A big thanks to @MasterHand444 for A-OKing me to do this one! I'm very late posting it, but thanks, duder! (#DUDERSKWAD! *guitar music*)

Alternate title: In Which You Guys Get to Learn WAY More Stuff About Basil's Writing Habits Than You Ever Needed to Know! Starring your favorite, special, and potentially only guest... yours truly!

Enjoy!

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1.) Describe yourself as you would a character in a fanfic.

A teenage girl was nestled into the corner of the couch, gazing intently at her phone. Every once in a while she would look up at the window across the room, though her gaze was distant, as if lost in thought. Her eyes widened slightly, and she looked back to her phone, thumbs whirring as she slid down against the pillow behind her.

Seven or eight paragraphs later, the girl proved to be mildly important to whatever the plot of this nonexistent book is, and at that point was offhandedly mentioned to have copper-colored hair and brown eyes. Defying the very principle of the Fourth Wall, she looked straight at the omniscient reader and laughed awkwardly.

"Sorry," she said, grinning, though her eyes dropped to the floor beside her. "It's just, well... Do you ever force yourself to not info-dump appearances so much that it's very hard to put a whole character description in one paragraph? Because describing a character in one paragraph can be hard! It feels really awkward."

2.) Do you have a ritual before/during/after you write?

Not specifically! But before I write, I do usually like to:
a) Have an idea!

While I write, I tend to:
b) Repeatedly tap the letters on the keyboard, and
c) Keep staring blankly off into space as I imagine what should happen next.

After writing, I usually:
d) zzzzzzzzz... zzzzz... huh say what now? What do you mean I fell asleep while writing? Again? Sheesh, at this rate I'll become one of those authors who allegedly writes all the time and yet still never updates her stories.

(...What? What's that look for?)

3.) Which fanfic was your favorite to write?

Ooh, tough one. It was a whirlwind finishing Expect the Exceptional, but it was definitely a good experience for me to write on a deadline with no outline! I had a lot of fun, too. But as for all-time favorite, probably... *drumroll* Forever and A Mile! That was so much fun! (Didn't have an outline for that, either, other than what I remembered from the Ballpit game. I should really try outlining sometime. It might help. XD)

4.) Authors you admire?

Now that's a long list! lilac-kat, BrightnessWings19, JonathanEllison, Agent0002, saras369, ephemeralemerald27, allieinarden, skimmingthesurface, platonic, otempora16, JoeMerl, Night N. Gail, probably many more awesome internet writers I'm forgetting at the moment, J.R.R. Tolkien, Walter Farley, Mark Twain, Robert Frost, C.S. Lewis, Albert Payson Terhune, Christina Rossetti, Gertrude Chandler Warner, and the Author of our salvation!

5.) How many words do you think you could write in an hour, if you really concentrate?

Wow, I don't know. I don't think I've ever kept track of my time and word count at once. But if I were to take a wild guess, maybe 1500 words? I don't always really concentrate (whoops), so that's a good question!

6.) What was your first fanfic pairing and plot?

Oh sheesh, I don't even remember the plot. But I believe it was a cheesy Peaches and Louis Ice Age fanfic? *dodges a thrown tomato*

7.) Inspiration, time, or motivation?

I tend to have plenty of inspiration and usually time too, so some MOTIVATION WOULD BE NICE, hint hint brain. Even a mysterious ulterior motive would be cool at this point. Seriously anything that would motivate me to finish my zillion drafts.

8.) Why do you write?

I jut my chin up in the air and glare down my nose at the innocent blank page, scowling slightly. I huff and stomp my foot, letting the world know that IT'S BECAUSE I AM A WRITER.

AND I DEFIANTLY LIKE WRITING.

(Also, take a wild guess what my absolute favorite typo is. XD)

9.) Are you planning to write anything other than fanfiction?

*avoids eye contact suspiciously, pulls down brim of my suspicious fedora, and tucks chin into the suspicious collar of my suspicious trench coat*

...Why do you ask?

10.) What inspires you the most?

All sorts of things! Whether it be reading an amazing new fanfic, poring through an old book, listening to music, finding fantastic artwork or smooth animation, seeing wonders of the world, or hearing people's stories about their lives and what God did for them, inspiration can come from anywhere! And everywhere. I think I mentioned how I got inspiration from the Disco Zoo app once. XD

11.) Out of your fanfics, which one is your favorite?

Hm... It's probably a tie between Forever and A Mile and Expect the Exceptional!

12.) Strangest thing you ever wrote or thought about writing?

Are you sure you want to ask that question? XD Let's see...

