#a whole 2 smut scenes in this one folks

[gggoldfinch]

Can we have a little sneak peek of what you're cooking for from eden sequel? Please?

(if not, then that's ok)

YOU ABSOLUTELY CANNNNN I was hoping someone would ask hehe !!! 🤭 Luckily you've asked at an opportune time bc I just hit 6k words and am prob gonna wrap up the end of the "chapter" at around 8k maybe possibly

She wakes without remembering having fallen asleep and finds herself fully in the ghoul’s embrace. With her back snug to his chest, his hold is almost protective— possessive. It’s the first time she’s awoken in his arms—aside from when she’d dozed on the horse, which didn’t really count as sleeping in the first place—and it makes her stomach flutter despite her persisting bitterness towards him. She manages to turn over beneath his weighty arm, facing him. Morning light streams in golden motes through the broken windows and walls, through the gaping holes in the roof, casting the man’s sunken eyes and hollow cheekbones in heavy shadow. The cattleman hat is put aside somewhere, his other arm folded beneath his bald head like a pillow; her father’s shotgun lays within reach. His eyes remain closed and his body still. She can’t be sure he’s actually asleep, though.  Breathing feels difficult as she observes him in this singular momentary peace. Those eyelashes are the only hint of gentleness across the span of his features. Fingertips ghost over his gaunt cheekbone without making contact with his taut skin and she frowns. His gruesome visage grows increasingly more pleasing to look at with time and it makes her angry. It makes her angry that she wants him inside her again. She wants to hate him, but she can’t. She rolls back over, huffing in frustration.  The arm slung around her middle tightens deliberately just then, sliding from her waist up to her ribs, crushing her back against his hard chest. The ghoul’s face nuzzles behind her ear, growling low and content in his throat. He hadn’t been asleep at all, it seems. “Well g’mornin’ to you too, sweetheart.” He audibly grins, stretching languidly against the length of her body. His rasping voice teases her, stroking her sour disposition into something more agreeable. 

also, from a little later on:

“Where are we going?” she finally has the courage to ask. “What are we doing?” The cowboy has been silent about their journey thus far, and she only vaguely knows his purpose out here past what she’d fleetingly overheard the raiders discussing before he’d slain them all.  “I’m trackin’ a bounty. Yer along for the ride,” he replies after a belated moment, patting her belly in a manner almost affectionate.  She doesn’t know what a ‘bounty’ is, but she has seen him stalking around in the moments when he rests the horse, following signs on the ground and in the brush that her untrained eyes cannot see. She’d thought nothing of it previously, merely chalked it up to him being strange. Now it makes sense. She can see it in his eyes— always focused, always vigilant. He’s hunting.  “A bounty is a person?”  “Yes’m,” he grunts.  “And that’s what you do? Hunt people?” She cranes her neck to curiously gaze at him over her shoulder. His face is close; she can see the minute texture of his fibrous facial tissue and the cavern of his nasal cavity.  One corner of his mouth ticks upward, curving pretty lips; he’s pleased with her deductive reasoning. “Somethin’ like that, sweetheart.” “Why?” His grip around her tightens by a fraction. Unbidden heat pools between her straddling thighs and she must resist the urge to readjust the cant of her hips.  “You sure are askin’ lots o’questions, huh?” Teeth flash in a partial smile. “What’s got you chatterin’, li’l bird?” 

[space-mango-company]

Stranger | Chapter 5

Chapter Links: [1], [2], [3], [4], [5]

TW: Descriptions of Violence, Mentions of Cannibalism

Tags: Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen x Atreides!Reader, Arranged Marriage, Eventual Smut, POV Second Person, No use of y/n, Original Characters, Canon What Canon

Word Count: 2.3k

A/N: Not proofread!! Holy moly. Here it is, folks. The scene that inspired this whole fic. I had fun writing this so I really hope you enjoy it. Once again, I appreciate everyone who likes, comments, and/or leaves kudos so much. I really started this fic for myself but good golly, that dopamine rush whenever I get a notif might be more addicting than spice. I'm glad to be part of the bald man brigade.

Also, I can't believe I'm only now questioning why I decided to write this in the second person? I guess maybe I thought this fic would be a lot shorter and not that deep, lol. At this point 'y/n' probably has enough personality to just be a straight-up OC. It's funnier because I don't even find second-person or y/n fics any more engaging either. I always detach myself by giving 'y/n' her own name and only seeing her as a character in the fic.

ANYWAY, sorry to ramble. Stay safe and have a good one, ya weirdos.

You step out into the dark cul-de-sac of the guest hall, illuminated only by the large suspensor lamp in the middle. Feyd-Rautha looks you up and down, seemingly entranced by how the dim light casts his shadow on your modest dress. Atreides green, he recognized.

"Trying to sneak into my rooms again?" you say arms crossed, leaning on your door. "I didn't appreciate the last time, by the way."

"It's my house," he says cooly, "and I did knock this time."

You stare at him indifferently.

"Quite the display from you yesterday morning, using The Voice on me." His voice low and raspy, "I should have you drawn and quartered."

You scoff in his face. "You almost choked me to death. Are you trying to start a war?"

He takes a step closer and his face is inches from yours, you can feel his breath on your cheek, "I didn't think I'd like you this much, little hawk."

"What do you want, Feyd-Rautha?" you had no patience for him right now.

"Ah," he steps back, a dark smile on his face, "I've been waiting to hear my name from your tongue." His hand reaches for your lips. "I've grown quite tired of 'na-Baron'."

You grab his wrist before he can touch you. "If you're only here to toy with me, I would rather be left alone to prepare for bed." You release his hand and turn to open your door.

Feyd-Rautha props an arm against the doorway to block you. "We're to be married in three days," he says, "and I just can't seem to bring myself to let go of my 'harpies', as you called them." He meets your gaze. "You said you'd kill them. Did you mean that?"

You look up at him with steely eyes. He towered over you but your heart felt no fear, "Yes."

His coy smile returns. "Good. Come to my training hall tomorrow," he says, walking away.

"What?" you call after him.

"Dress to fight," he says over his shoulder. "I want to see what you can do, Atreides."

You needed no help from Zora in putting on a loose shirt and long pants. The plain beige outfit certainly wasn't as elegant as the dresses you had been wearing so far. But it was comfortable and you could fight in it, which was all that mattered. Still, you look yourself in the mirror. The soft, airy fabrics draped over your figure well but perhaps you were not in the best shape as you once were. Your muscle mass is much less than your brother's and he wasn't particularly built himself. You admit you did wane off your training sessions with Gurney and Paul leading up to your departure from Caladan. Nevertheless, you were still a skilled warrior. Another secret you've been keeping from the Harkonnens.

You were 14 when you started learning the blade. Watching Paul, 2 years your senior, practice with the Atreides Warmaster lit a fire in you. You didn't hesitate to pester your father to let you train with them and of course, there was nothing he could deny his darling daughter. You were a fierce and determined student. Gurney Halleck was a man you genuinely believed to be one of the best fighters in the Imperium, along with Duncan Idaho. Gurney would train you and Paul on even days. On odd days, your mother would teach you the Weirding Way. These lessons, much like the rest of your mother's teachings, your father wanted to know nothing about. After becoming decently adept at Prana-Bindu and gaining almost complete physical control of your body, Lady Jessica insisted that you also be skilled in the Bene Gesserit style of combat.

You were far from mastery in either but the combination of both trainings made you a formidable fighter. Despite this, you could never seem to beat your brother in a sparring match. A fact that frustrated you to no end, though you appreciated that Paul never went easy on you. You'd always blame it on him having trained for longer than you have. But in truth, you knew there had just always been something special about him.

"Are you ready, my lady?" Zora's soft voice wakes you from your thoughts.

"Hm? Right. Yes, let's go." You quickly tie your hair out of the way and grab your father's dagger from atop your dresser.

There was no fanfare when you entered the hall. On one end, the na-Baron's concubines sat chained on the steps of the shallow recessed pit in their leathers, their glares piercing through you. Your eyes linger on them as Feyd-Rautha and his Warmaster greet you.

"I was starting to think my lady bride was bluffing," Feyd-Rautha says as you approach him. The older man beside him offers you a polite bow.

"Perhaps she wasn't so keen on your brutish games," you bite back. "Your lord uncle won't be joining us?"

"No," Feyd-Rautha crosses his arms, "but he'll be hearing about your victory. Or your demise."

"Right. Well, I assume you'll be releasing them from those chains," you nod towards his pets "Not sure why they're necessary."

"Oh, trust me, little hawk. They're necessary." Feyd-Rautha motions to a servant.

"Your blade and shield, my lady," they bow, presenting you with a knife and a small device you recognize as a Holtzman shield.

"I've brought my own," you unsheath your father's dagger. You contemplate taking the shield but remembering that the na-Baron forwent it during his gladiator fight, you decide to do so as well. "They've no weapons anyway, the shield seems pointless."

Feyd-Rautha shrugs, "If you insist."

You take a deep breath, "Let's get this over with."

You lightly stretch as you walk down the steps of the shallow pit to stand opposite the na-Baron's concubines. You had come into this on the pretense of righteousness. For Iassa, you told yourself. But you've known her a mere two days. A part of you wanted to show off. You were good and you knew it. You could probably kill anyone in this room, even Feyd-Rautha. You craved the respect of the people here: the Harkonnens, the people of Geidi Prime. You figured this was one way to get it.

Feyd-Rautha walks around the pit to one of his concubines and kneels to whisper something in her ear. You assume a fighting stance when he moves to release her from the chains. When you meet her eyes, they are filled with feral bloodlust.

Suddenly, you weren't so bold. The veil of courage you have maintained since you arrived, even when Feyd-Rautha had your neck in his grip, is torn apart when you face this woman. You could tell no part of her would hesitate to rip your throat out with her bare teeth. You were almost relieved they were unarmed, but you weren't sure if that would make them any less lethal.

Fear grew in your chest and you had less than a moment to recite the Litany in your head before the concubine lunged at you.

You crouch down in time and slash at her abdomen as she approaches you. You turn to face her on the other side of the pit and she wastes no time in attacking you again. She attempts to grab your armed hand but you take hold of her wrist first and move to pin it behind her back. Quickly, your blade drags across her throat and she falls to your feet.

