#i've been saying this fic is 'practice' for an original book

[non-un-topo]

I remember now why I shelved this WIP for a year lol. Because it's riddled with plot holes like Swiss cheese

#fmllll #still really want to write it. still want it to be my biggest project yet #but the thing about that is uhh. there is SO much plot. and so many original characters you have to keep up with #i'm in my game of thrones era for sure #not only because of all the characters and plot but bc the story kind of splits into four. #like there are four povs (queer quartet) and they each do their own thing for a while. they overlap and connect though #i've been saying this fic is 'practice' for an original book #and to the two or three friends who have expressed undivided interest in this fic: i love you and i want to finish this for you #at this point it's kind of lame that i need so much cheerleading. going to do my best to fix more plot holes today #i don't want to shelve it forever ;_; #also believe me this wouldn't be the same as an original story. it's very much about andromache quynh yusuf and nicolo and their immortalit

[happilychaengs]

The Little Things [Rewrite]

a/n: this is my first rewrite and it's a rewrite of the first fic I've published ever. i didn't proofread because i'm sure i'd hate it but this one is less lighthearted than the original. hopefully i still did it justice.

word count: 944

angst, fluff

minatozaki sana x gender neutral reader

original

Sana was possessive. She knew that. She was overprotective and a 'worrywart' as you called it but sometimes rational thinking is thrown out the window when it comes to you. Her tearstained cheeks were proof of that.

"Where have you been?"

You furrow your brows as you looked at Sana, the look of disapproval apparent on her face as she crossed her arms. "I was out with a friend."

"This late? It's 2 in the morning!"

"I told you before that I'd be going out today, do you not remember?"

"So what? Who in the world would you even be going out with?"

You're reluctant to say the name, knowing how she'd react. "Momo..."

"Momo... As in the Hirai Momo?" She chuckles almost hysterically, her tone was almost venomous as she spoke, the back-handed insults flying straight out of her mouth. "The girl who'd do anything to even be near you? The girl who was so clearly trying to take advantage of you at that stupid frat party one time? The girl that was definitely in love with you?"

"She did not take advantage of me! She was watching out for me! We cleared that up ages ago! You were there!"

"Right, because she being so protective while she practically hit on you as I watched! If you're cheating on me just say it!"

Silence.

She didn't mean that.

Why did she say it?

Take it back.

Her heart hammered against her chest as she saw the look on your face, your eyes turning redder by the second, "You think I'm... cheating on you?"

"..."

Stop it.

Say something.

Anything.

Fix this.

But in the end, she doesn't.

Silence envelops you as you tighten your lips, evidently to stop yourself from crying. You nod briefly as you take your keys, your fingers fiddling with the ring on your left hand. "Okay."

And before she realizes it, you're out the door under the short promise that you're only going out to clear your head.

It's been an hour since then. An hour of hating herself. An hour of worrying where you've been. An hour of sobbing.

How stupid was she? Why did she doubt you? Why did she hurt you in the process?

She gets up to pour herself a glass of water, but the sudden motion somehow makes her light-headed as she grabs the corner of your bed side drawer to support herself. But then she sees something that catches her eye, something she's never seen before. There laid a small brown journal, maybe a diary, under a small stack of your favorite books that you kept to yourself.

She sat down again, debating whether she should reach for it or not, but in the end she does. She lays it on her lap as she turns the blank cover, reading the words etched inside.

"The Little Things I Love About My Sweetheart, Minatozaki Sana"

The words made her heart skip a beat as she turned the page, reading down the next few lines.

"Always love her, never disappoint her"

Oh, but how she disappointed you.

She flips the page, her eyes scanning through the words, quietly reading them to herself.

"Her love is loud and sometimes almost too obnoxious but that's what I love about it. I love those quirky songs she makes up on the fly as I step into the room, never ceasing to make my heart flutter. I love that she's always there and always present.

And then there's her honey-like voice. It has a sweet tone with an underlying huskiness, the mere sound of it making my knees want to buckle. It's worrying how weak I am for her because I'm sure I'd go die if she told me to.

I really never noticed it until recently but she has the cutest habits imaginable. She almost always have to even out her kisses when she kisses my cheeks. 'It'd be unfair to the other!' she tells me.

But all of it really pales in comparison when I see her drop everything for me. Sometimes-"

Your voice abruptly interrupts her as her eyes tear away from the page.

"Sometimes when she notices I come home, she drops everything she's doing and comes to give me a tight hug with a huge smile on her face and I love her for that."

And there you stood, leaning against the doorframe, your nose and cheeks a shade of rosy pink from the blistering cold outside.

"Y/N..."

And in that moment, she really does drop everything.

The bed quickly dips as her hands push her off the bed. Her legs practically get caught onto each other as she rushes off the bed, her whole body crashing into yours. Her arms envelop around you as her head rests on your collar. Her hands ball up bunches of your shirt as tears begin staining it.

"I'm so sorry..." As she spoke, her breath hitched repeatedly, her lips shaking, "I-I didn't mean it any of it... I was scared..."

She bites her lip as she waits for you to say something. Anything. Tell her that she was wrong. Tell her that you were hurt. Tell her that she was crazy.

But instead, she feels your soft lips press against her forehead, the three words ringing inside her head loud and clear. Her worries disappear.

"I love you."

#rewrite #minatozaki sana x reader #sana x reader #sana imagines #sana angst #sana fluff #twice fluff #twice angst #twice x reader #twice imagines #twice scenarios #girl group scenarios

[msmargaretmurry]

What is writing advice you would give to someone just starting out?

ohhh you know i love to talk about WRITING. this is mainly geared at people just starting out writing fanfic but most of it can probably be applied to original fiction and other types of writing too 💕

first of all: be patient with yourself. like all other skills, writing is something that takes practice to get good at! i've been writing for YEARS and am still constantly learning and growing as a writer. if you're just starting out and you find yourself getting frustrated that the stuff on the page doesn't match the stuff in your head, it does NOT mean you're bad at writing. it just means you need more practice. do you think the first fanfics i wrote were good? no, they were incoherent and you will never find them.

write about things that you're excited to write about. whether this is the most popular pairing in the fandom or a rarepair you made up on your own, go with your passion! i know this can be hard because everyone wants the higher amount of comments and kudos that comes with posting popular pairings, but i promise that writing something you're excited about is like step one in getting yourself to write regularly. literally if you read a story you love and think "i want to write a story like that" then write a story like that! figure out how to take the things you loved in it and make it your own. drop the author a note and say they inspired you!

take all writing advice with a grain of salt. i watch a lot of writing advice videos on youtube, and i read craft books and articles on writing craft, and i've learned a ton of stuff from those over the years, but i've also learned that it's totally okay for me to be like "actually i think i disagree" and do it my way. (this does not apply to basic punctuation and grammar tho. please learn those, or get a beta reader who knows them really well. and then you can tactically decide if/when you want to break the rules sometimes.)

everyone has their own writing process. you can watch a million youtube videos on outlining but if outlining just doesn't work for you, videos aren't going to fic that! i used to outline a lot and now i mostly discovery write (i find the term "pantser" so unserious, lol). it took me a long time to develop a writing process that worked for me, and it'll take you some time, too, so don't be afraid to try new things and then set them back down if you're not working for you.

READ. read read read!!! do not just read fanfiction. do not just read the kind of thing you want to write. read WIDELY. and think about the writing while you're reading! if a fic or book is doing something really well, think about what's making it work. if it's doing something that you don't like, think about why it's rubbing you the wrong way and/or how you would fix it. i always say that even if i wind up not loving a book, i always learn something from it, craft-wise, so i very rarely feel like i wasted my time.

TALK about writing with your friends!! i know this one can be tough if you don't already have friends who are into writing, but i am so serious about it. buddy-read books or fics together and then get together afterward to talk about how you felt about the writing, the plot, the characters, the story as a whole. find someone(s) who will let you bounce your own writing ideas off of them, and who will read as you write to cheer you on and help you with tough spots. do the same for them if they want it! writing is such a solitary act that you have to be deliberate about building community around it, and having that community is so worth it.

on feedback: yes, having someone beta read your story can be pretty nerve-wracking. i have (once again) been writing for years and i still get nervous sending something off to be beta'd. but! having a beta reader you trust is so good for your writing. sometimes it really does just take a second set of eyes to spot typos, find plot holes, call you out on writing quirks and habits that you can't see for yourself because you're too deep in it. and it definitely helps to have a friend whose taste and skill level you trust to help make your story better. have a conversation with your beta beforehand to discuss what kind of feedback you're looking for, the timetable for how long they think the beta reading is going to take, how harsh or gentle they should try to make their feedback. if you're nervous about getting a lot of suggested edits, ask them to point out things they really like in the story as well.

OH ALSO. it's totally fine if you're struggling a lot with a story to just set it down for a while and work on something else. as you keep writing, you'll get better at figuring out what kind of writer's block you can beat by pushing through and what kind you need to deal with by just giving a story time to percolate more.

ok i think that's all i've got tonight. 💖

#ask #writing #don't worry i will get to the rest of the hockey romance asks and also all of the other asks throughout the week when i have the energy lma

[ziusik]

fic writer meme!

i was tagged by @englishsub, thanks, pal!

