#mer's favorites list

[comradetoad]

He's a doctor not a damsel, dammit! (A Leonard "Bones" McCoy in a Situation fic rec list)

A non-comprehensive list of fics I love where Bones gets kidnapped, left behind, stranded, held hostage, or trapped, sometimes on purpose. Mind the tags for some of them with violence and torture, but all have relatively happy endings.

Gen

Equilibrium, PSW (TOS, T, 152k): The GOAT McCoy in a Situation fic. Reads like a good TOS novel, with a compelling story and strong characterizations that emphasize how important the triumvirate are to each other.

Safe, SidSky (AOS, T, 290k): Khan escapes and kidnaps a beloved enterprise crew member (guess who!), testing both the captive and those trying to rescue him. A long but really excellent post-into darkness fic that really brings out Khan's characterization from Space Seed and Wrath of Khan, diving into the Eugenics wars, section 31, and the differences (and similarities) between the prime and kelvin universes. Gen with a focus on Kirk and McCoy's friendship.

the one with the dog, kurgaya (AOS, T, 9k): a much more chill situation for our doctor! Just involves some time and maybe universe travel to see our friends on Enterprise NX-01.

Mudd in Your Eye, Avirra (TOS, T, 61k): Harvey Mudd finds the Botany Bay instead of the enterprise, but they are still in need of a doctor. McCoy is both a badass and a damsel in this, the best combination.

McKirk

for I would throw myself into the flames that you need not burn, thesecretdetectivecollection (AOS, M, 10k): With Jim unconscious, Bones pretends to be the captain in order to protect the away team, and suffers the consequences. There's also a part 2 focused on physical and psychological recovery from the Situation, plus more sex.

Chiraptophilia, Joules Mer (AOS, T, 15k): Post-rescue, but a difficult recovery is still a situation. A McKirk get-together/feelings realization fic.

Hold Me Tight (I'll Hold My Breath), laughter_now (AOS, T, 30k): Jim and Bones are in a shuttle crash, trapped in a dangerous, high stress situation while awaiting rescue. Very gripping as a reader!

To the best of my ability and judgment, Time_that_is_given_to_you (AOS, G, 98k): post into-darkness, former section 31 agents kidnap McCoy, wanting his cure for death. The search, rescue, and aftermath are full of complicated emotions for bones and Jim.

Fortunate Son, mardia (AOS, E, 51k): an excellent and unique take on Tarsus in the Kelvin universe, with Bones in a Situation in the present and in the past via flashbacks. Also some cool andorian culture world building! Recently established McKirk.

without retention or restraint, periphery87 (AOS, T, 19k): another entry in the 'Jim has to rescue a brave McCoy and they both realize some things' genre, with some cool mind meld stuff and Spock being very supportive.

Spones

For What They Are, stealthestars (TOS, E, 9k): a must-read Spones fic, it's tagged with both TOS and AOS, but the character dynamics and physical descriptions are very much TOS. McCoy finds himself at the mercy of a local warlord and Spock is Not Happy about it. Bonus mind meld sex at the end, too.

sing for the damage we've done (and the worse things that we'll do) and i speak in smoke signals (and you answer in code), flibbertygigget (TOS, T, 2k and 6k): Technically gen but the Spock and McCoy vibes are strong and in my heart they are in love. McCoy faces an ethical dilemma, and Spock helps when he has to deal with the consequences of his choice.

Left Behind, sleepymccoy (TOS, T, 37k): Bones is trapped on a primitive planet with the Enterprise in orbit, unsure if they are able to hear his transmissions as he tries to survive. Recently established Spones, plus some lovely original art!

McSpirk

do you love your neighbor (is it in your nature), Muir_Wolf (TOS, T, 20k): McCoy really suffers on a temporary assignment gone sideways, but also is not a helpless damsel. Lots of comfort to make up for the hurt, too. An all time favorite I've re-read many times.

Approximation, liadan14 (AOS, E, 15k): Bones is prevented from returning to the ship by a genocidal colony leader, and Jim and Spock do not handle it well. Lots of interesting world building, some academy era McKirk, a bit of angst, and a smutty ending. A great dynamic for the AOS triumvirate!

[catsushinyakajima]

KLANCE FIC RECS FOR THE NEW YEARS RECAP PART ONE

2024 has come to an end! Here are all of my fav fav Voltron fics and authors that I've interacted with throughout the year. I'm trying to make this list as diverse as possible so everyone can find some tropes they like but I PROMISE all these fics are worth a read. Listed in no particular order, we have:

fear no more the heat o' the sun by taromi | 28k | Canon-Divergent

This fic is an ASTOUNDING depiction of Keith's perspective on life and how Lance changes things up. Every scene between them added not only to their dynamic, but also to our vision of Keith. We see how he is and how things unfold so beautifully. The prose is beautiful and the scenes carry both fluff/emotion so well.

Silver Bells by heavily_caffeinated/@heavilycaffeinatedsblog | 86.3k | Christmas AU

I'm not one for much holiday cheer/hallmark-esque tropes, but caf's writing still managed to draw me in so much. I applaud Caf sincerely for their incredible diligence to upload a chapter everyday (totaling to 86k words in 25 days!!), and their enthusiasm to include everyone in it's creation. This fic is a pure show of passion, in both it's story and the creation of the story. I encourage you all to check out their other fics too.

late night talking (can’t get you off my mind) by ShatterinSeconds/@shatterinseconds | 5.8k | Werewolf!Keith

This fic is SO GOOD for touch starved Keith. It's short and sweet and you get both perspectives of their pining and feelings together. It's a really cute one shot, and I had trouble picking between this fic and other fics by the author so check those out too! Also @shatterinseconds is the goat for not only commenting on all my fics, but somehow always being in the comment section of every fic I read.

Hearts Don'/t Break Around Here by klancekorner | 135.5k | Roommates/Childhood Best Friends

This fic is a classic in the KL fandom but I still don't hear it talked about enough!! I don't usually like childhood best friends trope that much but this fic made me LOVE it!!! It also portrays Lance's anxiety and Keith's avoidance so so well and shows them growing up beautifully.

Cores of Diamond by speaks/@speakswords | 25.6k | Friends with Benefits

One time I lost this fic in my bookmarks and spent a whole day trying to find it. It's such a good depiction of the way KL don't always see eye to eye due to a lack of proper communication and bridging that gap between them. Has NSFW scenes!

Where the water meets the sky by speaks/@speakswords | 106.3k | Mer!Keith

I NEEDED to rec another speaks fic, this one is unfinished but it ends on a conclusive note. There's themes of growing up, living with changes, reunions, and also lots and lots of feelings.

got got got it bad by kairiolette | 10.3k | Post-War | Pining Keith

This one is also pretty popular. It's so so funny. And so real. Keith goes through the five stages of grief as he realizes he loves Lance and like. Of course he would do that. Really sweet.

so kiss me (kiss me kiss me kiss me) and tuesday's sweetheart (sunday's lover) by hearttpoem | 10k | roommates AU | getting together

This author writes the BEST modern/roommates AU. I love the way KL lives together in their fics and I love the way you can see different love languages in the fics. I was going back and forth between which fic to rec and I chose both these fics cuz I read them all the time!!

Where the apple falls by europa_report/@jupiters-junipers | 130k+ | post-war | comatose

No fic rec list is complete without this fic. This fic is genuinely one of my favorite KL fics, its not finished but I believe the author will finish it. The prose is beautiful and it is an entire emotional rollercoaster. You guys should definitely check this fic out

I've Said Too Much (You Promise I Can't Ever Say Enough) by negativefouriq | 1.8k | Autistic!Lance | Est Relationship

This fic is short, sweet, and such a good depiction of having so many thoughts and wanting to share them all and the anxieties of it. Keith's perspective and his reactions to Lance are very healing to read.

baby, i'll rock your world by AsterikaMay/ @catsushinyakajima | 9.5k | Christmas AU | Gift giving

I am putting one of my fics here lol because I did enjoy writing this one a lot! I keep writing fics about gift giving and pining...this must say something about me ahahah

Part two here

[merakiui]

Hey Mera!!! I love your Azul writings and thoughts and wondered: Do you have any Birthday Hc's for Azul Celebrating Darlings' Birthday?? (SFW, NSFW, Yandere, regular, Au, whatever tickles your fancy!)

My Birthday is tomorrow and was wondering what my favorite Tako would do O.O

HIII!! :D uuuwaaa I hope I’m not too late to convey my well wishes… >_< HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SWEET ANON!!! May you enjoy lots of delicious foods and happiness on your day~ now here are some thoughts on tako celebrating your birthday!! <3

Knowing Azul, he’s likely planned every single part of the celebration in meticulous detail. From the foods offered to the decorations to the venue (Mostro Lounge, naturally) to even the sort of music he’ll have playing as background!! All of it will be your favorites, each preference carefully gathered from his extensive stalking research. He wants this to be absolutely perfect, as you deserve only the best of the best. The guest list is up to you for the party. Anything goes because it’s your special day, but don’t mind Azul when he wishes to peruse who you’ve added to the list. Anyone who might sour the festivities or your mood will be swiftly scribbled out and the twins will be sure to keep an eye out in case anyone not on the list tries to slip in.

That’s the big celebration, but he actually has plans for private time. Azul is an introvert at heart, but then his gestures of affection range from grand to small. He could take you to a fancy, five-star restaurant or give you luxurious experiences and gifts to match, but he wants to do these things knowing you’ll enjoy them. If you aren’t partial to these things, then there’s just no point. Truthfully, he quite likes the idea of spending quiet time indoors with you. Sharing a delicious meal in the comforts of your room or his, doing things you like to do, taking it slow. Azul has a tendency to be anxious about these things, and he’s likely planned way too much in advance to compensate for any potential errors or anxiety. He just wants you to know how cherished and celebrated you are. Of course he’ll still spoil you with plenty of gifts and experiences. It’ll feel like Christmas the way he’s giving you so many gifts.

And nsfw……. you are lavished with love in that bed, against the wall, on the floor, etc etc. he’ll fuck you in every way and position you want. He’ll get on his knees for you. And maybe he might even be willing to do a few things in mer form for you…. >:) anything for his precious angelfish. You’re his weakness. He adores you and it’s very obvious. Needless to say, it will be the best (and most exhausting) birthday sex of your life. He wishes your birthday could be every day so that he could continue to spoil you like this, but luckily you’re his lover and so that’s basically like a daily birthday. <3

[mer-acle]

Zeus' Favorite AU

by @evermorecatra and @mer-acle

◈◆◈◆◈◆◈◆◈◈◆◈◆◈◆◈◆◈◈◆◈◆◈◆◈◆◈

If Metis has a son, he shall surpass his father in strength and usurp him as he did to his own father. Should she bear a daughter, her mind will stand tall beyond both her parents.

And Metis bore a a daughter, not a son.

Still, from the day she is freed from her father's skull, Athena is a threat, loved yet hated, raised high and mercilessly torn down at the God King's whim, so she never considers trying to fulfill her brother's prophecy.

Olympus sees the Golden Child, the perfect princess, the favorite, but Athena knows better. She's flawed, in constant need of being disciplined, taught to do better, to overcome the weakness so deeply ingrained within her. Her father is merciful enough not to make her punishments public.

Ares may think he gets treated roughest by the Thunderbringer, so may Hephaestus. Neither of them expects their eldest sister to understand the pain from more than a bystander's perspective. They couldn't be more wrong.

Of Metis' bright-eyed daughter, and the man working tirelessly to make her spark dim. Of those who stood by helplessly, those torn down in the crossfire, and the mortal man who changed it all forever.

◈◆◈◆◈◆◈◆◈◈◆◈◆◈◆◈◆◈◈◆◈◆◈◆◈◆◈

We proudly present, the AU concept we've been working on. We're nowhere near done, but we've got SO. MUCH. ANGST planned already. Like we are on all of Olympus' death list for this for a variety of reasons and we'll probably be on yours too XD

Feel free to ask questions about this (or yell at us already, that's okay too)

xx

[liloinkoink]

[art by @martynsimp69]

hello to the, uh, 200+ new followers i've gained from trivia. im finally remembering to throw out a quick pitch for some of my fics to you lot. can i interest you in some lanterns

Lamplight AU

Lamplight a DnD-inspired fantasy renchanting/treebark au in which Martyn is a paladin-by-desperation and Ren is his god. if you've ever seen fanart of Martyn with a lantern / staff around, that's this!

Ren has lost his body and been left in the form of living fire, and Martyn has been separated from his adventuring party. the two of them are looking for a way to restore both of these, and doing a lot of arson in the interim. the fic is about 50k, most of which is "canon" storyline and the rest of which is "non-canon" ship fic. there's also plenty of cool art and even some animatics for the fic, all of which i absolutely recommend trawling thru the "lamplight au" tag for (on here or on my writing blog, @driflew, or checking the fanart tab on my blog). there are even a pair of spin off fics written by close friends of mine for desert duo and boat boys!

lamplight is written out of chronological order and uploaded whenever. work on it lately has been slow, but it's still ongoing

lamplight isnt my only fic (tho it is my favorite). i write a lot more renchanting/treebark aus, some of which ill list off here:

A Romance Route for the Doomed Villain?!?

(for the record. that title was NOT my idea). this au is also known as treesekai, or the treebark isekai dating sim parody oneshot. martyn is a normal man far too obsessed with the main antagonist of a poor-quality dating sim, the very same dating sim he's isekai's into. silly crack treated seriously parody fic as a love/hate letter to the many, many isekai webcomics ive read on webtoon originals over the years. it has a lot of rlly cool art and fic based of it, which you can find in the "treesekai" tag here or my writing blog

Treebark Week 2023

i also have a handful of oneshots from participating in every single day of treebark week around this time last year. these oneshots are for a bunch of different aus, such as a One Piece au, a beauty and the beast au, a lamplight roleswap au, a hero/villain au, a king/pirate au, and a mer au. all of these aus were developed with the help of other people (Rev for the One Piece au, and Cherri for the rest) and have other fics or art attached!

you can find bonus scenes from all of these aus, fanart or fan writing (including several page long comics or animatics), and even scenes from other aus i havent posted on ao3 over at my writing blog, @driflew, under the "lew writes" tag

uhhhhh. not sure how to wrap this one up. welcome to my home? woe treebark be upon ye

[selineram3421]

*whispering chant* Mermay, mermay, mermay!

Other Worldly

Part 4

Part 3

Alastor X Shy Reader

Warnings ⚠

⚠ selectively mute reader, italics= thoughts, cannibalism-Rosie and Alastor ⚠

They were still quiet.

Why were they still quiet?

Alastor was confused.

He gave them the option to speak normally, they could talk all they wanted after singing to him. So why wouldn't they?

One thing he forgot to take into account was that the mer was a quiet one, and only spoke out of necessity. Sure, they had spoken to Charlie. Giving the Princess and the others quite the surprise, but they hadn't spoken to him.

It's been a month.

Why not speak to me? I'm a wonderful conversationalist! We could talk for hours! He thought with an annoyed smile.

At the moment he was up in his radio tower, finishing up a broadcast and putting on some music. Muttering about how the siren must be too intimidated or too shy to speak to him.

What he didn't notice was his shadow leaving his side.

.

You paced back and forth in front of the Radio Demon's hotel door.

Can I go in? Am I allowed to? You kept asking yourself. I mean, it was the other half of the room that I'm allowed to use but I don't know if I can go in through the first half. You sighed. I should have just asked before coming here.

There was an odd rattling chuckle behind you and then you felt something pull you down.

"Whoa!", you yelped and looked down to find Alastor's shadow grinning. "What are you-!"

Everything went black as you were pulled into the darkness.

You closed your eyes out of instinct and held your breath, scared that something bad might happen. There was the sinking feeling in your stomach as you felt the shadow drag you somewhere before everything just stopped.

Then you heard the wind rustle the leaves, feeling it brush across your cheeks. Peeking an eye open, you saw that you were where you wanted to be.

The fireflies were out and blinking their lights, a few landing on the tall grass nearby the wooden dock that went out a few feet in the water. You heard the shadow make another noise and turned around to find them behind you.

"Thank you.", you smiled at them and started to take off your shoes.

The shadow tilted its head at you. confused until you started to take off your pants.

It hissed and turned away.

"Sorry! Sorry, forgot you were there.", you apologized but continued to take off the bottom half of your clothes. "Last time I fell in water, my pants ripped and those were my favorite.", you explained. "Maybe I should just wear long skirts or something."

With the bottom half taken care of, you left your shirt on and jumped into the water, laughing as you made a big splash. The feeling of your legs turning into a fin felt comfortable, you just hated when you had to get your legs back. Lifting your tail fin up, you started to push yourself closer to the middle of the water.

Then you noticed the shadow in the water, moving like a snake to get to your side.

"What are you doing?", you asked but just let the shadow swim around you in the water.

Closing your eyes, you decided just to stay put and float. An activity that you haven't done in a long while since dying.

A minute to relax couldn't hurt.

.

Alastor noticed his shadow was missing after it didn't appear when he tried to call for it.

How odd.. Where is that rascal? He thought and got up to search for it.

Feeling the static from his shadow, he found that it lead to his hotel room. It's not odd but usually the shadow stuck near him and followed orders. Something had its attention.

As quietly as he could, the deer demon opened the door. A quick glance, nothing was out of the ordinary, so he walked in and closed the door behind himself. Following the static, he found his shadow went deep into the bayou.

Let's see what you've got now. He thought before making his way through the brush.

The Radio Demon made a list of ideas of what his shadow could be doing. Messing around with one of the crocodiles, hunting one of the little creatures, or something entirely different that he hasn't seen it do already.

That's when he found the dock, spotting his shadow with a sleeping mer.

"Well this explains it.", he crossed his arms. "I suppose I don't really need your help, though it would make it easier if I did have it."

All his shadow did was make a rumbling pur.

"Yes, yes. You're comfortable but don't make this a habit.", he waved it off and turned to face away from the water. "I'll leave them in your care.", he said before leaving.

As he made his way over to Cannibal Town, he thought of getting something for his little mer.

Perhaps I can make them a little safe haven to get them more comfortable... Yes, that should work.

The bell of the emporium door rang as he stepped through and greeted his friend.

"Rosie! How lovely it is to see you!", he said with a genuine smile.

"Alastor! Where have you been? Honestly, after hearing about that little fish, I thought you'd give me a clue on what happened next.", the black eyed woman walked over and linked arms with the man in red, guiding him over to her office.

"I do apologize but I have good news!", he said as they both entered the office.

It was a familiar sight for him, the pink-ish wallpaper and the plush cushions on the couches. A few plate platters with snacks on the coffee table, tea, and eating utensils. Quite the relaxing room.

"Well don't keep me in suspense.", Rosie released his arm and took off her hat, setting it aside before sitting on one of the couches. "Would you like a snack? I've got some cut up thigh meat."

"Sounds lovely, don't mind if I do.", he sat on the couch across from her. "Now, for what you've been asking."

"Go on.", she said, getting the plate of thigh meat on the coffee table.

"I finally got the little mer to make a deal with me but the only problem is that I don't own their soul."

"And why not? You'd never make a deal unless you got something worthwhile out of it.", Rosie asked.

"Ha! I've got all that I wanted at the moment.", he grinned. "I've got half of their powers and get to listen to them sing.", his smile widened. "Now all I have to do is make them more comfortable until they give their soul to me willingly."

"Alastor, I hope you're not doing anything to hurt the poor thing.", Rosie placed a fork on the table and took her own to stab into the thigh meat. "Quiet one like that should be taken care of."

"Of course not!", he said to ease his friend's worries. "Which leads me to what I wanted to ask."

Alastor picks up the fork on the table and stabs it through a big slice.

"Do you have anything that would catch a siren's eye?"

*lying in bed, sick* Mermay, Mermay, Mermay!

~Seline, the person.

Part 5

Taglist@

@c4rved-pumpk1n @scary-noodlesblog @stolas-thebirb @naelys-the-aster @biromanticboba @lbcreations-blog @ducky-died-inside @kiraisastay @pooplyface1423 @line-viper @117s-girl @spiderlegsling @alastorsgoldie @repentant-repeller @kcsketches @lofasofabread @kotaleee @carino-rata @superzombiewho @speckle-meow-meow @jammcookie @dilucragnvindr-my-beloved @trashbin-nie @koioli @fatherlesschild2 @mmik3yy @just-here-reading @nealeart @hudiexiaoying @crystal-multiplefandomlover @glowinggoldfish0 @tiredgamerhere @fluffy-koalala @valenfawkes @willowshadenox @aria-tempest @alastor-simp @nonetheartist @gallantys @i-3at-kidz @luxky-aish @ceafighter @xalygatorx @xangel-8 @big-brother-problems @mspurpl3 @chewbrryarts @willowbrookhoot

@+ in the comments +

ML I Alastor🎙️ | OW🦀

[ruh--roh-raggy]

Alone With You (William Afton x Fem! Reader) - Part 2

Hello hello! Welcome to part 2 of Alone With You! This chapter we have more sweet Will, lots of flirting, and even some video games and pizza. I hope you enjoy! If you would like to be added or removed from the tag list please let me know!

WARNINGS: Tooth rotting fluff, Boss! Will, age gap (Reader is in her late 20's, Will is in his early 50's), AU where Will isn't a murderer, mutual pining, flirting, dad jokes, Will being his usual awkward adorable self, Home Sweet Home adjacent, a love letter to the wonderful story "Bunny Ears" by @yellowbunnydreams that falls into a very similar vein as this, I think that's everything, if I missed any let me know!

You can find my Masterlist here! ~ AO3 Link! ~ Tip Jar!

Word Count: 5,236

Part 1 - Part 3 (TBA)

You smoothed your hands down the front of your work uniform, taking one final look at yourself in the mirror before heading out the door. You twirled your keys around your finger as you bounced down the steps, oddly excited to get to work today. You rounded the corner of your house only to find the spot where you normally parked your car completely empty. “Shit.” You curse, letting out an aggravated groan. You had neglected the fact that Will was the one who had driven you home the other night, and you had never ended up returning to Freddy’s to pick your car up afterwards. Normally, you wouldn’t mind walking to work. But, with the trek being over an hour long, you currently didn’t have the time to do so. You jogged back inside, picking up the phone and calling the first person to come to mind. “Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria, how can I help you?” You immediately recognized the chipper voice on the other end of the line.

“Mer, could you go grab W–” you caught yourself, “Mr. Afton from parts and services.” You grimaced, hoping she wouldn’t notice that you had almost called him by his first name.

“Mr. Afton?” She repeats back in a confused tone. “Yeah… Yeah, I’ll be right back.” You could hear the lively buzzing of the arcade in the background; the excited screams and shouts of children, the pings and whirrs of all your favorite game machines, you could just barely make out the song playing loudly from the stage, Freddy and the gang about half way through their set. Every second you sat with the receiver pressed to your ear only made you more anxious. Your heart jumped into your throat when you finally heard the phone get picked up off of the counter.

“Rabbit.” You couldn’t stop the immediate smile on your face at the sound of Will’s voice. “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, I just completely forgot that I don’t have a car.” The deep rumble of his chuckle made butterflies erupt in your stomach.

“That was something we completely overlooked, wasn’t it?” He mutters into the receiver. “I’ll come pick you up, I’ll be there in about ten minutes.” You exchange your goodbyes before he hangs up, the dial tone ringing in your ears as you just stand there for a moment, unable to make yourself move. You knew that this was more than likely going to happen if you called him, and to be honest you were really hoping your hunch would be right. Will was very easily able to come and go as he pleased, it would be no trouble for him to come swing by and get you. But, the fact that he immediately dropped everything just to come pick you up, the fact that there was not an ounce of hesitation in his answer, it made your heart pound.

🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰

“I have to run out for a few minutes, are you alright here?” Henry shot Will a perplexed look at the sudden statement.

“And just where are you off to in such a rush? Got a hot date?” Henry chuckles, not missing the momentary flash of panic that crossed his friends' features. Henry gasped, jutting an accusatory finger in Will’s direction. “What did you do?”

“Nothing!” He snaps back immediately.

“Nothing happened when the two of you had dinner the other night?” Will let out a strangled sound, sporadically gesturing with his hands, wondering why he was getting interrogated all of a sudden.

“She forgot to come back to get her car, that’s the only thing that happened.” He explains with a groan.

“William–”

“What? Are we going to sit around and gossip? Do you want me to make some tea? Do you want me to tell you about how smart and funny she is? Or about how we sat there and drank wine and just talked for hours and it was the happiest that I’ve been in the last twenty years? About how her eyes sparkle, or how nice her laugh is, or how she scrunches up her nose when she talks about something she doesn’t like, or how I’m in love with her–?” Will froze, the words leaving his lips before he had a chance to fully think them through.

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t quite hear you, what was that last part?” Will didn’t even have to look at Henry to hear the shit eating grin in his tone. He swallows thickly, burning holes into Henry’s nameplate. “Will, you’re gonna have to grow some balls and be honest with her.” Henry chuckles. “Don’t make me get my wife involved, she’ll have you married before the end of the month.” He jokingly threatens.

“Keep Sara out of this.” Will warns playfully. “I’ll be back.” He waves over his shoulder as he heads out.

“Don’t get into any trouble, remember having sex in a car is still indecent exposure!”  Henry calls after him. Will flips Henry off before slamming the door shut behind him, grumbling to himself as he shakes his head. He dragged his palms down his jeans, his hands unusually clammy as he headed out the back. He slid into the driver’s seat of his car, smiling slightly to himself at the memory of your small form seated at his side. He didn’t want to waste any time getting to your place, wanting to see you again as soon as possible. Despite only having spent a couple days apart, Will would have sworn it was an eternity. He missed the warmth your smile spread through his chest, all of your shy glances, he drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as he pushed the thought from his mind. Will was still reluctant to believe that you could possibly harbor any type of deeper feelings for him. Having chalked up the kiss on his cheek the other night to nerves and feeling a bit emboldened by the wine. He knew it would probably be for the best if he just moved on, forgetting about the evening the two of you shared together. But, he couldn't deny the way his heart pounded and his lips instantly pulled into a smile the moment he saw you excitedly waving at him as he pulled up. 

You jogged over to his car, sliding into his passenger seat effortlessly. “Thank you for picking me up.” You smile warmly at him. “You’re a lifesaver.”

“I’m only doing it cause you’re cute.” He teases you with a wink, making your cheeks grow warm. “Besides, I told you if you needed anything to call me…” You catch the sight of a faint smile lacing its way across his lips. “I’m glad you did.” You relax into the worn leather seats, letting the warm afternoon sun wash over you as it streamed through the car's window.

“What can I say? I knew my knight in shining armor would show up.” You share a coy smile.

He says your name softly, his grip on the steering wheel tightening slightly. “I just want you to know, you can call me anytime… even if you don’t have a reason to… and I’ll be there.”

“Don’t say that, I’ll call you just to talk your ear off.” You joke with a chuckle.

“And I would gladly drop everything just to hear your voice.” Your heart leapt into your throat at his statement. You smile, your attention dropping to your lap as you begin to fidget with your fingers. The ride to Freddy’s was a lot shorter than you would have liked, knowing that once you set foot through those doors the two of you were almost guaranteed to get swept apart in the chaos. Your eyes met his, freezing in place under the striking silver that studied your every movement, just as reluctant to leave the safe confines of his car as you were.

“Don’t work too hard.” You say with a sad smile. That same feeling had settled itself in your chest much like it had when the two of you parted ways the other night. That deep heavy ache of just wanting to stay in his company.

Will stuck close to your side as you walked up to the building, hands shoved in his pockets and his strides noticeably slower than usual. He holds the door open for you, making you giggle as he motions for you to walk in first with a lopsided grin. “Have a good day. If you need anything, you know where to find me.” He winks at you, making your cheeks grow warm as the two of you part ways. You made your way over to the prize counter, greeting your coworker before making a list of what still needed to be taken care of.

“Welcome back!” You look up to see a smiling Mr. Emily. “How are you feeling?”

“Just fine, Mr. Emily. Happy to be at work if anything.” You chuckle. “I really appreciate the weekend off, but I promise, I would have been just fine coming in.” You offer him a reassuring smile.

“I’m sure you would have. But, distance does make the heart grow fonder, doesn’t it?” He gives you a knowing grin in return. Your cheeks grow warm, your eyes briefly darting over to the door to parts and services. He slaps his hand on the counter, making you jump. “Right, I’ll be on my way then. I just wanted to swing by and check in.” He smiles kindly, turning on his heels to make his departure only to come screeching to a halt seconds later. “Oh, I almost forgot.” He turns back to you. “I have some new arcade machines getting delivered today, I was wondering if you would be willing to stay late with Will for a few test runs before we move them to the floor.”

“Yeah,” you answer a little too quickly, “Yeah that should be no problem.”

“Excellent!” He practically shouts back in response, making you jump slightly. “Just stick around after your shift, Will should come out and grab you when he makes his late evening coffee run.” He chuckles. You nod, watching him curiously as he hurries off.

“That was strange.” You remark to your coworker who agreed with a confused nod.

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“Will!” Henry’s voice booms from out the door making Will jump and the freshly lit cigarette tumble from his lips onto the floor.

“For Christ's sake, Henry!” Will curses under his breath as he snatches the smoke from off of the concrete. 

“I need a favor.” Henry starts as he pushes through the door.

“What, do you need a body buried?” He asks in an annoyed tone, brushing the leftover ash from his lap.

“I just got a bunch of new arcade machines,” he grimaces slightly before continuing. “Think you could stay late and make sure they’re in working order for me?” Will stared at Henry with a deadpan expression, the question hanging heavy in the air before Will eventually groaned and gave in.

“Fine, but you owe me. I keep telling you, check the machines before you buy them. I get going after a bargain, but those things are useless to us unless they work.” He takes one long drag of his cigarette, blowing the smoke out of the corner of his mouth as he nods in the direction of the door. “Now get the hell out of here before I change my mind.” He flips down his welding mask, turning back to the project he was currently focusing on, allowing Henry to scurry off without any damage.

“Well, that was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be.” Henry straightens up with a bright smile before bouncing down the hall back towards the main pizzeria. Little did he know, despite his less than pleased demeanor, Will welcomed the distraction working on the arcade machines would bring. Maybe it would help get the thought of your smile out of his head.

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“Goddammit!” You curse, jumping to reach the top shelf only for your hand to slap metal once again. You sucked in a deep breath, massaging your temples with your fingers.

“Everything okay rabbit?” You turn to find Will standing in the doorway, strong arms crossed over his chest as he looks down at you with an amused smile.

It took you a moment to find your voice, despite his slightly slouched posture he still towered over you. “I was trying to get more crayons.” You speak softly, motioning to the shelf behind you.

“You know you could’ve asked, I gladly would’ve helped.” He chuckles.

“I didn’t want to bother you.” He pats your head as he walks past you, reaching up to the top shelf with ease to grab a couple fresh boxes of crayons.

“You're never a bother rabbit.” He states softly, your cheeks growing warm at his intimate tone. “I'm serious, anything you need at all just come get me.” He places the boxes into your hands as he continues walking. He paused in the doorway, shoving his hands into his pockets. “My girl shouldn't have to struggle.” He states flatly before continuing on his way. You stood there in shock for a moment, the sound of your pulse thundering in your ears. You breathe out a laugh, a smile tugging at your lips. You look at the exit he had just gone through, shaking your head slightly as you played back what he had said over and over again in your mind.

“His girl?” You giggle. You quickly shrugged off the thought, he probably just misspoke. There was no use in getting your hopes up. “Don't be stupid.” You head back into the bustling energy of the pizzeria as you try to rationalize with yourself. It didn't matter how the sound of his laugh made your heart race, or how his smile alone was enough to have warmth settling behind your cheeks. Will was an established businessman, he surely wouldn't want to waste his time on some twenty something year old restaurant worker with a less than vibrant future. While you were busy trying to convince yourself that you were being irrational, Will stumbled into his office on the opposite side of the building. He slammed the door shut behind him, collapsing into his chair as it felt like rocks had settled in his stomach.

Was he stupid? Here he was running around all day trying to repress the memory of your evening together only to immediately drop the ball. There was something about being around you that made whatever minimal filter he had to completely disappear. He picked up the lone picture that sat on his desk, smiling as his eyes immediately traveled to the same place they always did. The photo had been taken at a holiday party a couple years prior, even after looking at the picture nearly every day his throat still got tight at the sight of you in a slinky black cocktail dress. You looked so tiny tucked against Will’s side, his large hand very easily able to hug the curve of your waist as he pulled you in closer for the group photo. Both of you were emboldened by the alcohol you had consumed over the course of the evening, and you held Will just as closely as he held you. The two of you completely lost in your own world, your focus taken away from the camera as you happened to glance at each other. Will could never get over how you almost seemed to glow in front of him that night, the film not doing the sight nearly enough justice. You smiled as you gazed up at him, doey eyes glimmering in the harsh flash of the camera. Will looked down at you with a similar expression, a relaxed grin spread across his features as he held you close. He had almost kissed you that night, and he’s regretted the fact he hasn't ever since then. Will was starting to wonder just how much longer he was going to be able to keep his distance from you. But, would that really be such a bad thing? If anyone would be able to treat you right it would be him, if he ever musters the courage to finally tell you how he feels maybe he’ll get a chance to prove that to you.

One by one your coworkers slowly began to clock out and head home, leaving you alone inside the pizzeria. The quiet music that drifted out from the kitchen kept you company as you wiped away any remaining fingerprints on the prize counter glass. It was always a strange experience being in Freddy’s after hours. The room is illuminated by nothing but the neon lights of the arcade machines, the overhead lights having been turned off after the last customer had left for the evening. The well loved animatronics now sat silent behind their heavy red velvet curtain, leaving you completely alone in the normally bustling space. “Well isn’t this a pleasant surprise.” You straighten up at the sound of Will’s voice behind you. “What are you still doing here?” You turn to face him, a gentle smile lacing its way across his lips. One hand stuffed into his pocket, the other holding a steaming cup of what you could smell was strong, black coffee.

“Mr. Emily asked me to stay late to test the new arcade machines with you.” He pauses, obviously not expecting your response. Henry had set him up. “I mean, if you would rather I go–”

“No!” He snaps himself from his train of thought, taking a few long strides forward to close the distance between the two of you. You always seemed to forget how much Will towered over you until moments like this. He leans against the prize counter as he faces you, your gaze slowly trailing upwards until you eventually meet his eyes. “I just didn’t realize he had asked you to stay as well rabbit. I thought I was going to be stuck working alone all night, having you around is definitely welcomed company.” Your cheeks grow warm as he smiles down at you.

Will leads you to a storage room at the way back of the restaurant you had never been in before. A line of five new arcade machines were oriented neatly in a straight line across the middle of the room. You stuck close to his side, the room dark other than the glow of the games that sat in front of you. “Are you alright, you look nervous?” He asks with an amused grin.

“It’s just a little creepy back here.” You admit with a bashful chuckle.

“There’s nothing to worry about, rabbit, the scariest thing back here is me.” He jokes. “Anything that wants to get to you is going to have to go through me first.” You can’t help but giggle at his confidence, playfully swatting at his arm as he nudges into your shoulder. You glance at the machines and then back at him.

“You up for a little competition, boss man?” You challenge.

“Sweetheart, I’d absolutely wipe the floor with you at these games.” He chuckles in response, one large hand coming to rest on the top of your head. Your cheeks grow warm at the sudden contact, yet your confidence never waivered.

“I don’t know about that Will, I’ve got quite the trophy list when it comes to this place.” The playful sparkle in your eyes was just about enough to make Will melt. It took every ounce of restraint he had not to reach out to pull you closer. Your soft, pouty lips look even more alluring in the soft neon glow that surrounds you.

“You’re on, but I have to see if these things even work first.” Will spent a few minutes smacking loose a couple stuck buttons and oiling up one of the machine's squeaky joysticks, making quick work of pulling off the machine's brightly colored metal cover to reveal the internal mechanisms. Muttering off his mental checklist to himself as he went through it. “Wiring looks good, nothing’s snapped, no rodent damage… looks pretty good to me.” He turns to you with a smile, “as long as nothing got fucked up with the programming in them, they should run like a dream.” He can’t help but chuckle at your bewildered expression as you stared at the mess of wires and metal before you.

“I don’t know how you could figure any of that out, but, you’re the expert.” You giggle, turning to face him with a soft smile. There was an undeniable tenderness in his gaze as your eyes met his. The compliment fell effortlessly from your lips, “you’re really smart, Will.”

He breathes out a laugh, his attention turning back to the machine. “Thank you rabbit, you’re sweet.” He stuffs his hands in his pockets, nodding at the line of games. “How about we start that little competition you were so eager for?”

The corners of your lips tug into a playful grin. “You’re on.” Will walked over to one of the shelves that lined the walls, pulling down a red solo cup that you could tell from the loud jingling was filled with arcade tokens. He rattles the cup, shooting you a wink before holding it out to you.

“Ladies first.” He states with a slight bow.

“What a gentleman.” You scoff, rolling your eyes, unable to keep the smirk off your face. The two of you started off with the single player games, Will was interested in seeing just how much of your earlier trophy winner statement was all talk. He slips a token into your hand, you take the chance to line up your fingers with the buttons before dropping the worn brass coin into the slot.

First up on the roster: Robtron: 2084.

“Hope you're good at shooters, rabbit.” He teases with a chuckle.

“Going against the man who’s almost completely blind without his glasses, I think I'm all set.” You jab back.

“Brat.” He responds bluntly with a smirk. The game itself was simple enough, a multi-direction top down shooter. Will leaned against the side of the machine, arms crossed over his chest as he watched you beat level after level with an amused smile playing at his lips. He was impressed to see that you weren’t all talk, your eyes darting between each of the brightly colored enemies to see which direction you needed to flick the joystick in next. You curse as the evil robots finally overwhelm you, the bright red GAME OVER text flashing in front of your face. You put in your initials despite the fact your scores would be cleared when the machine was unplugged in order to move it into the pizzeria.

“What do I win when I beat you?” You joke with a laugh.

Will breathes out a chuckle, “I’ll tell you what, if you manage to beat me at any of these games you can have whatever you want, because it’s not gonna happen.”

“When I win, does that mean I can ask you to make me dinner again?” Will pauses for a moment at your question, unable to stop the flustered smile that quickly spread across his features. He clears his throat, quickly nodding his head as he forces himself to regain his composure.

“You can ask me to do that regardless of our little competition.” Your cheeks grow warm, both of you exchanging a coy expression. You held out the cup of tokens to Will, unable to tear your eyes away from his.

“I still like my chances.” You wink. He flips the coin between his fingers, staring at the screen with a contemplative expression on his face. 

“Come here, let me show you how to really play this game.” He motions for you to come closer to him. You set down the cup, your heart pounding as you took your first step forward. A large hand wraps itself around your waist, guiding you in between the arcade machine and Will’s massive form. He moves your hands to the buttons and the joysticks, looking down at you for any sign of hesitation before covering them with his own. Your whole body felt like it was on fire, you glanced back over your shoulder only to find that Will was just as surprised by this whole interaction as you were.

“Well? I thought you were going to show me something?” You prod, Will’s nervous demeanor easily melting away as he shot you an exuberant smirk. He slips the token into the slot, pushing into you slightly in order to get closer to the screen. You swallowed thickly at the feeling of his strong body, powerful corded muscles that tensed at your smallest movements. You caught the sight of him smiling at you out of the corner of your eye as the starting theme of the game rang through the empty room. You found yourself leaning back into Will, watching his fighter move around the screen, fighting off the never ending hoards of robots. You jerk the joystick to the left as one of the enemies got a little too close for comfort.

“Good eye, rabbit.” He chuckles. It didn’t take you long to figure out that Will was much better at playing video games than you gave him credit for. He easily surpassed your score, playing on with ease for another few minutes before dying. You watched as he punched his initials into the machine ‘W.V.A.’ You whirl around, jabbing a finger into his chest.

“It’s you!” You exclaim. “You’re the asshole that’s beat my score on every machine in that arcade!” Will laughs at your realization.

“Like I said before, there’s no way you’re going to beat me.” He smirks down at you with a wink.

“You are unbelievable.” You playfully roll your eyes, crossing your arms over your chest.

“I don’t see the harm in a little friendly competition. Who knows, maybe one of these days you’ll manage to beat me.” He teases. Testing the rest of the machines quickly devolved into one on one matches. Henry managing to snag a few 2 player machines, you stood side by side with Will, both of you playfully shouldering the other out of the way to try and hopefully mess up one of your game play. You groaned as he beat you again, but this time you had almost managed to come out on top. “I guess some more practice is in order.” He chuckles, grinning contently down at you. “I’ll handle all the heavy lifting from here. How about you and I grab something to eat, I’m sure you must be starving by now.” You found yourself instinctually leaning into his side as the weight of his arm fell across your shoulders. You can’t help but laugh slightly at the sound of your stomach growling.

“Sounds like a plan to me.”

“I’m gonna go throw a pizza in the oven, why don’t you get some lights on.” You part ways with a nod, feeling your way around the wall in the otherwise pitch black room. Your hand finally bumps into the switch panel, you curse under your breath as you struggle to remember what switches went to what. You jumped slightly as the first heavy switch thwacked into place, a few lights over the booths closest to the kitchen flickering to life.

“Okay.” You squint, trying to read the faded scratchy handwriting on the labels. “What about this one?” You flick another switch, the purple and yellow party lights begin swirling in patterns across the empty dance floor.

“I like it, it really sets the mood.” Will chuckles as he leaves the kitchen.

“I can’t figure out which switches to flip.” You groan.

“This will work just fine, rabbit, don’t worry.” He motions for you to join him. He places a plastic soda cup in your hand, you smile coyly up at him as you catch the unmistakable scent of grenadine. “Shirley Temple for the lovely lady.”

“Thank you, Will.” you can't help but giggle at the sweet gesture. You took a long sip of the drink, absentmindedly bobbing your head along to the radio. “I love this song.” You remark as you finally recognize the melody.

“I never took you for a George Harrison fan.” He teases with a chuckle. He pushes himself upright from his position leaning against the wall, reaching up to raise to volume on the speakers. He watched you with an amused smirk as you sang along quietly to yourself, swaying slightly as you took another sip of your soda, the syrup already starting to stain your lips a dark pink that Will found adorable. “Would you like to dance, rabbit?” Your hand slips into his effortlessly, laughing as Will spun you around before tugging you towards the dance floor.

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Henry sighed as he pulled into the parking lot of Freddy’s. He noticed the lone beacon in the night on his drive home from date night with his wife, Sara. “He probably just forgot to turn the light off.” The waving anthropomorphic bear greeted them as Henry parked in front of the entrance. “Besides, Will always ends up staying late. I don’t see why tonight in particular is any cause for concern.” She jokes, trying to lighten her husband's mood

“This is Will we’re talking about, he hasn’t left the light on since we opened.” Henry groans. “Besides, today was… different. I just want to check in on him real quick, that’s all.”

Sara nods in the direction in the building, leaning in to give Henry a quick kiss. “I’ll wait here, go check on him.”

“I’ll be right back.” He promises as he quickly hops out of the car. He pulls the door open, his senses immediately getting assaulted with blaring music and the smell of pepperoni pizza wafting through the air. Henry stood frozen in place for a moment, blinking a few times as he allowed his eyes a moment to adjust to the darkened entryway. He peers into the main area of the pizzeria. Most of the lights in the room were off except for a single dim row of lights over a few booths and the colorful spinning lights that whirled around over the dancefloor. Henry froze, struggling to stifle a delighted chuckle as he watched Will take your hand and spin you around the floor, laughing as your dizzy state caused you to stumble into him. You slid your arms over his shoulders, smiling coyly at him as Will’s hands came to rest on your waist, both of you singing along loudly to the music as you swayed along with its rhythm. Henry shook his head with a smile, quietly heading outside before either of you had the chance to realize he was there. He would hate to interrupt what seemed to be such a wonderful evening.

“Everything alright in there?” Sara asks the moment Henry slides into the passenger seat.

“Everything’s perfect, he’s just… working late.” He smiles at his wife, wrapping an arm around her shoulders in order to pull her to him. “Come on, let's get home. We wouldn’t want to break his focus.” He laughs, glancing at the pizzeria in the rearview with a smile as they drive off.

Tag List: @yellowbunnydreams @herripinkle @spookyghostjelly @zoey5252 @loudchaosking @weirdoartist21 @residentevilbeast @lokanda @emmbny @yukkkiki @dij-ology @maria-moll @phd-in-fuckery @helreyy @hallucinating-xoxo @lovexfroggie

[the-elder-polls]

don't see your favorite here? choose your favorite and then go to the #non player races tag on my blog to see the other options! thank you to the uesp for their lists.

thank you to anonymous for the suggestion!

[butcherlarry]

Weekly Fic Recs 72

I had another ask for fic recs this week, this time for more de-aged Bruce! Below is a link to them:

De-Aged Bruce Fics

There were also some fic recs that Anon suggested that I need to check out 👀

Here are my fic recs for the week!

the blessings of anonymity (superbat edition) by brucewayneasscheeks (schvrll) @schvrll - Superbat, wip. A HILARIOUS superbat social media and identity shenanigans fic where Clark runs a secret hourly Bruce Wayne ass account and Bruce runs a secret hourly Superman hands account. So many Twitter fights, so many shenanigans. I am so excited to read what happens next, heehee!

Just tell me, tell me, tell me by lurkinglurkerwholurks @lurkinglurkerwholurks - Batman & Superman, complete. Clark has some important news to tell Bruce and starts to panic. Bruce is there to help.

Pasture by Cant_Smoke_Eggs, soyasauce - Batman, complete. Bruce is a cow shifter. No one knows (except Alfred). This isn't a problem, until Batcow comes along. Shenanigans ensue.

Patchwork Pod by Ktkat9 @ktkat99 - Superbat, Batfam, Superfam, wip. More of the mer Bruce fic! Clark overhears Conner and Bernard have a heart to heart.

That one time Batman accidentally fell in love by JarJarBlink182 - Superbat, complete. A fake dating fic? On my rec list?? It's more likely than you think! Many shenanigans ensue :D

a matter of statistics by soyasauce - Batman, complete. A crack fic (my favorite!) looking at PhDs, academia, and statistics in Gotham. I will never not find Bruce being called PhD Georg funny. Never 😆

don't you know it's a beautiful new day by dio_icurtica @dio-icarticaae - Clois, Superfam, complete. Clark forgets to log out of his Superman Twitter account before liking and retweeting some posts. Shenanigans ensue.

FairyTAILS and Magic by bellninja28 - Superbat, complete. The Justice League go to a planet to help the population defeat some bad guys. Unfortunately, no one told them that the superpowered members become less superpowered when they get there, while the unsuperpowered members become superpowered because ✨magic✨. Anyway, Bruce becomes a centaur and shenanigans ensue.

Happy Reading!

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

2024 tuesdaypost retrospective

it's hard not to make this all about my nearly full 365 days of unemployment. i have cut a great deal from this wrapup. thank you all for your love and support (often financial!) this year :') it has never been scarier to have no familial safety net and i really, really appreciate all of you relative strangers (i have met very few of you in person!)

jobs applied to: my best estimate is 4500 given my daily target balanced with periods of more acute despair and physical illness

interviews: 2

calls to the massachusetts unemployment agency: 73

cats spayed and/or neutered: 3 (phil, orange boy, ruby)

eclipses seen: 1

hurricanes: 1

completely fallow weeks: 5

i have GOT to be more specific about writing out loud what worked and what didn't work instead of resorting to "vibes were off". i also have to remember to be better about saying where i found things and saying the premise/genre of the film. i try to draft these on sunday nights so i can kind of mull things over for a bit, but that rarely happened this year.

highlights of the year: a tomato plant in a five gallon bucket, hotvintagepoll, the eclipse, my new zebrawood desk, throwing my own birthday party (NOT passive aggressive it was very comforting to be in full control), ren faire, the modern zelda games, genshin impact, heist films, naomi novik's temeriare series, Navigational Entanglements by Aliette de Bodard, the Popping Tins newsletter about tinned fish products, new joywave and beyonce and charli xcx and kesha albums, and an actual play podcast focused on critical worldbuilding smart characterization and fun interaction between good friends.

questions? comments? concerns? something about the structure/critique of these posts or a work i talked about really click or really not work for you? i would love to know!

listening

all the tuesdaysongs are in one spotify playlist below. if i recced a whole album (only did that this year with The Offline’s La couleur de la mer and Toshiyuke Honda's SONGS OF THE MILKY WAY ) i put the song i thought most representative of the album.

special shoutouts to the Well There's Your Problem engineering disasters podcast, the Sangfielle season of Friends at the Table, The 404 Media Podcast news/tech/culture podcast, and the Whale Hunting podcast about financial crimes.

i would like to find music through other avenues than the spotify weekly recs playlists, especially since the platform has noticeably nosedived after their last round of firing people. unforch i have yet to find a music influencer/blog/tastemaker/podcast whose tastes jive with my own.

-

reading

the sort of three broad categories of stuff i talk about in the reading section are articles, comics, and actual books. fairly pleased with my RSS feed, which is filling the twitter hole and also has a separate Real US News tab i can look at in a more controlled manner. people seem to have liked the article/book combo bc reading a book a week is usually kind of a heavy lift for people who are employed. as long as i do either an article or a book i feel like this category is checked off in my brain. i would like to do both more weeks and figure out how to do more concise book reports. i am pleased that people seem to like the couple weeks of giant DNF lists where i briefly state why i did not finish a specific older scifi paperback.

shoutout to @rae-being-naughty for introducing me to one of my favorite new authors, t kingfisher! what a delectable niche. those books go down SO easy. shoutouts also to the temeraire books, Trouble And Her Friends by Melissa Scott (what if neuromancer was good?), Dark Wire by Joseph Cox (nonfiction about the encrypted phone company the FBI shadow-ran) and Witch Hat Atelier.

the OPPOSITE of a shoutout to the most frustrating books i did not finish this year, a fragile enchantment by allison saft (the very weird fantasy meghan/harry fantasy au????) and jennifer dugan's the ride of her life, a cowgirl wlw romance that had some kid pop up in the second chapter and yell about how they shipped the leads and were making a tiktok about it. hello??????? huh????? i had that book on hold for SIX MONTHS. what the fuck did people see in that book???

reading and holding and interacting with a physical hard copy book is so much better for my shattered attention span, and i have giant bookcases full of physical books i desperately want to read, but i read ebooks so much faster. a dilemma that will for sure continue into the new year.

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watching

logged almost 169 things on letterboxd this year so far (almost nice). the giant spike is when i watched a a dozen individually loggable betty boop shorts. tasty tasty stats.

saw one entire film (howl's moving castle) in theaters and i do not think i will be doing that again bc (while fun) it was a very anxiety inducing experience.

more tv and shorts and tv comprised entirely of shorts than i expected to watch this year!

watching highlights of the year:

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playing

the gaming rig i bought in 2020 is really staring to show its age and only very light-resource pc games are feasible rn. very many thanks to both @sybilius and @pasta-pardner who both bought me games i will one day play!

spent most of the year with big open world exploration/puzzle/action games, as is traditional. barely touched a fallout this year, which is less traditional.

by hours, the ranking is probably

genshin impact

breath of the wild

tears of the kingdom

STUFF SORT on my phone

stardew valley

powerwash simulator

what are people interested in seeing in this section?

the trouble with this section is that has been a thorn in my side basically since i started this series, but games are such a part of my life it feels weird NOT talking about them? but talking about video games is difficult bc none of them are very good. i find myself Still a little burned out on them even after almost three years on from the video games job. finding something fun and free on itch or steam is very time-consuming. every time i talk about genshin i feel like i have to caveat it with one million Don't Play Gacha Games warning stickers like the ones that come on cigarettes. and i don't feel like a screenshot of whatever achievement i hunted on genshin in a specific week is very interesting to people.

maybe the solution is to cut this section for a while and have a special bonus add on section every once in a while??? i dunno. would love to know people's thoughts here on how to make talking about/telling stories about the games i play more interesting.

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making

the tuesdayposts as a whole have been both very good and very bad for my mental health, bc i really needed a project to work on to break up the soul crushing monotony of writing cover letters. however writing the tuesdaypost every week was often a very anxiety inducing expereince bc i felt like i didn't do much. or did stuff very unevenly. the "point" of the tuesdayposts is to remind myself every week that absorbing a lot of different things helps me stay on a more even keel. esp in times of great unrest. unfortunately, a year of unemployment.

i saw my siblings twice, managed to actually write and post christmas cards, framed a bunch of shit, discovered a new favorite soup, and did some indifferent gardening and cross stitch.

the making section this year tended to be more lifestyle blogging/what i cleaned. a lot of weeks i did not have Anything in the tank except basic vacuuming and halfhearted wiping counters down.

however??? i managed to post three fics??? two were previously written but at least they are no longer languishing on my harddrive??

this goofy little NFT genderswap blondeyes has the craziest hits to kudos ratio on anything ive ever written.

i really do intend on finishing this cait/fahrenheit 5+1. the stars have not been aligned.

this very brief crossover has gotten some of the loveliest comments!!! when i am done directing and choreographing the big prisoner/arcade argument in my brain i am excited to actually write that.

im genuinely for real afraid to ask or expect anything of 2025, but here it comes anyway!

[thepromptfoundry]

For May 2024, The Prompt Foundry is sticking with the classics and doing MerMay!

Hope everyone's excited to dive in!

If you use this list, please tag me here @thepromptfoundry, I’d love to see your writing and art!

Feel free to combine different days' prompts with each other, or combine them with other seasonal events! Use your OCs, your favorite characters from media, whatever tickles your fancy.

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Plain text list below the cut:

1 Merfolk Royalty 2 Seafloor Cities 3 Merfolk and Sailors 4 Sinking Ships 5 Sirens 6 Fishnets 7 Deep Sea Mer 8 Undersea Agriculture 9 Seahorse Mer 10 High Tide 11 Underwater Communication 12 Merbabies 13 Sand Dollars 14 Drowning 15 Whale Mer 16 Storms at Sea 17 Shark Teeth 18 Tsunami 19 Octopus Mer 20 Mer Marriage 21 Evolutionarily Plausible Mer 22 Lost at Sea 23 The Mariana Trench 24 Selkies 25 Mer Schooling 26 Seashells 27 Merfolk Folklore 28 Freshwater Mer 29 Sunbathing 30 Watery Warfare 31 Land and Sea

[melanirana]

i have a long list of questions- but I’m just going to drop off a few right here so it’s not going on forever:

What is the natural diet of a Mer baby? Do they eat something easier to eat than fish?

Can Mers talk? There were a few comics of Sun and moon flirting with Y/N- so I was curious. If Mers can talk is it easier for girls to talk since they have a wider sound range?

What human foods can mers eat without getting sick?

If Y/N was getting told off how would the boys react?

What are their favorite foods?

What do think Y/N would look like as a Mer?

Can we get more information on Sun and Moon’s siblings?

