#chapter two is still just an unfinished draft that I will never finish

[that-nefarious-song]

Chapters: 2/2 Fandom: Psych (TV 2006) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Carlton Lassiter/Shawn Spencer, Burton "Gus" Guster & Shawn Spencer, Carlton Lassiter & Juliet O'Hara Additional Tags: Christmas Fluff, basically just shawn and lassie flirting while christmas decorating happens, jules and gus are there too tho, chapter two is the original draft that i got rid of, but i wanted to post that part cause i love the banter, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Getting Together, First Kiss, tried my best with the silly, Psych Discord Gift Exchange, basically a crack fic huh, Crack Treated Seriously, shawn has a pocket dimension he can pull random shit from, it's called "gus's car" Summary:

Carlton Lassiter and his honestly okay, maybe even good, Christmas Party.

[mooncello]

2024 in review

Alright, there's a handful of hours left in 2024. So many of you have tagged me which is lovely. Hi. So much brilliant and amazing work has been created and shared this year. As well as countless kind comments and fic recs and supportive messages and general community.

My roundup will be a little different. I'm not gonna focus on numbers or word counts. Instead, I thought I'd focus on the most unexpected and delightful surprise that happened this year: Dev and Niall.

I never dreamed that these two would show up in a Snowbaz fic (lost boys) and I'd become so enamored with them that I'd no longer want to write anyone else in the fandom. Ok, this is a slight exaggeration but only just.

So, here is my 2024 by way of Niall and Dev:

(under the cut because I can't write short things, even tumblr posts)

I started the year with the posting of lost boys. A weird, dark merging of Snowbaz and Neverland. I hope to finish this fic in 2025.

Here's how Niall showed up in lost boys (Baz POV):

I look up to see a boy. He has an absolute mess of shaggy brown hair, his eyes are kind, and there’s paint on his fingertips. “You seem to be the most sane person here,” the boy says, and lowers himself into the seat across from me in the school canteen. I raise an eyebrow at him. “Looks can be deceiving. Maybe I’m completely mad.” He laughs at this. A soft, gentle sound. “Most artists are. I’m Niall.”

And Dev:

There’s the solid thump of a hand against my shoulder and the dramatic collapse of tall, muscular limbs into the seat beside me. “My favourite nerd. How’s it going, cuz?” Dev flashes his white, perfect teeth at me before snatching my remaining bourbon biscuit. His fingernails are painted turquoise today, his dark hair is swept away from his face, and he’s wearing eyeliner. The bastard looks amazing. Despite being cousins, we never really hung out as kids. Always kept to different social circles. Which is to say Dev constantly had a roving pack of friends, and I had nobody (save for the lost boys in my dreams). But when I got outed this past spring, Dev decided to take a more active presence in my life. He even convinced me to join the football team with him. He’s charismatic and popular in his own way, and so unabashedly and loudly himself that even the nastiest bullies don’t bother him. It's been nice, having Dev in my life. Even though it means I now deal with his chaotic, abrasive personality all the goddamn time.

Around this time, I was also drafting my COBB tripping over stars, a celebrity AU with skateboarder Simon and model/influencer Baz Pitch. (I have no idea if I'll finish this one. I want to; we'll see.) Niall and Dev showed up again in very different roles. This time Niall was a competent asf talent manager, and Dev his in-the-background supportive partner. I love this Niall so much. He's so feisty.

There's the clicking of smart brogues across the wood floor, and Niall appears in my line of vision, his gold-brown eyes blazing at something behind me ... As both my talent manager and personal friend, Niall is a goddamn force. And people think I’m the ruthless one. (Maybe on the runway. No, definitely on the runway. But everywhere else it's Niall Niall Niall.) “Sweetie, what’s the problem?” I ask Niall. I’m still slouched in the ancient chair, my arse so numb I’ll need an extra-long bath tonight, and I feel the beginnings of a migraine coming on. “I’m fixing it,” Niall returns crisply, and I swear his eyebrow quirk is now superior to mine. The traitor. His breath is minty which means he’s been chewing wintergreen Altoids nonstop. Which means he’s either very stressed or trying very hard not to smoke. Probably both.

And here's a fun lil something from the unpublished, unfinished chapter 3:

“Shit. Fuck.” Niall’s fingers are flying across his phone. “Okay, okay, here’s what we’re going to do. Dev’s going to take you home. Wash up. Stay off your phone. Do not post a single goddamn thing. Do not engage with any post, any comment. Do not answer phone calls or emails. I’m going to stay here and get more information.” There’s the muffled clacking of dress loafers on porcelain tile, and my head snaps up to see Dev running down the long hallway towards us. He takes one look at me, and his eyes light up in a kind of horrified-transfixed combination. “Hell’s teeth, Basil. You look like the first murder victim in a horror movie.” He smirks. “Or a really sloppy vampire.” “Can you not,” I growl. My skin starts to burn and itch. I need to get this foul shit off me now. “Take him home.” Niall tosses his car keys to Dev without looking up from his phone. I can hear the soft rumble of guests in the grand foyer through the wall. Niall suddenly glances up, skin pinched between his eyebrows. “No, wait, pap will show up there. Take him to mine. Discreetly.” “You got it, babe,” Dev drawls. Niall returns his attention to his phone, and says in a tight voice, “Dev, darling, this is serious.” Dev rolls his eyes. “I know.” Then he loops his fingers around my non-splattered arm. “C’mon Nosferatu, we can sneak out the rear exit.”

I got majorly blocked on both of these fics during the spring. I had no clue where to take either. I blew up my original outlines because they didn't feel right. Like ... I was way more interested in how Niall and Dev met in the celebrity AU and began daydreaming their story more than Simon and Baz. 🤔

Around this time I saw a carry on prompt on tumblr for a Dev and Niall fic in which they play matchmaker to Simon and Baz. And the seed was planted for more than a footnote.

more than a footnote started as a lark. It was supposed to be six chapters, 12k max, silly, fluffy, ridiculous, not serious. A palate cleanser if you will, until I got clarity on my other two wips. HA. This fic has captured my entire heart, and it is my absolute favorite thing I've ever written. Niall and Dev get to be center stage, and it's been such fun to flesh these characters out.

From Niall's POV:

Dev has always been comfortable in his body. He’s open and confident in a way that makes my chest ache. I wish I were more like that, but I’m sinew and bone whereas Dev is polish and muscle. Half the time I feel like something the cat drags in, and Dev, well … Dev’s the cat.

And:

The truth is: Dev is stunningly beautiful. He’s got one of those faces you want to stare at. Dark, liquid eyes and sharp angles. Expressive mouth. Then you add his piercings and eyeliner and nail polish and … overall Dev-ness and— Like, yeah, I get his appeal. But his looks are only a sliver of who he is. People don’t actually know him, and I kinda hate how much everyone talks about his abs and his cock, and not about him as, you know, an actual person. Because he’s really cool, with wicked intuition and an absolutely mad sense of humour. Underneath all his swagger, he’s deeply good.

And from Dev's POV:

What was I supposed to say anyway? That I’m looking at him, always? That I want him? I’ve had months to think about it, and my list just keeps growing longer. Of what I wish I had the balls to say that night. You should never spell your irises blue because your big brown eyes are enough to make me commit forbidden magic, if you asked. Your hair keeps getting darker each year. So the ginger kid I met at the Crucible now has brown hair threaded with copper, and when the sunlight catches it, I kinda want time to stop because it’s one of the prettiest fucking things I’ve ever seen. Your smile could power the sun. It sure as fuck controls my breathing. You’re real and honest without even trying. And you have the weirdest sense of humour. You make me laugh. You always have. You’re my favourite person. Ever.

Yeah. I love these guys.

