1) What made you start writing fanfic?
Honestly? I think it’s just something I’ve always done. I didn’t write a proper fanfic beginning to end until I was 11 but I have notes of story ideas, or snippets (mostly dialogue) from a couple of years earlier. I don’t know when it started for certain because I only have digital files. If it was on paper I no longer have it. Certainly from when I was 9 and possibly younger.

Anyway, I think the impetus was fix-it. There was something not right and I wanted to change it. Bizarrely considering I can look back at stuff from when I was only 9 I had my shipping preferences sorted. Back then I don’t think I understood why I had a vehement dislike for certain ships, I just knew I didn’t like it. Now I’m an adult I can see that what I hated was lack of respect, or power imbalances. My childish fix was usually to split them up and to introduce an OC, who was a good listener, very supportive and probably didn’t have much personality of their own, instead did the “what do you want” dance a lot – I was only 9 *cringe*.

11) What kind of relationships are you most interested in writing?
Well I kinda got into that above ^^ I like equality, I like mutual respect. When writing relationships I usually conflate trust and love. I like it when a character that prides themselves on being strong, and never showing weakness, relaxes with their partner. I like that because they don’t have to be strong all the time as they trust that their partner won’t hold it against them. They can bear each other up, take turns being strong, they can be a team. They can let their partner see behind the mask, see their true self and feel loved for who they really are, not who people assume they are, or who they feel they have to pretend to be.

It’s odd really because the kind of relationships I’m most interested in are probably the ones that thus far I’ve written the least. Doing the whole “get together” thing is just more common in fic and instant attraction is a lot quicker. In terms of ‘get together’ I do prefer friends to lovers but slow burn is a time sink for writing. Anyway, I digress what I’m trying to get to is – established relationship. I suppose it goes back to the couple being a team. I want to write relationships where they solve problems together.

Fanfic asks: Ask me?

2) Which of your own fanfics have you reread the most?
I don’t tend to reread my own work after its been posted, not unless I intend to do something more with it. So if a fic has a sequel then I’ll have re-read what came before at least once. Probably the one I’ve read the most is erm *thinks* probably a toss up between Painting Layers of Love and Between Two Fires.

9) What do your fic bookmarks say about you?
That I am a terrible person who never gets round to reading anything. Honestly I suck and I feel awful about it. Life threw me a massive curveball end of 2016 and I still haven’t recovered. These days with uni I am so brain dead when I get home I can’t even watch trash TV sometimes. I literally sit on the couch and stare at the wall, I can’t cope with anything more. I probably could read a lot more than I do (I mean I’m answering these right now, so I could be reading!) but I put a lot of pressure on myself. If I read then I want to leave a good comment, and to be honest it’s the “being too tired to leave a good comment” thing that really stops me, and now I’ve just got out of the habit.

Fanfic asks: ask me?

6) Name three stories you found easy to write
Hmm.

Short fics usually pour out of me in one sitting because there’s a particular thing I want to say. They are usually ‘character pieces’ aka not much plot, just the character reflecting on what’s happened. So I guess I’d say these fics like my two most recent: Monstrare Monere or Ghost of a Memory, were fairly easy to write.

However like I said that’s because of the nature of the kind of fic. In terms of something longer with more plot (aka a proper fic imo) two immediately come to mind: The Beauty and the Tragedy and Between Two Fires. The former just poured out of me in one day, and the latter hits so many of my buttons in terms of what I like the most it was just an absolute joy. For a third? I’m trying to think of a chaptered one, though those are usually difficult at some point as it becomes rather inevitable with the length. Hmm, Right Kind of Wrong perhaps? I did write that very quickly because the show made me angry, I think I rode that anger all the way hehe.

7) Name three stories you found difficult to write
Oh boy haha. When I first read these two questions my instinctive thought was “what stories did I not find difficult” hence the rather long answer above, as I had to think it through myself. So just three? Erm. How about True Love Ways, Dream Come True, Painting Layers of Love … and lots more hehe 🙂

Fanfic asks: ask me?

@sarashouldbestudying thanks for the tag! I knew as soon as I saw you were tagged in this that you would tag me hehe. thanks friend 🙂

Rules: List the titles of ALL of the active WIPs in your WIP folder, along with a sentence for the general concept if it isn’t self-explanatory. Then post the last sentence/thing you wrote (fanfic/original/anything).

