#((i gotta write a fic or something it was hard not going into super details

[onippep]

Wait, do you two live together? Can we get to know a little more about you?

Kkkkiiiinda. It's... Eh, alright, let's give a little rundown from when the Tower collapsed:

I grabbed "Fake Peppino," as we knew it at the time, on my way out of the Tower. It was instinct. I couldn't leave anyone in there in good faith, even if they kicked my ass.

"Fake Peppino" took to this rescue in a way that was really weird to me. First this creepy clone-thing of me was trying to kill me in that tower, now he's crawling around the walls of my Pizzeria, copying my moves and hanging out with everyone.

It was an active few months from then on out. Peppino's Pizza became a bit of a hangout spot for the Tower's refugees. I... loved it, to bits. It got annoying and stressful, and my anxiety would always make things worse, but in the end it was always some loud, goofy fun. Business boomed. I stayed afloat and partially payed off some of my loan.

Eventually, stuff started to calm down. Construction projects started popping up nearby; Toppins and cheeseslimes and Bosses and the likes making homes for themselves, relocating, finding new places to go. Business slowed.

I'd encounter Fake-me at odd times, like after dark or at dawn before opening. He'd always coincidentally be taking out the trash at the same time as me, or it'd somehow already be in the parlor before it opens, cleaning dishes, mopping the floor... like it owned the place. It pissed me off.

Thinking this guy was trying to take over my Pizzeria and commit identity fraud, I met it out back after closing one night, ready to lay down a good beating, verbal or physical.

You said to me, "I don't know what your deal is, but you can't stay here."

Up to that point, I was working on how I would fit as a piece in this new world Peppino created. I figured-- the easiest thing to do-- was what I formed to do in the first place. Mimicry was safe. Mimicry was all I knew.

So I picked up on his habits-- his daily routines, his day at work. My prior makeup has allowed me to keep up, cooking wise, and knew I could seek refuge in the place I was named for. It worked at the Tower all those ages ago, after all.

That night behind the Parlor was difficult. I repeated back at him, ",ereh yats t'nac uoy tub ,si laed ruoy tahw wonk t'nod I"-- I felt the burst of emotion from him that came after that. Not anger-- fear.

We fought. Violently.

Eventually Peppino tired himself out, and he stopped. So I stopped. He was out of breath, so was I. He was snarling in fright. So was I.

We sat and stared at each-other for an hour. I breathed, stared, sat and moved as he did. Peppino noticed. He'd lift a hand, I'd lift one. He'd stand up, I'd stand up. He'd cower back, I'd cower back. And so on.

That's about the part when I realized how much more simple this was. So I experimented a bit. Moved around, see what Fake-me would do, and see how uncanny-but-accurate he could get. It weirded me the hell out, seeing it so close. So...

Docile.

Sure, he'd hang out in the background, copying me from afar, but we'd never really... interacted face to face for such a long period of time. Now that everyone was sorta gone, this was kinda... the moment. To get to know it more.

So I kinda broke down. To my embarrassment, so did Fake-me. Just as ugly, gross, and pathetic of a crier as I am. After that, we sorta made up.

First off, I didn't know Fake-me could speak. Mumbles and backwards, repeating me here and there, but... Actual genuine conversation? It scared the shit out of me. In the silence, it asked, "Where do we go," and I didn't have an answer.

This fucker disarmed me with that sentence. I kinda realized this whole time I was scared of stuff going back to... the ghost-town that I'm used to. And I wouldn't really have anyone around.

I asked its name. It replied, "Onipepp". My name backwards, of course. "Onipepp?" I repeated back, and it nodded. "...Oni. Like a demon. I'll call you Oni from now on." He liked that.

And from there... Uh, sheesh, we've gone on for a while. Anything to add?

You offered me a job. "Since Gustavo and Brick opened their own place," you said. "They're competition now. I'll need the help."

I went through training. He was impressed with my previous skills, often showing a bit of fear or insecurity. That eventually went away.

I'd spend days with Peppino. At night, I'd linger in the rafters, as I always would. I'd chase off all sorts of threats to the Parlor he wouldn't even think about. But I would never follow him home.

I didn't know where he lived, or what was considered his home. I've always lived in the places I form for. I never questioned it.

I keep to myself, but sometimes Peppino would ask me things. "Do you get lonely in here?" "Do you eat? Sleep? Do you need anything?" I'd always respond "I don't know."

A big storm happened, and wrecked the roof of the Parlor. Construction had to happen. It got cold, it got wet, it was noisy. I followed him home that night.

He didn't stop me, like I thought he would. Not a word was said. I was let inside, I looked around, and he says, "Make yourself at home". The phrase confused me.

Regardless-- I'm welcome here now, whenever I want.

Uh-huh. Been a wild few months for you. But you've managed pretty damn well, I gotta say.

(...you have too.)

[ghostboneswrites2]

Hi!! I want to start of by saying that I love your writing!

So while watching twd I noticed that Daryl has more tattoos in the later seasons and can only guess that they’re stick-and-poke and that he did them himself. Do you think you could write a fic where the reader(f) is in a relationship with Daryl and asks him to give her a tattoo (which she has none of btw)? I was thinking like a little arrow or something because she “wants to have something of him even when they’re apart”? And make it super fluffy and stuff?

Marked

18+ MDNI || Warnings: Needles, profanity, mostly just fluffy nice cool Daryl

Note: I am not encouraging you to give anyone or receive an at home tattoo via sewing needle or tattoo gun, but I have received my fair share of both and the descriptions in this story are just based off my vague memory of how it was done for me! It is definitely not a tattoo guide.

edited to add: tysm for the compliment ilysm <3

        "Did you always have that tattoo?" You wondered, tracing over the dark marking on his arm. The two of you were on one of your regular afternoon strolls through the woods when you decided to lay against a log and chat. The sunbeams filtered through the canopy above and littered little golden rays over his arms, highlighting the light hairs and texture of his skin. These moments were your favorite. Peaceful bliss in the natural world.

        Daryl shook his head.

        "Nah. Did it awhile back." He said.

        "How?"

        "Never had a stick-n-poke?" He asked.

        "Never had a tattoo, period. Let alone a prickle-poke." You shrugged.

        "It's stick-n-poke." He snickered silently. You glared.

        "Whatever. Can you give me one?" You asked.

        "A tattoo?" 

        "Yeah. The stick-n-prickle kind." You joked.

        "Alright." He nodded. "Gotta get some supplies together for it."

----

        You watched as he carefully burned the little sewing needle and wrapped it in thread. 

        "Why thread?" You asked.

        "Kinda helps hold the ink but mostly jus' for grip." He explained.

        He set up a tiny container on the side table of your bed with black liquid.

        "Is that ink?" You asked.

        "Mm-hmm." He nodded.

        "You made it?"

        "Uh-huh."

        "How?"

        "Soot. Alcohol. Water." He shrugged. "Ain't hard."

        "Cool." You whispered, fascinated by his expertise. 

        "Wha'd'ya want?"

        "I was thinking about an arrow." You said. "A small one. Real simple." He raised an eyebrow. "For you, dummy."

        "I got that but.. Why?" He tilted his head a little.

        "'Cause. I wanna have something for you... Always. Even when we're apart." You said with a soft smile. He hid his face bashfully, not wanting to expose the little blush that was creeping over his features. Instead, he pretended to adjust the thread around the needle.

        "Where ya want it?" He asked when his flushed cheeks returned to their normal sunkissed glow.

        "Right here." You pointed to your ring finger, right where a ring would go.

        "Ya sure?"

        "Mm-hmm." You nodded surely. He wiped some alcohol over that spot to disinfect it.

        "Alright." He said. He delicately grabbed your finger and held it in place. "Y'ready?"

        "I've had worse than a little pin prick." You giggled. "I'm ready."

        Without another word, he got to work carefully poking the needle through your skin, freehanding a perfect line. You watched in awe, studying his look of concentration, the way he tilted his head to see though his hair, holding your finger up close to his face to make sure every detail was perfect. It only took about twenty minutes. You looked it over when he finished, holding your hand up the way someone does when they're admiring their engagement ring.

        "Wow." You grinned. "How did you make such a perfect line?"

        "Ain't perfect." He shrugged.

        "It is! I love it." You insisted. A half smile curled at the corner of his lips.

