#and as u can guess they have the usual sibling banter of ‘I am going to kill you.’

[deltafruit]

so. AI East.

[hopetorun]

I am currently doing a home by now reread so BTS for that please! <3

oh gosh, picking a scene for this was hard! there's a lot of scenes in there. but here is one i'm really fond of: when matthew goes to see his mom in the final chapter

also this scene is like 2400 words and i scraped a few off the beginning but this is long. thank u all for bearing with me i love to talk about writing

He knocks on the front door this time, like a polite adult, and Mom is already laughing at him when she opens the door.

“You have a key for a reason,” she says. “You interrupted my show.”

It turns out that the show in question is Jeopardy, which Matthew didn’t know Mom watched with any kind of seriousness. He does have fond memories of her putting it on for the kids years ago, because they’d get fixated on keeping score of who got the most answers right and, according to her, give her enough time to clean the kitchen after dinner. None of them ever did very well. [one of the things i had a lot of fun with in this story that shows up here is imagining bits of matthew's childhood and filling in details of how he would've interacted with his siblings. also the idea of all three of them parked in front of the tv obsessively keeping score of this is funny to me]

“What’s for dinner?” Matthew says, ignoring the host chatting with the contestants.

Mom shrugs. “I was going to have leftovers. Don’t they feed you at the arena?”

Matthew waits for her to turn to him so he can smirk. “Still hungry,” he says. She shakes her head.

“God, I forgot how much you can eat during the season.” [there is simply so much eating required to play professional sports]

They eat their leftovers on the couch, feet up on the coffee table. Matthew supplements his with an apple that he found in the fruit drawer, because Mom said she wasn’t going to eat it, and she glares at him when he crunches on it loudly while she’s trying to think of the final Jeopardy answer. Matthew smiles at her with his mouth full.

“I raised you better than that,” she grumbles.

He could answer with another joke, keep the banter going. But he’s feeling thoughtful after his talk with Quinn.

“You did,” he says. [there was that twitter thing the other day about how much of yourself and your experience you put into your stories and there are moments of matthew's relationship with his mom in this fic that are very much informed by my relationship with my mom, and this is one of them; the casual behavior, the quick switch from joking to sincere, the acknowledgement of the parent's role in shaping you]

Final Jeopardy ends—none of the contestants get it right, but Mom remembered the answer and she takes a few seconds to gloat about it—and Matthew turns to Mom, more serious than he usually is with her.

“What’s up, Matty?” she says. The nickname is soft, one she hasn’t used much since Matthew was a lot younger. He’s mostly been Matthew for so long now, but sometimes the old nicknames slip out.

He used to mind, back when he was 15 years old and desperately trying to seem more grown up than he was [important teenager experience] and then Brady would call and yell hi Matt into the phone as loud as he could, and all Matthew’s new friends he wanted to have call him Matthew would laugh and start calling him Matt. [important trying to seem grown up experience] But eventually Matthew stuck, mostly, and now when Mom softens her voice and calls him Matty he just feels like a kid again in a good way. It won’t last, but it’s nice to pretend for a few minutes that Mom can solve all his problems. [important twentysomething/thirtysomething experience]

Matthew takes another bite of his apple, crunching loudly in the quiet room, and then swallows before he says, “How do you know if someone is worth it?”

Mom frowns briefly. “Romantically?” she asks, and Matthew nods.

Thankfully, she doesn’t ask any more questions, just tilts her head, considering.

“It’s hard,” she says finally. “Or, I guess—it’s not hard, but you feel very aware of how high-stakes it is. You have to decide it’s worth trying before you can really know for sure.”

That’s kind of the answer Matthew expected, even if it doesn’t make things any easier for him. He could’ve decided in the summer of 2020 that it was worth taking the risk, putting himself out there, and he didn’t. [matthew is very ... measured isn't quite the word, deliberate maybe? about his public presentation, and obviously public presentation ≠ actual personality, but for the purposes of rpf it's very interesting to lean into that. the piece of relationships, especially romantic relationships, where you have to take a leap of faith and risk someone the opportunity to hurt you because it's the only way to know that they won't]

“I almost decided it wasn’t, you know,” Mom continues. “Once it got obvious the Jets were going to relocate. I always knew that dating a hockey player might mean moving away but it had always seemed like a theoretical thing, you know? And then suddenly it was a choice I had to make a lot more quickly than I thought I would, and that was scary.”

Matthew is quiet, mostly because he doesn’t know what to do with that.

“But you did it,” he says finally.

“I did,” Mom says, smiling. “And it was worth it. But I was very aware that leaving my whole life behind to follow a guy across the continent could have blown up in my face. I wasn’t sure at all when I did it.” She pauses. “Well, I was sure I loved your dad and that I wanted to take the risk, but I wasn’t sure that it would work out.” [this scene was going to play out more or less like this regardless of what my wikipedia perusals turned up but reality did me a solid with this detail, thematically. love to wildly riff on a tiny detail of reality because it works nicely with the themes and motifs]

Matthew’s glad she did it, obviously, because otherwise he probably wouldn’t exist, but it does sting to think about how cowardly he was in comparison to her. He didn’t even call Leon back; he thought it could have mattered, but convinced himself it was nothing and let it go.

There’s no way to know if he would’ve been happy with Leon if they’d pursued something. If it would even have worked. There’s no way to know if it could work now, if he hadn’t fucked it up so much. But suddenly, Matthew wishes he’d taken the risk to find out. He wouldn’t even have had to move across the continent for it. [oh i kinda forgot this specific realization is spelled out in this scene! the reason for the whole story, in a way]

Matthew doesn’t even know how he got so deep into the idea that it would be easy. Maybe it’s because hockey wasn’t easy but the work wasn’t scary. Not like the idea of picking his phone back up and calling Leon after the conversation where—well. After that conversation. That was scary. [at this point in the story matthew's really churning through a lot of the stuff that's been cooking in the previous uhhh many many words, so i did let my prose about his thought processes and emotions get more on the nose]

He knew the path through hockey. He knew the path through to success, where to put his feet to make it there, and he never looked around enough to see the possibility of failure. Sure, some people didn’t make it, but he wasn’t going to be one of those.