And can I just say that DeNiall stans are the best? So many of you have left the most amazing comments on mtaf, and I've enjoyed chatting with you as each chapter's gone up. @rimeswithpurple made gorgeous fanart from chapter 3 and the cutest, most colorful DeNiall friendship bracelet I wear all the time. And @monbons MADE DEV AND NIALL DOLLS. Which I still can't get over. Just last night I saw my snowflake exchange gift from @iamamythologicalcreature who illustrated fanart from chapter 1. I am speechless; it is so very beautiful.

And finally, to get ridiculously sentimental on main: I've loved this fic more than I thought possible, in large part, because I got to know @valeffelees through the writing of it. Words are gonna fail me, dude, so I'm just gonna say that your friendship is one of the best things from this year. HOW'S THAT FOR PUBLIC AFFECTION. Are we puking yet?

a few stray thoughts:

while I love collabs and fests (I had a lot of fun collaborating with @iamamythologicalcreature on lost boys and @shemakesmeforget on tripping over stars), I've definitely (unfortunately) learned that time-constrained fests are not my friends. I want to participate in them, but my brain is very unpredictable and I end up stressed and worried about disappointing people, like my collaborators and mods. As I write this, I'm painfully aware of how very late my exchange gift is gonna be. But I've given my recipient a heads up and I swear the wait will be worth it. 🩵

I feel like I'm a slow writer. Perhaps speed is subjective. I do know that I have so many ideas bursting at the seams of my brain, and I often wonder what my creative output would be like if I didn't have my mental health shit to contend with. I spent entire weeks frozen this year, deep in my cave, unable to touch my writing projects. For someone for whom creativity is essential in feeling fully human, it sucks to have that part of myself unreachable. Urgency is a construct of capitalism so I'm trying to resist that wretched sense that I'm losing time, falling behind, etc, while I still have so much that only exists in my mind, desperate to be shared w others. Fics, original novels, screenplays, on and on. A filmmaker friend of mine gave me the advice: Don't plot it out. Trust the process. And nature reminds me all the time to allow things the time they need. You can't force it. Fuck, it's easier to say all that than actually let it settle into my bones. But I'm trying.

A spot of brightness: All of you. This community. As others have already mentioned in their roundups, truly the best part of the past year has been the relationships. I cannot list everyone but you know who you are. I didn't know I could be known and cared for in this way. I've been writing on my own for a very long time, and it feels deliriously good to write in community. To have friends and betas and cheerleaders, and to be these in return. Like, what the fuck. I'm never gonna write in isolation again.

Ngl I'm heading into the new year with large amounts of trepidation. It's gonna get even scarier than it already is for several vulnerable populations here in the US, including my trans community. But I also have a rooted focus and clarity. I'm gonna keep writing queer love stories. I'm going to nurture queer and trans community in my town. I'm gonna keep hanging out with all of you. Y'all make the world better and brighter, more honest and brilliant. Love ya. 🩵

thank you for the tags: @run-for-chamo-miles, @drowninginships, @artsyunderstudy, @emeryhall, @monbons

@rimeswithpurple, @ileadacharmedlife, @alexalexinii, @best--dress, @you-remind-me-of-the-babe

@imagineacoolusername, @skeedelvee

tagging: @valeffelees @blackberrysummerblog @orange-peony @youarenevertooold @shrekgogurt

@hushed-chorus, @whatevertheweather, @cutestkilla @iamamythologicalcreature,

@bookish-bogwitch @thewholelemon @brilla-brilla-estrellita, @larkral @messofthejess

[ffcrazy15]

"Just Write For Yourself"

I think the thing that gets to me the most about the whole "just write for yourself!" response to writers complaining the lack of engagement in fanfic, is that it makes me realize that there's a fundamental misunderstanding between writers and readers of how much work writing fic is.

Like, there are 2-3 scenes in any given oneshot or chapter that I want to write. I usually write those first. They'll take me a couple of, very enjoyable, hours at most.

And then I have to go back and write the whole rest of the fic. Which is work. And it's usually not immediately enjoyable.

For example, one of my best fics on AO3 is a Star Trek fanfic called Rascal'ed. This was one of the fics that was easiest for me to write, one of the ones that just possesses you until it's done. It took me less than five days to create.

And I still had to go back in and fill in blank spots and cut bad prose and revise the dialogue.

If you want to see what a difficult fic to write looks like, like my fic Leap of Faith, here's what I do for my stories that I actually plan out:

And that's just the planning. I still have to write the damn thing. And there are things in the above layout—which is just for Chapter 1, mind—that got changed between this and the final published version of the chapter. You can see that the title of the story itself was changed at some point.

So when people say, "write for yourself, not for engagement!" What I personally hear is: "I as a reader do not understand how much work writers put into getting a story into a publishable form, and I also do not realize how easy it would be for them to write the couple of scenes they enjoyed writing and then to let it sit forever in their drafts."

(Of these eight fics—averaging more than 20 pages each—only two of them ever made it to AO3. The rest remain unfinished and unpublished.)

And for the record: I, personally, have wonderful readers. Kind, attentive readers who leave me comments engaging with the work. And it's because of them that I continue to publish stories! Like, I don't want to sound like sour grapes here, because I know that I get way more comments than many great writers out there.

But I've seen, across the board, writers trying to express that they are just not getting the engagement that they desire and expect for the work they put in, and people responding with "you shouldn't expect engagement; just write for yourself."

And the thing is, I know they're not trying to be rude. I know that! Of course they don't know how hard we work, who would have ever told them? We can't blame them for not knowing what they've never been told. Which is why I just felt the need to get out here and say:

Writing fics takes a lot of work. A lot of work. Hours upon hours of unpaid labor. Any fic that you see on AO3 or Fanfiction.net or Wattpad, is not something someone wrote solely for themselves. They could have just daydreamed about it, or written a couple of scenes and then left it unfinished. But they chose to put in the hard work it took to finish it. Because they wanted other people to read and engage with it.

Please engage with it.

Because if all fic writers ever hear is "you should just write for yourself"—we might start believing it.

[arabaka]

₊˚ʚ ☁️ ₊˚ ♡ ﾟ. content warnings ⤸ sfw. fluff + angst for the birthday boy! spoilers for chapter 236. 736 words. while i don't mind ageless/minors interacting with my sfw posts, do NOT follow if you do not have your age in bio.

₊˚ʚ ☁️ ₊˚ ♡ ﾟ. author's note ⤸ maxine voice from russian doll: sweet birthday baby!!! i had this sitting around in my drafts and honestly been going through it so... we love-self care. also peep the httyd quote B)

He’s already seen everyone else (Suguru, Nanami, Haibara, and Yaga) but there’s still some unfinished business for the strongest, the ill-fated, Gojo Satoru.

After all, it’s a long known fact that Gojo Satoru really died when you did.

“Well,” Gojo stands, dusting off his uniform pants, “Gotta go.”

“Leaving so soon?” Geto asks with a knowing smirk.

“Yeah. Got a date, ya’ know.”

Of course, you’d reunite at an airport terminal of all places. The staple location for every cheesy rom-com movie, where the twist is that both lovers are dead.

What can you say; spending even just a few years in limbo will round out the humor in you.

But it’s also perfect, in its own way. How many rom-coms did you watch with him that had this exact scene in them? How many times had you recreated those corny, predictable scenes anytime you had to travel with sincerity because between the two of you… One couldn’t really live without the other.

Maybe there really is something to this airport effect.

You’re both running so fast, desperate to leave all the time you spent apart in the past.

Gojo sweeps you off your feet, somehow staying grounded on his despite the boom of excitement between the two of you. Your giggles make him giggle and it’s like you were never apart.

When you kiss, he remembers what it felt like when he really had someone to keep living for. 

The memories don’t stop there: a dam of his own making cracks under the pressure before splitting apart entirely. It still hurt to reminisce on those times you shared, even after all those years it never got any better. But with you back in his arms, the experiences have been returned to their original glory. Their original joy.

He can see them all so clearly. 

