#beebee-76 | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

blackmonitor · 1 year

Note

Prompts. Prompts!

The Asker’s Studio™️ is in session!

The other day, we were discussing that the latest batch of prompts that took up residence in my head did not pan out (after I passed them on to you)

It got me to thinking about the whole concept of prompts in general.

As one of the laziest writers on this platform, I will offer that without prompts, my time is whiled away making up prompts for others, rather than trying to conjure original ideas for myself. I require them to produce content (I actually have an active WIP for the first time in 5 months)

Writers are constantly soliciting for prompts and successfully bringing them to fruition.

Does this need/desire for prompts translate the same way for an artist? Do they offer a inspiration or do they create restraints?

When I offer a prompt to a fellow writer, there is usually the open-ended stipulation that the prompt is merely an idea. I like the author to keep in mind that this is a very general concept, they are free to run with it in any direction. Do you feel this freedom as an artist?

I very much look forward to your answer!

Thank you for your time!

First of all, thank you so much @beebee-76, that once again I am the subject of The Asker’s Studio™️ 🥰

I was so happy to read that you have a wip again and you are writing something!

So about your question:

Do they (prompts) offer a inspiration or do they create restraints?

Well... for me, they are restraints, but in a good way!

Nowadays, I often have minimal time to draw. And sometimes I have this... IDK what to call, but with me, the case is this nowadays: as my free time is limited, when I have one or two hours just for myself (I mean to create anything), sometimes I'm unable to do anything because I can't decide what I want to do! (does this makes any sense?...)

And if a prompt came to me in a situation like that, suddenly, I don't need to think about what I should do. I know that there is somebody out there with an idea, and the best thing I can do to make them happy is to work on that - so that makes me happy after all.

But there is the bad part - sometimes I can't make it happen. I'm a human, after all. In most cases, my skills are not good enough to create the requested image. I usually recognize that after twenty minutes, and then I stop working on them.

Maybe that's selfish. But I don't want to make a half job or do work I'm not proud of. And now, I recognize where I fail, and I don't go there.

And again. because I don't have that much free time, sadly I must select as well. I would love to make everybody idea's, but I can't.

The request poll I make on my discord is a fun way to select and reduce those ideas - so I don't drown in them 🤭 I got too many ideas myself 🤭

(BTW, if I knew English better... I would love to write and take prompts as a writer. But it's so hard for me to write a story in English, and I need someone else who put hard work into my stuff to be readable to others, so... that's a bummer. But if it would be my mother language... I would be unstoppable 🤭 Thankfully, everybody speaks in the language of art 🤭🥰)

Thank you for this opportunity to pour out my thoughts!

#ask #answer #beebee-76 #The Asker’s Studio™️#prompts

13 notes · View notes

chaos-monkeyy · 2 years

Note

I just saw that your new fic pertains to the Brandon Sanderson Skyward fandom. It fired my interest, so I rooted around and found the summaries to the three books. It definitely sparked interest!

Have you read all three books? Would they appeal to someone who normally travels the Star Wars route? (I can hear about 20 other unread books giving me the stink eye right now 🤣)

Love to read your opinion. Thanks!

Hahaha I have indeed read all three books and I'm currently reading them all over again while I wait with zero patience for the fourth and final book to come out 😆 (should be early 2023).

Honestly, I loved them even more than I expected to. I started the first one because I read anything and everything Sanderson puts out, and then he went and wrote a spacefighting pewpewpew book, and it was so damn good 😍 Great story, great worldbuilding, great characters, well-written as always. If you happen to be a fast reader anyway, your other unread books probably won't even be waiting that long 😂

I'd love to know if you do give them a try 👀

#skyward #cytoverse #chaos answers #beebee-76

20 notes · View notes

guestiguess · 10 months

Note

I saw on your list that your current obsession was Ennio Morricone! That brought back a lot of memories, because I lived In Italy for several years & frequented a cinema house that played films scored by Morricone.

Good, Bad, and the Ugly

For a Few Dollars More

A Fist Full of Dollars

Once Upon a Time in the West

To name a few. I have seen them all a zillion times!

I am curious as to how you stumbled onto Maestro Morricone? Do you enjoy the movies, or is it strictly about the music? Finally, which composition is your favorite?

