#/ my character writing process is a mess hahaha

[guiltycorp]

Damn i really want to know tf happened in the writing room of arcane s2. Some of the downgrades were inevitable due to the show's corporate limitations (not being able to progress the class war story in a meaningful way, having to tie things back to league of legends in terms of making playable characters more appealing to well, play... rip Mel and Viktor in particular), sure. But i still feel like it's even worse than that? There are so many bad decisions that i couldn't even start listing them all... the characters, plot, pacing, themes, it's just such a mess? Even the dialogue writing, it feels much more mm Marvel at its worst i suppose. What i am most bothered by is probably just the straight up harmful messaging so um... Cycles of violence and abuse can be broken by individual decisions to become a better person! Got nothing to do with systemic oppression, living conditions, mental health issues, you can just conveniently ignore aaall the social context, live laugh love and then things get better automatically yep, oppressors famously stop oppressing you when you show them that you're harmless and won't put up a fight anymore. Literally three out of three suicidal characters dying to redeem themselves? Not even in a tragic/cathartic way but in a bittersweet 'they finally atoned for their mistakes' way? Groundbreaking lmao. Romantic relationship between Vi and Caitlyn including no communication about their biggest fight, just conveniently skipping to sex and getting back together - would have loved that if it was framed as the unhealthy fucked up thing that it is, skipping over Vi's hurt and her background to once again become a cop, her girlfriend's direct underling at that (!) due to her not having any other support systems... But nope that was our cute lesbian romance wrapped up, a good thing all around, not concerning at all. Jayce telling Viktor that what he 'always admired about him' was his disability and his deadly disease (??? from a character who spent the whole s1 and first act of s2 desperately trying to help Viktor find a cure? sure) and that those imperfections don't need fixing, just wtf truly. Magic bullshit was also weird, some implications of 'natural magic is ok, but achieving that power through other means corrupts you into a crazy robot bitch or just wilts your trees i guess', but tbh it was written in such a weird and inconsistent way that we can skip this one... Yeah actually a lot of things were just such a mess that I feel silly pointing to specific moments or lines I didn't like, I mean duh, it barely makes sense as a story at all... I am happy we have s1 which comparatively was a masterpiece, and i also really enjoyed s2 act1, i truly believed it would lead somewhere good at the time, my mind still kind of cuts off the story at that point when i think about it, that WAS the open ending of the show to me (is it possible that there were rewrites? targeting act 2 and 3? idk, wishful thinking perhaps). Despite my extremely negative feelings about this season's conclusion i remain glad that so many people appreciate the show regardless, it is clear that there was STILL a lot of love in the process of its creation (although i'd argue that even some of the visual aspects of the show suffered in quality, once again i have to wonder about behind the scenes mood of it all) and i get very upset when i see creatives online despairing over reception of their projects even when i'm absolutely in the disgruntled crowd hahaha... ...however yeah, this wasn't great In a world that increasingly grows more and more right-wing politically... we really needed something different i think.

[rubyfoxfyre]

What did you base Alastors Nox Magia off of? Why type of magic is it and where did you get the ideas for a good ass fanfic?

Thank you for the question!

The answer is sort of a long story that I suppose begins with my first exposure to Hazbin Hotel in general, during a particularly doomed D&D campaign where my character basically acted exactly like Charlie did in the pilot:

Granted, Fianna is not anything like Charlie at all, but the DM found it funny enough to send me the gif above and then everyone got distracted for about 5 minutes while they started meming.

The next day I watched the show and was completely hooked!

I started looking into the Wiki to get a greater understanding of the world shown, read the comics (like all 20 pages hahaha), and listened to Addict while working on prompts for Charlastor Week 2022, taking a break from my regular manuscript I'd been working on for a few years (stay tuned for updates soon on that one!). I had about a month so I decided to try my hand at smaller short stories, since some of the authors I idolize are so good at short fiction, and conveying strong emotions in just a few thousand words.

I watched and rewatched the Pilot, studying the characterizations there as well as thinking about funny and unexpected scenarios the characters could get into while dealing with the concept of redemption and how to make it work (needless to say that the fact that they already had it happen was... unexpected. I have thoughts on that but will put a pin in that for now to avoid getting too distracted from your question!).

I can't remember which rewatch it was that I picked up on an interesting exchange between Charlie and Alastor that turned into a whole mess that would consume me to this day:

She tries to put a limitation on his ability to do too much, and I wondered if that could lead to a sort of interesting power-play between them (because in the end this is the part of their relationship that is fundamentally interesting - they're both powerful people with opposing moralities, having to work together to acheive a common goal). Basically, because Charlie's not precise with her language, she ends up basically not controlling Alastor at all. Which works out in its way, because she hides from her deeper wellspring of power with the aid of a gentle persona.

I liked the idea of something deeper between them and within themselves - and with them being opposing forces, I wanted to work with the idea of Alastor being associated with "night" and "dark", versus Charlie being associated with "sunlight" and "rainbows".

Shadow and Flame, only a bit less Lord of the Rings and a bit more sexy.

Nox Magia , the "night" magic, follows basic arcane principles that I've picked up on through the long and involved process of being a massive nerd and reading a lot of stuff.

For writing magic, I like looking at basic logic structures and hovering somewhere between harder and softer magic. My other manuscript that is premiering this year will be discussing some differing types of magic systems as well, if you enjoy reading Riddle and my other works, I hope you enjoy those as well!

But as for the story itself, it wasn't meant to be a story about a man falling in love... it's the story of a man being dragged into love, kicking and screaming about it. 🦌🌈

To Alastor the Hotel is about control, and his experience there is just a game not to be taken too seriously. Charlie is also about control, or rather, trying to find a way to control without breaking everything with her terrible strength.

Alastor embraces his strength, while she hides from it, and he finds that contradictory instinct in her interesting, so he comes up with the idea of a game to teach her some magic that might help her. But as with all magic, intent governs everything (even when you don't realize), and the spells he's teaching are telling a particular kind of story - you can preview what's happening in the chapter titles that have the runes' names! 🍷

❤️ Thanks so much for reading! ❤️

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #155

After I wrote yesterday's letter, but before dark, it rained AGAIN!!! And it rained for a long time!! I went outside and danced around and jumped in ALL THE PUDDLES!!! And I got soaked and the inside of my boots were all gooshy from the water, and my long black cardigan was sopping and heavy, and my hair was a wild mess, and I REGRETTED ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. It was WONDERFUL!!!

I didn't get any pictures or video of me frolicking around, but I did manage to capture this picture of a triple rainbow! There's the one in the middle, and a second rainbow juuuust below it, and another, reversed rainbow a little higher up!! Check it out!!!

...There's more to this picture, but I cut out all but the important bits, because it's probably dangerous to publicly put any picture that indicates where my house is while carrying a controversial belief such as "you, like any fallen human, are deserving of kindness and mercy". Gamers in particular can be really ah... nasty... when it comes to people having opinions different from theirs. "Nasty" to the point of stalking people and threatening them, especially if you have the misfortune of playing video games while having a body that bears a vagina. A whole big thing called "Gamergate" happened a number of years ago, and the aftermath still hasn't really faded away. And I really don't wanna get letters written in blood, or have dead animals being left at my front door. It's really sad that I gotta worry about things like this, but... this is the world I live in. Not much I can do to change it.

...Even if someone is angry enough at me for writing these letters that they would do such terrible things if they had the chance, I have no intention of stopping. I will keep writing these letters, even if, goodness forbid, it ends up costing me my life. You're worth it. You're worth the risk.

