#note diane isn't like. an asshole she just

[silvr-skreen]

misty and diane being both incredibly competent but that leading them into the trap of condescension to others and/or the belief they know the other person's abilities better than they do.

nyx hates his boss because: I CANT WALK TODAY FUCK YOU MEAN GET UP?

[mandareeboo]

Unfinished Work #60: "Untitled" (Finished)

I never felt up to publishing this, but I've been rewatching BoJack and felt it'd be good to put here! A little goodbye to an old friend between Hollyhock and Diane.

Title: N/A

Summary: N/A

"Sorry about this," the horse said. "You're probably really busy with writer things."

"You wanna know what I was going to do before coming out on the porch to have a smoke and chat with you?" Diane asked dryly. "I was about ten seconds away from telling my husband I was going out onto the porch to have a smoke. It's not even half the inconvenience you think it is."

"Oh," she responded, and fell silent.

Diane let out a gust of lung cancer in a long, drawn-out sigh. Texas is pretty in postcards but hotter than the sun in person, with the added bonus of all sorts of creepy crawlies straight out of the official nightmare catalogue, but it's kind of nice? There's trees everywhere. Lots of open, bumpy land. The spider currently weaving its web a few feet from her isn't even venomous- it's an orb weaver of some sort. All in all, better than death.

It'd be nicer if her company talked, though.

"Let me guess," Diane prompted, making her jump. "You're Hollyhock, right?"

"Bojack told you about me?" Hollyhock asked, ignoring her question.

"He told all his friends about you. He was really excited to have family he didn't loathe with all his being."

"Oh," she repeated, softer this time.

"Relax, you're not gonna end up on his wiki page or anything. And, for what it's worth, I'm really happy to meet you in person. You're shorter than I thought you'd be."

Hollyhock looked at her hands, where her phone was situated, then back at Diane. "Bojack's told me about you, too. He talked a lot about a lot of things, but you especially."

"And that made you think I had answers?"

She shrugged helplessly.

Diane took another drag. "You want the truth? He's an asshole. Whatever you feel or suspect about him is absolutely vindicated."

"Yeah." she said. "But I miss him anyway. Isn't that... awful?"

"No? I don't think it is. I mean, the part that sucks about people is that they're more than just one thing. Sure, Bojack is a sleezy, emotionally-abusive jerk who's slept with almost every woman he's ever met, but he also sends stupid little text messages about stuff he saw on his drive home, and one time when he got drunk he sang the lollipop song and it was actually the prettiest thing ever, and he helps you pack even though he complains the whole time. He's all that shit."

"He once threw his mom's doll out a window."

"I know. He told me."

"He did?"

"He's always drunk-dialed me. Fifteen years now, and I'm his drunk-dial SOS." Diane considered her cigarette a moment. It was her first one of the day. A new record low. "I never met her, but I spoke to Beatrice twice- for his book."

"Oh, yeah, that thing. I never read it?"

"It sold alright, but it wasn't the next great American novel. Anyway, I called the retirement home to get a statement- got the phone number off of Bojack's long-time manager and friend Princess Carolyn- and called. This was before the dementia really ate up her brain- think, I dunno, almost nine years before you knew her- and she was still pretty sharp. I said, 'hi, this is Diane Nyguyen, I'm ghost-writing a novel about your son, Bojack' and she said, 'what, is he too lazy to write it himself'?"

Hollyhock winced. "Woof."

"Oh, I'm just getting started." Diane flicked some ash away. "We went in circles a bit, but eventually I laid it out for her. 'Mrs. Horseman', I said, 'I'm writing about your son's life, and as such I have called to see if you had any note-worthy stories or quotes you'd like to add'. She was pretty quiet for a minute. Then she said, 'sure, why not, I'm dying anyway. Might as well debase myself even more.' She told me all about her husband, Butterscotch-"

"Bojack never said much about him."

"There wasn't much to say, honestly. Bojack took after him and he always hated himself for it. Beatrice despised her husband for being unfaithful, bitter, and sexist. And she told me, 'now, put this in your little book, girl, and put it word-for-word. Bojack took after him, but he had the sense to be a bit quieter about it; which is a bit like saying the hissing roach is less disturbing to the eyes than the American one because it eats leaves instead of garbage. They're both insects, and they're both a waste of the paper their books were written on'." She paused. "Gotta say, she was damn eloquent."

Hollyhock winced again. "Double woof."

"It's the one story I never put into One Trick Pony. Not because I thought she'd regret saying it, or because it wouldn't fit the tone of the book, but because I knew it'd rip Bojack apart. Even back then, I was putting him above my own job. He has a way of worming into things like that." Diane stamped out the rest of the smoke, then pulled out another one. "I used to smoke like a freight train, but now it's only when I get worked up. Sorry about the second-hand."

Hollyhock was quiet again, but this time it was more pensive than anything else. "I... wrote him a letter. I actually don't even know if he read it, because he kept sending me voicemails telling me he would, but he never told me he did before I changed my number. I thought it'd be over. I thought I was moving on, but..."

