#fruity fic asks

[hergrandplan]

babe! 🍐 reveal ur thoughts

Babe on main? ask me out first damn /j

anyways! I JUST answered this in another post but why not do it twice.

🍐 Is there anything in canon that you absolutely hate and love to fix in fics? A wrong choice made, a fuck-up in characterization, a misunderstanding never cleared up, a conversation never shown onscreen, etc…

This is... again a season 3 criticism, and it's not necessarily something that I hate I didn't see, but something that I would have loved to see, and that was communication. Well, specifically the communication after the tent scene (tm), because so much was said in anger I feel like, in order to show how much they care for each other, it would have been really nice if they'd just... talked about it in maybe the next episode? apologized?

But I also understand that, from a production perspective, conversations like that aren't really interesting to watch, and they only have 40 minutes to fill you know?

It reminds me of a post I saw the other day, about how there's so many people begging about books that are literally just... fluff. no conflict. Just them being domestic. But the thing is, that won't work in an original story. It works in fanfiction becuase the reader, in most cases, is already familiar with the source material and thus with the characters. they don't need to find a reason to care about these characters, because they already have them. But if you don't care about the characters, it's a lot harder to read a story in which nothing at all happens.

And of course, in season 3 we do already care about Wilmon, but those kind of conversations would still mess up the pacing the show has had since season 1; which is just a lot of conflict. Always going from one problem to the next. I feel like the only time they actually talked was in s1e5. And that's fine! Because that's what a drama is, that's what I signed up for when I started watching it, you know. You can complain about the amount of conflict as much as you like, but at the end of the day, it's a drama. And as long as there's good reason for the drama, I'm sat.

So I'll make them communicate in fics more, and I wish they'd done a bit more on the show but... it's a drama. it's fine.

fruity fic writer asks <3

[wurzelbertzwerg]

For the fruit salad game:

🍓🍇

❤️

❤️ right back at you. Also yay more fruits.

Let's see

🍓 What’s a fic you’ve written you feel is underrated?

That's difficult because naturally I assume that if a fic is doing badly it's not because it's underrated but because it kinda sucks and I've been overrating it. But if we turn this into "which fics do you like a lot and would've loved to see getting more attention" then we'd actually get a bunch.

Bravery and Kindness, which I love but eh. Something must've gone wrong there.

Anything James/Frederick, which... technically not underrated, I mean I knew this ship wouldn't be popular so considering how much positive feedback the fics got it's far from underrated. I'd just really love more people getting into that one.

And finally my two problem children Soft Solace and When Hannibal crossed the Alps. Like I really have no idea what I did wrong with those and if my writing has just gottenbA LOT worse then... tough luck for everyone I guess because I can't do better right now and who knows if I ever will. Seriously I don't know what makes these two bad but I love them dearly and enjoyed writing them a lot so fuck everything I guess.

🍇 Is there a particular scene/episode/book/etc that you want to just write a million fics about, over and over? Which one?

JAMES'S LETTERRRRRR! Okay and the whole drama surrounding it, the break up, the aftermath, allllll of it. I've been going mildly feral over that one recently so yeah. AU versions of the aftermath (Whisky anyone?) Or just missing scenes... there's so much and I want to eat that letter (considering that I've made half a dozen handwritten copies of it already, I actually COULD eat it but... perhaps not 😆)

Also, a million million NA fics in general. At least! 😉

[hergrandplan]

Hi Nina! 🍍 and 🍓 if you haven’t been asked already

Hi Kate!

🍍 What kind of AUs do you like? Are there any AUs you hate or just generally have beef with?

Already answered here but another AU that I love and eat up every time is best friends who realize there's more between them. Great set-up for pining and oblivious losers (affectionate)

🍓 What’s a fic you’ve written you feel is underrated?

Also already answered BUT as I was answering that the first time I realized I do in fact have something on ao3 that I feel is underrated but I'd seen your ask come in already so I thought I'd save it for this one.

But one fic that I genuinely feel is underrated is What we are, it matters, a one-shot set somewhere in season 1 (after the football field scene but before everything goes to shit), in which Simon starts worrying about what they are. Are they boyfriends? They've surely been hanging out a lot and kissing, but maybe this is Wille just having his own boarding school adventure?

