#but seriously if i ever see any fanart or fanfics of my book i will actually cry

[gracie-rosee]

Empyrean Clothing

If I could borrow a minute of your time. I promise it’s worth it :)

I took it upon myself to put this together, since I really enjoy the detailed world Rebecca Yarros has laid out for us. Plus, as an artist it’s good to have solid references. And a lot of these are somewhat book accurate to the descriptions of some clothing and styles I can recall.

It bugs me when people see a fantasy world and immediately think: corsets, tight leather, sexy dresses, ball gowns, billowing capes, and eight million buckles. So here’s how I see the clothing in this series.

Let’s start with the War college and flight leathers:

I don’t think their uniform resembles any kind of prep school/academy uniform whatsoever. Their uniforms are quite literally flight uniforms. So, I take a lot of inspiration from real life flight jumpsuits you would see from pilots and astronauts. Simple enough for daily wearing to classes, yet durable and efficient for flight maneuvers and lessons. Leathers are worn on top of uniforms.

Have any of you ever tried to do a simple cartwheel in a waist-snatching leather corset with cutouts in all the weird places? I doubt there would be much range and ease of mobility. Leather is great for flying, but they’re also fighting, too.

Flying also requires high altitudes and extremely cold weather and wind. I imagine one would wear clothing to cover their neck and face while in flight, in addition to goggles. (Seriously, where did the goggles go in the fanart/fanfics I’m seeing?) Practicality over aesthetics.

Other necessities would be gloves. Being able to grip your dragon and wield weapons is a must.

For more casual, everyday clothing:

Lots of sweaters. Buttons rather than zippers. More casual, yet always always so practical in a way that you could jump into flight or channel a signet that requires physical exertion. Complete and total range of movement would be required. From what we’ve seen, it’s a cooler climate, not just during the winter, and everybody works. There was two instances I can recall where someone wore something other than pants and that was Violet’s skirt for Reunification Day and her dress later on in book 2.

Even Scribe robes are very practical and efficient:

And now for my favorite.

High ranking officials, nobles, and royalty:

I often think of Liam and Xaden’s family. High ranking officials, wealthy families, and powerful signet wielders would have more flaunting style. To show their signet, to show their wealth, status, or position. And yet, and YET! Still practical. You could jump onto the back of a dragon at any time. The extravagance would often lie in the details. Hand crafted embroidery, or Deverelli silk sashes. Almost no jewelry would be worn, but I think expression could be shown in extravagant hair colors and makeup styles.

Again, while I did reference the book for most of this, the rest is my interpretation of what I think fits the series the best. Thanks for coming to my TED Talk!

#fourth wing #iron flame #the empyrean #violet and xaden #xadenviolet #liam mairi #dain aetos #violet sorrengail #rhiannon matthias #xaden riorson #rebecca yarros

[amiti-art]

Random ask! What's your favourite thing about Shakadolin? And do you have a favourite piece of art or fic that features them (yours or others)?

The fact that it could be canon lmao

But in all seriousness, I love how they care for each other and how they help eachother grow and heal.

I want to quickly point that while I like Shakadolin as a romantic ship I prefer them as Adolin and Shallan being in a romantic relation and having platonic friendship with Kaladin. But what I'm about to say is fits with both romantic and platonic versions so kinda whatever

Anyway, like I said, the way they help one another and bring the best out of eachother gets me everytime.

The chasms scenes in WoR, how Shallan was able to bring some humor out of Kaladin (come on, he started cracking jokes at Dalinar when they were back, that was so funny), how her story helped Kaladin to see that the lighteyes people are not free from suffering either. How they could bond over their traumas and be honest with eachother about their pasts.

I love how Adolin and Kaladin relation progresses, how they started as rivals and became close friends with time. THE DUEL and how it changed their dynamic. How Adolin instantly believed Kaladin about Amaram when no other lighteyes ever did. Everything about Kaladin and Adolin is just >>>>>>>

I don't think I was ever this invested in a fictional friendship before.

How much Adolin cares for both Shallan and Kaladin and their worsening mental health and how much he's trying to help them heal. He was just so caring and sweet in tRoW.

I love Adolin and Shallan, they are great as a couple but the also work very good as friends, please their dialogs are so funny.

I really hope that we'll get some content with the trio in Stormlight 5 but based on the set up we're left with after tRoW it probably won't be much (if any at all). Come on Brandon they need to talkkkkkkk, I need them all to hug please please please.

When it comes to fanart, I don't have a favourite piece, most of the Shakadolin art I saw are great, I love them all.

And fanfiction, well. Stormlight doesn't have many fanfics unfortunately (this fandom is ridiculously small for books this popular), and most of them focuse on things that I'm not really intrested in so I don't read them much.

Sorry for not posting cosmere stuff in such a long time btw, I still love the books, Stormlight is literally the best series I ever read.

My friend bought the Way of Kings yesterday so I'm hoping that taking with her about it will give me some inspiration and ideas for new drawings.

#asks #stormlight #kaladin #adolin #shallan #shakadolin #stormlight archive

[aristotels]

Thinking about art and fiction and concepts of ownership and honestly it's kinda fucked that collaborative and transformative storytelling is literally as old as time and one of the most basic human instincts that exists, but the only good word it we have right now is "fanfiction"

and when you tell people you write fanfiction they think you're some kind of cringe weirdo and possibly pervert and then the whole thing gets derailed by this bizarre side discussion into how "No it's not all porn, it's absolutely everything and anything imaginable, duh, but like, even if it were all porn, that would also be okay". Like I'm all for pointing out the double standards about how published authors who put sex into their stories don't lose any respectability (especially if they're men, and especially if the sex is cishet), but the second I, a fanfiction person, add a romantic arc into my plotty casefic suddenly I'm a fujoshi with shipper brainrot etc etc-

But it's tiring that this is even a focal point

My favourite funny and sad thing is watching people (usually dudes) who clearly either view themselves as above fanfiction or have simply never ever thought of themselves as "the type" to do creative writing discover The Fanfiction Urge, because the way they express it is like. An increasingly passionate and detailed video essay about how Movie should have gone instead, or, my favourite, a story about something cool that happened to them in XCOM or Darkest Dungeon or some other Difficult Game For Serious Gamers and by the end of the post they're legitimately just writing prose. Like look at this! LOOK! Damn if this person didn't speedrun the gamerbro-to-AO3 pipeline just for a sec. And not that there's anything wrong with those formats but it makes you wonder if that's something they'd be interested in exploring more if their wings got unclipped

Or DnD. Small wonder that TTRPGs are becoming so popular when they're one of the few increasingly non-cringe ways to do the extremely basic human urge of Tell Story Collaboratively

A friend of mine had this to say recently about his own struggles with this kind of internal bias:

i'd like to try out Thousand-Year-Old Vampire (a solo role-playing game with minimal rules to make you write your own narrative) and my toxic masculinity is getting in the way. discouraging thoughts include: i'm not creative enough; creative writing is for Floofy Humanities types and i am a Cold STEM type; it's not a real game unless it has Systems that you can Study and Master. would anyone like to say something encouraging?

and honestly that's incredibly illuminating innit isn't it. The splitting off of creative activity (not just fanfiction, either) into something only for Floofy Humanities Types but not Serious People and the way it's linked to whether or not you can make money off it... oof.

This became a long post thank you for your patience

ngl i just dont rly care that much for fandoms... i like fanfic, i read it and write it, but i dont rly see fandom as my identity or smth i particularly care about, to me all of it is just the same as me playing with barbie dolls.

i dont think its something special that can be compared to actual literature and i think there are certain problems w booktok people relying on tropes that come from fanfic mentality. its just not the same, and i do wish people who like fanfic would sometimes also read.......some actual books sometimes

i just generally dont see what youre describing as some huge thing or problem, i think anti-kink ppl doxxing artists is the major worrisome thing when it comes to fandoms, but i think the doxxers also take the whole fandom experience too seriously

and i say this as someone who also writes fanfic, so like, it rly isnt me going "fanfic authors/readers are stupid", i find fanfic super cool to explore yourself, fanart taught me sooo much as an artist, i even enjoy roleplaying; all of this serves a very real purpose of exploring things as a human in realms of fiction, and pre-existing characters make that easier. i think that can be very useful, we learn about ourselves through books and stories. i just think fandom should be treated the way it is - playtime with toys ✌️

[harufallinwonderland]

welp time to write A fanfic cause some random piece of fanart gave me inspiration for A twst short (OK SPOILER IT'S NOT SHORT ME BEING SLEEP DEPRIVED MAKES ME GOOD AT GOING ON NONE SHORT FICS) fanfic for my Ruggie x yuusona (he goes by Yuuno (random nickname) or Haru) this is actually A small part of A somewhat bigger fanfic I’m writing in my notes apps (if this gets more traction than my 1 none bot follower might post it as I make it) and tldr A few students got stuck into A story book and now has to rush to finish the plot to get out and all the characters are in roles in roles not really meant for such as Ruggie as the charming prince and the prefect as the princess!? (Also as of now it’s just A big mash of random Disney movies that come to mind)

“Oi mini sprout what’s the next part of the story?” Leona says resting on The current prince’s head as A small little mouse clearly regretting every moment that lead him to that current point of life more than the normal while Ruggie just snickers at Leona’s suffering while stiffly moving through the town they were walking through in prince like clothes Ruggie has said he would never be caught dead in sincerely trying his best to not just trip or rip something.

Ortho was wearing your typical witch clothing (although lesss evil witch and more kid friendly and cute something you would see in A magical girl show) floating next to them holding A broom that was basically useless to him unless going for far up heights “well let’s see” his eyes goes black for A second before random tiny words scroll past quickly then he returns back to normal “well the next part is that the prince hears the stories of the imprisoned princess in her home and being the juniville prince believing in true freedom sneaks in to help her escape”

“Damn what A crappy castle if it was at my family’s castle back in the sunset Savana the cards would have him caught and in A cell in mere minutes” The current mouse says chuckling showing the slightest bit of pride in his royal guards back home (of course it was to insult someone else but Ingore that) “well our best bet to leave this book is by completing the story ourselves so I’m just glad I don’t have to deal with royal guards here and hey if worse comes to worse I can just throw you at one of there eyes to slow one down” Ruggie let’s put another one of his snickers but stops when Leona walks to the edge of his head to look him in the eye “Ruggie if you do that I hope you know the second we get home I can’t promise you won’t be turned into sand in less than 5 seconds” Leona despite his smaller size and cute face stills has his signature glare that even Ruggie can’t help but take somewhat seriously as A threat.

