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alwaysquestioneverything · 6 months

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Questions about fanfiction that I need everyone else's opinion on, apparently (part 2)

Head-hopping (also called head-jumping) refers to when the writer jumps between different viewpoints (or POVs) in middle of a scene, i.e. the writer includes thoughts, feelings, and references to lived experiences for more than one character in a scene. The perspective change can occur between paragraphs, sentences, and sometimes even within the same sentence.

It's different from a POV jump in a dual- or multi-POV story in that there's no indication of the jump (i.e. section break or new chapter), and there's sometimes more than one jump — to a third/+ character or back to a previous character's POV.

It's also different from Third Person Omniscient in that there isn't a separate omniscient narrator who sees and knows all (e.g. the narrator in the Good Omens novel). In Third Person Omniscient, the whole story is written from the narrator's perspective, using their 'voice' throughout all the narration, whereas in head-hopping the story is told from the perspective of two/+ characters, using each of their 'voices' during the parts being told from their perspective.

Some readers find head-hopping jarring because it requires them to resituate themselves in the different characters' perspectives each time there's a switch, and may additionally confuse them if references to other characters aren't consistent (e.g. writing "his head office" twice in one sentence and referring to the two different head offices of two different characters).

An example of head-hopping:

Crowley slips his sunglasses back on. He usually takes them off as soon as he enters the bookshop, but their discussion is making him far too uncomfortable and vulnerable to even consider meeting Aziraphale's eyes. Aziraphale hesitates before asking his next question, hopes that he's not pushing the matter too far, hopes that Crowley won't stomp out with some silly excuse instead of considering what he's asking. He rather enjoys spending time with Crowley and doesn't want this to come between them.

(sorry if it's poorly written/OOC, I wrote this on the spot because I didn't want to use any published fics as an example) (if you're not a fan of Good Omens, you have my apology for using it as an example) (if you are a fan, there are no spoilers; it doesn't refer to any actual conversation/event in canon)

If I've written the example in a way that doesn't illustrate the difference well enough, here are a few articles that discuss head-hopping, with more examples: link, link, link.

I personally don't like head-hopping. I'm probably at a 'dislike' but have in the past stopped reading fics if the hopping got too confusing or frustrating.

If you specifically do or don't like head-hopping, I'd love to hear why!

Please reblog for greater reach and more opinions!

Part 1 (includes reblogs with additional helpful info from @oliversrarebooks)

#fanfiction #fanfics #ao3 fanfic #ao3 fanfics #ao3 fanfiction #fanfic readers #poll #polls #tumblr polls #my polls #alwaysquestioningeverything questioning something #reblog for larger sample size

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liketwoswansinbalance · 6 months

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Man's Fallibility & Immortality

I found a practically perfect song, by my interpretation, to add to my Rise to Fall playlist. (I haven't cleaned up/updated the playlist fully, so I'm not posting the whole thing yet, but I think this particular song warrants its own post.)

First, listen to the song: Nothing's New - Rio Romeo

Then, what follows below is something of a tragedy-analysis, abstract, meta-thing/omniscient prose narration experiment. I don't know what it is—an outpouring of thoughts. It may strike a similar chord as my narration at the end of Simony and its epilogue.

(Simony was a prediction fic I wrote before the publication of Fall. An extremely erroneous one though. I still think it could work, but oh, how wrong I was.

The direction Soman took the plot in, just, it was unpredictable, even if I did enjoy the book. I still like Rise better than Fall though, of the duology. If Rise had just ended at the point of: Vulcan is dead, Rafal tortures his students, and the brothers gradually learn to trust each other again, that would've been nice and comforting, honestly. But no, substitutes, substitutes, substitutes! On both sides. Drives me insane. Ack! But, I have four, short fics planned that have alternate endings to Rise and to Fall, to make up for it. Well, one of them is so far a little longer, three chapters long.)

If anyone wants me to analyze the actual lyrics more closely, I'm willing to do that too!

⸻

The tales.

They are all the same.

Good winning, Evil winning.

What difference does it make after centuries, really?

Everything probably feels numb and empty after a certain point.

Like nothing matters anymore.

Undiluted apathy after that certain point.

When? I've lost track.

When losses and victories all ring hollow, and all sound the same.

The End.

That's all It wrote.

The sum of lives distilled down to ink and illustrations.

Nothing beyond that. No life, no spark.

What more is there? When nothing will ever satisfy the restless souls, not even an Ending all to themselves.

Just pages that will yellow with time even if the stories themselves are timeless because nothing changes.

Nothing ever changes.

There's no evolution.

Every tale is the same.

It becomes nothing after nothing, not victory after victory, when you're ageless like we are.

And how, if that's how it is?

Why bother?

Why bother at all?

It's a cycle that continues, with or without the brothers.

Ceaseless.

So, why should it matter?

It's the same with or without them.

Their position was always ceremonial.

After a while, anyone becomes tiring. Anyone.

And one person just isn't enough, when you have no one else.

No one else to shield you.

It gets old. The love just... fades, and wears out.

Perhaps, human love can only span for so long, and that's why humans are mortal.

Made mortal, and no one should traverse beyond that.

It always leads to hubris, and then, a fall.

An unnatural fear of death trained into them, when limits were never set, when power was never checked, when they expected to have all the time in the world.

Nothing is built to last. At least, not by the Storian.

It does whatever it pleases.

You can't extend a life past its time.

It will always end in ruin. Isn't that the lesson the storybooks teach?

A cautionary tale.

Again and again, the cycle continues.

Every failed holy-grail of immortality, every spilled cup drawn from the fountain of youth, every cursed head of lettuce, every white snake, every chalice of sleeping draught that led to execution after execution, every baptism that succumbed to primordial wickedness, every impoverished fisherman's hovel?

Why not a tale about two brothers?

One where two are felled.

To caution against mortal greed that even immortality can't peel away.

To caution against always wanting more until you're left with nothing.

Nothing at all.

Just like how you can't truly resurrect anyone as who they once were, you can't revive the soul that a person once was.

And you can't play at being God because it defies the rules of nature.

And all that we know about transience and permanence and how ephemeral everything else is.

Everything but Man, who vies to leave a legacy wherever he goes, at any price, even at the cost of his soul, not life.

⸻

Now, I do wonder if I made anyone emotional? I certainly tried this time around, to be a provocateur like Soman is. Tell me what you think, if you want.

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limpdickharrington · 10 months

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1, 15, 22, 27, 41, 63, 76 (Ozzy sucks 👁️👄👁️)

1. Do you prefer writing one-shots or multi-chaptered fics?

Equal preference tbh. I can't write short multi-chaptered though, either a 10kish oneshot or a 100k+ monster.

2. How do you write smut scenes? Do you get very visual or detailed? How important is it to be realistic?

I try to focus a lot on the balance of tenderness and crude reality. I don't know if it actually comes across to the readers, but I guess the intention is to let you forget what is physically happening for a moment, then push you back into the physical realities of sex and vice versa, spelling out the mechanics of what is happening and cutting it off with the emotional journey.

I don't aim for perfect realism if I'm writing a detailed sex scene because, well... what is fiction for if not exploring things you can't/shouldn't do in real life? But I also struggle to both read and write completely unrealistic sex that's either too perfect or too over the top.

