#2023 resolution: get better at tagging

[puzzleshipping-library]

it's MERMAY (ft. Mer!Atem)

To kick things off, I am pleased to present a list of Mer!Atem (or Mer!Yami) fics. For lack of a better option, they are in alphabetical order with the rating, word count, completion status, and summary. Please be sure to check the actual fic for additional tags/warnings.

Bon appetit!

Beads of Tears by Yami Yuugi Rating: T | Word Count: ~35,000 | Status: Complete | 2006

A 19 year feud between sister kingdoms is resolved with the discovery of Atlantis's heir. However, problems arise when a painful transformation brings a supposed human to the murky depths of Atlantis and Atlantica for the resolution. Love is found in the most unusual places.

Beliefs by BiBookDemon (locked to AO3 users) Rating: T | Word Count: ~1900 | Status: Complete | 2023

Yugi is a non-believer cause he's just an 'ordinary guy'. Or so he thinks.

Binding Circles by Shamise Rating: T | Word Count: ~53,000 | Status: Ongoing | 2007

The Ocean will call you home.' Is what Yuugi's Grandpa told before he died. Now, a few years later, the ocean really is calling Yuugi, but not in the way he thought it would. A strange creature has claimed Yuugi as his mate. How will he survive?

By The Seashore by AsagiStilinski Rating: T | Word Count: ~2500 | Status: Complete | 2018

He had dark tan skin, long hair in a similar style to Yugi's own, with blonde bangs and a black and red backing, his tail was blood red, with little fins attached to both sides, and lighter colored fins at the bottom He really was a sight to behold… And when his eyes finally slid open, Yugi felt as though his breath had been stolen.

Cerulean by Diaphanousss Rating: T | Word Count: ~1500 | Status: Complete | 2019

He couldn't scream. He couldn't breathe. The water fed off his fear, dwindling him down to near exhaustion. The heat that surged through his blood like wildfire was soon replaced with the frozen sensation of pure utter dread. He thrashed and thrashed and thrashed but he was chained by the strong haul of the water. He sank. And sank.

Cheerful Oblivion by atlas_x Rating: T | Word Count: ~9,000 | Status: Complete | 2023

When Yugi is ten, he's saved by a mythical creature that haunts his dreams. At sixteen, Atem steps into his life when he least expects it and he finally gets the chance to thank his savior properly.

Deep Blue Songspell by cosmicbubble Not Rated | Word Count: ~7,000 | Status: Complete | 2018

Stressed from the work of the day, Yugi wanders out to the ocean and comes across a remarkable - and life-changing - sight.

Deep in the sea, I'll show you what I'm dreaming by BabyBananya Rating: T | Word Count: ~6,000 | Status: Ongoing | 2020

It would be another few hours at least before he would have to start opening up shop- he was sure his grandpa was still asleep soundly upstairs, and, married to his work as that man was, even he didn't wake up this early. But Yuugi couldn't sleep. (Yuugi is a lost highschool graduate stuck in a tiny seaside town, and Atem is a mermaid. What happens next will shock you!😳)

Hidden Depths by Tamo282 Rating: T | Word Count: ~89,000 | Status: Ongoing | 2025

Twelve years ago, the Darkness escaped the crust deep in the ocean, releasing chaos that swept outwards and displaced the proud merfolk clans across the sea. Merciless, it took their way of life along with whatever fell victim within its shadows. Those few who remain struggle to find safety and security. Yugi thought he found someplace safe, but all it took was one careless moment and one storm to tear him from the life he knew…only to place him in the path of another. A strange and mysterious mer with scarlet scales and too many secrets to count.

Jolly Sailor Bold by Kudalyn Rating: M | Word Count: ~10,000 | Status: Complete | 2018

The seas sing for those who are lost, and for those who find as well.' Atem is a siren/merman and Yugi is a ghost haunting a sunken ship Atem comes across. Atem is intrigued by the ghost, hangs around enough that they start to get to know each other, getting attached, and falling for each other over time. But Yugi’s memories start to fade, as ghosts don’t get to stay forever on the living plane, and Atem has to deal with this loss.

(Be sure to also check out the sequel, Shellfish Tendencies!)

Lament in the Waves by PrincipalCellist Rating: T | Word Count: ~15,000 | Status: Ongoing | 2020

Yugi has loved Anzu since forever - but when the Ocean calls, you answer. A siren saved cursed him with a kiss, and now Yugi is part of something he doesn't quite understand. He can feel his heart break with every wave and time is running out. There's still a chance… but sometimes that's worse.

Maelstrom by Lindelle Rating: T | Word Count: ~40,000 | Status: Ongoing | 2010

Yuugi returned to Seattle ready to start fresh - and how better to do so than as a marine biology intern at the world renowned KaibaCorp, Marine Division? However, as Yuugi delves deeper within KaibaCorp's walls, he discovers more than he expected, and finds himself questioning everything he thinks he knows about science, life, and love.

New Life Under the Sea by PuzzleshippingPrincess1989 Rating: M | Word Count: ~27,000 | Status: Ongoing | 2023

Yugi has a terrible life on the surface all he wants is to make friends and fall in love with he man of his dreams. He soon meets Atem a very handsome merman from the city of Luxor.

Paint Me a Sea of Love by VyxenSkye Rating: T | Word Count: ~13,000 | Status: Complete | 2006

Yugi, a reclusive artist who dreams of the ocean. Atem, a young merman who is the reluctant and rebellious Prince of Atlantica. What happens when these two meet in a pure accident and Yugi realizes that Atem is the one that he’s been dreaming of?

Rusalka by Olesia.love Rating: T | Word Count: unknown | Status: Complete | 2008

Yuugi is aquaphobic. So, of course, he falls for the man living in the lake.

Sea Legs by AsagiStilinski Rating: T | Word Count: ~2800 | Status: Complete | 2018

"Just… please Atem, I know how scared you are, but I really think you're worried for nothing, just try to start letting yourself believe that they'll accept you…. please? You do that for me, I'll enjoy myself tommorrow, ok?" The merman glanced up, his expression ill and grim, but still smiling weakly at his partner "You have a deal,"

Sea of Rage by YamiKaykaMotou Rating: T | Word Count: ~7000 | Status: Complete | 2005

Yami is a merman prince. Yugi is human prince. When they meet, will they find a way to be together?

Summer Blues, Ocean's Blue by CharadeChat Rating: N/R | Word Count: ~32,000 | Status: Ongoing | 2023

Yugi Muto, in an effort to get away from his hometown and the associated memories, applies for and is accepted to an archeology internship on the coast of Egypt. Whatever secrets they are uncovering there, Yugi has a strange feeling it has something to do with the red-eyed man he saw in the sea. Prince Atem made a mistake, and now his little mistake is drawing humans in closer to his home. He must find a way to fix everything and drive the humans away, and maybe the kind-looking human he saw could help solve all his problems. The ocean is deep and mysterious, with a power older than time itself that both Yugi and Atem are called by. The only question? Will they answer her call?