-A seven-foot teenage giantess with stage fright

-An annoying mermaid kid playing Nintendo DS

-Dorky supervillain best friends naming a whole herd of mules

-Cheesy Nachos, a Dr. Two-Brains/Peridot fusion a friend came up with (IT'S ACTUALLY REALLY COOL, LOOK IT UP)

-an OC who froze a rubber lobster in his best friend's freezer

-a gigantic multi-headed snake basically made out of rubix cubes, dubbed "the polyhydra"

-a geeky cervitaur trying to function on rollerskates for an entire day because he lost a dare to his sister

-a story for a WordGirl AU where sandwiches reign supreme. and yeah, the AU is canon

-robots who are canonically not self-aware being awkward and self-conscious, and therefore self-aware

-Dr. Drakken trying to show Shego My Little Pony

-A Frozen AU for Phineas and Ferb, with reindeer!Pinky as Sven. And Ferb as Elsa. And Phineas complaining about his brother not having summer-related powers.

-Hamizilla. With Odd Todd behind it. (Or, rather, in front of it. Running away. With Ms. Olive and Mr. Otto. Todd's trying to do the right thing and stop it but it's just sO GIGANTIC IT'S hARD)

-the phrase "by the golden crumpet on Judgment Day"

-I'm not sure what that was about

-Phineas and Ferb, but half the characters get turned into cats

-a Wild Kratts mythological creatures AU! (I don't reaaally like the term "monster AU", mostly because 75% of the characters in said AUs are just mythological creatures, and nice ones, not true monsters!) Chris is a werecat, Martin's a selkie, Aviva's a mad scientist, Koki's probably a vampire (which is fun when you're afraid of bats and get grossed out easily), and I think Jimmy Z was going to be a wooden shapeshifter? It needed work

-Legolas running into things

-Octavia not running into things

13.) Which fanfic do you wish you had written better and why?

All of them because everything! Not specific enough? Um...

Well, after rereading Forever and A Mile in my FanFiction.net drafts, I have discovered that it needs about a bazillion years worth of editing before it's decent enough to post there. (Everybody in the fandom checks FF.net and I'm not ready for that kind of audience! I get literary stage fright! XD) I have a tendency to write in a really spacey, passive voice that I think sounds cool (usually because I wrote it after midnight and my brain fell asleep without me), when in reality, it's pretty painful to read. I really rushed through several scenes too, to the point where they didn't make very much sense.

Constructive criticism, anyone? Suggestions or tips? I need all the advice I can get! :D

14.) What is the best fanfic you've ever read (not your own)?

Pff, definitely not my own. Anyone who knows me will know I can't just pick one, so here are some of my favorites!

-Fading Façade by platonic (WordGirl) (I didn't know that a fanfic could be a novel until I read this. There's grammatical errors, but the plot is AMAZING. THERE'S LEXICON AND BRITANNICA AND TOBEY'S DAD AND MAJOR KIDNAPPINGS AND A TWO-BRAINS CHARACTER ARC AND THE NARRATOR'S PHYSICAL LIFE AND LEGITIMATE DANGER AND NO ONE IN TOWN EXCEPT THE POLICE COMMISSIONER EVEN KNOWS WHAT A GUN IS AND SO MUCH SUPERHERO DRAMA)

-Two Roads in the Woods by skimmingthesurface (Over the Garden Wall. Um, this should be a published novel? Everyone is perfectly in character? If you are an older sibling you will probably start bawling at some point?? I DARE YOU NOT TO CRY BEFORE WIRT AND GREG EVEN GET BACK TO THE UNKNOWN. I DARE YOU.)

-Ships Ahoy! by lilac-kat /lilwoodb (And All Mixed Up, and Viva la Vida, and Olive's Last Partner, and Opalescent—) (Odd Squad)

-Odd Squad Civil War by JonathanEllison (And his Odd Squad Oneshots!) (Odd Squad)

-Our Kind of Weird by... um... was it Frodo the Second? Is she still out there somewhere? I went to look up this story again after a couple years and couldn't find it. Which is sad, because it had a great plot and secret agent Ferb and characters arguing over whose POV they get to tell the story in and so much drama and it was hilarious (Phineas and Ferb)

-Gravity Rises series by BrightnessWings19 (TOO MANY COOL ELEMENTS TO LIST. THE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT IS THE COOLEST EVER, GO READ IT) (Gravity Falls)

-basically anything by Kicsterash (Phineas and Ferb and others, hopefully Milo Murphy's Law soon!)

-way more than I can remember off the top of my head, but those are all tied for the top!

Not only were they written awesomely, but the stories and their authors are all just... AWESOME. Awesomely-awesome, to quote Odd Squad! And yes, I know I should find a thesaurus. (But it'll have to be an awesome one.)

15.) What is your writing guilty pleasure(s)?

Fluff! Cringeworthy fluff! You know, the kind of fluff that feels perfectly fluffy and eloquently prosey when you're writing it at 3AM, but later makes you do a very embarrassed facepalm when you forget about it and reread it two days later? Yep. I should really either salvage it or delete it...

