#answerdora

A guide written for @wren-of-the-woods who asked for advice about how to start vidding! This is far from comprehensive and I tried not to make it too dense because it's a big subject. I still wanted to share a variety of topics about getting into vidding because it's a hobby and art that is near and dear to my heart.

Hi there, this is a great question! I’m not that familiar with removing background audio so I went to the vidding discord to ask for help. Here are the recommendations I’ve found for you.

Audio Editing Tips and Resources

eeeee these are good numbers, thank you for the ask nic!

3. What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)?

Some Kind of Disaster my TWN Season 3 missing scene fic with Yen and Jaskier is the one I’m most proud of this year. (Though to be fair I only managed to finish/post 4 fics this year so it’s a small pool… But still!) This fic hits all of the emotional beats that had been swirling in my head for a few years now, so I was over the moon when I got to the end of the fic and it was done and it was everything I wanted. Such a great feeling to see it into the world.

12. How many WIP’s do you have in your docs for next year?

The number of WIPs are always too many. Prioritizing my WIPs is hard at the best of times, heh. I had maybe 6-7 active WIPs in the past year that I didn’t finish. On top of a few more new WIPs and ideas that wanted to be WIPs. Hard to stay focused.

As I said in previous ask, I have a yennskier nonsexual kink fic to work on. Since I’m still very much in witcher mode regardless of time between seasons.

But I still have my 20k+ Ciri fic that I really want and need to revisit. I have 30k+ more Jaskier fic that I yearn to work on. It's really matter of me poking @littlestsnicket and maybe enlisting some other folks to wave pompoms in my periphery to remind me that I want to go chasing that’ finishing-a-longfic/series feeling.’ I forever need to practice sharing more WIPs on main.

I may try to finish and post a little radskier ficlet I wrote in…idk I want to say March? And then there’s a Vilgefortz ficlet that I started last year, too that I think could be within finishing distance.

25. Did you receive any gifts this year?

I have a BOUNTY of gifts from this year! Like, so many. So blessed, everyone is having so much fun and I'm loving it all. Strap in, I got a squeeful recs list for you all.

Chantress did a podfic of my TWN Triss/Yenna ficlet Germinate which was a complete and wonderful surprise and is so, so lovely.

@astaldis did a remix of one of my Yennefer/Jaskier drabbles and it’s so great! It’s called Completion, very sexy feelings and hottness.

@she-who-drank-vodka-with-cats picked up a prompt I shared in the Smubbles server for some Meve/Reynard Thronebreaker awesomeness. It’s called the benefits of a prince consort. My prompt was: meve/reynard foot massage and comfort. ❤️❤️❤️

@sassaffrassa wrote me a smutty Geralt/Jaskier edging drabble called Stamina and it's of course 🔥🔥🔥🔥 Sass also wrote me Scavenger’s Reign Azi/Levi sex pollen drabble called flowering because robot yuri and sex pollen!!!!! If ever an an alien planet would have sex pollen, it would be Vesta. 🔥🔥🔥

@flootzavut gifted me a Jaskier fic called you do not get to hurt me which was a lovely surprise, lots of queer Jaskier messy feelings. I had a great time tossing the idea ball back and forth with flooty on this one when they were a little stuck on it. And the finished fic is so great and achey and I want to roll around in the Jaskier feelings all the time. Love you flootyfloots. I was bamboozled with love and utter surprise when I got an AO3 notification saying I was gifted a Stargate work. From none other than MSSalieri/troyswann who has been archiving their SG fic over the last few years. It’s an Elizabeth Weir and Daniel Jackson fic inspired by a prompt I offered Salieri several lifetimes and platforms ago. Salieri is an author and artist I have loved for an eternity, and I spent a lot of time reading and studying her fic when I was also first starting out writing fic. Trying to figure out how to do this prose thing. Really, just amazing…so much in a short fic. Reactivating the dormant Stargate feelings. The fic is called Unknown Waters. my prompt I had given Sal: If one tries to navigate unknown waters one runs the risk of shipwreck.

And then. There’s @ialwayscomewhenyoucall. Lira. Lira! Who I am constantly egging on with my Doctor Who Ten/Jack prompts in the @smubbles-etc discord server. Lira is just as delighted by my prompts as I am fucking excited to see what she comes up with. I’ve dumped approximately 200 million Doctor Who Ten/Jack prompts into the server this year. She’s been making me feel like a winner, lol. Lira is frolicking with prompts and I’m kicking my feetsies. ALSO Lira, have you made any headway on that Ten/Jack having sex performance for a paying alien audience prompt? Maybe for Smubble’s Wanksmas event? :D

Doctor Who Ten/Jack drabbles by LiraelClayr007:

Roses are Red - prompt: jack in lingerie. doctor admiring.

Black and (TARDIS) Blue - prompt: atyptical bruising patterns that jack is really into and wants more of immediately.

