#code name verity fic

[chthonic-cassandra]

Tagged by @awildwickedslip

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

111

2. What’s your total AO3 wordcount?

312,131

3. What fandoms do you write for?

I write a little across a lot of fandoms. The only fandoms for which I have written substantial amounts are Dracula, Greek mythology, and Shakespeare's plays. I have active projects right now in Dracula, Xena, and Penny Dreadful.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Shattered Mirrors (Jonathan in Dracula's castle), Make It Through the Wintertime (Hadestown Persephone character study), To Burn the Castle Down (Jonathan angst), Compromise (Dracula darkest timeline AU), Minor Initiations (different Dracula darkest timeline AU)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I have been trying to get in the habit of it. I think it's nice to express my appreciation and try to be a bit more social about all of it.

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

This is a hard question; so, so many of the things I write are angsty. Specifically as far as endings, I am realizing that an extremely high proportion of my stories end with a character aware that they are about to die or that something else terrible is about to happen to them, and in some way accepting it. This is of course tragedy but I'm not sure it is quite angst.

Outside of this pattern, I think that To Burn the Castle Down is almost over the top angsty (it's not one I like to reread), as is For Every Grief That's Offered (yet another Dracula darkest timeline AU). Both are from ~15 years ago, and I would write them differently now.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Ha. Do I write happy endings? Sometimes I do bittersweet hopefulness, of which I think Fidelity (poly Mina post-canon) and Still in the Realm of the Sun (Code Name Verity Julie/Maddie fix it) lean most heavily on the sweet side. The Caucus-Race (Alice in Wonderland, the Dodo enters politics) is legitimately happy.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not to my face for a long time, at least not in a serious way.

9. Do you write smut? If so what kind?

I do not.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

Not much. Many years ago I did a couple - a Dracula-Greek mythology and a Dracula-Vampire Chronicles, and also a little Nosferatu-Pied Piper of Hamelin which is the only one of those still up.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes - someone translated Foreigners (Aida, Amneris character study) into Mandarin. There might have been another but I don't remember it.

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

No, though I once told @forthegothicheroine I would and then bailed on her, for which I continue to feel some guilt

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

To write, certainly Mina/Dracula/Jonathan. But that's not from an actually shipping it perspective. What I tend to write and what I ship when reading or watching something aren't all that related.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Mood, imagery, psychological interiority, small-scale structure/pace

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Smut, happy endings, writing anything long form

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I wouldn't feel comfortable doing it in a language that I didn't myself know, and the only non-English language I know well enough to do that in is ancient Greek, which I guess I could use somewhere but it hasn't felt necessary. Several installments of Compromise have important scenes of switching between languages so I've thought about it, but keeping all the text in English let me do a particular language-related reveal in this last installment which pleased me.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Either Lord of the Rings or Phantom of the Opera

20. Favourite fic you’ve ever written?

Right now it has to be Compromise as a whole, but this is hard. There are a lot of other things I've written that haven't gotten as much attention as that one but which are very dear to me, but as a series Compromise means so much to me at the moment.

Too tired right now to tag anyone, but please consider yourself tagged if you'd like to do it!

[red-sea-itinerary]

Sign-ups are open for Yuletide, a yearly multi-fandom fic exchange. (now until October 21st)

Lion Hunters is included again, and there are 8 characters you can request and/or offer to write about!

they are: Goewin, Medraut, Priamos, Sofya, Telemakos, Turunesh, Wazeb, and Yesaka

Stateless and Code Name Verity are also possibilities (as are The Waste Land, Arthurian Mythology, The Odyssey, “Tam Lin,” the list goes on …)

Read last year’s haul here and here (courtesy of @semicolonsandsimiles, @lytarary, and yours truly)

more information in the link above! Or feel free to ask here!

