Raspberry_cordelia

June 25, 2020

Why hello! I didn't see you there! Welcome to my Writer's Journal!

Ok, gosh, I don't write very often and I mainly created this with the express purpose to say that if I ever do post fics here, I want one of them to do with Italian City-States (which I don't know much about), mainly just because I came up with a pun and I'm dying to use it: Borgia-sie. Ok, I'll see myself out.

The worst part is, it's not even a good pun. First of all, I'm like 90% sure that it's anachronistic: the definition that meant "socially or aesthetically conventional; middle-class in manners or taste" is from 1764, according to etymonline, although the concept of the bourgeoisie emerged in the 11th century. Linguists/historians, please correct me if I'm wrong. Second of all, in what context would I even use this pun? The Borgias weren't even bourgeoisie anyways, but it's a pun nonetheless so that means I have to use it.

Bad puns aside, I do think the Borgia family is an excellent cast for a fic. They're interesting enough on their own without magic, but there's a lot that can be done with magic. Lucrezia, for example, is known for her poisoning (the historical validity of that I will not comment on). What if she was a master potioneer? Or an alchemist? Idk, I guess with the murders I can only image they got creative with their methods. Also, as much as I am a Good Catholic Girl^TM, I think it's pretty hilarious that Alexandre VI openly had children as the Pope. So, yeah, I would love to write something about this one day but it would require a heck of a lot of research.

In terms of the less lore-ful stuff I'm working on, I've been experimenting with a fic where Charlie Weasley helps smuggle Muggleborns and their families to safety in Romania, told from the perspective of a co-conspiring dragon tamer. We'll see if that ever sees the light of day.

In conclusion, I mainly made this post to show off my pun. Thank you for your time.

June 25, 2020

both of those ideas sound amazing, and i love the pun - a good pun is totally a reason to make a post! have you written much of the charlie fic yet? how long are you planning to make it?

... will there be puns in it, too?

(also, welcome to hpft! )

June 26, 2020

Hi there!! Ahhh I love the Borgias tbh I'm utter trash for both the Starz and Netflix series that cover their life like give me a good historical retelling any day, even if they're a bit (lol) inaccurate. So I think surrounding their family or playing off those themes could be really, really interesting. I also love the Charlie idea - I have an old fic idea that I've got on the archives but needs desperately to be updated someday if i get around to it that's Charlie Weasley x Susan Bones and the whole premise is teaching Susan to become a dragon keeper as well, but I think there are so many other aspects of his dragon keeping and dragons in general in hp that have yet to be explored and could be really fun!

and here are a few questions for you as well!
1. your favorite otp?
2. your favorite fic trope to read? what about one to write?
3. if you could only write in one genre for the rest of your life, what do you think you'd pick?

June 26, 2020

@abhorsen. Thank you for the pun validation! I've just started on the Charlie fic and it's early days, but I probably expect it to be around 30 chapters long, we'll see. I hope there will be puns, but the problem with me is that as much as I love puns, I am horrific at coming up with them, which is why I felt the need to show off "Borgia-sie"!

@magnifique That's very cool! I was actually introduced to the Borgias via this article (I am utter trash for Anne Theriault). Their reputation certainly precedes them, and even though they may have been tamer in real life, the adultery, incest, and poisoning definitely makes for a more enticing story. I agree that dragons are very cool and I would love to see more of them! If you ever pick up that Charlie x Susan fic again, please let me know!

1 hour ago, magnifique said:

1. your favorite otp?

Probably Bill/Fleur, because I felt like (in canon, at least), they had the most mutual respect and trust for each other. I love Ron/Hermione and Harry/Ginny, but we really only see their relationship in the teen stages.

1 hour ago, magnifique said:

2. your favorite fic trope to read? what about one to write?

I love a good meet-cute. I like writing annoying little siblings, mainly because I am one (although I would argue that my older brother can be equally annoying).

1 hour ago, magnifique said:

3. if you could only write in one genre for the rest of your life, what do you think you'd pick?

Hmmm...I think I'd pick comedy, because it's just fun to write (although that's cheating perhaps, because comedy encompasses a bunch of stuff)

Thanks for stopping by!

