#doomed to always have multiple wips

[sunflowergirl522]

Will I ever finish one fic before starting another?

[angeart]

vampire scar ch1 story wip-

The area around them is dangerous; the night is quickly drawing in and the darkness is beginning to wield claws and teeth, bloodlust seeping into the air in sharp howls and snarls. Yet even then, entering unknown structures could be as dooming as staying inside. Four walls could as easily trap as protect. It’s always a gamble.

With that in mind, Grian still leads Mumbo towards the mansion that looms eerie and quiet and foreboding in front of them. With a little bit of luck, it will be abandoned, covered in dust and silence and bones. 

He should’ve known better. They haven’t had luck in a long time.

The hinges creak when they ram into the huge, ornate front door to convince it to open. That’s promising. The grating sound is a song of disuse, and Grian considers it a good sign as they tumble inside and quickly shut the door behind them.

For a little bit, they just breathe and try to get their bearings. The entrance hall is huge, sprawling, running off in all kinds of directions. It’s hard to make out the detail of the interior; the only light is the swiftly dimming light coming in through the windows.

Grian fails to notice that the windows aren’t covered in grime. He fails to notice that the place is not in disarray, covered in spiderwebs. He fails to notice that the air isn’t stale and dusty. 

“I—I think this looks good?” Mumbo looks around cautiously, keeping close to Grian in this unfamiliar space.

Grian breathes out a huff of relief, even though the sound is still coated with tension; his body refuses to relax, too many unknown variables still spinning through his mind. Anything could lurk in the dark corners and dozens of rooms, and they’re aware only of one singular escape route—and even that is slow and uncertain, hanging on rusty, unwilling hinges. 

If he would be easily swayed with any shreds of things that faintly resemble comfort, they wouldn’t have survived this long.

So he doesn’t give in. He looks around, and he wishes it would be as simple as it seems. There’s a desperate yearning in him for something uncomplicated, for one night not filled with threats and dread and fear for their lives. How he wishes to be able to close his eyes and maybe, maybe sink into a soft bed and just sleep without being terrified of the possibility of not waking up in the morning—

This place is bound to have some soft beds.

Grian’s stomach twists at the thought. No, he tells himself. He can’t be stupid here. He can’t give in. They need to remain alert; they know nothing about this place.

“We should look around,” he suggests, voice taut. 

“Yes. Definitely,” Mumbo agrees immediately, his eyes roaming the area. “Do you want to split up?”

Grian swivels on his heels to face him, an indignant scoff on his lips. “Split—Split up?! Mumbo!” he chastises. “You know that—“

Mumbo lifts his hands up defensively. “Alright, alright! I’m just saying, it’s a big place. Lots of ground to cover.”

Grian’s gaze is drawn off to the side, to the doors that line only one side of the room. So many options. So many possible traps. So many places for danger to hide in. “Okay,” he says slowly, trying to swallow the trepidation that grows thick in his throat. “We could—Maybe we could check adjacent rooms, stay near but check multiple places at once?” he suggests, even though everything in him prickles, unease nauseatingly settling over him.

“Yeah, okay,” Mumbo doesn’t sound convinced, but it was his idea in the first place, so he relents. “That sounds reasonable.”

Grian glares at him. It doesn’t sound very reasonable to him. But they’re both tired and searching this place inch by inch is going to take ages as-is. They have to make compromises, Grian knows this, but it doesn’t make it any easier. “Fine,” he sighs. “Which side do you want to start with?” 

“It honestly makes no difference,” Mumbo remarks.

“Fine,” Grian repeats, a tad more irritably now. He’s tired, he’s tense, his danger-senses are tingling. He is high-strung, even though he tries to convince himself that they just found something safe, that they’re not out there without shelter, that this is good. “Here, then.” He walks to his left, towards the first set of rooms, and Mumbo immediately follows without a word.

They both fall into something familiar, something orchestrated and practiced. They move quietly, their steps soft, shoulders slightly hunched, one hand always hovering over a weapon in anticipation of a threat. 

As soon as they reach the two sets of doors, they give each other a look and a small nod. Grian can see Mumbo bracing himself. He knows he’s doing the same thing. 

And then he pushes the door open and steps over the threshold of a dark room.

At first, a feeling that he’s alone now sinks into him, even if Mumbo’s just a shout away. He thinks about how he’s going in blindly—they don’t even have torches or anything. Every shadow will make him jumpy, he fully expects this—

Except the room is not as dark as it should be.

And it certainly isn’t as empty as he’d hoped.

It’s the far end of the room that’s flickering with dim, warm light. There’s a candle burning up, its flame a weak, dying thing. Grian’s eyes snag at it at first, drawn by the light like a moth to a flame. There’s something reassuring in the gentle, hot glow of a fire, just for a split second, until he pushes that instinct down and reminds himself that a fire he himself didn’t set is bound to burn him— 

That’s when his gaze swerves to the side.

There’s a person there.

There’s a person.

Grian’s mind short-circuits for three precious seconds, before he reboots. Immediately, he hunches up more. His fingertips find his daggers, a tool as ready for stabbing as for throwing. The other person didn’t notice him yet—clearly, because they start humming some silly, jaunty, way-too-content melody as they look over what seems to be an old leather journal. The hum is interrupted only by huffs of laughter.

This gives Grian enough time to take the stranger in.

He doesn’t like what he finds.

Even in the candlelight, their skin is pale, and there’s an old, dried spot of blood near the corner of their mouth. They’re dressed up a bit too well for the reality they’re living in. 

The candlelight glimmers, catches on something shiny and sharp.

A canine tooth.

Grian takes in a sharp breath. He straightens up, grabs a proper hold of one of the daggers, and he thinks in alarm of Mumbo in the other room—and sure, Mumbo didn’t call out yet, but if there’s one of these guys, there might be more, and—

And Grian needs to warn him right now, even at the cost of blowing his own stealth.

“Mumbo!” he calls out, and he belatedly wonders if this will just call more trouble to them than they can handle. “There’s a monster here!”

There’s a frightened gasp then, a jump and a thud of a journal that was sent flying and hit the floor.

“What?! Where?” An alarmed yelp that sounds across the space isn’t Mumbo’s voice. It’s the stranger’s voice—startled, deep, but oddly soft. 

For a second, Grian thinks maybe he made a mistake. Maybe this person isn’t a monster, if this is their reaction?

The stranger spins around and his eyes land on Grian’s, their gaze locking. He holds a hand to his chest and he heaves a big breath, before he chuckles quietly, a tense and unsteady sound. “Gosh, you scared me.”

“I—what?” Grian stares uncomprehendingly at the reaction.

The man’s lips curl into a cherubic smile, then—innocent and bright and—

Definitely not harmless, given by the two sharp canines and the dried blood at the corner of his mouth.

This drives it in for Grian, erasing all doubts: this person is a vampire.

“Well hello there,” the man says, seamlessly slipping more confidence and charm into his voice, even if the edges of it still echo startled unease. “I didn’t realise I have guests!” His gaze jumps to somewhere past Grian’s shoulder. “How rude of me. Welcome!”

Something touches Grian’s back and he almost jumps out of his skin, shrieking at the touch.

“No! It’s just me!” Mumbo immediately tries to fix his mistake.

“God,” Grian breathes out deeply, everything in him ready to snap as he turns back towards the enigma of a vampire they’re now facing. At least he’s no longer alone in this. “He’s a vampire,” he murmurs to Mumbo, even though he’s fully aware his voice carries all the way across the room.

“Yeah, I can see that,” Mumbo notes, signs of distress colouring his voice.

“Now, now,” the man in front of them—the monster, the vampire—lifts his hands amicably. “There’s no need for alarm. I’m a vegetarian!” he offers cheerily. 

Even though he says that, his gaze lingers on Grian in a way that makes a chill run down his spine.

“A vegetarian,” Grian repeats flatly. He isn’t sure why he’s even entertaining the idea; it’s completely absurd.

“Yes!” the man nods fervently, his smile spreading, all toothy and sharp. “I don’t eat anything with a face!”

The blood stain at the corner of his mouth says otherwise.

“I didn’t know that’s possible,” Mumbo exclaims from behind Grian, a little bit too naively for Grian’s comfort.

“Mumbo, there’s no way he’s telling the truth,” he grumbles at him, annoyed.

