#i've decided to mostly write based on vibes so the planning i've done will likely be the majority of planning in general lmao

[menlove]

Sorry if you’ve been asked this already, but do you have any mclennon fic recs for 1967/pepper era?? I’m obsessed with the vibes around this time, and with Jane away John and Paul seemed to spend a lot of their free time during this period together, but I’ve had trouble finding much of anything. Thx!! <3

oooh good question ! i love love love the 1967/pepper era so let me look back in my ao3 history and see what i've got

these aren't all pepper's era, but they are all 1967 (w the exception of One that's not 67 but Is pepper's). put a 💖 next to ones i especially love

If You'll Shut Up About It, I Will

mature. au. 4k

The day after his birthday, Paul McCartney admits on national television that he's illegally had sex with men. On multiple occasions. But it's the media's responsibility not to spread these things, isn't it? Unfortunately (or fortunately), someone else is watching the broadcast, and wants to know why Paul has decided to declare he's queer to all and sundry when he's the one who's been waiting for Paul to give it a go. AKA, That LSD Interview but make it gayer. note: very interesting, short little au on if paul had come out as having had queer sex rather than having done lsd

you know i know when it's a dream

mature. 5k. In 1967, The Beatles visited Greece with the plan of purchasing an island they could call home. Of course, it was mostly John's idea. note: angsty, smutty little one-shot that hurt my heart

1967 💖

mature. 11.5k. au. In 1961, John Lennon and Paul McCartney left abruptly on a trip to Spain, via France. In 1967, they finally come home to face the consequences. note: not EXACTLY what you're looking for but hey the year is in the title..... but it's sooo good i'll rec this fic constantly. they do definitely have the same aesthetic that they did in real life 1967 too. but this one is so fucking good. it's got an experimental style that lets you see everyone's pov while still remaining really well written which imo is hard to do when you're doing a bunch of pov switches. but it's outsider perspective mclennon & explores the nuances of their relationship and how it was/wasn't impacted by fame and how they'd still be creative with each other if they'd never gotten famous from the beatles...... also they basically create the muppets which i think makes this worth reccing on its own tbh

The Places Where You Bend

mature. 2.6k. "Whatever the opposite of 'toppermost of the poppermost' might be, we're in it up to our asses." It's 1967, all hell is breaking loose, and Paul doesn't know if he can do this anymore. note: ugh i loved this one. it's angsty, as any beginning-of-the-end-of-their-relationship fic is, but it's sooo them and very bittersweet

Stop all the clocks 💖

mature. 30.8k. au. For the following kink meme prompt: ‘1967. After Brian dies, Paul decides not to go ahead with MMT, and takes John up to Scotland for a month instead.’ Also based on the following comment on said prompt: ‘pls someone let them fuck tenderly in 1967’ note: definitely an instant classic! super sweet au that makes you wish life had gone this way for them

Way Up Top 💖

explicit. 12k. Falling out of the sky, together. | Snapshots of the Beatles in Greece, July 1967 note: one of my all-time faves ughhhhhh i just love how they wrote everyone. like ofc the mclennon is great, but this one is so so good for just all around good characterization and writing

always, no sometimes 💖

explicit. 20k. Stolen moments from a single year. Or: four times someone nearly found John and Paul together, and the one time they found each other. Set around the recording of Sgt. Pepper, 1966. note: not 1967, but 100000% the vibe you're looking for. such a good fic. i honestly need to do a re-read bc it's been long enough, but this one was just. augh. so much mustache sex too.

shotgunning

explicit. 3.4k From the kink meme prompt: john/paul, shotgunning weed note: i don't Think this one has a year on it officially, but it definitely fits the vibe you're looking for!

Drop Chute

explicit. 1.9k. paul/robert as well "Paul does coke off Robert's dick and blows him in a public toilet. John is in the neighbouring stall and hates it." FFA asked and I delivered. note: ahhhh we love a good "john getting jealous of paul fucking other men" fic

again

explicit. 1.3k In the summer of ‘67, Paul knows exactly how lucky he is to be the man who gets to fuck John, and then eat him out, and then fuck him again, and then — note: it's smut and it's good smut what else can i say truly

Club Sandwich

mature. 4k. Some drug-fueled party in 1967. Paul ends up sandwiched between two men on the couch. As they start fondling and kissing him, John stumbles upon the scene… note: absolutely great. possessiveness and coke prince paul...... what else could i want from a fic

Carousel 💖

explicit. 3.4k 21 March, 1967. John accidentally drops acid during the mixing of Sgt Pepper. Paul drives him back to Cavendish and decides to take LSD for the first time. Based on true events. John's POV. note: definitely my favorite take on the "john and paul tripping together for the first time" story. so good and introspective.