Tales from Domino Bay by NaughtyOrgel Rating: E | Word Count: ~17,000 | Status: Complete | 2017

Yugi is trying to catch a fish for his Grandpa's birthday when he becomes distracted by a flirtatious swimmer with a captivating voice.

the third piece by Brandydoll Rating: T | Word Count: ~22,000 | Status: Ongoing | 2021

Atem, prince of the undersea kingdom of Millennium and heir to the thrown, is in an arranged marriage. Atem, fascinated with the world beyond the sea and those who inhabit it, wants nothing to do with it. After Atem risks his own life to save a human from a watery grave, his father’s rage and the fallout that proceeds it is the final push he needs to make his dreams come true. And luckily for Atem, he can get his land legs; for a price, of course. Yugi Muto swears that a mysterious stranger with a beautiful voice rescued him after the KaibaCorp Yacht went down, but everyone insists that he’s the only person they found on the beach. Yugi knows he wasn’t alone that night.

Vows of the Sea by YamiKaykaMotou Rating: T | Word Count: ~4000 | Status: Complete | 2018

Yugi, a human prince is betrothed to Atem, a merman prince. When the queen has other plans for Yugi, will Atem be able to stop them?

There's plenty here to sink you teeth into here already, but standby for the next post tomorrow which will feature mer!Yugi.

[kiwiana-writes]

Kiwiana's Christmas Fics

This was doing the rounds last year, so let's bring it back (and update it) for 2024!

Red, White & Royal Blue

[TBD… coming 2024-12-21 to an AO3 near you]

…

Got a will to win and a Cheshire grin [Alex/Henry; rated E; 4,952 words]

Please find attached the list of collective bargaining agreement breaches reported by the Sports and Recreation Floor in December. As the designated union representative, it is my responsibility to ensure that the rights and interests of our members are protected and upheld, even (or maybe especially) during our busiest time of year. In accordance with the grievance procedure outlined in our collective bargaining agreement, we request that Santa’s Workshop takes immediate corrective action to remedy these breaches. Please set up a meeting at your earliest convenience to discuss these issues further and explore appropriate resolutions. Thank you for your immediate attention to this matter.

All Those Christmas Clichés [Alex/Henry; rated M; 7,500 words]

Daily triple drabbles: snapshots of the lead-up to Christmas 2023.

Schitt's Creek

I see every part of you [David/Patrick; rated M; 1,514 words]

Patrick is a straight-up aficionado when it comes to giving gifts. David has known this from literally day one of their relationship, when he pulled a bunch of tissue paper out of a blue gift bag, looked away from a sentimental receipt in a solid frame and into a pair of earnest eyes, and thought, 'I hate it when Stevie's right.'

How the reindeer loved him [David/Patrick; rated E; 2,178 words]

David wraps an arm around him, hand splayed across his chest to pull him close. “Tell me,” he says quietly. “I want you to dress up as Santa,” Patrick rushes out in one quick breath.

This is all I'm asking for [David/Patrick; rated E; 3,957 words]

But by the time they clean up after the party, and Patrick tactfully offers to take the garbage bags out to the shed to give the Roses a bit of family time, it’s well after eleven and David can only assume all their plans for the evening are out the window. That is, until they turn out of the motel parking lot and instead of Patrick putting his hand on David’s knee like usual it lands halfway up his thigh, fingers tracing absent circles around his inseam, and David realises that at least one part of the plan is still very much on the table.

Dear Santa… [Gen: David, Alexis, Patrick; rated G; 2,191 words]

Letters to Santa, 1987-1997

Do you wanna fuck a snowman? [David/Patrick; rated E; 7,216 words; co-write with @ships-to-sail]

David mimics her stance — and he has to admit, she’s not entirely wrong. In the quickly disappearing light, already blurred a little bit by the still-fallen snow, the snowman does look a little like he has tree trunk thighs and a well-formed ass, rather than being Frosty-shaped. But it’s the best they’re going to do, and David’s toes are officially cold.

I need some Christmas spirit [David/Patrick; rated T; 626 words]

David can handle his alcohol, is the thing. So no, it doesn’t occur to Patrick to warn him.

It probably should have.

Happiest Season

We always walked a very thin line [Abby/Riley, Harper/Abby; rated T; 2,775 words]

The girlfriend — Abby — stumbles over a lie about being Harper's orphan roommate, which… wow. Girl is a bad liar. Riley kind of wants to take her by the hand and tell her she’s going to have to get a lot better at that particular skill if she’s going to be in a relationship with Harper Caldwell. She doesn’t though, because it’s not her place and because who knows what, if anything, Harper has told Abby about her?

Tagging @blueeyedgrlwrites @cactusdragon517 @celeritas2997 @cha-melodius @clottedcreamfudge

@cricketnationrise @dumbpeachjuice @everwitch-magiks @firenati0n @getmehighonmagic 

@hgejfmw-hgejhsf @indestructibleheart @inexplicablymine @lilythesilly 

@myheartalivewrites @nontoxic-writes @notspecialbabe @orchidscript 

@piratefalls @rmd-writes @sherryvalli @sparklepocalypse @stereopticons 

@thesleepyskipper @thighzp @tintagel-or-cockleshells @welcometololaland @whimsymanaged and, as always, anyone who wants to play! 

[strawberry-daiquiris]

AO3 Wrapped!

nobody tagged me in this hahahah i just wanted to keep a record like i did last year so this is a mash up of a couple of different versions (not figg as i first posted lol)

Works Published: 26 (including 1 anon fic)

Comment Threads: 791

Word Count: 222,139 (took jump right in out of the total because most of it was written/half was published in 2023 but ao3 includes it in the latest updated year for stats)

Top 3 Kudosed Fics:

(again... ignoring jump right in... sort of)

🏆 hard on the brakes

🥈 lay your open hand

🥉 something dumb to do

Top Word Count:

🏆 lay your open hand (51k)

🥈 still reserved for me (35k)

🥉 girls just wanna f1 tumblr fics (15k)

Top Ships:

🏆 landoscar

🥈 🥉 a tie between piastrell and piastrella, as it should be <3

and then some additional questions, cutting this for dash length purposes...

What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)?  this one is so hard... last year i had a stand out because jump right in was (and still is) such a huge accomplishment. i guess i'm proud of still reserved for me because it's a continuation of a world i feel so happy in, and even though the readers have dropped off a lot i feel like i'm writing for a group of people who really Get and Love the two of them. it makes me proud to have managed to build something like that!!!

i'm also just proud of the sheer word count... insane... stupid... get a grip.

What work of yours got more feedback than you expected? oh 100% the piastrells... really didn't think anyone else apart from about 4 certified fellow freaks were going to be into them as a pairing, but i've had some lovely, insightful feedback about them and their relationship that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!!!!

What work was the quickest to write? just like last year i've got a few fics that were one session wonders. sun down and i'm feeling lifted aka help i think i fancy some driver's sisters, this (maybe not so now) anon when i was hit by the Future of F1, the tarkov nortrell and all of the andrea/oscar fics that were basically me working through my sport emotions, lol.

