#I'm having too much fun writing my own fill-in-the-blanks!

[lurking-latinist]

How to Suck Less at Summaries

Probably almost anyone who's ever posted a fic to ao3 or a platform with a similar interface has been hit by that moment of panic, breaking in on the euphoria of having finished and polished a fic--"what do I put for the summary?!"

So much so, that "I suck at summaries" in the summary box has become something of a cliche. It's very understandable! You've already put all that work into writing the fic itself, and now you have to write ANOTHER thing with its own set of conventions and expectations? No way!

And I want to start by saying that that's absolutely fine. Fic writing is your hobby, your creative endeavor; you're not obligated to do anything in it that you don't want to. You can leave the summary box completely blank--ao3 will let you--and there's no reason you shouldn't, if that's what you want to do! If you're happy with your summaries, please don't change them. There's no wrong way to do summaries. This is your invitation to ignore the entire rest of this post!

However. My impression is that an awful lot of people aren't happy with their summaries. They would like to have summaries that catch a reader's attention, that fit common patterns, or that give a good representation of the fic; they're just not sure how to accomplish that, or what readers might be expecting. And the good news is that writing various styles of summaries, like other kinds of writing, is a skill you can improve--and that there are some tips and tricks that can help you write the kinds of summaries you may want to write more quickly.

How do I know? Well, on top of having read I don't know how many fics, I've published 200 of my own, with all different kinds of summaries. (In fact, writing this post is my treat to myself to celebrate publishing 200 fics!) So I have a lot of trial and error experience to draw on. I'll be using my own summaries as examples (plus some hypothetical examples), because I don't want to be nitpicking anyone else's!

I'm going to throw in a cut now because this is gonna get long.

What do you want to accomplish with your summary?

That's the first question you might want to ask yourself. And the answer really is up to you! The name "summary" suggests it's supposed to be a sort of short version of your story. That's one option. But summaries are often used to accomplish various other things, too: some of my favorite summaries don't really tell you anything about the plot of the fic, but instead give you a glimpse of the writer's style or lure you in with a question. It can also fill organizational purposes like commemorating the reason the fic was written (although author notes can also be effective for things like this).

Most fundamentally, I tend to think of the summary box as a place to manage your readers' expectations. I want them to have some sense of what the fic they're about to read might be like, and I want to present that in a way that highlights why it might be appealing to them. Of course, what I write won't be appealing to every reader--and an effective summary, plus accurate tags and ratings of course, allows a reader who won't enjoy what I have to offer to quickly keep scrolling and find something that fits their tastes better. But the way I think of them, summaries are really mainly for readers who will enjoy my fic if they decide to open it. A summary for a fic is like a pretty package for a gift: the gift is great in itself, and the nice gift-wrap makes it more eye-catching and more fun to open!

Sidebar: This "managing expectations" thing is, I think, the reason why authors sometimes add notes in the summary like "I'm sorry if this sucks" or "this is my first fic, it's probably terrible." I completely understand where this comes from--you don't want to make your readers expect some kind of genius literature and then only have something to give them that you yourself are still insecure about! But I really do think they're generally counterproductive. On the one hand, that kind of negative self-talk will tend to undermine your own confidence and make you more insecure about your writing, not less; on the other hand, they can subconsciously prime your readers to notice weaknesses and issues that they might otherwise not even have paid attention to! That doesn't mean you have to pretend you think your writing is perfect; very few of us do think what we post on fic archives is perfect. There's nothing wrong, even, with a note like "this is my first fic" or "this one is a bit experimental, I'm not sure how I feel about it" or "this wasn't written in my first language" or even "this is an old fic and I don't think it represents my best work anymore", although I tend to put that kind of commentary on craft in the author's notes rather than the summary, but that's just me; there's no rule. As an example, when I recently published my first fic in the Hornblower fandom, which has a historical setting I wasn't previously very familiar with, I thanked my beta for helping me avoid "historical howlers" and added "any remaining are my own responsibility." That made me feel better about potential mistakes in research by showing that I was aware I might have made some. I put this in an author's note at the end of the story. But, for the sake of you as a writer as well as me as a reader, I'm asking you--please don't start out our reader/writer relationship by telling me it's terrible! Give yourself a chance to shine. Even if there's a lot you're insecure about in your fic, there's something you love--maybe it's the premise, the ship, even one particular line--that makes you want to share it with the world. Use the summary to highlight that. As your reader, that's what I want to know about!

Anyway, now that you've decided what you want your summary to accomplish, there are a couple of very easy ways to fill the summary box that you might want to consider--if they make sense for your fic.

Just quote the prompt

When I write prompt-fic, often very short, I frequently just quote the prompt itself as the summary. An example would be my 3 Sentence Ficathon fic archived on ao3. Since the challenge in this event is to write a complete fic in only three sentences, a summary wouldn't be much shorter than the fic itself! So I just do summaries like

For reeby10's prompt: "Doctor Who, Clara/Twelve, unforgettable."

(Gaps)

This can work outside of prompt memes, too. If you're doing a monthly challenge, for instance, something like

Flufftember day 21, 'breakfast in bed'

might tell your readers all they need to know to be interested in your story and know what to expect.

Set the context

For some fic, the most important thing you want your readers to know going in is something about the fic's context. For instance, with drabbles I sometimes use the summary as a place to sneak in information about setting/what's supposed to be happening that I didn't have room for in the drabble itself. For Susan's Twist, a 100-word drabble, I set the scene in the summary:

Susan is grooving to the latest chart-topper of 1963. But for some reason, the song makes her grandfather uncomfortable.

which meant I didn't have to use any of my 100 words explaining "Susan was listening to the radio, when..." Since Susan's Twist was inspired by someone else's Tumblr post, I could also just have referenced that post in the summary. But in this case, I chose to phrase the premise in my own words in the summary, and cite the Tumblr post in the author's notes (I also tagged the OP when I shared the fic on Tumblr).

Flower Children is an example of a drabble with a not particularly effective summary where I could have used this strategy quite effectively. The summary is just

Neither of them wants to fight.

which is all right, but which doesn't do much to set up the (admittedly cracky) Eighth Doctor/Dalek Oswin pairing that motivates the fic. But then, I've always felt like I didn't have quite as much of an idea as I'd like about what the context for this fic is supposed to be. Maybe I'll write more about them sometime.

Setting the context can also be useful for summaries of AUs. Very often, what draws people into AUs is the AU concept itself.

For instance, the premise of my story te quaerens, Ariadna is that the events of the audio Zagreus go differently and the Doctor remains possessed by/transformed into Zagreus. So that's what I said in the summary:

The Doctor is still Zagreus, but he and Charley find ways to keep going.

In this case, the summary is accomplishing more than one thing; it explains the concept, but it also indicates a bit of the story's tone--it's fairly optimistic given its premise, and it's more about how their relationship evolves than any particular plotty event.

With setting change AUs--especially in familiar AU settings, like a coffeeshop, high school, or fantasy monarchy--often what readers will most want to know is what roles the characters are filling; in other words, how the translation from canon to AU has been made. For instance, my story Warmth is already tagged as a coffeeshop AU with the Fifth Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan, and Adric, so the summary indicates that it's told from the perspective of Tegan as a new employee:

Unexpectedly stranded in London and looking for work, Tegan finds a place where she just might fit in.

If she had been a longtime employee or a customer, that would have changed the story's dynamics, and I would have wanted the summary to reflect that instead. I could have also added that the Doctor is the shop's manager and Nyssa and Adric are the existing employees, but I decided to let the story itself reveal that in this case.

With someone's planted a bath bomb in the matrix, which is a retail AU inspired by an incorrect quotes tumblr post, I just stuck the whole tumblr post in the summary box:

Romana: When you work at lush and a customer comes in and bites the soap because they think it’s cheese… this happens way more frequently than you think. Leela: If you stopped literally presenting soap as deli food this wouldn't happen. Narvin: Who goes into a bath store and thinks something covered in glitter is cheese? Brax: Who goes to the store and just takes a bite from the cheese? ~incorrectgallifreyquotes.tumblr.com

I might do that a bit differently now--maybe more the way I handled Susan's Twist--maybe something like this in the summary:

An uptight employee and a too-suave customer are making Romana's job managing a bath store way too stressful. Thank goodness--probably--that her best friend works for mall security.

And then I'd have put the tumblr post that inspired it in author's notes.

Thing is, though, that reflects my taste and what I think is effective now, but it doesn't mean I did it wrong the first time. People read and enjoyed the story, and it was fine!

Also I just showed this post to Moki and she said she thinks the first one's more intriguing. So that just goes to show, it's really a matter of taste.

This strategy is also useful for missing scenes and things like that. Something as simple as

While waiting for Z to return from the rendezvous, X and Y have a conversation.

can draw in readers very effectively, especially if X and Y's conversation was kind of obviously a gap in the story that they might already be curious about.

Use a quote

A surprisingly effective and straightforward way to create a summary is just to use a quote from the fic. I've seen tons of great summaries like this that hook me in immediately. I struggle with using it myself, because I want the line I quote to be powerful/impactful/intriguing and give some sense of what the plot is like and make sense out of context, and I don't often seem to be able to find lines like that in my own work. But I did for The Moon by Night:

It could not have been more than a day that we clung to the hull of that station full of troopers.

Since this is a space AU for a historical fiction novel, this line gives some sense of how the events of the story have been translated into space, and also shows the voice I'm writing in (I tried to follow the style of the original, which is first-person, which is unusual for me). If you can find a line like that in your work, it can be a great summary. You can even just put the first couple of lines of the fic, especially if you've already worked to make them an effective hook!

You can also use a quote from another source. Was there a line or moment from canon that inspired the fic? A poem or song that fits its mood? You can use the summary as a sort of epigraph. (I often use author's notes for this as well.) If your readers vibe with the quote that inspired the story, they're likely to vibe with the story as well.

I did something like this with Absent thee from felicity awhile. The title is a quote from Shakespeare's Hamlet, and all I put in the summary box was another quote from a couple of lines later:

…to tell my story.

This is so short and contextless, though, that I'm not sure how effective it was. It maybe only works if you recognize the specific Hamlet scene that it's taken from and have thought about that scene in the context of a specific episode of Hornblower. (I promise that, if you do, it's heartbreakingly ironic!) This could have been a good opportunity for me to do a double summary (see below), especially since the story is epistolary and I could've established its context. Although I did kind of like revealing who was reading the letter and when slowly over the course of the story.

Okay, but I do want to explain the plot

Right, so we've established that effective summaries don't have to be in that "back of the book blurb" format. But sometimes you want them to be. Sometimes the thing you're most excited about is the story's plot or events, and you want to communicate that to the reader. But you already wrote the story in order to communicate the plot to the reader; how do you condense it into a sentence or two? Here are some tips that may help.

Are you using familiar tropes? If so, just mentioning them will likely tell your reader not only what the plot is, but that (if they like that trope) they're likely to enjoy it. For instance:

A and B are trapped in a snow cave/ice planet/walk-in freezer and must huddle for warmth.

That particular one will also explain a bit about the setting, if you want.

Relationship status/development is also something that many readers want to know, whether it's a romantic or a gen relationship (e.g. characters becoming friends or realizing they see each other as family). For instance, if A and B admit their romantic feelings for the first time in that huddling for warmth story, you might add:

They get a lot closer than either of them expects...