Look forward to your answer. It is not often that I get to talk about one of my favorites.

Heihei!

What a surprise to see you in my asks, a good one btw!...so where do I start...?

I more or less grew up with Bud Spencer/Terence Hill movies. They're quite popular in Germany, especially because of the great 70s dubbings (they were "inappropriately" silly in general but also for the serious Western of the two. these versions were so successful in Germany at the time that some of the movies were even "funny uncut" and the Klamauk -Western entered the stage like “Vier Fäuste für ein Halleluja (continuavano a chiamarlo Trinità)...I digress)

"my name is nobody" (Terence Hill, Henry Fonda) is one of my favorite movies... Soul food basically. And the soundtrack! The soundtrack!!!!! Shockverliebt with the soundtrack ...and Terence Hill’s beautiful blue eyes. ..but I digress again.... That's when I slowly started to wonder, “who is this Ennio Morricone?! What else did he do”...my goodness he wrote so much!!!! As I got older, more westerns, more Sergio Leone.... And they just go so well together (Leone and Morricone). But in the last few years I was more fixated on other composers, like Hans Zimmer (can only recommend his concerts….only if you don't get epileptic seizures, the light show is....strenuous), James Horner, or Jóhann Jóhannsson.

I rediscovered Ennio a while ago and I'm listening to his best offs on record...so good, the unusual configurations, instruments...ah love it. And a few days ago I saw the documentary about him (Ennio Morricone -the Maestro, highly recommended ) and immediately activated fixation again. …

Have I actually given any answers so far?! Yeah, you can tell...this is a topic I can talk about. (And people say (by “people” I mean me) that I couldn't use words, ha!)

So it's not strictly the music with me, but I also like to have it together with the movie. Like with My Name is Nobody... but I can also just enjoy his music on its own. I find that gets pretty lost in a lot of other soundtracks these days, especially with these generic blockbusters. It works OK in the movies, drives the action or more like explains to the audience what to feel -_-. But Ennio Morricone? Turn it on loud and enjoy it for yourself, perfect. And with the Movie? It underlines the plot, gives it a meaning, a depth.

The documentary (The Enio Docu) also made me realise how few Italian movies I've actually seen that aren't westerns. I need to catch up on that! So if you have a few recommendations for me, let me know!

My favourite pieces by him:

The wild bunch - my name is nobody (who am I lying to, the complete soundtrack)

deborah's theme - once upon a time in america

cinema paradiso - cinema paradiso

the ecstasy of gold - the good, the bad and the ugly

chi mai - maddalena

tradimento Primo - Tepepa

run, man,run - the big gundown

oh i wish our cinema would play the old stuff again. Sometimes you're lucky and they bring out classics for an anniversary or something. Oh man, seeing "the good, the bad and the ugly" on the big screen would be quite an experience.

Thanks for the question! That was fun

#asks #guestiguess answers #uhhh that was fun #beebee-76

2 notes · View notes

coruscantiscribbler · 7 months

Text

Thanks for the tag @phoebenpiperx

Are you named after anyone?

No, but I got saddled with the middle name of Marilyn which I hate.

2. When was the last time you cried?

While watching Field of Dreams last week.

3. Do you have kids?

No, never wanted them. I have horses and cats instead.

4. What sports do you play/have played?

I'm a dressage rider. When I was younger I ran track.

5. Do you use sarcasm?

Oh, yes.

6. What is the first thing you notice about people?

Their voices, and will they meet my eyes.

7. What is your eye color?

Green.

8. Scary movies or Happy Endings?

Happy endings. I'm a giant wuss so I don't watch scary movies. Otherwise I have nightmares for weeks after.

9. Any talents?

I studied and sang opera, I danced -- ballet and jazz, played piano. Did a lot of theater in my youth. And I ride dressage at a very high level.

10. Where were you born?

In Hollywood... really.

11. What are you hobbies?

Riding, writing fanfic, playing video games, playing in RPGs with friends, going to the gym, cooking.

12. Do you have any pets?

Two Lusitano horses and two snotty Siamese cats.

13. How tall are you?

Sadly, I'm shrinking. I was 5'2". Now I'm only 5' tall.

14. Favorite subject in school?

History, music

15. Dream Job?

I have it. I'm a novelist and screenwriter.