1. how many works do you have on ao3?

121, which is...a lot, but I've been posting to AO3 since 2009, so I guess that explains it.

2. what's your total ao3 wordcount?

2,201,443 words

3. what fandoms do you write for?

Currently? None. I went through a flash of a brief return to My Chem, which was SO fun, but currently I am fandom-less & am doing my best to be okay with that. I'm refilling the well by reading lots of books and allowing my fields to lie fallow for the time being.

4. what are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Lead Me On Through (canon-era Wangxian practice kissing)

Accidents Will Happen (Wangxian canon-era mpreg)

A Sure Thing (modern-era Wangxian sugar daddy AU)

You'd Break Your Heart to Make It Bigger (canon-era Wangxian soulbonding)

On The Way Home (modern-era Wangxian mpreg)

5. do you respond to comments?

I do at first, and then I fall off it and feel bad. So, so many fics where I responded to the first, like, 6 pages of comments, and then never went back to respond to the rest. Mea culpa, but it gets overwhelming after a while.

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

Probably lullaby (SHL) because it's Wen Kexing grieving.

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

Honestly, the rest of my fics all have very happy endings. In terms of the most, like, traditional happy endings, I'd say probably On the Way Home and A Sure Thing, but I think the most hopeful one is actually in estuaries, the break-up/make-up modern-era Wangxian.

8. do you get hate on fics?

No, never. I once got a shitty comment, I think. That's it. I've been very lucky.

9. do you write smut?

Consistently.

10. do you write crossovers? what's the craziest one you have written?

I don't, actually! When my brain is occupied with one fandom, that's all it can take.

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not as far as I know, but it might have happened and I've never found out, who knows.

12. have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, frequently, and it's been amazing. I especially love it when they get translated into Russian, because I can read them in translation, which is VERY cool.

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

Yes, Becoming Joan with @theopteryx, which still holds a special place in my heart. I'd write with B again in a heartbeat.

14. what's your all time favorite ship?

God, this is hard, because they are all my children, but considering that I just went through an absolutely insane out-of-the-blue My Chem renaissance, I'll say Frank & Gerard, because they are, apparently, a constant. Wangxian is a very, very close second.

15. what is a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I don't have any! In all my time writing, I've not finished one (1) fic, a wangxian office AU where I wrote myself into a corner and realized I'd have to rewrite the whole thing so I scrapped it and am very comfortable with that decision. Otherwise, it's mostly original stuff that's sitting there unfinished and making me feel inadequate.

16. what are your writing strengths?

Writing dialogue, I think, as well as intimacy and closeness, emotional or physical.

17. what are your writing weaknesses?

Plot. Plot, plot, plot, as well as writing high stakes - that's definitely a weakness of mine. I have a hard time putting my characters through the wringer because I'm a softie, but to get a compelling story (especially an original one) you gotta do it, and so I think that's a real weakness.

18. thoughts of writing dialogue in another language in fics?

As long as you know the language or get a native speaker to help you, I'm all for it.

19. first fandom you wrote for?

Harry Potter, back before the fifth book came out - you know, in pre-historic times.

20. favorite fic you have written?

Of all time? Man, that's hard. You know what, I'm gonna come out of left field and say Simmer Down and Pucker Up, which is a Raven Cycle fic from many, many years ago. I'm still very proud of capturing Ronan's voice.

Tagging: @brooklinegirl, @airinshaw, @phneltwrites, and @dulosis!

#writing meme

[sarcasticgaypotato]

Do you agree with Ossy Flawol's video on Chell's backstory? What would be your own idea(s) about her? Also, when did Chell begin to develop feelings for GLaDOS in The Resurrection Project? Since we've only read it through GLaDOS' POV. I really loved reading TRP, so I also wanted to ask if you'd like to tell us about Chell's POV in the fic (I'm new to this blog so I am probably not aware if a question like this has been asked before). Thank you!

Alright two big questions here (and technically a third one) so I'll try and keep my answers separate so it doesn't bleed into one big long ramble. Ossy Flawol's video 'Who Is Chell?'

I thought it was well done! They clearly did their research, the video is edited nicely, and I think it's a perfectly good theory.

However, I think some of their conclusions are a bit of a stretch. While the bring your daughter to work day theory they offer is good, they don't do quite enough to convince me. I personally think it's very likely that the potato battery easter egg is just that; an easter egg, not canon lore. That doesn't mean I don't think it's fun to consider the implications if it was canon, it just means that I think the original intention behind putting it in there was just 'oh haha wouldn't this be fun' and not any serious lore plans.

I also think Flawol puts a bit too much stock into GLaDOS's insults without really considering them as a whole. They fixate strongly on the idea that there's 'half-truths' to her insults, but they neglect to mention all the jokes made about Chell's weight and her potential brain damage. We can certainly headcanon these being things Chell is specifically sensitive about, but considering there's no evidence to support it, I think it more likely that they're just...generic insults. Yes GLaDOS makes them in a very targeted manner, but 'you're fat and stupid' is hardly a unique insult to bully someone with.

Further, if Flawol believes we can trust that GLaDOS's lines have some element of truth to them, what about the 'good people don't end up here' line? Nothing in their theory implies that Chell has done anything that would make her sensitive about that comment, just that she's independent.

All in all I enjoyed the video, but there's a bit too much cherry-picking in certain spots for me to 100% agree with it. Definitely worth a watch though! (I was happy to see them point out the stupidity of the 'Caroline and Cave are Chell's parents' theory. Anybody who does that gets a thumbs up in my book.)

As for my own ideas about Chell? I've got some other asks in my inbox about Chell where I'll be tackling more of that soon, so keep an eye out!

When did Chell develop feelings for GLaDOS in 'The Resurrection Project'? What is Chell's POV?

I love this question because Chell's perspective throughout TRP is something that's kept purposefully unknown. The reader only ever sees her through GLaDOS's eyes, making her thoughts, feelings, and intentions a bit of a mystery.

Playing the games, it's easy to take it for granted how much we project onto Chell. We can easily imagine Chell's perspective because we're playing it, but what would it be like to be GLaDOS? How would you interpret someone like Chell?

Do you think Chell set up handgun practice as a way to get close to GLaDOS? Was she lying about only being able to get one shower? What was going through her mind when she held GLaDOS through her nightmare?

I'm hesitant to say too much about Chell, even years later, because I think a lot of the fun is how the reader interprets it. However, I can give a bit of the thought process behind her.

GLaDOS saved Chell's life at the end of Portal 2. She kept her word, she let her go. They worked together as a team to defeat Wheatley and they worked together well. Chell never forgot any of that, even when she initially comes off as cold to GLaDOS in the beginning of TRP.

Chell wonders if this is all some elaborate trick, but dismisses that once she sees how miserable GLaDOS is. From there, she finds this situation is a bit like when they were working together in Aperture, because GLaDOS isn't in a position of power over her, and it's not bad. They work well together, Chell might be catching some feelings, but all that has to clash with her lingering distrust.

There's a reason why, despite moments of them getting closer, Chell takes a long time to actually speak to GLaDOS. That is, in a lot of ways, the final hurdle she had to overcome. That was the biggest show of trust Chell could give her, and thus it's no surprise that she kisses GLaDOS soon after.

#chelldos #portal #portal 2 #the resurrection project #trp #chell #glados #I've got more chell thoughts on the way but it takes me 10 years to write anything #so just hang tight everybody

[she-posts-nerdy-stuff]

Day 2 of falling back in love with my book

Question of the day: Should I restructure?

If you missed part one, my book had been rejected by everyone I submitted it to and I had to take a break from writing it for a while because it was a very draining process but via writing in a pressure-free environment (mostly tumblr and ao3) I feel that I've improved my writing greatly and I want to edit, hone, and rework my book until it's the best version of itself it can be and is ready to be shared with the world.

So, on restructuring: I'm starting to think that the outline of my book needs to be completely redone, keeping the flesh of most scenes but in different orders or in a new format, so I'm experimenting with possible new/slightly twisted versions of the premise that practically feel like au's and is very interesting to think about. Today I'm planning on watching some videos about writing openers and considering what about my current opener I do and don't like, hoping that it will lead me down a bit of a rabbit hole to either rework the opener I have with the current version of the premise or write some different options for twisted versions of the current premise and decide which one I want to be taking onwards.

I'm having a teensy dilemma over POV because the entire book is written in first person but all of my other creative writing projects (meaning fics and other original works in progress) are in third person and I've gotten a lot more comfortable writing that way than I have in first; it's making me wonder I should rewrite the entire (99k word) story in third person instead and even though I know I need to do a lot of rewriting anyway that is a daunting prospect. I don't think that I should, particularly because it's a retrospective narrative and as I've written it currently is the transcription of voice recordings made by the main character, but there's a little voice in my head saying 'ohhhh wouldn't it be so much better that way though?'. But I think I'm going to stick with the first person, unless when I start getting into it I realise that it's definitely not the right way for this story to be told.

