#i know my aus can be pretty niche but i've had fun working on this one

[itsybitsybatsyspider]

hey might be socially dubious to ask after something mentioned in tags by a non-mutual, but that's your fault for burying this lead in tags on my post - please tell me what this Superman AU you have that the show reminds you of

bestie oh my god so glad you asked gimme a minute

So it's a Superman au for Detroit: Become Human, which in case you don't know what that is, is a branching-narrative videogame about androids that develop emotions and try to gain rights. You play from the rotating perspective of three characters: -Connor, The Android Detective who tries to stop the revolution -Markus, the one in charge of the revolution -Kara, an android who wants to keep her found family/pseudo-daughter safe and tries to ditch the country

It's a pretty interesting game with a LOT of different endings and i quite enjoy it! So as i do with all of my blorbos and hyperfixations, I tried to fit them into aus that give my brain that dopamine release.

Hence, the Superman D:BH Au. A crack idea turned serious and now that My Adventures with Superman came out, it made me think about it again! The vibes of the show are the vibes i thought of when i came up with the au, and that's what made me think of it!

honestly though, thank you for the ask, im always glad to talk about my AUs as niche as they can be sometimes!! And if you want, i drew some art for it as well below the cut.

Kryptonian AI Chloe designs

And the Connor as Superman redesign!

[noneorother]

The art director & the Good Omens book cover tier list of doom, part 3

Part 1 l Part 2 l Part 3

I am your resident Art Director/Good Omens enthusiast, and welcome to my completely meta-free book cover tier list. Listen, making a book cover is HARD. I should know. But while we salute these artists for their hard work and time, I think we can all admit that once in a while, the vision is just not on. And on very rare occasions, publishers seemed to have managed to commission the cover art directly from hell... here's where we left off last time:

21. Labas zīmes, Latvian cover

Our boys are back! And they are so ready to join the Dead Boy Detective agency. I would say that Latvians don't wear much tartan, so Argyle might seem like a similar print, but it just seems so... not Good Omens. Much like Crowley's flying purple people eater tail and Aziraphale's Conan the Barbarian sword, we're straying into niche AU fan fiction territory here. I mean, it's not *wrong*, but it certainly ain't right, either.

Tier: Does the Job

22. Bons Augùrios, Portuguese

Let me start by saying this cover is so close to being in the blessed category. The layout and spacing are divine, the imagery is simple and whimsical, it reflects the humour inside the gravitas to give you an idea of the *feeling* of reading Good Omens. So few of these covers have gotten this aspect of good design right. Honestly, I would slow clap if it wasn't for that random FLAME JIZZ stuck to the bottom right hand corner of the book. Who's idea was that? Dagon's?

Tier: Great

23. Semne Bune, Romanian cover

I admire two things about this cover: 1) Their utter commitment to a clean 3-colour palette and comprehensible layout. 2) Symbolic demon giving a principality head joke RIGHT ON THE FRONT COVER. This designer had balls. cotillion-sized balls. Now, does Aziraphale's sword have a sentient rooster tassel that watches said head-giving in horror? I sure hope not, but I don't see how that could be allegorical so, I'm torn. I feel like this goes in two categories for completely different reasons. And seeing as I'm in charge around here...

Tier: Great & Not so Good (Omens)

23. Semne Bune, Romanian cover cont.

Compared to the last cover's gigantic double-entendre, this feels so tame and logical. The text is centred and balanced. There's breathing room, and we have wing symbolism! I've never seen a cover try to split Terry and Neil's names like that, which is a fun twist but BY GOD that center line is not straight near the right end of the feathers and it is sending this cover straight down to Does the Job. It's grounded there forever.

Tier: Does the Job

25. HYVIÄ ENTEITÄ, Finnish cover

In this list, having something actually *relevant* to the main plot of the book and not mangling and main characters really puts you in rarefied air. All the motorcycles are book accurate which means somebody read something! Would I have ever picked the empty parking lot of Famine's restaurant as a subject worth a cover? Absolutely not. But the sick 80s lightning tips it into "fine" territory. The text is yellow. It's pretty.

Tier: Does the Job

26. Head ended, Estonian cover.

My face after staring at this cover for ten minutes and finally realizing that this is Hastur and Ligur waiting around for Crowley to pull up:

The artist's face after watching me do that:

Do I even need to rate this? It's called HEAD ENDED. I don't know how to be funnier than that.

Tier: WTF

27. Dobry Omen, Polish cover

Some good points for trying to be original with the layout of the title by drawing a custom pitchfork "Y", but the heinous kerning and the fact the whole text block is not even centred kind of makes me take all the points back. I feel like we're pretty heavy on the demonic, extremely light on the angelic in this take. Maybe it's because on his death bed the lead guitarist of White Snake will finally admit to having designed this cover in his spare time.

Tier: Not so Good (Omens)

28. Good Omens, Hungarian cover

If I told you this designer did not read the book, and instead just watched the trailer of The Omen (the movie) and vibed this heinous brown carpet swatch into existence, you would one hundred percent believe me. I can't even talk about the faux belle-époque font right now. I am irrationally angry.

Tier: WTF

29. Good Omens, Bulgarian cover

WHO. IS. DADDY. WIZARD?? Is all I can think when I look at this cover. Aziraphale & Grommet are recognizable enough, and you could make the case for telescope monkey being Adam, but I need to find this cover designer and shake them until they tell me who this deranged Gargamel is supposed to be. I must know.

Tier: Bad

30. BELAS MALDIÇÕES, Portuguese cover

After all we've been through on this list so far, this truly sucks. It's not even weird. It's just puce text layered atop text to create a great yawn of a cover. Shout out to the designer of the Diablo PC game font, I hope you got paid.

Tier: Bad

Part 3 roundup:

[baronessblixen]

20 fanfic questions

tagged by @randomfoggytiger, @wexleresque and @maybe-its-beyond-words. Thank you!

How many works do you have on ao3?

393

2. What's your total ao3 word count?

731,163

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Currently only The X-Files. I have also written Fics for Friends, ER, Gilmore Girls, O.C., McLeod’s Daughters, Glee, Big Bang Theory, Frasier, Wings, Once Upon a Time, Who's the Boss?, and Hot in Cleveland.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Prompts & Drabbles

Fictober 2020

Love is Not Blind

Family Reunion

Some Things You Just Can't Fake

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

I always plan to and then I get overwhelmed. I think I responded to the comments on my first Fictober entry and then I just... stopped. I never know how long it is considered socially acceptable to thank someone. Like does it have to be a day? A week? I never know. What if I thank someone a week later and the person is like, who even is this?

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

I truly don't know. I once wrote a major Character Death fic but considering the character was old, I'm not sure if angst applies.

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

All of them 😂

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I think I might have gotten hate on fics before but I don't remember. Pretty sure I've gotten hate for writing RPF.

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

I have written a few story with mild smut but it's not my favorite genre - to write or read.

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

The only crossover I remember writing was Frasier/Hot in Cleveland. That's very niche, not sure if that can be considered crazy.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I recall. I have had people write sequels to my stories so that they could change things and make them how they wanted them. Which also isn't much fun.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I have translated one of my own fics, haha.

