#by writing a continuation of the fic i wrote to procrastinate my first

[silentsneezes]

I’m adoring all of your Ar/cane content! It’s really feeding my current arcane brain rot , thank you for sharing your work!

Manifesting a sick Jay/ce fic 🤞

thank you anon!! I'm so glad other people can enjoy my writing, especially as the a/rcane brain rot persists

flattery will get you everywhere, so here's a 1.8k word sick j/ayce fic in which he tries to attend a council meeting! (and suffers the consequences of his own actions)

I wrote half of this on a plane and half of it while procrastinating my schoolwork, so if it's not my best work forgive me lol, it's mostly self indulgent pathetically sick j/ayce (cw for mess, but not in great detail)

Jayce’s throat is aching and coated with a thick layer of bothersome, phlegmy congestion. He can feel it rise in his throat after every swallow, only worsening his discomfort. Admittedly, it’s partially his fault; he should’ve realized this morning that attending a council meeting with a cold was a poor choice.

His alternative had been to tell Mel he was sick, and request that she pass on the word and make apologies on his behalf. In hindsight, he'd obviously made the wrong decision in going; Mel’s soft spoken assurances would've been an improvement over Jayce’s evident illness and lack of composure. 

As if showing up sick wasn’t bad enough in and of itself, Jayce showed up sick and twenty minutes late, bursting into the room with an uncharacteristic display of clumsiness. Upon first glance, Mel could tell he had one hell of a fever, and yet she excused the muttered frustrations of her colleagues with a polite, “Counselor Talis, so glad you could join us today.”

Jayce offered everyone an apologetic nod as he took his seat, his head swimming dizzily with every step he took. His hair was plastered to his skin in a few places, sweaty and damp due to fever. And god was it hot in there. He looked around, scanning the other counselors for any signs of discomfort at the sweltering temperature of the room, but they all appeared to be just fine. In his observation of the room, he accidentally caught Mel’s eye, attempting to give her a look of reassurance at her obvious concern. 

Jayce forced himself to focus on the discussions taking place, having heard they’d be assessing the value of HexTec theories and their continued funding. He needed to defend his and Viktor’s work; he needed to have some hope, however irrational, that HexTec might help his partner. 

His hearing swam in and out of focus as the meeting dragged on, the bickering of the privileged numbing Jayce’s mind. He only snapped back to reality as he felt a burning itch settle in the back of his sinuses. He sniffed experimentally, temporarily dissuading the sensation and letting out a breath of relief. 

Of course it wasn’t that easy, the itch returning with a vengeance just a second later and forcing his breath to catch loudly, “hHH-“. Luckily, the “civil discussion” of the council members had turned into a full on argument— as it often does— and the sound was only noticed by Mel. Jayce squashed the upturned tip of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, holding his breath as best he could to avoid more vocal hitches. Soon enough, his head snapped forwards with a painfully stifled “hhHNGSXXT’ch!” 

The single stifle did nothing to alleviate the problem, but rather encouraged the itch to travel further up Jayce’s nose. His nostrils attempted to flare beneath his fingers, the absolute need to sneeze taking hold of his entire focus. 

Somehow, Jayce managed to contain his typically vocal build ups, once again squashing a sneeze into submission, “hhHGGSXCHh’huh!” He could feel the pressure of snot building up behind his pinched fingers, searching through his pockets for a handkerchief with his other hand. He felt Mel’s eyes trained on him, his stomach twisting at her attentiveness. 

His stomach dropped as he suddenly recalled setting the handkerchief down in his bedroom in his brainless haste to not be entirely late. Fuck fuck fuck. His sneezes are typically forceful, accompanied by some spray and occasionally requiring a nose blow in the aftermath. But when he’s sick, it’s an entirely different story, and without a handkerchief he's fucked. 

Jayce dropped his hand to his lap, quick to wipe his other wrist against the underside of his nose. He cringed at the thick liquid trail it left behind, barely giving him enough relief to keep the mess from dripping down his upper lip. 

At the sound of the word “HexTec” being spoken by Salo, Jayce forced his attention back to the discussion at hand. His body ached, exhausted and riddled with discomfort, but he listened to every word. After a few minutes, Mel gave him a pointed look: ‘now’s your time’. 

Jayce cleared his throat, both to gain the attention of his colleagues and out of necessity, “I know you fear HexTec. Believe me, I understand your hesitance at exploring such an unknown possibilit-hhy.” Fuck, not now, “But I’ve seen what it can do with my own eyes, the lives it could hh s-hhH-save.”

Jayce continued speaking with a steadfast determination. He needed to get his point across, for the sake of his research… for the sake of his partner. 

“I believe HexTec could be the next great innovation of Piltover. Why wait when we could be helping people now?” 

As Jayce spoke, he could feel the moisture pooling at the base of his nose begin to slip onto his upper lip. He was quick to wipe it away, wishing the councilmembers didn’t all have their eyes trained on him. As soon as his fabric-clad wrist brushed against the base of his nose, the itch returned with urgent demand. 

“Exc-hhH-cuse hhehme- hHHNNGGZXXCHh!” Even stifled to his best ability and muffled into his elbow, Jayce’s sneeze rang through the room. He could feel the mess clinging between his nose and elbow, grateful as he heard Mel’s voice intervene. 

“I believe what Counselor Talis is saying is that HexTec offers great promise for Piltover. It would put us on the map, increasing our trade repertoire and minimizing the risk of losing goods to thieves.” Mel spoke clearly, attempting to persuade with financial and economic tactics rather than the pathos of saving lives. As Mel recovered the point Jayce was about to lose, he managed to clean himself up using his sleeve— at least enough so that the snot clinging to his nose was no longer visible. 

“Counselor Talis,” Salo drawled, almost mocking in his use of the title, “how are we supposed to trust your research? It’s unsanctioned, and with a Zaunite nonetheless.” 

Jayce felt a flush of anger at the insult towards Viktor, tempted to tell Salo off in his fever ridden state. He took a moment, reminding himself that Viktor is fully capable of defending himself should the time ever come. Besides, Viktor would likely dismiss the criticism with ease, summing it up to the privileged ignorance of the undercity. 

“We’ve done extensive worgk. All of our experimendts habve been recorded and we plan on submidding themb to academy researchers for approval,” Jayce answered, his unwavering commitment clear despite the congestion clouding certain letters of his speech. 

To his utmost relief, there was no further rebuttal of his or Mel’s points. Jayce felt his posture relax ever so slightly, rubbing his left temple as the room continued to spin. How he had managed to compose not just one, but a few coherent sentences is beyond him. 

The rest of the meeting is short, only dawdling on for another 20 minutes before the counselors are excused. Mel made a beeline towards Jayce as they all started getting up, giving him an expression somewhere between admonishment and concern, “you shouldn’t have come today.” 

“They would’ve- sNRK- denied mby research if I didn’t show ub,” Jayce mumbled, putting both hands on the desk in front of him in order to shove himself upright. His vision blurred momentarily, his broad frame swaying with the head rush. 

“I had someone retrieve Viktor for you,” Mel offered as a hand came out to brace Jayce’s side, “he was quite upset to hear that you attended this meeting.”

Jayce sighed, his shoulders drooping further in exhaustion. He had told Viktor he’d rest, but he couldn’t just sit back and do nothing when he had the opportunity to advocate for their work. Even though he chastises Viktor for his poor self-preservation, Jayce acts similarly to him: pushing himself past his body’s limits out of sheer stubbornness.

Jayce allowed Mel to guide him towards the exit, too deep in his exhausted haze to entirely register what’s happening. He paused as they neared the door, his breath catching in a quick “hhH-“ and then faltering for a second. The itch tickled back through his sinuses, and a throat-burning build up began, “hhIHh- hHHH’uhH- hhhHRRSZZDCHHhew!”

Jayce practically bent in two with the expulsion, misting the air and leaving a string of mess hanging from his nose. He blinked away a few tears clinging to his lashes, swallowing against his painful, aching throat. 

“Gesundheit,” Viktor’s voice sounded from a few steps away from Jayce, his cane clicking against the floor as he drew nearer. Without hesitation, Viktor pressed his handkerchief into Jayce’s hand, his eyes lingering on his partner's sodden sleeve. 

“Thank you Mel, for alerting me of Jayce’s decision to attend this meeting,” Viktor said politely, expressing his gratitude with a thinly veiled criticism at Jayce’s stupidity. 

“Of course, Viktor. Make sure he gets some rest, hm?” Mel replied with a flicker of amusement before taking her leave, allowing Viktor to manage the mess that is Jayce. 

Once Mel took her leave, Jayce looked at Viktor with a guilty expression. 

“You snuck out of our place. Like an idiot with no self preservation,” Viktor admonished, his words frustrated, but his actions affectionate; he placed a hand on Jayce’s back, leading him out to the hall slowly. 

“I kdow-“ Jayce rasped, only to be interrupted. 

“Don’t speak. You sound terrible,” Viktor reprimanded in concern, “Foolish. You were foolish for leaving.” 

“hhHhuh… hhh…”

Viktor kept a hand on Jayce’s back, feeling every hitch and gasp that wracked Jayce’s body.

“hhHhHeh-“

The build up lasted for a painfully long time, intermixed with whimpers from the pain in Jayce’s throat. Finally, he pitched forwards with a spraying sneeze, nearly tripping over himself, “hhHHGGSZZCHhhew!” 

“Bless you,” Viktor tutted as he laced a hand around Jayce’s waist, helping him straighten up again and glancing at the spray cast upon the floor’s tiled surface. “Are you okay to continue?”

“I’mb’uh- ogkay- snnNRFF-“ Jayce snuffled, steepling the handkerchief over his nose as he remembered Viktor had given it to him. Viktor felt a flutter of sympathy at Jayce’s pathetic attempt to clear his nose; the blow sounded more like a blocked up honk than anything else, making the sick man flush in embarrassment.

“Let us get you home,” Viktor murmured, turning in the direction of Jayce’s apartment in the academy. It took a while for the two of them to arrive back at his place, having to stop with every sneeze and cough so Jayce didn’t stumble over himself. By the time they got to Jayce’s place, he was dizzyingly feverish, sweating through his shirt and evidently on the verge of collapsing. In short, he was much in need of some medicine and caretaking. 

i will likely be making a second part to this... and i might make edits to this part if i feel motivated. anyways, i hope it was worth the wait anon!! thank you for the kind words

[simpingforblackfire]

OMG I DIDNT KNOW YOU CONTINUED WRITING PLATONIC YANDERE STARFIRE AND DICK ELWKWIQJAKA

They were one of my favourite platonic yanderes, can you do one where the reader gets sick and starfire starts panicking because she doesn't know what to do and dick has to calm her down??

A/N: Haha yes I'm still writing DC is one of those fandoms I just don't think I'll ever leave like I have never not liked it. My bad this took so long I actually wrote most of this fic a lot closer to the time it was requested but then it was so close to being done that I procrastinated in finishing it anyway I hope this works for you babes x

Had you not been in the agony you were in and had you been fully coherent you would have thought of some snarky comment about how under any other circumstance you couldn't have possibly felt any worse than you already did but knowing your captors the pink-haired idiot and the simp would undoubtedly manage to find a way.

But you weren't. Pain rippled through you and your eyes felt as though they would forever sting with your tears and all you could do was lie there and take it all.

You brought your knees to your chest, tucking into yourself like an infant and quietly cried.

Unfortunately you could be silent in your pain and Starfire would still be able to hear it. 

Dick had been in the living room when Starfire practically shattered the door against the wall with how hard she smashed it open.

"Dick! Dick! Something's wrong she-"

Dick took in Starfire's appearance. Her face frazzled with worry and his hands itched to reach out and smooth all of her pain and all of her panic out of her expression as though he could simply massage the tension away. He couldn't. But even still his hand reached across and soothed her face.

His free hand he cautiously placed on the back of your head that was exposed to him, gently turning your head until your skin peeked out. 

"She has a temperature" Dick mused quietly.

"What does that mean! Humans you- she cannot survive past certain temperatures I know that! she-"

"She" Dick cut through Starfire's sentence before she spiralled any further "will be fine".

