#pikapeppa LOVES YOU

[pikapeppa]

not to be that bitch but... do we know when the next chapters of the brynn saga are gonna be posted? i miss ur writing <3 hope ur doing well!

Aw this isn't bitchy, this was a really nice way to ask! I just posted the next chapter of Astarion/Brynn! This ask might even have given me the energy I needed to do the final edit and publish it, so thank you! ❤

-- love from your friendly neighbourhood Pika xoxo

[pikapeppa]

OMG. IT’S FUCKING PERFECT LILI, I’M ABSOLUTELY DEAD 😂❤️

Just Kotallo being a dumb tree in @pikapeppa's fic "Here Come The Dreams of You And Me" in chapter 7 "Idiot" 😂

(It was based on the meme of Batman and Robin *wheeze*)

Bonus :

[greenedera]

Kotallo, from Horizon Forbidden West, wearing the one-soulder-thing as described in the lovely fanfic "Here come the dream of you and me" by @pikapeppa on Ao3. Also, as depicted in the Tenakht Totems of War. Thank you, P, for writing these fics.

[crackinglamb]

AO3 Year End Roundup, 2024

Tagged by @pikapeppa and @theluckywizard. Thank you both! 🥰

Tagging @lilbittymonster, @anneapocalypse, @espressocomfort, @gefionne and anyone who wants to do it who hasn't been tagged yet. Consider this an open invite. Tag me so I can see!

Words posted: 308,473

Additional Words Written: ~145K

Grand total of words: ~453K

Fandoms: 5. I wrote for Doctor Who, Southern Vampire Mysteries/True Blood, Dragon Age, Fallout 4 (and the tiniest bit of 3) and Fallout TV

Works: 17, 16 of them new.

Highest Kudos: Different Animals, at 325. Cooper Howard|The Ghoul/Lucy MacLean (FOTV). Rated E, 9528 words.

Highest Hit Oneshot: Different Animals, at 2565 as of this post.

New Things I Tried: May-June of this year saw me fall down the rabbithole that was Fallout TV’s first season. In quick succession I wrote 7 fics for Ghoulcy before the Muse ran dry.

I also went back to my first published fandom (FO4), but with a twist: Modern Girl In the Commonwealth. And the Days Go By, F!SoSu/Hancock, rated E, 65K words, complete. I actually just finished posting it two weeks ago.

Fic I Spent the Most Time On: Driftwood, my Bullmance series. I finally finished writing The Turning Tide (Iron Bull/OFC (DA), rated E, 42K words, WIP), and started posting it before DAV dropped. It’s currently the only work being updated. But it is totally written, and there will be no gaps in posting it through to completion next year.

Fic I Spent the Least Time On: Well Developed Personality, Cooper Howard|The Ghoul/Lucy MacLean (FOTV), rated E, 1696 words. It’s the shortest thing I wrote (and the filthiest, ‘ware the tags), and I managed it in about a sitting.

Favorite Thing I Wrote: This is always tough for me, because I hop around fandoms so much, and each one brings its own set of joys to the table. So in no particular order, the top three:

Destiny Is Just In the Timing, Female Cadash/Varric Tethras (DA), rated E, 52K words, complete. In the way of procrastination projects, Destiny began its life as something else to work on when I was stuck on T3. Varric is my first DA love, and I will always return to him. I got to thinking about his canon DA2 Carta contacts, and how a Cadash Inq is from the Carta and...boom. Instant ship, just add pining. Half the fic covers DA2 from an outsider POV, the other half is the events of DA:I. Guaranteed happy ending. [side-eyes BW]

Different Animals. Ya know, I didn’t plan to get as deep into Ghoulcy as I did. Then again, I never anticipate how deep I’ll fall into a ship. Before I’d even finished watching the show, I was writing this long oneshot. There is just something about the vibe of it that ticks all my boxes, and it’s probably the thing I’ve reread the most this year of my own work.

And the Days Go By. Modern Character In [Setting] is a favorite trope of mine, as anyone who’s read my DA longfics knows. I took that premise and put it into my favorite comfort game. Voila! Jack Nunn was born. I had so much fun figuring out what parts of the game mechanics I’d keep in the story as plot devices and how much a woman from our world would struggle to cope in the Fallout universe. It started out as crack treated seriously, then I grew to love her so much I kinda forgot that part.

