#me? writing something in a universe that is vaguely canon? it's more likely thank you think

[non-un-topo]

11, 18, 21, 24, for Nicoletto

Hellooo, thank you! My boy... <3

11. Would you date this character?

Honestly, I would not. Even in some alternate universe where he's not with Joe, it would still feel like cheating lol. Plus, he's Catholic (I kid -- kinda). I would steal his gender, though.

18. How about a relationship they have in canon with another character that you admire?

In canon, I really like his dynamic with Andy, and I'd love to see more of it. There's something about the way he calls her by her name when the others mostly call her "boss," and how Andy hugs him in the beginning. There are definitely no favourites, I just think each of the members of the guard have their own different dynamics, and Andy and Nicky make me feel both soft and insane. I feel like, while Booker is on Andy's level of grief and self-medicating, Nicky can challenge her. We don't get much about Andy and Joe's dynamic in canon, but I wish we did! Other than that, y'all know I'm a Nicky & Booker brothers advocate. I've written a good chunk of the tag on AO3 lol, and I will not stop.

21. If you're a fic writer and have written for this character, what's your favorite thing to do when you're writing for this character? What's something you don't like?

My absolute favourite thing to write with Nicky is horror and philosophy. Kind of everything that falls under that umbrella, like body horror, existentialism, weird dream-like stories, survival horror, ghost metaphors, etc. I can't explain why I feel like it matches him so well, but there's something about it. Maybe because he's a very philosophical and vaguely ominous guy. I also love comparing him to an animal, but not necessarily in the "go berserk" way. Something I don't like, hmm... Even though I have, I don't really enjoy writing about him in the Crusades era, mostly because it's such a delicate topic and there are too many fandom interpretations of him from this time I just don't vibe with. Medieval Nicky is kind of my forte, but I tend to write him a few hundred years in.

24. What other character from another fandom of yours that reminds you of them?

This is a fun question because I didn't expect to be so stumped! I used to say, like, Garrett from Quest for Camelot ASDFGHFDS even though I can't really explain it, but I was writing my mystery series where Nicky always had long hair at the time okay. I guess, because I'm on an FMA kick right now, Alphonse maybe. Something about the brave heart, always wanting to do good and help people. But I think Alphonse is a lot sweeter than Nicky most of the time. Like, he wouldn't kill a room full of people like Nicky would lol. He is also a child. I don't have a lot of fandoms, as you can see.

Character ask game

[musicboxmemories]

20 questions for fic writers

tagged by @viola-ophelia <3 Thank you!

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 58 on my primary page, 38 on my trash page, and 5 on my catch-all.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? LOL if you think I'm going to add up the word count of 101 total fics, you're crazy! So instead, I'll just say my longest fic on my primary page is 96,771, my trash page is 34,787, and my catch-all is 11,722, for a total of 143,280. So with that being for just three fics, I shudder to think what my actual word count is for 101 fics lol.

3. What fandoms do you write for? Lately, TURN: Washington's Spies, though past fandoms have been H.annibal, E.mma 2020, and The M.agicians, to name a few.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? I'm just going to stick to my main page for this:

Wake-up Call (From D.usk till D.awn: the Series) (438)

Changing Winds (S.tranger T.hings) (384)

Lost in the Dark (S.tranger Things) (284)

Anyone But You (That 70s Show) (265)

To Thaw and Burst into Bloom (S.tranger Things) (235)

^^The funny thing is, none of these were fandoms I was overly into/participated in much, but they're way more popular than my favored fandoms, which is why none of what I'm TRULY proud of is listed in my top kudos ranking. Ah well.

5. Do you respond to comments? I do! In the past, I've always made friends through reviews/reviewing, so I always respond to comments and leave comments on works I've enjoyed. :) I really wish engagement/fic friendships were more encouraged these days.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Uhh, probably Folie a Deux (H.annibal) or To K.iss, to Consume (Turn). OH, and Let the Weary Rest (Turn), where I killed off Ben lol.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? After 2020, pretty much all of my fics had happy endings. The World is Made Wrong made me happiest though, I'd say.

8. Do you get hate on fics? I'd rather not jinx myself, but I haven't since I was a kiddo! And that hate was deserved tbh, cuz they were just telling me I wrote xyz wrong since I was a child/didn't bother to research.

9. Do you write s.mut? *gestures vaguely at my trash page* Uh. Yeah. lol I don't really have a specific type I write, beyond M/F, if that's what you're asking -- the specific scenarios are typically a case-by-case basis.

10. Do you write crossovers? I used to write quite a few! Nowadays, I save that more for things like RP and edits, though I do still enjoy them. Sometimes, crossovers work better than canon, I said what I said.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? I have! But I was like 13 at the time, and the person posted it in the same ship/fandom, so Idk what their plan was lol. Fortunately, they deleted it the day I reviewed.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Yes! A few times, actually (all for the H.annibal fandom).

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Sure have! They're all RP-turned-fics though, cuz I've never actually asked someone to write something who wasn't an RPer themselves.

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship? Probably David/Maddie from Moonlighting. They're timeless! <3

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? I suppose my time travel romcom. It's basically me rewriting a book I've already created, but altering it for the Turn universe. Even though it's fun, it's kind of boring repurposing my old work, and most especially when there's so little engagement. I flourish on comments, alas. Other than that, I mostly tend to finish my works!

16. What are your writing strengths? An editor once told me my strengths are my dialogue and humor. She equated the first 20 pages of my book (a recent work) to a Shakespearean comedy, which really tickled me, ngl.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? World-building! I've improved with this by a lot, but I genuinely do think fic writers are conditioned to stop describing settings/appearance thanks to our audiences already KNOWING, and thus, our OG works suffer for it. Mine certainly do!

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I wouldn't do it personally, since I doubt it'd translate well, but I encourage others to do it! I'll still read!

19. First fandom you wrote for? C.owboy B.ebop.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written? Probably The World is Made Wrong, since I've since reworked it and I'm still very proud of how that second run-through turned out (not the one available on AO3 -- that version is in all its heinous first draft glory lol).

Tagging: @retrograderesemblance @pagetreader @ms-march @culper-spymaster and whoever else wants to!

[carbondioxda]

Instincts and lovebirds (p.1)

Sokka x firebender!OC

c/w: swearing!! this is my first time writing an oc x canon so this may or may not be the worst thing you’ll ever read??, basically Sokka and Zuya making fun of Katara’s crush on Jet. This is also pretty long by the way. Written in third person and I usually avoid using adjectives that have informations regarding looks but I want you to have an idea of how Zuya looks like.

a/n: first time writing in the atla universe<33, english isn’t my first lanuage, please tell me if I make any mistakes

also just like in my previous posts, my way of writing dialogue might be different than what you’re used to.

I haven’t introduced my oc Zuya on this page at all, so maybe I’ll do it in a separate post. I hope you like her.

This whole encounter was weird. First, Sokka swore on his instincts that they all should walk instead of flying on Appa and then suddenly they’re being saved by a bunch of kids from being ambushed. Yet somehow, even though they were saved, something didn’t feel right. Zuya felt as if they were still ambushed or captured in some way. It was plainly uncomfortable.

Jet, Smellerbee, Longshot, Pipsqueak, Sneers and The Duke. They didn’t seem like a usual vigilante group. More like, wild children mixed with pirates. Zuya noticed some dirt on their necks and hands, they must’ve hardly ever bathed. Only Jet seemed to vaguely know what hygiene is. Even if Sokka’s instincts proved to be incorrect, right now the bad gut feeling he had was shared with his friend, Zuya.

- Psssst. - the brunette hissed to Sokka, while Jet’s friends were looking through the fire nation’s supplies.

- I’m right next to you, idiot. - he hissed back, but louder. - If you wanna talk shit about them I’m here for it, just don’t hiss like a wild animal. - the boy crossed his hands, looking at his friend.

