment of "Fucking finally" that he doesn't mean to say, but 100% means.

I'm sad they never did it.

“Just my gut.” He pauses. Smiles. “Speaking of … in the interest of trusting my gut with my personal life as well as my professional life, have you heard of the Riverwalk Cocktail Festival next month?” Your heart skips a beat. Yeah, you’re heard of the fucking festival, and you can’t believe Ian’s doing this. “I’ve been a few times,” you tell him. “Sandy and I go under the pretence of work, and then get shit-faced.” “Okay, so do you maybe wanna go again?” He fingers go back to the coaster, but again he keeps eye contact. “But, you know, with me instead of Sandy.” There’s nothing romantic about the Riverwalk Cocktail Festival unless you go to the Riverwalk Cocktail Festival with romantic intentions. If you go with a date then it’s stupidly fucking romantic and you and Sandy used to talk shit about those assholes every chance you got, but … But the idea of being one of those couples, of going with Ian and having it be romantic … it makes you sick to your stomach how much you like the idea. “You askin’ me on a date, Gallagher?” He stares at you, eyes wide and honest. “Yeah.” “Fuckin’ finally.” You don’t mean to say it. You think it and you mean it, but you don’t mean to say it. Ian’s smile, though, makes the slip worth it. “So that’s a yes?” “Yeah.” “Good.” He smiles. Fucking beams. “Because I’ve already bought tickets, so I would’ve been kinda fucked if you’d said no.” “You already bought tickets?” “Some might call it presumptuous; I call it optimistic.” You shake your head. “Ian, man, those tickets are expensive as fuck –” “Doesn’t matter.” “Matters. At least let me pay you back for mine.” You already know he won’t let you pay for both of them. “Not a chance. This is me trusting my gut, asking you out, and feeling really good about it.” A smile pulls at the corner of your mouth. “Oh yeah?” “Yeah.” He smiles right back. “You wanna pull me out of that good feeling, the one I get when you agree to go on a date with me, by bringing up my money woes? Or do you wanna talk about our date and agree upon matching outfits?” “You better be fucking joking.”

Anything else you’d like the readers to know about the story?

So, as mentioned above there was a good chunk of time where nothing was updated. If you were someone who left a kudos or a comment or messaged me on here during that time, or even continued reading when I finally updated, please know it meant a lot.

[voiidvagabond]

For the fandom asks - 1, 14, 15? Xx

Woo, hello! I didn't know which list you wanted, so you get a TRIPLE ATTACK! >:3

end of the year asks

1. favorite fic you wrote this year. I'll go by what I've posted, and I did post a lot! I'm so proud of myself :3 One fic I keep going back to and re-reading because it just gives me giddy giggles is "Better Without the Poison" which is a DS9 fics and a little on the darker side hehe.

14. a fic you didn’t expect to write. I had no idea that I would get sucked so completely into Dead Boy Detectives and end up with my most popular fic to date, "Like Knives Clattering to the Ground", which is also up there for my favorite fic.

15. something you learned this year. I got well-acquainted with the delicate balance of writing/finishing fics and doing my coursework for uni. I'm not sure why, but this term it was much harder for me to stop writing fic and work on my graded stuff ����

author asks

1. How long have you been writing fanfic? I have been writing fic since 2016! I've been posting on AO3 since 2017. Almost a decade :D It's been such an amazing time and it has helped fuel my creative endeavors in all modalities and in original works as well.

14. What's the average word count of all of your published fics? I went and did the math with my stats page just now! My average count is 5,737 words. That's a pretty interesting number, because I often think of myself as a longer fic writer. I suppose the number is skewed though, because I have some illustrations that have 0 words.

15. Do you prefer writing one-shots or multi-chapter fics? This is a difficult question. I feel like the answer should be multi-chapter but statistically I think I have more one-shots? I feel like I prefer one- or two-shots but sometimes I have trouble keeping my ideas short and I end up with longer fics than I intend. It really depends on the story, though. I bend to the whims of the story and format accordingly.

more fic writer asks

1. the last sentence you wrote. A sketchbook, three different models of comms, a loose diamond credit card, a tangle of multicolored wires, and a wide black box fell out.

14. where do you get your inspiration? The world! It's a cheesy answer, but it is the truth! Often I get inspired by moments in a respective fandom's canon but I do a lot of AU work and divergence so much of that will come from experience or some random strike of "Oh! That's what I want to say!" I'm fascinated by what characters will do if I put them in situations that they've never been in, be it physically, emotionally, or mentally. So if I'm reading something or I see something in life that clicks, it goes in the ideas bin. I also enjoy exploring disabilities, disorders, and variations on the human condition. Much of my recent work has included some facet of that which ties into my love for research. I also have a myriad of playlists for different fandoms/pairings/AUs that I can set to play if I need a jumpstart.

15. favorite weather for writing. Ideally, I love an overcast or rainy day because it's a perfect excuse to sit inside and write. I also love a day that's far too cold to be outside in but has that crisp, bright sunlight. I sit next to a window and get the slightly warmer sunlight on me while I type away! But let's be real, any weather is my favorite weather for writing if the inspiration is there!

ask me stuff!

[sunriseverse]

sorry this is not a writing q but it's honestly so fun to see your fanfic vent posts!! i just finished reading this extremely popular fic that ppl have made multiple artworks for, and the writing is mid ... (admittedly i am very picky) like too many italics too much telling and redundancy etc. like yes fanfic is a labour of love etc and i'm never going to be a hater where the author could see but goddd. this is made more infuriating by the recent posts about ppl only looking for fic through kudos/hits like you guys are missing out on so much good fic!!

anyway i want to make an edit of the sometimes things that are expensive are worse meme except it's sometimes fics that have more kudos are worse. except it feels too mean lol

if you can count on one thing it’s me not holding back my haterism :salute:

anyway, that’s part of why i do it! for so long i was someone who let my thoughts simmer away and fester beneath my ribs, and all it did was make me frustrated and lonely and miserable. i can fully admit that my tastes are very very picky in comparison to other peoples’, but it stems from a frustration towards the trends that have been around for ages—why should i force myself to praise something that i find to be, at best, middling, and at worst, straight up bad? who does that serve? fandom shouldn’t be a place where a single opinion dominates—that’s a recipe for some very, very unhealthy dynamics. i would much rather enjoy what i enjoy and complain about what i don’t—as long as i’m not directing these complaints in a space where the authors (or fans) are guaranteed to see it (their comments section, their inbox, etc), i’m not only not hurting anyone, i’m acting in a way i wish i had seen more people act when i was younger. and anything that i feel is “too mean” to post on my blog goes into my friends’ dms—truly, nothing is more freeing than having someone let you be a right bastard.

as for the kudos/hits thing—it frankly feels like an annoying outgrowth of people trying to categorise fanfic the way tv shows are; if it doesn’t get above x ratings, no one wants to watch it, because it’s no good! except that’s not true—the only thing hits and kudos tell you is 1. how well connected the author is in the fandom, and how well they cater to popular tastes, and 2. how many times people click onto the work, for any reason, which, when it comes to massive multi chapter fics that are heralded as The Fandom Standard, can be massively overblown. in the end, you’ll be happier reading things that speak to you (via tag, summary, title, friendly recommendation, etc) than following the opinions of the fandom.