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

I have! I was lucky enough to be asked to contribute to Eden.

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

Mulder and Scully, no doubt

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Years ago, I started this fic called The Skiing AU. I think it was during Fictober. Also The Five Minutes series which I love so much that I'm worried any new chapter can't live up to the existing parts.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue, probably

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Everything that isn't dialogue. I can't set an atmosphere or write description in any shape or form. It doesn't help that I'm not a native speaker either.

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

I have written some dialogue in German for fic. It feels weird but why not?

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Never posted online, but Scarecrow and Mrs. King. Though I think maybe the first fic I ever wrote was for The Lion King. Had no idea it was fanfiction, haha.

20. Favorite fic you've ever written?

I think Coming Home.

Tagging @atths--twice @scullysexual and everyone who wants to!

[meggie-stardust]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thanks to the ever lovely @lucky-bishop for the tag! <3

How many works do you have on ao3?

74! Which feels both like a lot and not that much at the same time.

What's your total ao3 word count?

270,119?!

What fandoms do you write for?

Right now primarily Teen Wolf and I recently revisited my first fandom of Gundam Wing. I've also written a ton for BBC Merlin, Percy Jackson/Heroes Of Olympus, BBC Sherlock, Harry Potter, Newsies and random other things...

Top five fics by kudos:

Act of Man | BBC Merlin | Arthur/Merlin

Nightmares | PJO/HoO | Percy/Jason

Looking for the Thing We Lost | Teen Wolf | Peter/Stiles

Here I Am (Stuck in the Middle With You) | PJO/HoH | Percy/Jason

Know How A Man Becomes a Beast | Teen Wolf | Peter/Stiles

Do you respond to comments?

Yes, on all of my stuff from the past few years. There are older fics that I've opted not to respond to comments on for varying reasons, but I do read them all.

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

When I have angst, I like to have it with a happy ending, but I would probably say this fliclette I wrote based on the prompt: "Can you do a Jasercy fic where Jason is trying to comprehend the fact that Percy's gone, preferably death, but it doesn't have to be."

A Slow Deep Panic | PJO/HoO | Jason/Percy

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

I really like the end of Stuck Between Stations. After putting Stiles and Peter in the Wild Hunt and in time loop, the least I could do was give them a happy ending.

Do you get hate on fics?

Not hate, but I have gotten weird comments. I usually just ignore if they are just odd, but I have also deleted comments that are boarding on hate.

Do you write smut?

Yep!

Craziest crossover:

Aside from one HP/Sherlock fic that was co-written with my bestie and that we both abandoned, I don't really do long form crossovers (and that one wasn't crazy anyway). That said, there was a tumblr prompt game years ago, that was for 3 sentence fics and almost every prompt I got was a crazy crossover:

Dean and Castiel. Fight Club

MJN crew (bonus points for including Herc Shipwright). Supernatural hunters.

Sherlock/John. Teenagers working at Mooby's (View Askewniverse).

Jack/Spot, Night Vale AU.

Arthur and Eames. Exorcism.

You can read all of these and a few others: 3 Sentence Fic Collection. And actually, this was a fun trend, we should bring it back.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware of, and knock on wood it never happens.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! A few actually, and it's always so, so, so flattering:

Acts of Man was translated into Chinese

Black Sails in the Sunset was translated into Português

Looking for the Thing We Lost was translated into Russian

This is a perfect time to say that I am always open to my fics being translated, podficced, remixed, etc. Just let me know so I can gush about it!

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes, the aforementioned abandoned HP/Sherlock fic, but it's been ages. @punchedbymarkesmith and I have kicked around some collab ideas, which I think would both be a blast and also for a potentially niche audience. Maybe 2024 is the year this happens!

All time favourite ship?

Steter is the one I've stuck with the longest, but I do have a few that I will always return to in the same way you might eat a comfort meal.

What's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Look, I really, really want to finish It's Only Forever. I have like 1, maybe 2 chapters left. But it's been so long and I feel like my writing has changed, and idk. Every year I say I'm going to work on it, and every year I don't... le sigh.

What are your writing strengths?

I think I'm really good at finding a small moment in canon and then diverging from that. I also think I'm good at authentic dialogue and I think I'm pretty good at world building.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Action/fighting. Keeping things short unless it's a drabble/other restrictive format.

Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

I am not fluent enough in any language other than English to do this confidently. Instead, I would write something like:

Stiles cursed at them wildly in Polish.

or

Peter responded in French, then turned back to Stiles and resumed their conversation in English.

First fandom you wrote in?

Gundam Wing. All of my old fic from *cough* 20+ years ago is lost to the annals of time (actually some is still on archived GW 1x2 sites if you look hard enough). And if you are one of like 7 people who remember my username, you can find my Newsies and Harry Potter fic (my next two fandoms) still on ffn. After I got out of a bad relationship that kept me from my own interests, including fandom, I returned with BBC Sherlock fic, which you can still find on AO3 if you scroll to the beginning of my profile.

Favorite fic you've written?

Gosh, I feel like this changes all the time, but I am particularly proud of At This Truth We Have Arrived. I loved exploring certain aspects of Peter's character, and doing a different take on Nogistune Stiles. I was also able to incorporate a lot of different themes and elements into it, as well as get my own closure with Monroe, something that has bugged me since the finale. Plus, I think I was able to accomplish a reveal that would add extra elements if anyone went back and re-read the story (even if I somewhat show my hand if anyone paid attention to the epigraph).

I have no idea who has done this yet, since I sat on this for a bit... so no pressure tags for @lolahardy @mirrorthoughts @myletternevercame @punchedbymarkesmith @midmorning-bomb @like-lazarus

[rhysiana]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged by @hmslusitania!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

96, somehow (some of them are ficlets preserved for posterity, so there should probably be more, if I remembered to move some more things from here)

2. What’s your total word count on AO3?

342,331

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Most actively at this exact moment, kpop rpf (ATEEZ and SHINee), but all but one thing in this category is a WIP I haven't posted yet. But I also have a Devil Judge AU I *really* want to write, if my writing brain picks back up properly.

4. Top five fics by kudos

This is hilariously skewed to Teen Wolf just by virtue of the size of the fandom, I don't actually think these are the fics I'm most known for, but:

-The (un)Usual? -Can I...? -Derek from the Club -You Give Me Butterflies -Rebalance

*Bonus content, least amount of kudos (because it is one of two fics for the entire fandom):

-This Would Be Enough

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Probably "In Love with Ghosts," a character study about Lan Xichen and Song Lan have to deal with being left behind in the world of the living

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

I write so much fluff, I'm sure this is very subjective, but I think the one that makes *me* the happiest is the 2-part Petopher series Silver & Gold, because the middle-aged second-chance romance of them finally getting everything they've ever wanted was written to cater exactly to me.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

No, but I do have a hilarious bookmark saying one of my rare M-rated fics should be a G (????)

