#hqbrofest

[hqbrofest]

Rookie Fic Rec List

Nice receive!

Curiosity

by museicalitea

"I'm glad you said yes to Sawamura back then."

Unspoken: I'm glad I got to meet you, Shimizu Kiyoko. We're not so dissimilar, huh?

A neat little story where Shimizu and Shirofuku enjoy a quiet, neat conversation together about how they both became volleyball managers if their respective teams. (-Haru).

A Trip to the Zoo

by FantyWrites

Oikawa paused as he was about to take a bite out of his milk bread, “You want us to what now?”

Matsukawa looked to his three friends with his usual neutral expression, “Chaperone a trip to the zoo for my sister.”

Oikawa bit into his favorite snack looking unamused, “So we’re going to be watching over a bunch of babies?”

Or

The seijou third years chaperone a school trip to the zoo. What could possibly go wrong?

The Seijoh third years don't know what they're in for in this fun and bubbly fic! Definitely give this one a read if you're looking for some babysitting sheaningans. (-Oranges)

witches, wild animals and other things inside our castle

by heartattacked

“Hey, ‘Samu,” says Atsumu, nudging the other boy’s elbow. “Do you love me?”

Melancholy, mystery and magic combine in this fic to create an unusual dynamic between prince Atsumu and his not-twin Osamu. Vivid colours saturate a canvas that promises more, and the end of the first chapter is intriguingly enigmatic. Definitely food for thought. Work in progress. (- Kuroi)

The Best Laid Plans of Cats and Owls

by Stacysmash

“We need to hurry, Oikawa should be back within the next half hour. It’s his birthday tomorrow and he’s been down about it.” “Why would he be down about his birthday?!” Bokuto cried. “Because we have an important practice tomorrow night and he can’t go home. Plus, his friends can’t make it up here tonight so we gotta make it really special. Any thoughts?” Simultaneously, Kuroo and Bokuto perked up and began to spit out their ideas, and besides several moments where Daichi slapped his palm against his face, they developed the perfect plan of action.

A fic as bubbly as the friends that populate it. If I had to sum it up in two words - birthday pedicures. Our boy Oikawa deserves a good celebration once in a while, and this is it in spades. I love Kuroo’s mom, everyone needs her in their lives. (- Kuroi)

Meeting Memories

by PsychologicalColors

Shōyō is five when his mother told him he was going to be a big brother.

Natsu is born after Shōyō turns six.

It’s late August and the afternoon has barely begun when Shōyō goes to visit his mother. He’s holding his father’s hand as they walk through the corridor. When she looks up, she smiles at her husband and son and beckons them over quietly.

A super adorable story that will give you cavities from the unfiltered sweetness. Following the Hinata siblings from Natsu’s babyhood to Shouyou joining college, every snippet blossoms with warmth. You just want to be adopted into this big, happy family. (- Kuroi)

Hidden Behind the Ferns

by Grand_Guardian_Deity

A snapshot of Yachi’s life in the big city, and the people she meets there. Reminds me of a Polaroid photo in many ways - spontaneous, pastel-coloured, hinting at more beyond the edges of the picture. The unusual choice of Nishinoya for a childhood friend made for a cute and supportive relationship. (- Kuroi)

what could you be

by mangothief

For a guy who tries to avoid making friends as much as humanly possible, Kyoutani Kentarou has managed to pick up a really weird, really annoying, really loud one.

The rarepair bros I never knew I needed - Tanaka and KyouKen. Packed to bursting with sharp wit and manly but adorable interactions, this isn’t so much a story as an in-depth character study. Kyoutani may be the narrator, but a snarky Yahaba runs away with the show. (- Kuroi)

Liberosis

by shittykawa_chan

n. The desire to care less about things - to loosen up your grip on your life, to stop glancing back behind you every few steps, afraid that someone will snatch it from you before you reach the end zone - rather to hold you life loosely and playfully, like a volleyball, keeping it in the air, with only quick fleeting interventions, bouncing freely in the hands of trusted friends, always in play.