Favorite Thing I Read: Again, tough decision. I’m a multitasker. And that’s true of my reading habits too. So, also in no particular order, the top three:

Kiss Me Moonstruck, by LuckyWizard (@theluckywizard). Female Trevelyan/Male Hawke (DA), rated E, WIP. Sometimes you just need a fantasy romcom. This indisputably fits the bill. It’s a light-hearted and highly entertaining matchmaker AU, and it sizzles with the palpable chemistry between Rose and Garrett. I love every word, and Lucky is a delight I’m happy to call a friend.

A Distinct Lack of Exploding, by gotfanfiction. Cooper Howard|The Ghoul/Lucy MacLean, (FOTV), rated E, WIP (with one chapter left according to the count, but the author has stated that shouldn’t be taken as gospel). This is a romp of pure ridiculous fun. Hot fun. Read the tags and you’ll get an idea of what you’re in for. And the author delivers on every word. I’ve read it at least three times so far in its entirety.

A Thing Called Hunger, by Syrina. Female Rook/Lucanis Dellamorte (DAV), rated E, WIP. In order to keep things spoiler free for Veilguard, I can’t talk about this one too much. Other than to say it’s witty and clever, the spice is excellent and the characters are wonderful. I get excited with every new update.

Something I Finished: The Turning Tide. It took 18 months, but I finished it (shortly after I began posting it, bending my own rule about publishing before completing the principle wording). And even though I said no more epics – being defined as anything over 100K words – guess what? It is. Mirabull in the Inquisition, ho!

Miscellaneous Highlights: I bounced around a lot this year. And a fair amount of my work didn’t get any mentions here. So I’ll compile some of them now.

Not a Bad Life?, Rose Tyler/Ninth Doctor (Doctor Who), rated E, 33K words. Written for Fluff-uary 2024. Among the WIP’s that were written but never posted was the next arc in Rose’s life with the Doctor. Ultimately, I’m glad the series leaves off here, because honestly I lost steam with it, and I don’t know when I’ll get back to it. But considering there are two years between She’s My Plus One and this fic, eh, who knows? Not I. I am but a drifting fan of many things, floating around from ship to ship.

Stardust, Rose Tyler/The Doctor (DW), rated G, 4220 words. Speaking of Doctor Who, this oneshot was written after the 14th Doctor’s stint during the holiday mini-series. I just wanted Rose to come back home and for Fourteen to get a happy ending, okay? And with it, The Spaces Between Our Atoms, rated T, 3174 words. A sort of sequel, written to commemorate the passing of Bernard Cribbins (Wilf).

Set to Repeat, Subject to Change, F!SoSu/Hancock, (FO4), rated E, 76K words, complete. I published (and completed) this fic back in 2018. I always wanted to write a sequel for it, but never did. Burnout’s a bitch, and I don’t have the mental energy to do All That. But I did write an epilogue, six years late. Incidentally, the final chapter was posted on the anniversary of the fic’s first chapter, which ticks the ‘coming full circle’ box for me. It’s the little things, ya know?

Writing Goals for 2025: [noncommittal noises] As of right now, I’m attempting to put together some ideas for continuing Wicked Things. With DAV now here, I have some work ahead of me to make it reconcile with where I was going with WG. But frankly, I’m uninspired. Part of that could be lingering burnout, but part of that is also some...ambivalence over what we got as the next entry to Dragon Age. I haven’t actually played it yet (although anyone who’s read any of my work knows that has zero bearing on me creating something), but I’ve watched some playthroughs and have all the spoilers. Whatever I manage to write for next for Imogen, it will most definitely YEET the canon. More than likely a lot of it, honestly.

And of course, there will be another Fluff-uary. I'm not sure who will get the nod next year for pairing(s). But I'll come up with something, I always do.

Final Thoughts: As much as I’ve talked about burnout and writing less...I managed a lot this year. I was honestly shocked at that wordcount total. And I’m sure I missed some of the WIP’s that got started and never went anywhere in the ‘additional words’ section. I just counted the things that were close to done or had a significant amount written that I could find in my document files. One of them is a full, completed fic. I’m just not ready to carry on with that series and don’t want to leave it on a cliffhanger for however long it would take me to get back to it. Another is nearly complete, but I got stuck on the ending and then moved on to other things and have been considering a rewrite from the ground up. And a third is a oneshot that’s ready for posting but has zero context for it yet. [sigh] But that’s always the way, isn’t it?

