#hmm how many WIPs is too many WIPs?

[goddesspharo]

drunk married in Vegas fic is ALWAYS a good idea omg

A god tier trope, tbh, that I wish didn't pop into my head while I was 14k deep in writing something else. But I will always back any number of stupid reasons for in the drunk Vegas wedding shenanigans that means they can't get a quickie divorce after. My disbelief: permanently suspended to make this work.

Drunk married in Vegas and then Hangman and Phoenix can't get divorced because Cyclone made them all promise not to do anything stupid. There are promotions on the line and the heat of pretending they were in a fake relationship is better than admitting they had too much Cuervo and got married by an Elvis impersonator at the Viva Las Vegas chapel while Lilo & Stitch played on repeat in the background. ("The Navy doesn't let people with first marriages as short as Britney's command their own squadrons, Bagman.") So now everyone thinks they're boning FOR SURE, but that Mr & Mrs Smith antagonism is because they're too busy lying to themselves about how fake their marriage is, sublimating their desire to actually bone into goading each other by putting up hideous curtains and the gaudiest dinner set Williams Sonoma had in stock. Bob makes the mistake of stopping by unannounced to gift them a stand mixer only to find Hangman aggressively painting over in neon green a dining table in the shape of a nose from the RPattz furniture collection that Phoenix spent two month's salary on -- "Joint accounts, baby!" he shouts from the dining room while Phoenix "accidentally" throws her bright red Christmas socks in the laundry with his dress whites before telling Bob that the marriage is going great, they're creating precious memories everyday.

[buckyalpine]

*Runs and hides from the 1000s of wips while I write this fluffy rogue thought that came into my head*

Bucky being obsessed with your baby bump. 

Imagine being pregnant with Bucky’s lil baby and as much as you absolutely love it, not every day is easy. 

Like today.

You pouted, looking at yourself in the mirror, your rounded belly pushing against your sundress ever so slightly. You brushed your hand over your tummy, not sure if it was your little one growing or the 3 donuts you’d scarfed down making you bigger today. 

Bucky walked in, padding towards you like an excited puppy, his hands immediately coming to wrap around you, loving how soft and sweet you looked carrying his baby. He thought he was in love before but that was nothing compared to now. 

You were genuinely so gorgeous; your skin glowed, your body was driving him feral, your neediness made him weak in the knees. He frowned when he looked down to see your less than happy face, scrutinizing every change your body was going through while your husband was waiting for you to give him attention. 

“Why is my angel grumpy” He whispered against your hairline, peppering kisses across your face while you shrugged, not meeting his eyes. He hummed, noting the way your gaze were still fixated on your body, easily reading your mind. 

“Hmm, is it cause of this little one” His eyes twinkled, dropping to his knees, pressing his forehead against your tummy. “Is my munchkin making you all pouty?” 

You nodded while Bucky lifted your dress, pressing his lips on your bare skin, his hands coming up to your hips so he could pull you closer and smush his face in. You giggled at the feeling of him rubbing his face in, tickling your sensitive skin, 

He becomes a ridiculous menace with your belly. He always has to have a hand on your tummy at all times. Doesn’t matter when or where. As long as he can shove his hand under your shirt and feel your belly, he’s content. 

Move night? Hand on your belly, under your oversized shirt. He’s ready to flip anyone off that tells him he’s doing too much but no one does because the way he dotes on you is too cute. 

Cuddle time? Only if he can be big spoon so he can hold your belly. 

Showering? Obviously, he has to be there. 

Cooking? Both hands are splayed on your tummy while you waddle around the kitchen, telling him he can sit down. So now he’s pouting while still holding your tummy. 

Going for a walk? You have to take breaks so he can feel your perfect baby bump. 

He also never stops talking about it. 

“Isn’t my angel the prettiest?” 

“Yeah, she is-”

“Shut up, only I can say that”

“My baby looks so pretty carrying my baby”

“Can’t wait to get you pregnant again doll”

“Bucky, we haven’t even had our first-”

“Shhh, we’re gonna make an army of baby Buckys”

“If you look this good now, imagine how gorgeous you’d look with twins”

“It’s not like you can decide when twins happen”

“Then we’ll just have to keep trying- (wiggles his eyebrows, stalking over to you with that horny feral look that got you pregnant in the first place)

“What if it’s not twins the next time”

“Then we try again”

“and again”

“and again”

“Bucky, seriously?”

“Yes” 

“Were gonna have so many babies” 

“And they will be called Winter’s Children” 

[faynthearted]

god I love rediscovering half-finished tianshan fics/drafts that I started years ago and completely forgot about. it's like I'm reading someone else's work and it's fantastic! there's so many.

in case anyone is interested, so far I've found:

a WIP named "leverage" that seems to be about guan shan having to stay at the He estate for his own protection against whatever mess the He family has gotten into. I feel like someone might have requested this a long time ago and I forgot?

another WIP named "p.s." that's about tianshan being bitter exes and yet somehow guan shan finds himself housesitting for he tian while he travels for work because he tian has a dog that they adopted together that needs to be looked after and guan shan still cares about it -- and, clearly, about he tian too. I honestly still like this idea and the writing isn't too awful... hmm.

a VERY primitive draft of desecration, probably written when I was just beginning to brainstorm. it's crazy to see how much the story has evolved based on this flimsy WIP draft. I'm half-tempted to post it just for shits and giggles even though it's poorly written

another very short, primitive draft of desecration, written from zheng xi's perspective

a WIP named "smoke and mirrors" for a switched family background AU for tianshan. I actually got pretty far in writing this (~7k words) and I don't remember a single thing about it. veryyyy interesting. I kinda want to post this one too, or at least one scene that stands out

a WIP (unnamed) that seems to be about guan shan conning he tian at the train station for some money. I'm almost positive this was a tumblr request, but based on the date/time stamp of the draft's document, I'm not surprised I never finished it. life was crazy and miserable at the time

and while I'm here, I might as well mention the WIPs I do kinda remember but decided not to pursue in favor of desecration:

a WIP named "patchwork" set in historical China, wherein guan shan (a potter/artisan) has the ability to see and manipulate (i.e. tie and cut) red strings of fate. he's commissioned by the he family to participate in a traditional wedding ceremony for he cheng. of course, he tian takes an interest in him while he's there. the only issue is that guan shan cut his own red string when he was younger, an irreversible action -- and, for some reason, he tian's is cut too. weird, right? yeah. but he tian doesn't know this, and guan shan isn't planning on telling him anytime soon 😌

a WIP named "arsonist's lullaby" written from he cheng's POV throughout he tian's childhood. I'm not going to say much about this one since it might actually be written/posted one day as part of the terra firma series...

and finally, a WIP (unnamed) for an AU in which guan shan is a retired police dog trainer/handler (??) who now works at an auto shop. he adopted some of the dogs that either flunked out of the academy training or developed medical issues that required their retirement, and the dogs hang around the shop while he works. one day he tian shows up and asks if guan shan would be willing to do some off-the-books commission(?) work. the he family business has a drug/weapons problem, and they need the dogs' trained noses -- and their handler's experience -- to fix it. (I'm still obsessed with the idea of the dogs being fiercely protective of guan shan. he tian not only has to earn guan shan's trust, but the dogs' too)

I love the variability in all these AUs/ideas. I wish I could work on them all at once but that's frankly impossible. but I'll consider posting a few snippets if anyone is interested! (no promises about the quality of writing, though!)

[tgmsunmontue]

Season to Taste - 29/? WIP

Explicit Hangster - Celebrity Chef Bradley and Naval Aviator Jake Seresin who have a relationship spanning the globe before they realize how tightly bound they are to one another. Heading into this little world.

PROLOGUE/ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE SIX SEVEN EIGHT NINE TEN ELEVEN TWELVE THIRTEEN FORTEEN FIFTEEN SIXTEEN SEVENTEEN EIGHTEEN NINETEEN TWENTY TWENTYONE TWENTYTWO TWENTYTHREE TWENTYFOUR TWENTYFIVE TWENTYSIX TWENTYSEVEN TWENTYEIGHT

CHAPTER TWENTYNINE

                It feels like he’s done nothing but cook for three days, his arms are sore from kneading dough and turning the handle on the pasta machine; he’s also drunk too much and he hasn’t had enough sleep. Filming isn’t this much hard work. Silvia had tutted and told him America was making him soft, and he supposes it has been, because nothing puts him through his paces like a big family wedding where he and Leandro are cooking the food. It’s one of his and Vi’s cousins, not one of the one’s he’s closest to, but it doesn’t matter.

                They’re all family.

                He’s coming to learn he’ll do anything for family.

…            …            …

                “I bought you something.”

                “Yeah?”

                “I don’t know what it is, but the guy in the store assured me it was food.”

                He hands Bradley the jar and he recognizes it instantly.

                “Lotus roots. Nice. Thanks sweetheart.”

                “Hmm. I’m going to try and find something you don’t recognize.”

                Bradley snorts, smirks and raises an eyebrow, thinks about all the crazy ingredients he’s either worked with or that have featured as part of ridiculous cooking challenges in some of the shows he’s been a part of.

                “Well, good luck…”

…            …            …

                Bradley stands behind him, rests his chin on Jake’s shoulder as he slices the pepper for their omelette.