(i could go on a whole ramble about why i think so much fanfic (or at least, POPULAR fanfic) is badly written (in terms of characterisation especially) but i think that would be hitting a hornet’s nest with a bat and inviting people to go “well how come YOUR opinion is the right one???” lol)

[pinkgrapefloyd]

fic author q&a

tagged by @zannolin <3 tysm!

why do you write fanfic?

i love everything about it. i love how immediate it is. i can just click post and people can see it. i love when people tell me their favorite part in the comments. i love having 100% creative control. i love having no deadlines. i love shouting something i'm proud of into the void and then getting a reply from somewhere halfway across the world in a mutual second language. i love building community with strangers over things we both love. it's the best.

which of your posted stories do you think of the most even though the story is "finished"?

probably there's daggers in men's smiles because that one has the biggest piece of my soul in it. i also think of anti-hero a lot but i'm still working on the sequel so I don't count it as "finished".

if you could give yourself fic advice from when you first started writing fic, what would that advice be?

if it's a multi-chapter, get to the 90-95% mark before you start posting. not only does this increase the likelihood of you actually finishing it and ending up with a completed story you're proud of, you'll also end up with a better final product because you can go back and edit earlier chapters once the later chapters are taking form and make the themes more cohesive.

what's your relationship to fic stats?

i like em. i used to track them obsessively when I was younger but honestly i have neither the time nor the motivation for that anymore. but it's nice to see a number and picture actual people. 25 kudos is abstract to me, i don't care about that. but realizing that 25 people looked at a project and went "nice. thanks for letting me read it" is wild to me. makes me really happy.

is there a pairing or scenario or friendship that you miss writing? if so, why? if not, why not?

yes and no. i used to read so much fanfic and write almost none, and now it's pretty much the opposite. so there isn't really a lot of content i'm "no longer writing" because there wasn't much for me to abandon in the first place. steve/bucky was my bread and butter ten years ago (how is the winter soldier ten years old already? wtf?) and i don't really see myself returning there, but i keep finding similar vibes in my newer projects and i'm really happy about that.

what motivates you to write?

i don't know how to stop. it's how i deal with being a person. wish i had a smart inspirational answer but that's what it is. it just happens. if i'm bored or sad or happy or tired or nervous, i write.

why do you write for the fandom(s) you write for?

i haven't fully understood why i write for some of my fandoms but not others. there's a lot of media that i adore and have never written a single word for (hannibal, the x files, ofmd, discworld...). often it's specifically the idea of "this character trait / this dynamic feels underutilized, I want to explore it further". cobra kai is a yarn drawer of messy but compelling character arcs that often go nowhere, and i like untangling the potential of them. star trek is comforting and it's good soil for planting angst, hope and humor plus an ensemble cast.

if you're stuck writing a WIP, what do you do?

work on a different one. i have so many and i'm always obsessed with at least one of them. sooner or later i'll have an idea for one of the older ones and then that's back on the menu again. i never force myself to work on something specific.

what do you wish people knew about comments?

a long unhinged comment is the key to my heart (as @zannolin who tagged me in this knows all too well), but i love each and every one so much. i love comments that are just a chain of emojis, comments that say nothing except 'how dare you', comments that dive into themes and metaphors. i love comments that tell me my fic made them laugh out loud, made them stay up too late, made them tell a non-fandom friend about it. there are so many different types of comments that make up the tapestry of a fun community, so please don't assume that there's a right way to leave a comment and the author will be disappointed or upset if you do it "wrong". i'm always worried my comments are not as funny / intelligent / memorable / observant as other people's comments and i hope i can take that fear away from other readers!

(also i try my best to reply fast but sometimes it takes a bit and i'm sorry! it doesn't mean i don't love your comment!)

maybe there's a question you wish had been on here. what's that question (and answer)? -> what are some writing challenges you're personally looking forward to?

writing more funny miscommunication and seeing how far I can push it. scenes that are set in darkness so I don't rely too much on describing visuals. maybe a mystery one day when i feel up for doing something plot-heavy.

tagging @vimesbootstheory @dykesynthezoid @russolaw @ficusin and @blinkasaurus and anyone else who wants to participate <3

thank you @zannolin for tagging me! love that i can always count on you to be just as unhinged about tdims as i am

[sunnyyflowerrs]

Fanfic Writer Interview ✍️

hii rinnn @uriekukistan tysm for the tag!! <33

tagging anyone who wants to join in!

How many works do you have on AO3?

currently i have 10

Your top 5 stories by kudos/likes:

1. fire extinguishers work just fine (https://archiveofourown.org/works/57077986/chapters/145164676)

2. five times the first years thought their sensei had a girlfriend + one time they figured it out (https://archiveofourown.org/works/56900434)

3. makes the heart grow fonder (https://archiveofourown.org/works/56275984)

4. copy cat (https://archiveofourown.org/works/58328917)

5. is it gay if our pinkies are intertwined? (https://archiveofourown.org/works/59123413/chapters/150748261)

(sorry for the ugly links tumblr was fighting me and i was Losing.)

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

yes i do!! or at least i try to as much as i can, ive been bludgeoned to near death by school recently, but normally im good about it. i always always always appreciate comments and love to yap abt my fics (can you tell) and appreciate the time it took for someone to drop a comment so i love responding!! im slacking rnnn but trust imma get to that soon 🙏

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

ok im allergic to sad endings so i think the “angstiest” ending ive got is in makes the heart grow fonder. which is technically just canon jjk ending so

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

ngl, all of them 💀 they all end with itafushi together and in love and like no deaths so like what is happier??

i guess i would say copy cat has the happiest ending just bc they are not in jjk verse and their families and friends are all alive and not traumatized or whatever yk

Do you write crossovers?

no i never have! i probably wouldn’t bc it seems like a lot to juggle and i only really have jjk brainrot, but maybe i would write a fic of saiki k and gojo interacting bc that sounds hilarious

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

not yet, but that’s mostly bc i’m basic asf

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

no sir, i’m too shy and under qualified for that, i was literally shitting my pants trying to write a kiss scene 💀

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

nope! i … actually did not know that was a thing

Have you ever had a fic translated?

also no! that would be so cool tho

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

YES I HAVE!! me and my friend @kentuckyfriedmegumi wrote the fic is it gay if our pinkies are intertwined together!! i had a dumbass idea and tess enabled me, and after 9 months (3 weeks) we birthed a beautiful baby fic <3 it was so fun writing tgth, our styles melded so well and i was able to outsource the kiss scene to her lol

i love tess and her writing so it was so great to work with her!! i thought co writing would be much harder but with her it was so easy and i would to do it again!! and there are so many authors i would love to collab with as well <33

What’s your all-time favorite ship?

itafushi!!! as you can tell. my entire ao3 account is basically a shrine to them

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

i have this reallyyyy good idea for an itfs fic that’s set 10 years in the future after itafushi goes no contact, and they are forced to be teachers tgth at jujutsu tech (at like 27/28 ish) super slowburn, super intense, lotssss of tension.

but it would definitely have to be multi chapter and i lowk swore off of multi chapters for the foreseeable future since they kinda stress me out so, we’ll see. might happen wayyyyyyy later but not anytime soon.

