#BUT no stories or fic posted there would be exclusive forever

[imaginmatrix]

As some of you know, I lost my job recently, and financially this has been a STRUGGLE because I unfortunately live in the US and they hate us here 😩

But my friend recommended looking into starting a Patreon/KoFi for my writing, with early releases of chapters, glimpses at outlines and snippets, early looks at art commissions (pending artist permission), stuff like that

I have NO clue if that would interest anyone who reads my works, and I feel slightly awkward considering it, but even if it wouldn’t necessarily make any actual cash to matter, if a few people actually were into the idea I love sharing early looks with friends anyway. I crave validation. I’d also likely post original work there that’s not fanfic.

So if that’s something you’d pledge to, let me know I suppose! Stuff is hard and I write so much as it is it would be really nice to monetize it, while still making my work free on ao3

[oshikasa]

so like… lqq and his little guy assistant ✨

i love this donghua-exclusive guy so much!! on twitter a fan name that has been circling around in the community is “xiao mengyou” (it’s more of a title but it’s sort of slowly just becoming his name), and i’ve just been doing a lot of thinking between these two..

it’s nice for lqq to have a supporter like him (if you don’t know, this nameless character has appeared by lqq’s side in multiple episodes, both in the past since lqq was 12 AND he’s the junior official that runs after lqq after he forgot his waist badge in the first episode of season 2. he’s been by lqq’s side for 500 years)

my personal thoughts and characterizations about mengyou and lqq below cut

i’m actually writing a fic and having a lot of fun with it, i have two other fic wips that have been in progress for MONTHS but it’s hualian and fengqing so i’m way wayyy harder on the characterization in those fics even tho both of them are alternative universes, so i’m not willing to post those unfinished. for this one tho, mengyou is essentially an OC, so i’m thinking about posting the first chapter soon even if the fic isn’t nearly close to done (why do i insist on writing long ass fics when i don’t rly finish them.. is a mystery)

i characterize xmy as extremely loyal and prideful to be lqq’s longtime assistant and right hand man, but he also has some intense self deprecating issues where he views himself as a servant and ONLY that. even tho lqq expresses (mutual) feelings for xmy, xmy feels he isn’t worthy, and pushes him away. lqq is too young and inexperienced to grasp his feelings fully as well, so he lets xmy push him away bc he too isn’t sure if it’s right.

when lqq’s worldview crashes in the fangxin guoshi arc, he goes MIA in the story until mt. tonglu reopens bc he’s hunting qi rong, and he doesn’t trust anyone. i’d imagine this would hit xmy hard bc he’s been by his side since forever, and lqq, who used to respond to anyone’s messages regardless of rank as soon as possible, has probably ghosted his junior officials and xmy since he disappeared. good room for angst, lqq’s opinion of xmy is probably wavering bc he probably doesn’t trust him either, bc xmy encouraged him to protect the xianle residents after the golden banquet massacre, and also bc lqq is just unstable and tunnel-visioning after he finds out the truth. add that with their confusing feelings for each other and there’s so much room to write about!

[vexingwoman]

I’m loving hearing everyone’s thoughts on whump. Many such cases of ostensibly straight or bisexual women consuming nothing but torture porn (with a tasteful side of woobie coddling or “caretaking”) for gay male pairings almost exclusively. Extreme rambling below because I’ve been thinking about this forever and I’ve never seen anyone else talk about it in a meaningful way.

The non-sexual elements of whump are actually even more interesting to me, especially since even that is still reserved for gay male characters (or straight male characters being written as gay for fic). The whole caretaking part, the way so many whump writers often deride canon material for failing to properly explore the sort of pain they think their fandom faves ought to feel (more accurately: exhibit). Many whump fics are non-sexual but the voyeuristic attention to the suffering of its gay male protagonists feels sexual, in a fetishistic way. There is no similar equivalent to people paying this much precious, mawkish attention to the traumas experienced by female characters. Even if it mirrors or exceeds the actual amount of canon emotional catharsis experienced by their male counterparts.

And I really don’t think these women are a 1:1 equivalent to men who can only get off watching extremely violent porn about women. I don’t even think it comes close to the level of harm those men cause. But I would like to ask the people who consume and produce this content: Why is it only ever about gay men? Why is suffering, crying, rape, terminal illness, torture, etc. such a heavy erotic fixation for them?

And unfortunately I cannot picture any response that isn’t either 1) pornsick or 2) violently defensive.

Very eloquently said. In my experience, aside from admitting that it’s a fetish or misogynistically claiming that male characters are more complex and easier to empathize with, the most common answer I’ve received to the question of why this community focuses almost exclusively on male characters is that it’s an “unexpected and intriguing reversal of gendered expectations.” And while this may be true for some, I’m not convinced this is the main reason.

Because obviously, having a female character abuse and torture the male character would also constitute as an unexpected reversal of gendered expectations, but this community isn’t fascinated by that. Both the character executing the abuse, and the character receiving the abuse, are virtually always male—and the character who plays the role of the caretaker, of course. Coincidentally, I just ran into some stats which really emphasize the point, not that they were needed:

Also, have you noticed a strange upsurge in ridiculously abusive and shockingly violent homo-erotic media? I’m referring to stories like Killing Stalking or Hannibal here. Of course, these kinds of stories have always existed, but I feel like the fascination in them has recently spiked. I recall that even ten years ago the most popular media on gay male relationships was mawkishly adorable—what some would call “fluffy.”

You have to wonder how much of a role that plays in all this. I know for many girls, these vicious homo-erotic stories were their first real exposure to whump content. Maybe they prefer gay male whump content because it’s all they know? But again, that seems too convenient an answer.

In conclusion, I think this is just a mixture of fetishization and internalized misogyny, as I’ve said. In another post, I’ll go further into why I think it’s actually false to argue that male characters are more complexly written and easier to empathize with, and how the real culprit is not the writing, but gendered stereotyping and unconscious misogyny.

If anyone wants to chime in and give their perspective on this, please do.

[nekoannie-chan]

No where to go

No where to go

Title: No where to go.

Fandom: Marvel, Captain America.

Ship: Steve Rogers X Reader.

Word count: 421 words.

Rating: Teen.

Summary: None wanna deal with you, except Steve.

Major Tags: The reader is an ex-HYDRA agent.

Additional tags: This is my entry for the @lives-in-midgard 1K Follower Celebration Challenge with the prompt:

1.- “I didn’t know where else to go.”

Links: Wattpad, Ao3, Spanish version.

@saiyanprincessswanie

My native language is Spanish so I wanna improve my writing skills in English if you notice any mistakes, please let me know and I will correct them.

I don’t give any permission for my fics to be posted on other platforms or languages (I translate my work myself) or the use of my graphics (my dividers are included in this), I did them exclusively for my fics, please respect my work and don't steal it. There are some people here who make dividers that anyone can use, mine is not this type, please look for the other people. The only exception is the ones I gifted 'cuz now belong to someone else. Please let me know if you find any of my works on a different platform and are not one of my accounts. Reblogs and comments are always welcome.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's characters (unfortunately), except for the original characters and the story.

Add yourself to my taglist here.

My other media where I publish:  Ao3, Wattpad, ffnet, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter. 

If you like it, please vote, comment, and give me feedback to improve my skills and reblog.

Tags: @sinceimetyou @unnuevosoltransformalarealidad @navybrat817 @angrythingstarlight @shield-agent78 @charmed-asylum @pandaxnienke @real-fbi @Smokeandnailz @white-wolf1940 @tenaciousperfectionunknown @xoxonotme @bluemusickid @leyannrae @Harrysthiccthighss @Marvelatthisone @caplanbuckybarnes @sapphire-rogers @lizzieolseniskinda @notyourtypicalrose @hallecarey1 @nana1000night @talia-rumlow @writingshae @alexxavicry @azulatodoryuga @daemonslittlebitch @chaoticcollectivenightmare @endlesstwanted @chemtrails-club  @marigoldreamer @whiskeytangofoxtrot555 @Here4thefanfics @theestorm @patzammit @kmc1989 @somegirlfromasgard @rogersbarber

It had been weeks since the HYDRA uprising, weeks since you had made the hardest decision of your life: to come clean. You had been a HYDRA agent, not by choice, but by obligation, so when you saw the time, you cooperated with S.H.I.E.L.D., sharing everything you knew.

However, your cooperation seemed like it wasn't enough, you could notice the whispers in the hallways, the looks of distrust, the outright rejection, all of it was now part of your daily life. There was no place in S.H.I.E.L.D. where you felt safe, no person you could trust, or so you thought.

Until the situation was so unbearable that you ended up in front of Steve Rogers' door. You didn't know if he would receive you or if he would reject you like the others. But you had nowhere else to go.

You took a deep breath, trying to calm the trembling in your hands, and knocked on the door. The door opened slowly, revealing to Steve the surprised expression on his face.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“I didn't know where else to go... I don't have anyone.” You felt your eyes fill with tears.

“Come in,” he said after looking at you for a moment that seemed like forever.

You sat down on the couch, and Steve closed the door behind you. He stood for a moment, watching you before sitting down in a chair across from you.

“What happened?” he finally asked.

