#chapter 2 too which i wrote today and reread like 3-4 times

[bluebunnysart]

Chapters: 2/24 Fandom: Stardust Telepath, Hoshikuzu Telepath Rating: General Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Takaragi Haruno/Raimon Matataki Characters: Takaragi Haruno, Raimon Matataki Additional Tags: Cat AU, cat alternate universe, Not completely canon compliant, made purely for entertainment purposes, will add more tags as needed, writing all of this out of love, UmiYu WILL appear knowing me but handled with care Summary:

A wild cat and a house cat would never have any reason to interact with each other. They were in different worlds, so why would they ever cross paths, let alone get along?

Thanks to circumstances (Cat!)Matataki can't control, she meets (Cat!)Haruno. Oh well. Things could be worse, right?

[A Hoshitele-inspired cat AU focusing mainly on Matataki x Haruno (slowburn). If I can squeeze Umika x Yu in naturally, I will, but don't count on it xD]

[magics-neptunes-things]

One Love (2)

Hello everyone!

After several requests for Luna, here again. The requests can be found here, here and here. I know I haven’t answered all the suggestions you’ve made, but it gives me more ideas for other stories/chapters so it’s pretty cool right?

Also, I have absolutely not reread what I wrote, apologies if there are mistakes.

Enjoy!

(1) | (2) | (3) | (4) | (5) | (6) | (7) | (8)

______________________________________________________________

Lucy was looking at her girlfriend with pride. She was gutted when she learned that her team wasn’t qualified to play the Olympics Games, which was quite understandable. But now in her WAG era, she can’t be anything except proud of her girlfriend. She just has to shoot a glance at Lia to know that she’s proud of her own girlfriend too. Her friendship with her was unexpected to be honest. But when Ona mentioned that she could assist the final of the UEFA National League with the Swiss Woman, Lucy didn’t refuse. She didn’t know personally Lia, but some of her friends did and she always heard good things about her.

And since they had a great time together at Sevilla, Lucy proposed at Lia to watch the game together. They weren’t in the family section, but Lucy is wearing a Spanish jersey with the number 2 and O. Batlle written on the back. She couldn’t be more obvious than that. Lia chooses to be more subtle and was wearing a bracelet with Spanish color and Mariona’s number writing in white.

“She’s looking for you” Lia says to Lucy.

Ona was actually in the pitch, her eyes scanning the crowd. Lucy told her where she will be sat, but it’s difficult to see when the stadium is full like today. Laia Aleixandri came to hug Ona and exchange a few words with her, before starting to look at the crowd too.

“They are so bad at this” Lucy laughs.

“Mario didn’t find me either” Lia smiles.

But it doesn’t really matter, both know that they will find their girlfriends later for the celebration. Ona is disturbed in her research by Aitana, coming to jump on her back and taking her to go to the ceremony and be cover with her gold medals. Another one to add to the Spanish collection.

With a pout on her face, Ona let Aitana take her by the arm, leading her where they’re supposed to be. But Ona turns her head one last time and that’s when she saw her. Her face light up in an almost funny way and Lucy just wave at her. Ona wave back, making a heart with her hands before following Aitana, her heart lighter now.

***

Almost two hours later, Ona can finally go to the room where their family and friends are. She just out of the shower and her hair are still wet from it, but she just wants to see her girlfriend. She thought that now that they both live in Barcelona being away from her will be less difficult. How was she wrong. Being apart from Lucy is harder everyday and she can’t remember how she survived the long-distance relationship at first. Her being in Manchester and Lucy in Barcelona, they were way more apart than together. Even if they managed to have quality time, like the day when Lucy went to see her play, it was hard. And she was missing Lucy a lot.

Lucy’s smiling when she saw Ona and the younger one can’t resist and almost jump in her arms. She saw an edit of her almost crashing in Lucy’s arms at each beginning of games and Lucy teased her a lot about it.

This time, the English woman pick her and squeeze her hard in her arms, lifting her feet off the ground a few centimeters. Ona laughs and put a kiss in her neck, before being putting on the ground again.

“You were amazing. Like always. I’m so proud of you Ona, I swear” mumbles Lucy, stroking Ona’s cheek.

The brunette blushes, unable to keep looking at her girlfriend. Her smile is wide anyway and Lucy has to work on herself not to kiss her like crazy right now. She knows those kinds of kisses will come later, in their hotel room. Or Ona’s hotel room, in which Lucy intends to impose herself tonight.

“I love you” whispers Lucy in Ona’s hear after taking her against her one more time.

Ona looks at her this time, still with her big smile on her face.

“I love you too, Luce. I’m so glad you’re here.”

“Wouldn’t miss it for one million. Plus, I have my new bestie now.”

Ona follows Lucy gaze on Lia and Mariona, standing a few meters from them, and chuckle lightly. And, because she’s still in her girlfriend’s arms, she lets herself go a little more against Lucy. The dark hair woman kiss her hair softly before releasing her.

“Go say hi to your family, your brother is here and I think he misses you. I’ll try those margaritas. I see you later superstar.”

Ona pouts but let Lucy push her in the right direction. To be honest, she missed her brother, her sister-in-law and her parents too. She went for them under Lucy’s gaze, before the English woman went to the bar.

Lucy let Ona enjoy her night with her teammates and family, even if she knows a lot of them. She’s happy for the Spanish team, a lot of them are her friends too after all. She talks with Jenni with whom she hasn’t had much exchange since her departure for Mexico, but which she is happy to meet again.

She talked with Mariona too, Cata and Aitana. It’s only when she’s talking to Alexia about the new restaurant in their neighborhood that she feels a twist in her stomach.

“You’re not watching your girl, Bronzey?” asks Jenni with a smirk, cutting their conversation.

Frowning, Lucy immediately looks for Ona’s figure in the crowd. She spots her quickly in a corner of the room, talking with someone. Well Lucy wouldn’t have a problem with Ona talking to someone, but this someone having their hand on her girlfriend, it’s something else.

“Who’s this?” she asks Alexia.

The blonde looks in the same direction before answering. She frowns too and it piques Lucy’s curiosity. Usually, Alexia knows everyone, even from afar. No matter who this girl is, she still has a hand on Ona’s shoulder and holds her hand with the second.

The English girl feels her blood bubbling in her veins. She was never jealous before Ona, she was more the kind of girl who can let her girlfriend for a two weeks journey without her. She can’t even imagine this kind of things with Ona. It’s not that she didn’t trust her girlfriend, she knows Ona would never do anything like that. But she didn’t trust the world, who doesn’t seem to be able to resist Ona’s charm.

Lucy’s jaw is tightened when Ona looks up in her direction. But Lucy realizes immediately the look of distress from Ona. She didn’t need more, putting her glass in Jenni’s hands before crossing the room to take her girlfriend back.

“Hola” Lucy says when she’s next to Ona.

She heard them talking in Catalan and thanks to Ona, her Catalan is way better than it was before. Next to her, Ona seems to be relaxing and it’s only now that she’s by her side that Lucy realizes how uncomfortable her girlfriend was.

“Hola mi Vida” Ona smiles, before turning at Lucy’s opponent “Lucy, this is Maria. Maria, you know Lucy?”

Lucy can’t say if it’s because of her burning look, but the named Maria release Ona almost immediately, to their relief. Still keeping her eyes on Maria, Lucy takes Ona by her waist, dragging her against her body. But Ona let her do it, knowing how much Lucy can struggle with her jealousy sometimes.

Lucy learns that this Maria is here because she’s a great friend from Atheana and as Ona and Maria talked, she didn’t let Ona go. Ona’s hand finds their way to Lucy’s back pocket, the English woman smirking at the movement.

Atheana finally comes to take her friend back and If Ona says goodbye, Lucy only responds with a vague gesture of the head. Ona let a sigh of relief go, sticking against Lucy.

“Thanks for coming for me” Ona whispers.

But Lucy only grumbles, still looking at Maria who is now talking to Teresa. She only takes her eyes away from her when Ona kisses her jaw.

“Who was this bitch touching you?”

Ona flinches a little at the question, dragging Lucy’s attention once again. She doesn’t want to hide anything to her though, so she answers with all her sincerity.

“Maria. We… Well, we had a thing, some years ago” Ona confesses, looking carefully at Lucy’s face.

Lucy knows she doesn’t have the right to be jealous, Ona had a life before her, and she knows it. But still. Having her brain picturing her girlfriend with someone else is always something very disturbing for her.

“And why your ex thinks it’s ok to touch you the way she did?” Lucy groans

“I don’t know. I try to escape her grip but when I took a step back, she moved forward by two.” Ona answers, still looking deeply at Lucy, before asking. “Do you maybe want some fresh air?”

“Yes please”

Without waiting a little more, Ona takes Lucy’s hand to drag her outside. It was cold now that the night is well advanced and Ona shivers almost immediately. Lucy sees it, of course, and opens her arms in invitation for her girlfriend. The younger one doesn’t hesitate to stick to Lucy, who then tightens her arms around her, locking her with her in her jacket.

Rocking themselves lightly, Lucy let her lips slide along Ona’s temple. The Spaniard has her face against Lucy neck and really thinks she can fall asleep just like that. She can smell and feel Lucy everywhere and it’s her favorite place to be.

“When was it?” Lucy asks suddenly.

“What?” Ona mumbles almost sleepily, pulling her face out of Lucy’s neck.

“You and this… Maria”

“Oh. It was way before you.”

“Well, I hope so. I’d have to kill her otherwise.”

Ona giggles lightly, kissing her girlfriend softly on her lips. She missed this feeling too, Lucy’s lips are way softer than she expects at first. And she loves it.

“It was before Feli. In like 2018, 2019 I think” answers Ona after the kiss, playing with Lucy’s baby hair on her neck.

“And why didn’t it work with her?”

Her tone was less aggressive now, Lucy being genuinely intrigued by the answer. Ona almost never talks about her past relationships; Lucy isn’t even sure that she can name all of Ona’s exes.

“I don’t really know” Ona answers “We were young and the long-distance relationship wasn’t really for us. At the end we were just fighting for everything, anytime. It was really tiring honestly. She was the one who broke up, but it was definitely better this way.”

Lucy hums, looking at her girlfriend with a thoughtful gaze. Ona didn’t take hers away, her arms still around her neck. But then Lucy seems to come back to herself and tighten her arms around Ona’s waist.

“Well, she had her chance. Now you’re mine.”

********

Hours later, Lucy’s watching Ona came back to reality under her, a smirk on her face. They had their personal celebration after the official, Lucy following Ona in her hotel room. They didn’t really ask the permission to be honest, but as soon as the door was close behind them, nothing mattered.

Letting Ona catch her breath again, Lucy kisses slowly her cheeks, her nose, her neck and every part of her face. Soon after she can feel Ona smiling under her lips and that’s the moment when she kisses her lips.

“You okay Princesa?” she whispers against her lips.

“Couldn’t be better” Ona mumbles. “You?”

“More than that” Lucy assures her.

Ona smiles but doesn’t let Lucy gets up from the bed when the English woman try to, wrapping her hands around Lucy’s body. Even under the explanation that she was just going to get them a bottle of water, Ona doesn’t release her.

“I had to live almost a month without you. Don’t hope to take a step without me being less than fifty centimeters from you.”