“I kid I kid your royal highness seesh no one can take A joke these days” Ruggie just looks to the side putting his hands on his neck “oh hey Ortho so far it’s easy to tell all of us who were transported to the book have became the main characters of the story but I wonder if you have any idea on who the princess is?” Ruggie asks the young robot which he nods no in response “as of now I do not see any potenial correlation or reason for our roles as somehow you were to become the prince while Leona is A mere mouse servant although I’d say being your guiding witch fits me” Ortho eyes go blank again doing clearly “thinking” about it which leads to Ruggie thinking about it as well.

Out of the 3 others who would be best for the princess role while Floyd wouldn’t be A very pretty one definitely better than your typical damsel in distress although one bad mood swings and getting the happily ever after becomes much more difficult,than there is Ace certainly not A bad option while not as strong as Floyd he will still be good at running away but knowing him he might do something stupid not in the plot and stall them leaving more than there Haru he is the weakest of the potenial princesses but…

“Hey stop thinking about Haru and focus on walking!” Leona squeaked out as Ruggie notices barely in time to avoid A random citizen “thanks I guess but I wasn’t thinking of Haru” Ruggie looks up at the hanging Rodent who nearly fell off of his head as Ruggie did A harsh stop with A not pleased face as Leona just roles his eyes going back on Ruggie’s head “oh please the only times I see you straight up stop thinking and let your guard down is when your thinking about Haru or doughnuts” Leona leaves him with A light smack on the head which hardly hurt at all but Ruggie was still offended “do you take me as that much as A simple minded idoit?” He does A very fake offended expression putting his hand on his chest looking in shock like what Haru normally does “very much” was squeaked out.

“Hey guys stop fighting the next cutscene to progress the plot is starting in the background” Ortho pointed at some random passersby who were chatting which lead to the two savanaclaw boys shutting up to listen “have you heard? The princess is this kingdom tries to escape the castle all the time for some reason” one guy explains to the other “wow running away from all the money,free food, and the crown what is in that girl’s mind” the two soon engough go out of sight with Ortho turning to the two who were already mid conversation.

“Honestly I agree with those guys why would you leave all that away if you really don’t like the people there just get someone to assassinate them for the crown” Ruggie shrugged saying all of that in A unserious tone while Leona nods “well don’t give me ideas” Leona’s words were just as unserious going along with Ruggie’s joke “I wonder how much assassins make” Ruggie put his hand to his chin faking being deep in thought “is that A offer Ruggie Buuchi?” Leona asks raising A eyebrow “everything has A prince Leona Kingscholar”

“You two can plot your assassination later for now we should go save the princess whoever it is” Ortho tries to stop there conversation which works as they both start paying attention “alright now let’s go my sidekicks to adventure!” Ruggie was clearly mocking the heroes who tended to say these cheesy lines as he runs to the castle with Ortho floating behind him

-time skip-

Ortho on his broom flies into one of the windows of the castle then grabs some of the curtains and quickly tied them together to make A curtain rope for Ruggie to climb up which make Leona go into one Ruggie's pockets as he starts climbing and quickly gets into the castle hallway "I hate not being able to use magic here" Ruggie was slightly panting as it was A big climb which he rushed through but ends up ingored as Ortho looks around the castle from where they are and Leona goes back on his head which is much more comfy.

"Ok! the story says that the prince and his allys explored the area for A bit before hearing running belonging to the princess" Ortho told the two starting to float ahead checking for any guards as Ruggie nods "alright explore untill something happens alright not to bad" Ruggie starts to follow Ortho

after about 20 minutes of hiding and food robbing they hear foots steps from the upper floor and then yelling "PRINCESS PLEASE RETURN TO YOUR CHAMBERS AND RETURN THE BOX YOU ARE CARRYING" A older man yells out to the Girl(?) "Oh we found them" Ortho says catching with the sounds of the footsteps and Ruggie follows as well finally used to the prince clothes and after about 10 seconds they hear "I'M NOT GOING BACK IN THERE IT'S BORING AND I MISS MY FRIENDS!" then they hear A familar high pitched male voice showing his clear anger at the older sounding man but soon the Prince's party sees A starcase in front of them and decide to wait there getting to the stairs before Haru and the guards.

Haru was thankfully the first one to the staircase he was about to step on the first step the sight of his friends distracted him engough that his foot landed on A piece of the dress making him trip and rip up the dress he was wearing making everyone else pause as he falls down the stairs but before he falls to the bottom floor Ruggie goes to catch him like A handsome prince....but forgot the part where Haru is bigger then him in all ways so yeah it ended up in A crash the two on the floor (and Leona sent flying who Ortho quickly catches) Haru on top of Ruggie them both panting and groaning from the pain and as they both sit up it seems like both of there eyes lit up "Ruggie!?" "HARU" they shout at the same time it being out of character for these closed off people to show such open emotions but it's quickly thrown to the side as the guards start going down the stairs themselves. "CRAP NO TIME FOR A HAPPY REUNION LET'S GO" Ruggie quickly gets up running off with Haru quickly looking around for A box which he found quickly grabbing it which was bigger then both of his hands and he quickly catches up with the group leading to A 5 minute chase where they ended up exiting out A window on Ortho's broom which btw Does not support 1 kid and 2 whole teenage boys which leads them crashing in the forest near the castle all but Ortho laying on the ground because of the pain they have suffered in the past 7 minutes but Ortho ingores it "OK! now that we have the princess we can now progress to the next plot point" which leads to confusion on Haru's end where they explain everything they have learnt so far about being stuck in the story book. "now that Haru has the ring box we can now progress to the old knight part of the story!" Ortho has his usual attutide while Haru looks at him confused "Huh Ring box?" that leads to the other three looking at him in confusion and having A heart attack over the fact that there may yet be another roadblock to the end of his nightmare fairy tale but then Ortho just takes the box and opens it to reveal...doughnuts like alot of them but he quickly reaches his hand in anyway grabbing A ring "Ring acquired" Ortho says striking A pose like A certain Green clad knight but thats not important as Ortho grabs Leona and starts floating off to A certain direction while the other two go to follow. "Well Haru I'm hoping your planning to share" Ruggie gets closer to Haru with the box looking at it like It's heaven itself but Haru just gives him the whole box "there all yours I tried 2 of them and I'm pretty sure there all chocolate" Haru sighs remembering chowing down on 2 of them only to be dissapointed because of his lack of fondness for chocolate but he is distracted by Ruggie sniffing at the box and pulling one out taking A bite out of it then handing it to Haru "here this one strawberry nearly half of them are strawberry" Ruggie says with Haru taking the doughnut sighing again "Oh yeah of course it's the ones I didn't bite into UGH" Ruggie just snickers A bit before looking at Haru again. "I know dresses aren't really your thing but I gotta say you look good even with it ripped up" He said trying to hide his nervousness biting down on A doughtnut. "oh....well you look very nice in that prince wear despite the same applying to you" To others not looking it may seem like just A regular compliment to A compliment but if you look over to the two you can see both red although Haru is much more red in the face being bright red compared to his darker skin "Gross young love..." "Leona you are only 3 years older then them

#twisted wonderland #twst oc kinda #this fic is prob trash but I'm to sleep deprived to care rn #I only did A quick skim through to make sure I didn't put anything I shouldn't have aka not beta read #I'll edit it when I'm not super tired #Huh? no i'm not going to sleep now #now if you excuse me imma go play fire emblem three hopes #thanks for reading if u did

[thedawningofthehour]

I remember being introduced to the concept of ethnic cleansing unknowingly thanks to a Danny phantom fic. I remember I thought it was one of the most cruel and merciless things that could be done to someone, the helplessness and anger I felt when I finished reading was overwhelming, however, I consoled myself a little with the fact that it was a dystopia and did not happen in real life. Until I found out that it did happen in real life, and the way it affected a massive amount of indigenous communities that to this day is recognized as genocide, left me in shock.

The thought of being stripped of your identity, your culture, your family, while you see that the people responsible are quietly sitting back because they think they are doing you a favor, while insulting your roots, is enough to make you scream until your throat bleeds. It is truly a horror story.

If that's Draxxum's plan, then I don't think any punishment planned for him would be enough. The minimum i would ask, Whatever happens to him, let him know that he brought it on himself.

PD: i think is made clear that Donnie will not recover his memories before the war begin, And that when he does, the realization of the consequences of what he has done will be devastating. Almost enough to fill an entire arc😉?

What is WITH Danny Phantom and fucked up fan content? Seriously, the most horrifying, fucked up shit I've found has been in the Danny Phantom and the Yugioh fandoms-and the Yugioh fanworks were mostly just horny in really weird directions. Growing up I assumed that it was just the general age of the Phandom, that we were just at that point where we started becoming aware of the fucked up shit around us and were using fanfic and fanart to explore it. Which was definitely at least partially the case, but holy shit. Other cartoon fandoms generally don't have a vivisection genre. I don't know what it is about that show that brings this shit out in us. (I say this with love and affection-I have loved that show for almost twenty years)

I can't really say I recommend it, because it's not a book you enjoy reading, but I had to read First They Killed My Father a few years ago for a class, which is a first-hand account of a child during the Cambodian Genocide. I physically could not eat while I read this. I had no appetite. I'd have to put the book down and go do something else for a while before I could think about food. I generally consider myself a pretty stoic, hardened person when it comes to that kind of stuff-I recognize that it's horrible and feel bad, but it doesn't really upset me, if that makes sense. I remember reading one article about the Khmer Rouge that mentioned a specific tree they would use to kill infants-yeah, that is one of the only times I've ever had to say "I mentally cannot handle finishing this" and closed the tab.