9. Do you write smut?

Related to the above answer, not really. I collab for smut very happily, but I spent several years in my irl career copy editing for a self-published romance writer who was very prolific but not great at keeping characterization consistent in sex scenes and it kind of burned me out on thinking through such scenarios for my own hobby purposes. That said, I do keep writing things that toe closer and closer to the line, so. Perhaps I am recovering from the trauma.

10. Craziest crossover?

Uh, I'm pretty sure that would be the Kent Parson/Derek Hale thing I wrote here as penance for being a vector of cross-fandom Derek confusion, but I don't think that ever got moved over to AO3. The funniest AU that's almost but not quite a crossover was the Wenzhou AU ("Persistence Pays Off") I wrote that started from the premise of Senpai, Don't You Know?, which is a niche enough reference that I'm probably the only one who understands how hilarious the mismatch is.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don't think so?

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

Yes! Several times, it's very fun.

14. All time favourite ship?

You want me to choose??? Nurseydex, for the sheer power they had over my brain for so long, and Petopher, for being such tired Actual Adults

15. What’s a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I really want to finish Bull City Blues, but my brain started avoiding working on it hardcore because it was bringing up all my own bad grad school experiences, so I'm stuck here with most of the end written but not the ability to push through the middle, and I deeply apologize for that. I keep hoping I'll come up with a way around it, just so I can post the end, finally.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue (where I mentally always start) and descriptions of specific imagery (because I see scenes like movies in my head)

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Plot. (Longfic who? I don't know her.)

18. Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

It's fine? If I ever wrote a long enough passage in not-English that it wasn't apparent from context, I'd have the translation in footnotes/hovertext, but it hasn't come up yet. Since so many of the fandoms I've written in recently have been non-English, I do sometimes have the dialogue in my head running in two languages simultaneously, but I tend to just write it all in English for ease of reading.

19. First fandom you wrote in?

Like, to be posted on the internet? Check, Please! Ever? I genuinely could not tell you.

20. Fave fics you’ve written?

-Petals & Thorns (Nurseydex pop punk star/florist AU series)

-Silver & Gold (Petopher rock star/lawyer second-chance romance)

-This Would Be Enough (Atom no Ko post-canon, the ace-est thing I've written so far)

-Fragments of a Life Lived in Dreams (Nirvana in Fire dreamsharing AU)

Ngl, I reread all my own fics regularly, but these are probably some of the most reread ones.

Tagging: anyone who wants to play! (but especially @annundriel, @cobrilee, and @gendzl, if you want)

[neveralarch]

I need you to know how humungous of an impact the fencing au had on me

I am watching bouts on YouTube during my study breaks when my exams are like four days away (oh dear). I am cultivating my Pinterest algorithm to show me more fencing stuff. I created a Spotify playlist with a competitive, intense fencing vibe. I have followed r/fencing on Reddit. I am looking up clubs in my area and I am actually considering picking up fencing. If I had it my way I would do it right now but EXAMS ;-; and then I have Even Bigger Exams next year so I probably can't even do it until the end of next year :(

In summary, my brain and my body are itching for fencing

Do you have any recommendations for rabbit holes to dive into the world of fencing? Anything you would yell to a friend as you grab their shoulders and shake them with excitement after they tell you they're convinced to try fencing would be very helpful in scratching the itch HAHA

Lots of love,

Wildstreak :)

Wahhh this is the greatest compliment to receive, I'm so glad that you're being dragged into the world of fencing through my robots au lmao

Like a lot of niche sports, fencing is a little hard to get into but is also desperate for adults to come learn how it works and then stick around and do lots of organizing haha. Even if you don't have time to jump into learning right now, there are probably local or regional tournaments around you. These are pretty much always open to the public, and you can just go and watch and mention to someone who looks not too busy that you're interested in fencing and do they have a second to tell you about it. It's a great way to learn about the sport and also get an in with the local fencing community. I'd say I end up explaining fencing at about a third of the tournaments I go to.

I'm not a big social media person besides tumblr and I will say that when I glance at reddit, youtube, facebook etc it makes fencing feel way more drama-filled than it feels like irl. There's also a lot going on right now about international refereeing scandals that sounds wild but will not affect a newbie local fencer at all. I definitely recommend looking up bouts on youtube - for sabre, my fave fencers to watch are Olga Kharlan, Cecilia Berder, Misaki Emura, Aron Szilagyi, Oh Sang-uk, and Bolade Apithy. Obvs there's a lot of video available right now bc of the olympics, but cyrus of chaos on youtube also posts a lot of videos from the international circuit throughout the season

Also check out para fencing (wheelchair fencing) which is so so fun to watch. It's done entirely stationary and is very very fast, especially in sabre. Saysunee Jana and Gu Haiyan are both super dominant in wheelchair fencing generally and sabre specifically, and are very fun to watch.

Also. I gotta recommend By the Sword, the best/worst movie about fencing ever made. Ideally watch it with friends and be ready to pause frequently to yell about it. Some saint put the full movie on youtube and I guess it's also available on the Roku channel? You just gotta search the title. I've seen it like 10 times and I also wrote a fanfic of it that is BASICALLY the prototype of the transformers fencing AU but tragically without the robots.

Yayyyy swords :) hope you do try it out once you're less busy and have funnnn

[missberrycake]

20 Questions for Writers

I was tagged by @shares-a-vest. Thanks for getting me back into these tag games - they're so fun!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

As a writer, 39 (as a podficcer, 24).

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

1,011,075! omg!

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Currently, I'm just writing for Stranger Things, but in the past I've written for BTS, IT, the MCU, One Direction, Harry Potter (it was a long time ago ...), and Inception.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

(Ignoring some of my super-old fandoms, because no one needs to read those)

When the Sun is High (I'll Meet You in the Woods) [Stranger Things - Steve/Eddie]

Meet Me Tomorrow [BTS - Taehyung/Yoongi]

Lovedale, Goodnight [BTS - Taehyung/Yoongi]

The King is Gone [IT - Richie/Eddie]

Blackbird - Stranger Things - Steve/Eddie]

5. Do you respond to comments?

I do! Sometimes with the most uninspired reply, because I can't think of what to say, but I always appreciate comments and like to let people know.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I'm not sure I've ever really done a truly angsty ending, that's not what I'm here for in fandom. Oh, well, no, actually - Amaranthus [BTS - Taehying/Yoongi, Jeongguk/Jimin] has a pretty ... bittersweet ending, let's put it that way.

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

I aim for everything I write to have a happy ending, but the most plainly happiest of endings is probably on If I Loved You Less [Stranger Things - Steve/Eddie], as it's the most rom-com of all the fics I've written.

Oh, shit - and The King is Gone [IT - Richie/Eddie] is pretty dang happy as well, now I think about it.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

No, thankfully. When I first got into fic-writing, I did have an awkward experience (over on Livejournal) when a few people felt that I "didn't fill a prompt correctly" in a voluntary, for-fun, prompt-filling thread. I have also received a grumpy comment or two about character deaths, which annoyed me when I specifically tagged 'author chose not to use archive warnings' for a reason, but c'est la vie.

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

I don't. I don't feel like I'm very good at it, but maybe that's lack of practice. I more of a plot writer, so most of the time I just think, ah, let's pan to the curtains and move on!

