#sangria asks

I don’t know if you’ll be getting much of anything new, if I may be perfectly honest. Currently, my focus is on reposting some old works because they require nothing but a little bit of editing, which my schedule does allow time for.

Made me remember how much fun I’d have creating woc characters that looked like me in my head, but how I let fear that I’d be writing into a void hold me back for many years. But not any more. You inspired me to share my writing, you touched my heart, and you made me excited to read fic again. &I see from scrolling your blog that many others feel the same! Keep up the amazing work. ~ A new but massive fan. <3 <3 <3

Hello, hello yourself, Janelle! 

I, too, can recall a time when I printed off Justin Timberlake fanfiction from the family desktop computer and kept it in a binder. Ah, the good ol’ days. Back then, the lack of women of color in fanfic wasn’t something I was oblivious to, and while I wished I could find more fic with girls who were black like me, I don’t think I dwelled on it too much. I just sort of…accepted it. It just became the norm for me, as sad as that might sound. I think sometimes we just become so used to the way things are that we don’t stop to think about how the way things should be. 

But I definitely wrote a Justin Timberlake fanfic in a spiral notebook and my OFC was a woman of color (to date myself, choosing a “face claim” before those were really a thing involved pasting a couple of pictures of Samantha Mumba that I clipped out of J-14 onto the inside cover). So I think I had a desire to see someone like me being represented. Granted, that fic was absolutely atrocious and every once in a while I pull it out to read and cringe and binge on sad nostalgia, but it was a small spark. Still, when I began sharing my fic online (back in my Jonas Brothers fanfiction days), like most everyone else, the majority of my OFCs were white. That has definitely changed in the years since, once I realized there was a greater desire to see black women and other women  of color in fanfiction. I wasn’t the only one wishing for that representation.

My road to writing about women of color on a regular basis is a bit of a winding one, but I am in this place because it’s important to me. I grew tired of finding stories with black women where there was always a race issue. Black women couldn’t just be in fics - without stereotype, just honesty.  We couldn’t just be desired simply for being women - funny women, serious women, confident women, insecure women, sexual women, chaste women, kind and artistic and driven and searching and all types and all sizes and with all of the colorful characteristics that make us who we are. Just…women of color, being human. So I decided I wanted to play a part in changing that. Writing about women of color is not so different from writing about non-women of color. There are just subtle differences that make these writings feel more relevant to us, and I’m so glad that I’ve been able to shine a light on an area of fiction that is certainly lacking.

I am honored beyond words that MY writing was enough to make you want to share yours. That blows my mind. My words mean a lot to me, and I find myself only hoping that they’ll mean something to someone else, so knowing that they meant enough to you to give you the confidence to share your own is…wow. I am so, so glad that you are excited to read fic again, because fic means a hell of a lot to me and has shaped me and my feelings about writing in so many ways, and if I can bring you back to something you loved once before, well, that makes me unbelievably happy. It warms my heart to know that Teyana really resonated with you.

You caught me. I DO hate you. This is exactly why I keep writing this Niall, to continue to inflict pain on you. You’re welcome. 😉

I don’t know exactly how it happened, but while I was writing ‘sangria’ I fell 1,000% in love with writing this version of Niall (I think it was the way I got caught up in all the little details) and I haven’t turned back. I’ve found myself very invested in his and Teyana’s stories, so as long as there are ideas, I’ll be continuing to write about them.

Ella, you always ask me such great questions! Hopefully my response satisfies your curiosity. This answer sort of ended up being rather long, so I’ll put it under a read more:

I wouldn’t call you the worst at all! Disagreements are part of a relationship, so I think being curious about how Teyana and Niall handle them makes sense.

I was thinking about this recently, actually, when I’d started filling out this little couple questionnaire thing that went around ages ago that I completed for some of my other pairings (I never finished, though - it’s still sitting in my drafts). There’s a question about who sleeps on the couch after an argument, and I wrote:

*

Niall always volunteers. Teyana stews in bed all by herself, mulling over whatever disagreement has transpired between them, and after she comes to terms with how ridiculous it is that they’re sleeping in separate rooms, she crawls out of bed and beneath Niall’s arm as he lies cramped up on their little couch. Niall stirs, tries to find her eyes even in the dark, even though he can barely keep his open, and if it’s his fault, he’ll apologize. If it’s Teyana’s, she will, and then Niall will tuck her close and they’ll both sleep on the couch.

*

When it comes to arguments, I’d say that Teyana is probably the most stubborn, and Niall is always the first to be like, “Okay, we need a break,” and he’ll create that space for them. Whoever is in the wrong will apologize eventually - sometimes, it’s both of them - because the last thing either of them wants is any sort of residual resentment between them, especially over something stupid.

