#i am not posting my most recent wip because the fandom is Very Embarrassing

[avi17]

Seven Sentences WIP Challenge

Tagged by @northstarfan to share seven sentences from my latest WIP. From my Stranger Things wip, which is not the latest one but is one I hope to finish soon.

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He claps for Nancy too, when they finally make it to the ‘W’s- fond, if not quite as enthusiastic. He doesn't quite know what happened between her and Jonathan when he got back- if they fixed things or they're done or somewhere in between- but whatever danger-fueled spark had lit between them down in the Upside Down has fizzled out again. He had thought he wanted her back- had babbled out a whole life plan that he’d known she would hate the moment it came out of his mouth. It hadn’t been about her, really. He’d realized that afterwards, sitting in the sterile silence of the hospital. It had been one last grasp at a fantasy that a lonely child with distant parents had convinced himself that he wanted, a plea for just a moment of indulgence before they’d walked headfirst into probable death. Even then, she hadn’t been able to give it to him.

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Tagging @sashaforthewin @3hobbitsinatrenchcoat @littlethingwithfeathers @hellofeanor @poemsingreenink

[cannibal-wings]

i am delighted!!! i regularly reread wings over dunwall at least once a year, and a few days after my most recent reread (so about 4 days ago) i was having a bit of a breakdown and wanted to reread wings of change as well. unfortunately i did a terrible job of looking for it since i was actively crying and convinced myself you must have deleted it completely, only to do a better job of looking for it today and there it is!! yippie!!!! i genuinely love your writing so much and its always a pleasure to reread your fics ^^

First, I am so overjoyed to hear that you reread my stuff!! I'm so glad that Wings Over Dunwall is still loved by many despite not being touched for so long. (I swear one day I will go back to it, perhaps with an edited plot so it's shorter and I actually finish it.) I also very happy to hear that my other wing AU for Venom also gets love. I enjoyed writing both of them so much, it makes me so happy to learn they still have readers. Second, I'll say this here so that no one else has to worry. I will never delete a fanfic that I wrote and posted. Even the really old stuff. Even the stuff for fandoms I'm not in anymore. Even the WIPs I'll never ever finish. Even the really embarrassing stuff I wrote at age 14. It all stays. I have two reasons for this. One is that I think its fun sometimes to go back and see where I started. To read through really old things I wrote in high school, to find out that I was writing similar things even way back then. Find the common tropes. It's fun for me. I know other authors often delete old works because it's not representative of what they do now, or perhaps a fandom went sour and all the work they did feels poisoned. I don't have fault with authors who do this, and I understand. Ultimately its up to them whether or not they remove their stuff. However I would suggest if they're on AO3 at least, to consider orphaning the work instead of deleting it. That's for point number two. I don't delete any of my works because one of them could be someone's favorite. It could be their comfort fic, the one that gets them through a tough time. And I would be so devastated to learn that I got rid of someone's favorite story of mine. I know I've been writing for a long time, and I also know that I write some pretty niche things, which have small audiences. I know that some of my stories could be (and are) very important to people. So no matter what happens, no matter how I feel about a particular work, I'll never delete anything. That's a promise from me to you.

[rebelrebelwrites]

Another week, another…

Fic Friday! ❤️ Weekly Fic Recs

Let’s dive in.

This week’s recs are…

As always, please mind the tags on any recommended story for your own personal preferences.

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The Classic You’ve Heard Of But Somehow Haven’t Read Yet: Like Calls Unto Like by Elahrairah_Inle

What you need to know going in:

Oof, this fic. If you haven’t been reading it, where you been, fam? It’s been a while since it’s been updated, but don’t let that deter you — this S1 continuation begins with Gal and Hal in Eregion pre-reveal, then progresses to a full-blown post-S1 epic that is just that: epic. In addition to a spellbinding narrative, steamy AF smut, and captivating characterization, the thing that strikes me most about this fic is the love and care the author clearly takes with the plot. It’s intricately woven, and I am SO excited to see where they take it. This is a fic that’s worth waiting for, however long that may be.

WIP, Explicit

Read the story.

Follow the author on Tumblr and AO3.

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The AU You Need to Immerse Yourself In Because, Well, Wow: a dust like thine by @mortaltempless

What you need to know going in:

Agh! Recently completed, and I’m still basking in this fic’s beauty and perfect execution. (Also, be prepared to see mortaltemples on this list a few times; everything I’ve read of theirs has been 🤌.) This fic follows a BatB-style fairytale premise in the First Age, with Galadriel bargaining with Sauron for her brother Finrod’s life: he can have her, instead, as long as he’ll also help her overthrow Thingol in Doriath. The resulting story is thrilling in its pace and intensity — every moment builds and crests so that you’re constantly on the edge of your seat with the dynamic set between these two, which sees a very measured but mercurial Sauron and a very lovably impetuous Galadriel who has zero qualms making herself… we’ll say at home in Sauron’s fortress. I don’t want to say too much more for fear of spoilers, so just go read it/bookmark it. You won’t regret it.

Complete, Explicit

Read the story.

Follow the author here on Tumblr and on AO3.

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The Complete But Never Forgotten Masterpiece: the nameless by @bimmyou

What you need to know going in:

35k words, one chapter. Folks, I was intrigued, to say the least, when I stumbled upon this lengthy one-shot — reason being, I’ve become more of a minimalist as a writer/reader in recent years, so that WC made me curious, and I admit, initially a bit hesitant. Let me tell you… every. Single. Word. Was. Incredible. Absolutely not one wasted in this stellar masterpiece; I think I said in my comment something to the effect of Tolkien not being able to do it better, and I meant it. Before I spend too much more time waxing poetic about how absolutely incredible this one-shot is, I’ll give you the long and short of it: it charts Sauron and Galadriel’s story through to the Third Age after they meet on the Sundering Seas, and the care and consideration given to their characters, to the tragedy of them and all of Middle Earth as a result, is nothing short of harrowing, and spectacular.

Complete, Explicit

Read the story.

Follow the author on Tumblr, Twitter, and AO3.

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The WIP That Will Wreck You (In the Best Way): dig up the bones (but leave the soul alone) by @wyrd-syster

What you need to know going in:

Listen, it’s so damn hard not to start every summary with an embarrassing noise of both delight and anguish because every story/the talent in this fandom is incredible? I’ll stop wasting words with my nonsense and get on with it: Post-S1, in which Galadriel accepts Sauron’s proposal, and takes up the mantle of his Queen with a ferocity and strength of will you just don’t see in most fics, and it’s glorious. The expansion of orc culture and overall world-building in this is sublime, and even heartbreaking in the unflinching view it takes, always at the pitch perfect moment. The battle for dominance between Gal and Sauron in this, for me, may be my favorite so far I’ve read. It’s breathtaking. And did I mention that the smut and sweeping narrative is also stellar? Well there you go.

WIP, Explicit

Read the story.

Follow the author on Tumblr and AO3.

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The Can’t Stop Consuming No Matter What Time It Is Fic: a man is a god in ruins by eye_of_a_cat

What you need to know going in:

This is another case where you can expect to see this author’s works recommended more than once, but I believe it was a man is a god in ruins (and the larger series) that I fell in love with first. As stated, this 5-chapter completed fic is part of a larger series where the author explores different ways for Sauron’s identity to be revealed, and I urge you to read the entire series as well, but this specific story takes the opposite approach: the one time Sauron successfully maintains the guise of Halbrand. I don’t want to give too much away apart from that, so the rest I’ll say is that the sense of foreboding this fic builds is terrific, and masterfully done. Coupled with undeniable romance, scorching smut, and a series of twists and turns that will make your heart palpitate hard, you will be riveted the entire time, and blown away by the end. That I promise.

Complete, Explicit

Read the story.

Follow the author on Twitter and AO3.

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🤩🤩🤩

Me at all these fics:

Don't see your story on this list yet? Keyword: yet. Please don't fret! I can only recommend so many each week, but I am always looking for more stuff to read, share, and generally shower with love, so please feel free to reply with your own fics or your personal faves. I have plenty more to recommend... ❤️

Until next week!

[doubleappled]

About the blogger meme

Thank you to @bioloyg for the tag and the fic callout! Team Pete forever and for always!

Star Sign: Libra, but it never resonates the way my enneagram 2 does

Favorite Holidays: Groundhog Day. I love those little dudes (although I wish we could leave them in peace so maybe let’s just celebrate their existence and not force our way into their homes)

Last Meal: Enchiladas for dinner

Last Music Listened To: Waxahatche’s Great Thunder

Last Movie Watched: hmmmm in the theater? I think Bottoms, which I adored

Last TV Show Watched: Shameless. I’m in the beginning of season 9 and it is messing me up in 5000 different ways. The acting is great (sometimes) and the writing is awful (mostly) and the storylines are ridiculous (always) and it’s at least 5 or 6 seasons too long. But every once in a while it really makes you think, and it’s completely gotten under my skin. And I will finish it if it’s the last thing I ever do. And it might be, because wow.

Last Book/Fic Finished: I just finished Justin Torres’ Blackouts and I LOVED it. And the most recent chapter of @glitterslag’s It's Been You and Me Since Before I Was Me — is a witchy creepy Appalachian Gothic MASTERPIECE that I adore. Oh and Blissymbolics’ Colorless Richie Jerimovich, also a masterpiece even though it is sydrichie and that is giving me a teeny tiny identity crisis okay moving on

Last Book/Fic Abandoned: I am thisclose to giving up on Lessons In Chemistry. I do not get this book at all.

Currently Reading: nobody ever got my soul right like she could by seh28

Last Thing Researched for Art/Writing/Hyperfixation: Quite a bit about what happens to children of people wirh narcissistic personality disorder (hi Donna, yes I am armchair psychologizing and pathologizing a fictional character) for the fic I’m currently writing. I’m not a really intense researcher, but I’ve read all about elevator mechanics and ancient marriage rites and British parking tickets and EMP’s 2019 spring menu and how to cook uni and where pastina comes from, all for fics. I love that aspect of writing.

