#i'm usually not into happy endings i'm very into bittersweet stuff

[tigirl-and-co]

How Finite is Love?

This is a short little piece set in @shirecorn‘s super cool mlp AU! This is just a first pass at it, I’ll definitely refine it if I post it to a fic site. I just HAD to get this out though, the au hits all my sweet spots!

Shining Armor considers the ponies he loves, and how a mortal pony can love goddesses.

Shining Armor held no resentment towards his two favourite mares. It wasn't their fault. They had no choice. Shining wasn't certain he believed in destiny, but whatever happened to his wife and baby sister sure was close.

First it was his wife, and that he could handle. She was an adult. They had fallen in love in highschool, they had grown together, Shining knew how strong Cadance was. If anypony deserved ascension, it was her.

If anypony could weather this, it was them.

He loved his wife with every bone in his body, every fiber of his being, every ounce of magic he could channel. And he knew she felt the same. If she didn't... this never would have happened.

Can love be a curse? Can loving somepony too much damn your soul? Can it save it?

About a month after Cadance gained her horn, Shining Armor decided dwelling on these questions wasn't helpful, and the answers didn't matter. He loved Cadance, and Cadance loved him. He couldn't change the past, wasn't sure if he even would -- but he was dead set on building a happy future.

At least as happy as he could give her. He couldn't guarantee that the love his mortal body held would last into her infinity, but he was determined to try.

He hoped it wouldn't destroy her to leave him behind, when the time came.

He loved her too much for that.

===

He had celebrated when The Sun took notice of Twilight.

The young stallion was oblivious to the looks of quiet worry on his parents' faces, the body language that said they were resigned to a cautious optimism. How could the attention of the source of Equestrian life bring anything but fortune?

He wasn't yet old enough to have heard the whispers. The old fables weren't circulated in school for fear of divine retribution, and Shining Armor was not as studious as his sibling.

Now?

Had he the power, he would have torn The Sun from the sky.

His baby sister, the sweetest and most sensitive mare he had ever known, damned to an eternity of watching her friends die.

She was a child (she was older than Cadance had been) she needed protection (she had brought down false gods) she wasn't ready (The Sun had learned from its mistakes, this new goddess was more than prepared).

She needed him.

Didn't she?

(She did, once.)

He was proud of her, of course. And if he had been watching for the signs, he wouldn't have been surprised.

Twilight Sparkle had always had an innate love for those around her. Before she had locked herself away in that tower amongst the tomes, she had been a kind filly. And even then, she had never quite managed to harden her heart.

She was still openly affectionate with him, with Cadance, with Twilight Velvet and Night Light. She shared her knowledge with them because it was how she said 'I love you.'

Leave it to a goddess to exploit that trait.

When Shining managed to find time to talk with his Twily after she had earned her wings, she had said her job as goddess was 'to spread the knowledge of friendship' and to teach others what friendship truly meant. She sounded excited, happy. She had found a purpose for her research.

Shining Armor wasn't sure if his baby sister hadn't yet considered the consequences of eternal life, or if it simply didn't bother her. He didn't ask.

He realized that while she was still his Twily, and would be until the day he died, she was more. She was Ponyville's friend. She was Celestia's Twilight Sparkle.

She was Equestria's new goddess.

He renewed his vow to remain her BBBFF forever, to keep her safe from turmoil and danger.

He swallowed down his anger and despair that night, in favour of his inevitable role as protector. He had his cutie mark, and he knew what it meant.

===

Shining Armor loved the mares in his life, and he would go to the ends of Equestria to keep them safe and happy, whether they needed him or not.

He was glad, at least, that they would have each other.

[aevellewritessometimes]

Recently I learned that most foxes mate for life, and this has led me forming an idea for a potential conflict during Vere's route:

Now, obviously, Vere is at least somewhat similar but still very different from actual foxes. For one, he clearly hasn't stuck to one sexual partner for his whole life. But foxes are canines, so it's not like mating for life is entirely about sex for them and there's an emotional aspect as well (I think. Don't look at me, I'm not a fox expert).

Now, back to Vere: the blurb on his flower lore post thing very vaguely implied that he was betrayed by an ex-lover, and when he talks to MC in the Wick during the demo, he comments on how he can tell MC was betrayed and that he could understand them because of it.

(I could just be wrong and/or Vere could've just been lying, but for the sake of this we're just going to ignore both of those factors)

When foxes - particularly the male ones - lose their mate, they usually don't move on from that and instead stay alone for the rest of their life.

So, here's what I'm thinking: because of Vere's hypothetical ex-lover, it's going to be very difficult for him to fall in love with MC. Sure, whether or not MC can trust him is probably going to be a big, defining question/plotline for his route, but I feel like whether or not Vere can trust MC might be a big one as well.

This leads me to have a few ideas for at least three different potential endings on his route:

Neutral Ending: Vere is free and MC is cured, but he doesn't fall in love with them and they just part ways after everything is said and done. You could add extra angst by saying that MC fell in love with Vere, but that isn't necessarily required to happen for this ending.

Bad Ending: MC betrays Vere and now Vere really isn't going to fall in love ever again and instead just goes back to his routine of one-night-stands and (very rare occasions of) FWBs

Bittersweet Ending: Vere is freed, MC is cured, and Vere eventually manages to fall in love with MC and vice-versa. But MC is, as far as we know, mortal. Vere is, as far as we know, immortal. Eventually, MC will die, but Vere will (most likely) live on for a long, long time after. And it's MC's death that actually leads to him never being able to fall in love again. Sure, he might eventually go back to sleeping around. Maybe he'll even end up with a new FWB. Or two, fuck it. But he'll never actually fall in love with someone ever again.

And of course, since I'm suddenly feeling creative when my brain is too tired to notice how many typos I probably have here (and/or if what I'm writing is actually coherent), I also have three "I don't think it'll actually happen but it's fun to think about" ideas:

Ending where Vere figures out a way to turn MC immortal and they live happily ever after forever. Is it a "Serial Killer x Serial Killer" thing? Is it a "Serial Killer Partner x Sunshine Partner Who Makes Dinner For Them After Their Long Day Of Murdering" thing? Is it a "Serial Killer Partner x Exasperated Partner Who Complains About Them Getting Blood On The Carpet" thing? Or maybe being with MC somehow caused Vere to develop a moral code, leading to there being much less murdering going on? Or hell, maybe it's something else entirely. Who knows and who cares, because either way, they're happy!

Even less likely ending where Vere turns mortal. There's an epilogue where you can watch Vere struggle with the fact that he actually has a time limit to do stuff now, but he guesses he can put up with it, as long as MC stays by his side. Not that he says that out loud. Sure, eventually, one of them will die first, but the one to die second might find comfort in the fact that they'll be together again soon enough (depending on how the afterlife works). (also everything from the previous scenario could apply to this one as well)

Reincarnation AU where Vere's hypothetical ex doesn't exist but he's been falling in love with MC in each and every life they live. Actually I have a lot of ideas for this one so let me get back to y'all on this note.

EDIT: here you go

And that's pretty much it. For now. Also, apparently foxes are very loud during sex and they're horniest during the winter months so do what you'd like with that knowledge.

[foxy-eva]

Milestone Masterlist

I want to thank everyone who participated in my second Milestone Writing Challenge! I had so much fun reading all those stories and I'm more than happy to share them with everyone else.

Fics marked with * contain smut, so minors DNI!

Spencer Reid x Reader

The Mother Wound by @imagining-in-the-margins

Prompt: Nobody said healing would be easy but they had no idea it would be this hard

Summary: Spencer and Reader bond over having emotionally absent mothers

The image of them as children making it through the dark is very touching. It's a beautifully written, bittersweet story with the ability to bring hope to those who need it.

Crazy Ex by @c-m-stuff

Prompt: Person A needs to find B before it’s too late

Summary: You and Spencer are together. When you found strange pictures of the two of you, you knew, this wasn't good

This story depicts the emotions of Spencer's girlfriend really well. I also love the team dynamics, everyone is trying to do their best despite being terrified of losing Spencer.

Rumoured Nights * by @fortheloveofwonderland

Prompt: Someone has to unexpectedly share a hotel room with their favorite coworker - who apparently really likes to cuddle

Summary: A case in a small town in Alaska forces you and your favourite coworker into sharing a room and a bed. And according to Morgan, Spencer likes to cuddle.

This fic has everything I want for a prompt like this - mutual pining, a bit of awkwardness, everyone knowing except for them and then finally them acting on their desires. I also love the team dynamics you added to the story!