- Okay, okay I just wanted you to get the goddamn hint.

- I know what you’re gonna say. - he begun.

- They look suspicious as hell. - they both said at the same time. Zuya tried her best not to point it out, so that he wouldn’t feel too special about guessing what she had on her mind. That would get into his head. Everything goes right into Sokka’s head, actually.

- Katara doesn’t think so. - Zuya choked out, pointing her head to the girl’s direction. Katara was thanking Jet for their help. Sokka seemed to run out of ideas on commenting this whole thing. He rolled his eyes. - I mean, it’s nice of her to thank him but her voice is high pitched and she’s kinda getting red.

- What? What do you mean? - Sokka squinted his eyes to see better, as if that was supposed to help in any way.

- Seems like your sister has a little cruuush. - Zuya teased, twirling her dark hair around her finger to mock Katara.

- Hell no, why this freak of all? Why couldn’t she perhaps, I don’t know, have a crush on Haru?

- We were in that village for two or three days, it’s better for everyone that she didn’t.

- We’re not gonna be here much longer either.

- It’s best if none of us has a crush. Any kind. It would only slow us down.

- Same thing! This whole Jay, or whatever his name is, isn’t all that. Just look at him. What the hell is that in his mouth? A straw? Grass? Is he a cow? - Sokka tried to come up with a creative insult.

- You’re just bitter because your life-saving instincts didn’t work. We should call them life-ending instincts, cause you know…cause we were ambushed.. - Zuya giggled. Sokka’s glare was digging into her. Even if he wasn’t very intimidating, she wasn’t going to test his limits right now. - No, but seriously. We should get out of here before we even have the chance to meet those guys closer. I know the type of mr. nonchalant, it’s not gonna end well. It’s for Katara’s own good.

They followed the group, because Katara and Aang wanted to see their secret hideout. It was pretty obvious their spot wouldn’t be on the ground, given that the trees were the tallest they’ve seen and tents or houses would be too easy to spot. However, Sokka didn’t really think about it.

- Soo, Zuya, right? Are you from the Earth Kingdom? - Jet asked. She was in the same attire she left her village, Kyoshi. She was taken in by the village’s members when she was just a young child, nobody really expected her to grow up to be a firebender.

- Yeah, I’m from The Kyoshi village. - she replied.

- Are you an earthbender?

- Actually she’s- - Katara begun.

- A non-bender! Just like Sokka. - Zuya corrected her quickly. The rest of the gaang didn’t question it.

- A, nice to know. Explains a lot. Hey, you two, grab those handles. - Jet suggested, turning to the ,,non-benders”.

- What does this thing d- - Sokka was cut off, being plunged into the air. Zuya couldn’t react in time, sharing the fate with her friend and soon grabbing onto the thick branches for dear life.

- Look, shit, look! - Zuya tugged on his arm.

- What?! - he asked, just now getting his head out of the leaves. She grabbed his chin and pointed him to look down, where Katara and Jet where smoothly flying upwards to the hideout. - I’ve had enough, we’re getting out of here as soon as possible. - he commented.

- They’re having their movie moment in there. - she said, noticing how Katara’s face is constantly red from all of the blushing. - How cute.

- You seem to be having a moment too. - Aang startled them. They didn’t notice him flying up. It slips their mind that Aang can literally levitate.

- A moment? We’re having a moment of hanging onto a tree branch. - Zuya said loudly, still recovering from the Aang jumpscare. Sokka turned away and climbed onto the wooden plank attached to the tree that led to the hideout.

They caught up with the group and Jet showed them around, talking about how amazing his ,,freedom fighters” are in being a pain in the Fire Nation’s ass. Sokka looked like he was in agonizing pain the whole time, and even more when they sat around the fire. That’s when Jet did his whole inspiring speech.

He sat down, separating Sokka and Zuya from Katara and Aang.

- Hey Jet! Nice speech.

- Thanks. By the way, I was really impressed with you and Aang. That’s some great bending back there.

- He’s great, he’s the avatar. - Katara explained. - I could use some training. - she was blushing again.

- The avatar? Nice. Very nice. - Jet seemed to be so pleased about that fact, it made them pretty uncomfortable. Sokka’s instinct must’ve worked at that moment.

- Sorry, but we need to leave tonight. - he said, cutting their conversation short.

- Yup, we should’ve left earlier, we can’t slow down. - Zuya added to back him up.

- Sokka! Are you kidding, I needed you for an important mission! - Jet whined.

- What mission? - Sokka’s ears perked up, even if he didn’t get too excited. A mission was enough for him to be convinced, knowing him.

- Tomorrow, we have to do a patrol and make sure The Fire Nation doesn’t attack or anything. - Jet tried to bribe him. - You could use a good night’s sleep for once.

- True. We’ll get to the North Pole, Sokka, let’s just use this occasion. - Aang spoke up.

- Only for one night. We can’t stay longer. - he gave in. - I’m going to sleep now, if you don’t mind. Me and Zuya stayed up all night to guard the supplies. We’re tired, right Zuya?

- Right. Exhausted.

- You can go to the hut on the left. - Jet said. - Goodnight!

- Goodnight. - Sokka spat out, before taking Zuya by the wrist and leading her away from the group.

- There’s no way you agreed to stay just to go on a mission, Sokka. - she hissed at him again. - It’s not even that important!

- Oh shut up, I’ll finally do something for once. Maybe they’ll give us some supplies for that.

- They won’t give us shit.

- Let’s just go. - he said, entering the small hut they were given to sleep in. They tried their best to ignore how annoying the newly met people were and just got ready for bed.

- Why did you tell them you’re a non-bender? - Sokka suddenly asked, when Zuya was brushing out her long hair. She usually wore it in two long braids, but this evening was a good occasion to brush it all out and distract herself.

- Gut feeling. They hate the Fire Nation.

- You’re not from the Fire Nation though?

- And how would they know that? It’s better to tell them the short version instead of explaining myself. I’m not planning on using fire here anyway.

- Good point. - he put his hands behind his head and laid down. - I’d love to see you firebend the hell out of them, though. - he added with a smug grin. It made her smile.

- Maybe I’d do that if I could firebend better. I only know a few moves. I think I might’ve noticed something. Sokka? Can you braid my hair?

- Yea…what did you notice? - he positioned himself behind her. Gran gran taught him how to do Katara’s hair when their mom died, he never really forgot how to do it.

- All of the ,,freedom fighters” have strange outfits. They’re so mixed. Jet has parts of the Fire Nation attire mixed with the Water Tribe’s clothes, or The Duke? He has everything in green and yellow, traditional Earth Kingdom colours.

- So, what are you saying?

- I’m just saying…don’t get into any trouble tomorrow. - she sat while he braided her hair. - Or your outfit might be worn by one of them soon.

- Thieves are the last thing I wanted to encounter. Still, why would I get into trouble? I’ll just pretend to be their friend or somethin’- he asked, already aware why exactly.

- You know damn well why. You’re going without us on that mission, don’t try to act like a smartass.

- I won’t. I’ll try to, at least.

- Promise me you won’t. I don’t wanna have to run to save your sorry ass again.

- Again? Excuse me. - he tugged her hair on purpose.

- Ow! Yes, again. If I wanted go count all of the times where I had to drag you out of someone’s hands I’d run out of fingers. - she grabbed his hand to stop him. Sokka scoffed at that. - Can I braid your hair too?

- No, my head is pounding when you do my braids, they’re too tight.

- I’ll be more gentle? - she smiled, just as he was finishing her own braids. He sighed.

- Just this once. - he finally agreed. - Don’t make them so tight.

- I’ll try.

- You don’t look exhausted. Is Sokka hitting on you again? - Katara asked when she entered the hut with Aang. She was in a good mood, who wouldn’t be if they found themselves a love interest?

- Not today. - she pretended to be let down. Or she wasn’t pretending.

