#2023 round up

[kaaaaaaarf]

2023 fic round-up

January-March

Nothing!

April-June

Now I’m Spreading Your Legs (with mine in between)-(E, 5k words, wolfstar, texting fic, porn with very little plot, aka my first Hatefuck fic)

Nobody parts two rivers met (1/3) - (M, 1k+ words, wolfstar, angst) this is a concept fic based on Liz Phair’s album ‘Exile in Guyville’.

Rolling In The Deep - (E, 750 words, divorced wolfstar, porn with very little plot, hatefuck extended universe)

Only Get (My Rocks) Off - (E, 2k words, wolfstar, porn with very little plot, hatefuck extended universe)

You Grew Tall (I Stayed The Same) - (G, 1.4k words, hogwarts era, wolfstar, fluff)

Ah-Ooh (werewolves of london) - (G, 1k words, hogwarts era, background wolfstar, hurt/comfort if the comfort was a piano)

July-September

The Killing Time (unwillingly mine) (3/3) - (M, 17.5k+ words, wolfstar, background jegulily, tw: murder)

back when we were dinosaurs (2/4) - (E , 17k+ words, wolfstar, background marylily, fluff, smut, it’s my fictional ode to Toronto)

Don't Be Scared (i love you) - (G, 1k words, wolfstar, post first wizarding war, hurt/comfort)

my blood is singing with your voice - (M, 750 words, wolfstar, horror, midsommar au)

I Got My Spoon (inside your jar) - (E, 10.6k words, wolfstar, porn with very little plot, aka the Hatefuck sequel)

In ár gCroíthe go deo - (T, 1k words, wolfstar, irish remus lupin, older wolfstar)

I Knew Your Love Before I Knew Your Name - (G, 380 words, wolfstar, cowboy remus)

October-December

soft like silk chiffon - (E, 1.8k words, wolfstar, remus in a silk slip)

Savour It (I’m Tasty) (1/?) - (M, 782 words+, wolfstar, sausage roll crack)

Here I Am (a rabbit-hearted boy) - (G, 664 words, hogwarts era, background wolfstar, wererabbit remus crack)

touching me (touching you) - (E, 12k words, wolfstar, porn with an increasing amount of plot, aka Hatefuck part 3)

You better watch out, You Better Watch Out, YOU BETTER WATCH OUT (A Murder Husbands b-side) - (T, 1.6k words, wolfstar, jegulily, Christmas fic, Regulus POV)

[reasonandfaithinharmony]

2023 writing gif-making round up

Rules (adapted for fic, gifs, art, etc.): Share what you made this year! It can be works you posted to Ao3, Wattpad, Tumblr, or anywhere else! You can share everything you made or just the projects you're most excited about. Thank you for the tag, @thisbuildinghasfeelings!

January

Um. Coming to terms with the idea of 2023? I dunno. But certainly nothing creative happened here.

February

Boyfriend → husband (Schitt's Creek) — A side-by-side comparison of how David refers to Patrick in season 4 and season 6. (Brought to you courtesy of a lovely text post by @jesuisici33.)

David questioning Stevie's motives (Schitt’s Creek) — A fun look at David's expressive face. 😄

March and April

An existential crisis. Or two. Or five. 🙃 Managed to finish absolutely nothing.

I did come in contact with a lot of 911 Lone Star content, however. Which explains everything that follows. Oops?

May

Marry me. (911 Lone Star) — Ah, my first gif set for this show. A parallel of TK referring to Carlos as his husband when he proposes, and then during their wedding ceremony.

Wedding → honeymoon (911 Lone Star) — Holding hands right after they first kiss as husbands. (Promo footage that didn't actually make the final episode cut). And holding hands poolside on their honeymoon.

Note: From here on out, everything in this list is for Lone Star, unless otherwise specified.

June

TK and Andrea helping Carlos get ready — A parallel set highlighting similar moments from Best of Men and a deleted scene from In Sickness and in Health

We almost forgot. Your boutonnière. — In which I attempt to put a couple pieces of unaired footage back together: the deleted scene with Andrea and Carlos + promo footage of what must be the same scene

Heart tutorial — Danielle Savre and Stefania Spampinato teach Rafael Silva how to make a heart sign with his hands at the First Responders Reunion 🫶

July

🤨 (affectionate) — Listen. I love this dynamic. Had to do the parallel set.

Nothing ever stays the same, Carlos. — A look at TK and Carlos' conversation in 2x04 in parallel with Carlos' wedding vows. The first set I wanted to do for Lone Star. Took me a while to get to it because I wasn't sure how to put it together.

August

TK needs you all to RSVP — My first attempt at this type of post. Incorrect quotes? Text post memes? I don't know what to call them, really. But it was definitely fun. And then it became the thing I did most often. Lol.

And if it never changes? // What if everything changes again? — A parallel set for me and ~5 other people, putting Tarlos in 2x04 side by side with Marcel the Shell with Shoes On

September

You're a menace to society *smooch smooch smooch* — My next incorrect quotes/meme post. And my contribution to ascribing cat-like behavior to TK.

I like him a normal amount — A fandom reaction gif, essentially. Courtesy of Joey Tribbiani on Friends.

Love is stored in humans finding out we can make heart shapes with our hands — Had to revisit the heart tutorial for Rafa. This time as one of the incorrect quotes/text posts.

When you can be silly and slutty with them — Oh, I had fun with this look at TK and Carlos' relationship. 😍

Pretty sure this happened at least once — In which we learn TK was seen trying to catch a frog outside the firehouse. Obviously.

October

Carlos is lit like an angel — Commentary on that beautiful moment from 2x02 where TK falls into Carlos' arms.

I put my emotions into my cooking. // This tastes… horny? — A playful and sexy look at Carlos in the kitchen with TK, and then heading upstairs… 😏

I adore you. Why are you like this? I’m going to kiss you with such fervor… — Oh, just exploring the Tarlos relationship dynamic with a text post and a scene from 3x18.

November

Unedited Gif Game (26 entries so far) — This has been very fun. I think it was good for me to have a bunch of low-stakes gif projects where I was not in charge. Lol. I will spare you individual links to each of them. But they should all be in the tag linked here. I will probably make this an ongoing thing, as long as it's not annoying everyone.

December

Episode vs. Promo: Yee-Haw (1x02) — Let's start diving into some more unaired footage, shall we? And let's start with some alt takes on that first make-out scene.

Missing moments: then and now — From an almost-kiss in 1x02 to an alt kiss from their wedding.

You're a miracle, TK Strand. My miracle. — A rather large close-up gif of that alt wedding kiss. Why? So we can see the teardrop that beads up under Carlos' eye.

Tags below the cut…

Tagging: @rmd-writes, @reyesstrand, @strandnreyes, @cold-blooded-jelly-doughnut, @carlos-in-glasses, @lemonlyman-dotcom, @birdclowns, @welcometololaland, @lizzie-bennetdarcy, @rosedavid, @heartstringsduet, @noxsoulmate, @chicgeekgirl89, @paperstorm, @tailoredshirt, @guardian-angle22, @swearphil, @carlos-tk, @three-drink-amy, @orchidscript, @danieljradcliffe, @lightningboltreader + open tag!

[zerolostwalks]

2023 Fic Round Up

Summary:

Number of Fics: 81 New Fics; 3 Prompt Collections, 2 Continued Fics,

Most of the writing done this year was prompt fills (71 stand alone prompt fics).

Also have the We Run Together series on tumblr that I have yet to transfer to AO3.