When it comes to smut I only write what I wanna read, so I guess I always figure out what gets me hot about a concept, then try to get that across best I can.

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

I can't do omniscient narrator/fics that change pov randomly, it confuses my brain just reading them, nevermind writing one. I also struggle writing supernatural stuff even in my original work and I'm also not really into omegaverse, though I enjoy the occasional meme/thread.

27. What is your most and least favorite part of writing?

Favourite: either when the flow of a new chapter/fic hits and I churn out thousands of words like it's nothing, or when I edit it at the very end and it all comes together.

Least favourite: when I get stuck on something small for 3 months and it gives me a writing block 🙃 Bimmer's done this to me a lot.

41. Do you tend to reread fics or are you a one-and-done kind of person?

Depends! Usually one-and-done but there are some fics I will go back to. I also reread my own smut a lot skdkfjd but I do write it for me so that makes sense

63. Something you hate to see in smut.

Oh boy.

Too much prep that feels almost mechanical in the way it's done. Safewords for things that don't include cnc. Kink negotiations that are exceedingly mature and educated for the characters and the context. Anal sex being the go-to choice for characters that are inexperienced and sleeping together for the first time.

76. Did you have any ideas that didn’t make the final cut of Ozzy sucks?

Several!! Get ready for a long answer (cnc and noncon cw)

- Really wanted to write their first time fucking afterwards, like would it be gentle for Steve to feel like he's taking care of Eddie and making it up to him? Or would Steve want Eddie to take control, top him and dom him to tip the scales in their power dynamic to a point where Steve feels more balanced about it all?

- I kinda wanted Steve to fuck Eddie in the hallway, on the floor, against random furniture in the house, just fucking wreck the place and beat the shit out of each other, but decided it worked better with Steve's intention of "fixing" Eddie and bringing him back into the fold of their relationship to take him to bed. It was never intended to be a particularly rough and violent scene, the tender parts of it are equally important.

- Speaking of tender, I had a second idea of how the scene could go, with Steve being extremely sweet and caring and reassuring through it all until he breaks Eddie with love instead of pain/fear. More of a mindfuck feel to it, where Eddie is disgusted with Steve but also with himself for feeling good. And Steve reassuring him again and again that it's normal for it to feel good, even if it's rape. That it's okay, there's nothing to be ashamed of, it's normal, overwhelming Eddie with tenderness, exhausting him until he's helpless and has to accept it and admit it feels really good.

- Wanted Steve to make Eddie say a lot of embarassing things/things he doesn't mean under the threat of pain. Forcing him to say he's missed his cock, he's been thinking about it all this time, been wanting it so bad. How it feels so good, even while Eddie's bleeding and clearly in pain. That kind of stuff. Kinda regret missing out on Eddie crying and covered in blood while he sobs out how much he loves it.

- Eddie escaping and managing to run halfway across the house covered in blood and piss until Steve catches him 👁️

Anyways, let's just say I really, really wanna write a follow up chapter/oneshot.

#if you wanna hear more about that very last concept #it wouldnt have worked in this fic but #i do have thoughts about uh #punishment #steddie

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crowpricorn · 9 months

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🎃🤗🎯!!!! 😊

thank you nura!🥺

questions

🎃 Do you write fics for certain holidays? Which is your favorite holiday inspired fic?

I haven't written anything holiday related as of now I think, but I'd love to write some halloween themed fic (ire and I were talking vampire wylan and cowboy jesper for an halloween party! it would be fun to write, but I have close to 0 motivation for it right now)

🤗 What advice would you give to new fanfic writers that are just getting started?

just write and share whatever you feel like writing and sharing! numbers don't matter, and although receiving comments or kudos for your work *is* empowering and validating, my advice is just to keep writing no matter the result. if you enjoy it, there's no reason not to. find a beta reader that you trust though (I couldn't have started without betaing, which now I need less for shorter works, but if I hadn't had genuine help and advice with my first works, I probably wouldn't have improved at all and my writing would be stuck)

also!! I know it's a lot, but research research research: research terms and sentence structures and read books/other fics if English is not your first language (but also if it is), research things for what you are going to write about (idk if it's just me, but one of the things I enjoy most about writing is *learning*. I started a whole cowboy wip and a whole volleyball wip and then I abandoned them, but at least I now have a wide knowledge on far west and volleyball terminology. will I need them in life? probably not. but it's fun to learn!)

🎯 Have any of your readers accurately guessed major plot points? Care to share which?

all of my published works are one shots, so I literally didn't give them a chance to ...and I'm also so bad at keeping things to myself! if someone was to guess major plot points, or understand where my foreshadowings go etc., I would surely confirm it for them //thus ruining the fun! I also have this disease called "my memory is so bad that I need to explicitly write everything down so I'm like the omniscient narrator that tells you everything about everything" and I'm trying to keep it at bay and plan more first so that I don't have to state all facts *in the actual fic*

#americanbeautiies #ask game #six of crows

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alivingsaint · 1 year

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😈✨🎃🤲

😈 Has there been a point in a story where you did something just to be playfully mean to your readers?

Honestly I don’t think so. The majority of my fic is lighthearted and/or leans towards comedy. I’ve never wanted to be purposefully mean to my readers. I reserve that for characters only. Usually Michael bc his suffering increases my mood by at least 35% each time. ✨ Give you and your writing a compliment. Go on now. You know you deserve it. 😉 aslkdjfl this is so hard for me personally. But my handle on characterization is usually well received and I think I can write some pretty entertaining dialogue. It’s probably my greatest strength as a writer. 🎃 Do you write fics for certain holidays? Which is your favorite holiday inspired fic? I GUESS I DO… I’m currently writing a Murderville: Who Killed Santa? fic, and I wrote a Halloween themed boyfights fic as well. The Halloween one is my favorite if only because it’s actually finished and I enjoyed peppering silly vampire/spoopy jokes throughout. 🤲 Would you please share a snippet of a wip? Here’s the intro for an AD boyfights fic I’m writing from the Narrator’s POV just to see if I can pull it off. It’s quite a shift from my preferred POV, which is Gob’s, but I’m having fun with it. --- Michael woke up feeling nauseous.

If he’d had the gift of narrative foresight, he might’ve glimpsed the emotional trauma on his horizon, and thus done literally anything to keep from screwing himself up, and over, and all the ways in between. Unfortunately for Michael, he was neither omniscient nor prepared for the fallout of having been roped into a bit of a bind earlier. It’s what his older brother, Gob, had been predisposed to call a favor.

“I need you to tie me up,” Gob had said. “For the kiddies.”

#thanks for asking!#asks #andithil #boyfights

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f1-giuki · 1 year

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Hi my dear!! 🤍😘

🍏 First person or third person?

🫐 Mutli-chapter or one-shots?

🌶 Does angst get you excited? Or does it make you wanna crawl into a hole and just cry?

hello darling💖💖💖

🍏: third person, I prefer it to tell stories! I love having an omniscient narrator in the fics, it allows to depict feelings and thoughts in such a nice way! But sometimes an external narrator with an internal focalisation (I'm sorry I don't know the actual terminology in English sjsjjsjsjs) is very fun too, being maybe unreliable and stuff!!