What are your writing strengths?

i would say my biggest strength is threading canon into alternate universes. ig that’s super fanfic specific but it’s usually my favorite part of writing, seeing how i can interpret them in diff universes, it’s SO fun!

also i think im pretty decent at humor. or well, i make myself laugh and thats all that matters, right?

What are your writing weaknesses?

i think description. i tend to be veryyyy dialogue focused when i write, because i can see the scenes playing out in my head, but that means when i go and fill in description im like. struggling to find words.

i also think my pacing tends to be reallly fast when i don’t mean it to be (see above for why..) andddddd i mix tenses up so often it’s criminal. editing is a bitch.

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

hmmm i’m unfortunately monolingual. or technically i’m bilingual but in an obscure language my characters would never know so, prob no dialogue in other languages. i think it hits if done correctly though

What’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to?

LINK CLICK!! genuinely one of my favorite shows ever but i never got a chance to write for it. i kinda have a devious fic idea but ive been so swamped with school and use my writing time on jjk so i haven’t gotten the chance.

also i recently joined the link click gotcha for gaza so maybe that will kick start me into writing for them!!

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

oh wow this is hard. i think “think fast” is a really good contender, but i think my actual favorite fic is something that’s still in the works, hopefully to be released soon.

and if we’re talking my favorite fic to giggle to it’s def copy cat, one of my silliest i love it

[offorestsongs]

Hihi!!!

For Lysander: 4

For you: 🪶 - First longform/multi-chapter piece you've written

Thank you!!

hiiii thanks for the ask!! 🫶

4. First time experiencing grief

okay so. we're getting into some Lore TM! i don't think he had ever literally grieved anyone, because he just didn't had anyone close to him die. but! if we're talking in a more metaphorical sense! he was raised by his grandma and never knew his parents, but when he was little, he used to imagine them a lot and trying to come up with stories why he had never met them and it was all very nice and idealised (his grandma refused to even touch the topic so he just kinda allowed his mind to run) until he got older and learned (kind of on accident) that they basically abandoned him on purpose and in a way, he really had to take time to grieve all the "what ifs" he came up with and used to comfort himself with on worse days. it was... rough, especially since he didn't really have anyone to talk about it and it only made him feel more lonely and now he doesn't dare to dream about having anything nice for himself ever

First longform/multi-chapter piece you've written

oh my- see, i've been writing for so long, i honestly don't remember the first-first longform thing i've ever attempted to write, but i do rememeber the first multichapter thing i've finished writing. being the adhd bitch i am, it's super hard for me to finish any longform writing projects and i've only recently been learning how to impliment some routine and go about finishing things. but the first multichapter thing i've finished was way before that. and it was uhhhh,,,, a modern au fanfic for the adventure zone: balance that i wrote in a hyperfixation-induced haze sometime in early high school. im sure that fic and taz: balance in general (which was one of my biggest obsessions) sort of kickstarted my love for sibling angst. i've never published the fic because i'm insecure and only started sharing my writing pretty recently because of it </3 i don't think the story i wrote was super good, but i have a big soft spot for it, because it did touch on some themes that i still like and i remember that baby algy had a lot of fun with it! i support younger me having fun with silly things! also fun fact when the taz hyperfixation ran out, i was so attached to the fic i've written that i just kind of turned it into an original story lmao. i never finished writing the un-fanfictioned rewrite but every once in a while i try to do it again because the characters i came up with for it have been haunting!!! my!!! brain!!! even though it's been years djfjjgjdfjfj

[adozentothedawn]

Fic Wrap-Up Meme: 2024

I saw this and I actually did some writing again this year so hell yes, I'm doing it. Thank you @dragonologist-phd for the template! (Also anyone inspired feel free to consider yourselves tagged.)

FANDOMS: Rogue Trader (That was this year?? Damn), Pillars of Eternity, Dishonored. Just. So much Dishonored. 3 FANFICS WITH THE MOST KUDOS IN 2024 -

Magnetism (17)

It starts out small. The group of kids congregating around him as he shows off his skills. (Honestly this is kind of hilarious considering I wrote the entirety of it in 15 minutes on discord. I only posted on ao3 because people on tumblr seemed to like it so I thought why not, it works as a drabble.)

The Many Meetings of Death and Death (16)

Daud is a wreck. Corvo is a player avatar. Neither of them is happy about it. Well maybe the Outsider is. (Corvo is living the worst fucking groundhog day ever and Daud doesn't know but is confused. Also sometimes dead.)

From a Friend (13)

Corvo Attano, disgraced Royal Protector, has been in Coldridge for three months. Three months of enduring torture and his own all consuming guilt as he tries to simply stay alive. As the days are drowned in pain and anguish there is one thing he is forced to acknoweledge. Someone is sneaking him food. Hadria Granville meanwhile, ten years old and now abandoned at a foreign court, is terrified but determined to help. (The thing that jumpstarted my mildly manic Dishonored wiriting. I wrote this in 3 days which is insane considering my normal writing speed. But yeah man, Hadria just wanted to get involved i guess.)

The Words We Speak (13)

Corvo finds Jessamine's letter to Emily. (What it says on the tin. Corvo is just so fucking sad, man.)

FAVORITE OPENING LINE FROM A FIC IN 2024 -

I kinda have to go with "Daud is a Wreck." (The Many Meetings of Death and Death) considering that I used it 3 times for the chapter and will use it a fourth time before the year is over.

FAVORITE CLOSING LINE FROM A FIC IN 2024 -

Gonna nominate three for that actually, two depressing and one wholesome:

He never learns that the worst injury sustained by the Whalers is a broken ankle from falling out of a transversal when the bond breaks. - The Many Meetings of Death and Death chapter 3

The children slept, the adults did not, the warm fireplace threw flickering shadows on the wall, and for a while happiness reigned in Dunwall Tower. - The Height of Friendship

You have to succeed, so you don't care, you don't think, you don't feel, you simply stay silent and unseen, a shadow haunting the Tower, a ghost of past happiness who would suffocate the lies now living where your heart used to be. - The Words We Speak

FIC I’M MOST PROUD OF IN 2024 -

Man thats hard. I guess I'll say The Many Meetings of Death and Death? Mostly cause its a multi chapter fic and I am so close to actually finishing it, which is special for me. I do like the The Many Conquests of Daud though, I need to do more explicitely ace stories. I will defend this canonically ace character with my life, i need to fill this tag more.

