#but def more than if you are reading my current wip)

[sutherlins]

Brigade: A System of Hierarchy (E | Sydcarmy | 5k Oneshot)

Two sentences of this was written as part of a chapter of down in the heart | hidden in the stars however, I thought the dynamic was a more heavy handed (pardon the pun lol) than the one I had been writing for them in that little world so I tweaked it and it became... this

Set after S1xE3 (Brigade). The conversation in the alley after the implementation of the brigade and Carmy running out on her to attend Al-Anon happened. The next day Sydney needs a break and Carmy joins her, sparking another conversation that triggers something between them. (Dom/sub fic, please read tags.)

[suzukiblu]

this is a question that is not meant to come off as judgemental, and if it does i apologise and you don’t have to answer

for you, or anyone out there in the world if they see this,

What is the appeal of (the?) Omegaverse?

Ive never quite gotten it? And it might be the big bold orange, blue and white letters spelling out aroace, or being european, younger than most people who are knowledgeable about that particular genre of content (still 18+) and while I did get on the internet at 11, I didn’t start reading fanfic until 14-15

this is a long and rambly ask so I just want to clarify, this is a genuine question I would like an answer to, no matter how short and sweet, or long and convoluted it may be

It's all good, I don't mind getting questions! And, like, I've written a LOT of omegaverse, so it's a thoroughly relevant question to this blog, haha.

. . . and this definitely wound up long and convoluted. So like, yeah, we are SO gonna need a read-more here, friend. 😅

Obviously everyone's gonna have their own reasons for liking the genre, but as another (much older, I'm assuming) aroace, for me the appeal is the opportunity to use the tag "Fantasy Gender Roles". Like, there's other stuff there, def, but "Fantasy Gender Roles" is my favorite part. Omegaverse is a game where the rules are made-up and the points don't matter, and you can interpret and re-interpret the involved sexes and genders however the heck you wanna, and in fact are ENCOURAGED to. I also really like certain tropes that are common to the genre, like pack dynamics and breeding kink and having babies and feral behavior and courting/courting rituals, I just really enjoy playing with and reading about all of those.

Also, the worldbuilding. I get to do ✨GENDER-BASED WORLDBUILDING✨.

And obvi, like, some people are just into omegaverse for the kink/porn factor, which is totally fair, but personally I am here for ✨GENDER-BASED WORLDBUILDING✨. And then also the kink/porn. Generally speaking a recurring comment I've gotten from a lot of readers is "I literally hate omegaverse but I love yours", so a lot of my stuff is allegedly a decent jumping-on point for the genre if you're looking for that. Like, I'm not the only person who writes omegaverse the way I do, obviously, just I'm a pretty accessible one who's written a LOT of it.

( and in the event you DO want any jumping-on omegaverse recs from my stuff, I'mma just pop a few of them from various fandoms here. no DC-related ones 'cuz I don't have any of those currently on AO3, only scattered in my WIP tags, but hopefully something helpful will be in here. )

original fic

to the victor go the spoils - human omega OMC/dragon [ GENDER NOT FOUND ] OMC; 16.7k; explicit Fantasy AU. This one includes porn but honestly the heart of it is just one of those fairy tales where the protagonist is somehow both incredibly genre-savvy in their story and yet still a total fucking idiot about other people's feelings, and especially considering it's original fic, it is honestly one of the most popular things I've ever posted, hah.

The dragon arrived early in the morning, and by noon the entire village was in a panic in the town hall. No one in the village knew anything about dragons, aside from what they’d heard in fairy tales and stories, and the plans for dealing with it were about that level of sophisticated.

“We’re not sacrificing a virgin to the dragon,” Viktor said in exasperation.

“Well what would YOU do?!” the mayor demanded.

“I’m going to go talk to it,” Viktor said reasonably, and got up from his seat and went to do just that.

.

Avatar: The Last Airbender

does the pain feel better when I'm around? - beta!Sokka/omega!Zuko, beta!Sokka/beta!Suki, past alpha!Mai/omega!Zuko, polyamory; 3k; teen Societal dynamics-focused fic. Zuko goes into heat at the Western Air Temple immediately after the Boiling Rock happens and goes off to den down alone and stay out of everyone's way without realizing that the local betas are gonna lose their ever-lovin' MINDS about that.

“Cool,” he says. “You realize we’ve been looking for you for, like, two HOURS, right?”

“Why?” Zuko asks, sounding confused, which is kind of sad.

“Because the world is full of people who wanna kill you and you didn’t bother telling anyone where you were going?” Sokka says. “Obviously?”

“Oh.” Zuko falls silent. Sokka glances moonwards in supplication. Yue save him from dumb, dumb firebenders.

every act of communication is a miracle of translation - alpha!Mai/omega!Zuko; 5.7k; teen Post-series fic where Mai and Zuko are about to spend their first cycle together and they're both really awkward about working out how it should go. Not actually a sequel to "does the pain feel better when I'm around?", but you could definitely draw a relationship between 'em.

They leave the office, Mai pretending that all her senses aren’t full of Zuko’s warm, spicy scent, and he keeps looking worried. She wonders if it’s THIS he’s worried about, now that she’s thinking about it. They agreed they’d share their next cycles together, but again, they haven’t really talked about it.

They can talk about it now, Mai thinks.

Unfortunately, that means now they actually have to talk about it.

.

Overwatch

even if I do I don't, even if I could I won't - omega!Genji/beta!the-character-who-was-at-the-time-I-wrote-this-fic-known-as-McCree; 5.1k; explicit Blackwatch-era fic where Genji did not fill out his heat partner designation forms and "Fuck or Suffer Unspecified Health Consequences" is gonna make that a problem. Worldbuilding, assisted negotiation, a touch of workplace-influenced pack dynamics, and porn.

“Yeah, you’re hilarious, kid,” Gabe says. “Get back to work. And Shimada, call your heat partner and we’ll see you next week.”

Shimada’s shoulders tense. Gabe . . . pauses.

“Shimada,” he says slowly. “PLEASE tell me you have a heat partner on base.”

“I have a heat partner on base,” Shimada lies. Gabe and Jesse both stare at him, then Gabe calls up his file, takes one look at it, and starts cursing.

don't, don't, don't let's start (I've got a weak heart) - alpha!Genji/omega!the-character-who-was-at-the-time-I-wrote-this-fic-known-as-McCree; 17.3k; explicit Blackwatch-era fic about Genji and the character formerly known as McCree dealing with their complicated feelings about each other and also the cybernetics and trauma and physical disabilities that are fucking up their sex life, including ED.

“You busy?” he asks. Genji stares at him in bemusement, which is fair. Genji’s only ever busy when they’re on a mission or he’s in the middle of an upgrade. “Dumb question. My heat’s coming on, wanna do me a favor?”

“What favor?” Genji asks, still looking mystified. Jesse tries not to laugh at him.

“The obvious one,” he says meaningfully, tipping his hat back and raising his eyebrows at him. Genji looks no less mystified for a moment, then startles. “THERE we go."

.

Marvel Cinematic Universe

come hang (let's go out with a bang) - omega!Darcy Lewis/omega!Johnny Storm; 5k; teen Darcy almost dies again, tries to figure out which omega buys the courting gifts in an omega/omega relationship, and has her first date with a super-hot superhero.

“Was there traffic?” Jane asks.

“I have a date with Johnny Storm,” Darcy says.

“What?” Jane says.