                “Just…” he wraps an arm around Jake’s waist, smiles as he feels Jake press back into his body. Then he rests his other hand over Jake’s. “Let the knife do most of the work. It’s sharp and gravity is on your side. Just pull back and drop, it’ll go much smoother…”

                “Jesus fuck Leo…”

                “What?” Leo asks, breath warm and damp against the side of Jake’s neck like he doesn’t know exactly what he’s doing.

                “We’re meant to be making breakfast.”

                “Mmm. Would rather eat you…”

                “God you’re corny.”

                “Rhymes with corny…”

                He leaves the peppers half cut on the bench.

…            …            …

                Ninety minutes later, showered and definitely starving now but definitely sated sexually Jake walks through the apartment. Leo has shooed him out of the kitchen, adamant he’ll work faster alone. Poured Jake a cup of coffee and told him to go and curl up on the sofa. Except it's his first time here in Leo's space and there are so many photos. He recognizes Vi of course, and then Leandro and Silvia because Leo has shown him pictures on his phone, and he’s going to be having his first video call with them this coming week, which he isn’t nervous about at all. He’s studying a picture of what he would bet large chunks of money is Leo and his parents, and he feels Leo step up behind him, circling his arm around Jake’s waist.

                ���Are these your parents?” Jake asks, and he knows they are, recognizes Nick Bradshaw from the research he’d done when he’d realized Leo was more linked to the Navy than Jake had previously thought.

                “Yeah.”

                “Anyone ever tell you that you look a lot like your dad?”

                Leo laughs, nuzzles a kiss into the side of Jake’s neck.

                “Yeah, all the time. Breakfast will be done in two minutes. You want to keep being nosy?”

                “Yep. You’ve already had your chance.”

                Leo grins at that, kisses him on the cheek and then leaves for the kitchen again. He keeps looking at the photos, and he knows what he's looking for, Leo's elusive godfather. He doesn't think that he's going to get that lucky, that Leo will just have a photo of him out. But... Yeah. He's done some more digging since Admiral Kerner confirmed that Uncle Tom and Iceman were one and the same. He knows now that Nick Bradshaw flew with Pete Mitchell and he was flying when Leo’s dad died. That Maverick and Iceman were wingmen.

                So the fact that Leo has never mentioned Maverick is what makes a little silent alarm bell ring in his head. That maybe this man is Leo's godfather and in regards to all aspects Leo is a well-adjusted and mature adult. Except when it comes to his godfather. Of course, even with Captain Mitchell cleared, it doesn’t mean Leo doesn’t still blame him, so that could be the reason. There could be another person out there who Jake can have a little silent vendetta against. Jake came hold a grudge like no one else, especially against people who have hurt people he loves. And he does love Leo.

                Yeah.

                Maverick Mitchell better hope he never crosses paths with him.

…            …            …

                “Honey! I’m home! God you both better be fucking dressed! Tell me you’re dressed!”

                Bradley lets out a long breath, but Jake is grinning, then throwing back his head with laughter, standing to reach out and envelope Vi a hug and he feels a surge of happiness that they get on so well; realizes that he hopes Jake feels the same about him getting on with his family.

                “We’re dressed!”

                “You mean you don’t want a show?”

                “No. Definitely not interested in that kind of show… however does smell good. Is there any left?”

                “No, I didn’t make enough for three…”

                “Where has the love gone?” Vi exclaims dramatically, and she’s making the face which tells him she’s in a shit stirring mood. Fucking great. “L’amore si misura in piatti cucinati,” Vi sates, grin sly and Bradley flushes, because he’s there. He’s so there in terms of loving Jake, and the fact that he just seems to make everything feel so much easier and fucking Vi knows that, but…

                “What did she say?” Jake asks, and Bradley wonders how much he already understood, because Jake definitely understands more Italian than he lets on.

                “Love is measured in cooked dishes…” Vi says, failing to look innocent and Bradley huffs in mild annoyance.

                “Hmm. Is it also measured by eating them?”

                Bradley’s eyes shoot up and Jake is looking at him, one eyebrow quirked up and his heart does a little skip in double-time.

                “Yeah,” Bradley breathes, “we can make that a house rule…”

…            …            …

                “Did you want to do anything tonight?” Bradley asks, hours later, curled up on the sofa and watching a documentary about the Antarctic. Vi has come and gone and it’s just the two of them until they’re wheels down in Texas tomorrow morning.

                “We fly at eight tomorrow, would like to make the most of every minute we have alone…”

                “I know. Me too… just. It’s New York. People generally like to catch a show or go out somewhere nice for dinner. Just… am happy to go out if you want.”

                “No babe, I want to stay right here with you. Will leave the fine dining experience to Phoenix…”

                Bradley grins up at the ceiling and can’t help but press a kiss to the back of Jake’s head.

                “Yeah? What does she have on her list?”

                “Some famous place… she had to make a reservation months ago apparently. Not my type of thing…”

                “Oh. I’m well aware of that fact. Trust me. Uh. Do you know what restaurant she was going to?”

                “Uh. Yeah. Tartaruga Blu. Italian right? That’s why I remembered the name. She said it’s been on TV or something… Have you heard of it?”

                Bradley lets out a nervous laugh, glad that they’re alone for this, reminds himself that he doesn’t think Jake will care.

                “Ha. Yeah. Yeah I’ve heard of it. It’s… Um. It’s actually where I work. Usually.”

                “Your steady job when you’re not flying around cooking for the rich and famous huh?”

                Bradley blinks, because that’s not wrong exactly; but neither does it capture celebrity chef either; he’s just going to have to be more obvious. Remembers what Maria said about Jake being smart as a tack but also sometime wilfully and blindly oblivious to some things that he just didn’t register as important.

                “I… wouldn’t put it quite that way. But yeah, I guess so. I’ve been on TV. A bit.”

                “Have you now?” Jake asks, and Bradley can hear the amusement in his voice, feels him shift carefully on the sofa so he’s facing him, Bradley leaves his arms around him, kisses the gentle smirk off Jake’s face, so glad to have him here.

                “Yeah.”

                “You going to forget all about me when you’re all rich and famous?”

                “No. That’s never going to happen,” Bradley says, because it hasn’t yet and he’s pretty sure it’s never going to and he’s prepared to work at that too.

…            …            …

                “Oh, I need to give you your key back…” Jake mutters, fishing the key out of his pocket. It has a little Lego minifigure attached, dressed in chef whites and he’s kind of attached to it for some weird reason.

                “No. That’s your key. I got it cut for you.”

                “Uh. What?”

                “You can’t move in with me, but you can come stay whenever you want. In fact, I kind of expect it if you’re in town.”

                They’re words, still not I love you, but it’s what they mean. Like the sly way Vi has talked about love being measured through cooking, like she knows how Leo feels about him. He’s going to tell Leo that he loves him, use the actual words despite how terrifying it feels to say it to someone who isn’t his family or Javy. He’s confident his feelings are returned, the way his sisters and Vi tease them both. However he’s not beyond avoiding the subject, the airport terminal is definitely not where he first wants to say the words.

                “Well, five-star rating. Food wasn’t bad, bed was super comfortable. Company was the best part though.”

                The almost bashful smile Leo gives him is gorgeous and Jake hip checks him, pushing him toward their gate. He wonders if he can find a Lego minifigure wearing a naval aviator uniform, give Leo a key to his apartment. Because it’s as practical as Jake having a key to his place. However it’s not the practicality, it’s the physical acknowledgement of something more and fuck, they’ve only been doing this for eight months, but… he wants eight years or no, eighty years.

                Yeah.

                That’s a good place to start.

…            …            …

                Somehow they’ve been bumped to business class and Jake is not complaining about the extra legroom, because he hates flying commercial, but this is actually nice. And he has Leo to talk to, which makes a nice change. He settles in beside him and reaches for his hand.

                “What? You a nervous flier?” Leo asks, and he’s got a shit-eating grin on his face, clearly thinks he’s being funny and Jake rolls his eyes.

                “It’s not my favorite, but I’m not nervous.”

                “Mmm. I’ve always loved flying. Every part of it.”

                “And maybe I just want to hold your hand. Ever consider that?”

                Leo rolls his eyes, squeezes his hand hard and Jake retaliates by starting a thumb war, which he frustratingly loses because Leo somehow has double-jointed thumbs which are gross and freaky. He lets Leo know what he thinks and Leo smirks and leans in close ‘you’d still let me put my gross double jointed thumbs all over you…’ and Jake hates that he’s right.

                “So, uh, I’ve been thinking… You want to meet my mom?”

                “I… do you want me to meet her?”

                “Yeah. It’s just, uh, you know…” Jake trails off, because he’s talked about her dementia more than once, Leo isn’t oblivious to it or how Jake feels about it.

                “I’d love to meet her.”

…            …            …

                They arrive and it’s a whirlwind of people and family lunch. It’s nice not to be cooking, instead both Maria and Olivia keep asking him about the different dishes and Jake is smirking and shaking his head.

