#like slow burn is my favorite trope so i would eat that UP

[dawntoducks]

I just saw an e/riel say that an elucien book wouldn't work because "they barely know each other and the entire book would have to be about them getting to know each other."

Is that not the best part of romance novels? Like, what am i missing here?

[urfavoritegirlkisser]

"Midnight Rain" II - Rockstar!Ellie Williams x Popstar!Reader

an - wow i did not expect you guys to like this idea so much, if you haven't read part one i would go ahead and read it first before reading this part!! Enjoy!

I don't consent to anyone sharing my work anywhere else, I only post my writing on this tumblr account, do not steal my work

Tags: Fem!popstar!reader, rockstar!Ellie, we're burning slow here my loves, fake dating trope, no outbreak au, angst, slight anxious!reader, Ellie is a little bit of a player and kind of an asshole sorry pookies, lightly proof read, listen to "lucky" by britney spears it literally inspired this entire idea

So apparently you lied to yourself and no one forgot it happened

Two months. It had been two months since you had seen that article and left Ellie’s hotel room, and people couldn’t seem to let it go.

Edits of the two of you filled your for you page, fans brought signs to your shows asking about you and Ellie, and honestly, you were sick of it.

It didn’t help that your management thought it was a great idea because it gained traction for both you and Ellie’s fan bases.

So now you sit in a meeting with Ellie and your managers as they discuss another appearance from the two of you together.

This was your least favorite part of being a pop star, the fame, and your fans were amazing, but most of your choices weren’t your own; they were for the “brand” your management wanted to maintain.

“Sounds good to me” Ellie speaks up, breaking you from your thoughts as you look at her like she has two heads and scoff

“I’m sorry but weren’t you the one telling me that you had your precious reputation to uphold and couldn’t be tied down with anyone?”, you could feel your anger at the situation growing but knew you should keep yourself from completely losing it

“We both benefit from the attention, that’s more important to me than some silly reputation sweetheart,” she says with that infuriating smirk that lets you think for a moment that her words are truthful

“Fine,” you say, ���But this is only going to be a thing for a few months, after my tour is over we are over, got it?” 

Your managers go over the agreements and discuss appearances before the both of you sign, basically binding yourselves to each other for the next six months.

The first appearance was simply Ellie coming to one of your shows

She hangs out with her bandmates Dina and Jesse in the VIP box where they are visible to the fans attending but are secure enough so they don’t get mobbed and can enjoy the show comfortably.

You make sure to direct most lyrics in the more romantic songs on your set list toward Ellie and can tell that your fans are eating it up.

After the show, your manager escorts you backstage where Ellie is waiting, noticing that it’s visible by some fans lingering in the upper levels.

Your manager pushes you toward Ellie and you plaster on a fake smile, running up to her and hugging her tightly.

Ellie kisses your cheek lovingly and it sends a jolt of sadness through you as you look into her eyes, wishing the look of care on her face was real.

“Smile, people are watching” she whispers into your ear while letting her hand slip to your waist and letting the other cup your jaw to tilt your face to hers.

You shake off the creeping feeling of anxiety at so many cameras on the two of you and smile softly, letting Ellie lead you into a quick kiss before parting and being led back to your dressing room by your manager.

You get back to your hotel that night and scroll mindlessly through your feed of constant videos from tonight, some of you performing, some of Ellie in the VIP box, and plenty of when the two of you met after the show.

You scroll through the comments of fans raving about how happy the two of you look with tears in your eyes

If only they knew

an - I listened to my sad girl hours playlist for this, I hope you enjoyed it!! Now go drink water you girl kissers xoxo

[unforth]

i don't know if you are still into 2ha? but what would you say if someone asked you what makes 2ha stand out? It's full of tropes that have been done before and there is nothing new. it's full of cliches according to some people. So, what makes it stand out?

I am still into 2ha, I'd consider it one of my top fandoms right now.

I'll own I find this whole ask rather odd? It implies that novelty is a. possible and b. what I'm looking for in a book.

For a... Name me a book that isn't full or tropes, name me a book that isn't full of "nothing new," name me a book that isn't full of cliches. Enjoyable books aren't ~original~, and imo original is a myth. It's about how the ideas are strung together, not about them being fresh and different and new.

For b... look. I'm almost 42 years old. I've been reading a ton since I was 8. I've read a l.o.t. over the years. And I've come to learn the things I love in characters and books.

Give me a main character (or, in 2ha, BOTH main characters) who thinks they're worthless and will give everything they have to save an innocent stranger. Give me archetypes of self-sacrifice and martyrdom and low self-esteem and adoration and obsession cooked so deep into their bones that it extends over multiple life times. Give me that adoration reciprocated but the pining, oh, it is mutual for these idiots who should be and will be lovers. I'll eat that up every time. Give me someone who thinks they're unlovable but loves the world anyway, and give me someone who loves them so much they'll tolerate the claws.

Give me epic length I can sink my teeth into. Make the plot sprawling, the side characters lush, the world developed. It's okay if some parts drag a little, it's hard to keep momentum over an epic, and one person's "that dragged" is another's "that rocked." Anyway, the slow bits makes the more exciting parts that much more thrilling.

Give me whump, and hurt/comfort, and pain that burns the soul. Make the characters deep and compelling and then confront them with nothing but bad choices, force them to pick... and then see them pick each other, everytime, even in the midst of the darkest night imaginable. Give me unreliable narrators and angst and characters with nobility that shines like the sun even when they're covered in shit.

I adored this kind of story when I was 12 and I started the Wheel of Time and fell in love with Rand al'Thor, and I adore this kind of story now, in Tian Guan Ci Fu and The Husky and His White Cat Shizun and Modu. The patterns in the kinds of books I enjoy most, the ones that make me feral and obsessed, are very consistent, and being Old means I know what those patterns are and I can seek out books that have them, and recognize them when I find them again. It's happening with the book I'm reading now, in fact, and I can feel the feral obsession growling in delight in my brain, lmao.

Ya know how some people go into fanfiction because they love a character and want to see iterations of them over and over a little to the left? Well, that's why I started fanfic, and through fic I found a genre of original fiction that does that for me. I want similar character archetypes in endless iterations of stories, and danmei gives that to me, and that's why I'm up to my nose in danmei fandoms, and why the specific ones I like best are my favorites.

What stands out about 2ha, for me, is that it fits my taste in character archetypes and plot type. If someone out there shares that taste, they'll probably also love it. If they don't share that taste, they may not, but they may, because it's a complex enough book to cater to more than just one specific type of taste. Someone who likes OP control fantasies will also probably like it, for example. I wouldn't recommend it to everyone, and that's not a bad thing. Stories that appeal to everyone tend to be shallow and not attract deep obsession, having sacrificed the depth to draw a wider audience.

Anyway, anon...you phrased this like an anti. 80% of your ask is trashing the book on false premises about tropes and cliches. I genuinely can't tell if this is meant as a troll or if it's sincere, but I've answered as if it's sincere. But regardless, you'll be a lot happier as a reader if you forget originality. Books aren't original. Find an author, genre, series, whatever, that fits your taste, and frolic there. That's the route to happy reading.