        "'M glad, 'cause it don't wash off." He joked. You rolled your eyes.

        "This is no laughing matter, Daryl. You just proposed to me, ya know." You said in mock seriousness.

        "What?" His eyes widened. Even under the tan skin, his face still drained of color. 

        "Yeah," you pressed on. "This is my ring finger. Like, the ring finger. And you permanently marked it with something symbolic to yourself." You gloated.

        He blinked. He couldn't tell if you were joking or not.

        "Anyways, I'm gonna go talk to Carol about planning the wedding. I bet Rosita and Tara would be beautiful bridesmaids." You rambled. "Oh, and instead of cake, everyone gets a glass of moonshine!"

        "I don' think.."

        "I'm kidding, genius." You rolled your eyes. He relaxed a little. "Thanks though. I love it."

        He cleared his throat and stood up, cleaning his workspace so not to clutter your bedroom.

        "Oh, by the way.. This is the ring finger." You smirked. He stared at you for a moment before shaking his head.

        "Don't go showin' the whole damn world and tellin' 'em we're married." He grumbled.        

        "Would that be so bad?" You pouted. He smirked and planted a kiss on your forehead.

        "Nah. But I ain't proposin' with no damn stick-n-poke. Gon' find ya somethin' better than that."

        Your face lit up, practically brightening the entire room.

        "You're gonna propose?!" You bounced with joy.

        "Wha-- I didn't--"

        "Oh, my god! I have to tell Carol!!" You squealed as you darted out of the room. He stood there expressionless, processing what he had just done.

        "Shit." He mumbled. It wasn't that he wouldn't propose one of these days. He'd love to call you his forever. Otherwise, he never would have marked you with something that represented him in the first place. It was just.. That it would draw so much attention to him. He sighed. He guessed he walked right into that one.

---

        "When did you do this?" You asked him, holding up his ring finger that was now decorated with a little cloud shape.

        "Yesterday." He shrugged.

        "Is that a cloud?" You eyed it closer.

        "Mm-hmm." 

        "For what?"

        "Dunno. Ya always stare up at the clouds when we take long drives." He explained. "Now we're both marked."

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[the-tmnt-ficfinder]

Christmas Kindness submission

To Qoldenskies,

I’ll straight up say it. You write my favourite Donnie angst out there. There’s the obvious masterpiece that is the Canary Continuity, and the horrifically underrated Coming Undone. Both are such visceral, heartbreaking experiences that I have enjoyed from start to finish. And Caged Lungs broke me down. Miner’s Eulogy was what shattered me, though, and Clipped Wings? What a RIDE. With each chapter you post, I can’t believe we’re getting closer to the END. Not the END. I don’t want it to end, but it’s gotta. We do need that promised happy ending.

Honestly, your interpretations of the characters? Especially Donnie? They’re so well thought-out and clever. There’s so many important layers to them and what drives them, and it all comes together SO WELL. You’ve definitely done your homework and put a lot of care into your stories. It shows.

What I also have to praise is how beautifully crafted the writing ITSELF is. The metaphors and parallels are so clever. You use them masterfully to paint a better picture of the characters and their struggles. It’s like you have two narratives running at once, sometimes, the obvious one, and the supporting one that explains so much. I don’t always catch that, since I’m not that smart, but I know it’s there. Commenters help me out by bringing attention to it. 

Emotions? Spot on. I feel so much, and the experiences are painted so viscerally that it’s hard not to feel along with the characters.

And I wanted to also bring up one more thing. I really like how you ‘distort’ and break up the dialogue when the characters are in distress. The stammering, the added words, (for examples, “I’m— I’m too muh-ch,” “something’s wro-wrohng, Raph and Leo are ouh-out—“ (cu) “I’ll d-do– I’ll do any-hhh-thing,” “I’ll– I’ll clean it up, I promi- hhh -se!” (cl)) really helps me HEAR how they’re talking. I’ve never seen stuttering or dragged-out words articulated so ‘as-said’— meaning, that is exactly the noises they’d be making if you heard them (particularly the shuddering of breath that accompanies then ‘hhh’, if that makes sense). This is probably my favourite little detail exclusive to your work. I absolutely love it. It’s such a small thing but it definitely enhances the reading experience.

Because I don’t want to leave out your ‘smaller’ fics, I wanted to say that I have read Circomvating Death, too. It definitely is a nice little refresher to all the angst (but I LOVE angst), and I’ve enjoyed the humorously chaotic adventures of Donnie and Casey Jr. Whenever you get back around to writing for that, I’ll look forward to seeing where they go next!

And Enhancements? Short but sweet pain. The idea of NO existing painkillers working on them makes a lot of of sense. The super-soldier piece is such a fun little concept to play around with, whether for badass purposes or whump. I also love seeing the concept referenced in your other stories. It works great as a little headcanon establishment. It doesn’t need to be a massive masterpiece to still be great.

I know you’re also planning Where We Went Wrong as a B-team sep AU, and I’m definitely looking forward to that and your bad things happen bingo prompts! I know all that’s in the right hands, and 

You have a lot of talent, and you deserve all the positive feedback, fan art, and fanfics you’ve gotten so far.

And I did read the post where you said that your family is too poor to celebrate Christmas, but I hope you can cherish the time you all have together regardless (and beat that Christmas Curse that’s plagued you for the past couple years). <3 Have a great one! Wishing you all the best.

@qoldenskies

Christmas Kindness Event Post

[phyrestartr]

any tips for new writers

YUH BOI I have a lot lol

Write what you like. You will naturally put more effort/passion into something you're writing for yourself/smth you're writing for fun. Don't do it for clout, and don't write JUST to post. Also, don't write things just because ppl tell you to/request you to. Itsk to let stories perish if they're not working/you don't like it (you might figure out a way to save said story after some thinking, too)

If you read a fanfic/book and really like it, try to figure out why it spoke to you. Did you like the dialogue? Did you like the descriptions? Did you like the stylization? Then, try to incorporate that into your own writing in your own way

If you read a fanfic/book and you really DON'T like it, try to identify what you didn't like LOL. It really helps with crafting your style/story if you identify and avoid shite you personally think is cringe/uninteresting/overdone/cliche-y in a bad way/etc.

Accept that first draft is gonna be clunky and probably kinda bad. You pretty much just gotta get the story down even if it doesn't flow too good because then you can go back, reread, figure out what does and doesn't work in terms of prose and flow and character interactions

Don't feel like you need to write something super long and detailed. Detail and flowery descriptions are good when used in the correct moments, but don't harp on something meaningless for too long if it's not really important in the theme/moment. Writing short stories is the most fun and the best practice for getting into writing since it just has to be like one scene or a very short arc before ending. Lots of readers like the long fics (I mean, same) but they're really hard to write, so don't feel like you need to write a novel or anything. keep it short and sweet for a while!!

Use a thesaurus. Helps you learn new words and new ways to describe something

Themes are helpful for keeping a story feeling coherent. Ex. I use lots of 'godly' descriptors and comparisons of natural disasters (storms, forest fires, earthquakes, tsunamis) to describe how dangerous/powerful a person or feeling is, and I try to stay in that theme to build a better picture of someone/something

Show, don't tell! This is kinda based on your preference, though, since sometimes you just wanna say "bro was mad." It depends on the situation imo. Generally, describing the way someone is physically feeling instead of emotionally is more impactful and lets the reader think and make choices based on the info you've given them. Not everything needs to be spelled out--readers are quite smart and can put together their own conclusions even if it's not what the writer initially had in mind. (Ex. "John felt fury boil in his blood" vs "John's veins ached with heat and his face flushed an angry colour")

It's ok to make mistakes/not perfect a scene. Sometimes you just wanna move on lol

Have fun! If you're not having fun, what's the point homie u-u

hope that's at least a little helpful! LMK if y'all have any other questions/specific Qs or anything. I'm not a pro writer so maybe this is all useless idk LOL

[photo1030]

How is it that I go from major writer’s block to having so many ideas and details that I’m having a hard time organizing them into something coherent?!

Got some good stuff for chapter 23 of my fic Leather and Lace and super excited, just gotta stop getting distracted by shiny objects and sit and write the damn thing!

