#also i maybe would start filtering out tropes I don't enjoy from here

[paperedking]

Ok I read prev comment's thoughts and went, "20k seems high actually lemme double check," except i didn't want to filter out bruce; he is an integral jason's story (as prev mentioned) and removing him could cut some robin!jason-centric fics from our already very short list. so here's my version below:

I started by removing all the incest tags and x reader fics for my own peace of mind. 79,230 --> 55,156

Next I took out every "-centric" tag for every other character/pairing i could think of. 55,156 --> 51,095

*note that while other "-centric" tags are out, "Jason Todd-centric" is not being filtered on.

Then I realized the top fic by hits was a crossover, so let's get those outta here. I filtered for "Batman- All Media Types" to be allowed, but excluded crossovers. 51,095 --> 34,854.

Right. Then it was time to filter out Tim Drake & Jason Todd." They aren't friends. 34,854 --> 29,539

Next, as many of Tim's freeform tags as I could find, and just for the hell of it, Jack and Janet Drake are out too. 29,539 --> 28,620.

*I was expecting more...?

After that, the top fic by hits was still tagged with tim first, so I went ahead and removed any "Caretaker Jason Todd" or similar tags I could find, including "Accidental Sibling Acquisition," and "Good Sibling Jason Todd." 28,620 --> 27,255

The top fic by kudos was still one of those big "batfam" fics though, so I filtered out every "&" tag with every member of the crew EXCEPT Alfred, Bruce, Dick, and Barbara. (Who Jason interacted with as robin.) 27,255 --> 20,901

But then the top fic was literally tagged "crack" so let's get rid of that. 20,901 --> 20,168

Next let's get rid of the Young Justice (Cartoon), Batman: Arkham (Video Games), and Titans (TV) fics. Those are basically whole other fandoms with different Jasons. I'm sure there's more than three different versions of Jason but these are the big ones so we'll stick with them. 20,168 -->18,905

Now for the "Good Parent Bruce Wayne" fics. They'd made it this far but now it's time to go. 18,905 --> 16,742

And then, even though I think they can sometimes be very interesting character studies, I'm gonna get rid of all the fic that pair any canon character with an original character. I love the OCs, guys, but this isn't the time. 16,742 --> 15,222

*This is about when my AO3 started not loading, and I had to rethink some of my filters.

It's about now that I got so entirely fed up with seeing Tim fucking Drake in every fic that I finally just filter his character tag out, even though I had been avoiding doing that for science. 15,222 --> 9,015

Still, the top fic by hits was superbat. The next was batjokes. 9,015 --> 8,841

It's about now that the top fics by hits start looking more like what we're looking for. Unfortunately, the top fics by wordcount have not gotten the message. So I filtered out a couple of popular AUs. We don't want those right now. 8,841 --> 7,250 (6,882 in English)

I'm sure there's more tags I missed, but I didn't want to spend too much more time on this so I ended there. There's probably a bunch of fics in there that aren't properly tagged and would not pass the bat-del test as well.

little more experimenting just for me:

I have a couple of things I hate reading (triggers, distaste, squicks, etc.), so by the time those tags are filtered out it's 6,882 --> 4,929.

(318 labelled as "Jason Todd-centric.")

But prev comment mentioned filtering out Lazarus Pit Madness & Bruce's character tag, so if I do that we're down from 7,250 -->4,276 (4,060 in English)

(2,908 in English with my personal taste)

of those 4,276; only 227 are tagged as "Jason Todd-centric." (215 in English)

(147 tagged "Jason Todd-centric" in English with my personal taste)

There are 3,129 works tagged as "Jason Todd-centric" total, before any filtering.

& just so that no one gets mad at me, I was changing the sort order a bunch so I could find what needed to be filtered out, I don't usually sort by hits/kudos.

can i please go one day without having to skim through a jason centered fic because its not actually jason centered? you cant call something jason centered when he and the other characters only ever talk about bruce or tim! especially if it's just to berate him for not bending over for them

i propose the bat-del test where a fic doesnt pass if the characters have nothing to say except on topics of how much they all should be prioritizing bruce and/or tim's morals/ideals/feelings/plans/etc

[moonspirit]

I just read somewhere that Annie would never have become a mother by her own choice, because it’s super ooc and misunderstanding of character.

