#caparrucia

[look-a-draw]

Hi! Thank you so much for doing these, they're amazing! Could I request any Aries saint you prefer, with the Nonbinary or the Bisexual (or both!) flag?

Thank you!

[godihatethisfreakingcat]

For the fanfic ask! 11, 23, 39!

11: Are you partial to a certain character/pairing or are you more equal-opportunity? If you are partial to any character/pairing, why do you think that is?

I love Bagginshield, Ineffable Husbands, and Immortal Husbands (yeah, yeah, I know - predictable). Most of all, I think I love pairings where the characters are on an equal footing and love/respect each other without denigration or deliberately causing each other pain.

On a similar, but side, note: I just got into Abbott Elementary and I need ALL the Janine/Gregory fic pumped into my veins right the fuck now.

23: What’s a trope, AU, or concept you’ve never written, but would like to?

Will people hate me if I say soulmates? XD I think I could try for a nuanced take on it.

39: Is any aspect of your writing process inspired by other writers or people? If so, who?

Terry Pratchett made himself write 200 words a day. Right now, at least for my original work, I'm doing the same.

[wordsandrobots]

For the writer asks: 7, 27, 40! Thank you!

7. What is your deepest joy about writing?

The same joy I get from any creative act: that of seeing something come into existence.

There's something incredible about taking an idea, fleshing it out and giving it a presence in the world. Be it writing, drawing, baking, building, whatever -- it's just wonderfully satisfying. I tend to do a lot of stuff in my head before I go to the keyboard (planning, scripting, feeling out the words) so it's always exciting to get to the point of actually doing. Because then it's there, on the page, more than just an image in my head.

And that's magic.

27. Who is the most stressful character you’ve ever written? Why?

Heh.

When I was starting on my Iron-Blooded Orphans fan-fic spree (is it still a spree at this point?), I decided I needed a new villain, on account of the previous lower-level villains in the show meeting various ignoble fates and also because no one really filled the niche I was creating. I wanted someone who appeared nice, reasonable and even sympathetic on the surface (that is, showed sympathy to others) but who, not very deeply underneath, only ultimately cared about seeing their work completed.

(I explain this straight-up two chapters into them appearing in the story; it's not remotely a spoiler as I never intended to portray them *as* what they appeared to be on the surface.)

Additionally, I drew on ideas around assimilation and integration as a key part of their deal. They deliberately cultivated an 'acceptable' persona in the face of institutional elitism to get the power required to achieve their goals. There's a whole mass of reasons that plays on my mind generally (short version: I'm English) but I thought that, in context of this show, it would be an interesting thing to explore.

And you'd think they'd stress me out because I decided to make them non-binary and emphasise how deliberately appearing exactly androgynous was part a deeply performative and manipulative personality, as a means of stressing the way hierarchical organisations both allow space for people to game the system by playing into the signifiers of 'properness' and enforce those signifiers as the barrier to entry, and oh gods and muses I hope I haven't accidentally dropped into bad tropes about queer people, they can be bastards too, argh, argh, doubt, doubt, look they're not the only NB in my story, their gender isn't why they're like this I swear!

Except then I decided to write an entire fic from their point of view.

Writing close third person for a character whose view of the world is extremely cynical and selfish while also trying to convey to the reader that it is wrong is, when you do it for 10,000 words straight, rather exhausting! It's not just that they're a nasty piece of work. I *like* writing villains, especially the horrible ones; it's fun to show why the villainy makes sense from the other side. But *this* villain and this specific brand of 'I am always right, my goal is all that matters, anyone who disagrees is an idiot' was actively taxing to write.

Maybe it was the length, maybe it was the ways it struck closer to home in the middle of the giant robot fiction, maybe it was simply that their brand of betrayal and self-aggrandisement is ultimately kind of miserable. All I can say is, by the time I finished Of Obsessions and Erotemes, I was kind of burnt out. Constructing their headspace took a toll like nobody else I've ever written.

I'd do it all over again, obviously.

40. Please share a poem with me, I need it.

Argh, no, poetry, my one weakness!!!

OK, one of my weaknesses!!!

But in seriousness, me and poetry are ships in the night. I have known some lovely poets and been awed by their ability with words, but I've never really sought it out, so what I do know is mostly thunderingly obvious snatches of my ambient culture.

