#I’m kinda outlining a fic but not really it’s more of an outline of timeline and events but I love it so much

[cardsofthemoon]

I love writing vampires so much like you can literally put them in any time of history, hell you can even rewrite history and make shit up, under the sole guise that it’s an immortal vampire. you can literally make your vampire be the actual mona lisa or be the first female president of the united states, and it will be acceptable because they’re immortal!

[hey-august]

I'll Be Your Whatever - Story Hiatus

Description: Life is full of all sorts of characters - some who come and go, and others that stay. After propelling yourself into a lie you can't (won't) take back, a certain pirate captain may have a reason to come by more often. (Story tag)

Alrighty, I would very very much like to come back to this fic one day, but I truly do not know when that will happen. I think the outline I put together took away some of the drive to write the actual story, but I still want to SO BADLY.

So this story doesn't remain unfinished for however long, I'm going to share the outline I put together using beat sheets and story arcs.

Tag list: @rorywritesjunk @ane5e @venulus @misadventures0fdes You asked to be included in the tag list for the story, so I'm also tagging you here. I'm sorry for dropping the story and this hiatus, but I hope knowing that the ending exists brings some peace!

For reference: CB = Captain Buggy, MC = Main Character (aka, you, the reader!) WC: ~1.4k

As a recap of the story so far, MC tried to get 2 overly flirtatious guys off her back by saying a stranger passing by was her boyfriend. That stranger was Buggy, of course lol. Trying to stay low and play the part, MC and CB kiss. They joke about CB continuing to be a boyfriend and MC mentions having a treasure chest. A few days later, CB shows up at MCs place with flowers and saying he'll agree to be her boyfriend if she promises him the treasure map.

Chapter 4

They go on a mini date, as a way for them to talk about the agreement - they talk about the timeline and how long to "date." They decide to go get lunch.

Hot dog lunch. Hint at CBs favorite food.

CB blows kisses to MC while she’s in line.

Contract: 

Don’t tell the truth -  a deal’s a deal

MC pays for food

Compliments for Buggy

Hold hands

Kissing? We’ll figure it out if we need to

Buggy has to stop by whenever he’s in town

Buggy goes to the town festival - MC tries to convince CB to agree to go to a town festival in a few weeks or whatever, long enough for dudebros to lose interest. Offers a treasure map.

"If I’m being totally honest, that sounds like my worst nightmare."

MC stands up to someone who tries to insult Buggy’s nose. Fiery. They have to leave wherever they were. CB is impressed by her spunk.

B Story - CB inviting MC to visit the ship. 

At some point CB invites her, a shadow passes over her face, he asks if she really dislikes the idea that much.

MC feels stuck to the small town and guilt about her dad missing those kinds of experiences. She looks at Buggy's eyes and sees the draw of the ocean in them. Whatever enticed Buggy and her dad to love the sea, is reflected in his eyes.

Chapter 5

Fun and Games - coming to the weekend market

Oh yeah, no he said he wasn’t able to make it. But! CB shows up unexpectedly. YN blows him a kiss and he catches it.

CB gets into a scuffle at the weekend market.

Rowdy customer, "how about I pay you in kisses, pretty thing? No? Whatever, this shit isn’t even that good."

“no one gets to treat you like that, you hear me? no one.”

They eat fresh donuts, “oh you have to try these, they’re my favorite,” MC dabs some powdered sugar off the corner of his mouth.

Test of love trope! Conducted by a new jewelry shop. Start easy - eye color, fave food, feed each other, draw each other, blindfold and guess their partners hands, winners get matching bracelets. This is their first kiss.

CB putting the bracelet on MC "This means you’re mine. That’s what you wanted, right?" She gets A LOT of butterflies.

Walking back, the pictures they drew of each other blow away and fall into a tide pool. MC wading through water to get the drawings.

He made the day so special and she doesn’t want this to ruin it.

The drawing / picture she made isn’t that bad, he actually kinda likes it himself. So MC gives it to him. He becomes more enamored with it when she goes to save it from the water.

Nearby sailors / pirates laugh at MC in the water (lighthearted), she calls back that it’s not like they don’t get dirty treasure hunting.

CB gets butterflies from her insistence and calling the papers treasure.

Piggy back ride home? Slightly spicy. It was like their skin was calling out for the other's gentle touch.

Chapter 6

Fun and Games cont - MC said she would see CB off the next day but she doesn’t show up because she’s sick from the previous night.

CB comes by, sees that she’s okay but sick. 

He leaves for a moment and comes back with some stuff to help her feel better. He also postponed shipping off until the next day.

She bashfully asks if he’ll stay a little longer. He stays until she falls asleep.

MC calls him pretty boy and he hecking likes it.

She wakes up the next day to a note telling her that he won’t be in the area for a while.

Chapter 7

Mini scene, MC notices that the dudebros seem to have moved on. They asked for a double/triple date, but MC deflects bc who knows when CB will be in town.

MC mentions this to CB in passing.

Midpoint - Next time, MC visits CBs ship. It’s a good visit. Overall a positive experience. There is some real-ness to life aboard the ship.

Cabaji shows unicycling, meet Mohji and Richie, CB shows off knife throwing (maybe a contest between him and Cabaji, CB wins and Cabaji says at least he’s better at unicycling)

Buggy helps rig the new sails

Pirates swap stories. Talking about what it was like adjusting to life on the ship, but how amazing it is. All the sights and experiences. She has stars in her eyes while listening. Her mind sketching images of what’s being described. She’s even comfortable talking about her dad.

How do you tell your fake bf that you're nervous near him because you're starting to fall for him?

MC likes seeing CBs swagger and how his crew adores him. CB puts his hand on her shoulder and kneads.

She stays overnight (one bed), CB doesn’t sleep.

Chapter 8

Bad Guys Close In - As MC leaves, she’s accosted by pirate thugs, who notice she’s been hanging around CB.

Maybe they think she’s a sex worker? Sugar baby? She tries to say that’s not it, then they think she must be something more special. They could probably get a ransom.

Chop chop Buggy comes in to save the day. Or CB throws a knife, trapping them. CB walks her back home, tries to make it seem light hearted, doesn’t want MC to be too afraid.

MC is a bit unphased since pirates are always visiting.

MC kisses CB goodbye on the cheek. “Could you try that again?” “Better?” “Yeah…”

Chapter 9

All is Lost - Break up because CB is afraid MC will become a target. CB breaks up with YN, afraid of putting her in danger.

Even though CB dealt with those other pirates, that doesn’t mean there won’t be others 

He doesn’t want to put her in danger any longer. Besides, the guys she was avoiding seem to have moved on.

MC asks if he found someone else, something more fun, feels cruel because they don't really think that's what's happening.

I guess my expectations were too high.

Dark of the Night - MC storms back and hands off the map. "A deal’s a deal and I don’t want to be in debt to a pirate."

Wrapped around the map is her bracelet.

Chapter 10

Dark of the Night - Why does CB change his mind? - He reads a letter on the back of the map and realizes he should give it back to MC.

Break into Three - CB's waiting for her at the party. A deal’s a deal. He also gives back the map and leaves.

MC probably talking with the art shop owner:"He likes you, I can tell by how he looks at you." "How does he look at me?"

"You think he's really waiting for me?"

Finale - MC reads the note on the map and runs to the dock for CB. 

Note, from dad: “My dearest seashell, I thought being a pirate was how I could see the world, but then you came along and I saw the world through your eyes. Thank you for giving me the greatest gift anyone could ask for. I hope that one day, you find your key to the world.”

CBs not there? He’s by the wading pools, looking at the moon and drinking alone.

CB moping

How long do you think it’ll take for this to become a memory? Do you think you’ll forget about me?

They wanted to be touched, to be missed, to be loved. Was that too much to ask for?

He’s wearing both bracelets.

"Why did you come back?" "Because that belongs to you, it has your name on it."

"Bullshit, Buggy. You’re a pirate. A treasure hunter. Why did you really come back?"

"Why do you think?"

"You actually wanted to go to the festival?"

"That’s not what I want."

Anguished declaration of love - confessing love during a moment of angst

"I don’t want to stay here anymore. I want to leave. I want to draw the world you see."

MC is steadfast and waits for Buggy to respond. “I want that too.”

