#also. this is the first time i think i've written someone coming out maybe 😅 hope it reads somewhat realistically!

[happi-tree]

heart, liver, and other matters of the body

Each morning, Lincoln takes in the face in the mirror, and sometimes, he likes what he sees.

Other times, Link glances over the wide eyes done up in borrowed eyeliner, the jawline that seems too square, too sharp today, frets at the broad slope of shoulders, the indelicate scarred brow and callused hands and battered, ashy knees, tries to sculpt the features there into something more feminine with willpower alone.

Or: Lincoln tries on a dress for the first time and comes out to her boyfriend.

ao3

Here's my Swiftli Week fic for Day 6: Secrets! 🤫 I did some research for this one, and it was lots of fun. Hope you enjoy!

(P.S. A little context for the title: xīn’gān - Mandarin term of affection which literally translates to “heart and liver” but is equivalent to “heart and soul” or “my everything” in English. Implies that, like a heart or liver, this partner is something one cannot live without.)

Lincoln Li-Wilson is buzzing with nervous energy all throughout their shopping date.

Link’s boyfriend, Taylor, can clearly tell that something’s off (he’s let his emotions show more plainly over the past few months, but he’s always been observant, always cared, and that makes Link smile fondly).

Lincoln runs a hand along the racks of clothes, distracting anxious nerves through the textures and colors, and graciously, Taylor doesn’t ask.

Not yet , a voice in Lincoln’s head says, only to be batted away by Taylor’s hand brushing against his own as they sift through the clothes together.

The mall doesn’t see a lot of traffic, these days - hasn’t seen a lot of traffic since their parents were teenagers, to be honest - so it almost feels like they have the place to themselves.

It’s nice, Link thinks while thumbing through the hangers, stopping on a flash of buttercup yellow. 

It feels soft against the skin, weighty enough to be substantial but not stifling, and the silhouette…

Lincoln takes the garment off the rack, adds it to the others.

Today, today, I’m gonna tell him today, Link repeats like a mantra, disguising nervous, shaking hands by flapping them a little. 

“All good, qīn?” Taylor asks, meeting eyes over the rack, and Lincoln’s heart flutters a little at the affectionate name.

After learning how much Link enjoys terms of endearment, Taylor’s insisted on using Mandarin pet names, citing that they still keep up his “cool and slick” reputation in public. Lincoln frankly thinks it’s pretty silly, since anyone with eyes can tell how sappy Taylor is when it comes to…

“Mm,” Link nods. It isn’t a lie, but it isn’t exactly the truth either. “Gonna try these on.”

“Awesome, man!” Taylor replies, and Lincoln doesn’t even flinch. “Want me to, uh, join you in there?” he asks, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

The offer is very tempting, Link won’t lie, and definitely something they’ve done before - though the trying-on-clothes part historically has the tendency to be abandoned in favor of making out.

“Not today, shǎguā,” Lincoln tells him, voice kept purposefully light and teasing. “You’re gonna have to wait this time.”

“Boo. Have it your way, but I’m definitely sitting on one of those little benches so you can model for me! Plus, my legs could use the break.”

Satisfied, Link leads them through the maze of racks, tries not to dwell on things as they enter the changing rooms marked MEN.

True to his word, Taylor takes up his post on one of the cushioned benches in one of the alcoves, taking out his phone to scroll once he clocks which room Lincoln’s picked.

Link steps in, closes the door, breathes out, and comes face-to-face with the figure in the mirror.

Lincoln’s hair has grown out in the last year or so - rather than being buzzed at the sides, the curls now end around jawline length, depending on how they’re styled.

Taylor visits Hell more frequently, now that things have calmed a little, and Link’s gone with him, asked Terry a bunch of questions about upkeep and styling and braiding that were probably a little too much all at once but were met with enthusiasm and more in-depth answers than what YouTube had to offer. 

Link brushes back a few stray twists, meticulously dotted with colored beads and gold cuffs, complemented by the gold flowers dangling from each earlobe and the gold eyeshadow at the inner corners of each eye.

Satisfied, Lincoln begins trying things on, breezing through a graphic Garfield sweatshirt (comfy, but not big enough), a pair of joggers (right size, but the fabric feels a little weird), and an oversized tee shirt (soft and just roomy enough, definitely something to buy).

There’s just one last thing to try.

Carefully, Link takes off the shirt, hangs it back up, pulls on the last article of clothing, shimmies out of the gym shorts from underneath it.

Lincoln fumbles with the side zipper for a little, worried for the briefest moment that it wouldn’t fit around the torso, but manages to get the hang of it, clasps the hook and eye at the top edge awkwardly into place.

Link smooths down the fabric at the hips with nervous hands, then finally allows for a glance upward.

Lincoln stares. And stares.

Someone unfamiliar stares back. But it’s a good unfamiliar, a right unfamiliar.

Link has practiced saying the words in the mirror before, has felt how the shapes of them formed on the tongue, has spoken them into being in whispered, low tones. Link has treated it the same way as practicing his facial expressions, a daily ritual, trying to figure out how to show the right emotions, making sure they look and feel correct on the face as well as in the heart.

Each morning, Lincoln takes in the face in the mirror, and sometimes, he likes what he sees. 

Other times, Link glances over the wide eyes done up in borrowed eyeliner, the jawline that seems too square, too sharp today, frets at the broad slope of shoulders, the indelicate scarred brow and callused hands and battered, ashy knees, tries to sculpt the features there into something more feminine with willpower alone.

On those days, like this morning, Lincoln tries out the words again, mouths them out once more in the present. 

She. Her. 

And they feel real, feel as true as if she had just taken a whiff of that blue power from the FBI.

Sometimes, they don’t fit, just like he and him don’t feel right, sometimes, like a shirt with the wrong texture, a bite of food that’s a little too mushy. 

But sometimes, like right now, they fit Lincoln like a glove. 

They fit her like this dress. 

The bodice hugs Link’s torso, and though it’s painfully obvious that her upper body is all boxes and angles and no curves, she finds that she doesn’t mind too much.

Straps, about the width of two fingers, tie off in elegant bows that rest at the midpoint between her neck and shoulders, drawing emphasis to her collarbones in a way that makes them look almost delicate. Link frowns a bit at the way the neckline makes her shoulders look so wide. 

The light yellow fabric goes phenomenally well with her complexion in a way that makes her dark, freckled skin nearly glow, and the texture is a little stiffer than she’s used to, but it has a nice thickness to it and doesn’t chafe against her skin, with enough give that she instinctively knows wouldn’t hinder her range of motion. 

The skirt is full, gathered fabric flaring out around her hips and stopping a few inches above her knees, though she thinks it was probably meant to be a longer dress on someone with shorter legs.

She twists around in it, trying to catch a glimpse of different angles, and the way the hemline flutters around her thighs is completely alien to her, but she thinks she likes it.

She feels feminine. Girly. Is girly.

Lincoln feels like a girl. She is one.

“Link, you okay?” Taylor’s voice is muffled through the door, and there’s a small shadow beneath it, followed by a half-hearted little knock. 

Shit.

“You’ve been in there awhile.”

Fuck, has she? Maybe she got a little too carried away staring and lost track of time.

Link wracks her brain for a proper response, a yeah, I’m okay or yes, I’m fine, I’ll be out in a minute , but they get stopped up in her throat as she realizes that she’s still wearing the dress and she hasn’t come out to him yet like she planned to.

“Is it okay if I come in? No funny business, I just wanna make sure you’re okay.”

Shit shit shit shit shit. 

Taylor wears dresses and skirts all the time, it’ll be fine, he won’t be weirded out by it, Lincoln attempts to rationalize. It doesn’t really work, so she tries to speak again.

“‘M fine,” is all that comes out, high-pitched but not in a pretty way.

“You don’t sound fine,” Taylor argues, voice softened out at the edges so that it doesn’t sound accusatory. “Can I please come in?”

Link squints her eyes shut against it all and nods minutely, then realizes that Taylor can’t see her and manages a shaky “Yes.”

“Okay,” he says, and Link hears the door creak open, then shut, hears Taylor’s quiet footfalls.

“So, can I -? Woah .”

Cautiously, Link opens her eyes to see Taylor shaking off an expression of… bewilderment? Confusion? Curiosity? 

“Sorry, sorry,” he says, “I’m just - I wasn’t expecting - you look really pretty, dude.”

Feeling a little too overexposed, too raw, too much, Link can’t help the way she flinches. 

“Oh, baby,” Taylor says, sadness evident in his voice, and Link hates the sound of it, hates that she made him that way. “Can I touch you?”

Not trusting her voice, Link nods, and her boyfriend steps closer, winds an arm around her back, and she melts into his hold, crumbles into his familiar warmth. 

“You’re crying,” he observes quietly, reaching with his other hand to thumb away a tear, and Lincoln hadn’t even registered the wetness spilling down her cheeks until he mentioned it. 

“I’m fine, I promise.” Link’s voice sounds a little too deep to her own ears, discordant with the girl in the mirror, and another tear slips out anyway. “Just… overwhelmed?”

“Okay,” Taylor says, “We can work with that, xīn’gān.”

Xīn’gān , Lincoln thinks, heart and liver, my everything . Taylor only uses that when he’s serious.

“Can you tell me what you’re thinking?” he asks.

“It’s silly,” Link starts, then continues before Taylor can refute it. “I just… it’s hard, and I’ve been meaning to tell you, I promise, I just… couldn’t figure out when or how.”

She laughs a little, then, high-strung and nervous.

Lincoln pulls away, glances at their reflections, and Taylor’s eyes follow hers. 

“You’re not, uh, breaking up with me in this dressing room, right?” 

“No,” she says, a little too loud. “No,” she repeats, forcing her voice softer, higher. “This is a good thing, I swear, it’s just…” “Hard?” Taylor asks.

“Mm.”

Lincoln inhales shakily, reaches for Taylor’s hand, and Taylor latches them together, gives them a light squeeze.

God, she’s so lucky to have him.

Her free hand fists in the fabric of the dress, and she squeezes her eyes shut. 

“I think I’m trans.”

She said it. There’s no taking it back now.

Taylor’s thumb runs along the side of her hand. “That’s amazing, babe. I’m so proud of you,” he says, and Link knew in the back of her mind that her boyfriend would always be supportive, but that last irrational bit of fear finally vaporizes. 

Lincoln opens her eyes, and Taylor’s looking at her with so much open affection that it makes her eyes water up with tears again, and she brushes them away.

“I’m not… I still like being a guy, sometimes,” She says, the words leaving her in a rush, “but sometimes I feel more like a girl? And sometimes it’s a little bit of both?”

“That’s cool,” Taylor says with another encouraging squeeze to their joined hands.

“I think I might be… bigender?” Link tells him, and wow, it’s so nice to hear the word aloud, to tell someone. “Or maybe genderfluid? Genderqueer, definitely.”

“Thank you for telling me,” Her boyfriend says with a smile, looking a little misty-eyed himself. “Coming out’s really fucking nerve-wracking, isn’t it?”

