#will publish maybe soonish

[buggygerm]

omg hay guys

[senselessalchemist]

officially summer or something

[drdemonprince]

Hi Devon! I read your work published on substack on autism and asexuality (really great stuff!) and then found your Tumblr and came across your own experiences navigating sexuality and kink, and they made me wonder if you have any advice for a fellow asexual on the spectrum who struggles socially but is interested in experimenting with sex/kink for the first time? People usually find sexual partners on dating apps or at the club but that seems so daunting I've been entertaining this fantasy of finding a community of people with a virgin fetish just so I don't have download tinder

Abandon your fantasy that anything fulfilling will occur without a massive amount of work. Running one's own sexual life requires a high caliber of communication, negotiation, and self-promotion skills, as well as a significant amount of time and experience. If this is worth it for you, venture forth! If not, maybe now is not the right time.

I will have a much more in depth guide on cruising written sometime soonish, but in the meantime I do have some tips.

Do not use fucking Tinder. That is an incredibly vanilla, heteronormative site. You might have a negative impression of your chances finding what you want because you've only had a glimpse of the most normie places and your friends' experiences with them. To find the kinky, experimental kind of sex you want, you'll instead have to educate yourself, and go looking for the freaks.

Fetlife is a good place to start. It will be overwhelming to navigate at first, but keep pressing. Fill out your profile with your interests, take a few sexy photos (whatever that means for you), and join local groups. Follow people who post things you find interesting, read lots of posts. Pick up some books on leather and kink history, and study up. Jack Rinella is a favorite of mine, but I am deliberately keeping my recommendation list lean so that you will dig for what you are interested in, yourself.

Look up local groups interested in rubber, leather, kink, etc, find local dungeons, attend local munch events (these are low-pressure social hangouts with no kinky play, but for kinksters to meet eachother), and find out where the gay bars are in your area that have backrooms in them, as well as cruising spots. Check out spaces where people do kinky or sexual stuff together and just watch.

After considerable information gathering and self-searching, put yourself out there and take agency over your own sexual life. Message people you find interesting, and I do mean just interesting. Learn from other bottoms if you're a bottom. Trade stories with other subs if you're a sub. Learn techniques from other Doms if you're a Dom, or some combination of all these things if you're verse or switchy. If someone shares some interests with you and seems compatible, make a specific suggestion for play, like: Want to meet up and practice our rope tying? or Would you like to practice your spanking technique on me? or I don't like having sex, but I'd love to use you as my personal footstool.

Remember that you get to set the terms for the engagement, and the other person does as well. If they reject you, that means consent has successfully happened, everybody gets a pat on the back, good job. The same goes for you. If all you want is to drag a human puppy around on a leash, don't settle for someone who keeps pressuring you for sex. Just end the interaction. There are a whole lot of freaks out there with a whole array of interests, and most people who are kinky eventually learn to be gracious and work with what a prospective partner is into, but we also all have our dealbreakers. That's fine. You don't want to play football with someone who insists on tackle when all you want is touch. It's the same thing. This is just silly pretend games. So find someone who wants to play a game you want to play.

And yeah, you can expect it to take about two years to really find your footing in this world and really know what you want and how to articulate it successfully, at least. That doesn't mean you won't have enjoyable (or at least interesting, informative) experiences along the way. But it is a lot of work. I find it is better to lead off with realistic expectations because many people rush out hoping that someone will just magically appear who will fulfill all their desires, and that's not how the world works. Every person that you speak to in a kinky context is a full human being with their own anxieties, sexual traumas, shame, areas where they lack experience, and desires that might strike them as impossible to realize.

In kink, you have to learn to navigate really complicated interactions with each one of them as its own independent thing. A lot of us make the mistake early on of thinking everyone else out there is a more seasoned, confident, sexually voracious being than we are, and that all we have to do is find the right person to give us a good time. But with our actions and negotiations WE make it a good time, us and our partner of the moment, together.

If you don't put the work in, you get nothing out. But the more you reveal of yourself and stay present in the interaction and honor it as the specific, unique thing that it is, the more benefits you reap -- not just sex or kinky play, but friendships, community ties, self-knowledge, and social skills.

Have fun out there! I hope you learn a lot.

[elderwisp]

◁ || ▷

Atlas: Would you like any? 

Taryn: It won’t be like last time, right?

Atlas: God no. It’s not bad. Swear. 

Taryn: Ok that’s pretty good.

Atlas: See? I don’t know why Kai likes Miller so much. 

Taryn: Because he’s an anomaly. 

Atlas: PFT- I can see that. Love him to death. 

Taryn: You don’t think he seems a bit pissed at you? 

Atlas: Honestly, yeah but I haven’t really been the best friend to him. So that’s on me. 

Taryn: Hmm. 

Atlas: I invited him out. Soonish. Look, things will settle. Eventually. 

Taryn: And your sister?

Atlas: I’ll get to that too. Someday. 

Taryn: Eventually is such a long time don’t you think?

Atlas: Hey, we were supposed to be talking about you. 

Taryn: My bad.

Atlas: So, how are you feeling?

Taryn: Mm… Good I think? I dunno, the shock hasn’t set in. 

Atlas: What are you gonna do now?

Taryn: Apply to other libraries. I even printed out my resume right before I left. 

Atlas: Bee… Can I still call you that? 

Taryn: Only if you tell me why.

Atlas: Oh god, no, it’s embarrassing.

Taryn: Then you can’t call me that.

Atlas: Dammit. I’ll tell you someday, when I work up the nerve.

Taryn: So you’re telling me you could woo the whole planet, but you can’t share this one thing?

Atlas: Bee- FUCK- Taryn, you don’t get it!

Taryn: Okay, whatever you say cassanova. 