And yeah, sometimes there’s mind-blowing makeup sex to follow.

why am I not even surprised AGAIN

likes to go on drives to nowhere in particular

Teyana. Late nights in the summer are her favorite time for drives without a destination in mind, or anytime she’s got some things on her mind that she needs to sort out. Just her, and Niall, and the radio, windows down and fingers laced over the center console. 

is in charge of the radio or playlist in the car (and what do they play)?

They take turns. Sometimes they’re vibing on the same things, so it’s an easy choice. Usually, whoever’s in the passenger’s seat is the DJ. Together, they’ve got an eclectic taste in music, so anything aside from maybe country music is fair game. Niall plays rough cuts of Rookie Limelight songs for her sometimes, too, to get her opinion when the band’s a bit stuck on how to finish the track, sound-wise.

reaches over to hold the other’s hand 

Depends on the situation. Absentmindedly, probably Teyana. Whenever either of them just looks like they need it, the other always comes through.

favors lazy morning sex

Oh, dude, both of them. Too much. Too often. Or really, just routine. Skin to skin, slow kisses, and slow hip movements, and slow hands (ha, ha, ha).

reads the paper or watches the news

Niall likes to read the paper with his morning cuppa, and he’s a big fan of The Daily Show. Sometimes Teyana wakes up before her alarm goes off and she’ll put the television on the lowest volume she can manage and watch the morning news until Niall wakes up.

feeds and takes care of the stray cat that hangs around the house (and pretty much makes it not a stray)

Teyana, at first, but Niall would reluctantly catch on to the habit as well. It would grow fond of Niall very quickly, brushing up against his legs in the mornings and Niall would probably swear under his breath every time the thing got underfoot, fussing at Teyana for feeding him because “the damn thing keeps coming ‘round.” But Teyana would eventually find the little spare dishes she set outside filled with food and water before she gets to them, or catch Niall browsing around the pet aisle on grocery trips, hoping she doesn’t catch the treats he tosses into the basket after the bag of food she’s started purchasing each month. The cat’s a yellow tabby, skin and bones when he first visits, but plump and loved after some time. They name him Frito.

comes home with the weirder work stories

Teyana, probably. Sometimes the things people come searching for in the bookstore…

takes long baths 

Teyana. She enjoys a good soak, even more when Niall hops in fully clothed, splashing water every where. She usually forgives him after the first couple of kisses.

gives the other a massage when they seem tense

Both! Niall would say Teyana has the better hands, but Teyana would beg to differ. Niall’s hands on her lower back? Better than sex (well, almost).

is more easily turned on 

HAH. Probably Niall. It’s not that Teyana’s opposed to sex more than Niall, of course, but it’s easier to get Niall riled up. Think the ice cube thing in ‘sangria’. Teyana’s learned ways when she’s craving him, but there are times where her actions are unintentional and Niall gets that look in his eyes and his hands are on her waist before she realizes what she’s done. He’s an easy target.

prefers to kick back with a drink in the evenings

Niall likes a nice beer to close out the night from time to time. Teyana, most often, prefers a bit of wine or sangria. 

stays up too late reading

Niall stays up late reading articles on the internet until Teyana tells him he needs to go to sleep. Ranging from The New York Times to Billboard to Buzzfeed, Teyana’s used to hearing, “Hey, Tey, listen to this!” and knows Niall’s found something interesting that he wants to share. He’s a lover of gaining knowledge, regardless of the topic.

is the deep sleeper

Firstly, it’s always a huge relief to know that when writing multiple versions of the same person, they don’t all read the same. The last thing I ever want to do is have my characters be too similar.

Now, to answer your question, which is, again, excellent:

I’d say the top three descriptors for Elementary Niall: introspective, charming, but a bit guarded. He’s a little different from who he used to be before he arrived at Wool Creek. Sort of closed himself off. But there are these moments where that Niall, the one he used to be, comes bursting through, like in his interactions with Rolly. Being around her and the gang at Wool Creek, he’s slowly being drawn back out of himself. I think there’s more to him than meets the eye, but when you initially connect with him, he’s careful about what you see of him.

However, Sangria Niall, to me, is warm, and sexy, and unbelievably kind. There’s a confidence to him that is lovely and honest and infectious, whether he’s onstage playing with Rookie Limelight or when he’s laying it down the way he does in sangria on your lips. Sangria Niall is very open and funny and desperately in love with his girlfriend, and while he definitely harbors some insecurities and worries, as anyone does, I think that overall, he’s a ball of self-assured sunshine. And whenever there’s a lapse in that confidence, he’s got Teyana to bring him back to himself.

Sangria Niall and Rolly would probably be great friends, I think. He would appreciate her klutziness and generally easygoing nature and I think they would get on quite famously. He’s very approachable and I don’t think he’d make her nervous the way Elementary Niall does, mystery that he is.