#zinder talks

[zinder-fox]

I just wanted to say that I finished reading your dazatsu cinderella fic and I'm giggling kicking my feet etc (and downloaded it on my kobo just for that). I liked the idea sm and how you developed the povs. you have a fan now 🙇🏻

Aww, thank you! 🥰 I'm glad everyone seems to be enjoying that one as much as I did writing it!

I can't take full credit for the idea, since the premise came from @venelona, but I had a lot of fun thinking of how to make it into something a bit longer and more involved. (No one was expecting 30k except for me 😂)

Always happy to have more friends along to enjoy the assorted shenanigans I come up with! 😁

[zinder-fox]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers (if you’d like). Spread the self-love ♥️

It's surprisingly challenging to pick five! But here are the ones that I ended up with.

open my eyes to everything (there must be something more) My massive, on-going WIP fic - a BSD DazAtsu time travel AU (currently posted at 213k words)

gotta survive (can't do this on my own) My most recent complete fic - BSD DazAtsu, a sort of fairy tale AU where they're both in the PM (31k words)

find me there (and lead me back home) Somehow my only posted BSD ChuuAtsu fic, a neat little AU that I had fun with. (6.5k words)

When Time Runs Out A fun, kinda angsty Soulmate AU, a twist on Soulmate-Identifying Timers where the time counts down to your soulmate's death. Happy ending! BSD DazAtsu (4.4k words)

The Gate Of Souls Throwback to one of my oldest fics where 70% of it was actually written 8 years prior to posting (back in 2015) before I did much of any writing. Filled in the blanks, edited, and posted it last year, but I still rather enjoy it. (Finally a different fandom lol) Fullmetal Alchemist, RoyEd soulmate AU (3k words)

Going to drop this message in a few inboxes. 😁

[zinder-fox]

Heyheyhey my fox friend 👋 Happy holidays!! I bring some questions 🎨 What's favorite drawing you made in 2024? 👀 What's favorite drawing you saw in 2024? :book: What's favorite fanfic you read in 2024? 📝 What's favorite fanfic you've written in 2024? ✍ Favorite quote from your fanfic? 💖 Planning anything special for next year? You can answer any questions you want, all of them or none at all! I would love to see stuff you enjoyed or proud of! ✨

Heyyyy! Happy Holidays 💖💖💖

Favorite drawing of mine... is probably one I can't really say much of anything about just yet nor has it been posted, so I'll skip that one for now. It'll get posted sometime in January. But, I'm also pretty proud of this one, if only because drawing people is my biggest weakness in drawing.

I don't think I can narrow down to even a top 5 favorite drawings I saw this year, so I think I'll have to skip that one. Far too many to choose from even just among fanart I've been sent. 🥹

Favorite fic I've read this year... I don't think I could pick just one if my life depended on it. So, here's... a top 5 from assorted fandoms:

Solo Leveling: It's Time For Another Good Idea, Bad Idea by Haurvatat (Ship: Sung Jin-Woo/Woo Jin-Chul) [Readable if you've only seen season 1 of the anime, but I'm assuming it has copious spoilers. Loved it anyway and just got done re-reading it for a second time today.]

Bungou Stray Dogs: Dazai and the Moving Detective Agency by forest_raccoon (Ship: Soukoku) [Not complete yet, but an astoundingly detailed AU that manages to worldbuild very well in the same vibe of the movie.]

Yuri on Ice x Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood: Trust Me, I'm an Alchemist by metisket (Background-ish Ship: Victuuri) [A crossover I never expected, but absolutely loved.]

Avatar: The Last Airbender: Salvage by MuffinLance (No Ship) [A fic I don't think I would've read if not for the outpouring of love in the comments below seeing a most-gorgeous bind of the fic.]

My Hero Academia: Complicated Creation by Elemental (Background Ship: EraserMic) [A fic I absolutely loved reading and wish I had found sooner.]

Favorite fic I've written would have to be 'open my eyes to everything (there must be something more)' - the behemoth dazatsu WIP that feels like the one that started everything. (First fic for the ship, first truly long fic, the one that most people found me from)

I also really enjoyed writing 'gotta survive (can't do this on my own)' - the dazatsu fairytale AU that grew legs of its own and managed to exceed 31k words.

I'm sure I have a whole host of favorite quotes I've written somewhere, but the instant I tried to think of any, almost every one vanished from my memory. So here's the only one that I'd call a favorite that I can still remember!

