#honestly rereading this is making me remember how much fun I had writing it

[solarmorrigan]

Siren!Steve please!

Hullo! I posted a little bit about this one the other day, but here's another snippet!

Warning for a little bit of blood here, just in case

“Oh, shit!” Eddie exclaims, jumping back with enough force that the merman’s grip is broken. “You’re alive!” The merman seems similarly surprised, staring up at Eddie with fright and confusion in his hazel eyes, before he’s trying to scramble back across the rocky ground. He makes it a few feet pulling himself with his arms, but when he tries to go further with a powerful twist of his core, he lets out a pained gasp and stops, pressing his hands to the bloody bite marks on his sides. He’s breathing heavily, looking down at his wounded torso with something nearly like incomprehension, pulling his fingers away to see the blood smeared there, and Eddie takes an almost reflexive step forward. “Hey–” The merman jerks back, literally hissing at Eddie through a set of sharp teeth, and Eddie freezes. “I’m not gonna hurt you,” Eddie promises, hands raised in front of him in a way he really hopes conveys innocence. “I swear, I mean you no harm, I – shit, do you speak English? Do you even understand me? Shit, what if you only speak, like, fish? Is that a thing? Fish language?” Eddie is fully aware that he’s rambling, but somewhere beyond the skipping track that is his brain right now, he sees the merman look him up and down consideringly and then nod slowly. “Oh shit, fish language is a thing?” Eddie asks. “Wait, no.” The merman raises his eyebrows at Eddie and, in spite of everything, he looks almost amused. “Alright, Aquaman, don’t laugh at me, I’m a little stressed. I’ve never met a mer… person, before,” Eddie says, and the merman continues to look amused, if a little puzzled.

[mcrololo]

Bechloe fic recs

(in no particular order)

You Make Me Believe In Magic by @shikariix

In the opening stood a woman with a tiny frame, bending forward slightly and breathing heavily. The light pouring in from behind her made it hard to see just how dirty and scratched up her clothing was. “Hey, uh,” she started loudly, still panting, “not to freak anyone out or whatever, but there's kind of a dragon on the loose. You all gotta evacuate.”

What can I say? It's got magic, it's got dragons, it's got gay flirting AND a kick-ass moodboard that inspired the whole shebang. Exactly up my alley, and if you said 'hell yeah Rolo, me too!' then what are you waiting for!! (nudges the author to write the soft epilogue i so truly desire) (in the meantime also read this new years one-shot & also this incredible piece of writing by my love and heart)

All is fair in Love and War by @pulledpurplecurtains

It's not about having feelings. It's about what you do with them. There's never a choice where the heart is concerned. The mind, however…the mind always comes up with choices. And sometimes life tends to happen as well.

Honestly I'm due for a reread of this but I remember immensely enjoying this fic. I certainly had a blast getting the go ahead to analyze it, almost as much as Ana probably had writing it! They're in high school, they're in gay love & also they are idiots. What else would you need?

"Something angsty, Rolo," you might say. And boy do I have the fic for you by the same author! (read the tags, be mindful of the warnings)

it takes two (to be santa claus) by @becasbelt

With their marriage on the brink of divorce, Beca and Chloe vow to do whatever it takes to give their daughter one last perfect Christmas- even if it means tracking down a rare American Girl doll two weeks before Christmas.

I know I already recommended this the other day but I just... It's so fucking good. I don't have words. Actually I do, go read it y'all (and when you're done then also read the cream in my coffee by the same author because I'm also still thinking about that one.

i think (s)he knows by @pinkpastels113

The Starbucks espresso machine broke again and Chloe is supposed to be taking care of everything, but the mechanic who showed up to fix it is making her job more difficult than it already was.

I forgot how much I love me a coffeeshop AU until I read this one. I don't often see flustered Chloe Beale in fic but here it's so blatant and I adore it so much!! I need more flustered Chloe Beale in my life pls (also go read this one too it's so fun!)

All I Ask of You by @kailoraurelius

From day one, Beca has always been there for her. If Chloe can count on anything, it's Beca. So now, pacing her kitchen anxiously, she waits for Beca to show up. Chloe has something very important to tell her…

Listen, Stained Glass will always have a special place in my heart, but I think AIAOY actually knocked it off its place because the found family characterization in this one just HITS. It's off the charts!! It's got everything; love, humor, and me on the floor crying (positive!) tears because the writing is so so beautifully descriptive.

naked in manhattan by @afh48

"Hi, it's Chloe! I know you just landed, and I know you're probably busy. But I would love to see you! So call me when you can!"

From the first chapter onwards I was HOOKED. I love experimental works and what is a first ever fic if not finding your writers voice? I enjoyed the journey of unlearning internalized homophobia; of characters clearly making decisions that were bad for them because of fear. But the fluff is the sweet, sweet cherry on top!

those days turned into nights by hedaswolf (the baddestwolf)

Beca kisses Chloe in the heat of the moment after winning Worlds. Of course, she proceeds to avoid the topic altogether. You can imagine Chloe’s surprise when Beca suggests they change their flights so they can drive to Stockholm in search of Swedish Princess Cake. But how long can Chloe go without bringing up the kiss? or, the Denmark to Sweden roadtrip fic that no one asked for

I swooned reading this. It's romantic, it's funny, it's angsty because they're pining idiots.... On top of that it's in 2nd pov and I LOVE 2nd pov <3

Life on Shuffle by @yelena-belover

“I know you don’t know me, Beca. But I’ve basically known you my whole life.” Bechloe // The Time Traveler's Wife AU -- Beca Mitchell suffers from Chrono-Impairment, a rare genetic disorder that causes her to spontaneously and uncontrollably time travel. Living life out of order isn't easy for Beca, and it's just as hard for Chloe, who struggles to cope with her frequent, often dangerous absences.

Chapter 8 and 11 shattered me in all possible ways. The way this fic weaves the timeline together so seamlessly... Time fuckery is hard to write, and it needs to be done right in order to feel satisfying; though still an ongoing fic, this one does it so masterfully that it scratched all of my itches as is.

Forgive Me These November Days by @obstinate-questionings

Why Chloe Beale didn’t graduate—and why she finally did—as told through yearly celebrations of Thanksgiving.

This fic made me take the first step into loving myself. imho it's one of the best Chloe Beale character studies out there and I genuinely can not stop thinking about it. If you're having a rainy day and need a pick-me-up, I definitely recommend reading this!

[sixosix]

END NOTE | THAWED

a little love letter to my readers

to start off, i know that the series is based off the entire reputation album, but i like to think that this whole series was written around call it what you want.

how it started LMFAOOO

This was previously titled ‘melt’ before i was like ‘nah ill make it, like, thaw” and earthtooz went, “Thawed?” little did earth know,, that name would literally take over my docs,,, my tags,,, my ENTIRE account

A message to my readers: From the bottomest bottom of my heart, if you have reached this series until the very end, thank you so, so much for reading. Read that sentence again. And again, until you realize how grateful I truly am as a writer. Thawed is such a big project that I still can’t believe I was able to even start. I genuinely never thought it would garner this much attention, and in all honestly, I was intimidated by it, because I had no idea what I was doing, and I was afraid I would disappoint.