What work took you the longest to write?  i started the gdoc of what became lay your open hand in april and posted it december, but i was only properly working on it from some point in september. still reserved for me took the best part of two months as well. next year i have 3 wips i'd lke to actually finish that could steal the title tbh.

What’s your most common “Additional Tags” tag? rule 63 babyyyyyy!!!! closely followed by age difference and magical realism, which tracks.

Your favourite character to write this year? toss up between oscar and max fewtrell, which explains nicely why the brittle fics are my highlights of 2024.

The character that gave you the most trouble writing this year? lando still stressing me out to this day... i think i am nearly there with the voice (although frightened of over using in case i fall into it sounding forced) but the rapidly changing state of mind on that man... i think i love him so much it's hard to feel like i ever capture him properly, the wriggly little wormy thing.

What’s one pairing you want to explore next year? i think there's a jendo in me bubbling below the surface.

Favourite work you wrote this year? oh i think i have already answered this by going on and on about it, but brittle it shakes, closely followed by something to sink your teeth into and a podium finish for float away like vapour.

ok sorry if you read this because it was LONG... i'm also going to make a few new years resolutions...

i'm going to get better at replying to comments and not feel shame if i go back and respond to ones from a while ago

stop being hard on yourself, stop deciding a fic is rubbish and then hate it/want to delete it, stop holding yourself to DEADLINES... it's not that deep, it's not a job, it's supposed to be FUN

i'm going to read more - i will stop saving fics for 'the best time for them' and start reading them when they come out so that i don't miss my chance.

[shin-haneul]

04.01.24

____________

Anyone else feel like they blinked and suddenly it's 2024? Like 2023 was one of the speediest years I've ever experienced. It went by so quickly that i mistake my memories from early 2023 as being more recent! If that's a good thing or a bad thing is undetermined but I'm hoping 2024 won't go by so quickly so I can cherish it more, so I've made my resolution to spend 2024's days more intentionally.

I hope everyone had a nice new year's day! I feel like if new years day goes well then it sets off the year on the right foot :D my day was a bit gloomy, honestly, it turns out people in this city can be kinda ruthless. Hopefully that means things can only get better as 2024 continues eh? :)

Do you guys like to make resolutions? They can seem a bit pointless I think, but it's a nice thing to try and achieve, even if it ends up being short lived 😂 what kind of resolutions do you guys make?

____________

Tags: @blogger-yura @bxnqchxn @clubwnderland (💗🦊) @coffeexdreamcb @darkloversxcb @darkfaeskz @demonesseulgi @domrachaa @domxbot @doom-bc @heistkingscb @johnnys-toes-cb (🦶) @kimheebby @lucky-charmsanhwa @lunaaofthemoon @markshands-cb (✋) @moongoddesselene @moonlightchn @neonvandalsxcb @oppositesattraxt (🐺) @pillowxtalk @queenofheartsxyeji @reve-rv @secretscb @silcntxnight (⛓️) @silverypurple-rosedlions @skz-cb @/theboys-oc (👗) @vitoria-oc @wolf-sxyeon @yanjxngin (DM to be +/- from tags)

[seaside-lovers]

🥀 Scarecrow & Kate 🔭

Ship name/tag: 🥀 trust exercise

Anniversary: June 11, 2023

F/O source: Lost in Space (2018)

My backstory: I’m an astrobiologist who studies alien life that is scattered outside of Earth. I’m related to the Robinson family (being John’s younger sister), but due to their ship having five people already, I’m travelling to Alpha Centauri with the Watanabes, who are friends of mine. Unfortunately, this doesn’t work out, as we become stranded on the unknown planet. As the series progresses, we do manage to make it to the Resolute, then manage to escape while the kids go one way and the adults go another. At this point, I say my goodbyes to the Watanabes and go with John, Maureen, and Don.

How we meet: I meet Scarecrow when he is nearly killed by us as we think he is SAR. However, Will’s voice coming through Scarecrow/Robot helps stop us, and we’re able to confirm that the children are alive and well. I’m able to get to properly meet Scarecrow from the first time after hearing from Maureen how he faced off against THAR and his robot enemies to save the kids.

First impressions: I’m very interested in Scarecrow. He’s an intelligent alien with both organic and metal makeup – I am very curious about getting to know him better and discovering more about how his species works. He comes across as very disinterested in me, but I chalk that up to not trusting humans due to his previous experiences. I desire to work to get closer to him.

Scarecrow is indifferent to me, but somewhat annoyed that I ask him so many questions about his inner workings. I’m at least not horrible to him and not as bad as Don, but still annoying.

Getting closer: I continue to work with Scarecrow as we aim to escape the planet we’re trapped on. While he doesn’t respond to me verbally, I do start talking to him a lot about my life and experiences. I begin to view him less as something to study and more as a potential friend. Even without a spoken response, he does start to gesture and use body language to prompt me to speak further. We slowly become friendly with one another this way, and I begin to consider him a friend. At this point as well, I start to develop a crush on him. I’ve always kept my attraction to machinery private and buried, but Scarecrow revives that attraction. I find him absolutely beautiful.

Unfortunately, I do get to witness his kidnapping alongside Maureen, leaving me very upset. I’m also very sad to learn of his death after the series ending. However, Will and Robot set out to retrieve Scarecrow’s remains, then bring him to his home planet so they can revive him, and he can live once again. They bring him back to Alpha Centauri, planning on having him stay with the Robinsons, but Scarecrow can’t handle the close quarters of the house and constant activity around him. I had a barn built on my property that I was planning on raising some pets in, but I offer it up as a shelter for Scarecrow instead.

Scarecrow is very private and reserved at first. While I do my best not to bother him too much, I do start visiting him and chatting with him. I give him physical space but still make conversation with him, wanting to keep up our friendship we had previously started.

Scarecrow starts to get more comfortable with me, letting me into his personal area. He also starts to speak more, even revealing that he can project a translation of his language into my mind so I can understand him. We bond further from here, becoming even closer. The crush I have on him develops very quickly, too, and one night, I become very brave and open up to Scarecrow about how beautiful I find him, and how I think we would make a lovely romantic couple… hypothetically, I add, of course.

Beginning our relationship: To my surprise, Scarecrow has a moment of true openness and admits that he has developed what he believes are romantic feelings for me as well. Though his species was made to be able to form romantic relationships, he has no experience with that, so this is all new to him. We decide that we want to try dating casually and see if we work together well as a couple.

Our relationship progresses quickly as Scarecrow starts to become more comfortable with me, spending less time in his personal area and more time inside. We do eventually come clean to the rest of our friends and family about our relationship… after I propose. Though, according to everyone else, it was obvious that there was something romantic between us. We get married in a small ceremony a few months after getting engaged.

Ship trope(s): None ATM

Aesthetics: None ATM

Our song(s): "The Joker" by Steve Miller Band

Favorite forms of affection: Scarecrow LOVES physical affection. He’s very much like a cat – he doesn’t want physical affection unless he requests it first. Being snuggled with helps him relax and feel happy, so he loves it.