Sorry, kids, I’m trying to get it done, but I want it to be good, too. It’s coming, I promise 😉

[jokerfic]

I just wanted to let you know that your fics are my favorite Joker x Harley fics ever. I have toyed with the idea of writing a Ledger Joker x Harley fic, but I just don't know that I have anything new to add to the world that hasn't been done before! How do you go about writing a ship that is well established with characters that go back 85/30 years without feeling like you're writing what has already been written?

omg. hello. first of all thank you so much for saying that about my fics-- I wrote Bad Jokes 16 years ago now and after so much time and so many changes in the way I write, it's hard not to look at it and think of all the things I'd do differently now, all the different choices I'd make. I know if I really look hard at it again I'm just going to pick it to pieces (and you guys would behead me if I messed with it too much) so I tend to just leave it totally alone. it's always a sweet reassurance when people tell me they love it even all these years later 😭

secondly, the insecurity you're feeling-- about not having anything new to add-- is a super common one for writers in every genre. they say there's nothing original under the sun. they say there's, what, seven basic narratives? and that every story ever written is just a variation of one of those seven plots. that line of thinking may be true, but it can also be a prison. it'll chop your legs out from under you and stop you from making anything before you even begin. you gotta refuse to let it paralyze you.

the thing is, yes, we're all telling variations on the same stories, but you're the only you, and you're the only one who can tell your stories. I can't tell your stories. You can't tell mine. I'm assuming that the urge to tell your own Ledger Joker/Harley story comes with notes, scenes, conversations in your head, things that you haven't seen in other fics (at least not to your satisfaction), things you'd like to focus on and talk about? if you don't have a single idea of something you'd like to put to paper then it might be that you just like the idea of writing a TDK jarley fic, but I'm betting there's specific stuff you're thinking about-- if I were you, I'd start stringing that stuff together and start wrangling it into some semblance of structure, see what you're working with. you might end up with a 5-page one-shot. you might end up with 200 thousand words. you're not going to know until you commit to executing the idea and start trying to hammer it into shape :)

what I will say-- and what I'd do differently if I was writing Bad Jokes now instead of then, and y'all may disagree with me-- is that I think with a well-established story like Mad Love, or, for instance, like Bruce Wayne's backstory, pacing is key. If you give your audience the same backstory for their fifth or tenth or twentieth time, they'll tune out faster, be less likely to stick with you to see where that backstory leads. if I was writing Bad Jokes now, I'd focus less on the ins and outs of how Arkham is run, less on following Harley's every step as the story progresses-- I'd trim a lot of that fat, spend much more time on the actual dialogue between Joker and Harley and reveal story details through the conversations they have instead of through Harley's inner narration, would probably do a lot more from the Joker's POV (back when I first wrote it he scared me too much to do it too often, lol). Everyone knows how Arkham is run and everyone knows Harley's path leads to the Joker-- you don't have to spend a ton of time on establishing all of that, because it'll tire you out and will potentially bore your audience. the meat of your story is going to be in the things your readers don't already know, in the Joker and Harley's specific chemistry with one another and the ways that chemistry is demonstrated, in the things he says to her to tempt her away from structure and stability.

or you could revamp the story completely. ditch Mad Love, re-imagine it, take Harley Quinn and put her into an entirely new Situation. you could literally write a coffee shop AU. there are no rules! what appeals to you? what do you like in the things you read? what do you feel is missing in the things you read that you'd like to bring to the table? start collecting those things in one place and use them to inform the story you want to tell. it'll come together. your joker/harley story is one that none of us have ever heard, you just have to write it!

[vialism]

Oh my god, ok, I'm such a big fan! You're one of my favorite twenty one pilots writers at the moment. I feel like I get to interview my favorite author! So! I gotta know!

2. Which of your fics is your pride and joy? (I'm genuinely curious, because you have so many great ones!)

5. What's something you learned while researching for a fic? (I always love hearing people's stories about this :))

17. What is something you recently felt proud of in your writing? (Sometimes we authors can forget to celebrate our victories!)

23. What's a story you'd love to write but haven't even started yet? (Tbh, I'm gonna be a bit sad when Center of Gravity ends. I've absolutely loved that fic, it's the quintessential pilotcule fic to me! But, I can't wait to see whatever comes next :)))

24. Which scenes/themes were the inspirations for Dreamers at Best, Young Blood, Glass Houses, and Center of Gravity? (They each have such a specific vibe!)

31. Which fic meant the most to you to write?

35. Who is your favorite non-pilotcule tøp character write, and why? (One of the things that I really like about your writing is how often you include people like Paul and Micheal! It's something that not many people do :))

i love this, thank you for all the kind praise!!! :,)

2. Which of your fics is your pride and joy?

i’m so proud of so many of them, and maybe it’s the obvious answer but i guess i gotta say Dreamers at Best. the fact that a whole new generation of fans are reading it and loving it is wild to me, and i’m proud that it’s stood the test of time. it really changed the course of my life. i’m proud to be the person who wrote that.

5. What's something you learned while researching for a fic?

i learned SO MUCH about the competitive elite diving world while researching for Young Blood. i knew some of the general things already, but i became very familiar with how to read a super detailed FINA table to figure out different dives and their degrees of difficulty. i rewatched several men’s platform events from the olympics to figure out a realistic program of dives for them, which dive would go where, which ones would be hardest and how and why. i wanted it to feel super realistic and in think it did, based on feedback!

17. What is something you recently felt proud of in your writing?

i’m trying to not just keep bringing up Young Blood, so I’m going to force myself to say nice things about Center of Gravity. I think I’m proud of how i characterized Tyler in this fic. he can sometimes veer a little too… idk… “precious,” in fics (including mine for sure) if that makes sense? like he’s a dude. he definitely has some toxic masculinity he struggles with. it would definitely be hard for him to come to terms with his sexuality if he weren’t straight, and would have to actively try not to be withholding with his feelings. i think i’ve written that well.

23. What's a story you'd love to write but haven't even started yet?

first of all, thank you for being so kind about Center of Gravity :,) i have loved writing it and I’m so happy i stuck with it, but i’m also ready to finish it and move on soon. i have an obnoxiously long note of half-formed fic ideas (and in going back to look at it, i found my original couple-sentence idea for my diving fic, omg…). one of the ones i would like to someday write but haven’t started is a canon-compliant fic that takes place in 2014, after the jebby breakup. i talk in gravity about how i think josh would have spent a lot of this time leaning on tyler and jenna for support, and i think it could be a natural lead-in to joshler/jenshler occuring. i also think there aren’t that many fics exploring that time shortly before blurryface, (although there are some great ones, just not enough) so as always it’s a case of wanting to write what i wish i could read. MORE VESSEL ERA FICS IN 2025!!!!

24. Which scenes/themes were the inspirations for Dreamers at Best, Young Blood, Glass Houses, and Center of Gravity?

LOVE THIS QUESTION!!!!

Dreamers at Best: 100% singularly inspired by this video. like that’s literally all. i was like haha what if this was Josh’s perspective? snd a 96k word fic was born. as I went though, I just drew on all the content we have from that time for inspiration (especially the RAB web series) and tried to fill in a realistic possibility around that - i.e., i wanted it to seem like this all really could have happened and we wouldn’t know.

Young Blood: watching the men’s synchro springboard olympic trials for paris. there was one pairing where they were like “this pair has only been diving together for 4 weeks!” and i was like “haha….. joshler……. what if…..”

Glass Houses: i love that you asked about this one since it’s a little bit of a less well known one (?) that i love so much :,) it was really inspired by the idea of tyler feeling guilty and having to confess infidelity, even a tiny act that turned out fine. i had the image of tyler coming home after kissing josh and getting on his knees and crying into jenna’s lap, and it all grew from there. i’d written a few fics with easy peasy consensual polyamory, and i wanted to explore the more difficult side of it where it doesn’t all instantly work out.

Center of Gravity: it’s wild, but i’m not even sure how i got this idea, or where it came from??? the only thing i can remember is thinking about how it would realistically go down if they realized their feelings for each other as late as the SAI era, and how that would look. but from there it’s definitely been motivated by the same thing as Dreamers at Best, so trying to make it feel really realistic, like everything (including the flashbacks) could have happened that way and we wouldn’t know.

31. Which fic meant the most to you to write?

Answered!

35: Who is your favorite non-pilotcule tøp character write, and why?