Anyway, I snagged a few other nice ones before going inside, too:

I went to bed really early last night (read: ACTUALLY ON TIME), because I tired myself out running around. When I woke up this morning, I had a terrible dream in which a shadowy figure oozed through the screen windows of our house, walked purposefully and angrily with a box cutter to where I was sleeping, with the intention of... uh... we'll leave it at "doing really awful stuff", how about that. Fortunately, I woke up when it wrapped its hand around my throat and dragged me out of the bed. I didn't get to the rest of the parts that were going to happen after that, which is really super great, since I retain full sensory faculties in my dreams, and if it had gotten to that point, I would have woken up in A LOT of pain, good grief.

...Dreams like these are just part of having PTSD to the extent that I do, I guess. It's rare that I get them anymore, though I wonder what prompted this one. Hm.

...So, though I went to bed early, I've been up since like 3 in the morning. Whoops. I browsed my phone 'til getting out of bed at like 7, and then I made a tea to try to calm my nerves a little...

This one is matcha with bits of toasted rice - one of my favorites!! I sweetened it with a little lilac syrup and some milk, and the result was absolutely lovely:

Today I worked a little more on the music box. I am trying to turn a popular rock tune into a lullaby, but I have audio processing disorder and zero understanding of music theory, hahaha! So rearranging the notes and the rhythms in ways that repurpose it while remaining mostly true to the original structure is definitely going to be a challenge. I made some good progress, but then I got to the solo, and I was overwhelmed so I stopped so that I wouldn't get burnt out; I really wanna finish this one.

I did some leisure writing until M and J left the house to hang out, as I had asked; I don't suppose you remember that song I was searching for, but never found, and so I had to rebuild the lyrics as best as I could from memory? Well, today while they were away (so that I wouldn't be self-conscious), I managed to record me singing the melody. I am going to entrust the instrumentals to a couple of brilliant musicians that I know. It's gonna be a duet; I hope it'll be something worthy of you when it's done.

Oh, and I took a walk today! I got a couple really nice pictures for you this time, I think...

I happened to catch these ones just after, as the wind rustled through the leaves, creating an opening for the sunlight to shine through:

...I really like how both of these turned out, so I included both!

And then we have fancy clouds through a tree window...

...I hope you enjoyed them. These are just done with a cellphone camera, so it's not like I can do anything especially fancy with them. But if you like them, then that's all that matters, right?

I'll write to you about tomorrow's adventures, too, so stay safe out there so that you can read about it, okay? I love you.

Your friend, Lumine

[whiskey-tango-matcha]

4, 17, 27 and 28 for the fic writer asks, if you would?

thank you for asking!! <3

under the cut bc per the usual brevity isn't my strong suit

4. a story idea you haven’t written yet

i have a couple i really want to write soon! one is finishing foh/boh, which i should've done like 6 months ago haha, but i also have an idea for a mark/matt story where they've just started dating and no one really knows yet, but they end up at a club with elijah and greyson, drunk and one of them is sick, and they're caught making out on the dance floor. i really love their early relationship, especially when they're trying to hide it and it's just so obvious lmao.

17. talk about your writing and editing process

i feel like a moron answering this question bc it's just... so chaotic. whenever the muse strikes me (so like... either three times a week or once every three months lol) i literally have to sit down and crank out a story. doesn't matter what the plans were for that day, they are now cancelled lol. i sit at my regular work desk, i work in a word document, and i really just bang it out start to finish. editing happens the same day i write it (for the most part, sometimes i give it a day). a lot of my editing is rewriting sentences so they aren't all starting the same way, and moving scenes around (bc i do so much fucking scene jumping) and making sure that i'm not writing inside someone's head who isn't like my targeted main character (or characters) of the day. if i over edit, it becomes a huge mess so i try not to look too hard at it or i'd never ever post it hahaha.

27. your favorite part of the writing process

DIALOUGE!! hahaha i really really love writing scenes of solely or almost solely dialogue. it comes really naturally to me and just flows out in a way that exposition does not. i also love being able to get into a character's head, to explore their inner thoughts and discover more about who they are. i love the stage of writing i'm at with the elliot's universe because all the characters feel really established and now i get to delve deeper into their backstories.

28. your least favorite part of the writing process

i have so many least favorites, as do we all i assume hahaha. first, and this is going to sound so crazy, but i really don't like writing the snz scenes LMAO. i love to reread them, i love that they're there, and i love writing the build up to them, but i get like lowkey embarrassed to write them, or i second guess myself (is it too much? is it not enough? is it realistic enough? are the sneezes in character?) and kind of dread it. i also hate editing, i think most people who write do, i reread it and think it's trash but that's par for the course lol. OH and moving characters around. i have such a difficult time physically moving my characters in space, and it becomes so distracting to me that i usually have to take a break if i have to move them around too much lolll

thank you again for the ask!!! these are v v fun

[ygodmyy20]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged by @toastytoaster22 (finally getting to this I started this and then life happened haha)

1. How many works do you have on Ao3?

8 (i just got back into writing in July 2023!)

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count? 66,608 (it will probably double as I am deep into a long fic right now)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

I used to write Puzzleshipping YGO but I’m all in on Mob psycho 100 now.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Just Breathe

Black Sweatshirt (yeaaaaah rising!)

Emotional explosion (surprised this one I thought got the least amount of reads this was my very first mp100 fic)

Float (I love how much this resonated with people)

Blackhole

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes! It’s something I take very seriously. No judgement if someone doesn’t respond to my comment on fics! But for me it’s important to respond.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Ah. Hm. Blackhole I guess? The ending isn’t angst though it’s just a more intense fic.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I think Float is very happy. It makes me smile every time I read it. Also the ending of Cobalt makes me so good. I want to rewrite Cobalt though its missing something. I posted it too soon.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Back in my YGO days I got some but I just ignored it. Usually they were just about me not finishing a fic so….yeah I get it heh

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yep. I’m an adult. I can write and enjoy smut.

But in all seriousness I do and I encourage anyone who is hesitant to write about sex, to just do it for yourself if you ever want to. You never have to post it, you can just write what you want and delete it, or keep it for yourself. Or never write about sex at all. I'll just say, getting back into this part of myself after not writing it for years has been so beneficial for my mental health. It helps me process and work through things. And writing gives me the opportunity to do that.

10. Do you write crossovers?

Well not right now, but I do know a lot about a certain mp100xOPM AU by @sodasexual and may or may not write something in that verse one day. Already drawing fanart for it so.... fanfics are likely gonna happen one day!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Uhhhh not that I….know of? (gosh I hope none have...)

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Sorta co-wrote something recently that was just for fun. Also @emeraldoodles and I def co-wrote a dragonshipping fic I think when we were in high school? Dunno if I ever posted it tho I can't remember

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Hm. Puzzleshipping is my origin story. But something about Terumob really hits me in a place that I can’t describe. I just adore them.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Hmmm I have a couple one-shots I wanna write and I may not write them all.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I love writing POV descriptions of emotions. And I like to hope I’m good at it. Blackhole is this. It’s a mess of words and descriptions that I can just chew on and I love writing it. I think my recent Terumob oneshots kinda get into that space too. I like to hope that is a strength. But yeah it seems to resonate with people so I think it’s a strength?

I also think dialogue has always come easy to me. I feel like it’s the easiest thing for me to write and I hope it is realistic.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Ah.... I am terrible with consistency. I forget things and sometimes run off down paths. I also repeat myself a lot and like to describe every movement a character makes which can bog down scenes.