2022 Roundup

(Tumblr disliked my original draft so I had to significantly cut down the information in the list)

Prompt Collections:

Chemicals React (Chapters 57-68)

Round Robin (6+ Sentence Fics) (Chapters 11-29)

3 Sentence Fics (Chapters 18-29)

January

Deep in My Bones (G, Julie & Carrie, Julie/Reggie, Part 1: 2023 Prompts)

Furby (G, Alex/Luke/Reggie/Willie/Bobby, Part 2: 2023 Prompts)

The Stage is Set (G, Julie/Reggie/Luke, Part 3: 2023 Prompts

You are Not Alone (G, Alex & Reggie, Part 4: 2023 Prompts)

Still Come Back to You (G, The Greater Polyphantoms Polycule, Part 5: 2023 Prompts, Part 7: Kiss Kiss)

Clocks Move Forward (G, Trevor-centric, Part 6: 2023 Prompts)

Stranger Than Fiction (G, Julie & Alex & Reggie, Part 7: 2023 Prompts)

Glitter on the Highway (T, Reggie/Flynn, Part 8: 2023 Prompts)

February

To Follow Where You Are (T, Reggie/Carrie, Part 9: 2023 Prompts)

Not All Treasure’s Gold (M, Julie/Reggie/Luke, Part 10 2023 Prompts)

Cold as Ice (G, Reggie/Willie, Part 11 2023 Prompts)

Want This to Last (G, The Greater Polyphantoms Polycule, Part 12: 2023 Prompts, Part 10: Kiss Kiss)

Like Never Before (G, Reggie/Luke, Part 13: 2023 Prompts)

With a Taste of Your Lips (G, Alex/Willie, Part 14: 2023 Prompts)

Keeping a Moment (T, Alex/Luke/Willie, Part 15: 2023 Prompts)

Leave All This to Yesterday (G, Julie & Reggie, Part 16: 2023 Prompts)

Let the Rain Pour (G, Julie/Reggie/Flynn, Part 17: 2023 Prompts, First Published: February 2023, Completed April 2023)

So Close And Still So Far (G, Julie/Reggie, Part 18: 2023 Prompts)

March

Dream to Me (G, Reggie/Will Byers, Part 19: 2023 Prompts, Stranger Things Crossover)

A Hold of Me (T, Julie/Reggie, Julie & Alex & Luke & Reggie & WIllie & Bobby, First Published: March 2023, Completed: March 2023)

Kiss it Better (G, Alex & Reggie, Part 20: 2023 Prompts)

Come Up for Coffee? (T, Alex/Willie, Part 21: 2023 Prompts)

So I Don’t Lose You (G, Julie/Reggie, Part 22: 2023 Prompts)

But I'm Livin' (T, Julie & Alex & Reggie & Luke, Part 23: 2023 Prompts)

So I Whisper Now In Your Ear (T, Julie & Alex & Luke & Reggie, First Published: July 2022; Chapter 7 published: March 2023)

Here With You (T, Julie/Reggie, Reggie/Luke, Part 3: Hanging by a Moment)

The Devil Searching For Redemption (T, Julie & Alex & Reggie & Luke, Julie/Reggie/Luke, Part 24: 2023 Prompts, Part 1: Devil Searching for Redemption)

April

I Could Be The Monster (M, Julie & Alex & Reggie & Luke, Part 2: Devil Searching for Redemption)

A Lovely Night (G, Julie/Reggie, First Published: October 2022 Completed: November 2023)

Getting Carried Away (G, Julie/Reggie, Part 25: 2023 Prompts)

Do You Want? (T, Alex/Luke, Part 26: 2023 Prompts)

I'm Here I Promise (G, Ray & Luke, Part 27: 2023 Prompts)

He Once Was a True Love of Mine (G, Julie/Reggie, Part 28: 2023 Prompts)

Someone You'd Call Your Enemy (G, Reggie/Carrie, Part 29: 2023 Prompts)

May

A Feeling Running Through Our Veins (G, Julie/Reggie, Part 30: 2023 Prompts)

Someday I'll Wish Upon a Star (G, Julie & Alex & Reggie & Luke, Part 31: 2023 Prompts)

A Line Without a Hook (G, Julie/Reggie, Part 32: 2023 Prompts)

I Would Waste My Time (T, Julie/Reggie, Part 33: 2023 Prompts, Part 3: Feats of Crimson)

June

Pain Relief (G, Reggie/Luke, Part 34: 2023 Prompts)

We'll Make Sure You're Okay. (G, Julie/Reggie/Luke, Part 35: 2023 Prompts)

Over and Out (G, Reggie/Carrie, Part 36: 2023 Prompts)

Cherry Blossom Kiss (G, Reggie/Carrie, Part 37: 2023 Prompts)

Miss You (G, Julie/Reggie, Part 38: 2023 Prompts)

A Matter of Time (T, Julie/Reggie, First Published: June 2023, Completed: October 2023)

Competitive Baking (G, Rose-centric, Part 39: 2023 Prompts)

You Got the Keys (G, Julie & Reggie, Part 40: 2023 Prompts)

Jump Then Fall (G, Julie/Reggie, Part 41: 2023 Prompts)

Glasses (G, Julie/Reggie/Luke, Julie/Reggie/Flynn, Prompt 42: 2023 Prompts)

PokéPlush (G, The Greater Polyphantoms Polycule, Part 43: 2023 Prompts, Part 6: Kiss Kiss)

Maybe I'm Your Love (G, The Greater Polyphantoms Polycule, Part 44: 2023 Prompts, Part 11: Kiss Kiss)

July

Always Find My Way To You (T, Julie/Reggie, Part 45: 2023 Prompts)

What A Time (T, Reggie/Carrie, Part 46: 2023 Prompts)

Would You? (G, Reggie/Carrie, Part 47: 2023 Prompts)

Only Thing To Say (G, The Greater Polyphantoms Polycule, Part 48: 2023 Prompts, Part 1: Kiss Kiss)

August

fearless // good night (G, Julie/Reggie)

September

A Damn Cold Night (G, Julie & Reggie, Part 2: I'm With You)

Take Me by the Hand (M, Julie & Reggie, Part 3: I'm With You)

Misspeak (G, Julie/Reggie/Luke, Part 49: 2023 Prompts)

'Til We're All Alone (T, Julie/Reggie, Part 50: 2023 Prompts)

Unexpected (G, Julie & Willie, Part 51: 2023 Prompts)

Cygne Noir (G, Reggie/Carrie, Part 52: 2023 Prompts)

A Beauteous Flower (G, Julie/Reggie/Kayla, Part 53: 2023 Prompts)

Keep Asking Why (T, Bobby-centric, Part 54: 2023 Prompts)

Happily Ever After...So Far (G, Reggie/Carrie, Part 55: 2023 Prompts)

October

Missing You (G, Julie/Reggie)

Complete Now (G, Julie/Reggie/Luke)

Rained In (G, Julie/Reggie/Kayla, Part 56: 2023 Prompts)

There For You Till the Very End (G, Julie/Reggie, Part 57: 2023 Prompts)

Dream Ripped at the Seam (M, Julie/Reggie/Luke, Julie & Alex & Reggie & Luke, Part 3: Devil Searching for Redemption)

(All I Really Want is) Something Beautiful to Say (G, Julie & Alex, Part 58: 2023 Prompts)

Come Take Me Home? (G, Julie/Reggie, Part 59: 2023 Prompts, Part 4: I'm With You)

Homework and Teddy Bear (G, Reggie/Carrie, Part 60: 2023 Prompts)

November

Until the dice roll five or eight (G, Julie & Reggie & Luke, Part 61: 2023 Prompts)

A Needed Hug (G, Ray & Reggie, Part 62: 2023 Prompts)

Dangerous Hands (T, Julie/Reggie, Part 63: 2023 Prompts)

Long to Hold You Tight (G, Reggie/Luke, Part 64: 2023 Prompts)

Connections (G, Luke & Carrie, Part 65: 2023 Prompts)

"That's My Side." (T, Julie/Reggie, Part 66: 2023 Prompts)

Caramel Macchiato (G, Flynn/Carrie, Part 67: 2023 Prompts)

December

Save Me From Tears (G, Reggie/Carrie, Part 68: 2023 Prompts)

Hunka Hunka Burnin' Love (G, Reggie/Luke, Part 69: 2023 Prompts)

'Cause you asked for it (G, Julie/Reggie, Part 70: 2023 Prompts)

Photos or It Isn't Real (G, Flynn/Carrie, Part 71: 2023)

[throwing-roses-into-the-abyss]

ok so exactly one (1) person has said yes to my question if anyone's interested in seeing a list of all the movies I watched in 2023 (hi @randomcat1832!) so here we go! all 82 movies I watched, in the order in which I watched them! For the sake of my brain I'm just listing the name, if it was queer or not, and my rating, but feel free to come ask me for more opinions about specific ones if you want!

