#it kind of makes me want a hunger games rewrite

[mzcain27]

I’m like 3 chapters into ballad of songbirds and snakes and already ms Suzanne Collins is pulling ZERO punches in fleshing out panem

[nondelphic]

How long have you been writing

hi!! thank you for asking! (≧▽≦)

i’ve been writing in some form for as long as i can remember. as a kid, i was always reading and writing. if i wasn’t nose-deep in a book (percy jackson, the maze runner, the hunger games, and harry potter were my childhood obsessions), i was devouring wattpad stories or fanfics. no shame!! (´｡• ω •｡`) ♡ i even wrote fanfiction for a while before realizing i wanted to make my own characters.

my first serious attempt at writing an entire book was when i was 14 or 15. i outlined the whole thing like a pro (or so i thought), but… yeah, it wasn’t great. looking back, i’ll probably never try to rewrite it, but it was an important step in figuring out what kind of stories i wanted to tell!!

the big turning point for me was in the summer of 2024, when i finally finished the first full draft of a story that means so much to me. (｡T ω T｡) it’s wild how much motivation completing that draft gave me. it made me believe that maybe publishing my own book one day isn’t some unattainable dream. now i’m editing that draft and hoping to send it off to a publisher this year (or self-publish). fingers crossed!! (ง •̀ω•́)ง✧

thank you so much for the question!!

[mumms-the-word]

A Little Boat Voyage

Pairing: Gale x Tav (Dani) Summary: Immediately after defeating Cazador and stopping Astarion from ascending, Gale and Dani need to discuss Gale's own ambitions. She agrees to a little voyage on the Outer Planes to hear what he has to say, preparing to fight him about his plans. ao3 link Tags: Angst, fluff, teeny tiny bit of implied smut, mostly angst A/N: This is a rewrite of the Act 3 romance scene that reworks a lot of the potential dialogue for that scene to fit what I actually think would have happened for Dani and Gale. I combed through the datamined file for all the dialogue that Gale and Tav could say, depending on all the possible situations for this scene, and stitched together a lot of game dialogue with Dani's own convictions about Gale's plans. So in my head, this is canon for them lol

Astarion’s words echoed in Dani’s head as she left his side in the group’s Elfsong Tavern suite. He was sitting by the window, looking out onto the moonlit streets below, contemplating the aftermath of his decision to slay Cazador rather than ascend, trying to process and make sense of it. She had gone over to speak quietly with him, knowing he needed her more than Gale did in this moment, and in the midst of the conversation, he had looked up at her with a kind of uncertain awe mixed with tired gratitude.

“You believed in me,” he’d said. “Believed I was enough just the way I am.”

There was more that was said between them, mentions of newfound freedom, new futures, more words of gratitude. But for some reason, those words stuck with her. Enough, he’d said. As if it were a novel concept to him.

She could relate. There were days when she never felt like she was enough, for some person or some challenge or another.

She paused to lean against one of the columns in the room, her eyes unconsciously searching for Gale. She found him sitting in an armchair by the fire at the center of the suite, staring into the flames. He’d been wanting to speak to her all day, but between all the drama of that morning and the difficulty of getting to Cazador and battling him, she’d almost forgotten about it. Now, she was almost too worn down to approach him. It would be all too easy to just go to bed and tell him that whatever he had to say could wait until morning.

But even she wasn’t that heartless. She sighed to herself and moved around to the lowered center area of the suite, approaching him from behind. He looked up as she  stopped next to his chair.

“Gale,” she said coolly, one hand on her hip.

“Ah.” He gave a kind of grimace, as though he were wincing yet trying to twist it into a sheepish smile at the same time. “You’re still talking to me then?”

Dani pursed her lips and crossed her arms, waiting for him. She had no idea where this conversation was supposed to go, and part of her didn’t want to make this easy for him. He rubbed the back of neck, self-conscious. 

“I suppose you have questions…related to a certain book we read together,” he said. She arched an eyebrow and he winced. “Well. That I read,” he amended. “And I do mean to discuss it but…” 

He trailed off, his eyes wandering over to where Astarion still sat near the window, staring pensively out through the glass. “You’ve given me quite a lot to think about today.”

She sighed softly through her nose. She wanted to be angry. But honestly, she was just tired. 

They’d started the morning off with a visit to Sorcerous Sundries, thinking it would be a relatively innocent visit. But her anger had been tested at the sight of poor Rolan, beaten and bruised by Lorroakan, and her fears kindled by the hunger in Gale’s eyes once they had found the Annals of Karsus. Then Gale had sparked her anger again, boasting to Lorroakan about his plans for the Crown—none of which he had disclosed to Dani at all—so Dani had retaliated by petulantly revealing his plans to Elminster when the old wizard had popped up unexpectedly outside the shop. Then there was her and Gale’s argument in the street, all before it was even noontime. 

That would have been enough for the day, except that they had spent the afternoon and evening infiltrating Cazador’s mansion to stop his ritual. That experience had been draining for everyone and the resulting conclusion of the events was bittersweet at best. Dani had stopped one of her best friends from giving in to his dark ambitions, but she still had her work cut out for her when it came to her own lover’s ambitions. 

She just wished everyone around her would stop being so damned power hungry. Was it so wrong to wish for nothing more than a warm home and for one’s friends and family to be safe and comfortable? She knew she could be greedy too, but her greed didn’t test the limits of reality or threaten thousands of lives all at once. It just emptied a few pockets. Maybe a few bank vaults.

At her silence, Gale shifted uncomfortably in his seat before at last giving a soft sigh of his own. “In truth, I wouldn’t blame you for giving me a wide berth. I thought the orb’s ever-present censure had tamed my wilder ambition, but that wasn’t the case. Obviously, as evidenced by all that I said and did today.” He shook his head. “There isn’t anything I can say that would excuse my reprehensible behavior. I’m sorry.”

She pressed her lips together this time, wavering between wanting to stay irritated and wanting to say that there was nothing to forgive and move on. But there were concerns she still had, questions he had yet to answer. She didn’t know where to start and so, after a moment, she simply pulled another chair over to the fire, near him, and sat down, watching the flames in silence. It took her another moment to finally put to words what she wanted to say.

“I’m not mad anymore about anything that happened today,” she said quietly. “I’m just…scared.”

“Scared?”

“Of losing you. To the orb. To Mystra. To your own ambition…” She shook her head, unable to look at him. She didn’t want to explain all of her fears right now. Some of them felt utterly stupid.

She couldn’t deny that she loved Gale, ambitions and all. What else could it be but love that kept her at his side? She’d abandoned relationships for far less in the past. No, she was certain with her entire being that she loved him more than she had ever loved anyone. But this path of godhood that he kept hinting at…if he was determined to follow it, it was a path she couldn’t take with him. She just wasn’t interested in abandoning this chaotic, colorful world just yet. Not for the Fugue Plane, not for an illithid life, not for godhood, not for anything.

But if she wouldn’t follow him…what then? The thought of leaving him or of him leaving her threatened to break her heart. She felt as though she’d never recover.

But she couldn’t say all that to him now. It felt petty and selfish to admit that the only reason she didn’t want him to become more powerful was because she was scared he’d leave her behind. She was petty and selfish, but Gale inspired goodness in her. It was ironic, truly. The very qualities that had inspired her to become a better person were the same qualities that he would give up if he continued to pursue the path of godhood for the “betterment of all,” as he’d boasted to Lorroakan that morning.

But what did she know, she thought bitterly to herself. She had never intimately known a god nor harbored ambition enough to actively plot to dethrone one.

Still…if she could at all sway him…

“Listen,” she said, eyes still on the fire. “I believe you’re capable of so many great things, Gale. I believe in you. Always have, always will. But when it comes to this plan with the crown…”

“All I am asking is that you consider it,” he said.

She made a helpless gesture with one hand. “I don’t even know how I could. How can I respond to something so…immense? It’s beyond comprehension. I want to understand, but I don’t.”

He was quiet for a moment before chuckling softly and shaking his head. “I don’t think I deserve you at times.”

“Gale,” Dani said softly, his name almost a resigned sigh as she said it. She didn’t want to hear this again. But Gale held up a hand.

“Please. Let me finish.” He paused, seeming to gather his thoughts, before taking a deep breath. “I watched how you handled the events with Cazador and Astarion today. You showed nothing but compassion and courage. Your heart bled for the victims in their cages. You sought a way to save as many people as you could, despite impossible odds. And you didn’t allow Astarion’s desperation or impassioned speeches to sway you or change your mind.”

“I didn’t want to lose one of my best friends,” she said. “If Astarion had ascended…he wouldn’t be Astarion anymore.”

“I know. Yet it could have been so easy to give in. To let him have his way, simply because you are his friend. But you didn’t. You appealed to a nobler part of him, risking your friendship to keep him from changing. From transforming into something more. Something sinister.” Gale paused again, glancing back at Astarion across the room. His expression softened into a thoughtful, yet sorrowful look. “I can’t help but wonder. Do you see the same kind of choice when you look at me?”

She didn’t answer, but her silence was answer enough. She looked back at the flames, watching them crackle and spark, letting them fill the silence. 

“I hope that isn’t your final judgment of me,” he said. “I hope that you can give me another chance to earn your faith. I want you to continue to believe in me. I want to show you the wizard I am capable of being, rather than the poor excuse for a man who’s kept you company thus far.”

“Gale, stop,” she said, finally turning to face him fully, twisting in her chair. “Stop calling yourself a poor excuse for a man. That isn’t what I think of you. I know I get frustrated with you, but it’s because I see so much good in you.” She reached for his hand and enveloped it in both of her own. “I don’t want to lose you to the Crown any more than I wanted to lose Astarion to Cazador’s power. You mean everything to me, Gale. Worth more even than music and magic.”

“You won’t lose me,” Gale said, tightening his hold on her hand. “If anything, you’ll gain so much more for being with me. Please. Let me show you.”