16.) Do you plan out your story before writing it or just wing it?

*dabs* Wingin' it like an albatross, man

(Update, upon rereading the above sentence two days later: what am I even doing with my life)

17.) Are you a fast writer?

*Flint Lockwood voice* Nooo.

If you mean typing speed, then I'm fairly fast! But if you mean how long it takes for me to translate an idea into a finished story... then I'm a turtle.

18.) How old were you when you started to write stories, fanfic or not?

Hm... I'd have to say twelve? I've been coming up with stories and creating characters since I was maybe five, but that was about when I started writing them down!

19.) Why did you start writing?

Ever since I can remember, I've loved books. I was hoping to recreate what I'd read—adventures that bring you along with them, fantasy worlds where anything is possible, romances that give you a new perspective on how to treat loved ones... and above all, a sense of amazement and connection to a situation that a normal person would probably never experience. I'm still not great at capturing the picture I'd like to paint with my words, but practice makes perfect, and loving to do it makes it all the better!

20.) List six sentences/excerpts from your work that you're really proud of.

Oh, sheesh. Just watch as I pick the cheesy ones and everyone else cringes. XD I'd much rather my awesome readers tell me which they thought were the best, but here's a few that I liked!

(Note: tiny spoilery sneak peek alert for stuff I haven't published!)

1: Dancing

She would dance sometimes.

After a relatively crime-free day—and admittedly, that didn't happen too often—she would say goodnight to Bob and slip out the window ten minutes later. Nighttime in the city was actually quite beautiful, compared to the exciting yet hectic daytime hours.

She would slowly float up to the skyline, where she would pause for a minute to take in the view.

There was a faint red-purple blur of light just fading over the horizon, giving the numerous skyscrapers a picturesque backdrop. Rows of lights from windows glimmered brightly, one by one blinking out as their residents said goodnight. The towers themselves stood tall and dark against the starry sky, impressive yet comforting at the same time.

The stars shone bright, each sparkling out from the black night canvas. Her vision was excellent, better than the average human's, and she could see the bright flashes and changes of color each star sent out as it pulsated. The galaxy here was beautiful.

The celestial fires flashed red and blue in succession, and if she listened hard enough and strained to hear the right frequency, she could hear it.

The stars were humming.

She could feel it in space. The sun was low-pitched—she could feel the deep, silent thunderings that would make a person deaf if sound could travel through the empty vacuum of space. Other close stars—Procyon, Arcturus, and the like—sent out different patterns and tones.

Earth's atmosphere was designed so that you could hear them, if you listened.

Low baritones echoed through her not-quite-human head, and the soft melodies of distant starlight seemed to call to her.

She rose softly above the city, enveloped in the faint, golden glow of its nightly lights.

—"Of Dictionaries and Space Monkeys: WordGirl Oneshots" (unpublished)

2: Ocean Sky

Water cascaded down from the sky in one huge stream, passing through sunbeams as it flowed.

For one breathless moment it caught the sun behind it, causing the world around it to be absolutely lit up, all arrayed in wavy beams of pristine blue light. The depth of the blue was stunning—it was like the darkest sky and the brightest ocean, all intertwined brilliantly in the golden rays of the sun.

Time seemed to still; the light seemed to stop—it all hung there, motionless, for one undying second. It was an eternity—and yet, a mere breath, for another second passed and it was over.

The wave came crashing down on the grass, soaking the ground and running off the scattered rocks.

One figure stood silent in the middle of the clearing; herself caught in the center of the sudden torrent.

Her azure arms were slick with water, her navy hair drenched and heavy. Her blue sundress hung limp, dripping, and between her bare shoulders, a single gemstone glittered in the early morning sun.

Lazurite. Mostly lazurite.

The crystal shone dimly one last time before fading into inactivity.

But not completely.

—"Multifaceted: Steven Universe Oneshots" (Unpublished)

3: The Ringing of The Bell

She stepped out into the chilly, humid air, turning to softly shut the cellar door behind her. She turned to go around the little house to the door, but something cold clenched at her heart, holding her back.

Always lock the cellar of the bones, a voice that she supposed was her conscience echoed through her head. Perhaps her conscience just didn't do what most persons' did—she could just faintly recall a voice inside her head that had prodded her to do only good, once. She still wished to do no harm, but that voice had faded so much in the presence of this one. The ringing of the bell commanded us.

"Yes, alright," Lorna whispered softly in reply, slowly kneeling down to draw the iron latch. She slid the lock into position, then weakly pushed herself to her feet, trying to stifle a cough.

It didn't work, so she coughed hoarsely into her cotton sleeve, wishing she had the strength to cough out what kept scratching at her lungs. She didn't, so she finally stopped, face flushed from exertion as she started back toward the cabin. She shivered in the damp air and light rain, distinctly recalling how soon autumn would be coming to an end.