Big romantic kiss

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Do you want to?"

"Yes, you have no idea how much I've thought about this."

[rowanisawriter]

10 years, 10 stories

2024 is my 10th year on ao3. i’ve been writing for a lot longer than that and have had some years where i didn’t write anything at all. in a way ao3 is like a timeline for me or a diary, i can track my adult life with it. i wanted to pull like 10 stories that i’ve written over the course of these past 10 years that i think kinda define me

1. fantasy and fallacy (young justice/dc)

this isn’t my most popular young justice fic but it is my favorite. i wrote it a long long time ago and copied it into ao3 when i first got my account. looking back on it now it’s when i started developing what i think is now my true writing voice, focus on emotions and atmosphere rather than dialogue or plot strictly speaking

2. runner (assassin’s creed)

this is the first thing i wrote that felt experimental, free form before i understood what that really meant. i write like this all the time now and love it, but it felt really novel to me at the time

3. lucky one (avatar/legend of korra)

i’m still proud of this fic, i always remember the feeling i had writing it, how i was exploring something really emotional and strange. it’s about the relationship between siblings, jealousy, maybe even hatred. i have a complicated relationship with my own siblings and this story helped me untangle some of the feelings back when i was in the middle of it

4. heretic (bg3)

this story connects a lot of my favorite things about my writing—religious themes, selfish and power hungry characters, flowing and rhythmic prose, it feels like one of The stories for me tbh

5. self aware (mass effect)

i think this is my most important story because i wrote it after a 6 year writing break, when i had completely given up on ever writing anything again. i had just had my baby, i was fighting for my life with post partum depression, covid etc, it felt like the world was ending. so i wrote this and in some ways it fixed me, it fixed everything

6. butterflies (dragon age)

i’ve written so many dragon age fics but this one is important because it was my first multichap ever! i realize now i like these short multichaps where each chapter has its own theme (usually the chapter title) and now i do this all the time but butterflies was the first

7. real world (stardew valley)

not sure where this one came from lol i have a lot of feelings about being a parent, about the life i chose when i became a parent, how tiring it is, how unprepared i was even though i wanted it, all of that is distilled into this fic that i very much wrote for myself

8. starry-eyed (bg3)

i like to read poetry but haven’t written any before, so i try to infuse my writing with the rhythmic style i like to see in poetry. starry-eyed feels like it hit that rhythm i look for while still holding onto some semblance of plot lol i’m very proud of it

9. the fall (hades)

weird writing, allegory, symbolism, mythology, these are my favorite things to read and it just so happens the bible is full of that lol so i rewrote lucifer’s fall as a short thanzag fic and rereading it now feels so natural, i feel like i was born to write like this

10. glass slipper (classics)

i usually prewrite an entire story before posting it. for this one, i had about half down and a vague outline for the rest and it was an experiment kind of, to post and just go with the flow, and it worked, i didn’t abandon it, i felt connected to it the whole time while people read and liked it, and now i feel like i trust myself more as a writer tbh

[kibblbread]

TRANSFORMERS ONE FANFIC IDEA INCOMING!

Yeah it’s optimus x megatron, sorry not sorry i want to explore their relationship as lovers instead of friends/brothers because I’m a hopeless romantic although i may or may not do that eventually too???

Anyway this fic is being dubbed the Transformers one alternate timeline fic! You can look at the basic premise by clicking the embed link 🔗

You can call it whatever you want the nickname is mostly for me lol

Anyway here is more headcanons and basic outlining for my writing if anyone is interested. I know what its like to be in a small fandom with hardly any fic content for your personal otp 🙃 cries in redhood fandom

So lowkey I want there to be roles within the relationship, I just don’t want to type cast or define either Megatron or Optimus by assigning Top & Bottom. Like people they’re complex and often switch in accordance to what the other needs.

I noticed D16 throughout the movie was a bit more easily stressed and anxious while Orion usually tried to stay more level and optimistic. Pax truly is a good leader. However D16 definitely is also very capable of taking charge, especially when he starts getting fed up with a specific circumstance cough, cough. D16 is very emotional though, and allows that to fuel his motivation and in turn his actions as well.

In my fic I plan to make alt Megatron emotional too! He’s protective and a bit impatient but he’s happy with routine and the mundane of everyday. Also still a nerd and is actually very kind/gentle to not only Optimus but the citizens! Well, outside of the gladiator ring at least.. Megatron never truly gets used to younger bots idolizing him like he does a past Prime. Yes he does become a gladiator, kinda like in the tfp continuity but in this timeline he is still leader of the high-guard as it operates under Optimus Prime’s will. Think basically Cybertron’s army for lack of better terms!

Optimus does his best to be hands on as possible but thats kinda difficult as he is essentially Cybertrons assigned leader and protector. Most operations under his own orders go without the bot ever truly getting to be involved. However, he still takes just about any scrap of time he can to spend with Megatron. It’s pretty obvious to anyone that sees them interact that they’re whipped for one another lol.

Some kinda pivotal moments (spoilers ig??? They’re not too bad though i hope) 🤞🏾

A proposal from Optimus to alt Megatron. It’s pretty early in the fic, and will probably be after I’ve set the stage and done some world building.

Alt Megatron taking on an aircraft form for his transformation! It was just easier for him while leading High-Guard operations but his size, lol, the difference between them is so cute. I’m gonna have so much fun writing

Sentinel being marched through the mines like Megatron originally set out to do. Optimus wasn’t exactly happy about it but never questioned or interfered despite Sentinel’s pleading

Both Megatron’s being partial to holding grudges and indulging in rage. Although alt Megatron has trouble controlling other emotions as well, his mood is contagious for better and worse tbh. Both versions of their auras are captivating and fill any room no matter how big.

Canon Megatron trying to kill alt Optimus on sight because that boy ready to square up 🤭

Shockwave figuring out the switch situation and switching things back without even consulting anyone, spoiler alert — he fucks up

Megatron being disgustingly cute with either Optimus in either timeline because he’s dangerously persuasive and sincere

Yeah that’s really all i got for now. It’s very otp centric but obviously Ill flesh out the others to an extent later.. or not idk if I’ll complete this project or not. But it’s maybe gonna be around 10-15 chapters???

Wish me luck and we’ll see how it goes 😝

[adriennefrombrooklyn]

All of your WIPs sound interesting, but can you tell me a bit more (and post a snippet of) your mpreg Paul? And 1967? Just that Come onnnn I need more! Thank you!

mpreg Paul is still in the vague outline stages, and I can tell it really wants to be long, probably spanning multiple points in the timeline, but it will definitely start with early Liverpool and Hamburg. Basically it’s gonna be an au where Paul can get pregnant, hasn’t told anyone, and surprise John knocks him up in Hamburg not too long after they start fucking. Angst and shenanigans ensue.

1967 was actually the first fic I started working on when I first got into this fandom, and it’s gone through many iterations as my own feelings about mclennon have evolved. Right now I’m not sure what I’m gonna do with it since my original premise was based on an idea of their relationship that I don’t really go with anymore. I do wanna make it into something though because I like what I’ve written so far. Premise is kinda an exploration of what shifted about their relationship in ‘66 - ‘67 to make it suddenly appear so outwardly domestic.

There were five of them; three men and two birds, and it was really too dark to gather much more than that, but Paul could see well enough to be sure the girls were pretty. The one closest to him now had long hair, brown or maybe red, and reminded him enough of Jane to have him reflexively reaching for his glass to finish the last of his gin and tonic. Better to drown out that thought before it took root.

Okay but now I feel like I should really get back to work on this one.