First of all, of course, these are fictional characters, a fictional story, and everyone has the right to their own interpretation. But if we talk about the "right" and "wrong" understanding of smth...Well, let’s perceive the absolute failure of aruani (Annie especially) in parenting as a realistic option (where both go crazy, or Annie hates idea of being mother from the start)...when it would be fair to say that a sincere desire to start a family and parenthood without any horror is ALSO realistic.

It seems to me completely normal not to want children, maybe even feel a little rejection towards them. It’s also completely normal to have such a desire. And it’s normal that opinions can change over time! On my opinion, Annie as a character is quite capable of such changes. This is life, growing up, finding your own desires and goals. Your values ​​may change, you may become more forgiving or even more defensive. Family has different meanings for different people. However, most of them still dive into it head-on. Why can't this happen to these characters? Annie will still have her own understanding of family, love, and motherhood without the cloying sweetness, without the feigned happiness, just the desire to devote a part of herself and her feelings to something new, born out of love for another person.

Also, I've heard that some people may still be irritated by most other people's children, but they are genuinely happy to be parents to their own :))

Sorry for dumping this ton of text on you😭 I'm just afraid of getting into direct "confrontations", but I wanted to share my point with someone. No negativity, i just uuuh disagree that it's somehow catastrophically at odds with Annie's character It will be interesting to read what others think about this

Hello anon. Nothing to apologize for, thank you for coming here to share your thoughts!

I too have seen similar takes, but you know, it's like you say; this is all within the realm of a fictional world with fictional characters and so the possibilities of headcanons going any which way is incredibly vast. Some of us like the pregnancy headcanons, some of us don't, and that's a normal healthy fandom mix haha xD We should filter the stuff we don't want to see and move on, it only becomes problematic when the bashing starts.

Anyway.

I think one reason why some people have a loud problem with this hc is because the picture of the "image" of Annie aligning with what is conventionally seen as a "feminine-desire" to want to get pregnant and have children may somehow be seen as "reducing" her character to just someone who, despite possessing great strength and fighting skills, becomes pregnant, a supposed "weakness". Also consider how many times in the past this whole trope has been used in media to achieve a certain narrative, at least in regards to what women are expected to do with their bodies and how they should live. It's all valid ofc, and the people who reject the very idea of any female fictional character getting pregnant and enjoying it are well within their right to hate it, given the history of the notions and portrayal of pregnancy. This is all probably very inelegant wording and phrasing on my part tho, perhaps someone else can explain it better :<

Coming to Annie specifically, I can only speak for myself when I say that, like you, I see Annie growing to embrace such a possibility with a positive outlook. I get quite a few pregnancy asks these days, and at least in some of them I've talked about how Annie isn't going to be gung-ho about it from the beginning; in fact it's going to be an event in her life that starts with a great deal of emotional uncertainty, anxiety and fear. Do I think Annie's built for having children? Well, as she is in canon - absolutely not. But post-canon, given she has time to learn how to live and experience every emotion that comes, freely and openly... yes. Yes I do think that then, she might look at the idea of starting a family in good spirit.

All this not to say that I would appreciate a scenario where she has kids and then stays at home in typical (and toxic) tradwife fashion, even given the time period post-canon AoT is set in; nope, never, I would hate that. That's not the reason I like the pregnancy headcanon for Annie, I like it because it opens up a whole new world of emotional and situational challenges, something I personally would like Annie to go through. I also believe the whole process of conceiving a child, carrying for nine months and then giving birth is honestly a miracle (and listen, irl I'm someone who shudders at the idea of pregnancy or children xD so I'm not actively advocating for it, just to be clear). And why shouldn't Aruani experience it? For all the deaths and losses in their lives, having a child would be wonderful and cathartic and monumental in changing them as people imo; it would also compound on the very themes present in AoT - that of life, of the value of life and of a person and the beauty of the world.

Just as much as there's nothing wrong with not wanting children, there is also nothing wrong in wanting them. These preferences don't make someone prone to falling into an unhealthy categorization on their own.

So... okay, I think none of what I said is very comprehensible but xD TLDR: I agree with you anon, I agree.

[musette22]

Hi!

I'm a bit new to fandom and I was wondering how you decide what you read 😂

Feeling a bit overwhelmed. Do you read both Evanstan and Stucky? Long or short fics?

No - go's?

