#theramblegrump

[thewritegrump]

I have drawn a few things for HoB, but didn't share most of them because I'm not much of an artist tbh. Considering dumping them here because why not, I suppose.

[thewritegrump]

I don't think it's been shared in the fic yet, but House Of Blue does have an official family crest that @mallowkey worked with me to bring into fruition. <3 She fucking nailed it so fantastically that my fiancee @gnattine got it tattooed on their arm recently. :D It's so cool and I love seeing it.~

[thewritegrump]

8, 11, 13, 16, 20, 24, 35, 59, 77 [HoB]

8 Do you prefer the beginning, middle, or end of a story?

All of the above! I adore writing the entire story from start to finish, and I don't think I can definitively say that one leg of the journey is better than another. I have favorite chapters, but they're not dependent on where in the story they are and are moreso my favorites on a case-by-case basis.

11. Link your three favorite fics right now

Spectral Touch by TiraminaFW

Her Love Letter To Him (From Me) by pseudomatsu

More Than It Hurts You by Gnattine

13. What’s a common writing tip that you almost always follow?

More so a creative tip than a writing tip specifically, but in the words of Jenna Marbles: "If no art makes you feel anything, make your own art and feel something."

16. How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Share one of them?

Well over 60 that I simply have not even started! My poor ideas document has been sitting, untouched, for so long. HoB and BxB really did get me sidetracked!

As for sharing one, I'm fond of the killing game AU where the six Matsus are different varieties of psychics who need to be the last one standing to have a wish granted. It's KaraIchi, of course, but also there's a lot of angst and tragedy before we make it through to the end. It'd be a really interesting project to write, if I ever get around to it.

[I already answered #20 in another ask.]

24. Worst writing advice anyone ever gave you?

Usually anything I didn't ask for. If I want to get feedback, I'll definitely seek it out, but I'm largely just writing what I want to read, so I'm not really looking for critiques with my fics. Perhaps if I was writing professionally I'd be looking for outsider opinions on my work, but this is my hobby I do for leisure. ^_^;;;

35. What is one essential thing to remember when writing a villain?

It's fine for a villain to be pure evil for the sake of chaos and cruelty, if that's what you want, and it's fine if you want them to have a tragic backstory that might justify their actions- because it's less about how evil or redeemable a villain is and more about if they're interesting to read. If they're boring or annoying, then it's going to be hard to get through no matter the scale, severity, or reason behind their bad actions. Their crimes may be fictional, but my frustration is real.

59. Does anyone in your personal life know you write fic? if not, would you tell anyone?

I mean, you, for one, Kaitra. X'D For those unfamiliar, the one asking me these questions is my fiancee who very much reads my work.

That aside, my coworkers know I write fanfic, but they don't know *what* I write about in particular, and I will keep it that way. I'm happy to say that I write as a hobby and I'm quite proud of it, but the actual things I'm writing are not for people I know in real life to know about. >v>;;;

77. Do you have a favorite scene you’ve written from [Fanfic Name] story/chapter? [House Of Blue]

Too many to list; I love writing, and so I look back on all the different scenes and chapters with a lot of fondness. 0v0 Honestly, I really love the scenes in House Of Blue where two characters have a heart-to-heart of some sort. I just like sitting down and diving into an earnest, heartfelt conversation. It may not be that exciting, but it makes me feel. TTvTT

[thewritegrump]

20!

20. Have you noticed any patterns in your fics? Words/expressions that appear a lot, themes, common settings, etc?

I do draw from the same words/phrases a lot of the time- last night I was looking up the word 'blinked' in my fics and realized that I use the phrase 'blinked in surprise' constantly! X'D I just like the way certain things sound and will come back to them. This also is just a natural consequence of writing so much smut, where there's only so many novel ways to describe sex that are still hot.

I think common themes that show up are that hurt/comfort will make itself known even in the most smutty, pwp fic I could possibly write. I can't help but get lost in the emotions somewhere along the way, as evidence by when On My Mind accidentally became a case study in PTSD amid the rampant fucking. Higurashi is hugely influential to my sense of storytelling in that I will put the characters through hopeless hell and agony, but they will make it out of the trauma and despair and they'll find hope. I very rarely end a fic on a truly tragic ending!

[thewritegrump]

I recently realized that I did a goddamn Higurashi with House Of Blue without exactly meaning to. So for those who don't know, you don't find out who the protagonist of the story of Higurashi is until season two. Season TWO. And I have come to the realization that there is a definitive protagonist to House Of Blue, but we don't realize he is the protagonist until over 100 chapters into the story. Fucking. Oops?

[thewritegrump]

I'm currently going through a Vocaloid phase, as I tend to do every few years or so, but this time I'm relating everything to HoB and the MHBV fics in general because my brain is thoroughly poisoned by this point. Anyway, the chapter based on Wildfire is going to go so fucking crazy and I can't wait. :^D

Also, for what it's worth, Kyou Mo Harebare has always been one of the songs I envision for a possible OP if HoB were a show or something. >v> That and the Baccano! opening, mostly.

[thewritegrump]

I think it's very funny that my server has basically become the Library Of Alexandria of House Of Blue lore. At this point there's like two and a half years of banter and discussion and lore catalogued there and it's fun to go back and look through some of it again. It's even funnier when I get reminded that House Of Blue only became a thing because I made a joke about Monroe having Wine Aunt vibes and then we collectively went off the fucking deep end. 150 chapters really came out of nowhere, and we're not even remotely close to done. This fic, and its related fics with the same group of character, have taken over my life in such a drastic and severe way, but it's been a delight through and through. ^_^

[thewritegrump]

I updated the HoB idea doc with all the stuff me and the co-conspirators have been cooking since May of last year and... hoo boy, this fic is never ending! 210 concepts across 25 pages of the doc. Some will be consolidated into OOTB chapters, but still. o-o;;; For reference, I've written 236 concepts and the fic has 286 concepts posted in total at the moment. And that's just what I plan on writing! God knows what Kaitra and Tira will end up cooking, but it's bound to be delicious. <3