#goose plays the crossover of all time

[trucygoose]

He's fucjingv 3d

ITS HIM

ITS THEM ITS TGEM ITS THEM

I'm going to DIE the TURNABOUT SISTERS THEME IS GONNA KILL ME

[caterpills]

20 Fanfic Author Questions

Hi!! I was tagged by the lovely @cha-melodius and @anincompletelist for this!

I've only written 2 (!!!) fics, so you're going to have the excuse the repeats in answers!

1. How many works on AO3?

2 🥰

2. Total AO3 Word Count?

99,315

3. Top 5 2 fics by Kudos

This is More of a Comment Than a Question

If You've Got It, Haunt It

4. What fandoms do you write for?

Red, White, and Royal Blue

5. Do you respond to comments?

I do! If you've left me one, I have probably responded to it. I love getting comments, lots of warm little fuzzies. Plus I'm always so excited to see what others liked or noticed about the fic 🥰 (Sometimes commenters picked up on things that I didn't even realize and that is just awesome.)

6. Angstiest Ending?

Uhhh, I don't really write angsty endings? Comment/Question is angsty (but not terribly so) but the ending is still happy, full stop. I'm probably always going to put characters through it, but they'll end up together. I'm a sap, what can I say?

7. Fic with the Happiest Ending?

Happiest? This is More of a Comment Than a Question. While, yes, If You've Got It, Haunt It is pure hilarious chaos aka "a silly goose time", the payoff (I believe!) is more satisfying in Comment/Question, just by the sheer nature of it being a multi-chap versus a short one-shot!

8. Do you get hate?

I don't think I've gotten hate. I've gotten a few comments that have come off really unkind. Those aren't great either, but they aren't outright hate.

9. Do you write smut?

I do not! I read a whole heck ton of it (😏) but it never felt easy for me to write. The closest I'll get is non-explicit sex and other soft intimacy, but you're probably not going to see my writing venturing into E-ratings because it is not a skill I possess!

10. Do you write crossovers?

Nah. I don't think I ever would either. I love AUs, but most of the time, my fandoms and their characters are staying in their own little separate bubbles! (Doesn't mean I won't read them though!!)

11. Ever had a fic stolen?

Nope! (Or at least, not that I know of!)

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I have not, but if someone ever wanted to, that would be cool!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

Not... yet. 👀 (iykyk — there's a doc with ideas, and me saying "okay hear me out" every five seconds.)

14. All time favourite ship?

I'm not answering this! You can't make me choose.

15. WIPs you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I can't really say. I have docs for all my WIPs (some y'all don't even know!!) with the intention of finishing them. Some have become more work than originally planned and I'm generally a slow writer. So like nothing is abandoned, but it may be in a few weeks or a few months before they are done!

16. Writing strengths?

URGHHH, this question. Narrative voice, I think? I'm confident that the narration, when in a certain POV, is sound and that you can really hear it come across when reading. Also, details. I've gotten complimented a lot on all the research and little narrative bits I throw into fics. (Pulled from the reality of living it, baby *finger guns*)

17. Writing Weaknesses?

Before ANYONE boos at me, I'm going to say setting. You may not think so, but some of the most difficult parts for me to write were/are the descriptions of places. I'm also shit at worldbuilding. Also, I don't really know how to be succinct. And while people may say "it's not a bad thing!" it truly is a detriment because I'll spend three paragraphs describing something that needs three sentences.

18. Thoughts on mixed language dialogue?

Totally cool with it!

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Pretty sure it was me becoming friends with the actress who plays Lex in Jurassic Park, and then us going to Jurassic Park, written on a yellow legal pad when I was eight.

20. Favourite fic you’ve ever written?

It's always going to be my first born, my whole heart: This is More of a Comment Than a Question

I'm going to quickly tag a few others, but zero pressure: @alasse9 @14carrotghoul @onthewaytosomewhere @theprinceandagcd @jafffacakess @porcelainmortal @faketrex @emeryhall @dezinthecloud

[xf-cases-solved]

i've been doing my xfiles rewatch, but i've also been watching twin peaks for the first time with my partner (v weird that i haven't seen it before bc it's very much My Type of show, but w/e), and silence of the lambs was already my favorite movie. so since my personal aesthetic is apparently very specifically honed in on creepy and weird early 90s entertainment centered around fbi agents, here's a collection of random crossover thoughts i've had while watching these things, in no particular order:

-twin peaks, xfiles, silence of the lambs, except all the characters are shifted one plot to the left, so you have mulder and scully trying to figure out the death of laura palmer, clarice assigned to the xfiles division, and dale cooper having to make a rapport with dr. hannibal lecter

-separate thought: if mulder and scully met dale cooper, mulder would be absolutely delighted, and scully would want to put his head on a slab. this would just make mulder more delighted

cooper would be very pleasant to them both, but would find mulder's lack of self-care unsettling. mulder would be trying to talk about the case when cooper would interrupt him to tell him to try the mulberry pie and take a moment to savor it

he would also be able to follow scully's reasonings and would know all the references to scientific studies she makes, and would be like, "very clever! you're very intelligent!" not in a facetious way, he'd mean it genuinely, but then he'd still insist that his dream will lead them to the killer and she'd want to rip her hair out

-cooper to m&s, apropos of nothing: so how long have the two of you been in love?

-scully would not enjoy twin peaks. too rustic, too weird, too many affairs to keep track of

-mulder would love it for all the reasons she hates it

-if clarice and scully met they would get to know each other carnally, obviously. msr can still exist, but mulder has to be ok with being cuckolded by special agent clarice starling

he can watch sometimes, if wants ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

-agent crawford would have one (1) conversation with mulder and would immediately write him off as insane and never talk to him again

-crawford and scully would get along fine

-clarice and cooper would be buds, bc even tho cooper is fucking weird, he would be very enthusiastic about how clever she is, and would talk her up constantly, and clarice would appreciate the validation and kindness (besides, she's pseudo friends with hannibal lecter, cooper's idiosyncrasies are nothing in comparison)

-hannibal lecter wouldn't be able to manipulate mulder, but he wouldn't be that impressed by him either. it would be a mutual disdain. they could potentially have a hannibal/will graham-esque relationship but eh

-as badly as a "quid pro quo" scene between scully and hannibal would slap, i can't imagine scully giving hannibal anything to work with. she wouldn't stick around to play games; she doesn't have time for it and would never be able to regard him as anything besides a monster

mulder would agree to take on the puzzles, and hannibal might give them to him, but he'd taunt him and send him on wild goose chases more than he does with clarice, bc mulder doesn't have anything he particularly wants, but he is vaguely curious to see if he can figure it out. (mulder WOULD figure it out, but only with the addition of scully's analysis and theories, not hannibal's direction alone)

-hannibal would not talk to cooper lol. cooper would figure out who buffalo bill is anyway, tho

-nobody at the fbi in the xfiles universe would know how to handle dale cooper. skinner especially would be very -squints- about it, bc he'd get results, but would just be so fucking Weird™️ about it, but in such a different way than mulder is weird

-the lone gunmen would be very sweet and protective over clarice. they would be very confused and vaguely unsettled by cooper

-clarice would be skinner's dream agent bc she would listen to him and value his input and rarely punch him in the face or hold him at gunpoint

-while i can picture clarice getting the hang of the xfiles, i have trouble picturing her in twin peaks (tho, do note that i haven't seen all of it so mb that would change)

-this isn't a headcanon so much as a v obvious observation, but they are all so fucking hot, what the fuck??