I've found mine. I hope you find yours.

[steddieunderdogfics]

This week’s writer spotlight feature is:  steddieasitgoes! @steddieasitgoes has 27 works posted to AO3 in the Stranger Things fandom and 23 of them are in the Steddie tag!

Our anonymous nominator recommends the following works by @steddieasitgoes:

Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)

for a fortnight there, we were forever

honey i'm still free (take a chance on me)

You Were All Yellow

Eat Your Heart Out, Big Boy

"Her fics are SO FUN. I have enjoyed every single one that I've read IMMENSELY and am always talking about them to my friends after I've read them <3" -- anonymous

Below the cut, @steddieasitgoes answered some questions about their writing process and some of their recommended work!

Why do you write Steddie?

Was I supposed to watch Eddie throw Steve his vest – the quintessential 80s romcom moment – and be totally normal about it? But in all honesty, there’s just something about them that compels me. When you dig deep into their personalities and arcs, they’re really two sides of the same coin and there’s so many ways for that to manifest in fic.hen

What’s your favorite trope to READ?

I had to consult my ao3 bookmarks for this one and “getting together” tops my list, which really isn’t a traditional trope but I absolutely adore that mutual pining, idiots in love sort of thing that happens in those fics. Bonus points for slow burns!

What’s your favorite trope to WRITE?

Idiots in love for sure. Again, not a typical trope but I’m pretty sure it’s tagged on just about every fic I’ve written. It’s just so easy to slot them into those roles and banter their way into a love confession. The show is so life and death all the time, that I like letting them be goofy boys.

What’s your favorite Steddie fic?

This is like asking me to choose if I’m more of a Steve girl or an Eddie girl – impossible! But if I had to narrow it down to a top few, I’d say: the most remarkable thing by greatunironic, rounding third, sliding home by througheden, better by you, better than me by palmviolet, and is your light on? By Adure

Is there a trope you’re excited to explore in a future work but haven’t yet?

Outside of fic I’m a huge fan of enemies/rivals to lovers so I think that would be fun to explore between Steddie. There’s a hint of it in Signed, Sealed, Delivered but I think their hatred fizzles out really quickly and I definitely want to play with something where that takes longer to happen.

What is your writing process like?

It sort of depends on the project, but typically I get a kernel of an idea. Somethings that’s a setting, sometime it’s a bit of dialogue, sometimes it’s just ✨ vibes ✨ Then I’ll add it to my jumbled mess of a notes app on my phone and keep adding to it as I get ideas. When I wrote my first fic (Can’t Fight This Feeling Anymore) I had no outline whatsoever. I just knew I had this one scene in mind and kept writing and building the world until I felt the moment made sense to happen. Nowadays, I’m a bit more organized when it comes to longer fics. I’ll usually do a bare bones outline with the major beats I want to hit outlined. This gives me enough structure to not feel lost, but also lets the characters breath one the page and make their own choices. Every fic, but the one I’m working on now for the steddie big bang, I’ve written chronologically which helps me because I can see the progression of the relationship dynamics in real time.  For one shots, it’s somewhat similar. I start with a kernel of an idea and a general plot in my head and just write and hope for the best lol

Do you have any writing quirks?

I think I use the same sentence structure a lot which drives me nuts, but I can’t always help it. Motif-wise I don’t think I have a unifying theme amongst all my fics, but I can almost guarantee that there will be some kind of third act break up. Happily ever afters are always going to be in my fics, but I like to make them work for it. Also they do a lot of gazing at each other and things in my fics. So much gazing!

Do you prefer posting when you’ve finished writing or on a schedule?

Generally, I like posting when something is completely finished. But I get antsy and have been known to start posting when the fic is 85% done and then procrastinate on writing the end until my deadline is looming.

Which fic are you most proud of?

I’m proud of all of them for different reasons, but I was really blown away with Can’t Fight This Feeling Anymore. I hadn’t written fic in years and had never written a third-person mlm story before. At the time it was also the longest thing I had ever written. It definitely made me fall back in love with fictional prose writing and the steddie community as a whole.

How did you get the idea for Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)?

It was actually inspired by a ficlet I had written earlier that year and decided to use as inspiration for the full length fic. I was driving around and I kept seeing mail trucks everywhere and I remember getting an image of Steve in those short khaki shorts, carrying a satchel full of mail. And then I remember thinking “I wonder what Eddie would think” and the worms took over. I will say, expanding it into a full fic did take some time though because the ficlet was just vibes

When writing Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours), what was something you didn’t expect?

How long it ended up being lol I think it came in double what I had predicted it to be. I also didn’t expect to write it in the way I did. All my other fics are very traditional in that each chapter is a day or a couple days and it follows a clear timeline. With Signed I really went for a vignette, slice of life sort of storytelling which was a bit difficult initially but I think it paid off in the end.

What inspired honey i'm still free (take a chance on me)?

That one was written for a valentine’s discord server so it was based on the prompt steddiealltheway on Tumblr had submitted. It took me a minute to work out the plot, but I liked the idea of Robin getting to be the wingwoman for Steve.

What was your favorite part to write from for a fortnight there, we were forever?

There was a metaness to that one that was so fun to write. You have Eddie falling in love with Supernatural, a show that was known for making questionable decisions in the end and talking about how fanfic saves the day and that’s exactly what I’ve spent the last two years doing for him lol I love the idea of Eddie being a fandom kid like all of us, and dragging and unknowing Steve into it with him.

How do/did you feel writing Eat Your Heart Out, Big Boy?

At the time I think I just wanted to write something fun and silly because I was deep into Signed, Sealed, Delivered at the time and was feeling bad about not sharing anything. It was like a palette cleanser.

What was the most difficult part of writing You Were All Yellow?

Definitely deciding which yellow objects I was going to use and figuring out how to string them together in a clear narrative arc. It was a puzzle of sorts that took a lot of patience to figure out. It was also a bit reverse-engineered where the objects dictated what the story would be. I think it would have been easier if I had the story first and then found things that fit that narrative.

Do you have a favorite scene and/or line from any of your fics?

I struggle with writing poetically, so I was really proud of this line from Duck, Dodge, Don’t Fall In Love: “He feels like an astronomer falling in love with stars for the first time in the untouchable night sky. Because that’s what Steve is, right? A dazzling force that Eddie can steal glances at but never touch, never reach.” But also any and all smut scenes I’ve written. That was an incredible challenge at first and I literally wrote the first make out scene ever under the covers of my bed lol

Do you have any upcoming projects or fics you’d like to share/promote?

I’m planning to participate in this year’s Steddie Week with some (hopefully) short one shots. And then I have my big bang fic When The Buzzer Sounds that will come out later this year. Other than that we’ll see. My notes are overflowing with ideas it’s all about finding the time and the right one.

Outside of these questions, Is there anything YOU would like to add?

As I write this I’m not sure who nominated me, but I want to say thank you to them! It’s so wild to me that people resonate with the silly stories my brain comes up with and I’ll never take that for granted. There’s so many creative steddie fic writers out there and I’m so happy to be one of them. We really blew up overnight and it’s been so fun watching everyone grow together. And I want to thank all the mods behind this blog for helping share writers hardwork!