“Oh, and I almost died again,” Darcy says, pulling out Jane’s papers for her. “But that’s kind of secondary.”

“WHAT?!”

pack up, don't stray (oh say say say) - alpha!Natasha + polyamory; 3.4k; teen Natasha collects a harem pack and Captain America is fucking difficult about it.

Natasha is an alpha on a mission, and that mission is simple and clear.

I said you're holding back, she said shut up and dance with me - alpha!Peggy/omega!Steve/omega!Bucky; 10.3k; mature Alternate timeline where Steve and Bucky don't "die" and they all run away from the States to get married and start a family. Illegal adoption and biokids and lowkey pack dynamics involving figuring out how to fold pups into their lives, oh my!! And also, they all get to dance.

“One alpha mating two omegas? Really, Steve?” Peggy asks, mouth quirking wryly. “What WOULD the newsreels say?”

“We’ll go to France,” Steve says. “No one will care in France.”

“I do love France,” she muses.

oh don't you dare hold back, just keep your eyes on me - alpha!Darcy/omega!Bucky, polyamory; 187.4k; explicit MY MAGNUM OPUS, MY WHITE WHALE, THE LITERAL REASON OMEGAVERSE TOOK OVER HALF MY BLOG FOR HALF MY STINT IN MCU FANDOM. I wanted a goddamn female alpha and I wanted that female alpha to be Darcy Lewis, and Bucky was my fave blorbo at the time so the inevitable happened. The inevitable happened for three and a half years and 187,430 words, to be more precise.

Darcy is thirty feet out of Stark-cum-Avengers Tower when she starts craving cinnamon rolls--the sticky-sweet iced-up old-fashioned kind, yummy and messy and dripping gooshy icing all over your mouth and hands and down your yuuuup, yup, that is a super, super fertile omega that she is smelling, holy SHIT is it ever.

“Jesus Christ,” she groans in frustration, then follows her alpha instincts (and, more easily and importantly, her NOSE) to go track them down. They’re in the middle of New York City; middle of the day or not, not checking on somebody who smells like THAT is, like, the ultimate dick move.

.

OKAY SELF THAT'S ENOUGH LINKS, WE MOVE ON NOW, haha.

I will also say, if you're interested in, like, gender-exploratory AU concepts, apiary genders might be more your thing and more easily accessible for you? It's a MUCH newer thing than omegaverse and really only has a few fics around, some of which are linked in the "inspired by" of that AO3 primer linked above, but the concept is a bit more strongly "hive"-based than a lot of omegaverse is "pack"-based, and also there's no physical differences from baseline. I've got a WIP or two going about apiary myself, actually, but I haven't gotten too far into them yet, alas. The only one I've posted anything from is this one Superbat one.

[blarrghe]

Shop talk! I know you're currently doing the whole writing and posting thing differently than before - like the whole thing is written, you're just editing and posting once a week. So what do you think of that? Do you prefer it over how you worked previously? Does it depend on the fic??

And how much editing are we talking? Both in terms of words changed as well as time spent on it? Do you do editing the next chapter for a whole week? Are you constantly editing all upcoming chapters??

Thanks for the ask! I love talking about this stuff :) Sorry for the obscenely long answer.

So it's the first time I've done that, and now that I'm in the posting part I am liking it a lot. I like the structure, I look forward to Wednesdays, I feel like I gathered a little bit of an audience that is there weekly with me as well, which is nice for everyone. I don't know if it makes any difference to people in terms of engagement if they hear that its completed in advance or see it posting regularly, but idk if it was me as a reader I would appreciate the regularity so I hope people do. At least one person has told me they're waiting to read it until it's finished/waited to start until it was over half posted, idk if I'll suddenly get new readers when its up in full or what but I def understand that. But yeah! The posting weekly thing has been nice. It feels productive even if I actually don't do a ton of writing every week.

Actually writing the thing took like two years though, specifically because there was absolutely no gratification to it haha. I didn't really even post wip snippets or talk about it much, because I wanted to keep my secrets. I was writing either Matchsies or A Complicated Match still when I had the idea and started plotting, so part of it taking so long is also that I was dividing my attention, and devoting more of it to the ongoing stuff I was actually posting. But I started this fic with the intention of letting it be a slow side-burner project so that I could make it "really good" by the time it went up. And that was a good call, because I did a lot of re-writes and re-structuring to elements of it, especially some of the early chapters, when I got further into the plot. To be clear, it's had the same outline all along, but there were connecting details that didn't work, like logistical travel time things that would have been glaringly annoying if I'd posted the first drafts of the first few chapters before writing the later ones. Also I re-vamped Sylvanna's character really early on into a more major role. She wasn't originally a bodyguard! Or really a main element of the story at all. Absolution came out at some point and I got Ideas.

Anyway, a lot of the editing that went into the fic before I started posting was pretty major, but by the time I was ready to actually start posting everything was much more concrete. I tend to edit the next chapter in the days before it goes up, and right before posting, mainly just for little details. But I try to give myself some distance and not overdo the constant editing so that when I do look at it right before posting I have some fresher eyes, right now I haven't looked at the next chapter (lying, I read it last night, but not from an EDITOR standpoint) in a couple weeks and I plan to put on editor glasses tomorrow morning before I post it. A big part of the editing that is ongoing is for how the prose reads, like I might come up with some gorgeous metaphor or re-do how a scene is described but keep the content the same. You get better all the time as a writer, so it's just about getting the Good Copy as Good as I can before it goes up. Every now and then I have a genius thought and go stick it in where it fits. Every now and then I also delete stuff or have a genius thought that doesn't actually fit and stick it in "CUT CONTENT" on the bottom of the doc. There's some Taren-perspective Bher stuff in there that didn't work with how I structured Ch. 20, for example. I was thinking for a sec I'd re-write that whole chapter and do a flashback chapter for him but it did not suit the flow at all and I only got a couple paragraphs in and then just... added like two lines of Taren Thoughts to get the point across instead haha. I also cut a couple chapters in half but didn't change them (19 and 20 are an example, which is also why a ch. 20 rewrite did not work.)

The most major edits I've made have been to the last two chapters, mainly to add in a few new ideas I had or to tie up loose ends I realised I was still leaving. I haven't majorly changed any of what was going to happen, it's more just me trying to really nail those last chapters. I am also constantly re-reading it in full (sometimes making minor tweaks to names in the narration ;) and also boring stuff like punctuation). I'll post a chapter and immediately get excited for the next one and go read from that point to the end...

