Fanfiction Author Challenge · 12:49pm Dec 24th, 2020
So my fellow user Fancy Mark did this Fanfiction Author Challenge or whatever it is and it looked like fun. Fancy's blog post can be found here and the original questions are here.
1. What was your first fic and could you stand to reread it today?
I've written stuff other than fanfiction, a long time ago, and I don't think I could read it now, mainly because I know how much I've improved since then.
2. What’s your most recent fic and how far do you think you’ve come?
[Unpublished stories cannot be embedded]
I've definitely come a long way since I started writing on here.
3. In your opinion, what’s your best fic?
[Unpublished stories cannot be embedded]
4. In your opinion and without looking at any numbers, what’s your most popular fic?
I want to say Sombra's Bat, but a couple of my one-shots are more popular.
5. Is there any fic that makes you super happy to reread and remember you wrote that?
I like rereading all of my work to see how I have improved and what I can do to make my work better. Uh, for the stuff I'm most proud of, I'd say Sombra's Bat, A Lesson on Sugarcoating the Truth and maybe The Cursed Garment.
6. Is there any fic that makes you super embarrassed to reread and remember you wrote that?
Some of my unpublished works.
7. What’s the fic you most want to continue (unfinished or no)?
Sombra's Bat. i have this whole universe in my head that I want to share with others.
8. What’s the oldest (longest since last update) fic you most want to continue (unfinished or no)?
Bat Pony Pranks. I want to keep adding stories until Fimfiction disappears into the internet graveyard, which, by the looks of things, isn't happening any time soon.
9. Have you ever written for a fandom without watching/reading/playing the source material?
No... um... maybe... not... Ok, here's the funny thing. Very recently (I mean, at the beginning of November) I discovered anime. I mean, I knew what it was but I never watched it. Then I was persuaded into watching a certain anime that I like nearly as much as FiM. I started writing a story about one of the series, before realising that one of the main characters in my story met an unfortunate end before the series finale and I had to rethink the whole thing.
The anime in question is JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. It's as strange as it sounds, with a fair amount of gore and occasionally some weird jokes, but it's amazing nonetheless. Includes magic, vampires and a very dysfunctional family. The best way of watching it is on the Crunchyroll app for Android and Apple, if you don't mind the ads. 100 percent recommend.
10. Have you ever written for a fandom without reading other fanfic for it?
See question #9.
11. Have you ever written a fic for a concept you know someone else has done before? How did it impact your writing process or feelings after posting?
No, but I want to write a fanfic based on this story:
12. Have you ever written a fic and decided never to publish it? Why?
Yes. Mainly because my mind wandered to other ideas. Including bat ponies. Occasionally I write something so bad that I discard the idea completely.
13. What’s the biggest change between your style when you started in fandom and today?
If you mean writing style, I think more about what I'm writing now and try to include more detail.
14. What’s the biggest change in your taste between when you started in fandom and today?
Uh, hard one. I've started liking romance fics a bit more, and I read more slice of life and comedy stuff, but my favourite genre will always be [Dark].
15. Have you ever purposefully written one fandom/fic idea over another because you knew it’d be more popular?
No.
16. Have you ever stopped writing a fic/for a fandom because it wasn’t receiving enough attention?
No.
17. In your opinion, what’s your most overrated fic?
[Unpublished stories cannot be embedded]
18. What’s your most underrated fic?
Uh... Maybe Sombra's Bat, but I don't really know.
19. If you had to pick one fic/scene/chapter of your work to describe your entire portfolio to a stranger, which would you pick?
That's hard. Probably something from Sombra's Bat. Two quotes come to mind.
I want to know the truth
and
Everypony stares at me, aghast at the terrible deed that I have done.
Not sure why.
20. Have/Would you ever rewrite a fic? If yes, would you take the original down?
No.
21. If someone starts kudosing and commenting your fics in a spree and has a few works of their own, would you go look through theirs?
I'd have a look.
22. Has there ever been anyone who’s made you freak out because they read your work and followed/favorited/reviewed?
Hugmir turned To Converse In Prose into a Youtube audiobook, which scared me a little. I'm glad he made it, though.
