#dtfiles

[riddlegecko]

i think it's absolutely hilarious that CLaR is already the longest of my non-orphaned fics on ao3, and it's only got one chapter out of twelve out so far.

[riddlegecko]

Local couple with a new camera find spooky stone tablets in the woods, and decide to film the ensuing investigation.

[fencecollapsed]

not technically a question (actually it's not a question at all whoops), but i was thinking about my ever-expanding list of Fic Solidarity Moments™ that i have with @wizisbored and i realized that we also have some Fic Solidarity Moments™,,, dtfiles and wtdd are emma "oops, i guess i'm a paranormal investigator now" perkins solidarity, and hohf (bowf specifically) and wtdd are emma "i just befriended this inhuman creature, and i Have To name it" perkins solidarity,,,

oh I love that so much, fic solidarity yes!!!

accidental paranormal investigator Emma is absolutely peak tbh, I love her just stumbling into it the way she does in both dtfiles and wtdd it's very fun <3 Emma and Paul doing it together tho,,, fantastic,, I love dtfiles so much for that it's such a good vibe

and our Emmas will see sweet friendly creatures and ask "is anyone gonna give this guy a name?" and not wait for an answer <3

[riddlegecko]

fuckin sdttww, getting me too attached to it to go through with orphaning it. i'm tired of seeing it sit there in my ao3 works, forever unfinished bc my plans for the last 3 chapters were shit and i couldn't think of anything better. and i literally was just about to finally orphan it, but i couldn't bring myself to do it bc i got attached to the fucking thing and i keep remembering how bummed i felt last time i orphaned one of my fics, and aaaaaaagh-

[riddlegecko]

i don't really Do headcanons anymore, but i still think that the "hidgens genuinely thinks that ted cruz is the zodiac killer because he doesn't understand internet memes" thing i came up with in dtfiles all those years ago is kind of a banger.

[riddlegecko]

the drowsy town files got up to 22 chapters and 41,320 words before i stopped writing it

changed like a remix currently has two chapters posted out of twelve, and is at 15,249 words bc chapter 1 is comedically long, and there will presumably be more comedically long chapters in the future

so the question remains,,,

[riddlegecko]

if it helps at all, I wrote the first draft of my ybc video in February in a week and it basically sat around as a draft for two months before I got excited about it again and finished the project. I've taken a Lot of breaks I didn't intend to with WTDD cuz of burnout too. it sucks, it's so frustrating, but it's better to let it sit than try to force it. take it easy! <3

yeah, i just get Really Nervous when it comes to taking breaks from my fics bc i never know if it's gonna be like a normal length break or if it's gonna become another dtfiles/sdttww situation. like, i'm sure it won't for CLaR bc the brainrot for this fic is still Strong, but it's still something that nags at my mind whenever i take breaks.

but yeah thank u ceej <333

[riddlegecko]

WHAT !

ARRAN !!

HOLY SHIT !!!

THIS IS SO GOOD, I LOVE IT, I'M CRI-

THE DETAIL,,, THE LITTLE TRACE OF PURPLE IN EMMA'S EYE, HOLY F UCK

TYSM!!!!!! 💜💜💜

reading chapter 20 of the drowsy town files by @piece-of-caek​, aside from being viscerally terrified i could not shake the ‘holy shit i need to draw this’ feeling because holy fuck that scene lives in my head rent free so heres that

[riddlegecko]

i think if i ever make a return to the dtfiles style of fic with mo as the protagonist (y'know, that thing i occasionally mention wanting to do?), instead of using the "narrator binge-watches a bunch of videos all at once like a year after they were uploaded" format, i'm gonna try something like. "narrator is watching the videos as they're being uploaded, and in-between 'videos' we actually get to see what the protagonists are doing outside of the videos in a normal third-person perspective". kinda like what i did with the dtfiles in-betweens, if anyone remembers those?

[riddlegecko]

for the record, if i do ever decide to write like full-fledged multi-chap fics about my hatchetfield ocs, i do in fact know what they'll be about. jasper's would show what happened to him and the rest of the mckenzies post-yellow jacket, neffie's would basically be my return to that old bat boy au i wanted to do pre-nmt 1, and mo and nicolas would share their story and it'd be a return to the dtfiles formula.