Lucy laughs, lying again with the Spaniard in her bed. She lets Ona’s hand stroke her body, with much more tenderness and much less eagerness and almost despair than some minutes ago.

They look at each other, each of them in her own head. Ona is thinking about their time together from the beginning, the first time they really talked at Lucy Stanisford’s wedding. How she blushed when she cross Lucy’s eyes an awful number of times during the night, before Lucy came to talk to her. They immediately click together, like to part of the same orange. Lucy was everything she always wished for and she never has been so happy in her life before her.

In Lucy’s head, however…

“I’m going to marry you, one day.”

“What?”

In fact, Ona perfectly understood the words that have just passed Lucy’s lips.

“I’m going to marry you, one day.”

Lucy does not hesitate to repeat herself, without leaving Ona’s face. It’s not a question, rather an information she gives to Ona. The brunette didn’t answer at first, before biting her lips.

“Don’t say that” she whispers.

“Why?” Lucy says, a little louder than Ona “I thought you wanted to get married?”

They had this conversation some weeks ago and Ona confessed her desire to get married with Lucy and having a family with her too. It was something Lucy wanted to too, so Ona’s reaction is a little hard to understand for her at this moment.

“I do” the Spaniard answers, taking one of Lucy’s hands in hers to play with her fingers. “But my abuela always said not to talk about the things we want too often because it attracts the evil eye or bad luck. And what you just said... there’s nothing I want more than that."

Lucy holds back from rolling eyes in front of so much superstition, content to deposit a delicate kiss on the lips of her girlfriend.

"There is no evil eye, no bad luck, no one who will stop us. Don’t worry about that."

It’s hard for Ona not to believe what Lucy just said. Although the words were whispered, there is such a strength of conviction in each of them that Ona cannot doubt it.

"I love you, Ona. I love you so much and I swear I will fight for us every day of my life if I have to. You are my everything, no one will ever take that away from you."

Ona’s crying now, overwhelmed by so much love. She takes Lucy’s face between her hands and kiss her with all the love, the affection and the passion she has for her. She’s not sure that it proves almost the half of all her feelings, but she try.

And she will try maybe a lot of time more this same night.

[bubu0h]

How I Manage my personal AO3 e-library Archive

Download everything I want/hope to read in EPUB format. I try to anyways... if I notice I got too many tabs open on my browser, time to download If multi-chapter remember first to press 'Entire Work' and then 'Download'

2. I use Book Story (Android App) to manage the mess that is my downloads folder do NOT use this app to read as of sep 4 2024 (today) the e-reader that comes with this app I do NOT recommend (The app is still getting updates I hope one day I can use it for reading too) The app has this fantastic feature that allows me put the books into 'Reading' 'Already Read' 'Planing' 'Dropped' categories which is the main and only function I use. I move the books around and it helps me keep a visual tab on them.

Periodically , I then make a copy of my messy ass downloads folder from my phone into my computer. While looking at the visual information the apps provides me I delete books that I 'Dropped' and I move 'Already Read' books into my computer E-Library (I use Calibre Windows Software) that's my main book hub where I will quickly notice what books need covers and I take my time working to finding an image I like for the book , so I can recognize them books by just looking at the covers I am terrible at remembering book titles

If you are curious this is what Calibre looks like - this is just AO3

3. To read EPUB books I use Libera FD (Android app) Is frankly the best reader I have tried, I can customize pretty much EVERYTHING BIG ASS FONTS , you can download any font you want to use, replace words if I want to , it has OLED dark mode for reading at 3 am, you can configure it so it reads to you (using TTS) , several reading modes including auto scroll and speed reading mode, and so much more; the dev(s) are still updating and adding functions to it is kind of amazing I am probably not using it to its full potential You can sort books by 'Genre' which is how the app recognize the tags from the website.

Here some visuals of Libera FD (I wrote in the ALT of pics, click on it)

4. How to provide enrichment to glorious magnificent authors , that share their passion with us for free. When you open any ao3 .epub on Librera is gonna look something like this. I tap on the link that leads back to the original posted website page. All links are tapable and I make sure to open the book on the website before I start any book.

It will open the link in your browser app. Open a note taking app. And now I can take notes , copy quotes and whatever else I want to leave in the comment section of the chapter of the book I am on. Cut and paste and that's it. I load the next chapter in the website and then continue reading the next chapter on the reading app (I comment on all the chapters if I have something to comment, sometime I don't have anything to say so I don't . Figure it makes authors happy and i find it very fun. Sometimes they answer back it feels nice) remember to leave kudos specially if you are rereading.

I use Quillpad (android app) the most important feature of any note taking app you choose, in this case in particular, is that it saves your notes automatically (I used some apps that didn't it was devastating losing all my notes like that. I though that as long as I didn't close the app it was fine turns out not and sometimes it would timeout and gone , all my notes gone. With Quillpad I haven't lost notes)

I haven't taken the time to figure out if Librera has a feature for annotation that could be useful for commentary note taking

I think that's all I can think of sharing on this topic. I am open to questions and adding things to this post with visual aid and whatever I can do to help , do let me know.

Keeping a copy of your books safe and easy to find

[girls-are-weird]

AO3 wrapped [writers edition]

always nice to close out the year talking about writing, so here are my responses for 2023:

How many words have you written this year?

163073

2. How many works did you publish this year?

three one-shots (hetero of the year, en garde, and lovely figurines), the last few chapters of like because, love despite, and the first five chapters of the road is made by walking.

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

i really did love writing (and still love) hetero of the year. thankfully, the kudos/hits do align with that, so i guess it's not just me. :)

4. What work of yours has the most hits?

on a per-chapter basis, hetero of the year with 7178 for a one-shot.

5. What work of yours got more feedback than you expected?

i was kinda down on like because, love despite at the beginning because it wasn't getting much traction, but in later chapters and especially once finished, engagement picked up a lot.

6. Favorite title you used

i rather liked like because, love despite. i felt it linked with the original movie closely enough but without being too similar and with a different angle to the original title.

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

lovely figurines (still speak to me today) is the only title pulled from song lyrics, so i guess suzanne vega? the road is made by walking is pulled from an antonio machado poem that has been adapted INTO song, but i don't think that counts.

8. Pairing you wrote the most for this year?

i haven't written about anything but wilmon since 2021, dude. xD

9. Favorite pairing you wrote for this year?

see previous answer.

10. What work was the quickest to write?

hetero of the year wrote itself SHOCKINGLY fast for a 21K-word behemoth of a one-shot.

11. What work took you the longest to write?

like because, love despite took nearly a year to complete. about a month-ish per chapter, when you think about it that way.

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

i only work on one fic at a time, so i don't have WIPs other than the one i'm currently posting (the road is made by walking). i've got 31 ideas in various levels of detail in my "fic ideas" folder, though.

13. What’s your longest work of the year?

like because, love despite is nearly 100K words.

14. What’s your shortest work of the year?

en garde clocked in at 3241 words.

15. What WIP are you taking into next year with you?

the road is made by walking, as mentioned above.

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

"romance." because of course.

17. Your favorite character to write this year?

this year marked a bit of a turn on my level of comfort writing simon. all three of my one-shots were actually from his PoV, and both chaptered fics alternate between his and wille's PoVs. not that i didn't write from simon's PoV before, but last year i still felt a bit apprehensive whenever i did; i've historically felt a bit too close to simon to feel comfortable writing him-- he's the character i identify with the most and that often makes me nervous that i'm writing myself into my stories rather than writing the character. i didn't really feel nervous about it this year. i guess practice makes… not perfect, but easier.

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

i had to write more august this year than i've had to in the past, and i'm still cringing about it.

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

bish, please. xD in this house, it's wilmon or bust.

20. Which work of yours have you reread the most?

i've reread hetero of the year more times than i can count. it just puts a smile on my face, what can i say?

21. How many kudos in total did you get this year?

1357

22. Which work has the most comments?

again on a per-chapter basis, hetero of the year with 67 comment threads on its only chapter.

23. Did you do any collaborative works this year?

not this year, no. :(

24. Did you write any gifts this year?

two! en garde for @the-amber-fox and lovely figurines for tui.

25. Did you receive any gifts this year?

one! the talented miss @the-amber-fox wrote love is everything, stupid as my birthday present. <3

26. What’s your most common category?

M/M. because of course.

27. What do you listen to while writing?

the TV? sometimes it's the news, sometimes it's just youtube videos, but i usually work/study/write with the TV on.

28. Favorite work you wrote this year?

i feel like this is the same as question 3, idk. same answer.

29. Favorite line/passage you wrote this year?

i really loved the big argument at the end of chapter 9 of like because, love despite. i was really, really proud of how that scene came out.

30. Biggest surprise while writing this year?

it's not much a writing surprise as it is a reading surprise, i guess? but i didn't know so many people out there wait until a fic is completed to start reading it. i'm very much a read-as-i-go girl as long as i have assurances that the fic will not end tragically (always tag your angst with a happy ending, folks! don't alienate potential readers just by forgetting the tag!). but it seems a good chunk of the fandom doesn't start reading anything unless they know it's complete. and i totally get why, truly, but it just hadn't ever really occurred to me to do that, lol. xD

[sleeplesslark]

Heyy! 9, 14, 15, 16, 22 and 23 for the fanfic writer ask! That's a lot but I'm curious about your routine :p

Thank you so much for the ask!! This is wonderful, so many fun things to answer.

I'm wordy so under the cut u go

9: Do you write every day? If so, share a sentence of what you've written.

I try to do at least a chapter a day! A chapter for me is about 3-4k words or 10 pages double spaces 12 pt font. Work and life sometimes keep me from it though.

About a chapter a day helps me draft, its my least favorite part of wriring but if I'm like, well this has to be done today, it can help take pressure off it being good and to just get the events down.

Here's a passage from resonance, my Naruto and Soul Eater crossover.

" "Oh?” Kabuto adjusted his grip, smile untouched. “I figured Konoha would send someone a little more. Hm, how do I put it? Graceful.”

Ok, Naruto was going to murder this guy. Kabuto laughed, and Naruto could almost believe he was actually amused.

His glasses slid down his nose, letting Naruto see his eyes. Kabuto's smile grew. “Looking at me like that, you must really think you’re scary.” "

14: If I could have any fic adapted to a visual medium, which would it be?

This one was tough. Uhm. I wanna say LP; Eternity because it's probably the most visually interesting of my fics? I actually played with my descriptions a bit there. It's so long though, 101k.

Maybe "under the skin", I feel like it could make a cute comic or short film.

15: How do I come up with fic or chapter titles?

Usually I don't use chapter titles. Fic titles, it varies. A lot of my shorter fics I try to pick an unusual word, like "Misconstruction". Sometimes I try to go for what's generally happening like "Happy New Years". An idea of the theme or overall arc, "Learning to Care" and my "Loyalty's Price" series too. I want to go for more song lyrics so I can throw song reccs in my authors notes.

Despite not generally using chapter titles I plan on using a portal reference chapter title in late LP.

16: At what point in the process do I come up with titles?

The very end usually. Sometimes after I tagged and wrote the summary for the thing. LP was "Kabuto fanfic" in my drafts until the last second. Sometimes something comes to me sooner like "Resonance" but it's rare.

22: Do I know how fics will end before I start them?

A lot of the time yes. I'd say a good majority of my fics are very short so I have an ending image in mind at least.