Emily Prentiss x Reader

Dar+ling by @leahseclipse

What a cute story! I really like how comfortable they are with each other. Even though Emily usually is more hesitant to show her feelings, she clearly feels safe around Reader here

Prompt: Person A finally confesses their feelings for B, who has wanted to do just the same for weeks

Summary: Emily finally gets the courage to confess their feelings to the reader, who has just wanted to do it too for a while

Emily Prentiss x Jennifer Jareau

The Way You Felt by @andiebeaword

What a wonderful story! I really like the way you describe their relationship without trying to sugarcoat it. I have a similar view on Jemily - they just weren't meant to have a happy end.

Prompt: Even though their love seemed to never be enough, Person A and B can't let go of each other

Summary: While on a flight to help Spencer, exes J.J. and Emily ultimately come to terms with their buried feelings

Emily Prentiss x Aaron Hotchner

Dance With Me by @pandorasdreamings

I really appreciate it when Emily's complex backstory is mentioned in fics. She is such an interesting person to explore further, especially in the context of her relationships with other characters.

Prompt: Person A thinks they are not worth being taken care of. Person B proves the opposite

Summary: Emily is trying to move on and be happy, but her past keeps creeping up on her. Maybe the solution to her sadness has been in front of her the whole time

Aaron Hotchner x Reader

4 AM by @hotchs-bitch

I absolutely love the softness and delicacy of this story. We rarely see Aaron's vulnerable side and you did a perfect job showing us just that in such a sweet way.

Prompt: Person A didn't know where else to go in a time of need, so they ring B's doorbell

Summary: When Aaron's marriage crumbles and he finds himself alone, there's only one person he wants to turn to

Aaron Hotchner x Haley Hotchner

Question of Timing * by @codename-mom

I always thought Hotch and Haley's relationship is very interesting but I never really considered what it would be like from her perspective. It's nice to get some variety!

Prompt: The couple decides to expand their family

Summary: Aaron finally agreed to make Haley a mother and she realised that the d-day is now. The issue is: how to convinced a husband afraid AF to be a father to do the last step? 

Aaron Hotchner x Derek Morgan

Drown in my Dreams by @masterwords

I was genuinely moved by your story and your writing style. The way you show how vulnerable both men are in a difficult situation like that is very touching.

Prompt: Person A has never shown any weakness until they can’t hold back their tears anymore. Person B is there to wipe them away

Summary: After dealing with Mr. Scratch, Derek just wants to put Hotch on his bike and get the hell out of town. So he does

Aaron Hotchner & Penelope Garcia

Nocturnal Wandering by @codename-mom

I like the way you described the dynamics between Hotch and Garcia. I always thought that their friendship was really special (and very underrated).

Prompt: Person A has never shown any weakness until they can’t hold back their tears anymore. Person B is there to wipe them away

Summary: Garcia was about to leave the sixth floor of Quantico, late at night, when she discovered that someone else was still there. Someone who was not into a good mood and clearly need some help. 

Please make sure to like and reblog these fics to show all those lovely writers some love!

[wisteria-lodge]

Writer interview tag.

How many works do you have on ao3? 23 (20 that I've written with @niche-pastiche, and a few character studies that I write to get in a character's head / explore a specific vignette)

What's your total AO3 word count? 909,339 (of course like, half of that's Niche.)

Your top 5 stories by kudos?

Relationship Status (Superman/Batman)

A Lesson in "Sword" Fighting (Stede Bonnet/Edward Teach)

Dancing With Myself (Eddie Brock/Venom)

The Prison of the Phoenix (Remus Lupin/Severus Snape - just finished over the weekend!!!)

Playing Pirate (Stede Bonnet/Edward Teach)

Do you respond to comments? Niche responds to them way more than I do, but I dip in sometimes - especially if it's worldbuilding or lore related. I do LOVE comments though.

What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending? As Time Goes Bi. It's a Dean Winchester/Eliot Ness time travel fic that's been pretty evergreen in terms of engagement, and I'm honestly extremely proud of it. It's got one of my absolute favorite endings, but definitely a little more bittersweet than I usually go for.

What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending? I almost always write happy endings, and maybe it's a bit of a cheat, but I'm working on the ending of Harry Potter and Malfoy's Suspicious New Interest right now, and just reveling in the happiness.

Do you write crossovers? Niche and I plotted out a fun Supernatural/Sherlock Holmes crossover at one point, but never wrote it. I have also always thought that a Hannibal/Supernatural crossover would be really, really funny. Because they're both shows where the characters will say, "I have demon blood," but in one it's a metaphor and in the other it's very, very literal. you could build the most ridiculous set of misunderstandings out of that.

Have you ever received hate on a fic? No hate. I get people disagreeing with specific characterizations or being confused, but I honestly like that because it lets me know what I need to go back and rework.

Do you write smut? I LOVE writing smut.

Have you ever had a fic stolen? If I have, I don't know about it.

Have you ever had a fic translated? Niche has has work translated into Russian and Chinese, and I've given permission to have Relationship Status translated into Russian, but as far as I know that translation was never finished. I've had people comment in French, Spanish, Chinese, German and Russian though! And @alysvolatile did a stunning fanbinding of First, Do No Harm.

Have you ever co-written a fic before? I almost exclusively co-author fics.

What's a wip that you want to finish but don't think you ever will? I'm pretty good about finishing stuff I actually start. I have ideas for long, plotty (main Supernatural) fics that are *good ideas*... but I also kinda think that if I was going to write them, I would have written them about two years ago, and I'm just kind of in a different place now.

What are your writing strengths? I honestly think I'm a better editor than I am a writer. I think I'm good at pacing, structure, clean up, identifying what's really going on and hitting those beats harder, making sure that all the worldbuilding is intuitive and fits together. I also write pretty good action scenes, and I'm picky about them. I'm good at making sure my world is consistent and grounded, and that everything's interacting in a way that makes sense.

What are your writing weaknesses? I sometimes think my prose can get mechanical and workaday. I've been pushing myself to go heavier with the descriptions, locations and beautiful language.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic? I'll do it. It had better be a language I at least kind of understand, and if not I am going to do my homework properly. In Soft Limits - which is Sam Winchester/Balthazar, one of my personal favorite but also least popular fics - Balthazar's vessel and Sam communicate exclusively in Latin. I am aware it is the most indulgent aspect of what is already a very indulgent fic.

What's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet but want to? For me, I think the absolutely gold standard of fic writing is Charles "Professor X" Xavier/Erik "Magneto" Lehnsherr. I do not think I am good enough yet, but one day I will be. There are just so many sliding pieces to consider - we've got their complicated relationship and backstory, the ideological divide at their heart with no easy answer, Holocaust history and the psychology of being a holocaust survivor, disability history and the ins and outs of what sex would be like with Charles's specific disability (obviously it is smut, obviously I'm writing wheelchair user Charles, like. come on.) And then, on top of that, we've got their fairly extreme powers, and I think "no powers in bed" is the cowards way out, obviously they're going to use their powers and it's going to be sexy, but they're going to need to Negotiate that, like, a lot...

I also want to ship all the leads from Casablanca together.

*

That was fun! I'm tagging @hollowed-theory-hall @pangaeaseas @lucythornwalter @zforzelma @idonotbitemythumbatyou @kittenwriter and of course @niche-pastiche

[williceunleashed]

Okay, so basically:

Dardanne and N - The happy ending with to creatures traumatized together

Melony and Ghetsis - The sad ending where one is basically the rock and caretaker for the other

N/Dardanne / Fruitsaladshipping is DEFINITELY a happy ending ! I relate to N a lot and this poor creature deserves some happiness. Dar is his own character, with his own issues and arcs, but his relationship to N is integral to his character.

It's also important to remember that they evolved in a completely unbalanced relationship for all of BW1 (N was the King, Dardanne was just a grunt). N evolves throughout BW1 and stops treating Dardanne as his grunt to consider him as an equal, a friend, and maybe more.

When N comes back at the end of BW2, this power inbalance is still lingering in Dardanne's mind because he had been formated for years to obey Plasma royalty blindly, and sadly such brainwashing can't be undone in 2 years only. This means N has to double-check if Dardanne is accepting a suggestion because he genuinely wants to do it, or if it's because he triggered his trained response.

N also has his own set of issues, mainly relating to the emotional neglect and social isolation he went through during his childhood. Because he isn't used to be well-liked and because he has big autism, it's very hard for him to tell if someone is genuinely being friendly or has ulterior motives (pokémon master ex's Ghetsis would be a good example of that).

Their response to trauma varies depending on the trigger, but N usually has a very strong freeze response. He just goes silent and stops moving out of sheer fear. Dardanne has more of a fawn response and will try to please and appease who ever he perceives as a threat to avoid conflict. They are both working on that

These issues (including the big autism and big adhd) mean that straight forward communication is a central part of their relationship and make it way more healthy.