-final thought: dale cooper, clarice starling, dana scully, and fox mulder = dream blunt rotation

anyway those are some of the things i think about in my spare time

the end

[camels-pen]

2024 fic round up

what the fuck how is it already new year's eve

anyway round up

Previous round ups: 2023, 2022, 2021

Posted fics (on ao3): 36

Wordcount: 49,283

Formatting: Title // Fandom (x Fandom, if a crossover) // Gen or Ship (+ Name) // Event (if applicable)

-listed oldest to newest-

the salvation of indifference // RWBY // Gen

Watts comes to Mistral sooner than expected.

hats and accents // OP // Ship - Sanuso

Sanji brings Usopp his missing hat, but it doesn't stop at just that.

the flip of a kiss // OP // Ship - Sanuso

Usopp has a bit of a crisis, Sanji is more pissed than usual, and Zoro is unintentionally helpful.

burning love // OP // Ship - Zosanuso // SanUso week

Roses are red, Violets are nice, These guys are gay, Sanji falls through the ice.

take care of you // OP // Ship - Zosopp // OP Fanwork Exchange

He put a hand to his cheek. “Garchu to you too…” he said, trying to bring back the feeling of Usopp’s lips—just the corner, but still much more than he’d expected—shifting and moving with the shape of his words, brushing against his cheek. He felt his blush with his fingertips before realizing he was completely flushed. God, Usopp was going to be the death of him. >In which Zoro and Usopp can’t see what’s in front of them.

our hearts will blend (with a fucking semi) // DP // Gen // Phic Phight

“Y’know I think I can take out my heart and still like. Live.” “That’s nice, Danny.” >Danny proves a point.

time, in all its affection (in all its agony) // DP // Gen // Phic Phight

The beginning of the end, through Clockwork's eyes.

a gift (not a burden) // OP // Ship - Sanuso // OP Fanwork Exchange

Usopp knows who his soulmate is, but he doesn't want to follow some bullshit rules of fate etched into his skin. Meanwhile, Sanji's a hopeless romantic.

doubt and kings // OP // Ship - Lusopp

Usopp's self doubt rears its head.

caltrops // OP // Ship - Zosanuso

The boys go shopping.

moms always find it // DP // Gen // Phic Phight

It's just one ecto-pen, his mom won't find the other stuff he's got hidden around his room. Probably.

bad guy (the wile e. coyote cover) // DP // Gen // Phic Phight

Danny tries to prove Phantom can be a bad guy too.

oh to dream a dream // DP // Gen // Phic Phight

Careless words can lead to indulgent sleep.

playing pretend // OP // Ship - Sanuso // SanUso Week

Usopp runs away and finds a new friend and home. Merry is more than a little concerned about it.

i can't stay (i love you, always) // OP // Ship - Zosopp

Usopp loses his memory. Nobody knows what happened. Zoro suffers.

watch where you sip // OP // Ship - Sanuso

Always look a gift teacup in the mouth or something

Stand name: [ Death ] (wait no that's taken-) // DP x JJBA // Gen // DP 2010s crossover angst week

Polnareff finds a boy bleeding in alleyway. And he is definitely not a local.

bullying // OP // Ship - Sanuso

prompt: Someone who should be sleeping getting bullied to sleep (dealer's choice of who)

knight and princess // OP // Gen

prompt: the besties nami and usopp spending quality time together

loose goose // OP // Gen

prompt: There's a GOOSE LOOSE on the ship!

heist gone wrong // OP // Gen

prompt: the heist goes wrong

v. vulpes // OP // Gen

prompt: Why is there a fox here? How'd it get in here- NO THAT'S WHATS GONNA BE FOR DINNER TONIGHT!!!

sparring partner // OP // Gen

Sanji makes plans for a new roommate while Usopp protests the whole time. aka the guys have an encounter with a golem.

harbor on the sea // OP // Ship - Sanuso

There was a woman by the water.

chance encounter // DP x OP // Gen

prompt: Luffy meets a Danno due to chaotic shenanigans

You Are Not Immune to Saltwater // DP x OP // Gen // Invisobang

One moment, Vlad was sipping tea at his desk. The next, he was surrounded by circus performers with a sword at his throat. He blamed Daniel.

shorts // OP // Ship - Zosopp

Zoro steals Usopp's shorts.

grain // DP x JJBA // Gen

Practice and fondness. Only a little bit though.

murmur // OP // Ship - Sanuso // not an event, but inspired by art

Two moments in time.

cycle // OP // Gen

Usopp loved his mother. He loved his mother, but she wasn't perfect.

alone // OP // Gen

What ever happened to the Sogeking mask?

mourning life // OP // Ship - Sanuso

A quiet moment between a cook and his hungry crewmate.

more often // not an event, but outfit poll propaganda

A well needed break from all their running around.

too big (too small) // OP // Gen

The initial announcement- of needing to cut back on snacks, to up the hours and people fishing- it filled Usopp with utter relief. And the very next moment, a horrible horrible guilt.

cinnamon brew (being here with you) // OP // Ship - Sanuso // Caffeine Rush: a coffee and tea speed run zine

“At the end of my shift?” Usopp asked, opening his blanket to Sanji as he settled next to him. Usopp pulled the blanket around them both, leaving his arm around Sanji’s shoulder. Sanji already smelled of tobacco despite the early hour. “Hmm, I dunno…” Sanji rolled his eyes. “Don’t act like you don’t love it.” He held out a steaming mug; chipped and yellow with little ducks on it. It reminded me of you, Usopp explained once. Sanji ended up passed out for the better part of an hour. Usopp chuckled at the memory. >Sanji visits Usopp on night watch.

moi et toi // OP // Ship - Sanuso // Sanuso Secret Santa

Sanji turned, trying to meet Usopp’s eye. Trying, because all that he could focus on were the scars peeking through the bandages on Usopp’s neck. All he could focus on was how Usopp wasn’t just leaning all his weight on Sanji like usual. Wasn’t annoyingly digging his chin into Sanji’s shoulder to give his unnecessary and unhelpful opinions. How he was keeping his distance. “Wanna trade?” Sanji asked. “I do your wounds, you do mine?” >Sanji and Usopp redress each other's wounds.

[madrabit]

for the fic ask game: 🍑🫐

Hey, thank you for the ask ☺️💖 my rambling got a bit long, sorry for that!

If you also want to send me some fruits 🫐🍒🍓🥭🍏, feel free to do so!! 💗✨️

🍑 If you could make a connection between your favorite character and another work you care about (whether a crossover/fusion or a wonderfully “pretentious” literary reference) what would it be? How would it work?

Mhmm… that question is very interesting, but I think this is a good way to combine one of my favorite TV series with our silly Slovenian soft bois.

(Okay, so this is gonna be long and rambly and I only have a half baked knowledge of the show and I have not read the books, just to warn you!)

In this post I already compared Bojan and Jan with Quentin and Eliot from The Magicians and I still think it's a very good comparison! (Mostly looks wise, character wise they are a little different, even though both Quentin and Bojan have anxiety, but Q has some more stuff going on that I hope Bojči doesn't).

It's the hand on the neck for me omg. God maybe I should do another post about them...

I would so love to see Jan and Bojan and all the others ngl as students in Brakebills or maybe in Fillory, I'm sure Bojan and Nace would love the talking animals, while Jure would be so into the Flying Forest (it's opium laced, I'm sure kitty would have fun).

Also, I absolutely love magical AUs and them at a magical College would be such an interesting thought. And all the different disciplines are so much fun to play with!

Bojan: He would definitely be one of the physical kids. He'd have a good grip on telekinesis, maybe even be able to do some fire manipulation and some minor mending (small object reparation). Although one might argue he could also be an empath, I wouldn't wanna put him in the psychic discipline, since a lot of psychics have a base level of telepathy and I think it only would make him even more anxious and I really wouldn't want that ngl. But since the physical kids are also quite social (and the best party people), I think it fits very well with him.

Jan: also strikes me as either a physical kid or one of the psychics. I feel like he'd be able to focus on fire manipulation and cold magic, but telekinesis and phosphoromancy (light bending) also seem like a good fit for him and honestly, I think he'd be able to at least be able to work a few different disciplines easier than usual. For some reason I feel if he were a psychic, he'd had the discipline of either telepathy or precognition, maybe even astral projection, but I'd rather say he's a physical kid, him and Bojan would throw the best parties.