 You told him everything, how HYDRA had forced you to join, how you had lived all those years, how you finally decided to cooperate with S.H.I.E.L.D., hoping it would redeem you, but found rejection instead. Steve listened quietly, his eyes never leaving you. He didn't interrupt, didn't ask questions.

“I'm sorry,” you whispered, lowering your gaze, unable to bear if he led you to look disappointed.

“You did the right thing.”

“But the others don't see it that way,” you muttered. “They don't see me as someone who did the right thing... They see me as a traitor.”

“People often judge what they don't understand. S.H.I.E.L.D. is full of people who have seen terrible things, who have been betrayed before. It's hard for them to trust. But that doesn't mean you should give up.”

“Thank you,” you whispered.

“You can stay here tonight,” he said.

“Thank you, Steve...for everything. But why are you being so nice to me? After all that's happened...you could have kicked me out like the others.”

“Because I believe in second chances.”

[memberment]

DOES ANYONE WANNA PLAY A GAME??? (This is the post I was just yapping about.)

So we’re playing a game! Perhaps, if anyone wants to play! 

For reference, we have all gotten pretty used to me having one fic per day of the week, with exclusion of Sundays, bc I gen hate posting on Sundays. (I don’t wanna talk about it!<3) 

But. As of more recent months, I’ve shackled myself to behemoth fics that realistically, y’all would be waiting for new shit for millennia if I start posting shit in the order I’m writing it. So that’s just not gonna work! (I also do not want to be shackled to ao3 forever, but I cannot just write shit and leave it to rot in my google docs because I am not evil. Sharing is caring.) 

So without saying any more than that (bc I gotta leave y’all with some mystery), I would like y’all to help me narrow down this list of twenty to ten. (These are all of my open concepts that I’m willing to touch at the moment. There are a few more sprinkled about, but I don’t even wanna think about them rn.) I have listed titles, if I have them (if not, it's noted) and brief either descriptions or yaps. Literally just throw numbers of shit you wanna see or specifically think I should not be working on first at me. Do not care. Whatever floats your boat. <3

-

A Girl and Her Dog - Bebe runs into a lunatic and a dog while trying to complete a task (there’s actually a leak for this in my test fic).

Ca$h4Cultz - The main four accidentally manifest a god after starting a cult. (Again, leaks are in my test fic. This one might not be super long, but whenever I think about it, it makes me laugh really hard.)

Tweek’s Eclipse?? - I don’t have a title for this yet. It is literally Tweek’s story from Eclipse. Including the shit before. I’m not super invested in it yet, but the first chapter I did write kinda hits. There’s leaks for it somewhere in my slew of posts on here.

What Are You? (not sold on this title) - Tweek meets an imp after spending his whole life alone. He doesn’t really care if the imp takes his soul, but for some reason, he can’t. This aggravates the imp to no end so now he’s just dragging Tweek along to figure out exactly why he can’t take Tweek’s soul. (The imp is Craig. I personally think what I have written so far is fucking funny. It’s not gonna be good, but I stand by it.) 

Son Of Satan - Craig meets an imp. Or at least, that’s what the imp’s calling himself. (This is probably gonna be a fun nonsense piece with no legitimate plot and will probably get thrown on the trashfic pseud, but it will be fun. The entire fic is concepted off of one single piece of fanart I saw, if I can find it again, I will gladly share.) 

Untitled mind reader fic - I do not have a set title for this because I’m only two chapters deep. Basically, Tweek has to deal with some shit after someone starts reading his mind and decides to speak up. 

Untitled Horror Duo- Okay, so neither of these have titles yet, but basically, it’s two fics. There is the main story and the prequel. They both line up though in the way that I have the guides structured. These are so old, but I have like 30k between the two of them and I kinda don’t want to just leave that to rot, y’know? The main storyline follows Tweek who just entered high school after being locked away his entire life. He’s possessed by something, making adjusting to normal human life ten times more difficult. But still, he manages to find friends that care about him and want to help him, despite everything. And the prequel actually follows Kenny who’s had some close encounters with the something that’s possessing Tweek in the main story. I think this could be really fun. I remember being very deliberate about weaving these stories together when I was working on it and it was fucking ANNOYING!!! But it might also be really bad (I haven’t touched what I have since around March so I gen don’t know???), so I may assign it to  the trash psued. BUT IT’S AN OPTION!!! 

Three Kings Of Chaos - Chaos Inc. has three leaders. General Disarray, Major Mayhem, and Professor Chaos (of course). But being super villains can be complicated. Especially when their angel donor decides he wants to join in on the fun. (This will realistically probably not be very good. But, I find the concept to be very entertaining.) 

Then We Won’t (I’m not sold on the title) - When a kid gets outcasted for his powers, he makes an unlikely alliance. (This entire fic got concepted around the saying ‘The child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth.’) 

Untitled Civil War Fic - Basically, C&F are all evil. The Freedom Pals are just trying to get their friends back. Just about every ship in this winds up getting thrown in enemies to lovers territory. Except for Butters and Bebe (and I personally think their storyline is fucking hilarious). 

New Beginnings Rewrite - I HAVE VERY LARGE IDEAS FOR THIS. THE OLD ONE IS STILL UP SO I WILL NOT BE ELABORATING.  

Human Island - (no set title) After the world is destroyed, humans are limited to a small chain of islands. But what happens when a scientist threatens to destroy the harmony they’d worked so hard to build? (This is loosely based on something and if someone were to catch it if I were to write and post this, I would lose my fucking shit. Like, I think I would be so happy I would, like, throw up.) 

Vents - (no set title) SOMEONE gets thrown into a psychiatric facility. Involuntarily, of course. They assume they’re just abandoned there to die until someone starts calling out to them through the vents. 

I might actually finish Stalkers (this is not the title but I’ve been referring to it as such since it got concepted). Heads up though. This one is trash. Like out of everything I’ve ever written, this is thee trash. It was actually the precursor for Leap Year in the sense that I wanted to write something problematic for the sake of being problematic. It will be on the trash fic psued. Like, I genuinely find it funny because of how bad it is. But I can’t recommend telling me to work on this, because it genuinely isn’t good and I stand by that. 

My Love Letter To You - There are not one, but two Professor Chaos’ in this story. How fucking wild. Wonder how that happened. This story is basically the set up to them fighting it out and what led them there. (I’ve been eyeing and fiddling with this for a while and if you read my end notes you can prob figure out when I started messing with this concept). 

Untitled Cartman and Kenny FP fic. - Okay, so this was actually one of my first fanfic concepts. Basically, Cartman spends a good amount of time blacked out. When the other Freedom Pals find out, they try to intervene. And of course, Kenny has something to do with it. 

Cntrl: Escape - I think this might genuinely be my favorite out of all of these. A group of people get elected to escape their “perfect” world. (There is a tyrannical ruler and AI involved. Also the opening scene rn is artist Tweek trying not to lose his shit over the AI art contests surrounding his block. I love it. This one’s prob Tweek centric, but there are six(?? I’m not checking my notes. Approximately six???) mains in this.) (There is also a tiny leak of this on my test fic.) 

Untitled Kyle Supersomething Fic - As states. Human Kite’s either gonna be a supervillain or a vigilante who does not fuck with the rules of hero society and does things his own way. Could be fun. Oh also, from the jump I have decided the bad guys (Kyle) win in this. Like, I feel like villains winning is severely lacking and I need to contribute to what I want to read because that is the entire reason I started writing fanfic. 

Untitled Evil Shed Fic - And our favorite gadgeteer superhero is not a superhero anymore. He’s much worse. Stan is irredeemable in this, or at least that’s where it’s taking shape in my head right now. This is prob gonna border on horror if not be straight up horror. I do have plans to make all of the people I really focus on character wise (that isn’t Butters, obviously) have their own villain fic at some point, but rn all I have buzzing around my little idiot brain are Kenny (which is done), Stan, and Kyle’s. (Wendy’s is also starting to take shape in my head, but not enough to concept it out yet.)

New Kid - A small town (South Park, obviously) falls into chaos when an alien stumbles upon them. This is New Kid centric without it actually being New Kid centric. I have been giggling about this concept since the idea graced me back in March when the warm weather first popped around and I heard the song ‘Trailer Park Alien’ for the first time. Which is exactly what this fic is based on. 

[thatneoncrisis]

20 questions for 20 writers!

tagged by @waitineedaname thxx

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

21 works, i feel like thats a healthy number

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

i have 439,385 words, a very large chunk of that is from We Have Always Lived in the Apartment

3. What fandoms do you write for?

right now its the locked tomb, used to be homestuck, i have some crossovers with the magnus archives and one with john dies at the end

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

We Have Always Lived in the Apartment -- TLT horror mystery modern au

Insert Jesus Allegory Here -- solkat focused continuation of karkats pesterquest route, i NEED my new fics to get more popular than this oh my god

Gehenna the First -- TLT houseswap au with harrow as god

the gap between a tragedy and comedy (in this life its just you and me) -- TLT coffee shop au.