Thank you to our author, @steddieasitgoes, and our anonymous nominator! See more of steddieasitgoes's works featured on our page throughout the day!

Writer’s Spotlight is every Wednesday! Want to nominate an author? You can nominate them here!

[tarabyte3]

Top 5 favourite fanfic tropes?

For my follow up I will allow you a light cheat:

✨️ Top 5 fics (any fandom/pairing)

and (if you would like)

✨️ Top 5 Andy blorbo fics

You know, those ones that live rent free in your mind and you find yourself coming back to even years later (also your choices don't have to specifically follow your trope picks!).

😘

Before I start, I want you to know I only saw the first bit in the preview and was like, "Oh that's fun!" And then got sneak attacked by the rest when I opened it 😂😭 Anon, I respect tf out of you for this, but also I'm going to have an existential crisis lmaoooo

✨Top 5 fanfiction tropes

- Mutual pining/"un"requited love

Especially if it's paired with angst 🤌 want them longing. Yearning, even. Throw in something like forbidden love to kick it up a notch, and, baby, you've got yourself a stew.

- Sex pollen

Particularly if they aren't in a relationship yet to add extra pining and angst. This is a sacrifice (I shouldn't want this). I would do this for you (please let me). I can't stand to watch you suffer (this will break me, but for you it's worth it). That and the smut of it all 😌

- Hanahaki

Being so in love with someone it's literally killing you. It's love made manifest so violently you choke on it. The pain and suffering would end if only you could let the words out, but the thought of rejection—of having to live with that instead—is worse than death. Plus, there's something a little beautiful and poetic about combining pain and suffering with love and flowers. Doom and bloom. Life and death. The Japanese were so real for this.

- Fake dating

I love it when they're both fuckin dying the entire time because they've caught a glimpse of the thing they want more than anything and it isn't real. It's bliss. It's torture. They don't want it to end, but it will destroy them to keep having it just out of reach.

- Getting together

A simple classic, but there's just something about two people falling in love and coming together in spite of everything. And if it's a slow burn? With constant missed opportunities and misunderstandings?! Staple crop of tropes.

✨ Top 5 Fics

I'm going to go with Qui-Gon x Obi-Wan (shocking, I know) because that is the bulk of what I have been reading non-stop so it's at the forefront of my brain. It was difficult to narrow down my 100+ bookmarks because there are SO many incredible works and writers in that fandom that inspire me, and some of them make me want to eat dirt. (I mean that as an exceptional compliment.)

- Shorelines by outpastthemoat

This is what Qui-Gon has done each morning for the past three days, returning to Obi-Wan with handfuls of treasures he has found: Bits of broken glass, polished by the waves, or intricately spiraled shells, a broken piece of chain; perhaps a stone as wide and flat as his hand. But he always returns to the shoreline the following day, and begins his search anew.

This is one of my favorite QuiObi writers (I would highly recommend ANY of her other works at the drop of a hat as well), and I have reread this fic at least once a week for months. Like, I have it open in a tab and think about it constantly. It's an introspective piece—an exploration of a connection and the peeling back of layers to try to understand what waits underneath. There's a beautiful sort of simple yearning, melancholy, and poetry to her writing that makes my brain go brrrrrr. So much is said in all of the things left unsaid. It's two parts of a series and they're both incredible.

- Malalignment by Tohje

The first time is a pure coincidence, all parties could swear it on their deathbeds. The pelta frigate GRS-20 - informally Generosity - is a huge, maze-like, rusting piece of a stronghold with multiple medical wards and cantinas. It is a sheer stroke of luck that 212th and the River Company are accommodated in the adjacent, overstuffed compartments and share the same cantina for their short recuperation periods. There is no thing such as luck, or coincidence, only war (and the Force, according to the Jedi).

Another writer that I adore who has multiple bangers. This one is an AU where QuiGon lives and is part of the Clone War, but in the most Qui-Gon way possible. Combined with Obi-Wan's lingering hurt from the situation with Anakin, the war, and a several year estrangement and by god it's delicious angst. Plus, I love self-sacrificing depictions of General Kenobi. (The smut is also very good)

- That Cold Affliction by Orphan Account

Obi-Wan tries to surprise his Master on a mission with few comforts by making Qui-Gon's favorite tea. Or trying to, at least. As it turns out, tea is a . . . complicated affair. (A little bit like love.)

Short and bittersweet. Forbidden love. Beautiful angst. I'm so sad I don't know the original author because I've seen several of their works pop up that are also orphaned (they have a very specific summary style) and they're all so good and full of similar themes, but I have no way of seeing if I've missed one or not 😭

- Taking Root by sanerontheinside

Obi-Wan thought he was terribly obvious, really. Qui-Gon thought it was Obi-Wan’s secret to share or keep, as he wished.

*banging pots and pans together* QUIOBI HANAHAKI!! This author does a deep dive into the affliction and combines it beautifully with Star Wars world building, plot, and characterization. It's everything I could want from the trope AND the pairing. They're also another one of my favorite writers. And if you're looking for an abundance of excellent smut, you'll absolutely find it in their body of work.

- How to Grow Vegetables and Alienate People by Meggory

Why had Obi-Wan agreed to this? He had exactly no experience growing anything—hell, he'd killed a cactus once, and he'd heard someone say that was impossible—but now he was taking over Bant's community garden share so she didn't feel she had wasted $150 on the plot? He had $150. He should have just given it to her and told her to get blitzed on the plane.

Cute modern AU with a funny af meet cute, excellent characterization, humor, and a simple, lovely plot of two idiots falling in love. Oh, plus gardening. 😌 AND Qui-Gon has a dog. It's the soul comfort food of fics. This author does an incredible job with AUs (pssst you like time loops?) that are great stories so it was very difficult to pick just one!

✨I both adore and dislike this last part. Because on one hand, it gives me the chance to brag about and hype up my friends, who are not only kind, wonderful people, but also very talented writers that deserve it and more. So I truly appreciate you so much for that. On the other hand, there are more than 5 of them that have written Andy Blorbo fics, and some of them have multiple stories and blorbos. And we've all gushed over or discussed many of them at length with each other, so they hold a particular fondness in my heart. Choosing only 5 from that feels like an impossible task.

So I WON'T be narrowing down my top 5 (I'm so sorry, anon, I'm not god's strongest soldier), but I will be taking the opportunity to drop their Masterlists/AO3 accounts 💖😌😇

afogocado | Alfred Pennyworth

amywritesthings | Kino Loy

citrus-moonlight | Ulysses Klaue

eupheme | Alfred Pennyworth, Ulysses Klaue

squidlywiddly87 | Kino Loy, Ulysses Klaue, Liam Black

stargirlfics | Alfred Pennyworth (+ lots of Alfred and Klaue headcanons and blurbs!)

tarrenterror | Alfred Pennyworth, Ulysses Klaue (+ Alfred, David Robey, and Kino headcanons, blurbs, and edits)

viceofdionysus : Alfred Pennyworth, Ulysses Klaue

[shirajellyfish]

*ahem* Err, question for the director here. How could you manage to make Lune’s “redemption” arc so slowly evolving?? It was amazing the patience you had to not jump into the “friend-shaped” zone too fast, and yet still we wound up with hugs. It made it the most delightful portrayal I’ve seen of any Moon characterization, one weighty with true danger and hard-earned love.

