#and many wips too 😬

[sissi2d]

Waiting for my writing juices to start flowing.

[stagefoureddiediaz]

Me trying to finish the final hands painting - got angry at how it was going and painted half of it out to try again 😬😬😬😭😭😭

[laura1633]

Fic writer interview thank you for the tag @481boxboxbaby and @souvenir116

Tagging @saviour-of-lord and @ilyarozanove (not sure if you have been tagged already and no pressure if you don't like tag games!) and anyone else who wants to do this feel free to use this as your invite.

How many works do you have on AO3? 155 - Wow okay I don’t know how I ended up writing so many.

What's your total AO3 word count? 1,076,320

What are your top 5 fics by kudos? 1. Preloved  2. Good Boy 3. A million times over 4. Weak 5. My Pretty Princess

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? I try to respond to comments and I have gotten a lot better at it. If I have ever not responded it's because I have left it too late and then panic over whether it's still appropriate to respond!! I read all comments though, it’s the biggest motivator so thank you to everyone who leaves comments on fics, I appreciate you all <3

What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending? Either ‘One last night’ or ‘Hitching a ride’ Both are open ended though. 

What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending?There are a lot that have happy endings but off the top of my head I will go with ‘A million times over’. It’s just an overall short cute one-shot.

Do you write crossovers? No

Have you ever received hate on a fic? If I have then I have forgotten about it because I can’t recall any hate coming in. I am sure there are plenty of people who hate my stories though, I’ve just been lucky they haven’t told me about it! 

Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Yes I do and lots of it. Almost any kind. Dom/sub, pain play, tentacles, omegaverse, lots of kinks, nice soft sex, loss of virginity. I would definitely say varied!

Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not stolen but hmmm I have seen something very close to what I have written. 

Have you ever had a fic translated? No, not that I have seen anyway. I have had people ask before but I am not sure if they ever actually translated them.

Have you ever co-written a fic before? No but I have spoken about it with @481boxboxbaby unfortunately I am disastrously disorganised so I don’t know if I should really inflict that on other people 😂 I do think it would be fun to have a fic with a set up and then multiple authors taking a chapter each to write the scenario from various drivers points of view. That would take a lot of organising though.

What's your all-time favorite ship? Lestappen

What's a WIP that you want to finish but don't think you ever will?There are so many of them, I have a folder full of random wips that will likely never be finished. At the moment I am fighting my way to try and finish a cowboy Max au one shot, I have started it and deleted it soooo many times, I will finish it though, it’s just not clicking right now! 

What are your writing strengths? I guess maybe just having a certain level of creativity when it comes to coming up with ideas. That can also be my downfall because there are too many ideas pinging around for me to concentrate on one! 

What are your writing weaknesses? I always say that my writing style is more about a general vibe rather than it being grammatically correct 😬

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic? I’ve personally never done it. I’d have to use google translate and I wouldn’t trust that it would read properly.

What was the first fandom you wrote for? F1

What's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet but want to?Charles/Oscar or Max/Rico Verhoeven. I will get around to writing them eventually

What's your favorite fic you've written? It’s probably recency bias but the fic I am writing and posting right now “Preloved” is probably my favourite. I think it's also super encouraging when people are commenting and enjoying the story so it has made the whole thing more enjoyable. I will definitely be writing some more multi chaptered fics going forward. Of the one shots maybe The Sweetest Deal because it plays into my love of babygirl Max.

[imagineitdearies]

Hey I loved loved loved your fanfiction as I’m sure everyone here did but now I, going through withdrawals I can’t find anything similar or as good as yours. So I’m curious what your favourite bg3 fanfiction are?

Hey there!! Awww, thank you ☺️ I sort of got super focused on writing PS for a while there, so I can't say I know of all The GreatsTM in this fandom. I will share what I have enjoyed/am currently reading though (almost all of it involving Astarion), but anyone else should feel free to add your favs in the comments!!

As always, please check tags and read at your own discretion!

Finished ones I've enjoyed:

Seducere by Tlon ~ Astarion/nb!Tav ~ Astarion doesn’t need a reflection to know himself – two hundred years of servitude has shown him exactly what he’s good for. Odd that his new partner seems to disagree.

Nothing is safe by foxflowering ~ Wyll/Astarion ~ "Wyll's the sort of prince-type I would have once dreamed of marrying. When I was about thirteen."

Carving through the dark by skitter ~ Astarion/f!Tav ~ Wren and Astarion descend into the Underdark in search of a new purpose, and learn a few things along the way. Namely, that healing isn't linear and sometimes love takes the long way round.

Astarion Origin Party Nonsense by starkraving ~ Astarion/Karlach; Astarion/Cazador, sort of Astarion/Wyll? ~ A collection of things that ostensibly happen in the same little mental universe. Loosely based on the events of an Origin Astarion run and the various questions it inspired. (All but one in the series is finished so I'm counting it, lol!)

