Surprise ask! What is your favorite fic that you've written this year / which one did you enjoy writing most? I'd love to hear some behind the scenes info :D
wAAAAA HELLO GALENA!!
i haven't written much this year (only 4 this year compared to like,, 14 last year yIKES JDSBKFJB) but! i feel like my writing has definitely improved and that's better! quality over quantity and all that lolol.
honestly, i think my favorite one this year has to be the kiki/vincent one. it's niche, its long, and it was my first plunge into something not based on found family for once lolol. (i mean, it's not like i haven't done it before its just i've never done it with two characters haha!)
i think that this one is my favorite of the four because the writing process of this one felt like... a Real(tm) fanfic writing experience? this one i wrote a (vague) outline, i re-wrote it like twice, i did research (yeah! the surfing scene wasn't just pulled out of my ass i put in the work!) and i had you as my lovely lovely beta reader! (and the first!!! i've never had a beta reader before it was amazing!!)
most of my fics are fairly self-indulgent, but i think this one takes the cake. its a rarepair, for starters. its fluffy (i love fluff as you can tell hehe).
that's not to say i didn't enjoy writing the rest! the new series is my baby rn, it has so many possibilities and its gonna be great! once i get done with the ficathon one and [redacted] I'll be focusing on it and with the new stuff we're being fed?? YEAAAAAAH!!! and the mariluke one was fun to write too! it helped that i came with experience this time kjdbkjbfk.
and yeah! i haven't written much this year but we're out here growing with our skill!! :D thank you for your ask!! <3
Ooh I'm curious about the untitled artem fic! Would you mind elaborating on it (no spoilers of course)? Wishing you well with writing whatever's on your WIP list :DD
oF COURSE I WILL GO ON ABOUT MY WIPS!!
the artem one has like,, three paragraphs, a vague idea, and a dream tbh LMAO
the vague point of the fic is artem noticing celestine seems in the dumps (you know, bc sometimes relationships aren't sunshine and rainbows) and wants to figure out why but won't ask celestine bc they're not that close yet but artem still cares (a little too deeply tbh). so he gets neil and they both do some investigating!
tbh this is a fic where i get to write artem giving the shovel talk and it's (hopefully) gonna be full of comedy bits hehehe
the one im (and by extension, you LMAO) most excited abt and have been writing recently is the kiki/vincent one! it was supposed to be a short one shot but now it's sitting at 5k (...last i checked) and i'm heavily considering adding a skin to it! but im also not exactly happy with the way it's going so i might rewrite the bits. the segue that leads to the the messages isn't the strongest imo so drawing board it is!
or! the other option is re-writing it without the secondary enemies to lovers arc (yes y'all, i am ambitious about this fic bc this ship is sO CUTE AAA) and just having it be a meet-cute with marius still as the catalyst :D
Actually just out of curiosity what are your thoughts on people writing Gwen / doing fanart of her? Not that I have any plans to write her because she's yours, but are there any boundaries we should be aware of in general? Have a nice day and love ya platonically!! 💛💛
oH!!! i haven't given it that much thought if i'm being honest?
i mean, i gave it some thought bc i didn't describe her properly (i believe just eye and hair color?) but other than that i didn't give her much features cuz then that would mean giving the step-mom features and u know, for a one shot it was a lot to think about lmaooo
but i mean, in terms of writing and drawing? i guess the home rule would be to credit me for the concept? i wouldn't mind people writing/drawing her with their own features cuz i was vague enough about them. and since it's like... kinda like a starting point for gwen in stellis, her personality can evolve in lots of places! a treasure trove of potential!
but yeah, link to me and the fic and then go crazy!
I know this probably wasn’t an invitation, but okay then :D
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"He was a pillar. He was a pillar that wasn’t allowed to break... But as they say, pillars under stress often break." (Penne for your thoughts?, ch 4) I think all of the little prologue bits at the start of each chapter in this fic are really well-thought out and good hooks, but this one might be my favorite. Just the whole metaphor and the descriptions in between that I've omitted to save space. I don't know, the figurative writing here is just wonderfully done and I love how much it adds to the characterization / greater idea.
"Vyn may have won the academic battle, but he had yet to win the war." and "Vyn flinched, “Excuse me?” / “You’re excused. I have two doctorates and am close to completing a third.”" (Two Degrees (of Separation)) Tone shift from the pasta fic, but this fic just feels very wittily written to me (esp with all the banter) so I've just selected a couple of lines I thought were particularly fun!