The author describes being recruited as a child soldier and being told that they're the pride of the Khmer Rouge and that Pol Pot loves all his children. She's sitting there and remembering the people who starved to death in her original work camp while they loaded up food onto trucks to be sold internationally. Parents pleading with soldiers for more food because their children were actively starving. Being told "we only need two million people for our perfect society. We don't need them." It's a kind of rage and despair that you don't totally understand how to feel because it's not your own.

Like so many other things that Draxum does, it's a bit different because he's been there. His people were attacked because they were Yokai. His culture wasn't actively suppressed, but the Hidden City was so big and so few of his people made it there in the first place that most of their practices and traditions were replaced or simply died. No one speaks the Nordic language he grew up speaking. And he's not the kind of villain that just wants to make everyone suffer because he did. He's very aware that what he's doing is wrong-he just thinks that it's better than the alternatives.

Oh. Oh man. I have plans for Donnie. And yes, you should read that with an air of foreboding.

#are my sentences making sense? i feel like my wording is off today #i'm totally sober this time #doth #doth asks #baron draxum

[samanthahirr]

MI6 Cafe Creators Tag Game

(Thank you so much for tagging me, @silverbrume!)

We’d love for people to keep getting to know each other after this year’s 007 Fest, so we’re starting this tag game!

Rules: Answer the questions, then tag 3 new people to complete this. Also, tag the person who tagged you and @mi6-cafe so we can reblog your response.

Note that when we say ‘fanwork’ in the questions below, that could mean a fanfic, gif, fanart, headcanon, cosplay, crocheted work—any kind of fancreation counts!

1. What work of yours challenged you when you were creating it?  

Can I count my ongoing 00Q WIP-epic Off the Books? Yeah, I’m gonna say this is my biggest challenge. I’ve never posted a WIP before, and it’s a much bigger challenge than I anticipated, controlling the pacing, the evolving relationship dynamics, and the gradual reveal of exposition. It doesn’t help that it’s already my longest work to date, and it’s only 1/3 done at 54k. I’ve got reams of notes for this fic and a heavily detailed outline to follow, but I still agonize over nailing all my set-ups and pay-offs. Very challenging project, but my most-rewarding by far.

2. What is a fanwork you’ve seen which gave you a new headcanon about a character?    

Queen of Spades by Astolat. One of the first 007 fics I ever read, it took the M & Craig butting-heads dynamic from Casino Royale and amplified their antagonism and manipulations and competition into the stratosphere. I fell in love with Astolat’s headcanons of a Bond who resents orders and leadership but craves M’s approval, and an M who effortlessly manipulates Bond into becoming the agent she wants him to be, and even as Bond sees those manipulations happening, he can only rise to her challenges instead of turning his back on them.

3. Is there a fanwork that you really want to make, but you haven’t started yet?

Yes! I’ve got a pre-slash 00Q fic all planned and researched, wherein Bond’s punishment for a botched mission is bodyguard-duty for Q at a conference in Salzburg. In this AU, Q & Bond don’t know each other well and have an adversarial relationship. En route, Bond mercilessly taunts Q about his blatant fear of flying…until Bond realizes just after takeoff that Q has dosed himself with an anxiolytic/hypnotic to get through the short flight. Now Bond has a heavily drugged quartermaster at his mercy, and he must choose whether to be cruel or kind for the next seven hours. (Spoiler: Bond chooses kindness, and they forge a mutual respect and tentative friendship by the story’s end.) Tentative title “Bases to Guard or Beleaguer.” Just gotta finish writing a couple other fics before I can start banging this one out.

4. What fanwork of yours surprised you, and how? 

I was surprised how effortlessly Touch It, Stroke It, and Undress It came together for 007 Fest 2022. In summer of 2021, I came up with a series of vignettes for aromantic!Q sleeping with all the agents, amusingly thwarting Bond’s seduction attempts. This year I decided to flesh the ideas out into a series of standalone smut scenes with an overarching “lovers to friends-with-benefits” arc for Fest, and I somehow cranked out 21k of smut in under a month! Biggest surprises of the resulting fic: A) I haven’t been that prolific in a decade; B) the multiple POVs were an engaging challenge to figure out; and C) once I stopped being self-conscious about sharing all my kinks, the smut became downright fun to write.

5. What themes/styles/subjects are common across many of your fanworks? 

I’m all about hurt/comfort (though if I injure a character too seriously, they can’t have the celebratory ‘we survived’ sex, so I tend to go minor-to-moderate on the physical trauma). And I’m currently fascinated with all the possible variations on a drugging storyline, so expect to see that crop up in my next few fics.

6. What other fandoms do you create for, if any?

None right now, but last year I did fics for The Mandalorian and The Man from UNCLE.

7. Is there an artist that you like to listen to while you create? Or one whose work always inspires you?

I can’t listen to English lyrics when I’m writing, so I listen to a lot of instrumental or foreign-language albums. I spent the month of July looping the Argentinian singer-songwriter Federico Aubele’s second album, Panamericana (produced by Eighteenth Street Lounge Music (shoutout Washington DC!!!) so it’s got sexy-chill electro-lounge vibes), featuring Fede’s genius guitar work and hauntingly gorgeous guest vocals over Latin dance rhythms. And now for August, I’m hooked on a YouTube playlist called Tropical Night Bossa Nova that’s all dreamy/beachy guitar instrumentals.

8. Share a fanwork that you’ve found yourself thinking about weeks after reading/seeing it.

In 2016, @beaubete wrote a 300-word piece for Last Drabble Writer Standing called “Property,” wherein Q poses as a buyer to rescue Bond from a slavery ring. I read that fic on June 1, 2021, and it completely rewired my brain. Within four days I’d planned out the entirety of Off the Books, a 150k sequel for a goddamn drabble I’m still writing a year later, and I joined a new fandom, and now I’m a part of the MI6-Cafe. If it hadn’t been for that genius, shocking cliffhanger of a drabble, I might not have started writing in this fandom and meeting everyone in the Cafe, so I’m still so, so grateful that Beaubete’s fanwork exists.

9. Finally, share where you post your works! 

My AO3 page

Tagging: @prismatic-bell & @kmk1701d & @a-forger-and-a-point-man

@mi6-cafe

#MI6-cafe #mi6 cafe tag game #mi6cafe community #ask meme

[bookwyrminspiration]

hey! I'm relatively new here :3 just wanted to say that I just got back into the kotlc fandom and I'm obsessed with the wings au- it's one of the first not-xreader fanfics I've genuinely enjoyed and gotten so invested in. I love the qpr-ish relationships between the characters and the way you wrote them all! the wing designs are just- *chef's kiss* and the story line behind it too- I could go on all day about it. You've honestly inspired me to try writing my own aus! I was wondering if I could post fanart of the designs? I'd be sure to credit+tag you ofc

You're such an amazing writer!

Oh my gosh this ask is so sweet I legitimately read it and straight up stopped what I was doing for a solid 20 seconds to smile at my phone. I'm sitting here like !!!!! and covering my face

Also welcome to/back to the fandom! It's fairly small overall and relatively stagnant at the moment (the two year gap between books has really changed things), but there's a solid handful of us who are here and refuse to let go :)

I'm absolutely thrilled that you love the dynamics between the characters because I think that was one of the things I was the most...not nervous, but unsure about? Not that I didn't want to do it, because I very much did, but it's generally a different dynamic than a lot of the other fics in the fandom. All the ship fics are wonderful, I was just very aware that I was intentionally flat out ignoring all romance in a fandom that loves it. I wanted to go for a "they're all a family and it's like they've always been a family and they trust each other and are there for each other without hesitation or awkwardness" kinda thing. I have one note from my original layout that just says "(domestic)" when talking about all of them.

The wing designs!! I love them all so much and it was so fun to try and figure out what to do for each of them. I was trying to do wings that were a little more obvious for the characters and wouldn't require anyone to really search up anything to figure out why they had them, more follow a mental association. Like with Linh's dragonfly wings, dragonfly you think water and Linh is a water person! The added detail of her wings specifically relating to dragons was a bonus play on words there, but do you get what i mean about the association? That's what I was going for.

The story line! It has developed so much since I first wrote it there are things happening that I never planned for and things that I meant to do that got completely ignored, but I love where the au has ended up and where it's going. It is still heading towards its original ending, but it's gotten there a different way and with different dynamics and important characters. Like Phoenix (the girl) originally was just a throwaway character from the first chapter that got the kotlcrew out of a sticky situation and made them face some things as they did so, but then someone asked about her and I went...wait a minute you're right why is she there? And now she's got a lot of relevance to like. Literally everything happening.

It's so cool that it's inspired you--if you ever do write/draw/make your own aus I'd love to see them! And if you ever have any questions on how I've made mine I love to talk about everything always, so you'll probably get a lot more information than you could ever want

As for fanart, of course!! I love seeing fanart of the au it always such a delight. Please do tag me, that way I can see it!! It's so cool to see how people interpret the words I've put down because I almost never have a concrete image in my head. I'm just going for vibes and then those vibes become different things to different people and it's so fun to see.

Thank you so so much for all the compliments this ask seriously made my day, I absolutely love hearing peoples' thoughts on the wings au. I was actually just writing for it before I answered this, so have a little teaser quote!!

“Here, this is a good example,” came Biana’s voice behind her, and she whirled back around, watching those flecks of light condense and merge and assemble themselves into the shape of her friend, her sister.

#kotlc #kotlc wings au #shattered upside down #quil's queries #quil's queridos #nonsie #since we were talking about character dynamics I figured I'd include that quote :) #there are many other things that happen in the chapter I'm trying not to outright spoil #but let me just say...lore #wings au lore is happening #i've said it before and I'll say it again but seriously i love this ask so much #thank you for sending it and being so sweet #I hope you continue to enjoy the wings au!! #because things are all starting to come together but there is story yet to be told!! #long post

[apocalypse-gang]

How are you keeping yourself from going crazy while we wait to see if we will get a season 4?