Favorite Online Fandom Memory: It’s embarrassing, but it’s probably the first time that one of my favorite fic authors commented on one of my own fics, ca. 2018. I was on the subway, and I dropped my phone on the disgusting wet floor when I saw the incredibly lovely comment they’d posted.

FaNvorite Old Fandom You Wish Would Drag You Back In/Have A Resurgence: I really only have two old fandoms, but I do miss HP quite a bit. It’s such a robust space, with really nice people, and so many different fests and prompts and challenges. I still read a bit when my favorite authors post, and would like to write for it again someday. (Also, if you’re the anon who’s messaged me multiple times to tell me that my new fics aren’t as good or creative as my HP, and that I “used to be a good writer” — please stop. That’s not the way to convince me to go back, and it makes me feel bad)

Favorite Thing You Enjoy That Never Had an Active or Big "Fandom" but You Wish It Did: Truly I’ve never experienced a hyperfixation like I have with The Bear. I wish fanfic had existed in its current state when I was younger, or that I’d been cool enough to figure out the concept and write it on my own. I would have been VERY ACTIVE in a Dead Poets Society fandom if it had existed when I was obsessed with that movie, a decade after it came out, when I watched it practically every day for a year 🤪

Tempting Project You're Trying to Rein In/Don't Have Time For: I just have 15 different Bear WIPs, none of which have any plot, wooo!

Anyway this was all very fun to think about. Tagging @amieraisposting @kdbleu @justabovewater20 @yannaryartside @glitterslag — only if this is your jam — and anyone else who wants to join in.

[khalaris]

Twenty Questions for Fic Writers

Ooh lots of fun questions, thank you @justhugsplz for tagging me <3

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

25.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

61,430 which is absolutely mind-boggling to me. And of those about 45k are Tatort Wien. Which I started writing exactly one year ago. For comparison, I've been writing fanfic for over 20 years and until I fell into Tatort fandom in 2021 I'd posted less than 3k in total.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Exclusively Tatort Wien at the moment. If I ever manage to peek my head out of that particular rabbit hole, I might get back to some Münster WIPs. Not in the near future, though :D

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Aufgeben -> Der Anruf -> Die Welt in unseren Händen -> Bordsteingespräche -> Loslassen

Haha, Tatort Münster with a little sprinkle of Wien. I don't usually sort by kudos, so it's a bit surprising to see Die Welt in unseren Händen rank so high. Well, high in a range between 75 and 34. That's just how it is in small fandoms :D

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

Yes, always. Sometimes it takes a while to get to it. But I always want to take the time and energy to write a proper response, because a) if someone else took the time and energy to tell me how they feel about my story, the least I can do is tell them how much I appreciate them commenting. and b) A comment always feels like the start of a conversation to me. I remember the long comment/discussion threads under fanfic on Livejournal and I miss the community of that. Nowadays it often feels like there's this growing gulf between author and reader, probably because of the current content creator/consumer culture that does little to invite equality or discussion.

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

Silence, a Torchwood CoE fic about John Frobisher's last moments.

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

Bordsteingespräche. I'm really proud of how everything came together in the end in that one :)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Nope, thankfully never.

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

If you'd asked me that a month ago, I would have said no. But recently I kind of got over my terminal embarrassment at even trying to write anything smutty. I haven't posted anything yet, but there's several fics/chapters in the works. Tbh I don't find vanilla sex interesting and most of the usual kinks in fanfic are either squicks or a snooze-fest to me. The stuff that I am writing is either weirdly specific kink or just downright unsexy (which my characters are having a frankly outrageous amount of fun with atm, bless them).

I'm a bit hesitant to put any real smut in a fic that isn't actually primarily about the smut. I fear enough people might be put off by that, so hardly anyone would end up reading it then. Bit of a stupid fear to have, perhaps, but still...

(Yes, I know, I should just get over it and simply write and post whatever the hell I want 😅)

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

I've had a lot of crossover ideas over the years, but the only thing I've ever written was an MCU/Agents of Shield thingie I hacked out during NaNoWriMo a couple of years ago. Let's be honest, that combination is the least crazy crossover of all time and hardly counts as a crossover at all. Like 99% of the stuff I've ever written during NaNo, it's completely horrible, unfinished and should never see the light of day again.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Don't think so.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I've translated Bordsteingespräche myself, but was very unhappy with the result, which is why it's unavailable at the moment. It's going to get reworked at some point.

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

Many many years ago, when the world was still young and some of you not yet born 😂, the lovely @hope-calaris and I cooked up a tentative plot for a rather ambitious Star Trek: Voyager fanfic. We didn't end up writing that one, but later co-wrote a CSI: Miami one with someone else iirc and I believe there might have been a 4400 (?) fic, also. Due to depression, my memory of that time is hazy at best, though, so it's possible that I'm missing or misremembering things there.

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

Didn't expect this question to be so difficult to answer, but is kinda is... 🙈 I guess any combination of my 3 Tatort Wien blorbos. Apart from that, Boerne/Thiel and Stephen Strange/Tony Stark are ships I can always come back to.

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

The aforementioned MCU/AoS time-travel epic.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue, especially banter-y dialogue. And editing sentences/paragraphs for maximum impact (when I take the time to do it)

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Action. What characters are doing, how they're moving, getting them from A to B and so on. Ugh.

External conflict. I despise conflict in real life and find it extremely difficult to write. You won't find an antagonist in any of my current stories or wips. And when I do write conflict between characters, that's always rooted in their internal conflicts and mostly the result of them not communicating properly.

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

It's very hard to do right. Translations in footnotes are annoying and leave me confused while reading. Translations in brackets behind the dialogue also annoying and missing the point of having different-language dialogue in the first place. It can be good when the author puts enough context there that you can get the gist of what is being said without needing an actual translation.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

X-Files. There's probably some 23-year old notebooks in the back of a drawer somewhere at my mom's house that have fanfic snippets mixed with homework assignments.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

Oof, that's another difficult one. I have several that are favourites for different reasons.

Bordsteingespräche for the sheer joy and ease with which it was written.

Kaputt for how much of my heart and soul I'm putting into it.

Die Welt in unseren Händen, because after twenty years of trying and failing I am now finally writing an epic long-form multi-chapter fanfic and I have so many plans and ideas for it. I cannot put into words just how wild that is. And I simply adore this version of my favourite characters.

No-pressure tagging @carlomenzinger, @kathastrophen and @all-my-worlds-a-stage if you want to :)

[clood]

20 questions for fic writers

tagged by @storybookprincess, @hxhhasmysoul, and @subdee—given the triple tag by such lovely folks i can't just not xD

1. How many works do you have on ao3?

44

2. What’s your total ao3 word count?

211,669

3. What fandoms do you write for?

so far i have only written for hunter x hunter, even though i haven't written and posted much for it (or anything) this year. i am soooo close to catching up with one piece and i want to write zosan and shuggy and when i do it's over for everyone. it's been the only other thing in a long time that has tempted me to write fanfiction!

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

similarly to subdee, most of my top kudos-ed fics are some of the very first things i wrote for the hxh fandom and the fics i am most known for still xD

however, similarly to liv, i don't love looking at my stats by kudos lmao. instead i shall list my current 5 favorites, regardless of their kudos standing heehee

housewarming: leorio and kurapika have planned a small dinner with their friends to christen their new home, though it does not go exactly as planned. aka the only happy leopika i have written to date xD including any and all wips

until death: after finding the nostrade boss dead, kurapika must make a decision that could change the course of his life, and, perhaps, someone else's. this is a criminally underrated fic, in my not so humble opinion!!!

just a little fun: leorio finds himself drawn to a stranger at a club and ends up with just a little more than he's bargained for. I HAD SO MUCH FUN WITH THIS ONE LOL

where are you roaming?: Gon has been sent by his father, the illustrious ghost hunter Ging Freecss, to investigate the Zoldyck Manor and its many instances of poltergeist activity. What he finds is nothing at all like the stories he's heard. this one is always always always going to be a favorite, i love it so much

night watchman: Gon has nightmares and Killua saves him from them. (aka five times Killua was there to save Gon from himself and one time he wasn't) a Clood Classic (TM) that will always have a special place in my heart. she's dramatic. she's second person. she's one of the first ones i ever wrote

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

oh god i try to. basically i will be staring at my inbox for a week after i post something so i can reply right away, but then comments on fics i haven't recently posted remain as unread emails so that the notification haunts me. i have some i need to respond to now.. actually..

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

by far it has to be until death. that whole fic is angst city usa and the ending is no exception xD

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

hmmm a lot if not most of my fics have a happy ending... i vote housewarming for sappiest, arms unfolding for most classically romantic, and long lost for most heartwarming.

8. Do you get hate on fic?

if anyone does hate on me, they do it in the private confines of their discord chats, and this is how i would prefer it to stay. closest i've gotten i think is once someone was annoyed that i probably wasn't going to make gon and ghost-killua get it on and then i guess they got embarrassed that i replied to that comment and they deleted it hajdkshajdhak

9. Do you write smut?

i have written precisely one smut fic: hands on a clock, hands on your hips. i was so embarrassed about it i published it anon originally then decided that was stupid and un-anoned it. however i will be writing buggy/shanks smut soon because detachable hands has me thinking all sorts of thoughts.

10. Do you write crossovers?

crossovers are not really my thing, never have been!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

nah, i am not famous (tm)

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

no but i think i would cry if i did!