“No kidding.”

“Is Link still okay to use?”

“I think so, yeah,” Lincoln responds, and she’s thought quite a bit about it. Despite how masculine her full name is, Link still likes it a lot. Maybe she’d find something later, but for now, she’s content with it.

“I, um,” Lincoln stutters, a little unsure of how to word it. “Is it alright if you use she/ her for me today? I still like he/him, but… feminine feels better right now.”

“Of course. Speaking of feminine, this dress looks fantastic on you.”

“Really?” Link asks, twisting a little and glancing back at the mirror, grateful to see that her makeup still looks okay.

“Really. You should buy it! If you like it, too, of course.”

“I do,” She confirms, wiping up the last of her tears, letting go of Taylor’s hand to pat her face dry with the backs of her palms. “I really do.”

“Did you do a little spin yet?” There’s a fond excitement in Taylor’s eyes as he looks her up and down - not just appraisingly, but lovingly.

She shakes her head.

“Trust me, it’s the best part. I know these things.”

Lincoln spins around a little, curious, and the way the dress floats around her, the way the fabric laps against her legs like waves - it’s addictive and oddly freeing. She twirls a little faster, reveling in the feel of it, and a smile stretches wide on her face as she lets out a little whoop of excitement.

“This is amazing, Tay!”

“It’s great, right?” 

Link comes to a stop, her dress still in motion from the force of her whirling, and she’s giddy as the fabric swooshes, then settles.

“Yeah. Wow, I kinda never wanna take this off.” She smooths her hands down her sides and over her waist, looking up again at her reflection.

She looks happy.

Lincoln is happy - really, truly, incandescently happy, in a way she doesn’t think she’s felt in a long, long time. 

“You do kinda need to take it off to buy it, though,” Taylor says. “As much as I love how gorgeous you look in it.”

“Guess so,” Link says, already dreading changing back. Maybe she can convince Taylor to help her out of the dress - with minimal making out. Maybe. 

“Have you told anyone else?” Taylor asks her, dispersing Lincoln’s brief fantasies.

Link shakes her head. “I thought about telling Dad, but, well, he’d want to tell Grant… things are still a little rocky between us, but, like, I still love him, and I don’t wanna hurt his feelings by not telling him directly? Does that even make sense?” “It does, I think,” Taylor says. 

“I’m gonna tell Normal and Scary, soon, obviously.”

“Obviously.”

“And… I was thinking of talking to Hermie about… this. Gender,” Lincoln confesses, though she still cringes at the thought of it. She didn’t like to admit it to herself, but they probably knew a lot more about gender nonconformity than Link’s figured out through her own research.

“Mm, my auncle probably has some good insights, even if the two of you don’t really get along,” Taylor muses, seemingly on a similar train of thought.

“She's probably not gonna make fun of me, right?”

Her boyfriend’s eyes gleam with demonic light even in the weird fluorescent lighting of the changing room, brows furrowed, and Lincoln’s stomach does a funny little flip at the expression. “Link,” He says seriously, “If they’re even the slightest bit mean about it, I’m fucking his shit up on sight. I don’t care if we’re related - Nobody messes with my girlfriend.”

My girlfriend, Link’s mind plays back, loops it like a broken record as something shining and effervescent floods the cavities of her lungs. My girlfriend, my girlfriend, I’m his girlfriend . 

Lincoln must not be making the right face, because Taylor hastily tacks on, “W-who is also my boyfriend! Sometimes?”

He blinks up at her, brows tilted upwards in concern, a silent are you okay? and god, Link is so, so happy that she lets out a little huff of laughter.

“No, no, it’s not that, I just… I didn’t realize how much I’d like hearing you say that.”

“Oh?” A shit-eating grin forms on her boyfriend’s face, and before she can do anything about it, he’s reaching up to cup her cheek in his hand. “I have the most beautiful, gorgeous girlfriend in the world. I adore her big brown eyes, her pretty hair, her stunning smile… oh, my god, look at that, there it is, my girlfriend’s smile.”

“Stop,” Link says, half-hearted and breathless, so much heat rushing to her dimpled cheeks that Taylor, even with his demonic heritage, can probably feel it. And she would look down, but she’d only meet Taylor’s smug, knowing smirk, and that would only make her more ridiculously happy.

Taylor moves his hands to her waist, squeezes at her sides, and though she’s sure he’s continuing his goofy little litany, she’s a little too overwhelmed by sheer exhilaration to make out most of it. 

Not quite sure what to do with all her joy, laughter tumbles out, lower and raspier than she would like at the moment, but loud and bright and full.

“Oh, wow, my girlfriend just laughed and it’s my favorite sound in the whole wide world!” Taylor says, and she can hear the beam in his voice, so wide that his eyes narrow to crescents. “My girlfriend looks so pretty in this dress. I’m gonna have to buy her a dozen more.”

“You are not doing that!”

“Of course I am,” Taylor refutes, shaking his head with that adorable vehemence of his. “I’m rich! One for every day of the week, at least. You look so happy in it. I’m gonna spoil you so bad, wô de tiānshî.”

“Wô de tiānshî,” Lincoln parrots, sounding out the rise and fall of the syllables carefully. “I haven’t heard that one. What does it mean?”

“‘My angel,’” Taylor tells her softly, thumbs gently circling at her waist, and the reverence in his eyes makes her feel simultaneously unmovable and unsteady on her feet. “I always thought it would suit you, but traditionally, it’s used for girlfriends. Unless that’s too, like, weirdly gendered, uh, if it makes you uncomfortable -”

Link crushes her wonderful, amazing boyfriend to herself in a tight hug.

In an instant, Taylor’s arms circle around her, too, and so much about her has felt wrong lately, but this has always, always felt right.

“I love it,” Lincoln says, “I love you . Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

“Love you, too,” he replies, and they stay like that for a few long moments.

Eventually, Link pulls away, and Taylor drops his arms.

“So, wanna get this dress and get out of here and go for froyo in the food court?” He asks.

“Only if you help me take this off,” Link answers, waggling her eyebrows like Taylor had earlier. "Seriously, the zippers on these things are kinda tricky."

Taylor laughs.

“That’s my girl.”

[stormz369]

☕💖 Can I Get Your Number? ☕💖 Ch 3

Jason Todd x Chubby! Reader (fem)

written with a female reader in mind, first person pov, no use of Y/N, fluffy, mild angst, will probably get NSFW later, let me know if there's anything else I should tag this with!

warnings: reader character dealing with anxiety from previous chapter (non-descriptive),hinted at trauma from fatphobia, hints of Jason's self esteem and body image issues, otherwise it's fluff central

word count: 2.2k (oops? 😅)

Chapter Selection

Ding!

I looked over at my phone, briefly considering not picking it up. When I got through my front door I had ripped my jeans off, suddenly hating everything touching me. I showered, scrubbing the night off until my skin was raw and tingling, and now I was curled up on my bed sheets, having a good cry. I didn't really want to talk to anyone right now…

Ding! Ding! … Ding!

God, whoever it was was insistent though … I sighed softly and picked it up, checking the messages:

Jason: Good morning! I am so sorry for the sudden disappearance - my phone broke on my way to visit my brother! 

3:15am

Jason: Just got back into town, so I've finally got the sim card in an old one for now.

3:17am

Jason: I feel bad, I owe you a week of good mornings! 😭

3:17am

Jason: And sorry for spamming you - I just didn't want you to think the worst for a second longer than necessary…

3:18am

I stared at the screen for a long while. Jason was back … just like Red Hood said. Huh… 

Me: Don't worry about it, shit happens!

3:40am

Jason: … What are you still doing up? 

3:41am

I briefly considered telling him everything. Maybe it would feel good to tell someone … or maybe it would feel even worse. We didn't really know each other yet, who knew how he would react? Nausea gripped my stomach and I shook my head, taking a few deep breaths before replying.

Me: Just got home is all. Picked up a late shift tonight.

3:50am

Jason: That's a hell of a late shift, that must have sucked!

3:52am

Me: … Yeah, honestly it wasn't great… 😔

3:53am

Jason: What are you doing tomorrow?

3:54am

Me: Nothing in particular, y?

3:56am

Jason: That settles it then! No more excuses, come hell or high water I will see you tomorrow!

3:56am

I stared at the screen, not sure how to feel about that idea. I did want to see him again, but I also really just wanted to sleep for 48 hours straight…

Jason: Seriously, name a time and place. We'll do anything you want! 😁

3:59am

Me: You don't have to do that, Jason - you just got back! Don't you need to work?

4:00am

Jason: Nope! We came back a day early, so I am all yours!

4:02am

Me: … All mine, huh? 😏

4:05am

Jason: 100%! Anything you want, name it!

4:06am

Me: … Gotham City Mall, meet in front of the bookstore at … say 4?

4:08am

Jason: Perfect, see you in 12 hours! Good night

4:08am

Me: Good night Jason

4:09am

I was exhausted, but couldn't seem to sleep. I was still coming down from the anxiety and adrenaline from being attacked, and now I was also nervous and tentatively excited about seeing Jason. This was the step that usually proved someone was playing games with me. I sighed softly, sliding a hand down my soft tummy. I didn't mind the way I was shaped, but other people sure had a way of making it seem like the end of the world… I silently begged the universe; let this one be good. No more games, let it be real this time…

When I finally did sleep, my dreams were filled with red. Blood all over the pavement, staining everything. Red chrome staring me down as I cried. Large hands, so gentle against my cheeks, pulling me against a warm, broad chest…

I woke with a start and peered over at my discarded clothes in a heap from the night before. Red Hood's flannel peaked out from under my ruined pants, taunting me; I was about to go on a date and I was dreaming about another man? A man I was surely never going to see again no less? That's real healthy, well done Brain.

I stepped over the clothes on the floor, not wanting to deal with the mess left over from last night, and selected a cute but comfortable outfit. I ate a quick breakfast, spent longer than I'd care to admit on my hair and makeup, and headed downstairs to catch the bus to the mall.

My anxiety grew as I approached the front doors. It’s a trick, it must be a trick. The cold air conditioning hit me in the face, a welcome respite from the summer heat, and I made my way toward the bookstore. He's a hottie, and really sweet. Or at least knows how to play sweet. He's definitely not actually interested. I could see the sign for the bookstore on the other side of the mall. And he's a Wayne too! What could a Wayne want with me?? … Oh god, I threatened them, didn't I? I told the little one I'd stab them if they came back to the table. Why did I say that???

I blinked a bit, pausing. That was him, leaned against the wall right next to the bookstore. He had actually shown up. I watched him scroll on his phone for a minute before looking up and scanning the crowd. When his eyes landed on me I continued walking toward him. He pocketed his phone, kicked off the wall, and walked over to meet me, a little grin lighting up his face.

“You're actually here…” the words left my mouth before I could reconsider, my disbelief apparent in my tone. Jason looked a bit confused at that, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head.

“Well, yeah? … You said 4, right?”

“Sorry! Yes, I said 4. I just … I honestly wasn't sure this was … real…”

“Why wouldn't it be real?”

