Sure... let's just pretend that's what you actually meant 👀

For your fanfic writer asks! 1, 3, and 9. Because I like your squidgy heart!!

What’s something new that you tried in a fic this year? How did it turn out and would you do it again?

Hmm, I think the thing that I did the most for the first time this year was - how do you put it, playing with other people's toys. I've done writing collaborations and cowriting before, and with the right cowriter I find it a truly magical process every time, but it's usually come from a place of the two of us spitballing about a common universe or premise and generating it collaboratively. This year was the first time I tried writing in other people's worlds where the other writer had done the building and premise-setting and I was given kind permission to step in and riff on it or write a divergence from it.

I think I did this the most with your AU worlds, with my NCI tie-in fics ((307) temporary redirect and (208) already reported) , and obviously Kinkverse with The Pieces and The Discovery, as well as if this room was burning (i wouldn't even notice)

It was a tremendously fun thing to do, that was - like quite nerve-wracking, because it takes a lot of bravery to write an AU and then a lot of trust to let someone else play in that little private world, and I always worry about doing justice to that world and treating it kindly and respectfully. But the rewards were so, so lovely. With the right writing friends, absolutely I'd do it again.

2. What’s something you learned about yourself as a writer?

I think - I didn't learn a lot that was new about my writing process specifically, but this year was really about re-awakening and re-affirming things that I knew worked for me before, that I hadn't been able to access. I write best writing whatever my capricious little heart wants, and I write best and most happily leaning into the weird nooks and crannies of my creativity. Having creative spaces where indulging in this found me like-minded people and community was a beautiful gift, and that combined with dialing down on the work pressures of the pandemic helped my words to flow so much more easily.

3. What fic meant the most to you to write?

Oh, hands down hands down over salt sea and flowerdeep fields and the whole ensuing OT3verse.

So like. Not to get Too Real or Too Personal but also that's kind of the point, I was Essential, Like So Fucking Essential, from March 2020 to - like I'm still in that essential job and the pressures that existed in 2020-23 are ever-present so I don't want to use past tense but also if I mention my work people appear to like, complain about their own personal and entirely unrelated bugbears and I don't want that but basically: it sucked. I am sure many non-essential people also had shitty times but I had a shitty time that was quite specific and isolating and I hope that 2024 is the year society reckons with that. And I achieved new tiers of life stress, tiers I did not know existed. I felt stress and then unlocked the secret back door of stress, transcended into Ultra Stress and that's something that can't *not* be transformative, despite all the coping strategies in the universe.

Late 2022 for me was the year of finally having enough breathing room to be like, okay, how can I claw back my personhood from this weird merging of personhood and occupation and societal role obligation and isolation that has flattened my entire life. So there was a lot of life stuff that I did as part of that, but the one result was that I had brain space to actually consume pop culture again. I joke a lot that I'm still at 2020, pop culture wise, and I think I will be for a while still, but - I had time, and I watched Willow. And it was the perfect combination of like. Right show, right story, right characters, and my heart having room to love stories in the way I used to love stories, before all of that happened to me. And the thing that it unlocked, specifically, was - the idea of the grand quest, and the richness that would be in the journey home. The idea of a journey home as a way of giving these characters a soft ending, and having it parallel the soft ending that I was cultivating for myself, and suddenly having that burning need to write a big fucking story. But, more critically, having room in my life that I actually could put that big fucking story to words. I thought salt sea would be maybe 10k, and I was a little overwhelmed about whether I could write something that long after a long break in writing longfic, but I kept plotting, and I taught myself scrivener to organize my thoughts, and every day I wrote a little bit and every day I remembered how much I loved storytelling, and writing, and diving into fantasy worlds. And every day this story got bigger and more mine and more complex and I reached out to fandom friends to ask for cheerleading and they were wonderful and gracious to me and then when I finally posted it, new people were curious and interested and that felt like a miracle. That story is a little slice of my heart, and getting it out there and completed and going on that journey was I think the most important thing about it. But the fact that now I've written even more in that world, that other people are curious and excited and pleased to hear about that world with me, is a gift that I can hardly express all of my gratitude for.

Jeromewald Text Meme 6/?

Part I | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 7 | Part 8

20 Questions for Writers

i was tagged by the ever lovely @oakashandwillow

1. How many works do you have on AO3? uh... are we counting works i've orphaned over the years? if not, 16 over two accounts.