All Our Missing Parts by Viraaja ~ Astarion/Halsin ~ Halsin discovers Astarion was turned before his maturity and all the sacred elven rites that come along with it. Including the sex one.

Friday Nights by SadinaSaphrite ~ Astarion/Gale ~ Professor Gale Dakarios loses his research, his magic, and his lover Mystra all at once and only has himself to blame. When he goes to drown his sorrows, he meets a pale stranger with mysteries of his own.

visions of your love by LargeOctahedron, notyournoise ~ Shadowheart/f!Tav ~ Shadowheart is tired of doubting - of feeling her heart twist whenever she looks at Tav without knowing whether they feel the same. One night, tired of sitting and hoping Tav will approach, she tries to read their mind, only to find them in a rather compromising position.

WIPs I'm following:

Palmarosa by thespectaclesofthor ~ Astarion/Raphael ~ Astarion is stuck in the darkness once more, yearning for sunlight with every fibre of his being, while bitterly reflecting on all the things that were denied to him. Raphael knows Astarion's desperate, and comes to him with not one, but two horrid contract offers that Astarion loathes and dreads in equal measure - but the prize at the end of both are too good to turn down.

To Defy the Gods by ~ Shadowheart/Tav ~ Dark Justiciar. Mother Superior. Shar's Voice Made Flesh. Her Chosen. Shadowheart had emptied her heart of falsehoods, of the illusion of life and love, and accepted the inevitability of loss. Almost.

A Dog's Retreat by ~ Halsin & Astarion, past Astarion/Cazador ~ For most, it was just the end of the Absolute. For Astarion, it was the end of two hundred years of agony. And the transition is steep and slippery. Now, all he can do is hope that there are enough pieces of him left for him to pick up and somehow put back together. Too bad hope has never been Astarion’s poison of choice.

A Warm House, A Ruddy Fire by DepravedJJJSchmidt ~ trans!Astarion/Cazador, trans!Astarion/m!Tav ~ Mr. and Mrs. Cazador Szarr have an ideal marriage. Astarion doesn't know if he will be able to survive another year of it. (And I don't know if I'll survive another chapter tbh, but like a burning building I can't look away 😬)

Alright, that's all I can think of! I'm a bit distracted all over again thanks to the original novel I'm working on now, but hopefully you find something new on this list you end up enjoying 🩵 this fandom is full of so many talented people!!

[flootzavut]

WIP folder game

I was tagged by @panur and @underthebluerain

Rules: make a new post with the names of all the files in your wip folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Tag as many people as you have wips. People send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, then post a little snippet or tell them something about it!

... all the WIPs? Okay I'm making an executive decision to make it all the somewhat active WIPs or we'll be here all day 😅 I feel like a fair number of these will actually be familiar to the people reading those fics, at least, 'cause I named the chapters/files sensibly for my own sanity.

consideration

Jack bumping into Jadzia in Garak's shop, her teasing him.

off leash 11

encore 3

where they met is where they lie

Vesp: You know what would really piss Jaskier off? If I got to fuck you before he did

TWN vignettes

Vespula teasing Yen because she obviously wants to sleep with Jaskier, and Jaskier being like No I Don't.

jadlian julzia

killing game

marry me a little

Post mountain, alternate Jask and Yen POVs of watching their soul marks from Geralt

Voyager returning from her unplanned trip into the Gamma Quadrant is news all over the Federation.

Meatball Psychiatry

Through the Looking Glass

Offensive

The first time Aziraphale touches Crawly there, they're still in the Garden.

"You won't break me, Sam."

Okay yeah I'm stopping before this gets ridiculous and I end up not remembering which files to look in if people ask 🤣 I have... too many WIPs, this is likely not even half, but it's (most of) the ones I've had a serious poke at in '24. Eep.

I'm terrible at remembering URLs 😬 so this will be a little random; if you're like "aww hell no" then feel free to ignore 😂 but also if you're like "but why didn't floot tag me" then please consider this tagging you, yes you personally, I'm preemptively tagging you 😘

@harplings-nest @brevityis @elysianholly @stiney @alleyesonthehindenburg @agentkalgibbs @naumaxia-art @karolincki @janjan-the-ninth @whatkindofnameisvolta @onekisstotakewithme @froginabogg @gavilansblog @remyfire @agirlwithachakram @vanillatumbleweedscoffee @swords-n-spindles @blvckwidow

[diazsdimples]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged by @dangerpronebuddie thanks friend!!

How many works do you have on ao3?

13! Will be 18 when I finish all my current wips (should be 19 but one has been abandoned 🥲)

What's your total ao3 word count?

230,841 words

What fandoms do you write for?

Exclusively 9-1-1, mostly because I deleted all my old British Actor RPF fics 😐

Top 5 fics by kudos:

1. Buck's Baby (By Accident) (Buddie)

2. For the rest of my life (for the rest of yours) (Buddie)

3. Sweet child of mine (Bucktommy)

4. In a drought I'll give you water (Buddie)

5. Fucking Finally (Finally Fucking) (Buddie)

Do you respond to comments?

