@orangeflavoryawp / orangeflavoryawp.tumblr.com
Tagged by @alyssalenko too many ages ago girl I’m SO SORRY
Share the last line you wrote and tag as many people as there are words to do the same.
“These lords try my nerves,” he growls out.
Tagging @amymel86, @vivilove-jonsa, @missfaber, @fedonciadale, @estherruth-jonsatrash, @jonsaslove, @esther-dot, @fromtheboundlesssea
Miss y’all. <3
For the ask meme: I remember your attention to canon detail and how you translate that into prose that punches well above its weight class! The thing I'm referring to here are your ME drabble, specifically the one about Liara and Traynor being so in love with Shepard that they miss how great they'd be for each other. Like!!! What!!! Socked me square in the jaw when I first read it and it's stuck with me ever since. Speaking of prose that punches above its weight class, it def applies to ALL your writing, but I'm absolutely in love with Rocks and Shoals specifically for that reason.
I am horrendously late in responding to this but I just want you to know that I've reread this ask a ton of times. It just makes me so happy. <3
Also, I actually really, really loved that Liara/Traynor drabble! The idea for it socked me square in the jaw, too, so I love that that translated through my writing as well. 'Moiety' was a lot of fun. Still is. Which is why I haven't marked it as 'complete'. Whenever I get the inspiration, I can just throw in some more drabbles. It's a good writing exercise, too, actually.
And OH MY GOSH I can't believe you mentioned 'Rocks and Shoals'. My baby!!! D: I miss that one so much. Been thinking about it a lot lately, to be honest. Especially since getting this ask. Man, this was just lovely to hear. Thank you so much for this. It truly made my day. :D
ALSO also, the one with Anora's miscarriage
Hoooo boy, that one was also one of my faves to write. Anora gets so little love, and I just adore her, really. And the relationship between her and Alistair?! I am IN LOVE with them. For reals.
That one also has a special place in my heart because I wrote it as part of a writing challenge with my good friend SteveGarbage. (Dude, you should definitely check his work out, cause I mean... wow. OC king.) So yeah, fond memories about that one.
AND AND AND it's about an important subject for me, so that piece will always be pretty dear to me. I just love that it stuck with you so much. That's kind of crazy to hear. But also awesome. Completely awesome.
Thanks again for the ask. Always love hearing from you. ;)
(For any Dragon Age fans out there, we're talking about my Anora-centric Anora/Alistair piece 'It Goes In Pieces'.)
For the ask game: "I'll keep your memory." / "More than a moment." -- this fic RUINED me
Okay, real talk, that "More than a moment, Shepard. More than liked" line was probably my proudest bit from that piece. It was the first asexual romance I ever wrote and I fucking loved it. Man, if I could capture that feeling all over again. Whew, what a rewarding experience. Still one of my faves.
So you know. Hearing this? I'm literally fucking preening now, oh man. You got me smiling like a psycho about it.
Thank you so much for the love. You always give me such encouragement. <3
(For those Mass Effect fans out there that are interested, we're talking about my Mordin/Shepard piece 'Rust'.)
I like the contempt your writing gives off when targaryens are concerned. I hope your move has been easy.
Haha, I love that that has stuck with you! It's been truly fun to write them, honestly. But then, I always love writing villains.
And aww, thank you so much for the well wishes! The move is coming up soon actually, but I've got things in the works already for it. It's stressful, of course, but much needed.
I appreciate that you thought to mention it. <3 And thanks for the ask!
When I think of your writing I think of how you write grief and emotional pain, how earnestly heartfelt you describe it, and the poetic visual metaphors you use as the characters slowly live through their trauma and come through on the other side (I like that it's not quick it feels more real to experience it slowly) as they steadily work through their pain the moon is coming over the horizon – that sort of heartfelt, painful realism combined with beautiful analogies is what I associate with your writing.
You know, the way you describe the grief and emotional pain in my writing, is exactly how I want it to be felt. That is absolutely amazing to hear. I seriously cannot thank you enough for that.
And also also!