- Just for the record, I’ve never done that. Focus on hitting on Jet, Katara.- he insisted.

- Stop moving so much or else I’m making the braids tight.

- You can’t deny it. Back in Kyoshi, Omashu and when pirates tried to take us. - Aang counted on his fingers and then shoved them into grumpy Sokka’s face. - And that one evening?

- You forgot the boat thing. - Katara reminded.

- Right, boat thing too. - Aang smiled like the cute kid he is.

- It wasn’t intentional. My charm is unbeatable, what can I do about it? Happens on it’s own.

- All of you should go to sleep. - Zuya said, carefully making small braids on Sokka’s head. She finished up and for the rest of the evening, thankfully nobody brought up the topic of Jet and his friends.

Zuya was abruptly waken up by Sokka, right when he came back from the mission. Katara and Aang must’ve already gone somewhere.

- Wake the hell up Zuya, they’re psychos! - Sokka shook her by the shoulders.

- Stop shaking me! - Zuya’s green eyes were barely open and the boy was still blurry in her vision.

[sankttealeaf]

Do you have anym more modern au ruetash headcanons you might share? I love that fic too along with lsdl.

I love hearing your head canons about Rue and Gortash, they’re so cute and I just want to read nice things about them whilst they suffer and through lsdl😭

Also when I’m reading lsdl now I’m always like ‘oh my god no….this is terrible. The pain. The angst……can’t wait for the next chapter.👀’😂

THANK U!!! i love these two in any universe and i will make them suffer for it<3 anytime i think too hard about them i do feel a little sad. one day i'll be nice to them. not today, though 🤭

some silly modern au headcanons that have been floating around in my brain lately! (some may become proper chapters in that fic):

they first hook up at some big conference in waterdeep. theres only one bed in the hotel and both of them indulge a little too much in the open bar at the place they're at. its a one time mistake until they wake up in the morning and do it again

rue actually gets on really well with karlach and despite the fact she signed an nda about her and gortash hooking up, karlach is the first to know ("please. you can do so much better. look at my friend wyll, he's cute and single and so much better than gortash" - karlach, moments later)

rue has broken into gortashs apartment many times before. he expects to see her there now and its weird when she isnt

gortash ends up picking rue up from various nights out with karlach & the gang after shes drank too much and drunk-called him, saying how she misses him (they saw each other hours ago) and how she wants to go home (and by home she means his place). he does so every time and gets vaguely threatened by karlach to keep her safe

rue posts a photo of her sitting opposite gortash in a fancy restaurant with the caption "first date kind of nervous" and immediately deletes it. fans go crazy

i like to think theres full on conspiracy theories about them being together or not. people are piecing together a timeline. others say it doesnt matter, hes only using her because his policies are so bad. a small group of people write fanfiction (rue sends them all to him because she thinks its funny)

she really eggs on their followers to think theres something there. posting pictures of her wearing his shirts. tagging him in videos of her walking around the city. asking people for reccommendations on good places for dates. its a blast. shes loving it

theyre so silly to me!!!! ahhhhh losing my mind over these two guys!!!!!! thanks for asking about them! theyre the only thing in my brain ever

[picnokinesis]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Got tagged by the fantastic @wykart ahh thank you for the tag!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

32, most of which are Doctor Who!

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

859,228!! (but it's gonna keep climbing until I finish posting part 6 of campervan sksk)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Pretty much just Doctor Who right now, but I have posted fics for Stargate Universe, Marvel and The Greatest Showman. And then I have written for other fandoms - most notably Venom, which I never posted anything for but I did get 40k into a multichapter one time.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

In this order: Liminality, Tropospheric Disturbance, campervan part 1, watchfires and Renegades in the Ring (my TGS fic that I never finished, rip in pieces)

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

I always try and respond to comments!! Mostly because I love talking about my fics and also don't know when to shut up hahaha - but I also have some absolutely fantastic commenters who have such interesting things to say! And also like, idk I really appreciate people taking the time to comment, so I reckon it's polite to say thank you at least. The only time I don't reply to comments, mostly, is if it's a REALLY long comment and I just don't have the energy rip (but when that happens I definitely read and cherish the comment dearly haha)

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

Uhhhhhhhhhhhhh. MOST OF THEM RIP. I'm genuinely not sure because I always try and end my fics on a vaguely uplifting note. Maybe Campervan Part 4, simply because of all the uni-era angst? But tbh the ending of Part 6 is definitely a contender, now I think about it. Canon-fic wise, though.......hmm I think it's got to be notches in your spine, since that ends with the Doctor just straight up leaving the Master without warning sksksk

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

Hm. I think I'm gonna go with In the Wind for this one, which is hilarious since I wrote it THREE YEARS AGO, but it's a multi-chapter mid-series adventure that rounds itself off in a satisfying way, with everything being resolved nicely, so I think that's a decent contender!

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Hm, no, other than people complaining about the show in an attempt to compliment my writing, but that's stopped for the most part since I got annoyed about it in my author's notes one time ksksks. I did get a weird comment recently that started out very complimentary but then turned really weird in a pretty upsetting way (and, frankly, it would have been very triggering if that sort of topic had been something that was something that affected me a lot? Luckily it wasn't, but the commenter did NOT know that). So I just deleted the comment because I didn't want that sort of thing in my comment section, especially when I know other readers comment lurk.

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

No I'm sex-repulsed lol

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

I wrote a crossover that was The Greatest Showman crossed with the X-Men Comics one time SKSKSKSKSK (and it was specifically the comics not the films, I did so much research on historical terminology for mutants HAHA) which was actually SO much fun - I never finished it, but I do think back on it very fondly. But I'd class that as more of an 'x-men au' rather than a crossover tbh, bc it was wholly focused on the TGS characters.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I don't believe so

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

Yes! We never finished it LOL

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

Currently spydoc, but this will probably change. I have a MASSIVE soft spot for rush/young from sgu, clintasha from the MCU, newt/hermann from PacRim, and symbrock from Venom.

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

Hmmmm there's a bunch, but probably The Grandfather Paradox? I genuinely love that one so much. But who knows, maybe one day. I feel like it would make a great pitch for a Big Finish audio sksk. Oh, and Deathless will probably never happen. I'm not going to put Trestle on this list because I am SO DETERMINED to finish it some day HAHAH. Oh - and I don't think I'll ever finished Trouble With Entropy, which was my unfinished Venom fic, or Renegades (aforementioned TGS fic) even though I love them a lot, it's just....very unlikely at this point rip.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Going off what other people have said to me, I'm good at creative immersive worlds! Which is mostly because I really want my stories to feel 'lived in', so to speak, and broader than what you actually see in the immediate plot. I think I'm also pretty good at pacing, and also writing narrative prose with a character voice! The latter one I definitely pushed myself with when writing part 6 of campervan, as well as my recent doctormaster oneshot, where I had to weave together both the doctor AND the master's characterisation into one seamless pov

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I definitely worry too much about making sure the reader DEFINITELY gets what I'm trying to say, and so sometimes I'm repetitive and I hammer things home a bit that can be more subtle. I also think that sometimes I can be a bit repetitive in my longer fics where I know a gap needs to be filled but I'm not sure with what sksksks. There are other things too. I definitely struggle writing shorter things and getting to the point and TRUSTING that the reader will come with me. I often feel this urge to make sure all the steps are there for the reader to follow where I want them to go.

