luz

Q: What kind of research do you usually do for your fics?

A: I try to research everything I don't know, everything I'm ignorant about. It's important to me that there's a degree of accuracy in what I'm writing, and as a reader, I like it when the events described actually happened in real life. I don't know, if I'm quoting a section of the Criminal Code, I like that section to be real and to support and add something to the scene or the narrative.

Above all, I focus on the characters' professions, the settings, and the history or culture they come from. For me, it's a way of staying true to the story.

Q: Do you draw inspiration from other authors, be it on the Tumblr or traditional publishing authors?

A: Yes, absolutely! I draw a lot of inspiration from my favorite authors, from their storytelling style to the narrative techniques they use. When it comes to other Tumblr authors, I'm really interested in their different takes on the same character. I think it's wonderful how we discover different aspects of something that already exists and how it affects us in different ways.

Q: Which tabs are mostly open while writing?

A: I usually have one Ellipsus tab open with the document containing the entire story outline, and another tab open with a different document where I write. Next to that, I have Wordhippo open to look up synonyms. Next to that, I have Wordreference open to translate or conjugate certain words I can't remember but which I do remember in Spanish.

I also always have a tab open with things I look up whilst writing, such as certain scents or perfumes, garments or fabrics, textures, or even Pinterest to better visualize what I want to describe.

Q: How do you deal with writers block or in any case, writing insecurity?

A: I try not to dwell on it. I've found that the more I tried to find a way out of it, the more I got stuck and the less productive I became. If I don't feel like doing something that day, I don't do it.

I try to let whatever is stopping me from writing, be it a plot hole, a question or an inconsistency in the story, simmer. In my experience, it usually sorts itself out. You just have to give it time.

As for writing insecurity, it's something I'm trying to come to terms with or make friends with. For most of my life I've been an insecure person and that stopped me from doing various things I wanted to do at the time, so if I let insecurity get the better of me, I'll end up back in a dark place I've already left and don't want to return to. Not to mention that I wouldn't be able to write.

I know that not everyone is going to like what I write; there will be people who don't like the length or the style, the characters, the plot, whatever. I know I can't please everyone, no matter how much I want to. And for me, writing is something very important, so if I give in to insecurity for even a second, I wouldn't feel like writing.

Q: How much does engagement affect your creative process?

A: It motivates me, that's for sure. It's lovely to meet people who appreciate your work and effort, and it's nice to connect in that way!

It's true that it creates a certain amount of pressure, in terms of deadlines or how the story unfolds. Sometimes I feel a sense of responsibility to publish or update a fic, even though I've been lucky enough to find a community of readers who are very kind, very understanding and very respectful.

Perhaps I avoid making certain plot twists that go against how the story has been developing, for fear of ending up creating something inconsistent or contradictory in itself.

Q: What are your favorite genre's to write besides romance.

A: I love poetry; I really enjoy writing it. I find it to be a very vulnerable, very human space.

As for fiction, I like drama and thrillers. I'd like to write a thriller one day, or something else full of suspense and unanswered questions.

Q: What trope is your favorite?

A: What a difficult question!

As a reader, I absolutely love the enemies-to-lovers trope when it's done well, when the characters really can't stand being in each other's presence, but the idea of not being together is even more painful. I also like fake dating, forced proximity, second-chance romance, and opposites attract.

But as a writer, I prefer the slow burn, I'm not sure if that's a trope in itself, as it can apply to all the others, but there's something very satisfying about building tension and anticipation through writing.

Q: Is there a genre/trope you'd like to see be explored more in the fandom?

A: Since JJK is a fantasy anime/manga, I'd like to read more horror-related fics, perhaps something that plays with the idea of the supernatural but without so much action.

I think it has a lot of potential, especially with characters like Sukuna or even Yuji, and exploring how humanity is affected by curses.

Q: What would you like to write more in the future? sfw/nsfw/angst/fluff?

A: I'd like to write more light-hearted, heart-warming stories, something that makes you want to read it over and over again. More fluff and less angst.