However, and though I suspect it's not entirely in the spirit of the question, for a poem about which I can say, this matters to me, Sassoon's The General sits somewhere near the heart of the great swell of anger I feel whenever we get to Poppy Fanaticism Season over here in Blighty. The fecklessness and callousness of our leaders during World War One has a through-line to the present that my own writing is likely always going to be in conversation with.

"Good-morning, good-morning!" the General said When we met him last week on our way to the line Now the soldiers he smiled at are most of 'em dead, And we're cursing his staff for incompetent swine. “He's a cheery old card,” grunted Harry to Jack As they slogged up to Arras with rifle and pack. But he did for them both by his plan of attack.

The General [Siegfried Sassoon]

For an ask game

[garbria]

For the OTP meme! 5, 10 and 15! For your OTP of choice.

For CorNyx:

5. What is their love language?

Cor’s love language is acts of service. Doing things for people is the best way he knows how to show he cares, so he makes sure Nyx has food, helps him train, and takes care of him when he gets injured. Nyx’s love language is touch, so whenever they have a moment together, Nyx is always in contact with Cor, brushing shoulders, a hand on the back, or just straight up holding hands. It took Cor a bit to get used to all the touching, but now he loves it.

10. What are some non-sexual activities they do together?

They both like having a quiet night in, reading on the couch together while they lean against each other. They also sparing together, they’ve both learned a few things. They like to go camping outside the wall. They’ll take on hunts together, and Nyx is teaching Cor the pleasures of mountain climbing.

15. Who is more likely to make an impulsive decision and who is the voice of reason?

Nyx is more impulsive than Cor, though not as impulsive as some people think he is. Nyx takes risks, sure, but most of the time they’re calculated risks. Cor has his impulsive moments, but generally he’s the voice of reason, not that he doesn’t let Nyx drag him into things anyway.

Thanks so much for the ask!

[garbria]

For the headcanon meme: Pelna! 🔴 - Angsty/Sad

When Galahd was attacked, Pelna was on other side of the islands. In the chaos of the evacuation, he got separated from everyone, and had to make his way to Insomnia on his own. It was months before he made to Insomnia, and months after that before he was finally able to track down Nyx and Libertus, and confirm who survived and who didn't. As glad as he is that Nyx and Libertus made it out, he's sad for those who didn't.

Thanks for the ask!

[nandalikesstuff]

For the ask meme! 15, 24, 38, 48

50 questions just because - Accepting!

15. Do you have any houseplants? Do any of them have names?

I do not, sorry, plants are not for me, and all the ones my mom had already died 😔

24. Are you a good driver?

Absolutely not. I am terrified of driving for Reasons TM and haven't touched a car ever since I got my driver's license over 10 years ago.

38. What’s one show you watch or musician you listen to that your friends know nothing about?

Practically everything I watch or listen to xD Most of my friends aren't into anime and even the ones that are aren't big on Japanese artists so some of my fave artists like Spyair or Maximum the Hormone, no one irl has any idea exist. Me and my mom also love watching Hallmark-like slice of life/romance tv series like When Calls the Heart, Virgin River and The Good Witch that none of my friends like, sadly. Oh and my aunt recently recommended to us a Turkish soap opera called "Sen Çal Kapimi" (Love is in the air) that we are absolutely obsessed with atm and literally no one else knows about so this is my propaganda for everyone to go watch the Turkish soap opera, it's on HBO Max!!! It's enemies to lovers fake dating, come with me to my ex's wedding style, and they are both absolutely batshit insane people. Seriously, everyone watch it and then come talk to me about them cause I can't get over how crazy they both are, I'm on ep 7 and they haven't made ONE normal person decision yet. Plus the guy is super rich so there's rich people DRAMA, which is the best kind of petty useless drama.

48. Do you have a favorite plate or bowl?

I do, actually! It's a Bugs Bunny printed plate that's been mine since I was like 5 years old? It's plastic and deep to avoid child messes so that means that even today it's ideal to eat desserts and ice cream or soup when I don't want a lot of it uwu

[oddeyesight]

I just noticed your icon, which combo'd with your header is like. A personal attack to me when I was twenty. 11/10, excellent taste. XD

Awww, thank you! Same taste, same taste!

[garbria]

tension!

Thanks for the ask! Have young Cor having a bad time!

He heard footsteps and tensed. He had run out of time. He pulled at his arms, registering the rough rope scratching his wrists as he twisted. He didn’t have enough leverage with them behind his back, all he managed to do was add rope burn to his list of pains.