[mihrsuri]

Okay so. This is a Terrible Week for me and I am planning distractions and one of them will involve asking for asks! So send me:

An AU premise/fic premise and I’ll write a part of it (fandoms: tortall/grishaverse/tudors ot3 are the main ones but you can try any we have in common)

Book recommendations (some books I love: grishaverse, spinning silver, the montmaray journals, code name verity, the pellinor series, tamora pierce, gilded wolves, tolkien)

Music recommendations (if it helps some artists I love include Taylor Swift, Ruelle, Vienna Teng, Maureen Nehedar, Karliene Reynolds)

Graphics requests

If you’d like to send me nice things I am finally going to actually print them out and put them in a scrapbook (pictures (things that are me vibes), quotes, compliments) I can look at when I feel terrible.

[leiascully]

1. 2. 14

What font do you write in? Verdana 10 pt when I'm in Google Docs, and it matters so much to me I went in and changed the default style. I hate the way Arial looks for some reason (when I'm writing fic only) and anything bigger than 10 pt is too big. But when I'm working on original projects in Scrivener, I use Times New Roman.

2. Could you write everything by hand? Yeah, that's what I did for years and years, from junior high through college. It would take me a bit to work back up to it, though. Writing for a long time is tiring, haha. And then how would I get it on the AO3? Puzzles.

14. Do you lend your books to people? Yeah, I'm always lending books to people and then never getting them back. My copy of Code Name Verity of blessed memory will never come home :( But that's why the local library is great, or the secondhand bookstore (we have an amazing one and some other pretty good ones) if I really need a replacement. What I really need to get back is my cardboard cutout of David Duchovny, but I think that's lost to the mists of time.

[fox-in-the-library]

Should I be working on my novel? Yes. Did I write Code Name Verity cycle fic instead? Also yes.

And if you haven't read any of the Code Name Verity series yet, for the love of the strange gods of the heroes, go get your grubby mitts on them because they are wonderful and I'm not telling you anything about them, you just have to go find out for yourself.

[juniper-and-lamplight]

2019 Femslash February Recs

It’s Femslash February! Which means it’s time for some RECS. Here you’ll find multifandom femslash fics, as well as a few not-quite-femslash fics that focus on female characters. My femslash reading is all over the place, and this list follows suit: some recs are new, some are collected from earlier rec posts; all are in alphabetical order by fandom, at least. Recs below the cut, and please remember to show your love with kudos and comments! 

Code Name Verity Wind, Sand, Devotion - montparnasse, read by fire_juggler - 6k, 53min, T, Maddie/Julie "Empty spaces want for filling, and Maddie Brodatt is overflowing." A gorgeous, sensitive pod of a hauntingly lovely fic.

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency A Moment of Clarity - electricteatime | @kieren-fucking-walker - 7k, G, Farah/Tina “Farah is saved from answering when Tricia promptly throws up on her own shoes. She would be more annoyed, but in the moment she finds herself too preoccupied to care. Girls with girls. There’s a thought." If you believe that Farah Adrienne Black deserves ALL the love and acceptance, from herself and from others, then you absolutely must read this fic.

real and okay and beautiful - embraidery | @blueandnoah - 2.8k, G, Farah/Tina/Amanda (but mostly just friendship) "Mona's feeling down in the dumps (body insecurities) and her friends try to help her feel better about it all!" Do you love awesome women supporting each other and feeling free? If so, read this!

Keep the Home Fires Burning - @flightinflame - 16k, M, Farah/Tina, AU "Bergsberg is a small town off the beaten track. For Project Vesta, a Blackwing runaway, it offers a fresh start and the chance of a friend in the town's sheriff." A painful, cathartic fic that gives Tina’s character some real attention, and gives Farah and Tina the happiness they deserve.

pray for the thunder and the rain - inkyfishes - 7k, T, Farah/Amanda "A Farah-centric slice of a possible future. Everything has gone wrong. Everything is broken. Farah works through her anxiety whilst beginning their lives on the run. Her place in the universe is, as yet, undecided." An excellent and all-too-brief glimpse into Farah’s psyche, with a steady undercurrent of Faranda.

i was born in a summer storm (i live there still) - janeseyre - 10k, G, Farah & Todd & Dirk "Farah confronts the vestiges of her past as she, Dirk, and Todd travel east to visit her mother. It turns out Farah isn’t as over her father’s death as she thought she was." A deeper look into Farah’s families, both biological and chosen; full of lovely little smile moments and Farah getting the closure she deserves.