What's Eating Gideon Nav?  -- TLT catholic boarding school horror au

5. Do you respond to comments?

not typically, theres some weird thing with my head where i kind of hate that it counts my comments in the total comment amount. i cant explain it i just dont like how it looks, plus just repeating variations of "thank you!!" feels hollow after a while. im more likely to answer direct questions about the story rather than general commentary i do love talking about my thought process and intentions

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

ok so i cant actually tell you this because none of those fics are Done yet but all you need to know is that i consider all of my TLT fics tragedies to some extent. take that as you will. i dont even Like the word angst really it portends a level of melodrama id like to avoid

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

I'd say its a dead tie between A Brief Lesson In The Occult and Shit. Let’s Build A Fort. i can barely look at these anymore and if you read them and feel compelled to tell me you like them: dont. i can do better now

8. Do you get hate on fics?

never to my knowledge has anyone ever publicly disliked one of my fics. in fact sometimes i dream about someone posting it in their discord group chat and making fun of it because im so curious about what theyd say

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

yes i have. i do it almost exclusively as satire or character analysis as i find like, the physicality of sex to be inherently kind of goofy. liek the second you have to describe a dick or boobs with words the magic is gone it just becomes weird silly looking flesh. so i like focusing on weird and bad sex, unsatisfying or clumsy sex. sex that changes you in no significant way

10. Do you write crossovers?

yes i have. A Brief Disappearance and Statement of David Wong are both TMA/JDATE crossovers and i DID write a homestuck/TMA crossover but its not on my ao3 i guess? odd

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

no? does that happen?

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

i think once someone asked but i have no clue if it happened

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

@notedchampagne is my co producer in all things forever but ive basically written everything myself and they help polish it up

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

shiiiiiiite uh. jade/davepeta still means a lot to me. i think there are a lot of really engaging ships in TLT but i always kind of default to griddlehark i just kind of understand them the best

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

eventually SAM and i would like to circle back to our fanventure Therapystuck but we both got really busy with school, work and a general lull in the HS fandom. also maybe someday ill go back to Insert Jesus Allegory Here i liked the direction of the story i just have to get myself back in that headspace. being into homestuck Does something to you, like psychologically

16. What are your writing strengths?

after asking some friends theyve told me im good at tone, prose, funny metaphors, and dialogue but a caveat for the last thing as "I have yet to see how your Own guys talk and how you'd handle distinct voices from scratch so I'm only giving you about 80%"

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

i hate like. writing Around the important bits of a scene. i love the physicality of characters and what it reveals about them, along with pieces of the scene the narration deems important or interesting enough to mention to the audience. but im always worried im jsut fucking yapping. also i hate like, political scenes theres a rhythm to them that i dont quite understand. people sitting around using specific language that Feels important in a way that doesnt make it clear im bullshitting like 99% of what theyre talking about

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

AHAH. GOD. i actually looked this up the other day because theres an original story i want to write where i want to make it clear theyre basically speaking french the whole time, even though its written in english. i only speak english (i took some french in hs, its left me though i want to pick it up again) so i wouldnt know anything about how it reads to polyglots but i guess theres really only so much you can do outside of literally learning a new language just to write a story for free. ive seen a whole host of tips so i gues sit just matters how you employ them

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Homestuck. my only regret is that i wasnt a better writer

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

FUCK christ uuuuh. favorite right Now would be The Apartment but EVENTUALLY id like it to be Gehenna the First because its the hardest to write and i need it to pay off. if you havent read it uhhh. hi. hello. you should do that. i think its really cool and fun and junk

CHRIST who to tag i dont follow big writers uuuh @tranquilitybasehotelcasino and @accidentallyadorable sure have fun

[bloodboundsiege]

project update/where i've been/other stuff

Hey everyone! I know it's been a loooooooong time since I posted anything or gave any updates, but since I just updated the demo with some bug fixes--you can go here or to the pinned post on my page to download the new patch if you want to take the demo out for another spin--, I figured it was as good a time as any to talk about what's been going on.

This is probably going to turn into a long post, so if you don't want to read all of that, here's the tl;dr: Bloodbound: The Siege is still underway, I just was going through a really difficult period. Thank you all for your support of me and your continued enthusiasm for this project. It doesn't go unnoticed, and I'm really thankful for it.

Where I've Been

You know how sometimes someone will take forever to post an update to their fic and then the author's note will be like hey, sorry it took me so long to upload a new chapter, I was kidnapped? This is nothing like that. It's a lot less juicy, but I figured I'd still talk about it.

When I first started working on this visual novel, I was doing some freelance social media work, living with my family, and had a ton of free time on my hands. I would literally wake up every day and sit at my desk for 9+ hours a day, working on this project, making music, or writing screenplays.

At the end of last summer, I moved across the country, started grad school, and started working a pretty demanding job to support myself. It was also the first time since 2020 that I was doing any kind of significant socializing, and I was still working on this project, along with my other endeavors.

I felt like I was killing it. It didn't matter that wasn't getting a lot of sleep or really taking care of myself. I was somehow doing everything I wanted to do and needed to do.

And then...it caught up with me, right around when I released the demo for BBTS. I was having panic attacks at work, barely making deadlines for school, and it would take me half the day to work up the energy to get out of bed. It felt like I could do was sit in my room, watch Netflix, and doomscroll. Everything else was left to the wayside. Even though I was able to finish out my spring semester with good grades and left my job on good terms, I was hanging by the skin of my teeth. I also had some really messy stuff going on in my personal life that exacerbated these issues.

I had to spend this summer trying to rebuild myself and find a balance again. I'm in a much better place now--I started working out, which has been great for my anxiety, I quit vaping, I'm starting to be more conscious about what I put in my body and how it affects me, but I had to prioritize myself and my well being in order to get to this place.

As a side note, the experience of announcing this project and releasing this demo has been...strange. I put a lot of work into this project, from teaching myself how to code to writing the story, and this is the most visible thing I've ever put out. I was hoping maybe fifty people would play this demo and be like cool, but it's a much higher number, and a lot more feedback.

And that's both really cool and really scary. Cool because it's awesome that people appreciate something I created. Scary because now I want to make it good. I don't want to disappoint you all.

A Brief Tangent On How People Interact With Fandom Creators Sometimes

Even though I'm not always super active/interactive on here, I really enjoy getting asks about the project, whether it's hype, an inquiry, or feedback. Even if it's negative feedback, I know that it's coming from a good place. I also am really appreciative of messages that are either letting me know about bugs, or expressing any concerns about the story I am planning to tell. I don't take those kinds of things personally at all.

But I have noticed--and this is not just exclusive to the Choices fandom--that sometimes, people will interact with fic writers, fan devs, or really anyone that makes any kind of ContentTM in a way that isn't any of the aforementioned things I described above. Sometimes, the way that people interact with me--or other creators--is demanding, passive aggressive, or outright hostile. Other times, it may be well-intentioned, but it still feels like it's crossing some boundaries.

I'm extremely thankful to everyone who has reached out to check on me, but there's a huge difference between doing that and accusing me of abandoning this project and framing it as a deep moral failing on my part. I know I'm not the only person in this fandom that's experienced this. It really doesn't feel good, and it isn't helpful. Even if I had just decided I was no longer feeling BBTS and decided to dip, that isn't okay.

I additionally ask that in the event of another pause in posting on this project, people not reach out to me on my personal tumblr to ask about the status of this project, or to tell me to check my DMs or inbox on this page, or anything of that sort. To my recollection, I have never posted the URL my personal tumblr on this page. Like I said before, I'm appreciative of the fact that people are passionate about this project, but it's important to me to be able to keep this space and that space separate from one another.

I would absolutely understand any of this kind of behavior if there was money involved. If I had investors to answer to, or people pre-ordered the completed game from me and paid up front, people would absolutely be within their right to be frustrated with the radio silence that's been coming from my end and reach out to ask about the status of the game, or even be upset with me. But that isn't what's happening here.

This project is supposed to be fun. There's something really liberating about the fact that I can't ever monetize this or put it into a portfolio. It means it's for me and for you. We're all just supposed to be here because we like being here.

But part of the reason why the burnout and the anxiety I was experiencing spilled over into this project was because of these more pushy interactions. It made me feel like I was letting people down, or like the stakes of this were higher than they actually are.

I don't want to sound ungrateful, or like a diva. Like I said, I'm really appreciative of the reception of this project, and I'm grateful for any and all feedback, inquiries, or curiosities. But I just ask that everyone be respectful, and I don't think that's an unreasonable request. We'll all have a good time--both here and in the larger Choices fandom--if we're kind to one another, and if we're respectful of each other's boundaries.

Is Bloodbound: The Siege Still Happening?

Bloodbound: The Siege is still happening, but it is not going to be coming out this year, unless I somehow gain the ability to freeze time. Most of the sprite work is done--though I might do another round of retrofitting sprites into their respective dialogue boxes because I'm a glutton for punishment--and I'm pretty close to completing the more detailed outline of this story.

While I'm not ready to do this yet, it is extremely likely that by the end of the year, I'll start seeking out additional help for this project, mostly with programming. There will be a more detailed post about that when the time comes.

Until then, it's good to be back. Catch you on the flipside.

[javierpena-inatacvest]

hi bby ✨ I’m hoping to spread a little love around today (it is someone’s birthday after all — so you might see others answering this)!