                “Hazard of the job…”

                Bradley will happily take that, and he’s glad he was able to bring a range of cookies, because Jake leaves his sisters with the clean-up, which he feels awful about but is simply waved away. Then they’re off to see Jake’s mom and dad. He’s not worried, Chuck, Jake’s father, already likes him; but he would like to make a good impression on Jenna, for both his and Jake’s sake. They sit in the car, Jake resting his wrists over the edge of the steering wheel, hands hanging lax as he sucks in deep breaths and swallows roughly, clearly psyching himself up for what is to come.

                He keeps quiet, knows that this is what Jake does when he first gets home and also just before he leaves. That a late lunch happened first is an anomaly probably for his benefit. He reaches out tentatively, places his hand on Jake’s thigh and just lets it rest there, hopes it’s enough to just let him know he’s not alone. Then Jake is sucking in a deep breath, blowing it out between his teeth, throwing his shoulders back and reaching for the door handle, but not before resting his hand over Bradley’s for a brief second and giving him a small smile. He follows him and then Chuck is shaking his hand, giving him a quick hug, and offering a drink all in the same moment.

                “Who is it Chuck?”

                “How about you come see for yourself?” Chuck says, and then there’s a woman there, so clearly Jake’s mom that he finds himself smiling automatically.

                “Oh! What are you doing here?”

                “Uh…”

                “This is Bradley Bradshaw,” Chuck provides, looking between her and Bradley.

                “I know who it is Chuck,” Jenna says with a laugh and there’s Jake’s laugh.

                “Uh… It’s nice to meet you Mrs Seresin.”

                “Jenna, please! And who is this?” Jenna asks, looking toward Jake with easy curiosity and Bradley’s heart twists. Jesus. How does Jake even do this?

                “Uh, this is my boyfriend. Jake,” he says, reaching for his hand and gripping it firmly, pulling him toward him because he needs the support, the closeness, no idea how Jake might be feeling.

                “Mmm. Well, you always did have good taste. Seems it applies out of the kitchen too…”

                Bradley can feel his cheeks flushing as he glances at Jake, who simply looks shattered.

                “Jenna, how about you come and help me make Bradley and Jake some coffee. They’ll be here for a little bit…”

…            …            …

                As he watches his parents walk toward the kitchen he feels Leo’s arms go around him, hugging him and he doesn’t understand.

                “Why… how… why does my mom know who you are?”

                Leo looks so sad and he has to stop himself from snapping that he doesn’t want pity, because he doesn’t think that’s what Leo is experiencing right now.

                “Um. You know how I said I was on TV a bit, well I also used to have a cooking channel on YouTube. Your dad said when I met him that they watch it together… almost every day.”

                “Oh my god… this is… she doesn’t recognize me but she knows who you are. This is so fucked up. You just introduced me to my own mother.” He takes in a shuddering breath, swallows roughly against the tears and then just decides to let them fall.

                “Jake, I’m sorry, I…”

                “Don’t. It’s not your fault. I just… it’s unfair. And I say that, and I feel like an asshole because your parents aren’t even alive, so I should be grateful right?”

                “You can be upset about your mom Jake…”

                “Fuck.” He scrubs at his face. “In all the scenarios I ran through in my head, this was not one that even crossed my mind.”

                “I didn’t think she’d know who I was…”

                “I want to see…”

                “What?”

                “Your cooking show.”

                “Uh… sure. Actually, you know your mom might want to show you her favorite bits, if you asked her…”

                Jake hadn’t thought of that, that this is something his mom can share with him, because he’s never been interested in what she liked watching, but if it’s got Leo then he’s definitely more invested. So when his mom and dad come back carrying a tray of coffee and cake he asks, and she just lights up. He admits he hasn’t seen any of Leo’s, sorry, Bradley’s, shows, and he’d love to see what the fuss is about. Then his dad is exchanging looks he can’t quite parse, but then he’s looking at a still image of Leo on YouTube, frozen with his mouth open, no moustache and he lets out a huff of surprised laughter.

                “Oh wow, you look so young.”

                “Yeah, that was a while ago.”

                It’s only a twenty-minute show, and it’s just Leo talking about making pasta, why he enjoys making it from scratch but also the friendly way he talks to the camera makes him understand why his mom likes it. She talks to Leo almost constantly through it, and Jake finds himself switching between watching the video and then watching his mom and boyfriend talk about different pasta making techniques and yeah, it sucks but it’s still better than he thought it could ever be.

                “Who was filming you?”

                “Oh. Vi. There’s a blooper reel on her private channel. It’s pretty humiliating.”

                Jake can’t wait to see it, chats with his dad as Leo then works in the kitchen with his mom, making pasta from scratch. They decline staying for dinner, but Leo says he’s happy to come back, maybe make some cookies if she doesn’t mind Jake’s nieces and nephews coming as well and of course his mom just lights up. She doesn’t seem to question why Leo doesn’t have work, or even what Jake does, but he’s not going to question his good luck. They’ve made their goodbyes and he doesn’t feel the usual sinking dread about the next time he’ll have to see her, knows it’ll be sooner rather than later but Leo will be there and it’ll somehow be easier as well. It’s dark, and cooler, the air crisp and he stares up at the sky, stops before he gets to the car and turns toward Leo.

                “So… people know your name. Do lots of people know your name?”

                “Yeah. If they’re that into cooking food.”

                “Well, I’m into you…” Leo’s teeth flash white in the dark with a smile, and Jake reaches for him, wraps his arms around his waist and tugs him in close. “In fact, I’m so into you that I might go so far as to say I’m in love with you.”

                “Might?”

                “That’s the word you’re going to pick out to focus on?”

                “Mmm. I love you too Jake.”

                “Good. Very good.”

…            …            …

                He has an idea, but he has no idea whether it would be well received or not, but the fact that Jake’s mom recognizes him makes him think it might. He also knows the best person to ask is Maria so he works at getting a moment alone with her.

                “I… you heard that your mom recognized me?”

                “Yeah,” Maria says, and she’s grimacing, because he knows that it has got to suck, is thinking about how he’d feel if Leandro and Silvia didn’t recognize him. Fuck. Even Ice and Mav, and not for the first time he feels a twist of regret about not talking with Mav for so long, but he knows he’s doing okay because Ice had told him when he asked.

                “So, feel free to shut me up any time, I was just thinking, we could make a short film, like… Bradley Bradshaw at home. And introduce Jake as my boyfriend, and then all his sisters… and your mom could watch it every day. I don’t know if it would help, but…” he trails off, not sure if this would even work, but if he can film the baking session with all of Jake’s nieces and nephews then it gives them a family video, but also, if Jenna maybe watched it everyday she might recognize everyone, even if she didn’t realize they were her family.

                “I… that’s really thoughtful of you. I don’t know what my brother did in a past life, but I’m glad he found you.”

                “I love him,” Bradley says easily, because Jake didn’t need to do anything in a past life, he does plenty in this one which makes Bradley consider himself lucky.

                “Yeah. I’m aware. Right. I’ll see what we can do.”

…            …            …

                Time slips past them, around them, passing over them like the cool water in a stream passes over a stone in its’ path. Month-long deployments come and go. Bradley spends time on the farm both with and without Jake. He films another four different cooking shows, publishes another two recipe books and also opens the second Tartaruga in San Antonio, this one called Violet, which Vi hates but doesn’t actively sabotage. The location is close enough to the Seresin Farm and he decides to see if he can buy the house he’d stayed in when he’d first met Jake again; Jake just laughs when he tells him. Jake spends time in New York with Bradley, although it’s usually only one or two nights before they’re on a plane to Texas. They may only see each other three or four times a year, but they cram in as much as they can with the time that they do have.

                He’s not really paying attention to the noises coming from the restaurant. They aren’t open yet and there are still two hours. He’s a little grumpy because Jake hasn’t sent him any messages in over a day, which is fine, but usually he gets a little heads up that he’s going into blackout comms. Some of Jake’s COs have been better than others in terms of being willing to pass baked goods on. Honestly, he’s worried about Jake, although he’ll leave it another day before calling Ice. Of course he’ll actually have to share with Ice that he’s gone and got himself a boyfriend, because Slider has let him know that it’s no fun if he can’t gloat he knew first when it’s been nearly three years.

                Except in that three years they’ve only had about five months with each other, so even though they both very much all in and he feels like they cope well with all the time they spend apart he will never not worry or miss him while he’s gone. It’s just part of his natural state of being he’s come to accept. Vi walks into the kitchen, wearing one of her pant suits she wears when she’s got people to intimidate and he raises an eyebrow.

                “Meeting with… suppliers? Or the bank?”

                “Pfft. Like I need to scare the bank. They want to loan us money and don’t like us paying it back faster. No. I needed you to come out the front. I have something to show you.”

                “Okay, just let me…” he waves his hands, because he’s in the middle of prep, signals for one of the newer and younger chefs to take over and then exchanges a look with Adrienne to ensure an eye is kept on quality. Then he’s following Vi out the front, and she’s walking ahead of him, leading the way so he notices the film crew in the same moment he sees Jake, standing in his full service khakis looking absolutely amazing and everything else fades to unimportance. He’s across the room and kissing him, hands on either side of his face, mouth hot and insistent and he ignores the polite coughs trying to get his attention.

                “Hi…”

                “Hi. That’s a welcome home.”

