#I honestly did not know what to do for this prompt XD

[avirael]

Febhyurary 2025 Day 26 - Fantasia

"Last night I had the strangest dream. I dreamt I woke up and began my day just as I do every morning but when I walked by the mirror I noticed that something was wrong. The person in the mirror resembled me in a way but had ears and tail just like a Miqo'te! To be honest I never was aware that this difference between us might bother me but now this dream makes me wonder... Would it bother you?"

[astersatdawn]

FFXIV Write Day 2: Horizon

Climbing up the trees in the shroud in the dark would be a horrific idea to some, but to Ellida, it’s ritual.

Even more so now, when patients, desperate, come to their small, tucked away clinic desperate for aid, praying for a miracle to be found in the most obscure corners of the shroud from the most unknown of resources. But all they find is a simple clinic, with a recently bedridden mother, and her children, half of which were adopted after the calamity and were still settling in. 

There’s little solace, anymore, with Ellida taking care of every soul who comes their way and then those who live inside the cabin too small for five. The days are long, and her studying has more real consequences now that she has taken up the responsibilities her mother can no longer tend too, and the nights are spent tending to nightmares.

Tonight, they’re her own.

It’s another night of nonsense, of a battlefield scorched red and the scent of iron clogging her sense of smell. In her dreams, she moved as if weighed by steel, so grounded in that reality, if not for the fact all the faces around her were passing blurs at best. If she thinks on it too long, she might start picturing the faces of her family in their places, moments before their deaths, and after having lost their father that night was enough that she needed to shut it out entirely, even if it meant coming here, before dawn, stumbling half-asleep but just as desperate to reach her goal as she had been in her dreams.

So she climbs. It’s the same tree, it’s always the same tree she runs to every night she has a nightmare of her own that needs to be hidden away. The route is so familiar that she wonders if maybe one day she’ll find herself here before she even wakes, sleepwalking through the shroud like it was that battlefield, navigating to a predetermined destination only known by few. 

There’s not much to do once she arrives at one of the highest branches besides wait for dawn. It’s a peaceful wait, though. One accompanied by the soft noises of the dark: crickets and the frogs, the not-too-distant rippling waters and rustling of leaves. 

It may not have been so terrible place to nap, but she intended to stay awake, comfortably curled up and leaning against the trunk, battling the urge to sleep by watching the distant stars far beyond her reach. It was only the numbing chill of the early morning and her own determination that kept her awake.

She doesn’t know how long she sits there like that, letting herself fade into nature rather than the woes of man. 

She does know when they’re minutes from dawn, if only because when she hears movement beneath her perch, she knows the second half of the ritual has begun.

Like clockwork, she lifts her head from the trunk and scoots over, rubbing her eyes in a desperate bid to look more awake than she feels. Moments later, her twin brother, Aze’a, climbs into the spot next to her, hesitant and cautious, as he always is, but still knowing without a word he is welcomed.

“You okay?” He asks, voice soft.

“Fine,” she replies. She looks at him with a smile. If her regular lie has ever registered as such, Aze’a never calls her out for it. “Did you sleep well?”

“Well enough,” he murmurs. 

There’s nothing more to say, then, as it has been some of the days they find themselves here. It does not change the fact that the silence is comfortable as together, they look out onto the horizon, waiting for the sun to rise again. 

[8thekat]

Hey, so I'm the kiddo who submitted the 19th request for the 20K subs thing (AKA the 'thirsty booger' XD) I just wanted to say thank you so much for providing us fans with your comic. I've been reading this for a while and absolutely love it. I was so happy my request was accepted (I wasn't sure it would be since it had a wee bit of romance and maybe you wouldn't want to draw that and probably skip it.) But I guess it worked out. I honestly didn't expect to be a winner out of hundreds of comments, but I'm glad I did. I know this wasn't a question, but I just wanted to let you know that I LOVE your work, and having the opportunity for my prompt to be drawn is amazing. I read this when I was going through some stressful times and it just generally made me happy and feel better. So I wanted to say thank you for indirectly helping me get through those times. I've reread your comic several times and it always relieves a little bit of stress, or makes me not think about it. I get you might not be able to read this or anything since you probably have hundreds of people messaging you on here, but if you see this, thank you so much. For your comic, for being a good person, for your animations and art, and just overall everything. You're an amazing (and CRIMINALLY underrated) artist and I hope this gets through to you. Keep up the good work! You have my support. ❤️❤️❤️

Okay first of all, who put this bowl of onions here 😭😭😭

Second, thank you so so much ❤️😭 it brings me a lot of happiness knowing my silly little comic brought so much joy to others or even helped others through tough times. Genuinely, that makes my entire day 🥺 I'm so happy to know I could do that for others.

Supporters like you are what really keep me going, too. tbh if it weren't for all the people that seemed to love the series or my art so much I probably wouldn't be so motivated to keep making it 😂 So I have you to thank just as much ❤️🤍❤️🤍

That's a big reason I wanted to do the 20 requests on Webtoon to try and give back to the community which I really need to get on a roll with soon asj;dhga;sd I still have like 9 more request to finish I promise I'll get to them soon rahhhh

[nijae-roni]

"Don't apply pressure"

character: Harvey (Stardew Valley) (game) tags: sfw, light romance, comfort, clinic setting, gender neutral reader word count: 411 words notes: my friend asked me to make a quick fic on my fave bachelor so i delivered XD also I didn't proofread this lmao

"Ahhh… another wound?"

He asks. You let out a nervous laugh as you pull back your sleeve revealing a large bruise, claiming it's from a monster attack down at the skull caverns. Harvey sighs with amusement and questions if you fell down a hole… to which you slowly nod your head to.

Lately, you've been thinking of excuses to see him so you've been letting him treat all of your injuries. An accidental cut from your adventures? A mysterious headache that didn't disappear for 3 days? Heck, even a toothache seemed valid enough for you. This time, however, the bruise is real. You really did fall a great height, and the bruise really does hurt.

He steps out for a moment to get you an ice pack, which prompted you to check your own bruise at a nearby mirror-- yikes.

It… it was bigger than you expected. It actually freaked you out… you've had bruises before but not as big as this. You rotate your arm inward to see its full size. Holy-- okay, just don't touch it. Remember what the doctor told you last time you had a bruise, yeah? Don't apply pressure. Don't apply…pressure. Don't-

"Hey now… don't worry about that."

His gentle voice echoes in your mind, breaking your gaze from the mirror. He gently holds up your arm and examines it further. He frowns a bit before instructing you to sit back down and hands you the ice pack, reminding you-

"Yeah… don't apply pressure." you huff.

Harvey blinks, unsure of what just happened. You wince in pain as you feel the cold sensation numb the affected area, which prompts the doc to speak up.

"The pressure…" he tries to talk.

"I know… I'm not pressing hard on-"

"… on yourself." he cuts you off.

You look up at see such a soft sight. The way his eyes look at you with so much care… the same eyes that looked at you during your first visit in the clinic. And that gentle smile he shines at you whenever he's looking out for you. So sincere, so lovable. You're being reminded why you fell in love with him in the first place.

"Putting too much pressure on yourself can also hurt you, so… try not to do that too much, alright?" he holds your free hand.

"Stop worrying, doctor's orders." he says, laughing lightly. That laugh alone is enough to comfort you, but the ice pack helps too…

[I made this for personal entertainment but then hey why not share it with fellow Harvey lovers too? XDD Honestly, I'm willing to write about the other bachelors and bachelorettes if someone nudges me enough.]