“No! No, I am!” the man insists. “I usually tear the face off first.”

He says it so simply, chuckling a little, it completely flabbergasts Grian.

“A—You what?” the words fall past his lips before he can think better of it.

“I tear the face off,” the man repeats with an unbothered shrug of his shoulder. It seems to take him another moment to register the apprehension of the other two people in the room, because he only belatedly hastily adds: “There’s nothing to worry about, really! I haven’t had guests in ages, I’m so happy to have you over!”

“We’re—“ Grian’s mind spins as he tries to process this. “Guests? Over? What? No!”

“Oh.” The man’s shoulders slump in immense sadness—it reeks of solitude, of disappointment, of such sheer unhappiness that it stabs at Grian’s heart.

He knows this is wrong. He knows vampires are charming and manipulative. He knows they have their ways of pulling in their prey, before they inevitably sink their teeth into flesh and bleed them dry. And yet—

And yet.

Something in his heart can’t bear the look of this stranger looking so small and abandoned. Maybe because he himself knows what it feels like, first-hand. Maybe because he knows that if it wasn’t for Mumbo, he’d be completely lost. He can’t begin to imagine staying in a big, empty, dark place all alone for—how long?

His feelings keep snagging on something hot, like that flickering flame of a candle. Something that burns through his veins, singes his heart. Something unsteady and dangerous.

He didn’t know vampires could look lonely.

He hates himself for that swell of empathy. He hates the momentary loss of control. He knows they’re being played now. 

“Look, pal,” he starts, and it’s cautious. He takes a step back, meets Mumbo’s chest and hopes the man realises this is their cue to retreat. “I appreciate the offer, but we’re not staying. Sorry to intrude, we’ll—uh, we’ll leave you to it.” Whatever the it was.

The man is still looking directly at him. There’s something yearning in his eyes. Something heartbroken. He seems to shrink further as he tears his gaze away. “Okay,” he says in a small voice.

Mumbo makes an unhappy noise in the back of his throat. He’s still blocking Grian’s retreat.

“Mumbo,” Grian hisses at him.

“Yeah, right, I just—“ Mumbo stammers, indecision wild in his veins. He takes a tentative half-step away, feeling Grian immediately crowd his space again, pressing against him to retreat further.

The man—no, not man, the vampire—looks towards the window contemplatively, before his gaze flicks back to them. “You want to leave?”

“Yes,” Grian confirms immediately. “We’re just gonna go—“

“Where?” the vampire asks, an odd, unreadable inflection in his voice as he takes a singular step forward.

Grian twitches. “Out,” he replies, his voice strained. He presses further against Mumbo, and thankfully Mumbo moves, takes three steps, enough to get them out of the room, but not too many to still be able to catch and steady Grian at the unexpected loss of security. 

The vampire’s eyebrows pull to a concerned scowl. “But it’s dangerous.”

He says it so simply. So staggeringly simply. 

The worst thing about it is, he’s not wrong.

Grian pauses and contemplates this for a moment, then. The outside poses a million potential unknown threats. Here, they’re facing a vampire, but they know how to handle vampires. They could handle one of them. They could— This could still be their best option. 

“Are you alone?” he ventures tentatively.

The vampire gives him a look that says it all. “Yes,” he admits, and it’s not charming, it’s not confident. It’s shaky and it’s open and it’s wounded. Maybe a little bit afraid. “I—Is it so bad I don’t want to be, for a little bit? I promise I’m not dangerous,” he slides straight to bargaining. “You can sleep here! I could, I probably have some food you could eat. I won’t do anything to you, I just—I—“

He looks so, so lost.

“Grian?” Mumbo says quietly, and it comes out a bit wobbly and emotional.

That’s the thing that breaks Grian’s own dangerous tilt of judgement. He looks over his shoulder sharply, frowning. “You can’t be serious.”

“W—well, I mean—“ Mumbo fumbles for words, trying to get some rationality out of his heart. “It’s better than the outside?”

Grian side-eyes the vampire. “We should just kill him.”

“Kill?” the vampire repeats in alarm; the word is laced with false laughter, as if he tried to spin it into a joke. It rings hollow, anxious, untrue. “Noooo, no, there’s no need for that! I like living thank-you-very-much!”

“Living,” Grian repeats flatly, challengingly. “You’re not alive.”

“I am!” the vampire protests vehemently. “I breathe and I bleed and I can die.” He pauses, ponders briefly if making that one point in particular was smart. “I—Well. I can starve and all that and, and, I have feelings!”

Grian stares at him blankly. Something in him is unconvinced, but his heart bashes itself against his ribcage in attempted empathy anyway. “This can't be happening,” he mutters dismally.

“Look, I can, I can show you around! You can decide then! It’s just me here, all alone, there’s plenty of space for you even if you want me to stay away! I can go to a different wing or—or something. I’m sure we can come to some sort of arrangement?” he proposes, his voice hasty and desperate. “I just. You don’t have to leave.”

Something about the way he says it chips away at Grian’s resolve, strips his caution, leaves him feeling incredibly human in arguably the worst way possible when confronted with a charming monster. Still, he hears himself say, “Okay.”

The vampire perks up immediately. “Okay!” he echoes.

“Okay?” Mumbo repeats with more alarm and unsteadiness.

Grian shoots him a look. “I thought you wanted to do this?”

“W—Well, yes, I just. I didn’t expect you to agree?” he admits sheepishly.

“Mumbo.” Grian is looking at him with a deep frown. “Do you want to stay or do you want to leave?”

“I—I don’t know!” Mumbo cries, indecisiveness rushing wildly through his veins. More than anything, he doesn’t want to be culpable for this decision and its repercussions. 

Grian sighs and lets his gaze slide away. If Mumbo can’t bear the weight of this decision, it now falls back on Grian. It’s a familiar weight. It’s something he needs to shoulder, their fate, their pitfalls. The inevitable guilt of it all. The feeling that whatever he decides might just guide Mumbo to his demise.

He meets the gaze of the vampire, as steadily as he can manage. “Give us the tour.”

Without hesitation, the vampire moves forward, towards the door, towards the room’s exit, towards the rest of the mansion—

Grian flinches at the sudden approach and stumbles a couple of steps back, pulling Mumbo with him, keeping the taller man protectively behind him. 

It makes the vampire pause. “Okay,” he says slowly. “I think we need to lay some ground rules. First of all, introductions. That always helps! I’m Scar!”

Grian blinks, his throat dry with the abruptness of his panic reaction. With the preposterousness of this situation.

“And you are?” the vampire—Scar—prompts.

“I—I’m Mumbo, and this is Grian,” Mumbo stammers for both of them. 

Scar’s eyes spark up and he gives a big smile. “Wonderful! I’m happy to meet you!” The words are silky, charming in a way that lets them easily burrow underneath skin without notice. They’re honest, too, and maybe that’s where they draw their power from—because Scar truly is lonely, in such a deep, raw way, and there’s nothing if not pure relief that his new guests decided to not immediately leave.

He’s tired of feeling like a monster. He’s tired of being alone, unloved, unwanted.

He’s tired of feeling like these old, cracked, dusty walls—empty and abandoned.

His heart beats in his chest in a wild waltz as he approaches the strangers-no-more again, this time careful about where he steps and how close he gets. He maintains a safe distance, giving a tight smile as he passes them, before taking big steps into the open space.

He spins there, buzzing with theatrics and more than a smidge of showmanship, spreading his arms wide. “This is my mansion.”

It’s very easy, Grian finds, to give in. To let Scar reel him in and pull him along. His body follows unquestioningly, taking in room after room after room, dizzyingly trying to slot the information and not get lost amidst it all—his survival instincts scream at him, but the rest of him is just plain tired and, honestly, a little bit lulled after he watches Scar for a while.

Because Scar isn’t lithe and agile, strong and immovable. He isn’t as charming as one would expect of a vampire, either, even if he’s rambly and his tongue is undeniably tinged with silver. He’s cheerful and he’s giggly and he’s, for the lack of a better word, endearing. But more than that, he’s clumsy and forgetful and edging just on the side of nervous.

It puts Grian ill-at-ease, because this isn't what a vampire should be, and that means Grian can't predict him, doesn't know what to expect. 

And yet he keeps following him, watching him, listening to him. 