The path with Leon wasn’t so clear, a murky, muddy thing that slipped out of focus as easily as he could imagine the steps through it. There wasn’t a template. The closest thing to it was Quinn and Brady and that was too different to be much help.

Or maybe it wasn’t. Maybe that was just all the years Matthew spent telling himself it was easy for them. [he's starting to realize that actually he's just been an idiot for 10-12 business years, we're all very proud]

Matthew should say something, fill the silence with something thoughtful or appreciative, but no words come to him. He’s been taller than Mom for a long time, but he slumps down on the couch until he can rest his head on her shoulder. She curls an arm around his shoulders the way she has so many times, and rubs the outside of his arm a few times. “It’s okay to be scared of something and still want it,” she says. “I was. That doesn’t mean it’s not worth it.”

Matthew hums, squirms deeper into the cushions instead of answering.

“You know your brother was scared, right?” [this is such a key detail for me. not just that it wasn't easy for brady (and quinn) but that brady was scared! but brady seemed to sure to matthew etc etc]

Mom probably shouldn’t be telling him this. If Brady told her or Dad that, it was probably in confidence. But she’s telling him anyway, and that gives him the same warm feeling he used to get when she told him he was in charge of Brady and Taryn. [chantal ... probably is violating brady's confidence with this one, but it's been almost ten years and she thinks matthew needs the reassurance more than brady needs an old secret]

He shakes his head against her shoulder.

“He talked to me and Dad about it before he went off to Boston,” Mom continues. “He was all serious about it too, and you know how gawky he was back then, [sorry too teen brady but it's true] and it was hard to take him seriously until I realized how scared he was that he’d have to choose between his career and Quinn.”

“Jesus,” Matthew whispers. He’d never even really thought about that part. He should have, and now that it’s been pulled into focus in his mind he doesn’t know how he didn’t. He’s almost 30, has an established career and a pretty comfortable sum in the bank to boot. Leon does too, unless he’s a lot stupider than Matthew’s been giving him credit for. Brady and Quinn weren’t even drafted, almost ten years ago now, and they were willing to—God. It must’ve been terrifying, even before they broke up. [i waffled about this a lot, about whether i wanted to make the earth 2 this story is set on a gentler version of ours and in many ways it is but ultimately i decided the story pulled together better this way]

“Yeah,” Mom says. “I don’t think I’ve ever been more worried for any of you.” She pauses, exhales slowly. Matthew feels her breath ruffle his hair. “I spent so long bracing myself for horrible injuries and horrible losses that I never even considered that one of you kids might have to choose between hockey and the person you love.”

Matthew doesn’t think he can actually speak, at least not in a voice that sounds remotely normal.

“He never told me,” he finally manages. Mom can definitely tell that he’s got a lump in his throat.

“Of course he didn’t,” Mom says. “You would’ve offered to do something like giving hockey up too if he did, and he didn’t want to put you in that position.” [am i wrong? i am not wrong]

Matthew can’t argue with the point, because he can’t reasonably swear he wouldn’t have offered to do something even stupider. He shakes his head, and under it he feels Mom’s shoulder move as she laughs.

“You’re thinking about what the stupidest thing you might’ve offered to do was, aren’t you?” she says, and Matthew laughs too.

“I probably would’ve come out to take the heat off him if I had to,” he mumbles, and Mom’s next laugh sounds wet. It’s not like he’s never thought it before, even if he’s never said it in so many words. They both know the probably part is a lie. [matthew doing things brady doesn't want him to because he thinks it'll be helpful: consistent across all universes]

“I’m glad you didn’t have to,” Mom says, squeezing his arm for a moment too long.

Matthew huffs out a laugh. “Me too,” he says. “That would’ve sucked.”

Mom doesn’t laugh. Matthew didn’t expect her to. He didn’t really think she’d think it was funny; she cares too much about his wellbeing. Not that he can complain about it, not when she’s letting him slump onto her shoulder and saying comforting things to him.

“I’m glad it all worked out for Brady and Quinn,” he mumbles. God, he’s tired.

“Quinn’s a good one,” Mom says. Her arm slides back onto the couch cushions behind him as she stretches. “I’m glad Brady has him.”

Matthew nods. He could fall asleep here, especially after how badly he slept last night. He probably shouldn’t, because he knows Mom won’t want to wake him up. If he’s going to sleep, he should at least drag himself upstairs to one of the empty bedrooms.

He’s in the process of pushing himself upright when Mom says, “So what are you worrying about?” It startles him.

Well, it’s not a surprise that she saw through him, but he is on the spot now. [moms!!!!]

“There’s a guy,” he says, and her arm drops back around his shoulders, squeezes once. [this is a big deal for him to be telling her and she knows it, which is why she's determinedly not making too much of it]

“Yeah?” she says.

“Yeah,” he says. He feels his mouth quirk into a smile. “Big shock, I know.”

He was aiming for sarcasm, but Mom sounds genuinely surprised when she answers. “Someone you like enough to tell me about?”

Matthew sighs, heavy and exhausted. “I think so. Not that it matters, since I fucked everything up.”

“I doubt that,” Mom says, which she kind of has to say because she’s his mom. [that thing of both only wanting the opinions of people you trust and not necessarily trusting the opinions of people who love you] But then Matthew’s thought he fucked things up beyond repair before, and she usually helps him feel good about whatever comes out of it. Like his team deciding he’s not worth having around and somehow turning that into—this.

