#calypsid

[kbirbpods]

search for things you can't see (the podfic) & what's real and what's for sale (the podfic)

Original Works: search for things you can't see & what's real and what's for sale? by calypsid 

Mass Effect: Fem Shepard/Garrus | Rating: G & T+

Summary: a Pirate AU in which Garrus just wants to know why Shepard does what she does... and when he discovers it, he joins the ride.

Notes: Summer Podfic Swap treats for @avaniesque & @blackestglass

Series: Parts 1 & 2 of [podfics of] on winds and wild tides

[calypsid]

my personal writing-to-AO3 workflow

this is really long so here is a friendly cut

I write in Scrivener, so I am starting with rich text that is not in the Windows environment. any writing program that is not Microsoft Word is on the same level. why does this matter? because Windows pasting to browsers is deficient in that it does not preserve rich text formatting unless it comes from Word. why? I have no fucking clue. but it's good to know. so I start with this:

Destiny! I love to hate it. you will note two instances of italicized text. now, as I'm the laziest bastard who rolled over the earth, I don't want to hand-code those to drop in AO3's HTML editor. (I don't use the rich text editor because on preview, it runs through the text and applies HTML codes for you, and in certain circumstances that can break formatting, such as if you're using a texting workskin or other custom formatting. if that's not a problem for you, you probably don't need this post.)

so, it gets copy-pasted into Microsoft Word:

(I am aware that this could be the same screenshot. I promise it's not. I just write in Calibri.)

then I open the Find/Replace dialogue:

make sure your cursor is in the Find What: box. click the Format button on the bottom left:

select Font...

under Font Style, select Italic and hit "OK".

now I'm going to work the actual magic. the HTML code for italics is <i> or <em> (they're the same thing). that means that when a browser sees that code, it treats any text wrapped in that code as italicized.

I just have to tell Word to find the italicized text and wrap it in my HTML.

in the Replace With: field, paste this:

<i>^&</i>

"^&" is the regex code for "the same text". so you're telling Word to find this text and replace it with itself and also the HTML.

looks like this. then hit "replace all". you're done.

copy the text from the word document and put it in the HTML posting box in AO3. that's all you have to do.

I've used a lot of words and probably made this sound like an ordeal, but I have the code memorized and I can do this in less than eight seconds. I'm not exaggerating.

you can do this with anything you can search for in that Font box: bold, strikethrough, etc. you can also do this with other formatting, but the codes for those are Word regex and it's not documented as well as regular regex. I'm willing to help! but those are the provisos.

hope this helps someone!

[dei2dei]

Ideas: Gotta Catch 'Em All!

(look, I know one whole Pokemon reference and I'm gonna use it.)

I was tossing around ideas with @calypsid about writing events and coming up with ideas and how to write for big events - in fandom, for the monthlong ones especially, but also if you're someone looking at submitting original fiction to a themed anthology or to a zine, or when you just want to WRITE dammit but the ideas won't come. When the idea hutch is empty and the plotbuns won't come, when the creative spring is trickling or you're at the bottom of the well of inspiration, hope is not lost. We put our heads together and came up with a baker's dozen ways to get ideas and look at prompts to get new inspiration when you need it. So if you want 'em, jump below the cut!

Stop looking at words.

Look at art! Listen to music! Maybe what you need is some song lyrics to get your brain going, or art. Play Sudoku. Go to a coffee shop and watch people. Change your mental or physical environment and see what happens.

Prompt lists

Don’t limit yourself to whatever event you’re writing for! If it’s for a fandom ship week, hit up a themed month prompt list (such as Fluffuary, AUgust, or Whumptober). If you’re trying to think of ideas for a zine pitch, trawl prompt lists from fandom or creative writing websites. Mash the TVTropes random trope button until something clicks.

Tarot spreads

Even if you don’t read tarot on your own, you can find websites where you can do tarot readings. Treat it as a story prompt generator: pick three cards, one that is your protagonist, one that is their goal, one that is their obstacle. Look up the meanings. Go wild! You can use the cards for protagonists, antagonists, story arcs…

Lists

Not prompt lists - but every idea you can think of adjacent to a prompt. Tropes, colors, sayings, characters, types (e.g. species of apple, types of wildflowers, names of cocktails)...