Their neurodivergence make their relationship easier too, because they understand each other better. They are straight-forward with each other, they know each other's sensory issues and sensory seeking, they understand when the other needs quiet alone time. They also have a lot of bonding over being simply very autistic with stuff like parallel play, where they just sit next to each other doing completely different activities, barely talking, and yet they still consider they are "having a date", and will consider the date a success once they are done. They also infodump to each other too, taking turns to monologue about their favorite stuff. They also do other various autistic things, such as following each other closely, pacing around when they monologue, stimming alone or together, repeating each other's sentences, etc.

As time goes, they just get happier and more comfortable in a normal domestic life.

They journey throughout Unova and do all the badges again, Dardanne winning them for his first time, N just following along and challenging the gym leader for the fun of it, experiencing life as some sort of trainer hybrid. They still don't engage with the Pokédex stuff though, and despite their pokémons now having a pokéball each, they are always out of it. They visit all the locations they explored together during their first journey and complete the gathering of the badges, but don't challenge the league.

With years they end up getting better and healing. They become a bit more confident and assertive, and find happiness in life. They become a bit more mischievious and can be troublemakers and pranksters around Rood and Alder (targeting the elderly).

They still both have scars of what happened, but it's not an open wound anymore and they can enjoy life at its fullest.

Melony/Ghetsis / Rockbottomshipping is... something else... It's not meant to be a sad ending per say, I'm very much ensure with which direction I want them to go. It's not very healthy obviously, and it's bittersweet.

Melony was never a really good person. He was a bully, and he got worse during his time in Plasma. He knew that the social structure and the hierarchy of Plasma would end up hurting the weak and vulnerable members, and he used it for his own gain. He had no issues throwing lower ranking members under the bus, or putting blame on new recruits. He was borderline abusive to Dardanne when he mentored him. When Dardanne was being taken advantage of by a higher ranking member, he did nothing because it was "not his business". Ghetsis saw Melony's patterns, and found it was more entertaining and useful to encourage him than to stop him.

Ghetsis' feelings for Melony are kind of weird. Ghetsis ends up developing a genuine bond with Melony inbetween BW1 and BW2. In BW2 the table starts turning, and Ghetsis seeks Melony for comfort and reassurance, which Melony gladly provides. Melony always had some weird crush on Ghetsis (terrible tastes), but Ghetsis reciprocates out of loneliness. Ghetsis feels genuinely ashamed he still feels the basic, disgusting need for cuddles, ugh. Their relationship goes into weird romance territory after that because Ghetsis ends up catching feelings for Mel. At this point Ghetsis is starting to spiral and his goals are simply to hurt as many people as he can when he goes down. He doesn't want to rule Unova anymore, he wants it gone from the map, and Melony just follows, not because he is forced to, but because he wants to. Ghetsis starts perceiving Melony as an equal, and Melony enjoys the new privileges within Plasma that come with being Ghetsis' favorite.

After BW2, Ghetsis goes into a big depression. The only thing kind of maintaining him alive is his slight worry for Melony's condition, as Melony lost a whole forearm and an eye to Kyurem. When Melony heals, Ghetsis starts letting himself die once he knows Melony will make it. Melony becomes his main caretaker once he is fully healed, because his life now revolves entirely around Ghetsis. Melony gave up his family and friends for him and he refuses to let him die.

Sure enough, Melony ends up being Ghetsis' rock and caretaker. It's a very ambiguous ending, because Melony was brainwashed for years like all the other grunts, because Mel had a very unbalanced relationship with Ghetsis for years due to their status differences. And yet, post-BW2 is the first time Mel and Ghetsis are actually equals. There's no Plasma anymore, and Mel lives in Ghetsis' manor for free, alongside the Shadow Triad. If he wanted to, Melony could let the Triad do everything for Ghetsis. Is Melony taking care of Ghetsis because he feels like he needs to ? Is Melony taking care of him because he genuinely wants to ? Many questions. Their relationship post BW2 is still pretty much a wip as you can see !

[karliahs]

fic writer interview!!

tysm @plusultraetc for the tag!! <3

How many works do you have on AO3?

50 exactly!

What's your total AO3 word count?

234,906, almost half of which (110k) was written/posted this year. insane!!

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

darken your door (12,832)

walk a mile (5642)

swan dive (4857)

rescue (3905)

something else to pretend (3,572)

there's a theme here and it's bnha fics i wrote in 2019/2020

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

yes!! with several asterisks i'll get into in a minute. i try to respond to every comment i get because:

i genuinely really appreciate that anyone takes the time to tell me they liked a fic when they could just consume it and say nothing with 0 consequences, so i want to say thank you

some comments have a rly big impact on me - change the way i feel about stuff, contain phrases i remember for a really long time, make me cry, etc - and just like how if someone writes a fic that impacts me then i want to tell them, i want to tell people how much their comment mattered

i often only figure out why i did something or made certain choices in a fic until someone prompts me to talk about it. it's such a useful exercise for understanding my own work better

i genuinely adore rambling about my fics, it's arguably more fun than writing them in the first place

it's really nice getting to chat to commenters and get to know people!

however. there is a 3-4 year period where i didn't reply to any comments at all because i got overwhelmed and then felt like it was too late to try and catch up. this still haunts me a little bit because i got some really lovely impactful comments in that era but it just feels too weird to reply literally like 5 years late 😭

2nd asterisk is some fics i feel kind of embarrassed about and so don't reply to comments on, 3rd is that i'm bad at managing my comments inbox so i'm sure i miss people out by accident sometimes, and 4th is that if i don't have anything nice to say then i won't respond...i get almost no comments i think are intentionally meant to be rude, but sometimes i get ones that rankle for one reason or another and i won't reply if i'm just gonna be tetchy bc again, i don't think they're meant badly

so very much a yes in theory but not in practice 😂

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

bargaining chips i think. the funny thing about that series is that in some ways i think things would ultimately turn out better than in canon (there's a reason the 2nd fic has akechi promise to contact ren if he does survive, a thing that would have paid off in the 3rd fic i never finished). but as of bargaining chips it's very much...this is the POV of a person who thinks the only power they have left in the world is to hurt people

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

my usual ending is like bittersweet and/or hopeful, so for example i feel a lot of things about the cathertic (for me at least) endings for redux and something else to pretend and unwanted, but idk if they can exactly be called happy.

going to my pure silly fluff fics instead where we pretty much start happy and end happy: to work, to rest which ends with the gang being happy about stickers, or class pets which ends with class a getting three (3) cats

Do you write crossovers?

nope!

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

not really! probably the closest was someone commenting on pathologised with just "WHERE IS YUSUKE?" in all caps 🙄 "why isn't my fave dude in your fic" is not a genre of comment i enjoy, though it's usually phrased more politely than that at least

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

nope!

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that i'm aware of, though it's apparently fairly rampant in bnha fandom with those "what if deku [x]" youtube videos. i think those are reserved for fics with actual plots though

Have you ever had a fic translated?

i think i've been asked for permission for people to do so before, but i don't think i've ever actually seen anything posted...someone did translate a little section of one fic into spanish in a bookmarker comment once, which was very fun because i remember little bits of spanish from school & years of sporadic duolingo

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

no but i think it would be so fun 👀

What's your all-time favorite ship?

mannnn i just cannot care about romantic ships the way that seems to be so ubiquitous in fandom. even when i try and write romance it ends up as like ambigious tenderness or Friendship With Vibes. the few times i've even written kissing it's been just a build up to a kiss after which the fic immediately fades to black, which is really funny in retrospect like...buddy, is that because you stop caring about what's happening once the kissing starts?

i am fond of erasermic, jontim and shindeku, though i enjoy them as platonic dynamics pretty much the same amount

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

it mostly doesn't bother me to have tons of unfinished WIPs, i don't really put that expectation that everything i start will or should get finished/posted.

so the only one that genuinely bugs me is the third fic in seen and not heard, because i feel like i kind of promised it to people and then didn't deliver, and because it would have properly concluded a series i know a few people really connected with...and because the draft got to like 80% done but i could just never finish it off in a way i was happy with. maybe someday though

there's also a more recent bnha fic draft that i am really fond of in some ways, but i just could not take the discourse i think it would inspire. i might finish it just for me someday

What are your writing strengths?

cribbing all these from comments honestly but i think i'm pretty good at real-feeling emotional responses to situations. emotional realism, maybe? and writing introspection/people thinking and feeling things in general.

my characterisation gets complimented a fair bit, which is funny bc i think i actually take a lot of liberties with canon characters, but i guess i'm decent at couching those liberties in a way that makes it pass muster most of the time. like passing off a counterfeit watch as genuine

i'm somewhat good with grounding things in sensory detail, but that's one of those things i think i'll always be trying to get better at

What are your writing weaknesses?

i've never met a plot in my life and i don't want to. i also can't write longfic. in real-world terms i'm a short story writer and not a novelist - all those structural narrative things people do to make a long-form story work are just mystifying to me. part of that is just driven by what interests me though - i don't read a lot of plotty longfic either

i'm also still working on improving syntax and flow in my prose in general, but that's another one of those endless projects i think

oh also having more than two people in a prolonged dialogue scene is wildly difficult to me

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

i have no thoughts on this matter!