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

i actually have—as part of a greed island server event! spirit astray, september leaves, havoc in the hot springs, and hacker say what were written with kessya, shal, and hanamii as part of a 4-person fic exchange event :)

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

the nostalgia for my 2021 killugon days is screaming that the only answer is killugon...

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but probably won’t?

the only wip that's live on ao3 is chip aisle, which i think someday maybe i could be persuaded to finish. i was on an idol au kick when i started it and it was originally just gonna be a oneshot, but then another greed island card led to another couple chapters.. maybe someday.

16. What are your writing strengths?

unsure if this is a strength but i can write some fat ass sentences. and nice chunky paragraphs every now and then. i like to focus on the little details in a scene too, which i think is fun.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

i suck at planning ahead and outlining. i feel like i end up patching a lot of plot holes because of it lol. i also feel like i can be repetitive and long-winded sometimes

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

i'm on the fence about it, honestly. it has situations where it could fit, but i don't think i have encountered one yet in my own writing where it didn't feel awkward or forced to have it.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

DELTORA QUEST ON FANFICTION DOT NET BABEY!!!!

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

i think where are you roaming? is my all-time favorite. i just love it so much, i think i did a good job with the world/situaion-building even though there are definitely some of those plothole patches i mentioned earlier.

i believe i'm supposed to tag 20 people but i am simply not capable of sending a notification to 20 people's inboxes so... @extratt413, @chubsthehamster, @shalnarkonice, @fireolin, anyone who used a blue mug today to drink their coffee, and anyone else who wants to do this you can say i tagged you!!

[dwarfsized]

tagged by the beautiful and amazing @aevallare thank you!!

1) How many works do you have on AO3?

9!

2) What’s your total AO3 word count?

63,696

3) What fandoms do you write for?

it's all bg3 right now, but I've also written for critical role and the arcana (visual novel)

4) What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1 - that's the kind of love ive been dreaming of (bg3, astarion/f!tav)

2- ain't it warming you (the world goin' up in flames) (critical role, jester/caleb)

3- Liebe ist Fürsorge (critical role, jester/caleb)

4- Fighting the Hurricane (critical role, jester/caleb)

5 - true colors shine in darkness and in secrecy (bg3, astarion/f!tav)

5) Do you respond to comments?

yes! i try to do the "comment when you upload the next chapter" thing but sometimes its been a while since the last chapter and i get embarrassed and just respond to everything in one big rush

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

where i left Fighting the Hurricane probably combined with the (checks notes) 1+ year long update hiatus, i am coming back for you baby i promise. i have plans for it. i just. god. so much happened to me right as i was working on it.

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

All of my fic ends happy (this will not always be the case, eventual AA!AU will be. well. i shan't say.) BUT, and this might just be because its my most recent finished work, i think new steps might end off on the most hopeful note.

8) Do you get hate on fics?

this has never happened to me and id love to keep it that way lmao

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

yes :) the only real posted smut ive got rn is that's the kind of love ive been dreaming of, but i have other smut in the works

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

Fighting the Hurricane doesn't count, really, but that's the closest we've got: its a Critical Role/Pacific Rim fusion.

11) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that i'm aware of

12) Have you ever had a fic translated?

nope!

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

i have nooooot, but i am not sure that the way that i write (terrible first draft and then editing for 1000 years) is very friendly to co-writing. I'm not against the idea at all though, its just. you know. i wouldn't want to torture a friend with the everything about me. maybe someday though!!

14) What’s your all time favorite ship?

in this house we multiship, peace and love. :) though honestly i made a joke once about retiring kira as an oc after bg3 bc of everything im putting her through after becoming so enamored with kirastarion so maybe that? sorry blorbo from my brain, enjoy the conciliation prize of elf dick.

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

stares guiltily at Fighting the Hurricane ch 2, languishing on my wip pile. listen, i still fully intend to finish that story. i was doing cool stuff in there. the only problem is that my brain exploded while i was writing ch 1, and this wasnt supposed to be more than 2k words but i am myself, and i didnt use outlines then, so my notes are a mess.

also i cannot possibly underline enough the bit where my brain exploded. this is an exaggeration only in that none of it came out of my head, but i was Not Myself for a Long Time.

16) What are your writing strengths?

i think my internal monologue bangs. this is because i agonize over it.

17) What are your writing weaknesses?

moving characters around in the space is like pulling teeth and i feel like a solid 30% of my editing is focused on that. getting someone from point a to point b elegantly and without it feeling like "astarion got up. he moved his feet. he sat down. he looked out the window" makes me feel like walking into the sea

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

I like it when it makes sense! Why does this character use another language? Does the reader need to know what they're saying? Is the POV character unfamiliar with the language? Does the reader learn anything from this? If you don't have good answers, why do it?

I find tieflings really neat, and bg3 does the typical dnd thing of "tieflings are looked down on," without, like, doing much with tiefling culture. So Ive had Kira use Infernal as a shortcut to create familiarity with other tieflings, and use it to have private conversations bc why would anyone but tieflings and people living in The Hells know that language--this solves some problems for her! And it creates others.

19) First fandom you wrote for?

Naruto...... once upon a time i wrote shikamaru/sakura fic. i was going to make a joke about that being my actual first longfic but i just checked and it literally isnt, i worked on it for a year and if you dont count the in-text authors notes (it was a different time) the whole thing is shorter than true colors chapter 4.

can you imagine me, now, updating something for a year and it being less than 11k. lol. lmao, even.

20) Favorite fic you’ve written?

eldath's mercy is my darling right now who also scares me to death. update coming soon (this week? i hope?)

i will tag @simon-says-nothing and @raccooncrimes and @septemberskye and YOUUUU reading this if you want to do it, tag me if you do!!

[beechersnope]

Tagged by @hrhgeorgerussell to post the first sentences of my WIPs thank you!!!

OK first off: the state of my WIPs folder is dire. I literally have hundreds of docs and I am notorious for starting something 5+ years before I actually sit down and finish it. I'm gonna choose ones I'm either actively working on or actively rotating, or started semi-recently before getting sidetracked.

Some NSFW under the cut.

Welcome to My Island (F1, Max/George): Somehow, George manages to log a solid chunk of REM sleep despite his neuroses. He only has a second or two to feel relieved about this before realizing that he’s hard, and that his erection is nestled perfectly against the small of Max’s back.

This one is on AO3 already so this is from the second chapter (unfinished).

Untitled F/F Lestappen Fic (F1, Max/Charles, Charles/Lewis, Max/George):

“George, I swear to God if you move, I’ll—” Max doesn’t have an actual follow through, but the half-threat is enough to still George underneath her.

This was the very first fic idea I had for F1 so it's very messy and I didn't know where I was going with it. Now that I know more about how races work and such I'll probably come back to it.

Summer Sun & Wildfire (F1, Max/Daniel): Max was supposed to die in Las Vegas. Sometimes she wishes she had.

This was the second thing I tried writing in the fandom so still in the awkward exploration phase trying to find out what works. I do want to come back to it someday because it had a lot of potential.

Red Light Spells Danger (F1, Max/Daniel): "I wish I could tell you how it feels without telling you what I did."

Still in the rotation phase for this one so this isn't necessarily the first sentence, just the only actual sentence I've written. Everything else is vague outline.

Untitled BBQ fic (F1/Seb/Mark): Seb is sprawled out on the tiled floor of the guest bathroom with the handle of her hairbrush stuffed in her cunt when the doorbell rings.

This entire fic is just toxic filth so we'll see when/if I finish it.

Untitled Succession/Yellowstone AU (F1, Max/George, Max/Charles): “Is it mine?” Max had been dreading—anticipating—the moment when Charles would ask, but she hadn’t been expecting to be ambushed in her childhood bedroom during a nap, before George had even arrived with the rest of the Russell clan in tow, before Max had even gotten a chance to make her announcement in the first place.

This is more inspired by the above shows than a true AU. I had a lot of ideas for this but got distracted by other projects before I could put together a true outline.

These are all longer fics; the rest are first lines from some shorter fics I've half-written.

They’re two-hundred miles off the coast of Western Australia when the storm hits. “Power’s fucked,” Seb reports after emerging from the engine room looking considerably sweatier than before he’d gone in. “It’ll take a few hours to fix, but I don’t want to risk frying the backup now while we’ve still got some daylight left.” (F1, Max/Daniel/Seb/Mark/Alex/Pierre/Kvyat)

They send porn to each other sometimes. Usually, it’s Daniel who sends it, feeling a bit vulnerable, a bit embarrassed, every single time, no matter what the subject matter is. And it’s not like he sends Max anything weird—most of the time, it’s just the same old shit, a blonde girl taking a big cock, getting her pussy fingered so hard she squirts, so on and so forth. It’s normal. He doesn’t have anything to be ashamed of. (F1, Max/Daniel)

“What is this meant to be, like some couple’s therapy?” Max complains, crossing her arms over her chest with an exaggerated pout. (F1, Christian/Max/George/Toto, Good Battle continuation)

[sashikouyume]

I used to write fanfics many years ago, I don't anymore ^^u they are just not my thing anymore, things happen when you grow up and even though I never felt like part of a fandom now I am not even interested. I will still fill this out anyways, I lost my magic with writing but I am picking it back up because it's my calling and big momma say "child, you will make great things, I can see it", her last words before going offline (not dead, offline). I am currently writing shit! I still got it! HAHAHAHAHA okay yeah

💖 What do you like most about your own writing?

I don't follow the conventions which makes it all standout. It's always like that dream you wish you didn't forget about right when you woke up

THAT'S MY VIBE

😐 What embarrasses you most about your own writing?

I take too long and I haven't proven I can write something in lenght in a short period of time

👻 What is one WIP you think you may never pick back up?

Ghosts are better than transgender people.

