#first ficlet thing since 2016

[pod-together]

Pod-Together Day 10 Reveals 2024

The Monster in the Mirror (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)) written by grovestep, performed by gracicah Summary: In which Catra struggles with her sense of self and is thrown into turmoil on her 21st birthday.

A Magic Hat (One Piece (Anime & Manga)) written by Aibhilin, performed by stereden Summary: A magic hat. That’s the only explanation for the whole lunacy he’s experiencing right now. Nonetheless, it makes his life much, much easier as well as promising to make it much, much more comfortable and he takes full on advantage of it. In short: Sabo stumbles upon a magic hat and decides to make that everybody else's problem.

Trust to Mend [text, audio] (Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling) written by BinteMuhammad, cardoon, mangotart_reads, and SerenaEW, performed by mangotart_reads and SerenaEW Summary: >>His path is blocked by a figure so tall >>He smacks into the wall. What if said wall is not as immovable as Harry believed it to be? A fluffy Severitus ficlet/poem.

A Friend Indeed (Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG-1, Merlin (TV)) written by InterstellarBlue, performed by pass_the_salt Summary: Rodney is offworld on a mission with, of all people, Jonas Quinn, Major Lorne, and three Marines who aren't actually on Lorne's gate team, for bureaucratic military reasons he doesn't want to bother to understand. Not that it matters, because they are in search of Atlantis's holy grail: a source of more ZPMs. They just have to get through several obstacles first.

beautiful, curious, breathing, laughing flesh (Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston, Red White & Royal Blue (2023)) written by LK_42, performed by esbielle Summary: Alex Claremont-Diaz meets Prince Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor at the 2016 Rio Olympics after the Men’s Diving Final. Alex is thrilled and Henry is amazed. Why is this meeting so different? It’s a diving AU!

Why Don't You Kiss Her? (Julie and The Phantoms (TV 2020)) written by NineofHearts, performed by horchatapods Summary: The boys and Julie have been friends since they were fifteen. Julie and Luke met in chemistry class when they were seated next to each other. Their friend groups started meshing and hanging out together in school and sometimes out of school. Julie and Luke are those friends who always “happen” to peel off together when they’re hanging as a group. Luke decides it’s time to make a move.

[Visual Novel] Gusu Summer Camp: A Dating Sim (陈情令 | The Untamed (TV), 魔道祖师 | Módào Zǔshī (Cartoon)) written by nonplussed, performed by kisahawklin, KeriArentikai, semperfiona, and sunkitten_shash Summary: Will Jiang Cheng find a date for the lantern lighting festival at the end of Gusu Summer Camp, or will he break Nie Huaisang's and Wei Wuxian's legs first? Play this fully voiced MDZS visual novel to find out! Average playtime: 30-60mins

Lake Kane (Stranger Things (TV 2016), Firewatch (Video Game)) written by SSLeif, performed by Rambling_Company and elle-dubs Summary: It’s the summer of 1985, and construction of the New Mall expected in Hawkins has been delayed. Steve Harrington, newly graduated, newly cut-off, needs a summer job. Hargrove is still in town, so Steve’s absolutely not going to lifeguard this year. Eddie Munson gets caught that one-too-many’th-a-time, and Hopper makes it clear he needs to find some gainful employment, ideally elsewhere, and Hop does not want to see Too Much of him this summer, Or Else. Robin Buckley needs a summer job, ideally something that lets her do college prep work at the same time… And the forest service is having trouble retaining fire lookouts in this one… mysterious… stretch of woods. . A Stranger Things/Firewatch AU

Access Denied (9-1-1 (TV)) written by SweetPollyOliver and kitsunerei88, performed by SweetPollyOliver, blackglass, horchata, mistbornhero, kitsunerei88, 42donotpanic, AmyNChan, Avanie, dairaliz, KDHeart, MeggieJolly, Rhea314, and theyarnmaidstale Summary: When a faulty software update affects essential services throughout Los Angeles, LAFD work overtime to respond to the resulting emergencies.

[katnissdoesnotfollowback]

Featuring: Stuck on Repeat

Summary: The jukebox will need to be replaced. It's cracked in three places and stuck on "What’s New Pussycat," a fact that took them about twenty minutes to realize before Thresh tried smacking the thing around to get it to shut up -- with no luck. He had to unplug it. The tinkling of broken glass being swept up provides a fitting accompaniment to the questioning as Darius flips open his tablet and levels Katniss with a serious look.

“Can you tell me how the fight started, Miss Everdeen?” She scowls at his use of a formal name for her, like he doesn’t spend every other Saturday in here, knocking back beers with his cop buddies, flirting shamelessly with her, and avoiding whatever fight he just had with Glimmer, his girlfriend.

Rating: E for explicit sexual content, explicit language, ptsd, bar fights, minor character death (after a long and fulfilling life tho and it happens off screen)

A/N: So I don't remember the exact sequence of events that led to this story. I do recall something about a post, maybe a prompt from a writing blog idk, but the gist of it was something about your otp meeting because they're both hiding behind the bar during a bar fight. I received an anonymous ask requesting I write it. I actually started writing on Election Day 2016 and the piece featured campaign worker!Peeta wearing a shirt supporting a woman candidate for president and Katniss out for drinks with a few friends when the fight breaks out, but well... as election night wore on, I lost all inspiration whatsoever. I've long since deleted that file because I just could not return to it.

The prompt sat unfulfilled in my inbox for almost a year while my personal life went through a boatload of change, to include a cross country move, a month living with my in-laws (ugh), speed moving into our first house before a tropical storm hit the area (also because we could not last one damn minute longer with Mr. kdnfb's parents). And then, after all the dust settled, I finally managed to produce the first part of what became Stuck on Repeat. It flowed pretty fast after that and became a fun little four part ficlet that's just over 21k words, with smut in every chapter and some shameless fluff. Also Peeta has a southern accent in this, for anyone who might like that sort of thing. And so, I present again bar fight!Everlark.

Stuck on Repeat on AO3

[suitelif3]

couldn’t get this Steddie idea out of my head, and tried writing it! this is my first ever fic/ficlet so I’m not sure how to feel about it, but I hope it came out semi good, also on ao3!

word count: 1.4k, no tw, hurt/comfort

Steve and Eddie making out and talk about feelings

**

Eddie was kissing Steve, lips wet, breathing hotly into his mouth. He could do this forever, just feeling Steve on him, around him. Steve was beautiful and looked so good. Downright sinful. His soft hair tousled, his smooth skin against Eddie’s. Steve was letting out little pants into Eddie’s mouth, his hands finding the crevices against Eddie’s hips and thighs. Eddie was thrumming under his skin feeling pure desire for the man.

He’s always looked so pretty, even when they were in high school together. He remembers staring at Steve from the other side of the cafeteria, wondering if he even noticed the freak. Now they were in bed together and Eddie had him all to himself. This was more than he had dreamed.

Eddie’s hands splayed across Steve’s sides, climbing higher into his hair where he tugged some strands at the back of Steve’s neck. Eddie was feeling hot all over, he could feel his blush spreading over his ears, and his body pushing up into Steve’s. Steve lowered his head to Eddie’s neck and started leaving open mouthed kisses. Eddie felt a blissful shiver travel through his body. He was so lost in the feeling of Steve, he almost didn’t register the question the boy had asked him.

“When did you know?” Steve had asked the question breathlessly, still tucked into Eddie’s neck.

“Huh?”

Eddie was so blissed out, he had no idea what Steve was talking about.

Steve laughed against his neck, making Eddie ticklish for a few seconds, before feeling turned on.

Steve pulled back to look at Eddie, “When did you know you loved me?”

Eddie laughed softly, “I don’t know, since high school?”

Steve paused. That didn’t seem to be the answer he was expecting since he tilted his face with his brows creased.

“You didn’t even know me.”

Eddie felt the tension shift and tried to salvage the conversation so they could go back to making out, with Steve’s mouth preferably on Eddie’s.

“Didn’t need to. I knew you were pretty.”

Steve jerks back even more. Not even within arm’s length anymore. Eddie was starting to feel very cold and bare, what just happened? He just wanted to pull Steve back in, and feel against every inch of his body.

“What do you mean?” Steve’s eyes were roaming Eddie’s face like he was searching for something, but Eddie didn’t have a clue of what he could be looking for or what answer Steve wanted to hear.

“What?” Eddie was so confused, he didn’t know where this was going, just that this was going downhill so fast.

“You just thought I was pretty?”

Eddie was confused by the question, didn’t Steve know he was always pretty?

“Well, yeah-”

“You didn’t need to know me? You just saw me and decided to love me because you liked what you saw? What about me? Do you even like me or were you just looking for the King to have for the night? Because I’m pretty and that’s all I’ll ever be? I’m not that person anymore, and I thought you knew that.” Steve was looking down at Eddie with a crestfallen look, and Eddie wanted nothing more than to wipe that off.