[once-upon-an-imagine]

Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Steve Harrington

A/N: aaaahh xD here it is! I honestly had this story for SO LONG! I turned it a dialogue, a prompt, a drabble and ended up here so I hope you like it xD   

Request - Anonymous asked: Well hiii This is so odd. It's the first time I do a request, I actually don't speak english that well soo... but I really like your writing and I love stranger things and I really hope you write about it, I would love something with clingy Steve, he gives me that vibes super fluffy 😍 You are incredible by the way 🙋🏻‍♀️

Warnings: jealous!clingy!Steve :D also, Eddie being a little shit (not in a bad way though xD just messing with Steve) I think that’s it but let me know if I missed anything

Disclaimer: I don’t own Stranger things :D gif isn’t mine :) 

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Crazy Little Thing Called Love

I gotta be cool, relax Get hip and get on my tracks Take a back seat, hitchhike And take a long ride on my motorbike Until I'm ready... crazy little thing called love

"Steve?" you smiled, feeling his lips on your neck.

"Hmm?" you heard him as you leaned back, trying to stay focused on what you needed to say.

"Love, I have to go" you chuckled as he gave you another kiss.

"No" he said, as he continued his trail of kisses, making you laugh a little.

"Steve, I'm gonna be really late" you said, trying to pull away, even though you didn't want to.

"But I don't want you to go" he pouted, looking at you with his big puppy, beautiful brown eyes. You smiled sweetly at him and kissed him on the lips.

"I know, love but we have to work on this project and I promised Eddie and Jonathan I'd meet them like ten minutes ago" you said, looking at your watch as you finally unglued yourself from your boyfriend.

"Uh... Jonathan... Byers?" he asked, as you started getting your stuff.

"Yeah" you shrugged, fixing yourself up and grabbing your bag.

"And... Eddie Munson?"

"Uh-huh" you said, looking at yourself in the mirror, and then you turned to him again, giving him a peck on the lips. "It's just for a couple of hours, okay?" you smiled. "I'll be back before you know it" you smiled.

"At least let me drive you-" he said, getting up.

"I don't want you to be late, love. You promised Dustin that-"

"Henderson can wait" he complained.

"Steve" you smiled, stopping him when you saw the upset expression on his face. "Are you okay?"

"Mhm" he said, nodding quickly.

"Look at me" you said, cupping his cheek with your hand. You knew he wasn't. He was upset. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just... wanted to spend more time with you" he said quickly, smiling and leaning in to kiss you again.

"I know, I wanted to spend more time with you but look at it this way, it's only for a couple of hours while you take Dustin and the rest of them to the arcade, and then we have the whole weekend to ourselves" you smiled, kissing him once more. It was one of those many weekends when Steve's parents weren't in town so, he had the whole weekend planned for you.

"What if you call them and tell them you're sick" he suggested, starting to kiss you again and then pouting at you.

"I can't do that" you chuckled. "This is like a third percent of our grade, love. And we're almost done" you told him. "I promise you won't even notice I'm gone" you assured him.

"That's not true" he smiled.

"Look, the quicker I get there, the quicker I'm back" you said, kissing his cheek and pushing away from him.

"At least let me take you" he asked again, standing up and walking closer to you.

"Love, the diner we're meeting at is on the opposite way to the arcade, I'll just make you late. And you still have to pick everyone up. I'll just take my bike" you told him.

"How did I even get tangled into taking them to the arcade?"

"The same way you always do" you chuckled. "You can't say no to Dustin" you told him.

"Yes, I can!" he argued.

"It's sweet that you think that" you smiled. "But you really can't" you informed him. "I'll see you later okay?"

"Wait" he said, grabbing one of his sweatshirts and putting it on you. "It's gonna be cold later" he insisted.

"Okay" you chuckled, confused. "Thanks, love" you said, kissing his cheek.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

"Eddie, for the last time, we're not doing our report as a metal song" you said, rolling your eyes as Jonathan tried not to laugh.

"Why not? It would be so badass! Nobody else will do it!"

"Exactly, because we can't do a metal song" you tried to reason with him.

"Where in the guidelines does it say that we can't?" he complained.

"Jonathan, a little help here?" you said looking at your other partner.

"Eddie, even if we could, we can't play any instruments" Jonathan said pointing at you and himself.

"You sing, sweetheart?" Eddie smirked at you.

"Not unless you want everyone in the room to evacuate the premises as quickly as possible" you said, making him laugh.

"Aw, come on, love, I think you're selling yourself short" Eddie said, just as Steve walked into the diner. "All pretty girls can sing" Eddie smirked, making you laugh.

"You're too nice, Munson" you smiled, rolling your eyes. "But in this case, I think Jonathan might be your best choice for lead singer" you said, making Eddie turn to look at Jonathan as he widened his eyes at the two of you.

"What do you say, Johnny boy? You in?" Eddie smirked at him.

"Uhh..."

"Steve?" you asked noticing your boyfriend had walked into the diner and made his way towards your table.

"Love?" he acted confused. "What are you doing here?"

"Uh, I told you I was getting together with Eddie and Jonathan to work on our project" you reminded him.

"Oh, I didn't know you meant this diner" he said before looking at the other two. "Munson" he nodded his head towards Eddie and then he looked at Jonathan. "Byers."

"Hey" Jonathan said quietly before going back to his notes.

"Harrington" Eddie said with an amused smirk.

"M-Munson" Steve nodded.

"What brings you to this part of town? I thought Henderson mentioned you'd be going to the arcade with them" he said.

"Well, not really. I was just... taking them to the arcade" he explained. "And they got a ride home so, I was hungry and I just-"

"Happened to be here?" Eddie smirked at him. "Well, why don't you join us, pretty boy?"

"Um..." Steve said, raising his eyebrow and looking at you, who smiled, nodding back at him. "Sure" he said as you scootched over on the booth to make room for him, a little closer to Eddie. "So, how's the project going?"

"Uh- w-well, Eddie is insisting that we do our report as a metal song" you informed him as Eddie rolled his eyes.

"Oh, give me some credit, sweetheart, I've been more helpful than that" he smirked, noticing the glare on Steve's look when he called you sweetheart but you didn't even seem to notice, so he just smiled goofily at your boyfriend.

"You really haven't, Munson" you smirked at Eddie, who placed his hand over his heart and dramatically scoffed, offended.

"You're breaking my heart, sunshine" he continued before he softly hit Jonathan on his arm, making him look up. "Come on, Jonny boy, back me up here" he told him.

"Okay... Eddie, what is the name of the book that the report is about?" he asked with a small smirk, making you look at Eddie too, amused when his smirk dropped.

"That's not helping, Byers" he glared at Jonathan. "Just because the two of you have your private little book club, and you two nerds didn't want to do our book report on Lord of The Rings, it doesn't mean that I haven't been helpful" he said, rolling his eyes.

"Your what?" Steve asked, with a small scoff.

"Oh, you don't know? Byers and your girlfriend have a private book club, which apparently is very exclusive" he said, mocking you as you rolled your eyes.

"It is not a book club, Jonathan and I just exchange some books that we think the other one would enjoy. We told you we could lend you some books but you said if it wasn't Lord of The Rings or anything related to D&D or Metal history, you were not interested" you informed Steve.

"That's not true! I also like The Shining and Stephen King books" he defended himself. "It's like you've never heard of IT!"

"I'm terrified of clowns, Munson. Why on Earth would I read IT?"

"Aw, you scared of clowns, sweetheart?" he smirked as Steve took a deep breath. "That's adorable!"

"That's adorable" you mocked Eddie's voice looking at him and he stuck his tongue out at you.

"Oh, that reminds me" Jonathan suddenly said before looking for a book in his bag. "I got this one for you" he said handing it to you.

"Oh my God! Love in the Time of Cholera!" you said, excitedly, eyeing the book as Steve and Eddie watch the entire interaction between you and Jonathan.

"Is that a... love book?" Steve asked, confused.

"Yes!" you said, showing it to him. "The author is Colombian and the original book is in Spanish. It's really hard to get a version in English" you explained as you started going through the pages and discussing the book with Jonathan.