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

merlin! i wrote probably bad merlin fic on ff.net back when i was like 15/16. it's actually the reason i joined tumblr in the first place, bc my fave merlin fic writer had a tumblr and i got curious

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

i'd like to write more about my silly little video game OCs. i've dabbled in it a bit before but i've never really invested in it because i know no one would read it/care. but i'm getting better at writing for myself and it is really fun to have records of these OCs that i love, so i hope i can write some stuff about the protag i make for new dragon age that i'll inevitably get deeply attached to

it's also kind of wild to me that i've never written for homestuck or dangan ronpa given the impact those two things had on my psyche

What's your favorite fic you've written?

my answer to this changes depending on the day but right now...something else to pretend my beloved

wow that got long. not tagging anyone but if you'd like to do it, consider yourself tagged!

[olenvasynyt]

Hiii, I'm so sorry you're having a bad day, I hope it gets better soon 💗, in the meantime I have some questions for you *rubs hands like a mosquito* : -

11. Link your three favorite fics right now

13. what’s a common writing tip that you almost always follow?

15. How do you write smut scenes? Do you get very visual or detailed? How important is it to be realistic?

25. What fic do you wish you got more of a response on?

35. What is one essential thing to remember when writing a villain? 

43. Do you take a sadistic joy in whumping your characters, or are you more the "If you hurt them I would kill everyone and then myself" kind of person?

55. Of the characters you write for, which is your favorite? Has that choice been swayed at all by your followers/readers’ reactions to certain ones?

56. What’s something about your writing that you pride yourself on?

71. When it comes to more complicated narratives, how do you keep track of outlines, characters, development, timeline, ect.?

73. What do you think makes your writing stand out from other works?

Agh thank you for all the questions 😭😭💕

11. Link your three favorite fics right now

Oh shitttttt it’s hard to pick only one!!

Dear Lucien, Dear Elain: An Epistolary Fic by @zenkindoflove and @crazy-ache is ughhhhhh just incredible, they did such a great job at capturing Elain and Lucien’s personality in fucking LETTERS!  And they covered so much in this fic too: the longing, the supressed feelings, the guilt and holding onto the past and eventually letting go and healing…SJM needs to read this fic and take notes

End of Beginning by @yaralulu makes me cry, they captured the sort of looming despondency Lucien feels in the Forest House, the beautiful angst and comfort and AGHHHHH I love the Lucien and Eris and LoA reunion. It's all of the stuff I love and stuff I want to capture in my own fics, so it's very inspiring to me

Son Of Sunlight by bajablessed was one of the first ACOTAR fics I read and helped kindle my need to write Jesminda x Lucien.  One-shot with gorgeous nature visuals, this lovely happiness that feels so bittersweet.  I love it

13. what’s a common writing tip that you almost always follow?

Writing a summary of the chapter you’re working on is incredibly helpful and something that I always try to do when working.  It can be something really quick but detailed like “Lucien is walking in the woods and here’s a noise” and extending that.  I feel like it helps you figure out you’re writing when you’re starting from scratch because sometimes it’s hard to figure out the prose or dialogue instantly.  

And I loveee the tip that you should try to describe all five senses in the chapter, even if it’s something super small and metaphorical that describes the character’s emotions “He tastes the bitterness in his mouth” “Contempt was heavy in the air” shit like that.  And also physical smells and tastes like the smell and taste of food, the sound of people, the feeling of fabric, etc.  It makes the world feel more real and open.

15. How do you write smut scenes? Do you get very visual or detailed? How important is it to be realistic?

…I don’t know 😂😭 I have no idea how I write them lmao I think I try to focus on the feelings and not necessarily the detailed moves?  Though I do include detailed moves and stuff, that’s usually the first things I write when writing a sex scene.  But sex is about feeling.  I really like realism in sex scenes: an anal scene needs to have foreplay and lube or else I’ll get annoyed, and though I haven’t written tons of heavy kink / BDSM scenes, that’s something that I’m very picky about.  Dub-con aside, I think it’s so important to cover boundaries and proper treatment in a consensual, professional kinky sex scene and I genuinely get annoyed if it’s just “the dom controls everythinggggggg”.  Not only is that boring but also unrealistic in the actual BSM community.  Idk I could ramble about this for days lmao.

 

25. What fic do you wish you got more of a response on?

I would say:

Lucien & Eris brotherly bonding fic The Trees Have Eyes,

and my Elucien sickfic My Poor, Sick Mate! 

And also A Court of Embers and Sunlight lmao but I am just working so hard and I’m so proud so I think everyone should read and comment on that fic 

35. What is one essential thing to remember when writing a villain? 

You have to write in the perspective of the villain.  You gotta.  A lot of villains believe they are doing what’s right in their mind, some villains just want to be chaotic, and some villains struggle to be villains.  Remembering what kind of villain you’re writing is really important because it helps you figure out how they would act, their relationships with other characters, etc.  I think Beron is super manipulative and can sometimes have a very toxic father presence like “I’m doing this for the family” and shit like that.  Beron could be torturing Eris but saying that he’s doing it for his own good, that its to help him learn, etc.  

43. Do you take a sadistic joy in whumping your characters, or are you more the "If you hurt them I would kill everyone and then myself" kind of person?

I am such a sadist / maschocist, I loveeeeee torturing my characters lmao.  Angst is my special interest.  I gotta have at least one toruture scene for each of my favorite characters, they gotta cry at least 5 times, and if they die?  Obsessed.  I’m writing a canon-compliant Jesminda x Lucien backstory for a reason lmao and it’s because of the angst and murder and mourning and crying and all that good stuff

55. Of the characters you write for, which is your favorite? Has that choice been swayed at all by your followers/readers’ reactions to certain ones?

I love writing Jesminda, she’s just so fun to build and she really became one of my OCs.  I get so excited when she comes into the chapter, and her dynamic with Lucien is soooo entertaining to write.  I also loveeeeeeee my boy Ensel, he will always be one of my favorite OCs.  Idk Eris, Lucien, and LoA are always my go-to characters to write for ACOTAR, ugh.  I love them.

And listen I love Raivis, he’s probably my favorite ACOEAS Vanserra brother but I did not expect the reactions he’s getting and all the horniess he creates lmao so I’m so honored and glad.  I’m very excited to see reactions to future Raivis scenes

56. What’s something about your writing that you pride yourself on?

I always love my worldbuilding, it comes so naturally to me.  I’m also proud of my descriptions of scenes and surroundings and stuff, I feel like I’m very vivid, and that sort of detail is something I enjoy reading.

71. When it comes to more complicated narratives, how do you keep track of outlines, characters, development, timeline, ect.?

ACOEAS is very complicated so yeah, I got a lot of docs for keeping track of stuff.  It’s a little obsessive because idk, this is just a fanfic, but I got a 3o page document for character profiles including quotes from the series that I refer to, and a huge spreadsheet that lays out all of my chapters so I can figure out the timeline.  It’s annoying tbh I wish I wasn’t so obsessed.

73. What do you think makes your writing stand out from other works?

I would say my worldbuilding, I feel like I get really into creating a brand-new world for a fanfic, and idk!  It’s hard because I’m so in my head so I don’t really think anything stands out to me since this is my stuff lmao.  There are a lot of amazing worldbuilding in fanfics, but I feel like it’s not super common?

Thank you again for the questions!  This was a nice distraction haha

[hyba]

Happy STS! What are some trends you've noticed you like to write in your themes or characters? Do you keep coming back to certain subjects? Do you reuse characters from WIP to WIP?

Thank you for sending this ask 💙

Common themes, oooo. 🧐 I do a lot of 'naive or unpreprared character is thrown in the deep end' and I think that's just a reflection of how much I feel like life is just hard as an adult lol. I truly feel like I wasn't prepared adequately for "real life" and I can't believe I'm so far into my twenties and still struggling with that, and so this is a way of exploring that in my own writing.

Mila (The Fall of the Black Masks) and Noctora (The City of Light) are great examples of this as a growth/great-world-beyond situation, and Ragnar (The Fall of the Black Masks), Villus (Return of the Exiled), and Adrian (Marie/Elise) are examples of a very dark life-beats-you-down version of this. In The Fall of the Black Masks, I use the dichotomy between Mila and Ragnar to create a dialogue between those two sides of the same coin.

