#might be a niche crossover but i'm here for it

[eristhenat]

For the artist ask: 4. Favourite things to draw?, 4. Favourite things to draw?, and 21. Weirdest thing you've ever drawn?

Honestly, my favourite thing to draw nowadays is anything narrative focused... but when it comes to painting, I have a real soft spot for drapery, and using light and colour in interesting ways. It might seem uninteresting but this is one of my favourite sections of painting I've done recently:

As for weirdest things, I'm honestly pretty boring...! :'D My personal, really niche indulgence is always circling everything I'm drawing back around to doing some kind of obscure Bleach crossover, here's one of my favourites in that vein:

[annisefreya]

I've been writing my stupid crossover fic and thinking a lot about parallels between Griddlehark and Gallavich, but I've held off posting about it because it's niche, but if I can't go feral about my hyperfixations on Tumblr, there's no point to anything.

(also I wasn't sure whether to post it on main or my Gallavich side blog, so in the spirit of "fuck it" I'm posting here and I'll reblog)

Anyway...

So, like with my I Want the Gun Back Harrow fic, I'm writing a Gideon the Ninth scene with Ian and Mickey as cavalier and necromancer.

The parallels between Gideon and Ian were pretty easy to tease out when I stopped giggling at myself. They are both fierce and goofy. They both make puns and have difficulty playing it cool. They are both absolutely convinced of their own hotness even though they're not socially overconfident. Both struggle to believe they're worthy of love. They both want to run away to join the army, even if they're running from different things.

Mickey and Harrow are, on the surface, a lot more different. They're both verbally abrasive, yes, but Harrow is academic and eloquent... Both things I don't think many would accuse Mickey of. Mickey is physically tough and quick with his fists. Harrow has the constitution and figure of a wet noodle. But I guess she's just as likely to lash out, just with skeletons.

Both have complex relationships with their parents and a lot of trauma, but when it comes to media that I love, that applies to almost all my favourite characters.

But when you get down to it, one really important thing that Mickey and Harrow have in common is that they are Survivors. Moreso even than Ian or Gideon. They do what they need to to survive their circumstances.

This makes them appear like very different people, because they are in radically different environments.

Harrow needs to be the best necromancer ever, which requires raw power, yes, but also intense study and academic determination.

Mickey needs to survive his dad. He needs to hide parts of himself and be tough, smart with money. He needs to be violent and angry because it's expected. It will keep him safe.

Harrow implies she wants to survive to justify the circumstances of her birth, or to see if the Body wakes, but that's not all of it. Plenty of people would have followed Priamhark and Pelleamena because it's too much and she was a fucking pre-teen who had the knowledge and expectations of an adult thrust on her.

So she's a survivor. If she was growing up with a homophobic asshole Dad on the Southside of Chicago... She would do what she needed to. Maybe she'd be more like Mandy because of gendered expectations. But I reckon she'd be like Mickey because she's a lesbian and I definitely don't see any version of Harrow who is still recognisably Harrow following Mandy's path wrt relationships; Another way she's like Mickey is in the "untempered devotion to her ridiculous redhead". I can see a Harrow that gets involved with the family business in a way Mandy doesn't, because it would be a way of making herself useful and staying safe.

And Mickey? He dropped out of school... But he was in an environment where that was expected. We don't know how good he might have been at school with parents who encouraged him, or teachers who didn't see him as a burden and pile their prejudices on him as a Milkovich. You can bet they didn't give him time. I've seen a lot of people headcanon Mickey as dyslexic, and I can see that... Struggling teen drops out of shitty school because they're never getting the help they need is all too common a story.

So put him on the Ninth. Put him in a situation where that academic excellence is not only encouraged but expected and necessary for his survival? I don't think he'd be exactly like Harrow. I don't see him memorising and reciting Ortus' poetry, for example. But he would absolutely study necromancy until he was the best at it. He wouldn't do it exactly the way Harrow does... Maybe his approach would be more instinctive than scientifically rigorous. But he would do it. (And he would absolutely learn to use rigor when required).

So after spending way too long thinking about it, I have reconciled my necromancer Mickey with both canon Mickey and with Harrow.

The only issue I have is that I can't imagine a version of Mickey where Terry has already died and he isn't boning Ian (pun intended) within about six minutes of them both hitting puberty.

I've found a way around this in my fic (I'm making Terry into Crux rather than Priamhark). But they would totally bang in the pool scene regardless. Even if I could come up with a reasonable person to put as The Body (like, who the fuck? There is no one else for Mickey. For hilarity, maybe it's Byron).

Anyway. I'm done for now.

*put the blorbos back in my pocket*

*holds them tight*

[destiny-in-the-universe]

Why am I like this? So here’s the thing-

Since I was getting old ads while I binged Xiaolin Showdown, it sparked a memory of when I used to be very into Codename: Kids Next Door (aka KND for short! Or C:KND but anyway!) and as most people know- I love my alternate universes… and crossovers, hence why this now exists!

Oops heheh, and these are my thoughts for a crossover between C:KND and RC9GN because I am a heathen-

RC9GN x C:KND AU

🗡️ The Kids Next Door has a sector in Oklahoma known as [REDACTED]. While not as recognized as the likes of Sector V - the team in Oklahoma still has its own unique set of skills and abilities. Of course, they’re also aware of the Ninja but consider them to be a separate division so to speak- and well, most are under the impression they’re a 800 year old immortal.

🗡️ Prior to being the Ninja, Randy Cunningham used to be part of the Kids Next Door- his sector, of course, was the one previously mentioned in the first bullet point. He wasn’t the team leader but he still had his own sets of abilities - mostly through his use of handheld gadgets, and if some happen to be weirdly reminiscent of the ninja balls, no they aren’t. Whatever do you mean~

🗡️ I have no idea who his other teammates would’ve been, so I’m just going to leave that up for interpretation right now

🗡️ Randy also presented skills in athleticism and other things. For you know, reasons but I’m sure you can figure that out hehehe

🗡️ Things, of course, get a little interesting when the sector has to deal with a stanked monster situation (combined with adult tyranny-) because, of course, I was going to tie this to the Ninja. Duh. Anyway! This is one of the few times the Ninja and KND operatives work together but Randy becomes enthralled by the Ninja- wondering if one day that could be him

🗡️ The battle went a little sideways but the Ninja happens to protect the sector from the monster- victory does come in the end though unfortunately, Randy’s thirteenth birthday approaches and this does mean he'll have to be decommissioned

🗡️ No one's entirely happy about it, but exceptions can't be made- not even for Randy. As a sendoff for him, they throw him an early birthday party and it's a very emotional moment to say the least

🗡️ As expected, Randy gets decommissioned and his memories of being a C:KND operative are wiped

🗡️ Things after that, well, it gets a little interesting but I will definitely be making a longer, separate post on this weird niche crossover-

I have a ridiculous amount of ideas for this, but I do plan on dedicating an actual lengthy post for that once I manage to word myself properly! Brain is a slight bit of mush at the moment, unfortunately. I'm also just somewhat busy doing other things right now so getting around to posting might take a while

Until next time, my lovely readers!

~ Mod Destiny (They/Them)

[caesarclowningaround]

#1, #8, #16, #41, #49!

1. What fic of yours would you recommend to someone who had never read any of your work? (In other words, what do you think is the best introduction to your fics?)