He should try to pay more attention to the mansion tour and less to the man, maybe. The layout is important. He needs to know exit routes, and the possible sources of danger.

But isn’t Scar a source of danger? Living—or so he claims—and moving and very much capable of harm?

So what if Grian’s gaze lingers on him a little bit too much? What if he focuses on his body language and his tone more than the walls that surround them? 

He tells himself it’s only because he’s being wary.

“You can sleep here,” Scar finally says in a room that has two huge beds, at the very end of the mansion. The hallway that leads to the room ends with a backdoor exit, an easy way out if they feel trapped or—Scar very much wants to not think about it, even if it’s an option he offers freely—if they decide to sneak out.

Scar walks towards the fireplace and he fiddles for a while, struggling to get it lit.

“Here, I can help,” Mumbo offers, moving forward. He produces flint and steel, reaching for the fireplace.

Grian watches Scar flinch away.

His lips purse, taking in the scene. The beds are a comfort they weren’t able to indulge in for a long time. So is the fire, deep at night. A source of light and warmth. There’s a clear exit. Nobody else is in the building. Nothing about this screams it’s a trap. 

And they know how to kill vampires, if push comes to shove.

But they can’t do it if they’re asleep.

He stares at Scar, his gaze prickling the vampire until he turns around and their gazes meet.

Scar offers a tentative, shy smile.

“If there’s anything else you guys need, just let me know,” Scar says then, the words easy on his tongue, unhesitatingly willing to provide for them.

Grian frowns. “What do you need?” he questions instead. “What do you want from us?”

“Nothing!” Scar says immediately.

Grian dismally thinks that’s the first lie he’s heard from him. It’s so easy to identify, it makes everything else startlingly slot in as truth. The awareness of it makes him feel destabilised at his core. He sways a little in his spot, reaches out for the bed frame for support. “That’s—No,” he says weakly, too aware of the green eyes boring into him. “You definitely want something.”

There it is. That heartbreak.

He didn’t know vampires could project heartbreak so well.

Project? Or feel?

Grian finds with increasing panic that he can no longer tell the difference. None of this makes sense. None of this should be happening.

The fire crackles, strong and alive, lapping at the air and throwing a warm, flickering glow over the room as Mumbo takes a step away from it. 

“Oh, you did it!” Scar perks up, his eyes squinting in a smile he throws Mumbo’s way. “That’s wonderful, thank you for your help!”

“Well, I mean, it’s for us, right?” Mumbo sheepishly rubs the back of his neck. “And it was easy enough.”

“It always gives me trouble,” Scar admits freely, “dealing with fire. A bit scary, if you ask me.”

“You’re a vampire,” Grian notes flatly. It comes out blank and rough, his suspicions warring with his emotions. “Fire harms you.”

“Yes, well,” Scar meets his gaze. “I like how it glows. I like the warmth.”

Grian continues to stare at him, because he isn’t sure how to actually process all of that. Instead, he takes a breath and presses: “You didn’t answer the question.”

Scar blinks. “What question?”

Grian frowns, but doesn’t relent. “What do you want from us?” 

Scar’s gaze shifts to the fireplace. “The fire harms you, too,” he says, and it’s soft and contemplative, but makes everything in Grian prickle with a warning. “You also get hungry,” Scar continues. “And you need rest, and you need—“ he falls quiet.

“We need?” Mumbo prompts, and he sounds so gentle, so careful.

It makes Scar lift his gaze to him, meet his eyes. There’s hesitation in him, some unknown emotions swirling up, raw and threatening. He swallows hard, before prying his gaze away. “You need safety,” Scar continues, even though his voice is clearly strained, “and I can give you that.”

“What for,” Grian insists. “What do you want for it.”

Green eyes shift to him, and somehow Grian’s heart picks up speed, feeling irrationally guilty at having asked.

“I don’t want anything,” Scar repeats, his voice wavering and quiet.

“Surely you must want something out of this,” Grian insists, even though there’s a lump in his throat and he feels terrible.

Scar looks away, then. He severs their connection, making Grian reel at the sudden lack of it.

“I just,” Scar says, and it’s a half-sigh, it’s a half-whisper, it’s a quiet, tentative, cracked confession. “I thought it might be nice to have some company for a little bit.”

It’s so soft, so vulnerable that it makes Grian feel like the ground was pulled from underneath him. Emotions sway him at the sight of the man—the vampire, he reminds himself futilely—so hunched over and sad. 

He knows how feeling alone in a world that no longer wants you feels like.

He just didn’t count on monsters having actual feelings.

He didn’t count on monsters looking so human.

His heart clogs his throat and he finds himself speechless.

“Were you—“ Mumbo tries to say something, but his voice falters as soon as Scar’s gaze lands on him. There’s a moment of silence, before Mumbo regathers his courage and finishes: “Were you alone for long?”

Scar’s shoulders sag at that. He seems to be crushed underneath some invisible weight. “Yeah,” he says, and the word barely manages to make it past his lips, daunted and small. 

Grian feels his heart slam sharply against his ribs at the confession.

“W—well,” Mumbo looks over at Grian, catching his gaze. He’s hesitant and unsure, but clearly willing and wanting to offer something.

Grian’s eyebrows pull into a frown. His emotions scream one thing at him, but every remaining shred of rationality screams something else. It’s an overwhelming cacophony and he knows he’s the one who’s expected to make the decisions—and then bear the weight of them going wrong—yet he finds himself feeling lost and adrift at this.

Mumbo holds his gaze for a moment longer, before he lets it swivel back to Scar. “We’ve actually never really talked to a vampire before.”

“No,” Scar shakes his head in immediate sympathy. “I wouldn’t imagine you would. They’re not a friendly bunch.”

Something about that statement stabs at Grian’s heart, his eyes still locked on Scar. “Then… Why are you talking to us?”

Scar’s gaze meets his and, again, it makes Grian's heart trip over itself. 

“Because I want friends?” he says, and it’s so open and vulnerable and his voice is thick with emotions, cracking and failing him at the end of his miserable sentence.

Grian takes a sharp breath, fumblingly attempting to remind himself that vampires are dangerous and they’re charmers and they’re manipulators and—

“You can’t mean that,” he says in the end, the words a little bit hoarse.

Scar blinks, confused. “What?”

Grian shakes his head vehemently. “You’re a vampire. We’re just food for you.”

Scar’s eyebrows twitch into a frown, before they smooth out and his face stretches into a smirk. “You do have faces, don’t you? I told you I don’t eat anything with a face.”

“But you could, you know,” Mumbo steps in, “rip the face off or something, as you said.”

Scar’s gaze anchors into his, a displeased curl to his mouth. “I don’t eat my friends.”

“But we’re not friends,” Grian chimes in.

“We could be,” Scar suggests easily, unaware of how threatening that sounds.

(... tbc?)

------- as the title states, this is a wip of a potential story that was put on the backburner because my hands are full. if you want to know more about what kind of things are meant to happen in this au (atm it's just a collection of ideas, rather than any specific outline), or are curious about anything else, feel free to ask! and let me know what you think about it so far <3

if you're curious where this au came from, i recommend you to watch random encounter's "resident enis" videos (there are two). i'm sure you'll see my vision. (the line about not eating anything with a face is there kjxnbkj.)

this was written on a whim and for the longest time, i kept calling it "silly vampire scar au" (in the spirits of resident enis), even though i know the au devolves—as per usual—into heavier topics and angst. it's set in a world riddled with monsters, it's a survival story, pretty much.

fun fact: the working title of this au is called "Silly Vampire Mr GoodTimes"

i need a better name for it though, "vampire scar au" is so generic, and sure it does have a vampire scar in it, but it's not exclusively about him... but i have no idea what else to call it/how to title it (rip) (pls help-)

[heartfulselkie]

Out of Context WIPs

Pick a bunch of your WIPs and summarize them as badly as possible, then ask your followers to vote on which one they'd be most likely to read. Multiple/all/none options are completely optional.

Thank you for the tag @bittersweetresilience! I think I did this not too long ago but these are always fun so here I go again!

No pressure tagging @trishacollins @ninadove @coffeebanana and anyone else who would like to do this!

[tragedycoded]

writeblr interview tag!

