20 Questions for Fic Writers
Oh this is a super fun one! Thank you to @dude-watchin-with-the-brontes for the tag, I'm chuffed to bits about that.
1. How many works do you have on AO3?
2. What’s your total A03 word count?
928,129. Unfortunately I have to deduct about 95k because of a fic I didn't actually write that my friend added me as co-author on and I will not remove myself from.
3. What fandoms do you write for?
Currently? The Old Guard. I tend to stick to one hyperfixation at a time and can't write for anything else unless a sudden burst of creativity leads in that direction. There was some overlap with Star Wars, however, and I might dip my toe back into that at some point. I'd also like to write for Kingdom Come: Deliverance.
4. What are your top five fics by kudos?
Ever Decreasing Circles (Star Wars, 2021-2022, 2794 kudos) - my big DinLuke fic. I don't think anything will do better than this, lol.
Not Going Anywhere (Voltron, 2016, 1856 kudos) - ugh, Klance. This was written when Galra!Keith was still just a theory, like just in the wake of season 1 dropping. It was a different time. However, still one of only two fics I've ever gotten fanart for, which did make me super happy.
Smile with the Rising Sun (DC Comics, 2018, 1526 kudos) - Somehow JayRoy&Lian + Batfam Christmas fluff is super popular. Weird!
Fledging (Star Wars, 2022, 1348 kudos) - Ah yes, the Skywalker Family AU. Anakin's pov, he was so much fun to write. Always meant to write a sequel to this, but completely lost steam because I didn't really have a plot for it.
Stitch by Stitch (DC Comics, 2019, 1196 kudos) - Prequel to the one mentioned above, written after, apparently the masses are starved for decent JayRoy? Took me a whole year to write this one, oof. I was (understandably) not doing well from about 2017 to 2019.
5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?
I try to always respond to comments! Even with just a thank you! I love every single one, they make me so happy. If I don't respond, it's because I forgor.
6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?
I used to occasionally write MCD, like one per fandom. That practice has very much stopped, and anyone who knows me can guess why. But even when I do write something like that I tend to end on a hopeful note, that's just my Theme, I guess, so I'd say it's a tie between Schwanengesang (Hetalia), because that one is just straight-up depressing MCD (and kind of old, eurgh) and The Baffled King Composing (The Silmarillion) but that's angsty in a meta way, because the reader knows what actually happens to the Union of Maedhros in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad and knows the characters' hopes are all absolutely, completely and utterly misplaced.
7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?
Apart from the smut? *waggles eyebrows*
Let's see... Ever Decreasing Circles ends on a high note, with the reclaiming of Mandalore and Din and Luke married. Just all-round positive.
8. Do you get hate on fics?
There was a comment on Fledging which started bashing the hell out of Luke and Leia for keeping Anakin in the dark about their relationships, but that's the only one I can actually remember.
YUS! I used to write a lot more back in like 2016 (it's why my Voltron fic count is still so high, ugh) but occasionally the muse beats me over the head and I put out a straight-up PWP. It's more likely that I'll put it in a longer fic, nowadays, though.
10. Do you write crossovers?
I have, on occasion, written a crossover. Can count them on the fingers of one hand, mind. One was a RotG/Frozen crossover (fucking embarrassing, ew), the other two are, unfortunately, crossovers with N*il G*iman works (RotG/American Gods and The Old Guard/The Sandman). So I'm not linking any of them.
11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?
If I have, I don't know about it. I personally think I'm too niche.
12. Have you ever had a fic translated?
Three of them! One for Free! into French (By Any Other Name), two for Star Wars into Chinese (The Jacket Fic and Write What You Know).
13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?
Sort of! I gave my friend Braincoins an idea, and she ran with it headlong into 95,000 words. I didn't write a single thing for it, but I still keep it. It's very precious to me, since she passed away.
14. What’s your all-time favourite ship?
I don't think that's possible. I have an OTP for every fandom, and each one I love for, potentially, different reasons. The current favourite ship is Joe/Nicky, but other long-lasting favourites are Sauron/Morgoth, Glorfindel/Erestor, Hulkling/Wiccan and Fenris/M!Hawke. I find myself coming back to that last one, on occasion, and I've been meaning to write some sort of Glorestor epic since like 2014. Still bloody haven't.
15. What’s the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?
Usually once I abandon a WIP, it remains abandoned. I just never have the will to go back to anything. The continental shift necessary for me to ever continue Those Hands of Yours, That Count the Nights would be able to reform Pangaea, I had some really fun ideas for that one (Padmé fleeing Vader on Naboo, Din and the Mandalorians in the Rebel Alliance, stuff like that). Alas, I doubt it will ever come to pass.
17. What are your writing weaknesses?
Threes. I'm always listing shit in threes. A friend pointed it out and I've been self-conscious about it ever since, but I like the flow too much to change it, usually. I really overdo it with the animal similes. Certain words crop up constantly as well (my overuse of "bright" is doing my head in). I hate hate hate writing action scenes, and I'm tremendously insecure about any smut I write.
I cannot write mysteries or intrigue. I am so guileless it's impossible for me to do so with characters.
18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?
Guilty of it, even when it's unnecessary. I try not to use Gratuitous Elvish in Tolkien fic because I find that distasteful and old Jirt himself believed in Translation Convention anyway, but in real world fics I am so fucking guilty of it.
19. First fandom you wrote for?
Naruto. That was not on Ao3, and you will never see those fics. I started with self-insert stuff, then fell headlong into Kakashi/Iruka.
20. Favourite fic you’ve ever written?
Three of them, because I can't choose, and I'm proud of them for different reasons:
Toccata (Hetalia, 2013) - This one still holds up well, it was my longest fic for a good few years (so it was a milestone) and I feel like I handled the themes and character motivations really well in it.
Even in Another Time (The Old Guard, 2024) - This one holds a section of my soul in it. It means a lot to me, perhaps for silly reasons. I feel proud of the amount of research I did, but mostly I hope I did justice to the real historical event it is based on. If even a handful more people know about the men of San Giovanni a Porta Latina because of this fic, it will be have been worth it.
Ever Decreasing Circles - There's some characterisation I'd do differently now, especially in the earliest chapters, but this proved to me I could write a long multichaptered fic. It's my only fic over 100k and that makes me exceptionally proud of myself, considering I have to fight tooth and nail against my ADHD constantly to get anything done. Seeing it through was a huge accomplishment.
Tagging: @dangerouscommiesubversive, @wingsofbadass, @maered613, @what-alchemy, @knife-em0ji and whoever else wants to do this!