An alphabetical list with an idea for each letter of the alphabet.

A list of 20 ideas, as close or as absolutely wild as you want.

A timed list (write ideas for 5/10/15 minutes). The first chunk may be easy, the last few minutes impossibly hard, but right in the middle where your mind is starting to stretch? That may be perfect.

Once you have a list of any flavor, start looking for patterns: that’s a sign your brain is interested in SOMETHING. What ideas/symbols keep showing up?

Look for unexpected intersections

Ideas or prompts may have unexpected links. Randomize your list! Consider resonances between different prompts; they may seem different in a different order. Pick a not obvious combination of two prompts and follow it to the end - what if you put together “pirate��� and “arranged marriage”? Use a wheel spinning picker and see what two things the computer matches up.

You can also take a pair of commonly-associated opposites, pick out their most common stereotypical traits. Now swap them. 

Play with other media

Take characters from one piece of media, the setting from a second (hey look, a fusion/AU!). What resonates between them? Grab a non-fiction book about a topic you’re interested in and read that. Ideas might percolate from a number of unrelated sources into one Super Cool Idea.

Change the setting

Turn a sci-fi show into a fantasy setting, or vice-versa. Add monsters. Add gods; add gods with reality-bending dice; add gods with reality-bending dice who are malicious. Flip your characters' genders. Remove the concept of gender entirely. Send your characters to the dimension next door, where only one thing has changed. Or many things. Or everything. Take the characters out of the plot of your fandom, or replace them with side characters; what changes?

Change your mind

Take the prompt at face value. Or, treat it sarcastically. Subvert the trope - or don't subvert the trope. Write the thing you've always wanted to see, even if you think it won't work. Turn everything about the prompt on its head and look underneath for spare ideas. Come at it from every angle you can think of.

Other people

Talk to people about the prompt. Read Reddit or Tumblr conversations, even ones only vaguely associated with the prompt. Let your mind go in new and interesting directions. 

Cool words

Have you run across an awesome word you wish you could use in a story, or a turn of phrase? Write a story around that. Or if you have a list of cool words you keep anyway, flip back to it, see if there are any that might come together in a story.

Titles

If you have a title you've always wanted to use, let the title inspire the fic instead of the other way around. 

First Sentences

Just start writing first sentences, whatever ones come to mind. Don’t be precious about them; the goal isn’t perfect sentences, the goal is something to get your brain moving. Don’t worry about continuing the story yet! Try and get a bunch down without writing any more of the story. If one speaks to you and demands to be written, go back to it after you’ve got your list down.

Deconstruct a story you love and then rebuild it!

Retell a favorite story (or a hated story you thought you could do better). How did they do X? Why did you love (or hate) something so much? Can you do that with some of your ideas? Take out the main character and their sidekick; how does the story read with just the secondary characters? What if you add someone new? How would the story look different as a documentary, a chatfic, an epistolary collection?

Some Links:

The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (https://sf-encyclopedia.com/) - includes almost 15,000 entries for words associated with sci-fi. Scroll through, pick (3, 5, 7…) and shove them into a story. Or learn about new tropes/concepts/ideas.

Deep Water Prompts (https://deepwaterwritingprompts.tumblr.com/) - some Weird Prompts (several hundred) you can twist and interpret to your heart’s desire.

Kathleen Jennings’ short story “Some Ways to Retell a Fairy Tale” (https://www.tor.com/2023/11/08/some-ways-to-retell-a-fairy-tale-kathleen-jennings) is also a great list of ideas for ways to, well, retell any story.

[thenotebookwizard]

Birthday?

Today is mine. Huh.

I started the day with Catradora gift art and gift fic. Good omen, this.

Thank you @tonakuma for the gifts. Apparently, they jumped into watching She-Ra & the Princesses of Power to write me a fic as thanks for running an event for the r/fanfiction discord server.

(And thanks to @dei2dei for beta-reading and @calypsid for keeping the secret! it was a wonderful surprise!)

They discovered how awesome our show is. And now, I hope, they can discover how amazing our fandom is.

Then, Merriam-Webster gave me their word of the day.

Fitting, given how much I write. I have a new notebook to arrive today, and I will hopefully be playing SWTOR again soon.