Thank you to loves @the-golden-comet and @sableglass for tagging me here and here. I need you know I made a serious effort not to be a sarcastic asshole as I answered these questions... four days ago. And then forgot to post them.

Let's ggo!

Short stories, novels, or poems? I published short stories in a previous life, but I suck at following prompts or instructions and have accepted my fate as a novelist.

What genre do you prefer reading? Horror. I'm in my post-cosmic horror era right now. Existential. Yeah. Although I don't write folk horror myself (I'm thinking Laird Barron, T. Kingfisher, Stephen Graham Jones) I do enjoy folk horror v much. Bonus points if the protagonists are middle-aged and it's not about how apartments/houses or children are scary. (No hate to domestic horror, I'm just not the target audience.)

Are you a planner or a write as I go kind of person? The first draft is me explaining the Situation to myself. If it happens to make even a tiny bit of sense, we're all lucky. Like, that almost never fucking happens. I didn't show Doom Metal Love Story to anyone until the third/fourth draft because any sense it makes came from me rambling at my roommate in the kitchen while high off my ass at ten in the morning last autumn.

I'm a rambler, baby~

What music do you listen to while writing? That depends! Most of the time it's the soundtrack of whatever video game I wish I were playing instead of working LOL. I've always been like this, it's not cute. Sometimes I rotate in a specific heavy metal album I've heard a million times if the vibes aren't right. If I'm really having a good day, it's '80s music.

Favorite books/movies? Yeah man I have some of those!

Favorite book is House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski. Yes I realize this is a corny and uninspired answer. This book whipped ass when it was published and it whipped ass when I reread it in 2014 and I'm willing to bet money it would whip ass if I reread it in [current year].

Favorite movie is Aliens. The second one. It's the perfect movie. I refuse to acknowledge any film in the series other than Alien and Aliens. Corporal Hicks and Newt are still alive, you sons of bitches.

Any current WIPs? Yes.

If someone were to make a cartoon out of you what would your standard outfit be? A hooded sweatshirt, jeans, no shoes unless I'm out in public. Then it's flip flops. Fingerless gloves if it's chilly and muh arthritis is acting up.

Create a character description of yourself: The smell of pot smoke and the clicking of keystrokes barely penetrates the unopened window. Occasionally, they step out onto the back deck to smoke a cigarette and simultaneously praise and complain about the sun. They might be in their forties. They might own a cat. No one can agree on their height or their gender or whether they actually exist. Can only be contacted through instant message or email. Might be a ghost.

Do you like incorporating actual people you know into your writing? Hell, no LMAO. When I realize I've done it accidentally, I feel like I just got read by a therapist.

Are you kill happy with your characters? I may have killed all three main characters in DMLS multiple times, killed Khalid (from A Living Machine) when he was 12, in front of everybody, and I may intend to kill every character who appears in The Cave Dive, but...

... yeah OK there's something wrong with me.

Coffee or Tea while writing? Coffee all day every day.

Slow or fast writer? I type like someone is threatening to tickle my feet if I stop.

Where/who/what do you draw inspiration from? Uhhhhhhhh...

"OK yeah like that initial idea would be cool and all but make it worse."

If you were in a fantasy world, what would you be?

Most fav book cliche: This author comes from the land of "all cliches suck and should be avoided like the plague."

Least favorite cliche: Like the plague.

Favorite scene to write? Fight scenes. If I can't write a fight scene, let me write a fuck scene.

... why do I not write hockey romances, again?

Reason for writing? I've tried all other legitimate forms of occupation. This is the only one that rewards me for my ability to make shit up and type 40 wpm in first draft mode.

Tag! Usual apologizes for double-tagging go here, Jamie is silly.

@lychhiker-writes @cowboybrunch @finickyfelix @saturnine-saturneight

@ashfordlabs @autism-purgatory @noblebs @aintgonnatakethis

@the-golden-comet @asablehart @mauvecatfic @leahnardo-da-veggie

@sableglass @gioiaalbanoart @words-after-midnight

@lavender-bloom @jev-urisk @wyked-ao3

[haykawas]

★⋆. ࿐࿔ jujutsu kaisen masterlist

𝗦 𝗨 𝗚 𝗨 𝗥 𝗨 𝗚 𝗘 𝗧 𝗢

SERIES

5 DAYS – tattoo shop!au, coworkers/friends to lovers. ↳ You have five days to ask your hot tattooed boss out. Better make it count.

MONDAY – TUESDAY – WEDNESDAY – THURSDAY – FRIDAY

STANDALONES

THORNS – hanahaki!au, angst. ↳ You knew you were doomed since he first smiled at you.

9:23AM – husband!suguru, domestic fluff, (nsfw?).

halloween hcs – What he likes to do the most (with you) on halloween. ft. satoru, choso.

THE ART OF (NOT) PULLING YOUR BEST FRIEND – best friend!to lovers, modern AU, best friends gojo & geto, fluff, angst, eventual smut, drama, love confessions, multiple choices standalone. ↳ You've always been good at hiding your feelings for your best friend, but when Satoru finally manages to land a date with the girl of his dreams, something seems to shift inside you. But don't worry, you have another best friend there who's more than willing to care for you.

This is the beginning of the story. What ending will you choose?

𝗦 𝗔 𝗧 𝗢 𝗥 𝗨 𝗚 𝗢 𝗝 𝗢

STANDALONES

halloween hcs – What he likes to do the most (with you) on halloween. ft. suguru, choso.

THE ART OF (NOT) PULLING YOUR BEST FRIEND – best friend!to lovers, modern AU, best friends gojo & geto, fluff, angst, eventual smut, drama, love confessions, multiple choices standalone. ↳ You've always been good at hiding your feelings for your best friend, but when Satoru finally manages to land a date with the girl of his dreams, something seems to shift inside you. But don't worry, you have another best friend there who's more than willing to care for you.

This is the beginning of the story. What ending will you choose?

𝗖 𝗛 𝗢 𝗦 𝗢 𝗞 𝗔 𝗠 𝗢

STANDALONES

halloween hcs – What he likes to do the most (with you) on halloween. ft. suguru, satoru.

you can find my wips here <3

[devondespresso]

Wiggly-Worm Wednesday!! 🧠🪱

speeding through this before Wednesday ends (the deadline is both extremely malleable and entirely self-enforced and also time isn't real)

tagged by the lovely @hbyrde36 thank you!!

Today the worms are Connected they're connecting dots and doing a great job at it!

my non-fic worm is kinda branching off the first 1k i wrote for stwg's fic exchange, which then hopped skipped and jumped over into its own idea and now I'm enjoying my down time imagining the shenanigans of Robin sneaking Steve over post s4, like living in her bedroom hiding in the closet shenanigans cause his parents aren't back and the hospital had to discharge him to help other patients and she can't just leave him home alone that's a recipe for disaster so really she basically had no choice but to sneak him in through her ground-floor window with a duffel bag under her bed and steal a couple of her dads button down shirts because Steve's a dingus and didn't bring any even though any pullover is a pain in the back-and-tricep-roadrash right now.

so of course robins parents find out because stashing away a whole ass adult man in a bedroom for more than a day or so is actually pretty difficult even when he's not gravely injured. in my head they're pretty understanding after they get to cool down a bit, its not like steve was never around before and he'd always been polite, plus even if they still did think stobin were secretly dating, they're clearly not doing anything and the only reason Robin didn't just ask was because she wasn't going to take no for an answer.