The kill has not yet registered in your mind but your heart is racing. You can almost hear your blood coursing through your veins. You held your arms outstretched, your eyes focused ahead, ready for the next one.

Across the pit, Feyd-Rautha licks his lips, smiling as he releases his second concubine. This time, you walk toward her while she moves to attack you. You clock her head with the pommel of your dagger and knock her a few steps back. She reaches a hand to wipe the blood beginning to drip out of her nose. After examining it, she snarls and bares her sharp teeth at you. Your mind is blank now. She dodges your first slash then manages to land a blow to your jaw. You seethe from the pain. You spit out the mixture of blood and saliva filling your mouth. The anger at the hit drives you to rush at her. Seeing an opening, you duck down to her waist and stab her twice. As she falls to her knees, the look of determination doesn't leave her eyes until the very last moment.

When you turn around, Feyd-Rautha has already released the last concubine. The ruthless scream she lets out disorients you. She pounces and knocks you over. She straddles you and pins your arms to the ground, your blade sliding inches away. She screams again in your face at the death of her sisters. You wedge your right knee between you and her abdomen, the only thing keeping her teeth from reaching your throat. You grunt as you struggle to free your hands. In your periphery, you see Feyd-Rautha, wielding his own blade, take a step into the pit.

"GET BACK," you roar, and he is powerless to refuse.

You turn back to your opponent still on top of you and you butt her head with your own. She loosens her grip and you kick her off to hastily crawl to your weapon. When she reorients herself and attempts to grab you again, you hook a knee under her arm and flip the both of you over. With your weight on her chest and both your knees pinning her arms down, she thrashes underneath you, claws digging into your right ankle. You take your blade in both hands and her screaming is silenced when you sink your knife deep into her heart.

When you rise, the room is quiet. Your chest heaves. The stark white ceiling lights don't help the lightheadedness that begins to wash over you in the post-adrenaline rush. Feyd-Rautha says something from behind you but his speech is garbled as you reel from the thrill of what just transpired. You were electrified. You almost... wanted more.

Then, the realization of the revolting scene you are in settles upon you and you are knocked off your high. You look at the leather-clad bodies scattered around you, the grotesque way they lay on the floor, the red blood pooling around them made brighter by the sterile grayness of the room. You did this.

A hand on your shoulder snaps you out of it. In reflex, you turn and raise your blade at the offender.

Feyd-Rautha holds his hands up, "Whoa, easy, Atreides. Trying to kill me? Don't want to start a war, do you?"

You yield your weapon. Your eyes dodge his as you look to your feet and try to steady your breathing.

"Enjoy your first taste of blood?" Feyd-Rautha says, the look in his eyes indecipherable to you. He raises a hand and swipes his thumb on your cheek. It comes away covered in crimson.

You gasp and reach for your face with your own hand. You don't even know if it's your blood or theirs, or when it got on you. Your heart pounded, unable to decide whether you were repulsed or proud.

"Look at you," he says licking the red off his finger. You could not help but stare at him through the strands of your hair that had come undone in the fighting. "You're beautiful like this," his hand reaches for your face again.

"No," you say low and quiet when you swat his hand away, "you're sick." You didn't know if you meant him or yourself. You calmly turn to leave. No one stops you when you make your way up the shallow steps of the pit. As you pass Iassa—no, Zora—by the doorway, you tell her flatly, "Prepare a bath."

You had never taken a life before. Today, you took three. You were glad you didn't know their names. You decided you'd never find out.

After Zora pours a final pitcher of hot water into the bath, you tell her, "You may go. I'll dress myself later, thank you."

She bows and makes her way out of your rooms.

In your solitude, you bring your knees to your chest. You had been quick to wipe the blood off your cheek before you even reached your quarters. Now, you cup the water into your hands and rub it into your face, the slight sting of the heat comforting you.

He was a cruel man, your betrothed. This is what you've decided. Having you kill the concubines he claimed to want to keep so much. But wasn't it you who threatened to kill them? He started it, you argue with yourself, when he had Iassa killed. You felt like a child.

When you used to hear of Feyd-Rautha's exploits, you had to mask your disgust. And yet now, you had killed so easily in that pit as he had in the arena. What was this place doing to you?

When you left Caladan, Paul had never killed anyone either. You wonder if he ever does, would he feel the same exhilaration you did when you slit that first concubine's throat. No. Your brother was fierce but, like your father, he had a good heart. You beat him by three. You hoped it would stay that way.

You think about your future here, marrying Feyd-Rautha. Producing heir after heir under the Baron's watchful eye. You were a broodmare. Despite all your fancy training and education. Despite your little demonstration earlier. It was the bitter truth.

You missed home. You missed walking along the beach at night with your father. You missed your mother's gentle hands brushing your hair. You missed the banter and teasing with your brother. You missed Gurney, and Duncan, and the cold breeze on your balcony, and getting to roam free and going anywhere you pleased. When the tears come, you sink deep into the bath so they might fade away in the water.

Chapter Links: [1], [2], [3], [4], [5]

Taglist: @torchbearerkyle @austinswhitewolf @dreamlandcreations @emeraldsgirl @strawberryfieldsforevermore @bornslippys @vexis-world @aoi-targaryen @alexandrainlove @mamawiggers1980 @sstardussty @aboutthenabaron

[rabid-reads]

My August Reads Ranked

1. One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig: This was by far my favorite read this month. I love this book. I love it more than I love The Folk of the Air. More than the Dark Rise series. More than Captive Prince. Because it has EVERYTHING. The plot, the magic system, the characters, the writing, all of it is as equally good as the rest. Even though at the ending there’s a twist that’s sad, I was still EXCITED to see what happens next (more hype than sad). I root for the Nightmare too. “Long live the King.” The writing is show don’t tell and I fucking LOVE IT. I FUCKING LOVE IT. I am so tired of seeing a lot of telling in story books, and all my favs serve show.

2. Bunny by Mona Awad: This wasn’t as dark as I thought it was going to be, but it won me over with the writing. It’s clever, dark and hilarious. Samantha’s dilemma with the bunnies was relatable for me, especially the first smut salon she attends. It was a fun ride, and I enjoyed this book for reasons I wasn’t expecting to. The way Awad describes feelings is spectacular.

3. The Prisoner’s Throne by Holly Black: It was good to be back in Elfhame. I liked Prisoner’s Throne more than Stolen Heir because, of course, Jude and Cardan. I thought Wren and Oak’s story was cute and I had a fun time reading it, but I’m not over Jude and Cardan yet and that’s all I want.

4. The Stolen Heir by Holly Black: At first, I was a bit put off by how Jude-like Wren was, and how Cardan-like Oak was, but I had a good time. If Black wants to go back and write scenes showcasing Jude and Cardan falling in love, I’m all for that. Would love to see the two of them snuggling by a fire.

5. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King: I knew I’d like this because every time I watch King speak, he’s fun. He’s fun to listen to, he’s fun to read. He’s at his best when he’s shooting the shit. This was a good time.

6. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde: I love the dialogue in this, it can be interpreted in different ways and it’s exciting to think about. I’ve never read anything as quotable as this book. I lived for every time Dorian threw himself on a couch in a fit of angst.

7. The Corsair’s Captive by Ruby Dixon: Dixon never lets me down. It’s another cozy, fun sci-fi romance with the big blue dudes. I have to read her shifter smut; it’s going to be everything.  

8. The Science of Storytelling by Will Storr: I appreciated how blunt this book was, and the information provided was interesting. If you’re looking for a book about why humans tell stories as well as scientific reasons why you should have an existential crisis. This is the one.

9. Victor by Brianna West: The most egregious offense to me was the smut. Because. How are you screwing an Angel, and it’s vanilla? No mention of where his wings are? Nothing special about his equipment? Only fucks in missionary? They could fuck in the air, but we’re going to sidestep that? Other than that the world-building wasn’t there for me, and the writing was a whole lot of telling. The adverb intense descriptions didn’t land for me, and I didn’t care about any of the characters. The fmc was annoying.

10. Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton: Zade is so Neil Breen coded. Like, if I found out Breen wrote this character for Carlton, it would make a lot of sense. I hate this book. I don’t know why I do this to myself.  

The books I'm most stoked to read in September are: Monstrilio by Gerardo Samano Cordova, Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett and Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig.

[starcrossedxwriter]

Masterlist

Here is the master list for all my fics! The date at the bottom is the last time it was updated (I try to keep it as updated as possible)

Thank YOU for reading, liking, reblogging, and commenting! I appreciate and LOVE the reception and feedback and commentary more than you could ever know - it fuels me and keeps the inspiration flowing!

All stories have a face claim. However, with all my OCs, I encourage folks to see themselves in the story! Also I love angst BUT all my stories are happily ever afters so enjoy the emotional rollercoasters knowing everyone'll be ok lol Thank you again for reading! Love y'all!

MBJ Fics:

Built for Love Series - Michael B Jordan x Famous OC Reader Charlotte Elsbeth Jordan

Series Summary: Charlotte Bennett was not looking for love when she moved to LA and landed her first role in Creed. Quite the opposite actually. However, her costar, Michael B Jordan, makes her question everything she once believed possible for herself and her future. As she builds a life and relationship with him, ghosts from her past threaten to destroy it all.

Series Warnings: Violence, Mentions of past experiences with DV, Angst, Mature Sexual Content

** SMUT

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6**) (Interlude**) (7**) (8) (9) (10) (11**) (12)

One-shots:

Completely random one shots that follow Charlotte & MBJ as they navigate the world as Hollywood’s Black power couple. Whether it be stardom, their work, parenthood, or relationship drama, the Jordans are building a love that will last a lifetime.

Protective

Oscar Night Part 1** (Part 2**)

Bleeding Through (1)

Falling Apart (1) (2)

Date Night**

Asks:

Nicknames

GQ Couples Quiz

Wicked Fantasies - MBJ x Black OC

Moodboard: coming soon!