June 28, 2020

Alright, hi, hello, it's me again. I've thought out the Borgia fic a little more, and I actually have some ideas:

The Borgia of choice - my girl Lucrezia. I might set it in the present day (or 2010-ish), and have a Magical historian (who may or may not be related to one of my OCs in the Charlie fic, and we'll call her Anastasia for now) who is writing a biography about Lucrezia, one of the most infamous Bad Witches^TMof the Middle Ages. Now, Lucrezia's reputation rather precedes her, and as a historian Anastasia believes it's her job to clear up some rumours and tell the real story. The real story, of course, is far less dramatic...or is it? I would then flip between Lucrezia's life and what Anastasia is discovering the present day.

Also, I want a character called Euthymius, and my reasoning for this is just because. (for those curious, St. Euthymius was an abbot in Palestine in the 4th-5th century, and he's venerated in both Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy)

...ok, maybe I haven't thought this through very well. Well, for what it's worth, I do have a tentative name: Lady of the Ring, because Lucrezia was rumoured to have worn a hollow ring that she would then have used for poisoning. I have an e-book borrowed from the library for research, but I'm scared this will just turn into a big research hole with no writing completed.

In regards to the Charlie fic, I have found a new niche for myself, which is just domestic fluff/sibling dynamics, maybe because I'm stuck at home with my brother, but I really need to get to the actual plot lmao

July 2, 2020

BOTH OF THESE SOUND SO COOL. I love these ideas!

I love that you've thrown yourself into research already -- that's always so admirable, since I am always too frightened to look up historical details for accuracy! Have you begun reading yet? What's the book called? I love that little fact about her hollow ring, and (this may be a dumb question but) I want to double-check if you meant she would have used it to contain poison to...poison others? HOW COOL.

Euthymius is indeed a very cool name, and I greatly appreciate it! Will you be adding a bunch of Catholic historical details to this story, as well?

Please please please tell me if your Lucrezia story goes up! I would love to read it! I already want to know everything about Lucrezia's life, and I would be happy to follow Anastasia around to do so!

Re: Charlie fic, is this the one you mentioned in your initial post about how he smuggles Muggle-borns through the border? Will there be lots of sibling interactions between him and the other Weasley children! I love stories about siblings, as well -- I have two younger sisters (very annoying, but very wholesome at the same time [sometimes ]) and so I'm always terribly fond of stories with excellent sibling relationships.

These ideas sound wonderful! I'm so excited!

July 3, 2020

Hi Eva! Thanks for the enthusiasm!

26 minutes ago, just.a.willow.tree said:

Have you begun reading yet? What's the book called? I love that little fact about her hollow ring, and (this may be a dumb question but) I want to double-check if you meant she would have used it to contain poison to...poison others? HOW COOL.

I've started cracking into it a little, but I haven't started reading reading it yet, if you know what I mean. It's called Lucrezia Borgia: Life, Love, and Death in Renaissance Italy by Sarah Bradford. Some Goodreads reviewers say it's dry and doesn't really add anything to the debate, but for research purposes it should serve me well enough (and considering COVID, it's not like I have many choices as of now anyways).

Yes, she would have used the poison to poison drinks (and subsequently others)! The entire Borgia family is just constantly embroiled in adultery, poisoning, and various other scandals. If my memory serves me right, they were known specifically for arsenic poisoning. Like I said earlier, I will not speak to the validity of these rumours, although I have to admit that they would serve as excellent drama fodder.

31 minutes ago, just.a.willow.tree said:

Euthymius is indeed a very cool name, and I greatly appreciate it! Will you be adding a bunch of Catholic historical details to this story, as well?

Yay! Name validation! I think I will include Catholic historical details into this story, because her father was literally a Pope who unashamedly had children. Also, I am a big fan of an Aesthetic, and I want to incorporate Latin prayers into my chapter titles.

32 minutes ago, just.a.willow.tree said:

Re: Charlie fic, is this the one you mentioned in your initial post about how he smuggles Muggle-borns through the border? Will there be lots of sibling interactions between him and the other Weasley children! I love stories about siblings, as well -- I have two younger sisters (very annoying, but very wholesome at the same time [sometimes ]) and so I'm always terribly fond of stories with excellent sibling relationships.

Yes, indeed it is! I would love to include a bunch of his interactions because I love the Weasleys, but at the same time him being in Romania and an entire war going on back home would make it difficult to have family visits. That being said, I am probably going to involve his siblings in the plot somehow. My main character also has siblings and I have begun writing their dynamics. When she moves to Romania, there's a lot of her finding "surrogate siblings" through Charlie, but also the other workers on the reserve, and without giving too much away, she has to navigate that.