Feel free to ask any writing related question you'd like to, including any industry ones I can do my best to answer them or direct you to good sources :)

#writing a book #writerscommunity #writer stuff #creative writing #writing motivation #writing #on writing #writer #fantasy writer #fantasy writing #female writers #ao3 writer #writers on tumblr #writer community #writers #writers and poets #writeblr #dk rambles about random stuff #bookblr #books and reading #booklr #bookworm #reading #falling back in love with my book

[fredrickzoller]

Hey there :))

First of all, big fan of your work, read your landstrom works and fell into an obsession with ib and these two, so I started working on a fanfic about landstrom too hshshs

And I was today years old, with a 8k words WIP, reading Hellstrom's fandom wiki article, when I noticed that he does NOT canonicly have a sister, aka that the sister I thought was canon (Johanna I believe) was your original idea. So I thought I'd better ask if incorporating her in my story would be okay for you because the last thing I want is to be stealing other creators' ideas🙈

If not, which is totally understandable, I'll of course change the bits where she's mentioned :)

Have a nice day!

Hi, thank you so much for your encouraging message! I think it's super amazing that what I've shared about Johanna Hellstrom and her relationship with Dieter thus far in my fics has left enough of an impression that you thought it was canon! Seriously, that's awesome and a huge a compliment. :') As for including Johanna... well, I have some Landstrom WIPs started (not posted) that include her as a main character and focus heavily and her and Dieter's relationship and my headcanons for his background as a whole, which involve her. So I would prefer she not be used by anyone else at this time. But that being said, I think if you want to give Dieter a sister or any sibling/family background, you should totally go for it, and I'd be interested in reading your fic when you're done (wow, 8k!) I would just prefer his sibling to not be Johanna. I appreciate that you would reach out and ask, tho. ❤️ Since we're talking about her, here's a snippet from my WIP Der klaren Sterne, the one where she's featured as a main character. Hope you like it. Dieter is the worst brother ever.

He tries to be inconspicuous about reading the magazine over her shoulder, darting glances as he idly smokes a cigarette. After all, there's nothing in any of the articles that he, as an SS Officer, doesn't already know. But when she stays on a page featuring a recipe for Vanillekipferl, and a photograph of the moon-shaped almond cookies, she catches him looking a little too long. “Do you want me to make these?” she asks through a grin. “Someone should make them. Maybe not you, though, so we still have a kitchen by the end of it. Let Inge handle it.” Inge Wiechert is the head of the small, close-knit staff at the Blumengartenhaus, an exceptional cook and a lifelong friend of Clara's. She's something resembling an aunt to Dieter and Johanna, and dotes on them both. Johanna swats him gently. “I can bake!” she says indignantly, but still smiling. “You can certainly put ingredients in the oven with the intention of baking them.” She swats him again. “I've gotten better! I'll even be making pfirsichkuchen tonight for dinner – and before you say anything, I've been practicing with Inge, using her recipe; it's Kurt's favorite.” “Favorite book, favorite dessert... are you sure he's not accompanying the Fuehrer himself, that he's receiving this sort of welcome home?” “I'm just doing what any good wife would do,” she asserts, ignoring Dieter's sarcasm. Although war is not an environment that breeds happiness, he's never seen Johanna so content as she is now, a proud wife and mother-to-be. But when she sees that this answer still isn't appeasing Dieter, she says, “I'll make you the cookies before you leave, I promise. A birthday present.” He's slated to depart for Bonn on New Year's Day, three days before his thirtieth birthday. A present in the form of cookies is, admittedly, juvenile, and yet... “I wouldn't say no if you'd like to try.”

#inglourious basterds #hellstrom #I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO READ MORE ON DESKTOP RIP sorry :(

[grimalkinmessor]

@drfurter IT WOULD BE MY PLEASURE (ÒwÓ)

Now I've gone on about this particular headcanon in my original Light HCs post, and I've also snuck it into a few lines in Cosmic Entities, but YES I see Light as a SAS (sexual assault survivor). I don't usually have a specific traumatic situation (my Omega Light fic not withstanding—uuhh spoilers?) for this hc, I just see it as something that happens to Light a lot. Like,,,casually. Shit like people grabbing his ass or kissing him or groping him without permission. And because of how Japan is about masculinity (think Aizawa casually getting abused by his wife + Soichiro's rigid societal views) Light gets told to take all the touching and inappropriate comments as a compliment.

Light has the same thought process as those guys that 'bagged' older women in their teens, in that they see it as something to brag about and not something that was wrong, except Light is far more annoyed by it than proud of it. But other than that, he's very much internalized it as Not A Big Deal. Light is attractive, so people want to touch him. This is normal. (It isn't.)

I mentioned this in the first post, but the only thing that Light could've actually taken to the police and pressed charges for would've been the reason I headcanon that he learned how to code and hack: someone took inappropriate pictures of him in the locker room and posted them online. But of course, Light does NOT go to the police for this, because it's humiliating and he doesn't want his dad to see those pictures, nor any of the detectives and officers Light intends to work with someday, so Light finds a book on coding and hacking and spends three hours learning how to destroy an entire website and every record or backup of everything that was on it :D Then he blackmails the picture-taker into forking over the rest of the picture copies before getting him expelled for something decidedly unrelated to Light—can't have that being linked back to him, now can he?

This is also when I think Light takes in the idea that he is, perhaps, too good of an actor. He either needs to be meaner, or he needs to be someone so intimidatingly perfect that he's practically unapproachable. So that no one would dare try something like that again. Light chooses the latter, but makes use of the former afterward when people get a bit too persistent. An underhanded comment and a sharp smile becomes enough to ward even the most endeared/lustful admirers away.

BUT this is ALSO where Light learns that the opposite—a flirty smile, a deliberate touch to the arm—will soften people to him. They'll let him get away with anything if they think they have a chance with him, but because he instigated that 'first' romantic overture they will expect him to pursue. But they will not pursue him physically. Leaving him to use his looks for his own ends instead of being used for others'.

Of course, this course of action also comes with a few people that try to push themselves on him physically, but at that point he's learned that he can be vicious with those few remaining assholes. After all, who are they going to tell? Are they going to admit to trying to molest Light Yagami, the most adored boy on campus? The smartest kid in school on his way to greatness? No one would take their side.

By the time canon rolls around, the majority of the inappropriate touching has probably stopped. Sometimes he deals with someone handsy on the train or a catcall or something, but that's it. (That's it I say ajsvakdbskd).

The reason that Light doesn't seem to have any bias towards perpetrators of sexual assault as Kira is because he,,,,honestly doesn't have any. Sure, he holds a contempt for rapists and molesters, but it's only slightly higher than the contempt he holds for other criminals—the same way anyone else probably has more contempt for sexual crimes than other crimes. He doesn't see himself as any sort of victim, and he doesn't consciously acknowledge any of the things that have been done to him as assault. Those were just normal, irritating day-to-day occurrences that he assumes everyone deals with, like getting a flat tire or losing your keys. And you wouldn't hold a grudge against a door for not opening when you don't have your key, or a car for not working when you've forgotten to change the oil in it. Light sees it a lot like that—at one point those annoyances were more frequent because he didn't have the right tools to fix them, but now he does :')

Of course, his tools don't really work against Misa, who has a Shinigami willing to kill for her if Light doesn't agree to date her, or L, who has enough power and money to run a medium-sized country.

#death note #yagami light #death note headcanons #character headcanons #headcanons #tw sa mention #tw sa

[thecontumacious]

heya!! do you not mind me requesting luxiem college au? like u're both in a healthy relationship idrk hhh

College AU Luxiem

a/n: i think anon sent this after reading my first yandere fic 😭 check out the original boyfriend headcanons if u haven't~ ALSO YES IM SLAPPING THIS FIC AT YALL AFTER JOTC'S PREMIERE IT WAS SO FUCKING LIT AHHHHHHHHHH

reminder that all my work and others in the fandom are purely fiction and intended to entertain, not to be projected irl.

content utc!