                “You’re early. Like. Weeks early.”

                “Yep. Can’t talk about it, but, uh… I have almost ten weeks off.”

                “Wow.”

                “Mmm. Pretty sure you’re going to get sick of me.”

                “Never going to happen,” Bradley promises.

…            …            …

                He doesn’t often get creative control, but Jake hasn’t ever signed a waiver saying he’s happy to appear in any of the shows and right in this moment he’s infinitely glad for it. Bradley has kept Jake’s name and job out of all interviews, he’s not about to reveal all of it along with his face. That’s just never going to happen.

                “You can’t use any of that footage,” Bradley states.

                “Care to explain why not?” Cassandra asks, because they’re used to Bradley’s little fits of pique when he’s having a bad day, but he shakes his head, tries to look a little apologetic, because he’s not trying to be difficult.

                “You can’t identify him. It’s a security situation. Only way around it is if you blur his face, nameplate, squadron badge and his ribbons. Any identifying markers. Including his shoulder and collar pins.”

                “Surely his squadron badge…”

                “No. That narrows it down to maybe a group of twenty-eight people. Likely smaller, depending. He can’t be identifiable. It’s bad enough that people will be able to pick that he’s a naval aviator.”

                “How the fuck are they going to figure that out if everything else is blurred out?”

                “Oh. They’ll know if they’re looking closely enough,” Bradley mutters, because he’s pretty sure his days of Slider being unable to gloat are finally numbered.

                At least someone will be happy.

THIRTY

(Every 10th chapter is an IceMav chapter).

(And did I start writing a Phoenix/Vi side story? Yes. Yes I did.)

[skyrim-forever]

WIP Wednesday

Hello everyone and welcome to another wip wednesday ❤️ I was tagged by @thequeenofthewinter and I am tagging:

@bougainvillea-and-saltwater @dirty-bosmer @captain-of-silvenar @lucien-lachance @pocket-vvardvark @theoneandonlysemla

@firefly-factory @ladytanithia @sulphuricgrin @changelingsandothernonsense @umbracirrus @moriche

@hircines-hunter @scholarlyhermit

So I have been encouraged by some lovely friends (you know who you are ❤️) to explore a Modern AU Theomar as spies. Have no idea if this will end up on ao3 as life is in a strange place right now but I've been playing around with how to incorporate events of Skyrim into a modern context. But this snippet is mostly them flirting at the bar 😛 Under the cut because suggestive a button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up whore ass behaviour

“Can I get a between the sheets, with Colovian brandy if you have it?” 

“I’m afraid we’ve only got Cyrodiliic brandy and Geef.” They have Geef but not Colovian? Puzzled as to how the brandy from Morrowind is more common here, she orders the closest of the two.

“I’ll take the Cyrodilic.” As her suspicions were correct, the bar is almost empty save for a figure on the other end, it takes no time for her drink to appear. “Thank you.” 

The citrus of the orange liquor is delicious and burn from the brandy is familiar, thoughts of having five or six more tempt her; nursing a hangover at work was not the worst. That too was familiar, once she had even given a briefing to the Director after an attempt to empty the city’s sujamma supply. Wretched headache but she was good at her job. If not for the fact there was a meeting scheduled for first thing in the morning tomorrow, a meeting to establish the collaboration with those Altmeri Dominion diplomats, Theodora would have thrown her uncharacteristic caution to the wind. But tomorrow required everyone to be at their most professional to be thrown into the den of vipers, as her colleague Dram put it. Dramatic as always. Yet, she harboured a few concerns of her own. An odd way to describe them as even she knew they were not here in the spirit of diplomacy, that was evident based on her prior interactions with the Thalmor in Cyrodiil. Sarce they were, but it was obvious they had a need to put their golden hands over everything. The war hadn’t stopped, it just became hidden. 

As she finishes the drink, the last of the liquid is not yet swallowed when another is brought to her. 

“From the elf over there.” Too focused on drinking and thoughts of work, the agent forgot such a basic skill in her line of work: observation. Bringing the figure from her periphery to the centre of her vision, her concerns about the Altmer she’ll meet tomorrow are exchanged with intrigue at the one looking at her. Looking at his strong jawline and thinking about how satisfying it would be to grip his black tie, it doesn’t matter that he has a buzzcut. Different in very many ways he was. Offering him a smile and downing the drink, she approaches the stool beside him, sitting as she starts the conversation. 

“What are you drinking?” It’s almost unfortunate how handsome he is, now close enough to see the details on his face. Only somewhat knowledgeable on guessing a mer’s age, she can tell his over one hundred but beyond that she’s uncertain. Not that it matters. The slight chuckle he does is attractive, as is his voice. 

“Supposedly a Fine Elven Wine.” Very fitting she thinks. “Yet it is neither fine nor a wine, certainly not Elven.” Taking the glass from his hands, swirling it for a moment before she sips. Gagging at the taste. The mer laughs harder now. 

“Gods, that is disgusting. Here, let me get you something better.” Once again flagging down the bartender, she orders him a Collequiva, a fancy imperial wine. Watching as he has a taste, it seems it is satisfactory. 

“Hmm, better than I expected. Thank you…” Ah names, might be good to do that now.

“Theodora” she says. 

“Ondolemar.” 

Introductions out of the way, names all that needed to be exchanged; personal details kept under wraps due both to the secrecy of her work and her desire for privacy. Any other information he would need could be figured out after. In the event she found herself in his lap she could let him know what treatment she expects; deciding to start leading them there, she asks him a question. 

“Do you often buy human women drinks from across the bar?” His people in particular frowned upon such relations, would be good to gauge where his thoughts on the matter lied. 

“Would you believe I do not?”

“I would actually.” Why did he then… 

“You look too exquisite to sit alone at the bar, I have a feeling that this was not part of your original evening plans.” A bit taken aback but such a compliment as she was used to very different words from men, but the rest of his response is curious. It was a leap in logic to assume that off of what she is wearing alone, but it was correct. How did he know that?

“And what would you know of my plans? Maybe I wanted to get dressed up just to sit at the Winking Skeevar?” He dryly chuckles, drinking more of her recommendation. 

“Well then. I would say there are better bars to do that at. This one leaves much to be desired.” 

“Then why are you here?” She says. 

“My residence is nearby, it is convenient.” A reasonable enough answer, she had done many things because it was convenient at the time, many men fell into this category. Not the best but around. Good enough for the job that was pleasing her. Perhaps her eyes should not have lingered on his forearms, the neatly rolled fabric that was tight around the middle of them. Not lingering now, they trail up and over his torso as she imagines ripping the white button up off, let the buttons scatter and litter the floor. 

Returning to his initial comment on her appearance, she questions the word he used. 

“So I look exquisite?” A straightforward start, she’s curious where he’ll go with it. 

“You do, that is a lovely dress.” A straightforward answer, safe. It’s too safe so she amps things up a bit with a little test to figure out what kind of guy he is. 

“Hmm, well I’ve been told before by men that it does not leave much to the imagination.” 

“Then they do not have a very good imagination, now do they?” Another sip, more than a sip, a full mouthful and then he continues. “A simple man imagines merely the body, they neglect to think all which you can do with it.” Her widened eyes have him mistaken that he overstepped in his words, something which could not be further from the truth as she is imagining all the things she’d like to do with him. “I may have already had too much to drink.” 

“Oh I wouldn’t say that, Ondolemar.” Her hand reaches for his tie, tracing her hands along the complex knot securing it and enjoying the fact that although he is smirking, how he tenses does not go unnoticed. “I like a man who is forward.” 

[frownyalfred]

20 Questions for Writers

I was tagged by @lurkinglurkerwholurks

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 146! It would be a larger number if I hadn't deleted all of my Supernatural fics back in the day. There were at least 30 of those, maybe more...

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

913,163 - I'm hoping to hit a million soon!

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Batman, Superman, Justice League, Star Wars, Marvel

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? Take Care of Business Everybody Wants You It Was Always You a sky of honey Anything Like Me

5. Do you respond to comments?

Not anymore :/ I have a really hard time keeping up with writing if I'm responding to comments. I hope my readers understand.

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

Hmm. Probably lonely town? Dick is getting de-fibbed in the alley by Bruce, and it's not clear if he's going to survive or not.

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

here as I am is hilarious if you're into jealous!Clark. otherwise the weight (salmon ladder fic) always gets me.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Yep. Mostly on borderline, but on other fics too. I love how, as I've gotten better at writing, it's changed from "wow this sucks, your writing is awful" to "you suck because you chose to have [character] do this." Luckily I think most of the hate filters over here to Tumblr, where I can happily block and forget. These days, I mostly get people commenting about how I'm wrong about something. Wrong about something I researched and triple checked before posting...

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

Yep! All of them, I think? At least, I haven't balked at much yet. I'm not really into the excrement related ones, so I think that would be one of my no-go's.

10. Do you write crossovers?

Yep! bloodletting (Mandalorian/Star Wars and DC Crossover) and a few Marvel/DC crossovers.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Yep, a few times. What I'm more pissed about is all of my textposts being monetized over on TikTok and IG. I could be making bank off of those, considering the reach. And several of them are basically mini-fics.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! Tons. Check them out here. There's also some podfics and related works there.