I was considering doing a romance between my OC and Charlie, but my OC is literally just out of school when she starts her job/apprenticeship, and Charlie's like 25, and I know that Bill started dating Fleur when he was 25, but it's still a little uncomfortable. Besides, I love writing siblings and "found family", so it should be fun!

Also, on the topic of sibling dynamics, seeing as these are both relatively "serious" fics, I wanted to start off my fanfiction journey with something a little lighter and also with less depth, so I've been experimenting with grade school recess AUs, and it's not necessarily sibling dynamics, but there are little kid dynamics, which I also adore writing.

Again, thanks for your kind comments!

July 3, 2020

6 hours ago, Raspberry_cordelia said:

Also, on the topic of sibling dynamics, seeing as these are both relatively "serious" fics, I wanted to start off my fanfiction journey with something a little lighter and also with less depth, so I've been experimenting with grade school recess AUs, and it's not necessarily sibling dynamics, but there are little kid dynamics, which I also adore writing.

What??? Tell me more!!! :meowpopcorn: Who? What? Where? When?

I am also very excited for your Charlie fic. What kind of headcanons do you have about Charlie?

In your Charlie fic, what country is your OC from? Does she have a name yet?

Also I saw that you love a good meet-cute. Me, too! What have been some of your favorite meet-cutes, like in books, movies, etc...?

July 3, 2020

Hi! I don't think I've said welcome to the forums yet so welcome. These story ideas sound so great! I've got a few questions for you about them:

1. The start to your research sounds so interesting (I'm very impressed that you're researching already). Besides Lucrezia's ring, what's the most interesting thing you've found out about the Borgias so far that you want to include in a story?
2. I love the split narrative idea for the Borgias story (have you read any Victoria Hislop? That approach reminds me of her, I'd definitely recommend some of her books if you're interested in that) - do you imagine both characters' narratives being contained in a chapter, or do you think you'll alternate?
3. How long do you think the Borgias story is likely to be? Are you aiming for a short story, a novel...?
4. What's your favourite thing about writing fic?

Also I thought I'd just drop this here, since you're researching at the moment! BBC In Our Time did an episode on The Borgias here (A for the link, maybe M for content) which was really interesting as an introduction to the topic. Hopefully you'll be able to listen if you're based outside the UK (they normally upload episodes on spotify and things so I think they should be widely available?) but the page also has links to other related shows and some further reading that might be useful for you with your research I hope it helps!

I'm really excited for these stories and can't wait to hear more about them! :hug:

July 3, 2020

Aww, thank you all for the questions and general commenting! You're all the best.

6 hours ago, RonsGirlFriday said:

What??? Tell me more!!! Who? What? Where? When?

I was hoping you'd ask! That's why I was asking all those grade school game questions on the Discord (also, I wasn't purposefully trying to keep it a secret lol, I just never explained). I want to put the characters in an environment where they just have to deal with playground politics and not have to worry about, y'know, defeating Voldemort. I mentioned this in the "What Ages/Genders do you like to write?" topic, but I love the way kids' minds work. I just love kids in general. The first one I have is just them playing Manhunt, and and only the fifth graders are allowed to play, and in comes this fourth grader (Ginny) who wants to disrupt the balance. Also, little kids teasing each other about crushes is a hoot.

6 hours ago, RonsGirlFriday said:

I am also very excited for your Charlie fic. What kind of headcanons do you have about Charlie?

See, that's really interesting, because I love Charlie, but we never actually see much of him in the books. From what we do see, he seems like a friendly, easy-going guy, and I also head-canon him as being slightly a mess sometimes (and my reasoning is, as with most things, just because, but also because that's just the kind of vibe I get from him). He's clearly still competent, because he was able and willing to smuggle Norbert/Norberta out of Britain, but I just imagine him being kind of forgetful.

6 hours ago, RonsGirlFriday said:

In your Charlie fic, what country is your OC from? Does she have a name yet?