NEW THINGS I HAVE TRIED IN 2024 -

Dishonored fanfic. Other than that like I said I finally started doing another proper multi chapter fic that I am not leaving out to dry like my poor Readceras children who have been waiting for like four years for an update, oops.

GOALS FOR 2025 -

I will continue writing Dishonored fic. Probably for 2 at this point then. Also I really need to write the second half of that two parter I started (They Had to Die) which I absolutely will do I'm just not sure if I can do it this year still. At latest in january I should be done, I was just bewitched by the existence of Daud.

I also, as stated, need to fill up the ace Daud tag, it is my holy calling, there's not nearly enough in there.

[ladyswillmart]

2024 Writing In Review

I went ahead and answered some of the questions in this post! Mostly just the ones I can actually answer. Here we go:

One.) How many fics have you worked on since January?

Uhh. Two. Maybe three if ya count the massive AU timeline? I wrote a few small fictiony posts too but I wouldn't call them fics.

Two.) What’s something new that you tried in a fic this year?

I wrote a multi-chapter fic and made a website for it. I liked designing the site and adding pictures, and most of all I like having my own space to put my stuff!

Three.) What piece of media inspired you the most? (This can be the fandom you wrote the most for, the one that spawned the most ideas, the one you thought about the most, etc.)

Actually I think I wrote/thought about LotRO the most this year. Moria was such a surprise for me, I ended up really enjoying that part of the game's story. Unfortunately I haven't been playing it lately since the last major update completely borked my UI and as of today it still hasn't been fixed…

Four.) How many fandom(s) did you write for this year?

I wrote for Ultima VII Pt. 2 and a tiny bit for LotRO and I think that was it! Surprisingly no FF14 despite having a new expac. It was fine, I just don't have much to say about it, fic-wise.

Five.) What ship(s) captured your heart?

I don't really do ships, sorry. 😛

Six.) What character(s) captured your heart?

Princess Zelda from Echoes of Wisdom. She is so adorable! What a cute game! I don't know why I've never tried writing Zelda fanfic honestly.

Seven.) Did you write for any new fandoms or ships this year?

Nah.

Eight.) What fic meant the most to you to write?

Probably Ancient History because it also got me to work on a couple other non-fic things (website, timeline, etc) that I'd wanted to do for a long time.

Nine.) What fic made you feel the happiest to work on?

The ethically dubious wizard-turned-chicken POV one I just finished drafting (Ultima VII Pt. 2 again). It was the first thing I'd written in several months, plus I just like writing from weird PoVs I guess.

Ten.) What fic was the most satisfying to finish writing?

The chicken one. Felt like scratching a very annoying itch!

Fifteen.) What was the hardest fic to title?

LOL I still haven't come up with a title for the chicken story.

Nineteen.) Share your favorite piece of dialogue

"A crowd, eh? Eh, look, Morty! Looks like the gang's all here!" the thief observed, warmly. "Hooray!" "Looks like the gang would have our guts for garters, Stefano," Mortegro replied through his teeth.

Twenty.) Share your funniest line

I feel like this isn't up for me to decide. 🤔

Twenty-One.) What's something that surprised you while you were working on a fic? Did it change the story?

While writing Ancient History, I ended up feeling kinda more sorry for the story's antagonist than anything (though make no mistake, he is still a complete blister). I think maybe it did change the timbre of his parts of the story a little bit? My notes on him looked like this:

Torrissio: He has a burning ambition to learn as much as he can about the Ophidian people… Partially to recover their lost magics, many of which are very potent and dangerous (and now banned by the UCoTL, ala Elissa's Time Prism spell). But also, he really is just THAT interested in Ophidian lore. This in itself is not a bad thing, but his single-minded desire to learn as much as he can leads him to behave ruthlessly in this regard. He does not care who he hurts so long as he gets what he wants in the end. That said, although he wants to collect all these terrible, evil spells, it's not so much that he has designs on using them to Take Over The World or what have you. He does not care what others think or expect of him, and he has no other ambitions beyond the pursuit of knowledge. He is thus rather apathetic towards civic matters. The only person whom he ever really cared about is Columna, who is now dead. His actions are tinged with grief; he is drinking a lot.

So yeah, he ended up being more pathetic than anything. I might like to write him a little more some day.

Twenty-Two.) What writing programs did you use? Did you write by hand?

I use Scrivener to organize files afterwards but I actually write fics out in Notepad++, in their intended HTML files with markup. Saves a lot of time in the end.

Twenty-Four.) Did you do anything special to celebrate finishing a fic?

Finishing the story is its own reward!! LOL

Twenty-Five.) How did you recharge between fics?

After finishing Ancient History, I barely wrote anything at all for months. It kinda burned me out I guess. I don't know if this counts as recharging. Mostly I just got really antsy about it!

Twenty-Six.) Did you create fanworks other than fic?

Yes! I made a very cool timeline for my Serpent Isle AU. I also fleshed out a new backstory for Sethys, and I wrote some LotRO posts and more Hivallion stuff.

Twenty-Eight.) If this were an awards show, who would you thank

Advil and coffee… The breakfast of champions!

Twenty-Nine.) What's left on your to-do list for 2024?

Not writing but I'm trying to finish some plastic canvas bird ornaments. I'm 2/3rds of the way there! I also MIGHT try to put my newer Ultima stuff up on AO3. Maaaaaaybe…

Thirty.) What would you like to write next year?

Maybe more Ultima fics? I set up my timeline specifically to accommodate one-shots (like the Chicken story) so I'd like to do more of those, I guess. On a related note, I'd also like to try to be kinder to myself.

[littlethingwithfeathers]

Fanfic writer interview

Tagged by the incomparable @hellofeanor. Thank you, lovely!

How many works do you have on AO3? 65 on AO3 and two... elsewhere. They're from when I was in high school. And it's soon to be 66 because I'm starting a new fic posting today! Oh btw you can find me here!

What’s your total AO3 word count? 946,231. I'm honestly really bummed that my new fic is only going to take me to ~990k.

Your top 5 stories by kudos/likes:

A Room for Rent in the First Estate: a Venom/Eddie/Darcy Lewis monsterfucker/journalism is fun fic. I'm honestly surprised this one is number one, but it is by a LONG margin.

Out for Stars: My Star Wars Reylo fic that's basically... an alternate ending for The Last Jedi (and ultimately alternate Rise of Skywalker).

