#as always with my Drabbles/one shots there has been no editing or rereading you get what you get

[sexynetra]

Ooohhh can I have #4 for Anarcia please 🥺

It’s a short little Drabble but I hope you enjoy nonetheless <3 (also as a certified personal heater myself, this prompt really spoke to me)

Read on Ao3

Marcia could stay here forever, Anetra’s lithe frame pressed against her back, face buried in her neck as she snored softly. It still felt like a dream, something she had imagined for so long but never truly expected to happen. But here she was, curled in Anetra’s arms, warm skin against warm skin. Anetra shifted, snuggling impossibly closer, warm breath tickling at the hairs on the back of Marcia’s neck.

Marcia moved carefully, not wanting to wake Anetra. Not when she looked so peaceful, so beautiful. She turned in her arms, facing the girl beside her, taking a moment to admire her naked figure; all smooth lines and gentle slopes, tanned skin and intricate tattoos. She let her fingers ghost along the lines of the butterfly that she had spent the past few hours kissing and biting and panting against. The memory sent a jolt of pride through her, knowing that she was the one who got to touch her like that, to make her feel that good. Hopefully, this would just be the first time of many.

Marcia’s stomach let out a pitiful growl and she sighed, fingers moving up to brush against Anetra’s lips before she leaned down to ghost a kiss. “I’ll be right back,” She murmured, albeit there was no need since Anetra was still fast asleep. She carefully extracted herself from Anetra’s grip, rolling out of bed and making her way towards the kitchen.

She knelt down in front of the fridge, shivering slightly at the cold air on her bare skin.

“Marcia?”

Marcia jumped slightly, getting to her feet and turning to come face to face with Anetra, clad in a silky red robe that was draping off her shoulders and covering nothing.

“What are you doing up?” Marcia asked gently, closing the fridge and stepping over to close the distance between them, giving her a quick peck on the lips. Anetra chased after the kiss, strong hand coming to hold the crook of Marcia’s waist.

“My personal heater went away,” She murmured against her lips. Marcia laughed softly at that, pressing her body against Anetra’s.

“Well we can't have that. I wouldn’t want you to be cold,” Marcia breathed out, arms moving to wind around Anetra’s neck.

“Exactly, it’s essential you come back to bed. I’m sure we can find something fun to do to keep us warm.” Anetra smirked. Marcia rolled her eyes but smiled, pulling back so she could start towards the bedroom.

“I have a few ideas.”

[jazzythursday]

Tagged by @aphroditestummyrolls for belated end of the year questions. Thanks for thinking of me! 🥹💖

Tagging @stormkpr @waterloou @sparrowmoth @its-tortle if you feel so inclined

What is your favourite thing you created?

I’m going with Cutting Loses for this one, because it’s the first wesper thing I posted on ao3 and the fic I go back to reread the most. It’s also a really solid example of my favourite way to write Wylan’s inner monologue and characterisation.

Which work are you proudest of?

Everyday, Just a Little or a Little Bit—My baby, my child, my 40k love letter to wesper. And I am so so close to finishing it!

Is there anything you are proud of that you achieved this year?

For writing, I’m really proud that I completed all the wesper week prompts earlier in the year. I loved participating and I feel like it helped a lot in developing my writing.

And something I’m proud of outside of writing—I’ve always had a really hard time meeting people through fandom, but finding mutuals on here through wesper and talking to so many wonderful people on discord is something I’m so proud of getting to experience. (And Mutuals reading this, just know that you make my little corner of the internet so much brighter, and even though I’m not the best at reaching out I’m always happy to chat abt anything 💖)

Did you explore anything new this year? (A new way to be creative, a trope you didn’t write before, or an idea you hadn’t thought of earlier, etc.)

Writing Wylan and Jesper as neurodivergent—and exploring my own nurodivergence through writing—is completely new to me, but it’s something that I’ve really enjoyed and want to continue this year!

Which work gave you the most difficulty?

The 4th chapter of Everyday has been a big challenge, I think just because I had a clearer direction for the first three and I always knew where I was going. Because 4th is after the original arc I planned, it’s been harder to nail down what I want out of it. I kept fighting on myself about which sections were too long and what needed more, and feeling too tired/busy/stressed to make decisions about it before winter break.

What was your biggest creative challenge this year?

Probably not letting perfectionism and low self esteem stop me from writing? Getting myself to actually write, and then edit, and actually post things—feeling like my writing is actually worth beta-ing and caring about as much as I do, etc. I go through periods sometimes of not being able to even look at my drafts without feeling overwhelmed, and so not falling off the wagon completely even through my accidental hiatus the last few months has been a real challenge.

Which work brought you the most joy?

Hmm. As far as fics go I want to say it’s Everyday? Buts it’s also brought me the most stress lol. I think what’s really brought me the most joy is just talking to people about my fics. Getting feedback on ao3 and on all the drabbles I’ve posted on tumblr throughout the year.

Which of your works do you think people should check out?

All of them if they want to! But Everyday, Just a Little or a Little Bit, Cutting Losses, I Need to Leave (Please Stay), and Careless is The Fall are all personal faves of mine.

Do you have creative plans for next year? Is there anything exciting you’re currently working on?

SO MANY (if I can find the time and energy) that I’m really excited to get to! Even once I post the last chapter of Everyday, there’s still so many moments and scenes and ideas from it that I’ve wanted to expand into one shots. To name a few: an expanded scene from the end of ch 2, Jesper’s pov of some of ch 3, and an outsider pov with the bookkeeper from ch 1 (he has a name and his husband has a name and they both have backstories 🤗)

There are also still a lot of wips in my docs that I’ve been neglecting. The wylan whump fic, jealous jesper, multiple post-ck things, jesper character study, and so many more.

Lastly, any words of wisdom or anything else you would like to share?

Write what you want to read, and chances are that it will find other people who will be so happy you wrote it.

[bg-sparrow]

For the writing asks, do the 3s: 3, 13, 23, etc.

For this fanfic writer ask game!

3. On a scale of 1-10 how much do you enjoy incorporating romance into the average story?

I’d say 6 or 7. I’m a romantic, but I don’t really read romance? I’m more into the romance being a secondary or tertiary storyline. And a good romance, to me, is built upon the small moments of the big, hectic adventure of life, so that’s where I love finding it in a good story!

13. Talk about a writing experience that has pleasantly surprised you.

There Are No Roads (Time Circuits #2.5) was a huge surprise to me. In my OC x canon rewrite, it was meant to be this 10K oneshot of Doc’s time in 1885 before Marty showed up, and it turned in a 40K, 9-chapter fic where each chapter was dedicated to a month, the last of which detailed the timeline of September 1885B (if Doc had been shot at the festival/ Marty hadn’t shown up). I loved the minor characters that took on a life of their own, the subplots that flourished, and the exploration I got to do of the canon characters. I’m still, to this day, immensely proud of it and reread it often.

23. How do you deal with writer's block?

At the moment? Not very well, lol. For real, usually, getting out an actual notebook with a pen and just writing out “Why do we feel stuck?” and prompting myself like that leads to me talking to myself for a page or so until my brain untangles something. Or I’ll ask, “What part are we excited to write next?”, list a scene or two, then tell myself to just write a line or two for them right now (which ends up turning into a few hundred words). I still panic when it happens, though, like I don’t know if it will help. 

(Also, apologies to anyone reading it, but I am a little blocked and lack motivation on Once Upon a Time in the North right now. But it will get done!)

33. Do you start with the characters or the plot when writing?

I guess the characters come to mind first with a vague haze of a plot around them. As I build one, the other fills out, and it’s a back and forth. Then, as I go on, it becomes, “how does the character react if I do this? What if their reaction is the opposite of what I expect? What does that say for their character AND the story?” They’re very co-dependent to me.

43. How did writing change you?

Writing grounds me. It’s the ability to have control and create order with words and ideas I lack in real life, especially as someone who went undiagnosed with severe ADHD until adulthood. I was always centered and focused the most when I had good music structuring a scene in my mind, and I love editing because of that control I have to form the narrative just the way I want. 

53. When writing, do you have an outline? And do you stick to it?

For longer fics, definitely. I try to tell myself to adhere to the basic structure I’ve laid out, but I’ve moved stuff around, like moving scenes from the end of one chapter to the beginning of the next or, within a chapter, rearranging those scenes. After Time Circuits, I gave up the rigid outlining for a bit just to see how I’d fare, but I still end up with loose outlines in my notebooks when working stuff out. 

63. What’s the best insult you’ve read in a fic?

I have no idea! That’s a great question! I can’t really think of one off the top of my head!

73. How do you visualize scenes? Do you see it like a movie in your head, or do the words just flow?

I’m a very visual person, so when I write, there is a movie playing out on the page. Then, once I have it out, I go back and fill in the introspection and detail the setting a bit more.

83. Less is more or more is more?

Less is more. God, I’ve been learning that lesson since I started taking writing seriously in college (again, because I tend to be wordy). Learning how to be succinct and hit people with just the right words is a lot of fun, and I like to practice that with the many drabbles I write throughout the year. They are great practice!

93. Do you hear other people’s writing styles when they talk?

So, and this might sound strange, but I don’t talk to a lot of writers to where I audibly hear them? I chat with fellow writers online, and I can see the similarities if I’m looking for them, but for the most part, this doesn’t really apply to me! I’ve never talked to/ chatted with someone where it was immediately apparent. Sometimes I think I’m that person, though!

Thanks for the ask!! :D

[pemfrost]

Seeing as you were active in spideynova semi recently, I’m begging you to finish the reunion fic you did for after “looking in the same direction”

Oh gosh. I haven't talked about that fic in years 😅. It means so much that you're interested in the sequel and I wish I could give you a solid answer about writing it. I'm really sorry I've left the series unfinished. It truly means so much that someone is still interested in it <3

There is a long (possibly tmi) explanation of my current writing status under the cut, but tl;dr: I hope to finish it one day, but it would probably involve a rewrite of 'Looking'.

(To answer your second ask… I'll try and find my notes from back then and message you if I do. Off the top of my head, I can't remember my original intention with their reunion.)

Spideynova (and, to a slightly lesser extent, usm) holds a special place in my heart because it got me back into writing, so I always drift back to it now and then. Unfortunately, the fandom is pretty dead and my time and motivation to write longer pieces (for any fandom) has plummeted over the years. I used to be able to write, edit, and post 5k+ a week, but now I'm lucky if I do that in a month.

I really wish I had the time and motivation to finish that series at the moment, maybe I will once I get through some stuff irl(working ft + school ft + personal stuff= tired all the time). (Like even writing this out took me all day to find time to write a few lines at a time).

I stopped writing 'Kaleidoscope Skies' because it wasn't going to further the story of their relationship; it was going to be focused on Sam's adventures and his reflection on the events in 'Looking' (which I felt was too boring after I started writing it n.n').

I started writing 'Tender Tinder' as a borderline crack fic and it kinda spiraled away from me and into more of a serious reunion fic from that old series. I still have the urge to finish that storyline and apparently it seeped into something else. Which is kinda why I hit pause on 'tender'… my intention at the time was to redirect it back to what I originally planned to write, but I got distracted and basically left it in limbo along with the mermaid au.

Currently, I have a bunch of wips and outlines of requests in my google docs… but no time to fully devote to writing any of them. The only writing I've been doing this year has been mostly school related with a little bit of dnd campaign stuff. Because of my limited time, I've decided to not post anything to ao3 unless it's finished. (Which is why my recents are mostly drabbles and one shots on there).

