Idk what else to add lol

GT: Hahah, that's good enough 

But please do tell me about your dog

C: Omg he's the sweetest boy in the world. His name is Tyson, he's gonna be 8 in August. We adopted him when he was 8 months old. He's mostly all black but he's white where he can get dirty so his bum, his paws, and he has white eyebrows hehehe. He's anxious, doesn't like car rides, or going up/down certain stairs, like he won't use the stairs that go down to the basement lol no clue where he got that anxiety from lol. He likes to cuddle but don't touch him or else he'll fuck off lol. He spends most of the day sitting on his pillow up at the window in the living room, watching, barking, sleeping. He doesn't bite, and he loves you when he gets to know you.

GT: He looks like a toy, he's so cute

C: Thank you, he's my angel. He also has an Instagram 😅 @/tysonseyebrows 😆

GT: Oh my god, I love that!

Tell me about your username, where did bellafarella come from?

C: Not anything special honestly, Farella is my last name and Bella rhymed so I went with that hahaha I first made the username for my Instagram back in 2012 then made my Twitter (it’s suspended now) and in 2013ish I made my tumblr with it too then ao3, figured it would be easiest to use the same one for all platforms.

GT: Was that also when you first started watching Shameless?

C: I started watching Shameless sometime right after s1 aired! I was at my uncle's house one Sunday night for dinner and he went down to the basement to watch his show and we went down to see what and it was shameless hahaha. I asked about it and he told me about it and well now it's been 10 years, but sometime after that I started watching from the beginning and have been watching live every season after that. I only joined the fandom in 2014 on here and stuck around until s6 was airing so around 2016. I left the fandom up until s10 started so 2019ish but just slowly rejoining lol

But I never once stopped watching the show!

GT: You're brave, I did! lol

What did you think of the ending?

C: It was underwhelming to say the least. I did like Ian and Mickeys ending because it ended with them happy and in love, celebrating their marriage with their family and we know there's the potential for kids and that they are doing well financially and in their new home, so I can't complain hahaha

GT: How do you see them in the future?

C: I definitely see them with a kid but I think they wait at least five years. I imagine Mickey saying it's not their time yet and to just enjoy being uncles to all the young kids (Franny, Fred, and Lip/Tami's new baby otw). Ian agrees and doesn't want to force mickey when he isn't ready. They do eventually feel ready enough to adopt, possibly one of Mickey's cousins' new kids. I imagine them doing well with their business and getting that expansion they talked about. I also imagine them getting a dog soon like maybe within the year and that dog becomes obsessed with their baby a few years later, always protecting her. I see them staying in that condo until they decide to adopt so they buy a house with money they now have from their business. I see a very loving and fulfilling life for them going forward.

GT: I love that vision! 

Tell me about your experience with fanfiction, when did you start reading it and when did you decide to write it too?

C: Once I joined the fandom for Shameless is when I started to see fanfic. Never really heard much about it before or ever really felt the need to know lol, but once I joined the fandom I saw people posting fics so I started reading a bit and almost instantly decided to try writing it too. I wrote a tiny one shot, a couple hundred words, and the title was "No Title". It was a filler scene for one of the s4 episodes.

Once I started reading more, I got more comfortable writing and coming up with my own ideas and it just took off from there. I wrote about 140 fics by the time I left the fandom in 2016. I stopped writing and reading for about 3 years then when I rejoined in 2019 I started writing again. Just like my very first time, when I rejoined, I started with a one shot for a s10 episode, a filler scene for the episode where Sandy calls Ian/Mickey domestic bitches hahahah. I absolutely love writing and fan fic showed me that all those years ago. Life got in the way and mickey not being in the show made it hard for me to participate in fandom life which includes fan fic. I'm so glad I found it though because there are so many amazing fics out there.

Also, during my hiatus, I did join the Schitt's Creek fandom and started writing fics for there too. I have now written 156 Shameless fics, and 97 Schitt’s Creek fics.

What I love about fan fiction is that even if you're favorite characters are gone because the show ended, doesn't mean they are gone because amazing fans write incredibly different stories for them in any universe, so they're always there with you in some way

GT: You're such a prolific writer! Where does the inspiration come from?

