9, 14, 18, 37 for the ask meme!
ooh Dal I hope you're ready for this...
Which fic has been the hardest to write?
Tea with Topsy. Hands down. I have others I struggled with for longer, but Topsy had a schedule and I would spend hours just trying to think through the hows and whys and who's doing whats of that fic so I could keep it straight in my head (unlike Megamind and Roxanne, wahey!) while trying to post regularly and not fuck myself by having something happen and accidentally cut a chunk of story because of it.
What’s the worst writing advice you’ve ever come across?
Cut everything that doesn't advance the plot.
Seriously WHY would you say that? Maybe this is because I'm primarily a fanfic writer but what the fuck? Half the time the plot is the LEAST interesting thing about a story! Because here's the secret. Unless your characters are on a QUEST, they don't know there is a plot. They are just trying to live their lives and thinking about what comes in two days, two weeks, two months. When the plot arrives it is a Disruption! And if you don't let your characters react or crash and burn or give them enough time to actually show WHY they are people who make bad or selfish or pointless decisions, you wind up with a very boring story or characters acting OOC just to move the plot along and I swear this is where half the "If I was X character I would simply not make X decision" comments. You need to give your story time to BREATHE.
Your characters do not know they are in a story. They are not going to think like a reader and as a writer you need to give them follow through so they are not little puppets getting pushed around a stage. It's like punching someone, you don't aim for their nose, you aim two inches past it.
Do you use any tools, like worksheets or outlines?
I use dot points. Usually when I realise I've written myself into a corner and have to figure out how to get out again. I have also been known to rough draft plot points a la gossip style story telling (hi Rings!) but that happens less than you'd think. I am not good at planning, but I like making sure I set something up before I knock it down so my brain and I mostly agree to disagree.
Talk about your current wips.
I...all of them? Ohhkay oh fuck alright I can do this. There are six open on my laptop right now. I'm gonna start with them.
Lindworm: You know the story of the lindworm? Woman wants a baby, fucks up the instructions, has a perfect child and also a dragon. And oops they're all grown up now and dragon wants a bride? (Or possibly a snack. He's kind of into eating people). But the bride wears numerous dresses and convinces the lindworm he can eat her if he takes off a skin for each dress she removes and by the time they're down to the last she washes him with milk and lye and wraps him in her arms and breaks the curse and he becomes a man again?
Yeah we're doing that with Megamind. Also there may be an AU I'm leaving a trapdoor for myself with where Roxanne fucks Dragon!mind after a few sheds. Haven't decided yet. Should I?
Consolation prize: I don't remember why I called it tha- oh wait yes I do. This is a gift fic I've been poking away at with a prompt for really inhuman Megamind being the one to rescue Roxanne and show why he's the big boss in town and he's ashamed he's not human enough but she embraces him anyway and they're incredibly tender with one another.
And...look. You know me. I don't really do easy comfort. There's something about trauma that makes me go "You cannot pivot straight into comforting someone while you're in the middle of a perfectly reasonable panic attack of your own. You gotta let your characters breathe and cry for a bit before they can have emotionally healthy conversations. But I'm trying! And everyone's probably going to be in shock anyway so we'll let that carry the emotional baggage. Also it is very tender in a let me wash the blood off your face kind of way. I should actually have it finished soon which is exciting.
Tea with Topsy (part 2): Not actually part 2 I just got sick of scrolling every time I opened it so I put all the published stuff into another document. It's technically on hiatus still but I'm finding it a lot more pleasant to work on when I'm not trying to keep to a schedule. There's lots of smut coming, some Megamind being threatening, and some Roxanne being sneaky (if we're lucky they might even say "I love you" this year) and Minion being best henchfish to ever hench. Plus plot! And emotional breakdowns! And more strawberry icecream!
Oil and Water: Okay that one's just smut. I'm aiming for 1000 words per chapter for the next couple of chapters and its really just Megamind and Roxanne exhibition hours and an idea I've had FOREVER about them getting busted. But they're having fun and that's what's important. (poor Warden better hope he never finds out what happened in his office).
Party Dress: Okay so! Did you know whatever Megamind fic goes up next on AO3 is going to be my 50th? Because that was a shock! And what is being human for except to ascribe random numbers pointless meaning, so I had to make it something special. I toyed with the idea of getting Paperwork Polycule or Blue Ruin started but they still need more work than I have the brain for so instead I decided it was time I actually finished the very first piece of Megamind fanfic I started!
It's a cute oneshot fairly early on where Megamind and Minion run into Roxanne who is avoiding the crowds at the Mayor's annual Christmas Party and they offer her a ride home. It was the first place I came up with a lot of fun/silly ideas that I'm sure people will be able to draw comparisons to other fics I've written when I post it.