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

Oooh so I actually did this in campervan part 5 with Gabriela and Jamila speaking a bit of Portuguese! And I think there's like, obviously nuance to it, but when I had the pov characters who understood portuguese (namely Jamila in the prologue), I had the dialogue in portuguese, but the translation in the prose, either literally just next to the dialogue or explained in the narration by Jamila. But then in later chapters, when Yaz is trying to talk to Gabriela, because Gabriela is upset she's occasionally saying things in Portuguese....but Yaz doesn't understand them. So they don't get translated. And so I think that works for the story in that context, bc what Gabriela actually SAYS is less important and it's more showing the emotion of it. Another case I can think of was in Force Over Distance by cleanwhiteroom who wrote a LOT of ancient into the fic (which is basically latin) and when it was on ao3 there was this sort of 'hover to translate' thing which worked REALLY WELL, bc the translation was there but it didn't disrupt the flow of the fic.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Okay so I wanna know what counts here - if it's like, the first fic i POSTED, then that's Marvel (specifically the Avengers). If it's the first fic I wrote when I actually understood what 'fandom' was, then...I think that was also Avengers....or maybe BBC Sherlock. If it's the first thing I actually WROTE DOWN properly, then it was Doctor Who (specifically Ten and Rose and my oc companion sksk). If it was the first thing I played with creatively for media that wasn't my own...then that was probably me coming up with elaborate ocs out of two unicorns on the credits for the My Little Pony vhs tape we had SKSKSKSK SO. I don't know. One or all of those.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

Oh this is hard because I'm proud of a lot of what I've written. My gut reaction at the moment is actually Trestle, even though it's unfinished and no one has read it HAHAH but I'm just so proud of some of the writing in that so far. And I'm extremely proud of Campervan AU as a whole entity. However I do really really love see me bare my teeth for you - which I actually forget about a LOT because it's not one of my thoschei fics sksksk. But I'm super proud of how that one turned out. And then also and they did live by watchfires because that one just has such a special place in my heart.

THANKS FOR THE TAG LIV!!! I'm gonna tag hmmmmmmm @sunshinedaysforever @taardisblue @novantinuum @emptyofdust @strikingtwelves @walker-lister aaaaah basically anyone else that wants to do this! :D

[panharmonium]

Hi! Do you have any Naruto fanfics (specifically Kakashi and Sasuke)? Sorry for bothering I just can't find any good ones anywhere. Thanks for your time <3

Hi!  Don’t worry, you’re not bothering me.  I totally sympathize with this; the lack of Kakashi and Sasuke material out there really took me by surprise when I first finished Naruto.  I unfortunately can’t answer your question about fic too thoroughly - despite my current Naruto obsession, I generally don’t read fic for fandoms where I’m actively writing, unless it’s something written by a friend.  But I know there are other people who hang out on my blog who might have recommendations, so maybe they’ll be able to chime in here with something they’ve enjoyed!

In terms of just general suggestions, you might consider checking out @keepyourpantsongohan’s blog - she cares a lot about Kakashi and Sasuke’s relationship (and about Kakashi and Yamato, which is like striking gold twice) - her posts were a huge breath of fresh air for me when I first started checking out the Naruto fandom, and she’s been in the fandom much longer than I have, so it’s possible she might have some recommendations to consider.

If you enjoy AU stories, I’d also recommend checking out @padmerrie! She’s a writer + fanartist who’s just as invested in Kakashi and Sasuke’s relationship as I am, and her Bookends 'verse is a modern-day au where Kakashi becomes Sasuke’s guardian at a young age.  Kakashi and Sasuke’s relationship as a family unit is the core of the premise, though the Bookends!verse also features Madara and Hashirama as Sasuke’s meddling “grandparents,” alive!Team Minato (minus Minato, that is, and not without that group’s characteristic brand of issues), and all the other characters you might expect to see in the Naruto ‘verse, with the addition of Kakashi’s (eight) pet dogs and Sasuke’s (one) pet cat.  

The story isn’t being written in chronological order (Bookends is more like an AU sandbox we play in whenever we feel like it, which is always), and there’s more to it than what has been written down so far, but there’s a basic intro post about the AU on @padmerrie’s blog, two one-shot fics set in that universe hosted on her AO3 page (with more currently in progress), and lots of fanart and other related posts on her tumblr under the bookends or vague bookends thoughts tags.  

(I tend to post about this AU fairly regularly too, in between working on canon stuff, so you can find related posts on my own blog under those same tags.)

And that’s about it for my recommendations!  Perhaps other folks here might be able to drop some recs of their own - if you guys know of any Kakashi & Sasuke stories you’ve enjoyed, feel free to drop them in the replies for @chocolatewobblermuffinwagon.

[top-wing]

Could you ramble to us about topwing?

Actually, me in 2021-2022 maybe would've done a better job at this 😔👍 But I'll gladly do so anyway!

I haven't actually watched a full episode for a while now, so I probably have forgotten a lot. I'm not sure what to talk first, the characters? the plot? the concepts that make no sense if you think about too deeply, but otherwise compels me? Idk where to start !!

Characters. What really brought me into the show was how fun the characters interacted. The cadets all just have a really fun dynamic among each other, and I liked how the instructors acted mature enough as adults while still having that 'downplayed to focus on the kid characters' thing going on. For characters in a 'mid' average preschooler show, I think their characters are pretty fleshed out in their own right. Their personalities just bounce off each other well. I wrote something about the cadets' friendships some time ago on Wattpad, tho maybe I should try moving some those contents on this blog as well.

Lore (?). For the show's plot or I guess lore (?), there's a lot that could be fixed and changed (which some people in the Top Wing community agree and have taken matters into their own hands hehe), tho the show presents you with just enough interesting things, while keeping a lot of things unanswered and vague, so that it can keep being expanded on and explored. And I think that mostly what got me to stay interested in Top Wing even after years of ending abruptly with only 2 seasons. I'm slowly trying to get back to doing stuff based on canon, however I'm really just having fun creating something within the Top WIng universe as well lol.

Expanding the story and possibilities. And even if you don't add new things, there is actually a lot to work with the canon if you're eager to explore possibilities and willing to dig deeper into the shallow water that is the show lol. You've got the academy itself, which presents more interesting background to it in season 2. There's other academies, other cadets, Speedy and Bea's history of being cadets themselves, Inspector Eagle Eye and the whole concept of inspectors, Swift's grandpa who used to be an instructor & famous pilot in Big Swirl, etc. The antagonists characters and their whole deal, whom are quite full of their own charm but never really used to their full potential. Then there's Big Swirl Island, filled with mysteries of its own lore, mainly got to do with pirates and probably dodos. Example: the pirate ship wrecks, lost treasures, the whole thing about Kersplash Canyon and Dodos (tho honestly, this one is kinda "ehh" to me. if to complain about how this show handles some things, we'll be here all day), and the rest of the parts of Big Swirl Island that were not shown on-screen. There's so many headcanons and theories or AUs to play around with.

Well, that's all I have in my brain for now. There are more stuff I've written on Wattpad if you want to check them out, though it's understandable if you don't want to go there just for that LMAO. Most times I assume people here are also on Wattpad and have seen my stuff, but if there's enough interest to move content from there, I might consider it in the future!

Anyway, thanks for sending this in, anon!!!! Had fun writing this :] There's a lot of stuff going on for me to do more organized stuff with Top Wing, but I hope to continue just having fun with the series and the community for years to come 🩷❤️🧡💚

[boltlightning]

20 questions for fic writers

tagged by the wonderful @starsuncounted; thank you muchly <3

1. how many total works do you have on ao3? 54!

2. what’s your total ao3 word count? 362,814. oy vey

3. what fandoms do you write for? these days, potc and final fantasy and assassin's creed now and then, though i generally write for whatever grabs my attention. remember when i wrote a fallout fic? wild

4. what are your top 5 fics by kudos? oh dear. let’s see:

a house, a hearth, a (s)holmes — the great ace attorney, 6k. a collection of missing scenes about iris watson and her silly little family.

good company — fullmetal alchemist, 9k. pre-canon, roy mustang recruits people for his team. (i wrote this when i was 19 and there's still a lot i like about it, but boy is it humbling to reread.)

benchfellows — final fantasy vii remake, >1k. a drabble about cloud and aerith fighting in the wall market colosseum.

heart & home — fullmetal alchemist, 5k. roy and riza visits roy's home both pre-ishval and post-canon.

sun hits the water — potc, 8k. james and elizabeth get married after the fact, and fall in love some. at the time of writing this post it's got these beautiful round numbers i am SO pleased

5. do you respond to comments? almost certainly. sometimes i won't on really old pieces or comments that don't really necessitate a reply, but i do my best :—)

6. what is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? i trend more bittersweet than angsty; o sleeper (ff7, cloud/aerith) is one of the only ones i'd classify as TRULY angsty, everything else ends much higher.