Starfire's panic seemed to press on "How can you be so sure?"

"She has a human illness Star. I know you don't understand it, but if you could you'd know she's not in any danger"

Starfire held your lithe form a little tighter "I know that she is in pain Dick! I know that she is suffering!"

"Still she needs rest and for us to take care of her. Her fever should calm down soon. You're being-"

"No" Starfire glared viciously.

"Do not tell me I am being paranoid! I am not being paranoid! That is my baby!"

"Star" Dick grabbed Starfire by the shoulders.

"I know. You're not being paranoid you're being concerned. But I love her too. I know you're scared. I know. But it scares me when I see her like that too and I need you to remember that."

"I don't know what to do Dick" Starfire said quietly. Her throat chafed from screaming. "What do I do Dick"

"This is a human illness, Star." Dick gripped her shoulders, assuringly. If he could not ease her pain he'd hold her through it. "I know you don't know it and that is why. So, I need you to trust me when I tell you it won't kill her. Can you do that?"

Starfire wasn't listening her eyes stuck looking at you. Dick snatched her sight away from you when he grabbed either side of her face and tilted it to look at him "I said can you do that Star?"

She nodded and brought her hands up to hold his arms there.

His stare softened as her look of terror eased "I promise you she'll be okay. I wouldn't lie to you about her. She's mine too."

"I know" Starfire nodded "I know".

Dick let Starfire see you first. He knew she would not cope well with waiting and he did like the furniture in their home in a non-destroyed state.

She had been deeply emotional. She thought she lost you and she just grabbed onto you and broke into tears whispering earnestly against your cheek “I love you I never want you to think I don't because I do I always do no matter if we're laughing or fighting. You are mine. Mine to raise, mine to hold and mine to love.” Her fingers brushed the skin of your cheeks tenderly and she knew you were alive because she could feel your little heart beating against her and she remembered just how delicate and fragile and little you were.

She cherished the moments where you just let yourself be still with her. In a world that always seemed to find a way to spite her it was beautiful that she could just lay down and hold you in her arms. She relished in knowing that in that moment she was your shield from everything bad in the world "as long as I am here to do so you will always be loved and you will always be protected"

It doesn’t matter how big you were physically because Starfire was both bigger and stronger by a mile and you were always going to be her little baby.

You couldn't make out much more than the figures outline, but in your turmoil you couldn't help but reach out to the only comfort you could get. You nestled into the warmth and your body seemed to ease at the comfort. Starfire gladly took up all of the contact you were willing to share.

Eventually Starfire had calmed down enough and while Dick hadn't wanted to overwhelm you he couldn't resist seeing you the moment Starfire was out the room, though by then you were barely conscious at all having been overrun with the attention Starfire had undoubtedly smothered you in. He tucked you into bed, pulling the sheets over you carefully and pressed them down on either side of you before leaning down next to you and placing a tender hand on the side of your cheek before pressing a kiss into your hair. You looked so small and sweet and young and you were all his. Your eyes sleepily closing and smoothly shifting from a crumpled up exhaustion into a gentle tranquility as your body relaxed against the soft soothing of your pillow that you couldn’t help but just melt into like warm butter. Dick couldn’t help but be quietly affectionate to you “I love you” he spoke the words quietly into your hair and pressed another kiss to your cheek, smiling as he lingered by the warm, softness of your skin. 

So few times had he had the privilege of admitting love to someone verbally without it being on their deathbed. He almost hadn’t even noticed until he was already outside your door. It was so sweet and mundane and he was immediately addicted.

A/N: I was too lazy to proofread this so hopefully its okay and everything makes sense lol

[whoevenheckinknows]

Orange Waters (JayTimWeek 2025 Day 6)

AO3

Fandom: Batman All Media Types

Rating: T

Warnings: None

Relationship: Tim Drake/Jason Todd

Characters: Tim Drake, Jason todd

Tags: JayTim week 2025, jaytim week day 6, barbara bruce and damian show up briefly at the beginning, but not long enough for me to deem them taggable, mermaid tim drake, self-loathing, slight suicidal ideation at one part, drowning, description of drowning, sentient Gotham City, mutual pining, flirting, getting together, first kiss, let me know if i missed any tags, no beta we die like jason todd, Do not post to other sites, Cross-Posted on tumblr, POV Third Person

Summary: While on a rooftop near Gotham Harbor, Tim is shaken by an explosion and falls into the rust-colored waters.

This is not the first time this has happened.

Tim wishes it was.

~~~

Or: Tim Drake is a mermaid, made from Gotham's polluted waters. He hates this about himself. Jason thinks differently.

A/N: Once again, I barely read over this fic in order to post it on time, so if it sucks: oh well. I need to stop being a chronic procrastinator. First, I wrote 4k/5k of Day 4's story on the day it was to be posted, and i did a similar thing with this, and now i need to write tomorrow's piece which as of now isnt even started and who knows if it will be at this point. At this rate, I'm really gonna burn myself out... But I just have so many ideas.

I was proud of this at the beginning, but as I rushed through the ending I know it needs some work. But I don't feel like looking over it so.

Anyway, I hope y'all enjoy

~~~~~

Tim's heart pounds in his chest as he races across the rooftops. His little legs are barely making the jumps, but he hardly seems to notice, too busy keeping the flying vigilantes in front of him in his sight. It's been days since he's last been able to get a good shot of them, and he is getting desperate for a good one to add to his collection.

His foot catches on the edge of a rooftop. He stumbles a bit, fighting to keep his balance. It wouldn't be good if he falls now. Batman and Robin are in pursuit of a criminal and wouldn't notice something as inconsequential as little Timothy Drake falling from the rooftops. He needs to be better if he wants to keep following them.

Tim finds himself being led towards the docks of Gotham Harbor. Of course that's where the villains are leading them. Tim has to hold back his eye-roll at the cliche of it. A warehouse at the edge of the harbor? One with convenient access to the open waters? How original.

Tim should have known better than to keep following. He should have known it was a bad idea to take pictures from the top of the very same building a dangerous fight was taking place. But, the roof has a glass section of ceiling with the perfect view of the skirmish. And Tim's able to get such amazing shots in the process!

Its a shame, then, that the criminals set off a massive explosion in an effort to scare the bats. A shame that the explosion leads to Tim racing to the edge of the rooftop to try and escape the raging fire coming from the warehouse. A shame that it leads to him losing his balance and tumbling down down down into the murky rust-colored waters of Gotham Harbor.

This is how Timothy Jackson Drake died.

This is how Timothy Jackson Drake came back wrong.

~~~

"Red Robin, what's your location?" Oracle's voice comes in through his helmet as Tim speeds through Gotham on his motorcycle.

"Currently heading south towards the harbor." He responds. "I still have my sights on Orsinov. Is my backup almost here?"

"Batman and Robin are still 10 minutes out. Any idea where he's heading?"

"If I had to guess, he's got a shipment going out from one of the warehouses" A clique, if you ask Tim, but nobody's asking. "He's probably hoping to escape from under our noses along with the goods. Check surveillance to see if there's any activity in that area."

"Got it. Pulling up the feed now." As Oracle searches through the cameras near the harbor, Tim continues his pursuit of the up-and-coming drug lord. Just as he suspected, their route leads them closer and closer to the waters of Gotham Harbor, specifically to a warehouse right at the edge. Just as he watches from a distance as Orsinov parks in front of the building, Oracle speaks up.

"Looks like you're right on the money Red. Small ship was seen docking nearby earlier this evening. Activity inside the warehouse seems to be pretty active compared to usual. Twenty men, plus Orsinov. And a bunch of unidentified crates as well. Seems likely that this is where they've been keeping the stockpile of product we've been searching for. Best coarse of action would be to keep watch from the roof until B and Robin arrive and go from there. Do not engage alone."

"Got it, O. Heading to the rooftop now." Tim parks his own bike a few blocks from the warehouse and grapples on to a nearby building. He swings his way as close to the warehouse as he dares before running across the remaining rooftops. He refuses to acknowledge the growing sense of déjà vu creeping into his mind.

Landing silently on the target roof, Tim takes stock of what's happening inside. It's just as Oracle said. Twenty-one total bodies and a shit ton of suspicious crates that are no doubt planned to be shipped beside Orsinov himself.

"Well, if it isn't a lost little birdie." A familiar modulated voice breaks Tim's concentration.

"Not really lost if I know exactly where I am, is it?" Tim turns to look at the man sauntering up to him. "Question is, what are you doing this side of town, Hood?" Hood shrugs at the question.

"Following a lead on some fuckers selling to kids. If I had to guess, I'd say that's them right down there." Hood gestures down towards the men milling around in the warehouse. Tim narrows his eyes at him.

"'If you had to guess' my ass. I know you're aware that we've been after Orsinov for days now. There's no way you just so happened to be following the same guys." Tim steps closer to Hood, poking a confident finger into his chest. "No. I'm gonna wager my own guess and say you knew we were planning on pursuing tonight, and decided to listen in on coms to figure out where and when."

"Oh no, you've caught me." If Tim didn't know Jason, he wouldn't have caught the teasing sarcasm in the man's modulated voice. But Tim hears it loud and clear. "I'm actually here for a front row seat of you all getting your asses kicked so I can swoop in and kick some ass of my own to save you."

"Should've brought snacks if you wanted a show." Tim snarks back.

"Why bring my own, when I have one right here in front of me?" Tim can hear the smirk in Hood's voice and has to hide his flush. He's saved from having to respond by Batman and Robin finally arriving.

As the three, now four, make a plan of attack, Tim can't help from stealing glances at Jason whenever he gets the chance. It's been months, and he's still trying to wrap his head around this… thing between the two of them. It feels like every time Tim thinks they're finally on their way to solidifying a friendship, Jason starts to pull away, only to immediately turn around and say shit like this and completely throw Tim for a loop.

The man is hot and cold, and Tim is growing frustrated trying to figure out just where they stand with each other. And it doesn't help that Tim wants nothing more than to give as good as he gets, to flirt back and maybe get something going on between them. But he never gets the chance. It's like Jason knows exactly when they're about to be interupted before speaking. And Tim's almost ready to give up.

"Everyone set on what their part is?" Batman is finishing up delegating tasks, and is making his way to the edge of the building.

"Yeah yeah, old man. You and demon brat over there go in and get all the fun while Red and I sit out here and look pretty until you fuck up and we have to save your sorry asses."

"Your role is not just to 'sit there and look pretty', Hood." B growls out. "You're to keep watch for any backup that may arrive, or any suspicious action hidden from us. Surely you remember the last time we were at this exact warehouse?"

An explosion, the ground shaking beneath him. Heat flickering at his back from the explosion's flames. Run run, get away. Slipping. Falling falling falling. Splash

"I remember. Just go already. Starting to get tired of your stupid face." B grunts at that, not taking it too personally.

"Let's move, Robin." The sound of grapples hits Tim's ears and soon its just him and Hood on the roof once more.

"Yo Red? You good?" Hood calls to him. Tim realizes then that he's shaking a bit and has to force his body still.

"I'm fine, Hood. Just some adrenaline."

"Ah yes, the adrenaline inducing action of basically being benched on a roof. Thrilling, really." Tim rolls his eyes as Hood continues. "I say we just go in anyway. The quicker we take those fuckers down, the less likely something else will happen."

"We have a plan for a reason, Hood. I'm sticking to it." Tim surveys the perimeter of the building just as he hears B give the clear to move forward in the coms.

"It's a boring ass plan, is what it is." Hood groans.

"If you're so bored, why don't you go in on your own like you so desperately want to?" Tim watches through the glass as B and Robin take the goons by surprise. They start fighting in full, and Tim starts analyzing the opponents' movements.

"Why Red, it almost sounds like you're trying to get rid of me. I'm hurt."

"Maybe I am. Be easier for me to do my job without your complaining in my ear."

"Well now I have to stay, just because you don't want me to." Once again, Tim can hear the smirk in his words. "Nah, I think I'll stay out here and make sure you don't get into any trouble."

Tim rolls his eyes at Jason's excuse, but says nothing as he continues surveying the fight. Hood finally decides to do his own job and starts patrolling the perimeter. It gives Tim the ability to focus better on observing. And yet, somehow he still misses the goon pulling out a walkie-talkie and speaking into it.

The ground shakes. Tim jolts upright, eyes wide. Another small explosion, and some more shaking follow.

"Shit." He hears Hood call out, but it's distant. Background noise to his ringing ears. "B, get out of there. We don't know how much explosives they have."

"Copy that. Orsinov has been secured. Robin and I will get him out and to the proper authorities. You and Red Robin get to safety."

"Already planning on it. Hood out." Tim is frozen, his mind in two places at once. "Red, we need to move!"

Tim looks over to Hood. Hood wasn't there the first time. A small Robin flying through the smoke. Tim needs to stay in the present. He doesn't want to think about last time. Think about the consequences of falling off this roof once before.

"Y-yeah. Okay." Tim's aware of his trembling body, the shakiness in his voice. But he has to push through it. He shakes his head and starts running towards the edge of the roof. He's not really paying attention to which edge, just knows he needs to get there, get off this cursed fucking roof.

"Red, not that way you idiot!" Hood calls but it's too late. Another explosion shakes the building. Tim's body is already off kilter, off balance in its struggle to differentiate between past and present.

He slips and suddenly he's falling.

Down

Down

Down

Splash

~~~

He doesn't know which way is up. The water is cold and it's disorienting, and he just wants to go up but he doesn't know which way that is and he's scared and he's thrashing and he doesn't know what to do and he doesn't like not knowing what to do. He opens his eyes, hoping for some clarity, but the blood orange waters around him provide none as the limited Gotham sun merely bounces off the polluted bay.