🫐: Both!! Multi chapter fics are very fun but they give me a bit of anxiety for the publication and writing bit skbsksnsjs, and also, when there's a one shot that you may like to continue you can always make a series on ao3💀💀

🌶️: Well, angst has a purpose!! at least that's what I tell myself when I read it sksbelsnsksl, but when I write it I enjoy it too much, it's very fun to make the character suffer a little or a lot for the good of the plot 💀💀 I'm a sucker for a happy ending tho !!! I can't have a sad ending in one of my fics, it's physically impossible for me sksbwkwksksk

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lucky-clover-gazette · 1 year

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I love how you write dialogue when multiple characters are involved. Just ... you integrate everyone so well, it doesn't at any point feel forced, and — actually, hold on, let me pull up a fic for reference.

Ok, so in and they were hallmates (bc I'm still in absolute awe of that one and you're not escaping more compliments for it) we've got a vaguely omniscient narrator who makes us feel like we're watching the room from a spot on the wall. This means we don't get a lot of insight into one or multiple characters, beyond what's conveyed in conversation — which makes the conversation all the more important.

Like it's-one-of-the-fundamental-pillars-of-the-narrative kind of important. And you execute it so goddamn well. You don't overdo the dialogue tags, you provide information in a way that feels natural to the characters, the setting, and the conversation, and the transitions between characters and topics feel seamless — even where there's an interruption or sudden break, because it feels purposeful and makes the following info feel important to the reader. Example: when they've just started the game of Truth or Dare, and Red's going to type out the text on Blue's phone, and Green interrupts to ask how Red knows Blue's passcode. Red says: "We're roommates [...]. And we always order pizza from his phone so we can pool rewards points." This tells us so much about Red and Blue's relationship, beyond the obvious trust in Blue letting Red confiscate his phone for his own sanity. Beyond the words themselves, it tells us that they spend the majority of their down-time together, that they have meals together, and that they're essentially operating in a dynamic of helpulfeness and trust. When Blue towards the end invites Red to spend Christmas with him, it's therefore not forced or surprising, because this info about them and the implied closeness was already revealed.

Likewise, with regards to Shadow and Vio, pretty much every interaction drives home 1) that they're comfortable around each other and 2) that they rib each other and enjoy it. When Vio gives Shadow his dare and Shadow says: "What does shotgunning the root beer have to do with that?" to which Vio says: "Nothing, I just think you look silly when you do it" it shows exactly the above — sure, it's a game, but you wouldn't dare someone to do something if you weren't sure they'd be comfortable with it. The fact that Vio gives a dare an immediately admits "yeah I just think you look dumb doing it" and Shadow does it anyways tells us that, yeah, they're comfortable around each other (Vio's honest and Shadow doesn't take offence), and they poke fun at each other and have fun with it. The fact that this is so heavily reinforced throughout the entire fic makes the ending very unsurprising, in that of course they'd get together (though I'll be honest, when I first read it I was surprised they weren't together already, which I guess is also part of the point).

Anyways, I love the way you write dialogue and I'm studying it intently every time you post a new Four Swords fic (yes, I'm very much looking forward to the next chapter of this is our get-along fic).

kalh i'm so--

#thank you omg #i'm looking forward to reading next knights lodge after work today!!#asks

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practically-an-x-man · 1 year

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Fanfic ask game :)

👀 📥 🖊 🏅📚 👩‍🏭 😈

thank you!!! You're amazing bestie!!

👀 Do you have any WIPs that you would never let see the light of day? If yes, what are they about?

I've got one at the moment I think, more of an idea than a WIP bc it's not technically on the page yet. I don't know if I'd post it even if I did write it because 1. the fandom is abysmally tiny (I don't think there's even a tag for the movie on AO3 yet), 2. it's very self-indulgent and probably on the verge of a lazy/unrealistic plot, and 3. I just feel like it would go dead even if I did post it, so obviously my other fics are going to take precedence

📥 What is your fave fic to receive comments/messages on?

I mean, I love them all. I don't get very many comments on my fics in general, so I really treasure every one. That being said, I feel like people are really engaged with Who Waits Forever Anyway?, so I get some pretty dynamic comments there, and I really wish people would comment on Desert Song because so far nobody has and I feel like it's some of my best writing

🖊 Post a snippet from a current WIP.

Alright, here's a bit from the next chapter of Bolts and Blasters, my Star Wars fic:

A bit of the truth leached into those final words, and maybe that was why he didn’t question it. Poe just nodded, though his lips pressed into a thin, uneasy line.

“Don’t know how much you’ll find,” he admitted, “Everywhere’s tapped dry. We had ships coming in from practically every habitable planet, and they all need to recover after that. You’ll be lucky to find bacta.”

“You’re so encouraging.” Indigo huffed, giving him a look, “But I have to try.”

Again, she found glimpses of truth amid the lie. She hated that she couldn’t tell him more. She hated that she had to dodge his questions like this. She hated to lie to a friend.

With luck, it wouldn’t matter. He’d learn that it was a ruse within a day, yes, but he’d forgive her if it all worked out.

If.

Indigo sighed, and stepped forward long enough to pull him into a hug. If he thought that was strange, a farewell hug for a supposedly-brief supply run, he didn’t breathe a word of it. She’d been a little shaky these past few weeks, after all. He wouldn’t begrudge her a bit of support after everything she’d lost.

When she pulled back, Poe’s brows had drawn inwards with suspicion. She took a step back, swallowing hard.

“Good luck on your mission.” he told her, and didn’t say anything more. His posture was stiff, mechanical. He’d probably already guessed it. He was rowdy, yes, but he’d never been a stupid man.

Indie grit her teeth, forcing herself to turn away.

🏅 What is something you recently felt proud of in regard to your writing (finished a fic, actually planned for once, etc).

The last two chapters I posted, on two different fics, were both over 7k words long, and I thought they were both very good. And I'm devilishly proud of how much emotional damage I've put my readers through in Bolts and Blasters, particularly since I've already started writing the resolution to it.

📚 Do you read your own fic?

All the time lol. I write it for me, so of course I reread it.

👩‍🏭 If one of your fics was going to get you arrested, which one and why?

Desert Song or Nom De Guerre. I'd like to think that my depictions of thievery, pickpocketing, coup d'etats, underground crime groups, and whatever else that writing 6 Underground fanfiction entails is decently accurate (or at least enough for suspension of disbelief)... but is it TOO accurate?

😈 Is there anything you enjoy doing that you think your readers hate?

I have a few fics where the main character's POV is in first-person perspective, and I know that's pretty polarizing. I still write most of my fics in third-person and even a few in second, but there's a certain level of perspective and closeness in first-person that you really can't quite get in the others. It feels more like they're telling their stories, rather than having this omniscient or godly Narrator walking them through it. I don't use it all the time (only 2 of my fics use first-person, and both also have POV shifts to other characters, which are written in third-person) but I think it can be very powerful when it's done right.

#thank you!!!#my friends!!!#fanfic asks #answered asks #writing asks #fanfic writer #my writing

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sqwormywormy · 2 years

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8, 17, and 24 for the Weird Writers Questions!