I rather like ellipses at the end of a summary; I think they imply, sort of, "read the fic to find out the rest." I sometimes use them to soften a summary that feels a bit abrupt. I feel like this might be just me, though? So if you don't like ellipses, nothing wrong with ending that same summary with a period.

If you have a fic where the entire content is some emotional development between characters, the entire summary can easily be that too!

I don't really write smut so I don't have good advice for summarizing it, but I get the feeling this might be a relevant strategy for it?

What changes in the story? This could be a change in characters' attitudes towards each other, in the information they have, in their physical situation, or anything else. A story doesn't have to be about one single major change, but there's almost always at least one. (Or a change fails to happen, but in an interesting way: "five times Lois Lane didn't realize Clark was Superman" would be a perfectly intriguing summary!)

What demands are made of the characters? Many stories involve a character overcoming some kind of challenge or meeting some kind of test. A summary can indicate what that challenge is--and you don't have to indicate whether or how the characters meet it! This can contribute to a feeling of suspense, so that the reader feels they need to read the story to find out how the characters react. For instance, I summarized my story Journey as:

The Doctor and Ace need to stop a dimensional leakage to put a life-sucking entity back where it belongs. But to do so, they'll each need to protect the other in their own way.

What are their own ways? Do they succeed? The reader can probably guess that they do--but how? Their attention is caught, and they'll have to read to find out!

Some notes on format and style

Summary style is as personal as the rest of your writing style, so this is only intended as a mention of a couple of trends I've noticed.

Sometimes summaries are 'in-universe'--i.e. they describe the characters and what they do, without reference to the existence of the fic itself as a textual entity--and sometimes, like the "five times" example I gave above, they refer to the fic's format, characteristics, relationship to canon, etc. in direct terms. (For instance, the example I gave for a missing scene was 'in-universe,' but I could just as well have said "While waiting for Z to return during Episode 3..."). Either of these approaches are fine, although I personally tend to incline more towards the in-universe style unless I have a particular reason to use the other, such as in Differences of Opinion, which took a lot of metatextual explaining:

When I read enough easily-crossed-over stories, such as for instance the Age of Sail books that I have been reading lately and also spaceship stories inspired thereby, what inevitably happens is I end up with a nebulous meta crossover setting where they can all hang out outside of their respective canons. Here's one conversation from that setting.

I keep wondering if something more terse might have been more effective, and I could have put all that in the author's notes. But I really think that for anyone who would enjoy this fic, the metatextual complication is a big part of the appeal. So I put it in the summary.

It's pretty standard to write in-universe-style summaries in the present tense, even if the fic is in the past tense. "The characters do this and that," not "the characters did this and that." You don't have to, but it's what your reader is most likely to be expecting.

It seems to be quite common to have a double summary: one that maybe reflects the style and tone of the fic, and another, more matter-of-fact one that explains the plot. They're frequently joined by "or." I don't typically use it--maybe because I rarely have the problem of having too much summary--but if you do, this could be a great solution.

Spellcheck and proofread your summary extra. Whatever strategies you normally use to make sure the words in your story are the words you actually meant to write, it's a good idea to turn those strategies on the summary with special intensity. After all, this is your first impression on your reader, so you probably want to look as polished as possible!

These are just a few things I've noticed that I tend to think about when staring at that blinking cursor in the summary box. I hope they may help you, too, to feel like you have something to say in that moment!

[st-eve-barnes]

You know that I'm no good (chapter 3)

(modern Aegon x Reader, modern Sihtric x Reader)

Summary: You want Sihtric. Aegon wants Skade. There's only one small problem: Sihtric and Skade are dating each other.

This chapter: You and Aegon start operation fake dating, and you finally officially meet Sihtric.

Warning for the entire series: 18+ for explicit language and smut. Angst/comfort/fluff. Fake dating and so much mutual pining. Mentions of depression/drinking/self harm.

This is an Aegon x Reader fic with a bit of Sihtric x Reader on the side. I've wanted to write a modern AU that combines The Last Kingdom and House of the dragon for a while now so here it is!

Word count: +2700

Read Chapter 1 and Chapter 2

***

All my fics are also on AO3

***

Summer may not be your favorite season but it was the best time to live in the city. There were festivals, evening markets, open air performances, food trucks, movies nights by the river and parties that went on until after sunrise. There was something to do every night and Aegon wanted to attend them all.

“Do you not have a job at all?” you texted him that Wednesday night after closing up the bookstore and walking back to your apartment.

“I’m a man of leisure,” he texted back with that sunglasses emoji, making you roll your eyes again.

“How fun for you!” you texted back and then your phone rang. It was Aegon.

“Hey, sweetie pie,” he teased,”Where are you?”

“On my way home from work, you know that thing us peasants need to actually make money and be able to afford things.”

He laughed,”Cute. Listen, there’s a party at Jace’s place tonight, we should go.”

“I have work in the morning, Aegon.”

“Then we’ll make sure not to stay too long, come on, everyone will be there, this is our shot.”

You sighed,”I have to get home and I still have a bunch of emails to get through, and then I have to cook and shower and change and…”

“I’ll buy you dinner on the way there, my treat.”

You stayed quiet for a moment. He was right, if you wanted to go for it you couldn’t keep using work and being tired as an excuse to postpone the whole thing. You had to actually go for it, and what better time than right now?

“Give me a few hours to get ready,” you answered,”Where should I meet you?”

“I’ll come pick you up around nine.”

And with that he hung up.

***

Aegon Targaryen was strolling around in your small living room admiring your book shelves. It felt strange having him up here, the only people who frequently visited your home were your parents and Helaena. You hadn’t had a guy up here in ages.

“So, I like what you’ve not done with the place,” he remarked and gave you a cheeky smile.

“I don’t like cluttered spaces,” you said as if that explained why your apartment was pretty much a blank canvas. White walls, white kitchen and nothing but a standard green couch and small coffee table in the living room, the only things that made this space your own were some books, dvd’s and a few small plants. And you liked it that way.

Your apartment was a perfect metaphor for your live, empty but filled with so many possibilities.

“No, I like it,” Aegon said and he turned around when you stepped out of the kitchen.

“Is this okay?” you asked, giving him a twirl and showing off the white summer dress you had chosen to wear. 

He gave you a whistle, making you laugh.

“I thought…since you were in all white as well today we may as well coordinate, look like a real couple,” you explained.

“Good idea, you ready?”

You nodded but sighed,”I don’t know, maybe I need some more make up.”

“You don’t,” Aegon reassured you but you weren’t convinced, looking at yourself in the hallway mirror with doubt in your eyes.

Aegon was perceptive, as usual. He walked over to you and placed both hands on your shoulders, pushing you out in front of him and towards the mirror. You avoided your own reflection.“What are you doing?”

“Look,” he asked, firmly,”Look at yourself.”

You hesitantly did as he asked.

“What don’t you like?”

“Aegon,” you sighed.

“Work with me cause I’m not gonna let this go until you do and we’re already late. Look and tell me what bothers you.”

“Everything,” you sighed.

“That’s too easy,” he shook his head, not letting you off the hook that quickly,”Give me details.”

“I’m not skinny enough,” you then confessed, softly and your eyes met his in the mirror.

“That’s bullshit,” he moved his one hand down to your hip,”Don’t believe what stupid magazines and Instagram are telling you, your curves are absolutely perfect, trust me. I don’t know any guy who wouldn’t wanna tap that.”

“Um…thanks?”you gave him a confused look but couldn’t deny his words made you feel slightly better.

“What else?” he asked.

“My face,” you added.

“What’s wrong with your face?”

“I’m just…not pretty enough.”

There was no quick come back from Aegon this time, instead he just stared at you in the mirror.

“Who made you believe that, huh?” he then asked, a serious tone to his voice that surprised you.

You turned around to look at him,”Not one person in particular, just…I don’t know, I guess I’ve always felt a little insecure about the way I look compared to other girls. It comes and goes but lately…”

“You’re beautiful,” he interrupted you,”You must know that.”

You smiled but it didn’t reach your eyes,”You’re kind, and you can say that but…at the end of the day you’d still prefer a girl like Skade.”

He avoided your eyes and sighed,“Now that’s not fair.”

“Maybe not but it’s the way the world works, Aegon, we both know it. It’s fine,” you reassured him.

“Will you at least believe me when I say you look beautiful?”

“No,” you shook your head,”But I thank you for saying it anyway, for trying to make me feel better, that’s really sweet. Can we go now?”

***

The party at Jace’s house was already in full swing by the time you and Aegon arrived. There was a group of people in the swimming pool while others were sitting on the grass having some drinks and there was an improvised dance floor out on the terrace.

Heleana pulled you into a hug as soon as she noticed you guys, then she gave Aegon an annoyed look and a fake smile, which he returned with an even faker smile of his own and a little theatrical wave. You couldn’t help but laugh at them both.

“Come on,” she grinned,”Let’s get you drunk.”

She pulled you with her to the bar.

“Hey, don’t steal my girlfriend for too long!” Aegon yelled after you both.

Helaena ignored him as usual and moved behind the bar to grab you both some drinks. 

“You look stunning tonight, babe,” she complimented you with a smile.

“Not as stunning as you though,” you returned the compliment and accepted whatever alcoholic beverage she gave you.

“How are things with my idiot brother?” she then asked,”I gather you’re going to continue with the plan?”

She whispered those last words as if they would reveal what the big plan was, making you smile.

“Yes, we are, I’ve got nothing to lose, right?” you took a sip from your drink,”And Aegon’s kinda nice actually, he took me out for pizza before we came here.”

“Did he now?” Helaena quirked her eye brow.

“What?” you asked.

“Nothing, “she shrugged,”Just…be careful with him, alright? Remember what I told you.”

“I believe your words were he’s an unreliable whore.”

Helaena couldn’t help but snicker but she nodded her head.

“I know who he is, Hel, you don’t need to worry.”

“I just don’t want you to get hurt. Promise me you’re not going to fall for him.”

You had to laugh at that.“Can you give me some credit here? It’s Aegon for Gods’ sake, besides he’s not my type, my type is the one we’re doing this all for, remember? And speaking of Sihtric, is he here tonight?”

“I may have seen him by the pool earlier,” she grinned,”Looking particularly good in nothing but his tiny swim shorts.”

“Are you serious?!” your eyes widened and Helaena laughed.

“No but your face was priceless,” she teased and you hit her arm.

“He’s here though,” she then reassured you,”But he is wearing pants and a shirt, sorry to disappoint.”

“And Skade?” you asked carefully.

“Haven’t seen her yet actually, but I’m sure she’ll arrive any time now.”

You both made your way over to the garden, finding Aegon by the snack table.

“I’m off to the dance floor,” Helaena excused herself,”I’ll leave you to your boyfriend.”

You waved her goodbye and tapped Aegon on the shoulder. His face lit up when he saw it was you.

“Hey, honeybun,” he grinned.

“Are you going to call me every pet name in the book?” 

“That’s the plan, you can do the same for me if you want, girlfriend.”

You rolled your eyes but smiled at him all the same. You just couldn’t help it, even when he was annoying he was kind of endearing as well.

“Wanna find a quiet spot to sit?” he suggested.

“Sure, idiot,” you joked and followed him towards the house, surprised when suddenly Aegon reached back for your hand. You placed your hand in his and allowed him to pull you with him. 

When you walked up the stairs towards the patio you passed by Sihtric and Skade, explaining why Aegon had chosen to hold your hand and activate the plan.