And then on the actual wips front i had the brilliant why-didnt-i-think-of-this-sooner idea to pick a wip to work on based on what i was brainworming just for fun, which led me to my actual stobin wip and within like 20 minutes i had a couple epiphanies about the connective themes im exploring like realizing what i was putting together without realizing. (cut because oh god this got long fast)

Its ended up being a lot about gender, the imaginary wall between girls and guys in a friendship sense that feels solid just because you haven't had the proof that its not really there yet, the heteronormativity and amatonormativity driving a wedge between possible friendships. in this fic, robins really apprehensive about forming any kind of connection with steve because she's had the experience of guys only being interested in dating that she has a lot of mistrust around and m/f friendships that start forming (and ofc it ends with post starcourt platonic with a capital P soulmateisms 💕). i also have this little struggle where like if i can name multiple important theme-y words i fear ive got too many going on, so i was afraid this whole loneliness thing I've got for robin was going to conflict with the gender thing but i think ive got it sorted, they're different levels and their connected ideas, robins escape from loneliness means she has to break through her internal gender wall and let it be broken, plus the loneliness is going to be more explicit in the text because robins like fully aware of it while the gender stuff is probably going to stay mostly subtext and be much broader, popping up in steves pov area too and really all around them.

also had no clue how relevant it would be but steve and robin are like perfectly balanced blurred gender lines like steve is a masculine dude comfortable in his masculinity that also has a healthy relationship with his feminine trait, the hair stuff the babysitter/mom friend thing, he's not ashamed of any of it (and actually i had a longer post on Steve's gender balance somewhere in my drafts but we don't have time rn) and then robins like practically the same in her expression of femininity, she's as far as we see comfortably a girl, wears makeup, loved that movie about doomed love, she's got her feminine traits but also likes dabbling in masculine traits, she dresses more masc (tho its still a solid middle ground, comfort is a big focus), she likes ufos and creepy stuff and jokes about spider babies in hair. idk it just felt like they're a matching set as far as gender goes, if they did combine into one being they'd be bigender 100%

anyway uhhh this got long thank you for sticking around fyjdtjdgjdyj

tagging (no pressure and no deadline, im sorry Wednesday is already basically over dyjxjydgj): @momotonescreaming @stellarspecter @dreamwatch @pearynice @withacapitalp

@queenie-ofthe-void @carolperkinsexgirlfriend @writing-kiki @eriquin @eyesofshinigami

(Vague Rules just in case this makes no sense xtjsdjtdyj: it's technically just Wiggly Wednesday and its where you just post your brainworms/fun ideas of the past week/day/whatever. its super loose, i like talking about brainworms for things ill never write and things im currently writing but you can do whatever. no set number of ppl to tag, just have fun!)

@puppy-steve @hairstevington @hotluncheddie @gleek4twd @klausinamarink

@soaringornithopter

[hcneygemini]

sentence starters from my wip fics, pt. II

please do not add to this list nor repost the list as your own. tw: mentions of murder, violence, manipulation

What do you even want with [ name ]?

It's been a year.

I'm afraid I couldn't tell you.

Don't take anything anyone asks you to do at face value.

You need to be careful, [ name ].

This is strictly professional.

I was told I would have a visitor today.

May I see your credentials?

But you're not here to discuss times long past, are you?

Memory is all I have.

Is this about the recent string of serial killings?

I was sent to learn from you.

We both have plenty of time.

To receive, you must also give.

I'll tell you about me, if you'll tell me about you.

Do you believe in fate?

You have a brilliant mind.

I studied psychology extensively.

Do you enjoy tormenting people?

I would not torment you.

Whoa, you sound stressed.

You know working into the night won't do you any good.

Shouldn't you be focused on your classes?

You'll be graduating soon.

[ They're / she's / he's ] a master manipulator.

You're realizing something, aren't you?

Multiple people are going missing.

So, [ she's / he's / they're ] escalating. Why?

I don't decide who lives or dies.

I'm not taking interviews.

Maybe we shouldn't talk about this right now.

You're staring.

I needed to stock up while I stay nearby for a few days.

Do you have dogs?

I can't help if I don't have the full picture.

I could give you the recipe for the sauce for the ribs. It really boosts the flavor.

Can't this wait until after dinner?

What's so funny?

I'm not here to discuss my mental state.

I'm afraid I've been too busy to catch up on news.

You're not what I expected.

Did you call only to accuse me of being manipulative?

You think I'm being paranoid.

It was a calculated risk, believe me.

I'm surprised you read the tabloids.

Being kind isn't always manipulation.

You're looking kinda queasy.

You didn't do anything wrong.

We both could be in danger.

Do you fear death?

That's what you want, isn't it? To be in control?

What do you gain by being here?

[ He's / they're / she's ] toying with you.

You're quite feisty.

Was it difficult to slip back into a fantasy? To return to playing a part?

To you, everyone is either a lamb doomed for slaughter or a play thing.

I'm going to get you out of here, okay?

You're tough as nails. You're going to be fine.

I told you not to do this alone.

Don't you think the hospital makes enough money without you buying their mediocre bouquets?

You saved my life.

I think we can be useful to each other.

You'll get a shiny new placard on your door to say that you faced down two serial killers and survived.

We're both haunted. I saw it the first time we met.

I'm not much the artistic type.

Every kill will cling to your mind. You just grow. . . accustomed.

Are you always this vague?

What's in it for you?

'Slaughter' is a strong word.

You're using yourself as bait.

It really claws its way into your brain.

You talk like I'm a burden.

My personal life isn't a story to be told.

I can have you out of here in minutes.

I can let you sink or swim.

You're not capable of that.

I can portray you as mysterious and intimidating or as charming and disarming.

That almost sounded like a compliment.

I haven't been getting much sleep.

Something's wrong here. This doesn't make sense.

You look like hell. What happened back there?

Some might say this is a conflict of interest.

I've been waiting so long.

How would you feel if I said your [ spouse / partner ] would be better off without you?

This is a trap.

What's the fun in that?

I've lived somewhere like this once.

How did you know that?

Your sense of justice has been warped.

It changed you, but you can still come back.

You're to be my masterpiece.

They don't understand me like you do.

I will be the perfect Psyche to your Cupid.

I can make it quick and painless.

Are you any good with stitches?

In this day and age, it's impossible to escape that kind of scrutiny.

I want to be witness to what comes from this.

How would your [ spouse ] feel about you feigning a marriage with someone else?

I can't tell in what way you're being rude, but I know it's rude.

I thought you of all people would be capable of improvising, [ name ].

You don't want to see me improvise, [ name ].

It seems you've been abandoned.

I would suggest keeping yours wits about you.

I let emotion get the better of me.

I can't just let you leave here.

I'm not easy to persuade. Apparently I'm stubborn.

I've never seen you bite your tongue before.

I always wanted to visit Berlin.

It's a lovely morning, isn't it?

Survival isn't what it's all cracked up to be.

[void-botanist]

‼️"what has stayed consistent across all drafts?"

💻"what perspectives do you write in?"

For whichever WIP is on your mind lately

I always have all the wips on my mind to be honest. But I think Nicea is interesting from a multiple draft perspective, given there have been multiple iterations of Spinder and Isabel especially:

Isabel has always been a trans lady, even when I had some weird worldbuilding around that. She's also always been a musician and tended toward being a domme.

Though his exact look has changed Spinder has always been a congenital arm amputee with a facial birthmark. And he's always been a fancy dresser and the mechanic guy.

Rodney's always been the "innocent" sibling, at least compared to Isabel, but he's had the most design changes of anyone. He and Isabel have always been from "somewhere else", except that somewhere else used to be earth/the united states.

Fay and Lou have always had F and L names. I gave them their original names and then renamed them something similar like five times.

Declan always loses Cady, except in past versions Cady was actually dead. Cady and Spinder have always been bros which has always led Spinder to have some kind of weirdly close yet distant relationship with Declan after Cady's death.

Cady has always had red hair and glasses and been obsessed with his bike and also Declan.

Martin has always been there and been tall about it.

Michael and Spinder have always hated each other's guts, and Fabian and Spinder have always had some kind of doomed attraction (and to be honest Fabian and Michael have had almost zero design changes since Old Canon like a decade ago).

As for perspectives, I pretty much write in third person limited, but my POV characters went from being Spinder (Old Canon) -> Spinder, Isabel, and Rodney (Middle Canon) -> Spinder, Isabel, Rodney, Declan, Tristan, and Cady (Nicea/New Canon).

Nicea taglist: @kahvilahuhut @kk7-rbs @outpost51 @writernopal @athenswrites

[onlythebravest]

✨️ Twenty Questions for Fic Writers ✨️

Thank you @disgruntledkittenface for tagging me! These questions things are always so fun to read and answer!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

37.

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

212 726

3. What fandoms do you write for?

rigt now, 1D and hockey rpf. I've written for harry potter and acotar before though

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

in order; never been a fan of change, but we're still the same, in the pub that we met he's got his arms around you, dream about a summer night, a conversation starter and these arms were made for holding you

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

yes! almost always. for different reasons. as a reader, I always enjoy getting replies to comments I've left. it also motivates me to leave more comments, esp on that author's fics. that's just how I work. and since I like and want that, I assume it's the same for other ppl so I do that to them. it's also bc getting comments sometimes makes my entire day, and it makes me so happy, and I want to let them know that

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

i'm not sure i've written anything with an angsty ending? oh wait, two of my older mini fics do. the loss of a friend and what are we now? both have pretty angsty endings, or at least not happy ones. so i'll go with them.

