sparklepocalypse - Tumblr blog

[sparklepocalypse]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thanks to @cha-melodius, @kiwiana-writes, @anincompletelist, @orchidscript, @myheartalivewrites,

… aaaaand @firenati0n for the tags! (This five tags per line thing really is for the fucking birds, y’all.)

How many works do you have on AO3?

106 works and counting.

What’s your total AO3 word count?

461,281 😱

What fandom(s) do you write for?

Currently? Red, White & Royal Blue, and RWRB RPF.

Historically? Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel the Series, Queer as Folk, Supernatural, That One Fandom With The Wizards and the Bigoted Creator, Smallville, Glee, and a handful of other RPF fandoms.

What are your top five fics by kudos?

Even though, IMO, kudos are a poor metric of the quality of a fic…

What’s Symbiotic will Always Be | RWRB | Alex/Henry | E | 2.6k words — my Kinktober 2023 breeding kink fic.

Be Worthy Love, and Love Will Come | RWRB | Alex/Henry | E | 30.8k words — my epic childhood friends to lovers AU.

Wrap Me Up, Unfold Me | RWRB | Alex/Henry | E | 4.3k words — my mile high club smut inspired by one of Hann’s incredible art pieces.

Take it Down Low / Make Me Get High | RWRB | Alex/Henry | E | 2k words — my Kinktober 2023 rimming fic, which has been described as that rimming fic.

I’d Wanna Be Held By You, Felled By You | RWRB | Alex/Henry | E | 2.3k words — my lake house smut inspired by Henry sharing Alex’s clothes.

More under the jump to save you a scroll!

Do you respond to comments?

Yes! I’m horrendously behind, but I promise I’ll catch up one of these days… I hope.

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

We’re just gonna focus on my RWRB works here so I don’t have to dig too far. I don’t really do truly angsty endings in this fandom, but I did write one piece with an open-ended ending:

Back, Bring it Back | RWRB | Alex/Henry | T | 1.2k words

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

It’s a toss-up between two of them, so have them both!

Single Sad-Sack Seeking Same | RWRB | Alex/Henry | E | 7.7k words, and

Count to Ten & Breathe Real Deep | RWRB | Alex/Henry | E | 8.1k words

Do you get hate on fics?

I have had an anon throw a tomato emoji at one of my fics, which still stuns me. I used to get significantly more hate when I was writing in more problematic fandoms… 😅 but if you want to read the fic where Alex bottoms for the first time, and I got this comment, where they not only flung produce but also… felt the need to censor the word “top” for… reasons:

… then you should read In the Low Lamp Light, I was Free | RWRB | Alex/Henry | E | 3.1k words, which is my take on what happened with that second condom wrapper in the Paris scene.

Do you write smut?

Oh, fic meme creator, this is the cutest, funniest question.

Do I write smut? Hilarious.

What’s your craziest crossover?

Speaking of smut — I don’t really write crossovers, but I’ve written a few monsterfucking or monsterfucking-adjacent fics:

If We’re Caught in a Wave, I Will Carry You Over | RWRB | Alex/Cecaelia!Henry | E | 5.9k words

Just Let the Night Go Down | RWRB | Alex/Henry/Oviposition Toy | E | 2.2k words, aaaaand

All the Ocean was Sleeping | RWRB | Alex/Siren!Henry | E | 6.4k words

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge. Fic (and fandom) are pretty reductive though. For example, I know that there’s someone writing a King Henry AU for @aroyallybigbangrwrb, and I’ve been working on my own King Henry AU since last September. There will probably be some similarities; can’t be helped. I’m not worried about it though, unless there are wholesale chunks of paragraphs that are somehow magically identical.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

I don’t believe so, but I have a blanket permission statement on my AO3 account, so if someone wanted to translate my work I’d be down!

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Eons ago, I used to co-write Kurtofsky fic in the Glee fandom. Pretty sure all of those works have been lost to the ether, as this was before AO3 was absorbing archives as they went kaput. I’m not completely heartbroken about it.

All time favorite ship?

Darcy/Elizabeth from Pride and Prejudice. No, I’m not kidding.