Series Summary: Raven’s life, as of late, was one unexpected turn after another. It seemed as though every time she got a break and could get her head above water, something came tumbling to knock her back down. As she struggles to get her foot in the door of LA’s call girl scene to make extra money, she stumbles upon her big break: Michael B. Jordan, Hollywood’s most famous, talented, and notorious actor, director, and playboy. One night of pleasure for him would solve many of her continuously mounting financial problems. However, an unlucky trip to the hospital and an ill-timed flash of a paparazzi’s camera snag her the proposition of a lifetime, one that would solve all her problems and allow her to live out her most wicked fantasies with the sexist man alive. However, she forgot one cardinal rule: fantasies and pretend never last and reality would always come around eventually. 

Warnings: Mature sexual content (18+), HEAVY Dom/Sub storyline (the whole nine), this is for the kinky girlsssssss, angst

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11.1)

Asks:

Late Nights

MBJ Requests:

A Love That Never Fades (MBJ x OC)

Erik Killmonger Fics

Unbreakable - Erik Killmonger x Black OC

Moodboard: Coming soon!

Series Summary: Naja, the younger sister of the Queen of Wakanda, hated few things. And at the top of that shortlist: Prince N’Jadaka. Well, if she were honest, he was the entirety of the list. Once destined to be a princess of Wakanda, Naja was the picture of kindness and grace. Now, she is hailed as Wakanda’s most fearless, dangerous, and reclusive war dog. After more than a decade of putting as much distance as possible between her and the life she almost had, Naja is forced to come face to face with the person she hates most again. With a threat looming over Wakanda and lives at risk, Naja must decide if trusting Prince N'Jadaka is worth the risk before it is too late.

Warnings: Angst

(1**) (2)

Last Updated: May 31, 2024

[activesplooger]

Progress Update on some WIPS! + teasers! :) | Doe!Reader x Alastor SMUT | Help Me: Part 3 Vox x Assistant!Reader | His New Obsession: Reader x Yandere!Vox

a few days ago i posted a screenshot of some WIPS, and i thought I’d give a progress update! + teasers! i promise im working on everything guys i just want everything to be quality :) ive also been quite busy so, yeah!

Doe!Reader x Alastor SMUT 1/2 DONE

About halfway done! Maybe a lil less than halfway? So far I’ve gotten a lot of the exposition out of the way and im starting to get onto the dirty little smutty part ;) its taking awhile bc ive been busy ALSOO smut is hard asf to write and writing deer themed smut is even harder! lmao guys the amount of deer mating season research ive done is crazy im definitely on some type of watch list now bc of my weird search history lol. I’ve gotten a lot done though! Should be out soon, I’ll let you guys know when itll be out when I get more of it done! A teaser is on my page if u wanna see it!

Help Me: Part 3 Vox x Assistant!Reader

i dont rlly have an exact fraction amount for how much is done lol. i promise i didnt forget about it guys 🙏 i have the whole story pretty much planned out! all the scenes and stuff i want to include (+ the ending duh) are all written down! perchance ill do a bigger teaser tmrw idk sometime this wknd maybeee. I have all the scenes planned out and ik how the whole story is gonna go i just have to articulate it into words and spice it up! :) stay tuned!!

teaser!:

“The Vee's empire grew exponentially and are now the three top overlords in hell. You still worked for Vox, however, your job description changed over the next few years. A lot changed over the next few years…. You went from being introduced as “This is Y/N, my friend and assistant!” to “This is an employee of mine, she won’t be a bother.”.”

this whole paragraph is subject to change, i wouldve done a bigger teaser but im just so unsure about the other paragraphs i might literally delete it all and redo them and i dont wanna edge u guys like that lol.

His New Obsession: Reader x Yandere!Vox

OK THIS ONES SO RANDOM BUT LEMME COOK LMAO. this one has SO MUCH BUT ITS NOT EVEN CLOSE LOL. its gonna be like pretty smutty i think like toxic sweater electrocute my fukin pussy type smut. its gonna be a big one bc im trying not to make it into different parts but that might change. its gonna be a fat minute till it comes out im just chipping away at it every once in awhile 4 fun! :))

teaser!:

“Yes, dear,” Vox gestures to Papermint standing idly in a corner, “This one over here will also be my assistant. You’ll handle the more personal needs of mine while Papermint handles more business related needs.”

“I see…”

Vox, completely entranced by you, puts your resume down and extends a hand out to you across the desk, “Well, that’s all I really need! Congratulations! You got the job!”. Winning sound effects could be heard from Vox’s speakers as he congratulates you.

“Oh! I-Is that it..? No questions..?”

“Nope, I’ve seen enough- Actually, what size are you?”

“Uh… Why?”

“For your uniform, of course!”

(this is also subject to change btw! im slowly doing it its just kind of a fun lil random thing i like to do when i need a break or just feel like it)

—

stay tuned folks! if u wanna be tagged for any of these lmk in the replies!

[lemonlyman-dotcom]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thanks for the tags @iboatedhere @bonheur-cafe @alrightbuckaroo & @welcometololaland 💕

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Nine!

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

48,025

3. What fandoms do you write for

911 Lonestar

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Make Me Laugh 'till I Die, I Stand Beside You With Pride - TK and Carlos discuss TK’s special relationship with Owen, and how previous boyfriends have been intimidated by it

getting past the wounds of love - Paul-centric fic for @guardian-angle22! Carlos attends his first 126 hang, Paul, TK & Marj go crate digging

Sunshine On My Body, Rainbows Bloomin' In My Skies - Tarlos goes hiking!!

TK Strand’s Sweet 16 (times 2) (minus 2) - TK’s 30th birthday party!! The Reyes family throws him a double sweet 16 party, the first family party since the loss of Gabriel.

Why Do You Think I Ran - TK & Carlos have a vulnerable conversation about the beginning of their relationship the night after Owen calls with his Huntingtons results.

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

Yes! Always!! First, because I am so appreciative that anybody takes the time to read my stuff. But I know it’s only like one in every few hundred reader that bothers to leave a comment so why wouldn’t I return that energy with a response?

Second, I am first and foremost a reader. I put a lot of energy into writing thoughtful comments. So I know how nice it is to get a reply!

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

I don’t know if it’s angsty, per say, but maybe All Your Colors Make Me Feel Alive because they’re discussing the ways they’re grieving and remembering their lost parents.

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

They’re all happy endings, generally. But maybe Call Me If You Get Lost because they’re in a hot tub and they’re bouts to get it on *sings Marvin Gaye*

8. Do you get hate on fics?

No!

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

Very PG-R-rated so far

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

I don’t but I have a couple ideas for using the plot lines of another show.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not plagiarized but I had someone take the plot idea of one of my fics. Doesn’t feel good, folks!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No

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

I haven’t, but I beta read which is definitely a collaboration

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Tarlos

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

I want to finish TK Strand’s day off (@carlos-in-glasses 👀)

16. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue, description and characterization. Also background for side characters.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Coming up with plots to go around the 1-2 scenes I’ve written 😂

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

I love incorporating Spanish as much as I can. If I’m not 100% sure I’ll have a friend who is fluent read it.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

911 Lonestar!

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

This is a tie!

Call Me If You Get Lost This one got a pretty low engagement, which was really disappointing for me because I think it’s the best thing I’ve ever written. It’s a whole, complete story with a beginning, a climax and and end. Its funny and heartfelt, and I think the characterizations are really well done. Basically Nancy tells TK she’s going on a romantic weekend by herself, it was a trip she’d booked at an estate in Hill Country with her ex for their anniversary before they broke up. TK is worried she’s having a crisis and forces Carlos to go to the estate so they can “be there for her,” but instead they catch Nancy in an awkward position with Mateo.

TK Strand’s Sweet 16 (times 2) (minus 2) this one was so much fun to write! It’s funny and sweet, there’s a lot of side plots going on with different characters. It not only shows us TK through Carlos’s eyes, and how much Carlos loves him and is completely in awe of him, but how TK gently cares for Carlos and has cemented his place in the Reyes family and helped hold them together through this loss. Also it’s the introduction of my Tía Lucy. The response to this one was really really lovely 💕

I’m knee-deep in a move right now so I’m not sure who’s already gone but tagging @chicgeekgirl89 @ladytessa74 @tarlosmalec @ithilien-writes @carlos-in-glasses @rosedavid @herefortarlos @freneticfloetry @thebumblecee @wandering-night19 @sanjuwrites @your-catfish-friend @im-overstimulated-and-im-sad @liminalmemories21 @never-blooms @ambiguouspenny & @theghostofashton and OPEN TAG 🏷️

[thehomelybadger]

26 Questions about Run at the Cup.

Hi!

Since I just finished off my 33 chapter Arcane/CaitVi Hockey AU fanfiction, I asked folks for any questions that they might have about the universe (or just for me) around the fanfiction. So I thought that I'd pull them all together, answer them in one big post, and then direct folks here.

These questions are mostly pulled from twitter or discord, and are asked anonymously. If you're new to it/have never heard of it, you can check out the fanfiction here:

My asks are always open if you want to pepper me with more questions - I literally love talking about my process and creating stuff. But yeah, let's get the ball rolling!

These questions have spoilers up to the epilogue (chapter 33) of Run at the Cup.

One of your original goals for RATC was to include a sex scene in every chapter, and you later decided that didn't suit the story that it ended up being. How far, exactly, did you stray from that goal?

I think the first disc stuck to the format of smut-a-chapter pretty well, but as soon as I got to chapter 7 and 8 in my planning, I really had to take a step back from the idea of smut-a-chapter. Part of doing that was a friend of mine pointing out that another fic - breakneck - already was a smut-a-chapter offering, and the other part was around chapter 7 and 8 was when we really got a look at the Landsman abuse and I wanted to focus more on telling a story of healing instead of a sexual relationship. It felt the best narratively for Vi to take a step back and appreciate boundaries, and at that point we were 100% of the rails of the original vision. I also had my friend Felix - he drew the art for the fic - point out that the story was way more important than the smut when I complained that sometimes I just wasn’t feeling up to writing smut.

Caitlyn obviously makes a point to never sleep with another hockey player except for Landsman and Vi. Vi rather vocally does not have that rule. Are there any players we see in RatC that she has a history of that nature with?