“Steve”. Eddie whispered.

Steve was glancing around the room, like he was searching for his clothes in order to make a quick escape. Eddie wanted to hold him down so he could explain, but Steve was starting to pull further away from him. Steve’s face was heartbreaking, and Eddie wanted him to know how much he really meant to him.

Eddie was starting to understand what was happening now. He didn’t mean to make Steve feel like Eddie didn’t love him. He just wanted to compliment him so he could feel his hands on his body again.

But he does love Steve, he loves everything he does. How he looks after the kids, who he is as a person, the way he cares so deeply, so loyally. How he looked after Eddie, how his hands fixed him up again, how his eyes shined when looking his way, how his heart seemed to have even some space for Eddie after everyone else.

Eddie looked up at Steve in disbelief. He reached out to feel some part of Steve, and gripped the tops of his arms so Steve couldn’t leave.

“Steve, I love you. I love who you are. I was just saying something stupid. I just used to see you all the time in high school and I always thought you were beautiful, but that’s not all you are. You’re Steve, you helped me through so much, you’re incredibly smart, you listen to my rambles, you take care of me, but more than that, I want to take care of you. You make me want to be better, to love you better. I want to be enough for you.”

“I’m sorry, I know it’s more than that, I just want to be seen to someone as more than just a pretty face. I feel like I’m a lot more, y’know?”

Steve had pushed away from Eddie, looking more closed off, like he was embarrassed he even thought Eddie only wanted the King, a piece of his old persona.

“No, I know, Stevie. I’m sorry I made you feel that way, but don’t feel sorry for having those feelings. I want us to be able to talk about it, and I want you to feel like you’re more than that to me because you are. You’re so much more than just a pretty face. I don’t want you just because of who you used to be, I want you because of who you are now. I just hope I can keep up with your past experiences.”

Eddie explained softly, sliding his arms down Steve’s to reach his hands. He held them tight and squeezed while trying to convey his thoughts. Eddie hadn’t meant to let slip that he was feeling a little insecure about Steve’s past experiences, that maybe he wouldn’t be enough. He didn’t want to throw it in Steve’s face or have him take it the wrong way, but he couldn’t help feeling that Steve might be disappointed in what Eddie could give him.

“Eds, you’re more than I ever wanted. You don’t even compare to anyone before because you actually care about me. I’m sorry I doubted that.”

“It’s okay Stevie, I forgive you. I would forgive you even more if you kissed me again though.” Eddie wiggled his eyebrows hoping to finally get his mouth on Steve’s again.

Steve giggled and shook his head while coming closer to Eddie, putting more pressure on top of him again. Eddie’s heart was full, and his cheeks were burning from the smile he was showing.

Eddie looped his arms around Steve’s neck and pulled him down so he was completely covering Eddie’s body. Steve’s hands were dipping under Eddie’s shirt, pulling Eddie as close as could while his arms encircled him. Eddie could feel the calluses on Steve’s fingers making him burn with want. Eddie pressed his lips on Steve’s and dipped his tongue to Steve’s bottom lip. Steve opened for him willingly, and Eddie wanted nothing more than to devour him.

Steve’s hands were exploring the dips of Eddie’s back and sides, while Eddie’s hands were buried in Steve’s hair. Eddie had his legs splayed open for Steve to have free reign of how close he wanted to be. Steve pressed up right against Eddie like a comforting heated blanket, and squeezed his hands around Eddie’s sides. Eddie fell pliant to Steve, and pushed his tongue deeper into his mouth. He nibbled on Steve’s bottom lip, and pulled it away.

Steve looked up with half lidded eyes and grabbed Eddie’s face, pulling him in once again. This time, Steve pushed his tongue through Eddie’s lips while Eddie breathed into his mouth. Steve’s lips were swollen from Eddie’s bites, making them feel even softer against Eddie’s. He reached under Steve’s shirt, and dragged his fingertips up Steve’s back. Steve groaned and pushed deeper against Eddie. Steve’s hand dipped lower to grip Eddie’s thigh, with his thumb rubbing softly against the inside. Eddie’s skin was tingling and he became overwhelmed with this feeling of contentment and want for Steve. He could stay like this for the rest of his life, and wouldn’t ask for anything more than the man currently on top of him.

**

This was my first try at writing something so I hope it was okay! Please let me know any thoughts or critiques!! <3

[youwillfindilluminating]

Steddie Recs: Virgin!Eddie, Bottom!Eddie, and Eddie coming in his pants 👍

a little underrehearsed by theamazingbard - 

1.6k. A short, sweet fic of Virgin!Eddie. He comes over to Steve’s, determined not to come in his pants this time and they give each other HJs. He also has a line about wanting to count and kiss all of Steve’s freckles.

(The precurser to this is a tumblr ficlet found here.)

  hands of loving - by kafkian - 

5k. SO HOT. Virgin!Eddie and Steve offering to help out for his first time. This is so fluffy and hot and perfect. Once it gets going, it’s so good.  Pretty much everything you want in a fic like this.

  don’t start (too late) - by Ark - 

6k.  A lovely fic about Eddie bottoming for the first time. Ark is the one that got me into this ship (according to my notes when I first bookmarked this) so it makes sense that this made the cut!  It’s just pure fluff and smut and I love it to pieces.

"Yeah," Eddie agrees, feeling dizzy. He’s full of Steve’s fingers and there’s starstuff in his blood. "Yes, please, that."

  listen closely by Adure -

3k. Three of Eddie’s first times with Steve. (Receiving a BJ, topping, and giving a BJ.)

"Just think about that place you like. The magical one."

"Magical one?"

"Y'know. To Margor."

"Oh, my god. You didn't just call it 'Margor'."

  edge of heaven by bdelaney - 

2k. YUM. This is a lovely fic of One-Minute-Munson being edged by Steve and it’s fluffy and hot!

  fear is fading fast by amiparanoidmuch (must be logged in to view) -

14k. I’m not gonna lie, I skipped to the end of this one just for the porn. I’m sure the rest is very good, but sometimes I’m not in the mood for all the setup and I’m weak!

This is very well-written, in-character, and super sweet. Virgin!Eddie. It’s so hot. And Eddie asking Steve to come on him will always make my brain explode.

"Look at you." He grabs Steve's hips, grinds up into him. "Fuck, if you knew what you did to me, Harrington. If you knew…"

Steve leans forward and grinds against Eddie. There's a brush of hardness against hardness, and God, Eddie isn't going to survive this.

  Fics where Eddie comes in his pants 💖:

that backseat afterglow - Adure - Stranger Things (TV 2016) [Archive of Our Own]

4k. This is…real, real hot. Steve gets a flat tire and the boys pick him up on their way when they’re helping Eddie move. There’s nowhere for him to sit except on Eddie’s lap. 👀

Steve feels him shift underneath him and he can't help it, whispers a quick "Fuck." and Eddie grips him a bit tighter. Possibly encouraged by Steve's own confusing reaction, how he's still leaning back against Eddie. Only startles slightly when he feels Eddie's dick flex and Steve didn't know it would feel like that against him and he swallows hard, wants to shift from side to side again.

  Roll for Orgasms by Agf.

4k. This is one of my favorite Steddie fics of all time. And there are so many great lines that just get you, and so many sweet and funny moments.

Technically Eddie comes in his pants in this, although there isn’t much detail about that part. Just a fantastic line at the end! And this is definitely more bottom!Steve, but it’s one of my favorite fics ever and I will rec it until the end of time.

“Been a while since you made me come in my pants like a goddamn teenager, Harrington.”

Steve has never knowingly done that, so the implication in Eddie’s words makes him scrub a hand over his face. “Don’t,” he says. “I can’t take any more. My dick is gonna actually fall off if you try and get it up again.”

   I wanna feel the heat with somebody by bdelaney - 

2.8k. A kind of AU where Eddie is invited to one of Steve’s parties as a drug dealer and Steve gets dared to give him a lap dance.

  These Dreams - IntoTheStardust - Stranger Things (TV 2016) [Archive of Our Own]

3.5k. Steve takes Eddie and the kids to San Diego for a con. ~And there was only one bed.~ The guys wake up in a compromising position and decide to do something about it. This technically counts as Eddie coming in his pants.

  never been kissed - Chapter 1 - Macellarius - Stranger Things (TV 2016) [Archive of Our Own]

26k. Virgin!Eddie with very confident and experienced Steve, but Steve is also in love and enamored with Eddie, so it’s super cute. Eddie loves that Steve can apparently lift him up, and Steve loves that he’s a virgin. There is thigh-riding and jizzing-in-pants in the first chapter.

The first chapter is really the only one I can really recommend. Steve is already a little over-confident in an OOC way in this and I don’t love the following chapters? Also, for some reason a lot of their dialog is in the same paragraph. Sometimes even the same sentence, which gets very confusing. But I think it happens more in the later chapters and not as much in the first one. Anyway, read the first chapter!