Vox Akuma 👹🌹

would take performing arts as his major since he's super interested in voice acting!

you'd think he would take history as an easy way out seeing as he's lived for centuries now but bro i can tell you that he probably sucks at it :'

i can't imagine him taking anything else than performing arts. even then he wouldn't just focus on voice acting only. he'd perfectly take a role in acting too

dancing and singing maybe not too much-

but vox would enjoy them nonetheless since it's all about having fun

he's the popular student, whether he intended to be one on purpose or because he's just naturally charming. not all the guys rly like him since he's practically had all the girls drooling all over him

even the female (sometimes male) professors can't find themselves in the right position to teach him

not with that devilish smile, nope

he aces his practical exams and projects super well, not so much his written tests tho :o

students would sometimes ask advice on voice acting since he was doing that pretty well

no shortage of times where they asked only to get in contact with him, his number if they were lucky

doesn't really do tutoring sessions since he believes he still has a lot to learn himself, asking for advice sure, but teaching? nah

the film/animation students fight over him whenever they're assigned to make a movie production

vox might actually be interested in joining the student council and it's no surprise he's accepted since he's very charming, has relatively good grades and is flexible in group projects

on a more serious note, he loves meeting new people and making new connections so yeah!

besides the student council, would also join the drama club and most likely met shu there

again, for connections and to practice his skills

there have been one too many times where he was casted as the main characters throughout the years he was at college

what can i say? he captures an audience so well~

part time job is obviously barista.

i think vox low key has always wanted to become a barista

to him there's just something so attractive about being one?? or is this just a stigma that i have

whatever, being a barista is cool as hell

oh and he loves the idea of putting down whatever message he wanted on the customers' cup, he could be sweet or flirty

he likes it because he has the chance to make someone's day by simply writing a message to them <3

the job pays well, he can experiment with types of drinks and when there are leftover pastries from the day, vox gets to bring them home to eat

vox is a interpersonal (social), aural (audio) and a visual learner. as mentioned before, he won't be too good at taking written tests so linguistic is out of the question (doesn't mean he dislikes reading tho! i've heard him say that he reads books)

i also don't think he's the biggest fan of studying alone either so he'll always rope in a classmate or two so it's not so quiet

vox remembers much easier when there's something to look at, like pictures or something

audio learner because he wants to be a voice actor duh

he would have to get used to listening to other actors do their work to pick up on how they act in terms of their voice

how you and vox met was through a cinematography project you had

you were required to make a film production with a certain theme and of course as the rumors spread, you heard about everyone in your year fighting over vox as their cast

you too wished you could cast him but seeing as he was probably busy helping the others, you didn't really bother to ask

but vox was working at the cafe your team agreed to work in and he overheard your wonderful ideas for your project, so when he personally delivered your drinks, he also asked if you were open for casting since you came from the same college anyway

surprised to say the least but you couldn't refuse him, so he officially became part of your team too

so that was how you met your current unseiso of a boyfriend they call vox

he asked you out once the project was finished, saying that he didn't wish to stop meeting you

cheesy but romantic all the same

the perks of having a boyfriend who was in the performing arts major rly helped you out as a film student. you got to meet a lot of talented actors and you could ask for vox's help

as long as you paid in kisses and cuddles

at the end of the four year study, vox was obviously asked to make a speech. when he stepped on that stage, he did not forget to mention you:

"and to my lovely y/n, who's given me a path to so many opportunities to help with my development as an actor. thank you, darling."

may or may not have proposed in front of everyone

Mysta Rias 🦊🔶

criminology

because he thinks it's super cool he could track down criminals with rly cool techniques

but then he realized how fucking hard it is to be a criminology student and wished he could've picked something easier :"D

(let's pretend he didn't drop out okay <3)

ofc college was not cheap so at least mysta tried his best to get through

asking for a ton of help from his classmates or straight up the professor

he sure as fuck did not take another four years of this shit

anyway

although mysta is not the best in the class (bottom ten), a lot of people like him for his humor and his rly eccentric attitude about things

his fashion sense became one his trademarks

a good break from the stress of college rly

but people rly do question why the heck he chose this major but eh

definitely the type to hog for homework answers

i actually think mysta would make a huge contribution tho despite his lack of skills in the department when it comes to group projects

what i mean here is that he's always hands down to help however he can, especially the more physical and tedious workload

like needing to print papers, looking for as much material needed for the project or setting up the contents into a powerpoint

i still think that counts as a lot of work <3

professors know him because he frequents them for tutoring sessions, so it's safe to say that mysta is super close with all his lecturers-

but that's not a bad thing at all!

in fact, without mysta rly realizing, this has become his benefit. with most of the teachers aware that he is struggling in his classes, they tend to grade him based on his efforts more than the results of a test

so even if he thinks he's falling behind, ask his professors and they will say the exact opposite!

for school activities, i would say mysta would like to join the sports club as long as his classes don't take up too much of his time

he wants to be able to stay active instead of sitting down and studying all day, plus he gets to meet a lot people and actually where he met the super popular kaneshiro kid!

part time jobs is also something mysta could commit himself to, especially if it meant helping out with student loans

anything works out for him so long as again, it didn't take too much of his time and don't tire him out

lot of times where he fell asleep in the library when he should be catching up with homework and reading tests o.0

speaking of studying, mysta is definitely a visual and kinesthetic learner mostly bcs he's not the type of guy to just sit still and read that fucking textbook

far from being a verbal learner. def not the type to like reading for long periods of time

he claims to be an interpersonal (social) learner, but with a lot of people around him, it's more likely he won't get anything done

this is where you come in

you and him were paired up, and it just so happens that you were one of the students who was doing pretty well in criminology

anyone would've been happy to be paired up with you but mysta is a bit different than just anyone

he was actually intimidated by just how well you were doing and he kept telling himself that he was being such a burden to you

but you never fail to patiently get mysta to work on the ones that need more thinking, even if you have to guide him

for once, mysta knew what the assignment was about this time, due to your composure during work

after that, he may or may not have braved himself to be in one group with you a lot more

it's just that people tend to just give up on him but there you were, staying up late with him just so he could get some material down for an upcoming test

when you fell asleep, mysta let the words of falling for you slip

"really?"

"HUH? YOU WERE AWAKE--"

"i like you too, dummy. now get back to studying. we'll go on a date after the test."

final project weeks were the same. lots of staying up late together (mostly bcs of mysta) and checking each other's work.

when the results were almost out, you actually had to stay over at mysta's bcs of how fucking nervous he was. was he going to graduate? did he have to start another year over?

as you held his hand tightly, mysta opens his results and sees his passing grade, officially now graduated from college

he sobbed against you that night, thanking you over and over again for always there to help him and being so patient

Luca Kaneshiro 🦮🔆

he took me a while to figure out what major best fit him (disclaimer: i swear i've heard him mention what major he took but my tiny brain forgot what it was and from what stream ;-;)

sooo i think it's most likely business since he is in the mafia

the skills could be super useful if he's going to need some extra funds for his syndicate

he'll take only a bachelor's degree because he wants to focus on his mafia work as soon as college finishes

luca is most obviously the jock of the school and one of the more popular students because of his extroverted nature

tbh tho his grades aren't too great??? let's say average :D

he's more like the guy who's looking for the fun of college instead of actually getting the education-

because of this, a lot of people like to hang around him. sometimes students who have super good grades can be a bit unapproachable, ofc not because of the students themselves, but others tend to not feel relatable to someone who does very well in academics

so luca is extremely approachable, easy going and friendly

not the smartest but its the quality of the company that counts right?

professors know who he is because of his popularity and although most of them are okay with luca, some do appreciate him bringing the mood up when classes are tense

the younger lecturers are most likely best friends with him lmao

as aforementioned, man is a jock and is just naturally energetic

OF COURSE HE WOULD JOIN THE SPORTS CLUB

he religiously participates bcs he gets to see his buddies and would always join in on whatever challenges were set onto him. he's not afraid to lose

i also think he would be interested in joining the student council and he did make it! which brought him to meet with vox ^^

luca brings a ton of ideas for student activities and is always happy to help out with whatever he can. with his popularity, it's easy to rope students into whatever event they had going on too

because he has a mafia to run, he rly doesn't make time to do a part time job

definitely a physical (kinesthetic) and interpersonal learner. man can't just sit down to read something and he most certainly will go crazy if he's not loudly memorizing his flash cards without someone else there

so how does he meet you?

the student council asked him to go to the art club to find someone who could handle illustrations for an event they were holding, so luca pitched in and saw you busily working on something in the club room

you didn't really know anyone from the student council so you pretty much had to cling onto luca the entire time when you met up with the student council (esp when this guy from the performing arts department kept hitting on you. vox was it?)

in the end, when the event finished, luca got used to hanging out with you. then he confessed when he realized he was crushing on you :3

he asks you to come by to the sports club all the time so he could introduce you to his friends and when you're alone, you and him would sometimes work out together

you guys go out on a lot of study dates

...which turns to playing around and not really getting anything done :")

luca always teases you to draw him "like of your french girls" but he was caught by surprise when you actually do ask him to model nude for an assignment

he was more embarrassed than he thought he would be

but he liked knowing he could help you out!

he would sometimes cry when you give him a drawing you did of him just because you wanted to. he's framing them all in his room

as a graduation gift, you actually gave him a super elaborate artwork in a pretty big medium too. and well, it's safe to say luca shamelessly shed some tears at the ceremony, showing off your work to everyone there

as his gift to you, he took you on vacation to somewhere you've always wanted to go to.

to luca, you definitely made his time in college so much more fun

Ike Eveland 🖋💙

pretty obvious he took up literature

but let me tell ya, i think he will take literature for his first four years and after he got the degree for that, he's going to change his major to music because again pretty obvious reasons

he would take literature first so he has the writing skills needed later in music making

or, ike could take the option of a double degree since i see him as the type of person who rly likes to bury himself in work especially if it's the things he really is passionate about

but for the sake of his social needs and sanity, let's say our man ike did not take a double degree

ike eveland is obviously the star student of his class, perhaps even top 5 of his entire year

he's also pretty humble about his achievements so he's not the snobby kid who flaunts their good grades

everyone absolutely respects and admires him for it, even going out of their way to ask for tutoring sessions with him

paid tutoring sessions, mind you

he'll take some, but not so much his schedules are full much to the student body's dismay

his professors love him so much as well, using his work as examples no matter how many times ike insists there's no need to do that

is ike the type to join the student council?