I had her from the US, and I put her there because I kind of wanted to keep her separate from the war in the beginning - having a little bit of knowledge, but not enough, and then once she becomes acquainted with Charlie and the rest of the reserve workers, she's really just thrust into a world and a problem that she never signed up for. I also had her as the child of No-Maj's (I'm not really giving anything away, it's in the first chapter), so she will have personal interest in this, but there's also the idea of "out of sight, out of mind," and she has to navigate whether or not she wants to help, and to what capacity.

I also have another OC who comes from Canada, but she has more knowledge of the war through her family.

She does indeed have a name! Annaliese Huang, Annaliese mainly because I like the Princess and the Pauper.

7 hours ago, RonsGirlFriday said:

Also I saw that you love a good meet-cute. Me, too! What have been some of your favorite meet-cutes, like in books, movies, etc...?

I think the one in Enchanted is hilarious, if it counts, but then again, the entirety of Enchanted is just awesome. And also, Tangled, because frying pans! I feel like there's a theme here with the Enthusiastic Princess Girl and the Straight Man...

53 minutes ago, nott theodore said:

1. The start to your research sounds so interesting (I'm very impressed that you're researching already). Besides Lucrezia's ring, what's the most interesting thing you've found out about the Borgias so far that you want to include in a story?

I'm not sure if I completely want to include this, because I want to keep the story relatively PG-13 (but how PG-13 can you be when discussing the Borgias, anyways?), but the Borgias were rumoured to have a "Banquet of Chestnuts," where all the attendants were naked and had to pick up Chestnuts from the floor. The accuracy is disputed, but it's a pretty pervasive rumour that I'd like to throw in a reference to.

59 minutes ago, nott theodore said:

2. I love the split narrative idea for the Borgias story (have you read any Victoria Hislop? That approach reminds me of her, I'd definitely recommend some of her books if you're interested in that) - do you imagine both characters' narratives being contained in a chapter, or do you think you'll alternate?

I have not read her, but now I have to! Thanks for the recommendation! I think I'll alternate between perspectives.

59 minutes ago, nott theodore said:

3. How long do you think the Borgias story is likely to be? Are you aiming for a short story, a novel...?

I think I'm looking at a novella.

1 hour ago, nott theodore said:

4. What's your favourite thing about writing fic?

I adore getting into characters that I love, and expanding upon a world that I love.

Thanks for the research recommendation! I can, in fact, access it!

<3, Raspberry

July 3, 2020

Hello! I think we've interacted in Discord a little but I wanted to come on, say hello and ask a few questions.

The thing that I'm enjoying the most about your journal here is just how epically RAVENCLAW it is. Just the research heavy, slightly chaotic nature of it. I love it- it should be in a Ravenclaw museum.

On 6/25/2020 at 10:56 PM, Raspberry_cordelia said:

Lucrezia, for example, is known for her poisoning (the historical validity of that I will not comment on). What if she was a master potioneer? Or an alchemist? Idk, I guess with the murders I can only image they got creative with their methods.

I find this fascinating. I'm really obsessed with potioneering and would love to see how you could write this into your fic! What sort of murder potions have you thought about?

On 6/28/2020 at 2:21 AM, Raspberry_cordelia said:

Now, Lucrezia's reputation rather precedes her, and as a historian Anastasia believes it's her job to clear up some rumours and tell the real story.

I think this will be a really interesting fic to read. Are you thinking of writing mainly narrative or having more sections of the writing about Lucrezia's life? I love a story with a bit of a mixture but of course this depends on what you want the reader to get from it.

On 6/25/2020 at 10:56 PM, Raspberry_cordelia said:

In terms of the less lore-ful stuff I'm working on, I've been experimenting with a fic where Charlie Weasley helps smuggle Muggleborns and their families to safety in Romania, told from the perspective of a co-conspiring dragon tamer. We'll see if that ever sees the light of day.

YES PLEASE! What is the timing of this? During the war? It would be amazing to see what's going on in different parts of the world as our view is so limited.

Can't wait to read whatever you get around to writing!

Maia

July 3, 2020

Hi Maia! I hope you're doing well. Thanks for stopping by!

2 hours ago, Ravenclaw_scientist said:

The thing that I'm enjoying the most about your journal here is just how epically RAVENCLAW it is. Just the research heavy, slightly chaotic nature of it. I love it- it should be in a Ravenclaw museum.

Thank you so much! I'm glad my chaos caters to something.