“It’s pretty bad,” Matthew says, and then he yawns dramatically, and Mom shoves at him gently. “You’re falling asleep. Go crash upstairs and tell me about it in the morning. I’ll tell you how to fix it.” [this is patently obvious throughout the whole story but i think matthew's relationship with his mom is really interesting and i really enjoyed exploring it! the thing last summer where he asked her to witness his contract ("obviously"), etc etc. it felt really natural to hang a big chunk of the emotional crux of the story on a scene with her and have her ultimately be the person he trusts with his fears and failures]

In the morning, she makes him coffee, feeds him an omelet with a mountain of toppings, and listens as Matthew tells her a lightly edited version of the whole mess. It’s not the worst way to start the day. [sometimes your mom or other loving parental figure CAN fix everything, even when you're a grown up with grown up problems]

[commander-spaceboy]

Sorry I've posted some of this writing to here already, but a large majority of it is sitting in a google docs that none of you have access to lol, comments and feedback are welcome and encouraged

I’m Finally starting on my rewrite of the Star Wars sequels, I’m literally throwing away everything that happens in the actual movies and just starting out with my own shit, Basically,,, instead of more bull shit first order and “jedi” centric stuff, I’m throwing in a bunch of bounty hunters into the mix

Since the movies follow the skywalker bloodline, I’m starting off by creating children for Leia and Han,, They are both force probably force sensitive, since they are part of the skywalker lineage, but neither of them have trained to harnesses it, instead the younger brother learns about the senate and helps out his mother and grandfather organa anyway he can senate wise, while his sister is off doing god knows what with their father, (probably keeping him in check honestly)

So basically u get a Ben solo and a ray skywalker but they are already written in a better way because they are siblings, we know who the girls parents are, and you can’t ship them because that would be incest!!

Changed my mind already on the roles of the siblings, they're both probs force sensitive, but like, neither of them really care all too much, like they think it’s cool and all, but not for them, instead the younger brother is helping his mother and grandfather organa in the senate, and the sister keeps their dad in check lol

Which, working in the senate is a *very* easy way to get a target on your head, and also being anywhere near Han Solo is a very easy way to get a target on your back, which would give bounty hunters a reason to have a bounty on them

It would have to get more specific but you get the jist

A Jedi probably comes in the form of a padawan Luke has been training who hears of the bounty on the kids heads and takes action to alert and protect them (only to find out both of them are perfectly capable of handling themself

I think it would be funny though if the padawan was the one who ends up getting kidnapped or something by bounty hunters and the person who made the bounty is like “is is very obviously not the fucking kid I put a bounty for???” And then the siblings have to save the Jedi’s ass

I think a Nautolan Jedi padawan would be cool

Bounty hunters am I right????

Lol can take place over the span of like 15 years like the prequels did, orrrrr it can take like 3 or 4 like the og’s did

Have to have some mention of commander Cody in there, otherwise, how will people know it's my fanfiction?

Have something similar to the prequels happen where someone in the senate is sending out bounties for people who oppose them and their ideals. Throughout the movie you are led to believe it is this specific senator, but after they have been taken to jail another bounty hunter shows up and shoots a main character, and that's how the first movie is left off.

WHAT IF:

THE SIBLINGS START TO HAVE AN ANAKIN AND OBI-WAN LIKE RELATIONSHIP, BUT TOWARDS THE END OF THE MOVIES ANAKIN AND OBI-WAN SHOW UP IN ALL OF THEIR SEXY GHOST GLORY AND ARE LIKE, “FIX THIS BULLSHIT OR YOU WILL END UP IN THE SAME PLACE WE DID.

(but it would be more like younger brother perfect and can do no wrong because he is mothers favorite, older sister who does things her own way and at her own speed and because she sees her brother as being the better sibling she feels she cant talk to him about anything that she's going through)

(obv. Not everything between them is going to be solved with a couple of nice words from their sibling, but it would set things in the right direction, and they would know that they are able to confide in each other if need be [say if one of them were to be having a panic attack while mace windu is confronting the senate ™ and need to be comforted and stopped from intervening in a bad way], its important to know you have someone there basically)

At the start the younger brother is like 15 at the least and 17 at the most, but he is very much into the senate and trying his best to become a senator when he gets older, but he gets dragged into gun fights with his sister, father and the stray jedi they picked up at some point

The sister is probably min 19 max 21 so like a 4 year difference between the siblings, even if her mother wanted her to follow in her footsteps and be a peacekeeper and a senator, she followed her father right out into space to cause some ruckus at a space bar and gather more bounties on their heads.

Once again bounty hunters play a big part in this set of movies, I want to have a couple of prominent ones show up, (like not ones that have been seen before in the franchise but like ones that will stick around for a while like a gross piece of gum to your shoe)

Maybe at some point after one gets a little too close to the siblings and realizes they are literally just kids who are scared for their lives and not trying to cause shit they r like “must protect these children!!!” then they get shot and now the heros have a massive fucking problem with people!!!

Obv they will have a bigger role than just trying to kill the main kids, but like, that's their endgame goal.

So I guess in the first movie they would be completely separate from each other, only getting to hear from the other through holos and word of mouth. They still have a somewhat decent relationship with each other at this point, friendly banter as per use.

The second they would spend more time apart then together, but they are together on screen at some points, tension is always high with them. the relationship ship isn't the worst at this point, but as per usual with the skywalkers they def. Dont communicate with each other like they should. And fight with each other verbally a lot.

And in the third they spend most of it together till they get to a tipping point with each other and fight with the intent to actually harm each other, n then the ghosts of obw-wan and anakin show up and r like “Hey what the fuck???” and they realize that they are both having problems they need the others' help to take care of.