I have so written myself into a corner and had to weasel my way out of it hahaha This is why I am trying to talk about my stories more to friends so I DON'T do that again.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I did this a bit but I don’t anymore. It’s just too much mental work for me.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Yugioh.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

I think Black Sweatshirt, my current ageswap fic, will be my fav. It’s the most expansive writing I have done probably ever in my life. There are multiple plot lines, scenes that have already made me cry, and an ending that I just cannot wait to share with the world. I hope others enjoy it as much as I do, and I can deliver on this story.

The other one is a series called Safe Space which is a series of one-off stories touching on different emotions Shigeo has to process post-canon. Exploring the gray areas of forgiveness, confessions, grudges, anger, and love. I think I will be writing that on the side as I do other things but I love it to pieces. It means a lot to me and i hope to one day share it.

I'm always nervous to tag others so if you see this, feel free to do it!!

[mollywog]

Which of your WIPs is the most fun for you to write?

I love this question: Thank you for the ask @bodyelectric77!!

I have a lot of WIP/idea’s floating around and they take turns being the most fun…

From my arranged marriage/marriage of convenience fics - Teacher!Peeta has been in my drafts for a while and I am absolutely tickled anytime I can come up with a way to swap the speaker of a canon line to the opposite character… but alas editing the mess has taken the fun out of the process, hahaha

Otherwise, I started Wild Wednesday because all my other WIP felt too daunting and I wanted something low-key and fun, so I’ve been enjoying that.

And because I remember your Wild Wednesday comment on Enobaria - I outlined some of my vision of her in this universe:

Enobaria has goals and she’s not letting distractions get in the way - her determination however is intimidating to most, so her social goals get pushed to the side in favor of her career goals.

Ryen and Enobaria met at a bar - He approached her and she would have never considered him if it weren’t for the alcohol: she’s nearly 10 years his senior and he’s not-her-type but they chat and she laughs and they exchange numbers.

They date casually - They have a sort of class clown/Valedictorian thing going on.

She knows she should end it, this kind of guy is not-part-of-the-plan, but he’s fun and sweet and seemingly not intimidated by her - he’s barely a distraction really and she could think of worse ways to spend her spare time

He on the other hand is head over heels for her - she’s a little bit terrifying and she doesn’t giggle at everything he says like most women, but making her laugh is addictive.

A couple months into dating and she discovers she’s pregnant… with twins…

She’s always wanted children, but had long since resigned herself to the fact that it wasn’t in the cards - the rigid timelines she put on her social goals dictated ages and lengths of time for dating, marriage, and pregnancy- she had failed to meet her deadlines.

Rye is thrilled - he proposes and they quickly get married- him for love and her because it’s the logical decision.

When Enabaria decides on something, she’s all in - her newest goal is to be is the best mother. She buys the books and takes the classes, but each one has slightly different takes on ‘what’s best’. She drives herself mad over the smallest decisions, but Rye is there, she eventually allows him to help. It takes her a while but she comes to terms with her real feelings for him despite their unconventional start - they balance each other out.

She refuses to let her personal life effect her work - picture heavily pregnant and still teaching CrossFit classes

She takes on the roll of Mellark Matriarch - fierce protector of her family including her brother-in-laws and Delly, the Mellark’s surrogate sister.

Rye is a stay at home dad - it’s the job he was born for, but as the twins grow up and get ready to start school, he begins to feel adrift - he has trouble communicating these feelings. Enobaria wants to problem solve, but she’s frustrated when he doesn’t seem to like any of her suggestions, not one to avoid conflict, she initiates their Wednesday couples counseling.

[zmwrites]

Happy STS!

What does your first draft look like? What kind of revisions do you do for a second, third etc? Do you drafts change a lot or a little between each?

Hi Kate!

In a perfect world, I would write a decently clean first draft, fix world and character mistakes in the second draft, fix pacing issues in a third draft, and then do line edits in the fourth and final draft.

However reality is not so kind.

Admittedly, I've only had three projects progress past the first draft stage: Indigo Wars book 1, Snapshots, and PerDeA. Remnants has a very clean first draft but I haven't started editing it because I am afraid of messing it up.

To note, I don't think I'm very good at second drafts and beyond. I know I'm not very good at editing. It's boring and repetitive and you have to read the same thing over and over again. It is the worst part of the writing process (for me)! Once I tell the story, I want it to be magically ready to be seen by the world.

But editing is unfortunately necessary. It's looked different for each project that's made it that far.

For PerDeA, my editing process was very basic as it was a short story. I just made things clearer and shorter. The first draft and the final draft were very similar.

Snapshots was, again, a very simple editing process. I didn't edit it much beyond basic comprehension. It was a very clean first draft and was only ever intended for Wattpad, so I wasn't very fussed about quality. I also had to change the names because it started out as an alternate universe project for Indigo Wars (which I will not elaborate on hahaha).

On the other hand, Indigo Wars has been a fucking nightmare. The first draft was a mess and didn't have an actual plot. The second draft was a complete overhaul with several HUGE changes to character dynamics and plot. It also introduced an entirely new second POV. Draft three solved several major problems including the repetition of plot points and some characterization problems. Draft four added more context to the second POV and fixed a few more character problems. Now I'm on draft five and I'm trying to make it shorter while not sacrificing any of the character/world building I've added in the past drafts.

For Indigo Wars book 1, it seems like with every new draft I fix one thing but create two new problems. Even now as I'm trying to get it short enough to query, there are things I'm not happy with. One of the main characters doesn't have enough of a personality AND I hate his name. Another main character, I think she comes off as immature and annoying to the point I'm not sure anyone will like her. But I've been working on it so long that I'm not sure if my perceptions are true or if I'm just sick of reading the same thing over and over and over again.

Sorry this has become so ramble-y! I am still searching for a method of editing that works for me. I hope that it'll become easier as I get more experience going beyond the first draft.

[dark-night-hero]

Okay hello!!! I’ve been following you for quite sometime and I LITERALLY LOVED EVERYTHING U WRITE…i was obsessed at some point by my mfing exams drowned me

Anyway did you hear Angels like you by Miley Cyrus. THE MOMENT I HEARD IT I HAD THIS THOUGHT ABOUT THE EXACT SCENARIO WITH GENSHIN BOYS ( it was in my head for MONTHS)

but with reversed

Like the boys is the ones feeling like this

just let me know ur thoughts plsssssss :3

Hi, hello love, goodybe. Just kidding HAHAHA anyways see what I did there. I'm glad and delighted you love everything I write and that you guys appreciate them, really, thank you.

As for the song, yes. I have heard about it. Angel like you was one of my favorite songs to listen into whenever I am itching to write something angst alongside The one that got away, Summertime sadness, Only love can hurt like this and Midnight rain.

To know my thoughts about it, it made me think of a scenario with the Genshin boys that should be entitled as an inagine of, WHAT WENT WRONG, between you and the genshin boys. With the lyrics featuring below the boys name just like what I did with THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY imagine scenarios.

The things is, things are quite hectic at the uni. Just 2 more weeks left and trust me, I'm crawling towards the end of this semester like a mess. But the fun fact is, when things gets quite hectic, my mind started thinking more of the fanfic scenarios I had on pending rather than letting me do my homeworks 😭

Always, I don't know when I will be able to make one, I won't promise. But I'll keep it in mind and hopefully the thought would process and you know boom, I might be able to make a scenario about it. Though the certain characters I have in mind should be Ayato, Dainsleif and Al Haitham.