I love receiving gifts, and Scarecrow likes to explore the area around our house, so he often brings me little trinkets he finds.

Favorite kind of date: Spending the night watching movies and relaxing is our favorite kind of date. It’s nice to hang out with just one another since we spend a lot of time with our family.

Ways we comfort one another: I encourage Scarecrow to do something physical when he is upset – running, tearing something apart, etc. Getting out the pent up energy helps him calm down and feel better. If that doesn’t work, I’ll give him space and let him recover from whatever has left him upset until he’s ready to spend time with me again.

Scarecrow gives me physical affection when I’m upset. He knows I like tight hugs, so he’ll squeeze me with pressure; not enough to hurt me, but enough to help ground me. He’ll also pick me up into his lap and hold onto me, giving me a moment to relax and come down from the surge of anxious energy.

What we love most about each other: I really love Scarecrow’s selflessness. Despite what he went through at the hands of humans, he still works to help protect humans who are vulnerable. He also always keeps an eye out for me, wanting to ensure that I am okay and don’t need anything.

Scarecrow loves my desire to learn. He was formerly a pilot who did a lot of exploration of alien planets, so he really likes how much I desire to learn more about other species. He also loves my patience with him. I don’t force him to talk to me; I take my time and talk to him when he’s okay with it. He very much appreciates it since he gets overstimulated easily.

[lumosatnight]

Year in Review 2023

I did this for 2022 and I couldn't pass up the opportunity for more stats. Thanks @oknowkiss (x) for the tag! Here is my year in review: 2023 edition 🥳

Stats

Word Count: 339,585 (86,974 new)

Hits: 136,378 (68,393 new)

Number of Fics started and finished: 12 over 1k and 49 under 1k

Number of WIPs started: idk... like 10? 20?

Ships I wrote this year (not including background ships): Lots and lots and lots but mostly Drarry (8), Snarry (2), Drarius (2), Fleurmione (2), Lunansy (2), and Cissamione (2)

Favorite ship(s): This year maybe Narlily, Snarry, Luther, Mollytrix

Least favorite ship(s): This year I was introduced to Marylily and Rosekiller and idk they just don't vibe with me.

AO3 Fic Writers/Artists/Creators/Readers who have inspired me and my writing this year:

@itsphantasmagoria for their incredible Drarry video game

@sleepstxtic for her incredible range of fic and nuanced depictions of canon including my fav fic of the year!

@anaxandria-writes for binding my fic!!! I am so grateful and inspired.

@givereadersahug for organizing @hprecfest and always being so joyous and enthusiastic about rare pairs (you will be very missed, my dear 💗)

Countdown

5️⃣ Top 5 works I’m most proud of from 2022 (not necessarily my most popular)

For I have Found Salvation [Snarry, E, 7.1k] — for @snarryauctoberfest with priest Severus and parishioner Harry. My very first Snarry fic!

Of Dreams and Death [Dronarry, T, 2.3k] — for @dronarryfest and had so much fun plopping the characters into the Sandman AU.

up here, i'm floating [Mollytrix, M, 1.2k] — for the @hpsaffics Secret Santa Exchange. This is possibly one of my fav ships. I'm glad I got the chance to write them as angsty as I wanted.

Such a Sweetheart [Fleuratrix, T, 2.4k] — for the HPFC server Untagged Fest. A horror coffeeshop AU!

Kinktober 2023 [Multiship, E, total 15.5k] — technically a series but my first time participating in Kinktober. I was worried I wasn't going to finish all the days in time.

4️⃣ Top 4 current WIPs that I’m most excited to release in 2023

Honestly no idea yet. I have a lot of ideas on the back burner but none that are MUST DO RIGHT NOW. But I will say that I'm excited for bunch of fests like @hptransfest @ladiesofhpfest @hptriadfest and @hp-rarepairs

3️⃣ Top 3 biggest improvements in my writing over the past year

Smut!! I've developed my smut writing a lot. Kinktober really opened my eyes to a lot of kinks as well 👀

Tone: I think I'm getting a lot better at matching tone in my writing for consistent characterizations and building atmosphere

Estimating word count: I've gotten so much better at looking at an idea and predicting how long the final story is going to be.

2️⃣ Top 2 resolutions (ways I wish to improve my writing/blog) for the new year

FINISH A LONGER WORK!! This was on my resolutions from last which I didn't complete lol. It's okay, I'll try again this year.

Create a more consistent writing schedule

1️⃣ Number 1 favorite line I’ve written this year!

Harry Potter has a tiny dick. It’s just a fact of life. The Chosen Microdick, the Small Saviour, the Boy with an Itty Bitty Package. And oh, how Draco loves it.

From The Chosen Microdick [Drarry, E, 500], part of my Kinktober 2023 series and I just love the play on words here. A banging start to a banging series 🤣

Not sure who has already done a stats roundup/fic review/2023 thingy, so I'll leave the tag open.

Happy 2024! 💖

[read-and-write-]

2023 Fic Wrapped

Thanks to @anincompletelist for tagging me! This is such a fun thing to do!

Rules: Feel free to show whatever stats you have. Only want to show Ao3 stats? Rock on. Want to include some quantitative info instead of stats? Please do this. Want to change how yours is presented? Absolutely do that. There are no rules!

Posted on Ao3: 34,145 (Across 14 fics)

Written total: 152,778 (yes, i do have a lot of docs created, a lot more than anyone wants to see)

3 published fandoms: Red, White and Royal Blue, All for the Game, The Shadowhunters Chronicles

Longest work: and every song reminds me of you (4,088 words)

Shortest work: yo te llevo dentro, hasta la raíz  (546 words)

very real wips, things I'm actively working on

Super Six and the Siren's Call (PJO AU- +100k) co-written with @inexplicablymine and @happiness-of-the-pursuit one of the most wonderful projects I've had the honour to be a part of and I'm so exicted for people to see it

Toe the Line (Figure Skating AU - 20k currently) my dearest child, 60 pages of outline, investigation, character sheets and visions i have at three am for a random scene 5 chapter away

Y recuerda siempre que tú eres la medicina (A bilingual June character study) A companion piece of sorts for a train of thought (of things not to forget), June's perspective through it all, both in Spanish and English like Alex's. and with Natalia Lafourcade lyrics as a title because that's June coded

carved within the beauty, the darkness in between and without (your) love, I am nothing two pieces about religion and firstprince from each of their povs, a question about loving yourself and about loving someone else against the things you've been taught and finding divinity within each other.

not so real wips with a little less real word counts but a lot of vibes

Spiderman AU, my entry for the New Years Resolutions event of @thebrownstone, which means it'll get here at some point

MasterChef AU, my way to put my professional knowledge to good use, it was a silly funny story and it grew a plot

Dancer AU, a drabble fail that was just a vision and then some people kind of made it get a full dual pov, double 5 + 1 plot