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

the rest of them? no, but I prefer happy endings so I think almost all of the rest have. all of my top five kudos ones that I mentioned above are the first ones I'd pick, so take your pick among those. but if I were to pick another one... most of the rest are kinda happy throughout the entire fic and then the ending doesn't feel as happy. so to pick one that's not happy throughout, but has a happy ending, I'll go with maybe we're good, maybe we're not.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

no, i don't. i've gotten some rude comments, but that's as far as it's gotten luckily

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

yes, i've written a little. it's still a bit out of my comfort zone though, esp posting it, but i've written some m/m smut of different variants.

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

no. or well, technically yes, but it's an abandoned wip that i don't like so that's all you're gonna get about it

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not as far as i'm aware, so i hope not

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

no

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

nope. I was part of a round robin, but that got abandoned and I vowed never to do it again. group projects are not my thing 😂

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

I don't think I have one. I change favorites so often, so I don't think I can say I've got an all-time fave

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

oh multiple! I have one that I do doubt I'll ever finish but I still hope I will so so much, so I'm not gonna give up on that one just yet. instead, I have one that's even less likely I'll finish. it's a fantasy one, enemies to lovers (I should've known it was doomed already then, that's not my thing), magic that was based around elements. it's main feature is that it has a "who did this to you?" between two ppl who don't like each other, which is something I love. maybe I'll end up publishing only that scene, it can be read as a stand-alone so it's not that bad of an idea actually

16. What are your writing strengths?

dialogue, I think. specifically banter, I think I'm pretty good at that. I always manage to write it in at least and have a lot of fun writing it!

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I feel like I write pretty short sentences, making paragraphs sound a bit choppy. I'm also an expert in writing english sentences with swedish grammar, so I feel for my beta that has to correct that shit. esp when the sentence doesn't even make sense in English and it's a guessing game😂

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

if it's important to the plot, then yeah, that could be nice. but it's a bit of a pet peeve of mine when i read dialgoue in swedish and it's obvious that the author has used google translate, it bothers me. i'd rather read it in english with an accompanying "says in swedish" rather than the inaccurate translation. but that's probably bc it's my native language. when it's in languages i don't understand i don't have that issue obviously.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

harry potter probably? at least that I posted for, might've written something that I didn't realise was technically for fandom when I was younger

20. Favorite fic you've written?

oh, hm... right now it's probably a tie between does it always end in heartbreak? and maybe we're good, maybe we're not. but that's probably bc those are the latest ones I published. one favorite I always mention is one of the drabbles in the drabble collection snapshots of moments, the one in chapter 11, pretty when you beg

Since this was the first one I saw of these, I'm not sure who has done them, but I'll tag @greenfeelings, @neondiamond, @larrysballetslippers, @lunarheslwt, @sun-lt, @hellolovers13, @zjofierose and @zanniscaramouche. oh and if you see this and want to do this, just say I tagged you because I want to read it!

[hazelmaines]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thank you @conundrumoftime @wyrd-syster @myfavouritelunatic for tagging me! I loved reading your answers :)

How many works do you have on AO3? 15

What's your total AO3 words count? 266,208 

What fandoms do you write for? The Rings of Power; I also have some older HP fics on AO3. 

What are your top five fics by kudos? Just What I Needed (WIP, E, Haladriel Bible Camp AU); The Chain (WIP, M, Haladriel Canonverse AU); Whatever It Is (One-Shot, E, Haladriel Modern AU, Mind the Tags/CWs); The Bargain (WIP, E, Saurondriel Canonverse AU); The Law Is Reason (One-Shot, E, Haladriel A/B/O Lawyers AU)

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? Yes, I try to always respond, but then I often don’t succeed at that. I like to say “thank you” when I can and I love getting comments so it feels nice to say thanks. But if I ever fail to reply to comments please know how much I appreciate them and how happy it makes me that anyone else enjoys what I write! It’s so fun to share. 

What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? It doesn’t have its ending yet but probably The Bargain. It’s … a weird story that’s headed to weird places. That symbiote snippet I posted a while back? Yeah, that's where The Bargain gets these idiots.

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Ooh, I’ll pick a completed one and say The Law Is Reason (Free From Passion).  

Do you get hate on fics? I haven’t yet, but I have been appalled at the disgusting harassment members of my fandom have experienced on AO3 and elsewhere. It’s really sad and gross. The amount of abuse my fellow Haladriel/Saurondriel writers have endured is absolutely abhorrent and wrong.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Yeah, I think most of my fics include smut. I have written an Aronwyn/Haladriel foursome, one of if not the first Bronwyndriel-without-the-guys fics on AO3, multiple rounds of Haladriel virginity loss, random gratuitous smut, and Omegaverse smut. 

Do you write crossovers? If so, what's the craziest one you've written? Nope! 

Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I know of, but I’ve definitely seen it happen to varying degrees, and it’s another one of those things that makes me shake my fist at the clouds about the internet. 

Have you ever had a fic translated? Yes! Such an honor … although I only wish I could read the translator’s work in their language, which alas, I definitely cannot. But ALSO, I have a fic that's being podficced and I literally cried with joy the first time I listened to the first chapter.

Have you ever co-written a fic before? No, I haven’t! I have done loads of brainstorming and “yes-and”-ing with writing pals though and that’s so fun and creatively rewarding.  

What's your all time favourite ship? It’s fucking Sauron and Galadriel, guys. It just is. I can’t. I wasn’t built to withstand TROP Season 1 without becoming permanently damaged and fully unhinged for this ship of doom. 

What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will? Errrr … yeah, I do, and it annoys me because I want to read the story. It’s a Drarry AU I started probably 12 years ago featuring Amnesia!Harry and Psychiatrist!Draco. 

What are your writing strengths? Feelings. Porn with feelings. Banter.

What are your writing weaknesses? Action. Plot. Really need to figure out how to plot, and then, you know, do it. I prefer to vibe and chill with the characters, which is why I have a bunch of vibes-y one-shots and then some really long WIPs that have some serious question marks left on their outlines.  

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? When it’s incorporated smoothly, it can be really nice, but I don’t do it much, because I am not fluent in any of the languages my characters speak. Parf Edhellen is my bestie.

First fandom you wrote for? Uhhh it may have been some accidental semi-RPF back in the day in a composition book while I was in junior high. First online-published fandom? Harry Potter, like every other millennial of a certain age.  

Favourite fic you've ever written? Whaaaat no, how do I choose? I love them all in different ways. My favorite non-TROP fic: Drarry Forever. It's so cute. I loved writing it and I love reading it. My favorite TROP canon AU: The Chain. It's very much my exercise in "writing what I think TROP should have done instead" and there are parts that always give me chills. My favorite modern AU: Just What I Needed. It's the most personal story I have going and it's so much fun to write!

This was really fun! I think many of my friends have done it already but whoever wants to play...please do! I love hearing friends talk about their writing! <3

[clare-with-no-i]

20 questions for fic writers

Thank youuu @isahorcrux for the tag! it's been so long since I did one of these omigoddddd

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

37!

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

392k. a bit crazy that the next chapter of theogony will put it over 400k. wauw!!!!

3. What fandoms do you write for?

publicly? Harry Potter and Percy Jackson. privately? I have an entire folder on my laptop called 'other shit' which is just one-shots for about fifteen different fandoms which I will never publish <3

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

god. this is really making me look at my statistics page which I actively try not to do lol. but it's one long day, I will carry you, color theory, foreigner's god, and growing pains. what can I say, the ppl love the they lived AUs!

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

I try to but I'm terrible about it which is a personal failing. I am so sorry. a new strategy that helps with this is that with my WIPs I try to respond right after the next chapter is posted so the person gets a nice lil notif and they have something else to read!

