#kodi these were a joy to answer tysm

[thinkingisadangerouspastime]

1, 2, 3, 8, and 11 for the writers ask game! 👀

1. do you know how you want the story to end when you start, or are you just stumbling through the figurative wilderness hoping to find a road?

most of the time, i know at least the Gist of how a story will end as i start writing it. things can and do change during the writing process, but because i have a history of Not Finishing Fics, i am now loathe to commit myself to writing (much less posting) a story if i haven't at least outlined the way in which i expect said story to end. and that's especially so for multichaps! with oneshots, im a little more flexible, mostly because there's fewer threads of continuity to keep straight lolol

2. talk about a notable time a narrative or character has looked you dead in the eyes and said “fuck your plan, here’s what we’re actually doing.”

oooooh this is tough! mostly because my memory is terrible rip

well, in this thing of darkness (i acknowledge mine), there's an upcoming plot development that i can't speak too directly of (since it's not posted yet lol), but i can say it was not something i had planned from the start, and i think it opens doors for me in the potential sequel(s) i want to write someday re venom's motivations as a character. ALSO, re if memories could fade away (an mj bday fic i wrote), that story was supposed to be a little mj&ned friendship piece that exploded into something which toes the line between prose and poetry and tentatively offers a backstory for mcu mj (who currently lacks but very much deserves actual depth as a character). simply put, i am not immune to the power of michelle jones-watson

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

depends on the fic! i think my mjflash plot in this thing of darkness (i acknowledge mine) adds a lot to the narrative im constructing, but i also think including mjflash in Walls or kataang in my children will listen series, for example, wouldn't have benefited either story, hence why they're gen fics

8. what’s your relationship with constructive criticism and feedback like? do you seek it out? how well do you take it?

i Love constructive criticism (it's the only way for my writing to improve!) and i like to think i take it well, but only when i ask for it, and note that i only ask for feedback a) from my friends and professors and b) on original writing and academic work. fanfic is a hobby for me, i am not getting paid, and im sorry but i just don't want criticism on something i only do for fun 😂 like i cannot FATHOM the arrogance a person must possess to leave unsolicited criticism on a story they are literally getting FOR FREE!! what!! imagine going to a free orchestral concert and telling one of the violinists afterwards why you think they played x, y, and z badly. HELLO??? IT'S SO RUDE??? now, it's totally different if an author requests critical feedback, of course, but when they don't??? this is my biggest pet peeve fr, especially bc there's no way to be totally sure how old a fanfic writer is, if the language their writing in is their first language, how long they've been writing, etc. etc. if people had left some of the "critical" comments i've seen across fics on the work i was writing at 12, i promise you i might not be writing fic today!

in sum: i love concrit, just not regarding my hobbies

11. what’s something neat you’ve learned while doing research for something you were writing? also, how much do you worry about doing research in general?

butterfly kisses is full of bug facts i researched, including that when left on a car in the heat for too long, the dead bodies of love bugs are so acidic they can erode the paint (not so much now bc car paint is made to withstand that, but still). for match point, i did a lot of googling about what people need to wear when riding motorcycles (and ended up having to disregard several things bc Plot, but i was very intrigued by the fact that many motorcyclists have custom-made boots).

overall, i don't Hugely worry about research for my fics. if something needs to be researched, i'll do so, and if nothing does, then nothing does, yk? i tend to be more focused on character dynamics and introspection in my writing, meaning i rarely find myself needing to research, for example, worldbuilding (if that makes any sense lol)