There's also a "secret" epilogue that I wrote, really liked, and then cannibalized and entirely re-wrote like, yesterday. I wasn't initially sure I'd even post it but now I definitely will. So stay tuned for that ;)

[queen-of-voltronian]

A VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION TILLY, AND URGENT:

ARE YOU OK WITH PEOPLE PRINTING AND BINDING YOUR FANFICS? (not for profit, but to have and to hold) SPECIFICALLY My Soul Has Your Claim, My Soul Is In Flames BC ITS ONE OF THE BEST FUCKING FICS IVE EVER READ IN MY LIFE

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, EVEN IF THE ANSWER IS NO, I WANT YOU TO KNOW MY LOVE FOR THE FIC REGARDLESS 🙏🙏

Omg yes yes YES please print and bind to your little heart’s content!! I’m SCREAMING AKSHSGJKLAKJS

me: reader wants to bind my fanfic? Reader loves my story so much they want to make themselves a hard, physical copy?? OH!! HUGS FOR READER, HUGS AND KISSES FOR ONE MILLION YEARS!!! 🥹🥰

Alex I’m gonna sneak into your house and leave hundreds of tiny little love notes in your slippers ❤️💙 I’m literally tearing up! I can’t believe that my fic is one of the best you’ve read, and it makes my heart so happy to hear that you love it so much!! The past year has been really hard to find time for writing and fandom with everything else I have going on irl, and your ask was just the kind of pick me up I needed!! It may or not may not be giving me motivation to make time and finally finish the couple WIPS that are sitting in my hard drive rn hehe 😉

Seriously, thank you so much for such a lovely ask!!! I’m sending you bunches of hugs and all my love and appreciation!! ❤️💙❤️💙❤️💙

And to any others out there with the same question: I’m totally more than okay with people printing and binding my current and future works for personal use, as long as it’s not done for profit. And if you wanna send me pics of the process and/or the finished product, I def won’t say no 👀👀👀😉

[becauseimanicequeen]

My Two Cents on White Being Non Pt. 2

I’ve previously written a post about my thoughts on White being Non and I have some additional thoughts to add to that (mainly because I’ve been thinking about Tee’s interaction with Non and White respectively throughout my day and I can’t seem to stop…).

In that post, I wrote that White’s hallucination of the boils/rash on his skin could indicate his fear of something being off-putting about his appearance and how that could be linked back to Non being called “greasy”.

The first time we see Non, walking into a classroom three years earlier, Top (being his usually charming assholish self…) exclaims that there’s no shampoo there and that Non should go home and shower instead (or something like that).

While I was thinking about this earlier today (as I was creating drips on a current abstract wip of mine), Tee and White’s shower scene in the first episode just popped into my head.

(Yes, this is how my mind works when I’m in right-brain-land.)

I feel like there’s something more to their shower scene than just a sensual rendezvous in the steam (yes, their dynamic is definitely more sensual than, for example, Phee and Jin’s, but I’ll get back to this in a sec). And I believe it has something to do with White and his insecurities.

(Btw, considering Tee’s reaction to protect White when they all watch the footage from the security camera is another indication that White is feeling vulnerable in a situation like that, and Tee knows it.)

Considering that Por suggests that Non should take a shower because he’s “greasy”, and the fact that Non’s been called “greasy” by almost everyone in that group (including Tee), I don’t think it’s very far-fetched that White (Non) don’t want to have sex with Tee with the risk of being dirty (greasy) or off-putting hanging over him. And so, they have their rendezvous in a shower.

But I also feel like there’s another aspect of this since (as I’ve read many point out) the boils/rash White sees in his hallucination show up on the area of his neck and shoulder that Tee kisses in that scene in the 1st episode. This could indicate that sex, or even touching and kissing, makes him feel dirty.

And, since I’m writing this from the perspective that White is Non, there’s a perfect explanation for this…

The video of him and Keng.

That video being filmed and uploaded onto the internet was the thing that destroyed everything for Non. It was a public humiliation. He was in a compromising and vulnerable position for the world to see and criticize. Anyone could’ve started associating sex with being dirty in a situation like that (especially after reading people’s comments on the video).

There’s also the fact that he was groomed and coerced into having sex with Keng, which could’ve also made Non feel dirty. But having it on display for the world to see, that’s on a whole other level.

In other words, White’s (Non’s) hallucination of the boils/rash makes sense based on this.

But, let’s get to another point by going back to Tee and White's shower scene.

This scene is really beautiful and you can sense the vulnerability (especially since White is often shown having his arms and hands close to his own chest, which can be an indication of wanting to protect oneself). This scene is also very much in contrast to Phee and Jin’s scene in the same episode. Phee and Jin’s dynamic is more sexual while Tee and White’s dynamic is more sensual.

What’s interesting about the topic of sensuality, though, is that there’s another relationship that has a sensual dynamic. The relationship between Phee and Non. The short montage (in episode 7) showing the start of their relationship and their interactions throughout that episode definitely show a sensual dynamic between the two.

(Sure, Non doesn’t show any sign of feeling insecure or vulnerable in Phee’s company, but Phee doesn’t know Non as “greasy” like Tee does, so this could explain that difference. But if we’re just looking at the sensual vibe, it’s definitely there in both relationships.)

And what’s the common denominator: Non.

(Also, let’s not forget that little moment of Jin being absolutely captivated by Non when they’re editing the movie. There’s definitely something about Non that’s very captivating to all these bitches, which I’m planning on further developing in another post. But, I digress…)

If what I’ve already written isn’t enough, there’s also the fact that both are intelligent.

Non was the one who answered Keng (with a correct answer) when Keng asked them to solve the equation he’d written on the board. Non also had all the correct answers on the test he got back from Keng.

And what does White offer Tee in the backstory they showed us in the 11th episode? He offers to tutor Tee because White’s a smart little bee. He might play two years younger, but his intellect is not (not that it’s a feat being smarter than Tee, but I digress…).

Not to forget that we have, time and time again, seen White find the clues and information at the house. He’s, at the very least, as smart as Non. And, no wonder (since he is Non).

Are all these similarities between Non and White a mere coincidence? It’s possible.

Am I reading too much into this? Most likely.

Am I delulu? Yes. But I choose to be. At least when it comes to certain things (like DFF theories).

[some-thrilling-heroics]

omg I don't think I sent you any ?s for the ask game??? what a dink i am. If you've already answered these, pick some ones you didn't get asked yet <3

🌊What moment in the game had the strongest emotional impact on you? 

💧Is there a ship you wouldn’t write yourself, but love reading?

🔥Is there an aspect of the game’s story that you think it could have done better?

heyyy! no worries!

🌊What moment in the game had the strongest emotional impact on you?

first time I reached the ansur plot and the fact that there's a dragon and we could make him our ally and then the backstory with the emperor - that hit me HARD. i loved it. it quite literally had me with my jaw open for majority of the thing

and then i got robbed. why is the game forcing me to kill the dragon? 😭 noo, i don't wanna!

💧Is there a ship you wouldn’t write yourself, but love reading?

hmmm🤔 maybe in a way anybody / astarion? bc I do enjoy him with tav / durge and some others but i don't really write him.

he is tricky for me to write. the most im gonna have in my current wip is have him sort of pine sort of long after tav but very lowkey? less abt romance and def not abt desire but very intense feelings of wanting.... approval is not the right word, idk how to explain it better. the one thing he and halsin share in my fics is feeling indebted to tav. i enjoy astarion still having that anxiety that if he's not useful tav will kick him to the curb and a vibe i got from one fic i read how they all are strays taken in by tav or durge. so that. whatever you make of that XD

ultimately tho, i love other charas that have a spoonful of fics dedicated to them specifically compared to the bathtub that astarion has, so i don't particularly care abt writing any astarion -centric fics

🔥Is there an aspect of the game’s story that you think it could have done better?

i mean. wyll and karlach. abso-fucking-lutely. granted i haven't reached the epilogue since it's been added 😩but their stories should have some proper conclusions WITHIN the game not off camera in the epilogue if you squint maybe. you know?

other than that i wish there was a way where friendship + high approval is treated more like partnered dynamic by the game. like, i have 98 approval and companion is highly open to my suggestions, but won't do x simply bc we haven't kissed / fucked. that's bullshit.

also idk maybe it's me and not being familiar with that type of games but i remember being frustrated the first time around that i fucked up the tiefling party romance offer and by the time i realized THAT was the trigger i was deep in act 2 or sth and i WANTED that romance 😩 i had to console myself awkwardly fucking the emperor. yay me.

thank you for asking these!! 💛

[e-vasong]

🍰 and/or 🖊️!