This entire project was intimidating, and I considered so many times to just drop it and end it on chapter five. I struggled so badly to write after I introduced the characters, and I thought: “well, that’s it. I guess it was fun.” I even told my friends that I would do that; and yet 14 chapters later, look at where we are now 😭

Writing it was so exhausting. Working on a series while studying as a student really makes it difficult to remember details about my own story T__T I had to reread Thawed so many times to the point where I don’t even like it anymore.

But I know the reason why I decided to continue it! It sounds so horribly cliche, but it’s true. It’s thanks to all your overwhelming support :( Each ask, comment, reblog—they all fueled me more than you think. All those replies of even incoherent gibberish made me realize that, ‘hey, someone read it and liked it enough to send an ask about it. Maybe I am doing something right!!!!’

some thawed extras for readers who are interested

If you haven’t noticed, the chapter titles aren’t actually accurately about the chapter. Those titles were taken from the songs in the Reputation album, in order. And the chapters are loosely based around them!

reputation is, like, widely known as the edgy album from taylor, but in reality its such a big love letter and i know that other people noticed that, too! i think it’s very fitting to the story of thawed: it’s dark and messy, but at the end of the day, it’s a love story. do you get what i mean hehe. i hope that’s how the series came across…

im sorry if aether doesnt appear in the last chapter :( in my head, mc is coming home. and by then i dont think aether would be in fontaine at all! but rest assured they definitely have met up twice or thrice while in the other regions heehee. Also aether will ofc be there for their weeding. 🙏

i have nothing much else to say aside from thank you for reading! i hope u enjoyed thawed as much as i did

[morporkian-cryptid]

I'm rereading Feet of Clay, and something I love about Pratchett's writing is that you keep discovering new things with every reread. This man is a fucking genius; and I say is because we all know a man is not dead while his name is still spoken, and I am very much speaking his name, very loudly and with an undertone of exasperated delight.

(MASSIVE spoilers for Feet of Clay, obviously; do not click if you haven't read that book)

Okay, so the poison was in the candles, right? We all know that, and when you reread the book with that knowledge, you notice all the clues that Vimes will later put together. "Une mèche en métal gris" (a wick of grey metal) in the candlemaker's coat of arms. "Art brought forth the candle". Vetinari doing a whole infodump about arsenic and to "put it where no one will look" (the bastard already knew). The emphasis on the candle being the last sentence in the scene where Vetinari's writing, right before his condition gets worse.

A good writer knows how to sprinkle foreshadowing in ways that are just obvious enough to pick up after the fact.

But you know what a great writer does?

Spread false leads.

I honestly don't remember what I deduced the first time I read the book; I was in high-school and tearing through it without stopping to really think about the clues, and also I had little to no knowledge of the cultural stories around arsenic. But on reread, I keep noticing remarks about the wallpapers.

And if you know anything about the Victorian era, the combination of arsenic and wallpapers will immediately make you go "Pass me a towel!!".

THAT BASTARD (affectionate) PTERRY WANTED US TO THINK IT WAS THE WALLPAPER!

And it's not just once, no. There's Vimes' remark about "That seemed to be about it, short of stripping the wallpaper off the wall", which make me chuckle and mutter "oh come on!". But then later on there's "You might as well accuse the wallpaper of driving him mad"... with the added detail that THE WALLPAPER IS GREEN. IT'S FUCKING GREEN. Pterry KNEW what he was doing.

It takes a third mention of the wallpaper (the fact that it's the same in all rooms and Vetinari's condition hasn't been getting better) before Vimes actually consider it; but we the reader would have been yelling "It's the wallpaper!! It's the wallpaper!!" since the first mention of green.

And this is exactly what you expect from a good writer, right? Give you enough clues to figure out the mystery yourself and feel smart.

And if you didn't notice the wallpaper, or dismissed it in the same way Vimes eventually does (it's been there for years and Vetinari has only just started getting sick), then there's the ink on the journal.

(Spoiler for "The name of the rose" by Umberto Eco)

If you've read the book or watched the movie "The name of the rose", the second Vetinari is described licking his fingers to turn the pages of his journal, you should have been screaming "THERE'S ARSENIC IN THE INK!!!" (or at least giving very heavy suspicious side-eyes at the journal and at Pterry).

This is Terry Pratchett's genius, to me, in this book. Sprinkling false leads that seem like solutions to the reader because of our culture, of our knowledge of history or other works of literature, to make us feel smart for having figured out the mystery from the contextual clues before the characters do, and enjoy the fun frustration of watching them bumble around and miss details that we picked up on because we have context that they lack...

And then turn around and pat us on the head and say "Well done, but I played you, you picked up exactly the clues I wanted you to, and ignored the real ones", and you can't be mad at him because the real clues were there! In plain sight!!! The goddamn coat of arms were presented literally within the first twenty pages! We get to feel smart for about half the book, before we realize we've been played, just like Vlmes.

I fucking love Terry Pratchett so much.

[e-b-reads]

Some things about The Chronicles of Chrestomanci: Volume I

If you are familiar with my posts on books you probably know that Diana Wynne Jones is my favorite author, and you may even know that this series is the first thing by her I read (at age ~10), which is what led to my lifelong adoration. So this isn't like an objective post or anything, I just was rereading and thought of some thoughts to share. (This was definitely written for those who have read these books, as it contains spoilers and references to plot points with little explanation, but feel free to read it if you haven't! I can't stop you and wouldn't want to!)

I have read Charmed Life so many times that there truly is nothing left for me to discover in it. You know how you reread things and go "Oh I never noticed x!" or "I had forgotten y detail!"? I already did that so many times that there are no new y details for me to remember. It's a little bittersweet: it's because of how much I love the book, but there's no discovery there anymore.

I haven't read The Lives of Christopher Chant as often, so I am able to rediscover things a little more. I reblogged a post a bit ago about how there's a sort of shift between "Christopher is a little boy having adventures" and then "surprise! his uncle killed the mermaids and he's been helping traffic them," but on rereading the book, I was struck by the way it literally starts with tiny Christopher worried he wouldn't recognize his own father, because he basically never sees him, and sees his mother mostly from a distance. Christopher doesn't realize that there's anything sort of tragic about this, and child me didn't remark on it particularly, but reading it as an adult, it's honestly impressive Christopher ends up as arguably well-adjusted as he does.

I like the parts in both bits where we hit the climax and the main characters get to come into their own. Cat gets less of this relative to the length of Charmed Life, and he is not the type to take advantage of it as much as Christopher, but I do like the garden scene. (Particularly when Millie arrives and Chrestomanci looks like a strong light has fallen across his face. I love them.) Meanwhile, the bit where Christopher gets to take control to try to trap his uncle is so fun. By far my favorite part of The Lives of Christopher Chant.

DWJ is very good at writing books with reveals that make you go "oh hang on" and go back through to find all the hints. I have found that there is at least one reveal that does this per each of the first four books of this series. In Charmed Life, of course, it's the reveal that Chrestomanci is summoned when you call, which prompted a long ago reread where I kept track of every time people called him - and indeed, there he was, just coming through a door or around a corner. In The Lives of Christopher Chant, the reveal is the way silver stops Christopher's magic and binds him to truth, which is particularly impressive since it's technically revealed in Charmed Life already - but I still had moments, this reread, of going "oh, that's why he deals with annoying teachers by telling them the truth sideways - he's used to not being able to lie."