I also love a good revenge theme, where a character sets out to get revenge for a terrible wrongdoing, usually for someone they love, and usually with very bittersweet results that leave you conflicted. 😈 (Just wait until I reveal the Ragnar/Villus plot twist 🔥🔥🔥 delicious stuff)

And then there's the (perhaps insufferable) moral and noble character, the one who will take matters into their own hands and ensure the right thing is done and that justice is served as it should be, even if that means operating outside of the law. Marie (Marie/Elise) fits the bill there, along with Laith (Murder in Heliopolis) and a few others.

I think I do re-use characters for sure. I mean, apart from series with recurring characters, or some stories where the character is later on revealed to be someone from another book/series I'm writing (love the plot twist of that for readers who are familiar with the other book in question 🔥), I also feel like I do re-use templates of characters?

Like Ragnar (The Fall of the Black Masks) and Adrian (Marie/Elise) are both very similar templates at their roots, despite how much they differ. Both very injured, jaded, melancholy characters who have a surprisingly similar outlook on life. I would even add Sahra and Vadra (The Pirates of Sissa) to that list.

I've been trying to differentiate my characters more, however, so that I do feel like each character is an entity in their own right, and not just a variant of a template, so to speak.

This was a wonderful ask, thank you!! 😊💙

[beanghostprincess]

Late to valentines day, but consider queer platonic strawhats.

Luffy, upon hearing about Valentine's Day ((Makino would likely have told him a bit about it as a child, but it got forgotten amidst the trees and critters and love and family and also trauma of living ten years in the woods with criminals and bandits as his company)) goes absolutely APESHIT. A day devoted to LOVE?? HECK YEAH SIGN HIM UP!!!! HE LOVES HIS FRIENDS SO MUCH!!!

Robin, Ussop, Chopper and he all settle across the deck and make crafts. Luffy is very much more focused than usual, both bc Hands Moving, Colors and Glitter Good, and also bc this is IMPORTANT so he's doing his absolute best.

He makes a card for every person on his crew. He also makes stuff for his friends all over, addressed to them by name. He can't send them, not really, because it's hard to remember the addresses (Nami helps with some of those), so the ones he can't send properly (Shanks, Buggy, Boa, etc) he throws into the ocean.

((There's a quiet moment after nightfall when he's sitting on the figurehead, holding a card he worked Extra Hard On. It's addressed to Ace, and Luffy isn't one to really... be sad. He tries not to be. He's worried about seeming weak.

The crew definitely caught on, though. Nami steps up to him, puts a hand on his shoulder. Tugs him back to the deck. She leads him by hand towards the center, where the other's are waiting. Franky is beaming.

He made a little lantern like device. It has a little pocket, and it floats up and up and up, "all the way to the heavens," he exclaims proudly. Nami mentions sending a letter to Bellemere. Chopper has one for Hiriluk. Ussop has one for his mom, Sanji for his own, Zoro to Kuina, Robin to Saul, Brook to the Rumbars, Franky to Tom. Jimbei carries a few, but merely smiles softly at Luffy.

He tries not to cry as they all load up their letters, but he feels better when the only response people have to the wetness on his face is a brief touch or side hug.

It's bittersweet, but somehow he feels better than he has in a very long time.

And with his crew around him, supportive and still there, still staying.... well, Luffy didn't think he could love them any harder. Full of surprises, the lot of them.

Late to Valentine's Day too, don't worry 🫶 And I consider Queer Platonic Strawhats every day of my life actually-

This is,,, So beautiful,,, I'm sure Luffy would absolutely love Valentine's Day to celebrate his love for his friends. Maybe Nami and Sanji tell him that's not exactly how it works, because it's supposed to be romantic, but when he asks them "Why, though?" they don't really, uhh, have an answer for that. So turns out their captain is right and they can use this day to celebrate all types of love!

I adore the idea of Luffy writing letters and cards and throwing them into the sea if he can't send them. It's just beautiful. Maybe in a bottle, pirate style. Maybe fate helps him and somehow those letters end up with the correct people. Who knows?

Also, Luffy would be extra clingy the whole day and Sanji would make a huge dinner for everybody. They'd have so much fun and Luffy would just,, Take a moment to look at all of them being happy for a second and he'd go "Now this is what being a pirate should be!" and it makes me really emotional.

Not to mention the Ace thing,, All of them sending their letters to their dead loved ones in the sky? Do you want to make me cry??? Because you're making me cry.

They're precious to me.

[taruchinator]

💻 General Audiences

💻 2.6k Words

💻 Written for the Brain Zine!

Brain wasn't blind to his surroundings.

He prided himself on being a man of intuition—someone who simply had an inkling and relied on it on his day-to-day life, be it in battle or while interacting with others.

To say he didn't notice the cases of keyblade wielders being in a state of melancholy after the war would be foolish on his behalf. What could he do to change that?

Hey everyone, Alice here! Welcome back to my KH vault! ^^

I've been meaning to share this story written for the Brain zine about two years ago for a while now, since I'm honestly quite happy with how it came out! I was never much of a Brain fan, but I definitely grew appreciation for him while writing this.

It's meant to be a retelling of the in-game cutscene in which he creates the Spirits in KHUx post-Keyblade War. Wanted to dive into the hows and whys of him creating them, so hopefully you'll enjoy!

Brain wasn't blind to his surroundings.

He prided himself on being a man of intuition—someone who simply had an inkling and relied on it on his day-to-day life, be it in battle or while interacting with others. He was also very bright, both academically and psychologically.

To say the ravenette didn't notice the cases of keyblade wielders being in a state of melancholy would be foolish on his behalf. And it was a number that continued to rise almost at an alarming rate.

“Getting some fresh air?” A voice brought Brain back to reality, as he realized he had been leaning on one of the pillars outside of the prestigious Clock Tower that had once served as a hideout to the Foretellers. The view from above was breathtaking, and also remarkably spacious to all of Daybreak Town in its glory.

Adjusting his fedora in a way that would slightly cover his face, the ravenette smirked. “With all the paperwork and dusty old cabinets, can you blame me?”

His companion—their leader, a fact he'd have to get used to—chuckled softly at the comment. “Fair enough. Out of all of us, I'm kinda glad you're the one who volunteered to sort through the Foretellers' stuff. You seem to know your way around books.”

“Books contain the knowledge that people didn't have the courage to speak aloud. At least that's how I see it. For now, I haven't really found much of use other than what I already gave you…”

“Oh, don't worry! That's not why I'm here. Just wanted to see how you were doing, that's all!” Ephemer scratched at the back of his neck with a sheepish grin, one that had Brain realizing how true and genuine he was, unlike many others he'd met before. Probably one of the qualities Master Ava saw in him.

“Oh? How thoughtful of you then, fearless leader.” Brain rolled his eyes, which caused Ephemer to lightly punch him in the arm in protest, only to end up having a chuckle erupt between them as it echoed through the empty halls. It was rather… nice.

“I wonder how everyone's doing…” Ephemer spoke softly, as if it were more of a thought to himself rather than a question. The albino then proceeded to lean forward as he stared at the town below, admiring the view with a bittersweet gaze twinkling in his eyes. “I know this was all meant to happen, and it was for a greater purpose and all… I just wish the Dandelions didn't have to pay the price for it.”

“So he sees it too. Of course he does, I mean, anyone would.” Wielders could be seen in the distance by Fountain Square—the usual pep in their step gone and replaced with something much somber. As if there was a much heavier weight resting on their shoulders that would never permit them to be the same ever again.

This was the result of war.

“I wonder where he's at.” Ephemer spoke once more, this time curiosity evident in his voice as he leaned forward and squinted at the blobs in the distance. The ravenette couldn't hold back the chuckle that erupted. “Who?”

As if he'd forgotten he wasn't alone, the other boy jolted slightly and then went to scratch at the back of his head once again. A habit of his, Brain could only presume. “A-Ah! It's nothing, just a friend of mine! He isn't technically a Dandelion but he survived the war. Haven't seen him since, though…”

“Well, if he's a friend of yours, I'm sure he's fine. Probably goofing off somewhere.” Brain let himself smile for a moment at the statement, and then went to express what he'd been thinking about before Ephemer arrived. “If something like this was meant to happen in the Book of Prophecies, then I'm sure there must be some way to make it better. We just haven't found it yet. So don't give up so soon, leader.”

Staring in slight disbelief, the albino returned the gesture. “Thanks, Brain. You're right. Just gotta follow the clues laid out for us!”

“May your heart be your guiding key…” Brain nodded alongside his companion.

If there was a way to reverse the effect the Keyblade War had on all the wielders, he was positive he'd find it. As Union Leader, it was now part of his duties. No one deserved the dark hollowness that was brought by this aftermath.

He was going to make things right.

That was the duty of a leader.

The Foretellers' chamber was nothing like he expected.