How to start? Help 😂😂

♥️♥️

Hi honey! Welcome to the fandom! 💞

Ooff yes, I can absolutely imagine that you feel a little overwhelmed considering how many fics there are for this fandom 🙈 I don't personally have experience with reading fic for smaller fandoms though, except maybe for Evanstan. There are far, far fewer Evanstan than Stucky fics out there, and I would say that my Evanstan to Stucky reading ratio is like 2/98. So when it comes to Evanstan, it should be much less overwhelming! But if you'd like a good place to start, please check out some of these fics, as well as perhaps my own work <3

As for Stucky: there are currently 63,505 works on AO3, so yes, that's a lot 😅

I've made a lot of fic rec posts over the years, including some for people who, like you, were looking for a good introduction to the ship. Here, you'll find links to classic pre-war Stucky fics, and here is a list of some of my personal faves, and here is an additional list of some fandom classics. I think these are a great place to start for someone who's new to the fandom!

Or, if you'd prefer to find your own way from the start like I did: when I started reading Stucky fics, I just sorted them by kudos (highest to lowest), and then scrolled the first few pages of hits until I saw something that seemed like something I'd enjoy! So I would recommend just picking something with lots and lots of kudos that sounds good to you, and then doing that a few more times until you have a clearer idea of the kind of stories you like to read best in this fandom (canon universe or alternate universe, all romance or action packed, enemies to lovers or established relationship, pre-war or post-TWS etc.). Also, please keep in mind that the amount of kudos doesn't always necessarily correspond to the quality of the fic - there are so many incredible fics out there that don't have even a fraction of the kudos some of the more popular fics have, even though imo they're (imo) better! So if something looks good, but it doesn't have that many kudos, just give it a try anyway. You'll most likely discover some of your favourite fics that way! I read both long and short fics, depending on my mood and how much time I have. Both have their merit <3

And then once you know what you like to read, you can use AO3s tag filtering system to find fics that are more specifically tailored to your interests. Another good way to find great fics is by looking at what other Stucky fics the author of a fic you enjoyed has written (or check out their bookmarks!) or use the Stucky Library categories to find stories for specific tropes. They don't update anymore, but there are lots of brilliant older fics to be found that way. As for newer fics, the way I come across those is mostly by following other Stucky/author blogs here on tumblr, who'll post and reblog their own and other people's newer fics.

Most importantly: enjoy, and take your time! These fics aren't going anywhere (though do download your favourites if you think you might like to reread them someday, as sometimes authors delete their works and there's nothing worse than losing a fave </3). And remember that with a fandom this big, you can afford to be picky. So if you start reading something and you're like 'hmm no, I don't actually like this after all', then just move on and find something else to read instead. Not everything is for everyone, and I've been reading fic for this pairing for 5 years now, and I'm still finding new treasures!

I hope this helps lovely, and let me know if you have any other questions. Happy reading!!! 💞💞

[clarichoupie]

Random love tropes with random couples.♡

It's all in the title but basically @ghost162 and I picked love tropes then assigned them to two random characters from “The Quarry” with our filter. And it’s... pretty interesting.^^

Enemies to lovers: Ryan and Max: This started out extremely well since I love the idea here! I mean, I'm sad that Max didn't have any interaction with the other counselors so this trope seems incredibly interesting to me, especially with the relationship that Ryan and Laura have. I'd like to think that Ryan and Max would silently hate each other for a bit before just realizing that they actually enjoy each other's company and become an inseparable duo. I mean, sure they played tricks on each other, sent each other mistrust or suspicious looks, but in the end they couldn't deny that they felt safe when they were together. Ryan would probably tell Max to stop apologizing so much and make him feel more confident, while Max would defend Ryan even though he doesn't understand half the time why he acts so weird. A really awkward but fun duo.

Friends to lovers: Dylan and Max: Again, just amazing. They would be so perfect together. Great friends, with the same kind of humor, sweet and cute. I can totally see them together, Dylan helping Max with work, the two of them eventually talking all night about movies, music and more, before falling asleep cuddling on the couch. I mean, have you seen these two in the game?! They're totally cool, badass and all, but they're also the two characters that give the most “golden retriever boyfriend” vibe. Their duo might be a little chaotic and often clumsy but in the end they are two little rays of sunshine.

Forbidden love: Abi and Dylan: I have to admit that this one confused me but doesn't bother me more than that. I think they have good chemistry but maybe they don't dare approach each other? There would definitely be this story of "Dylan would feel too bad about liking Nick's crush, and same with Abi but for Ryan”. So in the end they could never really be together without feeling guilty. Both are too adorable for that. But I like to think that despite all this, they would manage to be happy in their respective lives and stay in touch. Attending each other's weddings melancholically but also with joy, always this unspoken thing between them that will go with them to their graves.