you can get it wrong (and still think you're right)

explicit. 7.4k. Paul visits John at Weybridge. January, 1967. The laziest man in England, that article had said, and Paul thought suddenly of John, lounging: John, turning the pages of a book with one languid hand, his hair mussed and fetching, making pithy comments to empty rooms. Or maybe he didn’t speak at all when he was alone; Paul realized that he didn’t know anymore. note: aghhhh another great one by stonedlennon. the bittersweetness of their relationship.... love this one a lot tbh

Angles

explicit. 2.7k. John takes another languid drag of his cigarette, his eyes alight now when they look into the lens, meeting Paul's. He's a marvellous subject. They should put him in every movie. "That it?" Paul asks—leading. Hungry. "You're the director. Give us a direction," John goads him. note: looove this one. but all of moeexyz's fics are so good so that's to be expected tbh

an orgasm of sound 💖

explicit. 5.3k “It was a good piece of work between Paul and me. I had the ‘I read the news today’ bit, and it turned Paul on, because now and then we really turn each other on with a bit of song, and he just said ‘yeah’ – bang bang, like that.” — John Lennon Or, John and Paul work on A Day in the Life. note: another great one from moeexyz! this one is..... well. Well. it's very good. what more could i ask for in life than piano sex and a day in the life

[madame-vera]

Ask Game For Writers from neontokyoo

1. Do you listen to music while you write?

Usually it's anime soundtracks, songs in non-english languages or classical music. But sometimes I loop the same 10-20 current fave songs, according to my mood.

2. Computer or pen and paper.

I've gotten better at using a computer, but all my best work is done with the old pen and paper. It has to be a blue pen too. Black pens suck for creative flow. Sometimes I'll use a colourful one too., especially if I'm stuck on something.

3. Have you ever been published, or do you want to be published?

Nope and no, probably not. I used to want to self-publish, but right now I'm content with my fanfiction, character designs and worldbuilding.

4. How much writing do you get done on an average day?

It varies a lot. I honestly couldn't say.

5. Single or Multiple POV

Usually single but multiple can be fun if it's a longer story. And almost always in 3rd person.

6. Standalone or Series

I tend to do standalones, mostly oneshots. But I've got a few series planned.

7. Oldest WIP

I recently rediscovered a multichapter HP/FMA fic over a decade old. Woops.

8. When did you start writing?

Sometime in early to mid primary school. I honestly can't remember exactly when.

9. What was the first story you've ever written?

I do remember a story where a teenage girl becomes some sort of bug eating fae creature and her human boyfriend sticks around, even after witnessing her snacking on live ladybugs. That's the earliest actual story I remember. Wish I still had that. I'm not sure if there were any before it. I've been writing so long I really couldn't say.

10. What genres have you written so far?

Historical and Fantasy. But now it's mostly fanfiction.

11. Have you ever written for a fandom without reading other fanfictions from that fandom?

Not that I can think of, no.

12. Have you ever written a fic and never decided to publish it? Why?

Yep. Because it was way too cringy. Seriously, it's what I read when I want to laugh at myself. I might try rewriting it at some point though, if it's at all recoverable.

13. What is the biggest change between when you started writing in fandom and today?

I started off as a horny teenager writing gay smut. Now I look at a smut prompt and try to work out how to make it fluff instead. I do it to the angst prompts too.

14/15. In your opinion, what’s your most underrated/overrated fic?

I don't have enough yet to really say. So none I guess.

16. Has there ever been everyone who’s made you freak out because they’ve read your work and followed/favorited/reviewed your work?

It's not the same, but once my primary school (it was near the end of my last year) teacher found the gay smut I'd written and after checking things were ok at home, said he looked forward to my writing career. Nerve-wracking as all hell.

17. What’s the nicest review you’ve ever gotten?

It's a hard choice between a beta liking the mood and build-up of the prologue to a HP fic of mine, or the ohshc one where a reader was hyped because they liked my take on some characters relationship.

18. Are any of your stories inspired by personal experiences?

Most of them are a hard no. But there's a series I have planned in the future heavily based on my personal experiences. I'm waiting until I've upped my skill level to write it because it means too much to me to botch it up on practise or levelling up.

19. Who’s the one character who shines without you even trying?

I think Verita, the one I named this blog after. I just love her.

20. What embarrasses you most about your own writing?

It's too descriptive, too fluffy. I'll get there.

21. Do you write every day?

No, but I definitely should.

22. What time of day do you prefer to write? Why?

Night time! Because I'm a night owl. And there's less distractions.

23. Do you feel like you put out enough content?

Yes and no. No because I'm not prolific or well-known enough for it to feel like content to me. Not that it really is for others, the vibes are off. But whatever. As for fics, definitely yes. Simply because I have so many ideas but just can't seem to get them on paper.

24. Favorite writing snack?

Biscuits! All the way! And sometimes rainbow popcorn.

By biscuits I mean what Americans call cookies, not that weird scone looking thing they eat with gravy.