For people who were meant to be an example to the entire Keyblade wielder population, they certainly didn't put ‘tidiness’ too high up on their priority list. You could probably argue that training would be at the top of that metaphorical list, but organization was the foundation to any good regimen, and this room was anything but organized.

Brain wasn't lying to Ephemer when he mentioned all the dusty old cabinets and scattered paperwork that he'd tried piecing together for the past few days. The place almost seemed ransacked, and as if someone had left in a hurry and didn't even bother to put everything back where it belonged.

Easier for him at least, since he could start a new system without any complications.

The room had hardly any furniture in it, despite what the size might suggest. Filing cabinets, a few bookshelves, the grand round table, and a small working station that most definitely belonged to the Master of Masters.

“You know your eyes are gonna fall off if you keep staring at those all day, right? It's not like if you read them again it will make something new appear!” A high-pitched voice spoke behind the ravenette's shoulder, not startling him in the slightest despite the fact that he was supposed to be alone.

“I actually started collecting lots of data based on the evidence left on these pages. And I wouldn't have been able to do that without thorough research, Chirithy.” Leaning back against the chair, Brain smiled as he turned to face his spirit companion.

The tiny creature merely let out a long sigh as it adjusted itself comfortably on the table. “It's always you and your research. Have you even eaten anything?”

“Some fruit from the Moogle Shop. You don't need to worry about me, I know my limits.” He waved his hand dismissively as he tried to get Chirithy off the book he'd been previously reading, and the small cat-like spirit could only reluctantly agree with a huff. “You say that, but you've barely gotten any sleep this week! I've had to wake you up at least three times just to get you on time for your meetings…”

Brain recalled the instances his companion was referring to, but immediately shook them off as he nodded towards the corner of the room. “If you want to get some load off my shoulder, why don't you tidy up around here? I've been inhaling nothing but dust and cobwebs for at least a few days.”

Turning to look at where the boy was pointing, Chirithy raised its eyebrows as it saw only a broom staring back at them. The spirit crossed its tiny paws, almost looking offended. “You think I'm this place's janitor or something?”

With a shrug, the ravenette picked up the book from before and pretended to start reading again. “I'm just saying, you'd really be helping me out.”

Chirithy stayed silent for a moment, its tiny fedora covering most of its face as they stared down at the floor. It didn't take more than a few seconds before a grumble was heard and the spirit jumped off the table. “Fine! But I'm only doing this because it's my duty as your spirit guardian! Also if someone else comes in here, I'm saying it was your idea!”

The Union Leader laughed as his Chirithy made its way towards the desired spot. “I'm counting on you, partner!”

More grumbling could be heard in the distance. “Yeah yeah, whatever. Just be sure to find something useful in those dumb old- woah!”

The carefree moment was short lived as the sound of collision reached Brain's ears. In its whining, the spirit hadn't noticed the cabinet that the broom had been leaning on, and promptly crashed against the solid surface with enough force to knock it over along with all the contents inside. The ravenette quickly stood up and made his way over. “Chirithy!”

Small clouds of dust had also surfaced from the fall, which caused the keyblade wielder to cough and wave for the puffs to go away. Chirithy suddenly emerged from the chaos—thick dust covered its body, and only a tiny area that appeared to be its nose was left untouched. “I-I'm…fine…”

After realizing his companion was unharmed, Brain visibly relaxed and allowed himself to chuckle at the display. “You know what? That look suits you quite well. Now you look like a black cat! That should teach you to watch where you're going.”

Chirithy began shaking its body to try and get rid of the black coal in its fur. “Hey, it wasn't just me! When you have piles of stuff lying around, how do you expect people not to trip?”

“What are you talking about? I didn't put anything-” The boy was quickly cut off mid-sentence, as he turned behind the creature and found a pile of books he hadn't seen before. Where did those even come from?

Brain walked towards the tumbled pieces of literature and knelt down to pick one of them up. A thick film of dust painted over the cover, and as such he blew at it to try and get some off. What lay underneath was something the ravenette could've never been prepared for.

The Master of Masters' journal.

“Brain? What's wrong?” Chirithy's voice brought the boy back to reality as he remained frozen in shock. Quickly standing up, he headed back to the workstation and planted the heavy book on the table. “Chirithy, I think we're finally onto something. I'm gonna need some time to read through this, okay?”

The tiny spirit perked its ears in curiosity, but understood the importance of the situation and simply saluted as he picked up the fallen broom. “Yes, sir! This place will be sparkling clean before you know it!”

As soon as the spirit left to start the sweep, Brain sat down and began flipping away.

He was thankful that after so many days going from one book to the other nonstop, he had learned the skill of skimming through pages in a matter of seconds. And the things that the young wielder was seeing were nothing short of fascinating.

Stories from the Master's youth. Entries on the Foretellers. Speculations on how the Keyblade War would begin and how to prevent it.

But there was one page in particular that immediately caught Brain's eye: ‘Creating The Spirit Chirithys’.

“Is this… a recipe to create a Chirithy?” The ravenette knew that the Masters had created the Chirithys as a means to give guidance to all Keyblade wielders, but he never actually stopped to question the method that was used to bring them to life. If this truly was a step-by-step process on how to create a Chirithy, then he had discovered a gem.

All Chirithys were meant to guide and protect their partners from darkness, and according to the Master's journal, they could also indicate the state of a wielder's heart—whether it still belonged to the light or not.

But above all else, the boy found one trait to be of particular interest: A Chirithy was able to consume its wielder's nightmares and protect them from them.

It was fascinating for certain, but Brain's mind couldn't help but wander into a possibility of something else. Something that could benefit all wielders, especially regarding their current situation. “If Chirithy can consume people's nightmares… What if they could also do that with bad memories? Those that bring nothing but pain and sorrow?”

Memories like those of the Keyblade War.

The prospect was far too enticing to pass on. Flipping through the pages, Brain looked into the strange list of materials he needed for the experiment—from Lux all the way to Fairy Dust. Thankfully, the ravenette had seen most of these scattered around the cabinets in the room.

He quickly gathered everything he could find, and began adding some slowly into a small circular beaker.

If he wanted this to work, he wouldn't just have to replicate a Chirithy, but also modify the spirit into something different. Something unique.

Staring at the instructions on his lap that seemed more like a load of rambling notes, Brain couldn't help but sigh as he massaged his temple in slight frustration.

Something told him it was going to be a long night.

“Aww he's so fluffy!”

“H-He's also a lot heavier than he looks!”

Skuld and Ventus were doting all over the small pink feline spirit, currently snuggling against the blonde's neck and licking away at his cheek. Skuld was scratching at the fluff in the creature's neck, giggling in glee.

“So these spirits are like Chirithy? What exactly are they for?” Ephemer stared from afar at the duo with a smile on his face, yet side eyeing Brain for an answer.

“Turns out the answer was staring us right in the face this whole time. The Book of Prophecies gave us the task to create spirits that will aid wielders in forgetting everything regarding the war.” The ravenette flipped the pages of his own copy until he landed on the aforementioned task left for them.

Ephemer's eyes widened slightly. “Forget the war? You mean… erasing their memories?”

“Exactly. Chirithy has the ability to devour our nightmares, and these little guys would have a similar purpose—erase the memories that cause most pain, in this case being the war. We would be the only ones who would recall the event.” The only ones that would carry the burden. As any leader should.

“I see…” The albino kept his gaze fixated on Ven and Skuld, watching them giggle and laugh at the small creature running around them in circles. His smile changed to a more somber one. “As long as it's protecting them, I don't see why we shouldn't go with it.”

Noticing Ephemer's change in demeanor, Brain elbowed him on the side with a smirk. “Don't you worry, leader. The memories left behind will be nothing but good ones. And besides, its not like only one person will be holding onto this secret. You're not alone. You've got us.”

Returning his smile to normal, the boy elbowed him in return with a wink. “Yeah, you're right. And speaking of not being alone, neither are you. You should get some rest while the rest of us look into the chamber.”

Brain scoffed slightly. “I'm fine, but thank you for the concern.”

Ephemer merely raised an eyebrow. “Your Chirithy said they've caught you passing out in the desk more often than usual.”

“What? When did he-?”

“It smells to me like he could use a shower, too. May I interest you in a little something called soap?” Out of nowhere, Lauriam joined in on the teasing as he walked next to the ravenette with a smug look on his face.

Laughter erupted between the two and Brain could only sigh in defeat.

He was never the type to do things with others in mind. He was a loner for the majority of his life. And yet here he was, being thrusted onto a world with different values and ideas from his own, still it didn't bother him as much as he thought it would.

Maybe Master Ava was right.

The future wasn't decided, no matter what the Book told them. And with a group as unpredictable as theirs, perhaps they stood a chance at making things better.

For everyone.