2 hours ago, Ravenclaw_scientist said:

I find this fascinating. I'm really obsessed with potioneering and would love to see how you could write this into your fic! What sort of murder potions have you thought about?

Well, the Borgias in general were known for their arsenic poisoning, so I was thinking something along those lines, or with those symptoms, but more potent or more discreet. I'll have to look into specific allegations against them to make an appropriate decision.

2 hours ago, Ravenclaw_scientist said:

I think this will be a really interesting fic to read. Are you thinking of writing mainly narrative or having more sections of the writing about Lucrezia's life? I love a story with a bit of a mixture but of course this depends on what you want the reader to get from it.

I think I'm going to have a mixture, because as much as I want to write about the Anastasia's research process, I also want to get into Lucrezia's brain. She's so often portrayed as this femme fatale, and wildly immoral, and I want to examine her real choices in her life, and why exactly she has this reputation (and the Borgias in general).

2 hours ago, Ravenclaw_scientist said:

YES PLEASE! What is the timing of this? During the war? It would be amazing to see what's going on in different parts of the world as our view is so limited.

Yes! This will be during the war! And I always imagined the dragon reserve to be a fairly international place, with people coming in from various different countries. My main OC will be from America, but I have a lot of different OCs just from all over. I talked about this on the Discord, but I really want to explore how different cultures approach magic. Not all spells from everywhere are going to be from Latin and Greek, for example.

I also want to explore the scope of the war. From Harry's perspective, it's a huge deal, and quite fairly so. However, it's important to remember that there wasn't a lot of accurate media and press coming out of Britain during the war. There's also this dynamic that I want to talk about, where the marginalized people (Muggleborns, No-Majborns, etc.) are the people least likely to know about the happenings of the war, because they're simply not as integrated into the Magical world.

And we never see other governments responding to the War! We don't hear of French assistance (on either side), or Romanian assistance, not necessarily because it doesn't exist, but because Harry has kind of got his hands full. I think the most we hear of foreign intervention in the Second Wizarding War is when Charlie is mentioned to be recruiting foreign wizards to join the Order.

Thanks again for all the questions!

Raspberry

July 4, 2020

Hello Lils, welcome to HPFT and to Ravenclaw House! :ravenclaw: It's been great chatting with you in the discord, so I figured I'd stop by to see what you're all about You certainly have started this WJ off on the right foot as a Ravenclaw with a heavily historical-based pun and some prose on the pope Now for some questions!

1. Even though you haven't yet posted anything to the archives, do you have an idea of how long this Charlie Weasley smuggler fic is going to be?

2. Of the Weasley children, is Charlie your favorite? If so, why? If not, who is, and why are they your favorite?

3. Chocolate Frogs or Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans?

July 6, 2020

Hi there Madi! I hope you're staying safe. Thanks for the nice comments about my Ravenclaw energy!

On 7/4/2020 at 3:49 AM, magemadi said:

1. Even though you haven't yet posted anything to the archives, do you have an idea of how long this Charlie Weasley smuggler fic is going to be?

I'm going to be aiming for novel length, because it is a rather extensive period of time, but we'll see.

On 7/4/2020 at 3:49 AM, magemadi said:

2. Of the Weasley children, is Charlie your favorite? If so, why? If not, who is, and why are they your favorite?

Actually, not really! Well, I headcanon that he's awesome and the best, but at the same time, I don't see enough of him to be sufficiently attached, although I think he's really cool and all. From what we do see of him though, he's a real one. He helps his brother smuggle a dragon to Romania without hesitation, he knows how to have fun, and he knows how to darn a balaclava (the best part, in my opinion).

I love all the Weasleys, but my favorite is Ron. I think his humor and intellect is really underestimated!

On 7/4/2020 at 3:49 AM, magemadi said:

3. Chocolate Frogs or Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans?

Chocolate Frogs. You know you're getting something at least neutral every time.

Thanks for stopping by!