[Dazai talking] "But you are my prince, Atsushi. I could never forget such a special person coming into my life, turning my world upside down—" "That's because I tackled you!" "—and leaving just as quickly as he came." ~ gotta survive (can't do this on my own)

As for next year... my current plan is to finally (finally) wrap up 'open my eyes' and get around to writing some of my backburner ideas (including some body swap/ability swap fics, probably in the 10k-30k range, and probably the idea that lost the coin toss to 'open my eyes' last year). When 'open my eyes' finally gets to the end, I have a bit of a fun surprise planned, so readers will have to wait for that one.

(You know what I mean there, though.) 😉

[zinder-fox]

what was the lowest finals/midterms/very important grade you ever received in education?

Oooh, that's a good one! I'm gonna go ahead and exclude any flat 0% grades for tests I wasn't able to take OR make up later (asshole teacher in HS)...

That'd be a 34% on 1 out of 4 midterms in the first of two engineering physics classes from undergrad. The class was incredibly difficult, even for those who are math/science inclined. I think my final grade was still a B or B+ in that one thanks to the way grades were weighted, though.

[zinder-fox]

📝🚂 🧶WIP Train Coming Through 🎸🚂 🎨

When you get this, share a bit of whatever you are currently working on! However much you are comfortable with! Then send this to 5 of your favorite fellow creatives, be they writers, artists, editors, crafters, musicians or whatever else!

A piece from one of the un-posted chapters for 'open my eyes to everything (there must be something more)':

Morning finds Atsushi shaking his head in bemusement as Dazai pushes into the room and begins digging through his closet to pick out his outfit. It's reminiscent of how parents supposedly act on their kid's first day of school. Except, Atsushi thinks with a laugh, Osamu is definitely picking the tightest pants I own based on the ones he's rejected already. That isn't very "parental".

And just for fun an old draft snippet from the Double Agent Chuuya fic I have plotted out and plan to write eventually. This one was planned around the same time as 'open my eyes' was, but that one won the coin toss for being written first, so this one had to wait to get more written [maybe not super current, but it's one I'm looking forward to writing]:

Despite his loyalty and dedication to following Mori's commands and going above and beyond on his duties since he joined the Port Mafia, it seems Chuuya still hasn't proven trustworthy enough to have records of his own past shared with him. From here, his thoughts spiral further back and the picture he pieces together is unpleasant to say the least. The Sheep treated him like a leader of sorts at least, even while they made constant demands for his power. Exercising his own free will is what ultimately led to Chuuya's betrayal, but at least he had had more control. Being used by kids who didn't know any better, by kids looking for a chance to strike back at a cruel world that had abandoned them, wasn't so bad. Instead, I let Dazai manipulate me into joining the Port Mafia when I had nowhere else to go. Into an organization as dark as the night where obedience is demanded at all times and my powers are even more blatantly used for its own gain. The Port Mafia as a whole doesn't even pretend to care about me like the Sheep did.

[zinder-fox]

The last couple of weeks IRL have been crazy for me, so I'm happy to say that I've finally managed to have both time AND motivation coincide for making writing progress on chapter 23 of "open my eyes to everything (there must be something more)".

I got almost 3.6k words written, and I'm hoping this motivation will stick around long enough to get through the rest of that chapter and finish two more planned one shots for DazAtsu Week coming up. Thanks for everyone's patience as you wait for chapter 20 to be posted. ❤️

[zinder-fox]

Woo! Just got another one of these bad boys for all of my craft and DIY stuff! The blue one is new. Anyone who has a dedicated craft space and needs storage and a worktop should consider something like this.

Pros:

Lot of storage space, including short but large footprint drawers which is helpful for many kinds of craft supplies

2 locking, swivel casters which makes it pretty easy to maneuver and locks firmly in place

Built-in power strip

Drawers are soft-close and slide smoothly

Built-in lock to keep curious kids or nosy family out of your expensive art supplies

Metal is easy to clean (and you can use magnets on it)

Cons:

Bigger ones get pretty pricey

Can be very heavy/difficult to install wheels if you don't order it assembled

May require a trailer rental to bring home if you don't have a truck/large SUV

I use these for all sorts of things: bookbinding supplies (paper, cloth, glues, tools, clamps, etc.), fountain pens/ink, sewing, paints, cold process soap supplies, chainmail/scalemail, etc.