Atlas: [ snorts ] Alright, tArYn I just think you should try something different. 

Taryn: Whaa? I enjoyed what I did.

Atlas: Why not publish your own book?

Taryn: Noooo no no. 

Atlas: Well now that you have plenty of time, why not? From what I’ve read so far, it’s pretty good. I’ll even help you proofread. 

Taryn: What if I get rejected?

Atlas: Even the greatest writers have faced plenty of criticism. Give yourself a chance. 

Taryn: Maybe. 

Atlas: Hmph. 

Taryn: I’ll think about it. 

Atlas: Would you much rather live in regret- Shit. 

Taryn: [ laughs ] Whoops!

Atlas: I'm sorry.

Taryn: It's alright.

Atlas: Did I get any on you? I can clean it-

Taryn: I’m okay. Thank you though. 

Atlas: Of course. Taryn? You should take the risk.

Taryn: You aren’t gonna let up, are you?

Atlas: Probably not.

Taryn: And I’m the stubborn one?

Atlas: You’re the one that keeps saying no. 

Taryn: Fine, I’ll drop some copies off, when I am ready. 

Atlas: Fine.

[mermaidsirennikita]

what would you say are the biggest trends when it comes to romance novels getting published nowadays and how do you feel about them?

Oh gosh, that's hard to say. In part because I am both deeply NOT on trend in what I seek out, and on trend in that I read a lot of ARCs from trad publishers? Who aren't the only trendsetters by any means, but are the ones with the most $$$.

(This got long so some of it goes under the cut.)

—Romantasy. Obviously. I hate the term romantasy, I think it's literally just made by marketers

(digression: I don't care if a random TikToker came up with the name, the nebulous thing that it IS... pure marketing, there is no definition, and I truly think that genre has to have DEFINITION to be a genre or even a subgenre, it can't just be what one random person thinks it is; you can genre-bend, play with it, but the people you are directing your product to needs to know SOMETHING about what they're buying; I'd compare it to selling a necklace and calling it jewelry without telling the buyer what the stones or metals ARE)

but undoubtedly this is a huge trend. There seems to be a biiiit of paranormal romance making a return with this—see: Kresley Cole's IAD rerelease books being marketed as "romantasy" when there's very little romantasy about that series.... But overall you see the connection to shows like Game of Thrones, etc, within them. Tons of dragons.

—Romcoms continue on. Lots of low stakes romcoms. I do not like these. A lot of the time they blur into women's fiction. The women's fiction blur I think has something to do with Colleen Hoover (though most of her books aren't intentionally funny) but also just publishing trying to capitalize on romance without committing to romance. Emily Henry is a good example of this. Sally Rooney is a more ~literary example. Jasmine Guillory. Etc etc.

They're impossible to really figure out, imo. Are they gonna be hot? Are they gonna be funny? Are they gonna be emotional? Yulin Kuang's How to End a Love Story is a great example of a book that is, to me, near-perfect. It's ABSOLUTELY a romance novel. But is it a romcom? Not really. It has funny moments and a beautiful HEA, but it's a VERY angsty book. Yet I saw it marketed as such.

—Kickstarter campaign books on the indie side, plus other ways to sort of circumvent the tradpub issue while also not... losing as much money. Several big time authors (in and out of romance) have seen huge success with Kickstarter; obviously, it's harder for small-timers, but still possible! I also know of authors who've written chapter by chapter on Patreon and given their patrons special goodies before publishing the book.

—Genre diversity for authors. A lot of authors in the past wrote under one genre or subgenre, then had to use a pen name for anything else. Amanda Quick was Jayne Anne Krentz's historical romance pen name, for example. Now... I don't think people are as strict. Sierra Simone has written erotic historicals, contemporary, dark romance, monogamous, poly, m/m, m/f, f/f, m/m/f, f/f/m, romcoms, etc. Sarah MacLean is dropping a contemporary (not romance) novel soonish. I see this as a good thing all-around. Pen names are cool, but I don't think they should be a MUST.

—Less angst, more fluff. THANKS I HATE IT LOL. I'm gonna say something controversial (apparently) but this is my honest opinion: It is not a story if there is no conflict. What you wrote was a scene. Perhaps a very good scene! A very long scene, maybe! But there is not a STORY unless there is CONFLICT.

Now, I don't know if I've read a book with ZERO conflict. But I've read many lately wherein the conflict was so thin... I felt the story had little substance. Not every conflict has to be ANGST ANGST TRAUMARAMA. A book I recently didn't LOOOOOVE but whatever, I'll accept it as an example, is Heaven, Texas by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. The heroine and the hero are not in danger of losing their lives. Their conflicts are internal. She loves him but doesn't feel like he'll ever genuinely love her, he's a dipshit who essentially doesn't want to accept that she's the one because he a) has a hard time trusting women in general b) has a specific idea of what his life is going to be that was disrupted when his career ended unexpectedly, and he's still working through some shit on that.

Nobody is at gunpoint, nobody is cheating, nobody is doing one last job. They're just... struggling with their feelings and their senses of self. (If the hero hadn't crossed ONE LAST LINE, I think I would've rated that book higher, but it's a testament to SEP understanding conflict that I can dislike the book and still say "solid conflict".)

I just see a lot of authors shying away from serious conflict, and I wonder how much of it is because readers keep complaining about it. And yeah, bad conflict... sucks. But conflict does not inherently suck. I don't want to read 800 pages of PWP or pointless slow burn. I need PLOT. I need ACTION. And I think we can have low-conflict books and high-conflict books in the same market! But it feels like publishers (and perhaps some authors) don't feel confident in that.

Which is why your girl has realized that a lot of the books she loves are like... 10+ years old.