July 6, 2020

Today on stuff I did/found out instead of writing:

I decided it would be a good idea to figure out the fashion trends of 1490s-1510s fashion in Italy, which was cool and all, but then I got the idea planted in my mind that I would somehow have to combine the styles with Wizarding fashion. Broad, low-cut gowns with big sleeves were The Deal back then, which I feel like would be weird to wear a robe over, but then again...do you need to wear a robe over something so big? It could easily conceal wands and whatnot. Then I need to figure out what to do with the chemises - depending on how modest one was feeling, the chemise could be higher or lower - remember that back then, having parts of your undergarments peeking out was not at all weird. What are the details about Wizarding Underwear, huh, JKR? I would have preferred a Household Sewing for the Clueless Wizard's handbook over Cursed Child. (Honestly, though, she planned things out so meticulously I wouldn't be surprised if she had a headcanon or two about Wizarding undergarments.)
I had some fleeting ideas for fics about various Magical takes on various vocations - things like bookbinders, seamstresses, linguists, carpenters. Maybe I'll make it a series of one-shots? Maybe not. I still need to finish my Manhunt/Tag AU.

In conclusion: so many ideas, so little motivation.

July 12, 2020

Well, I don't think I'll ever post anything serious on here because I suck at taking myself seriously, but writing recess AUs is a lot of fun! There are just so many potential storylines out there!

July 17, 2020

hi raspberry!

first of all, I want to say that the Borgia family fic sounds super cool. I just googled them and they seem so full of drama. same with the charlie weasley fic, because it's such a fascinating perspective on the war, since it only really happened in Britain. I really like what you wrote here:

Quote

There's also this dynamic that I want to talk about, where the marginalized people (Muggleborns, No-Majborns, etc.) are the people least likely to know about the happenings of the war, because they're simply not as integrated into the Magical world.

if you have any more thoughts on this i would looooove to hear them.

but also, sort of related to your wizarding fashion thoughts, a question:

if you're writing a fic in that era (that Borgia family one!!) what do you think magical society is like? just did a quick Google to see that the Statute of Secrecy was instituted in 1692, so after the setting of the fic. technically, then wizarding fashion might just be normal muggle fashion — but do you think they'd be integrated like that? tell me your thoughts.
(also, after hearing what she said about how wizards relieved themselves before plumbing existed, i think her headcanons on underwear should stay firmly in her own mind hahahahah )

but wait... I still have more questions!

tell me more about the wizarding vocations!!! what era would this be taking place in? would you think that the, for example, seamstresses spend their time making clothes with magic but then also magic carpets? carpenters using spellwork to make vanishing cupboards? what things would they be doing?!?!
would your one-shots have some overall connection to each other (like the magic carpet that the seamstress makes is used by the carpenter to make the cabinet that the bookbinder stores the books in, etc. etc.) or would each be like a separate vignette?
what kind of recess AUs have you been writing?
related, what sorts of storylines are you drawn to?

hope you're having a nice day!!!

July 17, 2020

Hiya there Rikki! I hope you're having a nice day as well

4 hours ago, tangents said:

Quote

There's also this dynamic that I want to talk about, where the marginalized people (Muggleborns, No-Majborns, etc.) are the people least likely to know about the happenings of the war, because they're simply not as integrated into the Magical world.

if you have any more thoughts on this i would looooove to hear them.

I do, actually! I think it's kind of a form of the more subtle, subliminal discrimination against Muggleborns - things that happen even with the Weasleys, pro-Muggle as they are. They just don't realise that they're harming Muggleborns by not giving them as much information as possible, and they also take their easy access to information for granted. Hermione seems like an exception with her proximity to Harry and the Weasleys, but most Muggleborn children would go back home to their Muggle families and rely on letters from their friends in Magical families. Even Hermione didn't find out that her identity was being actively discriminated against until her second year.

You also see this with the way Hogwarts is structured. Children who come from Muggle families never get an "introductory course" - the only way their experience is different is that they have a person come and take them to Diagon Alley and walk them through the fact that their Magical. Once they get to Hogwarts, they're on their own - there's no "Magical Society for Muggleborns" class or anything of the like.

5 hours ago, tangents said:

if you're writing a fic in that era (that Borgia family one!!) what do you think magical society is like? just did a quick Google to see that the Statute of Secrecy was instituted in 1692, so after the setting of the fic. technically, then wizarding fashion might just be normal muggle fashion — but do you think they'd be integrated like that? tell me your thoughts.

I think the Borgias would have kept their Magic somewhat secret for strategical and PR reasons, but there would always be rumours that they had magic, because of the notoriety surrounding their many murders.