I blushed a bit, clearing my throat slightly; “n- never mind! Sorry, I had a weird week; my brain hasn't fully caught up.”

He nodded a little, smiling gently. “Well, I hope it's getting better at least.”

I nodded. “Yeah, it is. Thanks. … So, what should we do?”

“Like I said last night; anything you want.”

“Well, … we're right here, do you want to start at the bookstore?”

He nodded and fell into step beside me, smiling gently. I could feel his eyes on me as I walked into the store, browsing the aisles. It was odd how comfortable this was; he was a good half foot taller than me, and at least 200 pounds of pure muscle. If his arms and cheek were any gauge he was absolutely covered in old scars, and he had a bandage on one forearm so whatever gave him the scars probably wasn't confined to the past.

I should be terrified - everything about my upbringing told me this was a dangerous situation to be in. But when I saw the look in his eyes, like I was the most interesting thing in the world, all of my self-defense training fell out of my head. The voices urging me to get to safety quieted, all my instincts stilled, and there was peace. His eyes were so beautiful… 

“... Is there something on my face?” He blushed a bit, chuckling awkwardly.

I blinked, looking away. “Sorry! I wasn't staring, I just …”

“... Did you want to ask about this?” he pointed to the scar on his cheek.

“Huh? No! I have a policy of not asking people about stuff like that; you'll tell me or not on your own time. No, I just … I like your eyes is all …’’ I blushed brightly, staring at but not reading the back cover of a book.

“... My eyes?” I nodded, still pretending to read the back cover. “... You're really not going to ask about my scars?”

“Unless you want to talk about them, it's not any of my business.”

“... You're a very unusual girl.”

“Because I'm not going to pry about something you may or may not want to talk about, particularly on a first date?”

“Well, they're usually the first thing anyone wants to talk to me about. If they don't avoid me in the first place…”

I frowned a bit at that. If we met under any other circumstances, I would have taken one look at him and ducked my head to avoid an interaction. “... People suck…”

“It's not their fault; I'm intimidating…” I cautiously looked over at him. He was also staring at a book cover, a pensive little frown on his face.

“... I don't think you're intimidating.”

His eyes darted over and back to the book, and the corner of his mouth curled up ever so slightly. “... Thanks.”

I nodded, setting the book down. “.... So …”

“So? …”

“... Play a game?”

He chuckled, looking over at me. “A game?”

I nodded. “You tell me some of your favorite things in books, I'll tell you some of mine. We separate, select a few of our favorites that the other might like, and reconvene.”

“Alright. Is there a way to win this game?”

“Well I assume we'll each pick at least one book the other hasn't read, so we'll get to make each other read at least one of our favorites. That sounds like a win to me.”

He chuckled. “Alright. Meet back up at those comfy chairs in the back?”

I nodded, telling him some of my favorite tropes, genres, and settings. He did the same, and we darted in opposite directions. He beat me back there, but I eventually approached with a small stack, falling into the seat next to him.

He gestured toward my books; “ladies first.”

I tucked my feet under me, passing him each book in turn and making a case for it. He took each one, read the back cover, and listened intently. He had read one of them, and I figured he'd pick one of the others, if that, but he insisted he was going to get them all. When it was his turn, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but Pride and Prejudice wasn't the first thing that came to mind. 

“I've seen a few movie adaptations, but I haven't gotten around to reading it.” I smiled softly, taking the book. It was a beautiful blue cover with swirling calligraphy font in gold.

“An unparalleled tragedy - I insist this is the one you're taking home!” I giggled at his determined tone and nodded.

“Yes, sir!” I made a little mock salute, trying not to smirk at the sudden wave of pink overtaking his face. “... Well, what else do you have for me?”

He cleared his throat awkwardly, looking at the books in his hands. “Ah, um …”

One by one he passed me Hamlet, the Three Musketeers, a book of Greek myths, and … a trashy romance?

“... Not gonna lie, this is an unexpected choice.” I read the back. It looked like your typical bodice ripper.

He chuckled, blushing a bit. “Look, it was the only book I had access to one day and I was losing my mind with boredom. But if you give it a chance, it's actually really well written, and the love interest isn't one of those creepy possessive guys the genre is known for, so …”

I nodded, taking a picture of the book covers. “I will give it a chance then!”

“... Why are you taking a picture of them?”

“... To get later? I'll start with this one, since you were so determined that I read it.” I held up Pride and Prejudice. Jason gathered up the others, putting them on his stack, then gently took Pride and Prejudice from me as well.

“Or I could just get them for you.” 

“What? Jason, no. I mean, that’s really sweet of you, but that's way too much!” Between the books he'd picked out for me and the ones I'd selected for him, he was holding at least $200 in his hands. And he'd picked the pretty hardcovers too! 

He shook his head. “I've had to cancel on you at least 5 times, and then I disappeared with no warning. You have been incredibly patient and understanding, and I will make today worth it.”

I blushed brightly, a bit surprised. “Jason, … you're worth waiting for. I enjoy talking to you, you don't have to spend money on me for today to be worth my time.”

He looked away uncomfortably, bright red, holding the stack of books to his chest. “... I … I like talking to you too … just let me do this, yeah? Call it a first date splurge.”

“... Alright, if you're sure. But I don't want you making a habit of this.”

He nodded, smiling softly. “Don't worry; I know you're a strong, independent woman.”

I nodded once, chuckling. “Damn right.”

Jason grinned, god he had an infectious grin, and led me to stand in line together. He held the stack of books in one hand, and we chatted a bit more while we waited for our turn. I was looking at a selection of little plushies in the impulse items when I felt something brush ever so slightly against my finger. I looked down; his trembling hand was next to mine, his pinky slightly extended toward me. I chuckled softly, extending mine toward him, and gently linked our fingers together. He stiffened ever so slightly before relaxing into it, gently squeezing back.

Next ->

Divider by @saradika (and my thanks for making them free to use!)

Taglist (let me know in the comments if you want to be added or dropped!)

@jawdropforkpop @krys0210 @snowy-violet @superthoughts @wordsfromshona

[lunarleonardo]

I'll be honest, I am VERY behind on love letter 😅 I've been meaning to catch up for a couple months now, but Pressure has a grasp on me that will not release

Dude, I think you have your own sub fandom that chews up your AUs like they're their own original stories lmao/lh

PRESSURE REFERENCE!!!!!!!! PRESSURE ROBLOX!! PRESSURE PRUESSURE !!!!!!!!! pandemonium my #1 fav PRESSUREROBLOX PRESSURE

So hey fun fact I've been having a Pressure brainrot maybe hyperfixation idk for like a few weeks now and! After Love Letter is finished, I plan on writing a oneshot of Shuichi, Kaede and Kokichi doing a Pressure round. It'd be the first crossover fic I'd be posting publically but by posting things publically it gives me an obligation to finish it which I find extremely joyful so I reeeally really reaaally wanna write this (⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠) it'd also be my first oneshot so. :P i mean come on I have the power as an author to make Kaede fist fight a wall dweller and I will be DAMNED if I don't take that chance /j

Also... Yeah. I've picked up on that (⁠个⁠_⁠个⁠) I'm not quite sure how it happened, but I'm glad it did. I've got to meet a lot of really cool people, and I've made a really really good friend from it too (⁠ ⁠╹⁠▽⁠╹⁠ ⁠) I've never been active in a fandom like this before, so this is really good experience for me in gaining more confidence in myself and getting used to talking to people. AND It's been letting me improve on my self-discipline and responsibility, which is something I'd struggle with a lot ^^"

Seeing everyone create things based on what I have done-- sharing memes and art, assigning music to my stories-- has been an experience like no other. As a bonus, it's all with my favorite characters from a game that I absolutely adore (even with it's fuckin christmas list of issues lmao)!! I'm so grateful for everyone who has given me support or put their own time into things I've made. It has genuinely made such a huge difference in my life and I cannot describe how thankful I am for that (⁠ ⁠◜⁠‿⁠◝⁠ ⁠)⁠♡

I have no plans to stop writing. I have a lot of plans for future fics (that I have to grit my teeth and write one at a time or else none of them will ever be finished ಥ⁠╭⁠╮⁠ಥ) and I'm excited to share them, even if they are extremely different from what I've previously written. So far I've been sticking to the Ultimate Academy, but I want to try to spread out a bit ^^ We'll see what happens I suppose

Again to my "subfandom" if thats what we're calling it, thank you so much for all the love and support!! Those words have probably been said a million times by anyone with an audience ever but I really do mean it. All I ask is that you're responsible with what you share from my fics (⁠•⁠ ⁠▽⁠ ⁠•⁠;⁠) I am aware of how dark they are and that the content within it can be disturbing to people so please just be careful. Thank you ^^!! 💕

Also!! I do have my own original storiess and OCs and stuff. Just a handful of them, but they're there :P one's an Undertale OC, I have two danganronpa ocs (they're in love), I have my stupid wolf guys and also that One Guy who isn't necessarily a DR OC but is involved in DR because they kind of blew up a DR universe and adopted/kidnapped Shuichi...yeah uh we can save that one for another time (⁠＠⁠_⁠＠⁠;⁠) and by another time i mean Never (unless someone asks about it for whatever reason bcus that is the rule i have set for myself. That rule exists because i was petrified of "letting the attention get to my head" but nowadays it just feels like a pillow i can fall back on to avoid feeling stressed about interacting with people xD)

ohhh that is a. Long post Sorry for the long ramble!! /gen I took adderall and I'm feeling very rambly and happy. It's a very falling feeling it's very strange (⁠⊙⁠_⁠◎⁠)

[vividiana]

AO3 tag game

thank you to the lovely @khywren for the tag 💖

how many works do you have on ao3? 7

what's your total ao3 word count? 83,785

what fandoms do you write for? bg3 is the one that got me interested in reading and writing fanfiction in the first place. since then, nothing has wormed its way into my brain quite that much

top five fics by kudos?

the blood on my hands (scares me to death)

what a wicked thing to do (to make me dream of you)

she's an undiscovered element (either born in hell or heaven-sent)

could barely tear my eyes away

the light we shut out

do you respond to comments? yes! every single one, they bring me so much joy 🥰

what is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? OOF. definitely the pre-canon one-shot about Astarion's worst memory. it's hurt/no comfort, so I think that's pretty self-explanatory

what's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? I already have the ending scene of my post-canon longfic outlined and that certainly will be the happiest ending of them all, but I don't think that counts yet 😅 so I'd say the act 2 confession one-shot, I'm quite proud of that one in general but the ending is especially hopeful

do you get hate on fics? nope and idk how I'd react if I ever do

do you write smut? occasionally. the middle chapter of "the blood on my hands" is mainly smut and I quite like how it turned out. it took me AGES to write though, bc it was my first ever attempt at smut and I had to push past a lot of internalized shame around sex to get the words down on the page. I would love to write more though. I have three ideas for smut one-shots floating around in my brain that I'm very excited about

craziest crossover? I'm not really interested in crossovers

have you ever had a fic stolen? I mean, not to my knowledge? I wasn't aware that was something that happens tbh. not sure what someone has to gain from stealing a fic but maybe I'm just naive

have you ever had a fic translated? no. I've briefly considered translating them myself into Polish, which is my native language, but there's a reason I wrote them in English in the first place. unfortunately, in my case at least, being fluent in both doesn't mean being good at writing in both

have you ever co-written a fic? no, but I think that could be a lot of fun!

