#but also trying not to let focus on my other fics hinder writing in general

[help-itrappedmyself]

Dead on Main AU

Masterpost

Guys, I'm so sorry. But here's this!

~~~~

Danny blinks and he is somewhere else. He’s sitting at a dining room table, surrounded. There are so many people here. They’re all talking over each other, some yelling, some laughing. This scene comes as a great surprise to him, who -one blink ago- was trying and failing to do his homework at home in his room. Danny shoots up, his chair making a horrible noise as he pushes it away so fast it tumbles over. Everyone in the room turns to look over at him like he’s insane. 

“Oh my god, who are you people?” Danny did not mean to say this out loud, but at the sound of his voice he startles. Danny takes a moment to assess, and then, “Oh my god who am I?”  He is tall, and big, and this is certainly not his body, what is he wearing.

The boy sitting to the right of Danny, a little shorter than he is, with black hair and blue eyes (though now that he’s paying attention that does describe most people in the room),  starts chuckling lightly. “Uh, Jason? Are you good?” 

Danny turns to stare him right in the eyes. “What day is it?”

And he can tell the concern around the table is just ratcheting up every time he opens his stupid mouth.

“Did you hit your head on patrol?” The voice comes from the only blond and one of the only girls in the room, who's to the left of the person across from him. The person across from him is another boy with black hair and blue eyes who is studying Danny in a way that makes him uncomfortable, that under-a-microscope look that makes you feel like you’re failing at something.

“I have no idea if Jason hit his head.” Danny says. “I was just trying to remember if it was my birthday.”

And if he thought the room was busy when he first arrived here it is absolute pandemonium now. Everyone starts shouting and asking questions that he can’t even hear over the shouting. Someone with white hair in a suit just came through a door he didn’t even see earlier to stand by the only person not shouting, who -Danny would guess- is the only other adult in this room, witting at the head of the table. He also has black hair and blue eyes, and where almost everyone else’s reaction was panic, he froze instead. The person across from Danny also isn’t shouting, but the person next to Danny on his right has now fully stood up and looks like he might actually jump across the table to win the argument he ended up in. 

“Are you Jason’s soulmate?” is the main gist of the shouting that Danny can interpret but he’s more concerned with actual Jason at the moment. If they switched bodies... Then Jason might be in trouble…

“Hey, I forget, how long is this body swap supposed to last again?” Danny asks.

“Until you and Jason have physical contact. You have to actually meet.” The boy sitting across from him explains. He seems like one of the only ones that heard Danny talk, everyone else was still shouting. 

“Oh, that just seems terrible. What if we’re in different countries or something?” Danny complained. “Everyone in the world is just supposed to be able to drop everything and afford to fly across the world. The universe is really trying to screw people over now. Honestly, am I in a different country? Where even are we right now?”

“You’re in Gotham.” This voice was new, coming from the head of the table to Danny’s right. 

“Oh no. Nope.” Danny started backing away from the table, almost tripping on his overturned chair. “Absolutely not, no, how do I get out of here?” He starts earnestly looking for a door to get out of this place, but there are three doors he can see and he has no idea where any of them go, and doesn’t this room have any windows? What kind of a room doesn’t have any windows? Do they like to eat in a basement?

“Jason- not Jason. Uh, you need to calm down, everything will be fine alright, We’ll get you and Jason introduced no problem.” Danny swivels to track the voice and it’s the one who was sitting next to him, he’s walking towards him with his hands up and out in front of him. 

“I have to get home.” Danny breathes. 

“We can get you there, promise. Now, I’m Dick, can you tell me your name?”

“Your name is Dick? Who named you Dick?” Danny is so confused he’s stopped panicking. “How old are you for you to go by the name Dick?”

“Okay, rude.” Dick sounds like a petulant child so Danny’s estimations for his age are continuously dropping. “I’m 24.”

Danny snorts. “Okay.” The blond girl starts laughing over at the table. “I’m uh, I’m Danny.”

“Nice to meet you. Sort of. I’m Tim.” The guy from across from him had made it over to stand next to Dick. “There’s a lot of us here today so the one laughing like a hyena is Steph. That one there is Duke.” African-American, still with black hair but he has brown eyes and waves once introduced. “Damian is the short one next to him, and Cass was sitting across from Dick earlier. Our dad, Jason’s dad-” 

“Not my dad!” Steph interrupted. Tim waves her off.

“Everyone but Steph's dad, is over there, Bruce. Alfred, our butler is the one next to him.” Alfred gives a slight nod to his head. Bruce is just staring at him.

“So, names out of the way. You said you wanted to go home, where do you live?”

“Amity Park.”

[thewriterowl]

Do you have a standard writing process? Particularly with long fics? I start out plotting everything to some degree and then start writing but then usually what happens is I get too excited to share it so I start posting before I finish and then my mental health just kinda goes "and we're not finishing that"

Hello! Well I try to sort of do the same--that’s how I did it with Stars. But yeah, getting all the details out can burn you out quicker than what’s fair :/

So what I’ve sort of learned to do (especially coming out from What the Stars Let in, since that thing was nearly 500 pages in like three months) was the following:

1) I had major focus points already confirmed in my head: I knew Din and Luke would have an arranged marriage, I knew I wanted Luke to share his story to the Mandalorians, I wanted Luke to fight Dark Troopers, I wanted Din to have a moment or two of jealousy, I wanted there to be a “betrayal’ from Din, I wanted Luke to sacrifice himself by stopping and moving a cruiser, i wanted them to be separated, I wanted Din to have a moment facing darkness, and then I want them together. Besides a bare skeletal structor of a story (din and luke fall in love in an arranged marriage) i focused on story-points I wanted to see happen and made it a goal to get to one....and then get to another and it made me more excited for the plot point coming next rather than trying to rush to that ending.

2) For the scenes I was really excited about I wrote a rough draft instantly. I pretty much had a draft of Luke stopping the cruiser and then “dying” since chapter two because I knew I wanted that to happen. Same with the Dark Trooper chapter. Of course a lot of details were added or changed as the story progressed but i was able to really plan things because not only did I know I wanted those scenes, I had them written out so I could figure out how to foreshadow things in regards to them easier.

3) Although I am influenced by my readers and I try to keep things “Realistic” in the story (aka, why I didn’t turn Din dark though it was a temptation) I write what I want to read. This, of course, can hinder the writing process cause you’re putting a lot of extra love into it because, being honest, i want it to inspire others to write things like it so I can read something next so if it is not well received then it can be a bad sucker-punch...but I was just like, i gotta get these moments out there regardless of the response.

4) This isn’t the best advice...but I wrote when i wanted to...basically I am mostly working from home and in a job I loathe who has drained me of most all my happiness for the past three years and has used me something bad, but I’m shackled to them cause money. Well...I write on their time now (not on my work computer lol) so I sort of had this momentum of MASSIVE writer’s spite. “Oh, you’re gonna call me in to work on my day off AGAIN????? well, ok then...tomorrow from 8 till 5, I’m writing this space-dad fic and only answering some emails”. Maybe not risk your job for a fic...but i would recommend see if you can find some sort of spite to influence you case man, that stuff works maaagiiiic. 

5) Push through the block but not necessarily in a way that burns you out. If you can’t write out the chapter you are currently on, then don’t. Skip five or more scenes ahead and just start there and then go back later and tie things in. You do not have to write your fic in chronological order, so don’t shackle yourself to it. You on a scene with Din and Luke talking about the Force, it’s needed and important, but eh, you’re not feeling it? Go on and write their love confession scene. Or their fight scene. Or something you actually DO wanna write. Go read fics, maybe go and talk to artists and writers about general things and chat. Talking to others about things, not necessarily in detail, can be huge.

6) Bringing in the things I’ve said before; this is not something you need to write chronological--so don’t. The writing can be a fun puzzle. Write the parts you want first (aka the corners as many start with as they do a puzzle) and then start connecting things. I found it a lot easier and a bit more fun to do that way.

7) If possible, and this can be hard, try to be a chapter a head of your updates. With a good chunk of Stars, I was like seven chapters ahead of myself. Not so much with this new one (and for sure not with Little Bird) but it sort of releases some worry and pressure off of you. If you have an idea for a fic, try to see if you can upload it once you have two or there chapters written (not edited, that can come as you get read to upload) and it makes you have a deadline but one that isn’t looming.

8) I also gave myself a deadline. I wanted to update at least once a week. This may not work for everyone, so it’s just about figuring out what works for you...but I think I would recommend you set up a realistic goal on how often you update.

9) Just focus on one chapter at a time as you upload. A multi-chap fic can be so easy to get lost in (I may not update some of my Avengers fic) and that’s fine. It’s disappointing and sad, for yourself, but it happens and it should not be a burden on you. You’re writing these things for fun and if it doesn’t work out, well sucks...but there was no harm or waste to it. Some free content just won’t get finished. Happens every day and it’s all good. You just take up the next wave of inspiration and try to get it finished.

10) Ensure you have fun and keep other fun projects available. That mental stuff loves to take away fun, passionate projects. it’s a miserable monster that just wants to suck you dry from it. Take yourself from the project on occasion and write a one shot (these things are miserably hard for me) and use it as an exercise. It challenges you in a different way, gets you to do something new, and can give you and your mental-monster some whiplash so that it can’t instantly take it away from you.

11) If you lose your hyper fixation/love for a pairing, don’t grip on to it for the sake of a fic. I love DinLuke now and I don’t see that changing anytime soon...but when/if it does, I’ll need to just step back and let it go and wait for it to hit in another wave later. Just enjoy the fandom as a fan and you should have a lot more joy and ease in taking part of projects that way.

Those are my little tidbits that’s helped me with stuff so far at least!

[mugglemirror]

Ask For Writers

A bunch of thanks to @theisolatedlily and @soldouthaz for tagging me. This was fun!

1. Describe how you first started writing and when you first posted: My high school English teacher always encouraged me to write and that’s how it started. I wrote a lot of poetry before starting fiction/fan-fic and started posting earlier this year.

2. Which of your characters do you typically resonate most closely with? Do you base any characters off of yourself? Every character I write has a part of me, not just in the writing sense but also some traits of mine. I tend to write from Harry’s pov or any other character that is Louis’ romantic interest in the story, entirely because it’s a lot easier to write about Louis rather than as him.

3. Where do you often find inspiration? Real life mostly. Songs, movies and books as well.

4. Has quarantine helped or hindered your writing process? Didn’t notice much of a difference really.

5. Do you listen to music/noise while you write or do you prefer silence? I prefer silence when I write, helps me focus. Rarely do I find a song that fits perfectly with a scene so I have that on repeat until I can’t.

6. What is your biggest writing pet peeve in your writing or in general? People who say only authors with popular works deserve to be called writers.

7. Describe your ideal writing setup ink stains on my hand, fountain pen scribbling smoothly over the paper and a lamp as the only source of light. Somewhere warm and cozy.

8. Favourite time of day to write? Dawn and after midnight.

9. Favourite genre to write + one you’d like to try writing in the future? Horror, fantasy, magical realism, historical and dark elements. Sci-fi is a genre that is way out of my comfort zone so probably that.

10. Do you struggle with writer’s block? How do you typically overcome it? All the bloody time lmaoo. Usually I stick to songs that I enjoy listening, switch genres or plots to overcome the block.

11. What is the easiest part of your writing process and the most difficult? Everything other than outlining is my fav part. Outlining is one pain in the ass.

12. How do you come up with original characters? (If applicable) real life is where the key is.

13. What is your favourite and least favourite word? Least fav: moist fav: tasavvur (it’s an Urdu word that translates into imagination or contemplation)

14. What is one thing about your writing that you’re really proud of and one thing you hope to continue working at? I’m really glad I can paint the imagery of a scene quite well. Paragraph starters is what I’m working on atm.

15. What work of yours has your favourite ‘verse/world building? How did you come up with it? The Blood of Love is one of my best work and I say this very humbly. The atmosphere, the themes, the overshadowing, everything I wrote of it, I absolutely love it and am proud of it.

16. What font and size do you write in? Single spaced or double? Georgia, 11, single spaced.

17. What is a typo(s) you find yourself making consistently? Leaving out apostrophise.

18. (If applicable) do you separate fic writing from fandom? Most of the times. When I’m writing canon, I look into the fandom for inspo.

19. What emotion is you’re favourite to write? Which is the most difficult? Fear is my fav emotion to write, as weird as that sounds. I find writing humour very challenging.

20. What is one thing you hope readers always take away from your works? Writers put a lot of their time into fics and appreciation for the work is always heart-warming. Other than that, I wish more people noticed the overshadowing and metaphors used.

21. What is the best and worst writing advice you’ve ever received? No writing advice is bad. What may work for one may not be suited for other. You may not like what you’ve written today but you can always come back and edit it to your likeness.

22. Which one of your works would you most want to see turned into a film/television show? The Blood of Love for sure! Also a wip: inked memory aka ghost rider au

23. Do you write scenes chronologically or out of order? I write whichever scene I want to and then align them chronologically.

24. How do you handle criticism? Honest and genuine criticism is always welcomed, not spiteful J

25. What is the advice you would give to someone who is looking to start writing? Write because you want and not because you have to. Forcing it won’t do any good. It’s alright to not write when you don’t feel like it but don’t let that get you lazy.

26. What kind of feedback on your work always makes your day? Repeating myself here hehe but when readers notice the foreshadowing and metaphors I use, it brings the biggest smile on my face

27. Which fic ‘verse of your own would you most like to exist in? Which fic’s characters would you most like to befriend? The Blood of Love is a universe I’d love to exist in. Louis’ character from my estranged actor au and Harry from tbol really speak to me.