LOVE THIS QUESTION….. you are SO CORRECT because i LOVED writing Paul in Young Blood. the iconic pantaloonwarrior is the blueprint of course with her incredible paul/tyler fic, and i adore paul so it made me want to include him as a character. plus since i needed someone to be tyler’s coach, it was perfect, since he kinda is that in real life! i definitely have plans to write more of Paul.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR WONDERFUL SPECIFIC QUESTIONS!!!! this is a writer’s dream haha!!

[ceilingfan5]

2 8 27 29!!

2. Do you plan each chapter ahead or write as you go? ........................listen. listen.

sssorta? grimaces loudly. it depends on the fic. some have a semi-decent outline. the one i am currently rotating (supers au) has an outline that is. maybe not USELESS but almost entirely unhelpful with regards to, uh, organization, or, foresight, or, connecting point l to m to n to o...... i sort of threw some shit at the wall, then came back and threw entirely different shit at the wall, played pretend with other shit entirely, got distracted, took a long break to return to a different other fic with a WORSE outline (youtube au, which, to make matters worse, is the FIFTH iteration of this idea and was started in 2 0 2 0. i need you to understand i have a degree in teaching with a [minor] in english and i was a writing tutor for years and i am fully capable of a good and proper outline and yet every goddamn time i open a new document it is a CRAP SHOOT to see if i USE THESE CAREFULLY PRACTICED SKILLS to help LITERALLY ONLY MYSELF-

sometimes this outline is so counterproductive i get mad and Don't write bc past me was so unhelpful.

BUT on the flippy dip: i really enjoy kind of. discovering the fic As I Write It. Like, it is as much of a discovery to me how the events pan out as anyone else. and it's so fun, it's a game of pretend with myself. im digging for gold and shit there sure is a lot of dirt and maybe i could have brought or different more tools but i found a garnet and a sapphire and a fossil of a fishie. and also my keys, which i do not remember dropping, and there's something big here, i swear, but i gotta keep going to find out if it's a dinosaur or what this also means i write almost entirely chronologically, because i don't actually know the finer details of things until they come out, and that makes it hard to rearrange bits done out of time?

breaking news: fool gets away with behavior yet again, no change expected. more at ten good thing it's a hobby. don't even get me started on how i name documents. good lord

8. Do you prefer the beginning, middle, or end of a story? truly my favorite part of a fic is livin in it, i love discussing it to pieces with my Friends and daydreaming and playing in the sand and thinking up side bits that may not ever come into play but sure do make the world feel lived in and that rules, that's the best. there is so much, of every fic i have ever written, that i was orbiting around my head, and you may never know, but you feel it in the pulse of the thing 27. What is your most and least favorite part of writing? aaaaauhhhhhhhhhh uh. i love locking into the flow and the wild nonsense and deeep feelings just happening out of my fingers. i love yapping about my ideas and i love when people give me reactions to the words i did and the order i did them in, especially line by line live reactions? there's esp this phenomenon i see where the reader will be picking lines here and there and then Get So Absorbed that they end up at the finish line all disoriented and delighted and have to tell me and I love it. hard parts: starting, especially after a long time. giving myself grace to see if something is shit garbage or im just moody/hungry/need to sleep on it. the moment-hours after posting and fuckin' waiting for the acknowledgement of my efforts, we all know. man. but maybe the worst bit is when you ARE in the flow and do have so many ideas and it's great and THEN you look at the time and it's fucking after your bedtime and you, an adult, employed, must extricate yourself from the ecstasy of fiction and do chores like dental care, and getting in bed and not doing math about your alarms. 29. What’s your revision or editing process like? man i used to have a beta yeeeears ago, but between like. ships passing in the night and all. + the realization that this is a fan thing i am doing for funsies. and like. the passability that comes with crazy amounts of experience and practice. the knowledge that i am not going to be Published and if i reread and see a typo, i can pretend i didn't, or edit it anyway. the forgiveness of mainly doing it for myself.... it doesn't get a lot of strenuous review. probably the most editing happens, once im happy with the order of events, and so on, when i am pasting my goddamn document into ao3, and because i use google docs and want my stupid rich text, i go line by line and reread to keep myself entertained while deleting extra paragraph breaks. which i believe there is a fix for but ironically that is in fact a good way to catch bullshit in the eleventh hour. i do have a few readers, give or take my most devoted minions, who will catch like, major sense making issues, but also do not actually give a shit if i fumbled a word or spelled stupid + are mostly along for the ride playing pretend with me

hopefully this wasn't too honest and you are instead bolstered by the fact that i am just. playing here cause it's fun, it's all made up and the points don't matter. let's go have fun

[kyoupann]

How do you feel when fanfic authors don’t reply to comments? Do you continue leaving them anyway or do you stop? Do you reply to all comments on your own work?

Hewwo! This is such an unexpected ask but tysm for sending it! 🥰

1. How do you feel when fanfic authors don't reply to your comments?

I don't mind at all! Of course I appreciate... the acknowledgement? But i certainly don't leave comments for the purpose of getting a reply. I comment because I know how hard writing is and I feel it's only fair that I leave a comment on a piece of writing that made me feel anything in the first place ☺️. And if a fic writer gives me, the reader, 1k-10k words of amazing story telling, a 100-300ish words comment is the least I could do for something I liked, yk?

I usually don't leave comments on super popular fanfics because I feel oddly self-conscious lmao. Like I have to be able to say something unique and when a fic is simply that popular, I think that the author must feelt tired of seeing the same comment or reaction (which is a really wrong assumption from my part because I have never felt this way about comments on my own stuff). I usually just comment the last chapter thanking them for their hard work.

I have never stopped commenting on things because I didn't get a reply! If I did stop it was probably because the hyperfixation died on me out of the blud 😭. Luckily for me my AoT obsession is going strong!! 8 months and counting!! And I'm tracking the fics I read and I wanna leave a review but can't at the moment! This is what that looks like :3c

2. Do you reply to all comments?

I'd say I do! I try to reply to all of them because 1) I don't get many to begin with, so it is feasible and 2) I know it can be nerve wrecking when you don't get a reply from a writer who clearly replies most of the time, as if you had said the wrong thing 😭. So yeah, I try to reply.

Sometimes it takes me a while because the comment is just so good and the reader picked up on so many details i threw in there that I gotta take some time to sort my own thoughts out. Like, you put this much effort into this comment NOW IT'S MY TURN 🩷. I've been writing this reply to a comment I got a lil'over a month ago. It's taken so long because I just don't know what to say to is lmao 😭 every night im like i'm gonna send it tonight and then I don't. I have even considered just sending them a short and quick "hey tysm <3 im not ignoring you, i'm just absolutely floored by your kind words".

I might not be the fastest at replying but I do appreciate every single comment I do get 😭🩷

[infuschia]

idk

hi guys i am so sorry for totally ghosting :/ i know that's the worst feeling with a fic you love and i'm so so sorry. i'm gonna be so straight up, i have had a WILD life from even before i started this fic up until right now - and although things are finally starting to take shape and calm down to say the least, i lost a lot of myself during that time. i grew in many ways as well, but i think there's just been a lot that happened to me over the past year or so that held me back from goals i have or the type of person i wanna become or whatever, and without going into detail, i cannot lie alot of it has been really really hard. i definitely used writing as an escape/coping mechanism of some sort for the negative feelings i was experiencing - and that can be super helpful for real plus i've BEEN in therapy lol, but i also still found myself retreating away from parts of my life that would have been good for me and my growth to pursue, and i can't be doing that anymore. as much as i fell in love with writing all this for you guys, it ended up taking up a lot of space in my mind as more of a distraction from my own setbacks and issues instead of being something wholly good for me, if that makes sense. unfortunately - THE MOST PAINFUL MIC DROP iamsosososorry - that distraction has had to end. some lowkey rock bottom moments forced me to take a better look at my life for what it really is AND for what i want it to be, and at this time i do need to step back from the false life i created in this story and step back into my real one. not that i was like living in my bedroom on my laptop or nothin LMAO i'm just sayin there have been some things i know now i can't continue with in the same way that i did before, in terms of what i spend my time and energy on. i can't say for sure that i'll never be back but i don't wanna be making any promises i can't keep. I LOVE AND APPRECIATE ALL OF THE LOVE SO MUCH OVER THE YEAR I SPENT WORKING ON THIS FOR YOU ALL i NEVER EXPECTED like anyone to read it so just every split second you even spent CONSIDERING this fic was just music to my soul and i again can't begin to describe how wonderful it's been hearing from you all and knowing that at least in some small way i was able to add a bit of joy to your lives. it's not goodbye, it's see you down the road - LMAO IGNORE MY MELODRAMATIC ASS SO SILLY but fr. over the summer i fell in and out of love and back again (MAYBE I SHOULD NOT SAY LOVE LMAO maybe lust and some feels LOLOL BUT MAN IDEK AIFSHJABJHD) with an old potential guy of sorts (have talked on and off for the last three years bruh hometown crush), and after all this time of never actually being upfront about what we thought of each other we were FINALLY honest with each other about how we felt on things, just before having to go back to school in different parts of the country - with a hope to see each other again down the road #romantic? #idek. i hope it works out with him, maybe my romantic ass is just bein delusional asf but i also just have that feeling that we'll find each other again when the time is right. and maybe just maybe i'll be back at this when the time is right - but all i know for sure is that, just like with this man-whos-not-my-man-but-may-just-be-one-day, right now i gotta focus on loving myself above all. THIS IS CRAZY SO MUCH WRITING I KNOW but i know how it feels to have a fic you like just drop off the earth so i guess better something than nothing, better late than never. SO so so much love forever and always. you guys all have my heart no matter who you are, where you are, or whenever you're reading this. LOVE YOU TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH YOURE AMAZING AND KEEP ON BEING YOU CUZ THATS INCREDIBLE ON ITS OWN <3 <3 <3 see you down the road my friends xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