Sometimes you just need someone new in your life to help you let go and change how you want to live.

Oikawa Tooru gets to grips with his new team in university, and maybe makes some friends along the way. A rather wistful Uni AU, with the hope, or challenge, of ever expanding growth for our Grand King setter. (-Lethey)

senior management

by mangothief

During her last year as Datekou's manager, Mai meets Yachi and finally gets the disciple she deserves. Futakuchi’s gonna be so jealous when she tells him.

A cute story about Yachi and Mai, managers of two very rambuctious teams, becomign friends. The best thing about this story, hands down, is the sarcastic internal monologue of Mai, who is Very Done, and I can't really blame her because she has to deal with Futakuchi on a daily basis.(-Lethey)

Roles to Fill

by angeltrumpets

After Karasuno loses the Battle at the Trash Heap, the reality that the third years are going to be leaving becomes more apparent. Yachi in particular is worried about whether she really is ready to be the team's sole manager.

The quiet and supportive moment Hinata and Yachi shares in this piece feels very human and real in it's restraint. And so it provides comfort and closure for the aftermath of its premise. A wonderfully serene read! (-Oranges)

A Brother's Duty

by dayoldcupcake

Natsu is acting weird; that is to say, she doesn't worship Shoyo like she use to.

There aren't enough fics that explore Natsu and Shoyo's relationship. And this one is a lovely little story about Shoyo defending Natsu from her bullies, along with a little help from his friends. If you want something cute and sweet to read, this is definitely the one for you! (-Oranges)

to infinity and beyond

by leafsong

In the wake of Nationals, they train, and train, and train, until even Hinata is too tired to jump anymore.

Hinata and Kageyama will always find ways to move forward, and in leafsong's ‘to infinity and beyond’ the Oni and Oni wonder duo share a moment after losing Nationals. The intensity of the wonder duo can almost be felt in the story, the thirst for improvement nearly tangible. A wonderful short read! (-Oranges)

[crollalanzaa]

Title: Ch 2 of How You Play the Game ~ A Rest Day Characters: Ojiro Aran, Miya Twins, Suna, Ginjima, Oomimi, Akagi, Kita, Yukimura Kaage (OC) Rating: Gen Tags: team dynamics,  A/N: And here is chapter two, from the POV of long suffering Ace, Ojiro Aran. Written for @hqbrofest Champion Tier.

Chapter one is here

Chapter Summary:  Sometimes all Aran wants to do is play. Other times (infrequent it's true) he wants to escape and not have to think about moronic twins, a shit-stirring Middle Blocker, and the underground tensions bubbling under the surface that threaten to spill over. So when a practice is cancelled, he takes a rest day. A day by himself to eat ice cream. But with the clouds gathering outside as well as in, he finds himself brooding on far more than team dynamics.

Ojiro Aran had three aims written in his journal for his third year at Inarizaki.

Win the Inter-High

Win the Spring High

Become a top three ace

If he achieved either one of the first two, then the third would be far nearer his grasp, but right now it was not quite in his reach and he was still hovering—along with others in his scion—around the four, five and six mark.

The first two were not pipe dreams. Semi-finalists at the last Spring-High, and the Powerhouse school of their Prefecture, only a severe run of bad luck would stop them qualifying, especially as they had both Miya Twins playing this year, and if they hit form … (what was it about the word ‘if’, they were never not on form.)

Bad luck?

Was there such a thing? Surely you made your own luck, although Shinsuke would say none of it was luck but the application of skill lain down by diligence and practise.

But Aran just knew that luck had its place, and no team could ride on it forever.

His phone flashed up a message in the team chat, and he clicked on it—somewhat wearily—wondering what idiocy Atsumu or Gin were spamming the chat with. But instead the message was from Shinsuke and he stared hard, rereading twice in case it was an error, before he sighed.

[A pipe in the changing rooms burst overnight and is being repaired this afternoon therefore practise at the school is cancelled until Monday]

Atsumu had slammed out a response. [We can still meet up, right???]

[Other courts are already being used. Coach Kurosu-san has managed to book time at the University, but that is for Sunday.]