28. What do you always enjoy getting asks about/wish people would ask about more? Backstories about my characters and fic and my imagination. It runs wild lol

29. What has writing added to your life? How has it changed you? It’s helped me a lot to see from other people’s perspective and read body language in a better way.

30. Why do you write? It helps organize my thoughts and be more coherent in a way that imp not when speaking.

Boost yourself + tags! 

1a. share the last sentence you wrote "Before sunset," he says. It's not entirely true. Part of him wishes he could go now but Harry isn't sure if he'd be able to survive without kissing Louis.

2a. describe the wip you’re most excited about: the sequel to The Blood of Love!! We’re gonna get Zayn out, we’re gonna make zourry suffer a little and some zarry beef. And ofc, loads on magic, horror and dark elements.

3a. share the piece of dialogue from one of your works you’re most proud of: “Falling in love with you was never a choice, Louis,” Harry says through his tears.

4a. share the best first and last lines from your work(s): “Of all the things Louis’ done in his life, falling in love with Harry is perhaps the easiest thing he ever did.” — first line

“Louis flushed but dived in for another kiss, sealing this newfound happiness with the kiss of their love.” — last line.

5a. link the last fic you read. Don’t remember which one it was, sorry.

6a. link the last work you published: Cant link the blff yet so The Blood of Love it is.

7a. link to your ao3 (if applicable): Mugglemirror

8a. someone that inspires you: Can I say Louis? I’m saying Louis. And Taylor!

9a. a comfort fic/work that you’ve been grateful for this year: I haven’t done much reading this year, fandom wise but I’m really looking forward to read all the amazing blff fics.

10a. other writers that you’d like to tag! @yvesaintlourent @thepolourryexpress @lads-laddylads @babieloui @falsegoodnight @ashleyjohnsonfanaccount @allwaswell16

[darkpoisonouslove]

30 Days of Fanfic (Days 1-10)

I saw this and thought it could be fun but since I was already a few days behind and a little all over the place, I decided to do them in batches of 10 questions. So here are the first ten days!

Day 1 - How did you get into fanfic?

- How did you first get into writing fanfic, and what was the first fandom you wrote for? What do you think it was about that fandom that pulled you in?

I don’t really remember how I got into fic anymore. It was my best friend that dragged me into it and I just... started reading?

The first fandom I wrote for was PJO. I have always loved Greek mythology so I just decided to... go for it. I never finished that fic, though (probably for the best as the ideas were awesome but the execution - not so much)

Day 2 - What fandoms have you written in?

- Name the fandoms you’ve written in, how much you’ve written in those fandoms, and if you still write in them.

That one isn’t so hard as I haven’t written in a lot of fandoms. Here are the ones that I have written in (in order of joining):

Once Upon a Time - 41 fanfics (I do have one collection that I need to finish in this fandom and tons of ideas but while I haven’t officially left the fandom and abandoned the fics, I am not really active there anymore. Which is a damn shame considering how many things I had planned for it. I don’t really feel the inspiration currently, though, but I haven’t given up on it completely.)

Fairy Tail - 8 fanfics (I mostly join any of the annual weeks for different ships in this fandom. I do have some ideas but I haven’t found the motivation for them yet. Even if a few of them were really cool and I loved them a lot.)

Winx Club - 86 fanfics (This one is my most active fandom currently. I do still write in it and I hope that will hold true for the foreseeable future as well.)

Lucifer - 1 fanfic (that was more of an experiment and I don’t really plan on writing more there)

Day 3 - Favorite characters?

- For each of the fandoms you have written in, what were/are your favorite characters to write? Why were these characters your favorite? (Can be main, side, established, or original!)

Um, okay. Let’s see.

Once Upon a Time - Regina Mills was my favorite character to write because I was mostly interested in her and I could see a lot of similarities between us. I wanted to explore more of her and her relationships with the other characters.

Fairy Tail - I don’t think I really had a favorite character to write here. They were all sort of... hard to get? And I haven’t written nearly enough of anyone to be able to pick a favorite.

Winx Club - I want to say Griffin but I think I might love writing Valtor just a tad bit more. At least at the moment. Maybe it is that he is more emotional and impulsive and I can get behind that and know how to write it? I also related a lot with some things about him and other times it is simply fun to write him when he is being an asshole. But there’s also a lot of emotional stuff to explore there. I don’t really know. I just love writing him.

Lucifer - Uhh... I only really wrote two characters from there and from them Chloe Decker was certainly the one that was easier so I chose to write my only fic from her PoV. I love the characters on the show but I don’t think I get them enough to write them that well yet so I am not pushing to do it.

Day 4 - Muse/special character?

- Do you have a ‘muse’ character(s), that speaks to you more than others, or that tries to push their way in, even when the fic isn’t about them? Who are they, and why did that character(s) became your muse? Are they a canon character or an OC?

Did I mention Valtor? Man, talk about trying to write something that he doesn’t sneak in. The few fics that I was actually focusing on other characters didn’t suffer from this but a fic that has Griffin inevitably brings out the need to at least mention Valtor in it as well. I have had to actively restrain myself from bringing him in a couple of times when I really wanted to write about anything else other than their relationship. I guess that is my muse. XD Not one of them separately but the two of them together. I am having all the feelings about them. Let’s leave it off here because I will get too many feelings otherwise.

Day 5 - Envisioning characters?

- Do you have techniques you use to help you visualise a character, such as picrews, faceclaims, moodboards, or fanart? Have you commissioned or created art to go with your fics, or provided references (picrews, faceclaims etc) for readers or yourself?

I am the worst at envisioning characters. I think it might be because I am trying to get in the mindset of the character so if I am in their head, I can’t see their appearance. (Maybe I should try writing with a mirror nearby. XD) I do make aesthetics but their purpose isn’t that much to help me envision the characters. I mostly avoid the envisioning part by focusing on emotional things and if I absolutely have to write descriptions, I try to keep it minimalistic. I have done sort of a picrew thing for my original characters but not for any fandom I’m in. A friend of mine made an illustration for one of my fics but it was after I wrote it and she actually used what I had managed to envision already to paint the thing. Envisioning characters is not my strength and I don’t even know how I function as a writer despite that.

Day 6 - Gender Preference?

- When you write, do you have a gender preference for your protagonist and/or the rest of the cast? Is it the same or different from your own gender? Do you feel your own gender is well represented, and how do you go about accurately portraying genders different from your own?

I couldn’t care less for the protagonist’s gender. I write the story from the PoV that is best for it. I try to focus on the personality of the character rather than on any other characteristics.

Day 7 - Fic affecting your view of a character?

- Have you ever had a fic you’ve written change your opinion of a character? Or has a fic you’ve read changed your opinion on a character?

Probably only... every fic I’ve ever written? I mean, as you write, your vision on the characters develops and, essentially, changes. There have certainly been fics that have made me reflect more or in a different way on an aspect of a character and have led me to change my view of that character in a way. It is kind of the point of being in a fandom and reading other people’s fics, I’d say.

Day 8 - OCs

- Do you write OCs? And if so, what do you do to make certain they’re not Mary Sues, and if not, explain your thoughts on OCs.

I only write OCs when the story demands it as it demands positions that the existing characters can’t fill for whatever reason. Or when the person has existed in canon but was never introduced on screen (as in someone’s parents that we never saw). I am not a fan of OCs because I go to fanfiction for the characters I already know and love. If I wanted completely new characters that I am unfamiliar with, I would turn to original fiction. I was fascinated with the characters I saw on the screen/in the book and I want to know more about them and the relationships between them. I am not interested in what OCs can be made in that world.

Day 9 - Favorite pairings and your comfort zone

- What are your favorite pairings to write in your fandoms? Have you ever gone outside your comfort zone and written a pairing you liked, but found you couldn’t write, or a pairing you didn’t like, and found you could?

I’m just gonna talk about Winx Club because it is my only truly active fandom.

Griffin x Valtor is my OTP. I love them to death and have so many ideas about them.

Now as for pairing that I like but can’t write, I don’t think I have ever encountered such. In this fandom at least. (Maybe in Lucifer Deckerstar is a bit too hard to nail.)

Pairing that I don’t like but can (kinda) write must be Icy x Valtor which I did write on request and that particular concept was actually very fun to work with. I wouldn’t say it has “converted“ me or something, however.

Generally, I stick to what I like. I might try my hand at writing a pairing that I am curious about but I don’t like to waste my time on ships I don’t like.

Day 10 - Writer's block and procrastination

- Have you ever experienced writer's block or an impeded ability to write? How do you tackle a loss of motivation or executive function, and/or how does procrastination hinder (or help) you?

I don’t really think I’ve had writer’s block once I started writing consistently and not once every two months. I have had certain ideas that needed more time to get ready for being written but I never really stopped writing. I have had days when I was too mentally exhausted to write but the solution to that was to just step away for a while and let my brain rest. The problem wasn’t truly in the writing so with some time to recharge my batteries, I was back on track.

I mostly force myself through loss of motivation telling myself that I have too many awesome ideas that I will never be able to write if I don’t just get to it. And I always work on what I am feeling like tackling right now. Even if it isn’t necessarily what I would’ve wanted to work on.

Executive dysfunction can be a bitch. It is hard to get past it and I don’t think I really know how I do it.

Procrastination is probably the hill I will die on because I am too nervous to get to the next one. I don’t really have a tried-and-true solution for it as I am usually aware that I am procrastinating and yet, I can’t stop doing it and make myself be productive. Usually what gets me to drop it and start working is the itch to write and the feeling that I will literally explode if I don’t write. So I think it is that the desire to just write something whatever that may be defeats the fear that it will suck and I finally manage to get to it. I am just too excited about my projects sometimes. XD

[hogwarts-is-my-wonderland]

I'm a good writer, seriously!! lol - #1, 4, 5 and 10 ^_^

Thank you for the ask, @darknightfrombeyond!  I’m gonna do a little (lie, a lot) of shameless self-promoting to build up my answers here.

1. of the fic you’ve written, which are you most proud of? 

My longest and most updated work has been my HP series, The Barton Saga. I divide the years by stories, and of the three I’ve republished so far, I’m the proudest of second year (or Book Two as I labelled it), which is called “The Phantom Behind Me.”

The ‘republished’ part wasn’t a misspelling. When I began writing fanfics, it was with this series but the first round of drafts were, like, shameless self-insert and awful writing. Back then, I’d started only because I wanted to develop my writing skills in English (it’s my second language) and I wanted to have fun while doing so. When I was accepted into an university, there was a considerable development in my writing and I, attached to the story, I decided to give it an honest try and develop the characters more. 

What I did? I gave my OCs completly different personalities from their original ones. Anya Barton (my main muse) went from a timid girl to a girl with anger issues and once-mentioned OCs became supporting characters; they gained personalities while also becoming Anya’s moral compases (as in, they were gray characters who showed her there were more than just two paths to take). And instead of coming up with ideas on a whim, I had my defining plot twists/points written on a document.

Then my computer crashed and I lost all my work (I had up to sixth year). I was devasted and lost motivation. The story remained on hiatus for a while because my homework load increased and I was doing practice on the field. It was under this pressure that I decided to give it one final try—and rewrote the complete thing for a second time (and it is my current work). 

This time I have the finest details down on a notebook. The major plot points are still the same, but some were moved or added to further develop the background characters. Since this second rewrite, I’ve updating two chapters (of at least 6,000 words) every four-to-six months and I’m currently in the beginning of third year.

Now, why is “The Phantom Behind Me” my favorite fic? It’s because I, who’d started this project as a learning experience, reached a new level of dept. Yes, I’m bragging a little because I reached it (or better said, fell into it) but I can’t seem to get out of it as much as I try. 

You know what happens in Chamber of Secrets—the chamber is opened and Voldemort’s younger self is the culprit. But here, I shifted the other major plot point towards Anya—and somehow, the story went from a magical/suspenseful adventure to a psychological fight between a girl with trust/anger issues (and who has recently discovered a grim fact) and a sadistic teenager who, in his own way, believes has acted on account of Anya’s well-being (all while secretly plotting his evil plan). A lot is left unsaid in the writing, but what is implied it’s chilling and heartbreaking. 

That story is completed but I’ve left the characters at a standstill. Friendships at the moment are fraught and Anya’s mind is balancing the thin line between reluctant acceptance and despair. Like I said before, I can’t seem to get her out of that funk. And funnily enough, I know this is realistic—who has ever gone through a painful experience and gotten over it in two months? No one, at least that I know. 

So yes, this spiel is the reason why I both love and hate “The Phantom Behind Me” —I love it because it is my best work so far, but hate it because it hinders me from moving to what is supposed to be a fast-paced plot (in my case) with Prisoner of Azkaban. 

4.  what are some themes you love writing about?

I started out with romance (let’s be honest, who doesn’t with fandom?) but eventually chuked it (slightly) in favor of friendship and sisterhood. 

Both are current themes in all my works—for example, with “To Be Human” (a Flash fic), I flat out start with the OC and her love interest at odds and focus on contrasting their developing relationship with the OC’s defining relationships, in particular her best friend and her surrogate father. With the Barton Saga, the endgame is Harry Potter/OC, but they obviously forge their bond through all the life-threatening adventures they face (not to mention they are still growing and learning to be their own persons) and Anya also navigates the waters with tentative friendships (like Marie Harlaown, her smart-yet-romantic-at-heart Raveclaw friend, or Theodore Nott, the Slytherin who reaches out to Anya in the hopes of escaping his father’s shadow). 