Never Played It Cool - @lavellington - 1.8k, T, Farah/Amanda "Dude," Amanda says, squeezing her tight while her hair tickles Farah's face. "It's so good to see you." "You too," Farah says, meaning it, and when they break apart Amanda's hands linger on her shoulders for a second longer than they have to, and that's nice. That's enough to feed her borderline pathetic crush for a week, at least.” Short, sweet, a tiny bit steamy, and beautifully in-character.

Hold Her Fast - Lynds | @gold-from-straw - 11.9k, T, Farah/Amanda, AU "Farah Black is the new girl in Amanda's school, and she's captivating. Everyone has a story about her. Amanda just can't quite figure out why her entire being is so totally aware of her, why her skin prickles when she's around, why Farah looks more real than anyone else she's ever known." I’m not typically into high school AUs, but this one is funny, moving, angsty, and gloriously DEFIANT.

Firearms Proficiency 101 - @nekosmuse - 3k, T, Farah/Amanda "I can't believe you took me to your private shooting range on our first date. That is so punk." Do you enjoy awkward Faranda? ME TOO. Especially stuff like Farah saying: "I... I am... into you as well." These nerds <3

you will soothe my worried looks - orphan_account - 2k, T, Farah/Amanda “Farah sees a therapist. It's a strange journey, but not one she needs to take alone." I would read many thousands more words of Farah in therapy, honestly.

there's cell reception on this widow's walk - strix_alba - 2k, T, Farah/Tina "In which Tina sort-of-kind-of asks Farah to stay with her in Bergsberg, and Farah kind-of-sort-of wants to say yes." Clumsy flirting, Farina styles! Tina mentally describes the Jacket Team as a “bunch of hot, uptight weirdos,” which is p e r f e c t.

Coincidental - tastewithouttalent - 3.7k, M, Farah/Tina "It turns out that blue is a ridiculously good color against the dark of Farah’s skin, and also that that shirt fits her better than any shirt has any right to fit anyone, and also apparently Tina has more of a uniform kink than she realized she did." You just have to love a babbling, awkwardly-crushing Tina.

(Note: this rec list isn't meant to be About Me, buuuuut if you’re into DGHDA femslash, I’ve written a few Farina fics you might enjoy.)

Ghostbusters (2016) Celebrate the Me Yet To Come - Vera (Vera_DragonMuse), read by @revolutionaryjo - 6k, 37min, M, Jillian/Erin "She is deeply strange and strangely deep. She looks in the void and the void blinks first. This is how Jillian Holtzman makes herself." Holtzmann is such a fantastically odd character, it's so enjoyable to dig into her past and her passions.

i don't wanna give you up (i don't wanna let you love somebody else but me) - @notcaycepollard, read by RevolutionaryJo - 3k, 20min, E, Jillian/Erin "Erin Gilbert is not the second or even the fifth straight girl Jillian’s ever fallen for, and it’s kind of getting to be a problem, except when she sees Dr Erin Gilbert, she thinks, maybe, this woman might be a statistical outlier." Closely observed, funny, hot, and the narrative voice is perfect.

Gilmore Girls Suggestions (And Mallomars) - Mosca | @moscarific, 3.3k, T, Rory/Paris "Identity, chocolate, mother-daughter relations, and the importance of voting: scenes from the first 90 days." Hands down, this is a more plausible (and enjoyable) romance than any of the ones that actually occurred in canon.

Harry Potter Library Solicitation - @gracerene09 - 1k, G, Cho/Hermione "It's not as if it's unusual for a solicitor to spend so much time in the Law Library of the Ministry of Magic. Hermione has a lot of cases to prepare for, after all. It certainly has nothing to do with how helpful and interesting and surprisingly funny their newest librarian is." As a librarian, I'm verrrry picky about librarian fics, but this was adorable.