If/when I do finish the series, I'll probably end up rewriting 'Looking' first. It's old and I'll need to reread it to refresh my memory on the entire story… and rereading my writing usually leads to me hating it and wanting to rewrite it, especially something as old as 'looking'. Realistically, I'd probably end up doing a rewrite/heavy edit of the original then post a few epilogue chapters to finish out the story. I need to dig out my notes, they're buried somewhere in google docs ha. (Hopefully I labeled the docs correctly, I wasn't as organized back then). Once I do, I'd be more than happy to send you an outline of everything :)

Thanks again for the asks- they brightened my day ^-^

[lucienarcheron]

hi gigi! i hope that this question isn’t overwhelming but i love love love smtb and i think that you’re a great writer i would like to improve my writing/take writing more seriously and i’ve attempted to write fics in the past but i just don’t know where to take a simple idea so i never finish anything…. do you have any advice in planning a fic or writing in general? (e.g. how do i ensure that the dialogue is something the character im writing about would actually say?)

hello darling! first off, thanks so much for loving SMTB and my writing! It means so much and I'm so flattered you're asking me! Here are some of my thoughts :)

I think my biggest piece of advice for getting better at writing is to literally just keep writing. You only get better through practice. Editing my old stuff and looking at it now has been so interesting because I see how I would do it differently now vs then. I wouldn't know that if I hadn't let myself just write. Write whatever it is, even if you think it sucks. Just do it. You can always go back and edit it but you won't have anything to edit if you don't actually write it. Even if it's been done before. Even if you think someone does it better than you. Write it because no one could write it like you can.

I would describe my approach to writing as a "loose" planner lol. I usually have a beginning, a big event, and the ending then figure out everything that I want to happen in between as I go along. I've found that this helps me have something to follow while also allowing room for the characters/story to give me ideas. You can always start with these kinds of questions: what is the point of this piece? Why am I putting this character in this situation? What is the outcome I want? What is the tone that I'm trying to convey?

If it's easier, start with short prompts and drabbles to get you in the groove of your writing style before you move on to bigger one-shots or multi-chapters. If you feel like follow-through is something you struggle with, focus on shorter pieces so you can build up to stories you can follow through on.

As for dialogue and feeling like the way you write the character is true to how they would sound in canon, I always recommend rereading the scenes they're in. You can ask yourself, what do I know about this character? Based on what they've been through and how their dynamic is with others in the book, would they say this? Remember that fanfiction is also meant to be fun so you can strive away from canon. I personally always try to write characters the way I think they would actually be in canon and prefer to read fanfics that do the same but again, with how creative fanfiction allows people to be, you can find literally a n y t h i n g. It's pretty cool to see how people can interpret characters differently (unless it's something weird then I don't like it lmao). But don't stress yourself out too much about that. The important thing is a) write b) have fun and c) don't be so hard on yourself. Putting pressure on yourself makes it less fun lol.

I hope this helps somewhat! 😅♥️

[ourstarscollided]

jatp fanworks appreciation - day 1 (writers)

motivation - so in true me fashion and my aversion to brevity, i've made three (3) posts (see also artists, gifs/edits) to celebrate the wonderful people in this fandom who have made my jatp tumblr experience what it is; a community of people who simply shout into the void about their love of a ghost band and their fearless female leader. i've enjoyed simply being on the sidelines admiring everyone's love for the show, but i thought this would be a good time to really show my appreciation for all these wonderful people, because if i've learned anything from this pandemic, it's that there is NEVER a wrong time to tell someone that they are simply ✨the best✨.

disclaimer: i don't interact with most of these people personally and i simply absorb their content from afar and scream about how wonderful they are in the tags.

This list kind of became a fic rec, so if you're looking for some wonderful fics to read (or reread), I've also included my favs from the author here as well.

Okay this is gonna get a little long so please bear with me. But I just wanted to preamble this by saying that the fanfiction written by the jatp fandom is what resparked my love for reading fiction after about 3-4 years of not reading for leisure (be an adult they said. it'll be fun they said.). So I'm really grateful for that? I don't interact with a lot of people, just because it makes me a little anxious, but I will constantly yell about your content in the tags as if I were on a set of bleachers with a megaphone.

I also know there are so many wonderful fic writers out there (on Tumblr and not on Tumblr) that make amazing pieces of work, and this is just a tiny peek into that, and is not at all conclusive.

Without further ado here are some writers who live rent free in my head, in alphabetical order, so feel free to just skip to your name to avoid my rambling:

@bluefirewrites -> your Merry Ex-Mas fic had me on the edge of my seat every single time you updated. I am so in love with how you wrote the characters into this and at how many words you churned out for this fic. This was filled with so much adventure, and it was really welcome during a time when the world wasn't allowed to travel. And I simply love all the other drabbles and fics you write, but I especially enjoy the hilarity of Ray Molina, Crime Scene Photographer and Matchmaker.

@captainkippen -> I'm pretty sure Love Drunk was one of the first fics I ever read in this fandom. Your stories and your writing feel so goddamn real and I find myself so immersed in the worlds that you've created. I have reread most of your jatp fics and I still manage to find myself stupidly grinning at my phone each time. Your stories flow so easily and are such perfect characterizations of the characters we know from the show, but elevated to fit into your verse. I cannot say enough how wonderful your writing is and how talented you are!! (also a slight nudge that I am still very much following along with The Key and the Crown and I hope you continue it!)

@catty-words -> Your???? Exhaustive??? Music??? Lists???? The amount of work and dedication and microanalyzing that you put into pulling out every detail from each scene is so admirable. You not only manage to find the details, but you also give us EVIDENCE via your intricately selected gifs. You could've just put the video of the performance, but no, you take your time to find that specific 1 second shot to emphasize your point. And your little fics that you sometimes throw out into the world? They're so beautiful, and so fun to read and I enjoy them so much! (I am STILL screaming about this band's a snack) Thank you for validating my yelling in the tags, and for feeding my hyperfixation to this show. (I'm sad these lists are ending soon, but it's about the journey ya know?)

@lydias--stiles -> I don't even know what to say here because I've yelled so much about your fics that I feel like there's really nothing else to yell. Your Road Trip AU was also one of the first ones I read in this fandom, and really just made me go absolutely feral. Pretty sure I absorbed the rest of your fics in an ungodly amount of time and I just simply think you are incredibly skilled and talented. Every time you post a new fic I always wonder what it's like to be in your head because the ideas you come up with are so unique and so well thought out. Thank you for all the art you create for this show, I will constantly be in awe of you. (Special shoutout to the 5+1 fic that became a 31 chapter monster)

@pearlcaddy -> This list would not be complete if I didn't mention you. First of all, thank you for suggesting this wonderful week, it has been so lovely to see so much love being spread around today. Secondly, I never thought I'd find myself reading a Buffy or a Wizarding World crossover fic, considering I know nothing about those two things. And yet I found myself on various nights after work at 3 in the morning just silently screaming and/or crying into my phone. Your writing is so insane. Your world building is so insane. Your banter/dialogue is insane. The way you capture the love between Julie/Luke in different universes is so perfect. Thank you for gifting us these beautiful pieces of art, and I hope you know that you have at least made one person (me) a very happy reader. I also really admire your dedication to "this will only be a oneshot", only to write like 4 other POVs for it. (Special shoutout to 100 Bad Days)

@ruzek-halstead -> Literally every single fic you have written lives rent free in my head. The way you've managed to build this universe of different Julies and Lukes, and each one still captures the essence of them is astounding. You've extended their characters beyond what we know from the show and I am just in awe of everything you write. Please know that dead of night is both triggering to me and yet the most hilarious thing I have read. (Special shoutout to the Fake Dating Christmas AU and of course the Cinderella Story AU)

@serendipitee -> Your stories and your writing are absolutely magical. I think Write It Down was one of the first multi-chapter fics that I followed super closely and whenever you updated, I would literally drop what I was doing and read it instantly. You have such a way of building the plot and the characters for all of your fics and drabbles, and making the reader just want more. Please know that I am so obsessed with Oh, She Waltzed With the Dead and I cannot wait to see where you take the story!

@sunsetcurbed -> I have no words for your writing. I am simply in awe every time I read something from you. The way you've got down Alex and Willie's voice to a tee is so crazy good. You write their characters and their stories with such grace and care, especially with how you approach the topic of mental health. Thank you for all the research you do and for also writing in your own experiences. I literally binged the Princes Diaries AU during work and lost a good half day to it, and I regret nothing because that fic left me in SHAMBLES. I secretly adore the way you say you're going to keep a fic short, and end up writing an insane amount of words for it. (I have not yet left my obligated long-ass comment on Chapter 4 of the College AU yet because I am still processing the fate/destiny concept.)

@tangledstarlight -> Gahh. Rosie. Please. This is going to sound a little repetitive considering I just screamed at you last night, but now I guess I will just have to publicly confess my adoration for you!!! Thank you for being my first online friend in a very long time, and for putting up with me yelling at you about everything (and also nothing at the same time). I can't believe all it took was one message about your Royals AU for you to post it, but I will gladly take that credit any day. You are so so so incredibly talented with your writing, and your ability to transport me to another world while I read your fics is unparalleled. I adore the way you can come up with a new story to write every day, and then proceed to throw it into your pot of other WIPs. I am so so so so lucky to have gotten to know you and am incredibly grateful that I now have someone to cry about everything with 🧡 (If you read anything from Rosie, you need to read her Seasons/Long Distance Juke "friendship" fic and the Reggie x Photography oneshot that made me bawl my eyes out.)

@thedeathdeelers -> No thoughts. Just soulmates. Jk jk, you know I love your Reggie x Ray x Carlos fics, and I will scream in the tags about it until the day I get more of those fics from you. This is lowkey a threat, but wrapped in kindness. You are so wonderful to see on my dash (albeit scary at times because of the sheer amount of headcanons and theories running through your head), but you radiate such positive energy that it's impossible to not want to jump in and scream about soulmates with you.

Some special mentions to fics that also live rent free in my head:

@sunsetsandcurves wrote a Willex Cruise Ship AU inspired by a Simple Plan song and it’s something I never knew I needed until I read it. 

@phantom-curve wrote a Juke fic based off of Coney Island and I would just like to say, yes, it did shatter me. (Here’s the fluff sequel that makes up for it though)

@unsaidjulie wrote the Juke dog fic of my dreams and I simply cannot express how much I want the Molina’s to have a dog now. 

@pawprinterfanfic managed to get me incredibly invested in a Star Wars AU even though I know absolutely nothing about Star Wars. I just know that I would die for two (2) space boys. 

@sanssssastark  your Later universe made me realize that I do very much want there to be more mature content for this fandom (and you constantly deliver).

@theobligatedklutz wrote a Tangled Willex AU that makes me screech every time there’s an update. Just read it.

@alexthedrummerboy your talent knows no bounds when it comes to your Social Media AU. Also she’s written ORIGINAL songs for Alex and Willie?!?!?! 

@gennified has this really wonderful modern take on pride and prejudice for Willex and I’m so obsessed with how much miscommunication there is.

@bananaleaves okay, I just found your Tumblr today, and I know you don’t know me in any capacity, but allow me to scream about THIS FIC RIGHT HERE. If anyone in this fandom is to read ANYTHING, it’s this fic. This was one of the best things I’ve read in a long time and absolutely wrecked me. Please just read this.