This might be a weird one (and no i'm not picking it because I just rewatched Violent Night) but Arose Such a Clatter is good for beginners of my work. I feel like it has a lot of stuff in it I'm pretty good at and love to write - crossovers, smut with feelings, a niche ship i had to create a tag for, etc. So it'll give folks a general idea of what I tend to gravitate towards in my writing. Also it's a oneshot that can be read in one sitting.

8. What song would make a great fic (to either write or read)?

Hotel California AU XD

16. What’s an AU you would love to read (or have read and loved)?

Honestly, I'm a huge sucker for horror AUs. I love to stumble upon them and they're always a delight. And I mean serious horror that's baked into the writing and themes. Werewolf and vampire AUs are great, but there's something special about horror AU fics that go all-out

41. Link a fic that made you think, “Wow, I want to write like that.”

The Master of My Fate by GreenArcher just... being able to juggle every thread of this fic is fucking incredible and it draws you in so perfectly. I want to be able to create something that complex and so beautiful someday.

49. What are you currently working on? Share a few lines if you’re up for it!

Working on several WIPS, but my main focus rn is my Caesar/Sanji Christmas fic. Here's a few lines:

Sanji felt a slight waver in his step as he turned off the Christmas lights on deck and returned to the galley. He’d drunk a little too much wine, but it didn’t seem to bother him as much as drinking that much used to. He tried not to consider the implications and set about cleaning up. He had to be up early to prep a big Christmas breakfast and - drunk or not - he wasn’t about to disappoint.

[my-past-disgusts-me]

Ask game ask game <3

🪓If you could design a first trial, what would you do?

💭What is your favorite yttd AU idea?

🏆Who do you think the ultimate survivors will be?

🪓 If I could design a first trial, huh? Man... I've been asking myself this, actually, because of my Mr Beast AU (I'm just calling it that, it doesn't have anything to do with Mr Beast) and I uh, haven't had any good, concrete ideas yet. My most interesting one is thematically potent for the characters I put in it. Ironically it's also the least clear. It's in my notes as "something to do with the moon" so. I guess the only one I've actually thought out is the mirror room puzzle. It's pretty much the one Sara did before the first game, but with communication issues this time! One contestant is in each room, and they have to talk with each other to make the rooms mirror each other, before the time runs out. Normal stuff. I've also got a character in just. A normal escape room. So that's fun.

💭 Which AU is my favorite? You're killing me here, my god. So. Obviously there's my survivors AU, the one I've made a few sketch comics for. Both Sara and Shin survive, they can't get rid of each other, they become friends on accident, etc. etc. Ryoko is there. I might be bringing Midori back for that one too but ehhh idk. The stuff I've written for that is interesting but it's straying too far into whump territory for this AU. It's a cool way to fuck with their character arcs though.

There's also my two new silly AUs, YTTD Hoodwinked AU and YTTD Nerdy Prudes Must Die AU. They're pretty fun. I don't think they're my favorites though. Oh and Ranpo in the Death Game AU but I haven't touched that one for a while. Not since the yaoi.

And then there's the other big contender. The Mr Beast AU. AKA I put 100 fictional characters in the Your Turn to Die death game (said in the mr beast intro voice)! Oh man. What a whopper. And I have lore reasons for it too. Now picture this: The death game is over. Sara wins. She goes on with her life, distraught for a while, but then only numb. When the time comes, she takes over ASU-NARO. With her at the helm, research pivots from recreating people artificially to regaining them for real. Flesh and blood. That's right baby, they're playing 5D chess with multiversal time travel, and they're about to find out what happens when that shit goes wrong. Meanwhile, in 14 other worlds, shit goes haywire there too. The cast of YTTD wakes up in their old bodies, from the start of the death game, with all their memories intact. And a hundred newcomers awaken too.

Mm... I think the mr beast AU is more interesting to me currently, just because I loooove crossover AUs and banging my toys together like rocks. I put all my favorite niche media in there. We've got My Student Spirit, we've got Rhyme and Reason, we've got Ghost Junk Sickness, we've got 7Seeds. I even have The Neverending Story! We've got extra scientists, we've got actual robots, we have a cat with a job, there's a man who is literally a ghost and another who can talk to ghosts and they are both the nicest (lyinggg the ghost is an asshole. Just like me fr). And freaking out at the center of it all is our good old primary cast, trying to survive all over again.

I'm having fun with it. Tsukasa Tenma is dead. Herlock Sholmes is dead. Dima PAFL is dead and Dr. Temnova doesn't know yet. Olezha has a real body again but he can't go tell his roommate because his roommate is in the death game and they can't have people moving willy-nilly from the administrative side to the game side, now can they? Emu Ootori has blood on her hands. So does Kotaro Mita. Man I love this AU. I have to make something other than a spreadsheet for it.

🏆 Who do I think will win? Sara, obviously. I don't think there's any way that she doesn't. I don't think Keiji will, or Shin. If she does get to take someone with her, I think it'll be Gin in the logic route. I also think that maybe we'll get a choice in the emotion route. To save either Kanna or Gin. Which kid gets to live. Kinda fucked! But what about this game isn't lmao. Regardless, I'm excited to see what happens.

[paalove]

but one of these days i won't be able to ask loud enough - 8, 10, 11, 12, 20, 22, 26 also if you happen to have any miriam and korn lore to share with the class 🤲

this is so many; please feel free to pick and choose!!

ask game

fidjmksdifmsdkm that is so many, but i'll do my best!! thank you for asking mwah 😘

...

8. What inspired the title for this fic? Is that usually how you choose titles?

it's a lyric from jason derulo-marry me, just like the the name of both the series and the other fic in the series! i do always pick song lyric titles, but there is a fun fact about this song in particular...

so obviously it's a wedding-themed series, ergo the title had to be from a wedding related song, and the original fic is an f/f proposal, so i immediately remembered one of my fanvid white whales - it was hosted on tumblr, not youtube, and it was a brittana fmv set to that song, all in black and white, and with occasional stock shots of old people handholds skdmskdm!! i miss that video...

10. Share a screenshot of the original outline (if you dareee😈)

i would dare if there were one!! this fic was planned entirely in the doc, and i delete my [then wai leaves] when i write the scene where he wanders off, etc. other fics have written outlines, this one just didn't that i can remember. :C

11. Was there a scene that you hadn't originally planned to include? Why did you decide to fit it in?

oh, the phone call with pran! i went back and forth over whether having him there would sway wai away from taking the worst possible path through his thoughts and feelings, considering pran might be a reminder of last time he did that... but it wouldn't be a wai fic without pran and at least some semi-submerged PrangstTM (mostly past-tense)

12. Was there a scene you wished you could have included? Why didn't it fit in?

there were a few Wai Is Thoughtless scenes i wanted to include but didn't - it could have been more drawn out, but the fic felt unbalanced if i wasn't having him be approximately as thoughtless to pang as he was Buddies with korn. i diiiiid originally think the miriam proposal would be in the fic, and he'd have a physical role, but i couldn't make the timeline work without it making more sense for pang to be the one dumping him tbh.

(pang would have to be at the proposal, is what that came down to)

20. What is something you wish more people noticed about this fic?

its existence... dfknmdmkdf no, this was always going to be a niche fic for one popular but (for thai ql fandom) older fandom and one Secret Crossover in the exact same situation minus most of the popularity, so i was actually really happy with how many people read it at all!

tiniest detail that i'm fondest of and was just for me, but also nobody commented directly on: korn's love for hideous dog stickers in his chats. he lovingly hand-edits the crying eyes onto the ugliest dogs he can find, and manually adds text.