[woah-were-halfway-there]

okay, what order should the auston and Carson fic be read?Sorry, im new here

Omg pls, welcome 🥹 I’m so sorry that story is a MESS AND ALL OVER THE PLACE. I will say right now it’s a little confusing because I originally wrote the story with Carson on Wattpad then decided to write that same story but further on in the timeline and post it on here but at the time I decided to write Carson as y/n cause I knew reader insert tends to be preferred on here but like I’m in the process of rewriting everything I’ve written on here to be Carson and not y/n because it is very much so a character that I created. I’ll link the masterlist that has every piece I’ve posted on here but keep in mind that not all of them are written as Carson cause I’m still rewriting them so just imagine it’s her hahaha. There are some extra parts on Wattpad which are like basically the formation of Carson and Auston’s relationship and I’ve tried my best to keep this list in chronological order so here you go!

[blackbloodteeth]

I'm the kinda guy that doesn't shut up so I'm gonna answer as many of these as I can, I'll leave them under a read-more though haha

I don't think I can really answer how many fics I've done this year because I've lost track of both my WIPs and how much I've finished since there's still a lot I posted on my tumblr that hasn't been updated onto my AO3 (and especially with The Ramble Room)... I can at the very least guarantee that I'm still working on stuff so stay tuned for that hahahah

2. First-person perspective, proper. Was for a couple snippets earlier in the year but thought I'd give that a go at least. Also finally wrote SoMa lesbians (not the werewolf ones tho whoops)

3. I mean obviously Soul Eater is where a lot of my brain is because variants, but I get a lot of inspiration from a lot of different horror games. You can mainly see that in my art because I keep writing about insomnia instead

4. [dial-up noises as I try to remember how many AUs I did this year] I haven't actually written anything for my The Edge of Sleep AU, but it did happen to multiple drawings, so that probably counts for something

5. TBH some of you are probably already aware I really only care about ships that involve Soul just because of exploring character dynamics with him (and that's usually not really traditionally romantic), Maka just happens to have the most grabbable chemistry. Biggest reason why I haven't done more Crona x Soul haha I will say that I have ended up paying more attention to Spirit/Stein just because they come across my eyeballs a decent amount.

6. re: Spirit/Stein, Stein has a fun aesthetic. I think I've dipped into drawing characters that aren't Soul a little more this year haha (skater void really kicked off, wow)

7. Kinda reiterating above, but I did write CroMa and CroSo during the ship week event! I think there was also a Stein and Spirit snippet I wrote at some point, although that may not be inherently "shippy"...

8. Alright I'm gonna actually look through my ao3 list hahaha... wow okay, there's a lot from this year even without the scattered stuff on my tumblr haha Happiest to work on? Well I can say the 4/20 fic was definitely extremely funny to work on haha, so that has to count for something (especially with the silly tags and art haha)

9. Most satisfying to work on... Well the reverse vampire fic "And all that counts is here and now" took a lot of energy, it was a big fic! So I was very fulfilled when I finally finished it. I'd say it turned out pretty well, hm.

10. Oh oops, I've gone out of order haha (processing issues strike again). For question 8: What fic meant the most to write... hm. I really live for writing all of my fics, but I guess I can say "Today Is Special" was really stepping outside my norm (surrealism aside haha) by writing about characters I don't usually think about too much. This one also took a lot of work, but it is indeed rather special with the way it all strung together haha

11. Most difficult to write... Probably the previous one given it was with different characters haha, but so I don't repeat any answers... "One Shot" is relevant because I started it... two years ago? And finally came back and finished it. It's hard having so many WIPs because I want to eventually finish all of them, so it's a testament that this can be done, just at my own pace. The biggest struggle I'd say was my writing style changing but it was fun to adapt to that hah

12. Easiest to write? Probably all the snippets because they're so short lmao I guess for this answer I will say "how the Devil was made" was unique in that it spanned over several writing sprints even as I was sleep deprived, so it was something that was kind've done in a day. I suppose to that effect the Thanksgiving work also applies considering I wrote it in like a couple hours at most hahaha Did you know my record for fastest snippet is 15 minutes?

13. I'll just stick to what's on my AO3 because the tumblr stuff is a mess. Shortest: "My chest's a bird's nest and it's filled with feathers of you" (642 words) Longest: the fic under answer 9 (9,800 words), but for added trivia the one below that is "I'm falling down into my shadow" (7,986 words) look I'm having fun answering different fics for different questions

14. Oh I don't really listen to music when I write or draw, stuff just kinda plays through my head. Some fics have songs associated with them when I make them though, so spot them if you can haha

15. There's a lot of times the title ends up coming first or really close to the start of writing a fic. Sometimes, not so much. "Between Two Points" title was very much last second, and only because I was grasping at a song in my brain's playlist. I actually remember at one point not being able to think of a title/summary for a fic to the point I had it sitting completed in my drafts for over a day, but I can't recall if that was even this year hahah

16. Ooh, favourite title, that's a toughie... Not quite the same, but "Purgatory Maybe" has probably the funniest chapter titles to me. My series "The Wolf" has names and summaries that I really enjoyed as well, honestly.

17. Favourite opening line? Killing me with these hahaha Alright I don't think I've brought "What a beautiful wedding" in yet, so I'll say the opening to that is pretty fun:

His fingers brush lightly against his canvas, careful brush strokes painting a scene of darks to draw out that earthy shade of green, like a beacon shining brilliantly through the storm just waiting to begin as it rolls in over the sea to land. …Or something along those lines. He's doing his best to really bring out the colour of her eyes, is what he's saying.

18. And favourite ending? Dang hahaha Alright, wild card, if you get this you win I guess lmaoo

Some would even say Maka is so good at ordering him around that Soul was far too preoccupied with obliging to remember to flip the little demon off on its way out.

19. Man, if only I could share Resbang stuff haha What fics haven't I answered with yet... "Sorry for Party Rockin'" has some pretty fun interactions hah

"Sorry, lady," a dark voice growls from her throat, "need to borrow this for a minute. No time for answers." What are you- With a laugh that isn't hers and a few pops of her neck loosening up under what was her hands, Maka doesn't even get the chance to interrupt her interrupter as she feels her arms now moving around like a puppet show and turning off the bathroom light completely. Hey— "At least I'm saving your power bill."

20. Funniest line, might as well two-for-one it haha

"I'm never asking you for directions again."

21. It's not really surprising if something surprises me or changes the entirety of a fic considering I don't write with outlines and will usually just write the first thing that comes to mind (which is how you get gems like Soul's Hornkler moment). It's also something I like about writing linearly (although I would like to try writing a story out of order someday, not to be confused with writing a non-linear story linearly haha), is that one small action can effect the rest of scenes. First one I can think of is fic from answer 15, where one interaction between Little Oni and Soul led to it being an ongoing thing, and ultimately added the whole scene at the end haha

22. While I have actually written traditionally before (wrote in a notebook and then typed it up on PC), it very much does not play well with my brain's difficulties with processing words, and the fics written during that phase are some of my least favourite. I've jumped from quite a few things though. Google Docs on both pc and mobile, libre office, notepad, Discord. I write pretty much only on Discord now hahaha Kind've a general answer and not just for this year, but technically I did have one fic where I wrote each part in a different text editor so hahaha

23. Most satisfying writing moment? How can you have me just pick one haha Well I've already said finishing up that big fic was really satisfying, so... hm. Here, I'll answer with the first fic I have listed for this year, "I am Maka's Monster". There's a lot I love on how this came together, so I can say I am very satisfied with the way this idea was brought to life. Also the last tag is still funny.