ehhhh not rly i don't think?

there was a time where he did consider the choice, seeing how he has potential and all the people around him supported him to join

but i think he wouldn't take up on the opportunity, mostly worried he won't be able to have any time for himself

like i said, ike is super passionate about writing and music so he's going to take all his time really immersing in that world

even outside college hours, he'll do personal projects and all that

so yeah, no to the student council and tutoring sessions if ike wasn't looking for the extra money

i do think he'll take a part time job tho! that's where he gets most of his money

librarian ike anyone? well it's obvious he'd work there.

he's an aural (audio), verbal (linguistic) and intrapersonal (solitary) learner

ike likes to record his professor's lectures and listen to them when he goes back home or while he's practicing his music. even for his literature studies, he usually sings out the things he needs to remember or listen to some music while studying to help him get in the mood

DEFINITELY THAT SUPER COOL DARK ACADEMIA STUDENT ALWAYS FOUND IN THE LIBRARY, HEADPHONES ON WITH A SIDE OF HIS FAVORITE DRINK AHHHHH

also bcs he does frequent the library, he meets this rly weird grey haired guy from criminology who goes there to "study" but ends up falling asleep.

now, what happens after he meets you? :3

i headcanon yall met during his tutoring sessions bet

while he would usually not let students ask for his time for a session, ike would make an exception for you

he'd push away all the other slots so whenever he does have a tutoring session, it's mostly with you

after building up the courage to finally ask you out, tutoring sessions became less and less with the other students

ike prioritizes his study dates with you

ALSO

since he is in the art field, it's very very clear you've become his muse throughout college (both literature and music)

whenever he gets a project to create something, he'll find a way to have it tie to you

especially for his final project

write a story?

you're the main character

compose an entire song?

you're the theme

no shortage of times where he reads out a poem/story or serenade his own songs to you during late night studying

you become his number one proofreader and critic for everything he creates since he trusts you a lot with it. ike would heavily appreciate it if you could give him honest feedback

if it's boring tell him! if it's too cringey, tell him!

ike can take the criticism since he wants to be a good producer one day <3

on the day he finishes his studies and he's called to give a speech for being valedictorian, this is the highlight line you'll forever remember:

"y/n will always be the reason why i'm here today and all the tomorrows. why i've achieved so many things and create stories and songs for everyone to enjoy. thank you so much, y/n, for staying by my side and i hope you continue to stay."

Shu Yamino 🔮✨

unfortunately modern day colleges don't have sorcery or black magic as majors :D

soooo shu would probably opt for computer sciences!

nerd shu poggers

would only take a bachelor's degree for this tho, but he's happy with where he is ^^

shu would much much like it if he stayed on the sidelines minding his own business, meaning he just doesn't wanna be popular. but it's kinda hard staying under the low with how skilled he is in his classes

honestly students just look up to him with how chill he is with his college life

sometimes they would even ask shu to be their partner in most projects since he's super reliable and good at what he does

he's known to be rly patient when teaching someone too so-

but don't get me wrong, shu will fucking now if someone is only taking advantage of his kindness and smarts

you don't wanna rly know what he can do to ruin your college career o.0

AnYwAY

the professors know who shu is and definitely appreciate him for helping out the students whenever possible, although his grades aren't always top of the class, his character and attitude makes up for it

shu would definitely like to join clubs outside his academics, say like the performing arts club

look i know but i can't stop thinking about shu joining the theatre club, just hanging out with a whole bunch of different kids. he likes making friends! plus he likes working backstage more

plays need a reliable technician like him after all

or if not performing arts, most likely an anime club if it was available lmao

unlike ike, he's not one to rly delve into his college life all the way back home. so once he's out of class, he's focusing on his non academic skills

besides clubs, there's a big chance shu works part time, preferably jobs that let him work at night since he has a rly bad sleep schedule.

the atmosphere is quiet too so he can take advantage and use it to study if it wasn't busy

a 24 hour store of some kind should be alright for shu, it doesn't have to be related to his major either

he's more of a interpersonal and visual learner i think

he likes studying with someone there with him like a study buddy since it makes it less boring. visual because he likes to doodle things so i have a feeling he illustrates something he finds hard to remember

also, of course studies only at night time if possible

because of his interpersonal type of learning, this was how you met him

you two were both looking for study buddies then through your friends, you guys met and agreed to study together

originally it was only for that one test you were super nervous of, but as you aced that one because of shu's help (his assignment flawless because he had you to it check over)

yeah you guys enjoyed each other's company and decided to go on more "study sessions" together

i think the way shu would confess to you would be that trend where you would make a program and you just click a ton of buttons saying how much he likes you

and then at the end there's a message box that asks you:

be mine?

with the choices being yes or yes 😭

you go to your next study session, now named study date!

for his final project, you were obligated to stay over at his place until he submitted it. he claims that his brain works more efficiently when you're there with him, plus he'll have a second pair of eyes that hasn't been glued to the same codes over and over again

when shu announced the results, he treated you to some sushi and an all you can eat barbeque for helping him graduate pretty much

with a full stomach, you and him are cuddling for the rest of the night until you felt like getting up

Masterlist!

#author chan’s delivery service 🧺 #luxiem #luxiem x reader #nijisanji en #vox akuma #mysta rias #luca kaneshiro #ike eveland #shu yamino #vox akuma x reader #mysta rias x reader #luca kaneshiro x reader #ike eveland x reader #shu yamino x reader #akurylic #mystart #drawluca #ikenography #yaminoart

[kassymalone]

Your plots and characters are so engaging, how do you do it? Where there any books or book series that may have helped shape your style of writing, or did you just keep writing fanfics until your writing kept improving and you developed your own style?

Hello, quiet one! Thanks for the compliment, and the question!

I wouldn't say there's one particular book or series that inspired me. Last time I moved house, over 20 of the boxes were just my books! Not even kidding... I've got horror, I've got romance, I've got sci-fi, dragons, LGBT+, bildungsroman, thrillers, manga, high fantasy, reference books... it's a lot. Variety is the spice of life!

I think understanding why you do or don't like what you're reading is very important to engagement. The last book I remember absolutely hating was something I thought I would enjoy (haunted castle in Japan? Yes please!), but the writing was so verbose and the characters so flat, their actions made no sense in reality and there was a subplot about suicidal depression that seemed to disappear after the first chapter...? It was frustrating to finish, and I've always thought that a bad example can be an excellent teacher.

I was always called a daydreamer as a kid, not paying attention and 'away with the fairies' (which was completely true), but I was always thinking of stories. Even to this day, on the bus to and from work I'm thinking of the next chapters, playing it out twelve different ways before picking the one I like the most to actually write down. The second I don't need to be paying attention to the real world, I'm off with my characters seeing what would happen if things went this way this time...

God, this sounds pretentious. Sorry.

As for characters... what makes a character engaging is very difficult and highly subjective. My personal rule is 'it has to make sense'. For example, using Sun and Moon in the fic I'm currently writing, if I randomly put in that they enjoyed making bread, that would make no sense. They're robots, they can't eat, they hate mess, they don't like any humans enough to make the effort anyway, Sun doesn't have the patience for baking and Moon would just point out that there's sliced bread in the kitchen l already. Could there be another story where them baking bread does make sense? Sure, but the way I've written this one!

And finally, you've kind of hit the nail on the head - I have A LOT of experience in this. The first story I finished writing was 80 pages long, and I was very proud of it, but I was 11 so it was probably pretty bad XD I seem to recall there was a dragon involved? I've been writing ever since, both fanficiton and original stuff. I put it aside for a few years in my early twenties during those horrible years I was trying to be 'normal' (because none of the adults I knew at the time had any hobbies, so I thought it was something I had to grow out of, but that's another story...), and the second I picked it up again my mental health improved so much, I can't even tell you.

While my life-long dream of actually being published may never come true (turns out it's really fucking hard, who knew?), just being able to write makes me incredibly happy. I think wanting to do something really shines through in the end result, and if you're really engaged with what you're writing then the reader will be able to tell.

Plus, y'know... practice, practice, practice.

[birlwrites]

🎢, 🍦,💖,🤗,😬, 💔, 🤲?

