#There are so many AUs in my google drive it's actually insane

[bonnielass23]

Writer WIP Poll Game

Rules: make a 24-hour poll with the names of your wip's, let it run, then write one sentence for every vote the winner got.

I was tagged by the lovely @astarkey and @alwaysupatnight. Thank you for allowing to open the floodgates of just how many WIPS I have.

Since I was tagged by a fellow Dusk fan I'm gonna list my fdtd wips all of which are sethkate. Some serious. Some complete crack. Most of these do not have titles yet

Outside of my fdtd friends who have already posted, I'm gonna tag everyone else across multiple fandoms : @lilmissuncreative @saltyunderscored @kelkat9 @fortysevenswrites @psilocybinlemon @elialys @milkshakemicrowave @kelkat9 and anyone else I missed or wants to do it!

Some of these have an official summary, some is just me throwing out the info. It should be obvious which is which lol

If anyone has any questions about these feel free to hit me up!

Raccoon Amaru - Canon divergent post season 2. With Kate surviving the blood well and Seth bringing her back to Jeds from the hospital to recover, Amaru finds herself in a different vessel.

La Jefe - Canon divergent post season 2 episode 9. At the blood well Kate stays up on the hill with Richie. It’s only after he’s gone down to try to take the blood for himself, in a move that is peak dumbass, that Kate has to intervene. With Richie wounded by a Xiblaban weapon and lying useless in the backseat of the car it’s up to Kate to deliver the blood and unwittingly become the new La Jefe, the head of Malvado’s empire. Seth lives his best life as a sugar baby and Richie is crying in a corner because he's supposed to be the boss.

Wild West AU - Wild West likely with supernatural elements. Kate frees Seth from the jail in Bethel the night before he's set to hang in exchange for him helping her track down her brother who disappeared with Carlos six months earlier. (Also the memorial piece for my mare, Bandit, who passed away almost a year ago and will be written in as Seth's horse.)

SethKate Wedding Date AU - Modern Day. No culebras. Kate is invited to her cousin's wedding and decides to ask Seth to be her date

“He’s not just my date, Scott.” A maniacal grin spreads over Kate’s face. “He’s my weapon. You really think I’m gonna walk in there with all their passive aggressive, pretending to be concerned comments? No, Scott. I’m going to fight fire with fire.” “That’s not fighting fire with fire Kate. That’s fighting fire with a nuclear warhead!”

Shangri-La - Canon divergent post season 2. With Eddie in critical condition and his chances of survival slim, the Geckos chose to go through with the plan to rob Malvado, even managing to save Kate’s life in the process. After coming back from their meeting with the lords, their relief at the news of Eddie’s survival is soon eclipsed by the sheer panic of realizing they now have to explain to him that not only did they pull his Shangri-La, swan song job without him, but they also lost the money.

Hero Twins AU - Canon divergent post season 2 episode 2. Kate reveals to Seth that she's pregnant during their fight in the car. After Sonja gets Seth clean, and with Eddie's help they hide away from the culebra world. 7 years later Richie and Kisa come crashing in with the news that their daughters are the next set of Hero Twins, destined to shake up the culebra and Xibalban hierarchy.

This leans very heavily into Mayan mythology, including a bibliography of academic sources, that will be included. It could be considered an exploration of the hero twin archetype told through Seth and Kate's fictional twins.

Witch AU - Modern day with supernatural elements. No culebras. Kate comes from a line of witches cursed to die when they begin to manifest their magical abilities. When she starts to have visions of her own death she goes to a professor of the occult Richard Gecko to try to figure out why her family keeps dying young. A witch himself, he tries to help her figure out the curse along with Seth who has turned his back on his supernatural abilities. It's a race against the clock to see if they can save Kate before her visions of her death come true.

Selkie AU - Coming home from college to attend her mother's funeral, Kate finds a package Jenny had left her. Kate's seal skin and an explanation of what she is. After going out to learn more about who she is her skin is stolen and she has to rely on the owner of a nearby bar, Seth Gecko, and his friends to steal back her skin.

[yellowocaballero]

WIP List Game

Tagged by @thepatchycat! I haven't done this in a bit so consider this an update.

Rules: In a new post, post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet of it or tell them something about it!

I don't have a WIP folder, but these are the stories I've worked on in the past few months, as titled in my Google Drive:

ud

welp.

taohsy

Untitled Document

BS

wanted to do other things today

Untitled Document

deadass no reason for this to exist

let's forget this ever happened

skgk

Untitled Document

Untitled Document

fe3h child cult fanfic livi edition

Yup. Not as many keysmashes this time. Most of the doc titles are self-explanatory but also absolutely NO help so I'll actually index them. You can see the exhaustion. 'ud' is Weekenders, 'welp.' is the Weekenders Cat Byleth fic, taohsy is the epilogue to teohsy (The Ending of Han Sooyoung), BS is the 'filler' story for teohsy, 'wanted to do other things today' is unposted orv, 'no reason for this to exist' is unposted teohsy AU time travel story, skgk is a very old Naruto fic concept, Untitled Document is...Gravity Falls Transcendence AU fic written at 2am in a fit of insane nostalgia; a joke BNHA fic for a friend; Scarlet/Violet DLC sequel to Go Straight At The Cul De Sac; and a Weekenders side story. Last one is a censored version of Weekenders for a friend who hadn't finished the game yet. Most of these will never be posted so if you're interested you can ask and I'll answer with a bit of them.

Tagging @lazuliquetzal, @usaigi and @seek--rest!

[stevethehairington]

22, 29, 32 for the writers questions!!

ty for sending this in!! <3

22. How organized are you with your writing? Describe to me your organization method, if it exists. What tools do you use? Notebooks? Binders? Apps? The Cloud?

hm this is. this is a funny one to answer bc i feel like i am part incredibly organized and part chaotic mess lmfao. bc like i use google drive for my fics and i have a RIGID organizational structure for that. like i have a folder for each of the fandoms i've written for and within that fandom folder i have a writing folder and within that writing folder i have my docs. and those are organized by docs i've started and are either waiting to be written or are in the middle of being written which kind of hang out in the folder loosely. but then i have a separate folder for my finished fics, a separate folder for my finished fics' plan/outline docs (if they have one), and a separate folder for each event/challenge/project i've participated in. so like for steddie i have a folder for each of the zines i'm in and a big bang folder.

but then when it comes to what i'm actually writing... that can get messier lmao. i kind of write across like 3 different platforms? like i use google docs for my main document to write in, but i also write in the notes app on my phone, and i handwrite a lot of things too (mostly bc i cant use my computer at work to write fic so i resort to good ol fashioned pen and paper lol). so it can get tricky trying to remember WHERE i wrote that one piece i'm looking for lol and i have to dig and dig through sheets of notebook paper and my insane amount of notes on my phone and the docs that i have (bc sometimes if it's getting too long i'll split up the doc too just to get a clean work space).

i also have a binder that is full of like old fic stuff i've jotted down, whether that be old snippets i've written, or ideas i've scribbled onto a sticky note, or something i printed out to edit. that binder has stuff from sooo many different fandoms in it lol. i've tried organizing it by fandom and i've bunched all the stuff for one specific idea into a paperclipped stack or i've put it in one of those sheet protector pages lol.

but yeah it's like organized chaos i guess you could say. but it works for the most part so! here i am! lol

29. Where do you draw your inspiration? What do you do when the inspiration well runs dry?

ooh! easy question!! i draw inspiration from literally anything and everything!! the world is full of stuff that makes GREAT stories!! so yeah i absolutely pull from everything around me - whether that's looking up prompts on tumblr, watching a show/movie or reading a book and wanting to au it, something a friend/coworker/someone random on the street said, an object i see that sparks something in me, a color, a weather pattern, a mood, a song, a recipe, my own feelings, other people's feelings, my life experiences, other people's life experiences.

inspiration really truly comes from everwhere!

when the well runs dry i try to dig deeper. i try to look through prompts that might spark something, even if it's a tiny little ficlet. oh i also like to look through old ideas i've had for other fandoms when this happens bc sometimes the best thing to do is to recycle!! bc like the inspiration was there at some point, and looking back on it helps to respark that and bring it back! and trying to revamp it to fit my current fandom/pairing really helps get the gears turning again too.

32. What is a line from a poem/novel/fanfic etc that you return to from time and time again? How did you find it? What does it mean to you?

you can find the answer to this one here!

weird questions for writers

[lordmushroomkat]

I think all of the joy drained out of my body. I'm not sure what happened.

I just... I feel so very alone.

I guess I just ran out of steam? I had so many ideas but now I have nobody to talk to about it and... it's just me rambling into a Google doc again and with no one to tell my thoughts to it just feels so isolating.

And it's like, does this thing I've been working on even need to exist? Will anyone appreciate it? Will anyone benefit from it? Does anyone care about this? Is my effort worth it?

Shouldn't I just leave this fandom behind and find something else? I've finally run out of joy and now it's like I'm in the limbo between fandoms again but this time I'm refusing to let go of the previous one.

I just... I can stave off the boredom of No More Content if I have people to talk to but... now I'm alone again.

And I can't talk to my sister because she has no interest in it and I've already bothered her too much with this. And I can't talk to my dad because he's passionate about the franchise but sees it completely differently. And I really can't talk to my mom because she doesn't do fandom. And I can't talk to my partner because I'm not sure where he stands with it and I kinda don't want to embarrass myself by telling him about my dumb little AU when he does, like, actual frequent writing.

And I just. It's so isolating to be in a fandom that I can't talk to my family about when I have nobody else to talk to about it. I dunno, fandom is incredibly personal to me because it's been my lifeblood through every difficult thing I've ever faced. It's the thing that keeps me going and keeps my brain entertained. And for me a fandom only really comes to life when I can talk to people directly about it. Having fandom friends is how I keep from driving my sister insane with my 24/7 fandom brain.

But it can be hard to make new friends, fandom or otherwise, because I'm kinda afraid of people? Because I know what happens when I exist amongst other people long enough to get comfortable; inevitable rejection. I always push slightly too far and that's it. Just a slip-up when I'm having a rotten day and I lose everything. I always lose everything.

Maybe the problem is that I'm never quite domesticated enough, once I get comfy the feral unhinged energy comes out, and unless that's already the base energy of the group, things fall apart fast. It's why the only groups I'm still on good terms with are incredibly feral people with deeply weird senses of humor. Everyone else seems to misinterpret me. I'm not mean by nature, but I am sarcastic and very intense. But even in scenarios where the vibe is feral, sometimes I'll just have opinions that are a little too off-brand. There are things we don't talk about as a society and sometimes I want to talk about them and other people decide that's not okay.

And I've learned to do that less. I've learned to keep my challenging thoughts to myself and accept a "shut up" with grace and try not to take criticism to heart but man is it hard. And at this point I'm not even sure it's worth it. Because even at this point in my evolution, where I have more grace than I've ever had and take criticism at face value and stick it out in awkward situations, somehow still it's not enough. Somehow I'm still not enough. How much more will I have to twist myself in knots to be good enough? How much more of myself will I erode just for the pleasure of having a friend group? How many more rejections is it worth just to stave off the creeping loneliness? Is any of this even worth it?

My life has been one long, complicated domestication from the deeply confused little autistic kid I was, and I wonder sometimes how much of me is even real anymore. How much of me is a construction my desperate mind forged in a mad scramble to appeal to anyone at all? Am I real? Are my thoughts my own? Are my tastes my own? Is anything of me truly mine? I mean I know we are all a collection of experiences and influences but... there's nurture and then there's... becoming what you think people want to see just so they might tolerate you. Autistic masking is so complicated because after a while you're not even sure who you are anymore.

Maybe that's why I go feral when I get comfortable, because I get tired of playing a part, because it's the only way I know how to find out what I am behind all of the facades. Or maybe even the feral is just a comedy defense mechanism and even that is something I adopted to fit in. Maybe if you strip off all of the masks there's just nothing behind them. Maybe if you remove the parts of me I made myself to fit in there's just nothing left. Maybe none of me is real. Well, perhaps a few things.

I know a few things that are real, things that I did not create, things that I just am.

Like, here are some real things; I love my family, I am non-binary, my complicated orientation is my own, I feel lonely, I am autistic, I have depression, I like to draw, I like to write, animation is my favorite type of media, found family is one of my favorite tropes, character is my favorite aspect of narrative, I hate summer, my favorite season(s) is Autumn and Spring, I like many many kinds of music, art is an essential aspect of my identity as a person.

None of these things exist for anyone but me. And there are more. Most of my likes and dislikes are entirely my own, even if someone else introduced me to it.

Perhaps these are the things to focus on. The things that I like, the things that are mine. Maybe it shouldn't matter if anyone else sees what I make and likes it, maybe it's enough to make something because I think it's fun. It would be cathartic to finish something for once.

I can make something for me and then let the world have it. The world can have as many pieces of me as it wants, but those pieces still belong to me. Everything I am is still my own.

[rosequartzstarswrites]

20 Questions for Writers

Thank you @cheesyficwriter for the tag!

How many works do you have on AO3?

27

What's your total AO3 word count?

351,699

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

As of now, I have only written for Harry Potter; however, in February I began several LOTR/Hobbit WIPs that I have not yet published. The first one is due out at the start of September though!

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

In Another Universe: Hermione Granger is brilliant: she completed her PhD in Linguistics at 25, and is the youngest faculty member at the University. Ron Weasley, an unruly quantum physicist... well, he's getting there. But when Granger gets stacked with a project she hates and has to talk to other scholars at the University, their paths cross and become permanently intertwined in a way neither of them could've ever anticipated. (Slow Burn Multichap Muggle Uni AU) Rated T.

Rosebury Grounds: Lady Hermione Granger has been reared up in society, to marry well and be a good housewife, like any good Edwardian lady, but that's far from what she wants. When a handyman by the name of Ronald Weasley joins the house staff, utterly disarming her from the moment they first meet, he might just be the opportunity she needs to break loose and choose her own destiny.Lord Draco Malfoy has a secret— a secret he knows would cost him everything if it ever saw the light. But it's getting harder and harder to keep it from his father, because Draco keeps bumping into a pair of emerald eyes and a head of lush black hair, and he can't pretend his knees don't buckle at the sight. Which would be quite alright, if not for one small problem: it's not a woman they belong to.Two tales of forbidden love, set in Edwardian England. (Multichap Muggle AU) Rated M.

Something Growing: Hermione’s pregnant— and she’s freaking out. She’s always been good at everything, but she’s not sure that’ll hold for being a mother; however, when Ron gets home earlier than expected, she realizes she doesn’t need to be great at everything so long as she’s got him beside her. (Oneshot) Rated G.

Big in Japan: Harry Potter is a famous rockstar out on a world tour— but when one too many meet-and-greets threatens to drive him insane, he takes an escapade out into the streets of Tokyo, where he ends up at an expat bar with a captivating redhead that seems totally unaware of who he is, or why she should know him at all, for that matter. (Muggle AU oneshot) Rated E.

