ladymatt

[ladymatt]

WALL-E (2008) dir. Andrew Stanton

#FaveFilms #WALL-E #So many beautiful moments #So little dialogue needed

[ladymatt]

13 Going on 30 (2004) dir. Gary Winick

#FaveFilms #13GoingOn30 #JenniferGarner #MarkRuffalo

[ladymatt]

Malec moments

#Malec #Forever my favourites #Beautiful souls #With beautiful faces

[ladymatt]

About the AO3 "No Guest Comments for a while" warning

If you're not following any of AO3's social media accounts you might be in the dark as to what kind of "spam comments" have engendered this banner at the top of the site:

These spam comments have been posted about a great deal on the AO3 subreddit for the past couple of days. Initially they comprised a bunch of guest (logged out users) bot comments that insulted authors by suggesting they were using AI and not writing their own fics. Some examples, from the subreddit:

But it then escalated to outright graphic porn images and gifs being posted in comments, again by logged out 'Guest' accounts. Obviously, I'm not going to give examples of those, but between these two bot infestations, AO3 has clearly decided to act and has temporarily closed the ability to post comments for users who are not logged in with an AO3 account.

Unfortunately, this means that genuine readers who don't have an AO3 account won't be able to leave comments on fics that they enjoy.

If you are a genuine reader who doesn't yet have an AO3 account, I strongly suggest getting yourself on the waiting list for one. More and more AO3 authors are now locking their fics down to registered users only - either due to these bot comments or concerns about AI scraping their work - which means you're probably missing out on a lot of great stuff.

Hopefully guest commenting will be enabled again at some point soon, but I suggest not waiting until then. Get yourself on that list.

Wait times are going to be longer than usual at the moment, due to the current Wattpad purge [info on Fanlore | Wattpad subreddit thread], but if you're in line, then your invite will come through eventually.

Update: There's now a Megathread about this on the AO3 subreddit.

#AO3 #Spam comments

[ladymatt]

Writing advice from my uni teachers:

If your dialog feels flat, rewrite the scene pretending the characters cannot at any cost say exactly what they mean. No one says “I’m mad” but they can say it in 100 other ways.

Wrote a chapter but you dislike it? Rewrite it again from memory. That way you’re only remembering the main parts and can fill in extra details. My teacher who was a playwright literally writes every single script twice because of this.

Don’t overuse metaphors, or they lose their potency. Limit yourself.

Before you write your novel, write a page of anything from your characters POV so you can get their voice right. Do this for every main character introduced.

#Writing #Handy tips

[ladymatt]

happy 8 year anniversary to the most iconic scene in tv history

march 29th, 2016

#izzymalec #This is beautiful! #MalecS1 #SHS112 #Forever missing them

[ladymatt]

A sideblog you can't follow from is ridiculous, Tumblr?!

The whole point of it is to separate your interests! 🙄

And while I'm at it, AO3's pseud having to show the main acct name in parentheses is also defeating the purpose, for the same reason.����

Whinge over. Have a good day!

#Tumblr #AO3 #Sideblog rules suck

[ladymatt]

[fic] Servant of the Spiral (3/12)

Read Chapter III on ao3.

Shadowhunters. Alec x Magnus. M. Chapter 3/12. 6,200 words.

Summary:

This is the story: in the holy heart of the world, a heretic kneels down, and entreats the exalted dead for power. Magnus knows he's good for one thing: he's the most gifted summoner seen in a generation. He can save the world, which is besieged by an ancient terror. In the first steps of his quest, he runs into the one man who might see him safe through it: Alec, a warrior sworn to the faith but put before an impossible choice by his family. The journey will bind them together in ways neither of them could have imagined.

Final Fantasy X / Shadowhunters fusion

summoner!Magnus & guardian!Alec

road trip to save the world (& show them all)

bodyguard romance / battle couple / reluctant allies to lovers

In this part: A trip to the city, ideological clashes, Alec being far too free with Magnus's face, and Alec's secrets coming to light. Or start from Chapter I.

#paperiuni #ServantOfTheSpiral #Malec #FicRec #Wonderful writer #Wonderful adventure!

[ladymatt]

Writing patterns

Rules: List the first line of your last 10 (posted) fics and see if there's a pattern!