The Rain'll Be Gone in the Morning: Some Darcy/Loki smut written as a birthday present for a friend that kinda grew legs and ended up with a second chapter.

Whither Must I Wander: Hannigram nonsense with a VERY sad ending because it was supposed to have a sequel that just... never got going properly.

The Closest I Ever Gave: More Hannigram nonsense... now with clothing and shaving kink.

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? I definitely try to but I'm awful about it. I will say this... if you want a response from me, asking me a question is a great way to get a response.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending? "Whither Must I Wander" far and away has the angstiest ending... again because I was going to do a sequel but that never happened. Also the ending for "The Crucible" (Hannibal/Abigail) because the ending stays in canon sooooo... Otherwise? I don't think I've really written much angst. Most of my drive to write is centered in "fixing" stuff... See "Out for Stars," "Intercalation," "My Love Loves Me," "Widow's Walk" etc.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending? Ooh........ I like a happy ending so unlike the angst-ending question, the stable of possibilities is very full. There's my do-over for the end of MCU Endgame at the end of my 200k word long Steve/Nat/Bucky series "Friendship is Unnecessary." The specific fic in the series is "The Girl in the Garden" There's my defect-and-escape fic where I rewrite the ending of the HBO series Chernobyl, "Intercalation." And there's my first fic on AO3... "Keep Doing the News" which was in anticipation of The Newsroom having a sad ending, but I published it anyway even though it didn't because dammit I put a lot of research into that one.

Do you write crossovers? Rarely. It does happen but not often. It's not really my thing.

Have you ever received hate on a fic? Very few times. The one that sticks out the most is on my Hannibal/Abigail fic, which the age stuff squicked a lot of people out. Which... fair. But it's not like it wasn't tagged so... why are you reading it?

Do you write smut? If so, what kind? It is the majority of what I write, yes.

Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not to my knowledge.

Have you ever had a fic translated? Yes! "Widow's Walk" got translated into Polish!

Have you ever co-written a fic before? Not as an adult, but in high school we would do it all the time. I'm too much of a fandom hermit to get involved with collabs.

What’s your all-time favorite ship? Whew... It's like picking a favorite child, because I'm a multi-shipper. Part of the fun of fanfic is getting to imagine all the different possibilities. Steve/Bucky and Steve/Nat are up there... Phil/Melinda in Agents of SHIELD... Hannigram as well... I can't pick.

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will? The sequel to "Whither Must I Wander." It would basically be a retelling of Silence of the Lambs. I had a lot of cool ideas... but I dunno. I just never got past the "batting the fic around like a cat with a piece of string" phase. And I have a few different ideas for how to wrap up the MCU Infinity Stone arc... and there's the Wanda/Vision fix-it I wanted to write but... I dunno. I could never make it go and now the story's moved on. Plus I'm not really watching the MCU anymore. And there's the sequel fic to the show "Newsroom" about the Ebola outbreak in the 20-teens. I did so much research on that one, but I was never sure how I wanted it to end... or more specifically what I wanted it to say at the end.

What are your writing strengths? I have a very good vocabulary and can give very concise descriptions that still say a lot. I wish words were physical and made of rock candy so I could crunch them in my teeth.

What are your writing weaknesses? Writing action and connecting material (like travel time). Editing usually fixes it, but I really struggle with it on the first draft and it's usually the last part I'm happy with... and even then never truly happy.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic? I don't mind it in others' work... especially if it's translated or obvious what's happening, or meant to be disorienting/an obstruction. I don't do it much at all outside of a pet name in another language or something small like that.

What’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to? Ooh. I'm... not sure. I keep thinking one day I'll write something for Astarion in BG3, but... eh? I've never felt the impulse beyond just wanting to pick him up and shake him and mash his wittle head. And I was very into the Gadreel/Sam pairing in Supernatural, but someone was writing a fic that was basically what I wanted so I never wrote for it. Shame they never finished... I can't really think of any others. If I'm fascinated by a pairing, I usually write it.

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written? Oh this is hard. "Friendship is Unnecessary" is over 200k words long and there's a LOT going on in that one... but I think it's a tossup between "Intercalation," my Chernobyl fix-it, which involved getting a literal nuclear physicist to help me write dialogue and teach me about nuclear science because I cannot halfass anything when it comes to complicated metaphors, or "A Room for Rent in the Fourth Estate" which is my Darcy/Eddie/Venom fic which involved a lot of socio-political research to get the setup. And that latter is easily my most popular fic in spite of the MUCH less popular ship. So... I'm proud of that.

Who else wants to participate? @3hobbitsinatrenchcoat @howdidyouallgetinmyroom @hexmeridian and anyone else who wants to participate!

[theawkwardanglophile]

20 questions for fic writers

Thank you to the wonderful @thisnightissparkling089 for tagging me!

1. How many works do you have on Ao3?

I have 21, and older fics on FF. My goal is to get everything I've done on Ao3 soon.

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count?

51,556

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Currently The Rookie, but have previously written fics for The Big Bang Theory, Gilmore Girls, New Girl, and Single Parents.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

While I'm Alone and Blue as Can Be

And If You Have a Minute (Why Don't We Go)

Maybe I'm Crazy To Suppose

We Must Be Living In the Golden Age

Before I Knew It (I Became All About You)

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes! I try to respond to all of them, but I know a few have probably slipped through the cracks.

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

I really don't have any! Yikes. I'm a sucker for happy or at least hopeful endings. Maybe the closest would be Who's Gonna Come Around When You Break? It's not exactly angsty, but it is on the sadder side.

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

Allll of them?? 😂 Here are a few on the fluffier side of endings:

Maybe I'm Crazy To Suppose

My Favorite Line Was "Can I Call You Sometime?"

The Opening Night Prolongation

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Thankfully no!

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

I don't. I just can't do it.

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

Never written one.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware of!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? 

No.

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

Not yet, but I'd certainly be open to a collab!

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Oof. I have a few in my top tier, but Chenford has probably been the most wonderful shipping experience I've ever had!

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

The thing is I absolutely want to finish all my fics! The most obvious answer is my Gilmore Girls multi-chapter A Tale in Prose of Fire since it hasn't been updated in *checks date* SIX years. But I know what I want to do with it, and I still plan to finish it. I also have an unpublished Single Parents fic I've been planning since 2020, and knowing literally only a handful of people would read it hasn't given me much motivation to work on it.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I LOVE writing dialogue, and I think it's what hopefully stands out in my fics. I've been told several times that my dialogue sounds just like the characters, which in fanfic, I can't think of a better compliment! So that's what I always strive for.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I'm not always the best at fully setting the scene, or getting into more minute details that can enhance the story. I also don't take enough risks in my writing, which isn't a big deal in writing a fluffy one-shot, but in some other pieces I've written over the years, I feel like the stakes could've been higher.