—Historical specific... the unproblematic 1800s white people. I want to make it clear: You can absolutely write politically progressive people of bygone eras well. The Duke Gets Even by Joanna Shupe has a heroine who's outspoken about women's rights and reproductive freedom. Joanna places this against political occurrences of the time to make it flow easily, AND I think is actually pretty real about the heroine having to give some things up to be with the hero (a duke) even though he supports her and doesn't expect her to be a conventional duchess. Some sacrifices are inevitable. Adriana Herrera's An Island Princess Starts a Scandal has a great portrayal of semi-openly queer women in 19th century Paris... and that's something that totally existed and again, flows well.

It's not that I'm a stickler for accuracy at all. See: my love of Alexis Hall's Something Fabulous series. But I think that you either have to lean the fuck in to not being super accurate like they do, OOOOR you have to make it flow. When we suddenly have a duke being like "AND BTW I'M A FEMINIST" I don't fucking buy it lol. I need to see growth, and I need to understand why he has these views. I think there's a lot of low-effort shit being done to make historicals appear more progressive. And while I do think HR has a lot to reckon with, if that's the only way it can continue to exist... It feels as if that subgenre has to exist within a structure that we don't necessarily expect from other subgenres. Not a lot of billionaire romances (and that's still popular, despite what some may tell you) have the hero going "LET ME STOP AND EXPLAIN HOW I'M AN ETHICAL BILLIONAIRE".

I think that romance needs to be aware of its environment and progressive; I also think that romance requires some suspension of disbelief, and I think we're seeing a lot of white guilt driving some newer historical romances.

Because to go back to Adriana Herrera... That's a woman of color writing very politically aware historicals, while at the same time FULLY diving into the escapism and wish fulfillment and all the things people should be able to get out of a romance novel.

(And btw: All the things marginalized groups should be able to get out of romance novels! A Shore Thing by Joanna Lowell is an amazing romance novel with a trans hero, and I've gotta say, the book confronts transphobia, sure, but there is such fucking delicacy and it BY ZERO MEANS drives the fucking book, and I find that really important. That the hero is existing. That Adriana's heroes and heroines exist. And so on.)

[jellicle-chants]

Guess what I just found in my drafts that I meant to publish like... a year ago 🥴🙃🥲 Anyway, have some details about my CATS Speakeasy AU! I'm really hoping to get back around to this in more detail sometime soonish, so better to study up now...

Munk is the adopted son of Old Deut, who raised many such foundlings and in general created a safe place for anyone who didn't have one. In the narrative of the AU, he's trying to solve one of Macavity's plots (probably some kind of kidnapping situation). He also takes care of Jemima, who was left on his doorstep in an echo of his own origin. Plato tags along as his apprentice, although he's not often helpful with his two younger brothers, Tumblebrutus and Pouncival, getting in his way.

The titular speakeasy, The Smitten Kitten, is co-run by Deme and Bomba, as a way to get back on their feet after escaping from Macavity (along with Alonzo, who plays piano). Tugger is also here, doing miscellaneous jobs and generally being an obnoxious flirt. Romances are undefined as of now but definitely happen.

Bustopher Jones is a British expat who moved to the US with his housekeeper (and requited crush) Jennyanydots, in a misguided attempt to straighten out his godchildren/wards, Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer. It does not go well, especially when Munk needs to call on the twins' troublemaking abilities to infiltrate Macavity's lair.

Some other things I've worked out, but haven't managed to integrate into the main plot yet:

Jellylorum and Asparagus (Gus Jr) run a struggling off-Broadway theatre started by their father. In between shows, they rent out the stage to Cassandra and Misto, who alternate their acts, and a spare dressing room to Coricopat and Tantomile. The twins, Cass, and Misto all met in the circus, but split off because of mistreatment and nonpayment. Victoria joined Misto's act after failing to find work as a ballet dancer elsewhere, and the two now brand themselves as siblings. The group don't mean to take advantage of the siblings, but attendance is inconsistent, to say the least. Of course, Jelly and Gus Jr would never kick them out — they know their father would loathe to see the building closed even temporarily.

Skimbleshanks is a trolley driver. (I know this entry is comically short compared to the last one, but I imagine he'd just pop up occasionally throughout the story. Sometimes simpler is better.)

I really want to fit Algernonny (my OC) in here somewhere, but I haven't settled on anything yet. Maybe he drives a bookmobile??

Olivetti (my other OC) is a bit easier to place, since he'd be a reporter, but I'm not sure what effect he'd have on the story at large.

Some relationships (familial, platonic, and romantic) I want to emphasize:

None of Munk/Tugger/Mac are related, nor are any of them directly related to Old Deut. In my eyes, Macavity has always worked better as an entity lurking in the shadows than someone who is well-known and emotionally tied to the other characters.

Re: the Smitten Kitten bunch, I haven't untangled who I want them and Munk to end up with (or maybe they just all end up together?). There will definitely be some one-sided Platugger flirting because I can. (Algie/Alonzo is also a done deal, but that doesn't mean Alonzo doesn't get to participate here too.)

I haven't decided whether I go the Victeazer or Tantoteazer route yet. I'm leaning towards Mistojerrie though as a new thing for me.

Asparagus and Skimbleshanks will end up being a thing, because I can't get enough of them two <3

I haven't decided if I want Jenny to be Plato (etc.)'s mom. It would be easier to tie that household into the main goings-on that way, but also (if you couldn't tell) I'm trying to improvise on a lot of these characters and come up with new relations -- at least for the ones for whom I don't already have a ship I'm attached to.\

[70sscifiart]

I apologize if this has already been asked. But is there any specific site/link to purchase your book that gives you a bigger cut of the profits? I assume not, but I figure it doesn't hurt to ask.

I've been following your various accounts for quite a while (70s sci-fi works are a massive inspiration for me) and I'd like to be able to give back to you somehow for having been sharing so many lovely works of sci-fi art that may have never seen the light of day again otherwise. But regardless, thank you for the work you do!