Think it would be really funny if one of the two of them marries the jedi during like the second movie, and just like,,, does not tell the other, like skywalker did with padme and obi-wan,,,, i could do so many parallels,,, so many

[lutrain2020]

Meet the Creator!

Introducing: Seeking7 or Seeking!

Commission:  I don't offer writing commissions at the moment, mostly because I'm not sure how to conduct or present myself in the market. If anyone would like to request a certain fic or short story from me, however, I'd be glad to work out details with them. :)

Social Media: A03: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seeking7 FFnet: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/13334645/

Tell us a little bit about you!

Hiya! I'm Seeking7, or Seeking. I was born in Alabama and raised in California to a pair of the most hardworking Egyptian immigrants you've ever met, and the mixture of Arabic and American influence over the course of my life has had a profound influence on the way I look at the world. My favorite subjects are biology and english, and I aspire to become either an EMT or military medic after I graduate. In regards to hobbies (aside from playing copious amounts of Zelda), I love studying American and Ancient Israelite history, and I hope to one day learn ancient Hebrew and Greek so I can read the original biblical manuscripts for myself!

Is there someone who inspires you and your writing?

While my own brain can usually come up with a certain scene or idea that would inspire me to put paper to pen, it's the people I have around me that encourage me to keep writing. The people on FFN and AO3 who comment and leave kudos on my work mean the world to me (shout out to JoSeBach on FFN and MyWritingisMeh on Ao3 for leaving comments/reviews on each chapter of my fic "Mephibosheth"). The LU fans who come to my livewrites on the discord are so ridiculously encouraging and always let me know that my writing can actually be interesting to some people -- a fact that never ceases to astound me. But most credit goes to my younger sister. Even when I don't show her a work because it might be a little bit extreme or intense for her age, she always lets me know that she's sure it's good regardless. Her unconditional, unreasonable support inspires me to be that kind of person to other fic writers!

What got you into writing?

Three books in particular encouraged me to take writing seriously. "Crime and Punishment" was the first in this process, showcasing just how intense, beautiful, and profound a book with actually very little plot can be. The entire book takes place more or less in the head of a man wracked to pieces by guilt, and Dostoevsky's decision to focus on internal instead of external conflict changed the way I looked at literature. "East of Eden" was next. It wasn't just the book's allegorical nature or the Cain and Abel motif that astounded me - Steinbeck's vivid descriptions of everything from the human mind to sunrise in Salinas has had a profound impact on my own writing. I still reference the first few pages when I write! (actually, if you look at my fic "The Most Sincere Kind of Lie," the opening paragraph is heavily inspired by the first page of East of Eden!) Finally, the biblical Book of Job changed the way I look at dialogue and interactions between flawed characters. The whole book is almost written like an ancient screenplay and deals with heavy questions like the meaning of pain and the meaning of meaninglessness without offering direct answers - which inspired me to try and include those questions in my own writing and handle them in a similar, vague, interperative way.

What's your favorite part of the writing process?

After outlining a fic, I usually start out by writing them like a screenplay with all dialogue tags and action notes written off to the side. When sarcastic banter,  silly, lighthearted interactions, or intense conversations with a deeper meaning behind them start to come together, I can't help but smile. That usually gives the the extra inspirational boost I need to go back and flesh everything out so it becomes a story! (if you struggle with writing dialogue, message me on the discord and I'll be glad to tell you everything I know and send you the multitude of resources I have on the subject)

What's your least favorite part of the writing process?

Vetting works for grammatical mistakes turns writing fics into homework! I can't stand posting something and later reading just to find out that I forgot to capitalize a character's name, or that a comma is missing, or that Ao3 or FFN messed up the page breaks and I have to go back in and fix it. I'm not a perfectionist most of the time, but when I come to writing, I absolutely am.

Whats your favorite type of scene to write?

Intense philosophical debates and serious heart-to-heart conversations are by far my favorite kind of scenes to write, and that's because they're my favorite kind of scenes to observe and read! I always leave them feeling like I've gained something intellectually and emotionally, and it's my constant hope and dream to be able to impart the same kind of introspective thoughtfulness on the reader.  

What's the hardest for you to write?

Allowing or even plotting for a character to go off the deep end is always such a hard thing to write. Not for them to die, necessarily, but for them to completely lose their morals, priorities, and relationships in search for something selfish or temporary. Writing them making the same mistakes over and over not because they're stupid but because they don't care about the consequences is always hard -- it's like killing off a character and replacing them with the darkest, nastiest version of themselves. Basically, writing the opposite of character development is the opposite of fun. :(

What's your favorite genre to write?

Whatever the hybrid child of angst and fluff is called, that's my baby. I find that a combination of the two can make for a really interesting experience and give me more space to explore different faucets of each character's personality. It's also the perfect breeding ground for some intense, sincere conversations.

What fandoms do you enjoy writing for?

I don't write for a lot of fandoms, just Linked Universe, Undertale, and occasionally LoZ stuff not tied directly to our nine precious boys.

What's the work you are most proud of?

I've only gotten into LU very recently, so at the time of writing this I don't have anything from the fandom that's ready to showcase. I do have some cool Undertale stuff though, at least in my opinion! If you're interested in that, there are two fics I've poured (and am currently pouring) my heart and soul into that I'm extremely proud of. The first one is 'The Reason,' which is just a quick oneshot focused on Grillby being an amazing, hardworking dad, (https://archiveofourown.org/works/24354130) and the second is Mephibosheth,' my multi-chapter pre-canon fic about the lives of Asriel and Chara. '(https://archiveofourown.org/works/23804797)

Is there a specific scene you are particularly proud of?