The same happens with my other plot bunnies: my Doctor Who OC? She starts traveling with the Doctor because her best friend was kidnapped by an alien. My MCU OC? She’s Tony’s half-sister and the whole point of the series is how they bring out the best and worst out of each other while they learn to accept it and eventually grow to care deeply for the other.

5.  what inspires you to write?

It depends on what I’m doing or what I’m watching. Generally, I work best under pressure because it matches the hint of urgency underlying my stories. But it usually takes for some good sources (like, maybe a fanfic I’m reading of the same fandom or watching the source itself) to motivate me and I’m back to my little notebook of ideas. 

10. what are your strengths wrt writing?

I know how to develop an idea. No matter what I’m writing (it can be an essay or fiction), I always know where I start and where I end. Well, I don’t outright know, but before I write, I decide these two aspects. Personally, knowing where I’m going gives me a lot of leeway in developing the main idea/plot. 

Another strength that I’ve noticed (one that I decided to take from my favorite HP author on wattpad, K.M. Bell) is taking an overused plot/plot twist and give it its own plot twist. 

Examples in my stories (SPOILERS) (also shamelessly self-promoting): 

1. Anya is an orphan because of Voldemort (shocking, I know), but she is actually comfortable with her life. She is not mistreated and has had, in fact, a very good education and relationship with the employees of her orphanage.

2. It’s Albus Dumbledore who gives Anya her Hogwarts letter (even more shocking, I hope) and convinces Anya from leaving her comfortable life with a tantalizing offer of knowledge about her parents. Like in true canon fashion, he witholds the important bits, but this is because he knows too much about her family and has been judging Anya in base of that. (This eventually will result with Anya no longer trusting him and taking matters into her hands.)

3. Hermione is Anya’s best friend. At first. Because they have a falling out at the end of their second year (read question 1 above) and while they remain friendly, they don’t trust each other with personal matters anymore. 

4. SPOILER OF SPOILERS (but already revealed): Anya is Voldemort’s granddaughter. Her father, Alec Barton, who supposedly spent all of his adulthood fighting against Voldemort, is in fact his son.

Angelique Barton (Anya’s grandmother) hated Riddle throughout her childhood and gave a very twisted meaning to the quote “have your enemies closer” when she decided to enter a relationship with him. Angelique eventually realized how wrong her obssessive quest was and decided to take off with her son. Alec always knew his father’s identity, but it wasn’t until Voldemort made his first public appearance that he realized how deep both Riddle and Angelique had fallen and he, ashamed, decided to make a public stand against him under the belief that his good deeds would eventually outweight his parents’ mistakes. 

(slight spoiler) It didn’t work out as expected—evidence number 1 being Anya. 

•••

So sorry for the long answers but I was inspired!

[deanxcasficrecs]

How I would want Destiel becoming canon at the end of season 15 (rec included)

The other day I was talking with my friend about how the writers should make Destiel canon at the end of season 15 (I’m not even thinking about the possibility that they wouldn’t make Destiel canon when the series is coming to an end). Personally, I wouldn’t want anything too over the top, like some crazy sex scene or anything. We spent a great amount of time by thinking about different possibilities, and then it occurred to us. The perfect, ideal way to make Destiel canon would be to show some ‘six years later’ time jump at the end of the last episode, obviously after the Winchesters and Cas have saved the world and they are all alive, and Dean has asked Cas not to leave but to stick around (yes, that moment is like the gif above), and then, there’s a little girl who runs in like ‘daddy, daddy’ and both Dean and Cas are like ‘yeah?’. And then, there is Dean picking the kid up in his arms, followed by some cuddling, and then he passes the kid to Cas before leaving to do something with Sam (because of course, we need to have Sam in the final scene). 

How perfect is that scenario? All Destiel-haters (I can’t believe that someone still doesn’t see it) can think that it’s just the Winchesters and Cas raising a kid together because they are bromancing and they wanted to stick together and they just basically do all kind of stuff together, but we would know the truth. No big kissing scenes or anything too over the top, just Dean and Cas being Dean and Cas, Sam being Sam, and then this domestic thing with the kid. The boys getting their happily ever after in their own way.

So, here’s my perfect Destiel becoming canon scene. Humour me, what would be yours? How would you write Destiel becoming canon, or do you think it will become canon at the end of the series at all? (To be honest, I’m not picky about how they make it canon, I just need it to become canon. I think we have waited long enough. We have voted Dean and Cas to be the best TV couple (and made them win) enough, made Supernatural even bigger thing than it was before we started shipping Destiel like FedEx and we have been very, very loyal. I think we really deserve it.)

I put together a simple list of daddy!Destiel fics. It was harder than I thought because I wanted to focus on fics which don’t have mpreg, mating or any AU settings. I wasn’t really thinking it would be this hard, but here you go. Hope you enjoy these.  – Admin J

Title: Braver Than You Believe

Author: sherlocks_watson

Rating: Not Rated

Words: 2,241 – Finished

Admin’s assessment: ★ ★  

Admin J’s notes: Alright, I wasn’t trying to look for angst fics, but the angst happened. Ignore the angst and focus on the happy part and this will fit.

Summary: AU where Dean and Cas have gotten over their unresolved tension, and have since married and adopted a child.

( Read here )

Title: A Day In Each Year

Author: sonofabitch_awesome

Rating: General Audiences

Words: 10,856 – Finished

Admin’s assessment: ★ ★ ★ ★  

Admin J’s notes: I liked this, except I didn’t like the angel Cas that much. Forgive me my pickiness but I want a fallen Cas. Also, a little too much drama, but I’ll give it a solid four stars anyway.

Summary: Castiel and Dean's daughter Dessie is turning a year old already. Series following Dessie growing up.

( Read here )

Title: Bundle of Joy

Author: emis1967shinyblackbae

Rating: General Audiences

Words: 2,083 – Finished

Admin’s assessment: ★ ★ ★   

Admin J’s notes: I’ve got only one question: why didn’t they tell Sam before getting the kid? 

Summary: As our favorite duo decides to adopt the prettiest little baby girl, Dean’s insecurities hinder him from seeing that he’ll be a fantastic father. Cas must help his husband realize his true potential as a father so that they both can do right for this new member of their family.

( Read here )

Title: Little Bee

Author: Tortellini

Rating: General Audiences

Words: 282 – Finished

Admin’s assessment: ★ ★ ★   

Admin J’s notes: This is adorable, but unfortunately it’s probably an AU story. Not sure though, no one confirmed it, so I’m adding it anyway. I’m feeling rebellious like that. I was imagining it as if it would be happening in the Supernatural universe :’D

Summary: Dean and Castiel raise a daughter together.

( Read here )

Title: Bedtime ritual

Author: teamfreewill_girl

Rating: General Audiences

Words: 1,448 – Finished

Admin’s assessment: ★   

Admin J’s notes: I was excepting goof fluff but unfortunately, the quality wasn’t good. In case you’re not so picky, you can give this a go. Otherwise, maybe don’t.

Summary: How Dean and Castiel got their daughter and what bedtime ritual they had to develop for Freya to sleep properly.

( Read here )

Title: It was a normal Sunday

Author: transtony

Rating: General Audiences

Words: 1,632 – Finished

Admin’s assessment: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★  

Admin J’s notes: This fic is exactly what I was looking for. This. Right here.

Summary: Dean Winchester really couldn't as more of his life.

( Read here )

Title: silence in the dead of night (i think we've got a shot this time)

Author: dorkymish

Rating: General Audiences

Words: 2,388 – Finished

Admin’s assessment: ★ ★ ★ ★ 

Admin J’s notes: This is a super adorable fic. I love the protective Cas and sign language, but something in the characters was slightly off, and therefore I took one star away. When it comes to non-AU fics, I’m a bit picky with the characters. I’m alright with slightly out of character stuff in AU fics, but when the story is based on the Supernatural universe, I would like to have the very IC characters. 

Summary: Dean and Castiel have waited thirteen friggin' months for their kid.

They aren't going to let anything stop them this time.

( Read here )

Title: Baby's First Pumpkin

Author: allthebeautifulthings9828

Rating: General Audiences

Words: 4,510  – Finished

Admin’s assessment: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Admin J’s notes: This fic is probably my favourite daddy!Destiel fic ever and I’m so happy it fits into this rec.

Summary: Seven years after the angels were cast out of Heaven, the Winchester brothers finally have their own little families. Sam has two children and a third on the way. It took Dean and Castiel a while but they finally adopted their own baby girl, Mary Joanna. And since it's her first Halloween, Dean is bound and determined to do it right even though she's only four-months-old. The brothers take their kids to the pumpkin patch.

( Read here )

Title: Timestamp One: Baby Makes Three

Author: ChasingRabbits

Rating: General Audiences

Words: 5,500 – Finished

Admin’s assessment: ★ ★ ★ ★

Admin J’s notes: I’m not sure if this really deserves four out of five, but the mental image of pod-smoking Gabriel who apparently lives at Dean and Cas’ raised the points. Also, this is an AU fic, but I only realized it when I had read half of the fic. Don’t think about the AU twist, alright? We all can imagine Gabriel smoking pod at Dean and Cas’ place in the show, so ignore some names that make it very AU and focus on the daddy part.

Summary: After years and years, Castiel and Dean finally take their first steps on the never-ending road of parenthood.

( Read here )

Title: story time

Author: casdoms (moffwithhishead)

Rating: General Audiences

Words: 687 – Finished

Admin’s assessment: ★ ★ ★  

Admin J’s notes: I like the basic idea of this fic very much with Dean telling a sugar-coated version of their life to the kids, but then, something didn’t work. Also, can we talk about the fact that the author decided to use Jensen’s kid’s name for one of the kids? Not cool. I don’t like it when the authors are being pulled into the fanfiction world. Let’s keep them out of it, could we?

Summary: "So, the sisters went back to hunting dragons and bad guys and saving people," Dean looks at Cas with a slightly sad smile. "And even though they were both scared of what might happen, they kept going and they kept fighting the good fight."

"Were they super heroes?" Mary mumbles tiredly, her eyes drooping further.

Dean huffs a laugh and reaches up to run a hand through her hair, "To some people they were, baby. But they didn't think so. They just wanted to help, to stop other people from being hurt like their family had been."

( Read here )

[veridium]

You Want Writing Tips? You Got Writing Tips

Hello, lovelies. So, in light of my Q&A last night and receiving some asks about writing fanfic/in general, I wanted to make a text post paired with what I said -- mostly for accessibility reasons. I want to restate the fact that I am in no way an exceptional/professional-level/goddess of writing, I am simply someone who wants to encourage and provide some helpful advice to anyone who may be struggling or starting. My opinions and perspective are not sacrosanct by any means.

That being said my advice is mostly about existing as a writer, authoring fanfic, and building confidence as a creative. I am not interested in conscripting people to my personal style focus at all. This is meant to be an encouraging primer more than anything. Some of these will echo my Q&A as well.

1). Writing is first and foremost a practice to enjoy and be fulfilled by for your own creative needs and tastes. 

Yes, we post and promote our fanfictions on multiple platforms, clamor for likes and comments, the whole nine yards. That means it’s easy for all of us regardless of how long we’ve been at it to forget that writing fic is primarily for our own enjoyment and gratification. As creatives we can be told our work is frivolous unless it gathers some sort of outside aplomb, and that our labor is useless without attention. This is not true, and is a pernicious form of suppression. 

If you get a lot of feedback and reader response on your work, fabulous! I’m so happy for you. But I am also happy for you if you manage to finish and post a chapter or a ficlet in the first place. That is hard work, and it’s not something everyone does everyday. Be proud of yourself knowing you’re practicing an art form that not only brings you joy but provides an opportunity to connect with others. 

2). Tumblr is not the Gauntlet of Talent. 

I know it’s also easy to assume that Tumblr is the ultimate bastion of affirmation given the prolific presence of fandom and fanfic. But, let’s be real: we all know this site is a garbage fire. It has been, it is now, and it will be in the future. The way it hinders creative content and its creators is appalling. With that in mind, getting less-than-jubilant responses from the Tumblr-verse is not a sign that you lack talent, capability, or original ideas by default. Once again I wish to point out that writing should be something we all do for our own sakes, for our outlets and desires. Having Tumblr fandom attention is nice, and it feels supportive in my experience more often than not, but it’s also fraught and can get lost in the trivialities of popularity.

Fandom should be community, rather than fame oriented. We should be looking to each other for encouragement, helpful critique, and new, fresh perspectives. We should also respect those among us who do not wish to engage or attend to the attentions of others -- introverted creators matter too, and their points of view are valid. 

Tumblr fame does absolutely infer talent, and vice-versa. 

3. Writing is a Wonderful Opportunity to Build Good Habits. 

The culture of writing until you drop, of staving off your priorities and needs in order to dedicate “fully,” is toxic. It is also unfortunate that idea of “success” is so pervasive because writing can be a neat chance to instill some helpful habits into your routine. From my personal experience, writing is a wonderful thing to do to wind down at the end of my day: I settle in after a shower and dinner wearing my comfy pajamas and I write for a couple hours, water bottle nearby. I listen to music, watch movies if I need muse/inspiration, and enjoy my introvert time. 

Writing as a routine activity can be a conduit for good habits, like hydrating, exercise, other forms of art, and reading books. It can inspire you to change up some old regimens and think in new ways. Writing isn’t just the physical act of writing or typing words, it’s a process. Your productivity and balance is entangled with the rest of your goings-on, your responsibilities, and environment. You can use that to your advantage! 