IT WAS A TRICK BECAUSE GHOSTS CAN ALSO BE TRANSGENDER SO YES THEY CAN BE BETTER BECAUSE THEY CAN BE BOTH AHAH! SURPRISE, YOU CAN'T WIN AGAINST ME IN AN ONLINE ARGUMENT

It was a response to a convo, I never finished it T_T too ambitious and I am so rustyy maaan. I wanted to make them cry! make it deep! Be so wholesome. Best friends type of story!

I still haven't dropped it. I will make this happen, even if that means I will necro the commenter 3 years later. IT WILL HAVE PAGES AND A TOTAL AMOUNT OF 10 VIEWS AND THAT ONE COMMENTER SOUNDED VERY NICE SO THEY WILL LOVE IT AND THAT IS ALL THAT IT MATTERS (and if they don't well, HALF-WINS BABY OH YEAH! I still did it and I like it!)

It will come out before the legendary sex update for my game, which should come out after yandere simulator's full release (it's important for the lore).

👀 Do you have any WIPs that you would never let see the light of day? If yes, what are they about?

Jhon. Cringe GI-Joe type fiction story with explosions michael bay style and I made a minecraft pe map of it too. A couple of brothers

Also, I guess the original version for my transgender character? Not related to the one above, this came first and it's not wholesome. It sucked, basically the anime trap but it's a guy, that's just canned for obvious reasons. Mistakes done as a child. I can fix him. I already have the art so it's a shame if I can't fix him, I shall untransphobize this character! yeah.... this is embarrasing. I hate my old approach. Man why did this memory have to come back to me?

📥 What is your fave fic to receive comments/messages on?

I wrote one on happy three friends, "flippy and flaky", it was romantic but I think it was so bad I don't remember the plot

I need to learn why people liked it.

✏️ Do you write every day?

I will eventually -_-, and not fanfics, I want serious cashmoney now. It's gamedev first! and then writing. Will start with greatest most epic rpg maker comedy adventure, then will peak at "vtuber idols that are extremely relatable and their lore is a bigger deal than the stream!" maybe sailor moon inspired.

Technically I do write almost every day, just not narratives.

🖊 Post a snippet from a current WIP.

uuuuhh.... oh. This is embarrasing, it's all ideas now, so okay, here, shut up, baka

basic RPG most purposelly generic stuff. For players who can't follow instructions (I hate you)

and (not fanfic, just anime analysis-ish)

I am currently not excited about the first one, the gaming one about cults and all. It's boring. After this one, I want to move on into things that are funny and things that I am passionate about.

🏅 What is something you recently felt proud of in regard to your writing (finished a fic, actually planned for once, etc).

mmm..... maybe my azumanga daioh thing? It was like a "I still got it!" moment? and I also pushed myself to be better at it and speak in more detail. With my game, there is nothing. I am just excited for the future, I want to learn to make my own sprites and make music

With fanfics, there is no fics, I am not planning any fics. It's only possible for me to write one on the spot if I feel passionate in the moment, but they are probably dead by now, I have original ideas now.

😈 Is there anything you enjoy doing that you think your readers hate?

I like to troll. It's tempting but I try not to. I always have a big temptation to ruin the whole story or put something fucked up on it, therapists aren't real so it can't be helped

Sometimes it's spite. It bothers me in any ways (anger, sadness, annoyance, hopelessness) the state of people online today, sometimes it's mockery.

I never do it because it doesn't help, but it's on my mind. If I really want to change things, I either become jesus, or I make party week real and big time and create a whole community of people. Healthy communities are a cure.

🌙  What time of day do you prefer to write? Why?

Afternoon, I am magically just more effective for no reason. Maybe I am fully woken up by then

👖 Are you a planner, plantser, or pantser? Is it consistent?

I guess plantser? But outcome is that of a planner because I stick to only release it when it's finished.

The exception is when I share it with friends, and then sharing it with friends accidentally becomes the official release because of unexpected attention :') fuck! now I can't change anything!

📊 Current number of WIPs

uuhhh.... 1 narrative, maybe 2 others

There is another narrative where I am just a collaborator but I had only played a small part. I am responsible for writing how a corrupt dictatorship runs, but mainly review the writing, quality control. the best rpg game of all time comes first.

👨‍👧‍👧 Do you tell people in real life that you write fic? 

yes, and no one cares, I like that they don't care. I always lie about what I am writing about.

I am secretive, but if your life is too far from the truth then you are going to have problems keeping it up. I had lied about multiple professions and careers, and I had been involved in all of them they are just not my job.

🌝 Who is one character you haven’t yet written for that you would like to?

uuuh.... I don't do fanfic anymore. It would have to be one where I see missed potential that a fanfic could take advantage of since they can take it in a different direction.

I guess Blue Archive, black souls, or vtubers or touhou. I think my little pony is a really good one if I really get into it, but I can never get into it, it can't engage me, I fall asleep. Despite of that, I don't have to watch the show to know it's excellently developed.

I lost my love for sonic, but if I liked it as much as before, I would. It's a crime I had never written one on sonic. The only reason I didn't was probably because of school.

📝 What is one growth area you have for your writing?

I thought I said it before but I guess I didn't? Better conversations! disco elysium style and slice of life, create a situation that feels too real.

📚 Do you read your own fic?

Yeah.

I read everything. All the past fairy tales that I had written, all the people that I have lost, all the waifus that I had loved, and all the platforms that I have visited. It is all archived, and it is all revisited :) Ogata Rin where are you~ I lost your tumblr

🌈 What inspired you to write [insert fic here]?

art.

OMG I FOUND MY COVER

I think also love

for anything I wrote before it (not fanfics), I guess naruto, sonic, and megaman.

🤔 What is the hardest part of writing fic?

Writing the parts that suck? But I guess today I learned to say fuck it and don't? just work around it or throw that part that sucks. The boring parts. or come back with a new breath. Thing is, here I am :) my own advice isn't working. I HAVE TO WRITE ABOUT CULTS, IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE THIS DIFFICULT, AAAAAAA

Being lore/character accurate too, it gives too many restraints, that's why I never try to be. I had probably written fanfics of media I haven't seen

I think revisiting it after putting it on hold for so long is also terrible.

🧠 What’s an idea you have that you can’t quite call a WIP yet?

nothing

💻 Do you do research for your fics? What’s the deepest dive you’ve done?

NOW, CULTS.

I ALREADY KNEW ABOUT IT, BUT I HAD TO REVISIT RECKLESS BEN'S VIDEOS

ITS NOT THAT DIFFICULT, WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME, ITS SO SIMPLE "oh man you want one thing? here you go" "oh my gosh thank you so much" "nuh huh don't thank me, thank lord sandias" "OMG LORD SANDIAS I WILL GIVE YOU MY LIFE" SEE, THERE YOU GO, WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME!?!?

well. Now I have to get the adventurers to talk to these people -_-, initiate a back and forth. Now I get in depth on what's the cult about? It starts to SUCK. Why did I do this to myself? Can I please don't do this to myself never again?

✨ Choose three adjectives to complement your own writing.

what's an adjective and why does it have 4 syllables? so weird, ew, imagine being adjective

💭 What is a headcanon you have about your own work?

I just don't want to answer this today because nothing I am writing today is a fanfic, and my past work? feels like a big reach to answer the question that will end up without a real answer

🍰 Name one of your fave comfort fics (doesn’t have to be your all time fave).

none, unless my old friend brings back theirs on fnaf.

👩‍🏭 If one of your fics was going to get you arrested, which one and why?

why would I tell you that lmao? I will write one on blue archive now. I had grown motivated to start one after reading this question so I am able to successfully answer it

There's actually one on blue archive about pregnancy and abortion and crimes that is more messed up than I could ever write. Thank the japanese people on twitter for that one.

⏰ Do you spend more time reading fic, writing fic, or do you do both equally?

writing. It's not like before, I never sought it, I just read it when it appeared in front of me. now, it's never in my face

💋 [Freeform - what is something you want to know about one of poster’s fics?]

who are you? don't answer. This is also 3 years old so I don't want to bother you, you probably don't write fanfics anymore

This post might be confusing because I keep referencing things I can't clearly remember from how old they are, and I am too secretive about what I work right now -m-, maybe in the future I can work on something I can be more open right now, but I don't see that happening yet. Social media today is a different vibe

Fanfic Ask Game (the movie, the sequel)

In celebration of me actually working on a fic, I made y’all an ask game instead of continuing to work on that fic. Pls enjoy.

💖 What do you like most about your own writing?

😐 What embarrasses you most about your own writing?

👻 What is one WIP you think you may never pick back up?

👀 Do you have any WIPs that you would never let see the light of day? If yes, what are they about?

📥 What is your fave fic to receive comments/messages on?

✏️ Do you write every day?

🖊 Post a snippet from a current WIP.

🏅 What is something you recently felt proud of in regard to your writing (finished a fic, actually planned for once, etc).

😈 Is there anything you enjoy doing that you think your readers hate?

🌙  What time of day do you prefer to write? Why?

👖 Are you a planner, plantser, or pantser? Is it consistent?

📊 Current number of WIPs

👨‍👧‍👧 Do you tell people in real life that you write fic? 

🌝 Who is one character you haven’t yet written for that you would like to?

📝 What is one growth area you have for your writing?

📚 Do you read your own fic?

🌈 What inspired you to write [insert fic here]?

🤔 What is the hardest part of writing fic?

🧠 What’s an idea you have that you can’t quite call a WIP yet?

💻 Do you do research for your fics? What’s the deepest dive you’ve done?

✨ Choose three adjectives to complement your own writing.

💭 What is a headcanon you have about your own work?

🍰 Name one of your fave comfort fics (doesn’t have to be your all time fave).

👩‍🏭 If one of your fics was going to get you arrested, which one and why?

⏰ Do you spend more time reading fic, writing fic, or do you do both equally?

💋 [Freeform - what is something you want to know about one of poster’s fics?]