[We could go to the park!!!] Atsumu continued. [‘Samu and I’ll be there at 12!!!!]

[Will we?]

[Yeah, we will!]

[‘Samu don’t sound so sure] Suna had joined in, adding a smirk emoji. [Is he still asleep?]

Osamu’s response took a while, so maybe he was asleep. [Just … the park???]

[What’s wrong with that?]

[Cuz, ‘Tsumu, you get too excited by the swings and the BIG scary slide.]

[And the paddling pool] Suna agreed.

And just as Atsumu began to send a series of unfunny stickers basically declaring his disgust for his brother and teammate, Shinsuke stepped in.

[If people want to meet in the park, then that is fine. It will be unofficial, and I’m trusting you NOT to overdo things. Equally, if you want to do your own thing, then that is acceptable. Training at the University is at three pm tomorrow. Meet outside the school at 2:15]

Do my own thing … is that possible?

[bnhabrofest]

THE RULES OF BRO

Heya, we’ve had a few requests from people who weren’t able to check the rules on mobile tumblr, so have a post!

Our main tag on tumblr is: #bnhabrofest

THE WRITING BIT AND TIERS

All participants need to have an AO3 account. Please sign-up here. Sign-ups close on March 7 (PST).

All works have to be new and made for the challenge.

You must join a tier. If, in the course of writing, you wish to change tiers, please message an admin. The deadline for changing tiers is March 7th. After this date you cannot change tiers.

You may however join more than one tier, or join the same tier more than one time. For instance: if you want to write three short stories, you can apply for the Rookie tier three times. Submit one fic to each tier you join.

Please fill in the application form for each fic you want to submit during the challenge.

Flash fiction is the only exception to these rules. In Flash Fiction you can submit a chaptered compilation of tiny stories. For this tier you can publish a minimum of one 50-100 word story, or an anthology of several flash fiction stories. When submitting several flash fiction stories, please bundle them in one compilation for ease of use.

You may work in collaboration with others. We are providing a text channel on Discord if you want to look there. If you are collaborating with someone, it’s enough to submit one form for the fic you both will be working on.

Both one-shots and chaptered fics (compilations, longfics/multi-chaps) are accepted. In the case of chaptered fics, your total word count is counted towards your tier.

ABOUT THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP

Works must have as their main focus a friendship and/or platonic relationships.

You can pick the theme or genre yourself. You may write angst, fluff, post-apocalyptica, religiously inspired iambic pentameters, whatever. As long as the main focus is on a Platonic Relationship.

Smut is not allowed.

Romantic sub plots or side pairs are allowed, as long as they don’t get in the way of the power of friendship. As an example: Todoroki and Midoriya practicing and finding strength in their friendship is OK. Todoroki helping Midoriya and coaching him on how to get a date with Uraraka in the course of said story, is OK. A story in which the main event is Todoroki going out with Midoriya, is NOT OK. If you feel the need to make your first tag ‘name x name’, and not ‘name & name’, then you’re doing it wrong.

ABOUT THE CHALLENGE AND SUBMITTING

This is a two month challenge. It starts on the 1st of March 2018 and ends on 30th of April 2018 (March 1 -  April 30).

Submission time/Deadline is on the 1st of May, 12:00 AM up to the 3rd of May, 11:59PM (May 1 - May 3). Please put your Tier in the tags. (e.g. BNHA Brofest Master Tier)

The goal of the challenge is to reach a set number of words by the end of it: the tier you applied for. This means that total published word count of your fic, by the time of the deadline, is what counts for the challenge. For chaptered fics, we count whatever is published on the deadline, even if more chapters are coming later.

If by the end of the challenge your fic is is unfinished or does not reach the minimum word count for your tier, please do still post whatever you have.

Please post your works on AO3, to the Brofest collection. To do so, go here. Click ‘Post to collection’ and publish your work as usual. The admins will check your fic and approve it, before it is visible in the challenge.

Please tag the tier you applied for. It’s ok if you’ve gone under, or gone over the word count. This was a challenge, you challenged yourself.