I'd also like to explore erotic or adult themes without being completely explicit, almost like a hybrid between SFW and NSFW.

Q: Do you outline your stories or not? If you do how is said process?

A: Yes, I do! First, I write down the idea I have in Spanish, and I do it as if I were explaining a film or a book to a friend. I don't worry too much about the style or the aesthetics of the writing; instead, I try to explain the idea as best I can, aiming to give it a beginning, a middle and an end.

Then, I break that idea down into smaller, more specific ideas; ideas that support the story and help develop the main idea. Ideas that might fill gaps in the plot or connect the different parts of the story.

If I need to do any research, I do it at this stage to get it out of the way and to motivate myself to write later. I usually create character profiles, trying to be as descriptive as possible. Even though the characters change throughout the story and grow or mature, they need to feel consistent.

Then I start on the first drafts. I try to break the chapters down by their objectives, and I try to meet those objectives or answer the questions that arise in that chapter or section.

I usually spend all my time reading the same thing over and over again, and from there I start editing. First I edit scenes and situations, adding or correcting certain things, and adding scenes that complement the idea of that chapter. Then I edit for grammatical errors and synonyms, because I tend to use the same words several times, and to avoid sounding repetitive, I change them.

I keep editing until I'm happy with the result! I spend more time editing and polishing the style and prose than I do writing the first drafts. It's important to me to maintain consistency, even when days have passed since I wrote the previous chapter of a fic.

Q: What is something you had wished people told you while beginning to write?

A: "Just do it, even if you get it wrong".

I've got stuck several times in the past thinking that the first few paragraphs were bad, inconsistent, poorly written, and that led me to abandon the idea or stop writing for a while, and what I didn't realize is that you can fix it later. Not everything goes right the first time, and that's completely normal and perfectly fine, because you learn from your mistakes and writing is a skill that takes time to improve.

Q: How do you improve your writing?

A: I love reading, and I enjoy trying out certain styles or techniques that I come across in other books. At school, I learned to adopt a particular author's narrative style and use it to tell a completely different story, or to take an existing story and retell it in a different way. These are two excellent exercises for improving one's writing.

Q: Do you set yourself personal deadlines?

A: Yes, but I'm embarrassed to admit that I don't stick to them LOL

Before I post, I always do a quick read-through to check for mistakes or things like that, and it happens that as I'm reading, scenes or situations start popping into my head. Obviously, I end up writing them down, and that sets me back a lot. So the deadline keeps getting pushed back again and again until I realize too much time has gone by, and I end up publishing it and telling myself I can use those new ideas for other works in progress.

Q: What do you think makes a good story?

A: It's definitely the characters. The idea might be brilliant, but if the characters feel hollow or two-dimensional, the story goes nowhere. And that's my view as a writer and a reader, but it applies to other media too, like movies or TV series.

The characters are the ones who tell the story; they're the ones who drive it forward. They're the ones we empathize with or see ourselves in.

I think it's also important, and this is a personal preference, that there's a certain emotional resonance, something that appeals to our emotions, to the human experience, to our memories. The visual aspect, whether through images or words, is an excellent way to connect with other people's emotions.

Q: Which is your favorite character and why? (can be outside the jjk story or even outside anime)

A: My favorite character in JJK is Geto, because he's the reason I started watching JJK. He's a very well-written character who is emotionally and psychologically complex; even though the JJK universe is fantasy, the issues he raises can easily be applied to real life.

Q: Do you write with music? If so, which songs get you pumped? or do you listen to ambience music or work in silence/outside noise type?

A: Yes! I usually create playlists for the things I write. I try to focus on the lyrics rather than the beat, and draw inspiration from them as well.

Q: What is the inspiration behind your theme?

A: I don't think I have a specific theme like other writers on Tumblr. I admire them for it, but I don't have the patience to do it. As long as it looks nice and appeals to my sense of style, I'm happy!

Q: Does your culture play a huge part on how you write, and if so, why?

A: I think so. I grew up with Argentine and Latin American literature and studied it for years at school, so consciously or unconsciously it's something that continues to inspire me. Two of my favorite authors are from my own country, so yes, my culture does influence my writing.