[clockworkspider]

@romancedeldiablo omg thanks for tagging me! <3

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

113. Tho this count is a bit odd cause I write A LOT of tiny ficlets, and in my first fandom I posted most of them individually and in my current one a lot more of them are in a collection.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

281,571 (the 500 words ficlets sure adds up... Tho my longest fic is actually a translation of a chinese fic series, and I feared that added 40k to my count.)

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

I'm always a bit surprised that Deus Ex Machina is on there, cause I'm a bit embarrassed by that fic actually, it was one of my firsts. But I think the Good Omens fandom is very good with fic rec lists and that fic ended on one.

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

Most of them, yeah. I respond to every comment on more recent fics cause I like to talk to other fans and make friends in my current fandom. For fics in my previous fandom I respond to longer ones or comments with inquiries. (Here's a reminder to myself and other readers that you're allowed to ask writers questions other than "do you plan to continue this", it's a great conversation starter.)

5. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Hopeful ending is my bread and butter. Even my darkfics have hopeful endings cause that's how much of a sap I am.

But What is love? for Sk8 Adam really wrecked me personally after writing it. It's about teenage Adam running away from home after getting his skateboard burnt and finding out he have to go overseas for university. Of course in the end of the fic he had to go home and he had to go to university. I couldn't make him not return to his abusive home and that really killed me a little...

I think the fic gives him a bit of comfort and emotional catharsis, but doesn't change the situation. And such is the inherent powerlessness of being a teenager.

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

Oh definitely Keep Your Friends Close. I gave a happy ending to WRH for god's sake. I really wanted to give everyone closure without compromising the morality of any of them OR changing their nature, ya know? I'm a happy ending fan.

7. Do you write crossovers?

I use to love those when I was a teen, but no, sadly.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

lol yeah, not for my fic but for the character the fic is about. And then I responded with "okay but why are you here? Read a different fic?" like honestly people have too much time to hate-read.

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

I think I've written one? I'm not very good at it. I left the sex scenes in Of Choice to potato for a reason (who is the better half of that collab, actually, I'm not even being humble here)

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

no

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

A few, yeah. Always to russian. The russian fans are ON IT.

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

Of Choice, with @romancedeldiablo

13. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

None they change every year. But 10051 and cherik are the roadmap.

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

Um... Of Choice. I had like... thoughts for the end. But I think potato can agree with me that we both ran out of steam for that one

15. What are your writing strengths?

minimalism (fitting more meanings per word)

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

I don't know how to fucking plot.

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

I'm not going to do that. In the case where I know the other language well I'll translate it in the fic and leave a footnote. (I tried to keep most of the dialogues in Keep Your Friend Close was in Chinese in my brain first and then translated as I wrote, so they retain some Chinese flavour.)

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Yu Yu Hakusho... If you count parody crack fics written by 11 years olds. (When you get old enough you begun to realize that just because something is a parody doesn't make it funny.)

Magi, when I actually knew how to write.

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

I know I've written eiritsu but I wanna write more eiritsu. But they're so hard to write. (I kinda wanna write keichi and nagiiba cause I like the ships so much but when I think of it, not really. Akira-sensei fed me so well.)

20. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

Keep Your Friend Close is my baby. I got to air out some of my complex feelings about cultural revolution and modern day china, and I gave everyone mandatory happy endings.

For those of my enstars mutuals who happen to be into mdzs, it's a reincarnation fic where characters seems to meet their enemies first. So Wei Ying, Meng Yao, Xue Yang, and Nie Huaisang met in elementary school and make a pack to survive together in case they meet other people who have a grudge against them from their past life. Oh and they're forced to help Wei Ying search for Lan Zhan. It's set between early 2000s China (like, when I was last there lol) to present time. It's a fun time.

I'll be tagging... Heh. @squidcandy you're up. Also @stierhai. I've never grilled you about this before.

[spikeymarshmallows]

Fic Reading - Jan 2023

I used to write, and thus posted "Writing Updates" each month. I'm now onto like... year fucking THREE of a writers block that is destroying my soul.

But someone suggested to find different ways to enjoy fandom. I have a few friends that track their fic reading so... I'm giving it a shot. I'm also gonna add some fic-recs because I think that's important :) Where possible, I'm gonna TRY to rec fics that I don't see all over the place, getting rec'd left-right-and-centre, or I simply think are spectacular.

Jan 2023

Total words read: 580 961 Fics read: 75 Podfics listened to: 6 Did not finish: 9 Rereads: 12

*

Recs for the month:

I'll Be the Shadow, You'll Be the Light by jesskier - 60k, explicit - a 10-part really fun, sexy, at times angsty kink series. It plays heavy on the kinks, which I LOVE, with the aftercare and the complexities of feelings being so strong and just... it feels very real, you know? But also, it's hot as hell. I've reread some of this series 5+ times. Oops??

Eddie Munson and the Dreamboy by pukner - 8k, not rated - Look, I am a slut for anything pukner writes. "took you for a working boy" is one of my favourite fics. But EM and the Dreamboy just.... wrecks me. Features baby!Steve in teddy bear socks that makes both Eddie and I want to eat drywall.

On the Frozen Lake, Jagged and Beautiful - by kayeslin - 74k, explicit - I haven't finished this fic because I am listening to the ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE PODFIC. This is a fun fic, and Eddie makes Steve solve DnD style riddles every time he sells him weed. It's just... it's just fucking great, and you should all gobble it up.

international garbage man, i've decided that's what i am - by fenellacapella - 7k, explicit - so for those that know me, I really fucking love kink that... IDK, plays hard? that isn't just the standard "handcuffs and spanking" (I mean, I love those too! but I ReALLY love things that get a bit different too). This fic does that. The shower sex... face slapping... lowkey sexy-drowning-steve-with-a-showerhead... yeah, that's my kink. the Via Chicago series is great, tbh. >:)

Dustin Henderson and the Lovebirds - by pukner - 9.7k, not rated - Look, I'll try not to rant and rave about how amazing pukner is EVERY time I put together a rec list, but like, they never miss. They never. fucking. miss. This fic just gets you in the happiest spots and makes the world a little brighter.

*

Fics I'm "keeping my eye on" (ie, they're WIPs but hot DAMN do I fucking love them):

dumb bunny, I'm wild for you by honeyvenom - 13.9k, WIP, explicit - I've written in my notes "Steve is a subby baby, and Eddie offers to platonic Dom him. It has a dark non-con fantasy, and the whole thing is REALLY REALLY GOOD, HOLY SHIT". So uh, that's my rec lol.

A Year in the Life of Chip Harrington - by courfeyrac and sourpastels - 51k, WIP, mature - I haven't read the most recent chapters because brain function? Haven't heard of her. BUT the first two chapters are just GREAT and this fic just feels like a warm hug in your heart. Based on the tags, I don't think it'll emotionally cripple me either, so yay!!

getting lost in the dark is my favorite part - by QueerOnTilMorning - 18k, WIP, explicit - AHHHHHH. Eddie decides to go be rid of his pesky virginity post-S4, and look, there is a scene that makes you wanna DIE (of embarrassment. for Eddie). But it's SO GOOD and has Steve and Eddie uh... learning things about themselves heh.

Trouble Looks Good on You - by indelicate - 25k, WIP, explicit - Steve is Strong and Eddie is a chaotic gremlin who likes to launch himself at Steve. There are ~awakenings~ and honestly, the author is REALLY fucking good at writing their sexual tension, holy shit.

*

Goals for Feb 2023 Reading:

Read a (Stranger Things) fic 4+ months old, with fewer than 500 kudos

Read a fic with >80k words

Cross off 25 tasks in the Fanfic Reading Challenge

(2 AU categories, 2 Author categories, 4 Content tasks, 1 Minority task, 5 Fic Type tasks, 3 Numbers tasks, 1 Ships tasks, 1 Titles category, 3 Tropes tasks)

*

Got any steddie recs I should read? (I ask, as if my TBR list isn't >250 fics now...). I'm particularly into podfics right now, and will hopefully be putting together a good list of those in the future too!

[three-bunnies-in-a-trenchcoat]

name: mb or midnight (or duchess)

pronouns: she/her

fandoms:

kotlc (active)

pjo (semi-active)

grishaverse (not active)

miraculous ladybug (semi-active)

legend of zelda/linked universe (active)

mha (semi-active)

genshin impact (active)

rottmnt (semi-active)

about me: if you can’t already tell from literally everything: i love bunnies. this isn’t relevant to anything but i feel like that’s important to know, as i do not know what to put here. (just- just send me some asks if you want to know something. i’ll get around to answering them)

tags:

mb’s two am rambling - original post tag (not posts made at two am, that used to just be the only time i made original posts)

mb’s writing - my writing tag

mb’s memes - making memes for my fics is going to become a thing real soon

mb and [name] scream about hats - ask tag

mb plays a game - you have the misfortune to hear me talk about how bad i am at playing genshin impact or loz when this wild tag appears

fics:

start from scratch (again and again):

It’ll be a good idea, he said. It’ll be fun, he said. IT’S NOT. IT IS NOT FUN (mha, class 1a is in a time loop (unfortunately for aizawa’s sanity), ignore the long title)

and we cry into the night “what did we do to deserve this?” (time loop but sad and possibly the most serious thing i’ll write for this series)

i hope that you burrrrrrrrrrrn (shouto no) (direct sequel to It’ll be a good idea)

hawks's and dabi's guide to freaking out (direct sequel to i hope that you burrrrrrrrrrrn, wip)

Wars, Wind, and Time shenanigans:

wartime stories (lu, a collection of snippets about warriors, wind, and time/mask)

War of Eras? War of pranks (warriors and wind pick their prank war back up, unaware that mask is traveling with them)

time (does not) heal all wounds (time has a nightmare, and the chain finds out how he lost his eye) 