all time favorite ships? Astarion/Durge and Lae'zel/Shadowheart

what's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will? I only have one wip at the moment, which is my post-canon longfic, because I've procrastinated writing the next chapter by finishing everything else I had started 😅 I don't doubt that I will finish it, I just think it will take a very long time and I hope I don't lose motivation somewhere along the way

what are your writing strengths? I think my dialogue flows quite well and by now I've gotten Eve's, Astarion's, and Lae'zel's voices down (I'm still figuring out Shadowheart.) I also like the way I write internal monologues/introspection/the characters internally grappling with their feelings

what are your writing weaknesses? basically anything that's not dialogue or introspection—specifically descriptions and moments that involve more action (including smut.) the first attempt just always comes out as "she did A. he did B. she did C" and it takes me a lot of work to get it to a point where it doesn't feel repetitive

thoughts on dialogue in another language? I pepper in some Gith into Lae'zel's dialogue and I have a chapter planned where Astarion will teach Eve some basic Elvish—that's pretty much the extent of it. I like when authors find a way to incorporate other languages into their fics, but in mine it doesn't really play much of a role

first fandom you ever wrote in? bg3, first and only babeyyy

favorite fics you wrote? my absolute favorite is "what a wicked thing to do (to make me dream of you)", which is a one-shot set in act 2 with alternating POVs and lots of mutual pining, ending with Astarion's confession. it's my comfort fic tbh and I have reread it many times bc I am the target audience of my writing lol. the fic I'm most passionate about and that occupies the most space in my brain on a daily basis is "the light we shut out" which is my chill domestic post-canon longfic that vaguely follows some overarching plotlines, but mostly it's just me putting Eve and Astarion in ✨situations✨

no-pressure tagging: @nerdallwritey @funniestbitchinfaerun @xxnashiraxx @verbenaa @roguishcat @obsessedwhyyes (sorry for any repeats!)

[katiepotatie]

that way «Eddie Roundtree x f!Y/N»

Request/Summary: Anon asked, "Could you do an Eddie Roundtree oneshot based on the song "That Way" by Tate McRae ft Jeremy Zucker with a childhood friend of the band who also lives in California?" AN: Heyy! This is my first time writing a full oneshot/imagine since like 2019 when I was a literal child and in my MHA phase, so it's not the best thing ever... but it'll have to suffice 😙 Anyways, this imagine is MY interpretation of the song. I don't want people telling me to change how I've written my story (the only exception is constructive criticism on grammar, little fiddly bits in the story and ways to expand the plot a bit ❤️) Also Anon, I hope this is okay! I kept the song elements and childhood bsf part so... 😅 ---------------------------------- Word Count: 1.4k ------------------------------------- Warnings: Angst, Mentions of drug use and alcohol use, a bit fluffy, breakdown/kinda a depressive episode, short...hehe. --------------------------------

SFW

You and Eddie Roundtree have been friends forever. So, when he asked you to move with his band 4 months ago, you jumped at the chance. You were unaware, however, of the amount of partying that this would involve. You had always been a ballsy person but even some of the stuff that Graham was doing was a bit out of your comfort zone. 

When you were little, Eddie lived next door, sneaking through bedroom windows to comfort each other during storms and playing your piano, coming up with little songs. You were each other’s first kiss and Eddie took you to prom. Everyone said you two would get married one day. You said ‘no’. He said ‘maybe’. You still do stuff like that together but he’s off with groupies half the time. You hate to think it but, you feel like you are something more than just best friends…

Jealousy has overtaken your creativity lately. Every song you write is about him and you can’t fathom the fact that you might like him more than the unbreakable bond you’ve made over the years. Shit, you might even love him.

⋆｡ ﾟ☁︎｡ ⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡ ⋆

“Hey Y/N! Come join us!”

You look over and see Warren and some other guys smoking something from a bong and you agreed. Anything to get your mind off Eddie dragging that girl to his room.

During the day, he’s the sweetest most loving person you’ll ever meet, but at night… You hate to think what else he does than hook up. It’s like he’s making you run in circles, constantly, you hate it. In fact, it’s almost draining. So, drowning out your sorrows in drugs and alcohol seems like the perfect solution.

⋆｡ ﾟ☁︎｡ ⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡ ⋆

3 hours later and you’re pissed and high wearing a halter neck bralette and flared jeans, wishing that you didn’t exist. That this stupid crush didn’t exist.

That Eddie and you never existed.

So, as you lay there on the couch, listening to the unwanted people still vacating the house, you start to cry. You want to leave but, getting up wasn’t the easiest thing when you’re bawling your eyes out, drunk and high and surrounded by people you don’t even know. But you proceed to someone’s room, that definitely isn’t yours. To your surprise, there aren’t any girls in here anymore. Or a boy. You lay on the double bed in the middle of the room and ponder, still crying. Just wondering whether moving here was the right choice after all.

⋆｡ ﾟ☁︎｡ ⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡ ⋆

You awake, unaware that you fell asleep in the first place. It’s not cold like how it was when you came into the empty room. You turn around to find that Eddie was the reason you didn’t have frostbite. Peeling his arm from your torso, you sit up and regain consciousness before standing up and walking to your room.

“What do you think you’re doing?” You turn to find a sleepy Eddie Roundtree at the end of his bed, rubbing sleep out of his eyes.

“To bed.” You reply, clearly annoyed. Yet, some people just can’t take the hint.

“But you were in bed.”

“My bed dumbass. Besides you probably just fucked some groupie-“ you stopped yourself, but it was too late. Eddie looked at you concerned; you could only tell by the small slither of moonlight coming from the window.

He stood up and approached you slowly taking note of the vulnerable state you put yourself in.

“What are you talking about?”

He cupped your cheeks and his palms felt warm, you felt at home.

“The girl... from earlier... didn’t you-“ He cut you off. Your faces so close together that your lips almost touched. You didn’t like that. You felt like he was taking advantage of you, but oh well, it’s Eddie motherfucking Roundtree we’re talking about here.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Y/N.” He did in fact know what you were talking about. Not only was it horrible but she wasn’t you. And that’s what hurt him the most.

But it hurt you more.

You sigh, pulling his hands away from your face.

“Too high to remember?”

He didn’t answer only looked down in shame.

“Of course.” You scold him as your eyes start to water. You can’t keep them back like you normally would, which means that your heart is officially broken.

You peel away from him and run through the house to the rooftop. You sit on the ledge and cry until you hear a familiar voice behind you.

“Y’know, friends don’t look at friends that way.” It’s Karen.

You wipe away your tears and turn to face her, “huh…?”

“I heard everything... are you okay?” You nod, it’s not the most reassuring thing ever, but it works.

“Anyways, what were you saying? About the friend’s thing?”

Karen smiles sadly, “He looks at you the same way Camila looks at Billy, or how Graham looks at me. He loves you, Y/N. And I can tell you love him too.”

You look down, as if ashamed that you love him, that someone knows you love him.

⋆｡ ﾟ☁︎｡ ⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡ ⋆

Eddie paces around his room. He knows he fucked up but there aren’t very many ways he can repair what he had broken. Trust. Comfort. Love. He overthought everything through so heavily that he became dizzy. Getting drunk again as if it might mend the hole in his heart for a little while. It didn’t. He was just drunk and delusional. Eddie put his hands to his head in frustration, making his headache, heartache and longing for your arms around his waist. Like you always would whenever you missed him. You wished you could do that too.

⋆｡ ﾟ☁︎｡ ⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡ ⋆

“Friends don’t look at friends that way.” That was repeating in your head non-stop over the next few days making your mind blurry and incognitive. Locking yourself in your room and staring at the void in your wall for hours on end wasn’t healthy. You knew this, you just didn’t give a shit. Even though everyone was worried you convinced yourself no one cared. That Eddie will never love you. That no one will ever love you. This obviously not true because 4 days after the ‘incident’, Eddie walks into your room. You were crying on the floor, next to a blanket and a box of tissues.

“Hey... We’re all really worried y’know.” He assures. You just lean on his shoulder as he sits down next to you and wraps his arm around your shoulder. It was nice there. For the first time in what felt like forever, you felt a small wave of happiness.

“I’m sorry.” You choke out. Still crying and overwhelmed.

“For what exactly? I was the one who fucked a bunch of girls and still thought that I deserved the most amazing one of all.” He chuckled. You smiled. Until you didn’t. Raising your head from his shoulder, turning to face him,  your face grew the grimacing emotion of anxiety.

“Do… Do you love me, Eddie?”

“Of course, Y/N. Who wouldn’t lo-“

“No. Do you love me, Eddie Roundtree. I need to know because this is what your games, or whatever the fuck you’re playing me at, has done to me.”  You grasp his hand, solemnly. His face contorts into something you haven’t seen from him before. He’s about to cry.

“Why the fuck would you ever think I didn’t love you as more than friends, Y/N? I have loved you the second I laid eyes on you. The minute you showed me how to play piano. The hour I spent making you a stupid sign to ask you to prom. I just figured you had other people in mind. That we were strictly platonic-“

You cupped his cheeks and pulled him in for the kiss you have both longed for since you laid eyes on each other. The passionate, painful, loving, gentle kiss you had needed since you knew you loved each other. With no words said, you have told Eddie a million things.

“Karen told me this thing, the night of the party…” Eddie said as the kiss broke. As if on que, you said in unison,

“Friends don’t look at friends that way…”

AN: If y'all want a taglist just tell me ❤️

[bellaxgiornata]

This may seem a little but out of left field on my part, but I don't have many writer friends who I can ask, and there's no obligation to reply or indulge me 💜

I've recently got back into writing (not marvel, unfortunately, but I really admire the way you write) and was wondering if you maybe had any tips? I struggle a bit with, well, dialog and lack confidence - and your works are always so stunningly spot-on and evocative that I kinda just had to ask. Again, no worries if you dont want/have time to answer!

(Also I hope you are well!)

That is so wonderful! I absolutely love hearing that someone has decided to return to writing or is trying it out! I've been passionate about writing since I was 5, so I will always encourage other writers! And I feel so honored that you would even ask and that you feel that way about my writing! ❤ Thank you!! 😭

I will start out by saying I am not going to claim that I am by any means a writing expert, but I will say I did study it (I have an M.A. in Literature, Rhetoric, & Composition) and I've been writing fanfic for a long time, which comes into play with my writing (obviously). But believe me, I am always learning new things and growing myself. Writing truly is a skill and you can absolutely improve it with practice--I've noticed a change in mine over the past year even. Also, what works for me isn't necessarily what might work for you or others, but I can share some things I do myself, or that I enjoy seeing in fanfics/books, or what I think tends to be beneficial. I will say I know my writing style tends to be sparse and dialogue driven/heavy, which isn't necessarily how you or anyone else reading this might write.