Also there's some movies I saw twice in the same year, but I've only listed them once.

January:

Pride & Prejudice - not queer - 2.5 stars

The Stepford Wives - not queer - 3.5 stars

The Wonder - not queer - 2.5 stars

The Menu - not queer - 4 stars

Austenland - not queer - 3.5 stars

Back to the Future - not queer - 5 stars

February:

Back to the Future II - not queer - 4 stars

Back to the Future III - not queer - 4 stars

White: the Melody of the Curse - not queer - 3 stars

The Martian - not queer - 5 stars

March:

My Policeman - queer - 3 stars

Galaxy Quest - not queer - 5 stars

We Have A Ghost - not queer - 2.5 stars

April:

Howl's Moving Castle - not queer - 5 stars

The Truman Show - not queer - 5 stars

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves - not queer - 4 stars

Catch Me If You Can - not queer - 5 stars

Get Out - not queer - 3 stars

May:

Bound - queer - 3.5 stars

Close - ??? - 3 stars

Age of Adaline - not queer - 3 stars

June:

Chicago - not queer - 4 stars

Agatha Christie's Endless Night - not queer - 4 stars

10 Things I Hate About You - not queer - 5 stars

Muppet Treasure Island - not queer - 5 stars

July:

Jurassic Park - not queer - 5 stars

Arrietty - not queer - 3 stars

Harriet - not queer - 3 stars

The Mummy - not queer - 5 stars

August:

Clue - not queer - 4.5 stars

Barbie - not queer - 2.5 stars

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty - not queer - 5 stars

Red, White & Royal Blue - queer - 3.5 stars

September:

Once Upon A Crime - not queer - 3 stars

Muppet Christmas Carol - not queer - 5 stars

Jennifer's Body - kinda queer??? - 3 stars

Stage Fright - not queer - 3 stars

The Devil Wears Prada - not queer - 5 stars

The Sea Beast - not queer - 2 stars

October:

What Did You Eat Yesterday: the Movie - queer - 3.5 stars

Christine - not queer - 2 stars

Crimson Peak - not queer - 4 stars

Vampires vs. The Bronx - not queer - 2.5 stars

Falling Inn Love - not queer - 1.5 stars

Little Evil - not queer - 4 stars

The Love Witch - not queer - 2.5 stars

Teen Wolf - not queer - 2 stars

The Craft - not queer - 4.5 stars

Dracula (1931) - not queer - 2.5 stars

Friday the 13th - not queer - 2.5 stars

The Killer Condom - queer - 5 stars

Scooby Doo on Zombie Island - not queer - 3 stars

Muppet Haunted Mansion - not queer - 2.5 stars

A Quiet Place - not queer - 3.5 stars

Mona Lisa Smile - not queer - 5 stars

Renfield - not queer - 3.5 stars

A Quiet Place 2 - not queer - 2 stars

Practical Magic - not queer - 4 stars

The Corpse Bride - not queer - 2.5 stars

Extinction - not queer - 2.5 stars

Bride of Frankenstein - not queer - 4.5 stars

Teen Witch - not queer - 4 stars

The VVitch - not queer - 3 stars

Ammonite - queer - 3 stars

An American Werewolf in London - not queer - 2.5 stars

The Lost Boys - not queer - 4 stars

Signs - not queer - 3.5 stars

The Witches of Eastwick - not queer - 2 stars

Creature of the Black Lagoon - not queer - 4.5 stars

Fright Night - not queer - 3.5 stars

November:

A Haunting in Venice - not queer - 4 stars

Sherlock Holmes (2009) - not queer - 4 stars

Emma (2020) - not queer - 2 stars

December:

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows - not queer - 4 stars

Bonnie & Clyde - not queer - 3 stars

Single All The Way - queer - 3.5 stars

Christmas at the Ranch - queer - 3.5 stars

Muppet Family Christmas - not queer - 3 stars

Friend & Family Christmas - queer - 2.5 stars

Girl, Interrupted - not queer - 4 stars

Gremlins - not queer - 3 stars

Home Alone - not queer - 2.5 stars

[prettylittlelyres]

2023 - My Year in Writing

Hello, friends! Happy New Year to all of you!

I hope 2024 is fabulous and fun... but also very calm and soothing, even if it needs to be a little bit boring. I think most of us need a slightly boring year after whatever mess 2023 was. All I see - all over the internet - today are posts about how 2023 was a giant mess for nearly everyone, and while that makes me feel less alone, it also makes me a little sad for everyone else who had trouble with it.

I am sure 2024 will be better, because, for goodness sake, it can't get worse. And, on the bright side, the Gävlebocken (Gävle Goat) has been gobbled up by jackdaws, and I firmly believe that to be a good omen. May 2024 bring us abundance as the goat brought abundance to the birds of Gävle. (We derve some tasty abundance.)

But, with the start of a new year comes the end of an old one, and that means it's time for me to write about all the writing I did in 2023.

This was the year I tried to be kind to myself, and I certainly succeeded in that. I'm proud of the leeway I have given myself this year, and - perhaps ironically - I have achieved more because of it. Letting myself work without pressure has always been difficult for me, but I think I finally learnt to do it in 2023.

So, here's what I did.

The best thing I did was start joining in with the writers' Discord server I joined last year. I lurked for a long time, never really piping up in the group chats, because I never really felt like I had anything to say. I didn't write anything like as much in 2022 as I wanted to (would you believe I started the year with a bullet journal page covered in New Year's Resolutions for Writing that included "finish redrafting 2 novels", "write 2 novels from scratch" and "plot another 2 novels"?) and I was upset with myself about it. At the end of 2022, I found out that I'd been quite ill for a while, and started getting better, and I decided I'd be kinder to myself from the start of 2023.

So, whenever I wrote anything, I mentioned it in the group chat where we share our daily wordcounts and achievements (no matter how "small", they are all worth celebrating), and started chatting to the other writers here and there. We had meetups on Zoom, and communal sprints on Twitch that really helped me get back into the swing of writing happily in January and February. I started to feel like a proper writer again, like part of a real community, and I can't quite express how thankful I am to the server for helping me get that feeling back.

I got 78,000 words written in the first 2 months of the year, mostly working on a character study for a story that I've put on hold until I can work out exactly what I want to happen to its characters. I've explored how they'd behave in certain situations, and thrown problems at them to see how they cope (badly!). But a story needs a storyline, and that storyline needs to be coherent, so I've mothballed the project until a good one comes along.

I also started journalling about my reading in the first few months of the year. I did an extensive study of "The Restless Dark" by Erica Waters, and absolutely loved it, filling an entire notebook with my thoughts on what was happening and what might happen next. I haven't kept up such a meticulous habit for the rest of the year, but it helped me focus on reading in a way I haven't done in previous years.

In the end I read 40 books, and the ones I enjoyed most were, "Tell Me I'm Worthless," by Alison Rumfitt, and, "All the Young Men," by Ruth Coker-Burks.

"Tell Me I'm Worthless," is a horror novel about how extremists will manipulate traumatised people to get them on side, but its core message feels like, "It's always possible to recover."

"All the Young Men" is Coker-Burks' memoir about nursing and providing community support to people living with - and dying from - AIDS in Hot Springs, Arkansas, all through the height of the crisis. Heartbreaking and heartwarming in equal parts, it reminds us all that, no matter how bleak things are, someone, somewhere, will want to help.

In April 2020, I started writing "Journal of a Pandemic", which has turned out to be a much longer project than I ever anticipated it to be. It's a chronicle of my life in the COVID19 pandemic, observing the changes I'm seeing in the world at large as well as in my own personal life. I wish I hadn't been able to write it this year, or at least that I'd been able to rename it - "Journal of a..." well, just about anything would be better than a pandemic, I think - but it's still happening. COVID19 still hasn't gone away, and I still can't go out in public without a mask on, because I'm high-risk. The bright side of my generally dodgy health is that I've been more careful with myself, and only had coronavirus once, in Summer 2022. I managed to escape it entirely in 2023, and didn't get any colds either. I'm eligible for continued vaccinations, which I've been having as they've become available, and I'm doing OK! One day I hope to put the pandemic journal aside, and keep a copy safe to show future generations, but unfortunately that day hasn't yet come.