“Gale—”

“Even if a permanent place in the heavens isn’t for us, at least allow me a chance to show you what it would be like. Indulge me. Close your eyes. Allow me to take you on a little boat voyage.”

She frowned, wanting to resist. But she could tell this was important to him. She breathed a small sigh and closed her eyes, keeping one hand in his. 

She heard him murmur a spell and felt the aura of magic shift around her, the warmth of the Elfsong Tavern room giving way to much cooler air. Her skin tingled all over with the touch of magic, while Gale’s hand remained solid and warm in her own.

“Few mortals ever glimpse what you’re about to see. But don’t be alarmed—I’m here with you.” He gave her fingers a gentle squeeze. “Now…open your eyes.”

When she opened her eyes, she found herself seated in a glowing blue boat with Gale sitting across from her. All around them, the sky, the space below, all of it was filled with scattered stars and clouds of purple, pink, and blue stardust. The galaxies and starfields stretched on infinitely around them, swirling peacefully in silence. Their boat drifted easily along a current of shimmering magic and when she lifted her free hand over the edge of the boat, her fingers caused tiny motes of starlight to drift and float through the air.

“Quite the view, isn’t it?” Gale said, looking around them. “The Outer Planes are a place of profound, sometimes overwhelming possibility.”

“It’s beautiful,” she whispered. She gazed out over the infinite expanse, waiting to feel that reeling, terrifying sensation of being suspended over a void, but it didn’t come. She was safe in Gale’s little boat, his hold on her hand grounding her and keeping her steady. 

“The home of the gods,” he continued. “Where they observe us from afar. Where they make play-things of us. Such power…infinite possibilities…how could I not crave this?”

She fell silent, focusing instead on the specks of starlight that fanned out behind her fingers, watching them dance briefly in the atmosphere and fade. He said it so simply, as though it were natural to crave such wondrous power. And maybe it was. Maybe she was the fool for limiting her desires to the Material Plane.

Not for the first time, she burned with jealousy toward Mystra and hated all that she had gifted Gale. All that she had made Gale capable of. How could a mere bard compare to a goddess who allowed him to tap into the mysteries of magic itself? And even now, with Gale hardly interested in reconciling with the goddess, who was she compared to all the power of the crown? Who was she compared to all this?

Gale could have this again. This and more. And she, with her small dreams and her fragile love, a love that would only last a mortal lifetime…she would fade into obscurity. Even if she managed to secure a legacy for her name, her body would rot in its grave and her soul would wander the Fugue Plane for an eternity until some god took pity on her and accepted her into their domain.

Perhaps if Gale became a god, he would be the one to take pity. She’d dwell forever in his domain of stars as one among a million other souls. One more copper in a vast bank, utterly forgotten by him, yet unable to escape him. The thought churned her gut and threatened to make her sick.

She swallowed, half-preparing herself for the worst outcomes for the rest of this conversation. “Is this really, truly what you want? To ascend? To claim godhood?”

“No, not like that,” he said, squeezing her hand. “I don’t want to join them, I want to better them—with you at my side, willing and wholehearted. Together we could become better than gods. We could have all of a god’s power with a mortal conscience, a mortal heart. I can think of no better candidate for redefining godhood than you.”

“I don’t want godhood,” she said. “I know you think it sounds insane that I don’t, and maybe it is, but…” She shook her head. “I’ve read too many stories, too many tragic ballads about what happens to mortals who ascend to godhood. They change, Gale. And they leave the ones they love behind.”

Gale sat back, a little surprised. “Is that what you think I intend to do to you?”

“Not immediately. But who knows how you would change once all that power was coursing through you. You saw how Cazador was—you saw how hungry Astarion was to claim that power. You know it would have changed him. Think how much more godhood would change you.”

“But it wouldn’t be true godhood,” he said, tightening his hold on her hand. “The power of gods would be at our fingertips, yes, but we could be—we could find a way to—”

“Stop with the bullshit,” Dani snapped, snatching her hand from his. “You can’t even articulate it because there’s nothing else to call it. You want to use the power of the crown to become a god. That kind of power corrupts, Gale. And if that’s what you want then—then—“

Her throat tightened suddenly with the threat of tears and she looked away, struggling to compose herself. She hated crying, especially here, where there was nowhere to hide, but there was no stopping the emotions building up inside her. She hid her face briefly behind her hand, but it was no use. The wide expansive of pink and purple starlight winked back at her and illuminated the flood of tears that welled up in her eyes.

Gale reached for her hands again. “Dani, I—”

She shook off his touch. “Don’t. I can’t—I can’t let you do this,” she said, the tears spilling down her cheeks. “Please. I know what you’d become and it would be nothing like the man you are now. And no matter how you would try to justify things or convince me to join you, I could never bring myself to abandon my family like that. Never. So in the end you would leave me behind, because nothing about me is enough to convince you to stay. So you’d leave, I know you would, because that’s how power works. It corrupts, it—“ She was rambling now, not making sense, her words a tangle on her tongue.

“Dani, please,” he begged, getting on his knees on the floor of the boat, taking both of her hands in his. “None of that is going to happen.”

“Isn’t it?” she asked. “Look me in the eye and swear to me that the moment your humanity is stripped away in your ascension that you won’t forget tiny, insignificant, mortal me, the lover you’re leaving behind, the moment I refused to ascend with you.”

He hesitated for just a fraction of a second, but it was enough to confirm her fears. She snatched her hands from his again and used the heels of her palms to wipe the tears from her cheeks.

“Gods, I hate you,” she mumbled, but it was a complete lie. The fact was she loved him too much. Desired him too selfishly to let him reach for godly power. She swallowed and amended her statement. “Not you. This. I hate this. Sorry.”

It was his turn to be silent in the face of her confessions and her tears. She pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes and breathed softly through her nose until at last she felt calm enough to speak. Then she took a shaky breath and reached out to cradle his face in her hands. 

“Please, Gale,” she said quietly. “Don’t do this. I don’t need the stars. I don’t need eternity. I just want you. For all that you are right now. I love you for the man that you are, not the god you’d pretend to be.”

He stared up at her, stricken but amazed, his hands resting on her knees. There was a faint glimmer in his eyes that could either be tears or the reflection of the stars around them, but when he blinked the glimmer was gone.

“You…you would really prefer me as I am?” he asked softly. 

“Yes,” she said. There was no room for doubt in her heart, nor any in her words. “You’re already everything I need you to be and more. Just…please. Let me be enough for you. Let me find a way.”

“Oh Dani,” he breathed. He rose to one knee and slipped one hand behind her head, guiding her down into a deep kiss that stole her breath and made her a little dizzy. She clutched the fabric of his shirt, trying to bring him closer and steady herself at the same time, trying to convey all the desperate longing and fear she couldn’t put into words silently through their kiss.

He pulled away, breathless, cradling her cheek in his palm. “I used to believe Mystra’s forgiveness was worth dying for. Or that the only way forward was to challenge her. But I was wrong. You showed me just how much I have to live for, here, on mortal soil. With you, I forget my goddess. With you, I want to live. With you…I even forget my greater ambitions. You put the very stars to shame, Dani.”

She felt her breath hitch as her eyes widened slightly. Of all the things she was expecting to hear him say, those words were not it. She searched his face for signs that he’d changed his mind, and found him staring back at her earnestly, dark eyes full of love and longing. For the first time that day, she dared herself to hope, just a little.

“I don’t deserve you,” he said. “And I could never leave you behind. Godly power, I can live without, but you? You’re everything.”

She stared, half-disbelieving, but his gaze was sincere and warm and so full of love she couldn’t help but be convinced. She curled her fingers around his wrist, not sure what to say next, but he merely smiled, grateful and tender, and brushed her cheek with the pad of his thumb. 

“I love you,” he murmured.

“I love you, too,” she whispered, leaning in to kiss him again.

He guided her off the seat of the boat down onto the floorboards, dismissing the benches with an idle wave of his hand to make room for them to lay down at the bottom of the boat. There he kissed her, breathing her in as naturally as if she were air, and she lost herself in his warm touch. The galaxies above swirled dream-like and slow overhead as their fingers found each others’ buttons and laces, their clothes slipping off with practiced ease, until both lay bare beneath the infinite sky, her pale blue skin tinged a faint shade of lavender by the light of the pink-purple stardust.

She combed her fingers through his hair as he kissed all over her, sighing and arching her back as he worshipped her body more than he’d ever done before, as if he were making up for a litany of mistakes. She could scarcely think straight yet she tried to encourage him with her words, breathing out her love and pleasure in half-lucid lyric fragments and shaky swears alike. He lavished love on her with his mouth, his teeth, his tongue, his hands, until at last he joined their bodies together and she unraveled. Every tangled thought and emotion unwound itself as pleasure coursed through her veins until they were both left spent, lying on the floor of the softly glowing boat, and she was left with nothing but her love for him and a dazed sense of amazement that here, amid the infinite expanse of stars and magic, he had chosen her.

Some time later, as they lay gazing up at the stars, with Gale fingers threading idly through her long, loose hair, he turned and brushed a kiss against her head. “I’m sorry for upsetting you,” he said quietly. “I had no idea you felt so strongly about…well.”

She wrapped her arms more tightly around him. “I love you, Gale. I don’t want to lose you to anything. Not even this. As pretty as it is. You’ll have to forgive me for being so selfish with you.”

He chuckled, kissing her hair again. “There’s nothing at all to forgive, my love. Be selfish with me.”

They contemplated the stars and auroras that surrounded their little boat, words lost between them for a moment, until at last Gale, trailing gentle fingers down her arm, began to speak again softly.

“I conjured this illusion often during my confinement in Waterdeep,” he said. “An escape for the mind, where there was none for the body. It was easier to stare at the celestial abyss than recognize the emptiness within myself. Easier to pretend my destiny lay among such stars, than work to salvage a life on solid ground.” 