(no) wind in the sails (wind doesn't have the hero's spirit, but angst)

what’s in a name? (wind doesnt have the hero’s spirit, but funny this time)

half assed? he doesn't even have a whole one (wind and mask mock warriors's flat ass)

pajama-napped (wind joins the chain while in his pajamas)

oneshots:

Legends Are Told (pjo, songfic about how no one remembers them)

Girl on Fire (kotlc, read at your own risk, its terrible. if you read it do not tell me i will die of embarrassment-)

Whisper in the dark (of names once known) (pjo, percy keeps getting reincarnated with his memories)

Twists (kotlc, also terrible because i wrote it in twenty minutes. i will most likely just suffer a crippling wound from embarrassment instead of dying)

is it really a crime if you don't exist? (pjo, an older percy time travels to the past and decides to cause some chaos)

we will (never) break the chain:

(unrelated loz/lu fics)

how many heroes does it take to get a cat from a tree? (the chain reminisce on some of the weirder parts of their adventures while trying to rescue a cat)

shark to the system (the colors debate how smooth sharks are)

Plink Lonk, totally not the hero (prequel/sequel to what's in a name, what Legend’s legal name is)

first of the sword (sky sees the spirits of the people of the surface)

wings of shadow, let twilight fall ((based partially on the tp manga) after losing his arm and dying, link wakes up in the spring with a pair of wings)

memes:

incorrect lu, part two, part three, part four

other miscellaneous items:

36 easy shrines to get the master sword as quick as possible (under the assumption you have the lake tower and lake hylia shrine)

recently, i was known as duchessmb (far before that, midnightbunnyy. dark times), but now, i have evolved into @/three-bunnies-in-a-trenchcoat 

some of my very best friends are @/sameboats @/steppingonshatteredglass @/alienlamp @/jolieharkness @/if-only-wishes-were-answered @/when-wax-wings-melt @/aroace-dadwinstan @/stardustanddaffodils @/bllaaaaarrgh @/whatcouldpossiblyg0wr0ng @/howl-at--the-sun (if you’re a mutual know that i’m probably just too much of a coward to add you to the list)

if you send me a prompt i’ll eventually get around to writing it (sorry, beau)

piece together the timeline of my lu fics and you'll get a prize (there isnt one but if you can present a convincing argument i'll accept that)

i wrote a thing about the butterfly effect and i feel like it should be acknowledged

someone called me the official record keeper once and i find that funny 

my discord (for my writing)

[runn0ft]

Tagged by the lovely @goatsandgangsters! I’m so sorry it’s taken me so long to respond to this.

How many works do you have on AO3?

Two. I am a fraud.

What’s your total AO3 word count?

Okay, so I’m actually really embarrassed by my word count. A measly 3319. I like to think it’s because I’m just a succinct writer, which is both a blessing (academically) and a curse (creatively).

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

God, over the decades it’s been many, (most of which never saw the light of day) but some are probably still floating around various Ye Olde Internet Platforms. I think the first fandom I ever wrote anything for was either LOTR or Pirates of the Caribbean, I can’t remember which. I’ve also written for Star Trek, Stranger Things, Stephen King’s It, Generation Kill, and Big Love (all admittedly short lived hyperfixations). Boardwalk Empire is the only fandom I’ve written fic for in recent years that I haven’t deleted later. It’s only taken me 15+ years to write anything I’ve deemed good enough to put out into the world, but here we are.

What are your top five fics by kudos?

Both are actually pretty evenly matched.

glass houses wins out by only one kudos at 33, which I’m pretty pleased with considering the fandom is small and fairly dead.

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I would say I do like, 99% of the time. If anyone takes the time to read let alone leave a comment on my fic, I will turn myself inside out to let them know just how appreciative I am. 

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

Because I have so many WIPS (specifically like, THIRTEEN FUCKING WIPS) I...don’t even know if I can narrow that down. Only because I think the overall tragedy of Charlie and Meyer’s relationship is inescapable. Sad Old Men™️ (formally titled the sky in a room) makes a lot of references to some truly tragic moments (Meyer’s wedding to Anna, The Ride, etc.) and takes place months before Charlie’s death. It’s the last time Meyer ever sees him alive, but I would say the ending is more bitter-sweet with a ton of angst thrown in.

That said, I think the fic that’s just out-and-out angst might be father and son, which deals with the dissolution of Meyer’s relationship with his middle-child, Paul. Historically speaking, because we know what the fight was about, in combination with my own headcanons, there’s no surprise that there is no reconciliation.

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

Most definitely Afterlife AU (for i was born to glory in your kiss) or Charlie and Meyer Make a Porno, because the only way these two are getting their happily-ever-after is through divine intervention or within a modern setting.

But if we’re talking about a literal happy ending, then it’s fuck all that cute shit, i like it when it’s messy. Because, you know. 😏

Do you write crossovers? If yes, what’s the craziest thing you’ve written?

Nah, not my bag.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

No, but I did make it onto a Bad Fic blog on Livejournal in 2003. So that definitely dissuaded me from posting anything for at least like, another seven years.

Do you write smut? If so what kind?

I do, but I suffer greatly from smut imposter syndrome. The Boardwalk fandom has so many immensely talented people writing smut. I get to the act and immediately choke because I’m so afraid that what I bring to the table won’t measure up to what’s already out there.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

LOLOLOLOL that’s cute.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

See above.

Have you ever co-written a fic?

I will in no way take credit as co-author, but I will say that I collaborate with @portiaadams a lot on her brilliant saga Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow (mostly on the Charlie and Meyer bits in the sequel Hand in Hand to Hell).

What’s your all time favourite ship?

It’s them. Full stop.

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

When it comes to my Boardwalk fic, I have very real plans to finish all of them! Every. Single. One. The one that will absolutely never get finished/published? Secrets of a Gay Marine Porn Star, my one fleshed out BradRay fic. Sorry GenKill mutuals!

What’s your writing strengths?

Dialogue has always been my strong suit, but this is especially true for writing Charlie and Meyer. I grew up with a lot of men with Charlie’s cadence and sensibilities. In a lot of ways, Charlie is very comforting and familiar.

I also have the advantage of having been raised in both cultures. My mother’s family only immigrated to New York from Italy in the late 50’s. My great grandparents escaped the pogroms in Russia. I understand both their motivations to assimilate while still being inextricably linked to their respective home lands through unimaginable pain. That may sound like a loaded statement, but I feel very connected to both their histories.

What’s your writing weaknesses?

Fucking descriptives, oh my god it’s always just like pulling teeth, I really really have to work at it. I’m much better at conveying a lot of emotion through reading between the lines.

I’m also going to second that I am slow as shit and struggle a lot with follow through because I can’t get out of my own head a majority of the time.

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

I mean, it’s a necessity given the fandom and specifically the ship that I write for. That being said, I am by no means fluent in either, even though I came in already being able to speak a phrase or two in both Italian and Yiddish. I try not to be heavy handed with it because most translation sites are unreliable and the idea of asking my family for help is mortifying.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Lord of the Rings. I can’t think about the fact that the movies came out two fucking decades ago or I go into a total crisis.

What’s your favourite fic you’ve written?

Sad Old Men™️ will be my tour de force. It is far and away the best thing I have ever written and I cannot wait to share it with you guys!

Tagging: @portiaadams @fancykraken @gaytaiga​ @ooihcnoiwlerh​ @nothingbutchaff​ and whoever else wants to do the thing.

[dancer-me]

Fic Writer Questions

@hopeintheashes tagged me (that was pleasantly surprising, so YAY) as well as anyone who wants to play (so if you want do - just do it!!!) 1) How many works do you have on AO3?

I have nine!

2) What’s your total AO3 word count?

106,461! I broke 100,000 on AO3 and didn't notice =O

3) How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

For posted fanfiction, I have written for 5 fandoms at this point. Naruto (this was my early days, around 2007 to 2015, with pretty huge gaps inbetwen), Merlin (oops), High Seas (just the one small fic because Netflix had me angsting hard enough to break my hiatus), and of course 9-1-1 and 9-1-1 Lone Star!

4) What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1. Express to Nowhere (911 / 911 Lone Star) 2. Giving up Ground (911 / 911 Lone Star) 3. Quarter Life Crisis (911) 4. Pull me Under (911) 5. Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You (911)

5) What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

I hesitate to say this about a WIP but I'm pretty sure it's going to be Giving up Ground when it's done. Not that it's going to have a sad ending, but that it's part of a continuous series and I already have the next part planned out and partially started (titled "Overdrawn" for anyone interested) so it will leave things feeling hopeful but open-ended, which can be construed as angsty. But really, all my other stories, while they have angst for the most part, have happy endings because I'm a sucker for it. Chaotic Energy is slow burning itself to the happiest of endings.

6) What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

Hmm... I think it's Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You! This story was just such a fun blast of drama, hijinks, and hilarity, with our two leads getting their love story at the end of it all :) All my completed works have very happy endings, but this one resonates because there really wasn't any angst at all in the whole thing. Just good fun!

7) Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

The only cross-over I have ever written or been compelled to write in my life has been with 9-1-1 and 9-1-1: Lone Star, and that's my Chaotic Energy series. I don't know if it's "crazy", though it's turning out to be crazy long, since my original plan for it was 5 separate one-shots and Captain, that ship has long since sailed. We're deep at sea now, SOS. I love what it's become, though, and I hope everyone who reads it is enjoying the journey :)

8) Do you write smut? If so what kind?

