Fic ask meme: I want to know all of them, but am intensely curious about 3, 4, 16, 18, 19 ✨🫡
Howdy! Thanks for the ask, friend! :D
3. What was your happiest writing experience?
It was finishing up "stay open" (Ted/Rebecca/Nate) right at the start of the year for my Sexy Christmas due date of January 4. I had been working on the fic off and on since June 2023. It was a gift for @boglady and I'd been, annoyingly, telling her I was writing something for her while (SUCCESSFULLY) keeping the relationship and premise a secret. I was beside myself with excitement for not having to keep the secret anymore. My darling beta @itsagutthing was keeping me sane, but not sane enough that I didn't blast the Bach violin chaconne Nate records for Ted in the fic while I was going through the Taco Bell drive-thru in real life. My wife was out of town. I kept odd hours. Despite the six+ month lead time, I added thousands of words to the fic in the final couple days. IT WAS THE BEST! I genuinely was having the time of my life writing that thing and it's easily the fic I'm most proud of writing at any point in my life and one of the most fun times I've had participating in a fandom event.
4. What was your most frustrating writing experience?
Keeping with fic, I ended up pretty happy with the angsty post-canon sort-of-ish-Ted/Beard/Rebecca fic, "rice," that I wrote for a comment-a-thon prize. But I had a lot of stops and starts including a lot of difficulty with a whole different plot idea that ended up being bad. It turns out that setting out to specifically write angst (or, I imagine, any specific tone) feels like a lot of pressure! I spent far less time writing the actual fic that ended up existing than I spent gnashing my teeth while writing doomed words.
16. What do you want to change about your writing in 2025? What do you want to stay the same?
Already answered!
18. Say something kind about your own writing this year.
I had fun and did what I wanted! I did things like spend 7 months thinking about a Ted/Rebecca/Nate poly arrangement that likely wouldn't be up a lot of people's alley, or write a modern art museum AU in one quick evening. Life is stressful and hard and writing should be a blast whenever possible.
19. If you’re an epigraph person, which was your most meaningful epigraph?
Probably the epigraph for my Secret Santa fic, "and you're with me" (Ted/Rebecca). Ever since I heard "Jade Green" by Kacey Musgraves I had T/R thoughts. It's such a beautiful song, and I ended up having a jade bracelet pop up a few times in the story as a focal point for Rebecca as her relationship with Ted evolves and grows over the years.
I can't help it, I get anxious, and every time we part
I say a little prayer to drive away the dark
And I'm with you and you're with me
Like the bracelet that you gave me
oui! i also taught myself tengwar so my bestie and i could pass notes in elvish script in class and our teacher couldnt read them when we got caught lol
87. What I’d do if I won in a lottery
@broadwayfreak5357 omg your answer to this was so pure, puts me to shame. don’t judge my answers. 1) buy my parents a place so that i when im necessarily emotionally distant to them i’ll feel less guilty about it (yikes) 2) buy myself a lil nyc place 3) invest 4) travel 5) maybe actually consider seriously writing as like a thing, more than i ever would consider it now 6) always pay for dinners at our Italian palace LOL
133. Do you regret anything from your past?
yes, but i also feel like i’ve done what needs doing
@broadwayfreak5357 replied to your post “Shame about her proclivities.”/ Hecate’s jaw clenches./ Addy frowns...”
Okay okay I LOVE this story and I would like more of it and/or Addy (or both pls pls pls ������). And this DVD commentary is amazing and thank you ������
matildaswan replied to your post “Shame about her proclivities.”/ Hecate’s jaw clenches./ Addy frowns...”
I LOVE ADDY SO MUCH!!! and I love that she was ready to throw down if Hecate hadn't taken the lead, tho i've been headcanoning her as a fists kinda lady who isn't one for wasting delicious mash potatoes and also I WANNA KNOW WHAT SHE'S DOING WHEN HECATE AND PIPPA ARE DOING THEIR HTINGS??? IS SHE GLARING AT EVEYRONE ELSE WHO LAUGHED AT THE TABLE, IS SHE EATING BROWNIES, WHATS THE HAPPEN???