He turned his head and she lifted her chin so she could meet his gaze again, her heart aching for him. She could all too easily imagine him locked in his tower, conjuring images of these galaxies and planes, desperate to be outside the walls that enclosed him for a year. Longing to be back among infinite beauty, rather than confined and seemingly trapped in a small set of rooms on the mundane Material Plane. She had thought the illusion he had conjured of his home in Waterdeep was charming and wonderful…but she could see how it must have felt like a prison to him.

“You changed all that,” he murmured, gazing down at her. “You see me as I am, and do not find me wanting.”

He seemed a little awed by that, but not disbelieving. She smiled and sat up, straddling his hips and taking his hands, lifting them up to her lips for a kiss to each one. Her long hair trailed down around her, the ends brushing against her thighs, against his bare chest and stomach. She held his hands, weaving their fingers together, and pushed his arms up so that they stretched over his head, leaning in to kiss him sweetly, her lips lingering on his.

“I will never find you wanting,” she murmured against his lips.

“Nor I, you,” he said. He freed one hand from her grip to move her hair from her face, gathering it all over one shoulder so the light of the galaxies and stars beyond could shine on her face again. “With these stars as my witness, I swear—you will always be enough for me.”

She stilled at those words, letting them wash over her and settle into her skin, into her chest, processing them. His words, the emotion behind them, the loving determination in his eyes, all of his was genuine, heartfelt, and deeply, deeply meant. It threatened to reduce Dani to tears again, but this time she swallowed them back and kissed him again, letting him know with every ounce of her being what that promise meant to her.

She thought she could never love him more than she already did. But hearing that promise from him—that she would always be enough for him—made her heart practically ache with love for him. She smothered his face with kisses until she was breathless, and he in turn tried to catch or return every one until he gave up and allowed himself to be smothered with a chuckle.

“I love you, Gale Dekarios,” she said at last, still hovering over him, her hair a curtain on one side of them both. 

He smiled up at her and reached up to brush her cheek. “And I love you, Meridan Zavrai. I always will.”

[carnalapples]

My Year in Writing: 2024

Thank you @theluckywizard for the tag!! I'm not sure who hasn't done this yet, so OPEN INVITATION to brag about your writing!! I want to see it <3

Words Written: 132,589

Fics Published: 23

Fandoms: Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Dishonored (!!), The Hunger Games, Rogue Trader

Favorite Fics:

1. anatomy of a haunted heart - DA: Awakening, Nathaniel/Velanna, time loops and haunted houses

I really challenged myself to do this fic, I'm terrified of writing long fics on a deadline, but I wanted to do something different. I fell in love with both Velanna and Nathaniel while writing this fic, and I tried really hard to match up to the vision I had in my head--while that vision wasn't super clear, and I'm not sure if this did match up, I'm really happy with how it ended up!!

2. four and twenty blackbirds - Dishonored, Corvo/Granny Rags, a love letter to Granny Rags

This is another fic I got weird with, I wrote this for an exchange, and I was originally going to write Geoff Curnow/Corvo, but then Granny Rags took over my entire brain. She's just so interesting and the fic kind of got away from me. I had so much fun putting this together!

3. cut down at the garden's gate - Dragon Age 2, Hawke/Sebastian, political marriage forces you to confront your feelings for your ex, more at 11

Again, this was a challenge, and I do love how this ended up. There are sections I might rewrite, but I was really proud of finishing on a deadline (despite many issues I had with continuity haha, I'm not much of a multichap writer so even 3 chapters was tricky for me!) I think I wrote this in a rush, but I think otherwise I never would have finished this story, and I really wanted to finish and share it.

Most Used Tags: Sexual Content, Post-Canon, Canon Compliant

Highest Kudos: follow me into the dark - Mass Effect, Shepard/Tali after Rannoch.

Highest Hit Oneshot: also follow me into the dark, haha

New Things I Tried: Time-based challenges! i.e. a DA Big Bang, and the WIP Big Bang... And I tried DADWC and really ended up liking it!! I think it did a lot to help me learn how to write without judgment and just get a story or concept out, and I used a lot of what I wrote and learned from DADWC as inspiration to write or finish larger stories.

Fic I Spent the Most Time On: dead winter in the forgotten land (Dragon Age), this was like two years in the making lol

Fic I Spent the Least Time On: I think savior complex (THG); I wrote it as a pinch-hit for a Hunger Games exchange, which was super fun!

Favorite Things I Read: I read so much amazing stuff this year but here are 3 that come to mind:

dirt romantic by rowanisawriter (@rowanisawriter) GUYS this fic... Peak romance, peak Zevran, the relationship between Zevran and a Cousland Warden is one of pining and differences in status and constantly shifting boundaries and Rowan writes that perfectly. Please read this and come be ill about Zevran with me....

Eat, Drink, Poison by elo_elo (@junkbabelna): This is a Cullen/Trevelyan modern AU--I aspire to write modern AUs like theirs, I love the details and the atmosphere so much. I think that they have such a knack for just getting to the heart of a character and what shaped them that way!!

a soft place to fall by petruchio (@petruchio): This was a gorgeous fic about Johanna coming back to District 12 after the war, I really love the way her recovery is portrayed and how all of the characters are struggling to adapt to a life that's in their control.

Biggest Surprises: I think that I’m capable of writing longer pieces? I was flying blind for both the longer pieces I did on deadline and somehow finished on time. I reread "anatomy of a haunted heart" the other day and I still can't believe I did that, lol. It was very scary, but I'm proud of it.

What I Learned: To keep writing when I'm feeling discouraged, sometimes I write a piece and I think it's mediocre, but when I go back and compare it to things I had written before, there is definitely growth there. I've been rereading what I wrote this year since I was feeling like I was rushing through pieces and they weren't as good, but I was really proud of some of the works I put out! So I guess I've had to keep in mind that I'm always changing, even if that's not evident at all times.

What I Want to Write Next Year: I want to try writing horror--I think that would be a real challenge for me, but I love reading it. I want to do more outlined/planned out fics. I want to finish at least 3 of my WIPs: my arranged marriage AU, the last part to a Bollywood series i posted, and my post-destroy fic!

Most importantly, thank you to everyone who has read, commented on, and supported my writing--I would not have written without y'all, and I'm so happy to have found this community of people who also feel that writing and reading are necessary to them!! It makes writing so much more fun, I'm really grateful to have you 💕💕

[jpdoingwords]

Assassin's Creed Odyssey Fanfiction

Three long fics and a bunch of shorts, drabble, and incomplete fics. Multiple ships, mostly mlm, some het.

All works are rated M unless otherwise noted, because there is canon-typical violence at times and there are multiple mild sex scenes. Some of these works are explicit - please be sure to check before reading if you aren't into that.

All on AO3 unless otherwise noted.

Assassin's Creed Odyssey Fanfiction

The Good Spartan

aka. the Alexidas The Good Spartan Summary: It's 431 BCE. Brasidas prepares to take up his first major posting, unaware of all that lays before him in the coming years of the Peloponnesian War. The story is told almost entirely from Brasidas' perspective and follows him from before his first major historical action at Methone to his last, at Amphipolis. This is a crossover between AC Odyssey and Thucydides' history, The Peloponnesian War, favouring Thucydides. I am being as historically accurate as I can, game canon is paid lip service at best. Historical notes are included at the end of each chapter.

Another Life: [Alternative Ending of The Good Spartan]. Summary: Brasidas survives the Battle of Amphipolis, thanks to Alexios' visit to the Underworld; but even before the battle, he knew he'd never go back to Sparta. He's no longer a good Spartan, nor willing to make the sacrifices required to go on pretending to be one. He just needs to persuade Alexios, and recover from his wounds… and together, find somewhere they might have a little peace.

Hunger, Desire, Anger, Roads [WIP] A collection of short pieces of writing and some art associated with characters (including OCs) and events around The Good Spartan, as it's currently published and alternative versions. These include threads taken from the original version of the fic and reworked; alternative points of view which develop characters who necessarily have no voice in the published fic; and a variety of other exploratory pieces set within this AU. They're all part of the framework around which The Good Spartan grew - and continues to grow.

Another Kind of Odyssey

aka. the Thalexios The Warmth of Home Summary: After the events of Odyssey, Alexios has been hiding from the world, loitering in the northern regions of Greece. When he decides to return to Athens for the winter, Demosthenes seeks him out for a job only he can do - whether he wants to or not. This leads him to cross paths with Thaletas again, discovering that this old flame burns the brightest of all.

Love Me in Storms [WIP] Summary: Following on from the Warmth of Home, Alexios and Thaletas face the challenge of making their relationship clear to their families back in Sparta, with mixed results. This fic fills in some relatively large gaps left between the original Warmth of Home (now completely rewritten) and Unfinished Business (rewrite currently underway), as well as taking some of the plot points out of Unfinished Business entirely and putting them here, in this new context. This is necessary to smooth over some serious timeline problems

Unfinished Business Summary: Stentor arrives at Stymphalos, where Thaletas and Alexios settled four years previously. He comes with a message: Alcibiades is in Sparta, and wants to see Alexios - urgently. Answering this request will sweep them into events they could not foresee. I’ve used many historical details to make this story and glossed over some others. I’ve added footnotes to expand on all of that, including references where applicable.

The Turning Tide Summary: Spring, 413BCE. The Peace of Nikias has ended. Sparta and Athens are at one another's throats again. Before the Peace, Sparta was having few successes; but they have a plan they hope will turn the tide against Athens... Against this backdrop of renewed hostilities, Alexios and Thaletas are called upon to complete a mission for King Agis, which will test them and their relationship in ways they haven’t been tested before...

