#to be fair i have also written out backstories and scenes that probably won't make it into the fic

[greenerteacups]

This is ofc very random but I absolutely love how you wrote Harry and his reactions to people arguing loudly or just generally arguing around him. SO that being said, do you make a written sheet keeping track of each characters personalities and traits and maybe even background stories? I really think all of your side characters are well written and isn't two dimensional at all and thats one of the MANY reasons why this fic is one of the best Ive read ((maybe not just fic but books in general))

This is really lovely, thank you so much! I don't keep a spreadsheet, though I do have a section of my outline doc that's basically a mini-bible for misc. characters — eye color, hair color, what their parents do, where they live, trivia that I can't remember on command. When it comes to characterization, I keep consistency through voice. If a character sounds the same, they'll feel the same, and inversely, if I can't imagine a character's voice saying something, then it's a good sign I need to stop and figure out what I'm actually trying to have them say. Or just restructure the story! Sometimes I throw something down in my outline, get around to writing the scene weeks later, and realize that the character went somewhere different, and I like the new direction better. Some authors describe this as characters having "lives of their own," but I think it's just ... authors having fun. You explored a new direction, you liked it more, you went with it.

Voice is much easier to get right when you've been working with the same cast as long as I have — Draco's voice has become so easy it's sort of like slipping into a second skin, though that's probably not helpful (like, "try writing 300,000 words from your character's POV, really helps you nail the cadence!" is not exactly Hemingway-grade advice). But even when you only have someone for three lines, it's crazy how much information you can fit in. Accents, slang, forms of address, level of formality, how fast are they talking, how long do they talk, do they gesture, how much — answering those questions requires you to think about where they come from, and how they approach a situation, and once you do that, you have a person. Even if you don't have a story arc, you still have a person.

[wonderwafles]

Cruelty and Creativity: A Forerunner Saga Exchange SIGN-UP!

Attention, all ye ravenous fans of an obscure book series written as the deep lore backstory of a first-person shooter game that hit its peak popularity in the mid-Aughts, whom are present on Tumblr! The day has come! Utúlie'n aurë, the day has come! Er, sorry. Wrong fandom.

What I should say is, aya. You are what you dare. Do you dare to sign up for this fandom exchange, in defiance of the strictest laws laid down by the Master Builder and the Old Council? What's that? You want to hear what it's about first? And what you'll have to do?

Ugh, fine.

The Exchange: This works sort of like a Secret Santa. Reply to this post confirming you're interested in participating! Sign-ups will be open from today (October 21, 2023) until November 4, 2023.

For the most part this exchange will be conducted on Tumblr, but if there is a platform you'd prefer to receive or give your gift on let me know in your reply. Also indicate if you'd rather have your gift given to a different blog than the one you're replying with. (NOTE: I will be participating in this exchange and you may be asked to make a gift for me.)

Gifts: Once sign-ups are closed you'll be asked to write up your preferences for both giving and receiving a gift; i.e. if you'd prefer to make art or fic, as well as what you'd like to receive. Here you'll also be able to prompt your gifter with the subjects or areas of Forerunner lore you're interested in. The deadlines for that will be decided as we get closer to the 4th. (I'll create a form for this when the time comes. I think.)

The area to aim for with your gifts is a roughly 1000 word fic or a flat, colored piece of art. These are not strict minimums, but probably don't do too much less than that. And of course, feel free to go beyond if you like!

Guidelines: In general I will be pretty laissez-faire about the topics and themes of your gifts; if someone wants an Ur-Didact pinup far be it from me to say no! But this is the big one: This is a Forerunner Saga exchange, not a Halo one. Although I won't disallow references or scenes taking place in other areas of Halo canon, the main focus of your gift and your request should be on events or characters or OCs or concepts from the Forerunner Saga.

Oh, and make sure your gift aligns with what your giftee asks for. Naturally.

Deadline: The... currently stated... release date for Halo: Epitaph is February 27th, 2024. I hoped to time this exchange so that we are all receiving our gifts shortly before the novel is released, as a kind of celebration of the Ur-Didact's return. To that end, please post your gifts on or between February 24th and February 26th.