Because of my writing I have had an excuse to hike/walk more, something I have not always had the time or ability to do whether it be for my chronic illness or demanding schedule. Now I find I am much more relaxed, my anxiety episodes are fewer and far in between, and I enjoy where I live more. Writing has helped me not only as a creative endeavor but as a life habit, and in return my stories have benefited. 

4). Care, Genuinely Care, About Your Non-CisHet White Characters. 

Please. Please care. I’m not just saying like them or craft them, I mean interrogate why and how you’re making them the way you are. If you’re letting them fall into a disempowering trope, ask yourself what the purpose of having a one-dimensional or stereotypical character is for you. If you’re constructing a cis woman character for example who is struggling with internalized standards for femininity or gender roles, that’s one thing and that can be a really interesting character development. 

But if your character is stagnant within that point of view, and their adversities/experiences are not engaging with them, you should ask yourself why. If you’re writing a perspective you do not personally have -- queerness, non-cisness, ability, etc. -- you REALLY need to be critical about what you’re writing. It may not intimately impact you, but it does impact readers who have those identities. If you’re white and you’re writing non-white characters it does not matter whether your universe is fantasy or not, you are and will be writing from a white gaze imbued with racism. You have to constantly monitor and check in with that.

As a Femslash writer one of the things that saddens me the most is when I read a cis woman character that feels one-dimensional, dependent on how other characters look at her rather than someone with their own sense of self, and like they can’t manage for themselves on some level. It’s one thing to grow from those traits and become confident or independent over time -- OR EVEN MORE DEPENDENT AND LESS CONFIDENT BECAUSE SHIT HAPPENS LIKE THAT TOO! -- but the heart of the matter is that there should be changes, fluxes, and impressions in a character’s sense of self. 

Try to think about how your own social conditioning has influenced the way you see these kinds of people in your every day. Think about how you could be infusing biases and unnecessary shortcomings into your characters based off of those misunderstandings. Female characters can be detestable, evil, malignant. They can be modest, or promiscuous, or both! They can be quick to anger, or struggle with depression. There are an infinite number of possibilities, so much so that writing a flat, meek caricature to be a waste of time. 

--

These are my main tips I would give to anyone wishing for my perspective. As I stated before, I am no sage expert on the craft of writing. Truly, I don’t think anyone is. The point is to have conversation, to engage thoughtfully for the betterment of our writing and each other’s. We’re a community and that is what we do. 

I hope this is helpful and constructively encouraging, because that is what we deserve from ourselves and each other. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to inbox me or message me directly. Sending love and light to you all!

-Veri

[digimondestined]

1-50 :D (for xxx: Blurred Lines; 42: Aokise Songfics (Need You Now); 46: Try- and Keep Trying; 47, made up title: In the man behold a child) ❤️

1) How old were you when you first starting writing fanfiction?

Oof.  12 ish? FFNet But we don’t speak about it; the site or the writing :P

2) What fandoms do you write for and do you have a particular favourite if you write for more than one?

Right now, I’m more invested in aokise / knb fandom and well, once invested, it’s hard to pull my focus :P Other fandoms I’m interested in writing in as of the moment are Owari No Seraph (Gureshin :P) and Seven Deadly Sins (man, that’s lovely hell)

3) Do you prefer writing OC’s or reader inserts? Explain your answer.

Probably OCs? I haven’t written OC’s in a while but heck, reader inserts sounds kinda of awkward to write :P

4) What is your favourite genre to write for?

…is angst with a happy ending a genre?(Otherwise maybe coming of age?)

5) If you had to choose a favourite out of all of your multi chaptered stories, which would it be and why?

Blurred Lines is the only one that has an actual plot :P and is multi chaptered :P. It’s also got a couple of my favorite tropes such as mutual pining & simultaneous obliviousness. To be honest, I normally don’t edit my works before I put them out (sometimes I’ll get a loving friend to look at it tho :PPPPPP) because I can’t bear reading what I’ve written without cringing, but yeah, I thought Blurred Lines was pretty good :D in terms of writing skill because I’ve been able to read it again aha and I thank all the wonderful people who showered me the work with compliments.

6) If you had to delete one of your stories and never speak of it again, which would it be and why?

LMAO WHAT MAKES YOU THINK I HAVEN’T ALREADY? If I delete stories, it’s always for the reason I’m disappointed with it in hindsight, or xD embarrassed I produced such poo.

7) When is your preferred time to write?

Night time becuz I like to procrastinate, it’s quiet and the dark is cozy.

8) Where do you take your inspiration from?

Other writers/stories, canon material, music, random insights at odd times, prompts sparked by single words or little phrases, prompts from sites or book quotes or from friends and epiphanies, and then mostly I don’t :P 

9) In your Blurred Lines fic, what’s your favourite scene that you wrote?

Chapter 5, the (two I guess?) scene where Aomine’s really upset and Kise makes it his job to take his mind off of it; it’s a memorable moment for both of them because Kise’s determination and hard work really gets to show (SEIRIN GAH; jskghjkghg sg lgsg gsjlsd) in front of two people that mean a lot: himself and Aomine, and for Aomine, it’s an example of how he can be weak and injured too, and is so much more than some give him credit for.

10) In your fic, why did you decide to end it like that? Did you have an alternative ending in mind? Nah, I really liked how it ended actually :) Happy after endings are my favorite :)

11) Have you ever amended a story due to criticisms you’ve received after posting it?

I’ve only gotten harsh criticism once or twice and man, you should’ve seen me RAWRR in their faces :P. Sometimes self criticism- ex: dislike of plot- will get me to edit though; and then there are just times where I’ve been lazy but reading the work, I’ll see flaws that definitely have to be changed and will proceed to do so.

12) Who is your favourite character to write for? Why?

Aomine and Kise are the most fun imo. I go wild with both because of the complexity to both their characters and simply, the inspiration you can see from different works of other authors (Ex: MoustachePenguin wrote JustBreathe with Kise who had crushing depression and KaijosCopyCat wrote When It Rains, It Rains Bullets, where Kise is actually more jaded than Aomine is); point being said, there’s enough material to make a lot reasonable.Kise is fun for his masks and layers; Aomine is great for his relativity. And of course, you can always find a way to knit in angst of some sort :P 

13) Who is your least favourite character to write for? Why?

Lots man. Kuroko, Murasakibara-

14) How did you come up with the title for the xxx? - You can ask about multiple stories. 

SO. Remember how it was planned as a one-shot aha :P I’d gotten 3 chapters and ½ written out before I said screw it and posted them before gradually working on the rest :P 

Anyways, I’d only then finished on a final summary, and with one of the parts being “Lines Blurring”, I thought heck let’s roll with that.

Oh also! Had a hard time getting that summary out. gotta thank my special, one and only snowflake.

15) If you write OC’s, how do you decide on their names?

- Likes to indulge myself; I’ll base OCs of some real characters, then twinkle with the name little bit, maybe adding extra letters or finding names with similar meanings?

- It also has to do with how the name tastes. You know how some words just flow better? (Connotation and all that :P) but like, Jewel over Gem, Crystal over Jewel, Ruby over Everything, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc.

16) How did you come up with the idea for xxx?

Was a prompt- (voldetort :P)

but i was given an open ending option and then i took it and ran with it and turned it into angst with happy ending :P

17) Post a line from a WIP that you’re working on.

Kise stuck out his tongue, Aomine smirked, and they let Momoi laugh herself dry.

18) Do you have any abandoned WIP’s? What made you abandon them?

Yah, who doesn’t? :PP (atop of the temporarily abandoned WIPs :PPP) Either loss of enthusiasm, lack of ability (time, but mostly procrastination :P) to write, or post-insights that lemme realize the story is unsatisfying to the point of repulsive :P

19) Are there any stories that you’ve written that you’d really love to do a sequel to?

Maybe Blurred Lines? Struggle them through 2nd year of school, relationship where it’s so much more precious than a regular, “we-just-began-a-”relationship” because of the stakes. (But then I’d have to like write a conflict???and my inability to be creative would hinder that :P)

20) Are there any stories that you wished you’d ended differently?

I haven’t really “ended” any stories of worthy length, but for Blurred Lines :P. Which had an okay ending in my opinion, though maybe hurriedly carried out XDI imagine when I do get to finishing more/other stories, I might? Because I can be impulsive. :P But then again, I take a heck long time to procrastinate; and sometimes that means more time to think about how a story wants to go- in these cases, I don’t, usually :)

21) Tell me about another writer(s) who you admire? What is it about them that you admire?

I am heck into lots of writers.

Roch; VanillaDaydreams22 (tumblr) and just VanillaDaydreams (ao3) is a great friend and writer :P with a lovely, descriptive style of fluid writing.

A famous one would be moustachiopenguin - wrote lots of heart wrenching stories; aha we both know :P So, imagination, use of plot, detail, etc.

And then there’s an up and new coming one; her name starts with a Y and ends with a U.

22) Do you have a story that you look back on and cringe when you reread it?

Literally all of them. :P Anything from over 4-6 months in particular is a bit of, no thanks :P

23) Do you prefer listening to music when you’re writing or do you need silence?

I prefer music, even though sometimes it’s not helpful and actually, is a hindrance :P but music always helps the mood~

24) How do you feel about writing smutty scenes?

Laughs.

25) Have you ever cried whilst writing a story?

Writing? Nah. Reading? Heck, few times.

26) Which part of your Blurred Lines fic was the hardest to write?

All of it cause I didn’t want to write it, I wanted to waste time~

- In the later chapters, carrying out Aomine’s realization for feelings was a little difficult; I had Satsuki sort of catalyze his action, because he’s pretty heckin determined to get Kise in his unconscious mind; Satsuki’s rejection just enforces the feeling he needs to express himself, though hard. But I occasionally would wonder whether Aomine was made too soft, or OOC in general.

27) Do you make a general outline for your stories or do you just go with the flow?

My impulsiveness pushes me towards flow; but for fics requiring detail, general outline help XD no matter how “general”.

28) What is something you wished you’d known before you started posting fanfiction?

Maybe just the fact that the fandoms I’d get to were in existence :D like how some of us talked about, would have been pretty cool to write with the other gazillion of fan- tho, then again, wouldn’t trade them for you guys aha

There’s a lot of things I’ve learned from it and only with the actual writing action have I come to understand the things :P

29) Do you have a story that you feel doesn’t get as much love as you’d like?

Maybe Lazy or No Questions Asked. Lazy, because it was the first time I’d written something short but with a bit of story to it still, y’know? :P And then No Questions Asked because I just love the trope of uncertainty and obliviousness and pining in the middle of aokise.

30) In contrast to 29 is there a story which gets lots of love which you kinda eye roll at?

Honestly? Say It. It was short and okay but like, plot-wise? Not sure if it deserved all the kindness it/I got XD

32) Are any of your characters based on real people?

I haven’t written any OCs in a while! I imagine one I get back to doing so, they could be :P

33) What’s the biggest compliment you’ve gotten?

Not quite sure. I have shit memory sometimes aha, but all the support is good :D

34) What’s the harshest criticism you’ve gotten?

On one of my first fics, which I’d written 24 chapters / 40K (GASP I KNOW :D IT’LL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN *SMILES THROUGH THE TEARS OF SAD*) I was told the other chapters should be deleted because it was so bad. But like, the reader had posted said criticism through at least half of the work so :P and a couple of chapters later, said, “This is better! But change everything before this.”I actually got a lot of help/reviews becasue I’d asked for them from various authors aha and fandom was popular and lively; the criticism just went straight through my ears I think. XD

35) Do you share your story ideas with anyone else or do you keep them close to your chest?

I like getting a second opinion if I’m insecure about the idea (often, you guessed right

36) Can you give us a spoiler for one of your WIP’s?

No.

jkjk :P I currently have 4 active WIPs. 1. SECRET (for fanzine :PP), 2. As Long As You Love Me (CJ’s prompt) 3. Some Stuff Has Actually Changed 4. Oops I Did It Again

37) What’s the funniest story you’ve written?

What is humor explain??!?!?

38) If you could collab with any other writer on here, who would it be? (Perhaps this question will inspire some collabs!) If you’re shy, don’t tag the blog, just name it.

- You silly.- Roch + CJ- You, super lovely

39) Do you prefer first, second or third person?

3rd for the most of it. I’ve never written with 1st before but I’m considering it for a work that’d require an extensive cast. 2nd also strikes me as fun though, because of this angsty story I’d read where Kise was the narrator but done through 2nd? 2nd also seems very poetic and I’d like to try it out some day for fun :P

40) Do people know you write fanfiction?

Yeet :P

41) What’s you favourite minor character you’ve written?

Nijimura, Jellal, you name it XD all of them??? You know my tendency to avoid protagonists :P

42) Song fic - What made you decide to use the song Need You Now

It’s a quarter after one, I’m all alone and I need you nowSaid I wouldn’t call but I lost all control and I need you nowAnd I don’t know how I can do without, I just need you now

Angsty and perfect for pining ships.

43) Has anyone ever guessed the plot twist of one of your fics before you posted it?

LMAO I’ve never written a fic long enough for a plot twist to occur; B) I DON’T WRITE PLOT?? XD

44) What is the last line you wrote?

A victory, Kise should think, should be thinking. What is there instead is empathy, but sadness anyways. Oh Aominecchi…

45) What spurs you on during the writing process?

Not much. There are periods of time when I don’t want to write at all and I will find excuses of any kind to get off my laptop, or stay on, and just not write aha. What helps is typically at night when I feel semi-tired, I’ll be motivated to write enough to be a pleasant thought before bed.