Ahh, crucially, Caitlyn and Vi both adhere to the rule of no teammates. I actually think both have had flings  with hockey players, but probably not anyone that we spend much time hanging out with. I hint at Sarah Fortune and Vi having a past-tense fling that I never really expanded upon, and at one point I wanted to write some Caitlyn and Evelynn one night stand stuff that never really felt right after I abandoned the whole smut-a-chapter premise.

There are so many characters in ratc, and so many povs, how did you get into each of their heads and give them all their own voice that stayed consistent throughout the story?

So one of my other hobbies - other than hyperfixating on a fictional hockey team - is dungeons and dragons as a forever DM. My rule for creating NPCs is to give them a ‘pillar’ - essentially one solid character trait that I can lean back on when viewing things through their lens. Claggor, for instance, was always trying to teach and never raised his voice. Poppy was always going to be cheerful and loyal. Leona was always serious, except when dealing with Diana. Mylo was never serious, until there was a weak moment. All of those ‘pillars’ helped shepherd me in the right direction - the only characters I didn’t really have a pillar for were the hockey announcers, who’s entire personality can be summed up as ‘hockey announcers’.

When did you realize this was going to become Big™ , or was this all the plan from the beginning?

If I ever knew when anything was going to be big in terms of wordcount, I’d be much more successful at writing. The real time I knew was somewhere in Disc 2 when I had written like 3 10k+ word count chapters in a row. I remember thinking ‘oh, shit, I’m fucked’. What’s crazy about this is that I still feel like I left some story threads on the table - I could write 80k more of just Sumprats shenanigans, easily. In terms of Big as in popularity - dude I have no idea when I knew. I still don't really believe it.

Which was your favorite smut scene to write?

Oh man - hands down the hotel smut scene in the Summer Isles  - though that’s technically cheating, because the smut doesn’t actually happen. But I can see it like a shot in a movie - the slow tracking shot over the discarded clothes with some energetic, strumming guitar over top while we see the bed come into frame, the pan over and continued tracking towards the bathroom - all this evidence of wild sex. If the question is ‘which smut scene that’s actually smut’, I’m going with the phone sex scene - it was good to finally get these characters admitting how much they liked one another.

How did you pick and choose which LoL champions (not from Arcane) you brought into your world? As there are so many available and ones you picked seemed to work so well. Was it 'character is hot/cool and I just want to write them', 'I need a champion that would play hockey/act in x way' or any other way

A variety of reasons! Illaoi was included solely because my wife thinks she’s super hot, but for me it became characters I really liked, characters I could see the personality of, and characters I could ape the kit of in some way. Ahri being charming and evasive, Illaoi’s tentacle-like poke checking, Diana being good in close, and Leona being a hard hitting defender were all nods to the league kits, among others. Basically, when I was filling out the roster and was out of Arcane character slots, I started grabbing characters based on what role I envisioned for them on the team and backfilled from there. I’m glad I did their personalities justice!

I'd love to know, if it isn't a bother for you to explain it, the process behind you deciding each character's position on the ice and skillset. I'm basically in awe of how you took each character from the show/game and made them each a particular type of hockey player. But you might have talked about this already so no worries if it's too repetitive!

It all depended on what I wanted to write for the most part, and I approached it from two angles - what was most interesting for me to write dynamically, as in action wise, and what was most interesting for me to write emotionally, as in what they brought to the Sumprats as a whole. I leaned on a lot of sports knowledge that I’ve accrued over my 31 years around the sun, and figured out what archetypes would be most fun and narratively satisfying to convey. So, as an example - Claggor’s soft and assured ‘we’re gonna get you out’ from the show was a big big reason why I made him an enforcer - the quiet confidence and clear smarts. Poppy being undersized but a major bruiser in the game led to her entire personality and playstyle. Ahri being a winking and confident figure in LoL lore led to her being a flashy and charming person with a lot of scoring - etc etc etc. It came together fairly organically!

If you had to pick another sport as the medium to tell the story, which sport would it be? Ik you were intending on making it a hockey story with lesbians vs a lesbian story with hockey, but do you think the sport and play of hockey specifically were integral to how to told the story/the journey of the characters?

This is such a tough question to answer, because I’m not sure I could’ve told it with any other sport. Hockey is inherently chaotic, and the beautiful thing about it is that it comes down to players - you can have a grand strategy, but sometimes it’s just ‘our player is the best on the ice’ and that’s enough. I think there’s probably a pretty awesome Rugby story in here, maybe - or football/soccer - I can see their roles with Caitlyn as an attacking midfielder and Vi as a sweeper or something, but both of those are far more team focused. Also, hockey is lesser known of the major sports, and I felt like talking about how goofy it sometimes is to folks who might not know about it.

What did you learn during/after writing this that you didn't expect?

Such a good question. I learned that I love writing big casts of characters and I learned that I have a knack for conveying what I see on the page. I also learned that I can tell a story that goes every way possible in terms of POV and style, and that having a bunch of threads to tie up is an awesome problem to have. I also learned that I’m somewhat fragile as a creator, and that taking steps to protect myself from having my feelings hurt doesn’t make me selfish - just makes me human.

If you had to support a team yourself (not including the Sumprats), who would you support and why?

Can you imagine Bilgewater Schooners twitter? Can you imagine how batshit insane it must be? I’d be 100% on board with that franchise.

Why wasn’t there more Grapes content?

You all weren’t ready for it. The world still isn’t ready.

Is there something you wished you could've explored more but didn't get the chance?

So many things. So so many things. This is why RATC is crazy to me in hindsight because I felt like I left a lot of meat on the bone when the fic is like 300k long and is one of the longest CaitVi fics around. SarcastCity and I joked about a whole sequence where Mylo strikes out with a bunch of women, I didn't get into the Evelynn sub-sub-subplot, I barely scratched the surface on MOST of the K/Da stuff that I wanted to do, CaitVi adopted a dog at one point, there was an entire anti-police side of the fic that I just cut because it didn’t really fit into the vibe of the fic (you can still see foreshadowing of it in early chapters), there was originally going to be an entire other side to the water reparations where we’d see grainy footage of Silco and Cassandra arguing about it and that’s how a lot of it was revealed - before I decided to make Powder more of a central figure in the documentary. The entire fic changed in a bunch of little moments. Art is cool that way - it kinda leads ya where you need to go sometimes.

Who was someone that you enjoyed writing a lot that you didn't expect to?

When I put Graves into the fic, I never would’ve expected to fucking love writing him as much as I did. As soon as I wrote his first book snippet, I knew that I needed to stop immediately because if I wasn’t careful he’d take over the entire fucking fic. Second place was every scrap of podcast content - it’s so addictive to write this meta-narrative bullshit about your own world building. It’s just giving you a reason to talk about your own fic in universe and I had to stop myself from writing 13 more Taylor Swiffer sequences. Lastly, twitter was always a blast to get going. Shout out to everyone who loaned me their likeness for that!

You’re a pretty big basketball fan Badger, and knowledgeable at that, is there any reason you chose Hockey besides you also liking it? Like, did you feel the “action” would be better?

There are no sanctioned fistfights in basketball, which was a huge L. In all seriousness, I considered a basketball fic before going with hockey because, while I love basketball with my whole badgussy, hockey has so much more meat on the bone with regard to playstyle and expression. You have hitters, shooters, goalies being weird, you’ve got gum chewing angry people and hockey stadium chants. Hockey is a vibe that I really was excited to convey, and basketball - to me, anyways - has less of a physical aspect to it and it’s a little less entertaining to write about. Baskets happen all the time in ball, but in hockey, a goal is celebrated by everyone on the ice, everyone gets a fistbump, and the action stops while the crowd gets to rewatch it over and over. You don’t get any better than that for narrative drama.

You've talked some about the sumprats superstitions, but who is the most superstitious and what are some sumprats superstitions

Ashe is probably the most superstitious, but all sports players are superstitious to some degree or another - especially hockey people. I think every time Leona tapes her stick up, she has to unwind the first piece once - because that’s the way she did it when she scored her first goal. Claggor probably wears the same style of socks that he had when he was 18. Riven’s skates are a size too small, because she believes it makes her faster. Graves needs Caitlyn to tap his post before every game he’s in net otherwise he won’t play.

What was the hardest part for you, as a writer, to get through?

The entire fic came together relatively quickly, honestly. I wrote it in less than a year and most of the time in big 2-6 hour chunks of my day. I think the most challenging thing from a craft standpoint was the Landsman Scandal - because it had so many moving parts and I was using a character invented solely for that sequence in wewon1, and you needed to like her and buy into her right off the bat. I also needed to balance out how heavy the chapter was with moments that the reader could breathe around - I didn’t want to evoke a desperate, awful thing, but I wanted to inform. It took a few days of serious brainstorming before I got it the way I wanted it, and even then I was making edits in the posting window of Ao3. But in terms of actual hardness to write - the run up to the finals was really tough to get through because I felt like not much was happening narratively and I really needed to work at it to get it where I wanted it. The actual physical typing of the story wasn’t hard, but the games were annoying me a lot - they always felt too slow or sluggish or poorly conveyed. The thing I’m most proud of looking back is definitely the Powder chapter - I wish I had done more of that.

Why is Landsman so hot? Why did you have to make Landsman so hot? Should I speak with my therapist about this?

Oh yes. Immediately.

The story focused on Cait and Vi but as a whole was a story about team dynamics - little pieces like Hot Girl Shit, characters we would consider unremarkable as irl players like Poppy or Mylo, the gradual push of Graves to Ekko as main tendie - that grew into their own stories. Was this a case of supporting cast offering spontaneous great idea opportunities that you went along with, or was it always planned that X character would get X storyline?

I didn’t really set out with these storylines in mind, but one of the things I wanted from the get was this line to be true: “Usually, it’s the people who sit five, six seats from the starting lineup that give you the edge. Our job as leaders is to make sure that when those folks’ numbers get called, they’re ready.” - Vi, chapter 4. I wanted to basically reinforce that idea by having the players grow into something that was stalwart and could be relied upon, and just let the characters kinda swirl around with that idea. I didn’t realise that Ashe would wind up being so important but I kind of fell in love with her as I wrote her game - same goes for Riven’s speed and Darius’ faceoff potential. 