I fully expect next year will be a bit slower for me in terms of creativity. Life being what it is, and my circumstances what they are, I won’t have as much time. And I feel like I say that every year, but this time I think it’s going to actually happen. I’m currently in the longest stretch of writing nothing at all that I’ve had since I began writing fanfiction in 2017. And I have very few ideas percolating in the back of my mind. And you know what? I’m okay with that. I keep saying I’m going to take a break and then never do. Maybe I’ll actually do it this time.

If you’ve read this far, cheers. See you on the flipside. 💕

[lethendralis-paints]

Dragon Age Day 2023!

Happy Dragon Age Day, dear friends and mutuals! Hope everyone's seen the new official Bioware teaser for DA:D!

To celebrate this occasion I wanted to revisit some of my favourite DA fanart drawn thoughout the years. The series holds a special place in my heart. It helped me to carry on through the darkest times, and thanks to DA fandom I've met wonderful people, some of whom became real life friends. So, buckle in and let's GO!

My journey began with playing DA:O back when it first came out and then revisiting it again in 2018-19 when I needed something to brighten up the days. My passion for this series and dark fantasy reignited and never died out since!

Here are some of the Heroes of Ferelden art commissions I've painted since then:

And now Hawkes:

The one and only Rynne Hawke, belonging to @pikapeppa

2. my Eris Hawke

3. Lovely @serpentsshipmate 's Marian Hawke

+ a couple of awesome commissioned custom Hawke characters

Let's not forget all the amazing Inquisitors out there, including the Fenquisitor from my own playthrough of DAI:

Beautiful locations across Thedas I did my best to capture on canvas (with various success as my skill was growing). Can you guess all of them?

Let's not forget to show some love for our travelling companions!

And a separate category just for Fenris, my best boy, who is singlehandedly responsible for me picking up a pencil and learning how to draw properly:

[hpsaffics]

smut writing guides and resources: an AO3 collection

Collected a bunch of excellent resources -- tumblr and livejournal posts, mostly -- for a Femslash February smut writing workshop on the @hpsaffics discord server, and finally got around to putting it all in an AO3 collection!

Feel free to join the discord (18+) for more discussion and for a multishipping/SALS, sex-positive and supportive community!

A selection of some of them:

day 1: why write smut?

The first rule of writing smut is don’t write smut. by @/letteredlettered

i don’t know why you wouldn’t want to write bad fanfic. that’s the point of it – it’s allowed to be bad. by @/bettsfic

Smut 101: A Tutorial For Beginners by @/pikapeppa

day 2: easing into it

Writing Smut 101: Overcoming Smut Shame by @/slightlyrebelliouswriter23

Mature is ‘and then they made love.’ Explicit is 'and here’s how they did it *exactly*.’ aka the envelope post by @/tinsnip

any tips for writing smut? by @/ao3commentoftheday and others

day 3: characterization & relationship dynamics

Smut 101: Part 2 by d-dangerlove

Smut 102: A tutorial on writing dialogue during sex by @/pikapeppa

Any tips on how to write smut that actually moves the story? by @/ao3commentoftheday and others

day 4: plotting out a scene

Smut 101: Part 3 by d-dangerlove

Essay: The Formula for Writing Sex Scenes by cupidsbow

Sex Writing 101 by @/pasiphile

day 5: getting down to details

The Ultimate Guide to Writing Smut Fic by QuinnAnderson

Smut-Writing for the unSmutty by Vukovich

The Big Book of Writing Sex; A Tactless Resource! by @/RPedia

lesbian smut guide by @/springofviolets

day 6: genderbending & transfic (and omegaverse fic)

day 7: darkfic and kink fic

[collected by @leftsidedown / @broomsticks]

[elveny]

𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑢𝑙𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑠𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒: 𝑔𝑜 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑡, 𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑐ℎ "𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑛𝑎𝑚𝑒 + 𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑒," 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑠𝑖𝑥 𝑝𝑖𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒𝑠. 𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑡𝑎𝑔 𝑠𝑖𝑥 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒.

I got tagged by @johaerys-writes - thank you so much ❤️ The other posts was so long I decided to make a new one 😅

Tagging forth to @defira85 @sarsaparillia @curiousthimble @pikapeppa @captainderyn @awordwasthebeginning and all who want to grab it 😊

I love it, tbh 🥰

[cha-mij]

I've just realised why I love Kotallo so much, especially when his character is further explored in fics (yes I am looking directly at you @pikapeppa ) . He's Gomez fucking Adams.