No, you're right - I get the same amount no matter where it's sold. I do prefer Bookshop.org, since you can order it through a local bookstore with them, but you'll have a bit of a wait, since they're out of stock right now. So, any store that's selling it is fine by me.

I would recommend following my free email newsletter, though (if you don't already). I'm planning to start my $5/month paid tier back up sometime soonish, maybe in 2024. Book publishing is fun, but isn't a steady income in the same way a monthly subscription would be. If I get enough subscribers, I could write about art full time, although I'm not holding my breath, haha

[eusuntgratie]

seven sentence sunday 2.4.24

tagged by my beloved @voxofthevoid 😘

disaster (messy rwrb rpf fic) is officially longer than my longest published fic, and i'm closing in on being able to start posting. i've got some scenes left to write and some editing left to do, but we're getting there.

seven sentences from chapter 1 under the cut. hopefully you'll get the whole chapter soonish!

no pressure tagging @bigassbowlingballhead @lostcol @winderlylandchime @getmehighonmagic @magicandarchery @violetbaudelaire-quagmire @nocoastposts @firenati0n @onward--upward @jbarneswilson @anincompletelist @captainjunglegym @ninzied @dragonflylady77 @tal-vez-o-quizas

Nick lets himself zone out a bit as he and Matthew catch up, getting a little lost in studying Taylor. His face is so expressive he’s hard to look away from, and there’s something about him that Nick can’t put his finger on, but he knows before Matthew even has them do a read through that this guy is the Alex to his Henry.

Taylor is the kind of effortlessly charming and likeable that’s borderline flirtatious. His smile and his humor are irresistible; he’s the kind of person you want to keep talking to, want to hold his attention. He's not sure how he can tell through the fucking screen but he just knows Taylor would've gotten his hands on him somehow if they were in person—a hug or a hand on his arm. The way his hands never stop moving as he talks animatedly, maybe. He's comfortable with him, he realizes, in a way he hasn’t been with anyone else, like he’s ready to jump into this project with him before they even really talk about it.

[natreads]

Ramblings about uni and the future

I'm trying to make a difficult decision. Since I've spent the last five years trying to break into the publishing industry and mostly failing (I'm freelance but can't get a full time job), I've been thinking very seriously about going back to uni to become a librarian instead. It's not really a career I've ever thought of, or wanted, but the same can be said for publishing. I decided I wanted to go that route when I already had a my bachelors degree. It felt like the "right" path, but I wasn't aware of how difficult it would be. The industry is so closed off, and I'm not very good at putting myself out there, so I've been struggling a lot. Not to mention people keep getting fired left and right so even if I do get in who knows how long that will last. I guess part of deciding to study something else, despite already having a masters degree and over six years of uni studies behind me, is that I feel like I need to essentially give up this dream, which would make the past five years feel like a waste even though I don't necessarily think they are. But I will have to give up the identity I have built around the industry. But I also feel like going another route won't mean I can't one day make it there too. But I also don't want to get another degree just to still be focusing on an industry that's this unattainable. I will have to focus on making it as a librarian instead and the idea of having to properly give up publishing makes me so sad, but I also know it will bring me relief once I actually do it. I need to study something where I will actually find work.

Another issue is that I really really REALLY don't want to study for another three years lmao. I talked to some people and there's a possibility that I COULD skip one semester due to previous studies, but I feel like it will be complicated and also not necessarily set in stone to manipulate the degree like that. I also got the tip to go take a masters instead which is two years, but here are the pros and cons to all of this:

Three year undergrad:

The school I did my BA at, so it's familiar

Since it's undergrad I'm not worried I will fail

Close to home (even if I move)

Unfortunately it's three years

It feels "silly" to get another BA when I could get an MA immediately instead

Two year masters program:

It's only two years

It will probably be hard

Could be done online, but I don't know if I have it in me to sit at home for two years again

It's in another city, but only takes an hour by train to get there

Unfortunately the train (pendeln) SUCKS and is super unreliable

And I would have to pay a bunch each time

But I like the idea of experiencing something new, since I both like the city (it's a college town) and don't think one hour is that bad

Another problem is that we'll be doing lots of group work so I might have to be there a lot which will be annoying

If I knew just HOW often I'd have to go I feel like it would be easier

I'm gonna be moving soonish to an apartment in the city here in Stockholm so I don't wanna move to Uppsala and do student housing, but my lease will only be one year so maybe I COULD during second year. I've never expeirenced student life like that before

Do I really wanna write another fucking masters thesis omg

I like the sound of two master degrees tho lmao

One semester will be dedicated to writing my thesis so I will mostly only have to commute for 1.5 years I guess, which makes the student housing in year two maybe unnessecary? But my lease will be up anyway soooo. In an ideal world I would be doing student housing my first year and then move into the other apartment after, but I can't do that and I don't wanna give up on a great opportunity

We'll be visiting libraries and whatnot and if it's in Uppsala (I kinda assume it is) I will have to figure out the public transit looool

Essentially, I think the undergrad one is safe but longer, while the MA is shorter but scarier. If I do the MA online I will be more comfortable, but also probably lowkey go crazy. Maybe if I knew if and how much I would be working at the bookstore after the summer I would pick the online version, since work would get me out of the house, but none of us know how needed I will be.

I know I need to change lanes, since I'm getting older and I need stability. Working in a library is the next best thing I can see myself doing after publishing (I kinda wanted to do marketing but I've realized it unfortunately goes against a lot of my morals and libraries are ethically the one and only place I stand 100% behind).