And since this will probably be long and not something everyone cares to read, I'll put it below the cut. But as a note, I'm also writing these tips not knowing what you already know or do, so please do not take offense if they're obvious to you and nothing new!

I think the first and most important thing is to know your characters well, especially when it comes to dialogue. So if you're writing fanfic, I'd say study the source material a bit, see how someone speaks, pick up on any mannerisms or particular phrases they might typically use and when they use it if you don't already feel like you have them down. As for any original characters, Readers, or side characters, I'd say make sure you know them, too. Obviously an anxious character for example isn't going to speak boldly--unless there's a reason for it. So you always want to make sure it seems realistic (at least to you and how you perceive your characters) that they would say whatever they're saying in the situation that they're saying it.

I also find it helps to read dialogue aloud once you've written it. Does it sound like something someone would say in real life? Generally people in conversation don't always respond in full or proper sentences, for example. And I personally do this when it comes to writing Michael Kinsella or Frank Castle sometimes (I feel like I've written for Matt long enough that I literally can hear him in my head just fine 😅). They all have a sort of rhythm to the way they speak and I tend to go back and edit dialogue if it sounds too wordy or unlike the cadence of their speech (but that's also me being super particular 😅). But sometimes reading it aloud might help you realize if it sounds awkward or long winded or too clipped. Or maybe even too heavy of a reaction to what was said before someone's response.

Don't forget to change up your dialogue tags!! You can easily search up a list of dialogue tags (sometimes I do because my brain can't remember the correct one I want), but just make sure you're not trying to use them to add 'flair' to your writing, they have to make sense. Good ol' 'said' is truly just fine sometimes, but sometimes a particular dialogue tag makes a HUGE difference.

Sort of going along with that, it really makes a difference if writers have interrupters in their dialogue when it feels right. Don't overdo it, but definitely don't forget about it if you're comfortable using it. So if your characters are having a conversation, sometimes they won't just be standing there speaking, right? They might be doing something--like making coffee or folding laundry--and adding that in as they're speaking really helps set a scene. It's also incredibly great to add in minute details about facial expressions, tone change, body language shifts in the middle of sentences or between them. Because maybe the character speaking is getting angry, or the one doing the listening is having some sort of reaction to what is being said.

Dialogue should also generally always serve a purpose, which should help give you an idea of what to write and when. Is someone confiding something in someone? Having an awkward first meet? Calling to set up a date? Someone says something and it sparks a fight? Two characters are just being silly? There should always be a reason characters are conversing (which is sometimes just helping readers understand a personality trait about someone or learning a key detail about something), even if you have to throw in pleasantries or other things first that make sense before you can get the conversation to that point. And sometimes that's actually a fun challenge to figure out how to get there 😆

Off the top of my head, that's what I can think of for tips on dialogue at the moment. Hopefully at least some were helpful and not just old news to you. Obviously I also recommend editing a fic and giving it a reread at least once before posting, too. I'm insanely particular so I might edit something like 5 times before it goes up (and then still miss things). I just think that's a good way to catch errors or repeat words or ideas that might throw a reader out of the story.

As for the confidence to share your writing (or so it seems you meant, correct me if I'm wrong), honestly you just have to put it out there if that's what you want to do. I mean, don't feel obligated because you can certainly just write for yourself, but I'm not really sure what other advice to give on that unfortunately. I think any writer just takes the plunge. Sometimes a story flops, sometimes it gets a good reaction. Just try your best to not let it get to you if it doesn't go the way you hope (though whoever says it doesn't is lying because it is still rough to put so much effort into something and feel like it fell flat). But know you're not alone on that because there isn't a fic writer I know who doesn't get that feeling. Famous published authors even feel that way. We can't please everyone, but just try to have fun with it and don't take it too seriously at the end of the day. Do your best to ignore the negative feedback because for every one rude reader there will be multiple others who enjoy what you're doing. Try to focus on that!

But obviously, just have fun. Tell the story you want to read ❤

[fluxweeed]

Twenty Questions for Fic Writers

i've had so much fun reading other answers to these questions over the last few weeks!! thank you @nv-md and @sweet-s0rr0w for mentioning me in your posts!! i fear my answers drifted much too far into self-indulgence, but what's new for this blog eh??

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

22, but one of them is 11 separate drabbles/microfics in a 2k-word jacket

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

293,865

3. What fandoms do you write for?

i'll only ever write hp on this username!

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

all drarry:

the four doors (legilimency healer draco + memory loss)

adventures in truth and texting (advent texting fic)

all i have to do (draco thinks harry is a magical fantasy but whoops he's real)

eight o'clock, tomorrow evening (four doors sequel)

two to lie and one to listen (8th year fake dating, sort of)

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

i respond to everything on the final chapter of a fic! sometimes very kind commenters will say something at the end of every single chapter, which is SUCH a joy to receive, but i haven't yet figured out a way of saying "thank you!" 26 times over without sounding insincere

(i also don't usually respond to comments on fics i've co-written bc i don't feel like i have? the right? feels like i'm taking credit for something i did not really do!)

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

also drarry: for lack of wanting, wherein harry thinks it's sexy when draco acts like an evil dick again, and draco is too in love with harry to tell him that makes him feel weird

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

man i think all the rest are pretty happy, all things considered? tho i guess two to lie and wrapped are the only ones that end with explicit i-love-yous?

8. Do you get hate on fics?

i've been quite lucky, actually! i've had the occasional demand to change an angsty ending, or comments that have been quite mean about a character who isn't supportive of drarry. oh and i've had a couple of people get suuuper mad when draco malfoy, death eater and snotty spoilt brat, makes mildly immoral decisions. i've found all of those quite funny tho, which i'm sure i wouldn't if they were legitimate hate, so i don't think they count!

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

yep! the vibe of two characters wanting to fuck but knowing they shouldn't for some reason (uneven dynamic, magic stuff, they simply haven't had a fucking conversation about it) is my absolute favourite. will read it every time, will write it pretty much every time too 😅

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

the closest i've come to writing a crossover is say no to this, a fic vaguely based off the storyline of the song from hamilton. it was the first drarry fic i'd written in about 10 years!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

yep! not any under this username (that i know of), but someone re-uploaded an old drarry fic of mine to wattpad – and honestly, i don't mind at all. i don't think the fic is very good lmao, if someone else wants to take the blame for it, that's totally fine by me

(the wildest thing about it is the combined ff.net + wattpad views of that fic now top 2 million i think?! but despite that u have almost definitely not heard of it!! i've only seen it mentioned, like, maybe 3 times since i properly re-joined fandom spaces in 2020)

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

yes!!!! it's SUCH an honour!!! the four doors is in german, chinese, russian and spanish; thirst (drarry vampire fic) is in chinese; and all i have to do (the not-fantasy-harry fic) is in russian 🥰

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

yes!!! well, sort of – officially, i co-wrote per my last letter (i hope you choke on it) with @lastontheboat, but i really do think i was more like an alpha reader with knobs on. the workload split was at least 25/75, with j shouldering a great deal of the burden (and all of the brilliance)!

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

this is going to sound silly given that i'm definitely a drarry writer and only really hang out in the drarry sphere – but i don't have one! for hp, i gravitate towards ships with harry in them, but even that isn't a hard and fast rule for me

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

nothing that i've posted! but i have tons that are never going to see the light of day. three recent-ish hp ones i've written the most for:

a fic i call The Opus, which is a drarry auror partners fic – i have 16k words written; it was going to end up a solid 100k. i love the concept i have for this fic so, so dearly, but a 100k casefic is not happening.

a harry/ginny established relationship smutty oneshot that is really nothing more than ginny being fun and sexy and harry being horny but, like, self-deprecating about it.

a drarry little mermaid au that i wrote for nanowrimo in 2019. like i MIGHT come back to this one day? but it's unlikely. pros: i do have 50k of it written already and the first draft isn't too far off being complete. cons: i have almost exactly 50k words of it written bc i hit the nano goal and stopped in the middle of a sentence bc writing it was SO stressful (that november i had two jobs + one volunteering role, and also i was moving house, so. a lot going on.)

16. What are your writing strengths?

god knows. dialogue and characters come easiest to me, ig? and i tend to cut a lot in editing, so i don't think my stuff is? overly wordy? so it doesn't require much brainpower to read? that could be a positive or a negative, depending on how you look at it!

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

i suck at caring about anything other than character dynamics, so my fics never have plot outside of something vague to put the main pairing in the same room

similarly, i'm not very good at describing locations – describing anything, really

bc i tend to focus on the "oh we want to but we shouldn't!" moment, i'm pretty bad at actually developing feelings in longer fics – that part always feels too rushed to me, but fuck if i know a way of fixing it that isn't just, like, write another 20k

i think my endings usually feel like a bit of an afterthought and often quite forced

the more i write, the more i realise i know, like, 5 ways of phrasing anything, and i just repeat the same things over and over

i'm trying to fix my lack of skills with plotting + pacing by planning extensively before i start drafting, but i think that takes a bit of the spark out of the final version? it becomes a bit predictable and samey?

em dashes every tenth word

i'm convinced ppl i respect are in group chats talking abt how annoying and bad at writing i am, and also lowkey (…highkey) i agree with them – so actually getting myself to write anything is super hard!!

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

yeah man! i mean, i personally am not sufficiently confident in my skills in any other language to do it without help (and i'm not sufficiently confident in my skills in asking for help to do that), but it's fun to read imo

19. First fandom you wrote for?

i've dabbled in a few over the years, but the first was hp – it was a marauders era snape/lily/james love triangle fic that i posted on a forum on a hp roleplaying site – this was before deathly hallows came out, so i was very smug when my pairing theory (that i undoubtedly stole from someone cleverer than me, because i was 13 years old) turned out to be true

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

god. @decaflondonfog recently told me that drabbles don't really count, so i? don't know? perhaps still the pine-woods scent the moon (guilty remus/harry) or taste of țuică (established drarry bringing ron in as a third) are the ones i like best, but i don't love either of them enough to be able to confidently declare them my favourite!

u know the drill: i got too sad and anxious and unfollowed everyone so i have no idea who to tag. if u made it this far please know i do love you very much, i want to kiss u on the cheek at LEAST, and would love to know any thoughts u have about the things u make ❤️

[pebblysand]

Why was Ginny raped. It ruined it for me

I try and ignore it and actually kept on reading.

