eternally 30, self-identifying with she/they (but not picky), living under a rock (though my heart lives in Venice). Writing fanfiction since 2002 & still going strong.
(Since I’ve actually been opening some tumblr pages on mobile browser & got annoyed with how many things DON’T WORK on it, I realised I should...probably bring my about me page from a page to an actual post. ^^; Also, gonna go ahead and pin it.)
Hi, I’m Batsutousai, but answer to most nickname variations (I understand my name isn't really easy to spell at a glance), most notably Bats, Batsu, and Batty.
I self-identify with she/they, but I don't particularly care what pronouns are used for me. I'm asexual and demi-romantic. When I turned 30, I decided I will be 30 for the rest of my life. (Given the number of people irl who think I've only just graduated high school, it'll be a while before this stops working.)
I am American, but I've spent quite a few years in British fandoms, and it shows in my spelling and some of my turns of phrase. I don't, necessarily, do it on purpose (except to make my mum twitchy), but I also don't go out of my way to correct myself, unless I'm writing from the point of view of an American character.
I first started posting fanfic back in 2002, under the name Katmon, and while you can find some of that on AO3, most of it has (thankfully) vanished into the ether. After a bad breakup and a brief hiatus, I began writing under the name Batsutousai in 2004, and have no intention to change names again (even if some of the ‘04 stuff’s kinda crap, imo).
While I have a preference for male/male ships in fandom, what little original stuff I’ve done tends to be female-centric. You can find a list of all my ships here, on my writing tumblr.
In 2012, I became a Tag Wrangler for AO3, and while I fairly regularly bitch about ‘tumblr-style’ freeforms and weird ships, I actually really love the work. Unfortunately, I had to quit it summer of 2020, because I couldn't make the time while working retail during the pandemic, but I fully intend to pick it up again, once life settles back down.
I’m happy to talk about my experiences as a tag wrangler, and I don’t really hide what fandoms I wrangled for (Digimon, FMA, Radiata Stories, & some minor fandoms), but I DO NOT speak for the tag wrangling team or the archive as a whole. (I also don’t out other wranglers.)
In real life, I’m currently living with my younger sister, work at a family-owned local repair company (currently answering phones, but being transitioned into more of an admin assistant job), & occasionally catsit from some friends. I have an Etsy shop, where I sell crocheted things (nothing up there right now, because it costs money to keep things listed, & I don't sell enough to excuse the constant cost).
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Some FAQs:
When is (name WiP series/fic here) updating?
When it does?
Look, I get that you really, really like that series/fic – I do, too – and I’ve probably reread it fairly recently, to see if my muse will behave, but he’s a little shit, and every time someone asks about an update for any particular fic, that makes him LESS LIKELY to give me ideas for it. I’m happy to hear all about how much you like it, but asking about updates is more likely to keep one from happening.
Will you write a sequel for this fic?
My answer 99% of the time: No.
If I said somewhere there will be a sequel, yes. Eventually. Otherwise, NO.
Can I do a translation or podfic of your work?
You can indeed! I do request that you let me know when/where it’s posted, so I can add it to my list of such works!
*With some cautions; I have a list on LJ/DW of pieces that currently have translations; please speak to the translators in question if you want to continue something unfinished, as it’ll be easier for everyone to communicate in their (I assume) native tongue, than for me to play go-between.
**I don’t have a listing yet of podfics, mostly because the only ones I’m aware of, are either linked through AO3, or I don’t have a public link for.
Can I make fanart/fanfic/moodboard/etc based on one of your fics?
You absolutely may!
Please do add a note somewhere (in the post/author’s note) or, on AO3, use the inspired by option, to link back to the fic that’s serving as your inspiration. & then feel free to let me know!
Can I create a physical copy of your work for my personal use?
Yes, you may. I have nothing against folks saving copies of my work for personal use, be that in the form of old-school 3-ring binders, digital copies on kindle and similar devices, or through the increasingly common hobby of book-binding.
You don't have to show me what they look like when you're done, but you're welcome to.
Do you take requests?
For fanfic? Not really. I sometimes reblog those ‘give me a fandom/pairing/character(s) and a number and I’ll write the thing’ memes, but I can’t guarantee I’ll write everything I get.
Will you follow me back?
I don’t do follow-backs, sorry. Which is mostly because I have a thing about needing people to tag – the only people I follow who don’t tag are rl friends who post rarely, or folks who only reblog a specific fandom – and I prefer people who queue things, because I’m not fond of poking my head in and finding my TL taken over by one person (esp if they’re posting for a fandom I’m not interested in :/ I’m afraid I’m a bit of a crabby old person, not sorry).
What do you tag for?
Right now, I tag for fandom/character/ship, food, USA nonsense, politics, personal posts, and video/audio. I’m kinda bad about remembering to tag triggers, but if you’ve got one you need tagged, let me know and I’ll make a concerted effort. (For example, I tag for food because someone asked me to tag for it.)