Teaspoon Vindication: After escaping Malfoy Manor, Ron comes to visit Hermione in her room at Shell Cottage, and does the one thing that may be the hardest for him— talking about his feelings. (Romione oneshot)

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I try my best, though I don’t always get to all of them! My reasoning is that if folks are kind enough to tell me how much they enjoyed my writing, the least I can do is thank them for their lovely words. 

What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

The Last Farewell! It’s a Wolfstar oneshot, set in canon universe, where Remus comes to Sirius’s grave to ask for his blessing (and forgiveness) to marry Tonks. It was angst central from the start and I even wrote it while listening to an angsty song.

What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending?

I generally write happy, fade-to-black endings, but if I had to choose I’d say Truth or Dare. This is a male!Hermione x Ron summer camp AU born of a game of spin-the-bottle/truth-or-dare that ends with them figuring out their feelings go beyond friendship. I say it is the happiest ending because I think the “boy figuring out he likes boys” scenario has been overdone in angst a bit too much, and the fact that the feelings are reciprocated and they decide to stay in touch would make me giddy if I was their age and in their shoes. Anyway, it’s just a sweet ending.

Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the craziest one you've written?

Not at all— I actually don’t like crossovers at all, so I have never even entertained reading, let alone writing, one. (No hate at all to those with imaginations large and strong enough to conjure up awesome crossovers— I am in awe of you all, they’re just not for me!)

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Never, luckily, since the Romione community is so lovely and supportive! But, though not outright hate, for a while I had an anonymous FFN reviewer who left reviews on every chapter of Rosebury Grounds saying that my title was a porn/sex act...? I was distraught and scoured Google to see if they really were right and this was some obscure euphemism I’d entirely missed, but turns out it wasn’t, and they had gotten confused with a vulgar but similar term. So I ignored those reviews but they kept coming and then eventually one time I found a 500 word very graphic description of the sex act in question in my reviews, so desperate was the reviewer (apparently) to get their (wrong) point across. Yikes. 

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yes! I’ve written a lot and of many kinds— explicit, implied, just foreplay, fade-to-black, referenced... I’ve written both M/F and M/M. 

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No— I didn’t even know that was something I should worry about!

Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, but I speak fluent Spanish, so I’m planning on translating In Another Universe and Rosebury Grounds myself once I’ve finished the latter. 

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, the most I’ve done is beta from the plot-building stage!

What's your all-time favorite ship?

Gahhhh don’t make me pick! Romione (HP) is first in my heart because I see so much of myself and what I want in it, but Samfro (LOTR) is, to me, the truest depiction of love in all of literature, ever. I will forever come back to it.

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

I hope to finish my Hogwarts Actually series that I started for Romionecom (hi, Discord friends!) inspired by Love Actually. I have it all planned out, translating all the relationships in the movie to HP pairings and friendships, and all I need to do is write— but I think I’ll come back to this periodically and unoften. Hopefully I’ll finish it!

What are your writing strengths?

I like to think that I write good and witty dialogue. I’m a theatre person, so I think my dialogue sounds mostly natural when spoken. I also have a good sense of beginning and ending, so most of my works/chapters start and end with a memorable phrase of some sort. I also have excellent grammar and spelling, so except for a few occasional typos, that makes the job of proofing much easier!

What are your writing weaknesses?

I think I sometimes write sentences that are waaaay too long and convoluted. I use words that are too big sometimes and just take approachability from my writing. Fanfic has been excellent to practice correcting this, though!

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

As a bilingual writer myself— don’t write dialogue in other languages unless you speak it well or get it translated directly through someone who speaks it well. Though I appreciate the effort, I can always tell when something was put through Google Translate, and that kind of dialogue most often ends up lacking the context clues/colloquial familiarity of real language speakers, and ends up sounding stiff and forced. 

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

I’m not proud of it, but I used to write MCR RPF back when I was 13 or so. It was a very brief stint and I have since deleted the works in their entirety, since my principles have evolved to the place where RPF to me seems disrespectful and invasive. Plus, it was on Wattpad.

What's your favorite fic you've written?

Again, don’t make me pick please!! I truly have had a lot of fun with Rosebury and I think it is a testament to how much I love it that I was able to keep the idea on hold for a full six months before I started writing it. I love the Downton setting and the Edwardian dialogue is a lot of fun to me. But I also have a soft spot for the In Another Universe original oneshot I submitted to the RFF2020— that work awoke my love for Muggle AUs (which I like to think I’m most known for), inspired me to start work on my first multichap fic, and keeps me coming back to it anytime I have doubt in my ability to write swoonworthy scenes. It was the oneshot that started it all. 

Tagging: @accio-broom @be11atrixthestrange @folk-melody (and anyone else who would like to!)

[texanredrose]

Okay, to put some limitations on this, I’m only including the WIPs that I’ve done more than a synopsis for... that I can remember... that’s on Google Drive... that I actually think I might post one day... but haven’t posted yet because my posted WIPs are fairly easy to identify... okay... I got tagged by @unsteadyshade and I’m tagging @faunusrights and @alexlayer69

1) Across Time - Inuyasha AU where Weiss gets thrown back in time to the ancient past, where she meets two demons (Yang and Blake) warring against each other over a misunderstanding.

2) Alpha’s Devotion - Omega’s Strength, but from Winter’s POV.

3) Bears, Oh My - An exhausted Winter, lost on a hike, comes across a cabin where Yang lives with her three pet bears.

4) Brave New World - Continuation of the Dishonored AU where Ruby and Winter reflect on the new Mantle.

5) Bruised - Third installment to the ace!Yang AU. 

6) Coming Home - Based on Dash’s Tiny Knight AU, Princess Blake is betrayed and stranded far from home and must rely on a reticent knight named Weiss to return to her kingdom.

7) Complications Always Arise - Papa Schnee is demanding Weiss marry before he’ll allow her to take his place as head of the SDC, so Yang volunteers to pretend to be Weiss’ beloved. No one else knows the relationship is fake, least of all Blake and Winter, and it’s just a bunch of pain.

8) Divided - Continuation of the By Moonlight AU where Whitley returns to the castle and Winter’s not upset by that- and Winter’s upset by the fact she’s not upset and has to figure out why her inner wolf is cool with this when she should, by all rights, be furious.

9) Dragonsbane - Mage Knight Winter hears tale of a dragon in the countryside that the local villages wish to see vanquished. Winter, however, has other plans.

10) Eye of the Beholder - Blinded and near death after a battle, Winter is rescued by the mysterious Yang and is nursed back to health despite her protests otherwise. (It’s a Medusa!AU.)

11) Fabled - Fable 3 AU where Princess Ruby and Princess Yang are forced to confront the fact that Queen Raven has lost her fucking mind, only to discover that fear drove the woman insane- a fear they must confront themselves.

12) Fields of Love - Farmer Yang offers a job and housing to apparent single mother Winter and her young daughter Penny. What starts as a kind gesture grows into something so much more.

13) Full Circle - Van Helsing (2004) AU, Winter and Weiss, amnesiacs employed by the church to handle all manner of unholy problems, are sent to discover what happened to King Taiyang. Along the way, they become wrapped up in a centuries spanning prophecy and a bloodline hanging in the balance.

14) High Bar, Low Blow - Yang owns a bar where the gimmick is that everyone’s an out of work actor and the staff is staging an ongoing drama on par with a soap opera to keep their customers coming back. Winter joins the staff and then things get a bit real.

15) Hoodlums and Hijinks - Robin Hood AU where Princess Winter and Princess Weiss are just as in favor for overthrowing the king as the group of bandits run by Ruby, Yang, and Blake. 

16) Last One 2: Electric Boogaloo (title subject to change) - a sequel to Last One where the haunt continues.

17) Lexical Access - Sequel to Tip of the Tongue, where Yang gives her girlfriend a bit of roleplaying payback.

18) Little Red - Carmen Sandiego AU where Ruby was kidnapped adopted by a group of thieves and raised to become the world’s greatest thief, but a chance meeting with Penny via a stolen phone opens her eyes to the wider world, and she meets the rebellious heiress Weiss, street smart Blake, and brawler Yang, creating a team that works to foil Ruby’s former friends while eluding capture by mysterious operatives with a somewhat familiar white color scheme...

19) Long Term Investment - Yang, a fae who lives in the woods, makes a deal with Princess Winter to save the Queen. The price? Winter’s firstborn. Winter misunderstands how she’s expected to get pregnant and Yang’s never actually intended to collect. Next thing Yang knows, Winter’s moving into the clearing beside her tree home.

20) Miscalculation - Another Omegaverse AU where Weiss is an omega and Blake and Yang are alphas, except Weiss lied and said she was an alpha when enrolling in Beacon and now she’s locked in a room with Blake and Yang on the verge of starting her heat. Sharing is caring.

21) More Than Words Can Say - Winter, rendered mute by a military accident early in her career, is honestly the best girlfriend Yang’s ever had. However, tonight’s the night they’ve decided to get intimate, and that includes showing some scars that they don’t show often. It’s less about sex and more about trust and intimacy.

22) Music of the Night - Phantom of the Opera AU where the mysterious, disfigured shade of the opera house, Weiss, finds herself at odds with the rich, jovial Yang in a competition for Blake’s heart. Then there’s Adam being a dick, too, and the opera house has never seen so much drama.

23) My Heart Will Go On - It’s the Titanic, but double the rich, unwilling-to-marry ladies and triple the won-a-ticket-to-a-ship ruffians. Penny’s there too; she, like Ruby, just really likes ships.

24) One Fucking Favor - Winter’s due for a long assignment and wants to make a sex tape for stress relief purposes. Yang doesn’t ask questions; she’s just the one with the camera. But then, Winter’s partner for the vid doesn’t show up. What’s Yang going to do about it?

25) Prophecy - Star Wars AU where Ruby, Yang, and Blake are trained as Jedi, Winter and Weiss are part of the clone army, and Ruby’s the chosen one. That’s a lot of pressure to put on someone, but Senator Salem is there to lend a helping hand...

26) Propositioned - Faunus experience bouts of heat; sometimes, they can safely ignore it and go about their lives, but every now and again, they really can’t. Concerned for Blake’s health as she’s skipped too many heats to be healthy, Yang sets up a partner for Blake’s heat. Blake’s not a fan but she does like the idea of banging Weiss Schnee.

27) Proven - ARK: Survival Evolved AU where Winter, after being ‘won’ by Yang, is taken into the bowels of the earth to learn how the underground tribes who inhabit the area survive in such an unforgiving environment. As she acclimates to the tribe’s ways, she finds herself carving out her own path, culminating in facing off against the Queen and proving herself worthy.

28) Reaping What You Sow - When Winter escaped to the countryside with Penny to start a farm, she knew she had her work cut out for her. In need of help and facing a harsh cold season, she hires Yang, a one armed drifter, to help her. The two end up needing the other more than they could’ve imagined.

29) Tear My Heart Open - Blake thought she understood how the world worked. As a member of the White Fang Gang, all she needed to do was keep everyone motivated to continue their ongoing street war against the police and authorities bent on keeping them down. But while running from the cops, she’s offered sanctuary in the home of one Weiss Schnee and her girlfriend, Yang. From there, her perception of the world is completely upended.

30) The Duel - After her father offered her hand in marriage to the winner of a tournament, Winter opted to assume a disguise and fight for the prize herself. In the final match, she faces Yang Xiao Long, a competitor she’s come to know quite well, and she finds her conviction to win wavering slightly. Is it enough to lose her the fight?

31) The Lies We Tell Ourselves - Weiss has made it; she’s opened her tattoo shop in Vale, well away from her father, and aside from a bad first impression with the florists across the parking lot, everything’s looking up for her- until her father finds her. Luckily, Blake’s been through some shit and doesn’t mind helping Weiss drive daddy dearest up the wall, even if it means letting her own parents think she’s dating Weiss. It’s not like either of them is going to catch feelings... unless...

32) The Princess’ Bride - After losing her fiancée to the dreaded White Fang Pirates, Yang vows to take to the sea herself and exact her revenge. Princess Weiss finds herself falling madly in love with Yang, who still loves Blake, and all this is thrown into even more chaos when Yang gets kidnapped and Blake comes back from the dead! 

33) Two for One - Yes, another Omegaverse AU. Five years after the fall of Beacon, Yang and Blake cross paths, each believing the other has spent the time keeping their mutual mate, Weiss, safe. When they realize Weiss is with neither of them, old wounds are torn open, but before they can resolve their dispute, Winter captures the both of them and hauls them to a remote part of Atlas where an SDC facility has been turned into a fortress. There, they find a mortally wounded Weiss clinging to life and raising twins daughters; she gives her mates until her death to endear themselves to their children, else the twins might opt to stay with Winter and be kept from Blake and Yang for good. Between learning about their kids, Blake and Yang navigate their complicated feelings and try to reconnect with Weiss, all while a sinister force gathers to destroy the fortress and steal the prize within.

34) Weaknesses - Loosely set in the Glamour AU, Yang is being forced to assume her mother’s position as leader of their vampire coven. Her fellow vamps disapprove of Yang’s werewolf girlfriend. Winter, of course, doesn’t care.

I got lazy and cut a bunch out. No, fuck you, I don’t have too many AUs, I will add more if I want. Also, some of these, the first chapter is posted on my Patreon. Don’t ask me which ones; I genuinely have no idea. I’m bad at this, y’all.

[salty-sweet-ren]

I am so tempted to actually write something for my Timelord!Philza AU but also there’s way too many thoughts in my head I just wanna get them out there before I do any real writing so I’ma just paste them here in case I never do anything but I love this AU anyway

So basically, I had a thought with my Timelord!Philza AU where I honestly don;t know how he acquired Wilbur, but Wil is still his son- maybe half human or something? Maybe also immortal? idk exactly. But Timelords don't exactly do raising kids the way most species do (if sending 8 year olds to stare into the vortex and possibly drive them insane and then raise a handful to be equally as arrogant and pompous as the rest is anything to go by). But Philza doesn't want Wilbur to have the same shitty childhood he did so he leaves him to be raised by someone on Earth so he can be a normal kid (maybe Kristen, maybe someone else, idk). 

But while he tries to visit Wilbur in the right order, its still inconsistent, like, for Wilbur it'll have been a few days since he last saw Phil, but for Phil its been 20 years. Or Phil will try to visit a week after his last, but for Wilbur its been 2 years. Or something like that.

I also had the thought that maybe he'd originally picked up a bit of Philza's mentality about stuff, up until he meets Tommy and Tubbo and between caring about them and his own life on Earth, he starts caring more about humans and mortals and stuff.