Nace: He is a lil harder, for me he's either a physical kid or a healer. If he were a physical kid I 100% think his discipline would be mending, both major and minor, maybe also with a dash of telekinesis, but healing magic also seems like a good fit for him. He's nurturing, an absolute sweetheart and he has that calming presence and seems like he loves being helpful which would make him a perfect healer (those traits also would fit very well with mending btw). 

But he's not only that. He's chaotic, he's a silly goose who sometimes can be a bit thoughtless in what he says and doesn't realise sth might come off a bit wrong and I'm sure he's not that innocent little bean we make him out to be, at least not all the time. So while that obviously doesn't prevent him from being a healer, I think he'd be a good fit for the physical kids.

Kris: I feel like he'd be one of the few students of knowledge trying to understand how magic works. Since Knowledge is a mix of psychic and physical magic, I feel it might be a good fit for him. There aren't a lot of disciplines, but I think meta-composition (taking spells apart and understanding the separate components and maybe even creating new spells) would be a good thing for him. On the other hand I think he might also have some illusion magic, but mostly knowledge. He also gives me major Julia vibes in that regard.

Jure: I feel like Jure would most likely be a naturalist. He spends a lot of time in nature, seems grounded by it and seems to use it as a way to recharge, so I think it would fit him quite well. Nature magic can either be focused on the weather, which would fit with the sunshine kitty, or on plants.

But he also could be an illusionist. I'm sure he'd be quite good at vanishing, cloaking and invisibility, since he manages to keep a lot of stuff private and stay under the radar, just as I think he might like.

For some reason, I also think he might even be able to do inter-dimensional travel (like Penny), idk why, but I just think it would fit him.

(Also, magicians have to be good with their fingers, so I think the boys would be good at it)

🫐 What’s your favorite underrated thing in your fandom? (A ship that only you seem to write for, a character there’s almost no fics about, a trope that criminally hasn’t been written yet, etc.)

Ohhhhh, that answer is so very obvious 🤭 I think a lot of ships are underrated. First, I'd obviously say BoJance, my favorite little throuple! These three fit so well together, but there aren't a lot of fics. The same goes for BoJan (although the work count has increased there and I love it so much!!) and BoNace and I just wish more ppl would write for them.

And as a surprise, I think one other criminally underrated ship is JuKris!

[thescrapwitch]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thank you @grey-gazania and @dreamingthroughthenoise for tagging me! Sorry for the very late reply!

1. How many works do you have on Ao3?

Currently, I have 63 works, though a few of them are on-going multichapter ones. If I narrowed it down to only complete fics, it would be 58. 

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count?

501,530 words!

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Currently the Silmarillion has me in a chokehold and I am having SO MUCH FUN putting tragic elves into all sorts of situations. There’s a lot of free space and flexibility in its canon which is fun to play around in, and so many AU possibilities. Before that I wrote for Linked Universe/Legend of Zelda, which had a large cast of characters whose found family/friendship dynamics had me hooked. 

(we shall not speak of what I wrote during my Fanficion.net days, back when I was very small and very terrible at writing 😛)

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Looking at all my fics, my Linked Universe ones have the most: Rescue Mission, Malevolence, Bad Joke, Untitled Goose Fic, and Weatherworn Heart. 

5. Do you respond to comments?

I try to! I adore comments and go back and reread them often, so I try to at least say thank you to people who’ve left one after reading my fics. 

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

This is a tough one! I have a few Hurt/No Comfort ones (all focusing on poor Maedhros). I’ll go with Despair Like Poison, in which I find a way to make the beginning of the Silmarillion EVEN WORSE. Its based on a Tumblr post I made (which I now can't find????), and I might continue it, once I figure out exactly how dark/angsty I want it to get!

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

Probably Rest for the Weary and the Damned, the final fic in the main storyline for my Maglor is an Eldritch Horror series. After many problems, everyone gets to be together and live happily ever after, including everyone’s favorite eldritch monster.  

8. Do you get hate on fics?

No, but I don’t tend to write a lot of romance/ship-focused fics, so that could be why.

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

No, not my thing to write. 

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

Crossovers aren’t really my thing to write either. 

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I have! It's always such an honor when someone asks if they can translate my fic. 

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

No, though I do get a lot of inspiration from comments and side-discussions. Untitled Goose Fic happened because of a Discord discussion, and Trial of Crablor Feanorion was written because of a commentor’s remark about animal trials.  

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Silvergifting can be so much fun and so messed up and I love writing it. 

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

My poor Legend of Zelda 1920s AU fic is crying at me from the depths of my WIP pile. I am so sorry. One day, maybe, I will return to it, but I have so many other things that I want to write…

16. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue, story structure, and weird stuff. Eldritch monsters, sentient houses that speak to you in nightmares, crabs who were once elves, dreamy-not-entirely-sane narration; those I feel like I can do well. 

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Description! Specifically, description used to set up a place, to make the world around the characters feel more textured and real. I am trying to get better at it. 

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

I have enough typos writing in English, I do not have the confidence to try and write in anything else. The Tolkien fandom has a lot of languages and I’m always in awe of the people who can include them so well into their work.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Megaman.EXE, way way back in the early days of Fanfiction.net, all of which has now been thankfully eaten by the internet. 

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

I say it every time someone asks, but it has to be The Haunting of Imladris. That fic was a gift: it gave me a world to flesh out for my eldritch!Maglor series, it gave me confidence to write horror (which I’d never done before) and it gave me Lindir. I will always adore and be grateful to it.

Tagging: @camille-lachenille @thelordofgifs @searchingforserendipity25 @sallysavestheday @lordgrimwing @eilinelsghost @chthonion @gardensofthemoon and anyone else who wants to join in!

[firenati0n]

20 questions for fic writers

thank you to @alasse9 @anchoredarchangel @myheartalivewrites @anincompletelist @cricketnationrise

@tailsbeth-writes @cha-melodius @ninzied for the tags! i am so so so behind on all tags and questions and asks and i am sorry for the delay!! <3 thank you for your patience :)

How many works do you have on ao3?

7 under my name, 1 anonymously

What's your total ao3 word count?

32,316

What fandoms do you write for?

rwrb :)

Top five fics by kudos:

An Amateur's Guide to Piping That Cream and Beating That Meat (5,094 words)

our world, mine and his alone (the midnight train to go) (2,970 words)

cause you're classic, and i'm reckless (5,422 words)

each time we touch / i wanna take too much (1,339 words)

who truly stuck the knife in first (3,697 words)

Do you respond to comments?

yes! i haven't replied to any on angel fic yet bc they make me cry LMAOOOO but i will get to them soon :) comments mean everything to me. receiving any is a privilege. connection is so lovely.

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

i would say who truly stuck the knife in first but it's not angsty, just open-ended. they're spies, so happiness for them at the moment is fleeting lol.

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

i always write happy endings but i think and all i can taste is this moment, and all i can breathe is your life aka the angel!henry fic is the sappiest. it's so sappy I'm giving it a sequel for more sappy endings. it's the happiest ending because it also makes me cry.

Do you get hate on fics?

not yet, thankfully. people have been very nice and welcoming, which has been a real blessing.

Do you write smut?

no lol i got into my M game with who truly stuck the knife in first (sexually charged wrestling), keep me up all night / i wanna scratch your surface (prosey fade to black), and each time we touch / i wanna take too much (fingers in mouths) but i don't think I'll be writing smut anytime soon.

i could barely handle arms and legs in spy fic (@cha-melodius knows how terribly i struggled jfalksdjflkjasdlkf). how the fuck am I supposed to factor dicks into the equation????