Hey, I really like your work! Can I send you money?
You can, actually! You can buy me a tea via ko-fi, or go a bit more long-term and support me on patreon (where I post stalled WiPs and related snippets/fic notes you may never see anywhere else).
I want to show you this thing!
If you’re posting it yourself, tag me in one of the first five of the post’s tags (I follow batsutousai). If it’s a reblog, you can @ tag me. (I did finally figure out how to get tumblr to send me email notifications about those.)
I don’t allow submissions, sorry.
I have another question.
Send me a DM or ask! Anon is always on, if you want to keep your identity a secret from me, and I rarely respond to asks from users publicly.
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If you ever wonder why authors get annoyed at certain kinds of reviews, particularly those about updating, just imagine your mother saying the same thing about your room.
“You updated!” = “You cleaned your room!”: Pleasantly surprised. This one’s okay.
“You finally updated” = “You finally cleaned your room” Wow, thanks a lot mom. See if I clean it again if you’re going to be so passive-aggressive about it.
“Please update.” = “Please clean your room.” I literally just did.
“When are you going to update?” = “When are you going to clean your room?” Oh my fucking god, mom, let it go.
And when you get it from a dozen different people, over and over and over again, it’s like your mother continuously nagging you about chores that either don’t need to be done or that you just did, like, an hour ago.
I actually do think we should discourage women from becoming housewives. Do not become financially dependent on a man. That's how a lot of women ended up dead over the years. A man gets violent suddenly and you have to choose between homelessness or potentially dying at his hand because you have an enormous gap in your resume and no degrees or certifications or anything that will help you pursue a career that will allow you to be financially independent. He owns your bank account. His name is probably the one on the car. Try and leave and he can report it stolen. Where will you go then?
And if you do become a housewife, take steps to protect yourself. Make sure you’re legally married, for starters; stay-at-home girlfriends have very little legal recourse to claim their partner’s assets in a breakup. Make sure your name is on the house deed/rental agreement, and have your car in your name, even if your spouse is paying for it. Have your spouse transfer money every month into an account solely in your name, so you can buy yourself things without needing permission, but also so you can save up to leave if needed.
If your spouse fights you on any of this, then don’t quit your job. The tradwife to poverty pipeline is real, and so is financial abuse.
also, many women/people experience controlling behaviour and domestic violence from their partner for the first time during pregnancy. don’t risk thinking “he’s just stressed, it’ll get better when the baby comes” because it won’t. neither you and your child will ever be safe with that man. get out as early and safely as you can
How do cats just manifest trash. You’ll vacuum your entire house and turn around and your cat will be running around with a kind of cardboard that didn’t exist until two seconds ago.
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If you're writing anything involving cons, scams, heists, or morally questionable characters who are very good at lying, here are some free resources I've been using for research. Saving you the "why is this in my search history" anxiety.
1. The FBI's Famous Cases & Criminals archive (fbi.gov/history/famous-cases) has detailed breakdowns of real fraud cases, Ponzi schemes, and confidence operations. The language they use is clinical and precise, which is perfect for getting the procedural details right.
2. The FTC Consumer Sentinel Network publishes annual reports on the most common fraud tactics in the US. Great for understanding how modern scams actually work and what makes people fall for them.
3. The Smithsonian's American Art Museum has a free digital collection of forgery case studies. If your character forges documents or art, this is gold.
4. Court Listener (courtlistener.com) is a free legal database where you can read actual court transcripts from fraud trials. Want to know how a real con artist talks under oath? This is where you find out.
5. The Internet Archive's collection of old newspaper crime sections. Search for "confidence man" or "swindle" in papers from the 1920s through 1960s and you'll find incredible real stories that would feel too dramatic for fiction.
Bonus: The Psychology of Fraud section on the Association for Psychological Science website has accessible articles about why people trust, how deception works cognitively, and what makes someone a convincing liar. Essential reading if you want your con artist characters to feel psychologically real.
Reblog to save for later. Your WIP will thank you.
An all-transmasc Ironman trio just won 3rd place in a major men's triathlon, beating over 200 other men's teams. 🏊♂️🏃🚴♂️ Trans men win men's competitions all the time, but nobody pays attention because it doesn't fit the mainstream narrative. I think we should celebrate their victories, too! 🏆
I genuinely believe that the new SW trilogy wouldn’t have flopped out into irrelevance like it did if they hadn’t dumped Finn on the side of the freeway like a new pet rabbit the week after easter
Anyway in my heart Finn became a Jedi alongside Rey and inspired a Stormtrooper insurrection and Kyle Ron went back to his mom like he should have day fucking one and that angry redhead dude blew up with the star destroyer and Poe got to make it happen and at the end Rey doesn’t give a shit who her bitch ass non-palpatine parents might have been because she gets her new family like she needed and palpatine stays dead at the bottom of his musty hole like he should have and Finn and Poe give each other approximately 130% the amount of lingering meaningful looks and then one of their run-together-to-reunite moments results in a heat-of-the-moment make out like it should have and Luke and Leia meet in person a minimum of once so she can sibling slap him at least once for being a useless dramatic old hermit for a billion years and tell him to get the Chanel boots back on and stop being a sad hobo and then for no reason at all there is an ewok style moon of Endor forest party at the end like God intended
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@aderynrrowntree suggested in my Jedi Order symbol recolouring post, that I should make pride flag versions. So I spent another two hours doing that, instead of writing, lol.