And some point after the first time Phil and Techno meet Ranboo (and they witness Ranboo's death) they show up wanting to forget the mortal kid they almost got attached to- but uh oh Wilbur's gotten attached to a couple of humans now, and he's started calling Philza and Techno on their BS when it comes to dismissing the lives of mortals, and that's the start of forcing these two ancient immortals to start caring about shit

Am I gonna write anything with this? idk, I’m gonna start putting my thoughts into a google doc and maybe something will come of this

[dotsayers]

20 Questions: Writer’s Edition

tagged by the beloved @myrmidryad 

this is a LONG one so here’s a cut to avoid do you love the colour of the sky syndrome

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

101 after a recent purge... no one may know about my Past

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

329004! used to be about 350k but again... purge

3. How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

on ao3 i’ve written for (chronologically) doctor who, skyfall, discworld, les mis, star trek, lord peter wimsey, marvel (various), in the flesh, red vs blue, roosterteeth rpf, check please, hockey rpf, star wars, daredevil, rivers of london, dishonored, emmerdale, dirk gently, holby city, hot fuzz, kj charles, guardian, the covert captain, taskmaster rpf, good omens, ghosts, roswell new mexico, leverage, schitt’s creek, the magicians, 9-1-1, it chapter two, the magnus archives, the old guard, the mandalorian, the ritual, the locked tomb

way back on the pit of voles i wrote for twilight, harry potter, hetalia and xmen first class. and on the newsround chatrooms i wrote exclusively harry potter fic about my oc neville and luna’s daughter

as you can tell i am not prone to staying in one fandom writing wise, i tend to end up with one complete fic and seven abandoned wips concealed deep in my google drive

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

finally see what it means to be living (captain marvel, carol/maria, i really hit the zeitgeist with this one i think i was something like the fifth fic in the ship tag)

do whatever you think (the magnus archives, this series is actually #2-7, then #8 #9 and #11 for me so i’m going to cheat a bit)

standing in a world of my own (daredevil, matt/foggy/karen, another zeitgeist hit! really miss writing for daredevil actually... it’s a perennial fave)

a winding road that stretches towards the truth (iron man, tony/rhodey, i STILL don’t know when this got so many kudos. i swear i looked away when it was at 100 and suddenly it ended up here)

where the long shadows grow (star trek aos, kirk prime/spock prime, thank god some people are checking the prime kirkspock tag is all i’m saying!)

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

i don’t really Do angsty endings... possibly a blanket of stars just because i ended it on something of a cliffhanger and then completely zoned out of rnm for long enough that i forgot where i was going with it. there was definitely the intention of fixing things but then i just... did not do that. and now the show is on s3 and i’m over a season behind! life comes at you fast

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

where the long shadows grow, because it reunited kirk prime and spock prime and they DESERVE TO BE HAPPYYYY. i’m a complete sucker for presumed dead/back from the dead stories, actually, so on a similar theme i have two (TWO) daredevil fics which follow the trope, one about ray coming back post-s2 (might never be normal again) and one about foggy and matt reuniting post-endgame (in the corner, taking up space). this is the only time i will ever acknowledge endgame ever again

7. Do you write crossovers? If so, what is the craziest one you’ve written?

i do write crossovers! in fact i am often roundly mocked by my friends for the increasingly esoteric nature of my crossovers. way back in secondary i wrote a twilight/labyrinth crossover where angela was sarah and jareth’s daughter  because i had a massive crush on a girl who liked both twilight and labyrinth. however, since that has been comprehensively scrubbed from the internet, i think my craziest crossover is probably part three of ‘traced upon the skies’, already an esoteric crossover of rivers of london and hot fuzz, when i added in a crossover with the horror movie ‘the ritual’ just because i wanted rafe spall’s character to be happy 

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

EXTREMELY rarely and only with extreme embarrassment. i will not be any more specific than that

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

i used to really struggle with doing this, to the point that i had over 300 comments just. lingering in my inbox unanswered. so i decided to give those up and just commit to answering them from then on, which has been working fairly well for about a year and a half now. i love getting comments but i get overwhelmed really easily and struggle with replying in a way which feels meaningful without getting in my head about it! 

10. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

yes lmao it was for a harry potter fic on ff.net where harry got sorted into hufflepuff instead of gryffindor. it wasn’t a very good fic but i think the fact it was clearly written by an 11 year old should have scared off at least some of the less flattering comments.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

i don’t... think so? i don’t know how i’d find out to be honest, my vanity googling is rarely very effective

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

yes! as bronze may be much beautified (skyfall, mallory/bond) got translated into chinese, i was extremely pleased. i think it’s mandarin but the ao3 page for the translation doesn’t say and my mandarin is.................. extremely poor

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

also yes! me and jess little-smartass have written a lot together, although only our star trek/les mis series has been published, more’s the pity. we spent a lot of les mis fandom time workshopping aus and we were always extremely correct about all of it, imo

14. What’s your all time favourite ship to write for?

oh god. i think probably kirk/spock, although there’s some recency bias to that since i reread space manhattans recently and was reminded of my love for them. i really like writing jon/martin but i’ve mostly done that from outsider pov which is a bit different to writing shipfic, i think. joe/nicky from tog was also something i really liked writing but i struggle with plotting longer fic with them

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

i recently went through my abandoned fic folder so i actually have a few options for this. the obvious choice would be ‘any of the hockey ones’ but i did delete most of those just for my sanity. more recently i started writing a vaguely smutty pre-the thing mac/fuchs fic for alex @milkdrinker5000 which i really WANT to finish but am struggling with. most obscure answer (even beyond the thing) and most likely to remain unfinished is the insanely in depth post-tog booker/copley fic i had planned out back in about october. i wrote a good 6-7k of that one and then i realised it was going to be, like, difficult, and decided if i was going to put that much work into something it may as well be the novel im meant to be writing

16. What are your writing strengths?

once a friend told me i had an excellent facility for dialogue and ive thought about it every time i write ever since. i love writing dialogue and i think i’m good at knowing what sounds ic and what is right out. 

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

one of the things i struggled with for a really long time, and honestly still have trouble with, is depicting action in words. once i wrote a hockey fic which featured multiple hockey games and i spent probably four times as much effort editing those to make sense and be interesting that i’ve ever done on a talkier scene.

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

i’ve done it but only when i knew more or less what i was talking about - i did italian at school so i felt confident using it for nicky in something particular and real. i try not to italicise when i drop in words from other languages, which is what i usually do when i’m using a language i haven’t studied in depth (for example, joe’s use of arabic in some of my fic), and to only use words which i’ve heard used by native speakers in that context. i think if you don’t feel confident using another language, generally speaking, you shouldn’t do it. and for god’s sake don’t use google translate for a full sentence

19. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

harry potter on the newsround chatboards. ariana lovegood-longbottom my sweet child

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

this used to be an easy question because hands down the fic i was proudest of on posting it was i’ll be seeing you. i spent a year and a half on research and writing! but these days i do cringe a little at my hockey fic, and i think i’m prouder of some of my shorter works. let’s do a curveball and say layer on layer, down on down, which is my favourite of my rnm fics and the one i like most from a narrative voice perspective. getting michael right was stressful and i’m still proud i got it down for a TIME LOOP FIC, my absolute favourite trope

tagging @little-smartass and @leescoresbies just in case they want to try this

[kinetic-elaboration]

September 17: 3x07 Day of the Dove

I am incredibly discombobulated today—usual weekend nocturnal shenanigans I guess! Anyway it’s somehow midnight. Gonna try to write up these note on the Classic episode The Day of the Dove in as efficient a manner as possible.

Hmm, a planet with wavy pink Fraggle plants. I like it already.

But where is Spock? Very suspicious.

I really appreciate Kirk giving a little speech to set up the overall question/issue for us. (I know he does this all the time with the Captain’s logs but this is out loud and so… more obviously expository.)

Oh no, it’s our old friends…the Klingons.

I will admit that this ONE TIME, the Klingon is being reasonable. Like, it is reasonable to think that Kirk and the Enterprise attacked his ship, given that his hip WAS attacked, and who else would it be?

Three years of peace between the Klingons and the Federation? That is inclusive of the show so all this tension must technically be “peace” and also implies there was something more like a direct war going on, like, right before Kirk got the captaincy.

Zoolander voice: What is this, a colony of the INVISIBLE?

“We have no devil. But we understand the habits of yours.”

No takers? No takers on the torture? No volunteers to be mercilessly tortured by the Klingons?

Star Trek Beyond could have had Kirk and Chekov bond over being brothers! I mean, to other people.

They’ll kill 100 hostages at the first sign of treachery. He does know there are only 400-some people on the ship right? Maybe you should pace yourself, Kang.

Kirk’s so badass he needs MULTIPLE guns trained on him just to use the phone.

Oh-ho secret message to Spock. Which version of the iPhone will be capable of doing THAT?

The Klingons are “suspended in transit” is an awfully nice way of saying they’re just dematerialized atoms in space. Philosophy major and/or Bones nightmare fuel.

How did Kang not see this coming, by the way? Like, he just says “I’m taking your ship now, me and my 6 men versus your 400-some men, and I’ll do this by simply declaring it to be so. Now let’s beam up to your ship, where I’ll be greatly outnumbered, and there are armed security guards all around me.” Guess he’s been reading The Secret!

WIFE AND SCIENCE OFFICER

Aka the most important part of this whole episode.

Kirk’s face is very ?????? You can have both????

It’s legitimately not even important for her to be the science officer tbqh. Like that is so gratuitous. That’s just in there to drive me insane.

"We're prisoners, somehow, after I demanded to come on the ship, assuming they'd just give it to me without any kind of fight. How DID this happen?”

Federation death camps lol—someone’s been watching Fox News.

I do kind of wonder… is this an actual rumor that goes around the Klingon homeworld or is it something that the alien entity put in her head specifically to make her angrier right now? I mean it really could be either.

I also appreciate this episode for being pretty much the only one to actually attempt to give the Klingons a reason for being as they are. The Romulans… maybe aren’t well-described, but they do have a sort of regalness to them, appropriate for being related to Vulcans, and you can kind of imagine that they are the way they are because they’re Vulcans without the intense self-control. Plus they’re literally only in 2 TOS eps and in the second, the Federation are the aggressors. But the Klingons show up a half-dozen times only to be depicted each time as just like Cartoonishly Bad, aggressive, violent, and selfish for basically no reason. And I mean, some people really are!! But TOS has so much nuance in other places, that it always seemed a little disappointing to me that the Klingons are really just like ‘well we’re just bad and we hate everyone and we really like killing I guess.” At least in this ep there’s a little more added to that: that there is poverty on their world, that they feel aggrieved, that they feel unprotected, that taking and conquering is how they look after themselves…

I think that’s later in the episode though.

He’s detaining them in the LOUNGE lol. With their favorite dishes available to them to eat. Absolutely barbarous conditions.

I can’t believe Chekov is hanging in the elevator with the cool kids. Like, one of these things really isn’t like the others.

Kang is officially sure of himself for someone currently imprisoned in the lounge, that most fearsome of Federation death camps.

Hmm, could the glittery light alien have taken over??

You know what, that's a lot of tasks for Johnson to do all by himself: search the whole ship, fix the engines, and free 400 people.

Sulu would love this: everyone gets a sword!!

“Bridge. I gotta show this to Sulu immediately.”

Klingons have maintained a dueling tradition. That’s interesting. Finally some characterization going on.

Spock is really living up to his logical nature today. Everyone else has gone off the emotional deep end and he’s like “have you considered this completely rational explanation that accounts for the actual, observed facts??”

Whoops Chekov is actually an only child. Scratch that previous Beyond headcanon. (Interesting that his dead brother does really resemble Sam though—killed on a research colony??)

Love that Sulu knows that about him though.

Oh, that’s a pretty schematic picture of the Enterprise. I want that on a t-shirt.

Lol the pan out to the armory, now filled with… swords!!

Do ALL of these men have a fetish for swords? Sulu and fencing, Spock displaying swords in his quarters, and Kirk in his San Francisco apartment, and Scotty salivating over this Scottish blade.

“Klingon units.”

Finally Sulu gets his sword! It’s what he deserves.

Love that the shiny light alien also has a fetish for swords.

Oh no, it’s our old adversary, an alien life force.

What is the alien’s purpose? Um, I’m pretty sure its purpose is to start shit.

“An appropriate choice of terms, Captain.” I don’t even remember what this is referring to but I think it’s pretty clear that Spock is enjoying himself during a crisis again.

Bones, being so dramatic. Were there atrocities? He’s talking about the Klingons as if they were literally hacking off limbs—it’s a few stab wounds here and there, chill.

Oooh, time to behave like military men—strong words. (But I thought it wasn’t the military?? @ S**** P****) (This might not even be my best argument, given the context of this episode, but I’m sticking with it.)

This is like a giant game of capture the flag.

AU that’s just about the Enterprise crew playing capture the flag with the Klingons.

Sulu in the background standing guard with his sword

Damn, turning on Spock with the slurs now!!

Spock was absolutely ready to kill him. Like he would 100% have taken him out with a blow to the head. And he’d been doing such a good job of not feeling the alien’s effects so far! Admittedly, that was a strong provocation though.

Honestly, I really like this scene. It’s uncomfortable and tense and you can really see how the alien is bringing out the worst possible influences of their respective races. And I liked how Spock was definitely full on pre-Reform Vulcan for a minute there. It was a more effective portrayal of what that might have looked like than All Our Yesterdays tbqh.

A result of… stress?

Kirk got himself out of it first. He’s so strong. He knows himself so well, he cannot be outsmarted by any alien.

“We’ve been taught to think in terms other than war.”

“The alien brings out the worst of us—patriotic drumbeating…even race hatred.”

He’s so sad; he can’t imagine thinking like that about Spock :(

Sulu in a Jeffries tube! A man of many talents. It’s okay bb, take credit for turning on the lights.

The alien must have been getting bored. The Klingons must have been doing too well, and the playing field needs to be leveled for maximum shit-stirring.

“Let’s find that alien.” That’s how I ALWAYS feel.

Oh, Kang, you’re so close—“What power supports our battle but thwarts our victory.” So, so close to getting it.

ALIEN DETECTED.

Spock takes his sword, of course.

“Jim.” Obligatory Jim moments hit differently when they’re not so obligatory.

“Jim—stop hitting my protégé. And put that sword down.”

Kirk looks so sad, picking Chekov up to carry him bridal style.

Also in addition to ‘race hatred’ I think we need to add ‘rape-y tendances’ to the bad stuff that the alien is inspiring here.

“A brief surge of racial bigotry. Most distasteful.” Spock winning for understatement of the year.

They're assuming the alien is trying to test out their relative powers but I think it just wants entertainment. I mean, doesn’t it look like a naughty little thing?

Mara’s outfit is… little shorts? Interesting. Usually not my style but she makes it work.

Spock doesn’t even look at Johnson as he falls lol. Another one bites the dust.

“It exists on the hate of others.”

What does this remind me of? Oh, the Vast of Night and the whole “aliens made us do every bad thing ever” conspiracy theory. At least this one makes more sense, in part because it is not quite so overwhelmingly broad!