I am a big fan of people enjoying cake and celebrating, and sometimes cake can be just tooting your own horn 💁‍♀️ so with that in mind, I’d love to know what THREE pieces of work you’re super proud of that you’d recommend others reading, and why 🍰

Hi my sweet Jo!!! 🥺💛 Thank you so much for the birthday wishes!!

I’m not normally one for tootin’ my own horn (although fun fact I did play the trumpet in middle school LMAO) but I appreciate you thinking I even have enough to toot about 😂 that being said, here are my 3 things I think I am the most proud of out of all my work!!

1. Whatever My Wife Wants- husband!javi x wife!reader

This is a more recent one I wrote from a request from my sweet @honeyedmiller (hehe ily dev) based on the pictures of Pedro as Lucien (YUM). I know notes are so subjective, but I was not expecting that fic to blow up the way it did, and I was super proud of how it turned out 🥹

2. Cramps- Husband!Frankie x wife!reader

This was my first fic I ever wrote for Frankie. I was SO nervous to post bc I was a Javi exclusive girlie before this, and was so worried that people wouldn’t like it, or I wouldn’t get Frankie right, but I was really happy with the final product and flattered that so many people had nice things to say about it!!

3. It’s Never Too Late- Javier Peña x OFC

NTL will always be my pride and joy. This was the first fic I ever posted, and I have poured so much of my heart and soul into this silly lil story. Never ever EVER in a million years would I have thought it would have blown up in the way it did after deciding to post it on a whim, but I will be so forever thankful the I did. I will always be so proud of this story 💛 ily Javi and Osita

And ily my dear Jo, thanks for letting me do a little birthday bragging 😭🥹💕

[gleefulpoppet]

fic writer 20 questions - ask game

I was tagged by @bitbybitwrites As for tagging more friends, I think everyone I know who writes has been tagged but if you haven't been tagged, then you should play, too!

1. how many works do you have on ao3?

32

2. what's your ao3 word count?

1,635,923

3. what fandoms do you write for?

Glee! Specifically Klaine.

4. top 5 fics by kudos

Pressed Against The Glass Better Knot Bow Tie Company: Act One Soulsongs and Seastars  Rock, Paper, Scissors Sonder

5. do you respond to comments? why or why not?

I try my hardest! I mostly write "live" these days, though, and I get behind because I'm hitting "post chapter" and then starting a new document to write the next. I read every single one and treasure them dearly. They keep me going, and I appreciate them so much. I plan on getting to the ones I've missed eventually!

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

No can do. I promise Klainbows 100% of the time. I read and write fanfiction to escape the hell that is reality. If the boys haven't found a way to make life work together... the fic isn't over yet! ♥♥♥ I suppose that Magic Spoken at Midnight is a tiny bit angsty because we know they have a lot of work ahead of them to restore Pantasia (but it's not angst between Klaine).

7. what's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Okay, now this is a hard question! I think my favorite ending is tied with Rock, Paper, Scissors, and Never Crossed the Line.

8. do you get hate on fics?

Luckily, no!

9. do you write smut? if so, what kind?

I do! I didn't find fanfic (or Glee) until I was very much an adult. All my stories are almost exclusively Explicit! 😂 I started writing smut because I wanted to read stories that treated sex as something that could be both smoldering hot and sacredly beautiful at the same time. I've tried several times to sit down and write PWP, and it always turns into something more. And I've learned I just have to embrace that about myself!

10. do you write crossovers? what's the craziest one you've ever written?

No, I never have. Maybe someday?

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

I sure hope not.

12. have you ever had a fic translated?

I don't think so.

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

I was part of the fandom project PROM-US and wrote two chapters of that. I've never co-written something with just two people where you would plot it out together and such.

14. fave all time ship?

Klaine forever!

15. wip you want to finish but doubt you will?

I have a few "brainstorming" documents where I write lists and quick paragraphs when they jump into my mind and research articles, and... you get the idea. I wouldn't call them WIP exactly. I know some of them I might never get to write. But as for WIP, where there is some sort of structure? I will get them done! My brain won't allow me to sleep at night if I don't convince it they'll all get done.

16. what are your writing strengths?

I hope it's writing conversations that are hard to have. Digging down into details and asking hard questions. Working through things with another human being without someone slamming a door and leaving. Writing about vulnerability in intimacy. (I think that conversations can be more intimate than sex, for sure!).

17. what are your writing weaknesses?

I can't stand missing a moment of their lives in some of these AUs I create. I want to know everything they're doing. The first few months of a relationship are so crucial, and I LOVE that part. I'm not sure it's a weakness so much as I wish I was comfortable skipping huge chunks of time and not needing to write 400 words about how they looked at each other the first time they made toast together in the morning.

18. thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in a fic?

I shall leave that to people who are much better at it than I am.

19. first fandom you wrote for?

Glee

20. fave fic you've written?

This question always fills me with panic. How can I pick? I am absolutely loving writing Sonder right now. It's a WIP that I update several times a week. It's captured my heart. As for one that is already finished, I think I'll pick Since Sense Sensory. Ask me tomorrow, and I'm sure I'll pick something different!

Thank you! This was fun!

[lovemesomechenford]

Starting Forever Now

Summary: Tim and Lucy got married. This is the story of how Mid Wilshire finds out they were dating in the first place. 

Author’s note: This is the first fic I’ve ever written in my life. I got introduced and then addicted to exclusively reading Chenford AO3 and Tumblr blogs a year ago, and haven’t stopped reading since. I’ve had so many ideas and definitely offered up some prompts from time to time for other writers, but this is my firstborn. I thought of her (I guess it’s a her lol) in the shower early today and haven’t been able to put the idea down. I really hope y’all love reading the fic as much as I loved writing her. I decided not to beta her, so any advice on my writing is greatly appreciated. Kudos and comments are always welcomed as well. 

Also posted on AO3: here!

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

Lucy goes into Adam Watch Commander Sergeant Grey’s office to request for a bunch of forms, including change of address, notification of a inter-departmental relationship, update on dependents, and change of badge name. Sgt Grey is hesitant and downright confused because last he heard, Lucy had broken up with ADA Sanford. Not sure why she would need any of these forms, especially since she’s single? Just then, a knock on his glass office door breaks him away from his thoughts. Looking up, he sees that it’s his Roaming Field Sergeant and longtime friend, Tim Bradford. Waving him in, Wade asks Tim if he knows anything about Lucy’s name change. 

“Sergeant Bradford, Officer Chen was just telling me about needing a name change. Know anything about that?” Grey asks with a raised brow.

Tim and Lucy turn their heads to look at each other and smile softly before turning back to the Watch Commander. “Yes, sir.” 

“And???” The older man waits.

“We got married—” “It’s Bradford—” They offer simultaneously. “Sir.” 

“Oh. ” Before Grey can continue, he is interrupted by Lucy who is eager to explain. 

“Sir, I can assure you nothing happened while Tim, Sergeant Bradford, was training me. Or when I was his aide. This change in our relationship is… recent.” The younger officer offers with a blush on her face. 

“Oh?” His intrigue is peaked. “How recent?”

“I asked Lucy out on a date while you were in New York with Luna two weeks ago.” Tim pauses before saying, “and we had our first date the night after her first shift as a Detective Trainee.” 

“And the name change and address change is for… ?” 

“We got married on Monday.” Tim declares as he turns to look at Lucy with a marshmallow smile on his face. 

Sergeant Grey can’t help but look a little stunned. 

“Wow.” Sergeant Grey clasps his hands and walks towards the newlyweds to shake their hands, “Congratulations are in order! Although I have to say, that is a very fast turnaround. You’ll both definitely need to fill out a bunch of disclosure forms. HR and IA will both be in contact to ensure nothing improper occurred, but it shouldn’t be too much of an issue seeing as how Detective Trainee Bradford is no longer under your command Sergeant Bradford.”

“Thank you, sir.” Both beam. Once Tim and Lucy have shaken Sgt Grey’s hand, their hands hands drop to their sides and find each other to intertwine.  

“Lucy, you need to update your dependents?”

“Yes sir, I do.” Lucy replied.

“Me too, please.” Tim added.

“If I can ask, who are you both adding?” 

“Tamara, sir.” Lucy says before continuing, “We legally adopted her on Monday. We want to add our daughter as a beneficiary and emergency contact. Just in case. That way she is protected should anything happen to either or both of us on the job.” 

“I understand. Luna and I love her - she is such a smart bright young lady. Congrats you two on your first addition to the family.” 

“Thank you, Wade.” Tim says bashfully. “We love her very much.”

Sergeant Grey pulls out a file from his top drawer and grabs a few other forms from his filing cabinet. 

“Okay, just complete those forms and get them back to me by next shift. HR and IA will probably reach out by end of week.”

Tim takes the pile of papers from the Watch Commander and opens the file jacket to find that the disclosure form is nearly complete, only missing their signatures and some dates. “Sir?”

Grey chuckles and crosses his arms. “I’ve been waiting for two years now for you and Ch- Bradford to start dating and disclose. I saw it coming from miles away. The two of you seemed to have that spark from the get-go and Tim here has been smiling a lot since Lucy joined Mid-Wilshire. Never thought you would go get hitched so quickly though.”