22. Does personal experience ever inspire your fics? What about this particular fic?

it mostly inspires physical descriptions to be completely honest, anything else is more "shred it, mix it, stick it down in a collage and paint it over"... but pran's experience of his phone call with wai was self-indulgent for another reason, yeah. he's sitting on the other end going fucking hell he needs to be single but he knows saying that wouldn't do anything useful, so he just hms and sures and cools. as do we all

26. Wild Card! I'll tell you a fun fact about this fic!

i was surprised, when typing the first full paragraph of this fic, to realise pang and miriam were in it dfkmdfkmfmd wai's original fiance was supposed to be an oc not much like pang - korn, i always pictured with miriam here, but i was thinking she would be an oc version of her? until.

(bonus: this is not, ive finally settled on, an au of tonhon chonlatee, and korn and miriam's very first meeting was within the week after she gave birth to that controversial child the fans hated the very idea of. she was arguing with a bartender, and chonlatee really thought he was helping. they are banned from that bar, and so is korn.)

[rockinlibrarian]

Hey library pal, here you go for the ask game!

🍓🍎🍏🍇

Thank you! Once again, the fruit ask game is here, so ask me fruit!

🍓 What’s a fic you’ve written you feel is underrated?

*sigh* I'm going to say "The Magic Man of Oz" again. I feel like people might get sick of me saying that.

Well, I'll pick a runner up, and actually looking at my stats page, "MMoO" has SEVEN kudos, and it's for a kind of niche fandom, but my Wrinkle In Time/MCU crossover, "Tesseract," has only SIX kudos, and it really does deserve more. Though, granted, I haven't updated it since December of 2021 and I'm the only one who's seen some of the great stuff coming (eventually!) in later chapters. But the first chapter's pretty good, too!

🍎 Is there anything you straight-up won’t write?

Ugh, smut. It's painful. It's painful sometimes just writing about offscreen smut, though I will. But to put it into bold-faced WORDS just makes it all sound awful. I can't do it.

🍏 Is there something you overuse, whether it’s a certain phrase, trope, or piece of punctuation?

The em-dash. And run-on sentences. And the word "actually."

🍇 Is there a particular scene/episode/book/etc that you want to just write a million fics about, over and over? Which one?

You know I don't think so. I think I write one stab at a concept and then I'm good. Maybe that's why I've written for so many different fandoms.

Maybe Fiktor admitting their feelings to each other. That's probably the only thing I HAVE written over and over. And it's not even canon!

[steddie-island]

20 questions for writers

Tagged by @puppy-steve ❤️

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

24! Which doesn't feel like a lot but up until last October, my count was 1. 😌

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

42,730

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Steddie primarily, but I do RP Ineffable Husbands and occasionally Destiel.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Just Because We Get Around

Mutually Beneficial (I'm super proud of this one, and it's really cool that it's gotten enough attention to be so close to the top of the list!)

With Extra Nuts

Dustin's Dad

Vixen (Which is the most surprising one on this list for some reason lol)

5. Do you respond to comments?

It might take me a bit but I always try to! If people take the time to leave comments I want them to know that I appreciate it.

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

I don't think I have any with an angsty ending. Potentially Don't go where I can't follow, which is less than a thousand words but it might be the fic that I'm the proudest of.

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

All of them are pretty soft and schmoopy honestly. I could say Forever Yours (Faithfully) but I'm going to go with the most tooth-rotting one which is Nothin' but the kitchen sink.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

No, thank god. 😬

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

😈 I'm going to say all kinds? Soft and sweet, down and dirty. I want people ridden hard and put away wet.

10. Do you write crossovers?

I almost said I don't but I'm literally working on a Baron x Eddie fic. 😂

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I don't think so?

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

I got into fandom by RP'ing, and I actually have a couple of them that we've been polishing up to post.

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

Destiel was my ride or die for a long time. It's how I met my spouse and a few of our friends. Like SPN was a shitshow, and Steddie has taken over the brainrot, but damn if destiel wasn't there for me when I needed it.

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

Honestly I've had a hard time getting any words to go recently. Right now it feels like A leg to stand on is just going to rot in my WIP folder forever, even though it was just supposed to be PWP (what the fuck guys.) I think realistically, though, if I don't finish anything it's going to be the long fic that I've had outlined for months and also haven't touched. Like I have a playlist for it and I know what I want to do but actually getting words into a doc? Ha. Ha. Haha.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think I'm good at writing angst. Even though I don't write a ton of it. I'm good at changing the tone between one sentence and the next (and that is why don't go where I can't follow is my favorite fic of mine.)

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

My pacing is off sometimes, I always have to have spouse read and be like "Does this work?? Do I need something else here instead??" As much as I love Scream for me I feel like the ending kind of got rushed in my excitement to post it. 😅

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

It's something I would love to try but I would want to be really careful and not be an author who writes a character who speaks mainly in english, just throws out a random word or phrase of another language to say "See? It's diverse they DO speak another language!" lol. I would definitely want to not just rely on google translate and actually talk to someone who could tell me my sentences made sense.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

RP, it was SPN. But the first fic I published was for Frasier (it's called "Passionfruit", it's Niles and Daphne. Frasier is such a niche little fandom on ao3 but I wrote that in just a couple of hours and I was so fucking proud of myself. And like, it's hot. 😌

20. Favorite fic you've written?

I said it up there ^^ but I think it has to be Don't go where I can't follow. Again, less than 1,000 words but it's a little story with a lot of punch to it, and I will admit that I go back and read it regularly. 😌

Thank you for the tag, this was fun!!

No pressure tags for @pearynice @wynnyfryd @just-my-latest-hyperfixation @pennyplainknits and literally anyone else who wants to do this. ❤️

Full pressure tag for @v3llichor because I'm your wife and you have to. 😘

[bluespring864]

Twenty Questions for Fic Writers

Thank you @yoellglia, @kingfisherprince and @shambolicchaos for tagging me even though I haven't done one of these in months, I appreciate it <3 And look at this, I am actually doing a tag game.

1. How many works do you have on AO3? 57. How did that happen.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

418,066. Some of those 57 are pretty long ;-)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Well I won't list them all, we'll be here tomorrow. The published ones are mainly: Tatort, Good Omens, Potter, Tennis RPF, Skating RPF and a few Music RPFs. There's an awful lot of WiPs from Sherlock Holmes to Poirot to Star Trek to Oasis to Austen to various Panel Shows to Les Miz to The Hobbit and back again though. Plus WiPs for all the published fandoms. Sigh.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Alright this is going to be a trip down memory lane, seeing as I'm mostly active in very niche fandoms these days. Also, this statistic is perhaps skewed by the fact that lots of my fics are in German (a few nearly made it onto the list though!) and my RPF is locked (for registered users only).

Days in the Sun: Tops the list by a very long way. Harry Potter. A Snape/Hermione post war fic published in 2018. I'm a different writer these days but I still like lots of things about it.

To Trust in One Another: Good Omens. Aziraphale/Crowley post Season 1. I remember the response to this overwhelming me at the time, I had never gotten so many comments so quickly after posting and haven't since. This fandom is so lovely (and filled with writers!).