🎢 Which of your fics would you call your wildest ride?

oh, definitely career goals: tyrant - it's unhinged from chapter 1 and only gets more so

🍦 What’s the sweetest fic you’ve created so far?

i was torn so i picked 2 afslghjksdf - the first one is sun and shadow, aka the pjo au, and the second is the point of creation, which is a check please fic with lardo/ransom in which lardo is a composer and ransom is a poet and they make art for each other and it's very soft

💖 What made you start writing?

hmm i don't think there was ever a set Moment - i've always been coming up with stories, and i'm p sure my parents have some picture books/graphic novels/comics/idk what to call them drawn by yours truly at age <5. i started actually like, typing stories in a word processor in about 4th grade because my best friend was writing a story and i wanted to copy her

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

3 things: first of all, try not to jump straight into posting your stuff somewhere like ao3. get a feel for what you like writing and what makes you happy before you start introducing things like 'how many people kudosed my fic today' - there is SO MUCH fic out there, and it can be very hard to build an audience/find your people, especially when you're just starting out. there's no reason to demoralize yourself right away. build up your sense of what YOU like before you start worrying about whether other people like it. (sharing your writing with your friends is different - they're your friends, not faceless internet people ashfkjhsf)

second of all, it's important to make sure that you're actually enjoying the process. writing fanfic should be fun - if it feels like a chore or an obligation, it might be time to step back and see if you've accidentally turned it into a job instead of something you do solely because you enjoy it

third of all, writing a complete fic beginning to end is a skill in and of itself. don't expect yourself to just sit down and bang out a multichap fic with flawless pacing and an amazing ending. that's something that requires practice. the best way to practice is to finish what you start. you don't have to finish absolutely everything - as i said, this should be fun - but just be aware that if you want to complete your fics in a satisfying way, you need to practice writing complete stories. one-shots are a great way to start!

😬 Which of your fics would you be most horrified for friends, family, or coworkers to stumble upon?

ohhhh man

honestly, the entire concept makes me wince, but tbh probably lachrimae. i feel like that's the one most likely to inspire the 'why aren't you writing original stories, you should be writing original stories' reaction

💔 Is there a fic of yours that broke your heart?

i have a few, all regulus angst - we've got implode--, survived by, and happy birthday, which i wrote when i was ~15 and, if i do say so myself, KILLED IT.

implode-- is about sirius rescuing a mostly-dead regulus from the cave, survived by is about sirius finding death eater regulus after evan's death (there's a theme LMAO - that's a fic i wouldn't be able to write these days, i'm too attached to evan now), and happy birthday is canon-compliant snapshots of regulus's life from age 11 to age 18

🤲 Would you please share a snippet of a wip?

ABSOLUTELY. HERE'S LACHRIMAE

-

Voldemort says, "Do you consider yourself a fighter, Regulus?"

It could pass for conversational—silk floating on water. He hisses the tiniest bit on Regulus, a tiny whistle of air after precisely pronounced syllables like an ice cube against the back of Regulus's neck. Regulus's mask gleams at his side, awkward and useless in his hand—he can't put it on, but he can't put it away, and so there it stays, a glimmering ghost in the sun.

What sort of answer does Voldemort want? He doesn't want Regulus to fight, he wants to keep his Seer safe, but there has to be a reason he's asking, a reason he called Regulus in the first place.

Regulus doesn't consider himself a fighter. He's... flexible. He bends, goes around instead of through. Fire and brimstone have always been more Bellatrix's thing, and Voldemort must know that.

"You," Voldemort says, "have a habit of responding to my questions with silence."

Great.

-

send me fic writer emoji asks!

#ask games #should i make an inbox tag #this post is a little long sorry lol

[j-nipper-95]

20 Questions for fic writers

Thanks for the tags for this @theearlgreymage and @wellbelesbian. I'm so slow at responding to these sorts of posts. Also, this one is going to be a little tricky, as I only have the one fic up on AO3, so I will be throwing in a few stats from my original novel, 'A Survivor's Revenge', as well.

How many works do you have on AO3?

Currently just the one, 'The Trails We Blaze'. But there is also ASR, my long term original novel, that I'm going to be focussing on again in November.

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

TTWB currently has a published word count of 20,059 words, with a total of 68,238. (the will only continue to grow - there's still so much of the original plot of El Dorado to adapt for this AU!) ASR on the other hand is already a monster. Before I split the original draft in two to make the first two books, the draft came in at around 130k, incomplete. Currently, the first book is sitting at 78,278 words.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Just Carry On. It's also the only fandom I read fanfic for.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

I'm still shocked by how well Trails is doing after only a month or so of posting, so thank you thank you THANK YOU for showing this fic so much love. 1,247 kudos is more than I thought the fic would ever get in its entirety, and we're barely scratching the surface of this chaotic journey.

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

I've loved replying to comments on this fic. It's so nice to know that the fic is resonating with people, and what everyone enjoys about the chapters. I especially love when people pick up on lines from canon, and even mention things I didn't consciously notice when I was writing that reference canon. And just getting to nerd out about the research that's gone into this fic. Anyone who knows me IRL knows how much of a classics nerd I am (unsurprising given I have two degrees), and it's been fun flexing those muscles again. It's also been wonderful seeing what resonates with people over here on tumblr when I share snippets of ASR for WIPsDays. Everyone in the CO fandom has been so supportive of me sharing those snippets, and I can't wait for the day when I get to share Lauren and her story properly with the world.

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

Trails is unlikely to be especially angsty (I haven't actually planned the ending, but if we're going by the ending of El Dorado, there's likely to be a happy ending. But I don't know, it's a mystery to me at this point!) ASR on the other hand ... Book 1 and book 2 have especially angsty endings. Where the series as a whole is concerned, let's just say I made myself cry when I wrote a line for a scene from the final book. It'll be multiple books of build up for a gut wrenching finale. Only one character is guaranteed to survive from the entire cast. You have been warned.

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

None so far, but it's likely to be Trails. Only time will tell!

8. Do you get hate on fics?

So far, no. Everyone has been so so lovely with feedback about ASR and Trails!

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

I am an aro/ace bean who's not really experienced much, so whenever I try to write smut I struggle due to lack of practical experience (that's such a clinical way to put it, but brain no work right now, so that's the best way I can think to phrase it). But if I ever do write anything considered smutty, I try to focus on the emotions and sensations rather than the act itself. I love to read fic where the emotional intimacy is front and centre, but won't turn my nose up at reading some really raunchy debauched sex. As someone who's questioned her sexuality multiple times since first coming out I've lived under multiple labels before finding the one that suited me. Grey ace, ace bi-romantic, demisexual bi-romantic, I've thought all of them fit me at one time or another. It wasn't until last year that I realised dating wasn't working for me, it never would work for me, and that was ok. Aro/Ace isn't a zero sex/zero emotions identity, it's a spectrum in itself, and I've finally found something that suits me. Back on the topic of smut I write, I haven't written anything smutty for Trails yet beyond some heated kisses and heavy breathing. Maybe some rolling of hips. But I will be taking that M rating to its limit, don't you worry! As for ASR, again, nothing majorly smutty has been written, at least not what I would consider majorly smutty. Just a lot of emotional pining, and a bit of foreplay that starts to lead somewhere, and then DRAMA.

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

Back when I was first getting into creative writing (we're talking pre-teen/very early teens Jess, before ASR was even a vague concept), I wrote fanfic without even realising that's what I was doing. It was just a self insert series of stories that crossed over with multiple franchises, as well as straight up stealing plot points and tropes from other franchises. Will I tell you what they were? Absolutely not! And they will never see the light of day, because they are absolutely God-awful!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of, and I hope that never happens.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, but I'd love it if someone ever wanted to. For ASR especially it would be incredible to see it translated and reach more people around the world. Seeing published authors announcing translation deals is something I aspire to!

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

Not technically, but I suppose you could call Trails and Art-Collab fic, because Ashton's art is fucking fantastic!! Whenever I get to posting day and I wake up to see an art DM from her I get so excited! The style she's gone with for this fic was something we talked about for a while and she's just excellent at capturing the images and emotions I hope my writing is portraying. Ashton is a gem, and I am beyond lucky and don't know what I did to deserve her as a friend!!!

14. What's your favourite all time ship?

SnowBaz have been an obsession since mid-2021, and they show no signs of relinquishing the top spot in my heart when it comes to fandom ships. But it'd be remiss of me not to mention my OC's here. Lauren and Mike are my chaotic, dramatic, hopelessly and cluelessly in love MC's for ASR. You know how Baz pines in CO ... yeah, we're talking similar levels, if not slightly above that for Lauren and Mike. One of my favourite messages from my alpha reader was 'How in the hell did these idiots ever think their feelings were platonic?', and honestly, I don't even know. AND I WROTE THEM!

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

I'm working on an epic high fantasy saga with a friend that we describe as 'Japanese mythology meets J R R Tolkein'. It's so fun writing with someone else, as we both have different strengths. Nori is very much at home with the darker elements, the world building, and character development, whilst I love writing the character relationships, romances, and political manoeuvrings. It's just difficult when you're in different parts of the country, and both have other WIPs you're working on. Maybe one day this saga will see the light of day.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I used to think this was a weakness, but since working on ASR edits I think I've become better attriting action sequences. At least, the comments on Trails have led me to believe this. I hope. Since writing that opening chase scene through Southwark it's really bolstered my confidence. But I think my main strength is dialogue full of banter and flirting. Give me a chance to have two characters in a room just bouncing off each other. No need for dialogue tags, just back and forth dialogue. Flirty dialogue is some of my favourite to write, and both SnowBaz and Lauren and Mike allow me to do this in spades! I also think writing pining is a strength, but that is a double edged sword that can cut the wielder if not used sparingly. Pining is great, when not overdone, and I'm praying I've not overdone it with Trails.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Action and intimate sequences are still aspects of writing I struggle with, and I'll tell you why. Pacing. Pacing is my nemesis. I just want to get from point A to point B and move on to the next scene. I know first drafts don't have to be perfect, but yeah ... pacing in certain scenes within first drafts is my biggest struggle.