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

Not really. I've made attempts but I'm really bad at it. I tend to write spur of the moment and follow my gut on where the conversation/action goes. Planning out a fic with a partner would do them a disservice, I think.

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

I really love Superbat, but Codywan is right up there with it. Something about Cody being a loyal BAMF soldier and long-suffering big brother gets me.

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

My vampire AU. Not because I don't want to continue but I cannot decipher my notes as to what should happen next.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I'm very quick, I can type up a full draft in a few hours. I like natural, snappy dialogue and I think I'm good at it. I don't shy away from weird or uncomfortable situations. I'm comfortable with writing a lot of sex/etc.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I write too quickly, sometimes I get ahead of my plot. My dialogue and descriptions can sometimes be a little too bare, or I overcorrect and become too flowery. My fics take on the tone of whatever I'm thinking about at that time.

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

If you're confident in your language abilities, go for it. If you're just plugging it into google translate, consider why you're doing that first. Is the addition of this new language actually something someone would say in that moment? Or are we just using it to signal to the audience that they speak another language? Is there a way to show this without telling? That being said, I love using Mando'a in my Star Wars fic, and I've studied it for a while now to be able to do so.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Supernatural

20. Favourite fic you've written?

Probably borderline or a sky of honey. Both took a ton out of me and I'm proud they're whole and standing on their own right now.

---

I'll tag anyone who wants to play! Go wild.

[the-invisibility-bloke]

fic writer interview

Thanks for the tags, @galaxostars, @microdamage, @shoopsthereitis, and @wolfpants! I love your deep dives, so much of y'all's on my TBR.

How many works do you have on ao3? 40

What is your total wordcount? 468,229

Top 5 stories by kudos: (please don't perceive these, I loathe my old work) now we walk, manie sans delire, Five Times Walter Meets Jesse and One Time He Says Goodbye, don't give me your heart i can't take it, blindsight

Do you respond to comments? Always <3

What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending? ​Hmm how 'bout the Starcest where Reg DIES​ (don't come for me it was by request)

What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending? Most have happy endings (heh), but I think this one's extra sweet bc Teddy's a lil honeybear (which sounds dirtywrong so all the better)

Do you write crossovers? Not unless you count the one in the next question

Have you received hate for a fic? Rarely because I disable guest comments. 😅 The artist and I both got death threats for this blip on the radar, which is especially hilarious because it's hardly my most problematique work. (It also scared the artist out of the fandom, which is. Less hilarious. Fuck antis.)

Do you write smut? With great disdain (my style is ill-suited to action/logistics)

Have you ever had a fic stolen? Reposted but not plagiarized, I’m way too niche to attract that attention 😂

Have you ever had a fic translated? My Breaking Bad fic, randomly enough

Have you ever co-written a fic before? Kinda, or do artist collabs count? Those are the frosting on fandom cake.

What is your all-time favourite ship? A multishipper's nightmare. Gotta be the Sirry > Heddy or Sirry > Drarry > Tedrarry pipeline. Sirius died so Tedrarry could live.

What's a WIP you want to finish but don't think you ever will? ​My Gauntcest... it's all outlined, but I have to go where the hyper fixates

What are your writing strengths? ​Turn of phrase, dialogue​, ​cadence, emotion

What are your writing weaknesses? *cracks knuckles* Plot, action, pacing, versatility (I am not as well read as many of my counterparts because yep I’ll admit it, most tradpub bores me), the balance between ​poetic prose and character voice. I get Artax-swamped in descriptors, I recycle metaphors, I'm a cringey tryhard in the face of transitions, never know if they land and I can't ever leave a sentence bare. I know, I know sometimes you can just say "He walked to the door" but good sir no I cannot.​ I could parse my shortcomings at the dissertation level... oh... oh maybe a ppt... El’s Insecurities: A Treatise.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in another language? I love the immersiveness and/or hotness, but I’m biased because I usually only run across French and I can muddle through. If you’re unfamiliar with the language it might be hard to follow. (I’ve seen translation footnote links, which, genius, can a tech-savvy gen Z teach me this?)

What's a fandom/ship you haven't written yet but would like to? ​Jalbus. Dralbus. Scarry. Drarry/Scorbus OT4. (Does Draco/Scorpius have a ship name? Scorco and Drapius are… yikes. Malfoycest it is.) Drarry as a two-wheeler and not a tricycle (soon soon soon).

What's your favourite fic you've ever written? ​Passion cools fast for me, but I like my Tedrarry. It got the biggest dose of my wit and sold me on Drarry (which, fail, given I wrote it for a rarepair exchange).

Everyone's already done this, I think? If you haven’t, tag you’re it, @ me. 🩵

[for-a-longlongtime]

I can't decide between asking about Maverick 7 and asking about Acacius x Maximus (x Lucilla), so I'll let you decide which one you want to share with us. :)

Ahhh thank you for asking after my Acacius!! OK so settle in:

You know how we were told that Acacius trained under Maximus (aka Russell Crow's character) when he was young, plus how we saw a very small bit of a younger Acacius in a G2 flashback helping Lucilla and boy!Lucius get away when Maximus is killed in the arena? (right pic) That stayed on my mind, but what really triggered an fic idea for me was when Acacius is kneeling down in the arena, about to get killed. He looks up at Lucius and says:

“I loved your father. I would have died for him.”

So... what if there was a lot more that happened between Acacius and Maximus than the movies showed?

I don't have enough quotable WIP text yet to share because it's still in an early stage, but basically this fic aligns with most of narrative that we see in both the movies. Following the actors' ages, Maximus was 35, Lucilla was 33, and I'm having Acacius be about eight years younger than them. He's a rising star in Maximus' army and due to circumstances these two get involved with each other, but it's very much kept under wraps because of Maximus' status - plus he's married and has a kid, as we see. So this is why Lucilla never knew at the time that there was anything between the two men besides comradery and their service to the army.

She knows Acacius, because he's a lot around, incl when Lucilla and Maximus meet up occasionally (IMO their affair didn't end when Lucius was born). So when Maximus gets killed in the arena, Acacius is the one who gets Lucilla and her kid to safety (we see this in the movie); in my opinion, he's always known who Lucius' father was. It's Acacius too who brings Lucius to Numibia to keep him safe - as a favor to Lucilla, but also to honor his dead lover of course. Eventually he returns to continue to protect Lucilla, as he had sworn to Maximus he would do, and those two end up becoming pretty close.

They're both mourning the death of Maximus, so they understand what the other is going though - and eventually they get involved with each other, even though Acacius is extremely conflicted about it. But he feels like he can't just suddenly spring the news on Lucilla about his history with Maximus, partly because he doesn't want to lose her, because she's the only part of Maximus that's still in his life. 😫

Does this make the events of G2 so much worse? Oh, hell yeah.

So it's definitely going to be an angsty yet smutty fic, probably a longer one shot. Not sure when I'm gonna be able to write this (and I initially swore to myself that I wasn't gonna put this fic idea to paper, but Acacius has been really insistent about it to me), but I'm looking forward to it! Even though it'll probably destroy me a little. 😅 The one thing that's holding me back a little is that I'm not a historical fic writer, and I want to navigate it carefully to not have too many inconsistencies with how things were in the Roman era - but on the other hand, it's fic, so it's really not the end of the world if I get something wrong, hmm?

Thank you for asking about this!! I've had these three on the backburner in my mind, but it's nice to talk about them.

If anyone wants to ask me about any of my other WIPS, check out the original WIP folder post here!

[piipaw]

WIP Saturday!

I was tagged by @lavender-tea-fling !! I usually don't know how to participate in these so instead of doing any art previews I'll post some fic snippets below!!

Tagging @buckynats @warmhealerr @corvitine @ssektor and @des-no9 in case you guys have any WIPs you wanna share too. No pressure!

UNTITLED FIC (Garden Date)

"You're crazy," Quickly looking around, and seeing no one else, Rook's face was hot as they tried to scowl at Emmrich. There was no heat in the gesture, all their heat bubbling in anticipation far lower than their face. "Are you trying to get us caught?"

"Caught?" Playful, Emmrich put on a face. "What have we done that constitutes towards 'getting caught' hmm? All we've done is shared some stories, wine, and perhaps a few apples."

"Are the gardens some secret Mourn Watch make-out spot I don't know about?"

"Oh I should hope not," smiling innocently, Emmrich fixed his gaze on one of Rook's ears. Long, pinch-able, red ear. Rook didn't need to know that he'd brought other potential suitors here in the past. "If that were true it would be far harder to take you here on so many dates."

"So it's your make out spot."

"Please stop referring to the memorial garden as a 'make-out' spot."

UNTITLED FIC (Venatori fanboy):

"Rook, let's just burn it!" Emmrich tried to reason with Rook. He had half a mind to snatch the thing and toss it into the fire.

"No way am I burning this until I read it first!" They had scampered up half the steps in Emmrich's room before pulling the cover open. "Ugh, it's sticky."

That had Emmrich scowling. "Rook."

"Emmrich, just let me read it, and then it's yours." They poked their face through the banister bars, eyes pleading along with their voice.