7. what's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? showing their versatility: slowly (ff7, also cloud/aerith) ends a little bittersweetly but the climax of this fic remains the sappiest, gushiest thing i've ever written

8. do you get hate on fics? i don't think i've gotten hate since the ff.net days and i'm grateful for it

9. do you write smut? a little, but nothing wild or worth posting. otherwise we're always fading to black or describing sex vaguely babey

10. do you write crossovers? what's the craziest one you've written? it's not my forte, per se, but the potc/temeraire universe is over 50k words and still will not let me go, so you could say i've dabbled.

11. have you had a fic stolen? / 12. have you had a fic translated? / 13. have you ever co-written a fic? no to all the above 🤪 (or...at least i hope, in the case of 11)

14. what's your all-time favorite ship? 8-year-old me was really onto something when she latched onto cloud/aerith with passion unrivaled to be honest. there is no use denying it

15. what's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? i have been working on a written version of the trespasser DLC for one of my dragon age characters for like.............three years now and it will never evolved past the five scenes i have scribbled down i'm afraid. the quarantine brainrot was real but it did not last

16. what are your writing strengths? i like to fancy myself good at description! and i'm very particular about flow and tone. there's nothing i won't do to maintain tone, even if it hurts to cut segments that don't fit

17. what are your writing weaknesses? alas, describing shit well means that i am terrible at stepping back and letting a scene breathe. i feel the need to explain stuff that doesn't need it, to my own detriment. and lately i just Cannot thread the needle with any transitions between scenes. someone come cure my yips it's extremely annoying balking at this

18. thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? it CAN work but the only time i'm ever using it is if 1) i know someone who speaks the language, so i'm not making an ass of myself, or 2) it adds to the confusion of a scene in a meaningful way. rarely does it come up and rarely do i employ it

19. first fandom you wrote for? i'm sure it was kingdom hearts. the more things change, etc.

20. favorite fic you've written? the aforementioned potc/temeraire crossover aside...i could play coy here, but you KNOW it's steadfast & dependable (6k, potc, norribeth. but. it's complicated). she is my beautiful girlfriend and the concept continues to compel me on rereads

tagging @johnbly @thesumdancekid @graysongraysoff @antique-romantic if you're feelin it??? and also 🫵 you, the girl reading this

[iztopher]

sits coquettishly. bats eyelashes. i'm not going to say answer every question this time because i respect that you have many others thing to do over answering 48 questions in a row, and thus: 5, 12, 15, 24, 36, 42, 50!

EHEHE THANK U BOTH FOR UR MERCY AND UR ENTHUSIASM

5. What do you wish someone would ask you about [insert fic]? Answer it now! (don't you dare go down)

"Hey, Iz, you frequently list don't you dare go down as your favorite fic you've written, even though it's years old at this point. Why?"

I'm really proud of this fic for several reasons: I overall still really like the writing, people consistently compliment my favorite lines on it so it makes me confident I got across what I wanted to say, it covers some of my favorite te'ijalahad concepts.

I love this fic because, more than any fic I've written, it's essentially distilled headcanons. I knew, for years, that I wanted to write a fic about Te'ijal patching up Galahad after the fight where he got the scar across his eye, and a fic about Galahad reflecting on Te'ijal after the tower scene. I came up with the idea of Te'ijal getting scarred from the tower scene and realized I had the opportunity to put it in a fic. I kept thinking up ideas about Te'ijal helping Galahad with his injuries, and then about him always wearing armor and how that reflects on his (dis)comfort with her. I love the genre of te'ijalahad fic that's understated improvement in their relationship simply through the contrast of how it used to be and how it is now. And I got to include all of that in this fic!! I love it, and it means that people reading it are essentially listening to me ramble about a lot of my favorite ideas for my favorite characters.

12. Are there any tropes you used to dislike but have grown on you?

I answered meta already - but I'm blanking on others, honestly. I feel like trope-wise my tastes have narrowed, but more generally they've broadened and I like reading about more characters/ships/headcanons than I used to.

15. What’s your favorite AU that you’ve written?

"AU" is a hard genre for this question actually. If we mean strictly alternative universe, I've only ever written one, which wins by default: left undead.

If we expand it to "canon divergence", then my favorite AU I've written is one I never cleaned up or, uh, finished well enough to post, called only "stella kills gyendal AU". I don't think I'll ever end up finishing it, but mostly because I think I'm going to end up mixing it into my TDP rewrite!

24. Are there any easter eggs in [insert fic], and if so, what are they? (now we're two of a crime)

okay this does not have any easter eggs but while rereading it to confirm that i jumpscared myself with myst referring to banana boy, so i guess it's a reverse easter egg LMAO

36. Do you visualize what you read/write?

I genuinely have no idea how to answer this question. I think I do, but my visualization is so clipped and vague that calling it that doesn't feel fully accurate. I have to make a point to visualize when I'm writing, but I do make that point a lot.

42. Have you ever received a comment that particularly stood out to you for whatever reason?

I've had comments on both ill-conceived and you try so loud to love me that feel too personal to repeat here, generally stuff where my fic really resonated with someone or made them rethink something, and that feeling is maybe the best feeling I've ever had as a result of writing.

50. Answer any question of your choice, or talk about anything you want to talk about!

i miss writing (sobs) i haven't had the time and/or brain energy for it since classes started back up! i also really want to finish the fic i'm currently working on, i started it like two years ago and i'm so ready for it to be done jksdfld but i'm just having so much trouble getting the tone right. i hope i can knock it out in the next month or so

[scripted-downfall]

I have finally got some titles for you! 😈😈😈

1.) to hook a star

2.) Shadows Ticking

3.) the Stud Muffin and the Cupcake

Have fun! 😌😚

Okay so.  On the one hand, kudos on the gif because I love that one.  On the other hand… WTF ARE THESE TITLES, MY DEAR???  I adore you but WOT.  ESPECIALLY number 3!?!??!!

Anyway :) 

1. to hook a star

This, my dear, is foul freaking play because you know full well that I have so many Howl’s Moving Castle thoughts… At this point, I’m not even sure which universe I’m going to choose (maybe more than one, but I’d have to take care not to get too repetitive), so I’ll give the possibilities.  I’ve considered fusions with: 

a) Supernatural.  Dean as Howl and Cas as Calcifer… Casting for Markl and Sophie are a bit more up-in-the-air, but I’m thinking Jack as Markl and Sam as Sophie — and this is obvious since you know me, but I want to clarify: no Wincest.  This would work within the HMC framework, but not be a complete fusion

b) Heaven Official’s Blessing, of course!  You know this too, because I’ve already mentioned it, but Hua Cheng and E’Ming as Howl and Calcifer respectively (this would take slight tweaks to the falling-star premise, but I think the parallels are visible), Xie Lian as Sophie, and… idk for sure about Markl.  I have to finish the series.  Ban Yue would be an option, but she was always more Xie Lian’s apprentice, so… meh.  There’s Yin Yu, I guess, but I haven’t seen much of him yet and idk if the characterization works.  Maybeeeee He Xuan, though it’d take some tweaking.  That has funny possibilities.  And maybe I could work in beefleaf :) 

c) I have kinda considered a few other universes --- Stranger Things, Good Omens --- but never especially seriously... They still deserve mention though.