If the book is delayed again, the current plan is not to delay the exchange. I want there to be some stability in the dates for this thing... as much as we can manage, anyway. But also, if enough people want to delay it as a result, I'll think about that too :)

Let's keep our fingers crossed the book will come out on time, and our celebration of Shadow-Of-Sundered-Star proceeds as planned!

Is that it for now? I think so. Remember to reply to this post on or before November 4th if you're interested in participating! If you have a friend who's not on Tumblr but is interested in participating, let me know, and we can work something out.

(Fun fact: This is posted exactly one year to the day from when Halo: Epitaph was announced at Halo World Championship in 2022 :))

[mermaidsirennikita]

have you read notorious by minerva spencer?? it was the first book of hers i tried and the way she wrote the hero felt so off to me that i DNFed and haven't tried any of her other works. i've seen you rec other books by her though so i was thinking of giving her another try but idk where to start. would love to know what you recommend i should start with <3

Yeah, I have, and while I liked a lot about that book, I agree with you on the way the hero was written. Her first trilogy and that book in particular (and in some ways the followup book to Notorious) are just... not books I'd recommend. What I find weird is that THUS FAR I don't think I've encountered anything similar in her LaViolette (her pen name) books? But to be fair, there are a lot of those, and I haven't read all of them.

Sooo I would jump into a LaViolette book! Some of my favorites:

The Seducers Trilogy. This series is focused on a set of sex workers who all know and work or have worked with each other, finding love. It's got romance, it's got sex, it's got darkness and humor. I will say that, as you can imagine with the nature of the content, there's some harrowing stuff; these books don't linger on sexual abuse on the page, but they are often a part of the backstory/villainy. I've read all of 'em, and they break down into

Melissa and The Vicar—A jaded madam goes on vacation due to a stomach ulcer (she's stressed!) and meets a super sweet, VIRGINAL vicar... who has no idea who she is... and is finally having his fire LIT. The book where right after she introduces him to anal sex his immediate response is like "I want you to meet my parents", I am nOT KIDDING.

Joss and The Countess—A former sex worker (who was good at laying it DOWN) is now a footman for a frosty widowed countess. He's also her bodyguard for her sojourns into town, where she's trying to have good sex for the first time in her life. And... he quickly realizes that she may not know what she needs, but HE does. An extremely horny yet also extremely touching book (harrowing, though) with an older heroine and a younger hero, and some HOT sex scenes.

Hugo and The Maiden—A famous sex worker is transported after being framed for a crime he didn't commit. The ship wrecks and he washes ashore on a tiny island, where his arrogant, selfish ass gets stomped on (metaphorically) by a bossy vicar's daughter. I call this "Devil in Winter on steroids".

The Masqueraders Trilogy. About three people who, you guessed it, AREN'T WHO THEY SAY THEY ARE!!! Another "proceed knowing that these can get harrowing" series. All good, but I'd especially recommend

The Footman—A teenage footman is thrown in prison when his boss's spoiled daughter convinces him to kiss her and they're caught. He escapes and reinvents himself with a new identity in America, becoming wealthy and returning to England to ruin the girl, now a widow, for revenge. But as you can imagine.... he plays himself.

The Bastard—A scarred former bareknuckle boxer (whose backstory is INSANELY sad, omg) is out to take revenge on his father, who never claimed him. However... He's gobsmacked by the kind nature of his father's sister-in-law (not his aunt by blood... to be clear) specifically after she like, is nice to a dog in front of him. So, naturally, as someone who clearly over-identifies with the dog, he stalks her for a while and eventually ends up offering her a deal: he WON'T ruin his father's (and by extension her sister's) life... If she marries him.

The Bellamy Siblings is her ongoing series that's perhaps the least WACKY? Still wacky at points though. It's about a family that falls on hard financial times due to the father's gambling, which means it falls on the sisters in particular to find ways to make money (often through marriage). Again, all good. My favorites include

Hyacinth—One of my favorites of hers, the top spot is probably between this and Joss and The Countess, but a unique story about a neurodivergent card shark heroine who disguises herself as a man at night to get money for the family. (And also... because she has fun with it.) A scarred, notorious duke notices and befriends her, and eventually catches on to her gender, but not her identity as a lady. They stark a FWB situation, with neither one believing they'll fall in love... AND YET.... Super emotional but also funny, verrrrrry sexy, great ending.