Awww, that makes me so happy to hear that! Thank you! There were a few factors that contributed to the way it played out, I think. Once again I'm adding a read more because I am entirely sure this one will end up far too long as well haha

I wanted to write the journey, not the destination

I think the reason a lot of Moons go friend shaped quickly is because that's what the writer wants to write. They want a Moon who is dangerous to other people maybe, but who is friend to the main character. The common DCA trope of "Watch out, it's the dangerous man-eating tiger Moon!" Y/N: "Pet pat pat, this is my cat. He literally purrs for me." This trope is lovely and absolutely one of my favorite things. If that's what a writer wants to write, then it makes sense that they'd go there as quickly as possible. I would have done the same if what I wanted to write more than anything was friend Moon.

But I wanted to write dangerous feral Moon. I was so excited for every moment where he was threatening, chasing, out of his mind and on the hunt. I cherished writing every one of those scenes, because I knew I was only going to get to write a finite amount of them. I was SO EXCITED with each and every dangerous encounter, so I did everything I could to stretch that phase of the story out as much as I could. That's why it moved slow- I was purposely slowing it down as much as I could!

The thing about writing slowburn is that it shouldn't take patience. If you have to be patient to write a slow burn, then maybe you shouldn't be writing this particular thing as a slow burn. Think of it like going down a waterslide. No one is ever on the slide like "This is such a long slide, it's a real test of my patience to get to the end of it." No, they go "YIPPEE, WATER SLIDE! YAY! YAAAAY!" A slow burn should feel like a water slide. If it doesn't, then maybe the story would be more enjoyable if the characters were just at their destination already instead of spending so much time getting there.

2. A Moon can only be scary for so long.

You know how I said I tried to slow things down on purpose? It's because even the most dangerous and most feral of Moons can only be an exciting threat so many times. The more the story deals with a dangerous character, the more known they are. Like turning on the lights in a dark room, eventually the monster under the bed will cease to be scary. You only have so many of these really thrilling moments before either things will change, or the readers end up going "Oh, it's just another Moon encounter. He'll chase them around for a while before we can get back to the actual story, I guess."

With a fic as long as I See You Sundrop, ending at hugs with Lune was inevitable. I squeezed his character for every exciting scary moment I could, but eventually that relationship was going to have to develop beyond those moments one way or another.

It's not that I don't enjoy writing a softer friend Lune as well. I absolutely loved every moment of that as well- I wouldn't have written it if I didn't love writing it! But there was no possible universe where Lune, no matter how scary at the start, wouldn't develop eventually. Because of this, I was careful with the early Lune encounters and used him as sparingly as possible.

3. I didn't plan it whatsoever.

My secret to character development is that I just. Don't plan it. At all.

Somewhere near the start of the fic, I had an idea for a scene where Riley and Lune could share music with each other without it ending in violence. This general vague concept was reworked into the Closeted chapter and expanded there. This was also the only destination of any kind for them that I had planned.

I didn't write any of Lune's moments with the intention of reaching any kind of end-of-story relationship goal. I just wrote him. While Lune becoming friendly was inevitable, how friendly or what that friendship would look like was never something I was actively working towards. I just let it go and watched what happened, nothing was set in stone.

I put some beasts in a situation. I wonder, what would they do in said situation? I have them do it. Now I wonder, how does that change things between them? Now things have changed. Now the entire course of these characters, and their relationships, and the story itself has changed. This is why I can't write scenes out of order. Every single moment, every interaction, all of it causes everything to shift. I can think of certain plot ideas or big moments in advance, but I won't know how the characters will react to that until I get there- because I won't know who they will be at that point in the story until I get there.

This applies to every single character in my fic. Riley and Sundrop's friendship, Hunter, Natalie, the glamrocks... I knew what I wanted their role to be in certain scenes or the story overall, but I had no big plan for where their development would take them. None of their development was ever set in stone.

I've mentioned before that Take-you-apart was not a planned chapter, it was the result of asking Roxy what she'd do and realizing her answer was "attempted murder." A lot of story moments happened like that. Affection Values even happened that way. I'd never planned for the story to have a scene like that, but when I got there I went "Ohh. That makes sense, doesn't it."

Even Riley's big development moments were done this way. Play nice with your hands, be a good friend, the memory trick, even their relationship with their mom all developed in ways I hadn't planned. I actually wrote their mother as distant because originally, my plan was to give myself an excuse to never write about their family at all! You can see how fast that got thrown out the window.

Speaking of things I can't do- this is also why I write my entire fic before posting anything, and can't post chapter by chapter. Sometimes writing this way leaves glaring plot holes, big themes that aren't worked into the story early enough, and foreshadowing for events that never end up actually happening. I need to know the course of the story before I can refine it, and I won't know it until I get there.

Oops! That did indeed end up getting very long. I hope you were looking for a novel length ramble, because I guess I'm not capable of anything else haha.

[steddieas-shegoes]

the freak and the hair and lex

it's time for the weekly fic rec, where i give the top 3 (to me) fics by some of my favorite authors. please always check out their masterlists/works because these authors may have stuff you love even more than what i put here! as always, check tags before reading and leave kudos and comments and reblog whenever possible to support writers!

this week is @thefreakandthehair and let me tell ya, this was one of the hardest weeks to narrow it down to my top 3. i have gone back and forth on lex's works for three days trying to narrow it down (and also realized at some point i missed a few posts so i'm about to do a binge read oops). lex is so talented and does so many things for the fandom, so everyone go celebrate her gifts to us!

lex's tumblr | lex's ao3

rounding third, sliding home Rated E | wip/big bang fic The much anticipated big bang fic is in progress and it's SO GOOD. I don't even like baseball, but Lex is proof that I can and will like any situation these boys are in. Massage therapist Eddie!!! Hello!!! I don't have to go into detail to let you know how that's going. Favorite part: Honestly, since it's a wip, I don't wanna give one yet. But I will say that the overall premise of a massage therapist being able to do what trainers and doctors couldn't makes something really happy in my brain.

ice is made to melt (so is my heart) Rated M | 1,507 words It's hockey. I sniff out hockey fics like a hunting dog. I mean it's literally just hockey fan Eddie and I'm eating it up like I've been starving for years. Favorite part because these are possibly word for word things I have screamed at my television at the Bruins whomst I love with my entire heart but would beat with a hockey stick if given the chance: "Are your blades dipped in fucking butter?” “The puck goes in the net!” "You can't shoot for shit, just like you can't grow a decent mustache, huh?" “Your job is to use your big ass body to stop the teensy tiny puck from getting around you and that’s a Hell of a lot easier if you stay in the fucking crease!” 