Going again off the works I referenced earlier, a particular scene in the ninth chapter of 'Mephibosheth' had me patting myself on the back. I can't tell you what it is, though, because it's a massive spoiler. ;)

Is there something you had to work through that forced you to grow as a writer?

At the beginning of my junior year of high school I submitted two works into a competition I was confident I would win. No, not just win, I was sure I would get first place nationally. The competition never had many submissions and I knew that the works I submitted were pretty darn good. As you can probably guess, I didn't win anything. No medal or mention, nothing. I was in shock for a good few days and considering giving up writing completely. Then I realized how stupid I was being for assuming I was entitled to an award, for writing something only for recognition, and for thinking that I should give up on something I love so much just because it didn't supply me with the endorphin rush I thought it would. I made it a goal to improve as much as humanly possible afterwards, and I'm happy to say that I think I'm making progress towards that!

Do you have any fics inspired by real life stories?

Every gremlin-like thing the boys do in my WIP LU fic "The Most Sincere Kind of Lie" (by the time this is up, it'll probably be on Ao3) is based off something I've seen my brother and sister do. They're the embodiment of utter chaos and the manifestation of the primal urge to destroy, so they're great inspiration for Link shenanigans. Also, almost all of the banter in 'Mephibosheth' has taken inspiration from one of three places; conversations I've had with my grandparents, conversations I've had with my siblings, or interviews I've watched online. Inspiration for thought-provoking dialogue has to come somewhere that's not my own brain - there aren't enough brain cells to bear the brunt of that creative burden!

Where do you post your finished works?

I post on FFN and Ao3, both under the alias Seeking7. What's that, you say? You want a link to my profile? Well, who am I to refuse?? (AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seeking7) (FFN: https://www.fanfiction.net/u/13334645/)

[saoirse-argentum]

I decided it would be more entertaining (for myself at least) to answer these as Saoirse…So I did…Everything outside of the last set of Q and A anyway. Haurchefant also makes a guest appearance. XD

B A S I C S .

FULL NAME:   Saoirse Argentum! NICKNAME(S): Sunshine and Somebunny. I’m told I have a cheery disposition and I love puns.   AGE: 29. BIRTHDAY: 19th Sun of the 1st Astal Moon (Jan. 19th) ETHNIC GROUP: Viera, Rava. NATIONALITY: Gridanian.  LANGUAGE(S) : Common. Dalmascan. High Ivalician. And I’m pretty sure I’ve figured out Mooglespeak….Kupo. SEXUAL ORIENTATION: I like them Elezen boys…and I’m a sucker for a handsome Dragoon.   ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: Heteromantic and hopeless. RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Eternally pining over Estinien. HOME TOWN/AREA: Old Gridania. CURRENT HOME: I still call Old Gridania home, but I spend a lot of time in Ishgard. PROFESSION: White Mage, Serpent Captain for the Order of the Twin Adder…Secretly a Gunbreaker…A bad one, but a girl can dream!

P H Y S I C A L .

HAIR: Brunette EYES: Green. FACE: Hmm. How did Haurchefant put it? You know what, I’ll just let him answer these next few. “If I had a star for every time her beauty brightened my day, I would have a galaxy.” LIPS: “Pink, supple and saccharine.” COMPLEXION: “Lightly sun-kissed.” BLEMISHES: “Not a one in sight…but her freckles…sprinkled like sugar and sweet.” SCARS: “None that I can see…Perhaps I should check.” “No.” TATTOOS: “A heart with my name on it, just above her breast.” “ALSO NO!” HEIGHT:  “Approx. 5’8”. Short for a Viera…I could just keep her in my pocket.” WEIGHT: “A gentleman would never tell.” “130lbs.” BUILD: “Like a brickhouse.” FEATURES: “Long lashes, slender legs, and her breasts—” “Okay, you’re done here.” ALLERGIES: Bananas and cats…both of which I enjoy. A true tragedy. USUAL HAIR STYLE:  Curled with angled bangs and styled to rest over my shoulder on one side. USUAL FACE LOOK: I smile a lot, I guess? USUAL CLOTHING: Thigh-high boots, skirts and dresses, and while in dungeons generally my White Mage robes.

P S Y C H O L O G Y .

FEAR(S): Loss. Letting my friends down…and the dark. ASPIRATION(S): Protect Eorzea, learn to be as good a fighter as I am a healer, and win the heart of Ishgard’s Grandest Grump! POSITIVE TRAITS: I suppose my empathy and optimism. NEGATIVE TRAITS: I can be stubborn and sometimes my shyness can be misconstrued as coldness. MBTI:  INFJ (“The Advocate”) ZODIAC: Capricorn. TEMPERAMENT: Somewhere between Melancholic and Phlegmatic. SOUL TYPE(S): An artisan.   ANIMAL(S): Vulpes Vulpes! Or the Astute Fox, a charming carnivore. VICE HABIT(S): I can be relatively reckless at times. FAITH: By the Twelve! GHOSTS?: Where?! AFTERLIFE?: Yes. There is something after all this. REINCARNATION?: I wouldn’t say it’s an impossibility all things considered. ALIENS?: I’m like 75% sure that Hildibrand is from another planet. POLITICAL ALIGNMENT: I’m a proud member of the Eorzean Alliance. EDUCATION LEVEL:  I have a high desire for learning, so I study whatever I can, when I can.

F A M I L Y .

FATHER: I never met him and my mother spoke little of him. MOTHERS:  Relme Argentum. SIBLINGS: Only child. EXTENDED FAMILY: Cassie Drauman…We’re practically sisters. NAME MEANING(S): Saoirse means “freedom” and Argentum is a metal so it’s considered “shining” in some circles. HISTORICAL CONNECTION?: None that I can verify. When I was kid, I heard rumors that my father was Hyur: Hilghlander who fought for Ala Mhigo during the Garlean invasion.