“You- you pick me up while we’re making out and think that’ll help me not cream my pants?” Eddie asks in disbelief, and Steve barks out a laugh.

“Maybe I want to make you cream your pants,” he responds, “that something you’d be into?”

  Related tags for future searching (and for the metadata of it all): Virgin Eddie Munson, Bottom Eddie Munson, Premature Ejaculation, Coming Untouched, Coming in Pants.

Thank you all for coming (ha) on this journey with me!

[zealouswerewolfcollector]

My 2023 Fic List

I posted 78,856 words this year! It might not seem much, but it's a record for me. So here's the list of my 2023 works sorted by date.

Four Ficlets

Written for the SWG server's instadrabbling challenge - Elwing and Idril's First Meeting (124 words, G), Elwing and the Silmaril (76 words, T), Gil-galad and Cirdan Clean Up After the Kinslaying (228 words, T), Ancalagon's Death (106 words, G)

Gifts and Favors and a Trip (3560 words, M, Maedhros/Fingon)

My 2023 entry for My Slashy Valentine. A bit of angst, a bit of sexual tension, lots of fluff and a great deal of pining. Idiots to lovers.

Angsty Ficlet (792 words, G, Maedhros & Maglor)

Maedhros wakes up in the middle of the night, panicking for reasons unknown to himself. Maglor helps. An angsty ficlet with a little twist in the end.

Alone in the Unknown (4752 words, T, Maedhros & Maglor)

The latest part of my canon divergence AU. Maglor and Maedhros wander all alone - Maedhros nearly catatonic and Maglor trying in vain to reach him. The angstiest thing I've ever written.

Helcaraxë Cannibalism Ficlet (500 words, T, warning for cannibalism and character death)

Fingon doesn't want his body to be consumed after his death.

Maiar Hate This Simple Trick (2234 words, T, background Celebrimbor/Narvi and Galadriel/Celeborn)

My entry for Tolkien Remix 2023 is based on @elentarial's Desperation and Defeat. A series of letters between the main figures of the Second Age, trying to solve the mystery of Annatar running away from Eregion. Humor.

Proxy (5912 words, E, Maedhros/Fingon, Maedhros/Maglor, warning for dubious consent and unhealthy relationships)

Maedhros's love for Maglor is unrequited, but luckily for Maedhros, Fingon is hopelessly in love with him and somewhat resembles Maglor. A terrible love triangle between three terrible people. A deviation from my usual themes and characterization (and ratings), but the prompt in the kinkmeme spoke to me. I wrote almost 6k in a couple of days, which is a rarity for me.

Orodreth's Letter to Fingon (307 words, G)

Orodreth does everything he can to eviscerate Fingon in his letter of refusal concerning the Union of Maedhros.

Maedhros and Fingon Talk Cannibalism (247 words, T, warning for cannibalism and self-cannibalism mentions)

Another cannibalism snippet ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Maedhros and Fingon share their experiences with the subject in a light-hearted tone a little inappropriate for the discussion.

Lady Makalaurë Fëanáriel Dying of Poison, Late Second Age, Artist Unknown (8671 words, T, past fem!Maglor/Maglor's wife, warning for death and suicide mentions)

One of my two fics for TRSB 2023. Based on @independence1776's edit. In her space wanderings, fem!Maglor comes across a planet and finds out things that force her to return to Eldarin civilization. I always wanted to write a sci-fi AU, and I'm really glad I got to do it.

Now a Quill, Now a Sword (11817 words, T, Maedhros/Fingon, warning for character death and implied suicide)

My second TRSB fic, written in collaboration with @melestasflight. See their beautiful art here. It's a canon-compliant fic (with a bit of post-canon at the end) that tells the story of Maedhros and Fingon's relationship from the beginning to the end.

Two Ficlets

In this one (735 words, T), Fingolfin and Fingon discuss if Maedhros can be trusted. In it's companion (1082 words, T), Fingon and Maedhros talk about the same subject.

The Hunters (2016 words, E, fem!Maedhros/Aredhel)

Another kinkmeme fill. Baby's first PWP. (Proxy doesn't count. It has a plot and I tried to make the sex horrible.) Aredhel and Maedhros - two princesses of the House of Finwë - are cousins with benefits. I really enjoyed writing it, but I don't know if it's any good because I haven't reread it since posting.

Kaleidoscope (1436 words, M, Fingon/Sons of Feanor - all of them but not at the same time except Amrod and Amras)

Inspired by @melestasflight and @polutrope's The Seven Trials of Fingon the Valiant but darker in tone. Fingon sleeps with all of the sons of Fëanor. Why? Who knows? Up to interpretation. The fic doesn't make much sense, but I still like it and I'm really glad I wrote it. The third kinkememe fill.

That's all for last year. In general, I'm more happy than not with my writing. Hopefully, it will continue this year.

Thanks to every single person who's read, liked, reblogged, left kudos and comments on my fics. You make me want to keep writing.

[cassiaratheslytherpuff]

🍓 🔪 🌿 for the ask game, please :)

Thank you so much for asking! <3

🍓 ⇢ how did you get into writing fanfiction? 

I feel like this is an unnecessarily long reply, sorry 😅 I came into writing fic slowly. I started reading fanfic a year or two after the final HP book was published and I realised it was a thing that existed. I started out reading gen fics that aimed to fill in the blanks of canon. Then I discovered slash fics and it was just so life-changing and refreshing to see queer people written and represented as complex human beings who got to get through the angst to something happy. I was a (closeted) queer teen with mental health issues who was secretly in love with my best friend, and I got to see Harry and Ron struggle with their mental health and anxiety over being in love with their friend post war, and then I got to see them being happy. And for the first time something made me believe maybe I could get there too.

I wrote my first fic in 2012, and it was very much a way to externalise my own issues. It was 24k long and took me 2 years of infrequent updates. I didn't write anything for a couple of years after that, but then I picked it back up again in 2016. At first it was (again) purely me needing an outlet for feelings I didn't know what to do with, but I slowly fell in love with writing and I've been doing it ever since.

🔪 ⇢ what's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

Oh this is a fun question! I tend to research things and then promptly forget I did though, because it's usually for random background information. One of the things I remember I really enjoyed researching was the language of flowers, most recently I remember falling down a rabbit hole of reddit posts on prostate-orgasms.

🌿 ⇢ give some advice on writer's block and low creativity

Not sure that I'm the right person for advice here, because a lot of the time if I'm low on creativity or motivation to write I just - don't. I try to always keep writing fun, so if I don't want to do it I let myself have a break. When I do want to write, but can't quite manage though there are a couple of things I do:

Set a goal to write badly. If I'm not trying to write something good then the pressure is off.

Write my way into writing. An empty document is my biggest enemy so I will literally start off like "Alright, I want to write a story. Maybe it'll be about Harry. Oh! He could be working as a lifeguard in Australia. But how did he get there? Maybe he..."

Write the fun bits first. For me that's usually dialogue, angst or smut. Then I go back and build the story around it

Join a fest (it's motivating to be working with a deadline and fulfilling a prompt. And there's a community aspect to it that I enjoy)

Discuss headcanons and fic ideas with people. I like letting creativity feed creativity.

Get momentum going by writing drabbles or ficlets, or working on something else if I'm stuck on a fic.

Truth or Dare Ask Game

[damnslippyplanet]

@leupagus requested, and her wish is my command. At least on a Monday morning when I'd rather be thinking about fic than my weekend email backlog. So:

List five of your least-popular fics, as well as when/why you wrote them.

the green place, Word of Honor modern AU, YeXie, 2021

This was a little string of YeXie Week ficlets based on word prompts. Friend Ritualist* and I had been batting around some ideas for a Plant Witch Xie'er fic in the DMs and I thought I'd use YeXie week to play around with the character voices/world a little and see how I liked writing those two. I had a lovely time writing it, but semi-connected short ficlets where the rimming is (just barely) off-screen are a hard sell. Also I left it marked incomplete for a long time thinking I might go back and finish out the week's prompts, so I'm sure it got passed over by the very wise people who don't read WIPs. No regrets, I like knowing Plant Witch Xier'er is out there even if he'll probably never really get written.

*babe, I'm blanking out and can only think of your pro author tumblr name and not your fandom one, if you're seeing this and wanna be linked, drop your fandom url in the comments and I'll link you up

The Desert Dreams of a River, Darkangel Trilogy, Aeriel/Irrylath, Erin/OFC, 2019.