We do ask you to wait with publishing your entry to other platforms (such as tumblr or Wattpad) until after the challenge is finished, on the Fourth of May. We will be happy to reblog your stories on tumblr after the challenge.

You can absolutely link to the fic on AO3 before that time. Just don’t publish the full text on other platforms until May 4 (may it be with you).

QUESTIONS?

If you have any more questions, don’t hesitate to contact us here or on twitter.

[cakemoney]

For HQ Brofest Challenge

See, here’s the thing: Karasuno Hero Academy was known for producing excellent Heroes precisely because of its experiential requirements. Every student, before they could be allowed to graduate and be licensed, had to first complete a Quest or perform a Heroic Deed (see definitions and criteria in Appendix B). If all it took to become a Hero was going to school, Hitoka’s mother had said, there’d be Heroes all over the place, there’d be a shortage of jobs and Heroes probably would no longer be subsidized by governments.

“You’d have Heroes on the streets letting people take pictures with their badges for five hundred yen,” she had said, shaking her head. Yachi Madoka had the kind of condemning head shake that petrified most people. Including Hitoka. “Back in my day, we didn’t have any kind of monetary compensation, you had to be really dedicated—”

“So breaking a curse,” Hitoka had said, scanning Appendix B in the thick student handbook. “Rescuing a princess—those count as Heroic Deeds? No matter what the curse is or what the princess is rescued from?”

Here’s my HQ Brofest piece! I've been so excited about this story for so long, it’s got Yachi’s character development and fun satirical jabs at fantasy tropes and—okay it’s a Shrek joke. It’s all a shrek joke. God my first long piece and it’s inspired by Shrek I still can’t believe.

Anyway, this challenge gave me the perfect excuse to start working on it, and then busy season came along and just ran me over, but here’s the first chapter anyway! I promise within a few weeks (end of April maybe, but I’m not making any promises because then I will break them) I should have the second chapter up. Hope y’all enjoy!

[lethesomething]

HQ Brofest is here

So I tried my hand at flash fic... Not entirely sure if I’m getting it right but ya gotta start somewhere.

Check out my tiny fairy tale AU here. Do let me know what you think.

For more gen fic goodness about the power of friendship, you can see the entire listing here.

[ezzydean]

In Leaves of Astrye the infamously evil Dark Lord and the majestically kind Hero of Light team up to save their world from the evil sweeping through it like a plague. On Earth Tooru and Asahi do their best to save each other from what constitutes to their daily grind, with the occasional struggle of soulmates and conspiracies and mysterious figures in the billowing fog.

DaRkLoRd: hey check out this link DaRkLoRd: >>>3 aliens walk into a diner and take it over, what happens next will SHOCK you hero_0f_light: …

 Characters: Oikawa Tooru, Azumane Asahi, Sawamura Daichi, Tanaka Ryuunosuke, Hanamaki Takahiro, Matsukawa Issei, Iwaizumi Hajime, Sugawara Koushi Word count: just under 21k Rating: T for language

I present to you my brofest fic.

it has shenanigans and platonic soulmates and weird things happening and whatever original idea i had for it kind of ran away (as they so often do with me) so have this giant wonderful mess of a thing.

as Bre so kindly said “Shenanigans and your writing are two of my favorite things in the world.”  so for those of you who also think this... have at it.

(thank you @notsuchasecret and @ryekamasaki for helping me not panic my way through this and reminding me that writing is a thing i can do sometimes even if spelling isn’t)

[notsuchasecret]

Hey everyone! Here’s my fic for the @hqbrofest​! 

Rating: Teen Relationships: Gen Seijoh Words: 60,077 Summary:  There were rules for walking. There were rules for studying. There were rules for sleeping and eating and loving and for ever single aspect of life. They were necessary. They were the only things that kept people safe. They were so very easy to break.

But then, sometimes, the rules were meant to be broken. Sometimes, if someone were desperate enough and clever enough and brave enough, breaking the rules could lead to a life far greater than anything they could have possibly imagined. 