His lungs are aching, struggling to hold in what little oxygen he was able to get before breaking the surface of the water. He's losing the battle quick, though, and sooner than he would like he tries to take a breath in. Ingesting Gotham waters is a death sentence in and of its own, but breathing it in is a pain Tim can't describe. It burns and burns and Tim's vision is starting to blacken as he tries and tries to get in air but only achieves in getting more of that sickly water into his lungs.

His thrashing has faded and he is simply drifting down down down. He knows he will die soon. He supposes it was only inevitable, considering his nightly hobby is following vigilantes into dangerous scenarios. It's a shame that his death is caused by his own stupidity, and not a rogue getting the final blow on him.

A faint whisper tickles his mind suddenly.

"It is not your time, Little Birdie." the voice whispers. "There is much you have left to do."

Tim is slowly losing consciousness, and yet somehow the voice breaks into his thoughts with as much clarity as if he were awake.

"For all that you will help this city, this city must first help you." The black of his vision fades, even as he drifts away more and more. It is replaced with a soft glowing orange that glows brighter and brighter as the voice speaks. "Live now, Little Water Bird, and know that Gotham flows through your veins like blood. Its waters will heal for you, as you and your brothers will heal it."

The orange becomes impossibly bright, almost white, as Tim fades away.

~~~

Tim is not scared. Irritated, annoyed, yes. But he is not scared. He knows what comes next. That doesn't mean he has to like it.

The moment he touches that putrid fucking water, he can feel it begin to seep into his skin. The chill around him fades as his body temperature drops to meet it. His skin grows harder, smoother, as scales begin to form on his arms and legs. And his legs. They are swiftly merging together, becoming one long appendage, growing longer and longer as more water soaks in. And it all is tainted with that stupid fucking orange, the shade that haunts his nightmares even now all these years later.

Sections of his skin tear open, allowing more of that polluted water inside of him. This time, it's to allow him to breath, and his body greedily does so for the first time since falling in. Tim knows he's capable of holding his breath for much longer, but the transformation always uses up whatever oxygen he was able to get before going under.

As quickly as it began, the transformation ends and suddenly Tim has gone from Red Robin to the corrupted twin of a fairytale.

The first time Tim had woken up like this, that fateful day, he had been terrified of himself. After finding a way to look at himself properly, he couldn't see anything but a monster. Even as a child, this form was large and grotesque, the same ugly color of Gotham's polluted waters. Nothing like the gorgeous descriptions of mermaids in the fairytales. His fingers are webbed together, and tipped with claws. His long tail flares out under him, all jagged edges that look almost ripped. His ears are now tipped, and his teeth, sharp. Even his ice blue eyes are now murky with the orange waters, a slight glow to them as the two colors swirl and mix together in his irises.

Tim wishes he had been allowed to die that day. Sure he would never have been able to become Robin if that were the case. But that has to be better than being burdened with the knowledge that underneath it all, Tim now has pollution and corruption flowing through his veins.

Tim swims down now that he's able, making sure anyone looking down from above can't see him. He doesn't want anyone to know this side of him, know how rotten his is from this city. Hopefully no one saw him fall in. Hopefully the others will just assume he'll meet back up with them later, as he and Hood had been instructed. Hopefully, if they did see, he can just say he was able to find a place to haul himself out.

His hopes are crushed as a splash sounds from above him. Tim's eyes allow him to see with clarity as Jason, stripped of most of his gear and even lacking his helmet, swims closer and closer to him. Shit, he can't let Jason find him.

Tim goes to swim away, to hide until Jason gives up his search, but Jason is a surprisingly strong swimmer. He's able to grab Tim's arm before Tim can make the decision to move, and the man is soon trying to drag him to the surface.

Tim resists, tries to pry the hand off of his arm. He can't go to the surface. He can't.

Jason looks back at him, likely to determine if he's caught somewhere, when their eyes meet. Jason freezes, and Tim knows that even if the murky waters hid every other one of Tim's traits, his glowing orange eyes would be impossible to miss.

Jason gasps. And then chokes as Gotham waters invade his lungs. Shit. Shit shit shit. Tim needs to get him out of here. And now.

It's Tim's turn to grab Jason's arm and drag him through the water. He can't bring him to the surface where anyone can see. He needs to get him somewhere safe, and hopefully private so they can talk.

Tim's body moves on muscle memory, taking them to the one good thing this curse has given him. It's a little cave, hidden away from public eye by docs, rocks, and shrubbery. It's a small thing, not connected to the labyrinth of other caves that house the Batcave. In fact, it's only accessible through the water, so no one else has seemed to find it. No one goes into Gotham's waters, after all. No one, except Tim, who is forced to once a month, when his skin starts to grow itchy and dry, and regular water no longer soothes it like before. And so Tim comes here, a little area half filled with water and half covered in rocky land. It's peaceful, and isolated, and one of the few things that is solely his.

It's a shame that Jason might just ruin that for him.

They surface, and Tim carries Jason's limp body onto the rocks. Tim drags himself up beside him, grimacing as the stones dig into his fishy flesh, which isn't made for this terrain. That's fine, though. Hopefully he'll change back soon.

Tim turns his attention to Jason fully, and freezes when he realizes the other man isn't breathing. Shit, they weren't underwater that long, were they? Then again, Tim hadn't really been paying attention to the time as he raced to the cave.

Ok. This is fine. Tim knows how to deal with this. Standard drowning victim procedure. He can do this. Even if he is currently a fucking monstrous fish. He only hopes his teeth don't nick the man, or his claws don't dig into his chest.

Tim places his hands on Jason's chest. He doesn't pay attention to the tinging beneath his fingers as he leans over to breath into Jason's mouth. Lungful of air ready, Tim opens Jason's mouth and seals his lips over it. He forces the air into the man, and jolts when the tingling in his hands grows unbearable. Tim leans back and watches as his hands are suddenly covered in water, seemingly coming from nowhere. And then it hits him.

"Its waters will heal for you, as you and your brothers will heal it."

Shuddering coughs sound from beneath him, and Tim swiftly helps Jason turn on his side, away from Tim, to cough out the remaining water in his lungs. He rubs the man's back, unsure of what to do now, especially in the wake of his realization.

By the time Jason catches his breath, Tim has dried off enough to have mostly turned back to normal.

"What the fuck, Red?" Are the first words out of his mouth. Jason doesn't even bother looking at Tim yet. Tim dreads the moment he does. "Why the fuck did you run towards the fucking harbor? Three other fucking directions, and you chose the one leading to a dead end."

Tim remains silent, not really sure how to respond. He's really not sure what the reason was. If he had to guess, it was likely a mix of a forming panic attack, mixed with the draw to the waters that Tim can never quite shake off.

"Well? Are you gonna answer me?" Now is when Jason finally turns to look at him. He freezes once more, and glancing at the water reveals Tim's eyes are still glowing in the dim light of the cave. His gasp this time doesn't fill his lungs with water, and so he's able to react. His hand raises, and grabs Tim's chin. Turning his head this way and that, Jason's eyes never leave Tim's. In fact, Tim swears they are glowing as well, albeit a Lazarus green instead of rusty orange. Tim flushes at the intensity of the gaze. "So it wasn't a hallucination or something, huh? Your eyes do glow. This is news to me."

Tim can tell that while Jason is trying to be nonchalant, he's hurt that he didn't know this about him.

He gently pushes Jason's hand away. "Nobody was supposed to know about this. It's not just you, I promise." He's not sure why his first reaction is to reassure Jason, as opposed to getting himself out of this. Actually, that's a complete lie. He knows exactly why.

"And just what exactly is 'this'" Jason asks sternly.

"If I tell you, I'm going to have to kill you." He hopes the joke will lighten the mood, because Tim's already going to have trouble explaining this, he'd rather have the tension in the room lowered before he does. Tim thinks it's worked when Jason smiles slightly, but the concern in his eyes says otherwise.

"Tim, be serious. If this is a recent development, if its some radioactive thing or something. It's not the meta-gene, you've been tested for that. But, if its something we need to be concerned about-" Tim's hand on Jason's shoulder halts the man's rambling.

"Jason, I promise. There's nothing you need to worry about. This isn't new, and it doesn't hurt me."

"You sure? Cause the last person I knew who's eyes glowed near a liquid of the same color, it was me. And considering mine is from dying and coming back wrong, you can't fault me for being worried."

Tim can't stop the snort that leaves him at that. At Jason's offended look, Tim hastily speaks. "Sorry, that wasn't aimed at you. It's just. That's an apt way of putting it. I mean. For me, not you. I personally don't think you came back wrong. Sure you had some anger to deal with, and you took it out on others rather violently, but I like the way you are now. Like, I wouldn't want you to change anything-"

"Tim" Jason's voice cuts him off. "Get to the point."

Right. Tim knows he's probably stalling. No, not probably, Definitely. Tim is definitely stalling.

He sighs.

"It's probably better if I just show you. I'll need to anyway to get us out of this cave." Tim really doesn't want to transform for a second time, but he's right. He'll need to take them back under the water in order to leave. He takes a breath in order to steal his nerves, before sliding back into the water.

Just like before, the change starts immediately. In the darkness of the cave, Tim can see the slight glow to his whole body that appears during the transformation. In no time at all, Tim is standing… swimming?… there for Jason to take in.

Jason's mouth is hanging open, his eyes wide as they rake over Tim's form. Tim fidgets in place, taking the scrutinization without complain. He can only imagine what Jason's thinking. Tim's surprised Jason's able to stand looking at him. He wouldn't want to be anywhere near himself right now. If Tim thought they had any hope of being something before this, they're all thrown out the window at the revelation of just what's lurking inside of him. That beneath the skin, there lies a gross, ugly monster that no one could ever love.

A gentle touch brings Tim out of his thoughts, and he realizes with a start that Jason has moved closer, and is now running a finger along his scaled arm. His eyes are still fixated on Tim's.

"Jason?" Tim breathes out, unsure how to react.

"Beautiful." Is the response and um. What?

"What?" He repeats out loud.

Jason doesn't repeat himself. Instead, he brings his hand back up to Tim's face as he asks, "What are you?"

"A monster." Tim immediately retorts, but it doesn't hold the scorn he would have expected. He's too stunned by Jason's behavior. "A creature with Gotham's pollution and corruption running through his veins instead of blood. Someone who died and came back wrong, just like you said."

"You died?" Jason sounds heartbroken at that. "When? Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"It was a long time ago, Jay. Before I became Robin." Jason's eyes somehow become even more sad.

"When?"

Tim really doesn't want to admit it, but he also doesn't want to keep it from him. "When did the first explosion at that warehouse happen?"

Jason curses at that. "You were there?" He cuts off Tim before he can reply. "What am I saying, of course you were. Little stalker. But. How?"

Tim takes a swallow before he starts talking. Talking about the night that changed his life, the night he's never told anyone else about. Talking about what happened after, after he woke up as a monster, how terrified he was. How he had no one to go to for help. His parents would have disowned him. Batman would have treated him like a threat. Other people would have tried to sell him, or experiment on him, or any other number of things on him.

He describes how much he hates it. How he can't look at the color orange without a wave of nausea, how he can't help but think about pollution and corruption at the sight of it. How ugly he feels in that form, knowing where it comes from and how he became that way.

Throughout the explanation, Jason gets closer and closer to him. He doesn't make Tim feel like an experiment as he investigates the new parts of him. Instead, he makes him feel almost revered, soft caresses as opposed to the pokes and prods he'd expect. Closer he gets, until he's practically on Tim's lap, where Tim has to wrap his arms around him to prevent him from falling into the murky water. All the while Tim talks still. He explains why he's kept this hidden from the family even now. He even explains his realization after resuscitating Jason. All the while, Jason listens, and strokes his scales.

"You're wrong, you know." Is the first words out of Jason's mouth when Tim finishes.

"Huh?"

"You're not ugly or corrupted, or a monster or whatever."

"I'm literally made of the polluted waters of Gotham. I don't know what else I could be."

"You're Tim Drake. Third Robin, then Red Robin. You're someone who tries to help people whatever way he can. It's like the voice who made you this way said. You help heal this city. I don't think someone corrupted would do that. And I don't think that's someone I'd consider a monster."

"But-"

"And, for what it's worth. I don't think you're ugly like this. You may see orange and only think of the rusty pollution of Gotham's waters, but me? I see the orange rays of Gotham's sunset. I see you, silhouetted as you fly through that same sky." Jason chuckles to himself before continuing. "A water bird, indeed. Who needs to be Robin when you can be a Drake?"

Tim's startled laugh takes him by surprise. Jason smirks up at him.

"You really don't think I'm wrong or disgusting like this?" Tim has to ask.

"Water Bird, I think between the two of us, I got the short end of the stick. At least you came back with your right mind. Too much, in fact, if your martyr complex is making you hate yourself this much for something out of your control. I just killed a bunch of people and tormented my family."

"Jay, don't say that."

"I'm not saying anything that's not true. If anyone should be recoiling at the sight of the other it should be you. I attacked you for fucks sake."

Tim straightens up suddenly, coming to a realization. Jason has to catch himself at the sudden movement. "Wait a second. Is that why you keep pulling away from me? Why you keep skirting on the edge of asking me out already? Some self-loathing bullshit."

"Hey, it ain't bullshit. I hurt you. You still have the scar. And you have no room to talk, Mr. 'I'm a monster no one will ever love me'."

"But still. Jay, I'm over that. So will you finally get over yourself and fucking kiss me already." Just as he says it, he remembers the situation they're in. "Or well, maybe not right now. Cause, I don't want to cut you with my teeth, and I'm probably gross and slimy, just from the water alone, let alone being like this, and I'm sure you-"

"Tim?" When did Jason's face get so close to his? "Shut the fuck up."

And then they're kissing.