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

I have a couple really old WIPs from previous fandoms that I put a lot of work into, and then the ADHD took hold before I could complete them. It would be interesting, at the very least, to revisit these. Maybe retool them into something usable for this fandom, IDK.

What are your writing strengths?

Making people absolutely collapse in a heap of devastation with my angst, as @hgejfmw-hgejhsf, @kiwiana-writes, and @ad-astra13 will attest; smut with “multiple different positions laid out in such detail you can almost see the gifs used as reference,” according to @bigassbowlingballhead. I also like to think that my spicy trauma makes me pretty funny.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Brevity — given the option, I’d rather write 5k words than a drabble every time. I also really struggle with saccharine sweetness and fluff for the sake of fluff, despite what y’all keep saying in my comments section; my sweetness is always bittersweet. And kidfic gives me the ick, as the youths would say, even if I’m the one writing it.

Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

Yes! Just make it something that I can Google Translate and I’m good.

Which fandom was the first you wrote in?

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, way back in the 1990s. (Yeah. I’m that old.)

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

So, I have two. My favorite fic overall is my King Henry AU, Facing Tempests. I affectionately refer to this fic as KHIX (King Henry IX) and The Big Giant AU, and it’s my baby. I’ve commissioned some really incredible art from @seanchaidh7 for Facing Tempests that I can’t wait to share with y’all when the fic is ready to post.

My favorite published fic is If We’re Caught in a Wave, I Will Carry You Over, for which I commissioned some absolutely stunning art from @artofobsession which is now embedded in the story on AO3. There are several other fics that come close, but octoHenry is my beloved.

My tag is always open! Because this meme has been out for a couple days, I’m not gonna cold call anyone, but if you’re reading this, yes you with the clenched shoulders and the mild headache from staring at a screen, then consider yourself tagged!

[sparklepocalypse]

[sparklepocalypse]

sleepover weekend!

it’s that time, guys (ﾉ^ヮ^)ﾉ*:・ﾟ✧

fmk, would you rathers, or have you evers!

ask me anything about a fandom, character, or ship (unpopular opinions!)

ask me about my headcanons! (be specific!)

make me choose?? (between anything!)

tell me about your crushes (tumblr + real life!)

rec me stuff! (films, books, shows, clothing shops, anything!)

ask me for recs! (^^^)

vent to me! tell me about your day, what are you looking forward to??

what you’re thinking about/doing right now!

talk to me about anything!

[sparklepocalypse]

Lovers in Paris

--

Uncropped free on SubscribeStar

[sparklepocalypse]

The truth is every queer person has the right to come out on their own terms, and on their own timeline. They also have the right to choose not to come out at all. The forced conformity of the closet can not be answered with the forced conformity in coming out of it.

This isn’t about shame. This is about privacy and the fundamental right of self-determination which are exactly the principles on which the struggle for queer liberation has always been fought.

- Red, White, & Royal Blue (2023 / Matthew Lopez, Casey McQuiston)

[sparklepocalypse]

RWRB FirstPrince Parental Angst Recs

Ellen and Oscar's divorce, the loss of Arthur - my faves below are for when you need some angst.

sometimes when he looks at me (i know that he needs you) by MaryaDmitrievnaLikesSundays. NR, 1k. A letter left by Arthur Fox before his passing, addressed only to “Whoever takes care of Henry after I am gone.”

the moment i knew by @coffeecatsme. G, 1.9k. “No.” Alex’s response is shaky but quick. “I’m not blowing the candle without her.” He feels the pitiful look of his dad at the back of his neck but he doesn’t look up. If he moves at all, the spell will be broken, and Alex won’t be that kid crying at his birthday because his mom didn’t show up. 

Or, 5 times people he loves leave Alex alone on his birthday, and 1 time one doesn't.

bright, beautiful, bold by rizcriz. T, 2.2k. All these years, Henry’s sat in regret.

And his father.

He knew.

He drags in another shuddering breath, aching and wet and filled with something soft that he can’t quite place—something that eases that heavy burden on his chest. Something that unfurls from his gut and tugs on it, as it were held there by a string, and that string is currently fraying. As if every breath brings with it some semblance of relief.

Or, Arthur wrote Henry a letter for his wedding day.