The look of annoyed disgust you gave him when you met as first-years at Jujutsu High: he never did let you live down your initial distaste for him and you never let him forget why you gave him that look in the first place. But it sure as hell didn’t stop you two from sneaking off to make out when you should have been practicing.

The gleam in your eyes when he told you I love you for the first time: you had cried right after and had him thinking he did something wrong but you more than made up for it when you tackled him to the ground, sobbing “I love yous” right back. 

The warmth of your arms when he’d wake up screaming the nights following the first time he’d lost Suguru: he never could thank you enough for giving him such a perservering comfort.

He’s seeing it all: graduation, birthdays, holidays…

A flash of you and him in the bed you shared, in the apartment you two called home, and the night he proposed… How you said yes before he could even finish the sentence.

And that's where it ends because you'd be gone before the two of you could even announce your engagement.

Gojo never loved after you, didn’t even try to find someone else because no one could ever come close to you.

Now here you are, in his arms again… Where you belong. He kisses you over and over again with the fervor of a man starved, Gojo desperate to reacquaint himself with the way you taste and feel.

“I was beginning to think you forgot about me.” You tease, arms looped tenaciously around his neck; you aren’t letting go this time.

“Pft- You? Never, baby.” His lips skirt yours, “You don’t know how much I’ve missed this.”

Gojo makes you laugh. He always could.“I think I have an idea.” You chuckle, your eyes crinkling as you smile.

“Let me look at you.” You both say at the same time, falling in love with each other all over again. 

With an air of remorse and his pretty blues saturated with sadness, Gojo whispers, “You’re as beautiful as the day I lost you.” His heart still aches like it's become a muscle memory. “I should’ve–”

“Hey.” Your hands firmly grasp his face, “Stop that.” You give him a good shake with that determined look in your eyes he's longed for all these years. “We're together again. I don't know for how long or what comes next but… For better or worse, right?” 

“For better or worse.” Gojo agrees and for the first time in a long time he smiles without guilt, thinking to himself:

“I’m hoping this isn’t a dream.”

[ink-and-dagger]

I was finally able to read DWM and I love it (I haven't finished it entirely yet) but I'm on the part where Astrid or we get drunk and there is a mention of strip poker and I was wondering if like in alternative universe, we do it.

You dont have to do the request but I still just wanna say THANK YOU FOR WRITING DRINK WITH ME AND IVE BEEN TRYING TO READ IT FOR A WHILE BUT I DIDNT HAVE A ARCHIVE ACC YET and it is so amazing and I don't regret it one bit.

LOVE YOU

Meep moop you’re too sweet 🥺 Thank you so much for your kind words, and I’m glad it was worth the wait! I hope the rest lives up to your expectations 💜

FUNNILY ENOUGH, my dear one, I have had a draft of this exact AU just sitting in my phone notes for well over a year. Another anon sent in the request not long after that chapter was first published. It’s unlikely that I’ll ever work on it any more than I already have, so… here you go. It’s unfinished, unedited, copied straight from my phone notes and rougher than an alligator’s asshole. But I hope it at least gives you some idea of how things might have gone down.

A/N I don’t understand how to play poker and refuse to learn so don’t come for me on accuracy

DRINK WITH ME - STRIP POKER AU ��️♦️

SFW just lots of flirting || MDNI || Unedited

You’re surprised you didn’t think of it first.

You’re even more surprised that he actually suggests it.

“How do you feel about upping the stakes?” The sly curl of Silco’s lips doesn’t match the blasé cadence of his question.

“You don’t have enough money already? You want to swindle a lowly bartender out of her meagre savings?”

“At the rate I’m paying you? You’re the one swindling me,” he counters breezily, “But no. I was thinking of a different sort of collateral.”

Your eyebrow arches, “And what collateral might that be?”

“Clothing.”

That smirk widens. His eyes are fixed on you, and not on the cards he shuffles; precise, dexterous fingers making quick work of the deck. Honestly, is there anything the man can’t make look seductive? You’ve never been more jealous of an inanimate object in your life.

Your laugh comes out a little louder than intended, thanks to the alcohol which clouds your head, “You want to play strip poker?”

“I do.”

“It’s a little unfair don’t you think? Considering you’re wearing more clothes than a prudish piltie gentlewoman while I only have my top and trousers?”

“Seems perfectly fair to me.”

You scoff, “How so?”

“You forced me to play your ridiculous game,” he answers smoothly, “I think it only fair you play mine.”

You suck your teeth, and his smirk widens as he sends the cards flying between his two palms in a cheap, ostentatious trick that does nothing to actually shuffle them.

You cross your arms and sniff haughtily, “I’ll need a show of good faith.”

Silco takes his time; loosening the knot of his tie, pulling the silken fabric from beneath his collar, and hanging it neatly over the back of the sofa. Your own lips curl slowly upwards as you enjoy the show. And you’re suddenly warm enough that the idea of losing a few items of clothing doesn’t sound so bad.

“Will that suffice?”

“Let’s play,” you purr.

You keep your face as blank as possible as you look at the flush in your hand.

All your jewellery sits in a neat golden pile on the table, and is the only reason you’re not stark naked by now.

You’d expected Silco to complain when you’d lost the first hand and had pointedly removed a single hoop earring. But he hadn’t. He’d sat perfectly serenely while his gaze darted over you; cataloguing how many pieces of jewellery you were wearing, and calculating how many hands he’d need to win to get to the good stuff.

The fact that he hadn’t looked fazed in the least should have been your first clue. The bastard is good at poker. Or very, very lucky.

Along with your jewellery, you’re also missing both shoes and socks. Leaving you only with main items of clothing left. But you’ve been granted a reprieve in the form of a winning streak. The last few rounds have gifted you with Silco’s boots and both his socks. And, unless he’s hiding something you can’t see, you’re about to win an exquisitely tailored waistcoat.

He places down his cards and you whoop loudly, fanning your superior hand out next to his.

“Take it off,” you grin, reclining expectantly back against the sofa arm.

Again, he looks suspiciously calm as his begins unfastening the golden clasps on his vest.

You sway your head from side-to-side and begin singing under your breath; the corny kind of background music you find in low-budget pornos played in the dodgy, back-alley picture houses that litter the Lanes.

“Bow-chicka-wha—“

“Stop that.”

You watch his fingers work open the two straps that cinch his waist so nicely.

“I’ve always wondered how you get out of that thing.”

The words slip out before you’ve fully considered the connotation of them. The tips of your ears burn when Silco pauses, and raises his gaze to yours.

He takes a moment before answering, “It’s easier than it looks.”

“That so?”

“Mhm.”

“Good to know.”

His dual-eyes remain locked with yours as he shrugs out of the vest and hangs it off the back of the sofa along with his tie.

Silco deals again.

The round ends quickly. Along with your winning streak.

You stare at your shitty hand and suck your teeth. When you look up from the cards, you’re greeted with an understated expression of pure evil.

You weigh your options.

Although currently tucked into your waistband; the shirt you’re wearing today is fairly long.

So you opt for trousers.

You untuck your shirt so that it protects at least a little of your modesty, and carefully wiggle out of your trousers whilst remaining seated. Silco’s eyes glint like the edge of a blade, and you can feel their razor point trace a line from your feet, all the way up to your thighs.

“Never seen a bit of leg before?”

“Never a pair quite so fine.”

You snort a laugh, and make a show of crossing one over the other, “Quite the charmer, aren’t you?”

He doesn’t respond, merely smirks while he shuffles, before dealing with just a touch too much enthusiasm.

You’re once again left with a shitty hand. And sigh to yourself when Silco fans out four of a kind.

He looks positively gleeful.

Well. At least you wore a bra today. One of your nicer ones that matches your underwear too, thank the Eternals. And if you’re going down, might as well make a show of it. You loosen your shirt fastenings — relishing the thrum of Silco’s impatience with how slow you do so, despite his outward appearance being the picture of composed grace.

The material parts and slinks off your shoulders. And you take entirely too much satisfaction in the swell of Silco’s pupils.