Numbers are not everything but I do like data and stats

Kudos: 3,969

Comment Threads: 187

Bookmarks: 946

Hits: 37,149

Numbers do not define an author's worth, but I also can see how far I've gotten with just one day deciding I wanted to write and post my fun little words again

top 3 sorted by kudos

las formas de llamarte amor (2.5k - 630 kudos)

my first fic in the rwrb fandom, it makes me so happy to see it being loved, it was the ultimate show of self indulgence

Henry has been a public figure for most of his life, the reason why he’s been given dozens of titles, some kinder than others, he’s been the gay prince, the spare, the prince of England's hearts, the activist, the author. All of the titles are inevitably a part of his history, but the way Alex calls him is the most important of all. Because to Alex, he is sweetheart, amor, and corazón; Alex calls him mi vida in between kisses and whispers hermoso, lindo, precioso with his wandering hands working through Henry’s body. His name sounds better when it comes out of Alex’s lips. or 5 times Alex calls Henry a pet name in Spanish and one time he calls him by his name or Henry learns Spanish one pet name at a time

to belong to a family (even beyond this world) (2.5k - 578 kudos)

this one, this one i wrote with my own soul, i used my tears as ink, wrote it for the Halloween Huh fest and it all the comments have made me so incredibly happy

“Talk to him. They listen, they always listen,” Ligia says and Henry nods, she squeezes his hand again before turning back and leaving him alone in front of the ofrenda. It's very rare that Henry has been at a loss for words when he tries to talk to his father. He has spent countless nights speaking to the stars, looking for Orion and hoping that —wherever his father is— he is looking for it too. “Hi dad,” Henry says softly, taking another look at the picture of his father, smiling at the camera. “I missed you.” or When Alex and Henry go to Mexico for Día de Muertos a familiar face appears on the Díaz ofrenda

you are an idiot (i missed you) (1.6k - 475 kudos)

wrote this on a whim, blacked out and pulled this out of nowhere, my first fic for aftg and really just an excuse to write Andreil being married for convenience™

The best, and arguably the only, good part of playing on opposing teams from your husband was getting to play a match against him. Therefore one could say that Neil was very excited about getting to play against Andrew tonight. Not only because for the first time since the season started they'd finally be in the same State and City (And later after the game, the same house) but also because Neil thought Andrew was 100% hotter when he was playing (Not that he would tell him out loud), and seeing him live was definitely better than seeing him on a screen. There was also the added bonus of the infamous Minyard - Josten Rivalry. Or Neil and Andrew are having too much fun with their rivalry until someone else takes it too seriously, and then they have a talk.

Being a not native english speaker means that fanfic does teach me a lot of stuff, namely vocabulary this year stars some bangers

Saccharine

Ubiquitous

Litany

Chagrin

Filibuster

I created a total of 19 docs, which doesn't mean there's 19 fics there, but it also doesn't not mean it

Alex's POV wins with total of seven fics

Six fics have the tag of Alex Claremont-Díaz Speaks Spanish

Three of my wips have an outline longer than 10 pages

there's a 30%? chance I will write smut at some point in the new year

my funniest doc title is "If you have religious trauma and you know it clap your hands"

This year has been crazy, for many reasons but I'm glad I found this space and I'm glad I'm back to writing, and on top of it all I'm glad of being able to meet so many because of it.

And the year is not over yet! There's still more to come!

I'm tagging a few people, don't feel pressured to do this but if there's anything you feel proud of I'd love to see it @inexplicablymine @happiness-of-the-pursuit @affectionatelyrs @littlemisskittentoes @ssmtskw @raysletters @14carrotghoul @heybuddy-drabbles @suseagull04 @everwitch-magiks @sherryvalli @rockyroadkylers

[gloomiegalaxie]

Simblr New Years Resolution 2024~

@sparkiekong tagged me for a new years resolution tag, thank you!

What's your Resolution for your Simblr?

i want to do a better job interacting with other folks and their content, there's so much amazing stuff out there but im letting shyness get in the way. there's a lot of stuff on my blog i was to fix, too. finish my lore and character sheets, maybe better organize things. i want to post more, but i worry that i'm spamming folks.

What do you want from the Sims Franchise?

oh wow the list is very long. i would say faeries (again, my FAVORITE occult from 3) but at this point i'm pretty sure they'd fuck it up. i guess here's a short laundry list: ~ expanded plant sims and aliens. neither have skill trees or special skills. ~ expanded hair colors. we have many more now than when the game originally launched, yes. but i still find the unnatural colors limiting; neon pink, neon blue, neonish green, the weirdest shade of purple ever and neon yellow. CC fixes this too, sure, but it would be cool to have a standard of colors the CC creators can use so that you don't need additional CC (though hair overlays are neat). ~ fix the bugs. please, for the love of loki. i get that my game is broken from mods, but folks playing vanilla or lightly modded should have functional games. ~ BRING BACK THE KITSCH. i want nonsense, not realism ya'll. mods can give me realism, give me THE ABSURD. ~ maybe just burn everything down and start over? mash 2 and 3 together and give me that, but with certain updates from 4 (IE custom pronouns, body shaping in CAS, emotions).

Any other New Years Resolutions?

i need to be kinder to myself and not self-sabotage. (vulnerability time) i have very low self-esteem and a lot has hit me like a ton of bricks in 2023. i'm working through everything, but it's been very difficult. i started blogging to try and find other people and encourage myself to be less afraid and just let my brain go. my negative feedback loop sometimes goes haywire and tries to sabotage me (nobody likes you, you're boring, this didn't get any notes because it sucks, everyone is better than you), but overall it's been helping (thank you to everyone that encourages me, it means so so much).

sorry, i kinda went on a tangent there, i guess this hit me in the feels in just the right way.

anywho, i would like to tag @plumbewb, @boobpancakes, @glitchedsins & @simfestation

if you want to! also pls tell me if you don't want me to tag you in these things and i will desist!

[selkiesstories]

I was going through your grrm critical tag and I have to say you really hit on a lot of the points I always noticed with his writing but could not articulate and I think you're way better at being critical of him, than like 90 percent of the fandom that just glosses over his shoddy world building and weirdness lmao. I think that GRRM has a big problem with tone deafness, not being consistent about the supposed themes he's exploring, distorting history yet claiming realism, and just over all not understanding the implications of some of his more baffling writing choices.

Also, I think that fandom tends to project the plots, characterizations, and themes they want this work to be about, and not what is actually presented in the text. A lot of this is of course his fault for not finishing the books, because he uses a lot of POV traps, misdirection, vague retellings of events, ambiguity, which is all fine and well.....if the author actually delivers a resolution to the seeds that he plants thus giving readers some semblance of answers to these questions. I doubt Martin ever will at this point.