10. Do you write crossovers?

I have in the past, though not anymore. I'm not really a fan, to be honest - I don't read them. I feel like they can often be quite niche. Though, are we counting AUs as crossovers? In which case I love those, though haven't written any for a good while.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge??

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! A few, which is very exciting. I always link to them if I know about it, so make sure to send me a message if you want to.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I haven't, and I think I'd be a little bit scared to. Writing seems like such an individual thing and I am quite particular about my process. If you found the right co-author, though, I'm sure that could be a really fun and creative way to write.

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

I am still in Steddie's firm grip, but Stucky will forever be the GOAT.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you will?

Little World! I so enjoyed writing the first few chapters of this, and every now and again I think I could pick it up and dust if off. Maybe. Fingers crossed.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I tend to say dialogue for this, as that's the part that comes easiest to me, and I do feel like I keep my dialogue pretty natural, but if I went by comments (thank you to everyone who says so!) it would be ... I guess ... visuals, would be the word? Setting people in the world. Descriptions! You know what I mean.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Endings. Not endings, actually, but the second half of the story, once I've established the setting and the characters and the Thing That Happens And How We're Going To Deal With It. Then I I feel I can sometimes lose my way before I stumble into the climax.

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

I'm a 'write it as the POV character would understand it' kind of a person. So, translate and indicate if they speak the language, write it in another language if the character doesn't. I don't like footnoting translations, or hover-over translations, as I think they kind of take you out of the scene.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Inception! Back in 2011 on Livejournal, though I did copy them over to Ao3 when I landed there. Arthur/Eames is my true OTP. Some of those fics are truly awful, but every one is dear to my heart.

20. Favourite fic you've written?

Oh, God, I was going to say it's a toss up between "these two" but kept remembering more. I love An Act of Grace [Stranger Things - Steve/Eddie], The King is Gone [IT - Richie/Eddie], The House on the Hyeongsan [BTS - Taehyung/Yoongi, Hoseok/Jimin], and Lovedale, Goodnight [BTS - Taehyung/Yoongi]. Top four, I refuse to slim it down further!

Tagging: (I'm going through some newly-acquired mutuals to get me back in the game, please feel free to ignore!) @onirislanding @corrodedbisexual @spicysix

[the-toad-in-your-piano]

Twenty Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged in this by the darling @once-in-a-blue-moon-rising. What a perfect break from my desperate scrambling to finish NaNoWriMo (haha).

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

61!

2. What's your total Ao3 word count?

400,820. Blue included an average per work, so I'm going to shamelessly steal that idea--- comes out to a little over 6,500 per work.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Sherlock, principally. I have written a touch of Grantchester (more unpublished than published, solely because I keep forgetting to finish them), one Hotel Portofino fic, and a Downton Abbey/Sherlock crossover. I keep meaning to write more for Downton, but I can never find the time!

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

All five of my tops are Mystrade, of course!

Our Love Keeps the Things It Finds - I will shamelessly admit that I am very proud of this one. It's 25k words of soulmate-tattoo fic featuring a heavily tattooed Mycroft, which I always found a rather interesting (and enchanting) idea.

Crimson Blaze - My longest fic by far at 123k words. It has a little of everything--- some Mycroft whump, disguises, awkward friends with benefits, and badass Anthea.

Flowers - On a silly little whim, I wrote a funny thing about Greg's teenage daughter meeting Mycroft for the first time. It ended up being surprisingly well-liked and I've since written a few other pieces featuring her. It's about 5k words.

Of Blue Suits and Brollies - I find it hilarious that this is in my top 5. My very first PWP I ever wrote. It's only about 4k words.

No Fear of Shadows - I am still surprised that this one was so popular. I wrote it while in a rather soppy mood because I thought it would be funny. It's 6k words about Mycroft introducing Greg to some of his colleagues at a fancy work function.

5. Do you respond to comments?

I do! Not quickly, though. I try my very, very hardest to get to all of them, but it doesn't always happen in a timely manner.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I've got two from my Febuwhump series that I think tie for it. Stay Awake, Beautiful wins angstiest just in terms of stress-- the actual ending is ambiguous, but I find it stressful just to read. All Lives End, of course, begins with a death and deals with the fallout. That one's pretty rough.

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

Right after finishing Flufftober is an awkward time for this question, because I now have twenty-something separate fics with stupidly happy endings. But I think the title goes to Forevermore.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I'm very lucky to say I don't!

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

Yes, though it's not the majority of my work. I have only a couple of PWPs and two or three longer works with smutty elements. And my current NaNoWriMo project is turning out FAR smuttier than I had originally intended. Oops.

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

Just one! The only one I've done is the Downton Abbey/Johnlock crossover (Love and the Hunter) for Fandom Trumps Hate. It was loads of fun.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don't think so! I've done a bit of detective-ing to trace others' stolen works, so I occasionally check up on mine just in case. Thankfully, I'm in a niche enough corner of the fandom that no one seems to want to bother me :)

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I know of!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, but I beta for one! It's a fabulous OCxCanon work for My Hero Academia that I will shamelessly plug at all times. The Stray.

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

Mystrade <3

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I've not posted it, but I've got a few thousand words of a Mystrade Hollywood Golden Age AU that I don't think I'll ever complete. I'm okay with that; some things are meant to remain daydreams.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think I can be funny, sometimes. I think I'm alright at building moods for whatever I'm trying to achieve.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Oh, I'm very chatty. I can unnecessarily wax on and on for thousands and thousands of words. I find dialogue a bit of struggle too, sometimes, since my instinct is always to spell out every detail when there's often lots that can go unsaid.

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

I don't really do it; I'm not confident enough in another language to trust it. I have done it, though, but just once. I think. It was a line from La Bohème for Our Love Keeps the Things It Finds and I think it was only said in the original Italian once.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Harry Potter, at the tender age of ten or so. Written by flashlight in the backs of my notebooks.

20. Favourite fic you've written?

Oh, gosh, this question is so hard!! I've written quite a lot that I just adore. The title is shared, I think, between That Breathless Charm and Look After You for being things I reread for my own comfort, haha.

This was such fun to fill out! Open tag here-- if you fill it out, please tag me! I'd love to read it :)

[backslashdelta]

Fic Writer 20 Questions

Thank you so much to @rockitmans for the tag!! I always love a good excuse to talk about my writing!

I'm going to go ahead and tag @esperantoauthor @spookyklaine and @thnxforknowingme if you haven't been tagged already :)

1. How many works do you have on ao3?

53 (44 on my main pseud and 9 on my podfic pseud)

2. What's your AO3 word count?

290,197

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Just Glee! A write for a variety of ships, usually involving Kurt, mostly Klaine and Kurtbastian but occasionally I dabble elsewhere.

4. Top 5 fics by kudos

It Was Only A Kiss (808 kudos)

Notes of an Old Mistake (171 kudos)

I Want The World To See You'll Be With Me (170 kudos)

You're A Little Less Alone (162 kudos)

Echoes of You (137 kudos)

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

Always! I don't always respond right away, but I always respond eventually. I appreciate getting comments and I want people to know that I've read them and appreciated them. And it can be fun to have a little chat about the story I'm creating sometimes, too :)

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

He Forgets Me, He Forgets Me Not. It's a very sad one-shot that ends with major character death and a funeral, so, yeah.