5 hours ago, tangents said:

(also, after hearing what she said about how wizards relieved themselves before plumbing existed, i think her headcanons on underwear should stay firmly in her own mind hahahahah )

lolol very true

5 hours ago, tangents said:

tell me more about the wizarding vocations!!! what era would this be taking place in? would you think that the, for example, seamstresses spend their time making clothes with magic but then also magic carpets? carpenters using spellwork to make vanishing cupboards? what things would they be doing?!?!

Aaah I don't know if I'll ever write this (related to your second question) but I do have some headcanons! They'd probably just be one-shots taking place throughout history. Seamstresses would probably be making magic carpets, but also, I mentioned this in the Wizarding Fashion forum, but they could probably charm corsets/stays to have structure when necessary and be flexible when that was called for as well.

I've also been thinking about Wizarding Bookbinders. I watched a documentary about bookbinding a while back, and it looks very hard and very precise. Magic would definitely make things easier, and I'd imagine that those who bookbind for the art and not just for the practicality purpose would have some cool book things going on, like having secret messages/drawings glow in the dark, or whatever spellwork they can think of. Like magical fore-edge painting, if you will.

5 hours ago, tangents said:

what kind of recess AUs have you been writing?

Kids playing Capture the Flag, Four Square, Hermione volunteering with the teachers because she doesn't want to go outside, Ginny wanting to play even though she's older, just some silly stuff like that. Also, I've been trying to find a myth that I could retell in the setting of elementary school recess for @crowsb4bros's Spice Up the Archives challenge. I do think that if I ever post anything on the archives though, it will largely be silly stuff like this, because - like I said - I just can't take myself seriously, and I adore writing kids. Kids are the best.

5 hours ago, tangents said:

related, what sorts of storylines are you drawn to?

I love stories that involve largely normal characters - because I think every normal person has something unique to them, and seeing how that plays out when they're thrown into unforeseen circumstances is really interesting! I also love stories about children because I'm a big softie.

Thanks for all of your questions!

Raspberry

July 18, 2020

Ok this update is just to say that I noticed that I used the wrong "they're'" and I just can't edit the post for some reason. I promise I know my basic grammar.

July 21, 2020

Lookie here, it's time for an...update!

First of all, hope all of you are doing well, and as I often say on this corner of the internet, here's a virtual socially distanced hug! :hug:

So, what's going on in my writer's mind these days? Well, first of all, the bad: I haven't really been working on the Borgia fic, and the main reason for that is because whenever it comes to historical things, I'm always really meticulous about the details, which is actually pretty funny in this case, because it's a heckin' fantasy. Of course I have to tweak some things to fit magic! Regardless, I think that will have to wait until I get all of my research out of the way.

On to the middling: I've been writing parts of the Charlie fic (it's really not a Charlie fic, per se, but I've called it that for too long so ope), but I don't know if any of these parts will make it in. They're mainly just standalone scenes that I think would look good somewhere down the timeline, but I haven't figured enough stuff out to know where they go. So, just scenes. I've also been plotting more, because I remembered those exist and it's good to have one.

And then finally...drum roll please...the good!

Turns out, I really like writing kids. Jury's still out on whether or not I'm good at writing them, but I like writing them nonetheless. I won't say my collection of playground AUs are going swimmingly, but I'm having a lot of fun writing them, and I have more ideas down the line! Here's a very short, very rough (unedited) excerpt, if you're into that stuff (and who knows, maybe this will be all that you ever see of it, considering my work ethic):

Spoiler

Dennis padded his way to the edge of the kindergarten pen, dropping the mini football he had in his hand. They knew they needed to be hiding, but it was difficult to resist the charms of young children. Intuitively, the very serious profession of a kindergarten volunteer would make one hardened to such traps, as a natural result of overexposure to such assailants as precocious 4 year olds. However, the opposite was actually true, and ever since Ginny and Seamus began their endeavor last March, they had continually become more vulnerable.

Thanks for stopping by, hope you're staying safe, and here's another hug for good measure! :hug:

September 6, 2020

11 minutes ago, victoria_anne said:

I don't know what I was expecting when I opened your journal (which sounds like a weird invasion of privacy ) but it was not the amazing sounding stories you're working on! The Charlie fic sounds so good. And while I don't know much about the Borgias (except that there's a TV show?) making them magic sounds so great and I'm all about making real historical people magical (could you imagine Anne Boleyn?!) And the playground AUs sound adorable! How's it all going?