Oikawa Tooru knew what he was doing on the day he broke the rules.

[bsinoranges]

Class Pizza

Flash Fiction. Pizza AU. I’m not sure if you want to ask. That future fic where nothing actually happens.

Characters: Tsukishima Kei, Futakuchi Kenji, Kozume Kenma, Yamaguchi Tadashi, Hinata Shoyo Relationships: Everyone’s bros here Words: 285 Chapters: 3/10 Collections: HQ!! Brofest: The Power of Friendship

Summary:

There are only two kinds of things in this world. Things that Tsukishima Kei is passionate about and things he couldn’t care less about.

(a.k.a Tsukishima makes some code about pizza)

[oiks-kawa]

Chapters: 6/? Fandom: Haikyuu!! Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Iwaizumi Hajime & Oikawa Tooru, Bokuto Koutarou & Oikawa Tooru, Daishou Suguru & Kuroo Tetsurou, Kozume Kenma & Kuroo Tetsurou, Kuroo Tetsurou & Oikawa Tooru, Tsukishima Kei & Yamaguchi Tadashi Characters: Iwaizumi Hajime, Oikawa Tooru, Bokuto Koutarou, Kuroo Tetsurou, Daishou Suguru Additional Tags: Flash Tier, Alternate Universe - College/University, street gangs, Alternate Universe - Office, Canon Compliant, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates Summary:

A compilation of vignettes surrounding comradery and what it means to be a good bro.

[actuallyafandomess]

Working on the hqbrofest story! Here's a funny bit that probably won't make it past editing but it makes me giggle.

"But apparently Ushijima has been friends with a girl for the past seven years. Has their entire friendship been a lie? Does Ushijima even like volleyball?"

[hqbrofest]

WE MEET ON THE COURT!  (AGAIN)

Last year, in a quest to find more platonic friendships, new heroes were born. Gods, even. Well, we’re doing it again.

🏐Welcome to HQ Brofest: Second Edition🏐

Because we had a lot of fun last year, and are always looking for new gen fic, we’re rolling out a second edition of the Haikyuu!! Brofest Challenge.

🏐What is it?🏐

Brofest is a two month challenge for platonic fics.  Set your word count goal by choosing from 7 different tiers and challenge yourself to reach it by the deadline..

🏐When is it?🏐

Applications are now open! Find the form here.  Challenge Begins February 1 and will run until March 31.  Sign Ups end February 7.

🏐Are you up to it?!🏐

Last time, you were able to spike through the writer’s block.  You received the plot bunnies and served that word count.  Think you can do it again?  Do you have what it takes to write a platonic ship or gen fic in 2 months’ time?  Enlist in the tier of your choice and see if the power of friendship is strong enough to score a no-touch ace!

 Message brought to you by your friendly neighbourhood admins,  @bsinoranges​,  @haruhi02,  @leeva-z-kai,  @lethesomething,  @thekuroiookami

SIGN UP HERE // AO3 // RULES // TIERS

[crollalanzaa]

Title: Ch 4 of How You Play the Game - ‘What Shall We Do Today?’ Characters: Atsumu, Osamu, Suna, Gin, Kita, Aran, Akagi (mainly) Miya Parents, Miya Granny. Rating: Gen Word Count (LONGGGG) 10k A/N: Split POV chapter featuring the Miya twins and some sneaky Suna shenanigans. One of my friends is a keen Kita fan and is also shit hot on the Rules of Monopoly, so this is for them ...  A/A/N: This is the latest chapter of the fic I started writing for @hqbrofest

Summary:  It's Golden Week and time for the Inarizaki Training Camp, but Atsumu's stuck at home in bed, fretting over missing even one session. And with Atsumu ill, it's a muted affair for Osamu, much as he hates to admit it. So when Suna suggests a game of bingo he agrees, not realising the lengths Suna will go to win. Lengths that include the dangerous pastime of ... Monopoly!