To those who wait, eventually: Harry Potter. Snape/McGonagall. I love this pairing and this story. And while I am very surprised that both the Potter Fics I actually published are het, I am not surprised they both feature Severus Snape.

Almost Too Kind, or: Prometo: Figure Skating RPF. Yuzu/Javi. I still like the Yuzu POV, although I think I've perhaps written more interesting skating stories, but this was obviously the most popular parinig at the time. Hence the amount of kudos I guess.

Language Barrier Sidestepped: Figure Skating RPF. Yuzu/Javi. This one surprised me because it's just a silly fluffy oneshot. But with some language nerdship in the title and the story (that part is less surprising, if you know me)

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

Always, and sometimes too verbosely :D I like a good comment discussion and I have made friends that way.

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

Angsty endings? Me? I would if I could. Maybe some day. I guess the angstiest one is this unrequited love drabble in the Tatort Münster Fandom.

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

Well, most of them have pretty happy endings, I think.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not so far. Most of the comments I get are really nice. I can remember only a handful slightly weird ones over the years.

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

No one is more surprised than me, but yes. In my case, it's usually part of a story and has a function in the story. But it can be pretty graphic because it's weird to me to treat sex as something to gloss over. That being said, sometimes a story decides on a fade to black. On the other end of the spectrum, I've also come pretty close to writing PwP, depending on your definition of it.

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

Never written one, very rarely read them.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

People have asked for permission several times and I always grant it (of course I do) but I don't think I've ever gotten a link to a finished translation (which I always ask for). I get it though, some of my stories are pretty long and I know all about the difficulties of translation :-)

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

It's not finished but I hope we can get back to it @kingfisherprince! I might not always be the easiest person to work with, but I thoroughly enjoyed it so far.

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

I don't have one, I write whatever pairing is interesting to me. And would love to write more gen fic if inspiration strikes. The concept of an OTP used to make no senses to me either, though I guess I've come close with Novandy in the Tennis fandom. I still write lots of other stuff in that fandom though.

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

I have trouble going back to the Potter stuff for various reasons. Would love to finish a Snarry which is already at almost 30k but doubt I will. I also have a Poirot/Hastings case fic I really want to finish but (see writing weaknesses)

16. What are your writing strengths?

I'm not sure. I hope Í write realistic relationships that make sense in the story. I try to write clear prose that's not too cluttered (I don't always succeed). Sometimes with my longer fics I've managed to slightly miraculously tie things together, which is amazing to me when it happens but I can't control that at all.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I sometimes overexplain. I tend to forget about 'setting the scene' descriptions now and then. And the big one: I can't plot for the life of me, I write as I go along, which isn't always a problem but definitely is when you try to write a murder mystery (I've got an unfinished Poirot one and an unfinished Tatort Münster one which I would love to continue).

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

I like it, though I tend to use it relatively sparingly and either add translations or try to make it clear in other ways in the text what was being said (a translation degree comes in handy for this).

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Well the first time I tried writing fic it was Kirk/Spock but the first thing I finished and published was Tatort Münster.

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

Don't do this to me. The answer will be different every day, I think, and for lots of reasons. This is not me being pretentious (I hope), because I would have just as much trouble choosing my favourite song or book etc. Let's pick Two and Two Together for today because I never would have thought I'd write a 42k poly fic, but here we are. I think we've established I sometimes surprise myself.

Tagging: I think most of the writers on my dash have been tagged... but maybe @bonos-grindcore-sideproject and @advantage-sinner and @savageandwise and @all-my-worlds-a-stage if you want to do it?

[gwenllian-in-the-abbey]

Thanks for the tag @branwendaughterofllyr

1. How many works do you have on ao3(or masterlist)? 20

2. What’s your total ao3 word count? 568,678

3. What fandoms do you write for? ASOIAF/F&B/HOTD and ROTE (Realm of the Elderlings)

4. Top five fics by kudos? All Kings Are Beautiful; Inside a Chrysalis, Writhing; Our Fathers Clad in Red; Sunlight and Air; Unbound and Infinite

5. Do you respond to comments? Yes! I might miss a few here or there, but I try to respond to most comments.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? I think it's probably My Sister's Letter, a fic I wrote that takes place several decades after the end of Assassin's Fate

7. What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Sunlight and Air, probably, my ROTE post F&F fix-it

8. Do you get hate on fics? I've gotten a few weird comments on All Kings Are Beautiful, mostly people being weird about me not writing Aegon as a hardass warrior. The most recent one was someone complaining that the fic shouldn't be tagged neutral because Rhaenyra doesn't become queen lol

9. Do you write smut? I have, occasionally, but it's not usually super explicit

10. Craziest crossover? I've never written any crossovers!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Nope!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Not that I know of!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Yes! Our Fathers Clad in Red is co-written with @aifsaath

14. All time favorite ship? Braime, probably. The rest of my ships are mostly rarepairs and crackships. RegalGold still has me in a chokehold, and of course my beloved Baegon.

15. What’s a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will? All of my unfinished fics that are published I do plan to finish. I have a WIP in my drafts for a Fitzloved fic set during Fool's Assassin that I will probably never get to.

16. What are your writing strengths? Internality, dialogue, characterization.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? Description. I can write good descriptions, but I'm more of a verbal person than a visual person. My co-writer often jokes that I'm the screenwriter and she's the director of photography.

18. Thoughts on dialogue in another language? I tend to use italics and dialogue tags, unless the other characters aren't meant to understand what's being said.

19. First fandom you wrote in? Realm of the Elderlings, if you don't count the thinly veiled Star Trek knockoff I wrote when I was thirteen before I knew fanfic existed (pre-internet!)

20. Favorite fic you’ve written? Right now it's Our Fathers Clad in Red, but I'm also very proud of my Realm of the Elderlings Modern AUs. They're niche as fuck but I think they're fun.

no pressure tags: @aifsaath @dearlyfetching @theothermaidoftarth @inthedayswhenlandswerefew @tragediegh @whatevsbla @mellowthorn @spectrum-color

[shmowder]

You’ve played lollipop chainsaw you say? 👀👀 how did you like it?! It’s one of my favorite grasshopper manufacturer games so always love to hear people’s thoughts on it. You might also enjoy the 25th ward and the sliver case tbh (both from the same dev team but different in tone!)

Lollipop chainsaw au where the reader is Juliet and Daniil is Nick who said that?

How do I like it?

HOW DO I LIKE IT?

"I'd like to thank all the different variables, from the egg I origanted from and to the patch of dirt which will invetiably become me, to thank the hundreds of billions of split timelines and multitudes of choices which resulted in me becoming who I am, developing these interests, and arriving at this specific moment of space time where I can not only yearn but have the need fulfilled, for I am living my best life."

You come into MY HOUSE

And ask ME about how I like

MY GAME?

.....

....

...

..

.

I think it's pretty good

And I'm ve.ry nnormal about it :)

-

Writing a lolipop chainsaw au into pathologic is already a behemoth of niche on its own, and adding the extra layers of Juilet! Reader x Nick! Bachelor might make it possibly the most niche thing in the history of existence.

A monkey with a typewriter might eventually spout out a hamlet or two... but this? Oh, this you'd never get from ANY writers' room of animals. This is one of a kind, custom designed. This is the type of shit that requires the stars to align.

And it's happening, here's your brief (who am I kidding I have no self control) Lolipop chainsaw X pathologic crossover WITH x reader layering.