They weren’t kissing or hugging this time and when you walked by your eyes met with Sihtric’s. It was brief but it was enough to make you feel flustered. You couldn’t stop your lips from curling up into a smile. He had never even looked your way before and now there he was, staring right into your eyes. And he looked more beautiful than ever.

Aegon chose a spot not too far away from them, making sure you were both in their line of sight.

As you sat down next to him he placed his hand on the small of your back, rubbing it softly, sitting deliberately close to you as he started talking about the latest movie he watched. 

The conversation was meaningless and unimportant but he made it look like it was the most intimate chat imaginable, leaning closer to make it look like he was whispering into your ear while he explained the movie plot, then casually putting a few locks of hair behind your ear and caressing your cheek in the process.

His eyes sneaked a peak over your shoulder, a satisfied grin on his face when he noticed Skade looking back at him as well.

Aegon’s hands were making it difficult for you to focus and that warm feeling in the pit of your stomach was back. You liked how it felt when he touched you and it was confusing you a little. But this wasn’t about Aegon, it couldn’t be, you didn’t want him that way. You were just so touch starved any form of affection from a guy would probably make you feel better, it meant nothing.

When he leaned in and softly kissed your cheek you shivered.

“You alright?” Aegon checked.

“Hmm,” you nodded and then he leaned in again, nuzzling your cheek.

“Touch me,” he whispered against your skin.

You didn’t hesitate and placed your hands on his stomach while you leaned into him. Aegon wrapped both arms around you, pulling you into a soft hug. You melted into him so easily, his body warm and soft yet firm at the same time. His left hand moved into your hair, gently caressing your scalp while the other rubbed soft circles on your back. You sighed into the hug and you could feel him smile against your cheek.

He held you for what felt like forever and at the same time it didn’t feel like long enough.

You avoided his eyes when you finally leaned back, his hand still cupping your neck and then he placed a soft lingering kiss on your forehead. Your hands were still caressing his stomach and chest, you just couldn’t will yourself to stop and this time he was the one sighing happily into your touch, putting a smile on your face.

When you both leaned back it was your turn to look away and check if Sihtric had watched the whole thing. You couldn’t be sure but him and Skade seemed to be involved in their own intense conversation and neither of them looked very happy.

Aegon was looking at you out of the corner of his eye as he took a long sip from his drink. Neither of you spoke for a while and he didn’t touch you again right away.

The silence was adding to your confusion and then Aegon abruptly stood up,”I’ll go get us some more drinks.”

And with that he was gone, leaving you to sit by yourself. You waited for twenty minutes but he didn’t show and neither did those drinks. Tired of waiting you decided to head to the bar yourself, finding it empty and Aegon nowhere to be seen.

You sighed and opened the fridge behind the bar to find yourself a drink.

“Any more beers in there?”

The male voice made you look up and then your brain shut down completely.

Sihtric was standing right in front of you, a friendly smile on his beautiful face as he waited for you to answer.

It took an embarrassingly long time for you to find your words and get your mouth to function again.

“Sure,” you eventually managed and grabbed him a bottle from the fridge,”Here you go.”

Your hand was shaking a little as you gave it to him but either he didn’t notice or he chose to ignore it.

“Thanks,” he smiled,”I don’t think I’ve seen you around at these parties before?”

You had expected him to just take the beer and leave you to it but he was actually trying to start up a conversation with you and you were totally unprepared for this. 

“I’ve been to a few,” you answered truthfully, trying to sound casual,”Maybe we just missed each other. I’m Y/N.”

Sihtric reached out his hand to you,”I’m Sihtric. Nice to see you, Y/N.”

“Nice to meet you as well,” you shook his hand and gave him a sweet smile, trying not to focus too hard on how warm and big his hand felt around yours.

“So, you are Aegon’s girl?” he then asked.

The words sounded very surreal coming from the guy you’d been crushing on for so long but you managed to just nod your head and smile,”Yep, that’s me. You know Aegon?”

”No but Skade, my..um…girlfriend, used to know him.”

“I see,” you took a sip from your drink, not breaking eye contact with him and you noticed he did the same. He hadn’t looked away from you since you’d started talking. 

He was gorgeous up close like this. And even better than that, he was actually nice.

“Maybe we should double date some time,” he then suggested, keeping his eyes on you for a little while longer until he finally looked away,”I’ll see around, lady Y/N.”

He stepped away but not before giving you a small wink and another smile.

You were frozen on the spot. Lady Y/N? Was he flirting with you? That was flirting, right? You’d been out of the game for a long time but you couldn’t remember guys just winking at you and giving you nicknames, unless they wanted to date you.

You were pulled from your haze when Aegon grabbed your hand.

“Hey, princess,” he smiled,”Sorry, I ran into some friends and got side tracked, I see you managed to get that drink.”

“Oh, I managed to get a lot more,” you laughed.

“Like what?”

“Like an invite to a double date with Skade and Sihtric.”

Aegon almost choked on his drink,”For real?”

“That’s what he said,” you shrugged.

“Oh, this is good, this is really good! Well done, baby,” he kissed your cheek again, his lips lingering a little longer than necessary, making your stomach flutter, again.

Just like last time you ignored it. 

Because this wasn’t about Aegon. Whatever this thing with him was it would fade as soon as you could get closer to the real love of your life, Sihtric, not Helaena’s dumb brother Aegon, that would be completely ridiculous.

“Hey,” Aegon laced his fingers with yours and pulled you from your thoughts. Then he leaned in to put another sweet kiss on your temple. When he looked into your eyes afterwards his gaze was intense and darker than before, you couldn’t drag your eyes away from him. 

For a moment it looked like he was going to lean in and kiss you for real. And for a moment you really really wanted him to, which was of course completely ridiculous.

“Come on,” he then smiled,”Let’s get you another drink, sweetheart.”

[my-soupy-brain]

hello! i found your blog cause my jason sudeikis obsession has been insane as of late, especially last man on earth as that's what i'm rewatching rn (it's such a small fandom and you're the first person i've seen make mike miller content i am so grateful 🙏💙) i wanted to ask for another mike fic please if you'd be up to it (i understand how fandoms and interests fluctuate, happens a lot in my own art so it's totally cool if not!) i don't really have any specific requests, i've enjoyed all your fics so just anything with mike would be really cool! (also i apologize if i'm requesting this wrong) ty for all your fics, i love and appreciate your writing so much!!

OH YES MY UNICORN! Mike Miller fun coming up. I'll keep writing for him too because he's my favorite character behind Ted. I just loved that show so much and I'm sad it's over. So let's fill in the blanks with Mike's life -- and his quest for love, shall we?!

---

Relationship: Mike Miller x reader (F)

Warnings: As with all Mike content, cute + smut ahead

---

Mike stopped and stood slightly behind a tree as he watched you.

You were on your knees in your garden, plucking up some vegetables from the earth, knocking off the dirt, and placing them in a basket.

You moved to the tomatoes next, yanking them off the vine, smiling at how red and juicy they were in the kind heat of the West Coast.

The home behind you looked to be yours, he guessed. A beach-style mid-century modern bungalow. Based on the wild wind in your hair and the round sunglasses perched on your nose, you and the building looked to be a good match.

He knew he had to approach carefully. He didn't want to startle you. And hell, you might not even be alone.

So he walked. Slowly.

"Ummm..."

You jumped at the sound of a...voice? A human voice?!

"OH MY GOD WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT DO YOU WANT?!"

You were startled, hands held up in front of you as if you were expecting to be harmed.

Mike quickly shook his head, his eyebrows bunching as his hands went up defensively, too.

"No, no! Not like that, no, I'm not going to hurt you. My name is Mike. Miller. Mike Miller. And I... I've been on my own for... a while, and umm..."

He's stumbling. He's watching your pretty eyes relax, your mouth loosen, your shoulders drop.

You nod quietly and smile gently.

"Mike... it's nice to meet you. You... you've been on your own? Me, too. I'm Y/N. I'm so sorry to be so frightened."

Mike shakes his head.

"Oh, God, don't be. I'm sorry I frightened you. You're the first person I've seen in a... a long time. It's... it's nice to meet you, Y/N."

Mike offers a strong hand, vascular, with toned forearms. He's got a sturdy build to him, broad shouldered and broad chest, soft but sculpted. His long, brown-auburn hair is a bit shaggy on him, maybe starting to curl on the ends. He's got a scruffy, short beard growing in with specs of gray.

"You, too...Mike. Would you...like to come in?"

Mike nods. "Love to."

...

Mike watches as you rinse the vegetables from the garden. He takes in your bare feet, the hippy-style skirt, the baggy shirt knotted in the front.

You turn to look at him while you wipe down the tomatoes.

"So, tell me all about yourself, Mike."

He smiles, because you smile. Genuine. Happy. Lovely.

He tells you how he was on the space station. Came back to Earth alone. Plopped into the ocean. He talks about finding his brother, and the group. He sighs sadly as he says Phil's name, but adds he wanted to go out on his own. See if he could find others.

"And I found you."

You smile, squeezing his shoulder as you walk behind him to the other side of the kitchen.

The contact from you felt...

electric.

You tell him about your journey -- making your way west where you could actually plant and rely on weather. Losing your family, your divorce before the pandemic took everyone away.

"So you're here alone?" Mike asks, taking a sip of the tea you made him. You nod.

"I'm sorry it's been so hard for you," he adds quietly. You smile softly.

"I'm sorry it's been hard for all of us.

...

By evening you're making dinner. Fresh pasta with vegetables and a garlic lemon sauce, thanks to the lemon tree out back.

Mike marvels at the way you work and helps you roll out the pasta dough to slice thin. He likes to watch the flour on your hands, up your arms, even on your cheek where you scratched an itch.

He wants to touch you.

In the time you've worked together at the counter, you've learned each other's favorite music, favorite movies, likes and dislikes. You have a lot of the same, and a lot of differences, too.

You like him.

Mike likes you, too.

When you serve up his plate and pour him a glass of expensive wine -- because who else is going to drink the remarkable vineyards left behind? - he could melt.

Dinner is delicious, of course, and he's grateful for the hospitality.

"You're welcome to stay as long as you like," you offer, cleaning the dishes in the sink. "I don't have anyone else here and it's a good sized house."

Mike smiles softly. If it's up to him, he wouldn't be in his own room for long.

If it's up to you, you don't want him to be, either.

But you don't say that, and neither does he.

Mike stands to help you at the sink, grabbing a dry towel to wipe down the plates and dishes.

"Thank you," you offer, turning to smile at him. He smiles back, getting lost in your eyes.

"You're welcome. Oh..." he murmurs, leaning closer. "You have an eyelash on your cheek. Make a wish," he offers, his warm, masculine finger swiping the black crescent from your face and holding it out on his fingertip.

You giggle and close your eyes, blowing gently.

He can't wait a second longer. It's been too long. Everything feels too right. You're here, he's here. You found each other for a reason. And he wasn't a guy who believed in star alignment and all that mumbo jumbo.

He tugs you toward him with one hand, low on your waist, his lips finding yours effortlessly, as if...as if...

As if that's exactly what you wished for. Because it was.

Your hands go around his neck to kiss him back. It's like the first time you've ever been kissed, but a million times better. Because you both know what you're doing.

Deep pockets of air go through your noses, his other hand cups your face gently, like a goddamn romance novel.

The moan that escapes your chest has his blood humming with desire, your tongues meeting more aggressively, full-on making out like teenagers with parents out of town.

He cages you against the counter a little, and you're tempted to hop up and let him between your legs. As you start to edge up to the counter, Mike stops you.