Thanks for the ask! 🧡🧡

[choccy-milky]

Hi! I started reading your story sometime in the last week and I’m OBSESSED! I normally don’t have much patience and can’t get myself to read anything past like 15k or anything that’s still being worked on, but your story hooked me almost instantly! I really liked the description and decided to give it a try and I’m so glad I did. The detailed descriptions you give pull me into the story and the way you seamlessly switch points of view feels so natural. I just wanted to let you know how much I’m enjoying reading so far and I’m excited for more! ❤️

AW TYSM😭😭 this means a lot, esp since ive been kinda self conscious about the length of my fic lately (and also how long its gonna end up being once im actually done LMFAO) and ik my chapters have gotten ginormous BAHAHA so im glad that even if you don't usually read long stuff you still gave my fic a try and enjoyed it so much + are looking forward to more!!💖💖so ty again😭🙏 AND as usual i'll be using this to answer other asks:

thank you and AA im glad to hear it!! a lot of people have been telling me ive been inspiring them to draw lately and i love it (im just sorry i dont have any concrete tips to give people other than keep practicing LOL) but good luck and i hope you keep at it!!🥰🥰

GIRL IDK, IDEK HOW LONG THE STORY IS GONNA BE, but assuming im still brainrotted even when its done then YEAH u wouldnt be able to stop me if you tried😊 (im glad you like them so much as well, ty!!😭)

thank you!! and yes i usually have at least a vague idea of what i want in the story before i start, though a lot of it didn't become concrete until i started writing/things evolving from there. i made a big (slightly) vague timeline of the entire fic from beginning to (almost) end, and then i keep fleshing it out from there as the ideas keep coming to me/evolving, and for each chapter i make an even more detailed outline, and THEN i get started on the final chapter. so its a bit of a process bahaha, but the brainstorming is really fun!! as for any advice, im not sure. maybe just brainstorm/write down scenes and ideas that you know for a fact that you want to put in your fic, and then try to find a way to connect them to other scenes from there and work backwards. basically WRITE WHAT YOU WANT TO READ, cuz like im my own biggest fan fr, thats the most important part LMAO

LMFAO speaking of outlining future events.....this may or may not happen in the future/in an epilogue when clora is pregnant and she got those pregnant woman hormones that seb is fighting for his LIFE to keep up with HAHAHA

ive been drawing since i was 4 years old so...a while. LOL. and if you even look back to the beginning of my blog, my first drawings of seb were SO UGLY💀💀 so if you just keep drawing you constantly get better naturally (also in response to the other ask you sent as well, i use clip studio paint to draw!)

AW TYYY. AND YES CLORA WILL HAVE ANOTHER MC MOMENT, the ranrok confrontation is still coming, after all...👀👀 and true, idek who would win if clora and seb duelled again with neither of them holding back, but u are so right. even if clora DID win that would do nothing to change sebs mind about how protective he is LMFAO. THANK YOU AGAIN im glad you like my fic + drawings so much!!💖💖

BAHAHAH in my fic (for smut reasons and so that they could be 17 when they did the nasty) i made clora's bday april 3rd and sebs february 12, so clora is an aries and seb is an aquarius (and yes i just checked and apparently they ARE compatible, so seb can rest. also i just read up on aquarius and damn it unintentionally suits seb so well?? LOL "Aquarius is undoubtedly the most innovative, progressive, rebellious, and humanitarian. " and "They have incredible energy, though they may not always use it wisely. They find it easy to get through life on charm and good looks." LMFAO. ok king we love that

[yaralulu]

Thank you for the tag @sad-scarred-sassy @highlordofkrypton @achaotichuman !! This is so fun!!

Describe your writing process from idea to posting/publishing?

My writing process is very …ungraceful lol. Most of my fics stem from random dialogue that I came up with on like the bathroom floor and I just build a story around that dialogue. Usually I take a few days to kinda plan the fic and to brainstorm the overall scenes in it. Fill in the gaps on what happens before and after the main dialogue, figure out character dynamics and timelines,etc.

Once I have a solid idea of what I want to write, I will procrastinate for like week because I’m annoying 👍.When I finally get a surge of motivation/I force myself to open a new document , I just start writing whenever and wherever I can (I write on my phone because I am the farthest thing from a professional). I’m a relatively slow writer so it takes me either a week to finish something or a month,just depends.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Definitely plotter. I need to have a basic outline of what’s gonna happen before I even consider writing something.

What do you listen to when you are writing?

Nothing! But listening to songs that remind me of the fic i’m working on definitely puts me in the mood to write but I don’t listen whilst I’m writing.

What’s your drink of choice(while writing)?

Very rarely am I ever eating/drinking something when I’m writing. Either I’m slumped on my bed or I’m literally in the middle of a public place (professionalism 👍).

Promote yourself! What’s your favorite thing you’ve written?

My beloved luzriel fic Want by Proxy. I’m sure you’re all sick of hearing me talk about it but it’s my child. I’m very proud of it! (however my actual fav thing is lowkey all the things i’ve written for lucienweek hehe.)

Share a fic of yours that you think is underrated/deserves more love.

Oh boy. My tamcien angst fic a bridge between us flopped so bad on ao3 but I really love it!! It’s short and yet very angsty and exactly the kind of tamcien stuff that I like to read. Honestly a little scarred by how bad it did LOL but I’ll get over it.

Do you have any advice for new writers?

I’m a baby writer myself and genuinely my number one advice is: Stop comparing yourself to other writers. It’s such a hard cycle to get out of when you’re a new writer but you cannot keep looking at experienced writer’s works and comparing yourself to them. With time and effort, you’ll be just as good but beating yourself up because you’re not as good as them right now will get you nowhere. Just keep writing!! Have fun and write what you wanna read and before you know it you’ll be just as good!!

What is a writing style/technique that others do really well that you'd like to get better at?

Descriptive writing!! I feel like I’m slowly getting better at writing descriptive settings but still it’s very hard. I just wish I had the ability to string words together so beautifully that you could literally picture what I’m talking about.

Using prose and lyrical language is another thing I aspire to be good at. I really admire people who write absolute poetry in their fics. Like the flow and language they use is just insane and so evocative. Being able to make readers feel the character’s emotions because of the strong language used is definitely something I want to get better at!!

Is there a character you were surprised you enjoyed writing as much as you did?

Azriel!! He really took me by surprise but I really enjoyed writing his personality and stoicism. Writing guarded characters is very fun because even I don’t know what the hell they’re feeling lol. It was definitely a guessing game trying to figure out how he’d react to stuff but I enjoyed crawling inside his head.

Also Eris!! I now understand why so many of my mutuals love writing him because he’s genuinely so.freaking.fun to write. Something about his aesthetic is just so addicting. Like I had a blast picking out what he wore in my fic and describing the clothes and his hair like he’s literally a princess. His aura just makes my brain go brrr. He’s just such a fun character to play around.

Tagging: @the-darkestminds @olenvasynyt @viktoriaashleyyx @sonics-atelier and whoever would like to join in!!

[laytonlover3]

Happy Halloween, all! I bring some exciting news for my fellow League of Legends fandomers:

As of today, the ezko ship (Ezreal x Ekko) has over 100 fanfics posted on AO3!

Ik this is a silly thing to get excited over, but I couldn’t be happier about the attention that my favorite ship is getting. I thought I’d take this chance to shoutout/recommend some of my favorite fics (I tried to pick just one favorite, but was tied between these 5):

First Fic I Ever Read with Ezko in It: The Years Nearly Forgotten by albawrites (Rated M for violence, but imo this one fic - not the rest of its series - could safely be rated T.)

This fic is part of a longer series called On the Way to Piltover which is a canon-compliant Twisted Fate x Graves story with a friends(?)-with-benefits to lovers arc. Ezko makes a notable, if short appearance, but their dynamic is adorable - this fic, accompanied by Michael Yichao’s “Out of Time” (the Riot-sponsored Pulsefire ezko short story) was what first got me interested in what has since become my OTP.

First Ezko-Centric Fic I Really Loved: Paradox Rebound: First Paradox by ArinieKat (rated M for sexual content)

If you read any ezko fanfic, you’re definitely familiar with ArinieKat because they’ve single-handedly written like 10% of all the ezko content on the site. This fic of theirs really stood out to me because of its beautiful angst - it follows Pulsefire Ezreal as he ends up in a timeline where he married Ekko, then died, leaving Pulsefire Ekko widowed until he shows up. A few months ago I outlined a Pulsefire ezko angst fic idea that I had on here, and a lot of the inspiration for it came from this particular fic. It’s funny, it’s emotional, and while Years Nearly Forgotten and Out of Time made me think “huh, that ship’s kinda cute”, it was reading this fic that truly got me hooked on ezko.