Yuletide fic! With the hit count you expect for a Yuletide genfic based on one of your formative pieces of circa-1982 fiction about a girl trying to reform a vampire while they live on the terraformed moon. Written in a frantic haze just short of deadline, if I recall, as I'd started a different angle on it that didn't quite work. I'm not saying this story was just an excuse to get Erin a wife, but it was sort of that, since the prompt didn't really allow for Erin to wife Aeriel. (But she SHOULD HAVE. Let Aeriel Have A Husband And A Wife.) I loved these books so much. Unfortunately something must be really fucked with the licensing because only the third of the trilogy was available as an ebook at the time and that doesn't seem to have changed? Pick up a hard copy of the first book if you ever see one, though.

every word is nonsense, Only Friends, Ray&Sand, 2023

Another little tidbit of a fic as an exercise in character voice again and also how much I liked how much the show likes their smoking scenes. Look. I'm a person of a certain age who smoked like a chimney as a teenager and into my early twenties, and I can't help the programming that got into my bones about the inherent eroticism of sharing a cigarette. (lolsob, high five to my fellow Thai BL nerds, how are we all doing this week with the one-two- punch of the DFF shotgunning scene and the new 4 minutes teaser? it's fine, i'm fine.) I wrote this thinking that next I would write some RaySand smut and then didn't because the whirl of Thai BL fandom pulled me on to something else, but at some point I want to rewatch this show and may still write it then because it fed my FirstKhao shipper heart so well.

dizzy in your wake, Nirvana in Fire, Changsu/Jingyan, 2020?

I'm not the one who said "what if Mei Changsu were a were-octopus," that was a series of amazing twitter threads by @astronicht. But people just KEPT sending it to me because I am known to think octopus content is very cool and also to be a Mei Changsu Girlie, and eventually a couple of friends shook me until 600 words of ridiculousness came out. What surprises me is not that this one has few kudos, but that it has >10 kudos at all. I would say this is the most niche and silly thing I've written except I've also written MDZS/Jupiter Ascending fusion fic, so let's not pretend I have any dignity left. Written in 2020 but it didn't get posted until later because I don't usually post things this short. At some point I was in one of those "it's an ARCHIVE, we should put ALL THE THINGS THERE" moods and slapped a few NiF ficlets written for the group chat up there.

A Second Dose, Hannibal, Bev/Freddie, 2016

This was the thing where you write an odd little rarepair and it's so much fun you come back and do a sequel you hadn't meant to write. I'd written Bev/Freddie before and then when a Hannibal rarepair fest came around I was like, hey, what if I did that again. Possibly I just wanted to revisit the cat named after Rosalind Franklin that I'd made up for Bev.

[windowsandfeelings]

20 Questions Game for fic writers

tagged by @terrainofheartfelt and @slumped-in-the-arms-of-fiction (<3 <3 <3!)

1. How many works do you have on ao3? 25! (But I've written a lot more that are scattered across ffn and livejournal. I've been at this a while.)

2. What’s your total ao3 word count? 153,671

3. What fandoms do you write for? Eternally Gilmore Girls, lately also Nancy Drew, and not for a while, but perhaps most notably Gossip Girl. (I've written for other fandoms, too, but not recently.)

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? All the Lights that Light the Way are Blinding (Gossip Girl) November 24, 2016 (Gilmore Girls) Met You at the Right Time (Gilmore Girls) The River in Egypt (Gossip Girl) The Boyfriend Tour of North America (Gilmore Girls)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? I try to, but I'm definitely behind on it at the moment. I so appreciate every comment I get (okay, every nice comment I get), and I want to acknowledge them.

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Hmm...I don't really do angsty endings. Maybe I Am Sorry to Tell You? But that's mostly because Lost hadn't actually ended yet when I wrote it so I didn't have a way to get Rory and Jess off the island. But it wasn't really presented as angsty. (I have occasionally considered writing a sequel.)

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? All of them? IDK, maybe MYatRT? Just because it takes such a long time to get to it, but I think it's earned.

8. Do you get hate on fics? Occasionally, yes, mostly on All the Lights..., or people commenting on other fics and shitting on All the Lights... in the process.

9. Do you write smut? If so what kind? I write v v v light smut.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve ever written? lol, I wrote a Barney Stinson/Buffy Summers ficlet once.

I would say I'm not a huge fan of crossovers, but I wrote a bunch of short ones back in my lj days because a couple of my friends had a crossover fic contest...really more like drabbles.

And then of course there's I Am Sorry to Tell You. Because I got really into Lost at one point and had to find a way to combine it with Gilmore Girls. And honestly I think it came out pretty well.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? I don't think so, but I've definitely seen stolen fics.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Yeah! Someone translated All the Lights... into Russian!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? I can't remember. Maybe back in my ffn days? Nothing is springing to mind.

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship? LITERATI 4 LYFE

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will? I'd like to finish Saturn Return someday, but I don't really know where it will go. Which is why it's unfinished.

16. What are your writing strengths? Dialogue, probably? I wasn't comfortable writing dialogue for a long time, but especially since taking screenwriting classes a few years ago I feel much more confident in it.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? I struggle hard with plot. You want me to figure out what's going to actually happen in a story? Ugh!

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? I would probably only do it in French or maybe very basic Spanish, because that's the extent of not English that I'm confident in.

19. First fandom you ever wrote for? I'm pretty sure the first fic I ever wrote was a continuation of someone else's post-season 1 Gilmore Girls fic that they hadn't finished, but I never published it. (I still have it. It's hand-written...and bad. Because I was 13.) The first one I ever published was a Harry Potter fic on ffn. Also bad. Very unfinished.

20. Favorite fic you’ve ever written? 100,000% Met You at the Right Time. I could not be more proud of that thing if I tried. It was a labor of love, but it also came out exactly the way I wanted to, which is just...nearly impossible to imagine. Like I could quibble with some of the writing, especially in the first couple of chapters, but at the end of the day...it's really good. Which is not a humble statement, but it's true.

tagging: @wonderlandleighleigh @oh-bonerline @strangenewgirls @stellaluna33 @georgianadarcies and anyone else who wants to do it

[banannabethchase]

✨Fic Writing Review 2023✨

Tagged by the lovely @aidaronan

Gonna put all this under a cut as it is a doozy. Me? Rambling? It's just as likely as you'd think from the everything about me.

Words and Fics

497,498 words published on ao3 (Jesus fucking Christ - that doesn't even count my ficlets)

101 fics published on AO3

Enough tumblr ficlets that I don't have the spoons to go back and count them all

3 in-progress fics that may or may not be in the yeeted into purgatory sometime soon

3 new fics in permanent purgatory

1 new fic that I killed within 500 words

9 series created/added to

Top 3 by kudos

Hungry Heart - HangMox, AEW

[tie between] Intrigue - HangMoxMatt, AEW and A Convenient Cancellation - HangMox, AEW

I Can't Promise Forever (But I'm Working On It) - HangMox, AEW

(Realizing now that holy cow do my HangMox fics do better than I thought. Also all of those were published before I put my account on lockdown, I think, so that contributes as well.)

Fandom Events in 2023

Threecount Exchange! I mean, it kicked in this year. Everything gets published and finished next year, but still, it counts!

Upcoming Projects

Threecount Exchange fic (no you will not get details mwahaha)

The final installment of the House of Black Magic series, which is also my final square on my Bingo Board

Days 10-31 of the December Prompt Challenge I for some reason made for myself, which includes the finale of a series (I shan't disclose which)

At least 4 more installments in the Matt Experiments universe

The teacher's AU I've been putting off for about a year

Writing reflection

What a frickin' year. I haven't been in a fandom like this since Scorpion which, for those who know, ended poorly for both the whole fandom and me as a person. I was unable to watch the season 4 premiere due to my Dad's death, and then it got cancelled before I could catch up. Jumping back into a fandom head first, after how miserable my last one ended, was scary but incredible.

I beat NaNoWriMo 3 times in one year for the first time since 2016. I wrote two novella length fics and a novel length fic from December 2022 until now. I've made friends with incredible people, learned how to use tumblr in a way that keeps me safe, and learned that I've grown past the person I was when I let other people drive me out of a fandom for writing fic in a way I enjoyed and being autistic. I feel safe in this fandom, not for the lack of drama (lord knows there's plenty of it), but because I've created for myself a space where I know I can trust the people I follow.

I am excited to vault headfirst into 2024. I have no predictions. I have no expectations. I just have hope, and I think that's enough.

But I really do hope I can keep writing, even if it's at a different pace from 2023.

Rules: Feel free to show whatever stats you have. Only want to show Ao3 stats? Rock on. Want to include some quantitative info instead of stats? Please do this. Want to change how yours is presented? Absolutely do that. Would rather eat glass than do this? Please do eat glass, I’ve heard it’s good for your gums.

Tagging [please view the rules! I think they are great rules!!! Except the glass thing, don't chew glass. If you don't want to do this, please feel free to ignore completely]: @sarahcakes613, @booboo-eyedbambi, @scissormedaddyass, @rosabellebelieve, @anairbri. As always, if you see this and want to try it, I tagged you :) (And if you don't want to do this, pretend I didn't tag you.)