In the Heart of Things Summary: 412BCE. Reunited after a difficult year, Alexios and Thaletas have been sent to Chios by King Agis to keep an eye on the situation there as the theatre of the Peloponnesian War shifts eastwards, into the islands. There, they will discover more than they could have bargained for about themselves and their people, and what it is that lies at the heart of things...

A Few Olives Summary: Alexios decided to buy a farm. Thaletas went along with it. But the plan was not what he had expected, but then nothing ever had been with Alexios. This is the story of a relationship that has grown up in difficult times, and peace is now the hardest thing to deal with. Thaletas struggles to know himself, and Alexios doesn’t understand. Sometimes things must break before they can be reformed.

The Fire and the Flood

aka. The Alexithenes This series is rated E. An Athenian Summer Summary: Early in the War, Alexios allows Socrates to lure him to Athens for the summer. During his stay in the city, his relationship with Demosthenes, not yet a general of Athens, will change significantly... But as the war rages on, will the pressures of the messy world beyond Athens' walls bring the pair together or drive them apart? This story takes liberties with canon; as much as possible, I try to keep characters true to their game-selves; original characters are mostly secondary characters, though of necessity I have provided Demosthenes with more character than he had in the game.

The Blue Cloak Alexios and Timotheos are flirting with the idea of being an item when, in order to help the brothers move past the events in canon, Alexios comes up with a plan to further Lykinos' dream of being a poet in Athens. Things take an unexpected turn when Alexios finds himself waking up aboard the Adrestia wearing a cloak he has never seen before.... aka. drunk Alexios gets himself into a situation. This is the edited version of a story previously published as So it is With Us. This version has an additional chapter added at the end and has been rewritten in parts, particularly the first half.

Short and Experimental Pieces

aka. The Deimos fic Shadow-Twin He felt like neither Deimos nor Alexios. They were two skins he’d shed - and what remained now? What new skin might he grow? Who might he become? They’d all demanded answers of him at one time or another. They’d all asked where he’d been when he went out, what he’d been doing. With concern or with curiosity or what they perhaps thought of as friendship. What they meant was: Let me in. Tell me who are you. He gave always the same reply: a grunt. How could he answer that when he didn’t know?

From the Darkness, Light: Brasidas & Deimos!Kassandra Having failed to keep his involvement in the assassination of the Monger in Korinth under wraps, Brasidas is sent by the Kings to Paros on a 'special mission' which he suspects is a punishment. His task is to find a missing lokhagos, but what he uncovers is far bigger and darker than the abduction of one man.

aka the Herodietas (Thaletas x Herodianos) Rising to the Surface: Rated E for the first two parts. After the events during the Mykonos arc of the story, Thaletas is left behind to face the consequences of Alexios' actions. Herodianos, who has been his loyal friend for a long time, does everything he can to comfort him - and so the hands of the Fates are set to work. This was an exercise in writing - Smut, Fluff and Angst, a chapter for each, in that order. Features the power of puppies to dispel the pain of existence.

It Was Just Red (Gen). "Nothing ever ends poetically. It ends and we turn it into poetry. All that blood was never once beautiful. It was just red." Kait Rakowski This story was prompted by a post I saw recently on Tumblr. It showed Kass sitting at the empty table back in Sparta during the final dinner scene, against which the poster had written something along the lines of: this is the best possible ending – the least amount of Spartans left alive. The following work is an exercise in exploring what that outcome might look like, and seeks to detail some sense of the possible shifting feelings Alexios might have around losing his whole family, mostly at his own hands (a version of the game I’ve never played and frankly never will) and to explore the main question this post prompted in me: Is there a way in which I might believe this could be the best outcome? Fair warning: This work doesn’t honour the game timeline, and as always, I'm disinterested in strict compliance with canon. It’s canon divergent from the get-go simply because it’s Alexios, anyway.

Odyssey Shorts Summary: This is a collection of odds and ends I wrote alongside longer pieces, mainly in response to prompt lists. So far, these consist of: Four based on the tarot: Alexios as a teenager throwing himself into the sea to Anais' horror (an early version of a piece included in It Was Only Red); Brasidas finding himself in the Underworld (a tiny fix-it fic); a tentative beginning to a Daphnae fic I've always contemplated writing; a scene with Demosthenes and Alexios which fits nowhere else; two snippets of modern day AU with an Alexidas focus; and a random Brasidas x reader which I have never written before and quite likely won't again. I will be adding to this collection in time, as I continue working through existing beginning and maybe a few little new things.

[theultimatefandomnerd]

25 [F4A] Calling all fandom and musical lovers for 1x1 roleplays!

Hi there! I’m a female writer aged 25 seeking other adults to write with (18+ MNDI) , I’m advanced literate and super friendly. I love gushing about characters, discussing aesthetics and sharing music and muse that suits our story and vibe. I do enjoy chatting ooc but it isn’t a must for me! Just please be patient and kind as I am slightly neurodiverse and I do have mild dyslexia. Though I do check replies for spelling errors sometimes, mistakes do happen!

I’m looking for some awesome and exciting fandom adventures across a range of works. Books, musicals and movies/tv shows, I do ask that if you dm, please have a good knowledge of your chosen fandom. Please also be an experienced roleplayer as well. I’m looking for those of you who use third person, past tense and detail. I typically write around 5-6 paras as a minimum and would love it if you can match!

I can double but at the moment all of my roleplays are doubles. If you’re seeking doubles please be respectful and ask nicely, please don’t be offended if I say no. I’m looking for oc x canon pairing ships and I’ll list everything I’m looking for below. The characters in the below list are who I am looking for to pair with my girly, I am not looking to play them.

Anyone in this list is who I ship with, for some fandoms I may be willing to choose alternate ships. But if I have to rewrite my oc or do anything extra to make it work, doubles will likely be a no. As doubles should be fifty fifty and equal for both ocs in the story!

The fandoms I am desperately searching for are:

MUSICALS:

Heathers - OC x JD.

Les Mis - OC x Marius. My oc for this fandom isn’t as fleshed out, but I’m craving Cinderella vibes.

Wicked- OC x Fiyero/ OC x Boq/ OC X new Wizard Please?! I would literally kill for a Wicked roleplay, it doesn’t matter if you’ve read the book, seen the musical and movie or done all three like me! All I ask is that you have a decent knowledge of the version you want to go for.

Phantom- OC x Raoul.

Books:

The Outsiders- OC x Darry/OC x Soda/OC xDallas.

Wicked- OC x Fiyero/OC x Boq/OC x new version of the Wizard.

Percy Jackson- OC x Percy/OC x Luke/ OC x Charles Beckendorf.

Hero’s Of Olympus - OC x Leo/OC x Percy/OC x Leo.

ACOTAR- OC x Cassian/OC x Azriel/OC x Rhysand/ OC x Lucien.

ShadowHunters- OC x Jace/OC x Julian/ OC x Mark.

Hunger games- OC x Finnick.

TBOSAS- OC x Coriolanus.

Movies/TV:

Outer banks- OC x JJ/ OC x John B/OC x Rafe.

TVDU- OC x Klaus/OC x Elijah.

Maxton Hall- OC x James.

The Gentlemen- OC x Edward.

Supernatural- OC x Dean (I am new to this fandom and not super confident with it!).

Pirates of the Caribbean- Oc x Jack/Oc x Will.

Bridgerton- OC x Anthony.

So there you have the master list of all my current fandoms, or the ones I have the most knowledge on! Should you dm please be respectful and kind. Tell me a little about the fandom, the canon you can play and whether or not you do love triangles.If you’re looking for doubles please ask first wether I’ll consider them. Please do not just assume they’re an option! Hopefully I’ll see a few of you in my dms. It would be lovely to find some awesome comfort fandoms and adventures in the above worlds. I do prefer to write over on discord as I find it a bit easier to organise! Please send an emoji that you feel represents the fandom you’ve chosen in your dm.

[realmermaid333]

AO3 Fic Tag Game :)

I was tagged by: @burntblueberrywaffles @suchaladyy @cosmic-lullaby and @nonamemanga

20 questions beneath the cut 😛

How many works do you have on ao3?

26!

What is your ao3 word count?

125,134

What fandoms do you write for?

I write for Wednesday, The Hunger Games, and I'm thinking of maybe writing some Walking Dead fics, we will see! Right now I am focusing on my Wednesday fics though till I finish them.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

His Little Bedbug

Tipsy Truth Telling

I'll See You Around

Take You Like A Drug

Can't Keep Quiet

Do you respond to comments?

Always! I love responding to comments

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

This is hard to say, so I guess I will list three LOL. Well, I think first place is definitely A Hyde Only Knows One Thing: Pain. But the runner-ups are Don't Let Go of Me, and Nowhere to Go.

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Most of my fics have happy endings because I love happy endings! I love peace and love and joy! But I guess the happiest ending would be Smoke Signals as it is a growing-back-together/reconciliation fics that carries over to Say Yes to Heaven. And I also wanna throw in This Would Have Happened Anyway, which is an old Hunger Games fic I wrote that I plan to go in and re-edit soon haha.

Do you get hate on fics?

Rarely, but yes. I think the only fic I got hate on has been A Burning Hill. Luckily most people are wonderful!

Do you write smut? What kind?

Yes, LOL. Idk what the different kinds of smut are? but I tend to write established relationship smut, it is my fav. I write it pretty graphically, but I like to make it really sweet and comforting. I love romance!

Do you write crossovers?

No, but I think they are neat

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes!!! Smoke Signals was translated into Thai by the amazing @adogfrmhell :)

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes! I co-wrote Take You Like A Drug with my bestie @suchaladyy, and also Wash Away Your Woes with @nonamemanga @suchaladyy and @averyaddamsromance ! it is so fun to cowrite with friends : D

What WIP would you like to finish but doubt you ever will?

I know I will finish it, but A Burning Hill! it is just on the backburner for a while longer.

What's your all time favorite ship?