Which supporting character that isn’t Mylo ended up being your fave?

If it’s cheating to say Sevika, then I loved Poppy. Every scene Poppy is in I just had a blast writing, but gum-chewing, constantly glaring, scowling while insisting she’s smiling Sevika really leapt off of my keyboard. If I allow myself to take credit for any one thing, it’s casting Sevika as a coach.

if Vander hadn't died and had become the Sumprats coach instead of Sevika, would Vi still have been drafted by them and how would she have felt about it? 

Woof. It’s hard to see Mel hiring Vander, but say that she did and Vander coached Vi - adult Vi, 32 year old Vi with all she feels towards him - I can only really see it as Vi demanding out. She wouldn’t have the ego to get him fired, but I don’t think she’d be willing to play for him after everything. I also think the Sumprats are nowhere near as good with Vander as a coach - in my head Vander was good enough to drill Vi’s lessons into her head but had no idea how to keep a team intact, and that was Sevika’s specialty - the ‘us vs them’ mentality is all her.

I'd love to hear anything about your writing process. When you do it, how you think and feel about it, etc.

My writing process begins with having a very patient wife who puts up with me being glued to a screen for 6 hours at a time while talking to myself - usually in funny voices or imitating crowd yelling. I also do a lot of my dialogue in the shower where nobody can judge the faces I make - most of Caitlyn’s speech and the podcast dialogue came from me showering and yelling to myself, getting hyped up, and trying to remember lines. I basically do my functional adult tasks with the sequences I want to convey running on my head in a loop, until it’s time to sit down and crank it out. One part of my process that I don’t recommend is that when I sit down to write, I don’t get up until the chapter’s done. For me it’s a straight shot or it doesn’t get done at all - I need the entire flow to work on that one sitting. It has the side effect of my wife watering me and feeding me while I’m glued to banging words out onto a screen, and occasionally I’ll come up for air to refill my water battle and talk to her about her Animal Crossing island or something - anything - that isn’t hockey lesbians, before I go back to my cave.

obligatory question about which scene you were most looking forward to writing

So, chapter 32 was basically in my head the entire time I was writing the fic - everything between chapter 2 and 32 was me impatiently jiggling my leg waiting until I could write the Won’t Back Down song from the crowd. But the more surprising bit was how much I was looking forward to the karaoke scene - I wound up putting it off a few times in the fic until I was finally able to lock it down right after the Landsman Scandal, which felt like a great time to put it - just the idea that we all could use a break - as readers and characters in the story - and then we get one. Also, Pray is a fucking HILARIOUS song and I love that I got to use it.

if caitlyn and vi were to have a dog in this universe, what kind, what would they name it, and what would jinx choose to call it instead

This was actually a cut plot point at one time - the dog adoption sequence. They have a boxer named Bowser who has three legs, and Powder calls him Leonardo because it’s not his name but he squints sometimes like DiCaprio, and one time he ate an entire cheese pizza.

actually, kind of bouncing off my other question, are there any scenes that weren't originally planned that you really like?

Originally, there was no Melvika - it was a Melora subplot. But then I wrote that initial conversation between Mel and Sevika where they meet and Sevika passes her test and I thought to myself ‘oh.’ Every single Melvika moment was unplanned but I loved crafting it, showing this little love story in the margins of the page that was slowly and steadily unfolding.

Did you decide to change any major plot points after you'd started writing?

Two major ones: First and most impactful, there was going to be a riot in the original story that led to the team rallying behind the city - it was going to be this sequence of each of the Sumprats walking into the practice facility saying ‘have you heard, yet?’ that tied in what actually happened. But it felt tonally out of place and I was already really invested in exploring the abuse aspect of the fic, so I scrapped it - it’s a story worth telling at some point but the feel-good underdog sports fic wasn’t the place to explore that space. Another more impactful thing that certainly won’t be surprising to some: Vi’s injury was initially going to be a career ender. When SarcastCity and I started talking around the end of Disc 2, I actually told her that version of the story - that Vi’s knee is busted irrevocably and Caitlyn has to win without her, and the two have to find their way towards one another in a bittersweet finale without hockey to unite them. SC talked me around on that one - made the case that Vi and Caitlyn deserved to play hockey together for years and years, and after thinking about it for a while it really truly felt like I was being sad and dramatic for sad drama’s sake - angst for angst’s sake isn’t something I wanted to play into. So I changed it and it’s a lot, LOT better as a result.

How did you keep everything in order? Did you have an outline?

Calling it an outline is kind of insulting to other outlines, I think - I had an unhinged and fucked up google sheets document that listed the players, positions, and general vibe of their character arc, but I didn’t totally stick to it. I also had a chapter title list that I also changed a lot - I mostly knew my end point was ‘Caitlyn skates for 20 minutes and they come back to win in Game 5 with an injured Vi’ and worked my way to that point.

Thank you to all who submitted questions! If you have more, feel free to drop me a line.

-Badger

[sitp-recs]

HP Rec Fest, Day 27

Omg day 27 already?! I can’t believe this fest is almost done :( today’s prompt for @hprecfest is fun but also challenging for those (like me) who read way more canon-based fic than AUs. But I do love a good challenge so I decided to go full non-magical AU instead of picking a “Draco in the Muggle World” AU. And since I’ve been sick in bed with a lot of time in my hands I thought why not rec 2 Drarry fics + 1 rare pair. As you’ll see I love rivals to lovers a normal amount so that naturally makes Sports AU my absolute obsession jam. I’m so happy to include in one single post an old fave, a recent fave and my favourite rare pair. Run don’t walk!

Day 27) a Muggle-AU fic:

Drarry

🏒 Mad Blood Stirring by provocative_envy (E, 3k)

It's not like they've been angrily hooking up on the sly since meeting at a Juniors skills camp in fucking Manitoba four years ago, except that's exactly what they've been doing. ALTERNATIVELY: Draco and Harry really need to talk about their feelings.

fucking finally, the perfect excuse to cheekily include my fave sports/non-magical AUs and scream non-stop about them! I couldn’t care less for hockey, and yet I’ve reread this classic more times than I care to admit. this is superb rivals with benefits to lovers (my fave!), super hot and hilariously chaotic as all Drarry things should be. PE nails both characters in a non-magical setting perfectly - their voices are a delight and the constant flirting bickering made me lol every 3 seconds. they are so deliciously crazy for each other I could stay in this verse forever just watching them pine, play & fuck throughout the season - make sure to go check the FlintWood piece here, it’s equally brilliant! def a classic sports AU to reread over and over.

🚣‍♀️ Our Objective Remains Unchanged by @citrusses (E, 46k)

Harry Potter, returning member of the Oxford University Boat Club, has two goals for the spring of 2005: beat Cambridge, and beat Draco Malfoy. Perhaps not in that order.

an instant 2023 fave, this is the rowing AU I did not know I needed but boy, am I happy it found me 🙏🏼 citrus got me shooketh from beginning to end, I am awed by the world building and the whole Oxford way of life especially the classism aspect and the training ethos. everything is so vivid and refreshing and unlike anything I’ve seen in the fandom so far. the fic incorporates many canon elements and balances dialogue, world building and character development flawlessly. being in Harry’s head is an emotional ride, he’s a wonderful and relatable character and I just wanted him to be happy so badly. Draco’s arc is equally moving (I was screaming at his reappearance) and this is peak rivals to lovers!!! I was very invested in the competition and the romance is so so lovely and real. I felt incredibly sad and lost when I finished this fic because I wanted to stay in this universe forever. fun, inventive, sophisticated and surprising in the best ways, go read it now

Rare pair

Shut Up and Kiss Me by @unmistakablyoatmeal (Harry/Teddy, E, 7.7k)

There's a reason Harry walks an extra ten blocks to go to the shops and it has nothing to do with onions.

smitten Harry my beloved!!!! I’m so weak for this ship and this shop AU is the cutest thing you’ll read today, I love swooning Harry daydreaming about Teddy and being an absolute dork around him. it’s so funny (and mildly embarrassing) to watch him pine over this cool, charming, and confident young Teddy who’s not afraid to get what he wants 🌝 the clubbing scene deserves special kudos for its depiction of ageism in queer spaces and how older folks sometimes struggle to fit in. for all their differences I love how Harry and Teddy instantly click, the casual-not-so-casual flirting flows smoothly between them until the UST breaks with deliciously hot smut as per sdk’s usual. a sweet AU to check before the year ends!

[musewrangler]

20 Questions for Writers

Thank you so much for the tag @wendingways I'm FINALLY getting around to it. :D

How many works do you have on AO3?

132

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

2, 962, 169

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Star Wars, Hornblower, Narnia [just one]

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Mirjahaal

Bajur

He Who Sheds His Blood With Me

Forging Ahead

I Felt You In My Bones

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

I do as much as possible. I appreciate my readers making time to say something. It takes effort on their part and I want them to know I am grateful. Equally, I get lots of fun thoughts from my readers and it's delightful to interact with people. :D

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Oh definitely the fic I could never write. ;D By which I mean---there was a prompt somewhere that said 'the aftermath of a scene you'll never write'. So I knew immediately what that was and ripped my own heart out to write "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night". Literally, I was ugly crying the whole time. And it convinced me that nope, I can never do this in my 'real' fics if you will. xD

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

Hmmm. I am a girl who likes a happy ending. Granted, it's after kark tons of pain and suffering usually xD, but...

I think I'll land on the Dragon Speaker. I could name quite a few others, but I spent more time developing the happy aftermath so that's why I choose it.

8. Do you get hate on your fic?

I've said it before---I have some of the BEST readers. And I've had folks who've disagreed with some of my takes on character or plot, but they are welcome to do so if they are respectful and they are. It produces good conversation and perspective. I can think of one time I had someone actively unpleasant, but let's hear it for delete and block! :D

9. Do you write smut?

Nope.