I can totally see that insight in the moodboards you've done for my work! You really connect with and understand the emotional themes I tend to explore, and that's honestly the coolest fucking thing as a fellow creator. It means so much to me. <3
Thank you for this ask, hon. You always make me feel so proud of my stories. You are just absolutely wonderful. Don't ever change. I mean, unless you want to, of course. XD
For the ask game: the most enthralling and intoxicating prose in all of jonsa-land. Merry christmas! Thank you for writing another long fic 🥲🧡
You are WAY too fucking sweet for saying that, wow. <3
Thank you so much, hon. That is some high praise, considering how talented the jonsa fandom is.
I'm having a lot of fun with this new fic actually, so I'm super glad you're enjoying it! :D It's slow going, but really satisfying, and I missed writing canon setting jonsa.
Hoping you like the way it turns out as much as I'm liking writing it. And thank you again! Much love.
Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all!). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favorite opening line. Then tag 10 of your favorite authors!
Okay this sounds pretty fun, but I want to include other fandoms, so I’m not doing my last 20 exactly, since those are all Jonsa. Reaching back just a bit here. Also excluding drabble series.
Tagged by @swaps55. Thanks so much! Loving this! Tagging @foofyschmoofer, @thedandiestoflions, @theoriginalsuki, @barbex, @missfaber, @amymel86, @riptidemonzarc, @joufancyhuh, @szajnie, @fedonciadale, @ladyalice101, @goddesstiera and anyone else who thinks this is fun.
From Instep to Heel: Sansa Stark is brought to the capital by her father and brothers, a train of Stark banners flying behind them, and it's the first glimpse of the North Jon has ever truly seen.
Red Curtain: "No, no, but you see, gravity doesn't matter here," Theon argues. "You're up in space. It's like a fucking swimming pool up there, just, you know, minus having your trunks hauled halfway down your ass every time you surface."
Soiled: "How did you know?"
His question stills her hand at his temple, the words gruff and choked off, voice cracking from disuse.
A Violence Done Most Kindly: It would be a lie to say that Sansa understands Cersei now – here at the end.
Bruises: They reach for each other like practiced pain – like pressing on a bruise.
An affirmation of survival.
Hallowed: "Even a simpleton could see the way he looks at you."
The smooth, dry voice of Baelish stops Jon just before he rounds the bend to the corridor hosting Sansa's chambers. His spine locks, jaw clenching with unease.
What Grows in Winter: He weds her in winter, as Starks have done for generations. And he is now – he well and truly is – a Stark.
Ghosts in Our Bed: Castle Black is bleak and cold-stoned and strangely hollow. This is not the North she remembers.
Wool and Tallow: Sansa finds that sewing flesh is not so very different from sewing cloth, perhaps, except, for the shrieks and groans that accompany her new needlework.
Rocks and Shoals: "I've got an important assignment for you, Krios." Commander Bailey leaned back in the chair of his office, one hand tapping out a rhythm on his desk.
Smokescreen: "I'm telling you, they're together together," Ino urges from her spot beside him along the bridge, her legs dangling over the ledge, her arms wrapped around the guardrail as she leans forward, watching Kurenai and Asuma walking down the far street.
Love Goes (Like This): It isn't love at first sight.
Instead, it goes like this:
Her white kimono is pristine, the length of her sleeves just right, the arch of her collar a graceful, delicate thing. She is all this, and yet, he does not have eyes for her.
But this she expects.
Cenozoic: "How many more do you have?" Kakashi asks, peeking across the table at her.
Kurenai rifles through her reports for a moment, then looks up at him. "Only two more." She grabs another takoyaki from the plate between them and pops the doughy ball into her mouth.
The Scent of Snow: Hinata doesn't close her windows in winter.
"You can smell the snow, you know," she says, fingers curling around her tea cup, nose red and runny. She sniffles, staring down into her cup. She swirls the tea slowly, grazing the cup's edge with every rock of her wrists, but never really going over.
"You can't smell snow, Hinata." He frowns at her across the table.
Carrion: Ino comes home quietly, unobtrusively, and with the smell of blood that is not her own faintly trailing her.
Silent, (Blaring): From root to sprout to stalk to trunk to branch to leaf to sky. There is an order to these sorts of things.
"Plant each seed with meaning," her mother had told her once, calloused hands covering her own tiny, inexperienced ones.