Loyalty's Price is my first super long series and I've known the ending I want since I started writing it. Just didn't know if I wanted to write the middle.

Resonance stands out a bit, I immediately knew the beginning and the middle but I'm still a bit stuck on the ending. I could go bittersweet to straight up downer. I wonder how people will react to it.

23: How do you chose where to end a chapter?

This made me think because I'm not really sure. Usually I suppose I have a good sense of ending points? More an instinctual, "this event has gone on long enough" I try to write chapters to focus on a sorta main idea like "how does Kabuto adapt to xyz" so once that's run its course, I suppose.

If anyone else wants to send me asks!!!

[letstrywritingmaybe]

Starting to think me being productive is the reason for my sports woes, so maybe I should stop writing. Meanwhile I finally wrote snow on the beach for midnights. I’m gonna chill for real though and read my books I got from the library that I haven’t touched yet

Update: I know I said no writing. But I just have to note googling lawyer from reading through emails to make sure they’re not divorce lawyers as an idea. Group chat convos that are not fandom related can also lead to great inspo

Update 2: still very much stuck on this ship and got no reading done. It hasn’t even been a full day. Good news is I wrapped all of my Christmas presents! And I have no desire to write so I guess I’m still going strong on the no more writing and see if that ends my sports woes. Will still be doing my regular updates though. And while I’m here, I reread my green card au today and it’s so self indulgent, I’m so happy I wrote it. I was kinda stressed while writing it and I wasn’t super happy with the ending at first, but when I went to reread it today I was like you know what? This reads like a shitty drama, and I’m okay with that. I mean I used to watch terrible dramas all the time, and I liked some of them. They can’t compare to the really good ones, but they have their moments. So yeah. I’m glad I wrote it and included American references cause it’s what I know

Update 3: I know I have no business saying shit cause I’ve written it before, but idk if I could see them cheating tbh. At least not in canon, which kinda gave me an idea that’s semi similar to a fic I read before… but I digress cause I’m still on my own writers strike. I think I’ve been ruined by the summer series and the vampire diaries, I’m really not fond of brothers fighting for the same person. Even if that person is my queen, it’s just so messy! So awkward too once you get past the initial stuff that people find intriguing about love triangles. Best case scenario in my eyes will always be the person they fight over doesn’t choose either and the brothers are cool again. But that never happens. I’m very family oriented so it just makes me sad to think that it fucks everything up. I know I’ve written about messy ship drama, but I don’t think I’m fond of reading it. Even when I’m writing it myself I’m kinda just like why is this happening? I don’t enjoy the process, but sometimes the story calls for it. Cause my fics write themselves and have a mind of their own. Idk I would just rather it be a non family member fighting for my queen. Plus in the context of shinshi versus CoShi, shinshi wins every time for me. I like when they both take the antidote or they both stay as their shrunken forms. I like when they’re equals. It’s literally the reason why I’ve never written a ShinAi fic despite it being popular. I hate the idea of it. I’m such a hater of the canon ship that I hate them even getting a shot for like ten years while my queen doesn’t get to move on. That’s so unfair. I would much rather she get to date and try and fall in love with other people too, instead of just waiting for him to turn around and realize he loves her. *sigh I just read some fics and I’m having mixed feelings, so I’m venting here cause I’m not an asshole who says mean shit in comments. Easiest way to get on my shit list is to hide behind screens and spread hatred, we get enough of that irl

Update 4: I was onto something about not writing to end my sports woes! My pens won!!! And we scored TWO Power Play Goals!!!! And a shortie!!! And it was big Jeff Carter!??!!?? Alright, I guess I should never write again. But to celebrate I will probably post the last chapter of devour so I can wrap up another wip

[fluffypotatey]

u want to answer the first half???? 🥹🥹

sure! anything for you, boo <33333 sorry it took me this long :’(

oh Lordy, ok

Share a song that makes you think of [fic title]

ok so even tho you didn’t place a specific title imma pick Frayed Strings and A Meeting at the Beach for the song People You Know by Selena Gomez bc i enjoy me some bitter and Six Eared “has not moved on” Macaque 🤭

2. Do you read/reread your own fics?

yeah! but it’s mostly after someone makes a comment on something they liked bc i, too, want to find that scene or line and enjoy it 🥰

3. What’s your favorite fic that you’ve written?

it’s honestly a tie between The Shrine of Emrys and A Meeting at the Beach which is funny bc they are so different from each other lmao

4. How many WIPs do you have right now?

oh, uh, *checks folder* give me a sec

*coughs* 43 👉👈

5. What’s a fic idea you’ve had that you will never write?

can find answer here it’s literally just all of my stranger things ufos lmao

6. Are there any fics from others you reread all the time?

oh yeah, all the time. too many really to list them all 😓 but there’s Bones by @theoceanismyinkwell and you shake my nerves and you rattle my brain by @yikeshereiam just to name a couple (very good btw highly recommend)

7. How many ideas for fics do you have right now?

i’d rather not say

8. What project(s) are you currently working on?

rn it’s my swk & reaper series, frayed, and my dr geyer fic. all of which are long term fics lmao

9. Do you write every day? If you wrote today, share a sentence of what you’ve written!

it’s like every other day? i try to write often to keep me from writer’s block and it’s nice switching from wip to wip when i feel overwhelmed by the other

and i did write today! so have a snippet:

Frank O’Brien, in the words of his mother in-law, was a man you could never really figure out without walking on eggshells. In the words of his sister, he was a man that took after their uncle. In the words of Jenna, he was a cautious soul.

10. Is there a fic that got a different response than you were expecting?

tbh the frayed AU wasn’t one i thought many people might have liked since i write macaron being very bitchy and salty about a lot of things and i know he’s a beloved character in the lmk fandom. like, i’m not writing him that way bc i hate him (far from it). I write like that bc that’s what i imagine what his internal dialogue might be like.

11. Do you have specific playlists for writing fics?

not really, i just find one that fits the mood of the scene or my own mood

12. Do you have a playlist for your current WIP(s)? Share it!

lol no 😙 I’m not really one to create wip or character playlists but it’s a lot of fun listening to others!

13. How much planning do you do before writing?

it honestly depends. no planning was done when making the dr geyer fic or any of the merlin fics. the planning came after bc my ambitions for them were more than i expected

14. If you could see one of your fics adapted into a visual medium, such as comic or film, which fan fic would you pick?

oh gee, idk honestly. it would be cool to see a comic of the Shrine of Emrys just because the exaggerated expressions would be hilarious

15. How do you come up with titles for your fics/chapters?

long answer can be found here. short answer: it is a chaotic process that ends in prayer

but yeah there you go! i’m so sorry this was late babe 💖 had this saved in my drafts so I could answer it all and then it got buried in there 😖 BUT! hope you enjoyed my answers 💕💕💕💕

[thesugarhole]

thoughts from todays page readings: (it might be easier if i do it during commute but then post when im home?)

reread 49 real quick and again. i think i already wrote this so this is just me repeating myself but it will be relevant later so refresher course. as much as i love learning about captain this takes away a lot of whimsy by exposing part of whats up early on... like, youre no longer under that doubt that "is captain really nuts or is this for real the world they live in" you know?? keep some mystery man.

^feeling awkward reading this. dunno why

rubix cube chapter was so cute 🥺 im sad that thing got left behind

and again!!!! worst comic ever makes statement way ahead of its time regarding the internet!!! why does everything need to have fucking blue tooth log in connection talk directly to your brain!!! even a rubik (rubix) cube!!!! arrrgh!!!!!!

it doesnt mention annet by name but it implies that she will try and solve wishes/queries to the best of her ability (currently, think chatgpt lying through its teeth when it has nothing- when annet has nothing, she somehow creates it). nothing to note here just a detail i want to remember, "a god who answers" type of divinity

"Silly willy. Told you I am unsolvable!" I said smugly. Just then, something impossible happened. My User twisted me in 4 dimensions. "That's amazing!" I shouted. "I can't believe you've done it!" I didn't know Users were designed to operate in 4-dimensional space like this! "Hpmf" Charles said, not looking too impressed. "Well, that was surprisingly easy." "No! Charles! You don't understand!" I cried. "You can operate in 4-dimensional space! You've solved an impossible riddle! Something, within you, makes you simply incredible!" In this very moment the ropes holding us up snapped and Charles dropped me. When he let me go, I fell out of 4-dimensional synch into regular 3-dimensional space and all my 6 sides became discorded and unsolved once again.

sorry to squeeze the text to not make too long a post but

type of mysteries i want to hold on to for a little while longer ^

51

now that we know captain isnt bullshitting its even harder to be on snippys side on anything about anything because again. hes just some guy. he has no business knowing about any of this and he has yet to see it in action so why should he believe what captain says you known. needlessly frustrating the reader!!

"Are these children made up like the needy children to whom you and Pilot keep trying to gift my things to?" He asked, tapping his foot angrily. "All of the children I speak of are real, I assure you!" I said. "I doubt it," he huffed. "You're seriously the most absent-minded GIRL I know. Where would you even be without me?"

me at vitaly right now im going to fucking snap. stop doing this and let snippy perceive captain as Undefined. i get hes a Camone but good lord i dont think he would be this stubborn about this particular topic with everything else going on. like. captain allows it but it implies the reading of "zee got tired of correcting everyone" IF YOU KNOW YOU KNOW. and again i got extra beef with it because it definitely feels like backtracking on the nonbinary character to try and make a more main fronting hetero couple which grrrrr.

(...) There are monsters all around that will eat you if I don't protect you."

loss of whimsy (once again) in romantically only text because we know snippy isnt really doing anything other than survive. :( also more instances of snippy/captain being heavy handed in rewrites, i definitely dont remember any of this conversation when i first read the comic

listen its fine. its fine IF, ONLY IF both snippy and captain get this type of romantic dialogue with everyone else because 1. (and not to be a stubborn old mule about it but) reading this as '3 (+117) extraordinary people trying to get affection from 1 boring guy' makes it a lot funnier and engaging 2. you have to love something so so much to try and save it and since captain is trying to save whatever humanity is left in the world zee should be in love with the other guys just as much

^ its far from canon but it would be so fun, i genuinely mean this

"Do any of your organs feel infinite?" what an absolute deranged question to ask someone even with context. yes. now THIS dialogue i like

"Me and my wonderful coworkers, Goodness rest their weary, tuckered souls…"

numbers one through six are dead?? it makes sense i cant even begin to put an image to any of them sdjhgkj. captain considering eight a daughter though is kinda cute i wont lie

"I didn't fix the li..." I started to speak. "Good job on fixing the power here. I'm going to the bathroom," Charles rudely interrupted me again. I watched him depart from my table with a frown. Why was he so G-damn obtuse about things? My explanation was perfectly legible. Everyone else understood me just fine. Especially Pilot. Pilot understood what I was doing right away.

okay listen. im pilots number defender here. and!! as i said before he is VERY!!!! SMART!!!!! even with AFTER being PINEAPPLE BOMBED and ANNET DISCONNECTED!!! but im not sure to what degree he actually understands what you (captain) have going on and instead is just going with the flow of whatever you say. like he has background context, he knows about the stuff annet/g-dir was up to. but if he didnt know about this zero-eight business, which is parallel (and hidden from the public?) to a degree, before The Events then i dunno, might be a "why not, what else am i doing today" type of situation. you get what im saying? does this make sense?