I'm not good at tagging people, but I'll make a stab at it. @arrothededushka @paintedmagpie @murielles-crowsnest @beebee-76 @rebelkallus

#This is fun but a balancing act

16 notes · View notes

seikilos-stele · 1 year

Note

Are you still friends with beebee76?

Oh yes. Loudly and proudly. @beebee-76

#my asks

13 notes · View notes

contentment-of-cats · 10 months

Note

I had a professor who wrote old-timey sword & sandals fic. One day, I asked him if he inserted himself into any of the characters when he was writing - did he assume a character role. He was really surprised at the question, as much as I was surprised at the answer: why, no, actually - he hovered above the story as a neutral observer.

I, on the other hand, always identify with a character as I am either writing or reading (almost anything fictional) When I am writing, even though the story may be fandom/canon based, I usually like to endow either an OC or a canon character with some aspects of my own life.

My professor was astonished at this conflation of my life with fic.

Today, I will send this same Ask to several authors and see where YOU position yourself as you write fic: are you a neutral observer? Do you identify with a character in the fic? Do you purposefully create OC to blatantly endow them with your personal characteristics/history?

Same goes for reading fic: do you look for a character to identify with, or are you a neutral observer?

Thank you so much for participating in my little Ask survey (feel free to to expand as much as you like with the answers)

Thank you @beebee-76 for the lovely ask! Let me tackle these in bullet points.

Writing fic:

Are you a neutral observer?

No, very much not. I want to feel, to live the story as I write, to empathize and understand motivations.

Do you identify with a character in the fic?

Typically yes. I need to identify with the character to immerse myself into the story. If it's from multiple POV, I even need to get into the head of the characters I don't like too much.

Do you purposefully create OC to blatantly endow them with your personal characteristics/history?

There's so many NPC that it's easier to use one of them instead of creating a whole new character. Even just a few details can help to flesh out a character. Once in a while I do an OC from scratch, but I still roll the dice for them!

Reading fic:

Do you look for a character to identify with, or are you a neutral observer?

I want to identify with the characters and try to understand them. It's more rewarding that way.

#writing asks

9 notes · View notes

jadesabre83 · 1 year

Text

I'm Officially Too Old For This Shit

If it wasn't obvious from my username, I was born in 1983, which means (ugh) I'm turning 40 this year.

Now, I've been online since roughly 1992/93, and involved with the Star Wars Fandom in some way since 1995. In all of these years, I've seen (and been a part of) my fair share of drama. It took a while to learn to just avoid it all, but things have reached the point of no longer being able to just sit this one out.

Back in November of 2022, I received a very strange message from someone I didn't know, and to my knowledge, had never interacted with before. And, well...I'll let the screenshots do the talking.

I was able to reconnect with Drac, and they sent me this, where @cyber-witch85 mentions me in the notes of a post.

I then get in touch with @beebee-76 and we swap stories of our experiences with Cyber. I don't hear from Cyber again until this:

So, now they're backtracking on the threat they made in November.

Even better, Cyber seems to have it in their head that Bee is sending all the anon hate, but the supposed messages are so obviously fake; the username doesn't match Bee's actual username. This was the charming response to my note:

So...Cyber, I still have no idea what your damage is or who you even are. And honestly, your attempts at causing massive drama in the Thrawn fandom by trying to draw me into the middle of things are quite laughable, if not outright pathetic.

Just stop. There are much more important things going on in this world than fandom wank.

#Cyber-witch85 #Thrawn fandom #Fandom wank #I really am too old for this shit

19 notes · View notes

arefriendsdetectives2 · 1 year

Text

Ahoy there fellow rhyme adherents And other fascinating folk! I'm back to make a brief appearance And give the internet a poke. I'm still alive! I still exist (Obituaries were premature)! I'm touched to see that I've been missed While orbiting the realms obscure And like a flash from outer space, A comet in your atmosphere, I'm passing through this tumbling place Once more before I disappear. For thirty nights and thirty days I'll drop some verse then off I'll pop, For enigmatic are the ways Of rhymers (may we never stop!).

@beebee-76 I’m back, my friend!