I like their family life looking forward to the next chapter.

you said you would hopefully be updating by the first weekend of June

you know what anon? this is gonna fall on you and i'm sorry. i suppose you caught me on a bad day.

but let me say this: i've fucking had it with DMs like these. the "why was ginny raped. it ruined it for me" kind.

it's been Three Years. Three Fucking Years. this plotline is announced, trigger-warned and flagged everywhere. in the tags. in the general A/N. in the A/N of that chapter in particular.

that is notwithstanding the dozens of tumblr posts i've written about this, which are mostly all linked in my pinned post. notwithstanding, either, my continued presence over multiple discords where i regularly answer questions about this. that is also notwithstanding that five minutes of googling will pull up a gazillion of reddit posts, going on and on about how "awful" and/or difficult a read this fic is, or how bad and Not Canon it is, or how unfortunate the plotline is, or whatever else someone in the hinny fandom has decided i've done wrong. at this point, i do not Fucking Understand how i'm still getting these anons. how did you not know this was what you were getting into? does the writer of Manacled still get these??

for the love of god, there's a million sweet, domestic!fluff hinny fics out there. there's also a million angsty-but-not-too-much or angsty-but-as-a-romantic-trope hinny fics out there. Go 👏🏼 Read 👏🏼 Something 👏🏼 Else! 👏🏼 this isn't the happy-ever-after domestic life vibe you want! i've never sold it as such! Leave Me Alone!!!! 🤣😅

also, babes, you're not even going to like next chapter. because as also previously announced, next chapter deals with the #MeToo movement, where obviously ginny's experiences will be discussed, and where once again, i will inevitably be getting these people in my DMs. like: why was ginny raped? because rape is a weapon of war. because violence against women is a weapon of war. because this fic has chosen to depict that.

i got so many DMs and anons like these in the early days of castles that it almost convinced me the fic was so hard to read, it was absolutely unbearable, and thus unreadable. i understand that this type of story is uncommon in the hinny sphere, and i understand the idea that ginny might have been assaulted is shocking and surprising to a lot of people, but i also think we need to all take a deep breath and recognise that castles is By Far not the most shocking or surprising thing to have ever hit the internet. it's a good story. it's a reasonable story. it's a story written with empathy and care, and respect for this journey.

yet, there was a period of time where these messages got so bad i wouldn't even dare mention it by name on discord or anywhere outside of my tumblr because i was so afraid of the very thought of it would trigger people. all that talk made me feel like a bloody criminal for ever daring to write this, daring to think this was even a possibility. but you know what, actually? these things happen in Every 👏🏼 Fucking 👏🏼 Armed 👏🏼 Conflict! the fact that ginny got assaulted is, actually, statistically, not that surprising. and maybe, if we talked more about it, and read more about it, it fucking wouldn't be as common. if we didn't put our heads in the sand because it's not fun entertainment to think about.

and, to be clear: i'm not forcing anyone to read castles. if the contents are triggering for you (or if you simply don't like stories that deal with SA, or if you simply don't like my writing, or Literally Any Other Reason), then by all means, don't read it! but don't come and tell me the SA plot "ruined" it for you when you've been forewarned all other that this was what the fic was about and there's millions of other fics for you to read out there. angst has a right to exist in the hinny fandom. controversial discussions of war have a right to exist in the hinny fandom. you don't have to like them, you don't have to read them, but don't blame people for writing them.

and this anon angers me even more cause you rage-baited me into responding right away even though i have dozens of super kind and nice DMs and anons pending, which i've put on pause these past few weeks to focus on writing. you're wasting everyone's time here. and, also, don't come and tell me "english is not my first language", it's not my first language either, and yet i'd never have sent this anon to anyone, even in my wildest dreams.

as for the update, i'm late, i know. i'm working on it.

love,

p

[shadowfalllen]

14. how do you write emotional scenes? Do you ever feel what the characters feel? Do you draw from personal experiences?

33. Do you want to be published some day?

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

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

Hi eldritch and thank you for the questions, some of them really got me thinking ❤️ 14. First I need to sit down and think what I want to convey with the emotional scene. And based on that, plus what's happening on the scene, I need to dip into characters heads, like what are they both feeling at this very moment, what kind of emotional charge are they coming into this scene with, what memories and past experiences of theirs are relevant that might affect what they say and how they act and feel. And then I go from there to write out the actual scene. I definitely feel what the characters feel, I go, or should I say slip, into their head so easily. So that's why when I write angst, it can get pretty hard for me, especially if me myself and I are not feeling 100% atm. I do draw from personal experiences when I'm writing, if there's at least a little bit that I can relate to from my own experience, I use it to help see things from that character's pov or to imagine what they're feeling. It also adds to really feeling the angst 😅 but then again it goes the other way too, like when the characters are in love and feeling positive feelings 😊 33. I used to want it a lot, but I think that dream has changed a bit. At the moment I enjoy writing fanfiction as a hobby, at my own pace, and posting it on ao3. Who knows, maybe the feeling changes again someday but to just know people are reading (and apparently liking??) my writing, is making me feel very content at the moment 😊 40. Oh gosh, so many tbh🥲I mean wouldn't mind some spicy art from my smutty oneshots (like um... the goddess one 🥵) or perhaps the accident-filled meeting of barista Shadowheart and Clara from Before The Last Brew. But of course my mind mostly wanders upon To Defy The Gods. Would love to see a kiss between my redemption DJ Shadowheart and Tav, or perhaps [Spoilers ahead for those who aren't up to date until ch 9] the moment when Shadowheart defied Shar for the first time for Tav or perhaps when Shadowheart called upon Selûne's aid when they all were about to perish and became her cleric [spoilers end here]. But I think scenes that I would like a lot to see as artwork haven't even happened yet (I pretty much have the whole plot of the fic outlined until the last chapter), some epic moments ahead I can't reveal yet. There's even one coming in the next chapter that I would love to see as an art piece 👀 56. This is a hard one as I am very self-critical and tend just to see things to improve on in my writing. But I've been told that I'm good at writing smut scenes, bringing both tender and spicy to it. But I suppose what I most pride myself on is my ability to go into characters head, for example in To Defy The Gods I've written a lot of scenes from Shadowheart's pov and I feel I've done a good job writing things from her perspective, what she would say and how she would react based on what she has experienced.

[legacyshenanigans]

Hello B!! I'm back at it again with Rominis shenanigans and ideas for you today are:

First time Rowan showed Omi his werewolf form. I know he can't really see the whole thing but you know what I mean....I just think that also could have been a nice moment between the two. I feel like the amount of trust between these two had to be strong for Rowan to feel comfortable showing him that side of him and Ominis not being afraid of him. 🥹❤️🐺🐍 (If you haven't written it already that is)

And the other one is just the usual chaos and this one is the stereotypical dog (or wolf in this case) Vs cat moment. Maybe Omi is looking after a stray kitten or someone asked him if he could watch their cat for a few days and the cat just decides to crash on Omi's bed obviously invading Rowan's territory not to mention Omi could be giving the kitty all the attention. I donno just the image of Rowan being jealous of a little cat could be really funny 🐺🐈

Don't worry I'll eventually ran out of ideas I've been known to get an art block pretty frequently (so you won't have to deal with my chaos anymore). If that happens expect another spam of memes 🤣❤️

As always have a wonderful evening B!! ❤️❤️

Your little Dragon friend 🐲❤️🐍

I always love your Rominis asks my lil Dragon 💚 and I love your memes too! Haha. I hope you're having a good evening/day too, I had a nap, and I've not long woke up 😅💜 yeah I can do these for you 😊💚

Rominis 🐺💚

Pets and Scratches.

First time Rowan transformed in front of Ominis.

Ominis and Rowan: *walking in the woods together*

Ominis: I was thinking?

Rowan: Oh?

Ominis: I havn't been around your werewolf form yet *smiles*

Rowan: I..Well..I wasn't sure if I'd ever want to reveal that side of me, not to you anyway..I never want to frighten you.

Ominis: You wouldn't frighten me, Rowan? I like you, you wouldn't hurt me, why would I be frightened? *soft grin*

Rowan: *stares at Ominis for a moment with a slightly concerned look on his face before he slowly transforms*

Ominis: (??)

Rowan: *sits in front of Ominis in his werewolf form, looking at him through almost sad eye's*

Ominis: *reaches out and feels Rowans wet nose and giggles, then feels the fur of his head*

Rowan: ....

Ominis: *pets and scratches Rowans head with a sweet smile*

Rowan: *tail wags as his face relaxes*

Ominis: ...How do you feel?

Rowan: *even deeper, more hoarse voice* Oddly calm..

Ominis: *chuckles* Do you like pets like this?

Rowan: ..The only people that have ever petted me in Wolf form were my parents..So, yes, it feels weirdly nostalgic.

Ominis: I'm glad..I'll always give you pets if you need them *endearing grin*

Rowan: *crinkles his nose and bares his teeth like he's smiling*

Cats and Dogs

Rowan doesn't like cats. Especially not cats that are taking Ominis's attention.

Rowan: *wandering into Ominis room* Hey, baby.

Ominis: *chilling on his bed with a cat* Hey *smiles*

Rowan: *notices the cat and tenses up, letting out a growl before his hand shoots up to his own mouth*

Ominis: (?!) ..Did you just growl?

Rowan: ..Why is there a cat here?

Ominis: I think it's a little stray, think it came in through my open window, and just decided to have a little rest on my bed with me *smiles*

Rowan: ...Urgh...I dont like cats.. And why does it look so cosy next to you *small frown* and why are you petting it.

Ominis: Awww come on, Rowan, don't be jealous *chuckles*

Rowan: *slowly approaches the bed, his eyes glued to the cat, as he sits down next to Ominis*

The little cat: *gets up and sniffs at Rowan*

Rowan: *nose twitching*

Ominis: Rowan?

Rowan: ...Urgh. it's sniffing me.

Ominis: *giggles*

Little cat: *sits on Rowans lap*

Rowan: *small growl* URGH. It's sitting on me!

Ominis: *bursts into a fit of chuckles*

~

[zephyra-in-the-house]

Heya zephyra

How're u doing 💓

Um u got any tips on how to start or make a fanfic ?

I wanna write my own fanfic I just don't know how to start

I already got my OC done and the back story of my OC

The only problem is how to start 🫤

Thought maybe ask someone with experience like u ❤️‍🔥

So u got any tips or advice ?

Thanks 😁🫱🏻‍🫲🏼

That's a good question!

Honestly, I'm not sure how I've managed to get this far in my writing. It amazes me just how many people follow Second Chances and continuously read each new chapter. I never once thought that I'd get to this point but I'm very grateful for all the love and support I've been shown because it just motivates me to keep writing~

With that aside, I started out on a pretty big scale when I first started writing fanfics. I've written two so far and basically it started as one little scene that I had in mind and then I built around it.

I'm not sure how other writers do it but I think my way may be a little unorthodox LOL

I say that because I never start at the beginning. In fact, most of the time, I will get inspired and think of a scene to write but it's almost never a beginning scene.

Instead, I always end up coming up with little scenes that are sprinkled throughout the entire length of the story. It could be a certain kind of hug or a fight between certain people or one particular conversation or something simple like that. I will then take those little puzzle pieces and splatter them all over my canvas called Google Docs. Then I go through and I reorganize each scene based on where I think they would fit during the story's progression.

Therefore, I ended up with a canvas that had various colors splashed on it.