I had so much fun writing that little thing, and I do kinda love it because it has that deeper layer of Simon worrying that this is, in fact, not real, but it's also sweet and fluffy and very much still the beginning of the relationship, where they're happy and giddy and nothing bad has happened yet!

maybe it flopped bc it was on Tumblr first, but idk, I do still love it and feel it's a bit underappreciated

fruity fic writer asks <3

[wurzelbertzwerg]

Some more fruit for you! 🍑🍍🍈

Thank you!!! <3 By now I have enough for a whole fruit salad :D

🍑 If you could make a connection between your favorite character and another work you care about (whether a crossover/fusion or a wonderfully “pretentious” literary reference) what would it be? How would it work? <.< Seriously? I mean, perhaps I'm not understanding the question correctly, but I'm sitting here, laughing softly to myself because... I think it's the author's note for the first chapter of LiL. Writing NA Crossover/Fusion fics is how I show my love XD So yeah, it's not really a "if I could" because I do it a lot already. (And I reallly don't know who's my favourite character, I love them all so much!!!) But some things I'd love to look into... The Last Unicorn x NA, because I'd love to put Henry into the role of Schmendrick and The Last Unicorn is a novel that means a lot to me and that has some lines that just hurt so much (I know, some people don't like it due to the writing style but.. I'm here for that) And Schmendrick is a fascinating character and I think he and Henry have some similarities... And oh how I'd love to do something Michel aus Lönneberga/Emil i Lönneberga/Emil of Lönnerberga like for Catherine. I can absolutely see that, like he always means well and just so happens to get into mischief because he's a very clever and very creative child and... Astrid Lindgren was a very important part of my childhood and those were by far my favourite books. And the whole concept would lend itself so so so so so well to Catherine and generally Morland sibling shenanigans. (Yes, I know, technically that'd be more Bullerbü/Bullerbyn/Bullerby but eh. I love Michel/Emil best! And it'd be so cute) And for James/Frederick: F.E.V.E.R by Orden Ogan. (Orden Ogan is generally awesome for vaguely Frederick-ish fics.) I think I got the question wrong but eh, I don't care.

🍍 What kind of AUs do you like? Are there any AUs you hate or just generally have beef with? All of the AUs! Like I really enjoy AUs (who would've thought). And I know they are the bane of everyone's existence, but I really like coffee-shop AUs, because they are usually so lovely low stakes. Sometimes I just crave fluff and some low stakes romantic "drama", like oh no, the sweet, kind guy who ordered his coffee a few days ago hasn't shown up again, what shall we do? :D It's sweet and sometimes all I want is sweet fluff! But yes, I think I like most AUs. Except for Highschool. Perhaps it's the fact that I've never /been/ to an US American Highschool so I just lack the necessary nostalgia for it, or it's the kind of teenager drama I'm not the type for, or because I don't have any fond memories of my time at school... I don't know, I don't hate them, but I don't really look for them either because they just don't work for me.

🍈 Who’s your blorbo and what are some of your favorite headcanons/ideas about them that repeatedly show up in your fics? Free pass to rant about blorbo opinions. Oh god, there are two ways this can go. Either I go and look up the official definition of Blorbo to see and look who fits that description best... or I say "ALL OF THEM" (meaning Henry, Eleanor, Frederick, Catherine, James and Thorpe my beloved muppet). And guess what I'm going to do ;) But perhaps I won't rant... I mean... The two most prominent opinions "Henry is perfect and has basically no flaws" and "Catherine is obsessed with novels and can't tell fiction from reality, she's so stupid"... are things I've ranted about a lot. I mean, I really don't need a free pass for that because I will do that regardless xD Especially the latter because for fucks sake she is shown to enjoy reading novels, THAT'S NOT OBSESSED THAT'S CALLED HAVING A HOBBY. Perhaps some people in the fandom should GET ONE, might do them good... (Sorry that was mean but...ugh). Yeah and Henry really can be annoying and there's so much that's not looked into further, like how he's clearly jealous when Catherine accidentally jilts him (technically his sister and also technically it was past the appointed time for meeting and it wasn't good weather for a walk so WHAT did stop the Tilneys from sending a note ahead that they'd still call? Was Catherine supposed to wait the whole afternoon in case they DO show up?) and he has no right to be jealous, not really, (I mean, unless we admit that he does have a huge crush on her and isn't cool as a cucumber and only falls for her way later in the novel because perfect guys don't fall head over heels for the cutest, most adorable, sweetest, loveliest, kindest, gentlest girl Bath has to offer, but even then, he could have made that interest clearer and actually taken care that Catherine knows, but he KNEW that she wasn't getting him half the time and enjoyed it, rather than unpuzzle her) but later gives us this beautiful "No man is offended by another man’s admiration of the woman he loves; it is the woman only who can make it a torment." bullshit. Like dude, you made your own torment because you didn't even bother to ASK whether there might have been a misunderstanding and boy, did Catherine accidentally make him sweat for that but... Yeah that's rich. And I love Henry to bits but he is very flawed. Also James is not a bad brother, I love him, he gets so much unwarranted hate, the whole "trip to Clifton" scene WASN'T his proudest moment but once one cares to look at HIS perspective and considers all the things Catherine doesn't know, and the stuff James likely isn't aware of etc... Yeah, it's understandable. And people are allowed to make mistakes. Catherine makes plenty. She's just as "stupid" as he, if she can be forgiven etcpp... ...Okay let's end on a headcanon that I love to use in every fic because I accidentally did rant incoherently already. Frederick is my beloved disaster bisexual. I mean, the disaster is mostly caused for others, because he is too self assured and secure in himself and his sexuality and utterly shameless to actually suffer. I just love the idea (okay, and I love James/Frederick and for that to work they both kinda need to be more or less bi, but I also just love the idea of Frederick being very comfortable with himself despite not necessarily fitting the mold society/his father made for him)

