I Finally Decided To Try My Hand At Writing A Fanfic, Because I Needed A Low-pressure Project To Relax

I finally decided to try my hand at writing a fanfic, because I needed a low-pressure project to relax in between writing and plotting my actual original WIPs (which are reaching the main Drafting stage yay!!!) to see if it helps ease off my perfectionist anxiety lmao

It should come as no surprise it'll be a BG3 fanfic (Astarion x Tav), as it's been my latest hyperfixation for a while, so keep an eye out for that! If it turns out cool, I might be posting it here! (:

Get To Know Tag!

Thank you so much for the tag, @clairelsonao3!

Rules: Tag 10 or more people you want to get to know better

Relationship status - Single

Favorite color - Purple, especially lilac and violet. I also really like turquoise blue.

Song (s) stuck in my head - "Scrooge" by Karliene and "Verde Crud" by Andra Ariadna

Favorite food - Anything with chicken. I do love a good cheese and garlic chicken pasta with some fries.

Last song listened to - Crossfire by Stephen

Dream trip - Travelling to Ireland or Cornwall. Visiting Japan is also a bucket list dream trip I've had for a while!

Spicy/sweet/savory: Savory, though I do love a good not-too-sugary sweet once in a while, especially if it's something like chocolate cake.

Last thing I googled: "Nightwalker DnD 5e" Because I was reading a BG3 fanfic that mentioned nightwalkers and I couldn't for the life of me remember what they were.

(I'm not sure I have the patience to tag 10 people rn, so Imma tag just a few) Tagging, gently : @gummybugg, @meerawrites, @saintedseraph, @tabswrites, @oh-no-another-idea and @steh-lar-uh-nuhs!

Happy STS, Claire!

What is easier for you in a first draft of a WIP: expressing the emotions/feelings of your characters or describing the setting's details?

Happy STS and thanks for the ask!

So the answer is actually a secret third thing: dialogue. Generally, my Draft Zero reads like a screenplay. Every draft after that sketches more of what is happening around that dialogue. This is partially because just enjoy writing dialogue, but I think it's also because I tend toward hyperphantasia, so I can see where the characters are, what they look like, and every other visual thing around them in my head to be able to write what they're saying. That means that for my own purposes, I don't necessarily need it to be spelled out on the page at that point. (Obviously, the reader does, though!)

Of the two you mentioned, emotions and feelings would definitely come first, or second after dialogue. Descriptions of settings and other details are usually the last thing that gets added (not surprisingly, it's also what I enjoy writing the least). 😂

happy WBW! what are superstitions like in your wip(s)? are any of your characters particularly superstitious or particularly skeptical?

Thank you for the ask, @ashen-crest!

I'll answer this one for my medieval dark fantasy WIP, Realms of Loss!

What are superstitions like in your WIP(s)?

There certainly is a lot of superstition in the world of Realms of Loss, the continent of Helvastte, especially since it is basically a land torn by an ages-old war and a dangerous ever-spreading curse brought by the death of the Old Gods, where the survivors battle for power. In a world like that, there are bound to be a lot of myths and stories that get twisted up through time and turn into popular superstitions - some that are true, others that are just myths born out of fear and lack of information.

For example, in the Outer Cities of the citadel of Avillore (one of the main kingdoms bound in the neverending war that tears the land apart), it is a common children's superstition that leaving a window open at night invites evil spirits that will snatch their souls away to eat them.

There are many dangers in the Outer Cities, (which are the abandoned outskirts of villages beyond the protective walls of the Citadels) - the blood plague, hungry beasts from the winter forests, and actual black market merchants dubbed the Soul Traders - so this superstition about closing windows at night was likely born as a cautionary tale told by parents or older siblings wanting to keep the children safe.

Another example of superstition in Helvastte belongs to the people of Sarythea, who believe that, on the eve of the Solstice, one must knock three times on the doorframe of a new house one's been invited to and invoke the names of their Celestial Court of choice, as a way to wish protection upon oneself and the owners of the house for another prosperous year.

While the Celestial Courts and magic do exist in the realms, it is unclear whether following this superstition actually changes anything. It is likely a harmless superstition meant to keep people at ease, and it isn't clear where this habit actually started or why.