Finally! I don't know if these books had a developmental impact on me or I would have turned out this way anyway, but I am the sort of person who (sometimes annoyingly, I believe) deals with stressful things by often going "well, it will turn out all right." I mean, I'm more complex than that, but I am able to see that things can't last forever and I've made it through every crisis so far, so... In both of these books, crises apparently pile up: poor Cat has the worst of it with Janet being a secret imposter, and being challenged to a duel, and owing money for something his sister bought, etc. Christopher does have to deal with trying to avoid his uncle, not being caught as a smuggler, and hiding the Goddess all at once though. And for both of them, the climax of the story twists around everything going on and everything important (and reveals the adults actually knew about and could help with some of the issues anyway), and somehow everything shakes out and is OK in the end. I think this is also what life is like for children sometimes because you can't always see the end of things as well when you're a child as you can when you have a little more experience of life.

[benkyoutobentou]

Ranking the books I read in Japanese this year

It’s the end of the year and I don’t think I’ll be finishing any more Japanese books this month, so I thought it would be fun to rank what I read! I read twelve novels in Japanese this year, hitting my goal (but not quite reading one a month). There won’t be twelve rankings here, though, because I read multiple books from the same series and will be combining those.

9. コーヒーが冷めないうちに - 川口俊和: This book just didn’t do it for me. I listened to it on audiobook in February for a target language listening challenge and got stuck in a vicious cycle of not paying attention because the story was boring me and being bored of it because I wasn’t paying enough attention. Most other people I’ve seen who have read it in Japanese also thought it was boring, though, so I’m not mourning any loss.

8. 宝石商リチャードの謎鑑定 - 辻村七子: I really wanted to like this series but the negatives outweighed the positives so much that I only read the first volume. The most damning part of this for me was that I couldn’t stand the writing style. It was extremely confusing, and having a language barrier on top of that just made it miserable. I’m really glad I read this with others because I was not the only one who found the writing style to be ridiculously confusing for a book that doesn’t even handle confusing or difficult topics. Seriously, the writing was so bad that I considered continuing the series in English. But the characters were good.

7. あん - ドリアン助川: Now we get into the books that I enjoyed, just not as much. I liked this book well enough, but it was just a bit middling. I wasn’t overly invested in the characters or story and I found myself wondering how on earth this story could go on for another hundred pages. It was sweet, but ultimately I don’t think the story will stick with me at all.

6. ちょっと今から仕事やめてくる - 北川恵海: This was another audiobook read and although I know I enjoyed it, I really don’t remember much about it. I’m also not sure if the twist, which I did think was really good, actually happened or was something I misunderstood (I’m pretty sure I understood it though). Overall, this one goes on the to-reread pile, just as soon as I can find a physical copy of it.

5. 旅猫リポート - 有川浩: This was an adorable story perfect for cat lovers, but the end had me a little bored. Honestly though, it was quite the experience to go from being a bit bored to crying my eyes out in the span of ten pages. The writing style and the main cat’s perspective was super charming as well.

4. 人間失格 - 太宰治: This was my first classic in Japanese and wasn’t as difficult as I expected. Dazai’s writing style is a pain in the ass, but I will admit that it started to grow on me as the book went on and now I find it endearing. It also wasn’t as depressing as I had heard it was, and I really enjoyed getting a perspective of that time period.

3. 美しい彼 - 凪良ゆう: I only read one volume of this, probably exclusively because I suddenly couldn’t stand romance when I had fifty pages left of this. What can I say, I love a good toxic gay romance. The writing style is chronically readable and the story is super engaging.

2. No. 6 - あさのあつこ: I’m a fan of the anime for this and the novels have not let me down. I’ve only read two so far, but the story and characters are super gripping. I really love the emphasis on dialogue in this series, I really feel like it makes the characters pop more. The only problem I have is this odd quirk in Asano’s writing style, where the majority of the series is told from third person point of view, but will suddenly switch to first person point of view for a single sentence. It’s not enough to deter me, but it is a little odd to see.

1. キノの旅 - 時雨沢恵一: My number one favorite read in Japanese this year and no one should be surprised. I’m a massive Kino fan and read three volumes this year. I love books that I can analyze the hell out of and this is exactly that. Additionally, I think the writing style and the way both Kino and Hermes are characterized adds so much to both the stories and the underlying meanings that Shigusawa is trying to get across.

[nerevarswritingstuff]

Hello!! I’m really glad to write you again and hope you're alright!! I was waiting for free time to read the new chapter, and I just finished it, and I have A LOT OF THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONS ＼(≧▽≦)／

I really like the interaction between Zan and Erlang, it was so cute. I had a thought that they may know each other from Zan’s past life, hope we’ll know more about this. And “handsome man”?? When I read this, my mouth fell on the floor for a few minutes, oh Zan the man you are

All my emotions about Nibby and Macaque I can describe as: Oh my god, my shayla😭. I can a bit relate to their trauma, bc I’m going through something like this(but for me it’s a cousin, so I can’t fully understand it). It breaks my heart when I saw them depressed and traumatized, nobody deserves pain like this. Btw, I really love Macaque’s and Nibby’s communication, it makes me giggle every time.

Unfortunately I didn’t reread the last chapter, so I’m a little forgot what was happening, but when I remembered that Macaque and Wukong would meet soon I was like “Well it’ll be through one-two chapters, I have time to prepare for this”. I WASN’T READY FOR THIS. I DON’T THINK ANYONE WAS. I can’t explain the feeling I felt, even in my native language. I just froze for a moment and can’t say anything. All I can do its sit and wave my hands in an attempt to explain emotions about this situation. Also, poor MK, buddy even doesn’t understand what’s happening around him, he just wanted to spend time with his big brother☹️

I still love you and your work, I can’t remember anything that gave me emotions like this. I hope everything in yours and Verdette’s life will be great! Love y’all, take care❤️

EEEEEE THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! Your comments always make me feel warm and fuzzy inside~

I can't wait to show more Erlang and Zan interactions because they're so god-damn funny and the reasoning behind Erlang knowing Zan is delicious... that'll be a fun reveal for the future~

The most fun part about writing the interactions between Nibby, Wukong, and Macaque is just how they talk to each other like oh my god

Macaque's teasing has more bite to it while Wukong's is a playful, if a bit childish, whining but both are so endearing nonetheless Nibby could say the exact same thing to them, delivered the same way and everything, and they'd both have VERY different reactions and that's what keeps me alive is the small differences

HUEHUEHUE goooood... honestly I was nervous about the BIG MOMENT of Wukong finally seeing Macaque, but I'm glad I conveyed the tension and panic inside Nibby well enough ;;;v;;;

THANK YOU AGAIN AND I HOPE EVERYTHING IN YOUR LIFE WILL BE GREAT YOU BEAUTIFUL BITCH

[tgcg]

ive been a tgcg fan ever since the earlyish days of the blog and i cant believe only now im going to send in an ask despite enjoying your work for a while now, going to fix that now i guess.. ahem.. i know you probably get dis alot but i jst wanna say i love love love your art, writing, playlists, comics & your interpretation of davekat as a whole, its a breath of fresh air and feels very 'in character' and comforting to me in a way? very silly and natural.. esp the dialogue in ur comix, it feels.. real,, i could reread your stuff for hours and stare at your pretty colour choices as well, vry awesum 😁 its been sooo cooool to see this blog improve &grow over time, i love going back here every now n again when i remember so i can like all the posts.. one of my fave piecez of yours is def the big dk week one, i love all of them actually but that one is spechul 2 me