Alas, I was too late. Charles had bumped into the lovely burrowing-worm in the bathroom entrance and then he started to scream.

points and laughs

[livlepretre]

Okay I’m getting a million asks on where we are on FE so I may as well break down where I was as of last month when the hurricane derailed me, and what has to happen for the next chapter to come out:

1) I have to finish my reread and notes of about the last 6 chapters I have posted. I reread FE every year and take notes on it so I can refresh myself on details, so I don’t get like… characterization vertigo, and so I can make sure to tie up all the plot threads I’ve laid down. This year I started my reread in early July, and got through most of it before the hurricane threw me off course. (Before anyone asks, Chapter 59 was written last November, so all I did was revise it a bit before posting— I got impatient and wanted to give y’all something) I’m actually hoping to FINALLY get back to this today.

2) I apparently have two different documents outlining, in exquisite detail with lots of written and as yet unpublished scenes, the remaining chapters of the fic. I can’t remember which is the one I’m supposed to follow, so ha, joke is on me, I need to compare them like line by line and figure out if they’re identical, if one is just a newer version with a different name, or if there is any content unique to each of them. Then I need to integrate the documents.

3) I have some post it notes packed somewhere or other detailing everything going on behind the scenes with Mikael, Elijah, Finn, and Kol. Like, what they’ve been up to, what their motives are, etc. I’ve lost and then found this stack of post its like six times since I wrote them last summer. I specifically remember packing them… somewhere… when I moved cross country in June. I have to find the post its, which are presumably in one of the many boxes I’ve never unpacked since the move, and integrate the info on them into my overall outline.

4) THEN, with my reread notes plus my outline in hand, I can continue writing.

Sorry this process requires so much work behind the scenes to get a new chapter out. FE is just too long and too complicated for me to pull off without a ton of extra time plotting it out and making sure I have my ducks in a row; it’s not like swbs where I just had a simple outline and sort of winged everything else. I had to pull back from writing FE last November because I was experiencing a kind of vertigo in the writing— I couldn’t remember certain details, and so I was second guessing myself, and the characterization kept tripping me up. That always means it’s time to reread and rethink for a while, which I’ve pretty much done.

You’ll know the update is imminent when I post the sneak peek. That’s the best I can do on a timeline.

[ettawritesnstudies]

How I outline!

Helllloooooo it’s been ages since I promised to do this and I’m SO sorry it’s so late but I finally got around to actually writing this post today so here it is :P @abalonetea​ and @inkwell-attitude, I think you both wanted to see this! (sorry to everyone else about the long post incoming!) DISCLAIMER: This is just my process, I’m not claiming it’s the best or that everyone should do this or that it works for every project. I don’t do this for short or simple stories, only for novel-length WIPs with complicated facets, but the process *can* be distilled for something less complex. 

Step 1: Brain Dumping

At this point, I probably have some semblance of a premise and characters for this idea, and possibly also an endgame idea of where I want to take the story but not middle or clue of how to get from point A to point B. This is where you collect ALL the thoughts. Usually, I do this between phone notes and a document on my laptop for brainstorming, but you can use voice memos or whatever else works. I’ve drawn ideas on my hand in pen during a lifeguarding shift before and just taken pictures of my inked-over arm before I have to jump into the pool again. It happens. In any case, you have ideas.

Step 2: Put it in some semblance of order by using a map

[Image ID] a blurry picture of a whiteboard covered in ideas in various covered pens looking something like a conspiracy theory board. This is the outline I was working on last night for the first book in the Laoche chronicles but it’s so vague at this point that I don’t think spoilers really matter. [end image ID]

The next objective is to put the random ideas in a linear order. I collect all the thoughts into one spot and dump them on the board. I color code, so first I write down all the set plot-points in the approximate order in the black pen, start to finish, and leave space above and below for stuff has to happen in the middle. 

Then the characters come in. I generally know backstories so those get dumped around the starting point in green. I figure out what characters are driving the plot and draw arrows between said plot points writing what the character does in the green pen. I include motivations, feelings, alliances, anything that might possibly be important to the plot too.

Then come logistics and filling in - that’s in red. You could also use conspiracy theory string. Where are they in the world? What needs to happen next? Where do I have plot holes? What makes the characters tick? What makes sense to happen next? What needs to happen to get to the end? What worldbuilding needs to get figured out to enable this plot point? Write it ALL down on a separate piece of paper and start brainstorming again. When you’ve got a good connection, add it. You’ll start to notice the board is starting to fill up. It won’t be linear anymore. That’s fine. 

Step 3: Flesh it out

[image ID] a poorly lit photo of a board covered in sticky notes of different, some overlapping each other. This is only a corner of the board because it’s the outline for Storge and I only took a picture of the first few chapters [end ID]

This is where it starts getting real. I take everything I have on the whiteboard (which at this point is a disaster) and transfer every plot point, character interaction, motivation, worldbuilding thing, pacing notes, anything about unreliable characters, author notes about who knows what at certain points (both the characters and the reader), plot twists, and anything else from the notes that didn’t make it to the whiteboard and reconstruct the story on a board.

The reason I use sticky notes is because you can move them around, layer them, and space them to create a cohesive narrative. If I need to play with timing, I can do that easily. If I need to connect plot points to characterizations or anything else, I can do that with layering and spacing next to each other. I’m still color coding at this point. I can start slapping on stuff like “which day does this happen on? What kind of transitions do I need?”, chapter divisions, and thematic elements. You’ll notice there are more holes. Fill those in sooner rather than later.

Step 4: Outline Time

I obviously can’t take my carefully made board with me to school so now it’s time to put it into a document. At this point I should preface this with the fact that I really like the 3 act structure, so I start my outline with that before anything else, like so, using headings to make a document outline - that way I can jump around the outline using the outline quickly. Probably a bit extra but it saves a ton of time

[image ID] a Microsoft word document outline with a hierarchical structure that shows acts, plot points, chapters, and chapter titles. [end ID]

Once that’s been filled out, I start putting the information from the board into the outline structure, and I make sure to cover EVERYTHING something like this: (with color-coding)

Chapter #/Title

Day of the narrative: this helps me keep time and iron out the pacing

The objective of the chapter: what does the reader need to learn, what is the one big thing that happens plot-wise

Main Plot Happenings - this goes in red text and details what actually happens in the chapter. For Storge, this is the plotline that follows Luca and the Laine family (when they’re together)

If there are subplots, these go here too in other colors. Orange for villainous cutaways. Purple for anything with the avian city/war subplot

Character arcs: these are green. I bullet point a list and name every major character in this chapter. anything important to their arcs goes here, as well as how I’m writing them. What are the emotions involved? This is normally the longest part because I have a lot of characters

Worldbuilding: What does the reader need to learn about the world from this chapter? This helps me space out the exposition. Details come up on a “need to know” basis, so there’s new worldbuilding in every chapter but no page-long dumps anywhere.

Themes: WHY is this chapter important? How is it contributing to what I want to say with this story?

Any other author notes about unreliable narrators, plot twists, foreshadowing, and what the reader should know at this point in the story. The goal is that you don’t anticipate the twist, but rereading it there’s a “HOW DID I NOT SEE THAT BEFORE” reaction, so this is more for my sake as a storytelling-craft thing.

Any excerpts or dialogue or description that I pre-wrote in the brain-dump phase and liked and think would fit well in this chapter.

Repeat with every chapter until you’re done.

This takes a long time, and I’m always revisiting and reworking that final outline once I’ve finished it but it’s such a huge help to set me on the right path without detouring 565479851321 times because I realized there was a plot hole too late. It��s overly complicated and incredibly intense and in-depth so It’s not for everyone but I like my 30-page long outlines, so here I am :P

If you’re still reading this, then wow good job, and thank you! I hope this was somewhat informative and not too tedious to scroll through! 

[sarunohadaki]

My 2021 AO3 Wrapped

Warning— this is long, and mostly just me rambling! Thanks for the great year, friends :-)

Yearly Word Count: 373,640

Top 5 Favorite Fics I Wrote:

1: Life is Fragile, but my Immortality is Not (Monster Prom oneshot, Oz/Milo)

I adored writing the jokes for this and the prose feels snappy and witty to me. I sat on it for a long time trying to piece scenes together, so while I’m somewhat disappointed it hasn’t gotten any comments at the time of writing this, clearly some people enjoyed it, including me, which is arguably the most important thing.

2: Standing out from the crowd

It’s an oldie but a goodie. And overlooked compared to some of my other stuff, but it’s kind of hard to compare when the fandom is so small and I have written so much for it. Still, I love El’s energy in this and it’s the only time I think I will successfully pull off the “three times X happened” trope.

3: A Warrior’s Rest

This Jade-centric fic got a lot of good reception and it was my first shot at writing her character. I love how it turned out.

4: Popping in for Dinner

Rereading this is just too much fun and takes me back to where I was in life while writing it. I still love myself for giving El bun/buns neopronouns.

5: Catnabbed

The ending made me cry. I just love the idea of Erik befriending a sabrecub so much and seeing them together warms the heart.

Favorite Fic I Read: From the Shadows by SueMiller (Legend of Zelda w/Shadow Link protag)

Too funny, and a perfect example of a bad guy becoming the hero (villain protagonist?).

Fav Ship I Wrote For: Luminerik

Fav Character POV To Write: Eleven

He’s a malleable character, one you can make shy, or tough, or goofy, or all of those things. Of course he would resonate, since you play as him in the game anyway. And I just think he’s the cutest thing.

Fav Line I Wrote:

“Erik huffed as El started snipping away at his wet hair. Bits fell to the ground like blue petals, mixing in the mud.” — Cut it Out

WIP I Finally Finished: The Barn (Document was created March 17 and published Oct. 29, ~7 months later.)

WIP I've Yet To Finish: SOUL (soulmate + modern AU, longfic, luminerik. Unpublished.)

My Most Read Fic: An Amaizing Lay (tgcf smut)

Runner-up: One Step Behind

My Longest Fic This Year: One Step Behind (129,886)

My Shortest Fic This Year: Mini Monuments (0)

Runner-up: First Snow (100)

Fav Fic Ttile You Used: Five From Eleven

Biggest Surprise While Writing This Year: I avoided burnout! And learned how to make creator workskins. I made one from scratch today actually, but it’s for a fic I can’t talk about until next year. But soon… soon!!! >:)

Fav Comment I Received This Year:

It’s waaaay too long to post here and it’s actually an author responding to a comment I left on one of their fics! I love all of my comments, but they’re so far and in between that I’ve found myself receiving more authors replying to things I’ve left on their works instead. Helps stave off the disappointment of not getting any traction on my fics anyway.

Total Fics/Chapters Uploaded this Year:

Fics: 44

Chapters: 97+

Top tags:

Modern AU, established relationship, and Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot (no surprise to anybody)

What Are You Most Looking Forward To Next Year?

I’m really excited to potentially finish some longer pieces, including but not limited to: Eleusine; SOUL; Adopted; my 'here for hair' series; Bad Ending; My Crush…; Floating Feet; Golden Opportunities; British Bake-Off crossover/screenplay; and Hook, Line, and Sinker.

Or, in short, allll of my other WIPs.

If I finish even just 10% of those, then I’ll be happy!