"Bedroom?" he asks, your chest rising and falling fast with adrenaline. "I want you, I want...you... in a bed..." he adds, making your knees knock together.

Your cheeks blush crimson as you take his hand and walk him to the bedroom, not far away. He doesn't waste a minute taking in the beachy coziness of the king bed and the duvet and the flowers you've got in vases...

He's too busy finding your lips again, his hands touring your body, moving the two of you toward the bed.

God, it's been so long. So fucking long.

Instead of pushing your skirt down, his hands slide up against the fabric, bunching it as he goes, finding your ass and grabbing it, running his palms over the fleshiness of your hips.

Despite the state of the world and your change in diet, you never lost some of the softest parts of you - which you thought were unfortunate but Mike...

"Goddamn," he mutters, practically growling. "You're fucking beautiful."

You shiver at this, and he smiles, his lips going down your neck now, his hands on a running journey over your body as you back up toward the bed and lean down, bringing him over you.

His knee between your legs gives you ample opportunity for friction, your hips swirling against him, letting the throbbing core of you get some relief.

It makes you fucking shake.

It's been years since you've made love... truly, really, made love. And this is blowing your fucking mind in a thousand directions.

He likes how you feel when you move against his knee, his thigh, and he pushes against you to help you along.

"Oh, oh fuck..." you murmur between kisses. Mike can tell by your trembling what's happening.

"Let it happen, it's okay. I want it to happen," he whispers. "Good girl."

Boom! The cord snaps, your body shakes and convulses, your come slicking your panties and probably through onto his jeans. His hands touch you gently, your body so sensitive like a firework.

"Mmmm... that's it," he whispers, your hips still moving slowly against him. "Get as much as you want."

Your breath is catching as you look back up into his dark-hazel eyes, his lips smiling at you. His hand gently cups your face when you kiss again, and he pulls away.

"That was one of the hottest things that's ever happened to me," Mike adds, chuckling so softly into your hair that you can't help but join him.

Your hands roam down his sturdy chest and to the front of his pants and he groans a little louder.

"Been a long time for you, too?" you ask softly, and he nods quickly.

"Way, way too long."

You smile brightly and kiss him again, sliding his open button-down off his arms, letting it fall to the floor. His tshirt goes next, and your hands can finally touch the masculine length of his stomach and chest and that beautiful pattern of chest hair all over.

His own hands get to work sliding your skirt off, then your shirt. Rolling to the center of the bed you have plenty of room to explore and play.

You smile at him, kissing him.

"Are you sure?" you ask quietly, taking him by surprise. A beautiful smile curls his lips, a dimple in his cheek.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because... I'm just the first gal you've seen since you left your group. What if there's someone else?"

Mike looks down at the rise and fall of your chest, the glow on your face, the blush of your cheeks. His mind goes back to the dinner, the conversation, how right it all feels.

"Not a chance I'll want anyone but you," he whispers, leaning in to kiss you. When he kicks his pants away, he pulls the cover up with him and you both smile, kissing, while his cock pushes into you.

Slow. So slow.

A gentle tug, a tight squeeze. It's been a while for you both. And his own low growl indicates it feels just as good for him as it does you. So you nod at each other with a smile, moving slow together first, then a little faster, then a little harder and deeper.

Hands pull and squeeze and grasp, and you get a little louder.

A lot louder, because who's here to hear you? No one.

Your legs wrap around him, his body buried inside yours, nails scratching down his back gently, moaning... panting... chanting...cursing.

"Never...felt...so good..." he musters with a heavy breath. "Oh, fuck..."

His big hand holds your thigh, grabs your ass, your breast, then cups your face as he kisses you.

If this is what making love is, well, you've never had this before. So you let your bodies moan, you let the sweat come together, you make each other see fucking stars.

His fingers lace with yours, your lips meet and your body shudders under him, the romance of it all, the tender touch and kisses he gives you...

"Oh, my God..."

Mike smiles to himself, kissing your neck, whispering: "Yeah, that's OK. I want to feel it."

Your body unleashes and you tuck your lips against his neck, your hands clutch his back...and just before he meets you over the edge, he pulls out and comes on your stomach.

His breath is panting, your breath is panting, and without a care, he leans back over you to kiss you.

"I wanted to go longer," he jokes, chuckling a warm fan of air over your lips. You smile and hold his face sweetly.

"I don't think we could've done that no matter how hard we tried. It was too..."

"Perfect."

He kisses your lips again, his fingers and palm brushing the hair off your face. And then you're both giggling like high schoolers.

"So... are you...um... gonna sleep in my bed?"

Mike looks at you with a playful smirk, and then around at the king-size bed.

"If that's OK with you, I think there's plenty of room..."

You laugh again and he smiles, nuzzling against you.

"There is definitely room, but I bet we don't drift too far from each other."

A soft smile is exchanged between you and he raises your knuckles to his lips to kiss.

"I don't think we will, either."

---

That was way mushier/romantic/sweet than even I expected it to be but I'm in such a "oh, I need touch and love and adoration" type of mood lately. Loneliness? I don't know. Whatever it is, this. I want this. Please. And with my own Mike Miller. Also, please. :) Thanks for the prompt, friend. Keep sending Mike stuff my way!

[beachy--head]

Hi! I'm new to the Japril fandom (and I'm OBSESSSSSED with them T___T they're insane!!). I just wanted to ask if you have any japril fic recommendations <33

I really wanted to see more introspection on their feelings in-show and hear more dialogue and the loving speeches that other couples got (like imagine a scene where April talks to Arizona about how (while she is, ofc, her own person) Jackson's a big part of who she is and he's her safe space or something AAAA the pAIN ifl it was Jackson verbalizing the feelings more--correct me if I'm wrong tho!) Real bummer because this couple was the best *cries* so I'm trying to fill the canon void with fics. Anyway, yeah, thanks so much for your time and also I love love your writing!!!

Hi, and welcome to the Japril experience! You're in for loads of fun :)

I do have a lot of fics to recommend! Too many, in fact. I need to do a proper (and massive) recs post!

You can't go wrong with anything written by @japril12, @japrilfools, @rose-marie-rose, @trulisthetic, @japrilmusings, @doctorkepner , @aprilandjackson or @afarawayfellow , to name a few! You can also head to my bookmarks on AO3 or ff.net to find some of my favorites. As for your specific request, I'm drawing a blank right now, but I'm going to think about it and post some recommendations if anything comes to mind!

[nebuvoid]

A pro-Kairi rant

This here is why I don't want canon undeniable confirmed no work around Sora/Kairi in future KH in a nutshell. This is my personal ramble I just want to get off my chest on my own blog. This is nothing against people that ship it.

It's not because I'm some ew yucky girl hater. It's the opposite. I've always loved Kairi and any sane fan will tell you she's been treated like crap through the entire series.

The moment she's confirmed to be "safe", she gets left behind. Again and again and again. She just wants to be included. She wants to break out of this role and is beat down every time she tries to.

KH3 does that again. MoM does that AGAIN. Like it's so deliberately disrespectful. Your role is to stay behind and stare longingly at the skyline.

Again and again we're shown that she tries to break out of this and can't. And no KH3 doesn't fix it. She once again has to rely on her Princess powers to be allowed to be relevant, when we're shown she wants to be actively a part of this with her fighting prowess. What does she get for that? Killed to be rescued again. I know some people thought Remind was a some great gotcha moment but really it just confirmed the already existing status quo.

And any moments to give her some development get deliberately pushed aside (Very cool we never see her training) or explained away (you can't learn during your adventure like EVERY other character, you specifically have to stay behind for this).

If the series wants to have this relationship, why go out of their way to cut her out over and over? Just as an example: We see Sora excitedly text Riku, why isn't he also talking about Kairi? No really, I'm asking. Even if she's in the timeless forest (sorry guys we can't show you a fun little level for that too much work ugh)(we just really needed Kairi to write a onesided letter to Sora and to remind Lea of Xion - because even here she's not allowed to have a moment for herself), a simple "Man, I wish I could send Kairi a message but I can't reach her there." line would've done a lot. Why make it so purposefully onesided? Why make it so sad and cruel.

Then you have the whole Winnie Pooh - Kairi parallel in KH3 plus the awkward paopu scene that really hammer home how things have changed, they have changed, expectations aren't working out. There's plenty other posts that dig deep into this.

If Kairi as she is now "gets officially together" with Sora, while she's still not allowed to develop her own identity, actually have her own moments, break out of her role as the pining left behind love interest... well maybe some people don't care but I do. It would feel so rotten. The heteronormative amatonormative mainstream media standard that the girl character doesn't need development, she can just be there to be longed after. You know when you watch a TV show and he was a boy she was a girl syndrome starts and you feel that uncomfortable feeling? It's that.

I thought we'd at least get something out of MoM but even here her moment gets stolen by Sora. I don't care if it's a heart connection or whatever, on screen I am once again Sora. (Just to be clear I love my boy Sora I'm just looking at this from an outside the game perspective.)

Actually there's a great video on that here.

Sora and Riku's relationship has been developed over the course of several games. We know them as people, we know their bond. Why should I care about Sora and Kairi in a romantic setting when the games go out of their way to give me next to nothing beyond "she's the girl 🤪you know". Like she's just a prop.

Kairi deserves better.

Let her develop her own connections. Let her actually find out about her past in RG. Let her finally be an actual equal to Sora and Riku. And then and only then can I be behind canon Sora/Kairi.

I wish I could word this better but I think about this and I'm just filled with indignation and I blank out.

Not because I'm a hater, but because I think Kairi deserves fucking better, do I not want a romantic relationship for her. A girl character is more than just a damn accessory. KH3 didn't do a great job with most characters, but at least in their respective games Aqua, Xion and Namine are allowed to have actual depth, motivation and feelings beyond a rigid role.

In conclusion *big sigh* if a canon romantic relationship for Kairi does take place without any of the above mentioned, I will be severely disappointed.

Now is the last chance to give Kairi the treatment she actually deserves. Considering the track record I don't exactly have high hopes.

P.S. Personally I think KH works best without romantic duos anyway. Platonic bonds can and are just as deep, romanticism just gets placed at the top of the hierarchy - usually - except KH always goes out of its way to show us that that doesn't matter. You don't see people shipping Aqua with Ven and yet no one would question they care deeply about one another. Romance isn't a requirement for love.

P.P.S. Why didn't you give her the damn ribbon Sora, that would've been a really sweet moment.

[struggle-but-its-all-ocean-floor]

RPWP let's go! To be honest, I didn't know the album dropped today. I thought Lost was another pre-release and that the album would drop in June, but I think that's NJs new album?

Anyway, I watched the Lost MV after waking up and was kind of disappointed. Namjoon's always a mixed bag (except in collabs). I don't understand his way of writing and expressing himself, and find it quite indigestible and dense; his English rap is very slurred most of the time too. Yes, he's incredibly intelligent, can write amazing lyrics, and his Korean rap can be insane, but a lot of the times I can't enjoy his songs. I tend to like his features more (he has some amazing ones, like Change, Sexy Nukim and Don't).

Hours later, I'm back from work and have listened to his album:

Right People, Wrong Place: Nice intro, but immediately his English accent and the way he sings in English is off-putting. The track is also very alternative and indie, which are genres I don't vibe with.