[vorchagirl]

WIP Ask Game

Rules: make a new post with the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous and tag as many people as you have WIPs. People send an ask with the title that most intrigues them, then you post a snippet or tell them something about it!

Mass Effect WIPs - Parasite 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19. 20. 21 - Harry & Cerys roleplay D/s smut - Mirror 19 - Poker Night - Shenko DOM cnc RP fic - Harry x Sara Experimenting fun - Distance 55

Dragon Age Veilguard WIPs - Untouchable 14 - Untouchable 15 - Untouchable 17 Veigo confrontation - Untouchable 20 dessert time fun - Untouchable 25 Kash & Spite - Hunted - Pretty Little Crow - Dragon and the Crow 2 - Dragon and the Crow 3

I was tagged by the lovely @vela-ad-astra @woundedsoul12 @seigephoenix - thanks guys!

I will tag @acciokaidanalenko @silurisanguine @ashenlavellan @bioware-bard @badwolf626 @himluv @dustdeepsea @amarmeme @astanne @pikapeppa @catierambles @mcgeeki and anyone else who would like to do this - please consider yourself tagged!

[galadrieljones]

AO3 Year End Roundup 2024

Thank you for the tag, @myreia ❤️

Tagging: @thevikingwoman @im-immortal @vir-tanadahl @pikapeppa @roguelioness and any other of my writing friends, who I am completely blanking on right now. Ily.

—Words posted: 193,053

—Additional Words Written: Unknown, countless on the editing room floor lol

—Grand total of words: ???? Let's round up to 200k lol

—Fandoms: Dragon Age, The Walking Dead

—Works: 3 (two wips, one one-shot)

—Highest Kudos: afterglow (twd/bethyl)

—Highest Hit One-shot: My only one-shot last year was Possession (Dragon Age/Emmrook), and tbh I have no idea what's normal for a ship like this, and so I am happy with the response in any case lol.

—New Things I Tried: Sene and Ameridan developed into a very unique ship for me, in that they are largely, platonically in love. Romantically, their hearts sort of belong to Solas and Telana, but this does not deter them from cultivating a great love between them. As Sene describes it, they are friends who have "expanded the definition of friendship." I like their devotion to one another in that it sort of demands so little beyond itself. It is truly spiritual and very comforting to write.

Also, in both my major fics this year, in two separate fandoms, I am writing couples who are reuniting after having not seen one another physically in ten years (bethyl and solavellan). It's a little strange how that turned out. The emotional maturity involved in this sort of pursuit has been eye-opening. I feel I could not have written these fictions 5-10 years ago in my life.

—Fic I Spent the Most Time On: Likely afterglow, though churning out the first three sections of Riptide in like a month was quite challenging 😅

—Fic I Spent the Least Time On: Possession. It came to me quickly, as I had this idea for Emmrich and Rook falling in love almost vicariously through their pursuit of more information on Solas and Sene during their time in the Inquisition. It was always based on the plot of the A.S. Byatt book Possession, which I love. I wrote it first as a chapter for Riptide, but I realized it could easily stand alone with few tweaks. I wrote the whole thing in probably two sittings.

—Favourite Thing I Wrote: One of my favorite single scenes that I wrote last year is probably, weirdly enough, the scene with Sene and Abelas in the Crossroads, discussing Abelas's past with Solas and Mythal in Chapter 21 of Riptide. At this point, Sene and Abelas have been broken up for a long time, and Abelas is married to another woman. But their devotion to each other is still very strong, as friends and comrades at arms, and I enjoyed exploring these tender, platonic moments between them, how they know each other so well, and how they comfort one another in such a strange and difficult time that really only the two of them, given their respective relationships to Solas, can appreciate.

—Favorite Thing I Read: Most of what I read is for work, and I read many stories last year that inspired me. I reread a lot of work by two of my favorite authors as well: Ann Beattie and Joy Williams. Their work brings something so interesting and dark to this notion of femininity and what happens when a female character gets into this place where she is constantly feeling the need to justify herself to a man, as something slowly withers away inside of her. Meanwhile, in the face of her acceptance toward resignation, he simply seems to flourish, unaffected by matters of the heart, and this is a necessary feature of their duality. One of my favorite short stories ever is Ann Beattie's "The Burning House," published originally in 1979, which is really a perfect encapsulation of this kind of thing.