"You okay over there, Harrington?" Eddie smirked throwing an arm around you and resting it on the back of your seat.

"Wonderful... never been better" Steve said through clenched teeth before he grabbed your hand and pulled you closer to him, away from Eddie.

"Hi, love" you smiled, kissing his cheek. "Are you okay?"

"Fine" he said, with a firm smile.

"Are you sure?" you frowned. "I know this is a bit boring, that's why I thought you'd rather wait for me to finish-"

"I don't mind" he assured you, pulling you even closer by your waist and kissing your forehead.

"Okay" you still said, unconvinced. "We're almost done for today" you told him. "We all have a free period on Monday so we'll each work a little on the weekend and just finish Monday" you told him.

"It's okay, love. Take your time" he said as you went back to your group but Steve still held on to your hand.

"Hey, sweetheart?" Eddie smirked at you on your other side and you felt Steve's grip tightening on your hand. "I think I need your help over here. You think your lovely boyfriend could... share you for a moment?"

If looks could kill, Steve would have already murdered Eddie by now. He thought he was hiding it well but he squeezed your hand even harder.

"Ouch! Steve!"

"Shit!" he said, letting go of your hand. "I'm sorry, love, I didn't mean to-"

"Could I talk to you for a second?" you asked.

"Uhhhhh" Eddie and Jonathan mocked him, making Steve glare at the two of them before he rolled his eyes and walked away from the table.

"I'll be right back" you told Eddie and Jonathan. "And stop messing with him!" you said, slapping Eddie's arm.

"Ouch!"

You walked over to Steve who was waiting for you, looking upset.

"Love, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you, I just-"

"Steve, what is going on with you today? And don't say 'nothing' because you've been acting strange" you said, worriedly.

"I just-" he sighed, nervously scratching the back of his head with his hand. He then, without even meaning to, glared over at your table.

"Is it... is this because of Eddie and Jonathan?" you asked, frowning your eyebrows.

"No" he said, unconvincingly.

"Steve" you said, raising your eyebrow at him.

"Okay, fine! I just... didn't exactly love the fact that you were going to spend your entire afternoon with them" he said, grumpily. "And why does Jonathan have to give you books or why does Eddie call you sweetheart?"

"Eddie calls everyone sweetheart" you frowned your eyebrows, confused. "And Jonathan and I started exchanging books because he once mentioned Will wanted to read one book that I had" you explained. "Love, you know I needed work on our project, nothing more, right? I didn't want to blow you off to hang out with them or anything like that-"

"No, I know I just... well, you know I've never really liked either one of them and I just-" he sighed. "I'm sorry, I don't know-"

"Is this because... of Jonathan and Nancy?" you asked. "And... well, Eddie with Dustin?"

"N-no-"

"Honey" you said, your expression turning soft. "Look, I understand that you've never really liked Jonathan because of... what happened with Nancy" you started. "And you don't love the fact that Dustin hangs out with Eddie so much instead of you" you reminded him. "But you don't have to worry about me" you assured him.

"I know I don't. I'm sorry, I didn't want to feel this way, I just... I don't know, everyone seems to leave me for them, and I... I guess I didn't want you to do that too" he admitted, looking down. You softly placed your hand on his chin and lifted his head up.

"First of all, Dustin adores you and he didn't leave you for Eddie. There is nothing wrong with him making a new friend that gets the things that he likes" you informed him. "And secondly, and most importantly, I would never leave you" you insisted. "For Eddie, or Jonathan, or anyone else" you added. "I love you, and I promise, you have nothing to worry about, love-"

"You love me?" he asked, suddenly, feeling his entire heart flutter.

"Of course, I do" you chuckled.

"You've never- um... we haven't... said that before" he said, letting out a sigh of relief with his smile. "W-well, actually no one's um-" you cut him off, leaning in to give him a kiss on the lips.

"I love you, Steve Harrington" you repeated, smiling at him when you pulled away.

"I love you too" he said, leaning in to give you a peck on the lips.

"Do you mind waiting just a few more minutes until we finish and then we can go?" you said, smiling up at him. "I promise I'm all yours, all weekend" you smirked.

"Of course, love" he said, kissing your cheek. "I'll grab something to drink for everyone, okay?"

"Okay" you smiled, giving him another peck on the lips. "I love you" you repeated, loving the way his smile turned brighter whenever you did.

"I love you too" he said, kissing your head as you came back to your table. Steve went over to the diner's bar to order a few drinks for the four of you, as he was joined by Eddie.

"So..." he smirked, leaning on the bar and looking at Steve. "You done marking your territory on your girlfriend? Or are you going to fight me and Byers outside?" he mocked him.

"I wasn't doing that" Steve said, rolling his eyes.

"Dude, you did everything but pee on her" Eddie laughed but Steve just glared at him. "Look, I get it. Byers and I are probably your least favorite people, but I gotta say, Harrington, this is not a good color on you" he insisted. "You don't seem like the 'badass Steve Harrington' that Henderson is always rambling about" he shrugged.

"What?" Steve asked. "D-Dustin said I'm a badass?" he said, feeling himself smile.

"He insists on the matter actually" Eddie informed him. "And look, for what it's worth, that girl is like ridiculously in love with you, man!" he said, pointing at your table. "She won't shut up about you either. And she didn't even notice me flirting with her, which by the way, I only did to mess with you so, please don't hit me for that" he chuckled.

"Seriously?" Steve asked, glaring a little at him.

"Yeah, man. That's what I do. It was fun to see you all flustered and with a murder glare in your eyes. But, scout's honor, I have no interest whatsoever in your lovely girlfriend. I mean, she's cute and all but she's not really my type" he admitted.

"Really?" Steve asked, intrigued. "And what's your type, Munson?"

"Her boyfriend" Eddie smirked, winking at Steve, who felt his cheeks burn a little and didn't really know what to reply.

"MUNSON! Leave my boyfriend alone!"

The End

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

A/N: I hope you liked it! Eddie’s coming up next :) let me know what you think :D

[altraviolet]

Thank you @spicedrobot for the template! (template HERE)

My stats are kinda wonky because Echo Garden took 4 years to write but since it ended in 2024, all its stats go towards 2024's totals.

Other than TEG, I only wrote 2* other fics and I love them all equally tbh so I chose Nucleus Memory simply because it isn't TEG and was a really fun big bang with Sync :)

The numbers for the fics at the bottom are total comments and total bookmarks (AO3 distinguishes between comment threads vs total comments and public bookmarks vs total (public + private) bookmarks so I went with total for both).

*I also wrote my secret solenoid fic but it won't be published until tomorrow which means it'll count towards 2025's stats!

Long post!

This was a challenging year for many people, for sure! Personally, there were a lot of things that took away the energy/time I need to write. Family things (2 funerals and a wedding) and my day job (which is killing me, sometimes fast, sometimes slow). TEG ate my brain completely and so even though it ended in February, I haven't written very much since then. But I've decided to try to take a healthy view of this and not be mad that it's taking so long to recover xD but I do hope it hurries up! I had an initial goal to move on to original writing after TEG, but I think I'll try one more Really Big Fic as practice before doing so.

Since I only wrote 3 fics in 2024, I'll do a lil list of my thoughts:

The Echo Garden: massive fic! thanks so much to all the new readers and to everyone who's drawn art or left comments or rec'd it to new folks. it's astonishing to me that it's still drawing new readers :u I'm very happy overall with the fic. it was hard to write, sometimes, but I'll keep it positive here! there are so so so SO SO many posts about this fic, and comments, and the whole last chapter of it is a giant author's note with even more info. honestly I don't know what else to say about it that wouldn't either be a repeat of information or extremely long. it's very probable that if you're reading this post, it's because of TEG, so thank you for reading! :)

Nucleus Memory: reverse mini bang project with sync! they drew a pic and had a pitch, and I and another writer each wrote a fic about it! sync had some awesome ideas, I'm really happy I was selected to do their prompt. they did some beautiful art!! be sure to check it out if you haven't!

Bismuth: this fic was done for a Soundwave-centric zine! in Jan 2024 I read The Locked Tomb series and it had a big effect on my brain. this fic was an attempt to write something in an inspired style: disjointed, parallel timelines. scenes out of order. purposeful confusion to make the ending reveal rewarding. plus I got to jam another rarepair into the TF mire

In 2025 I hope to plan and post another big Rodimus/Soundwave fic, as well as any little idea that comes along, and also maybe participate in the TF big bang and secret solenoid events again! I'll probably abstain from zine events, but, I say that every time and then apply anyway xD

2020-2024 will always be the TEG years for me, and it's honestly strange to leave it behind. the 5 year anniversary of posting chapter 1 is in a couple months (holy moly :u) and that's wonderful and humbling. I don't think anything else I ever do will resonate so much with people, which is good in that I'm glad it gained such a happy audience and helped so many people. But it does make the idea of working on future fics to less reception a little less appealing.

There's nothing to do but keep going, though. I mean, the alternative is to not do anything? Nah. I do think unless another TF One style canon production drags a bunch more young people into the fandom, there probably will be a slow decline of new readers throughout 2025. Eventually it'll become less of a daily reminder for me, and it'll become more of a Past Thing and less of a Now Thing. If that doesn't make any sense, don't worry. It's like... idk. I get a lot of reminders of its existence every day. Which is fine! I think it'll peter off, though. And I'll work very hard again to make something to share, and I hope people will love it just as much =)

Anyway!!!!

Thanks for reading! I hope 2025 will be a very fun and productive year for all writers! 🎉✍️✨ That will mean so much good stuff for readers! Be sure to encourage your favs with comments!

Wishing you all the best in 2025!

[artthemasquerade]

DVMNINKTOBER Day 11 Akira x Miki x Ryo

So I've been slowly, slowly been working my through this year's Devilman Inktober by nozoshii created for the community https://www.tumblr.com/nozoxshii/763169423585673216/i-made-a-devilman-inktober-prompt-list-for-the?source=share

For day eleven is fave pairing or duo and wellllllll, you all know that I have a lot of ships for Devilman so I decided to draw out five different pictures of each of my ships, Ryokira, Akira/Miki/Ryo, Satan/Zennon, Ryo/Miki and Akira/Miki and as I've said before I had gotten sick around the time I was working on the first of the pictures for this prompt and it really delayed things a lot and not to mention I was challenging myself a lot with these pieces, I want to really craft some good backgrounds like the old masters and while I don't think I've quite captured their ability to do those backgrounds I am pleased that I did go the extra mile for these pieces, I learned a lot making these especially since I was so limited in working in only black and white, so making sure the values were good was extremely important here!

And nowww we are at the fifth and final picture of the day prompt, my OT3, Akira/Miki/Ryo! Here the three of them are softly kissing under the stars while sitting on a bed of roses. :3 I referenced this William Blake illustration for Paradise Lost by John Milton https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:William_Blake_-Satan_Watching_the_Caresses_of_Adam_and_Eve-_WGA02226.jpg and I painstakingly hand drawn those roses for over an hour, maybe nearly two hours! XD This was the second picture I drew for the day 11 prompt and honestly its one of my favorite pictures I've ever done for the OT3, I just love how soft and peaceful it is. I gave one of the versions of this piece a blue tint since I did the sketch in blue and liked how it looked then and made another version to go with the black and white version.

As for why I love the OT3 so much, well, I think that since they all work well separately together that they would be extremely good together and no-one would be left out! :3 And well its double the love double the possible pain or redemption. I love the idea of Ryo being loved by both Akira and Miki which would allow him to see more of the good side of humanity and maybeee they don't have to be so doomed by the narrative (at least not all of the time) and Miki deserves to have two special bfs!

And well, I do love the theme of love conquers and fighting off the narrative that they are doomed no matter what. I always have time loops in my fics because I love playing with the struggle they would have in enduring all of that and how despite the changes they undergo in each time loop they'll always come together with love. Their love is what both dooms and saves them in the end.

And I hope to show that off well in Love Before Its Too Late especially in the later chapters and in other works of mine in the future.

[seigephoenix]

Happy DADWC!! how about mariposa/lucanis, “You might break my heart, but I’m willing to take that risk.”

Happy DADWC! Mariposa and Lucanis are sweet together honestly. XD I don't get to write them often so thank you for this prompt!! For @dadrunkwriting

Content Warning: Lucanis talking bad about himself but Rook absolutely won't tolerate it Length: ~600 words

Mariposa sighed as she saw the coffee brewing again.  “Do any of us have a normal sleep cycle?” Mariposa asked herself as she poured herself a cup but added some chocolate to ease the bitter taste.

“Maybe Emmrich,” was the answer from the pantry and she couldn’t help but grin.  True.  The professor was the only logical choice for normalcy in their chaotic group.  Certainly not the Crow assassins.  Mariposa poured another cup for Lucanis before she brought both mugs into the pantry with her.

“Rook.  About us.”  Mari paused for only a fraction of a second before setting the mug down on the table next to his bed.  She leaned against the wall letting the coffee’s fragrance drift up to her nose.

“What about us?” she asked carefully.  Her heart was wanting to burst out of her chest.  She knew he’d want to end things with her eventually.  She wasn’t exactly the most respected member of her house and he was going to be the First Talon whenever Caterina decided to give up her seat.  Mariposa knew her faults, they’d certainly been beaten into her enough as a child.  She took a careful sip of her drink bracing for the words that would crack her heart.

“I care for you a great deal.”  She snuck a glance at him from the corner of her vision and her heart lurched at the sight of him.  He looked defeated all slumped over as he was.  He looked up at her.  “You might be the reason my heart breaks, but I want to give this, us, a chance.”  Mariposa was taken aback by his words.

“Me, break your heart?” Mari was at an actual loss for words.  Did she hear him right?  “What brought this on Lucanis?”

“Spite is not easy to get along with.”  Mariposa choked on her second sip of her drink, coughing before setting the mug aside.  She turned to face him before she crouched in front of him.  She grasped his cheeks and forced him to look at her.

“Spite is a part of you.  As much a part of you as your limbs.  And I love all of you Lucanis,” she told him firmly.  Her eyes searched his face hoping he’d realize she wasn’t lying to him.  She wasn’t bluffing.  Spite was as much a part of Lucanis as the rest of him.  How could she claim to love him when she couldn’t accept everything about him?  She did.  If only the stubborn man would listen to her.

“But.  How?” Lucanis asked quietly.

“How?  How can I accept Spite?” Mariposa asked quietly, letting her hands drop from his face.  She rested them against her knees as she waited for Lucanis to find the words he seemed to desperately need to say.

“Yes.  I am an abomination.  I could turn on you.”  Mariposa scoffed and waited until he met her eyes.

“Spite has had a lot of chances to hurt me Lucanis,” Mariposa said watching as the despair clouded his eyes.  “But do you know what we did instead?”

“What?”

“I taught him Wicked Grace,” Mariposa said matter of factly.  The silence stretched between them before the laugh burst out of him.  “He’s not quite got the hang of it, but I’ll turn him into a card sharp soon enough.”  She leaned forward and kissed his cheek.  “So don’t think I’ll ever turn you away Lucanis.  I accept all of you and I love all of you.”

“How do you always manage to break up my doom?”  She grinned at his question.

“It’s a gift I think.  But one that’s only reserved for you,” Mariposa grinned.  “Viago always said my optimistic attitude was unbecoming of a Crow.”

“Viago is wrong.”  Lucanis brushed the backs of his fingers over her cheek.  “But I’m selfish so I think I’ll keep this side of you to myself.”

[izhunny]

Sorry if you were asked this before, but I was curious so figured I'd go ahead and give it a shot xD

What was the most challenging fic you've ever written? Be it in research needed, doubts you had to battle or straight up time and energy cost; what was the fic that made you most go like "I fucking did it!!" once you finished it? :D

I have not been asked this before and I'm thrilled to try to answer. 🤣

My knee-jerk response was: Oh that's easy! My first big (160k)fic Just An Old Fashioned Love Song.

I get a little wordy after this @loni4ever so it's all below the cut.

I wrote JaOFLS so quickly, in just a few months. I barely slept. Every spare second I was hunched over my laptop or my phone, typing or researching something. And I had no idea what story I wanted to tell at the start or how to do it. Except for the scene that became the 1st chapter. Originally it was to be the next to last chapter of a planned eight chapters. That scene was going to be the payoff. Hahahahaha. I like that I decided to lead with it and make it a glimpse of the future.

I ended up scrapping around 20-40k words (in a few big frustration deletion incidents) and restructured, reoriented, stopped worrying about brevity, or how badly I was doing it, and built what has been posted to the archive. 

My chapters are too long. The POV shifts wildly between all characters because I couldn't restrain myself to just one side of any conversation. So readers get to see inside everyone's head. A lot. Had to make sure the core characters' motivations were upfront(almost painfully not holding back anything). There's a fucking wall of tags on it 😓.

But I'm so proud that I not only tried but that I actually did it. No matter how unskilled the result or how absolutely terrified I was about sharing it, I did it. I wrote it. I created a fic all by myself based on experiences and dreams and wishes using every storytelling concept and trope that seemed useful. 

So, my knee jerk response was my first big, not terribly well written, fic.

But I thought again. 

I wrote a ghost story. Never dreamed I'd be capable of that. 

I put together a flashfic PWP writing challenge prompt list for myself to dismantle my own writing inhibitions. Just dipping my toes into smutty concepts, 500 words in one sitting a day. About half of those 45 fics aren't even E rated 😞. None are, I'd say, as properly titillating as I'd wish. (Though others have said parts are in fact steamy). But it was excellent practice. 

I finally wrote an actual sex pollen PWP fic (without 20k of backstory to get to the action).

I wrote a three fandoms of Holmes/Watson crossover fic (via a bit of blatant literary device magic) that pleases me greatly for having wished to do so for around ten years but waiting until I'd acquired enough skill to satisfy myself with the result. It was quite difficult to gut the canons as I did and research to worldbuild to make it come together. Extremely satisfying though.

Honestly? I get that "Holy mother of god, I fucking did it!" euphoria from every single fic or ficlet I've written and shared. 

Er, well, once I actually write the endings down for the first drafts. 

I get another little taste again once I've properly edited and start posting, and see someone else enjoys it. Still gobsmacked that fics I created to make myself happy give others a little happiness too. 

I think I may be getting a little better at writing with every effort. I'm definitely learning something each time. And that's thrilling. 

I don't know if this answers your question properly but thank you so much for asking. And feel free to ask about anything anytime.

[loki-of-mischeif]

New Asgard...

Prompt by anonymous, so sorry I can't tag anyone! - 'Horror AU (Loki and Thor) if you could do it cosmic horror even better, but any horror will do'

-

I honestly had so much fun making this and my hand really hurts now :') I know it's after the deadline and I'm very sorry but the curators of the event allowed me to finish this piece off and then post both of the artworks I created at the same time!

I was going to create a written piece to go with this to begin with, but as you can see I'm already late on posting because this piece took so much longer than anticipated due to me deciding to experiment with things XD Perhaps I'll write something up for it soon, because it was very fun to design.

I'd probably say my inspirations were 'still wakes the deep', a fantastic horror game, and 'call of Cthulu' with some DND elements from campaigns I've done in the past. I loved the results :)

Originally I was going to do more of a black and white theme, but inspiration took. I hope you all enjoy, especially the prompt giver!

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

For the Thor Gotcha for Gaza event,

Thank you for the prompt and I hope you enjoy what I did with it!

@MCUThorAction

[prismaticpichu]

How about like uhh... all 50 "honest character" prompts for Zack

( @izunias-meme-hole )

Shshshdhhdhdshshshshsh YOU GOT IT LMAOOO!!! 💖💖💖

(….As there’s so many questions, I’m gonna be answering them pretty concisely LOL, so feel free to ask for an elaboration if any pique yall’s interest/you’re comfortable! <33)

Taken from THIS ask game!!

~

1. Do you project onto this character? ~ BIG TIME!!

2. Did you always like this character? ~ From the moment I heard his chipper “ohhhhh yeah!”, I fell head-over-heels in love!! xDD

3. What first drew you to this character? ~ Binging CC cutscenes lmaooo!! It was actually pretty serendipitous!!

4. Did you initially dislike/hate this character? ~ Nope!! Never!

5. If this character were a woman, would you honestly still like them? Or in reverse, what if they were a man? ~ I think I honestly prefer a male Zack lmaooo 😂❤️

6. Do you have any nicknames or pet names you use for this character? ~ “The bean” & the “the pupper bean” 😂💙

7. Does the character's age matter to you? ~ As a 17yo, I enjoy when Zack is 17 shshshsh!!!

8. Does the character's looks/design matter to you? ~ Good question!! I honestly prefer Zack’s puppy-bang look aesthetically, but love exploring his more mature look/scar in fics and fandom!!

9. Does this character remind you of anyone you know?Does that affect how you see them? ~ Not really! Besides myself LOL, Zack’s personality is very fresh and appealing to me! <32

10. Do you see yourself in this character even without projecting? ~ On a good day, yes! <33

11. How did you "fall in love" with this character? ~ Watching CC cutscenes ignited my love; reading incredible fics and exploring fandom doused it in gasoline!!!

12. If you could write effortlessly and as much as you wanted, what story (s) would you write for this character? ~ ALL THE FIX-ITS IN THE WORLD, BABY!! 🤣💖

13. If you could draw effortlessly and as much as you wanted, what scene (s) would you draw for this character? ~ JUNON HUG!!!!

14. Are you physically attracted to this character? ~ Nope!

15. Are your thoughts surrounding this character usually sexual, non-sexual, or a mix of both? ~ Non-sexual

16. Have you ever cried when thinking about this character? Genuinely? ~ …………………yes

17. Have you ever felt physical pain over this character? (ex: physical heartache). YES

18. Do you prefer to see this character suffer or know peace? Angst or comfort? Both? ~ DEAR GAIA, GIVE HIM HIM PEACE 😭😭😭 (although after some good angst <33)

19. Does this character serve as a stress ball/ security blanket for you? Something you run to after a bad day to feel safe or happier? ~ A b s o l u t e l y!

20. Do you feel affectionate towards this character? ~ In a squealing, bubbly kind of way LOL xD

21. Are your feelings about this character platonic, romantic, or familial? All of these feelings at once maybe? ~ Platonic!

22. Do you think you will always love this character? ~ I sure hope so!! Hyperfixations come and go, but I don’t think that means the love for characters ever really dies!

23. Has this character permanently altered or impacted your psyche in a way you won't forget? ~ Legitimately, Zack reminds me not always mask my feelings behind a smile 💙

24. Do you ever dream about this character? If so, describe a dream you once had about them. ~ Zack & Sephiroth in an antique toy shop in the middle of… was it Pennsylvania???

25. What kind of fan-fiction do you read about this character? If you don't read fan-fics about them, why not? ~ Lots of slice-of-life floof <33

26. If you look for this character's name on AO3, what tags are you including or excluding? ~ “Zack Fair & Sephiroth friendship”!!

27. Do you like to ship this character with other characters or do you prefer not to? ~ Platonic Zack & Seph, platonic Zack & Cloud, & platonic Zack & Angeal!! <33

28. Do you get defensive about this character? If yes, then why? ~ Ngl, I usually recognize that I’m in the majority for a lot of my takes LOL, so I kinda keep my head lol xD I try not to get too into it!

29. Do you affectionately bully this character? ~ ONLY if there’s a happy ending <33

30. Are you especially sensitive about this character? ~ EXTREMELY lol xD

31. Are you ashamed of liking this character? ~ Not in the slightest!!

32. If you could make this character a meal, what would you make them? ~ Turkey sandwich <33

33. Are you "blinded by love" for this character or do you accept any flaws they may have? ~ A little bit LOL, considering I try to omit Zack’s naïveté in my mind xD

34. Does this character inspire you with little things in your daily life? ~ YES 😭❤️

35. Has this character ever prevented you from sleeping because you can't stop thinking about them? ~ Ngl, headcanoning about him (and Seph) have aided me in falling asleep xD

36. Do you feel a spiritual/soulmate connection with this character? ~ Not really lol!

37. Is your love for this character a secret from people you know in real life? ~ Very much so LOL

38. Do you tend to joke more about dying or killing for this character? Both? What causes the distinction? ~ Don’t tend to joke in that vein!

39. Do you feel lovesick over this character? ~ Sometimes!

40. Are you very empathetic towards this character? ~ GAIA do I feel his pain 😭😭😭

41. Do you prefer to interact with this character directly via self-insert/reader type content? Or do you enjoy seeing them mostly with other characters in the story and/or your OCs? ~ Love seeing him interact with his canonical buds!!

42. If you could, would you write this character a song or poem? ~ Yes yes yessss <33

43. What type of weather makes you think of this character? ~ ……*sniffles* Rain

44. Which season makes you think of this character? ~ Summer!!

45. Do you feel as if you are intimately familiar with this character? ~ Nope!

46. How much do bad interpretations of this character upset you? ~ Ngl, I’m usually the one makin’ the bad interpretations to suit my own headcanons xDD So I’m pretty chill with what people do lol!!

47. Does this character ever make you laugh sincerely? ~ “AND WHAT??” sent me to the floor the first time I heard it!!!

48. What's your favorite physical/design feature for this character? ~ His scar <333

49. What's your favorite personality trait in this character? ~ His unwavering resilience!

50. Link your fav song, playlist, aesthetic board, fiction, reference pile, personal artwork, analysis post, meme, headcanon, or quote for this character. Whichever one (s) you are most comfortable with! ~ Oooooooh, that’s a good one to finish with!!! There’s so much incredible Zack-related media out there!! <333 As for one of my favorites, though?? I’m gonna go ahead and link THIS MASTERPIECE by the incredible and kind @crylin!! I cannot even begin to express the balm I felt in my heart when first seeing it, and the artwork still remains one of my favorite pieces to go back to on a tough day!! <3333

~

*plops onto the floor, exhausted but proud!*

Tysm for the asks!! Take care!! 💚

[skeefee-sky]

'Not everyone we rescue has to be human.'

@thunder-tober Day Prompt: 4 – Damage Characters: Gordon Tracy, Thunderbird Four Word count: 585

An idea similar to this has been sitting in my head for some time - here's me writing something to quench it xD After their mission to the Supreme Barrier Reef, Gordon and Thunderbird Four return to the area to check on recovery after the acidic leak.

💙💛TB ~~~ TB ~~~ TB ~~~ TB ~~~ TB ~~~ TB ~~~ TB ~~~ TB 💛💙

The aquanaut was out and surveying the waters as soon as they arrived. His Thunderbird glided wordlessly behind him, taking her time slowly as she observed the reef through her internal sensors. The last time they’d been here, there was a situation that required their attention. She’d been so curious to observe it more closely; of course with her limitations of transforming underwater, the most she could do was hover close enough without damaging anything.

The Supreme Barrier Reef. Second to the Great Barrier Reef, and thriving in recovery after an acid leak that could have potentially wiped out the reef in a week.

Thunderbird Four rumbled softly as she followed a school of fish darting between the coral, losing them for a moment before they shot out of the reef again and scattered away from her position. The sub was immensely fascinated; there was only so much she’d been able to see and focus on during their underwater rescues. Now that she had time to drift and just enjoy it all, it was the best kind of overwhelming.

Gordon had paused in his scanning, flipping over to glance back at his craft. The warm pulses of his cybersleeve through his uniform drew his curiosity to what she was discovering, and as much as he wanted to ask her thoughts, he had a job to take care of first.

“… Captain?”

That didn’t stop the Thunderbird from asking questions as she pleased though. The aquanaut hummed a noise in response as he checked his readings again.

“You know… during that rescue, when Lady Penelope said something, about, it being our job to rescue people, not repair a reef… What, exactly made you decide to? Save the reef, I mean.”

Absently watching the numbers on his equipment, Gordon let himself think. He’d sort of, jumped to a decision in the moment and, had never really considered why but, after being informed of the reef and what had come to pass to the one before it, it had touched him. Having grown up with a love for swimming, the sea, and marine life, he was glad to have been able to do something to protect it, despite not following International Rescue’s usual rescue protocols.

“The world’s already lost one reef. Besides, it felt right,” he finally answered, letting himself float a moment. “The Great Barrier Reef was its own little ecosystem for marine life and species. Helen Shelby designed the Supreme Barrier Reef to give the coral a second chance when humanity failed to protect a reef too far damaged to repair. It’s pretty special, Four and, honestly I’m down to do whatever it takes to protect it.”

He’d swum over to small overcrop in the reef, peering at the underside to note a section of coral that seemed to be healing slower than everything else. Just a little bit more time…

“They might not be people but, I think sea life is pretty important to be rescuing too.”

Thunderbird Four quietly backed off from the bit of reef she’d been hovering over, still cautious not to disturb anything, or disrupt the scans in place. That was good enough reason, she decided.

“… Something bad would have happened if we hadn’t gotten rid of that cargo ship then, huh,” she wondered.

“Yeah, but we did do something about it, so there’s no need to worry,” Gordon affirmed, sensing the drop in his Thunderbird’s tone. “What was damaged can heal, and continue to grow as it should.”

[littleplasticrat]

Writer Interview Tag

I'm grateful to have been tagged by @tellmeallaboutit, @my-favourite-zhent and @beesht. Sorry it took so long for me to get around to. Honestly I am blown away that anyone would put me in a 'writer' bucket with the other word crabs

Tellmeallaboutit's interview

My-favourite-zhent's interview

Beesht's interview

My answers below the cut for some NSFW discussion

When did you start writing?

The most recent bout of writing started in December 2023 and was prompted by being insatiably horny for Gortash. This is the first time I've written fanfiction.

I wrote a short novel from 2012-2013 and would put that in the fantasy YA category about a magician who falls in love with a phoenix.

As a kid, I wrote a lot, up until around the age of 16 or so when I realised that I didn't want to live the life of a struggling artist and so set my sights on getting work with more consistent pay than writing books.

I actually do quite a lot of writing for my current job. It's industry-specific instructional writing but I feel that some of the meta-skills are applicable between the two genres.

Are there different themes or genres you enjoy reading than what you write?

I really only read horror short fiction recreationally, and I've only written one horror story - which I found super challenging and wouldn't really want to tackle again. Luckily, I'm able to excise the horrors by running TTRPG games and thus don't have to deal with the difficult challenge of making something sound scary.

Is there a writer you want to emulate or get compared to often?

I haven't been compared to any writers - I simply haven't written enough stuff that isn't solid filth XD

Can you tell me a bit about your writing space?

Up until I moved house last week, I had a dedicated home office with a large drawing tablet and my mother's boarding school desk from the 1960s. Until I can get an office set up in the guest bedroom of the new house (I'm in no rush), I'm on my laptop at the dining table downstairs or a local cafe.