Nuts: Very interesting song... The way he's rapping in the beginning is a bit... it doesn't work super well. I loved the outro though - that part was cool. Overall, it's a good song. People went fucking crazy over the "she's a pro-rider", and also "he's a pro-rider", but I'm not sure this is Namjoon being a "bisexual king"; it's like the relationship from the guy's pov, which is why he says "no woman could stop him" and not "no man [RM] could stop him". But it's still a possible interpretation. I just see too many Armys taking everything he said literally and filling in the blanks with assumptions, creating their own narrative which is quickly being spread as the truth. People are saying RM cut his hair, started working out and deleted his IG pics because of a breakup and that he then got into situationships. I mean, this would be a normal thing to do but those could all be isolated events. You don't know if he cut his hair over a breakup?... Like, Army wants BTS relationship drama so much they act like they know everything. I admit I'm not a normal 20 year old, so who knows? I also wasn't keeping up with his Weverse lives.

out of love: Well, this whole album is very Sundance coming of age movie about a "cool yet lost guy in his 20s who goes to bars, drinks, smokes with this friends while contemplating his existence" which couldn't be further from my vibe. I hate indie music because it's slow, lethargic, whimsical, loose, and I'm neurotic, high-strung, literal, and uptight. I can't vibe with indie; I can't relate to normal 20 years old who smoke weed at parties. That's really nothing special, but to me it's a whole different universe. I have no friends or a life. I can't relate to Namjoon at all... Anyway, him saying "bitches" is not cool. I see Army praising him for hitting back at those who criticize idols for smoking, but, no man - unless he's explicitly queer and saying it and a fun manner, maybe, can use the word "bitch" imo. I fucking hate that word. I also felt like Namjoon was trying to copy black rappers in this song, but I'm probably too white to comment. Can't say I enjoyed the track. I feel really basic, but I'm too straight-laced, boring white girl to appreciate this album, sorry.

Domodachi: Eh... I was expecting the woman to be an amazing rapper, since I saw Army hype her up, but she's... alright? Lyrically, she's pretty basic - in this track at least. Also, it's so weird listening to Brits rap lmao. There's no translation of this track yet, so I don't really know the lyrics.

? (Interlude): I like classical music (won't include XXI classical music in this statement, which I know nothing about and is a lot different from what we traditionally think of as classical music), but I don't like jazz that much in general... Both are considered "intelectual music", but jazz isn't for me... I like structure and a certain repetitiveness in music. Improvisation is just confusing to me and, like, I'm so type A, I just can't vibe with it.

Groin: Joon's cursing is a bit too much in this album. The way he curses is a bit... aggressive?, yet at the same time giving Jungkook in Seven vibes. I guess that's the point. We have "bitch" here again. It's pretty disappointing... I thought he'd learned better. I read the lyrics translation from an account on X and on Genius, and they were quite different... The first was very anti establishment, the second less so. "Not a fucking diplomat" is great though. But I hate the chorus... "Get your ass out the trunk?"...

Heaven: Didn't particularly stand out. This song also doesn't have a translation yet (or I couldn't find one. It's been hours though. If this was an ot7, maknae line, or Yoongi track, 100% sure there would be multiple translations already).

LOST!: The woman singing in the beginning sounds so familiar... The song has a fun rhythm, and of all the RPWP tracks (aside from Come Back to Me), it's the easiest listening song. It actually represents the album very well, unlike Come Back to Me which is a clear outlier (feel kind of deceived, really) and easily the most GP friendly track (hence it being the pre-release). The song is fun but the English lyrics are just bad. The album's full of poorly written English lyrics. I guess it's on purpose? Don't like it, don't get it.

Around the world in a day: Another count for "bitch". The song's okay, butthe lyrics are... Honestly, it feels like the whole album is just vibes. What is he even saying? Heartbreak, anger, etc., but in terms of message, it's very repetitive. It's all so vague too? Don't know what he means because I like things spelled out to me - maybe that's my bad.

Credit Roll: Well, no use commenting haha.

Come Back to Me is the only relatable and truly enjoyable track to me. Sorry, I don't know how to appreciate this album and can't stand a lot of the English. I feel like RPWP highlights everything I like least about RM as an artist... While, I didn't enjoy the album on my first listen, it's cool how experimental it is and that it sounds nothing like idol music. BTS are so diverse musically. If you play this album to anyone and tell them it's BTS, they'll be in absolute disbelief lmao.

Second listen through and review here!

[inklore]

hi my love! do you have any writing tips? and words of encouragement when fics flop :(

hi darling <3 i feel like i always suck at giving writing tips but i'll try my very best for you ok. i hope some of these help! also very honored you'd even ask me 🤎

first and foremost: don't compare your writing to anyone else. everyone writes different, everyone has a certain style, a niche. if you're worried you don't have a 'style' don't, because you do. everyone does. it's not something you can make yourself have or take from others, it comes naturally with how your brain works and how it curates words and prose and scenes. that's why no book, no writing, is ever the same even if it's the same source material. it's a beautiful thing so don't stress about trying to make your writing sound or 'read' like other writers. it'll only ruin the enjoyment of how you write!

if you want to write more detailed just remember that not everything in a scene needs to be put down. the more you give the reader room to fill in the blanks and set the scene themselves the better experience for them (at least that's the case for my brain, others may feel different, but doing it this way makes me feel like i'm not adding too much detail or being repetitive). but visualizing, setting the scene for yourself through music or daydreaming is another great tip to write more detailed.

when it comes to smut i am a huge stan of you don't have to say the anatomically correct part they're using (like the p words or c word), and describing what it feels like to have that part touched, grazed, etc is really great. i struggle with fear of repeating myself so i try to find creative ways to describe body parts without actually calling them like flowery/nouns/different synonyms. i hope that made sense lmao.

don't worry about edits or making everything flow completely well in the first take. i highly rec everyone editing their own work and reading it back to themselves, yes it's tiring but it helps you find flow mistakes, add more detail, take something out that you thought fit in the moment but doesn't really. that's why i get everything out the first get go in a kind of fever dream manner and then when i go back to edit it then i buff out everything, add more, take away something, add more details that will make a scene pop off more.

now for the encouragement when it comes to flops: it's going to happen. there's no secret to making something do amazing or something failing. there really isn't and someone who says there is has just had a few lucky posts. because having a big following means nothing, writing a long fic, a short one, only using small font, being super aesthetic, really means nothing. i've seen writers with the most amazing aesthetic and beautiful prose with 100 followers write something and get 2k notes and then get 90 notes on their next post. same with someone who doesn't have a big aesthetic but a big following and writes short fics get 100 notes on their last ten posts but then that eleventh post randomly gets 1k. like it's really just up in the air on here if something is going to do good or not, unfortunately. so that's why i don't let it get to me when something i post gets 100 notes or 1k because i'm happy with both, less, or more. i don't expect anything anymore because that only leads to disappointment and i'm here to write and to have fun.

that's not to say i don't rec curating your own little community on here. make friends, block ppl with bad vibes, join discords of supportive friends. talk to writers who encourage and understand your feelings and discourse and who keep you going, give you inspo, etc etc. if only my friends ever rbed and read my stuff and there was only 10 of them? i'd say hell yeah and that'd encourage me to write more. having a good space of friends and community is amazing and can do a lot to fight off the writer scaries and the feelings of obsessing over numbers and success.

now this is just something i do but it always works for me; i post something and then force myself not to look at it for a day or two. i post it and move on to the next thing i want to work on. i do not dwell on how it's doing. i may q up some rbs for it but i don't even look at the notes when i do that. i deliberately never look at it because yes while it matters in the sense that we love encouragement, we love seeing people love something we spent hours on, we wrote this for ourselves but hello we want that validation too and that's okay, but like i said above and i'm going to say again notes mean nothing in regards to talent. these notes are not simon cowell judging you on your performance. so when i finally do go back to rb comments and reply to things, or if i just want to look at how it did, and the number is low i'm just like ok shrug at least those 20 people enjoyed it and that's better than 0. and if no one commented or rbed yeah that sucks and is disheartening but i can either dwell and be sad on it or i can continue to do what i love and write more. why let the annoying little brats on here who refuse to show their love on a work they read get you down? because there's a dozen of them out there and they're not going away. and you may have made someone's day for this little fic even if they didn't say something about it. it does suck that content creators on here don't get the rbs and comments and credit they deserve, and unfortunately if you want to keep doing what you love you gotta work around it and remind yourself why you're creating, continue to feel that joy. it's hard, believe me. but don't let your creativity be repressed because of it, because you'd be doing a disservice to yourself!

i'll say it again though: a high note count / following doesn't mean the fic is good or bad, neither does low notes / no following. no one's talent is ever in question here. we are here to write, have fun, fill the void of the rl scaries.

[cassiaratheslytherpuff]

🍓 🔪 🌿 for the ask game, please :)

Thank you so much for asking! <3

🍓 ⇢ how did you get into writing fanfiction? 

I feel like this is an unnecessarily long reply, sorry 😅 I came into writing fic slowly. I started reading fanfic a year or two after the final HP book was published and I realised it was a thing that existed. I started out reading gen fics that aimed to fill in the blanks of canon. Then I discovered slash fics and it was just so life-changing and refreshing to see queer people written and represented as complex human beings who got to get through the angst to something happy. I was a (closeted) queer teen with mental health issues who was secretly in love with my best friend, and I got to see Harry and Ron struggle with their mental health and anxiety over being in love with their friend post war, and then I got to see them being happy. And for the first time something made me believe maybe I could get there too.

I wrote my first fic in 2012, and it was very much a way to externalise my own issues. It was 24k long and took me 2 years of infrequent updates. I didn't write anything for a couple of years after that, but then I picked it back up again in 2016. At first it was (again) purely me needing an outlet for feelings I didn't know what to do with, but I slowly fell in love with writing and I've been doing it ever since.

🔪 ⇢ what's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

Oh this is a fun question! I tend to research things and then promptly forget I did though, because it's usually for random background information. One of the things I remember I really enjoyed researching was the language of flowers, most recently I remember falling down a rabbit hole of reddit posts on prostate-orgasms.

🌿 ⇢ give some advice on writer's block and low creativity

Not sure that I'm the right person for advice here, because a lot of the time if I'm low on creativity or motivation to write I just - don't. I try to always keep writing fun, so if I don't want to do it I let myself have a break. When I do want to write, but can't quite manage though there are a couple of things I do:

Set a goal to write badly. If I'm not trying to write something good then the pressure is off.

Write my way into writing. An empty document is my biggest enemy so I will literally start off like "Alright, I want to write a story. Maybe it'll be about Harry. Oh! He could be working as a lifeguard in Australia. But how did he get there? Maybe he..."

Write the fun bits first. For me that's usually dialogue, angst or smut. Then I go back and build the story around it

Join a fest (it's motivating to be working with a deadline and fulfilling a prompt. And there's a community aspect to it that I enjoy)

Discuss headcanons and fic ideas with people. I like letting creativity feed creativity.

Get momentum going by writing drabbles or ficlets, or working on something else if I'm stuck on a fic.