Did they have enough firewood to survive the Winter? Auntie Whispers had not asked her to chop the usual extra loads, instead telling her to conserve what they had. Perhaps because of how her illness liked to take over when her mind was given a chance to wander, such as when stacking wood—or perhaps it was because she hadn't quite finished last year, collapsing into a faint with only one last log to split.

She was aware of nothing for days after that. When she regained consciousness, there was a new pile of bones for her to sort.

Lord, why must I endure these things?

Another scratch in her throat interrupted her thoughts, and she paused to cough again into her arm, wincing a bit in between shudders.

"I must get back in where it is warmer..." the girl murmured, her voice mild and shy, even as she spoke to herself. She recalled the empty hearth that awaited her inside, and for a moment, she rather wished that she had lit the fire despite Auntie Whisper's instructions to wait.

She quickly shook the thought away. Thoughts like those could turn to wickedness so very easily.

She could only hope Auntie Whispers would allow her to light the hearth when she returned. Only fire truly seemed to warn her nowadays—she could put on so many overcoats, yet she remained cold to the inside.

Perhaps it was just her illness.

—"Golden Memories: Over the Garden Wall Oneshots" (unpublished)

4: Little Rhymes

"...When you submit to the soil... of the earth."

The glowing eyes were close to her now, just out of reach of the lantern light, their figure shrouded safely in the enveloping darkness of the night. Anna only now noticed she was trembling slightly, but though her body was instinctively afraid, she was not.

Warm light from the lantern behind her fell on her back, and she probably looked like a dark silhouette to the creature in front of her, too. The aging, crooked boards of the porch were firm beneath her feet, and she took in a deep breath, relishing the scent of dried wood and pine. The old cabin felt the same as it ever did back when her mother and father were here. He could not harm her.

The Beast only took lost souls.

She was at home.

"What do you look like, Beast?"

—"Golden Memories: Over the Garden Wall Oneshots" (unpublished)

5: Down the Drain

Milo felt a cold hand brace on his arm—he knew it was Melissa's, but it gripped his arm so tightly that he didn't recognize it for a moment. He knew what it felt like when people were afraid, and his fearless best friend was very afraid.

He could barely see her bluish silhouette in the dark water, though the now-faint shine of his headlamp was enough for him to make out her hair billowing out in all directions. She was looking upward, pushing on the metal sealed above them, banging on it—but then there was a flicker of wide-eyed blue, and she was staring desperately through the water at him.

Milo rarely, if ever, felt like there was nothing he could do in a situation. But with burning lungs under a manhole cover that wasn't giving way, and staring nervously back into the eyes of his clearly panicked friend, he abruptly realized that maybe this was the end, for real—and he wouldn't even get to tell his family he loved them one more time.

He couldn't tell anyone he loved them one last time.

A silent sob escaped him into the roaring water, and he shook his head, doing the next best thing.

He grabbed his friend in a desperate hug.

—"Today Is Gonna Be Exceptional || Milo Murphy's Law Oneshots" (unpublished)

6: The Murphy Theory

Milo laughed, looking upward to see that on the edge of the bright blue sky, the storm clouds were beginning to roll in again. But this time, he didn't mind—and because nothing could ruin his day, he doubted anything would.

"Are you kidding?" he replied with an honest smile, spinning around to walk carefully backwards, so to face his friends. Melissa and Zack looked up at him curiously, so he continued, grinning brighter. "I... might've wondered what a normal day would be like sometimes, yeah. But that doesn't mean I would wanna live like that. The worst and the best thing about Murphy's law is that it's so unpredictable! Every single day is a brand new adventure!"

Melissa smiled fondly at her friend, and Zack joined her, pushing his hands in his pockets and smirking dryly.

"Always expect the unexpected, huh?" Zack offered, not being able to help breaking into a smile at his friend's relentless happiness.

"Yeah!" Milo laughed, basking in the feeling of the warm sun on his face. He turned to face his best friends, putting his back to the setting sun. The light cast a golden glow all around him, making him look as though he himself radiated warmth and sunshine. "That too, but..."

He grinned, brown eyes sparkling and dancing with the prospect of a world full of adventure.

"...Especially expect the exceptional!"

—"Expect the Exceptional (Milo Murphy's Law)" (published)

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Tagging lilwoodb, Agent0002, and JonathanEllison, because I'm really curious about you guys! ;D (Also BrightnessWings19 and saras369 if they'd like to do it!)

(As always, just pretend you're not tagged if you don't want to do it, and consider yourself tagged if you do! I call it the Fluctuating Law of Tagitivity. Or the Law of Fluctuating Tagitivity. ...Both the law and the tagitivity fluctuate.)

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed!