#me: takes a month or more writing a chapter of my multichapter fic

[zenkindoflove]

Tomorrow is my one-year anniversary returning to writing fanfic. This is going to be a bit of a sappy post reflecting on the last year and celebrating some of my wins/new things I've challenged myself to do.

October 17, 2023 is when I started to write the very first chapter of Burn Forever with Me. I had finished the ACOTAR series about two weeks before and had spent those two weeks reading all the Elucien fic I could. I could feel I had a story in me, so I set out to write it in a month thinking that would be it and I would get it out of my system.

It had been a while since I had written. From 2006-2012 I wrote fanfic very regularly across a few different fandoms. Most of those stories can't be found online anymore. I took a three year hiatus from my Big Bang Theory multichapter fic at the end of 2012, and didn't finish it until 2015 when I had a burst of motivation. I didn't write again until another burst of motivation hit me (Game of Thrones ending) and wrote another one-shot in 2019.

By this point in 2023, I kind of thought my fanfic writing days were behind me. I didn't expect this new resurgence in my life that came about because of this series/this ship. I've tried so many new things writing for this fandom and pushed my writing in directions I never anticipated.

Since last year I have... -published 441,592 words. -published 20 fics (a mix of multichapter and one-shots) -completed four multichapter long fics (huge for me because I used to abandon multichapter fics all the time in my first era) -Written for several ships, including rare pairs, not just my OTP which is all I did in the past -Created many OCs, including my focal OC Alexius. Up until now I thought I was kind of hopeless when it came to writing original characters. -Wrote fanfic for three appreciation weeks -Wrote MM smut for the first time, and lots of it. I have been reading MM smut for two decades, but did not have a calling to write for a specific ship until Eris x Alexius -Co-written two fics with @crazy-ache -pushed myself in what styles of writing I tackle, including writing epistolary for the first time as well as challenging myself to write action/fight scenes which always scared me in the past -world building in general also used to scare me and now I think it feels so much more approachable as I've been filling in SJM's holes. -I think my smut writing has evolved a lot too. While I wrote smut in the past and I think I established what my writing voice/style was for smut, I have really had the opportunity to solidify it and try it in different scenes and contexts. I feel a lot more confident than I did back then.

I wanted to highlight these because I think as writers, we are often too hard on ourselves, and it helps to put into context all of the ways we've improved if we are mindful of our progress. I definitely encourage you to sit down one day and remind yourself of all the new things you've done from your starting place. Making this list really put into context all the ways I've changed as a writer in just a year.

I still have a lot more I want to do and new challenges to face in the next year. I hope if you read this, it does help to show you that you can take long breaks and even if you take a step back from writing, you will always be a writer and it'll always be a hobby you can return to and improve your skills, no matter how long its been.

[openphrase123]

What's your workflow for planning and then executing a long-term project, like the massive fics you write?

this is how i do fanfics And also original stuff and it's how i've been writing for like ten years (your mileage may vary though i think long project planning is a different kind of beast depending on the person.

also this is the same process as i have for making other media too but obviously with the language tweaked to fit the media (like this is how i plan and execute my game, too!)

have a scene or concept haunt me so thoroughly that i write a short speculative piece about it. if you get here and it's good but can't get past the next step, that's a sign it's meant to be a cool oneshot instead of something multichaptered

decide why i'm making it. what question am i trying to answer, what themes am i trying to explore?

write 2-3 chapters of it freeform style, not caring about where these scenes are going or how they flow into each other (for things that aren't fics, this can just be like. a small section of what it Is). if you're not feeling it here this is a sign to make the scope smaller and make the piece as short as you can tolerate it for. if you are feeling it, this is where you're figuring out the overall tone and style of how the wider work is going to go

figure out the ending. write the ending scene now if you have to. you can change it later but you need to know generally where you want to go

make an outline. how many sections do i need to get from the opening scene to the ending scene? what happens in each chapter?

for ME and how i post, if this is a fanfiction, write at least 25% of it before posting a single thing. or if nothing else write 3 weeks of updates.

start posting

vibe and write at least 3 weeks in advance. if you need a break you need a break. it's free fanfiction, people get it.

now, some creators will be like "whatever you write, take out 10% of it to be economical" this is the modern writer's equivalent of the devil talking. you need the fluff. you need the downtime. you need the epilogue. slow your fucking stories down. let people marinate in them. yeah if you're writing something short form or in a specific format you might need to take stuff out but if you're writing fanfiction or a novel or a game and there's no limit on how long it is. don't worry about spending a couple pages dicking around. every piece of human media from the dawn of time has had interludes, B plots, long meandering pieces of fluff... it makes the parts where the story Hits really stand out. inutile's tragic moments wouldn't be as effective if there weren't fun jokes or levity interspersed in between

that said you need to know when to stop adding shit. only put things in that you think you have a reasonable time to address fully and completely. you will learn this the hard way one day and i cannot teach this or stop you from making this mistake. i learned this mistake writing homestuck fanfiction when i was 13. but in my defense it's really easy to go overboard with homestuck fanfiction

panic because i'm like 90% of the way through and tired of it and start doubting whether the story was ever good at all and if this was wasted time

finish it. celebrate. wait like two months

reread my own work and say "this is sick as hell"

(if this is original work, this is where you start editing it. this is a different beast. i will not elaborate here. fanfiction is for fun and is at the same level as my original fiction drafts. on a rewrite everything will be more polished and purposeful)

repeat forever and ever as long as there are stories to tell

also. this one is just me because it's how my brain works. but ideally i work on two/three longform projects at once, so that when i get tired of working on one my brain will go "ooh shiny" and latch onto one of the other ones effortlessly. if you have adhd this will either work for you perfectly or it will ruin your life

[johanna-swann]

Now that I finally finished that multichapter fic I think it's time to self-promote my Bucktommy collection on ao3 once more. They all take place in the same continuity and are sorted chronologically, but each story can be read independently.

"But in this life I met you" is about Tommy who, some months into his relationship with Buck, starts questioning his and Eddie's respective places in Buck's life. (3.6k, Bucktommy endgame, I repeat Bucktommy endgame. Yes, Buddie is mentioned and Tommy is a little insecure about it, but no romantic Buddie.)

"Tommy meets Evan" is a very short oneshot about the first couple of meetings between Tommy and Buck. (Tommy's pov, 1.3k. This is mostly me trying to get into LFJ's head and understand certain acting choices.)

"Most people call it falling in love" is yet another oneshot from Tommy's pov. He's being very normal (read, freaking out) about how much he likes Buck after only three months of dating and goes to Henren for advice about it. (feelings realisation, 3,7k.)

"Love and Lack thereof" is the multichapter fic I just finished this weekend. It's basically a "Tommy begins" type of story. Covers his childhood, his time in the army, his coming back to LA and finding a place for himself until he eventually meets Buck. (6 chapters, sort of angsty but in a very grounded / realistic way as I'm told. 28.5k.)

"I wouldn't know what to do with myself" is the odd one out, sort of, I wrote it before 7x10 aired. In the hospital Buck and Athena sit together for a while and wait for news on Bobby. They talk about all sorts of things while waiting, including Tommy. (ngl this one is more about Buck&Bobby than Buck/Tommy, but I included it anyway. 2.5k.)

I was also working on a story where Tommy and Karen bond and have a conversation about kids and the foster system, but I got sidetracked and wrote the Tommy origin story instead. (Both projects feature Tommy as a former foster kid.) Might still continue this though.

I have an almost finished proposal fic, but it's way too cheesy for my liking. I might need to edit that one a few times before I deem it worthy of publication. (I know the show itself is also very cheesy, at this point it's almost a soap and I do enjoy the drama. But I prefer a hint more realism in my own writing.)

Then there's this break up / make up story I've been thinking about non-stop, this is maybe my favourite wip right now. It needs a lot of work though, I would really put Buck through the wringer here.

That's it for now, if any of the wips pique your interest feel free to ask follow up questions, the links to the completed fics should all be working.

[rocksibblingsau]

when your writing out a chapter what's the hardest part for you? do you know what you're going to write about as you write it or before hand? what is your favorite part about writing? would you say writing a story is harder or writing a chapter for the story?

So making chapters flow without feeling stagnant or repetitive is hard for me. For each chapter I have a subject in mind, for example Branch's hang out day I went 'Okay so major scenes are makeup, diner, laser tag and wrestling'. Moving between those scenes was a struggle for me!

Also a little difficult is keeping my horses held. You have no idea how badly I want to get to certain milestones that are set for farther away.

Balancing characters is hard too! As much as I love my darling Billy, he can't be in every chapter. He's hogging the spotlight and so I've hired Barb to take him out back and shoot him.

My favorite part of writing is definitely the characters! Dialog, introspection, that sort of things! Barb's personality comes super easy to me, she was really well written in the movie- she has personality in spades!

Hmmm writing a whole story is harder to me. One-shots excluded, it's very hard to keep up with everything. I will say seeing as I've never written an entire fic all the way to completion that's multichapter I worry I've bitten off more than I can chew, but so far it's not been too bad! As long as people don't mind me taking a month or so on a chapter, it's been easy to keep up. Well... not EASY, but managable.

[rosie-b]

WIP Reblog Game

Thank you for tagging me @coffeebanana! <3

List the titles your top five priorities for WIP updates (link your fics for new readers!)

An upcoming scene, event, or detail in each fic that you're looking forward to writing

Bonus: make a poll for your followers to vote on which top 5 WIP they are most excited to see an update on!

Then tag 10 writer friends!

WIP TITLES

(I'm not sure if these wips are supposed to all be partially posted already or not, so here's a mix of fics with potential sequels and multichapter fics)

True Blue - enemies au + kwami swap (Marinette is the Peacock in this one) (it's been nearly a year since I posted the first chapter and I really thought it would be finished by now T^T)

Guilty by Association sequel (probably) - ladrien fake dating post-hawkmoth defeat

For the Sake of a Ring sequel (maybe) - lovesquare multiverse shenanigans before it was cool (unrelated to the paris special)

A Chat Walks Into an Office series (perhaps) - crack, ladrien, and gabriel realizing he's an idiot after an unexpected reveal

Growing Fangs (someday) - canon divergent future au centered on the next generation of heroes (the dupain-cheng kids) (it's been over a year since the last update bc i wrote myself into a ditch and can't get out of it hehe)

(As you might be able to tell, I don't leave most of my fics unfinished for long; I'm normally pretty good at leaving my ideas as oneshots or finishing them quickly.)

UPCOMING SECTIONS

The Gorizilla chapter!!!!! It's gonna be so fun (and an emotional roller coaster)

Ladrien with fake dating!!! The first fic was more-or-less a setup for this exact scenario. The problem: I have roughly no ideas for which direction to take this series atm

Ok, so this fic will be the battle scene from Adrien's pov, featuring many different universes' Ladybugs. I came up with one Marinette who is literally a rose and I love her so much so I'm most excited to try to incorporate her story (gonna be a challenge though)

Finishing the series. I might honestly end it where it is, but I do have a draft of Hawk Moth meeting Ladybug and explaining what happened (she doesn't believe him, of course, and she's very concerned for her partner)

Ok, after the decade-long timeskip, Chat and Ladybug will start off as the main heroes. However, they'll be forced to give their Miraculous to their kids for Reasons™, and I am very excited to get to that part and what happens afterwards (i swear i have a plan, it's just i keep getting sidetracked)

I get distracted by new ideas all the time, so the only 100% guaranteed updates are for True Blue (within a month) and Growing Fangs (before I die). BUT. I will be motivated to work on the other sequels if you guys vote for them or leave comments/tags saying you'd like to read them!

So:

10 new people to tag is a lot, so let's see: @lady-de-mon-coeur, @nemaliwrites, @marimbles, @chai-ki, @aidanchaser, @deinde-prandium, @ninadove, @fragileizy, and @hamsteriffic (no pressure, of course! and sorry if i re-tagged you)

[osiiiris]

Ghost Fanfic and Fanart Masterlist

✶ You can find all my profiles and activities related to Ghost in this Linktree.

🚫 Requests closed 🚫

A few but easy dos and don’ts:

Can I use your art as a phone/tablet/pc wallpaper? Yes, no need to ask.

Can I repost your art in another platform? Yes ONLY IF you ask first and properly credit me.

Can I use your art as a logo/merch/cover for my personal projects? It depends, but it is mandatory to ask and discuss it with me, so we can find the best solution for both.

Can I write a fic or create an art inspired by your works? Yes of course, if you ask first, properly credit me and share it with me because I’d really love to see your creations 🥰

Can I tag you in something I have done and I’d like you to see? Yes of course, I’d love that, no need to ask, just tag me or send in DMS/askbox :)

Can I ask for a commission? I don’t do commissions. Everything I do is available for free (unless you want to buy physical merchandise on my Redbubble shop). I occasionally do free requests from asks, but I am currently off for that. I only do requests for my close mutuals for now. Check the requests status on top of this post.

Asks are always welcomed, likes are always nice, reblogs are beloved, and comments makes me very very happy. Please, don’t be shy 😌

Now, here is what I write and draw about:

✶ Papa Emeritus III

IYRIN - Terzo x OC [Multi chapter COMPLETE]

An Angel in human form gets kidnapped and brought to the Ministry by a group of drunk Ghouls. Papa Emeritus III is summoned to solve the delicate situation and avoid a diplomatic incident with God, but things take an interesting turn. Chapters: 10 + 1

>>>> Wattpad | AO3

South of Heaven - Terzo x OC [IYRIN spin off - COMPELETE]

A group of rival satanists attacks the Ministry. Iyrin, now a fallen Angel, is struggling with their new demonic condition, and things between them and Papa Emeritus III are not going as they both expected. Terzo’s revenge against the rival satanists during a Metallica concert only makes things worse. Chapters: 3

>>>> Wattpad | AO3 | Tumblr

No peace in Hell - Terzo x OC [IYRIN sequel - Multichapter]

Whatever God does, the Devil does better.

>>>> Wattpad | AO3

The night of the witch - Papa Emeritus III x F!Reader [One shot]

Papa Emeritus III has asked you to be his altar for the day after ritual. Somehow he manages to make you accept, but before there is a “private lesson” you have to attend to get ready for your role…

>>>> Wattpad | AO3

The thing that should not be - Terzo x Omega [One shot]

Terzo is the 20 year old last heir of Papa Nihil and he’s definitely not having fun at his father’s birthday party. Luckily, a big Ghoul is around to save the night…

>>>> Wattpad | AO3 | Tumblr

The cigarette - These nights always end like this. [Ficlet]

Nothing more than a short rambling of Terzo’s personal way of saying goodbye after a night of love.

>>>> Tumblr

The Third Law - Terzo x F!Reader [Multi chapter - COMPLETE]

Terzo Emeritus is temporarily forced on wheelchair and crutches due to a knee injury. You have to take care of him and his house for a month and a half. Nothing you haven't done before, you’d think. Well, think again. Chapters: 11 (including Prologue and Epilogue)

>>>> Wattpad | AO3

Armat Victoria Curam - Teacher!Cardinal Terzo x F!Reader [One shot]

Cardinal Emeritus III is your Latin teacher, and he catches you daydreaming during an important private lesson.

>>>> Tumblr | AO3

✍🏻 COMING SOON:

[?] Papa Emeritus III (x occasional OC) [Multichapter]

Risen from the death by his brothers Primo and Secondo, Terzo Emeritus is sent to live out of the Ministry, with the task to plot a coup against Papa Emeritus IV military regime. life outside the Ministry is definitely not what he expected.

Devotion - Papa Emeritus III x all Ghouls [One Shot]

I am here to serve, Your Unholiness. Whatever your will may be, I am ready to fulfill it.

✶ Papa Emeritus IV

Kids temp - Copia x F!Reader [One Shot]

Papa is going to have a day full of meetings and he had been working tirelessly on bureaucratic stuff for days. He must be so stressed, but you are there with only a cup of coffee to relieve his spirit. That can not be the only contribution you can offer to make him feel better, right?

Part I - Kids temp >>>> Wattpad | AO3 | Tumblr

Part II - Dinner time >>>> Wattpad | AO3 | Tumblr

Horror Vacui - Copia x Phantom Ghoul [One Shot]

Papa Emeritus IV is getting older and tired, but Phantom, a freshly summoned Ghoul who needs to be trained to the new world, is always by his side to relieve his aching soul.

>>>> Wattpad | AO3 | Tumblr

✍🏻 COMING SOON:

The winner - Copia x Reader [One Shot]

Copia lost his last chance to win a Grammy. He thinks he is a loser, you think differently.

✶ Multiple Papas

Terzo once told me… - Cardinal Copia x Papa Emeritus III (non related) [Multi chapter COMPLETE]

A tormented, angst-filled one-sided love story between two lifelong friends and how they ultimately destroyed each other. Chapters: 4

>>>> Wattpad | AO3

The Devil in your details - young Copia x young Terzo [One Shot]

It was a more or less ordinary evening, an oversized T-shirt, and a possibly too excited Copia. That's what it took to end up in bed together, and for them to enjoy it. No major reason, no jealousy, no trauma or music, because that's where the Devil lie: in the details.

>>>> Wattpad | AO3 | Tumblr

Cocoon - Cardinal Copia x Papa Emeritus III (non related) [One Shot]

Just Papa Emeritus III and Cardinal Copia enjoying some alone time in their new residence after a long tour. Work outside, cuddles in.

>>>> Wattpad | AO3 | Tumblr

✍🏻 COMING SOON:

Midnattssol - Cardinal Copia x Cardinal Terzo (non related) [Multichapter]

Cardinal Terzo Emeritus is back at the Ministry after five years of cardinalate in Poland, in time for the Midsommar celebration. Cardinal Copia is happy to see him again… maybe a bit too much.

[?] - All Papas x Mother Superior F!Reader [One Shot]

You are the Ministry’s Mother Superior. One of your duties is to please every Papa as best as you can. Luckily, that is one of their duties too.

Headcanons & ramblings:

Emeritus Family backgrounds

Copia is a sugar daddy for his Ghouls

Papa’s playlists

Terzo and children

Under the Ghouls' mask: I / II

Random ramblings

Papas in Italian cities: Primo | Secondo | Terzo

Fanarts

Check out the tag #OsirisBC-fanart.

That’s all for now. Take care and stay lubed 🔥

All dividers by @saradika-graphics

[palfriendpatine66]

Vampire au 2 and 10 (I really want to ask for more, but will try not to be greedy)

If anybody still has asks from this WIP game I'm still answering!

I am SO GLAD you asked for this because I haven't touched this for months and months but I want to get back to it. I'm telling myself I'm going to write a min of 12 new sentences tonight for you, but in the meantime - have everything I wrote so far. It's not much but it's more than 12! (whether this be a chapter 2/continuation of my existing Smutty Vampire one shot or the beginning of an outlined multichapter fic...remains to be seen)

Anakin was lost in the feeling, swept up in the raging current that was dragging him under, helpless to do anything but follow its pull, when suddenly he was ripped away. Disoriented, the urge to snarl, to tear, to bite and rip his way back to the warm flow was stilled by a razor sharp pressure against his neck. 

Anakin turned to Obi-Wan, a growl building in his chest purely on instinct at the threat of razor sharp teeth pressed against his throat, even as he obeyed his command. 

The sight of him, the feel of him overpowering his new body - a body brimming with power and strength unlike anything he had ever known - filled him with an entirely different kind of hunger even as his every instinct screamed out a warning of danger.  

“This bite made you mine,” Obi-Wan’s voice was a velvety soft caress even as the scrape of his fangs screamed danger. “I said stop. You will abide me.” Anakin didn’t need the command that reverberated in his tone to make him comply. He melted into the touch. He would do anything he asked. And yet still he needed, desperately-

“More.” A demand, a plea; it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that he get more. 

“I know. I know,” Obi-Wan soothed, lips moving against Anakin’s skin. “It’s overwhelming. All consuming.” He shifted his restraining hold, one hand coming to rest on the back of Anakin’s neck to hold his gaze, the other settling on his hip. “Focus for me, this is important. What did I tell you?” 

Anakin did focus then, Obi-Wan becoming his one point of focus, the only thing that mattered in his existence. “Not to drink from the dead,” Anakin answered obediently. “We take life from their blood. If there’s no life left…” he drifted off, uncertain. 

“It’s ours that will be taken,” Obi-Wan finished. “Good. Very good. You’re doing well, I know this is a lot. How do you feel?” 

“I feel,” Anakin began to answer, but his focus remained captivated by the sight Obi-Wan made, experienced through his new eyes. The hunger, the need, surged through him, amplified by the touch which before had been so cold and hard and unforgiving. But now that Anakin’s body was changing, changing because it was filled with Obi-Wan’s blood - Obi-Wan’s life - his touch felt different.

He was softer, now that they were cut from the same stone. Not just warm now that they were the same temperature, but searing where their bodies came into contact. Now a different need spoke to Anakin, demanding.

“Tell me,” Obi-Wan urged him. “I will help you through it. Then I’ll show you how to control it.” 

Anakin found he didn’t much care for any of the repercussions of his choice at the moment, nor feel the need to control it. As the blood he’d so hastily consumed coursed through his veins he was electrified, brimming with energy and a new unbridled power. How could it be wrong if it felt so right? 

“I feel,” he paused before the word rolled off his tongue, “I feel everything.” And it was true. As he breathed in he could taste the dew that was starting to collect on the grass as the night cooled. He could smell the distinct scents of the different animals that moved through the woods; he could hear well enough to track each of their progress and would have been able to go to the location of each if he had any desire to find them. 

“It can be intoxicating,” Obi-Wan acknowledged. “Try to acknowledge and appreciate the changes. You must be present but separate the information you are getting from your new, heightened senses so that you aren’t overwhelmed by it. 

Anakin nodded absently, distracted by every layer of Obi-Wan’s steady voice.  He saw him now as he focused on him as if for the first time, because with his new vision the sight of him bathed in the moonlight was like nothing he had ever seen before. Even in that dark alley he had been able to see that he was a beautiful creature, as he had quickly revealed himself to be something else, something dangerous, something other than human. But in his strength, his hard smooth skin, and the gentle light behind those strange eyes had been otherworldly in their beauty. 

Now Anakin could see him more clearly, every detail only adding to his beauty. His face before has seemed smooth and hard, unforgiving. But now Anakin could see the fine lines from the life he had lived etched into his now unchangeable skin - laugh lines that told of happiness, creases that spoke of sadness and worry. Anakin found that he had drawn closer to trace over those lines as soon as the thought flicked through his mind, not even processing his own movement so fast and fluid it was. 

“You won’t have these,” Obi-Wan smiled lightly, sadly, as Anakin traced the wrinkles that marked the years of his life. “You’ll stay like this. Forever young,” he reached out to lightly touch Anakin’s cheek, mirroring his own hold. “Beautiful,” he concluded wistfully. 

His touch, soft yet firm, awakened something within Anakin. The warmth from his palm, warm where before he had been so cold, warmed by Anakin’s own blood coursing within him, stoked a fire within him that had just been waiting to be lit. Anakin looked at Obi-Wan with a new hunger in his eyes. “I want,” Anakin began, holding Obi-Wan’s palm against his cheek, sparing a moment to be distracted by his large hands. “I still want?” he asked Obi-Wan hungrily, a question in his voice.  

“That too will fade in time,” Obi-Wan assured in a low tone that sent a shiver down Anakin’s spine.

[xoxo-ren-xoxo]

4, 7, 13, and 19 for the fanfic writing asks

4. Link your three favorite fics right now.

Oh man, you're making me CHOOSE??? This is fucked up and evil actually. Okay. Ugh, there are so many I love... buuut I can probably muster up three currently updating fics. If anyone wants my completed fic recommendations then ask away!

First of all, @angeart 's wonderful(ly evil) Help Me To Breathe, which I have been commenting essays on for a while now. I'm biased because we're friends but this fic does so many things right - it is long but for me it's definitely worth it. How she handles mental health struggles is really poetic whilst remaining grounded, which I appreciate a lot. If you're looking for... 242k words (so far) of scarian angst, this is the fic to check out. It's not finished yet but it is worth waiting for.

Next, @definitelynotshouting 's lost in the dark (he's got a heavy heart) is THE fic that started my obsession with watcher!Grian. It's the fic that inspired my own watcher/listener series (shameless self promo) and it is constantly taking up space in my brain. It is devastatingly sad, but it is about recovery, ultimately, and again I really love how it's being handled so far. Really worth the read.

Finally, @uhohbestie 's There Are Monsters Nearby .... when I say this fic has been living in my head rent free... I mean this fic has been LIVING. THRIVING. in my mind. This is truly classic zombie fiction, where the zombies are kind of second to the relationship drama. I love the explorations of disability in the apocalypse, something I myself have been advocating for in my original writing, and the depictions and emotional beats surrounding cheating, flawed perspectives and jealousy are heartbreaking and so realistic. Wonderful fic. I am in shambles. Please read it.

7. Do you prefer to read short fics or long fics?

My ideal fic seems to be anywhere between 5k and 200k, but then some of my favourites have also been oneshots. I tend to go for any multichapter with more than 1k words per chapter, and any oneshot that takes my interest (though a longer one (5k +) will catch my eye a bit more than a drabble). It's kind of hard for me to tell, because I read a lot of unfinished fics, but I do kind of prefer fics that take months to update but give a 5k + chapter every time... longer *tends* to mean slightly higher quality, but that is not always the case. Agh. I don't know. Every rule can be broken.

13. Do you outline your fics? How much of a headache would someone get if they just looked at an outline of yours without reading the fic?

Yes and no. Multichapters tend to get their own little document for organisation with each chapter broken down into scenes. However, for Comms AU, I quite insanely went into it with no plan or outline. Yes, I am just now getting an outline together. Yes, it is a fic with 5 different timelines happening at once. Yes, I am regretting the lack of plan.

19. Do you edit your fics after you write them, or do you prefer to just hit post and run (because it’s someone else’s problem now)?

I write, then pass at least once (usually twice, sometimes even three times) to edit. My edits usually attempt to flesh out things that feel rushed or don't make sense. My writing is tricky sometimes, I hate writing plainly and that then becomes a weakness when I spend 5 paragraphs describing the texture of the air without actually explaining what's happening. So I try to clean that up. Comms AU gets one edit, usually, because it is just "audio", though with all my fics I sometimes edit as I write - especially if I've taken a break and decide to re-read what I've written.

Thanks for sending these asks! I have discovered that I need to make a longer fic rec post omg...

The ask game!

[slamminslamminmcgill]

Perrito: Chapter 1 - Lalo Salamanca/FTM Reader (NSFW!)

you were supposed to be doing 6 months in prison for drug possession and prostitution. that is, until you met lalo salamanca, and he decided to make you his puppy. for $10,000 a week, you were to wear a dog collar around your neck 24/7, and once he clipped the leash to you, you were to obey his every command. tags/warnings: petplay, dom/sub, bdsm, possessiveness, implied stalking, face slapping, praise kink, degradation/humiliation, oral sex, vaginal sex, squirting, needles/syringes/injections, medical exam, a few tiddlywinks of blood, non-consensual body modification (you'll see >:33) anatomical terms: cunt/pussy/hole, (t-)dick/cock words: 6,918 ao3 link author's notes: baby's first multichapter fic!!! had a LOT of ideas for this concept and im super excited to write more for this 🥺 y como siempre no soy un hablante nativo pero estoy aprendiendo. entonces por favor corríjame si se encuentra algo de errores :3

“Where do you see yourself in 5 years?”

A generic job interview question meant to gauge your desires and plans for the future. 5 years ago, you would’ve said the best case scenario would be a life of modest success and comfort. You would have never imagined that by this point in your life you’d be living in a lavish estate and making 10 grand a week. 

Let alone the fact that you were making 10 grand by wearing a dog collar for the drug cartel boss who owned said lavish estate. 

Whichever deity wrote your life story had a fucked up sense of humor. Your thread of life was being used to draw dicks on the tapestry of existence. You’d gotten great at lying to friends and family. As far as they knew, you were moving abroad to work as an on-call assistant for a shipping executive. You rationalized that it was technically true, but it was an egregious lie of omission. Don Eduardo Salamanca, or “Lalo” as he preferred, was a wealthy businessman; there was no denying that. Though your assistance was the furthest thing from business that anyone could fathom. It was a stable position that came with steady income, job security, and benefits. Sure, these benefits just so happened to include the best sex you’d ever had on the comfiest bed you’d ever touched, but that was neither here nor there. 

It all started how most job interviews go: prison. You were supposed to be doing 6 months for drug possession and prostitution, but Lalo took a liking to you the moment he saw you. He said that your skills would be highly valuable in an organization such as his, which was jobspeak for “I want to get my dick wet”. You thought he was talking out of his ass, but judging by the respect he got from your fellow inmates and even some of the guards, you took his word for it. He promised you a job when you both got out, if you’d take it. 

You agreed; it sounded a hell of a lot better than going back on the streets. He promised to set you up with his lawyer, who’d been working on a way to get him off. Luckily, the lawyer actually knew his shit. He had found some tiny loophole in your case and was able to get the charges dropped and your record expunged. Much to your surprise, Lalo was waiting outside the jailhouse to pick you up when you got out. He dropped you off at your place and gave you a week to get your affairs in order. Then, you’d be moving to his place across the border in Chihuahua, Mexico. 

The week after, he showed up at your apartment in a car that, if it could speak, would definitely call you poor. On the way to his house, you discussed the specifics of your position. 

“So!” Lalo declared in a cheerful voice as he adjusted the rearview mirror, “What do you remember from what we talked about?”

You combed through your memories, the many conversations you two had in the prison showers, cafeteria, and rec yard. “10 grand a week, I wear a dog collar 24/7, and when the leash is clipped to it, I’m working. When I’m working, you have full control over me, and I have to do everything you say. Is that right?”

“Yeah! There you go. That’s the gist of it.” Lalo affirmed, “But, you won’t have to do literally everything I say. If you’re uncomfortable, you have your signals, and I’m not gonna press your limits unless you say I can.”

That was one of the promises he’d made that had put your mind at ease. Discussing this over state-sanctioned lunch one day, he had asked you your boundaries, things that you would never ever do under any circumstances. He was receptive when you told him. Plus, he’d given you safewords to use: green for “I’m okay. Keep going.”, yellow for “Ease up a little bit.”, and red for “You need to stop everything right the fuck now.” There were also corresponding hand signals in case you couldn’t talk: 3 fingers up for green, 2 for yellow, and 1 for red. 

“Right, yeah. Thank you for that.” You said. 

“Ah, don’t be silly. You don’t have to thank me. I want you to enjoy this. It’s a lot more fun for me if I know you’re having fun.” He patted your shoulder, “And, if you want to really have fun,” and squeezed it tighter than you expected, “you can talk back once in a while. You can be a naughty little puppy, if you want, but you’d better be prepared for discipline. So make sure you know what you’re getting into, alright?” He put his hand back on the wheel.

That was generally good life advice, but you’d be lying if you said you knew entirely what you were getting into. “Alright, sure. Fair enough.” You gazed out the window at the desert terrain. Nothing but cacti and sand for miles and miles. You’d weren’t entirely sure which side of the border you were on anymore, or if it even mattered. “Question,” you posed. 

“Yeah?” Lalo prodded. 

“So, like… what am I supposed to call you while we do this? Just Lalo, or…?” Your voice trailed off, as if you were expecting a different answer out of him. 

“Oh, good question! I was actually getting to that. Such a smart boy.” He laughed and ruffled your hair, making you jump a little in your seat. His touch felt nice, but it was definitely something you’d have to get used to. You probably shouldn’t react that strongly every time. “You can call me Lalo when the leash is off, but if it’s on, you need to be professional. If you’re working, you call me ‘Don Eduardo’, ‘sir’, ‘master’, ‘señor’, ‘jefe’, or ‘patrón’. Those last two basically mean ‘boss’. Make sense?”

Sense was made. “Yeah, alright. Easy enough.” 

“Very good. And how’s your Spanish?”

You shrugged, “Mediocre at best. I can understand more than I speak.”

Lalo chuckled, “Well, I appreciate the honesty. I’ll have to teach you to speak it, then, no worries. Also, if the leash is on and I have you speaking Spanish, call me usted, not tú. That’s just when you’re working, though. Es formal, ¿comprendes? (It’s formal, understand?)”

Okay, sure, you could do that. It might take you a bit to figure out, but you’d get there. “Sí, yo comprendo. (Yes, I understand.)”

“Bueno. Now, what can I call you?” Lalo poked you in the arm, “And I don’t just mean your name.”

Your first thought was an idiot. That seemed like a fitting label for someone in your predicament. Thankfully, your second thought was much more receptive. “Well, uh… what did you have in mind? I’m pretty open.”

“Oh ho, you wanna hear what I think of you? I got a whole list of ‘em in mind. They might not all be flattering, just so you know.”

You secretly hoped they wouldn’t be. “That’s fine. Go for it.”

“Well, there’s the animal related ones. Puppy, dog, perro, cachorro (puppy), and then variants of those like doggy and perrito. Reminds you what you are to me, y’know? There’s also other animal terms like conejito (bunny) and osito (little bear). Basically, anything that lets you know how cute you are.” He reached over to pinch your cheek. 

You giggled. The attention and praise was definitely a perk to this whole arrangement. “That all sounds good.”

“And, if you’re a naughty little puppy.” His tone darkened to a rich growl and he dragged his hand down to your upper thigh, squeezing it hard before he spoke, “I may call you chucho, or a dirty little mutt.” He spat that last word at you with mock disdain. 

The idea of him changing up like that, getting rough with you, putting you in your place, that was another perk. Honestly, you weren’t sure if you were more excited for the praise or the punishment. “Oh… Oh wow…”

He leaned in closer to you, his breath hitting your face. You wondered how he could watch the road like that, but maybe that’s why he drove you through the middle of nowhere. In his mind, you were the only thing worth watching. “You like that?”

“Yeah…”

He showed you how quick he could change by pulling back and switching back to his friendly tone. He gave you whiplash, but not from how he was driving. “Good! ‘Cause I got more. You’re okay with me being mean to you?”

You were more than okay with it, especially if he would say it in that same sexy tone. “Yeah, I mean, like, just don’t call me a girl and you can pretty much say whatever you want.”

“Heh, I’ll keep that in mind.” He patted your thigh before putting his hand back on the wheel once more. 

A few more hours, a few more rest stops, and a few more hundreds of miles, and you pulled up to what looked more like a military base than your future home, complete with friendly, welcoming armed guards and a concrete wall topped with warm, fuzzy, barbed wire. 

Actually, the armed guards were friendly and welcoming, once they realized who was coming at least. Lalo rolled down his window and spoke to a man with a ponytail, who greeted him with a smile. 

“¡Buenas tardes, señor! (Good afternoon, sir!)” He pointed at you in the passenger seat and leaned on the window. “Ooh, ¿es este el nuevo chico? ¡Él es más lindo de lo que usted dijo! (Ooh, is that the new kid? He’s cuter than you said!)” Apparently, his other employees referred to him with the same formalities.

“¡Ay, ay! ¡Mucho ojo, cabrón! (Ay, ay! Watch it, asshole!)” He laughed and pushed him off the side of the car. “Pero sí, es él. Parece un buen chico, ¿verdad? (But yeah, that’s him. He looks like a good boy, right?)” He turned to you. “This is Miguel. He’s one of the guards I have working here.”

Your eyes were fixated on the gigantic rifle across the man’s chest, enough so that you forgot your vocabulary from Spanish 101. “Bien a… bien a conocerte? (Nice to… Nice to meet you?)”

The two men laughed, but you could tell it was all in good fun. Lalo smiled, “Ah, tan tonto… (Ah, so silly...)” and petted your hair again as he corrected you. “You’re kinda right, but ‘Mucho gusto’ is what you’re trying to say, mijo (my boy).”

You blushed the tiniest bit and course-corrected. “Oh, lo siento. ¡Mucho gusto, Miguel! (Oh, sorry. Nice to meet you, Miguel!)”

“Igualmente, chiquito. (Likewise, kiddo.)” Miguel turned around and punched in a code on the keypad. “Listo, patrón. (All set, boss.)” Another term you shared for him. 

“¡Bien! ¡Gracias! (Nice! Thank you!)” Lalo waved him off as he pulled through the gate. He could see the tension in your face and slung his arm over your shoulder. “What, did the gun freak you out? Ah, don’t worry about that. He’s just compensating for something, y’know?” That got a hearty snort from you. “Nah, but really, he’s a nice guy. All of my people are great. I told them all about you, y’know.” He drove up to a spot in his massive driveway and parked the car.

His last statement tied your stomach into a knot. You couldn’t imagine facing an entire army of employees, your potential coworkers, knowing what they knew. “Uh… all about me? Like… what exactly?”

Lalo turned the car off and unbuckled his seatbelt. “Well, basically, your personality, your looks, how we met, and what you’ll be doing here. They don’t need to know all the details. Just enough to know what to expect, right?” 

You unbuckled yours as well, even though you were now mortified to step out of the car. “What I’ll be doing here? How the hell did you explain that?”

Lalo waved off your concerns, “Oh, what, are you worried about? That they’re gonna judge you for it? Don’t be silly! They know better than that. Honestly, they’re all psyched to meet you. Now, c��mon, you’ll see what I mean!” He opened his door and saw you reach for yours, “No, no, let me get that for you, sweetheart.” He stepped out of the car and walked around to your side, opening your door and offering his hand for you to take.

“Thanks.” You gave him a timid smile as you took his hand and stepped out. Sure enough, a couple steps later and you saw an eager crowd of people waving you over. 

Lalo raised the hand you were holding and called out to the crowd as he approached, “¡Aquí él está! Entonces, tengo suerte, ¿o qué? (Here he is! So, am I lucky or what?)” He let go of your hand and patted you on the back. Knowing his ego, he definitely wanted to show you off. 

An older woman was the first to answer him with a voice that sounded like how fresh baked cookies smelled. “Claro, tienes razón, mijo. (Of course, you’re right, my boy.)” She approached you and held her arms out for a hug, which you graciously accepted. “¡Bienvenidos, querido! Estamos encantados de tenerte aquí. (Welcome, dear! We’re happy to have you here.)” she said, hugging you with all the love in her heart. Oh, god, that wasn’t his mother, right? You dreaded to think of how that conversation must have gone.

Lalo introduced her as she let go of you, “This is Yolanda. She’s my housekeeper, cook, and the reason why I have such a fat belly!” He laughed and patted his stomach, clearly exaggerating. In reality, he was only slightly pudgy, but hey, you liked a man with a little squish. Much better to cuddle with. “Let me tell you, she looks sweet, but her cooking is dangerous. I’m told she's got something great planned for us, you’ll see.”

A young man, even younger than you were, raised his hand to ask a question. He looked tense, probably afraid to speak out of turn. “Uh, perdón, ¿señor? ¿Él habla español? (Uh, excuse me, sir? Does he speak Spanish?)”

Lalo scoffed, “¿Por qué te importa a tí? ¿Qué, le vas a decir que huir? (Why do you care? What, you gonna tell him to run?)” He was staring him down like he was trying to melt an ant with a magnifying glass. The kid looked like he was about to piss his pants, he was so nervous. Suddenly, Lalo burst out laughing and flicked the boy’s forehead. “¡Ah, solo te estoy jodiendo, chamaco! (Ah, I’m just fucking with you, kid!)” He then turned back to you. “This is Ciro. He’s another one of the guards here, believe it or not with a babyface like that. He was asking if you speak Spanish.”

“Oh! Hi! Uh…” You took a moment to think of an answer for him, “Comprendo más que yo hablo. Solo hablo un poquito. (I understand more than I speak. I only speak a little.)” You glanced over at Lalo, who gave you a thumbs up. 

Lalo snapped at him, both physically and verbally, though his words had an edge of sarcasm to them. “Entonces, no le digas algo estúpido a él. ¿Entiendes? (So, don’t say anything stupid to him. Understand?)”

Ciro nodded, “Sí, señor. Entiendo. (Yes, sir. I understand.)”

“Bueno. Pues ve a llevar sus cosas a mi habitación. Tiene dos maletas en la cajuela. (Good. Then go take his things up to my room. He’s got two suitcases in the trunk.)” Lalo patted the boy on the shoulder and handed him the keys. 

“Si, señor. (Yes, sir.)” Ciro replied before he ran off to get your bags from the car. 

While he was doing that, Lalo took the time to introduce you to his remaining staff: Cecilio, the gardener, and the other two guards, Herardo and Raul. Everyone seemed like decent, hardworking people, and you couldn’t wait for dinner tonight. After having said your hellos, Lalo said there was one more person you had to meet, a visitor, and he was waiting in the living room. 

Lalo led you into the house, guiding you with his hand on the small of your back. To the right of the foyer was the living room, where sure enough, someone was waiting for you: an older man in a white lab coat. A doctor?

“So!” Lalo gestured to the man standing before you. “This is Dr. Cruz. He’s been with my family for years. Actually, he helped deliver my little cousins Marco and Leonel when they were born, so we have a lot of trust in him. I just brought him in today to give you a quick checkup and see that you’re fit to work. Is that okay?” 

A physical? That seemed pretty excessive, but this was a new job, at the end of the day. You figured it wasn’t entirely abnormal. “Uh… yeah! Sure. I think I’m actually due for one, anyway.”

Dr. Cruz smiled at you. “Great. I just need to talk to Lalo here for one second, and then we can get started. Please, have a seat on the couch. I think that will be the best place for everything. It’s a pleasure to meet you, by the way.”

You returned the smile. “You too.”

As you sat down on the examination couch, Dr. Cruz walked Lalo over into the next room. You could hear bits and pieces of what they were saying, but you couldn’t decipher any of it. He spoke in a hushed voice. “Está seguro que yo no pueda disuadir a usted de esto? (Are you sure that I can’t talk you out of this?)”

Lalo responded at the same volume. “Estoy seguro. No quiero que él se pierda. Te pagaré doble por el molestia. (I’m sure. I don’t want him to get lost. I’ll pay you double for the inconvenience.)”

The doctor sighed. “Bien. Entonces… (Alright. So…)” He put on a friendly grin as he walked back over to you. He reached into a bag that was sitting on the coffee table and started pulling things out. Needles, syringes, bandages, alcohol wipes, and some other medical supplies you couldn’t quite name. Then, he pulled out a file and handed it to you. “These are your medical records from your time in MDC Albuquerque. Would you just tell me if the information here is up to date?”

You briefly wondered how in the hell he was able to get his hands on those, but hey, the cartel family doctor probably had connections. You scanned over a list of medications, vaccinations, diagnoses, allergies. Everything was correct. “Yeah. Looks good.” You said plainly and handed the file back to him.

“Alright, perfect.” Dr. Cruz accepted the file from you and placed it back in his bag. “Now, we need to take some blood to run labs. Just to make sure that nothing has changed and that you’re clear for work. Don’t worry, we won’t need much. Just a finger stick will be enough.”

Bloodwork? That seemed excessive too. But, come to think of it, you’d basically be sucking Lalo’s dick for a living. He probably wanted to make sure you wouldn’t give him anything. “Okay, yeah. Hit me.” You held your hand out. 

Dr. Cruz snapped some gloves on before he grabbed your wrist and stamped the needle into your fingertip. You winced at the stab, but it was over in a flash. Then, he milked your finger to get some blood, enough to fill up a small vial. “This will be used for STI testing. We’ll have the results back in a few days, but we’ll only call if you test positive for something. As far as we’re concerned, no news is good news.” Once the vial was full, he capped it and bandaged you up. He put the vial in a bag, sealed it, and stored it with the rest of his equipment. “Okay, last thing on the agenda. Your records state that you’re due for a tetanus shot. It’s a big injection, so I’ll have to numb you first. The injection site will bruise and be sore for about a day or two. Now I’m sure this is probably different from how they do it in the states, but this is how it’s done in Mexico.”

“Oh, really? Interesting.” You pondered, none the wiser to your boss’s plan. He’d exploited your naivete and trust in him to get you to do this, and it worked like a charm. You had no clue. “Yeah, I mean, if I’m due for it, might as well.” You rolled up the sleeve for your non-dominant arm.

“Perfecto.” Dr. Cruz said as he grabbed your forearm. He sanitized the underside of your bicep with an alcohol wipe. “First is the local anesthetic. Tiny pinch, but then you won’t feel a thing when we do the second one.” He positioned the syringe just below your muscle. “I’m gonna have you breathe in and out twice, and on the second exhale I’ll inject. You ready?”

“Yep.” You said, closing your eyes and calming your nerves.

“Alright. Breathe in…” Inhale.

“And out…” Exhale.

“And in…” Inhale.

“And out…” Exhale. Pinch. 

“Beautiful. Now, it’ll take about 30 seconds for the numbing to kick in. I’d advise that you keep your eyes closed while I prepare the vaccination. The needle size may frighten you.” 

“Sure thing.” You obliged, keeping your eyes closed and your arm out. You could hear the doctor rifling through his bag, unwrapping sterile equipment and popping containers open. It was hard to picture exactly what he was setting up, but you could tell he was done when he grabbed your forearm again. “Can you feel me touching you?” He asked. “Not where I’m holding you, I mean right here.” He poked your bicep again, not that you knew, of course.

“Where?” You asked. 

Dr. Cruz chuckled. “Okay, you’re numb. Now, same thing as the last one. I’m gonna have you take a deep breath twice before I stick you. Ready?”

“Yep.” You repeated.

“Breathe in…” Inhale.

“And out…” Exhale.

“And in…” Inhale.

“And out…” Exhale. You didn’t feel a pinch this time.

“Amazing. You can open your eyes.” As you did, you watched Dr. Cruz set the syringe on the coffee table and grab some gauze. He debriefed you as he wrapped it around your bicep. “The numbing will last for a few hours, so it’ll probably wear off in your sleep. You may bruise and be a bit sore tomorrow morning, and you can take the gauze off then as well. Try not to overwork the muscle for a day or two.” He taped the gauze to secure it, then patted you on your shoulder. “And you are good to go, my friend. I wish you all the best in your new position.”

You gave him a friendly smile. “Sounds good! Thanks so much!”

“No problem. I’d say see you around, but hopefully you won’t have to deal with me too much.” He laughed as he finished packing his bag. Once he was done, he grabbed it and turned over his shoulder to Lalo, “Y enviaré a usted la factura mañana. Me llame si él se molesta. (And I’ll send you the bill tomorrow. Call me if he has any problems.)”

“Claro. Gracias otra vez. (Of course. Thank you again.)” Lalo replied as he led the doctor outside, patting him on the back for a job well done. He shut the door, and finally, finally, he could focus on you, and he was chomping at the bit to get started.  “Alright! We’re good to go! Got the formalities out of the way, so now,” He sauntered over to you, swaying his hips as he walked. When he got to you, he snaked his hands behind your back and grabbed your ass. “Now, we can put you to work.”  You barely had time to react before he let you go, but not before giving you a playful spank. “Follow me, doggy.”

You squeaked at the literal pet name. Being ordered around by him felt better than you thought it would. This was going to be amazing. He led you up the stairs to his bedroom, though you were practically chasing him up with how excited you were. When you arrived, he closed the door behind you two. “Stay right here.” Lalo commanded. He walked over to the dresser and opened a fancy box that sat atop it. You heard the clinking of metal, and when he turned around, he was holding a black leather collar in one hand, and a chain leash in the other. You beamed at the sight of it. This is what you were here for. You couldn’t wait. You’d be such a good boy. Lalo knew that, but still, he had to ask. “You ready, puppy?”

“Yes, sir!” You responded cheerfully.

Lalo smiled and fastened the collar around your neck. His calloused fingers swept your hair out of the way; his hot breath billowing against your sensitive skin. It was intense. You could feel your thoughts fading away as you focused on getting into your new role; a cute, silly little puppy. You closed your eyes and let the warmth of his embrace dress you up. 

Lalo cupped your face in his hands and pressed a kiss to your forehead, whispering sweet nothings in his native tongue as he petted your hair and scratched behind your ears. “Oh, mi chico hermoso, eso es. Se veas perfecto con ese collar. Es como tú has nacido para ser mi perrito. Vas a ser un buen chico para mi, ¿verdad? ¿Vas a hacer lo que yo digo? Oh, sí, sí, buen chico. (Oh, my beautiful boy, that’s it. You look perfect in that collar. It’s like you were born to be my puppy. You’re gonna be a good boy for me, right? You’re gonna do what I say? Oh, yes, yes, good boy.) Such a good boy.”

Your head lulled from side to side, following his gentle touch. As he pulled back, your eyelids lifted up, and you saw his gorgeous face. Dark brown eyes half-lidded, his mouth curled into a smile. You were so happy to see him. You really did feel like a puppy, so bubbly and playful at the sight of their master. You gave him a goofy grin and said, “Hi…”, one of only a few words left in your brain.

“Hi, puppy.” Lalo cooed as he caressed your cheek. “You ready to get started for real?”

You nodded. You’d been ready for hours.

“Bueno.” Lalo hummed as he clipped the leash on your collar. Thus began the start of your first shift. You were working now. Henceforth, you were at his beck and call, his perfect little lapdog. “Now, I’m gonna teach you some tricks. I’ll say them in English and Spanish so you learn a bit. Okay?”

You giggled, already feeling hazy and obedient. “Okaaay…”

“Perfecto. Entonces… (Perfect. Now…)” Lalo backed off you to straighten his posture, and pulled the leash taut. “Siéntate. Sit.”

You dropped to your knees without a second thought and gave him a cherubic smile. If you had a tail, it’d definitely be wagging. You were anxious to make him proud of you.

“Good boy! So smart!” Lalo praised as he crouched down on one knee and held out his hand. “Dame la pata. Shake.”

You laid your hand in his and waited for your next command.

“Bueno. ¿Puedes hablar? Can you speak for me, boy?”

You could. Barely. “Yes, Don Eduardo.”

Lalo smirked and shook his head. “Oh, no no no. Not like that, mijo. Like a dog. Habla. Speak. Let me hear you bark, okay?”

You blushed, but you wanted to be a good boy. And good boys do as they’re told, no matter how embarrassing it may be. “Woof! Woof!”

Lalo couldn’t help but laugh. You were just so cute! “Oh, that’s perfect! Good boy!” He kissed your forehead again before standing up. He tugged the leash to get your attention. “Stand up. Levántate. Two legs.”

You rose to your feet and stood upright, hoping it wouldn’t be for too long. It was hard to act like a puppy when you were standing like a person.

Lalo could read your mind. His next command solved the problem you were thinking of. “All fours. Cuatro patas.”

You smiled and went down on your hands and knees for him.

He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled on the leash. “Ven aquí. Come here.” 

You crawled over to him and knelt between his legs. Instinctively, you rested your hands on his thighs, before realizing he didn’t tell you to touch him. You started to pull away, but Lalo interrupted you.

“You can keep them there. That’s fine.” He traced his fingers from your collar up to your chin and tilted your face up to his. “You’re a real lapdog, aren’t you? You want your master to take care of you, right boy?”

You nodded.

Lalo tugged the leash and gave you a firm command. “Habla. Speak.”

“Woof!”

He snickered again. God, you were just perfect for this. “Oh, good boy. I’m gonna have so much fun with you.” He tapped his hand on the bed. “Arriba. Up. Up on the bed, and then get in my lap.”

You crawled onto the bed, the smile never breaking from your face as you sat in his lap. Lalo’s hands dragged down your back, mapping the curves of your hips. He took his time admiring his new pet. “You can use words now, puppy. ¿Quieres tu patrón que te haga sentir bien? (You want your master to make you feel good?)” 

You whimpered and nuzzled into his neck, trying to translate and then answer him in Spanish. “S-Sí, patrón… (Y-Yes, master…)”

Lalo’s hand made its way back up your spine, your breath shuddering as he traced his finger up. “Mírame. Look at me.” He took a handful of your hair and tugged your head off his shoulder. You let out a soft gasp and met his gaze. He was staring you down. Before, you’d felt calmed and nurtured by his attention. At this moment, you felt weak. Exposed. He was just so intimidating. He had you quite literally in the palm of his hand, right where he wanted you. He kept you waiting for longer than you would have liked, almost like he was sizing you up, trying to see when you’d break. Once your anxiety reached its peak, he pressed his lips against yours.

You sighed into the kiss and collapsed onto him, your arms slumping onto his shoulders, gripping his silk shirt. Lalo’s lips enveloped yours, his tongue pushing inside your mouth to swipe across your own. His teeth tugged your bottom lip. Since he was holding onto you by your hair, he slipped his hand through the loop of the leash and let it explore, groping your chest, your ass, your thighs, eventually letting his hand rest on your front between your legs, cupping you through your jeans. 

Even though you were the dog, you praised your master, “Oh, fuck, Lalo...”

Your master yanked your hair back and reprimanded you. “No, no. You’re working. What’s my name?”

Panting like the dog you were, you tried to parse the meaning of his question. When you got it, you said it. “Don Eduardo…”

Lalo confirmed your answer, “Good boy,” and took your lips back in his. He released his grip on your hair and moved to unbutton your shirt, unwrapping you like a gift with his name on it, “Oh, chico, you have no idea how much I missed this.” He placed an open mouth kiss on your neck, just above the collar, “I missed that tight little hole,” and on the other side, “Always so wet and needy for me,” and bit down enough to leave you with a glaring mark. 

You wanted to moan his name again, but hesitated. Lalo seemed to roll off the tongue more easily than Don Eduardo, especially when you lacked the brainpower to talk more than absolutely necessary. Thankfully, you recovered. “La-ah… oh, fuck, patrón…”

Lalo peeled your shirt off and let it fall to the floor. “Yeah?” He asked, biting on the other side of your neck. “You like that, puppy? Habla.”

This time, your bark wasn’t loud and confident. It was akin to the yip of an overstimulated Pomeranian. “W-Woof, woof…” you whimpered. 

“That’s it…” He pried himself from your neck and tugged the leash. “Date la vuelta. Roll over. On your back.” 

You scurried off his lap and onto the full expanse of the mattress, flopping onto your back with your knees propped up. It was much softer than the prison bed you two were on last time you did this. Lalo climbed over you and worked your pants off, then everything of his except his boxers. He pushed your legs apart and smiled at the visible wet spot in your underwear. 

“Aw, perrito, look at you! I got you all worked up, huh?” He was honestly one to talk, judging by the tent in his boxers, but you weren’t about to argue, especially when his face was mere inches away from your core. Lalo slid your underwear off and threw it over his shoulder. He laid down on his stomach and pushed your thighs up to your chest, revealing your weeping, aching hole. He bit his lip at the sight, and flicked his eyes up to yours. “It’s good to see you again.” He said before diving in headfirst.

You gasped as his tongue swiped up and down your cunt, lapping up as much of your wetness as he could. He pulled away to warm you up some more, leaving wet kisses and sharp bites on your squishy thighs. The teasing made you whine, though not as loudly as he’d like. He took your t-dick into his mouth and started to suck, which gave him the exact response he was looking for.

“Ah! F-Fuck! Fuck!” You cried as your hands scrambled for something to hold on to. One found the sheets, and the other his hair. Keeping him still, you bucked your hips up and started to fuck his mouth, whimpering pure nonsense the whole time. Just combinations of “please”, “fuck”, “more", and the cutest little sounds he’d heard in a while. 

Lalo let you have your fun. He even winked at you, which you interpreted as a signal for “Yeah, you like that?” He took one of his hands off your thighs and brought it down. You didn’t realize why, until you heard some soft grunting. You felt the mattress bounce, just a tiny bit, and strong vibrations against your cock. He was stroking himself, feverishly so, to the point where he couldn’t take it anymore. 

Lalo ripped his head up and gasped for air. “Dios mío… (My god…)” He laughed breathlessly before getting off the bed and tugging his boxers down. “I hate to rush this, but… I don’t think either of us can wait any longer.”

He was right, of course. You’d been waiting for this moment ever since you got out of prison. No bars, no guards, no spectators, no worries. Just him filling you up and fucking you into the rest of your life, a life of luck, luxury, and lust. He hopped back onto the bed and positioned himself in front of you. You held your legs open for him, making it easy for him to slide inside. He gripped the base of his cock, and looked into your eyes for approval. You nodded, and he pushed in.

The sensation of being full was too much for you to keep quiet. Reflexively, you moaned his name. “Oh! Lalo! La-ah!” Your praise for him was cut short by a slap across the face.

“No! Bad boy!” He tugged you up by the leash to face him. “I told you, you’re working. And what’s my name when you’re working?” He snarled.

You hastily corrected your mistake. “Don Eduardo! Don Eduardo! I’m sorry, Don Eduardo!”

“Much better.” Lalo lessened his grip on the leash, allowing you enough slack to fall back against the pillow and hook your legs around his waist. He gave you a hard thrust, making sure he bottomed out inside you. Then another. And another, until he had a good rhythm going. His efforts earned him a slew of pathetic babbling from you.

“Don Eduardo! Don Eduardo! Ah! Fuck…! Fuck me! Please!”

As much as he loved hearing you beg, he didn’t want you bossing him around. He was the master here, not you. You were his dog, his bitch. He lowered himself down, pressing his elbows into the mattress, and shut you up with a kiss. You hugged him tight, whining into his mouth as he rutted inside you. He pulled away and growled into your ear. “Eso es. Tómalo. Tómalo, puto. Eres mío. Eres mío y de nadie más. Perteneces a mí, y voy a follarte como la perra que eres. (That’s it. Take it. Take it, whore. You’re mine. You’re mine and no one else’s. You belong to me, and I’m gonna fuck you like the bitch you are.)

You couldn’t hear a word he was saying over your own cries and the obscene sounds your bodies made. He held you tight against him as he used your body like a toy. You couldn’t move or fight him off, not that you’d want to, but you were completely powerless, and in turn, he had complete power over you. From now on, at any time he wanted, he could clip a leash onto your collar and take you for himself. You’d spend the rest of your life looking over your shoulder, knowing that you could be stripped naked and fucked senseless at any moment. Exhilarating, thrilling, intoxicating, none of these words seemed to fully encapsulate what you were feeling.

You choked on his formal title as you pleaded for mercy, mercy that you didn’t expect to get. “D-Don Eduardo! Don Eduardo! I’m gonna…! Oh, fuck, I’m gonna cum!”

“Oh, already? Is that right?” Lalo sneered and slithered one of his hands in between you two. He gripped your dick and started to stroke it, knowing that was the key to making you break. “Do it then! C’mon, puppy! Be a good boy and cum for me!” 

You didn’t need him to tell you twice, or even once, for that matter. You orgasmed on his command, squirting hard enough to force his cock out of you. You sobbed into his shoulder, overwhelmed and overstimulated, clinging to him for support through it all. When it was over, you collapsed back against the bed, gasping for air and relief.

Lalo sat up for a moment, admiring how beautiful you looked when you were too pleasured to think: your face flushed, chest rising and falling, tongue hanging out of your mouth. You really were like a puppy, all tuckered out from playtime. It was adorable. 

You stared up at the ceiling as you basked in the afterglow of climax. It was like lying on the beach at sunset. The warmth of your body heat being cooled by the dots of sweat on your brow; the oxytocin flooding your brain like waves on the shore. Blissful. Peaceful. Serene.

Yet you had no vacation time left to use. You were called in to work by your master slamming his cock into you and bringing you back to reality. You yelped and stared up at him in shock as he pumped in and out of your abused hole.

“What?” He scoffed. “What did you expect, doggy? You’re not finished ‘til I finish.”

You weren’t sure how many times he made you cum that night, but the last thing you remember was dozing off with his seed spilling out of you.

–

You woke up the next morning in Lalo’s bed, alone. On his pillow, there was a note. You reached for it and rubbed the sleep out of your eyes to read it. It said: 

Good morning, puppy! Great job yesterday! Come to the kitchen when you’re awake and I’ll cook you breakfast. 

XOXO,

Lalo.

You smiled. He was so sweet. You folded the note and stretched to put it on the nightstand, but suddenly, you felt a jolt of pain in your bicep. Right, the tetanus shot. The numbing had worn off. Oh well, at least you could take the gauze off by now. You unwrapped your arm, and just as you suspected, there was a nasty bruise at the injection site. Going against better judgment, you pressed down on the mark. Something you felt shocked you enough to recoil, not the tender bruise itself, but rather the foreign object implanted underneath it.

That’s when it hit you. 

When Lalo said you were gonna be his dog, he meant it. You were to be collared and at his beck and call 24/7, and in return he’d give you food, water, a place to live, companionship, everything a responsible dog owner should provide.

And what else do responsible owners do for their dogs?

They microchip them so they can’t run away.

[anonymous-dentist]

Will you still continue writing and putting qbbh in your stories?

I'm asking this question after months because I can't stand people "separating" the cc from the character, when it can't be done, not when the cc defends such a despicable person. I kept quiet for a long time because you're my favorite writer, but I'm tired of pretending that it doesn't bother me because I suffer daily from racism and xenophobia (things that both qbbh and cc don't seem to care about JAJAJA).

I don't know if you will respond to this or just ignore it, but regardless, thank you for writing such beautiful works and stories, I won't follow you any further, not until I have your response. And if you keep writing Defender of the Bastard, I'll pretend I've never read any of your works, that I've never even met you.

I used the translator to make the job easier 0___=

Okay, anon, I'll start this by saying that I 100% understand where you're coming from. If you've seen my pinned, you know that I hate that shitty green teletubby and all his friends equally, and I do NOT fuck with anyone supporting them. And you've probably seen me speaking up about the freakish xenophobia that parts of Bad's fandom have been taking part in basically since April (that I know about, I've never been a viewer.)

But also? I don't write qBBH. I've written him maybe five times Ever since the QSMP started, and three of those five times were in Breaking Dawn. And, even then, he's not really super important to the narrative at all, and he was never going to be. If anyone from the book club was gonna be important, it would be Maxo because he was super important during the Regret Arc, unlike Bad. And you may have noticed that I haven't even mentioned Bad in that fic since he started getting weird about Dream recently. I legitimately rewrote all of the most recent chapter to keep Bad out of it.

With my other current multichapters (Let a Spider Run, Evil Eye), he was never gonna be a big part of them because I quite genuinely just don't give a shit about his character and because his character isn't too important to the parts of qCellbit and qRoier's stories that I want to explore. Breaking Dawn? Regret Arc. Let a Spider Run? ...Kinda all over the place, but it's the bit of May when Cellbit and Roier started getting interested in each other. Evil Eye? Current "Fuck The Federation" Arc. So if you wanna follow those, go ahead, Bad would only be a cameo mention at most, almost definitely not someone super important. The fic he'd appear most in would be Breaking Dawn, but even then it's like one or two more times because, again, Maxo is actually the more important one there. Limited roles, dig?

But also? You have no right to demand what I do and do not put in my writing. Am I gonna put Bad in anymore? Not in any huge role because I never did, but you showed up and decided to effectively threaten me into not writing him at all by saying you'll never read again. And that's disappointing because I'm so ridiculously thankful for all my readers and I never want to make anyone uncomfortable, but you coming in and demanding I effectively change the plot to my passion project instead of coming and talking to me in dms or something is just kind of a dick move.

I don't hold anything against you, anon, and I won't hold anything against anyone who decides to unfollow me because I'm gonna keep having qBad appear as minor characters in my fics, but you've gotta understand that he's a character. Does he suck? Yeah, and so does the CC, but separating fact from fiction is a vital part of appreciating Minecraft RP storytelling. And I 100% understand having difficulty separating character from CC when it comes to a CC who has done some real shitty things, but sometimes you just need to take a step back and stop consuming content from something that brings you this much distress just by having a single character in it.

You're probably young, and I'm really, really sorry that you've dealt with so much horrible bullshit because of this one man's fandom, and I'm sorry that this guy is on a server that you love and appreciate and I understand that so well (I was a DSMP writer for a while, after all), and I hope that you understand what I'm saying here. I'm not currently planning on including him in anything beyond one or two brief appearances in Breaking Dawn, but you don't really have much of a right to demand that of me. I made this decision weeks ago.

[ygodmyy20]

🍉, 🍊, 🍍, 🥝, 🍈, and 🍇, please?

Okay this may need to be the last one I do cuz I am on my phone haha

🍉 Do you prefer to write short fics or long fics? Multichaptered works or single ones? Why?

I’m not sure as I have done both! I do love my current long fic right now but i love writing short ones as well. I think the long fic is fun but it is a lot of work and a little overwhelming. Single chapters are nice tho and I kinda wish i did it more. Just to get the idea out there.

I can only work on one long fic at a time I think….but I may change that soon. I dunno haha

🍊 Who’s a character you don’t write for that often, but keep meaning to write for more? (They’re so interesting! But maybe you have trouble pinning them down, or keep getting distracted by another blorbo…)

Reigen. God he is a character I struggle to write but there is so much meat to him. So much I could explore. I’m finding my way through my Ageswap but it took me awhile to get here.

Reigen makes me….angry sometimes haha so that’s also hard to write him.

🍍 What kind of AUs do you like? Are there any AUs you hate or just generally have beef with?

I’m pretty chill pickle with all AUs. Monster au, mermaid au, Ageswap, space. You name it I’ll be down.

Ofc my fav right now is Ageswap au cuz that’s what I’m writing hahah

🍈 Who’s your blorbo and what are some of your favorite headcanons/ideas about them that repeatedly show up in your fics? Free pass to rant about blorbo opinions.

It’s a hard tie between Teru and Shigeo. But because Teru is more top of mind right now I’ll go with him.

MY fav HC for Teru is….many. So here are a few fun ones:

* he never keeps the same hair forever. But my favorite hairstyle of his, is the side shave. He keeps that for most of his 20s

* Teru loves to cook. He learned how in his late teens after getting way too sick too often when he was a kid living in his own. I think Reigen, Shigeo, Ritsu and Serizawa help him learn how to cook. Once he figures it out teru is all in

* Physical touch is so important for Teru. Him and Shigeo have a lot of past traumas about touch. They work together a lot to find a healthy balance with touch. I think this is platonic or romantic. Teru likely went months without a loving physical touch.

* Teru needs to have control. If he doesn’t he falls apart. There are many times in his life where he won’t ask for help because he needs to be in control. this does not end well.

* Teru has trust issues that he has to spend most of his life working on. He trusts a select few people but would never trust them to take care of him. Teru can take care of himself (he says to himself).

* Teru loves to knit, to create things, to doodle. He likes doing things with his hands.

That’s just a few hahaha

[theminecraftbee]

Hello I've just finished the most recent chapter of solving counting sheep. I'm absolutely loving it and I'm going to cry. Was wondering if you've written any other longer/chaptered fics I can read as I wait for the next chapter? Stuffed bird and now this have gotten me hooked on your writing 💙

I have three other multichaptered works!

the last days of the free angel of carrows is what you want if you want properly long - it’s my longest multichapter! it’s an urban fantasy in which joe and cleo run a supernatural fixer agency and get caught up in a city-wide conspiracy when the mysterious pearl moon comes to their office requesting assistance.

the continued adventures of the boatem road trip is a series of connected vignettes that take place between seasons eight and nine in which boatem is stuck together in the void for two months. it starts as a comedy and slides more into horror over time.

finally, jevin’s egg disaster is technically a multichapter, though it’s largely just the anthology of ficlets I originally posted on tumblr! it’s a crackfic that can be summarized best as “what if the hermit egg hunt went horribly and hilariously wrong”.

if you’re looking for length, and not for chapters, my longer (over 10k) oneshots include to convey a certain brilliance, which was me writing the moon apocalypse back when I didn’t think that would actually happen, cura te ipsum, which is a fic about everyone waking up on the hermethius between seasons eight and nine and specifically focusing on tango trying to make sense of it all, and attempt thirty-three, which is about a joe hills who got caught in a rift-induced time loop during one loop of that time loop.

if you like dsmp, black box, san luis (note that one will remain incomplete), revenant, and bad beat are also options!

enjoy!

[syneilesis]

Some updates about my multichapter fics, because I also needed reminding lol

Let It Stand, my silly novelist AU, Chevalier/Emma:

I want to finish it before Chevalier's birthday, but that seems impossible. So I want to finish it during his birth month, which ... I can't promise lol. I will try; I've been rereading it to refresh my memories. I have like, 8 scenes left to write. They're plenty, sure, but better that than still having zero outline for chapter 3.