Since the beginning, I always knew that I wanted to start with that first chapter where Macaque gets food from "Pigsy’s". That was my absolute starting point no matter what.

So, I wrote that and then I went through my colorful canvas of ideas and I split it into sections. Each section was for a specific chapter. Now, after I wrote that first chapter, I developed a process where I have the current chapter I'm working and then a more or less concrete sketch of the next 2-3 chapters to come.

I don't write more than that right away. I have ideas for chapters beyond that but nothing concrete. That's because a fanfic is constantly developing. There is no way to make concrete plans. What you plan for chapter 10 might be completely changed because of something that you thought of for chapter 6. Or you could end up writing more than intended for one chapter and have to split up certain chapters (*cough cough* the shopping trip *cough cough*). Either way, I've learned that it's better to be flexible with what you plan to post when it comes to fanfic.

That's kind of how I started and that's how I've been making Second Chances so far.

In any case, I feel like I'm rambling at this point 😅 I could talk about writing techniques and strategies for days but!

My main advice is: you do you.

When it comes to writing, there is no correct way to do it. It's kind of like art in that way. You can add as many scenes or as many wild colors as you want or you could be a completely black and white artist or someone who only writes poetry.

Either way, the key to anything creative is to just do it. It doesn't have to be good. It doesn't have to be perfect. I can't count how many times I've written something and then came back to it and gone "that's absolute shit what the fuck was I thinking". On the flip side, I've also had times when I write something and toss it to the side and I come back and I'm like "Who the fuck wrote this cause I know it wasn't me man that shits too good" 😆

So just write what you want to write and make it as simple or as complicated as you want it to be. The best thing I ever did was get into the habit of writing just to write. Whether it was a memoir or a poem or a short scene in a story I'm doing, I just write. Freeball it.

Thank you! I wish you well on your adventures!

[yoonia]

Hey Dia, I meant to add this to my last ask but have you ever had (or do you have) any desire to write a seven deadly sins AU at some point? And if you do, do you know who you would cast as who? And if it’s cool sharing with you, I have 2 different fic outlines; one I made back in 2020 and another one more recently (which is a remake more or less).

From what I’ve read in the past, a lot of times the members (as the embodiments of the 7 sins) are portrayed as being pure evil and stuff, which isn’t bad by any means. If I ever write my own fic though, I would probably do something slightly different. Like yeah, I’d likely write the members as the embodiments of the 7 sins (like other fics) and maybe they would appear evil at first, but I would also probably humanize them and then get redeemed. Another idea I’ve had in mind is writing them as separate stories with different OCs, but they would all be in 1 book and in the same universe.

As for who I would cast as each of the sins, I’m still figuring it out. Like, I’d probably cast someone with a sin that would either be the polar opposite of their personality irl, or just simply choose one that I think the members give vibes of. For example, I’ve thought about associating Yoongi with the sin of sloth because he’s known to be a hard-working person, which would make a nice contrast. But in more recent memory, now I think he gives off a lot more wrath vibes. I mean, look at his solo albums. He’s savage spitfire straight up, lol. But hey, that’s just my opinion 😉

I was inspired from a video I saw on a YouTube channel called “school of life”. If you’re curious, you should totally look up their seven deadly sins video. Even if you don’t have plans to write a fic on this au, I’d still give it a watch. It really goes deep in depth with how the 7 sins align from a psychological perspective.

Anyway, take care again!💜

(Actually, come to think of it, it’s good that I sent this ask separately because I tend to underestimate how much I tend to write when sending messages, haha…😅)

Don't worry about sending long messages haha I always love it when you come and share with me your ideas and stories since they're so creative. You know, I always love the idea of portraying the members as the seven deadly sins. I know I've read some of the good ones written in the past under this same trope.

I also love your idea about writing them as the embodiment of the seven sins but not at all evil. I think it'll be more interesting to write something more human out of this trope, since a lot what I've seen always lean towards a darker theme. Which is understandable since they are meant to be sins.

As a matter of fact, I did plan a series based on the seven deadly sins. It was published for a while (with only one story out) before I decided not to continue it. The series was called Ghostown which is now saved in my archive, and it was meant to be progressively darker as the chapters continue. I didn't specify which sins the members were in the masterlist since I was planning to do a little game with the readers and have them guess who was which, but things didn't go as planned because I've discontinued it since. Here's the overall role placements though if you're interested (under cut because spoilers lol)

Gosh, you got me opening an old draft again haha. I also only realised now that I named Jungkook's part as Dreamers...long before his song came out...and I mean looonnng ago lol

Anyway, I fully support you for writing this idea if you ever get the chance to. I also always love the concept of writing different stories in one universe. It just gives us a different kind of experience when you create an entire universe that way with interlinked stories made in it.

ps. Yoongi as wrath??? I'm seeing it. I think the character he portrayed in Hageum MV totally showed this side of him.

[cryingforhyo]

i guess it's safe to say that I'm one of your old readers in this fandom. 😅 I've been a reader since you drop Push and Pull out on that holiday night.

I read most of your fics too. there's only one or two fic that I haven't read in the past year because life is a bit hectic now.

this is not a subtle request btw, but I'm curious if you have a 'verse focused about coming-out or realizing one's sexual orientation. I don't exactly remember every detail but, iirc, most of your fics' characters have implied sexuality which are lesbians.

It will be cool to know how you guys write about the experiences of coming out from your time period. ( I don't mean to make you feel so old 😭 but I know you two are in your 30s and are wiser and more experienced than we are (early 20s) ) I remember reading a post that it was really a different social scene compared to now.

maybe I'm also curious how you two became friends, then roommates *cough* *coughhhhh* and then wives because tbh I'm surrounded by hetero couples irl that reading about you two fascinates me.

I'm sorry for this ramble. feel free to ignore it too if it's borderline invasive. and sorry if you'll see this on a Monday morning

first off, thank you dear reader for being with us for so long! time surely flies when you're having fun, because wdym push & pull is approaching its 3rd anniversary??? creating for this fandom has been such a joint delight for the both of us, and we're just happy to share the journey with friends like you :) take your time re the new fics, esp if they're wips! we're working on them relatively slower, because life has also been hella hectic hereabouts.

onto your second query: i think this question is very interesting, actually! to address it head on, for this particular fandom i don't think i've written a 'verse where the specific challenge for any of the characters is coming to terms with their sexuality. i quite like living in this fantasy world where people are simply as-is-where-is lesbians haha. for example in our childhood best friends to lovers stories, when someone realizes their attraction, the realization is not so much about falling in love with another woman, but about falling in love with this specific person.

this way, it's the characters' shared context and history that makes their dynamic compelling, instead of the much more global milieu of lgbt relationships existing alongside all these issues and history, etc. which i also think are interesting stories to tell! but for purposes of this fandom in particular, which i think exists in a sociopolitical context that is beyond my expertise--i leave those stories to better-positioned storytellers :) in the true spirit of creating in this era, i do not want to get anything so egregiously wrong it will detract from the reader's experience.

but seriously, i have been obsessed about writing coming out/ coming of age stories for the longest time, mostly for my original work, which are set locally with local OCs. they were all i wrote about back in the day, so i guess for fanfic i figured i could instead try all the other tropes that weren't so close to real life, where coming out can be fraught and complicated. it's for the same reason that i don't write compulsory heterosexuality (comphet) or i avoid writing men as third parties in general... i've already spent a significant chunk of my writing life writing /that/ story, or at least that’s how it felt like.

but you make a good point! i'd love to try revisiting that coming out/coming of age trope and give it some aged-up flavor. let's see about that :)

on a personal note, many times when i look at today's digital landscape, I often go, thank god [this or that] did not exist just yet back in the day [or at least not in this manner] when i was figuring my shit out, because oh boy. the clout i could have chased and cancellations i could have booked haha.

suffice it to say i'm happy the digital footprints of past egregious mistakes are now buried with the deaths of old platforms. we were very lucky to have lived and loved and lost in an age where the internet could still afford some measure of forgetting.

(i know there's probably no going back to that kind of landscape, but i hope it's not too late for us to be a little kinder to each other, and definitely more forgiving of ~youth and elderly~, given how fast information cycles around these days and how wide the age range of users concurrently using the same digital spaces right now can be. it's NUTS.)

that said, c would like to clarify she is still in her twenties! hahaha. i confirm this. i also confirm that you're right to say i (k) am already out of my twenties haha.

we actually became friends through fandom! we met on tumblr lmao because that's where you met other wlw back in the day (idk if that's still where people are, istg i would not survive the current dating landscape either!) so i would not be exaggerating when i say fandom brought us together, and we're still cycling through fandoms together, having been to various ones in the past handful of years. that said we look forward to more fandoms to add to our list lol.

thanks for this ask - it's actually the PERFECT thing to see on a monday morning, in fact. hope your week goes well!

[m34gs]

Tag Game:

Twenty Questions for Fic Writers:

Thanks to @voxofthevoid for tagging me 💜💜💜 I loved all your answers btw. (also sorry I haven't been doing a lot of tag games lately; if I don't get the notification at the exact moment I have both time and motivation, it tends to not get done...😅)

How many works do you have on AO3? Currently I have 87 posted fics!

What's your total AO3 word count? 589 678

What fandoms do you write for? Currently I am actively writing for: Blue exorcist, Twisted Wonderland, Bleach, and Haikyuu!! I also have fics posted for: BNHA, JJK, Fire Force, and Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc I am planning to post more fics in some of those fandoms again, and I have more I would like to eventually write for :)

What are your top five fics by kudos? This was interesting for me; since I don't usually organize my stats by kudos...lol! United - BNHA Hogwarts AU (first fic I started posting on AO3...kinda surprised because I haven't touched this one in almost a year...I just really lost a lot of my motivation to work on anything related to HP, however loosely it may be...though I guess this might have the most simply because it's my oldest) The Ones You Lose are the Ones I See - BNHA au where Izuku has a quirk that allows him to see ghosts (again; surprised...I haven't had much time/energy/motivation to work on this one either) Lost - Haikyuu!! mer au; Shouyou gets lost from his pod and has to find his way back home. I wrote this one in my first 2 years of writing on AO3...I was very into Haikyuu at the time lol. The Sushi Protocol - Fire Force, Part of the Bar AU @kimium and I came up with together. Licht has some very poor dietary habits and once Companies 7 and 8 catch on, they intervene. Unforgiving Winter - BNHA AU where Katsuki and Izuku get stuck outside in the cold as children. (heed tags and warnings)

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? I do! I love interacting with people who enjoyed my writing, and I like to discuss my ideas, so it's a win-win when I get a lovely comment and then get to discuss the fic in more depth with someone!

