#upsideanddown

Mod Miri here! Today on the blog we have Upside (she/they), who can be found here on Tumblr and Archive of Our Own. 

General FF7 Questions

Who is your favourite character from the FFVII setting? What do you love about them?

I write most often with Sephiroth and Cloud, but my favorite character is Barret. I love Barret and I always have. He starts out rough and gruff, but you find out fast he is not at all. He fights because he feels he has to. Most of all I love that he is a great father. It's a huge point of contention that he leaves Marlene behind, but I think it gets glossed over that it kills him to not be with her. If he's with her, however, it means he isn't fighting to make sure she has a future worth living, but every moment away he is thinking about her and missing her terribly. I love him. I love that inner conflict and the guilt he faces and fights past. He's just so *chef's kiss*

Favourite party (three person team) idea when playing FFVII? They don’t have to actually work mechanically (or even be possible in the game), just that you like the idea of them together as a fighting party.

Cloud-Barret-Nanaki. I don't know why I played as these guys so much. I forced myself to try and even out the team XP, but I always came back to these guys.

Is there a headcannon or AU you want to see more of?

That's a question I'm more likely to ask everyone else. I'm always coming up with headcanons and AUs. They just pour out of me. I can't really think of one that's stuck with me for super long.

Do you have a favourite memory associated with FF7 (any part of compilation) or something particular you did while playing (such as what you named the characters, or how you arranged your materia) that you think is unique that you'd like to share?

Creator Questions

Who has been the most difficult character to write/draw? Who has been the easiest?

Aerith. I love her and her characterization, but she is a tough nut to crack for me. She is a far, far cry from a damsel needing rescue, but there's a lot of issues to unpack for her. A lot of secrets she never told and probably planned to. I struggle to reach the parts of her that probably did need help without taking away the chaos and the strength she 100% had.

What’s your ideal creating environment? Background noise/silence, indoors/outdoors, desk/couch, etc.?

I am a freak of nature. I write best in a silent room, laying down or sprawled over a couch. It doesn't have to be dark, but it does have to be inside.

What’s your creative process look like? Pantser/Emotive Writer/Gardener or Planner/Structured Writer/Architect? (Do you outline or just go with the flow?) If you’re an artist, do you do a lot of sketches, or just dive right in? Backgrounds first, or the main focal point? Multiple layers or all in one?

I'm a definite pantser. I go with the flow, but it only works so long as there is a flow. I'm trying desperately to at least make a general outline of fics now and I write those in pencil so I can't say I lost the drafts.

What do you do when you get stuck on a project?

Walk away. Sometimes literally. I'll go for a walk and just think it over, try and walk a mile in the character's shoes. Sometimes (often) I walk away for far too long.

Do you do commissions, requests, or prompts? (If you have a page for it, drop a link.)

I take headcanon prompts almost all the time on tumblr. On occasion I will do full-fic requests in exchange for a charity donation (your choice).

Which of your works is the most memorable to you? I don’t necessarily mean favourite or best work, it could be the work that taught you the most through making it or that holds a special reason in its creation. Drop a link.

Test Notes from the ShinRa Handheld Portal Device is a fic I wrote, in several large chunks during Do Good Weirdly sessions in the Summer and Winter. This event is a huge challenge but a ton of fun. Authors and Artists from fandoms all over spend a set amount of time just creating non-stop. At the end, the creators donate to a charity of their choice. It is an amazing time to spend with some rad and creative people and I highly recommend joining us this winter for the next session

Without them I never would have written this crossover fic I'm insanely proud of: https://archiveofourown.org/works/32666962/chapters/81036598

It’s hard for me to go through everything you’ve done to pick stuff to mention. Is there a particular piece you’d like plugged, other than the one in the last question?

Nerd Chic is my most popular fic. It's an ASGZC slow burn where Cloud gets glasses: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3170231/chapters/6884306

I also particularly love You are What you Eat. It's cheesy, sappy soul mate fun and good for a rainy day: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22742071/chapters/54342010

Community/Fandom Questions

What aspects of fandom spark the most joy for you?

The people. There is negativity everywhere, but once you curate your followers and your friends there's nothing that can beat just seeing what the people you let around you create. Y'all are amazing.

Is there something you'd like to see more of in the community?

Commenting and Reblogging. I'm guilty of liking and moving on and forgetting, but art and fic die if it doesn't spread around. Reblog and Comment if you like it and want to see more. It means more to the creators. It really does.

Anything you’d like to say to the community?

Thanks for making this a space that has sparked so much joy. I've loved this game since I was a kid and I'm so happy to just sit and talk with others who do too.

Is there a work belonging to someone else that you’d like to plug?

I love Pedulum by Evil Robot Cat: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3170231/chapters/6884306

And also all of the Cat's artwork. It's good stuff

I would also recommend all of Illusioneery's work art and fic. There's a lot to pick from.

Thanks so much for joining me, Upside! You are a pleasure to have in our community. 

This week’s spotlight is writer Upside! ( Up-sideand-down.tumblr.com )

Want to be on a future spotlight? Sign up on the FF7Central directory to get in on the list: https://goo.gl/forms/u0h5rJXmgv40zX9m2

Miri: Is there an idea or AU you want to write but haven’t been able to yet?

Upside: I've started so many, it's so hard to think of the ones I haven't written.

I really would like to write a fic where Sephiroth and Cloud swap places: where Cloud is the villain and Sephiroth is the one trying to stop him. There's a lot of potential there I feel.