Different Body, Same Hearts - prompt: jack/ten reunion blowjob, the thrill of it all after so long.

Working together - a remix of my Refrain fic - Jack wants more. The Doctor is happy to give it to him.

You Can Wait - remix of my Syllable ficlet - Jack isn't allowed to come until the Doctor does.

From his knees - remix of my Reverence ficlet - Jack worships the Doctor.

Tether - The Doctor is spiraling after saying goodbye to Rose and his other self. Jack sees, and knows how to help. (not my prompt but lira's gotten so spun up from all my other prompts that I am still getting the goodies, ehehe)

The Doctor’s Song - Jack loves the sounds the Doctor makes. (not my prompt but still my joy !!!)

It’s a New Day - During sex, Jack asks the Doctor a question. He's surprised by the answer (not my prompt but still my gift, yes yayay)

So please answer the one you'd like to answer, that you haven't been asked yet ha.

(Does that work, or is that cheating?)

omg hi you! this is the perfect opportunity and asker for what i want to share! Right. So. There are those of us who like much or all of the witcher canons for various things and reasons. I am one of those people. In 2021 I started playing around with the idea of making a pan-canon witcher vid. What is one thing that all the witcher canons have in common? Geralt wishes he wasn't the main character. He would rather not have to deal with anybody or anything. Also everyone seems to want a piece of him at some point.

With in mind, I present to you about ~0:30 seconds of Hey, Witcher:

music: No Doubt's "Hey Baby" source: The Witcher Netflix, Hexer, Witcher Wild Hunt. I haven't worked on this in over 2 years. But I might just be inspired to get back to it again..season 4..another Geralt to add to this, and Regis and the things that happened in season 3, mwaha.

aw this is such a great question. my tumblr icon is a piece of art that, according to the metadata, I saved over 20 years ago and has migrated with me across multiple laptops, and hard drives and life events, hah. Way back in the day I had been obsessed with tarot decks and fantasy art and was saving everything I could find that was Brian Froud or reminiscent of Brian Froud's style or type of faeries. I've cycled through a few of these images as my longstanding icons (though I always made room for fannish icons and was an avid LJ icon maker back in the day)

I have always wanted my icons to give off that strange faery vibe. sometimes more approachable than others. usually twinkling with mischief in some way. this image file was labelled "xc.bmp" - bitmap file. Microsoft image file. old file. two other faces of kuwdora around the internet: green face (original file name: allergy fae.gif) and pooka face:

Oh! Yes, I have quite a few pieces I'm very proud of but here is one section in particular. I don't always do a lot of talking about my fic on main but I like writing soft romantic Geralt and Jaskier a lot. ---- Geralt wasn’t sure how long he was drifting with the memories before Jaskier slid his arms around him and kissed his nape. Affection swelled in Geralt’s chest and Jaskier’s hands fanned across his sternum. He welcomed the touch immensely, particularly after the long week away in the rain.

Jaskier pressed his cheek against the back of his shoulder, hands sweeping down Geralt’s abdomen. His beard was a scratchy counterpoint to the silk robe that brushed his thighs. 

“Finally run out of words?” Geralt asked with quiet humor; it was his familiar jab, like Jaskier’s incessant need to bait him about the white honey. Usually he asked the question when Jaskier was breathlessly fucked out.

Jaskier kissed Geralt’s shoulder in reply. He turned around and Jaskier swayed, moving like he did when he wanted Geralt to dance with him, albeit in a slower, more fatigue-ridden way. His fingers skimmed along the scars on Geralt’s chest that he’d once sung about, and all those he hadn’t. 

Jaskier’s smile was small—the kind of smile he wore when he was focused and thoughtful—and his brow furrowed, softening the mirth in his eyes. He cupped Geralt’s face and gently kissed him on the chin and the corner of his mouth.

“To think that after all this time, I could still want you like this. Have you like this,” Jaskier said, letting go of Geralt’s face to sweep his hands across his shoulders and back with the reverence he had for the simple, intimate touches. “I could grow to be a thousand years and never tire of this.” 

Jaskier leaned forward and kissed Geralt’s chest. His lips were dry and his beard tickled the divots of scar tissue where he whispered, “All the Spheres spin with envy that I have learned the shape, the taste of this love.”

Geralt exhaled slowly, his mind staggering from the words.

Jaskier was still fully clothed in the rumpled nightshirt and silk robe, wearing those mismatching socks, but he was naked in the poetry of his words, wearing nothing but his years. Geralt’s heart fucking wrenched.

Here is a messy witcher snippet from 2021 which was part of a longer plotty story that never went anywhere. But this mostly was me embracing Jaskier as a Disney Princess and finding my way to Jaskier and Geralt's netflix dynamic and voices. Only remembered this because @littlestsnicket and I were talking about jaskier and geralt and music recently.

the original fic title was actually called Counterpoint of Disaster and got too big and messy for me to deal with. but this snippet should whet your appetite!

jaskier & geralt. case fic vibes. 850w. rated T.