Soulmates: Emma and Kaitlyn: Yes! Let’s go lesbians! I love this concept! I mean, both have really cool and explosive character, they would just be unbeatable. I like to imagine that Kaitlyn first went to Emma due to the whole "Jacob breakup" thing and that the two understood each other and got along. After hanging out for a while they finally confessed their love in a dramatic moment. And even if Dylan pushed Kaitlyn to make the first move, Emma was the one who confessed first. Also, she loves it when Kaitlyn makes videos with her to show how wonderful her girlfriend is. They were just meant to be together... (I love soulmates aus so much...)

Beauty and the beast: Ryan and Nick: Do I even need to explain this? Because this is so perfect. I think Ryan and Nick would make a really nice couple. Ryan, always very lonely and reclusive, only appreciated for his beauty. And Nick, alone and cursed because of his lack of tact and clumsiness with others. Two introverts little understood by their relatives who despite the few inconveniences at the beginning of their relationship, connect by saving each other’s life.

Forced proximity: Kaitlyn and Max: Not much to say about this one. Not that I don't like them but this trope is not favorite. Nevertheless! Kaitlyn did mention that fantasy of being stuck in a ski resort with someone and only having each other to keep warm so.... why not? Let's give the lady what she wants! Plus a cute boyfriend. (and without the wendigos of course... because I just want them to be happy...)

Second chance love: Dylan and Nick: This one is really cute. I tend to see a lot of people saying that Nick and Dylan shared a room during summer camp. So, this trope is just adorable. Putting aside their love interest for a second (as much as it hurts), I just imagine that after the terrifying night they had, they both stay in touch and strangely are closer to each other than any other counselor. Dylan helps Nick with all his guilt and makes him feel good about himself again. And on the other side, Nick is the one who acts the most normal with Dylan, not treating him any diferent even with his missing hand. The two of them with broken hearts and low self-confidence, end up dating and being happy by supporting each other.

First love: Jacob and Abi: This is... unexpected actually. However, here's what I propose! Jacob and Abi were little when they fell in love with each other, just kids. Abi, having moved in a new town, finding herself in a school she didn't know and in a class where all friends groups were already formed, she felt really isolated from everyone. Nevertheless, Jacob was the one who came to her to spend time with her. He would help her with sports or play with her at recess and in return she would give him advice during class or offer him little drawings. Their youthful romance was very sweet before Abi finally moved away a second time. With a shy goodbye and a little kiss, they never saw each other again... at least that was before Hackett's Quarry. Both having changed a lot in the meantime, they just remained friends.

Trapped in an elevator: Laura and Emma: Chaos, just chaos, but I have a little idea anyway. Laura and Emma live in the same building but don't know each other. They're both going through a rough time and after a hard day they come home but are stuck in the elevator. They can't do much except wait for someone to come and help them and this is where the bonding begins. Both tired, they finally start to talk. Why? Well, because one of them has no battery on her cell phone and the other one just wants to rest. In the end, they notice their obvious similarities and confess their problems. Emma confesses her anxiety these days about socializing and how hard it is to keep up when everyone is counting on her. While Laura talks about how she is still suffering from grief because her boyfriend tragically died in a car accident recently (sorry Max, I love you). The two finally let themselves cry a little, comfort each other and after a good while spent stuck in that elevator, they end up going out of there, with each other's phone numbers to later flirt and be together.

Love at first sight: Ryan and Abi: Okay, this one doesn’t bother me that much because we know that Ryan and Abi would get along really well. They are both calm and respectful, gentle and passionate about what they do. Don’t tell me they couldn’t meet in an Art class or something and they didn’t immediately love each other. Whether by their appearance or just by the mood they give off, they immediately thought they were made for each other. After that they have become inseparable, enjoying each moment spent together. They would lend themselves clothes and jewelry, make tattoos together, flirt with little attentions or cute little drawings. Really nothing problematic in that couple, they would be really adorable. 

[evilvarric666-archive]

This is gonna be long, so sorry in advance, but as someone who enjoys long fics here are my two cents:

I get why some ppl may not want 75 tags in fics, but this is gonna hurt long fic writers. On a long fic there are probably gonna be more relationships that are central to the plot that aren't the main ship. And side pairings that may be a squick to some ppl. Not to mention trigger warnings and tone tags.