Idk if anyone has any insight or advice please lmk I'm so torn

[scknight05]

20 Questions for fic writers

I was tagged by @racerchix21 and @tizniz (retroactively lol) quite a while ago but I'm just now getting around to doing this.. This is the first time in forever I've been on a device that hasn't been my phone or ipad.

Tagging: @warpedpuppeteer @heroofshield @neverevan @daffi-990 uuhhh... and I guess anyone else who either hasn't done this or wants to do this. No pressure to the tagged people either.. just didn't know who to tag.

1-How many works do you have on ao3?

Currently.. 2.. 😅😅 I had 3 and one point but I deleted one thing that in the end I didn't like. HOWEVER I currently have about 4 or 5 WiPs that I'm hoping to maybe start posting some more stuff soonish if life stops getting in the way.

2-What’s your total ao3 word count?

7,803

3-What fandoms do you write for?

Currently: 9-1-1 (during my ff.net days I've also done some Stargate stuff as well).

4-Top 5 fics by kudos?

1-SIMPLE MISUNDERSTANDINGS 2-All is Lost Again (But I'm Not Giving In). 3-5: TBD lol

5-Do you respond to comments?

I try if I don't forget

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

Haven't gotten around to one yet...

7-What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

It's probably gonna be one of my current WiPs lol

8-Do you get hate on your fics?

Haven't yet but I'm sure it'll happen with some of my ideas I've got planned.

9-Do you write smut?

Negative. Just don't think I can do it any kind of justice to be honest.

10-Craziest crossover?

Published or unpublished? 🤣 If we're going with PUBLISHED, then I had (guess it's still there) a Stargate Atlantis/Torchwood crossover over on ff.net. UNPUBLISHED.. well then we'll probably have to go with my Legends of Tomorrow/Power Rangers Dino Charge (It's a multiverse story that didn't feature the characters/crew in the show other than a mention here or there... that has now bled a bit into 911 territory as well) that may or may not ever see the light of day... Depends on my mood.

11-Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Don't think so. Nothing has probably ever been good enough to warrant theft haha

12-Have you ever had a fic translated?

No

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

Contributed some ideas but nothing more than that.

14-All time favorite ship?

Probably gonna get some hate here but... oh well.. -Chiley (Chase/Riley), Buddie (Buck/Eddie), Tevan (Buck/Tommy), Stackhouse/Markham (this was from Stargate Atlantis and let me tell you.. for two extremely minor characters, those two launched an impressive ship!! Hell they didn't even have first names!! And yes, I jumped in on that ship as well! Obviously since I'm mentioning it!)

15-What’s a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

Probably the Stargate Atlantis/Torchwood one... Or my "Silver Saber" story (Power Rangers Lost Galaxy.. My mind does drift back to that idea every so often but I doubt I'll ever redo anything with it.)

16-What are your writing strengths?

Creating the general idea/premise probably.

17-What are your writing weaknesses?

Actually putting thoughts into words that sound good.

18-Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

If it works/fits then I'm all for it I guess but... thats about it.

19-First fandom you wrote in?

Power Rangers.. I've always been the creative kid and I was writing fanfic BEFORE I even knew that was a thing.. I was just "writing stories" at that point lol

20-Favorite fic you’ve written?

Don't have one yet.. I like some of my ideas but I don't really have a favorite story YET to be honest.

Not part of the questionnaire thing but I'm thinking about starting a side blog just for writing stuff, the kinda give updates and share ideas even if I'm not able to get any actual writing or posting done... haven't decided fully yet.

[oyeedraw-arts]

Hello! Seems like it's been a while since we've heard from you. Just wanted to ask if you were okay, internet buddy? Also rly love your work

I have no idea why I sound like a bot but I promise this is genuine.

Hi! Thank you for the question, I'm doing pretty fine. I have been a little distracted from tumblr lately, which is not a bad thing, because more time for other things. I'm not sure where I am artwise presently due having veered from animation/art to technical stuff (freelancing was gutted in my country last summer, had to change), but I'm definitely in a better head space than a year or even two years ago.

I have been brainstorming on my fan projects on how to continue them, but I also want to do some orig comics I can publish (and do art for my dnd campaigns xD), while not nuking my free time. Last year when I did Humors of It my schedule was pretty much "go to work/home office, draw comic, sleep, maybe dnd, rinse and repeat". I'm getting old for not trying to keep a good sleeping schedule. XD

I do have art for a Belos zine, but that's yet to be published. (It's in the finish, should come out soonish)

[astroswrites]

The dispared ilusion

Part 2.

Warnings: I don't think there are any, if so please tell me.

Tumblr has published this again without my permission. Fuck

Sinopsis: Astralas awakens after sleeping.

I regret making up pronouns and writing with them but I ain't stopping. (Vei and variations)

-----------------------

Eyes slowly opening

'How.... long did I sleep' vei thought sitting back into the bed. There were no windows so telling the time was impossible.

Vage memories of the dream, of beautiful orange and green eyes, quickly ignored, after all, those were only dreams.

Vei moved veir leg again.... the chain spell still remained.

Vei mumbled "I could try to..." while moving veir hands to try and dispell it.... the chain slightly wavered for a second.

"The spell is too strong...." Astralas decided to see if vei had anything close to interact with.

The desk, it was close enough for vein to reach, vei oppened a drawer that was close to vein. Moving a hand around trying to feel if something was inside.

Something slipped from veir hands, butthe fleeing item got caught.

It was a bracelet, very good condition even if it has been in many adventures.

'Adventures......' Astralas thought 'this... is mine? or from someone I knew.... atleast I'm remembering things'

A bracelet, made of.... of..... of silver, it was worn down, with scratches and dents, but as shiny as always, the gem missing from it.

Shiny..... it is reflective! I can varely discern myself in the reflection, but it is me....

I decided to lift the bandages on my head, trying to see my forehead, nothing... for a second, but after a bit a mark sowed itself.