Favorite AU Ezko Fic/Favorite Fic with Artwork: Underneath Your Silver Screen by VeryNoodleMan aka @satans--waifu (rated E)

1960’s Hollywood AU Ezko? Let’s just say I’m obsessed. Not to mention the absolutely gorgeous movie-poster-style artwork on the author’s tumblr. Even though this fic is on indefinite hiatus, it’s definitely worth checking out the first few chapters: the research and worldbuilding that went into them is really impressive. Being able to read your favorite ship in an entirely new context is like rediscovering and falling in love with their dynamic all over again <3

Current Most-Kudosed Ezko Fic: Blondie and the Beat by Mechanical_Hanz (rated T)

As someone who typically filters by kudos, I’ve grown used to seeing this fic at the top, and with good reason: for a highschool AU where Ezreal, Ekko, Lux and Jinx struggle to pursue queer relationships in a homophobic society, this fic is surprisingly funny and upbeat. While updates have not been super consistent, it has been a cute fic to follow over the past year or so, and it’s done a great job of balancing ezko with lightcannon without shoving either ship into the background for too long (a complaint I have with lots of other fics tagged with both lc and ezko).

Favorite Ezko One-Shot: (Loosely) Holding You by Mechanical_Hanz (rated T)

If I’m ever looking to reread something short and sweet for ezko, this is my go-to fic. It’s set in the Arcane universe, where Ezreal and Ekko are… acquaintances? Friends? Until one day Ezreal ends up spending the night with Ekko (not sexually) and the two end up together. The banter is really on-point, and Ekko’s followers from LoR make cameos, so needless to say I’m a big fan.

So those are my recs! I just want to say thank you so much to everyone who has made or supported ezko content over the past few years, and here’s to having 100 more fics written soon (maybe if Ezreal gets added to Arcane, lol)!

[fabbyf1]

Hello renowned writer, first let me express my appreciation for your writing. The characterization, the dialogue, the smut which is world-class and never ceases to amaze me. You made me smile and you made me cry, and my world is better for having your fics in it 💛 🤗

If you don't mind, could you please shed some light onto your writing and planning process? It is totally okey if not of course.

How do you plot out your ideas and fics? Especially the long ones? Do you have everything planned out before sitting down to the first chapter? Do you have just general milestones? Or do you have detailed notes for all the scenes? 😅

Is there anything from the notes you would be willing to share? 🙏

Right now I struggle with the level of details I hit in my outlines. I tend to have a general idea about the big building blocks but the concrete shapes of it get to me when I'm close enough to writing them. This means I can't post as I go because everything needs so many revisions to be consistent and paced right.

hi bestie!!

i don't have one consistent answer across the board. it definitely depends on the kind of fic i’m writing, and how long i’ve been thinking about it. 

i’ve found that over planning fics really fucks me up. i get too caught up in trying to follow my plans to a T, that i stunt my own creativity and my scenes don’t have a natural flow. i ran into this problem a lot with my dando fic that was supposed to be 100k+ and only ended up being 30k lmfao. the plan and headcanons are fucking incredible (still even reading them back now im like wow this is the best thing i never actually wrote) but because they were so good and so thought out, it was impossible to write them. because i felt like i had already written them, but in discord conversations with bailee lmfao. in my head, that fic was already complete. even though there was only 30k actual words in a google doc. 

so i’ve found it much easier for me (personally) to just... sit down and write. 

sometimes when i don’t overthink things and just go into a fic blind, i come up with really amazing things on the fly. 

my fic Vapor, for instance, had a vague “ideas” document that was MUCH different than what i actually produced. it was going to be a slow burn enemies to lovers fic. but when i started writing it, and i got to the first club scene (which was only supposed to be them running into each other) i thought “lmfao what if i had them hook up here?” and suddenly the fic went a completely different route. and i’m glad i listened to myself and not my Ideas doc, or i don’t think it would have been as good as it ended up being. 

but that’s not always the case. 

for fics like Long Live that required a complex timeline, i had a separate doc that i put all my research and ideas in. it was a google doc with bullet points, pictures, and ages. sometimes the bullet points were simple, like “charles wins in monza, he gets drunk in a club and they fuck” (lmfao) and sometimes they were line after line after line of conversational dialogue that i would think about while walking my dog and the whole conversation ended up in the actual finished work, word for word. 

so, really, it depends on what i’m writing. 

i’ve found that when i write a long fic, i’ll usually have 1 or 2 scenes that i KNOW i want to write that happen later on in the fic, and everything else before that is like “okay how do i get to that scene????” and the fic kinda builds itself that way. 

when i write a short fic, it’s more like... “okay, what’s the plot? lets go.” and the story writes itself. 

i’m not sure how helpful this was, but i’d be glad to keep rambling about my writing process if you’d like! 

[wrongcaitlyn]

Hi! Do you have any tips for outlining a story?

The one I'm currently trying to work isn't cooperating with me when I try to use the methods I've used before

How do you outline? and do you have tips for what works for you?

(And I just wanna add that I really like Dear Reader, you're doing a really good job on it! and I am always looking forward to get to know more!)

hi!! yes, i do!! after writing a few multichaps, this is just what’s kinda worked for me, but know the writing in general is different for everyone, so i think the best advice i can give is keep adjusting what you’re doing until you feel that it works :)

that being said, my main tip is just to start large, and *then* get smaller. focus on the main events first: where are you starting? where are you ending? what big plot points occur throughout the story?

so for talk your talk (the first fic), i’d start with these main ideas (also, for me, i divided things into years, but depending on your timeline, that may instead be months/days/weeks, etc

2015

sep, meeting jason/piper

dec, solangelo get together

2016

june, haunted

sep, getaway car

2017

grammys

june, doomsday

and so on - these are just the bare skeleton events of what i wanted to happen each year

and *then* i narrow it down, and i try to do a chapter by chapter outline just for the next few chapters- these are just a list of scenes that i want to get through, but a lot of the time they’ll end up being completely changed- which is good, bc the outline should be adjustable!

for greatest of luxuries, this was one of the chapter outlines i had in my docs

Chapter 7 (january-may)

studio work at apollo household, nda3 planning, delphi records thoughts (video recordings?)

nico’s birthday

columbia archery world cup in april

austin gets accepted into juilliard (post?)

greece concert

will passing out pre-finals

as you can tell, chapter 7 didn’t even make it to january. these events ended up spanning over the course of two more chapters, but it helped to have a sort of idea of what kind of scenes/events i didn’t want to miss, and the general timeline of those things

then the final step is right before i start writing the chapter - i write a little list of scenes/events i wanna do which can be smth like “seven excerpt, apollos reaction” or “kayla article”

again, sometimes this isn’t final. but that’s okay, bc my outlines tend to just be lists, and i’m very bad at figuring out pacing before i start writing- i trust that once i start actually writing the chapter, i can get more of an idea of how long the scenes will be, and ask myself if i have to cut a scene, or add another scene to the chapter!

this is just what works for me; as of now i have the next 6 chapters outlined, though that’ll most likely go more into another 10 or so chapters bc i tend to underestimate how much i end up writing😭

i hope this helps!! and thank u so so much for the ask and i’m so glad that you enjoy the fic!! it’s my pride and joy tbhHDKS

[shipsgaysfordays]

i need help deciding on what fic to get back into writing, so no promises, but i’m gonna make a poll so you guys can help me

and then some basic description depending on how much planning i have done

“you make me feel like a fool”

the big bad miscommunication strikes again and remus, sirius, mary, and lily plan a double date: though before the date remus and lily have one question plaguing their minds—who’s dating who?