For example: a long fic with the pairing Y x Z. Z had an abusive relationship, and that's gonna be explored. So the author tags abusive relationship, bc that's a trigger, but an explanation next tag saying "not current ship" or smth.

Then Y has very important friendships with some of the cast. These are central to the plot so they're tagged too.

Turns out, character W is controversial in the fandom, but they're central to the fic too. The author is gonna tag after the character tag W positive/negative; so ppl who don't wanna see positive/negative things about W can skip this.

And guess what? Ship A x B appears in this fic too. Maybe it's not that central, but this ship is also disliked by some people, so the author will tag it, so ppl can filter through.

Another problem is with media that has different mediums, like, the media Y, Z, etc are from has movies, and books, and games and a tv show. All these things actually have different stories, different enough at least that ppl may only want to see fics written for the movies! But the author wants to take plot from the movies and the books. So instead of just tagging the all media tag for that media, they also tag media (movies) and media (books)

These tags end up accumulating. And especially in long fics. The author could make the first chapter a list of tws and stuff that they keep updating, but that destroys the purpose of ao3 tags: you can't filter content like that, you can only filter tags.

I honestly think they should just find a way to delete the fics with the trolling tags, or make a readmore thing so it doesn't hurt the browsing. At the very least make the tag limit longer.

sorry in advance that this is going to be rambly and weird. I have a lot of thoughts.

I get where you're coming from but I also still disagree. Like it's definitely going to change the way longfic writers tag, but I really don't think it's going to hurt them. I think it's going to encourage more effective tagging and that that's going to be better for everybody in the long run. If anything, I think that overtagging is what's hurting longfic writers, it makes their works look unappealing, and actually important information gets buried in a wall of text.

i will admit though that I do understand better now why less room for trigger tagging is going to be an issue. My preferred tagging style is "General/umbrella warnings in the tags, with whatever elaboration/specifics the author deems necessary in an author's note/author's notes at the beginning of each chapter" (example: "animal death" in the tags, so that the filters catch it + people who can't handle the subject At All know to keep scrolling, and then the author's note specifying that its in the context of game hunting & not a pet death, so that people who were uncertain and needed more info could click in and get the specifics.) and I thought that preference was pretty universal? But apparently a lot of people use the tags as an exhaustive list of warnings, which I didn't know because when I see a work with more than, well with more than 75 tags, I just start scrolling until it's gone.

(this is a tangent and I get that my experiences are not universal. but I genuinely dislike full warning lists in the tags because, for me at least, it makes it harder for me to figure out if the story is something I can/want to read. The things I Really Do Not Want To Read about are rare, and rarely tagged the same way twice, so the exclusion filter isn't really helpful for me. I have to actually read the full list of warnings and if the things I'm looking for are sandwiched inbetween a bunch of trope/character tags in a big wall o text I am going to miss it. This has happened to me multiple times.)

I think that that's an ineffective tagging style, basically. Lots of tags is kind of the opposite of useful tags, imo. Short, to the point and consistently worded warnings are better and I think having less space will encourage people to do that. I understand why people do this other style, though, and also why it would frustrate them that they can no longer do that. I think it really sucks that ao3 let everyone wild west their website for so long that it managed to spawn like three distinct groups of people who all use the website in completely incompatible ways, and now it's at the point where any new rule implemented is going to screw a lot of people over no matter what. But I digress.

Anyways, as long as someone isn't putting Revolutionary Girl Utena levels of warnings in their tags (and if your fic needs that much... maybe you should just put yur top 10 biggest warnings on there and slap a Dead Dove Do Not Eat on the end there, yknow?), I think that 75 tags will fully accommodate them. I get that tags start adding up, but also I think a lot of people are underestimating how many tags 75 tags is.

Like to just add up how many tags are used in your example: three / pairing tags, lets go crazy and say three more & pairing tags, tag every character tag in those pairings that's twelve, #abusive relationship + #not main pairing tags, three fandom tags bc multiple source mediums, a #[controversial character] positive tag... that's 24 tags. Like all the necessary character & pairing tags are handled in less than a third of the space given (and personally I consider this slightly over tagged. I think the only character tags you should put on a fic are the very mainest/pov characters, but yknow) and honestly if you can't then figure out a way to communicate the rest of the necessary information about your fic in 51 tags and a 1250 character summary then I really don't know how to help you. I personally would have to really push myself to figure out how to put more than 75 tags on one fic, regardless of the length of the fic. And I can't help but notice that a lot of the fics I could find with over 75 tags while searching last night had a lot of... unnecessary duplicate tags, often for information that could've been easily otherwise intuited (tagging #mandolorian #mandolore #mandolorian character and #mandolorian culture on a Jango Fett pre-series fic, for example)