Eventually 😬I try my best!!

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

None of my published fics have a shred of angst. However, Frostpunk AU is full of it so it'll be that

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

All of them?? But probably Sweet child of mine or For the rest of my life (for the rest of yours) for hopeful endings

Do you get hate on fics?

Not really? I did have one person get mad at me for events that transpire in Buck's Baby (By Accident) but idc really

Do you write smut?

No. Never. Smut is terrible.

(This is a blatant lie, 7/13 of my fics are smut and I have 3 wips that have smut)

Craziest crossover?

I don't write crossovers.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

If I have, I'm gonna throw hands

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I know of!

Have you co-written a fic before?

Currently co-writing 2 with @hippolotamus and @theotherbuckley!

All time favorite ship?

Buddie. Always Buddie. Will always be Buddie. Followed closely by Bucktommy

What's a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

I really hate to say this but probably my Single Dads AU. She's so beefy and the size of it has scared the hell out of me. As much as I love it, I don't think it gets as much traction as other wips and the beans just haven't been there.

What are your writing strengths?

I honestly don't know, I think I can write smut pretty well? And I'm not bad at cute stuff. The honest truth is I am extremely insecure about my writing abilities and think I'm average at best.

What are your writing weaknesses?

I struggle with dialogue as I often feel like I'm being too OOC. Also descriptions. I spend the most time sitting there thinking of how tf to describe something.

Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

I can google translate pet names and that's where I draw the line. I don't want people to say that I'm saying stuff wrong.

First fandom you wrote in?

Marvel and Sherlock, at the same time.

Favorite fic you've written?

Play me like a fiddle is my labour of love and the fact that it flopped the way it did made me so sad. My next favourite would be You've got me whipped (Brat!Buck BDSM fic) cause it was so out of my comfort zone but I feel like I did it well, or In a drought I'll give you water because I have never been funnier in a fic than in this one.

Tagging (if you wanna): @theotherbuckley @hippolotamus @daffi-990 @watchyourbuck @bidisasterevankinard

@neverevan @aroeddiediaz @spotsandsocks @alliaskisthepossibilityoflove @nmcggg

@jesuisici33 @wikiangela @loveyouanyway @cal-daisies-and-briars @exhuastedpigeon

@kitteneddiediaz @thekristen999 @actuallyitsellie @loserdiaz @elvensorceress

@underwaterninja13 @rainbow-nerdss @smilingbuckley @spagheddiediaz @steadfastsaturnsrings

@thewolvesof1998

[lizardperson]

lizardwriting wrapped 2024

because this whole thing deserves a little yearly review too...

after not writing anything for the public in sooo many years, i actually wrote quite a lot this year. only had to overcome the initial feeling of "cringe omg i can't post that 😬", and now have lost all shame and am enjoying myself immensely, subjecting the world to my bullshit. i think i actually improved quite a bit over the whole year.

AO3 STATS [link]

28 works 48,102 words total 18x ocworld: 17 short bits + 5 chapters Dark Lights, Shine Loud 7x fallout: 6 of those Courier Mika including 20 oneshot chapters Come All Sufferers (#fnv au) 2x star trek disco

---

SPOTLIGHT some points stolen from this list

.characters i thought most about: mika - light of my life, bane of my existence. the ultimate blorbo from my brain, bouncing around in there 24/7. she's terrible and i love her so much. (#mika tag) gabriel - grew SO MUCH this year, mostly thanks to the silly little fallout au. i have a lot of thoughts but not enough words. i love him so much. (#gabriel tag) special mention: fiona - what started out as daria's nameless dead backstorywife somehow turned into an actual character that has been living in my brain now extensively. little miss tortured poet. i love her. (#fiona tag)

.favorite title And there are days like this, too because it's the perfect throwback to the kinda-first part 4261 days. and i wasn't even the one who came up with it, that was @voidthing special mention: The Hills Have Eyebots. because it's just funny.

.favorite opening line

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Mika cursed when her can of energy drink let out the familiar hiss of danger. Despite her best efforts and a few quick sips, she still managed to spill some of it on herself and the couch. Great, another point for Nic's long list of things to be pissed about. As if the general mood in this apartment hadn't been shitty enough those last few weeks. Oh well, let her bitch then. [Dark Lights, Shine Loud]

is it my best line? nah, far from it. is it the perfect introduction to Mika? hell yea - cursing, consuming caffeine, and making a mess. what more do you need to know lmao. i just really like that one, still. the whole first chapter, actually.