Truth or Dare Ask Game

[siriuslysatorusimping]

Kiko I hope you had a great first day at your new job!!!! And I hope the shit weather we're getting in Louisiana isn't hitting your part of your state cuz boy am I not having fun anymore lol. I have 2 things to bug you with on this Tuesday morning- I do have a teeny tiny lil Goinko ask: I am so curious to hear Gojo's inner dialogue when he's watching Rinko fight. Like the genuine sorta oh shit she's tough, oh shit she aint weak, Jesus what a badass... I'm gonna fuck her xD The second- I have been toying with the idea of writing my own fanfic with my own OC and um... I can't seem to start. I have a decent idea of the general plot, no clue how it will end, but I open up Word, type two words, and then close the program. Idk if I need advice or encouragement lol but I look up to you a lot as a writer so I decided to make it your problem too 😅

RAI, HELLO! 💕

I did have a great first day! It was long and exhausting, but in a good way! 😊

The weather has just been kinda cold and foggy. Like, my drive home today was very foggy. Could barely see at all. But other than that, it. hasn't been too bad!!

YOU ARE NOT BUGGING ME BUT I WILL PLAY ALONG 😂

My answers are below the cut!!

Gojo's inner monologue when he sees Rinko fighting? 🤔🤔

In a few situations, he's super smug that she's doing so well because he knows she doesn't even realize or acknowledge how strong she actually is. So when she's just destroying something, he's all cocky and proud of her. It reminds him how much he loves her because she can take care of herself. One of the things he's always appreciated about her is that she doesn't let her insecurities or pride get her into situations that are too much for her to take. She's not arrogant. She doesn't show off. She's just there to get the job done. But that's what makes it so sexy to him.

So when he sees Rinko fighting, he's literally just like, 'That's my girl. So sexy and strong. I love her so much. Ass looks incredible, too. And she needs to hurry because as soon as she wraps this up, she's mine. Wonder how pissed she'll be if I just take her here-' because he's a horny boi who always wants to be inside her 😂😂

Advice for how to start with your fic?

Don't try to start from the beginning. Start somewhere in the middle, and work from there. The ending doesn't have to be established right away, either. That can develop as you figure out the story! But as for how and where to start, anywhere. Have a random bit of dialogue? Start with that. It doesn't have to stay in the end, but having something there will really help you. Write nonsense. Write ideas. Concepts. Anything to get those juices flowing. Because nothing is more daunting than a blank page.

Two things I saw recently made me realize that I already did these things most of the time:

Writing choppy, maybe cheesy or dumb dialogue. You can fill in the rest later, or not at all. You can change it up or edit it, but cutting and editing, or even re-writing, is easier than getting yourself to write the initial draft.

"You look like shit." "Sure know how to charm a girl, huh?" "You'd be more pissed if I lied to you." "True." "Still look awful, though." "Fuck off."

You don't have to put markers or indicators because it's a first draft. First draft and final draft are rarely going to match, and that's okay. Preferred most of the time, actually. But yeah, just toss that dialogue down to help you get started and then go from there!

Start with notes or random shit about what you want to happen. Some people put it in brackets to describe the setting, scene, or character's actions so that they can continue writing without being bogged down by the pressure to figure out the rest perfectly.

I'll provide an example or two from a WIP of the lockout key idea dump I posted a while ago. (I make no promises that I'll ever finish or post this, but it's the best example I could find that doesn't spoil a bunch of stuff for the other stories)

[he comes to ask for a key even though he's already maxed out his number of lockout keys. he ends up trying to lean in closer and she shoves a cookie in his mouth instead] - this one is a general idea and one thing I definitely want to happen in that scene/snippet

[fire drill in the middle of the night forcing everyone outside until the alarm stops going off. he forgets his key because he had to rush out while he was half-asleep.] - this one is describing the primary setting for the scene/snippet: they're outside, he's very sleepy, and he forgot his key.

All in all, don't be afraid of being random and choppy for your first draft!

I hope this advice helped, Rai! I'm afraid I might have babbled a bit... 🙃

IT WAS GOOD TO HEAR FROM YOU. I HOPE YOU'RE WELL!! 💕💕💕💕

[tonguetiedraven]

prompt: accidental consumption of a temporary love potion ;)

Double prompt fill! (And I'm so glad you enjoy my writing <3<3<3)

I've enlisted the help of the fantastical @marble-wolf to play Rin in this one <3<3

-- -- -- -- --

Ryuuji had in all honesty, never actually done this before. Or at least not from this side. He was worried the cherry trees might be a bit too much, but they made him think of the grove right outside his home and gave him a bit of courage as he quietly guided Rin towards the spot. Rin’s quick ‘sure!’ when Ryuuji had asked if he had a moment and would mind following him had helped boost his confidence some, but it still felt incredibly harrowing to turn and face Rin’s big eyes.

“Uh,” he started, and mentally berated himself for not planning this out better. “I was wondering…” 

How had he never taken any notes when someone had asked him out somewhere? His mind was entirely blank out side of Rin’s pretty eyes and the urge to take Rin’s hand and he couldn’t think of the words he needed to express himself. To explain that he admired Rin. That he was drawn to his bold spirit and his constant strive to be more than just strong, to be kind as well. By his endless determination even when others snubbed him or belittled him. And that Rin was quite possibly the most handsome man he’d ever met.

(He’d even take a tip from one of Shima’s romance mangas right now. Anything to give him some kind of idea how to word this.)

“There’s a meteor shower tomorrow night,” he explained, and told himself to breathe when his voice came out a bit hoarse. “And there are a few trails and parks around here that are staying open late so people can view it. I was wondering if you’d like to go view it with me.”

Rin immediately brightened, giving Suguro a grin and excited nod, "sure! That sounds like fun!" He would never give up a chance to see Suguro, though there were times that it made his heart ache a little.  

Ryuuji’s breath whooshed out in immediate shock, and he had been blushing the entire time, but now he could feel his cheeks go even warmer as he nodded.

“Right. Good. We, uh… We could meet around seven? Get some dinner before we head up the trails? The showers won’t start until after nine, and it’s about an hour hike.”

Was that too long? He should have thought this out a bit better. At least it was cool enough that they wouldn’t be sweaty and hot from the hike.

Rin tilted his head at the redness on Suguro's cheeks, wondering if he was hot. Rin's tail lifted in a wide wag, and he hopped on his heels. 

"Yeah!" Rin cheered. (Dinner… that almost sounded like a da— no he couldn't think about that. If he did he would blush and get all stuttery and embarrass himself.)  

“Okay,” Ryuuji said, nodding again. “Seven. By the fountains?” He followed Rin’s nod with his eyes, felt himself blush even warmer as a few cherry petals fell down on Rin’s cheeks, and bowed, because he knew he was supposed to do that.

“Thank you.” His voice was a bit hoarse again and he tried to swallow that away. “I’ll see you later?”

He straightened without waiting for an answer and took a step back. He lifted his hand to give a little wave, promptly felt stupid, and had to hurry away before he did something else embarrassing like try to take Rin’s hand or ramble about how pretty his eyes were or how much he loved fighting along side Rin. 

He was still entirely red, and there was absolutely no way he was going to hide the way his lips were quirking up, but he figured he could allow himself the silly smile.

Rin watched him go, feeling something shy stirring in his chest and he was completely helpless as he watched Ryuuji leave. 

He pulled his phone out to tell Yukio to fend for himself for dinner and he prayed he didn't embarrass himself or worse. Let out the feelings he had so carefully hidden away.  

Rin was excited, hurrying through the halls to get home and get ready for his date… wait! No, not a date. Ryuuji just… wants to go watch the meteor shower. With him. No biggie. They'd probably meet up with Konekomaru and Shima but Rin didn't want to. He wanted to just be the two of them…

But not for a date. 

Because this wasn't a—

The sudden call of his name had him startling and it was how his name was said that told him who it was. There was only one person Rin knew with an accent like that. Only one person that pronounced Rin's name in such a way that had made Rin wonder if it was his name. 

But there was Lewin Light, waving at him and running with a bounce in his step. 

“Rin!” He called again, skidding to a stop and causing his hat to tip over a bit. “Just who I was hoping to see! You’re gonna help me with a box. Put that demonic strength to work.” 

Then, with a curious tilt of his head, “you’re stronger than Ryuuji, right? Do you know what your max lift weight is?”

"Uh… yes, but I don't know what my limit is." Rin answered, squinting at the man and wondering why he was asking Rin for help. "Where's Ryuuji?"  

Lightning’s nose wrinkled in confusion. “Shouldn’t you know? He said he had plans with you.” Lightning wiggled his eyebrow and gave the confused halfing a broad smile.

(He was mostly surprised his apprentice had actually asked. These two had been dancing around each other since he got here.)

Wait. “Why are you here?”

"I was just going back to the dorm…" Rin wanted to follow up with "why are you here?" but decided against it. "Help you with a box? It's not going to eat me, right?"  

Lightning shrugged. “The box won’t.” 

He turned on his heel with an energetic motion and waved for Rin to follow him as he started to march towards his office.

Rin trotted after him. "Nothing is gonna eat me. I've got plans tonight and I am not missing it 'cause something ate me."

Lightning spared him a mischievous glance. “Then maybe don’t poke in the box.” 

(So he did have plans tonight. Then why was he asking about Ryuuji? Lightning was missing something.)

He pushed the door to his office open, waving away a few stray coal tars and motioning for Rin to go in first, raising his eyebrow when Rin frowned and strolling in himself.

“This box,” he declared with a dramatic wave of his arms in the direction of a solitary box in the center of his room. “Needs to be over there.” He motioned towards a stack of boxes in the corner next to a shelf of snacks and drinks.

Rin raised an eyebrow at the box and then at Lightning. ("How did you get the box right here?") 

"Okay…" Rin hurried over, hoping this didn't make him wait and hefted up the box. His eyes widened and he paused as he lifted it. "The hell do you have in here?!" 

Rin managed to lift it, though it was heavy. "Bariyons?!" 

He lugged the box over to the indicated spot and went to set it down, but as he did, the box seemed to double in weight, throwing him off balance and sailing head first into the shelf. He dropped the box with a loud bang and managed, just barely, to catch himself on the shelf. 

His hand hit the shelf, making it sway and a glass bottle tipped and fell, colliding with his forehead and shattering (thankfully not cutting him.) The pale pink fluid soaked his hair and his clothes, seeping in an oddly hot trickle down his spine. 

"Fuck!" Rin cried.  

Lightning eyes went huge as he hurried across the room. He snatched up his travel poncho and tossed it over Rin's head, blocking the halfling from seeing him as he looked at the bottle and confirmed his fears.

Well, at least he could see how it worked on demons—no! Ryuuji was going to kill him and leave him with a messy office and no burgers.

"Rin," he hurried, "did you get any of that in your mouth, and did you see me?"

(If Rin did, Ryuuji was going to murder Lightning. Or at least subject him to a bath.)

Rin squawked, flapping his arms and squirming but the Arch Knight's hold was firm. 

"What?! I— I don't think so? I don't see anything right now… you need to wash this thing." Rin called.  

"Nah, I won't have to do that. That stuff'll be ineffective by tomorrow. Go ahead and wipe it off your face and don't get it in your mouth."

But Rin didn't know, which was kind of a problem.

"You getting any weird feelings listening to me?"

Rin stilled, listening and just trying to figure out what he did feel. There was a tingling in his body but he didn't think it was linked to Light. 

"You should wash it, it's stinky!" Rin whined, wiping off his face and finding his hair almost oily from the stuff. "I don't know! I feel… okay?"  

Lightning tilted his head like a curious dog. "And what if I say Ryuuji? That give any weird sensations?"

Rin blushed, feeling the weird warmth of whatever that seemed to grow hotter and his entire face felt like it went bright red. 

"Ryuuji? Wh— no! That's none of your business!" Rin stumbled over his words. (There was definitely a "weird sensation".)  