Not bad.

This year hasn't been all that bad, if you discount how much I've been sick/dealing with chronic illness. A muchness of writing. I'm pleased.

[shivunin]

Dragon Age Fic Recs

In honor of the Just Leave a Comment Fest, and with no particular theme, here are a few of my favorite Dragon Age Fics:

(If you wrote one of these fics and want me to tag your blog, please let me know and I'm happy to do so!)

**Always check the tags before jumping in; this list is no exception.**

Origins: 

be my mirror by ella_vellan: (T; 5,798) Alistair & Morrigan. Alistair meets Kieran for the first time in Orlais. The dialogue in this feels so well-paced and authentic, and it really navigates a fraught situation with grace. One of those fics that feels bittersweet in the most cathartic way. 

a gentle, beating heart by rynleaf: (M; 5,115 Words) Warden/Zevran. The Warden finds out she is pregnant sometime after Origins and puts off telling Zevran. The epistolary pieces of this frame the underlying story so well, and the flow of the fic itself is extremely well-paced.

A Man’s Word is His Bond by howlsmovinglibrary: (M; 35,135 Words/9 chapters) Zevran/Warden Soulmate AU. Honestly? This Surana cracks me up and I adore this fic. She is just having absolutely none of his nonsense. No thank you. Also, the implications of a soulmate-identifying mark are really well-explored here.

Dragon Age II:

see me bare my teeth for you by calypsid: (T; 2,978 Words) Fenris/Hawke vampire AU. This one has really good pacing and Fenris’s POV is really effective. Would absolutely read way more about the dynamic between this Hawke and Fenris. 

to hold you by the edges by vesperics: (T; 4,059 Words) Fenris/Hawke wound-tending set sometime in Act 1. I am a sucker for wound-tending anything, but I really enjoyed the way this fic explores Hawke and Fenris’s early dynamic and the way she navigates his boundaries about magical healing. 

River Stone by loquaciousquark: (M; 45,633 Words) Fenris/Hawke. Hawke is captured and subjected to a botched Rite of Tranquility. Hawke survives by pretending it worked while Fenris tries to find her. The pain in this fic is so delicately and thoughtfully depicted; it might be my favorite hurt/comfort fic ever. There is an art to writing something that hurts like this while still making the catharsis of resolution feel earned, and this author absolutely knows how to do it right. 

Inquisition: 

Portrait of a Man by Dulcidyne: (T; 3,136 Words) Cullen/Inquisitor. Cullen sits for a portrait. Love the dynamic of person vs. role here, and the idea of how someone is depicted potentially outliving who they actually are. A fic I would hug if I could. 

Truth-Telling by todisturbtheuniverse: (M; 3,988 Words; CW: Fantasy Racism) Adaar/Josephine. Adaar tells several stories about how she lost her horn, but saves the truth for Josie. There are so many great pieces in this about the faces shown to people we trust vs. people who pry for information. Love the almost-but-not-quite together state of their relationship here, too. Yearning, my beloved. 

Port in the Storm by kvella: (E; 89,445 Words/19 Chapters) After nearly hooking up, Cullen and Josephine navigate their tensions while trying to build a memorial for Haven. A lovely slow burn! Characterization is enjoyable and consistent, smut is well-written, and the tension is palpable. The sections involving Josie’s family were some of my favorites.

[moriche]

She's not afraid. There is no fear in this place; death seems like a very far away dream, the nightmare of organic life form, and while Shepard is many things now, that sort of ephemeral spark is not one of them. Like two opposing comets in the night, they race toward each other, and at the point of their meeting, there's an explosion of light and color and flaring particles Shepard has no name for. From Astronomy in Reverse by Calypsid on Ao3

I painted this for Calypsid and her amazing, poetic Mass Effect fic Astronomy in Reverse. Watercolour, white acrylic, white posca maker on paper; 21x29.7 cm

[inquisimer]

dragon age fluff fic recs

Part two of my fic rec list series comes bearing the sweetest, most tooth-rotting fluff! It turns out that I....don't actually read a lot of pure fluff, but it was a joy to go spelunking through the tag and all of these pieces made me smile and laugh when I read them.