25. What’s your favorite part of the writing process?

The thinking part 😅 I love daydreaming

26. What’s your favorite emotion to write?

Happiness, relief, freedom and anger.

27. What kind of endings do you prefer?

I like reading bittersweet but fulfilling endings. But I definitely prefer my own written works end on a happier note most of the time. The world's dreary enough as it is.

28. Do you plan or jump right in, and if you plan, how much do you like to do before you start a story? 

I usually pants it but I've issues with writers block lately so now I'm giving planning a shot. We'll see how that goes.

29. Narrative or dialogue? 

Dialogue. Without a doubt. I'm actually trying to cut back on that, I tend to write too much of that, not enough setting or action.

30. Describing people or settings?

Now that's a hard one. I love describing people, especially when they've got cool scars or clothes. But I've gotten into writing settings lately too.

I'll have to say people, I think.

31. Show a piece from your current WIP/most recent story, up to 30 words.

Sirius Black lied crumpled on the stone floor, eyes wide but unseeing. An eerie chill seeped deep into his bones. Wheezing wisps of fog barely escaped chapped blue lips. Pallid and gaunt, looking more like a skin dressed skeleton than a living person, his body seemed to have met death before his soul.

Rattling dread filled his ears and sapped at his strength. Even a twitch left him weaker, every ounce of energy trickling away from him by the moment. Slowly, slowly, icy stiffness spread up from his fingers and toes down to the very core of his being. Not even a scrap of magic seemed within reach.

His body trembled in a manic giggle as reality finally set(tled?) into his mind.

“Looks like I’ll be seeing you soon Prongs.”

The fog vanished.

I don't know how many words that is. Probably too many but ah well, it's still short.

Ask Game For Writers

Do you listen to music while you write?

I actually have two different writing playlists. I usually write with classical music or music that goes with the story and gets the creativity flowing because if it’s super quiet my mind tends to wander and I end up leaving my current draft to write a new one and then my perfectionist ass can’t keep up with my own thoughts and all of my documents are mixed up and it’s total chaos.

2. Computer or pen and paper?

Sometimes I will write in a notebook when I’m in the car or I’m not able to type anything just because I get really good ideas at the most random times. I usually type it though because I feel like it’s a lot easier for my left-handed ass.

3. Have you ever been published, or do you want to be published?

I have never actually published anything due to copyright because none of it is mine except for the storylines. I could probably publish an original work in the future, but I don’t really think I would want to because writing is just a hobby I do for fun and I really don’t care too much about getting famous or making money off of it.

4. How much writing do you get done on an average day?

I have absolutely no idea. Probably like five to ten thousand words a day because of requests and my current WIPs.

5. Single or multiple POV?

I mostly write in second person. However, I like to write about multiple characters’ thoughts and feelings.

6. Standalone or series?

I enjoy both. Although, in reality, I have never actually published a series yet because my mind usually wanders away from it before I can even finish it.

7. Oldest WIP.

Probably one of my unpublished Wattpad stories, Opposites (Sherlock x reader). I’m trying to get it published whenever I can, though. I just haven't had the inspiration or motivation to continue writing it yet.

8. When did you start writing?

I started writing about four years ago when I was in my Fairy Tail obsession.

9. What was the first story you've ever written?

I don’t even remember what it was but I remember it being a NaLu fanfiction for Fairy Tail.

10. What genres have you written for so far?

Romance, fanfiction (fluff and angst if those count).

11. Have you ever written for a fandom without reading other fanfictions from that fandom?

Yes. I do that with every single fandom I find myself obsessing over. I did it with Haikyuu, Fairy Tail, MHA, Demon Slayer, Attack on Titan, and Inuyasha.

12. Have you ever written a fic and never decided to publish it? Why?

Yes. Because I feel like I’ve been copying the Yuumori anime and Manga too much and I have A LOT of editing to do before I publish it.

13. What is the biggest change between when you started writing in fandom and today?

Probably the tone (I think). When I first started writing when I was like fourteen, I was really unorganized and scattered. I was using numbers instead of typing out “she was fourteen years old” and it really sucked now that I look back at it. Now my writing is more formal when I write stories because I type how I think instead of how I speak. Which is probably why everything else isn’t as organized because when it’s not a fanfic I stype how I speak.

14. In your opinion, what’s your most underrated fic?

I feel like in general my most underrated fic is the Sherlock x reader wedding one. Again, I love William more than anything, but this one had me in tears. You know those certain parts of either a story your writing or somebody elses story and it has you like screaming into your pillow for 10 minutes after every paragraph? That was literally me while writing that one.

15. What’s your most overrated fic?

In my opinion, it’s either just every single William fanfic I write, or it’s the amount of Mycroft angst requests I receive every day. It seriously makes me giggle with how angsty Mycroft’s relationship with the reader is. Has me giggling while I bawl my eyes out while I write it. That’s officially my new genre now: Mycroft Angst.