I know it’s going to be months before we know either way. 

Simple! I don’t!

Okay in all seriousness, I’m not worried because I honestly think there is nothing to worry about. No new is good news in my book

 here’s a few things that help me:

I'm a super busy person, so I don't personally really have the time or energy to focus and worry about this. It’s good to focus on other things you have going on like work, school, friend and family, hobbies instead of dwelling on the fears of uncertainty. And if you still find yourself worrying, try some new hobbies out. You’ll worry yourself sick before you’ll ever get the answer you want about the next season, so trying to spend your time on other things is a good way to prevent that. Obviously take this advice to mean constantly distract yourself to avoid all your issues, that’s not really healthy, but here with something that’s minor in the grand scheme of things, it’s fine

With that, enjoy what you have rather than worrying about what you might possibly lose! If you dread the roller coaster will end soon, you forget to enjoy the actual ride! Make fanfics, fanart, gifsets, metas, memes about the show and this season! Or talk about how much you hate it, whatever floats your boat!

Remember that TUA is actually in a great place right now. It’s numbers are huge huge, even for Netflix. And if it’s not Netflix second biggest show, it’s definitely their third. I honestly don’t that Netflix can afford to end it quite yet, it’ll hurt them more than help them

If TUA were to get cancelled, it won’t be down for the count. It’s popular enough to get the fan outcry it needs, and makes enough money and has big enough names to get other streaming services interested. Netflix isn’t the sole owner of TUA, and I know Universal and Dark Horse will want to see it get at least another season of it

If you are absolutely worried that the show is getting cancelled, please take a moment for yourself. Take a deep breathe. I love this as much as any ever could but at the end of the day, it is one TV show. We survived before it existed, and we will survive after. They’ll still be TUA content, official or fan made, for years to come, whether it’s the show based or comic based. Watch it again if you wanna boost the numbers slightly, but don’t freak yourself out over it.

#apocalypse-asks #hope this helps! #tua

[13-lucky-tapeworms]

Another rough sketch of Lilith from my book. This is probably favorite that I've done

#wip #debut author #debut novel #lucky 13 #lilith irwin #i'm getting close to finishing the first draft of the book #i would love it if i can publish my book and have other people make fanart of my characters instead of me doing all of it #but seriously if i ever see any fanart or fanfics of my book i will actually cry #happily i mean not sad tears #by the way it was written on the back of a printed page of my book's current draft

[iamjustrobin]

dalpony, curlypony, mmm let's do the wild wheel of darry/two bit

Dally/Ponyboy

SHIP IT

1. What made you ship it?

MOSTLY, because they remind me of the dynamic between Han Solo and Luke Skywalker (bastard x infp space cadet boy) and well, that's another of my fave ships ever💖✨ Btw, i have to take this out of my soul: the scene on ANH where Han ask Luke if he thinks if Leia could be interested on him and the scene on The outsiders movie where Dally says Cherry is kinda cute while Pony throws his sandwich are cinematic parallels and i don't accept other perspectives🔥.

Besides that, i really fell for this ship after reading a lot of fanfiction and paying too much attention of their interactions in the book and the movie (and it's more me taking everything out of context, but hey, that's the exact point of shipping🤷🏽‍♀️).

2. What are your favorite things about the ship?

They gave a lot to play in a very chaotic, drama and angsty sense. Dude, i live for this. Maybe is my latina side calling for telenovela drama, who knows? All i know is they feed my heart and i need all the quality content where they are involved💖😫 And i love to contribute trying to dedicate some fanarts to this pair because the content is small, but i'm also kinda proud because the few content is enjoyable most of the time<3.

3. Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

Not really. More like a fandom thing, and is that (as usual) people don't know how to write Dallas on fanfictions (and headcanons lmao). I get that sometimes the writers want to see Dally getting soft on someone else, but there are other times when this just gets out of control in a very innacurate sense...

Curly/Ponyboy

Ship It

1. What made you ship it?

At first I didn't ship them and just made me mad because (imo) Curly is a character that in canon you can take as non-existent since his participations are limited to a few mentions in The outsiders and a tiny role in TWTTIN (a role that could be played by someone else if it wasn't for Hinton wanting to connect her books, tbh).

Then i started reading some fics because i was bored (like REALLY bored) and some of the few good ones or that at least entertain me made me like them a bit more? Is probably that i just like the idea of Pony having a problematic boyfriend.

2. What are your favorite things about the ship?

I didn't mentioned this on Dally/Pony, but is related: Pony is not exactly a goody goody boy (fact that the fandom tend to forget) and i like when there's other person involved to take the "dark side" of Ponyboy out of him.

I see some signs where Pony could easily be a problematic boy if it wasn't for the family necessity of stay together and do their best.

3. Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

People only start to ship them because the "official ships" where made and they didn't want to leave any of the gang without a gay partner lmao.

ANDDD, i've noticed some of the fics/headcanons kinda took aspects of Dally's personality to put them on Curly. Which is the most funny part to me because that just make me think people want to ship Dally and Pony in some way without the "problematic" part (the age gap, smh).

Darry/Two-Bit

Don’t Ship It

1. Why don’t you ship it?

They don't have too much to play in canon. I can joke about them as a couple (mostly for my best friend who likes this ship), but talking about myself-on my side-individually, is not one of my favorites. I can see the appeal about them (serious boy x clown) but the fandom have a kinda distorted idea about them and i'm still surprised to know they are popular (seriously, when my bff told me i never expect them to be that popular).

2. What would have made you like it?

Probably watch them interacting more in canon to see if they could actually work for me.

3. Despite not shipping it, do you have anything positive to say about it?

I'm not sure. Even when i read some fanfics where they're involved as a side couple, they're still very lame imo. I wonder if there's actually a good one where they're the main couple BUT i'm not that interested on them to confirm this, so... I guess i just keep them as a brotp on my mind.

#ask games #this took me like an hour lmao #still thanks<3 #i vented too many things if it wasn't obvious #your jacket exchange post also contributed to make me ship dally and pony ngl #but mainly it was the skysolo part #i don't like any popular/regular ship besides johnnyboy tbh

[untamedunrestrained]

Obsessed

We need to talk because this is seriously out of hand.

Recently my WangXian obsession has once again spiraled out of control and it almost feels like Feb of 2020 when I was first introduced to their story (it should be noted that this was just before the world went totally bananas) and I couldn't get enough of them. This is one of the most creative fandoms ever, the fanart and fanfic out there is exceptional and I have read quite a bit of it. Also, everyone in China seems to be very aware of its popularity and therefore there is a ton of adaptations for the story, merchandise and official art that also manages to slay me every time basically. All this translated to the fact that when I first became obsessed it was literally months before I could even think about anything else.

But now it's all back with a vengeance. It's probably because of the release of the official English translation (who am I kidding it definitely is). I'm still waiting for my copy to arrive but this new year I shall finally have it. I initially wasn't sure if I would be able to get a copy easily in my country and so I didn't pre-order and then I became apprehensive about the quality of the translation but despite my doubts I totally caved. Just imagining that story on my bookshelf made me feel so much joy that I can't even fathom the joy I will feel when my imagination becomes reality. Fingers crossed that the translation is faithful and absolutely delivers because the novel is my favourite form of the story by far though I really really love 'The Untamed' especially because that is how I was introduced to this story. Also, shout out to the manhua which is also really good.

So, anyhow it's WangXian hours 24x7 in my brain at the moment. Ever since I watched 'The Untamed' I knew I would re-watch it and I am not one for re-watching but I knew the moment I finished it that I would. Never had a SO in my life but I am totally sure that if such a person was to be, watching The Untamed would be a mandatory requirement.

A side effect of all this WangXian running in my head is that it brought out another fascination that I had hoped was dead and buried and that is the fascination with the actors.

So considering the fact that they ranked as high as they both did in this year's Tumblr fandom lists it’s not much of a stretch to say that I'm not the only one obsessed, though considering how popular these two are that should hardly be a concern I mean frankly, the world is obsessed with those two. But anyhow all this thinking had me down the Yizhan rabbit hole as well and I literally wish these two would star in another project together because I really want to see them on screen together like it's a testament to how ridiculous this world is that something most people want will never happen. I could probably survive only on the BTS content of such a venture.

I am also really invested in Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo's life which was initially tangled all up in my love for WangXian but this time around it seems to have liberated itself into a whole new obsession that is definitely stronger than before. The worst part is I will probably never watch anything they actually do because I have this weird quirk with things I really love and I mean love like ‘The Untamed’. I love that show so much that I will never be able to see these actors play other characters, unless there are some extenuating circumstances. That is also the reason I haven't read another book by the Mo Xiang Tong Xiu because I love MDZS I feel like my love for MDZS will forever overshadow any other work by her and though I am still going to read TGCF but I'm already scared that it isn't going to live up to expectations.

Anyhow this was just to get my feelings off my chest. Currently very very obsessed with WangXian and Yizhan. Also, I am putting in all my hopes into manifesting another Yizhan interaction soon, like that would make 2022 for me in the state I'm in.

Fingers crossed my state of mind calms down once the book arrives because I just spend the entire night day before yesterday scrolling Tumblr and YouTube for Yizhan posts and videos, like I slept for an hour that's how long I was up.

Also, this has me wondering considering the popularity of the novel there must have been a hype around the live action show and I'm curious if anyone has any receipts for that. I really want to know what the buzz was like at that if there was any. Like I know TGCF is getting a live action adaptation and I don't really see a whole lot of news about that either so maybe there really wasn't a lot of hype and buzz prior to the shooting of The  Untamed but there must definitely have been rumors once the cast was confirmed and they had begun shooting. I guess I need to go deep sea diving to find that particular treasure. [I have since then discovered that apparently ‘The Untamed’ was released out of the blue and the actually released the trailer while it was airing. What? I knew about the Wen Qing rumor but I want more. Someone feed me!]