#poem #poetry #quick verse #original poem

20 notes · View notes

myevilmouse · 1 year

Note

Thrawn:Alliances is the only one of the three canon Thrawn(2017) books that I do not own. It is my silent protest over the loose ends & roads left unexplored that embodied that hot mess of a book.

At the same time, I consider Alliances to be Zahn’s gift to the fertile minds of the fan fic authors of Thrawn Fandom. It is basically the Thrawn repository of What If’s.

Welcome back to the Asker’s Studio™️, Mouse, it’s been a while.

In your fic Uneasy Alliance, you do exactly this: you explore a stream of consciousness that Zahn comes so close to developing, but instead, drops it…at your feet. He suggests an attraction of Padme to Thrawn at every turn, but never allows it to surface. You, my friend do the heavy-lifting for us.

A brief summary for those of you unfamiliar with the fic:

This fic draws VERY heavily on the actual scenes and dialogue in the book Thrawn: Alliances.

100% of Anakin's actions and dialogue are directly lifted, I made up absolutely nothing where he is concerned except in description and perception. Perhaps 80% of Padmé's and Thrawn's dialogue and actions are directly from the book, with slightly more liberties (necessarily) taken.

The story is built around Padmé's introspection and reactions, and I have added detail and dialogue to already existing scenes where they were alone and Zahn didn't tell us what they were up to... with the aim of making the scenario as possible as...possible. This could have happened in the book, so if you ship it, I get why!

This summary does not do justice to the passages and the sensual overload that is Padme’s Thrawn (as we see him through her eyes) or the just plain too-hot-handle moment when the the hormones finally seize control:

Defiant, Padmé lunged for his mouth, lips biting and tugging at his, daring him to stop her. With a growl, Thrawn slammed her hard to the wall, drawing a grunt from her throat. One knee drove between hers, his thigh shoving and pressing against her crotch. Instead of stopping her this time, Thrawn’s kiss turned savage.

Okay, now that I have everyone’s attention, let’s get to it!

I discovered this fic quite accidentally when another Tumblr post was lamenting one of my many complaints about Alliances: how could Padme not be attracted to Thrawn?!

Our lamentations were answered with a simple paste of this fic address. All was good in the universe 😁

So, let’s talk about Alliances, this fic, and revisions in general.

Did you read Alliances as I, and come away with the same unsatiated feeling that I did?

There were many avenues one could have explored with this book (a bane & a boon it was) What made you decide on the Thrawn/Padme theme?

This was an unusual approach for fic: it was almost line and verse accuracy to the original text! In your notes, you specify that this format was quite intentional. Do I interpret correctly that this was done to emphasize that, indeed, Zahn was suggesting the same thing all along: there was chemistry between Thrawn & Padme?

As I thought about it, perhaps the same scenario could be explored with Thrawn/Thalias? (I’m not a huge fan of Ascendancy Thrawn, so maybe leave that 🤣)

Finally, was it harder to write this fic with the stricter format hugging so close to the actual text of the book?

In conclusion, I vote that we replace the original Alliances your version, because it was such a more satisfying meal.

It’s been too long, Mouse, I hope to have you as a guest more frequently (when I finish this move 😖)

Dear @beebee-76!

This is a fabulous ask and a wonderful break from the holiday prep for me this morning. Thank you first of all as always for reading my stories. We have a lot in common (this was already known) and obviously that now extends to our opinions on Thrawn: Alliances. And it’s always a pleasure to be featured on the Asker’s Studio™️ 😊

So let’s jump to it 😊 And thank you again for the very kind words about my fic. It’s fabulous that you loved it so much and it inspired this ask.

Did you read Alliances as I, and come away with the same unsatiated feeling that I did?

I know I still have an unanswered ask from you in my inbox about the differences between “the Thrawns” as in Rebels Thrawn, Ascendancy Thrawn, The Thrawn Trilogy Thrawn, and what I would call 2017 Thrawn. Someday I will have the mental fortitude to tackle all that, but let it be known that Thrawn: Alliances really disappointed me when it came out. It was, as I said earlier, unforgivably boring, or as you say up above “a hot mess.” Hard agree there. I thought all the bits with Padme were just excruciatingly slow, and saw the entire story as squandered opportunity and a waste of time. After 2017 Thrawn, who is my favorite Thrawn, to call this followup a letdown is an enormous understatement.