Craziest crossover:

none yet but i am cooking up a sci-fi thriller au that may never see the light of day based on Dark Matter by Blake Crouch but no promises jfalksjdlkfadsf

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that i know of

Have you ever had a fic translated?

not that i know of. I've had art and moodboards and a podfic but no translations.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

i am writing one right now with [redacted] and it's going to be so fucking good y'all are not prepared for this AU fr

All time favorite ship?

firstprince forever. alex and henry are my babygirls. Close second is Sydney and Vaughn from Alias or Chuck and Sarah from Chuck.

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

i have a lot of docs with bullet points but typically if i start WRITING real words in a doc, i will be finishing it EVENTUALLY. it will either take me 4 months or 4 hours and there is no in between unfortunately, considering i write most of my fics between the hours of 2am - 7am in a fugue state. fatal flaw. all of my docs with actual snippets in them WILL be completed at some point. it's just going to take me. forever.

What are your writing strengths?

i hate perceiving shit like this bc i always think i sound like I'm blowing smoke up my own ass lmaoooo so I'll go with dialogue. i like the dialogue i write.

@anincompletelist also told me that I can "curate a VIBE and TONE like nobody’s BUSINESS" which is extremely kind (ily) and i think i agree. I do like experimenting with tone and atmosphere. I have been playing with genre and expression with each fic and i like what I've done so far.

i also just love a silly goose time fr ok i love my fun fics like amateur's guide and worm fic and actor au. they make me laugh.

What are your writing weaknesses?

i struggle to plot things out bc i get so caught up in dialogue and snippets of things i actually want to write LOL so weaving the snips together is always a pain for me. i am also a perfectionist so it takes me way longer to get over my mental hurdles and put words on the page. i also struggle to write angst sometimes like angst does not come as naturally to me as zippy banter. neither does prose. i have to work at those.

Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

love!!! i find it so beautiful.

First fandom you wrote in?

i do not count the 1d fanfic i wrote in my notes app as a mentally ill thirteen year old as actual writing, so let's go with RWRB :)

Favorite fic you've written?

and all i can taste is this moment, and all i can breathe is your life. it's my most personal and a fic I used as a coping mechanism to get through some yucky times. i also like the emotional beats in that one a lot. it is my least read / least popular but my favorite.

no pressure and open tags under the cut <3

@wordsofhoneydew @bigassbowlingballhead @eusuntgratie @violetbaudelaire-quagmire @magicandarchery

@getmehighonmagic @indestructibleheart @14carrotghoul @onward--upward @sparklepocalypse

@porcelainmortal @nontoxic-writes @piratefalls @dumbpeachjuice @clottedcreamfudge

@tintagel-or-cockleshells @orchidscript @cheesecurdsgravyandfries @smc-27 @everwitch-magiks

@kiwiana-writes @hgejfmw-hgejhsf @ships-to-sail @rmd-writes @welcometololaland

[masoena]

Comfort in the Rarest of Places

SPN/DCU Crossover

Fill for Hurt/Comfort Bingo hosted by @sweetspicybingo

Pairing: Sam Winchester & Dick Grayson (Nightwing)

Prompt filled: Gun shot wound to loving embrace

Rating: Gen / Teen and Up (Gunshot wound not explicit)

The last thing Sam saw were the demonic black eyes of his brother and the sound of the shot from his 1911 handgun ringing in his ears, before he was pulled by irrevocable forces through time and space. He landed abruptly in a barely lit back alley between two large looming dark-washed tenement buildings. If he had to take a guess, he’d think he landed in New York but he could not be more wrong as he let his blurry vision wander skyward. Looking down at him from the first level up fire escape stood a leanly muscled man with a black mask, teenage Sam would recognize Nightwing anywhere having snuck into Dean’s small stash of Batman comics on more than one occasion. The shot Dean took however was true and landing sprawled on his back like he did added a quickly swelling goose egg at the back of his head to the profusely bleeding bullet wound in the center of his chest and the world went black for him.

He noticed the sounds first, the rhythmic beating of a heart monitor, the rattling of an air conditioning that needed a tune up and the low hum of a television in the room playing the news at low volume.

His eyes opened to a sparsely furnished hospital room, similar but different in many minute but clear ways. The bed frame was made of some kind of carbon fiber rather than rubber padded steel or plastic tubing, the monitors did not look like any he had seen on earth before and if those spot-the-difference type of variances weren’t enough the “Blüdhaven General Hospital” sign on his patient chart told him exactly where he was. He hoped dearly that he wasn’t about to be annihilated by Chemo, reassuring himself with the fact that he had most definitely seen Nightwing the night he landed here. If he was in town, then he was safe. He remembered that in the comic books Nightwing survived, but only because he was out of town when the attack went down.

Looking out at the city through the window to the right of him was like looking at a less polished, economically more depressed version of Manhattan, with skyscrapers reaching high up and luminescence from the buildings polluting the otherwise clear night time sky.

“Mr. A welcome back, how are you feeling?”

“Mr. A?”

“Well you know Adam A is what we call someone who we can’t find a name for and you appear to not even be from this country based on our national ID database check.”

Sam translated Adam A as this world’s expression for John Doe and stared at the police officer, analyzing him to try and gather clues about whether he was safe here. The guy looked like a more chiseled version of Cas, sharp wide masculine jaw, a set of thin lips, bright blue eyes and straight pitch black hair that looked styled slightly messy on purpose and suited him. As much as Sam was feeling discombobulated at having ended up in a DC comic universe, he could appreciate the man’s All American good looks. His eyes were inquisitive, kind and intelligent, his body language open and curious, the patient chart lax in his hands when he spoke to Sam.

“Yeah something like that.”

“Would you care to elaborate?”

“Look, unless I’m under arrest for a crime that I know I did not commit, I would prefer not to.”

The man, officer D. Grayson Sam noticed on his ID batch attached to his uniform, put the chart down altogether and raised his hands in a no harm done kind of way.

“Alright, alright hey not here to harass you but it’s been a while since I have come across someone who is not in the US population database in any way shape or form.”

Sam oddly felt like he was on the other side of a line of questioning he and Dean would use on someone who witnessed a supernatural creature in action. Perhaps responding accordingly would work for him?

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you why that is the case.”

“Try me.”

“I’m not from here.”

“Yeah I could tell by your clothes that you aren’t from Blüdhaven.”

“Are you gonna let me talk or comment on everything I say with a smartass joke in return?”

Grayson did circular hand motion, asking Sam to continue, mouthing sorry silently.

“I’m not from this world, my home is earth but not this one. I’m from the US but not this version of it. My brother nearly killed me when our angel friend zapped me through a worldhole into this universe.”

“There are so many points in your statement that I don’t fully understand, when you say angel what do you mean and what is a worldhole?”

“Angel as in God’s winged soldiers, you know guardian angels, archangels and such. Do you have a bible here in this world?”

“Yeah I know what you’re talking about, Lucifer falling, Michael his brother and Gabriel. So angels are real where you came from?”

Sam’s face fell, he hadn’t considered that angels were just stories here, if it took celestial power to send him here, how could he return?

Grayson was not ignorant of Sam’s body language, in fact he could see the lost and desolate facial expression that graced the handsome face with the slightly slanted hazel eyes. He wanted him to not go down the rabbit hole of whatever prompted that look of hopelessness.

“Worldhole?”

“There are many versions of earth, many different universes and dimensions, angels have the power to poke a hole through the veil between worlds via time travel. When my brother was ready to kill me, Gabriel of all people, launched me through a time and space tunnel that had me land here.”

“Why would your brother want to kill you?”

“How much time you got?”

“I’m already off the clock so if you want someone to listen, I’m here. Plus where are you gonna go if they release you in a few hours? Because I assure you they’re gonna need your bed.”

As if on cue the doctor that did surgery on Sam came into the room.