OOH! I wish I knew what fandom you were from so I could target you specifically lol.

🍰 Name one of your fave comfort fics (doesn’t have to be your all time fave).

I have a few comfort fics, and they're from a whole assortment of fandoms - but, call me biased, I think they're enjoyable even if you don't know the fandoms. The entirety of the Eleutherophobia series by SoloMoon is an Animorphs fic that is perhaps my most-reread fic ever. Everybody lives + my traumatized faves getting a chance at healing? Say no more! Do not let the first person scare you, I promise it's GOOD. The Last Love Song & Testament of Charles F. Xavier (X-Men) is THEEEEE cherik fic to me. Got me back into the ship after a dry spell! Def. worth reading even if you don't think cherik is your ship of choice. gig officially gigged (DBDA) by @laiqualaurelote is super popular. And for good reason. I read that fic and am just kicking my feet and giggling the whole gd time! And while it's far too dark to be a comfort fic....I HAVE to call out how memory makes monsters into myth (IWTV) by @divineatrophy because it makes me insane. Insane, I tell you!

🖊 Post a snippet from a current WIP.

Since I don't know what fandom you're from...I guess you can have two lol.

From portrait of an angel (IWTV):

He might as well say it now. “I’m writing it, you know.” The other side of the line is quiet.  “Pardon?” Louis finally says. “The book. I’m writing it. Finished my first draft last week.” Well, mostly. Daniel keeps remembering more and more that he wants to add. Small details, full scenes. A fucking ocean of minutes, hours, and even days all blended together in a slurry of liquid memory—countless events spliced together with Frankensteinian irregularity or lost entirely in the mess. He’s starting to doubt that he’ll ever be happy with the result. And he’ll probably be even more miserable once the Talamasca does their edit. “Figured it was only right to warn you.” “I see,” says Louis evenly. He doesn’t ask how Daniel’s recordings and notes survived. “That’s dangerous.” “Yeah,” Daniel does feel a bit bad about the inconvenience, but well. Louis is the one who asked for round two, and he’s a big boy who regularly drops millions of dollars on a whim. The guy can afford a bodyguard.

And from my currently untitled DBDA fake-dating fic!

Edwin now went out of his way to give Charles alone time, constantly concocting research projects and cold cases that required his attention. Yes, just his attention, really—Charles, why don’t you and Crystal go and watch a movie?  It was clearly intended to be nice. It might have been, if Charles and Edwin didn’t know each other so well. And if Charles didn’t know Edwin’s moods by the way they flavored the air, he would have been oblivious. Even despite their history, he’d missed it the first few times. Edwin hid it that well, that cleverly. But he wasn’t perfect, and Charles always watched Edwin closely. He could do nothing else. Over the months, he’d glimpsed it a few times. The ache and discomfort that underlay those offers; there for a second and then gone, like glimpsing a great whale as it passed by underwater. And Edwin paused sometimes now, when Charles asked how he was doing. Sure, he’d never been wildly upfront about his feelings. That Edwardian stiff upper lip was holding strong after more than a century. But still, Edwin had always given responses that were honest by his reckoning, even if that reckoning was pretty distorted by his upbringing and time in hell.  Hesitating like he was trying to find the answer Charles wanted to hear? That was very new, and Charles didn’t like it one bit. And he didn’t need anyone, not even a client, making Edwin feel even more self-conscious about it.

Ask game

[redr0sewrites]

About Me !!!

figured I'd do a page like this since ive seen other do something similar :)

🥀Pronouns: they/them

🥀Sexuality: queer w a bias for woman, also probably somewhere on the ace spectrum

🥀Gender: who knows? not me 🫠

🥀Race: Italian/Caucasian

🥀Mbti: infj

🥀Likes: art, reading/writing, gothic music, eyeliner, animals, fandoms/fanfiction, weird niche facts

🥀Dislikes: violence, arguing, rude or insensitive people, anything pertaining to vomit or getting sick, im very emetophobic :/

🥀 Favorite song: Vampire Empire by Big Thief

🥀Current Top 5 Fav Fandoms (in order):

The Amazing Digital Circus

Marvel

Hazbin Hotel

DC Comics

Marauders/Harry Potter

🥀Please Interact If...

you are apart of any of the fandoms i write/draw for! (especially if u want to chat about these fandoms or send in writing requests ♥️)

you write fanfiction! i love talking to fellow writers and i desperately need more writer mutuals

you like to create or enjoy art of any kind in general, whether it be drawing, writing, or music

you are a fellow goth, or have an appreciation for any alt subcultures

you like listening to my ramblings, inner thoughts, and oversharing on the internet

overall, i am probably more scared of you than you are of me! i am SO bad at interacting w people on here and there have been so many instances where ive wanted to interact w someone or be mutuals w them and i was too scared. trust me, as long as your not creepy, i will def interact with you too! i love getting to chat w people and make new friends/mutuals

🥀Please Do Not Interact If...

you are sexist, ableist, homophobic, zionist, racist, bigoted, or against any minority in general

you want to argue about any of these topics, or cause discourse in general. this is a discourse free space and i do not want to argue with anyone- if u dont like me just block me

you dislike my writing and feel the need to comment on it. i mean this respectfully, but again, if you dislike my writing so much that you feel the sudden urge to send me hate in my inbox or comment something rude, i would genuinely rather you just block me

you ask too many personal questions or are being creepy

you want to flirt with me when i don't know you or have never interacted w you

finally and most importantly, the main thing that irritates me most on here and causes me to not want to interact with people is how they treat me when asking for requests or coming into my inbox. if u don't read my requesting rules, or if u are just rude or pushy about me not writing fast enough, save us both the trouble and dni.

🥀Current Writing Status: recovering from some writers block, also working on some larger projects for november so i may not post as consistently for a while. i have a lot of WIPS and a lot of asks that im trying to get through, but requests r still open! the 2k event will probably be ending soon, so please send in any last minute requests‼️

pls feel free to ask any (non intrusive) questions!!!! i love interacting w people and i love writing <3

[librathefangirl]

OK so. i’m (hopefully) writing a long fic that boils down to hurt/no comfort demon hunter x demon king meli and i was wondering if you had any brittania lore to spare ‼️‼️🙏🙏 i’m trying to work everything ik and what i’ve gotten from reading nnt stuff into the worldbuilding and I Need More

hope you have a wonderful day/night!!!!

omg i can't believe i forgot this was in my inbox, october hasn't been kind to mee help (she said as if october wasn't already over)

Anyway- Hi!! Heey! Hope the writing is going well! That story sounds good (*sees HURT and MEL* *makes grabby hands*)

Ah yes world-building, my biggest writing frenemy... It's moments like this when I wish my hcs/lore was a little more structured (i def have some hcs that contradict each other; like how most of my fics have different demon features for Mel (in one of my current wips his blood is a color more similar to the red demon's than humans')). But let's see what I can pull out of the void 😅 And if not so much lore maybe I can offer some thoughts to (hopefully) guide you on your way?