Throughout 2023, I was working on various drafts of "Violins and Violets", a historical fiction (and historical romance) novel that I started writing in 2018. I kept on getting stuck within the first three chapters, getting "sidetracked" (or so I thought) by early plot points. My aim in 2023 was to redraft the novel to develop Katharina's character more before the inciting incident (when her father forbids her to compose, and burns all the work she's done so far), but I just couldn't get to that point. Originally, it was the beginning of Chapter One! In the outline I'd revised to make the new draft, it was Chapter Four, and I couldn't get past Chapter Three. There was just so much that I wanted to write about...

...but then I realised one day that I needed to make the events before the burning into a novel of their own, and "Violins and Violets" needed to become a series of three books! That "three book" idea quickly became a "five book" idea, and I started working on the first book that day.

The first draft of the first "Violins and Violets" book, which I started on 31st July, became my project for NaNoWriMo, and I'm pleased to say that I won with it! I then took the first 13 days of December to finish it off, and ended up with a complete draft of about 96,000 words. I started the sequel on 14th December, and got 18,000 words of that book down by midnight on 31st December. It's been a number of years since I've written so much so quickly, and I don't think I finished a single draft of any book in 2022. (Although maybe I finished off the longer version of "Vogeltje" early on? I'm not sure!)

I'm very excited to see what I can write in 2024, but I'm going to keep being kind to myself, and take it easy. No pressure to get anything done... but I'd really like to finish the sequel, and get the next book or two in the series drafted, too. I'd like to read more historical fiction, to develop my understanding of the genre, and if I can read some more histfic focused on music and art in particular, I'll be really pleased.

Month-by-Month Breakdown

November - 50,000+ words (won NaNoWriMo!)

January - 40,850 words

February - 37,150 words

December - 29,500 words

July - 24,125 words

March - 22,000 words

May - 18,000 words

October - 13,750 words

September - 12,750 words

August - 9,000 words

April - 8,750 words

June - 5,875 words

Total - 271,750 words

average 745 per day, 22,645 per month

(Sharp-eyed magpies amongst you may notice that I'm posting this on 17th January 2024, and you're right in thinking that's rather later in the month than I intended. It's for a very good, happy reason, though: I've been working on my sequel to "Ladies Don't Write Music" and so far in January I've added almost 32k to the manuscript, bringing me up to nearly 50k total!)

[cgclarkphoto]

The 2023 Round up of the best from each month that I took out and about, thanks for looking 😊 -  cg photography

[karen-carlisle-off-the-artboard]

Obligatory 2023 Round Up.

https://karenjcarlisle.com/2023/12/29/obligatory-2023-round-up/

It’s that time of the year. Time for year round ups and formulating new year’s resolutions. I thought I’d share a quick look back at 2023.

Books

This year was busy with writing, revisiting works-in-progress, releasing three more books, and all the events that go with them.

The following is the number of book-related things for 2023:

local events attended: 5

This year I attended Oz Comic Con, Comic & Toy Fair, Supanova, and two new events: Mayhem Collectors Fair and Author Night Market. I trialled new tables displays and book merch at the last two events.

   interstate events attended: 1

author talks: 1

This was the first year for the Wimmera Steampunk Festival (to be held bi-annually). I was fortunate to be invited to do an author talk (and steampunk 101 for those new to steampunk). The talk co-incided with my character – Viola Stewart’s – birthday and the 30th anniverary of (the coining of the name:) steampunk, so bonus!

  books published: 3 paperbacks (includes republished Department of Curiosities) and 3 eBooks

online book launches: 3

This year, I re-published The Department of Curiosities with a new cover and new internal art. Two new books included the steampunk short story collection Cogs and Conspiracies and Blood Ties, the first book in the mini adventure series the James Findlay Journals.

Both new books had an online launch party with giveaways, and there was another (delayed) launch for the re-release of The Adventures of Viola Stewart eBooks, combining the previous stories, with new covers, to match the paperbacks. You can rewatch them here:

Blood Ties – book launch 

Cogs and Conspiracies – Online Launch

eBook Series Launch – The Adventures of Viola Stewart

words written on current WIP: 45,824 / total November NaNoWriMo: 17,227

I’ve made headway on book 2 (The Department of Curiosities series) during the two dedicated NaNoWriMo events this year. Not as many as I’d have liked, but it is moving forward. Real life has been an issue.

new story ideas added to my list: 8

I can’t elaborate too much on this, as… well, spoilers. (Patrons get early sneak peeks… just saying)

number of book covers created:5

Two were: Cogs and Conspiracies and Blood Ties. One was for a fellow author (and I can’t show it until she’s ready to publish), and two are related to the new story ideas. (See above comment re spoilers). I tend to create the cover while the story is bubbling away in my head.

number of writing/research courses attended: 5 (online)… actually six!

These included research for future book projects, an ASA (Australian Society of Authors) course on public speaking (in hope it may help some pre-event panics), one on using a writing resource, and writing courses dedicated to specific genres.

Shorter Stories

short stories written for Patreon supporters: 10 (+2 excerpts from WIP)

short stories submitted to anthologies: 1

Top tier supportes get a short story reward each month. Many are exclusive. Some have been printed in the recent Cogs and Conspiracies or other short story collections. This year, I also added two excerpts from the first chapter of my current work-in-progress (book 2 of The Department of Curiosities series)

Art, Design & Book Merch

bees crocheted: 49

I started crocheting bees as book-related merch for The Aunt Enid Mysteries (the bees communicate between the many worlds in my stories), with AU$1 from each bee sale going towards helping bees on Kangaroo Island. I’ve sold 31 so far. I love bees. They are crucial to our lives and pollate various foods, especially stone fruits. They also provide us with honey. Though I’m allergic, we plant bee-friendly plants at home, and don’t use sprays.

new t-shirt designs: 8

new mug designs: 2

When I can’t write, I crochet. When I’m not crocheting, I draw. I NEED to create. This year I did (half) of Inktober. Some of the images were digitalised, coloured, and uploaded to my RedBubble store as t-shirts (and mugs)

new badge designs: 5

I loved the cat and books design (from my original art in Aunt Enid: Protector Extraordinaire), so I made a new badge… then I designed and made some more. The new badges debuted at the Author Night Market this month. I’ll have to load them onto my webshop some time…

On a more personal note:

tiktok posts: over 365

This is both book-related and personal. Someone told me I was too old for Tiktok. Ha! There are many on #over40tiktok and #over50tiktok, especially authors and readers. Books do well on Tiktok. While I’m not in the popular genres of romance, romance fantasy, or spicey romance fantasy, there are many who read my genres. I talk about my books, as well as tea, D&D, and mental health. I’ve found creating short posts has helped with desensitising myself to appearing in public… (even if it takes several ‘takes’ to get in the right headspace.)

number of mid-night hospital trips: 1 (only one is a record!)

I’m still working on minimising my panic attacks before events. I continued to talk about mental health (and my experience with anxiety and PTSD). Talking about mental health is important.

I usually end up at hospital (via ambulance) 3-5 times a year (my extreme panic attacks mimic heart attacks). So far, I’ve only had one this year! I’m extremely happy about that.

Health Scares and dodging bullets: 1

2023 started in the worst possible way. I faced January 1st with a diagnosis of breast cancer, prepping myself, then surgery and my family for ongoing treatment. One week after surgery, I returned to the oncologist. I was confused. Why was he grinning like a Cheshire cat? Turns out I had a very, very rare (<0.1% in women 25-45 years had this option, and I was over that age group) fibromatosis – a benign tumour that mimicks breast cancer in every way. The only way to differentiate is with extensive pathological testing once the tumour was removed.

So, a worst-case scenario became one of relief. Weirdly, I found a sense of calm from the whole situation. It’s helped my mental health, and I’ve actually had more moments of bliss than I’ve experienced in over a decade.

Please don’t forget to do your checks!

And that’s the short version…. (I know)

Thank you all for following my adventures this year, and I hope you have peaceful and safe holidays. See you next year!