Livin' On A Prayer  Rated E | 17,915 words It's the classic idiots in love but don't realize it even though they basically have been boyfriends the entire time trope and I cannot get enough. It's like a slow-fast burn in the sense that they're dumb, but this is still short enough to binge in one relatively quick go. Favorite part which is kinda a spoiler so: “And I know myself well enough to know that I would die before letting anything happen to you, especially after nearly losing you once already, so I felt like being here was safest. And I— I don’t mean the same way that I love the kids or Robin or really anyone else. I’d die for them too but that’s— that’s not my point. I guess what I'm trying to say here is that I know this is one sided or whatever but I just, I’ve been wanting to tell you just to get it out of me because carrying this around alone for months and months has been wrecking me… I think I’m in love with you.”

[straycalamities]

What's ur favorite thing about the Swagtressss

i love probably the most the progression of their relationship. i’m always a slut for slow-burn and theirs is definitely that

i also love apocalypse relationships because of the threat and how much more significant all the little good things become

and just how their personalities mesh or repel depending and how they grow from that

like with The Way Swag Is it was really like a huge thrill, a rush, whenever he decided or entre managed to coax out a genuine response from him or something that gave insight to his real feelings

because even if i knew it all because i could just ASK it was still something else to see it and see stuff come out in real time

i’ve always been a huge sucker for swags archetype of big clown-show on the outside, sad insecure mess on the inside, yknow like someone who’s afraid to show how they really are or really feel for this reason or another

and so you have to like piece it together from the small cracks in the surface or the little almost like…tests or pleadings with a glimpse of the inside

UGH it’s so good and so fun

there’s a LOT of nuance and deeper reading you pretty much Have to do with swag and doing that myself and having entre also slowly pick up on the big idea was rly satisfying

and all of this together meant a lot of tumultuous beginnings that slowly eased towards cohesion and understanding, but entre definitely had the stubborn willpower and the want to do so even if it took him a while to warm up to the idea. that the reason swag would be hot n cold with him was because swag was afraid of being known and that entre wouldn’t accept what he really saw. but swag also rly likes entre so he’d pull him in, get scared of how close he got, and shove him away again

and i eat it up idk i love the push n pull especially when i know ultimately that it’s gonna end up with them being comfortable and understanding each other in a way no one else in their lives did or got to do

i also just really like how like? atypical their relationship is. i think all my ships end up atypical one way or another so they’re not the only one but i have to mention it bc it’s important to me

like enemies-to-lovers is nothing new in fic tropes but i feel like the way we pulled it off and approached it was still sorta special in its own way and i rly like that

signed someone who rolls his eyes at traditional romance plots and most romance tropes LMAO

[thenickgirl]

any specific tropes/genres/au settings/etc. you'd like to see in fic written for Nick? there's not enough content and i value ur opinion sm.

omg stop that’s so sweet 🥺 i love angst/comfort fics, they’ll always be my favorite. enemies to lovers trope is always a good one, and slow burns oof love them. best friend to lovers kinda gets over done in the nick world imo, probably cause it’s the easiest. honestly any au setting i would eat it up. whatever you think of will be amazing. he just deserves the same kind of fics that matt and chris have.

[mammameesh]

Trope Rating Game

Rules: How much do these tropes affect your decision to click on a fic? -10 -> very dissuaded 0 - don’t care either way +10 -> very enticed nope -> if it’s a hard no and you’d never click on a fic with that tag or you even have the tag blocked or you’d insta click out of the fic if it wasn’t tagged. Bonus points for explaining the rating and whether it’s conditional.

Age gap: Depends? +3

Like are they vampires, and is brand new and one is like 402? Because I can do that.

Codependency: +1

I might give it a try for a little while, but stuff like this tends to turn me off.

Obsession/Possessiveness, jealousy: +2

Maybe Obsession more than Possessiveness, does that make sense? Possessiveness tends to also turn me off.

Opposites (grumpy/sunshine etc): +10

I love this pairing, sorry, not sorry.

Enemies to lovers, Enemies with benefits: +9

I really like Enemies to lovers. I'm doing my best to write one (also very stuck writing one). I probably could write enemies with benefits and would like to read more because it sounds hot!

Friends with benefits: +10

Some of my favorite ships fall into this category. It's like candy to me.

Sex to feelings: +15

These fics tend to be very smuty which I love and also very fluffy which I also love.

Fake dating/relationship: 9?

My neurodivergent mind needs more information. I've read some Tarlos where they were fake dating, and I loved that. I'm just not sure how it would work every time.

Friends to lovers: +10

I personally love friends to lovers. I think it does probably appeal to my demi side.

Found Family: +100

I love it so much.

Hurt/Comfort: +9

I have been on a hurt/comfort kick but I can't do all hurt/comfort because there is too much hurt.

Love Triangle: 1?

I generally don't like love triangles, but maybe somewhere out in all of fanfcition there will be one that I will like?

Poly, open relationships: +9

I personally love them when written well

Mistaken/hidden identity: 0

I probably need to read more in order to form a stronger opinion

Monsterfucking: +5

My friends, a year ago I would have said no. It depends on the writer, the ship and my bravery I think.

Pregnancy: 4

I'm a mom in real life so pregnancy doesn't phase me, again it would depend on the writer, the story, the fandom, a lot of different things.

Second Chance: +9

Idyllically I think everyone should be given a 2nd chance, but sometimes no?

Slowburn: +10

I have some beloved authors that love to write a good slow burn and I will eat that stuff up every bedtime.

Soulmates: +8 I've read some lovely soulmate AUs and would love to read more. (also I have an idea for one but like life you know?)

@a-noble-dragon; @carolrain; @demora00; @stargazer56; @ramonaflow; @jamilas-pen; @apothecarose; @ripkaz44; @flowertrigger no pressure tags. ALSO if you are reading this please do it! It is for future fanfiction!

[matan4il]

Speaking of slow burns and Buddie, the other classic component they have is you have to bring in other love interests to make it blaring why they are wrong. No slow burn stay single the whole time. I know we all point out how they made it obvious with Ann and Buck.

However one of my favorites is the "your making it about you" lines with Taylor and Eddie. Eddie said it in the kitchen with fond exasperation that quickly melted into almost tears when he realized it was really about Bucks feelings for Eddie. The I should have been shot scene, the guy that fixes things dialogoue. Eddie knows this is a personality trait, likely it will never be healed because it is what makes Buck, Buck. Heck Buck essentially said the same to Maddie. So you just know that forevermore this is what Eddie will nurture and ease in Bucks self doubt. It will never be a trait he finds a nuisance because it is what makes him the best partner, friend, father (hopefully husband).

Vs when Taylor said it in a depreciating way to Buck. As if his massive heart, self-sacrifice, and self-awareness were the worst things about him. She would have never been able to accept his softness, but it's worse because she never would have protected that trait either. She would have tried to stomp it out.

And in true romance fashion, this is the perfect trope. One is too soft for all the things and the other is just too soft for the partner who's too soft for all the things!!! Eddie will always protect and uplift that in Buck and I can't wait to see those protective instincts shine when they finally make them canon.