"Oh, fine." Having lost, Emmrich circled to his desk and sat hard on the padded chair. Feeling immature for getting so jealous and worked up, he smoothed one hand down his face before a noise from Rook caught his attention. "Dearest?"

"This is so bad," Rook laughed, flipping another page. They'd already known who wrote the 'book', but that only made it all the more amusing. "Emm, would you say that I smell like 'crisp morning apples?'"

"You smell of lavender and mint," still scowling, the words came out all the more defensive. As if this was a fact anyone should know, and to assume otherwise was insult.

[amethystviolist]

Fanfiction Author Interview Game

Thanks to @shipper47 for tagging me! I'm a bit late to respond but very excited to participate :)

How many works do you have on AO3?

Looks like 32! Wow, a lot more than I expected.

What's your total AO3 word count?

174,720!

Your top 5 stories by kudos/likes:

I don't think this should be the only measure of fic worth, but sure, here we go!

A Hairy Misunderstanding [Bagginshield]

Merlin Has a Dragon (And Other Revelations) [Merthur/Gen]

Impacts of Literal and Metaphorical Natures [Merthur/Gen]

Pine For a Bead (Or, Girlfailure Greenleaf) [Gimleaf/Gigolas]

Anything [...Destiel]

Do you respond to comments?

Yes, I reply to almost every comment! I love getting them, and it's often a great excuse to gush about the characters or my behind-the-scenes writing thoughts.

What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

Definitely Phone Call. On-screen major character death hits hard!

What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending?

Oh, almost all the rest are very happy endings! Off the top of my head, I'm thinking of my most recent fic Home Looks Like You - 4k of ReShirement and Parentshield fluff, ending in a family cuddle pile.

Do you write crossovers?

I've never written crossovers with characters meeting each other, as that's not usually my jam - but I've dabbled in putting characters into another fandom, like my abandoned WIP The Order of the Silver Ship [TAZ: Balance characters in the world of ATLA].

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Thankfully no, never. I've gotten the occasional "off" comment and once a spammer of some sort, but nothing truly vile. Let's hope it stays that way!

Do you write smut?

Yes! It's fun! I think my only AO3-published smut is Iron Must Suffice [Bagginshield].

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Also thankfully no! Not to my knowledge, anyway. I'll hope that streak continues as well!

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! The two previously-mentioned Merlin fics were translated into Chinese, though the website that hosted them apparently scrubbed all queer content a while back and sadly lost those translations with it.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes and it was so much fun!! I participated in an event called The Hobbit: An Unexpected Collaboration (THAUC) this past October, and my assigned partner @mrmrbaggins and I wrote Of Kin and Courtships [Bagginshield] together. I loved plotting together and trading off scenes, it was fun to have immediate feedback and support. And they're a great writer, too!

What's your all-time favorite ship?

All-time? Man, that's hard to say. I think I definitely cycle through them and I love many. Currently it's Bagginshield, but there may be a different answer this time next year!

What's a WIP that you want to finish but don't think you ever will?

Hmm. Most WIPs that I want to finish I do eventually finish, even if it takes me literal years to do so. I think the one that's bugging me the most currently is All I Want For Candlenights [Taakitz], which only needs its final chapter finished. I never got a gift in that exchange event which kind of unmotivated me, plus I've just not been deep into the Balance fandom lately.

What are your writing strengths?

Hard to say, really... And that's not fishing for compliments, I just mean it's hard for me to analyze what I like about my writing when I spend most of my editing time looking for my weaknesses instead. If I have to choose, maybe characterization? I get a lot of compliments on it (thank you readers!) and I do put a lot of thought and effort into getting into the characters' heads and their resulting dialogue/inner narration/etc. And for Tolkien works specifically, I'm very good at piecing together TDS Neo-Khuzdul translations, and find a lot of joy in making them, too!

What are your writing weaknesses?

Oh so many things... though I think I'm always improving! Pacing is a huge issue for me. Also scenery and action descriptions. Also TITLES are the bane of my existence most of the time. In a more meta sense, I always struggle to get out of my editing mode and just put something (anything) down on the page so I can actually finish my WIPs.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I'm a huge fan of using other languages in fic and fiction as a whole, as that's actually what my undergrad thesis was about! Though in a fic I do really need a translation attached somehow for it to be enjoyable. I tend to get a little irritated if there's no translation provided anywhere, even if it's "unimportant" tidbits, because I want to know things, dammit!! /hj

What's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet but want to?

Oooo interesting question. I'd love to write a Leverage fic someday, but I really love those characters so much because canon already treats them so well! They're such well-developed characters that I find myself a little hesitant to dive in and potentially get it "wrong" (a silly worry I'd tell any other writer to ignore, ofc, but it's my worry unfortunately).

What's your favorite fic you've written?

That's like choosing a favorite child, oh no! ... I've just spent a few minutes scrolling up and down my AO3 stats list, but I really can't choose a favorite. They're almost all special to me for one reason or another, even ones I'm not very happy with in quality! I can say with confidence my current baby is the untitled Bagginshield mega fic, but idk that it will be my favorite even when it's done/published.

Thanks again for the tag, this was so fun! I'd love to see answers from @mrmrbaggins/@xkingevelynx, @thylocalbard, or @thatfancygirlinblack/@thatfancygirlinwhite, but absolutely no pressure to any of you :)

And if anyone else seeing this wants to do it, feel free to claim I tagged you! I won't snitch about it.

[goddesspharo]

You wanna be makin' moves on the street? Have no attachments. Allow nothing to be in your life that you cannot walk out on in thirty seconds flat if you spot the heat around the corner. For me, the sun rises and sets with her, man.

[shadowuserannie]

Accidental Brother-Sorry, Babysitter-Acquisition (Fic WIP) (Part 2)

“You know you don’t have to do this, right?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Nezha replied smoothly, skates whirring in their true form as he flitted about the area, getting it set up nicely with his true power before the others arrived. Unlit paper lanterns on strings were hung around the trees, soft blankets in the cleared area that was on the side of the cliff facing Megapolis, checking the snacks he’d brought that weren’t made of hair-

“Seriously, Ne-”

“-End that with that foolish nickname and the group will arrive to see a healing wound from a spear thrust to your mouth.”

Nezha’s back was to the simian, but he could feel the troublemaking smile.

“Nezhy, c’mon-”

Without looking, Nezha summoned his spear, split it to lotus petals, and thrust them at Wukong.

“What happened to hanging with your own family for New Years?!” Wukong yelped as he evaded them with no real effort, merely being dramatic in his movements for closer shaves. Nezha aimed more precisely-he was not tarnishing the surroundings before they could even get here.

“I am.”

There was an oof as several petals caught Wukong off guard, pinning him to the floor.

“What about your brothers? And your dad?”

“Busy.” Whenever time allowed, usually his father, mother and brothers tried to visit their poor, stuck brother/son who actually set plenty of seals long ago to be able to sneak out. Still, more eyes were on him during New Years’, that owing to celebrations being something more worthy of “leaving one’s post” for. Stupid.

Anyways, he typically got visited at least once during New Years’ with goodies brought by Muzha, but this year Jinzha had stopped by early and said apologetically that their father had decided to follow him and Muzha on an assignment that might not have them back until long after the celebrations had passed. Mother herself...well there were much better parties to attend to than an empty temple. Which was fine. Nezha saw them for New Years’ once every three years or so anyway. Missed New Years' was nothing in the overall of eternity of the Heavenly Realm.

Nezha tried his best not to leave his post during New Years’ festivities, because of the eyes, and also because paranoia meant celebrations = cover for thieves, despite the sheer amount of magic layered over his temple paranoia…was paranoia. That changed…rather recently, considering the spam habits MK and Mei had gotten into as they grew up and became larger yet somehow fonder annoyances to him.

“Still, I swear-”

“Wukong. How many New Years have you spent alone?”

“Come on, you stop by-”

“Once every few decades. For a few minutes.”

Wukong lets his head flop onto the ground. “Still unnecessary.”

“Making sure you don’t drown your sorrows in jiu for eternity, giving you tasks so you can get out of a place you’ve retired to for centuries, so the Heavens don’t impose worser tasks? Yes, definitely.” Nezha deadpanned.

Hmm. That string of lanterns was stretched too far.

Wukong made a sound that was somewhere between disbelief and teasing. “Psshh, Nezhy, I’ve seen you after cases with really bad assholes, remember? Know how long I had to spend convincing my subjects not to try what they saw you doing?”

“Why would you discourage them from following a far more responsible person?” Nezha arranged the plates carefully. Orange for MK, green for Mei, white for Pigsy, pink for Tang, blue for Sandy, gold for the irritating annoyance.

“Right, because over-steeping a dozen packets of black tea in baijiu instead of water is a fantastic example of sobriety.”

Nezha dropped the tin of almond biscuits, catching them just in time with his sash.

“That was-”

“-Most definitely not one time,” Wukong spoke with a fanged grin. “Remember when you told me about the fling with-”

“Wukong!”

The idiotic primate he would dearly love to cleave apart merely cackles at his misery. Unfortunately, he’s still the safest option when it comes to needing someone to sober him up or watch him in his drunken state, in the rare times Nezha cracks from sheer rage and brews his black tea with wine instead of water. Keyword being rare.