Jaskier ambled along the stretch of road beside a fence, strumming his lute and humming. The sun was easing itself behind the peaks of the Mahakams and the shadow was creeping along the meadow. At the top of a sloping hill, Jaskier noticed a dot that resembled a cow. 

He perched himself on the fence and he resumed his song, uncertain he could project his voice enough for the cow to hear him.

But it did. The cow moseyed down the hill towards him. By the time it was half-way to Jaskier on the fence two more cows appeared at the top of the hill.

Amused, Jaskier sang louder. The ambling cow continued its approach with its companions making their way to Jaskier’s little stage. His fingers danced along the strings. Swing that scythe dawn to dusk with weary shoulders, to home and hearth your wife… All variations on a satisfying theme. A hard day's work followed by ale and love at home only to wake up and do it all over again. Music to rejuvenate oneself for the next day’s work.  

The cows mooed upon their approach and Jaskier played on. Three more cows appeared on the horizon and they herded each other down the hill towards him.

“Not my usual audience,” Jaskier said and laughed. He tilted his head and adjusted his posture, a smile tugging at his lips. “I wonder…” he murmured. He began playing a lighthearted song of a young maiden’s carefree day. 

He was halfway through the chorus and was deeply amused by the nearly dozen cows standing in front of him. By the time Jaskier was on the final verse another three cows had joined them, shouldering their way closer.

Jaskier continued to hum and sing, plucking a cute little melody for the attentive audience. He received some lowing in return and he laughed. “Happy cows indeed. Who knew I had fans afield. Will a good song produce sweet milk?” he asked them.

His fingers danced along the strings, improvising nonsense and one of the soft-eyed cows wandered right up to the fence and offered him an insistent moo before nudging his knee with its snout.

“I would definitely consider tips in the form of cheese,” Jaskier said and gave the cow a gentle pat on the side of her face. 

His hand came away wet and he was about to wipe the cow snot away when he saw his hand was crimson.

Jaskier gagged and nearly wiped the blood on his clean trousers. He stopped himself just in time and wobbled on the fence.

“Uh, Geralt?” Jaskier called. “There’s some bloody cows over here.”

“There’s a farm nearby,” Geralt said, sounding like he replied without looking up.

“No, I mean they look like they rolled around in a pool of blood,” Jaskier said.

12, 13, 26 for vidding ask!

Oooh hiiiii there. You are so sweet! You don’t have to admire from afar! Come sit on the couch with me and we can squee together. You can ask me anything you'd like!! (I love your Andor vid btw, I think it’ll be popping out of my queue any day now.) Most underrated vid that you wished had gotten more views?

I love that 80% of people so far have asked this question because it means I can answer with different vids each time. This is a loaded question, in my opinion, and actually one that shows up on the end-of-year vidding reflections I do nearly every year - and I always never know how to answer.

I learned early on when I looked at the YouTube analytics and found most people don’t actually finish vids they click on in my catalogue, which means maybe they weren’t the audience for it anyway.

It’s also a matter of audiences being able to find my vids and know I’ve made them. I’ve never prioritized learning how to do metadata on YouTube for my videos to show up more in searches. I also am terrible at crossposting and archiving my vids in multiple places for people to find them.. So there’s tons of people who might not even know I’ve made something they’d like to see. Especially since I’ve been doing it for so long and moved through different fannish platforms along thet way.

Here is my Toshiko Sato from Torchwood vid that I made in 2008 to The Ranctouer’s “Steady As She Goes.” I think this can qualify as underappreciated. Hope you enjoy!

Vid that took you the longest the edit?

Since you know me from way back in the day, I’ll answer this with something I’ve talked about in great before that I think you might like to read (if you haven’t already!): High Voltage, my Stargate Ancients fanvid. It took me ~5 years to make. But I actually spent most of those years rewatching the show and thinking about the song and watching a lot of vids and how they told stories. It took me more time to figure out how to tell a subtextual narrative about a group of characters (the Ancients) and across a 3-show franchise that the showrunners never had fully tied together. You can read more about my years-long experience learning how to make High Voltage here on tumblr as well as over here because I really can write like 6,000 words about it. Any vidding rituals you have?

I always try to export drafts of my vids and try to remember upload them cloud storage so that even in the worse case scenario that my hard drive fails that I still have a copy of it somewhere. I had a hard drive failure recently and I actually hadn’t backed up a lot of those files to my cloud storage so there’s a lot of old unfinished stuff that I love and won’t finish but I don’t have a chance to revisit like a beloved trinket on a shelf anymore. (Archive and backup everything, ritualize that as much as possible in your own lives and projects!)