I swear there were more, but this is all I can remember right now aldksjf

2. Shadows Ticking

Huh… Interesting.  Ummmmmm.  I just went through my writing doc, and this title would work for a From Dusk ‘Til Dawn fusion I’ve had planned for a bit… idk if it’s the title I’ll use whenever I get around to writing it, but I think it’s the only idea I’ve got rn.

Anyway, Sam and Dean stand in for the Gecko brothers, while you’ve got fallen (by which I mean “disgraced”, not “demonic”) angel Castiel with adoptive kids Jack and Claire.  The basic outline of the story is roughly the same, but I’m modifying it a bit… specifically, because Jack, Cas, and maybe Sam have varying degrees of supernatural heritage/biology, so they don’t die like their source characters in canon; instead they just… change.

3. The Stud Muffin and the Cupcake

Can I once again say wtf????  Uh… Suffice to say that, while both of those^ stand a chance of being written, I’m almost certainly not writing this one…  I don’t think I’ve ever said the words “stud muffin.”  Ever.  But anyway…

Crackfic, goes without saying.  I’m really trying to make this something about baking, and Heaven Official’s Blessing (and Xie Lian’s absolutely atrocious cooking, and the fact that people always underestimate Xie Lian/think he’s too sweet/polite/kind to take seriously) keeps invading my head, but I also don’t want to soil HOB by connecting it to this title, so… Frustration.  But I guess that’s my very-vague-because-I-don’t-know-what-to-do-with-it summary.  You suck :)

Thanks for the ask, Jezebel… You’re a problem child, but I appreciate it :) 

– – – 

(Title Ask Game)

[unvergangliche]

unvergänglich.

WHY ? THEY BEGIN TO OVERFLOW . . .

 [ˈʊnfɛrˌgɛŋlɪç; ˌʊnfɛrˈgɛŋlɪç] adj . everlasting, unfadying, undying.

independent frieren from sousou no frieren / frieren: beyond journey's end. penned by lily 25+ / selective, small, and attempting to be spoiler free.

RULES .

mun is over 25 / minors and non rp-blogs do not interact.

any spoilers will be tagged 'frieren spoilers' . mun has finished the manga as it updates as of now , so she'll default her verse to early main storyline and once more active, divide it into the story arcs thus far ! 

manga psd made by me, please do not steal, coloring psd made by animangacaps  , while any other graphics on this blog were made by me as the manga ones were .  border header by petra-rals , divider by @cafekitsune !

standard procedure, no info-modding or god-modding, frieren is a legendary mage of immense power and knowledge presently over one thousand years old. she is incredibly dangerous, incredibly lazy, but at the end of the day she is unbelievably powerful. proceed with caution if you're set on fighting her, as i tend to avoid fight threads, the odds are unlikely anyway given her lazy nature but still. she is incredibly wise and silly at the same time , callous and surprisingly thoughtful ( sometimes) and as her ‘time’ moves so much slower than other people, my writing aims to reflect that.

this rule of my boundaries set also applies to drama , callouts , and vague-posting. alongside homophobia / transphobia / racism and any form of unkind , inhumane conduct or bigotry will not be tolerated here. kindness will, but immaturity and cruel behavior will not.

while not unkillable, all fight scenes or conflict i'd like to plot out with you via primarily dms / my inbox as for now my ims are broken ! frieren can lose in a fight, as mentioned by frieren herself that in her lifespan she's lost at least eleven times , that said, with her hunger for more spells and grimoires, she will only increase in knowledge . 

as i continue exploring frieren, which is a very low key blog, expect slow replies please, and be patient as i will be with you, this is a very easygoing paced space! :) ! that said i will never pressure you into replies, so please go at your own pace too ! in terms of writing length, i tend to match my partner but have no real expectation of length or quantity as long as my passion is matched and i have something to work with. i am perfectly fine winging it and plotting just as much.

at some point, i will be adding verses ex: wha, clamp, mahoyome, ex, series not part of her canon . as of now i am only writing within her own universe , so please be patient with me as i explore her unique character . 

as far as ‘ shipping ‘ goes, the likelihood is nonexistent due to how frieren processes time, her own near immortal lifespan, and frieren herself. i feel sousou no frieren also is more heavy on the emphasis of the bonds of platonic and familial carry many of her new and old relationships. if it happens romantically (?), it's gonna be v rare, v plotted, and another 50 years long, and the only 'ship' i really see would ship is frieren / himmel . tl;dr: it's not the focus.

i do not reflect nor represent frieren , we are two different people, one fictional with her own set of actions and mindsets i don't echo as a person mun and muse are separate packages , my only goal is to write my own insight and thoughts from my vantage point to the best of my ability to do frieren justice in my own way.

i can't really think of anything else right now, but thanks a ton for reading ! can't wait to interact with you .

HEY , CAN I REMEMBER JUST FOR TODAY ?

[ladyimaginarium]

Title: lemonade. Genre: Family, Friendship, Hurt-Comfort, Slice-Of-Life. Fandom: TWDG. Characters: Clementine Maria Jasmine Cree, Isis Onyx ( OC ), AJ ( cameo ). For: Aja / @creolejesus !! Summary: For the first time in a very long time, she felt soft. Feminine. Fierce. Beautiful. Magical. All her life, it seemed like she had to fight, but now, she can simply… unwind for what appeared to be the first time in forever. This was what peace looks like, she thinks, and she prays to any god that would listen that this won't be taken away from her like all the others before. Rating: 16+. Warning(s): Clementine discusses her experiences with antiblackness & texturism as a child in non-explicit detail. Overall, this is a very uplifting ficlet. A/N: this was a concept ficlet i'd& written a while back for my& dear friend aja where back when i& was in the rpc, clementine & isis were basically like a mother-daughter duo where isis would teach her hoodoo & black history & black feminism in the deep south in a ranch area with horses nearby a bayou !! keep in mind that all this was approved by aja who is a afro-indigenous ( specifically black cherokee ) writer who i& always know would make sure i& write accurately should she ever see something that needs fixing. i& write clementine ( & as she is also an introject in our& system ) as a afro-indigenous chinese two spirit nonbinary girl; isis belongs to aja & she is a black creole rootworker & witch from new orleans louisiana with a mysterious past. i& intentionally left this vague whether or not this was in the canon universe of the apocalypse or this is somethin' else but this was actually inspired by the visuals of beyonce's lemonade album, poc cottagecore ( or ig more specifically black & native cottagecore ) & like. i& always hced clem as like always having to codeswitch especially around nonblack and nonnative folx so that mostly white survivors wouldn't view her as a threat ( bc. antiblackness smh ) & so when she's around isis, she feels like she can let those walls down & be authentically herself; i& do my& best to respect the language & aja said i& did a wonderful job at writing it so correctly & with respect as yt folx are really out here doing the absolute most & acting like it's a meme language when it's a language w/ its own dialect, rules, history & culture. i always got like. warm colors & black cottagecore / black witchcore vibes w/ isis & i wanted to reflect that in the visuals bc clementine eventually does do natural protective hairstyles in the future when she grows out her hair so i& think it would've been cool if isis was the one who taught her how to do her braids & stuff like that !! this is all mostly headcanon & exomemory based on clem's part. i& only ask that out of respect considering that this is a gift for a friend that only aja reblogs it but anyone can like it. if you enjoyed this content & you want to leave a tip, you can do that here, while far more importantly, if you want to support black folx, especially queer black folx on juneteenth, you can do that here !! happy juneteenth, black folx who read this, you're so loved!<3333

"Well, ain'tcha' as sweet as a peach, sweetpea!" Isis shrills as her hands complete her latest masterpiece and holds a handheld mirror up for Clementine to see.

The sunlight filtered through the window as Clem's amber eyes gazed back at her reflection, mouth parting with no words coming out, a smile blossoming upon her lips. Her dark brown hair had been tied up in two beautiful afro puffs. "Thank you, ma'am, it's beautiful." Clem murmurs, feeling safe enough to let down her walls that she usually kept around nonblack and nonnative people, so many who had tried to look at her funny even as a child for even speaking in her peoples' dialect. A deep inhale as her eyes flicker over to baby AJ who was suckling on warm milk and honey in a bottle.