(You may notice that, partway through, I figured out how to keep the colours from blending quite so much. Decided I didn’t care enough about making them all look a similar level of defined.)
Find more of my fandom symbol recolours by clicking this sentence, lol
And then, below, because there were too many, whoops, sorry: Gilbert Baker Pride, Polyamory, Intersex, Bear, Agender, & a redone version of the Progress flag that’s right-side up. (Now under a cut, for shortening of reblogs)
*casually drops a handful of LGBT+ flag FMA symbols*
Working on potential symbol stickers for holiday cards next year, and that has turned into playing with queer flags, because why not?
For the flamel, asexuality and Progress, because I’m ace and I love the progress flag, and then polyam, bi, and trans. Polyam because my beloved OT3, bi because I will fight you, Ed and Roy are both bi, and trans…tbh, mostly because trans, like the progress pride, is become one of my defaults. But, also, I did the trans!Ed fic.
For the ouroboros, Philly pride, this time, because I liked the aesthetic of the black and brown wings with the bolder colours. Ace because Dwarf in the Flask reproduced asexually, lol, and then genderqueer, nonbinary, and trans because Envy.
And then, not sure this one will be made a sticker, but I had fun doing a radial Progress pride with the human transmutation array
Find more of my fandom symbol recolours by clicking this sentence, lol
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Wanted to make a hologram version of the Fulcrum symbol from Star Wars: Rebels for a while and took a break from replaying FFX long enough to play with some possible sticker images (which is actually what got me to replaying FFX, because I was looking for FFVIII images and the png site I stumbled across seems to have a ‘tag the way you feel today’ policy, sheesh).
ANYWAY
Made the hologram version, relatively pleased with it, although I might fidget with the glow a bit more at some point. Also made a lesbian pride version, because of the Ahsoka novel, and then remembered she had that maybe-fling with Lux Bonteri and decided that meant I needed a bi flag, too. And then the Gilbert Baker and Progress pride flags.
All of them are outlined in orange because Ahsoka’s skin tone reasons, and also as a nod to the 332nd and their orange helmets with with white markings to match Ahsoka’s. (I usually outline in black—used to help white stand out, especially for the Progress ombre, since it’s got white at the bottom—but I felt compelled to change it up, this time.)
As always, free to take and use, these are really just for my amusement, but I’m happy if other people enjoy them, too. (Sorry these are so TALL, sheesh, lol)
Find more of my fandom symbol recolours by clicking this sentence, lol
First, the Yuna sending dance that’s the FFX logo, done first in the Gilbert Baker pride, then in the bi pride, both going vertical, because that direction worked better with the length.
Then, Seymour’s chest tattoo (which I’m not certain I did a great job making a transparent version of, but just don’t blow it up too much an it’s fine), again with vertical patterns, due to the shape of the lion—it’s apparently meant to be a rearing lion? I learnt recently—and then the…flames or multi-piece tail its got going on, lol. Anyway, in the trans-inclusive gay, bisexual, and genderqueer flags. The gay was as much an aesthetic choice as anything, lol, turquoise to indigo is very much his thing.
Then, the Zanarkand Abes symbol. Thicker one, like Tidus wears on his clothing, rather than the thinner one Jecht has as a tattoo. First the red with the thick yellow outline that Tidus wears, then the Philly Pride and nonbinary flags, both horizontal stripes. Again, mostly aesthetic choices, there, but the nonbinary is vaguely related to a fic idea my muse is toying with, we’ll see how that turns out. 🙄
Last, the FFX-2 logo background of Rikku, Yuna, and Paine. I have still never got any further than the first mission in this game, lol. Probably won’t have the focus, once I finish replaying FFX this time to manage it this time, either, whoops.
Anyway, in the trans-inclusive lesbian flag going horizontal, and the genderfluid flag going vertical. The lesbian flag wasn’t speaking to me going vertically, and the black had to be on Paine, come on, for the genderfluid flag, so we ended up with two directions, lol. It is what it is. Lesbian flag is mostly because this is THE Final Fantasy game with an all-female main cast, of course I’m using that flag for it, lol. Genderfluid flag mostly because aesthetic.
(As always, free to use, no credit necessary. If you’ve got a flag you want to see with a particular symbol, let me know.)
Find more of my fandom symbol recolours by clicking this sentence, lol
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