Please Don’t Leave Me Alone by beckettbucket. G, 2.3k. When Henry and Alex have their first ever fight as a married couple Alex can’t help but spiral, thinking of his own parents and the fighting that led to their eventual divorce.

I've carried this song in my mind by @kiwiana-writes. T, 2.5k. Henry lays eyes on Alex Claremont-Diaz for the first time in Rio, and it sends such a shockwave of longing and terror into the universe that Arthur feels it.

Or, five times Arthur tries to get Alex and Henry together from beyond the grave, and one time two times his intervention isn’t needed.

eyes full of stars by Standinginmoonlight. G, 4.3k. On his seventh birthday, Arthur teaches Henry how to look for Orion.

Or: Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor loses his father and spends the rest of his life looking for Orion.

Fragile and Composed by SatinBirds. T, 4.8k. If Alex and Henry had met before Arthur Fox died, would that have changed anything?

Never Truly Leave by @clottedcreamfudge. T, 5.3k. "We found something in Arthur's things," Catherine says, without any preamble. "I've never really... gone through his personal effects properly, until now. It's been rather too difficult for me to face." Alex nods.

"I found something for Henry, but it's... Well, it's actually for you."

Alex blinks at her.

never be so polite (you forget your power) by Standinginmoonlight. M, 6.3k. The one where Arthur Fox leaves letters for his children.

i see you (your whole heart) by @indomitable-love. T, 7.3k. ‘I think he’s excellent,’ Arthur says, picking up a knife from the pot of jam to spread over his toast. ‘It’s refreshing to see someone be so unapologetically themselves. I think we need more of that.’ He glances at Henry. ‘I think that everybody should be able to be exactly who they are, without shame.’

---

Five times Arthur tried to tell Henry he knew (and one time Henry told him).

(if I didn't know better) I'd think you were listening to me now by @theprinceandagcd. T, 7.9k. “What are we supposed to say?” he finally rasps, and Bea leans toward him until she can rest her head upon his shoulder.

“I think…” Her breath trembles. “I quite think he would like to hear about our lives and what we’ve been doing.” ---- Over the years, Henry visits his father's grave to tell him about what's going on in his life, from meeting devastatingly handsome Americans at the Olympics to taking his daughters to meet him and everything in-between.

Count to Ten & Breathe Real Deep by @sparklepocalypse. E, 8.1k. Someone clears their throat behind him, and he spins around, hands still gripping the hem of his shirt. “Sorry, hi, I – shit,” he stammers as he takes in Princess Beatrice’s friendly expression and her brother’s more taciturn one. “Sorry, shit. God, sorry. Uh, hello, um… Your, uh, Maj—”

“It’s Your Royal Highness, but please, no titles here,” Princess Beatrice graciously says, saving Alex from himself. “Call me Bea. It looks like we’re teammates! Hen, too.” She nudges her elbow into her brother’s ribs, and he nods wordlessly.

Alex tries to replicate his mom’s politician smile as well as he can. “It’s an honor,” he says, giving them the little bow drilled into his brain before he and his mom had departed for London, through repetitive How to avoid being deported by the English monarchy lessons. “I’m Alex Claremont-Diaz.”

(Or, Alex and Henry meet at a youth charity event as teens.)

5 Times Henry Hated New Year's + 1 Time He Didn't by @hgejfmw-hgejhsf. M, 9.1k. “This is my curse,” Henry mutters, and Pez laughs across from him.

“You can hardly be responsible for the weather.”

“So the glaring fact that every single New Year’s Eve on record in my life has been an utter disaster means absolutely nothing to you?”

“We’re going to make it, so no, it means nothing to me,” Pez says with cheerful optimism despite the constant fluttering of white beyond the plane windows.

OR

5 times throughout his life that Henry's New Year's countdown has been ruined, and 1 time that it isn't.

matchmaking from beyond the grave: a guide by arthur fox by softcinnamonroll. T, 12k. Funnily enough, Alex actually liked his quirky little gift. When he could, he used it to help the spirits who asked for his help, to complete their unfinished business and move on. Most of the time, it’s for spirits who never got to do something random like… go to a bar or something stupid like that. Nothing too serious or demanding of Alex’s time.

Until he met Arthur Fox.