—Something I Finished: Just Possession. I think...???? Lol

—Miscellaneous Highlights: In both of my fics this year, I have focused on my heroines first, which is not typical for me. Usually, and in the past, I have focused foremost on my tragic male heroes and their singular journeys, ie: Daryl and Solas, and how learning to be loved has been a motivating factor for them and their pursuits. But this year, I have been much more motivated by the heroine's journey. I guess I am still really proud of my characterization of Beth Greene and her life in the Civic Republic in afterglow. I am also really proud of how in-depth I've gotten with my Lavellan, Sene, and her journey in the ten years between Inquisition and Veilguard. In both afterglow and Riptide, we see women trying to move forward with their lives in the face of immense loss, which has evolved and continued to take from them over a period of ten years. They become harder and sadder because of it, but also much wiser and more aware of their potential. They find productive ways to wield their anger, and they grow. They make friends, and they try to find happiness with other people. These relationships don't work out, but they provide valuable tools and wisdom in order to light the way forward, to a grander destiny.

—Writing Goals for 2025: I would simply like to finish my long fics. Lol. I have no idea what else the future may bring.

—Final Thoughts: Last year was a bit of a turning point for me in my writing, as I feel it has matured quite a bit, and while the process was somewhat slow, it feels like it's found its footing now. Very clearly, I can see how my writing for both solavellan and bethyl has changed and grown up in a massive way, mainly via the themes and focus on different kinds of love, how love changes over time, and the pursuit of stoicism and self-actualization on one's on. Riptide, which spans eleven years of Sene's life, sees her changing dramatically from beginning to end, finding a great deal of calm where she used to just be sort of mad with anger. It definitely feels like a more mature companion to my first solavellan fic The Dead Season, in which Sene was very young and still trying to figure out who she was with Solas, let alone without him. Afterglow, meanwhile, feels like a much more mature companion to my first bethyl fic Magnolia, as it is focused on Beth, and how she has grown up as well over the past ten years.

I guess we're all getting older lol (in a good way). That's the theme of the year for me.

[pikapeppa]

Hiii! I just finished your Chamomile and Gwent series and I loved it sooooo much 😭❤️. As a huge fan of the books and games I feel like it's hard to find fics about game Geralt (he's still the best and hottest version of Geralt. I will preach this until the day I die). Just wanted to drop by and say that you're such talented and a great writer! I'm definitely rereading ❤️

I'm so thrilled that you enjoyed Chamomile and Gwent!! I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU, game Geralt is the best and hottest version IMO too, and I love the way that his voice/speech patterns are in TW3 so so much 😭❤❤❤

Thank you so so much for taking the time to drop me the love!! I hope that the series will bring you joy and comfort again in the future! 🥰

For anyone who wants to check out the series: it is here on AO3! Geralt x f!Reader, NSFW for smut, 3 fics spanning 600k+ words.

-- love from your friendly neighbourhood Pika! xoxo

[sweetorangepoptart]

Year-End Writer's Roundup: 2024 edition

Thank you @pikapeppa for tagging me!!!

It’s that time of year, writer friends: time to take stock of what we’ve been up to this year! Tagging to literally ANY AND ALL WRITERS who would like to participate — seriously, if you write and you see this, please take this as an invitation to fill it out!

@starshinemaiden @kingbadgermole @deerstalkerdeathfrisbee @creampuffqueen @korrasamibottles @ozais-lobotomist @appalesbian @gaybd1 @kjthenbee @lokfeedsthegays @mellyoraa I know I forgot some of you just do this if you've written anything this year!!!

Words written (published or not, WIPs totally count too!!):

I'm not even going to try to count my WIP so we'll just go by AO3 wordcount which is... 335,514. Not too shabby.

Smut scenes:

Looks like 9! Two pwp oneshots and the rest in my longfics.

New things I tried:

Korrasami in Love, Asami!! I was really nervous about that one. I've been kind of questioning my gender for a while, and writing from the perspective of men felt really good. So shifting back into a woman's voice, especially one as nuanced and complex as Asami, was kind of jarring. But I'm glad I did. She was so interesting to write.

I also tried out a darker AU in You'll Be the Death of Me. I really love this one.

Mystery/political intrigue adjacent stuff in Security, too.

Original characters 😭 I've been so worried about my original characters and how they'll be received. But it's been fun to play with them! And the response has been positive.

Fic I spent the most time on:

Probably Windswept. The word count plus the amount of time I spent rewatching season 3 and researching various topics, it's definitely taken a lot of my time.