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

I don't think I ever write happy endings? Just kidding, I probably have more happy endings than sad. Happiest is maybe Keep It Simple? Ends with a proposal and I think it's really understated and sweet and yeah.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Surprisingly not really... which is good because I'm Delicate and don't handle criticism of my creative endeavours well.

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

Bestie a better question is if I write anything other than smut. I have written... so much smut. Out of curiosity I checked the top tags on my explicit rated fics, and this is the list (17 fics total for reference):

Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot (10)

Anal Sex (7)

Smut (6)

Blow Jobs (6)

Anal Fingering (5)

Angst (4)

Established Relationship (4)

Gay Sex (4)

Hurt/Comfort (3)

Teasing (3)

I think that's a pretty good reflection. There's also often something that's just like, a little bit more risque, but usually nothing too out there. Not that I'm opposed to writing something very out there. I did post non-con tentacle porn once, so.

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

I don't but it's really only because I've never written for a fandom other than Glee. I have a few ideas swirling in my head for Glee AUs based in another universe, but I'm not sure if that would count even if I did get around to writing them.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not to my knowledge. I've considered trying to translate my own fics into French for the practice, but then I remembered I'm not even remotely good enough at French to do that.

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

A couple times yes! Did You Hear That? and Kurtbastian 2020 Advent Calendar

14. Favourite all time ship?

Kurtbastian <3 there's just something about them you know? Maybe you don't. But that's okay, because I do, and that's what matters.

15. WIP you want to finish but doubt you will?

The Hazards of Love series... I had a whole thing planned out when I first started it, and I breezed through the first two parts, but then I got distracted with other things and it just feels way too hard to come back to now and I feel like I've changed a lot as a writer, too... and it's kind of niche and not something most people would want to read anyway, so I don't even have that as a motivator.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think I'm good at dramatic scenarios/describing the feelings of a character who is Going Through It. I love a good internal monologue that involves freaking out about something or discovering something about themselves or denying something about themselves or whatever else. I also really love writing big blow-out arguments, and I think I'm pretty good at those, too.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Actually writing anything lol. But also I kind of struggle with writing group settings or anything where stuff is actually happening? I get so caught up in writing dialogue and internal thoughts that I don't really know what to do when there are actually Things Occurring.

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

I wouldn't do it beyond a word or two because I just don't know any other languages well enough to do that. I'm not opposed to it in theory if someone knows multiple languages or has help from someone who does, but ideally they'd also provide a translation so I don't need to take it to Google translate myself (and potentially lose some of the meaning)

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Glee and I'm still here babeyyyyyy

20. Favourite fic you've written?

Gotta be my baby, It Was Only A Kiss. She is my most successful fic by an absolutely absurd margin, but honestly I think she deserves it. I poured a lot of effort into that story and it wasn't always fun but it paid off really well. It's definitely the work that I'm most proud of, and I think has some of my best writing.

[good-wine-and-cheese]

For the get to know your fic writer game:

4) Where do you find inspiration for new ideas? 12) How does receiving or not receiving feedback/support impact you? 22) Are there certain types of writing you won’t do? (style, pov, genre, tropes, etc) 40) If someone were to make fanart of your work, what fic or scene would you hope to see? 56) What’s something about your writing that you pride yourself on?

Oh this was a fun set to answer! :D

4) Where do you find inspiration for new ideas?

I couldn't tell you! It's usually some whim that passes by. Sometimes I'll have a very deeply well-thought-out idea and write down the general skeleton for the story I want to do but then not get past that, and then suddenly be struck with the random desire to write something completely different and actually manage to bang out that one. So like...usually it has to not be intentional. I can't go looking for inspiration or feel like I've come up with the narrative myself, it has to just kind of hit me otherwise it gets stuck in development hell.

12) How does receiving or not receiving feedback/support impact you?

To be honest, it doesn't. Of course it's nice to get feedback, especially when I get people sending me asks over here or comments that tell me I manage to capture the mood of the characters how they would be in canon and stuff, but overall? It really doesn't bother me if they don't get any attention. I started writing for a niche fandom so I never expected to get any recognition for it anyway. I kinda write stories for myself first, and if people like them, then great! But yeah no I'm just mostly writing for my own enjoyment so the attention doesn't matter too much. It's nice to see though!

22) Are there certain types of writing you won’t do? (style, pov, genre, tropes, etc)

I like experimenting with most styles of writing, but one I don't really enjoy is Y/N fics. I wrote one once at the request of a friend and it was more "y/n character is having a shitty day and gets comforted" which I could work with since pretty much everyone universally has had a shitty day and I could be as vague as to who "Y/N" was and what their problems were. I got a lot of comments on that one saying people could all take different catharsis from it and I'm glad it worked that way. But most of the time the Y/N format is looking for a romantic fantasy narrative which...is fine, but then you kind of have to create a more narrow set of "experiences" for Y/N character to have gone through. If that makes sense? Like, "Y/N" is meant to be self-insert-y, except that "Y/N" is still a character and has to have some sort of unique characterization which means you shut out a lot of people.

Also I will never, ever, ever write "Y/N" in those stories. Literally my biggest pet peeve. Nothing takes me out of a story more than "Hey, how are you, Y/N?". Awful. If I'm writing a wish fulfillment story for someone I'm just going to avoid saying the "Y/N" character's name.

40) If someone were to make fanart of your work, what fic or scene would you hope to see?

Oh gosh oh man okay that's hard. Literally any would make me happy honestly XD I would be over the moon if someone sent me fanart of my fics. I can't really specify certain scenes or anything, but there are some parts of my stories where I really had a specific image in mind and you can kind of tell by how descriptive those scenes are...I'd love if some of those were the ones that spoke to people and they rendered their own version. I think that'd be cool.

56) What’s something about your writing that you pride yourself on?

I would say accuracy to source material? I get comments a lot about how either the characterization of characters themselves, or the narrative tone, feels just like how Monster does and it's something I'm proud of for sure. I like being able to take characters and put them in AU situations and new genres and still mold them in such a way that if you read that story side by side with the Monster manga it wouldn't seem out of place.

Fic writer ask game

[zannolin]

18, 20, 23

18. how do what you look for in your own writing vs someone else’s coincide? how does your writing influence your reading?

good grammar. GOOD GRAMMAR. good fucking grammar. please god let the grammar be good. if i see passive voice used unnecessarily i will just start killing. anyone who has had to listen to me talk about writing knows this. outside of that. i don't really know what i'm "looking for" in my writing i think i'm just writing to expel the demons from the washing machine rinse cycle of my brain. when i read, i want to be able to tell that the author cared, and not just cared about the story they were telling, but cared enough to tell it well. cared enough to know what to leave it and what to take out. you know the t kira madden tweet.

i think i tend to gravitate towards more highly specific stories because of my writing (ann patchett books, for example, or niche aus in the realm of fanfic) but i dunno i'm willing to read a lot. i can tell you how my reading influences my writing but i've never considered the other way around.