-

The Bachelor was always one to play the hero

The act of shielding you from an impending death by a zombie bite was a no-brainer for him

Knowing he at least will die for a good cause

With you kneeling by his side, he tries to memorise your face one last time before he closes his eyes forever

Parting with his final words being a confession of love

It would've been a most touching and romantic farewell

...wasn't it for the loud roaring of a chainsaw coming to life

You standing up with a determined look in your eyes, refusing to give up and allow death to steal him away

The last thing he sees are the spinning razorblades of the chainsaw coming straight down before everything blacks out

...and he wakes up, eventually, groggy and exhausted.

But alive.

He's alive!

Dankovsky doesn't allow the feeling of relief to last long before he's questioning how this is possible

A zombie bite should be deadly, he felt the venom seeping into his bloodstream—just how did you invent a cure?

Well... he didn't need to wonder for long, all of his questions are immediately answered the second he glances down.

only to be met with an empty floor

with no sign of his body anywhere in sight

At first, he chalked up the inability to feel his limbs to exhaustion, maybe even shock.

But there wasn't even a torso left! Just...a head

How is this possible how is he alive?

"Don't get mad!" You're avoiding meeting his eyes, and Daniil is reminded of that one time you ate his piece of dessert while he went to answer a phone call only to come back to an empty plate and your guilty expression

Except, you know

Instead of a simple pie, it's 90% of his body this time around, gone.

"I kinda... sorta... did a dark magic ritual to keep you alive." You squeak out an answer

Without missing a beat, Daniil immediately replies

"Oh sure, dark magic, yes why didn't I think of that."

Ah, you recognise that tone of voice, the one a lecture always follows

"HOW do you know how to preform a dark magic ritual, or better yet, why? Please do enlighten me, now."

Nick might have let it go when Juilet spoke it as a matter of fact thing

But Daniil sure wouldn't.

Even when the zombies burst into the room and he watches you—from the low point of view courtesy of being tied to your hip—decimate those reanimated walking corpses

He still doesn't shut up about the ritual

Demanding to know every single detail

Just where is the rest of his body? Did you dispose of it?

Or is there a walking headless zombie version of him out there somewhere?

First he had to come to quick acceptance of the fact that zombie's are very real, this morning.

Then make the decision of throwing his life away just to save yours

Having to accept death, the arch nemesis he's resisted and crusaded against for so long

Only to somehow still be alive, having lost the majority of his anatomy

Fine, sure, why not, he can accept all of those things... at a time

But the one thing he has a difficult time swallowing is you being a legit zombie hunter who's dabbled in dark magic

YOU!?

In all of your years of dating, he saw you as this innocent thing

With your bubbly personality and sweet tooth

Frilly pinks and cute bows, you contrasted Daniil's own wardrobe so much and yet the two of you looked unimaginably good together

He really thought he was the luckiest man alive to have somewhere stumbled upon this angel

And now this so-called angel is elbow deep in gore and zombie guts, the sweetest smile on your lips as you decapitate them, rotting necks easily caving in under the indestructible metal of your chainsaw

Blood droplets painted across your pretty face, the very same one Daniil would cradle before every delicate kiss

How you still maintained your casual demeanour, chatting with him like the two of you are strolling through the garden

Seemingly having the time of your life chopping down these zombies, as if you were a puppy let loose on a brand new couch

And the most damning fact of all that stuck to his throat like thorns

Was how Daniil couldn't accept how hot he found this whole ordeal

He's supposed to be a gentleman! He's a goddamn bachelor of medicine! An educated respectable man

So just why... how...

At least with no bodily functions—in crude terms: the lack of a penis—these shameful thoughts can be kept locked away at the back of his mind

Eventually, you introduced him to your so-called teacher

The one supposed to answer all of the questions Daniil has been interrogating you with nonstop

It only takes him 5 seconds to determine that he does not like that man at all

To say Daniil grilled him with question after question on this supposed dark magic ritual would be an understatement

It's a bit impressive how he's still able to carry himself (his head?) with prestige and dignity

How he still talks to others he deems lesser with condescension despite being akin to a literal charm attached to your hip

Well he always deemed his brain to be his most treasures body part, the sharpest weapon he can weild

And if he had to choose... yes, he admits he would've made a decision similar to yours

So no, he isn't mad at you for saving his life, despite the great cost

He is mad because you hid so much from him! Whilst knowing about all of his struggles to make a breakthrough?

Could you imagine how useful the knowledge you possess would've been in his research?

He abhors lying and liars

You have a lot to make up for if you want to regain his trust

...although saving his life has already done a lot of heavy lifting

Daniil has never been one to call others "emo" or adapt the juvenile terminology people these days seem to love so much

He could endure it when it came for you, yet never adapted it himself

But as the two of you stepped outside the building and into the middle of a demon summoning ritual

Daniil couldn't agree more with your words

That is one weird emo kid

"Goth." The kid screeched, and Daniil didn't pay him any mind, as if he has the time to argue with children

One of the benefits of carrying a Bachelor head instead of a Nick head is having an in-built Latin translator literally at the tip of your finger

This led to Daniil immediately catching on to the meaning of the phrase "Meus Vita, Rege, pro nefario coepto" uttered by the Zed demon just as you ended his miserable existence

Putting two and two together, it doesn't take him long to come to the conclusion that this is all one big trap

Killing the demons is what that weird emo kid wants you to do, he's using you!

Did he think the two of you were idiots? Daniil is almost insulted

He informs you of his theory, and you being the reliable great strategist that you are, immediately dial up the rest of your family to spread the news

Boosting about what a genius your boyfriend is

Daniil pretends to be unaffected, but his ego already tripled in size

Having spared you like 8 hours of extra content and various annoying boss encounters, the two of you immediately head to the cathedral to catch the emo kid off-guard

To think he would've been stringing you two along like puppets into his spiderweb this whole time if Daniil wasn't here

One patheticly short fight later—it's really not that difficult to best an edgy teenager with zero demonic transformation powers—the zombie apocalypse is no more!

This has been the longest most weird day in Daniil's life.

You'd think he'd be pretty torn about being a mere head for life, since no final boss = no sacrifice = no gift from the universe for being heroic

But actually Daniil is pretty fucking ecstatic about this

This could revolutionize the whole medical industry!

You said he was basically part of the family and a zombie hunter now, right?

And your dad seems to like him a lot.

So how about you share that dark magic knowledge of yours?

Learning to hold a pen with his mouth to write is tricky but pretty doable, he has the whole of his brain capacity and functions still, he doesn't see why he can't continue working from home to aid research in Thanatica

And he's crafted a lot of theorise about the zombie body piloting trick the two of you did quite a lot, maybe he can replicate it with a synthetic body?

Even a donor body could work as well

The sky is the limit.

Honestly, he's happier here than where he started this day

And how could he ever forget about your birthday present?

It's impolite to keep your mom waiting, so the two of you go on your way

He requests you carry him in your arms instead for the time being, being worn at the hip feels very undignified

....and the views down there are rather distracting

[thisapplepielife]

20 Questions for Fic Writers!

I'm very belated for this, but thanks for the tag @hbyrde36!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

18! But a lot of those are in the Wildflowers series. (Maybe it should have been chaptered? I still don't know what the right answer was, lol.)