Fic I spent the least time on:

Probably my pwp Relax. That one came really easily (no pun intended) and I think it's my second lowest word count

Favorite thing I wrote: 

A Friend of the Avatar! Korra's perspective was fun and all the details I include were so fun to write: Mako telling Korra about Wu's allergy, Korra telling Mako to put Wu's letters on the fridge, Wu very smoothly being like "yes I like girls very much" when he was trying to cover his ass after all the brainwashing business was over and Korra was apologizing to him for leaving without him, Asami dissecting Wu's letter for a threesome proposition... Ahhhh I just had so much fun with that one!!! I even had fun coming up with the title (A friend of the Avatar=a friend of Dorothy. See what I did there???)

Favorite thing I read:

I don't want to play favorites because I read A LOT of good stuff, especially from @starshinemaiden @deerstalkerdeathfrisbee and @korrasamibottles submissions for Wuko week. So instead of playing favorites here, I'm going to go off to a different fandom.

Surface Tension , a Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time fic. Pairing: Princess RutoXSheik/Zelda. OH MY GOD. I replayed OoT this year and I had an EPIPHANY that Ruto was in love with Sheik after he saved her life, and that Sheik returned them considering how he spoke about her to Link. I held my breath and searched for the Ruto/Sheik tag on Ao3... TEN WORKS. 10. ONE-ZERO. I was like about to cry wanting to read a good Ruto/Sheik fic... I scrolled through the 10 works and Surface Tension caught my eye for the 14k word count alone. I was HOOKED from the beginning. I was on the edge of my seat. The author did AMAZING and captured their voices and characterizations perfectly, and it was beautiful and funny and romantic and suspenseful and it had action and it was SOOOO well written. And it was written 14 years ago. Did I leave a comment? You bet I did. it was a loooooong comment too. And the author replied and said it made their week 🧡 the moral of this story is read old fics and comment on them.

Writing goals for next year: 

I need to finish my three in progress long fics. I feel very confident that I'll do it because of how good I felt finishing Secret, but I do admit juggling all 3 of them kinda sucks, just because I want them all to be finished already and I hate that each one goes like 2 months between updates. But I'll do it and if you can all stick with me and keep commenting it will make it way easier!!!

I, unfortunately, also have an idea for another longfic that was inspired by an ask about the fire nation princess... Something something Mako becomes her bodyguard, something something Wu pining as he watches them grow close and presumably fall in love the way Wu wishes it could have happened with him... I think I'll sprinkle in lots of misunderstandings and see what happens lol. I've started outlining it but I'm going to wait until my other three longfics are done before I get started with it so I can focus.

I also really want to write a Wuko fic from Bolin's perspective. I love Bolin and his voice so I really want to get in his head and see what I can do with his reactions and thoughts to his brother dating the Earth King.

And... To those of you who are only acquainted with my Wuko work, this might sound out of pocket, but I reeeeeeally want to write some hardcore BDSM too. I don't know how I'll do that because I'm endlessly obsessed with writing Wuko and in my head, Mako and Wu would never be into it (I can't even picture them doing a little light spanking 🤣). So I'll need to write a completely different pairing possibly a different fandom if I want to do that. But BDSM is probably my favorite flavor of smut to read and I used to have a lot of fun writing it. I've grown a lot as a writer so I'd love to take a crack at it and see what I can come up with.

Also WukoWeek is around the corner and I definitely need to write for that.

[kingwuko]

so, random writer question. how do you manage writing so many multi chapter fics at the same time? i feel like you update them all pretty frequently. any tips for writing multiple fics at once?

Hello anon! Wow!! I am really flattered that you sent me this! For one thing, thank you for saying it feels like I update all my fics pretty frequently! I sometimes feel like I'm not updating often enough, so hearing someone say that actually makes me feel good about the frequency I update.

As for the question, how do I manage it and if I have any tips, I will definitely try to share what has been working for me so far. It's long. I'm sorry 🤣

First of all, I really need to credit a different fic writer from a different fandom. @pikapeppa is a fanfic author that I really look up to in terms of her writing style, her update consistency, and for finishing multi chaptered longfics. When I was trying to steel myself for writing Secret, I sent her a asks and she gave helpful advice! She has writing tutorials if you want to check them out.

I also posed a similar question to her about juggling multiple fics at once, and she gave some really kind advice about not giving in to hustle culture and just writing what makes me excited instead of worrying about update frequency!