[parisian-nicole]

GarVez Ficlet: There's Nothing To Fear...

Author: Parisian Nicole

Rating: K

Summary: Tara and Garcia having a talk about Luke. I think I have written this kind of ficlet for every 'current' team member. But I am thinking of Something with Matt :) I hope you enjoy the read.

*****

“Okay, what’s’ going on with you and Luke?” Tara blurted out as she walked into Garcia’s office and quickly closed the door behind her. Garcia, who was surprised by the sudden outburst had swiveled in her chair and now looked at her friend with wide eyes. “And don’t give me that look and don’t play with me,” Tara went on. “You do remember that I am not only a psychologist but I’m also a profiler. I’m asking you first because I don’t want to have to confront Alvez and possibly embarrass you…”

“No, no please don’t confront or ask Luke anything, please, Tara,” Garcia hurriedly replied.

“All right, I won’t,” Tara said as she moved to rest her back side against the adjoining desk and then folded her arms across her chest. “But you have to tell me what’s going on,” Garcia nodded her head in agreement as she rolled her eyes slightly.

“Since I’ve been back here at the BAU to help with this Sicarius case, Luke and I …” She smiled coyly as she looked up at her friend and Tara arched her brows. “We’ve sort of been seeing each other. It started with a lunch date he owed me as payment for wrangling me back here, but that quickly turned into dinner dates and breakfast dates too.”

“Yeah, yeah, get to the stuff I don’t already know, Penelope,” Tara huffed out impatiently, and her words made Garcia frown up a little.

“Wait, you already knew Luke and I have been secretly dating?”

“Girl, please, we all knew,” Tara scoffed and this genuinely shocked Garcia. “You two really thought you were keeping that a secret?  We’ve all been taking bets on when it would finally happen for years now, because from the moment you two met it was very clear that you ‘both’ wanted each other some kind of bad. But don’t change the subject, what else is going on?”

“Nothing major, except … last night Luke and I took things to a new level,” Garcia confessed as discreetly as she could forgetting who it was, she was talking to.

“What!?! You two finally did the nasty? You bumped uglies? You did some bumping and grinding,” Tara asked excitedly as she sing-song the last sentence while she did a little dance and swerved her hips. And Garcia couldn’t help but to giggle at her friends’ antics. “It’s about damn time,” Tara congratulated her blonde friend with a wide, happy smile. “Wait,” Her smile faltered as she remembered why she had come there in the first place. “So, why were you acting so stand-offish and cold toward Luke when he came in this morning. It was reminiscent of you two back in 2016 when he first joined the team.”

“I didn’t mean to be nasty to him I just didn’t know how to act after last night,” Garcia spoke with sadness in her voice and tears in her eyes. She hadn’t realized she had come across coldly and she hoped that she hadn’t hurt or upset Luke with her behavior.

“What was wrong with last night? You two made love, right?” Tara coaxed and Garcia nodded her head to this assessment. “Well, was it … Oh, was it bad,” She scrunched up her face as she asked, but then her face morphed to a look of concerned as another thought came to her. “Or was he too rough – did he hurt you?” This had Tara pushing from the table with her anger filling her. At seeing this Garcia jumped from her chair and placed a calming hand on her friend’s arm.

“NO! No, he didn’t hurt me, he wasn’t rough. In fact, it was the gentlest, tender, and loving sexual experience I have ever had. And it was soo good, Tara,” She closed her eyes for a second and swooned a little as she recalled it all. “So, so good, too good and that’s the problem. It scared the hell out of me,” Garcia finally admitted and Tara looked at her and frowned in confusion as her brows furrowed.

“But why would that scare you. That’s what we all want and pray for, and I’m hella jealous right now,” Tara stated.

“It scares me because now not only am I in love with him, after last night, I’m already starting to crave him like an addict,” Garcia admitted.

“I am still not seeing the problem here,” Tara chimed in.

“It’s a problem because I know how this is going to go, Tara,” Garcia replied with a sigh as she plopped back down in her chair. “Men who look like Luke Alvez never really want women who look like me.”

“Oh, you know that is bullshit,” Tara countered.

“Uhm, no I don’t. Every hot guy, and I’m talking to the hotness level that is Luke, I have ever gotten involved with has hurt me badly; emotionally, physically … Hell, I literally died once and had to be resuscitated after a hot guy I went on a date with shot me at my door, instead of giving me a goodnight kiss. I have learned through my very own experiences that the hot ones don’t really want a relationship with me. At least, nothing other than a sexual one. And even then, once I’ve scratched their itch they don’t tend to come back for more. And when Luke decides that he doesn’t want me either … I don’t know if I could take that and still have to work here and see him day in and day out,” Hearing this truly broke Tara’s heart.

“You are gorgeous Penelope, inside and outside,” Tara professed. “And real talk, if I had gotten any indication from you that you might have been interested, I would have asked you out on a date myself, years ago,” Garcia smiled at these words and was truly flattered but not at all interested. During her very lonely college years, she had tried a couple of relationship with girls she had had a connection with. The first she hadn’t gotten to fully explore before the girl had to transfer to another school, but the last one had made Garcia know without a doubt that she was not sexually attracted to women. This was made evident to her when her girlfriend’s slightly older brother came to visit. And what had happened between her and said brother still filled her with guilt if she ever thought about it. But it had also birthed the strict monogamy rule she now lived by. “I know that in our society most men have been brainwashed into thinking that a model’s physique is what they should thrive for. And hey, sister, I understand where you’re coming from because they’re also told that women with my skin tone and hair texture aren’t attractive either,” Garcia pfffed at this and rolled her eyes dramatically.

“Men, are stupid,” Garcia concluded and Tara chuckled and nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, but there are the exceptions, and Luke Alvez is the exception to the exception,” Tara stated. “I’m willing to bet you that last night Luke made you feel like the most beautiful woman he had ever seen or been with, and he handled you like you were some rare and precious gem he cherished,” Garcia smiled in remembrance of last night and she vigorously nodded her head as her tears filled her eyes.

“Yeah, he really did,” Garcia confirmed as she sniffled and wiped away the tears that had slipped out.

“I know he did because that’s how he is every time he is around you. The way he looks at you, talks to you, and touches you. The man is not subtle about his feelings when it comes to you, we can all see it.”

“I never saw it,” Garcia responded in true bafflement.

“Well, that’s because you had already decided that he was like all of the other macho type hot guys you were just talking about. So, you closed yourself off to him and it’s taken him literal ‘years’ to chip away that armor of yours. But looks like last night he got that last piece off,” She said with a teasing smile which Garcia matched. “Look, you don’t have to be scared that last night was a wham-bam thank you ma’am for him. You don’t have to be afraid that he’s going to dump on you, and you definitely should not doubt that he is in love with you. Luke and I talk, and a lot of that talk revolves around you and his feelings for you,” Garcia’s eyes bulged in surprise at hearing this. She was tempted to ask Tara for details, but knew she would never divulge any. “Please just believe me when I tell you, he is absolutely crazy about you, Penelope. And now that last night has finally happened, he’s not going to run away. But you can now expect him to pursue you more openly and with fervor.”

“You really think so?” Garcia asked hopeful but before Tara could affirm the office door burst open.

“It’s lunchtime, Penelope, and I’m treating,” Luke Alvez’s voice could be heard even before he fully entered the space. Upon noticing the other person in the office, he faltered. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t know there was anyone else in here. My bad.”

“No, it’s all right, I was just leaving,” Tara said as she pushed herself from the desk. “Go take the lady to lunch.”

“Did you want to join us?” Garcia asked as she stood from her seat and turned to begin to lock down her PCs. In the reflection of the monitor she had shut off she could see Luke mouthing ‘no’ and shaking his head at Tara, who was silently laughing at him. And she couldn’t stop the huge grin that spread across her face when she turned back to face them.

“No thank you,” Tara finally answered. “I actually have a lunch date planned with Rebecca. So, I’ll catch you two later,” She then leaned into Penelope and grasped her hand. “You don’t have to be afraid this time, trust me on that, okay?” Garcia nodded and smiled. Then Tara moved to the exit and nudged Luke as she passed him. When she had closed the door Luke scowl a little at Garcia.

“What was that about?” He questioned as he stepped closer to where she stood. “What are you afraid of? Is someone bothering you?” Both of his brows lifted and Garcia could see he was actually concerned.

“No, it’s really nothing serious,” She said as she waved her left hand dismissively, and he captured the hand with his right one, and held it.

“Oh, it’s serious if it’s scared you, and I want to know what it is,” Luke demanded. “As your boyfriend it’s my duty to protect you and I will beat anybody’s ass if needed. That is a rule in the boyfriend handbook,” She was taken aback not only at how serious he was but mostly at hearing him using the title ‘boyfriend’. And it brought a smile to her face so wide her cheeks were starting to ache, and made her giggle in giddiness.