What's your most effective way to muster up a muse?

I try to preach that a hobby should be treated like self-care and so not be a source of stress, but I have the heart of a procrastinator and the bones of a perfectionist; if I waited for the muse to strike me with creative stuff, I wouldn't get anything done.

So, if I'm feeling wigged out about life, I'm not going to force anything, but otherwise I have a 'smash it out' approach of breaking down the work as much as possible and going from there. Any writing I do therefore starts life as a series of bullet points of what exactly I want to happen and in what order, and I build out methodically from there.

Are there any recurring themes in your writing? Do they surprise you?

The thrill of fancying someone a lot? Horniness? Butt stuff? LOL

What is your reason for writing?

I want to be the freak I want to see in the world.

Is there any specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating?

Any comment I get is like JAZZ HANDS. Seriously! It's so flattering to have someone slow down and look at my stuff, let alone acknowledge it.

How do you want to be thought about by your readers?

I once read a shitty horror novel where the villain was able to destroy the protagonist's life, because she'd read all his books and so knew him. That rattled me so hard! There's no way I'm skillful enough to develop an authorial voice that isn't my own. So, like, don't think about what my disgusting fanfics say about who I am as a person please [jk]

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

I'd say the action is pretty clear, and I can crack a joke at the right time. What more could a reader ask for?

How do you feel about your own writing?

I would like there to be more of it but my art will take priority for now <3

I think most people I know write on here have already been tagged several times, so I shall not tag further.

[moonspirit]

Hiii Moon🌿💚

I hope your *timezone* goes well, and wish you to spend it nicely and peacefully, as much as possible~

For the fandom asks:

1, 2, 5, 6, 13, 20, 24

(for the future) Thank you for your answers, and take care (⁠っ⁠˘⁠з⁠(🌔)

Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii Anna!!! T^T I'm doing alright, but how are YOU??? I'm so excited for your new art and for more of your writing - I literally cannot wait, but also I wish you plenty of energy for the time being!

Thank you for the asks T^T

Oh well, I already answered 1 and 5 over here xD But as for the rest, here goes!

2. a headcanon you weren't sure about at first but have come to like!

That both Aruani are only *moderate* cooks xD Initially I always thought Armin would cook really well and Annie would be the type to throw some seasoning on plain ramen and call it a day- but. BUT. They're both actually pretty average xD And they both have terrible eating habits. He forgets to eat. She has snacks in her pockets. There you go, now I love it xD

6. something you see in art a lot and love

The horny answer is hair

Sensuality! In all the Aruani art I see, there's so much emotional expression in the way Armin and Annie are drawn and it's so so so beautiful. After all, there's a ton of feelings and emotions to pull from, so it makes for a real astounding experience, honestly. The eyes, the lighting, the mood conveyed!!! T^T Doesn't even matter if it's a chibi doodle or a 5 minute sketch or a 14-hour canvas piece or just silly, it's always so chalk full of emotions!!!

God you artists are so great T^T And YOU Anna! YOU!

Also hair.

13. your favorite type of fandom event (gift exchange, ship week, secret santa, prompt meme, etc)

Oh T^T Well aside from being there to witness fandom events I haven't actually had the chance to take part in any. Though I think exchanges are really so so so much fun! You ask, and someone makes something for you - secretly or otherwise! It's very personal, and has your favourite characters making out like they're gonna die - what can possibly be better???

20. your very first fandom!

Tantei Gakuen Q and SA! Back in 2006-08 was when I really began to get more involved in fandom in terms of creating - I still remember writing for the Kei x Hikari ship xD I was on vacation from school and the internet was "free" during the early hours of dawn (so like.. 3am to 6am), so I'd watch SA and write fic and post it all on FFN in the span of... 2 hours xD Don't know how I did that... now I take 20 minutes just to find the motivation to brush my teeth...

24. how has fandom positively impacted your life?

Eeeeeeeeeeeee fandooooooooomm my beloved!

Honestly I've been a silent spectator in many fandoms, but something about that environment of creation and discussion is very very motivating and inspiring. You see people having these fantastic conversations and you go "okay... I feel like doing something too." Creating is good for the soul, and I think this is a piece of advice doled out even to someone struggling with serious issues. Creating is healing, it works your brain, it gets you busy, it gets your imagination running. And fandom is suuuuuuuuuuch a good space for that.

For me personally, fandom has been many things, but most importantly, a place where I've made warm friends and in which I've found a reason to keep going, day to day. I'm so glad for all fandoms, but especially the Aruani fandom T^T

Thank you so much for the asks, anna, I really appreciate it T////T Sending you a lot of good vibes and energy to pull through~ 🌿💚🌿💚🌿💚🌿💚🌿💚🌿💚

[vellatra]

Rewrite the Stars for Silen Fah for the music prompts.

Sanatra propaganda real I'M JUST KIDDING DO WHATEVER YOU WANT. XD XD

Honestly I kind of predict a Zac and Joy reaction from your brain, but we'll see. (Studies you under a magnifying glass.)

...You know we could do a lot of different ships with this song. Sanoj/Vellatra would be a good one, but Zac/Aileev(Joy) is also a good idea (along with the other human x "alien" ships, Nen/Vixie and Ryan/Tannufia). Originally, I was actually planning on making this a Nen Krixie snippet.

But then I listened again. And I kept thinking. And actually there's an even more fitting couple for this prompt....

This totally got out of hand and isn't a snippet so much as a chapter but whateverrrrrrr thanks for the inspo!

Everyone looked at the sky now and then.

It was just a good habit to have, this far from the Pedestal. You never knew when raiders might show up from the Mervaen, and if you could see them coming ahead of time, so much the better.

But that wasn't why I kept looking at it.

I couldn't stop thinking about it, that time when, for a few short minutes, I'd been up there. It had been so scary, but so exhilarating, all at once. I couldn't stop thinking about the boy who'd taken me up there, either. My chances were pretty much nonexistent, but deep down, I kind of wished I'd see him again. He'd seemed so nice. He was even kind of cute. We could've been friends, if he wasn't from the Mervaen.

I kicked a rock on the path ahead of me. "Stupid war," I grumbled under my breath. It didn't even feel like we were fighting for something anymore, it had gone on for so long.

Then something did move up in the sky - a shadow went over the trail. I jumped and ducked for the undergrowth, arms over my head, braced for an attack.

I heard a pair of feet landing lightly where I'd been, only moments before. Then the leaves began to rustle as the fi pushed his way toward me. I crouched as low as I could and held my breath, praying that I blended in.

"Oh, good," said a soft, familiar voice. "I was hoping it was you."

I straightened back up. "Drackio?!"

"You can't be comfortable in that bramble bush," he laughed, backing away and returning to the open path. "Come on!"

I gingerly plucked myself out of the thorns and clambered out after him. "What in the world are you doing here this time?"

"It's my mom's birthday," said Drackio, shuffling a little awkwardly. "She loves pikolah berries, so I thought maybe... maybe I could scavenge some for her? They're so expensive where we live, especially for a kid with no job."

"Hmm," I said. "Well, it's a little early in the season, but I know a few good places we could check." I hesitated a little, then took his hand. "Come on, I'll show you!"

"Thanks," said Drackio, looking at his shoes. Was that... a bit of a blush? I willed those thoughts away and started walking. Don't even think about it, I told myself. This is just a second lucky meeting. I'll never see him again.

You know, I really needed to stop telling myself that.

**********

As unlikely as I thought it was, I kept bumping into Drackio again and again. First he was looking for pikolaen. Then he was trying to learn how to catch fish. Then he was just bored and going for a joy flight, but happened to go by my neck of the woods. Then... well, the excuses got weaker and weaker.

Things really came to a head late that winter, when he sidled out of the woods right on the edge of our back yard, one arm behind his back.