Hi Nonnie, absolutely this! You need the other Lover Interests not only in order to demonstrate that they're the wrong person for the protagonist, but sometimes you even have the "perfect person" on paper, and they turn out to be the wrong person as well. Why? Because they're not the person the protagonist is already, obliviously, in love with... Sound like someone that we've come across? *looks at Ms. 29348732498 muffins*

And yes, that's exactly it about Buck's self-worth issues! Some stuff never fully goes away, you just go from where it eats away at you at all times to where most of the time you're okay and it doesn't plague you, and then from time to time there's a crisis, it comes back up and that's when you need to manage it. A loving, caring partner who sees Buck's self-worth can give him that solid foundation not to feel like he has to be killing himself to be worth anything and to do so by simply being there, and then when Buck's issues do raise their ugly head prominently, a partner like that can help soothe them over by actively reminding him of how important he is. And isn't that exactly what Eddie has been doing for Buck?

Taylor TBH... ooof, she was never even close to being the right person for Buck, they weren't well matched on some of the most basic things that define us as humans, like kindness. It wasn't even a case of someone who looks right and turns out to be wrong, it was always clear that they shouldn't have gotten together.

This feels like the perfect ask as a continuation to this one. Like yes, let's talk about ALL THE TROPES. Let's talk about every aspect of why the other LI's we've seen so far have been the wrong person, why every future LI will be as well, and why Buddie are just made to complement each other and no other endgame makes sense other than them ending up together.

Thank you for this ask, hon! Hope you're having a great day. As always, here's my ask tag. xoxox

[itlivesproject]

Question for all the mods (and sorry if this has been already answered) but who are y'all fav lis Outta the 4 & who would y'all be with IRL (anyone from the it lives universe)

Lindsay (mod win): this may come as a shock to you, but my favorite ILW LI is Lincoln. I love the romantic and sexual tension of a good slow burn, and I love the whole trope of being the one to get past the LI’s protective layers. If I could choose anyone for myself out of the whole It Lives universe though... idk actually. All I know is love Lincoln & eat hot chip.

Maggie: also unsurprisingly, my favorite LI of the four is Abel. If I could choose anyone to be with irl tho? It would probably be a toss up between Connor and Abel. Hot, loyal, funny, and good boyfriend material. They tick all my boxes.

M: you know, I don't really have a favourite LI for myself, per se. Sometimes I see characters as people I like or dislike, and sometimes I see them as plot devices, which is definitely the case here. Not that that's a bad thing—a character, in its barest form, is a plot device—but I don't really think so much about who I'd want to hang out with/date as much as I think about what they contribute to the narrative, how they'll influence the protagonist's arc, etc. That being said, my favourite is Matthias. (Go ahead, guess why ;)) But also I would absolutely date my little rat gremlin Noah.

Aku: Jocelyn. I just love big strong women who would kill for me 🥺💜 Also, I don't actually see myself romantically with anyone from the ILA universe, but if speaking platonically, then I would choose Imogen. She's such a sweet and caring girl I'd love to be with her 🥰

Shionch: I love Lincoln, he's my main LI and seeing him smile melts my heart, although irl I'd probably go after Amalia because our values align and I'm a sucker for beautiful women.

Hashie: I have a thing for men with facial hair, so Lincoln (and his dad) would be my main LI in ILW. His personality is also a bonus point. I’m not sure about irl but if i have to pick one, then it would probably be Linky too. We both share interest in art, and I adore his unconventional ways of showing his love.

Eri: As Amalia's head writer, the favoritism is really strong. Like a mother incapable of seeing her child lesser than or even on the same caliber as another, I'm incapable of making an mc that's not romancing her lol. That said the other writers have created MAGNIFICENT routes for the other lis and I must play them at some point. Irl I'd most likely date Abel, he's exactly my type

Alex: if you’re not aware, i’m the biggest jocelyn simp known to mankind, so i’d have to choose her. being one of her head writers has really made me fall in love with her. hot buff himbo women just do something to me. as for irl, i think i would still say jocelyn. i just have such a strong attachment to her and the way we’ve written her just can’t be matched imo.

SUGAR: this is a hard question. my main Li is Abel as of right now, for pretty much everything abt him, going from his looks to his height, to his intentionality with being a part of his culture, his nerdiness and how he speaks abt thing he cares for; he’s perfect for my mc as well! for ME though, (very hard) i’d say tom is my #1. for many reasons, but the main reason why is bc tom is closer to me in age, thus allowing for our relationship defining interests to be closer aligned <3

[1moreoffkeyanthem]

I love that everyone is coming to talk to you about fanfics, haha! Don't mind if I join in - tell us about your favourite style fanfic tropes. 😎

Fr lmaoooo idk where all this is coming from but I’m here for it!!!!

OH BOY DO I HAVE A LOT OF STYLE TROPES!!!

Okay so WEARING EACH OTHERS CLOTHES!!! God I eat that one up every time it’s so cute like I just KNOW growing up they had half their clothes at each other’s houses and constantly lost track of who owned what shirt and THEN!!! As they got older and weren’t the same size anymore (personally I’m a big boy Stan truther but it’s precious the other way too) and Kyle started absolutely SWIMMING in Stan’s baggy ass sweatshirts and Stan gets cuteness aggression lmao he’s just like awwww look how cute my super best boyfriend is in the peace love pine trees hoodie asjdjdkgfj

Calling each other “dude” romantically!!! Like other pet names come into play but dude stays bc it’s them

WHEN THEY HAVE THEIR OWN SECRET UNSPOKEN LANGUAGE like they’re always on the same wavelength totally in sync with each other!!! They understand each other like no one else, can read each other like a book, fully on the same side and will follow each other to the ends of the earth!!!

Okay okay we all know I STAY reading and writing style whump and PROTECTIVENESS!!! When they worry about each other constantly and get so freaked out when one of them isn’t okay I eat that shit UP every time I love them defending each other, physically or verbally, like no one fucks with Stan without experiencing Kyle Rage and vice versa!!! When Stan is the one to completely flip his lid and panic because Kyle’s hurt or in danger just AAAAA

On that note: TAKING CARE OF EACH OTHER!!! There’s a reason most of my stories have a “yep I injured the boys again” tag because I LIVE for the sweet sweet tender moments after an Incident where they’re patching up each other’s wounds all worried and Soft, talking each other through the pain and telling them that it’s gonna be okay bonus points if we get a tearful “I could’ve lost you” “you didn’t, I’m right here” GOOD SHIT RIGHT THERE!!!