Chapter Excerpt

At three-fifteen, he knew he was doomed. Crawling across the floor to the bathroom to splash water on his face, and then shivering in the corner as the hot flush left, Atsumu didn’t think he’d ever felt more ill in his life. And again, it was so unfair. Not that he’d wish this on anyone (‘cept maybe that red-haired, Middle Blocker from Shiratorizawa that they’d run into at Spring High—he’d been a git. Or Sakusa who was such a worrywart it’d serve him right) but it was unfair that this had landed on him, just before he was due to go on an intensive training course. With sessions throughout the day, and a series of matches, there was no better time to test the fitness of the squad; the scramble for places truly began during Golden Week.

He leant his head against the cold tiles of the bathroom wall, hoping to feel some relief, but the pictures running through his head didn’t soothe at all. He was on the court, but his legs wouldn’t move, stuck as if in glue, or weighed down with anvils, and instead of him tossing the ball it was a new kid—not even ‘Samu—but someone unknown, a face in shadow, and the pinpoint precision as he floated the ball through the air to a succession of gasps and hushed awe.

I’m bein’ dumb, he tried to tell himself, ‘cuz there was no one of his class in the squad. Not even ‘Samu. Not as a Setter, anyway.

The bathroom door opened, a glare of light flooding the ground in front of him. “Atsumu-chan, what are you doing in here?”

“Dad,” he groaned. “I don’t feel too good.”

Strong arms hauled him too his feet, and although he was, at sixteen, half a head taller than his dad, Atsumu flopped his head on his shoulder and allowed his father to take him back into his room.

“I’ll fetch you some water,” he muttered. “Try to sleep, okay?”

“’M I going to be better for camp?”

His dad sat on the side of his bed, pushed Atsumu’s hair from his brow, and stared down at him. “Maybe sit this one out, eh? Stay home with us.”

[museicaliteacup]

Pairing: Kinoshita Hisashi & Nishinoya Yuu Characters: Kinoshita Hisashi, Nishinoya Yuu, minor appearances from other members of the Karasuno Volleyball Club Rating: General Audiences Length: 1091 words, 11 chapters Additional tags: Canon compliant Notes: This was written for @hqbrofest for the Flash Fiction Tier, and is a series of fics each not more than 100 words in length. I’ve been wanting to write something about Kinoshita and Noya and their friendship ever since Chapter 274 came out, and I had a lot of fun (and sometimes heartache) writing this little series.

Kinoshita's not that strong—can barely manage ten push-ups on a good day—but he's fast. Faster than that Tanaka Ryuunosuke. Faster than most of the senpai and the other first years.

Not quite as fast as Nishinoya Yuu.

The boy's like lightning; a whirlwind, furious, shining so bright he lights up the whole gym. And he sounds like lightning, too; the pound of his feet, the charge of his breaths, that cry he lets rip so the whole world will hear:

"ROLLING... THUNDER!"

Kinoshita's not such a masochist that he'll go chasing a storm that will eat him alive.

Read the rest on AO3

[setters-n-acezine-blog]

Wanderlust Zine introduces Mod Keiji and his cosplay partner, Ren!

You may know Keiji from his work as an admin for HQBrofest, along with one of our writers, Bsinoranges! He also was a professional portrait photographer for two and a half years ✨

Although this is Ren’s first zine, they’ve cosplayed for quite a while. Beside their Bokuto and Ushijima cosplays, they’re currently creating a fem!All Might (from BNHA) and Shiro (from Voltron)! They’ve also just finished one for Futakuchi, from none other than Haikyuu!!

If you’ll be attending the SNAFU Convention this October, be sure to keep an eye out for Keiji and Ren—they’ll both be guest performers in the masquerade!

Visit Keiji on Tumblr @leeva-art

Visit Ren on Tumblr @callmeteamdad or Instagram @a_great_disturbance

See the original photos here: [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ]

To find out more about Wanderlust Zine, visit us @setters-n-acezine ✌🏽

Check back every day for a new edition of zine contributor featurettes!

[lethesomething]

2017 fic roundup

So I blatantly stole this meme from @themorninglark​. Feel free to make one for yourself, you writey people. I found it pretty helpful.