This turned out WAY longer than it was supposed to, and I’m SO SORRY. (I also tried to make sure I got everyone’s pronouns right, so PLEASE let me know if they’re wrong!) A final sincere thank you to everyone in this fandom who writes. Your talent knows no bounds. Gonna stop talking now before this becomes an essay....

[callioope]

Author Interview

tagged by @theputterer -- thank you :) 

Name: Liz

Fandoms: In terms of posted fics, mainly Rogue One and Star Wars (OT). I have at least one fic posted in A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones, Community, and Howl’s Moving Castle (book). But I also like The Clone Wars and Rebels. I’ve been reading mainly ATLA fic for the past couple weeks. 

Where you post: AO3 and sometimes here on tumblr. There are a few drabbles I’ve posted on tumblr that I really ought to crosspost on AO3 for posterity. 

Most popular one-shot: “In Which Sophie is Late, and Howl Noses Around in Her Business” (Howl’s Moving Castle) With 698 kudos. Uh. Wow. I was not expecting that! It’s literally my only HMC fic (although I do technically have other unfinished drafts) and it’s not even a year old, and surpassed my second most popular one-shot which was posted in 2015. Pregnancy trope is popular I guess. It is amusing to me that my most popular one-shot is not in my favorite OTP fandom (rebelcaptain). Howl’s Moving Castle ended up having a wider audience than I anticipated. 

Also as a disclaimer, but popularity is weird to gauge because do you go by hits or kudos or comments? I went with kudos because hits could count people who clicked on my story and then didn’t like it. But it’s hard because hits also include re-reads, so, idk. 

Most popular multi-chapter fic: “The Last Stark” (A Song of Ice and Fire) 815 kudos. This was finished in 2013 so it’s had plenty of time to accumulate the kudos. It’s a Gendrya Anastasia AU (“Aryastasia” was my working title for this one lol). So again, popular trope, in a popular fandom, in a popular ship. This fic is so old when I reread it, I usually find myself wanting to edit it, especially the ending. I was so ready to be done writing this that I think I rushed the ending. Oh well, writing plots is really difficult!

Fic you were nervous to post: Every fic? lol. I’m never not nervous to post a fic. But I’m definitely more nervous posting in a fandom for the first time. So posting “Whatever I Do (I Do It To Protect You)” (Rogue One, rebelcaptain) was pretty nervewracking, especially since it’d been awhile since I posted anything. [OOOH, fun fact, but WID celebrated it’s 4 year anniversary yesterday! Ha, that’s funny.] I was working on this fic for weeks before I posted it. 

I was also super nervous to post my Jeff/Annie Community soulmate AU, “Intro to Neurochemical Compatibility” because (a) first time posting in that fandom, (b) I decided to use script format which I know is not everyone’s jam, and (c) the premise is just so ridiculous! But I had fun with it. 

Also gift exchanges are always nerve-wracking because I worry the giftee won’t like it. My giftee never responded to my 2020 rebelcaptain secret santa fic so I’m actually constantly worrying that they didn’t like it and feeling bad that I failed them. :/ 

How you choose your titles: with so much agonizing. gosh it’s so hard and honestly i have so many titles that i hate. I’ve got a couple song lyric titles. a couple quotes. a couple “how to...” apparently that was a whole phase I went through. Either the titles come to me immediately, or I put off choosing a title until the absolutely moment I need to post it, and then spend hours agonizing over a quote/song lyric/phrase that fits and probably begging others for help.

Do you outline: YES. Possibly overly so. I’ve ran into issues in the past, when I was much younger, where I didn’t resolve problems proposed early in the story. So I need to know where the story is going in order to lay the proper groundwork. Also, if I do not write things down I forget them five minutes later. I also think outlining is a useful trick to jumpstart writing, so if the muse just isn’t present, I’ll try to lure her out by outlining. 

Complete: 19 fics. 

In progress: Oh boy this is so hard to count. As far as what’s posted? Technically only one: “How to Lose a Spy in 10 Days” (Rogue One, rebelcaptain). Despite the fact that I think the deadline was extended multiple time, I procrastinated and ended up rushing chapter one to meet the rebelcaptain rom-com challenge deadline. Didn’t really have a proper outline for this one, even though I knew vaguely what I wanted it to be about. I wrote chapter two but I hated what I wrote so I ... I kinda abandoned it. I mean technically, I never consider a work abandoned, I always intend to get back to it. Some day when I have the inspiration I will. But this idea ended up being a challenge I didn’t feel ready for at the time, and then my interest moved on to other ideas.

I also had a longer story planned for “you must become an island (the horizon is all we have)” but only posted one part of it to finish it on time. Ideally this fic would be part of a series, but again, motivation is needed so we’ll see

Technically I have 22 rebelcaptain ideas alone (including some listed in this post) at various states of completed, plus a handful of Community and HMC ideas. Of the ones I’m most interested in, there’s probably about 14 that I really hope to finish and post some day. 

ETA: omg i totally forgot that i was idly considering trying to finish my rebelcaptain soulmate AU in time for Valentine’s Day, but at this point I haven’t had any motivation to write so I don’t think that’s gonna happen. that fic has been sitting in my drafts since 2018 and in my drafts it will continue to sit.

Coming soon: “soon” is relative but these are currently the ones I’ve focused the most on recently:

Fencing AU (rebelcaptain)

You’ve Got Mail AU (rebelcaptain)

Post-War Fic with @allatariel (rebelcaptain, plus a LOT of other ships, includes Rebels characters, OT characters, and... maybe some others :) )

Palm Springs/time loop AU (Jeff/Annie)

Do you accept prompts: Wellllll here’s the thing. When I’ve asked for prompts, I haven’t been the best at fulfilling them in a timely manner. For that reason, I don’t encourage prompts but I’m not opposed to them. (I suppose technically exchange fics are prompts, and I wrote a bunch of fics in 2017 for rebelcaptainprompts, but I’m not gonna count those because I don’t think that’s what the question here is really going for)

“The Climb (A Lie, A Hero)” (Rogue One, rebelcaptain) was actually a prompt. 

I solicited prompts for my birthday in 2019, which I didn’t end up fulfilling until exactly one year later. 

Technically the You’ve Got Mail AU is a prompt, someone prompted me to write a fic for my favorite go-to comfort movie.

And, uh, the certain someone who tagged me for this meme prompted me in a comment back in October 2017 to do a Luke and Leia swap where Leia grows up on Tatooine, so that is sitting in my WIP list. 

Yeah, this is why I don’t solicit or encourage prompts. The return rate is just not fair for the prompter. 

Upcoming story you are most excited to write: this fluctuates on any given day. the fencing AU is so close to being done (well the first draft anyways) so i really really want to just finish it! But yeah it’d be anything on the coming soon list above.

tagging: @allatariel, @cats-and-metersticks, @lothcatlovesysalamiri, @veritascara, @brynnmclean and anyone who sees this and wants to do it! also ofc per usual no pressure if u don’t want to.

[luvidzy]

My Writing Process

Hi everyone! Hope 2021 is treating you well! I was talking to some friends today and we were discussing our own writing processes as well as if our readers (who may not be writers themselves) know about the writing process. So, I thought I would share a little bit about my own writing process. Obviously everyone writes differently, but I feel like most people do somewhat similar things as I do.

The first step in my writing process is obviously coming up with the idea. Sometimes ideas come out of the blue, sometimes while I’m watching something, and sometimes I look at prompt lists for some inspiration for plot ideas. I write down all my plot ideas on my notes app, just to make sure that I have a way to remember it later. After I come up with the idea, I usually decide on an idol that I think fits the plot, and then I put all the information, including a brief plot synopsis, in a large google spreadsheet that has all my WIPs, including ones I haven’t started and ones that I have started.

The next step is planning. Now I will be completely honest, sometimes this step is more in depth and sometimes it isn’t. For series/sm aus, the planning step is a long long process because I personally like to plan out every single part of my series before I even consider writing. This means any subplots, conflicts, minor characters are all planned before I begin the actual work itself. For drabbles, one-shots, and timestamps, the planning process takes less time because I usually already have the plot planned out from the idea. The only times I really write out plans for these specific formats are when I come up with a really good idea and don’t want to forget it because I can’t start writing the story just yet.

The next step is writing. Writing is by far the longest part of this process for me, and it’s why my update schedule is fairly inconsistent (i’m sorry about that). I like to write later at night, and also when I have a lot of energy because I write my best works then. Since writing is a hobby, and not a job, I don’t like to stress myself with writing something that might not be giving me motivation. There are some works that I can write in a night, and there are certain works that I work on for anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. It really all depends on my mood, my motivation, and my schedule (I am currently a full-time student, so studies come before tumblr).

Now there are times when I have extended writers block and need to figure out how to move past it. Most often, I put on some softer music and that helps me relax and my brain juices flow. For series, I often like to write little mini stories that go more into character personalities so when I go back to writing, I can better understand the character. Reading things that I love helps give me motivation, as well as watching good movies. In the end, different things inspire me differently, and sometimes things work and sometimes they don’t. I just have to trust the process.

After I finish writing, I have to go back and edit it. I usually write all my stuff between 10pm and 3am, so I always make sure to reread it during the day because sometimes I write stupid shit when I’m a bit tired. I usually don’t have to make any major edits, sometimes adding things and sometimes just changing things. I also have the bad habit of editing my writing as I write it, which leaves not very many edits to be made when I am going back and editing it.

The second to last step is beta-reading. Beta-reading is when I have someone (usually a close mutual) read my writing. Getting another pair of eyes on your work helps catch anything you might have missed, or help you get some insight on how to improve your writing. I don’t always get my works beta-read, but I do like to do it pretty often, because I think it’s a valuable practice to do.

Of course, the last step is publishing. I create a banner, make a post, and then add it to my queue! Then it is pushed out for you all to read and enjoy!

It’s a long process to be sure, and for some people it is much faster, but this is my own personal process. I hope that for some people this gives you a little bit of insight on how I, and many others, write our stories. Which is why I always ask that people be patient with their favorite creators. We put in a lot of time and effort to make something we are proud of and something we think you’ll enjoy, and for some of us that means we don’t post regularly. But we love seeing your support and it warms our hearts. Please always like and reblog your favorite authors and leave comments in the tags! I know that a lot of writers check every reblog to see if there are any tag notes, and they warm our heart. 

I love you all so much! Please look out for more content from me, I’ve been pretty busy for the first few weeks of 2021 and I am excited to share my work with you! 

Much Love,

Mia

[feather-dancer]

Which of your fics…

I got tagged for this by @dreamsarelikedragonflies​! I’m gonna stick to my Tales of Arcadia fics for this so nobody has to suffer the old that happened pre the big writing gap I had.

…did you think would get a bigger reaction/audience than it got:

It was a bit of a long shot particularly given it was the first thing I’d written proper in ages that’s public but probably Masks We Wear, Lies We Share. Character centric fics that don’t follow the lead of a franchise always are hit and miss and this had an extra handicap in being the form of the general goings on than “Here’s the plot hurtling away” but alas! It’s set when it is because of the UK cuts on the TV version and this was the easiest way to work around knowingly having holes in my knowledge.