There were many avenues one could have explored with this book (a bane & a boon it was) What made you decide on the Thrawn/Padme theme?

I don’t write gen fic really, I’m all about my men (Luke and Thrawn) getting with the ladies. And I’m always open to exactly who those lucky women may be…Rare pairs are a fun place to play for finding new partners. I used to participate more frequently in fic exchanges, and naturally one of my faves is the Star Wars Rare Pairs, as often the requests there fired the imagination. Some of my favorite stories started because of prompts there, including my Aesthetics series and my Luke/Guri fic, which wasn’t an assignment got, I but the ship haunted me until I wrote it for the requester anyway.

Another rare pairing on the list was Padme/Thrawn. I found this intriguing (although I wasn’t ultimately assigned it) because they do actually meet in nu!canon… I read a few frustrated fans’ comments (like the tumblr post that I responded to) about how Padme would never choose Anakin over Thrawn, and why didn’t she just get on Thrawn’s ship and leave behind her loser husband at the end, etc. and I thought hmmm….maybe maybe maybe…

Whenever I write a fic I try to make it as plausible as possible. I find spots for missing scenes (like in my Luke Skywalker/Mon Mothma fic) where we know people were in the same place at the same time, or find a canon-divergent way to set a story in a believable timeline (like Luke/Sabine or even Thrawn/Sabine). So I went to my copy of Alliances with nothing more than this goal: find a spot in the book where Thrawn/Padme could happen, or find something—a hint, a clue of a future opportunity for Thrawn/Padme to happen. I’m not a fan of cheating in real life or in fic, so the latter option was my preference at the time. A Padme Lives AU, perhaps, where Chiss envoy Thrawn comes to rock her world after her husband is out of the picture.

In short, I had no idea what I was going to write, but was looking for openings.

And boy, the openings I found. As you righteously point out, when you are LOOKING for it, you realize that Zahn has basically already written the fic between the lines. He gives us SO many opportunities to read an attraction, while also helpfully making Anakin the most annoying, unsympathetic, and immature he’s ever been. Zahn keeps separating them—Anakin going off his way and Thrawn and Padme having another adventure together. Sometimes he tells us what they were up to, sometimes he doesn’t. Imagine my eyes growing comically wider as I scanned the text and realized I didn’t have to write a missing scene, I just had to tell you what happened when Zahn didn’t.

You do interpret correctly. Instead of my original concept, I decided to simply remix the novel, filling in those blanks and using Padme’s pregnancy (which is not at all mentioned or implied in the book) as an excuse for her oversexed response to the handsome alien that is repeatedly shoved in her direction. (Much as I am not a real believer in the Padme/Anakin chemistry, I didn’t really want to make Padme an unfaithful hussy, so the prenatal hormones were a convenient way to abet her reactions.)

I think Zahn has progressively fallen more and more in love with his blue man, to the point where Thrawn has gone from Villain to Antihero to straight up Hero in some of the newer books (which is why I find him less and less interesting to be honest). It’s clear in Alliances that he wants Thrawn to outshine Anakin in every way. I couldn’t believe Disney let him get away with it. Anakin’s decisions are wrong, Thrawn is always right—even Padme sees this and acknowledges it in the text. Anakin isn’t as smart/rational/creative/cool etc. Zahn gets to hold up Thrawn as capable, honorable, resourceful. All things Padme recognizes. He even has Anakin confront her at one point with the “now you’re taking his side”.

In order to achieve this—and let’s be clear, I’m not a huge Anakin fan—I think Zahn did some serious character bashing/warping of Anakin in the book. After working so hard to find his wife, do I think right away he would send her off with a guy he barely knew to retrieve his lightsaber? Hell no I don’t. I think the “real” Anakin would be more jealous, more possessive, and more cautious than this version. Zahn’s Anakin is stubborn when it suits the story, and relents just as conveniently. In my fic, Padme has quite a bit of introspection about this—WHY is her husband sending her off with this stranger so often? She was in mortal danger, he came to save her, but is more concerned with destroying shit and having some weird revenge against no one in particular than overseeing her personal safety.

Sorry Zahn, your motives are super transparent here.

…was it harder to write this fic with the stricter format hugging so close to the actual text of the book?