Because it's as good a time as any for some retrospective, and honestly, my writing can probably use some reflection.

my 2017 in fic writing

Total year-long word count: 287,599 Word count by fandom: Haikyuu!!: 241,726 Kuroko no Basket: 4,181 Boku no Hero Academia: 43,790 Original: 960

Fics completed: (I’m not going to do all of them, but these are notable)

The Lock, the Key and the Sacrifice (138,040 words): Haikyuu!!, a sprawling urban fantasy story and my first big fic (started in 2016, last third finished in 2017, but I’m counting the whole thing)

Monsters (45,038 words): Haikyuu!!, a rarepair TenSuga romance in a Vampire Yakuza Urban Goth Coffeeshop au. Because I can.

Chocolate Hearts (42,308 words): BNHA. A slow burn romance for Aizawa x Reader.

A Fairy-tale Haikyuu: Flash fic edition (497 words): The first time I tried my hand at flash fiction. Made for HQBrofest.

On villains and trust (888 words): BNHA. A serious attempt  to start a rarepair by writing fluff for Tokoyami x Shinsou

Thirst (596 words): BNHA. Poetic naked Aizawa.

Putting the rest under a cut for length

 Works-in-progress: My Girlfriend is a Goddess?!: Haikyuu!!, a gift for the Fantasy Exchange, which got out of hand completely. (we’re currently 52,280 words in)

 This year I wrote and posted: 10 fics

 Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you’d predicted? Absolutely. Somewhere around August, I became Extremely Wordy, and now everything I write takes up way more space than anticipated. I'm still not sure what happened, but all those long ones up there, apart from The lock, the key and the sacrifice, were all written in the last half of the year.

What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted in January? Tokoyami x Shinsou came out of nowhere and started out as a sort of joke with @leeva-z-kai​. I also never thought I'd be writing Aizawa reader inserts, but here we are. Considering my tastes in fictional characters, I should have probably seen that coming.

What’s your own favorite story of the year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you happiest? I'm going to have to say The lock, the key and the sacrifice, for the sheer amount of time and effort I put into that, and for the immense sense of relief and satisfaction upon completing my first big project. I wrote a friggin book. That is a thing I did and I'm pretty proud of that.

Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them? I try to do new things to challenge myself with everything I write. I think the biggest risk I took, from a… fandom type side, is Monsters, because I knew from the very start that it definitely wouldn't be popular. It literally started as a way to prove to the world that you can dump several au's together, and then why not add a rarepair and lots of gore for good measure.

Your best story of this year: It's kinda hard to discern here between huge, enormous fics and the little ones, but, um, let's go with Thirst, because while that is very short, I like every single sentence in it.

Your most popular story of this year: Without a doubt Chocolate hearts. Still kinda reeling from the popularity of that one. I don't know if it was the timing, or the fact that the Aizawa is strong in the fandom, but it seems to have really hit a nerve.

Story of yours most under-appreciated by the universe, in your opinion: That which was not broken is one of the most personal stories I've ever written, which probably clouds my judgement. To a regular person I assume it's a cloying, angsty, almost teenager sentimental rarepair, and that's… fair. But it's currently sitting at 66 views and that's mildly disappointing.

Most fun story to write: Intersectional feminist mermaids. For the rather simple reason that I don't remember writing most of it. It's one of those 'chat lodged a story idea in my head' moments that I quickly typed out. I found the story months after initially writing it and then just finished it.

Story with the single sexiest moment: I've written surprisingly little smut this year. For some reason, my sexiest moments are mostly Aizawa, and he is just a lot better in soft, fluffy touches and understated movements and just… subtext than as straight up porn. So that whole scene with the hair in Thirst is Peak Sexy to me.

Most “Holy crap, that’s wrong, even for you" story: Yeah… Monsters. It has like… people-to-food factories and stuff. There’s a lot of weirdness in there.