16. Has there ever been everyone who’s made you freak out because they’ve read your work and followed/favorited/reviewed your work?

Okay, when I first started posting on Tumblr it was because I happened to run into @moriartyluver and a few other blogs that I don’t remember because I never saved anything and let me tell you when I started getting notifications that said they either liked, reblogged, etc., my heart nearly stopped beating because I really wasn’t expecting for the inspiration to end up reacting to my work and it just made me really happy. It’s unbelievable how quickly my blog is growing and how many people enjoy it. I love you all! <3

17. What’s the nicest review you’ve ever gotten?

When I get asks that are always telling me like “I am so obsessed with your writing” and things like that it just makes me really happy and gives me more motivation to continue writing just knowing how many people enjoy my content.

18. Are any of your stories inspired by personal experiences?

A lot of them have references to my own personal experiences or things that I’ve seen other people experience because I feel like it’s a lot easier to write about things that I’ve actually experienced.

19. Who’s the one character who shines without you even trying?

William. He is literally husband material no matter what you do to him. As long as the writing style is good, I’m going to end up being obsessed with literally any and every fanfiction I read and/or write. He’s just perfect in general, and there isn’t really much you can do to ruin him.

20. What embarrasses you most about your own writing?

I feel like the most embarrassing thing I have ever written is sexual content/smut because I had absolutely no idea what I was doing due to my lack of experience.

21. Do you write every day?

I try to, but sometimes I’m unable to due to school and/or work. Exams are killing me and taking up most of my time lately, so I’ll write whenever I have the time, but usually I only get like five minutes every two hours between studying. I’ll definitely have more time to write this summer.

22. What time of day do you prefer to write? Why?

I usually write in the morning before school and/or before my first class starts, as well as late at night when I have more time.

23. Do you feel like you put out enough content?

I feel like I do, but I definitely feel like I could write more. I just don’t have time.

24. Favorite writing snack?

Oreos & milk, goldfish, and cinnamon rolls.

25. What’s your favorite part of the writing process?

I think that my favorite part is coming up with ideas to write about or add into a story. Even though 95% of the time they never make it to the finished project.

26. What’s your favorite emotion to write?

Mycroft angst and William fluff

27. What kind of endings do you prefer?

I actually have no idea. I want to say that if I had to pick one it would be cliffhangers or endings that didn’t really make sense because it always has me trying to figure out wtf just happened.

28. Do you plan or jump right in, and if you plan, how much do you like to do before you start a story? 

I kind of do both if that makes sense. I’ll come up with an idea, think about how I want it to go, and then I’ll start writing without even drafting it. And then I usually have to go back and rewrite half of it because the original version was absolute shit.

29. Narrative or dialogue? 

Dialogue. I cannot go without somebody talking because I feel like it gets really boring and I end up passing out halfway through it just because I’m wasting all my time and energy trying to make it more interesting.

30. Describing people or settings?

I feel like I’m better at settings just because every single one of my character descriptions are always: “He was tall and skinny with ____ eyes and long ____ hair”. You know? But with settings I can be a little bit more descriptive like “the grass was green with a variety of different types of flowers blooming. The sky was cloudless, the sun was shining, the birds were chirping, …”

31. Show a piece from your current WIP/most recent story, up to 30 words.

The same one that probably will never be published, but at this point, I really don't care anymore.

“‘I am afraid there is little that can be done,’ William confessed to Moran and Bond after we had recounted our encounter with the woman. 'Once wed, the bond between a husband and wife is irrevocable. Unless, of course, the matrimonial union is terminated by unspeakable means.’

”'Till death do us part,’ I uttered aloud as if reading my brother’s thoughts.

“'Indeed,’ William concurred. 'Unfortunately, there are no alternatives. The only solution is to eliminate one of the partners.’”

[godofdystopia]

Sashannarcy Week Day 4: Crossover

Thanks again to @phrogfrommars for hosting this Sashannarcy week.

This entry was both easier and harder than I thought it would be. It was easier because I was already planning to write this but lacked the motivation to actually write it till now. It was harder because after writing it I realized two things.

1. This was entirely based off of a Jeep Ad for Jurassic World and I didn’t even know it till i was three paragraphs in.

2. I probably could have done more with this since I failed to remember that one of the villains of Jurassic World is named Henry Wu until I was three lines away from being done. Also, I need to watch Camp Cretaceous, it would help with writing this in the future.

Either way, I desperately wanted a story about the Calamity Trio trying to adopt a dinosaur and since no one else would probably write it I decided to do it myself.

Also some unsubtle criticisms of Jurassic World: Dominion so like, extremely minor spoilers for that movie but nothing that would spoil the general plot or ending, just the vibe and feel of the movie is all.

Please enjoy. And remember: the Carnotaurus is the greatest dinosaur.

words: 2.7

It was yet another quiet night at the Waybright-Boonchuy-Wu household.