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

I haven't done it before, and probably the only language I'd feel even the slightest bit comfortable attempting would be Spanish. I'm nowhere near fluent, but know enough I could put some sentences together.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

My beloved Shamy from The Big Bang Theory. It's been 10 years since I wrote my first fanfic!

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

For my older ones, I love The Relationship Recalibration, especially a specific chapter that was a departure from anything I'd done before. I also love the previously mentioned A Tale In Prose of Fire even though it's still incomplete. And of more recent fics, I'm really proud of what I was able to put together in I Need Your Runway Lights To Burn For Me.

Tagging @sgtbradfords, @firstdegreefangirl, @americorys, @wanna-be-bold, and anyone else who would like to do this!

[hammieslice]

20 Questions For Fanfic Writers!

I got tagged in this by the lovely @onewhoturns, and I'll tag some others at the end!

1: How many works do you have on Ao3?

I only have 8 actually published there, but for reference, I went into my WIP folder and found over 100 more... So I do write things! I'm just really really bad at actually publishing them.

2: What's your total Ao3 word count?

Assuming I've done my math right, my current total word count sits at 262,909. Most of that is probably the longfics I've done with Turner, but there are almost certainly some hidden gems in there as well.

3: What fandoms do you write for?

Well, I haven't actually written and published something for a specific fandom for a while now, but my more common interests these days are Genshin Impact, Fire Emblem, Metal Gear Solid, Ace Attorney, Shadow & Bone (Netflix TV show specifically) and a few sporadic others! But my past works were for Oxenfree, Destiny, Ava's Demon, Homestuck, Overwatch, Critical Role, The Magnus Archives and Half Life.

4: Top five fics by kudos?

That would beeee So It Goes, Blue Hair, Red Jacket, A Different Angle, One Foot, and finally Holy Spirits!

5: Do you respond to comments? Why/Why not?

As much as I love getting comments on fics, I don't often respond to them. I don't really have enough published to get engagement super often, and even then, I'm just not the kind of person to reach out at random simply because I've heard too many Internet Horror Stories(tm). But, maybe if I do publish more in the future, I'll make a habit of answering then!

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

I... Don't really know? Most of my fics are either one-shots or unfinished multi-chapter works. There's probably something really angsty in my WIPs, but since it's never seen the light of day, we'll never really knows.

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

Hmm. Hm hm hm. That would probably be a toss up between A Different Angle, which is just meant to be a nice, feel-good oneshot, or Pyrite-50: Quiet Moments, which is a kind of character study of one of my Destiny PC's.

8: Do you get hate on fics?

Since I only have 8 published, and I'm not like a super-duper popular author, I don't really think I get hate. All of the comments I've seen have been really sweet and lovely, which I'm thankful for.

9: Do you write smut?

I've been known to partake... On occasion....... <- Currently hiding most of it away in that damned WIP folder

10: Do you write crossovers?

Aside from the every-so-often "AU fic inspired by another piece of media", no, not really. But maybe that will change sometime! I wouldn't be truly opposed.

11: Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not as far as I'm aware!

12: Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope. My reach, like I said, is pretty minimal. But if anybody were to ask, I'd say go for it, as long as I got credit as the author.

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

Most of my published fics are co-written! My co-author was actually the one who tagged me in this, Turner. You can go check out all our Oxenfree stuff on Ao3 right now.

14: What's your all-time favorite ship?

Oooooh, this one is hard. The one I've undoubtedly written the most for is jonalex, but I'm a huge multishipper, so I've never really preferred one pairing over another before. It's always so dependent on my mood! Can I just say all of them?

15: What's the WIP you hope to finish but doubt you ever will?

The forgotten Kaz Brekker/Darkling smut. It sits in its little google document, taunting me. I know that you're there. I KNOW.

16: What are your writing strengths?

I'd like to think I'm good at metaphors? Generally, getting into a character's psyche is what I strive for, and when I get it right it feels like a real achievement. I've also been told that I'm very good at making dialogue that feels real, or that flows in a way that makes sense, which is something else I'm really proud of.

17: What are your writing weaknesses?

Finishing things. Fight scenes (of the physical variety). The two big F's.

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

Seeing as I am a person who only knows one language (and guess which one that is), I don't often write in other languages for my fics, because I'm a liiiiittle too scared of fucking up. On the rare chances I have, I usually use someone I know as a translator, but that limits me on how many languages I can conceivably use. As far as foreign languages in other fics go, I'm all for it!

19: First fandom you wrote for?

It's either Harry Potter, and that fic has now been orphaned to the wind, or maybe Homestuck?

20: Favorite fic you've ever written?

Of my published fics, it has to be So It Goes. That one has a special place in my heart for a multitude of reasons, and not just because Turner and I got to write it together. Of my WIPs, there's an unnamed freemance fic that I've been dying to finish that I just recently found again, and it made me fall in love with my writing for a second time; in a strange way.

Tagging!!

@artemis-crimson @reddgiant @starchemist @starlit-bawka @cranehusbands @duvirii and basically whoever else wants to do it.

[mythandlaur]

5. Which WIP is first on your list to complete this year? Will you post a snippet? | 18. Do you typically post multi-chapters as you write, or finish it all and then start posting? Would you like to change your posting method?

New Year's Fanfic Asks

18. Do you typically post multi-chapters as you write, or finish it all and then start posting? Would you like to change your posting method?

On the rare occasions I've tried to write things longer than (sometimes particularly long) oneshots, I've posted as I've written...and I've never managed to actually finish a single fic. This has led to many actually abandoned or "I'll get to it someday maybe"-abandoned WIPs out there and the guilt's decidedly starting to pile up, so yes, I would like to change it. The things I've been writing recently I've been trying to finish before I start posting...but I'm also having trouble finishing those so I'm not sure it's helping, exactly, it's just added the additional "I want to share this so bad" feeling on top of it. I'll get back to you on that when I do manage to finish something and post it all. Which leads to...

5. Which WIP is first on your list to complete this year? Will you post a snippet?

(Given you chose these two questions to send together I imagine you might've been expecting this answer, that or I just really want an excuse to talk about it. Which part of the whole reason I reblogged this in the first place was to have an excuse to talk about my stuff so thanks.)

There are several Shovel Knight oneshots I worked on more recently that I probably should feel more strongly about finishing sooner, but the one most urgent in my mind is the one you know about that I've been sitting on for over a year and wrote 8k words for in one day.

Front Lines [Code Lyoko] - An attempt to make up for a social misstep leads to disaster as Aelita and Jeremie find themselves on Lyoko with an activated tower and no one on Earth who knows they've gone. As pressure mounts, they decide to take matters into their own hands, but they're quickly running out of time--and not in the way they think they are...