Weird Questions for Writers

Thank you for the ask! I talked... Alot more than I thought I would seeing as my writing process is kinda me just tossing ideas at the wall and seeing what sticks

8. If you had to write an entire story without either action or dialogue, which would you choose and how would it go?

Oh, I would ABSOLUTELY choose to write an action only story. (Dialogue my dearly beloathed) Honestly I would likely end up focusing on descriptions of the environment, when I'm in the right writing mood I sometimes get carried away with describing small things like the sound of a cup being put down already LMAO. I personally struggle a lot with scene changes, like moving on to more interesting bits of the story (I'm working on this, it's just. Really hard) so if I needed characters to communicate somehow, I'd end up having them communicate through those good ole furtive glances, scoffs, and huffs.

17. Talk to me about the minutiae of your current WIP. Tell me about the lore, the history, the detail, the things that won’t make it in the text.

So. So... my biggest WIP currently is an addition to the beloved Ben collection. Since my writing style is a little impulsive, my additions haven't really had much of an underlying plot other than snapshots, buuut I've been getting invested and hrggh that may change. But anywayssss. So, this fic is mainly focused on the fated Big Ben first meeting and reveal, but I got hugely carried away and now there's a whole ass investigation tacked on. Cults pulling human transmogrification feats in elementary school basements, though we will only be getting part of that story from Ben n Parkers pov. I was initially going to have Arthur and John be there from the get go, but writing Kayne is soooo fun and these two being confused as hell until it clicks is much more appealing to me. But John and Arthur are getting their own action too, Kayne left them a breadcrumb trail so they wouldn't miss out on the fun altogether. One big thing I'm sad that I had to change was the perspectives in this work. It's real hard writing a conversation when two of the characters can't even hear the other half of the conversation. Add in having to rely on Johns narration for Arthur to *see* anything? Yeah it's difficult as hell but it reads awkwardly if I keep the third person omniscient reader pov soooo, what can you do.

24. How much prep work do you put into your stories? What does that look like for you? Do you enjoy this part or do you just want to get on with it?

HAHAHAH...none.

I'm kidding. Kinda. But!! Recently I started actually taking writer advice and collecting my thoughts and concepts in actual documentation rather than relying on my (shit) memory. Most of my "prepwork" is actually me just bouncing ideas back and forth with friends, it helps me get into an actual good flow to serve as a sort of kicking off point for plotting. I do Not use rough drafts or outlines, and I Really Should, but usually I just end up being at work or something, getting a scene idea, and quickly writing it down on my break. Then I go back later to see how well it fits and to add to it. I don't really like prepwork, but I know it's extremely useful, and now that I'm starting to get more interested in working on some multi chap stories I'm probably gonna actually take up drafting out this stuff.

#ask game #ask answered #organchordsandlightning #yeah i honestly only recently got back into writing #so alot of my stuff is simple one shots or drabbles #i reeeeally want to write a multi chapter fic sometime soon but im also very bad with deadlines #LMAO I REALLY GOT SIDETRACKED AT THE END OF THAT FIRST QUESTION adhd at its finest

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definitelynotkatesblog · 4 years

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Illustrated Man l Spencer Reid Fic

Pairing: Reader x Spencer Reid

Category: Fluff

Summary: Spencer comes home from a particularly difficult case, and begins to doubt himself. Reader helps him unwind and helps paint a picture of all the great things about him.

A/N: Helloooooooo friends! Yet again, I thought of a single line of dialogue I really wanted to make work so I spit a thousand words around it to bring it to life lol. Anyways! This fic is free of reader pronouns and gender identifiers, so anyone can read this and make the “I”‘a their own ☺️

P.S. I’ll see what I can do about not disappearing again for weeks on end, but I make no promises

Content warning: None! Except Spencer has his shirt off? But that’s it!

WC: 2.4k

The sound of the door clicking shut and Spencer vacating his lungs of all air drew my head up from my book.

“You’re home!” I cheered, closing my book and getting up to greet him.

He lifted his satchel over his head and gave me a small smile that didn’t touch his eyes. I nodded, mostly to myself, knowing that this meant the case was harder than most. On nights like this, Spencer was hard to reach. I padded my way across the living room and wrapped my arms around him like he might slip away if I didn’t hold him tight enough.

I pulled his head down to rest on my shoulder as his arms snaked around me, wrapping himself in me, too. We stayed like that a while until he stood up and cupped my cheeks in his hands, bringing my face up for a kiss.

‘Hi,” he said softly.

I smiled into his palms. “Hi.”

I took his hands in mine and kissed his knuckles, then led him to our bedroom to get him out of his work clothes. I helped him out of his cardigan and dress shirt, then left him to do the rest while I got him some water. When I returned, he was laying face down across the bed in a pair of sweatpants. His head rested on his crossed arms, and turned to face me when I laid next to him on the bed. I propped my head up one arm and gave him a half smile.

“Do you want to tell me about it?”

He thought for a moment before giving me a recap of the case, leaving out the gruesome details. I listened and ran my fingers across his back, alternating scratches with swirling patterns on the soft skin. Sometimes my hand would find itself at the nape of his neck and work through the hair there.

As he spoke, his voice became more resolved and tired. He worked so hard, but the things he saw, the things this job had put him through weighed on him. He was strong and incredibly smart, but just because he carried it well didn’t mean the load wasn’t heavy.

I took a deep breath and spoke gently, not wanting to offend him. “Maybe you can take some time off?” I suggested.

He shook his head, his chin brushing his hands folded under his chin.

“The team needs me. These victims and their families need me.”

I bit my tongue. I needed him, too. But this was hardly the time to bring that up.

“But this job,” he paused for a moment before continuing, “It takes pieces of me I can’t get back, and I’m scared all I am is the parts I’ve managed to pick up off of the ground.”

I closed my eyes and wished away the tears forming in my eyes. I heard him take a deep breath but he didn’t say anything else.

“I have an idea. Stay there.”

His head lifted and his eyes followed me around the room to our closet where my painting supplied resided.

“I’m going to paint you.”

“Paint me?”

I turned around, a towel in one hand and my box of paints and brushes in the other. “Yes. You’re gonna lay here and talk to me about anything in the world and I’m going to paint you.”

His eyes scanned the contents of my hands. I could see the gears in his head turning for a moment before he shrugged and gave a small nod.

“Okay.”

I ran a hand through his hair and bent down to kiss his forehead before climbing on the bed and straddling his thighs, setting my supplies on the towel beside us. “Talk to me.”

His head cocked to the side as he contemplated his answer.

“Not about work,” I clarified.

I felt his laugh beneath me. “Okay then, what would you like me to tell you about?”

I tapped my bottom lip with the handle of my paintbrush. “Hmmm. Read any good books lately?”

I could feel his smile without seeing it. If there was one thing Spencer loved more than saving lives and doing crossword puzzles in pen, it was reading. “I revisited some Ray Bradbury on the plane home,” he said.

“Mmm, tell me about it.”

He took a deep breath beneath me and began. “I re-read The Illustrated Man. It’s a compilation of short stories told through interactions between an omniscient narrator and a man covered in tattoos that each tell tales of events that have not happened yet. The tattoos are magic, and they come alive to tell the stories they depict. The stories are mostly science fiction, but have elements of pretty universal truths that Bradbury is famous for addressing.