…is your funniest:

Humour for me is not something I can specifically write for, it’s more incidental ( “Oh I swear he better just be on moral support right now or he'll catch these hands holding a warhammer”) though I will admit I do love how Cat with the canary and the last line of Trolls, fried chicken and walnuts came out in the drabbles.

…is your darkest/angstiest:

Ghosts he left behind 100%. The chapter I’m working on right now has Toby trying to come to terms with loneliness and the not knowing and one of those moments which is gonna hurt the reader more I’ve been plotting since January is coming too :D Grief and loss in forms other than death seems a very common thread in this thing not to mention thoughts keep turning back to Draal as nobody got a chance to reconcile with what happened before everything went off the rails.

…is your absolute favorite:

I’m gonna say Presence, elegance, an unmistakable dominance - Nomura because when Maestro came on shuffle I immediately burst out cackling as what the hell. Though I’m always biased for changeling banter at the best of times.

…is your least favorite:

I’d say one of the ones I’m writing right now that has been a constant fight to get the right vibe going because it’s an AU but not if that makes sense? It’s not that it’s bad by any stretch it’s more it feels like I’m wading through treacle trying to get the words to fit together right and the frustration gets to me. It WILL be done but it’s being defiant to the letter.

…was the easiest to write:

In a mystery to everyone including me, How to bond in the Darklands kicked down the door and essentially decided to exist over the space of 48 hours plus edit time. Second would go to the AU I’m writing right now as uh:

This was started just before midnight on freaking Saturday and it’s STILL trucking nicely.

…was the hardest to write:

Savouring Memories. I have very particular thoughts on grieving and moving because of my own experiences of being left adrift so often which I know aren’t shared by many so trying to write it in a way that can make sense to outsiders AND keep it in character woof.

…has your favorite line/exchange/paragraph (share it):

Shall I pick from the files I’m currently working on as a treat? No context nor which file I’m pulling these from to help keep the mystery going :)

Somehow this manages to be translated into stuffing him under her arm with an elbow tucked under his chest for support, his annoyance only grows when the opportunity is snatched for a photo to commemorate his brand new status as a living scowling handbag.

~

"Sounds more like an elaborate ruse to me, are your manners really that scarce?" She hisses back, refusing to move herself from the flickering warmth that is gradually returning the energy lost from her attempts to find a single door that would let a lone lady in from the weather. He lets out a hum in return, putting a mark in the book to properly give all his attention.

"No no, my words are as innocent as can be! If you are at all willing to indulge and trust my intentions are as so I can even prove it right now. All it will require is the lady's hand, if I may? I will not judge if you refuse." The hand is offered like it is there to tempt her with a form of devil's deal. She is clearly not impressed even before a reaction is snapped back a little louder than intended causing a few curious glances their direction.

"Do you honestly believe that you are so charming that you could speak a few honeyed words and have me at your beck and call? Sir, I must inform you that you are highly mistaken."

~

Deliberately eating slower to extend his break some more it is only after the final fry is devoured that Douxie checks his phone again for a reply to find he'd been sent an eyes emoji and there is not a force on earth that coulda wiped the stupid grin off his face.

One thought, well why not have a crack at it anyway?

~

"You do realise, Nomura, we wouldn't even be having this problem if you weren't quite so nosy, hm? Be thankful I gave you plausible deniability."

"Not my fault that's where all the best fun and or blackmail material comes from, is it?" She snipes back placing the tidied blankets to her side for whoever decides to deal with them because it certainly will not be her.

"Your domestic tiff sounded interesting who am I to ignore it."

…have you re-read the most:

Can’t say I tend to reread my own stuff except when I’m double checking something for a future chapter which hilariously happened last night actually as I somehow forgot in the space of a couple of hours Douxie grumbling about Latin. Everything goes through multiple proof read edit runs tho with the exception of drabbles. Ghost!AU Chapter 2 took AGES being such a beast of a chapter to run over it a few times.

…would you recommend to someone reading your work for the first time:

I’m gonna say Ghosts he left behind because it’s an actual chaptered thing that deviates from canon and gives you a good idea about my angst loving heart that seems to infect everything I write.

…are you most proud of:

Ghosts he left behind again! While it suffered and languished round the same time my mental health took another bad turn it’s been a consistent thing even when I could do little more than adjust the spreadsheet or chuck in a handful of words. The third chapter is nowhere near content complete but it HAS started moving again when I’m not completely sidetracked by other things which feels like a small victory you know? I love AU’s at the best of times and it let me alter one canon plot line a tiny bit just to see what would happen and take other people along for the ride because while I know the big story beats prior, when we hit the Eternal Night your guess is good as mine.

Tagging anybody who’d like to!

[cg29]

40 Questions — Meme for Fic Writers.

Thank you to @soniabigcheese @gumnut-logic @onereyofstarlight and Anon for the ASKS you sent my way. Since I wanted to answer in detail, I’ve had more than 1 question, and I’ve not had a lot of spare time today I thought I’d answer all in this one post…

So first up @soniabigcheese sent me: ‘How about ... 9 ... 15 and 19? Please.’

9: Which fic has been the hardest to write?

All have been challenging in their own individual ways. Yet, really thinking about it I’d have to say GONE. For various reasons – It was my first Thunderbirds Fanfic, the longest story I had ever written, at this point the one I’ve had to do the most planning and research, and finally because of the emotions that needed portraying. However, the elation at finally finishing the story was amazing and has certainly inspired me to continue.

15: If you could choose one of your fics to be filmed, which would you choose?

Oh my God, that would be amazing! I would definitely have to go for Bad Day (Virgil’s day keeps repeating. What will it take for it to end and a new one to begin?) I had so much fun writing this, it’s one that I’ve reread a few times since competing, and it still makes me giggle. I’m sure I’d be in stitches if I got to watch it on the big screen. Although due to some of the contents towards the final chapters it would definitely need a UK PG or 12A rating.

19:  Stephen King once said that his muse is a man who lives in the basement. Do you have a muse?

For Thunderbirds fanfiction my muse is definitely Virgil, The-Virg, It’s definitely his creativity and those eyes, plus that mouth, also those eyebrows, and his muscles… Sorry getting distracted – Actually, thinking about it, Virgil’s more of a distraction than a muse. Especially with my new mobile screensaver which I keep staring at.

Okay, back to the question. I don’t think I’ve got a muse – just a little voice in my head that won’t shut up when I have a story idea until I’ve written it down.

…

Next we have @gumnut-logic who asked: ‘Writer meme question thingy - 1 & 12.’

1: Describe your comfort zone—a typical you-fic.

I always seem to revert to the family dynamics rather than a full-on rescue story (which is probably why I’m struggling with two of my fics which need to  have rescue bits written in) Basically, I love to go deeper into the descriptions of the physical/emotional whump, and how the family deal with the situation (hidden feelings, tempers, how they bond) during and afterwards.

12: Is there an episode above all others that inspires you just a little bit more?

Yes, for both TOS and TAG.

The original series: There’s a few – Terror In New York City (Yep, the beginning in particular) The Perils of Penelope, Sun Probe, The Uninvited, Edge Of Impact. After thinking long and hard to narrow it down I’d have to say that while Terror In New York’s my favourite. The Perils of Penelope inspired my naughty fic The Night of Anderbad (Penelope & Virgil pairing) plus the idea of Virgil having a secret crush on her in later chapters of The Tracy Family and a few other one of fics.

TAG: There are a few earlier ones which have inspired fics – Grandma Tourismo, Flame Out, Hyperspeed, SOS pt. 2, Signals pt. 1, Upside Down. There are probably others and these last few episodes have been really inspiring. However, I think I would definitely have to go for the more recent SOS Pt 1 & 2 and Signals Pt 1 & 2. (I’m sure the finale of Season 3 may change this answer)

…

Third we have @onereyofstarlight who asked: ‘2 and 37 for the ask meme.’

2: Is there a trope you’ve yet to try your hand at, but really want to?

Yes, I would like to have a go at Were Virgil at some point. Also, would like to try doing the boys ages differently to see how the dynamics changed – Alan as the eldest, next in line is Gordon, then Scott in the middle with John then Virgil as the youngest.

37: Talk about your current wips.

Lol, I have a few so this could take a while :D

I will start with ones that I’ve posted on FF.Net & A03 (Probably also shared them here at some point.

1. Avalanche: TAG.

This story began as a prompt that suggested a story that begins and ends with the same line but the meaning/feeling of the line changes. I started it with the intention of writing just 1 chapter …hahaha… of course I ended the story on a cliff-hanger and couldn’t leave it there, so it’s been continued and I’m so glad I did because I personally feel it is nearing the top of my best written list. The story itself is set when the boys are just children and focuses on the tragedy of the Avalanche and the emotional repercussions. I’ve just reached chapter 14, and probably have another 2-4 chapters left.

2. Lucille: TAG

Synopsis - A story about the unseen woman who watches over International Rescue."I am a wife, I am a mother, and I am the one who watches over International Rescue, making sure I am there to catch them whenever they fall. My name is Lucille Tracy and this, well this is my story!"

A story told through the eyes of the boy’s mother. This is one that I keep stopping and starting, most likely because I hadn’t planned it out. It’s currently on-hold until I finish some others, but I will complete it.

3. The Games: AU - Thunderbirds Are Go mixed with the concept of the Hunger Games. (Although, only Thunderbirds characters will make an appearance)

Here’s my synopsis - Climate change, famine, war. In the end another major war lead to the richest creating the Global Defence Force and 'order' was restored. To celebrate and keep control the Hunger Games were created. This was the 100th games.

The fic started from the Whumptober Prompts and I decided to continue it, wrote half of the 2nd chapter then promptly forgot about it. I’ve recently been looking at this again and have started to reread The Hunger Games for inspiration. However, like Lucille this fic is currently on hold.

4. Virgil Drabbles: TAG.

Started out as a challenge to see how much I could get across in just 100 words. All chapters are based around the lovely Virgil - TAG (but with him being the middle child – started before the Grandma Tourismo episode and apart from a few fics where I write it the other way around I prefer it this way)

The story starts from Virgil’s birth and I’ve now got him attending Denver. I still have a fair few chapters to write but the rest is now all planned out.

5. Reflections: TOS.

Set after Virgil's crash during the Season 1 episode 4 of 'Terror in New York City.' Short reflections from each of the family on nearly losing a brother and son. (Previously Titled, Fallen Brother)

I had always wanted to write something based on my favourite TOS episode. Then Shane Rimmer passed away and this was inspired. Slow updates on this one but I’ve finished telling myself the story just need to edit/rewrite that into something coherent.

And now we’re onto the ones that I may have posted snippets for or just 1 section for on here, but nothing officially posted as yet.

1. Two Untitled Prompts: TAG.

Both prompts were given to me at the end of November and I actually wrote out both (Plotting, thoughts, and telling myself bits of the story) Then December knocked me sideways and my writing suffered. Back to working on these 2 again now and really enjoying them. Without giving to much away, the one features a heart-broken Alan and the other (which with Avalanche is at the top of my pile) features Virgil having a day from hell with added whump.

2. Two Whumptober Fics: TAG.

Posted 1 or 2 chapters for each of these back in October and decided that they could possibly be extended/completed before posting. (All short fics)

The first one is titled Coffee Shot: Virgil gets shot in a café and emotions will run high. Fully planned out but decided to finish some others before I continue working on this.

The second is currently titled Ransom and is set when the guys are children. Scott and Virgil get kidnapped – Only done some basic plotting for this and it’s currently towards the bottom of my WIP pile.