46) I really loved your Try and Keep Trying fic. If you were ever to do a sequel, what do you think might happen in it?

GoM have a Winter Cup Banquet and there’s alcohol there. AoKise has done a lot more pining and both gotten better at hiding it. They meet awkwardly at the event becuz of their friends talking to each of their friends and then suddenly disappearing while AoKise are startled, staring at each other. Cautious tense talk tried to be made easier by both of them; Kise makes a joke like, “Alcohol would make this a little easier, right Aominecchi?”

And Aomine blurts out stupid becuz high strung, smth like, “Is that what you thought the last time?”

AND THEN, Kise is also high strung right, so his reply is probably something dumb; maybe a few more lines and then:

KISE ACCIDENTALLY CALLS HIM ‘DAIKI’ AND THEY BOTH JUST FREEZE AND BLUSH PROFUSELY BC THEY’RE REMINDED OF THE KISS AND FDSJFS AHO REALIZES KISE DID N O T FORGET - and he’ quick to press Kise for an explanation but Kise is sure this is going to lead to heartbreak, that Aomine’s frantic (heart beating at 12432 beats a second) and desperate (to know becuz becuz if Kise- if Ryouta-) demands of Kise to tell him the truth are from a place of piss/fury. When Aomine realizes Kise is only shying away from his emotional cornering/words more and more, Aomine does the only thing he can think of and kisses Kise again and again and again.

Kise realizes he means it, Aomine is almost heartbroken over how Kise couldn’t understand he meant it; both are overwhelmingly overjoyed becuz c’mon. MUTUAL pining, not just pining :P and then THAT turns into cautious, hopeful, cautious prompts for dating.

47) Here’s a fic title - In the man behold a child

(Uni AU)Aomine pines after Kise’s ass and he constantly sends him is inviting him: “C’mon Kise, kiss me and I’ll shut up forever.” and “C’mon Kise, I’d be a great fuckbuddy. No string attached but sex. I’ll be gone immediately.”, lots of, “C’mon Kise. I’m fun. I’ll give you want you want, what you need.” and more earnest and genuine stuff, “I know I sound like I’m kidding, and maybe parts of me were…but I meant it when I said I love you. And I’ll wait until you finally hear I’m fully serious.”

Eventually, Kise comes to realize he is serious. The fact that Aomine really has matured as a person over time and that he really loves Kise.  Who also realizes maybe a little bit of the fact that he’d never needed a real relationship because Aomine sort of checked off all the boxes; and so, (poetically aha; i thought of this at last moment XD) child Kise is also revealed in man Kise for being oblivious and little bit scared (because that’s what teens/kids are good at Aha?)

Ofc, then Kise finally says yes, though hesitant still; Aomine takes him slowly through love and all the good stuff :P

48) What’s your favourite trope to write?

Angst with a Happy Ending, Mutual Pining/Obliviousness & Uncertainty, Friends to Lovers, Friends to Lovers to Enemies to Friends to Lovers, anything with a slight of it’s hard and if we’re not being told we’re gonna make it through, how can i be reassured now that we will; but you’ve got friends to rely on so it’ll be okay OTHERWISE KNOWN AS Angst with a Happy Ending :P

49) Can you remember the first fic you read? What was it about?

Something from Warrior Cats

50) If you could write only angst, fluff or smut for the rest of your writing life, which would it be and why?

(Both both is good)

YOU CAN’T MAKE ME CHOOSE.

But like, if angst with a happy ending counts as angst??? Than that :PFluff is good but you have to have a reason that makes it even sweeter :P

[thebarsondaily]

Author of the Month (2018)

tumblr || twitter || AO3

Ships/fandoms: 

SVU: Barba & Benson, Barba & Carisi

Leap of Faith: Jonas Nightingale & Carisi (crossover with SVU)

The Path: Jackson Neill & Carisi (crossover with SVU)

Favorite Completed Fic - What About Us? -  Law & Order: Special Victims Unit - Barba & Benson Or Making a Family  -  Law & Order: Special Victims Unit - Barba & Benson 

Favorite W.I.P. - Working Something Out  - Leap of Faith AU - Jonas Nightingale &Sonny Carisi 

What inspired you to begin writing fanfiction? Raul Esparza fans on Twitter, discussing a specific scene they wanted to see on the show. I felt like I could contribute something by writing what they wanted. It's been good for me to take a break from writing books that hardly anyone reads, to write fics for people who appreciate them :) 

Do you use a story outline or just let the story go wherever it takes you? I rarely outline, unless the plot is extra complicated. Overthinking a story makes it boring to write. Also, in my experience, trying to follow an outline amounts to forcing a story into certain shapes that aren't necessarily organic. Twists and turns often develop on their own, and I just follow them to their conclusions. 

What helps get you through writer's block? Deadlines. Expectations. Feeling like I'll be letting someone down if I don't get a work finished. 

Do you use music or anything else to help motivate you while you are writing? Please elaborate if you do. I almost always listen to music, sometimes random and sometimes specific playlists. If I have a character who's obsessed with Kip Moore, I listen to Kip Moore while writing. If they like Queen, I listen to Queen, etc. 

Do you have any advice for aspiring fanfiction authors? Write what you want to read, and don't compare yourself to other writers.

Does writing energize or exhaust you? The beginning is exciting. Finishing is energizing. The middle is often exhausting. In general, though, the quicker the words come, the more energizing they are; the slower they come, the more exhausting.

If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be? Write faster. Stop worrying about the end and focus on the current scene.

What was the hardest scene you've ever had to write? Probably a scene in my book Loyalty, but I can't say what it was because that would be a major spoiler. It's essentially the end of the book. It was emotionally difficult for me, I didn't want to write it. As far as the hardest to write, mechanically, though...any scenes that involve subjects with which I'm not really familiar, it's always a challenge to research and then try to make the characters sound like they know what they're talking about.

Do reviews help or hinder your writing process? Help, generally. 

Is there a quote that inspires you? If so, what is it? For writing, the one that I turn to with the most frequency is from Stephen King, about the writing process: "Don't look forward, don't look back." It's a reminder not to worry about the beginning or end of the story while you're writing the middle. Also, my favorite King quote about writing is: "Bad writing is more than a matter of shit syntax and faulty observation; bad writing usually arises from a stubborn refusal to tell stories about what people actually do — to face the fact, let us say, that murderers sometimes help old ladies cross the street.” 

What is your favorite fanfiction trope to write? Most of the fics I've written seem to revolve around the "revelation of feelings," but I'm not sure I have a favorite. I don't want to write the same thing twice. If I write 50 smut scenes for the same couple, hopefully each of the 50 will be somehow unique.

Do you have any fanfiction recommendations? I haven't read very many, because I started writing fics in Dec. and have put almost all my "free" time into writing them since then. rosehips, motherbearof03, tribalvibe, theoofoof, handfulofdust, but there are other great writers whose stuff I just haven't had time to explore.

[leonawriter]

All These Little Things

Read it on AO3

Fandom: Final Fantasy VII

Characters: Sephiroth, Genesis, Zack, others mentioned.

Summary: Sephiroth wasn't supposed to be on the Modeoheim mission, but he arrives regardless - in time to see Genesis fall.

Notes: So, originally this was just one small mini-fic (To See How It's Faded), and then the day before yesterday I tried to start something for a prompt, and accidentally wound up writing some backstory for that AU instead.

I'm tentatively going to say that each part will follow the POV of a specific character; we've already had Genesis, and this is Sephiroth's. I've yet to know who part three will be, or where it'll be in the timeline, however.

The titles - and the general theme of the fics - are so far based on or inspired by songs.

...

Sat alone in the darkness of the data rooms long after everyone else had gone home, Sephiroth realised that he was no longer actually reading the words on the computer screen that hadn't moved in several minutes.

It's been three days since then. I tried to... and yet, for all my strength, I was powerless. 

The articles he had been reading for the past several hours had been a mix of Hojo's reports on experimentation done on monsters, which had been hard enough to stomach even before the recent revelations regarding Genesis and Angeal, and medical research on various forms of cancer - the closest thing he could find to Genesis' degradation. 

He had hoped that he would be able to find some answers. Instead, all he had been able to find were more questions, and an even deeper abiding distrust and distaste of Hojo.

Nothing was helping, and he wished, badly, that he was capable of the same kind of faith and trust in others that Zack seemed to have. 

The conversation they'd had over the phone echoed in his mind-

"You and I will find them before they do, and-"

"And WHAT?"

"-fail to eliminate them."

-and although it was something he was supposed to be immune from, he felt a headache forming between his eyes, the bright light of the screen not helping.

He had hoped that Zack would be able to reach them - if not one, then the other, and through that, bring them back. Instead... Zack had failed, and in a sense, he in turn had failed Zack.

Angeal had been the one who had known what to do when it came to dealing with people. Genesis had once confided to him while they were in Wutai that LOVELESS made more sense to him than most people did, which Sephiroth and Angeal had both found somewhat amusing, considering how the play was often considered one of life's great mysteries. But he had also been the one to, often without even knowing how he did it, rally people around him.

Sephiroth only had what Shinra had given him - the ability to inspire others with his strength, and also to intimidate them. But when faced with this... 

He bowed his head, saved the public files to a disc, and shut down the terminal.

...

He arrived too late.

He stared at the place where Genesis had been, not looking at Zack. After all, it wasn't Zack's fault that Genesis had chosen this, had always had more than his fair share of the dramatics.

"I'm- I'm sorry," Zack was saying, and he closed his eyes but that only made it worse. "I tried - really, I did - but I didn't realise what he was doing until-"

"That's enough." Perhaps he shouldn't have snapped when he had been told that it could be easy to confuse his irritation with his anger, but Zack fell silent behind him all the same. "Go after Angeal. Ensure that he knows that I am here, and doesn't do anything... rash."

Given what Zack had reported of his mentor's erratic behaviour, he had every reason to be cautious.

"Right." Zack was halfway to the far door when he stopped and turned himself around, hesitating. "Uh... what'll you be doing, then?"

"I... will be retrieving Genesis."

"Okay. Wait, what - but Genesis-"

Sephiroth didn't listen any further, knowing perfectly well what Genesis had done, where he had gone.

Instead, he moved.

...

Falling, he thought wryly, was not all that much different from flying. The main difference was the lack of control, and the fact that those with wings could use them to gain altitude, while someone who had none could only go in one direction, which was always where gravity wanted to take them.

The main threat for both was in gaining too much speed before hitting the ground. This, rather than the fall, was why he was more concerned that he was going to find a body surrounded by black feathers, which wasn't helped by the fact that the last he had seen of the other SOLDIER, he had been looking far worse for wear than he had in Midgar.

Which was more than evident, really, he thought to himself as he pushed himself off another set of railings and angled himself off from the wall yet again, given how badly Genesis had been doing against Zack. 

If Genesis is taken back to Shinra, he will be treated no better than any other traitor. Which at this point, he essentially is. 

What he was slowly coming to terms with, the longer this drew on, was that there was no right answer here. 

Say that Genesis is a monster. That whatever Shinra did to him is what causes him to believe so... that Angeal is little different.

His mind caught on his thoughts the moment he realised that the ground was coming up fast.

Then what does that make the rest of us...?

He reached out to lessen his momentum and the force of impact, but his foot touched air - he'd been distracted, he shouldn't have been thinking of such things at such a time - and he scrambled to reorient himself, full of frustration aimed squarely at himself for his lack of focus, and-

Fear. Not for his safety, since he knew that he would survive well enough. But an inability to stop thinking those last thoughts, that were now circling around his mind, stealing the breath from his lungs and borrowing their own spiralling momentum from his very memories themselves.

...

He thinks that his eyes are closed again when he hears laughter, but can see nothing other than darkness. 

The laughter hurts. He knows that voice, he knows that laugh - and yet, Genesis sounds so very little like how Sephiroth remembers. He is too bitter. Too weak. Too tired.

Perhaps he should feel relieved that at least Genesis is alive, but then he is realising that the lack of light has nothing to do with his eyes. His eyes are open.

He moves to stand, and hears feathers scraping against metal.

Genesis, he thinks. Hesitates. Not wanting to startle if his arrival had, by some miracle, been unannounced.

And yet, there is the sound of leather and cloth and feathers not from here, but over there.

"So," Genesis says, the sound of his voice echoing in the vastness of the underground chamber that they have both now fallen into, "I never would have suspected that you would have come to join me."

Sephiroth lifts himself to his feet. There is an ache in one leg that suggests that mako is healing some damage done to it upon his landing, but he knows that it won't hinder him should they come to blows.

The sound of feathers follows him, now beating. Steadying. 

Attached.

"Don't tell me," he says, voice devoid of emotion. "You knew."

"Knew?" Genesis' voice is still too worn, too weak, too tired, too bitter. He hates every moment of it. "Oh, no. Suspected, though... well. How else could you be stronger than both Angeal and I put together? It simply wouldn't make sense for you to be anything other than just like us. Welcome to the club, Sephiroth. You know the truth, now."

He looks away from the pile of greying hair and feathers and dirty leather and glowing eyes that he can see now that his eyes are beginning to adjust to the gloom, now that his own-

Feathers and muscle, unlike Genesis' in structure and placing yet without the smaller secondary that Angeal has, capable of sensation as he can feel what the feathers are touching based on how it affects where they are attached at the muscle, including the way that the air passes through them, and although it is unclear how much they are created from physical form and how much is the oft immaterial nature of materia, he is sure that his coat has torn, suggesting more the former than the latter.