The violets and the bloodroot - @lbmisscharlie - 908 words, G, Hermione/Luna "Luna strokes the underside of one tentacle; the plant hums. Hermione’s skin feels warm, her breath humid. The Room of Requirement offers up many things." Short, but vivid and memorable.

Winter Like a Balm - Lomonaaeren - 2k, T, Ginny/Luna "The first winter after Fred's death, Ginny escapes into the Forbidden Forest with Luna and her unicorns." A gentle but deeply felt story about grief and loss that brings Ginny through to the other side, to the terror/joy of allowing herself to feel hopeful again.

Grazed Knees - montparnasse - 5k, T, Luna/Ginny "The war is over, except that it isn't, and Ginny is done fighting, except that she's not." The mood in this one is so evocative, and I love it so much.

Blood Magic and Rebirth (or, The One Where They Are All Feminist Academics) - notcaycepollard - 1k, G "Moon cups, Luna thinks. Moon cups and blood magic. And she remembers the old itch under her skin, and a music box fluttering into a flock of birds, and wonders just how powerful it could be." Not femslash, but this fic is 1000% headcanon for me now.

Trust A Few - @violetclarity - 13.2k, T, Hermione/Pansy "Hermione has a pregnant adopted sister, parents who don’t believe she’s bisexual, and a crush the size of the Great Lake on Pansy Parkinson. Taking Pansy up on her offer to be Hermione’s fake date to her parents’ Christmas dinner could solve at least one of those problems...but it could also make everything worse." Half holiday romcom, half character study of adult Hermione her relationships (both romantic and familial).

Independent Love Song - @writcraft - 6.2k, E, Ginny/Millie "Millicent Bulstrode is a tailor and Ginny is losing her mind over a woman in a tweed blazer and burgundy brogues." I saw the summary and thought “hell yes,” and then I read the fic and upgraded that to a “FUCK YES PLEASE.” I love dapper butch Millie, and just-out but all-in Ginny, and also I would like to own ALL of Millie’s clothes.

His Dark Materials Selected Moments in Introductory Symbology - @kaydeefalls - 5.6k, G, Lyra/OFC "Lyra in Oxford after the Fall, relearning the alethiometer and discovering a life of her own." A poignant yet hopeful follow-up to the original trilogy, with characterization that feels very authentic while still allowing for growth.  

Merlin A Statue Strong Enough for Two - @theladyragnell, read by exmanhater - 39k, 3hrs 30min, E, Elena/Mithian "Elena is a street-level superhero. A visit from an old enemy forces her to step up and see what she might have to do with the Sidhe who invaded and were sent away twenty years ago. Luckily, she has fellow superheroes to back her up, and a new girlfriend in her regular life to make things feel more normal." I admit that I was skeptical going in, but the characterization and world-building in this AU is strong and absorbing.

Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries Rise and reprove the insolent daylight - lbmisscharlie - 3k, E, Phryne/Mac "Mac takes a breath; Phryne exhales. The trailing skirt of Phryne’s shining dress – starlight and sparkle – brushes the backs of Mac’s hands as she slides them up to Phryne’s knees. Her stockings are soft; her thighs fall open, softly, under Mac’s hands, which clench, just slightly, with the heat that sends to her gut." Lush and laden with sensory details and weighty emotion

Every Day's Most Quiet Need - @tiltedsyllogism - 22k, unrated, Phryne/Mac, Phryne/Jack "Doctor Elizabeth Macmillan does not traffick in regrets...if Mac occasionally longs for a time before her friend became somehow distracted by the stiff shoe that is Inspector Jack Robinson— well, one must always endure some bad with the good." I love everything about this fic, but especially the closely observed characterization, of both individuals and relationships. There's a moment where Mac recognizes that she and Jack share a certain kind of "well-tailored" intensity...I almost shouted "YES THIS" when I read it.

et faisons la grasse matinée - mazily | @ylizam - 1k, M, Phryne/Mac, Phryne/Jack "'I do love you,' Mac says. She's not fond of saying it." Quiet, atmospheric, and sensual.