..sorry if this is too long and/or annoying, i just had to gush over this blog cause its ceritified AWESOME. anyway, have a good day for the rest of ur days randy of tgcg 🍀🍀

hehe hey hell ya i recognise ur url from quite a while back!

thank u so so much. i rly have come a long way with my ms paint mouse skills since i started this blog, which honestly wasnt even the point of the blog remotely, but i just got so into doing it. its gotten 2 a point where i get a lil embarrassed looking @ some of my earlier stuff, but i just think abt how much fun i had doing it & that it made ppl happy, & it goes away. this blog has always been abt fun

not annoying at all, im always blown away by the kindness of my fwlrs, u guys r rlly rlly lovely ppl & its something i never wouldve expected out of making this blog. U R certified AWESOMESAUC !

i hope u also have a lovely 4ever & thank u for sticking with me 🧡

[butchyeons]

hiya!! been rereading the 3mix poly au, and i had a question abt nayeon’s leg, does she have scars from all of her surgeries?? does she feel any type of way abt them?? i have a quite a few from unrelated events but even then i know i get weird abt them around other ppl (sorry for the tmi but ur au makes me feel very seen so im just curious abt this)

i know jeonghyo like to reassure her and comfort her, is this included in that or does nayeon not really care about them?? just wondering, thanks for writing it and sharing it, i’m always looking forward to ur updates (but never any pressure!!)

happy holidays!! hope you’re taking care <3

hiii omg tysm for this question!! honestly i hadn’t considered her having any before, but i can certainly see it. like one long scar down the side of her right leg that never went away. i didn’t go into a lot of detail about the surgeries themselves (bc i don’t have a lot of expertise in things like that), but most of her leg is metal now 😭 rods had to be used to help in the process of her bones mending themselves back together, but she has to live with them now because her leg is just weak and she wouldn’t really be able to walk without them helping her

i think at first the sight of the scar would upset her, especially right after she got her cast off. mostly bc it’s a reminder of the accident itself. she still gets in her head about all of it when she’s in a lot of pain, tends to have more nightmares about it when she’s having a harder time than usual. she isn’t too concerned with her looks, really- for one, she knows she’s hot (she’s always been that way) and for another, her looks are really only meant for jeongyeon and jihyo. and they’re gonna love her no matter what she looks like. if anything, jeongyeon would think the scar looks really cool 😭 she would say her and nayeon match now, because jeongyeon’s covered in plenty of scars of her own due to her just being clumsy at work. so there’s a lot of comfort in that, since those two really tease each other about anything and everything. i can also see jihyo being the one who takes care of it the most. after nayeon helps with jihyo’s shots, jihyo would help nayeon put on any scar reducing lotion or creams or anything like that. it’s faded a lot over the years, but still. that’s how those two work- always taking care of each other’s bodies. jeongyeon tends to be more mental health focused and jihyo tends to be more physical health focused, if that makes sense

i can also definitely seeing it coming up while they’re having… fun. nayeon’s leg is sensitive in general, but i think it would be really sweet for jeongyeon or jihyo to give it kisses, to tell her how pretty she is or how proud of her they both are in the middle of stuff, esp if she’s been having a harder time lately. nothing is rlly off limits with those three. it helps nayeon feel better, helps her remember that the accident’s over and she has to keep going, and that she has the support she needs.

but in general, they always make sure to comfort her when she’s upset. she’s gotten good about being honest with how she’s feeling; she makes sure jeongyeon and jihyo both always know how she’s doing both mentally and physically. those two are extremely attentive with her, especially because she has a habit of pushing herself too far without meaning to- more than once one of them has come home and she’s fallen down and can’t get back up. and as much as nayeon wants to laugh it off, it terrifies both of them to death

now i rlly just want to say tysm for this ask!! i’m really happy people enjoy this au, and i’m even more happy that it helps people feel seen. it makes me feel incredibly seen, too, which is a lot of the reason why i write it. i want to write more for them soon, though. i’ve got a few… spicy ideas for them lmao, so hopefully you look forward to that. this au just means the world to me 🤕 it might not be the most popular thing i’ve written but, if it brings someone else comfort, i’m more than happy to keep writing it. plus i just love them. there’s never enough 3mix really

happy holidays to you too!! tysm again, srsly. this was rlly fun to talk about :3

[artisticxlly]

Fanfic Writer Review!

Ty for the tag @vvalllerie !! This was a fun excuse to talk about my fics :>

How many works do you have on Ao3?

6! I have 3 orphaned ones, if I remember correctly. Those were from a different fandom though! They were back in 2021 I'd say? But I've been writing for longer, I was on Wattpad back in the day when I was really young.

Considering that it's been... 73 days since I posted my first work I'd say I'm doing pretty okay! I do plan to post more stories next year too.

Your top 5 stories by Kudos:

1. "everything stays (though some things change)"

Yeahh, I get it! Veeery short and sweet Ushiten. Honestly, the amount of kudos does possibly have something to do with the exposure that one got (King if you see this, thank you ^^).

I do love me some reunion fluff! Honestly like with most of my wips, this just stayed in my drafts because of how short it is. I feel like I need to have something close to 10k to make it worth reading (which is objectively false, there are people who love short fics, obviously).

Anyway, I really like the dynamic in this one! Not much else to add, really.

2. "Kuroo Tetsurou's guide to rekindling feelings"

My first fic! I'm surprised it's this high up, considering it's a rare-r ship than the rest of what I posted thus far.

Though I do really like this one still! I like their dynamic and the small stings of angst still hold up well I'd say, I reread it the other day actually and was still very pleased with the dialogue and general writing.

It isn't really a super unique concept, it's still enjoyable based off vibes. I was DEEP into my Kurodai phase when I wrote this and needed something to satiate my specific needs for it lol.

3. "Scrapbooking"

Osasuna fluff! I'm happy people like it! As far as 'taking up space in my brain' goes, this did bleed heavily into the art I made at the time lol, there's a reason half of my Osasuna drawings are scenes that I also featured in the fic.

This one had a veeery peculiar writing process. It's a bad habit, but I basically wrote singular scenes and then more or less connected them, which fits the title too, ig! It's kind of bad for the pacing, I'd say, though.

I like their dynamic in this! And I'd say the scenes are pretty memorable. Also it's just really cute. I'm not toooo fond of the ending?

4. "Love was the law"

STILL LOVE THIS CONCEPT. Adore it. I remember ranting to some of my dear moots on discord while I was fleshing it out and I was so excited to write it! I don't think a lot of people have read the second chapter yet, but that's okay!

WHICH ALSO, this one made it into a fic recommendation??? Another Arankita enthusiast and writer made a post recommending it on Bluesky and I cannot describe how happy I was to hear that! I'm still thrilled about it!!

5. "Tension-filled reunion"

Okay, listen. I don't hate it! This one sat in my drafts for a while before posting it. The only reason I'm 'eh' about it is because it's very smut heavy. Which is fine! I'm just worried that sometimes people will judge me because I include smut a lot in fics (even though they're technically all skippable).