[riddlegecko]

i still really wanna use like the basic concept of dtfiles as the basis for an original story, but i still don't have an actual plot in mind

[riddlegecko]

!!! Thank you so much! I'm so glad you liked it! I always feel vindicated when people praise the narrator/perspective of the story, it makes me glad I decided to narrate in first-person instead of second-person like I originally intended. Also happy to hear more positive reactions to the "horny commenter comments on Paul's ass" gag bc chapter 9 is NOT the last we hear of the horny commenter. Tysm again! <3

Okay so I just caught up on Drowsy Town Files by @piece-of-caek and I have a lot thoughts but I don't want to just be like "wow I love this one piece of dialogue so much!" so I'll only mention a few things

First off: its absolutely amazing and if you haven't read it the you should definitely go read it!

I absolutely love the way it's written, the perspective of someone who just stumbled across these videos is so neat!! And ofc I also love the story!

I'm very worried about Hidgens after the 8th chapter, I'm not sure what will happen but I'm worried.

After Paul recited Tinky's riddle I no joke immediately screamed "TED!!! IT'S TED! IT BETTER BE TED!!" because I have a problem and love Ted

I cannot believe you include that someone commented that Paul has a nice ass, I mean yes their right-

Anyways I can't wait for more to come out and see where this goes!

[riddlegecko]

the drowsy town files.

video 22: more theorizing with hidgens

Paul and Emma discuss their visit to Watcher World with Hidgens, and find out what the Blinky doll's deal is.

ao3 link

[riddlegecko]

Drowsy Town In-Betweens

Ficlet 2: Tag! You're It!

(TAKES PLACE BETWEEN CHAPTERS 18 AND 19 OF DTFILES)

Blinky plays a game with Emma.

ao3 link

[riddlegecko]

Oooo I've got some ideas:

Reverse roles where Paul is the barista and Emmas the CCRP worker and Emma slips him a note asking him out and he gets so flushed up and has a hard time serving her bc he's got a huge crush

Colorado au where the two of them really sit down and appreciate that despite all the shit they went through, they still have each other, so like,,, bittersweet ig

They adopt a cat. Just. That's it. They adopt a cat and I'm somft okay-

Paul has nightmares and Emma comforts him and helps him fall back asleep

Paul and Emma go on that date they were talking about after the helicopter crash

Paulkins proposal

Uhhh ice cream shop date

Beach date

I'm sorry if I've annoyed you I just have a lot of feelings dhdjddjdje

I'm gonna go with the nightmares prompt, bc that's the one my brain latched onto first. Also uh,,, I hope you don't mind that I made it DTfiles related? Consider this a DT Drabble that takes place at some point in between chapters 7 and 9!

"Fucking anti-social shut-in!"

"You selfish, good-for-nothing coward!"

The fight for the Tickle-Me-Wiggly doll raged on, and Paul had no intention of losing it. He needed that doll like he needed air to breathe. Wiggly would bring him happiness. He would bring him love. As long as Paul worshiped his Lord and joined Him in Drowsy Town, Wiggly would show him the light. And the only thing standing in the way of that was Emma, who wanted the doll all to herself.

Paul continued to try and wrestle the Wiggly doll from Emma's iron grip, but she was resilient, pulling and yanking in an attempt to shake off Paul's own grasp. All while they screamed progressively harsher insults at each other. Paul couldn't bring himself to be shaken by any of them. Hurtful words wouldn't matter to him soon, not when he had the essence of Wiggog Y'rath in his hands, and only his hands.

But Paul let his grip loosen too soon, and Emma managed to snatch the doll back from him. Paul watched on in disbelief as Emma cradled the doll in her arms.

"Yes! He's mine!" she exclaimed, her eyes wild and glowing with a pulsing green light. She closed her eyes and pressed her ear to the Wiggly doll's belly- like she was listening for a heartbeat, and began to smooth His ruffled fur down. "He's all mine! I can hear His voice..."

Rage unlike anything Paul had ever known began to course through his veins. No... She couldn't have Him, Wiggly had promised Paul happiness! With an enraged scream, Paul lunged for Emma, grabbing her by the throat and pinning her to the couch. Emma stared on in horror as Paul began to strangle her.

"P-Paul...!" she choked out, struggling beneath him. "Stop...!"

"He's mine, you can't have Him..." Paul hissed, an elated chuckle sneaking into his voice as he watched her squirm. "He's mine, you can't have Him..."

Paul tightened his grip around Emma's throat. Tears began to well up in her wide, panicked eyes. She deserved this... She deserved this for trying to deprive Paul of his master's love... She released her grip on the Wiggly doll, desperately prying at Paul's hands. Paul didn't care that she had let go, he just wanted to see her suffer. It was what his Lord wanted him to do, and he would not disappoint Him. Life began to fade from her eyes.