[landwriter]

2023

NAME YOUR LOVE OVER AND OVER

LUXURIATE IN TEXTILES AND CITRUS

WORSHIP THE BODY

ENJOY A LITTLE DANGER

ACCEPT KINDNESS

KNEEL AND SMELL THE EARTH

BE MORE GAY

GROW A FLOWER GARDEN

BUILD SOMETHING

BREAK BREAD WITH FRIENDS AND STRANGERS

DANCE WHENEVER YOU WANT

[mfshipbracket]

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - The unexpected rise of cooking crush & seme bjs

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

Jan 2024 Wk 3

Ongoing Series - Thai

The Sign (Sat YT) ep 9 of 12 - I love this show so damn much. This may be my KinnPorsche. It’s just so endlessly entertaining in a perfectly unhinged way. I love that they looped Tharn’s dad back into the murder investigations.

You know kinksters have invented necklaces that can’t come off… right? Just saying.

Meanwhile, would it still be BL if our seme didn’t wake up from drowning and instantly go chase snake?

No. No it would not. 

Remember the one hard and fast rule of BL? When a seme gives a BJ it’s penance. Phaya is apologizing to Tharn for leaving him behind.

Heh. Hard and fast. I kill me. 

Pit Babe (Fri iQIYI) ep 10 of 14 - How is this absurd creature managing to rise in the ranks? Pavel turned in some stellar grief and ALANJEFF have my whole heart. I make Ikea puns in the... Trash watch happening here.

Cooking Crush (Sun YT) ep 7 of 12 - The make-out montage was absolutely charming and very much American rom com style - interesting (and rare) to see in a BL (not to mention from OffGun. How far we have come since Puppy Honey?)

Meanwhile, another wonderful grandma in a BL!

Next week we do an actual harken back to Puppy Honey, so obviously I’m now enjoying this whole show way more than before. I think it helped that I watched it earlier in the week, when it wasn’t competing with any other BLs. 

Last Twilight (Fri YT) ep 11 of 12 - Not gonna lie, I knew from you all that this was gonna be a rough ep. But I very clearly remember the penultimate Bad Buddy ep so I now have slightly more trust than others in GMMTV on this matter. 

That said, this was a crap episode.

You can’t set Mork’s truth and character motivation reveal up like that and then have his lover choose to dismiss him in a way that diminishes not just both character's growth AND all of Mork's actions towards Day, but also our faith in every other character. It was a shitty narrative thing to do to us, and it was a shitty thing to do to Mork. And that doesn’t even take into account the forgiveness allotted by the story to Day’s unrepentant excuse for a mother.  The doom should have been handled differently. The mom shoudl have leaned in even more evil and actively lied to split them apart.

I don't know if they can redeem this misstep in the final episode. But I'm interested to see them try. That said, this plot seem to be true to the book. 

For Him (Thurs iQIYI) ep 8 of 12 - A major trigger has landed. But also it’s clear who’s fault that incident was... and it’s not Him’s. So Blue's so-called-friend really is unhinged. This episode was a little bit more engaging than last week, but it’s only because stuff actually happened. I’m still not sure I enjoyed it. 

Twins the series (Fri GaGa) ep 12fin - Despite the fact that I’ve been annoyed by the show the last couple of episodes, I’m still sad for it to end. It was a good reveal and First had the right response. Also a very sports way to end it. Sprite is a v clingy bf. 

In brief?

A messy very Thai pulp sports romance that actually managed to involve sports in an identical twins trading-places plot. Basically Not Me meets HIStory 2 Crossing the Line (although vastly inferior to either) with an endearing main character and a good lead pair (poor things), both soapy and earnest without too much camp. It tried so hard but the plot, side couples, and extraneous characters let us down. Passable if not great. 7/10 

Time the series (Thai Gaga) ep 2 of 10 - Eh. Whatever. 

My Universe (Sun iQIYI) ep 22 of 24 - skipped this installment

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Although I Love You and You AKA Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro ka (Japan Gaga) ep 2 of 10 - Funny how quickly he retracted that confession and everyone called him out for doing it too soon (including me from a narrative beats perspective). It was a cute screw up - I see what your meta-arse is doing there, Japan. Also our Tokyo-boy’s serious reserved earnestness is extra adorable in the surrounded by Osaka enthusiasm context. His accidental flirting is that much more heart wrenching for our poor baby seme.  And they ended this ep with honorific negotiations!! Be still my heart. I’m really adoring this show.

Your hyung romance super fan is back in the game! 

Meanwhile the Osaka accent is beyond adorable. 

Sahara-sensei to Toki-kun (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 6 of 8 - Japan what are you doing? I do love the not-sorta-ex from the past. 

VIP Only (Taiwan Fri Gaga) ep 10fin - I loved all the young people in the hawker center supporting the campaign against the terrible mother. They make a good domestically sappy couple. But that is Taiwan's specialty.

In brief?

A sweet if aimless story about a writer and a chef finding love via noodles, fake dating, and family challenges. If it had a tighter script and a shorter run, more like a KBL this might’ve been quite special. But it didn’t and it lost me too many times. 6/10

I don’t like to be disappointed by Taiwan. 

It's done: I Need to Catch up

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) 10 eps - will binge when I have any spare time. 2024 is crazy busy for me so far.

The Servant and the Young Master - from Vietnam so I assume it's on YouTube. I never even noticed. Anyone?

Began Beginning (Myanmar YouTube) - Is TRUST Entertainment bringing us the first ever Burmeses BL? I don't know if it's really the first, but @heretherebedork vouched for it, so I will give it a watch through.

It's Airing But...

[INTERNATIONAL] Cherry Magic (Sat YouTube) ep 3 of 12 - yeah Japan put the smack down on our boys. Sadness. You can use a VPN if you like. Read all about it here.

Beside You (Thai YouTube) - a 3 sp short that's supposed to have started but I can't find it.

Ossans Love Season 2 (Japan Gaga) - 5 years later, will anything have changed? This is Japan so… probubly not. I won't be watching this. I disliked Season one and actively hated the follow ups. No thank you.

Playboyy (Thurs Gaga) 14 eps - Dear Playboyy, it's not you, it’s me… I hate you. You’re about as deep (and as palatable) as a shot glass of cum. While I'm sure you’re someone’s kink, you're my weakest link. Goodbye. I DNFed this at ep 5. Frankly I'm impressed with myself for getting that far.

The Whisperer (Sun ????) 10 eps - Ends next week. Thai horror BL that ALSO involves cheating (what joy is mine). I don't think even the perfect single dimple can motivate me to watch. Word is... it's terrible.

7 Days Before Valentine (Weds WeTV) 10 eps - Giving me Luminous Solution vibes. I'm waiting to binge if safe.

Dead Friend Forever (Thai Sat iQIYI) - horror, meh, tell me if it's worth my time?

In Case You Missed it

All my year-end round ups:

TOP 10 BL Trends of 2023

Top 10 BL Secondary Pairs of 2023

2023 BLs Best Trope Execution Awards! TOP 10

All the BLs Announced for 2023 that didn't happen

BL 2023's Best:

Back Hugs Thailand & Elsewhere

Cute Bits of Domesticity

Boys Feeding Boys

BOOP!

Best Cuddles

Heads in Laps

Touching Head Touches

Thailand Put His Head on Your Shoulder

Put Your Head on My Shoulder (not Thailand)

BEST KISSES (not Thailand)

BEST KISSES FROM THAILAND

Next Week Looks Like This

1/23 Happy Ending is a new high school set Strongberry 20 min short staring the actor who played Milk on Choco Milk Shake, so... YES PLEASE. I'm not sure where it will air but we all have our fingers crossed for Gaga or YT. Or both.

1/24 Love For Love's Sake (Korea Gaga & iQIYI)- based on the Manhwa ‘Love Supremacy Zone’ by Hwacha. A young man is dropped into a game based off a novel he loves. His mission is to make another player, YeoWoon happy. But then the game starts unfolding completely different from the novel.

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

Viva la BL grandma superiority! (Cooking Crush)

Cooking Crush casually givign us some lovely lesbians (as indeed did The Sign). GL makes for a lovely acessory BL, carry on.

Now GMMTV, give us the REVERSE.

I love this dork SO MUCH. (Pit Babe)

I love that Cherry Magic is doing this scene over. One of my favs from the original.