I do have some criticisms about the current change though. I think it would've been better to have individual tag number limits for each individual field (x number of fandom tags, x number of character tags, etc.) instead of a 75 tags over all limit (or make a "warning tags" field that's separate from "additional tags" but that's a separate essay and would... probably mean overhauling the whole site. so not very practical.) A readmore option would be good too, and I'm not sure why they didn't go for that? I also think that this change will be most effective if done in combination with other changes. Like posting very loosely or not at all enforced official tagging/style guides for the site. I really think that even a tepid attempt at standardization will increase the site's usability like, A Lot.

I'm not sure how cohesive that was. TL;DR I appreciate hearing your thoughts, mine are that I still think this is a step in the right direction. And that cutting back on overtagging will lead to more concise, effective tagging which will make browsing and filtering easier in the long run.

[insanitysilver]

Beginner writer here. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated. ❤ i also struggle with insecurity a lot. Like, thinking about fic scenes with my fav characters or ships is fun, writing it down is fun. But after i publish it i feel like people actually don't like my writing, and i know my writing skill is mediocre at best. I like my fics, i actually reread them from time to time, but i only got comments that were like 'thanksfor writing for this ship/trope'. It might be just my anxiety speaking, but i still feel pretty bad about this. I hope this all makes sense, i'm sorry. I picked up writing as a hobby at the beginning of quarantine and online school, and now that we're back online i'll have more time to write, so i'd like ti becomebetter or something like that, my working pace is rather slow right now

Welcome to the wild and fun world of fanfic, Anon! I hope you enjoy your stay for as long as you’d like to linger here with us! And congratulations for starting a new endeavor during a global pandemic! Stress saps my creative juices, so I’m in awe of everyone who’s produced content this year at all.  

re: engagement

Let’s talk about fic engagement first. Realistically, most fics don’t do big numbers, and engagement is not indicative of quality. I have fics that have zero comments, and I have others that have hundreds. It’s about luck and fandom size mostly, but hey, that’s the internet for you. If you find yourself upset about comment quantity or quality, I’d recommend turning off email notifications for them. It’s natural to want external validation—we’re all human after all! But I’d be careful about putting too much weight on the opinions of strangers. If you had fun writing your fic, it’s already successfully fulfilled its purpose. Keep it focused on you and what you like about writing.

re: improving your Craft ™

And the fact that you only started writing less then a year ago and already have positive feedback is great! The most important part of honing any creative skill is learning how to keep it fun for you. The more fun it is, the more you’ll do it, the more you do it, the better you’ll get. After you finish every piece, I’d recommend making a note of the three times you had the most fun during the process. Maybe you liked writing dialogue for Character A, maybe you liked writing that fight scene, maybe you really enjoyed describing a vast, snowy landscape, or maybe you just had a lot of fun taking editing more slowly this time around. Try and incorporate the essence of some of those things into your next project.

Besides continuing to practice and have fun, some useful technical things for beginning writers to look into are: [knowing how to punctuate dialogue], [knowing when to break paragraphs], [knowing which tense] [and pov to use], [removing passive voice], and [removing filter words].

re: writing faster

First remember fanfic is a hobby, and you’re not getting paid, so don’t stress about updating. New chapters happen when they happen. As far as getting like, physically faster at writing, try word sprints if you haven’t. Nanowrimo is also great for learning how to just push out words even when you’re not feeling it. Personally, when I lower my standards for the first draft it goes much faster. I leave typos and half-finished sentences all over my word doc, and clean it all up in revisions. If I try to write and edit at the same time I work at a snail’s pace.

Best of luck and keep writing! You’ve got this!

[crimsonbluemoon]

OoOOoh! Fun! Fun! Fun! I love these, heheheh. How 'bout Celebrity!au, childhood friends, "Are you sure this is legal?" and/or "It's been so long since we did this.", and Minicat. :3 also don't mind if i reblog the game... no one ever asks me to do one but they're fun to do when i got the time. XD Hope ya have fun with all the asks ya get!

Aww I’m sure people will message you! And I’m slowly but surely getting through these. I’m hoping to get one or two done a day. ^.^ But enjoy this one for now!