.favorite piece of dialogue

"You didn't answer my question - you think we're doing the right thing here?" "Yes." There was not a bit of doubt in his voice. "You believe in our stupid plan?" "I believe in you." [Doing The Right Thing]

just sums up the whole fallout au and their dynamic so well, and also *clutches chest*

special shoutout to the close second, the "I'm not a lesbian" bit in In Whiskey Veritas

and another special shoutout to the last bit of Left My Heart In The Sierra Madre because. T_T

.favorite ending line

Falling in love with her best friend was such a bad idea, July thought, and yet she didn't know how not to. [Viola sororia]

it's so sappy. but 🥺🥺🥺

close second for a completely different vibe:

Freud would probably have something to say about distracting yourself from your shitty mother by sleeping with a woman roughly that same age. Good thing Freud was dead. [Mommy issues]

.favorite text overall 4261 days i still think this is the best thing i've written. for someone who does not have particularly much experience with grief in general, i really really like writing a lot about it somehow...

---

OUTLOOK 2025

the big multi chapter thingies are very far up my to do list, but yknow how it is with adhd brains - ohhh lets do that quick short text first, and that one, and that one *procrastinates the big ones*

BUT that is the plan:

. finally getting some more chapters into Dark Lights, Shine Loud. there are a bunch lying around as first drafts, but they still need some work. soonTM

. continuing the way-too-ambition plotheavy heistthing What Happens In Reno, Stays In Reno after those first few intro chapters. this requires an extensive brainstorming session to get the actual plot hammered together.

. the shiny new wip that i am itching for (because shiny and new), because it's gonna be a bit different in various ways so that makes it excitingTM

....and of course just continuing to write, overall. gonna keep my #fff streak up.

---

SPECIAL THANKS

@voidthing for basically being my secret co-author. always improves the quality by SO MUCH and is the bestest anyway 💕💕💕

the whole @flashfictionfridayofficial community - turns out a regular thing is really good to get a habit going, and also y'all are so nice and cool and just 💕💕💕

everybody who reads my stuff of course :D yes, i mostly write for myself, but of course it's always awesome if someone else likes my bullshit 🙏

[freewayshark]

Fuck It Friday

Tagged by @rewritetheending @devirnis and @eddiebabygirldiaz ☺️

Ha, well. I said next tag game I would stop being weirdly secretive about my wip, so here we are. Aaaaaand…it’s a zombie apocalypse, friends. With a big heaping dose of MCD. Don’t hate me 😬

They’d heard over the radio when it was still broadcasting that, supposedly, some people have escaped infection via immediate amputation. But if that’s even true it doesn’t help him, not now and not with where he was bitten.

They were so fucking close. They’ll be out of the city tomorrow, out of this fucking rat trap with death waiting at every corner. They almost fucking made it intact.

Tommy yanks some scratchy brown paper towels out of the holder, his eyes burning with tears he’s not going to let fall. It isn’t fair. To come so close to the relative safety of open country just to fucking lose it all at the last minute.

He wets them and scrubs the blood off his skin. When he’s done he stuffs the paper towels down to the bottom of the trashcan next to the door, and then after a second thought stuffs his ruined t-shirt down there too.

Almost against his will he’s drawn back to the mirror. Cleaning the blood off did nothing to make the wound look any better, but Tommy knows the severity doesn’t matter. He itches to clean it out better than with just wet paper towels, but they only have so many medical supplies, and he’s not going to waste them on himself. It’s not like he has to worry about that kind of infection anyway.

Tagging @fiona-fififi @transboybuckley @buckttommy @jewishbuckley @homerforsure @sibylsleaves @tenisperfection @gayhoediaz

[parkitrighthere]

✨💫The WIP Fairy is visiting your blog and wants you to share your WIPS! Share whatever you like! All of them or one of them, just the title or a brief synopsis. Put them out into the world to manifest some writing inspiration 📝🤍 then send this ask to your writer moots!💫✨

Hey, Anon!! First of all, THANK YOU for sending me this and being so patient while I, a certified procrastinator, took my sweet time responding. Honestly, my brain has been in 800 places at once, and my WIPs are literally taking over my life. Like, I can't even count them on my fingers anymore—probably need to borrow someone else’s hands at this point. 😭

Anyway, here's the tea: I'm a mess with too many ideas and absolutely zero time management skills. BUT!! I’ve decided to gift you guys something special, so I’ll post everything on Christmas (ya girl’s pulling through, I swear). And yes, they’re mostly Christmas-themed because I’m a sucker for holiday vibes.

Okay, let’s break it down:

Almost Romantic (2): Fully written, fully edited, and fully… sitting in my drafts for no apparent reason. (Don’t ask. I’m weird.)

Falling Past 9 to 5: Coworkers-with-benefits and whipped!JK. I mean, it’s Christmas, and whipped!JK deserves to shine.

Love Is in the Air and Ice Underfoot: Second-chance slow-burn with DILF!Namjoon. Yes, you read that right—DILF!Namjoon. You’re welcome.

Our Last First Love: Look, I can’t even explain this one without giving away spoilers, but trust me, it’s worth it. Just trust me on this. Pinky promise.

I’m so excited to share these with you guys! Thanks for sticking around while I fumble through life. I have some other wips too... but, for now, that's all you need to know about. 😬 Love you loads, and stay amazing. 💖 Also, hydrate and wear cozy socks—it’s cold out there!! 🥰

[bookish-bogwitch]

an ask game for writers to procrastinate working on your WIP(s)

thanks for tagging me @wellbelesbian!