I think there is something very beautiful about Argentine literature, in the way it brings poetry or the poetic into everyday life, the narrative style of certain authors, or the use of certain themes to tell a story that is very likely to be shaped by the history and social issues.

Q: What are your honest feelings or opinions on the rise of ai in writing spaces?

A: I don't think AI belongs in creative spaces. It can be seen as a great tool, but so far it has caused more harm than good, in my opinion.

It feels very dystopian to me to allow a machine to take over the entire creative process required to create art, because the creation of art is one of the things that defines us as human beings.

I can understand why the use of AI is growing in writing spaces, because writing is a skill that causes a lot of frustration, and lately society doesn't know how to deal with frustration; everything has to be immediate, there is no room for error or even for learning.

Leaving the entire task or creative process to the AI is actually quite detrimental to the cognitive process, because it allows the machine to think for us. And given that humans have been writing for thousands of years, why let a machine do it when we are more than capable of doing so ourselves?

Q: Do you believe it to be unethical to use ai in any step of the writing process? And if so, why?

A: I don't know if it's unethical, because collective morality is becoming increasingly accepting of the use of AI. From my own moral standpoint, I believe it is dishonourable; beyond the environmental issue, it is dishonourable because writing is nothing more than the translation of an inner world into words, it is taking the abstract and making it concrete, it is bringing to life the ideas that dwell within one. It is a wholly human process, shaped by human experiences and lived realities.

Why would we give that power to a machine?

There are human solutions to all the problems that AI could solve. From editing to research, and even spell-checking. But then again, I understand that the proliferation of AI use runs deeper and is linked to the inability to cope with frustration and the constant need for instant gratification.

Q: As a starting writer you may have some wips saved, if so, which one are you the most excited to write about.

A: Yes, I do! I've got three projects that I put to a public vote to decide which one to post first. The last time I checked, the option for a Higuruma fic was in the lead, where the story centers on Higuruma being Reader's ex-husband's lawyer, but Higuruma and Reader were a couple when they were young, so there's a bit of a second-chance angle to it, meeting again as acquaintances but strangers at the same time.

Of the three options, I'm leaning more towards the Toji fic. Because I'm a firm believer that Toji isn't the crude, cruel, and poor man that the fandom created. It's a story in which Toji is a single dad who runs a car repair shop, he's a mechanic, and Reader is also a single mom; her daughter is Tsumiki, and they meet because they live in the same town. It's very much a rom-com, something like Gilmore Girls.

Q: Seeing that Geto is your favorite what is something you really want to write featuring him?

A: I like the idea of Geto being in a rock band or something music-related. It never occurred to me before, so I should explore it further! I get the feeling that this man likes British rock bands like The Cure or The Smiths.

Although I'd also like to explore the cult leader trope, like the more psychological side of it. Or the role he had to play as a carer and father figure to Mimiko and Nanako.

Q: I've seen blogs be a specific character centric, do you lean more into being that type of blog or are you open to write for other jjk character or maybe even outside that anime?

A: For now, I've only published one Higuruma fic, but I'm not ruling out writing about other characters in the future, including those from other anime.

There are some characters I wouldn't write about, such as minors, but that's because, as an adult, I don't feel comfortable writing about them. I'm not sure if I'd write about Gojo either, but that's because there's already so much content about him and he isn't one of my favorites, so I wouldn't be able to do him justice.

Q: Do you have a second favorite after Geto?

A: Because of the way it's written, Yuji. I'm dying to read Modulo, but I haven't plucked up the courage yet. I also like Megumi for his backstory and Yuta for his resilience. My favorite sorceress is Yaga, because of the dolls he creates. Who wouldn't want to crochet a panda and have it come to life? And my favorite spirit is Hanami, because I find it poetic that they were born from nature's lamentations.

But as for writing it, Higuruma, I think. His story in the canon is easy to relate to because he's human to begin with, and it's simpler, in my view, to play around with that in other AU stories.

Q: Was your favorite character always Geto? Did that liking develop gradually or was it from the get go you knew he was the one?