“I’m sorry, but exactly when did we decide that ‘you’ were ‘my’ boyfriend?” She questioned and a small sliver of fear plucked at Luke but it quickly faded as he took in the smile on her face, which told him that she was not only pleased by his words but she also seemed to beam with pride at them. He released her hand, reached out, and gently grasped her left arm and tugged her until her chest struck his and then he wrapped both of his arms around her compliant body.

“As I recall,” He spoke and then smiled as he felt her hands caressing his sides. “We agreed that I was your boyfriend and you were my girlfriend last night right after dinner, when we made love on your shag rug in front of the roaring fire. Then we renew that agreement twice more; once in your bed and one final time in the shower.”

“Oh, is that what all of that meant? Well, I wasn’t sure if you-” He abruptly cut off her words.

“You can rest assured that that is exactly what that meant for me, and that it is what I have wanted for a very long time,” Luke affirmed as he reached up his right hand and brushed the back of it across her left cheek. “I don’t do casual sexual relationships, Penelope. When I give myself sexually to a woman it’s because that’s the woman I’ve fallen for and who I see a future with. Is that what you’re scared of, that I’m not serious and that last night was just a one-time fling for me? Because I promise you it wasn’t. I’m crazy about you, chica,” He stated and she smiled sweetly up at him. “And I want to be with you more than anything, if you’ll have me.”

“Oh, Luke Alvez, stop making me love you,” Penelope said gently as she smiled kindly at him. In turn, he smiled and scoffed, as he shook his head no.

“Never,” He promised and then leaned down and pulled her into a loving kiss.

[The End]

[whump-ghoul]

Fic: If Found, Return To...

I was thinking about dog!Mountain again and wondered what his first ‘walks’ were like prior to ‘How to Walk a Mountain’.

(Aka: The Ghouls try and put him on a leash. It goes as well as you can imagine)

Wordcount: Approx. 2200

Characters: Zephyr (chAir), Dewdrop (Water), Iftrit (Fire) and of course Mountain (Earth). Terzo is mentioned. 

[My Ghost lore is a little rusty so please bare with me - this is set around 2016/2017. Might edit and post to AO3 at some point, but for now enjoy a ficlet at the expense of my sanity - I wrote this in a rush on the train so sorry about any mistakes lol]

“I really think we should put him on a leash.” Zephyr had said in the early days of their ‘walks’. This was the third one they’d taken across the last five months, and the air ghoul was already getting tired of constantly losing the ghoul to the forest and waiting an age for him to return. It had happened twice now, especially since Essence Mountain had a different perspective and understanding of the world than normal Mountain. Dew and Ifrit only shared a look and shrugged. Sure, it was annoying, but nothing truly harmful to any of them; the earth wasn’t their essence, but it didn't do them any harm to embrace the outdoors - especially after weeks of rehearsals and chores keeping them cooped up in the Abbey. 

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” Omega crossed his arms, he’d just returned from an afternoon of helping in the infirmary, therefore was more than done with people’s bullshit for the day. 

“Could work, but might look a little strange, no?” Dew offered.

“We are ghouls summoned from Hell to help a Satanic Pope spread The Word with world-wide music tours. We have to regularly take the huge, non-verbal earth ghoul out for walks or he starts tearing the place apart. They make me play a fucking keytar. I think stranger things have happened.” Zephyr scoffed. “It’ll just make it easier on us, that's all I'm saying.”

“Alright, man,” Omega said, a headache already forming behind his eyes. “Do whatever, but I don’t want any part of whatever dumb shit you decide on.”

And with that, he retired to his room for the night. Years down the line, Dew would come to regret that the era four ghouls couldn’t get along. Since their summoning, and the frequent shifts in touring ghouls, tensions were high and meaningful connections were at an all time low, therefore the water-turned-fire ghoul had made it his goal to at least connect with one of them. Oddly enough, the silent one was going to be his best bet at levelling his loneliness. 

“We could just stop taking him out for ‘walks’ and instead just let him do whatever.” Ifrit suggested.

“No way.” Dew said, “Once he’s in that headspace, he doesn’t know what to do with himself - it’s like all rationale goes out the window. He needs us to take him out y’know.”

“Then can’t we just play fetch with him until he gets bored?”

It was Zephyr’s time to argue, “No. Tried to do that once but it’s really not enough, the menace wouldn't leave me alone.” 

The air ghoul wasn’t going to admit that they fell hard for the large doe eyes the earth ghoul sported whenever he wanted something. Whether they were purposeful or not, none of the ghouls had the heart to say ‘no’ when Mountain gave them the eyes. 

So that's how they found themselves a few days later: stood awkwardly apart in a pet store as they idly browsed the leash section. 

“We should get the pink one with love hearts.” Dew giggled, holding up the offending collar for the others to see. 

“No way, man,” Ifrit scoffed. “He’s not a handbag dog - this red one with flames is more his style for sure.”

Zephyr, who had been banned from choosing a collar when they suggested a chain one, shook their head at the absurdity. Nothing in their life could be normal, apparently. For ten minutes they argued over colours until a worker finally stepped over to help. 

“No man, the green one is much more his style, he’s an earth-“

“First time dog owners?” The worker asked the glamoured ghouls, who startled at the interruption. 

“Something like that. We’re just looking for a friend.” Ifrit said with a shark-like grin. The worker swallowed, though still determined to continue the customer service spiel. 

“Yeah, we just need something big and comfortable enough to fit his neck. None of this choking stuff, but something to keep him in line.” Dew elaborated. 

“Uh- right.” The worker stammered, “We do have some anti-pull harnesses if that’s what you’re looking for.”

“He wont wear a harness - nor will one fit him.” Zephyr said. “Has to be a collar.”

“Is this for a puppy? We offer training classes for puppies and small dogs, but we also have specialised classes for more mature dogs such as rescues.” The man smiled, reaching for a display that had the pamphlets and handed one to Zephyr. Dew snatched it out of their hand because how on Lucifer's forsaken earth were they to sneak an Essence Mountain in, and he was sure normal Mountain would beg to be sent back to the Pit instead of attending one. As much as the search for a leash was amusing, Dew felt somewhat uncomfortable at the treatment of the earth ghoul. 

“Thank you, but he’s… not… yeah.” The water ghoul mumbled, passing back the now creased pamphlet to the dubious worker. Ifrit took his chance to take control of the situation back by derailing their search completely. 

“What's the longest leash you have? We need one that’ll still have some slack even when he stands up.”

The man tried to smooth his tucked-in polo as he stammered. He tripped on his words until they finally levelled on his tongue in a concerned tone, the pamphlet forgotten and scrunched in tense hands. 

“I- I- have to ask… is this going to be for a child?”

“What?” Ifrit scoffed, “No!”

“Is he a kid?” Dew pointed out, “He’s younger than us, sure but we don’t actually know is inf- his actual human age.”

*** 

In the end, they got kicked out before they could purchase anything, the worker deciding they should take their ‘inappropriate’ business elsewhere. 

“Man this is bullshit!” Zephyr huffed. “Who knew buying a leash for a ghoul would be so hard!” 

“This was your idea in the first place.” Ifrit accused. “We came all the way out here for nothing- I had to take on a Sister’s chores for a month just so she’d drive us here!” 

Ifrit looked apologetically to the Sister of Sin waiting by the car of the parking lot. She didn’t complain, as she was leant happily against the hood speaking animatedly on the phone and touching up her eyeliner in the polished black metal. 

“Yeah yeah.” Zephyr shifted on their feet, stumped. 

“Guys.” Dew suddenly interrupted from where he had been gazing across the rows of department stores. 

“What?” Zephyr asked, following Dew’s grinning stare at a small child who toddled past with his parents. Attached to his backpack/harness was a leash. 

“I think I found a solution to your problem.” He grinned further, dragging Zephyr along with him towards the nearby toy store. 

“We’re not fucking doing this…” Ifrit scoffed, his face in an amazed super in his awe at the antics.

***

Since hidden at the bottom of the basket, the ghouls had settled on the largest, and most appealing child harness they could find: a bumblebee backpack with a fairly long leash. It was only hidden as Ifrit and Dew had tossed some toy guns on top for their own entertainment. They included enough for Terzo and Omega too, after all, it was Terzo’s  card that was paying for all this. The air ghoul pretended he didn't want one… then added his own just a few minutes later. 

“Are we done?” Zephyr asked as Dew finalised their shop by adding a can of tennis balls to their haul. 

“Don’t get pissy with me, Zeph, you’re the one who suggested this.” Dew accused, following Ifrit to the checkout counter as the familiar tug of their glamour pulled at his mind. They were all growing tired of keeping up such an intensive glamour for so long. 

“Whatever.” Zephyr rolled his eyes, and followed the ghouls back to the car once everything was paid for. They ended up making a stop at another pet store to get him an engraved tag and collar that read: 

‘Monty. If found, return to Dave’ with a number on the reverse. 