[humanpurposes]

Always got to ask who I reblog them from!!

🤯🧐🎶

Have a lovely day honey!

hello lovely! thanks for asking and hope you're having a great day/evening!

🤯 What's a genre you struggle with as a writer (ex. romance, action, etc.)?

I was STRUGGLING with the smut for My Heart Belongs to Daddy part ii. And I find battle or fight scenes hard to write, because tbh I usually skim over those when I'm reading.

🧐 Do you spend much time researching for your stories?

You have no idea omg, medieval politics is my fave and there's nothing I love more than a good succession crisis so I'll literally write essays about the politics of my fic and compare it to real historical events. I think I've researched Fire and Blood more thoroughly than some of the material for my actual degree 🥲 But I love getting into research for the little details, even if it’s ideas for settings and outfits for characters. I feel like you gotta do the research when you write, it just fleshes out the story so much and makes it so immersive!

🎶 Do you listen to music while you write? What song have you been playing on loop lately?

I love using music for inspiration, but I also get distracted super easily, so if I’m really trying to focus I either have to go for silence or something soft and instrumental. But two songs I love listening to while I write are Daemon and Rhaenyra and Whatever May Come from the hotd soundtrack.

[itsalimere]

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately bc I’m coming up on the end of my longfic that I started back in February (doing my very best to try to finish it for nano………) I think I’m sort of an unusual case because this longfic (“tapestry”, currently ~81k and 5/7 chapters, likely to be 110ish in the end?) was also my first ever fanfic after existing on the edges of fandom for my whole life, and I think the same things that let me write a fic *at all* are what have kept me going writing for a long time/lot of words.

1) I started writing this because I NEEDED to read it. Guessing that this is not why a lot of people write fic, but I discovered that it’s pretty much the only thing that motivates me! I stalled out on tapestry at chapter 4 in May-ish, but got back to it because I really wanted to be able to experience and know about the full story myself. That pushed me through ch5 in September and is the primary thing motivating me now. No one I know well has read this fic (this is freeing, in a way) and the only one who is die-hard invested is me, but it’s enough to give me point (7) here. I want so bad to be able to read the whole thing and feel that it’s a satisfying emotional narrative for myself. I want a clear, relivable, in-depth daydream of the exact things I want to happen with all these characters. So I gotta finish writing it!

2) The above thoughts from op are all great and super helpful for me to think about too!!

3) This one is kind of related to my first point as as well as op’s (1) and (4) (about loving the idea and not worrying about planning too much). I have reread what exists of tapestry as a reader a few times (because I’m so invested in the idea), but it also helps me see threads I’ve put in by accident, motifs and emotional moments and stuff. That inspires me to follow up on them and can even point the way to where I want the details of the story to go. When I was really stuck on how I wanted ch5/6/7 to go, I reread what I’d written and realized there could be a nice circular structure where the concluding chapters would sort of mirror and wrap up some character points from chapters 3/2/1 respectively, so at the end I have (hopefully) a bit of a full-circle moment. This is something specific to my example, but rereading and analyzing as inspiration helps me in general!

4) Speaking of inspiration - if I’m stuck on a longer fic I’ll sometimes return to some old favorites by other authors with the same ships/characters, or find some new fics to read of them. This helps me feel excited about my own story again by letting me compare/contrast what I’m doing with what others have done. I love these characters and other stories are so great but they’re not exactly what I imagine, so I want to write my thing too! “This emotional note in x fic is so great, I realize the character might feel a similar way in a situation I’ve put them in, and now I have more direction!” Or “I love how this character acts in y fic, but it’s not how things play out for them in my fic, and I want there to make a satisfying written reality out of what happens in my imagination, just like the author of y fic did!”

Unorganized thoughts but I just wanted to write em down before I forgot/procrastinated too long!

Do you have any advice and how to write a long fic?

I'll encourage long fic writers to add on in the notes, but as someone who tends to prefer short and medium-length fic, I'll tell you how I go about it.

Get a premise that you just absolutely love. You're going to be writing this thing for months, if not longer, so you want it to be something you're willing to spend a lot of time thinking about.

Embrace subplots. You'll have your main plotline that you want to see through from beginning to end, but you can also weave in some subplots here or there. The way I do this so that I don't get lost down a rabbit hole is that I always make sure that every chapter has at least 1 thing that moves the main plot forward and then if I want to spend 1-2K with some side characters doing something fun I can do that as well. Subplots can extend for the length of the full narrative, but they can also just last a chapter or three. If you're used to writing short fic, these might give you that familiar feeling of "completion"

A chapter is only as long as it needs to be. Don't get hung up on having a consistent chapter length. Don't get hung up on hitting some arbitrary number every time. Instead, figure out what the next part of your story needs to include and write however many words it takes to get that chunk across. Varying your chapter lengths is a normal thing to do and not something to stress about.

The next thing that I find important personally may or may not be relevant to you, but I find that I can't plot anything in much detail. If I get too into the nitty gritty with my plotting, it just feels like I've already written it. I need to keep it at the level of "And then A and B meet C and hijinks ensue." I can figure out the particular hijinks later. It's the characters meeting up that's the next important thing for me to figure out. Getting too far ahead of myself is a death knell for me in writing long fics, but there are other writers who swear by it. Test out different ways of approaching it and see what works for you.

As someone who tends to write more briefly, another feature that's common to longer fics is more extensive descriptions. People spend time painting visual pictures of the setting or the characters or the actions that are happening. Write the more bare-bones style that focuses more on dialogue (if you're like me) and then go back and read through what you've just written and see if there are opportunities to add in more detail. This can lead to some really interesting characterization choices and also help you out with worldbuilding.

When it comes to worldbuilding, you don't have to get it all on the page. You just need to share what's relevant for the reader in that moment and what is useful to lay out now so that it's already there in a future chapter. You can have an encyclopedic knowledge of how your world works in your head, but it's not actually necessary. No one is going to be quizzing you later - and if they do, you can always figure it out at that point.

Most important for me when I'm trying to get myself to the end of a longer fic, have a friend or a group of friends who are also into what you're writing - or at least willing to hear you get excited about it. Being able to get excited about your work is so important. It's like a bottle of water being handed to you on mile 10 of a marathon.

[eloquent-vowel]

I have had a few bucky x read fic ideas bouncing around in my head and i cant write! So here is one,

Sam find a person who stairs and doesnt talk a whole lot because they uses ✨telepathy ✨. So Sam think they would be a good fit for Bucky, but he doesn’t know they have that power he just thinks they are mute. Then there is a thing where the reader is telling Buck how it works and they if they have something to connect them together like an object *reader motions to dog tags* they can have an unbreakable mind link. Then they fall in love or something. This is dumb, thank you for coming to my TedTalk

Hey! Thank you so much for this request, it wasn't dumb at all. I really enjoyed writing this. I may have gotten a bit carried away, this may sit close to 4000 words but we vibe. I hope this is what you had in mind! Please enjoy! <3

Click here for my masterlist of other fics and check in my bio for requests if anyone wishes to ask!