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

I had to work out how I was going to tackle this for Trails with the most recent chapters I've been writing. HOW DO YOU WRITE A LANGUAGE THAT DOESN'T EVEN EXIST, AND IN YOUR FIC HAS BEEN DEAD FOR MILLENNIA? Atlantean has been a pain to try and work out, and I'm still figuring out a way to write the language itself in dialogue. I really want to try and get some actual Ancient Greek in here as well at some point, so if anyone wants to help translate some riddles and prophecies for me, hit me up! I'm a bad Classicist and never learnt any ancient languages!

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Published: Carry On The secret ones I'll never show anyone: that knowledge goes with me to my grave.

20. Favourite fic you've written?

Trails is my only published fanfic, therefore it is my favourite. But also I love the source material (both 'Carry On' and 'The Road to El Dorado) so much. But my favourite fiction I've written, out of all the original ideas and bad fanfic, has to be 'A Survivor's Revenge'. These characters and their story have been on my mind for the last fourteen years in some form or another, they are my babies, and I don't know what my life would look like without them in it. Lauren is my favourite morally grey chaos gremlin, and I'm so glad other people like reading about her whenever I share snippets.

Ok, so tagging. I have no idea who has and hasn't done this already, so I'm sorry in advance if you don't want to do this/already have done. Just think of it as me saying hi and how much I love the work you all do!

@aristocratic-otter @bazzybelle @bookish-bogwitch @chen-chen-chen-again-chen @cosmicalart @fatalfangirl @larkral @palimpsessed @phoxphyre

#20 questions #baby fanfic writer #snowbaz #cotta 2023 #the trails we blaze #original fiction #science fiction #espionage #a survivor's revenge

[danpuff-ao3]

Sooo...

Fic-Binding.

Is a thing I'm going to learn this year! (This feels really awkward but I can't think of a smooth introduction, so here we are.)

Here on Tumblr was my first introduction to binding fics. It never occurred to me before that people would. I began following many amazing binders here on Tumblr and over on Instagram. My sweet friend Nina bound a short story collection of some of my fics for my birthday last year. And Lila gave me a copy of one of her fics. There is something so very special about seeing fics in physical form! It gives me all the warm and fuzzies!

...only it seems that if a gal wants her favorite fics on her shelf, she's going to have to bind them herself.

Now, I was tempted to share some progress pictures along the way, but I fear that would hinder my progress. My anxiety and perfectionism are strong. I do not like to be observed making mistakes. Even really minor ones. Even worse if people point them out to me, however well-meaning. I live with a deep and abiding terror of failure and judgment. Which...is it healthy? No. Am I working on it? Yeah. But my therapist and I agree that throwing myself into the deep end is not the right method for me, so alas...baby steps!

(Seriously, my partner and I have been together nearly 7 years and only this past year have I begun to try and test new things where he could see me do it. And there is no person on planet earth more supportive or less judgmental than my Eddie.) (But to be fair, when one is taught to hate themselves and see their only worth as their usefulness and productivity, well...The terror is quite real, and deeply ingrained, I'm afraid.)

I will try to take progress photos along the way and share them all in a photo dump when I'm feeling more comfortable and confident. Which is a long ways away as I've not even bound a book yet. Showing my errors should be easier when I can say "look but I fixed it!" By necessity I've become pretty good at teaching myself things, so with luck (and YouTube videos) I can do this!

And in the meantime I can at least write about my efforts!

Eddie, my partner, has been very enthusiastic since I first broached the subject of bookbinding and when my plans to gather supplies seemed to fall through, he agreed to help me get what I needed. He had me put supplies on an Amazon wishlist so we can purchase items when we can. The first purchase I made was the most necessary one, which was a printer. I got a little table to put it on, built the table!!!! (I am not very handy, okay. When I build anything, however simple, it's a huge accomplishment!) I set up the printer. Aaaand was resigned to wait however long until I could start.

...

...and then it occurred to me. "Hey, dumb-dumb, maybe you can start practicing parts of it now?"

Oh yeah! There are several parts to putting a book together. And so, I began! I chose a small fic, Orange Blossoms, to get a feel for how it would look printed out. I followed some online instructions. And it wasn't perfect, but it was in booklet form and I could fold the paper and everything was where it needed to be. Small success!

Then I adjusted the font size and reprinted, because the previous font size was teensy in Scrivener and GIANT in Adobe and on paper.

Next, I wanted to test printing multiple signatures. That one took a bit more work for reasons I can't properly explain. Even now I don't know why the original version was printing out the way it was, with a blank last page. In theory, it shouldn't have done that??

Anyway, I chose In My Veins (In My Blood) for this. Orange Blossom is 3k and fit into one signature. In My Veins (In My Blood) is 7k and I figured I could get 2 out of it. I figured starting small would be better so I don't waste paper and ink while trying to sort things out. Or you know...waste as little as I can.

I fiddled with some settings and such until the first signature printed right. Then I had to mess around to figure out where I needed to insert blank pages, and I changed my mind about where to put my mock copyright and title pages. Once I was happy, I then printed the second signature and then proudly waved them in Eddie's face!

Then, I found a gift card from Christmas and decided: hey, why don't I get some more stuff? Today my order came in and I got: an awl, needles, and waxed thread. Time to stitch those suckers together! I stumbled across a bookbinding video some months ago that I saved, so I pulled that up and went step by step. Measuring and marking where to put the holes. (Nightmare, btw, my brain hates numbers.) (Brain sees numbers and runs off scared; needs soothing and cajoling to come back out and get to work.) (The solution was obvious and didn't require actual math like the YouTuber told me but anyway that's not the point, the point is:) Then I threaded my needle and go to work!

Signature 1 was easy enough. But threading the 2 signatures together was not. First YouTube moved too fast and didn't explain things very clearly. Like...not verbally addressing each step in detail, but also with too many jump cuts for me to really tell what she was doing. But she referenced a Sea Lemon video which I found and was much more helpful!

And now I have 2 signatures threaded together! It's very rough and sloppy, but you know what...it's a first attempt, so whatever. (Look, even admitting that my first attempt is pretty "eh" hurts my soul, but here we are.) (At least you can't see it!)

So that's where I am for now! Eddie's going to peruse my list this weekend to see what he can get, and once I have the supplies needed for the next step, onto the next step I'll go! I do want to bind The White Road as my first actual bound fic, so I can work on fiddling with the typesetting a bit while I wait!

ALSO I ate dinner so late because I was so caught up in learning how to stitch those signatures!! I was like "okay this shouldn't take that long." Hey, self, this is a new skill you're learning. Maybe don't make assumptions. And at least double any time you think something should take. I sure scarfed down my food after that!

Anyway, I know it seems very silly that I'm too scared to show pictures, but even talking about it is a big step. It's like...well if this doesn't work out I'm going to look really dumb, huh? Better keep things all to myself so if it doesn't work out no one is disappointed or judging me or whatever. Much better to come out the gate with something to show, right?

But talking about stuff and sharing stuff is really important to me. It's this like deep inner need I've trampled down for so long, out of fear of seeming childish or silly at best, or at worst boring or burdening people. But maybe this is something some people are interested in. And I'll be generous with cuts and tags for easy skimming for those who aren't interested, and those who are, well...You're welcome to bits and pieces of my journey with me!

Speaking of tags, I've been trying to come up with a name for my "bindery." I thought of "Busy Bee Bindery" because I love bees and am quite busy, actually. But maybe it needs my name in it?? Idk I'm still brainstorming that one. Maybe by my next update I'll have one I can use for tagging! And you know...to slap on my bindings! 😄

#danpuff stuff #bookbinding #ficbinding #fanbinding #some personal stuff #TOO personal #wow shut up self #mental health #anxiety #my therapist is gonna be so proud of me! #if I don't panic delete this in the next hour or so

[hua-liansimp]

20 Questions For Fic Writers

tagged by @jesse-is-spiralling thank you it was lots of fun!

How many works do you have on ao3?

20

What's your total ao3 word count?

105,809

What fandoms do you write for?

Tgcf, genshin impact, kny and no home are the fandoms I have more than 1 published works in, but I have wips for witch hat atelier, svsss, mdzs, harry potter, hsr, jjba and bg3

Top five fics by kudos:

Aniki is Getting Married?! (ayaitto)

I See The Crystal Raindrops Fall (inotan)

The Night Breeze Carries Something Sweet (inotan)

Raccoon Dianxia Finds Treasure! (hualian)

Confession (Eunyung/Haejoon)

Do you respond to comments?

Mostly yes!:) I'm not always sure what to say, but comments mean a lot to me, and I respond whenever I can:)

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I don't really write sad endings, but maybe To Darken Fading Summer Skies. It's pretty short, though, and I actually have a sequel outlined (will it see the light of the day?) with a happy ending, so none, hehe.

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

I'm not sure! 95% that are finished are happy:)

Do you get hate on fics?