“…so didja bring any-”

“I refuse to kill children’s livers.”

“But yours is faiRRRAAAAA-”

“Stabbing your liver is fair game too.”

“Little shit.”

“Who’s not even five feet and uses glamours again?”

At last, with no help from the host whatsoever, Nezha finishes tidying the area and getting it ready for a small party. There are even snacks-double checked by Nezha to be safe-specifically for the monkeys, mostly consisting of fruits.

“Add any fur to this and I will chop off all 84,000 hairs on your body.”

Wukong hides the piece of fur behind his back and whistles.

“Reach for any peaches before they arrive and I will also rob your home of your peach chips.”

Wukong gasps dramatically, falling to the ground as if deeply hurt. “These accusations-”

“Are wholly true, you little-”

“Who’s calling who little-”

Nezha froze as voices definitely not quiet rose up from the foot of the mountain.

“They’re here.”

Wukong frowned at him for no reason as Nezha glamoured his Wind//Fire Wheels back to three-wheeled roller skates. He’d already dressed up before coming down to Flower Fruit Mountain, in a knee-length sleeveless red qipao and dark kuzi, no illusions needed there. His Armillary Sash was wrapped in a slightly fancier style about his arms, still and mimicking sleeves as usual. Rather than twin buns, he’d opted for a simple small one with the rest of his hair let down.

“You…ever going to tell them?”

“I’ve gone lifetimes without doing so with others, Wukong. Remember our deal.”

“Hypocrite.”

“Idiot.”

“You know that’s long gotten as ancient as you, right?”

“You-”

[nerdieforpedro]

WIP Wednesday

The last one I did may have been in September. 👀 Been a long time. Haven’t really been writing much fanfic. Stuck on different papers for school. I was tagged by @evolnoomym and she shared ideas so I will too! ❤️ @pr3ttynpiink also tagged me and looks to be cooking up some fun new fics. 🥰

I want to write something for Modern Din and Christmas to go in my series: This is the Neighborhood Din, but it will likely need a chapter between that to make sense. (Every so often I care about making sense). Also more Luke doing Jedi yoga on his lawn and Poe & Finn being boyfriends because I want it all!

I need to write a new chapter of Weddings 101 with Dieter. Kinda left on a cliffhanger and a lot happened in my mind that should be posted 🤣

There’s a little over a month until the DMAMC 2025 challenge is due, haven’t written anything. Actually forgot about it, but fear not! I’ll think of something. 👀 My character is Pero Tovar (I doomed myself by picking him 😭 like the level of difficulty). But maybe I’ll revisit a pairing I’ve done.

Random but working on a Baldur’s Gate 3 fic and bugging @perotovar (Erin beta read for me what I have so far), @megamindsecretlair reads the snippets I send her and @soft-persephone looks at the pics I send her and is honest 🤣🤣🤣). Everyone’s favorite moody (for many a legit reason) and murderous pale elf who’s a vampire Astarion and an OFC. Things that happened between these two: a lot of staring, mocking Gale (everyone’s favorite past time- he makes it easy but also the wizard is really nice insane like everyone else but nice), drying some hair, hugs and some tears. Lots of angst, fluff and comfort. Haven’t decided on smut yet, is likely but I’ll see how it reads.

Didn’t realize that A Safe Place for Us was up to chapter 7 on AO3 and only 5 on Tumblr 👀 My bad. I should be able to post one chapter on here before November ends. The formatting and graphics take me the longest. 🤓

I also have a secret Santa fic things I’m supposed to be working on for a discord group but I also have not started. 👀 Unsure of which direction it should go in. I’ll figure it out, eventually I think.

The first paragraph of chapter five of “A Safe Place for Us”:

Waking up to Dieter takes getting used to for Aisha. It’s not unwelcome, she’s just not used to someone clinging to her like he does. Every morning he stays at her apartment is one where he has his arm and head somewhere on her. Chest, stomach, thigh, back, ass one time because he enjoys scissoring her entrance wider and scooping his spend that drips out of her back in before pumping his fingers to stir his cum within her.

Yeah…chapter five is…a ride so to speak. 👀 Forgot we had a strong start.

I found a WIP that contains Marcus Pike angst:

His romantic relationships and come and gone just like yours but you always had each other. Though, you treated yours as ways to work off the need you felt for your friend. To distract yourself, even when you were with your other partners, you’d think of him during the throws of passion, even when having simple meals and they may chew too loudly. You loathed your behavior toward your partners and your friend, biting your lips to not utter his name while under someone else.

“Marcus…”

Is the only name you want to say but can’t.

Hmm….might be a good holiday one or something. 🤔

That’s the ideas for now. Always a lot and never finished. ✅ Would it be Nerdie if they were? 😎

Have a happy Thanksgiving, holiday, days off of work and stay safe!

NPT: @chaithetics @schnarfer @inept-the-magnificent @yopossum @djarinmuse @604to647 @secretelephanttattoo @magpiepills @maggiemayhemnj @murder-wife @sin-djarin @syd-djarin @morallyinept @westside-rot @tinytinymenace @sunshinehaze1 @soft-girl-musings @goodwithcheese @jolapeno @bluestar22x @clawdee @romanarose @beefrobeefcal @bitchesuntitled @bitchwitch1981

[jiminjeonging]

angsty smut from a canon compliant wip that i ended up heavily editing bc it felt too au to me and didn't exactly fit the overall vibe i wanted but i thought that people here might appreciate the unedited version. supposed to be set in 2023 tour during their rocky period but lowk canon compliant jmj is rlly hard for me to write bc they just have so many layers to their relationship and lots of sinister gay energy

It was inevitable. That was something Jimin was right about, that they always come back to each other, either unable, or worse, unwilling to let go. Maybe it’s because despite their antics, she knows Jimin is too sappy, too sentimental, and maybe, a part of her still yearns for what it would be like, to have Jimin in her arms, to be able to be hers.

Agreeing to stop by her room for something she can’t even remember after the performance was her first mistake. 

Sharing a glass of amber whiskey was the second, the smoky-sweet aroma reminiscent of better times. Damn her sentimentality.

Now Jimin is kissing her, hard and bruising as the burn of liquor lingers in the back of her throat, and Minjeong can’t remember what the third mistake would be, thoughts entirely consumed by the sensation of Jimin’s tongue in her mouth, a bare thigh pressing against the sticky heat pooling at her core, her hands wound tightly in Jimin’s hair.

Jimin draws back and Minjeong whines, uncaring of how desperate it sounds. Let her look, let her hear. Let her taste the hunger in each kiss, let her see how much she needs this, and hope that it’s a reflection of the longing in her heart. 

Lips return to flushed skin, burning a trail of open-mouthed kisses down her jawline and neck, along her clavicle, and lower, sucking ravenous marks on the sensitive skin under her breasts before closing, wet and slick and hot, around her nipple. She arches her back into Jimin’s tongue, gasping and moaning at the sensitivity.

Her clever mouth moves lower, lower, avoiding spots that would be exposed by stage outfits and sucking bruises into the delicate skin of her inner thigh, right next to where she’s an absolute mess, before moving to absolutely devour her.

It isn’t like any time they’ve done it before. Gone are the slow, sweet kisses and gentle praises, replaced with frenzied hunger, rough, commanding touches, and bites meant to mark. Minjeong’s body is aflame with pleasure, twitching and gasping, sweat beading at her brow, hands tightening in Jimin’s hair as her tongue fucks into wet heat, the moans into her pussy making her vision fuzzy.

Minjeong keens when lips move to suck at her clit, the shock of pleasure so overwhelming that her thighs close involuntarily. 

Jimin makes a sound of displeasure, and Minjeong cries out as Jimin pries her legs open and holds her thighs down, biting at her inner thigh in retaliation. It shouldn’t be as arousing as it is, and yet, Jimin is able to press two fingers inside her easily, the stretch drawing out a scream soaked in pleasure.

“You should look at yourself, Minjeong. Who are you so desperate for, spread out like this, hmm?” she taunts, curling her fingers, voice drawling low from her lips, so poisonous that it’s sweet.

She’s so, so, close, pleasure incinerating any thoughts in her head, barely comprehending her words, and suddenly, Jimin stops moving her fingers.

“Answer me, Minjeong. Answer me, or I’ll leave you like this.” She curls her fingers, ever so slightly, and the gasp it draws out of her is ragged. 

Tears bead at her lashes, her muscles shaky with overstimulation, her traitorous mouth begging without thinking. “Fuck, Ji—Jimin, Jimin–unnie, please, don’t stop, please—”

Fingers curl inside her again, pushing against something so deep it sends jolts of pure pleasure coursing up her spine, and there’s a thumb at her clit and Minjeong is completely undone. Her thighs strain around Jimin’s hand as she keens and shudders, but once again, Jimin pushes them apart.

“Minjeong, we’re not done yet,” she purrs, a mockery of sweetness. “You’ll take more, won’t you? You always do.”

Jimin starts moving inside her again and there’s nothing she can do except throw her head back, muffling her cries as she drools into the pillow. It’s mean, commanding, completely unlike what she’s used to from Jimin, but her traitorous body can’t help but tighten around her fingers as every nerve sings raw with pleasure. She coaxes another orgasm out of her, then another, reducing her to a shuddering mess on the mattress before blissfully leaving her to pant and gasp for air.