Sherlock How the mouth changes its shape - breathedout | @havingbeenbreathedout - 132k, E, Sherlock/Johnnie, AU “1955. A hidden London; the clandestine love between women. To Sherlock Holmes, struggling private detective and mistress of disguise, it’s a realm she renounced. To Johnnie Watson, daredevil ambulance driver turned auto mechanic, it’s too familiar.” Not only is this a deliciously plotty mystery with complex characterization, it’s also well-researched historical fiction. (Also recommended: HBBO’s Femslash and sex-writing essays.)

In the palms of the hands, invisible - lbmisscharlie - 3k, E, Sherlock/Jo "'I touch myself here, in this room, stretched out on the sofa, when you’re asleep, or showering, or – or in the kitchen –' Sherlock's breath hitches, almost imperceptibly, when Jo’s hand skitters, startled by the deep, rumbling rush of lust that pools low in her cunt at Sherlock’s words." The voice and characterization in this fic absolutely destroys me. It’s so uncomfortable and fascinating and real.

Diversionary Tactics - ShinySherlock, read by @fffinnagain- 2k, 16min, E, Molly/Irene, AU "Oh. This could be interesting. Irene’s fingers moved to the third button of the dress and paused. 'Shall I just . . . check the rest of you, then? Make sure you’re quite all right?'" A brief, hot, historical PWP, Mollrene style. UNF. Finnagain's performance is very...impassioned--maybe don't listen in public ;)

Supernatural To know what's under the floor - beckaandzac, read by exmanhater - 4k, 21min, G, Charlie/Jo, AU "No one here is like me, Jo thinks, and she knows it’s what every eighteen year old on the planet thinks. And she also knows in her case it’s completely justified. But then she meets Charlie." A college sorta-AU in which Charlie and Jo get something a lot closer to the lives they deserved.

Wonder Woman (2017) be yourself my ally - imperfectcircle - 15k, G, Diana/Etta 'That’s all very flattering,' Etta says when Diana has finally run out of steam, 'but surely you have more qualified candidates than me?' 'You are of the world of men.' Diana looks a little embarrassed. 'But not a man.' Diana and Etta go back to Themyscira." Did you wish for more Themyscira in the Wonder Woman movie? Did you think that Etta Candy was delightful and underutilized? ME TOO! Hence, my love for this fic.

Etta Candy's Last Stand - sanguinity - 2k, T, Diana/Etta "This is the way Etta is going to die: trapped between a bed and Diana Prince’s breasts." Bless Etta Candy and her dorky, romantic heart.

Beyond Belief - thingswithwings - 14k, E, Diana/Peggy, crossover "Diana finds her for the first time in 1947, underneath a rather heavy pile of fallen masonry." An unapologetically sexy crossover fic about camaraderie (and attraction) between two badass women.

Further fic recs | Fic bookmarks

[ospreyarcher]

Me again. You um. DO plan on reading Wein's historical novels too? Code Name Verity is probably the best although the others are no flop either.

Haha, if you go back in the Elizabeth Wein tag on my DW you will find that I have not only read them all (including the recent short books Firebird, White Eagles, and The Last Hawk which were not published in the US so I had to get a friend from Australia to send them to me...), but I've written three fics for Code Name Verity.

Wein also wrote a nonfiction book about the Soviet women fighter pilots of World War II, the Night Witches, (there is an actual Soviet movie made by one of the Night Witches herself in the 1980s, which I haven't seen yet, but someday...), which is excellent.

[missweber]

Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all!). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favorite opening line. Then tag 10 of your favorite authors!

First of all, many apologies for the later reply, @doggernaut! I have somehow missed about a months’ worth of notifications. Anyhow, these are mostly Check Please with some Supernatural, plus Raven Cycle, Rivers of London, and Code Name Verity. The last three might not be from the last 20 I wrote because it was around then that I also cross-posted a bunch of old fic.