"“Ah,” the old lady said, “The mask does not let you see clearly. Don’t worry, you will figure it out soon. Most people do. I will ask you to do this: play a game with him. That is the quickest way to learn what is a mask and what is a mirror.”" (stripped wires (soldered together), ch 2) Not pointing out a particular line, but I still think that the whole masks and mirrors thing in this chapter was really well thought out! Like the analogy and the contrast between Luke and Marius. Very well done
"At that moment Vyn didn’t think he was looking at a kid with coral eyes, but a kid with golden eyes instead." (stripped wires (soldered together), ch 3) It's just the subtle reflection of oneself!
"MARIUS: That was fun. We should do that again sometime. / LUKE: Dude, the mansion blew up. We’re being charged with property damage even though it’s not our fault." (the grand drive (thru adventure)) Also I still think the NXX Investigation Team being charged with property damage is hilarious
Bonus line: “Ahahaha. I wish I was back in my cell accused of murder.” (running from the past (doesn't mean it wont catch up with you))
I’ve commented before about most if not all of these, but it’s always nice to see which lines have continued to stand out since I’ve first read them.
Have a nice day! 💛
screaming cRYING YOU'RE THE SWEETEST PERSON AAAAAAAAAAAAH
i literally can't express in words how this makes me feel dude i am sCREAMING i wish i could hug you,,, i sEND YOU ALL THE INTERNET HUGS IN THE MEANTIME I LOVE YOU SO MUCH WAAAAAAAAA
Parallel theory? I'm listening, go on ahead and ramble :D
hECK YEAH IM GONNA RAMBLE!!!!!
Okay so I noticed this pattern where we as a fandom tend to group the bois into groups of two in different combinations. It seemed really interesting to me and I started to pay attention to the combinations and why people did them. Then I started to pick up on a pattern that later became the Parallel Theory! So without further ado:
Parallel Theory: All Good Things Come in Pairs
(~800 words)
When you look closely, you find two main patterns in terms of characterizations and/or facts.
If one thing applies to one protagonist, it applies to all (ex: they’re all into doing a type of sport, they’re into charity work…)
If one thing applies to one protagonist, it applies to one other (in varying degrees) while being false for the remaining two boys
The Parallel Theory (bc they’re like parallel lines, two different lines that never meet opposite of each other) is the second bullet point that, in my opinion, keeps getting proved time and time again. It applies to both their characters and, interestingly enough, sometimes their clothing. I’ll give three examples that each increase in specificity.
EXAMPLE 1: Watches (Permutation 2)
In each of the standard outfits, both Artem and Vyn wear watches. Inversely, Luke and Marius don’t. This is something that can change because it’s aesthetic, and it has. Marius wears a watch in his Suit Outfit and Luke wears one in his RRG outfit. But in terms of when we were first introduced, there is one pair that regularly wears watches, and one that does not.
EXAMPLE 2: Harrowing Past (Permutation 3)
Now let’s get a little more specific. Thinking about the past of the NXX, we have two members that we… really don’t know much about. Luke and Vyn’s past are shrouded in mysteries. Luke spent 8 years away from Stellis and aside from the little tidbits he lets himself share, we know nothing. And even then sometimes you have to weasel it out of him because he’s just that much of a closed book about it. Similarly, we don’t know much about Vyn’s past in Svart until he tells us. I haven’t really looked at his 3rd birthday card, so I don’t know how much he reveals, but he’s also a closed book regarding his past. Artem and Marius aren’t so much. We know much more specific events about Marius’ life because he’s been in the public eye for longer and is happy to share. Artem (and his mom LMAO) are also happy to share their past and are a lot more open about it.
(There’s also a sub-point to this that’s pretty shitty but,,,I mean I’m right. Artem and Vyn both have their full set of biological parents while Luke and Marius don’t,,, I’m sorry)
EXAMPLE 3: Reluctant Heir to the Throne (Permutation 1)
Segwaying a bit on Vyn’s past, from what we do know is that he’s the son of a duke. It’s not a spoiler anymore since his 2nd birthday card’s whole plot is about this. Anyway, that stands to reason that he is next in line for that particular title should his father pass away (or abdicate… idk maybe he wants to find love again). But we know that Vyn doesn’t want that life, we know that Vyn hates the hypocrisy and stuff back in Svart. Marius’s throne isn’t much of an actual throne, but the position of CEO. We know that the only reason he even is CEO is because Giann is missing. He’s implied he doesn't want the position and is ready to bounce the second that Giann is back. Artem and Luke don’t have that, they had to work for what they had now and very much wanted their positions.