“although i am broken, my heart is unchanged still”

so, this fic i’ve already made many chapter of

tumblr

ao3

the basic beginning premise, if you have not read it yet, is that remus is a bit delusional in the years post-halloween. this is not helped by sirus escaping azkaban, not knowing what else to do, remus searches for sirius, looking for revenge and blood. though deep down there’s still a part of them that misses zer. (the story goes off the rails from here but that’s the beginning)

the Queen fic

a song fic, using music from the band queen

i made the first chapter already and that’s here

the next one shot chapters will be “somebody to love” and “i want to break free”

tbh at the moment i’m not as enthusiastic about the fic, but i would like to get it done

Polygraph

heist au, sirius betrays remus and all the marauders

“A Tree in the Shadows”

as the marauders are doing random bullshit and pranks, the girls get into some misadventures of their own. mary, lily, marlene, and dorcas are still learning about life, themselves, and each other. so finding this secluded spot to just be, this tree in the shadows, this place for just them. yeah that’s pretty nice.

the uno fic

i don’t need to give a description, it’s all the marauders, playing uno with some pretty stupid rules (that i inherited from a friend)

Doctor Who AU

so, you take wolfstar, you take some certain plot points and ships from doctor who, you take an idea from a single episode of supernatural, put it in a blender. but you forgot the top of the blender so it’s all just a bit confusing and the timeline makes zero sense

i’m working on it, but very invested because it’s both my hyperfixations coming together

“but if you feel like i feel, please let me know it’s real”

my one minne/poppy fic that i started months ago

i have a huge outline for the fic it’s just that i need to get to writing

it’s minnie and poppy’s first year as hogwarts staff, despite the fact that they would have probably been in the same year, minnie doesn’t recognize this beautiful woman. it’s confusing.

after a childhood of being homeschooled, poppy is just a bit overwhelmed by hogwarts. though she did do training at st. mugos, hogwarts and all these children who constantly get themselves into danger is a whole other ballgame. plus there’s this really pretty professor who keeps showing up in the hospital wing.

(we may or may not jump between their first year and the year that the marauders are there due to drama and angst)

sick fic

i have no plans at all for this

i got my wisdom teeth taken out yesterday and kinda want to make a cute fluff comfort fic with wolfstar

possibly a wolfstar post moon since i haven’t really done that’s yet

[whosbex]

*drops my pile of questions like a stack of heavy books* I decided to ask a little of everything:

3. Describe the creative process of writing a chapter/fic

4. Where do you find inspiration for new ideas?

7. How do you choose which POV to write from?

12. How does receiving or not receiving feedback/support impact you?

13. What’s a common writing tip that you almost always follow?

17. What do you do when writing becomes difficult? (maybe a lack of inspiration or writers block)

18. Do you title your fics before, during, or after the writing process? How do you come up with titles?

19. What is the most-used tag on your ao3?

20. Have you noticed any patterns in your fics? Words/expressions that appear a lot, themes, common settings, etc?

22. Are there certain types of writing you won’t do? (style, pov, genre, tropes, etc)

23. Best writing advice for other writers?

24. Worst writing advice anyone ever gave you?

27. What is your most and least favorite part of writing?

29. What’s your revision or editing process like?

31. Do you start with the characters or the plot when writing?

33. Do you want to be published some day?

34. Five years from now, where do you see yourself as a writer?

38. Would you ever write commissions?

39. Share a snippet from a WIP.

40. If someone were to make fanart of your work, what fic or scene would you hope to see?

41. Do you tend to reread fics or are you a one-and-done kind of person?

46. How would you describe your style? (Character/emotion/action-driven, etc)

47. How many times do you usually revise your fic/chapter before posting?

48. What do you look for in a beta?

52. Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

54. What’s your favorite part about the fanfiction writing process?

55. Of the characters you write for, which is your favorite? Has that choice been swayed at all by your followers/readers’ reactions to certain ones?

56. What’s something about your writing that you pride yourself on?

57. Do you prefer editing as you write, or waiting until it’s finished? 

58. What part of the writing process do you enjoy the most? (Brainstorming, outlining, writing, editing, etc) 

60. Have you had a writer you admire comment on your fic? What was that like?

62. Thoughts on cliffhangers?

65. Tell us about what you’re most looking forward to writing – in your current project, or a future project

67. Do you prefer prompts and challenges, or completely independent ideas?

68. What, if anything, do you do for inspiration?

70. When asked, are you embarrassed or enthusiastic to tell people that you write?

71. When it comes to more complicated narratives, how do you keep track of outlines, characters, development, timeline, ect.?

72. What order do you write in? front of book to back? chronological? favorite scenes first? something else?

73. What do you think makes your writing stand out from other works?

Okay so I’m not even gonna number these cuz this is a lot 😭.

My creative process is like an on and off switch. Due to ADHD I’ll have an idea for a long time decide to map the story out then procrastinate…for a very long time

TBH I get inspired by other people’s fanart and fanfics.

Now pls don't copy your Auntie Caspian over here but I really just do what ever POV I want to do and feel in the moment if I want to change it I just go back and write it all over again if it's not too late.

If I do receive feed back I feel great! I really enjoy seeing comments and stuff and when I don't I feel fine but kinda overlooked if I'm being honest.

Prep the storyline and lore before anything. If you have all that sorted out you'll be given the liberty to choose what you want in the story or not.

When I have block I just make fanart or make the chapters in my head until I make myself so excited that I want to write again.

Really depends right now I'm doing a DK Fam AU/what if series but IDK what to call it except that (if ya'll have any suggestions pls DM me)

I only have one fic on AO3 so it would be tangled and tts characters lol

One thing that I have noticed( other than always finding a way to add Hispanic/Filipino culture in my fics) is that I tend to be very descriptive about surroundings and how the character feels.

Um I'm fairly new so idk about a lot of genres but all I know right now is that I will never make a story where the main character or any characters that have made it to the end to have a bad ending,if that makes sense. Like I want them to be happy after all the trauma I put them through.

Best advice: to plan things out and to have a draft

Worst advice: that I can't wing it. I do think planning is important but sometimes the best ideas come last minute.

Favorite part of writing: that I can put myself in the characters and what they go through and that I can use it as therapy for myself.

Least favorite: actually writing XD jk but kind of not lol. I also don't like how long editing can be but it's more fun when you can do it with a friend/beta reader yk?

It's long I can tell you that. If I don't have block editing is probably whats taking the longest.

I start with the characters and as I find out who the characters are then I make the plot as I see fit for them and how it can make them stronger and better.

YES ABSOLUTELY!!! I hav this OG story I'm working on and I really want it to be published some day and hopefully that day will be reality!

That I have improved and that I have put a few chapters out.

Depends on what they ask for.

Okay so a small thing I'm doing for my 'What if series' for tts is that I'm making Andrew a good guy and prince of Saporia. and I am also doing a lot of lore for that and giving him an angsty back story.

I'd like to see some Cass and Andrew fanart or some art of the DK cousins which would be Eugene,Cass,Varian and my two OCs Elana and Caspian.

Yah I would re-read fics I haven't because I have a lot to read but I would.

Angsty and wholesome. I wanna try to add a smidge of dark romance but I'm not that good at it so I might practice on that before I publish anything lol.

It's not too long but it can be painful. (if yk yk)

I like them to be honest but not mean when it comes to constructive criticism. and if you have any ideas for the plot or story I honestly would like to hear them out!

YES!!!! I like to respond and see what y'all think. I haven't gotten many but I do like to respond.

How I put a piece of myself in my characters.

It goes back and forth between my OCs and Cass from tts.

How detailed I can be.

I wait until I finish the chapter then I edit.

The lore planning.

She haven't commented ( at least i don't think she has) on a fic but they've helped me brain storm. And it felt nice and cool that I can call her a friend.

If I'm making a second book then yah I like cliffhangers,BUT THEY ARE SO PAINFUL AT THE SAME ASS TIME!!!!

Cass and Andrew scenes,Saporian lore,and Andrew's background. And ofc Erin and Hector moments.

I don't mind prompts.

Look at other people's work.

I'm very enthusiastic,and most of the time others say they can tell lol.

Honestly I don't think I've come across this problem the only thing I have trouble is finding the right words to put the scenes is play.

I write the scenes I'm excited for on paper and then write start to finish on my lap top.

What I think makes me stand out are the characters I create. All of them have either a part of me or have gone through the things I have or are modeled after people in my life.