Rust: Through the filter of her visor's read-out, the clinic is dimly lit and red-hazed. Static to the eye, but Shepard has only one focus.
Mordin Solus says many things and nothing all at once. His hands are anything but stagnant, his eyes blinking rapidly as he paces through his single-minded monologue. He passes under a cone of light, his skin like rust, pock-marked, leather-lined.
Ghost Forest: "They call it a ghost forest," she says, standing with her back to the trees, just at the edge of the brush, her gaze raking over the coast before her.
Elegy at Draxis Major: In the end, the Cosmic Imperative has proven its truth. It was apparent in his cycle, and it is apparent in this one, as well. The universe rewards strength. And the weak are rightfully shunned.
Stain: She doesn't have time to wash her hands.
As soon as the Council is safe and the Cerberus assassin deemed lost, Shepard sprints for the hospital. Still in her armor. Still with a chamber-hot pistol. Still with bloody palms.
Thane is dying.
And she doesn't have time to wash her hands.
* * *
I feel like there’s definitely a pattern to my openers but I can’t accurately define it. I know I tend to rest on dialogue for my opening lines a lot. That much I’m aware of, at least. I don’t know. I think maybe my pattern is that I often bring the theme up in the first immediate lines of a story, either figuratively or literally. What do you guys think?
This was actually pretty fun. Love doing these kinds of writing memes. :D
Last Sentence Meme: Post the last sentence you wrote and then tag as many people as there are words to do the same.
Thanks for thinking of me @estherruth-jonsatrash!
Maybe because you never really unlearn these things.
Not very exciting out of context but hey, I’m not spoiling anything. ;)
Thanks for the tag @missfaber ! <3
Rules: Post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how nondescriptive or ridiculous! send me an ask with the title(s) that most intrigues or interests you and I’ll post a snippet of it or tell you something about it!
Alright, so, I don’t usually have a lot of projects going at once, so my list will be rather short (some of these have been on hiatus for quite a while).
- From Instep to Heel - Red Curtain - Rocks and Shoals - Ten Laws - This Isn’t Me
Tagging: @ladyalice101, @amymel86 (girl, I can’t wait to see your list, lmao), @joufancyhuh, @fedonciadale, @swaps55, @jonskory, @theoriginalsuki, @goddesstiera, @foofyschmoofer
Thane/Shepard (I know you’re on a GOT spree rn, thought I’d throw some lizards your way): Echoes of the past, shadows of the future
Okay, writing these prompts as two separate pieces, because yeah, there is never a bad reason for more Shrios. And on that note, I will never - never - turn down an excuse to write more Thane/Shep. Let’s be real. Through them lizards my way. Do it.
* * *
Father, the voice echoes in his mind - pleading, half-spent on an exhale, bleeding through like water-laden wood - splintered by the weight of it.
“For our ghosts,” Shepard whispers at his side, hand winding through his, fingers clenched tightly together, the platform winding them higher and higher through the heart of the Collector ship, closer and closer to their decimation - to their liberation.
“For the living,” he croaks out in response, a lilt to his scaled lips, a nod her way before they break, guns cocked to the ready, before they are sudden flares in the darkness, before they are blaring and resounding and infinite - before they are stars, light trailing in their wake like echoes. * * *
“I don’t know how to live if it isn’t ‘surviving’,” she admits on a low exhale, hands clenching together in her lap, aching for that familiar shape, for that comforting arch in her grip, the cock-back, the reload, the steady weight of it, the fit of it in her palms - death, or something like it.
She doesn’t know how to live if it isn’t not dying.
Thane braces a palm to her cheek, his heat sinking through, his fingers flexing over her jaw as he croaks out “Then perhaps ‘living’ is not something you do alone.”
* * *
For the writing exercise:
Jonsa: Jon gets turned on by how ladylike and femenine Sansa is 😌
Bastards are not meant to look upon their lady sisters - not in the way Jon does.
Not the demure flash of her slender wrist when she offers a visiting lord more ale, or the curl at the edge of her lip that signals displeasure deftly hidden by polite conversation, or the bow of her graceful shoulders when she dips into a curtsey or the start of a dance, or the way she stalks from the room after a heated argument with him, chin still high, skirts snapping like gales in her wake, or the delicate ribbons he sometimes finds woven through her braids - ribbons he imagines twisting round his fingers when he tangles his hand in her hair, dragging her head down to his, silencing that prim and proper mouth with his own greedy one.