-wing, is no longer covering his face.

"I..." wondered myself, he almost says, but that would give Genesis too much power here, even in the state he's in at the moment. "I told Zack that I would retrieve you," he says instead, and winces internally at how impersonal it sounds. 

Genesis takes it about as well as expected.

"And what do you think they'll do with me? What do you think they'll do with you, when they find out that their perfect SOLDIER is no less a monster than the ones they've been hunting down."

The difficulty is, he doesn't know how to answer.

...

Zack calls, and Sephiroth is more surprised at the fact that his phone hadn't been lost or damaged than the fact that Zack is now telling him that Hollander is detained - albeit with help from Tseng and a trooper - and that Angeal had, it seemed, been planning on doing something rash. 

Zack didn't know what, only that a large number of Angeal's copies were in the area, and that Angeal had been especially... volatile, before he had mentioned that Sephiroth was nearby.

Apparently, he was supposed to be on his way. Which would now be difficult, given how despite being able to carry his weight in conversation Genesis looked to be a dead weight, and it was going to take some time to get back topside, let alone where Zack and Angeal were.

If he were able to use his new... ability, however... it might save some time. The main difficulty was that he had neither practice, nor experience.

He held out his hand. 

Genesis stared at him as though he had lost his mind, as though he were the one who had destroyed their hometown, had waged war against Shinra and had acted every bit the monster deserving of distrust.

"Do you know," Sephiroth said, trying to ignore the fact that he could feel his wing coming out from behind him on his right hand side, compartmentalising it in what was probably the same way that he had seen even SOLDIERs carry on after they had lost limbs, and yet this wasn't lost but gained, "if you had asked... I may even have gone with you. Not because you think us both... monsters. But because you were my friend."

Genesis narrows his eyes, apparently unable to trust in such sentiments anymore. Sephiroth can't blame him. 

It doesn't stop it from being the truth, however, and Genesis would have known that, if they had truly been as close as he had once thought they were. None of them had ever been the best at outright lying, only in finding loopholes and getting out of having to in the first place. 

He was starting to wonder if that was why Angeal had spent so long away, unable to talk to them, his remaining sense of honour urging him to explain things that he likely did not want to inflict on anyone else.

"And?" Genesis said, bitingly sharp as ever. "What does that make us now?"

"I don't know. That," Sephiroth said, his own eyes narrowing in a way that had made even seasoned Firsts back away, "is entirely up to you to decide."

...

Genesis takes his hand. 

He also spends the entire flight back up complaining, until Sephiroth reminds him that if Genesis hadn't thought it such a a good idea to hurl himself down so far in the first place, then none of this would be necessary.

Admittedly, he may have snapped more than strictly necessary due to the stress, but - there was a certain amount of vindictive pleasure in seeing Genesis realise just how far he had pushed, as well.

"Come with me," Genesis says, when they are back on solid ground and Sephiroth is leading them down the path toward where Zack had said that he would be. 

It is... tempting. He can't say that the thought doesn't cross his mind.

After all, he had been increasingly made aware of how much he had never cared about the title of 'hero', or being the 'strongest'. What he wanted, if he were honest with himself... would be to have his friends back.

The feathers of his wing fluffing out because of the cold was a strange sensation in its newness, and the way Genesis laughed reminded him painfully of days long gone, that he still feared they would never be able to go back to.

"You can dismiss it if you want, Sephiroth."

He inclines his head, acknowledging the suggestion as a possibility, not letting on that he hadn't even thought to up until now.

The sudden loss of sensation is just as strange, the shock of cold against his now-bare back made the new hole in his coat downright unpleasant.

"I think," he says, "that would be counterproductive." He can feel, as well as hear the way that Genesis reacts, tense and failing not to be angry at the perceived rejection. In many ways, his old friend hadn't changed one bit. "For both of us," he adds.

There is still too much that he needs to know, to learn, that he cannot from outside of Shinra. His wing has given him answers, in a sense, and he will get a more detailed explanation of this from both Genesis and Angeal when there is time, but it has also brought forth far more questions than he is comfortable with. Ones that he is sure will bring about a certain amount of danger in their investigation going forward.

...

Genesis is gone by the time he arrives at the bathhouse, a flurry of grey-black feathers to be found at one point further back in the trail. He likely hadn't gone very far, not in the state that he was in, and Sephiroth would be lying if he said that he had not considered the possibility. 

...

AN:-

Take a moment, remind yourself To take a moment and find yourself Take a moment and ask yourself If this is how we fall apart But it's not, but it's not, but it's not, but it's not, but it's not

[ohmytheon]

there's something at work in my soul (1)

I can't believe I finished this monstrosity of a fic, but I did it and now I can finally focus on all my other projects without feeling guilty. This is the Soul Eater/FMA AU that no one asked for, but I couldn't get out of my head and I used this year's Resbang as an excuse to write it. What was supposed to be like 20k turned into almost 44k, so wow, that's absurd. Special thanks to @innocentcinnamonbun whose incredible and beautiful artwork you can see HERE. I'm absolutely in love with all and may or may not be using that first one as my phone's background because WOW it's brilliant. I AM IN AWE AND FLOORED. And also a shout out to @dollypopup who inspired me, helped me keep my steam rolling, and is an all-around awesome person and writer, no matter what she says.

Rating: (hard) PG-13 Warnings: depictions of violence and death, blood, unethical and illegal science experiments, kidnapping, scenes of murder, animal death, Madness, body horror, suspense, fear, flashbacks, war, language Pairings: Stein/Marie, minor Maka/Soul, past Spirit/Kami, one-sided Stein/Medusa Summary: (Fullmetal Alchemist Fusion AU)

Years after serving in the horrors of the Ishval War and seclusion, Stein, a State Alchemist whose alchemy is terrifying and unique, is forced to investigate a series of grisly murders alongside his old roommate and closest friend, Lieutenant-Colonel Marie Mjolnir, and former pal, General Spirit Albern. The mission: find and capture the Vector Alchemist, Medusa Gorgon, to stop her horrific alchemy experiments. But things become complicated as Stein journeys down this dark rabbit hole. Not only must he confront the terrible truth about alchemy, but he also must face his own demons, the mistakes of his past, and how his alchemy affected his relationships with Marie and Spirit. Is he any better than Medusa or is he already too far gone? As gruesome as Medusa’s crimes are, he can’t help but be intrigued by the alchemy and Marie can only remind him of his humanity for so long.

Chapter One: Deflagration

Rain was as familiar to him as, well, not a friend. Most would say that he didn’t know what friends were, but rain was a near constant for him in Central. He supposed that some people would find that comforting. Honestly, he didn’t feel one way or another. The rain didn’t soothe him and it didn’t hinder him. He was capable of doing most of his work and research inside anyways.

Currently it had been fifty-five days since Stein last left his home-turned-lab. He only knew that because he had made sure to buy enough food to last him approximately sixty days and he was beginning to come up short. Not that he counted his calories or watched what he ate. He just didn’t like the idea of being interrupted by something as simple as hunger and the need to grocery shop. His work was important, one of a kind. He already slept as little as possible. The government acted like his unending research wasn’t enough as it was.

But then, the government was particularly greedy when it came to alchemy.

Many of his fellow State Alchemists had dropped out of the program after the war ended. Stein didn’t blame them exactly, but he didn’t know how anyone could give up alchemy, something that was a part of him as much as his brain. Then again, he hadn’t been shaken nearly to the point they were. He had simply come back home, stitched up what little was left of his soul after committing so many atrocities, and gone back to his research. And if he had any nightmares, he didn’t sleep much anyways.

Just as he was finishing typing up a report on his latest test, a knock at the door echoed through the hallway. Stein ignored it at first, thinking that it might be one of the neighborhood kids. The older ones liked to bully the weaker kids into knocking on his door and running away in terror should he ever answer. He was considered something of a horror legend to the kids. It didn’t phase him much, but it was sometimes amusing to watch them flee or try to come up with an excuse if he ever caught them.

A minute later though, the knocking continued. It was a persistent and precise tapping on the metal door. The second he recognized it, he knew who was behind the door. Well, not who exactly, more like what. Stein sighed and saved his work before standing up and stretching. He hated being bothered by what he considered watch guards, but he was a Dog of the Military and so he had little to do but respond obediently.

At least they didn’t try to make him wear that irritating military uniform.

Not bothering with the lights, Stein made his way through his sparse lab to the front room. What would’ve been considered a living room by most standards held the barest semblance of one. The only reason he had a couch was because of his last roommate who moved out a little under a year after returning from the war. “Keep it,” she’d told him, “because I know you won’t buy another one.” He hadn’t planned on ever using it, but to be honest, he found himself sleeping on it more than his own bed.

Right as another round of knocking began, Stein unlocked the door and opened it, ready to tell of whatever poor Sergeant or Warrant Officer they’d sent to come fetch him. He had very important work to do, after all. Instead, he was left to stare down in mild surprise at his old roommate.

Marie Mjolnir was as small as he remembered, though not as bright. Her normally shiny blonde hair was a dirty blonde and plastered against her head due to the pouring rain and his house not having an awning to hide under. The blue eyepatch was new; she had left wearing the sparse black one the military had given her like an apology back in Ishval. It matched her uniform, which she somehow managed to make look attractive, despite being the same as every other soldier’s and hiding her curves. Maybe that was just her though.

“Are you going to let me in or are you just going to continue to assess me?” Marie asked.

Read the rest: AO3 (or keep reading and wait for updates)

A very direct question, how so very like her. Despite the fact that he had left her out in the rain and ignored her for a few minutes, she didn’t look mad. She didn’t look happy either though. Considering that she was still wearing her uniform, when he knew for a fact that she slipped out of her uniform the second she came home, this was not a personal visit. This was work. And they had sent her.

Stein stepped aside so that she could traipse inside. She cringed, muttering an apology about the water, but he only shrugged his shoulders in response. It would take little effort to clean it up. Instead of waiting for him, she found the light switch and turned it on to illuminate the room as he closed the door. Even after all these years gone, she didn’t need his help to find her way around the place.

“Do you need something dry to wear?” If it was anyone else in the world, Stein would not have bothered asking. Hospitality was a stretch for him even with her after years of not seeing her, but he knew that she would appreciate the attempt. He did not dwell on why her appreciation mattered. He especially did not dwell on why he had some of her old, dry belongings for her to wear still stored in a box in the back of his closet.

Marie smiled at him in the same sad way she did when she was moving out. “Thank you, but no, I’m afraid I’m here on business.”

“What do the Powers-That-Be require of me now?” Stein asked as he moved to sit on the couch. He sat right in the middle, lounging and throwing his arms on the back. A polite man would have offered her a place to sit, but Stein admittedly felt on edge. The government was requiring his assistance and they had sent Marie to get him, knowing full well what she meant to him. Or at least he thought they did. They had their eyes in everyone’s lives.

“It’s not necessarily you, per say,” Marie told him carefully, “so much as someone you know.”

Stein eyed her. She didn’t appear uncomfortable being under his scrutiny, but she never had been. While every other person averted their gaze from him or skirted around him, she never looked away from his gaze and was always upfront with him. She wasn’t afraid of him, despite his reputation. He wouldn’t have blamed her if she had been; she had seen firsthand exactly what he was capable of.

“What do they want?” Stein questioned flatly.

“You’re familiar with Medusa Gorgon,” Marie said, not sounding a hint bitter. He remembered the times when they were younger and she would desperately try to avoid any conversation about girls with him. Such innocent times seemed so far away, like they weren’t even real. No, this was business for her. “Also known as-”

“The Vector Alchemist,” Stein interrupted. “Yes, I’m familiar with her.”

Marie folded her arms across her chest. “A little more than familiar, I would say. You’ve seen her work, yes?”

“Sure, along with every General that has their hands in the State Alchemist Program.”

“Actually, that isn’t true - or at least it hasn’t been in a while.” Marie sighed. It wasn’t often that the government admitted making a mistake. They liked to pretend that every bump in the road was a step in the right direction, like it was meant to happen. Tell that to the men and women that died during the Ishval War. “She disappeared a month after the last State Alchemist exam, taking all of her research with her. Many felt like she was holding out. You were in contact with her that last month.”

Fixing his glasses so that they reflected off of the light, Stein considered what was being laid before him. It was true that he had been in contact with Medusa the month after their exams, but that hadn’t been the last time he had seen her. That had been eight months ago, a full two months after she’d supposedly disappeared. She had been extremely secretive and they hadn’t met in the same location as before, but many alchemists were quite possessive of their research to the point of paranoia.

Apparently, she had been confident enough in him to show him some of her top secret alchemy research and now the government was expecting him to spill the details. Very smart of them to send Marie, who he hated lying to. He wondered if they had questioned her on her past relationship with him before sending her here.

“They need me to tell her what I know of her research?” Stein fiddled around in his pocket for a pack of cigarettes before pulling out a rather smashed up pack. Despite being a little bent, he found a usable one. “It’s not much, to be honest. She kept all of her work coded. I only saw what she me to see and only because I thought it might tie into my own research.”

“And did it?”

Stein placed the cigarette in his mouth and lit it, taking a long drag and blowing out smoke before answering. “We had different views in the end.”

Apparently that wasn’t the exact answer that Marie wanted to hear, judging by the little frown on her face. Still, she didn’t push him. She knew better than to do that. Anyone else and they would’ve started trying to interrogate him. Marie knew that if he had something to say, he would say it, and if he didn’t want to, he wouldn’t. Alchemists were tricky lots to deal with. Having grown up around them, she knew how to deal with them. Most people in the government did not.