"What are you doing?!" I hissed, shooing him back into the trees. "You can't come here! My father's in the army. We'd both be in so much trouble!"

"Sorry," he said, hanging his head a little.

His puppy eyes caught me off guard. "What are you up to this time?" I asked, more gently.

"I came to see you, actually," he said. "You said you get kind of sad, after the snow's been falling for so long. You miss the grass and birds and flowers. Well, anyway... spring comes sooner in Nahbi Harumvah. And... I thought these might help cheer you up." He drew out his hand from behind his back, revealing a large bunch of flowers, in varying shades of blue. There was a faint glow to them.

"...Oh my," I said. "What kind are they?"

"Vee tiz Ornaru," he said. "Those trees grow everywhere in there, but you don't have many out here, do you?"

"They're beautiful," I said, accepting the bouquet and bringing it up to my nose. I smiled over them at my friend. "Thank you. This does make me happy." I held out one hand, which he took, and led the way deeper into the woods, to the skating pond. No one else was there today - the ice was too thin this late in the season; it wasn't safe for skating anymore. I brushed the snow off a fallen log and we settled there. "We need to talk." Drackio eyed me a little nervously. "We're obviously not bumping into each other by mistake anymore," I started.

Drackio snorted and started giggling. "To be honest," he said, his face rapidly turning red, "I've sought you out on purpose every time. Well, except for the first time of course."

"Why?" I said, also blushing.

"I'd hoped you'd figured that out already," he said, looking at the ground again. Even his ears were tomato red by now.

"No, I know that," I said. "But what made you think I was worth all this? Where are you trying to go with me? I... don't know if you've forgotten, but I'm a jeltura."

"To be fair," said Drackio, looking me in the eyes again, "right at first, I just wanted a friend. You know I don't really have any at home. But you... you were nice to me, even though we were enemies. And then... then I started noticing other things about you. Like your sense of fun. And your beautiful eyes. All your forest wisdom, and your willingness to teach a clueless fi like me. And... well. It didn't take much to make me fall for you. Where we were going? I thought about that. I probably should've stayed away as soon as I realized I was in love. But I couldn't stand it. Every waking moment we're not together, I'm wishing we were. Or I'm thinking about giving you flowers," he added, gesturing at the bouquet with a sheepish little smile. He hung his head again. "I'm sorry. It was selfish. If you want me to go away, I will."

"Don't you think it's a little late for that?" I groaned. "You're right, we should've parted ways a lot earlier than this. Now I don't want to. But it's either that, or keep meeting like this. And how long can we go on this way?" My face was so hot I wanted to rub it in the snow by now, but I pushed on. "You know what most people do after they've courted for awhile."

"Courted?!"

"That's what you've been doing, isn't it? What else would you call... this?" I asked, now taking my own turn gesturing at the flowers.

Drackio put his head in his hands. "You're right. By the grandparents, I have been courting you. Ohhhh no."

"But we can't do what most people do," I went on. "I'm the daughter of an officer in the army of Silen Fah. They wouldn't be caught dead binding me off to a Mervatur."

"So I should go," said Drackio.

"No," I said, more quickly than I'd meant to. "Erm... I can't bear it either. Being away from you, I mean. But what are we to do?"

Drackio was quiet for awhile, as I stared into his deep magenta eyes. Finally, he furrowed his eyebrows a little. Then he tilted his head to one side. "I don't know," he finally said. "But... who says we have to make a decision today? You're right, it can't go on like this forever. But there's nothing wrong with tomorrow, is there? Next week? Maybe... maybe something will come up. Something that helps us make a decision. Maybe the war will finally end."

"The one that's been going on for decades?" I asked.

"Well... you never know," he chuckled awkwardly, looking away. Then he glanced back up at me. "Listen, Llefar-ta. I love you. They say where there's a will, there's a way. And I'm willing to look for that way if you are. But I don't want to waste your time or break your heart or whatever else, either. So..." he trailed off, holding my gaze. "...Goodness, you're beautiful," he said softly. I found myself leaning slowly in....

[exhausted-eternally]

Fic Writer Interview

Saw Topsy did this and it looked like fun so now Imma pester y'all with one.

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

35, currently, and only 1 is for a fandom other than The Lego Movie lmao

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

496,195 over the course of 6 years

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1- Reboot To be honest, I'm kind of baffled by this one. I started it just when covid was really starting to take off, lost where I was going with it before I was even halfway through writing it because I got SO swamped with work that writing was taken off the stove entirely for a while, and a lot of it was honestly just half-assed to get it finished but so many people LOVE it. I don't think I'll ever stop scratching my head about it, but at this point I've just accepted that it's my most popular fic ever. 2- Atonement Still ongoing and without a clear ending in mind yet. I had 2 ideas I was wanting to play with when I started it- wingfic, and house arrest. I've been having fun with it so far. 3- Prizes, Plunder, and Adventure This one was actually written based on a friend's doodles & half-finished ideas. I took them & ran with them as far as I could lol. I'm honestly happy that this one's in my top 5. 4- Hot Spring Another one that I'm kind of baffled by. It's a oneshot that's barely over 400 words. People like their coppernauts fluff, I guess lol 5- Time Travel Troubles This one was based on a prompt a friend gave me when I complained that I wanted so badly to write but had 0 ideas, lol. Of all my oneshots, I'm glad this one made it into my top 5.

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

Most of the time! Sometimes I can't think of a response though, and once I got overwhelmed with like 25 comments on one fic in one night from the same person so my brain kind of short-circuited lol. I definitely read and cherish every single one though.

5. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

I don't really do angst tbh, so none of my fics really have angsty endings.

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

That's a tough one to pick, I always write happy endings. XD; I guess I'll go with Starting Over Again.

7. Do you write crossovers?

Sort of; honestly I think they'd qualify more as AUs than proper crossovers, but sometimes I just get bit by a bug to write all my favorite characters in some other media settings for shits & giggles. Murphy's Law (Skyrim), Space Shenanigans (Star Wars), The Stranger (Myst), Octan Nights (1001/Arabian Nights), and Hollow Heart (Beauty and the Beast)

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Yeah, when I first started posting Murphy's Law on ff.net. Honestly it just made me laugh, it was so obviously some kid doing a shit job of being a troll.

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

I tried once. It was SO awful that I ended up deleting it and swore off ever trying again.

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge.

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope. The fandom I'm in is pretty small so no one's bothered to translate any fics in it, at least as far as I know.

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

Oh, eons ago when I was still just a little baby birb. I wrote a pitiful attempt at an OoT fic with 2 of my cousins that never got far. All my works since have been solo.

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

Coppernauts. C:

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Lord I have SO MANY. Think I'd pick Tech Support though (with a much better rewrite to boot, so no link for this one. If you want to read the atrocious original, you'll have to hunt it down yourself :P).

15. What are your writing strengths?

I'm told I'm pretty good with characterization. I'll choose to believe it. ;3

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

Describing literally anything. I am terrible for just... not doing it. Which is something I REALLY need to work on if I really want to reach my 300k goal with The Umiran Amulet.

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

There's only one language I can speak in any capacity, so I just stick with English. If it's something that's meant to be in another language, I just italicize it. Only every once in a blue moon will I use a word in another language, like if a character is swearing in their native tongue, and only if I'm absolutely 100% certain it's the right word.

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Ocarina of Time. It was the fic I mentioned earlier that I wrote with my 2 cousins.

19. What’s a fandom/ship you haven’t written for yet but want to?

I don't really have any, at least at this time. I am very, VERY slow to move between fandoms & ships and am probably still going to be quite happily writing for TLM even when there's literally only 5 of us left lol.

20. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

I'd have to say The Atlantis Expedition, which was my first ever fic for the TLM fandom, and the first one I'd ever finished period. I have others that I love just as much, but this one will always have a special place in my heart.