I guess I'd say everlark because they were my first ever ship! they are just so cozy and forever in my heart.

What are your writing strengths?

I'd say showing emotion and imagery! I have been told I am able to make eyes water and hearts swoon hehe

What are your writing weaknesses?

I just wont shut up sometimes LOL, i tend to give almost too many details and too much imagery. Which I know is not inherently a bad thing, but it makes all my writing pieces so goddamn long lol! I start to feel like Bram Stoker writing Dracula XD. And sometimes I feel like my dialogue can be awkward, which I suppose makes it more realistic, so once again not always bad! i am just best at writing neurodivergent characters maybe hahah

thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I have done this very briefly before, but it was just two words in Spanish for a ritual scene! I would not write tons of dialogue in another language unless I had a beta who spoke that language fluently and who could translate and make sure the translation made sense.

First fandom you ever wrote for?

The Walking Dead! when i was like 12 I wrote TWD fanfic on wattpad LOL.

Favorite fanfic you've ever written?

How could you ask me this? What is wrong with you?

What fic would you want to rewrite one day?

I will be rewriting my Hunger Games one-shots series and reposting each one-shot as its own fic!

tagging: @therulerofallpotatos @wincestation @katwitchwriting @lovepoison9 @thesweetnessofspring and anyone who wants to join in!

[spartanguard]

20 questions for fic writers

Tagged by my bestiest @optomisticgirl <3

how many works do you have on ao3?

55

what's your total ao3 word count?

647,844

what fandoms do you write for?

Just Once Upon a Time (although, technically, I have written one that incorporated enough of The Picture of Dorian Gray that it's listed in my fandoms)

what are your top five fics by kudos?

Something In The Water, Sick of Love, A Tall Tail, A Rose in the Deeps of my Heart, and To Trust Someone Else [kind of bummed that my fave got bumped out of my top 5!]

do you respond to comments? why or why not?

Not on AO3, because I'm weird and like to keep that comment count representative of actual comments. But I try to on tumblr to make sure people know I've seen and appreciate their response!

what's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I guess it depends on definition of angsty...I've definitely had some dramatic scenes close to the end (especially Sons of Love and Death and Even Death Won't Part Us Now), but I can't NOT have a happy ending. I guess the end of (Love Will See Us Through These) Dark Days is pretty bittersweet...but it's inspired by The Hunger Games so that was inevitable ;)

what's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Just about everything, haha. I love having lots of drama along the way, but if it doesn't have a happy end, what's the point?

do you get hate on fics?

Only once; someone got mad because I included KnightRook in We Cannot Choose Our Fate rather than a CS baby. They apparently forgot the 'back' button on their browser was a thing.

do you write smut? if so, what kind?

Hell yeah. The more magic, the better. (also: the wetter, the better. put them together and you get mermaid smut. yes.) But mainly, I just like to do really feelz-y stuff.

do you write crossovers? what's the craziest one you've written?

Not really, but not because I don't like them or anything--I've just never really been inspired to (although there's an idea in the back of my mind involving a Community/OUAT crossover).

have you ever had a fic stolen?

thankfully, no. That crosses all kinds of lines.

have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I'm aware of.

have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not in the traditional sense, but I've definitely borrowed from some of thesschesthair's stream of consciousness before (particularly for Savage Garden.)

what's your all-time favourite ship?

Captain Swan, easily.

what's the wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

As far as things I started publishing...Untitled Monster Loving Fic is probably the only one. I have an idea for how I want it to go, but I kept getting stuck rewriting Killian's backstory so it's just been chilling.

what are your writing strengths?

Hmmm...Dialogue, maybe? That's at least what comes to me easiest. I've been told my worldbuilding is good but it could be better.

what are your writing weaknesses?

Probably descriptions. I can see things vividly in my head but that doesn't always make its way to the page (or, on the other side of that, I sometimes worry I'm too thorough in that regard and the details bog down the flow).

thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for fic?

Only if it's a language you're at least conversational in. Otherwise, be prepared to be called out by a native speaker.

first fandom you wrote for?

I want to say I started a Sabrina, the Teenage Witch story when I was a kid, but never finished it. OUAT is the first one I've ever published anything for.

favourite fic you've ever written?

Either Savage Garden or Sons of Love and Death. But I've put a lot of me into all my stories so it's hard to pick!

tagging: everyone that B tagged, @cocohook38, @kmomof4, and whoever wants to do this!

[demonio-fleurs]

i was tagged in a 20 Questions meme!

sorry for taking so long to respond, i can be kinda lazy sometimes and was waiting to be able to use my laptop <3 but ty for the tag @iam-jacks-redacted-information !!!

let's dive right in!

1 ) How many works do you have on AO3?

28!

2) What’s your total AO3 words count?

120,637 (owo)

3) What fandoms do you write for?

Red vs Blue, Spider-Man, World of Warcraft and SPYXFAMILY are what are listed on my ao3 profile. I've done my most amount of work in the RvB fandom, but i've also written a LOT for The Hunger Games, Torchwood, and (sadly) Harry Potter and Twilight. Just... not on ao3.

4) What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Next Time Around which is an RvB rewrite w/ Tex surviving outside of the Epsilon memory unit, instead of being erased by Church at the end of s9 (which i still need to rewrite and finish waaah) Closure which.. I genuinely don't remember writing. Scars which I wrote on behalf of someone who wanted more non-sibling Carwash fics a cup of coffee in the morning which I wrote after a desire to see more of Wash's tastes/interests changing after the implementation of the Epsilon AI it's all in your head aka, a cute lil thing I did for fifteen minute ficlets that I need to get back into for SPYXFAMILY and twiyor.

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

Yes and no. It depends! I am an awkward person so if I know how to reply, I usually will especially if it's something i can answer! However, if it's something where i can't really think of a good response I might just leave it, or come back to it later.

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

Uh... i tend to not write angsty endings. I like happy endings, I like knowing that despite everything, happiness can still be found. Like I LOVE angst, but I also like rewarding myself with some happy endings.

but one time I wrote about Cinna's death from THG so.... does that count?

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

I've never finished it, but my intended ending for Next Time Around was to have Tex going to Allison's grave on Earth with Carolina and Wash and laying down Forget-Me-Nots, before going back to live out the rest of her time with the Reds and Blues.

8) Do you get hate on fics?

Never directly, but I also don't really remember a lot of 2015-2018 because of cringe :'). I do think a lot of Peter/gwen fics got indirect hate from peter/mj fans which sucks because Peter has TWO hands!

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

I have orphaned most of my smut fics, but yes. I have done some basic ass vanilla guy eats out a girl stuff, but my favorite is the kinky sapphic smut. If you ever stumble upon a Tex/Emily Grey smut fic by an orphaned account, that was me :)

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

No, they're just not for me.

11) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No but last time I checked in 2021 someone had stolen my fucking background/about section from Tex RP blog and that was a COMMON problem I had in the RvB RP fandom on here. So. much. fucking. theft. of. my. god. damn. about. page.

And I put hours of work into it. Hours. It was detailed, and people just keep fucking stealing it somehow.

12) Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I am aware of!

13) Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

errrr...... Trying to rack my brain but coming up with a blank. i've written fics as favors/gifts for people though! Usually a "I have this idea and no idea how to write it help me pls Ange" thing

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

Church/Tex. Something about the inherent doomed by the narrative of it all, how no matter how hard Church tries to pull her close she always drifts away from him, the levels of love and trust they have towards one another.... Like they are DOOMED lovers but also they kinda both know that and that's what makes it so difficult.

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

I really really wanna go back and re-do and finish Next Time Around, and after playing NieR Automata that desire is even more present. but also, one piece is my current hyperfixation so I have no idea if I ever will.

16) What are your writing strengths?

oh. oh god. oh. um. hm.

Probably my short, punchy sentences. Where not a whole lot is being said, but the impact is still really strong and the emotions of what I'm trying to impart are impactful.

Also, my inner character monologues. I love that shit. Lemme open up their mind and tell you their entire secrets

17) What are your writing weaknesses?

Combat and physical descriptions B)

Combat is just... Idk. So much going on and it's so hard and you have to be really good about the descriptions and the motions and movements or else it's all a mess. And physical descriptions just... I'm a byproduct of the cringe era so I always worry about how my descriptions will sounds T-T

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

/shrug

I have never attempted to create my own fictional language, and I probably never will. It just isn't for me. I am planning on trying to pick Japanese back up, as when I was a wee child I knew it fairly well, but lost it as the years went on.

19) First fandom you wrote for?

Shugo Chara! or Sailor Moon

20) Favourite fic you’ve ever written?

Next Time Around is my current magnum opus but it also unfinished and I have no idea when I will pick it back up.

And that's a wrap! Thank you again @iam-jacks-redacted-information for the tag!!! I appreciate it, and i loved reading through your responses! Plus it made me go back through my old ao3 archive and see what I have written which I haven't done in a minute.

Anyways <3 if you wanna play this game please feel free to, and tag me in it! I always feel awkward tagging bc I still don't know a whole lot of people on here anymore QwQ

[alinaandalion]

20 questions for fic writers

tagged by @wistfulwatcher :)

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

82, but a few of those are graphics made for big bang challenges

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

321,823

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Main fandoms would be Leverage and Once Upon a Time. But in terms of recently, just Leverage.

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

1. come up for air - Once Upon a Time; Swan Queen 2. (don't let go) just hold me - Once Upon a Time; Swan Queen 3. heaven help the ones who fly away - Once Upon a Time; Swan Queen 4. every song makes me think of you - Once Upon a Time; Swan Queen 5. this is too much for me to hold - Once Upon a Time; Swan Queen

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

I try to but have been failing to follow through recently just because of...life and fandom still being kind of an uneasy place for me.

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

most definitely "death is just so full (and man so small)" for Once Upon a Time. henry dies. it's not a good time for anyone but it was useful for processing some personal grief so there's that. but i do trend angsty overall tbh.