The third is untitled and at the moment my word file is saved under the imaginative title of ‘Virgil Whump’ (Posted 1 snippet that I wrote in 15 mins at the beginning of October then left it because of other projects) In this one the guys are all extremely busy with call-outs and Virgil needs to go to a rescue on his own that involves Fischler. Unfortunately he ends up getting trapped, injured, and because its Fischler left on his own. Fully planned out.

3. Working Title – Shattered Hope. TAG

A story idea that came to me over a year ago, written some short bits, planned out most of the story but because of one small element I need to wait until TAG Season 3 finishes.

Here’s a bit from it that did get shared to Tumblr…

‘How had it come to this?’

Just a short time ago they’d been happy, enjoying some rare downtime in the sun, five brothers together. It shouldn’t be like this… With him cradling one brother who was bleeding from a bullet wound after saving the youngest from certain death. The other two close-by. One with a dislocated shoulder, the other with a broken leg, he himself had a stab wound to his arm... All of them with numerous other injuries… Beaten, bloodied, bruised… And praying that someone would rescue them!

…

Fourth we have anonymous who asked for ’35, 38 and 39.’

35: Would you ever kill off a canon character?

I’ve killed poor Scott off a few times HERE ... HERE and another time as an old man where Virgil also got killed off. (The fic scarred me – But, at the same time I think it’s the best short I’ve written - It’s called White Light if you want to give it a read)

I’ve not killed any of the others yet, and I keep telling myself that I won’t do it again, but it will probably happen again at some point…

39: Do you ever get rude reviews and how do you deal with them? 

I’ve had a couple, but they are usually anonymous ones. I normally just delete them and move on because people like that have nothing better to do and are not worth any upset. But if it does affect my confidence then I’ll reread a couple of nicer comments, then when I’m ready I’ll continue writing. I think there was only one that really knocked me for six and that was an anonymous rant on my Bad Day fic because I’d dared to pair up Virgil and Brains. (I’m sure you can imagine the content)

38: Talk about a review that made your day.

Even though 38 comes before 39 I wanted to save this one for last.

Every single comment I’ve ever got. No matter how short or detailed has brought a smile to my face and helped inspire me to continue writing – If I had to single out one then it would actually be a private message that was sent to my Fanfiction.Net inbox. It was over 2 years ago and unfortunately I can’t find the message now but whoever sent it to me said that they’d loved my Fics, in particular Gone which they had read several times and that I was their favourite writer. I was beaming for weeks afterwards.

So, whoever you were thank you - and to all who comment, re-blog, like or kudos my stories. Thank you from the bottom of my heart… Seriously you all make this fandom such a lovely place to be!

All my current posted fics and their status can be found via my: Thunderbirds Fanfiction Masterlist 

[five-wow]

Author Asks

Rules: answer these questions and tag five other fic writers to do the same.

I was tagged by the wonderful @novemberhush. Thank you, omg, because I love rambling about writing and this is the best kind of opportunity to do so, handed on a silver platter, ahh. 😊

-

Author Name: Square / Squares / SquaresAreNotCircles

Fandoms You Write For: I’m a fandom hopper! In the past year or so it’s been Hawaii Five-0 (a truly ridiculous amount), Shadowhunters, Venom, Harry Potter, due South and Stargate Atlantis. Other fandoms I’ve written at least one fic for are Twilight, Doctor Who, Torchwood, Glee, BBC Merlin, BBC Atlantis, Teen Wolf, In The Flesh, Star Wars, Supernatural, the MCU and High School Musical. And uh, Alexander the Great/Voltaire fic (which would be... history fandom? RPF?) and one (1) Judas/Jesus Biblefic. If we’re getting really technical, also a tiny little bit of One Direction fic.

It should be noted that all of this is about fic that ended up getting posted somewhere on the interwebs - there are multiple Star Trek (TOS/AOS and DS9) fics lingering in my drafts (!! one day I will finish one of them), as well as some How To Train Your Dragon, The Good Place and Deadpool stuff, and definitely more I’ve forgotten.

Where You Post: Since I made the switch to writing in English everything has landed on ao3, but I used to write mostly in Dutch, so there’s still close to a million words, I think, under my name on quizlet.nl (not to be confused with quizlet.com, which is a very different website).

Most Popular One-Shot: That depends on how you’re measuring popularity! Going by kudos, it’s Tell me I’m perfect (but tell me the truth), a Magnus/Alec Shadowhunters fic. It’s the truth is a really old fic about Percy Weasley/Oliver Wood from Harry Potter that has the most hits out of all my works, and That time Steve kissed every single Avenger (and also Bucky), an MCU Steve/Bucky fic, has the greatest number of comment threads.

Also, since this is an h50 blog: for my fic in this fandom Wanted: partner (in crime) has the most kudos and hits; You had me at meow has the most comments.

Most Popular Multi-Chapter Story: I’m working on one for h50 (going slowly, so slowly), but I don’t have any posted to ao3. I used to write a lot of multi-chaptered work in my quizlet.nl days, and I think my most popular fic there was probably the second fic I ever wrote, when I was fourteen or fifteen, which was a next-gen Harry Potter fic with shifting and overlapping POVs from the three Potter kids. It was kind of, well, not great, but it’s probably what really cemented my writing habit, it’s still my longest fic ever (over a 100k!) and I got my first fandom friends out of it, including one I’m still in contact with to this day, even though neither of us writes much if anything for Harry Potter anymore.

Favourite Story You Wrote: Ohhh, that’s such an impossible question, especially because I’ve been churning out one-shots like I might actually be getting paid for it, so there’s so much to choose from, which is a thing I have difficulty doing at the best of times, holy shit. Uh, I once wrote a 70k Remus/Sirius (Harry Potter) modern college-ish AU in Dutch that I still like; weirdly, I think that Biblefic holds up (also Dutch), and the HSM fic is fun to reread once in a while because of the fourth wall break, as is That escalated quickly, a Percy/Oliver fic. Ooh, and the fic about Shuri and Stucky and a goat!

For h50, it’s even harder to choose, because my preferences change pretty much weekly (a combination of newer fic being shinier, looking back at fic from even just a few months ago and finding things I would have done differently now, and comments influencing the way I personally look at my own fic), but right now, I’d say I still really like the fic where Steve adopts some guinea pigs, the one with the slightly tipsy team bonding by talking about mutual crushes and this 9.11 coda fix fluff getting together thing.

Story You Were Nervous to Post: That Biblefic, haha, because it’s a very complicated topic and my aim was definitely not to offend. People were really sweet about it, though! Mostly, they were kind of shocked it wasn’t crack, but that’s fair, because so was I.

Also pretty much anything I post in a new fandom, really, and low key just... anything at all. I’m always a little scared I tagged something super badly or accidentally copy-pasted the wrong text or unknowingly wrote something super offensive or whatever, despite my double- and triplechecking of the posting form. (I’m also still kind of scared people on ao3 will randomly decide they hate my fic and my writing and me personally (ao3 is really big and very anonymous and coming from the small town that was quizlet.nl even in its heyday, that’s scary), but that fear has abated as I’ve posted more, just because the data is showing pretty conclusively that thought is as irrational as it sounds. Everyone is always so nice, gosh.)

How Do You Pick Your Titles: Mostly, I steal lines from random songs. I have a small pile of song lyrics to use as potential titles, because going on a seperate hunt for every new fic would take most of my waking hours. Sometimes, I’ll use a pun (like You had me at meow or Retail Therapy) or something else that I think sounds good, especially if the fic is mostly comedy and/or has a specific premise that would do well in a title (like Five times the Governor of Hawaii suspects his taskforce leaders are violating fraternization policies (and one time they tell him they are)).

Do You Outline: I’m mostly writing fic of (sometimes much) less than 5k at the moment, so not really. I do sometimes write tiny bits of a bunch of scenes and then fill in the rest around that, which is a kind of outline, in a way. For longer works, I usually make a one page bullet point list of things that need to happen and work from there, because I can’t do really extensive outlining or I’ll just get caught up in the details and lose all of the oversight a tool like that is supposed to give you, as well as most of my enthusiasm for the project.

How Many Of Your Stories Are Complete: Of the ones posted? On ao3, all of them, because unfinished posted one-shot works would require some strange bending of those concepts. On quizlet.nl, I do have some abandoned works, but I think 80% is finished.

In-Progress: SO MUCH. Seriously, just, so much, oh god. I’d really like to write another Stargate Atlantis fic (and I have 30% of one done), and something more for due South, too, and maybe a small Percy/Oliver thing again some time because they were my very first OTP and I kind of miss them, but mostly I have, like, 100+ half written things for h50. I really wish that number was an exaggeration. There’s no way they’ll all get finished, but maybe... a third? Mayhaps?

That One Truly Long H50 Fic that I was already talking about way back in October last year is also eternally “in progress”. The thing is that it has about 25k now, after a year, and I think it needs... at least four times that. Probably. So either I’ll have to stick with this fandom and my slow progress for another three years to have a shot at getting it finished, or I’ll need to find a way to up the speed a little. Maybe I could try working on it for NaNo this November? That would be pretty awesome, but honestly, part of why it’s moving this slowly is because NaNo-style fast and messy writing for this scares me a little, because I might end up writing a lot, decide it’s not what I wanted for it, and become too intimidated to ever edit and/or rewrite the entire thing. But idk, I probably just need to get over my own fears, because I really do want to write Longer Fic again. Short stuff is fun and feels really productive and that’s great, but I miss the actual slow burn and build-up that only 50k+ words can give you.

Coming Soon: Hopefully a lot? For h50, that is. I have no idea what’s getting posted next, because I’m never entirely sure what’s going to be finished next and something really random might come jumping in, but at the moment I’m trying to direct most of my energies at a slightly longer fic I’ve been working on for months (not The Long Fic, a different one), a fic labeled “9.01 memory loss fic”, another one temporarly entitled “Perfect Kauai beach house vacation”, and maybe an ace!Steve fic I’ve been working on, if I ever manage to uh, actually finish that, instead of rewriting three sentences during every round of editing and never actually adding anything to fill in the gaps it still has. There will also be more season 10 codas, in all likelihood.

Do You Accept Prompts: I’ve never done that before in the traditional way, but I’m thinking about it! I’d love to try (and it would be a breath of fresh air, in some ways!), but the main thing holding me back is that I have way too much on my plate with just my own ideas to work off of, and I don’t want to disappoint people. Maybe if I do drabble-ish prompt fills? It’s definitely been on my mind.

Upcoming Story You’re the Most Excited For: I’m excited for a lot of stuff, but honestly, the top spot right now probably goes to the ace!Steve fic. I’m not even sure it’s that good, necessarily, but it’s, idk, really cathartic, I suppose. Seriously self-indulgent in strange but very good ways. I really like writing it. (Second spot goes to the beach vacation fic, because I haven’t actually written that much for it, but it’s been my go-to easy happy place for the last few weeks.)