10. Do you write crossovers?

No. It's just not my cup of tea.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of and I hope not. Obviously, a lot of us have similar ideas----writing is just like that. But I don't think anyone has taken my work directly. That kind of thing does get me riled up because I know the work all of us creators have done to make these stories. Don't do it, kids.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes I have and it's very fun! I have a very industrious and delightful reader who has translated a lot of my work into Russian. :D

13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

I have a few times. :D

14. What‘s your all-time favourite ship?

Depends on context here. I don't read or write fics for just romance. I need purpose beyond the couple if you will. If we're talking within Star Wars then canonically it's Han and Leia. If we're going with my own fanfics it's a toss up between Mara and Max Veers and Firmus Piett and Sola Naberrie. ;D If we're talking broad literary ship Benedick and Beatrice from Much Ado About Nothing.

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

WIP I will never finish? What are you talking about?

Genuinely, I hate the idea of abandoning my fics. Just can't. Some of them are taking longer than I had thought, but that's ok. Life happens. I will finish. ;D

16. What’s your writing strengths?

I think I develop character fairly well. I like to have a plot mapped out before I start writing, so I think I do all right with story cohesion and flow. I am a firm believe that you need to care about the characters more than anything else. World building and correct editing are good things, but if no one cares about your characters, it can get boring and readers lose interest.

17. What’s your writing weaknesses?

A good balance of action, description, and dialogue. Dialogue is easy for me and I like the characters interacting. But action and description are very important as well to SEE the scene and I need to work on my descriptive choices. I'm also ridiculously impatient. I want to publish NOW. And this means that perhaps some needed editing or more polish/depth is overlooked. I'm working on that.

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

Absolutely. I've used mando'a a lot now in Star Wars. In history AUs I've dabbled a smidge in French and Latin to set the tone a bit. Definitely do your homework whether using a real or fictional language. People notice!! :D

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Haha. So in terms of more serious writing like I'm doing now, it's Star Wars.

But.

I wrote by hand in notebooks during high school for the original Star Trek. Had all kinds of crush on Pavel Chekov. xD We watched the re runs of it and I liked the movies as a kid so....

20. Favourite fic you’ve ever written?

Oh goodness. Can that really be answered? I like them all for vastly different reasons. If we're going for world building then likely Dragon Speaker. If we're going for in depth history fun, then The War in the Shadows. If we're going for fic I saw most clearly in my brain as I wrote and LIVED it, then Showdown at Alliance Ranch. Within the ER verse, quite possibly Fidelity because writing all that courtroom drama and the intense brotherhood of Firmus and Max going through that was just so satisfying.

But over all story? Honestly can't pick just one. Sorry!

Gently tagging @hollers-and-holmes @winterinhimring @kraytwriter @kanerallels

[bitbybitwrites]

fic writer 20 questions - ask game

I was tagged by @kurtsascot - Thanks for thinking of me!💖

tagging the following to answer, only if they want to : @heartsmadeofbooks, @gleefulpoppet, @forabeatofadrum, @rockitmans, @hkvoyage @myheartalivewrites, @clottedcreamfudge @lady-divine-writes, @yadivagirl @kirakiwiwrites @scatter-the-stars @spaceorphan18, @1908jmd @little-escapist and anyone else who may be interested - jump on in!

1. how many works do you have on ao3?

15

2. whats your ao3 word count?

146,161

3. what fandoms do you write for?

Right now, just Glee. But I'm contemplating branching out (*cough RWRB cough*) 😉

4. top 5 fics by kudos

1.) If I Can Make Your Heart My Home 2.) Under The Cover of Darkness 3.) Trick of Treat 4.) Come Into My Parlor 5.) Klaine Drabbles and Shorts

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

I do! Sometimes it takes me awhile respond, but I like to. I really appreciate when folks drop a comment. I know it's easy to hit kudos and move on, but when a reader adds just a little more, it's a nice thing to see. Like you've taken just a little extra time to let me know what you are thinking, if you are frustrated, if you're happy, if you all are getting the same feeling as readers as I do as a writer - it's nice to see and I like to acknowledge that the reader has done that.

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

Ending? Well I seem to deposit my angst in the middle of fics - so if we are talking about endings that's a tough call. I'm not sure if it would be considered angsty . . but Come Into My Parlor doesn't really have a happy ending - so maybe that one?

7. whats the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Ahhhh . . most of my fics have ended happily - I don't know what the happiest one is. Maybe Under The Cover of Darkness?

8. do you get hate on fics?

No . . I mean I've had some very passionate responses towards characters and what they've done in fics - but nothing that was a disparaging take on my writing style as a whole.

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

*blushing* ok . . yes. No PWP written as of yet, but I've had some smut in my fics - though I'm on the fence as to how good I am at it. 😂. I'm getting better! (or at least trying!) I've written mature and explicit scenes in fics . . dabbled a little with some bondage and D/s . . not sure how to answer this "what kind" of smut part of this question 😂

10. do you write crossovers? whats the craziest one youve ever written?

So far, have only written one. It was and Adams Family/Glee fic inspired by a drawing by @justgleekout called Dancing In The Moonlight. Now was it the craziest? Well it certainly wasn't a crossover I would have ever expected to write- but it really kind of made sense once I saw the artwork and thought about it for a bit.

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge. If anyone sees anything, let me know!

12. have you ever had a fic translated?

Same answer to 11. Not to my knowedge.

13. have you ever cowritten a fic before?

Not at this time. More of a solo writer. I tend to take a long time to write and I think I'd frustrate the hell out of any poor person matched up to write a fic with me.

As an aside, when you talk about being paired up with another person for a challenge - like someone else provides the prompt/art and you need to fill in the rest - its both very exciting and nerve wracking for me at the same time. I've only done 2 of those so far (my current WIP - the Reverse Prompt challenge and a Secret Santa challenge.) There's always this part of me that's worried that I'm going to disappoint whoever I'm paired up with - will I live up to their expectations to what they are hoping the finished fic will turn out to be. Will my ideas go beyond what they wanted, if I have to tweak or changes to the original prompt, will they be open to it/ my interpretation of the prompt? I guess in my head if its something I'm writing on my own, I only have myself to disappoint if the finished product isn't quite right.

14. fave all time ship?

Right now I'm big into in my Klaine and Firstprince era 😂. I love those boys.

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

Right now the WIP I all have I intend to finish - just gotta find the time.

16. what are your writing strengths?

Maybe dialogue. I think most of my dialogue feels very natural. I think I'm pretty good at editing. Brainstorming ideas?

17. what are your writing weaknesses?

Spelling. The use of an ellipsis 😂 Timing . . .I'm horrible with deadlines.

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

I don't mind doing it. I just make sure to add some sort of translation for it somewhere. Either along side ( like having the english translation in parenthesis next to the foreign language parts ) or in the end notes of a fic.

19. first fandom you wrote for?

Glee

20. fave fic youve written?

I really enjoying my current WIP - If I Can Make Your Heart My Home but aside from that since its not technically completed yet, I have to say I really enjoyed writing All Aboard. It probably is overstuffed with call backs to the show, which I love seeing in any fics (call backs to whatever the source material is) - and it was fun trying to craft the story without giving too much of it away at once so the ending (hopefully) will be a surprise?

[verecunda]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged by @firebatvillain... er... a few weeks ago, I think. Thank you! Sorry it took me so long.

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

136.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

396,444.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Oh, God. Loads, too many to list. Tolkien is currently at the top of the list, and I'm also deep in the extended Jacobite Literary Universe. :D Generally, my fandoms tend to have some sort of historical and/or fantasy setting.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Amo, Amas, Amat (NATM, Jedediah/Octavius) Slightly Scandalous (NATM, Jedediah/Octavius) Kindred Spirits (Ghosts, Captain/Thomas) Reality Bites (NATM, Jedediah/Octavius) Poetry Slam (NATM, Jedediah/Octavius)

My NATM fics are still my most popular ones by a country mile. I still get almost daily kudos on all of them, which is somewhat bamboozling, given that they're pretty old, very short, and there's been a lot more NATM fic written since then. But it is nice that folks are still finding them and reading them. :D

Then there's that random Ghosts one in there, too!

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

Yeah, almost always. I like to let readers know I appreciate their feedback, and it's fun to flail about our favourite characters and ships. Though right now, I have to admit that I have a bit of a backlog of comments that I need to respond to. But I'll get there. :S

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

I've written a few, but possibly Nunc Dimittis, which is about Morgoth sending Sauron away at the final fall of Angband. It ends with Sauron feeling the moment that Melkor is taken captive, then later, when he's cast into the Void, and realising he's now truly alone. That fic was entirely Dark Lord angst. :P

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

Oof, a fairly tough one. I'm quite big on giving my ships happy endings, wherever possible. But I'll go with A Few Good Years to Spend, because that whole fic was an exercise in giving Andreth and Aegnor a happy ending. But I very much liked the final scene, with Andreth growing old and Aegnor as totally, utterly besotted with her as ever. It also had them all surrounded by the various kids of the House of Bëor, and Aegnor being the confirmed favourite, and the image was cute. :3

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not really. I did get one really weird comment on a fic, which was basically a diatribe against the POV character. But it had nothing to do with the actual fic, it was about the character in the canon, and it seemed like it was part of some larger screed had just been c+p'd from some other site. Very strange.

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

Yeah, every so often. I wish I wrote more tbh, because I'm a pervy wee hobgoblin. I've never even written an f/f scene or a proper threesome. So far, all my smut has been fairly tame, but I'd like to try my hand at some more kinky stuff at some point. ;)

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

Yeah, when inspiration strikes. I don't know about the craziest, but I think the daftest must definitely be And Long Would Mandos Hold Him, where Death from Horrible Histories meets Saeros from The Children of Húrin and is, naturally, delighted. That one was a riot to write. XD

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge, but fuck, who knows. The internet is huge.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

A few times, into Chinese and Russian.

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

Not really, not if you mean both of us writing. I think the closest I've come so far was when I collaborated with peasina for last year's Pod_Together, which involves teaming up to create both a written fic and a podfic version of the same. It was a really fun experience, coming up with ideas for a story together, and interesting, because it's the first time I've ever written a story specifically intended to be read aloud, so it was something to keep in mind all the time I was writing. The end result was A (Confirmed) Knight Bachelor: written version here and pod version here. I really enjoyed doing this one! :D

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

God, I don't know. I have no idea how to gauge that.