1. It’s Only a Change of Time (Check Please) Our story starts with Jack Zimmermann’s first memory.

2. Mother of the Groom (Check Please) “So, how’s Georgia?” Maman asked once Jack explained that he wasn’t calling for any other reason than he had a free moment to talk, and he had promised her he would call when he did.

3. Love and support and always be there (Check Please) Alicia froze as she stepped in from the garden

4. My Best Friend’s Breakup (Check Please) Alexei wasn’t sure if he loved or hated Family Skate.

5. Fourteen Weddings and a Kerfuffle (Check Please) Waking up with a hangover?

6. We shall not cease from exploration (Check Please) When she was four, Larissa told anyone who would listen that she was going to be a pa-le-on-to-lo-gist when she grew up. 

7. Three Times Jack Zimmermann Saw Eric Bittle Without Meeting Him (Plus One Time Jack Didn't See Him but They Met Anyway) (Check Please) The first time Jack saw Eric Bittle was the February of his third year with the Falconers.

8. Loose Lips Sail Ships (Check Please) Bob was in love.

9. The Preservation of Fire (Check Please) "Oatmeal raisin," Jack said without even thinking.

10. Homemakers (Rivers of London) My return to the Folly at the start of November was surprisingly anti-climactic, all things considered.

11. A Sorta Fairytale (With You) (Check Please) In fairytales, the prince kisses the princess, waking her from deathlike sleep.

12. The Gentleman’s Guide to Grand Romantic Gestures (Check Please) When Jack first imagined summer with Bitty, he only allowed himself to picture the two of them alone in some quiet place. 

13. ‘A is For...’ (Check Please) NBC was about to cut to a pre-game interview with Bob, and Kent was still on the fence about whether or not it was a bad idea to watch when Swoops pulled him away from the TVs (sloshing beer all over the place as he went) and asked him what it would be like if Jack won the Cup tonight.

14. What Might Have Been (Check Please) The sad thing was, Marty and Thirdy probably thought they were helping.

15. Golden (Check Please) Jack wakes from a dream just after sunrise, but he doesn't feel awake.

16. Hold Me Tight and Fear Not (The Raven Cycle) - There were just two of them, now.

17. Look How Far We’ve Come (Check Please) Jack didn't know why Bitty had insisted that they block off that particular Sunday for just the two of them, but as he lay in bed, comfortably dozy after a round of slow morning sex, he had to acknowledge that the idea had merit. 

18. One Winter’s Night (Supernatural) "SAM!"

19. BANG, ZOOM! (Supernatural) Dean fiddled with the Impala's radio dial, but this only made things worse.

20. Look to Your Left (Code Name Verity) It's Julie's gasp that wakes me, a soft scrape of breath that knocks me out of a sleep that's never entirely sound any more.

[poetry-fiction-challenge]

“Someone's been up here nights, and in a hurry, breaking the headstones.And someone else, with a little time to spare, has mended them” —Ted Kooser

Mending by thatfangirl Fandom: Code Name Verity - Elizabeth Wein Rating: Teen and up audiences Pairing: Julie Beautfort-Stuart/Maddie Brodatt

"Kiss me, Hardy! Kiss me, quick!"

And she shot her.

Read “Mending” by thatfangirl on AO3.

[starswallowingsea]

I have exactly 30 things on my list of things to write so maybe tomorrow I'll actually tackle some of them

[caddyxjellyby]

Ship bingo: Julie Beaufort-Stuart/Maddie Brodatt

They make a sensational team! Do I think they should have been canon? Well, I wouldn't have minded if they were, but I think Code Name Verity mostly works as it is. I enjoy their friendship in the book and romance in fic. Those who complain about fans making every friendship gay forget that some people wait a long time to find a femslash ship that appeals to them, and that was even more true when the book was published in 2012 then it is today.

One of my favorite details is when everyone is in the bomb shelter and Maddie thinks Julie will make fun of her for bringing the brolly but Julie does the opposite.

[chthonic-cassandra]

You know I gotta use this opportunity and ask all my dear Dracula peeps. So; H, M, V, Y for the ask game, if you'd be so kind 🖤

H: How would you describe your style?