That being said, I think fandom also thinks he's some moral philosophy teacher that is imparting 'lessons' with a lot of his writing choices especially when it comes to the sexualization of pre-teens and teens in his work and I just.....don't think that's the case. I think he's a bit of Freak and uses 'well, this is set in medieval times' to place barely teen girls in unambiguously romantic/sexual relationships with older men. I also think the whole 'well, he's really doing a massive critique of incest' in his work and....I just don't see that as the case lol. I remember reading Fire and Blood and him describing how 14/15 year old Alyssa marries her brother Baelon and it's a great marriage, and relationship, and she was so hot for him her cries of passion could be heard through the castle on their wedding night lmao. I see fandom propagate that GRRM thinks incest is this disgusting terrible thing and is always framed badly and it's....not? lol. I'm not endorsing these narrative choices btw, I just think a lot of people don't want to admit that they like a series that would be considered deeply problematic in 2023 and instead try to twist themselves into a pretzel to make GRRM into the most Woke Author to have ever Woked.

Also, don't even get me started on this man choosing to have half his main characters be either literal children and pre-teens and then just treating them as if they are 25-years-old both in terms of mental and physical development (because he obviously has no idea how teens develop). Like, if you have no concept of a the differences between a 12 year old girl a 15 year old girl and a 18 year old you.....maybe don't have the characters start off so baffling young because it makes you look very Weird considering the writing choices in the series.

Aww thank you so much! I think I owe a lot to my realization that I just wasn’t enjoying the books and was under no obligation to finish them. I have no need to twist myself into intellectual pretzels to justify my preferred ending or why actually Martin loves my favorite character or why my ship is endgame. He’s never finishing the series anyway Obviously he’s the author and can say whatever he wants, but he also says that Daemon Targaryen is the most complex character he’s ever written.

Anyway the moral of the story I guess is to not overly identify with whatever it is you like to the point where you think that it has to be above moral reproach because otherwise it reflects badly on you as a person. That, and not insisting on historical accuracy in a story featuring dragons.

[dreamingofmuses]

New Year's Resolutions: RP Edition

Howdy all, Ash here. I've been having a think while with family this week, and I've decided I'm going to implement some new 'resolutions' to try and help make writing in 2024 be way more successful than in 2023. This will include things from the running of blogs to jobs I really want to get finished. I'm putting them under a read-more to keep the dash nice and clean.

I will say, this has taken me an hour to write up, and I'd recommend you doing likewise if you think there's little ways you want to improve.

-

Overall Running of Blogs

I'm going to experiment a new approach to running the blogs. For this, I'm going to put all active blogs to low-medium activity. In other words, even if I am personally lurking on mobile, I won't be constantly writing things if I'm not able to. (Work is just about to get super busy and I'm anticipating chaos)

A queue/schedule function will be used for all blogs. I intend to dedicate one weekday evening to working without interruption on replies. Taking commutes to the city and family visits into account, this is looking to be a Thursday, which is the only day I am neither travelling to the city nor have a guaranteed family visit. Of course, this may fluctuate, but that's what I'm hoping to work with, assuming those things stay as they are.

However! What all this means is that I am going to tentatively take skullandbowties off hiatus. With that blog being quiet, it should be possible to juggle it better now. Plus, it's officially off-season so the demand for him from new blogs ought to be low. I'm very smart :D

I also plan to update all pinned posts. I am aware some of them are marking a vacation from months ago.

Individual Blog Maintenance

Create "New Here?" posts to add to the pinned posts/info tags. This is going to be a very quick crash course on what to expect from the blog, especially where some characters might diverge from fanon expectations.

FINISH. WILF'S. BIO. It's not actually relevant to anything being written on the blog itself at present, but I really want to flesh out his character and show that he was stuck in stories for years, decades even! The doc has the word count to 4,888 at this precise moment. This is a mix of summary and brainstorm. Since it's getting a 'little' out of hand, I intend to have a 'tldr' at the start that people can read, and then longer versions if they're curious to get the full story. Maybe even have it that they can jump to particular parts but... I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

Likewise, Noah's version of Space needs to be finished. This one is going to be a summary, but it's a case of making sure the pieces are in place sufficiently to have parts match canon Space, but also make it clear that there is a lot of differences between canon and what he went through, with his plot entirely spiralling away for 'Part 2'. This is at 5,794 words, and the ending has yet to be ironed out...

(I am going to stop creating needlessly long-winded projects for myself that realistically add nothing of value to my blogs. These two projects are exhausting...)

Theauthorlives is returning to a very small multimuse. Any muses that aren't ones I genuinely enjoy writing are being fully archived, unless they are muses that get no traction but I want to keep the possibility open. Details of that will be shared when I do this.

Redo some muse icons (not all of them!). Though the selection I have for particular sets is a lot, I still feel like I'm missing some expressions or poses. I would like to remake one batch of icons for three characters, and finish iconning a third. Replies seem to be shifting toward iconless, but I like them for asks or IC commentaries.

OOC/Mun Related stuff

Following matters that have happened both online and IRL, I've decided to take a step back from actively engaging with people. My focus will be people that I have been in good communication with for the last twelve months (as well as people I don't talk to frequently but am on friendly terms with) rather than people I feel I have to 'chase' after. Saying that, I'm going to try and not let past experiences meddle with anything in with new writing partners - whether these are brand new to the community or people I've not had the chance to properly interact with prior to this. Just be aware that I might not be super outgoing at first. (This is where setting limits and boundaries is good practice, everyone! Don't sell yourself short, and don't spread yourself out too thinly!)

Which is where I now say I want to send even more asks! Not just memes or sentence starters, but general questions about headcanons or muse opinions. I want to get people thinking more.

My stance on Discord still stands, in that it's solely for OOC stuff, but I'm not giving it out to everyone. However, I have been in two group servers that have little-to-no connection with writing rp threads in them. I would hope that I can fully regain my sense of comfort using Discord as a whole.

Art related

Despite socially stepping back, I still want to keep some semblance of 'community' where my blogs are active so people don't feel isolated. For instance, I want to do something that encourages invasions of ask boxes. That was good fun to watch as the chaos began to spread, and when people are good-humoured to go along with my silly ideas.

I want to have one huge art-related event at some point this year. I'm not entirely what or how to do it, but I think it would be a great excuse to practice something. Portraits, comics, something like that. I'll have a think. (For those who remember, the water gun event was supposed to have an art conclusion but plans for that fell through.)

I want to try and upload drawn responses to heythereneighbor once a week if I can. Obviously, this is depending on how busy it is.

I'd also like to try doodling more on other blogs? But I'm not sure if this is even something people want to see anymore. People might prefer I focus on writing if I have free time instead of doodles or little comics.

... the writing blog. I need to do stuff with that in general. Whoops.

Finally, I want to do what I can to the best of my abilities on a particular day. I've always told people over the years that real life comes before rp, and I still stand by that. Whether I'm around or not every day isn't the end of the world. The communities I write in are a lot slower paced than they were when I started, which is great! I need to remind myself that I don't need to be writing just because I have a bit of free time.

[simmerbeans]

Simblr New Years Resolution 2024!

Thank you for the tag @changingplumbob

What’s your Resolution for your Simblr?