It was the opposite! I loved uncovering this story from the clues in the novel. It didn’t take long to write at all, once I got started. I scanned the book, identified the key scenes I could use to make Padme/Thrawn happen, and the bones of the fic was done in about a day. The research/rereading took longer than the writing, I think. I found out in the meantime that one of my talented artists friends @sometimesartmostlychaos, was a low-key Padme/Thrawn shipper, so the story was a gift to her upon its completion.

Zahn’s version of Anakin allowed my fic to take shape, as you mention, using total accuracy to the text, dialogue, and repeated separations he inflicts upon the newlyweds. While I don’t 100% buy it (more reasons why the novel just was an overall mess), I certainly see what Zahn was doing, and what he was doing was making Thrawn better in all aspects than Anakin. How could a smart woman like Padme NOT notice, particularly when she’s having so many traumatic experiences?

I compounded it with hormones to serve my own nefarious purposes, but as I said in the author’s note, I didn’t really have to do a lot of work to get there. Zahn laid it all out and I just had to massage the attraction from latent to overt. It was a super fun exercise and I absolutely enjoyed it. Making it better, making it INTERESTING, if I do say so myself.

As I thought about it, perhaps the same scenario could be explored with Thrawn/Thalias? (I’m not a huge fan of Ascendancy Thrawn, so maybe leave that 🤣)

I too am not a huge fan of Ascendancy Thrawn (understatement, I kind of hate him) see above about how the more perfect and heroic he gets the less interesting I think he is… I don’t care at all about these new books although I read them out of a completist sense of obligation…I don’t know. I loved Outbound Flight Thrass… and Aralani was cool and all (not anymore though ugh) but Thalias is SO ANNOYING and always has been, I’m sorry. She has this hero worship thing going on with Thrawn and it’s sort of icky and not inspiring for smut. And clearly Zahn is trying to use her to swat away the slash fanfic but it’s not working. I mean…he LITERALLY SHIPPED THEM in a shipping container overnight I can’t even…

In general, I find Thrawn’s solicitude towards Thalias contrived, I don’t like daddy!Thrawn to Cheri (god really?! That’s the name we’re going with?!), and I should probably just stop there. But in brief, I’m not the person to write Thalias/Thrawn. If I did, it would be super dark, not this let’s drink hot cocoa and eat cheese platters playing cards in a little shipping container. Maybe have him be like “oh you think you want this?! Muwahahah evil laugh proceeds to wreck her completely in every sense” ah what a digression.

In conclusion, I vote that we replace the original Alliances your version, because it was such a more satisfying meal.

I adore you for voting this way, and am humbled by that assessment! I have threatened at times to remix my remix, in essence write a “what if” where Padme jumps on Thrawn’s ship last minute instead of just wistfully watching its departure. I probably will never write it, but I think it could be done and done well. Thrawn in this case would be the hardest to twist (he was, as you see in my story, under no illusions about what was going on with those wacky humans), but in fanfic all things are possible. Which is why we love it!

Thank you again so much for this ask @beebee-76! I am grateful for the chance to explain my process for this fic. Never wrote anything like it before but absolutely loved the chance and the writing exercise and ESPECIALLY the reactions of readers who, like us, saw the plausibility and enjoyed what I did with it.

#thrawn: alliances #padme amidala #thrawn #anakin skywalker #timothy zahn #thrawn x all the ladies #my thoughts #myfic #fanfic #fanfic is for fun #beebee-76 #asks #fandom #i like asks

18 notes · View notes

blackmonitor · 2 years

Photo

This one was a request of @beebee-76 on the discord monthly request poll we do, but it was so special that I decided to do it “above” the vote.

So here is Thrawn and Eli sharing a pj 🤭

Discord / Patreon

#Thrawn #Mitth'Raw'Nuruodo #Chiss #Grand Admiral Thrawn #Admiral Thrawn #Eli Vanto #Eli #sweet boy Eli #Vanto #Star Wars #Thranto #request poll #request #bubbles #blackmonitor #proreate

301 notes · View notes

shards-of-silver · 9 months

Note

This is one of those questions that I want to ask a lot of authors, because I curious how many answers will be the same (if any)

The the basic premise is Do You Control Fic or Does it Control You?

What I mean by this is broken down into a few sub questions

Do you watch a show or read a book & fic ideas just pop into your head?