For example, in one story explores the deep seeded longing of one man to take a trip to outer space. Something that, in this story, is attaintanable. He works his whole life to be able to fulfill this yearning, but he is torn between going or staying with his family, whom he also loves. It begs the question of the existence of duality of desire and duty.

Then, in another, there’s this incessant rain. And this group of men are searching for cover and sunshine, but it’s wearing them down and breaking them. These small raindrops, just water, becomes torture. It’s interesting how something as small as raindrops can break both canyons and men.”

I listen as he tells me about each story behind the man’s tattoos, about how they’re all different but important and lend themselves to portraying the then-futuristic perception world around us. Sometimes, his voice gets sad at the implications of the stories, but other times he seems to appreciate the sentiment behind them.

I dip my brushes and admire the way they drag across his soft skin, leaving a wake of vibrant pigments behind. I hmm and ahhh at appropriate times, partially paying attention but mostly glad that he’s able to enjoy himself and is able to think of something other than the darkness in his world.

We stayed in our respective positions for the better part of an hour- him laying on the bed with his head on his hands while I straddled the back of his thighs, stroking brushes across the lines of his back.

When I’m finally finished, I roll my neck and place my hands on the small of his back, taking a moment to take it in. The idea of creating a universe compelled me; there was so much beauty and so much unknown in the expanse of space. The concept seemed fitting for what I hoped to help him understand. I’d mixed a navy blue paint for a base, and created swirls of light with yellows, creams, and whites to create a brighter contrast and background for the more intricate featured parts. One section had books, a coffee cup, a molecular model I’d hoped was an actual chemical, and a small red apple.

The next was a canyon, modeled after one of the scenic drives we’d taken the last time we visited Vegas to see his mom at her new care facility. We parked at a lookout spot and watched the sun set- gorgeous oranges, yellows, and pinks painted the sky over the rock. It was at that moment I’d never been more jealous of Spencer’s perfect memory.

Another section, closer to the bottom curve of his spine was a silhouette outline of the Christmas card the team had sent out two years ago. Spencer had a copy hanging by a CalTech magnet on the fridge, another on his desk, and a folded and fading copy in his wallet.

He loved that photo – the way it captured their joyous spirits and ability to be carefree despite the things that initially brought them together.

I took a deep breath and playfully patted his bottom. “All done!”

He threw a boyish grin over his shoulder and handed me his phone.

I snapped a few pictures, holding the phone up by my chin to capture the expanse of his back, then a bit closer to the individual parts. I passed the phone back over his shoulder and brought my clasped hands up under my chin. “Okay, so, if you don’t like it, that’s okay you can wash-” I rushed, but stopped short when I felt his breath hitch from underneath me.

He was silent for a moment, staring at the phone in his hand.

I took a deep breath. “Spencer, you contain multitudes. You’re a loving son, an amazing friend, a brilliant profiler, a great cat-sitter, an instant mashed potato extraordinaire, and my favorite boyfriend.”

I dusted an invisible speck of dust off his shoulder before continuing, giving my words a moment to sink in. I needed him to hear me, and to know these truths. “You are so much more than the things you don’t love about yourself. You are more than this job, you are more than the obstacles you’ve had to overcome. They’re a part of who you are, yeah, but they’re not all that you are.”

I shook my head, though he couldn’t see it. The knowledge of the man beneath me not knowing he was deeply loved seemed so wrong.

“You are so incredibly loved, Spencer. The people in your life are so lucky to know you and to be loved by you. Each and every one of your friends is changed and is better for having known you, believe me.”

He was silent for a short while, pinching and zooming in on the screen to see the different parts of him illustrated in his skin. He cleared his throat a few times. Part of me was grateful I couldn’t see his face, and he couldn’t seem mine. Though, I didn’t need to see the way his mind was working to know he was trying to find a flaw in my logic.

The amount of love I had for the man beneath me threatened to spill over in the form of tears.

“Favorite boyfriend?” he asked finally, feigning insult.

I laughed. “So far, yeah.”

I knew that wasn’t the only thing he’d heard, but probably was the only thing he could bring himself to comment on.

I scrambled off of my perch unceremoniously, stretching for a moment before straightening up and offering my hand. He laid with his chin resting on his fists stacked, staring at me for a moment.

“What?” I asked with a small huff.

“Being loved by you is one of the greatest joys of my life.”

I felt my mouth pop open, a bit taken aback at such a bold admission. A sweet smile touched his lips while he watched me try to scoop my heart back into my chest. He climbed off the bed gingerly, careful not to rock the tray of paint and brushes with his long limbs.

His large hand wrapping around mine grounded me from cloud nine and I could feel the smile forming on my lips. I turned and started heading towards the bathroom.

“Come,” I said, pulling him along behind me.

When we arrived in the small room, I halted and spun him so the back of his thighs were resting against the porcelain countertop and I was flush against his front. My hands came to rest on the edges of the countertop, caging him between my arms. I looked up at him, squinting slightly.

“I’d like to take a picture, is that okay?”

I knew Spencer was wary of having his picture taken; most of our pictures together were candids I’d puppy eyed my way into him letting me keep.

He narrowed his eyes back at me. My lower lip made an appearance, coupled with a knitted brow and cautious look from under my lashes.

He laughed and shook his head. “Okay.”

Before he could change his mind, I grabbed my phone and rushed back to my place in front of him, pressing my front to his.

I snaked my arms around his torso so our chests were together while his back bearing my painting faced the mirror. My arms poking out from between his arm and torso space made him look like an alien, but placing one hand on his hip while the other held my phone gave the pose a more artistic feel.

I snapped a few pictures, messing with the lighting and exposure, playing with shadows from the vanity and positioning him every which way. Every once in a while, I’d pull my arms from him and show him a few shots I liked but they never felt like the one.

He smiled and nodded encouragingly, taking my direction to tilt this way or arch his shoulder that way. I started to feel for him, we’d been there for 15 minutes at least.

I pouted and let my head fall back dramatically. “I give up,” I whined.

He gave a small smile and leaned down to kiss me. I met his lips with a smile of my own before resting my head against his chest.

“Try one more time,” he encouraged.

I nodded and wrapped my arms around him again. I poked my head out so it was just visible behind his arm, resting my chin on his bicep as I focused my phone camera to capture the two of us and my work on his back.

“Smile,” I said before snapping a few shots. Spencer’s body shook with his laugh as he leaned down to press a kiss to the top of my head. My thumb grazed the shutter button, capturing the moment.

It was perfect.

His back was illuminated perfectly by the soft glow of the vanity mirror lighting, the muscles in his back tensed when he bent down, creating dips and curves that separated the focus points brilliantly. My hand wasn’t posed, just gently resting on his hip, a soft touch that lent itself perfectly to the lightness of the moment.

I pulled myself from around him and held the phone between us. His hand found the small of my back and he pulled me closer to him, sealing our lips together. Our lips were unhurried, enjoying the softness of the moment and the love between us. His free hand cupped my cheek as we broke apart. His eyes bore into mine, both pairs slightly glossy.

“Thank you,” he said softly.