Kittens: Roxanne discovers a box of abandoned kittens on her way to work and takes them home. Megamind appears, very annoyed she missed their appointment ("What appointment?" "The one where I kidnap you of course!" "Oh that. Pass" "Pass? What you can't just pass! This is a kidnapping!" "Sh! I'm busy.") And she shanghais him into watching them while she goes to get pet supplies.
There is purring.
As for the rest!
*deep breath* this part comes with musical accompaniment to set the mood
Blue Ruin - The 1920's Megamind is a mobster, Roxanne is a club singer AU.
A Cunning Disguise - Spy AU, Megamind and Roxanne are undercover as newlyweds trying to put a stop to...something (look its about the TENSION alright? What's important is how many times they have to kiss to throw someone off their trail)
Barley - aka 5 times Roxanne and Megamind wound up playing schoolyard games as he tried to kidnap her (chasey, hide and seek, dodgeball, nerf wars, the floor is lava etc)
Birthday Cakes - An Umbrella Academy fic where they find The Women's Weekly book of birthday cakes and insist they each finally deserve a proper one
Bluestocking - Working title, Regency AU where Roxanne is trying to keep her family estate and winds up married to Megamind for half historical scandal half revange reasons. They fall in love.
Catherine Wheel - Angst. Something goes wrong, Megamind gets injured, Roxanne yells her feelings, possibly everyone dies?
Chains - Megamind and Roxanne escape the Doom Syndicate and wind up in a safehouse that's really more of an abandoned garage for the night. Oh and they're handcuffed together.
Chicken - Megamind and Wayne team up to invite Roxanne to a threesome
Chunk! - Wayne punches Megamind and bends his ventral piercings. Roxanne has to but them out with a boltcutter. Edging for everyone!
Noone calls you Honey - TECHNICALLY complete but I have an idea for a later scene that involves Wayne fighting a speedster supervillain and Roxanne rescuing other damsels so its staying in the WIPs until I decide what to do with it.
Con Crunch - Roxanne sneaks into a Villain con, Megamind catches her and passes her off as his protege.
Dear Diary - The WIP title for Wait a Minute! Where Roxanne and Megamind are trapped in a time bubble for 30 days. Actual future chapters are drafted because I finally got the angsty one finished!
Dinner and Goodnight kisses - Actually cut from Topsy due to emotional damages. Roxanne asks Megamind to be her fake date for dinner, which he accepts. But she accidentally mistakes someone else for him instead. Cue betrayal, misery, and an apology dinner of takeaway thai food on her couch. And kisses.
Falling - Roxanne and Megamind have a ”one time thing” out of curisoity/boredom/horny. But it keeps happening. And so do feelings
Family dinner - Roxanne asks Megamind to be her date to her monthly family dinner with the horrible side of the family in the hopes she'll be banished.
Free on saturday? - 5 times Roxanne made Megamind be her fake date (and one time it wasn't fake at all) This one I borrowed some of my own family traditions and I will probably be a blubbery mess when I actually write the rest of it but its still tender right now since my Opa passed away.
Fly me to the moon - Once upon a time Nickel and I agreed to an exchange where she asked for Megamind and Roxanne meeting as adults. I had two ideas, one was Back of Beyond (which I'm delighted you enjoyed) and the other is this, Roxanne is a junior reporter kidnapped by a couple of of aliens and is being kept in their spaceship on the other side of the moon while they try to figure out how to ransom her for the fuel they need to get back to the rest of the galaxy. Also Wayne is a space cop. Mostly made of teeth. And Minion's robot body turns into a motorcycle.
Formal Wear - The continuation and the prequel of A Formal Affair, where Megamind and Roxanne start their little getaways and also Wayne finally gets the courage up to ask to be the wall they fuck against.
Gloves are off - There is a trend for hero and villain themed onlyfans. Roxanne gets asked to do a story on some of them and finds one account that does a really good Megamind impression. Like REALLY good.
Hadestown - A 13/Dhawan!Master Dr Who Hadestown AU where the Doctor is Persephone and the Master is Hades
Into Temptation - The next installment of the Crowded House collective. Its the night before a very big event and Roxanne asks Megamind to visit...(soft angst, smut and feels)
Intruder Window (my working titles are so I can save the doc, not because I know what I'm doing) - The Tapetum Lucidum series. I hope you're ready to get laid
Mentality Machine Misfire - Prequel to Rings. What did happen when Megamind and Roxanne wound up as Brain-bots?