No, bastards are certainly not meant to look upon their lady sisters the way Jon does.
* * *
Whew, this was interesting, and super fun. Though I'm finding I want to run away with these, lol. Maybe I'll post some drabbles or something. Thanks so much for this prompt!
For the writing exercise:
Tagged by @athimbleful Oh thank you for thinking of me! I love writing memes! :D Tagging @joufancyhuh, @foofyschmoofer, @missfaber, @theoriginalsuki and anyone else who isn’t tired of my tagging them, lol.
What is ONE thing you are good at as a writer?
I’m gonna have to go with my use of emotive language.
It’s something I’ve kind of always heard people say about my writing, all through workshops at university, and in fanfiction reviews. At first, I was worried that that meant I was purple prose-y, too loquacious or sentimental, but I’ve heard the opposite actually. That my word choice is usually very economical and precise, no wasted prose. Just straight to the heart of the matter. A purposeful reach in, a sure grip on the heartstrings, and then a violent, abrupt tug.
I guess I just don’t see the point in wasted words. I don’t see the point in anything that doesn’t turn your insides out and leave you gasping. Perhaps if I wanted a lesser life, I could be happy with that. But when I read, I want to feel. I want to feel fully and agonizingly and without reprieve. And so, that’s how I strive to write. To write like I expect to live.
Tagged by @foofyschmoofer for a six sentence snippet of my current WIP.
From the next chapter of ‘From Instep to Heel’:
And then Aegon is laughing, bright and sharp, and Rhaenys turns away, huffing her distaste, eyes glistening with a wet sheen.
Jon continues to stare at Sansa, his gaze dark and indiscernible.
“Oh, the wolf bites, brother,” Aegon muses, raising his glass to his curled lips, a flutter of amusement flashing through is eyes.
Jon doesn’t take his eyes from her. “I’ve noticed,” he breathes lowly.
Sansa’s cheeks heat in embarrassment and rage.
* * *
Sorry if that’s a tease, lol. But I promise the chapter will be up shortly!
Tagging @theoriginalsuki, @amymel86, @athimbleful, @mycrazyfangirl21, @fedonciadale, @joufancyhuh, @missfaber, @sonderlust45, @a-time-for-wolvess, @tarotjoie and anyone else who wants to play!
Tagged by @amymel86, @fedonciadale and @mycrazyfangirl21 Oh my gosh, the love is real. <3
Tagging @sonderlust45, @ladyalice101, @riptidemonzarc, @frominfinitieswithin, @tacitwhisky, @a-time-for-wolvess, @sailorshadzter, @foofyschmoofer, @yourlocalpriestess, @goddesstiera,and anyone else who wants to have a go!
Ao3 name: orangeflavor
Fandoms: Alright, I’m going to stick just with the ones I’ve written for, though there are many I haven’t dabbled in yet but actively consider writing for. So currently, Game of Thrones, Mass, Effect, Dragon Age, Naruto, X-Men, Harry Potter, Record of Lodoss War, Sailor Moon, Star Trek- Deep Space Nine.
Number of fics: On Ao3? 82. But I have more elsewhere. Somewhere, lol.
Fic you spent the most time on: Oh, definitely ‘Secret Burdens’, my Storm/Wolverine X-Men fic from years ago. That baby was my first disastrous attempt at longfic, and it took me almost seven years to finish.
Fic you spent the least time on: I mean, this is a boring answer, but any one of my many 100 word drabbles probably? I’m not sure, the majority of my work is one-shots, so it’s anyone’s guess on that, considering I tend to finish one-scene one-shots in a single sitting.
Longest fic: ‘Sheparding Men’ at 92.391 words in the Mass Effect fandom, though unfinished. And it looks like ‘From Instep to Heel’ will be overtaking that by the time it’s done.
Shortest fic: Aside from my 100 word drabbles and other drabble collections, my shortest stand-alone published fic is ‘Take Root’ at 743 words, from the Mass Effect fandom. One of the faves actually, even still.