This is a bit of a mess... Sorry (not actually sorry). I guess I could have given less chaotic and more coherent answers had I been less tired but also... I love them all and I can't choose and the questions really invited chaotic rambling xD

[wurzelbertzwerg]

Esteemed Zwerg,

it appears my fruit basket tragically got lost in the mail, no other reason and certainly not unoriginality. As we absolutely cannot have that, take this as compensation:

🫐🥭

Bestest regards

🦆

Beloved Ducky, I have no idea what you could mean by this 😉 So, as your last attempt at torture failed because someone else leapfrogged you, let's see what kind of delicious torment you have devised this time for your poor Zwerg.

🫐 What’s your favorite underrated thing in your fandom? (A ship that only you seem to write for, a character there’s almost no fics about, a trope that criminally hasn’t been written yet, etc.) ... The novel? Like, literally ANYTHING about it other than Henry fucking Tilney? Okay, that's rude but yes, I think there's too much swooning and going "Oh he's just SO perfect" and not enough "damn, that guy could be so annoying, he's lucky Catherine likes his flaws" And people sleep on literally anything that's not Henry/Catherine. Seriously, it's easier too list what's NOT underrated because yeah, most of it is. I won't go into detail becausethat would hurt me and absolutely would require a cut, but the Morland siblings? We have ten whole siblings, that's so much potential, and with James we even have one that's fully fleshed out and goes through a very interesting and emotional story himself. Frederick Tilney? We get such interesting glimpses at him in the novel, there's a lot of stuff between the lines, the relationships between him and his siblings... Then there are the Thorpes, and Eleanor, and the Allens... Also, there's so much darkness in the novel that gets hinted at, like there is SO MUCH and the majority of fic is Henry/Catherine fluff, usually as a One-Shot. Not that there's anything wrong with that but all I'm saying is that people sleep on the REST of the novel. (Also, the NOVEL. If I see another fic tagged as Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen, when it clearly deals with the canon established by the 07 movie, which tells, at times, a whole different fucking story, I WILL SCREAM! Like ffs, just tag it as Northanger Abbey - 2007, for the love of everything) Oh and the questions mentions ships. James/Frederick. Like seriously, that ship is everything to me, and it's so sad that I'm the only one writing for it. But I /will/ bring it to the double digits. Just watch me. (And maybe give me a few years...)

🥭 Rank from most enjoyable/fun to write to least: Fluff, Smut, Angst, Crack. Fluff = Angst (sorry not sorry, I do enjoy sitting in front of my keyboard, crying... actually I often write both at once, don't I? Because I do enjoy both a lot, yes) Crack (Thorpe my beloved muppet! He's so much fun to write and really lends himself to crack. I mean, I already made notes for another one :D) Smut (I'm still not fully comfortable with that, the stuff I wrote so far was fun but... I need a lot more practice.)

Wow, that wasn't as bad as expected. Were you feeling kind or was the selection of questions lacking 😉

[wurzelbertzwerg]

Fruity ask! 🍊 & 🍌 :)

Yay, fruity ask!!!