✦𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐌𝐲 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐝 𝐓𝐨 𝐅𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐌𝐲 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬!✦

[sroloc--elbisivni]

questions for ao3 writers

tagged by @secretlystephaniebrown and @radishhqueen! thanks!

i will tag @bobtheacorn @kithnkin @spectralsleuth @decepti-thots @desdemonafictional, and if you see this and want to please consider yourself tagged!

1. how many works do you have on ao3? 108!

2. what's your total ao3 word count? 895,129. (I started the year with vague hopes of hitting a million words--we'll see where I end up after finishing current major non-fic project.)

3. what fandoms do you write for? right now, I've got active WIP docs open for rottmnt, transformers, usagi yojimbo, and one piece.

4. top 5 fics by kudos? Deaged Batgirls, tried to raise you right, Universe Collision, words that it was forming, and Intelligence, or vision, or the truth.

5. do you respond to comments? I try to! Especially if I have something to say more than just 'thanks.' I love talking about my fics.

6. fic you wrote with the angstiest ending: Any way you go you lose, which was specifically written as a bad ending for a different fic.

7. fic you wrote with the happiest ending: Mmh. I write a lot of happy endings, but I think the most uncomplicated/least bittersweet one is probably Heart's still beating, guess I'm pretty lucky.

8. do you get hate on fics? almost never, fortunately!

9. do you write smut? if so, what kind? yes, trending towards kinky.

10. do you write crossovers? sometimes! arguably all the turtles/UY fic I've written is a crossover, though I don't think of them that way because it's usually about blending the canons rather than crashing them into each other.

11. have you ever had a fic stolen? not to my knowledge

12. have you ever had a fic translated? I've had requests, but nothing completed!

13. have you ever co-written a fic before? Yes! A few different ways--written bouncing back and forth, trading off scenes, each person taking one half of a story, each person taking a scene that fits in a larger narrative. it can be really fun.

14. all-time favorite ship? ooooooooough um. hm. hard to say. i've got the most words written for leo/usagi, so i'll go with that even though drifting out of turtles fandom has kind of taken a hard turn into absolute disinterest for me.

15. what's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? hahaha uh. let's say The Days That Follow, which was part of what i consider my first 'real' major fic project, for Young Justice. maybe if i ever get around to watching the post s2 stuff i'll come back to it.

16. writing strengths: I'm good at worldbuilding and I'd like to think that extends to detail and description/immersion in general

17. writing weaknesses: i basically never edit on a macro level and i think i tend towards glibness in a way that leaves holes behind the main action.

18. thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? i used to, and stick the translations in the end notes! and now i probably wouldn't--I'd either indicate the language via dialogue or have the narrator say they don't understand. my priority has become making sure the reader understands.

19. first fandom you wrote for: there's a very old percy jackson oc fic somewhere in the depths of my hard drive from when i was like. 12.

20. favorite fic of yours: i recently reread 'Fathomless' and I'm still so fucking happy with it.

[darkcrowprincess]

Book Tropes I hate that makes me put down the book and not finish it:

(Very rarely do I keep reading a book that has these tropes. The only time I would keep reading the book is if the whole rest of the book is so good that I can ignore everything else)

When a female character says she's not pretty but is actually gorgeous. She just doesn't see her beauty. I hate reading that in books because its so boring and makes me hurt so much. I would genuinely love to read books were the female character is actually ugly/weird looking. And no last minute makeover to make them beautiful either. She is ugly/weird looking and she knows it and everyone else does too but that doesn't keep people from loving her or seeing beauty in her. Beauty in ugliness or beauty is subjective.

When a character doesn't want to accept the cool stuff being given to them usually by a love interest who is royalty and or rich person. Its usally hinted at or said it makes them uncomfortable. Yet they still marry them anyway? Either embrace the spoiling/becoming a sugar baby or stay the hell away from that person. You can not have both ways. I hate this concept that your evil if you want that life and or lifestyle and should be punished for wanting that. Especially when it comes to women. And they only way you can get that is if you don't want it and it's your reward at the end.

Love interests who only fall in love with a person after they get a make over. I hate that. Hate it. Beauty doesn't last forever. If you can't love me for who I am as a person, your probably not going to love me when I'm not beautiful anymore.

Love triangles. I give a whole discussion why here.

When abusive husbands/ step parents, parents or relatives( looking at you Harry Potter) are not punished for what they did. At the very least the kid should get out of the abusive situation and go live with someone else. Especially when there's powers and a system that can get them easily out of that situation. The Percy Jackson series and Rick's writing has a lot of issues but I'm so glad that when the first book ended they got rid of the abusive step father. You don't know how much pleasure and reassurance I got at the end of the lighting thief when that happened. That was the first time I ever saw that in a book. It's like this thing that a lot of books do for some reason. They never give any justice to the people being abused especially mainly women and kids. I hate it.

Tragedy only happening to the minority characters(minorities, lgbtq people, people of color, disabled, people who have different religions than Christianity/no religion at all) and the white abled cis straight people get all the happy endings. I love tragic stories. What I don't like is that the tragedy isn't shared by all or affected by all. Why I love Mike Flanagan's work because he always makes sure the tragedy and or horror happening to his characters are equal. And that the ending is usually bittersweet for all.

Same thing when it comes to horror.

Abusive female partners used as an example for girl power. Hate it. Especially because if it was the other way around everyone would be saying he's an abusive boyfriend. And I'm not talking about enemies to lovers or toxic friendships that grow and change and become better. That's part of character growth. I'm talking about this female character being an abusive jerk. Than she gets with this male character and she doesn't change and grow at all. She stays the same and we call that girl power. I don't mind characters who are mean. Either. Especially villians, especially female villians. What I don't like is when they either treat their love interests the same as everyone else and no one acknowledges that it's abusive because she's a women. Or she doesn't believe she's the villian(I don't mind when they have mental illness. That makes sense).

When a villian or mean person treats their love interest or family that they love with all their heart like everyone else. Why can't we have villians with contrast like that. People capable of doing horrible things but still able to love and be kind to this person or this tiny family that they have. To show that people are complicated and nothing is black and white.

When everything is too black and white in a story. I like gray. I like when things are complicated and not clear cut. When love and people are complicated. Not abusive there's a difference between complicated and abusive and I hate when people mixed that up.

When everyone likes or loves the main character too easily in the beginning without any build up or character growth. I honestly like it more when a lot of characters hate or dislike the main character at first. And through character growth and getting to know each other eventually like and or love them. Or better yet most everyone stays hating them except a few characters. It's just nothing turns me off a book more quickly than a character that everyone immediately likes without even knowing them. Especially a female character.

[just-jordie-things]

Spread love to fanfic writers! I am curious about your answers to these questions!

Name a fic you loved writing the most. Name a fic that others loved but you didn’t care for as much. Name a fic you had the most fun writing. Name a fic that you are the most proud of. Name a fic that you wish had gotten more recognition. Name your happiest/saddest/most comedic fics!

I LOVE THESE SORTS OF THINGS!!! sorry i've been so inactive, got a really full plate rn, thank you all for your patience and understanding <3 ___

a fic i loved writing the most: romantic incidents - inumaki toge. when i wrote it it was mostly because there wasn't enough content of him on this app and holy shit did it blow up and get so much more love than i ever could've expected !! i swear that fic put me on the map lmao

a fic that others loved but i didn't care for as much: blue orchids and white lies - nanami kento. i gave writing for him my best shot but i can't help but feel like i didn't characterize him very well. i would like to formally apologize to the nanami girlies and nanami kento himself.

a fic i had the most fun writing: video games - takuma ino every trope in this was fun for me!! roommates, crushing, flirting, eee!! it was fluff

a fic that i am the most proud of: to build a home - gojo satoru idk if this counts bc it's a series but i put so much time and effort into outlining it and y'all i never draft fics i just write from the heart and send it off into the world XD

a fic i wish had gotten more recognition: shades of cool - zen'in naoya... but i totally get why there isn't exactly a hoarde of fangirls for him lmfaooo he's terrible and i'm sick in the head for writin for him

happiest fic: you know you got me in your pocket - okkotsu yuuta. hard to pick this one but i think the vibes of this one was just so soft and fluffy the whole read :)

saddest fic: stuck between the blackest day- fushiguro megumi and no surprises - okkotsu yuuta. they're both bittersweet/happy endings but the subject matter is pretty dark compared to my usual stuff!

most comedic fic: bad at flirting - fushiguro megumi HANDS DOWN i nailed second hand embarassment with this one

___

thanks again for sending me this!! i'm always down to talk about my fics with y'all <3

[andrea-lyn]

@kaydeefalls is the loveliest ever for tagging me in this meme, bc it's an absolute fave, so ty ty!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

494, which definitely excludes some early career stuff I do not share. Yes, it's a lot, but hey, that's hyperfixation for you!