Sorry about the list! Just curious. Please feel free to ignore!

Hey, no worries. I love wracking my brain about world-building, I'm happy you guys like it so much :}

What is the natural diet of a Mer baby? Do they eat something easier to eat than fish?

Baby Mers eat anything they can get their hands on. But usually they eat fish, crabs and squids. To make it easier to eat, their parent chew their food first.

Can Mers talk? There were a few comics of Sun and Moon flirting with Y/N- so I was curious. If Mers can talk is it easier for girls to talk since they have a wider sound range?

Mer cant learn how to talk, they don't have the anatomy for it, but they can learn to understand it. However there have been rumors and legends of humans learning how to understand Mers.

What human foods can mers eat without getting sick?

Meat, fish and some greens. Anything that is non prossed, with exeption for some sweets and other foods.

If Y/N was getting told off how would the boys react?

:)

What are their favorite foods?

Salmon

What do think Y/N would look like as a Mer?

Uhhhhhhh their scales would be silver-gray and shimer blue in the light. That's all I have for you.

Can we get more information on Sun and Moon’s siblings?

The three that are most important are Mantaray (Ray), Sky and Shell.

Ray is the oldest and first of the adopted siblings. He has the lower body of a Mantaray and has taken on the role of older brother since Sun and Moon's abduction.

Shell has the lower body of a Lemonshark and is the most protective about her siblings and even Eclipse. She joind the family after they found her wounded and alone in a destroyed reef.

Sky was given to the family as an egg by her mother. Her father died shortly after her egg was laid and the mother didn't want to abandon it. She is blind but very good with ecolocation. Her fins are overall flowy and she is different shades of purpule.

Glad to answer your questions :}

[merakiui]

Thinking about soft non con with the tweels... maybe you yawned in front of them or something and they get really excited about it

Omg omg omg what if they were your childhood bullies??? OTL I am so weak for the trope of childhood bully who tormented darling in their childhood and then they both grow up and suddenly they love darling even more now because darling has grown so pretty. <3

Tweels come back to visit for the spring break and it's a tradition of theirs to track you down and pay you a little visit. :) they always find you, no matter how well you may hide or camouflage yourself. It's been a while since they've last seen you. In fact, they haven't stayed true to their annual tradition because learning how to survive on land occupied most of their energy, time, and thoughts. Due to that, you were spared the headache for the year. But now they're back in their home, feeling so relieved to finally get back into the water in their true forms, and as they're checking on their old haunts you pop into their brains. The twins aren't telepathic by any means, but sometimes you might think they are when they're always running on the same brain cell. Naturally, they have to find you.

And they do! And oh aren't you just the prettiest thing? You're glowing with the addictive allure brought on by spring mating cycles. Soon you'll likely go off into some secretive nook, hole yourself away for however long your cycle lasts, and get rid of all of the unfertilized eggs you've undoubtedly made in preparation of the mating season. You've grown a considerable amount, but you're still nowhere near as strong or big as them. <3 they circle you in the water, all sharp-toothed grins. Floyd drapes himself on you lazily, complaining about how it was no fair that you didn't come to visit, how he missed being able to tease and squeeze his favorite Shrimpy. Though Jade isn't as verbally direct as his brother, his eyes are scanning you, most definitely noting all of the subtle physical signs many mers exhibit when they're on the cusp of their cycle. You're too cute, parading yourself around like this. Were you hoping they'd come find you and take care of you?

It's obvious you're averse to them, attempting to keep this conversation as short as possible. But the twins pay it no mind. They have to make up for the lost time, so why not spend the afternoon catching up with them? Show them around a bit, won't you? Take them to your favorite places! They'll gladly follow your lead, but then you have no choice because even if you swim away with the intention of leaving they're just going to pursue.

Floyd asks if you're still so hung up on all those years they bullied you. Maybe that's why you seem like a prey shaken to the core after nearly evading a predator's vicious maw. Of course you'd be hung up on that! They made your life miserable. If Floyd wasn't pestering you for a few of your scales and if Jade wasn't trailing you like an innocent guppy (which is very false; behind that guppy veneer was a cruel bully), then they were both intimidating you into giving up things. Whenever birthdays rolled around, you were the first on their list. They'd swim up to you, entirely casual, and slyly mention how it was their birthday and even if they didn't directly state it you knew their expectant stares told you they wanted something. You'd lost all sorts of things to them: spoils from exploring shipwrecks, your own allowance, jewelry, pretty stones, your scales, and even your first kiss (which Floyd had taken rather roughly after another bully had shoved you and he'd gotten monstrously territorial. Supposedly, only he and Jade are allowed to torment you. Why he felt the need to kiss you to prove his dominance, you have no clue, but he did and you still haven't forgiven him for it).

So you hate their leering when they follow you, flanking you like twin parasites. Floyd fills the tense silence with his own chatter and Jade occasionally makes his own comments or responds to some of Floyd's ramblings. Their eyes stick to you like barnacles; you hate it. You always feel so small and powerless with them around. Having to balance a duo like this is so draining, so it's only natural you'd get tired. You're yawning a lot, and stress and anxiety aren't helping. It also doesn't help that your cycle is nearing and so you've become even more jittery since. The twins are staring at your mouth, at every little opening and closing of it, and at some point Floyd can't take it anymore. He grips your jaw, wraps himself around you to keep you still, and mumbles about how it's not very nice of Shrimpy to be such a tease during spring. Don't you know how special this season is? You do because you're a mer, so obviously you must have wanted this. Why else would you take them to such a quiet, desolate cave?

The twins know very well you're just tired, but that doesn't stop them from crafting their own narrative, which they speak about so freely.

"Someone's rather eager, wouldn't you agree, Floyd?"

He nods, his tone spotted with giggles. "Seems Shrimpy couldn't wait for us to get back. Was it tough havin' to carry so many eggs? Ya better get used to it because you'll only get heavier!"

Perhaps you could have evaded one of them, but two is a deadly combination. And though they're both so strong, they're incredibly gentle with handling you. But then you're too frightened to oppose them and put up a fight, and Jade and Floyd don't want to risk injuring you or the eggs. They're not entirely mean! :( they love you and want to be sweet and affectionate with you. So when they exchange kisses with you, taking turns rutting into you and filling you with lots of slick and cum, it's always gently. Floyd cradles your belly, clawed, webbed hands tracing the loveliest patterns into it. He's cooing about how pretty his Shrimpy is, how he loves you so, so, so sosososo much, how he wants to bring you back to meet his Mama and Pops. Jade keeps you coiled in a comforting embrace, pressing sweet, soft, fleeting kisses to your shoulders, neck, collarbone, chest. He whispers filth and sweetness in your ears, shushing you when you cry and uttering the softest assurances and praises. It'll be okay; he's here. He's not going anywhere. Look only at him. You'll be fine. You're doing so well. He knows it's unbearable, so let him take care of you. You don't have to spend this season alone. He and Floyd are here for you. <3

You're not sure if you spend hours or days in that cave. If you aren't sleeping and eating the things Floyd's hunted, dragged in, or collected, then you're being filled all over again by the both of them. The twins have always taken lots of things from you, and like the greedy eels they are they took your first time and fertilized your first clutch. >_< if it's any consolation, they help you back to their home, praising you for being so good for them and proudly showing you off to their parents, who are oh-so-happy their beloved boys found a mate. When you're not so full and sex-brained, they'll properly introduce you and save you a seat at the dinner table. You're going to be part of the Leech family from now on, so you'll be seeing more of Jade and Floyd. And unfortunately it won't be once a year.

[just-a-mer]

General Info

"Odysseus speaks like this." And actions like this.

Pronouns: He/They (interchangeable)

Tag: Siren!Odysseus

Out of character will look like this! Marked as ooc.

Pronouns: They/Them

Tag: Mod swims

RULES

While 18, NO NSFW (Suggestive/Innuendos are fine but nothing explicit)

Be respectful and remember that, at the end of the day, we are all just people sharing an interest, and that behind the screen, I am just another person.

I will not respond to any personal questions (unless its something simple like, let's say, favorite colors and whatnot)

Oc Interaction or asks are welcomed and encouraged!

Ship interaction or asks are welcomed and encouraged, too!

My blog is a safe space for anyone with disabilities (mental/physical), Minorities, LGBTQIA+, etc. DNI with me or this blog if you're going to be hateful or cruel.

Crossovers are fine! (though do be aware that mod may not know most universes)

Have fun!

| AU / Anons / Tags below cut |

Anons

Anons can claim an emoji / emoticon for recognition. Below is a list of taken symbols:

🩵🩷 (Cotton Candy)

🧊 (Icey)

💫 (Shooting Star)

🍋 (Lemon)

🪩 (Disco)

✨️ (Sparkle)

🍊 (Orange)

☄️ (Meteor)

👹 (Demon?)

❄️ (Snowflake)

🍄 (Mushroom)

🐚 (Shell)

🪷 (Lotus)

🎠 (Alexander)

🧁 (Cupcake)

Other Blogs

Dead!Odysseus RP account -> @leading-with-the-heart

Multimuse Blog -> @mythical-meadow

Brief AU Description

In this version of Epic, Odysseus was born as a siren. Much of the story remains the same, yet with added traits to the man? mer? mythical? Nobody? - with quite a fair amount of digging into his past!!

General Tags

Art Tag: A fish!?