So, for me, these are the things that help me with juggling all these fics:

1. Taking care of my mental health

I have always love writing, but when I'm in a bad place mentally, it's not happening. I've come a long way and figured out what I needed. When my mental health is well managed, I find joy in writing which is crucial for me to, well, write!

2. Organization

Okay I feel like there might be a better word because I'm like, the least organized person in the world. But, what I really mean is, I keep all my fics separated and labeled in my Google drive. I have folders nested inside folders and do my best to label all my folders and docs. That way I can keep things together that I need for each fic, and I can easily open and reference anything I need.

For example:

This is mostly because I have different back stories and headcanons for each fic, so this helps me keep it all straight. It also makes it quick and easy to look stuff up. I have transcripts saved and an outline and an idea dump where I can look if I need help.

3. Deciding which fic to focus on

This is tricky because I feel like I'm still figuring this out myself. At first I was forcing myself to to rotate them in order, now (at the advice of @pikapeppa ) I write whichever fic I'm most excited about. This is working better for me. I need to shift my mindset when I work on a different fic, because my fics have different tones. If I force myself to shift mindsets, it's trickier. If I just do what I'm most excited about, it feels more natural to get into the right mindset and I write faster! That includes my one shots. Sometimes I'm not working on the next chapter. Sometimes a one shot has my attention.

Comments, asks, and discussions in my discord group actually influence what I'm excited about quite a bit! So if you notice it's been a while since I've updated something, and you comment on it, there's a good chance it'll give me that dopamine rush to naturally shift back to that fic haha.

I also don't reply to comments on the latest chapter until I've posted the next one. It's kind of a carrot on a stick for myself. If I make myself wait to reply til I post the next chapter, it's another incentive that helps me get excited!

4. Writing

I'm so sorry to say this. But in order to write fics, you have to. Well. Write. I know this is very upsetting for me to hear sometimes. 🤣

Theres tons of posts out there about how to write if you're struggling or you're stuck. I'm sure they have better advice than I do. But what works for me are the following things:

Outline, then write the chapters in order. Some people prefer to write out of order, to write the scenes they're excited first. But for me, writing in order gives me something to look forward to. It's easier to get through the less exciting but crucial scenes and chapters if I know I have a really fun scene right around the corner.

Write badly. My first drafts are pretty rough. There's lots of cringe. Terrible grammar. Incomprehensible sentences. Weird ideas that sounded good in my head but just do not work in writing. Sometimes I don't even know what I want to say, and I just throw some brackets in: [transition here]. For dialogue I'll write it in script form first before adding dialogue tags. Honestly once you get past the uncomfortableness of writing badly, it gets easy. It's word vomit. But guess what, no one has to see it but me!

Write whenever the mood strikes (as long as it's safe to do so). I figured out pretty quick that if I didn't jot ideas down when they hit me, they'll be gone later. If I waited to write until I had the perfect environment, I would never get any writing done (I have four kids and job, my environment is never perfect for writing 😅). This is why I write in Google docs. I can write on my computer (which I prefer) but I can also write ANYWHERE on my phone. I tend to do quite a bit of micro writing throughout the day. Between clients at work. Waiting in the school pickup line. Laying in bed before I fall asleep. Taking a walk (carefully and in a low/no car traffic path!) any moments throughout the day that I get a few minutes of peace and quiet. Just don't write when you're driving obviously 🤣

Edit when I am feeling good. All those brackets I throw in have to get resolved eventually. If I go through and edit when I'm feeling really good and focused, it's much easier. If I try to edit when I'm distracted or having a bad day, it's probably not gonna be great or I'll probably get stuck and struggle.

Use a beta reader. Okay. Listen. There are a million fics out there that aren't beta read. Obviously tons of writers do great without them. Not me. In addition to the fact that having a beta reader just makes my work more polished and understandable, it also gives me some external accountability. My beta reader, @badgermolebender, doesn't even really do anything extra to encourage me to write, it's just KNOWING that they're there, for some reason, helps me to write. And there are plenty of people out there who will beta read and also gently nudge you to write by checking in occasionally. 'hey how's the next chapter coming along? Need to bounce some ideas around? Let me know!' (psst if you want a beta reader for a Wuko fic, or any Lok fic, I'm available!!!! Even other fandoms if I know them!)

5. Be kind to myself.

Writing fanfic is a hobby. It's supposed to be enjoyable, for the most part! We can't hold ourselves to the same standards as people who write novels for a living. They have editors, they get paid for publishing, they have deadlines pushing them forward; and I'm sure other things I don't know about because I don't write novels for a living!!! We just have our fandom community and our free time. So we aren't going to be churning out novel length fics as quickly as R.L. Stine. You'll have gaps where life got in the way and a fic gets put on hold. It's fine. Just pick it back up when you can.