1. 🦈Tell us the name of your/ one of your WIP(s): Basil Pitch's Diary. It's literally my only WIP.

2. 🍄Describe your WIP/one of your WIP(s) in the format of “___ + ___ =___” Bridget Jones's Diary + Carry On = We Love Baz, Just As He Is

3. 🌍What tags or warnings will one of your WIP(s) need if you intend to share it? Internalized homophobia, gaslighting, self-hatred. 😬

4. 🧭An alternative title to one of your WIP(s)? I never considered an alternative title to BPD, but the one that comes to mind now would be a huge spoiler. The alternative title to the next chapter is "I Fortunately Know a Little Magic," which is sassy and snappy (R.I.P. Howard Ashman) but less thematically relevant than the title I chose.

5. ⚠️Which WIP your most likely to finish or update next? Basil Pitch's Diary. Literally every other fic I've ever posted has been while "taking a break" from BPD, which could go on indefinitely if I let it, so I am bound and determined to finish this fucker before starting something else.

6. 💾What is your document of your WIP/ a WIP called? (not the stories actual title but what you’ve saved it as) I have a list for BPD called "Chapter Checklist." It contains subtle insights "Baz is an UNRELIABLE narrator."

7. 🖍Post Any sentence(s) from your WIP. Here's Baz and Dev in ch. 7:

“Will you stay for dinner?” 

“Can’t. Dev and I…”

As Niall told me about their plans I grabbed one of the football’s nylon loops and let Rusty tug on it as we walked. It seemed too late for Niall to have a date all the way in London, but what do I know about dates.

“Come with us,” said Niall. 

I grimaced. “No thanks. I’ll catch up with Dev when he’s not on molly and climbing down your throat.”

“You don’t ‘catch up’ at Beast Night. You dance.”

“With whom?”

“Men.”

8. ♻️A scrapped idea for your current WIP. I just looked in the trash folder of the BPD Scrivener project and found this note I don't remember writing:

Renée Zellweger would play Baz. People would be skeptical but she’d fucking nail it. Gaining weight for a role? How about growing eight inches, sprouting a happy trail, and joining the legions of undead. (Might as well cast Oscar bait.)

9. 🤔What’s a story you’d love to write but haven’t even started yet? A Watford-era get-together magickal mishap involving animal transformation and beloved children's literature. So, you know. The usual.

10. 🤡How many WIPS are you actively working on? Just the one. @facewithoutheart and I have a secret side project going that involves back-and-forth writing and it's stalled out on me. It's very fun and silly and I plan to return to it when I need a break from some of the angstier parts of BPD.

11. 🛠Is there a scene or anything in the WIP you are struggling with right now? I'm not working on any one BPD scene right now, but trying to map out the rest of the fic in greater detail so that I can roll from one chapter to the next. I was struggling for a couple of weeks with how to make an unavoidable canon plot point emotionally relevant to Baz's arc, but I think I figured it out last night. Phew.

12. ❤️Not a question, just a second Kudos to send. Kudos and tags to @cutestkilla, @thewholelemon, @whatevertheweather, @brilla-brilla-estrellita, @monbons, @onepintobean, @ileadacharmedlife, @ivelovedhimthroughworse, @skeedelvee, @im-gettingby, @imagineacoolusername, @iamamythologicalcreature, @youre-an-apocryphal-concept-223, @rimeswithpurple, @goblindad-emoshit, @facewithoutheart, @artsyunderstudy, @alleycat0306, @erzbethluna, @ebbpettier, @emeryhall, @f-ing-ruthless-baz, @hushed-chorus, @hertragedyconnoisseur, @ionlydrinkhotwater, @ic3-que3n.

[newpathwrites]

WIP Wednesday! Trying something new! Let’s hope I don’t regret this… 😬

Thank you @handspunyarns for the tag last week.

This is going to be a little different. I’ve been wanting to dip my toes into some original writing. As a teen, I was always outlining and starting novels and series and then never following through due to imposter syndrome. And then life happened, and I let it go until Din and trauma processing inspired me to try my hand at fanfic and attempt to revive my long lost writing skills (that’s a work in progress 😂).

A lot of trauma is coming back to the surface as my divorce becomes more contentious and all these old memories are being drudged back up. I’ll be honest, I had this brief thought that I’d like to write out everything he did and post it on Facebook for the world to see… but that’s not my MO, and furthermore, I can recognize the role of mental illness in his behavior. So instead, I’m going to write my experience for myself and share it here on Tumblr and AO3 as an original work.

Warnings for this snippet: references to verbal and emotional abuse, mentions of death of a family member, alcohol. Please heed warnings if this is a triggering topic for you!

————————————————————

Christmas was your favorite holiday.

It wasn’t the presents. It wasn’t the lights, music, food, or festivity - though you enjoyed those, too.

No.

-

It was the warmth of a loving family.