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

3,646,862, which means 4mil is the next big target, and knowing me, I'll get there.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Currently, my WIP folder touches the following fandoms: The Old Guard, Avatar the Last Airbender, XMFC, Interview with the Vampire, Roswell New Mexico (I very much want to write more Roy/Jamie, but just kicking around ideas rn).

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

ready for my close up, mr. dameron (Poe/Finn), aka @swingsetindecember baited me with gogurt and I wrote a fic, and the gogurt is unique, but the baiting is not (see: my entire Mag7 oeuvre)

how to fall in love with a fairytale  (Poe/Finn), aka, I got into the Star Wars fandom at the right time

what a tale my thoughts could tell (Joe/Nicky), aka, I got into the Old Guard fandom at the right time and mind-reading does well

Your Hand In Mine (Poe/Finn), aka, see above

hallelujah, you're still mine (Joe/Nicky), also above

The next couple are still Old Guard/Star Wars, but this year a few newbies have crept into the top page, including Ted Lasso and IWTV, which is very exciting to me!

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes, always, I am a slut for positive reinforcement and I want to give thanks for that.

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

Every once in a while I like to write something that guts me to write and makes me cry. Anyway, The Time Traveling Pilot technically has a bittersweet and happy ending, except it's also super angsty? Love the ouroboros of it all!

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

....take your pick. With minimal exceptions, I'm a happy ending girlie by trade.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I had a run in Roswell New Mexico where I had to turn off guests because I was getting some really random, but vicious comments and I knew why, but it was still exhausting.

9. Do you write smut?

I've noticed as I get older, I've stopped as much, mostly because the tone doesn't seem to match what I'm doing. Don't get me wrong, I'll still include it, but it's usually more in passing than focused.

10. Do you write crossovers?

Hell yes, and I miss them, I need to write more.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, and my biggest piece of advice for any writer is to have an open policy for transformative works on your AO3, because that's how you get awesome translations and podfics!

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

Yes, and I love this too, and would love to do more of it. Honestly, sometimes I think that's the only way I'll ever finish the original novel ideas I have.

14. What is your all time favorite ship?

I feel like I don't have all-time faves, but I will say that there are some ships that stick with me even after years and I'll go back to them. Right now, I'd say those two that have longevity are Ronan/Adam, and Kirk/McCoy. Obviously then there are current obsessions like Armand/Daniel and Sokka/Zuko, but those first two just stick.

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

There's only one. Literally, only ONE. I will probably never finish even though there's only a chapter left. It's a modern day Pride & Prejudice AU. It is literally the only fic I've ever abandoned after I started posting (pretty sure it's still on ff.net) and honestly, the only reason I'm not going back to it is because my style has changed too much.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Engaging plot, or so I like to think. I feel like I tend to have fun unique takes on things.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Not describing shit enough. I do a lot of vague things on purpose sometimes because it fits the mood, and sometimes because I'm just too lazy about my prose.

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

So I used to. And then I realized that it's too much work to scroll or highlight, so now I'll just write in italics and denote the language in the prose after.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog or Charmed - I can't remember which came first, but my username comes from the Mary Sues I wrote in both of those fandoms, bc I decided that I might as well own it. And here we are.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

It's always a flip-flop between my Webgott (Love Like The Sea) and this one, Baby, I'm Howling For You (my McDanno supernatural big bang). The latter is probably winning right now because I re-read it the other day and I miss world-building like that, so I'm dying to get back to it.

TAGGING TIME! I'm hitting up @myrmidryad @inell @atthelamppost @graygiantess and anyone else who wants to ramble about fics!

[shippingmyworld]

No hate, just genuinely curious why you don't like the doomed by the narrative trope. It's soooo juciy and there's just so much potential overall, especially when they know it's coming.

I don't mind talking about it more off anon since it's cathartic and helps me process, but the short version is basically that I went through some shit and my mental health was in the pits when I was 18-22 years old. It left some lasting effects that I still struggle with to this day, but one of the ways I coped is by consuming literature. It was my escape into a happier place. That's why when I write, I want to be able to see my characters also reach that happy place in the end, no matter what they've struggled through.

It's not that I don't like doomed by the narrative. Hell, I love thriller and horror stuff, it's just that I can't subject myself to stuff like that very often. Like yeah, there's potential for something powerful in it, but at the end of the day doomed by the narrative usually means a bad ending for the character(s) - or at the very best a bittersweet ending. If something is tagged properly and I can take the time to mentally prepare myself, I'll be able to dive in eventually. The reason I can enjoy horror/thriller at all is because I jump in with the mindset that none of the characters will survive to the last page/scene (lol). So if I'm sucker punched by something out of left field it can cause me to unintentionally spiral, which is why I also tend to avoid that trope if it's applied to a ship. I can't tell you how many stories/movies/shows I've dropped mid-way through because a character was killed off with zero foreshadowing, done simply for the shock value of it.

[skellymom]

Vagabonds Questions

What inspired you to write the fic this way?

What scene did you first put down?

Where did the title come from?

Thanks for asking @genericficerblog !

For reference and shameless self promotion, here is the intro and first chapter of my ongoing The Bad Batch Hunter x OC fan fic series:

The subsequent chapters after that are linked at the end of each chapter so you can continue to read uninterrupted (If indeed the links do still work. Message me if they don't please!). I've only just written 1/4 of the story arc so far. There is farther to go. And many surprises in store for the reader. Admittedly, I had hoped to pick up past chapter 8 already...but SUPER burnt during the holidays from working my main job (veterinary technician). So I might not start up the story again until Feb 2024. I need a mental health break.

#1. What inspired you to write the fic this way? When it comes to my OC, I'm a bit of a control freak. So third person omnipresent works for me. I get to share ALL OF THE DETAILS of everyone involved in the fic. However, I do have two first person one shots that work much better when the reader is the only person privy to what they are thinking and the other characters are a bit of a mystery.

Also, with all the horrible crap going on in the world that I have NO control over...it's nice to write something that's a bit escapist. I have control over this universe. And, while characters might encounter hardship and loss, the ending for sure will be happy. It might be bittersweet, but it's cosmically for the best. I feel like I have more control over this world than the one I live in. The one that control is really only an illusion. And, I'm no hero. Just another cog in the machine clicking away.

#2. What scene did you first put down? Actually, the scene with Love force grabbing and rescuing the puppy from the Coruscant meat market. They needed to rescue that poor little soul! However, the very first scene to even pop into my head as an idea was that of Mad trying to fly out of trouble on the Beldame and Love pretty much protecting the ship with their unrestrained Force Shield...with disastrously (or lucky) insane results. Didn't write it down until much, much later.

I LOVE WRITING ACTION SCENES! I tend to write the really meaty scenes first (I have several notebooks that I just scribble stuff down while sitting in front of the fire, with a cup of tea, or whenever I can pick up and write). Then I slowly piece bits together to make the whole of the story. I have ideas whizzing around all the time in my head...I just gotta commit to writing them into reality!!!

#3. Where did the title come from? A "Vagabond" is a person that wanders from place to place without a home or job. Or a person having no settled home. A wanderer or traveler. It usually doesn't have a pejorative meaning as it can have a romanticized connotation, but sometimes can be pejorative as in calling someone a vagrant.

I've always been interested in people who continually move from place to place, either by want or necessity. Most people tend to stay in one place and never go far due to being comfortable with what they know. But, what if you're comfortable with what you don't know? What if settling in too long in one place is stifling? Or constantly moving allows you freedom, opportunities, experiences...maybe even safety? What if your culture ENCOURAGED you to keep moving and embrace the unknown and new experiences?

I have been a bit of a Vagabond most of my life. Moved away from my home state at 21 years old (I would have left sooner...like 10 years old if I had the money, confidence, luck, parental consent, etc. My cousin reminded me that climbing through the bedroom window and running away with just a suitcase would land me in juvenile detention. Plus, she said she would miss me). Two Navy husbands, lots of places I've lived, visited, traveled to and still going whenever I can. Hell, I'd couch surf, floor crash, or whatever it takes to go visit ANYWHERE! And, if I stop moving too long I get restless and a major case of wanderlust.

So, in between saving money and planning to find places to go I write and travel to places in my mind that don't exist. Yep...Mad is ME! Surely you figured that out already. Been dreaming of flying away on adventures since I was a child. I LOVE planet earth. But, sometimes I look up in the sky at night and gaze at the stars...hoping to see a craft touch down in the greenspace behind my house. A band of rag-tag misfits emerge and call over the fence. They traveled an awfully long way through hyperspace lanes and time-space worm holes to come to this tiny blue planet holding life. They say they are looking for a few good Rebels. I turn and yell to my family that I'm off to fight a galactic war and don't wait up for me at dinner. Gotta shoot some imps and steal some intel. Be back tomorrow. <3