On THAT note (sorry I’m just fucking insane) STAN CARRYING KYLE!!!!!!!!! Once again I’m a short angy Kyle/ big boy Stan truther and I looovvvvveeee a little bridal style carrying moment holy shit (I’m surprised I didn’t put any of that in my style week stuff lmao) like I am fully guilty of putting my favorite redhead in Situations JUST so I can have that, like I gave OrangeJuiceVerse Kyle chronic knee pain, diabetes, an ed, and Stan carries him so much lmfao someone put me in Making Kyle Suffer Jail

Ok another one I love is Kyle as the Voice of Reason! Like when he’s the go to guy, savior complex mom friend who just wants to take care of everyone! And boy howdy does Stan not make it easy lmao between him and Kenny (the disaster duo) that man is Exasperated

THEM BEING EACH OTHERS RIGHT HAND MAN!!!!! Fighting side by side, Stan and Kyle against the world! When they can depend on each other more than anyone else and trust each other with their lives. Stan would follow Kyle into a burning building and Kyle would pull him out! That trope is why I’m so feral about stick of truth like they gotta be on the same side or they feel like somethings missing (codependent bastards)

Stan playing guitar for Kyle/ Kyle reading to Stan!!! The domesticity ugh I love it

Casual cuddling oh my godddddd like even before they got together they’re always touching each other in some way and Cartman’s like it’s fuckin gay to cuddle at sleepovers you guys are 15 and they’re like fym it’s not gay to cuddle the homies? (It so is) best friends to lovers on TOP!!!

Them generally being huge simps like PLEASE why y’all staring longingly also in the same vein them thinking the other is the most beautiful thing in the world those two are DOWN HORRENDOUS

I also reeeaaaaly like when they’re kissin… and it starts off all slow and sweet… and then it gets more passionate… and suddenly Stan’s hands are tangled in Kyle’s hair and Kyle’s pushing him against the wall and they’re practically falling into each other desperate to be closer and whispering “I love you” into each others mouths and nothing in the world exists other than the two of them and

Lmao that’s some of my favorite style tropes I’m super normal about them obviously

[seoafin]

when did you start writing/how long have you been writing? any fav genres (and least fav) to read or write? and what usually inspires you to write/makes you want to write? :3

oh god it's been so long I was like....13??? Maybe even younger. I was writing NaLu ffs on ff.net goddddd I was so young I definitely had no idea what I was doing but at least I was having fun 😫 my ff.net/quotev/lunaescence era.....truly the dark ages

my fav ff genre is definitely romance with my favorite tropes to read and write about being mutual pining and friends to lovers. I also really really love childhood friends to lovers. I don't really like aus that take place in an entirely different setting. I'm fine if it's not canon compliant, but things like a university setting/CEO/etc I'm not personally a fan of! I also don't like enemies to lovers except for the very few stories that get it right. enemies to lovers is a very tricky trope and it takes something special to actually get me invested. i don't mind academic rivals to lovers though. I think that's fun. Or a friendly rivalry. Or one sided rivalries (love them). As for what I read I'll read pretty much everything both ff and literature! as long as it's written well im game! one thing about me is that I'm a SUCKER for all the typical romance/shoujo tropes = miscommunication love triangle mutual pining slow burn I LOVE IT. I'll eat that shit up every time LMAO you might call it contrived but I will be tirelessly reading it!!!!

this is going to sound so bad but writing has become somewhat of a time consuming stress reliever for me, or something I do when I'm heavy procrastinating 😭 for those of you that have been following this blog you know that I used to only reliably post fics during midterm or finals season bc I would be procrastinating on studying for tests/writing papers 😭😭😭 but i gotta say there's rlly nothing like a fic while you've got a 20 page paper due on incel culture tomorrow. exhilarating!!! i usually get inspired to write when I read a really good book or fic. nothing fires me up more than reading fantastic writing honestly!!!!

[steddieunderdogfics]

This week's writer spotlight feature is: @ciriceart! They have sixteen works under the Stranger Things tag and ten under the Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson tag over on Archive of our Own!!

Our anonymous nominator recommends the following of their works by CultOfAdoration:

I get this feeling I'm in motion

Rule Me Captive, Drain Me Empty

a good age to meet the person you're going to spend the rest of your life with

to have everything you can see

They care alot about capturing the accurate voice of the characters they write about, and put lots of thought and care into character motivations and worldbuilding :} - anonymous

Below the cut, @ciriceart answered some questions about their writing process and some of their recommended work!

Why do you write Steddie?

I just like the dynamic, and getting to write dialogue and think about conflicts that might naturally crop up between the two. I don’t think that there was a chance for them to get along well at all if not for the kids dragging them both into the end of the world, so it’s kind of fun to find different ways for them to get past it. Less of a “they would never get together” and more of a “under what circumstances would they get together” situation.

What’s your favorite trope to READ?

I think I just like anything that falls into character study or backstory development. I used to eat up anything under the hurt/comfort or angst tags as well, and those can all go pretty well together. Anything that even vaguely evokes Orpheus and Eurydice is also pretty much guaranteed to get my attention.

What’s your favorite trope to WRITE?

Slow burn. A lot of my writing never sees the light of day (or outside groupchats), but a majority of it is “will they, won’t they” slow burn with the two kind of dancing around the subject until it feels inevitable.

What’s your favorite Steddie fic?

I’m not sure if I have a singular favorite fic. “New York Hardcore” by CaptainHoney is pretty high up there. It’s part of a larger series, but that first entry stuck with me. The tag “Steve deserves to be happy and go ham in the moshpit” is the truest statement I’ve ever read about that man.

Is there a trope you’re excited to explore in a future work but haven’t yet?

I’ve been working on a sort-of AU road trip fic about Steve, Jonathan, and later a hitchhiking Eddie, as they go cross-country. It’s very “right person, wrong place, wrong time”. Right now it’s just a big mess of notes and writing sprints, though.

What is your writing process like?

Almost everything starts off as scribbles in a notebook/Notes app, or taken down in notes app using speech-to-text on my phone. I always have to do the worst version first or it just doesn't feel right. Everything I want to be included gets thrown in there with very little regard for eloquence or order. From there, I break everything down into bullet points that I can expand on whenever I have time, and move things around into chronological order.

Do you have any writing quirks?

There are some words that I feel like I overuse. Things like “definitely”, “just”, and “very”, which reflects my real life speech habits.

Do you prefer posting when you’ve finished writing or on a schedule?

I try holding off posting until I’m finished if only because it feels SO bad if I don’t manage to complete something. It doesn’t usually work. I get excited, so usually I end up starting to post when things are maybe 60% finished. Schedules remind me too much of school to be fun.

Which fic are you most proud of?

I don’t think I have one I’m most proud of, but I don’t have one that I’m not proud of either. “a good age to meet the person you're going to spend the rest of your life with” is one that I thought a lot about and still think about, even though it’s pretty short. I only posted it very recently, but I wrote it shortly after Vol. 2 when thinking too hard about Robin and what her personal life might be like after everything.

How did you get the idea for Rule Me Captive, Drain Me Empty?

I thought it would be interesting to explore the two of them fumbling through kink and figuring things out in a more organic way. It’s something I always find quite cute, and it feels more natural to me when they’re not exactly well versed in the ins and outs of “proper” kink etiquette and terminology. 

I’m also a Dom-leaning switch Steve truther and I’m out here in the trenches. 

When writing to have everything you can see, what was something you didn’t expect?

The response to it from readers, mostly. I had several people letting me know that the subject matter is more outside of their usual interests but that they ended up enjoying it and seeing the appeal regardless. That’s a pretty big compliment to me because I’m somewhat in the same boat.