Are any of your characters particularly superstitious or particularly skeptical?

Most Superstitious - Viktoras Aeravi, the bastard son of the Watcher Lord of the Far Reach, is one of the most superstitious characters in Realms of Loss, but not in an obsessive way, rather just because tradition is everything to him and one of the pillars where he finds his personal worth. He believes strongly in the power of one's will and that following superstition is a harmless, but important, way to show he belongs in the culture he was born into (a sense of home he feels he lacks due to his bastard birth).

Particularly Skeptical - Gwain Vytris, a thief of the Guild and Adaria Vytris' older brother, has been through many hardships in the Outer Cities and spent most of his life ensuring the continued survival of his younger siblings - but going through all of this at a very young age changed him into a rather jaded, fatalistic and pragmatic person. He believes that both royalty and the Celestial Courts have abandoned them, and that being superstitious is just another way to sugarcoat this fact.

(One of the worst things a good-aligned OC did in one of my WIPs, aside from murder) In Enchanted Illusions (during his backstory) Thaddeus prioritized his revolutionary endeavors over spending time with those closest to him, breaking his promise of being there for his friends, and due to Thaddeus constantly getting in trouble with powerful and dangerous people that absence turned into a mistake that cost his friends' lives - which is also a reason why he is so cautious, so that this would never happen again.

Besides murder, what’s the worst thing your OC has done to another person?

oc asks: not-so-nice edition

alone: How does your OC deal with loneliness? Have they ever been completely alone before? How do they act when there's no one around to see them?

betrayal: Has your OC ever been betrayed by someone they thought they could trust? Has your OC ever betrayed someone who trusted them?

bound: Has your OC ever been imprisoned or captured? What happened? How did they get out? Did the experience leave any scars?

break: What would cause your OC to break down completely? What do they look like when that happens? Has anyone ever seen them at their lowest?

desire: What's one thing your OC wants more than anything in the world? Are they open with that desire? Why or why not? What would they do to fulfill it?

failure: What's your OC's greatest failure? Have they been able to move past it? Does anyone else know about it?

fear: What is your OC's greatest fear? What do they do when confronted with it? Are they open with their fear, or do they hide it away?

future: What's the worst possible future for your OC? Are they taking steps to avoid that outcome? Are they even aware it's a possibility?

ghost: Who or what haunts your OC? What happened? How do they live with their ghosts?

guilt: What is your OC guilty about? How do they handle their guilt? Do they try to avoid guilt, or do they accept it?

hate: What does your OC hate? Why? How do they act towards the object of their hatred?

heartbreak: Have they ever had a relationship that ended badly? Experienced some other kind of heartbreak? What happened?

hide: What does your OC hide? Why do they hide it?

hunt: Who or what is your OC hunted by? A person, a feeling, a past mistake? Is your OC able to let their guard down, or are they constantly alert?

mask: Does your OC wear a mask, literally or figuratively? What goes on beneath it? Is there anyone in their life who gets to see who they are under the mask?

midnight: What keeps your OC up at night? Do they have nightmares? Fears? Anxieties? What do they do in the small hours of the morning when they should be sleeping?

mistake: What's the worst mistake your OC ever made? What led to them making it? Have they been able to fix it? How have they moved on?

monster: Is your OC monstrous in any way? Is there something that makes them monstrous? Are they aware of their own monstrosity? Do they accept it or reject it?

nightmare: What does your OC have nightmares about? How do they deal with their nightmares? Do they tell people, or keep it to themself?

pain: What's the worst pain your OC has ever felt? Do they have a high pain tolerance?

secret: What's one secret your OC never wants anyone to know about them?

skin: How comfortable is your OC in their skin? Do they grapple with anything that lives inside them—a beast, a curse, a failure, a monster? How do they face the smallest, weakest, most horrible version of themself? Are they able to acknowledge it at all?

torture: Has your OC ever been tortured? Would your OC ever torture someone else?

wound: How does your OC handle being wounded? Are their wounds mostly physical? Mental? Emotional? What's the worst wound your OC has ever experienced?