"When I was a girl, kids used t' laugh a' me when I went on the schoolbus, call my hair "nappy", look at me funny like I was a clown or Booboo the fool or somethin'," her voice wavers for a moment, trying to hold back the river of tears that was threatening to break the dam before her breath hitches, "an' then I used ta' come home from school cryin' sayin' I was ugly. My daddy never forgot that an' raised hell for all the city t'know, including that school. He used t' tell me every mornin' that I was beautiful and capable of doin' anythin' I set my mind to. I tried... God above, I tried to believe that message but I guess after a while I forgot 'bout it. Hell, I don't even even think I believed him."

Isis listened to every word she said quietly before her lips press gently over Clem's forehead. "You know, your daddy was right, baby. Look at your reflection fo' me."

Clem did as the older woman asked her and as they looked into the mirror together, her voice gently whispered into her ear. "That face is your ancestors staring back at'chu'. They love you, babygirl. Your eyes are as golden as the sun and your heart is even brighter, sweetpea. They're proud that you're here still livin' and breathin' here with me and baby AJ. How many kids your age know how ta' fight like a soldier? How many grown ass adults have the power you got? You keep holdin' your head high and don't let nobody play wi'tchu' 'cause you are that girl and you can be whoever you wanna be. Don't let nobody forget that, don't let nobody play wi'tchu, babygirl, you are not the one to be played with. Black is beautiful and so are you, baby. You hear me?"

The younger girl can't help but smile in the mirror, feeling the warmth of a thousand suns fill her heart, before she turns to the older woman who may as well have been a mother figure to her. She hadn't felt this way in so long that she wanted to cry. "I wanna make you AJ's godmother, miss Isis."

A golden smile graced the woman's features, a soft laugh as sweet as honeycomb filling the room in all its glory as the sun filtered through the window and illuminated her ginger curly locks, "I can be that for baby AJ, babygirl. Now," her doe brown eyes glinted in the sunlight, "you got the herbs I gotchu' to get fo' me? Lemme see. I'm gonna teach you a bit more on herbs and then we gon' ride on horseback together. How that sound, sweetpea?"

Clem nods, a grin revealing pearly whites, "Yes, ma'am," before she stands up and gets her wicker basket and unveils the basket to reveal rue, palo santo and ginger root, her white dress trailing across the floor of the cabin. For the first time in a very long time, she felt soft. Feminine. Fierce. Beautiful. Magical. All her life, it seemed like she had to fight, but now, she can simply... unwind for what appeared to be the first time in forever. This was what peace looks like, she thinks, and she prays to any god that would listen that this won't be taken away from her like all the others before.

[streettealee]

Hi, no pressure at all btw, but are you planning to continue your fic titled 'the rain (it rains every day)'? I love that one but, again, no pressure if you're not planning to

Hi there! I'm so glad you love the fic (and thank you for the ask!) It was an idea I had for ages that I finally messed with after some summer research for it, and it holds a special place in my heart as someone with a Greek background getting to explore that culture from a more personal lens (not saying I am the most authentic, as I am an immigrant grandbaby in another country, but I also am not one to water down mythology or modernise it too far, unlike quite a few folks these days). That being said, there is a vague plan to continue, though I would need to immerse myself in all the story and ideas I had again, which can be tricky since I have a habit of fixating on one story and world at a time, only to deviate randomly to quickly blurt out other ideas and then move on. At the moment, I've been focusing on my original works, which I post about over at @laylaraptis.

Anyway, fanfic has become a bit of a standstill at the moment. I had a great spurt around about a month ago now where I started writing to work through a lot of emotions I had from my personal life, and I felt the pressure of the upcoming second semester of university starting up soon. I believe I updated 'soft hearts, electric souls' during my first week of study before I got swept up in my coursework. I'm studying law, so it's a heck of a lot of work. I have to keep a schedule of my daily tasks to ensure I keep up with everything, while also keeping in mind that I need to rest and take care of myself and juggle a social life and other responsibilities. Writing (and even commenting on the works of other fan authors) often feels like more work added on top of that and my time has become, I guess, a bit more precious to me? Additionally, I got tired of a lot of TLH commentary that I kept seeing, as well as TSC in general. I more consume these things than participate in many discussions these days. It gets exhausting, a little depressing, and even somewhat boring. It got to a point where I felt like I would rather spend my time working on something far more detailed (knowledge-wise because it's something I created and therefore I know all aspects of it by technicality, whereas I do not know Cassandra Clare's mind) and within my sphere of control that I've been meaning to do for years, than spend another minute investing all my left over energy while I'm studying into fanfic of someone else's work -- especially because I have my own to work on, you know? (Please note that I do not scorn fanfic -- I love it and still read it, and I will always support other writers choosing to do what they love. Fanfic can sometimes be better than canon, and it has my full respect. My own choice that I prefer working on my novel rather than doing fanfic for the moment is a result of a bunch of factors.)

I've also been very unwell lately (think of health as like a number line, with neutral at 0, positives going up the healthier I am, and negatives clearly being the opposite. I dipped well below the negatives.) Within the span of six days, I completely exhausted my body, had multiple illnesses going on simultaneously, and was struggling just to stay awake and get through each day. I won't go into further detail as it deals with some health topics that some might find distressing, but basically, I'm still on the mend for the next three weeks just to try and reach that neutral 0 again. And from there, I still need to work up the positive side of the number line. Because of this, I've barely had time to even work on my original pieces.

So, that was a long way to say: the future of the fic 'the rain (it rains every day)' is kind of uncertain, and I apologise for that. My main fic, WBITHOM, might end up being definitively discontinued simply because I feel like I put a lot into it and the pay-off hasn't been great. I was writing, not just for myself, but for an audience. My old writing partner was someone I relied greatly upon to gauge reception, and yet I think they inadvertently also lead to me being disappointed in how little folks think about what I write. I like to do a lot of symbolism, for example, and a lot of foreshadowing (I'm always worried it comes off too heavy and obvious), but they very rarely picked up on the purposeful decisions I make in writing, and I felt like I was being too serious about something no one else took seriously, if that makes sense.

But now I get to write for me, in private, with no chapter updates to anxiously wonder if people are going to comment on or read at all, and it's been quite nice. Lonely, at times, but nicer somehow because it feels more self-inflicted. I get to work away and just post snippets and background information and progress updates and just enjoy myself. Plus, I get to explore not just Greek culture, but other Balkan cultures too in my original writing! With characters already made to fit! I'm not working with CC's characters and trying to balance fandom expectations. My characters are my own and I know them far better than I could anyone else's. Granted, I am still in early stages of this current draft, and I expect I'll stray back to the comforts fanfic offers eventually for a break, and 'the rain (it rains every day)' is at the top of the update list since everything else has had its time and this one was always scheduled next. But for now, all my fanfics are on hold until further notice. Any content produced from me will be found on @laylaraptis for the next 140-odd days (I've set a deadline for myself, which you can read more about over on that blog).

Hope this was an okay answer to your question 💀 I am very aware that I ramble a lot.

