The Lair of Zaniida

Well, if you came from AO3, then you're probably aware that I write some dark and disturbing stuff.
But also that I write some cute and fluffy stuff.

My primary fandoms (as of 2020) are Person of Interest and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Less central fandoms (for which I have published or planned multiple projects) include Welcome to Night Vale, Lost, and the anime Slayers. I've got a smattering of other fandoms, but no big plans to branch into other major fandoms at the moment.

Tags and Terminology

I've coined a few terms, a couple that are specific to my writing and one that refers to a Fic Form that I hope to see many other authors make use of.

Safe or Intensely Traumatizing?

elbows-friendly: Because my writing tends to dig into some deep, dark places, I coined a term to mean "lower intensity than my norm, and nothing particularly disturbing." This tag is to let one specific fan (elbowsinsidethedoor) know that she can read my story without worrying too much about the content.

Denise's Delight: By contrast, when I want to put Harold Finch through hell (physical and/or emotional/psychological anguish/torment), I label it for a different fan, one who loves to see her sweety get tortured.

In case it's not clear, these tags are mutually exclusive (a single fic can't be both safe and traumatic). Also, plenty of my fics don't fall under either category.

Five Moments of Intimacy

I'm gonna share with you a secret: Two people can be intimate without sex.

You wouldn't think so, given society's focus on sexuality, but intimacy isn't inherently sexual. Aragorn and Legolas, for example, can be deeply intimate, lifelong friends, without either one wanting to get in the other's pants. Siblings can be intimate, parents can be intimate with their children, best friends can be intimate -- tons of people are in intimate relationships of one sort or another, and only a small fraction of those relationships involve sex.

I coined the Five Moments of (Nonsexual) Intimacy (FMI or FMNI) fic form in order to explore the concept. It's similar to the 5+1 Things fic form, and I would love to see it become as popular as that one.

Basically, just touch on each of five categories (physical, emotional, experiential, secret sharing, and vulnerability/acceptance) and you've got it. Could be one scene each, or a full chapter each, or all in the same scene. Could be between the same two characters, or between five different pairs of characters, or one person with five different people.

I've demonstrated and explored the form in a wide variety of fics across several fandoms:

I've got hazy plans to make FMI fics for at least some of the following fandoms: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, MASH, ElfQuest, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, Little Men, Disney's Recess, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. No idea which ones I might get to, but you can see that the form lends itself to any fandom, from kid's cartoons to war dramas to space westerns.


The Fics

All right, let's see these guys in some semblance of order.

One-Shots

Person of Interest

POI Birthday Prompts: Write stories for these characters in their respective actors' birth months ^_^

Reward Drabbles

FMI Short Shorts
Man, on the Inside
Three Minutes
Harold Would Have Thanked Him
January Promptly Arrives
February Soon Appears
The Fight (a cheeky misleading title)
Amorous Fancies
Any time a fic of mine has the initials 'A' and 'F', check to see when it got posted ^_^
August Zooms In
November Shuffles the Deck
Retrospective: Air
I don't want this body to hurt anyone
Retrospective: Water
March Comes Barreling In
Fluff Drabbles
June Unexpectedly Arises
December Acts Selflessly
First Christmas Alone
Five Memories of Intimacy
The Problem with Convenient Apps
Joanna and Carlee
Squidilarities
Five Moments in the Park
Harold's Nightmare
Best-Case Scenario
Muffled Loneliness
Costumes
Five Moments of Intimacy: A Demonstration of Form
Look, John, Just Play Along
Unbearably Fluffy (An Apology in Advance)
Incompatible
October Feels Odd
A Conversation with Miss Kittiwake
A Better Way
Bespoke
The Great Mistake

Fusion Piece: Fledling Avengers is the POI cast reprising the roles of the Avengers in the argument scene on the helicarrier.

Marvel Cinematic Universe

MCU Birthday Prompts: Write stories for these characters in their respective actors' birth months ^_^

Pain Is Inevitable
Pepper's Five Moments of Intimacy: A Demonstration of Form
Five Intimacies Lost Over Time
Breaking Point
Cuckoos

Completed Chapterfics

Strip Search Numb Too Long Obedience Is Bliss (Don't Fight It) Acceptable Loss

Open Chapterfics

Truths Unwhispered
Shared Spirits
FMI Main Cast
Waif
A Little Help
Buying Time
Strange Bedfellas
Bargains
Nippitaty
The Toll
To Be There in Time
On the Other Side of the Mirror
Manipulations
A Room with Five Fans Everybody Wants Finch Unseen Things
Growing Memories
Reclining Butterfly
Solace on Sakaar, Unforeseen Friendship, and Pass It On
Festering
Reforming
Icy Diplomacy
Before the Norns
To the Victor, by Consent of the Spoils
Tremble and Serve

Other Media