They decided that using the most human names they could think of would somehow make it easier for him to be returned, and ‘Monty’ was an apt pet name for their floppy-eared mountain ghoul. In this scenario ‘Dave’ was Omega, given that Zephyr never answered his phone, Ifrit would troll the unsuspecting caller, and Dew… was Dew. They thought about adding Terzo's number instead, but it would look bad on them If Mountain got lost on their watch and Terzo found out. 

***

“See? Isn’t this better already?” Zephyr said a few weeks later as they walked the wooded trail. At first, mountain had been pretty against wearing a leash of all things, but after some bribing and positive enforcement, he eventually gave in. He was walking just ahead of them, when he slowed to inspect a small budding plant. The ghouls also stopped, basking in the springtime sun as they continued to talk yet Dew shifted uncomfortably. 

“I don't know man, this seems a bit dehumanising.” He shrugged when Zephyr questioned his hesitance. Sure, Mountain was far more animalistic than the current summoned ghouls, but that didn’t mean he shouldn’t be treated without a shred of dignity when his essence clawed at his resolve enough to turn him into an anxious puppy. It happened so infrequently that it was hardly a burden on them in the first place. Still, they were reluctant to share such information with the rest of the clergy, as even Terzo was still unlearning the biases against ghouls that had been ingrained into his mind by his father. 

It was their ‘secret’ of sorts, and Dew could only worry about what was going to happen on tour… A twig snapped, and Mountain's head snapped in the direction of the noise. Dew and Zephyr thought nothing of it. 

“I guess.” The air ghoul amended, though tightened his grip on the leash regardless. “But it’s either this, or we lose him, and I don’t wanna explain that to Papa.” 

“Come on, he can’t exactly help it.” Dew argued, “I’ve had my ass beaten by Imperator too many times for leaving windows open during storms and trailing water through the halls, and Ifrit has burnt too many curtains to count. Hell, you can’t pretend you’re perfect with your constant fucking with the weather whenever your essence is particularly sensitive.”

“So? At least it’s not embarrassing. I don’t get why we needed a new ghoul in the first place - Earth was doing just fine, all we got with this one is trouble. The old man couldn’t even summon a normal one. Instead we’ve got a mute with fickle knees and-”

Dew blinked. 

Mountain was halfway up the trail.

Zephyr was sprawled on the dirt track. 

In the blink of an eye, the air ghoul had been launched across the path - a good few feet by the water ghouls estimate. They were laying face down in the dirt, one arm extended in front of them as though reaching for the quickly retreating leash that tumbled after the earth ghoul as he sprinted after a rabbit. Dew winced, Zephyr wasn’t exactly small, so Mountain was sure to have a few bruises later from the pull. It was almost admirable how it didn’t stop him, though. 

“I don’t think the leash is gonna work out.” Dew said as Zephyr pulled themselves up, their face either red with rage or embarrassment. Dew suspected both.

Without another word, they pushed past the water ghoul and headed back to the Abbey, rubbing their shoulder as they went and cursing profanities that Secondo would be proud of.  

***

Eventually, Mountain returned to the wandering water ghoul, emerging from the shrubs and sheepishly carrying the destroyed leash in one hand, the other holding his filthy backpack that was overflowing with trinkets: animal bones, leaves, twigs, flowers and wild herbs. The telltale rattle of rocks told the water ghoul that there were several stones in there too. 

“All good?” Dew asked, and Mountain nodded, frowning as he looked around for Zephyr. He keened as though worried for the air ghoul. 

“Went back to the Abbey after you destroyed their ego.” Said Dew, laughing when Mountain's large ears drooped in his guilt. 

“Don’t worry about it, big guy. The leash was their dumb idea in the first place. I knew something like this was gonna happen. I mainly came along just to see it blow up in their face.” He said, and reached up to unclip the collar. 

Mountain purred as soon as it was gone, and instinctively scratched the skin where it had been.

“Come on,” Dew gestured towards the path back to the Abbey, “I promise you won’t have to wear it again, but we’ll have to work on your recall.” 

The water ghoul only laughed as Mountain grumbled something akin to: “Fine.”

[forabeatofadrum]

Here it is, fic rec friday! I said I was gonna do this! I don’t know if it’ll be a weekly thing, because it depends on whether or not I read fics in a week. Also, to prevent people from being overwhelmed by tags, I don’t think this is going to be a tag challenge, but of course feel free to also make your own post with recs!

Strap in Klainers and Snowbazzians, cause here we go. It’s another long one! Happy reading!

@cerriddwenluna​ wrote Swipe, a funny one-shot about Kurt and Blaine meeting through Tinder. Sort of. Look, it has a tiny plot twist. You have to read it for yourself 👈(ﾟヮﾟ👈).

I read more of Gwen’s stuff! I started Bem Vindo a Portugal, previously known as Klaine in the Netherlands which became Klaine in Portugal. I do not mind, Gwen, and if you ever need more help with Klaine in the Netherlands, please have this: klompen, windmolen, kaas, tulpen, kroketten! Jokes aside, though, I am excited to get to know Portugal. I’ve never been here, but my mum actually visited Lisbon for the first time a few weeks ago and she was very excited.

There are quite some Marta fics I still need to read (goblin!Baz is still somewhere buried in my Likes), but I am going through them! I read The Vampire and the Boy in the Tower and I am speechless. It is so good. Oh my God, Marta created a wonderful universe with a lot of angst, but also hope.

I still have Klaine Advent fics to catch up on, and I read @snarkyhag‘s WIP. I... don’t really know how to link it, since there isn’t a masterpost or a separate Tumblr tag or an AO3 entry yet, so for now, have the Klaine Advent 2022 tag! Yay, Klaine and Samcedes!

Another cute story is Tipsy Truths by @aroace-genderfluid-sheep​. Simon confesses his feelings for Baz through a drunk text. Oh boy!

Apart from reading fic, I also love reading people’s thoughts about fic. @facewithoutheart​ had a nice extra about This Will All Go Down In Flames over here. (Also, Fuck The Mage, kinda). @cutestkilla​ also shared some Humdrum insider information here. It’s really cool to see what parts of canon have been expanded on for What’s Left. And @captain-aralias​​ also has some behind the scenes stuff here on Four Funereal Weddings and an American Stag Do. I adore the fic (and the suits!).

I am also losing it over the “HELEN!!!!”s in The Wellbeloves by @ionlydrinkhotwater​. This is a comic where Simon and Agatha are siblings. I am so emo about Simon having a lovely family and this is so fun.

Unfortunately, I also come with angst. A post on my dashboard led me to This Will End in Flames by @bloodiedpixie​ and uhhh yeah MCD warning. Simon dies in Wayward Son. I need... a moment... to lie down and weep. I see there is also another installment in this series where Baz dies, but I’m not strong enough for that now.

Now, for something no one asked for! This is another thing that I saw on my dashboard, but apparently a group of people started a project in 2016 called Sarah Jane Neverending, which is an extension of the Sarah Jane Adventures! (Kind of like Class: Ongoing, I guess.) (Whovians, man.). SJA got cancelled in 2011 and it was very unexpected, since Lis Sladen, the main actress, died. Back then, three more episodes were already planned and I know that over the years fans have asked for novalisations of those stories, so that they could at least be seen as canon. That never happened, so I guess some fans took matters into their own hands. I have only read their season 5B stories, aka their version of the 3 unproduced episodes. I will see if I will also read their completely fanmade season 6 and 7. But yeah, season 5B. Damn. The Thirteenth Floor fucked me up in particular.

And lastly, there might be some smaller ficlets or drabbles that I won’t mention in these posts, but I will redirect you to my fic tags on my main blog: Klaine fics (klfics), Brittana fics (bsfics), general Glee fics (glee fic), Whoniverse fics (dw fic), Check, Please! fics (omgcp fics), Simon Snow series fics (co fics), and the general fic tag (fics). And here’s the original writing tag, because why not. I do put a lot of stuff in a long queue, so the tags might now always be “up to date”.

Also, guys, I need you to know that I was going through the generic fic tag, retagging fics that needed to be retagged, and I found a Snowbaz fic from the Fangirl days and it was tagged as Bazon. BAZON.

AND OKAY, one more thing. When I was cleaning out that rusty tag, I also came across this fic called And In The End by @scrunchyharry​ (Klainers might remember the name fleurdelisse). It’s over ten years old, but I remembered it immediately. I might’ve even printed it out 10 years ago. Like, I am pretty sure I have a physical copy of it somewhere. Caroline, I see you’ve probably left the fandom, so I didn’t know if I should tag you, but if you read this, please know that even ten years later, this fic makes me so emotional.