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Hmmm, probably Unforgiving Winter (as listed above). I think that's the one I've gotten the most comments about breaking people's hearts on. That being said, angst is subjective and I've got more than a few angsty fics (my friends know I was an edgelord child at heart even if I wasn't allowed to show it and I have only gotten worse with my angsty bullshit hahaha)

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Not 100% sure. Probably Three Orange Hearts (Haikyuu UshiHina Youtuber AU)? I think that was one of my happiest fics and it has a pretty fluffy and happy ending for me. But, to be honest maybe someone has a different opinion. I started writing more fluffy/happy fics because of @kimium. (she challenged me to do so and I love her for constantly helping me grow in my writing)

Do you get hate on fic? I wouldn't classify it as hate, but once in a while I will get a comment that is worded rudely or sounds like they're criticizing how I've written characters. Usually for those I either ask for clarification because I may have misread the tone or explain what thoughts go into why the character is acting that way. I mean, when it comes to critique on how I've written the characters...the bottom line is I write them the way that makes sense to me and makes me happy, so I always will say if someone doesn't like the way I've done it they can always write the idea their way and have fun with it. Most times this clears up any misunderstandings and I feel like it encourages communication and learning. I don't like to feel like I've lashed out at someone, it makes me feel bad.

Do you write smut? Yes :D and unless you're one of my trusted adult friends who ask me where it is, you will never find out where I post it. Mwaahahahahaha

Do you write crossovers? Yup! The Glorious Bar AU is a giant crossover of all the fandoms @kimium and I decide to mash together! And I am currently working on my first AO3 contribution to our Sort of Saw Franchise AU for Twisted Wonderland. I hope to post it soon! (see my pinned post for links to all the asks where Kim and I have discussed this AU!)

Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not to my knowledge...but I've also locked down all my fics because of the AI scraping bullshit

Have you ever had a fic translated? Yes! I was very honoured!

Have you ever co-written a fic before? Currently Kim and I are co-writers for the Bar AU and the Saw AU! It's not necessarily one fic, but multiple fics in the same AU gathered in series!

What's your all-time favourite ship? I'm not sure if I have an overall favourite that I like more than all my other favourite ships...Right now, I'm really into Kalim/Idia from Twisted Wonderland. It makes me happy and I have been writing a lot for them.

What's a wip you want to finish but probably won't? I hate to label anything as "never going to finish" because I honestly always have plans to finish a story. I don't know if I have the heart to say I probably won't finish one. I do have a lot that I have taken a long break from though.

What are your writing strengths? I've had people tell me they really love how I write characters in fics, and that they enjoy my worldbuilding in AUs; I like to think those are my strengths.

What are your writing weaknesses? Scenery and describing it. I almost always have to go back and tweak things a little to make sure I didn't forget to include enough of the setting; but I am getting better at it.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I would not feel confident enough to do most languages as full conversations (maybe a little German? though the Duolingo Owl probably feels otherwise based on how long it's been since my last lesson...) but I could probably manage a few phrases if a characters says something in another language in canon (like Rook Hunt).

First fandom you wrote for? Ever? Ever ever? I wrote a few chapters of a One Direction fanfic when I was 15 and it will never see the light of day again. I deleted it...lol. It wasn't posted on AO3, since I wasn't on the archive at that time.

Favourite fic you've written? I don't choose favourites among my children... (Right now it's A Different Kind of Magic; a multichapter Kalim/Idia fanfic set in an AU where Idia has to teach Kalim and Jamil to master their magic before it consumes them)

Well that was fun! I don't know if I have 20 writer friends/mutuals who are actively writing/posting fics to tag (who also haven't already been tagged...lol), so I'll tag the ones I can think of! If I miss you or you see this and want to join in, feel free!!

@kimium (sorry for tagging you so many times in this post lmfao), @collisiondiscourse, @sailormew4, @iluvmilkchoco, @vermillionair13, and anyone else who wants to join! No pressure, it's all for fun if you want to do it! 💜💜💜

[maleficore]

Saw someone else do it and I think I've done this before too, but the list has grown since then a bit so here's my current lineup of read dead wips that I'm working on!! :D Minus the stuff that's already posted on AO3 cuz I see no point in doing a synopsis for things that have left my google drive and you can go and read ahah.

Turned out loooooong so lookie under the cut if you're interested in knowing what I'm up to.

Morston Soulmate AU (title tba, multichapter, around 20-30k when finished) - An AU where you can feel all the injuries your soulmate gets, both minor and major ones. There's no soul marks, seeing your soulmate get hurt and connecting the dots is the only way to find out. Has a lot of time skips and focuses more on feelings than events, but starts out pre-canon when John almost gets lynched and works its way towards the end of the canon story. Chapters alternate between Arthur's and John's POV. Canon compliant :)

RDR2 "Modern AU" (title tba, multichapter, long as shit) - I only call it a modern AU for the sake of simplicity... I'm not sure if it counts as one. Set in 1999 and focuses on the case of Arthur Matthews -- a 36 year old adoptive son of the infamous criminal defence lawyer Hosea Matthews, who went missing without a trace for six months and then reappeared miles from his hometown, seemingly unharmed, but also... not quite right. Delusional, confused, suffering from some sort of memory impairment. The story is about Arthur struggling to adapt to being back home in a reality that is apparently foreign to him. Outsider's/John's POV, but not really shippy. It can be read as pre-slash, though.

My Self-Indulgent Jesse/Arthur fic (another title tba lol, it's too early to tell but I'm thinking multichapter? A collection of scenes from 1878 to 1899) - This one is for me and me only, though I will eventually post it 😂 Written in second person, like a reader-insert and can be read as one if someone wants to, but I am including Jesse's backstory and feelings that are way too specific to be immersive for anyone but myself... I'm working real hard to write it in a way that portrays growing up queer in that time somewhat realistically, so it's not always pretty, but I do try to keep it not that depressing. Features: Jesse's early-life backstory, the story of the scar, his first Gay Experience, how his brothers died, the ups and downs of his relationship with Arthur, why they eventually broke up for what felt like last time, how he got arrested (altered RDO storyline bit) and how he got back up with the gang. I'm planning to do a rough rewrite/fix-it of the canon story with him in it too, but that's... an "one day" thing ajsddjfk

Morston Omegaverse (title tba, one shot, around 10-15k probably? I can't keep things short, sorry) - Young-ish and freshly presented Alpha John, "Closeted" Omega Arthur. Ngl this one is smutty as hell... but! I think my take on omegaverse is rather fun (very transgendered) and it's porn WITH not without plot so something for everyone there lol. John's POV again + lotsa feelings, misunderstandings and some angst :) Just the way I like it.

Vandermatthews Daemon AU (had a title but ao3 yeeted my draft and I forgot what it was, oops)- I say Vandermatthews, but it's more of a "curious couple, unruly son" genfic than real slashfic 😅 This is supposed to be the beginning a series of oneshots from different characters' POV. This one is maybe a 1/3 done (needs a serious rewrite tho) and written from Hosea's POV. It's about him and Dutch finding and taking in young Arthur -- a very traumatised child who has undergone intercision and therefore lost his daemon. More of a collection of vignettes from that moment to when they take in John than a real coherent fic tho. The next one is going to be John's POV coming of age thing and we'll see where my brain will go from there. I want to do a separate big ass post about this one later because I have Opinions on the gang members' daemons that I need either challenged or validated...

1907!John/Isaac fic (title tba... a two parter, one set in the epilogue and the second is a RDR1 fix-it) - NOW HEAR ME OUT!!!!!! PUT DOWN THE GODDAMN PITCHFORKS FOR A SECOND PLS This is a plot bunny that Refused To Fucking Die. Isaac is obviously an adult in this (22), they have never met before, and the story begins in the months where Abigail and Jack were gone and John worked alone on Pronghorn ranch. It's not so much a romance (despite the slash) but more two people dealing with different types of grief in Very Unhealthy ways, okay. It's supposed to be a bit iffy because of that and the... 12 years of difference between them in this universe. I'm not trying to make this shit uwu or anything. It's also a bit of a daddy issues vent piece for me and I've been working it for MONTHS because I want to write this one right. This is the the fic I redacted in my last WIP showcase, but now decided that... fuck it. Here you go.

(Doubt anyone has made it this far, but if you did ily.. please lemme know what you think? My ask box is open for questions too... I love talking about the stuff I'm working on even if it's not posted yet ❤)

[salaapaoo]

PECULIAR QUESTION

Have you ever read any soulmate fics that have their deepest, darkest thoughts about themselves written on their soulmate's body? And when they finally begin to think differently the writing turns gold?

What do you think Cale's soulmate would have?(I know my boi is traumatized as f u c k-)

Maybe you could make it found family somehow where the thoughts are split up between people and they haven't figured out which set of writing belongs to Cale-

but I really want to know what everyone else would think- like, there would probably be some horrifying crap there.

(would a majority of the writing on Cale be golden already-? [Like obviously not ALL of it but still-])

Sorry, I rambled a bit there 😅

I'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THIS SO HARD !!! I DIDN'T FORGET THIS!!

my brain is kinda fried after finishing my finals, but!! I feel like Cale's would end up being smth kinda vague like "it should have been me." Orrrr smth about not deserving everything ??

Like yes... It's p straight forward, but imagine how they'd feel after learning about his past?? IF he opens up??

But also... Imagine the soulmate thing kinda doubles as healing..? If that makes sense? Just think about it... If one person believes something about themselves, but their soulmate is the only person who is able to help them heal themselves??

Nono!!! Keep going !!! I honestly haven't thought too much about the word soulmate aus 🤔 I had a moment where I was obsessed w like found family, and each person unlocking a colour for him (each person bringing a new colour into his world) or red string of fate (I had smth abt ws X Cale but tragedy??)

So ... I am , THIBKING SO HARD!!!

just ?? Imagine the kids?? Them having something seemingly simple like "I'm too weak" or smth about being "unwanted freaks" and then comes Cale...

Who gives them as much love as they need, patiently listening to them and letting them be kids.. ugh!!! Just?? They feel so safe with him and he helps quiet these negative thoughts so easily?

To others it might be obvious, but to them these "small" problems are massive boulders in their way... And the way Cale reassures them... It's so natural. No hesitation. Ugh I love them .

Just imagine if they appear w a searing pain? Or maybe for Cale, it feels the same as papercuts... Imagine the guilt he feels when his thoughts show up on the people he cares about... And it's just a cycle of self loathing.. where he thinks they would have been better off without him and then it shows up-

Uughgh... Just picturing him hating himself for the pain he brought to the kids because of his thoughts ...

NGL I read this wrong the first time BC I am, usually sleep deprived but like I thought it was like a lie. Like imagine someone having "living is best" show up on them but it's because Cale repeated it so much it became like a curse? He lived by those words because if he didn't then he wouldn't be able to keep going maybe?

Idk if I'm making sense anymore fjdkkfdkg

"I should have died" seems .. very likely for my brain

But if it's smth where it turns gold when they stop believing it... Imagine them all telling him he was meant to live and he just smiles and nods .. and it stays??

-

As for recommendations 🤔🤔 there was this one fic that was ogchch, soul mark au, forced cohabitation and I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!! I think I'm gonna go back and read it again

Come back anon 🥺🥺🥺 open Ur brain up n feed me Ur thoughts 🙏💖 I hope you enjoy this a bit 👉👈