“Oh, well that’s good.” Lightning leaned forward and plucked the poncho off. “You didn’t get any in your mouth.” He beamed at Rin like that was the best news he could possibly give Rin. (It was the best news he could give Rin in this situation.)

"Was it poison?!" Rin asked. "Why would you have that there?"  

“Nah, not poison,” Lightning reassured as he tossed the poncho towards the rest of his clothes to be bothered with later. “Just a love potion.”

"Love?!" Rin shrieked. "What happens now?" 

(Love potion?! Like… love? But he felt no different towards Lightning (thank God.))  

“Don’t really know since you’re a halfling. Should just amplify a crush or love you already got. We’re lucky! If it had gotten in your mouth, you’da fallen hard for the first person you saw.”

"Lucky?! But… I have a… I have to go hang out with Ryuuji tonight!" Rin scrambled for his phone and checked the time, heart thumping harder in his chest. "I've got less than an hour! Fix it!"

Amplify a crush… his crush was Ryuuji. Ryuuji, who wanted to hang out.  

Lightning leaned back a little. “Why’s that a problem?” Ryuuji had skipped out on helping Lightning today to get ready for that date.

Though…

His grin turned mischievous. “You getting weird sensations over there?”

"Because… he wants to hang out and—" Rin's eyes narrowed at the last bit and he could feel flickers of fire starting to sprout in his hair. "Maybe but that's not the point. The point is you gotta have an antibiotic for this!"  

“It’s probably got some weird antidote like true love’s kiss or something, but it’ll wear off in a few hours. Probably around—” he lifted his arm and squinted at his watch “—nine?” He shrugged. 

“It’s gonna make you want to gush. More than you usually do. And probably touch? I don’t know. Crush stuff.” 

Ryuuji was going to spend the entire date blushing. Lightning was a bit disappointed he wasn’t going to see any of it. It would be hilarious to watch Ryuuji flounder with a flirty Rin.

Nine! Rin put his head in his hands and sighed. He would have to miss hanging out with Ryuuji tonight… he would die of embarrassment if he flirted and touched Ryuuji. 

"You were no help." Rin said and moved to storm out.  

“It’ll only activate if you see him!” Lightning called, nudging the bariyon box a bit further with his foot.

Rin fled down the hall and out of the Cram school, nearly running as he did so. He managed to get to the dorm without any mishaps and it was only when he was rushing up the stairs and trying to pull his phone out… to apologize and back out of the da— hanging out only to discover his phone dead. 

Great. Now his options were to stand Ryuuji up (how horrible?! He could never…) or go find him and do it in person. 

Rin sighed and hurried through changing (his hands automatically grabbed for his cleanest and best punk-ish clothes), rinsing off his hair and skin (why did he style his hair?) and flying past Yukio and jumping over Kuro. He slid to a stop just outside the area they had agreed to meet and stared at his feet as he shuffled the short distance towards the fountain.

Ryuuji’s heart leapt to his throat as he saw Rin approaching. He had on a white jacket over an old, dark hoodie, ripped jeans, chains, combat boots, and he’d styled his hair so it was swept to the side and not falling in his eyes, and Ryuuji had to take a moment to swallow and remember how to walk because it was an incredible look.

“Rin!” He called, blushing as his voice cracked. He hurried across the space between them and towards his date, hardly believing it was actually happening.

(He could hardly believe he’d actually asked.)

Rin's eyes wanted to look. He needed to see Ryuuji as if something was physically tugging at him, but he couldn't. 

(He had to tell Ryuuji he couldn't go…) 

"Ryuuji, hi!" Rin managed.  

“You, uh, ready? I didn’t get a text on your preferences, so was the deli okay?” 

It wasn’t the nicest option, but Ryuuji couldn’t afford the nicest options. Plus, he knew Rin liked what they served there. 

(Why wasn’t Rin looking at him? Nervous? Ryuuji certainly was.)

"Uh…" Rin opened his mouth to say, "I'm sorry, I can't go," but what came out instead was, "let's go!"

(He wanted to look at Ryuuji. He was certain Ryuuji looked gorgeous and his voice was like a song, coaxing Rin to just… look up.)  

Ryuuji stared for a moment longer, and finally decided Rin wasn't going to look up.  He nodded again, realized Rin couldn't see it and awkwardly stuffed his hand in his pocket, leaving one out in case Rin wanted to grab it. (Or he got the courage to grab Rin's.)

"This way." 

He took a step forward, glancing back at Rin and making sure he was being followed. 

(He'd somehow imagined them walking side by side, but maybe he'd misthought? Maybe they weren't there yet, though he walked side by side with Rin all the time.)

"Have a good day?" He asked a bit lamely as they walked up the steps to the deli.

"Yeah, pretty good," except your master got me into a mess and now I can't look at your beautiful face or else I'll tell you how beautiful it is. 

"Did you?" Rin asked, watching each step as if it were fascinating.  

I hardly noticed because I kept thinking about the fact that you said yes. “Busy but good.” 

Ryuuji held the door open for Rin, watched as he shuffled his way inside, and let it close behind them.

Find out how the date goes (and the full story, lol) here!

[fateinthestars]

Star-Crossed Myth Fanfic: Pranks and Problems

Title: Pranks and Problems

Word Count: 18,395

Fandom: Star-Crossed Myth

Pairings: Zyglavis/MC

Main Characters: Ichthys, Zyglavis, Huedhaut, Karno, Scorpio, Dui, Tauxolouve, MC (pretty much all 12 have a role in this somewhere though. Even Krioff has a fleeting appearance. Hiyori is involved for a bit too)

Rating: M (I might be being overly cautious here but: M mostly for Partheno being a creep in one scene, but some described violence here too. Plus Scorpio's foul mouth)

Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort

Warnings: Spoilers for the following paths: Ichthys, Zyglavis, Dui

Summary: Ichthys appears to be having a usual fun morning, but when he takes a turn is his mortality catching up with him or is it something more sinister? And if the latter: Was it even meant for him?

A/N: This started as me trying to write an explanation as to why Ichthys had said "I'm fiiiiiine. I know I gave you all a scare last month but stop worrying." in my Fanfic 'Shadows' and it turned into this chaos. I think it can still work as a prequel to that one but both are completely standalone. Once again MC name left blank so you can fill it in with whatever in your head. Not beta read, sorry, any mistakes are my own.

[the-eclectic-wonderer]

Ooh yay, another ask game! I'm very curious about blue and brown! (At least, I'm assuming you won't mind if I send you two questions in the same ask haha)

Oh you're right, I forgot to specify!! Absolutely, I don't mind receiving more questions in a single ask (it's a sure way to make me happy, actually!). Speaking of which -- thank you so much for yours!

💙 Blue: What inspires you to finish writing a fanfic, and what makes you quit writing one at any stage in the process?

I'll start with the second part of the question: I don't think I've ever decided to completely *quit* writing a fanfic, per se. I sometimes stop actively working on a WIP for a while, but I always pick it back up in the end, even if it takes me multiple months and tries. Some end up fairly different from how they were at the beginning, but they always end up somewhere, eventually.

As for the first half of the question, the answer is very similar to how I decide to write a fanfic in the first place -- I need the right moment of inspiration! Sometimes the trick is listening to certain songs while I write, sometimes I need to take a walk or read or do other stuff so my brain can work behind the scenes, sometimes I bolt up in the middle of the night and I've solved whatever issue there was that stopped me from finishing a WIP. A thing I do when nothing else works is writing it down in the worst possible way, just to fill the page, even if it sounds more like a sequence of bullet points than an actual fic -- once the page isn't blank anymore, things get easier for me :)

🤎 Brown: How did you decide to write (or why are you writing) a certain fanfic? (Asker, feel free to choose a specific story you're curious about. You can also let the answerer choose the story.)

Oh, in general, I just play around with the idea for a bit, maybe try writing down some lines / an outline in my drabbles document, and once I get the feeling that it's flowing properly it gets transferred to its own doc and becomes a full-fledged work. Very rarely, I get ideas that I don't feel like writing down at all (mostly because they're too angsty/don't vibe with the canon material lmao) and I just keep those in my head to play with when I'm in the mood for something with no stakes, apart from my own enjoyment :)

As for specific works, I'm often inspired by music (4/8 works published on my Ao3, and at least one WIP in my WIP folder, were inspired by songs). Other times I watch a scene or an episode in a show and I feel the need to delve into it a little more, or maybe I simply want to spend a little more time with it (this is what happened with sonata for trio, for example). It's more rare, but sometimes I get compelled by personal experiences (this is true for one other WIP and for A Piece Of (Cheese)Cake, at the moment -- I got the idea for the latter while baking a cake myself!).

Finally, sometimes I get inspired by mutuals' posts, as you well know! :) i hope you do believe me [...] was inspired by one of your posts! Your observations hit just right for me, and my brain provided some scenes that were simply too much fun not to write down :) You all have such wonderful ideas -- even if I don't write a fic for them, I hope you know I'm rotating them in my head at all times :')

[lexsnotdead]

I absolutely loved BG1 and 2, Neverwinter Nights Hordes of the Underdark and Neverwinter Nights 2 too are among my most favourite RPGs. But Larians writing, particularly in D:OS2 turned me off so much :( How different is BG3?

big wall of text under the cut and before anything else i want to say that criticizing a game does not equal not liking it

i thought a lot about my response to this ask, since i must admit i have never played bg&bg2 and jumped straight into the hype train of bg3. and i'm genuinely curious what exactly about dos2 turned you off that much. here's what i personally think:

i played d:os1 and d:os2 and while i'm a big fan of the latter… dos1 couldn't keep me entertained even when playing with a friend in coop, which shows just how exhaustively boring and unmemorable it was. i really love dos2 and despite what i will say next, nothing is gonna change my love for this game. but. imma be honest, it was 3 and a half characters that kept me playing. i love sebille and lohse, i love malady — the mystery around her has its own appeal, but it's still a huge miss not to expand on such intriguing character as herself. i slightly care about ifan and fane, i couldn't give a lesser fuck about beast, i fucking hate the red prince and his writing is one of most unlikable from any rpg game i ever played (i can elaborate. but that's a post for another time). in short: lack of memorable characters, and those who are there have to make up in quality rather than quantity.

and larian is still... larian. their ambition makes them bite more than they can chew, you don't need to be nitpicking on purpose to notice just now empty act 3 of d:os2 was compared to fort joy or driftwood. in similar-ish way act 3 of bg3 feels less polished in terms of performance and content. like they even had to add an alternative ending to karlach's quest only after the game's release lol. there are quite a lot of bugs and players who are doing an "evil" playthrough like me found themselves deprived of content — sometimes you're just locking yourself out of quests, encounters, characters entirely because of decisions you made, quite literally making the game harder for yourself.

another important thing that i'd point out that dos2 felt kinda lacking in terms of the character creation because ocs always felt less immersive and shallow compared to the playable origins (i had the time of my life playing as lohse, tho). i know people who managed to have fun filling the blank spaces with their imagination, but i'm not one of those people, unfortunately. when i tried creating a drow character in bg3, however, every third npcs made sure to glare at me distrustfully and be fantasy racist towards the drow. like really? thanks for noticing! this might sound weird, but i liked that. it enhanced my feeling of immersion thus making it more satisfying to play. like yeees... yes... i indeed am a drow!

i'd rather stop focusing on its shortcomings because it feels unfair to larian when they are listening to the playerbase and trying their best to deliver patches as quick as possible. after all, what makes a good dnd adventure for me is always the story and characters — banal it may be, as long as it is fun, it is a good dnd game. and bg3 is very fun and addictive. there's this unique feeling when you're planning your next playthrough and considering what you would've done differently when still doing your first. i like it more compared to dos2, because... i'm not sure why myself? interpersonal interactions just feel a bit deeper, and i actually care about almost every companion, even the ones i did not expect to care about (like gale, astarion, shadowheart). and variety of the character creation, of course. and i can bet on bg3 being next the goty haha

to sum this all up:

if you like dos:2, you will like this game

if you like dnd e5, you will also like this game

if you like bg1 and bg2 then i genuinely don't know i'm sorry

[desolateice]

(Scissors) what's your editing process?