Lucy bashfully tilts her head downward in slight embarrassment. Her left hand, however, remains grasping Tim’s right. 

“When you know your forever is staring right at you, why wait another day?” Tim says, looking down at his blushing wife. Lucy raises her head to gaze lovingly at her husband. 

“Alright then. Congrats again. Dismissed.” 

~~ MEANWHILE ~~

“Hey Angela! Have you seen Momford?” Tamara asks cheerfully as she walks towards Detective Angela Lopez in the bull pen at Mid Wilshire. 

“Momford?”

“Yeah, Lucy? She texted saying she’s working in the precinct today and asked if we wanted to grab lunch at the food trucks. Have you seen her around?”

Lucy Chen was offered the Detective Trainee post by Detective Sergeant Caradine last week after providing valuable input on a bunch of open cases. She was stunned at first but eagerly accepted. It was a huge boost for her career. To no one’s surprise, she was thriving in the position. She brought a fresh air to the D’s Desk, and everyone loved and respected her - even veteran detectives listened when she spoke. 

“Uhh I think she just went to see Sgt Grey.”

“Okay! Do you mind if I wait with you?”

“Not at all, kiddo” Angela responded, wrapping her in a side hug. “I do have a question though…” 

Angela is so confused. Momford? Since when did Tamara call Lucy “mom”? She starts to ask the younger woman about it. 

Tamara’s been calling Lucy “mom” to her friends for a long time now but only recently said it directly to Lucy herself. Lucy’s been someone she looked up to and felt protected and loved, especially after her so-called former friend killed their other friend. As Tamara continues to explain, it suddenly strikes Angela that the second half of the name is “-ford”. As in Brad-ford? TIM BRADFORD?!?!?! WHAT THE HECK?! 

Angela’s clearly been in her head for a bit longer than she realizes because Tamara is looking at her like she’s suddenly grown two heads. 

“Wait hold up, Tamara. The “mom” makes sense and is super sweet but why do you call her Momford? Why not Momchen or something? Lucy’s last name is Chen after all.” Angela inquired as she sipped her coffee. 

“Um no it’s not.” Tamara answers exasperated.

Angela chokes on her drink and it comes sputtering out of her mouth. Tamara hands her the box of Kleenex on her desk.

“What?! What do you mean? Since when? What the hell is it?”

“Like two days ago? What’s the big deal? Did they not tell you guys?” 

Two days ago… so Monday. Chen was off the last couple days and decided to change her last name. Huh weird. Angela thought. 

“… they? Who’s they? And you didn’t answer my other question.”

“Yeah, Tim and Lucy.” 

“Tim and Lucy.” Angela repeated. Tamara hesitantly nods her head a few times. “Why would Tim and Lucy need to tell me about Lucy’s name change?”

“Because they changed mine too?”

“To what?”

“Bradford!” Tamara says matter-of-factly. She’s beaming. 

“Did they seriously not tell anyone yet? I honestly thought dad would’ve at least told you about it by now.” 

“Dad.”

“Yeah, dad. Tim and Lucy finalized my adoption on Monday at the courthouse. It was super easy since I’m already 18 years old and they’re married.” 

Angela blinks her eyes in rapid succession. Adoption. Married. It’s all a lot to process. 

“Married?” Angela’s jaws are on the ground and Tamara just snickers.

Angela knew Tim had feelings for Lucy ever since the Vegas undercover operation. He danced around the question then but his behaviour told her all she needed to know. She’s not blind! She’s a detective and his best friend! Angela always knew there was something different with Tim and his former rookie Lucy. She had known it ever since Lucy was kidnapped and Tim had called for her help. "I need you." The grave tone in which he had said that sentence stuck with her. Angela suspected the frantic way Tim needed Lucy alive was not only due to guilt. Maybe he hadn’t realized it yet, and maybe it wasn’t romantically, but Lucy was important for him. She had watched them throughout the two last years and logged each little interaction but never approached either of them to address it. Angela had witnessed the faint brush of hands, the soft smiles and the general lack of personal space. She figured they just hadn’t pulled their heads out of their asses yet. Her best friend never told her they started dating, let alone got MARRIED? NO FREAKING WAY. HE IS SO DEAD.

Angela’s inner monologue is interrupted when Tamara spots her Momford and Dadford.

“Oh! Looks like they’re coming out of Grey’s office! I’ll see you later Angela, bye!” Tamara runs off towards the Watch Commander’s office.

Angela turns around and sure enough, Tim is opening the door for Lucy and following her out of it. Once they do, Tamara bulldozes the two into a hug. Tim and Lucy are laughing as they greet the girl. Sergeant Grey is in his office shaking his head and smiling.

Neither Tim or Lucy have noticed her so Angela continues to watch them as they slowly make their way towards the front doors. Tamara’s walking half-backwards and going off about something enthusiastically. Her hands are waving about the same way Lucy does when she gets excited. Tim’s grinning like Angela’s never seen him do and wraps his right arm around Lucy’s shoulder as they pass the stairs. It’s unexpected for Angela because Tim has never been the type to show physical affection at work. He’s always been very church and state about it. No personal talk in the shop or during work hours. Lucy gazes up at him, flashes her blinding smile and leans in as much as her duty belt will allow.

“YO BRADFORDS!” Angela yells across the bull pen, attracting the attention of the few cops around her and walking past.

Lucy and Tamara respond a little slower than Tim, but all three of them stop in their step to look towards the beckoning voice. Tim has one eyebrow raised with a knowing smirk, Lucy is blushing pink and Tamara is still beaming. 

“Congrats on finally becoming a family! You idiots are coming over for dinner!” 

Their audience bursts into hollers and applause as the newly appointed Bradfords simply nod their heads and continue towards the front doors.

[icannotreadcursive]

I want you all to know that the way I find fic to read is absolutely bonkers.

I’ve seen a few posts recently (including a poll or two) about fic searching strategies and habits on Ao3) so I’m thinking about this, and I just feel like sharing.

So, I used to just scroll through fandom tags, search by character or ship like a halfway sane person.

But then, for the sake of some personal research I went on a kick of searching by additional tags--things like Hanahaki, Possession, Mermaid AU--to see distributions of what kind of fics and fandoms different tropes and kinds of stories were common in.  It was very interesting.  I have done absolutely nothing with this research other than internalize it into my understanding of How Fandom Interacts With Stuff.  It wasn’t even research related to the Metatext Guide.  I’m just Like This.

This is a pretty long explanation, so buckle up and continue under the readmore if you want a glimpse into how weirdly my brain works.

Anyway, I have discovered that searching by tag both does a better job of providing fics that scratch an itch for a certain vibe (which is more often what I’m hunting for than anything about particular characters) and usually provides results that, by filtering, I can narrow down to a much shorter list to actually hunt through.  (I find it frustrating and overwhelming to have like 20+ pages of results to go through for a given ship or something.  It’s partly choice paralysis but mostly frustration that so many of those results will be things I’m not interested in and the need to comb through them by hand when I can’t readily narrow the filters further and the chances of missing something I really would like in between all the chaff, or from later pages of results because I’ve just given up.)

So what I do is pick a tag, search it, then click on it in the tagblock of whatever fic shows up in my initial search.  This takes me to a results page of all the fics tagged with that tag, its variations, and any tags that stack under it.

This is usually a lot of results, but that’s okay.  Now we filter like we’re goddamn sea sponges.

Most of the filtering I do at this point is Excluding.  I will set the language (usually to English because that is my first language), set a length range depending on how I’m feeling, set a recent date rage if this is a tag I’ve looked at before and I don’t wanna reread, etc.  But mostly it’s going down the Exclude section of filters, checking the boxes for fandoms I’m not interested in, ships I don’t like, the “Major Character Death” warning because I’m rarely here for that, “Reader” and “You” under Character because I personally cannot stand reader-insert fic, tags I’m not into, etc--then hit apply filters to reload the refined results, and repeat this process until the top 10 tags shown for every section in the filters is something I’m fine with.

At this point, I copy the URL from my search page and open another copy of it in another tab, Include something--usually a category (like all the m/f fics) or an additional tag (all the Hurt/Comfort)--and then do the whole Exclusion process again with that subset of results.  Doing that, i can almost always whittle down to less than two pages of results to actually comb through--opening fics that look promising as I go.  Once I’ve done that, I close the second search tab, Exclude the secondary search’s Included tag from my main search, then do all that again with a different Included tag’s subset of results.

Yes, the multiple rounds of filtering takes forever.  Yes, I am aware this is a bizarre way to hunt for fics--the fact that it’s such a pain to do is a constant reminder that no one expected anybody to use the search and filter system like this.

I’m dyslexic, though.  The round after round of filtering isn’t as draining on me as sitting there, reading through page after page of summaries and tagblocks--especially because I find the tagblocks difficult to parse, even with a dyslexia friendly siteskin on that does help.  I don’t necessarily trust myself to catch a tag I don’t like; it’s more reliable for me to filter the living daylights out of things.  (This is also part of why I simply do not read fics without summaries.)