“Happy to see you awake Mr. A. The surgery went well and the bullet was a clean shot through you front to back. It missed all important organs and bones which was extremely fortunate. We will be able to sign you out with some painkillers perhaps in 1-2 hours from now.”

“What if there are latent issues with the wound?”

“We have run an extensive number of tests and done both an x-ray and an MRI to ensure all is how it should be internally. You are as healthy as they come other than the sutures on the impact and exit wounds you will be fine. Do you have someone to assist with wound care? You’ll not be able to reach your back.”

Sam wasn’t sure if it was the pragmatic, cold way in which the surgeon laid things out for him or the fact that referring to wound care brought Dean to the forefront of his mind, his big brother, the one who always had his back quite literally, the person responsible for him ending up here. He knew there was no saving Dean, Gabe tried to explain it to him for weeks as was Castiel; Dean wasn’t possessed, he was a demon/human hybrid whose soul was merged like a helix of bright white light and inky, sticky tar blackness both sides of him so solidly intertwined that ripping them apart would spell the demise of both.

What he didn’t expect was for officer Grayson to stand beside him where he was sitting on the edge of his hospital bed and wrap a comforting arm around his shoulders. Sam let himself be held as he could no longer hold back the tears that wanted to fall. Some random cop in a random world that maybe contained Nightwing away from everyone and everything he ever knew. It was a tough situation to accept even for a Winchester.

“I’ll help him with wound care, he’ll be staying with me.” He rubbed his hand up and down Sam’s upper arm, the touch so painfully familiar to how Dean would soothe him as a child which only exacerbated the sobs that shook his body as he shuddered and struggled to reign himself in. The weight of the struggle of the past few months, the unsuccessful demon summonings, Cole and his mad plan of getting back at Dean and the continued dead ends no matter what he tried. All the hopelessness and failure he’d never allowed himself to feel through all of that suddenly released in a cathartic emotional break.

The surgeon left shortly after and Sam wouldn’t be able to repeat what he said, even if his life depended on it.

Grayson hugged him properly now that they were on their own. “I will not claim to understand what it feels like to go through what you went through. But I know a thing or two about loss, grief and moving on and what it feels like to be completely on my own.” Sam melted into the embrace. If he imagined that it was Dean hugging him, Grayson didn’t need to know but he was glad not to be on his own in this.

Unbeknownst to either man their interaction had been attentively observed by a pair of light honey brown eyes from the rooftop of the building across from the hospital, the outline of wings hidden by the darkness of the night.

Link to Hurt/Comfort Series on AO3

[that-was-anticlimactic]

20 questions for fic writers

tagged by my beloved @zukkaoru & @lesmiserablol <333

tagging (with no pressure): @beachytablecloth, @fabro-de-omres, & @milf-harrington (so sorry if you've already been tagged!)

1. how many works do you have on ao3?

69 which... is honestly more than i was expecting? i think it helps that my goal is to post a fic once a month mostly bc that's my motivation to keep writing even when i'm busy/stressed!

2. what's your total ao3 word count?

396,183 - omg i am SO CLOSE to 400k ahhhhhhhhh

3. what fandoms do you write for?

uhhhhhhh many??? right now, it's a lot of bsd/bnha, but it's always a plethora of things, haha! my first was prolly ninjago tbh

4. what are your top five fics by kudos?

hey, little songbird, give me a song

you never quite say (but i hear)

lost in love and lost in feelings

Deeper Than Words

for a new world to begin, the old one must fall

okay the #1 for that is honestly so real that is one of my absolute favorite things i've written EVER lol, same with #2! the rest are... idk #4 is AWFUL - like one of my first atla fics and also my first time writing a ts fic (i have gotten SO MUCH BETTER AT IT NOW)

*note: i started this in like nov or early dec, and #5 changed! it was the zukka goose fic but now it's actually one of my favorites iugytfyhujiko

5. do you respond to comments

i used to be good at it. then i got stressed bc of school. and then i was suddenly like "uhhhh idk How to respond???" i think the thing that got me was i didn't know how to reply to the distressed comments on my sokka falling fic so i just. accidentally stopped.

6. what is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

oh here in the garden (let's play a game) 100% rip to sokka sorry babes ilysm hate to do it to ya, love the angst tho <333 rip to everyone who missed the major character death tag lol. well... that or a spring and summer song, too brief rip to geto in the +1 oops... oh shoot... it could also be take me where my soul can run... hm...

7. what is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

this was hard, but imma go with i was a child and she was a child bc it's based on one of my favorite childhood memories! rip to zuko and his ice cream tho :/ but azula is VIBING the whole time oiuygfcgyhuij

8. do you get hate on fics?

not really? i did once have someone try to correct me and say that i wrote sokka with ocd instead of tourette's but it was in the bookmarks and it made me laugh lol. i also got this comment on my kubokai kaidou with ts fic: ".. the self projection is heavy in this one ... -_-" so idk if that counts lol

9. do you write smut? if so, what kind?

nope :)

10. do you write crossovers? what's the craziest one you've written?

uhhhh not really? i wrote ninjago equestria girls crossover oneshot in middle school but i never finished it and it SUCKED lol

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that i know of?

12. what's the longest you've spent working on a fic? and the shortest?

uhhh i wrote a 7,600 word fic in three hours while i had covid? that's prolly the shortest? i count that as shorter than anything i may have finished faster bc i had covid lol but longest? ummmm over a year? multiple years? idkkkkkk the jay with ts fic i posted was something i wrote in 2019 and i edited it (a lot) and posted it in 2022 so??? that maybe?

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

uhhh i did with friends in middle/high school, but those never left the docs! also grace and i have. very many much so aus lol

14. what's your all-time favorite ship? from all fandoms?

RARIJACK!!! it was one of my first hardcore ships, and also was my introduction to queer ships!!! renga is a close second, but rarijack just is really important and special to me for sentimental reasons that put it above renga and others! i am also on a seroroki kick right now. it's not my all-time favorite, but the brain rot seems never ending right now lol

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

GOD SO MANY i have a folder in gdocs just for ninjago fics and there are folders within the folder for different types of wips i'll never finish - i have That many: "no substance", "baby girls", "drafts"... etc...

16. what are your writing strengths?

uhhhhhhhhhh ngl i'm in a place right now where i feel like the answer is Nothing (writer's block has been Bad recently), but i think something i'm good at in a very specific way is making readers feel the discomfort of characters? like idk i've been told that the way i write ts and tics (specifically tic attacks) makes the readers feel uncomfortable in like a "wow i didn't know it felt this way" kind of way??? i like to think i'm good at characterization??? idkkkk

17. what are your writing weaknesses?

ummm setting and scenery & connecting parts of a story, especially if they're parts that i'm stuck on/transitions are prolly my biggest ones???

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

i mean go for it as long as it's respectful and like... you tried making sure it's accurate?

19. first fandom you wrote for?

uhh rainbow fairy/a-z mysteries... but that was like very briefly on paper. first time like... for Realsies was ninjago

20. favorite fic you've written?

oh 100% hey, little songbird, give me a song. it's just really special to me and writing it helped me cope with a new tic i had. but one that i wrote more recently is fantasies i'm not sure that i'm worthy of which is a ritsu-centric fic and is prolly tied as my favorite fic i wrote in 2023. the other one would be sun comes streaming through the window (& i can't sleep anymore) which is my 21k word kenji-centric fic lol but that one is like... i'm more proud of it than anything, which is what puts it up there.

[trucygoose]

hell yea

PROBABLY??? flynch ur going to kill me

AHHH FUCK YES i love how theres a normal pointing animation and a special one its so hype

maya please dont hit me again

OHH SHIT???

NOO DONT HURT THE EEL[?]

the repeated missing is fucking hilarious. she cant hit anything to save her life lol

this whole trial is an absolute riot actually

[gaogaigar-the-king]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged by @valkeakuulas

How many works do you have on ao3? 23, though there's some works posted on my Tumblr that I never transferred to AO3 (My Paladins and Warframe ones spring to mind).

What’s your total ao3 word count? 82,191 according to my Statistics page.

What fandoms do you write for? Currently? Warframe, occasionally dip my toes into TCW. In the past? There's also been Ultraman, Iron Leaguer, Brave Police J-Decker and more.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos? Scars (TCW) Untitled Goose Wars (TCW) A New Discovery (Ultraman X, NSFW) Tumblr Ask Memes (Miscellaneous) First Date (Ultraman X)

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? I try to when I have the energy! I love receiving comments and feedback, though I rarely get any to answer to.

What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending Oh jeez, I've written so much angst, uh. I really have no idea?

What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? I really have no idea on this one either? I can't judge.

Do you get hate on fics? I've never directly received hate on any of my fics.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Yes. Yes I do. Robot/robot, alien/human, Warframe/human, Warframe/Warframe... If it involves non human characters in some way I will absolutely play around with it. Kinks are included too, I'll play around with them as well. And most of it isn't even straight.

Do you write crossovers? I have tried to in the past, once or maybe twice.

Have you ever had a fic stolen? Nope, not good enough for anyone to want to steal my stuff.

Have you ever had a fic translated? All three of my Ultraman fics have had people requesty to translate them into Chinese/Korean in the past.

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

What’s your all-time favorite ship? Oh no nonono, this is a fucking evil question, you can't do this to me! I've got more ships than I can even keep track of!

What’s a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will? Hmm.... I want to finish Untitled Goose Wars, and I want to finish Among Us Gone Wrong and Love Has Many Forms (And Tentacles), but whether or not I will? I hope I will. My muse is a fickle beast and plays horribly with my mental health.

What are your writing strengths? I've been told before I write a good blend of atmosphere, dialogue and believable character actions and thought processes.

What are your writing weaknesses? See above with my mental health. It takes me so much longer than I'd like to write these days, because of external problems, my mental health and perpetual exhaustion.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? An interesting idea! But I can't speak any other languages than English, like a true Brit failed by our terrible languages education system.

First fandom you wrote for? Star Wars. The first one I actually published anywhere? Iron Leaguer.

Favorite fic you’ve written? Thus far? My favourite ones are still confined to WIP-status. I love how a lot of my Warframe stuff is turning out... I should share some of the standalone parts to AO3. I also have emotional attachment to LHMF(AT).

[hoodie-prince-kid-archived]

So is it possible to summarise all the games' lores in a single post/message to someone who knows goose egg about the stories and has only seen boss fight videos but wants to get into the series?

WELL!!!

The good thing about the series is that all the games are perfectly good as standalone content! If you wanna hop in on the ttyd remaster, feel free! The most youll miss out on is easter eggs and callbacks.

HOWEVER!

If you'd like to get into the series as a whole, i suggest playing them in the order i did, which is the order of release. You'll get to experience the evolution of the style of art, story, and gameplay over time!

There are 6 games not including Paper Jam, which is a crossover with the Mario + Luigi series, and I personally consider it to be more of the latter continuity. I would categorize the games as follows:

Classics: Paper Mario (Nintendo 64), Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (Gamecube, remastered for Switch). As the earliest games in the series, they have a similar turn-based combat gameplay style, a closed walk-based map, and a system of collecting partners throughout the story in simple JRPG fashion. The stories are divided into chapters and in structure are pretty similar, but still unique from each other. The art style of these two games are what the series is known for, being similar to a pop-up storybook in terms of visuals.

Outlier: Super Paper Mario (Wii). This one is its own category primarily because the gameplay is much closer to a 2D platformer than a turn-based RPG like the prior two, and I personally believe that's important to note before getting into it if you're playing them in order of release, because the contrast can be quite jarring. However, it's also stylistically quite different from the previous two in story structure and art style, being more akin to a cyberspace aesthetic with unique character designs and even other playable characters. I'll also note that the story, albeit in the collect-them-all style of essentially all Mario games, is highly unique when it comes to how things play out and especially the villains.

Comapnion era: Paper Mario: Sticker Star (3DS), Paper Mario: Color Splash (WiiU), Paper Mario: The Origami King (Switch). These three are stylistically much closer to papercraft like Yoshi's Woolly World or Kirby's Epic Yarn, putting much more emphasis on the "Paper" in "Paper Mario". They return to a turn-based combat system with different mechanics, but there are no longer a party of partners- instead Mario is accompanied by a singular companion who helps along the journey in their own unique way that adds to the gameplay. Sticker Star and Color Splash use a system involving material required for attacks, while The Origami King adds on with a rather unique combat stage that also functions as a puzzle system. Sticker Star in particular is a bit devoid of story, but it's still got its merit and is overall highly enjoyable; SS and CS also function with an overworld map much like the 2D Mario games, while TOK returns to the walk-based maps of the classics. The stories are no longer divided into chapters, instead progressing in level-based segments.

All-in-all, you can hop into the series wherever it interests you, but if you want to get into the whole thing, I definitely suggest playing in order of release to follow how the games evolve and change over time- and so you can pick up on Easter eggs as you play further in time!

[theghostpinesmusic]

I've been pretty obsessively watching Goose livestreams and archived concert videos since late 2019, but never really share much online about my enthusiasm for the band. Unless you know me in person or have listened to my currently-on-hiatus KTEC radio show in the past, you likely have no sense of how fully this band has completely taken over the Phish-shaped space in my brain over the last four years. And...maybe that's a good thing for you?

Part of the reason I don't post much about the band specifically (or the music I listen to in general) is that most people I know don't get the overwhelming level of joy out of live music that I do. Which is, obviously, fine. Different strokes for different folks and all that. The other part is that even those who like live music don't often go in for jam band music. There tends not to be a lot of actual crossover in the potential Venn diagram of people who freak out over getting to be in the stadium for one night of a Taylor Swift tour and people who freak out because this third version of "Arcadia" the band has played on this tour is *definitely* the best jam from the six shows they've attended over the last seven nights.

I mean, there's not *no* overlap, but...let's just say jam band fandom is kind of its own thing. It's sort of like being a baseball fan, but somehow nerdier. And your team never actually loses.

Anyway, long story short: I just happened upon this YouTube channel that posts webcast excerpts from Goose shows, which means I can write about and share some of my favorite recent performances without constantly dropping three hour long full-show videos that nobody is going to realistically watch into my feed.

Of course, it's possible that nobody is realistically going to watch a twenty-four minute video either, but shh...

I'm just finishing up catching up on the band's recent European tour, so I'm starting with this video, of "Madhuvan" from the opening show of the tour, which took place in Paris.

"Madhuvan" has long been one of my favorite Goose songs, partially because it's both a fun and interesting song musically and partially because I like the lyrics a lot as they speak to (as many of the band's songs do in some form) the transitory nature of life and the value of focusing on the present moment instead of on wealth, fame, popularity, or other similar things. If you're interested, the lyrics are here.

The "formal," composed part of the song in this video runs up through 6:50 and feels a bit more raw and rock-and-roll than usual. Either it's just my imagination, or it's the fact that the band was touring in smaller venues than usual throughout Europe and were all playing with at least somewhat stripped-down gear. Maybe it's both?! It's probably both.

Either way, after Rick's initial, brief guitar solo, we're off into the improvisatory part. Lately, it's felt to me like the band is deconstructing each version of "Madhuvan" that they play, trying to get more and more minimalist at the beginning of the jam and seeing what they can build up and into from (nearly) nothing. This version's no different in that regard.

The first little bit is what I often noncanonically think of as a space jam: there's no real melody or beat to follow, and everyone is just sort of chaotically throwing noises around to see what happens. This sort of thing can get kind of boring to me if it goes on for minutes at a time (The Grateful Dead's "Drums/Space" sequences have a mixed reputation for this reason), but here it's just brief bit of casting about and it's fun to be along for the ride. Then, around 8:30, a catchy riff that Peter is somehow playing both on his keyboard and guitar at the same time emerges and everyone else falls in musically around it.