You shrug out of it entirely, dropping it next to your trousers on the floor, and arrange yourself into a more flattering pose on the sofa facing him; legs tucked to the side, and your elbow upon the back of the sofa, enabling you to lean casually in a way that lengthens your body.

He absently shuffles the deck as he rakes his gaze over every inch of you.

You tut and hold out your hand, “If you’re too distracted to deal, then let me. I’m convinced you’re cheating anyway.”

“I’m not cheating,” he replies smoothly, but places the deck in your waiting hand regardless, “You have the worst poker face I’ve ever witnessed in my life.”

You smirk as you shuffle the cards; lacking Silco’s finesse.

“In that case, I might actually stand a chance of winning now. Seeing as you can’t keep your eyes off my tits.”

His gaze flicks up to meet yours, and his smirk widens at the same time yours does.

You deal.

And keep your triumph to yourself up until the moment Silco shows his hand.

“Full House babyyy,” you jeer, laying your cards down atop his.

You reach for your drink, taking a smug sip at the subtle tightening of Silco’s jaw. To his credit, he dutifully untucks his shirt from his trousers and begins a slow descent down the front with his fingers.

Your heart beats faster, spurred by anticipation and booze.

He parts the material.

“Are you fucking kidding me?!!”

Silco merely smiles at your outrage – small and banal – as he shrugs out of the maroon fabric, leaving him in a fitted black undervest.

“No fair. I demand compensation. You owe me nipples.”

“I owe you nothing.”

“Just one then.”

“No.”

“Come on. Quick flash.”

“How about I allow you to deal again? That’s more than fair.”

You grumble under your breath, snatching and shuffling the cards with a touch too much force.

And of course you lose the hand.

You glare at Silco.

“Deck’s rigged.”

“No it isn’t.”

“Is.”

“Sweetheart,” Silco croons emphatically, all at once managing to sound sincere, patronising, and suggestive, “Even a man such as myself has his morals. I don’t cheat at cards, and I always keep my word.” His eyes sharpen, “Question is, do you always keep yours? You agreed to play, after all.”

You’re certain that the fire beneath your skin is flickering openly in your gaze.

He reclines comfortably back and waits.

You’re certain he must be able to see the way your pulse races beneath your jawline. Perhaps even the urgent drum of your heart against your exposed ribcage. Excitement? Embarrassment? You don’t know, and you’d rather not cross examine yourself for the answer.

Crossing one arm over your chest, you reach your other behind your back and unfasten your bra. You slip it out from beneath your forearm and discard it to the floor, before crossing the other arm across your chest to cover as much as you can from him.

Silco’s ruined eye glows like stoked coal, sinful mouth curled in shameless victory.

“Would you like to shuffle, or shall I?”

Your hands may be otherwise occupied, but you still manage to poke your middle finger up over your crossed forearms well enough.

His chuckle reverberates in your bones, and you pray he doesn’t spot the goosebumps the sound raises across your thighs.

He shuffles and deals; leaving your cards stacked on the sofa just out of reach, and watches with no small amount of vulpine amusement as you glare at him, adjust your breasts to remain concealed behind a singular arm, and reach forward for your cards.

Straight Flush. Victory blooms fizzy and electric inside your chest, but you’re careful to keep it from travelling to your face.

You look up at Silco and find him utterly emotionless. You’ll give him that. His poker face is immaculate. You wonder if it will crack once he sees your nearly unbeatable hand.

You lay down the cards with a smirk.

He meets your gaze.

And lays his own down.

You feel the blood drain from your face.

Royal Flush.

The smile that cuts his face is pure evil.

Silco’s eyes flick briefly down to your one remaining item of clothing. He extends his hand, silently, and waits patiently for his prize.

[courtney-deserved-better]

seeing as it’s now been one year since the last chapter of slippery slopes was posted, i decided to make a big sappy post talking about what this fic has meant to me over the last two and a half years

i started writing slippery slopes after a bolt of inspiration struck me on this post. i’d tried writing my fair share of long fics prior, most of them remaining unpublished and all of them unfinished. i’m not quite sure what made me think i could write slippery slopes other than a strong desire to write the alenoah fic i wanted to read but that didn’t exist at the time. slippery slopes was the 30th fic posted in the alenoah tag, which didn’t have any finished long fics at the time. i think if you told 2021 pj that in two years there would be over 600 alenoah fics, many of them tdwt rewrites, their head would explode.

i honestly had no idea what i was jumping into when i started writing slippery slopes. looking back, i was very insecure about my writing. i’d actually forgotten about that until i was reading some posts i’d made while i was still writing it, where i wondered if i was going to be able to pull off the miscommunication plotline and the unplanned alecourtney friendship. almost every announcement of a chapter draft being completed included me saying i felt weird about it, or thought it was bad. i felt incredibly uncomfortable writing serious angst and when that started playing an important role in the fic at around chapter seven i feared that my writing was awful and other people would dislike it the way i had. i genuinely don’t think it hit me that slippery slopes was a popular fic until a few months before it became the most kudosed fic on ao3.

back then, i was able to understand why other people liked slippery slopes, but i couldn’t read it without cringing. i’m not sure when exactly the switch flipped—probably after i finally finished it and was able to distance myself from the writing process—but it became a fic that i’m incredibly proud of. i can reread it now and enjoy it without cringing in the slightest. i was able to see my writing as good, and well-crafted. i will always appreciate slippery slopes as a fic where i grew incredibly as a writer. i understand how to plan out long fics while still allowing for spontaneity. i can comfortably write angst. i feel strong in my choices for characterization and friendship even if it may seem unconventional. i have so much more confidence in my writing now, and a lot of that is thanks to you all.

other than desperately wanting an alenoah tdwt rewrite fic, a huge part of why i wrote slippery slopes was because i felt lonely in the td fandom and was hoping that this fic could connect me with more people out there. and boy oh boy it sure has. and not just the plethora of alenoah shippers—way more than i expected—but there were also people who didn’t ship alenoah, but still stayed for the story, and people who had never considered alenoah but gave my fic a chance and ended up shipping it anyway. when i didn’t believe my writing was good, there were many, many kind commenters who showed my fic love and encouraged me to keep going with it. and even now, there are commenters whose fresh excitement make me feel like all the time i spent on this fic was so, so worth it. and they all inspire me to keep writing. 

i may be a good writer, but i don’t think i can ever fully express what everyone’s support has done for me. i still struggle to wrap my mind around the fact that there are dozens of drawings of my fic that you all have made! that’s crazy! i am so, so lucky to have such wonderful readers, and i hope you all know how incredibly grateful i am. slippery slopes would not exist without you. this was a joint effort. it’s amazing to me how a spontaneously started fic for a crackship ended up changing the total drama fandom landscape the way it did. who would’ve guessed that a simple whim to write an alenoah fic could become quite the slippery slope.

[cheesenames]

AO3 Wrapped: Writer's Edition

I was tagged by the lovely @batrachised and I will learn from her example by just skipping questions I find boring

Words written this year: 27,893

Works written this year: 8 (a nice even split of 4 for each of the fandoms I write in)

Work Most Proud of: It almost feels like cheating to use a collaborative work, but I'm really pleased with Bioethically Speaking, Mr. Sheev. I feel like I've already said this a zillion times, but figuring out how to tell a story and show characters' personalities within the limits of the format (email chains) was a challenge I enjoyed + I think it turned out well

Work with Most Hits: Conveniently also Bioethically Speaking

Fav title: "may they never forsake you" came from a poem that's been bouncing around my head for more than a year, so I'm glad I finally found a place to use it

Pairing You Wrote the Most For: I barely write romance at all, but this year I've got an in-progress fic where Anidala just keep getting married again and again and again, so they win by default

What Work was the Quickest To Write: I'm pretty sure Set her up for ever took less than 30 minutes

What Work Took You Longest To Write: Two of the three multi-chapter fics I started this year remain unfinished, so probably those. I was so sure I was going to finish one of them before Halloween...........