Selina—Directly after the above book, the beautiful Bellamy sister Selina, always raised to save the family by marrying rich, has an identity crisis and runs off, taking a job as a housekeeper under a fake name. The catch, aside from her not having any job experience: the lord of the house is incredibly dickish and grumpy, as he's a rake who lost his sight the year before following a terrible carriage accident. This one is less big on the plot and more about the loooove stoooory. It's really sweet and one of her softer books.

The Academy of Love is an ongoing series that has little artistic themes for each book, which is lovely. I've only read the first one so far, but I loved it

The Music of Love—A mysterious widow arrives to teach an equally mysterious wealthy man music. However, they have a massive attraction to each other and quickly have impetuous sex, which leads to Consequences and a quickie marriage. So now they barely know each other, are into each other, and are dealing with a fresh marriage on top of their mutual secrets. Very gothic, very hot, and also omg my heart. The hero has albinism (which I haven't read in any other romance novel) and is ostracized by society. That's why she was borught in to teach him music. It's just a really good book.

Victoria Decadence is her historical erotic romance series, which is ongoing (I think—she recently added a new book). I've only read one so far, but I looooved it, another big favorite. It's

His Valet—A rich businessman's devoted valet is actually not a man (Jo was assigned female at birth and uses she/her pronouns for the most part, but is clearly meant to be read as nonbinary) and is also obsessed with him. Taking on the identity of a mysterious woman soon to be wed, Jo begins meeting her boss for kinky sex... and it's supposed to be anonymous and all about the boning.. but oh now now they're falling in loooove...

She also has another ongoing series, the Hale Saga, which I've yet to read. But I imagine it's probably good! It sounds Bellamy-adjacent.

I hope this helps!

[wellpresseddaisy]

For the fanfic writers ask game: ❤️🚀🦋💘💛🎨 (🎨 asked with total innocence and no ulterior motives whatsoever 😉)

❤️ What is your favorite line that you’ve written in a fic?

Both are from Long Ago (and far away)

If we're being a bit silly:

To be fair, death by smothering had never looked more inviting. He could probably manage it with a pillow and some gumption.

And on a more serious note:

"And it's hardly going to be a home without you in it, you ridiculous brat. I made you promises I intend to keep." 

He left his seat, knelt down before Severus, and hooked a finger around Severus' band. It warmed under his touch, the little serpents flicking silver tongues over his skin in greeting.

"We're Bonded, Severus, and that means something. I'm responsible now, to and for you. I won't leave you alone in this world, lad. No matter what shape this relationship takes, you're mine and I'm yours. You're stuck with me. In sickness and in health, forsaking all others, just as if we'd stood up in a church."

The honest kindness and the sincerity radiating from him left Severus as breathless as choking. He'd expected, really, to be left with a Bond in name only, a marriage of convenience, no matter the promises made. He hadn't expected any of this when he woke that morning. It seemed so far away now.

🚀 Do you like to outline your fic first or create as you go?

I tend to create as I go. I have a general idea of where a story is going when I start it, but those tend to be broad strokes. A lot of the middle gets filled in as I go. I do like to write out world building elements and backstory, though. 

For me, outlining feels like writing the story twice. Sometimes this bites me in the ass.

🦋 Which character is your favorite to write

It's a tie between Severus Snape and Sirius Black. There's so much we don't know about both of them and it's fun to fill that in. Also Sirius is just poshing his way through life and that's entertaining. Severus is more 'well this might as well happen'.

💘 Is it easier to write angst or fluff?

Fluff, hands down. I have a fairly fluffy disposition myself and have a much easier time with it than angst. Hurt/comfort is another favorite. 

💛 What is the most impactful lesson you’ve learned about writing?

Keep writing; you will find your audience and write what makes you happy. Your writing tastes may change as you get older and that's okay. Just keep writing the things you most enjoy. 

Don't be afraid to try something new.

And sometimes you will notice themes in your work that make you feel like someone can see straight through you. This is normal.

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

This is such a hard question. 

The bit above with Dare kneeling to Severus

Sirius having a proper bath for the first time since Azkaban (Poshest Bedstead)

I love these because they're really making me think. :) And also I'm avoiding reformatting HTML for work.