“Regardless, the higher ups don’t really care about what you have to say about her research,” Marie explained, not bothering to wave any smoke away from her face. He was careful to blow in the opposite direction. “They would rather hear about it directly from her.”

Ah, there it was: the kicker, the true reason why they needed him. “I’m the last known person to see her. They need me in order to find her.”

“She trusted you enough to show you part of her research,” Marie pointed out. She didn’t look away from him even now. Marie trusted him too, didn’t she? And yet from the way she spoke about Medusa, she clearly didn’t like this other woman. So what did that say of him? Years had passed since they last saw each other, much longer since he saw Medusa. She had to wonder how much he had changed, especially after the war.

She had offered to stay - if he needed any help - but hadn’t given her a reason to do so. Every now and then, he couldn’t help but wonder if things would’ve turned out differently if he had. No reason to dwell on that though, not with her standing in front of him now gazing at him expectantly. Even though he hated going to Headquarters and talking to his superior officers even more, she wouldn’t have had to push him to come with her. A soft look from that single eye of hers alone would have corralled him into following her.

Pushing himself from off the couch, Stein moved to grab his white jacket when Marie made a slight noise of disapproval. Stein glanced back at her, jacket in his hands, but he didn’t need her to speak to know what she was telling him. He couldn’t help himself; he groaned out loud. “I’m not exactly a proper member of the military. Is it really necessary?”

“Yes, Franken, it is,” Marie huffed. The use of his name was both foreign and familiar. It had been a long time since anyone had said it, but she always had. “Go put on your uniform. And we’re stopping by my place before we head to HQ. I’m not stepping foot in the Fuhrer’s office sopping wet.”

*

Once in the Fuhrer’s office, Stein tugged uncomfortably at his uniform, just barely avoiding Marie slapping his hands away. Even though he was the leader of the country and military, the Fuhrer was an oddly cheerful man made even odder by his very uncheerful nickname, “Lord Death”. The man that had taken over the government after the Ishval War was tall and thin, pale skin stretched thin on a bony face that reminded some people of a skull. He had a white, toothy smile and youthfully cheeky voice, but his dark eyes were sharp and attentive. There was no such thing as hiding from a man like this.

Stein had only met the man once before when he was promoted in a ceremony the month after the war. It had been more for show than anything else. Anyone that knew him would’ve said that Stein didn’t give a damn about how far up he was on the ladder in the military. He’d taken the title of Major for granted after becoming a State Alchemist. The fact that he was technically a Colonel, despite having no subordinates to order around, was laughable. He had only joined the military because of the abilities it granted him with his research. Serving in the war had been an...unfortunate consequence he had considered before taking the initial exam.

During the ceremony, Marie had also been promoted to First Lieutenant, not having the same advantage of having jumped straight to Major like he had upon first joining the military. She had beamed throughout the whole thing, graciously thanking the newly appointed Fuhrer and shaking his hand, even dancing with him at one point - only to cry in her bedroom later that night. He had heard her cries through the walls, torn between leaving her alone and trying to help her, except he hadn’t known how to help her. That was the beginning of the end for them, though he couldn’t say why he thought that or if it mattered now.

The Fuhrer did not look a day older than he did during the ceremony. It had to have been almost five years and yet the man looked no different. Granted, Marie didn’t either, except for being a little more defined and perhaps more subdued, but Stein was certain that he was marginally paler, skinnier, and grayer. Being constantly indoors did not help his appearance.

“Ah, Colonel Stein, a pleasure to meet you again!” the Fuhrer exclaimed, reaching out to shake his hand. Stein was used to having larger hands than anyone, what with his long fingers, but he was curious to see that the Fuhrer’s hand was bigger than his, almost comically out of proportion with the rest of his body. “I knew that if anyone was going to be able to get you out of that dark, creepy lab, it would be Lieutenant-Colonel Mjolnir.”

Stein arched an eyebrow at that and gave Marie an appraising glance.

In response, Marie tilted her chin up. “You didn’t think I would stay where I was, did you?”

“You said that you didn’t want to make the military a career,” Stein pointed out, though not accusingly. Those hadn’t been her exact words. It was more along the lines of her being concerned that it would be more difficult for her to find a husband if she was career military. Men tended to feel...threatened by a woman higher up in the ranks. He wondered if her advancing meant that she had found someone or she had given up. Neither option seemed pleasing for some reason.

Staring back at him almost defiantly, Marie simply told him, “Things change.”

“That they do, that they do,” the Fuhrer cut in. “I can see you all have plenty to catch up on, but time is of the essence. Luckily you two will be working together on this mission.”

Marie whipped her head back to gawk at the Fuhrer. “Pardon me, sir? Together?”

“Mission?” Stein questioned, his brain having even gotten to the ‘together’ part of his statement, freezing mid-tug on his jacket. The last mission he had gone on had been being sent to the frontlines. The higher ups had known better than to ask him to be part of one again, leaving him to his lonely but important alchemy research. Being dragged back into another military mess was not high on his priority list.

“I’m sure the Lieutenant-Colonel informed you that we are searching for Medusa Gorgon in order to learn the details of her research, but that’s not the entire story,” the Fuhrer explained as he sat down behind his desk. Neither Marie nor Stein followed suit, as they had not been given leeway to sit. Stein might abhor the military and all that it stood for and even mock some of the customs, but this was the Fuhrer, after all. “We have been...made aware of crimes committed with the use of alchemy and evidence suggests that it’s the Vector Alchemist’s work. Unfortunately we have little to no idea what we’re up against and any attempt at finding her has either ended with dead ends or, to be frank, dead soldiers.”

“So you decided to send a mad dog to hunt another one?” Stein drawled dryly.

The Fuhrer smiled and it did not come off as kindly as before. “Well, dogs are good at sniffing things out, are they not? And madness has such a particular stench, especially when alchemy is concerned.”

Alchemy was dangerous. There was a reason why the government was so interested in it.

“And the reason for Marie joining?” Stein asked. Marie stiffened at his side, but said nothing. If the Fuhrer had any thoughts concerning Stein’s use of Marie’s first name instead of her military rank or surname, he made no comments. Stein was about as close to a civilian as a State Alchemist could get these days. The anti-fraternization laws were strict, but it had never been of any concern for them before, especially since they had only ever worked together during the war.

“Well, you’re not exactly trained on military protocol or used to being on missions,” the Fuhrer said. “That’s where Mjolnir comes in. She’s going to run the mission.” In other words: she was going to hold his leash. “I imagine that her people skills might come in handy.” The man had the audacity to laugh as he leaned back in his chair and watched the two of them stand awkwardly next to one another. “Besides, I figured you would want to work with her versus a stranger. I know how...prickly you can be towards people.”

That might have been an understatement, but it was true nonetheless. If he had to work with someone, Stein would have only wanted to work with Marie. Everyone else was too squeamish.

*

The train ride out to Eastern took far too long. Stein stayed in their assigned compartment nearly the entire time, buried in his notes as usual, while Marie toured the train. Well, she said she toured the train when he knew for a fact that she merely got lost and forgot which compartment was theirs. When he finally found her while leaving for his one trip to the bathroom, she was peeking into the wrong compartment and apologizing profusely. She was not particularly forthcoming on what she saw and sat across from him silent and red-faced the rest of the trip.

“Our contact is to meet us at the train station rather than HQ to not arise suspicion,” Marie stated as they gathered their belongings and walked off the train.

Stein paused so that he could frown at her. Their contact? So there was to be someone else on this ridiculous mission then? Why hadn’t the Fuhrer told him about this other person? It seemed that the longer this went on, the more questions that came about. How were they find answers if their own government refused to provide any?

“Took you long enough to get here, Little Mjolnir,” a familiar voice called out to them.

Marie squealed in excitement as she rushed past him, dropping her suitcase in the process. Stein was left to stand and process the situation. Being so short and their contact being so tall, she had been forced to jump in order to throw her arms around the neck of him. She was practically glowing with joy as she beamed. Stein, for his part, did little more than pick up her suitcase and carry both of their belongings forward.

“You’re our contact out East?” Stein greeted. “I didn’t think the Fuhrer would let you out of his sight.”

General Spirit Albarn scowled as he hugged Marie. When she let go out of him, he carefully let her down to her feet so that she didn’t stumble. He looked as if he had aged as little as Marie, still youthful in the face and with vibrant red hair almost to his shoulders. The uniform looked good on him, especially those stars on his shoulder. Being promoted to the Fuhrer’s right hand man had done him well - and kept him out of Stein’s field. The two of them hadn’t worked together since the War and for good reason.

It was, after all, thanks to Spirit that Stein knew so much about manipulating the soul via alchemy, whether he had been a willing participant or not.

“I didn’t have much of a choice,” Spirit admitted, his glare at Stein turning into a softer look at Marie, “but certain circumstances have come up.”

“The witnesses,” Marie replied, already commiserating with him. She was much more empathetic than he was. When Stein made no reaction, both soldiers looked at him. “Did you even read the file?”

Stein slid his tongue across his teeth behind his lips and squinted at the sun. That was a sufficient answer enough for them and they both sighed in aggravation. Of course he didn’t. Stein read files only when they suited him and he knew more about the Vector Alchemist than anyone else in the military. They didn’t have anything that he didn’t already know and, even worse, they were lacking sufficient evidence. What else did he need to know?

“Trust me,” Spirit added as they walked out of the train station, “I wouldn’t be working with you if not for her.”

Stein arched a bored eyebrow. “The Vector Alchemist?”

“My daughter,” Spirit ground out irritably.

That was considerably more interesting than Stein anticipated. His other eyebrow rose in response, but he said nothing out loud. The Fuhrer had said that they had been made aware of Medusa’s crimes somehow, which he’d figured was most likely through a witness, and it appeared as if the witness was his old colleague’s daughter. Of course, if Spirit’s daughter was able to recognize Medusa’s work even a little bit, that meant…

“Your daughter is an alchemist,” Stein blurted once his train of thought finished.

Spirit smiled, looking somewhat dazed. “She’s absolutely brilliant, just like her mother.”

“How is Kami doing these days?” Stein asked.

He was not deigned an answer. Both of them knew that Kami was somewhere in Xing, traveling the world in order to learn more about alchemy. She’d been gone for over a year. The last time Stein had seen Spirit’s ex-wife, she’d been slinging a bag over her shoulders and telling him not to bother contacting her. He didn’t know why she felt obliged to tell him that. He wouldn’t have even if she hadn’t told him. She knew that. Maybe it was action itself.

“Arrangements have been made for you at the Mirage hotel near HQ,” Spirit said as if Stein hadn’t spoken. He started to walk out of the train station and they followed him to a military vehicle that was parked outside. “I didn’t think you’d want to stay in the dorms.” Before Marie could say anything, he quickly added, “Only one room, I’m afraid, but two beds. Cliche, I know, but it was last minute. I’m sorry; I’ll work to get it fixed as quickly as possible. I know that Stein is a terrible roommate.”

Honestly, Stein had benefited quite a bit during all the times Spirit had crashed on his couch whenever Kami kicked him out, much to Spirit’s own displeasure, but Marie would never have to worry about the same things as Spirit.

In fact, Marie smiled slightly at the implication. “I never had a problem with him.”

As Stein put their suitcases in the back of the truck, he caught sight of Spirit shaking his head. Spirit had never been able to understand how Marie was able to live with Stein in peace. Along with Kami, the four of them had grown close during the war, the taint on their souls bonding them in ways that even Stein recognized as different and perhaps even important. It had also torn them apart in the end. Stein never wondered what their lives might have been if none of them had been shipped off to the frontlines, but he knew Marie did.

That kind of thing left a stain on a person. He did wonder if that was when her dreams about getting married and living happily ever after had started to dissolve.

Even though Spirit held the front passenger door open for her, Marie shook her head. “I’ll take the back.” She wiggled a foot in the air, looking small even in her military boots. “I’m smaller.”

Spirit did not look exactly pleased at having Stein sit up front with him, but he didn’t complain either. Marie hopped in the back while Stein slid in the front. He’d forced his tall body into odd and uncomfortable positions before, but Marie was all about being a mediator. He had a suspicious feeling that she was trying to force Stein and Spirit together so that they might mend the tattered remains of their old friendship. Stein honestly didn’t know if it was worth it or if Spirit would be a willing participant.

“I’ll drop you off so you can get settled,” Spirit told them as he started the truck. “It’s late and a school night for Maka, so we’ll convene at HQ tomorrow at 8 and conduct Maka’s interview during her study hall.”

It struck Stein as interesting that they weren’t jumping on things immediately, regardless of Maka being in school, but he said nothing. The rest of the drive was silent, which suited Stein. Smalltalk had never been one of his fortes. Manipulating previously unheard of and volatile alchemy on the other hand was, which made him both a better and dangerous fit for this mission. While he had known right from the get go that Medusa was a horrible person, she was also a brilliant alchemist and, horrific or not, he’d like to get a glimpse of her research before handing it over to the government. It wasn’t like the government wasn’t going to try to use it for their own benefit anyways.

They’d used Stein’s alchemy research, after all, to dramatic effect.

Glancing into the rearview mirror, Stein caught Marie gazing at him, but she quickly averted her gaze to outside the window and the passing buildings. His fingers twitched on top of his thighs. How did it always seem like Marie knew when his thoughts were turning darker?

[wnnbdarklord]

Dear Crossovering 2017 Creator!