The problem is, I'm stuck! I know the general flow, but I am dry with details! I have been stuck for more than a year. Alas, this sucks.

the soul is nothing more than an ocean water, canon AU reincarnation AU, Comte/Reader:

I said this before: I don't care how long it will take me, I will finish this one. And it's proving true -- the timeframe part lmao 😂

Like the novelist AU, I have a general outline for it. I also have outlined a few chapters. Looking back now, I think it's better this way, to take time with it, to leave for a while then return to it, because based on my existing outline, I was kinda hesitant to choose certain narrative decisions. But after writing other fics and gaining the courage to write explicit smut, I can go back to my notes and revise a number of details. Is this growth? Maturity as a writer? Or just having no more fucks to give? 😂 There are still plot details I have to come up with -- and that takes up much of the reason for my being stuck. That, and rl. But I need to re-evaluate what I outlined so far. I haven't started the next chapter lolsob, but I do hope to start it by the end of the year. I'mma skip the 2024 update, but for 2025, I hope to update it lmao that joke about one chapter a year is funnily true but it stings.

I haven't finished any work in progress in my life so I am determined to finish these two come hell or high water lol 😭

[angst-in-space]

august '24 writing progress

words written: 23.3k

most words written in a day: 1,570

least words written in a day: 57

yearly total: 102.5k

projects worked on:

ya sci-fi book rewrites

ya sci-fi book revision notes

edited and posted the soukoku oneshot!

bsd regency au

works published in august:

take the dark (and carve me out a home) (bsd/soukoku)

august goals

f-finish ya sci-fi book rewrites?? for real this time?? 🥹

keep up with goal of approx. 1k per day for 40k in 42 days challenge

edit (maybe post?) skk oneshot

make some progress on bsd regency au

maybeeee update one of my other multichap fics that i haven’t updated in a long time?

perhaps work on some other fic?

september goals:

grits my teeth... finish ya sci-fi book rewrites...

finish reverse outline / revision notes for ya sci-fi book

meet 40k in 42 days challenge goal

continue working on bsd regency au, maybe try to get through ch 2??

update one of my multichap fics

work on other fic maybe?

notes:

got a lot done this month! once again did not finish my book rewrites as i hoped, but i did make a good dent in it AND I ONLY HAVE TWO CHAPTERS LEFT!!! i already started a sort of reverse-outline and revision plan for my next draft... so i'm hoping during september i can finally finish the current draft and maybe finish outlining my plan for the next draft.

i wrote about 8k of the bsd regency au so far and have almost finished chapter 1 (may need to split it in two but... we'll see lol). having a lot of fun with it so far and definitely gonna continue it in september. maybe i will try to reach the end of chapter 2? or at least write most of it?? i should also maybe figure out how many chapters it's gonna be, haha.

speaking of bsd, i posted my first bsd/soukoku fic!! and have received some nice comments on it so far, which makes me so happy. :') excited to share more writing in this fandom!

i have a few other multichapter fics i keep meaning to update so i'd like to update at least one of those this month! i also have some other fic wips i want to continue, if i have time.

oh yeah i also plan on continuing to work towards the 40k in 42 days goal! i did pretty well during august and am at about 22k currently (more than halfway woohoo!) i have about two more weeks left so hopefully i can still make it!!

it's gonna be a busy month cuz i'll be traveling and going to my sister's wedding + a music festival but that's not til the last two weeks of the month so i will try to do as much as i can before then.

looking forward to another month of writing, and happy september to you all!!! 💖

[leavesdriftinginthewind]

Fic Author Self-Rec

@therulerofallpotatos tagged me in this sweet little game yesterday, but I was hellbent on getting my Weyler Week Day 7 story finished, so I'm doing it today!

Rules: Reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers.

I've only written seven fics so far, six of which were for Weyler, and five of which written specifically for Weyler Week, SO this may feel like a bit of a rehash of my postings this past week, but that's okay!

wake up screaming from dreaming was my first Weyler story and I spent months working on it. It's still probably my most favorite thing I've written so far! I was nervous writing from Wednesday's POV because she's such a particular character, but I honestly felt like I nailed both her and Tyler's characterizations in this one. I'm still a bit blown away by how many people read it, seeing as it was my AO3 debut, and totally shocked by the sheer amount of favorite Weyler authors of mine that commented on it, letting me know just how much they enjoyed it.

paper rings was intended to be a Weyler proposal one-shot but it went and turned itself into my first-ever multichapter fic! It's not debuted on AO3 as well as I've hoped BUT it's one of the things I enjoyed writing the most. It'll be an absolutely fluffy little ride that also has some quality bonding time between Tyler and Donovan. I'm hoping it finds its audience as the rest of the chapters get shared. Will be updating on Saturdays in case anyone's interested! <3

you can't be gone was my first go at proper Weyler angst, and I tried out a "stream of consciousness" writing style to match how I felt Tyler's mind was reeling by his last encounter with Wednesday in S1E8. It was rather depressing to write my boy struggling so terribly, but it was great to put my thoughts of how their infamous encounter in the woods unfolded from his POV down in a story.

Quads and Countermoves was a story I managed to churn out in a measly four days, which is RECORD time for me (most of my stories so far took me AT LEAST a week to write from beginning to end). It's a funny, sweet, snuggly one-shot in which Tyler insists Wednesday take a nap, but she insists on being a bit difficult. It was also my first go at dipping my toes into more physically intimate territory with the two of them (although it was quite literally child's play compared to the smut many of the fantastic Weyler authors write!), so that was fun for me to write!

For my last rec, I'm actually sharing the link to The Demon Soul, my first EVER fanfic I wrote manyyyy moons ago and published on fanfiction.net. For having written it when I was just 16, it actually holds up rather well! It's a Destiel/DeanCas fic that I wrote after the Supernatural S9 finale. I'm considering dragging it over to AO3 just so it can live with the rest of my writing!

As far as tagging five authors goes, I know many of the ones I follow posted theirs this weekend, but I don't believe I saw any yet from @nouklea @chaoticstupiddm @cosmic-lullaby @badmoodbatflowers and @galpinlvr!

[anlian-aishang]

I've been writing on tumblr for 3 years. Here's the advice I would have given to myself.

I still stand by everything I said after my first year, so read that first!

You are more than a writer, more than a blogger, more than your tumblr.

It sounds cliché, but it is true. When you spend time on this website, even if it is just five minutes a day, it becomes part of your identity. At the same time, it is important that you don’t reduce your identity to only this. Otherwise, notes become lifeblood. Word counts represent your ability. The number of fics you produce is a figure of your productivity. When any of those are low, they can disproportionately affect your happiness. 

When it feels too much, take a break, take a breath. Remember: this is all for free-time fun. Sometimes, this website may make you feel bad about yourself. Those times are the moments to remember that you make up tumblr, but it doesn’t make up you. 

Life is short. Write what you want.

Who gives a fck if you're the only one on earth who likes it? The fact remains: you like it! Be selfish. Write what you want. There will be someone - whether it is in the future, and whether it is actually future you - who adores it! 

I have repeatedly made the mistake of delaying my multichapters to focus on fulfilling requests. This has led me to having multiple fics go 1-2 years without updates, and trust me, that's not a fun place to be. YOUR blog/fic/writing/hobby is for YOU. Prioritize yourself and your happiness. This leads me to my next point...

If it’s agony, take a break. Come back and it’s still agony? Take a longer break.

Writing is supposed to be fun, but the second it feels not fun, it is the most painful exercise known to mankind. Is your cheek in your hand? Are your fingers refusing to type? Do you feel tears looking at the screen? These are all signs that you should take a break! If you come back from your break and it still hurts, stay on your break until it feels right again. 

I just got off of a two-month break. There was no pressure behind my return, I just felt like writing again, and when I did, the prose flowed like caramel. I cranked out 10,000 words in a week. And speaking of word counts...

Turn the word counter off.

More words does not equal higher quality (nor does it equal higher note count, if you care about that). No fic, no scenario requires X many words. I’ve written major character death in less than 1000 words. I’ve also written quickie car sex in over 3000 words. Some of my favorite fics are over 10k words with multiple chapters. Others are headcanons with less than 300 words! Word count is not important, and neither is...

There is no such thing as correct characterization.

Ask fans of a series how a character would react in a situation and I guarantee that there will not be any two identical responses. Sure, you can prefer someone's characterization over another's, you can even consider it more canon, but none of us know the canon because the series/creator does not show us all (i.e. the character in the omegaverse, the character in a fantasy AU, the character at hot pot). So, don't stress yourself out over achieving perfect characterization. The truth is, we cannot know for sure.   

The deeper truth is that it doesn't matter. Fic is for the things we cannot achieve in reality. Do I really think this character would cook me a four-course dinner every week? No. But is that what I want? YES. So that’s how I’ll write it! 

Even if the character’s creator explicitly said something about them, why can’t you write otherwise? Here is the secret: there is no reason. ((Do you know how heartbroken I was when Isayama reportedly said that Levi Ackerman likes tall women? And here I am at 150 cm? There was no reason for me to be upset.)) Write what you want! Write who you want!  

When you can't remember all the requests you have, it's time to close your requests.

Trust me, I know how tempting it is to keep your inbox permanently open. FOMO, right? What if a really great, life-changing request is out there, but you miss it because your inbox is closed? 

Here is the solution: there is always a way to get more fic ideas. Prompt lists, songs, AUs, those little moments of inspiration you get in your day-to-day, they will all lead to fic! Requests are not the end-all-be-all. However, if you let them stack up and up, they will turn into the end-all-be-all. Having double digits in your inbox is daunting and even paralyzing. 

I have long pondered how to know when the time is right to close your requests, and I think the (or an) answer is when you cannot remember all of them without checking. 

Make sure you know tumblr’s tag rules, or else your fics may not show up in search results. 

I learned this the hard way. If you put #nsfw, #bdsm, #submissive, #dominant, #latex, or any other suggestive term in the hashtags, your post will NOT show up in ANY search results. Don’t be discouraged if your fics don’t get many notes PERIOD, but also, if you care about visibility, make sure to experiment with what tags will not show up. 

You do this for free, so do it for fun!

Writing is difficult and every day seems to present new obstacles. At the same time, though, there is so much good to be had from it. I have met the most wonderful people. I have had the biggest laughs. Three years worth of fic, memories, and friendships that I would not have had - had I not had the courage to type all that time ago. 

When you feel discouraged, and there will be times you do, remember all the good. <3