Yai is BEST BOY. MVP and most likely the winner for 2024's Namgoong award.

(Last week)

[twig-tea]

Top 5 Couple Fights

Oooooooh this is fun! Thank you for a relatively easy category because so often the fights in these shows are unearned and it is very frustrating. I'm still limiting myself to 2023!

Wen and Alan, Moonlight Chicken

This fight felt real, it felt lived in, and it felt heartbreaking even though we only saw some of it. These two men love each other, but love isn't enough to keep them together, and that realization is as heartbreaking as the fight itself.

My Personal Weatherman

I am obsessed with the fights in My Personal Weatherman because the characters often don't know they're in one, or are in two different fights at the same time. This is all tied to how much I love how well the miscommunication is done in this show. These fights are legible based on what we know about these characters and what they've seen, even when they're completely unnecessary, and I adore that. Of course the best one is the ending fight and not just because Segasaki ties up Yo's wrists in his shirt.

Jack O'Frost

[Not enough gifs of this actual fight and I need to finish this list so this is what you get]. The fight at the very start of this show escalated so quickly, at first I wasn't sure about it even while I appreciated the performances and the intimate way it was shot. But when we get the backstory and we finally understand how much has been withheld and said vs. not said between them, and where their anxieties were rooted and the source of these big feelings, this fight makes so much more sense. This is a show that really benefits from being watched more than once.

La Pluie

[for some reason tumblr is giving me this link to Shan's blog rather than @liyazaki so tagging you, friend!]

Patts was pushed and pushed and pushed, and he lashed out in his insecurity, and when he asked for reassurance (this lineeee) Saengtai refused to give it to him and instead lashed out out of his own insecurity. This was a painful fight that was fully earned; all of the characters and their choices were legible even as they were infuriating. And it led to a critical awakening of Saengtai who was so caught up in his own sad boy narrative he hadn't realized how much he was hurting everyone around him.

My Beautiful Man S2

Kiyoi and Hira's communication issues continuing past S1 is very believable. I said elsewhere that Hira's work on his self-worth is more like a spiral than a straight line and that's very relatable and realistic. Kiyoi being hurt by Hira not valuing Kiyoi's feelings was such an important lesson for Hira to get more than once. Again, so earned, and resulted in the characters self-reflecting and moving a little closer to whatever a healthy relationship means for these two lol

Laws of Attraction

How much do I Love Tinn seeing right through Charn and Charn being big mad at him for Perceiving him so well? All of their fights are so good because they're about boundaries and mutual respect at their core, and they actually listen to one another and are based on how well they know one another (rather than what so often happens, when the characters seem to forget who the person they're in love with actually is). This barely counts as fight but I love it and it's my list so it stays.

Bonus entry that's only for me (shh stop counting the above):

Mr. Cinderella S2

Nobody but me and like 2 other people watched this show, but I'm actually obsessed with the couple fight in Mr. Cinderella s2 so thank you for the chance to rant about it on main some more. I need to start by saying: this plot is ridiculous and the ending sucks. But within this show, Dung and Khoa have an established relationship that has been tested in S1 and is being tested harder in S2, and to a point, they actually stand together and weather the storm, and it was rewarding to watch. And then slowly everything happening ("everything" here being an ABSURD amount of melodrama) starts to wear on Khoa, who sees himself as the one solely responsible for everything, and he unlearns some of what he learned in s1, he stops relying on Dung as his support, stops telling Dung what's going on because he doesn't want to burden him, and stops trusting Dung's word about what is happening. And so, when the jealousy plot hits, it's actually believable that Dung would be mad at Khoa, not for cheating, but for not respecting Dung as a partner in their relationship. It's well done, I wish so much that it were in a better show so that I could actually recommend anyone watching (I don't). I've seen this trope (assumed cheating) done so badly and so unearned in so many shows, this was so refreshing.

Extra bonus: Best couple fight scene of all time?

Gameboys S2

[I give up on gifs of this scene; have them upset for other reasons instead!]

What I love about the way they fight in this show is that, beyond it being earned etc. etc., the dialogue is so raw. They repeat themselves, they just yell over one another, they get rude, they try saying something to de-escalate and it gets worse instead. This is not a carefully crafted speech, or a single perfectly delivered devastating line; this is raw emotion. I recognize this fight, I've been in this fight, this is what I sound like when I fight lol And we see them really fight at least twice, and the way they fight in ep8 has changed as a result of the earlier fight is also SO good.

[f1-birb]

not some people actually trying to call this a bottle job as if mclaren didn't fuck them both over and the heavens fucking opened up like be fr

[starlesscitiess]

i just think that once you read unholyverse you can never go back. you’re a changed person. now in a completely convoluted backdoor sort of way, catholicism is in your head forever

[pineapplefulfillseveryneed]

So May We Start (TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht, 14-06-2023) (x)

[exhuastedpigeon]

✨ 2023 writing round-up ✨

I posted the more words to Ao3 this year than I have in any other previous year, which is wild since I only really started writing again in June. It's wild the choke hold that Eddie Diaz and Evan Buckley have on me. Here's my writing round-up for 2023 :)

June

If we’re both still single… Teen || 2.9k

This was my first Buddie fic. Little did I know I was about to fall down the fucking rabbit hole.

“I’m sorry, you’re gonna have to repeat that for me?” Eddie had a beer halfway to his lips, his arm slung lazily on the back of the couch. “If we’re both still single when we’re 35, we should just get married,” Buck repeated, as casually as if he was saying they should order pizza or change the channel from the basketball game to hockey. 

let me see them tan lines Teen || 2.8k

Four times the 118 notices Eddie Diaz's ring tan line and one time he was wearing a ring.

give me a sign, I want you next to me Teen || 7k

Buck loves working at the 118. He loves living in LA. He loves his kid. He loves the life they've manage to build. The only thing he doesn't love is that his husband is across the world in a war zone. OR The 118 knows Buck has a really cute kid and a partner he loves, they just think that partner is his husbands ex.

July

it's like everything you say is a sweet revelation Mature || 5.6k

“Marry me,” Eddie said. It wasn’t a question, it was a sentence. He said it like he was commenting on the weather or last night's Dodgers game. Buck slowly lowered his coffee cup, eyes wide. Eddie lifted his drink and took a sip, a satisfied hum escaped him as he did. “Come again?” “Marry me,” Eddie took another sip of his coffee. “Please?”

boiling point Teen || 2k

Growing up, Buck heard the story about frogs and boiling water, that if you put a frog into boiling water, it’ll jump out, but if you put the frog is put in room temperature water and then slowly bring it to a boil, the frog won’t perceive the danger and will be boiled to death. When he was a kid, he had believed it, like so many other stories and fables. OR Evan Buckley's extremely extended metaphor for loving Eddie Diaz.

August

wet your lips (and smile to the camera) Mature || 6.8k

Buck has a problem and that problem is that Eddie Diaz is going to ruin his life. OR Eddie starts modeling on the side and Buck can't stop looking at his pictures, mostly because Eddie's ads are everywhere.

you are the only one that needs to know Teen || 2k

"You're not my dirty little secret. And I never want you to think that,” Buck says it practically into Eddie’s mouth, with a hand on Eddie’s chest. He shoves him, gently, into the Grant-Nash laundry room next to the bathroom. “But…” “But?” Eddie grins, feels the way Buck is grinning against his lips too and lets himself be moved backward until he collides with the washing machine. “But… I will miss sneaking off to make out with you when we finally tell everyone."

this kiss is something I can't resist Mature || 1.6k

Happiness snuck up on Evan Buckley like a summer storm in Florida, but unlike a summer storm, the happiness he was feeling didn’t seem to be going anywhere. If anything, it was getting bigger, the feeling threatening to jump out of his chest at any moment. 

take my hand, don't let it go Teen || 2.3k

In retrospect, dating a death doula pretty soon after one of the most traumatic experiences of Buck’s life, an experience where he actually died, was maybe not Buck’s smartest decision. In which Buck realizes that dating Natalia isn't what he needs and talks to Eddie about their shared death related trauma.

you're the cream in my coffee Explicit || 8.6k

“Dad, did you know there’s a coffee that’s made of poop!” “It’s not actually made of poop, bud,” Buck grinned, handing Eddie Chris’s backpack. “It’s partially digested cherries. The cherries actually ferment as they’re being passed through the civet’s intestines. They disinfect them and everything before they’re consumed.” “Yeah! That! It’s called copy loo-wake” “Kopi luwak.” “Uh huh!” “I take it you had fun with your Buck today, huh?” “Buck's the best dad!”