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Bucky had been enjoying a moments peace, he loved working with Sam but sometimes all he wanted was to put his feet up, put on some vinyl and enjoy a good cup of coffee all while reading a brilliant book. He had been trying to get into Game of Thrones lately, on Sam’s insistence, and he had been enjoying it. With the crackles of Glenn Miller from the turntable he missed the clunky footsteps coming up the stairs.

The sight that greeted Sam needed to be photographed. Bucky was lounging back on his ‘old man armchair’ feet up, hair in a towel, in a bathrobe, coffee in hand and facemask on, this was definitely one for the family album.

At the sound of the phone shutter Bucky practically launched himself out of the chair.

“Oh, you are never gonna live this one down old boy, it’s going to haunt you.” Sam almost cackled evilly as he began to email the photo to himself- he had learnt the hard way that Bucky was very proficient at breaking phones.

“You better not upload that photo anywhere, Wilson, I have a reputation to uphold.”

“Pfft, reputation, that’s funny.”

Bucky scoffed as he stood up, placing his book carefully on the side table, “Big scary super soldier, people hardly run-in fear from a guy in a bathrobe.”

“I disagree, a man in a bathrobe is definitely something you should run from. AH NOPE!” Sam jumped backwards, on top of a nearby chair, as Bucky lunged for the phone, towel turban falling off in the process. “You are not breaking this phone as well.”

“Fine. But you gotta promise not to post that anywhere.” Bucky huffed.

“I won’t.”

“Good.”

“As long as- “

“Oh no, I’m not doing anything for you.”

“Think of it as payment for the last phone you broke and insurance for this picture.”

There was silence for a moment as the two friends eyed each other up. Sam raised his eyebrows, Bucky’s eyes narrowed. It was an intense staring match between a guy in a bathrobe and a precariously balanced man. A clock ticked.

“Fine.” Bucky conceded. “What do you want?”

“For you to come to a meeting.”

“The families of Veterans ones?”

“Yeah.” Sam slowly started climbing down from the chair. “And before you get your old man pants in a twist, I’m not trying to force you to talk or anything, kinda.”

“Kinda?” Suspicion laced through Bucky’s voice.

“You know sign language, right?”

“Which kind?”

“American? I think?”

“Yeah, I know ASL, might be a bit rusty but I’m sure it still holds up. Why do you ask?”

Sam shifted slightly on his feet, “There’s this person, they come in every week and listen. I tried to talk to them, but they communicate through sign language, and I don’t have anyone there to talk with them.” He cast his eyes to the floor, “I feel bad. They were brave enough to come to the group only to basically be ignored ‘because we didn’t plan well enough.”

Bucky smiled, face mask crinkling around his smile lines, “You could have just asked me to Sam. You didn’t have to blackmail me into this, of course I’ll help. When’s the next meeting?”

“This evening. You gonna be ready or do you need some more ‘me’ time.”

Bucky simply chuckled at Sam’s teasing tone, patted his shoulder making sure to squeeze just a bit too hard before retreating to his room.

“I’ll be there, Wilson, and I will look so much younger than you!”

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It was frustrating to you, going along to these meetings and not being able to communicate. You could always speak into someone’s mind but all that usually accomplished was a very paranoid person. But just listening to other’s stories really helped the grief from losing someone so close to you. You related to most of the people there and even though they didn’t understand you a lot of the time, you were always made to feel welcome- with friendly pats on the back and the odd tissue thrown your way.

You bustled into the familiar building with a new sense of excitement as Sam had promised to bring a translator for you this week. It was finally time to say your thanks to some of the people there and finally let the group know about your brother, so that it wasn’t only you that remembered him.

You all but ran through the hallways until you caught sight of a familiar smiling man. Sam was facing you, talking animatedly to another man, the strangers back was to you. He was tall, broad shouldered and dressed in a vintage looking leather jacket and rather well fitted trousers. Now the debate was: does the tailoring make the ass, or does the ass make the tailoring. You were halfway through the arguments on either side when Sam shouting your name disrupted the intense debating in your mind. You blushed at being caught, then blushed some more when you caught sight of the stranger’s face. Twinkling blue eyes under a deep-set brow should have made him intimidating, but he was smiling, and his face was dazzling. There was an immediate fluttering in your stomach.

“Hey, I’m Bucky.” Dear lord even his voice was nice, what made you smile even more was the fact that he signed as he spoke. Well, Sam certainly knew how to pick them well. “Sam introduced me; said you wanted an interpreter.”

You nodded as you signed back, “Nice to meet you, thank you for helping out.”

“No problem, Sam has told me a bit about you.”

“Good things I hope.”

“Okay I recognise my own name, you two better not be conspiring against me.” Sam piped up, to be honest you had forgotten about him for a moment.

Bucky laughed, and it sent a little thrill down you, he really was adorable.

“No worries, Wilson, just letting them know all your dirty little secrets.”

“Right, you two get in there, before you make me sleep with one eye open.”

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You and Bucky caught each other’s eye, his eyes were twinkling with mischief, and you couldn’t help the smile that overtook you. You had a feeling that the two of you would get on just fine.

The meeting passed easily. Bucky translated your signs and you finally felt like you could actually take part in these meetings. Everyone listened intently when you spoke of your brother and when you had thanked the whole group for being so open to you a couple of people shed a tear. By the end of the meeting though you were tired and very accepting of Bucky’s offer to walk you home.

It was a lot of side glances and hidden smiles and you walked side by side. Drawn to each other under the moonlit sky, it was nice to just be in the presence of someone who had such a kind aura. You spent the walk trying to work up the confidence to sign something, anything but nothing came to mind and Bucky seemed quite content to just walk in comfortable silence.

You soon reached your home, you turned to Bucky with a smile on your face and signed,

“Thanks for today, Bucky. You were really helpful.”

“No problem.” He signed back,

You hesitated slightly before signing, “Would you be happy to have a coffee with me, tomorrow?”

Bucky went a little red in the face, and chuckled, “I would love to, I know a nice place, real cosy. I’ll text you the details.”

“You know how to text?”

“Hey! I get enough stick from Sam, don’t need you getting on my case too. I’ll have you know that I am very adaptable.”

“Sure, Sure.” You smiled at his flustered tone. “I’ll wait for your text then, have a good evening.”

“You too.”

The two of you stared slightly awkwardly at each other, neither wanting to be the first to turn around. You shuffled your feet away slowing, smiling awkwardly once more at Bucky before turning. You heard his footsteps start to fade away as you walked towards your home. You were but three steps to the door when a large figure in a hoodie slammed into you, you raised your arms instinctively to block them when you noticed your shoulder was lighter. The bastard had stolen your bag.

You immediately took chase, chasing around the corner you just walked down but they were fast, faster then you at least. As you rounded the corner you caught sight of Bucky walking ahead. The thief wouldn’t stand a change against him. Without a second thought you cast your thoughts towards Bucky,

“Bucky! Thief! My Bag! Behind you!”

You saw Bucky flinch slightly then turn bewildered, his eyes widening when he saw you hurting towards him, chasing the hooded figure. He caught on and launched after the thief as well, with barely any effort he knocked the thief to the ground, grabbed your bag and whipped out his phone to call the cops.

Well, that was hot.

You took your bag back, immediately checking that you brother’s lucky coin was in the zippy pocket, to your relief it was still there. You looked up to see Bucky staring at you with a very puzzled look on his face. You sighed before casting your thoughts to his head once more,

“I’ll explain later.”

Bucky let out a strange, decompressed noise of shock, it made you giggle. The two of you waited in silence until the police came and took the thief away. The police car had barely driven away when he turned to you.

“Did you just, talk in my head? Or did my conscious just suddenly get really loud.”

“I did. Hi. Sorry about that.”

He waved his hands dismissively. “Believe it or not, not the weirdest thing I’ve encountered.”

“Well, that’s reassuring.”

There was an awkward silence.

“So,” You started, resorting back to sign language, it felt less invasive, “Still down for coffee?”

Bucky smiled, “One hundred percent. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yeah. Bye Bucky. Thanks for getting my bag back.”

“No problem, see ya.”