I'm seriously trash right now, its completely insane in my head.

#WangXian #Mdzs #The Untamed #Cql #Yizhan #Wang Yibo #Xiao Zhan #myposts

[carmenxjulia]

I put together a transcript of the 1 hour Q&A Interview the Carmen Sandiego Discord did with Abby Trott (Ivy) and Rafael Petardi (Chase Devineaux). All of the questions were submitted by server members. You can read everything below the break!

PizzaHorse:

Hello everyone! Please welcome Abby Trott and Rafael Petardi to our Q&A today.

Abby Trott:

Hiiiiiiiiiii!

Rafael Petardi:

Hello Bonjour!

PizzaHorse:

Let's get started. How did you get started as a voice actor? Was there anything that inspired you to pursue it as a career?

Abby Trott:

Oh MAN. Long story.

Rafael Petardi:

Mine is very short. I'm an actor and my agent started sending me on voice auditions and eventually I booked some!

Abby Trott:

This is a novel so I started typing it ahead of time, haha. I was an acting/theater major, and when I graduated from college I moved to Japan on the JET program to teach English because I wanted to travel so freakin' badly. I had never even been on an airplane. I was placed in rural Akita, (inaka), and absolutely LOVED it. The only problem was I wanted to be and actor/singer… womp womp. At that time, I also started to mess around with characters and voices - I would record voice memos and conversations with myself while driving around. One day, a friend was in the car and my phone was on shuffle and one of my "scenes" started playing - I was absolutely MORTIFIED. But that moment solidified for me that I need to move to the big ole city if I wanted to really pursue acting. I ended up heading to Tokyo, where I performed in children's musicals, and did other gigs here and there. That's where I started doing VO professionally! I was able to do some character voices for the shows I was in, and some other side projects. I realized how much I loved VO, and eventually decided to move back to the States to pursue it, since most English VO for games and animation is produced here.

When I moved back, I started searching online for VoiceOver opportunities, and stumbled across a contest hosted by Bang Zoom! Entertainment. I BARELY got my entry in on time. The contest took place over several months, and in the meantime, I moved to NYC and started taking VO classes. For the finale of the contest, they flew me to LA. I ended up winning! Still can't believe it. (O-O) I got to dub my first anime "Miss Monochrome," and realized that if I wanted to work in games and animation, I should probably move to LA… and the I DID.

THE END

PizzaHorse:

What do you think are the best and worst things about being a voice actor?

Abby Trott:

Oooh. The worst things? Job insecurity... constant rejection...

Rafael Petardi:

The incredibly talented and cool people you meet and work with.

What Abby said

Abby Trott:

The best things? Working with amazing people, AND it's so much fun - even auditioning is fun!

PizzaHorse:

How did you land your role on the show?

Rafael Petardi:

I auditioned

Got the job

pretty boring I know

Abby Trott:

I auditioned through my agency, and got a callback. I went to the callback and their note was "more Boston." Then I had a second callback and their note was "even MORE Boston." So I went WICKED BOSTON and got the job

PizzaHorse:

What was your favorite/the most fun thing to record (episode/scene/line)? Any least favorites?

Rafael Petardi:

For me, the funnest scenes to record are the ones I got to play opposte the incredibly talented cast.

The least favorite... did not have enough scenes with the Wonderful Abby Trott

Abby Trott:

Awww Rafe! Singing was the MOST FUN! The Karaoke Ep, and the choose-your-own adventure one, where we got to sing the theme! Mikey (Zack) was cracking me up constantly.

Least favorite was the last ep because I didn't want it to eeeeeend

PizzaHorse:

Were you allowed to suggest lines to be said by your character, or improvise the script at all if you thought something would add to the scene?

Abby Trott:

YUP! And Mikey and I definitely did, hahaa. It was encouraged. Always fun to see what they keep...

Rafael Petardi:

Yes we were. I improvised mostly sounds and noises. Words once in a while but not very often. Thank God for Duane

PizzaHorse:

What was the hardest part of voicing your character on Carmen Sandiego? Was there a particular episode that was difficult to record?

Rafael Petardi:

Keeping the consistency episode to episode of the Chase's accent, pitch and energy

I did not want hime to sound different ever

Abby Trott:

I think the hardest part was keeping up the EXTREME Boston accent. But it was also SUPER fun...

PizzaHorse:

What traits do you share or have in common with the character you play?

Rafael Petardi:

I am like Chase in the sense of a Dog with a Bone. If I get pasionate about something, I go to extremes. Abby Trott has scene this for example in my bread making endeavors

Also, I'm an idiot in life too sometimes

Abby Trott:

Ivy and I are both... from Mass! we both have brothers who we argue with but really do love when it comes down to it. We love chocolate, aaaaand... I think we're both brave. (brag?)

Can confirm Rafe is v. passionate about bread. And and idiot.

Rafael Petardi:

All True

PizzaHorse:

What character on the show would you voice if you had the chance?

Abby Trott:

Chase

Rafael Petardi:

I would love Maelstrom

Abby Trott:

Jk... Coach Brunt seems SUPER fun

PizzaHorse:

If you could meet a character from Carmen Sandiego in real life, who would it be and why?

Abby Trott:

Carmen! she is the coooooleeest. I'd ask her to teach me some tricks

Rafael Petardi:

Julie Argent. She's cute

PizzaHorse:

Which character do you think you are most like or that you most identify with?

Rafael Petardi:

CHASE

I think that's partly why we're doing the roles we do

Abby Trott:

I think Ivy, for real! Casting was ON IT. I can be serious when I need to be, but I'm a giant goofball (if you couldn't tell from my latest tweet/insta post...)

PizzaHorse:

Who is your favorite character, other than your own?

Abby Trott:

Mime. Bomb.

Rafael Petardi:

Other than my own? Hmmm... uuuh... mmmm. tough...

Abby Trott:

Seriously, I think Mime bomb is hilarious.

Rafael Petardi:

Yes Mime Bomb!

PizzaHorse:

Do you wish your character had more interactions with another character in particular?

Rafael Petardi:

Yes, I would love to interact with Ivy and Maelstrom

I think the interaction would be odd and awkward and funny

Abby Trott:

Yes. I would love to see how Ivy handles the specific VILE members... I would love to see IVY try to go to VILE academy...

PizzaHorse:

Are there any themes or lessons from the series that you would want people to remember?

Rafael Petardi:

yes, don't jump to conclusions and be an idiot

Abby Trott:

Yes! That! also, don't be evil. ALSO also, be loyal to your friends.

PizzaHorse:

Do you ever look at fan content?

Rafael Petardi:

yes all the time. It helps when I'm tagged rafaelPetardi on Instagram

Abby Trott:

Yes! I look at fanart sometimes, and see what cosplays are happenin'

Rafael Petardi:

I've posted many as well

Abby Trott:

Haven't read much fanfic... but I know it's out there.

PizzaHorse:

What did you think about your character's development and arc throughout the series?

Rafael Petardi:

I absolutely loooooooved Chase's arc

Love redemption stuff

he was just misguided

just was alway his thing

Abby Trott:

I love Ivy's journey - she really grew up, from a troubled kid to an adult, accepting responsibility and accepting new challenges. Donning the hat, if you will.

Rafael Petardi:

*justice as always his thing

PizzaHorse:

How do you feel now that Carmen Sandiego is at its end?

Rafael Petardi:

sad. miss evrybody so much

we will have to have a cast reunion when this pandemic thing is over

Abby Trott:

SAD! But grateful. It was THE MOST fun to record, and I wish it could continue forever.

Rafael Petardi:

I'm grateful too. yes

Abby Trott:

and YES reunion!

PizzaHorse:

Yesss can't wait for that group photo to pop up on social media!

Were there any moments in the series that had you legitimately emotional?

Rafael Petardi:

yes ofcourse

losing Julia was tough

Abby Trott:

A lot. But one that stands out for me is after Carmen gets stuck out in the snow, and is reunited with her crew. (:_;). Also the stuff with Shadowsan and his brother... and anything with baby Carmen...

Gah. So many...

PizzaHorse:

Did you enjoy how the show ended? Is there anything you would have changed or would have liked to see more of?

Rafael Petardi:

I loved the way the show ended! I think Duane did a fantastic job tying loose ends and bring the story to a satisfactory close for all characters

I do hope for an ACME Ivy, Zak, Julia and Chase spin-off

Abby Trott:

I love how it ends. I think it wrapped so well considering the number of eps - the writers really got it done. I WISH Ivy and Zack could follow Carmen forever, but she has her own story to unravel it would seem.

And Ivy does look good in that suit let me tell ya

PizzaHorse:

Can you share a favorite behind the scenes moment?

Abby Trott:

Mikey. Is. So. Funny. Hard to choose one moment - he would make me laugh harder than anything. Especially when we were singing. Or any time he had to gag...

Rafael Petardi:

OMG!

That singing stuff we had to do together was hilarious

we could not stop laughinh

PizzaHorse:

What, in your opinion, are the best pizza toppings?

Abby Trott:

Cheese. Caramelized onions. Roasted garlic. Spinach. Mushrooms.

Rafael Petardi:

buffala mozzarella and tomatos period

oooooo fancy Abby

Abby Trott:

Rafe why aren't you as obsessed with pizza as you are with bread? And can you be?

Rafael Petardi:

I am

Abby Trott:

!

Rafael Petardi:

I just don;t like to share pizza

PizzaHorse:

Here's a specific question for Rafael. Did you sometimes get mad at your own character for the way he behaved towards Julia earlier on in the Series?

And one for Abby. As a Massachusetts native, how did you feel about voicing a character from Boston with the iconic accent?

Rafael Petardi:

I did not. I always felt, however misguided Chase was, he was always on the path of turth and justice no matter what was in his way. It's the same principals that led hin to see the truth about Julia

*principles

Abby Trott:

I think it's so cool, and kind of an honor, in a way. I was worried about it being too much, and people saying it's over the top. Turns out comedy wins, haha.

PizzaHorse:

Were you familiar with the older animated series when you started work on the Netflix original?