There’s obviously more things (such as Luke and Vyn wearing 3 layers in their sprites, Marius and Artem’s secret identities, Artem and Vyn being guest lectures at Stellis U) but I just wanted to highlight that this theory applies to all combinations of protagonists. It's also the type of thing that when you look at it, it’s hard to ignore.
It also makes theorizing/headcanon-ing super duper helpful. So, back to last night’s thought and following the parallel theory: if Marius has piercings, there’s a non-zero percent chance that one of the NXX members also has piercings. Artem, in 6.2, recounts that he’s worn earrings to costume parties before but made no remark about if they were clip-ons or not. There’s still a chance they are, but there’s a non-zero chance that they’re not. It could be that he’s let them close but it still counts because he, at one point, had the piercings.
Obviously, the theory doesn’t apply in certain instances but 8 times out of 10 there's a chance that it does if you look close enough.
And yeah! That's the Parallel Theory!
also nonnie that's so pure and cute, we love experimenting in this household. actually, it reminds me of this guy on tiktok who rolls dice and has a numbered list of ingredients that he then takes and makes into a sandwich. it's called roll for sandwich and its so interesting!!! i think you'd enjoy it nonnie!
Thank you for asking Galena and nonnie ily! (platonically ofc)
Maybe “Usually I’d stab someone when I don’t like them, but this time I’ll make an exception” or “Stars Shine Until They Die”
You can do one of these, both, or none at all! Whichever one suits your fancy :D
fUCK YES IM DOING BOTH OKAY UH
the first one is definitely a luke-centric fic. i got two possibilities, one is a spy au where luke has infiltrated a network of bad people™️ of which mc has been a part of ever since he abandoned them. luke has kidnapped the highest ranking member aside from the boss, so essentially the right hand man, so that he can take them out bc he rose through the ranks and can be the new right hand man. plot twist, the right hand man is mc. luke gets his shit rocked bc of mc and mc leans up to luke and says 'i would have stabbed you, but i'll make an exception' bc deep down, mc still does miss luke.
the second option is more of a thing where luke is helping around vyns place, he's fixing something idk, and vyn is just backseating him. i'm talking full on following and commenting on the shit luke is doing. luke brandishes a screwdriver and threatens vyn in the big scary raven voice, and vyn kinda just nods and makes him sweets for his hard work 😂
please dude the second title has me in a chokehold bc i can make it mildly educational jdjdjf
i definitely want to put this as a von hagen centric fic, mostly bc he's the one more susceptible to burn out. mf has like what, 4 jobs? ceo, painter, agent for nxx, student, maybe PI bc he's looking for giann? what is that, five? holy shit.
anyway, stars burn gases and do this really cool chain reactions to make new elements and stuff up until they can't anymore, and then things happen depending on how massive the star was in the beginning.
sam what the fuck, what's with the science lesson, i hear you ask. we're getting there, i promise.
anyway, if a star is massive enough, if it passes a certain threshold, it goes nova. this is the idea i wanna run with, just von hagen breaking. mf going nova
he has so much on his plate, and he's so young. he's going to collapse sooner or later. this definitely has found family vibes for sure, where the nxx notice and try to just try to lift the burden. but here's the thing, those burdens are dense af. it's this spiral of things that are very intertwined together and shit, but ultimately they get there and help him.
and here's the thing about stars when they 'die', they just, kinda fizzle out but not really? they still produce warmth up to a certain degree. so in the end of that fic, i'd end it with von hagen as a burrito of blankets with the rest of the nxx, bone tired from everything they've done together. and von hagen allows himself to rest.
this went off LMAOOO thank you for asking galena!!! <3
I don't really have a numerical value but I personally felt you were more intimidating before I started dropping into your ask box! But after that, the number definitely went down, haha. you're so cool 😁
BDJBDJF PLEASE!!!
i'm glad you don't find me intimidating anymore tho!!! :D im a dork i promise!!