Daisuga is very cute, nonetheless. And the smut is good, again I don't hate it! Just not my fave, I'm not mad at all for this being low on the list ("Perseverance" has been out for like,, a day so it makes sense that that one takes spot number 6).

Do you respond to comments? Why or Why not?

I do if I feel like I can add something! I am not sure how to respond to comments that are just cheering but I do appreciate them!

Otherwise I love reading and responding to comments! I always appreciate it when people take the time to do so and I reread them all the time ^^' It's especially cool when they have a specific moment they really liked!

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

"Perseverance"? I guess it's angsty, very open-ended. I don't think I'll write a continuation, but it was refreshing to write hurt/comfort and not just pure fluff for once! I don't really like angsty endings, reading and writing them. Writing is veeeery indulgent and also escapism-induced for me so I like when things work out for the characters ^^ I can handle angst if it ends with comfort!

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

I guess they're tied since they all end happily? From a 'feels the most fullfilling for the characters' standpoints it's definitely "Love was the law", though. I mean they can't get much more content!

Do you write crossovers?

No, but the concept is kind of interesting? I don't think I'd ever write one, but mentally doing cross-overs as a form of character analysis is very fun for me and helps kind of solidify how I want the characters to act.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Not really? On one of my old fanfics I did receive criticism for the grammar/mistypes, but eh. It's not my first language and I am writing for free so it didn't really sting.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I do! I don't really have a set topic? Usually it is very feelings intense, I'd say. Vanilla is the wrong word, especially if you look at the Daisuga fic lmao

But poetic kind of fits the bill?? Idk I like it being more about what the characters see, think and say than what they are actually doing. More fun to write for me!

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Nooot that I'm aware of! I don't think they're popular enough/it wouldn't really be worth stealing them, assuming they're doing it for traction.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, but that'd be fun! If it was to German I could even help translate it! Though I'm not sure how big the German Haikyuu fandom is at the moment.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I have, but more for shits and giggles and like... Years back.

I do really like exchanging my ideas with mutuals!! It's fun to hear their thoughts on it and it frequently boosts my motivation to write!

What's your all-time favourite ship?

God, I couldn't pick if you put a gun to my head. Multishipper and Rarepair-enthusiast here, I usually have about 5 actively circling around in my empty void of a head and love them all super intensely. This goes for pretty much all fandoms I was/am in!

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

There's a Daisuga fic that I reaaaally like the concept of but I'm not into Daisuga atm and that's put a real hard stop on the writing for that one. The theme is about marriage and Suga's anxiety around it and aghhh I don't want to spoil it in case I ever do finish it.

Other than that? I have a ton of smaller fics, they all take up around 10 pages in my notes app so they're really short and I like the concepts but jesus finishing them? Uhhh

There's also a Bokuaka fic I'm trying really hard to finish! I'm very sorry Cece akdjs

What are your writing strengths?

Uhh I guess dialogue? It's one of my favourites to write so I would assume it's one of the things that sell well with my writing. Other than that I think people do enjoy my takes on the characters/how I portray the dynamics which means a great deal!! I put a lot of thought into those things

What are your writing weaknesses?

Pacing is a biiiggg thing, I'd say. If I lose steam I can rush scenes and there are scenes I will flesh out fully and for others I truly don't know where to go. I'm afraid that sometimes I writing can feel choppy too, it's a little difficult for me to write in one continuous flow.

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

I think it's difficult to protray it if I don't speak the other language, so usually I write it all in standard English and make note in the 'action' portion after the spoken words that it was said in a different language.

If I spoke the foreign language I think I'd write the words in that language! I think it adds a little mystery for the readers, even if I fear it could also get a bit annoying to translate for some (I think I'd make an author's note with the translations). I do really like multilingual hcs for characters!!

If there was a way I could add someone speaking German with it making sense I would. German can be really cute!

What's a fandom/ship you havent written for but want to?

I have soooooo much written for Danganronpa. A fanartist I follow (@/Hajihiko) infected me with the brainrot for it (for both writing and art) and I have a shitton of notes, but I don't think I'll ever post it. So do I necessarily waaaant to write for it? Ehh. Though I'm happy Danganronpa got me to be active on tumblr again, on a real note.

Ships I'd love to write for are: Hiruhoshi (that ship has been on my mind ALL DAY), Kagehina, Kuroken. (I have thoughts for them but not really something that could qualify as a fic?)

What's your favourite fic you've written?

"Love was the law". I'm still very proud of the concept and ughh, I like the ideas I put in there a lot. From Aran's family, to his childhood, to Kita's family dynamic... Yeah. I'm really glad I finished it while my Arankita phase was still in it's full force!

If you haven't read it... Here!

Tags: @youwerethedefeated @goatunderthebridge @sophistired18

No pressure to you guys!!! None at all /gen

[stellar-skyy]

SUGGESTED READING - ♡

NOTES: this is an ongoing list of some of my favourite works by my mutuals! there were many i wanted to include (because everyone is so talented omg) but i didn't want this list to be too long.

some of these writers have moved, but i have tagged their latest blog. if you wish to not be included here for whatever reason, let me know and i will remove you.

the blood of the covenant. — @romaritimeharbor ⤷ notes: addi's writing style will never fail to amaze me. every word of this had me giggling and kicking my feet, and reading it felt like a warm cup of tea. i adore the way the siblings are written, this is just so fluffy and lovely with a sprinkle of hurt/comfort for flavour. i love you endlessly! — @thexianzhoujade ⤷ notes: absolutely hearbreaking. this broke me. i have never emotionally recovered from this. written absolutely beautifully, in the most shattering way possible. will he change his mind about you? — @june-again ⤷ notes: this hit me right where it hurts, because i could see myself: desperately clinging to someone while quietly wondering when it was going to end. it honestly almost made me cry when i read it, because i remember when i was at a point in my life where i needed to hear those words and reading this felt like it healed something in me. 1989 - a blog event. — @aventurne ⤷ notes: to celebrate 1989 (tv) we were treated to a fic every day for almost a month from the lovely meisha! i was rereading them to pick one or two for this list, but i couldn't make up my mind so putting the event itselfl! my favourites are suburban legends, wildest dreams, and wonderland. the beautiful implications of kaveh’s missing hairbrush. — @june-again ⤷ notes: such a simple concept, but it is so sweet. i absolutely adore the way this is written, it's so comforting. absence. — @romaritimeharbor ⤷ notes: 10/10 kills me every time. the kaveh!dad au has a special place in my heart, but this fic especially. [name]'s grief is so painful to read, but seeing alhaitham comfort them... it's the best kind of hurt/comfort, where nothing really is okay anymore but you have each other. curtain call. — @rainswept ⤷ notes: my favourite lyney fic from THE lyney writer of all time. and this one. this one is my favourite out of your lyney fics. there's something so foreboding about it, every word feels closer to doom: to the curtain call, as it is titled. i'm never gonna have enough words that describe how well you write characters so i am just going to leave it at oh my god this was amazing. dancing with the fontainians. — @nervocat ⤷ notes: ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE. dancing. fontaine characters. i don't need to explain myself, you had me at dancing. this is very cute and fluffy. the art of war. — @ryuryuryuyurboat ⤷ notes: the first fic i read from the lovely miss yukari! i love this so much, cafe aus are a guilty pleasure of mine and this one was so fun. i'm still giggling at the idea of kokomi just blue-screening after getting asked out.