So, I basically have 3 things to read, if you count the two parts of the Jagged Little Pill series as one, and I always do. Wildflowers is for those that wanted more of Tuesday's, and not that many people wanted to read Tuesday's in the first place, haha. So it's a niche of a niche. But I hold it close to my heart, and it makes me happy that a few of you have been so on board with it, too. ❤️

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

487,289. Which is kind of crazy. I just looked, and I started writing You Oughta Know on July 30th, 2022. From then until today, that's 457 days. That's averaging over 1,000 words a day. That seems wild. (And I've got a lot of unpublished words still in the chamber, haha.)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Just Stranger Things right now, but I'm not opposed to branching out as the mood strikes. I think I'd love to take on David/Patrick of Schitt's Creek someday.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Take the Money and Run (by a country mile, lol)

You Oughta Know

I'm Brave, But I'm Chicken Shit

Tuesday's Gone With the Wind

You Don't Know How It Feels (I didn't realize it had overtaken the first part of Wildflowers, so that's fun! More readers must have enjoyed the look at the Corroded Coffin boys, and I dig it.)

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

Yes! I definitely try to respond to them all. Sometimes I'm a little slow about it though, sorry!

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

I like a happy ending. But Time to Move On, I guess? It's just a part of a series, so it's not like the ending is permanently sad, but that one does end at a sad point in their lives.

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

Most of them are pretty happy, but I'm partial to the epilogue ending of Take the Money and Run. That will always have my heart. ❤️

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I've gotten a very little, so I feel pretty lucky.

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

Yes, and I write what fits the larger story, I hope. I've written M/M and F/M, so far. I haven't done a full PWP, though some of the parts of Wildflowers were supposed to be that, but the dang plot kept getting in the way. Whoops.

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

Just little brief ones, so far. There's a couple in Take the Money and Run that I find fun, but if you don't get them, I don't think they detract from the story.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, and I'm not sure it'd work for most of my stuff, with all the mixed media.

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

No, I'm not sure how good I'd be at that. I write by jumping all over the place. That'd probably be annoying for someone else to deal with, lol!

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

All time? Man, that's hard. I'm obviously deep in a Steddie hole at the moment. But I'll go with my first. Pacey and Joey of Dawson's Creek. They brought me into fandom, into fic, so they get the gold star. (For more current ships, definitely Steddie and David & Patrick of Schitt's Creek.)

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

I don't really post anything I'm not basically finished with. But from my private stash, I like the idea of Here You Come Again, but I just have been writing other stuff. I'm going to take on my other Steddie (Untitled, But Not Really) WIP during NaNoWriMo. I've never done that before, so I thought might be fun, since I saw you can go rogue and write 50,000 words on something that isn't brand spanking new. So, even if that fic doesn't need 50,000 words to finish (and I'm not sure it does) it might give me the push to try to finish it up. I've been sitting on my hands on it since I decided to sign up, which is fine, I needed to finish up Wildflowers. (And get ahead on my Steddie Holiday Drabbles: I've finished 8 of the 30 so far.)

16. What are your writing strengths?

From the comments, I'm going to go with that I can make readers laugh from time to time, which makes me so happy. I also like to dig into the research.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Um, also the research, lol. Sometimes I'll be researching until I'm just wasting time. Some things really don't matter in the big picture. (But they do to me!!) And I need to learn to let them go.

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

That's not something I've done, I don't think. But I have tried to respond to comments that were written in a different language using Google Translate.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Dawson's Creek. Many, many moons ago. At the turn of the millennium. (That's fun to say, ha!)

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Unpopular opinion time! I know Take the Money and Run is more popular. By, well, a lot. And I do love it. It gave me the bug to write long fic again. But I have big feelings for Tuesday's Gone With the Wind. It was such an undertaking. All the mixed media. The endless research. And I fell in love with those characters in the process.

It wasn't as popular as TtMaR, but that's okay. It makes me very happy that it reached even as many people as it did. I know that author's note was enough to scare anyone away, haha. Add in the CNTW and it's amazing anyone read it at all. Thanks to those of you that did! You've made me so happy. ❤️

I'm so late for this, I'm not gonna tag, but if you haven't done it and want to, please do!!

[kcscribbler]

D, L, and Z for the ask game.💖

Full Ask List Here

D: What’s the most personal fanfic you’ve written?

Living in the Shadows Characters/Pairings: Kirk, Spock, McCoy, Uhura, Enterprise crew. AOS canon relationships only, but as always you'll find very little ship but the Enterprise here, folks Word Count: 21K Rating: T for movie-level language and discussion of mental illness

Summary: Five times Jim noticed one of his officers wasn't doing well, and one time they returned the favor

L:  Which of your fanfics was the most emotionally challenging to write?

However Improbable was the first fic I ever wrote for Star Trek TOS, and why the hell I chose a very niche crossover to make that jump between fandoms, during NaNoWriMo no less, I have no real idea. It was a wild whirlwind of an exploratory fic that I still love, to this day.

Z: Is there a story you’ve written that doesn’t seem to get much love?

While I certainly can't complain about the level of engagement I'm fortunate enough to get as a rule, this one for some reason didn't land as well as my others.

I liked it, but it clearly didn't resonate like it could have, so. Might be the subject matter or time period, or just an exercise in remembering I write for myself first. :)

Coda in E Major Characters: James T. Kirk & Spock Tags: Gen or Pre-Slash, Post-Movie: Star Trek I: The Motion Picture (1979), Missing Scene, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, James T. Kirk Needs a Hug, Breaking Up & Making Up, ish Word Count: 3300 Summary: Despite the events of the last three years, the important things don't change. Two variations on a theme, for the prompt of "Rhythm."

Thanks so much for the asks, this was super fun!

[obsidiancreates]

Dissonant Magics

(Perhaps. The most Niche thing I've ever written. Icebound crossover with me and my friend's own RP.)

Queenie had been prepared to kill when she's spotted the unusual bright yellow moving through the sparse and hardy bushes the group was camping in.

She'd drawn her bow, notched her arrow, taken aim...

And then a human man had become visible.

Not what she had expected. Especially not after sensing some kind of Fey creature nearby.

And this human man was strange. She'd never seen clothes like his before. A bright yellow hat of some sort, with a strange brim only at the very front and only above his face, a sort of... flat-cap. He had a jacket the color of ground mustard seed in a style she'd never seen before, oddly unlived in and a material she couldn't begin to identify. His pants, at least, were familiar- the same material her own overalls were made of, though his shoes... laces, yes, familiar enough, but again, the style, and a strange material that made up the soles and the tips where the toes went, something white and shiny but not solid nor firm.

He had caught sight of her then, and just... stared. Only the slightest widening of his eyes betraying his startle.

"Alright now, friend," she'd said, keeping aim at the spot between his eyes, "Now I ain't interested in killin' you and I sure hope you ain't interested in killin' me, so just introduce yourself and I'll return the favor."

He nods. "My name is Yellow, and I'm lost. I don't know how I ended up here. My brothers and I were conducting an experiment with a strange artifact we'd uncovered and I was too close when the energy surged from it. I woke up here."

"Uh-huh. Can ya prove it?"

"No."

"What'd ya just say?"

"No, I cannot prove it. I can show you evidence of my brother- four of us are identical and one involved is not, but I have over a dozen of what I consider to be Siblings in total- but I cannot prove the circumstances surrounding my arrival here. I can promise on my soul that I do not mean anyone here harm, however."