Weeeeeeeeell. Here's the thing. I wrote m/f smut back in the day, on ff.net and carried my one shots over to AO3 when I made the move. I'm talking way back in the day - those two "E" stories are dated 2015 but I actually originally posted them in 2011 - TEN years ago!! I haven't written smut since (I'm not counting TK and Carlos getting frisky in chapter 2 of Giving up Ground). It's not that I wouldn't, but that I haven't been inspired and with time somehow I have also become ragingly self-conscious over whether I could still do a good job. My smut has always been emotion based though, as I've never been able to truly go PWP. That said, I'm actively open to and considering some m/m smut for my current fandom. Fingers crossed I don't embarrass myself.

9) Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I do on all my recent work on AO3 (basically my 9-1-1 and lone star fics that I've written since coming out of hiatus).

10) Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Not on any of my AO3 work, though I have received hate on my much older work on ff.net to varying degrees of reasonability. So far the AO3 community has been very kind to me! I’ll get some comments where I think readers had hoped I’d go in a different direction, but nothing has ever been too much.

11) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of! Imitation is the greatest form of flattery but also no, stop, don’t do that.

12) Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, actually! I wrote my first ever published fic for Naruto called “Stand Alone” back between 2007 and 2011 (took a couple years off in the middle there to, you know, finish high school…) that someone asked me if they could translate into Russian. At the time I thought that was super cool, and it still is, but now I look back at that story and I think oof, now we can cringe at it in multiple languages. (more on that later)

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

No, but I’m not opposed to it! I’ve seen some excellent fic partnerships and it’s so great seeing writers leverage the creativity and talents of their friends and peers.

14) What’s your all time favorite ship?

Y’know, before 9-1-1, it was Merlin x Arthur, but Buck x Eddie have 110% of my heart and attention now.

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

On the topic of Merlin… I started writing “The Quest for the Knife” back in 2015 at the peak of my Merlin fixation after painstakingly planning it out. I have pages upon pages of outlines and notes for a 14 chapter adventure… somewhere. I found a piece of it like an archeological dig when I was moving this pandemic season, but the rest seems lost to time. I’m sad because I had gotten so excited about it and loved my first two chapters, but I don’t think I’ll ever finish it. I might take it down so I can stop wallowing in guilt.

16) What are your writing strengths?

I like to think I write good action / adventure scenes and plot lines, because I love painting vivid pictures of what I see playing out in my head whenever I think through my stories. I like to incorporate subtle (and not so subtle) humour as well in my work, which is born from my very active internal narrator voice as I go through my day-to-day and try to find the humour in everything. I also like to make outlines before all my bigger stories too, which ‘usually’ means I avoid cringey plot holes and can make some fun connections.

17) What are your writing weaknesses?

*looks at the camera very seriously* writing convincing smut. Well, that, and the kind of emotional, flirty love and fluff that I love devouring in fics. I don’t think I do nearly as good a job there. Get in a character’s head and angst them up? Sure. Wax poetic in a convincing and not jarring way about how much Character A is in love with Character B without making it seem like it was a bit too much of a leap? Debatable.

Also… I tend to require my readers to suspend a lot of disbelief to enjoy my fics with elements of adventure, because I tend to do exactly 5 minutes of Google research for something before I decide I’ve had enough and go ahead.

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

Here we revisit the cringe of “Stand Alone,” where I tried in the first half (the 2007 portion) to incorporate Japanese since I watched the anime in Japanese and felt this was the best way to try and have the character’s voices come off the page. It… is really just a big ol’ cringe, because I didn’t know the language, and I definitely didn’t use suffixes right at ALL. So… I tend to avoid it personally because I don’t want to cringe at how wrong my use of other languages is.

But if it fits you, your story, fits your character, and you know the language confidently enough to not embarrass yourself? You do you *carefully side steps around discourse and leaves the room*

19) What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Naruto!

20) What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

I think it has to be “Express to Nowhere” these days. It was wanting to write that fic that pulled me out of hiatus and helped me find joy in writing and sharing my work again, and I have nothing but love for it and how it turned out.

Holy Cow I was warned that this level of introspection was going to take a minute but whew this was a good chunk of time. Fun to do and think about though!

Tagging: @221bsunsettowers, @onelonelytortillachip, @blueeyedbuckley and anyone who sees this and thinks, "hey, I have an answer for these questions." Because I am madly curious and would love to see your take!

[contraststudies]

Thank you for tagging me, @tawnyontumblr​! I’m very bad at doing these writer meme things, so here goes nothing.

1) How many works do you have on AO3?

45 and counting!

2) What’s your total AO3 word count?

376,429. Holy moly that is a fuck ton of words (I only properly started posting on AO3 last May iirc).

3) How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Four: Critical Role, Good Omens, Hades, and Kill La Kill.

4) What are your top five fics by kudos?

This list is bookended by two PWPs, which I find hilarious given that I seem to have misplaced my smut brain cell sometime in the last couple of months.

On The Matter of Traffic Violations (Good Omens, E)

“Officer Fell,” Crowley says, and leans forward, enough to give Fell a good view of his décolletage. He tilts his head in the way he knows people find deliciously coquettish, glad that he’d had the foresight to apply some mascara before heading out. “I’m so very sorry about this,” he says, looking up at the officer through his lashes. “It’s late, you know, no cars around… Didn’t notice how fast I was going, that’s all.”

[Or: Crowley flirts his way out of a traffic violation.]

Unbinding (Critical Role, T)

This is a great honor, Essek reminds himself, trying not to recoil as fingers run through his hair, working through the tangles. A braid is made of three strands, symbolizing the inextricable bond between the soul, the den, and the Luxon. A recognition of an achievement by the drow who bears it. With each braid, the soul is bound ever closer to its den and to the Luxon.

It is a lesson Essek learned long ago, but one he is never permitted to forget.

[Or: the story of why the Shadowhand wears his hair cropped short.]

No Church In The Wild (Good Omens, E)

The stem of the wineglass in Aziraphale’s hand snaps cleanly in two, but no one seems to hear it—every eye in the room is trained on the redheaded dancer sashaying to the gleaming silver pole, centre stage for all to see.

Oh, Aziraphale thinks faintly. Good lord.

[Or: the one where Aziraphale gets assigned to the red light district.]

abide gold with me (Critical Role, T)

“Okay, Cay-leb,” Jester says, stretching out the syllables affectionately. “You sit right here so we can watch you and Essek try an orange for the first time.”

The Primal Scene (Good Omens, E - a collab with @lookitsstevie​!)

Harriet notices that there’s a crack of light at the end of the hallway coming from the door to the library, and her mood brightens considerably. Perhaps the tutors are still here, putting together their lessons for the next day before they leave for the night. She leans down to pick up a piece of cloth that’s fallen on the rug. Her breath catches in her throat when she realizes what it is – a necktie with a familiar tartan pattern.

She nearly drops the tie in shock at the unmistakable sound coming from the closed door of the library. A sharp, quickly stifled moan.

[Or: Harriet Dowling accidentally bears witness to divine ecstasy.]

5) Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I try. I really do. My friends (and maybe some of my readers) know that this is difficult for me, mainly because any sort of recognition reduces me to a gibbering pile of tears. I’m working on it though, even if it does take me a million years to respond to anything on AO3. 

6) What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

God, which one do I choose. I have been referred to as an angst gremlin for a very good reason. I’m gonna go with The Remains of the Day, a Good Omens fairy tale AU I wrote loosely based on Bluebeard.  

7) Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

I HAVE. I wrote philtatos, a crossover of Good Omens and The Iliad/The Song of Achilles. It’s the only crossover I’ve ever written, unless we’re counting Variations of an Arrangement, which could loosely count as a crossover of the book/radio/TV versions of Good Omens.

8) Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I have not. And hopefully never will.

9) Do you write smut? If so what kind?

I do, and it’s usually of the angst with a happy ending variety.

10) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Hm. How do we define stealing? Just kidding. The short answer is no.

11) Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope!

12) Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Got one in the works for Critical Role!

13) What’s your all time favourite ship?

Steve Rogers/Bucky Barnes was actually the first ship I ever really got into, and they’ll always have a special place in my heart even if I never wrote anything for that fandom. Crowley/Aziraphale from Good Omens of course, and more recently Caleb Widogast/Essek Thelyss from Critical Role.

14) What’s a WIP you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Variations of an Arrangement. I loved writing it, and I still want to finish it one day, but it took a lot of brainpower to write and keep track of the plot and I feel like it’s beyond me, at least right now.

15) What are your writing strengths?

I… hmm. Judging by the way people are always yelling at me in their comments, I guess it’s that I can write stories that make people feel things very deeply.

16) What are your writing weaknesses?

I repeat words so often, it’s embarrassing. I use too many “-ly” adverbs. Also, I find myself using the same turns of phrase across several fics lmao.

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

Language is a tricky thing. I don’t want to bore you with discourse. I try not to write dialogue in a different language (especially if it’s not one I speak myself) unless it’s absolutely called for, or if they’re just basic phrases and I’m 100% certain I won’t be getting it wrong. I have read fics where this was done very well though, and I’ve found that it really adds to the atmosphere in those cases.

18) What was the first fandom you wrote for?

It was for this old anime called Princess Tutu. I danced ballet when I was younger and loved it so much – I believe I was only twelve at the time?? But I think the fic may still be floating around on FF.net somewhere.

19) What’s your favourite fic you’ve written?

I wrote philtatos in a four-day fever dream. It’s not the most technically perfect fic I’ve ever written or anything like that, but I think it’s the one that reveals the most about who I am as a person. That is an incredibly cheesy thing to say, I know. I always joke that posting that fic felt like offering my still-beating heart on a silver platter to the void, but there you are.

For Critical Role, surprisingly enough it’s this ficlet I wrote called sinners, a small bite of Shadowdrei where I was parsing my ideas on Astrid and Eadwulf’s dynamic and where they stood when it came to Bren/Caleb and Essek. I didn’t realize how fully formed my thoughts were until I wrote that. Fascinating what your own writing will show you about the things that are in your mind.