I mostly want to learn how people are editing to put two pics on one. For example, if i wanted to put a moodlet, or a phone call pop up over a picture with my sims.. how are yall doing that? Is it just photoshop? Pls help a girl out.

What do you want from the Sims Franchise?

*Cracks knuckles* mkay

•I have always wanted an Italian/France/Paris world. I don’t care if it’s just a vacation world like El Salvadorada, but Sims 3 World Adventures remains my favorite game ever, and i need those worlds in the Sims 4.

•BETTER FAMILY TREES PLEASE. All older gen’s get deleted and i hate it. And at this point in my save there’s like 6-8 other households with my legacy name and i have absolutely no idea who they are at this point because my family tree is basically all deleted 🙃

•Objects like, a slide for kids/ pool slide. Bakers oven, strollers (but i guess since it didn’t come with infants it’s not coming at all now huh) ability for toddlers to draw

•Hotels would be cool 👉🏼👈🏼

•Online dating, hello????

•More small pets like snakes, lizards, turtles, birds.

Any other New Years Resolutions?

2023 was really something else with a full year of trying to get pregnant and failing (thanks a lot endometriosis and possible other not found fertile hurdles), multiple deaths in the family, and losing one of my dear cats sooo i really just want this year to be an overall good one and not be full of trials and bad news like last year 😅

[lonestatus]

i guess resolutions id like to die my hair/get piercings/maybe a tattoo and getting a job... i think im gonna have to take college slower since i dont actually have a plan for after, so i think finding a job and saving money would help for when i actually know what my next steps should be. and i wanna start tagging things better. its been a really rough year so i hope i can take what ive learned in 2023 to help survive 2024

[edylin31]

✨Simblr New Years Resolutions 2024✨

💖TYSM for tagging me: @lynzishell

What's your Resolution for your Simblr?

I really want to complete the three legacies I am playing atm and hopefully start some new legacies before the year is over. I hope to learn more about storytelling, I just used poses for the first time in 2023, so hopefully I will grow in that as well, although my Simblr will always stay very vanilla and more a way to keep up with my legacies.

What do you want from the Sims Franchise?

To be honest there isn't much I want from the game anymore, I would prefer some updates on previous packs. Like being able to actually work as a chef in Dine Out, having better festivals and celebrations in Seasons and Country Living, being able to live in the vacation worlds, ...

Any other New Years Resolutions?

As almost everyone, I hope to get more work outs in my routine. As I am starting to age, I feel my body really needs it. I have been going on walks this week, fingers crossed I can keep it up!

I'm going to tag: @satureja13, @simmer-rhi, @nightlifeseries and @theosconfessions Thank you so much for all your likes on my posts, every time I get a like from you guys (@lynzishell too) I get a smile on my face and you make my day a bit brighter!

If you've already done it, or don't feel like doing it, then feel free to ignore! And if you haven't done this, but want to, then please do it and say I tagged you 🫶

[brawlqueen]

PSA. / 2024 goals !

the reason i haven't been writing a lot is i've mostly been on my OC trying to play catch up on her lore and worldbuilding. you can find her in the pinned post . also i've been planning what i want to do for mizuki for 2024, and my interest very normal love for best girl only gets better each year. i just hope to do justice by her in my own way as i figure out what i'm doing post AI1.

as i'm canon divergent and i have a few things to talk about that i'll be hoping to capture or discuss hopefully some of this year that are parts of my mizuki's canon ! so i'll try doing it in uh, the most organized way because one goal i have at least for 2024 is better blog organization . it's too late to make a sideblog for musings / etc . THINGS I'LL BE DOING THIS YEAR . - focusing on catch up. unless a thread is requested to be dropped, please message me if so, i'll be continuing it. some i will drop for my own sanity, not because i don't want to write with you again! - seasonal / holidays asks will just be holiday asks with no specific content save for people i owe, ex: bubblez' kizuna or thane's trunks, etc. why? i think mizuki deserves to celebrate the holidays or anything remotely happy because while aiba is arguably as of now her best support system, let's be real, i genuinely want to find and work on any of her relationships because she's severely lacking in support. even from 2023. i'll try to stay more on the ball for again, my own sanity this year when i reblog them. - i will be writing my version of post-canon mizuki and child mizuki, that goes from her time before adoption from date, aka with shoko and renju which will be tagged appropriately because honestly mizuki doesn't know many reliable adult figures in her life, and it makes me very sad that she's arguably more mature than...most people save say, boss or pewter or hitomi etc. she deserves better! just because AI2 certainly isn't everyone's cup of tea, and it isn't mine in a LOT of ways, i still took stuff from it, and i don't think it's fair to halt mizuki at 12 forever just because we fairly have critique of NI / AINI and not let her grow up and experience a hopeful future and more bonds to fill the huge hole in her heart. let her be happy is the goal !

now i'm working on mizuki's post canon verse, as i've restarted aitsf 1 to move to aitsf 2, where i'll take a few things that i won't likely budge on unless you meet me halfway !

the verse title for anything post-canon and generally for 18 year old mizuki / teen mizuki or post explosion mizuki will be this verse tag!

__ 𝐕; 𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍*ೃ༄ not compromising with just this; i'm taking back all the happiness i lost.

__

now onto her post canon details i do have figured out.

mizuki and aiba are partners. one thing that's consistent is through her time with date, that can still be a thing because they ARE a family, albeit i feel estranged granted the resolution route is canon, so mizuki never really got to bond with him, get her aphonia cured, vice versa, is aiba's care through time in his eye socket appreciating the girl's strength and endurance and intelligence in both games. you can have more than one partner, and until / if we have another game and mizuki possibly gets another partner and i debate the chemistry, aiba is mizuki's partner and aiba is generally mostly with mizuki, but that doesn't mean she isn't with date too. she can love more than one person. and both dates are equally dear to her.

mizuki was still experimented on until 3 years old at horadori institute, albeit she has blurry memories at best, and i debate if she should fully remember! one factor of her godlike superhuman strength. but she also is trained in most japanese martial arts she can get her hands on! she is NOT a clone of bibi, bibi doesn't exist whatsoever despite me enjoying her personality, even if i felt it was made to mimic mizuki herself, if others who have muses with canon bonds to bibi, please talk to me so we can plot it out if you keep her as part of your canon ! as long as we meet halfway i'm more than happy to work with you !

mizuki is still a rookie detective and psyncer at ABIS. in my canon, she actually looks to ryuki, also new, but older for advice and i like to think as dual protagonists that they should have been, they get to do some cases together! only if a ryuki is willing of course.

for now, she's working on small to medium cases with aiba. the explosion still happened that took her vision clean out. she does this because of the gruesome history she has, not wanting others to suffer the same kind of unimaginable trauma she has with both biological parents murdered in various means and i'm still debating whether tearer even exists. he likely will, and if people also have the other culprit's actions in their canon, please talk to me too and i'll work together with you on that !