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The coffee shop that Bucky invited you to, was tucked away, it was the kind of place that you would stumble over on accident. With a simple door and a big window out the front, that lead soft orange light filter out onto the alley. There was the faint sound of jazz leaking out of the building, you smirked. It was such an old fashioned place, of course this was where Bucky frequented.

The bell tinkled slightly as you entered the café, where you were greeted with the smell of fresh coffee and baked goods. You caught sight of Bucky’s broad shoulders sitting in the corner, and you made your way over to him, smiling at the barista as you passed.

As if sensing you, Bucky turned to smile and wave. He was dressed in casual clothes like last time, but this time his hair was loose around his shoulders. You smiled back before settling into the seat opposite him.

His hands moved hesitantly as he signed, “What would you like? I can recommend their hot chocolate, its very warming/”

“Hot chocolate it is.”

You could tell he wanted to ask you a million questions but to his credit he walked slowly to get the drinks, he even took his time carefully carrying the tray of drinks back to your table. He placed a delicious looking hot chocolate in front of you. You watched as he took a sip.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1-

“So,” Here we go, “What is it you can do, you can speak in peoples’ heads, can you,” He lowered his voice and leaned in, “Can you read people’s minds?”

You giggled slightly, his eyes were basically sparkling, he was definitely nerding out about this.

You set the hot chocolate down before casting your thoughts to his head, “I can speak in peoples heads relatively easily, it’s how I talk most of the time to people I know. I guess you could call it Telepathy.”

Bucky’s eyes were as wide as saucers, “So you can’t read thoughts, only… speak them?”

“I like to call it casting, makes me feel like a sorcerer. I can read thoughts, but it takes a lot of energy. I used to be able to talk with my brother from across the house. That usually requires some kind of connection.”

“Oh, so like a blood or family connection? Do you have to know the person very well?”

“That certainly helps but it’s not always necessary. If I have a personal object that belongs to that person, something I can hold and connect to them it isn’t hard to make a two-way connection. Especially if that person is willing to open their mind.”

Bucky seemed to be caught in thought for a second. “So, if I were to give you something of mine, we could both talk in our… heads?”

“Well yes, but Bucky we have only just met. Letting me into your head is a lot. I try not to pry but sometimes I’ve found that thoughts just burst through. Let’s get to know each other a before that happens.”

Bucky smiled at you before speaking and signing, “You’re right. Let’s get to know one another. I find you fascinating.”

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It happened on the fifth date. Bucky was just walking you home after a lovely dinner at a small Italian that he claimed he went to back in the 40s. Just outside your door, under the glow of a lamppost he turned to you and took a deep breath before speaking.

“I know this may be a lot, but I wanted to give you these.” He reached around his neck and pulled off something silver. You gasped slightly as he held out his dog tags, immaculately preserved after all these years.

“Are you sure, Bucky? This is a lot.”

“I know and if you aren’t comfortable with it then just let me know but I want to give them to you.”

“You know what this means Bucky?”

“Yeah, I know, I just figured that you’re already in my head all the time anyways, just can’t seem to get you out of it.”

“You cheeseball.” You smirked at him before taking the dog tags and placing them around your neck. You gripped the cold metal for a moment, concentrating on the man in front of you. Taking everything, you knew about him and stretching out a connection, like a hand reaching out to clasp another.

“Testing, Testing, Testing, one two, one two, can my Telepathic partner hear me?”

You laughed, “Yes I can Bucky, you big dork.”

Bucky whooped out loud before sweeping you up in a big hug. The two of you laughing under the lamp light. His joy was infectious, and you couldn’t fight the smile off your face.

“Oh, we are going to have so much fun messing with Sam.”

“You’re evil.”

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Of course, the two of you made a pact not to tell Sam until he worked it out, which wouldn’t be anytime soon according to Bucky. It led to some very memorable moments and Sam refusing to play any form of card or board game with either of you because you always managed to win, somehow. Not to mention all the times you had spoken in eery unison around him.

“I swear, its like you two can read each other’s minds sometimes.” Sam threw his hands up in frustration at another lost game of charades.

You smirked at Bucky across the room, “Should you tell him, or shall I?”

“I think he’s been through enough, I got it.”

Bucky cleared his throat, “We can.”

Sam whipped around to face Bucky, a look of sheer disbelief on his face, “Seriously Bucky-boy, if you think I believe that after all-

“Hello Sam.” You cast your thoughts to him, in the creepiest old lady voice you could muster.

Sam yelped, before turning accusingly at you, “You better be joking around with me right now, I am not dealing with any kind of ghosts in this house.”

“Sorry! Surprise I’m telepathic!”

“You’re serious.”

You nodded.

Sam put his head in his hands and sighed, “Not the weirdest thing ever. Wait, does this mean you have been cheating this entire time.”

You both looked guiltily at one another.

“You owe me. That poker night, void.”

You both laughed, “We’ll have a fair rematch this time Sam.”

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It had been close to a year since you had made it official with Bucky and you were now much more comfortable around one another. He no longer just dropped you off at the lamppost but cam inside with you. You had spent many lovely mornings together sharing glances over steaming cups of coffee. Fighting each other for who got to spread their legs out on the couch, there wasn’t really a loser though as it usually ended up in sofa cuddles for both of you, while watching a film.

Life was pretty great, you thought, as you smiled down at the sleeping Bucky beside you. Finally reaching over to turn off the lamp and put your book down, you were finally reading the hobbit at Bucky’s insistence. As you clicked off the light beside you and settled down you noticed the faster than usual breathing coming from beside you.

“Bucky?”

You reached out, thinking he was awake but instead as you opened up your connection you caught flashes of night terrors. You were falling indefinitely, snow all around you, and in the distance, there were cries of pain, people pleading for their lives, there was gunfire and explosions. You gasped and took off the dog tags. You only gave yourself a moment to breathe before trying to shake Bucky awake. When it became clear that he wasn’t stirring you steadied yourself and settled your hands on his temples. You didn’t care you tired this would make you, you just wanted Bucky to stop suffering. You focused, offering out that hand of connection again, this time picturing it in the shape of a fist and, although it wasn’t subtle, you tried to shake Bucky’s brain awake. You forced your way into his dreams, punching through the dark fog that clouded his thoughts and almost screamed at him.

“Bucky! Bucky wake up! You’re dreaming my dear!”

Bucky woke up with a start. Tears flowing down his face, he stared at you blue eyes shining. No one spoke as he pulled you into his arms. You just breathed together for a moment, counting the breaths and the spaces in between. When he finally pulled back, you saw his eyes flicker with concern before lifting a hand to gently wipe under your nose, it came back red with blood.

“You, okay?”

You smiled sadly, reaching out to put the dog tags back on.

“I should be asking you that.”

“But you’re bleeding.”

“Occupational hazard.” You tried to subtly get rid of any of the extra blood. “That was pretty intense. Wanna talk?”

Bucky looked down to the sheets and shook his head. You smiled at him, tilting his head to yours.

“That’s fine, want me to go? Or would you like to cuddle for a bit?”

Bucky didn’t talk again, just pulled you gently down to the bed once more. Snuggling himself under your chin, resting his head on your chest. You felt his arms draw tightly against your waist. You pressed your lips into his hair.

“May I help you go to sleep? Keep the bad thoughts at bay for at least one night.”

You felt Bucky nod and let out a little sleepy hum of agreement. You closed your eyes, focused on your connection setting up a golden wall against the dark fog at the corners of his mind and settled into a deep sleep.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

You woke to the smell of fresh coffee and the clinking of cups.

“Morning.” You opened your eyes at Bucky’s voice and took the offered cup greedily. Your mind still felt hazy from the energy you used last night.

You felt the bed dip beside you as Bucky sat and sipped at his cup as well, hair a bit of a mess from bed. He had evidently only just woken up as well.

He took a breath, “I had some pretty interesting dreams, sweetheart.”

You stiffened, “Good ones I hope.”

“Don’t worry, they were good. If a little strange.”

“Strange?”

“I was watching myself most of the time.”

You snorted into the coffee, “Sounds creepy”

There was a slight chuckle, “Nah, I was watching myself build a home, a family- “

“Oh God Bucky.” You snapped your eyes to his, you knew what had happened. “I am so sorry my dreams must have stuck in your head.”

“Those were your dreams?”