Marcy was off getting groceries and so Sasha and Anne were left to hold down the fort. Currently, the two women were cuddled up on the couch wearing comfortable pajamas as they watched the tv. Some random channel was on in the background, Sasha thinks it was the news, but it was on an ad break and so they just talked about their days

Well, Sasha didn’t talk because Anne was too busy excitedly talking about the changes that the Aquarium was going under.

“Still can’t believe they actually found some, but I'm not going to complain! Actual Amphibians from the cretaceous period Sash! It’s amazing, I get to learn so much about them now!”

“I’m still mostly excited about the Mosasaur you guys are getting. I always liked that show at Jurassic World back when we went.” Sasha explained as she cuddled her wife.

She remembered that trip well: Her, Marcy, and Anne had saved up enough money to stay there for a week, and they lived it up at Jurassic World. Marcy had info-dumped endlessly about the various dinosaurs they saw about, Anne got to pet a triceratops, and Sasha herself had watched a T-rex hunt down a goat and eat it in front of her.

The girls hadn’t been too happy about that, but Sasha still thought of it as the second biggest highlight of her time there. The first being the many makeout sesh’s they’d all had about the place.

Anne looked up quizzically as Sasha began chuckling, a small blush lighting up her cheeks as she did so.

“Something funny?” She asked, looking at the blushing blonde with an eyebrow raised.

“Just remembering some things, don’t worry about it.” Sasha waved away the question, trying to fight down her blush and think of a way to change the subject. “Saw Humphrey today, you’ll never guess what he was doing!”

Anne Hmm’d while Sasha, giddy with excitement, went on “He was sitting on a park bench and, you know, I thought he was feeding ducks but no! He was sitting there, a giant bag of beef jerky in his hands, and he was feeding a bunch of Compy’s!”

Anne blinked, thought about the tiny old man feeding tinier carnivores and started laughing.

“He knows those things will strip him down to bones in like, two minutes tops right?”

“Who cares, it was hilarious!” Sasha was laughing harder now. “The funniest thing was when this big Pteranodon looking thing swooped down and just grabbed a strip right out of the air before any of the Compy’s could. I swear I've never seen lizards look so depressed.”

Anne and Sasha laughed a bit before the sound of the news coming back on turned their attention back to the tv.

“...The dinosaurs are still rampaging across the world. People are coming to deal with adapting to a world with them in many different ways though it’s a very hard transition. From ranchers complaining about velociraptors eating their herds to trains derailed from migrating stegosaurus, from airplanes taken down by Quetzalcoatl's to cruise liners swimming with mosasaurs, the world is certainly a lot rowdier than it was before the change.”

The news anchor looked down at her notes, frowned, and lifted them up to squint at them a bit. She sighed and looked annoyed.

“But enough about that, apparently. Because we have word of some rather large bugs in the Midwest and we’re going to divert the rest of our news cycle towards that. Yes, it’s not as interesting as Dinosaurs in Manhattan but apparently that’s what we’re going with.”

From behind the camera, Sasha and Anne could hear someone saying “That’s not what we wrote on the notes.”

“No it’s not.” The anchor admitted. “Because people want to hear about dinosaurs in our modern world. They don’t want to listen to someone talk about giant bugs for two hours when there are dinosaurs roaming the earth now!”

“Just talk about the bugs, Lauren!”

The anchor threw down her notes and shouted “A Triceratops tore through my car cause it thought it was challenging her and you want me to talk about some damn BUG-”

The feed cut off, the ‘Technical Difficulties’ sign going up on the screen as Sasha and Anne just stared at the static image.

“Soo… bugs, what do you think that was about?” Anne asked her wife.

Sasha just stared at her. “Anne, you were literally screaming about how you get to ‘Swim on the back of the Loch Ness Monster’ at work in a week and you want to talk about bugs?”

“Okay, fair.” Anne said with a pout. “Like, they promised they were going to go in deep about how Dinosaurs are playing havoc on the ecosystem. But now they want to talk about bugs?”

Sasha just rubbed her wife’s back. “Perhaps they’re very big bugs?”

Anne just stared.

Sasha sighed, defeated. “Yeah, okay. I know bugs aren’t as interesting as Dinosaurs in our modern world now. Was just trying to cut them some slack.”

The two of them fell into a comfortable silence, just cuddling up and waiting for their wife to come home so they could hug her too.

The sound of the door being  slammed open startled Anne and Sasha out of both their conversation and their cuddle.

“GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS, You will not BELIEVE what just happened! Come here, Come here, Come here!” Marcy’s overly excited shouting drew them off the couch.

“Marcy? Marcy, what’s going on?” Sasha asked as they both walked over towards the doorway.

“Yeah marbles, what’s-” Anne’s question died off with a strangled whimper as she saw exactly what her and Sasha’s wife wanted them to see.