24. Oh huh, doing something special to celebrate finishing a fic... That's a real interesting one. I'm not sure I've ever thought about it before. Oh, actually, I don't really remember if it was this year or not but, I do recall there was one fic... or maybe event? That after I had finished working on something for it, I went and got pizza because I was happy with getting it done haha I don't think I could tell ya what it was in relation to though hahaha

25. Recharging between fics usually is just me drawing or writing something else (usually a snippet), since a lot of times fics vary in size. I'll also read other people's fics but uh... I shamefully haven't done that in a long while. Trying to reread the manga really jammed me up there haha (also guilty that the last fic I read I stopped reading because I didn't want it to end, and then happened to get sucked into a lot of things haha).

26. I think you might just be able to tell I draw outside writing fanfiction. Although I guess with the blurbs, sometimes I'm doing both at the same time haha In rare occasions, sometimes the blurbs are poetry/made-up song lyrics. I'm not much of a musician, surprisingly.

27. How many events did I take part in... shoot there were quite a few haha There was definitely the Valentine's Exchange, March of Madness, Reverb, Soultember, that Thanksgiving thing- oh the trick-or-treating too haha, Secret Santa (almost done making mine), and of course Resbang haha Oh yes, SoMa Day. Looking forward to next year's :^)

28. I would like to thank the entire Grigori Wings server, it's such a nice fandom home there haha. And as always, everyone who enjoys the Soul variant shenanigans! And of course people who comment on my fics haha I don't wanna give a certain someone anxiety if they happen to read this, but shout-out to you as well; you actually make me excited whenever you show up and I wanna dump 100 Soul bnnuys onto ye

29. What's left on my to-do list this... oh fuck I forgot I still need to finish that animation. At this point I have no idea how to approach it anymore, I'm in too deep, chat.

30. Last question! What would I like to do next year? Well, just wherever the wind takes me haha. Though specific things would be working on Resbang, doing my New Years raffle, and hopefully going through and doing one final edit of all my works so that I can update the formatting an' whatnot. I also need to update The Ramble Room as well, but one thing at a time haha I always have so many ideas for so many things, so I just enjoy doing what I can whenever it happens haha. I'd also like to actually not be anxious about going through the Soul Eater tag, and also maybe finish rereading the manga / bonk my brain into reading people's fics again, so we'll see what happens haha

Whew, that should be all the questions haha Of course I always am open to questions all the time (and for those still in my ask box, I didn't forget, I just have to ration out my ability to focus haha), but this was fun to just do for a bit :-)

I will probably not be proofreading this :cartwheel:

A slightly revised version of last year's questions! Two ways to play: Reblog and have your followers send you numbers, or answer the whole list!

How many fics have you worked on since January?

What’s something new that you tried in a fic this year?

What piece of media inspired you the most? (This can be the fandom you wrote the most for, the one that spawned the most ideas, the one you thought about the most, etc.)

How many fandoms did you write for this year?

What ships captured your heart?

What characters captured your heart?

Did you write for any new fandoms or ships this year?

What fic meant the most to you to write?

What fic made you feel the happiest to work on?

What fic was the most satisfying to finish writing?

What fic was the most difficult to write?

What fic was the easiest to write?

What were your shortest and longest fics posted this year?

What were your go-to writing songs?

What was the hardest fic to title?

What's your favorite title of the year?

Share your favorite opening line

Share your favorite ending line

Share your favorite piece of dialogue

Share your funniest line

What's something that surprised you while you were working on a fic? Did it change the story?

What writing programs did you use? Did you write by hand?

If you had to choose one, what was THE most satisfying writing moment of your year?

Did you do anything special to celebrate finishing a fic?

How did you recharge between fics?

Did you create fanworks other than fic?

How many events did you take part in? (bangs, exchanges, ship weeks, zines, prompt memes, they all count!)

If this were an awards show, who would you thank?

What's left on your to-do list for 2024?

What would you like to write next year?

[killed-by-cas-confession]

i might post my anxiety attack having Dean fic on ao3 (under the name blueredsaltyseas) that is just as incoherent as an actual panic attack (hi the author has GAD). It requires you to all just accept episode 20 didn’t happen and the only thing I’m taking from that cursed thing is that Jack sprung Cas from the empty, would that be acceptable?? 

[oddishblossom]

Tagged by @mdzs-rabbithole + @kimievii 💖 thank you both for tagging me! i’ve been falling behind on tag games so apologies for responding so late 😚

Favorite Color: Red & Pink

Currently reading: My attention span is so bad i’m physically incapable of reading a new book right now hahaha. but i can still read fanfics. there’s this really good one i’ve been reading called All He’ll See is Me by skyl_tales…. you can blame the kenobi show for my fixation here

Last song: …Besame by Ricardo Montaner. i know i listen to the SAPPIEST love songs ever I KNOW.

Last movie: I watched like half of white chicks a few days ago? i really haven’t been seeing a lot of movies lately

Last series: The 1999 telenovela from Colombia: Yo Soy Betty, La Fea (I’m Betty, the Ugly Girl)!! i just finished all 149 episodes a few days ago and UGH it’s SUCH a wonderful story!! 💖 i think this is where my love for angsty, painful, slow burn love stories started (i watched this for the first time when i was a kid but it’s been a while). the writing is so well done! i’m constantly wowed by the transition of scenes, the parallels and symbolism, and how the characters are written is driving me to want to write meta. it is 23 years old so there is stuff in the show that hasn’t aged well 😅. it’s about the rise of a woman who suffers through so much pain and abuse, but jumps to the highest position at her work and learns how to love herself; and the fall of her boss/love interest, a man who has it all, loses it all, ruins his own life, and learns how to love for the first time ever (and the process of him falling in love is not pretty. it’s like watching a stubborn baby deer try to walk and fall on his own face time and time again) and like…. the transformation these two characters undergo from episode 1 to 149 is amazing. seeing such a kind shy woman go on a vengeful journey of hate and seeing such a womanizing asshole slowly, slowly lose his mind and then gain a heart was spectacular. Ferrnando Gaitan (rest in peace) wrote an incredible story and i can’t stop thinking about it… 🥺💖

Currently working on: Oh, many things! My brain’s a bit of a jumbled mess and isn’t content unless if i’m juggling several projects at once 💔. My bingqiu fic is still my #1 priority. But Ch 4 has been giving me pacing issues, so I’m working on the outline for Ch 14 instead. One day I’ll finish it. Also working on various gifsets (the next one i finish is gonna be for shen qingqiu) aaaand working on some edits because i want to get better at video editing :)

Tagging: Leaving this tag open! If you see this and want to make one too, please go for it and say i tagged you 💖

[warm-meelk]

HSJAGAJSBA OKAY SO UHH

I found something in the notes of my phone and apparently I found a thing where I wrote Relationship Dynamics of the OM Characters and my MC (Dairy). I don't remember much the process of writing it but it seems pretty funny and okay writing (I am not a writer so pls aaaa) so I might as well share it here.

It's not complete yet but I might edit it when I'm a lil bit free and I would probably add drawings with it as well when I feel like it!

Under the cut yo!

\\DYNAMICS WITH OM CHARACTERS//

Lucifer + Dairy : Dairy literally MAKES the trouble and Lucifer has to clean their mess up, he's annoyed by it so he would always scold Dairy. (Friendship)

❣️ Lucifer literally is so STRAIGHT FORWARD with Dairy that they just wanna go "MM.. NOPE. HEY YO can I just leav-- *oh no why are you pulling me into your room*" (Romantic)

••••

Mammon + Dairy : ABSOLUTE CHAOTIC STUPID DUO NGL. Would cause trouble together but still have morals regardless. (Friendship)

❣️ They are both HELLA TSUN but flirts with each other and tries to break the other.