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

ahahahaha... oh God, right now, it feels like all of them. XD

But really... sadly, probably the Legolas/Gimli post-LOTR fic I started. Honestly, I think the fact it was looking to end up as a multi-chapter affair kind of scared me from the get-go. Then I wrote myself into a knot trying to work out Legolas and Thranduil's dynamic immediately after the War of the Ring. No doubt it's the sort of thing that could be easily worked out with a bit of tinkering, but I got discouraged and ended up shoving the whole fic on the back-burner, where it's like to stay. :[

(Of course, talking about it inevitably makes me want to open it up and have another crack at it. But realistically, I don't think I'll ever finish it.)

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think I do character voices pretty well, and in book fandoms, I think I can usually pull off a decent pastiche of the style. And on a good day, I think I can do good descriptive prose.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Fucking plots, how do they work??? On a bad day, I think my prose is overdone and pedantic: too fussy.

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

It can definitely add something - authenticity, atmosphere - but should also be used with caution. Writing is all about communication, after all, and if you start writing whole screeds of conversation in a language that you're not guaranteed your target audience will understand, you're not serving the story, just trying to show off. Economy is the key, I think. I also usually include a translation, either as an endnote, or as a hover-over caption.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

lol technically, I think it must be historical RPF. I used to write wee stories about the historical peeps I was obsessed with at the time.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

Oh, how the hell is anyone meant to answer a question like that.

Tagging, with no obligation: @nocompromise-noregrets, @cilil, @bryndeavour, @chiropteracupola, @regshoe, @sanguinarysanguinity, @technicallycleverdetective, @swanmaids, @cycas, and @di-daydreamer.

[mightbewriting]

20 questions for fic writers

thank you @eveningstruggle for the opportunity to procrastinate this morning!

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 32

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 696,261

3. What fandoms do you write for? hp: mostly dramione, but with a whole heaping of miscellaneous other ships

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Wait and Hope

Season Pass (To This Ass)

Beginning and End

A Season For Setting Fires

Lie With Me

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

once upon a time i responded to all of them bc i'm so stupidly grateful that anyone decides to read my work. and i've made some of my best fandom friends through comments. but over time the mental load (replying starts to feel weirdly disingenuous bc of the repetitive nature?? trying not to constantly repeat myself was a wildly unexpected amount of work) and the time commitment (so surprisingly high??) made it such that it was a decision between responding to comments or getting more writing done. i picked being able to actually write new stuff. these days i feel deeply self conscious about replying bc i do it so rarely, and when i do (especially if someone has been leaving the most lovely, thoughtful, regular comments) i feel like more often than not it seems to scare them off?? but i read all of them, i swoon, and i appreciate them more than folks could ever possibly know. there are comments i've gotten that have saved me from scrapping projects, that have turned my whole mindset around on a bad writing day. precious gems, every last one of them.

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

hmmmm. probably Intimate Transactions, mostly bc i see people reading it as un-hea surprisingly often. i intended it as hea, with the ending representing a new beginning for both of them, but i concede that i left it just open enough at the end for folks to interpret it as them going their separate ways. both readings are valid, i just didn't intend for it to be read as quite so angsty at the end lol.

whenever i get around to finishing it, Thirty-Seven Years will have the angstiest ending just bc it's canon compliant and...well, the canon story is a bit of a tragedy. but we're not there yet lol.

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

lol the vast majority of them. aside from Thirty-Seven Years, as mentioned above, i think everything i write as mightbewriting is hea. i prefer a happy ending, especially one that's hard won. so even if something is incredibly angsty (looking at you A Season for Setting Fires), my preference is almost always to have that angst earn us a happy ending.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

sure do

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

i do, and whatever kind fits the story? i guess? sometimes that's more smutty smut, sometimes that's more romantic introspective smut. just depends on the story i'm telling.

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

nope

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

at this point, i've lost track of how many times. twice in the last month at least.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

i have! it's SO cool that we have so many people in this fandom able to translate works and make them accessible to a whole new demographic of readers!

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

once, accidentally lol.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

dramione

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

i'm a compulsive project finisher, though i certainly wish my pace could be what it once was.

16. What are your writing strengths?

imagery, pacing, realistic dialogue, and economy of words.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

idk how to describe this but like...luxuriating in a story more? i'm often so succinct in my 'every word must serve a purpose' ways that i miss opportunities to better set a scene and indulge in the little things that flesh out a world and its characters.

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

is this a contentious thing? i see it on things like this a lot and i have literally zero opinions about it. like, you do you. i think i've done this before? still have no strong opinions about it lol.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

🤐

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

this really depends on the day, i think. i couldn't possibly pick a definitive favorite from all my babies.

tagging literally anyone out there who wishes to do this! i think i'm pretty late to the game so if you haven't been tagged and want to play, go for it!

[edenwolfie]

20 questions for fic writer

I was tagged by @naamah-beherit! thanks for the tag, this one was fun!

1. how many works do you have on ao3? 8

2. what’s your total ao3 word count? 897,063 lol

3. what fandoms do you write for? Posted Labyrinth, Star Wars, MDZS & TGCF, and written but not posted for Star Trek, Marvel, SVSSS & Trigun

4. what are your top five fics by kudos? #1: Just say yes (MDZS / Kudos: 10,035) #2: Just say there's nothing holding you back (MDZS / Kudos: 6,024) #3: Sigh No More (Star Wars / Kudos: 5,546) #4: I’m aching and I know you are too (MDZS / Kudos: 4,481) #5: ’Til our compass stands still (TGCF / Kudos: 3,962)

5. do you respond to comments? I do try to as much as I can when posting a fic, but after I've finished fics unless I have something to add or a comment particularly moved me, I tend not to due to it being a little time consuming and repetitive to work through--though all are loved and appreciated beyond words!!

6. what’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? None of them lol. Look upon my collection of fix-it fics and weep (at their fluffy endings)

7. what’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Again, all of them, but I think ’Til our compass stands still is the one that makes me smile the most.

8. do you get hate on fics? I have gotten a couple of odd comments, but is very rare.

9. do you write smut? if so, what kind? Oh yeah. The smutty kind? Whatever takes my fancy really, I've posted a lot of my soft shit, but there's definitely some darker/kinkier stuff in the old WIP pile.

10. do you write crossovers? what’s the craziest one you’ve written? Not really one for crossovers, only one I started was for Star Wars/MDZS that I will likely never finish.

11. have you ever had a fic stolen? Good old Sigh No More was one of those fics that was being sold on Amazon amongst a number of other folks fics.

12. have you ever had a fic translated? Yes! My series Just Say Yes has been translated to Russian.

13. have you ever co-written a fic before? No, I have not.

14. what’s your all-time favorite ship? Boy that's a hard one. Probably K/S. They the OG for good reason.

15. what’s a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will? Honestly, if I actually want to finish it, I will make it happen. I also don't start posting until I am sure I have the whole thing plotted out and can finish it. I have a lot of WIPs, but many are little disconnected scenes I like to play with like Barbies that don't really have Plot and I don't really intend to finish. I suppose if the Wangxian brain took me again, I'd like to finish the WIP titled 'Canon Typical Dubious Consent' fic, but it's a huge mess and would need a lot more coherency to it.

16. what are your writing strengths? I think I'm pretty good with dialogue, character, and plot.

17. what are your writing weaknesses? The bits in between those things, descriptions and such. I also have a penchant for reusing words a lot and repeating myself, though I do try to clean that up in edits lol

18. thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? If it's there for a reason I don't see why not, but I also likely wouldn't do so mainly because I'm not particularly fluent in anything other than English and would worry too much about fucking it up.

19. first fandom you wrote for? Labyrinth on ff.net a thousand years ago

20. favorite fic you’ve ever written? Definitely ’Til our compass stands still, that one is my Baby.

I'm tagging whoever feels like doing it!

[underragingwaves]

2022 End of Year Fic Review

I was tagged by @ulfrsmal (ty for the tag and the sweet mention!) and, uhm, I got a little wordy in this one. Please do click the readmore if you want some fic recs! 😘

1. What is your AO3 account?

captainkilly is my main account that features all my fics, but all my Vikings fics in particular can be found under the pseud underragingwaves

2. How many words did you write total in 2022?

197,158 words, not including the fics that were Tumblr-only.

3. How many fics did you publish in 2022? How many multichapters vs oneshots?

12 fics in total, of which 3 were multichapters. (I am counting the one fic I began publishing in 2021 and updated in 2022 among these as well.)

4. What was your longest fic? Your shortest fic?

The longest one that I updated in 2022 is homeland, heartland (which sits at a comfortable 63k and counting), but I didn’t begin publishing that in 2022. The longest fic that I published entirely in 2022 is The Ascendancy Seat, which clocks in at 60k.

My shortest fic is leavetaking, which lands around 2k.

5. What was your most popular fic? Your least popular fic?

If we’re counting homeland, heartland, then that’s the most popular one in hits/kudos/bookmarks by far. Secondmost popular in terms of hits is the Ivar-centric massive undertaking The Ascendancy Seat, but in terms of kudos/bookmarks the honor goes to another Ivar-centric fic called ouroboros.

Least popular fic is the aforementioned leavetaking, but that is because I only recently uploaded it to AO3 and now backdated it to reflect its original publication date. I think it’s one of those hidden gem fics, haha, because I loved writing this as a missing scene and it allowed me to work with Ragnar instead of the usual suspects.

6. What fic didn’t perform as well as you thought it would?

Honestly, I don’t think I publish anything and expect it to ‘perform’ in any way? I am used to people finding my fics and faceplanting in them whenever, which means that some of my fics initially don’t do so well in terms of hits/kudos but eventually grow into crowd pleasers. I can never predict which one will take off months from now, lol. That said, I think I wanted more people to give the reverie protocol a chance – I know it’s not an AU that immediately incites folks to read it, but I just love the way this one sang on the page for me personally.