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

i have a few fics that i would consider to be fluffier but idk, i think "heaven help the ones who fly away" is maybe what i would personally consider my fic with the happiest ending? others may disagree, however. a few different Swan Queen fics would probably qualify

8. Do you get hate on fics?

on occasion, but it mostly rolls off my back because the issues are really with reading comprehension and a refusal to accept more complicated characterization than the fluffiest fandom interpretations.

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

most definitely, yes. 2022 was the year of smut for me, actually. but it's always centered in exploring relationships and characters. like, yes, the idea might be centered around a threesome, but also, i'm going to throw in a character coming to terms with their sexuality and two people growing in their relationship.

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

I've only written one true crossover, which is "here to kingdom come" (Leverage crossed over into Hunger Games). i'm actually in the middle of rewriting this one from scratch and really want to build up steam on it because it's going to be a bit of a behemoth but it's also living in my brain 24/7. would love to get part 1 fully written and edited so i can post in 2024.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that i'm aware of. benefits of not being fandom popular :)

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

yes, the two fics i wrote for the Suits fandom were translated

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

i was part of a round robin swan queen collaboration and wrote the epilogue for it. (was supposed to do a chapter earlier in the fic but dropped out due to life things and was able to tap back in for the last bit. it was pretty fun) the fic was "Bring Her Home" - Once Upon a Time; Swan Queen

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

this is hard because the ones that stand the test of time are all my favorites. i think top three are swan queen (once upon a time), nate/sophie (leverage), and tara/sophie (leverage). also, special mentions for the leverage ot3 and dragon queen. also my beloveds

15. What's the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

probably the sequel to "but i leave in my heart." not because i don't have anything written (10k last i checked) and not for a lack of desire tbh. but after everything, i still recoil when i actually try to engage with any swan queen fic ideas (or once upon a time at all) due to fandom bullshit and idk if that will ever go away. which is deeply frustrating.

16. What are your writing strengths?

i think dialogue and general characterization? i don't like to write fic until i feel like i've grasped the rhythms of a character in my head first

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

actually sitting down to write is always going to be one. and the other is setting descriptions. i think it's because i'm so hopeless at mentally placing myself in a physical space. i'm trying to work on it.

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

so, one thing i try to keep in consideration is that i don't speak anything other than English nor can i read any languages other than English beyond being able to pick up on some things due to context clues or my vaguely remembered high school Spanish courses. so i would need to feel comfortable that i was sure that i had translated everything properly. which means, other than small phrases i've gleaned from books or terms of affection, i probably won't bother for fic unless i feel very strongly that it's relevant to the character and that story. and then i would run it by someone who could give me real feedback on it if possible. like most things, the question always comes down to: does this fit the character and the situation and is it the only approach that will work?

19. First fandom you wrote for?

animated justice league series. shipped batman and wonder woman so hard in that show.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

i have a hard time picking favorites since most of my fics are written to fulfill what i want to see. i have three because they all fulfilled very specific niches for me. 1. but i leave in my heart - Once Upon a Time; Swan Queen (this fic will always be very special to me because i was so let down by the show's split queen storyline and i found most fics around it to be too driven by regina's relationship with emma rather than regina's character journey) 2. come up for air - Once Upon a Time; Swan Queen (i wanted a fic to address hook's involvement in regina's torture in s2 and since there wasn't one, i wrote it) 3. let's get physical - Leverage; Nate/Sophie and Nate/Sophie/Vlad (there was literally only one other fic about this specific pairing and i had been wanting to write one for it since i first saw that episode when it aired and i finally got around to indulging myself)

tagging: @deemnfic, @cminerva, @reflectingiridescent, @strangesmallbard, and anyone else who wants to answer :)

[lesbian-in-leather]

20 Questions for Fic Writers!

Thanks for the tag, @accidentallylita!!

How many works do you have on AO3?

Forty-two! (christ when did that happen??)

What's your total AO3 word count?

111,491

What fandoms do you write for?

Oh god okay I've published for What We Do in the Shadows, A Series of Unfortunate Events, School for Good and Evil and Harlots (but I don't think I'll write anything else for that). But I have WIPs for some others (CBS Ghosts, several for the Hunger Games, etc.) and honestly I am constantly in danger of being sucked into a new fandom to write for

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

That's Not the Point

His Good Lady Wife

What a Way to Spend the Evening

An Eternity With You

A Matched Set

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I always try to! I really appreciate anyone taking the time to comment on my work, and I like to thank everyone ^.^

What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Oh god that's not an easy question to answer. Probably either Insistent or Under The Moonlight, but honestly all of my asoue fics are entrenched in tragedy (as is most of my writing). There's also The Final Thoughts of Charlotte Wells, but I don't count that as much because the ending is explicitly canon so it feels less angsty to me

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Uhhhhhh okay well I don't have a lot of happy endings—That's Just How the Story Goes would have been my go-to if I'd kept it as the oneshot I wrote it as, but I was convinced to continue and now we're midway through a very long plot so it hasn't actually ended anymore lmao. Maybe His Good Lady Wife?

Do you get hate on fics?

Not thus far, thank god

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

I haven't published any smut but... yes. Thus far I'm too scared to let anyone read it though ahaha

Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

Again, I haven't published any, but I do have an AU WIP where asoue characters exist in the world of the Hunger Games if I ever get around to finishing that

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not as far as I know

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I am far too much for a control freak and nowhere near enough of a planner for that to be a viable option lmao

What's your all-time favorite ship?

Oh god you want me to choose? I can't even choose my favourite ship in some fandoms and you want me to pick one overall??? Okay okay I guess I'd have to say either Eswell or Beasme but I cannot narrow it down more than that

What's the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Hmm... maybe the Villainous Violet AU? I've mentioned it several times on here, but I've barely written anything down and as much as I love it, I'm not very good at multichapters :(

Oh, or my WWDITS rewrite! I was really mad, but the show is sort of slowly driving me away so I'm not sure I'll write anything else for it (we'll see how mad I get when I finally have access to the new season lmao)

What are your writing strengths?

I've gotten a lot of compliments on writing in-character dialogue, and on my angst, so probably one of those? I am. Still not great at being nice to my own writing ahaha

What are your writing weaknesses?

Oh god okay well I am awful at making anything happy (I tried to write a fluff fic once and it. Did not go well), but also exposition is literally so hard??? Either I just do a massive clunky paragraph of description or I fully do NOT tell you anything about the environment I'm so sorry

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I don't think I'd ever do it because I cannot speak another language (and every attempt to learn thus far has failed spectacularly), and I like being able to have the proper implications and nuances when I write dialogue, which I obviously can't do if I don't know what they're saying. I think the only way I'd do it is if a character was temporarily speaking in another language for like, a specific purpose, which I don't think really counts

First fandom you wrote for?

Okay, the first fandom I published for on this account was WWDITS, but I've been writing fanfic (in my head at least) for as long as I can remember

Favorite fic you've ever written?

Oh god um... I personally really like Under the Moonlight, but I'm not sure I quite got across everything I wanted to in it. I also think A Prior Engagement and Correspondence With A Duchess are pretty good so maybe one of those? I don't know, reading back my fics always just makes me want to fix them 😭

Tagging @virginian-wolfsnake, @changelinq, @downton-not-downtown-smh, @gray-zelle and anyone else who wants to do this!

[gay-flyboys]

Questions for Fic Writers

No one tagged me but I like stats and info and shit so I wanted to do this. "Keep reading" bc it's long and I don't hate you guys

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

34! On my main, 2 on my alt, and 1 anon. Would be closer to 42-45 but I went through a bender early this year and deleted/orphaned a lot of works

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

221,775 (plus the ~16k I'm editing rn) (not including the 2 on my alt)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Currently only RWRB, though I wrote the most for Top Gun (both movies) and Julie and the Phantoms (most of those are what I deleted tho lol)

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

True Colors Shine in Darkness and in Secrecy (WIP) (RWRB)

Visceral In Doses (Top Gun)

Take All Of Me (Top Gun)

And I Am Your Tree (Young Royals)

Grit Your Teeth Another Time (Top Gun)

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

I try to! Sometimes if I feel like I have nothing to add to them, I won't, but I generally try to give thanks at least.

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

I have a LOT lmao I love angst, so. By fandom + Main angst content:

Top Gun (2 Main canon character deaths)

Real Genius (Offscreen Character Death)

JATP (Referenced canon character death + funerals!)

Young Royals (Uhhh grief? It's post-S1)

Spiderman: Across the Spiderverse (Main character death)

Hunger Games (SA, as a fade to black)

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

Again, by fandom bc I have several:

Top Gun (Hangster, Valentines day, post-canon fic)

Young Royals (5+1 of Wille being carried+carrying someone)

JATP (Willex Valentine's Day date. Pure fluff. So much fluff.)

RWRB (Henry character study, mix of pre and post-canon)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

OMG so one person (I assume, diff accs but it was anonymous) left several hate comments on a fic I wrote when I was like 16 so I deleted that shit immediately. Someone gifted me a fic afterward bc they felt bad LMAO. Nothing really since, though

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

HAHAHAH yeahhhh. Idk how you'd classify it though? Like. I've got a variety of shit in there

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

Nah, not my style

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware of!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope

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

I can barely ask people to beta-read my fics, and making friends is hard. Asking to co-write might put me in the grave

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

I have a few. I'm always soft for Barisi (SVU), Roy/Riza (royai?) (FMAB), and Willex (JATP), though

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

Too many. A Barisi soulmate au I was rewriting. Icemav flower shop/pilot au, the entirety of Hangster as Exes as Youngblood. The TG/FMAB au I started. There's more. I have like 130 fics in my docs and over half of those are WIPs, so.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I've been told I'm good at writing physical touches, and movements. And I like to think I'm alright at descriptions

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I get way too wordy with those mentioned above. I ramble a lot. Dialogue scares me, especially in smut (I worry I'll be too corny/porno-sounding). I basically don't do outlines unless the idea I have is really long, and even then they tend to be pretty frail and bare-bones.