(Hamburger/three lines) send a fic and an unrelated trope and I'll remix it - Cherry Cordial but Royalty AU 👀

Thank you for the asks from this game! 💖 ✄ what’s your editing process? Editing process...lol what editing process? Okay so I'm going to give you my like actual editing process for anything that I like send out beyond fandom funsies. Write Let it set for a bit, walk away from it. Come back, read it to myself. Read it to a small gathering of plushies (do this for my secret santa fics because those are gifts so I want them to be slightly more edited then my usual.) Go walk away for a bit or do something else. If lucky come back another day. Have a text to voice reader read the thing back to me. Make edits and changes. Have it re-read it to me again. Repeat as needed. Maybe pop it into a program that is supposed to fix your writing. However I don't fully trust those. They make just as dumb of mistakes as I make on my own and sometimes worse ones.😂 Send the thing wherever it needs to go. My teachers always told me to let things marinate and my mentor pretty much told me that I got to always read my stuff out loud to myself so that I can catch errors I wouldn't otherwise. I use the plushies because I was trained to read to people, to an audience even though I hate it because I get super nervous about it. But then later on in work situations where I had to edit I realized that wasn't working because I was inflecting which is fine in fiction but not so much in non-fiction and was told that sometimes it helps if something else reads it to you so now I have an app in monotone read to me because then I can catch when things don't sound right or when something is wrong because I'm not filling in those blanks myself because I know the content too well. Another reason why letting things marinate works. But truthfully for fics I write it in Scrivener, read it to myself not out loud, paste it into ao3, read it one more time adding bolds or italics because for some reason those don't copy over from Scrivener properly and then hit paste and try not to cringe at all the mistakes I find later when I re-read the thing. Because I make more mistakes now then I used to, silly mistakes I didn't use to make but again, it's for fun so I try not to let it bother me too much and when I've got the energy I try to occasionally pop back in and fix glaring errors. But I'm sure I miss them.

☰ send a fic and an unrelated trope and I’ll remix it Cherry Cordial as a Royalty AU 🤔 My first thought here is that it's magic right? Like at it's core Cherry Cordial is about magic which makes me think fairy tales and then I realize that's what Candied Apples is. 😂 A fairy tale royal au of sorts. So maybe we can mix a few fairy tales together for a royalty au. Daniel stumbles upon a magical artifact like the lamp only instead of a genie he gets Terry. Or Terry could be like jafar, (I should probably read the original and not just know the disney version) Or Daniel runs into a witch (Terry) and makes a trade to be a royal so that he can better compete with the royals or get a step ahead of them (Johnny and cobras) Because Johnny would be a prince...or maybe he's Cinderella. I guess my question is whose the royal in this AU? One of them? Both of them? Johnny's Cinderella with fairy godmother Susan and his cat that talks and dresses up in a pretty dress and all in magical disguise to dance for the night because Susan wants to dance with the princess and can't go alone, or they sneak in to dance together and Susan uses her magic to help him sneak in with him without getting into a fight because he and Daniel (the prince) don't get along, only Daniel doesn't recognize him but also kind of does but can't quite put his finger on it and wants to keep dancing but the magic will for sure where off so Johnny runs, slipper left behind. If we do a both of them au, maybe Daniel is set to meet up with Johnny to discuss things between their kingdoms but they've met before and it went awful and he doesn't want it all to get screwed up again so he makes a drink, a concoction he finds in an old book that should make them more amiable but he made the wrong one and he thinks he totally gave him a love potion, but he also misread it and really it's just a harmless aphrodisiac or something like eating an oyster but not, and so Daniel is less nervous and actually having a good time and Johnny was determined to try and have a good time and maybe his cat keeps like trying to trip him and Daniel catches him when Peri succeeds in tripping him and he realizes he's got a total crush because Daniel's good at all the princely stuff: sword fighting and horseback riding and talking and Johnny doesn't feel like he is (except at fighting) but really they're both in the same boat at being good at it just getting in their own heads and thinking the other is better. Maybe Terry uses Daniel to kidnap Johnny by tricking him so that he can impress Kreese, not realizing that was maybe a non-useful ploy and really only just makes Daniel have to go rescue him but also makes Johnny realize that he's not as worthless as he was lead to believe and that he actual does know all the princely things he's supposed to and is good at it. But Daniel would for sure bust in, possibly fight Terry, realize it's a waste of time and grab Johnny and run. Gotta let him have his badass hero moments.

[ruhorih4ra]

From Eden 💙

Chapter 2.5

Synopsis: 10 years after your death you reborn in the celestial realm, becoming an angel and protector of the gardens of Eden. You tried to forget your life in the Devildom but it seems that fate has other plans for you.

It contains:

Grammar mistakes. ಥ_ಥ

Angst?:(

Gn!Mc

LuciferxMc

Chapter 2

Lucifer was facing the mirror, he looked different. You once told him that everybody changes, even if they look the same. He sighed for the tenth time that day. Lucifer sat in his chair and carefully took the quill between his fingers, he stared at the blank piece of paper before him and his resolution began to falter. He swallowed, lifted his chin and started to write.

Dear, Mc.

It's been ten years since your death but I have to admit this to you, my love, it feels like a century has passed.

Sometimes I remember those days when you used to make fun of your own mortality, remember that? When I overworked, you would tell me how you could die at any moment and how bad I would regret not having stopped working to give you a hug.

Everytime you said that, my heart ached and no matter how many kisses and caresses you gave me, the pain wouldn't cease.

I always stopped my work to give you a hug, but you lied to me, my love. For I still regret not having hugged you more, perhaps that last time I shouldn’t have let you go, maybe you would be here with me.

I suppose you may want to know about my brothers, they are doing better now or at least they are trying. The first month after you left was pure chaos.

Satan's whole room was filled with books about how to revive death people. Beel didn't eat for a whole week and when he finally ate, he almost devoured the entire Devildom as he cried.

You would think Belphegor slept the pain away but no, he stayed awake in the planetarium looking your stars shine. He used to say that you were there. Leviathan and Asmodeus cried in their room, both tried to hid from reality. When they were about to sink they found each other, even when you're not here you bring us together.

Mammon took it worse, he was your “first” and he blamed himself. "I couldn't protect them" he repeated those words intensely like a broken record. The witches started to fear him, just imagine dear, they were afraid of Mammon because "He has the eyes of someone who has lost everything."

I didn't know what to do, I was scare of losing him too… but then, Simeon told us. You were reborn in heaven! You were alive! My brothers’ eyes, you should have seen that.

We thought you’d come back, we didn't want you to fall but maybe you could come with Simeon and Luke. But you did not. Why? I remember you were angry before your death. Diavolo brought another exchange student, the second phase he said. You told me how lonely you were feeling and how unfair it was that you were in the human world losing all the fun while we were hanging with the new human, you went as far as saying you would captivate them too.

I know you were joking, Mc. But maybe you’re still angry, is that so? Why do you keep torturing us with your absence? Why do you keep torturing me with the lack of love?

After your death, Diavolo said the exchange program would be "put on the waiting list”. I didn't know back then but that was his own way of mourning. Yesterday he told me that it was time to bring back his plan to unify the three worlds, but he seemed afraid. Something bad is happening. I know this is egotistical, love, but I wish you were here.

Please, come back. This may sound foolish but I'm sure that if I could see your face once more, I could die a happy demon.* So hurry up, come back to us, to me and when you see me, be sure to show me how much you’ve missed me.

With love, Lucifer.

*Yes, It's a line of "All I Want" from Kodaline. I was listening to it and my stubborn ass wanted to use it even if it didn't fit that much.

From Eden is also a song, from Hozier. 💜

This is not a replaced Mc au, that shit it's scary. (´°̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥ω°̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥｀)

Chapter 3. ʕ·ᴥ·ʔ

[scienceoftheidiot]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💗

I was also tagged by @royaidaydreams to do this, so thanks so, so much, to both of you 🥺❤️🥰

I've been trying to make a fic rec post for other people's fics for weeks and I find it quite hard to chose, so doing it for my own stuff 😅 is going to be quite hard too 😅

Let's try though - I didn't put original stuff on there, just fanfics. I have some of my original stuff on AO3 in English, though !

1. In the old Alexandria (Ripper Street)

Mimi comes back to London, a couple of years after the turn of the century.

This is the first fic I ever posted on AO3 (the older ones were posted after but dated to when they were written - and posted elsewhere). The Ripper Street finale had wrecked me, and I needed to give some softness to the survivors. Hence, this is only for people who have seen the whole 5 seasons (but please watch them. Please please).

2. Keep Afloat (Ripper Street)

Little flashbacks, mostly around Edmund, from before S1. Filling in the blanks with more misery ! Yay !!

It's not mentionned that I am forced to share only finished stories, right? 😅 But this is a collection of flashbacks, so more or less, each chapter can be read independently. And there's no end, since the end is the start of the show, so... It's one of these fics that I sometimes re read, and one of the few where I actually find what I wrote good. Special mention to the chapter between Edmund and Emily. (This is NOT. a feel good fic).

3. Snow, snow... (Daredevil (Karedevil))

Matt tries to carry on through a blizzard, but the snow and his mind wandering to old memories won't let him.

I wanted to put a DD fic in here, but I didn't know which one to chose. This one has many characters and bittersweet memories, and this is what I like.

4. Bro's Night Out (FMA)

Hughes is sent to East City for work, but decided to arrive early (or... very late...) to meet his friend. Who is working. A lot. And has no time for silly things. And doesn't hold his drink.

It's hard to chose in a fandom I'm currently deeply obsessed with, so I chose those one, because I think I got the banter right, and it was fun to write.

5. My own worst friend and my own closest enemy (FMA (Royai))

One circle, one Roy Mustang on each side, one accidental transmutation, one occasion to be humbled and learn.

This one is still ongoing but @qs63 and I are having such a blast writing it that it's already in my top 5. Even if people didn't like it (which they do !!! That's even more awesome, thanks to all who read !!), I would have put it there because I just love it and love all the brainstorming we're having over it. 🥰

Bonus :

All the hope that I lost, you have found (FMA (Royai))

This is a WIP and a BIG one. That I plan on finishing this summer.

When I published Everyone learns faster on fire , I thought I would not come back to this theme (Roy stays blind after the Promised Day). Exceeeeept... That first fic wasn't very realistic. So I took this premices again and turned them around. The Army wouldn't keep a blind officer, so Roy's dismissed. And as soon as I started writing that, the rest of the fic events just fell like dominos. In the end, that fic has Royai, politics, Ishval, Team Mustang, and stuff that I will not disclose there because spoilers. All of this of course swimming in lots and lots of angst - but not only. I try to have it balance with sweet and even funny (I hope) moments. I'm having a lot of fun writing it and I can't wait to finish it !