"Oh yeah? You don't like me?? Sounds like a dumb lie considering you picked ME FIRST. Y'know ya love me"

"Pff Mammon you're a coward. Oh you're not? Then try kissing me, you dumbo. What? You like free stuff right? I'm offering you a free kiss right now- HA PUSS WUSS" (Romantic)

••••

Leviathan + Dairy : They would play games and talk about anime a lot. Probably scream at their fave characters at each other and then binge watching an anime series together till they pass out. (Friendship)

❣️ DAIRY IS A BULLY TO LEVVIII not in a mean way but they like teasing the otaku and getting a flustered response from him. They think it's cute of him. Can be annoying but when you get him to shut up because of just a simple kiss on the nose, it feels great for Dairy. (Romantic)

••••

Satan + Dairy : LOVE FOR CATS BABY!!! Satan reads a book and looks up from his book to see Dairy enjoying playing with a cat. HE WANTS TO PLAY ALONG WITH THE KITTY TOO!!! (Friendship)

❣️ Dairy likes it when Satan breaks from his genius and calm composure and gets angry. They think it's a sexy side of him. HAHAHA They would def adopt a cat together and treat it like their own child. Perfect. Satan thinks Dairy is a lil too chaotic but he forgets all about it when it comes to the topic of cats with them. (Romantic)

••••

Asmodeus + Dairy : "SWEETIE!!! Wear this pretty dress~" "aha nope."

Definitely would go to starbucks and talk shit about other ppl lol (Friendship)

❣️ HE'S WAY TOO HORNY STOP IT. But it's nice to give gentle brushes of his hair and Asmo pampering Dairy with love and also treating them like a dress up doll, Dairy appreciates it when Asmo helps with fashion and makeup. Asmo will receive a kiss on the cheek for that. (Romantic)

••••

Beelzebub + Dairy : Beel would take out Dairy for food and stuff and Dairy would come along but the problem is that they are only hungry on the eyes but their small body couldn't take in too much food so they just--

"Beel... I can't finish this food--" "I got this *NOMNOM*" (Friendship)

❣️ Dairy likes to watch Beel eat, it makes them hungry and happy at the same time. Dairy can't cook for shit but when they do cook sometimes and Beel says it's delicious then they just go soft for him. ALSO HE HAS BIG BOOBS SO DAIRY LIKES TO LEAN ON HIS CHEST-- (Romantic)

••••

Belpheghor + Dairy : literally the laziest people in the house of lamentation. These two can practically sleep ANYWHERE and both decides where to sleep. They agree on sleeping in the hallway? Oh they will do so. Also they are same braincells when it comes to slandering Lucifer (w/ Satan) (Friendship)

❣️ The two can be sleep deprived so when they do they would probably hold each other so close into a hug and just fall asleep. Dairy likes leaning into something soft when sleeping so they like someone holding them during their sleep. And if Belphie is the one resting, Dairy would probably gently pet his head. (Romantic)

••••

Diavolo + Dairy : TOTAL GOOFBALLS. Diavolo suggests something stupid, Dairy would go with it. And vice versa when Dairy suggests something stupid, Diavolo would go for it too. Dairy also admires Dia on how he has the duality to be a goofball and then be the smartest and wisest person in all of Devildom. (Friendship)

❣️ Oh god Dairy would so love to kiss Diavolo's face all over. They have the himbo energy and Dairy is very into that apparently. Diavolo may be formal at times and Dairy is known to be chaotic and rowdy and informal, but if Dia would ask Dairy to join him in a slow dance then hell yes they would accept his hand and follow his lead. (Romantic)

••••

Barbatos + Dairy : "Dairy would you like to taste this new fresh batch of cookies I made and the tea I just prepared?" "HOW COULD I REJECT SUCH AN OFFER??" Dairy has huge admiration for Barbatos when it comes to his hobby and passion for baking and his calm composure. (Friendship)

❣️ Barbatos taking Dairy by the hand and making them feel like a princess that which his eyes are only on them. OH GOD DAIRY IS SWOONED FOR THAT. They respect Barbatos a lot and if he honestly asked for something he wanted for once then Dairy is here to give. (Romantic)

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #105

I did a much better job with my to-do list today.

I went to therapy and drew a picture. We're gonna keep working on my ability to have faith in the integrity of my own senses, perceptions, and experiences. From there, I did laundry, washed a bunch of dishes, and made whipped cream - one was just plain cream and sugar, and the other is cream and hot chocolate mix, beaten until it has a mousse-like consistency. I like to call that one "hot chocolate pudding"!

…You wanna know how to make it, doncha? 😁 Who wouldn't, ahahaha~! So I'll tell you:

You need 1 cup of heavy cream (or coconut cream, if you prefer!) and 8 tablespoons of hot chocolate mix. I use Sillycow Farms; it tastes really good, and it's vegan and gluten-free, just in case that matters.

Then you stick the heavy cream and the hot chocolate mix into a bowl, and beat the shit out of it until it's a consistency that you like. If you have a stand mixer (I have one of these, because trying to mix stuff together while dyspraxic is an exercise in messes and frustration…), it's very, very simple. Then, you have a bowl full of foamy, chocolatey goodness that is suitable for putting on ice cream, spreading around as frosting, sticking into tea, or just eating straight from the bowl with a spoon!

I will show you some pictures now!

This is the finished regular whipped cream. I wonder if you like this stuff:

This is what it looks like when you combine the hot cocoa mix and the heavy cream in the stand mixer:

Here is the resulting hot chocolate pudding!

...And here is the whisk I wish I could give to you to lick. Everyone should get an opportunity to lick a whisk that has tasty things on it:

...And this is Hoshi! Hoshi is sad that he can't have anything on the whisk (chocolate is poisonous to cats; they can't process the theobromine in it), so I gave him some scritches:

I also got around to trying that lychee and rose tea. Apparently there is also vanilla in it; I missed that little detail in my previous letter to you. Sorry about that. It's very good!! But I can't give you a cup of it. So I'll send along some pictures.

This is the tin it comes in:

Here's how it looked like after it was brewed; I used my fancy DINOSAUR MUG!!! OH MAN!!! 🤩🤩🤩

Here's how it looked after I added honey and milk:

I also cooked a steak! Because I need the iron! It's seasoned very simply with some salt, pepper, and garlic powder! It's good stuff!! I also can't give you any, and this is very sad, because this one turned out REALLY good!! So I'll send along a picture:

…I'm definitely in the "leave it mostly raw" camp, when it comes to steak. Naturally, you have to kill the surface bacteria to avoid getting sick (this is why I make the outside all brown and crispy), but that's pretty much it. I wonder how you like yours cooked, if you like beef at all. Some people don't, and that's okay too.

There's so much still that I wanna do today. Last time I was at the grocery, I managed to get the supplies needed to make a recipe that was sent to me in this space, and I'm VERY eager to try it out in the near future. Sadly though, I think I might have to wait until some of the other food I made is eaten so that we have room in the fridge…

…For some reason, I get the feeling that if you were around, we'd have absolutely no problem making room in the fridge, though, hahaha! For sure, I wish you could be here so I could give you all sorts of tasty and wholesome things to eat. There's a lot I wish I could give to you, actually. My world has its problems, for sure, but there's also lots of cool stuff to do - lots of good books to read, pretty places to go walking, awesome music to listen to, fun games to play, and enlightening things to watch. I really, really wish you could visit. You'd be safe here.