I nodded and buried my head into his chest so he wouldn’t see the fresh tears springing in my eyes. His arms wrapped around me as he pressed more kisses to the top of my head.

——

Let’s talk about it!

#criminal minds #criminal minds fan fic #criminal minds fan fiction #spencer reid #Spencer Reid fluff #criminal minds fluff #spencer reid x reader #Spencer Reid x you #spencer reid x y/n #gn reader #criminal minds self insert #Spencer Reid gif #criminal minds gif #my writing

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yumgrapejuice · 3 years

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Hello there! I recently found your fic A is for accidental dimensional travel on ao3 and would first like to say good job! I am thoroughly enjoying the story so far. As an amateur writer, I wanted to ask if you have any writing tips?

First, I’m really happy to hear you’re enjoying it, thank you!! And second, of course!!!:D That’s very flattering haha, and it’s something I can talk about for hours, though I’ll try to keep it condensed:’D I’m an amateur writer myself, of course, but, hey, I think every writer has something valuable to offer in terms of advice, and I have been pretty obsessed over the topic for years I guess lol.

I will say, though, that writing is like any other skill, and certain advice fits certain levels (I’ve had someone come to me about writing tips who didn’t have a grasp on the most basic concepts, so I told them different things from what I’d tell someone who’s actually been writing for a while). I don’t know what level you’re at, anon, so I’ll try to keep it to tips that I personally use whenever I’m writing, just a few quick things:D However!! You can always directly dm me and I’d be more than happy to offer more personalized/specific advice if that’s something you’d like:))

(I’d also like to mention that, to me, fanfiction writing is different from original writing. In fanfics, I usually go with the first draft of any chapter and I focus more on the Fun stuff, whereas with original stuff I’d have multiple drafts and be more careful. I just don’t have the time nor the need to perfect my fics if I like them enough as is, and I don't expect anyone else to perfect them, either. But, hey, that’s just me)

(Also, also, don’t look at me for grammar lmao sorry)

Putting the rest under the cut!:D

Dialogue is my favorite part of writing, so I’d like to share a few things I keep in mind whenever I’m constructing it.

First, unless a character is monologuing, I try to keep each person’s lines to no more than 3-4 sentences at a time. That way the dialogue flows more naturally and feels like people are actually talking.

Second, people are rarely graceful with their words, especially if they’re flustered for any reason. Cutting off sentences is a good way to show that, but don’t overdo it, either. That goes for stuttering, too. A couple of cuts or stutters is more than enough. I tend to break this "rule" when someone is really struggling, but that's only on special occasions.

Third, not every line needs a dialogue tag!! You need to evaluate what’s actually important. If you’re using a dialogue tag, you’re drawing attention to it. Why? Is it unclear who’s speaking? Are they performing some action that adds to/reinforces/conflicts with what’s being said? Is it funny? If there isn’t a good reason, you can just leave it without a tag. (Also, dialogue without tags flows much quicker, so that’s something to keep in mind. That's good for a quippy exchange.)

Fourth, I try to always progress some aspect of the story with every line. Usually, that can be plot progression or character progression. They can chatter about their day, the weather, work, sure, but it needs to progress something. Maybe it’s used to showcase the tense/awkward atmosphere. Maybe they learn information that’ll be useful later. Maybe it’s a way to show personality. Just, have it have a purpose.

And last, ‘said’ is not dead. Our eyes when reading barely register the word, so if you don’t wanna draw attention to how something is being said, use… ‘said’ lol.

A few more general things:

I don’t switch POVs often, but when I do, I try to make each POV have its distinct voice, which is something you hear a lot about in writing classes and such. People far more advanced than me can explain it much better, but the way I go about it is similar to dialogue. Different people use different phrases, some go on long tangents, some introspect a lot, some would rather die than think for a second about what they’re feeling (doesn’t mean you shouldn’t describe their emotional responses; just that some may draw more attention to them and linger longer). Switching between more formal styles to looser and rambly is also an easy and quick way to distinguish different narrators.

If you focus a lot on a certain detail, that detail needs to be important. Listen, I didn't spend multiple paragraphs on Dream fawning over an ender chest for that to be trivial in the future lol. The more attention you draw to something, you more weight you put on it. I really recommend that you bring it back eventually.

What’s the worst that can happen? Make it happen, and make it worse lol.

Your readers aren’t stupid, don’t spoon-feed them information. They’re smart cookies, leave some clues and they’ll figure it out. Hopefully. Use your judgement lol. But that goes for descriptions, too. Help them paint the scene, don’t actually paint it for them. Use different senses to describe something, such as smell, touch, sound. Once again, draw attention only to what’s actually important. (I’ve really enjoyed the way descriptions were done in Path of Golden Green)

If you want a line to have a lot of weight, put it in a separate paragraph. That’s probably obvious, but good to have it in mind haha.

Decide what atmosphere you want your story to have. If you’re going for a lighter one, don’t focus too much on serious, dark things. Likewise, tragedies and comedy don’t mix well unless it’s a tragicomedy lol, but that’s a whole other thing. I usually like going for a nice middle, sometimes leaning more towards light stuff. It’s why in A is for Accidental I didn’t dwell too much on the possible effects the prison could have had on mh!Dream because I wanted to keep that storyline relatively light (at least, compared to dsmp!Dream’s storyline lol). Possible trauma just. wasn’t the point here lmao. I just slap on a “eh, not his first rodeo” and I’m done haha. Not everything needs to be heavy angst and not everything needs to be all funny and fluffy. Find what balance you wanna have. Basically, it’s usually not a good idea to betray your readers lol.

This is more of a pet peeve but I really dislike head-hopping lol. It's basically when one paragraph is from one character's POV, the next one is from another's. I guess there's the third-person omniscient POV where that can fly, I suppose, but I'm more of a third-person limited kind of person lol. If that's the POV you're going with, decide on your POV character and stick to it (until the change in POV, at least), pretty please <3

This is very unorganized but each aspect of writing has so much that could be said about it that I thought I should stop here lol. If there’s anything specific you’d like me to talk about or to elaborate on something, please, feel free to ask; again, I’d be more than happy to ramble more about writing lol. I could go on forever, honestly:’D

#ask #anon #writing tips #??? i guess #not but really if there's one thing that can keep me talking for hours it's this lol #this ask made me very happy actually thank u anon <3

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kitkatt0430 · 2 years

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2021 Year In Review - Ao3

I found myself pretty curious how many fanfics I posted or otherwise updated over the course of this year. And it turns out that when filtering my works Ao3 they can be filtered by date now - I bet this has actually been around a while and I just haven't noticed since I don't usually filter search results by date. (Generally I'm just filtering out specific pairings or fandoms.) So I loaded up the filter to only select my works from Jan 1, 2021 through to today, Dec 27, 2021. And, uh...

I've apparently written more than I realized. 138 updated works updated over the course of the year, which includes both new works and existing WiPs that I worked on this year. That's a lot of fanfic.

My First Fic of the Year:

Gideon Vs The Reverse Flash - Eobard Thawne isn't the only person playing the long game. And Gideon is fairly certain that she's ultimately going to win this one.