Basically I have the whole thing planned and mostly written, but it's been so long since I started writing it and the draft's so messy I worry I should rewrite everything to meet my current standards. That and there's still a couple of fight scenes that need to get done and I have a really hard time writing those. Here's a bit I can share without really spoiling anything.

Aelita steps fully into the room, closing the door behind her. Jeremie raises an eyebrow and rolls his chair slightly closer to her—something about Lyoko, then?

Aelita’s face pinches with worry. “I’ve been thinking about what you said at lunch.”

Jeremie’s smile drops. He glances off to the side as if his closet doors have suddenly become interesting. “Yeah, what about it?”

Aelita frowns, taking a step towards him with her hands on her hips. He knows the look well.

“Would you really rather be possessed by XANA again than go to Lyoko?”

Jeremie winces, pulling both of his legs up to sit in an awkward-looking butterfly position on his office chair and grabbing at his feet. He still doesn’t look at her, but he can feel her eyes burning into his head.

“...No,” he admits, “I’m not that stupid. I can’t afford to be compromised like that again.” And he doesn’t particularly feel like going through it again, either.

When he finally manages to meet her eyes, her lips are pursed in an expression he can’t quite read. “Then why did you lie?”

Jeremie scowls. “You heard Odd, he wouldn’t leave me alone. Imagine how bad it’d be if he knew I was going.”

“So you have been going!”

Jeremie realizes he may have made a mistake in saying that, but he’d long since figured out lying to her is an exercise in futility no matter how experienced he gets at it. “Yeah, I’ve been going. Not for very long—I have the computer set to run devirtualization after one minute. If I could get away with not sending my data to Lyoko at all, I would, but...I haven’t figured out what causes the resistance to XANA’s influence yet, so I can’t take any chances.”

“And you haven’t told anyone?”

“They’d insist on coming with me or training me or something, and the last time the three of us went, three megatanks showed up. If they got devirtualized with me, that’d be another opportunity for XANA to attack while they were recovering.”

“And you’re embarrassed.”

Jeremie grabs his desk and turns his chair back towards it so she can’t see his face. “You heard them, I look ridiculous. I don’t want to make myself look like even more of an idiot.”

Aelita huffs, grabbing the back of Jeremie’s chair and spinning him around to look at her. She keeps hold of the chair arms to keep him from turning away again, glaring into his eyes with her jaw set.

“When’s the next time you plan on going?”

Jeremie swallows hard, his stomach dropping. It doesn’t take a genius to see where she’s going with this. “...Sometime this week. Aelita—”

“You’re right about one thing, I’m not letting you go alone.” Aelita leans away and crosses her arms. “We’re going. Both of us. Today.”

“And that’s definitely because you’re worried about me and not just curious about how dumb I look?” Aelita winces, and Jeremie realizes he's talked before thinking again. He'd been trying to work on that. “...Sorry.”

“It’s not not because I’m curious, I admit.” Her tone grows pained. “But I’m also worried. What if your devirtualization program doesn’t work? Or XANA’s monsters get to you first? I just don’t like the idea of you doing something like this all by yourself.”

“Aelita...”

Her voice softens, and though she smirks at him, her eyes are earnest. “You’ve always been protective of me. Now it’s my turn to worry about you.”

Jeremie feels his face heating up. Of course, she has every right to worry—the thought of doing this frankly still scares him half to death. It would be nice to have someone looking out for him...and besides, if he doesn’t do it now, he might very well put it off as long as he can get away with it. Potentially longer than he can get away with it.

“...And you promise you won’t laugh at me.”

Aelita puts a hand over her heart, solemn. “I promise.”

Jeremie sighs, rubbing his elbow with the opposite hand. “Okay. Clearly I’m not getting out of this.”

“No, you’re not.”

“Just give me a few minutes to get ready.” And get up the nerve.

[mamawasatesttube]

14, 21, 23 for the fic writer meme <3

14. If you could see one of your fics adapted into a visual medium, such as comic or film, which fan fic would you pick?

OOHhhh hmmm... i think the witching hour would make such a fun comic. or survival horror video game. (i mean, it is a survival horror video game, right?) if it could have ominous visuals and eerie music... yeah that would be so fun!!! god i need to finish the last chapter dsjkh

21. Have you ever deleted an entire scene after spending hours laboring over it? If so, why?

yes... a few times. most notably with a scene that was gonna be in sotm chapter 8, with dick & kon talking about feelings and hanging out over lord of the rings, but there have been a few others. usually it's just because i can't get it to read the way i want it to, or i think of a better way to communicate the idea i want to express in that scene. it's def frustrating to do, though!!

*that said, i never DELETE scenes i just move them to a document of scraps. never know when they might come in handy for recycling later!!!

23. How do you choose where to end a chapter (if you have multi-chapter works)?

i throw a dart at a spinning wheel and pray.

jdfdjsk no okay i usually outline like, what scenes go per chapter. ideally each chapter has a small plot structure (rising action -> climax -> (optional) falling action) going on inside it as part of the greater plot structure, so i base where to end chapters and begin the next ones on that idea more or less.

as for the specific ending lines per chapter though? GREAT QUESTION WISH I KNEW HOW TO DO THAT i kinda just attempt to cobble together something that seems like a good stopping place, but i do think my ending lines are a weak point and i wanna improve on making 'em hit!!!

fanfic writer asks!

[browneyeddevil]

Twenty Questions: Fanfic author edition

thank you to both @goldenslumberowo and @thesweetnessofspring for tagging me! sorry it's taken me so long to get to this

How many works do you have on ao3?

I have 10 works

2) What's your ao3 wordcount?

85,510 - which is an absurd amount given how irregularly I post

3) What fandoms do you write for?

The Hunger Games. I have thought about branching out but nothing has really inspired me quite like The Hunger Games has :)

4) What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

The Brightest Timeline - Canon divergent Silence me, Trust me, Love me - Post canon The Elephant in the Room - Post canon The unlikely Coming-of-Age of Katniss Everdeen - Canon divergent Isn't it Strange - Post canon

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

I try my very best to respond to all the lovely comments readers leave. I appreciate them a whole lot and find them very encouraging, I also just like to hear what readers are thinking, especially for multi-chapter works. Although, I admit, sometimes it takes me a while to respond, and there are occasions where I just straight up forget for a couple years.

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

It'd probably have to be Underground; I kind of killed off Peeta 👀. It's a brief canon-divergent one-shot during Mockingjay that more or less focuses on Katniss and her grief and anger. In retrospect, it's kind of like the evil twin of "The Brightest Timeline" in which Peeta is rescued from the Capitol unhijacked.

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

Ohhh, Full Circle no debate. It's the happiest fic I've written, full stop. It's post-canon. Prim is alive, and Peeta and Katniss find each other again. All quite sweet and fluffy.

8) Do you get hate on fics?