Mer couture - The sequel to Haute Water. (I blame @kizzyanel) I'm waiting on the next Met Gala for more inspiration because at the moment its just Megamind and Minion pleasing Roxanne in the bath.
Mistress Roxanne - Megamind runs into Roxanne in a dungeon and finds out he has a hitherto undiscovered sub streak a mile wide. Sexy shenanigans ensue.
Nails - A Nails AU based on the short story from Round the Twist. There are mermaids.
Never drink alone - Wayne Megamind and Minion all get absolutely trashed on a particular cocktail at a Scott Family party (so much for that evil plan) a none to sober herself Roxanne has to wrangle them back to Wayne's room and keep them there till they all sober up. No one has a filter. Also truth or dare.
Noticeable - Pride and Prejudice AU - Mary asks Kitty for help to make her beautiful enough Mr Collins will ask her to marry him. Mostly about sisterly bonding.
Nowhere to run - Roxanne stumbles on Megamind right after he accidentally kills someone in self defense. She takes him home and cleans him up and keeps his secrets.
Operation Seduction - Wayne and Roxanne are fuckbuddies who team up to seduce Megamind.
Paperwork Polycule - Roxanne marries all her aliens to make sure they don't get deported. of course this means they have to live together for a year and oh dear what feelings are these? (Wayne and Minion have the most helpless crushes on each other).
Penelope - A Penelope/Colin Bridgerton story about Penelope writing a vicious takedown of herself as Whistledown and the fallout as the Bridgerton family comes to her defence.
Prime numbers - It's not even a real kiss! Just a kiss on the cheek because they were both laughing at the brainbot tangled in mistletoe. So why is Megamind running in a panic and who is Roxanne going to have to kill for making him feel like he's not even allowed such a small gesture of affection?
Roxanne is dead - (thrilling title I know) Except she's not, she's hiding in the Lair from everyone while the rest of the world THINKS she's dead. Megamind included. A lot of angst and slow feels
Same time next week - Megabyte and Dot don't intentionally make a habit of running into one another at Al's diner. But it keeps happening (will end in alley sex)
Selkie - Roxanne's greatest secret is her pelt. When her house is robbed and Megamind returns it to her, any number of strange things about her suddenly start to make sense. (Also there are whiskery seal kisses)
Six of Crows Bar and Restaurant - A slice of life AUabout the Six of crows but as restaurant workers
Speed Chess - A Queens Gambit oneshot about playing speedchess in the park
Table for Two - Sarcasm serves Megamind and Roxanne well when instead of the evil plan that was supposed to be happening, Minion has arranged...dinner?
Tattoo Roses - The flowershop/Tattoo parlour AU that I will have more than just slice of life scenes if I ever figure out how
The inherent evil of turtlenecks - Bernard is back and he is out for revange! Unfortunately Megamind has found his greatest weakness, advice on how to be a better supervillain. Homoeroticism and evil plans abound.
The Morning after - Roxanne and Megamind run into each other out of town and wind up spending the night together. What's going to come of this neither of them know.
Please Break Me Gently - Megamind collapses four steps into Roxanne's apartment after the Black Mamba fight. An adult retelling of what happens next with all the bruises left in.
The Vast of what comes after - A Vast of Night continuation of how and where Faye and Everett and Maddy come back.
Tofu - Megamind steals Roxanne's lunch one day and discovers tofu is an aphrodisiac to his species. Roxanne offers to help out
Toy Room - Megamind has a sex room built during his villainous days. Roxanne finds it. Fun times ensue.
Tryst in me - Sequel to "She's all out to get you" Wayne Megamind and roxanne have got a pretty good handle on how to run her city. But Roxanne really can't stop thinking about Megamind's hands. She decides to do something about it. (the something is Megamind)
Up n at em - Also technically finished but I have a sequel chapter about how they fell in love and how it was Roxanne and Minion first.
Voyager - Yes the one you used to write Embers to Ashes. the line "These are supposed to be gills!" still lives rent free in my head so its becoming a post movie angstfest at some point.
Waltz - Megamind finds Roxanne sneaking around at a party. The price for his silence? A dance.
Who bit my familiar? - A WWDITS story about Guillermo waking up a vampire.
You must be this tall to fire the giant laser - Megamind accidentally shrinks Roxanne down to 5 years old. Chaos ensues.
*falls over gasping* And there you have it! That music was in my head the ENTIRE time I was writing this out. (sometimes I really do have to wonder if I don't have some kind of ADHD)
Also thank you for making me tidy up my WIP folder, it actually shrank because I stuffed all the random bits and pieces and all those "An Idea" minifics the server pulls out of me into one document so yay! (I did not do those, that would have been another 20 odd)
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