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

I used to pretty frequently when I was writing Barisi, mostly pet names and stuff in Spanish. I no longer feel confident in writing other languages that I don't know, which limits me to English and describing ASL.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Oh god. So it might have been Pokemon back when I was in elementary school. But I typically say Attack on Titan, the summer between 7th and 8th grade. I was friends with this one girl and would literally send, over Gmail, new chapters. I still have...most? of the writing in a doc and it is HORRENDOUS.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

It's not my best fic by any means, but I have a soft spot for I Hope We Make It (To The Other Side), which is a JATP fic that hit sooo many firsts for me. It was my first finished multi-chap fic, my first time plotting shit out. I think it was some of the longest writing I'd done at the time (my avg length of fic was like 2k and 3k for a long one). And I was SO PROUD of so many little things within it.

I also love Still Singin' Here Above The Ground, which is a RWRB fic that's pretty quiet but is just. Ugh. I'm really happy with how it turned out.

[limetameta]

My priorities for creative stories are as follow

Witches story (its autumn shut up)

Seasons (i just gotta set up some shit in the witches story so yall can comprehend the pay off in seasons) this is the structure i have so far: Murder mystery chapter; Sweltering Summer ft. pirates and old friends of the Beast specifically (kind of a nod to we're friends of Dorothy vibe but instead of just gay its queer); not yet autumn so its the wedding planning chapter; autumn and wedding ; this is a long as fuck honeymoon pls can u go back to ur jobs, the Unknown is calling nonstop why are ur phones on mute; Winter)

Working on the Retired Prometheus rewrite

The Thoros story (this is gonna be a long one so fuck me i guess)

Rewrite Metallic Crimson chapters 10-current one because the PACING HURTS ME AND ME SPECIFICALLY

Weird Wild West - i have completely decided to rehaul it and so it's actually going to be very morally grey. Ft our ice alchemist. Say thank you Hunger Games au because its thanks to it that i was like man i should write Isaac McDougal as a foil to these military bitches.

Oh shit i forgot Rota Fortunae - not very high on priority actually but probably when i switch my brain to HP we'll get updates but this is gonna be a Hermione story that will transition into a Sirius story.

Black Honour exists fuck meeeee so many wips someone kill me - need to heavily outline this one. I never outline but this one needs an outline because a) too many ideas b) not enough strenght to execute them c) would it be fucked up or what that alastor moody has a little pill in his tooth filled with basilisk venom so when a possessed human w a horcrux starts attacking him he bites the possessed human and is like if im going down im taking you all with me killing the possessed human, tom riddles soul, and himself in the process. Yeah this has been in my head for like 3 years. BUT DO I HAVE THE SPACE TO FIT IT IN THE STORY??? NO I DONT WTF ITS ONE OF THE SCENES I IMAGINED BEFORE WRITING CHAPTER 1 BUT I GUESS WE EVOLVED HUH I GUESS WE DONT HAVE ROOM FOR THIS ANYMORE

Resembool Tailor - honestly rip to this one i want to rewrite it as a one shot or as a concept piece just to stop having it be a wip

Riza Hawkeye Flame Alchemist au - yall i have adhd if you dont comment and remind me of shit i wrote from time to time i will forget these things exist. Also need to add structure because i have no idea what comes next.

Oh wait fuck Psych Eval - i mean i have to finish this but its just that I am a) not a shrink b) so devestatingly scared of people pointing in the comments and being like boo this sucked ass we expected you to for sure dissect the minds of these fictional characters from the unshaken and incredibly professional pov of a military doctor ur dumb boo we thought ud deliver we see the cracks we see ur not the wizard but are some dude behind the curtain boo the immersion is gone

Madame Christmas story - i actually like this one a lot but i just need to figure out structure a little better

Oh dear god i wrote batman fics (completely forgot they existed)

We forgot we were human - I am so pissed off i was ready fo write an adult Harry harrymort fic and i was gonna make it super weird and fucked up but it flopped. It just flopped and im never branching out again. They were gonna be insidious and nasty and cruel and it was gonna be soo good like I was ready. But now the only feeling i have towards this story is it looking at me and being like mother please love me and i just spit at it and say ur no son of mine wheres ur medical degree, to which the story replies: but i love being a comedian mother. And i hiss at it: all you've managed to become is a joke on my ao3 profile. That's all you are!! And then i suppose i imagine the personification of the story goes to cry.

What the fuck is that kimbliza spy story thats smth ill delete and just reuse for metallic crimson

[greenbergsays]

I just saw your hunger games post and I am STILL AMPED about how much i hate all the movies. I loved the books, you're right katniss never deserved Peeta but we deserved a better adaption than JLaw. It also felt so ableist how they saved Peetas leg. Peeta being an amputee was huge in the books. It pissed me off so so much. And I just hate JLaw. Hate hate HATE her

One thing the rewatch has shown me is that JLaw has definitely grown as an actress

She's kind of terrible in the first HG movie, although I'm still not entirely convinced it's 100% her fault

I think the script and directing has something to do with it, too, because even a LITTLE direction would've made some of those scenes come out better

I'll be honest, I was rewriting the scenes in my head and reworking their order while I watched the first movie, especially the beginning parts

I love the premise of the Hunger Games, but I was never the biggest fan of the books, either tbh. Katniss was such an empty MC for me, and she was an extremely passive character for being the main

I feel like the only direct action she ever took was volunteering for Prim. But I'll be honest, I could be wrong about that on a factual level, I only read the books once and it was literally when the first movie came out

It makes me sad that I feel that way about her, too, because c'mon. A female main character with a weapon specialty? That's like TAILOR MADE for me.

The only way it could've been more for me is if she'd had a sword instead of a bow

not that I have a problem with archery, I've wanted to learn it since I was an impressionable tween watching Legolas handle business, I could just never afford the lessons

It's just that we all know I have a sword kink, I have not been even a little big quite about that

[jpdoingwords]

Master List

Welcome to my writing side-blog!

I'm Jenn, a published author living in Australia. This is where I stash all my writing so that I - and you - can find it easily.

My writing tag is #jpdoingwords. You can see my fan fiction covers here and my original fiction covers here.

A complete list of my work available online follows below the cut.

Original Fiction

I am currently in the process of adding all of my original fiction to Wattpad (Writing blurbs 😑 is the worst].

It's empty just now, but you can find my account here.

Fanfic

Assassin's Creed Odyssey Fanfiction

The Good Spartan

aka. the Alexidas The Good Spartan Summary: It's 431 BCE. Brasidas prepares to take up his first major posting, unaware of all that lays before him in the coming years of the Peloponnesian War. The story is told almost entirely from Brasidas' perspective and follows him from before his first major historical action at Methone to his last, at Amphipolis. This is a crossover between AC Odyssey and Thucydides' history, The Peloponnesian War, favouring Thucydides. I am being as historically accurate as I can, game canon is paid lip service at best. Historical notes are included at the end of each chapter.

Another Life: [Alternative Ending of The Good Spartan]. Summary: Brasidas survives the Battle of Amphipolis, thanks to Alexios' visit to the Underworld; but even before the battle, he knew he'd never go back to Sparta. He's no longer a good Spartan, nor willing to make the sacrifices required to go on pretending to be one. He just needs to persuade Alexios, and recover from his wounds… and together, find somewhere they might have a little peace.

Hunger, Desire, Anger, Roads [WIP] A collection of short pieces of writing and some art associated with characters (including OCs) and events around The Good Spartan, as it's currently published and alternative versions. These include threads taken from the original version of the fic and reworked; alternative points of view which develop characters who necessarily have no voice in the published fic; and a variety of other exploratory pieces set within this AU. They're all part of the framework around which The Good Spartan grew - and continues to grow.

The House in the Plane Tree Grove [WIP] Set after Alexios has earnt his Spartan citizenship back, and before events at Pylos/Sphakteria, this fic follows Alexios and Brasidas as their relationship develops over time. Or: Alexios and Brasidas fall in love in Sparta.

Another Kind of Odyssey

aka. the Thalexios The Warmth of Home Summary: After the events of Odyssey, Alexios has been hiding from the world, loitering in the northern regions of Greece. When he decides to return to Athens for the winter, Demosthenes seeks him out for a job only he can do - whether he wants to or not. This leads him to cross paths with Thaletas again, discovering that this old flame burns the brightest of all.

Love Me in Storms Summary: Following on from the Warmth of Home, Alexios and Thaletas face the challenge of making their relationship clear to their families back in Sparta, with mixed results. This fic fills in some relatively large gaps left between the original Warmth of Home (now completely rewritten) and Unfinished Business (rewrite currently underway), as well as taking some of the plot points out of Unfinished Business entirely and putting them here, in this new context. This is necessary to smooth over some serious timeline problems

By His Hand [WIP] Summary: Alexios and Thaletas are back in Sparta in order for Alexios to attend a reunion of the Brasideioi - the army which marched north under Brasidas. Despite their having been together for years, this event triggers Thaletas' jealousy about one of the largest unknowns of Alexios' past - what happened during the Northern Campaign, and in particular, what the nature of the relationship between the Alexios and Brasidas had been. Also - Stentor gets married :)

Unfinished Business Summary: Stentor arrives at Stymphalos, where Thaletas and Alexios settled four years previously. He comes with a message: Alcibiades is in Sparta, and wants to see Alexios - urgently. Answering this request will sweep them into events they could not foresee.

[A fifth part will slot in here the future. Working title Argolis]

The Turning Tide Summary: Spring, 413BCE. The Peace of Nikias has ended. Sparta and Athens are at one another's throats again. Before the Peace, Sparta was having few successes; but they have a plan they hope will turn the tide against Athens... Against this backdrop of renewed hostilities, Alexios and Thaletas are called upon to complete a mission for King Agis, which will test them and their relationship in ways they haven’t been tested before...