If I’m in, say, a Mistaken Identity or Mutual Pining kinda mood, it usually doesn’t matter to me if that takes the form of Deep Space 9 or Sailor Moon--or, hell, with some tags, especially less common ones, I’ll happily read fics for fandoms I’m not even in, which can be a cool way to expand my horizons.

And, developing this method of hunting  fic has given me a way to narrow down and section out overwhelming numbers of results when I do want to search by fandom, ship, or character.  Like when I recently dove into Trigun fic for the first time.

So yeah, that’s how I search Ao3, in case anyone was wondering.

[acacia-may]

Let Them See (Finral x Vanessa Fic)

While guests at the Heart Kingdom's royal wedding, Finral (drunkenly) takes a big step in his relationship with Vanessa.

Relationships: Finral Roulacase/Vanessa Enoteca, Charmy & Finral Friendship, and Charmy & Vanessa Friendship. Briefly Mentions Gadjah/Lolopetchka (because it's their wedding) and Langris/Finesse (in one line)

Genre: Romance, Drunken Confessions, Drunken Flirting, Drunken Kissing (there's a lot of drinking here), Secret Relationship, Fluff, Attempt at Humor, Slice of Life, & Charmy being snarky (even though I can guarantee she doesn't want to be here)

Rated: T for drinking and descriptive kissing

Word Count: 2516

A/N: Happy Valentine's Day, Black Clover fandom friends! I know I haven't been writing much BC lately, but I've had this story in my drafts forever as part of a massive work I'm not sure will ever get finished (sadly) so I've decided to post this "chapter" as a standalone for Valentine's Day. I hope you enjoy it. Many thanks to @delirious-donna who proofread this way, way back in the day, and a big thank you to anyone who reads this! I really appreciate your support! Cheers! 💕

Link to Work on AO3. Full Text Below the Cut. Thank you for reading!

“Care to dance?”

Vanessa could barely hear the groomsman over the loud music and excited chattering of the wedding reception, but she caught on well enough as he held out his hand to her. Usually, she would have found this kind of attention flattering, but in this particular case, she had been trying to keep a low profile and being continually asked to dance was making it difficult.

She sighed and shot Finral a glance across the table. “Well…actually…”

“It’s fine,” Finral mouthed at her with a wave of his hand.

“You don’t mind?” she asked confusedly. While they hadn’t being seeing each other for very long and hadn’t told anyone about the relationship, Vanessa still wasn’t sure that Finral would be comfortable with her being whisked away by other men while she was technically here with him—even if no one knew that except them. Perhaps, he was thinking that they weren’t entirely exclusive yet or that it would be suspicious if she kept declining when she was asked to dance.  

Whatever his reasoning, Finral shrugged and reassured her “No, go ahead—you should dance if you want.”

With a slight shrug of her shoulders, Vanessa was soon led to the dance floor by the groomsman, and Finral returned to his drink. She glanced over at him periodically as several other men cut in and pulled her away from the man who had originally asked her to dance—offering her their hands and several delicious cocktails which, if she was being honest, she enjoyed much more than their company. By the time her squad mates interjected and whisked her off to dance with them instead, she had lost sight of Finral in the crowd of celebrating wedding guests.

“Have you seen Finral?” she asked Magna, but he merely shrugged with a slight shake of his head.

“At the bar maybe…?” he suggested before Charmy interrupted in between forkfuls of dessert.

“Maybe he’s getting cake—it’s delicious! You should go get some.”

Vanessa excused herself to—as far as her squad mates were concerned—follow Charmy’s advice not to go looking for her pseudo-secret-boyfriend. She rubbed her hand across her forehead at the thought. How drunk was she that she was suddenly thinking of Finral as her boyfriend? Or perhaps it was entirely the opposite, and it was a part of her that was still a little too sober that wanted to label their relationship…

Vanessa pushed the thought away, but her head was already spinning. Just in case it was in fact the uncharacteristic sobriety, she downed the drink in her hand and stopped by her table to pick up the shot of tequila she had left there—at least she hoped that was her table... Stumbling a little, she made her way to the bar where she found Finral leaning on the counter surrounded by empty glasses with various decorative straws and umbrellas.

“There you are,” she said taking a seat next to him. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” Finral shrugged before taking another swig of his drink as Vanessa hailed the bartender to order whatever he was having. “Taking full advantage of the open bar, I see…” she teased.

“You seem to be having lots of fun yourself—you’ve danced with practically every guy here…”

“Except you,” she answered before she gave him a playful scolding. “You haven’t asked me to dance all night…”

“Haven’t you danced enough with everybody else?” sighed Finral tilting his glass and watching the red and orange swirls tumbling in the otherwise clear liquid.

“Listen, I only did that because you said it was alright.” Vanessa picked up the drink the bartender had left for her on the counter and took a swig before she tilted her head pointedly at him. “You’re the one who basically snubbed me…”

Finral rolled his eyes before he downed the rest of his drink waving at the bartender for another. “You wouldn’t be able to tell that with the way all those men were falling all over themselves just to talk to you. They’d still be trying to dance with you or getting you drinks if Luck hadn’t threatened to fight them all.”

“Don’t tell me you’re jealous…” A slight smile spread across her lips as she tilted her head and snaked her arm around his back.

“No, I’m not the jealous type,” he answered with a sigh as he picked up his next drink. “But…but that doesn’t mean…” He stopped—his slurring voice trailing as he stared down at his hands. He bit his lip. “Can I ask you something?”

Vanessa’s brow furrowed, but she answered, “Sure.”

Finral sighed but wouldn’t—possibly couldn’t—meet her eyes. “Are you…embarrassed to be with me?”

Vanessa hands seemed to move on their own as she reached out and pressed her palm to his cheek, tilting his face up at her. “What? Of course not. Why would you think that?”  

“Well we haven’t told anyone that we’re—you know…”—the volume of his voice dropped—“kind of a thing now…It’s like this big secret…which yeah, has been kind of fun but I don’t know… seeing you with all those men tonight—they’re so much stronger and more charming, more handsome, and all around better than I am…” He paused and shrugged his shoulders. “I just wondered if…maybe you didn’t want people thinking you settled…”

“Finral, that’s not how I feel at all…” Vanessa smiled slightly, sympathetically. “We both agreed it would be best not to tell anyone at first—in case it didn’t work out, remember? It would just make things awkward… Our friends would never let us live it down, and we would’ve had to sit through the Captain’s lecture on the ‘one rule’ for nothing.” Vanessa chuckled lightly and winked at him in an attempt to lighten the mood. “Considering we’re probably the reason he made that ‘no babies on the squad’ rule in the first place, I’m sure he’d have a lot to say…”

Finral’s slight twitch of smile quickly faded. “Do you really think we’re going to break up…?”

“Are we together?” she asked though she was unsure if it was all the alcohol or her curiosity getting the best of her that caused her to be so blunt.

Flushing, Finral swallowed hard. “I…I like to think we are, but—”

“Well in that case,” Vanessa cut him off—unable to hold back the smile that tugged at her lips. “I’d say it’s still pretty early in the relationship to say what could happen.” She sighed with a slight shrug of her shoulders. “We could still end up breaking it off... Not everything lasts forever, right?”

“I like to think some things do...I mean look at Gadjah and Lolopechka—they’re perfect for each other. They’re probably going to grow old together and die holding hands.”

“Lovely sentiment for their wedding,” quipped Vanessa before she took a sip of her own drink.

“I didn’t mean it in a bad way…” Finral sighed. “There’s something really beautiful about it, I think.” His face softened, and he had an almost wistful look in his eyes as he continued, “You can just tell how much they love each other. I’ve never been to a wedding like this before. Most noble marriages are arranged so weddings are pretty stuffy, formal and solemn—with everybody just trying to make the best of a bad situation. Even if the couple really is happy or content together, like Finesse and Langris, you wouldn’t be able to tell because of the way everybody is acting.”

Vanessa took another sip of her drink. She hadn’t been to a lot of noble weddings in the Clover Kingdom, but based on her experiences at Langris and Finesse’s alone, she couldn’t argue with Finral’s logic. “Sounds peachy… The Clover Kingdom aristocrats just have to ruin everything, don’t they?”

Finral’s mouth twitched in the corners before he stared down at his glass and sighed again. “That’s not what I want…I mean sure, I’ve always wanted to get married but not like that…” He paused—that wistful look returning to his face as his eyes widened and seemed to light up at his words. “I want a wedding where everybody says, ‘Wow, look at how much he loves her’ and ‘Can you believe how deliriously happy they are together.’”

“You really are such a hopeless romantic, aren’t you?” Vanessa teased affectionately ruffling his hair. A blush filled Finral’s cheeks, and he shuffled his feet against his barstool.

“Maybe…”

“What about her?” asked Vanessa running her hand through his hair.

“Who?”

“The bride in your dream wedding—does she love you too?”