[n7punk]

oh my god I hate to think you thought people weren't LOVING lmr chapter 4! seems like there really was a universal lag in people not seeing the update, myself included. maybe more of your followers like football than u thought...

i didn't know there was any football stuff going on lol. i know there Are A Lot Of Sports Fans in the world in general but my vibe of the catradora fandom is that our football-viewer percentage is lower than average, unless you're talking about women's soccer 😂 i also think it was influenced by the archive having issues that day (partially down) since i had at least two people tell me they never got an email. I also didn't really mention i posted it on here - which i don't always do for fics, but i had been doing for the previous the chapters. i usually only mention it if im posting something or answering an ask anyway and can tack it on without like, having to make a Whole Post dedicated to it (this is a theme that will return later in this post)

normally when i do fic notes, i include a "what's next" section, but i left it off this time because im not sure, actually! i was initially planning (like, back a month ago when i first started writing) to do an au next but it would be a Lot and my interest is swaying towards canon rn so i thiiiiink it will be some OotW fics since i have a few wips for that and one In Particular that i need to figure out if its a one shot, or multichapter fic, or like two or three fics in a miniseries. i have like a dozen wips rn so its really hard to say.

i actually only realized i was posting on valentines day like two hours ago when i was given someone's milk chocolate haul since they only like dark chocolate lol. honestly im a bad person to ask this because im not one for dates or gifts or any of the stuff valentines is based on. i dont like Special things i just like the little everyday stuff, so valentines seems like a chore to me and its hard to come up with stuff for it. it also depends if you're talking like, in a modern au or for the etherian equivalent of valentines day. my vague answer is just they take it as an excuse to spend an entire day together since they love being around each other, or they go on a fun little adventure they havent found the time for yet. i can see them doing stuff with glimbow "double date" style too.

the answer is both! i go days without messages sometimes (which works for me because i like talking to yall but it also takes energy) and then other times i get a bunch at once. messages naturally gather around talking points (specific posts, fic uploads) so like, ive checked my asks twice tonight and had a decent number of asks both times, but when i posted chapter three i waited a few hours to gather some asks before replying since i knew they would be trickling in for the evening as people read the update.

it's also taken me two hours just to type out the replies in this post (which might give context to my "asks take energy" thing) so during that time more messages can come in and be answered in the same post as long as i remember to check right before i go to post it.

i like putting them all in one post just because it makes my blog and the dashboard experience Neater so i do it when reasonable, but i dont usually wait more than a few hours for the purpose of collection, if i do at all. it also lets me reply to and acknowledge some messages even when i dont have anything to say to them directly (like, i didnt have a reply to that ahhhh anon on its own, but it made me laugh so i wanted to post it, and by putting it in a larger group i can do that).

oh thank you! i feel like its something im actually terrible at since i do have a tendency to ignore/delete messages when im not up to talking (in general, or just dont have anything to say on the topic/in response). i do really love my comments and message tho so thank you to everyone who leaves them! i hope the blanket thank-yous are enough because usually they're the best ive got lol

idk i feel like never figured out the social interaction of thanking people (even/especially irl), so it makes me not reply to comments much because i feel like the best i can do is a canned, one-sentence "thank you!" response (and, of course, that still takes energy as mentioned with spoons, which doesn't feel worth what it "gives back" you know).

actually, ive talked about this for so long, so let me just take a temperature and i can gather responses (or post replies, those are great too!) for a bit: 1) are comments sections usually just [thoughtful comment]["thanks!"] and im otherthinking this because i havent read other author's comment sections, 2) do you Care if an author replies to your comment or not, at least when it's not a question (like, does it influence your decision to leave one if you think they won't reply. i personally don't care at all which is probably where part of my whole thing comes from), and 3) if it does influence you, does a simple "thanks!" really add anything to your decision. im almost certainly not going to change my approach because it's what im comfortable with, but i would like to know if im expending an unwarranted amount of mental effort on this XD

i have before! it's called Let's Get Physical. frankly its just harder to write lol

(also going back to the gathering asks thing, this ask came in while i was writing this post and thus got tacked on right after i posted it)

i have more lmr asks but im waiting until morning because spoilers and i want to put the reply to one in the fic tag so i think that should be in a smaller, more focused post.

[theteapotofdoom]

I no longer follow bnha, but I still think about something good all the time. its so far removed from the source material at this point that in my mind they're not the league of villains anymore, they're just The Gang, and they're ready to get into all sorts of shenanigans together. that fanfiction seriously deserves fanfiction of its own. also I will never listen to take on me in the same way again. thank you for everything

This message has been in my inbox for a long time now, and it took SO LONG to answer because 1) I was off Tumblr for a while and mostly 2) this message genuinely moved me to tears and I didn't quite know how to handle it.

Thank you so much! Thank you so much for this sweet message! I'm so touched because this is very close to how I feel about Something Good and MHA. I'm still in the fandom, but I'm not as involved as I was a few years back. I wrote the SG premice back in 2018. Every month, it gets further and further away from canon as the story progresses, but DAMN, I'm still determined to finish it and share this silly little story with everyone who is still interested in reading it.

You're right! They're just The Gang to me too. This is one of the reasons that it's taking me longer and longer to update. On the one hand, I consider them to be Original Characters at this point, and it makes the experience a lot more fun in many ways. But on the other hand, I'm still aware that people are reading the fic to read about their favourite characters, the characters from MHA, and I will occasionally get super worried about the fic being way too different and way too OOC for anyone to truly enjoy it, and so I will stress and won't write for months.

So it's actually REALLY lovely and moving to know that some people feel the same way and don't mind it!!! It's really cool to know that you can still enjoy this story with them as "The Gang" doing their own things in a universe that vaguely resembles the one from the manga.

I try to see it as the best of both worlds. It's MHA but also its own thing! It's the LOV but also The Gang! (And as a side note, I want it out and public that you are more than welcome to expend on the SG universe if that's something you'd like to do! Art, fics, headcanons, shit pots, go wild!)

And of course, as I keep saying, this was always a Take One Me propaganda first and shigadabi fic second ;)

So THANK YOU dear anon for this message and for everything! I'm sorry it took me so long to reply. Like I said, I was literally just in shock for months, because this little message means a whole lot to me :D

[ryxkenkxgami]

1, 30, + 45

thank you!!!! (questions from here, ask me things!!) this... also got very long and wordy so mostly under the cut LOL

1 - What fic of yours would you recommend to someone who had never read any of your work? (In other words, what do you think is the best introduction to your fics?) oh this is hard. i think..... i have to narrow it down to two LOL but i think probably can wait for you at the bottom, a joongdok fic set during canon in which kim dokja fails a scenario and comes back to the industrial complex a little.... different and i can't replace you with another thread, a post canon (compliant) datastormshipping (yusaku centric) fic where in his search for ai, yusaku ends up in parallel universes both fics are over 10k (and both written in a matter of days lmfao), heavy on the introspection, and involve characters coming to terms with feelings they aren't really ready for, which i feel is a really good view of my writing overall

30. Have you ever written something that was out of your comfort zone? If so, what was it, and how did it affect your approach to writing fic thereafter? all of my smut fics LMAO but honestly, probably my joshneku persephone and hades inspired fic, i was trying something different with the prose and it was hard! but my approach to writing is always the same no matter what..... in that i don't think about writing anything while i'm writing it whatsoever. i wish i were joking, but when i open a doc it's with my brain completely empty and i don't think until i'm finished writing for that session................. sometimes i go in with some vague thoughts (ie for that fic, it was "i want the prose to be a little more dreamy) but never anything concrete. my husband calls it "the athlete zone but for writing" LMAO i black out, sprint for 10 minutes at a time, and once discord goes off i realize i've written about 650 words on average

45. What’s something you’ve improved on since you started writing fic? actually finishing the fic LOL no in all seriousness, it has nothing to do with writing really but my dedication to things. i used to waffle around and not really know how to start or finish things if i got frustrated, and i always felt like i wasn't productive enough. but one year i decided enough was enough and that i wanted to write a lot, i had a lot of stories i wanted to tell and concepts i wanted to explore and i was determined to do it! so i started writing every day. i forced myself to make a habit of it, starting with nanowrimo 2014. and now i routinely publish over 100k on ao3 every year and i've completed nanowrimo every year starting in 2014!!! and i try to take that mindset with me into everything i do now; the idea i can accomplish what i want to if i really sit down and apply myself. it's good for the soul. i used to be so unsure of myself, so writing has really helped with my confidence in my own abilities