People have always been very sweet:)

Do you write smut?

I've written smut before, but I wouldn't consider it my main genre at all. I love reading smut though, and I have great respect for those who write it well! It's hard! It's a skill! Tell me your secret!

Craziest crossover:

I have never written a crazy crossover (I dream of the day I will be able to write a fic like how many old gods does it take to end a war (marvel x tgcf) by unfortunategay. I'm still obsessed).

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No, I don't think so.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, twice, it's the greatest honor!:) I have one fic translated into Italian and one into Russian.

Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

No. It sounds a little scary, but I'm sure it's probably lots of fun! One day, I'd love to try!

All time favourite ship?

Hualian, all the way. They're everything I like in a ship; opposites who are more similar than how they first appear, outcasts who find a meaning and a home in the other, people who suffered too much but still get to have a happy ending. They're tragic but happy, they're obsessive but healthy, and the best thing is that they can't even be separated by death.

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

There's a wolfstar canon-divergence fic I really want to write where an accident happens during The Prank and it changes everything, even the war. Writing long stories scares me though, but I still hope I'll push through one day. Oh, and there's also a very smutty omegaverse-like durgetash fic I want to write with the original Dark Urge, but well, smut isn't my strength hehe.

What are your writing strengths?

Semi-good ideas, maybe? Also, somehow I feel like I write animals well. It's probably because of Gerald Durrell books.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Actually writing. I'm so bad at finishing stuff. I struggle to get the descriptions to flow well, I overanalyze everything, and as someone whose first language isn't english, I'm always very scared that my sentences end up very awkward and strange without me having the faintest idea, but I suppose these are all things that should get better with practice. Still, it's a struggle.

Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

I haven't been in a spot yet where I had to write dialogue in another language like that. I love when other authors do it, especially when it's latin or french or a language I have no idea about (google translate go brr).

First fandom you wrote in?

Miraculous Ladybug, and I wrote smut(!) in my mother language when I was like 13-14? Thankfully it is lost to time (or is probably in my old friend's dms, but I won't go digging). Those superheroes had a chokehold on me and so many of my classmates.

Favourite fic you've written?

Right now it's probably Next time, bring a napkin; I think it turned out funny.

Consider yourself tagged and invited to do this challenge if it appears on your dash and you're in any way interested!:)

#ao3 challenge #ao3 #fic #hualian #inotan #wolfstar #durgetash #fanfic

[wouldntyou-liketoknow]

Right back at you, buddy! 3, 5, 12, 13, and 19 for the behind-the-scenes ask game :D

~ @sammys-magical-au 🫶

(Thank you, Sammy~ 😊😊😊)

3 — Do you write fics from start to finish, or jump around?

When I officially started writing fanfics, I mainly jumped around with the plot until I was satisfied with how things went in the story. And that was years and years ago. More recently, I decided to try writing from start to finish, and honestly. . .I see it as sort of a bad habit? That's not to say it can't work for other writers, but it just seems to slow me down. So, I'm trying to unlearn it and go back to my old tricks.

Like, I tend to think of climax scenes first. You know, the really dramatic/important stuff because, well, it's dramatic/important. I feel that once I get those particular details out of the way, it'll be easier for me to write other stuff around it until the story is full. Plus, that type of format allows for random ideas to pop up and potentially make things even better.

5 — What is the perfect environment for you to write in?

Typically somewhere quiet with no distractions. I take meds for my autism and ADD, but I can still be tempted to focus on other things, thus procrastinating my stories. I don't like to, it just happens, and I'm still working on it.

When the weather is nice, I love riding my bike over to the library and just writing there for a few hours (so long as some disruptive asshole doesn't waltz into the areas that are CLEARLY MARKED FOR SILENT STUDY. It happens more frequently than I care to admit, but oh well. Not the end of the world).

But if I'm really focused/dedicated to the story at hand, then I can write pretty much anywhere. Just a year ago, I tagged along on a family vacation and seriously surprised myself via writing a full story for Goretober 2023 during the several-hour-long car ride. And I didn't feel carsick once, which was practically a miracle. I'd brought one of the cool-looking notebooks I'd collected on a whim, as well as a pencil and a lap-desk thing. I totally covered the entire backseat with eraser shavings, but it was worth it!

12 — Is there a trope you haven't written yet but really want to?

Hard to say; I've written with tons of tropes—I've definitely done so without even meaning to. If you've read my stuff, then it's probably very obvious which tropes are my personal favorites, but I still try to be open to new ones.

I suppose I haven't written Talking Animals, since the stories I've been focused on are somewhat set in reality (fictional, but not Fantasy, you know?). But I always loved seeing that when I was a kid. Since a lot of my fanegos have pets, perhaps I could write a snippet from said pets' perspective? I know it technically wouldn't count as them talking, but it'd be pretty close, right?

13 — Is there a trope you wouldn't write if it was the last trope on Earth?

It's a tie between two tropes, actually: Minority Character Dies First, and The Pure and The Promiscuous.

The former is completely stupid and racist/ableist/etc., and I don't understand how or why it's still being used in some movies or books today.

The latter is more complex, since it's typically used in romantic scenarios, which I don't write very often anyway. But I still hate it because it just seems insulting to the characters. Like, I can understand the appeal of having one character teach things to an inexperienced character, but the way I've seen it handled almost always leads to the character on the receiving end being infantilized or dumbed-down. Which is bullshit, because the character deserves more depth and thought than that!

19 — Who is the easiest/hardest character for you to write about? Why?

Maybe this is obvious, but fanegos are the easiest for me to write! True, sometimes I struggle a bit, since I want to have a balance of originality and a clear tie to the content-creator the fanego was inspired by. But otherwise, I make the rules. Canon egos also aren't too tricky for me to write; I feel like I'm pretty decent at learning/feeling a character's quirks to make that character seem authentic in fanfic settings.

One thing that's undeniably difficult for me to write is reader-inserts. No shame to those who have requested reader-insert fics from me, because I love engaging with people on here. The problem I have with it just seems to be my own self-consciousness. You already know why I tend to avoid shipping in fanfics, and I guess that also counts as a factor.

[Ask Game]

#the edgelord gets fed #ask game #sammy's magical au #friendship

[cirrus-grey]

20 questions for fic writers

Tagged by @magnetarmadda; thank you!

1. How many works do you have on Ao3?

252, of which a full 227 are TMA

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count?

905,246

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Recently? TMA/TMagP, Discworld, and Good Omens. I'll jump into anything that gives me plot bunnies though, and there's been quite a few different ones over the years!

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Yesterday is Here

Déjà Vu

Misfiled and Misinformed

Humanity

Against All Probability

5. Do you respond to comments?

Always! I try to clear my inbox weekly and/or before I post a new fic, though I'm falling a bit behind right now with JonMartinWeek.

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

Hmm, probably Wedding Blues - it's a bad-ending Lonely!Martin fic

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

So, I write a lot of happy endings and I'm not sure how to rank them. Probably either Yesterday is Here again, or the Castaways series.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I think I've only ever gotten one hate comment? So no, not really.

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

I... try? I'm not very good at it and it takes absolute ages. It's been described as "very polite" smut, though I'm attempting to get a little raunchier with it as I get more practice.

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

Yeah, I've written a couple! The craziest is probably the first one I did, a Good Omens/Skulduggery Pleasant crossover that I'm still quite fond of.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yep, Unsent and Courage in the Dark have both been translated into Russian!

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

Nope.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

I don't know if I can give just one, honestly. For different reasons, both JonMartin (TMA) and Ineffable Husbands (Good Omens, primarily book not show).

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

This is a throwback but I still have notes for an epic, multi-part, 100k Gracious/Donegan origin story fic from back in my Skulduggery Pleasant days. I wasn't a good enough writer back then to finish something that ambitious and I doubt I'll ever get invested enough in the fandom again to go back to it... but it still lives on in my daydreams.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Hmm... I'm good at conveying character emotions in a scene, and with pacing a story to make sure each new development or twist lands the way I want it to. I like to think I've got a knack for making dialogue sound in-character as well, even if I've put the characters in a situation that their canon selves would never be in.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Action scenes. Balancing conversations between more than two people without having some of them drop off or dominate the scene. Keeping track of large casts of characters in general - I've written so many 2-person romances, I just don't have practice with larger groups.

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

I love it when other people do, but it's not something I've attempted myself. I'm only fluent in English and I'd worry that I'd written something completely inaccurate if I had to rely on google translate or similar.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Good Omens! (Book)

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Oh, do not ask me that, I beg of you. There are about a hundred fics I've written that could all qualify, depending on the day and what mood I'm in.

...I'll say Vous, et nul autre, for now, because I'm really proud of how that one turned out and the fact that I finished it at all - it's one of those that I had the idea for years before I was good enough to write it, and I really like being able to look at it now and see how far I've come.

Tagging... @my-lonely-angel, @fridayyy-13th, @grahamfolgersdeliciousnotebooks - only if y'all want to!

#of course now that i say that fic is never going to get written my brain is starting to spin the gears on it again... #thanks for the tag! #my writing #original post