I’m so happy y’all like it and Addy! She’s my baby. And certainly not opposed to using her fists but she uses it more as a last resort, or when she’s really fed up. At the party, after Pippa and Hecate leave, she very calmly informs the other women that they should go before Pippa returns. “What for?” one starts, and Addy just raises an eyebrow, says, “You all just outed yourselves as a bunch of homophobic sycophants who bullied her best friend for years. I mean, I want to hex your broomsticks and let you fly into a tree, and I don’t even know you that well—do you really want to find out what Pentangle’s gonna do to you when she gets back?”
(When they stand up to leave, she takes all their brownies.)
More questions for you 😍 Thanks and have an awesome day ❤️ 4) How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Care to share one of them? 13) What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever come across? 14) What’s the worst writing advice you’ve ever come across? 15) If you could choose one of your fics to be filmed, which would you choose? 37) Talk about your current wips. 38) Talk about a review that made your day. 39) Do you ever get rude reviews and how do you deal with them?
Thank you so much!! Hope you have an awesome day as well! <3 :)
4) How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Care to share one of them?
Sooo many! I have far too many story ideas that I want to write! #cries
As far as any stories that I’m actively working on though, there are three that I’m writing, two of which are on FFN.
13) What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever come across?
There’s a quote floating around somewhere–and I’m sorry that I can’t find it at the moment!–but the gist of it is that no one can write your story the way you can. There may be better writers out there, who write this way or that way, but there is only one writer like you. I find that really comforting (and encouraging).
14) What’s the worst writing advice you’ve ever come across?
Hmmm, I’m not sure??? I’m blanking on anything in particular that stands out.
15) If you could choose one of your fics to be filmed, which would you choose?
My Unquestionable Love series!!! :) I know that’s kinda cheating because it’s more than one story, but it’s a whole saga so…yeah. I think if my actual Snape family was brought to life I’d squeal like a pig in sh!t.
37) Talk about your current wips.
Well, like I mentioned above, two of them are on FFN: Unquestionable Love: The Untold Stories, which is an ongoing list of prompts from readers and myself, and Seeds of Redemption, my ReyBen fic (which really needs to be updated! I’m so far behind!).
I’m also working on another Snape story that I may begin posting pretty soon. It’s very dark–something I’d normally steer clear of these days–but it’s proving quite therapeutic so far and I can’t seem to commit to working on anything else.
38) Talk about a review that made your day.
ALL positive reviews make my day! Getting feedback is rare, so I’m immensely grateful to get kind words in my Inbox from readers telling me that they enjoyed something I wrote. It makes my day brighter knowing I made someone else’s day.
39) Do you ever get rude reviews and how do you deal with them?
Yes, I do. If they’re under the cowardly guise of anonymity (which they usually are), I delete them. I don’t care how anyone else might feel about that. I protect my safe space, and fanfiction is a hobby. Negative people have no business being in my safe space where I’m just trying to enjoy something I do in my spare time.
A fluffy, weird (to me) fic that wouldn't get out of my brain! Inspired by Tim Daly and babies (2.14, anyone?) and my dad. About the McCords in parent mode! Enjoy xx
20 . Which work of yours have you reread the most?
29 . Favorite line/passage you wrote this year?
Thanks, friend!
17 . Your favorite character to write this year?
I think I still loved writing Rebecca and Ted and Beard and Roy as much as ever (and how could I ever choose okay but it's Ted, obviously [to me] [probably obvious based on my fics])! But I think I get to add Keeley to this list after this year (although I loved writing her in 2021 and 2022 too, but I wasn't as driven to, maybe, and it wasn't something I found as fun?). I think my favorite most fun moment of writing any TL character was writing Keeley's drunken thought processes in "anticipate" (Keeley/Rebecca/Ted). Yeah! Keeley!
20 . Which work of yours have you reread the most?
This year it's got to be "Last night in town," (Ted/Rebecca) because I posted it as a WIP over about 6 weeks. Even though the whole thing is well under 15k, I was really anxious not to introduce any continuity errors or mix up the details, so I kept rereading the whole thing. (Fun fact that I'm sure you know since you're a multichapter queen: you can procrastinate on writing new chapters by reading your old chapters as research!)