[or; Alex can see the dead. Enter Arthur Fox who really thinks Alex should meet his son, Henry.]

God Save the Blessed American President Mom by @zipadeea. T, 31k. ["June stopped by at lunch; she showed me a delightful channel called Hallmark, which repeats the same story every hour after they swap one round of white, straight, small-town conventionally beautiful actors for another. It was entertaining.”

“June and I used to play a drinking game with those. Take a shot every time someone goes ice skating, sledding, or leaves the big city for their tiny hometown.”

“Good lord, you must’ve been sloshed in the first ten minutes.”]

***

On December 4, 2021, an attempt is made on President Ellen Claremont's life.

Alex gets shot instead.

The Cost of Anything by clottedcreamfudge. E, 50k. "You’d give anything to have him back, wouldn’t you?”

“That can’t be a surprise,” Henry says ruefully, trying to pull himself from the brink of something a little darker than maudlin. Perhaps he should switch to water after all.

“‘Anything’ can encompass rather a lot,” Taylor says reasonably, and Henry sighs deeply, pulling his drink a little closer to him on top of the bar.

“Yes,” he agrees, “and yet.”

“And yet.”

Henry misses his father; of course he does. He'll always miss his father, because that's what you do when someone you love leaves you. He's grown accustomed to the feeling of missing Arthur Fox and, while he'd give anything to bring him back, it's possible he hadn't considered the implications of such a vague thought.

After all, it's never going to happen.

I only tag an author once per post, but I'm still figuring out firstprince author handles. If you see one I may not know or find a broken link, please give me a heads up!

Master List of RWRB FirstPrince Recs

Master List of Recommendations

[sparklepocalypse]

Happy Wednesday! Should I be writing my @aroyallybigbangrwrb fic? Yes. Have I been this past week? Nope. Thanks for tagging me though, @alasse9, @magicandarchery, @heysweetheart-writes, @thesleepyskipper,

@duchessdepolignaca03, @orchidscript, @firenati0n, @cha-melodius, @kiwiana-writes,

and @faketrex!

I'm tagging @hgejfmw-hgejhsf, @thinkof-england, @priincebutt, and @zwiazdziarka today, but of course my tag is open to any and all!

So since I haven't been writing my Big Bang, you may be wondering what I've been up to. It's not the Big Giant AU, either -- nope, it's a brand new AU that I don't want to share too many plot details about, but suffice it to say it'll be full of all my old standards: angst, smut, schmoop, etc. Today, I bring you a snippet of a little conversation that Alex and Henry are having on what may or may not be a date, depending on whose perspective you're considering.

“You’re a duke?” Alex asks. “I honestly had no idea.” Frankly, Henry would’ve preferred to keep it that way. “You mean you don’t stalk my Wikipedia entry regularly?” Henry jokes. “Probably for the best. You only get the official facts there and none of the interesting ones. This is an official fact, though; Grandpa bestowed the title unto me when I turned twenty-five in March.” “Now I want an interesting fact,” Alex declares.  “I fenced competitively until I was nineteen,” Henry replies instantly. “I was bloody good at it, too. Probably would’ve had an Olympic run like my cousin Anne had with her equestrian competitions. But then there was a minor incident where a foil tip was improperly attached, and I wound up very slightly stabbed—” Flatly, Alex interjects, “You what.” “Very slightly,” Henry emphasizes. “Didn’t even leave a scar, but my dad nearly had a heart attack when he found out, and that was the end of my fencing career.”

[sparklepocalypse]

A persons fanfic tells you a lot about them, i , a fanfic writer, realize in terror

[sparklepocalypse]

🤎🤍

.

[sparklepocalypse]

occasional posts from users

[sparklepocalypse]

my_soulwax

[sparklepocalypse]

There should be a fanfic writing game called the showrunners challenge where someone writes a story and partway through someone else can play things like "actor leaves after 4000 more words" or "topic now too politically sensitive due to unforeseen world events" or "lost rights to that reference"

[sparklepocalypse]

LET'S FUCKIN GOOOOOOOOO

[sparklepocalypse]

Angsty Sentence Starters #3

"Please, speak to me."

"I never wanted this."

"What else is there to do?"

"I am just so tired."

"You can't leave me alone."