Rafael Petardi:

I never heard of Carmen Sandiego before I did this series

Abby Trott:

Yes! I had seen a bit. I also remember watching my brother play the game. Someone gifted me a mini arcade version of the game this year, and I'm excited to play :slight_smile:

Rafael Petardi:

Which I think helped when I had to say the iconic line

"Where in th world..." there was no pressure

LoL

Abby Trott:

LOL

PizzaHorse:

Okay, last question. Do you have a favorite quote from the show?

Abby Trott:

"La Femme Rouge!"

or Mime Bomb's classic "..."

Rafael Petardi:

"the game is over!"

PizzaHorse:

Woohoo!

Abby Trott:

Hooray!

PizzaHorse:

Thank you so much Rafael Petardi and Abby Trott for joining us today! I hope everybody had a wicked awesome time.

Abby Trott:

Thanks for having us! What a pleasure.

Rafael Petardi:

It was great! Thank you to all the great questions.

Abby Trott:

Thanks for watching the show! Great questions. I'm sure I'm going to think of more quotes as soon as I log off... haha.

Rafael Petardi:

See you all soon!

Abby Trott:

Stay safe, take care, and see you all on various social media platforms!

#Carmen Sandiego #Ivy #Chase Devineaux #CS Crew #Rafael Petardi #Abby Trott #Carmen Sandiego Discord #Carmen Sandiego Discord Server #Interview #Transcript

[fuji09]

Where, besides Tumblr, can people find you doing fannish things? (Obviously only mention sites and usernames you actually want to be found at. Don’t expose your secret identities on my account.)

What other names have you gone by on these platforms, including Tumblr, if any?

When did you join the IT fandom? And what got you into fandom, to begin with?

What are your favorite ships, or characters, if any, and why? What do they mean to you?

In what ways do you participate in fandom? (ex. Posting memes, reblogging/commenting on content, writing fanfic, making fanart, creating fanmixes, etc.)

Do you have any in-fandom inspirations? Other members of the community that drive you? (And if you have the time/energy, in what ways do they inspire you?)

Name and link some of your favorite works, please!

Do you have any works of your own that you feel particularly proud of, or wish more people would’ve consumed? Please provide links if possible.

Have you ever participated in a fannish event (ie. IT Week, a fic Big Bang) or applied to be a part of a fanzine? If so, which ones, and can you please link them?

Without any form of bashing or lashing out, what is something you feel this fandom is missing?

1. Twitter fujin09 and sometimes Instagram fuji09 oh and tik tok fuji09

2. I have always gone by Fuji, my usernames are usually fuji09 and and that's taken its fuji2009. Although Twitter had to be fujin09 but oh well lol

3. I guess when IT chapter 1 came out in 2017 although I had read the book and watched the miniseries already. I'm terrified of clowns and almost didn't see IT Chapter 1! That movie really started my love and obsession for the losers club.

4. Reddie is my favorite but I also love PatRichie, Kaspstetter, and HenPat. Eddie, Richie, and Patrick are my most favorite characters. I relate to Eddie, Richie is who I wish I was more like and attracted to, I am somewhat like him but I'm 100% Eddie lol Patrick is the bad boy I love even though I shouldn't lol thank you Owen Teague for fueling that.

They all mean the world to me and I love them.

5. I write fics, reblog posts, talk to others in the fandom, and theorize.

6. @blood-ichor is amazing and such a good friend. My confidence to write darker works came from them and I met a lot of amazing people through them that I will forever call my friends.

@tonyofthetrees I can't even begin to describe how much I love this dude. He's talented like none other, funny, sweet, and his art has given me so many ideas I want to write.

@nblesbianbenhanscom the IT fandom brought me this amazing person and I'm forever thankful because they are seriously one of the greatest people I have ever met, they are encouraging and kind.

@flowersonmymind1016 was the first person in the IT fandom I started talking to and she is so sweet. She has been a beta reader for me, she has been so helpful to my writing, and reading her works always inspired me to get better at my own writing.

@tozierpunks is just so talented and amazing and maybe one day I'll actually get the courage to send a message lol for real though, amazing writer!

@punkyiggy omg such an amazing artist! Fanart is perfection and totally my style, I love all the piercings Richie and Eddie always have. 😍

There are seriously so many others, I'd be here all day if I mentioned everyone.

7. Eager To Be Held by @blood-ichor

Scars and Splinters by essellair on ao3 (I don't know if they have a tumblr)

Twilight Lied and I Have Receipts by @tozierpunks

everything you and I have got (it takes so long to find) by reddieforlove on ao3 (I don't know I'd they have a tumblr)

i don't know how to tell you (and you wouldn't understand) by starcat on ao3 (I don't think they have a tumblr)

First Fires by @thatmalu

Lover, You'll Leave A Beautiful Corpse by @rea-du-soleil

One More Time, With Feeling by @ghostnebula

Predicament Bondage by @dgalerab

8. What A Wild Ride This Will Be was my first reddie fic and I finished it!

9. Yes! I participated in @blood-ichor and @richieblows Labor Day Book Quote Challege (2020) with my fic Like A Leech To Flesh

And in @thatmalu HallowRen's Spooktacular IT Project with This Is The Witching Hour

10. I feel like the fandom is missing a sense of unity. People go against each other for liking different things when we are all here for the fandom we all love.

I am so sorry this took so long and I ended up posting it too soon so I had to keep adding the rest right quick lol

#fuji rants #reddie #fandom #writing

[fansofvow]

Interview with Eve Golden Woods!

Many of you know who is Eve is. She's a writer and artist, a part of Dreamfeel studios whose beautiful game If Found won Best LGBTQ Narrative and Best LGBTQ Indie game at the first ever Gayming Awards presented by EA games. I am really excited I had the chance to ask Eve some questions about herself, her time at Lovestruck and her creative process.

Congratulations on the two Gayming Awards (Best LGBTQ Narrative, Best LGBTQ Indie Game) for "If Found" from your game studio, Dreamfeel. What was the inspiration behind making the game?

If Found... was a game that emerged out of a collaboration between Llaura McGee, the founder of Dreamfeel, and artist Liadh Young. Liadh's background is as a comic artist, and so when they started working together Llaura had the idea of showing off Liadh's art by making a diary game, and using an erasing mechanic she had previously developed to let the player move through the diary in a fun way. By the time I came on board at the start of 2019, the game had already been in development for a while, so in some ways my work on that game was similar to the work I did for Voltage, because it was taking existing characters and concepts and writing a lot of scripts for them. Unlike Voltage, though, my work for Dreamfeel was a lot more collaborative and I had a lot more creative input. I really enjoy taking something and helping to make it the best version of itself that it can possibly be, but I was also really happy that I got to reflect a lot of my own experiences in If Found. Llaura and I both grew up on the west coast of Ireland, and although If Found... isn't autobiographical for either of us, it was definitely really meaningful to be able to tell a story that reflected our own experiences of growing up as queer teens in a similar kind of environment. Since the game came out we've had fans reach out to us and tell us that they also connected to the experiences of the main characters, and as far as I'm concerned, that makes me feel like I achieved everything I wanted to.

You are a writer and a visual artist. Does one come easier to you than the other?

I used to think of art and writing as talents, and I always felt like my art was at a very mediocre level (that's probably still true, lol). So when I was younger I focused a lot more on writing. It was only later that I started genuinely trying to improve as an artist, but when I did, I think I had a much healthier mindset, and approached it as a skill I could learn with patience and effort. Because of that, even though I still have a lot more confidence in my writing, I find art more fun and relaxing, and I don't stress about it as much.

Did you always know you would follow a creative path?

Kind of? Both my parents are artists, and I grew up surrounded by artists and writers, so it was something that was always very familiar and accessible to me. On the other hand, I didn't exactly have a clear idea of how to make it into a career, or what kind of work would be involved. But there's never been a point in my life where I wasn't doing something creative, even if it was only writing fanfiction.

What did your path to working professionally as a writer/artist look like?

I did a creative writing masters in college, but after that I spent years teaching English as a second language. That was really fun and I got to live abroad, but it was so busy and tiring that I didn't have time to do any writing outside of the occasional fanfic. I only started to take art seriously again when I became interested in games and comics as ways of telling stories. I did some critical writing, which led me to speak at a few local events and get involved in zine fairs. That was how I met Llaura, the director and lead of the Dreamfeel studio, and it's also what gave me the confidence to start applying for actual writing jobs.

Is there any work of art, visual or written, that you look to for inspiration?

So many! I try to read and watch as widely as I can, although there are touchstones I always return to, like the works of Ursula Le Guin and Terry Pratchett. Right now I feel very passionate about the actual play podcast Friends at the Table, which manages to combine really thoughtful worldbuilding and storytelling with cool, fun characters and great action scenes. I'm also reading a book called The Memory Police by Youko Ogawa, which has extremely beautiful prose.

Do you have a favorite piece of your own art, whether it is something you’ve drawn, a screenshot of something you’ve written or something else?

My favourite piece of art is usually whatever I finished most recently (I think that's true for a lot of people). Especially with visual art, once a bit of time has gone by you look back on it and start to notice all your mistakes, which is very annoying. But actually I do still really like the first piece of Fiona fanart I did last year. I managed to use some effects to give it a kind of nineties anime quality that I find really fun, and I think it conveys an emotion pretty effectively. That's always one of the hardest things to predict with visual art, whether the different parts will come together to create the exact mood you're looking for.

I also really like the compass I did for Bycatch. Krissy (@xekstrin) was the one who suggested filling it with fingernails, which was such a good, gross idea! As soon as I heard that I knew it was perfect and that I had to try and draw it.

Many people who read this blog know you as a writer for Lovestruck. When you look back on your time there, what stands out in your mind?

Lovestruck was very important to me when I first started because it was my first ongoing, regular, paid writing work. It gave me a lot of confidence and helped me to get into the habit of writing consistently and rapidly, which is a really useful skill to have. I know I was right to leave when I did, though, because I am just brimming with energy to work on my own projects, and channeling that power into something that you can't control will always end up disappointing you. Also, I made a ton of incredible friends, through Lovestruck itself but then even more so through VOW (@vowtogether), and that is more than worth all the difficult parts.