20. where do you begin a WIP? ex: a mood, a scene, a certain character dynamic, etc. does this differ per project?

it varies. usually i will be watching/reading/etc something else and go hey this vibe fits x character and it can spiral from there. this is how the gospel tent au was born (i watched an episode of x files and the plot spun itself out pretty wild from there). generally i see the parts that work and figure out how to thread them together differently to fit what story i want to tell. for non-specific aus or canon universe writing it's usually i happen to have a lot of scene ideas build up and i put them all together like a jigsaw puzzle. sometimes i'll want to fill the missing pieces (this is what my mithan fic is a combination of: gap in canon and a ton of scene ideas). sometimes it's purely an aesthetic or motif or character dynamic that niggles at me til i write something. the leon and claire fic i posted today was purely me feeling unhinged over their dynamic in infinite darkness and wanting to explore it. i dunno i'm a jack of all trades. my brain will just start monologuing and i have to write it down or forget it immediately.

23. what do you do to engage with your projects which isn’t actually writing? ex: playlists, pinterest boards, etc. how much do they play a role in the development of your work?

i USED to do playlists for my fics (and just in general) but i don't tend to do that much anymore. i do sometimes make playlists specifically for brainrot though i use my ipod more than spotify so i don't really know Why. there's one for cat's cradle which, huge L. there's one for the ABBA au. there's a l'manberg one lurking somewhere but i think i made that one secret or something. there's a winters family playlist i occasionally yeet stuff on and i also have a playlist of songs i want my writing to feel like which is incredibly self indulgent but fun. the playlists don't really do much they're just for fun and good for stealing lyrics for chapter titles.

i do pinterest boards for a lot of aus as well which is a good way to scroll around until i get inspiration and/or to find things i was keeping on hand for epigraphs. i also doodle stuff for my writing sometimes bc well somebody's gotta make me fanart and it looks like it's gonna have to be me. drawing is good for conceptualizing designs if i need them like for the final girl au but mostly everything is just for fun and can be used as a successful procrastination method to avoid Actually writing.

ask game.

[axemetaphor]

Everybody Loves a Mystery reached 50 hits on ao3 yesterday! I’m fuckin’ thrilled ‘cause I loved it a lot but was worried it’d be too niche for anybody else to give a shit. To celebrate, here’s the fic playlist. [YT] / [S] 

Since I tried to approach this fic like a movie, I decided the theme playlist for it works best as a soundtrack.

Here’s a breakdown of why I picked each song, under the cut.

Overall Theme: Werewolves of London Werewolves of London is everything I wanted this AU to be— fun, jaunty, surprisingly dark. It's cheesy and goofy and also talks about a little old lady getting mutilated by a werewolf with great hair. It just works! It's the perfect cheesy 80s werewolf movie song. I’d want a sample of this over the opening credits, if it were a movie.

First-Arc Theme: Renegade Renegade to me perfectly captures the opening tone: Amy’s journal entries about the dead dogs are a little dark, but once she actually reaches Undisclosed, she’s really kinda viewing it like a vacation. The lyrics themselves remind me of how John might feel—They haven’t actually had someone come in to monster-hunt before, but it’s not like he’s gonna take it seriously. The word is out, the jig is up, they’ve finally found me / The renegade who had it made, retrieved for a bounty is pretty dark, but sung in such a bright cheery tone. Putting it through the lens of perception that is John here, I’d call it mocking, even.

John's Parties: Dead Man's Party, Love Shack, Ballroom Blitz, When the Lights Go Out, Welcome To My Nightmare 

Dead Man's Party Dead Man's Party is the most cheery ominous bop I've ever fucking heard. If Amy weren't so single minded maybe she would've noticed how truly strange John's house parties were. She got a bit of a clue towards the end, with how pushy everyone was, but she never really got a grasp of how … lifeless other people around her really could be. When John didn't want them to act up, that is. 

Love Shack Alright, I'll confess, I'm guilty: this is just a for-fun add. I consider this one to be just the kind of song I'd want playing in the background during a party scene. It’s also a song that, I guess, if you held me at gunpoint, I’d remove from the soundtrack. But I wouldn’t be happy about it.

Ballroom Blitz Okay, I'm guilty again. I just fucking love this song. John's parties aren't violent scenes at all so it doesn't really fit, but it has that energy of being a fun party on the surface, while being very threatening underneath. It's another one I'd just want playing in the background of a party scene. 

When the Lights Go Out I can and will force you to listen to two Oingo Boingo songs on this "soundtrack." You have no choice. Fuck you.  When the Lights Go Out is the most ominous song in this section and that's on purpose. This is how John's parties really are— Kinda fucked up, ethereal, liminal not like the inside of a grocery store but like an acid trip. You don't know how long you've been in this, you don't know when it started, and you can't imagine it ending, let alone anytime soon. Despite that though the speaker, who I consider kind of a John-analogue in this case, seems to utterly love the place. 

Welcome To My Nightmare Welcome to my Nightmare is… equal parts suave and playful. Kind of. To me it feels like a clunky kind of suave but yaknow, maybe I don't know what suave means. Either way the lyrics feel like a pretty direct parallel; Amy’s stepping into John’s world here, and it’s a place that’s pretty fucked up but pretty fun. 

John Songs: Master of Puppets, Everybody Wants to Rule the World, Dude Looks Like A Lady

Master of Puppets Alright, let's get this out of the way first. No, I did not pick this song because of Stranger Things. Yes, Stranger Things reminded me of how much this song fucks. My dad was always more of an Iron Maiden kind of guy, but I grew up listening to a little Metallica too. This song fits John's whole shit— they are the puppet master of Undisclosed. They're running the whole show. This is the kind of thing I’d want as a credits song, as well as maybe a background song in an earlier scene, for foreshadowing purposes. 

Everybody Wants To Rule The World Beyond the fact it's an absolute bop, this is another obvious, on-the-nose pick for John. They do want to rule the world! Preferably with David as their right-hand man. Or lapdog. Whichever he'd prefer. Right now, though, they'll settle for ruling Undisclosed with Dave. 

Dude Looks Like A Lady This is another obvious pick for John here, to me anyway. If this shit were a real movie I'd picture it playing when Amy meets John at the post office. It's just the nonbinary energies John has. Also I think if you read into the lyrics it's about a trans woman who, I don't know, commits some crimes? It sounds to me like she rubs some place at gunpoint and the lead singer thinks she's so hot doing it he wants her to rail him. More power to him, honestly. 

Dave Songs: Hungry Like The Wolf, Werewolf

Hungry Like the Wolf This song honestly is more sexual than I always thought it was as a kid, which is kind of hilarious, but it's also, in a sort of a way, how Amy at first views Dave. He's dangerous and scary and kind of attractive but she's for sure frightened of him. He's absolutely not that scary in reality, but many things get filtered through her perception.