C: The characters. I just start imaging them in different scenarios. From other media too like other TV shows or movies and just inserting them into that. Also, prompts. People have sent me some great ideas. And prompts I find online that just scream at me that my otp would fit into.

GT: What attracts you to Ian and Mickey's relationship?

C: The way they so fiercely love each other. They're every great trope there is. They fit together in every universe. They are definitely each other's soul mate. They've both been through hell but they've made it out, together and stronger than ever. They didn't have an easy road but that's what makes you root for them. You can see their chemistry and how much they want to be together, how much they love to love each other. There isn't anything they wouldn't do to protect the other and that's just such a beautiful love story.

GT: It absolutely is.

What's the most fun thing about writing them for you?

C: Giving them a new journey if it's an AU. And if it's a continuation of canon, just being able to continue their story. I miss them since the show ended and fics keeps them "alive" lol.

GT: It sure does.

What's difficult about writing them?

C: Keeping their voices the same even if it's an AU, I never know if I'm doing a good job with that hahaha but yeah, idk there's not much difficult I find, it's just sometimes me having writer's block and not knowing where I'm going with it, or just not being motivated that makes fic writing difficult imo

GT: Do you plan your fics before writing them?

C: I didn't used to but I do now with some of them. Now especially because I like to stay ahead so that I could keep a regular posting schedule if it's a multi chapter fic. But if it's just a one shot or a prompt then I don't plan them out, I'll just write when I have the motivation and inspiration to.

GT: And do you do any research?

C: Yes, I definitely do research for a fic if it's an AU and want to be accurate. Like for a fic series I'm working on now it's about football quarterback Ian so I'm searching up football stuff like crazy hahaha.

GT: What kind of fics do you write the most?

C: Mostly canon compliant. Writing the reality we already know for them but different moments in time like maybe them but in five years, or filler scenes for things we've seen, etc. I do really like writing AUs too. Not big on anything supernatural though so my AUs gear more towards like them meeting in school (high school or college), them being roommates, childhood friends to lovers, workplace romance, things like that. I have done a soulmate AU which was sweet.

GT: Do you have a preference for writing one of them?

C: Honestly, not really. I like exploring different versions of them and different worlds. It makes it fun.

GT: What about other characters on the show, which are your favorite? Do you like to include them in your fics?

C: I definitely like to add them in if the story calls for them! I definitely like writing Mandy and Lip into my fics, having them be there for them. Mandy in canon, we know isn't always there for Mickey but she is in her own way, it's fun to write her being his #1 supporter, and her telling them both they’re idiots for whatever reason lol. And newly, I really like writing Franny and uncle Mickey moments because I wish we got more of it on the show, we just know he's her favorite uncle (and uncle Ian).

GT: Franny is so cute!

What about OCs, do you include them too?

C: Oh definitely! Writing OCs is fun because I don't have to give them too much attention either, I know the story isn't about them so I'm able to create them to best suit Ian and Mickey and the universe I've created for them. Whereas if I ever tried writing my own story, I'd struggle to create OCs.

GT: Do you base your OCs in real people?

C: Sometimes little details like once I wrote someone with my same hair, or a best friend's name, nothing really more than that. Sometimes it's just different versions of other TV characters.

GT: Have you ever written an actual crossover, with characters from multiple shows?

C: I have, well, sort of. I wrote a fic about mickey as an MMA fighter and loosely based it off the TV show Kingdom. I included some of the same characters from that show into the fic.

GT: I'm surprised you haven't written a Shameless X Schitt's Creek one yet. Though to be fair I don't think Ian and Mickey would get along very well with David and Patrick…

C: No, I definitely can't see myself merging the two.

GT: What's your favorite Gallavich fic that you’ve written so far and why?

C: I really do like all the ones I've written but I think my favorite one out of them has to be 'The Good Life', it's an AU I wrote back in the day, based on a picture of Noel and Emma Greenwell dressed up. They were both blonde and they looked so much alike that I got the idea to write an AU based on them being twins in high school living in the North Side. Ian works at a restaurant as a waiter that also does catering and one night he's working a party that Terry is hosting so he meets Mickey. That one is probably one of my favorites I've written, but like I said, I really love all the ones I've written, especially my multi chapters because I put a lot of time into them all.

GT: What kind of comments do you enjoy receiving the most?