Notes: So this story was a parody and the start of a series that I haven't actually gotten back around to yet. Though I do have ideas for at least two more entries into Gideon's Timeline. One is a Hartmon side story while the other one picks up where the first fic left off and is Westhallen heavy, though largely Gideon's PoV as she continues to mess with Eobard Thawne. (He's really going to regret stealing a copy of her program by the time she's done.)

I really enjoyed writing this fic and I definitely want to return to this series and finish it up in 2022. Though any progress is good progress.

Request Fics:

I wrote two requested fics: (Re)Learning to Breathe for RenLuthor (@hizzieluthor ) and Geometry for @avatarskywalker78 (@rebelcaptain-badasspilot ). I'd actually intended to do more requests later in the year, but I wound up getting busy alternately with work and with prompt events and ended up forgetting to create a new pinned post regarding requested fics. I never did turn off asks or submissions though, so for now consider requests as being open indefinitely if you'd like to send me a prompt or a pairing request. I'll probably create a new pinned post after the New Year.

As for the fics themselves, (Re)Learning to Breathe was an Iris/Caitlin fic set during season two. I really enjoyed writing this one as it had a sort of slice of life feeling, chronicling how Iris and Caitlin's growing friendship helps them both to find solace from their grief and later on their growing love for each other helps them to find the strength to deal with the new traumas brought on by the events of season two.

Geometry was a fun love triangle story for Westhallen where Iris likes Eddie who likes Barry who likes Iris. They eventually all wind up in love with each other and thank goodness Iris has the braincell in this relationship because Barry and Eddie are the very definition of disaster bis who both try very hard to fall into the realm of misunderstandings. I played around with some silly omniscient narrator as a character moments as well, which actually worked out quite well.

The "(Belated) Femslash February" Series:

Things got pretty busy for me in February and despite my intentions to write a few femslash stories based off one of the prompt lists floating around that month... it just didn't happen. The only thing I did post that month was a story set in 2020 where Jerrie Rathaway comes home from college as the first wave of Covid-19 ramps up, as a sort of commemoration for the anniversary of the shelter in place 'quarantine' regulations.

I ended up setting a goal of writing twenty-eight femslash stories during the year, both to make up for not writing any at all during February but also to widen the number of ships I write for. A lot of the ships I write for are m/m, in part because male characters tend to get more screen time and better characterization in media but also because I struggle to see myself in female characters. I think figuring myself out as a demi-girl has helped a lot in that latter regard, however, and now it's just a matter of finding more f/f ships that I really enjoy writing. I plan to set myself a new femslash writing challenge for the New Year, though I haven't quite decided what it'll be yet.

I was successful in meeting my goal of 28 f/f stories, however, and I'm really proud of all the fics I wrote.

Spite Fic:

While I wouldn't exactly say this has been the year of the spite fic... there was definitely a notable amount of spite writing for the Flash this year. I'd been unimpressed with the season six mirror arc as it was, but the season seven premier of the Flash was yet another instance of the show taking a character struggling with depression and having them commit 'noble' suicide. It's a really gross and awful trend throughout the show that I spent some time discussing in a tumblr post found here.

I ended up writing the fic Every New Beginning (Comes From Some Other Beginning's End) to analyze a way the new Artificial Speed Force could have kept all the Wells alive even as I suspected that their legacy was going to be crapped on by the show runners. And I also wrote a fic trying to find a non amatonormative explanation for Timeless!Wells choosing to retreat into the doomed life of Original Wells rather than establish his own life. But the season never really recovered for me.

I wasn't thrilled with aspects of the storyline with the Speed Force's rebirth and the awakening of the new Forces. Particularly that the Speed Force's previously abusive behavior towards Barry is never really addressed. Cisco's departure from the show was poorly foreshadowed and the promised prominent storyline for Cisco turned out to be a background side plot and a last minute exit from Team Flash that while entertaining did very little to actually celebrate Cisco as a character or his contributions to the team, ending instead on a cute but ultimately performative note. And ultimately I started skipping episodes here and there because I just... felt less and less interested by the show. And it shows in my fanfic writing, considering the majority of it takes place in early seasons when the show writing itself was more consistent.

I discussed wanting to rework the mirror arc into something that made sense, but with the show becoming increasingly less watchable for me, the idea of revisiting the mirror arc became a chore I didn't want to deal with. So while I have some outlines for that saved locally, I don't know if that writing will ever go anywhere. (I might eventually use how I did the #ArmageddonRevised episode outlines as a model for how I handle my many thoughts on the mirror arc, though.)

Then came the Armageddon arc for the season 8 opening and... I realized the time had come to stop keeping up with new seasons. I spite wrote some episode outlines - starting here with the first episode and tracked with the #ArmageddonRevised tag - that reorganized the five episodes into something more coherent than what we actually received. It's basically my farewell to the show, while at the same time reminding myself why I still enjoy writing fanfic for the Flash and keeping up with the fandom itself.

Updating Old Series:

While I didn't update as many existing series as intended, I did finally add on to some of my older Hartmon series, like Visions While I Sleep and The Pied Piper's Army of Rats as well as make some small continuations of other series. I'm pretty sure I started more series than I updated or completed. I blame the plot bunnies.

I still haven't written the heist sequence for Road Trip, so I may make that a New Years resolution. I'd intended to write those chapters over the summer, but the best made plans and that all that jazz... I did write some for the fic, but didn't end up posting any of it since I want to post for this fic in batches.

New Ships:

I added a number of new ships to my repertoire.

I finally wrote several Harrisco fic where Cisco, Harry, and their relationship are front and center instead of playing background to Jesse's story.

I've also started what will be an EoBarry series where the consequences of Original Eobard's meddling with the timeline has created an Alternate Eobard who is, dare I say it, actually heroic. It hasn't reached the point of Barry and new!Eobard even meeting yet, but new!Eobard's crush on Barry is pretty obvious and instant.

Lisa Snart has, surprisingly, proven to be a popular character for me to ship with. While my main headcanon for her is aro - and I pretty much always write her as being arospec whether it's stated explicitly in the fic or not - I do still enjoy writing ship fics with her. (Aro identities are complicated and varied, after all.) While I think I'd already written some Lisa/Caitlin, I expanded my multishipping with her to pair her with Iris and Frost.

Branching out into old fandoms, I found myself disappointed by the lack of Buffy/Anya stories and ended up writing a whole series where Buffy figures out she's bi, Anya starts a Vengeance and PI service, and will likely come to a close next year with either one or two more stories where Willow has fellow wlw friends to help her figure out her gay crisis over falling for Tara. The series is very heavy on the idea of women supporting women, exploring the concepts of vengeance and closure, and queer solidarity. (Though I deleted the comment, I apparently upset someone for exploring the idea that how comfortable a term makes a person feel is more important than what other people might find more accurate when it comes to self expression and choosing queer labels.)

I also got back into Mutant X for a while, renewing my love for Emma/Shalimar and writing my first fic for that series. I'm still mid rewatch so when I get back to watching that this year I may wind up inspired to write more. It's definitely got a lot of queer subtext going on, so I'm sure I've got a few more Emma/Shalimar fics in me to write.

This isn't all the new ships I've started writing for, but it's a good chunk of them.