It was familiar, too familiar, 'I have seen it before,I'm sure of it, and I don't like what I can discern from the reflection, something magic related.'

A spell gone wrong or too well.

A diamond with 2 disjointed wings, it was translucent, but the magic was reflected by the bracelet.

Astralas heard faint walking, so vei closed as silently as possible the drawer, pulled down the bendages, and hode the bracelet under the pillow. Vei felt that the bracelet must have been hidden there for a reason.

The door creaked oppen, while Astralas was pulling up the blankets, making it look as if vei had just woken up.

"I Thought to check up on you, did you sleep well?" Avireta came in.

'Don't maids normally do that?' Vei thought, finding it strange for a king to check onba random person.

"Yes..." Astralas said.

His eyes moved to look around the room, was he thinking? Or inspecting it? Maybe both. "Maybe soonish you might have... recovered enough for you to be able to walk and leave the bed"

Astralas didn't like how he pronounced recovered, but decided to play along.

"I hope so, my legs feel... are a bit hard to move"

Astralas could see how his eyes moved to stare at her, a grin almost formed in his face, a concerned face then cane. Was it genuine? Or a trick?

"Rest assured that everything will be alright, the maids will bring you now your food..."

Astralas cut him off "Do you have any books? It's a bit boring to sit around and do nothing."

Avireta was taken a back for a second, as if that posibility had scaped his mind. "O-of course, I will order for something y- for you to read" he said before taking his leave.

Astralas narrowed veir eyes, taking the silver bracelet just before he fully left, trying to see what his reflection looked like... he had already closed the door before vei could see what he looked like well enough. What Astralas saw, was a large siluete.

Astralas kept on messing around trying to see reflections of different things, to see what was hidden.

The door, that looked normal, but without locks, in truth seemed to have the locks situated outside, not to keep out, but to keep in.

When the door opened Astralas rapidly hode the bracelet again, maids with food and a book.

Not much wording was exchanged, a thanks and that before the maids left after Astralas finished eating, and picked up the book.

The title, Grey roses and Golden horns. A book about stories and legends from all the cultures around the relam, it got banned in so many kingdoms.

"Oh, I loved this book.......... I know this book..." vei looked at the sides of the book, it was worn down in a familiar manner.

"What the fuck, what the fuck" Astralas muttered, freaking out because vei recognised this book, it wasnt veirs, but it was familiar, of a friend....

A friend........

Did Astralas ever even see the owner of the book, vei remembers vaguely leaving the book somewhere hiden, that's why it was so worn down, small annotations through the hole book.

In the first page, in small text an apology for having taken the book. In not a very good writing nor spelling.

Hey, sory for takin the bok. But it was going to rain, I didt want it to get wemt. So i left it were i found it. I like the stories, ad yor annotations ar funny.

If you wnat leave back here? I would lov to red more.

Astralas recognised that hand writing, it was veirs, not very good, vei cringed a bit at the spelling mistakes and at the some what ilegible parts.

'Why does Avireta have this book? Or was it from his servants....?'

Astralas sighed and continued reading the annotations.

One in a handwriting that wasn't hers, it was better in spellings and all that.

Thanks for keeping it safe and not breaking it, dad said this book is not allowed in many places. I will be happy to lend it to you. But better hide it in the bushes next time, better hidden more safe!

It was like a pen pal what they had with the book, it was fun.

Astralas felt nostalgic, but not in a good way. In a something bad happened that ruined the happy times way.

Astralas closed the book, trying to recolect her feelings.

'What happened?'

[xslytherclawx-writes]

20 Questions For Fic Writers

stolen from @thebreakfastgenie - if you want to do this, consider yourself tagged!

How many works do you have on Ao3?

508, not including anon works

2. What's your total Ao3 word count?

1,779,933

3. What fandoms do you write for?

uh... lots? i think i've written in upwards of 70 fandoms. mostly currently Harry Potter and Star Trek (Voyager & Lower Decks). Occasionally I'll toss in a Miraculous fic. My top 6 by works are: Harry Potter (187), Yuri!!! on ICE (62), Chronicles of Narnia (39), Bridgerton Series - Julia Quinn (18), The Umbrella Academy (TV) (12) - tied with Original Work (12)

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

The Total Agony of Being in Love (Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston)  Two of A Kind (Howl Series - Diana Wynne Jones) La Magique étude du Bonheur (Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling)  i bloom just for you (Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston) enough contrition to spare (Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling)

5. Do you respond to comments?

I try to! but i do have over 100 comments in my inbox so perhaps i am not like... the best at it haha

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

I think maybe either: (for you) i would ruin myself (Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling) or: Death Date (Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling)  OR: like my parents never did (Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling)  but like i write a LOT of angst lol

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

I've written so much fluff so I'm just going to plug relationship advice (Miraculous Ladybug) (written for @nemaliwrites actually haha) because I think it has enough stakes for the ending to count as truly happy instead of just. fluff all the way through. (though it is pretty fluffy)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

yeah. i wrote aged up characters once and got called disgusting like ok thanks you're the one who took the time to click on it and leave a comment. but ok. i also was told very rudely that sirius was ooc in a fic for not being fanon sirius. again: ok. read the books.

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

I do, pretty often, actually. I've written F/M, F/F, M/M, F/M/M. I'll be posting some F/F/M soonish too.

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

Not often? I think the craziest one I've written was Star Wars PT / Buffy the Vampire Slayer: friends in highly low places 

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not just that, but I had a fic ripped off for a professionally published novel. not that i'm still bitter, or anything.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! Введение в дипломатию by lyomna, translation of an introduction to diplomacy (Narnia) From English to Русский

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

Sure have! Mostly in Yuri!!! on ICE

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

don't do this to me. I genuinely don't know. all-time?? Jill/Eustace and Polly/Digory have stood the test of time better than anything for any of my other fandoms tbh. But like favorite???? I can't pick. Some evergreen ships: Katniss/Peeta (THG), Remus/Lily (HP), Drarry (HP), Hyacinth/Gareth (Bridgerton).