Finral’s blush deepened, and he looked away from her. “I hope so…but I understand if she doesn’t…”

“I’m sure she does…” Vanessa reassured him. Disentangling her fingers from his hair, she stroked the side of his cheek with the back of her hand until he met her eyes again. Her voice grew soft, gentle as she continued, “I don’t know how she couldn’t…”   

Surprising both Vanessa and, seemingly, himself, Finral cupped her face in his hands. He suddenly leaned forward in his barstool and kissed her—just barely a brush of their lips, tentative yet sloppy somehow, probably from the tequila she could almost taste on his breath. Her eyes fluttered closed, and maybe it was all the alcohol talking but she couldn’t care less about anyone seeing them.

“Ah!” shrieked a voice followed by the clatter of dishware falling to the floor. Vanessa pulled back. Clearly, she had thought that much too soon as she found Charmy staring at them utterly dumbfounded—her third or fourth piece of wedding cake smashed on the ground. Finral’s face turned a bright rosy shade of red as Charmy exclaimed, “I don’t care how drunk you are—you can’t kiss Vanessa!”

“But…but Charmy…” Finral protested his words blurring together as they tumbled out of his mouth. “You don’t…you don’t understand… I think she’s the one.”

When Vanessa failed to stifle a giggle, Charmy rolled her eyes at her. After a pointed huff in Vanessa’s general direction, she turned her attention back to a very red-faced Finral with a stamp of her foot and crossed arms.

“Oh no you don’t. We’re not doing this again! If you start banging your head against the wall, I swear…”

“Why would I…?” Finral began with a trailing voice and confused tilt of his head. “Oh…” he said at last with a thoughtful nod and an awkward, drunken chuckle. “It’s not like that, Charmy. I promise…” Finral insisted again before staring into Vanessa’s face. “I…I love her…”

As he met her eyes, Vanessa could feel the heat rising in her cheeks—that blush that only came out when she drank too much. Her head was spinning with a rush of something she couldn’t quite place in the woozy haze of alcohol, but before she could say anything, Finral turned back to Charmy and said, “But don’t tell her that because… I don’t want to scare her away…”

Charmy blinked at him. “I’m sure you can handle that on your own…” she quipped causing Vanessa to burst out laughing. She frantically covered her mouth with her hand as Charmy added bitterly, “Though believe me, I want nothing more than to pretend I didn’t hear that…”

“Thank you, Charmy,” said Finral with grateful tears in his eyes, and once again, Vanessa found she couldn’t hold back her intoxicated giggling. He was such an emotional drunk—it was kind of sweet, in a way. Charmy, however, was unamused as she shook her head and turned her attention to her with a huff.

“I can tell the two of you are drunk, but are you really going to let him kiss you like that?” Charmy rolled her eyes, and Vanessa wondered if she had ever looked so exasperated. “Not to mention that other thing…”

Vanessa’s brow furrowed as if she was contemplating this thoughtfully—though her mind was clouded and hazy from too much liquor. “Charmy has a point…” she said at last turning to Finral. Her playful frown quickly shifted into a teasing grin. “I’m not going to let you kiss me like that…”

A somewhat delayed look of genuine confusion passed over Finral’s face before Vanessa leaned forward in her stool and pointed her finger at him. “You call that a kiss?” She laughed as Finral’s blush deepened. “I’ll show you a kiss…”

Without the slightest forethought, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him full on the mouth. She could feel him jerk backwards in surprise, but her hands frantically raced across his nape and tangled in his hair pulling him back to her with an almost desperate ardor.

“I hate you both,” muttered Charmy bitterly when they broke apart from each other both breathless and red in the face. “And I’ll never forgive you for making me ruin my cake. I’m going to get another piece…”  She sulked off leaving them once again alone at the bar though this time with Finral looking like he had just been whacked on the back of the head with one of Asta’s anti-magic swords.

“Woah…” he finally stammered at last. “That was…a kiss…”

“Yeah it was,” Vanessa teased with a flirtatious wink and an almost smug, lopsided grin.

“Vanessa…Vanessa…” he breathed before his face suddenly fell. “I’m so sorry…I…I just told Charmy that I love you…”

“That’s okay…it’s just Charmy. She thinks we’re just messing with her. Plus, we’re all used to you saying stupid things when you have too much tequila…” Vanessa laughed again as she playfully tapped his nose. “You’re drunk. I am too, but at least I’m not a lightweight.”

Finral sighed. “Yeah…maybe…but…but I…I really do love you, Vanessa…It’s not just the alcohol…” His voice trailed as he met her eyes and gently pushed a piece of hair out of her face.  “I…I think this is it…I’ve finally got it right…” His face flushed before he frantically added, “Is it…is it too soon to say that?”

“Maybe a little, but…” Vanessa smiled snaking her arms around his neck again. “As long as you don’t start telling random strangers I’m the only one for you and banging your head against a wall, I’m okay with that…”

Finral stifled a laugh. “That’s not funny.”

“If you get to say corny romantic things when you drink, I get to make bad jokes,” she teased pulling him close to her.

A blush filled his cheeks as his warm breath brushed against her skin. “Someone…someone will see…”

“Ah let ‘em,” shrugged Vanessa—her speech beginning to slur. “They’re bound to find out eventually…” She pulled him close enough to feel his racing heartbeat, the rapid rise and fall of his chest as she stopped a tantalizing mere inches away from his face. “Unless…” she breathed before brushing her lips against his. “You wanna go somewhere they can’t see us…”

[wild-blue-sonder]

Although most of my fics have been put on hiatus due to me getting a job and becoming more involved with my free company in FFXIV, that doesn't mean I've neglected my writing entirely! One of my WIPs is a three-part PPG story featuring color-coded ships, beginning with Blossick. The premise was inspired by The Promised Neverland and the 2005 movie The Island (starring Scarlett Johansson and Ewan McGregor). Click the read more for a snippet of this story!

Also! I'm no longer posting new stories or updating existing stories on FFN because it sucks. All of my works are now AO3 exclusive, and you must be a user to read them. If you would like an invitation to join AO3, I'd be happy to give you one, so don't hesitate to ask!

Habitat

She lived in a twelve-by-twelve room during the formative years of her life. Her first memory was looking up at round, brightly colored things she later learned were flowers, which she was named after. They spun in a slow circle while emitting music, and she always fell asleep watching them. She recalled looking to either side of herself, finding white bars that were too close to crawl through and too high to climb. As time passed she grew taller and stronger, and one day she hoisted herself over those bars. Suddenly her cage became a lot larger, but it was still a cage with no windows and only one door she couldn’t open no matter how hard she pushed or pulled.

She read a great many books from the ages of four to six such as The Very Busy Spider, The Rainbow Fish, Stellaluna, Little Monsters, and her favorite, Chickens Aren’t the Only Ones where she learned the words oviparous and ovoviviparous from Latin ovum. She learned that as a human female, she too carried eggs, but they didn’t have hard shells. They were very small like the size of a pinhead and would exit her body on a monthly basis in a process called menstruation. Once her ovaries released all their eggs, she would experience menopause. Both words came from Greek mene, and as she had never seen the moon, her caretakers rewarded her on her seventh birthday with a light that allegedly glowed like it.

She experienced several other major events after turning seven years old. The greatest one was moving out of her small room into a new habitat. It seemed to stretch on forever but was still encompassed by four walls; however, these ones buzzed with electrical currents that made her hand go numb after a while. She had an entire dwelling to herself with a big bedroom, a bathroom, a kitchen, a dining alcove, and a den with sofas and pillows for lounging or reading on. She preferred the latter, having developed a disdain for idleness. The more she read, the more her caretakers indulged her requests, such as cooking. She needed fruits, herbs, and vegetables, so they gave her tools and seeds to cultivate a garden. Once her plants had matured, an unexpected specimen was introduced to her habitat.

A boy.

He wasn’t a permanent addition, he was just visiting from elsewhere in the facility. Having only interacted with adults in positions of authority until now, she wasn’t sure how to engage someone her own age. The boy explored her habitat as she followed him in silence, observing, forming opinions. He was more impulsive than her, promptly climbing a tree when they reached the woods. “Why are you doing that?” she finally spoke.

“So I can see farther,” he answered.

“What are you looking for?”

“I just wanna see everything.” He glanced down at her with reddish-brown eyes. “There’s nothing like this in my habitat.”

Until today, she had been under the assumption that she was the sole child in the facility since the caretakers never mentioned otherwise. She must have surpassed some milestone allowing her to interact with them, which filled her with excitement. “What’s yours like?” she wondered.

The boy gazed at the lush fields, the quaint cottage, the meandering brook, and the peaceful grove. “I don’t have grass, trees, or a little house like yours. I just live in a room.”

“That sounds boring.”

~*~*~

They spent the whole day together. He taught her to climb trees and she showed him how to blow on a blade of grass to make silly noises. They splashed in the brook, picked more berries, and laid in the field as the sun started to sink beneath the glass dome overhead. A caretaker finally arrived to collect the boy. The girl walked with them toward the only exit from her habitat, stopping at a cement pad lined with red and yellow paint. If she stepped over that line, she got a warning buzz. If she touched the door, she got a nasty shock. “Hey, wait!” she called as the boy crossed the threshold, “What’s your name?”

“I’m Brick,” he replied with a grin.

“Brick.” She also smiled. “I’m Blossom.”