Are you watching/reading something and you are unsatisfied with the plot, but love the characters, therefore, set out to fix it?

Do you intend to write fic from the start, so you go in search of inspiration?

Have you ever completely lost interest in the canon, but still love the characters/fic (therefore, no longer revisit the original source of the fic?)

As is usual, this is just a guide. Answer any which way you would like - long answers are always welcome!

Ooh, my first ask! This is so exciting. Thank you, @beebee-76 for including me in your survey! (Clears throat)

It can be easy to feel like fic controls you. When inspiration takes hold, it's like it's own form of possession. You think about fic in every quiet moment. Snippets of dialogue or descriptions come to you in the middle of the workday. Only when you have the inspiration committed to a piece of (digital) paper can the spirit lay at rest... until another one comes, that is. More often than not, you're haunted by several fic ideas at a time, each demanding it be their turn to gain a digital form.

At the same time, I've learned that I need to assert my own will in the fic writing process. As a younger writer, I took on ambitious projects that I lacked the skill to complete in a way that was faithful to the original concept. I wept over my weakness as a vessel for the inspiration that flowed out my fingers and fell lifeless on the keyboard. It's only thanks to the older, wiser writers who coached and believed in me that I've learned how to negotiate with creative spirits that take up host in me.

To write well takes consistency and discipline, neither of which the spirits alone can give me. Sometimes my ideas have to wait impatiently for the time when I can give them their best release. To lie dormant inside a writer's mind is not to die. It is to cocoon within for the day of its most beautiful winged form.

I'll take your sub questions in order. Sometimes fic ideas do pop into my head on first encounter with the source material, but it's not always (or usually) like that. I prefer to sit back and think about what I read/watch, which can mean I move slowly from one book/show to the next. Usually this means thinking about the characters, their motivations and relationships (platonic, familial, romantic, nemesis, you name it). I like to ask questions about what I see and read. For example, my most recent fic came from the question "What if Morgan Elsbeth had a legitimate reason for admiring Thrawn?" My fics are the answers to my questions that I find most satisfying. Sometimes I can control the questions I ask, but answers may well come unbidden.

For your second question, YES. All the time. If my longfics don't start as a fix it AU in the beginning, they often turn into one by the end of a story. I care about characters having arcs that match their development and progression, and it pisses me off when a character gets shoved to the side of a narrative or treated unfairly in the canon. The absolute worst for me is when one characterization is sacrificed to make another's seem better. If a writer can't make a character seem good without making another suck (suck in terms of writing quality, not necessarily in terms of morality), then they need to reflect on the writing choices that brought them to this point. The best stories are the ones that do justice to ALL major characters.

Funnily enough, I don't read or watch things in search of fanfic inspiration. First I try to enjoy things for their own sake. If I'm satisfied with the work as it stands, I don't feel a need to write any fanfic. Some of the best works I've encountered are things I feel I have nothing to add to. An easy example is Avatar: The Last Airbender. I got around to watching it in college over a decade after my friends had all seen it. It was so good that I felt like the series didn't need my contribution. Yet when I watched its sequel show The Legend of Korra, I was baffled by the horrid execution of otherwise compelling ideas. Hence my desire to write more fanfics for the show (most of which are still in planning/drafting stages).

For your final question, yes. This was the case with my very first fandom I ever wrote for: Winx Club. It was a show that held my imagination for a decade. I watched it as a little girl, rediscovered it as a young teen, and was saddened to see the show that had captivated me as a four year old WASN'T the pinnacle of fantasy writing I remembered it to be. Yet I was thrilled to discover many fanfic writers who loved the foundation of the source material and had no problems giving the story a remodel that allowed it to resonate with people over the age of eight. I haven't touched the source material ever since Netflix got their filthy hands on it, but I still treasure the fics I found back then and the friends I made as a result. My love for the characters is the only thing keeping me from formally abandoning a work that hasn't seen an update in this decade.

To summarize: fic can and has controlled me before, but the best fics are the ones where we (the fic and I) work together to make the best thing we can. I don't want the creative spirit to die when it no longer possesses me. I want it to feel empowered to find a new host, to grow and evolve long after I have checked the "complete" box.

#fanfic #my asks

4 notes · View notes