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

i mean the entirety of the cat café universe is probably not being touched again. uh. beyond that? not one for being let down (Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling) - I should probably just put an epilogue on it and call it done a matter of diplomacy (Chronicles of Narnia - C. S. Lewis) - I really do like this one, but my brain is just not giving me many more ideas for it.

16. What are your writing strengths?

dialogue and character voice!

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

detailed description

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

I did it before bc I was a pretentious ass and continue it in Ravenclaw AU for consistency's sake, but I probably wouldn't do it again, unless it was a language I spoke fluently (so French or German) and didn't want my POV character to understand, and even then... eh.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Harry Potter, officially, but I wrote out some Halloweentown fanfiction in 3rd grade and submitted it for an assignment, so does that count?

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

making me choose a favorite child. jk it's probably Lost Causes (Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling) or, in a completely different vein, the proof is in the pudding (literally. no one tested the pudding.) (Succession (TV 2018)) 

[tracybirds]

It's New Year's Eve!!

I just wanted to take a little time to reflect on the year and celebrate it and say a ginormous thank you to everyone who has taken the time to drop by around here!! It's been a blast getting to share the Thunderbirds love and I love writing for TAG so much!!

This year had some major highs and lows for me which we're not going to dwell on, because the most important and fun thing is the spreadsheet I set up at the beginning of the year has had it's final update and I have numbers and graphs to happily geek out about!!! Naturally there's some skew - particularly with anything pertaining to AO3 since fics published earlier have had more time in circulation but still, I think it's made for a pretty good overview :D

Numbers and sappy feelings and reflections and things under the cut (there's even some pretty pie charts)

I published 45 separate works this year - many were short ficlets and subsequently gathered into the Thunderbirds Snippets collection which was the "fic" that overall had the most engagement (pretty impressive when you consider the collection only has AO3 stats!). This came to a total of 43,456 published words for complete stories (plus a whole slew for wips! At least another 20,000 is languishing in other documents :D We'll see those come out to play soonish, I'm sure)

As is usual for me, the overwhelming majority of fic this year was short oneshot stories. In fact I didn't finish any multichapter stories this year! Just didn't have the time for that kind of commitment for most of the year :D I also relied a lot on people giving me prompts and I'm endlessly grateful to them (especially @janetm74 and @katblu42 who sent me prompts nearly every time I asked!). I would have spent a lot more time feeling sorry for myself and languishing in writer's block without them bolstering me along <3

As you can see, I did make a fic genre graph, but I'll be honest - this is something I need to tweak for next year because I don't feel the genres well reflect what I actually wrote. This is partially because I only made space for each fic to have one genre, and partially because I dont think the genres I picked well described the writing I did. But looking it over, there's a clear emphasis on family dynamics and the ups and downs that go along with them and I do think that's my favourite part of writing.

When looking over the characters that called to me the most this year - Virgil's our clear winner! Which I think is hilarious because I feel like I wrote with a large Scott emphasis at the start of the year and a large John emphasis towards the end. But the numbers don't lie!! I think partially guiding this is that I wrote a lot more drabbles for Virgil (and Gordon.... lots of them two together!), but Scott and John got more substantial stories on the whole. Maybe. I'd need to check the raw data :D

In terms of people - I am totally blown away by how generous people have been reading my work <3 I see you and it's an absolutely humbling thing to see the same names cropping up over and over again, returning to read my stories which I don't often have a lot of confidence in (fake it 'til you make it, right?). Somehow getting an overview of the whole year only reinforces that and across AO3 and Tumblr I have nearly 4000 thank yous to say; one for every like, kudos, comment, hit, reblog, reply, whatever <3 Many many of which are being given to the same people over and over again, you guys literally rock hardcore and when I think about that number I'm literally so overwhelmed. It's easy to post something that only gets a couple of notes or kudos or whatever and feel discouraged, but when you look at the whole picture? Unreal <3

Now for the fun part; I've gone and taken all that data and figured out what my top 5 most popular fics of the year have been (excluding the snippet/prompt collections :D) so here goes!

Consequences [tumblr] | [AO3]

Cave In [tumblr] | [AO3]

But Not Forgotten [tumblr] | [AO3]

Roommates [tumblr] | [AO3]

The First Time [tumblr] | [AO3] and Hard Places [tumblr] | [AO3] (tied!)

Hey did you know typing [ tumblr ] did that? New things learnt every day lol...

Amazingly, these didn't line up with MY favourites nearly at all! So I've listed my personal top 5 stories below <3

Capture Comfort [tumblr] | [AO3]

The Scare Floor [tumblr] | [AO3]

Consequences [tumblr] | [AO3]

"Prompt Generator #5" [tumblr] | [AO3]

Different Universes [tumblr] | [AO3]

I'm not much for goal setting; it reminds me too much of school and sitting in stupid form classes with zero ideas as to what to say because apparently writing "I want to do my best and enjoy myself" wasn't a good enough goal. So instead I have some ~~intentions~~ that I'd like to carry into 2023 <3

Get better at replying to comments >///< I don't mean to ignore people and I know most of you know that but I do think replying to comments is! an important aspect of community building in fandom and I've neglected my part in that :P I love you all I swear and there's a lot of people I'd like to get to know better <3

Deep breaths here because this one does scare me - I want to write and finish Where Parallel Lines Meet. The scope of this fic scares me but I do love it and I know that it's going to push me a lot. It's going to be great though <3