(And when I say some I mean a whole fucking lot probably because I've got no self-control oops)

So. The 2 most solid hcs/lore pieces I've got (about the demons ofc because it's me lol) it about the demons' thermoregulation and their sleep. My demon thermoregulation is something I've used in a few of my fics (and that I kinda wished had a better origin than I wanna whump Mel with these 2 prompts but they're not compatible in the way I want so Imma change his whole physiology). It basically boils down to that demons are more connected with nature/the environment around them than humans, and therefore, are also more dependent on the environment. Maybe not cold-blooded in the way we might be used to, but always striving to maintain an optimal internal temperature (their temperature rising with the cold and falling with the heat, constantly compensating for the environment). That said, it's a fine line between maintaining an optimal temperature and overheating/freezing, especially in extreme temperatures.

My thoughts about demons' sleep contains 2 parts. Meliodas' sleep is fucked up by his upbringing. Demons also naturally follow a different sleep schedule than human (nocturnal?). Because they are a different race than humans, but also because not only is the Demon Realm a different place, it's literally a completely different realm! I'm not gonna go into the whole "we see 2 moons in the demon realm in Cursed by Light but apparently there's no day and night there yet at the same time it's a known fact that demons are much stronger at night" thing and just say that the Demon Realm is weird (from a human/non-demon realm native perspective).

Which is another point to consider. Because if the Demon Realm is weird to humans than Britannia must be weird to demons, right? And that's something you can do a lot with, if you just want to. The Demon Realm, and with it, the demons, aren't limited by human expectations and reality. We see in canon that demons and the demon realm don't always follow human possibilities, like being able to literally reattach limbs, or having seven hearts (or being able to sacrifice six hearts and still be alive), and the creatures that exist in that realm. One thing I like to ask myself when writing about demon characteristics/features or differences between the realms is what do I want to achieve? (oh god, I sound like my teacher - what is the point of this, what do we want to know...) What do these characteristics or lore or whatnot bring to the characters, the plot, and the story? Why is it important? Like take that example of Mel's blood I mentioned at the beginning. In that fic, one thing that is important to the progression of the story and the characters interactions is that Mel is toeing the line between human and definitely not human. Most people can tell that there is something "wrong" or off about him, like the color of his blood or how he looks like a literal child but can drink anyone under the tables or etc, etc, but not enough for people to point at him and scream demon. And all of this isn't about just physical or environmental things, but behaviors too.

Britannia is filled with different races! Demons and humans (and the other races) will react to things differently, have different thought processes and behaviors. Like *gently holds hc about demons nuzzling to show affection* or *hc about demons using sounds and non-verbal communication to a much higher degree than humans* or even *potential hc about demons and goddesses sharing a third language (outside their native languages and the language shared between all races) because they both hold themselves higher than the other races and even communicated with each other enough for a sort of truce(?)*

Another thing about Britannia is that it is oold. Like, we follow 3,000 years worth of history in canon. We know that the landscape changes drastically over the years (enough for King to be like hey this isn't our britannia, and also the 10C are surprised to find Edinburgh castle (or what's left of it anyway) because that spot used to be empty), but we don't really know how the people/culture/all that stuff changes. Because like... there's no way that things remain the same for 3-freaking-thousands years. Especially not with the huge change of the gods (goddesses) and monsters (demons) of the world all simultaneously disappearing. That said, it's interesting to think about how open to change the different races are/would be. Would the giants and fairies, who both have looong lifespans, be more prone to keeping things the way they are, than humans who might see change happening over the passing of generations? And then there's the demons and goddesses, who (if following canon events) have been gone/sealed/STUCK for 3,000 years...😅 But also like, how do the demons/goddesses feel about the changes to Britannia and the other races? We don't see a lot of this in canon (besides wow humans have gotten even better at making alcohol and wow humans are so weak now).

Oh wait! Actually another thing canon does touch upon is the shift in the magical power in Britannia. After being released the 10C feel like the magical power has dried up and it's making it harder for them to regain their own, but Fraudrin points out it isn't gone but instead the power that "once gushed from the earth" now "flows into the wildlife and plants" and that over the years it's been "absorbed by the beings" in Britannia. I'm not sure how much thoughts I have about this because it literally just caught my attention (😅) but it's something to think about. What was it like before when the power was in the earth rather than the plants and beings, what does this change mean, why did it happen, what relationship do the demons have with the natural magical power in Britannia? It's also of note to point out that this power, according to Monspeet, was the reason for the start of the war between the five races.

(ooh this makes me think about my own writing bc i've wanted for a while to do a fic where demons are a lot more connected/dependent on the natural power/energy in the demon realm and this affects mel once he gets stuck in britannia and maybe this can add some further complexity to the whole thing because the relationship between magic and land has changed in britannia - hmm def worth some thinking - Anyway! Side note. Ignore this, lol)

One way I do think Britannia has changed over the many years is that it is much more connected now. It feels, to me at least, that "back in the day" the different villages and whatnot were a lot more isolated. While now, for better (traveling, trading, alliances) or worse (war, humans being fucked up little shits to each other), Britannia is a lot more connected. We do see the characters being pretty well-aware of the surrounding kingdoms/villages/even locations of other races (there's even a map! - we do not know if there was a map of the land 3,000 years ago...?)

Anyway! Ramblings ove- No. Wait. Language! I definitely think language/communication is worth a couple of some thoughts (because I'm a nerd when it comes to communication. First of all, like a briefly mentioned before, I love the idea of demons being a lot more non-verbal than humans. Like in my Monster Sins AU, the demons' sounds/non-verbal communication is at least as complex as their verbal one. Humans might pick up on the warning of a growl or the particular emotion of whine or purr, but to demons there's actual communicated messages in those sounds. Personally I like taking inspiration from dogs and cats with a flair of demon/fantasy for how these sounds sound (but I'm also open to the potential of other animals - I haven't gotten that far in my own world-building yet). I also imagine demons have more rough/non-clear sounds, and more sounds "located in the throat" or have you wanna explain it...

On the topic of 3,000 years passing, I also think it's important to point out the changes in language. Because whether we are talking about the demons being sealed away for 3,000 years or just different races keeping to their own realms/race, there will be communication problems happening. Again, there's no way things haven't changed. I mean, if I look at a Swedish text from a couple centuries ago I'm like *confused noises intensifying*. And like we know that demons have their own language. With how the demons/goddesses superiority complex, I don't see why they would keep to the "common language" when speaking with each other either. So there would definitely be some differences in the language used between the different races. The demons in canon, after the seal breaks, must have a very old-sounding language with like idioms no longer used. Similarly, they must find the language of humans and whatnot hard to understand at times, because there are new words/phrases they aren't familiar with. And this isn't just about time either, there gotta be a lot of different dialects in Britannia. No way all of Britannia speaks in the same way (same language sure, but not the same way).

Okay, now I am done. Not sure how much of this was coherent or *makes vague gesture* useful to you but it's some thoughts, I guess.

Happy writing! 💜

[mainprotagonist]

ok ill bite, tell me about your ocs!

YES PERFECT... IVE GOT MANY!!!! You can see all of them on my toyhouse!!! A lot of them are WIP until I get their basics down but theres a lot of them that have icons so at least you can see what they look like

I do fandom ocs but since these stretch from fandom to fandom i wont go all over them but my Big OCs I talk about the most are Kelsey (one piece oc) or Prince (osomatsu san oc).... and i love oc/canon pairs sooo much and the biggest reason I make fandom ocs.... But look out for me making a dungeon meshi oc bc its def gonna happen.

as for my other ocs, I've currently have uhhh (checks hand) 8 'verses' I talk about which is basically just different worlds with different settings and stories that I jump around with working on.. EXPIER, Danger, OI!, Kingdom, Rampage, Red Wire Burn (RWB), V•RSE and Virus.....