“Yeah, its only happened once before but when the connection between two people is very strong, it can happen- I call it bleeding. Perhaps we should- “

“If the next words out of your mouth are take a break, I will spill your coffee.” You clutched your cup closer to your chest, “Truthfully, those were some of the beset dreams I have every had. I really loved them.”

You looked back up at him, hesitantly “You did?”

“And I love you.”

“Huh

There was silence as you stared at him in shock. His face as nothing but adoration as the sunlight filtered over his face.

“I love you, sweetheart.”

“I love you too.”

Coffee cups were cast aside as you both collided. Giggling and joking, radiating happiness as the two of you shared the sweetest kiss. Your feelings merging together, amplifying one another until they shone brighter than the sun.

[bcbdrums]

What are your pet peeves in fics for Drakgo?

Oh wow, I'm not sure where to begin with that... I can either be vague, or super detailed. But I think the biggest thing is if they're out of character.

For example, if Drakken is portrayed as a bumbling, stupid coward that's gonna be a fic I don't read. He is shown to do numerous daring physical feats in the show, takes on Kim himself, and he invents a great many genius things or modifies things he stole, which would require the know-how.

If Shego is portrayed as entirely ruthless and horribly cruel toward Drakken, that's also gonna be a fic I don't read. She mocks him in the show yes, but it's playful teasing for her entertainment, not vicious. They have much more of a...cantankerous old married couple vibe, or a best buds with a leftover playground grudge vibe.

Alternatively, remembering this is a children's show...if they're portrayed as too evil, or too soft on the other side of it...the author had better be convincing, or else it's just...putting familiar names on OCs, you know? Bottom line is, they've gotta be in character. And I think most other pet peeves would stem out of that issue...

Something else that's harder to pin down exactly is when a writer thinks that their headcanon is like...the only headcanon. Everyone has their own interpretations of characters that can go all sorts of directions and remain in character, and that's one of my favorite parts of fanfic, is seeing the diverse possibilities.

As I said it's really hard to pin down how exactly it comes across in fic, but sometimes it's there... I think it again is linked to being in character. Like if the headcanon strays too far, perhaps, from onscreen characterization? The writer has to be extremely convincing again, if they're gonna posit some very out-there backstory or whatever that doesn't fit with what we see onscreen. But sometimes it comes across in writing as... "No, this IS what happened! Not just one possible way." And when I start to get that sense in a fic it starts to feel...ehhhh. Which leads again to feeling out of character. And that goes beyond Drakgo, that's any and all fandoms.

That was a lot of rambling to say basically one thing, but I think that's the big one, Anon... I'm trying to think of small pet peeves but nothing is leaping out at me. If I think of any, I'll reblog and add to this post! Thank you as always for the ask.

Now... Do YOU have any pet peeves in Drakgo fic?

[the-kings-of-games]

Hi! Just wanted to say helloooo and that I only recently started shipping Kizuna (I hadn't met Crow yet and I am still on season 1 *sobs*) BUT THEY ARE SO CUTE RAHHHHH I love seeing your stuff pop up on my dash, makes me smile! So yeah- *awkwardly runs away* Ok ok, and I gotta ask a question. Was Kizuna your first-ever ship involving one of the bois or did someone/something change your mind about them??????

ASDAFHLAGDSAFDSAFDSASADRYWASDA I'm so elated to have you in my inbox and to answer reply, @bibookdemon.

Firstly, hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii. :D I'm so glad that you ship Kizuna too, omgssssssssss. I've been here so long, and a new Kizunashipper around is just great. (New friend maybe???) I'm always excited to interact with a familiar reader and a Kizuna fan. QwQ Just knowing you exist makes the past three years in rarepair hell worth it. So thank you so much for reading my fics, whether it's a dozen or just one!!! And I'm glad to see you in my notifs tooooooooooo, omgs. \(^3^)/

Second, to answer your question: Kizuna was not my first 5D's ship because as you pointed out, Crow doesn't show up yet until halfway through S1, so my first choice was Kingcrab because I love childhood friends to lovers trope very much. Also, I love their dragons and how much they contrast each other; the details in the character design makes me melt. I love Jack and Yūsei; however, when Crow finally showed, I just went THAT ONE, lmao. My favorite type of characters include tough redheaded characters with happy-go-lucky attitudes who wear headbands (shout out to Lavi Bookman and Kyan Reki!!! And also Kagami Taiga because I love him too!!!)

The thing was though, even when I first saw him and got into him (immensely), I was actually on the fence about adding him with Kingcrab. I think it was because I only had a little experience with polyshipping prior, but the love was growing quickly. My first few Kizuna fics were actually gen. Whatever their relationship is like they are definitely cute and they love each other!

Then I had this epiphany and created the headcanon that Crow is a genderfluid he/him dfab, and then I wrote a Kizuna smut piece and then I wrote ~100 Kizuna fics and now we're here. I dropped through that pipeline fast and hard. That headcanon is my most favorite YGO headcanon, and it really opened a lot of door for exploring Kizuna and their relationship. My Kizuna fics have some of my best writing currently, lmaolololol, because I just wrote so much for them. (When you write a bunch, something is bound to be actually good, you know?) And the thing about that Crow headcanon? People actually like it. :) That makes me super happy.

Though I only have a handful of regular readers, I very much appreciate them all and recognize most of them. ^^ What more, I had two people reach out to me because of my writing, and we became good friends. 🥺🥺🥺🥺 I'm think I'm doing pretty good with Kizuna.

Third, thanks for asking, and for reading my fics!!!! I hope to keep reaching out to people to spread the Kizuna love! I hope to keep seeing you around!! Feel free to come talk to me if you like. I'm also shy, it's okay.

[neonun-au]

what’s your fave work from each of your moots? ;))

oh, i wanted this ask but also now i am afraid because i have...so much to think about :')) and i have not read nearly as much as i would like to (from moots and non-moots alike) :'))

jackie | @97-liners and @/naptaemed

i gotta do one from each blog

just us and the moon

lonely hearts column

jackie is the queen of rom com, tbh lol the humour is always so natural and so on point. i love everything i have read from her so it's a hard call, but i think these are genuinely two of the best fics i have read ever

zosia | @jungwooisms

listen, i know i talk about it all the time and she probably wishes i would read something else instead of harping on about it but it's hwarang :'))

its just so beautifully detailed and well fleshed out and it pulls you into a super immersive world. you get invested in the storyline and the people and never want it to end

fei | @doiefy

at dawn

:)))

like i really only have one possible choice despite the fact that everything she writes is just overall so, so well written. i am a slut for crime thrillers. and vampires. and crime thrillers. and vampires. and i am in it. and did i mention that its a very well laid out crime thriller?

nik | @lunena

breathe easier

i havent given this a proper review yet (a tragedy and a crime) but its so lovely. so beautiful. so amazing. she writes just beautiful like...soft, romantic spaces. idk how to describe it but its just the overall atmosphere is just..oof. god words are not my friend tonight khfdk

bronwyn | @d-nghy-ck

pearlescent

smut is not my genre, just by and large and you will see that again in the next rec but this is just so beautiful and impactful. the writing flows so well, and the imagery is so strong. hard not to love.

lily | @husbandhoshi

new moot and just in general a new blog/writer that i started follow maybe a week or so ago??? but !

sick day nsfw

i don't read a lot of smut in general, i especially read even less pwp. but this is immaculate. i am very very tired of the same old constant hard dom tropes and the same formula for a smut fic over and over. this is not that. it's soft. it's an established relationship. it's funny and sweet and romantic and ofc soonyoung is so well characterised ah :')) i am in love

javi | @itsapapisongo

be seeing you

okay, so it hasn't been continued yet, but i was so in love with where the story was going and javi always writes such strong, strong characters. so much snark and this gritty sort of attitude and i live for it. it suited the concept and the collab theme so well, too. dialogue always on point, as well

sab | @sichengtual

90's Love

man, everything sab writes is just so beautiful, and so masterfully written, it was really hard to choose but this one just sits in my mind so often. it's so short, and so singular, but just the perfect swell of emotions ah :')) i just love it

manx | @kabira

she doesn't really write anymore, on here at least that i know of but i started reading her stuff forever ago and its so good-

by hook or by cross (nsfw, but the smut is just at the end)

read this before i even really got into seventeen, but i loved it so much. its just overall so well written and i really appreciate the setting and the dynamics between the characters

i need to go on a reading binge now and catch up with everyone / everyone else jkhfdjsahf