In the Heart of Things Summary: 412BCE. Reunited after a difficult year, Alexios and Thaletas have been sent to Chios by King Agis to keep an eye on the situation there as the theatre of the Peloponnesian War shifts eastwards, into the islands. There, they will discover more than they could have bargained for about themselves and their people, and what it is that lies at the heart of things...

A Few Olives Summary: Alexios decided to buy a farm. Thaletas went along with it. But the plan was not what he had expected, but then nothing ever had been with Alexios. This is the story of a relationship that has grown up in difficult times, and peace is now the hardest thing to deal with. Thaletas struggles to know himself, and Alexios doesn’t understand. Sometimes things must break before they can be reformed.

The Fire and the Flood

aka. The Alexithenes This series is rated E. An Athenian Summer Summary: Early in the War, Alexios allows Socrates to lure him to Athens for the summer. During his stay in the city, his relationship with Demosthenes, not yet a general of Athens, will change significantly... But as the war rages on, will the pressures of the messy world beyond Athens' walls bring the pair together or drive them apart? This story takes liberties with canon; as much as possible, I try to keep characters true to their game-selves; original characters are mostly secondary characters, though of necessity I have provided Demosthenes with more character than he had in the game.

The Blue Cloak Alexios and Timotheos are flirting with the idea of being an item when, in order to help the brothers move past the events in canon, Alexios comes up with a plan to further Lykinos' dream of being a poet in Athens. Things take an unexpected turn when Alexios finds himself waking up aboard the Adrestia wearing a cloak he has never seen before.... aka. drunk Alexios gets himself into a situation. This is the edited version of a story previously published as So it is With Us. This version has an additional chapter added at the end and has been rewritten in parts, particularly the first half.

Short and Experimental Pieces

aka. The Deimos fic Shadow-Twin He felt like neither Deimos nor Alexios. They were two skins he’d shed - and what remained now? What new skin might he grow? Who might he become? They’d all demanded answers of him at one time or another. They’d all asked where he’d been when he went out, what he’d been doing. With concern or with curiosity or what they perhaps thought of as friendship. What they meant was: Let me in. Tell me who are you. He gave always the same reply: a grunt. How could he answer that when he didn’t know?

From the Darkness, Light: Brasidas & Deimos!Kassandra Having failed to keep his involvement in the assassination of the Monger in Korinth under wraps, Brasidas is sent by the Kings to Paros on a 'special mission' which he suspects is a punishment. His task is to find a missing lokhagos, but what he uncovers is far bigger and darker than the abduction of one man.

aka the Herodietas (Thaletas x Herodianos) Rising to the Surface: Rated E for the first two parts. After the events during the Mykonos arc of the story, Thaletas is left behind to face the consequences of Alexios' actions. Herodianos, who has been his loyal friend for a long time, does everything he can to comfort him - and so the hands of the Fates are set to work. This was an exercise in writing - Smut, Fluff and Angst, a chapter for each, in that order. Features the power of puppies to dispel the pain of existence.

It Was Just Red "Nothing ever ends poetically. It ends and we turn it into poetry. All that blood was never once beautiful. It was just red." Kait Rakowski This story was prompted by a post I saw recently on Tumblr. It showed Kass sitting at the empty table back in Sparta during the final dinner scene, against which the poster had written something along the lines of: this is the best possible ending – the least amount of Spartans left alive. The following work is an exercise in exploring what that outcome might look like, and seeks to detail some sense of the possible shifting feelings Alexios might have around losing his whole family, mostly at his own hands (a version of the game I’ve never played and frankly never will) and to explore the main question this post prompted in me: Is there a way in which I might believe this could be the best outcome? Fair warning: This work doesn’t honour the game timeline, and as always, I'm disinterested in strict compliance with canon. It’s canon divergent from the get-go simply because it’s Alexios, anyway.

Odyssey Shorts Summary: This is a collection of odds and ends I wrote alongside longer pieces, mainly in response to prompt lists. So far, these consist of: Four based on the tarot: Alexios as a teenager throwing himself into the sea to Anais' horror (an early version of a piece included in It Was Only Red); Brasidas finding himself in the Underworld (a tiny fix-it fic); a tentative beginning to a Daphnae fic I've always contemplated writing; a scene with Demosthenes and Alexios which fits nowhere else; two snippets of modern day AU with an Alexidas focus; and a random Brasidas x reader which I have never written before and quite likely won't again. I will be adding to this collection in time, as I continue working through existing beginning and maybe a few little new things.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla

Thread Upon Thread Series

Ubba x M!Eivor Snatched Moments A series of inserted scenes developing the relationship between Eivor (male) and Ubba Ragnarsson which is only hinted at in Valhalla. There will be unavoidable spoilers. Sorry! I am mostly canon compliant, but there are some things I have changed, and there will be an alternative ending to what was provided in the game (for Ubba.) The Gods Only Know Ubba survived the battle on the Afon River, and lives now in Ravensthorpe at the side of Eivor Wolfkissed, the man he loves. Their happiness is only marred by one thing that seems impossible - their desire to have sons.

The Ravensthorpe Hotel. Summary: The pub in Ravensthorpe, Western Australia, is under new management after the passing of Ragnar. When it re-opens, the townspeople go en-masse to check out the new owners, among them, Eivor (male) and his best friends Randvi and Sigurd.

Collected Loose Threads This is a collection of odds and ends related to my Ubba/Eivor series, Thread Upon Thread, mostly following on from The Gods Only Know. I had imagined I would work them up into something more complete, but that seems unlikely now, so thought I would share them as is. Now includes The Hunting Trip, which was originally posted as the third part of the series, and a discarded continuation of the Ravensthorpe Hotel modern AU.

Miscellaneous Fandoms

Stardew Valley

Aka. The Stardew fic [Shane x M!Farmer] Another Turn Around the Wheel Summary: "The stranger came into the Stardrop Saloon on a Friday night, smelling of the sea. His hair, deeply black, was in a state of chaos; as though he’d been outdoors from the day he was born, and had never looked in the mirror, even once. Yet, as he reached the bar, only a few paces from where Shane stood, he could see that the face beneath it wasn’t as rugged as he’d expected." The farmer has been on this journey more than once - but there's still only one husband for him.

Hades

Crawling Kingsnake [Thanatos x Ares] Ares, a closed book and intesely private man, breaks up with Dite because he has a yearning for someone entirely different, but he also doesn't know how to go about getting it. Than, meanwhile, is far too busy to think about starting a relationship, and certainly not with anyone as intense as Ares... at least that's what he tells himself. Zagreus just shakes his head at both of them. He has a plan - but all of Zag's plans are terrible. Inspired by the music of the Black Keys, each chapter has a title drawn from a song or a song title of theirs.

[lemonluvgirl]

Can you share your thoughts about Gale as character? Thank you.

@curiousgalehawthorne

I really like Gale.

I like the nuances between him and Katniss as much as I like their similarities. I know Gale is a very polarizing character from the original trilogy, but he's always intrigued me.

I like his facets, from his "best" friendship with Katniss, to his quasi-friendship/antagonistic relationship with Peeta, to his interactions with Johanna, and some of the other rebels. Gale is one of those characters that keeps you guessing as to his inner motivations and feelings. On the surface he seems very clear cut, but when you go deeper you can see he's got layers. Good layers and bad layers just like we all do.

One of the similarities that Gale shares with Katniss that I find most interesting is people's willingness to follow him. From the early leadership role he takes on with his family at a young age (at 13 or so, he begins hunting and helping feed a family of 5) then at the end of CF he leads 800 or 900 survivors out of D12 and keeps them alive for days in the woods, to the leadership role he takes on in D13 and the rebellion. I am just so intrigued by the unnamed quality that Gale (and to a much greater extent, Katniss) must exude in order to get hundreds of people to follow his lead during an emergency situation.

Throw in his paternal overtones with his siblings and his sharp mind for strategy and it just makes me want to know more.

Then you've got his and Katniss' relationship.

Whoa boy! It's messy, full of history, partnership, and eventually jealousy, anger, but also loyalty and heartache. When Peeta gets captured and then hijacked Gale becomes part of the inner circle that makes up Kantiss' support system. He fails at this sometimes (when he keeps the truth from Katniss regarding the propos, or doesn't heed Katniss' warning about the bombing of the Nut), but other times he succeeds in helping her. Like when he breaks Bogg's nose defending Katniss from Coin while Katniss is emotionally unstable, or when he protects her during the battle in D8, or the times he protects Katniss' family for her (D12 bombing, D13 bombing).

But ultimately I see Gale as having a kind of tragic flaw. His idealism and zealous nature end up being exploited and leading to the destruction of his relationship with his best friend of six years, not to mention the killing of countless innocent civilians, including Primrose Everdeen herself. The little sister that Katniss volunteered for. The girl that Gale himself kept fed while Katniss was in her first Hunger Games. The girl Gale saved from the bombing of D12 and again in D13. She ends up as collateral damage in a war she should never have been pulled into.

That to me, the way Gale in the end dishonors his own legacy of being the person Katniss could count on over and over again to protect her family, just breaks my heart.

I wish that things had ended differently for Gale. Not that he should have ended up with Katniss, (because Katniss herself said her and Peeta were inevitable) but that Gale could have bowed out gracefully and let his best friend live her best life with the man who made her happiest.

Maybe I'll write an alternate ending for Gale like that one day. LOL you gotta love fanfiction, because it gives people the freedom to rewrite the story in a way that satisfies their inclinations.

Anyway, hope I answered the question. All this was just my rambling opinion. I am aware a lot of THG fans really hate Gale. So, sorry if I offended anyone, but this is my take on Gale.