-

I’m tagging @love2hulksmash @thekristen999 @stephmcx @girlonastring @flowerfan2 and @pterawaters, which is six people because I can’t count, but I’m about to make it seven because I’m also tagging you, the person reading this (hi there!). Say I tagged you and tag me so I can read it! I know that kind of thing can feel awkward, but it won’t be, because I’m cheering you on. Go for it, if you want to do it. :D

[thecarmillacurator]

Your Mom Called, You Left Your Game At Home - Carmilla Fic Review & Recommendation

*New Reviews Posted Every Saturday with one-shots and drabble recommendations Mid-Week*

Title: Your Mom Called, You Left Your Game At Home (Softball AU)

Author: catmilla on Ao3, @chaoticbecky  on Tumblr

Word Count: 127K

Chapters: 20

Rating: Mostly Teen but with Mature scenes

Ship: Hollstein

Tags I’d Assign: #softball au #rivals to lovers #enemies to lovers

Author’s Synopsis: softball au in which laura and carmilla are pitchers on "rival" softball teams in the silas parks and recreation softball league. laura takes this very seriously, carmilla does not. laura hates carmilla, carmilla loves riling laura up. laura has a strict (personal) rule against not fraternizing with the enemy (save for her best bro kirsch that carmilla stole for her team on purpose) so, what happens when a dry spell, a losing streak, and a very flirtatious carmilla all finally culminate to laura's breaking point?? read and find out!

Readability: Easy. Reading level and narrative flow make this 127k novel feel more like 80k, so it’s an enjoyably fast read considering the length. In the first part of the story, there are punctuation issues relating to dialog: I.e. Using commas at the end of dialog, within the quotation, but then capitalizing the start of the attribution or descriptive text that goes with it, or else using a period within the dialog quote when it should be a comma because there is still attribution/descriptive text to follow.  However, eventually the brain gets used to it and it stops being distracting. There are also some “it’s/its” typos, and a few sentences where the author switches up to present tense when, given the context, it should probably be future tense. But again, overall, it’s very easy to read. 

Reviewer’s Plot Summary: The definitive (at least to date) Hollstein Softball AU. Laura Hollis’ life is in a bit of a slump, which is why she’s obsessed with leading her city league softball team to a repeat Championship season of glory. Unfortunately, her team can’t stop sucking. Enter Carmilla Karnstein, captain of their rival team, who lives (and loves) to rile Laura up. Only, there’s history there. Six years earlier, they’d led their highschool softball team to a State Championship season with their mutually stellar pitching skills, and the older Karnstein- who had been a bitch and a bully to Laura as a teammate- had gotten all the glory. Laura still hates her for that, and also for what happened between them at the Championship game’s afterparty. Which is why, as Carmilla now flirts and taunts her into a (fr)enemies-with-benefits situation, Laura is ill-equipped to handle evidence that the object of her hatred doesn’t actually hate her back. In fact, for Carmilla, it’s not her team’s standings that matter: It’s the three-balls-and-two-strikes count where it comes to her heart.

Recommended to Read:  Yes. It’s by far my favorite softball AU across any fandom I follow.

Review:  There are some conceptual cons to this novel for me, and yet, rereading it never feels like a chore. One half-enemies to lovers, one-half unrequited love, it’s a recreational softball league romance that brings in the feel-good dynamic of the whole gang (Laf, Perry, Danny, Kirsch, Will), a good mix of angst and fluff, and the fun, competitive nature of sports rivalries.  The 

story is written in third person limited (primarily), with Laura as the narrative focus. Also, if you happen to be a Pitch Perfect fan, there will be a few subtle (very, very subtle) Easter eggs for you. 

The Con [Edited]: This time, I’m going to put the negative first and simply address it as a “con” rather than “concrit” because I don’t want to put people off reading it (READ IT!), and also, I can’t fairly call it as much “constructive” criticism as personal preference.  But here it is: This is not my favorite version of Laura. For my taste, she is a little too much of “a raging bad person” to Carm. 

My issue lies only in my personal moral/relationship tastes, not in something about the story itself, so just take that worth a grain of salt. And, further, there *is* a backstory that explains Laura’s dislike of Carmilla and her difficulty in changing her own opinion. (Although, I would have loved to seen some flashback scenes to their time playing high school softball together. I think it would have been exciting, and also made Laura’s tight grip on her hatred a little more fleshed out.)  Finally, I easily concede that upon rereading YMCYLYGAH for this review, I made a conscious effort to try and ‘listen’ to this version of Laura’s words and thoughts in my mind’s ear with a view towards favoring heavy sarcasm rather than the vitriolic hate I took it as during my first read. It helped a lot.  And, in fact, it may simply be that I just wasn’t getting it the first time around.

The Good:  I *love* softball AUs.  (Did I mention I really like softball AUs?) This story has great energy. It does a beautiful job balancing the tension of the softball season with the tension of the relationship plot. The balance between what happens in the main characters’ lives outside of both of those things is also nearly expertly done; there’s exactly enough to make the story and world feel sufficiently fleshed out, but not so much that it drags the plot or pacing down.  There are two subplots, one for each Laura and Carmilla, that come into the story at exactly the right relative timings in Act II, both of which weave well into the fabric of the main story to support it without coming off as contrived. The minor characters, likewise, have a perfect ratio of being present and mattering, without becoming distracting. (I appreciate the fact that Danny isn’t an overbearing jerk. #dannydeservedbetter) 

Ah hem. Here, also allow me to gush for a minute over catmilla’s Carm. How hard she falls for Laura is so adorable. How thoughtful she can be is cute. The fluffiness of her- which Laura refuses to see- is so sweet that it’s tangibly cotton candy. You root for her. And at times, you *hurt* for her. (Which is probably why I had such a hard time with this Laura, because, “Dammit, Jim, WHY DOESN’T LAURA JUST ADORE CARM BACK??!!”) Yet, this Carm keeps swinging for the fence because she’s so in love. Ungh. 

Also,something I always enjoy as a reader, and which I believe is a hallmark of really good storytelling, is when location has a pivotal and evolving role in the plot. Here, it’s the softball field. The author does a great job covering in-game action while not devoting a distracting number of scenes to it. But cleverly, she also made so much *more* happen and orbit around the field that without it, the love story itself wouldn’t exist and wouldn’t be nearly as fun. It is sometimes a wing-man, sometimes a foe. It is sometimes a dance floor, and sometimes a war zone.  Day and night, heat or cold, I’ll just hijack the saying, “In life as in [soft]ball, all good things happen at home.”

In conclusion, it’s an easy, satisfying read with laughs, tension, fluff, angst, and sex that isn’t overly smutty. 

Oh, and did I mention? 

Carm gets the girl.

NEXT IN THE QUE:  Vampire Hotel by Jenocide (Ao3) / @heyjenocide  (Tumblr)

[creideamhgradochas]

Thanks to the lovely @lenavonschweetz for taking the time to answer these! Get to know more about lovely Lena, go give her a follow and then show her some love!

These questions are from this list. You should check it out, there’s 50 questions all together and they’d be great to ask your favorite fic writer!

1) How old were you when you first starting writing fan-fiction?

I believe I was like 14 or 15 (omfg it's been 10 years...).  My best friend and I actually got into it together :)

2) Do you prefer writing OC’s or reader inserts? Explain your answer.

Aaaaaah this one is difficult.  I love both for different reasons.  I just recently explained this to a pal, and he freaked out cuz he loved the metaphor so much lol I like to write reader inserts because I feel like a DM of DnD, kinda weaving a story - which is also why I like reading reader inserts.  Because I never reader them and put myself in the Y/N slot, but rather a OC kinda version of myself, like the woman I wish I could be so to speak.  But I also find there are some stories that need to be written as an OC, so I have a love for both forms.

3) What is your favorite genre to write for?

I really like AUs that take characters and put them in totally different situations

4) If you had to delete one of your stories and never speak of it again, which would it be and why?

any of the stories I wrote about A7X members - yes, those are out there lol I wrote them in middle school.  They are GARBAGE and so laughable

5) When is your preferred time to write?

Middle of the night - when I should be sleeping lol

6) Where do you take your inspiration from?

Music, mainly, whether it be lyrics or the feel of a song

7) In your Show Me Love series, what’s your favorite scene that you wrote?

Natasha and the "Accidentally Suck His Dick Pencil™️" scenes lol

8) Have you ever amended a story due to criticisms you’ve received after posting it?

I've fixed errors in stories, and I've considered editing couple of pieces due to severely harsh criticisms , but haven't had time to do so

9) Who is your favorite character to write for? Why?

Romantically - Bucky, of course. Platonically - Nat is my favorite BFF character to write

10) Who is your least favorite character to write for? Why?

Unfortunately, Steve.  I just haven't found a groove for him yet though I wish I had!!

12) How did you come up with the idea for the Show Me Love series? 

Like everything - it was inspired by music lol I was listening to Show Me Love by the band t.A.T.u. when writing the desk scene and it just kinda stuck

13) Do you have any abandoned WIPs?

I don't have any that I've abandoned for good, but I do have a few that I had to put on the back burner because of inspiration that stalled or just flat out writer's block

14) Are there any stories that you’ve written that you’d really love to do a sequel to?

YES.  I'd really like to write sequels to Show Me Love, Never Have I Ever, and Die A Happy Man to name a few.

15) Are there any stories that you wished you’d ended differently?

Before the Worst.  It didn't cooperate with me, and I'm still not 100% satisfied with it.

16) Tell me about another writer(s) who you admire? What is it about them that you admire?

Oh god, All of them!!!  It's very hard to narrow down, but anyone who has the guts to create and share their work with the world is worthy of admiration.  To be specific though, oh god, uuuummmm @sugardaddytonystark, @myattemptatfanfictioning​, @plumfondler​, & @papi-chulo-bucky, & @emilyevanstan (BUT I LOVE SO MANY MORE, NARROWING DOWN IS SO DAMN HARD).  I'd have to go with these folks in particular because they are all so talented and kind and everything I aspire to be in a writer, honestly.  They just have a way with words and world building that is A1!

17) Do you have a story that you look back on and cringe when you reread it?

Can I say all of them? cuz if so, I'd say all of them. lol. Maybe my Loki fic Light in the Hallway.  I was in a dark place and wrote it as a form of catharsis.

18) Do you prefer listening to music when you’re writing or do you need silence?

M U S I C.  always music.

19) Have you ever cried whilst writing a story?

I am a big baby, sooooo yyyyUUUUUP

20) Which part of your Show Me Love series was the hardest to write?

The ending.  I always have a hard time wrapping things up.

21) Do you make a general outline for your stories or do you just go with the flow?

I have a general outline that often morphs along the way

22) What is something you wished you’d known before you started posting fan-fiction?

people can be cruel, BUT, people can also be so kind it's uncanny.  Learn to look for the light in people and just keep writing what makes you happy.  Writing is not a competition, it's a passion :)

23) Do you have a story that you feel doesn’t get as much love as you’d like?

The Bridges of Time.  I get that it's a little off the wall but I just felt an insane need to write it, I wish more people would give it a chance

24) In contrast to 23 is there a story which gets lots of love which you kinda eye roll at?

A hobbit fanfic I wrote on AO3 - Like Flies and Spiders, probably.  I started it when I was a LOT younger then picked it up again and you can tell that the first several chapters were written by a youngin and it's kinda funny lol

25) Are any of your characters based on real people?

Oh, always.  Natasha and Wanda are based on my irl BFFs in every story I write them.  I literally had a friend tell me to drop a pencil and accidentally suck my professor's dick, so there's that lol

26) What’s the biggest compliment you’ve gotten?