I'll put descriptions in a read more so i dont spam up the dash <:)

EXPIER - newest verse of mine where all the characters are some sort of glee performer, drag performer so on so forth. all based on a very specific emotion and I'll give them playlists for songs that fit them. these guys help connect my love for music and ocs. Story follows the whole cast.

Danger, OI! - My oldest verse that I havent worked on in years and obvs needs overhauling and planning but its about people called animal whisperers who can command demons and free them from having no self control that cause them to attack civilians. Follows main character, Bibion.

Kingdom - A verse I work on with my bff milo most of the time and a lot of it wouldnt be possible without him. A world divided into multiple kingdoms: Astral, Angel, Dragon, Lava, Shadow, Spirit, Glacier, Flora n Fauna, Underdwelling and Reef.... All separated by lands considered neutral territory that many live outside of influence of the rulers. Story focuses on the aftermath of a long running war against the Shadow Kingdom rebelling against the others, which had left them devastated and leaving the rest to start anew to deal with their scars and rebuilding what was lost.

Rampage - Follows a train hopping, nonbinary shapeshifting duo named Fyle and Garrett!! Very casual loose verse I also havent worked on in a bit. They are thieves and pick up jobs that involve petty thievery in order to make ends meet.

Red Wire Burn - Usually abbreviated to RWB. Focuses on a vampire run bar and the entertainer that performs there and is given room and board, Desta who is an introverted magician; loves people but needs a lot of alone time, especially after his performances

Seasons - A family of huldrekalls living and surviving in a group or separated depending on the season. Huge plant motifs as they are tree creatures. They help local farmers with their fields and other tasks plus protecting them. Focuses heavily on Melian; the middle child of the family who catches the attention of a half giant by the name of Rexus (belongs to @not-amh). Lore related is that their names are chosen by their significant other as they are born n found no need for a name. Formerly simply known as Huldrekall until he meets Rexus and is given his name.

V•RSE - second oldest verse and arguably the more developed with almost all the ocs having their profile finished.... Its my fictional fashion industry, queer led and many of the workers are LGBT.... Creating clothes for all shapes and sizes regardless of gender; only separating the genres of clothing by the style and size rather than gender. Focuses a lot on Kåre who is the newest worker and learning the ropes of working at V•RSE

Virus - My lil scifi horror verse... An exploration team is sent to an inhabited planet as a means to research the lands. Jason, the teams head researcher, wakens a long dead alien virus, becoming infected and killing the rest of the crew and turning them into almost unrecognizable monsters; the only way to tell theyre the original crew is because of distinct physical features. A team is sent to rescue them or to find what happened to them.

[seiwas]

hi hi! i'm here for the ask game :'D i hope you don't mind cuz i picked a handful 🥲

🌵🥤🌻❄️🪲🍅

hi nonie!! thanks for sending some in 🥹 i don't mind at all!! this is fun 🥹

🌵 ⇢ share the link to a playlist you love

omg nonie the playlists i like are usually 'made for you' ones on spotify! so far i like the 'wyd' playlist or 'goosebumps' ones!! i usually just make my own tho bc i think i have very specific moods 🥹

🥤 ⇢ recommend an author or fanfic you love

kirketeer is one of my fave writers, mostly for their bakugo works!! i linked their fic: 'i like to call myself wound but i will answer to knife'. it's truly one of my most favourite fics (among many others) and i'm up for a reread this year for sure.

🌻 ⇢ tag someone you appreciate but don't talk to on a regular basis

literally everyone rn 🥺 i haven't hopped in inboxes for a long while and it makes me very sad 🥺 (i should get to it soon!!!) i miss everyone sdfbjas

❄️ ⇢ what's your dream theme/plot for a fic, and who would write it best?

oh gosh i loooove really good royalty au's, and @seravphs with her knight!gojo one already fulfills that dream of mine 🥺 i love the subtle references to got too!!

other than that, i would absolutely adore a secret agent au too!! co-agents smth smth hehe i love andie's (@andypantsx3) stuff bc i go through them so quickly. her writing is so fun to read (+ i love how creative she is with plots!!). i would def drop everything and come running if andie ever writes a secret agent type au BUT of course 🥹 i love anyth andie chooses to write!! seeing how her brain works in everything she writes always inspires me!!!

🪲 ⇢ add 50 words to your current wip and share the paragraph here

it's not exactly 50 words (48) but this is what i have:

People have come to you with stories of their own, sharing how much your art means to them. Critics write articles, both good and bad, detailing the technicalities of your work. The applause follows you everywhere you go, yet it has never touched you—has never gotten too close. 

🍅 ⇢ give yourself some constructive criticism on your own writing

i think in bullet points most of the time so it might sound harsh but it's just more efficient for me:

expand vocabulary, have richer descriptions

improve on plots and scene building

improve on making dialogue more dynamic

explore other tropes and be more creative with it

ask me anything from this list!

[lowkeychenle]

see my sea is my comfort fic fr like i love the trope of mc being anti romance due to prior experiences and love interest changes the fact ,, i enjoy them cos i relate to it n then the other reason is bc its chenle ?? theres a lack of GOOOOD written works for him (or any written works for that matter) (i mean like aside from like 7drm headcanons n reactions, theres not tew many chenle x reader in comparison to the other dreamies)

so the fact that your blog is enriched w chenle works = immediate follow

+ oh and ur chenle smut is so good too?? = post notifs on! literally digging thru the chenle smut tag is sooo 😐😐 so i can only rely on u my friend 😔 thank u 4 ur service<3

i would like to reiterate how much i love ur jaemle series as a fellow jaemle stan..... pretty sure i sent u an ask about it and your guidelines surrounding it but idk if i ever sent it bc i was half asleep (no like actually frl lmao) or if tumblr ate my ask

i also was the anon who asked ab emoji anons n oh i def would love to (/gen) but idk how much i'd be interacting cos im in a bit of a mental rut atm so my social interaction is looowww. still supporting my fav blogs tho no worries, w rbs opposed to asks :<

all that being said , i was js curious ab ur current wips if u have any or if ur main focus is on 'is it over now' ? was wondering what we could expect from u is all, no pressure whatsoever!

HIIII <3 omg thank you for reading my work and loving it and also following me that's so cute :')

I've received a couple asks about the Jaemle series and I do plan on continuing it, I'm just not sure when lollll. I have a bunch of misc. smut ideas I'll be writing at some point. These next few months are super busy for me as I'm hoping to graduate in August this year, but that means I, unfortunately, do not have much writing time.

I hope you feel better soon for real :( mental ruts are the WORST I was just in one myself so make sure you take care of yourself <3 if you ever just want to chat, you're more than welcome to send me a message :)

Some of my current wips include:

Is It Over Now? - Chenle x Reader / Jisung x Reader! Based off of the song of the same name by Taylor Swift. This one is crazy and I'm still kinda questioning myself on how to end it (because I'm a chenle slut but how do you like...pivot on bad behavior idk)

Somewhere Else - ??? x Reader; lol I'm thinking Mark or Jaemin for this one. They seem to fit the picture in my head more than Chenle for this one unfortunately. Basically just an achingly fluffy piece with some smut in it lol

Stars Aligned - Chenle x Reader; basically Mastermind by Taylor Swift but he for sure knows the whole time and when the relationship becomes public (ex. gets exposed), things start to switch up

Several miscellaneous smuts that just pop into my head randomly. I have like 10 docs of just random smut scenes I haven't completed yet LOL

And then, of course, I have some text au reqs in my inbox I'm working on and my new smau titled Musically Inclined. That one is fun lol.