Queenie peers at him.

(In another world, someone rolls a 2, and her Insight check of 7 fails.)

"Well I don't think I can risk it. You're the first person we've met out here who can talk while bein' human and your clothes are like nothin' I ever seen."

"Yes, you are also... unusual, to me. What are you?"

"You never seen a Harringon before? Now you're gettin' real unbelievable."

"Harringon." There's a look to his eyes, something Queenie doesn't like. It's searching, but it's not searching her, or the environment around them- it's just... searching. Like he's seeing something she isn't.

She pulls the arrow back a little more.

Yellow nods to himself. "I believe I understand, to a degree, where I might be. Please tell me the name of the planet we are on."

"What in the nine hells kinda question is that?"

"Nine hells. Noted. Name?"

"... Avantris."

"... That is not the expected answer. I'm lost again." He holds out his hands. "If you would like to bind me and take me as captive or prisoner, I am allowing you to do so. I need more information to work with here- these pine trees are like none I've ever seen."

Queenie squints in suspicion once more.

(The author, with xeir shitty d20, rolls a 6 for an overall Insight check of 11. Good thing the dc is set to 10 and Queenie had advantage on this willingingly open individual.)

"Alright, fine. But you keep quiet unless we ask you somethin', 'cause I still don't trust you."

"Understood. I wouldn't either."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Well I didn't find no fey," Queenie hollers as she gets withing sight of the campfire.

"Oh, thank the gods," she can hear Skrimm exclaim, and then the telltale thud of him falling over onto his bedroll in relief.

"Nope, just this weird human guy who can talk," she shouts again.

"WHAT?!"

She walks up to the campfire, still smoldering for heating the breakfast rations on, with a hogtied Yellow in tow. It's tough work, dragging him along- he's heavier than he looks by a staggering amount.

"Aye, I gotcha, Miss March." Barnabos walks over and easily picks Yellow up by the rope coming out of the knot binding his four limbs together. "Wha' in the hells are you wearin', lad?"

"Are you insulting my fashion sense, or experiencing genuine confusion as to the make and style of my clothing?"

There's a sharp inhale from Daisy, otherwise soundless surprise stealing her breath away.

"Do you know him?" Skrimm asks.

"No," Daisy signs. Yellow tilts his head as he watches her hand movements. "I've never met a human here who could speak. I never thought I would."

"I am not te-"

"Where did you find him?" Jornir stands, leaving heavily on his walking stick to do so- they're all especially tired today. It had been a harsh night. He moves closer, examining Yellow as he might examine a strange rune on a wall.

"Out in the thickets." Queenie crosses her arms and taps one foot rapidly against the ground. "Says he got here by messin' with some magic doohickey with his family."

"You're a... firbolg?" Yellow tilts his head yet again as he observes Jornir observing him. "And the one holding me is a... triton. The small screechy one is a goblin-"

"Well that was a little uncalled for-"

"-and the one tending the fire is a dragonborn. Am I correct?"

Jornir nods, slowly. "Why must you check?"

"I am not from Avantris, as she- I did not get her name, and I will not refer to her as the name the triton has addressed her as due to the familiar seeming nature of the method of addressing- has told me this world is called. I am from a world where we do not have goblins, tritons, harringon, firbolgs, or dragonborn- well, we do have dragonborn, but not in the same way he exists. They appear mostly human with dragon souls where I am from, but again, not in the way they do in Skyrim. ... You do not know what Skyrim is, and I've muddled the topic further. Dammit."

"Speakin' a lo' o' nonsense," Barnabos growls. "Are you a witch?!" He shakes Yellow a bit.

"My brother is, as is my grandpa, but I am not."

"But you are not human," Jornir rumbles. His blind eye glows with magic as he looks for the same in Yellow. "Your are.... encased, in a.... strange, unnatural magic."

"Yes. I am an artificial being- I am made of metal and glass and electricity, lightning, and also contain a magic stone as a secondary power source that has given me an approximation of a living soul, or a soul by the standards of my own world. I do not know if it qualifies as one here."

"A-a man made of metal? Like that fuckin' thing on the horse we keep seeing?!" Skrimm summons the Brutal Blade to his hand. "Why do we keep running into these bastards?!"

"I am not aligned with anyone."

"Besides, Skrimm," Taishen says, finally joining the conversation now that he has tea to pass to everyone (and a cup set aside in case the currently hogtied man becomes an ally). "This man isn't metal. He has skin!"

"It is synthetic- made with chemical combinations. ... Alchemy. You may peel it off of a part of me, I will not feel pain and there will be no blood."

"Ah... no, I don't I will."

Daisy, setting her jaw, walks up and pulls out a hunting knife. She hesitates as she holds the blade to the man's cheek- the only thing accessible to her as Barnabos keeps Yellow suspended in the air.

"Gods, I'm gonna be sick."

"Do it." Jornir keeps his eyes on Yellow. "We must know."

Daisy breathes out, and cuts the skin on his cheek, deep.

No blood. And it scrapes against something that is not bone.

"Peel it," Yellow says again.

She does, just a little.

Underneath is something incomprehensible. colors and metals and materials she's never seen before, even more foreign than whatever makes up his clothes- and it's all so warm. It's only now she realizes how ill-suited his clothing truly is for the weather, and how he's shown no sign of freezing, and the heat she feels as she almost trance-like traces her finger against the... casing, under his skin and strange non-muscle muscle, makes that no mystery.

The camp is speechless for a moment.

"Three of my brothers are the same," Yellow says in the silence. "One was once human, then infused with similar technology, what our world calls a cyborg. We are all magic in some sense or manner, though magic in our world works very differently to how it works here- assuming, of course, I have correctly identified the kind of universe we are in."

Skrimm looks a little like his own brain is overheating. "... Well, what the fuck does that mean?!"

"It means I would like to be set down, though I do not need to be untied. The snow will help keep me cool as I work to download all the D&D guides I can find using only magical connection and not Wifi."

"What the fuck is D&D??!"

[madhogthymaster]

Down The Cabbit Hole: The Weird World of Klonoa Literature - An Archive (Part 3)

[PART 1] [PART 2]

This is where our burrowing ends, in the most awkward crevices of pro-bono fandom work: the oxygen-depriving hole of amateurishly translated Japanese comics. The older among you might recall the days where the only way to read your favourite unpopular manga was to rely on some random fellow on the Internet to provide it through the incomparable medium of "scanlations." That is to say, poorly scanned pages from a physical copy they somehow owned subsequently localized through the power of Grit, Determination and Google Translate. Right about now, your bones should have begun turning to dust. Before you're gone from this world, however, please consider holding on for a while longer as I share my last archived tweets on the subject of Fluffy Boy Literature. As you might have guessed, the covered works belong within the domain of fan-translated scans and, as such, they occupy a very specific, very niche place in that befuddling collective unconscious we all know as The Web. In layman terms, stuff's about the get wacky.

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25 July 2022

It is now time to enter the (forbidden) world of Klonoa's physical literary media - as scanned and translated by community hero, powerstone05. Appropriately, I will start with the much lesser known, unofficial and self-published story by Mofusuke, Dream at Night.

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I shall not rag too hard on the obviously unprofessional translation work here - it was done by a fan, after all. The awkward lettering and sentence repetition give it the distinct charm of something decisively made in the early days of "Scanlationns."