Check them out! and leave a comment or kudos to let the authors know that you did 💜

Remember to post your fanfic and fanart recs for this week's fan work friday! And if this inspires you to make a fic rec list of your own, tag me in it so that I can read and promote your awesome recs (:

-

floriography by ritualist

Lace Harding/Josephine Montilyet | G | 3001 words | No Archive Warnings Apply Author's Summary: When the Inquisitor asks how Skyhold is treating her, Harding can't help the smile on her face when she says, "Ambassador Montilyet sent me a basket of flowers." Mer's Rec: This one caught me up in Lace's sweet and fluffy personality from the start, and the author's grasp of Lace's voice and POV was so well done that I never saw the cute little twist coming at the end. The story captures many tiny details of Harding's position as the Inquisition's lead scout and beautifully contrasts her earnestness with Josephine's practiced poise. Their interactions make sense and flow seamlessly as the story progresses; it had me smiling and laughing like a dork the whole way through.

Girls Like Braids by Katuary

Female Cousland & Fergus Cousland | G | 1375 words | No Archive Warnings Apply Author's Summary: Elissa goes to her brother for help fixing the disaster she's wrought of her hair. He insists on hearing how the disaster happened in the first place Mer's Rec: Sibling Bias™️and bisexual panic - what more do I need to say? I'm such a sucker for genfic, and sibling fic in particular melts my heart. The relationship between Elissa and Fergus in this piece is beautifully crafted - from their teasing banter to the fact that Elissa ultimately trusts Fergus to help her when she needs it. The other thing that really struck me is how Katuary wrote Elissa's voice. Even though she's young, and her inner monologue reflects that, she never feels dumb or stupid or naive - she reads authentically as a young child and since I know how difficult that can be to capture in writing, I really loved seeing that portrayal in this story.

Desk by faithlessone

Cassandra Pentaghast/Male Trevelyan | T | 3443 words | No Archive Warnings Apply Author's Summary: The armory is unbearably loud and Cassandra goes off in search of somewhere else to work. Mer's Rec: This is a sweet moment in-between the canon for Cass/Trev and I loved how much is showed them as people beyond their jobs. That's something I often find omitted from stories about Cass, but it was really highlighted here to great success. The author also writes an established relationship incredibly well - the affection between Trevelyan and Cassandra is natural and (without giving too much away), the actions they take in the story feel authentic to a real romantic relationship.

if I had you and I could give you your dreams by calypsid

Hira/Miriam | G | 520 words | No Archive Warnings Apply Author's Summary: Miriam and Hira, at the end of it all. Or, how they kept their promise to each other, once and for always. Mer's Rec: what could have been in Absolution, if Dragon Age wasn't the series of Apostates Who Betray You ;-; This fic gives our cheese-farm gays their happy ending, and it also offers a brief but interesting perspective on the apocalyptic events of DAI from the common farmer they buy the land from! Happiness abounds, Hira and Miriam are just so in love, and we're all pretending the finale of Absolution never happened.

known by name by ophryetrash

Female Inquisitor & Inquisition Scouts | G | 2914 words | No Archive Warnings Apply Author's Summary: The Herald is different, but that's a good thing. Members of the Inquisition interact with her and they feel seen. Mer's Rec: Told from the perspective of the Inquisition's scouts, this is a lovely look at what it's like to be in the rank-and-file of the organization, and how it feels to interact with the people at the head of it all. I loved how the awe and wonder in each interaction grew into feelings of personhood, both for the scouts and about the Inquisitor herself. The banter between the scouts and their personalities makes this story shine and (if you're like me) you'll have a good laugh at the surprise cameo toward the end!

[misseffect]

2023 Year-End Fic Roundup

Tagged by @otemporanerys - thank you!

Words written (published or not, WIPs totally count too!)

oh god. I don’t really look at word counts for WIPs because I worry it’ll psyche me out somehow 😅 but Year One (the next Flashpoints instalment; working title) is currently sat at 36,498, The Woman in White was 16,990, and my scraps document for Flashpoints is another 6,318.

So 59,806!