How Many WIPS do you have for next year: Besides the two fics from question 8, I've got 3 stories I've started drafting and no guarantee that I'll finish any of them. I would also really like to try writing a story not in English next year, though I've got no ideas connected to that goal yet

Longest Work of the Year: boring, next

Shortest Work of the Year: boring, next

Fav character to Write: Anyone I can make fun of a little bit. Lately the main targets of that have been Mr. Bennet (???) and Anakin Skywalker

Which work of yours have you re-read the most: Probably that dream within a dream because I have to remember what I've written so I can continue it lol

Total Kudos this Year: boring, next

Total Hits This Year: boring, next

Total Bookmarks This Year: comedically skewed by a single fic, next

Total Subscriptions This Year: I'm actually not skipping this one because I don't understand why 58 people subscribed to a bunch of one-shots. I'm not complaining, it's very flattering, I just feel a little bad that they're not going to get any more

What Do You Listen To While Writing: silence <3

Fav line or passage: Uhhhhhhhhhhh. I have various lines that amused me (to everyone's detriment, I do think I'm funny) but I feel like my favorite is from a fic that generally underwhelmed me? It was one of those situations where I couldn't get the idea out of my head without writing it, but I knew going in that I would probably not be able to write it in a way that satisfied me. But we try anyway, and maybe next year I'll revisit the concept to try it again. Anyway, here's Obi-Wan and Sabé being mean to each other post-RotS:

“I fought him off, I got her off the planet, I held her hand while she—” Obi-Wan took a deep breath, realizing how dangerously close he’d come to spilling another secret. “While she died. And all that time, you were safe on Naboo, not even knowing she was in danger.” “Fought him off? He’s alive, and you’re alive, and she’s dead, and you expect me to laud you for your supposed heroics?” “It was more than you did!” “And whose fault was it,” Sabé spat, “that she was ever in danger in the first place? Who brought that viper into her life, who trained it to act docile so she’d never expect the attack? We both know what he’s done, and you’re still lamenting him?” “I know what this is,” Obi-Wan said nastily. “It’s the jealousy again. She made one decision without you, and you never forgave her, and you can’t stand that I proved myself more loyal to her—to both of them.”

No-pressure tagging @animazi , @midnight-melancholiaaa , @twicesonnet , @wlwanakin plus anyone else who sees this and wants to do it (because I surely would have tagged you if I’d made the connection between your tumblr and ao3 usernames)

[pedgito]

wip wednesday

love you @ovaryacted thank you for the tag after a much needed break. i've got some ideas brewing BUT, i had a few series that i left unfinished during my hiatus that i do plan on finishing, i swear.

this is a little ramble-y so i'm putting it under a read more

remorse for remedy (kink series)

i've got the remaining chapters outlined and half written, so those will be released as i tie them up

absolution (step!uncle joel)

part two was nearly finished, so that will come pretty soon and then i'll be onto part three. i never stopped thinking about these goofs, so i don't plan to abandon it

i've got a part two for placatis on the horizon, which will probably come after gladiator ii is out.

as for outstanding wips/ideas

dating apps + max phillips is still a thing

some enemies to lovers javi involving hand written, snarky notes left on each other's desk

AND HEAT ABOVE, this is still on the road to becoming a full blown tommy miller series for my tommy girlies (gn)

also, mma frankie is sitting in my drafts awaiting a post

alongside a joel fic that i didn't have the courage to post, given some of the context of it. but i tend to lean more toward darker writing as of late and may post if i find the courage, i'll include a couple snippets of both below.

strangers (jackson!joel, dubcon elements)

You settled between his legs more comfortably, raising up on scabbed up knees and dragging your fingers delicately along the shaft and down to his balls, watching them tighten at the attention you showed before you’re leaning down to take his cock into your mouth without much of a warning. Joel shifts slightly and you anticipate him to push you away. But, really, you just wanted to thank him. It was the only way you’ve learned how. He breathes out softly, the first sound you’ve heard since you touched him. You drag your tongue from base to tip, hand pressed his cock flat against it as you circle around the tip before dipping back down, slipping back into the motions so easily it feels mind-numbing.

make you mine (mma frankie)

“You’re off your game,” Frankie comments, “tucking your thumb like that.” He nods down and corrects it for you, “Come on, seriously?” “What?” You bark through a laugh, trying to yank your hand away but Frankie holds it in playfully, testing your strength. “You know better,” Frankie smirks, tilting his head slightly. This was so much of the boy you missed—that glint of excitement in his eye, the soft smile and kind and innocent eyes. But, the longer you stare, the less it feels like innocence. Fuck, you couldn’t do this. But, still. You allowed it.

no tags this time around, but if you're wanting to share wips feel free to tag me!

[iced-blood]

Sugar, Spice, and Everything Ice.

I’ve been quiet this year.

This isn’t to say I haven’t been doing anything, as folks may have noticed. I’ve put up a whole mess of links to the work I’ve been doing in 2023—a grand total of 105 chapters—and that’s what I want to touch base on, at this tail-end of the year.

I found out early on in January that a dear friend of mine, my creative partner and the reason for my Paved with Good Intentions series, passed away in 2021. I’m not sure what it was, but that news hit me in a particular way. I realized that two of the projects in that aforementioned series, Blue Eyes, Violet Eyes and Lightbringer, were unfinished.

That didn’t sit right with me.

I set out to fix that.

There are many projects I’ve started that I never finished, and have been left languishing for . . . ten years? Yeah. Ten years.

That’s just ridiculous.

I decided that 2023 was going to cooperate with me whether it wanted to or not.

So, I bought a day-planner and set to work. Let’s go over the list, shall we?

Coronam Crepusculum

This was first on my list because it was a work that I owed a good friend of mine, who is no longer a regular user of Tumblr. It’s a take on the Soulsborne universe, built around a series of personal interviews with relevant characters conducted by an OC I created specifically for this purpose, Wandulfin of Vinheim.

(the latin title translates, hopefully, to “crown of twilight”)

                                51,377 words.

Paved with Good Intentions: Blue Eyes, Violet Eyes

The first of the two stories I knew I needed to finish in memory of my departed friend, I resolved to write the 19 chapters required to reach a clean finish line for this one-shot collection of 100 installments. It felt like the right way to go about things, and I think I worked out a lot of important elements of the Kaiba brothers through those 19 chapters.

                                165,386 words.

Paved with Good Intentions: Lightbringer

The second of the two stories written in my friend’s memory, this is still being published every Saturday. I wrote what amounted to the second half of this story, 55 chapters to be exact, for a grand total of 110 (of which 98 are published as of this post). I think it’s some of my best work to date, and I can only hope my partner would have appreciated what became of it. Have you ever wondered how Seto and Mokuba would react to meeting their parents again? If so, this is the story for you.

                                Published + Rough Draft: 159,930 words.

The City That Wouldn’t Die

The first full storyline of my personal take on World of Warcraft and my main character’s place in it, this story has undergone a lot of changes since I last touched it. This year, I resolved to end it at a part that made at least some amount of sense, but I won’t pretend that it’s entirely satisfactory. All I can say at this point is that I do intend to come back to Azeroth eventually. And this time, I hope to give my characters the story they deserve.

                                41,890 words.

Cult of the Dragon King

I’m pretty sure this is the one that’s been left alone the longest; if it isn’t, it’s close. The basic thrust of this story is that Atem failed in his quest to gather the Millennium Items and put them to rest properly, and so it falls to Seto Kaiba to try this time. I could go into detail why I picked Seto to be Atem’s successor, but I think y’all know what to expect here. I picked Seto because he’s my favorite. Anyway, this one isn’t ready to resume publishing, but it has been drafted. Anyone who’s been waiting for this one to continue will want to pay attention to this blog in 2024.

                                Published + Rough Draft: 175,246 words.