~~~~~

END NOTE: Why do so many of my fics end with either kissing or confessions before fading to black? Probably cause I suck at writing endings. At least these stories are getting endings so I can post them for y'all.

Now im just imagining Tim and Killer Croc becoming bffs in this au.

I was gonna put something here, but I forgot, so I guess I just hope yall enjoyed.

If there's any errors, feel free to say in the comments. Or if you just want to talk.

Come talk to me elsewhere AO3 Tumblr Twitter Bluesky

[helenrourke]

December Writing Progress Wrap-up

Today I decided that on the last Saturday of every month I want to share my writing progress.  That way I can look back and see what I did or was inspired by in previous months.  December was a big month for me. After years of procrastination, I finally sat down and began to write fics I’ve been wanting to write for years now.  I’m proud of myself for finally gaining the courage to join the AO3 community and I hope to continue to be a part of it in 2025.

What I published

This is Me – Was a Camp Rock Inspired Seiya x Usagi fic, heavily inspired by an unfinished fanfic I wrote in the 2010s.  I honestly wrote this fic because I read a Tumblr post about reading our old bad fanfiction for funsies and this was the result of it.  I am honestly glad I did this.  Not only did I get to write a scene I always wanted to write, but this fic was also a tribute to a dear friend of mine who passed away who was part of the Camp Rock fanfiction community back in the day.  I hope she liked that the first fic I wrote was inspired by her love of fanfic.  Even though she never really got my love of Sailor Moon.

I’m Giving You the Fire – was the unasked for but written sequel in the same universe as This is Me.  This fic again is a Usagi x Seiya fic, except from Chibiusa’s POV, who in this fic is Usagi’s cousin.  This fic was heavily inspired by rereading my old fic outline and seeing how excited I have been about writing this scene taking place during Camp Rock 2 sequel I had planned.  However, I never got that far to begin with.  I’m glad I finally got to write that scene, and I had fun with it.

The Imperial House – This is the fic I was most excited to post.  I had planned on releasing it in January 2025.  However I had so much inspiration, I was able to post the Prologue and Act One early.  This fic is my Goong inspired, Hana Yori Dango fic where Tsukushi finds out she’s engaged to grandson of the Emperor of Japan.  The Imperial House is the first book of a planned trilogy and is my focus when it comes to writing longer fics.  Honestly, I’m glad it’s finally out and that people are enjoying it. I've had this story in my head since 2020 and I'm glad to be finally writing it out.

Currently Writing

The Imperial House –  I’m currently focusing on having a backlog written since grad school takes a lot out of me and I want to try to post a chapter a month.  However, I know real life happens.  Currently the first drafts of Act Two through Act Four have been written and I am currently writing the first draft of Act Five as of posting this.  The story has been completely outlined, so hopefully I can try to stay on track.

Future Goals for January

Mene – is a Hana Yori Dango Au - Canon Divergence Tsukushi x Akira one-shot that I’m working on as a side project.  I know I said I was planning on working on it one day, but I got a really good idea while working at my job today. It’s currently in the drafting stages and I have no estimate of when I’m releasing it.

The Imperial House – The goal is to finish editing and finalizing Act Two and post it in mid-January.

Final Thoughts

toxic till the end – is the AU - Non-powers Seiya x Usagi one-shot I wrote while listening to the album Rosie at 1AM when I couldn’t sleep after Christmas.  I hadn’t planned on publishing it because it’s about a toxic relationship. However, a fellow AO3 writer @purplesoil who I was chatting with a few days back encouraged me too.  The plans are to release it on New Years Day.

I want to give a quick shoutout to both @sojirosteacup (who is also an author on AO3 and you should check their blog to get a link to their account) and @hana-yori-dango-forever who have been nothing but nice to me since I've started my fanfic writing journey.  Both of them have encouraged me to write my fics, offer me advice, promote my stories, and listen to my rants about my works.  Honestly if it wasn’t for your both I would have given up writing my story, before I even started.

Anyway, writing in 2024 was great, looking forward to growing more in 2025.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for staying friends with someone?

I (25, nonbinary) became friends with someone (19F) online because they liked a fanfic I wrote. Let's call her Jessie. At first, Jessie messaged me just to say she enjoyed my fic and shared a fanart she drew of it. I was absolutely blown away by that, and let her know how nice her art was. Which started us having a pretty normal online friendship. Chatting about silly fandom things or ranting about our jobs or school or whatever. She is a really smart and funny person!

Jessie started writing fanfic, which I encouraged. It's fun to write! Of course I would read her fanfic and let her know I enjoyed it.

But then it turned into her only messaging me to read her fanfic. Like, we never can hold a conversation anymore without it turning to talking about her fanfic. I don't even bring up my own fics anymore because I know it will switch the conversation to Jessie's fics.

And, Jessie started to pressure me to write her ideas. Like "Oh, this would be a good idea! You should write this! When are you going to write this! I'll be waiting to read it. Have you written it yet?" When I never agreed to write it. Half the time, it's not even something I would want to write.

Or, I read this one fic and wrote a post on tumblr about how much I enjoyed it, and then minutes later had Jessie spamming my messages about how I should make a post promoting her fics. And exactly which ones I should promote because they don't get enough attention.

But the most recent thing Jessie has been doing that has annoyed me is continuously asking "If I think her fics are just as good as my fics". Like, I'm not a talented author, in my opinion. I'm pretty average. But I feel like the answer Jessie wants is for me to say Jessie's fics are better than mine. It always feels like Jessie wants to put myself under her which is...just not a good feeling. I usually just say I think we are about the same, but Jessie never seems satisfied with that answer.

I feel like our friendship has shifted to Jessie only wanting to use me for attention and the small amount of publicity I can offer. (Which isn't much. It's not like I am a well-known person or anything. I'm certainly not exactly a BNF writer or anything)

Here is where I am asking if I am an asshole. I've gotten to the point where I don't even LIKE Jessie anymore. Her actions have just...soured our relationship. I just roll my eyes when I see a notification from her, or shit talk her in real life to my brother. I procrastinate answering her messages.

But I really don't want to be mean to her face. She has had a really hard time in life. Her parents are kinda shit and her boyfriend left her (which he wasn't so great either). She has a ton of health issues, money issues, relationship issues, etc. I don't want to just drop her and make things worse for her life. But also, I just kinda can't stand the behavior anymore.

Part of me thinks I should just set up more clear boundaries, but on the other hand I just don't want to put in the effort of fighting her for those boundaries. And I am pretty sure it would be a fight.

Am I an asshole for continuing the motions of a friendship for a person I don't even like anymore? Should I just end the friendship and let them move on, or would that be worse?

(Asdfghjkl123)

What are these acronyms?

[comfortlesshurt]

October 2024 Plans!

Now feels like a great time to say wow, I really didn't plan for this burst of inspiration from back in... June? to go on this long. Anyway, I'm here to say it is still here. Still Voltron, still primarily Keith. Still really stuck on that series idea.

I thought editing was going to go well last month, but I got started and was not feeling it. So now it's more of a "when it gets done" goal. To hold myself accountable, I'm still gonna include the remaining list of fics to be edited on these monthly goal posts. At least I'll have to look the work I'm avoiding directly in the eye on a regular basis as I procrastinate by writing.

General goals:

Newly published WC: 11,928/3,000

Have VLD WC surpass Spider-Man: 63,314/100,258

2024 total published WC: 54,677/50,000

LTS(LTFH):

If you didn't see my quick lil post about it, I'm getting burned out on this! So I'm giving myself a month off. I'm allowed to add to these fics if I feel like it, but there is no daily or monthly word count goal for October.

Fic 4: work on figuring out the timeline

All fics: use the downtime this month to work on chapter titles & flesh out outlines

Change the whole damn series name this late into drafting

Oneshots:

Bingo fic (I promised this AGES AGO, so this has GOT to be the month I finally deliver istg)

Oneshots or ficlets, whatever this month's inspiration tells me to do

Editing:

Flu: title change, style update

on the run: deadass don't remember this one, so we'll see

5 Times Lance Doesn't Matter +1 Time He Finally Does

Smiling 'cause you're used to it (a house that's always haunted)

Chemicals, chemicals in my brain (where'd you go, where'd you go anyway?)