"I don't know what that means!"

"Sorry, but I don't think I can do this any longer."

"Do you want me to fear you?"

"Why are you doing this to me?"

"I'm so sorry for anything I've done to you."

"This is nothing I ever wanted to happen."

"Can you please listen to me?"

"I am no longer accepting this."

"The uncertainty is killing me."

"Don't just walk away from me."

"It was never about winning."

"Tell me what I can do to make you stay."

"You are scaring me."

"Don't be afraid. It will be over soon."

"I can't save you if you don't want to be saved."

More: Angsty Masterpost

If you like my blog and want to support me, you can buy me a coffee or become a member! And check out my Instagram! 🥰

[sparklepocalypse]

It's Wednesday, and I'm about to be annoyed at Tumblr's five tags per paragraph thing while I'm thanking: @cactusdragon517, @violetbaudelaire-quagmire, @bigassbowlingballhead, @captainjunglegym, @thinkof-england,

@priincebutt, @cha-melodius, and @kiwiana-writes for the tags!

My tag is open as always; I'm cold-calling @hgejfmw-hgejhsf, @duchessdepolignaca03, @vanillahigh00, and @whimsymanaged today!

Today, you'll meet a few of the minor OCs from my @aroyallybigbangrwrb fic, Meet Me on the Other Side, featuring bounty hunter Alex and runaway prince Henry in the Old West:

Alex greets several of Madam Holleran’s charges as he puts away his breakfast and coffee. Billie saunters in from exercising the horses wearing her customary daytime duds of a split skirt and pintuck blouse, throwing a wink in Alex’s direction. Therese and Annie stumble downstairs all wrapped up in one another like they always are, Therese playing idly with the end of Annie’s braid as they wait for Charlene to bring a pot of Arbuckles out of the whorehouse’s small kitchen. 

Once he’s finished eating, Alex sets his dishes on the sideboard and heads for the office behind the storeroom. The door is closed, so he knocks and waits.

After a moment, the office door swings open, and Jie exits. Jie is a broad, 6’4” man in his late twenties who’d come over from Shandong, China, to work on the Southern Pacific Railroad. He’d stuck around once the construction finished when he’d discovered that the brothel was more lucrative and less physically demanding than fixing rail ties.

(Or, as Jie had put it one day over whiskey, “Better to get hammered on my back until the john’s broke than to hammer in ties until my back’s broke.”)

Jie gives him a long, appreciative look, then steps to the side. “All yours, tiánxīn.”

From within, Alex hears the sound of paper shuffling, then a drawer opening and shutting, and Madam Holleran calls, “Come on in.”

Alex removes his hat and steps into the office, closing the door behind him.

[sparklepocalypse]

[Alex/Henry | Rated E | 8.1k words]

Someone clears their throat behind him, and he spins around, hands still gripping the hem of his shirt. “Sorry, hi, I – shit,” he stammers as he takes in Princess Beatrice’s friendly expression and her brother’s more taciturn one. “Sorry, shit. God, sorry. Uh, hello, um… Your, uh, Maj—”

“It’s Your Royal Highness, but please, no titles here,” Princess Beatrice graciously says, saving Alex from himself. “Call me Bea. It looks like we’re teammates! Hen, too.” She nudges her elbow into her brother’s ribs, and he nods wordlessly.

Alex tries to replicate his mom’s politician smile as well as he can. “It’s an honor,” he says, giving them the little bow drilled into his brain before he and his mom had departed for London, through repetitive How to avoid being deported by the English monarchy lessons. “I’m Alex Claremont-Diaz.”

(Or, Alex and Henry meet at a youth charity event as teens.)

@thinkof-england wanted me to hurt her feelings with some Arthur Fox Feels in an AU where Henry and Alex met as teens. I hurt my own feelings in the process. Happy belated, Ashleigh! ❤️

[sparklepocalypse]

Hello yes, it’s everything I ever dreamed of when octoHenry emerged from my brain last fall and I love it SO MUCH I just, there has been screaming and there will be more screaming. So much screaming.

comm based on @sparklepocalypse 's incredible AU fic "If We’re Caught in a Wave (I Will Carry You Over)"

🌊🐙

Uncropped free on SubscribeStar