AU: CelebrityTrope: Childhood friendsPrompt:  "Are you sure this is legal?“ and/or "It’s been so long since we did this.”

Pairing: Minicat

“Are you sure this is legal?” Even drunk, Craig felt like something was off about the ‘no trespassing after sunset’ sign that hung on the lifeguard post they were walking by. His feet felt light, though he was sure it was the shots he’d taken at his party. Well, it had been labelled his party, though he didn’t know most of the people his manager invited. The house’s music was pumping in the distance, but Mini was dragged further away by… someone. “What’s your name again?” 

“Hunter.” The guy seemed annoyed by the question, and Craig wondered if he’d asked it before. To be fair, he’d had to get to know a lot of people’s names that night, and alcohol didn’t help matters. Also, he really didn’t know where he was at the moment. 

Well, he knew the city at least. L.A was still the same as it’d been twenty years ago, when he’d thought he ran the streets on his bike or his surfboard. Now, after winning the NASL cup and being crowned MVP, he really did own the city. That was why he was having the dumb party with those people he didn’t know or care for. Why some guy with a stupid name was dragging him like a two year old’s ratty blanket, no care or concern for his well being. But really, did anyone these days? When was the last time that someone actually talked to Craig about something other than money, fame, or what he could do for them?   

His eyes closed slowly while he was dragged along, hearing the waves of the ocean crashing into the shore. His feet had lost their shoes, maybe along the walk to the sand, and his toes dug in with a familiar joy. This felt like home, not that stuffy expensive house that overlooked the city. The salty air, the water, all of it was so reminiscent of his childhood. How many nights had he spent on a beach like this? Searching for shells, building bonfires, finding the constellations and trying to figure out his place in the world. That had been some of the best years of his life, staring at the endless sky to remind himself that he was just so small in the grand scheme of things. 

But the best part he remembered was him. The boy with grubby cheeks and a scowl who turned into the teen with rough hands and angry blue eyes. The one person who asked him for nothing. Nothing but his company. When Craig thought he had nothing, he gave Mini everything he needed to reach his dream. Craig wished he could have done the same back then. 

Maybe now, too, if his drunk heart had anything to say about it.

“Freeze.” The voice that called out the command sounded familiar, but Mini’s brain was too sloshed to fully grasp from where. The hand that had been wrapped around his wrist was gone in an instant. It took Craig a moment to open his eyes again, and he caught a glimpse of the back of the man (Henry? Harold?) who had brought him to the beach running out of sight. It took a moment for his body to realize it was on its own, and then the world started to tilt. His arms tried to stabilize him by flailing out on either side, but it was the firm wall that his back bumped into that kept him from falling. Slowly, Mini blinked, letting gravity pull his head back to gaze up at the owner of the chest keeping his upright. His eyes were blurred a bit, partly from alcohol and the slant of his glasses, but even with the smeared vision, he picked up on some of the man’s features. 

Why’d this officer have to have blue eyes like him, too?

“You’re…really pretty.” His words fell out without any chance of filter stopping them, but he was too drunk to mind. Everything was just right for a moment; the music in the background was lower now, and the warmth on his back felt like a comforting blanket. The ocean breeze had chilled him, and while his first companion hadn’t hesitated to leave him cold and alone, this stranger seemed fine with Mini pressed against him. Hands that might have grasped his hips to keep him standing were the right side of rough, large and just so familiar-

“Craig?” 

“That is…is totally my name.” He laughed at his own answer, head fluffy with memories and booze. He didn’t mind slipping deeper into his daydream, letting the water and cold of night sooth his wounded soul. He knew this wasn’t him; the police officer’s badge dug into his shoulder blade, and he could see the flashing lights from the cop car parked somewhere behind them.  He wasn’t that lucky. But the cop was built just like him; tall and scruffy, but soft despite the large body. Prickly, if he got any hints from the scoff that brushed his ear. But he hadn’t dropped Craig, which meant he was probably just as caring and kind on the inside as…Mini squeezed his eyes tighter, leaning back into the officer holding him. But when he spoke, it was for someone who was miles away. “God, I missed you.” 

“What are you doing out here?”

“Iunno. Some guy dragged me out here for something,” he murmured, hearing a growl of annoyance that made him smile.