Nowhere to call home (so I'll pack and run away)

5 Times Peter Struggled with Spider Metabolism, +1 Time Tony Helped: possible style update

Whump Bingo: major edit--these were barely edited in the first place, oops

Anywhere but Here: style update

Sick Days

Take the worst situation (make a worse situation)

We are the reckless (we are the wild youth)

Cocktails and Consequences: content edit since I barely drank before I wrote this and didn't research alcohol at all

Sickdays 5.0 Day 7: Temperature: title

See me here (meet me here)

And it hits between the eyes on this side

Sickdays 2.0 Day 2 & 5: Sick at a Party & Gently Tinged with Red: title, brainstorm for a closing chapter

Sickdays Day 5: Rapid Onset: title

Impressions

Sickdays 4.0 Day 1: The Oblivious Partner: title

Sickdays 4.0 Day 7: Chain Reaction: title

Sickdays 5.0 Day 6: Public Illness: title

I've got you stuck on my mind (and it's driving me crazy)

Days locked in a haze (trying to forget you)

Sickdays Day 6: Public Illness: title

I want to know who you are (I want to know who you were)

Will you stay with me for another day? (I don't want to be alone in this state)

I'm keeping you at bay (and I'm lonely)

Sickdays 5.0 Day 3: Caretaking Focus: title

Weightless (only wait for a fall)

Hiding It

I feel strange

Bullies and Bailing: possible content edit because I just don't like this one at all

Made a Mess

Season Three

Oh god

I'm not saying I told you so...

Sickdays 5.0 Day 4: Not the Norm: title and possible content edit because I HATE this fic with a burning passion

Accident

Don't ruin this

Rapid Onset

No Right Side: content edit because I don't like how this came out

Frostbite

Happily Ever After

Wes

Touch of the skin brings trembles and shivers

Favorite Outfit

Sleepless folks watching light grow (through their early morning windows)

Origins

Ember

Peace

Road Trip

+2 anon works

Longer term:

October 2024 - light month! doing whatever I feel like, but probably some oneshots or ficlets.

November 2024 - unofficial NaNoWriMo (fuck AI).

December 2024 - finish rough draft for LTS(LTFH) fics 1 & 2.

January 2025 - LTS(LTFH) fic 1 & 2 major content/continuity edit. Technical edit for fic 1 & begin posting depending on how long edits take.

February 2025 - LTS(LTFH) fic 3 (drafting) & 4 (outline and early drafting).

March 2025 - LTS(LTFH) fic 3 & 4 drafting.

[alienaiver]

Behind the scenes

the lovely @dira333 tagged me in this and its sooo fun!! the questions are so amazing and id like to give it my best with some in depth answers, since learning these facts about one of my favorite writers here was so fun !!!!! behind the scenes of writing is so good to share!!

Started writing: i think ive always been writing. i remember when we used to have one computer for the entire family in the early 00's and had little screentime, i set alarms to 4-5am (with no concept of what that Would Do To Me emotionally without sleep LMAO) JUST to get some time to write in peace. my first fanfictions i published was on a homemade forum page with a friend when i was 11!

Started blogging: ive had my tumblr since 2009-ish where ive been a rp'er over multiple times and published d gray man and no. 6 fanfictions in 2011-12ish. i was also active on livejournal before i found fanfiction.net !! but this specific blog was made in may 2021!!! the reader inserts came then :3

Followers: i actually JUST hit 300 two days ago!!! which is very exciting. i dont always look at the number, since it doesnt necessarily correlate with engangement, but its fun to see the uptick!!

Communication: i genuinely love love LOVE the social part of social media, and communications so important to me. theres nothing better than reblogs with comments you can bounce off of, asks, dm's and all that! sadly, my disability makes it so hard for me to have continuous contact and im 90% of the time the one to drop the ball when it comes to replying :(( thats why its extra important to me/special with the mutuals who keeps reaching out and dont have the same social expectations about replying. even if im unable to reply the day that i receive the message, it still brings great joy seeing the notif!

Likes: i dont mind them! generally its not that important to me whether or not my followers interact a lot. a like still means the world to me. of course a reblog is much better and engages so much more (+ boosts me!!), but theyre good for my soul, too!

Requests: i get very few requests :( i think i like them, but i havent gotten enough to actually get a feel on whether or not it kills my writing spirit? generally i get very excited to be able to deliver something and it gets me up from the bed to write, but i sometimes fear im not providing what they wanted! its anxiety-inducing in some ways, but i love a good little writing challenge !!

Writing: i loove love love love writing for hours at a time, hyperfixating on it. sadly, my cat snøfle is Very Jealous of both my laptop and pc. giving him a substitution sadly doesnt help</3 so my writing is often limited to specific times of day, and when he gets tired of my keyboard clack-clack-clacking, its time to put on some one piece while he naps on me! i wish i could write more works or just scenes on my phone, but it hurts my hands So Much, so i only write small one shots when im heavily inspired but snøfles in A Mood!!

genre wise im a fluffy type. maybe some hurt/comfort but always leaning towards comfort. id like to write more disability fics to spread both awareness and visibility, but i sometimes struggle with putting in my own disabilities and not make them too personal or too detailed for others to not relate. its an overthinking problem, so i often procrastinate writing them., bcos i fear itll be too niche! but i always get positive feedback (excpet for that one time with inked coffee lmao) so im not sure whats holding me back!!!

i always listen to music when i write, and it differs a lot. when i wrote the star and the earth i listened to a lot of medieval-inspired music, and made a specific playlist for that. but when i write on my modern au's or canon compliant bnha/haikyuu, anything goes!

i love putting in 'boring' every day stuff into my fics, or small scenes that dont necessarily advance the plot but just gives a feel of the characters.

speaking of snøfle ^ i am no longer allowed to write for the evening.... so ill start some apothecary diaries and enjoy a cold soda on this hot and humid evening !!! mwuah mwuah if u read this far thank you, and i love you. i love all of you <3333

no pressure tags as always but would love to hear the answers and get to know u all! @cup-of-fluff @true-deru @mirandabarma @illuminiscentboba @tetsuskei @threadbaresweater @krystalgaia @petriquors @ktsumu @moonbeamwritings @ohtokki

[saiphl]

No one asked me to do this, but here I am, just because oversharing, is caring!

20 Fanfic Author Questions

1. How many works on AO3?

18… going into 20 soon.

2. Total AO3 word count

299,945

3. Top 5 fics by kudos

“We’ve got tonite”, “Objects in the rearview mirror”, “A whole lifetime”, “Paris”, and “Half a Life”

4. What fandoms do you write for?

Drag Race in many of their franchises.

5. Do you respond to comments?

I usually do, if people take the time to give me support and a little input, the less I owe them is the same.

6. Angstiest endings?

I’d rather have open endings, I mean life is not a straight line, so you never know how things can change in a day, a week, a month, a year… as said, sometimes love is not enough.

7. Fic with the happiest ending?

An Unfinished Playlist, to get those goofballs to get engaged to finish a first part of the playlist of their story together really gave my heart a beat.

8. Do you get hate?

I actually got hate for Gravity, mainly because I dared to turn a gay couple into a straight one, still I regret nothing, that story is one of the ones I enjoyed the most to write.

9. Do you write SMUT?

I kind of suck writing explicit sexual content, or at least I don’t really enjoy the process of writing it, mainly because it involves way too much physics to describe in a scene.

10. Do you write crossovers?

I actually don’t but to be honest, the idea of building a Frankenstein of different romcoms mixed with drag queens has been popping in my mind a lot recently.

11. Ever had a fic stolen?

No that I know.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope, but some years back I’ve translated one from THG universe from English to Spanish, because it was so good that it needed to be shared with non anglophones.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

Yes, “A whole lifetime”, “Paris”, “Half a life” and “Gravity” were created with a dear friend who doesn’t belong to RPDR fandom anymore.

14. All time favorite ship?

I think my three favorites are Vitan (Violet Chachki x Raja) which I’ve only read in one fic but still gives me a lot of happiness; Kofi Grande (Tia Kofi x La Grande Dame), and Crameron (Mix Cracker x Kameron Michaels).

15. WIPs you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

“Love you to death” my one and only attempt to write graphic SMUT in a supernatural AU, I’d really love to finish that story because I can clearly recall the whole plotline and how it was going to end, but I don’t think I’m gonna be able to get to be back to the place where I was when I outlined that story and changing the style would be absolutely disrespectful to the story and the characters.

16. Writing strengths?

Outlining, character creation and continuity.

17. Writing weaknesses?

That I’m a professional procrastinator.

18. Thoughts on mixed language dialogue.

It’s a great material resource, but it can get tough for the reader.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Harry Potter.

20. Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

I love each one of my babies, they all have a bit of me in every one of them, but a proud parent I have my predilections. My two favorites are “Gravity”, and the one that came straight from the bottom of my shattered heart “Objects in the rearview mirror.”

[flygonaltaria]

Doing another poll to see which fic I should finish next because they motivate the hell out of me for some reason

Clivesdale AU - Basically modern day AU where Curt’s tasked with finding the DMA in Clivesdale, but every agent keeps getting killed so his survival odds aren’t good (and Owen’s not happy about it)

Fluffy smut - Just some smut I wrote that ended up being pretty fluffy, I want to do kinkier stuff but can never think of anything (please send me asks for specific kinks and stuff I will gladly write them!)

Vampire Owen smut - Speaking of kinkier but also somehow fluffy smut, the first pass of this is done. I wanna tweak it a bit before releasing it though and I’m procrastinating

Werewolf Curt Part 2 - Some witches help turn “Scruffy” into a human again and Owen has to come to terms with that (I mean he’s been telling “Scruffy” terrible shit about Curt for years, saying how much he hates Curt….)

Chimera Story - Working on Owen’s pov of joining Chimera and going after Curt. This is a big one, multi chaptered and would also continue past the end of the musical to explain how/why Curt wasn’t ever able to take down Chimera. This idea’s been floating around in my head for years, I really should finish writing it but idk if anyone would want that since it doesn’t have too much interaction between Curt and Owen, mostly just Owen struggling with constantly thinking about Curt

PEIP AU - Wilbur Cross has such Owen vibes that I love the idea that he actually is Owen somehow (currently headcanoning that he actually would have died that day he slipped but he can survive in the Black and White, and very few humans can do that, so Wiggly saved him by opening a tiny portal and got Tinky to make him immortal the same way Holloway is) anyway ignore that headcanon because it doesn’t apply to this fic I wrote a while back. I guess it’s sort of reincarnation AU but Owen/Wilbur remembered his life as Owen when he went into the Black and White, Curt/Howie remembers during the events of Black Friday when he goes into the Black and White, so it’s Owen gloating over tricking Curt into starting WWIII (but with a happy ending because idk why)

Something else! Send me an ask or reply in the tags with suggestions

[argentumcor]

@paranorahjones tagged me in this. I'm not usually one for this sort of thing but I've been looking at writing-qua-writing to get some stuff in order so I figured I'd do a little navel-gazing (procrastinating).

How did you get into writing fanfiction?

Oh goodness. I think my first fanfic was for KotOR back in…before 2008, before I graduated high school. It’s lost to LiveJournal I believe, or FF.net. Several things are. They were fine, as I recall. Written when I was a lot younger for sure. I had to write them, though.

How many fandoms have you written in?

To go by AO3, 30 that I would consider actual separate fandoms. Many of those are one-shots, sometimes just odd ideas I had about something I watched or read or played, things I needed to get out of my head.

How many years have you been writing fanfiction?

Must be around 16, though there were several years-long breaks in there. I am a dried-up old woman. You'll never be actually cool until you're over 30, kids, and then you won't even really care, get over it.

Do you read or write more fanfiction?

Frankly, read. I read very fast, I write not as fast, no one writes as fast as I read. For whatever fandom I’m working in, with exceptions, I will read new things and things I liked to help keep me motivated and inspired. As you can see from how many fandoms I’ve written for, I devour new fiction by nature. Verily, I hunger for it.

What is one way you've improved as a writer?

Pacing, pacing, pacing. I write my own stuff under my real name- I will not dox myself, partly paranoia and partly a sense of personal artistic ethics- and fanfiction has been my training wheels especially with pacing. It is the hardest part of fiction to me, something intuitive you have to have a go at until you find the right sense of it.

What's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

Hmm. I’m not a great barometer for weird. In recent memory, I spent a lot of time walking around every stupid alleyway and cranny of Night City in Cyberpunk 2077. I spend a lot of time feeling around in the guts of the fandoms I write- sometimes that’s really what it feels like you are doing.

What's your favorite type of comment to receive on your work?

