This week I am spotlighting one of my favorite writers, @nildespirandum! She is the Adam writer that made me both scared and brave enough to write Adam myself. She is the weaver of worlds, the creator of characters so real you think they are sitting next to you. Smart, funny, and an amazing writer!
Catch all of Nildespirandum’s stories here.
What other names do you want people to call you?
I use Misreall on AO3.
How long have you been writing fic?
I am on this current round for about four years, but I did write before though that was a decade ago.
What fandoms and/or ships do you write?
Tom Hiddleston characters, though not RPF. Primarily Loki, but I have written for Thomas Sharpe, Adam from Only Lovers Left Alive, and Conrad from Kong: Skull Island. For all of them I have written OFCs.
How did you get started writing fic?
I had ideas for a fics for a while, but it wasn't until I started commenting and then talking to @caffiend-queen that I decided it was time to do something about it.
Story Recommendations
Which of your stories are your favorite?
I hate this question, but if I had to pick it would be the cycle of stories called Loki and Nora's Infinity Stone Playlist, both because it is my first, and because I think the relationship between the characters - not just Loki and Nora, but the cast that has build up around them - allows me to tell so many tales.
Which story are you most proud of?
Either Perfection - my Crimson Peak AU, or Reigning in Hel - A JotunLoki series.
Which of your stories do you think is the most underrated?
Probably At Hel's Edge, which is a historical mash-up of MCU Loki, with MythLoki. The people who read it loved, it but it never found much of an audience. Possibly because of the style I wrote it in, or maybe because the MCULoki character was a bit abstract from his origin. But I am very, very lucky that it is getting a second life as a Webtoon drawn by @rauko-art, who is incredibly gifted and has worked so hard to make something really beautiful.
Someone is new to reading your stories, which story/stories should they read first?
For Loki, the Infinity Stone Playlist. Otherwise, maybe Perfection.
Which story did you do the most research for?
Perfection. I can tell you how much a yard of silk cost in 1910, both in England and the US.
Which story was the easiest to write?
Probably my Incubus Loki first series. It was so over the top and goofy that it was effortless. Rapacity - my vampire Loki story - is also quite easy. There may be a trend here.
The Writing Process
What is your favorite part of writing?
To quote Dorothy Parker, "I hate writing, but I love having written." With that said, I love the moment when I am lost in the process, and the characters are narrating and I am taking dictation.
What is your least favorite part?
Editing, which is probably why I hardly ever do it. That said, I am fine editing other people's work.
Describe your style in 1 to 2 sentences.
Breezily conversational when it isn't breaking your heart.
Who are some of your writing idols and/or influences?
I don't have time, and you certainly wouldn't have the patience, for my full list but a few key choices are Jane Austen, Anthony Bourdain, Ian Shoales, Alexander Dumas, the Brothers Grimm, Neil Gaiman, Louisa May Alcott, Balzac, Mary Roach, Bebe Moore Campbell, Douglas Adams. But all of that said it was probably Howard Pyle, the D'aulaires, Zilpha Keatley Snyder, Winifred Madison, and Ruth Chew whose books I read over and over to the point of them falling apart are probably the writers who made me, not only on the page, but in life.
What programs do you use to write and/or edit?
I do all of my writing and editing in Google docs. I'm a Luddite at heart.
Are you a plotter or a pantser?
A pantser. I might have some of a story in mind when I start, but usually I start with an image and let fly. The entirety of my Bottom of the Hourglass story came from my seeing a folded bookcase leaning against a basement door.
Do you write RPF or not?
Years ago I wrote an RPF as a gift for a friend. For the future, I never say never.
Who is your favorite character to write and why?
Loki. Loki is the gift that keeps on giving. While I could flippantly say that all of that emotional and mental trauma is fic writer catnip - and I wouldn't be lying - there is so much more. He is a character of such wit and imagination, powerful, funny, wise, and a complete idiot. The Trickster is such brilliant architype, playing both sides of the fence, fooling and being fooled, capable of great good and true evil. He is vastly entertaining, and achingly sympathetic. I can go on, but I will spare you.
What do you think are your writing strengths?
Dialogue, for one. I am proud that if you read the dialogue alone from my stories you can tell who each character is, that they all have a distinct voice.
What do you struggle with?
Plot. I get so very bored with plot.
Favorite Trope?
That's like being asked to pick a favorite anything, I can't do it. Ok, fine, enemies to lovers.
Favorite word to use?
Delightful. Or Really.
What is the best piece of writing advice you have heard?
Make time for your writing. Even when you think you can't.
What would you say to a new fanfic writer starting out?
Don't be afraid, don't shrink and hide and diminish yourself, you have to be your own first, best audience. Also, always remember, art doesn't apologize and neither should you, as long as you feel you have given the best you can at any given time - which will not always be the same, EVERYONE has off days - then be proud of having written, of having added to the world.
What is a random bit of research you have not managed to work into a fic yet?
I did so much research on boats and ship to ship combat for my pirate story that I will never use all of it. Generally I am pretty efficient with my research, mostly because I already have a brainful of useless knowledge that I am still trying to make pay off.
What is your favorite random detail from one of your stories?
I love that in the later Infinity Stone Playlist stories Loki's various lounging robes have magical pockets that always produce cookies.
Any goals or WIPs you want to share?
I am determined to finish both The Frost Queen and The Tales of the Golden Horn this spring, and I have decided I am going to commit to the sequel to Perfection about Thomas and Alice's grandson that I have had in mind since I finished their story.
This or That
Fluff AND Angst
Smut AND Fluff
Reader or OC
One shot or Series
Canon Divergent AND AU
Coffee or Tea
Sweet or Savory
Anything else you want to say or share?
There is a tendency in fandom these days to see things that do not have a moral dimension as being good or bad, to only look at the most extreme edges of things and pass judgement on the whole. Life is hard enough, let people enjoy things.
Imagine Loki falling in love with a mortal woman who he considers his mental equal, yet refuses to acknowledge it because she is not Asgardian? But because she is that smart she figures it out for herself and tricks him into admitting it. Or does he trick her?
Hi! I was scrolling through my feed and someone I follow reblogged the Loki Friday the 13th post from you. I saw your name though and I was wondering if it was a reference to The Little Vampire movie? If so, I love that movie and I don't see many people who get that reference (and if not I'm sorry for bothering you, you can feel free to ignore this). Either way, have a good one! (:
Hi! No bother at all!
It is not a reference to The Little Vampire (which it looks like there are a few movies called that, do you mean the animated one that came out in the last few years? That looks charming). It a reference to the Sharpe series from the BBC, where in an episode one of the characters references it as the Rifleman's motto, which it wasn't in real life. My best friend and I have used it as our personal code ever since. I also thought that it made sense of a Loki fic writer since while Loki might despair, nothing ever stops him for long.