F A V O R I T E S .

BOOK: I love so many…but I enjoy a good romance story. DEITY: Menphina. HOLIDAY: Heavensturn. MONTH: October…there’s just a certain feeling in the air. SEASON: Fall PLACE: The Dravanian Hinterlands, near Matoya’s Cave! WEATHER: Brisk Autumn days with just a slight breeze…enough to stir the leaves.   SOUND(S): Soft rain and crackling fires. Thunder and crunch of leaves beneath your feet. SCENT(S): The smell of earth after it rains. Strawberries and roses. TASTE(S):  Whiskey kisses. <3 FEEL(S): Plush Velvets…Estinien’s hair. >_> <_< ANIMAL(S): Estinien…but really, puppies. NUMBER(S): 19 is my lucky number! COLOR(S): Pink and pastels.

E X T R A .

TALENT(S): My propensity for puns. BAD AT: Dance and tanking…which obviously go hand in hand. TURN ONS: Estinien is glaring really hard at me right now… TURN OFFS: Cruelty. Smelling like a Sahagin corpse covered in moldy stone cheese. HOBBIES: Reading, sleeping, and baking. TROPES: White Mage, Healing Hands, Girl Next Door, Manic Pixie Dream Girl, and the Klutz. QUOTE(S): “To let evil do evil, to do nothing in its presence is the same as taking their side. Being a hero means taking a stand.”  “I used to be good at wordplay…once a pun a time.”

M U N   Q U E S T I O N S .

Q1: If you could write your character your way in their own movie, what would it be called, what style would it be filmed in, and what would it be about? A1:  It doesn’t matter what I write, romance is usually central to the storyline, so it wouldn’t be any different with Saoirse. It would probably be a reverse harem style anime and all her party members would be beautiful men (standard archetypes) who want to protect Eorzea alongside her while vying for her heart. It would be called: All My Party Members are Bachelors. XD

Q2: What would their soundtrack/score sound like? A2: Probably a combination of Ayumi Hamasaki and Abingdon Boys School.

Q3: Why did you start writing this character? A3: She has a strong, bubbly voice and I spend so much time working on projects with more reserved heroines that it’s nice to break away from that without having to stress over my problematic perfectionism.

Q4: What first attracted you to this character? A4: I really like writing from the perspective of a character who doesn’t take herself too seriously…It makes writing dialogue enjoyable because I don’t have to stress about whether or not she’s actually funny so long as she finds herself amusing.

Q5: Describe the biggest thing you dislike about your muse. A5: Sometimes she’s a little too passive or naïve. I think part of that is because I’m so used to playing as a healer that I forget she can be strong in other ways.

Q6: What do you have in common with your muse?           A6: We’re both hopeless romantics and we both enjoy really simple humor…so easily amused.

Q7: How does your muse feel about you? A7: I dunno, let me ask.

“Are you French?...Because Eiffel for you.”

Ha!

Q8: What characters does your muse have interesting interactions with? A8: As a Manic Pixie Dream Girl, her most interesting interactions are with grumps or others with her sense of humor. Either way the banter is generally amusing.

Q9: What gives you inspiration to write your muse?     A9: Listening to music is one, but drawing is another one. I love drawing Saoirse with other characters and imagining scenes or interactions to bring to life visually and that generally spurs my writing.

Q10: How long did this take you to complete? A10: About two hours…because my dogs and significant other really enjoy distracting me, but it’s cool because I enjoy it too.

[cassandraclare]

Q&A TDA

thedarkmarvels said:

hi cassie! will we find learn who kits mother is in qoaad, or will that have to wait until twp? geniusherondale said: hello Cassie!! can you tell us a clue about kit's mother? uriecookie12 said: Hi, Cassie. :) I really love your books and I fell in love with Ty and Kit. Will we see Kit’s mother in QOAAD or is she set to show up in TWP? Lots of love.

A very popular question! Obviously the identity of Kit’s mother is a mystery right now, and a significant one. Kit only knows the story his father told him, which isn’t true. A great deal of the details of this mystery are shown in Ghosts of the Shadow Market: we will meet her, as part of Jem and Tessa’s search for the Lost Herondale. If you don’t read Ghosts, you’ll get the answer to Kit’s mother’s identity in Queen and TWP.

It’s a fairly significant part of Kit’s story, and part of the reason Jem and Tessa were so keen to find him.

history-maker-viktuuri said:

Hello Cassie!! Can you tell us more about the dynamic of the friendship between Ty and Kit in QoAaD?? I’m looking forward to reading more about them.

Obviously the dynamic between Kit and Ty is going to be significantly affected by Livvy’s death. It’s a crushing occurrence for Ty, and the way he responds to it is going to affect his future and his relationship with Kit. Kit is desperate to make sure Ty is okay in the moment, so much so that it may blind him to longer-term issues.

feyreismeiamfeyre said:

Hi, Cassie! So, I love Julian very very much, along with a bunch of other characters, but with him I feel the most in common what with him being almost like a parent figure to his younger siblings and taking care of them... My question is, will Julian get a happy moment in QoAaD (he truly deserves many many of them)? Like a chill and joyous moment with no drama, maybe a beach day or a moment of enjoying his favourite sandwich with lots of pickles and mayo... I just want him happy!

——

In a strange turn, there is a scene where Julian eats a sandwich. BUT IT CONTAINS THE BLOOD OF HIS ENEMIES.

Okay, it doesn’t really. It contains lettuce.