1. "He won't be coming back. You know that, don't you?" Xia Dong spoke behind Mu Nihuang. (Flowers in Dreamland Weather, Nirvana in Fire, Mu Nihuang x Xiao Jingyan x Mei Changsu, ot3 porn that grew a backstory)

2. This is the story: in the holy heart of the world, a heretic kneels down, and entreats the exalted dead for power. (Servant of the Spiral, Shadowhunters, Alec x Magnus, SH/Final Fantasy X fusion)

3. On the day that is going to define the rest of his life, Alec jerks awake to the gentle chiming of his phone and proceeds to fall off the couch. (Talking With Strangers, Shadowhunters, Alec x Magnus, university AU w/ fake marriage)

4. Magnus stepped off the coach onto the grizzled asphalt of the tiny bus station and thought, not for the first time, You're out of your head, Bane. And the next bus service out of this place is the day after tomorrow. (The Stair Into the Sea, Shadowhunters, Alec x Magnus (& Maia), The Novel about ghosts and lighthouses and second chances)

5. Magnus stepped out of the bathroom, clad only in a towel, anticipation prickling his throat. (the black honey of summer, Shadowhunters, Alec x Magnus, porn with a tender D/s vibe)

6. Far across the ocean, in a kingdom whose name is lost to time, there lived a young prince. (The Underwater Heart, SH, Alec x Magnus, fairytale AU)

7. Isabelle has a problem. Like a not insignificant number of her problems, it starts with a kiss. (Bramble, SH, Clary x Isabelle, canon divergent first kiss w/ complications)

8. Magnus weaves through the crowd, a tin mug held high in each hand. Alec watches his progress as he ducks around a server with a flourish of apology, a quick, glittering smile. (From the Green Shadows, SH, Alec x Magnus, SH/The Witcher fusion)

9. Magnus collapses into the pillows with sticky, boneless satisfaction, limbs going every which way. Alec presses a damp kiss on his brow. "Be right back." (is it bright where you are, SH, Alec x Magnus, tough pillow talk)

10. On his thirtieth day as a lightkeeper, Alec woke to find a girl in the parking lot. (The Birthday of the Sea, SH, Alec & Maia, side story to The Novel)

God, I really haven't written much in the last few years. The oldest of these was posted four years ago! (The counterpoint is that I have several long-running longfics right now, which means a smaller number of stories.)

I think these show I tend to start in medias res, or else with a distinct image or line—the hook, as it were. I am also amused that two of these have Alec waking up, and a whopping four start with Magnus and some kind of movement. The two fantasy/fairytale stories pull back a bit to establish worldbuilding and backstory first.

Overall, this is a reminder to finally rewatch Shadowhunters and get serious about finishing at least some of my WIPs in that fandom. Had I but world enough and time.

Tags for: @electricshoebox, @lynne-monstr, @faejilly, @neekerbreeker, @pikkugen, @sleepsonclouds, @lightwormsiblings, @frudence, @vaynglories, @circumference-pie

#paperiuni #FicRecs #Wonderful storytelling #Guaranteed enjoyment

[ladymatt]

thinking about that post of people assuming ao3 has an algorithm and also about how bonkers persistent the view is that ao3 is social media lite. like with startling regularity I get comments saying something along the lines of "it's probably weird to comment on a fic this old--" no it isn't!!!! this is an archive I am literally just assuming you searched for a selection of specific tags or sorted by kudos or looked back on my pseud or any other number of completely normal ways to use an archive site ?? kill the tiktok ghost in your brain and comment on old stuff it's NOT weird

#AO3 #Instead of being lazy and whinging #Take responsibility for what you CHOOSE to consume!

[ladymatt]

@junemermaid Although I've already done this, thanks for the tag, J! Enjoyed reading your answers, and wish you all the positive vibes with your writing projects! 🫶

writer interview

I was tagged by @vaynglories, @lynne-monstr and @la-muerta all at one point or another. Thank you all kindly, sorry it took me so long! 💗

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

120 unique works. I have two double entries from when the old Yuletide archive was imported to AO3, so the total on my author page is 122. It's missing any fic I wrote before 2005 but honestly I'm fine with those being lost in the mists of the internet. If you know, you know.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

1,004,161.

I didn't actually wait to do this meme until I passed the one million words mark, but I also kinda did.

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

bodies full of untold stories (malec, E, Shadowhunters) / 1,343

an act of faith against the night (malec, T, Shadowhunters) / 1,037

House of Ash and Salt (dorian x bull, M, DA:I) / 995

Walkers of the Winding Path (malec, E, Shadowhunters) / 933

Talking With Strangers (malec, E, Shadowhunters) / 930

4. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I used to and it's my one continuing regret that I haven't been able to catch up with my inbox! The greatest reason why I currently seldom reply to comments is that I have such a backlog. The other reason is that I will either answer comments or write more fic, and I'm sure everyone rather that I do the latter. Still, I miss the conversation around fic that replying to comments often generated.

I mean: I need more writing friends and goddamn, please talk to me because I feel detached from fandom and it's the worst thing.

5. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Probably to make the saints attend them long (malec, T, SH) which ends with extremely heavily implied MCD.

I tend to write hopeful to bittersweet endings, so this was a rarity for me.

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

Define happy ending? I do have one, all souls sheltered, (dorian x bull, T, DA:I) which IS the soft epilogue I wanted those two characters to have after all their toils and troubles.

These two questions mostly tell me that most of my endings don't fit well on the happy to sad scale. I tend to leave characters at points where they can look forward to the future and any acute crises are over, but I really wish "happy for now" or "a happy middle" would stick as ending descriptions because that's where I live.

7. Do you write crossovers?

I write fusions? Not traditional crossovers but I have a very niche fic thing where I take Alec and Magnus and stick them into the worlds of videogames I love. To wit, the Witcher (Walkers of the Winding Path) and Final Fantasy X (Servant of the Spiral).

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Yep. Didn't much care for it.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I do! I've written my share of PWP but more typically the process goes something like this:

I find a kink/trope/sex situation I want to try writing

the fic grows copious amounts of plot/worldbuilding/interpersonal drama (exhibit A: the tentacle porn that came with 3,000 words of, uh, creature logistics so I could have tentacles)

I spend two years working on bullet point two before the characters ever get naked in each other's company

My smut fic tends to the tender/longing/emotional, though. I use sex mostly as a vehicle for character exploration or to drive the drama of a story, so most of my sex scenes pull double duty to also move the overall story forward.

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge. I'm a pretty niche writer in most of my fandoms, I don't think you would make either much fandom fame or big bucks with my writing.

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! to make the saints attend them long is translated into Italian.

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No. I'm a slow writer and I have to hew out writing time from the bedrock of my RL, so it wouldn't be very conducive to sharing a creative project, even though the basic idea appeals to me.

13. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

I was gonna make a joke about being asked to rate my children, but tbh I would rather not refer to fictional characters by any family term. However! I have changing obsessions and there's always some ship or canon that is eating up my brain at any given time, but I don't really get over ships. The details of canons fade with time but characters live forever in my heart.

Back in the mists of time, Ichigo and Rukia changed who I was as a person. (Then I added in Renji and It Got Better.) I adore Alec and Magnus but the fandom was categorically A Lot. Same with Dorian and Bull. Josephine and Cassandra were a total crack ship in the sense that there's no canon but I still love the idea of an f/f lady/champion pairing.

And right now I have two competing wuxia ot3s vying from my attention so. This is not a question I can answer.

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

My general fic writing philosophy is "whatever you can, whenever you can". I've made my peace with the fact that sometimes I'll start a thing and post a bit and then it simply won't get finished. Fic is free and no one has to click on a WIP (much as I love those people who will!)

So, unfortunately there's a few old WIPs on my ao3 that I don't think will ever get wrapped. The older the fic, the less likely it is. I keep them up as testament to the process, I suppose, or in case anyone likes the idea enough to read whatever I managed of it.

15. What are your writing strengths?

Putting canon under a lens until I have a mental Wall of Crazy with ten thousand interconnecting red strings and obscure notes, and then wringing story out of elements in the text that might not seem to connect on the surface.

I know sometimes you have to just wholesale go "this makes zero sense" and drop a bit of canon, but what I enjoy is taking bits and pieces and adapting them to fic. My current project is writing all the Mu Nihuang POV she really kind of doesn't get in Nirvana in Fire itself, and I am having a blast.

Also: character voice, action scenes, evocative description, setting up an emotional punch and taking you out with it 2,000 words later

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

I'm slow, picky, and obsessive. I have to be In A Mood before I can put words to paper (I'm trying to combat this by becoming more of a garbage goblin about my first drafts. All words are good words! Hissss!) I'm bad at humour unless I'm accidentally funny.

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

It can be used to good effect but it's best used sparingly. I would generally always prefer that plot-relevant or important dialogue were simply, "This is the murder weapon," she said in French. Don't withhold information or emotional impact for the sake of showing off.

And oh god, never, ever put dialogue through MTL and expect it to come out right. If you absolutely need dialogue in a foreign language, consult an actual person that speaks it.

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Very technically, ElfQuest. For actual published fic, Rurouni Kenshin.

19. What’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to?

Mysterious Lotus Casebook tickles my brain but I don't yet quite know what I want to write about! I have enough trouble herding the rowdy cats that are my NiF ideas right now.

20. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

Always the one I'm working on. So much of the joy of fic is bound up in the good creative rush of making it happen. Just as so much of the woe of fic is in the fucking toil of making it happen.