First off, thank you for writing for me! I'm sure I'll love whatever you come up with! Also, my letter grew a bit long, so have a table of contents, with the rest under the cut :D

Table of Contents:

General Stuff

General Likes

General Dislikes

Request #1

Leverage/MCU

Request #2

Thor/ASoIaF

Request #3

His Dark Materials/Avatar the Last Airbender/Pacific Rim

Request #4

Stand Still Stay Silent/Thor

Request #5

Better Off Ted/Discworld/Andromeda/LOTR/Brooklyn Nine Nine/Dragon Age/Jurassic Park

The Adventure Zone/Andromeda

The Adventure Zone/Better Off Ted

The Adventure Zone/Brooklyn Nine Nine

The Adventure Zone/Discworld

The Adventure Zone/Dragon Age

The Adventure Zone/Jurassic Park

The Adventure Zone/Lord of the Rings

Request #6

Timeless/Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries/Brooklyn Nine-Nine/Elementary/American Gods/Gargoyles

Request #7

American Gods/Star Trek: the Next Generation

Star Trek TNG/ASoIaF

American Gods/Thor

Request #8

Jurassic Park/Parks and Recreation

Jurassic Park/Better Off Ted

General stuff:

General Likes:

Polyamory, gen, het, slash, femslash, families of choice, competence, BAMF female characters, angst, hurt/comfort, teamfic, pretty much all the tropes especially if there is a twist, worldbuilding, redemption, for want of a nail AUs, time travel, werewolves, etc. Smut is fine, but I’d prefer that the focus is not on that. Crossover specific likes: Canon events changing as a consequence of the two canons meeting is always a favorite. Especially if it makes one canon's events unexpectedly a whole lot better or a whole lot worse. Unexpected character interactions and parallels. Note on the characters: All the characters I've listed are merely preferences. I'd like it if they were included or the focus, but if you're inspired by a prompt only with a different character than one listed, then go for it! Pretty much the only exception to this is Loki. He's a favorite character of mine and if the canon includes him, I'd strongly prefer for him to be the focal point from that canon. Which is one reason I've been listing the Thor movie instead of the MCU as a whole, even though I'm familiar with all of the characters and movies there (and I'm more partial to the rest of the characters in the Thor movies as well). In general, I prefer Loki to be morally grey or conflicted or redeemable and not outright villainous. Which I’m sure is fairly obvious from not only my requests, but my blog and fics as well. I'd be happy to see a fic with other MCU characters too, as long as Loki is included. I feel like the prompt ideas I've included will make it fairly obvious when I'd be fine with a more ensemble setting and when I'd like a tighter focus, so don't stress!

General Dislikes:

I’m not a great fan of permanent character death, rape, torture porn, underage stuff, infidelity, humiliation, character bashing, ship bashing, no powers AUs, love triangles, fake married/dating, incest, power imbalances in relationships, hate sex, hardcore kinks, necrophilia, PWP, abuse Tragic and sad endings are also not my thing. They can be bittersweet, but I prefer something hopeful. Crossover specific dislikes: I'm not really a fan of fusions, except for the one exception in my requests. I find that too many of them just take the characters from one fandom and put them in another canon without bothering to consider how events might change because of that. Or how the characters themselves might be changed by the differences in their circumstances. Characters from different canons being related or being the same person. Extolling the virtues of one canon over the other or making one canon blatantly superior. Introductory infodumps. While I do want the characters to get to know one another, I have read so many crossovers that just have the characters spilling their entire life story seconds after meeting each other. Not a fan of that, honestly. Note on Star Trek TNG: I don't have anything against any of the ST TNG ships, but a persistent failing of mine is an utter inability to ship characters from my childhood fandoms. So gen or canon relationships from this canon only, please! This also applies to Gargoyles. Note on MCU: My NOTPs are Steve/Tony, Steve/Bucky, Thor/Loki. DNW: Civil War shenanigans or any bashing of characters related to any team.

Request #1:

Leverage/MCU:

Either a crossover where the MCU characters are like the Leverage team (maybe in a dark AU where Hydra takes over) or a fusion where they are the Leverage team. Loki and Thor as a grifter and hitter, respectively. Tony as the ultimate hacker, with a minor in grifting and masterminding. Natasha being the ultimate grifter. Bonus points if they keep their MCU abilities and powers. Maybe they get lost in the universe and have to resort to this to survive. Even in a fusion setting, I'd love for the original Leverage characters to pop up, since I am very fond of them.

Request #2:

Thor/ASoIaF:

I'd love anything where Loki falls to Westeros after letting go. How does he change the course of events there, for better or worse? Or maybe he's exiled there by Odin for whatever reason before the events of the Thor movie? Also Loki shapeshifting into a wolf or dragon would be super cool. Super specific prompt that I'd give my soul for to be filled and would please my id greatly but is also super optional: Loki discovers Westeros during the time of Theon Stark the Hungry Wolf and is super into him and they marry and have kids. Odin discovers this and decides that if Loki likes wolves so much, he should be one and turns him into a direwolf. Centuries pass and Loki is actually the direwolf found in the snow by the Starks, but only wounded and they take him in. Loki eventually learns how to break Odin's curse and works on helping his descendants with the politics of the kingdom. This might be a good resource if you decide to go with this: http://towerofthehand.com/blog/2016/08/16-politics-of-seven-kingdoms-2/index.html Another prompt that includes more MCU characters: Stark Tower gets dropped into the North in Westeros, still fully functional and years before the events of the books. Winter is coming, so how do Tony Stark and the Avengers prepare for it and what do they change? Does Tony decide to kickstart the industrial revolution?

Request #3:

His Dark Materials/Avatar the Last Airbender/Pacific Rim:

These fandoms usually show up as fusions with other fandoms. Let's switch that up a little and make them fusions with each other. Doesn't have to be a 3 way crossover, but that would be interesting to see! Who is drift compatible in the Avatar verse? What daemons do the Jaeger pilots have? Or are their souls more like polar bears' armors? Is Lyra the Avatar? I don't have anything more specific for this, I'm just really interested in the worldbuilding of these fusions and how it would change or not change the characters.

Request #4:

Stand Still Stay Silent/Thor:

The world of SSSS is heavily influenced by Norse mythology, even featuring magic powered by the gods. How would the crew react if they came face to face with the gods? Would Loki and Thor help or hinder? How would they react to a Midgard almost devoid of human life? Would Thor travel around the world to see if he could find more survivors? Would they be forbidden to interfere directly? I bet Loki would totally take that as a challenge to interfere indirectly and try to lead the crew to answers. Or just to cause a bit of chaos.

Request #5:

Note: I know this request mostly focuses on crossing over TAZ with the rest, but I'd be happy to see any combo of fandoms in this one. I just got prompt exhaustion and couldn't think of many prompts for the rest. I love all of these canons and I'd be pretty happy with anything, serious or silly. Consider it a free for all! Edit: I came back and added in some general prompts for more combinations.

Better Off Ted/Discworld/Andromeda/LOTR/Brooklyn Nine Nine/Dragon Age/Jurassic Park

Better Off Ted/Discworld - Veridian Dynamics certainly feels like a company that would fit into the Discworld. Perhaps something that translates the company onto the Disc? Does Vetinari compell Ted to work with him to keep the company from destroying everything? Does Veridian Dynamics hire Ponder Stibbins to work for them?

Actually, pretty much any prompt of mine with Better Off Ted is going to focus on the whackiness Veridian Dynamics will bring to the crossover. PR campaign for the Dark Lord Sauron? Crazy experiments caused the Blight? They take over the Free Trade Alliance? It's all good :D

Dragon Age/LOTR - I'd love something where Dragon Age characters find themselves on Arda. Sure, there's another apocalypse on, but at least these monsters don't turn you into them/kill you with diseases! And there's a giant lack of obvious magic in LOTR - fireballs for all! Super bonus points if demons just aren't a thing DA mages have to worry about on Arda, so Anders comes up with some scheme to move the mages that want it to Arda. Gondor gets a boost in firepower in exchange for land to settle; common folk are all over their healing magic; the dwarves are really keen on the enchanting and crafting these newcomes do; the elves on both sides get the surprise of their lives. So many possibilities!

Discworld/LOTR - anything off of this post, I mean it: http://berry-muffin.tumblr.com/post/160194985845/thebibliosphere-teapotdragon-zephyrantha

B99/any - like with Better Off Ted, I just want all the shenannigans with the team and the crossed over fandom.

Andromeda/verses on Earth - super bonus points for time travel stuff where Harper absolutely refuses to let Earth become what it is in his time. Not helped at all by the canonical indifference to Earth from the rest of the crew.

Andromeda/fantasy verses - the Andromeda crashes on those planets for whatever reason. Great. Now what? Bonus points for technomagic and/or out-of-depth questing. (I would also lol forever if Dylan Hunt contracted the Blight and died)

Discworld/Any - Granny Weatherwax Borrowing all the creatures! T-rex? No problem. Oliphant? Even easier.

The Adventure Zone/Andromeda:

The Andromeda verse is one the crew of the Starblaster visits during the Stolen Century. Either the Spirit of the Abyss is the Hunger, gets absorbed by it or they fight it out to mutual destruction/stalemate. Would love to see something where the Andromeda and Starblazer crews interact. Magnus vs Tyr, Taako and Harper snarking off at each other, Merle and Trance getting all philosophical, Lup and Bekka bonding over being badasses, anything would be great! DNW: Dylan Hunt and most of the clusterfuck that was the show after season 2

The Adventure Zone/Better Off Ted:

Instead of John, Merle meets Veronica in the Parley Parlour.

The Adventure Zone/Brooklyn Nine Nine:

Oh goodness, just anything with the teams interacting. Gina and Taako, Magnus and Terry, Merle and Captain Holt, Boyle and Taako discussing cooking? The possibilities are endless. For extra fun, maybe the 99 ends up in the D&D verse instead of vice versa.

The Adventure Zone/Discworld:

So many interesting possibilities! I'm just going to toss out suggestions, see what sticks: Kravitz meets Death. Taako vs Dibbler. Magnus and Carrot. Magnus and the Nac Mac Feegle! Taako being out magicked by the Lancre witches through headology, Merle getting evangelism tips from Omnians… Basically, I love both of these verses dearly and would be delighted by any characters in them interacting.

The Adventure Zone/Dragon Age:

The tonal clash between these two verses would be interesting, I think. Perhaps the Adventure Zone people could bring some much needed levity into Thedas? Some ideas: A Mabari imprints on Magnus. Taako wrecks a Circle. Merle shows the Chantry how clericing is really done. Or if you want to go for something darker, one of the Starblaster crew contracts the Blight and is Not Okay Mentally when the reset happens. Maybe the Darkspawn try to corrupt the Light of Creation?

The Adventure Zone/Jurassic Park:

Magnus adopts a baby velociraptor. Taako studies a T-rex because he wants to be one.

The Adventure Zone/LOTR:

So I know there's a pretty good canon explanation for why the TAZ guys can resist the power of the Grand Relics, but I also really really want a fic where they are just really really nonchalant about resisting the One Ring. Perhaps something that deals with the wildly different magic mechanics between the verses? Gandalf may be a demigod, but Taako can just lob fireballs at will. Or maybe Merle decides to actually heal people for once and Boromir doesn't die. note: I'd totally accept a crossover with the Hobbit as well, because the thought of the TAZ guys facing off an actual dragon is hilarious to me

Request #6:

Timeless/Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries/Brooklyn Nine-Nine/Elementary/American Gods/Gargoyles:

I'd find pretty much any combination of these fandoms interesting. Extra bonus points for crossing over fandoms without scifi/fantasy elements with those that do have that and focusing on the characters discovering the magical and strange. How would the mythologies of American Gods and Gargoyles intersect? Would the gods gain more power once the world finds out about the Gargoyles? Does Xanatos aim to become a god? I'd love for Jake to be a total fanboy of Miss Fisher and just be delighted when he somehow ends up in her time and meets her. Bring along the entire 99! Because of NYPD politics, Sherlock and Joan end up working with the 99 for a time. Sherlock and Joan meet Miss Fisher, how do they get along? Timeless and Gargoyles have diametrically opposed rules for time travel - in Timeless the timeline can change, in Gargoyles it cannot - it'd be interesting to go with Timeless rules for Gargoyles or vice versa. What can the Timeless crew change about the Gargoyles timeline? How do they react to the existence of magic and inhuman creatures? I'm totally stealing this bit from BBC's Sherlock, but can't bring myself to care very much: As Joan and Sherlock's fame grows and something happens to them ala Reichenbach, messages of 'I believe in Sherlock Holmes' start appearing. But in the world of American Gods, belief is power. How does that change the crime solving duo? Do they become something more?

Request #7:

American Gods/Star Trek: the Next Generation:

Humanity takes to the stars and of course their gods follow. Of course, humans are not the only ones with gods.

Star Trek TNG/ASoIaF:

The Enterprise crashes on Westeros after travelling through a tear in space. How do they survive on this impossible planet? The Prime Directive is almost impossible to uphold in this case. Do they try? What makes them decide to help?

American Gods/Thor:

After the Avengers, the world was suddenly reminded that the gods are very real and that they exist. The power of belief can affect people Realms away. How are Thor and Loki changed by this? Multiple versions of gods can exist - does the American Gods Thor come back to life? Do the original gods find themselves with a lot more power than they'd expected? It doesn't have to be limited to the Norse pantheon after all, because I would imagine the people of the MCU thinking that if the Norse gods are real, then the others might be as well. Do the Avengers become gods?

Request #8:

Jurassic Park/Parks and Recreation:

The Parks and Recs crew is put in charge of maintaining the Jurassic Park.

Jurassic Park/Better off Ted:

Veridian Dynamics buys the Jurassic Park.