All hostile attitudes must be eliminated, he says, and there's Mara right behind Kirk giving him a death stare lol.

Kang is so obviously posing. Google Earth, always taking pictures.

Only a few minutes before drifting forever in space becomes inevitable? Good thing Kirk works well under pressure.

“Well… do whatever you can, Scotty. You know the drill.” Doesn’t even bother giving real directions anymore. We’ve been in this scenario before.

“So we drift in space, with only hatred and bloodshed aboard.”

And the 392 people below just get to…live in Enterprise prison, I guess.

Star date: Armageddon. So dramatic!

I’m not even making that up; that’s an actual quote. Can you imagine being an Admiral listening to this?

“Stop the war now.” An actual line, really aired on television.

Spock wants to threaten the wife lol. That's the old pre-Reform Vulcan seeping through. Surak who?

Damn, Kang is cold. “Eh, she gets the concept of being killed in battle.” They’re gonna need marriage counseling after this.

“There is another way. Mutual trust and help.” Yes that’s my hero!!

“No one can guarantee the actions of another.” Can’t remember the context of this entirely anymore, but great line.

The entity is loving this—multi-person choreographed sword fight!!

"Those who hate and fight must stop themselves. otherwise it is not stopped.” Another baller line. Spock has a lot of deep thoughts today. And so does Kirk. And Kang.

Kirk tries to reason with the alien. Nice try.

“Shoo. Shoo, alien. Off the ship, go away.”

Omg that last moment—Kang slapping Kirk’s back way too hard, Spock’s completely ridiculous wide-eyed expression when he does, like some sort of combo of amusement and confusion, and then Sulu just passing on by in the background….

Then the alien just yeets itself into space. And that’s the end!

Always feels weird when there’s no wrap up on the bridge.

Also, what are they going to do with the Klingons? They have no ship. They really did come out of this a lot worse than Kirk and co. No ship, huge casualties—and no one to blame even, but the alien.

I feel like the alien messed up a little in killing so many Klingons. Like, it could have accomplished its purpose, angering the Klingons and turning them on Kirk, by attacking the ship a little less violently—you know they’d react to 5 deaths pretty much the same as 400, and then there would be many more people to fight forever and produce that sweet sweet anger!

Maybe the alien’s powers aren’t strong enough to influence 800 people though. Also it wants equal forces and 800 people wouldn’t fit on the Enterprise, one assumes. So it still makes sense.

That was, of course, an excellent episode. 100% agree with is classic status, even though the main things I remembered going in were the wife + science officer bit, and everyone laughing at the end in a really forced, fake way, in order to make the alien go away.

I thought the Klingons were a lot better/more interesting today than usual. First, I think Kang is a better character, or a better actor maybe, than the others; he has a certain way about him that is… more watchable, more sympathetic. And he’s always saying these really dramatic things that make it seem likely he writes patriotic Klingon war poetry in his off time. Also, including his wife made them seem more… not human obviously, but normal. Not just cardboard cut-out villains. And of course the actual lightly specific motivations I earlier mentioned helped too.

Also, the plotting was very good: it built up slowly but surely over time, so at first the alien’s influence wasn’t that obvious, and then it became more so, and then it became horrifically obvious and extreme. And then you had to re-evaluate earlier moments: was that the alien changing facts in their heads, or a real part of the animosity between humans and Klingons? And it wasn’t always clear, which I appreciated. The tension when the people were at their worst wasn’t overdone, like in that moment with Scotty, Spock, and Kirk—or even in Chekov’s assault on Mara, tbh. The various strategies of the different sides were very entertaining too; there was never a dull moment, and they fit in a lot of straight-up actions and twists into 50 minutes.

The possible threat was truly terrifying, also: stuck in a space ship, forever, unable to die, feeling the worst possible emotions all the time, besieged, angered, despairing, fighting a war that can’t be won, being injured and suffering only to recover and fight again, and it never stops… A perfect nightmare mixture of insanity and violence and pain. And the alien, in encouraging hatred and anger, doesn’t discriminate between sides: they turn on each other just as much as on the Klingons, breeding paranoia and infighting. For eternity.

The episode also felt much more strongly anti-war than I remember tbh. Like it was not subtle. Kirk literally says “stop the war” in so many words. He has a part in his speech where he talks about the possibility of other aliens out there, encouraging other wars. And while I do think “maybe the aliens are making us do it” is a cop out explanation, or would be if it were real, the scenario gave the show a lot of room to say, like, pretty ballsy things: to include “patriotic drum beating” along with “race hatred” in a list of corrupting feelings they were experiencing; to show how the same instincts that lead to warring also lead to sexual assault and the aforementioned ‘race hatred;” to reveal the true horror of an endless war by making the participants unkillable and sticking them in a singular space ship in the middle of nowhere; to imply that the combatants of war gain nothing from it, but outside or third-party entities will pull strings of their own design to profit from the conflict as long as possible; even to make an impassioned plea to camera to stop the endlessness of the conflict. Like I can’t even totally unpack this but it is a lot!

Finally, it was also a great Kirk episode, which of course is my most important factor. He’s smart; he’s strong; he’s so sure of himself and his values that he cannot be manipulated to mindless hatred, he represents the values of the Federation, and the show itself; he treats even his enemies with basic respect and humanity; and ultimately, he saves the day.

Okay I was not efficient in writing this up at all! It is very late!!

[kayrogers]

accidental cinderella ][ t. holland

royalty au

Paring(s): prince!tom holland x reader ; platonic!harrison osterfield x reader

Inspo: cinderella cause a bitch LOVES fairy tale aus

Word Count: 2900+

Warning(s): cursing, lil bit of a cheese-fest, and haz being an absolute bean

Part: prologue | part 1 | part ??

A/N: first of all.. wow. thank you so much to everyone that read first part and actually wanted more, y’all are some saints. Second, I hope y’all are coping well in quarantine, stay healthy loves! also gifs above DO NOT belong to me, I found them on google.

Harrison indeed did manage to get your number and sent you the details for the Gala the next day. To say that it was scary how fast he got a hold of you was an understatement. What had you gotten yourself into?!

‘You weren’t being serious about the Forever 21 dress... were you?’ He texted back and you felt your face grow red.

You were poor. There was no question about it, even if your so-called family upstairs lived lavishly. But maybe this could get you out of it! No fancy dress? No gala. Maybe he had finally come to his senses and realized how insane it was that he even spoke to you. Let alone invited you to such an event.

‘Uh yeah. Is that going to be a problem?’ You sent back, biting your lip in anticipation.

‘Not at all. Meet me at this address tonight at 9 PM. Wear something comfy. ;)’ What?!

Okay, you weren’t sure what that meant and it made your stomach flip at the prospect.

‘Is this another thing that’d be offensive to say no to?’ There was the sound of a crash coming from the floor above you and you could hear your step-mother’s familiar screech.

‘Yes. See you there!’ You rolled your eyes, turning your phone off and slipping out of bed.

“[Y/n]! Get upstairs!” She yelled down the stairs to your flat and you groaned, slipping on a pair of slippers and heading up.

The sight upstairs was nothing short of a disaster. Pink powder covered the tiled kitchen floor and the small white Pomeranian your step-mother named ‘Angel’. It didn’t take long to hang around that dog to realize the name was an oxymoron.

“Clean this up immediately! I can’t believe I’ve spilled my Marc Jacobs blush... and I have the gala this weekend. You must get more today.” Your step-mother, Sheryl, harped the second you entered the room.

“And give the dog a wash, I need my baby clean.” You nodded, more tripping up on this gala she mentioned.

Grabbing a vacuum from the closet, you were quick to get to work picking up what you could of the loose powder.

“Gala this weekend?” You carefully questioned as you hung up the vacuum and grabbed a swiffer mop.

“The Holland’s. With your father’s connections I was able to get invitation for myself and the girls. The king is looking for all of the eligible ladies in the kingdom for his son... obviously within a more respectable tax bracket as only certain families are being invited.” She snipped and you felt a familiar grieving anger fill your chest.

Your father’s connections. You always knew Sheryl had it out for his money from the second he met her, but he loved her and you wanted him to be happy after your mother’s passing. But now? The blatant materialism and audacity. To not even consider bringing you, but quick to use your father’s memory when it was of use. It disgusted you to no end.

After mopping what you could, you grabbed the dog who immediately started yipping at you. Making the decision to bite your tongue, you left the room before you could say something you’d regret.

“Make sure you scrub this grout when you’re done!” You inwardly groaned at her screech.

The rest of your day went frustratingly similar to that interaction. You went through an exceedingly long to do list that you were forced to do daily, somehow these women managed to mess up every little micromanaged task you were given. You wouldn’t doubt your step sisters doing it on purpose, torturing you being one of their favorite pastimes.

After chores was work, this environment not much of a change. As cute as the café was, that Pinterest-wholesome exterior was a facade when considering the attitudes of other customers and co-workers alike. You’d swear off any coffee besides black if you didn’t have such a sweet tooth.

You were cleaning after your shift around 8, when you got another text from Harrison.

Harrison: ‘We still on for tonight?’

[Y/n]: ‘Yeah. Just locking up the café. 9 right?’

Harrison: ‘Most certainly! Make me a coffee on your way out?’ [$50 attached to message]

[Y/n]: ‘50?! I would have done it for free!’

Harrison: ‘I know ;)’

That was the first good thing to happen to you all day. And you didn’t even want to accept it. Maybe having a royal butt-buddy wouldn’t be so bad if he kept this up.

Cleaning was much less of a chore after that and you felt yourself actually grin when you stepped out into the cold night air. You put the address Harrison sent you into Uber and found yourself equal parts anxious and excited. The drive was short, but as you turned onto the block dread filled your heart. Fairy Ave. It was a place that not even your step-mother could visit more than once a year. Every store glistened brightly and held price tags you could never imagine. You could guess a singular dress would cost your tuition. In front of one boutique stood a familiar face in a suit even more dashing. And you sat in the backseat of an Uber with your work clothes still on. 

“A suit?” You questioned when you got out.

“I’ve just left work as well. Not easy babysitting a prince.” He jokes and you hand him his coffee.

“You sure he’d like you saying that?” Harrison scoffed at your remark and held open the door to a place called ‘Bibbity Boutique’.

“I’m sure I don’t give a damn.” He was cheeky, but you were too busy gawking at the insane dresses to notice.  From floor to ceiling there were pristine cocktail dresses to sparkling ball gowns. You did not even want to guess how much any piece called for.

“You’re not seriou-“

“I am. Can I get some assistance for this lovely lady here? She’s a friend of the crown.” Harrison boldly held out a silver and red brandished credit card to the first store attendant he saw.

She eyed you suspiciously, but still pulled out a tape measure. However you were too busy stumbling over his phrasing, ‘friend of the crown’ was never something you’d imagine hearing in your life. You were led through the store while Harrison and the worker were actually picking out dresses. Part of you was scared to touch one for fear of somehow breaking it and putting yourself into indefinite debt. But then you saw it.

The deep pine green caught your eye as if drawn there by a magnet. The dress in all honesty was simple, smooth satin flowing down the mannequin like water. The back was mostly open except for spaghetti straps tying the bottom together. It was perfect.

“Stop.” Your voice was abrupt, Harrison and the attendant give you a strange look with equal amounts of insane dresses filling their arms.

“The green one. That’s it.”

“Are you sure? These are the gowns being purchased for the gala.” The attendant insisted on the dresses in her arms, each one extravagant and sparkling.

“Let’s see it on then.” Harrison concluded with a smirk, and the attendant rolled her eyes but moved to help you get that dress down.

You audibly gasped when seeing yourself in the dress. The deep forest color reflected amazingly off of the lights of the dressing room as you stood on a raised platform in front of its many mirrors. It was almost iridescent as the satin slightly changed with every swish and twirl of the fabric. It hung off your figure perfectly, tightening at every point it was meant to.

“Harrison!” You called excitedly, nearly falling in the tester heels you were given when putting the garment on.

He walked in and a smile took up his face when taking in your form.

“Don’t you clean up nice. We’ll take it.” He stated and you watched as the attendant quickly began writing down an order.

“I feel like I’m in Pretty Woman. Except I’m not having sex with anyone. Oh god, I don’t have to have sex with you for this right?” You whispered to him jokingly and his cheeks burned bright.

“Ouch. But no, like I said, you are a friend of the crown now. Or a friend of mine at the very least, you make me laugh [Y/n]. And since this whole gala was strapped together, Tom hasn’t been doing much of that.” Harrison looked down and began typing on his phone while saying that.

“So you and Tom are mates then?” He looked up from the device with a chuckle.

“I wouldn’t be Royal Advisor if I wasn’t.” He winked and went back to typing.

“Pretty sure you’re not looking for a laugh when taking advice on the kingdom, but if the shoe fits-“

“-Oh shoe! Wait one moment!” Harrison interrupted and dashed out of the dressing room.

He came back with his hands behind his back, a large grin occupying the bottom half of his face. “You shall be wearing these to the gala,” He pulled a box out from behind his eyes and you narrowed your eyes.

It was opened to reveal the most gorgeous pair of heels you had ever seen in your life. The seemed to be made of glass, crystalline and sparkling under the dressing rooms lights. You were nearly scared to blink, for fear that they’d disappear when you opened your eyes again.

“Come on then, let’s try em’ on.” He encouraged and you quickly stepped out of the tester heels.

Harrison kneeled in front of you, slipping the shoes on carefully while you watched in one of the many mirrors. They fit like a glove. And that’s when the world seemed to hit you like a tidal wave, eyes filling with tears too quickly for you to process.

“Harrison I can’t- the dress- the shoes- it’s all to much.” You choked out with a gasp, tears spilling down your face.

His head whipped up, the man rising to meet your blurred gaze.

Seeing yourself in that dress like that killed you in a way you never knew something could. It was just too nice. No one had done anything like this for you since your father was alive, a simple act of kindness. You were just overwhelmed by your emotions, feeling undeserving of any of this.

“Have I done something wrong?” His eyebrows were pulled together in concern.

“No. The opposite. I- I don't deserve this, Harrison.” You managed to get out through your sobs and he laughed, pulling you into his arms.

“Don’t think I’ve ever made a girl cry over a shopping trip. [Y/n] just accept this as a gift, please. Besides I was not letting you come near that gala in anything but the finest I could offer you. The royal family would have my head.” He comforted you, rubbing your back til your tears dried.

When he pulled away, your face was still red, cheeks and nose tinted cherry from your outburst. You felt embarrassed, sheepishly avoiding his gaze and looking at yourself in the mirror. And even though you looked like a wreck, you could never be more beautiful when wearing that get-up. You even ran your fingers through your hair, shaking it out and actually imagining yourself at this gala.

“Excuse me- we’ll be taking the dress and the slippers!” Harrison yells out from the dressing room. “Now get out of that thing so I can buy it and get you home.”