[crimeronan]

hey! if it’s not too much trouble, can you explain your writing process? i’m thinking of writing some fanfic but idk where/how to start. do you usually come up with a whole story outline beforehand?

oh gosh, i think my Entire Writing Process is probably too involved/technical to detail fully here (i'm not trying to be pretentious -- it's just that writing is my IRL career & my personal creative projects are built on many many many years of previous trial and error) but! i can certainly explain how i start

usually my fic ideas begin with either one key moment or one key premise. like, my raven cycle vampire AU was all started from the mental image of a starving vampire adam going after ronan and having to stop himself in a parallel to something that happens in the books; my owl house hunting palismen divergent AU was started from seeing how popular "[x character] just straight-up kidnaps hunter" content was n going.... hmm... what if i did that..... except at the messiest possible point in the timeline for it. HELL YEAH LET'S GO!!

i usually know the basic shape of the story before i start writing but it often changes while i write. like, the owl house fic was supposed to be two chapters and now it's looking like it'll be at least 11 or 12.

i think the best advice i can give you if you're getting into writing fic is: write stories that you LIKE writing.

not just stories that you're excited to share and get feedback on, but that you actually enjoy putting on paper. it takes a long long time to write and written works will never get as much engagement as art, so you gotta like the storytelling itself or you'll get discouraged and quit.

write about the characters you like interacting in ways you like and doing things you like, and let the rest just kinda fall into place as it does! the reason i get so technical about my own process is because that's what i enjoy, but it 100% is not for everyone. in fact it's not for most people.

i guess the only other technical note i can give is that i try to keep my concepts as contained and manageable as i can, because then i'm more likely to finish them. i look at the zoomed-in details first instead of a huge broad strokes big picture. like, i can make an entire oneshot out of how a group of characters platonically share a bed for a night. bc it's small and contained but there are a lot of details to play with!

but again, your mileage may vary -- everyone comes up with their own stories differently & executes them differently too. so i really think it's about writing whatever makes your brain go !!!! and not worrying too much about it!

[photoniccyclone]

SFR Update: Holidays mean Progress! (Probably, maybe)

Hello! It’s been a while since I updated you on SFR progress and that’s largely because for a long period I wasn’t really able to make that much. The weeks that I’ve been gone as well as after I came back have been extremely busy and I had to dedicate my full attention to the task at hand *cough cough* school. You think Sol Regem’s empire in SFR is bad??? pssshhh, please... he has nothing on college.  That’s over for now though, and now I have some weeks of complete free time. I’m hoping I can make at least significant progress during this period. Whether I can write and finish a chapter during this is up in the air and I’m not gonna make any sort of estimations because I know from the past *cough cough* chapters 4 and 5, how well I managed to stick to those. I am hoping to at least take some steps forward though.  Now, this is an *update* so I will tell you about some of the progress I’ve made since the last time I updated you because believe it or not there has actually been some (shocker, Photonic does a thing, unimaginable right?).  Since the last update I have 

--> Jotted down enough notes to form a *very rough* outline of how I want the first arc of this story to progress. Again, this is *extremely rough* so there’s still a lot of blank spaces and a lot of it is throwing ideas around but I came up some pretty cool ideas during this process that I didn’t have before so it was definitely worth while I feel. I just had that feel of *Yeeesssssss* when writing those down. --> I’ve also started working on a general timeline. The Notes I jotted down before were not really in any sequential order, they were more me spewing ideas about what events certain characters or groups of characters could experience as the story progresses. This is where I am now. I was able to start work on this timeline come my break so I have only really been able to jot down the first couple of days after chapter 5 leaves off, but it is definitely starting to come along. I’m also coming up with new ideas to fill the blank spaces during this process.  Currently I feel have enough notes to get a pretty good idea of what I want to include in chapter 6, I don’t think I’ll start on that immediately as I definitely wanna get some other things down before that. I also have some idea of what’s gonna come in future chapters after 6 though this is a lot looser and open to change at the moment. One scene in particular was originally going to be in chapter 6 but may be pushed back to a later chapter giving that I realized the timing probably won’t work out if I put that scene in 6. Actually kinda been a theme of a lot of things in this story, A lot of things getting pushed back as this story expands in scale. 

You heard me mention the first arc of the story above. Currently the way I have SFR planned is that the story could essentially be split into two major arcs. I can’t reveal too much yet but the first arc, the one we’re currently in, will definitely be the more angsty all around of the two. The second arc will likely shift into a more action focus, (though, it will definitely still have it’s angst, in fact, currently I have the darkest scene in SFR (at least in my opinion) planned for this second arc. But the angst occurrences in general will be more spaced out I feel). Arc 2 is still a *while* away tho so best concentrate on the here and now. 

So, that’s really all I have to say for today. If you read this far, thank you for listening to me ramble in text form when I *should* be using this time to work on the dang timeline haha. And thank you for all the support you all have left on the fic so far. Seeing your kudos and reading your comments as well as just your overall reactions, whether inside ao3 or not, as you all experience the story I’m writing... it really means the world to me knowing people care about this dumb universe I’m building with characters that don’t even belong to me.  And if you’ve never heard of SFR before but are interested in this TDP A.U. now, then you can read the existing five chapters using the link below. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/30491499/chapters/75193263

As always don’t hesitate to tell me what you think!

And remember, just because it’s the holidays... do you think Sol Regem cares? No he’s not giving you all time off for the holidays! This is his kingdom now and you play by his rules! Get back to work ya filthy humans!  (No, but seriously, Happy Holidays everyone! Regardless of whether you celebrate any of them or not, I hope you have a great time as we move into the new era of 23!) 

[kellshaw]

New Post has been published on https://kellshaw.com/ive-got-piles-of-worldbuilding-notes-scribbled/

I’ve got piles of worldbuilding notes scribbled across paper notebooks, Scrivener files, and Kanka.io. Now I’ve downloaded Obsidian and will see if I can organise everything in the one place. It was okay when I had one book, but now I’m up to drafting the third, I keep forgetting what color various characters’ eyes are, the dates, what phase the moon should be. Little details like that. I heard that Steven Erikson wrote the Malazan Book of the Fallen without keeping notes—a tremendous feat.

While Obsidian has a fantasy calendar plugin, I need to figure out how to use it better, like embedding dates in notes and having it calculate the ages of characters and things. Kanka.io (a RPG note taking wiki) does this and it’s very handy.

why i write in obsidian.md (and why you should try it!)

hey, hi, have I mentioned my notes app? let me tell you about my notes app! I’ve been writing in obsidian for over a year now, for fanfic and original fiction/worldbuilding (and dungeons and dragons, and life organisation, and a myriad of other things) and so far I’ve gotten at least three people to also start using it, and I am in fact on an endless quest to get more people to try it.

obsidian.md how do i love thee, let me list the ways:

It’s offline. you are not beholden to the whims of wifi!

Did i mention it’s free? it’s free!

you can pay to support the devs, or to access the sync service, but honestly I just use a free file sync service to move things between my desktop/laptop.

It’s super lightweight at its core. you can (and I do) run it with a bunch of plugins and customisation, but at it’s base it’s just text, in simple files. plaintext. readable by anything. your writing is not trapped in proprietary file formats.

HOWEVER you can in fact customise every aspect of it and if you like Making Your Notes Cute I cannot recommend it enough as a Way To Procrastinate Actually Writing

Crucially, you can link your notes. This is phenomenal for not only worldbuilding, but planning, research, outlining and connecting characters and events. You just make a note, type in square brackets, and boom. linked notes. You can make yourself a little writing wikipedia with approximately 0 effort.

I have separate vaults (Instances, pretty much. Big overarching folders with separate sets of content) for my Valloroth project, my day-to-day notes/fanfic, and my D&D game. They’re aesthetically very different, which is so so so great for getting in the right headspace for the work I’m doing.

OH and we have obsidian canvas now! which is a simple mind-mapping feature where you can make and connect note cards, which can also be notes in your vault. I haven’t had a chance to do timelines with it yet, but it’ll be fun for that. I have made relationship charts with it, and it was great for that. If you like visually laying out boxes of information and connecting them into a pepe silvia board of plot, canvas is incredible

this is a pointcrawl map I made for my D&D game. Those red words in the boxes? links to the locations in the city the players were exploring. phenomenal

do you like split screen? you can have multiple notes open at once in horizontal and vertical configurations, and you can also open multiple tabs in each split window. it’s SO great for research and outlining, when you need like ten documents open at once to move between

finally, there are so many addons to COMPLETELY CUSTOMISE your Writing Setup. styling for tags. kanban boards. LINKABLE MAPS. ways to label scenes with metadata and pull just so many different tables/lists of story information. AND SO MANY MORE. I’m gonna do a whole post of my favourite writing plugins at some point so i can yell about them

the only downsides are that it’s somewhat clunky still to export things out of obsidian—I copy my fics into googledocs for my beta, and I have a plugin to make exporting to html easier to post on ao3, but it’s still kinda fiddly. Also, if you want a program that Has Everything and Just Works, this is…not that. you can build a lot of really useful writing specific features, but you do have to build them. it’s a sandbox, so if you don’t like sandbox-style programs, this may not work for you.

that being said, I do think everyone should try it and play with it and love it like I do and convince all their friends to start using it like i did. come play with obsidian with me! it’s fun! there’s a great community in the official discord that’s very active, plus an ever-growing collection of resources, particularly on youtube (highly reccommend Danny Hatcher’s videos as a jumping in point, they’re super accessible imo)

anyway, come try obsidian!