[snickiebear]

yo nadia <3333 i'm bored in my online classes and u reblogged the questions thingy at the right time lmao, so get ready: 1, 4, 5, 9, 10, 17, 23, 24, 28, 30!!!, 34, 38, 39, 40 (the intimacy of being understood) (imma stop here lol) (also i'm sorry u're not feeling well, ily and hope u'll feel better soon!! <33333)

ELE ILY. (and thank you, i’m stayin home today cause,,, yeah. i appreciate you sm.) you’re the literal best, i adore you. 

1. How long ago did you start reading fanfiction? Writing fanfiction?

The first fanfiction i read was for The Lunar Chronicles when I was like 11?? and it was 100% on accident and it scarred me because it was a hardcore porn one with a period kink and i was like WHAT IS THIS??? OH MY GOD???? LMAOOOOO i didn’t pick it back up until i was 13-14 and really got into the Fairy Tail fandom. I still reread my favorites on ff.net cause i love them. 

As for writing, I wrote a horrible, terrible x-men fanfiction when I was twelve. (my friend still brings it up and REFUSES to delete it so it still gets comments and views, that shit HAUNTS ME ELE.) then tried again for Fairy Tail, posted like two chapters before taking it down cause i wasn’t really feeling it. And then I posted The Intimacy Of Being Understood and here we are. 

4. Link your three favorite fics right now.

OMGG okok 

@murd3rm1ttens ‘s The Problem How Time Works IF YOU HAVENT READ THIS YOU GUYS NEED TO HOP ON IT ASAP. MITTEN’S WRITING SO SO SO SO GOOD. SAKURA AND INO ARE TOTAL BADASSES. KAKASHI IS A SIMPPPP. ITS SO FUCKING GOOD. 

@mouseymightymarvellous ‘s We Were Screaming In Color (Only A Possibility) yes, yes I KNOW. i always point into mousey’s direction but i WILL always advocate that everyone reads her fics, they’re literally so beautiful???? i just happen to be rereading WWSIN rn 

@safelycapricious ‘s Shaking Up And Breaking Down series. I found this like?? idfk but i’ve been raving about it ever since. ALSO CHECK OUT THEIR FICS IN GENERAL. 

fuck i have more than three but also check out @ambivalens999 ‘s Masks

i do wanna make a fic rec thing where i just rav about my favs,,, might do that later or sum

5. What are your fanfic pet peeves? Do they have a huge effect on whether or not you decide to read something?

Omniscient third person. I don’t like it. Like I can understand that it can be a little hard to stay in one person’s perspective but, in my opinion, if you can, it shows how disciplined you are as a writer. Plus, i just get so confused when I go from A’s thoughts to suddenly what B is thinking about A. 

When writers use ‘ ‘ instead of “ “. When writers put thoughts in ‘ ‘ instead of just italicizing them. It’s small things but like they just bother me sO MUCH. most of the time i can ignore it and try to enjoy but other times i just dip. 

9. Tag 3 fic writers you think are underrated/unknown in the fandom/fanfiction community.

@espoir-et-reves !!!!! THEIR SHISAKU FICS ARE SO SO SO SO SO GOOD. And they have a warring states one going on THAT I AM SO OBSESSED WITH. 

@writer168 idk if they’re really “underrated” but THEY HAVE SUCH GREAT FICS ON AO3. Like theres an AU with sakura, kiba, and shino that i reread constantly because it just. is. so. fucking. GOOD. and they posted a new one that i’m YELLING about. 

@eggtoasties okay they only have 2 in the naruto fandom (one shisaku which is still ongoing) BUT THEIR WRITING STYLE IS SO NICE?? I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT. I still go back and reread their shikasaku one cause UGH i can’t get enough. I love it. 

10. What’s your favorite fandom, pairing, or character to read fic for?

Fandoms: Naruto, Soul Eater, The Old Guard, ATLA

Parings: KakaSaku/ShikaSaku/ShiSaku/MultiSaku, SoMa, Joe X Nicky, Zukka

Character: SAKURA. I will read anything with Sakura as the main character and her being a fuckin badass or becoming a badass. I love her.

17. How obsessively do you sit and stare at your fic after you’ve just posted and wait for feedback?

aha.. haha.. well. I check my email like three times an hour. its the first thing i check in the mornings too. I’m literally a whore for praise and literally eat up feedback like its going out of style. I also reread a lot of my stuff because i make so many mistakes and spelling errors, or the spacing is weird oR SOMETHING. plus, literally any and all comments make my day, i go back and reread them cause they just make me feel so tingly and warm like “wow. this person enjoyed the fic/my writing enough to tell me. thats HUGE!”

23. What’s your absolute favorite trope to write?

Angry, feral, bloodied, morally gray women. They aren’t bad guys, they’re probably the good guy, but that doesn’t mean they cant be fucking raging at the world with raw knuckles and blood on their teeth. I just love an angry woman who struggles with her emotions and just has so much inner conflict but that doesn’t take away from her character or badassery, it adds to it. 

24. What’s a trope that you’d like to never hear about as long as you live, let alone write?

The fake dating or miscommunication troupe. LIKE GUYS JUST TALK. AND TELL EACH OTHER OMFG. the entire like obliviousness of “nah they dont like me” while the They holds their hand and kisses their cheek. MOFO WHAT. it makes me so impatient and like mad HAAHHAHA. its probably because i’m a pretty confrontational person so seeing stuff like that just “cmon bro, USE YO HEAD.”

28. How do you deal with writing pressure (ie: pressure to update, negative comments, deadlines, etc)?

I have yet to receive a negative comment! Which i was really surprised about tbh. As for deadlines or pressure to update, i just kind of do whatever. I do set goals, but i set them flexible enough that hey, if i can’t do it, that’s okay. 

I have a lot of mini goals, like “i want to write this chapter and get it done this week” and then the large goal is “FINISH BY END OF MAY” so i have time. 

Actually, now that I think on it, the entire pressure to update thing is probably why i’m waiting until I have all of OL&W written to post it weekly,, cause well. I wouldn’t wanna leave you guys waiting as I tried to write and work out the next chapters and stuff, you know?

30. Post a snippet from your current WIP without context - no more than 300 words.

AAAAAA YOU KNOW I LOVE THESE AHAHAHAH

Have you seen the way the dead dance, World Breaker? They roar, half mad and starving. Do you not wish, do you not hope to see them twist and bend and dance to your will?

Shikamaru snarls, looking behind his shoulders to where his Shadows lay. “Patience.” He spits. “Is of the essence, Things of Ancient. Know your place as the dark you are.”

34. How much of yourself and your life experiences do you put into your writing? What do you think your readers’ image of you is?

None of my experiences match up to anything I write tbh,,, probably the only thing that is me in my writing is maybe the emotional turmoil? I’m pretty emotionally and mentally mature because from a pretty young age i started forming my own opinions, started looking into the world around us and being like “dude what the fuck this is not what disney advertised”. Then i started talking (read: arguing and debating) with my dad about a lot of it. So, like emotions are kind of hard for me. Like i’m pretty good at controlling them or understanding them, but still. idk its hard to explain ig.

Like the weight of stress, the anger, the sadness. It’s kind of therapeutic to write. Cause i don’t know how to put those feelings to verbal words so writing them really helps. 

As for my readers’ image? Probably like some kind of hunched over figure typing away in the dark with a maniacal grin on their face. I honestly don’t know AHHAHAHA but it is fun to think about. I think they’d see me as someone with potential but a lot of room to grow and someone who is imperfect but in a charming way LMAOOOO

38. What does your writing process look like? How chaotic is it on a scale of 1 (very tame) to 10 (you can’t handle this kind of chaos)?

I’m gonna be real honest. Its probably like a 2. I’m a bit of a control freak so I almost always go in chronological order, my writing is pretty linear. Unless, i get bored and jump to one of my fav parts. It's pretty much i sit down, i open the doc, read over my notes and just start writing. 

It’s a little boring to explain AHAHAHA but once i get into the groove of things its really fucking great, I can like feel myself in the world, I can feel what i want the characters to, i love it. I catch myself mouthing the words as i type too, which i find hilarious.

39. What’s something about your writing that you pride yourself on?

I rather like how raw my writing is sometimes. Which might sound really vain, but i do like the way i word things or describe things. I love juxtaposition and repetition, or making a good ole circle back to some minute detail that wouldn’t stand out until i repeat it at the end and you’re like “omg” AHAHAHAHA.

Like those little poetic snippets or certain wording i just sit back and go “damn thats kinda good nadia! go you!’ HAHAHA  

40. How did you come up with the idea for The Intimacy Of Being Understood?

AAAAA this fic is like my first child, my pride and joy LMAO

so the idea initially came when i was reading some fic, idk if it was even naruto, but i was like “i don't like this, but i do like the rain symbolism.” And I knew i wanted to write something kind of slow paced, something a little sad and angsty, but would show KakaSaku slowly but surely falling in love.

Idk if you’ve noticed but a lot of my fics, the pairings don’t change each other dramatically. They accept each other as they are and then they grow with together. Like that acceptance is something i just love writing, its so subtle, it isn’t something you declare. Its simply “I am going to love you. I am going to love you despite your flaws and faults. I am going to love you unconditionally because I know you, I understand you, and there is nothing you could do to drive me away.” 

The fic kind of wrote itself after that first scene. I kept going back to the rain, go being ghosts, and resurrection, and the small epiphanies one gets. I wanted to focus on each character’s growth with each other. They didn’t find light in life because of each other, but with each other. And i think that’s my favorite thing about that fic. 

I wanted something raw and real and just something beautiful. I’m actually really proud of it tbh. Would i go back and rewrite/edit it? Oh of course! I’d do that with every single one of my fics, but i’m not gonna cause i think its in its rawest form right now. :))))

ask me shit plz

[love-bokumono-fics]

WIP Wednesday - Friends of Mineral Town, Part 2!