Is there any character that you would have liked a crack at writing?

Oh gosh, what a fun question! There are so many, but one I do sometimes think about is Axia, just because I know there are a bunch of fans who want her route, and because I had fun writing her as a villain in Zain's route. I can see in my head the shadow of a storyline that takes place after Zain's route is over, where she's in prison and trying to understand how she lost the battle with Zain and MC. I think there's, like, a gap there, where you could see her downfall forcing her to reconsider her assumptions about power, and that could build into a very interesting redemption story. But maybe it's for the best I never got to do that, because I would have wanted full creative control over it, and also I think the story in my head is very different to the sexy, in control, menacing version of Axia that her fans enjoy.

Do you have any upcoming projects you can talk about?

Most of my current work is under NDA, but I will say that I'm doing something very exciting with other VOW members that we should be able to talk about soon(ish). Maybe I can even give a little teaser... It's not a game, but it is something you can read, and my part involves cakes, swamps, and a museum.

Do you have a favorite quote or song lyric?

It's a big long, but there's a section from The Dispossessed by Ursula le Guin that has stayed with me ever since I read it:

"For we each of us deserve everything, every luxury that was ever piled in the tombs of the dead kings, and we each of us deserve nothing, not a mouthful of bread in hunger. Have we not eaten while another starved? Will you punish us for that? Will you reward us for the virtue of starving while others ate? No man earns punishment, no man earns reward. Free your mind of the idea of deserving, the idea of earning, and you will begin to be able to think."

It's such a profoundly radical way of imagining the world, so different to everything I was raised with, but whenever I think about it I feel like I can see something very beautiful and powerful that I hope to come closer to understanding some day.

And of course, "Solidarity forever, the union makes us strong."

I was a big fan of the show Inside the Actor’s Studio. Host James Lipton asked every single guest the same 10 concluding questions. I’ve picked 3 of them:

-What is your favorite word?

My favourite word: for sound, I like words you can really roll around on your tongue. Chthonic, alabaster, insinuation. For meaning, I think simple words that encapsulate big concepts have a kind of power to them. We use them so often we forget how big they are, how much weight they really have, but they give us the space to imagine new possibilities. Love. Freedom. Revolution.

-What is your least favorite word?

I've heard that "moist" is a lot of people's least favourite word but it doesn't actually bother me. My least favourite word is probably one where I feel like the sound doesn't match the meaning. One of the Irish words for rain is báisteach, which I feel has a much weightier and more onomatopoeic sound than rain. Rain is just very flat and uninteresting.

-What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?

Oh, so many! I love history, and I think being a historian/archaeologist would be fascinating. Or something that had a physical component to it, like being a potter or a carpenter. I don't think I'd be any good, but I'd love to take the time to learn.

What would be your advice to anyone who wants to pursue a creative career?

All the work you do matters. Even the failed experiments, the things you hate when they're finished. It all helps to make you better. Also, creative career paths are often really unexpected, so chase any opportunity that seems remotely interesting. Don't work for free for anyone who can afford to pay, but work for yourself and put it somewhere. On a blog, twitter, whatever. You'd be amazed how many people get noticed and get offered opportunities because of something they made in their spare time. You'll probably have to work another job for a long time, so don't be hard on yourself if you're too tired to devote much energy to creative work. Try to make art consistently, but don't feel like that has to mean every day. Don't chase after celebrities. Make friends with your peers.

#vowtogether #vow interview #writing #art #lovestruck #dreamfeel #iffound #gayming #gaming #mod atlas

[shadowmayura]

For the love of Adrichat...

Adrichat is great. Adrichat is one of the best things to ever cross my dash.

I’m here to tell you though that comparatively, Adrichat is broke.

You know what’s woke? Gabemoth.

That’s right, you heard me correctly.

It starts as such: Let’s say that Gabriel and Nathalie put on their big boy brains and decide to give Gabriel another alibi. Gabriel temporarily gives the butterfly miraculous to Nathalie, and she akumatizes him in public.

Now we all know how Gabriel loves his pet names. As he accepts the akuma, he nearly says, “Yes, my dear Nathalie,” but obviously that would give away her identity and ruin the whole plan.

What comes out instead is, “Yes, my dear... Hawkmoth.”

People latch on to this, of course, because Gabriel Agreste is an international celebrity, and he seems to have just professed his love for Paris’s most notorious superterrorist. Soon, the hottest news is that Gabriel is Hawkmoth’s new boyfriend. When questioned about it, Gabriel aggressively denies it, which clearly doesn’t help the situation.

All the Hawkyura shippers in Paris (a surprising number) cry.

And so it begins.

Shipping wars break out. Some people latch onto Gabemoth instantly, drawn in by the forbidden danger of it. This obviously enrages the city’s Hawkyura fans in addition to the Gabrilie shippers and the rare Gabenath shippers who picked up on the tension between the famous designer and his ever-present-very-hot assistant.

It would be a perfect opportunity for akumas, but Gabriel is beginning to feel like the butterfly miraculous has done quite enough, thank you very much.

In fact, these days, Gabriel spends most of his day with every single electronic device he owns (8 if you count the smart fridge, and he does), creating fake online accounts to combat the growing popularity of Gabemoth. It goes something like this:

not-gabriel-agreste: Gabriel Agreste can't be Hawkmoth's boyfriend! What about all those moments with Mayura? Hawkmoth may be evil, but he’s not a cheater.

paris_user_420: we see you, mayura 👀

Of course, all of this is super stressful for Adrien, who would very much love a stepparent, but preferably not a psychotic magical terrorist (little does he know). Being a Gabenath shipper himself, this is clearly a disappointment as Nathalie is way nicer than Hawkmoth (little does he know).

His dad seems happy though, if not a little stressed about the publicity, so Adrien’s primary concern is Nathalie. He tries to break the news gently.

“Nathalie, I’m so sorry... But I think my Father loves Hawkmoth.”

“Oh!” she exclaims, trying not to laugh “Oh- Oh...” She puts on a sad face. She is bad at acting, but Adrien is oblivious.

“I know this must be hard,” he says. He stops and thinks very seriously. “I don’t want you to be sad. Do you think you might be interested in Mayura?”

She chokes on her coffee and sputters, “I don’t... swing that way,” grabbing any excuse to not be paired up with her alter ego as Gabriel has.

Adrien knows this isn’t entirely true because he saw how Nathalie looked at Penny Rolling that one time, but he figures she’s just upset and he should let her be.

In reality, Nathalie is enjoying this quite a bit. Gabriel complains to her about all the fanart and fanfic, of course, and to her good fortune, he shows it to her as he rants. She tries to keep a straight face and not visibly salivate.

“I don’t know why anyone would draw that, sir. It’s truly disturbing.” When he turns away from his workstation to rant some more, she quickly sends it to herself. On her own device, she likes it, favorites it, and adds it as her wallpaper.

She hopes that’s what Gabriel looks like under his-

So Nathalie is having a good time. But Adrien is Very Stressed™. As a hero of Paris, he really can’t let his father date a supervillain. On the other hand, if Gabriel is finally finding happiness, he can’t break his dad’s heart! Therefore, he hatches plan Reform Hawkmoth.

He begs Ladybug as Chat for them to stop fighting Hawkmoth and try to bring him to the side of good instead. Ladybug is firmly against this until he takes a risk, bats his eyes, and asks, “Please? For Adrien’s sake?” Suddenly, Ladybug is very on board with this plan.

Cue Hawkmoth being very confused and distressed by the heroes shouting at him through his next akuma to change his ways. “For your boyfriend’s sake! For the sake of his son!” He screams, regretting all of this and wanting it to be over.

He gives up the miraculous within a week, just to wash his hands of Gabemoth.

This headcanon brought to you courtesy of the Gabenath Book and Art Club discord server. Full credit to our wonderful contributors: @tiger-manya, @starry-sky12, @novatheastropirate, and @owlzerness.

#gabemoth #crack #adrichat #gabriel agreste #hawkmoth #miraculous ladybug

[lilydalexf]

Old School X is a project interviewing X-Files fanfic authors who were posting fic during the original run of the show. New interviews are posted every Tuesday.

Interview with Circe Invidiosa

Circe Invidiosa has 11 stories at Gossamer, but there are even more X-Files stories at her website. Some of my favs I’ve recced here before, like Make It Worse and Slap a Goatee On Me and Call Me Evil. She also made a bunch of X-Files collage art, including some cover art for fics (hers and others), which you probably saw if you were reading fic back when authors posted fics on their own websites where art could be shared. Big thanks to Circe Invidiosa for doing this interview.

Does it surprise you that people are still interested in reading your X-Files fanfics and others that were posted during the original run of the show (1993-2002)?

Well, it would surprise me if people did read my fic. As it happens, I don't hear much feedback from my fic these days. Probably because the bulk of it is on Gossamer and my own site rather than AO3. Also, I was never a BNA. I worked a lot behind the scenes – hosting other authors' sites and making fanart and dustjackets. I think that's what I'd be remembered for, if anything.

What do you think of when you think about your X-Files fandom experience?

I miss the collective excitement and discussions we had as groups. When you got in with a group in the XF fandom, you felt like you knew everybody there. Now the fandom feels a little faceless except for the people I still follow from my old groups.

Social media didn't really exist during the show's original run. How were you most involved with the X-Files online (atxc, message board, email mailing list, etc.)?

Most of my experience was on Yahoo Groups. I joined Scullyfic while it was still there and then E-muse when it became an e-mail list, which I'm still a part of. I was part of several Yahoo Groups (can't remember all of them now), where I'd post my fic, RealPlayer slideshows (remember those?!), and collages. I never really took part in discourse because I'm shy and don't think anyone cares about my opinions (still don't!). The e-mail address I used for those groups was purged a couple of years ago, so I've lost all those messages.