-

It was a lively Yankee swap, with as many classy gifts as goofy ones.

It was your conservative aunt arguing politics with your die-hard liberal and self-proclaimed ‘fabulous’ grandmother while they cut and served the turkey, the entire exchange ending as always with an agreement to disagree and a hug.

It was crowding into the living room to watch a movie while the little ones fell asleep in their older cousins’ laps.

It was adult siblings who lived too far from each other staying up into the late night hours reminiscing about a shared past life.

-

The holidays radiated contentment and comfort. You looked forward to it all year round.

-

Until you didn’t.

-

You married a man, had children, pursued your professional education.

And then he changed. Or rather, he revealed his true nature.

-

Holidays became a twisted game - one you would never win.

-

He didn’t get enough food… Wasn’t paid enough attention… Didn’t garner sufficient adoration from your relatives…

And it was all your fault.

He didn’t get the gift he wanted in the Yankee swap.

How could you let that happen?

How dare that family friend he dislikes be invited? You could and should have prevented that from happening.

Don’t you care about him?

-

Your family got together one last time for Christmas at your grandmothers’ time shared condo - a celebration of her illustrious life, lost to cancer the year before.

You begged him not to go, not to tarnish your grandmother’s memory with his self-centered toxicity.

He promised to behave, swore he would never do that to you.

-

The entire weekend was a nightmare.

He sulked.

And in between sulking and drinking, he yelled at you in the unit next door, intoxicated and upset about anything and everything.

Again, it was all your fault. And nothing you could do would ever be enough to fix it.

You were perpetually on the verge of tears.

-

Family members kept asking where he was, why he wasn’t joining for dinner. You had no rational answers.

Only your mother understood implicitly what was going on, and even she didn’t know the whole truth.

-

What was the truth?

————————————————————

To be continued…

No clue when or if this thing will be finished. Not sure anyone will care to read it or if I’ll even want them to… 🫣

Low pressure tags to post a snippet of a WIP if you’re so inclined: @court-jobi @sytortuga @the-kittylorian-writes @grogusmum

[runninonemptyy]

AO3 Wrapped 2024

Thanks @mybrainismelted @blue-disco-lights @jrooc and @em-harlsnow for tagging me!

I only started writing in September 2024, but I figured I’d do this anyway!

How many words have you written this year?

253,631

How many works did you publish this year?

4 complete, 1 WIP

What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)?

Circle Theory

What work of yours got more feedback than you expected?

Probably Life Itself. It came to me as such a last-minute idea and I just went ahead and wrote it. I still can’t believe how much it seemed to resonate with people. Also Through the Fog, since it was my first and I honestly didn’t even think people would read it!

Favorite title you used.

Probably Ghost of a Chance, the title of my WIP where Mickey is a famous ghost hunter. Always love a ridiculous play on words. 😂

If you use song lyrics, which artist’s songs did you pull from the most?

Coldplay, since the chapter titles for Circle Theory were all from “The Scientist.”

Pairing you wrote the most for this year?

Well, the only one I wrote for: Gallavich.

Favorite pairing you wrote for this year?

Pretty obvious, since I only wrote for one!

What work was the quickest to write?

Life Itself

What work took you the longest to write?

I don’t really remember! Either Crisis Line or Circle Theory, but I’m gonna go with the latter because it has the most words!

How many WIP’s do you have in your docs for next year?

1, but lots of other ideas brewing!

What’s your longest work of the year?

Circle Theory

What’s your shortest work of the year?

Life Itself

What WIP are you taking into next year with you?

Ghost of a Chance

What’s your most common “Additional Tags” tag?

There are a few that I’ve used on all of my fics so far. Clearly a couple of my favorites are “angst with a happy ending” and “eventual smut.” 😂

Your favorite character to write this year?

Probably Ian Zero-Chill Gallagher, who makes an appearance in most of my fics! But I also loved writing math genius Mickey in Circle Theory.

The character that gave you the most trouble writing this year? 🤷🏼‍♀️

What’s one pairing you want to explore next year? Ian/Mickey of course! I don’t see myself changing it up any time soon.

Which work of yours have you reread the most?

I haven’t really reread any of them all the way through, except checking back on some of them to remind myself how Terry met his demise in that particular fic so that I don’t do the same thing again in the next one 😂 I have revisited Through the Fog a couple of times, since it was my first one ever, and sometimes I see things I could’ve worded better so I make tiny little tweaks! But other than that, I really don’t reread them!

How many kudos in total did you get this year? 908

Which work has the most comments?

Circle Theory, by far!

Did you do any collaborative works this year?No, I’m still too new!

Did you write any gifts this year? No

Did you receive any gifts this year? No

What’s your most common category? Probably hurt/comfort (I don’t know if that’s what’s meant by “category,” but I’m gonna go with it!)

What do you listen to while writing?

Well I’m usually at work when I’m writing, and if I’m at home, it’s after my kids have gone to bed, so…usually nothing 😬

Favorite work you wrote this year?