Hard to pick. It’s really nice when someone gets what you’re doing with structure and theme for longer works, but the people who are just struck plan by something I wrote are very special to me. All my commenters are, really. You guys rock. You know what though? The ones who say things like “oh thank God I found this, it feels like it was written by an adult who cares about the characters as people and not some teenager trying to get off”, I like those ones best because I totally understand.

What's the most fringe trope/topic you write about?

Hmm. It’s a hard life, being a neo-paleo-counter-reformationist, but somebody’s gotta do it (rosary fics).

What is the hardest type of story for you to write?

Crossovers most of the time. I have an X-files/SG-1 crossover I may never come back to because it required me to hold this kind of early aughts sci-fi mentality in my mind for two shows that both sync and do not sync and also isn’t where I, emotionally, am at these days. I don’t like to write crossovers generally because of that kind of thing and, even with reading, most of them are like a food combo only explainable by pregnancy hormones.

What is the easiest type?

Brief character studies where you’re looking at a character’s mindset during events. It’s simple and focused.

What is something that you've been too nervous/intimidated to write, but would love to write one day?

I started many moons ago, but never got around to reviving or really doing anything with, a Halo/Firefly crossover based on the end of Halo 3 that would have replaced Serenity. The crew finds some weird, old salvage adrift in the black…also my Firefly continuation since we’re on the subject, another ‘this is where the story is going’. I wonder if those notes are anywhere. No, no, wait, stop…

What made you choose your username?

I liked the sound of it. I’m Silverheart most places and argentumcor on Tumblr because Silverheart was taken so I just put it into Latin because neo-paleo-counter-reformationist and also, importantly, I am lazy.

Huh, I broke the formatting a bit? So it goes. I'll tag @womaninwinter because now she is double-tagged and this amuses me.

[crackinglamb]

AO3 Year End Roundup, 2023

Normally, I'd do this in a couple days, but we're close enough for government work (and I'm on a deliberate break anyhow, so nothing new is being posted). Normally this would also be a tag game, but I haven't seen it floating around yet, so...

Hey, you wanna do your own roundup? Go for it. Yes, I mean you (looking at you, DAFF crew). Consider this an open invite. Tag me back so I can see what y'all have been up to.

Words posted: 241,283 . This total has had subtracted from it the amount that already existed for the fic that carried over from last year (which was WG, of course). So this is actually what I posted this year.

Additional Words Written: ~166K. I have several WIP's going on in the background. One of which is finished and will begin posting after New Year's. Another of which is about halfway done. The rest are...procrastination projects/getting the wiggles out. They may never see the light of day. But they count as writing, so they are included.

Grand total of words: 407, 283 (goodness gracious)

Fandoms: 2

Works: 12, 11 of which were new.

Highest Kudos: Into the Current, at 271 (just like last year, I'm not counting WG since it wasn't new). The Iron Bull/OFC, rated E, 79K words, complete.

Highest Hit Oneshot: The Mighty Fall, at 706. Sookie Stackhouse/Eric Northman. Rated T, 2900 words.

New Things I Tried: I wrote a trio of fics for True Blood/Southern Vampire Mysteries this year. The WIP that's finished and waiting for the new year is a continuation of this series.

I also posted a ficlet I'd originally posted here on tumblr for archiving purposes. Some Years Into the Future...

Fic I Spent the Most Time On: Driftwood, my Bullmance series. Writing ItC itself wasn't particularly long, about two months, but T3, the next fic, is still being written. At first it was all going to be one long fic, but then I decided I've had enough of epics (meaning any work significantly over 100K words), and split it into parts.

Fic I Spent the Least Time On: The Mighty Fall. I have finally gotten to use the tag 'I wrote this instead of sleeping'. 🤣

Favorite Thing I Wrote: Usually, I have trouble with this category. I'm poly, you know. But this year, I actually DO have a fave. Okay...I have two.

How Deep the Bullet Lies - a gift for @rosella-writes, for the Solas Lovers Exchange. Solas/Cassandra Pentaghast with a whumpy open ending. Rated M, 4200 words.

More Than Mere Stone - a gift for my beloved @ir0n-angel in the same exchange. Solas/F!Trevelyan, pure fluff. Rated G, 1500 words.

Favorite Thing I Read: In Twain, by CatC. It's everything I wanted in a 'background character gets caught up in events' fic. With a sizzlingly hot Bullmance and So Much Cole. I think I've read it three or four times already. At least. If you need something comforting and wonderful, I cannot recommend it enough. It's simply delightful, and so is the author. Rated E, 172K words, WIP.

Something I Finished: I did it, at long last. I finished What a Wicked Game to Play. It was the focus of NaNo (and took literally three days once I put my mind to it, hence much of the other writing I did that hasn't been published). It feels really good to have my beloved Behemoth marked with a green checkmark. The story itself isn't finished, and I'll eventually write more for Imogen and Co., but for now, it is Done.

Writing Goals for 2024 – Keep on keeping on. I want to finish T3, so I can start posting it. I want to finish a couple other things from the WIP list. There will of course be a new Fluffuary prompt list. Biggest goal, however, is simply not to burn myself out. I've started waiting to publish until a fic is finished, which has done wonders for my stress levels. No more posting gaps on an in-progress fic.

Allow me to Gush about some things I wrote this year.

(Otherwise known as: honorable mentions)

Out of the Dark - Lark Cadash was once going to have an epic fic to her name. But I'm Tired, and frankly, I'm bored with rewriting the events of DA:I over and over again. So I've turned her into a series, where I can just put up oneshots and short chaptered things in no particular order that add up to one big story. This is one of them. Post-canon, Lark goes into the Deep Roads to find the answer to a riddle that's bugged her for her entire life. She gets more than she asked for, with a side serving of sad Solas. I've had many of the headcannons included in it for a long time, with no home. Now, they're out there in the world. Rated G, 4800 words.

What Lies Beneath - my actual giftfic for the Solas Lovers Exchange. I had such fun writing this, and had ideas for it as soon as I received the assignment. I got to set something in the Hissing Waste, which is one of my favorite places in the game, as well as write a polyship for my two favorite romances. F!Cadash/Solas/Iron Bull, rated T, 3400 words.

Maker Damned Fools - back in 2020, I wrote a Varric/Hawke short little thing for the first Fluffuary. I always wanted to go back and expand it into a fuller story. Add it to the pile of Things I Finished This Year. From their meeting to post-canon. Rated E, 32K words.

What a Wicked Game to Play - *deep satisfied sigh* It took two years and ten months to complete, with near constant weekly updates. It's 412K words by itself (not counting the rest of the series). It contains about 350 embedded images of either screenshots or fanart. It is both the highest hit (over 90K) and highest kudo'd (1535) work on my archive. Affectionately known as 'the Behemoth', extensively written with my signature yeeting of canon. Imogen McLean, MGIT, Inquisitor, beloved of Fen'Harel. I am stupendously proud of this work, but I am also incredibly happy it's done. I set out to write an epic, and I damn well succeeded. Rated E.

See y'all on the flipside! 💕

[blackbird-brewster]

2, 4, 5, 12, 13, 30, 32, 38, 47, 57, 69, 83, 84

I will answer your ask here shortly! But I didn't want you to think I forgot to ask you ✌️❤️😘

[Send my Writer Asks] TY for so many number!! <3

2. talk about a notable time a narrative or character has looked you dead in the eyes and said “fuck your plan, here’s what we’re actually doing.”

Basically any and every fic with JJ in it is this exact thing. JJ is notorious for going off-script and just doing whatever the hell she wants. I have had to re-write entire fic outlines bc of this. She's a nuisance (affectionate).

4. what is the plot bunny you’ve been carrying for the longest? optional bonus question: do you ever wonder why you haven’t written it yet and experience deep existential dread?

I often look at the 4 chapters I wrote for an early season CM fic that's sorta like 'You've Got Mail' (it's a 2006 online dating fic) and lament that I've never finished it. I even *know* the reason why too, it's simply because the coding to do entire chapters in 'e-mail' form on AO3 would require me to build custom skins to make it look like emails and such (yea, I know I don't HAVE to make it look like that, but my brain says You Gotta) and god, I just really hate coding.

5. have you ever made a playlist about something you were writing as an elaborate means to procrastinate when you could have been actually writing and if yes drop a link, son

I currently have over *30* CM character/fanfic related playlists. You should check out this masterlist for all the links plus summaries of each playlist, or just give me a follow on Spotify

12. do you ever have trouble focusing on writing? how do you get around that? 

Sorry, what? I missed the question because I was staring out the window and procrastinating again. The answer -- YES, of course I do. I'm AudHD and I live in a house with three other people, a cat who's an asshole, and on a street where multiple houses are being built. 😭 I try my best to be at my desk at regular hours each week, usually about 10am-4pm M-F. And I close any windows/apps on my laptop that aren't my writing one and put my phone out of reach. Then I set the focus timer on for a designated time and try to write until it goes off. This helps TONS.

13. talk about a writing experience that has pleasantly surprised you.

When I wrote what was supposed to be a Emily/Rebecca hate-sex one-shot, I didn't think anyone would read it. Then, when I expanded it into what became 'Do What I Want (Over What's Right)' I was absolutely blown away by the great convos I had with readers in each chapter's comment section. I even met a new best buddy via that fic! (hiiii @swpf)

30. most inspirational quote you’ve ever read or heard that’s still important to you.

"We are all a little weird and life's a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love." - Dr Seuss

32. do characters influence your writing style?

Can do, sometimes. My style itself doesn't change all that much, I don't think? I mean, I can look at old fics and see how far I've come since first writing them, but that's less about the characters themself and more about me as a weird little guy.

38. how many stories do you work on at one time?

One. As mentioned above, I'm far too distractable to have multiple-WIP at one time. The exception to this rule is, sometimes, I'll crank out a one-shot while working on a longer project too. But 99% of the time, I only have one WIP going.

47. what story are you most proud of?

Forever and ever, Head Full of Doubt (Jemily, High School AU). That fic explores mental health, friendship, depression, and the pressures of being a teenager. It is my forever proudest achievement as a writer.

57. what is the last thing that a fic made you google when you were reading it?

While reading? Hm, this is gonna sound so petty, but I recently pulled up the fandom wiki to double check a continuity point in a fic. Not because I was judging the author, more because my brain was trying to figure out the timeline they were presenting.

69. how do you write emotional scenes? do you ever feel what the characters feel?

I have such a visceral imagination. I not only see my characters, but I definitely also feel their feels too as part of getting into their heads. When I write emotional scenes, I am usually sobbing myself. On the flip side, my partner knows when I'm writing smut bc my breath gets all soft and short 🫠

83. less is more or more is more?

Do whatever you want forever. Period. No rules, just do you!

84. said: overused or underused?

Again, do whatever you want forever. I use said/replied lots, but I also use more specific indicators to get tone across depending on the conversation and scene.

[keldjinfae]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Again, not personally tagged by @oldefashioned, but procrastination the distraction is welcome.

How many works do you have on ao3?

I have posted 21 works, though I very recently deleted one of them because I had initially put it up as an Evil Author Day offering and it's been reshaped enough since then that I felt it was time to let the old version go. Plus, I'd initially meant for it to be part one of a three-part arc, and that arc has since changed to feature a different pairing entirely, so...

What's your total ao3 word count?

477,888

What fandoms do you write for?

I'm a "one at a time" kind of writer, so right now, only Teen Wolf. In the past, under a few separate names, I've written for BtVS and Angel, HP, KH, SPN, Heroes, and I was just getting started on Inception when I had to take a break from writing.

Top five fics by kudos:

You Gotta Promise Not to Stop When I Say When (1,540)

A Little Sweet and Simple Numbing Me (487)

I'm Coming Down Fast but Don't Let Me Break You (427)

My Echo, My Shadow, and Me (401)

I'm Not Asking Questions, I'm Taking My Chances (293)

All Teen Wolf fics, and all Sterek.

Do you respond to comments?

Every single one of them. It may take me months to do so, but every comment brings me joy, and some of my most treasured fandom moments/connections have come from comment interactions.