OMG  so I just saw this recently, and it literally made me cry: @ok-shuri-buck said "I don't know how I fell in love with you through your writing but I just want you to know it reflects your soul.  I love your soul" I literally WEPT in front of my mother, it was the kindest thing anyone has ever said of my writing and it still makes me smile

27) What’s the harshest criticism you’ve gotten?

as said in response to my 'imagine riding Bucky' drabble, and I quote, "Perfectly good fic ruined by 2nd person POV and that Y/N cop out." But I totally get that some people don't like reader fics, so ah well.  To each their own.

28) Do you share your story ideas with anyone else or do you keep them close to your chest?

I share them with my IRL bff @skrywolf772.  he and I bounce fic ideas back and forth all the time, It's wonderful (Also, he's my basis for sassy Nat BFF just fyi)

29) Do people know you write fan-fiction?

A handful of people do.  Like I said, my two irl BFFS, a girl from school (who I am mutuals with - love ya Lex ;P) and my mom.  Idk if she knows I write fanfiction or not, but she knows I write and post on tumblr

30) What’s you favorite minor character you’ve written?

probably Sam, Tony, or Thor in Never Have I Ever.  I just love writing those little shits as the wackiest teammates

31) What spurs you on during the writing process?

Often when I get the idea for a fic, it's a single sentence that will be later in the plot, so often I find myself writing and building to that specific point.  After that, I have some trouble wrapping things up (which is why I write more multi-shots than full series) but I usually use music to spur me along after I've reached that peak :)

32) What’s your favourite trope to write?

Friends to Lovers. is. mah. SHIT!!

33) Can you remember the first fic you read? What was it about?

Oh lordy, that was like 15 years ago...but I betcha it was a Avenged Sevenfold or Escape the Fate fanfic lololololllllll

34) If you could write only angst, fluff or smut for the rest of your writing life, which would it be and why?

(don't hate me) Angst >:)  it just comes easier to me than the other 2, and I find it so cathartic

[jenasisity-blog]

Fanfic/Fandom Questions

Fandom Questions 1. What was the first fandom you got involved in? TMNT

2. What is your latest fandom? Haikyuu!!

3. What is the best fandom you’ve ever been involved in? Haikyuu!!

4. Do you regret getting involved in any fandoms? Nope, I'm not into certain fandoms any longer, but I don't regret the time I spent in them...

5. Which fandoms have your written fanfiction for? TMNT

6. List your OTP from each fandom you’ve been involved in.

TMNT - brOTP

Haikyuu!! - IwaOi, DaiSuga, BokuAka, BoKuroo, OiKuro, MatsuHanaIwaOi, and BokuAkaKuroTsuki are my main ships.

7. List your NoTPs from each fandom you’ve been in.

TMNT - Brother x Brother and Donnie x April

Haikyuu!! - only KuroKen, really...I don't hate it, just not really into it all that much? I'll still read fics with the ship, though, if I'm intrigued by/into the plot.

8. How did you get involved in your latest fandom? I watched the anime, and the stage play, and the OVA(s), all that good stuff...though I will admit, I'm kinda annoyed at myself for putting off watching the series for a while, like I did.

9. What are the best things about your current fandom? I adore the humor, the friendliness/compassion and acceptance the Haikyuu!! fandom has for pretty much any ship...and I mean ANY SHIP. Like, we've heard of everything. xD

10. Is there a fandom you read fic from but don’t write in? Yes, Haikyuu!!, and that sucks, because I want to write for the fandom so badly, but I just can't get the characterization down...when I write a character, it's like they're a completely different person, and I want to fight myself so badly. ٩(๑`^´๑)۶

Ship Questions for your Current Fandom

11. Who is your current OTP? I ship IwaOi harder than anything, lol! Like, how can you not? xD I will go down with this ship~

12. Who is your current OT3? I don't have OT3s...I have OT4s! xD MatsuHanaIwaOi and BokuAkaKuroTsuki are my main OT4 ships.

13. Any NoTPs? Oh boy, you have to be careful with this. I don't want to start a war...but, as I said before, I'm pretty good with any ship...just...I don't really see KuroKen as romantic...just platonic, but that doesn't mean that I hate romantic KuroKen either, it's just...not my cup of tea, if you will. :)

14. Go on, who are your BroTPs? Ahhh, BoKuroo (I ship them both romantically and platonically) and KuroKen are my big ones! I also like the idea of KuroOi...

15. Is there an obscure ship which you love? Hmmm...I mean, @suguru got me falling into KuroShou really fast and hard, like, it should be a crime, really, and that's a ship not really well known, so I suppose that'd qualify??

16. Are their any popular ships in your fandom which you dislike? Um, please don't kill me, but I'm not much into KageHina....that's like a major sin, I know, but I like their friendship better, sorry KageHina shippers! ^^;

17. Who was your first OTP and are they still your favourite? IwaOi, all the way! As I said before, I'm goin' down with this ship!

18. What ship have you written the most about? Since I can't get my characterization down, I don't write for the fandom, but if I ever did, it's most likely be IwaOi or platonic ships.

19. Is there a ship which you wished you could get behind, but you just don’t feel them? As mentioned, not shipping KageHina is almost like a unspoken sin, but I don't really care? About shipping, in general, I mean. Like, everyone is intitled to their own opinions, to what they like and what they don't. Nobody should be degraded or threatened for what they like...and that also goes for what they don't, as well.

20. Any ships which you surprised yourself by liking? Hmmm...not really? If I like something, I usually like it just 'cause I like it, ya know? xD Author Questions

21. What was the first fanfic you ever wrote? A TMNT One-Shot.

22. Is there anything you regret writing? Hmmm...no, not that I can think of.

23. Name a fic you’ve written that you’re especially fond of & explain why you like it. Uhhh...I never finished any of my TMNT multi-chapter fics, at least not before I fell headfirst into Haikyuu!! Hell, so yeah...not really proud of any of them? Like, I liked my plot-bunnies, but I never went through with them and finished a actual multi-chapter fic, so....oh, but there was this one-shot that I wrote for an old online friend's birthday, and to also cheer her up and put her fears to rest, so yeah. I guess I'm quite proud of that one. :)

24. What fic do you desperately need to rewrite or edit? As I said before, I only ever wrote in the TMNT fandom, but I'm no longer apart of it, so I wouldn't go back to edit/rewrite anything, but I'm sure all of my works are capable of improvement.

25. What’s your most popular fanfic? Hmmm...that would be We're All Just Built To Be Broken.

26. How do you come up with your fanfic titles? Most times I use or get ideas from song names or lyrics, like above, other times I just rhyme the title or just use the work context to come up with a title that compliments the text.

27. What do you hate more: Coming up with titles or writing summaries? Writing summaries, no doubt. I'm usually proud of them by the time I'm done changing/rewriting it a thousand time, but it's far more exhausting and time consuming than coming up with a title.

28. If someone were to draw a piece of fanart for your story, which story would it be and what would the picture be of? I actually had a picture commissioned for another fic I did (never completed), called The Devil Within (another song name), but I honestly would like anything someone made for me out of their own busy time, I have no preferences. :)

29. Do you have a beta reader? Why/Why not? Nope, lol, I'm actually a Beta for a few awesome souls. xD I think I reread my works for mistakes enough to be my own beta reader, though I wouldn't mind the extra set of eyes! xD

30. What inspires you to write? Music, fanart, other fanfiction, and AUs. Basically everytime I hear a new song/see new art/read another fanfiction/AU, I have some kind of plot-bunny running around my head somewhere. Especially for the Haikyuu!! fandom.

31. What’s the nicest thing someone has ever said about your writing? Just that they're excited for more and that they enjoyed it; if I make my readers happy, I'm happy.

32. Do you listen to music when you write or does music inspire you? If so, which band or genre of music does it for you? Ohhhh, yes. I listen to music constantly when I'm writing. The lyrics give me plot-bunnies and I listen to whatever genre I'm writing at the time. If it's angst, I put on some sad, slow music. Fluff and love? Happy, sweet, cute songs.

33. Do you write oneshots, multi-chapter fics or huuuuuge epics? I like to write One-Shots, I gave a go at multi-chapter fics, but, as I said before, couldn't finish any of 'em.

34. What’s the word count on your longest fic? 4,693 words, for the fic The Devil Within. It wasn't ever completed.

35. Do you write drabbles? If so, what do you normally write them about? Hmmm, no, I don't. Maybe I should, though, to try to get back into the swing of things...maybe I'll even see what I could do about my characterization skills?

36. What’s your favourite genre to write? Angst. Hands down angst. I love the pain and tears. \( ˆoˆ )/

37. First Person or Third Person - what do you write in and why? Third Person, I always write in Third Person. It's just default, unless I make a conscious effort to write in First.

38. Do you use established canon characters or do you create OCs? Both, though I'm more familiar with writing with established characters.

39. What is you greatest strength as a writer? I would like to say my writing style...I believe it to be very detailed and well thought out and put together. ~(0^0)~

40. What do you struggle the most with in your writing? CHARACTERIZATION!!!! My gosh, do I need to work on my characterization...(￣ー￣ ) Fanfiction Questions

41. List and link to 5 fanfics you are currently reading: I'm not really readying anything currently, so I'll just post five of my favorite fanfics I bookmarked on AO3. Not in any particular order.

1. Come and get lost with us by boxofwonder

2. A Purpose by Your_Friendly_Neighborhood_Pigeon

3. The Alpha King & I by caelestisxyz

4. Follow Rivers by surveycorpsjean

5. Build A Temple In Me by Authoress

42. List and link to 5 fanfiction authors who are amazing: This is totally not all of my favorites, and they're not in any particular order.

1. surveycorpsjean

2. Triana

3. Frenchibi

4. codename_bewareofthefangirl

5. Amethystfairy1

43. Is there anyone in your fandom who really inspires you? Yes, a lot of them do, but I'd say the top ones are @ichigomaniac, @codename-bewareofthefangirl, @haikyuulovercompany, @suguru, @here-is-my-happy-place, @craziiwolf, @dothewrite, @sugawaraformytea, @lovely-angst, @franeridart, @nekokat42, @ikipin, @03xlimit, and @kittlekrattle! Wow, that's a lot! As I said, I got more, but those are my main ones. xD

44. What ship do you feel needs more attention? Hmmm, I think evey ship needs the attention it deserves...all ships are treasured to someone.

45. What is your all time favourite fanfic? Oh, come on, that's impossible to say!

46. If someone was to read one of your fanfics, which fic would you recommend to them and why? None, lol, never look into my TMNT stuff...it's horrid and besides, it's not getting updated anymore.

47. Archive Of Our Own, Fanfiction.net or Tumblr - where do you prefer to post and why? AO3, all the way! It's a bigger and better community! ;)

48. Do you leave reviews when you read fanfiction? Why/Why not? Sometimes, either when I have time or feel as if I need to absolutely say something. I always leave Kudos if I enjoyed the work, though. :)

49. Do you care if people leave comments/reblog your fic? Why/Why not? I'd love if people commented on my works, it makes me feel more inspired to finish them if I know there are people out there that enjoyed it and are waiting for the next installment.

50. How did you get into reading and/or writing fanfiction? Gosh, how do you not get into fanfiction?

51. Rant or Gush about one thing you love or hate in the world of fanfiction! Go! I downright adore how people can come in with their own ideas, their own AUs or even build off of other's AUs (with permission, of course), and everyone in the Haikyuu!! fanfic community does not care, as long as you respect their work! I adore that about this fandom. Everyone is left to their own devices and people don't care what you ship, as long as you're respectful. It's nice to be in a fandom that is so loving and accepting.