[lovova]

2024 Writing Recape

The year is just about over, so time to do a recap of what I've written this year!

In truth, this was a really slow year for me. My original work slowed down to a crawl and it was tough to find the time or energy to really work on the writings I wanted to. But! I still did do some, and I wanted to give myself credit for that, so here we go!

January: Wrote 'Rescuing Dumb Trailblazing Heroes', an Oumota oneshot that I rushed out to try to qualify for a zine. For being a rush job though, I still enjoy re-reading it, which is my main criteria for my own writing~

February: 'Pomegranate Kiss and' and 'A Universal Constant', two Oumota Oneshots that I believe I did for Ouumota weekend? Fun fact, Universal Constant actually got a Podfic version put out by the talented ArashiPodfics, which I'll link to at the end if this entry. It was so cool, still very honored they put in the time to do something like that: https://archiveofourown.org/works/58555561

March: I think this was when I managed to finish a VERY rushed first draft of Hanahaki Original Story, and honestly? That might be the start of me burning out this particular year with my original work. I think I just pushed myself too hard.

April: Nothing.

May: 'What Comes Next', an Oumota oneshot. I don't remember if I made this fic for an event or not or just felt like it. I like this one though, it ends with a fun premise.

June: June was Oumota Week and I always try to participate as much as I can with those, so here's the list of pieces I put out for it: 'Amore e' Caffe', 'Reset' (a personal favorite, I've reread it so many times), an update to 'I don't Gotta Worry About What's Impossible', 'The Hero, The Trickster & The Demon Prince' (This one was a monster to write, it's more of a novella than a oneshot), 'Courting Through Murder' and another update to 'How to Survive to the End of the World'.

July: Nothing.

August: Some VGCP updates. In truth I don't really know when I update VGCP, I might have done a chapter in July too, but August was my last update and I think I only managed three updates this year. I'm not sure about that, it might have been more, but VGCP is that endless story I use as a writing warm-up for my Original Works, and because my Original Works took such a huge hit this year, VGCP suffered along with them.

September: Nothing.

October: Nothing

November: Nope.

December: Doesn't look like it. Though, this month I have started copyediting VGCP in order to get back into the story and refamiliarize myself with everything that's happened so far. But for new content put out to be read by anyone? Nah.

So, that's my 2024! Yeah, it's been a pretty intense writers block for six months now and for my originals writers block for most of the year, but you know what? Seeing what I did manage to get done written out like that does make me realize I wrote more than I was giving myself credit for. And honestly, even if it hadn't done that? I was busy this year, and writing is my hobby, not a job, and sometimes you're just doing other things, and that's okay.

I hope everyone else had a good 2024, and I hope 2025 is better! See you guys in the New Year!

[rendy-a]

Congratulations on 500 followers 🎉🎊🎉🎊🎉🎊🎉 hope you get more btw 🤗

Anyways so far the event reads are super entertaining and great so if its alr can i get yandere idia after the dance?? Ignore if you wish 👍

Funny thing about writing fics, sometimes you think your fic is a mess but when you reread over the draft, its not half bad.  I remember starting this out and thinking, if its after the dance, then surely, they have to meet in an unusual way because Idia won’t be coming to that dance by free will…

There were so many things to remember from this night; the dance, your outfit, and hanging out with both new and old friends.  As the lights flickered off in the gardens, you sadly realized the magical night was over.  Only, you knew you’d never be able to sleep after this much excitement.  Maybe that was why you’d agreed to stay behind and help pick up trash from the tables in the cafeteria.  Plus, you weren’t completely alone.  “Thanks for keeping me company, Ortho,” you say as you give the AI boy a smile.  “It was my pleasure, Prefect!” he cheerfully replies. 

You look around at the dim cafeteria and realize, “Gosh, it is so quiet in here with nobody around.”  Ortho takes on a look of calculation before replying, “You are correct, no other lifeforms are detected in over 100 meters from this position.”  You laugh at how he took your innocent comment and turned it into such a scientific response, “Good to know.  Now no one will hear me scream.  Just like a B Horror movie.”  Ortho looks very amused by this, “Are you a fan of B Horror movies, Prefect?  My brother loves those!  You should come over to Ignihyde sometime and watch one with us!”  Watch movies with Idia?  You didn’t want to say anything to Ortho about his brother but, honestly, you weren’t sure he even knew who you were.  Really, if it hadn’t been for the whole ‘kidnapped by a ghost’ thing, you wouldn’t know him either. 

“Oh yeah?  That sounds like, um, great fun.  We should totally hang out some time,” you end politely.  “Ah! I’m so happy you feel that way, Prefect!  I’d love for Brother to spend more time with you!” Ortho says happily with a hand to his mouth like he couldn’t contain his smile behind that metal cover.  “Yeah, why not.  You can let him know to come see me…just whenever it is convenient for you,” you say offhandedly.  “Transmission complete.” You look over, “Hmm?”  Oh, the table Ortho was working on was now clean and…you look down at your own area, so was yours.  In fact, you’d hardly noticed but you and Ortho had finished collecting all the trash in the room.  “I guess it is complete,” you say looking back at Ortho with a smile, “Do you need me to walk you home?” 

Ortho gets a mischievous look in his eye, “No, Prefect, I’ll be fine.  My brother equipped me with everything I needed for nighttime navigation.  He would do anything to make me happy and I’m sure he’d do the same for you too.”  You didn’t really know what to say so you stammered a reply, “I..I’m sure he would.”  This was apparently the correct answer as a very cheerful Ortho waved enthusiastically as he floated off.  You watch him go before turning to begin your own trek home. 

Good thing you weren’t afraid of the dark.  Otherwise, this campus could be a frightening place.  The gothic architecture reminded you of a vampire’s castle and the bats circling the towers did nothing do dispel that mood.  The eerie blue glow dancing across the pavers made the whole place seem like a path to an undead underworld.  Wait.  There shouldn’t be a blue glow on this path.  After all your earlier bluster, you were now generally freaked out.  You looked back, considering taking the back way home but that convoluted path would take you at least half an hour to walk.  No, you lived with ghosts, you could deal with whatever supernatural entity this was.  You’d just be careful.

You crept carefully down the path until you came to a glowing blue hedge.  You could see the eerie flames came from deeper within.  You gathered your courage and rushed forward, parting the hedge and shouting mightily, “Arrgghhhh!”  You had no plan but, luckily for you, you didn’t need one.  The frightened occupant of the hedge screamed louder than you did and fell back on his bottom, “AAAHHHH!”  You meet eyes and continue screaming for a solid twenty seconds until the flickering blue flames finally illuminated enough of his face for you to recognize your supernatural stalker was only Idia. 

“What are you doing here?” you hiss out quietly at the cowering dorm leader.  “You…you invited me, so I came!  B.but, I got nervous about random encounters and decided to take a pit stop to wait for my stamina to recharge,” he stuttered out.  You give him a puzzled look, “I…invited you?”  He flushes deeply and his hair gets a pink tinge to the ends, “Ortho, he passed on your message.  That, that you wanted to see me…to hang out…” Then he looks away, tapping his index fingers together like a schoolgirl.  Wait, what exactly had you said to Ortho?  “I thought I said he shouldn’t mention it until he saw you next.  I didn’t mean to drag you out of bed or anything.” 