I'm going to make 2 WIP Wednesday posts today for the FoMT WIP Wednesday feature. When I sorted by Date Updated, I realized that the most recent 10 fics have all received a feature on the blog over the last couple months. Which is great! But I also want to take time to feature some of the WIPs that haven't been updated in a little bit, but still deserve some time in the spotlight. Part 1 featured the first 10 fics on the list, Part features the next 10! Happy reading! Do you have a FoMT WIP that didn't get featured today? Drop the link to it in a Submission box! We're always happy to feature submissions! to cure what ails you - by indoorsy; WIP, 7/?, 22k Rating: Mature; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandoms: Friends of Mineral Town Relationship: Claire the Farmer/Doctor Trent; Characters: Claire, Doctor Trent | Torre Additional Tags: Slow Burn, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, his name is Doctor Summary: Claire, a perpetual people-pleaser with a sensitive soul, uproots her mundane city life to take over her grandfather's farm. Her endeavors are supported by the friendly community of Mineral Town - including the town's eccentric doctor. A Happy Lamp for an Unhappy Life - by MacchiatoRodion; WIP, 7/?, 17k Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: Major Character Death; Categories: Gen, Multi Fandoms: Back To Nature, A Wonderful Life, Friends of Mineral Town, Havest Moon DS Cute Characters: Cliff, Old Nina, Galen | Guri, Mary the Librarian, Ann the Innkeeper | Ran, Basil the Writer, Celia | Seperia, Marlin | Mash, Pony | Aya | Jill, Jennifer, Gray, Kai, Carter the Pastor, Popuri, Rick, Manna, Lillia the Shopkeeper, Aja | Adge, Doctor Trent, Dr. Hardy | Paddock Additional Tags: Canonical Character Death, Grief/Mourning, Suicidal Thoughts, Child Death, Past Character Death, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Tags May Change, Childhood Memories, Child Abandonment, Domestic Disputes, Poor Life Choices, Flowers, Developing Friendships, Healing, Child Neglect Summary: Cliff was once considering committing suicide, so his instinct is to jump off the edge of Mother's Hill, where so many lovable people had perished before. But something compels him to look down at the area where the bodies should have landed. To his surprise, there was an entire village at the bottom. He decides to investigate since he doesn't anticipate that anybody will miss him while he is away. He ends up meeting someone who shows him the impact of even the shortest life to him. This story begins in the summer leading up to the beginning of Friends of Mineral Town and the first chapter of A Wonderful Life/DS. Story of Mineral Town - by CustardPudding; WIP, 2/?, 5k Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings; Category: F/M Fandoms: Friends of Mineral Town, Harvest Moon 64, Back To Nature Relationships: Claire the Farmer/Gray, Cliff/Female Farmer, Ann the Innkeeper | Ran/Brandon, Kai/Popuri, Harris/Mary the Librarian | Marie, Elli/Doctor Trent | Torre, Karen/Rick; Characters: Claire, Sara, Cliff, Gray, Jennifer, Karen, Ann the Innkeeper | Ran, Doug | Dudley Additional Tags: Chickens, Angst, Family Drama, Self-Esteem Issues, Slow Burn, More like medium burn? I don't really know, Some Fluff, But also quite a bit of angst, Canon couples, Ann/Brandon is kinda cracky, Some underage drinking, Which is mostly Karen, Minor Swearing Summary: Claire and Sara, sisters who have been inseparable for their whole lives, are vastly different. With Claire's quiet and responsible nature combined with Sara's hotheaded and standoffish one, many wondered how they could possibly be related by blood. But they took care of each other nevertheless. So when they inherit their late grandfather's farm, they expect it to be an easy thing. Take a few looks at it, restore it to its former glory, and then sell it and move on. They were wrong, of course. Rival After Events - by LuxBeacon (Number13teen); WIP, 4/13, 7k Rating: General

Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Categories: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M Fandoms: Friends of Mineral Town Relationships: Elli/Doctor Trent | Torre, Kai/Popuri, Ann the Innkeeper | Ran/Cliff, Karen/Rick, Gray/Mary the Librarian | Marie, Harvest Goddess/Pete | Jack, Kappa/Claire, Male Farmer | Yuto/Huang | Won; Characters: Elli | Elly, Doctor Trent | Torre, Popuri, Kai, Ann the Innkeeper | Ran, Cliff, Karen, Rick, Mary the Librarian, Gray, Pete | Jack, Claire, Harvest Goddess, Kappa, Won | Huang, Gourmet - Character Additional Tags: Fluff, Rival Marriage, LGBTQ Themes, Wholesome, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net Summary: A series of one shots detailing the lives of the Mineral Town bachelorettes and bachelors after marrying their rival. Each story references different locations and characters from across the franchise and each chapter takes inspiration from actual events in the games. Pure Fluff. Year One - by pawprintmusical; WIP, 7/?, 10k Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandoms: Friends of Mineral Town, Harvest Moon DS Cute, A Wonderful Life Relationships: Claire the Farmer/Zack, Ann the Innkeeper | Ran/Cliff, Elli/Doctor Trent | Torre, Gray/Mary the Librarian, Kai/Popuri, Karen/Rick; Characters: Claire the Farmer, Zack, Ann the Innkeeper | Ran, Cliff, Elli, Doctor Trent | Torre, Gray, Mary the Librarian, Karen, Rick, Kai, Popuri Additional Tags: MFoMT, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, alcohol mention, didn't want to tag the whole town but they're here with a chunk of AWL people too, Tags Added As I Go, Pre-Relationship, Not Remake Compliant Summary: Claire needed a change, and Mineral Town seemed like just the ticket. She just never expected how much it would change her. Rainy Day Vignettes - by Shelookstothesky; WIP, 7/?, 31k Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandoms: A Wonderful Life, Harvest Moon DS Cute, Friends of Mineral Town Characters: Marlin | Mash, Pony | Aya | Jill, Rock, Muffy | Muumuu, Griffin | Garfan, Takakura, Celia | Seperia, Vesta, Claire Additional Tags: Vignette, Eventual Romance, Angst and Drama Summary: This fanfic is a collection of scenes I wrote with the Jill/Pony and Marlin paring back in 2016 and decided to reread and edit them just for fun. I'm not sure if I'll actually write new scenes in addition to the original ones I wrote back in 2016. I suppose it will depend on how engrossed I get back into the plot. I hope you enjoy anyway!~ Life is like a Festival - by LeafBubble; WIP, 7/?, 26k Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings; Category: F/M Fandoms: Friends of Mineral Town Relationships: Many relationships will happen, Final pairing is a mystery; Characters: Rick, Popuri, Barley | Mugi, May | Mei, Saibara, Gray, Duke, Manna, Basil the Writer, Anna, Mary the Librarian | Marie, Thomas, Harris, Old Ellen, Elli | Elly, Stu | Yu, Jeff, Sasha, Karen, Doctor Trent | Torre, Carter the Pastor, Cliff, Doug | Dudley, Ann the Innkeeper | Ran, Kai, Gotz | Gotts, Brandon, Jennifer, Zack, Won Huang Additional Tags: Adult themes are present, Depression, Angst, Prejudice, Sexuality, Abandonment, Happy Themes, Life gives the good and the bad Summary: Claire is a young woman who led a comfortable life. Great up bringing, amazing schooling, landed a dream job. As the days go by she feels as if she was doing nothing, but being a cog in the machine. A chance get away on a cruise forever changes her life. A forgotten land, facing turmoil when crops and animals begin to decay. A goddess is in disarray as she needs to find a new farmer to help restore the town. After making a deal with a goddess, Claire vows to find the man who saved her life. Will she decide to take on the challenge of being a farmer in an unfamiliar town and find this mystery man, or pack her bags and face reality? Friendships will be tested, and love will be fought and lost. A slow burn story that will go through the lives of the many

characters of Mineral Town and their connections to each other. all that glitters - by christinahosetti; WIP, 3/?, 5k Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings; Category: F/F Fandoms: Friends of Mineral Town Relationship: Claire the Farmer/Jennifer; Characters: Claire, Jennifer Additional Tags: Slow Burn, Supernatural Elements, Worldbuilding, Eventual Smut, Fae & Fairies, not gonna tag the whole town but they're all there basically, claire is called clover Summary: “You’re not completely solitary, though,” Clover points out, now harvesting the blackberries into a tupperware container she’s fished out of her rucksack. “You hang out with me all the time. And Mugi, and Lillia, and Harris.” “That’s true. They’re all people with peaceful energies, though, so I don’t mind them so much. No drama or nastiness.” Clover gives her an odd look. “I’m not sure that applies to me.” “Well, you’re the exception.” - Jennifer has secrets to keep, but the farmer makes her want to spill them all. Harvest Moon: The Novel - by CurtTheGamer, WIP, 5/?, 8k Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence; Major Character Death Fandoms: Friends of Mineral Town, Back To Nature Characters: Pete | Jack, Ann the Innkeeper | Ran, Doug | Dudley, Mary the Librarian | Marie, Karen, Elli | Elly, Old Ellen, Gray, Jeff, Cliff, Gotz | Gotts, Sasha, Maria the Mayor's Daughter, Anna, Thomas, Manna, Doctor | Trent, Duke, Saibara, Stu | Yu, Won | Huang, Kent, May | Mei, Barley | Mugi, Kai, Popuri, Lillia the Shopkeeper, Rick, Basil the Writer, Harris, Jennifer, Zack, Dog, Horse Summary: Pete is a young man from the big city. He hasn't dreamed of having a job outside the city, nor does he want to. But when an old friend from a small village dies, Pete inherits his farm. Though reluctant, he agrees to leave his city life to become a farmer. Will he live happily ever after, or will the old-fashioned country life become a bore? What is Art? (Not That) - by FosterTheBananas; WIP, 1/2, 1.2k Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: Gen Fandoms: Friends of Mineral Town Characters: Won | Huang, Brandon Summary: Huang heads to Mineral Town to help oversee shipments for his cousin. While there, he tries to buy some art in the hopes of reselling for a profit, but instead he catches the attention of an eccentric artist who. just. won't. go. away.

[squisherific]

Rain Drop Chapter 6

A/N: *yells echoingly into the void* Helloooo therrrre… Man has it been a very long time since I made a tumblr post, let alone wrote any fanfiction. To those who are unaware (which is probably everyone), I had begun a story many years ago about Juvia’s past. It was called Rain Drop, and it has 5 previous chapters up on fanfiction.net

I'm so sorry to those who had liked this story. I both can and can't believe it's been 4 years since I last updated it (and 2 years since I’ve written any fanfiction at all). To be perfectly honest, I didn't think I'd ever continue this story. But something struck me the other day. I reread this fic, and the kind reviews from readers, and I just got the itch to continue, because I really, really miss writing, and I especially missed writing about Gray and Juvia. I can't promise I'm going to end up finishing this, but this is a step in the right direction? This chapter is dedicated to everybody who's ever encouraged me to continue this fic, and to anyone still reading. If there are people still interested in this story, I can not thank you enough for your patience. This is for you. <3

Chapter 6 - A Breezy Visit

Gray felt abnormally aware of his right hand as he made his way through Magnolia, and towards the outskirts of the town. He normally didn't pay this much attention to any particular one of his appendages. He just let them do their thing, and trusted all was well. But on this particular day, his right hand was clutching onto the left hand of Juvia Lockser, and his previous faith in his hand's abilities had all but vanished, resulting in his acute awareness of every bead of sweat currently collecting between his and Juvia's linked palms. It didn't help that he felt like every person they passed on the way to their destination was taking note of their clasp-handed position, and grinning amusedly to themselves as the two mages hurried past.

Why did I grab her hand? I didn't need to do that. She could just follow me to Gildarts' house. I could let go, and carry on as if nothing happened. But would she get upset if I took my hand away? She is holding it pretty firmly, so it would probably be pretty awkward if I just stopped holding her hand back.

These were the thoughts that passed through Gray Fullbuster's mind as he decided he would continue to hold Juvia's hand, not because he enjoyed it - definitely not that- but because he wanted to be emotionally supportive towards his friend, who was going through a rough time right now. Yes, that's why he'd continue to allow his sweaty palm to press up against Juvia's soft grip. He was a very good friend, and that's all there was to it.

"Gray-sama?"

Juvia's voice interrupted Gray's internal dilemma.

"Yeah?"

"Do you really think it's possible Gildarts-san will know something about Juvia's parents?"

"It's worth a shot. That old guy loves to reminisce though, so if we're not careful he might go off on a tangent, and we'll be stuck there until nightfall."

"Juvia won't mind, especially if he did have the answers Juvia has been seeking! Juvia would gladly listen as long as it takes!" she said, excited at the possibility that Gildarts could provide a window into her past at last.