[kaleidodreams]

Fanfiction Questions

Third section, Author Questions

21. What was the first fanfic you ever wrote? Sweet Dreams... It's not very good. Not even going to link it, although if you’re truly interested, you can check my FF.net profile.

22. Is there anything you regret writing? No, not really. Looking back at my first few fics, they really kind of suck, but everybody has to start somewhere, right?

23. Name a fic you’ve written that you’re especially fond of & explain why you like it. To Be By Your Side - Ever since I started writing fanfiction, I've wanted to write an amazing and popular Chibi-Usa/Helios story, and I think with this fic, I finally did it. Going by the number of FF.net reviews, it's the fifth most popular Chibi-Usa/Helios story and close to tied with number three and number four. But more than that, I think it's one of my best written fics, and I usually end up crying whenever I reread it because I'm just overwhelmed by how much I love them and how much they deserved their happy ending after all the pain I put them through. (Oops?)

24. What fic do you desperately need to rewrite or edit? I love Spirit of Fire, but I think the first few chapters especially could use a rewrite. Never going to happen, though. It's way, way, way too long!

25. What’s your most popular fanfic? Melting Ice, Against the Rules, and Spirit of Fire all have over a hundred reviews at FF.net, so they're definitely the most popular. Although going by favorites, which might be a better way to judge, The Night Before and No Longer Alone become the most popular, which is interesting...

26. How do you come up with your fanfic titles? There's really no set process. Sometimes a title will just come to me right away. Other times, a fic will remain that "untitled Kaleido Star WIP" for months while I decide. (Eventually settled on Melting Ice, BTW.)

27. What do you hate more: Coming up with titles or writing summaries? Hmm...it depends? But probably summaries.

28. If someone were to draw a piece of fanart for your story, which story would it be and what would the picture be of? Oh, wow, that is so hard to decide! I'm going to pick two. My first request would be the kiss between Yume and Mikhail after they perform the Lovers' Maneuever at the end of Melting Ice. The second is Ami and Akira's first shrine visit of the year in Against the Rules. (I just think it would be really pretty.)

29. Do you have a beta reader? Why/Why not? Sometimes. (Shoutout especially to @xingshining, who has done a lot of beta-ing for me over the years!) If somebody wants to beta for me, I'm grateful for the help, but I'm fine without one, too.

30. What inspires you to write? Canon itself, mostly.

31. What’s the nicest thing someone has ever said about your writing? I've received too many reviews over the years for any one to stand out as the nicest, but I will say I treasure the private message my idol his lordship Chaos sent me a long time ago for To Be By Your Side, especially this part: And for me, the real treat has been reading about Chibiusa. I was never a big Chibiusa-as-seen-in-the-anime fan back in the day--and admittedly even now if I'm looking at using her in a fic, I prefer going by the manga and your fanfics as a reference point. You've managed to make me enjoy her as a character, and that's about as great a compliment as I can make. In your portrayals of her, she exudes both the confidence of an aspiring soldier who's already seen her share of epic battles, and the unexpected shyness of a young woman just coming into her own.  

32. Do you listen to music when you write or does music inspire you? If so, which band or genre of music does it for you? I usually prefer silence whenever I write. Otherwise, I get distracted and start singing along! *laughs* I do have one fic that was inspired by a song, though: Queen of Hollywood. It was inspired by the Corrs' song of the same name. (And I’ve always wanted to write a Chibi-Usa/Helios songfic to the Charlotte Church/Billy Gilman duet Dream a Dream, which I consider their song, but I’ve never gotten around to it.)

33. Do you write oneshots, multi-chapter fics or huuuuuge epics? Oneshots and multi-chapter fics. I'm not sure if any could really be considered epics, but some are pretty long.

34. What’s the word count on your longest fic? According to the word counts at AO3, "Spirit of Fire" is 257,691 words. Wow. And that's not even including the side stories.

35. Do you write drabbles? If so, what do you normally write them about? I have in the past, usually as the result of a challenge or request game, so the subject varies. They can sometimes help when I’m feeling blocked, but I don’t find them all that interesting to write.

36. What’s your favourite genre to write? Drama, probably. Particularly family drama.

37. First person or third person - what do you write in and why? Both, although third person is my default. I tend to only use first person for one-shots that are meant to be introspective. Third person just feels more versatile and natural to me.

38. Do you use established canon characters or do you create OCs? Both! Just depends on the story.

39. What is you greatest strength as a writer? Emotion and characterization, I guess?

40. What do you struggle the most with in your writing? The actual writing part. The longer I write, the more self-conscious I've gotten about my style.

[proudpukwudgie]

Wait - Newt x Reader

Prompt: Soulmate AU where everyone is born with the first words their soulmate says to them tattooed on their wrist. Reader has no established gender, so read it how you want!!!

Warnings: Swearing. 

---

Excuse me, could you grab that for me?

A fairly boring and standard tattoo. Your soulmate would probably slide their way into your life on an average day, asking you to pass the salt or hand them a newspaper and instead stumbling across the actual love of their life. Admittedly, you were a little bit disappointed by the lack of excitement and romance your tattoo implied. You had a friend who had the most lovely tattoo you had ever seen (Isn’t the sky beautiful tonight?) and you couldn’t help but wish yours was a little more like hers.

On the other hand, another friend of yours had What the fuck were you thinking? on his wrist, so you weren’t one to complain.

You spent a lot of dinner parties staring at the strangers at the table, slipping into daydreams and wondering endlessly if they would ask you to pass the potatoes (Excuse me, could you grab that for me?) and then you would reply with something witty and charming and the two of you would fall in love instantly and live happily ever after. They never played out the way you envisioned them in your head, resulting instead in a confused stranger asking you with concern and slight uneasiness if you were okay as you hadn’t moved your gaze in several minutes. You would duck your head with embarrassment, shifting your focus intently back onto your meal, face ablaze, and curse your soulmate a little for making you seem so creepy.

Nothing important like that ever seems to happen when you are prepared, and you most certainly were not that morning. You were meant to take a wizarding train to visit your parents, and you had, as usual, woken up late and barely stumbled out the door on time. Your hair was unbrushed and barely concealed under a lopsided hat, bags had dug themselves, heavy and dark, underneath your eyes, and you hadn’t bothered very much with how you had dressed. Your white button up shirt was open, revealing the white shirt underneath and flapping around you as you walked. You weren’t wearing socks and you were trying to carry one too many suitcases, your face flushed and your expression effectively conveying your displeasure to any and all onlookers.

You reached the train station at last, letting all of your suitcases fall to the ground with a relieved sigh and plunking yourself down to sit on one. Your current goal was to get yourself to your parents’ house as quickly and uneventfully as possible, without any of the incidents or mishaps that seemed to plague your life, but that was clearly too much to ask as a huge gust of wind sent your hat flying and a paper swooping from the currently boarding train just to hit you in the face. You had been half-asleep at that point, as you were still exhausted from your lack of sleep the night before, so the sudden attack jolted you awake and you let out a yelp of surprise, tumbling backwards off of your suitcase and flat on your back. The offending paper fluttered innocently off and landed a few feet away on the pavement. You sat back up, rubbing the elbow you had managed to scrape in your fall, but you were interrupted by a voice that set butterflies in your stomach.

“Excuse me, could you grab that for me?”

Your eyes were wide as your head snapped up to see where it was coming from. A young man was hanging partway out of one of the windows of the train, which was now completely boarded and about to leave. He had cinnamon hair that looked about as unbrushed as yours, settled in a mop on his head that hung into his eyes. His wand was nestled behind his ear, and as you squinted at him, dumbfounded, you observed that he had more freckles than there were stars in the shy. You felt your heart leap in your throat, opening your mouth to say something but realizing that whatever you said would most likely be the thing that he would have on his wrist, so you closed your mouth with a snap and continued to stare as your tired and overwhelmed brain tried to muster an appropriate response.

“The paper, please, it’s got some very important notes on it!” He said urgently, looking increasingly anxious as the train started to chug slowly away.

You snapped back into reality, scrambling to grab the paper and then leaping to your feet. The train was going faster and faster, and you were suddenly cursing yourself for not taking the time to put on socks as your feet were sorely uncomfortable. If you had known you were going to be chasing your soulmate’s train, you would have put on socks, dammit!

You were close to reaching him, and the panic set in when you realized that you didn’t know his name or where he was going to, and he was your soulmate, and what if you never saw him again and- “Holy shit, I don’t think I can catch up, just tell me where you’re going!” you cried out without thinking as the train sped up a little more, and you could see the bewilderment that was on your face reflected in his now as his hand shot instinctively to his wrist. He looked completely ecstatic and anxious all at once, and you skidded to a halt as he beamed after you and called back.

“London! I’m off to London! I’ll wait for you!”

You doubled over, hands on your knees, and ignored the confused onlookers as you stood back up and gathered your suitcases, preparing to purchase a new ticket and take the first train to London. Your parents could wait another day for your visit. You had to find this man, and soon.

--

You spent the next few hours waiting for your train and rereading every word on the page he had left behind. His handwriting was scratchy and sloppy, and would probably be considered almost illegible to some, but yours was equally terrible so it was easy for you to decipher the page, which was covered in notes about Plimpies, a sea-dwelling magical creature you hadn’t even heard of until now.

You read it over and over the whole train ride to London, and you put it carefully into your bag so you wouldn’t drop it when you finally stepped off of the train, gathering your many suitcases clumsily and stumbling around as you scanned the crowd for five feet eleven inches of charming half-smiles, bright, intelligent eyes, and adorably messy hair.

He spotted you first, however, his familiar voice laced with amusement as he spoke. “That is an entirely unreasonable amount of suitcases, you know. There are much more efficient ways to travel with so many things. You only need one suitcase with a good charm, and then you might not have so much trouble,” he said, and you could hear the smile in his voice before you turned around to face him.

You dropped your suitcases and dug through your purse, a grin settling itself on your face as you handed him back his paper. “Thank you for dropping this. It was excellent reading material for the train ride here,” you told him enthusiastically.

He beamed, blushing and ducking his head as a gesture of appreciation as he took it back and stuffed it back into the pages of a big leather notebook he had been carrying under his arm. He glanced back up at you, and there was comfortable silence for a moment as you simply studied each others’ faces, content.

You broke the silence at last. “I’d like to formally apologize for the fact that your tattoo says ‘holy shit’. Your parents must hate me,” you said with a laugh, and he smiled.

“It’s quite alright. I’ve always found it amusing,” he replied. “My parents did worry about it, though. They were sure you’d be some sort of terrible influence for a while,”

You grinned. “You never know, they could have been right. I do carry an unreasonable amount of suitcases by your standards, so who knows what other horrible habits I have. We’ve only just met, I could be a terrible influence for all you know,” you teased, and he chuckled a little.

“Well, if you liked my notes on the Plimpies you couldn’t be all bad. Perhaps I could tell you a little more over dinner?” He asked, blinking hopefully at you through his hair.

You nodded enthusiastically. “I would love that, Mr...?”

“Scamander. But you can call me Newt,” he said, extending his hand to shake.

“(y/n),” you said, shaking his hand and grinning at him. “it’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Newt,”

--

I didn’t edit this at all so it’s?? fairly drabble-y and full of mistakes but I hope u enjoy my bad jokes and awkward dialouge!! nice nice im obsessed with soulmate aus