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

oh hmmm. I guess the derelict art of letting go ending was angsty, but the whole thing was angsty. the end was bittersweet. maybe Invictus? ok new problem is I can't remember what I've written

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

foreigner's god! it's always clare why did you write all of that sad stuff into foreigner's god clare why did you write their deaths in such brutal detail clare I made my roommate read this and now she won't stop crying blah blah and it's never hey clare thanks for that nice ending scene where they're just married and lying in bed and vibing!!!!!!!!!

8. Do you get hate on fics?

yeah I do and I think under viking law I'm legally permitted to fistfight the commenters!!!!!!!!!!!! step up cowards!!!!!!!!!!!!

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

god. lmao. yes I do! not often, though, I'm afraid. I tend to write an extremely narrow niche which is just exorcising trauma through sex and personal intimacy. I have no chill :)

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

no I actually usually dislike crossovers lol. like theogony is a fusion of the outlander premise but I can assure you that James Alexander Malcom MacKenzie Frasier will not make an appearance. crossovers stress me out and I like to keep my little fictional words separate, if I can. ok edit: on further review I've concluded that I enjoy premise swaps (these are just AUs lol), but I can't deal with characters from multiple pieces of media interacting. it's too much. stay in your lanes, my god. this isn't super smash bros.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not a whole fic but someone basically copy and pasted a bunch of lines from NAR into their story and then a bunch of drama ensued. it sucked and I don't like looking at NAR because it reminds me of it. I still think about the anon who told me about it, though. they were so lovely and so caring and kind to me. I hope they're doing well.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

yes! both with my permission and without. ha ha.

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

babes I can't even finish the stories that I'm writing by myself

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

percabeth or zelink! or any doomed/short-lived/five seconds of screen time couple in a tv show or book. seriously idk why but I always fixate on the less important characters

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

I renounce this question in the name of christ. amen.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I exist not with writing strengths or weaknesses but instead a secret third thing (stupidly recognizable style)

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

see above

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

I actually have a WIP where James lives in Spain to play quidditch and he speak Spanish in it :) eso me asusta mucho pq no he practicado mi español hace muchos años pero…sea lo que sea

19. First Fandom you wrote for?

percabeth! my ffnet account is still out there somewhere with ~four percabeth stories that are terrible :) just very bad :) no good :) horriblé :)

20. Favorite fic you've ever written?

theogony or foreigner's god! or suze's bday fic but that's because I have never tailor-made something for someone quite like that fic and she was so sweet about it eye can't deal

tagging my internet wife @thequibblah bestie...knocking at ur door...standing outside with an edible arrangement...

[kyluxtrashpit]

So I’m having another… let’s call it an internet crisis. A thing that typically happens when I have Big Problems I can’t do fuck all about which means now it’s time to get Really Upset about problems that are comparatively small but do affect my daily routine (sorry again for no cut, I still can’t remember how to do it on mobile and I fucking hate hate hate the desktop post editor as much as someone can hate a piece of code)

It’s… getting harder to use tumblr. This isn’t about the sidebar, I don’t actually hate the sidebar cause we used to have a sidebar on the other side and I’ve missed it every since it left, but it’s about other things. A lot of things, but I won’t get into them all right now. For me, the new post editor is just. Really fucking difficult to use. If you’re just doing an unformatted, unplanned ramble (like this) or a little shitpost, it’s fine, especially if you’re on mobile (somehow the shitty mobile editor is now less shitty than the desktop editor, how tf did that happen), but if you’ve got multiple paragraphs and literally any formatting is needed? Well, you’re fucked, quite frankly, it is the most dense and convoluted post editor I’ve seen in like roughly 2 decades spent online. I’ve never seen anything more counterintuitive and difficult to use

And I’m sitting here with all these twitter posts I want to move. Some are little and would be easy. Others are a lot longer and more complicated and would shove me into that formatting hell I despise so much (and given how much feedback and unanswered asks to wip I’ve sent with no improvements, I’ve given up hope of it ever being made better). Like god I really, really want to save those posts but is it even worth it to do it here? But where else would I do it?

And the secondary layer too is… there’s no fucking posts here. No engagement on posts either most of the time. 90% of my posts come from my archive cause the kylux and Kylo (plus a few others I check less regularly) tags have very few daily posts and there’s hardly anything on my dash anymore. My original posts maybe get 10 notes on average, and these posts are ones that sometimes got near triple digit rts alone on twitter. Just seems there’s exceptionally few people here to enjoy them

And I’m still on twitter. It’s slowly dwindling but it’s still slightly more active than here. I’m on pillowfort and bsky too and they are truly dead (unless you’re a furry, good on the furries for populating every site in existence). There’s just. Nothing anymore. Maybe my fandoms are just dead but it feels like the meme about passing around the same $20 among friends cause capitalism is destroying us except with posts and likes

Idk. I feel like I don’t have an online home anymore. 90% of my socializing is online and 100% of my creativity is expressed through fandom and. I don’t know where to do that anymore. I have friends I chat with on discord and I love them but it’s… it’s not the same as a whole community, you know? And now that our homes are falling apart with every sign pointing towards imminent foreclosure like. What do I do. I know I’ve been through site losses before but. It feels different. Something new and shiny always came along before the end. I fear that’s not coming and we’ll all just be lost

Idk. I don’t have a conclusion. Twitter is doomed. I hate how the new owners are running on tumblr and I’m still posting here more out of a desperate desire to remember what community felt like than any real actual want to do so. The new sites have nothing going on. Idk. I feel lost. And maybe it’s the 15 other problems I have going on right now and hormones and shit but. I just don’t know what to do and I’m scared of what the future looks like for online communities and how alone I’ll be if I lost them (even though in reality I already have lost them aside from a small handful of people)

[raplinesmoon]

2022 End of Year Writing Recap

Rules: post the top 5 works you’re most proud of that you released in 2022 (not necessarily your most popular), your top 4 current WIPs that you’re excited to release in the new year, your top 3 biggest improvements in your writing over the past year, your top 2 resolutions (ways you wish to improve your writing/blog) for the new year, and your number 1 favorite line you’ve written this year!

I was tagged by @reliablemitten @augustbutwinter @kithtaehyung @bangtanintotheroom!! Thank you all so much 💜

As usual, I left this this until the last 20 minutes of 2022 😅

Top 5 works you’re most proud of (not necessarily your most popular)

1. On The Ropes - do i even have to say whyyyy? to this day im shocked that this amazing story came out of my brain, and that these characters were received with so much love and appreciation. they are endlessly my favorites and I never wanna stop writing for them 💜

2. Sensualidad - HOBIIII!! 😈 I just love how fun this fic was, and this Hoseok was one of my favourite characters to write! I also got the chance to write out one of my very first dreams that I wanted to turn into a fic, so that made it a big bucket list fic for me

3. An Age of Oddities - another Hobi fic, but I’m truly in love with the writing style, I tried something different and I’m super proud of how it turned out and emulated the vibes of a gothic novel!! 🥀

4. Doom Boy - because it is literally Sexy Nukim Joon personified!? That song wrecked me like nothing else, and the smut in this one is some of my favorite I’ve ever written, along with the scene in the rain 💗

5. The House The Sea Built - A newbie on the list, but Indigo was just so mind boggling and life changing for me that I had to pay tribute to it somehow, and I really got to reflect on the beauty and emotions Namjoon poured into the album while writing this! 🥰

Top 4 current WIPs that you’re excited to release:

Oh gosh, I can’t say much but I’ll just drop some ideas 🥴

1. Did It All For Love - a little Tae bday fic that is late, but should be coming your way soon!

2. Gayeon - my birthday fic for Yoongi that is going to break me and heal me and put me back together

3. Thorns and Honeysuckle/The Portrait Of Kim Seokjin - I’m excited to pick up the hyung line classic lit series again!!

4. Breaking the Ice - hockey player/roommate Namjoon… that’s the tweet 👀

Top 3 biggest improvements in your writing over the past year

1. Writing longer and more cohesive fics - i attribute this to finally planning out and outlining fics!! sometimes it does take longer but it truly has been the reason I’ve been able to write multiple long fics and have them be fleshed out and the stories fully realized

2. Shifting to writing the stories I want to tell - I’ve been able to tell myself fo just go ahead and write something that I want to, and not worry about notes or reception, even if it’s off beat or unconventional 💕

3. Changing up my writing style!! - I was able to experiment with different styles, like in An Age of Oddities, and when I read my writing back, I’m proud of how it sounds so much like the style I wanted to evoke but also me at the same time!