Idia gets a rare sharp-toothed grin when explaining, “Ortho is set up with Wi-Fi, local transmission, and the ability to connect to outdated landline technology.  We are always in touch.”  Then he seems to feel overwhelmed about having said so much, “P.plus, I’m never asleep this early s.so, you shouldn’t worry about me.”  You still felt guilty, you had inadvertently dragged an introvert out into the wild with no real reason.  The guilt prompted you to come up with an impromptu excursion to drag your new acquaintance on.  “So, want to walk around the main street?  I guess you don’t really get to see the busy areas of the school much, huh?”  He blinks at you owlishly before giving you a shy grin and a nod. 

“Here are the Great Seven statues,” you remark in a very tour-guide tone.  You nod your head toward the stature of the Queen of Hearts, “Grim and I sort of burnt that one down once.”  Idia looks at you, “Oh yeah?” he drawls with a knowing grin.  “I…I mean we were MINORLY involved.  It was really Ace’s fault mostly!  I’m not some hoodlum or anything!” you hurriedly backtrack on that comment.  He pulls his hands into his body in surprise at your sudden outburst and stammers, “I…I know…I believe you.” 

You cringe at what a weirdo you sound like.  Not that you are the only one who had some weird moments this night.  Earlier, you’d randomly pointed out a bench you like to sit on, and Idia had taken a picture of it with his phone.  How much of a shut-in do you have to be before someone’s favorite bench seems picture worthy?  “Maybe next time we will sit on it together,” you’d joked only to have Idia flush instead of laugh.  Maybe he isn’t ready for jokes today.

Time for a topic change, “Which of the statues is your favorite?” you ask suddenly.  “Me?  You want to know my favorite? I never thought you’d want to know about me…” Idia trails off in a mumble before responding, “Ah!  I like the King of the Underworld.  A.and not just because I’m from Ignihyde!  He is just so cool.  He devotes himself to his work but still had time to find someone to make his bride.  I..I try to imitate his work ethic…and other things…”

The silence lingers after Idia finishes until he asks quietly, “Which one is your favorite?”    It was an interesting question as you had no dorm affiliation to influence your choice.  You don’t really want to think too hard about things in the middle of the night, so you shrug and point to one.  “Th.the King of Beasts?” Idia asks in surprise.  “Hmm,” you hum in agreement, “It’s a cat.”  Then you meet his eyes and burst out into laughter.  He surprises you by letting out a small chuckle too; I guess he is ready for some jokes after all.  “I didn’t know we had so much in common.  I also like kitties.” he says quietly before you nod toward the path and continue your way onwards toward Ramshackle. 

You reach the fence bounding the hill on which Ramshackle lies and lean onto it, weaving your arms between the spiked bars that top it.  “Home sweet home.  It doesn’t look like much now, but you should have seen it when it was all decorated up by Diasomnia during Halloween.”  He gives you a small smile and remarks, “I saw it.  I had Ortho fly over and take video for me.”  You bump him with your elbow, “Keeping an eye on me, eh?”  He does not take that as the joke you meant it to be and goes into a panicked fluster, “N.No!  Not..not at all!  It…It was for research purposes.  RESEARCH ONLY!”  You laugh, “Relax, I’m only teasing you.”  He was fun to tease, you decide.

“I thought it looked great.  I was sort of jealous of the costumes.  I think it would have been fun to dress up in one,” you muse, allowing the subject to change.  “Do..do you like to cosplay?” Idia asks carefully.  “Hmm, I don’t know if like is really the word.  Maybe say I’m interested in it,” you say as you think it over, “Like when you see a really great costume online and it makes you feel excited to try it out.  You know?”  You push back from the wall and give Idia a nice smile as you seek out his acknowledgment.  He returns your smile, “Yeah, like sometimes you see something really cute and think ‘I wonder what they’d look like in this.’” 

“They?” you tease, “Who is they?  Do you have a special someone Idia?”  If you thought you’d flustered him before, that was nothing to the reaction you got now.  The tips of his hair turned so crimson that, for a moment, the blaze was red-hot enough to warm you.  “NO!  I DON’T HAVE ANYONE IN MIND!  But I mean if I did, I wouldn’t brag about it to everyone, I’d keep them safe and secret.  It would be great to have a person to do this sort of thing with.  Maybe someday…”  From there, you aren’t sure if his mumbles get too quiet or if you are laughing too loudly to hear them. 

Then you reached your door and stopped at the entry to say goodnight to your companion.  “That was a fun time.  You should get out more often.”  He looks at the ground mostly, but you catch him gazing at you through his lashes as he says, “If you invite me, I’ll come again.”  You smile, “Sure.  I don’t mind, its not like you kept me waiting or anything.”  Idia’s expression becomes deathly pale, and his mouth works without producing any sound.  “Oh, don’t worry.  I’m not mad.  Even though you took that rest in a bush, you still showed up surprisingly fast.  I’m surprised you managed to get there that fast from Ignihyde and all.  What, did you actually jog all that way?  I think there must be a surprising amount I don’t know about you, Idia Shroud.”  Then, with a wave of your hand, you slipped inside and left the shocked Idia standing at your doorway.  He really was easy to tease. 

As you climb the stairs to your room you are stuck with your parting statement.  You hadn’t consciously thought about it, but Idia HAD appeared in that bush far faster than he’d have been able to if he came from Ignihyde.  Had he been on campus doing something?  Idia the famous introvert?  Now, when it was too late to ask, you wonder what he might have been doing prior to meeting up with you.  Perhaps, if you ever met up again, you’d remember to ask him what had interested him enough to tear him out of his room while everyone else was dancing. 

The whole ‘hang out’ had taken a surprisingly short amount of time, only around half an hour.  But after the long dance and clean-up were added in, it was enough to make you ready to turn in for the night.  So, you shucked off your formal wear and put on a comfy outfit and headed to bed.  You grab the top layer of bedding and fold it over giving yourself a way to slide into bed.  Before you can though, you puzzledly examine your pillow.  A single strand of writhing blue hair lays upon it.  You twirl it around in your fingers, ‘I guess it must have transferred to me from earlier and fallen off,’ you think.  How odd but…not odd enough to keep you up longer.  You flick your fingers, sending the wayward strand floating off to the floor to be swept up some other day. 

Then you slip inside your comfy bed and let your mind wander as it does before sleep claims you.  I wonder if Idia gets hot when he is in bed?  That flame hair must heat things up pretty fast.  Funny to think about because tonight, you feel like your own bed is somehow still warm as though remembering the heat of a recent occupant.  But that just must be your imagination.  A bed can’t stay warm all day like that. 

[envysparkler]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💗

Fairy Godbrother

What are brothers for? (Or: some minor dimensional travel, pseudo-kidnapping, and a whole lot of meddling.)

I love that I could include all three of my favorite brotherly dynamics in this one and that I could add a new flavor to each chapter. Honestly I'm proud of all the multichapters I've finished, so this one goes on the list for sure.

Red Hood

Gotham doesn’t relinquish her soldiers, no matter how far they’ve fallen from the nest.

As the longest batfam fic I've finished, this obviously makes the cut. I wanted to write a Jason-centric story exploring the emotions behind his return and I like the way this turned out.

sick day

Tim isn’t sick. He isn’t. He just isn’t sure when a floating red bucket joined the Teen Titans.