The Lost Dragon's Lullaby

Another AU centered around the Kaiba family (what can I say? I'm a creature of habit), this story wonders what it would have been like if Noa had lived. What if Seto and Mokuba had another brother when they were adopted? What if they had a mother? What would the Kaiba family look like if it were whole?

Approx. 62,609 words.

Watching the Lights Go Down

One of two stories I revived this year, and will resume publication in the new year. Do you Blueship? Do you wonder how Seto and Kisara might interact in the modern world, regardless of romantic intentions? This is the story for you. I took a set of 100 words to use as prompts to build this story, and through these 100 snapshots I think you’ll get a pretty clear picture of how I imagine Seto’s relationship with his favorite dragon would unfold if said dragon was a woman. And his bodyguard.

                                Approx. 52,789 words.

Letting the Cables Sleep

This is a sister story to the one I just outlined. Taking place concurrently with Lights, this story explores the relationship between Noa Kaiba and Ryo Bakura. Why these two? Why not? I don’t really have an answer, except to say that I found their dynamic interesting. Unlike its other half, Cables is explicitly romantic. So if you’re interested in Domino City’s resident white-haired cryptid hooking up with an android, well, here’s where you wanna go. I used the same list of 100 words, but in reverse order, to build this story.

                                Approx. 52,708 words.

Butterflies and Hurricanes

The other contender for “story Ice left to languish for the longest time,” I’m not sure I have to explain to anyone reading this why I might have stopped working on a Harry Potter story. Put basically, this story is an exploration into what would happen if a fae prince took an interest in taking down Lord Voldemort, and then settled on Sirius Black as his instrument. It’s a time travel story at its core, with all the nonsense you might expect from such a thing.

Regardless of anything this series’ author might have to say on the matter, my writing this story does not in any way endorse or condone transphobia or any of her other myriad bigotries. I have not given this woman money in 20 years. I do not support her in any way, shape, or form. This story’s completion is for my own satisfaction, and for the interest of anyone who might want to read it. That is all.

                Published + Rough Draft: 80,506 words.

The Whitest Lace of Light

A continuation of my pet take on the Bleach setting, focused again on Toshiro Hitsugaya and Rangiku Matsumoto and their Tenth Division. Throughout the 50 chapters of this story, they face off with a new threat to Soul Society as they try their hardest to rebuild after the Thousand-Year Blood War. Throughout this . . . suspense? Thriller? Thing. They come across new faces and old, and might just learn some things along the way. Or something. Look, I just wanted to write one of my favorite ships again.

                                Rough Draft: 30,033 words.

At Sixes and Sevens: A Prince for His Kingdom

The shortest work I completed this year, but certainly not the least important. This is a continuation of my pet take on the “Kaiba Bros Age Swap AU” as first shown to me by my dear friend @kintatsujo. How might Seto have handled an invitation to Duelist Kingdom if he’d been 9 years old when it took place? What about Mokuba, if he was 15? Shenanigans abound. I hope you like where I took this one, Kinta.

                                5,000 words.

Last but not least, I resolved to break my record for my longest NaNoWriMo project this year, because I’m ridiculous and don’t know when to quit.

Much like I approached World of Warcraft,I take every MMORPG I play as an excuse to build a story. Nowhere is this more obvious than Final Fantasy XIV. My take on Eorzea and its various magical idiosyncrasies—which I call The Song That God Forgot—set me on a road to 125,000 words this past November.

These projects, alongside various redrafts of my older stories in preparation for what I hope to be 2024’s migration from Fanfiction.Net to AO3, netted me a grand total of 902,580 words written in 2023.

I don’t say this to brag or to pat myself on the back (okay, maybe a bit), but to say . . . just hold on. Keep going. You’ll hit your stride eventually, even if it doesn’t seem like it. I’ve struggled to write regularly and with consistency for a decade now, and here I’ve got nearly a million words in a single year.

I believed in me this year, and I believe in you too.

Keep on truckin’. You’ll get there.

Happy New Year, y’all. I love you.

[captmickey]

4, 10, 16, 29?

4 - A story idea you haven’t written yet

Of the many? I haven't written yet Rosella meeting Boybrush's friends and becoming inadvertently bestie with Dee. It's something I'd like to write but just, I don't know, never got around to it.

It's an idea that keeps popping up every now and again but it never seems to get past the daydreaming stage.

10 - What is the longest amount of time you’ve let a draft rest before you finished it?

Ignoring the three fics left unfinished and the two still in the drafy stage? Hmm, I want to say a year and a half, almost two for Brotherhood... but that was a chapter that was stuck as a draft.

A fic though, um... that's a good question. I genuinely can't think of anything off the top of my head. I'm sure it'll hit me in the middle of the night.

16 - Favorite place to write

Either on my bed or at work during down time. It doesn't happen often but I get the most writing at my office desk... something about having to get as much done as quickly as possible seems to be a motivator. Actually, it's at my work desk where I finished Sea of Adventurers and Act 8 haha

29 - How easy is it for you to come up with titles?

....it's actually really hard, haha. Trying to think of something good that gives an idea of the fic but not repeating but it being not too corny... I overthink a lot.

Fun fact, Three Adventurers was a place holder until I thought of a better title...

...Guess what never happened.

[ashilrak]

ahhhh i've been trying to subscribe to that idea of posting despite it not being "perfect" and for the most part i'm happy with it and totally recommend. but sometimes i get such intrusive thoughts when i read other fics and they're so good and i think about mine and i know i shouldn't compare, it takes time and work and it doesn't mean people don't enjoy my fics etc etc but there's a shame that creeps in that makes me want to hide and delete them sometimes. 😅

oh and i also have adhd so i get so many ideas but i keep bouncing between them. sometimes they're for multi-chapter fics but i disappear in-between bc my brain decided to jump into a different fandom for x amount of time before bouncing back. i know i write for myself and all but i still feel guilty and ashamed when i leave people who clearly enjoy the story for months before updating. have you ever experienced this? how do you deal with it?

Hi! I've experienced all of this. At some points, it's been the sort of thing that has torn me up and at others it's been negligible.

For me, it comes back to writing for myself. It's very easy to get caught up with wanting to do something for the readers, especially when I know how haunted I personally am by fics that I've adored reading that remain unfinished. There are some unfinished fics I have that I've tried to come back to when I've returned to fandoms and it'd take re-outlining to get back into it, and at that point I'd rather start over.

The key to accepting this is accepting the nature of fanfiction. Every creative has started an idea and just not had it take flight — maybe it's not the right time, maybe it's not quite a full idea, or maybe they realize it's not one they care to do anything with. If you try an idea for a novel and it doesn't go anywhere, no one will ever know. If you try an idea for a fanfiction, you probably posted those first couple chapters online.

I have friends of mine who have gotten 80% into writing a novel and couldn't decide on an ending so abandoned it for another project. This is the sort of thing that happens all the time, it's just that with fanfic you're usually sharing the rough draft as you go.

Discipline does play a factor in finishing fic, of course, but I think there's a line between having the discipline to keep writing a story you're passionate about when motivation is lacking and continuing to force an idea that just isn't taking shape (for whatever reason).

The only way you're going to ever avoid this entirely is if you write a fic beginning to end before you ever start posting. That's not the most fanfic writers' experience, and that's okay! But it means writers and readers risk fics that will never be finished (for any number of reasons). This is why there are a good number of readers out there who only read completed fics.

Fanfic is a hobby, and I don't think it's healthy to tear yourself to shreds or force yourself through something you hate for something that's supposed to be relaxing and fun. Parts of it can be stressful — I've run several gift exchanges and loved doing it, but that doesn't mean there weren't points I was tearing my hair out over defaults and unresponsive participants — but ultimately, it's supposed to be something that brings you joy.