[ectogeo-rebubbles]

💝 ☯️ 💌

Thanks for the ask!! <3

💝 what is a fic that got a different response than you were expecting?

Well I was DEF not expecting for my fic latent attraction to inspire an in-universe theatrical review of the Midsummer Night’s Dream performance that Garak and Bashir attended near the end of the fic! I’m still so insane about that! <3 So yeah, please go read the outsider POV garashir ficlet in the form of a theater review, The Human Condition, by @sapphosewrites! <3

….Another unexpected response that happened on that same fic was that someone in the comments of ch14 drew out a diagram to show how they imagined that one of the big misunderstandings in the fic occurred! 😂 This is one of the few fanarts related to my fics that I’ve ever received haha, and oh how I cherish it so! <3

☯️ how do you think engaging with each other through tumblr, twitter, comments, kudos, creates healthy fandom experiences? How do you deal with that if you're not a social person/experience social anxiety?

I truly love to chat with fellow fans over ao3 comments, DMs, etc., it's literally what keeps me inspired!! I love the collaborative nature of fandom, the way we're just all egging each other’s self-indulgences on, and infecting each other with insane ideas back and forth, and, sometimes, when the stars align, those ideas spill out and become fics, art, amvs, etc, and that’s just beautiful!!! I just really enjoy the social aspects of fandom

💌 share something with us about an up-and-coming work (WIP) that has you excited!

Well, I’m working on some post-Second Skin garashir smut (smut of the angsty character study variety), and I’m pleased to say that, in the current draft of the fic anyway, Julian does get to play a little bit with Garak’s tits <3 ^_^ (I have many more WIPs - and more to say about this one - so anyone can feel free to ask this particular question again haha)

(for this ask game)

[sybaritick]

Writer asks! 😁 10, 12, 18? 👉👈

(for the weird questions for writers ask game!) thank you for sending 'em! 10. Has a piece of writing ever “haunted” you? Has your own writing haunted you? What does that mean to you?

There def pieces of writing that "haunt" me in the sense that they have stayed with me for being so darkly emotionally affecting: the lyrics of the climax of Joanna Newsom's Only Skin have been meaningful in my heart for over a decade at this point. same with Invictus, it's a cliche but I encountered it at a rough part of my life so it meant a lot to me. More recently it has been Salvage that keeps coming to mind: I feel grateful for it, for being so bluntly honest about a feeling that is so difficult to talk about.

My own writing? The one that I keep coming back to is HANDLED just because I think I did a good job explaining the "vibe" in a way that feels salient to me, though I'm not sure it's effective communication to anyone else!

12. If a genie offered you three writing wishes, what would they be? Btw if you wish for more wishes the genie turns all your current WIPs into Lorem Ipsum, I don’t make the rules

hm, what counts as a writing wish. did you know someone once asked me a "three wishes" type question on my old tumblr like 6 years ago and i said i'd wish to be omnipotent

i wish that 1) i eventually finish my long-form original, PRMH, to my satisfaction and edit it into something nice that my friends can read, and 2) i write a bunch more lyrics in 2024, i like writing lyrics, and 3) i get better at writing more and weirder kinks in my erotica (both fandom and original) :D

18. Choose a passage from your writing. Tell me about the backstory of this moment. How you came up with it, how it changed from start to end. Spicy addition: Questioner provides the passage.

Let's steal something from the dinner from Tephra Year ch1 since that's fresh in my mind!

"This is all delicious," he commented after a second helping. "I almost want to ask if the chef is of Waterdhavian background, because from what you've said, you're a Baldurian to the core." Enver shook his head, amused. "My tastes are varied, but I'll admit your suspicions are correct. I only wanted to ensure they'd get a bit of practice. I wouldn't want you to get homesick.” He gave Gale a soft, modest smile. “You should let me know of your favorites." "You're too kind," Gale said, before realizing what a tremendously comedic thing it was to say without further context. "I'm happy to hear it. If you aren't being kept in greater luxury than you were accustomed to in your seaside tower, I've failed as a host." It was after Gale had finished his third glass of wine and his second story about Tara that a servant brought out a dessert— a beautiful tart, heavy with ripe, glistening slices of pear. Gortash took a generous piece for himself, and Gale felt permitted to follow suit. 

so the general vibe here is, of course, that Gortash is trying to get on Gale's good side very hard and make this little business arrangement feel friendly and enjoyable so that Gale lets his guard down a bit and is more cooperative instead of feeling like he's being forced (he's not gonna be as effective if he's thinking about "I am doing a horrible thing for a horrible man" the whole time!)

interesting notes: There used to be a line in here that literally said that Gale hardly noticed he was only talking about himself, which I was on the fence about including-- wonderful beta reader (@slipintosomethingsoft hi) encouraged me that it wasn't necessary and I could keep the show-don't-tell approach and add a couple more details like having Gortash smile after his comment about homesickness to make it all the more obvious he's being weird right now. also I love describing food (and i have a little bit of a thing about gale eating for the 0 of my followers who aren't aware). I wanted to have Gale cautiously surprised by the aggressively-pandering menu-- yet enjoying it all anyway! supposed to be a sort of echo of his general vibe of "i know i should be watching out, but i'll watch out, and in the meantime i can enjoy myself, right? might as well". gale, essentially, sees what's happening and thinks he's more than clever enough to manage to snap up the bait without setting off the trap. :3

[non-un-topo]

End of the year questions!

Tagged by @aphroditestummyrolls. Thank you, my friend! <3

Tagging @guarncre @spacegirlsgang @andrea-lyn @ladytessa74, and everyone!

What is your favourite thing you created?

I've talked about it more than enough, but probably my big baby, Axis. Jericho, My Moon is a favourite too, for its whimsy and dream-like quality and gothic romance. I want to write more things like that.

Which work are you proudest of?

Definitely Axis. It's just under 30 thousand words, and took me a year while I was working through a ton of grief, stress, an identity crisis (ongoing to this day lol), and just generally losing touch with reality. I think it's one of the most raw and beautiful things I've written, though I'm def overselling it. I'm also happy with the section break illustrations I made for it!

Is there anything you are proud of that you achieved this year?

Mostly my university achievements. I won 3 awards/bursaries this year due to my hard work! Got a work/study position at a small feminist library in my faculty, made some classroom friends, and have been enjoying helping students when they come to me. I guess I'm also proud of myself for... maybe.. perhaps... coming to the point where I can no longer deny that I'm trans. It's been a lot. It's shaken the very ground from under me. But at this point I don't think it can be denied anymore. It's time to be brave.

Did you explore anything new this year? (A new way to be creative, a trope you didn’t write before, or an idea you hadn’t thought of earlier, etc.)

I guess gothic romance is a new thing for my writing. I'm kind of a romance hater tbh, so I usually just background the relationships or struggle with forefronting them, but I'm becoming more of a fan of the weird and macabre kind of romance. Also not necessarily new, but I almost never write modern aus and I completed one this year: tempests of dust. I guess you could say my canon-divergent t4t au, Wolf Tooth, is new too!