Miri: Who has been the most difficult character to write? Who has been the easiest?

Upside: Cloud just comes easiest to me. I live and work with a lot of people who remind me of him, so I think I have a decent feel for him.

The most difficult...there are so many, but for today I will say Angeal. It's so easy to paint him as the bad guy, but he doesn't always act like it. He himself doesn't know what his motivation is sometimes and that makes him hard to pin down for me. The man doesn't make up his mind for me.

Miri: Which of your works is the most memorable to you? I don’t necessarily mean favourite or best work, it could be the work that taught you the most making it or that holds a special reason in its creation. Drop a link.

Upside: I'm going to say Nerd Chic. It is my most popular, but it is also my longest to date. It started as a joke and then I took it pretty seriously. At the start, I pushed myself really hard with this fic. I know I haven't updated in a while, but I still read it and write a few sentences here and there. I'm still writing it. I never thought that would happen.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/3170231/chapters/6884306

Miri: Favourite party (three person team) idea when playing FFVII? They don’t have to actually work mechanically, just that you like the idea of them together as a fighting party.

Upside: Aeris, Red XIII/Nanaki, and Tifa. I love Cloud, but I love these three so much in game.

Aeris was always my main Materia holder and I love all of her limit breaks.

Red XIII had a great story arc and was my favorite backup materia man.

Tifa is all muscle. She always decimated opponents for me.

Miri: Pantser/Emotive Writer/Gardener or Planner/Structured Writer/Architect? (Do you outline or just go with the flow?)

Upside: I've tried to outline, but usually it doesn't work out and I abandon the outline. I'm a pantser, a gardener. Whatever ideas pop up will be the ones written. Outlines are more like brainstorming sessions for me.

Miri: Any remake thoughts you’d like to share?

Upside: I want it so bad. I want more things about it. I can't understand why there hasn't been an update about it in almost 2 years. What the hell is up? Take my money for heaven's sake.

Miri: What do you do when you get stuck on a project?

Upside: Leave it alone. Walk away for an unknown amount of time until I feel like I'm ready to face it again.

Considering I have like 15 works in progress with this method...I might not recommend it for finishing anything.

Miri: What’s your ideal writing environment? Background noise, indoors/outdoors, desk/couch, etc.?

Upside: In my room, with the lights off covered in blankets and pillows. Occasionally with a cat or dog who finds me.

I literally write in a dark room until it comes out. I find it relaxing and focusing.

Miri: Do you do commissioned fics, requests or prompts?

Upside: I don't have a commission system set up. I no longer have the time to write up free requests. If I'm writing a fic it's usually for me.

That said, I always accept prompts. Don't expect much more than a few paragraphs of headcanons for it, but I love getting them.

Miri: Anything you’d like to say to the community?

Upside: You guys rock. I've encountered 2 instances of hate since I joined and there was a huge balloon of support after it happened. The people I talk to just don't start drama and I appreciate it. Stay classy guys.

Miri: Recommend me a fic of yours!

Upside: Nerd Chic -- https://archiveofourown.org/works/3170231/chapters/6884306

Love Potion No. 2 -- https://archiveofourown.org/works/2417879/chapters/5348546

Strings of Fate -- https://archiveofourown.org/works/9258833/chapters/20988056

Whispers (character death warning) -- https://archiveofourown.org/works/4936291/chapters/11327317

That is a brilliant question. I’m giving an extension anyway but honestly? You can always give gifts. I encourage the giving of gifts, and since it’s this round of prompts just add it to the exchange when you do finish. You can pop in their ask after the reveal to let them know, if you like!

For the next few days, I’m going to be on a trip with my fella. So, I’m queuing these up so my writer buddies know how much I love ‘em.

up-sideand-down

Why I read them and you should too 

Upside is a complete and total sweetie, as well as a talented writer. She takes what sounds like a really simple concept--Cloud with glasses--and spins an entire alternate universe out of it.

Did I mention she’s a complete and total sweetie? 

Some fics I have read and you should also

Careful What You Wish For: Genesis Rhapsodos is a man with a question, and he hopes summoning a demon can help him find an answer. Unfortunately for him, said demon is blond, cute, foul-mouthed, and more interested in fast food than answering questions.

Mr. Fix-It: When a drunk giant of man breaks through Cloud’s door, what he’s gonna do? Especially since his cat likes the guy?

Links

AO3

oh my god that’s amazing; good on you!!

Oh, so many favorite books!

Anything by Mary Roach or David Quammen. I love reading about science, and dry research papers are as hard for me as they are for anyone else. Roach and Quammen read through the dry papers and create witty turns of prose. Roach, in particular, is brilliant.

On Writing by Stephen King: I don’t care what anyone says about the “worth” of his work, I’ve never read such solid advice about writing. King’s an earthy kind of guy who’s not afraid to admit that he writes what he likes to read and hopes other people will enjoy it too. Plus, the way he rhapsodizes about his wife Tabitha King, her talent, and how her sacrifices made his own career possible–ugh, straight to the heart. He prints one of her college-era poems in his book and it’s just…wow. 

Good Omens, by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. Some of the shine has gone off of Neil Gaiman for me, which makes it hard for me to read his work. However, Pratchett can redeem almost anything, and Good Omens honestly reads more like one of Pratchett’s books than Gaiman’s. Ostensibly it’s about an angel and a demon so in love with Earth and all its life that they try and stop the apocalypse, but there’s such tenderness for humanity throughout all of the book. To me, it reads as an argument as to why the world should be cherished and protected.