What inspired to have everything you can see?

So, when I don’t share an interest with others, I get really heavily invested in why they like that thing, or how the interest came about. It could be about anything - books, music, shows, ships, spirituality, kinks. I just like to Know, I like “getting it”. 

I wrote that fic to understand “under what circumstances would this be A Thing for this character” in a somewhat judgment free zone. Just going right the hell into it like “alright, this is what these characters are into. Make it believable and make it fun”. It works!

What was your favorite part to write from I get this feeling I'm in motion?

I think it’s the implication of how routine hangouts like that are, with Steve and Robin. They go to her house, they get snacks and drinks, and they immediately make themselves comfortable in her room. There’s something really sweet about a best friend making themselves at home in your house, and just existing beside you.

How do/did you feel writing Rule Me Captive, Drain Me Empty?

Nervous! I get really in my head about how I go about things at first. Am I being too needlessly verbose? Too much exposition? Do people even care about all the pointless errands they’re going on, or should we just get right to the bedroom?

But then I calm down and figure, I’m having fun writing about Steve intentionally dragging Eddie around town, and everyone else is just going to have to make peace with that. 

What was the most difficult part of writing I get this feeling I'm in motion?

Does “not immediately oversharing all of my personal hang-ups in the author's notes” count?

Actually, it was probably making the “repercussions” of Steve’s actions still be scary enough for him to internalize as a kid, but not be too disastrous or dangerous for him. I’m still not sure how I feel about it. 

Do you have a favorite scene and/or line from any of your fics?

It’s very small. In “a good age (…)”, Robin thinks about what it might’ve been like if Steve were her brother and they (affectionately) come to the conclusion that they would have been little shitheads to each other as kids.

Do you have any upcoming projects or fics you’d like to share/promote?

I have a handful of steddie illustrations based on fics that I’m waiting for the green light on to post, and quite a number of fics I’m chipping away at. Watch this space!

Thank you to our author, @ciriceart, and our nominator! See more of @ciriceart’s works featured on our page throughout the day!

Writer’s Spotlight is every Wednesday! Want to nominate an author? You can nominate them here!

[tfseeds]

Random TF brainworms

Other TF prompts that have been rattling around in my brain the past year(s), mostly franchise-based:

Slime Rancher 2 - With all the weird future/alien mystery science going on, it's prime free TF-estate. And c'mon, there is NO way Viktor Humphries wouldn't have a way to splice slime DNA for science. A cotton slime-ified Gaius would be so stinking cute.

Speaking of slimes, I was definitely on a slime kick -

Stardew Valley - Basically, story involving getting caught on the wrong end of the witch's temper while cave-delving, and getting a good old fashioned slow-burn curse transforming poor farmer Gaius into a slime. Also plays into my favorite trope of trying to keep the changes hidden - as patches of blue ooze-y spots form around his mid section, he tries to wrap them with cloth to keep it from saturating into his shirt. Plastic wrap is also attempted. Too much clothing is worn during the summer. Hats to cover hair that's more like a jello mold. Close friends who discover the secret using a wheelbarrow to haul the poor unconscious slime-guy home before he puddles all over the Halloween party. Figuring out how to maintain a solid enough form to wear clothes, use tools, etc.

BIG OL FFXIV SHADOWBRINGERS/ENDWALKER SPOILERS BEYOND HERE

FFXIV - Aaaaa there's so much I want to draw and design properly.

The whole light corruption/lightwarden arc of Shadowbringers was absolutely my jam, complete with soul-cracking strain and coughing up light gunk. I'm still not satisfied with my first take on Gaius's lightwarden form. The rough mental concepts: Large and bulky, like Zinogre from MHW. Maybe a semi-quadriped. Hooves on the rear feet. Wings for sure, white mane, gold horns. Blend bull and lion and other creatures.

The thing is I really want to bring a lasting physical representation of the corruption to Gaius's current form. I'm struggling with how to do that. Lots of other WoLs changed their hair white after the events of ShB, but that doesn't fit Gaius. I've been playing with the idea of a glowing scar of some sort, like markings on his neck or maybe chest that he keeps covered. I love using the bandana in his regular fashions and could be a fun way to tie it into his lore.

Throwing in my hella-old Zinogre doodles because I want to capture some of that mid-way feature goodness with Gaius's light corruption.

The whole journey of Shadowbringers is such prime real estate for transformation trauma - budding horns, patches of skin/fur bleaching out, those random soul-crunching episodes as a little more light escapes and furthers the process... All the while having to keep moving forward, despite the quest literally eating him. The other fun part with going sineater is the invisible changes, like a growing craving for aether, and losing the clarity of other senses like physical touch and taste. Gaius's character has always been a boisterous lover of food with a bottomless appetite. It's part of his love language - he makes sure his friends are well fed with snacks and home-made meals. This is something Minfilia/Ryne gets to experience intensely as he does his best to make sure the young girl is well nourished through their travels, and as a way to include her in the family.

There is a whole comic I will probably never get around to drawing, highlighting group meals along their journey - Gaius sharing his travel snacks in Il Mheg, getting her to join them for drinks and a big meal in the Crystarium, forcing a second helping of stew on her in Rak'tika with Runar. But then it comes to a small camp in the Tempest as the Scions overlook the skyline of Amaurot, one last rest before they venture into the final leg of their journey. Ryne is the one who brings a bowl of soup to Gaius, who is sitting apart from the others. The man is already showing extreme lightwarden features which have been spreading since the episode on Mt. Gulg. "I brought you some soup. To keep your strength up," she offers. He turns his one still-blue eye to her and smiles sadly. "Thanks, but I'm not hungry." He wishes he was. He wishes he could still taste anything. He wishes food didn't sit like a rock in his stomach. The look of grief and pity on Ryne's face is obvious.

Just, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. *rolls around in traumatizing-OCs-for-fun brainworms*

I want to tie the whole light corruption in with Gaius's struggle with his Inner Release beast - probably the best and terrible example I could give of what's in my brain is like how Naruto has the fox spirit sealed inside him. Inner Release is a whole other monster or side of Gaius that he harnesses for power, but not without risk of losing himself to it. Like something during the post-ARR banquet breaks it and that's why he takes up Samurai during HW, as a way to learn to control himself with discipline, meditation, and patience. The whole lightwarden thing either corrupts or fuses with his inner release, and maybe he still manifests some features while he's berserking, like vestigial horns and spikes. IDK, still playing around with that. I do think he keeps his hair longer to cover the small gold horns left over from his light corruption, along with whatever other scarring I settle on. Trying to distance himself from the 'beast' is a big long part of Gaius's struggle through FFXIV.

AND AND. I THINK ZENOS GOT TO FIGHT FULL-ON LIGHT INNER RELEASE BEAST GAIUS AT THE VERY END. Where Gaius finally let's himself fully sink into the pit and embrace everything he's kept buried away, that even he is too afraid to acknowledge. Accepting Zenos also includes accepting the entirety of himself, beast and all. Fray would be proud.