I got asked this question before in a different ask meme and I never know what to say. (If anyone else feels themselves able to describe my style I'd be very interested.) I think I do a lot with variation in sentence rhythm and length in a way that clearly fits within a fanfic idiom but isn't only influenced by that. I think I use imagery and atmospheric detail judiciously, to the point that I tend to give the impression that there is a lot more of it in a given fic than there is. I tend to write physical objects as having a lot of symbolic weight. I feel like there are some very characteristic ways that I narrate internal dialogue or emotional experience, but I am not sure how to describe those.

There are some epithet-like things that I think I do with adjective-noun collocations, and also some ways that I use tense that I think are influenced by studying ancient Greek. I'm getting more requests for this question, so I'll keep thinking about it.

M: Got any premises on the back burner that you’d care to share?

Everything else is on the back burner right now until I finish Compromise.

I have these Xena fics on concubinage themes that I've mentioned before here a few times and that I really want to get to work on, and also a little Vanessa Ives/Hecate Poole (Penny Dreadful) fic set towards the end of S2. Those are the things that I think I'm realistically most likely to work on in the foreseeable future.

There's also a ton I want to experiment with in newer-to-me vampire canons, including a Drusilla and Spike meet Dracula in 19th century London thing that would probably be pretty comedic but I don't know if I care to spend enough time with BtVS to get the voices down. If I had more time and energy there are so many things I would want to write.

V: If you could write the sequel (or prequel) to any fic out there not written by yourself, which would you choose?

Oh this is a hard question. I've gotten a lot of gifts in fic exchanges over the years that have sparked my own imagination, like @melusineloriginale's Broken Music about Margaret of Anjou and Anne Neville (wow that was a while ago), or Nobody's Angel by tiboribi which is a fascinating exploration of the character of Anna Engel in Elizabeth Wein's Code Name Verity, who is a character I've always wanted to do something with myself. But I'm not really sure.

Y: A character you want to protect.

My 120 Days girls. Cecile de Volanges. Clarissa Harlowe. (If you're noticing that I have intense emotional reactions to young 18th century women you'd be onto something.) Miriam Lass from NBC Hannibal. Sometimes I have this feeling about the Dracula protagonists, but it's not so intense at this stage in my life.

[sapphoshands]

10, 14, 31, 39

10. Top three favourite fic tropes.

with the caveat that there are some tropes that simply don't work for some pairings and not all pairings should be forced into particular tropes, i do enjoy: enemies to lovers; there was only one bed; huddling for warmth.

14. Write and share the first sentence of a new fic. Just that.

OH C'MON, i just said i have too many things on the go, why, meme. okay okay fine:

Siuan stood on the balcony of the Amyrlin's quarters, staring out at the streets of Tar Valon below.

31. What was the most difficult fic for you to write (but in the end you made it)?

so back in 2012 i wrote a code name verity fic for yuletide, No Such Roses, and i haaaaaated writing it and i haaaaaaated it after i finished it and i didn't even answer any of the comments on it because i thought it was so shit, but uh, actually it's not terrible? it came out pretty well.  but at the time i was trying to write a story in an incredibly depressing canon, and i was incredibly depressed, and i just felt like nothing was getting across the feelings i wanted to go for.

(the real answer to this is probably in some of the things i've given up on, but, you know.)

39. Wildest AU scenario you have written?

i don't really write the coffee-shop type AUs; mine are all the 'one thing in canon is slightly different' type. so i'm not sure 'wildest' applies. but 'wildest' in that i can't believe i finished it and made it work is the almost-30k Grace & Frankie s1 bedsharing AU i wrote for yuletide 2017, you will continue to need (which i am still quite proud of).

writing meme questions

[tagthescullion]

pjo as a historical au. when and where and what's happening?