I can't really think of anything else to write today, so I guess I'll end things here. Don't lose sight of the fact that you're loved and that there are people who wish well on you.

I'll write again tomorrow.

Your friend, Lumine

[alpacaparkaseok]

Inside “The Pact”

Hello! For those of you that followed along with The Pact, I received a few questions and requests to get an inside look. I’ll link the post here that explains a bit more about what this is gonna be about. 

We’re gonna break this down into sections: first will be answering your questions about The Pact & the characters. Then I’ll show you guys a little about my notes & decision making process (which is very obscure because I just tend to keep a hypothetical tab open in my brain most of the time lol) as well as some pictures of my ideas!! 

Thanks for requesting such a fun thing to do now that this series is over. It’s been fun to look back!

Q. What song did the boys dedicate to y/n?

A. “Her” || This is a sad song, but I felt like it fit so well with how the boys had to hide a part of themselves (their feelings) away for the sake of the pact!

--

Q. Did the boys get mad/how did the boys react to Jungkook’s kiss?

A. Jungkook was a little shocked, and felt extremely guilty on the drive back home. He wasn’t sure if he could stand to tell his hyungs, but he also knew he couldn’t lie to them. Naturally, the second he walked in the house and everyone saw his face, they knew. It was just quiet, everybody was a little hesitant to say anything/bring it up because they were all upset. Only Jimin has heard all of the details of JK’s kiss, whereas the others are simply aware that he kissed her and that’s that.

Namjoon was the most upset, although he didn’t say anything. He just sat there on the couch and did the jaw-clenching thing he always does. Yoongi just tried to change the subject and ask about other aspects of the date. Taehyung was actually pretty pissed, especially because he’d been so good about refraining from kissing you even when you’d asked for it. Hobi had a chat with him later that night and calmed him down. Jin wasn’t angry so much as he was worried that he missed his shot & couldn’t stop replaying his date in his head.

--

Q. Who fell for y/n last?

A. Namjoon. He’d had a little crush, and that’s why he was willing to go along with the pact. But it hit a point less than a year ago when he fell hard and fast. (you called him in the middle of the night when he was on tour and he realized that your sleepy voice is possibly the most beautiful thing he’s ever heard) The boys noticed and as a result teased him endlessly about it, because he doesn’t quite know how to navigate his feelings. 

--

Q. Who did the boys bet on? (We already know that Jimin bet on Yoongi and won lol)

A. Namjoon bet on JK, Tae bet on Hobi, Hobi bet on JK, Jin bet on JK, and Yoongi bet on Jin, and JK bet on Namjoon (because we all know JK would pick Namjoon lol)

--

Q. Didn’t y/n ever date other guys? How did the boys react?

A. hahaha ok I actually would have such a fun time writing this Yes, she dated around a bit. For the first year of the pact, she had an on again, off again bf. It wasn’t very serious, and she always made that clear to the boys. They still hated the dude. After they broke up, she only went on a few dates here and there. Didn’t really seriously date. (except for that one time she went on vacation and had a fling, but everyone has decided to forget that) They just smiled and supported her, although Tae was always very clear that he didn’t like any of the guys she dated. 

--

Q. In Namjoon’s date, who was the 1950′s author mentioned?

A. Agatha Christie, the queen. 

--

Q. How did y/n meet Jimin? (he was the one that introduced her to the rest of the group)

A. She was a PR intern for Lee Hyun. Jimin and Lee Hyun are close, and they crossed paths fairly often until Jimin decided to invite her to hang out. 

--

Q. What is y/n studying in school?

A. Public Relations (which will honestly come in handy with her new relationship lol)

--

Q. Where was Jin in the last chapter when y/n came to the studio?

A. Agh how could you ask me this and bring back all that pain?! Jin was at his brother’s restaurant for some much needed R&R. He ended up staying the night with him, not wanting to go home just yet and have to face his decision.

--

Q. Who would you personally choose to end up with and why?

A. KIM SEOKJIN. Date #5 was basically for me lol. Like, unapologetically wrote that for myself. Not just because he’s my bias, but because I personally felt like I could picture myself chilling on that couch watching Dateline with him. And it was beautiful. 🤧 Also, while Jin can be loud and goofy, he’s an introvert. I’m an extravert with introverted tendencies, so I just feel like his date would have been the most comfortable for me.

--

CREATING THE PACT - AN INSIDE LOOK AT MY NOTES

First thing’s first, I have an on-going page in my notes on my phone which is FILLED with ideas & half-formed thoughts. Before I began writing The Pact (or even Spooked, for that matter), this happened:

So you can see that I had no idea what I was doing lol, but I thought that it would be cool. Mainly I wanted an excuse to write OT7 and display all the members in a sweet light. Also, we see that not all of these actually made it into the series. (Tae w/ the family)

BUT THEN, “SPOOKED” HAPPENED, AND A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY POPPED UP 

ngl, I cracked up when I looked back at my notes and saw this. 

“Sweet Gloria what am I doing to myself” 😂😂 this was when I was pushing “Lost & Found” out and planning for Taehyung’s series (which is why so much is blocked out on my notes, because it’s riddled with spoilers lol) so I literally had no idea why I was jumping into another project as I was already super busy. That’s why I scheduled it for just Saturday’s! (and also why I sometimes posted super late at night lol)

As you can see, Seokjinnie’s date was literally always on my mind. From the very beginning. Which is odd, considering the fact that he didn’t end up being endgame. wow it’s like he’s my bias or something

Occasionally I’d take breaks from hw and work on getting to know how the boys were with y/n. Quotes and poetry serve as a great source of inspiration, and I assigned a quote to each member. (notice the little stars by Jin, Yoongi’s and JK’s names lol, they were my top three as I’m sure you’ve noticed by now)

There were a couple of things that I didn’t think of adding until I was reading through your theories and got an idea of what you needed to push the series in the right decision. i.e. bringing Gina back to explain that she closed the door in Spooked. 

I have a whiteboard in my room that I use to map out what I need to do that week for whatever series I’m working on (as well as jot down ideas for new series, which I why this photo doesn’t show the whole board haha) 

So here’s a peek at my thought process for writing about how the pact was formed. Sorry if you can’t read it haha

NOW, the last few questions you guys had:

Q. Did you ever change your mind while writing the pact?

A. Yes! I actually originally intended for Hobi to have written the note. It fit very well with how angry he was at first and how worried he was during the date. But by the time I'd gotten to Jin’s date I kinda knew that he wouldn’t be that petty but Jin would haha

I also planned on Yoongi kissing y/n on their date. It was supposed to be on a rooftop somewhere, which we know didn’t happen. In fact, I didn’t really intend for their date to be so disastrous until I was coming closer to having to write it. I think I was a mess, so the date was a mess lol

I had no idea what I was doing for Tae’s date until I wrote it, all I knew was that there had to be a museum. The rest I just made up as I wrote and hoped that it made sense. (also, for some reason I hated the museum portion of the date. Idk why, but it just felt so stark to me. still don’t like it lol)

Q. When did you know how it was going to end? 

A. That’s a....difficult question lol. Honestly, I thought of just doing an audio recording and uploading it because it I didn’t really know how to put it into words, but then I realized that most people probably wouldn’t wanna listen to that lol. So here we are. 

I had the ending scene in mind before The Pact even became a thing. I knew I had a series that I wanted to end with baking cookies. (weird, I know.) It didn’t exactly go how I planned, but I remember having the thought while writing Spooked (when I thought I was just writing a one shot) that it would be nice for y/n to be with Yoongi. I just instantly felt like they had a connection, when he was the first one she went toward. From then on out, I always kinda kept Yoongi in the background. 