2. What's your total AO3 word count? 41,118

3. What fandoms do you write for? currently, it's all star wars all the time, though there's probably going to be a one piece fic out of me soon. other fandoms i've written for include dragon age, naruto, and stranger things.

the rest of the ?s are under a cut to save space!!

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

(i promise you that) we're marching on | naruto fic, sakura-centric gen

the long and short of it | witcher fic, geralt/eskel, bonus fiberarts

the unexpected series | stranger things fic, steddie, rule 63!steve with surprise baby

quid pro quo | star wars: the clone wars fic, rex/echo, smut

the will to carry on | stranger things fic, abandoned wip, rule 63!steve

5. Do you respond to comments? i try to! i don't always have the spoons for it tho

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? surprisingly, it's not the fic that's all about grief and recovery. it's a star wars drabble, changing of the guard.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? the joke answer is quid pro quo. (because it's smut.) but most of my endings tend to be content or hopeful if not happy, so this is hard to quantify for me.

8. Do you get hate on fics? not as of yet, but given i write cloneshipping i'm honestly just bracing for it to happen at some point

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? indeed i do. i currently only have one smut thing uploaded, so idk if i can say anything for certain about trends, but given my wips... emotional sex and smut as character studies seem to be my thing.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? nope. not really my thing.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? nope! thankfully, i've heard horror stories

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? i think one that no longer exists was once translated. (i had a sad habit of deleting or orphaning things i was less than pleased with when i was younger. i know better now.)

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? ahaha yes but none of it i'm going to mention by name. all my co-written fic happened in middle school with IRL friends.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship? i'm a filthy multishipper this question is like asking me which of my hairs i like best

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? oh man. definitely the will to carry on and the couple of stranger things wips in my wip file. not that i don't love the stories anymore, but certain parts of the fandom annoyed me right out of any inspiration or desire to touch anything related to said fandom with a twelve foot pole.

16. What are your writing strengths? i like to think i'm good with characterization and dialogue.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? writing anything longer than 3k words max lmao though that has been improving lately and i have high hopes for the sev fic getting finished

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? there... there is a whole can of worms here that this question opens for me and i don't think anyone wants my ramble about dialogue, other languages, conlangs, dialects, and the effects of having been in anime fandom for so long so. this is not getting answered other than with a shrug

(unless someone wants the ramble in which case i will happily oblige)

19. First fandom you wrote for? teen titans cartoon when i was a wee thing. it was a self-insert fic that was less than a page in ms word, single spaced :')

20. Favorite fic you’ve written? this is such a cop-out answer but i genuinely don't think i can pick a favorite. maybe ordinal, just because i'm still super proud of having finished it and what i did with the characterization at missing scenes? but augh i want to put more here too

i'm tagging @bisexualdinahlance, @bilbosmom-belladonna, @cacodaemonia, aaaaand @cabezadeperro but no pressure if you're not game :> and if anyone wants to do it but isn't tagged /points to eyes /points to u

WHEN I TELL YOU THIS COMMENT MADE ME SCREECH IN DELIGHT- and then i looked up and had made this meme. random_fandom_phantom, this made my day, you’re the best 😂

Oh and for the rest of you, I updated What to Expect today. ♥ 

Happy new year!

so the youtube algorithm is dragging me back to one of my favorite games ever, and with it it’s beautiful music, so I was listening to the songs and tried to see if I remembered some fan lyrics to them

and then I connected one of the songs to something I’m making. Because of course I did

and then I drew this… because of course I did

Tw for knives and violence, I think? Bloodmoon is chasing Solar with a knife, so if that’s not something you’d like to see you can scroll right past

Ok so you want to see the atrocity I made, okay

I am so glad I didn’t come up with this while writing chapter 6

oh yeah, if you know what this au’s about, I am so sorry. if you don’t, good

fic stat game

Rules: Give us the links to your fic with the most hits, second most kudos, third most comments, fourth most bookmarks, fifth most words, and fic with the least words.

I saw @loquaciousquark's post and I haven't done one of these for a while, so here goes:

Most Hits: Variations on a Theme, with Tank and Gunfire, approaching 60K hits, ye gods. Credit here to everyone out there who rereads this <3

2nd Most Kudos: Visual Stimulus, a teeny bit of sexy Shakarian.

3rd Most Comments: Second Chances, a gentle mature-exes-get-back-together fic. Still proud of bringing this to a solid conclusion.

4th Most Bookmarks: Also Visual Stimulus.