Which work gave you the most difficulty?

Besides the aforementioned 30k fic, probably finishing misplaced items of great (in)convenience. I let that one sit for a while, which I guess kind of lines up with the themes of the fic lol. Burnout is real.

What was your biggest creative challenge this year?

Drawing ;_; At all. Perfectionism and self-scrutiny stop me before I can begin. That, and I have a lot of WIPs I started in 2023 that are supposed to be pretty big.

Which work brought you the most joy?

Hounds! I wrote that 8k bitch in nearly one sitting because I was so fired up.

Which of your works do you think people should check out?

Not all from 2023, but perhaps some of my less read ones. Obviously I want people to read the long ones about grief and liminal space and adventures that I worked so hard on, but I know most people don't have the energy or desire to sit down and read a lot of plot.

I'd recommend an Andy-focused one from my mystery series, Chronos, and Primavera, my little Nico 3000-headcanons-stuffed-into-a-trenchcoat backstory. My time loop fic, la mer a bercé mon coeur pour la vie, is also a fun little Andy-centric team adventure. My queer ass is also very fond of Eight Minutes. Lastly, one of my Booker fics, all things pass into the night.

I should say that not all of my fics are available for people without ao3 accounts.

Do you have creative plans for next year? Is there anything exciting you’re currently working on?

Oh gosh, I want to be so productive in 2024. I really hope I can be! I have plans for another queer quartet adventure with mystery elements that will hopefully be longer and more adventurous than the works in the Tetrad Mysteries. I miss it when that was my specialty! I also am working on a big canon-divergent au in which Joe and Nicky were childhood friends (and still end up killing each other). That fic mostly takes place during their adolescence and young adult years, so I'm sort of stuck on how to end it since I'm worried it'll be a disappointing read for people if it ends in Jerusalem. But we already know the rest of their story, more or less. I've put it on hold for a while due to sensitive subject matter that I feel is just inappropriate for the world right now.

Those are the two big projects, but I'm also hoping to do some collaborations, maybe open up commissions (we'll see how busy I am in the summer!), and have some smaller works in progress.

Lastly, any words of wisdom or anything else you would like to share?

We are not defined by our productivity. The process is always happening and we are always changing and learning, even if we're not actively "creating."

[sapphicsandscience]

20 questions for fic writers

Not going to lie - no one tagged me in this lol - but I am doing it .

1. How many works do you have on ao3?

47.

2. What's your total ao3 word count?

322,829.

Crazy number for me. I know some have literal millions but I can’t believe I’ve written that much in like the last two or three years??

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Currently Star Trek (TNG/VOY/PIC & some DS9). ER and Criminal Minds more so in the past. But ER I’ll never leave you.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Aster

- my labor of love - no pun intended.

- i WILL finish her (manifest it pls).

A Flame In Your Heart

- going to be honest writing post s3 isn’t something that interests me the most.

- however, this is a cute story and i wish i had some more ideas for it as i feel like i lack direction.

I Should Have Moved Moons For You

- ahhh.

- a fic I really should have pre-written before posting but i do have fun with it.

- i am half confident she will be finished in time but it stresses me out thinking about it and my outline lol.

- but like most of my WIPs the chapters are all outlined and i do have semi-concrete endings for them or at least know the main plot.

A Lot Of Things Can Happen In Two Months

- like the concept but i think i could have written it better ?

- feels a bit messy but also there are a lot of feelings in it.

- but happy i got it finished !! and i am proud of it overall.

Eighteen Minutes

- ngl I forgot I wrote this lol.

- the only one-shot here.

- def benefited kudos wise from being posted after the second episode aired.

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

Yes! And I love to give comments regardless if I get a reply from the author. But personally, I like to reply back as the commenter has taken their time to do this. And you can have some really lovely and funny interactions in the comments haha … I just love talking about fic.

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

Well…it would have to be either of the ones I killed Beverly in - Last contact or Too Late.

Not sure which is more angstiest?

However, as for a multichap ending that ends the most angstiest and wasn’t written to be a character-death-fic - maybe - A Lot Of Things Can Happen In Two Months. Which sucks cause it’s pretty much canon compliant LOL.

Hmm now I am tempted to write another multichap with a less than happy ending…

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

Most of my fics that have an ‘ending’ are WIPS that I haven’t finished yet lol.

But maybe Our Turn - it’s just Beverly and Jean-Luc enjoying everything wonderful in their lives <3

8. Do you get hate on fic?

Not really - I doubt anyone cares enough lol. But I am ‘fortunate’ that some of the more ‘controversial’ ships I may write have had writers come before me and take the brunt of any crap :(( but they’ve created a lovely sandbox for the rest of us to play in <3

9. Do you write smut?

Not often but I have yeah…and *deep breaths* … I have no idea if I am even acceptable at it LOL. It’s definitely something I sometimes want to add to my fics and lately I’ve been giving in a little.

Okay, someone tell me if I am terrible and I will stop.

10. Do you write crossovers?

It’s not my go to thing but yes I have. Including the fusion ER/TNG fic that three people have probably read (but three people I love).

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Nope.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No but that would be cool as!

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

Yes! With my lovely and supportive ER fic buddies ❤️

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

Not sure how best to answer this. It is very dependant on my current hyperfixation and I am one of those sapphics that very much is into the woman more than the man in terms of interest in f/m ships…

However, at the moment it’s Beverly/Jean-Luc and I can say I am definitely more invested and interested in Jean-Luc’s character than I have been with other men in f/m ships. So that’s another reason.

But I love to read/write Crusher/Janeway ❤️ and LOVE those characters. Kerry/Sandy too is special to me.

Can honestly say apart from helping me give Emily Prentiss a baby in my fics I never cared that much for any of her ships I wrote (sorry 😭).

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but probably won't?

Probably better I don’t answer this. It stresses me out cause I want them all to be done 😭

I’ll answer with a WIP I never posted which was a dystopian AU with Kerry and Sandy. Field medicine, babies (it’s me so ofc) and friends trying to survive together.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Hmm - I think I can come up with some good ideas. I can be good at description and introspection … probably more than dialogue.

And I am very strong in the art of giving Beverly Crusher lots of babies. And also making her go through angsty stuff. But I make up for that with the babies I think.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Long intricate plots ? I would love to be better as balancing many themes and plot points in one story. I struggle with dialogue sometimes as well.

Also I am very word count preoccupied at times which is a hindrance as a writer. I sometimes really struggle to get anything out in a session then can overcompensate later by writing too much? But honestly either way I just let myself go with the flow these days otherwise I stress about it.

Yeah and I probably need to edit better.

And smut.

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

Is this controversial?? I don’t have any issue with it.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

(redacted)

20. Favourite fic you've written?

These are both not what I would consider my best work (idk what that even is) but probably Gone (Ice)fishing or It Takes A Village.

Both were written as gifts and out of my comfort zone (for different reasons) but I am really proud of them both.

But I also love some of my Kerry/Sandy one-shots I did here on this blog. And Aster is definitely a personal accomplishment in terms of length as a writer. I love it too ❤️.

Oh, also - To Build A Home - cause it’s tragic & angsty but also BABY🥹 - it’s just my brand.

—————————————————

Okay -I’ll shut up now.

Anyone feel free to do this and tag me.