Marcy was standing there, proud as can be, holding a massive Great Dane sized dinosaur in her arms which squirmed and thrashed about. Marcy was covered in scratches, with a few still bleeding as the massive thing in her arms roared and cried.

It was a deep red, with a light tan belly, and it looked like a t-rex but with horns. It had a blunter head, and even tinier arms than a newborn baby. Every time it roared they could see sharp little needle-like teeth that looked like, when fully grown, would be able to tear through a car.

“What the fuck is that!?” Sasha screamed out as she thrust an arm in front of Anne, who just looked shocked at the screaming dinosaur.

“It’s a Carnotaurus!” Marcy said cheerily, the reptilian beast in her arms screaming up a storm as it thrashed about like an eel. Its massive hind legs tore through the air over and over as its clawed toes went up and down. “I saved him and…” She looked at Sasha and Anne, took in their appearance, and frowned. “Did you guys start the cuddle sesh without me?”

“What is it doing in our house!?” Anne screeched, not liking the look of those teeth at all.

“I rescued him!” Marcy tried to hold up the Carnotaurus baby proudly, but it weighed half a ton and she wasn’t the strongest person. She ended up falling to her knees and bringing the carnivorous dinosaur with her. With his feet firmly on the ground, he stopped thrashing about, but kept roaring and screaming.

“A bunch of people from BioSyn came and took his parents away. The poor little guy was left behind and he just looked so lonely that I couldn't help but save him! You should’ve seen how he looked at me, he was so sad!”

“He was probably sizing you up for dinner, Marcy! That thing is a wild predator.” Sasha yelled, gesturing at the still screaming carnotaurus wildly.

“Wrong! He looked at me with such big ol’ eyes that I knew he wanted me to take him to safety. You know you can’t trust those BioSyn guys anyway.” Marcy said firmly, holding the carnotaurus to her chest and making cooing sounds to try and calm him down. Amazingly, it appeared to work.

“They have a giant reserve in the Alps or something, they can take care of him there.” Anne said, keeping at least one eye on the creature.

“It’s in the Italian mountains actually, but that’s not the point!” Marcy pouted. “We don’t even know if he’ll find his parents there and the other dinosaurs will be mean to him without parents. But here we can keep him safe and warm and fed and not eaten by a T-rex.”

All throughout, Anne slowly detangled herself from Sasha and reached into a pocket to take out her cell phone.

“I’m calling BioSyn, they’ll take him to Sanctuary and-”

“NOO!” Marcy curled herself around the dinosaur, looking at her wives with tears in her eyes. “You can’t take Chomper away!”

“He’s a wild animal Marcy! He’ll- wait, Chomper?” Sasha just looked bewildered, looking between Marcy and the Carnotaurus.

“From the Land Before Time.” Marcy said, holding the now named Chomper tightly. She looked at them pleadingly. “C'mon, can you really say no to this cutie?” She grabbed both sides of Chompers head and angled it towards Sasha and Anne, his yellow reptilian eyes sizing the two of them up before deciding they weren’t edible, or not worth the effort ot make them edible.

“Marcy, I really don’t think this is a good idea.” Anne tried to explain, still angling herself away from the carnivore who was starting to calm down at least. 

“Well, I-” Sasha began, only to be cut off.

“Think of it like we’re adopting a kid! A big, scaly, carnivorous kid! Please, for me?”

Marcy then did something that Anne and Sasha thought was not fair at all: She looked at them with such big pleading eyes, her lip quivered, and it looked like she was close to tears.

Sasha and Anne stopped listening, in fact they could not hear anything else she was saying because the minute Marcy said ‘adopting a kid,’ their minds got stuck in a permanent loop of thinking about them and Marcy having kids. Seeing Marcy look at them with such an adorable expression just added to the torment.

It’d… if they kept the Carnivore for a bit, it would almost be like a practice run, right? They’d keep him, learn how to take care of something younger than them, and they’d have a better idea of how to take care of their own kids once they had them.

The justifications were flimsy as hell, but right now none of them cared enough to question. They tried, they really did, to stay strong. But against such adorableness what could one do?

Anne wrapped her arms around Marcy, hugging the girl to her chest. Sasha came and did the same, the three wives hugging each other in the doorway. Chomper the Carnotaurus looked at the scene, cocked his horned head to the side, and then leapt at them with a yelp.

The three women fell to the ground with the young Carnotaurus baby on top of them, he rested his head on their chests and looked at them, sticking his tongue out with a ‘blep’ as he did so.

Anne and Sasha refused to admit that they found the action cute.

“Alright Marcy, we won’t call BioSyn.” Anne said gently, though her voice was straining from what felt like half a ton of Carnotaurus baby on top of her.

“Yet.” Sasha said, glaring at the dinosaur. She did not like him.

“Yesss!” Marcy cheered, hugging all three of them to her and squealing happily. “ I promise, you won’t regret this at all!”