Long fics are an undertaking, and sometimes writing is the last thing you want to do, but the project as a whole is satisfying. I do think there's a lot of value in long-term projects, when the day-to-day can sometimes suck but you know you're working toward a goal. Achieving that goal is huge, but it's also hard, and it isn't the only goal someone could have with writing fic.

If that is a goal you have, there are ways to work toward achieving it. But, how to do that (especially in the face of ADHD) is an entirely different conversation.

And to address the point of comparisons, I don't think it's something that will ever go away. It's to be human, I think. But I have two favorite ways of dealing with that. The first is to separate myself as a reader and a writer. I write because I enjoy it and I read because I enjoy it. If I am reading something that is absolutely amazing, sure I'd love to one day be able to produce that, but more importantly in that moment, I'm really enjoying reading it. The second way is to try to learn from the writing I love. I'll take a step back and ask myself what about it do I love and how are they achieving that? How can I learn from that and bring it into my own work? For me, these are two separate actions. I could read the same work twice through these different lenses and have entirely different experiences.

Ultimately, fandom is for fun and that's the most important thing 🩷

[truly-hopeless]

Honest Question About A Fic

So not too long ago, while at work, I was thinking about a story of mine that I haven't updated in almost two years. The story is titled "I Move the Stars For No One," which is a retelling of Rumpelstiltskin with L/Light Yagami as the main ship that I started writing after reading other LawLight fairy tale rewrites, namely eleonoraw's Merman and Totoroto's Snow Moon. It was my first story published to AO3 near the beginning of the pandemic and was my first LawLight fic. It currently sits unfinished at seven chapters (there was an eighth, a scrapped prologue, but I moved it to "The Dead Darling Graveyard" since it had little to do with the story) and was last updated December 2021. While I like parts of the current version (such integrating other fairy tales into the story since I'm a sucker for that kind of thing), I feel dissatisfied with the story for several reasons:

It's taking too long to get to the main conflict of the story (Beyond disrupting Light and L's arrangement and the two needing to find a way to stop that from happening) even without the long hiatuses and that smaller conflicts (L hiding he's a goblin from Light, Light feeling conflicted about what to do now that he's not going to be executed, and Misa's jealousy) are getting resolved too easily.

The story barely resembles Rumplestiltskin at all. Sure, it was always going to be a different story from the original fairy tale since the protagonists' identities and circumstances that make them desperate enough to ask a magical stranger for help and who they fall in love with are not the same (while the miller's daughter can definitely do better than the greedy king demanding she spin straw into gold on pain of death, never in a million years is she going to consider the man who demands she hand over her baby [presumably to eat it] in exchange for his help marriage material unless there is serious tweaking done to his character), it still feels off.

The main characters feel out of character. Light and L became too familiar too fast (even for a ship fic) and there's no real tension after L's deception is revealed and Light forgives him (too easily, I feel). And while I don't necessarily want to vilify Misa to add conflict (especially since I just complained about how awful the king in the original fairy tale was), she should be a little more unwilling to share Light with L (even if she is the one that gets to marry him) and push back more.

I just hate the title. It was taken from lyrics of a song from Labyrinth, but outside of L being the King of Goblins in this story and the memory-wiping peaches there's nothing in common with Labyrinth either; it could have been, if I wasn't afraid of adding more conflict and making L more dark grey when it comes to morality, but that wasn't what I wrote.

So I'm thinking about rewriting the story, to make it more in line with both the original fairy tale and in the spirit of LawLight. But that comes with it's own problems:

If you've been following me for any amount of time, you'll know that I'm not the most consistent when it comes to updating my stories; it could be anywhere between a week to four months to a whole year before I update something due to a combination of burnout, stress when I think about how I'm almost thirty and nothing in my life is coming together, and being distracted by other story ideas. Speaking of...

I have too much shit going on as is when it comes to writing. I was tagged for that WIP ask game a few weeks ago, where I had to list out all the stuff I've been working on. The list has 31 drafts and I found out today that I still forgot to list a couple (not going back to change it now) and then there are ideas that play out in my head during work or when I'm trying to sleep that I haven't brought myself to write down because I am trying to keep the new WIPs to a minimum.

I have yet to finish a long story (I have the same problem as the protagonist from Dave Made a Maze: I start all these projects, but never finish them) and will feel slightly guilty for abandoning yet another one, even if it's for the sake of a rewrite instead of abandoning it altogether and trying to forget they exist like the stories on my FFN account.

So what should I do?

[writefightandflightclub]

it's almost time for chapter two of ride or die 🤗🤗🤗🥰🥰 I'm readyyyyy.

Tomorrow can't come soon enough.

Anyways, I have a question for you.

What made you decide on writing the whole story first before posting instead of like everytime you finished a chapter you posted it? Did u write it chronological? Or was there certain scenes you just HAD to write first bc they were making you sleepless? What's the story behind the fic? Did u had the story in mind when u posted that first chapter years ago? Or was the support of the readers asking for a second part the thought that made you go: "I can totally make this a story"?

Sorry if those are a lot of questions....I'm just a curious girl. 🫣 Feel free to not answer me if u don't wanna.

Take care 💜

Lola, you are giving me LIFE.

Thank you for indulging me. My lil writer heart is so happy to receive these questions! 🧡☺️🥹

So, I decided to write the whole series before posting mainly so I could force myself to finish it! I’ve completed some series before by posting chapters on the fly… but I also have others which are unfinished with the concluding parts languishing in my drafts. So, I really wanted to know this was DONE, in part so I could escape the pressure / guilt (self-imposed) which sometimes comes with winging it. But also so I could give a satisfying conclusion to anyone who chose to kindly invest their precious time in it.

As well, omg. I felt so wrapped up with these characters that I sorta wanted to write their story free of external comments and perspectives. I felt like there were specific places I wanted them to go, and I wonder, if I had been responding to comments as the story was still unfolding, might I have started second guessing things or taking it in a different direction? And don’t get me wrong, comments are my FAVE thing, I live for hearing all the different takes and interpretations, and feedback has been endlessly helpful and meaningful to me. I’m grateful for every single one! I just sorta wanted to let the characters in my head have first dibs on where they wanted to go this time, you know?! ☺️ An honestly, most of the time I have NO IDEA where I’m going with something, but this time I had a little bit more of an idea of the arc I wanted, and so this made sense.

Practically, it was also so I could get the continuity right from chapter to chapter. A later moment might change my perspective on an earlier scene, and if I posted outright I wouldn’t have had the flexibility to make changes.

On that note, the flexibility turned out to be needed. Some things even changed pretty last minute.

I definitely didn’t write it chronologically. I jump around a lot when I write. It’s CHAOS!!!

Tbh, I never had any continuation or larger story in mind when this started, and I fully credit all of the wonderful readers of that one-shot for this being a thing AT ALL beyond that! Chapter 1, in its OG form, was actually my first EVER Santiago one shot, and I loved the pairing so much that, with encouragement, I resolved to do a “part 2”!

However, their situation is actually so complicated that it… wouldn’t resolve quickly, yk?! The characters needed more space to breathe and grow (and to go through some stuff). And so now it’s LONG. It just… expanded as the characters pushed it apart.

I had a blast 🤣🤣🤣

In terms of scenes that were making me sleepless? Hmm. I spent a LOT of time thinking and pondering and playing out variations in my head. A LOT. There’s a flashback scene I was itching to write for a very tender moment contained in it (that chapter is far too long gah). And there’s a scene between Santi and Frankie that’s a real highlight for me.

Also, I cried MANY times while writing this agshsjajshahkahshsjjaj.

Thank you so much for being so sweet and being interested. I can’t tell you how much it means, fr. 🥹🧡

[prompt-master]

henlo i am sorry to bother you but i am ten years late to the danganronpa fandom and two years late to your fanfics but i was wondering if you might consider finishing your Bear Trap story? like even if its just a quick lil synopsis of what you wanted to write, or if its an unfinished chapter, id take anything 👉👈

also ur lovely ok bye

Ok this was worded very kindly so I'm going to justify it with a full geniune response.