Oof, I have many.. the ones I’d be more interested in would be:

WWI AU

WWII AU

Medieval AU

Tudor Era AU

I’d set them in Western Europe, generally speaking, since that’s what I know the most about history-wise, but I’d love to read historical fiction (fic or not) elsewhere

(More about each AU under the cut)

WWI (no-gods) AU

Where: UK, Italy, Germany, Western Front

Set between: 1913-1919

Europe’s on the brink of war, my school history teacher used to say the empires were “sitting on a barrel of gunpowder”. This time period’s interesting to me, not only bc of morbid interest on world wars, but also because it meant a big change in the relationship between higher and lower classes

I’d distribute the characters in a few European countries (and perhaps the US), some nobility, some gentry, some working class, and I’d interconnect their stories..

I’m basing this on a book I read, “Fall of Giants” which plays a bit with all of this, and I can’t lie, a tad on Downton Abbey

WWII (no-gods) AU

Where: UK, France, Germany, Italy

Set between: 1930s-1946

Again, I’d try to put characters on both sides of the conflict, and I’d love to see the characters interact before the war not only through it

I’d make Percy a US Navy officer, Jason an RAF pilot, Nico and Annabeth secret agents, and the rest idk, but something pretentious too

I do have the plan for a story, set in ‘43. Nico’s captured by the Allies (he’s a double agent of sorts working for the Brits, but the US doesn’t know this), and he tells his story starting from when he was younger and how he got involved in the war effort, all to buy time until the his British contact appears bc he’s been warned of spies (Soviet? Axis? TBD) and can’t blow his cover

Just loosely based on “Code Name Verity”, but not particularly

Medieval AU

Where: England, Wales, Scotland, mentions of Italy and Ireland

When: 14th century

The plague’s an angsty moment, isn’t it? I’d love to learn more about the UK’s history and the inner relationship between the nations/countries that form it. I’d make characters English, Welsh, Scottish (Irish, too, pehaps) and have them be wary of each other as they go on quests..

I’d keep them as demigods, magicians, and einherjar, so that the quests have monsters and the sort

Henry/Elizabeth Tudor Era AU

Where: England, Scotland, France

When: 16th century

Protestants vs Catholics. It’s a fun time to set the characters against each other, specially since idk if I’d make them demigods or not

It could be fun to make them demigods and etc and still fighting for a religious conflict they wouldn’t necessarily be too interested in, and the whole idea of monsters and godly quests on top of that would be fun

They call Nico “The Inquisitor”, half sarcastically

[napo-con-fritas]

Fic Writer Interview

@darkmagyk thanks for the tag!!

Name: Bianca "Bea" Cevenini

Fandoms (I write for): Riordanverse and The Century Trilogy (but I have Harry Potter, LotR, and Code Name Verity WIPs)

Two-shot: I have a really old one that would probably make me cringe, and a few one-shots I'd like to make into two-shots + + +

Most popular multi-chapter: a Percabeth pirate AU I wrote in like 2015, began re-writing in 2017, and now I have to remake completely (but I am going to finish it, I really will)

Actual worst part of writing: trying to put feelings into words, I suppose

How you choose your titles: fretting over it four seconds before posting the fic

Do you outline: for long fics, but I don't always follow it

Ideas I probably won’t get around to but wouldn’t it be nice: I have so many historical fiction AUs I want to write, also a horror story, and a couple of fix-its

Callouts @ me: finish your goddamn WIPs before posting the first chapters!

Best writing traits: I don't do super long paragraphs, and I'm open to new ideas, I don't necessarily have to like a prompt or ship to write about it

Spicy tangential opinion: DarkMagyk your answer was so beautiful, I pale in comparison, but I suppose I firmly believe that people have the right to write whatever, with or without problematic takes, as long as it's tagged it's the reader's responsibility to go into that

Tagging (no pressure of course!): @ailec-12 @the-ghost-king @oh-hush-its-perfect @malloryiswlw @liperbicons @achillesmonochrome @trollisgirl and anyone else who wants to do it!

[april-rainer]

Dear friends on the Internet:

Please go read The Pearl Thief by Elizabeth Wein. It is very good. It has canonical bisexual characters and intersectionality in Scotland in the 1930s and very likeable characters and no one (that we like) dies. This has been a Recommendation.

Sincerely, April