7. What fic performed way better than you thought it would?

ouroboros. It is not at all my fave of the fics I’ve written, and I raise my eyebrow at its popularity even though I know that its premise (Ivar-centric smutty stuff) is this fandom’s form of catnip. I have a hard time writing something that is outright smut – it’s a journey for me that I experimented more with in 2022 – and while I’m making the best sort of googly eyes at the OC I wrote for this fic (Malika my beloved) I really do not think it is my best and I’m still surprised when people pick that one over some of my better works.

8. What was your favorite fic you wrote from 2022?

I’m actually going to name 3 fics for various reasons, haha.

First up is The Juniper Tree, in a hands-down-no-contest sort of way. That fic was a work of love for me and returned a sense of stillness and certainty to my writing process that I hadn’t felt in a long time. It is one of those fics I can say ‘wrote itself’, and I love it unbelievably much. Y’all know I love Ubbe best of all and getting to write this whole multichapter from his POV was just… yeah, I had a good cry about this one by the time I completed it. A really special writing experience that I think is my best work to date.

Secondly, The Warlord’s Wake was probably the most… cathartic to write. I had played with this post-series idea for a good long while until I finally started this fic, and it gave me the closure that I think I honestly needed in terms of where Hvitserk’s story ended in the series. I really wanted to write a fic in which Hvitserk had used his position in Alfred’s court to play a very long game that would eventually return him to his feral pagan bastard ways. It was a good thing for me to get to express this, especially because I have seen a fair few fics and opinions in this fandom regarding Hvitserk’s conversion to Christianity (and the Christian-centric narrative some people choose to uphold) that make me feel supremely salty and quite upset.

Last, I’m going to go ahead and name The Maker’s Path. This is the lone fic I wrote for a different fandom, namely Dune, and I got so horribly creative with the prompt I wrote it for that I just need to squee about it some more. I always thought Dune would be impossible to write for (like Black Sails, it’s one of those things that’s just perfect to me the way it is) but I found a little neat corner somewhere in the book’s folds and movie’s visuals that allowed me to put this fic to the page. Getting to work with a Sardaukar character as well as a Fremen character was a cool exercise that only got more pleasing when I managed to include my own favorite character (Alia) toward the end.

9. What was your favorite fic that somebody else wrote in 2022?

Gonna be that person and name 5 for funsies!

Greedy Gods, by @vikingstrash (stellar Aslaug-centric work, I always love how Yume writes Aslaug and this was a lovely ‘missing piece’ of canon to me)

Gatekeeper, by @ritual-unions (I still don’t know how I survived this one and when I say it lives rentfree in my brain y’all had better believe it)

Gnothi Sauthon, by @bouncehousedemons (you know it’s good when I make hearteyes at a reader pairing, okay? this is just comfort food)

Reactions Of Your Kind, by @ulfrsmal (Ubbe/Hvitty goodness that essentially catapulted a friendship – I’m very fond of this one, and it’s a definite pick-me-up)

This lovely Freydis & Liv prompt fill by @mercurygray (it’s in my head a lot, as it has perfectly captured the dynamics between the Valhalla characters and I love the ‘outsider’ POV of Harald in this piece)

10. Tag your friends to do this year-end fic review as well!

@vikingstrash, @mercurygray, @pomprincesse, if y’all have done this I apologize for tagging ya. Also tagging anyone who writes fic in our lil fandom and wants to do an end of year close-out! 😊

[gracelesslady23]

20 Questions for Fic Writers!

Thanks so much for the tag @strugglequill!!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

18 :)

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

336K (wow thats so much more than I thought it would be) - but this does count the 3 unrevealed and anon-ed fics so...

3. What fandoms do you write for?

I've written bits and pieces for a whole bunch of different fandoms, but mainly write for Harry Potter and I've only ever posted HP fics online.

4. Top 5 fics by kudos?

the ghost of you, it keeps me awake (currently unrevealed for rewrites); and a love that I dreamt of came to me at my worst; In Plain Sight; The Wedding Date; Just Mates

All prongsfoot :)

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes!! I adore receiving comments on my fics and try to respond to as many of them as I can (even if it sometimes takes me a while to get to it).

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I'm very much a happy ending writer (these characters already go through so much angst in canon, I can't help it) although I certainly enjoy building up some angst in the lead up to the happy ending... but if I had to pick probably my jilypad-if-you-squint entry into this year's Kill Your Darlings MCD fest flickering light in an endless night although I tried to give it somewhat of a hopefully ending, even if its not necessarily a happy one.

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

All the others lol. Haha but maybe you'll see me in hindsight I certainly spent more time with S/J after they are officially together in that fic than I usually do and there's like two chapters of smut/fluff to make up for the earlier angst.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Luckily, only few times (thank god for the small insular fandom that is prongsfoot <3), but it always hurts and turns me off writing for a period. I feel so sorry for any writer who has experienced it.

9. Do you write smut?

Sure do. Although, I do struggle a bit with writing it. I've also realised preferences sway towards the vanilla (with maybe a bit of voyeurism, exhibitionism thrown in), so that's usually what I feel comfortable writing :)

10. Do you write crossovers?

Nope. I wrote some dreadful Queer as Folk/HP crossovers as a teenager (which will NEVER see the light of day) but haven't for years and years.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! I was so thrilled that someone liked my work enough to do so.

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

No I haven't. I am quite insecure in my unfinished drafts so I think I might struggle to share that with someone in order to co-write, but maybe one day!

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

Can't go past Sirius/James. I've loved them for over a decade (which is insane) but Merlin/Arthur have been a close contender at certain times of my life <3

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

I want you to ruin my life I just lost steam on the project and it went in a direction that I wasn't completely happy with. I do feel guilty though, which is why its now on permanent hiatus and anon-ed lol.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Ummm... I think I can come up with a cool concept / AU idea once in a while.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Writing Endings is probably the thing I'm most annoyed with myself about at the moment!! Finishing projects without being distracted by new ones. Purple prose (probably), sometimes even I get tired when editing my ridiculously convoluted introspection scenes (although I think, or at least hope, i'm getting better at editing them down). Writing characters and POVs outside of the ones I'm most familiar with. Writing oneshots and actually keeping them at a reasonable length (see issues with endings lol). Self confidences... the list goes on.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language?

I'd love to be fluent enough in another language to do so one day.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Harry Potter, probably Harry/Hermione (but I didn't finish or post anything until fairly recently).

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

Probably and a love that I dreamt of came to me at my worst, its probably the fic I've re-read the most and has so many of my favourite tropes in it. And idk I'm just really proud that I actually wrote something that long and managed to see it through and finish it.

Tagging (No Pressure): @lovelymasks @groundzero-v @mycupofrum @roalinda @bronzeagepizzeria

or whoever else would like to share :)

[socially-awkward-skeleton]

WIP List

Thanks @funkypoacher for helping to expose my growing list of WIPs and random ideas I have for fics (The ultimate callout post lmao)

As I'm sure most folks are aware I've got two major long form fics I am currently working on as the mood strikes:

1) Only You - FC5 Soulmate AU (Kit x Jacob)

Currently working on Chapter 10. This one is on a bit of a hiatus, the plot outlines for each chapter are more or less figured out its just having the words and ideas to craft anything that makes sense and that is remotely worth reading.

All I know for sure is that Kit will have an issue with one of the hunters who will very quickly be put on both her and Jacob’s shit list, and that Burke will be joining the story sooner than later. The Reaping is right around the corner now and Staci’s about to get a first hand look at what Kit’s been up to since being taken hostage (sorry Pratt)

2) The Animal in Me - FC5 Werewolf AU (Kit x Staci, Kit x Jacob)

Chapter 2 is being reworked because I am a slut for making Staci a more popular character and I will put in the work to make more people fall in love with him. Chapter 3 is already written and includes a reworked version of the scene I posted for writer’s month that really kicked this whole fic off in the first place. Plot outlines for each chapter are more or less decided on and I know how I want the fic to end so at least there’s that.

There will be silver bullets, much blood spilled and definitely a “Who did this to you?” moment thrown in for good measure.

Honestly though, this is such a self indulgent fic and I don't even care anymore. Kit's getting a werewolf throuple and there is nothing anyone can do about it.Kit’s getting it all, baby (Mostly i just can’t let go of her and Staci because they make such an odd pair and I want them to be happy and somewhat normal while also letting her be feral with Jake under the full moon)

The Kinktober fics:

1) Breaking Pratt 2: Electric Boogaloo

Was going to post this one today but decided to wait and rejig it a tad. It's missing that je ne sais quoi that the thigh riding fic had.

2) Housebroken

The collar fic. The actual smutty part is all stage action and needs the details added still but the brain isn't exactly in a smut writing mood.

Then there are the fics that have stalled or are just a random collection of ideas that need a lot more time to stew before they are even worth writing:

1) The Hunter Becomes the Hunted

This one has been sitting on the back burner for a while. I’ve posted two chapters of it to AO3 but not much more work has been done on it since. It's Kit's background fic as a soldier so it means I have to be in the mood to do some research on the war in Afghanistan and I just haven't had the energy to do that as of late.

2) New Dawn AU

I have ideas, aesthetics, and a pinterest board and not much else. tbh, I haven't even finished playing the game but I know I gotta write the Canon divergent fic where Jacob is alive and well with Kit living that barbarian life in New Eden.

3) a million and one ideas for bunker fics. IDK what I specifically want to do with them yet. I need to write the one where her and Jake adopt the two kiddos in the bunker (whose parents Kit just happened to kill in the Trials...oops) and then the birth of Haven and her growing up. The plan is to get Kit a bit of her soul back and have her be less of the murderous monster that she is so she can become a good mama bear to her kiddos. The ideas are there, but the energy to write it is not.

4) and contemplating writing Kit's main timeline story out in full. I was going to go the short fic route (which is what all of her fics are so far) and just make them a series, but now I want to fill in the gaps especially after writing out the fic with her and Joey for the angst prompt. There's lots of stuff about Kit before she falls prey to the Seeds that I'd like to tell, stuff that might make her a little more sympathetic before she crashes and burns into becoming the monster I know and love.

5) and on top of all that are the random drabbles I've spewed forth about Homelander and Nightingale that really have no story or logic to them yet and aren’t yet ready to see the light of day