ARCHIVE AS I GO LIKE WHY DO I NOT DO THAT (it's the titles rip)

This one isn't writing - I just want to rewatch Thunderbirds :D

Finally I've got some specific people to thank. You've all been amazing and kind to me this year and I'm giving you all the giant-est hug. You're also all incredible storytellers and writers and artists in your own right and I am genuinely so thankful to know you all <3

@gumnut-logic - I know I say this constantly but I LOVE getting to geek out about all sorts of different things and I have to say thank you for reading over so many of my fics and picking me up when I think that they're terrible <3 You're the bestest friend and I'm very lucky to have met you :D

@katblu42 - I love your very cheery chats that we've gotten to have, lots of laughter and fun and you always have such sensible advice it's great. Thank you for diving in and not missing a beat when I get randomly dramatic about whatever I'm writing because even when I've completely failed to explain the context you always seem to know exactly what's what :D

@janetm74 - you've been such an incredible cheerleader and every time (because you've done it multiple times!!) that you go through my AO3 and read stuff and comment in quick succession is always so exciting and overwhelming because what the heck?? Remember those 4000 thank yous I have to give - I'm pretty sure at least a thousand of them are yours <3 Thank you as well for sending me all the fun space things you think I'll enjoy and also for egging me on when I'm spouting off silly ideas in response :D I'll need to give them all a proper go someday!!

@gaviiadastra, @the-original-sineater, @godsliltippy, @mariashades, @amistrio - I've so enjoyed getting to know you all this year - you're all amazing writers and totally inspiring and very kind to boot :D I love how unique you all are and how you all bring such amazing ideas to life and I have to say thank you for both chatting with me but also for sharing all your wonderful work <3

@squiddokiddo thank you for be a very consistent source of encouragement and fountain of kindness when I'm having down days in my personal life. You didn't know me at all but that never stopped you from reaching out and checking in and given that this year was beyond shitty in many various different ways it meant the world in ways that I didn't always know how to express <3

oh and there's so many more people - I've had the good fortune to make some amazing friends and I love you all very much.

I don't think I'll get the current chapter I'm working on done today, so this will likely be my final post of the year (although lol I'm sure I'll still be mucking around on my main) and I KNOW this is sappy and you're not meant to put emotion into the data, but it's pretty damn difficult when the numbers are made up out of friendship and people reaching out from across the globe to say "hey, me too <3"

So see you all in 2023!! I can't wait :D

[bluestringpudding]

20 questions for fic writers

Thank you @silently--here and @uncannycerulean for the tags!

How many works do you have on AO3?

19 (+ 1 that's waiting to be revealed for a fest)

What's your total AO3 word count?

329,661 😳

What fandoms do you write for?

Just Harry Potter. Maybe I should diversify?

What are your top 5 fics by Kudos?

Live like common people Dramione/Draco pretending to be a muggle (88,794 words)

How did we get here? The sequel to the above, aka Draco wishing he could still just pretend he was a muggle. (153,536 words)

Dragons Only The Draco/Charlie drabble (289 words)

A Song of Ice and Fire and Awkward Ex Boyfriends The other Dramione, this time with dragons. 🐉(20,272 words)

Just a Minerva in time The MinMione time travel one (6,460 words)

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes! Unless you're an absolute arsehole, and even then, I would rather reply (but only if I can come up with an appropriate retort). Why? Because I love the interaction. Getting a comment, no matter how small, will always make my day. So, it feels right to at least say thanks. Also, I met one of my now good friends through us chatting in our fics' comments. So who knows what might come of it.

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Hmm, probably One Last Cup.

What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I've not written the ending yet, but it's going to be How Did We Get Here? If only because I have become waaayyy too attached to all of the characters to give them anything but.

Do you get hate on fics?

It's not quite hate, and I know it could be worse, but How Did we get here? garners some pretty strong reactions. They're a downer.

Do you write smut? If so what kind?

I've only published very mild smut, but I have written more explicit stuff since, and some of it is in the next chapter I'm publishing, and I'm scared.

Do you write crossovers?

No, I struggle enough with one fandom. Huge respect to the people who manage it

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware of.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nah. They're not good enough for that.

Have you ever co-written a fic?

Yes! Three actually. Idle in Kangaroo Court W1, for the mixed up writer fest. We ran out of steam, so it's unfinished, but I keep promising myself I'm going to finish it one day. Then two more with some friends, one short one for the rare pairs fest, that will be revealed soonish. Then one long fic that 3 of us a writing, which is err... in progress.

What's your all time favourite ship?

Call me a basic bitch, but I will always be such a sucker for Dramione.

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

I have a really unhealthy stubborn streak that won't let me leave things unfinished, so hopefully none. Though Idle in Kangaroo Court is most at risk, because its been so long (and I feel I have to reach out to my co-author to check they don't mind, and my social anxiety is one of the few things that trumps my stubbornness).

What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue. I keep thinking I should try writing something as a script.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Descriptions and flowery language. I have to work hard at imagining visuals, so a lot of the time I don't. And I'm too literal to do well with metaphors.

Thoughts in writing dialogue in another language?

I've never really had any before. I guess I don't mind it in small amounts, if the meaning can be inferred from context or reactions. It's annoying if you miss something by not understanding what it means.

First Fandom you wrote for?

Harry Potter

Favourite fic you've written?

Oh god, that's like asking me to chose between my children! Live Like Common People will always have a special place in my heart, as it was my first and the characters will forever live rent free in my head.

But also, I'm most proud of Tattletail, because I think it is technically my best piece of writing.

Tagging anyone who wants to play, as I suspect I'm one of the last of my mutuals to get round to this.

[redsovietelise-diary]

I’m not dead just been a little busy, but a new chapter of ADT will be published soonish

Plus a christmas special chapter maybe?