Tagging with no pressure whatsoever: @naromoreau @jenanigans1207 @saretton @theseedsofdoom @musegnome!

[the-lincyclopedia]

* adapted from @librajiminn on twitter

A fun game to celebrate 2020 ending! The rules are simple: recommend your favorite OMGCP fics so everyone can enjoy them, while trying to fill in enough slots to get a bingo!

This is going to get long, so I’ll put it under a cut. Also, I’m too orderly to try to shoehorn my favorite fics into these particular prompts, so I’m just going to go right to left, top to bottom, taking the prompts literally, until it’s bedtime. 

1. first fic you bookmarked: “Here Comes the Sun” by @doggernaut, 19k, G, no warnings, Zimbits

For the past month, the man with the baby and the sad blue eyes has been stopping in for a cup of coffee an hour before closing. He always sits in an overstuffed chair in the corner and drinks his coffee while his baby sleeps next to him in the stroller. Sometimes he pulls a book out from the diaper bag he carries with him; other times he just stares straight ahead as if in a daze. He never asks for a refill, always respectfully gathers his things and leaves ten minutes before the shop officially closes. Eric desperately wants to ask him what his story is. 

My notes: I read Check Please over the course of two days in June of 2019. On the second day, right after catching up, I looked at @peppermintfeminist‘s AO3 bookmarks and found a fic by @doggernaut. Then I read just about everything @doggernaut had ever posted. It was glorious. This fic in particular is so cute. 

2. most recent fic you bookmarked: “Flight Check” by @edgarallanrose, 15k, E, no warnings (though there is a creepy/handsy guy at a club to watch out for), primarily Zimbits with most of the other popular pairings in the background

Flight attendant Eric “Bitty” Bittle has been working his way up at Samwell Airlines for the past four years, and his new promotion has provided him the opportunity to work with a brand-new crew. Unfortunately for Bitty, that crew includes an incredibly handsome but equally grumpy pilot, Captain Jack Zimmermann, who seems to want nothing to do with Bitty. Even worse, Jack refuses to eat any of Bitty's baked goods. Will Bitty be able to win the captain over? Or is there another reason Jack has been avoiding Bitty?

My notes: There are a lot of great things about this fic--Jack’s character arc, Lardo’s dialogue, that scene in Seattle--but the reason I bookmarked it is the scene where Bitty’s basically slut-shaming himself and Jack gently but firmly tells Bitty not to do that and that it was the creep’s fault. 

3. a fic that made you cry actual tears: “a little bit more” by @ivecarvedawoodenheart, 14k, T, no warnings, Holsom

“I just wanted,” he says, “a perfect day. With you. Because it’s our last day together and our last day being here as undergrads and we’re kissing the ice tonight, and the weather’s supposed to be beautiful, and you’re moving tomorrow and Holtzy I just — I don’t want to be missing you already.” Holster wipes his eyes before he even realizes he’s crying. Behind him, Ransom sighs. “One more day where everything’s the same,” he says, feeling around blindly for Rans’ fingers. He feels Rans nod as he laces their fingers together. “Yeah. Yeah, Rans. I’d like that a lot.” __________________________

Holsom after graduation and throughout the subsequent six months after Holster signs to an expansion team in Oregon, and realizes his feelings for Ransom too late. Holster's POV :) kinda angsty, but there's a happy ending :)

Inspired by shitty-check-please-aus: "Holster moves to Oregon while Ransom stays on the east coast. The time difference makes it difficult to talk and one day they wake up and realize they aren’t best bros anymore."

My notes: I almost never cry at fics. I searched “tears” in my fandom email account and only a handful of my fic comments came up, but Syd is a literal master of Holsom angst, always. 

4. longest fic you’ve read: “Like Real People Do” by @xiaq, 153k, M, No Warnings, Kent Parson x OC

Parson gestures with his spoon toward Hawke. “So am I allowed to ask about the service dog or is that not PC?”

“My medical history is more of a 3rd date conversation," Eli says.

“Oh? Why’s that?”

“Because. No one sticks around afterward and I like to live in glorious denial for a short period beforehand.”

It comes out more self-deprecating than he intended.

Parson looks…thoughtful. “Well, does this count as one or two?

“Pardon?”

“This. Ice cream. I mean, technically it’s a second location, but still the same night. So is this one date or two?”

“One,” Eli says firmly. “If it’s happening within the same three-hour period.”

“You’re the expert,” Parson says, which, he’s really, really, not, but ok.

“So still two dates to go then?” Parson continues.

“I—what?”

“We’ve got a roadie coming up but then we’re home for almost two weeks. When does your semester start?”

“You want to do this again?” Eli asks.

Parson stops idly twirling his spoon.

“You don’t?”

He does, Eli realizes. He really does. Because apparently he actually likes Kent fucking Parson.

My notes: Okay, this fic has my whole entire heart. I’ve read it multiple times in its entirety, and it’s almost twice as long as the full-length novel I’m querying. Eli is one of my favorite OCs I’ve ever seen in a fic (probably tied with Damian Navarro and Ari Paxton, both brainchildren of @fozmeadows). Anyway, this is probably going to be the next thing @themeaningoflifeischeese and I read out loud to each other. 

5. a fic you almost didn’t read: “when all else fails (i’ll still be right here)” by @whoacanada, 6k, T, Creator Chose Not to Use Archive Warnings (and I don’t remember if I think there’s stuff to warn for, sorry), Zimbits

The National Hockey League is resurrecting the Quebec City Nordiques, and the expansion draft hits the Falconers much harder than expected.

My notes: Given that this was for @omgcpheartbreakfest, I was worried this would be all angst--all hurt and no comfort. Which made me sad, because I love @whoacanada‘s writing but I wasn’t up for reading unresolved angst. But @doggernaut reblogged the fic, so I asked if the ending was sad, and it’s NOT! There is quite a bit of angst but the ending isn’t sad. 

6. a fic that convinced you on a ship you didn’t ship before: “it drops with the gravity of rain” by @geniusorinsanity, 16k, T, Creator Chose Not to Use Archive Warnings (attempted sexual assault by an OC), Nurseydex

It happens like this:

“I don’t--this is a bad idea,” Dex says, his lips still tingling, his hands shaking on Nursey’s hips where he’s shoved him away. “This is a really bad idea, Nurse. I can’t--We can’t do this.”

And there’s hurt in Nursey’s eyes and his bottom lip is swollen from Dex’s teeth, but he says, “Okay.” And then, “It’s chill, Dex. Just friends, then.”

It happens like this:

“Actually,” Nursey says, talking more to his granola than to them, “I kind of have a date.”

It happens like this:

When Nursey calls, Dex almost doesn’t pick up the phone.

My notes: So I was really confused and a little disturbed when I first found out people shipped Nursey and Dex. Like, Dex just wasn’t someone I trusted. But then I was moving out of the house I’d been living in, and I needed stuff to listen to as I packed and cleaned, and @khashanakalashtar‘s podfics came in clutch. I gave this one a try even though I didn’t like Dex, and @geniusorinsanity blew. My. Mind.

7. a fic from an unusual POV: “Excuse Me While I Kiss This Guy” by @porcupine-girl, 8k, G, no warnings, Zimbits

Jesse Snowden knows all the best restaurants and gourmet food shops in Providence, so when Jack Zimmermann starts bringing in incredible baked goods, he's eager to find out where the new bakery is. When he meets the man behind the pies, he decides that there's no way Jack could really appreciate this guy's talent the way he does, even if they are friends. He starts hiring Jack's chef on the side, in the hopes that maybe once Bitty's done with college he'll come work for Jesse.

Good thing there is absolutely no way whatsoever that Jesse could possibly be misinterpreting this situation.

My notes: Oh my gosh this is so funny. The secondhand embarrassment factor is huge, but like, the hilarity. 

8. a comfort fic: “Don’t Need to Compromise” by @khashanakalashtar, 11k, E, no warnings, PB&J

“Hey,” said Kent, unknowingly setting off a chain of events that would change his entire life, “you said that like you know from experience. Have you done this before?”

Jack and Bitty have not done polyamory before, but they do know Ransom and Holster’s polycule, which contains March.

And March?

March is trans.

My notes: I’m in love with @khashanakalashtar‘s entire Directionverse series (and honestly a lot of their other writing), but “Don’t Need to Compromise,” which is the second fic in the series, just makes my heart swell especially much. The gender feels are so good, and all the characters are so good to each other, and when I listen to this on walks I have to actively try not to arm-flap. 

9. a fic you wish could be a movie: “Ice Crew Please!” by @petals42, 61k, T, no warnings, Zimbits

Jack Zimmermann was drafted first by the Providence Falconers when he was eighteen years old. He is good at hockey. Very good. His team won the Cup his second year and now, in his third year, they are looking good. Jack should be on top of the world. And some days, he manages to convince himself he is.

He’s not, of course.

Enter the Ice Crew.

AKA: The Ice Crew AU

My notes: This fic has its tender moments, but what I love most about it is the sheer goofiness. Ransom and Holster and Shitty are HILARIOUS in this one. I’d love to see their shenanigans in movie form. 

10. a WIP you read as it was updated: “Something Borrowed” by @fozmeadows, 48k, M, no warnings, Kent x OC

All things considered, Ari did his best to prepare himself for the advent of Kent Parson, Potentially Difficult Housemate and New Star Liney. The problem was that his best was an idiot.

My notes: So technically I didn’t start reading this until the first 19 chapters were posted. But there was still plenty of anticipation for the final few chapters. And like, @fozmeadows (as mentioned above) makes EXCELLENT OCs. And I love how their fics consistently convey that having bad things happen to you does not mark the end of your story. 

Okay, it’s bedtime, so have 10 excellent fics. I got bingo twice, because I went straight across on the top two rows.