September

a dream is a wish your heart makes General || 3.3k

It takes a soft, domestic dream about Buck for Eddie to realize what's been true for a long time - he's in love with his best friend.

October

Hot and Heavy Explicit || 9.4k

Eddie can admit without shame that he’s having a bit of a hoe phase. He’s thirty, recently out of the closet, and even more recently single, he’s allowed to have some fun. In fact, he’s pretty sure it’s basically a requirement that he fuck around since he didn’t get to do it when he was younger. OR Five times Eddie had casual sex with someone who wasn't Buck and the time they finally got their shit together

Feels Like Magic Teen || 47.8k

“You used too much magic again,” Buck’s voice was quiet as he spoke, but he knew Eddie heard him. “You’re alive,” Eddie’s eyes were closed, but Buck knew the look Eddie would be giving him if they had been open. It was the same look Eddie had given him when he had said ‘because, Evan, you think you’re expendable but you’re not’. It was a look that made Buck feel truly and completely seen in a way he never had before. “There’s no such thing as too much if it saves you.” “Go to sleep,” Buck said, because if he left himself say anything else he’d be telling Eddie he loved him and he didn’t think in the bunk room at two in the morning after an exhausting call was the right moment, but then again, Buck was pretty sure he’d be taking that secret to his grave.

November

kiss and make up Explicit || 3.3k

Eddie always thought that if he and Buck ever kissed it would be in the heat of the moment, it would be pure relief that they were still alive. Maybe after a big rescue or (another) near death experience. That if it wasn’t in the heat of the moment as they both came down from an adrenaline rush that it would be something soft, probably in one of their kitchens while they did the dishes. He always figured that the first kiss would be like a homecoming. (Not that Eddie thought about kissing Buck often, because he doesn’t do that.) Instead of being soft and sweet or adrenaline fueled and filled with love and thanks that they're both alive, their first kiss comes in the middle of a fight in Eddie’s living room.

gold when you see me Teen || 4.3k

"Ouch,” Eddie says when he lands, his teeth clacking in his head. His ass hurts in an extremely unfun way, his ankle feels terrible, and he’s seeing spots. None of that is good news. “Eddie?” Buck sounds panicked. “Eddie?” “Down here,” Eddie calls up. He’s definitely going to have a bruised tail bone and there’s a pretty decadent chance that he’s sprained his ankle, if not broken it. He’s a little too shaken up to try to get up right now, especially since it's not like he’s not going to be able to get himself out of here. He takes a deep breath and feels every second of it in his ribs. On the bright side, they don't feel broken, just bruised. Buck’s face, illuminated by nothing but Eddie’s flashlight and Buck’s own, appears in the hole that Eddie fell through. “You okay?” Eddie will explore the tremor in Buck’s voice later, right now he needs to get out of this fucking hole before it caves in even more. “Definitely a little banged up, but I landed on the ground, not anything else.”

wanna lose my mind in a hotel room with you Explicit || 4.1k

"Think you’ll ever have that kind of love?” Eddie asks as he leans against the wall with a beer in his hand at Maddie and Chimney’s engagement party. He’s got a fond look on his face, if not a little wistful as he turns to face Buck. “I hope so,” Buck says with a small smile on his face as he looks from Maddie and Chim dancing with Jee-Yun between them to Eddie. He’s pretty sure he’s already got half of a love like that standing next to him, he just isn’t sure if it’s reciprocated. “I-I really hope so.” “Want to dance with me?” Eddie asks after a few seconds of quiet between them, his eyes bright in the yellow light of the string lights that crisscross the patio. 

December

it hurts to hope for more Mature || 15.5k

“I’m never - I’m never going to be a dad,” Buck sobs into Eddie’s shoulder. “She didn’t want kids. Why do I keep dating people who don’t want the same things as me? Is- is the universe telling me that I don’t deserve it?” “Hey, no,” Eddie pulls back from the hug and Buck lets out a pitiful sound at the loss of contact. “The universe doesn’t do that. The universe doesn’t scream and it definitely doesn’t get to tell you what you deserve, because you deserve everything Buck. Everything.” OR Buck wants to be a dad, it takes a couple break-ups and a major non-romantic heartbreak for him to figure out that maybe he already is.

can't make it stop, give me all you got Explicit || 4.1k

“Are we really doing this?” Buck’s lips graze the shell of Eddie’s ear as he speaks. They're in a club, the music is loud, so Eddie would have chalked the proximity of Buck’s mouth up to that, but Buck nips at his earlobe. “I think we are,” Eddie grins and turns his face to capture Buck’s mouth with his. He doesn’t care that they’re probably in view of all of their friends. He doesn’t care that there are sweaty, dancing bodies all around them. All he can think about is the way Buck’s hands feel on his waist, the way Buck’s breath hitches as Eddie grabs a handful of his ass. OR Eddie and Buck fuck in a club at Pride

[thewolvesof1998]

✨ 2023 writing round-up ✨

Edit: must have accidentally copied someone else’s intro without realising ����

I’ve posted 57,184 words to ao3 this year (I also started in June) I have almost the same number of words in my wips 😭 This year has been crazy and this fandom has provided me so much joy, not just writing but getting to know all my wonderful mutuals <3 The 911 brainrot is strong and I can’t wait to see what 2024 brings!

I posted the more words to Ao3 this year than I have in any other previous year, which is wild since I only really started writing again in June. It's wild the choke hold that Eddie Diaz and Evan Buckley have on me. Here's my writing round-up for 2023 :)

June

I posted my first fic on June 20 and in nine days I had posted 6 fics 😂

I ain't proud of all the punches that I've thrown 

Teen | 826w

Rage, like a broken window to an oxygen-deprived room that’s already in flames, explodes within him and almost takes him out. He resists the urge to slam the phone’s receiver into the wall until it's just fragments of plastic that dig into the palm of his hand, drawing blood. He breathes through his nose and then out of his mouth and repeats that until he gets himself under control. or Eddie's in Jail and he almost calls Buck.

You with the dark curls, you with the watercolour eyes

Mature | 1.6k

Blue eyes meet his, washed out in the morning light, he's like the watercolour paintings they had seen in the museum with Chris last week, soft and fuzzy around the edges, with just a hint of bright colours. Blue like the sky, splashes of pink at his eyebrow and lips. Those lips, that still looked bruised from last night. Or The morning after Buck and Eddie finally get together.

asking all these questions, just to be polite, while dying inside

Teen | 1.2K

But Eddie looks good, like really good, like how is anyone allowed to look that good in jeans and a green henley? His hair is all fluffy which means he hasn't put any product in it, he wonders if it still smells like the green apple conditioner that Eddie and Chris liked to use. There's a new wrinkle at the corners of his eyes like he's been smiling a lot these last few years and it shouldn't hurt this much to know that Eddie's been happy without him but it does. or Buck dreams of what it would be like to lose Eddie as a friend and run into him five years down the line and having to ask all of these stupid questions just to be polite while dying inside.

Tapping Morse Code into your heart 

Explicit | 2.8k

Buck can’t keep still. It was a known fact that some part of Buck’s body will be in constant motion, and when it wasn’t? You should be concerned. A bouncing knee, an elastic band wound around his fingers, head bopping, fingers tapping Morse code he had learned on a whim after Eddie told him that he knew it. So Buck can’t stay still even if his life depended on it. Or in this case an orgasm. And Eddie-well Eddie is annoyed. or Buck and Eddie use Morse Code to communicate when words can't be said.