This riff and Trevor's basslines lead the band along through a few minutes of this really unique musical space that, during my watch of the entire show a few weeks ago I thought of as "Evil Salsa." Like most jam bands, the "up front" melody instruments (guitars and keys) tend to overshadow the rhythm instruments in the mix during most of Goose's jams, and I'm a big fan of this section of this "Madhuvan" specifically because the percussion and bass are way more upfront than usual. I'm pretty much always going to enjoy hearing Trevor drive things.

The jam starts to metamorphose a bit around 13:00, as Rick starts chording a little more aggressively and Peter joins in shortly after. We're in a little bit more standard blues territory here, but the percussion stays in backbeat mode for a minute, producing some neat tension.

At about 14:00, the transition into the next stage of the jam is complete, and now we're in much more bread-and-butter territory for Goose: a major-key blissful gallop with Rick's guitar taking the lead. This is great, but it just kinda rolls along in the same vein for a bit, so I'll skip over picking through every detail...

It's at about 18:45 when Rick interrupts the gallop the band has going by holding on to a particularly grungy chord for a bit. The rest of the band immediately adjusts to reform the music around this move (this is the stuff I absolutely love hearing bands like this one do), and then shortly after we're off on another upbeat section of the jam that nonetheless has a bit of a noisier and messier inflection than the previous few minutes.

This bit roils along for a few minutes before Rick breaks the tension at 21:15 right after throwing a look at Trevor to warn him a key change is coming. This change resolves the tension of the previous jam space, making you feel suddenly relieved and happy even if you know literally nothing about music theory. If you're an absolute dork like me, you'll notice at this point that they're back in the key that "Madhuvan" starts in, which usually means it's about time to wrap things up.

There's a little more fun breakdown/tension action happening at 22:00, but we're otherwise locked in to the rush toward the song's composed conclusion at this point, so everyone's having a good time. The last minute or so is the song's typical ending.

I've really been enjoying watching the videos from the band's Europe tour, and this version of "Madhuvan" was probably the top highlight of the first night for me. For me, it's a song that a) is fun and well-written from a songwriter's standpoint as well as b) one that the band almost always seems to take as an opportunity to improvise outside of the kind of playing I usually hear from them. There's a lot of that in the first few minutes of the jam here, and then a lot more of that in the version of "Red Bird" that follows. I guess my only complaint about this video is that it's not the full Madhuvan > Red Bird combo from the Paris show :)

I'll be back before too long with some words (fewer than this time, most likely!) on the version of "Hot Tea" from the band's next night in Germany! Thanks for reading.

[margridarnauds]

for the writer's ask game: 12, 16, 25?

Thanks!

12. Tell us about a WIP you’re excited about.

I'm always terrified to write for a new fandom, but I've been circling around BG3 cautiously for the last month or so. I'm still really nailing down a lot of aspects of my Tav (Kitrye), I'm still working on getting the lore and the setting pinned down, but I have been writing, and I'm excited to get to work with it. I honestly don't know what I'm doing, I don't know if it'll be publishable, I don't know if it's going to form anything resembling a plot, but it's in progress.

16. Any guilty pleasure trope(s)?

Omegaverse (When it's done just to my tastes, which is rare.)

25. Have you ever daydreamed about side adventures/spin-offs from your fic? Tell us about them!

All the time, honestly. I'm very much the kind of writer who's always imagining a broader universe/context for these things, especially since I often don't have the patience for really long WIPS. I usually have some thought in the back of my head of how things go afterwards, or how other characters are feeling. Some examples:

Fowl Play

Solène gets visited by the Soulmate Goose of Enforcement, has to travel to Paris to ask Lazare for help. We see the goose is STILL wearing the blue coat that Lazare gave it. More goose related shenanigans.

Artois gets visited by the goose (Lazare gets in some hot water because MONSIEUR DE PEYROL WHY IS THIS GOOSE WEARING YOUR COAT?) People are surprised because it's evidence that Artois has a soul in the first place.

MA Crossover fic where Orléans is visited by the Goose just after the beginning of the musical -- he has to plot a successful coup, woo Margrid, who is pissed at him for very understandable reasons, AND bat off a goose.

Elisabeth das Musical crossover where it turns out that Der Tod is also vulnerable to the Goose, which chases him around throughout all the different planes of the afterlife. (The Goose is literally the single most powerful character I've written and it kills me that people have only seen a sliver of its power.)

Les Rois du Monde

(1) Loosely set in the same universe, where Lord Capulet and Lady Capulet have to reconcile after the death of Juliet, really delving into their relationship and all the ways it failed over the years, with them slowly piecing together something resembling a genuine relationship after years of being together in a working relationship marked with disdain.

(2) A sequel (a couple of years later, opening with the statues of Romeo and Juliet finally being unveiled) that deals with Verona needing to gain fishing access to one of the other city states, the Montagues reaching out to one of their allies in another city, and the access being granted to Verona...under the condition that Benvolio marries the family's daughter, which, since he HAS learned from Escalus, he agrees to do. It's a mixed thing for Escalus where it's like...Benvolio is doing exactly what he advised him to do, sacrificing for the good of the city, but Escalus is also having to sign away the love of his life. (We might or might not be meeting Escalus' Girlboss ex who has a family.)

Back on the Shore

This was one of my first and most ambitious fic projects and, since it got parred down to a single one-shot that wasn't more than 4k words, there's a lot of unfinished business with it that I'm not sure will ever get resolved.

(1) A pre-relationship fic that featured Gráinne, Tiernan, and Donal visiting Fionnuala Ó Flaherty, Donal's cousin -- the murder of Walter Fada Bourke, at Fionnuala's insistence, with a very tense, nervous night spent as Gráinne, Tiernan, and Donal have to survive until the morning.

(2) The actual getting together fic, after Dubhdara's death -- Gráinne being visibly distraught, to the point where Donal and Tiernan put aside their issues in order to comfort her.

(3) Tiernan being caught, Donal trying to rescue him, with Gráinne having to rescue both of them, featuring the historical meeting with Elizabeth I. Guest starring Bingham, the adorable English lapdog given to Gráinne by Elizabeth I.

[atlantablack]

Stranger Things/Narnia Crossover

Okay, so, this was originally just me rambling in the tags on @steveshairychest’s post but uhhh i ran out of tags…..which has never happened to me before …..and then I didn’t want to hijack their post because it got wayyyyy too long and there are three parts because I have A LOT of thoughts for the lion, the witch, & the wardrobe; prince Caspian; & voyage of the dawn treader so like, this is part 1 i guess, bear with me here

Okay so, I’ve decided to go with, this is a canon compliant Stranger Things AU though Season 3 and then Season 4 still happens, but Eddie doesn’t exist in the modern world. Not 100% sure on how S4 would go in that case but hand waving that away, basic plot points happen, except they defeat Vecna, happy-ish ending, Max is FINE. Cool cool. Moving on.

In the OG post I saw @munsonsduchess mentioned in the replies Eddie as Caspian and I have ENTHUSIASTICALLY taken that to heart, not 100% sure how to work Wayne in there but that’s a problem for me an hour from now (but i have IDEAS for the steddie of it all so I will make it work)

So, The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe:

So, post canon, at some point a few years post-S4, let’s say summer break between the kids Junior and Senior years, Steve, Robin, Dustin, & Max go on a vacation together. Which makes sense because the Sinclair’s, Byers, and Wheeler’s are probably all having family vacations. But Ms. Henderson and Susan Hargrove can’t take time off work to do that and Robin just wants to spend vacation with Steve, so they all go on a vacation to Europe and stay in this bougie ass Bed & Breakfast.

