#but this is based on the fanfic blackened skies!

[i-am-just-a-kiddo]

fic writer Q&A

thank you @vishcount, this was a ton of fun 💕 it’s tough to talk about my writing, but this felt like a nice retrospective on what I have done so far. 

tagging once again, @the-cloud-whisperer, @cortue, @intyalote and @not-saying-revolution-but! love hearing about your writing processes if you feel like sharing! 

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

53

2. What is your total AO3 word count?

448.439

3.Top five fics by kudos

heart made of glass (The Untamed, wangxian, post-canon oneshot) - 696 kudos

and we were in flames (The Untamed, wangxian, post-canon oneshot) - 604 kudos

Take Me Into Your Skin (BTS, Mafia AU, multichaptered) - 526 kudos

leave our troubles in the sand (The Untamed, wangxian, post-canon oneshot) - 396 kudos

The Dreams I Could Explore (SKAM, Evak oneshot) - 346 kudos

4. Do you respond to comments, and why?

absolutely, I’m  incredibly grateful that people read my work and let me know with their own words? so it only feels appropriate to answer. and sometimes when people have more thoughts to share I enjoy talking with them!

5. What’s the fic you have written with the angstiest ending?

oh boy. it gotta be my taegi little mermaid AU (just breathe through me) and my Nie Huaisang/Mo Xuanyu oneshot (ink stained nights, fingers, hearts). I think an explanation for both is unnecessary - they both end with major character death and in both cases it’s not a ‘comforting’ passing. both endings are just incredibly heartbreaking and part of me hated doing it, while the other part had too much fun. i also count my taegi historical Silla AU (blackened skies) as quite angsty, because the entire situation of that feels hopeless. there wasn’t even a possibility to make it a happy ending

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

oh despite my very angsty fics, I have a ton of stories that end quite happily. though while doing this, I realised that majority of my fanfics are open ended because they rarely focus on plot? what turned out incredibly sweet however was my taegijoon hanahaki disease AU  (i can’t rip you out) and my aforementioned mafia AU - I don’t know how happy I’m about the latter’s ending, but it definitely is a very sweet and happy ending. I feel like I could’ve improved a lot on tying up the plot. 

7. Do you write crossovers, if so what’s the craziest one you have done?

I’ve never written a crossover? Once I wrote a fic loosely based on Good Omens but that’s the closest I got. 

8. Have you ever recieved hate on a fic?

not really, I once got a comment on my earlier mentioned little mermaid AU complaining about killing off gay people even in a fantasy setting which. okay? so not even the tagging and the very clear statement that it’s based on Hans Christian Andersen’s story wasn’t enough to stop you? I was just a little bit flabberghasted lol (not to mention assuming I, a queer, kill gays for shits and giggles)

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

this is difficult to answer because I have written smut before, though mostly because I wanted to try it out? I have a few smutty scenes with my wangxian fics but those are very tame, and then I’ve been writing some smut for wenzhou, but that is not posted (and will never be, probably). I always try it out because for some pairings it’s an amazing tool for character studies, and I also want to challenge myself by writing something outside of my comfort zone? but I feel a little bit awkward about it, especially because I’m ace myself so what would I know about it. I guess that is something other people have to judge how well I’m doing

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that I know of

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

yes! a few of my works have been translated to Russian by lovely people.

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

Here I’m giving the same answer as @vishcount did - yes! We wrote one together and I know they said it feels like it’s more like my fic than theirs, but I still very much consider it our joint work!! white plum blossoms turning red - it’s a wangxian wedding fic that I came up with and wanted to include many character’s different POVs. Vishie was so lovely to give her part by writing Jiang Cheng and Lan Xichen - which was absolutely wonderful. Am still very grateful? This whole fic is very cheesy and I never thought I would write weddings in my life but somehow I needed this. Thank you for being part of it 💜 would love to do it again sometime!

13. All time favorite ship!

i hate this question so much. i have so many and choosing is absolutely horrible. I guess I’ll choose wangxian, because they just became one with my heart? they gave me so much and they were incredible to explore. I’ve never written so much about one pairing/universe and I still feel I could forever dwell in their lives. I guess I also want to mention Nie Huaisang/Mo Xuanyu because they became my own on a very intense level.

14.What’s a WIP that you want to finish, but don’t think you will?

My Original Sin case fic. I started writing that in winter and only recently I read what I’ve written back then. It’s not too bad? I really wanted to challenge myself by writing a case fic, mainly because I suck at plotting. Lu Li and Chi Zhen are amazing to explore so I somehow don’t want to give up on that? Maybe I will rewatch the show and it will bring my motivation back. Am just too dumb for my own plot lol

15. What are your writing strengths?

after having many talks with vishie and my other friend, it seems that my characters are okay? I enjoy writing characters a lot, so it’s what I focus on the most. I also like writing atmospheres and just. VibesTM. idk what else I could mention here tbh. maybe my dedication to do (historical) research? often it’s more fun than the thing itself.

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

Plotting. Am trying to get into it a bit more? I also over-write many things which I want to change - I will never stop being pretentious but maybe being simple about it is better sometimes. Also I need to improve my English a lot, but that is a lifelong journey. I bet there are a ton more weaknesses but I feel like other people can judge that more clearly than me - my own writing is just a hazy mess so I can’t judge it unless I read it years later.

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in a fic?

not really my thing ig? If someone does it well, maybe it’s good, but yeah. I think it really needs to add to the story to make it work

18. First fandom you wrote for?

Hmmm. When I first discovered fanfics I wrote Ouran Highschool Host Club fics on my phone when I was 12-13 yo, but I never published them? and soon after that it was Denmark/Norway for Hetalia (yeah i know, shut up). that was my pairings of pairings back then and I even published it? I think even a Japan/England Pirate AU????  oh boy I haven’t thought about this in ages, it’s cursed.

19. Fave fic you have written?

It’s hard to choose between your kids and there are a few I could mention, but after being in a very bad writing slump for the past year, I’m quite confident to say that blackened skies, my historical taegi AU set in Silla Korea, is my favourite? For some reason it feels like I peaked - maybe it’s because I haven’t felt truly happy with anything since then, or maybe it’s because I combined a ton of historical research and tied it to my writing? I don’t really know. I guess that together with my Nie Huaisang/Mo Xuanyu fic it feels like my magnum opus that burned me out completely and now am still recovering. Are they any good? I have no fucking idea, but it sure took a toll on me.

if you’ve read all this, thank you! and am always happy to share writing talks! 💗

#thinking about it #i really have written a lot in my life #i can't stop now can i #maybe it's okay if i don't write now and return to it once am ready #i feel like my og story is the perfect opportunity because that doesn't instantly require the actual writing part #hmm #tag game #personal #writing #long post