Anne figured that she would realize before the week was out that trying to keep a wild animal that could grow large enough to eat horses in a single bite wasn’t a good idea.

Chomper wouldn’t be staying with them long.

**********

Months Later…

Sasha always loved driving down the freeway, and now that she’s married she loves it even more. Anne next to her, Marcy leaning forward so she’s in the middle, it’s all perfect. Her red convertible cruising down the coastline, the girls heading out to go to a convention that Marcy had in a different city and they’d packed to turn it into a vacation as a family.

“RAAAWR!” Chomper, the great dane sized Carnotaurus calf roared out happily as he leaned his horned head off the side of the car. HIs tongue wagged in the wind as the massive juvenile carnivore enjoyed the car ride as much as his moms did. He had on a purple collar with his name tag attached, a bright white metal one shaped like a bone, to a harness around his body as just wearing the collar during walks caused him to ignore it entirely and run off towards whatever he happened to see.

Sasha hated that she found the big idiot to be cute, especially since he was still growing his teeth and so bit everything. And yet cute he was. He acted like a giant puppy, albeit one who needed to be fed whole roasted chickens and marked his territory by scratching his growing horns against anything till it left massive gouges. He slept at the end of their bed, went for walks at the park although the girls had to jog and sometimes sprint to keep up with him, he would rush over and knock them to the floor in excitement whenever they got home, and he sometimes woke up the neighborhood because he heard something outside and decided to roar loud enough to shatter the windows. He really was just a giant kid who could knock over a tree if he headbutted them.

PetSmart still wouldn’t let them ever return.

Marcy ran her hand down Chomper’s back, the big dinosaur rumbling with contentment while Anne filed his claws to try and make them less deadly. As much as they all loved him, he could do with less deadly weapons at the end of his limbs.

“We need to schedule a vet appointment for Chomper when we get back.” Anne said as she blunted the ends of his claws to an acceptably non fatal size.

“Again, I don't think there’s a vet around who knows how to treat dinosaurs and wont rat us out to the feds for keeping one in our house.” Sasha said as she felt the wind rush through her hair. It’d need to be cut before long but with trying to take care of Chomper, she hadn’t found the time.

“We could try and swing by Dr. Jan’s again, she and Terri love him.” Anne replied as she finished up grooming the big carnivore. Chomper flexed his clawed feet before snuggling back down on the car seat, his tail wagging back and forth and almost knocking Sasha and Marcy in the heads. 

Anne giggled as she saw him do so. “Someone’s excited to see Auntie Jan again. Do you want to see Jan again, huh? Do ya?”

Chomper roared happily, his whole body shaking with excitement at the thought. Sasha had to swerve to keep the car under control but ended up laughing along with her wife.

Laughter that ended as they heard Marcy simply say “Told you you wouldn’t regret this.”

Anne and Sasha stopped laughing at their wife’s words, just staring at the dashboard as they both sat in silence. Chomper decided to break the awkward silence by panting happily as he stared across the coast at a pod of Plesiosaurs who’d just breached the water and were swimming merrily by a passing cruise ship.

Sasha and Anne could feel Marcy’s smug look, their wife looking like Christmas had come early.

“Alright, fine. I’m glad we didn't call BioSyn on the big idiot, okay?” Sasha said exasperatedly, groaning as Chomper leaned his head over Marcy to lick her face. Sasha refused to admit she found the action endearing.

Marcy continued to look smug as she chuckled, reaching up to pet the top of Chomper's scaled head. He nuzzled against her hand and Anne reached back to scratch underneath his chin.

He was indeed cute.

[kimikotsuki]

Fandom discourse and culture has changed a lot over the years and I always try to err on the side of caution whenever possible.

The reasons writers create and share their work are varied and diverse: maybe they're trying to improve their writing and welcome advice, sometimes it's all about the ~ S Q U E E ~ because you loved the show/character and wants them in more situations, sometimes the reason is the ~ R A G E ~ about the direction canon took and you plan to murder it and use it's blood to re-write the story; this is more an illustrative than exhaustive list and sometimes there'll even be multiple reasons at once of course.

And sometimes, those reasons do not match or go well with any type of criticism, even well intentioned, constructive ones.

I saw an post on Tumblr that ilustrated very well another reason why one shouldn't simply assume that con-crit is welcome: if you go watch an amateur performance (in the most literal sense of the word of non-remunarated, regardless of quality of performance), one won't immediately presume afterwards to go to the artist and start critiquing it.

At the same time, I wholeheartedly think that one of the most wonderful, unique possibilities of fandom is the capacity for collaborative work between the authors of a story that is being posted as it's written and it's readers, culminating in an end product with quality that ends up being more refined than otherwise it would've been.

That type of interaction is even sometimes one of the main reasons people write fics, to not only create something, but also to share the act of that creation.