C: The ones that go into detail about what exactly they loved about the fic or chapter, it makes me feel good to see that someone enjoyed my story so much that they pinpointed a specific part. Any nice comment makes me smile though and I appreciate them more than you know.

GT: Agreed, comments are a writer's fuel.

What are some of your favorite fics and/or writers in the fandom?

C: I'm not one to keep fics and reread them so I can't even really tell you my favorites from the past few years of reading lol but I do have some favorites right now like Cooperative Gameplay by Grayola [@gallavichy​](she's a fave writer of mine too), I'm reading Against Glass by AllThatMatters currently and that's really good too. Other fave writers are Shamelessquestions [@goodkwuestion​], ianrightsonly [@ianrightsonly​]. But yeah like I said, I don't save fics or even reread them because of the thousands of fics out there, there's always something to read.

GT: Literally! I remember when I used to sort of keep up with the fics, now there's no way I can. There are several thousands on AO3 alone!

How do you choose then, what to read? What kinds of fics do you enjoy reading?

C: There's an insane amount so there's no way to keep track! Lmaoo

It's why I figure like if I can't find the one I really loved 5 years ago, it's fine because there's thousands of them to read so im bound to find more I like lol.

If the summary and tags call out to me then I'll read it.

GT: Do you have any favorite tropes?

C: Yeah, I like fake dating, enemies to lovers, childhood friends to lovers, roommates to lovers, coworkers to lovers. If it's done right I also like soulmate aus. I like canon-compliant fics too, so like any kind of retelling of their canon journey, future fics, so them a little older with a kid or something. Any kind of fun AU I'm into.

I definitely don't like mpreg, apocalypse, tentacles, anything supernatural like vampires etc, love triangles, and yeah things like that I usually avoid.

GT: What's your favorite Shameless season?

C: 4 is definitely my favorite. It was so dramatic but had so many of the best moments of the series, especially for Ian and Mickey. But despite all the hate, I also really liked season 11. I find it very comforting because of Ian and Mickey being husbands 

GT: I know, if nothing else, they were together and happy. After everything they (and we) have been through, it's definitely heart-warming.

Do you have a favorite episode?

C: Exactly, like ya they bickered but that's what couples do and they never were apart. I found it comforting to see my fave couple of 10 years finally be married and happy and together always like they're so obsessed with each other! Lmao

Of s11 or in general?

GT: In general, though it may be from S11.

C: I don't have many full episodes as faves, more like scenes or moments, but some fave episodes are 4x08, 4x11, 10x12, and from s11 I rly liked episode 7 and 10

Oh and 3x05.

GT: Oh, what about those scenes or moments then, what are them?

C: Ian and Mickey teasing each other and Mickey getting jealous in 3x05, and their first kiss finally. That's a great moment for them.

4x08, Mickey kissing Ian in the club and saying they are together. I remembered watching that live and screaming! Lmao I was so excited 

4x11 Mickey’s coming out was ICONIC.

10x12 Ian and Mickey getting married and doing everything to still make it happen.

11x07 I just thought was so fun and light. I loved seeing Ian and Mickey try to "make friends", them singing and dancing together and being free.

And I also really liked 11x10 because of their whole sl of getting a new place.

I can only really remember episodes for being good that center around Ian and Mickey hahah

GT: I can totally relate, after a while they were the sole reason for me to watch the show to be honest.

Alright, tell me about your upcoming projects, what do you have in the works?

C: I have some prompts to work on but right now I'm working on a series [You were always going to be the one for me] with a friend I met on here actually. I had written back in February a long one shot of football quarterback Ian and Mickey who would hang out at the bleachers to watch Ian play. Ian is fake dating Mandy and comes over a lot and he and Mickey get together. I decided to make it a series because in the first one I wrote they got into different schools in California together and moved there for university. We recently posted the next part of the fic and it's them in their first year out in California. There's gonna be another 3 parts for each year of school, then one last part to show them post-university.

GT: Oh, that's cool! Sounds like a long project. I'll be looking forward to it.

Ok, that was it. Thank you so much for participating. Do you have any last words for us?

C: Yay I'm glad! The series title is 'You were always going to be the one for me'. 

Just to follow me on bellafarella (tumblr) and mickeysmyheart (twitter) and to subscribe to me on ao3 (bellafarella) to get updates on upcoming fics.