He exits the dressing room with a wink and you release a breath you didn’t realize was being held in. You managed to slip out of the garment easily, the material sliding down your skin like water. The fact that it now belonged to you was jarring, and you held onto it tightly. 

Putting your work clothes back on was sobering, and you managed to finally accept your reality by the time you stepped outside the shop with Harrison, two bags occupying your hands.

“Shall I arrange for a hair and makeup appointment before the gala?” He asks and you fervently shake your head.

“No! No more spending your money on me, please, I don't know if I can take it.” You plead and his eyes roll with a grin occupying his face.

“Alright… no more money.” Harrison chuckles and the rest of the drive goes smoothly, the two of you getting on as if you’d known each other for years.

The boy was truly a breath of fresh air to you, yourself used to men like him being arrogant pricks who would barely pass you anything more than a predatory glance. But he was kind and treated you with respect, which was really all you could ask for in a friend. Not like you had many of those anyways. Work and school taking up all of your time to a point where any free time you had was spent between you and Netflix.

When you were dropped off at the apartment, you quietly snuck inside and into your flat. There was a small anxiety which creeped through you when thinking of your step-mother or step-sisters finding the dress. If Sheryl saw it, she would ask questions and somehow use you to weasel her way into whatever plot a sociopathic widow could make out of your new connection to the Royal Advisor. 

You made sure your door was locked before moving to your bed and lifting up a panel in the floor to reveal a space filled with your most important items. Most of them were trinkets and random pieces of jewelry, besides that your father’s old journal and a shoebox of cash you had managed to hide from your step-mother and keep for yourself from work. You slipped the shoebox and dress box carefully into the spot before placing the panel back on top of the hole. 

-

Harrison had a giddy smile on his face as he approached Tom’s room, strolling in with a champagne bottle and two glasses. Though this jovial attitude is soon disrupted when seeing the Prince’s face. 

Tom was already nursing a glass of wine, solemnly staring out his window with his phone left open on his coffee table.

“She’s got a new phone.” He grimly states and that’s all Harrison has to hear.

“Annabelle?! Why won’t you report this? It’s harassment. Prince harassment. And that’s just treason, let’s arrest her.” He rapidly gets out, rolling his eyes at the dramatics of the situation.

Of course Annabelle Valentina Roselyn Kensington had to swing back into Tom’s life right when Harrison was helping him move on and get his shit together. And who was this girl? Prince Holland’s insanely jealous and conniving ex-girlfriend who Harrison knew would never let her claws unlatch from the Royal Family. 

“You know I can’t do that.” Tom said and finally looked away from the window.

The Prince could never report the girl, he knew of his status and how quickly most of the kingdom would attack her the second word got out. No matter how she tortured him during their two year long relationship, he still cared enough to not want her hurt. 

“What’s the bubbly for?” He asks and Harrison perks up.

“This is a celebration, my friend! Your genius advisor has concocted the perfect plot to get your father off your back and keep you from any unwanted advances at the gala… including Annabelle I presume.” Tom’s face twists in confusion.

“What are you on abo-”

“I’ve got you a girl-”

“Harrison.”

“Not another setup. Not even romantic. Her name is [Y/n]. She’s not phased by status or money, in fact she almost didn’t let me buy her a dress for the event. So here’s my plan, you find her at the gala - trust me, you’ll be able to pick her out - and you give her a proposition. Ask her to spend the night with you. You have a girl on your arm who you’re not required to further pursue, because once your father realizes she’s lowborn he’ll make sure that relationship never happens, and she’s quite funny actually so she won’t be a waste of your night.” Harrison gets out in one breath, face red and chest puffed as he unleashes his masterplan.

At least the part of it which Tom would have to know.

“So you’ve gotten me a fake date, that doesn’t even know she’s my fake date? And she’ll go along with it? Can I at least see a picture before you pawn me and this girl together? And that’s IF I let you. Big IF.” Harrison’s smile could be considered borderline psychotic, the man knowing that his best friend had already agreed and just didn’t want to let it on yet.

“Right, yeah. She’s actually quite pretty.” He pulled out his phone and brought up his camera roll to a picture he snuck of you in the dress.

You had a near invisible smile on your face, not noticing his phone in the reflection and just running a hand through your hair to get a different look in the mirror. Tom had to blink a few times, momentarily speechless. He tried not to let it show to Harrison, but there was clearly something about your image that struck him in a way he hadn’t expected.

“How’d you find this girl?” He scoffs, a twinge if heat touching his cheeks when Tom realizes that there’s a slight feeling of butterflies in his stomach.

The prince did not have that feeling for a long time, and he wasn’t exactly sure how he felt about that.

“Well- funny story actually. It all started when I knocked her over and spilled latte everywhere…”

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

taglist(s):

accidental cinderella - 

@quacksonhq​ @agirlwithpointlessideas​ @photoshopart15​ @futureauthor03​ @iwastornsincethestart @parkeret​ @vanillanestor​ @annoyinglyaries @hollanddolanfangirl​

permanent -

@ultrunning​ @jesseswartzwelder​

[aloera]

The ask prompt is too long to fit into an ask TT_TT but here's the doc for it docs(.)google(.)com/document/d/1yDI7iFRhOJ8ENv_IwZAo3rDSUqj80EiJROS10RzRbj4/edit

the lengths u are going for this,,, much appreciated you're very sweet!!!

prompts + answers under the cut!!

INTRODUCTION

Name: aloera

AO3 account: aloera

Fandoms you write for: bnha

How many stories have you written so far: 19

FANFICTION PROFILE

What's your favorite fandom to write for? hmm,,, used to do pjo and eah (ever after high) and eah was fun as fuck i will say!!! i think bnha is my fav mostly bc i made the most friends in this fandom :D

What's your favorite character/person to write for? bkg and kirishima!! cannot choose do not make me <3

Fic you'd want to improve? probably what we deserve? i rushed the beginning and the confession is a bit stilted imo

Hardest fic you've written? between lion and men -_- bc there is so much canon compliant stuff i've gotta write out before i get to the divergence and its HARD

Easiest fic you've written? come home to me!!! it happened so easily,,, no second guessing no writers block just vibes <33 was lovely i miss it

What would you say is the most "famous" fic you've ever written? also probably come home to me? its got the most interaction

first line of the first fic you've ever written and published. [not including my 2014 ffnet fics] "The bell rings, class starts, and Katsuki and Midoriya are inexplicably absent." from come home to me

Have you ever done a collab with another writer? yes!!!!! on two separate occasions and its so fucking fun i highly recommend trying it out its the best

Do you beta? if asked but honestly im a shit beta lmao

Do you like joining fic fests/exchanges? depends on what i have going on irl but in general yeah!!

FANFICTION PREFERENCES

Fluff or angst? definitely fluff

"OCs" or "Reader" inserts? reader inserts!! have been going ham on them recently

Blurbs or drabbles? blurbs!!

One thing you love about fanfiction i just. i really love slice of life romance?? and most media doesn't give you that bc its dedicated to plot and action and that's valid!! but fanfiction fills in the gap which is really nice

One thing you don't like about fanfiction most of the stuff i don't like is less about actual fanfiction and more about how people behave about it

What is/are your favorite fandom author/authors? IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS ONE!!! TURN IT UP!!!

bnha: hiuythn, rae_tnub, Moniix, Ata_Lanta, wrunic, chezka, PurplePersnickety, surveycorpsejean, mahadevi, arxaris, deviance, Oceanbreeze7, MikeWritesThings, bonnia, wonhaebunny, dinosuns

voltron: hiuythn, Oceanbreeze7, DeerstalkerDeathFrisbee, arahir, dinosuns,

and honorable mention to loveclouds im not even in the haikyuu fandom i just love their fics So Much

these are just the ones off the top of my head i have so many favourites idc if i'm only supposed 2 have one!! die mad about it!!!

What is your favorite trope? secret relationship + relationship reveal til the day i die babie <3 <3

Least favorite trope? hm,,, probably just like. angst lmao i cannot stand 90% of it

A fanfiction cliché that you can't help but love? coffeeshop aus,,,, so good

Do you have a type when it comes to pairings? the otp where its like. piece of shit + himbo = love. ex. krbk, catradora, jade/beck

Favorite setting/au? hm,,, truly i cannot pick one KGKSJNHKj but i really like college aus!! and modern aus!! and roommate aus!!

Explain the meaning of your favorite line of dialogue you've written as if someone hasn't read it in context. “He doesn’t know,” Katsuki says, softly. “My timer stopped and nothing happened. He’s not mine.”

the line is from what we deserve!! it's a soulmate au where your timer counts down to the moment that you meet your soulmate!! bakugou's timer ends at USJ when he and kirishima attack kurogiri at the same time (impulsive kings <33) but kirishima's timer doesn't end until kamino because that's when he accepts himself as bakugous soulmate!! unfortunately, when bakugous timer has reached 0, he turned to see that kirishima's was still ticking and therefore believes that kirishima isn't his soulmate.

this line just,, idk. it's really sad. bakugou is such an action-driven character? if something doesn't go his way he Makes it go his way. he's got this insanely volatile quirk and he's got impeccable control of it!! but his love for kirishima isn't something that he can change and he's not going to ruin kirishima's chance of finding his own soulmate because he loves him and wants him to be happy. i really wanted to focus on how resigned he is? and how unusual that is for a character like him.

Favorite trope/genre to write? again, secret relationship with relationship reveals <33 fluff in general is my wheelhouse!!!

A trope/genre you haven't written but think would be a fun challenge? idk if this counts?? have been working on some dead dove concepts!! its super different from what i normally write so its a cool challenge

The one trope/concept you'll never touch and why probably cheating/infidelity?? it just looks,,, super difficult to write well and i don't have enough of an interest in it to try it out

Which do you prefer to write: longer or shorter fics? shorter!! low attention span gang <3

Ideal length to read? 5-10k?

Ideal length to write? 4-8k!!

How long was the longest fic you've ever written? control fraek is around 28k i think?

Have you ever written an AU? yeah!! i've done restaurant au's, soulmate au's, pro hero aus, and fantasy aus (general, not the bnha fantasy ending)

What's your favorite AU trope? hm,, probably when two people in authority are in a secret relationship? ceo's/uni professors/etc etc

Have you ever written smut? yeah!! was. difficult tho

What's your comfort genre? (the one you fall on most in writing/reading) fluff,,, hurt/comfort,,, fix-it fics with happy endings <3

If you were to start writing in other fandoms, which would they be? maybe jjk?? the characters are really cool!!!! fr i might go back to my ever after high roots i love the characters and setting so Much its so fun!!! idec if no ones into it anymore!!!!!

Is there a trope you think you could be easily recognized by in your writing? i've had people say they saw the mention of buff hagakure and recognized it was me so. probably that skdjhnksjd

WRITING STYLE

How would you describe your style? i tend to use shorter sentences and pretty simple words i think? and i gravitate towards lighthearted concepts that allow for ensemble casts and humour!!

Describe your style in three words romcom but fanfic

Favorite words to use when writing? the word reverent!! fuckin love including it!!

Dialogue tags or no dialogue tags? (she said, he said, they said, etc) dialogue tags!!!

Favorite dialogue tag (other than said, if you use them) again idk if this counts but "they said softly" is unmatched

Long sentences vs short vs a mix short <33

What colors would you use to describe your writing? hm,,, depends on the fic i would say?? control fraek is dark green to me?? kinda like a forest at night yk?? scary but there's still life there. sugar cookies is yellow like early morning sunlight, when it rains is yellowy-orange like a caution sign. not gonna list all of them cause theres a lot its just. do u get it? the colours change based on the vibe of the fic.

What song or music genre would you use to describe your writing? think. i am constantly trying to emulate that moment at the end of wasteland baby when hozier goes "im in love/im in love with you."

What kind of metaphors do you rely on? religious metaphors my beloved <33 they're just so pretty!!! i also love comparing stuff to water for some reason?? like that ocean vuong quote thats like "what are you now?/water." it goes hard!!!

What's something you'd say is experimental in your writing at this time? definitely action!! i have,,, no idea how to write it so anything i do is really just me playing around and seeing what works and what doesn't

Do you prefer to write by hand or to type? i've tried both!! personally i prefer typing because it goes way faster but i will say that writing by hand lets me get words down when i'm going through writer's block

What is your preferred place to write (notebook, laptop, cellphone, etc.)? laptop!!

What app/apps do you use to write (word, notepad, etc.)? google docs skjdnkjh its fine on desktop but mobile is,,,,, disgusting

Do you keep a notebook or file/notes page in your phone/device for notes on your writing? ngl i just have everything organized in my drive?? one folder per fandom and then sub folders for ideas+hcs, unfinished wips, and finished fics. multichaps get sub sub folders so i can organize outlines and drafts

Do you listen to music to help you write? yeah!! playlists organized by fic vibe :D

Where do you usually go to write (bedroom, living room, etc.)? mostly in my bedroom??? but moving around to different stops helps too i think!!

How long does it usually take for you to write? again this depends on what i have going on irl, how attached i am to the idea, my mindset at the time, etc!! i am,, the least consistent person skjnhdkjh.

What's your favorite font to use when writing? times new roman my beloved

Other writing habits? sometimes i'll write in the dark?? bad for my eyes but for some reason it gets the words flowing

CONCEPTUALIZATION

How do you conceptualize your ideas? (See specific moments like they're a movie, writing specific lines in your head, don't know until you put the words on paper, etc.) i tend to get inspiration from movies, books, poems, or other fics!!! sometimes one line just makes me go oh,, i want to write something like that,,, and then it helps me create an idea that makes me feel the same way?? i did this with control fraek!!!! i wanted a scenario where bakugou was cold and calculating and i was like hm. to do that he’d have to be focusing on something important. and from there i was able to flesh out the rest of the idea.

Which comes first: the pairing or the plot? with krbk its always always the pairing,, i'll be sitting there like wow <33 i love them <33 what if one of them had amnesia <33 (which, yes, wip!!) otherwise it's usually the plot!! and i slot in characters that i feel make sense

Have you ever used a prompt? yeah!! used a prompt for wlw week 2020 and it was fun as hell

Do you write around the story around a specific scene you want to get to or do you start from a plot idea definitely the first!!!! i almost always write like,,, a super messy scene thats 90% dialogue, keep it in my head, and then write the entire fic around that one moment

Do you find that you include a projection of some part of yourself in the way you write a character? a lot of the time when i write love confessions or love in general i'll have one of the characters think or say that the other person makes their head quiet? and it's because that's what i feel whenever i'm in love?? a quiet mind. i project on characters yeah but i think most of the projection actually goes to the way that i write love

Do you research some of the things you write deeply, partially and kind of wing the rest, or play entirely by ear (in this case, go with whatever base knowledge of the subject you have)? most of the time if i do research it'll be about the setting (ex. the izakaya in to have and to hold) or if i'm having the characters interact with an object that they like. need to know how to use (me, in control fraek: google. hey google. does someone die if they get shot in the foot??? no???? awesome thank u <3)

Have you ever had an idea for a story and forgot about it? lmaoo yeah all the time i'll find like 500-2k words of concepts in my gdocs like i do. not remember this at all

Is there a trope you think you could be easily recognized by in your writing? probably krbk secret relationship lmao

Are there concepts you've tried that turned out better than expected? yeah!! i fully thought the action in control fraek would be awful but it turned out not bad??? which im happy with

Are there concepts you've tried that turned out worse than you expected? again, what we deserve, i personally think it would have worked out better if i'd paced it slower and drawn out the pining but i. do not feel like going back to fix it so its staying the way that it is. pining is so fucking hard to do AHHHH i get so tired with it!!! im like just date already!!!!