Lore Tag: Lore!post

Other Worlds / Crossovers: "letter to the king" 🫒

Relations (Odysseus)

° Childhood friend turned love -> @thrpr0phetuseek | Tag: "I miss my family" duo 🩵💙

° A friend -> @totally-penelope-and-not-a-siren | Tag: "Curious melody"💧

° Adopted Son -> @wave-and-chains-bound | Tag: "Webbed hands" 🌧

° Another Adopted Son -> @carousel-anon-aka-alexander | Tag: "Ambitious prince" 🎠

° Adopted Child / Sleepy Interactions -> @sleepy-4n0n | Tag: "Whispering waves" 🪐

° Brother -> @jump-into-my-op3n-arms | Tag: "Brothers of the tide" 🌊

° Platonic Partner -> @notesbyaphrodite | Tag: "beauty believed" 🩷❤️

Relations without @'s

° Friends if the main feeling was annoyance | Tag: "Friends? No." ⚔️ | @the-great-emperor-commodus

Best friend: Polites | Tag: "Melancholy memory" 🥞

Brother-in-law: Eurylochus of Same | Tag: "Scattered scars" ⚡️

Former Mentor: Athena / Goddess of Wisdom + Master Of War | Tag: "Forgotten thought" 🪶

Wife: Penelope of Ithaca | Tag: "Bloody hands" 🏹

Son: Telemachus of Ithaca | "greatest joy" 🗡

Youngest son/adopted son: Astyanax

Mother: Anticlea

Father: Laertes

Sister: Ctimene

Other Interactions

Alternate Odysseus' | Tag: "man or monster" ⚖️

"Lore" Link (Odysseus)

Design / Refrence (Odysseus)

(REDESIGNING)

[massharp1971]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers! Spread the self-love 💞

Oooh, thanks for the ask! Gosh. This is going to be hard. I have to do this without looking through the list because I'll die of indecision otherwise.

1. Unbroken 16K, M rating

“I’ll protect you. All of you,” he said, because he thought that was what was expected, but much as he desperately wanted it to be true, he knew this wasn’t a storybook. His heart clenched painfully at the thought of something happening to Rodney.

“Dumbass,” Rodney said in between still slightly panicky breaths. “Go read the SGC reports and then come back and tell me who usually saves who. Spoilers: It’s science. It’s always science… still, I appreciate the thought. I believe you want that to be true.”

This fic never fails to get enthusiastic reactions from the readers that venture in. It's not an easy read, as it's about trauma and all the layers of it that go unaddressed in the show. It was one of those stories that demanded to be written. it's ultimately a healing story and one that chimes for a lot of folks.

2. Awakenings >100K, E rating

‘Hi, Mer McKay, PhD, PhD, autistic, genius, gender ambivalent, queer and kinky as fuck, compulsive over-sharer.’ Some people think this is just a smut fic, but what I like is the story - what would happen if McKay knew he was autistic and queer and had come to terms with himself more? Well, in this case, it changes the entire timeline. There are some tough bits about trauma in there too, but it's mainly about John having a sexual awakening, thanks to McKay. Lots of polyamorous and kinky fun and games. Also, of course, a mcsheppy love story.

I'm currently writing the third main part of the series and horribly stuck, but if I'd actually published it, that would be my favourite.

3. Home for Christmas 25K, M rating

He went into another store, intent on buying novelty socks or something equally silly, when suddenly he caught the strains of Judy Garland and the most heartrending Christmas song ever written.

>Someday soon we all will be together If the fates allow Until then, >we'll have to muddle through somehow

John had no resistance anymore – the tears spilled easier than rain in a monsoon, and there was no choice but to duck out of the store and hide himself behind a convenient pillar while he sobbed, not even mustering a shred of masculine indignation to be getting weepy over Judy Garland. Yeah, he was a sad old queer and he didn’t much care anymore who knew it. He didn’t have to care and he didn’t have the energy left.

I wrote this for secret santa but felt it was a bit bleak, having poured all my difficult xmas feels into the fic, but looking back i feel like it might be my perfect xmas fic. It balances the sweetness of Christmas with the reasons we need the lights to chase off the darkest times.

4. Just Friends series 7K, M rating

They talk and they talk. Into the night. John wishes he’d learned to use his mouth for something other than sucking cock long ago.

“I had it all wrong. I thought you just settled…”

Rodney frowns. “For what?”

“For the look of it… power couple. I thought you chose,” he says.

They’re in his room, sprawled against each other, the mood sad.

“I didn’t let myself think you were trapped. Didn’t know how beat she had you.”

“Yes well I pretended to myself,” Rodney says. “Easier to believe the cage is comfortable than dash yourself to pieces on the bars.”

It started as a simple fic, but then the fic needed some follow-up and I ended up writing a whole lot of drabbles. Sharing here because I'm super proud of how drabble-writing developed me as a writer and I love the soft way it all turned out. Expect lots of gentle, sprawling found family and polyam vibes with a mcsheppy centre. It starts with Keller's canonical controlling intensity developing into a truly toxic relationship for Rodney.

5. Time's come to live a real life 4.5K, E rating

“You act like we played a game and you won, and Jen’s the prize,” Ronon says. “Maybe it’s connected to what you just said. You acting like you finally got the rules of this game figured out. Only I’m not an Earther and I don’t play by your rules. To me, whatever game you’re playing? It’s not real.”

Mcdex, with background shepdex, sheplorne and mcshep and kellerdex feels. Ronon can't understand what jennifer and rodney are trying to do with one another and he shakes rodney into a wake-up call. A more Keller-charitable fic about why McKeller is bullshit.

tagging @notenufcaffeine, @sgatazmy, @acrowbyanyothername, @wonkyelk, @dedkake

[machiroads]

Fic Writer Interview

Thank u @plusultraetc for the tag wheeeeee

How many works do you have on AO3?

8️⃣

What's your total AO3 word count?

251,850, 150k of which is one fic lmao

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Nine Lives, by an order of magnitude over 2nd place

Naruhata Noir

A Tumultuous Sea, You and Me (the mer-pirates fic)

Being No One, Going Nowhere (the 2 broken arms fic)

waiting on the seasons to change, waiting for the curtain to fall (the fortuneteller fic)

I am surprised to see the 2 broken arms fic in the top 5 tbh!

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I like to get responses to my own comments, so I try to reply to everyone's comments :]

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

Uhhhhh PROBABLY 9L since it ends with everyone going off to war haha oopsie

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

Uhhhhhh probably merpirates? It's really gross and sappy. Dive into the ocean and kiss a mermaid in front of your entire crew. The 2 broken arms fic also got a pretty happy ending (Aizawa goes to bed and also maybe jerks it a little)

Do you write crossovers?

Not crossovers per se but I do enjoy a deep in the weeds AU

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I don't think so? The worst I get is people saying "wow almost no typos" which is very tame lmao

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Not yet! Kintsugi (the epilogue to 9L) will have some mild spice but I'm at a point in my life where I just couldn't be jazzed to write folks doing it sloppy style

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don't think so except for that website that's scraped like a ton of fics a few months back

Have you ever had a fic translated?

I had one person request to translate 9L into Ukranian, though I never saw if they ended up doing it. Recently I've also had a couple people leave comments in Spanish so I assume they translated the story into Spanish somehow!

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

The unpublished FFXII AU is partially co-written by Robbirdthe8th, but it's been parked for like a year and a half. Also I would be remiss to omit @kyurilin who might as well get bonus credits for the Nutstang

What's your all-time favorite ship?

I have been in fandom spaces for over a decade YOU CAN'T JUST MAKE ME CHOOSE A SINGLE ALL-TIME FAVORITE IT'S IMPOSSIBLE. Perhaps a low-commitment list of OTPs from across the years:

Erasermic (obviously)

Edwin (FMA)

Netteflix (FE3H)

Asanoya (HQ!!)

Kanej (6 of Crows)

Yuchi (FB)

Asucaga (MSGS)

Soukana (FMP)

Maiko (ATLA)

Hanvi (DB)

Nejiten (Naruto)

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

Probably any of the Fire Emblem or Fruits Basket fics I started drafting in 2020/2021 before I figured out how to write fic lol

What are your writing strengths?

People tell me I am good at characterization! I think I'm also good at describing a setting, a skill that I exercise often in my technical writing.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Exposition, my nemesis. A necessary evil, but it's like pulling teeth, every time.

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

Short answer: I just. Don't.

Longer answer: I think there's a time and place for it, and I've seen both well-executed and clunky ways of doing it. I've never seen a need for it yet in anything I've written.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

BNHA was the first fandom I published anything for, though honourable mention goes to Fruits Basket and FE3H for convincing me that I can tell my own stories (and then get stuck trying to figure out how to write fiction woops).

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

Idk man I'm just vibing in my lane of erasermic et al right now

What's your favorite fic you've written?

Listen it's gotta be 9L. This fic is the reason I have made so many friends in this community. People have drawn fanart for it (one of which now lives permanently on my desk in the form of a mousepad, thank u Dragon). It is the story that got me into writing fic because it was a story that nobody else was telling, so I wrote the story that I wanted to read.

People still get to the endnotes on 9L and are like THIS IS YOUR FIRST FIC???? and yeah. I started writing fanfiction at the tender age of 28 and the first thing I decided was worth sharing is still my magnum opus. Anyone can write fic! Find a writer whose style you like, emulate it, and write the story you want to read. It's that simple.