[ao3feed-macgyver2016]

You Always Knew The Truth

You Always Knew The Truth https://ift.tt/83vlCQL by Eliza_Francis Mac blinked, confused, “It was a pain getting a dead guy’s credit score back to where it was when he was alive, but I don’t think Riley did anything illegal.” “I know Riley didn’t do anything illegal, blondie,” Matty had long since stopped worrying about Riley Davis staying on the right side of the law, “I was referring to a solid chunk of change leaving your “rainy day fund” and that same very specific number suddenly appearing in Jack’s checking account shortly before it was spent at a local jeweler,” She leaned closer, slowing her words as if Mac might not catch things the first time around, “I didn’t bother checking the security cameras at that establishment, because I knew I wouldn’t see Jack there, and I thought I’d give you a modicum of privacy.” Words: 1407, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English Series: Part 1 of Twenty-Eight Days Universe: One-Shots and Ficlets Fandoms: MacGyver (TV 2016) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: F/M Characters: Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016), Matilda "Matty" Webber, Riley Davis, Jack Dalton (MacGyver TV 2016) Relationships: Riley Davis/Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016), Angus MacGyver & Matilda "Matty" Webber (MacGyver TV 2016) Additional Tags: Fluff, Developing Relationship, Established Relationship, macriley, just MacRiley feels, and Matty being team mom, Protective Matilda "Matty" Webber, stupid in love Angus MacGyver, Oneshot

[seethesunny]

20 questions for fic writers

Tagged my @oliviassunrise. Thank you so much!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

35!

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

Currently it's 190, 177 but I want to reach 200K words before this year ends hehe

3. What fandoms do you write for?

EAH and TLOU but I'm mostly writing about TLOU these days, since I have to really be deeply invested in something to actually write for it!

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

1. It is late now, I'm a bit tired; the sky is irritated by stars. (And I love you, I love you, I love you.) - TLOU main Jackson AU series 2. hoax - EAH rapple pain 3. it is a serious thing just to be alive on this fresh morning in this broken world - TLOU main Jackson AU series part II 4. I was lost within the darkness (until I found you) - TLOU family ficlet collection 5. Let's chase the sun while it still burns for us. - TLOU Canon divergence AU — Tess lives and they can actually lay low kinda a fix it fic

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

I do, I know I'm not the best at replying bc I feel like I repeat myself too much, but I need people to know I'm grateful about them reading in any way I can convey that 😭

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

If you know me, then you're aware I go full angst mode and I make these poor characters go through hell lol but probs unraveled/undone though because it physically hurted to write it (since the OG ending was more hopeful and the two endings I wrote are so sad)

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

I'm delusional enough to say it's Daylight, another Jackson AU where nothing bad ever happens and everyone is happy

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Aside from two snarky comments earlier this year, not that I'm aware of!

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

Okay answering this is funny bc contrary to what my archive shows, I rarely can write smut and only when the mood strikes right and I have something to say, I guess 🧍🏽‍♀️which means that it's mostly really bad written kinky smut lol but who will stop me

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

Not really, I don't have enough interest in them anymore (but back in 2016 I created one with a friend that involved anime and werewolves. It’s not posted, don’t ask)

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No that I'm aware of! And please don’t do this ever lmaooo

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not yet, but I have considered that maybe I could translate my own stuff to my first language in the future, if you ever want to do it tho I'm open to the idea 👀

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

Unfortunately not yet :(( there have been some talks with some writers about the idea but it never happens, and it's unfortunate because I loooove sharing ideas and working together creatively (Koku can agree with me on this, we've created so many things this year)

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

I have a bunch of them that I cherish with my whole heart but if there’s one that hits all my checkmarks it's Joel/Tess, their ambiguous nature has always been fitting for them and it works wonders to fill in the blanks, and also I've loved them since the beginning lols I'm never making it out of this hell

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

Shaking and crying I think it's ALL the multichapter fics I have planned but have no clue how to keep writing 💔💔 in any case it would be Fourth of July (canon divergence au where Ellie is Tess and Joel’s bio kid, she leaves and they reunite when she gets bitten then reconcile in the canon journey)

16. What are your writing strengths?

Maybe that I have versatility? I think I can write about many things and topics efficiently, characterization and that I employ poetry often... I think

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Would it be wrong to say everything 😭 but joking aside it's definitely dialogue, plot heavy writing and certain genres (action and suspense mostly)

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

I encourage it doing proper research + consulting someone who actually speaks the language, so it's authentic! That's what I would do

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Anime fandom who shall never be brought up again.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

J&T Ficlet collection because it has some of my best writing and it showcases my style perfectly, I'm glad I got encouraged enough to post it <3

Tagging: @beerandyarn @wardenannie @anne1marie @raffinit @ilovecats491 @thefloatingwriter @mariatesstruther and anyone else who wants to share 🤲🏼❤

[thetruthbetween]

Literally why am I hyperfixating on fic I'm literally not going to write???

Anyway, this series is now 12 smutty ficlets long, and each one has a plot ("plot") summary

1: 2005, pilot ep, S gets turned on by J's voice & goes home after filming & rides her bf for all she's worth, not letting him talk & thinking about J's voice

2: 2015, LV con, J&S end up alone (green room?) and get into a convo, S slips & clues that J's voice turns her on, J starts teasing, S ends up super flustered & leaves after someone else comes in the room & goes to masturbate in the bathroom

3: 2015, LV con, next day, J catches S alone, apologizes for making her uncomfortable, she says she wasn't & J pushes her to admit she left to get off, J is V smug about it & murmurs some filth into her ear, tells her to call him if she ever needs any "words of encouragement" & she almost calls that night but instead gets off looking at his contact in her phone & thinking about what he might say if she did call

4: 2015, UK con, J watched S's reactions to him speaking, picks up on words that get to her (flick of eyes, lick/bite lips, etc) and use those words increasingly through the day, S finally breaks down and calls that night, J talks her through getting off (S vv subby)

5: 2015, LA con, J asks if S is gonna call & she says no cuz she's not staying at the con hotel, S goes home that night & v enthusiastically jumps her hub (again thinking about J's voice during)

6: 2016, DC con, S calls J, "been a while since I've heard your voice" type thing, J teases her for being needy & calling every con, S like "what happens in the con hotel stays in the con hotel right?" & J says she's thinking of Vegas & S says of course she is that's where it started, J talks her through an orgasm again

7: 2017, PA con, S super disappointed J cancelled, can't even get him on the phone cuz filming, masturbates thinking about his voice, slips & imagines actually having sex with him

8: 2017, NJ con, S calls J (nekkid in bed) & a min into the call J says he wonders something & there's a knock & she's like "I'm gonna ignore that" & J tells her to answer & there's another knock & S hears it thru the phone too & puts on a robe & answers the door & it's J, J comes in & locks the door, tells S he wants to see if he can get her off with JUST his voice, ties her hands so she can't touch & puts his hand on her waist & asks if he can open her robe, S nods a lil & J unties her robe & spreads it open, then sits in a chair at the end/side of the bed to watch, J talks S through an orgasm & makes her come without being touched at all, J is hard in his pants but leaves after untying S

9: 2017, NJ con, J comes to S's hotel room before she even calls, S lets him in, gets naked & tied, S says it's not fair he can see her but she can't see him & he's seen her come but she's only seen him with a boner in his jeans & J agrees & strips & again talks S through to orgasm but also jerks off at the same time

10: 2017, DC con, J comes to S's hotel room again, naked & tied & etc, this time mid-thru the talking J says S is squeezing her thighs together to stimulate herself & that's cheating & J pushes S's legs apart (S delicious panic!) & kneels between them, J doesn't touch other than their legs touching a bit, but his dick's inches from her pussy, S comes (on command!) harder than ever, J shoots on her stomach

11: 2017, DC con, J comes to S's hotel room again, naked & tied & etc, J kneels between S's thighs from the start, mid-thru S whimpers "please" & J asks plz what (cuz S rarely talks during) & S breaks & begs for J to fuck her & J asks if she's sure & S says yes & J sloooowwwwly slides into her, puts his mouth right against her ear & whispers "you're gonna have to come for me first, darlin'" & SITS THERE w his dick in her, hands on her hips so she can't move on him, and talks her to orgasm like that, THEN he finally actually fucks her & comes in her

12: 2018, Van set, filming Lebanon, J jokes that John & Mary totally banged in the bunker, S side-eyes him like 'don't start talking about sex around me in PUBLIC wtf' & J absolutely sees the look and absolutely ignores it & purposely riles S up, S calls J from the hotel after filming, J comes to her room & they fuck, no tying up, no talking through, just lots of dirty talk & dirty fucking

Series notes: S is VERY EXTREMELY SUBBY, S rarely talks during other than reply to any prompts/questions J asks, & bf/hub in question is OC NOT S's actual IRL hub (cuz I'd feel weird writing porn about him like???)

The worst thing ever is when you get an idea for a fic series but you know you don't have the spoons to write it