Obsidian – Sharpen your thinking

[spacedace]

I’m glad to find a fellow Stella stan!!! 😄

I just feel like she’d want something other than Danielle (that came from Vlad & implies that she’s just an off-brand Danny) after she figures herself out more and that Danny would give her a space themed name (plus also, you can get Elle out of it, which is my favorite nickname for her haha).

And thank you!! 😭😭❤❤❤

I’ve actually had this sitting for a bit now and was chewing on ideas for it again (my mind is nothing but memes and never ending fic ideas lol) and figured I’d post this since it was the most complete thing I had for it before I ended up leaving it to gather dust again

Also would love an AU name! I saw you tagged it as Snaring Bonds AU and I already love that so much, it really fits how much of a whole thing ™ Elle’s messed up Bonds end up being

and oooohhhh @catastrophic-crow you have made a mistake telling me I can info dump fic idea stuff at you, you’re stuck now there’s no getting of this wild ride 😂

Gonna put the info dumping under the cut to save as many as possible from a “Do you like the color of the sky” length wall of text 😂

Okay so, background world building info: in this fic when a ghost is close to someone and has a great deal of love for them (platonic or romantic) their Cores will form a Bond with them, which appears to the supernaturally inclined as strings/ropes/what-have-you that reach out and tie the two together.

In universe lore it’s where the idea of a “Red String of Fate” comes from. If two or more ghosts that have mutual bonds reincarnate, those bonds will still exist between them in their new lives. As ghosts the bonds appear green, and as living people the bonds appear red. If the bonds are shared between a ghost & and someone living the bond will appear as green & silver.

Platonic bonds can just attach to the person the bond creator has love & affection for no problem, while Romantic ones have to be “anchored” in place. Typically this happens when the romantic love is reciprocated though that’s not always the case. Sometimes - like with Elle, Jon & Damian - the person/people the bond creator loves has to take steps on their end to help anchor the bonds.

Bonds aren’t necessarily forever, they can change or fade or even been removed if need be. Though removing the bonds is a pretty delicate & potentially dangerous process, and really only the Yeti’s in the Far Frozen are skilled enough to do it safely. Removing bonds forcefully can cause massive damage to the ghost’s core or even destroy them outright.

Way too long outline of the context on the fic side of things (and heads up that it gets pretty angsty throughout most of it):

The fic roughly breaks out into 3 parts. With part 1 taking place in the Dark Universe.

Elle, Damian, Jon, Constantine, Bruce, Dick & Zantanna end up getting temporarily sent to an alternate timeline where something happened that caused that universe to experience an apocalyptic event where darkness & void took over, causing the sun & all stars to disappear and the dimension to be cut off from the Infinite Realms permanently (there's no more ectoplasm in this world outside of what is found in people's souls/ghost cores and Elle realizes pretty quickly that if she stays there too long she'll effectively starve to death). While there they meet the Jon, Damian & Elle of that universe who among the very, very few survivors of whatever happened.

AU-Elle is super messed up and feral/animalistic, she's lost grip on her humanity and has only survived in this world by eating ghost's cores or consuming people's souls after they die which is the biggest of biggest taboos in the Infinite Realms. Despite this she still remembers AU-Jon & AU-Damian and does everything she can to protect them and keep them safe. AU-Elle, AU-Jon & AU-Damian have completed bonds and a few months prior to the apocalypse that hit their world they all actually got married which makes things kinda awkward for everyone (though only Elle & Constantine know about the bonds portion of things).

Things happen, they all get separated with Elle ending up with AU-Jon & AU-Damian while AU-Elle ends up with everyone else (sticking close to Jon & Damian, but helping to keep everyone safe. Elle, AU-Jon and AU-Damian end up sleeping together, and end up all feeling weird & guilty about it.

Eventually everyone reunites & gets sent back to their home dimension as the spell that originally sent them there finally ends. Elle decides to go to the Infinite Realms, Damian & Jon assume something bad happened between her and their AU-selves because of how she started avoiding them, and Constantine realizes "Oh, I'm a Dad" right as Elle is leaving and he's not sure he'll ever see her again.

While she's gone the same thing that had happened in the Dark universe starts happening, with stars disappearing and entire galaxies being swallowed up by an ever encroaching blackness.

Which then leads into Part 2: trying to stop the apocalypse.

Elle comes back from the Infinite Realms as everyone is in the midst of trying to figure out what's happening with the encroaching darkness, revealing that she researched it while she was away.

I don't have a name for it yet (been playing with the idea of calling it The Bleak or the Hungry Dark or something like that) or a concrete idea of specifically what it is, but basically it's a corrupted Ancient or something similar that devours universes, infecting them with darkness and slowly killing them bit by bit until nothing is left and moving on to the next one.

Attempts have been made in the past by the Ancients to fight & stop it but nothing has worked and eventually the only option that the Infinite Realms has figured out is to keep it contained by removing the infected universe from the Infinite Realms and basically quarantining it so other universes/the Infinite Realms won't eventually be consumed themselves.

When Elle & Co were sent to the Dark universe, they unintentionally opened a door for the entity to escape into their universe and begin feeding again.

Elle was sent back from the Infinite Realms to try to start the process of organizing evacuation of as many as possible into the Infinite Realms as the plan is to do to the DC universe as what was done to the Dark Universe (the Dark Universe was hit by a full powered entity so there wasn't as much time, the DC universe is being consumed at a much slower rate because the entity was starved for so long).

Neither Elle nor anyone else is willing to just give up like that though so they try and figure out a way to stop it, even knowing that the Ancients weren't able to find a way, with Danny helping to buy them time with the Ancients as long as he can while they do.

Elle keeps avoiding Jon & Damian during all of this, which only makes their fears that their AU-selves did something to her worsen.

Constantine talks to Elle about her Bonds again at some point because they've only gotten worse since he's last seen her, now to the point that she is in physical pain and even passes out from them being wrapped around her neck so tightly. He tries to convince her to get them removed at the Far Frozen, at which point Elle reveals to him that she did try but that Frostbite & the Yetis couldn't actually remove them no matter how many times it was attempted. Elle was effectively told that without them anchoring or changing naturally and without being able to remove them or them, that eventually they'd likely kill her.

This becomes relevant later when Elle discovers that the story behind how the entity was created and comes up with the theory that the entity devouring everything is a result of its core being messed up & its ability to create bonds distorted to the point that it thinks this is the only way to bond with others anymore, and that it keeps devouring entire universes because the more it consumes the more lonely it becomes, unaware of what it's really doing. Elle thinks that if she can get close enough to its actual core, she might be able to stabilize it with her own un-anchored core bonds.

She & Constantine get into multiple shouting matches over it as Constantine (rightly) points out that if she wasn't consumed in attempting to get close to the entity's core, using her own core bonds in such a way would probably kill her.

Everyone goes back and forth on other ideas and time is running out. Elle is out-voted on what plan to go with and the attempt is made, but Elle decides to undermine them and impliment her own plan having everyone taken to her Liar in the Ghost Zone as part of the Infinite Realms' evacuations while she goes to confront the entity.

Elle's plan works and the entity is finally stabilized/healed, but her core bonds are violently ripped out in the process. It doesn't kill her (thankfully) and she is rushed to the Far Frozen because of fear of her Core being damaged.

She ends up waking up and seeming totally fine, with the exception of having permanent bruises around her neck from where her Core bonds used to be.

However, it ends up being revealed that she has no memory what so ever of Jon & Damian anymore. They've completely been deleted from her memories and she just has gaps in the places they used to be.