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I don't think I have a fic that ends in angst. At the moment, Wish You Were Here might fit this bill because I've only posted the first chapter and it's about avoiding dealing with the unexpected death of a loved one. There was one I wrote for Heroes, back in the day, that was solely about Peter burning his mother alive, so yeah, that probably qualifies--it's not on AO3, though.

Do you get hate on fics?

Not so much hate, no, but every once in a while a comment might criticize a character's actions or make suggestions on how they personally would've written a scene, etc. Any outright hate I've ever received for my fics has come from a site other than AO3.

Do you write smut?

Almost exclusively. Nearly every time I'm drafting out a fic for Teen Wolf, particularly when it's Sterek, I'll have a "then sex if there's time for it" note, and Derek barges in with that determined "I'll make time" face, so...

Craziest crossover:

So... uh... the entire reason I started writing fanfic again was because I got smacked in the face with a crossover/fusion idea for Teen Wolf and Skyrim. Other than that, Teen Wolf and Fallout, Teen Wolf and Inception, Teen Wolf and Supernatural...

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Once, years ago. It wasn't the entire fic, but it was a sizeable chunk of one, and the names had been changed for the "author's" chosen pairing/fandom, but apparently they liked my wording so much that they didn't feel the need to come up with their own.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! Also years ago.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes indeedy. Co-writing is one of my absolute favorite ways of writing. Co-creativity is my jam, the energy feeds me. I've written KH fic with @caseyvalhalla, and I've cowritten Teen Wolf fic with my not!wife, Anna. It is my hope to continue to do so with other people, should our visions/writing styles align. I've got one fic in particular that I think at this point is going to need a co-writer so I don't lose focus.

All time favourite ship?

Sterek. I adore many other ships, some of them hold a special place in my heart and I will always come back to read them, but Sterek is the one that gripped me over a decade ago and hasn't let me go since. Like @oldefashioned said, I think it's because I love the characters individually as much as I love them together.

Other than Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski (as well as factoring in Peter Hale with any combination of the three), there's Adam Banks/Charlie Conway, Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy, Alanna/George Cooper, Dean Winchester/Sam Winchester, Nathan Petrelli/Peter Petrelli, Angel(us)/Spike, Spike/Buffy, Angel(us)/Buffy, Angel(us)/Spike/Buffy (really I could've just said any combination of the three), Arthur/Eames, Fenris/Mage Female Hawke, Bucky Barnes/Steve Rogers, Riku/Sora, and most recently Maximus/Lucy MacLean, with the added complex triad factor of Maximus/Lucy/Cooper Howard.

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

I still haven't actually verged into "doubt I ever will" territory yet, but two WIPs that have been begging to be finished for a while now are Wish You Were Here (Kingdom Hearts) and Light Up as If You Have a Choice (Dragon Age: Origins).

What are your writing strengths?

I don't know. Dialogue? Establishing a setting? That answer might require a survey from other people who actually bother to read my fics.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Not being able to move on until I have a scene "perfect." If I'm stuck on getting from Point A to Point B, I am mentally incapable of jumping ahead to Point C--it is Point B or Point Bust.

Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

I tend to avoid it if the translation starts to read too much like an index, or like I'm writing a conversation twice over. However, if the other language is vital to the narrative (i.e. a character says something in a language they know the other person won't understand, etc.) then yes, I write it in that language, rather than something like, "'blah blah,' he said in Polish."

First fandom you wrote in?

The Song of the Lioness

Favorite fic you've written?

Depending on the fandom, Freaks and Fools was a Kingdom Hearts fic I co-wrote, and more recently, I'd have to say my favorite Teen Wolf fic to write is a toss-up between You Gotta Promise Not to Stop When I Say When and My Echo, My Shadow, and Me. Promise because it is just me writing myself via Stiles, wishing I had a Derek; Echo because I'd wanted to write an alternate version of season 3a for a while, and I finally got to do it, thanks to the Sterek Reverse Bang.

[buffintruder]

@allpurposepanda sent me this ask game and since I have writing to procrastinate, I figured I'd just go through and answer all the questions I felt like answering

1. What’s something new that you tried in a fic this year? How did it turn out and would you do it again?

I think the most interesting thing I did was write a fic where I tried not to use any figurative language at all in the narration or dialogue from other pov characters. It wasn't as hard as I was expecting (actually, it was harder to determine what counted as figurative and what counted as a word simply having multiple meanings, one more concrete than the other) and I think it turned out pretty okay. I'd do it again if I wrote from this pov again or someone similar, but I don't think I'd seek it out

2. How many fics did you work on this year? (They don’t have to be finished or published!)

About 18 if I counted correctly! 7 have been posted, 1 is in the process of posting, and 10 are unposted. 9 are brand new while 9 are continuations of wips from previous years

3. What’s something you learned about yourself as a writer?

I'm not sure. I guess I've been thinking about the relation between a writer and the audience and feedback and community support a lot (I went from a bigger fandom to a smaller fandom, and the decrease in comments and people to talk to about my fics hit my motivation harder than I was expecting)

4. What piece of media inspired you the most?

I'm not sure, but I think I wrote the most fic for Donbrothers or Kamen Rider

5. What fandom(s) did you write for this year?

8 fandoms: Kamen Rider Blade (6), Kamen Rider W (1), Kamen Rider Drive (1), Changerion (1), Donbrothers (3), Ace Attorney (4), the Watchmaker of Filigree Street (2), and Les Miserables (1)

6. What ship(s) captured your heart?

Nothing new from last year, but Hajime/Kenzaki from Blade and Sonoi/Momoi from Donbrothers

7. What character(s) captured your heart?

Also nothing new, but Haruka from Donbrothers and Wakana from Kamen Rider W

8. Did you write for a new fandom or ship this year?

Donbrothers is new because I was waiting for the show to finish airing before I started writing anything for it. Changerion I only watched this year, so that's also new

9. What fic meant the most to you to write?

I am obsessed with my Blade soul nemesis au and my Ace Attorney Trickster au, and I don't have any fics that like particularly hit close to home for me or anything. However, I do think the winner would have to be Truer than Truth because idk. It was difficult and it feels like one of the best things I've written (definitely the best shorter fic I've written) and just had a lot of thought go into it

10. What fic made you feel the happiest to work on?

Definitely my soul nemesis au. Tbh I have enjoyed working on it so much I started posting it probably like a good 6 months later than I could have so I could work on it more, and it's also taking me forever to upload the chapters despite the fic being finished because I want to keep working on it (that and it has 0 comments, so I feel like no one is too invested other than the people I know personally, so I can take my time with it and get distracted from it)

11. What fic was the most satisfying to finish writing?

To Turn the World Upside Down is maybe the best long fic I've written, and finishing it felt like the end of the journey. However, I'm pretty sure I wrote the ending in 2022 (I just finished the editing in 2023), so I'll also put in Truer than Truth for the reasons answered in the next question

12. What fic was the most difficult to write? Did you finish it?

Definitely Truer than Truth. I mentioned I wrote a fic without figurative language, and this was the first fic in the series where I tried to write a fic with a ton of figurative language. Coming up with symbolism related to classic Japanese Buddhist literature that isn't too heavy handed is hard! Coming up prose with metaphors and pretty descriptions that doesn't sound unbearably flowery is hard! Also mapping out the character of progression of Sonoi, someone who both knows a lot about humans and also doesn't, in a way that makes sense and doesn't make him more ignorant than he is in canon is hard!

13. What fic was the easiest to write?

Trust Fall. I wrote probably about half of it in one day and finished writing+editing it in probably around 2 weeks which is insanely fast for me. It just sort of came out of me, idk man

14. What were your shortest and longest fics this year?

Technically Meetings is the longest fic (90k words), but that was originally meant to be a trilogy that I wrote most of years ago and just polished and posted this year, so I'm counting To Turn the World Upside Down (73k words) instead because it's finished and I like it more.

Shortest is Trust Fall (4k words)

15. Rec a fic you wrote or posted in 2023

This is hard because I do like a lot of the fics I wrote and posted in 2023. However, I've talked a lot (and will continue to talk) about my top 3 fics in this ask game, but one fic that will not be mentioned outside of this that I think is good is Across the River of Stars.

It's an outsider pov Cowherd and Weaver au where I think I did a good job with a sort of melancholic atmosphere

16. What were you go-to writing songs?

I don't listen to music a lot while writing, but when I do it's probably the How To Train Your Dragon soundtrack (movies 1-3), the Witcher 3 soundtrack, or the Black Sails soundtrack

17. What were your go-to writing snacks?

I don't think I have one. I don't particularly snack while writing, and if I do, I'll just eat whatever

18. What was the hardest fic to title?

Afterwards. I needed something short and simple and to the point to contrast the long and more poetic "truer than truth are those beautiful lies", but I still think it's a bit meh and doesn't really do much for the fic

19. Share your favorite opening line

Here is a truth: Momoi Tarou is like the sky, impossibly vast and unreachable; and Sonoi is like the sea, forever gazing up, reflecting that same blue.

This wasn't initially the beginning line (I switched around a lot of stuffin this fic), and the whole "here is a truth, here is a lie" bit was a totally unexpected unplanned bit that just happened when I started writing it. However, I'm pleased with how it turned out, and also the particular way in which I took a line from the show (Sonoi saying "we are like the sky and the sea") and expanding a bit on it and how the two of them individually relate to that

20. Share your favorite ending line

Okay technically it's 2 lines from Trust Fall, but it's still my favorite:

(All too soon, when the end does come, Kenzaki looks at Hajime and smiles like a blade to the heart and says, “See, I said that you could trust me to keep this hope of yours alive.” And Hajime does not have the time to tell him that no one has ever lied to him so cruelly before.)

It's good because of the misunderstanding. Kenzaki is sacrificing himself so Hajime can keep living, but of course that also really sucks on Hajime's end. I just think seeing something from the pov of the person/people left behind when someone sacrifices themselves is so juicy. Also Kenzaki's symbol is a blade while Hajime's is a heart, so the smile is from Blade to Heart but also metaphorically like being stabbed hahaha (i think i'm so clever when i do symbolism 101)

21. Share your favorite piece of dialogue

This is hard. Definitely, my favorite piece of dialogue comes from To Turn the World Upside Down because tbh I think that fic has some of the best written dialogue in anything I've ever written, but I'm not sure I could pick out something among it. I just went with the last scene because I am genuinely proud, like I don't normally like writing endings and it's especially hard in a long fic with a lot of build up, but I think I did well on this one. Also it's probably one of the parts I worked most on in 2023 (rather than 2022)

“I think you should do it, daddy,” Trucy says. Surprised, Phoenix looks up to see his daughter staring at him, her face set firmly. Of all the people who would encourage him to retake the exam, he hadn’t thought it would be her. She has never known him as a lawyer. “What? Why?” “You never stopped being a lawyer,” she says, as if it’s that simple. “Sure, officially, they took that away from you. But deep down, you’ve always been one.” “What?” Phoenix scoffs, something small and hopeful curling into a cold and defensive ball deep in his chest. “Prove it.” Trucy raises her eyebrows at him. “Prove it? Do I need physical evidence for it so that it may be accepted in the court of Phoenix Wright, or is pointing out your contradiction enough?” Phoenix flushes. “Okay, okay, point taken.” “She’s right,” Miles says quietly. “It’s your life to live, but please—at least consider it.” From the moment you asked, there was no question of the answer, Phoenix thinks. I became a lawyer for you once, I would do it a second time, as many times as you needed me to. “Are you sure about it?” Phoenix asks. “I mean, you know what it was like the first time I was a lawyer. You know the kind of shit that follows me. I was a lawyer for just two and a half years the first time, and look at the kind of mess I left behind me.” Miles smiles at him, so fond it hurts. “You say that as if that’s not exactly what I want. I want you back in the courthouse, Trickster and all. It all needs a good shaking up, don’t you think?” It was never meant to be about the suffering, the Trickster had said about their chaos. There already is suffering stuck in between each clean-cut brick of the legal system, trapped in the very foundation and everything that has grown on top of it. Maybe it’s time to knock things around and see what shakes loose, to see what can be built anew from the rubble. “Alright,” Phoenix says, and the way Miles and Trucy’s eyes light up already makes it all worth it. “I’ll do it. Let’s go turn turn the legal world upside down.”