5th Most Words: Life, Letter by Letter, Val Shepard's alphabet fic. I always enjoyed this exploration of character, though I couldn't contrive to also put in chronological order.

Fic with Least Words: Shark, at 138 words, which still makes me laugh, please go read it.

Writing Patterns

Thank you for the tag, @forerussake! <3

Rules: List the first line of your last 10 (posted) fics and see if there's a pattern!

The Lantern welcomes him. - when the lights go up and the music stops, Guardian, Weilan

"Where is he?" - catch me if you can, Guardian, Weilan

It occurs to Chang Dong about a minute after starting the engine and turning the car around that maybe it would have been a better idea to take Liuxi's Jeep home and come back later to fetch his own. - you whose heart would sing of anarchy, Parallel World, Ye Liuxi x Chang Dong

Shen Wei is on his way home when the first few signs of rain turn into heavy drops, falling to the ground in quicker and quicker succession, until the sky opens and the sidewalk becomes alive with people trying to hurry somewhere dry. - all in the knowing of you, Guardian, Weilan

When they're in bed together, she likes to put her cheek on Chang Dong's chest and listen to his heartbeat. - putting songs into the hearts of the doomed, Parallel World, Ye Liuxi x Chang Dong

A huge dining table in the middle of the precinct is an idea way more police departments should adopt, Ray thinks. - One More Day, Guardian/Due South crossover, Gen

He finds Bai Haotian outside, keeping dry under the roof and anxiously peering out into the darkness. - not only the sugar, but the days, Lost Tomb Reboot, Huo Daofu x Bai Haotian

"My grandma said it was a family curse," Changcheng says, a crooked smile pulling at his lips. - (like i was looking for a place to rest), Guardian, Chuguo

There's a small notebook at the very back of the drawer in the nightstand in Xiaoge's room in Wushanju. - I will set sails and follow the breeze, Lost Tomb Reboot, Iron Triangle

He goes to bed as soon as they get home, because he's tired, he's always so tired, and being trapped inside the Huo residence didn't help. - i think of loss and i can only think of you, Ultimate Note, Pingxie

Hmm. Something I like to do is not using names in the first line. Sometimes I add them after the fact, if I think just using pronouns might be confusing for readers. But when I start writing, it's usually after thinking about the story for so long, it's perfectly clear to me who "he" is, so why should I specify Zhao Yunlan?

Sometimes I pick a canon hook to start a story, like the scene in Lost Tomb Reboot where they wait for Wu Xie in the rain, and then take it from there.

Otherwise I guess I ilke to start pretty much in medias res. I'm not really seeing much of a pattern. 😅

Fanfic Trope Meme

Tagged by: snagging the free tag from @the-unending-journey

Tagging: anyone who wants a tag!

The rules: Choose one, both or none of the following tropes!

slow burn or love at first sight // fake dating or secret dating // enemies to lovers or best friends to lovers // oh no there’s only one bed or long-distance correspondence // hurt-comfort or amnesia // fantasy au or modern au // mutual pining or domestic bliss // canon-compliant or fix-it // reincarnation or character death // one-shot or multi-chapter // kid fic or road trip fic // arranged marriage or accidental marriage // high school romance or middle-aged romance // time travel or isolated together // neighbors or roommates // sci-fi au or magic au // body swap or gender bend // angst or crack // apocalyptic or mundane

For the wip challenge, the word is “hands”!!!!

[wip challenge]

I have many many "hands" #for all my weird physicality and posture feels and they are mostly Alec's hands, or Alec noticing Magnus' hands? HOW MANY WOULD YOU LIKE?

So Alec only notices his own hands when he feels like he's fumbling:

Alec's hands wanted to tremble, his throat still hurt, but he couldn't feel his heart hitting his ribs anymore, and he suspected that was as good as it was going to get for awhile.

He lifted his hands and rubbed at his face.

Alec rolled his shoulders, held his hands a bit too tightly behind his back.

He stepped forward, but he didn't know what to do next, couldn't figure out what to do with his hands. He felt awkward and clumsy, two sizes too big for the world around him.

Magnus disagrees:

Alec's hands shift, an almost awkward gesture back and forth between them. (SEE THAT ALMOST? Magnus cannot see Alec as anything less than beautiful 🤣)

Alec's hands are a little too firm as he grips Magnus' shoulders and pushes him back, ducking his head until Magnus can't avoid meeting his eyes, his expression firm and determined.