She looks like she’s about to say something, but maybe it’s the alcohol in her system or something about how every part of her sings with heated longing, because Minjeong somehow musters the strength to tug at her as she sits up. Satisfaction warms her as she watches how Jimin complies, slipping into her lap.

“Jimin, we’re not done yet.” she coos, imitating her sickly-sweet tone. Her eyes widen in surprise, and before she can open her mouth, Minjeong silences her with another kiss, circling her waist and pressing her hands down.

Of course, Jimin complies, grinding down onto her thigh and moaning as wet heat slides against bare skin.

“You’re listening so well, unnie. What changed?” Jimin responds with a breathy moan, and she ruts more desperately, kisses more hungrily as Minjeong grips her ass. “You’ve missed this, haven’t you? You need me to call you unnie, don’t you?”

Jimin pants, and Minjeong traces her lips with her index and middle finger, a smirk growing as her lips take them in obediently. Her hips are moving erratically now, chasing her pleasure as she nears her peak.

“Shit, you like this? Getting off while your Minjeongie talks to you like this?” Jimin nods, a whine escaping her lips, and it’s overwhelming, the heady rush at the realization of just how much power she has over her.

“Prove it then, unnie,” she mocks, and Jimin moans, and suddenly she’s shuddering, burying herself in her embrace and panting for breath. She presses a kiss Jimin’s temple as her breathing evens out, pretends that the venom dripping into her words tastes sweet enough to feel nothing, pretends that she doesn’t see tears welling in Jimin’s eyes, pretends that her vision isn’t getting misty as well.

omg thank you for sharing i love this!! it doesnt even feel much like an au but i cant wait to read the version youre working on too<3<3<3<3<3

[lucidheart3]

Here is a list of my fics with their summaries and my favourite lines from each!

How (not) To Get To Know Your Sons

Tom’s quiet Sunday is interrupted by a challange to see how well he knows his kids.He isn’t complaining in the slightest.

Nebula’s Elegy; the ao3 version

“We can’t stop the cannon from firing…”

”But we can steer it away from Earth!”

Spoiler alert; They couldn’t



Whelve: the ao3 version

This is a rewrite of my previous work with the same name

A warrior decides he won’t die a monster, Knuckles and Sonic’s ways cross to never divide

But when what they have each whelved is uncovered, do they have the strength to keep running together? Or are they doomed to fall apart from the start?

Replacement:

Sonic overhears the unpleasant conversation Maddie has with Rachel, His family help him with fallout, while facing with their own sorrows along the way.

“But are they... his parents? Is Sonic their son, really? Or a poor excuse of a son in place of someone who once was?”

Pen Pals:

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

What if Sonic and Tom became pen pals before officialy meeting each other?

But one side of him is so, so afraid,he tested the waters before, too deep and too cold, then he drowned alone.

What if I don’t have to be alone anymore?

What, then?

Well, He is already diving head-first into the ocean, he might as well enjoy the ride.

Visions of What We Could Be:

When visions of what they could be plagues his mind, Sonic forgets to appreciate what he has. Luckily, Knuckles is there to remind him.

“Hmm. Maybe to not be an alien? To not have to run?”

Sonic’s mouth falls open, and he can feel Knuckles’ last word trigger something inside of him. A mantra burried deep into his soul, a shield that protected him. His resolve, his promise.

Never stop running.”

Break Into Contents, Never Falling Down:

Sonic and Knuckles’ usual spar suddenly takes a nasty turn. Feelings are hurt, tears are shed, and it’s up to Maddie and Tom to help their sons climb up the hole they’ve dug themselves into.

chapter 1

chapter 2

chapter 3

“My mind disagreed. Saying that I’m unworthy of those titles. But it agreed that Sonic is unworthy, too. So I hurt him. Showed him all of the darkness he himself has shone light on inside of me. I don’t know what I hoped for to happen. But I couldn’t bear seeing him shine that bright, not letting his dark past dim his light, like I did.

Cards On The Table (We’re Showing Hearts)

Sonic’s boredom leads to an interruption in their quiet afternoon, but his family wouldn’t have it any other way.

“For how many years he was with them, and they weren’t with him?

For how many years he had been their son, and they had no idea?

Late Night Endearement

A sweet exchange Tom has with his sons leads to a late night heart to heart with his lovely wife.

“ We just have to keep walking towards them, and allow them to meet us halfway”

MY WIPS

Movie Amy AU:

First Chapter

“No, she wasn’t going to give up. For her mom, who sacrificed so much to bring her into life, for her grandparents, who raised her with so much care and love. And for herself, to live long enough to give all the love her heart bursted with; to flickies, to trees, to children and elders, to whoever needed help. And receive love in return, as selfish it was, Amy didn’t want to go without experiencing the acceptance and affection she had grown up with again.

[silenzahra]

Muahahaha, you know I'd LOVE to ask you some questions about your writing! Even though I already know the answer to some of the questions in the ask game, there are also quite a few I don't, and really want to change that😉 For now let me ask you these: 4, 11, 17, 18 and 23.

I hope you know that it's okay if you take some time to answer!😊

Based on this fanfic ask game ✨

My dear Mugi! Hehe, I'm so glad that you're so curious about my writing 🤭 You certainly know a lot about it already, but I'm so happy you wanna know more 🥰

Thank you so much for sending these questions! Let's-a go! 😄

4. What are some words or phrases you feel like you overuse?

... Oh wow, we start with the hard ones, huh? 😬 Mugi, I swear, just with this answer I'd have enough mateial for a whole post, and a VERY long one 😂 But I'm gonna try not to do that and say... Well, for the words, precisely the word "say" and its many synonyms (such as "ask," "respond," "exclaim"...), as well as the word "look" and its many synonyms ("gaze," "glance," "stare"...), definitely win the prize. I struggle SO MUCH when editing my translations so they won't sound too repetitive because of these words. As for phrases... I feel that I always describe the characters' emotions and reactions the same way. For instance, they're always "short on breath," or their heart "skips a beat," or they're always putting "a hand to their chest," or things like that... And they're ALWAYS smiling, and the way I describe their smiles, again, feels the same every single time 🙃 I'm well aware I'm probably the only one who notices, but being a perfectionist writer as I am, it's one of the things I definitely need to improve.

11. What makes a fic 'successful' in your opinion?

Hmm this one is quite interesting 🤔 You know, the first thought usually has to do with the numbers, like, it'd be the most obvious thing to think that a story that has success is the one with the highest number of notes/kudos/comments/whatever. And maybe in the past I would've agreed, but not anymore.

To me, a fic that is successful is a fic that can make people happy no matter when it's been posted. It's a fic that can make whoever reads it feel things, so much so that some people even feel like rereading it at times. It means that the story stuck with them when they first read it, and I've learned that this can happen even a year after said fic was published. All in all, that's what matters to me the most: that what I write can make people happy. Even if it's just one person that enjoys the fic, then I'll consider it to be successful. It fulfilled its mission.

17. What is something you recently felt proud of in your writing?

👀👀 I can clearly *see* what you're doing with this question, my friend... I'm afraid you're not as sneaky as you may think 🤭😌

Still, here's my answer: I'm proud that, even if I'm mostly a VERY slow writer and usually spend months working on a story before I feel ready to finally post it, at times I can actually do the opposite and write a short story in just a few hours, AND feel happy and proud with the outcome. Oddly enough, this has happened to me with the two most recent Mareach fics I've posted, Bubbles of love and Clear morning, as well as with Bliss, the short story I wrote inspired by @bberetd's most recent comic.

And now that I think about it, I also didn't take too long writing Where is my brother? 🤔 I guess that, when the words start coming, I simply obey, sit down, and don't get up until I've written them all 😌📝

18. How many WIPs do you have and how many do you expect to finish?

Oof, this one's a bit tricky 😅 There are a few WIPs that I haven't talked about publicly yet, and as for now I'd rather keep it that way (I prefer to wait till I've worked a bit more on them or even till they're finished). And adding them to the ones that I have mentioned at times... lemme do the math... 23. Okay, that's honestly more than I expected 😅 I need TIME to bring them all to life oh my God.

As for the ones that I expect to finish... I mean, hopefully all of them 😅 But speaking in terms of a near future, let's say three. If everything goes according to plan, the first one will be ready next month! 🤞🤞🤞

23. What's a story you'd love to write but haven't even started yet?

Oh I have this one VERY clear: it's the story that narrates my girl Violet's birth and everything that happened before that. A GREAT part of it is inspired by Luigi's Mansion, which is among my most favorite series in the Mario franchise, and so many things happen that I get excited just by thinking about it 🤭 And I swear I do it on a daily basis at this point 😂 So I know when the time finally comes to start writing this fic, I will have a BLAST 😁

So this is it, dear Mugi! I deeply appreciate you sending this ask as I've really enjoyed answering these questions 😄 (And also that you said that it was okay if I took some time 🫂). I hope they satiated your curiosity and you could get to know me a bit better as a writer 🥰

Still, I do see that "for now" right there, so if there's still something else you'd like to know, feel free to ask!

Thank you sooo much 💖