I gave myself some timeline grace (I mean the source material is from Jason Sudeikis et al. and I absolutely share in their belief that time isn't necessarily """real"""), but I did want the general timeline and trajectory of all the visits to make sense. I knew exactly how many times they visited each other or traveled to be together and in which months!
In terms of just reading something for sheer fun and/or sheer thinkin' about writing, I think the story I reread the most from this year might be "days in love" (Rebecca/Roy, Keeley/Ted, future love square). It was a gift for a friend and I wrote specifically to her wonderful prompts, but a lot of elements of that story ended up being things that are specifically very comforting/appealing to me and so rereading it makes me feel a kinda dumb/calm happiness even if I'm the one who wrote it. :)
29 . Favorite line/passage you wrote this year?
This is a silly one, but there's a passage from "days in love" that I had so much fun writing, not least because it was a bunch of characters from Apple TV+ having an experience that is distinctly Netflix:
It was Monday, February 13. They’d returned home the night before. The four of them—that’s how she thought of them—were at Keeley’s, ostensibly selecting something to watch from Netflix’s endless and overwhelming personalized categories. Keeley’s Netflix account was subject to some fascinating algorithms. Every category she scrolled through seemed to get more surreal and specific: ADORABLE ANIMALS THAT DON’T DIE AT THE END and COMING OF AGE IN LATE-STAGE CAPITALISM and WHAT TO EAT ON THE AMALFI COAST. It all started to look the same after a while, but Ted kept saying his Netflix liked to suggest this or that category too.
OTP headcanon thing - I actually want to know the answers to all of them for everyone because I feel like you will have answers that make me feel insane in the best way!!! But I shall only ask the following! Feel free to answer none of them or all of them OR disregard my pairings and focus on love square overall and not them separately heheh
Ted/Rebecca:
3. If they got to pick what one another wears for a day, what would they pick for one another (I originally read this too fast and thought it was a borrowing clothes type thing and that Ted would become obsessed with Rebecca’s silk robes but mkay 🫠)
10. Would they hate-fuck each other if they were mad at each other (I could see this going various ways, as a role play thing and/or clearly talking beforehand like “hey if we’re ever mad would X be okay” but I’d love to get your take.
Keeley/Rebecca:
1. Who is more protective (I feel like it depends on the situation but also Keeley would be out for blood if anyone made Rebecca feel ANY type of way)
12. Do either of them have a special item that they use when they miss each other?
32. Who said I love you first?
Roy/Rebecca:
17. What is something stupid they probably did together?
29. What is something small that they would randomly pick up for the other?
ONE MORE SORRY NOT SORRY:
Ted/Keeley:
14. What’s the thing they miss most about each other?
20. If you had to change their very first meeting, how would you change it?
Hi Sage I love these and you picked such good ones for each couple, omg
Ted/Rebecca:
3. If they got to pick what one another wears for a day, what would they pick for one another (I originally read this too fast and thought it was a borrowing clothes type thing and that Ted would become obsessed with Rebecca’s silk robes but mkay 🫠)
Love the misread! :)
So, once Ted was certain Rebecca really was okay with him picking out her outfit for the day, I think he'd choose something similar to what she wore on the Christmas they spent together. Soft well-worn jeans, maybe some Nikes he'd bought for her that she hardly ever gets dressed down enough to wear, a supersoft tank top (arms!), a blazer or cardigan depending on the weather, and, I'm sorry to say, a newsboy hat that I personally would not choose but if they're happy, I'm happy.
Rebecca would be extra and pick two outfits...something nice for their day out, like one of his beloved Todd Snyder sweatshirts but in a color he wouldn't have chosen for himself (mustard, perhaps, @talldecafcappuccino?), his dark blue chinos, Nikes he was 'saving' that she'd just make him wear because they're cool and he should enjoy them. And then when they get home, she'd have him change into just an undershirt and borderline obscene sweatpants for obvious reasons, so then as "payback" he'd make her wear her skimpiest pajamas and
oh hey hello didn't see you there let's just get to the next question...
10. Would they hate-fuck each other if they were mad at each other (I could see this going various ways, as a role play thing and/or clearly talking beforehand like “hey if we’re ever mad would X be okay” but I’d love to get your take.