That works almost like making all the readers of a fic into beta-readers and can be a wonderful thing, but the post argued that the work done by betas is analogous to editing in published works, and that such a relationship is based on built trust, so while yeah, that dynamic between writer and all their readers could work, assuming and simply barging in is generally more harmful than productive.

When I adopted that new reasoning, I debated whether or not I should then mark all my bookmarks on AO3 as Private and make them inaccessible to anyone else, but in the end opted not to, mainly because even though I mainly write them for my future self, I also feel other readers can benefit a lot from knowing how the experience of someone who liked a work enough to rec it went, specially if while reading that fic they stumbled upon things they didn't like.

If there's one thing I learned from over 15 years of reading fics is that my tastes change over the years, and sometimes it's not even about the quality of the writing itself or even the progression of how polemic subjects are treated at any given time, but rather the moment that I am in changes how I receive the same work, such that tagging a certain work as one worth reading again later with no contextual information on the vibe I was riding when I did that will inevitably lead to a disappointment that is frankly an overreaction on my part.

That happened somewhat recently with a Frostiron fic I read a long time ago, in a moment where I was squeeing like crazy over the pairing (and it was a work of squee, so we matched really well) and it got on my list, but years later, when I was feeling nostalgic over the pairing and went to read my list of besties, the expectation I had was so great that the dichotomy between my experience back then and the one in the re-read were terribly big, even though it was a well written fic, squee and all, and the only real difference was that *I* wasn't squeeing over the pairing anymore.

And at the same time, I found that, in a way, this managing of expectations I do primarily for myself when I create a rec with the bad points of a fic that I loved can also be helpful for others, because even if it doesn't fit 100% since we're different people, I always thought the best recs I've always found were the ones that stated what were the cons of any given story, because those cons might not be something that bothered me like it bothered them or it even might end up being somewhat bothersome to me, but the pros outweigh them and, because I went in expecting to find those things, there's no disappointment in it, so they end up bothering me a lot less then it could've.

The other reason I eventually settled on not making my bookmarks private was actually because of those authors that seek improvement and welcome constructive criticism from all the readers who are invested in their story and value their thoughts and experiences while reading their work, because while yes, better to err on the side of caution and not go offering advice and opinions were those are not wanted, if we let that completely rule everything we do in fandom there will be a lot of loss in regards of this constructive, dynamic and interactive aspect so characteristic and wonderful to this type of media.

I know authors can have access to the bookmarks made of their fics, but unlike comments, it's not quite a space exclusively dedicated to them or even for interactions between reader/author.

In a lot of aspects, I'd even go as far as saying it's a space primarily for readers: it's not something that will culminate in a email sent to the author's mailbox, it serves mostly for filtering and ordering purposes (like when you're looking for fics to read and apply a filter to show only fics with a certain number of bookmarks or to order the fics shown from the greater to the least number of bookmarks) and also so readers can, reading these bookmarks, have a better idea on what's to expect from a work from different readers with different personalities and world views and ways to pereceive what was written.

And since it's a space the author *can* have access to *if* they want, it's possible for them to look at that place to see that con-crit while, at the same time, not being a place where that con-crit will get shoved in their faces if they *don't want it* and as such it seemed to me to be an overall respectfull and good compromise between those two points that seemed very important to me, and one of the only way I've found of making it known if that type of interaction is welcome, I'd be happy to head over to their comments and talk there.

If I'm marking it as a rec and commenting, I'm doing it because I think that fic absolutely is one of the best stories that I had the pleasure to read; however, the number of characters allowed in a bookmark rec are limited, so if I end up putting into it anything besides an incoherent keyboard smash, those things are going to be whatever points I feel are very important to keep in mind whenever starting to read it so that reading experience is the most enjoyable possible both for my future self who's going to look at that besties list and decide on what to read again as well as first time readers who might have seen the rec and will go in knowing somethings that, by their nature, don't tend to be things we tag for; they will have mostly what amounts to con-crit, so if you welcome this type of interaction or if the rec I made is bothering you in anyway, I urge you to get in contact with me through the fic mail I linked in my AO3 profile.

This post is getting linked there because the profile section doesn't allow enough characters for everything that I had to say about the subject.

As soon as I see the email, I'll either be happy to either tag the bookmark as Private so it won't be visible to anyone but myself if it bothered you or head over to your comments section so we can talk better about the points I raised if this type of interaction is something you welcome.

[altruistic-meme]

an hour past the time i should have gone to sleep, 3200+ words written, several long dives into various wikipedia articles and official websites, a couple of scene rewatchs, and 1/2 betas acquired, and finally, finally i’ve decided that maybe i should actually go get in my bed. 

got distracted looking into drottningholm palace and the swedish monarchy and writing 2300+ words of notes and plans and little scenes and i didn’t even realize im supposed to be going to sleep right now but i haven’t even BEGUN to get ready for it