Circle Theory

Favorite line/passage you wrote this year:

Hmmm, probably Mickey’s speech from the end of Through the Fog because it was at the end of my very first fic and I was proud of myself 😊:

“Um, hi.  I want to thank the ALA for this honor, I’m so grateful.  It means so much to me.  Writing and illustrating this book was really, um, personal for me.  A little over a year and a half ago, I sustained a…traumatic brain injury that took my…ability to speak.  My speech slowly but surely started to come back, but I learned that…communication isn’t only about speaking.  My speech therapists taught me that as we worked together to help me communicate in whatever way I could.  My first speech therapist later became my husband, and I don’t think he’ll ever know how much he taught me…not only about communication, but about love. I wanted to make sure that all kids know that they have a voice…that whatever way they communicate is…valid.  We communicate every day through our words, our actions, our love.  I hope that my illustrations helped to create a…colorful world in which every person has a voice. Thank you again.”

Kind of long, sorry!

Biggest surprise while writing this year?

I just started writing this year, so the biggest surprise was honestly that anyone was reading, much less liking, my stuff!

I’m sure that anyone I’d tag has already been tagged by someone else, so I’m just gonna leave this here for anyone who wants to do it!

How many words have you written this year?

How many works did you publish this year?

What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)?

What work of yours got more feedback than you expected?

Favorite title you used.

If you use song lyrics, which artist’s songs did you pull from the most?

Pairing you wrote the most for this year?

Favorite pairing you wrote for this year?

What work was the quickest to write?

What work took you the longest to write?

How many WIP’s do you have in your docs for next year?

What’s your longest work of the year?

What’s your shortest work of the year?

What WIP are you taking into next year with you?

What’s your most common “Additional Tags” tag?

Your favorite character to write this year?

The character that gave you the most trouble writing this year?

What’s one pairing you want to explore next year?

Which work of yours have you reread the most?

How many kudos in total did you get this year?

Which work has the most comments?

Did you do any collaborative works this yeah?

Did you write any gifts this year?

Did you receive any gifts this year?

What’s your most common category?

What do you listen to while writing?

Favorite work you wrote this year?

Favorite line/passage you wrote this year?

Biggest surprise while writing this year?

[wisteriagoesvroom]

sooo late but doing this instead of doing work haha heehee. thanks for tagging me @lovelylotusf1 and @cx-boxbox.

How many works do you have on AO3?

f1 fics: 16 total: 58

What's your total AO3 word count?

310k. which depending on your perspective is a lot, or not a lot at all ! i'm trying to be comfy with the fact that fic is fun and shouldn't be quantified with stats but that's a whole other arc

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

i have a whole thing about getting sucked into stats so tbh i don't know as of right now, and am making the active choice not to know

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

i do for short fics (<3,000 words)! it feels easier somehow? i read every single comment though and even screenshot them for shitty days. (and there are surprisingly quite a lot of shitty days tbh. not to bludgeon you all about it but).

p.s. if you've ever written an essay comment for any fic you deserve the biggest hug in the world. is all i will say as an author...

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

it turns out all my fics are kinda angsty...! probably the girl!lando fic pardon my emotions. the unwritten sequel remains on my mind... the 2024 season has given us so much to work with...

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

definitely the sun and really because @maaxverstappen specifically requested a happy ending in the exchange prompt. maybe i just need a tiny mandy dancing on my shoulder at all times to make this stick.

Do you write crossovers?

i think i've done for other fandoms but not in f1 yet. i had an 814 spiderman multiverse fic percolating for a while but it's kind of on hold like the rest of my writing atm cus. life.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

not in f1 afaik. but it's like my 6th year of being in fandom now and trust me when i say i've seen almost everything atp.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

i'm pious i'm unhinged, so yes.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

no

Have you ever had a fic translated?

no

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

yes, in a diff fandom

i've talked about co-writing f1 fics with @miamimaiden and @unlapped, but all my writing's kind of on hold rn so nothing as of yet !! co-writing can be so fun though and i highly encourage it. also vibing in the gdocs counts as writing. to meee.

What's your all-time favorite ship?

anything enemies to lovers tbh. hence, carcar.

frando-norpinto have my heart as of late.

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

the longform notting hill 814 au that is outlined in my drafts with an almost complete chapter 1, but i do not have the spark or capacity to write more atm

What are your writing strengths?

i've been told i write very cinematically, and that i do ✨ vibes ✨ very well

athat may be at the expense of actual plotting lmao. but i just love slowness without a particular sense of direction sometimes?

which is also why writing the sun was so fun, because i didn't have a ton of time to stay too long in one scene. and i had to finish it on deadline, and it still had character development while staying under 15k

What are your writing weaknesses?

long plots for sure. this is also my hangup in screenwriting class (when i used to go to screenwriting class).