Most hits: ‘From Instep to Heel’ at 16.614
Most kudos: ‘From Instep to Heel’ at 945 (what the heck, I’m still reeling)
Most comment threads: ‘From Instep to Heel’ at 337 (y’all, I’m crying)
Fave fic you wrote: Oh god, we’re going there? Damn, okay, um, I’m gonna list two then. One that always comes to mind is ‘Reckoned from One Midnight to the Next’, a two-part poetic prose piece exploring grief and healing. Mass Effect fandom. Shepard/Kaidan. Some of my favorite passages/language that I’ve used, especially since I write original poetry. It was a way to meld my two loves, and honestly, this piece sticks with me even years later.
The second one would have to be ‘A Violence Done Most Kindly’. Game of Thrones fandom. Jon/Sansa. It was my first successful longfic (and when I say ‘successful’ I don’t mean by reader reception, I mean I actually finished it and followed a semi-coherent plot, lol). I was super proud of all the plotlines and thematic pieces I was able to tie together, all the meaning I was able to give to narratives that never got fully explored or finished in the show. And it was a take I hadn’t seen done before, so I was proud of that. The story holds a lot of meaning for me, and it was also a way for me to explore the Jonsa community even deeper, which was hugely impactful, and another reason why this story is considered my fave.
Fic you want to rewrite/expand on: There’s three actually - all unfinished WIPs that I still have lots of ideas for, but have since wondered from the fandoms and thus, the mindset, to be able to finish them properly. The first being a Harry Potter fic from years ago, called ‘This Isn’t Me’. Hermione/Draco, post-war, PTSD exploration. I still think about it a lot.
The second one is ‘Sheparding Men’. Mass Effect fandom, with Shepard/Kaidan, Shepard/Thane, and Shepard/Garrus all explored to differing degrees. But that one takes a lot out of me, since that Shepard is so dark and emotionally damaged, and it spans the length of all three games. I love her to pieces, but man is it emotionally exhaustive to wade through her shit and get it to the page.
The third one is my baby ‘Rocks and Shoals’. Also Mass Effect fandom. Kolyat/Oriana. One of my dearest pieces. I have so much in mind for them, and I want to finish their story so bad, but this is another one that takes it out of me emotionally. Why do I always get myself into these post-war, PTSD-riddled, haunting, survival-themed type of stories? It’s my niche, I guess, I don’t know. But yeah, Kolyat and Ori are my babies, my little shitheads. I think of them often.
Share a bit of your WIP or share a story idea that you’re planning:
From the upcoming chapter of ‘From Instep to Heel’:
She sighs again, this time sharper, a tug at her lungs, eyes roving over the city. “Jon is...” She bites her lip, keeps her gaze resolutely from her brother.
Robb runs his free hand through his hair, brow drown down in concern. “Not the prince you imagined?”
She glances to him, watches the way the blaring sun glints like fire off his hair. That blood-red hair. “Is any of this like we imagined?” she asks softly.
Robb purses his lips, looking ahead as they walk.
Sansa thrums her fingers along his arm in thought, gaze returning to the city beneath them. “He is, perhaps, inelegant at times, but I feel he has – " She stops, tries to find the words, huffs over their inadequacy. “I think he is a man of deep feeling.”
* * *
Okay, that was kind of interesting to go through all those questions. Thanks so much for the tags, guys! The Jonsa fam has truly shown me love. I am unworthy, lol.
Keep writing, fam! Much love. <3
Tagged by @foofyschmoofer and @riptidemonzarc Thank you for always thinking of me with things like this! <3
So technically, the rules are to list the last line you wrote and tag as many people as there are words. I shall try to tag that many people, lol, but y’all know I’m socially inept and only know like, 2 of you. So anyway!
From the next chapter of ‘From Instep to Heel’:
But he hates more how it never seems soothed.
He discovered this the same time he learned that Oriana Lawson had nightmares.
Thanks for the tag @graymalkyn! Now tagging @ahealthylionisanonillion, @bioticsandheadshots, @yourlocalpriestess, @joufancyhuh, @foofyschmoofer, @thunderthighsvakarian, @thunderheadfred, @theherocomplex, @tlcinbflo, @goddesstiera, @kirikaclyne, @continuousspec, @dalishgrey.