"Moving on isn't the same as moving away," Diane said. "Trust me. I've packed houses before. But even now, I still find myself looking for him in the news, or thinking back to the good times we had."

"Mhmm. He tried to learn sports for me, you know? Because he wanted to cheer me on. And that still means a lot to me. But then I remember that interview, and I just... I just can't do it. I can't talk to someone who's done stuff like that."

"That's completely in your right! I know you're a grown-up, but you're still pretty young, you know? Bojack's in his fifties. His problems shouldn't be on anyone, but they especially shouldn't be on you."

"You won't tell him I came, will you? I know you're friends, but..."

"I think your definition of friendship is a bit different from us, kiddo. I mean, we haven't spoken in almost a year now. I just go see his movies, and he sends me long rambling reviews about my books, and we follow each other on social media."

"That feels like friendship," she concurred. "Mrs. Nyguyen?"

"God, don't. Diane."

"Diane. Did you and Bojack….?"

"Nope. But not because he didn't want to. I was dating when we first met, and married a good chunk of the time I lived in L.A. Now I'm married again. If I hadn't been... well, he would've tried, if nothing else."

"And you?"

She pursed her lips. "There was a time where I lived in his house and spent every day getting shitfaced drunk, and nothing skeevy happened. He'd come home, I'd be drunk and when was Bojack not drunk? We'd drink more and we'd watch reruns of Horsin' Around. I liked that. It wasn't healthy, but I liked it. And I liked him. I try not to think too hard about it, but... I dunno, honestly."

Hollyhock pulled her knees to her chest. "I came here hoping to find a way to stop missing him. Now I just miss him even more? I hate emotions."

Diane smiled. It was bittersweet. "Now you sound like a true Horseman."

[marlinspirkhall]

i just finished reading your horror fic 'tomorrow never comes' and i loved it sm!!! say do you have any aos spirk horror fic reccs? your work has started me on a binge and im down for some creepy shit

Hey! I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed Tomorrow Never Comes; it's nice to see it getting some love.

[ID] An illustration from Tomorrow Never Comes shows an image written in dried blood which reads "PLAY ME" in all-caps, with an arrow pointing to the right towards a green PADD. [End ID] Illustration done by the wonderful IdeasCornucopia on ao3, @idealisticcatastasis on tumblr

I've isolated the specific search for AOS K/S "horror" for your convenience.

Recs in no particular order:

Descent of Halcyon by itwastheband

Kirk is plagued by headaches, nightmares, ghosts and visions. I had the honour of beta-reading this fic for the 2020 T'hy'la Bang, and I loved every minute of it.

Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence.

Relevant tags: Alternate Universe - Sentinels & Guides, Blood and Gore

Killer Plants From Outer Space! by cowboyjimkirk

This fic is a real treat, you'll love every moment of it. One of those fics which feels like you've read a classic, mind-bending sci-fi novel. I can't recommend it enough.

Warnings: Graphic depictions of violence.

Relevant Tags: Hanahaki Disease, Tarsus IV, Body Horror, THIS ISN'T AS DEPRESSING AS IT SOUNDS I PROMISE, it's just a nice halloween romp

Secret Vulcan Mating Rituals by Chase820

At first glance, this fic doesn't seem like a horror fic, but before long you'll be reading about violence, murder, espionage, repression and mind-torture. An excellent read if that's your kinda thing, with a surprise Doctor Who cameo in the middle. Please note that this fic is unfinished as of 2012.

Warnings: Rape/non-con, graphic depictions of violence.

Relevant Tags: Porn With Plot, Spock's World (Diane Duane)

in dreams i cry to wake again by Ahira

I'm a little biased because I was present in the t'hy'la bang 2022 server when this was created

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply (see author's tags), non/con

Relevant Tags: Canon-Typical Violence, Blood, Depression, Suicidal Thoughts, Body Horror

Kashan by Plotweaver

Torture-heavy fic which leans pretty heavily on some horror conventions. Angst with happy ending.

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Relevant Tags: hand whipping, Hurt/Comfort, romulans being assholes, Torture

In The Dark by imzadi_deanna, with art by thunderbottle

I'd be remiss not to recommend this fic by my partner in crime imzadi_deanna, as she was my wonderful beta-reader for TNC. "In The Dark" is unfinished at time of writing, but the chapters that are there deserve a read if you like disturbing imagery.

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Relevant Tags: Psychological Horror, Tarsus IV, Hurt!Jim

Honorable mention: Safe by SidSky

This isn't a K/S fic, but I'm including it because it's my go-to fic for anything fucked up. It really has a handle on Leonard McCoy's characterisation and headspace- and my god, does it drag you down into that headspace with him. The chapters on recovery at the end are wonderful, and it does a better job at making Khan truly terrifying than any other piece of Star Trek media. Go over there, and tell Sid that Marlin sent you.

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence.

Relevant Tags: Kidnapping, Manipulation, complex characters, Mind Games, Torture, Violence, suggestive threats, Character Study

Thanks again to @idealisticcatastasis for the page dividers, they're always good fun to use on TNC posts.

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