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Which is a surprisingly good fit to the adorably simple art style that was also drawn by a fan. I do like the sibling dynamic between Klonoa and Huepow, whereas the latter acts as an impatient older brother to the former. Grandpa reprimanding them at the end is the icing on top of this fluff cake.

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There isn't much else to say: it is a short, fifteen pages long doujinshi and it's pure slice-of-life. It is all it wanted and needed to be.

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As an addendum: the existence of the Namco x Capcom anthology manga, based off the Japanese-exclusive gaming crossover of the same name, has been made known to me. I've read the only Klonoa centric comic from it and it's just one dumb, obnoxiously protracted joke. I don't care for this.

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27 July 2022

I have been postponing the inevitable for far too long. This is Shippuu Tengoku Kaze no Klonoa (2002-2003) by Hiroshi Katou as questionably, yet valiantly, scanslated by powerstone05. It is the most "renowned" official literature within the Klonoa community.

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Ah, of course... puns. Bad puns. Bad Japanese puns localized into English. Those puns.

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This manga is a fast-paced, madcap comedy - emphasis on fast-paced. It moves at a speed of a million kilometers per hour, constantly shooting visual gags at your face on almost every panel without any proper sense of pacing and with flimsily established setups.

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The translation does not help but it's clear that this lack of focus and breathing time between jokes is an intrinsic issue. Frankly, I find this brand of "Machine Gun Humour" exhausting to read. I'd much prefer my comedy to be akin to a shotgun: powerful and deliberate.

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On the other hand, I enjoy the artwork. Take a look at this delightfully detailed two page spread of pure wanton destruction, capped by Klonoa's comically traumatized features.

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It must be pointed out that the entire premise of this manga is Klonoa being the biggest moron who ever lived. Your mileage with it may vary.

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Right! This manga is turning into a "Looney Tunes" short and I'm starting to warm up to it. Katou has a clear penchant for slapstick humour. The propeller hat made me chuckle.

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I finished reading the whole thing - well, skimming would be the appropriate term. It's a tiresome little deviation that could not quite distract me from its flaws. There isn't anything worth noting as all the over-the-top, frenetically paced gags tends to blend together.

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With that, I have successfully covered all the major, currently available comic book media related to Klonoa: a thoroughly mixed bag, overall.

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The fan-made web series Dream Crusaders sits atop the proverbial hill even with its troublesome connection to the insipid Sol Noctis storyline. Everything else is various degrees of forgettable or insubstantial.

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'Tis an unsurprising result considering how hard to follow the games are - the first two games, that is. Regardless, this was an illuminating experience in its own right from the perspective of how malleable (or not at all) this franchise can be. Thanks for reading.

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As a posthumous note, there was a final piece of literature worth mentioning to you, an officially licensed short manga that served as promotional material, introduction and basic tutorial for the 2009's Nintendo Wii remake of the first game, Klonoa: Door to Phantomile. The comic is readily available online if you're curious about it.

With that, the excavation has been halted, the dream has ended, my terrible analogies have been put to rest, my archive has been shared. As I lack a romantic way to see us out of here, I shall simply bid you a fond farewell and a good night sleep. Stay wondrous, fellow Phantomilians.

[rebelrebelwrites]

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 ❤️

Thanks for the tags @bad-surprise and @wyrd-syster

Mine are all from other fandoms, but just in case any Reylos still follow me or your sexual awakening was also Jareth the Goblin King 😂, I'll share my 5 favorite fics that I’ve written w/ all the old shit I made for them:

1. when the moon met the sun in the sky [reylo fantasy au | E | 71k | 20/20] — To date my proudest work, just because it was fun to try and attempt to evoke a Miyazaki-style fantasy world, and the world-building was so much fun.

"Who?" Rey asked.

She knew who. But she didn't know what else to say.

The man called Kylo Ren — Ben, her mind whispered — rolled his shoulders, a tick she'd seen before, a thousand times at least; an echo of a boy she used to know.

He seemed to notice. He took a tentative step toward her. When she flinched in response, he froze.

"Don't do that," he said, soft as a psalm. His dark eyes darted over every inch of her.

"Do what?" she asked.

"Lie."

2. Boon [reylogan heist au | E | 39k | 12/20] — This is such a niche fic in the first place because it’s a crossover between SW and Logan Lucky, but man, it was so fun and Rey/Clyde are so soft. I’d never attempted to write a heist and I obviously didn’t finish but I still have a fondness for this (permanently? IDK) on hiatus little fic.

“Your jar looks like it’s full of stars,” Sadie said, gaping at it.

“It does,” Clyde agreed. He raised his own. “Time to set them free?”

Sadie nodded, skipping into the night to release hers. As Rey turned to follow, Clyde snaked his good hand around her wrist.

“Follow me.”

He led her around the house, where the night felt denser, darker, somehow warmer. Underfoot, wild daisies swayed in the dying summer breeze.

“Here,” he murmured. She smiled at him, then twisted the top of her jar off. He followed suit. Together, they shook the little bugs free — to fly away, blinking little lights in the darkness; hazy yellow stars they might touch.

3. Crown Glass [reylo fantasy au | M | 4k | 1/1] — I love this one because it just sort of came into being; a prompt/gift one-shot that took on a mind of its own, but I got to play more with present tense and some high-fantasy elements bouncing around in my brain.

She shouldn’t be able to find it. But she does.

It stands tall, tucked away in the back of the cellar; she weaves through abandoned armor, crusted cauldrons, and shelves and shelves of spellbooks to reach it. It’s old, ancient even; she can feel that, even if she’d never set eyes on it, full-length and ringed in circles of crown glass that shimmer in the gloom.

She reaches out a hand, skimming the surface–

And then a world appears on the other side.

A room, awash in milky moonlight. A desk, buried by books. A bed…

And a man.

She draws her hand back, heart thumping as loud as the magic in her ears.

The world flickers and fades back into blackness.

4. This is the Sign You've Been Looking For [reylo modern au | E | 29k | 10/10] — My first real Reylo fic and what got me back into writing after years away, so I have to give it credit! Also my first ever AU, and Virgin artist Ben Solo and sign maker Rey were so sweet and sad but with a nice HEA.

"I'm sorry," Rey murmured, drawing close. She could only seem to look at her feet.

He pressed a large palm to her face, tilting her head up to look at him. The music filtering in from the living room was noticeably softer; vaguely, Rey recognized Elton's "Your Song" playing in the background and decided it was a good idea to rest her hands on Ben's hips.

He glanced down at her touch, swallowing hard.

"Don't be," he hummed.

5. Muse [Labyrinth canonverse fic | E | 82k | 20/20] — I have a lot of Feelings about this fic, but I have to include it even though a part of me wants to edit it into oblivion, haha. I feel like I’ve come so far as a writer since finishing this in my early twenties, but I’ll always appreciate this for how it helped me improve, for how it gave me an avenue to do more with fantasy world-building, and for the nice response it got in a small little fandom.

"Why did you give me the peach?"

He stared at her, his expression unfathomable.

"Are you going to answer me?" asked Sarah quietly.

"You know why I gave it to you," replied Jareth, "To make you forget."

"No," continued Sarah, "I know. That wasn't what I meant. Why did you give me the peach, knowing that I would never be able to leave after taking a bite?"

Tagging: @demonscantgothere @scriberated @myrsinemezzo @thrillofhope and @formerlyir