I want you to be selfish with me 

Mature | 4.6k

When Eddie gets the call is 12.24 am. He’s lying awake in bed, trying to avoid spiralling but failing when his phone lights up, vibrating and blaring out the stupid song Buck had changed his ringtone to. “So you know it's me calling.” Eddie didn’t say that he always knew it was Buck calling even without the ringtone. Buck’s the only one that calls him this late at night, it's also the only time Buck calls since he prefers to text during the normal hours of the day. Eddie sighs, dragging a hand over his face, looks like trying and failing to fall asleep is going to have to wait. His other hand reaches for his phone, answering. “Buck,” He says, he can hear a lot of background noise, voices and music, so it’s not an ‘I woke up from a nightmare and I needed to make sure you're still alive’ call. “Eddie,” Buck slurs, drunk, “Eds, Eds, did I wake you?” or Buck called Eddie while drunk and Eddie ends up using some of his military training to save him.

You bring me comfort

Teen | 4.1k

Frank asks him “When was the last time you were hugged?” He’d hugged Chris that morning. “No, I mean the last time you were held” He didn’t really understand the difference, he regularly hugs Christopher, Tia Pepa, Abuela, and even a few quick hugs with Buck which never seem like enough. “Not you holding someone else, comforting someone else, just purely someone holding you because you need it” Eddie thinks back to the hospital, thinks back to seeing Shannon’s body on the gurney, the way Bobby’s arms had gone around him and held him up. “When Shannon died, Bobby, my Captain, he-he hugged me” It had been so long ago, years and before that? He couldn’t remember. Frank doesn’t exactly give him homework called “get hugged” but he suggests that Eddie should ask for want he wants next time he needs comfort instead of putting on the sweater. or Eddie is touched starved and just needs a hug instead, instead he has his sweater.

July

I Can See You 

Teen | 3.1k

Eddie gets out of his truck and watches as Buck sings along to whatever song is playing in his car. It’s captivating but Eddie thinks many things about Buck are. He’s unashamed as he belts, singing into his phone like it’s a microphone. Buck looks up and makes eye contact with Eddie, who can feel his lips stretched in a smile. Buck smiles back, continuing his impromptu show, now singing to Eddie even though he can’t hear it from across the parking lot. Eddie watches for a minute or so before walking over to Buck’s jeep, drawn to him like he has his own gravitational pull, stronger than the earth's as if Buck is the only reason Eddie hasn’t gone floating off into space yet. As he gets closer he can hear the muffled music, he can see the blue of Buck’s eyes as they gleam from joy. Eddie can barely make out the words: I see you, I see you, baby, Oh, baby OR Buck’s a Swiftie and he makes Eddie listen to Speak Now (TV) and accidentally confesses his love because of the song I Can See You

Alright, Cowboy, Go Get 'Em 

Explicit | 17k | 2/3

“What can I get you?” The bartender asks as Eddie slides up to the bar. “Whiskey, neat, thanks” “Make that two” A voice says from beside him, Eddie turns and takes in a black leather protection vest that’s undone over a bright blue button-down shirt. He drags his eyes up, over pale skin, an adam apple and stubble to blue eyes a shade or two lighter than his shirt. His white cowboy hat is back on, it makes the pink mark on his eyebrow stand out. There's a small smirk on his lips that Eddie does not linger on. “Evan Buckley,” He says, holding out his hand. Eddie clears his throat, “Eddie Diaz” He says shaking the offered hand, noticing the callous and firm grip before pulling back. OR What if Eddie had never left El Paso? What if Buck became a bull rider after being a ranch hand? After Eddie gets back from Afghanistan and Shannon divorces him some of his high school buddies decided to drag him to the rodeo to cheer him up. I don’t think they had in mind Eddie getting blown by a rodeo star behind the stable but it sure did improve his mood. Now Eddie can’t get Buck out of his mind and he might just become a rodeo regular.

Under the Guise of Violence

Explicit | 3k

Buck was kneeling. Not in the way Eddie had too frequently fantasised about, though from the lascivious smile on his face, maybe in a way Buck had fantasised about. There’s a cut above his right eyebrow, it’s a reflection of his pink birthmark, his nose is broken and blood-half dried-is trailing down to those plump pink lips. Eddie has to force himself to drag his eyes away. His hand tightens on the pummel of his sword, careful of its sharp edge that rests against the fragile skin of Buck’s neck. He doesn’t know how they got here. OR Eddie can't touch Buck unless it's to hurt him, after a sparring match Buck confronts him and it leads them back to Eddie's bedroom.

August, September and October I didn't post any fic- I was moving country and could not finish a fic to save my life 😂

November

nicknames, supernova similes and the family we make 

Teen | 800w

“Bobby, I’d like you to meet, Robin Buckley-Diaz,” Buck looks at the small bundle in his arms, bright blues staring right back up at him, “This is your Grandpops.” Bobby clears his throat, “Grandpops?” Buck looks up at the man who’s been more of a dad to him than his own blood, who had been by his bedside at every hospital visit and helped him grow up into the man he is today, “If that’s okay with you?” OR Bobby and Athena meet Buck and Eddie's new baby girl.

let me cradle your body (be a safe place to rest)

General | 1.9k

“Seat theif,” Buck pouts, “Where am I supposed to sit?” He asks and look, if he purposely makes his eyes all big and puts a little whine in his voice in a deadly combination that usually has Eddie folding to his whims that it’s between him and the universe okay? “Here,” Eddie says, patting his thigh and it shortcircuits Buck’s brain for longer than it probably should’ve. Eddie doesn’t actually mean that, he’s just messing with Buck right? Because as much as they’ve been accused of practically sitting on each other, they’ve never actually sat in each other’s laps. Buck opens and closes his mouth a few times before deciding that if Eddie is pulling his chain then he’s going to regret it and if it’s being earnest then it probably is comfier than the floor and better than being squeezed into a too-tight spot. “Okay,” Buck says, Eddie offers him a smile and his hand, as if daring him to do it. Buck takes the offered hand and Eddie pulls Buck onto his lap. OR What starts out as a normal 118 gathering ends with Buck sitting on Eddie's lap.

December

even when the heat breaks I’m still yours

Explicit | 6.1k

Eddie has many regrets in his life, lying on the floor of the cabin in the middle of a heat wave with his six foot two best friend pressing into his side while they were both trying to stay cool under the pitiful breeze of the ancient ceiling fan had the possibility to be high on that list. He turns his head to be confronted with a tattooed and freckle-covered shoulder, he can’t remember when they decided to strip down to their boxers -he might have suggested it after Buck’s third shirt had been soaked with sweat and had been clinging to his muscles in a dangerously distracting way- but at the time it had seemed like a good idea, he wasn’t sure about that now considering this was the third time in the last hour that he’s found himself turning to stare at the miles of bare skin. OR Buck and Eddie get stuck in a cabin during a heatwave, they finally take the next step and fuck nasty on the floor.

We might end up real close

Explicit | 2.2k

“Said you wanted us to bond. We might end up real close.” When Buck said those words to Bobby just merely few hours ago, it had been a joke about how if the bomb went off they would be reduced to blood, shards of bone and flesh, mixed so together that you wouldn’t be able to tell them apart without DNA testing. He hadn’t meant it in the way that it was now true with Eddie balls deep in him as he fucks Buck against the tile wall of the firehouse showers, both of them still fully dressed, uniform pants undone and pulled only down to mid-thigh in their haste. Though he thinks maybe Bobby wouldn’t be too surprised by this development given Buck’s recent past. OR the 2x01 Rewrite where Buck and Eddie fuck after removing the bomb.

They don’t know (your name is already mine) 

General | 7.6k | 3/4

“Sir, can you tell me your name?” Buck opens his mouth, his tongue feels like lead, “E-ed-” “Ed? Is your name Ed?” Buck shakes his head and winces when he sends a spike of pain through his head. Hands pull at his shirt and he feels the cold metal of scissors as they cut his brand new shirt. He’s supposed to be wearing that to tomorrow's Christmas Eve dinner. Eddie had said the colour makes his eyes pop. “He’s wearing dog tags…Eddie Diaz,” Buck moans, blackness at the edges of his vision seeps in, he tries to blink it away, no, they need to call Eddie, “It’s okay Eddie, we’ve got you,” is the last thing he hears before the darkness takes over. OR Buck gets in a car accident on Christmas Eve Eve and the only ID he has on him is Eddie's dog tags. A case of mistaken Identity, a trip to the hospital and a Christmas Surprise.

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