Alec's eyes look even darker than his shirt, and Magnus knows he's thinking the same thing, but his stance is solid and his hands are behind his back and Magnus reminds himself to behave.

a journey

vol i: dovewing's daddy kink

vol ii: leopardstar uses her authority to enforce self-care

vol iii: mistyfoot likes being possessed (but only in private)

vol iv: briarlight enjoys being a juice box

Please imagine me as the vagabond teen that arrives *way* too late at your door with like a garbage bag for candy.

Trick or Treat?

of course, of course. More treats for you, scruffy teen. (SMUT 🙀 below the readmore)

+

Jade is still, and when Kit finally works up the nerve to stop covering her eyes she catches Jade watching with an expression that makes Kit's belly tense. Kit knows that way of looking that Jade has. Knows that she's getting an idea of something that she'd like to try, later. "Do you need me to stop?" she asks. She's flushed and wild-eyed, like she doesn't want to stop any more than Kit does.

Kit squirms. "I don't know," she says. It comes out in a whine so needy that it makes Kit blush just to hear herself.

Jade nods. "Can I -" Jade shifts, and for a moment it makes that pressure even more intense. Then she lowers Kit's hips just a little, changes the angle of herself inside. Kit whines again, her whole self humming raw with tension. "Better?"

Kit's heart is still racing, but she tries her hardest to notice her body and not her fear. The feeling has dissipated. Now it's just the pleasant fullness of Jade inside her, the static-feeling of her fluttering heart. Jade runs a hand up her sternum, drags gentle nails along her chest. "Color, baby?"

A SVSSS fic I want to write one day is Airplane and Shen Yuan being ejected from the System and sent back to the mundane world, but with the difference that Shen Yuan's 'edits' to the story have been retroactively applied to PiDW and as a result it's gone from 'top story in a hyper specific web culture niche' to 'international sensation with a Netflix adaption in the works'.

Keyly, PiDW is still told largely from the PoV of Luo Binghe- so neither he nor the audience is at all aware that it's now Isekai story. Instead it's billed as this heady romantic drama about prejudice, the passage of time, and redemption- where a big part of the appeal is trying to piece together the otherwise enigmatic Shen Qingqiu's motives.

Was he harsh on Binghe initially because of he sensed/knew about Binghe's demon heritage (as it's now possible to find hints that he may have in fact known all along)? Or because he saw Binghe's potential and wanted to do the tough-love training thing? Or was it because he was trying to chase Binghe away from Cultivation because he knew it would lead Binghe to misery one day? Did he throw Binghe into the Abyss because he was genuinely shocked and disgusted by the Demon reveal? Or because he knew Binghe would be killed if he stayed and he was trying to 'protect' him? Or was it because he genuinely wanted Binghe to fulfill his demon Emperor destiny and thought a clean break would do it? The fandom has no idea but lovvvvvves arguing about it.

This all leads to things coming full circle, as Cucumber, sounding like an absolute insane person, is left to rant online about how the obvious answer is that Shen Qingqiu was Isekai'd earlier in the story and replaced by a completely different person- a theory which is mocked to the point of memery, and leads to Cucumber being dunked on endlessly, no matter how much evidence he brings up or how many essays he writes.

WHEN YOU SEE THIS, SHARE 3 RANDOM LINES FROM 3 WIPS

Canderous raises an eyebrow at her, somehow managing to look both amused and disdainful. "I said it was simple, not that it was easy."

There's only a roof between Jason and Bruce, but the distance feels uncrossable.

"S'alright," she mumbles around the blood welling up in her mouth, clumsily reaching up to grasp his hand. "You'll... be alright, Sebastian."

I was inspired to memery by the stunningly idiotic phrase “fic intended to cause a sexual response on the parts of the viewers” paired with the seemingly-honest belief that this is illegal. 

more fandom memes: here

Hello! I've been catching up on your Solar Lunacy story (love it btw!) and I was wondering--has Eclipse actually made an appearance yet in the fic? I see art for him depicting scenes in the story, and I can't tell if these are just future events, or if they've already been written down and I can't find it. Have arcs 2 or 3 happened already? Cuz I'd love to know more about this universe!

Eclipse has not made an apperence in the story yet, and some of the stuff I draw are memery/shitposts or concepts that may or may not actaully end up in the story. We haven't entered ARC 2 just yet but we're about to, pretty damn close. Thank you for reading!