Maggie Stiefvater has a really interesting post about downtimes for characters, and why we want to see them be happy and relax, because it’s a release of tension, but also the way you buy that relaxation at the expense of plot. I think it’s an interesting piece about how writers calibrate tension and catharsis carefully in books, since too much of one or the other ruins your pacing. She calls scenes where people, say, happily eat a sandwich Ice Cream Cake scenes, which is funny in the sense I’ve always called them frosting scenes — as in, frosting on cake is great but an entire cake made out of frosting is disgusting. So I guess I would say that if you look at my books you can see that characters are usually happy and bantering and doing cute stuff in small moments between bigger ones, or at the end of the book where we sigh, sit back, and allow ourselves to relax.

lilyherondale13 said: Hi Cassie! I love your work, you are such a wonderful writer! May I ask you something: could you tell us something on we don't know yet on Rayan Maduabuchi? I love him in Lord of Shadows! Ps: I love the Centurions, but only the good ones as Diego says! (Sorry for my english, I'm French). Xoxo!

Merci! ;)  I’m fond of Rayan too — along with Divya Joshi he forms a sort of power triad with Diego at the Scholomance, in terms of the Centurions who aren’t assholes. He helps Diego hide Kieran, and rescues Kieran from a specific and unusual torment set up by the Cohort. He also runs afoul of Horace Dearborn . . .

alessandra-lightwood said:

Hi Cassie! I'm very anxious for QoAaD, and I would like to know if Jamie has a big role in this book? And if we meet more Rosales, like Cristina's mom?

You might well meet Cristina’s mom ;) Jaime has a role in this book, but it is not huge — Diego has a much much bigger role, because Jaime is one of the main characters of TWP and so this series is meant to serve as an introduction to him, not a telling of his story. This is Cristina and Diego’s time (as far as Rosaleses go) and Jaime’s comes later. Jaime’s a lot of fun, so I’m definitely excited for his place at the forefront.

helen-blackthorn said:

Hey Cassie, will we be seeing a lot of Dru & Helen bonding now that she’s back and Livvy is gone? I’d love to see more sisterly bonding in TDA especially after what happened in lord of shadows!

I think it’s natural to look at Dru’s situation (and Helen’s) and think they each just lost a sister, so here’s a sister restored to them, and clearly they would be joyous. And they are, but people are more complex than that. Dru worries Helen has been away so long that they won’t understand each other, and resents Helen for doing the things Julian usually does because it feels to her as if he’s being replaced. Helen worries that Dru won’t love and accept her, and worries she has no idea how to deal with kids or raise them. Aline makes a frittata. It’s not as if they don’t bond, but it’s a complicated path!

ailecstuff said: Is Kieran ok? Do they take care of him in the Scholomance? Are they giving him good food?

Diego is the one who takes care of Kieran in the Scholomance (along with Divya and Rayan) and it’s all from his POV. The Scholomance experience really changes Kieran, in the way he looks at the world, at Shadowhunters and even at his own responsibilities to his people. In the meantime he annoys Diego by sleeping under his bed, and Diego feeds him juice, berries, meat, and anything else unprocessed. :P

carolinagain said:

Hi Cassie. i absolutely loved kieran! his redemption, his flaws, his strength, his relationship with christina. i have made some awful mistakes, and seeing characters like kieran who have too but then overcome them is so comforting and inspiring, in a way. i am wondering if we will see more of kieran as a character in himself? not just mark's ex, but as the exiled faerie prince? we did a little LM, and i loved it sm! thank u for such a wonderful, diverse cast of characters. much love to you! <3

I’m glad you like Kieran! Of course Kieran’s relationships with other characters, including Cristina and Mark, are extremely significant to him — they are an enormous part of how he has changed, and overcome his past mistakes. All characters are defined in part by their relationships with other characters, as Emma and Julian’s relationship is significant to them, as Emma’s relationship to Malcolm defines her, as Julian’s relationship with Ty changes him, as Mark’s relationships with Kieran, Cristina and Julian define him  — we are all an interconnected web of love and friendship and enmity and forgiveness. No man is an island, etc. ;)

That said, Kieran being an exiled Faerie prince has always been significant, from his ability to gather information that would save Tavvy in LM, to his summoning of his father and meeting with Adaon in LoS. It is even more significant in Queen, where we start to see how the politics of faerie are falling apart and building back up again, and what role Kieran has in all of that. Who will sit the Unseelie Throne if not the King we know is a big piece of the QUAAD puzzle, and Kieran is integral to that — with Mark, or Cristina, or both, by his side. ;)

takemy-hxnd said: Hi Cassie, I was wondering if you could tell us more about Helen and Aline in tec and tda. Thank you

I always love to see love for Helen and Aline! Helen and Aline are back in Queen of Air and Darkness with a bang, and we see how they work with the established dynamic of the LA Institute. Everyone is thrilled to have them back, but it is also weird when a disruption comes to one's life, even if it is a joyful disruption. Aline is always standing up for her lady, and sometimes Helen really needs it.

And in The Eldest Curses, we see Helen and Aline fall in love, and before they are united, they are at odds--Aline wants to protect Alec, and Helen is investigating Magnus and Alec for crimes they may well have committed. Helen feels like she needs to be a great Shadowhunter, to prove her faerie blood doesn't make her prejudiced in favor of Downworlders... and part of why she wants that is that she doesn't want to be an obstacle for any of her little brothers and sisters, who she loves so much. She wants to make her dad and her family proud of her, and to honor the memory of Eleanor Blackthorn, the human mother who took her and Mark in, and raised them as her own. So Helen and Aline's mutual attraction is very complicated. Particularly as Aline isn't out quite yet.

yourfavoritetumor said:

Will we see Jace and clary in Qoaad, and if so will we get their POVs?

You will see them. POVs are pretty unlikely, but there is a special additional story about them in the first edition of Queen!