I had a crisis about halfway through (right before Jin’s date) when there were a bunch of people rooting for Tae, because he hadn’t even been on my radar. But then Jin’s date went much better than I thought it was going to/received better, so I think that got me back on track. 

But from the beginning, Yoongi was #1. (I wrote this in the back of my Career’s notebook lol) when I was trying to figure out for myself who wrote the pact. 

So yeah! There you have it! Just an FYI, I had to physically restrain myself from throwing caution to the wind and making Jin endgame. Especially when so many of you were on board. :( However, the survey helped because Yoongi was the majority of votes (closely followed by Jin & JK) and that showed me that we were still on the right track! 

Ngl, my brain stopped working around Wednesday of last week, so writing the finale took FOREVER because nothing would compute. But I’m so happy you guys enjoyed it and reached out to me about it! This really is like a part-time job most days, and I really felt like this series paid off. 

Hopefully I covered everything! To end, here's the most satisfying part of every project for me:

Thanks guys!

[seokmingiggles]

red velvet.

Anon requested on 201222: "Hello 🥺 I've read ur temptation shua au huhu i luv it. I was wondering if I can request one too 👉🏻👈🏻 just joshua being nice 😇 and naughty 😏 hubby this Christmas hahaha. Thank you in advance and merry Christmas 🎄"

Pairing: Joshua Hong x gender neutral reader

Genre: fluff, very mildly suggestive (not really, it’s mostly humour), established relationship, husband!Joshua, holiday season(?).

1.10k words

Warnings: one swear word, a tiny talk about a sexual activity near the end (yeah, it's mostly humour).

It can often be tricky planning things properly around the holidays with everything and everyone being so busy. Your husband is no exception. He somehow screwed up the form for renting a Santa costume, so he only gets possession of it after Christmas. Alternatively, Joshua tries to seduce you while wearing a poofy Santa suit even though Christmas was a few days ago.

A/N: Hi, anon! Thank you for enjoying my other Shua piece! I know you sent in this holiday-themed request before Christmas, but I complete my requested pieces in the order I receive them; therefore, it had to wait. But this idea came to me, so I tried to make it work! Merry belated holidays!

(The first two lines are my absolute favourite. I laughed a lot while writing this one; I’m sorry in advance for this mess.)

•• "Well, ho, ho, hello there."

"Joshua, what the fuck."

Alright, you've got to admit, this was an unexpected turn of your day.

You had just arrived back home after your shift at the office, but only to be greeted by your husband wearing a Santa suit. He was decked out from head to toe in the soft velvet material; the costume was complete with a wide belt around his waist, a pom-pom embellished hat, and a matching long, white fake beard.

It was the 28th of December last you checked.

"Okay... How did this happen, Josh?"

"I guess my five looked like an eight when I filled out the rental form," your husband shrugged his shoulders. "I wanted to surprise you on Christmas with the costume, but I suppose it didn't go to plan."

"I think you suppose correctly." You were having a hard time removing your gaze from the unusual sight sat at your dining table. "May I ask why you're wearing it? You know that Christmas has passed, right?"

"I just want to get my money's worth, love." From what you could tell beneath the beard, Joshua was adorning a gentle smile. But it was only fleeting as he deepened his voice to fit his character, "Now, come here. Why don't you sit on Santa's lap and tell me what you want for Christmas, little one."

You were astounded, almost too shocked to laugh, "Are you really going to stay dressed like this for the rest of the night? Can you at least take the beard off so I can see your face, Shua?"

"Oh, ho, ho, you must be a naughty one telling Santa to take off his beard."

"Joshua, good grief," you muttered.

You knew you married a dork, but he was certainly pushing his luck tonight. You decided to humour him and padded your way over to his seated position and plopped down onto his lap.

Joshua instinctively moved one arm to your lower back and the other resting on your thigh to support you on him. "Now, tell me, what would you like for Christmas?"

"I'd like for my husband to take off his goofy costume so I can relax with him properly."

"(Y/N)-ah," Joshua whined, effectively breaking character, with his forehead ending up on your shoulder. You had to move your head out of the way so you wouldn't get smacked in the face by his fluffy hat.

"Okay, okay! Santa," you finally complied (it was suddenly worth it when Joshua perked upright, content once again), "I'd like to wish for the health and happiness of all my loved ones this year, please. Especially my beautiful and funny, yet somewhat strange, husband."

"That sounds like a wonderful wish, little one." Joshua tried stroking his beard, "Do you have any other wishes? Perhaps, if your husband would be a little less strange, as you put it?"

You gazed into his eyes, surprised by the warmth you felt despite how he was amusingly clad in the jolly red suit.

"No," you whispered and brought your hand to cup the side of his face, "he may be strange, but I love him without a doubt."

You could tell Joshua was looking at you with the same amount of fondness from the parts of his face not covered by the costume. Really, it was mostly just his eyes, slightly crinkled from his smile hidden beneath the wig.

"Now, love, will you please take the beard off so I can kiss you? Unless you'd rather I not so you can keep it on," you mumbled. "But I will guarantee you that there's no way you'll get any kisses wearing this thing," you held up the end of the tangled mess of white hair.

"No, no, I think that's a good enough reason for me to take it off."

You chuckled lightly as Joshua scrambled to remove the beard, needing to take his hat off too. His face was flushed from experiencing the warmth trapped from beneath the facial wig, with his hair slightly ruffled by the cap.

"Better?" he asked with hopeful eyes.

"It's a start," you quipped before leaning in to kiss him.

Joshua's eyes fluttered shut as he hummed into the kiss, his grip on your thigh tightened ever-so-slightly.

You felt yourself becoming gradually needier at his touch, only until he dared to speak, "I can't believe you're kissing me while I'm dressed like this."

You halted peppering kisses to Joshua's jawline and groaned at his words. You didn't need that reminder.

You lowered your head to his shoulder and mumbled into the coat, "Why are you like this?" It was a rhetorical question.

"Oh hush, you're the one who married me."

You sat up, "And does it look like I'm regretting it now?"

Joshua pondered, then spoke, "Not a few moments ago when I heard you quietly moan into that kiss."

You sighed in defeat and proceeded to stand from your spot on your husband's lap.

"No, no! Don't go, (Y/N)-ie! I was only kidding," your husband pleaded desperately, standing and reaching out to grab your hand before you could walk away.

With him stood up, you finally got a good glimpse at how the costume looked on him. Joshua was quite tall, yet the red ensemble still looked baggy on his slim figure.

"I think you need to eat more cookies, Santa, so you can fill out your suit properly," you patted his tummy lovingly.

"Are you saying we can go make cookies now?"

You lifted your gaze to meet his, finding Joshua bearing a cheerful smile.

"It would be fitting, wouldn't it?" your hands found his sides as you pulled him in for a hug. The red velvet costume was admittedly soft beneath your fingers. "You're such a goof."

"But I'm your goof."

"You got me there, Shua."

Joshua leant in to kiss you once again, tucking some hair behind your ear in the process.

"Wait," you said after a couple of kisses, "why did you rent the suit in the first place?"

You were then met with silence and a sheepish look on your husband's face.

"I..." he began, stuttering slightly, "W-would you be upset if I told you I wanted to try some Santa-themed roleplay?"

Now you were the speechless one.

You tried to comprehend the situation. "I'm not upset for you wanting to roleplay, Josh, but more-so slightly disturbed at the fact you wanted to do it in a rental costume."

Joshua hummed, "Oh, you're right. That's kind of gross, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, I'll take it off now."

"Thank you." ••