Hmm. My personal headcanon for this is that they wouldn't do that in the heat of the moment, while the emotions are still really intense, but once things were on the way to resolved and all that is left is some bickering (if the fight was kinda dumb) or some processing (if it was serious), that would turn into a sexual thing kind of organically. And as their relationship goes on, I could see them playing around with actually processing things via roleplay, but I don't think that would happen very often at all.
Keeley/Rebecca:
1. Who is more protective (I feel like it depends on the situation but also Keeley would be out for blood if anyone made Rebecca feel ANY type of way)
Definitely depends on the situation, but I think they'd be pretty mutually protective. I think Rebecca would be more likely to be concerned about Keeley's safety, like if they were traveling apart she'd be more likely to fret about how things were going even though she knows Keeley is tough and capable. And I think Keeley would be more likely to be concerned about Rebecca's feelings--like if Rebecca was hurt and not wanting to show it, or if she got embarrassed or upset in public.
12. Do either of them have a special item that they use when they miss each other?
Vibrators, tbh?
But on the more emotional side, when one of them is traveling for work and the other can't be there, I can picture them having a little google doc or album where they put little notes to each other and pictures they've taken and generally jot down memories and mementos from the day to feel more connected, and over time it's like a scrapbook.
32. Who said I love you first?
OK so even though Keeley is ultra effusive, I really like the idea of her being super shy about going there and actually saying a proper "I love you," and one night they're on the way back to one of their places from an evening with friends or something, maybe Rebecca is driving them and it's a regular sober old Tuesday night, very ordinary, and Rebecca gets quiet for a moment and then just says it. And Keeley immediately says it back!
Roy/Rebecca:
17. What is something stupid they probably did together?
This is such an unformed idea but I can picture them in a post-canon mutually single period once they've adjusted to her being his boss more directly and him being head coach and they are the only ones without plans some Friday night on a bye weekend or something and they go out and get drunk and on the walk home sneak into...I don't know, a locked cemetery or something?...and stay talking until the sun is actually coming up and then they've got to sneak back out (sober, so it's harder) before the groundskeeper knows they've spent the night there.
29. What is something small that they would randomly pick up for the other?
This isn't the item, but it's in the spirit of what I mean: cheap lighters. Roy doesn't smoke on the show and Rebecca barely does, but I feel like a cheap lighter is a thing that is easy to lose, easy for a friend to accidentally walk off with, etc., so I like thinking about them having the casual intimacy that helps you remember "oh, she lost her second-to-last lighter, I'll grab one while I'm out." Even though I have written an entire story about Roy buying stuff for Rebecca, I can't think of the perfect item for this example right now, but it's like this. A lighter but not a lighter specifically.
ONE MORE SORRY NOT SORRY:
Ted/Keeley:
14. What’s the thing they miss most about each other?
Ohhh. :( I think they'd miss living in the same place for laughter reasons! Ted doesn't laugh very easily/readily on the show (Sharon, Trent, and Rebecca notably get a for real laugh, although Trent's is indirect while Sharon and Rebecca's are more fully in the moment), and many of the characters get amused/happy Ted, but the true laughter is a rare thing), and I feel like Keeley laughs quite a bit.
I like thinking about Ted feeling very chilled out with Keeley and her making him laugh really naturally. And I like that Keeley, who puts so much effort into being affable and fun and sweet to everyone, would absolutely laugh a lot with Ted but wouldn't feel any pressure to, and might even be more serious or subdued with him than she is with a lot of people, feeling no need to put on a particular demeanor for his benefit.
20. If you had to change their very first meeting, how would you change it?
Hmm, I really love their first meeting and wouldn't actually want to change it. But I think it would be interesting if instead of the slightly protective act of taping up the photo (which I think is a decent character moment primarily because it leads to him getting so startled and her getting to be so funny so early in the show), they interact about the photo in some other way? Like maybe they head straight into talking about the Believe sign, but there's just a half-naked photo of Keeley *right* between Ted and the real Keeley, and the humor of that is slightly more subtle. I probably wouldn't change it, though, but if I had to, that'd be the switch.