[dustyvixen]

woah hello new followers, time to force this shitty meme on y’all to introduce myself. ily <3

I didnt read any of these questions before hand, i just stole the first one i saw, so we’re all in for a wild ride.   General Information: - Full Name: Olivia. please never call me this - Public Nicknames: Dusty or Olive - Friends-Only Nicknames: Olive oil - Age: 18/19 in November - Gender : Female - Acceptable Pronouns: she/her - Sexual/Romantic Orientation:  Pansexual  - Relationship Status: Single - Spouse/Partner: ^^^ - Date of Birth: November 22 - Zodiac: Scorpio-Sagittarius cusp  - Birthplace: Queensland  - Current Residence: The dull void known as Brisbane - Occupation(s): Freelancer -- Appearance: - Blood Type: idk lmao - Nationality: Australian - Ethnicity/Ancestry: Half kiwi, half european (Scotland n shit aye) - Height: 5'5" - Weight: idk but I am very l o r g e - Bodily Build: Big, heavy, somewhat male weight distribution (thanks hormone disorder) - Eye Colour: brown - Hair Colour: dark brown, with dark amber ends (old hair dye)  - Skin Tone: Olive-ish - Scars/Markings: a few from when i was a kid, 90% stretch marks, lots of freckles on my arms -- Personality: - General Attitude: Chill, but easily aggravated. also super depressed and anxious woop - Life’s Aspirations: To exist tbh, art, taxidermy and botany are cool too i guess - Favorite Foods: M E A T. also mangos - Religion: none. I do work with The Morrigan though. - Likes: Plants, tea, bones, crows, natural history books, floral scents, foggy winter morning smells, Honey. - Dislikes: loud noise, prosciutto, maggots, city smells (aka fuel/diesel smell), possums in my roof, heat, - Fears: Vomiting, Closed in spaces (like one way tubes or caves), Strong winds (not fear, but they make me anxious) -- Relationships: - Father: Big pushover, I like to debate with him a lot, can sometimes be a bit narrow minded. Complains about dumb things like a kid. - Mother: avoid when shes in a mood ™ , she dealt with a LOT of bad shit in her life, kiwi af, good for some banter. - Sister(s): none - Brother(s): I got 3 older bros, we all give each other shit like good siblings - Best Friend: YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE MANG - Pets: 3 Budgies (Levi, Kea, and Apollo), 1 carpet python (Aphrodite), 1 dog (Wolf), 2 rats (Hemlock and Ash), 1 cat (Zelda), and 8 Chickens  --- Anyone you admire a lot? - Confident, yet kind people  If you could go two years back in time, what would you tell yourself? - id just punch myself in the head for focusing so much on trying to get into relationships instead of SELF LOVE BITCH

When did you realize your current sexuality? - uuH i think in like grade 7 or 8?? idk it kinda just happened lmao Do you have any lesser-known talents? - Good at judging a situation/emotions, tying knots  ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

What was the last verse of the song you're listening to- where the trees grow taller and the suns are smaller somehow. Ever gotten in a flame war? - nope What's the last thing you did before this meme? - scrolled through pinterest lookin up plants What is your favorite fruit? - Mangos, pomegranates, cherries and lychees What time do you usually end up going to sleep? - 12am-1am  What's your catchphrase/A word you use a lot?-  my dude, lmao, woop, uhh

What is your alignment (Lawful, neutral or chaotic matched with good, neutral or evil)? - Chaotic neutral What was your first fandom? - the warriorcats, but i never made OC’s n stuff, i just read the books How are you feeling right now? - questionable Are you good at Mario Kart? - ill woop yo ass at mario kart What do you do on an average Saturday night? - divination, sometimes drink,  HOW MANY CAPRI SUNS HAVE U DRINK IN THE LAST 48 HOUR???? - we dont drink that devil liquid here Who's your favorite OC that you own? - please dont make me choose, I have 80 of them. Are you a proactive or reactive person? - reactive How many days until your next birthday? - im too lazy to check How many blankets do you sleep with? - 2-3 in winter (a duvet, and 2 mink blankets), none in summer What are three OTPs of yours? - none What's a song you hate? - Blurred lines Art or music? - ???what???

What's a song that reminds you of your lover/crush? - obedear, by purity ring Do you have a celebrity crush? - no?? i never understood them How do you want to die? - i dunno? in my sleep i guess What's your opinion of the last person you talked to? - the best nublet of them all What are your favorite fandoms? - Avas demon, uhh im not in a lot of fandoms What do you usually draw? - Monsters and questionable things How'd you come up with your username? - The first roadkill i picked up was an old mummified vixen.  What's the weirdest thing you've done in public? - talked about murdering possums with a potato Coke or Pepsi? - n o n e How many friends do you have? - a few Using three words, how would your friends describe you - weird, uh, angery How would you describe your morality? - Im trying to improve it, but its average i suppose How emotional are you? - very Who's your favorite fictional character? - CALCIFER

What's your favorite music album? - Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues

How's your social standing? - i rarely leave home so its non existent What's the worst media you have ever consumed? - consumed??what??? Any movements you make unintentionally (drumming fingers, twirling hair)? - bouncing my leg Have you ever been romantically attracted to a fictional character? - nay What social media site do you use the most? - Twitter or DeviantArt idk What's your favorite video game? - Oblivion, Spyro, MediEvil. honestly there’s a lot so i cant pick one What are some personality traits you despise? - extreme narcissism, elitism, entitlement. Ever been to a convention? - one, an alternative expo years ago, im too poor to afford conventions Cats or dogs? - dogs, but i still like cats What does your favorite shirt look like? - its my pajama shirt with a boston terrier on it Do you think Ted Cruz is the Zodiac Killer? - fuck this meme thing was longer than thought. all that to end on this question? shit man. of course he is the zodiac killer jeez.