[nekoannie-chan]

Poison

Poison

Title: Poison

Fandom: Marvel, Captain America.

Ship: Steve Rogers X Reader,  Brock Rumlow X Reader.

Word count: 310 words.

Square: 4 “Deadly nightshade.”

Rating: Mature.

Summary: You discovered Brock’s secret.

Major Tags: Poison, death of character.

Additional tags: This is my entry to @seasonaldelightsbingo Language of Flowers Bingo. 63.

Links: Wattpad, Ao3, Spanish version.

@saiyanprincessswanie

My native language is Spanish so I wanna improve my writing skills in English if you notice any mistakes, please let me know and I will correct them.

I don’t give any kind of permission for my fics to be posted on other platforms or languages (I translate myself my work) or the use of my graphics (my dividers are included in this), I did them exclusively for my fics, please respect my work and don't steal it. There are some people here who make dividers that anyone can use, mine is not this type, please look for the other people. The only exception is the ones I gifted 'cuz now belong to someone else. If you find any of my works on a different platform and are not one of my accounts, please let me know. Reblogs and comments are always welcome.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Marvel's characters (unfortunately), except for the original characters and the story.

Add yourself to my taglist here.

My other media where I publish:  Ao3, Wattpad, ffnet, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter. 

If you like it, please vote, comment, and give me feedback to improve my skills and reblog.

Tags: @sinceimetyou @unnuevosoltransformalarealidad @navybrat817 @angrythingstarlight @shield-agent78 @charmed-asylum @pandaxnienke @real-fbi @Smokeandnailz @white-wolf1940 @tenaciousperfectionunknown @xoxonotme @bluemusickid @leyannrae @Harrysthiccthighss @Marvelatthisone @caplanbuckybarnes @sapphire-rogers @lizzieolseniskinda @notyourtypicalrose @hallecarey1 @nana1000night @talia-rumlow @writingshae @alexxavicry @azulatodoryuga @daemonslittlebitch @chaoticcollectivenightmare @endlesstwanted @chemtrails-club  @marigoldreamer @whiskeytangofoxtrot555 @Here4thefanfics @theestorm @patzammit @kmc1989 @somegirlfromasgard @rogersbarber

You were an excellent agent, leading a somewhat routine life, but you never imagined that your life would take an unexpected turn when you met two men who would enter your world and change you forever.

Steve Rogers seemed charming and tender; on the other hand, there was Brock Rumlow, with an intimidating presence and a charming smile that actually hid his true intentions but also appealed to you. Brock was everything Steve was not: dangerous, unpredictable, and passionate in an almost destructive way.

Steve, on the other hand, offered you security and constant love.

One night, you found out the whole truth about Brock. You weren't going to let him destroy everything Steve had helped build; it was time to take down Hydra bit by bit without anyone suspecting. You couldn't let Brock continue to threaten peace and security, so you came up with a simple plan.

You invited Brock to his flat, telling him you wanted to talk to him. Brock came to you, knowing that you would fall into his arms. You offered him a glass of wine in which you had dissolved the necessary dose of belladonna. The dose was potent enough to be lethal, but not immediately. As Brock drank, you watched him with your heart pounding; fortunately, no one knew of your passion for researching and experimenting with both poisonous and medicinal plants.

At first, Brock didn't notice anything. He continued to speak in his arrogant tone, oblivious to the poison coursing through his body. Soon, however, he began to feel faint. Then he collapsed to the ground, unable to move.

Now the slightly more complicated part: getting rid of him and making it all look like an accident. Although it wasn't the first time you had done something like this, you had to act fast; there were still more members to be eliminated.

[htbthomas]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged by @ghostcat3000!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

268

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

1,092,965

3. What fandoms do you write for?

I don't have a regular fandom right now, I mostly just write for exchanges, and usually one-offs. But AO3 lists Superman Returns (2006), Smallville, Community (TV), Forever (TV 2014) and Arrow (TV 2012) at the top of my dashboard - fandoms I was active in during the first 10 years of fic writing.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?*

Heart-Shaped Bruise (Amazing Spider-Man movie, Peter/Flash, 17K words)

Mona Lisa Smile (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Jake/Holt, 2k words)

Exclusive (The Story of the Century Remix) (Superman/Batman crossover, Clark/Bruce, 356 words)

Hero at Heart (Amazing Spider-Man movie, Peter/Flash, sequel to Heart-Shaped Bruise, 37k words)

Transform (Miraculous Ladybug, Adrien/Ladybug, 43k words)

*If FFN showed kudos or AO3 existed when I started, then Deja Vu (Superman Returns) would be in this list as well.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes. Pretty much within 1-2 days, though spammy comments get a pass.

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

Um, wow, not sure. Maybe Hero at Heart? The reactions to it are pretty mixed and strong. It was meant to be bittersweet, but I definitely didn't thread the needle between the two as well as I'd hoped.

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

99.9% of the rest! Couldn't choose, honestly.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Hero at Heart doesn't really get hate, but yeah. Once I got a Goodreads-style review of Deja Vu on FFN that picked apart every choice they disagreed with.

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

Sometimes. It's not my go to, but in longer fics I will often add it near the end. Just a few fics are devoted to it.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I have - about 11, according to my crossover tag. I think the craziest/most fun one is #AngelAss, a B99/Daredevil crossover.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

As far as I know, no.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I've had a few fics translated to Russian, but I didn't tag them so I can't remember which ones!

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

Yes, I co-wrote a few for Superman Returns and the Raimi Spider-Man films.

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

Clark/Lois wins for highest number of words devoted to them. I've written 31 fics in 5 different media adaptations.

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

The only WIP I have now is for Yuletide. The other semi-WIPs are abandoned, and tagged that way.

16. What are your writing strengths?

People say that my dialogue is very in-character!

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Descriptions. I tend to move the plot and dialogue along and spend little time setting a scene.

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

I have not written any dialogue in another language.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

The Raimi Spider-Man films, specifically post-Spider-Man 2.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Ugh, I could never choose!

- O -

Tagging @argylepiratewd @empressearwig @hondagirll @xenokattz @boasamishipper

[mysdrymmumbles]

Get to Know the Fanfic Writer

Thank you to the wonderful @slothquisitor for the tag!

When did you post your first-ever fanfic?

First fanfic I wrote was back in like 2002 and it was for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. It was taken down by ffn because it was in 'chat format' (script/play format, but they were little bitches about it). It took years to write and ended up something like 800 pages long? I still think someone just didn't like that it was popular and flagged it as breaking the rules.

First Character(s) you wrote?

Damn near every single character from OoT was in my Link's Revenge fic, though it was a parody, so I'm happy to say I butchered like 95% of their characters on purpose <3

First original story I wrote was waaaaaay back in Elementary school. It was a page long about two kids discovering that a school librarian was a vampire. I think that was like 3rd or 5th grade. I don't remember. But I do know I've loved me some vampires since forever.

Main Character(s) you're currently writing?

The BG3 crew. Mostly the story for Seven Days thus far is from My Tav Idri's PoV, Astarion's PoV, and Shadowheart's PoV, but there are bits from all of the main companions.

Character(s) you haven't written about before but plan to soon?

Minthara, whenever I finally get there. I love her. She's my favorite problematic fav atm.

Fandom(s) you're currently writing?

Baldur's Gate atm. I posted the first chapter for a wow fic like a day before bg3 came out and ideally I would like to juggle to two, but I have been sucked into new fandom hell, so things are lopsided atm. I might try to do both for NaNo this year and see if I can't have a consistent posting schedule for them for the new year.

Platonic Pairing(s) you're currently writing?

Well, in my long fic, there's gonna be all kinds of friendship going down, though I think rn it's mostly Gale/Idri becoming fast besties.

Romantic Pairing(s) you're currently writing?

Astarion/Idri (my Tav) for Seven Days and Astarion/Tav (gn Tav) for my short fics

Your top AO3 tags?

I don't really know how to check that? But they would probably be like: angst, slowburn, adventure

Current platform you use for posting?

Well, if a fic is short enough, I post it here and on Ao3, but the long fics are exclusively Ao3. I used to post stuff on FFN, too, but after getting a, "I'm not gonna read all that, but grats on writing such a long fic," comment for Of a Feather, I don't really think it's worth it to post over there? Idk, I might decide to give it one last chance later on. I did end up getting a nice comment on that fic after the whole thing was written, so there are some nice readers still over there.

Snippet of the WIP you are currently working on?

Idri stills for the fraction of a second. Gale is tired enough that he doesn’t seem to notice. “It’s a family heirloom,” Idri says, smile a little forced, though it could be mistaken for weariness. “My mother would be beside herself if I lost it.” She perks up a little as she adds, “And my grandmother might rise from the dead and go on a killing spree.” Even as Gale laughs, enthralled by the story of how Idri’s grandfather had the broach made for her grandmother in secret because their union was not approved of, Shadowheart cannot help but notice that the note in Idri’s voice is the same as when she told the adventurers about the mindflayer ship. How much of the story is the truth?

Tagging @mousterian-writes, @late-to-the-fandom, @gnomeskillet, @silver-horse, @wickedwitchofthewilds, @brianamorganbooks, and anyone else who wants in!