Story that shifted your own perceptions of the characters: On Villains and Trust was a lot of fun, because I wrote it almost on a dare and I'd never considered those characters in that setting. The thing with writing rarepair is that if you do it well enough, those two characters suddenly look like they're made for each other. So that happened…

Hardest story to write: I struggled a lot with Monsters, but I think I'm currently struggling more with My Girlfriend is a Goddess!?, so I'll pick that because it's fresh in my mind. It has something to do with how hard I find it to focus on a specific set of characters, and to find the balance between telling too much of their mundane life, and telling too little.

Biggest surprise: Considering Chocolate Hearts was mostly written in a fever dream, a random flash of inspiration that pushed actual, planned fics out of the way, I wasn't really expecting it to go down as well as it did. The near daily feedback and the full blast of emotions from the people in the comments was incredible.

Biggest disappointment: This is gonna sound stupid. But after having one fic that was really warmly welcomed, the gap that came after Chocolate Hearts was… difficult. Like, I'm used to fics getting a hundred or a couple hundred views, and a few comments from friends and the occasional wanderer. But after seeing what Could Be, it was hard to go back to life as normal. So while I realize that because of the timing, or the fandom, or the subject matter, I shouldn't expect too much from some fics, the reception of Monsters, and especially My Girlfriend is a Goddess?! has been… disappointing.

Most unintentionally telling story: I suppose That which was not broken was an intentionally telling story. So let's go with A man walks into a bar, because I never realized how big my personal need is to write a ridiculous space opera.

Favorite opening line(s): He drinks his coffee black.  (from Monsters)

Favorite closing line(s): It had been two years, but Akaashi still painted any new men he met with the same brush, only to find that the picture wasn’t as beautiful as Kuroo’s. (from That which was not broken)

It holds promises of friendly conversation and creativity and maybe, just a little bit, of adventure.(from The lock, the key and the sacrifice)

Favorite 5 line(s) from anywhere:

Cheese crackers, also, because everyone likes those, even mermaids. (from A fairytale)

Tortugan native beer was only 'beer’ because they changed the definition of the word for marketing purposes. The tortugans didn’t so much brew, as drink rocks. Literally. They dissolved minerals into water to get high. Unsurprisingly, it tasted like dirt. (from A man walks into a bar)

« He nodded and said 'I understand', » he went on. « And then we agreed that he doesn't ask questions and I don't tell him things that could cause an existential crisis for an experimental physicist. »(from My Girlfriend is a Goddess?!)

His skin is flushed, heat turning it a shade darker than normal, and the low light raises up his scars, turning them into islands of gold in a pool of vermilion.(from Thirst)

Semi Eita, 1,8 metres of undiluted sex appeal, folds his arms and looks around the coffee shop with a small pout.(from Monsters)

Top 5 scenes from anywhere you would choose to have illustrated:

Kageyama Tobio on the world's creepiest beach, being a badass (in The lock, the key and the sacrifice)

The elaborate, alt Venetian feast, full of gaudily costumed people twirling around to music, like cogs in an overstuffed clock, would make a pretty picture, I think. (from The Golden God)

The flashback scene to Aizawa's graduation party, partly because of the sheer cringiness, and partly because hey, it’s a party under fairy lights. (in Chocolate Hearts)

Tendou fighting Iwaizumi in an abandoned homeless camp is one scene I wrote almost exclusively for the visual (in Monsters)

Bokuto and Akaashi at work in a mirrored attic feels like it would look really cool (in My Girlfriend is a Goddess?!)

 Fic-writing goals for next year:

I’m trying very hard to understand my own fic writing. I've written a lot this year, like a LOT, (probably too much, if I’m honest, not even counting the meta and the analyses and stuff) and I can feel myself evolving, but I have no idea where I’m going and why certain things work, and other things don't. So that’s something to figure out.

My main goal, I think, is to start writing slower again. I feel like I’m just more pleased with works that have been given the time to ripen, to stew a bit. Pacing, if you will.

[notsuchasecret]

whats ur betty^3 tag for??

Betty Cubed is my ship name for @ryekamasaki and @ezzydean‘s ocs that I adopted can’t seem to get rid of. It’s a joke from Ezzy’s fic for the @hqbrofest, which will be published sometime next week :D