Werewolf If you've seen the poster for this fic then you know this is the song that started it all— It was part of what kicked off the ideation ghost-wannabe had before handing this project to my dumbass. It's not 80's whatsofuckingever, it’s brand-new at the time of posting this, but it does contain references to 80's songs, and it seems to have been written with the same kind of intentions as this AU. My reading of it is a man in love with his werewolf half, which … Dave isn't that self-loving but… well, I'll talk more about his relationship with his werewolf self in later works.

Amy Songs: Under Pressure, Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps), Bad Moon Rising

Under Pressure I have to be honest, this one is the least “thought-through” choice on here. Not like I’ve just slapped it on here, but because I can’t articulate the ways my brain is insisting it fits. It just does. Maybe something about how this AU’s Amy sounds similar to the friends being sung about in the song, maybe just because it’s a really good song, maybe it’s just that this Amy loves Queen. It’s in the second half of the soundtrack because it feels more “thematic” than “accurate to events in the work,” so it could be something like a credits song. “Axel, how long would these credits be?” Well, I can’t decide if this would be animated (so that I have an excuse to try and draw an entire fucking movie myself,) or live-action, so maybe they’d be some damned long credits. 

Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) This one feels almost like a John-and-Amy kind of song, in the sense that John would see her as similar to the woman spoken about in this song— naïvely opening doors she can't close, exposing herself to things that drive her mad. There’s a little pity in them for her, because of that. Also I wanted to put some Bowie on this soundtrack, is that a crime? This is another song I’d think of being played in the background of one of John’s parties

Bad Moon Rising Bad Moon Rising is another one that nearly perfectly captures this AU's whole shit. It's got an upbeat tune and it's a song all about disaster and how shit's about to fall to pieces. There's something great about applying it to this Amy's almost clueless self-confidence— things continue to escalate, but she's still so sure she can fix it, handle it no problem. And to her credit she is very capable! Nobody could possibly have been prepared to handle what was really happening in Undisclosed. Maybe if things had just been a little different…

[chronoxtreme]

The Cage: Chapters 2-5 Author's Notes

So, I'll be honest - one of the biggest weaknesses of this fic for me, personally, is that these 3 chapters don't really need to be here, but they do at the same time. They're important to Astarion actually getting to know Nanne, but at the same time they don't really move the story along in terms of the main thesis, i.e. "they met 10 years ago and now they're back together oopsies."

I've also been trying to break the habit of relying on canon dialogue/scenes to convey relationships. It's something that I notice I do a lot in my other fics that aren't AUs, so this fic is trying to get out of that niche.

As well, Nanne giving the tent to Astarion is something I kind of stumbled into and ended up loving. I think it's a nice way to establish Nanne's personality in context. That sort of generosity mixed with envy because you really want it for yourself but you know that it's the right thing to do to give it to this poor nobleman who's clearly never had a day of hardship in his life. The selflessness that isn't quite selfless because it's been engrained into you from a young age and is it really a choice? (Don't worry, we'll get into more of that later)

Some funny headcanons/canon events that I shoved into this fic:

Literally all of Astarion's camp gear is stolen from the crypt/the tiefling refugees/the druids at the grove. I refuse to believe that he obtained all of those trinkets by gainful means when it's repeatedly emphasized that this dude owned literally nothing under Cazador.

Astarion's burial shroud (inspired by the rags you can see in his various camp sites, especially in Last Light Inn). This is something that was almost 100% pulled out of my ass. I don't think the vampiric resting place rule applies to spawn, but I do like the thought of Astarion's sole possession being a reminder of his trauma. We'll do stuff with that later, don't worry.

Astarion thinks Wyll is hot because he's exactly his type of "innocent charming younger man who is selfless and slightly awkward but good at heart." Also Wyll is just hot.

Astarion making fun of Shadowheart's goth name is a thing that happens in game if you happen to recruit Astarion first before her and it's VERY funny

The sheer, utter frustration Astarion has watching everyone in camp target his seduction mark and try and pull the moves on them

I do also believe that Astarion's compatible with every single party member (except for Minsc and Jaheira for obv reasons), so while he does tick them off the list of "seduce for protection" candidates for various reasons, it's mainly because this is a Tav x Astarion story. Likewise, I love all the party members, no matter how much Astarion may shit on them lol

So, let's talk a little about Chapter 5 and what's going on here. A lot of the events are based on my second-first playthrough as Nanne (my first playthrough was on my old PC that died and the saves got corrupted, so I had to start over). Looking back, I do think it's pretty self indulgent to have everyone hit on my OC, but considering it happened in game just by playing a nice character who naturally wanted to get to know everyone and was a compulsive peacemaker, I can't say it's, like, over the top outrageous. (They literally ALL cockblocked Astarion's romance scene except for Wyll. Literally all of them)

If I were to go back and rewrite this section, though, I'd probably stretch out the timeline a lot more, moving Shadowheart's date later back, Gale's magic lessons, etc. One of the issues that I have with writing is the timeline, and nowhere has it been more obvious than with this fic, where I'll describe a week's worth of events happening in literally four days, then skip ahead two months and go "Hey guys, take my word for it that x time has passed." It's something I definitely need to work on lol. At the same time, this is very much a self indulgent fic for funsies.

Now SPOILERS FOR NANNE'S CHARACTER ARC: In case anyone's curious, no, Nanne had no clue that Shadowheart's little date was supposed to be a date. This is a person who has never been approached for anything romantic except from their sketchy employer. Astarion is exasperated that they didn't see the signs, but Nanne has no experience with "hooking up", dating, whatever you wanna call it.

They do feel bad about accidentally leading Shadowheart on, but honestly, they're torn because on the one hand, someone did find them attractive! Wowee! On the other hand, this is moving awfully fast and they're scared about being exposed. They have had it repeatedly bashed into their head that their body is disgusting, unnatural, a deviation that must be fixed, and so relationships are this thing that they can't ever have, but desperately crave. It is a deeply painful position to be in. They do a good job of hiding it and not coming across as clingy, but Nanne is a very lonely person who craves connection and intimacy (physical, sexual, emotional, any of it). At the same time, they can't risk being rejected again.

END SPOILERS

The boar scene is one of my favorite early on scenes because this is the moment when Nanne clocks that Astarion is actually a vampire. A lot of people make fun of the game for waiting like, five in game days before exposing the elephant in the room, but considering that everyone knows vampires can't stand in sunlight, it's reasonable to assume that Astarion's just an incredibly pampered noble who's got delicate skin and maybe some drow ancestry.

But then he starts acting VERY suspicious and guilty and, well, the boar is literally right there.

Nanne's comment of "You're protecting us from the vampire, aren't you?" is meant to be a very subtle way of thanking Astarion from not eating anyone yet, which considering what happens in the next chapter is, uh, lol. Lmao, even.