“You idiot, what kind of answer-”

“It’s been so long since…since we’ve done this.” He didn’t care if his pathetic mumbling was spilled to a reporter and plastered on a tabloid next week; he just needed to let it out. Years of longing, being alone in a crowd of thousands, searching for his breaking point. Decades of just not knowing where his life was headed, or when he’d stop spinning so high, when he’d crash and burn into the ground. Who would stand by Mini in the wreckage? 

He would have, probably. Because he had given Craig his nights and attention before anyone even knew his stupid name. What would he think of Mini, now? 

The decade of radio silence gave the answer he didn’t want to hear. 

“Everything okay down there? Need me to come help haul him to the car?” The call of another officer from the beach’s side road threatened to break the dream-like state of Craig’s moment, and he groaned in protest before pressing closer to his source of warmth. 

“Nah, I’ve got him. No need to call it in.” But just like his old friend would have done, this officer, this stranger, had protected Mini.

“Do ya now? This one’s special to ya, is he?” There was a tease somewhere in the tone, but Mini didn’t open his eyes to investigate. 

“Shut up, Hanby.  Take a drive down the rest of the road and see if anyone else is around. If you can find the punk who bailed when we pulled up, cuff him. I know where this idiot lives.”

“How are you planning on getting home after helping your new friend out?” 

“I was off the clock ten minutes ago; I don’t gotta tell you shit. Now get moving.” The banter was swimming in Craig’s ears, but the thumb that brushed against his hip bone melted his brain too much to butt in.  

“Oh, there’s definitely a story here. Be ready to share it with Fong and Del over coffee tomorrow. Can’t wait, buddy.” A warm laugh echoed against the night sky when the other officer moved away, and Craig’s ear picked up on the rocks shifting under the car’s tires when it pulled away. 

“Fuck, he’s almost as big of a pain as you.” The words were sharp and warm against Craig’s ear, and he felt his body shudder from something deeper than the cold. 

“God.” This cop even sounded like him. His eyes burned behind closed lids as he let out a wet laugh, nuzzling his nose into the collar of the officer. Maybe it’d get him arrested for indecent behavior in public, but he smelt like smoked wood, motor oil, and him. Or what he’d smelt like as a teenager, maybe. The details were so fuzzy now; was he just blending this person with his past to make himself feel better? Mini’s mind sloshed over new thoughts like waves, barreling into the shore of his reality with no intention to break. 

“Let’s get you home.” But before he could take a step, before the stranger could finally break the final thread of Mini’s mirage of happiness, he spoke.

“I miss him.” A sob pushed out over his laugh, head useless against the tense shoulder behind him. “I miss us, how we…sat at the ocean, talked and…and…I just felt loved, maybe. Not like now. I don’t know if he ever felt…it’s been so long since…since I’ve been happy. You just feel like love, mr…mr. officer-sir-man. You feel like Tyler, and it’s…been so long since I’ve seen him. Since I’ve had him by my side. My whole side’s missing, it’s…he’s gone. And here I am, drunk and probably arrested and in love with a ghost. Tyler would hate me now-”

“Shit.” The grip around his waist tightened for a moment, but Mini didn’t mind the squeeze. It grounded him in a way nobody had in years. The alcohol was doing a bang up job of messing with his head, as it tried to convince him the officer’s next words were mumbled against his forehead. “Brock’s gonna be impossible to deal with when he finds out he was right. Fuck.” 

“Hey, I…I have a Brock, too.” Craig laughed and then slumped, a crest of fatigue finally rolling into him. “He’s always right, good guy. He’d make a good wife for me.” 

“Wait, what-”

“Cept can’t marry him when I love Tyler. Life would probably…be easier if I just forgot him. But, I can’t.” He yawned and accepted he’d end up in the cell by the morning, giving all his weight to the officer holding him. “I’m gonna pass out now. Thanks for…being here.” 

“I should have been here before, idiot, I-.”  Whatever else came next, Craig didn’t hear, his mind slipping into sleep. 

He didn’t know that Officer Tyler Wine carried him home. Not to the house with strangers, but to his mother’s house three miles away. The one right across the street from the house Tyler himself had bought from his parents three years ago. He didn’t know Tyler was still in his city, still driving their streets, still sitting on their beaches, reminiscing. He didn’t know Tyler had refused to reach out in case Craig no longer needed a local boy that didn’t shine in the limelight. That he’d ignored their friend’s advice, kept his nose in his work, pretended he wasn’t missing a part of himself. 

And Mini didn’t know that he’d still be there when Craig woke up the next morning.