Hi!! I'm so glad you visited my Writer's Journal! Truth be told, basically all of my WIPs have changed since (wow, over a month ago) that I posted my Writer's Journal, but I do hope to get back to what I have here. I too love the idea of magical historical people, but unfortunately, whenever I write anything remotely historical, I have to make it completely accurate, which doesn't make sense, because the mere act of changing something in history will change history, lol. But eh, maybe once I get past this major roadblock I'll get back to it.

As for the Charlie fic, I actually do have the first chapter done - I'm not sure why I'm hanging on to it, probably because it will definitely undergo some seriously needed revision in the future.

The playground AUs are fun! Except for the fact, of course, that they're more of a premise and thought experiment than a story, and uh, I need a plot. I might have one out in the next week or so though :).

Now, onto the new stuff I've started while half-abandoning everything here, lol. I've been working on Paula's Spice Up the Archives challenge, and I have a band kid x choir kid and then they were labmates Next Gen AU coming up. That one's pretty enjoyable to write, because it's a story that's fairly small in scope, but at the same time, huge because everything feels huge when you're in high school.

Thank you for all the lovely questions, and I hope you have a wonderful day!

Raspberry

September 6, 2020

Ooh tell me more about your Charlie in Romania fic! Are they political refugees? Does he help them escape to England? Do they make their escape on a dragon?

Also, could you share more about how you approach writing kids? My primary WIP has a young child as the protagonist for at least several chapters, and I'm still not totally convinced I've mastered how to do it well. It feels like they either come off as simplistic and not fun to read (almost like being in the mind of a toddler), or I'm making them ridiculously mature and wise beyond their years. Do you feel like you've been able to strike a happy medium? Who's your favorite child character to write?

Thanks for sharing!

September 12, 2020

On 9/5/2020 at 9:44 PM, Raspberry_cordelia said:

everything feels huge when you're in high school.

I'm obsessed with this statement. It's so real and such a good concept to hold on to when writing that age group. I'm excited to read this once it's finished! Is it going to be a one-shot? I have been on a sort of one-shot high lately because, like you mentioned, the smaller scope just takes the pressure off.

However, I am deeply in need of this Charlie smuggling muggleborns to Romania fic and all the angst that story will surely have. I understand the desire to edit and re-edit and then edit some more, but like...also I want to read it super bad

September 12, 2020

Hi Jacquelin!! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you're doing well :hug:

6 hours ago, RogueSlytherin said:

I'm obsessed with this statement. It's so real and such a good concept to hold on to when writing that age group. I'm excited to read this once it's finished! Is it going to be a one-shot? I have been on a sort of one-shot high lately because, like you mentioned, the smaller scope just takes the pressure off.

Thank you! The thing is, even as someone who is currently in high school and knows that half the things I worry about won't be that important in the future, I still think everything is a huge deal - and it is, to me, and it's my life, so who's to tell me it isn't? (Future me, probably lol). Anyways, I think that's what's so fun about writing tweens/teens, because it's a lot of fun to explore the little things in life and just exaggerate them I don't think it's going to be a one-shot, but it'll probably be a short story - I'm thinking somewhere around 4 chapters.

7 hours ago, RogueSlytherin said:

However, I am deeply in need of this Charlie smuggling muggleborns to Romania fic and all the angst that story will surely have. I understand the desire to edit and re-edit and then edit some more, but like...also I want to read it super bad

Yeahhh I need to get on that. I wrote this a few months ago, and I haven't looked at it since lol, but I already know many plot points that are just bad and I need to fix - but alas, I am Lazy. We'll see how it goes though!

Thanks again for coming on here!

More Hugs,
Raspberry

September 12, 2020

Ok, so in perusing your writer's journal here it looks like I'm just echoing what everyone else says when they say they want the Charlie smuggles Muggleborns into Romania fic. But seriously, I love that you thought that up! I too, enjoy thinking about other canon characters who kind of exist on the "outskirts," of the major plotline, and what they could have been doing to aid in the war effort. This goes for both wars. And of course, I am obsessed with a certain redheaded family, so naturally I want this fic to happen. Do you have a timeline scoped out for this? Like will this take place at the height of the war? Or during several years? I find that determining the scope is what is most challenging for me and my First Wizarding War fic right now.

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