My Favorite Fics:

This is a hard choice to make because I write for myself as my audience first, so I try to write stories that I'll enjoy reading and re-reading later. Thankfully I can read my own writing without automatically seeing all the flaws in it, though it does make editing out all the spelling and grammar mistakes more difficult...

That said, here are a few that stand out in particular.

Geometry - One definition of geometry would be that it is the mathematical study of the properties and relations of points, lines, surfaces, solids, and higher dimensional analogs. Admittedly, not something Iris had thought would be super useful for her future career choices, even as she swerves from psychology into journalism.

Until, that is, Eddie Thawne asks her if she knows if Barry Allen is attracted to men and suddenly Iris finds herself contemplating the complexity of triangles.

Bisexual Panic And Other Foolishness - Shalimar's pretty sure she's supposed to be too old to be having a queer crisis, but there's just something about Emma... So it seems like something of a blessing when her feral nature takes what should be a run of the mill attraction to Richard Saunders and turns it up to eleven. After all, she doesn't have to examine her feelings for Emma if she's busy not thinking with Richard.

Meanwhile Emma's nursing what she thinks is an unrequited crush and having to put up with two guys who are definitely dating even though they swear they're not. (And Adam demonstrates the very definition of a clueless aro.)

The Central City Squirrel Revival - Eobard Thawne apparently had more important things to think about than the giant gash in one of the STAR Labs towers (prongs? What is the proper architectural term for it anyway?) because well over a year later it's still a gaping wound on the building and a security nightmare that Team Flash has been studiously ignoring. And Harry might've left things as they were until one night he works so late that it might as well be early. He arrives in his makeshift bedroom and discovers a squirrel asleep on his bed.

Which is when Cisco reveals the existence of the 'squirrel conspiracy' and Harry regrets the decision making paradigm that led him to believe that Team Flash was anywhere near competent enough to defeat Zoom. And also starts looking up contractors and repairmen and animal control contact information to shove in Barry's face.

"The Broken Pedestal" Series - The information on the Flash's personal frequency was only ever a distraction so that no one would realize that Hartley had actually installed a virus in the system in order to steal terabytes worth of data on the accelerator. Which is promptly dumped online.

Of course, data is useless without context, but that's where Hartley's new blog comes into play.

The City On the Hill - 1989 - Pre Time War - Drax visits with his former schoolmate, the Rani, to catch up on current events and avoid witnessing the Master's pending execution on Gallifrey. Two Time Lords arrive. Only one leaves.

2009 - Post Time War - Ianto Jones, head archivist - only archivist - for Torchwood Three has had vivid dreams of a golden city with an orange sky on and off for years. But ever since the Dalek's failed attempt to create a reality bomb, the dreams have become not only a nightly occurrence, but are visiting him when he's awake too. At the same time, a woman strangely familiar to Ianto has arrived through the rift, though he's certain he's never met her before in his life. And then Rhiannon finds a box of Ianto's childhood things, including a fob watch that puts Jack on high alert...

And... I'm going to stop trying to pick here because there's clearly a lot of writing I did this year that I'm proud of.

Weirdest Fic:

That'd definitely have to be Spiral, a gen fic that's as much a think piece on the idea of how stories change as they're retold as it is on the affects of time travel, being careful what you wish for, and a character piece for Eobard Thawne. I wrote it and yet I'm still finding new meaning in my own writing every time I reread it. So it's weird, but good weird.

Original Fic:

Based off the Cinderella fairy tale, but not any specific retelling, I wrote a short story called The Other Shoe, about a trans princess longing to be herself, an abused young woman longing for the resources to save herself and her sister, and how the circumstances that bring them together ultimately gives them what they both need to make their wishes come true.

I don't write a lot of original fiction, so I'm really pleased about how this one turned out.

Fandom Events:

I participated in a lot of fandom events this year and I'm not going to list them all out. But they were all a lot of fun. I'm going to try and participate in more events that don't center on specific ships next year. Better luck for Femslash February this time around. And I've already started looking at the Multiamory March prompts. :D

In Closing...

It looks like I actually wrote more in the last few months of the year than in the first half of the year. Which isn't too surprising given how many overlapping fandom events I was participating in during these last few months. I managed not to burn myself out, so maybe I'm getting better at managing the time I spend writing. That being said, I'm going to try and relax during January. So there may not be a lot of new stories or updates while I get ready for the next two big fandom events I want to participate in. Though I do want to finally get back to Complicated and Messy, which is probably somewhere around the halfway mark, though I'm certainly not going to try and guess at the final chapter tally any time soon.

#fandom #a sort of year in review look back on my writing #I'm pretty proud of my fanfic writing this year #I wrote sooooo much though O_O

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parakeatswrites · 3 years

Note

For the writer’s alphabet soup: H, P, T, X?

Thank you! 😊 these were really great questions!

H - How would you describe your style?

Great! Question! I am endlessly curious what readers feel about my style, but I’m not actually sure how to describe it because I don’t really think about it much while writing.

I’m never intentional about capital-S Style. Don't get me wrong, a lot of my word choice is very intentional! I try to write down exactly what I mean (or what the POV character THINKS they mean haha). But I’m not sure if my writing comes across as flowery / practical / over descriptive / under descriptive etc etc

I usually write 3rd person limited omniscient in past tense. I like how this forces the narration to be ‘locked’ to one character for a scene & create some dramatic irony between what the reader might have learned from a different character. (Absolutely one of my favourite features of the writing in TRC.) But 3rd person gives me a bit more wiggle room in word choice / voice than 1st person would allow.

Anyone is free to tell me what adjectives describe my writing style though haha I’m a bit curiously narcissistic

P - As a writer, are you an ‘architect’ or a ‘gardener’?

So I had to look this up, and I’m more familiar with the ‘planner vs pantser’ writing style dichotomy. I don’t uh. Keep Up with Mr Martin. BUT that aside, I’m firmly in the pantsing camp. Sure, I’ll start out with a direction and general set of goals, but writing is a discovery process for me (and I rely heavily on ‘zero drafting’). I never know what the final scene of a story is going to be, only the general area that I want the characters’ arcs to end up in.

I definitely write myself into corners (especially if I have already posted part of the fic), and this is probably also why I don’t like writing endings very much. All the fun, for me, is in the discovery - very literally the Act Two “fun & games” stage. That is very clear in my published fics, I think haha

T - Any fandom tropes you can’t stand?

I had to think about this for a long time! I am lucky enough to have a pretty relaxed relationship with fandom/canon and a generally good fandom experience. I’ve just been around too long to get annoyed by tropes / headcanons I think. (I’m boring, sorry lol)

Generally I'm not down with the weird pitfalls like bashing a female character bc she gets in the way of a 'ship', or having one male character be into another male character but rationalize it as being "just gay for him" (e.g., if Adam was like "i'm just ronansexual") I don't see a lot of that in the trc fandom which is a relief. Are those tropes? Haha They just seem like a staple old school of m|m fandom spaces.

X - A character you enjoy making suffer.

Hehehehehehehehe

Gansey💕

Jk jk I will enjoy pretty much any character suffering so long as it’s for a purpose. Mostly I’ll write a character Going Through It because I’m interested in exploring whatever that difficulty is and imagining ways of working through it. It's kind of a processing exercise.

[[send me a letter?]]

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