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

i've done so before for lestappen fics and probably should've gotten it checked, but alas. also lestappen fics were much earlier in my fandom journey and i didn't have anyone to ask back then 😬

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

[redacted]

What's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet but want to?

choscar (charles/oscar) or francoscar (franco/oscar) maybe.

bonsai (carlos/alex).

oscar's my blorbo, i just love putting him in Situations.

What's your favorite fic you've written?

in f1 it's gonna be the sun (AGAIN) or at a constant speed.

tagging @miamimaiden @testarossa @strwbrryfire @ocontraire and whoever else wants to play. i'm so late so maybe everyone has done it already.

[aoxue]

Writing Patterns

rules: share the first line of your last ten published works or as many as you are able and see if there are any patterns!

Tagged a little while ago by both @heyholmesletsgo and @bitterfrosts !

Since I only have a couple works up and published, I am going to bend the rules a bit and include a few soon-to-be-published stories as well 😬

Summer is not yet come, but the sun burns hot, and the air is thick with moisture. (on the wild nights, who can call you home?)

The moon is high, the inn is filled with bright light and laughter, and Xiao Xingchen only wants to be gone. (if this were my last glimpse of winter)

The world is covered in white. (on a clear day)

Someone likes to kick things off with a description of the setting!!! Not the back-to-back 3-clause-sentence combo too lmao. And obviously, it's all songxiao. ✨

And then, for what's still cooking:

"Do you think she'll be able to find her way here?" (taste of home) Modern diaspora songxiao w/ A-Qing, which will be in the 2024 MXTX Food Zine! Projected release in November.

The little farmstead is peaceful as the day winds down. (shiver the whole night through) A little scene from the same folk horror/historical fantasy AU as wild nights that I'm going to put up around Halloween, just to get it out there.

A-Qing knew that she should have stuck to the woods, but in the end, her stomach got the best of her. Still untitled and very much WIP songxiao Ladyhawke AU. No estimated date, but it's one I'm excited about currently. :)

Still a little bit of scene description, but I'm glad to see I'm varying it a little more with my hooks lol

My couple usual go-to people have already been tagged, so anyone who would like to do this next can!

[cfr749]

20 questions for fic writers

tagged by the wonderfully kind and lovely @coraclavia. If you haven't checked out her work, go do it right now!!

1. How many works do you have on Ao3? 19

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count? 354,235

3. What fandoms do you write for? The Rookie!

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Beneath Your Beautiful... queue Isn't it ironic by Alanis Morissette 😬

Want You to Stay

However Do You Want Me

One Time Thing

Lucy's Little Secret

5. Do you respond to comments?

I absolutely try to, but sometimes I get behind. Tbh I usually want to respond the minute I see one come in, but don't want to scare anyone lmao. But I read every single one, often multiple times. And you might just get a response from me two years later 😂

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

Oh man... I think this has to be We Built Sandcastles, because I have yet to give it an ending and it hurts me too. I'm so sorry. 😭

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

I'm gonna go with However Do You Want Me... what's happier than banging on an airplane to save the world?

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not really... thankfully, 99.9% of the interaction I've had on my fics has been positive and that's a testament to how wonderfully supportive this fandom is of its creators 😭

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

Yup... the horny kind? Lol... queue Lovin on Me by Jack Harlow. I am pretty vanilla, and I do usually focus a lot on the emotional aspects over the physical. I also generally prefer writing the foreplay over the actual tactics of banging, but I try.

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

Lol... well... one time when I was 13 I may have written an AU where Justin Timberlake and Nick Carter were normal boys attending the same high school 😂...

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Thankfully, I don't think so!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? 

I don't think so, but any time someone does comment on one of my fics in another language, I am just honored and blown away that they found it entertaining enough to work through the language barrier.

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

Yes! Want You to Stay with the amazing @poppypickle. I will always be so thankful that the Chenford fandom brought us together, and so grateful for that creative experience. Truly one of the coolest things I've ever done. ❤️

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

I think Chenford still holds this crown.

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

We Built Sandcastles, but I actually haven't written anything I've truly given up on. I still think about this universe and write down bits and pieces here and there. I'm also still working on Beneath Your Beautiful!

16. What are your writing strengths?

Weird reality TV AUs? Sexual tension? Feelings?

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Probably too much exposition / time in the character's heads spelling out their motivations vs. letting readers come to their own conclusions.

I'm not always consciously aware of it in my own writing, but sometimes I suspect I'm a little sappier than what I'd normally I prefer to read.

Also I'm slow and sometimes leave my readers hanging for extremely long periods of time (I'm so sorry).

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

Depends on the context, but, for me, I'd have a hard time without a native speaker to consult with. No strong feelings against it though.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

BSB + NSYNC

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

I'm going to go with one I haven't mentioned yet, which is Cruel Summer because that fic was utterly batshit, came out of literally nowhere, and was so much fun to write!

--

Thanks for the tag, Cora!

I am tagging @poppypickle @queseraone @goodgirlssayiloveyoutoo @rememberthismomentx @thisnightissparkling089 @makeitastrength and @summerongrand (apologies if y'all have already done this and I missed it)!