mizuki still runs lemniscate and sunfish pocket. she doesn't have the heart yet to really let go of her neglectful biological father's companies, even if he didn't care for her in a way she needed. in time, i'll see how she feels about this, as i do plan for mizuki to continue her education, as the girl is extremely intelligent.

mizuki is still best friends with iris, but my mizuki also considers amame and kizuna two of her really close friends, but they aren't a sister to her like iris is. they're certainly caring of her, and she'd protect them with her life, but she isn't as close to them as iris, and all of them do hang out together from what i've seen.

my mizuki is a lot more skeptical for the kizunas out there, of lien. she isn't comfortable with his advances towards one of her best friends and generally is a lot more protective. that said, it's all according to people who write kizzy. naturally she's fiercely protective of iris, who now is someone who works for her too as the president of an entertainment company.

my mizuki comes from the MIZUKI ROUTE in terms of character development but NOT THE PLOT EVENTS . iris is not inhabited by so sejima. date and mizuki DO bond like a father and daughter. date unless a date talks to me, DOES cure her aphonia or it's hitomi herself like canon because hitomi is the mom she deserves imho. but i tend to take away the development of her character and their relationship otherwise i feel the date family bond is....pretty estranged or mizuki is MUCH more doubtful of date caring for her at all granted the routes and how she tends to get overlooked a lot.

basically i want to as one of i'm sure other mizuki-mun's, give her my best in my own way, at my own pace !

and those are my goals as i replay the games (again!) . i hope to keep developing mizuki and thank you for being so patient with me as always, everyone ! also kinda sorry for the long post but it was all necessary !

[tsaritsa]

tagged by @fullmetalscullyy, @firewoodfigs and @littlewitchbee for the greatest hits of 2023. ty all for the tag!!! i admit, it did take me a little bit to think of 10 diff things that i found good, so a new addendum to my usual 5 new years resolutions is to make a point of noting down these good things, lest they be lost to the ether like the others haha

my beloved eri came to visit me and it was such a joy to welcome her into my home and just talk and gossip. we got to feed penguins!!! i got to show her the milky way!!!! we got drunk and watched hunger games with emma. i'm so blessed to have friends that are so dear i want them to come crash at mine and i want more of these sorts of things to happen (as best we all can in a cost of living crisis lmaooo).

speaking of friends, i'm pleased to say that i was able to grow my small group of friends -- online and off -- to slightly-less-small! y'all know who you are, and i'm grateful to each and every one of you <333

i got a lot of tattoos. they're dope. my artist is like my tumblr feed personified. she just Gets It.

i built my own pc!!! it was a very scary and intimidating process, but she runs baldurs gate 3 like a CHAMP. (anything for my astarion).

i successfully finished nano, and now this month i'm basically doing another nano as i try to finish up this new fic. i cannot believe that i've broken 100k words and i'm STILL not done. maybe with a 150k draft i'll have a story in a coherent plotline (doubtful. i waffle a lot. rip moobeam who promised she'd edit it for me).

i've also gotten back into reading fiction a little more seriously -- entirely because of emma, but i am very grateful for her reccomendations. there's a few of us doing a bookclub and i cannot wait to have a discussion this month when we're all at the halfway mark!!! it's gonna be lit.

in other real life stuff, i worked really hard to build up my savings. hopefully 2024 will bring more money to me, or at least i'll get a better handle on my spending. (she says, despite booking flights and holidays HAHAH).

part of that ethos was investing in pieces of clothing/accessories that would stand the test of time, and i want to continue these kinds of purchases into the new year. i think the next big purchase for me will be a replacement pair of leather boots -- my current ones are getting towards the end of their life with the inner sole.

despite working full time, i also completed two seperate courses for study! one was directly related to work, but the other was for purely personal pleasure: an introductory course for tikanga māori. the next step of the tikanga course wasn't avail for me this year, so instead i've signed up for night classes for te reo māori instead. i want to incoporate more reo into my work and feel more confident in conversations, so this was a natural step. i've also got another work-related course on my plate too, so i will be a very busy bee for 2k24 hehe.

in 2023 my health had to take a bit of a backseat but in the last few months i was able to get back on top of it! this year is already off to a great start for me: i'm getting back down to a more comfortable weight, my strength is still improving, and my mental health and sleep hygiene are feeling more... within my control??? i've sorted out my priorities a bit there. turns out living on 4 hours of sleep on the regular isn't healthy lmfao

tagging @beesbeesdragons, @mountainhaunt, @liquorisce, @soufflegirl, and @dairogo -- only if y'all want to!

[doctorbunny]

MILGRAM x Stella Worth Original Goods

^The page I'll be getting images/ translating from, its all the same info as the image above but better resolution

Sales Schedule: Available in store from: 23rd September 2023 Available online: (preorders) Noon on 23rd September 2023 For sale from 2nd December 2023

■MILGRAM 11 Trading Name Tags Price: ¥550 (Including tax) [£2.99/$3.78] Size: Roughly 20×120mm Thickness: 5mm Comes with a ball chain attached In trading form/sold randomly [IE you don't pick which one you get]

■MILGRAM 11 Cutie Candy Charms Price: ¥550 (Including tax) [£2.99/$3.78] 'Candy' Size: Aprox. 40×35mm Thickness: 5mm Comes with a ball chain attached In trading form/sold randomly

"Introducing lollypop style acrylic charms!" 11 Kinds ¥550 (¥500 pre-tax) [the prisoner's names are written in katakana next to their charm]

■MILGRAM 11 Ribbon Bow Acrylic Trading Plates Price: ¥715 (Including tax) [£3.88/$4.91] 'Candy' Size: Aprox. 60×65mm Thickness: 5mm Comes with a ball chain attached In trading form/sold randomly

■MILGRAM 11 Trading Mini-Cards Price: ¥550 (Including tax) [£2.99/$3.78] Size: Aprox. 136×121mm In trading form/sold randomly

■MILGRAM 11 Trading Mini-Acrylic Charms Stella Worth 'Dot' [Pixel Art] Collection Price: ¥385 (Including tax) [£2.09/$2.64] Size: Aprox. within 40mm Height (Varies depending on the character) Comes with metal lobster clasp attached In trading form/sold randomly

"Drawn using Pixel Art"

~40mm↕ Charm Size varies depending on the character

MILGRAM Stella Dot Collection Stella Worth Original Trading Mini-Acrylic Charms ¥385 (¥350 pre-tax)

■MILGRAM 11 Trading Tin Badges Stella Worth 'Dot' Collection Price: ¥400 (Including tax) [£2.17/$2.75] Size: Hexagon [yeah other translators I've ask don't know why its phrased like this either, best guess is that hexagon badges might have a standard size around 55-60mm?] In trading form/sold randomly

"Drawn using Pixel Art"

MILGRAM Stella Dot Collection Stella Worth Original Trading Hexagonal Tin Badges ▸▸▸ ¥400 ◂◂◂

■MILGRAM Flat Pouch Stella Worth 'Dot' Collection Price: ¥1100 (Including tax) [£5.98/$7.56] Size: Aprox. H195 x W125mm