A: No, at first it was Yuji, then I watched JJK2, and I saw a video where they analyzed Geto as a character and antagonist, and from that moment on I started to like him more, because he isn't a villain simply for the sake of it, but there's a whole moral and emotional backstory behind it.

Q: What advice would you give new writers or people who are just starting?

A: When it comes to writing, make the most of exploring different styles and genres. Fanfiction is great for this, and it's very open to narrative experimentation. You can draw inspiration from works that aren't fanfiction perse, and look to classic literature or traditionally published works.

As for Tumblr, I'm a new writer; I've been active for just over two months, but what I've learned is that tags matter more than you might think. A well-tagged post makes all the difference. And it's not just about the number of notes, but the number of people it reaches.

I'm a bit shy when it comes to talking to other writers, but so far I've met some really lovely, inspiring people, so don't be afraid to moot other writers or readers.

“Hi,” he says, smiling kindly. “Welcome. Let me know if you need help finding anything.”

You smile back, leaning against the counter a bit. “Thanks. I’m just browsing for now. This place is adorable. Do you get a lot of tourists in here?”

He nods, pushing his glasses down from the top of his head onto his nose. “Yeah, quite a few. Especially in summer, people come in looking for souvenirs or something light to read by the pool.” He pauses, then adds with a shy little laugh, “Though I always try to convince them to take something better than just a beach read.”

You tilt your head. “Oh? Like what?”

His eyes light up a little. “Depends on what you like. If you want something atmospheric, there’s this Italian author who writes these quiet stories about old families in Tuscany. Or if you’re into history, I just got some new translations of ancient Roman stuff. Super interesting, actually. Did you know the aqueducts they built are still functioning in some places?”

You can’t help grinning. He’s clearly passionate about it. “You sound like you know your stuff. Are you studying literature or something?”

Armin rubs the back of his neck, a faint blush creeping up his cheeks. “Yeah, actually. I’m doing a program here for a few months. History and literature double major back home.”

“Cute,” you say without thinking, then laugh softly when his eyes widen. “I mean, it’s nice. Most people don’t get that excited about books anymore.”

He smiles, looking down at the counter for a moment, after that, the conversation flows easily. You tell him you’re on your first solo vacation, trying to relax after a rough year. He listens so attentively, nodding along and asking gentle questions.

“What kind of work do you do?” he asks, leaning forward on his elbows.

You explain a bit about your job, keeping it light and he seems genuinely interested. In return he tells you about some of the books he’s been reading lately, a mix of classic philosophy and modern fantasy. “I just finished this one series about explorers in a fictional world. The world-building is insane. I stayed up way too late because I couldn’t stop.”

You laugh. “Total nerd, huh?”

“Just a little,” he says with a sheepish grin. “My friends tease me about it all the time.”

Time passes without you noticing. A couple of customers come and go, but he handles them quickly and comes right back to talk with you. You end up sitting on the little stool by the counter, flipping through books he recommends while he works. He points out passages he loves, reading them out loud in his softest voice, and you find yourself hanging on every word.

Eventually the clock on the wall hits closing time. He flips the sign on the door and lets out a small sigh. “Shift’s over. I didn’t mean to keep you here so long, sorry if I talked your ear off.”

“You didn’t,” you say honestly. “I had fun.”

He hesitates, fiddling with his fingers as his cheeks go a little pink again. “Um… this might be forward, but would you… maybe want to grab a drink? There’s a nice little place just around the corner. They do really good spritz. If you’re not busy, I mean. No pressure at all.”

You smile, feeling a warm flutter in your chest at how sweetly awkward he looks asking. “I’d love that, Armin.”

His face brightens instantly. “Really? Okay, cool. Let me just lock up.”

As you step back out into the golden evening light together, he walks beside you, already starting to ask what kind of drinks you usually like. The conversation picks up right where it left off and you think this might be the best decision you’ve made all trip.

a/n: i love a meet cute omg and armin is such a sweetheart to write i love him<33 this was for my girlie @antholoji i hope you liked it