(at least it said ‘active’ ones phew)

I literally could just link to my WIP page to be honest but that’s kinda lazy. Plus not all of them have words yet, so I’ll just do the ones that have words on this list. So…

Rumbelle

Painting Layers of Love – Belle French lives alone and she likes it that way. She’s lived alone ever since the terrible car accident which killed her mother and claimed her eyesight. Belle spends her days painting, in complete solitude, until one day she wakes up and hears movement outside. Somebody has moved into the cottage next door. She had grown comfortable in her solitary existence until Mr Gold crashes into her life. Now her future is uncertain, like a blank canvas, waiting for her to apply the paint and decide what kind of story she is creating. TEA Winner 2017 Best Drama. [Tumblr, AO3]

*cough* last sentence written was last sentence published *hides in box of shame* I know, I know! it’s been forever 🙁 *cries*

Nightwalkers – There has been a murder in Storybrooke. Detective Belle French is assigned to investigate, her only lead takes her into the world of high stakes poker among the power players of Storybrooke. Belle winds up going undercover as Lacey, Mr. Gold’s provocatively clad escort, to gain access to the poker games and find the murderer among Storybrooke’s elite. However, as the investigation deepens, the stakes get higher both personally and professionally – it’s not just the killer who might fall.

Last sentence written (oh merlin way back in 2016 *cringes*):

She sat on the black leather office swivel chair and
pulled at the drawer, smiling when it wouldn’t open. A locked drawer was more
like it.

Garcy

Untitled – Celeb/Fan AU for Ripper.

Last sentence written:

She was so wrapped up in her work that grocery shopping was the highlight of her social calendar.

——————

Tagging @mariequitecontrarie, @rumple-belle and @bookwormchocaholic if you want/haven’t done it already.

thanks for the ask! Should have trusted you to go angst hehe *hugs*

13. Has a fic ever made you cry?
Oh yeah, several, though usually it’s just blinking back tears. The only fic I can think of which actually made me sob, like full on uncontrollable crying, was a Harry Potter fanfic called Family Night. I have never forgotten it and I have actually read it more than once. If I ever need to cry, it does the job every single time. I’m not sure what gets me about it but I just bawl.

Wait a minute! I forgot @worryinglyinnocent‘s Value for a second. Ok I take it back – that one! Bloody that one! I was probably trying to block it from my mind because that hurt, that really hurt.

14. What tropes/elements/scenarios get you the worst?
Get me? What like make me cry? Or upset me? I don’t know. I have trouble with angst in general to be honest because I think I over-empathise and I get really bad anxiety. I’ve had to stop reading more than one fic because it was making me feel really sick.

This is really making me think. I suppose it’s when the character can’t see a way out, so it’s like there’s no light. I need to know it’s going to be ok. I need to be able to see how it can be fixed, or at least feel reassured that it will be fixed. I don’t mean fixed fixed necessarily, but just that even if they are still having to deal with stuff that they CAN deal with it. I’m not sure that makes sense.

I’m a bit of a wimp to be honest. It’s like with sci-fi, I like mine a bit cheesy, saving the world and cracking jokes at the same time. Sure it can get a bit dark but it’s not doom and gloom.

15. Do you mind when characters cry?
I want to hug them – metaphorically at least. I don’t do hugging in real life, I’m very much don’t touch me, but I’m forever going “somebody give them a hug” when characters cry. I like to make it better I guess. I suppose whether I mind them crying depends on the circumstances. If it’s fake-crying to manipulate someone then I hate that! Otherwise sometimes people just need to cry, it’s a release and hopefully the character feels better for it.

16. How do you feel about character death in fic?
Hate it. Won’t read it.

Well you know what I mean. I won’t ever read the characters I love dying, but side characters? one’s I don’t like to fill the plot? Sure. I don’t think of that as character death though.

17. Any characters who you can’t stand to see in pain?
Anyone I like? No seriously I have a very low threshold for angst. I like to fix things and make characters happy. Temporary pain is ok I guess? But I’ve never been down with the whole ‘hurts so good’ thing.

Also by temporary and happy, I don’t mean some kind of fake unicorn world. Some hurts don’t go away but it’s about being able to cope I guess. So even if life is still a struggle sometimes for the character, they are in a good place and have people that care about them. There are no such thing as happy endings but I like characters to have a good life.

18. Favorite angst fic?
None of the above.

I know, I’m sorry, but favourite and angst really don’t go together. Plus I’m not 100% sure what constitutes an angst fic. I tend to think of it as ‘break them and then fix them’ but I have trouble reading that kind of sustained misery even if the ending is happy.

I’m going to say All of Me I think by @mariequitecontrarie because that has some very angsty moments but it’s mixed in with a lot of love and support. It’s like up and down, rather than just down down down. It’s a journey, with bright spots and dark spots, it’s not unrelenting but it’s real. It’s very good.

#in which sam is a major wimp