The Bed and Breakfast off is course Professor Kirke’s old house. Now, so we know time in Narnia isn’t accurate to time in England, so theoretically even tho it’s 1988, the kids could go through the wardrobe and still end up at the end of the long winter. I’m thinking in this universe the Pevensie’s never got to sent to Professor Kirke’s house during the war and he passed away in 1949 so the wardrobe just kind of got left in the house when it was turned into a bed and breakfast.

So, the four of them are there, Dustin and Steve are both in the room that have the wardrobe, and Robin and Max are sharing a room. At some point in the first couple of days there, Steve, Robin and Max are outside doing something and Dustin is just exploring as much of the house as he can get away with and for whatever reason, he gets it into his head that maybe the wardrobe has a false back!!! Because you know old house, old wardrobe, why not right?

And ofc it then spits him out in Narnia which is not a false back but is infinitely cooler in his opinion. Unfortunately, Dustin “what if I raise this baby demodog what could possibly go wrong” Henderson does not immediately turn around and go back, but instead goes exploring and then is happened upon by Jadis. Now, see, here’s where it changes, because Dustin’s played D&D for years and he might not have the good sense god gave a goose to not going run around a random new universe, but he does manage to clock, almost immediately, that Jadis doesn’t have his best intentions in mind. but he’d quite like to not get murdered thanks and so he plays along and mentally rolls dice and promises to bring her his “siblings” and then fucking hightails it the fuck out there

So, Dustin is back in the room, and immediately goes to tell the others. Change Number 2: they’ve all already gone through the upside down bullshit four times, and while they’re slightly skeptical, they also believe him pretty fast. It would not be the craziest thing to happen to them.

So, instead of doing the sensible thing and simply not going back into the wardrobe, they stash a bunch of supplies in it and start going in as a group to check it like once every hour or two to see if it’ll let them back in. It takes sixteen hours, by which point Steve is thoroughly over the whole thing and Max is starting to suspiciously wonder if Dustin is playing the longest prank ever on them, but it does indeed open back up and they grab their supplies and wander back into Narnia

If Nancy was there she’d be completely appalled that they don’t have any weapons on them except for Steve’s pocket knife and the kitchen knife Robin managed to steal. Unfortunately, Nancy is back in the states with her family and unaware of this.

So, into Narnia they go, Mr. Tumnus is there, since he didn’t meet Dustin the first time around, and wasn’t implicated. And then they run into the beavers etc father christmas all that

basically, book events happen similar-ish, Steve gets his sword & shield and Robin gets a bow & arrow and her horn. Because really, like, Steve is self-explanatory, going from a nailbat to a sword is the logical conclusion and by god does that boy need a shield. I think Robin would do well with a bow & arrow honestly, especially considering she seemed to do fine throwing the molotov’s and holding a bow doesn’t involve much walking/running unless the enemy gets too close.

Now, I was thinking on the cordial & dagger, and i technically slotted max into the role of lucy because dustin was the one to originally run into Jadis, but neither of them fully fit either of those characters, and I’m not really trying to make them fit perfectly. But so I do feel like the cordial and dagger fits Dustin more, especially if we want to assume he still watched someone die in S4. Not sure who…….but let’s just say he did. I’m not writing this as a full fic so that’s a problem for me never. But that would fit his character then.

We don’t have a canonical fourth gift set since Edmund wasn’t there, but I think, since they all received a weapon of some type, Max would do well with a set of dagger short swords for two handed fighting, and then maybe a map that always shows the right path? to tie in with her being the party’s zoomer?

so they get their gifts and keep going, whatever happens in the book happens I guess (I really don’t remember the small plot points) and then since no one betrayed anyone and we’re ignoring the bible metaphor of it all Aslan’s sacrifice isn’t needed and the battle is fought and won and the kids become the kings and queens of Narnia.

Now, they talk sometimes in the first couple years about trying to find the wardrobe and go home. They’re not really aware that time moves differently in Narnia than in their universe, and they’re sure that the rest of the party must be worried sick about them. But they’ve been handed an entire kingdom and Steve, whenever it’s brought up, always says that if they want to try and find their way back they should but he’s going to stay because this asshole has a savior complex and refuses to leave the kingdom he’s been given responsibility of and well, the other three refuse to leave him, and so in the end none of them leave.

But then, just like in the books, the memories fade and then it’s fifteen years later and completely by accident, they stumble back through the wardrobe and back into 1988.

The In Between:

So, they’re mentally 15 years older (36 / 35 / 32 respectively if my math is right) and now they’re back in their younger bodies in England and it’s only been maybe an hour or two and no one even knows they were gone.

Obviously, when they get back to Hawkins, which was an ordeal in itself while they tried to reorient themselves to the modern world, they call a code red and the party has a meeting where the four of them try to explain what the fuck happened.

The rest of the party wants to not believe them so bad because honestly, it’s horrifying, all four of them gone for years and years and none of them even noticed because time just, passed differently there (which is fascinatingly reminiscent of the upside down btw). The party doesn’t want to believe it, but they do, because Steve is matter of factly talking about the intricacies of running a kingdom and planning battles and treaty negotiations and Robin is explaining how you keep track of crop yield and making sure a kingdom is fed and taken care of and how to make sure you have back up reserves in case a winter runs crueler or longer than the last. Dustin casually talks about hosting castle functions when visiting rulers had come to Cair Paravel and Max talks about hunting and the dryads that taught her how to understand a river’s voice.

They don’t want to believe them but the party doesn’t lie, not about stuff like this, and no one can really deny the way that the four came back from England and no longer seem to fit.

It’s hard on the party of course. Dustin and Max can’t just slip back into their friendships with the others that easily. It’s been fifteen years for them, they’ve forgotten so much. It’s even harder for them to go home to their mother’s and pretend to be children. Robin and Steve have an easier time of it, time had only made them closer, and they’re still together even if they are back in Hawkins. It’s hard on Nancy who had started to grow close with Robin and had been looking forward to seeing Robin after they all got back from their family vacations.

But life moves on and it takes months but eventually all four of them start to slip back into their lives in Hawkins. But they still don’t quite fit, no matter how hard they try.

Steve and Max get into a mock fight one day when they’re out by the pool. Someone had brought a bunch of fake weapons, because they were getting ready for a LARP festival, and no one had thought about it past “that sounds like a fun thing to do” and one minute they’re all laughing and the next Steve has picked up a sword and Max has picked up a pair of short swords and they’re off.

They miss training is the thing, they never say it but there is so much about Narnia that they miss that it feels like they’ve lost a limb some days. Dustin misses Narnia less with every day that passes and Robin thinks some days that she’s fine in either world as long as Steve is there. But Steve and Max feel like they’ve lost a vital part of themselves and so of course they’re not going to pass up a chance to capture even a little bit of Narnia back.

The party goes dead silent as they watch Steve and Max fight. It’s obvious they’ve done this before. Max is fast her on feet and Steve is grinning, sharp in a way he never used to be. Neither of them are pulling their punches and Max jabs Steve hard in the side at one point right as he brings the sword down hard on her arm. “Guess that’s a draw,” he says, cheery as anything and Max laughs, says, “Don’t be ridiculous, you know that one’s mine. One of us would be bleeding out and it wouldn’t be me.”

They go kind of still when they turn and find everyone watching them but Robin hoots and starts making fun of Steve for losing before the silence can carry too long. Dustin joins in making fun of Max for getting hit at all. “I swear you used to be faster than that,” he says.

“Yeah, well, I used to have properly weighted swords too.”

He grimaces and concedes the point.

The point is, it gets easier and it gets harder and they try to move on because they don’t really see what other choice they have and the party does their goddamn best to get used to the new habits and idiosyncrasies of the four that came back.

It gets easier and then of course, a year later, in 1989, Steve, Robin, Dustin, and Max get called back.

to be continued.....