Gray seemed a lot less enthused at that prospect of being stuck in Gildarts' place for hours into the night. But, if it meant keeping Juvia out of harm's way, and preventing her from going off on a hunt for a possibly dangerous Jose Porla instead, he would gladly suffer through Gildarts taking a long, and winding trip down memory lane. He just hoped they weren't walking into a dead end, because Gray had no back up plan to distract Juvia from her desired mission. He had promised Master Makarov he'd keep her safe, and even without that promise, it was something he always strived to do anyway. He could not fail.

They'd reached the far edges of the town, and Gray steered them slightly passed an overgrown forested area, before entering a slight clearing with a cobbled path which led to the S-class mage’s humble cabin. They both took note of the tufts of smoke coming out of the stout chimney, signaling someone was definitely home. They smiled at each other, glad to not have traveled there in vain, and headed towards the door.

Gray knocked a few times and waited.

At first there was no answer, but then a sound of what must have been several pots and pans clattering to the floor reverberated through the open window, before the door burst open.

Standing in the doorway, looking happily expectant, was the auburn-haired, and battled-scarred S- class mage of Fairy Tail. However his expression seemed to falter, and twist into one of polite bemusement at his surprise guests' presence.

"Oh! I thought you two were Cana finally accepting her dad's invitation to a home cooked meal," he said, gesturing inside.

Gray and Juvia peered behind him as the mess that could only be classified as Gildarts' kitchen came into view. He had clearly been attempting to cook, the lit fire within his home waiting patiently for the pot, which he had filled with some mysterious gloopy substance, clearly the subject of Gildarts 'home cooked meal.'

"Nope, we haven't seen Cana today," Gray said, as Gildarts looked hopefully around them, as if Cana was about to pop out of a nearby bush at any moment, to finally fulfill her dad's wish for more bonding time. "It's just us here," Gray assured him.

Gildarts, shaking off his disappointment, finally looked back down at them, giving them both a once over, his eyes lingering on their clasped hands. He grinned.

"You two out on a date?" a playful twinkle in his eye as he observed their flustered reactions.

Gray finally did let go of Juvia's hand at this comment. "No," he said, a little too insistently.

Juvia looked crestfallen.

"Now, now, that's no way to treat a lady, Gray!" He chastised him lightly, as he smoothly brushed past Gray to usher Juvia inside. "Come in,, come in! It's Juvia, isn't it? You're good friends with Cana. I'm sure she won't be too upset if I treat you to a meal in her place. Don't be shy, there's plenty to share. Do you like wine, Juvia?"

Juvia was gently directed inside the warm cabin, a look of bewilderment coloring her features, while Gray had the door slammed in his face, leaving him standing alone outside.

That perverted old fart, Gray thought angrily. He lingered there annoyed for at least a couple of minutes, hoping one of the two would remember he was still there, before knocking on the closed door again, this time much more aggressively than when he had first arrived.

Gildarts reappeared. "Can I help you?" he asked, as if this were the first time he had met Gray, and as if Gray hadn't arrived with Juvia only a few minutes ago.

Speaking of Juvia, Gray could now see she was sitting down with a cup of tea in her hand, likely having refused the wine offer from Gildarts.

Gray ignored him, and irritatedly walked passed Gildarts into the house to join Juvia.

"How rude," Gildarts muttered none too silently to himself, as Gray pulled up a chair next to Juvia, sitting down, arms crossed and scowling.

Closing the door behind him, Gildarts sat down to join them. Apparently after he had guided Juvia inside, he had put the pot filled with the mysterious substance onto the fire, and it was now bubbling away behind them.

"So," Gildarts said after a moment. "What can I do for you. Want some love advice? I've got lots of tips," his eyebrows raised suggestively.

"Stop messing around!" Gray spat, his face reddening. "This is serious, old man! Juvia is here to ask you about her parents!"

"Her parents…" Gidarts said, sobering… He gave Juvia a thorough appraisal, and seemed to go into concentrated revelry. "Oh man, were there any blue-haired ladies…."

"NOT YOU," Gray said quickly.

Juvia blushed.

"Juvia is just trying to find information about her parents. She doesn't remember who they were. Gramps clearly seems to have known them, but he won't tell Juvia anything, so we were wondering if maybe you had met them before, and could tell her something about them, " Gray explained.

Gildarts relaxed, leaning back in his chair. "I was going to say, imagine having two daughters who both happened to end up in the same guild I was a part of. What would be the odds, right?" Gildarts laughed, but then got suddenly serious again, as his eyes fell back on Juvia. He studied her, as she looked back self-consciously.

"You know, come to think of it, you do remind me of someone," he said.

"Juvia does?" she asked, a pang of hope in her heart.

"Where are you from originally?"

"Juvia isn't sure. She was left in an orphanage in Hargeon. The most information the people running the orphanage could tell her, was that an old woman had dropped Juvia off there when Juvia was one-years old, but Juvia never did find the identity of the old woman. She doesn't know if she was a relation, or not."

Gildarts seemed to contemplate this information. "Your last name is Lockser?"

Juvia nodded.

"Hmmmm, well I can tell you I don't know anybody with that name. But you do bear a striking resemblance to an old friend of mine."

Gray didn't like the way Gildarts emphasized the word friend. "Who was this friend?"

"A former member of the magic council. She was a gorgeous girl, dark hair, piercing eyes, really feisty," he said, as his eyes glazed over, clearly having traveled back into some kind of indecent memory.

Gray and Juvia were discomfited.

"Oii! We're still here you know," Gray jolted him out of his reverie.

"Relax," he said, catching a look at their expressions. "It wasn't that type of relationship," he assured them, sighing in a good natured, but dejected sort of way. "Not for lack of trying, of course. She was my friend's girl."

"Your friend?"

"Benny. Benjamin 'Fluid' Dackser," he replied, as he grabbed the bottle of wine he had offered Juvia earlier, and took a sip.

"Fluid?"

"He was a water mage."

Juvia's eyes widened at this information.

"Water?!"

"Yeah. So that was his nickname. Ol' Benny Flu Dackser," a sad smile crossed Gildarts' face. "Man, he was such a pain in the ass," he chuckled. "It's pretty pointless crashing apart water, you know? It just comes right back together again."

"He could turn into water? Like Juvia does?!"

"Yup, it was his specialty. Not a good match for me, as he couldn't help to remind me every time we had a friendly fight. And we were both always trying to impress Sylvi. He won her in the end, that bastard. Ah, we were so young then. Not even twenty."

"Sylvi?" Gray asked.

"Sylvia Loten. A talented ice mage."

It was Gray's turn for his eyes to widen. "Ice?"

"Not on quite the same level as your old master Ur, I'm sure, but really talented all the same. I might not have been able to do much against Benny, but she was more than a match for him. It was great watching that cocky, lovestruck fool get beaten down by her. But she must have liked his persistent approach, because they ended up married."

"Benjamin-san and Sylvia-san…" Juvia mused to herself "did they have any children?"

"I lost touch with them both after they went into politics. They never joined a guild either, as far as I know. Like I said, Sylvi was a council member, and so was Benny - youngest council members ever at that point. It all happened while I was out on a major quest. By the time I came back, years had passed, and Benny and Sylvi had…" he trailed off somberly.

"They died?" Juvia concluded, her face stricken.

"Yeah."

"How?" Gray asked, almost afraid of the answer as he looked over at Juvia.

"Supposedly drowned," he said flatly.

"Drowned?! No way!"

Juvia agreed emphatically with Gray. "Benjamin-san was a water mage, how could he have drowned?"

"Just because you specialize in a type of magic doesn't mean you are immune to it's dangers," he explained, his mood had darkened considerably, the wine bottle's contents now severely depleted as he went on. "But again, that's just what I heard. Their bodies were found off the coast of Akane beach."

"Was the drowning an accident, or…" Gray trailed off.

"I don't know. But let's put it this way, I doubt they suffered a boating incident, and they couldn't save themselves. Doesn't make sense. Not for those two," Gildarts admitted.

"Terrible," was all Juvia could think to say as the three let a silence fall within the messy cabin, the only sound being the bubbling contents of the copper pot in the fireplace.

Juvia couldn't believe there had been another water mage. She'd never met anyone else who could use water magic other than herself. And she had been able to use it for as long as she could remember. It wasn't something she had studied to learn, which is usually the case for mages. People aren't born knowing magic. But for whatever reason, Juvia could instinctively control water, and as used to be the case, there were things she couldn't control about it as well - that constant rain that plagued her for so long. Water had literally been tied into her emotions - her very being - whether she liked it or not. It was a rare ability. A rare magic.

And yet this Benjamin Dackser was also a water mage. And he died. She couldn't imagine this skilled water mage, someone who could best Gildarts, could be drowned - and his talented ice mage wife as well. How? Why? Juvia had so many questions. The greatest of all being, could these two people have been her parents?

"Gildarts-san?" Juvia began, breaking the silence. "You said I remind you of Sylvia-san?"

"Yeah…" he said, studying her again, "the more I look at you, the more I think you look just like her. Same eyes, same pale skin, you even act a little like her. She was real regal, you know? You are very similar. Except for the hair. Her's was a very dark grey, almost black," he recalled, his voice a little slurred from the wine he had been using to dull the pain of his somber recollections.

"What color was this Benny guy's hair?" Gray asked.

Gildarts simply pointed to Juvia's hair in response.

Juvia's heart skipped a beat.

"You think they were Juvia's parents?" Gray came right out and asked what they were all currently wondering.

The question hung heavy in the air.

Juvia's fists clenched in anxiety.

Gildarts looked from Gray to Juvia, a pained expression on his face. He shook his head. "I never heard anything about them having a kid… but, there's a lot I don't know. I was gone for so long. I would think people who were on the council with them would know a lot more about anything like that. I knew them best when we were all still just a bunch of brats."

"How long were they on the council?"

"Not long. A few years, I think. And that was nearly 30 years ago now."

"Who do we know on the magic council who would talk to us?" Gray pondered. "None of them have ever exactly been the biggest fans of Fairy Tail. Plus, so many of them who might have been on the council with Benjamin and Sylvia are now…." Gray's thoughts wandered to the mass murder at the hands of the Tartarus members.

Another heavy silence fell.

"Yajima-san?" Juvia said tentatively, recalling the tiny man who ran the 8-island restaurant she once waitressed at with some of the other Fairy Tail ladies.

"Oh yeah, Gramp's friend. He's ancient, and he was on the council for ages," Gray recalled hopefully. "We could take a trip out to his restaurant in Hargeon and ask him if he knows anything more about these two."

"Let's do so," Juvia agree immediately, so grateful that Gray had suggested they go to Hargeon. This meant he intended to continue to accompany her on this quest of hers. Her heart was so burdened at the thought of possibly finding out who her parents were, only to be left with more devastating questions about their awful fate, and how she might tie into it. So, Gray's companionship served to lift that weight considerably.

"Thank you so much, Gildarts-san. You've been such a great help. Your information was truly invaluable," she said in earnest, getting up from her chair and heading towards the door. Gray followed closely behind.

"Wait! You sure you guys don't want to stay and eat? The stew is almost ready!" he pointed back towards the now overflowing muck bubbling out of his copper pot.

"That's very kind of you, Gildarts-san," Juvia eyed the stew in trepidation, "but we really have much to do if we are going to be leaving for Hargeon soon. But thank you for your hospitality, and the tea!" she added, leaving the warmly lit cabin behind her. The sun was setting as she stepped out into the clear air.