A TT AU had to join the list, right? Honestly, this story never fails to crack me up and I love rereading it because sick!Tim is so funny and poor Jason is so very exasperated.

scapegoat

“The medkit’s been misfiled,” Bruce said, frowning at the cupboard in the medbay, “Do you know who did it?” “I don’t know,” Tim’s voice said. Great. Outright denial. Because Batman could be fooled that easily. “I saw Jason here last night.” Wait. Wait. Abort—“Does he remember the correct filing system?” (The first time was an accident. A momentary panic, brought on by coffee deprivation and exhaustion. After that…well.)

This is another that joins the list because it's hilarious. Writing batsib shenanigans is so much fun and Jason's well-deserved revenge at the end is one of my favorite parts.

robin's roast

There’s a new coffee shop in Crime Alley. It’s called the Red Hood.

I always wanted to write a coffee shop au that wasn't just a coffee shop au and this idea fit that perfectly. Also joins the list because I had fun writing Steph in this one.

[purble-gaymer]

F (< this is a really good one i think everyone would want to get this one), H, J (any fic), K, X

for the ask game :]

F: Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you've written and explain why you're proud of it.

god that is a good one but it's also a HARD one. i feel like let me see your bones in its entirety is high up there if only because it is very personal to me. there's a lot of good stuff in wwtmk and unfortunate result AGH!!! this is so hard. i have a couple from unfortunate result i wanna talk about though

mk and the salesman's dynamic is so interesting to me and i never get to do anything with it. i loved writing this. the salesman jumpscare. meta knight anger out of fear moments. destroya confirmation. this is probably my favorite flashback in the fic

i think i'm gonna explode looking back over this fic. cafe brawl and the cooldown after it are probably two of my favorite parts. god. guys this experience means so much to me even if i completely fabricated it myself. it is such an important bonding moment for the knights especially when blade is the one breaking down because of it. and the aftermath of sword and meta knight having their little chat...is it normal to want to cry over your own work

okay okay last one. i really enjoyed writing this nightmare scene. showing first that meta knight asked for sword and blade's help above all else, his uneasiness as he realizes something is wrong, and a final call in desperation before nightmare reveals himself. i loooove writing these nightmares they're so fun. i feel like i have a really strong idea of what the realm is like and i need to do more with it

i may have gotten distracted rereading some of this fic while answering this. need to sue myself for emotional damages.

H: How would you describe your style?

i like to make things an appropriate amount of flowery. i love romantic/gothic era lit that really digs into descriptions, and it's been a goal in my writing for a long time now to get better with that, because when i started off i hated writing descriptions. i think i've improved on it a lot over the past couple years. i like to linger on little details to try and make my writing feel more immersive. i want my readers to be able to feel the breeze on their face and smell the autumn leaves, yknow? my imagination can be pretty strong sometimes and i want to do everything i can to translate those feelings onto paper. it's tough, but that's what makes it fun, and all the more satisfying when you write it out.

J: Write or describe an alternative ending to any fic.

hum. honestly the biggest one that comes to mind is that there's an alternate universe where meta knight dies at the end of know your place. i think if i wrote it today i might've followed through with that, but who knows. aside from that, for most of my fics i'm not conflicted about the ending. i know where i want the story to go, the harder part is deciding how i'm going to get there. i think i jumped between a few ideas for unfortunate result, but i don't really remember many of them. that fic had a pretty messy development, i had a lot of ideas and many of them ended up getting cut or changed into something else.

K: What's the angstiest idea you've ever come up with?

what do you think? :) i certainly have a lot of "meta knight gets tortured by nightmare" plots but one of these things is not like the others...especially once arthur gets involved.

X: A character you enjoy making suffer.

meta knight. meta knight. sword. blade. meta knight. falspar. meta knight. meta knight. meta knight

[maddiesbookshelves]

📚🗓 Mid-Year Freakout Tag 2024 🗓📚

Thank you @cleopatras-library for the tag ☺️

How many books have you read so far?

10 novels, 2 graphic novels and uh, like 10 or more manga? I don't track all of them

What genres have you read?

Fantasy, historical, romance and mystery. Sometimes several of those in the same book

Best book you’ve read so far in 2024?

Probably The Briar Book Of The Dead, by A. G. Slatter if we're talking about novels only. But the graphic novel Rivages Lointains by Anaïs Flogny is just so good, I'm obsessed with it. If you can, please read it, it's French but it's been translated into English and Italian

Best sequel you’ve read so far in 2023?

The only ones I've read were either manga or the full Dr. Greta Helsing trilogy by Vivian Shaw, which I've read back to back. So either that (book 3, Grave Importance), or the manga Requiem Of The Rose King, by Aya Kanno, that I reread and finally finished after YEARS (yes the ending ended ME)

New release you haven’t read yet, but want to

There are way too many, and I keep seeing more at work, I'm gonna die of frustration. Evocation by S. T. Gibson is eyeing me very strongly because of the internet. As is The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal, from where it's sitting on my coworker's display (it only came out in February in France)

Most anticipated release for the second half of the year

I don't know honestly. The one book I was really waiting for this year was A Crane Among Wolves because I loved June Hur's previous books, and since I've read it now (it's very good btw), I'm not waiting for anything else

Update I learned something as I was writing this post: HEAVENLY TIRANT MIGHT STILL BE COMING OUT THIS YEAR???? DECEMBER 24????? MERRY FUCKING CHRISTMAS TO US???? HELLO?????? After Xiran told us the release date had been pushed back I thought for sure it would come out next year but apparently not so YEAH THAT'S MY MOST ANTICIPATED RELEASE OF THE YEAR, PERIOD

Biggest disappointment

It's a toss between How To Kill Your Family by Bella Mackie, and A Far Wilder Magic by Allison Saft, for reasons that are very different. If it wasn't for that ending, How To Kill Your Family wouldn't even be there but unfortunately. And A Far Wilder Magic just wasn't for me. I didn't expect it to be YA romantasy so I was sorely disappointed

Biggest surprise

Probably A Sign Of Affection by Suu Morishita? Don't get me wrong, I love shoujo (I know, I don't like romance novels but I love shoujo, it makes no sense, don't look at me) and I thought I would like it but I didn't expect to like it this much

Book that made you cry

I cry so often when I read/watch/listen to things that it all gets mixed up in my memories. I think I cried for Rivages Lointains, I definitely cried for Requiem Of The Rose King HAHA. I might have cried for Run Away With Me, Girl by Battan, I'm not sure. All of those are manga by the way, I don't remember if I cried reading a novel this year

Book that made you happy

The Bandit Queens made me happy because the ending was great (unlike How To Kill Your Family) which healed me a little

Most beautiful book cover of a book you’ve read so far this year

Aaaaaaa I don't know. The cover (and sprayed edges) for the French edition of A Far Wilder Magic are a big part of why I even bought it in the first place, but also A Crane Among Wolves...... And of course Aya Kanno's art is just so beautiful, all the covers for the Requiem Of The Rose King series are 👌

How are you doing with your year’s goal?

I had set a goal of 40 on goodreads/storygraph but I might have underestimated how work would impact my reading habits. But also, I'm not dead set on reaching that goal, I just want to read

What books do you need to read by the end of the year?

I'd love to read more of the books I already own because it's becoming a problem. Other than that, there's no urgent need

That was fun so if anyone wants to join in, please feel free!