PROCESS

How do you come up with titles? in rare occasions (literally. all my multichaps for some reason) the title comes after writing like .5 words of the first chapter im like YES this is it!!!!! sometimes i write the whole thing and pick out one line that fits (what i did with come home to me) a lot of the time i just. steal from songs or poems that i like

What's your favorite emotion to cause on your readers? i like making people happy!!!! love when people comment saying they're cheered up

What's your favorite emotion to write? lovelovelovelovelovelove

Have you ever cried or felt any emotion while reading something you've written? never cried?? but sometimes i'll rereading my hurt/comfort fics 4. yk. comfort

Do you write in order or whatever comes to you? in order!! unless i have a scene that i Need to write and i'll quickly jot it down so that i don't forget

Usual way you procrastinate while writing? ...doing asks like this, making playlists, discord, watching netflix. what don't i do smh

Do you outline or free write? i am. so shit at outlines. i mostly free write and write lil notes for stuff that i wanna add later

Do you set word goals or scene goals (scenes you want to include)? yes!! like i said i'll write loose notes for scenes that i want to add later!! it gives me something to write towards :D

What do you consider when writing your scenes? what goes into making the atmosphere and mood you want? to set a scene i do two things? the first is like,, the five senses bc that always sets the scene really well and makes it feel Real. i'll visualize stuff in my head like its a movie and write out what i would want to tell the set designer?? if the lights are low, if the space is busy, if it's supposed to exude comfort or not.

for putting forward the character's mood one thing i've found that makes a difference is sentence length!! long sentences are good for making a character seem flustered and nervous or not really in control of their emotions? good for love confessions. short sentences are good for when the character is focused on something or short on time. good for fights!!

What's something you never considered to include in your writing that you can't leave out now? def buff hagakure,,,, once i thought of it i was like. if i don't include this at least once in every single fic how could i look at myself in the mirror!!!!!! how could i face anyone!!!!

How do you start a story? establishing a fact about the character or describing the setting! option a is one single thread of gold, option b is between lion and men

How do you end a story? either by tying it back to the beginning or doing like a funny kind of closing??? option a is sugar cookies, option b is a godless society

How do you get out of writer's block? change something!! move something!! i go from typing to handwriting, moving from my bedroom to my living room, switching wips to work on something else!! i do sprints as well?? give myself like fifteen minutes to write something and sometimes 200 words opens up the way for another 2k. sometimes i'll just delete like 500 words and start fresh

Do you edit? or do you toss your writing out there? i edit!!! i'll go over it myself then send it to one or two betas (bee my beloved <33)

How do you edit? do you use spellcheck, grammar checkers, etc? bee is my grammar checker bc he is So Good with grammar. i use grammarly as well for spellcheck stuff mostly?? sometimes my edit process is just like "am i tired of looking at this!! yes <3" and then i post it

PROGRESS

Do you usually like what you write? yeah!!! i post stuff that makes me happy and that i'm fine with rereading!!! i write stuff for self-indulgence reasons first and foremost and i think my writing reflects that sjhnksj

Have you ever written something you didn't like but posted anyways? nope!! even what we deserve i LIKED even if i see a lot of room 4 improvement!! if i don't like smth it's not getting posted

Do you find yourself rereading your writing often? yeah!! the reason i wrote so much krbk secret relationship is because i loved it but i'd read all that there was so i just,, wrote more,, ngl its kinda nice being in a place where i actually like my writing bc i can write stuff that i want to see and really enjoy it!!

Can you tell us anything about your current WIP? sure!! i'm currently working on when it rains which is a fic where bakugou gets hit by a crying quirk!! i'm gonna be using it to explore So Much of all might's character and his relationships with bakugou and aizawa (and i think some people from his past!!)

Can you give us a sneak peek on your current WIP? “You did something. What the hell did you do?” Kirishima sounds pissed off. It would amuse Katsuki if he wasn’t fighting just to stay standing.

“Nothing he didn’t ask for,” Shinsou replies.

“K’ri… shima,” Katsuki croaks out. “‘S fine. Not him.”

His chest collapses back into the familiar dry heaving after that but Kirishima shuts up. He doesn’t apologize to Shinsou.

Kirishima’s a good friend, stubborn and loyal. He stands by Katsuki’s side like an attack dog, blocking him from the view of anyone ogling at his tears.

The last line you've written Ochako knows more than she'd realized. She knows enough to keep her guard up.

It’s not enough.

Open a wip. what’s the first line?

Katsuki wakes up feeling like absolute fucking shit.

INSIGHT

What's your favorite thing about writing? touched on this before but it's mainly just being able to write the things that i want to see and actually enjoy them!!! actually reread them!!!! i thought "wouldn't it be cool if bkg and kirishima owned a restaurant together" and then i wrote it and i like it enough to reread it!!!! being able to create content for myself makes me. so happy

How do you keep yourself inspired? this is gonna sound narcissistic maybe but honestly i'm just really excited about my ideas and where i'm gonna take them and the idea of "i'm gonna get to That scene" keeps me going through the entire thing. also my friends!!!! i'll talk to them about fics and their reactions keep me hyped up enough to finish!!!!

What is your favorite thing to write? just,, slice of life romance,,, stuff thats silly and makes people laugh!!

What do you think your strengths are in writing? i'm good with dialogue!! i do lil voice acting sessions with myself to make sure everything sounds natural and like it's coming from that character skhjnskj

i'm comfortable with my portrayal of love as well??? i spend a lot of time thinking about what it is exactly that i'm trying to get across and i think it turns out well!!

What are things you wish you could practice more? on one hand i wanna get better at writing angst on the other hand i dislike writing angst. do you see my issue

One way you've improved your writing since you began? characterization!! i think i've gotten better at writing characters that are all Different and bring different things to the table!!! i used to project a lot more and it would compromise the characterization because the character was like 70% me and 30% them? not to say that projection is bad but if you do it too much it just,, doesn't read like the character and from a reader's standpoint the narrative can become less compelling

One aspect of writing you're still working on? writing action!!! i. literally hate writing it but i write for a fandom about superheroes so. Unfortunately i gotta learn.

A piece of writing advice you've learned while writing saw this on another tumblr post but they said sometimes if you're struggling with a scene, the problem is five lines back. i've found that to be true!!!! sometimes u gotta delete a chunk and start a little ways back!! i did this with too busy being yours because i was stuck for Weeks and i deleted like 25% of what i had but it helped me actually finish it :D

A bit of writing advice you can't stand when people shit on show don't tell for being overrated lmao bc when u read their writing you can Tell

Something you wish you knew when you first started writing? ,,,,honestly i kind of wish i could know some of the stuff that i used to when i first started writing?? technically i'm better now but creatively i was must better when i wasn't stressing about whether anyone would like what i was writing. so i guess i wish i knew that i should keep that confidence? i kinda wish that i wasn't as insecure about other people's writing styles because i never used to be!!

Something you've learned in life that you apply in writing there's no point in feeling inferior?? writing one genre isn't better than the other. being in one fandom isn't better than being in another. the kind of language you use or the length of your paragraphs- none of that stuff like. matters. what matters is that you're having fun and happy with what you're creating!!!! enjoy other peoples writing but don't let it make you feel worse about yours :D

[solastia]

Author Interview : underthejoon

((If anyone wants to make a cool banner for this, please do. I suck at them))

Today is the debut of a new project. Whether it sticks around for long depends on you guys, but for now the plan is to interview one author a month. Creators are often underappreciated on here (or anywhere, for that matter), so this is me doing my part to connect our readers and writers in a meaningful way. Our first interview is with @underthejoon​, someone whose work I myself have enjoyed for many years now. If you enjoyed this interview, please be sure to send in authors you’d like me to talk to for future editions, as well as any specific questions you’d like answered (except for questions about updating, that will get you a ban). 

Where can your work be found?

I’m kind of a mess and so while I attempt to cross post, I’m not always great at it. All of my work can be found on my tumblr masterlist but some of my things are on Wattpad and AO3. I’m also underthejoon on both of those platforms.

Links to where readers can donate:

I made a ko-fi account ages ago that I never shared with the public because I’ve always felt guilty. Which is silly, idk why I do. But there it is!

Main bias (and why if you’d like) 

So!! I have always been a Namjoon bias. From the very first time I saw them/the very first song I heard I was like yes, you. You are the one, I’m a goner!! He’s so wonderful and unique. He’s very mindful and creative and such a beacon of light to me. Plus, he’s very open with his humanity, if that makes sense? Like he is open about his therapy, his feelings about his perceived shortcomings, his excitement about finding place and things and works of art that inspire him. ALSO THOUGH, in the last year or so I’ve also become a Hoseok bias. He is just so dedicated and loving. He’s insanely talented and vastly underrated, in my opinion. And through all the back breaking work, he is kind through and through. He’s seriously just so warm and makes me really happy.

Hogwarts House : 

Okay, the very first time I ever took it I was a slytherin. A few years later, I took it again and got hufflepuff. I like to think I’m a combination of the two but can see myself as more of a puff. 

Describe yourself in five words:

Creative, Extroverted, Empathetic, Intuitive, Inquisitive 

Current favorite BTS songs: 

SO MANY, but I’ll pick 7 for 7 members. Some of these are old as hell but still currently my favorite lol. Love Maze, Love is Not Over, Outro: Her, Dimple, Tomorrow, Like, 2!3!

What was the defining moment when you decided, “Yes! I am going to write the thing!”? 

For like fanfic in general? I feel like I had been reading a lot of it after “discovering” k-pop and then after a few months I was just like fuck it, I’m doing it!! I was always super into writing poetry and never thought I would be any good at anything like this but it sounded fun so here we are now. 

What do you most enjoy about writing BTS fanfiction specifically? 

I think it’s the community of writers. When I started my blog, I met a lot of really amazing supportive writers that I’ve managed to stay friends with and I think that makes a really big difference when you have people that can relate to you and what you’re doing.

Any tropes or au’s that you want to explore later? 

I would really like to try writing some sort of supernatural creature fics. I’ve had this werewolf love triangle universe planned out forever that I would like to eventually write. Maybe like a workplace romance? 

Which of your fics would you suggest for new readers? 

For a completed series i’d say Piece by Piece. My WIP series, Love is Not Over is another one. For a one-shot I’d say, For You. Maybe the sweetness/make it right drabbles too. 

Which of your fics is your favorite? 

Piece by Piece, no doubt. I really feel proud of it and I have a hard time admitting I like anything I write. 

What other fandoms do you wish you had the time to write for? 

I used to write for EXO, Got7 and sometimes Monsta X and I miss it sometimes but also, I feel pretty contented in just writing for BTS. There’s a lot of inspiration there and I always felt I was being pulled in too many directions by my readers when I wrote for multiple fandoms.

What are your writing goals for the upcoming year? 

I’d like to finish three series I have planned, get caught up on my collab fics and at least finish an outline for my original fiction piece I’ve been putting off!

Which writers do you read religiously? 

There’s so many amazing writers on tumblr and I try as hard as I can to keep up with my mutuals when they put stuff out but sometimes it’s hard! I’m gonna be really brief because otherwise my list could go on and on. Okay, first and foremost, Shanna (@kpopfanfictrash) - she’s my best friend and a fabulous, wonderful writer. I would just like to give her a special shout out because not only does she entertain me for hours with her writing, she is very supportive of mine. Other authors I adore as humans and content creators and keep up with most regularly are @floralseokjin and @lamourche !

What is the weirdest thing you’ve had to google in the name of writing?

LOL. Hmm… I’m really boring and feel like I don’t really google that much when writing except maybe like different sex positions when i need a visual or synonyms to certain words. I’ve found some good porn though? Because visuals do help me.

Reader/OC fics within this fandom are often still looked down on and we all have to work hard to make them good enough for readers to look past their reputation. How do you combat the cringe? 

TBH, I don’t think that responsibility lies on us as writers. If people don’t like certain types of writing, that’s on them and they can avoid it. Reader insert/oc fics are just as valid a genre as any. I’ve read some of the most beautiful, creative stories on this platform, some of which could be published if names were changed/reader was switched to a named OC. There’s something out there for everyone and it’s all subjective. While I might find certain things super cringey, others love it. To each their own as long as they aren’t shoving it in the faces of the people they’re writing about or being disrespectful, you know?

What is your personal guilty (or not-so-guilty) pleasure trope? 

MUTUAL PINING/FRIENDS TO LOVERS. I feel like it’s so basic but I fucking love that trope and I think so many people do it so beautifully it is my absolute favorite. 

What is something that you see often in other fanfics that drives you insane? 

I think the only thing that really bothers me is when people romanticize abuse or other toxic/triggering topics. 

Are any of the boys or ships more difficult for you to write than others? 

I think I have the hardest time writing for Jimin and Taehyung but only because I feel I am the most similar to them and for whatever reason that deters me from writing about them often.

We all think we are the most hilarious person there is (even if we won’t admit it), so what is one line or scenario of yours that you like to go back to and giggle over? 

Okay this was actually really difficult for me because I don’t write like any humor and don’t think I’m good at LOL. I think my only attempt at humorous writing was The New Guy in which the reader is high off her ass lying on the front lawn and thinking the world is ending then accusing Namjoon of being the Grim Reaper when he comes looking for her.

ONLY IF YOU WANT TO - A scenario as long or short as you want. Maybe 250 words or less. Godzilla is attacking the city and BTS is your rescue crew. How screwed are you? 

“D-danger, you say?” Seokjin stutters.

“G-giant lizard monster headed this way?” Hoseok chokes. 

The pair exchange glances then turn their focus towards you. Seokjin jerks his head towards the door and you nod in return. 

“I hear what you’re saying, gentlemen,” Hoseok says as he stands on shaky legs. He grabs your hand as if to instruct you to do the same. 

“And as much as we would LOVE to help you…” His grip is tighter now and you know what comes next. 

Before he can finish, Seokjin shoots up from his chair and makes a mad dash towards the door. “Now, now, run, holy shit, NOW!”

Hoseok joins his friend in his haste to evacuate, dragging your nearly petrified form behind him. “No way in hell are we getting anywhere near that thing!”