Which leads to Part 3 where everyone tries to figure out what comes next.

Elle doesn't remember Jon & Damian and is even angry with them to a certain extent because of how much of her life was lost seemingly due to them (from her perspective at least). She knows logically that she must have cared for them deeply for a long time for the forceful removal of her bonds to effect her so much, but at this point they're complete strangers that she has no memory of.

Jon & Damian are heartbroken and trying their best to reconnect with Elle, but it's proving difficult. At length they reveal to Constantine (who is awkwardly dad-ing his way through all this) that they fear that part of the memory loss was willing on Elle's part due to what they suspect their AU-selves did to Elle in the Dark dimension. (They still don't know about the Core bonds or what they mean).

Constantine finally reveals to them what's actually been going on and the two of them are slightly relieved but then even more heartbroken because they feel like all this happened because they unknowingly made Elle believe they didn't reciprocate her feelings.

Then angst, angst, angst, they all end up spending more time together for missions and stuff, Elle realizes that she does actually like them, starts falling for them all over again. And then something something happy ending (the very end isn't super clear in my mind lol).

Anyway yeah that's the rough context of the above.

Believe it or not that's the "short" version 😅 There are some other bits & pieces I didn't add here like a whole subplot with Klarion being around from Part 2 onward and having feelings for Elle and some stuff with Elle trying to get their AU-selves out of the Dark Dimension at some point and some stuff like that.

(I guess I might as well throw this out there again that if anyone is interested in any of this feel free to take it as a prompt lol).

Snippet/prolog thing from a DP x DC fic that lives almost entirely inside my head outside of this & a few other bits.

Please feel free to take this as an overly long prompt haha

If anyone wants context to this let me know and I'll be happy to info dump at you lol

-

The kid had been eleven the first time John Constantine met her.

A little ghost girl, too small for the crowns and dominions that were rightfully hers, wandering the world alone and unattended because to stay in one place would drive her mad - or worse. He didn’t think himself as having a particularly soft heart, but there was something about little Stella Phantom that grew on him - a bit like a mold, he liked to explain. Maybe it was the way she swore like a sailor and kicked a demon in the low hangers with a feral grin the first time he met her. Maybe it was just how lonely she looked, small and slight in the large world she was so obsessed with exploring.

She had a family. A Grave of her own that worried about her, but who couldn’t follow her on her constant travels no matter how much they wanted to. Proof that being some of the most powerful beings in existence wasn’t enough to prepare you for parenthood.

Somewhere along the lines she started following John around. Interested in what he was doing, where he was going, who he worked with. It hadn’t taken long to get her folded into JL Dark. Zantanna had blanched when he’d shown up with little Elle, pulling in the big wigs from JL Light to argue about the ethics of involving a child in their work. As if Supes and the Bat had legs to stand on with their own brood so often in the thick of danger. Elle was safer under his watch than she’d be under the loose oversight the Titans had or whatever fresh hell was going on with Young Justice but hell if anyone would listen to him on that front.

He lost the war when she met Superboy Jr. and Robin V.

She’d adored them from the start, delighted at having children her own age around to spend time with. They formed a little team, working together here and there, then more often as they got older. She still worked mostly with JL Dark, but she was growing up. Spreading her wings a bit.

Elle was seventeen when the Bonds first formed. The spider-silk thin threads finally winding themselves into the heavy binds that spilled out of her Core and reached out for anchoring in the boys. It was sickeningly sweet, in the way puppy love always was. She was too young for Core Bonds like that to settle, of course, in the way children were always too young when they fell in love the first time. It was normal though. Ghost children the Realms over made Bonds only for them to fade or change as they grew, almost never anchoring to anyone til they were full grown.

She’d blushed as red as Marvel’s suit when she realized John could see them, stuttering and embarrassed. He’d teased her about it for a long time, about how much she’d grown up, how much trouble she was going to cause, how he was going to have to fight the big bad Bat and his pet boy scout when she inevitably dishonored their poor, innocent sons. It was entertaining, endearing.

He waited for the Bonds to fade or shift. Weeks. Months. Years. As she turned nineteen, he started to wonder if they would stick around. If in another few years they might strengthen, begin the slow process of anchoring.

She was twenty-one when her boys - calling themselves Flamebird and Phoenix now - started dating each other.

The Bonds remained, steady and solid and painfully unanchored.

John stopped teasing her about them.

They hadn’t changed to accommodate platonic bonds, nor had they faded any. Their tendency to tangle around her like snare was another point of concern. Core Bonds weren’t meant to cause difficulty for the ghost they were born from, and they certainly weren’t meant to wrap around the ghost’s limbs and body in painful loops like that. They weren’t supposed to hurt.

When she was twenty three he started suggesting it might be time for intervention. The irony that he of all people would be trying to get someone to take steps to cut out the thing harming them was not lost on him. Nor was the way the fond feelings he had for the girl had skewed decisively paternal over the years in a way that his younger self would have mocked him for endlessly.

He felt better about broaching the subject knowing that her Grave had been suggesting the same thing. That he wasn’t overstepping the bounds of whatever odd partnership they’d developed over the years. John was, he had very reluctantly come to accept, the girl’s mentor if nothing else. His job was to teach her and guide her, not be her parent.

No matter what his old, battered heart might try and suggest.

Even still, he couldn’t help but be concerned.

She was twenty-five when they got temporarily launched into that broken, bleak world. When they met the Elle and Flamebird and Phoenix of that horrible dimension.

The three alternates’ bonds were anchored completely, tying the triad together in threads of silver and green. Not even Other-Elle’s complete, sickening deterioration into something cannibalistic and feral had been enough to break them. He can’t imagine how much it must have hurt to see that, for his girl to glimpse a world where something she’d longed for for so long happened, only for it to seemingly be at the expense of reality itself.

He helped cover for her, after their two groups had been mixed up and separated for the night - or what might be called night in a world that no longer had any light to make those kinds of distinctions in time. When she came back with the Flamebird and Phoenix of that world, after their little separation from the larger group he kept her two boys misdirected. Distracted Nightwing and Zantanna so they didn’t go asking too many questions he knew Elle wouldn’t want answered. The Bat John was helpless to do much about, but thankfully the big brooder seemed too intent on the desolate, lightless world itself to notice the way Elle’s gaze was going distant, bittersweet at the edges.

He didn’t know what, exactly had happened in the hours she was gone. He could guess, from the way the Other-Phoenix and Other-Flamebird looked at her, the way she avoided her boys. Loneliness and desperation made for an easy slide into bad decisions. John might just have to admit that Zantanna had been correct, all the times she’d said he was a bad influence on the girl. Not that there was any surprise there.

Elle’s Bonds were even more of a knotted mess than before. Offered something so close to anchoring only to find no purchase. They twisted about her throat like a noose now, ready to strangle the life out of her one day.

He signed off on her leave of absence when they finally made it back to their home dimension.

Anyone else would want details to write down. Would want to know the specifics of why and for how long and a whole mess of other details she either wouldn’t or couldn’t answer. He’d get his ass roasted over the fire for the mess the paperwork was in, but that was fine. He’d endured far worse for far less important reasons.

Personal leave, he’d written.

Duration of leave: indefinite.

Reason for leave: None of your fucking business, Bats.

They shared a cigarette on one of the high catwalks in the Watchtower watching dawn break on the world below. Grateful to see the sun and stars again after those two days in utter blackness. They didn’t talk about her Bonds. About what happened. About how she hadn’t talked to her Boys since coming back. Just stood and smoked. He pretended not to notice her tears. She pretended not to notice his. Neither of them had ever been any good at goodbyes.

When the time came she bumped his shoulder in thanks - for the cigarette, for the company, for the years of friendship and family - before turning and stepping through the bright purple door standing impossibly in the middle of the walkway.

He glimpsed the green of the Infinite Realms and the distant shape of her Lair beyond. A world of worlds, paradise to one that never stopped, always off to find something new, something never seen before. It was against all odds that she’d even stumbled upon this one in the first place. A small speck in the crushing infinite.

When the door closed it did so slowly, a painful whine and a soft, mournful click all that marked her leaving.

John watched it bleed out of existence, and wondered if he’d ever see her again.

Six months later, the stars started to disappear.