23. What’s the nicest review you’ve ever gotten?
*scratches head* I can't remember.
24. What’s the meanest review you’ve ever gotten? Do you think the reviewer intended it?
Can't remember that either, but some bot posted a comment on Sombra's Bat about checking spelling and grammar using some random software. I reported them and the comment was taken down.
25. What constructive criticism, however well-meaning, always makes you feel bad when you see it in a review?
?
26. What aspect of your writing do you most enjoy to see praised?
When ponies like the storyline I have invented, I think.
27. If you could only ever write crossovers or single-fandom fics ever again, which would you pick?
Single fandom. MLP. I'm terrible at writing crossovers and making them sound believable.
28. if you could only ever write for a single crossover or a single fandom again, which would you pick?
Uh...? I'll go with single fandom.
29. Does the division of your writing across fandoms line up with your reading? What’s the biggest discrepancy?
I only read and write MLP fanfiction so far, other than that one story I mentioned in question #9.
30. Do you continue to write for a fandom after you’ve moved on or do you focus solely on the new one?
This is the only fandom I am a member of.
31. Who’s the one character you’ve just never managed to get perfectly right?
Discord. Ugh, he makes my head hurt.
32. Who’s the one character who shines without you even trying?
Not sure. Batpones.
33. Is there any particular character whose scenes always wind up being longer/more frequent than you expected? Does the quality hold up?
I've never finished these, but I've written stories about Cozy Glow and her parts go on for ages. She's interesting.
34. Was there any fic that you wrote that really surprised you in the fandom reaction? Was it just by the numbers or did they take it an entirely different way?
One story got featured, but I don't actually like it now.
[Unpublished stories cannot be embedded]
35. Have you ever written a ship into a fic without meaning to?
Uh, I don't think so.
36. Have you ever sincerely written a ship you do not support into a fic?
I don't write many ships, so I doubt it.
37. Have you ever purposefully bashed a character/ship in a fic?
If you mean taking a character who is "good" in FiM and then writing a story in which you strip away everything that makes them "good" until they become the main antagonist, I did that in Sombra's Bat.
38. Have you ever purposefully written something you know your readers would find uncomfortable/would not enjoy? If yes, why?
Uh, I can't remember. I don't think so. That might happen with Sombra's Bat, but I don't honestly know.
39. Do you consider yourself to have a readership?
Yes. Bat Pony Pranks has a few "regulars" who always comment. I don't really know.
40. Do you feel like you put out enough content?
Not sure. Sometimes I think I put out loads of content, and other times I think I could do more.
41. If you cross-post your fics on multiple sites, do you have a favorite? Are there certain fics you would only post on certain site?
N/A. I only post on Fimfiction, though I've been thinking about using Fanfiction.net and I have my DeviantArt account. Depends.
42. How many views has your most popular fic gotten?
Bat Pony Pranks has 884 views.
43. Your least popular?
A Lesson on Sugarcoating The Truth only has 74 views, but it's pretty new, so I'd consider that an achievement.
44. Do you follow/favorite/kudos/comment/review more stories than you have received?
Yes.
45. If you had to call yourself an author of a single genre (besides fanfic) what label would you give yourself?
Fantasy.
46. Do you consider yourself a diverse author?
Say again? I think so. I'm going to cover quite a lot of topics in Sombra's Bat. Talking about that, tell me in the comments if you think I should get Tirek and Cozy Glow involved or not. I can't decide.
47. If someone you know in real life who isn’t involved in fandoms asked to read your work, would you let them? If yes, what would you recommend they read first?
I'd do anything to convince them otherwise, but if I had to, then I'd show them Sombra's Bat.
48. Does anyone you know from outside of fandom know you write fanfic? Are they involved in the same fandom too?
My family and one friend know.
49. Has anyone in your life ever read your fanfic just because you wrote it?
I don't think so.
50. Has writing fanfic had a significant impact on your life? Would you say it’s entirely positive?
It's had a significant impact, I'd say, and a positive one. I've met all of you guys because of it!
So, that's all the questions. It took a while, but it was fun too. Let me say... Put aside about an hour if you want to do this in your own blog.
~ Angel