Seokjin and Hoseok babble horrified nonsense between them but you can’t really decipher much of it. Your heart is pounding in your ears as you replay the name “Godzilla” in your brain.

They wanted you to rescue the city? What were they thinking?

When you reach Seokjin’s car, you have a brief moment of clarity. There are lives at stake, after all. How can you really just abandon the city when it needs a hero?

“What about everybody else?” you ask, voice small and fearful.

“Everybody else?” Seokjin huffs, putting the car in gear. He hardly gives your question a thought before he peels out of the parking lot. “Jungkook can handle everybody else. I raised him on my back, you know? It’s the least he can do!”

[snarkysarcasm]

booksmart/ high school au where bookish holly and her friend are trying to make their way to a party to go after her insanely hot crush gail- or any variation there of- before they graduate. would kindly ask for a lack of throwing up but you know you do you; currently in the middle of my 48th rewatch and outlining my own bc i’m a freak but oh well- you’re my favorite and i’d love to see you tackle this.

Full disclosure: I’ve never seen this movie, but that’s what google is for. Anyway...

“Come on, Holls!”

“No.”

“The school year is over. We graduate and you’re leaving in a few days and you have never even been to one party in your entire high school career.”

“What’s your point, Lis?”

“It’s true Hols, we’ve spent the last four years working our asses off to get into good schools and everyone else who has partied has managed to get into them too but had more fun.”

“Yeah, so I vote that what they’ve spent four years doing, we’re going to cram into one night.”

“This sounds like a terrible decision especially because the year isn’t over, we’re in the middle of finals.”

“You have a perfect GPA, you shouldn’t even be taking the finals at this point, you’d think all the teachers would just give you the A.”

“Seriously, Hol, you have all weekend to study, we’ll even study with you.” They both looked at Lisa. “Okay, I’ll even study with you. But you have to come tonight.”

“Why is it so important that I go tonight?”

“Because….uh….you just have to.”

“Yeah...umm...you don’t want to graduate without this experience.”

“What experience? Having a bunch of sweaty teenagers crammed into a basement, drinking whatever someone’s older brother managed to get them from the liquor store. I will deal with plenty of that in college.”

“You’ll probably spend college studying nonstop the same way you have the last four years. I love you, but girl you need to get your head out of the books even if it’s just one night.”

“I don’t know, I still haven’t heard a good reason.”

“What if I told you Gail Peck was going to be there.”

“Gail?”

“Yeah, you know the girl you’ve been pining over since that first pep rally freshman year when you saw her in her cheerleading uniform.”

“Come on, Hols, maybe if you’re lucky tonight you’ll get to see her pom poms.”

“Shut up, Lis.”  “Rach, is she really going to be there?”

“Yep, I’m sure of it.”

“Okay, fine. I’ll go.”

“Great, now we just need to figure out the address.”

“Wait, you don’t know the address?”

“Well I’m pretty sure it’s at Nick’s house.”

“How sure?’

“Pretty. Like how pretty Gail is.”

“I hope you’re right.”

~ 24 hours later ~

“If I had known we’d be walking I’d have worn smaller heels.” Lisa was limping with a broken shoe in one hand.

“No you wouldn’t have.” Holly and Rachel said in unison.

“Shut up.”

Holly stopped in her tracks as they finally approached a large house with music blaring and kids all over the place.

“Rachel, I thought you said this was at Nick’s house.”

“It is.”

“Then why are we at Gail’s house. You didn’t tell me she was throwing the party! That’s it I’m going back to my car and calling the tow.”

“Oh, no you’re not.”

“You are not chickening out, Holly Stewart. Tonight is the night that you get the girl of your dreams.”

Holly was flanked by her two best friends who each grabbed an arm and steered (dragged) her to the front door where a guy was standing by a table of red cups,

“Invitation?”

“Umm...uhhh….”

“Hey, let them in.”

Holly’s breath caught at the sight of her crush. It might’ve been her imagination but it felt like Gail was burning a hole right through her soul with the look she was giving her.

“But you said.”

“I know what I said, Diaz, but they’re cool.”  

Holly was basically thrown into Gail before Lisa and Rachel took off. She held her breath 

Gail hovered near Holly,  “Sorry for Lurch. He’s a bit slow sometimes. Tackled a few times too many times. But there weren’t many brain cells to begin with”

“Hey”

“Is for horses. Go back to the door.” Gail snarled and pulled Holly a little further away. Holly thought she would melt into the ground. 

“He’s not the brightest bulb but he is strong,  I should know, I dated him.”

Holly’s stomach sank, she was about to make an excuse to leave when another person interrupted.

“Hey, Gail!”

“Go away, Nick.”

The boy quickly changed direction at the withering look from the blonde.

“Another ex?”

“Unfortunately. I wouldn’t have had him here but he was the only other person with connections to get the booze. Steve would only buy so much, considering he’s about to head ot the academy.”

“The academy?”

“Peck dynasty. I’ll be there too in four short years.”

“Do you even want to do it?”

“I don’t have much of a choice. But what I do have a choice about what I do tonight.”

“Is that why you threw a party?”

“I actually hate these types of things. All these people. Milling around. They’re laughing and they’re caring.”

“I know, it’s awful. I usually dodge this stuff but -”

“But…”

“But uh my friends wouldn’t let me and I’m all about growing these days.”

“So, no offense, but you look like you’ve already done quite a bit of growing tonight.”

“You don’t know the half of it.”

“So why don’t you tell me the half of it?”

“Well my car broke down, I almost got murdered by a pizza delivery driver, we ended up on Dov’s yacht, I thought I was eating a strawberry but I’m pretty sure I accidentally did mushrooms with Chloe, we watched porn in a lyft with Principal Shaw, went to a murder mystery party hosted by Frankie of all people where Chloe told me that we did drugs and I turned into a plastic doll. Had to get a ride and change of clothes from Ms. Williams, and this whole time I thought we were on a mission to get to a party at Nick’s house. I know that I’m supposed to be carefree and fun tonight but I think I’ve had about all I can take for surprises so I’m just going to go. ”

“Hey, Nerd!” Holly turned back. “Go where?”

“What?”

“Where are you going?”

“I need to get a tow for my car and go home and go to sleep before we graduate.”

“I’’ll drive you.”

“You’ve been drinking.”

“Shit. yeah, umm I’ll walk with you then.”

“This is your party, why would you leave to walk with me?”

“Yeah but I only had it so that you would come.”

“But then why didn’t you invite me?”

“I wasn’t really sure how.”

“So you invited everyone in the school?”

“Not quite everyone. It’s also why I put Diaz at the door as a fake bouncer.”

“You are insane, you know that, right?”

“Me? All I did was throw a party. I didn’t do shrooms and turn into a doll or watch porn in Principal Shaw’s car.”

Holly didn’t know how to respond, so she did the only thing she could think of. She kissed the gorgeous blonde making fun of her. She surprised even herself, but was even more pleasantly surprised when she tried to pull back and Gail pulled her closer instead.

It was hardly a perfect night but at least she got the girl in the end.

[best-enemies]

For the fandom ask meme thing can I request the whole damn alphabet or is that not very cash money of me? I’m nosy lmao I wanna know all of them!

AHDKAJSDKJAHSKDA JACK YOU’RE THE BEST

A - Your current OTP(s)/OT3(s)/OTX(s)

I’ve had my current OTP for like almost 8 years and it’s, obviously, Thoschei (Doctor/Master). My other current obsession is the Gallifrey OT4 hehehe

B - A pairing you initially didn’t consider but someone changed your mind

It’s funny because I didn’t ship Hannigram at first... I’d thought the idea of a cannibal having a relationship was terrifying because what if they had sex and Hannibal got hungry in the middle of the act? Lmaoooo 

But yeah they’re my endgame now. I watched the show when it first aired and I was about 14/15 years old so now you see why I thought that. Although I’m still afraid I’m gonna be reading a fic and Hannibal will suddendly bite Will’s dick off or smth AKJHSAKJSAHSASKAJ

C - A ship you have never liked and probably never will (be nice)

Uhhh Doctor/Clara. Mainly because I don’t like to ship the Doctor with companions (there may be one or two exceptions but I don’t ship them enough to actually say I ship them lol) and I don’t know I just never vibed with it

D - A pairing you wish you liked but just can’t (again: be nice)

Doctor/River. I mean, I did like it for a while years ago but now it’s just... eh. I think she has a waaay better chemistry with the 12th Doctor, but still don’t ship it. I might give it a try once I listen to the River audios but so far meh. I’m not much of a multishipper anyway.

E - Have you added anything cracky/hilarious to your fandom, if so, what

God. I’ve written a couple of Academy Era (focused on the Deca) crack fanfics and I still have to translate them to English. They’re pure garbage but I love them. I have a lot of fun writing crack fics because they’re easier and I can ignore whatever piece of canon I want just for the laughs

F - What’s the longest you’ve ever been in a fandom

Guess it’s Doctor Who, been here (in and out of the fandom) for over 8/9 years

G - Do you remember your first OTP, if so who was in it

Uhhhh I think it was Han Solo and Leia, since I was a kid really. I wanted to marry both of them lol

H - What is your favorite source text for fandom stuff (e.g., tv shows, movies, books, anime, Western animation, etc.)

I had to google what a source text is and still don’t know

I - Has tumblr caused you to stop liking any fandoms, if so, which and why

I don’t think so, but Twitter definitively has. I remember a couple years ago I was curious to see what voltron was about and watched a few episodes, it was ok, fun and cute but the fandom was so annoying I stopped watching it for good and don’t care about it enough to pick it up again

J - Name a fandom you didn’t care/think about until you saw it all over tumblr

I had definitively forgotten about supernatural until I saw it all over my dashboard in the year of our lord 2020 lmao like in my wholock days I tried to watch the show because everyone on my dash (is it still called dashboard?) was talking about it and I watched about 8 episodes before dropping it. But seeing it again on the dash was actually a happy surprise because the memes are too funny hahaha

K -Say something nice about someone in any of your fandoms

I’m extremely shy irl and on the internet as well but I wanna say that  @janeturenne is one of the best authors ever and her fanfics are a blessing in my life; also @thebraxiatelcollection who brings awesome content to my dash and is also one of the best authors. And of course, you, Jack, also one of the best authors god I’m so BLESSED

L - Say something genuinely nice about a character who isn’t one of your faves (chars you’re neutral on are fair game, as are chars you dislike)

Uhhh I guess I’m neutral about the current companions. They’re not my favorites but I don’t really dislike them - they had a lot of potential and chibs came up with some good storylines but did not develop them well in my opinion. I think Graham is a fun grandpa whom I’m going to miss when he leaves; Ryan is cool and could’ve done a lot more if the writers had kept a few things, it’d be awesome if he vlogged all of their adventures. He’s like the one I was curious to see more but sadly didn’t feel a connection; and Yaz, I hope she’ll keep growing and that her friendship with the Doctor will finally be developed to a level we can connect to her.

It sounds weird because with the fam it’s always ‘what I wish could have been’ because I never felt really connected to them :(

M - Say something genuinely nice about a ship that you don’t ship (or its shippers, or anything related to you)

Ok... I don’t really ship Rey/Finn but I think it’s one of the sweetest ships ever, and if they ended up together I’d be happy. They love each other and are there for each other always so, yeah :D

N - Name three things you wish you saw more or in your main fandom (or a fandom of choice)

I don’t know if I got the question right but it’s three things I wish I saw more in my main fandom? Well, if it’s that, then, 3 things about the Doctor Who fandom: 1) people having more civilized or light-hearted discussions about things. Like, I genuinely disliked an 8th doctor audio I listened once that my friends loved, and they made fun of me and we joked about it. Also once we were in a live twitch video playing among us and discussing doctor who, and then we got into a ship “discourse” as a joke and nobody really cared and just laughed because everyone knew it’s fictional shit so why get mad over it? 2) Doctor Who has a titanic amount of content, it’s all canon but at the same time it’s not, so who cares? If you want to listen to Big Finish audios and if you can afford it, then lisiten; if you can’t, it’s okay, no one has the right to tell you you’re less of a fan. Just tell them to fuck off; 3) The best way to keep fandom alive is by creating content. Here in my local fandom we have several podcasts dedicated to all areas of the whoniverse (the show, the expanded universe, the audios, etc), those old fandom websites who do serious work to bring news to the fans, people who make subtitles for the classic series (we don’t have it available here so they do their best to make it accessible to other fans), accounts dedicated to promoting dr who fans who create content, and we even have people making their own audiodramas with dw characters and writing book-lenght fanfiction to help explain the show to people who’ve never watched it, and a great variety of things. I’ve seen a few of these things in the international fandom, mostly by older fans, so I wish younger fans about my age who have the means to make this kind of stuff would make it too. Maybe there’d be less twitter drama out there lol

O - Choose a song at random, which ship or character does it remind you of

“the killing moon” by echo & the bunnymen reminds me of thoschei. yep it was totally random

P - Invent a random AU for any fandom (we always need more ideas)

The fact that we don’t have a pride and prejudice AU for brax/romana yet is driving me insane

Q - A ship you’ve abandoned and why

I’ve mentioned it before but doctor/river, don’t really remember why idk I just don’t vibe with it anymore. But also because thoschei has so many different pairings in 1 ship that I don’t really feel the need to ship them with anyone else lol

R - A pairing you ship that you don’t think anyone else ships

GOD I NEED TO TALK ABOUT IT BECAUSE IT’S SO SPECIFIC ok fellow academy era stans gather around if you have read Divided Loyalties there’s a scene where it SHOWS that Magnus had a crush on Ushas. And NO ONE HAS EVER TALKED ABOUT THEM and the power couple they would’ve made. I write them into all my fanfics in hopes of making other people ship them but I’ve had no success so far

S - Show us an example of your personal headcanon (prompts optional but encouraged)

The Master is a big fan of musicals and in the 77 years he spent on earth he watched every single one ever. I’m gonna be bold and say that when he was young, still Koschei, he was an artist, and thought about dropping everything to become an actor on Gallifrey. Time Lords do appreciate art, and have their own plays, but it’s just the same old and boring ones the young people don’t care about. The Master then created a shocking performance that was way ahead of its time and the older Time Lords were so appalled they banned him from writing and presenting plays and that’s his villain origin story

T - Do you have any hard and fast headcanons that you will die defending, about anything at all (gender identity, sexual or romantic orientation, extended family, sexual preferences like top/bottom/switch, relationship with poetry, seriously anything)

1) The Doctor and the Master married on Gallifrey and the entire show is just them having the most litigious divorce in the universe (still isn’t final because the Master has killed all the judges); 2) Ushas/The Rani is ace; 3) The Deca was a 10 people polyamorous relationship; 4) Romana and Livia were girlfriends at the Academy and they hate each other now because the break up was baad; 5) Romana writes fanfiction; 6) Romana/Leela had a thing in Davidia I KNOW it; 7) Leela pegs Narvin; 8) Brax has a life-size painting of Romana at his collection or a statue or smth; 9) Brax’s dream in Reborn is actually REAL and he’s married to Romana, Leela and Narvin all at the same time

U - 5 favorite characters from 5 different fandoms

I don’t even think I’m in 5 fandoms but

Doctor Who: The Master, The Doctor, Romana, Leela, Sarah Jane, Bill (this was the hardest thing ever)

The X-Files: Mulder, Scully, Monica, and can I add The Lone Gunmen too?