[sco07ut]

Didn't know who else to tell but I've been working on a rvb fanfic (or series I guess) for awhile. I've been scared to talk about it on any of my social media because I feel like the fandom only likes specific types of fanfics/content. Let me know if you'd want to hear about it.

hi !! omg prefacing this by saying take that fear, scrumple it up into a ball and THROW IT OUT THE WINDOW !! even if ur fic is the most niche (eyes my wolf 359 au), obscure (squints at my rtte content), and self indulgent (looks lovingly at my wip gene fic) thing ever there’s still a pretty high chance that people r gonna like it!! goign to grab @razmerry for a sec and use her star trek au as an example. i know absolutely nothing about star trek and honestly haven’t had much interest in it before but i’m so engaged in her au bc of how well it’s been thought through & you can literally See the passion . even though i don’t get half of it i’m rlly invested bc it’s related to rvb and is something new that i haven’t seen before !!!! there are things that i probably won’t ever get but imo working things out on the fly is all part of the fun

the point i’m trying to make is that somewhere out there, there are people who r gonna be interested!! AND ON THAT NOTE, tell us all about ur fanfic!!!!

[ut-poppy-askblog]

The Future of Omega Timeline: Poppy's Story

I am writing this way in advance, I have finished animating all of the main cutscenes, and I'm mainly working on the music for the "Act 1 Finale", as I write. I wanted to write this to talk about the fact I even got to this point at all, and what comes next for this project.

For starters, like most usually say when they reach a milestone such as this, I never thought this project would reach this many people.

I started this project with the mindset that no one was gonna really pay attention to it. The concept has always been pretty niche, so I was mostly doing it for myself. ... And yet, two years later, the blog is nearing 900 followers.

I'd like to thank everyone that has stuck by these two years, seen the asks, read the story, done fanart for the AU...

... Of course, let's not forget to thank all of my lovely friends and team members (Dihze, Lolika, Doku, Cap'n Toad, Tyrone, AJ, Cerulean, SKL, Mrky) that helped me throughout this whole thing. This would have never been possible without them.

... I cannot stress this enough, really.

Half of the fun of working on Poppy, for me, is always the back and forth between me and my friends. Talking about hypothetical plot points, how characters would answer asks, how they'd feel about other characters, or the OT should look or sound— that is and will always be what brings me the most joy about working on a project like this.

Not to mention all the friends that I've made through working on Poppy. Jakei, Yugo, poody_blue, Cerulean, blaize.mayes, and so many more I can name off the top of my head that have influenced Poppy to become much bigger than I originally intended.

Even though I will be the first to say that this AU is not perfect, and really, it never will.... It has reached so many people and inspired others, even brought more attention to the Omega Timeline itself, that I am honestly glad it exists as it is.

Originally, I was planning to do just like, 5 sprite comics and end it in less than a year. But now I've made 3 sprite based animations, totaling around 20 minutes, and many comic pages, a 30 long original soundtrack, and the blog has almost reached 900 followers.

It's hard to believe I did all of that, even if I had a lot of help along the way.

Regardless of how reception turns out (I'm still quite unsure on how people are going to feel about it...), it's honestly a huge thing for someone like me to have reached this point.

If you don't know my history with the Undertale community, I don't tend to finish or see through most of my projects.

But now that I've finished this video, I feel I am confident enough with saying that I am going to see this project through, one way or another.

Regardless, I figure people are going to have questions After the finale is out. I've lined up some of the ones I can think off the top of my head:

"Is the blog over?"

No, not yet, obviously. It's why it's called the "Act 1 Finale". There will be more in the future.

"How many acts will there be?"

3. What the other two are like, I cannot tell you, but we have a promising outline.

"What will happen to Poppy and the rest?"

All in due time. Did you read the ask above?

"What about Poppy Buys Milk?"

Like I've said before, the game is going to happen. It canonically takes place before the events of act 1 finale, specifically before "Happy Birthday, Mon" (Present), so most of the characters are unaware of what befalls them later.

"Are there plans to redo the act 1 things?"

Only the Dusted and Poppy spar. That is genuinely the only comic I'd like to remake in some fashion. It's bad and dumb.

As for more scenarios that ocurr during Act 1's time, though, I have no comments yet.

"When will character asks return?"

Once Act 2 starts. But that will take a bit to get it out.

To make up for it, though, I will likely be posting scrapped concepts, concept art, unused or old music, and story drafts, so I hope that'll hold everyone over until we can start.

... That's all for now. Again, huge thanks to everyone for sticking around and checking this little blog. If anyone has any Omega Timeline and otherwise out of character questions, you can send them here. (I've cleared out the ask box, so I'll be able to catch them more easily).

[pynkhues]

Tagged by @foxmagpie, thank youuuu.

Total number of completed works: 6 finished + a few WIPs

Total word count: 327k

Fandoms I’ve written in: Good Girls, Succession, The Umbrella Academy

Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you’d expected: More actually. I figured I'd probably written about the same as I did last year, but I've actually written about 100k words more. I suspect a lot of that is because what I've written has been longer generally, but yeah! It's still a bit of a surprise.

What’s your own favorite story of the year? Mmm, probably Clean Like Him? It was really nice to write a one-shot again, even if it was a part of a broader series, because most of what I'd been writing at that time were multi-chaptered works. I also love writing about food, and turning that series into a sensory 'verse was really fun to lean into in a whole bunch of different ways.

Dd you take any writing risks this year? A few actually, but I think the biggest was with the pirate au. It's pretty massive in terms of scope and research and reimagining, so to have people embrace that has been really special.

Do you have any fanfic or profic goals for the new year? Yeah! I'm hoping to finish a few WIPs, but also post on a more regular schedule. In an ideal world, I'd do a little prompt fill a week again, but I don't know how realistic that is for me anymore, which is a bit of a bummer.

Most popular story of the year? It's kind of hard to tell given I have a few really big WIPs in the mix that are a few years old now (i.e. Playing House and What the Sea Wants), but in terms of fics exclusively posted in 2021, it would be To Face Unafraid, which surprises me for some reason, haha.

Story of mine most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion: A Silver Thread! Which makes sense, Mick x Mary Pat is a pretty niche crack ship, haha. I'm amazed anyone reads it at all given it's by far me at my most self-indulgent.

Most fun story to write: What the Sea Wants again. What can I say, I really love pirates and the ocean and bed sharing.

Most unintentionally telling story: Mmm, probably Hold a Little in Your Hands actually. I've been thinking a lot about memory lately for a range of reasons, and threading that through that story was something that felt really personal while I was writing it, even if the story itself wasn't.

Biggest disappointment: maybe surprisingly, Clean Like Him. I don't think it resonated for people like Drive You Mad did. It hasn't been unsuccessful by any stretch of the imagination, and I know the people who love it really love it, but I don't think it had the same appeal. I think there are a bunch of reasons for that, but yes. A bit disappointing.

Biggest surprise: Probably my little Succession fic I wrote for @mego42's birthday which is turning into a pretty big WIP which I'm really loving writing, haha. It's a bit of a different thing for me, as I don't often write fics where characters are younger than they are in canon, and this is effectively a pre-canon YA novel at this point, haha, but yes, I'm having a lot of fun writing it.

My favorite part of the fandom this year: echoing Megan, but the friendships have genuinely been pretty amazing during a very trying period of my life, and I feel really blessed to have made them.

Tagging: @nakedmonkey @peachraindrops @misshazelevers20 @lilliloves @missmaxime