Top 2 resolutions for the new year

1. Giving myself time and writing in stages rather than all at once!

2. Finishing my current wips!! - always wishful thinking 🤣

Number 1 favorite line you’ve written this year

I mean this just had to be the winner 🤍

“I want you, Seokjin. All of you, even the broken parts. I want us to take those shattered pieces of ourselves and build something new together.”

And we made it, with four minutes to spare!! Thank you son much for everything this year, writing is more fun with you guys around, and here’s to an even more wonderful 2023!! 🎇

[raybyanothername]

soooo, how many WIPs/ideas/prompts/headcanons have u got for HOTD??

(please feel free to rant about said ideas)

Easily 2 dozen!! More if you count all the diverging ideas and fics that I choose to ignore.

Since I already posted one ask about some of my WIPs (they have multiplied since then...) I shall tell you my favorite headcanons instead! Most of them dragon-related, as they're the only ones that tend to be consistent across my fics (but not always...).

Aegon bonded with Sunfyre on his first trip to Dragonstone. He was the youngest dragon'rider' since the Doom. Sunfyre was a hatchling at the time, and was an egg from Syrax.

Arrax was an egg from Seasmoke. Both dragons are particularly fond of ships. Arrax liked to perch on the masts and decks of ships when he was still small enough.

I wholeheartedly believe the dragons are hermetic theory. Dragons are nonbinary goals. And I think they only become 'female' to provide a clutch of eggs when their riders are also pregnant. (This is somewhat hinted at it canon, so... headcanon-ish.)

Dragonriders cannot take a second dragon after their first one dies, unlike dragons that can take multiple riders over their lifetimes.

During winter, dragons can and sometimes will hibernate. This is especially true for non-bonded dragons.

Dragons grow faster when they have a strong bond with their rider. That's why the dragons all grow at different rates.

Rhaena is homoromantic and asexual. I love that she's canonically a lesbian, but I lowkey like to think she's indifferent to sex (not a sex-repulsed ace, just kinda 'eh' about it all). yes i do plan to explore this in a specific fic

Dragons and riders can feel each other's emotions, to different extents depending on their relationship.

Daemon looks more like their mother, Viserys like their father. This definitely factored in to Daemon and Baelon's relationship a la Viserys' comment about daughters looking like their mother being both a source of comfort and a source of pain. It ain't just daughters that can trigger the feels! Also lowkey the real reason Daemon ended up with Dark Sister. one day i will write about this... i hope.

Personality Mirrors: Jace and Rhaenyra, Luke and Laenor, Joff and Harwin. And yes, I am aware that Joff being the most like Harwin is angst-ladden. I maintain my stance! This also makes Jace the most like Daemon... which explains some of their issues imo as well.

[galactic-pirates]

4, 8, 18 for the fic ask? :)

Thank you!!! :)

4) How do you choose which fics to write? When I was writing fanfic it was mostly by prioritising.

I've said before about my lists. I get an idea - it goes on the list. Say I get an idea for an event - it goes straight to the top, everything else has to wait. When I finish a WIP/there's no events etc. I can then pick off the list. Invariably though what happens is I don't pick the oldest idea, I usually pick whatever is newest because it still has the shiny quality. In some ways the list is a bit of a death sentence for ideas.

8) Post an out-of-context spoiler from a wip I can't really do this because I'm not writing fanfic anymore. Sorry. I post a line off my art the other day about "librarians win with what they know - not magic" but that's all I have for you.

18) Do you enjoy research? Which fic of yours required the most research? Answered here :)

You get two bonus questions because of the repeat/skip :)

3) Do you share your fic ideas, or do you keep them to yourself? This is tricky. There is honestly nothing I like more than talking about my ideas. I can exhaust anyone and everyone. I remember back in the day when we did TMI Tuesday I used to be desperate for people to ask me. I would try and bait the question sometimes. It was probably kinda attention seeking and I should be more sorry than I am. I don't know if this also tied into how I always feel like an outsider. Although I shouldn't be claiming I feel invisible when I've had so many wonderful asks lately (I seriously do appreciate you guys so much).

The trouble is though, what happens if you never get round to writing the idea? Having talked about it, that feels a bit like a promise made, and a debt unpaid. It's never my intention to tease. I just genuinely love my ideas and wish I could will them into existence. I want to read them!

All of this is about fanfic ^^ and I mostly don't talk about my doomed ideas anymore. Sometimes I'll make a reference because I'm nostalgic, because I wish I had got round to writing it. Also because I wish it could live somewhere other than in my head.

For my original novels I'll make vague references sometimes, and I would love to talk about them, but I'm hesitant to share. I'm protective I guess.

24) How do you choose whose POV to write in? (in which I apparently have a lot to say)

Ah POV. AO3 will show a clear divide. Probably most of my Once stuff was back before I trained myself out of 'head hopping'. It's... can I say frowned upon in original writing? I don't want to sound judgemental. Having a clear POV and not shifting within a scene, is recommended best practice, put it that way.

Anyway, initially once I stopped I found it very confining. I see stories in my head like they are TV episodes. If there are multiple characters in the scene, then each has a perspective and sometimes with conflict I wanted to see all of those sides. But I couldn't with maintaining POV.

Except you can.

It's magic that I have only just discovered (thank you to the ridiculous number of writing craft books I got last summer). So you are in the head of Character A who is talking with Character B. Now Character A is going to be an unreliable narrator because what they see is flavoured by their perspective. So they can observe that Character B is frowning, and distracted looking out the window rather than at them, and they think they sound terse. So Character A concludes that they are mad at them about X that happened earlier BUT compare those noticed cues with the words that Character B chooses. Perhaps an off-hand mention that the post is late today. You can make enough suggestions that perhaps Character B has something else going on.

Next scene the post drops on the mat and Character B is about to hurl as they sort through the letters, and it becomes clear what their POV was in the previous scene. You don't need to recap and have Character B think over the past scene to do their thoughts on it (I was terrible for this when I first stopped headhopping). The reader is smart and you can infer a LOT.

As for choosing what POV to go with, a few factors play in. First does the character have a unique take on the scene? Something that can't be inferred so easily. What about the surrounding scenes? As the example I just made up above, by switching POV in the next scene you can add depth. So there's balance to consider.

If a character is a POV, generally speaking they are a main character and they will have POV given to them more than once in the story. Now this isn't always true because POV is a technique and you can play with it. Also I just realised I'm making assumptions about the POV being limited, and of course you can do omniscient narrator and the like but I don't personally. A good rule of thumb though is that readers will tend to bond with POV characters more (makes sense, we've been in their head, it's a closer relationship), hence the number of POV's in a story should be limited, and the characters need to prove they are worthy of getting a POV.

When writing a romance it's quite common to split POV in half between the couple. I have to be honest when writing any of my fanfic I never counted scenes to make sure the division was equal. POV is something I tend to assign by feel. I want to make sure the pacing is correct. That a character doesn't get forgotten in say the back half of the story (this is especially important when the POV shifts due to subplots).

Anyway yeah basically I pick the POV based on who I think we need to hear from at that point in the story.

[lunarsands]

(Fic writer’s asks) multiples of 9!

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

I have a WIP that’s close to my heart, but the combined crossovers of “Mirror Mirror, Break Our Fall” and “Who’s The Unfairest of Us All” come a close second. Hero Complex character meets his double from a parallel universe who is a Darker and Edgier Anti-Hero, and when Hero tries to convince Anti-Hero that there is always a chance to save himself and be redeemed, Anti-Hero insists that this is Just How It Is and his life was doomed to be cursed from the start. The Anti-Hero’s attitude came from a place of dealing with my own irl hardships and accepting that (for the time being) I had to face what was handed to me on my own.

18. What was the hardest fic to title?

I have a series (two of said fics are mentioned above) where the titles are plays on  “mirror mirror, on the wall” quotes from Snow White (because the stories are about the same characters from parallel universes meeting each other, and I love a good Mirrorverse trope). It is, however, becoming increasingly difficult to reword the lines. I have a WIP idea that will need to play off “Who’s the fairest of us all?” again and, uh, no clue on that title yet.

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

Does sighing in relief and jumping straight into writing the next one count? (Minus the part where writer’s block has plagued me for most of this year)