"Paul... Please..."

~

Emma hadn't been expected to be woken up in the middle of the night by Paul thrashing under the covers in his sleep, muttering nonsense under his breath. She flicked on the light, baffled by what she was seeing. But then she noticed the distress on his face, covered in cold sweat and panting heavily between frantic murmurs. Emma's heart jumped into her throat. He was having a nightmare.

"Paul? Paul!" she exclaimed, trying to jostle Paul awake. "Please wake up, babe..."

With a sharp gasp, Paul's eyes flew open, and he looked around in a panic. It was then Emma realized that it wasn't just sweat pouring down his face, he'd been crying as well. She gently put her hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, hey, you're okay..." she softly assured him as he continued to pant and heave. "It was just a nightmare, hun..."

Paul's tearful eyes met hers. "E-Emma...?"

Emma nodded, offering him a warm, reassuring smile to hopefully calm his nerves. But much to her surprise, Paul threw his arms around her, wrapping her in a bear hug as his body began to shake with sobs.

"You're okay!" he exclaimed, his face buried in the crook of her neck. "Oh god, Emma, I'm so sorry!"

"Whoa, whoa, sorry for what!?" Emma sputtered, horribly lost and confused. "Paul, what happened?"

Paul pulled back from the embrace, gently tilting her chin up. For a moment, Emma thought he was moving to kiss her, but she soon felt his lips gently brush her neck.

"There's no bruises..." he sighed, sounding relieved. "You're not hurt..."

Emma forced herself not to giggle or fidget as Paul carefully kissed over her neck, possibly the gentlest he'd ever been. She had to stay on track.

"Paul, are you okay?" she asked, lifting his head back up so he was looking her in the eyes. Emma's heart sunk. He looked so scared. "What were you dreaming about?"

"It was, um..." he began quietly, looking down at his lap. "Our fight over the Wiggly doll..."

Emma's face fell, immediately understanding what he meant. "Oh god, Paul..." she said, pulling him back into their embrace from earlier. "It's okay, that wasn't us, remember? That was all Wiggly's doing."

"I-I know, but..." Paul sniffled, tearing up again. He sounded so broken. "It went further this time. I dreamt that I killed you over it, Emma..."

"Shh, it's okay, Paul..." she gently shushed him, letting him melt into her embrace. "I know you would never hurt me."

Emma let Paul cry on her shoulder, holding him in her arms and pressing the occasional kiss to his temple. Ever since the fiasco with the Wiggly doll, Paul's been subjected to several nightmares over it, some worse than others. They were usually triggered on nights where he'd heard the Tickle-Me-Wiggly jingle playing at the grocery store or something a few hours prior. Emma was determined to not let Paul beat himself up over the things he'd said while under Wiggly's influence, but these nightmares made it a hell of a lot harder.

Emma laid back in bed, gently easing Paul over so that his head was resting on her stomach. He shut his eyes, clinging to her like a baby koala, and Emma couldn't help but smile a bit. Emma hadn't expected Paul to be much of a cuddler when they first started dating, but she was quick to realize that touch was very much a love language for him. He used to be very shy about physical affection- as though he was embarrassed by it, but he soon became adjusted to regularly giving it to and receiving it from her.

"I love you, Paul," Emma told him, running her fingers through his tousled bedhead. "You know that, right?"

"Mhm, I do," Paul muttered in reply, nestling in closer to her. "And I love you too."

"Get some sleep," she said. "And I'll wake you if you start having nightmares again."

"M'kay. I love you."

"You just said that."

"And I mean it every time."

Emma watched as Paul slowly drifted off, his once-panicked breathing becoming steady. She ran her hand through his hair, savoring the fluff of his bedhead. Occasionally she'd let her hand wander a little further down to gently scratch his back, just to hear him chuckle sleepily as her nails grazed his skin. Once Emma was sure that Paul had fallen back asleep- and he confirmed it by softly snoring against her, she reached over to turn the bedroom lights off once more, and let herself drift off.

[riddlegecko]

DTfiles may be planned out, but it's not planned out WELL. I didn't think things that happen in the latter half of the story through very well, and with every chapter I post I'm like "Oh god, I'm gonna have to retool EVERYTHING that happens after chapter 30". So Kirb, you're doing JUST fine, dw.

i see all of you with your long, planned, multi-chapter fics and i’m sitting here with “hehe i came up with another one-shot for a fandom none of my mutuals know :D”