🍊 Who’s a character you don’t write for that often, but keep meaning to write for more? (They’re so interesting! But maybe you have trouble pinning them down, or keep getting distracted by another blorbo…) Okay, this one is easy. Isabella Thorpe. Hands down. She's so interesting, there's so much potential, I mean she's playing a dangerous game and she loses HARD, but at the same time, it's understandable, isn't it? She's a woman in the Regency and the head of the household is John BLOODY Thorpe. She's dependent on THORPE. Let's all just take a moment to let that sink in. As long as she's unmarried, Thorpe's responsible for her. And I mean her brother is already unpleasant on the page, I doubt he's any better off it. So yes, there's so so so so so so much one could do with her. So much to explore. So many stories one could tell. Alas... whenever I write her, I want to bash my head in against the next wall. I want to dive deeper and explore her character and look at her side and things and look at different stories (for example a post NA/pre P&P fic where she meets Bingley, tries her luck there, almost succeeds, GENUINELY falls in love and then loses him due to Darcy's influence? Or a story where instead she gets a happy end? Options!) But I can't. It's so terrible. I actually enjoy writing JOHN Thorpe, but Isabella? Hell no.

🍌 In your opinion, what’s the funniest joke/reference/pun you’ve made in a fic? Oof. I mean, I do think I write a lot funny stuff, or at least I laugh at it but... whether any of it is actually good? And I think a lot of it is situational, so it doesn't really work without the context (for example the exchange in Stronger, when it looks like Henry slept with Catherine and James is all "I should kill you for this" and Henry just goes "Oh yes, do try, I'd love to see it, hasn't been your forte so far".. I think that moment is quite funny, but it needs a lot of context to work). And I mean, my puns are just atrocious. I have quite a lot of them by now, thanks to LiL, but yes, they are bad xD (Favourite is still "Nice to meat you/Nice to meat you, too") But as a cop out, I think my favourite joke is The Winner takes Naff all, just the whole fic. There are so many moments that make me grin or laugh, so I'll go with that. (Also because I'd have to go through the entirety of LiL and then make a list with all my beloved jokes there and then create a ranking of them and... that'd take too much time).

[wurzelbertzwerg]

Hey there! Hope you're doing well! :) For the fruit ask emoji game:🍉🍒

Awww, thank you! I'm doing fine, thanks for asking, still on a bit of a break and still doing stuff only for myself without concern for others/the "community", but otherwise I'm great!

And thank you so much for playing!!!

🍉 Do you prefer to write short fics or long fics? Multichaptered works or single ones? Why? That's an interesting one, because short fics are "easier". I mean, it's a one and done kind of deal, you write, you post, you hopefully receive some feedback and you move on. Whereas multichapter fics are a long term commitment, and it's either massively delayed reward or a whole lot of pressure (because /I/ know that I haven't abandoned LiL, but others don't and yeah...) That being said, I DO prefer multichapter stuff. Or connected One-Shots (like Whisky/Beer/Wine). Longer fics offer more opportunity to establish certain things, create a context for the fic to work in, etc. It's easier to tell a whole /story/ rather than to simply expand canon a bit. And as I love to put the characters into /situations/ yeah, longer fics for sure! :D

🍒 What’s your favorite character dynamic to write? (Can be romantic or platonic, specific or general!) SIBLINGS! I know, massive surprise right there, considering that both LiL and Stronger are BIG on the sibling (and "sibling in law") dynamics. Not even necessarily sibling banter (which is fun, but not everything there is to a sibling relationship). There are so many facets with siblings, so many options and... You don't choose your siblings. Friends and romantic partners? Those are a choice. Siblings happen to you. You have to live with them, one way or another. And that's something that can be a lot of fun. They are also often the people who have known you the longest (unless there's a huge age gap which can create fascinating dynamics itself) and yeah. Doesn't mean they know you best because it's also possible that they still view you as the child they've grown up with. Also, siblings usually perceive each other very differently from the way an outsider perceives a person. Current favourite sibling pair: James & Catherine. They love each other, they don't really fully understand/know the other but oh boy, they sure both think they do. If they talked more (and /listened/) they'd be unstoppable, but as it is in the novel, they are making matters worse for each other, in a way. I love them. There's so much to play with with this obvious, deep running love paired with their mutual obliviousness and their whole "I think/feel/experience in a certain way, so clearly, it must be the same for the other" thing... Great. They are both kind and gentle but I can absolutely see them ready to go ballistic for the other :D (I love Catherine's whole "I don't think Isabella has a heart to lose"... girl is SO angry, I love her)