22. Share an excerpt from your favorite scene

Tbh I could probably also post a bit from the Trickster au, but just to switch it up here's a sneak peak from my soul nemesis au. I was so excited to write this scene that it's the only one I skipped ahead to write. This scene (earlier parts of it, not what's here) is also the reason why I chose the mechanics for soul nemeses that I did, like I've been hyping up this scene almost since I first had the idea for the fic, and it's still one of my favorites

“Did...” Gou started. “Did he love you too?” Kenzaki thought about the way Hajime kissed back, the way his whole face softened as he smiled at Kenzaki, the way he looked like his heart was shattering when Kenzaki had last seen him, the way he had written don't go in his letter. “I think—maybe. But it doesn’t matter. I had to leave, so he could live out his life.” For the whole time that Kenzaki had known him, Gou had been all bright smiles and wild hand gestures. Even as the conversation took a turn for the more serious, his face had been an open book, but now his face turned still and unreadable. “It’s not worth it.” “What?” demanded Kenzaki. “I’ve been there,” Gou said, and now he looked angry. “Someone sacrificed himself for me, so I could live my life. And I will never forgive him for that, because if I had the choice, I would choose him over me every time. I may not have met Masaki myself, but I'm sure that he would rather have you in his life no matter what hardships. You can still go back—” “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kenzaki snapped, anger curling defensively around him. He knew that. He knew he was hurting Hajime, that it had destroyed him to be left behind. It had destroyed Kenzaki to leave. But he had chosen to defy fate, and this was their punishment. “It’s impossible.” "What's impossible? You're both still alive, aren't you?" "He might as well be dead, for all the difference it makes to me,” Kenzaki snapped. Maybe if Hajime had been dead it would hurt less. “There is no other choice.” Gou stared back at him, his expression set stubbornly on his face. He was so young, Kenzaki thought all of a sudden. Kenzaki had been like that too over a decade ago when he was around Gou’s age, so stubbornly set on how things should be, as if he could bend the universe into shape through sheer force of will. Kenzaki sighed, and let the anger drain from him. He would have had those same thoughts, and it wasn’t like Gou had any idea of the impossible circumstances that kept him and Hajime apart. “It's too late now. I would go back, if I could. And he would track me down across the world, if he could." “Right,” Gou said, and Kenzaki wondered if he felt the same envy towards him. Gou hadn’t specified what sacrifice had been made for him, but the implication was clear. At least Hajime was still alive. At least he was out there somewhere that Kenzaki could return to, technically. Gou couldn't know that the potential only made the separation ache more, he couldn't know that the impossible situation that trapped them went far beyond ordinary human concerns. “I’m sorry for your loss,” Kenzaki said, as much of an acquiescence as he could make. “Thanks,” Gou said, his mouth twisting. “I... don’t know if he’s gone for good though. That’s actually why I’m here. Trying to do some research to bring him back.” “Are there good medical facilities here?” Kenzaki asked, confused. Maybe Gou's person was in a coma or something? Gou shrugged. “Not particularly. I’m here more for the tech stuff.” “I hope it succeeds,” Kenzaki said, not entirely sure what to say. “Thank you,” Gou said, sounding tired. “And I hope you find someway around whatever’s keeping you two apart.” It was impossible, but Kenzaki smiled and nodded anyway. “If I ever run into him, do you want me to pass on a message?” Gou asked. What could Kenzaki say that Hajime did not already know, and that would not hurt him more to hear? “Just that I am well,” Kenzaki said at last. “And that I like his book. And... I still miss him.” Gou nodded. “I’m going to get my friend back,” he said, with all the confidence and naivety of a twenty year old. “So you better not give up on yours, alright?” “I never will,” Kenzaki said. And Gou smiled because he did not yet know that it was the hope that destroyed you.

23. Share the final version of a sentence or paragraph you struggled with. What about it was challenging? Are you happy with how it turned out?

There are definitely many of these, but I'd have to go through my fics again to figure it out and that would take a while so I'm skipping this

24. What's something that surprised you while you were working on a fic? Did it change the story?

I mentioned earlier that there's a bit in Truer than Truth where between each scene it goes like "Here is a truth: [...] Here is a lie: [...]", or in the other order (lie first then truth) that is vaguely related to the themes of that scene, and I absolutely was not expecting.

It ended up changing the story quite a bit. I was originally going to have the story alternate povs, but something like this could only work from Sonoi's pov, and I wasn't sure how to juggle things around to make it work. Because I also wanted to have it alternate between whether it starts with a truth or a lie, I had to add two scenes in order to make the pattern work when I realized that some of the truths and lies would work better flipped around. And I think the story is better off with those added scenes to fill in something that would have been a jump otherwise

Also, it just generally affected the tone, since I had to think about the themes of the scene to write those bits, and they're very heavy in symbolism and metaphor that I could reuse throughout the fic

25. What did you use to write? (e.g. writing programs, paper & pen, etc.)

Mostly google docs and occasionally a notebook and pen. I have occasionally written a bit on my notes app of my phone if i couldn't get to google docs for whatever reason, but i don't think i did this year

26. If you had to choose one, what was THE most satisfying writing moment of your year?

The writing spree during which I wrote the first half of Trust Fall. I was feeling a bit shitty and purposeless at the time, but I had an idea brewing in the back of my head for awhile, and the stars aligned so the idea solidified and I wrote like 2k words in one day. I remember feeling afterwards that I really love writing sometimes and maybe if I go too long without doing it, it makes me worse

27. Did you do anything special to celebrate finishing a fic?

Not really? Maybe tell all my friends about it

28. How did you recharge between fics?

I don't think this question applies to my writing style tbh. I don't have "in between fics" (i am always working on a fic) and I switch between them a lot, so I don't really get worn out by them. I recharge between writing sessions I suppose?? I'm not actually sure how I'm supposed to answer this question

29. If this were an awards show, who would you thank?

I do try to thank the people involved in me writing a fic in any way at the beginning of each fic, but in a general sense, I would thank all the friends and acquaintances who encouraged me to write whenever I was like "maybe this is stupid" and all the people who listened to me go "wait I have the coolest idea for a fic, let me tell you about it" and all the people who helped answer my questions from everything between 'does this sound like semi-realistic attraction or is it just weird' to 'what are traffic-related superhero/supervillain names.' And particularly to @magpiedragon who bears the brunt of all of this

30. What’s something that you want to write in 2024?

I still have that one Kamen Rider Blade post canon idea that crosses over with Star Trek ds9. Also some Kamen Rider Agito ideas I want to get to at some point, but who knows if I ever will

[fyonahmacnally]

20 Questions Game

I’ve been tagged by @sssammich and it’s hard to say no to sssammich. It has nothing to do with the fact that I am procrastinating on something. Not at all.

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Currently 14

2. What’s your total AO3 words count?

348,153 (most of those are one fic – 234,645)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

At present, just Supercorp, but I do have an unfinished Wynonna Earp fic in the mix.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1) Home (part of a series)

2) Conversations (continuation of series above)

3) Carterhaugh-Wood Academy (CWA – Fae AU)

4) I Wish it Was Me

5) Kiss Me in the Rain

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

Absolutely! I try to respond to all comments because anyone that takes the time to read my work and let me know they did is worth my time. I value and appreciate the comments.  

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

HA. Well, I don’t write a lot of angsty stuff. I am working on venturing into some angst since I tend to lean more into fluffy stories with a few twists. Hopefully I will be branching out into some angst with happy ending type stories. We shall see.

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

Tough to say…LOL. So far, all of mine have happy endings. I have one that is open-ended because I am planning a sequel, but yeah…pick one. :)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

So far, not really. I did get a mildly rude comment once, but overall, everyone has been kind.

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

Yes. I’m not sure how I would classify it? It’s not strictly vanilla, but not too adventurous either. At least not yet? It’s a work in progress. I’m still finding my footing in that arena. ;)

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

Not exactly? My fae AU has Diana Prince and Felicity Smoak as secondary characters, but I think that’s the only one that I’ve brought in from outside the show. I’m not opposed to writing them, it just hasn’t been part of any ideas yet.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Hmmm, not that I am aware of…

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Also not that I am aware of…though I would be flattered and honored if asked.

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

One that has been published already – no. I am co-writing one with some friends right now though (@lovesastateofmind1 & @chaotic-super - I'm looking at you).

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

Supercorp, hands down. There hasn’t been another ship that has grabbed me by the neck like they have.

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

HA – Easy. My Wynonna Earp fic. Unfortunately, I lost the momentum/interest in it and have no plans to get back to it.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Ummm, descriptive writing, creating imagery? Not sure.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Getting too far into the minutiae of things, being impatient with story development.

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

I haven’t done a lot of it. I used a version of combined Irish & Scottish Gaelic in CWA – Fae AU and haven’t used it much since. It was fun to do though and I will likely use it in another WIP I have brewing.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Wynonna Earp. I was very late to the world of fanfiction and fandoms, but really enjoy it.

20. Favourite fic you’ve ever written?

That is a very difficult one to answer. I say it would be a close race between the Home Series and CWA. I think I am most proud of CWA.

No pressure to anyone I tag to answer. Love and light, y’all!

@trashpandato @spaceman-earthgirl @someoneyouloved93 @whatawks

[weirwitch]

thank u for the tags @thenn & @huramuna!

1. How many works do you have on ao3 (or masterlist)? - none currently, but i’ve been focusing on two wips as of late!! i’ll be cross-posting them on archive of our own, wattpad, fanfiction.net, and here sometime soon.

2. What’s your total ao3 word count? - ^

3. What fandoms do you write for? - mainly a song of ice and fire/game of thrones/house of the dragon. i have some ideas floating around my noggin for star wars and harry potter, but i’m doubtful they’ll ever be posted

4. Top five fics by kudos - none until i get off my procrastinating tushie and excavate my fics from the drafts

5. Do you respond to comments? - every single one bc i fear my body yearns for validation like water...

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? - definitely my wip set during the dance of the dragons, very tentatively named moth to a flame 🤭

7. What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? - i’d refer to it as bittersweet > happy, but i’d say my agot wip, witching hour

8. Do you get hate on fics? - i have not and i pray i never do

9. Do you write smut? - i have not... yet 😈

10. Craziest crossover? - feeling so vanilla rn saying no to all of these questions, but i have not partaken

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? - unfortunately 😵‍💫

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? - i haven’t, but i’m definitely open to that once i’ve posted!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? - not for one singular fic, but i am working on an asoiaf series of connected fics with my bffie @thenn! it's called the dream for dawn 🌄

14. All time favorite ship? - definitely maerwynn/pate/jon, aka the main ship of witching hour 🤭 they’re poly (bc jon snow is a bi king) and my fun way of subverting the love triangle trope!

5. What’s a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will? - probably my jedi: fallen order wip, sol invictus ☀️ the main oc is a force-sensitive bounty hunter whose name is jeska sol, and she’s paired with inquisitor au!cal kestis bc that has always been very sexy to me

16. What are your writing strengths? - felt too Cocky to answer this myself, so i relied on @thenn (as per usual)... according to miss dani, my ocs and lore changes/additions feel unique but still merge well with canon, and i tone-match grrm’s writing style very well (“u could ghostwrite twow and ados and no one would notice”). she also says house weir is easily her favourite original house. yes i have tears in my eyes, next question please

17. What are your writing weaknesses? - dani says my downfall is continuously writing the same 10 chapters over and over again bc i think they’re no good. and she would be right

18. Thoughts on dialogue in another language? - all good, as long as a translation is included!!

19. First fandom you wrote in? - this just unlocked the deepest, darkest memory... my friends and i used to write pokémon fics together in the first grade. we'd even print them off using the school printer and disperse them to the class. i wish i could read them 🥲i can still see the stapled pages and the comic sans font in my mind's eye, and i KNOW there was a dramatic arc of ash cheating on misty with may

20. Favorite fic you’ve written? - definitely witching hour, coming soon to a tumblr near you 😝

tagging: @starkladies @vecnacreels @cardeegans @jennyofoldflowers @sainteda