I'm honestly probably never going to update Bear Trap, but I WILL give you a synopsis. I did however want to first quickly explain why I don't plan on finishing that fic.

To keep a long story short. I kinda hate BT. It was my first fic after a two year break and imo it shows in the quality. I thank BT for temporarily getting me back into the writing groove, but I cringe way too hard looking back on it. I do have an unfinished chapter draft, but I'm not sure if I'd ever post it. I'll have to reread it at some point and see how I feel.

I would also like to say that if anyone else is willing to write the last part, I am more than willing to work with them.

Now, here is what I had planned for BT, bare (haha bear) in mind that it's messy because it was just self indulgent nonsense:

The format of BT was meant to go; build up, impact, aftermath. With each chapter focusing on a different story beat.

There was going to be a fake chapter released only on tumblr where Naegi died, only for the characters to go "did you actually think that would happen?" meant to poke fun over how many people thought I was going to kill Naegi.

This means the last chapter was going to entirely focus on the aftermath of Naegi's injury. I wanted each character to get an analysis of how they're feeling and each individual relationship would get a spotlight

This also means that. Tbh. The aftermath segment probably would not fit cleanly into one chapter since it would be pretty big.

It began with the hospital ride from the helicopter, Togami and Kiri watching as medics struggle to keep Naegi stable. There's a very dissociative vibe going on.

Because Togami and Kiri are closer to Naegi then they are each other, they don't really know how to comfort each other. It's awkward, quiet. They only speak to share facts and speculation. But there's a moment where they lean shoulder to shoulder.

Naegi was going to lose his leg, and have to get a prosthetic. Some of the fic was going to focus on him relearning how to walk with his new leg with the help of his partners.

I wanted to make sure that Naegi becoming disabled wasn't a "bad" ending. It's obviously upsetting to lose a limb in a tragic accident, and Naegi does have to cope with it. But I wanted to feel more empowering in a "see this shit? It's proof I survived"

Togami was ofc going to lovingly call him a cockroach

There was going to be exploration over how despite being known around the world for surviving a tragedy, they still don't really know how to LIVE with tragedy. They are just forced to keep moving on without getting a moment to breathe.

Due to Naegi seeing how freaked out Togami and Kiri were, he tries to keep everything together and stay lighthearted for their sake. He knows they want to see he's okay. This meant he pushed aside his own coping however.

The fic was going to end with Naegi finally letting out his emotions and crying in front of both of them, admitting that he was scared and thought he was going to die, and that he was so grateful they were there. Even if he had died then, he wouldve been more okay with it if they were with him. But that doesn't mean he was actually okay with it.

Togami negotiates them all a 2 week vacation lmao

If I remember correctly (I did not reread the fic to check, I'm going solely off memory) I was going to make a point about how despite feeling like they nearly lost their chance to tell Naegi they love him, both Tog and Kiri know that a confession shortly after a traumatic experience isn't the best idea. But also, Naegi doesn't need a confession to know they love him.

There were certainty more details to thefic that I can't fully recall ATM, such as the specifics of each individual character/relationship analysis. Let me know if you have any questions! Ty again for your kindness

[kyojurismo]

do you have any advice for new writers? i was thinking abt writing but i have no idea where to start

hello anon! this is my second time ever giving advices i think . . . and i’m very grateful you reached out to me for something like this, even if i don’t think very highly of me as a writer lmao

but that being said, here are some things that helped and are still helping me since i started writing <3

READING A LOT

follow me alright. reading helps increasing your vocabulary, and it also helps learning phrases and how to put words together, if that makes sense. it probably helps if you’re a foreigner writing in english, which is my case, but i still believe that there are many many words that we never heard and reading anything can help us learn something new.

DRAFTS

don’t be scared to have too many drafts, unfinished work, just a phrase or even two words. it’s okay, you’re just putting down something that came to you and sure don’t want to forget.

you don’t have to finish everything all at once. this is super important if you’re writing for fun, and in the past years i used to scold me for being too slow and stopped writing for a long period of time bc i didn’t feel good enough.

remember : take your time.

LONG FICS

if you’re writing long fics (multiple chapters, etc) i recommend writing down everything about your original character (if there’s any ofc) such as basic info, backstory, what they like / dislike, etc.

not only it helps you develop a complete character, but then you can keep track of your creations, so you won’t find yourself thinking “did my oc enjoy […] or not?” for example.

it’s also super fun imo, it helps spreading your imagination and your ideas. don’t be scared to put too many details too!

GENERAL ADVICES

now, these are a couple of things i just want to say before finishing lol.

1. don’t stress too much if you think that your story is obvious or anything such, remember that you are the one writing it, so of course it sounds familiar to you.

2. if you plan to post it on tumblr / ao3 / wattpad or anything else ig, don’t look too closely to the initial amount of ppl that will interact with your work. remember that you’re mostly writing for yourself and your own enjoyment, so don’t worry too much about it. it will come any time soon and people will give you feedback and show real appreciation to your work <3 so yeah, i speak like this bc when i was younger i used to delete my stories bc very few people interacted with them and i don’t think that’s right lol.

3. if you have a close person you trust, you can ask them to read your work if you’re unsure about posting it online. maybe someone else opinion about it can help, or also hearing just a “yes, post it!” can do the difference.

4. if you don’t know where to start, you can also search for prompts online so you have a starting point and it also can be used as an exercise. it helps me whenever i’m in a writer block.

5. HAVE FUN! don’t be scared to put silly things in your stories, don’t be scared to put a plot twist, don’t be scared of trying something new! it’s your story, you’re the one writing it. i assure you that out there are people who are gonna enjoy your stuff. don’t be scared of trying to write something new for you, you can always learn something. and that’s amazing in my opinion.

that was it, anon. i hope it helps you a bit <3

[sesshy380]

About Sesshy380

Who are you?

Just a crazy person who likes to write. At one time, art was my passion. Sadly, a few years ago I began to lose the fine-motor and grasping functioning of my hands. Holding writing and artists utensils becomes extremely painful after a period of time on good days, and near impossible on bad days. Luckily I can still type. So I have switched artistic mediums, and try my best to paint images and scenes into readers brains.

What is your pfp?

That is actually my primary OC, that I will sneak into almost everything I write. Her name is Katrina aka. 'Kat'. She's evolved a few times over the decades, but she exists solely as coping mechanism. She's become a main character in my longfic, and I hold a strong attachment to her above all my other OC's. Sadly, I never got around to properly sketching her, so best I could do was make a Picrew of her (and it's pretty dang close too).

What do you write?

At the moment, Yu-Gi-Oh fanfiction. My current focus is on finishing my longfic, that I started during a three day mania blitz. I have a nasty habit of leaving things unfinished, but I have made it my personal goal to see this through to completion.

I have no specific genre or ship I write for. I just write whatever pops into my little brain. Some days I get a spark of inspiration that just screams at me. Others, I feel like I am sloughing through a bog of thoughts that flitter by faster than I can reach out and grab them.

When do you write?

Almost daily. On days that I work, I am often looking over WiP drafts before I clock in, then coming home, eating dinner, then back to WiP's. On days I have off, I either park myself in front of my desktop, or I curl up on my bed with my laptop.

Works:

I can be found on both FFN and AO3.

AO3 has more works available, but only receives longfic updates every 2-4 weeks. If you wish to get the weekly updates for my longfic, then you would have to follow on FFN.

The reason for this is because I originally started posting on FFN. When I started cross-posting to AO3, I made each 'chapter' a grouping of FFN chapters to get the two platforms caught up to one another. I unfortunately didn't have the foresight to thing how things would work once that happened (hooray for brain being brain). So now, AO3 gets 'chapter group' updates.

Asks are always open, and I am always up to talk about WiP and OC stuff.

Other fandoms I have no problems discussing:

Inuyasha (Can you guess my favorite character?)

Dragon Age series

World of Warcraft