Considering I spent most of last year planning a wedding and the rest getting a promotion, I’ll take it

Smut scenes written (if applicable)

1.5 - one for The Woman In White and some half-finished Shaeed antics for Year One 👀👀 watch this space

New things I tried

Spec recs!! I loved writing to a prompt and it was nice to challenge myself with the deadlines. I never want to do it for realsies but I’ll write another treat this year if there’s something I like

Fic I spent the most time on

Year One! Dreading the day I have to give it real title lmao

Fic I spent the least time on

I guess The Woman in White, just because it’s the only other thing I wrote lmao

Favourite thing I wrote

There are about 4-5 paragraphs in the middle of Year One which are genuinely some of the best descriptive writing I’ve ever done and I'm very attached to them

Favourite thing I read

I’ve been shamefully bad at reading this year but! I've loved these (all E-rated because that's who I am apparently)

Life Behind Enemy Lines by @otemporanerys is phenomenal (and now completed!). Species swap Shakarian; one of my all time fave takes on Shep

only echoes in the melody now by calypsid - beautiful Kasumi/Keiko from last year's spec recs

small opportunities by bokutoma - cheating a bit because I first came across this a few years ago but I re-read it recently. Excellent and hot one-night-stand Shakarian

Writing goals for next year

Finish Year One! My only other goal is to keep developing a good relationship with writing. I found a nice balance towards the end of last year where I was making steady, sustainable progress without feeling like I had to spend every spare second writing. Hard to measure but I'm hoping I'll just know!

Can't remember who's already done / between tagged in this @dispatchwithlove @diaphanouso @dwarrowdams @kalliesa

[ao3feed-rebelcaptain2]

watching the fantasies decay

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/k1qwE0Q

by calypsid

Jyn has been waiting for this day for a full year. Tonight the moon is full. Tonight, she's going to get him back or die trying.

Words: 2935, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Jyn Erso, Cassian Andor

Relationships: Cassian Andor/Jyn Erso

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Fae & Fairies, fairies in the star wars universe, Prompt: Fairies, time loss, Separated Lovers, In Media Res, Established Relationship, dancing as a weapon, i smashed this together based on a bunch of stories I grew up with, so it's not based on anything in particular

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/k1qwE0Q

[ofmdbigbang]

Title: Edward Teach and the Wind (True Love in the Age of Selkies) Author: the_wanlorn Artist: melinaflowers Beta reader: calypsid Characters: Ed, Stede, Crew of the Revenge, Izzy Relationship(s): Stede Bonnet/Edward Teach Rating:  Teen and Up Audiences Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, seal folk!Stede, Post-Season/Series 01, Passive Suicidal Ideation Warnings: none Summary:

Stede ends up a seal. Somehow, Ed is still in love with him.

Wordcount: 30,074

Edward Teach and the Wind (True Love in the Age of Selkies) by the_wanlorn

[artistsoftheunknown]

calypside

labels peel in drenched expression, holy whatever graces  with familiar hands. an itch festers, comforting to eyes disrobed by lack of worth amidst unending crisis of the self.

[kbirbpods]

kbirb's Summer Podfic Swap 2024: Miscellaneous

[Podfic of] Imbue, fic by Rivulet027 | DC/Tomb Raider Crossover

Treat for sinesofinsanity Relationship: Lara Croft/Diana (Wonder Woman) Length: 00:01:52 | Lara lets Diana wash her hair.

[Podfic of] Race, fic by ziazippy5379 | DC/Leverage Crossover

Treat for mistbornhero Relationship: Sophie Devereaux/Selina Kyle Length: 00:01:11 | Sophie and Selina go to an event together

[podfic of] day 0, fic by peaktotheocean | Stranger Things

Treat for reena_jenkins Relationship: Robin & Steve Length: 00:11:39 | Robin and Steve run away to join the Ren Faire as Knights. Luckily, they own their own horses and Wayne Munson doesn't ask too many questions. Part 1 of [podfics of] tales from forest hills renaissance faire

[podfic of] day 1: mystery, fic by peaktotheocean | Stranger Things

Treat for reena_jenkins Relationship: Robin & Steve, pre-Steve/Eddie Length: 00:09:16 | The Forest Hill Renaissance Faire has two new knights and no, Eddie Munson isn't obsessed with them at all, don't be ridiculous Part 2 of [podfics of] tales from forest hills renaissance faire

[podfic of] search for things you can't see, fic by calypsid | Mass Effect

Treat for blackglass & Avanie Relationship: Fem Shep/Garrus Length: 00:13:19 | Pirate AU. Garrus just wants to understand why Shepard went rogue.