What did you take away from your experience with X-Files fic or with the fandom in general?

My take away is that fanfic made me a better writer, thanks to having some great betas, and it made me a better professional writer for it (my real-life work is writing but not fun writing) because I learned to take criticism.

I also used to make a lot of fanart, collages and dustjackets for fic mostly. My big take away from that was that I really got into graphics and I got super proficient at Photoshop, which helped my own artistic endeavours and photography. I didn't realize how much skill I had developed until I've had to help someone with their graphics or photo editing.

What was it that got you hooked on the X-Files as a show?

My mother was watching X-Files before I was and she was raving about it. I don't have a great relationship with my mom, but one thing she was usually right about was TV shows. It's where I got my love of Sci-Fi.

I think the first episode I watched was Ice, which definitely hooked me. As for when the shipping started, I remember we were watching Lazarus, and when Mulder was yelling at Lula (I had to look that up) about hurting the hostage Scully, my mom said, "Oh, he's so in love with her." And I was all, "What?! Pfff." But then I could not stop thinking about it. And then I thought about it way, way too much.

What got you involved with X-Files fanfic?

I was in my late 20s, and it was around the end of S7 and I kept thinking about what if these two dumb idiots actually talked one day. And I kept thinking about dialogue in my head about what they'd actually say. The internet was still in its infancy back then, but I'd seen fan sites here and there. So I decided to search around to see if other people were talking about it and thinking about it like I was. I was such a noob I'd never even heard of fanfic. Imagine my delight when I discovered it. I found a few stories and thought, 'Well, I can do that.' And I wrote up my first story, found a place to post it (wasn't Ephemeral the best?), got some kind feedback, found a really nice person (not sure she wants to be named since she used her real name in the fandom back in the day) who encouraged me a lot and directed me to all the e-mail lists and Yahoo Groups that I needed to be on, and then, Bob's your uncle, I wrote more and more.

What is your relationship like now to X-Files fandom?

Periphery. Most of my experience in any fandom is now on Tumblr because that's where my attention span is. Show me pretty pictures and funny stuff. I am old now and don't want to think hard.

Were you involved with any fandoms after the X-Files? If so, what was it like compared to X-Files?

Veronica Mars was my next fandom experience. A number of my XF friends got me hooked on VM. The VM fandom was a LOT younger compared to the XF fandom. When I joined the XF fandom, I was the kid compared to most of the other fans who were all goddesses and royalty in my eyes. But in the VM fandom, I was in my 30s and the rest of the fandom were all in their early 20s if not younger. It often showed, so I stayed out of discussions and just posted my fic once I started writing it. I took a new handle (invida) when I started writing VM fic. Just in case these kids felt like my writing sucked, I didn't want it getting back to the XF fandom that I’d branched out and failed spectacularly.

By then fandom experiences had moved over to LiveJournal. I never really got involved in the discourse or the fandom fights. I knew what people were saying and where the schisms were, but I was all about the fanfic and the pretty pictures. Most of my LJ friends just discussed the episodes and posted their fic and that was good with me.

What got me writing fic for VM was Anjou's brilliant VM fic Into the Blue. Seriously, if you love VM S1, read her fic. Just so beautiful.

VM was also where started writing a WIP, which was a wild trip. I wrote a much-loved WIP called Damn, Damn the Circumstance which people still ask me about finishing to this day. Someday…*wistful sighs*

Who are some of your favorite fictional characters? Why?

Scully. She was everything! Lapsed Catholic, degrees in science, skeptic, always trying to work within the rules but still not taking crap. Yeah, she was the best.

Veronica Mars was great until she wasn't. I have a lot of issues with her beyond S2. And don't even talk to me about S4. For me, S1 was the best, I enjoyed the movie, the books were okay, but nothing else happened after that. NOTHING.

And the first character I ever loved was Princess Leia. She was also everything to me growing up. I wanted to be her. I still do.

Do you ever still watch The X-Files or think about Mulder and Scully?

Now and then. Not as much as I used to. I sometimes have it on in the background when I'm doing other things. Back before the pandemic, my BFF and I would have get togethers where we would play Scrabble, eat a lot of candy, and binge several XF episodes. I miss doing that. Hopefully, we will get back to that soon.

Do you ever still read X-Files fic? Fic in another fandom?

I am not an active XF fanfic reader right now. I will read any stories my friends put out. Otherwise, I only occasionally read some I come across on Tumblr in my feed, but I am not seeking them out. I will beta for any XF author who asks me as well.

I am reading fic in other fandoms though – Endeavour, Broadchurch, Sherlock…huh, I'm just realizing that's a lot of British stuff. I have been really into British detective series for the last few years.

Do you have any favorite X-Files fanfic stories or authors?

I used to run an XF fic recommendation site called How Will It End usually with at least one other person (I went through at least 4 partners on that project because I'm a control freak). We'd compile our recs and then I'd post them on my site. We'd also feature authors we really liked and interview them. Not unlike these interviews!

I'm terrible at giving feedback/comments. So I solved that problem by making a rec site. That way I could tell authors I loved their fics by recommending them. I didn't have to comment, I'd just say, 'I'd like to rec your fic'. And then they'd get promotion. Win-win. Back in those days, the fandom would absolutely roast you for promoting your own fic, so to get on a rec site was a big deal. Not that I had a popular rec site or anything. But I think authors really enjoyed being asked.

All that to say I've liked a lot of fics. I can pull up the archives of HWIE and show you all the faves I liked. :)

What is your favorite of your own fics, X-Files and/or otherwise?

Back in the day, E-muse would hold Improv Challenges, where other members would give you a prompt that you had to include in your fic. I was always really proud of the stories I created from those challenges (No Earthly Means and Elephant in the Room if you want to read them).

I enjoyed writing Dead to Rights which is an XF/Dead Like Me crossover because I loved the challenge of writing a crossover. It was the first crossover I ever tried writing even though I only recently published it.

Otherwise, I like re-reading In a Graveyard, Importuning Life for Life, and Some By Virtue Fall. Of my more recent fic, I like Slap a Goatee on Me and Call Me Evil because the premise was ridiculous and I think it's funny as all get out.

Probably my favourite of my VM fic was Stay Outta Riverdale. Because: 1. The title is a Simpsons reference who doesn't love a Simpsons reference? And 2. I think I was hilarious throughout it.

Do you think you'll ever write another X-Files story? Or dust off and post an oldie that for whatever reason never made it online?

I'm always open to writing more fic (and, of course, I don't mean my WIPs…don't look at me like that). Lately, my only motivation has been from writing prompts on Tumblr. I haven't had anyone give me a prompt in over a year, so here we are. I have snippets of dialogue in journals and word documents that have never found their way into stories. I'd be happy to dust off any of those and shoehorn them into a new story.

Do you still write fic now? Or other creative work?

The last fanfic I wrote was a mini-fic over a year ago (with a prompt from Lilydale!). I've written a bit of original fiction but I haven't been able to finish it. Otherwise, I do have a number of real life hobbies which are where my creative outlets lie now.

Where do you get ideas for stories?

Lately, challenges and prompts. It used to be from wanting to see more from a scene. I really had a thing for fill-in-the-blanks or scene continuations. And sometimes my motivation is just plain old spite. :)

What's the story behind your pen name?

Circe Invidiosa is the title of a painting by John William Waterhouse. Love the colours and the absolute malice on the face of the subject. It felt like a good pen name – the envious witch. That's me!

I chose it when I posted my first XF fic (which I cringe to read now, ugh so terrible) without knowing there was already a Circe in the fandom. Whoops. I tried to go by the full Circe Invidiosa or Invidiosa as much as possible after realizing that (invidiosa is my url and my username on a lot of sites, etc.). Now I think that I've been around long enough that it doesn't matter as much but I still like it.

As I said, I took the name Invida for the VM fandom which is just a shortening of Invidiosa.

Do your friends and family know about your fic and, if so, what have been their reactions?

My significant other knows and that was quite a reveal (oh how awkward). However, the SO has been very supportive and has read all my stories since the reveal and sometimes betas them. The SO also wants us to collaborate on writing some original fiction but we haven't found a project that works for both of us creatively or timewise.

My BFF knows because I dragged her into the online fandom. We've known each other since we were 14, but our love of XF really solidified our bond in our 20s. She wrote some short but sweet fics under the penname Helen Quilley which I bullied her into posting, and we wrote Of Ladies Most Deject and Wretched together. She is mostly embarrassed that she wrote fanfic now but we still fangirl together.

No one else really knows other than fandom folks I've met in real life. And some friends know I've written 'short stories' but I don't elaborate. I work in a stodgy, uptight industry where anything fun or actually having a life is frowned upon.

Is there a place online (tumblr, twitter, AO3, etc.) where people can find you and/or your stories now?

Over the first lockdown, I got my shit together and got my fic site, invidiosa.com, up and running again. My site houses fic by Rain (now @doctorhelena on Tumblr and AO3), Helen Quilley, ML (who I miss so much), Folieadeux, Shelba, TLynn, Oracle, Piper Sargasso, Diehard, and me. And I made all their dustjackets (except Folie's). The site got hacked a few years back and it was so much work to get running again that I put it off for years and years. I still feel terrible that I did not get the site back up before ML passed away, especially when ML had asked me about it a few months before she passed.

Anyway, all my XF fic is here: circe.invidiosa.com. I have 3 of my newer XF stories on AO3. And my fic-LJ also has some of my stories. Some of the newer stories are on Tumblr but the tagging is so erratic that I'd have to list several tags before you'd find them all. I don't know why I haven't moved everything over to AO3. Probably laziness.

I'm @invidiosa on Tumblr. I'm still on E-muse. I'm still on LJ. I'm always reachable by e-mail (invidiosa at gmail).

Is there anything else you'd like to share with fans of X-Files fic?

Thanks for reading, writing, and commenting. It is always appreciated.

(Posted by Lilydale on January 5, 2021)

#new post #old school x #xfiles fanfic #xf fanfic #xf fanfic author interviews #circe invidiosa