Gray was about to join her when Gildarts caught a hold of his arm and pulled him back.

"Hey!" Gray said, alarmed as Gildarts leaned close to him, his grip vice-like.

"Listen," Gildarts said, his tone uncharacteristically dire, "if Gramps didn't want to tell Juvia anything about her parents, then he likely had a damn good reason for it, and that reason was probably that he thinks there's danger involved. And if Gramps thinks looking for information on her parents is dangerous, then it probably is. I've only heard conspiracy theories about Benny and Sylvi's deaths, but if even one of them is true, Juvia could be headed into some serious trouble. I feel for her, I do. But if Benny and Sylvi were her parents, then there's nothing left to find."

Gray considered Gildarts words of warning. He looked towards Juvia, who was waiting patiently at the end of the cobbled path for him to join her. He again thought back to that night at the guild, and how hurt she was at never having known her family. "Juvia has a right to know the truth. If I can help her find at least that, then I'm going to do so," Gray said firmly. "And if there's danger, I'll protect her no matter what."

A/N: When rereading the previous chapters of this, I honestly didn't think I could continue the story no matter how much I wanted to. I genuinely didn't remember where I was going with the plot since it had been so long. But, thank goodness I had notes for future chapters saved. ;_; Otherwise this chapter would not exist right now. Anyway, if anyone is still reading, please do let me know with a review. But if everyone has abandoned this story, as I once did, then at least I can say I enjoyed writing this again. ^_^

[sothischickshe]

2, 3, 4, 24, 30

2. How do you spend your time when it comes to fanfiction? Are you primarily a fic reader, writer, or a perfect 50/50 split of both?

ah, time. numbers. yes, definitely good topics to speak to me about, uh huh uh huh.

ummm while i’m writing and, particularly, editing, i’m definitely doing more writing than reading. bc i only really work on one thing at a time, that means the rest of the time i’m more reading than writing. though i do also spend time THINKING abt writing/staring into space....does that count as writing?! 

also also, i do some reading-which-counts-as-writing, i reckon. like i reread filing her nails last night as vague prep/attempt to get back into the headspace, although i passed out cos i was Very Tired. is that a reading or a writing or both or neither?!

i would guess though mm, maybe a 60/40 split reading/writing? but it’s hard to gauge cos my habits are pretty cyclical and also changeable based on whatever else is going on/how tired i am etc etc, and also i dont understand time or numbers and resent the idea i am imperfect in any way, how dare

3. Are there any fics that inspired you to write what you do?

i’m sure! idk if i can point to any specifically but i think like all of fanfiction first of all cos you get to read stuff that’s so creative and character-driven, where plot might amble around in the bg. 

and i think a lot of the stuff ive gravitated to or been taken out by is short/angsty/wordplay-y/character-driven/canon-y etc etc. but also i think that someone else might read the same stuff and be impressed by other aspects (say the emotionality or the structure or the dialogue or whatever), so i kiiiiiiiiinda feel like, idk, what resonates with you abt the thing (fic or otherwise) might be the stuff that you’re most interested in...?

also, i know with gg fic i was v touched by author’s notes that were like ‘hey if you’re thinking of writing something, do!’ or ‘idk i just wanted to read something like it so i wrote it’

4. Link your three favourite fics right now.

um i’m not sure if this question means like DO IT REALLY FAST or they’re FAVES RIGHT NOW or THEY’RE HAPPENING RIGHT NOW or what, but i guess i’ll interpret it as being about WIPs...? 

sooo here’s 3:

Get To Be Mine by @septiembur i love this story and it makes me really happy and i read the update today and i wanna yell about it!!!!!! i love this beth pov so much!!!!! and ruby and annie are so fun here too!!!!!! i love them!!!! and rio is such a wind up merchant affdfgffgf and so is beth and i hate them and i’m so glad i don’t have to have dinner with them. also!!! fake dating!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

don’t give it a hand, offer it a soul aka political au by @medievalraven the last chapter was a delightfully chunky boy and this is such an interesting au setting for these morons and i love it!!!! the rio pov is hilariously grumpy and also v uhh beth-horny, but the premise is also kinda emo/griefy, and the story def gives due weight to that and doesnt minimise it. also!!! fake dating!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do No Harm by @riosnecktattoo i love this so much!!!!! beth n rio are in a kinda better place but still a bit of a Mess, and mick is doing a horrid job of managing the situation afgffhf. AND INJURIES HAVE LIKE...REAL LIFE CONSEQUENCES?! DID YOU KNOW ABOUT THIS???! no fake dating BUT there is like fake occupational therapising which if it isnt a trope it should be cos it is GOD TIER!!!!!!

24. What’s a trope that you’d like to never hear about as long as you live, let alone write?

lol, i’m not sure i have one of these??? i mean there’s def tropes i have no interest in writing, or reading abt, but idk that i NEVER wanna hear about them?! also like...naming a thing, allows you to discuss a thing? like, pointing out the manic pixie dream girl trope or fridging or bury your gays or whatever is useful

30. Post a snippet from your current WIP without context - no more than 300 words.

i have no real WIP and certainly no written words that I can produce a snippet from, so i cannot.

i do think that the next thing i write will probs be the next chapter of filing her nails though, and, at least at present, i think it will feature rio internally going on abt the fancy sashimi-grade salmon he buys but doesnt make sashimi with bc ofc, and how beth thinks he overcooks it, and how he thinks that is evidence of her being legitimately insane

distract me while i wait for this delivery for approx. ever

[echo-bleu]

WIP Headcount (2)

The WIPs from other fandoms that are in diverse stages of being abandoned. This is my WIP graveyard, which I’m going to dig into to see if any of the dead rises again.

Part one about my Shadowhunters WIPs here.

I’ll do it in inverse chronological order of fandom and put it under a cut because it might get rambly. Fandoms: Roswell New Mexico,The Gifted, Leverage/The Librarians.

Roswell NM

I left the fandom brutally and left too many WIPs unfinished. Almost six months later, I think it’s time to admit that unless season 3 pulls me back in (and it’s unlikely) I won’t be coming back to them. Which is a shame, because while I honestly can’t say I like the show at all anymore, I liked my WIPs.

Power Through:  I don’t know. There’s potential, I had a pretty good plot in mind, I still love the Gifted (unlike RNM) so I at least really like the world this is in, but also... It’s been too long. Going on the maybe list.

still, there were mornings: I liked the idea of it, as a fix-it for s2 and also as a soulmate concept, but it’s not going to get any further.

our hands clasped so tight: Damn, I liked this one. If there is one fic I want to finish, it’s probably our hands. It’s going at the top of the maybe list.

down to breathing: A 3+1 still missing 2 parts... but then the two existing parts stand alone fine. I only had a bit of the last part written and it wasn’t all that good.

Complicated Truths: I still like the idea of it, and it’s maybe the one AU that is the furthest from canon. So. I might try to start again. Or I might reuse the idea for something else.

setting fire to our insides (for fun) sequel: I wish I could say I’d write this, because I hate leaving it like this and so many people have asked me about the sequel, but I know it will never see the light of day. So I’m sorry about that.

Untitled Leverage AU: It was a fic I plotted out and started for the Big Bang before realizing that it would have to be far longer than I could manage. I wrote about 6k but it didn’t hold my interest. The plot is really nice though, so I want to say it’s up for adoption? If someone really wants to write a Leverage AU but doesn’t have any good ideas, I’ll give you mine ;)

The Gifted

The fandom is sadly long gone, and I left 3 WIPs unfinished.

All We Stand To Lose: I think we can consider this one abandoned. I know I won’t go back to it. I need to be in a specific mood to write that kind of angst and I don’t think it will ever come back for this fandom.

If You're Still Breathing: abandoned too. If I ever do the rewatch I’ve been saying I’ll do for about a year and a half, maybe I’ll find the drive to finish it, but honestly, probably not.

The Underground is still my longest and favorite fic overall. I’m really sad that I’ll never write the last part that I plotted out, but it’s also more of a slice-of-life fic so it stands quite well as it is. I’m considering writing an epilogue to tie up loose end and feel like I’ve properly finished it, because leaving it like this has been bugging me.

Leverage/The Librarians

I haven’t actually written anything for this fandom in ages, but I’ve also not given up on it. It seems to be one that I can actually come back to fairly easily, as I have several times before.

Every Chance We Get series (blind & autistic Eliot, autistic Parker, canon adjacent AU and eventual Librarians crossover). Rereading this, the backstory is a lot more dramatic and angsty than I’d write now, especially for a story leading to a disability. I don’t want to just scrap it all but I’m also not sure what to do with it tbh. There are parts I really like, so I want to finish and post them eventually, and I don’t want to end up rewriting everything cause that would be way too much work. I’ll try to find some kind of middle ground.

Every Chance We Get has one more chapter to go. It’s based on the Two-Horse job and, I think, mostly written, but I got stuck because I don’t actually know anything about horses. That was a year and a half ago, but hey, I can do this.

All that remains is set during the two David jobs, and it has 4 chapters and another 5k of unfinished snippets. I probably need to scale it down and just finish it instead of trying to give it a whole plot (I’m always a little too ambitious with WIPs).

Everything we fought for is not super advanced and also needs to be rewritten, probably. But it was a fairly important part of this series where the crew find out about Eliot’s health issues so I’ll need to write it properly.

The Limits of Endurance probably needs to be split in two. There’s the San Lorenzo Job, which I might have to scrap or rewrite because too much plot, and the Carnival Job, which could work as an episode coda much better. That one is probably close to done? I’m not sure.

I have about 2k (each) for pieces set during the Radio Job and the Rundown Job. I need to do something with them. I think I really need to scale it all down and accept that they’re all snippets rather than full fics so I can finally post them.

I planned a whole thing post Leverage s5 with the OT3, but unless the new show pulls me right in, it’s unlikely to see the light of the day. I might write a short thing instead about polyamorous queerplatonic relationship negotiations.

Then the Librarians crossover. I have quite a bit and none of it really makes sense as a standalone, which is annoying. The first part, Those Left Behind, is all posted. I think Daring to Dream could be posted as is, it’s angsty and the start of an Eliot/Cassandra friendship and eventual relationship (where Eliot is also in a queerplatonic relationship with Parker and Hardison). I think it needs a different title though. I might post it today actually, so that it’s done.

What was meant to be the second part of Daring to Dream should be written, I think, but I don’t have enough yet to want to go back to it and I’d need to rewatch the Librarians.

No Going Back is about Eliot and Jake and their father. It’s maybe 2/3 written and I’d really like to finish this one.

The Best of a Bad Situation is set after the Ice Giants episode of the Librarians and it’s h/c and I really love it, but there’s still quite a bit of it to write. And I also need to scale it down.

The Shape of Things to Come is a fic I like, it’s angsty in an intimate way and it’s 26k, but even if I scale it down too, there’s still a lot to write. And it doesn’t really make sense without all the fics that come before, so I can’t really just start posting it. I’ll get there, eventually.

I have a bunch of shorter bits and pieces started in this AU, but looking at it, only one of them really holds my interest, Lonely Roads. It’s a 5+1 of phone calls between Eliot and Jake. Only parts 1 & 2 are written, so there’s quite a bit of work left to do.

I really need to plunge back into all this, but I’ve got too many other WIPs too 😭