Anyway! Flowers in Dreamland Weather (jingsuhuang, E, Nirvana in Fire) got me out of a slump and gave me new characters and relationships to rotate in my head, and I love it for that.

Talking With Strangers (malec, E, Shadowhunters) actually got finished in a satisfying way, and I love it for that.

Maybe those are my current answers.

-

I will no-pressure tag — @theotherjax, @electricshoebox, @faejilly, @sinni-ok-sessi, @ladymatt, and anyone that still wants to do this! I've seen this doing the rounds, so if you haven't yet, please feel free to blame me for enabling you!

#TagGames: junemermaid #paperiuni #WriterRec #Any story that's crafted by J is wonderful! #Highly recommend a deep dive into their list of fics!

[ladymatt]

Title: blackbird

Fandoms: Shadowhunters (TV)

Warnings: Rated E. Omegaverse, Implied/referenced sexual assault (not involving Malec)

Relationships: Alec Lightwood x Magnus Bane

Words: 3,924/?

Chapters: 1 of 3

Summary: The Circle wins… or at least that’s what they think. But the Downworld is more resilient than Valentine ever expected, and in a desperate bid to take down the biggest Downworld stronghold, Valentine decides it’s time for a real sacrifice to be made — one virgin, unclaimed omega shadowhunter, sent to be a deadly distraction for the powerful alpha warlock, Magnus Bane.

Written for @knotinmyname’s anti-AI event!

#fic: la_muerta #fic: malec #fic recs #blackbird #Not a usual reader of ABO #But definitely worth making an exception for a favoured writer! #Glad I did! Bravo!

[ladymatt]

Title: chorus to the verse

Fandoms: Shadowhunters (TV)

Warnings: Rated E.

Relationships: Magnus Bane x Alec Lightwood

Summary: Snapshots from Magnus and Alec's relationship, or three times that one of them had to leave, and one time that neither of them had to.

Part three of my Rockstar!Malec AU, "semi-charmed kind of life"

Written for @sweetspicybingo's Sweetheart Bingo 2024

--

Chapter 3 of 4: to live this way is not for the meek [Read on AO3]

February 14, 1998 — New Orleans, Louisiana: Alec and Magnus celebrate Valentine's Day backstage.

This chapter covers the squares:

Send Nudes

Love Bites

Good Boy

Dirty Talk

Current total word count: ~6.4k words

(bingo card under cut)

#fic: la_muerta #fic: malec #chorus to the verse #fic recs #bittersweet bangers

[ladymatt]

@ fic authors what do you personally consider a successful fic? What’s the bar?

#Writing

[ladymatt]

Title: Ave Atque Vale

Fandoms: Shadowhunters (TV), Hunger Games AU

Warnings: Rated E. Canon-typical violence, one Mild Dubcon scene

Relationships: Alec Lightwood x Magnus Bane

Words: 2,935/?

Chapters: 1 of 6

Summary: Eighteen years ago, the twelve poverty-stricken districts rebelled against the Capitol and lost. Now, the Hunger Games are held every year to remind the districts of the power of the Capitol and the sacrifices of war, blah blah.

Magnus doesn’t want to be a pawn in the Capitol’s disgusting game, but he knows that at some point he is probably going to have to choose — to kill another human being or be killed.

Meanwhile, Alec is just trying to get his sister out of the Games alive.

#fic: la_muerta #fic: malec #fusion #enemies to lovers #Hunger Games AU #Brilliant!

[ladymatt]

Love me a fic that starts with the unresolved sexual tension already thicker than a bowl of oatmeal. I want my ship pining, yearning, and most definitely fantasizing.

I want their minds to wander to how hot the other person is, mid-sentence. I want them barely functioning because of all the hormones swimming through their brains. I want normally smart people who are downright dumb when faced with the smallest bit of barely revealed skin on the other person's body.

By the time they actually realize they're both in this state of tortured sexual desire, I want them to be at their wit's end and ready to flee the country in order to find the slightest scrap of control because there is absolutely zero control left when theyre in the same room together. They need to be scratching at the walls of their souls, they're so desperate for each other.

And when they do finally realize the fact that they're in this on-fire boat together? I want them to have incredibly hot, wildly cathartic (and not necessarily at-all realistic) sex that leaves them both exhausted, happy, and fully satisfied.

Unresolved sexual tension that gets completely fucking resolved, my beloved.

#AMEN #Mutual Pining To The Max #FanFic

[ladymatt]

magnus bane in every episode — raising hell

❝ who. are. you? ❞

#MagnusBaneS1 #SHS104 #RaisingHell #I miss baby-faced Magnus SO MUCH #We were spoilt with so many varied looks