[podfic of] what's real and what's for sale?, fic by calypsid | Mass Effect

Treat for blackglass & Avanie Relationship: Fem Shep/Garrus Length: 00:13:22 | Pirate AU. Garrus meets the Normandy and its crew, one step at a time.

[Podfic of] Lives Lived, fic by Armin_05 | SW/BoTW Crossover

Treat for Avanie Relationships: Fox & Cody, Riyo/Fox Length: 00:22:30 | A short series of vignettes over the course of Fox's life those hundred years Cody sleeps.

[Podfic of] Hour of Baking, fic by gloss | The Locked Tomb

Treat for wilfriede0815 Characters: Noodle the Dog, The Gang Length: 00:06:56 | Nona and the gang bake biscuits for Noodle.

[dei2dei]

FBF: and when you're wild, I want you still

For today I give you AND WHEN YOU'RE WILD, I WANT YOU STILL by @calypsid because I love everything she writes and I can't stop at one but also you all need to wait til August+ so I can share so many of the AUgust fics. So have this in the meantime. Dragon Age Modern AU, werewolves, emotional connection goes brrrrrrrrrr and I love it.

[thenotebookwizard]

Starflight

A lot of people know me. I play one game: Star Wars the Old Republic. That's it. Recently, I added a whole second game. My friend Wee got me to try out Destiny 2. (Thanks, @calypsid!)

I tell people how few video games I have played, and they just normally cannot comprehend it. They just assume I have played more games than I have. That I know more than I say I do.

They're wrong.

They are right, however, when they say there is a game I must have played as a kid.

Starflight was an obsessions. I loved this game. The lore. The story. I was - as I am with most games - terrible at it. I couldn't beat it. I couldn't figure it out. I couldn't figure out what I was supposed to do. I couldn't put the clues together. I died all the time, My character was broke as fuck.

I was bad at it, but I loved it. And since it wasn't a console or a game anyone cared about, and it wasn't Nintendo or in an arcade, no one made fun of me for being bad at it. No one took the controller or keyboard away from me, because mining on odd planets bored people. Conversations with aliens? Why did I care? I could shoot ducks or jump on mushroom people!

No one care, so no one could ruin it for me. No one could take it away from me.

So yeah, I loved this stupid space exploration game. I played the Sega version of it on my brothers' console, and in the instruction book there was a short story by Robert Silverberg and a little fictional captain's log with clues to the game. I poured over that manual and wrote down clues and made myself a little guide to how to win.

I did, eventually. Damn, that felt good. The only game I have ever finished or won. The only one.

However, although I owned the game, I never owned the manual. I had to rent it from Hollywood Video (the game wasn't cool enough for Blockbuster.)

Recently, I managed to get my hands on the instruction book for the Sega Genesis version of the game.

No lie. I have probably started and never finished about a dozen small fics for this game. I will probably, at some point, quietly try to write one.

There is currently only one fic on AO3 for it. That's how few people remember the original DOS game or cared about the Sega game.

But I remember, and I still love it.

[shivunin]

Coming in with fic recs! FenHawke: Drag Me to Hell by SidheLives (28.5k); The Wild Dark by orangeflavor (26k); Tread Softly by hauntedjaegers (17k words); mostly dead things by pentaghastly (14k); see me bare my teeth for you by calypsid (3k). Cullen/Inquisitor: Red Hair, Dark Skin by bamboo_astronaut (18k); good fences make good neighbours by pentaghastly (5k). Hope these make you feel better!

Oooh okay, I was saving this in my inbox so I wouldn't lose track of it, but Anon I want you to know that your taste is impeccable so far. I really enjoyed "mostly dead things," "see me bare my teeth," and "good fences," but I am elbow-deep in the angst that is "Drag Me Through Hell" and I am living for the dynamic there. Thank you very much for these recs, Anon!

[moriche]

Boop! I'm looking for some cosy, fanfic-friendly discord servers about TES to hang out at and make some friends. In return, I bring you Vehkboops (made by @calypsid) and cheers :D My name, as usual, is just moriche ^^