Star Wars: Leia, Obi-Wan, Finn, Poe Dameron and honorable mention to Din Djarin and Grogu

Hannibal: Hannibal, Will, Bev, Alana, Chiyoh

V - 3 OTPs from 3 different fandoms

That’s hard

Doctor Who: thoschei ofc, gallifrey ot4.......... uuhh as you can see i don’t ship many pairings in the show

The X-Files: Mulder and Scully. And whatever Scully and Monica had going on because they definitively flirted

Star Wars: Poe/Finn, Han/Leia, whatever Han/Lando had going on too

W - 5 favorite ships and 5 kinks you like best for said ships

WHATVASHAJSKAJSA ok this is a little embarassing but I don’t have a lot of kinks for many ships... I guess I have some for thoschei like, choking, whipping, blindfolds/gagging, bondage, begging, biting, sem-public, phone sex, dirty talk, body worship, praise kink, etc. Alright alright I know it’s a lot but in my defense they've shown half of these on the show

X - top 5-10 characters who are yoUR PRECIOUS BABIES AND YOU WILL DIE DEFENDING THEM

The Master, Romana, Leela, Brax, Narvin, Bill Potts, Martha Jones, Sarah Jane, Donna Noble, Lucie Miller. No particular order for most of them but the Master is my precious baby and I will die for this mf

Y - What are your secondhand fandoms (fandoms you aren’t in personally but are tangentially familiar with because your friends/people on your dash are in them)

Not many, usually the people I follow are in the same fandoms as I am but I’ve seen some mutuals reblog some Hadestown stuff which is a play that I’ve never seen but definitively would because the protagonists look hot 

Z - Just ramble about something fan-related, go go go (prompts optional but encouraged)

I DON’T KNOW WHAT DOES IT MEAN

it took me three hours to do this but it was fun!! thank you bb <3

[thewatchau]

One Year of The Watch AU!!! (plus a special announcement)

Fellow Watchers (the ones behind the screen),

As of today, December 12, 2019, the Watch AU is officially one year old. 

I... I have no words. This year has been incredible. Life-changing, even. What began as just a simple analogy I mentioned to @viostormcaller after the 2018 Holiday Livestream has become something that... I mean, just look at all this!

Over a single year, The Watch AU has gone from a single, nameless kingdom with five lords, an enemy, and an army to an entire world, full of history, diversity, magic, conflict, and life. 

I may have created this world, but you guys are the ones who gave it life. 

You’ve probably heard me say that over and over- maybe even more often than you’ve seen me start screaming about the newest map I’m making- but it’s the truth. Without your questions, characters, enthusiasm, and support, The Watch AU would have remained as nothing more than an idea. 

Because of you guys, this world and the tiny sub-community it’s created has grown in ways I’d never have thought possible. 

221 followers. 1,107 unique posts (including submissions but not what I reblogged from you guys!!!). 12,743 notes. 1 post that Sean actually liked. 50+ unique characters. 32 masterlists. At least five or six different iterations of the same gosh darn map. Over a dozen detailed foreign countries, with dozens more in the background. 40+ cities/towns within Duilintinn alone. A thriving discord server, complete with RPs, new friends, QNA, and (slightly) more organized lore. Nearly 3 GB of content on Google Drive. A month-long celebratory prompt list. Plans for a three-part novelization.

And now, it is my pleasure to officially announce one more way that The Watch AU has grown:

The Watch AU Wiki Site

To be clear, this is still a massive work in progress. This is the first time I’ve ever created a wiki, and while I’ve so far got about 60 pages up and running, there’s at least twice that many red links that I haven’t made pages for yet, not to mention other stuff that’ll probably be added later. 

And right now, I’ve only been focused on getting all of the info in my masterlists and google documents into the wiki... once that’s done, I’ll still have to work on cleaning it up, making it look/sound nice, and tracking down snippets of information in stories and other posts that should be repeated in other pages...

Needless to say, it’s going to be an endeavor. But we’ve already done so much in this last year alone, that I have no doubt that the Wiki will come together before we know it. In the meantime, if you’ve got any experience creating wikis and the time to spare, I’d greatly appreciate any help I could get. 

Finally, THANK YOU. 

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.

None of this would have happened without your support. Whether you’re a quiet reader lurking in the background and still a bit confused because of how much lore there is, or someone interacting on the daily on discord and tumblr, THANK YOU SO MUCH. You guys have no idea how much I am insanely grateful for every single one of you. This... it means the world to me. Thank you so much. 

I’d also like to say a few special thanks to people who have been especially wonderful and supportive through this journey. Only, after writing them, it turned out to be more than a few and they got long, so I’m putting them under the cut:

@huffletrax, for being the first outside person to follow this sideblog and sending me that wonderful message complimenting the worldbuilding before I had even finished most of the original House Summary posts. 

@a-septic-mind, for being the first person to submit a character, suggesting I make a discord server, helping me put it together, and generally being Mod Mom over the last year. 

@isa-ghost​ for creating the Bunker AU, which was a major inspiration for the way that The Watch would develop and one of my earliest “big name blog” cheerleaders, something which absolutely blew my mind at the time. I know people always say “write for yourself, not for validation,” but I think everyone needs a bit of validation to keep the creative momentum moving long enough for it to become self-sustaining, and you definitely did that for me. We’re actual buds now and I’m no longer sitting around going “ooooohhhhh big blog person likes meeee” every time I interact with you, but when I see you’ve liked or reblogged something from The Watch AU, I do still get a thrill of that old excitement and validation that’s never quite gotten over that first moment you mentioned The Watch on your blog. XD

@kenai29 for unabashedly asking so many worldbuilding questions (going off anon, even XD) in that very first month that, unknown to any of us, would be the foundation for the complexity that this world has grown into today. That education question was arguably one of the most critical worldbuilding questions I ever received, and would later go on to influence how politics, occupations, childhood, house switching, currency, culture, and so many other aspects of Duilintinn would develop.

@egopocalypse​​ for the absolute insanity that came from realizing that we knew each other IRL. At the time, the AU was only a month old, and something about that realization made me also realize that a) these people behind the screen complimenting my work were real, actual people and b) that they were FRIEND MATERIAL. I had been a bit nervous about making the discord at the time, just because I was so unfamiliar with the idea, but reconnecting made it all feel like exactly the right decision and really opened me up to a new world of socializing and making friends online. (also we should try to hang out over break :D)

@delphicvoiceaddragh​ for being the incredible, quiet fan in the background that didn’t always tag me in things, didn’t always submit stuff, but liked almost every single post and had an entire TAG in her blog dedicated to referencing AU jokes, creating her own fan content, and doing so much that I didn’t even notice for AGES. Addragh is probably the person that made me realize that what I’ve got here is an actual micro-fandom, and that fact still blows my mind. 

@theshapeshifter100​ for being a massive force behind the scenes of both the creative and logistical aspects of this AU. I don’t think I’d be able to put out daily content without the characters, stories, rp writeups, questions, and, lately, Tandeli lore that she’s been submitting, not just to help me fill the queue, but because she is genuinely passionate about this world. Honestly, that’s the highest compliment I could ever get... although the queue help is very appreciated as well ;)

@livingemerald​ I’ve preeshed you before and I’m doing it again; since the first day you joined the discord server, you’ve been a role model of the fun, respectful, and welcoming setting that I hoped to create there. From suggesting things like spoiler chats to simply posting the video links every day, not even being asked, inspiring other people to do the same little gesture when you can’t... you’ve made such an impact on the social environment of that server in a million little ways and I’m so grateful for that. 

@shamrockace​, @autumnleafauthor​, @marginmaster87​, @fairyofsomething​, @thelunarmasquerade​, @theshapeshifter100​ (again), and anyone else who’s urls I don’t know, for being some of the most enthusiastic roleplayers I have ever seen, both with AU content and in those moments when i need to make you guys another chat in the Non-AU RP section of discord XD 

TO EVERYONE ON DISCORD!!!!!!! Guys, you are all just incredible. And not just in regards to the AU; just seeing the friendships that have sprung up over the last year, the silly roleplays, the therapy talks, being called Mum by some of you guys... you all genuinely feel like family to me, and that wholesome setting we’ve created together is something I can’t thank you for enough. 

TO EVERYONE ON THE TAGLIST!!!  @theshapeshifter100​, @bloodygoldensam​, @thelunarmasquerade​, @viostormcaller​, @mijako98​, @shamrockace​, @septicuniverse​, @blusilence0​, @the-lonely-angel​, @acuriousquail​, @honestlyitsjustkenna​, @illyriashade56​, @livingemerald​, @triplealovely​, @delphicvoiceaddragh​, @isa-ghost @fairyofsomething​, @immabethehero​ THANK YOU FOR BEING LIKE “YEAH I WANNA SEE MORE OF THIS STUFF” BECAUSE HONESTLY AUTHORS LIKE THAT 

Finally, @viostormcaller​, for encouraging me to post about this crazy idea I had, and all of the support and love that followed. You’ve become my best friend and so much more over the last year, and while it’s certainly been a heck of a journey, I look forward to facing what's next with you at my side. Love you 💚

[belovasangel]

Night Light

Summary: He’s in your head, but you’re in his heart

Pairing: Demon!Tom Holland x Reader

Warnings: Sleep paralysis, panic attack, blood, mentions of inflicted pain, swearing

A/N: Kind of based off of Murder House and a previous AU I wrote 

He was always there, watching and waiting for when you were most vulnerable. No name, just an apparition that stood over your bed night after night. 

When you were little, you thought it was a sibling or parent just watching, staring, waiting. Never an answer. Silence with wide eyes. Then vanished. It took a few separate occasions to realize that wasn’t family, it was worse. You’d never been harmed, just mentally scarred. Every shadow in the daylight was a playground for panic attacks, and it was murderous.

He knew it too. 

While you got ready for bed, taking a few melatonin to hopefully avoid the next meeting, Tom watched. Behind the shower curtain, near the towels in the corner, in your shadow, he took notes. Shaky hands. You forgot to take a puff of your inhaler this time. Wearing socks to bed? Gross. Since when did you do that?

You rolled into bed, grasping at your weighted blanket and spraying lavender around the spread. He watched as you put your eye mask on, knowing it’d fall off after the first hour of drifting. You looked at every corner of the room, checked the night light and lamp before trusting instinct and rolling over. 

Tom wished he could tuck the hair in your mouth behind your ears. Instead, he waited. Watching your chest rise, stutter, and fall once again. Occasional snore, spasm, or squeak. He looked at the clock. Showtime. 

The lights in the room cut. You rolled to your right side, left again, then on your back. Planted. Chained down to the bed. Like always. Tom ghosted his fingertips along your covered body, wishing he could press kisses to your head instead of nightmares, but whatever made you see him was good enough. 

You jerked awake, knowing what was going to happen. Keeping your eyes pressed shut, you started counting to ten, praying to a different god every time you would gain mobility once again. 

1...2...3...4...

“(Y/N)”

This is just your paralysis playing with you, keep going. 4...5...6...

“Open your eyes for me, angel.”

Fuck off. 6...7...8...9

“Counting won’t help. Only I can. Look.” 

You opened your eyes. The lights slowly flickered on, one at a time. You saw him fully. He looked with caution. Clenched fists and a tight jaw with gentle eyes. Tearful eyes. “Hello, gorgeous.”

He became blurry with salty tears, falling down your face. Even though you tried talking, only whimpers came out. “I know, shh. This is awful I’m so sorry. This is the only way I get to see you. I’m breaking so many rules for doing this, shit. But, this has been going on for too long. I can’t sit silent anymore, right?”

Tom looked down at you, watching you have a silent panic attack in bed. You couldn’t move, talk, do anything other than weep. He sighed heavy. “Please calm down, I don’t have much time. We were meant for each other, I’ve watched you grow from the moment you were born. You are my destiny and I was sent to keep you safe until we can be together.”

You started crying harder, struggling against the invisible bonds holding you down. “It’s okay, we can talk later. Please don’t be scared of me anymore, you are safe under my watch.”

A blink later, he was gone. You whipped to sit up, grasping at your chest for air. Wheezing, stuttering, frantically looking for any trace of this really happening. Nothing except a panic attack. 

After that singular night, daily occurrences happened slowly but surely. Your songs would shuffle to one’s you’d never heard of. Computer tabs with little words and quotes on them showed up. That’s how you learned his name. And death in your house.

Coping was hard, knowing someone was over your shoulder every waking moment. Changing and showers became nerve-wracking, yet he promised he never looked, only when you turned 18. Then that was an occasional thing, to make sure you weren’t hurting yourself. 

Tom watched as you slowly stopped doing common tasks. You stopped the melatonin, no more sleep masks or weighted blankets and lavender, he hated that smell. As you woke up night after night, you grew less anxious and more happy to see him. While you couldn’t talk, he could see a small smile forcing a way onto your face.

He fell in love with your pain.

Tom somehow found ways to communicate before you got stuck. You used Google to type questions, wrote them on paper and left them on your nightstand, and even scribbled them in the fog of your showers. Those were your favorite, he would write back, too. Tom has lovely cursive. 

Yet, with every conversation and lingering thought, it made you go insane. Instead of fearing the shadows, you waited for them. You sat in the dark, kept searching his name and information, thought of ways to actually feel him. He could only keep you trapped for long before you wanted release.

You needed his pleasure.

It was snowing white while driving down a backroad, the radio was buzzing with static. You believed the electricity would help Tom communicate, and if you focused hard enough it would. Last night was your longest conversation yet. With the snow falling and the lack of sleep taking your mind, it didn’t take long to forget you were driving. 

Tom tried to jerk the wheel. He reached over, but his hands slipped through as you flew forward.

You saw red. It was dripping down your face, into your lashes, and coated your tongue with bitter copper. Blinking was hard, your eyes couldn’t open. Tom sat in panic, screaming your name. It was daytime. 

You heard him in the sun through the snow and blood. Somehow you turned on the airbag, looking at the crumpled passenger seat, listening to his wails. You smiled while he cried. “You’re okay, stay awake, please! I can’t lose you like this! Please...” 

You jerked awake, knowing what was going to happen. Keeping your eyes pressed shut, you started counting to ten, praying to a different god every time you would gain mobility once again.

1...2...3...4...

“(Y/N)”

You opened your eyes, looking around for Tom. “I told you I’d keep you safe.”