Not to my knowledge. People have been critical of some of my earlier works, sort of disagreeing with my interpretations of a character, but I wouldn't call that hate. I hope I don't ever have to encounter the more vitriolic side of fandom.

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

Noooo. I get nervous when describing a kiss that isn't chaste lol. I just don't think I'm very good at it, to be honest. I have considered writing more steamy scenes, especially for my WIP's, but I just don't think I'm there yet as a writer.

10) Do you write crossovers?

No. But never say never.

11) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge. I don't think my work is really popular enough to have to worry about that lolll.

12) Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, but I'd be fine with it if I was asked first :) I think it would be super cool.

13) Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

No, but I wouldn't be against the idea, per se. I'd just feel super guilty, my schedule is very unpredictable and I wouldn't want someone else having to deal with my erratic writing habits, it's bad enough that I do lol.

14) What's your all-time favourite ship?

Gotta be Everlark for sure.

15) What's a WIP that you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Oof. I mean... if I'm honest Stop the Clocks, I think for me to be able to finish that I'd have to sit down and plan it out properly. It's also just always been a fic that I've struggled to sit dow and actually write for. In short, it needs a LOT of work and care. It's not badly written, buttt it's also not the best.

16) What are your writing strengths?

I'm pretty good at descriptions and being able to bring a setting alive. I've been told that I write very in-character and that my characters are consistent, which is nice because writing a character's inner monologue comes quite naturally to me.

17) What are your writing weaknesses?

I struggled for a long time with writing natural and organic dialogue; it has definitely become easier with time and practice, but it's still something that I obsess over a little. Also, transition paragraphs are the bane of my existence and I tend to avoid them where possible.

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

I'd definitely be comfortable with writing in German as it's my second language. I'm currently learning Spanish, so maybe? I think it would depend on the complexity of what the character is trying to say. I think anything else, no. Not without consulting someone who speaks the language first anyway. I've seen first-hand how google translate can butcher simple phrases lol.

19) First fandom you wrote for?

The Hunger Games! My one and only 😍

20) Favourite fic you've ever written?

Isn't it Strange 100%. I put a lot of care and thought into it and it will always have a place in my heart. Rereading it there are some things that I would phrase differently now; and a part of me itches to change it, but another part would rather leave it as a time capsule to display my younger self's writing and how much I've improved since then. Weirdly enough though, it's just one of those fics that never got much attention lol *wink wink nudge nudge*.

This was super fun, so thanks again for tagging me!

I don't know who has or hasn't participated already so if anyone wants to hop on feel free to :)

[goddesspharo]

I wait (im)patiently for all of your ao3 updates, you have such a gift for characters and story and im so glad you’ve decided to share it with us all 🫶🏼

With all of the different stories that you have going on, how do you pick which one to focus on?

I also just have to ask when we can expect another chapter of “can’t fake what you can’t break up with” which genuinely might be the best fanfic I’ve ever read

Oh wow, thank you so much! This was so lovely to see! It's always nice to hear that people enjoy your work! The funny thing is that in my heart, I consider myself a one-shot fic writer because I used to never post multi-chapter things, but it's probably time to accept that this is the monster I have become now that I write such long things due to my inability to just exorcise the demon of whatever idea nugget is in there without backstory and plot and all the other things that cause my WIP count to balloon.

The final chapter of can't fake what you can't break up with is a third of the way done (though, of course, not in order). The rate-limiting step really is this one scene that I just need to write because I'm fairly sure that everything after that will be much easier to write, but for whatever reason I keep not writing it but also not writing around it either. And in the time that I've been doing this, the path to the ending has sort of...expanded a little to include another scene that I didn't think about adding before. So the long short answer is that I don't quite know when I will post it (hopefully soon-ish? the story is still in winter and we are now heading towards fall in real life!), but for the sake of my sanity, when I do post it, it 100% has to be the end because if I extend this thing yet again, it'll be a never-ending winter and there are simply not enough months in the season for that!

I wish there was a more interesting answer as to how I pick what to work on, but it really boils down to whether one of them has ongoing momentum like a freight train (I felt that a bit for that on and off again (and on again) and deliriously for the first few chapters of can't fake what you can't break up with that lead me to think I'd bang that out in a month) or if I suddenly have a flash of knowing exactly what I want to write. (Usually it'll be a line or scene that pops into my head that is perfect for it and then I'll write my way to that scene.) But there are other WIPs that are fully plotted out in my head that I can't seem to finish right now simply because my brain doesn't want to put it into words just yet (definitely an indentation in the shape of you - God, someone just pull it out of my brain and put it in a word doc!). Or there are WIPs that born from me avoiding working on another WIP (hello the last few fics I've posted)! I've tried in the past to force myself to work on just one WIP even when I've got ideas for something else that are dying to come out and it's just not as enjoyable. Why limit yourself to the point where your fun hobby feels like a slog that you're not actually getting paid to do? (All that said, it does drive me insane to have unfinished WIPs racking up so basically I'm shooting myself in the foot either way.)

[true-blue-sonic]

1. 5. 14. For the ask game

What inspired you to start writing fanfics?

My mom has written a few books before for the family and is deeply engaged with writing, so I have a few roots of it in my family. I did a few things with it myself too: when I was in primary school my teacher once encouraged me to write stories about my dog (which didn't get off the ground at all), and I used to read a lot. But I didn't really do much with writing until 2020: I had a ton of stories in my mind, but getting them on paper proved really difficult (I remember trying to write a story about Blaze and Marine once during a free hour in high school... on paper and written with pen... that was a disaster XD). One day I decided to bite the bullet and just started, though, and I immediately found it lots of fun! So basically I had tons of ideas and they just had to get out, and with a laptop and keyboard that finally could happen properly ^-^

5. Do you prefer writing drabbles, one shots or multi-chapter fics? Explain.

I write a lot of drabbles: I often just simply get an idea in my mind (some lines of dialogue and action tags), which I jot down. I do prefer writing one-shots though, because those are then finished, haha. But writing drabbles is definitely the easiest for me!

14. What’s your least favorite fic you’ve ever written? Why do you dislike this work?

...I've started to dislike New Beginnings. Now, this is weird to say: it is THE multi-chapter fic I've written and finished, and the positive receptions I've gotten for it have absolutely blown me away. I'd never have expected that, as the second multi-chapter fic I ever wrote! But considering all the issues I've developed with how Silver is portrayed in especially IDW and by fandom over the past year or so, I must readily admit that in New Beginnings he's written in the exact way I dislike now (e.g. overly baby, extremely dependent, incompetent in a way, tooth-rottingly cinnamon roll-ish, etc.). Not helped by that is the fact I had him stem from a future ruined by the Ifrit, whereas right now I'm honestly quite convinced Rivals 1 and 2 show that he's from a good future instead. So... yeah😅