I have no idea if any of that is helpful, but that's my writing method these days. Look, I'm just a boring thirty-something trying to live my best life after neglecting myself in my twenties. I don't know what I'm doing, but I'm having fun!

[fantasy-girl974]

WIP of the day

Thank you so much dear @pikapeppa for the WIP share tag! 💕

Erm ok, I'm going to show 2 WIPs, since I'm mainly focusing on the AU Miracle Lines with @grexigone right now, but I also still draw the blorbos, so YEET

Can you tell I love them too much??

Tagging (to share WIPs of your fic or art. And as always, no pressure *hugs*) :

@grexigone, @murmeringwhisper, @fogsblue, @chib95, @mancatrex, @silketara, @setavvo, @little-box-of-wonders, @i-lavabean

[johaerys-writes]

WIP Wednesday

It's been one hell of a week you guys (it's only Wednesday, I know, but I'm just about ready for weekend lmao) and my brain has been craving some simple fun, and what's more fun than making poor Patroclus miserable?

So here's an excerpt from the next chapter of As Fate Would Have It (omegaverse with a side of angst and pining 👀🔥):

There is only one place where Patroclus doesn’t follow Achilles. And that is the prince’s very own, secluded training yard: the place where he every day, without fail, practises his spear and his sword and his bow in perfect solitude, with no other eyes on him but the gods’.  

Patroclus had found that odd. He had thought that since Peleus had gone to the trouble of bringing world-renowned instructors for everything else, the person he would bring to instruct Achilles in the arts of war would be the most famed and skilled yet. Patroclus had been eager to meet them, but once they’d reached the door of the yard, Achilles had sharply told Patroclus that he was to train alone, and was not to be disturbed by anyone under any circumstances.

Not even by you, my most trusted and beloved companion, he’d said, and inclined his head with practised, ceremonious politeness, before he’d turned around and left him alone in the shadows of the hallway.  

“‘Trusted and beloved’, my ass,” Patroclus scoffs quietly to himself, words muffled behind the rim of his cup. How does Achilles even come up with the things he says? There is no love between them. Anyone with eyes can see that. 

He slants a baleful look up at the dais, at the king’s table, where Achilles is talking with Phoenix, his childhood tutor. Phoenix is laughing at his own joke and Achilles smiles, the smile only barely reaching his eyes. Patroclus doubts Achilles has even a modicum of love in his icy bones; if he does, he has none at all to spare for Patroclus, or any other servant. For that is what Patroclus truly is, therapon or not. Achilles had seemed more than happy to dismiss him earlier, giving him only a sharp and somewhat sour nod when Patroclus had asked for permission to sit with his friends. 

Patroclus looks away, willing himself to be glad that he chose to sit with Eurydamas, Automedon and Alcimedon tonight, rather than wilt of boredom by the prince’s side. 

Tagging forth to: @baejax-the-great @juliafied @cataaliinaa @annalyia @figsandphiltatos @pikapeppa @elveny @vimlos @mary-aries @darlingpoppet @cosmicvoidance @heypax and anyone else who'd like to share a snippet of their work!

[alyssalenko]

15 questions for 15 friends

Tagged by @pikapeppa and @illusivesoul thank you, my lovelies!

ARE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? My middle name was my mother's grandmother's middle name.

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Last night when my sister cut my hair. It needed to be done and I know it'll grow back it just sucks

DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Nope

WHAT SPORTS DO YOU PLAY/HAVE YOU PLAYED? Badminton, tennis, and basketball (I hated basketball though. Only did it for 1 quarter and then never again).

DO YOU USE SARCASM? It's like a second language to me

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? What they're wearing--their fashion

WHAT'S YOUR EYE COLOUR? brown

SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings. There are only a few scary movies I can watch

ANY TALENTS? I play oboe, I have a really good memory (in most cases), and I love to sing

WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Missouri

WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES? Cosplay, Gaming, writing and reading. Usually I would say drawing but I haven't sat down with art in a long time.

DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS? Not for a long time

HOW TALL ARE YOU? 5'2"

FAVOURITE SUBJECT IN SCHOOL? I assume besides Drama and Band, I really liked Biology (and Language Arts when I got to write stuff)

DREAM JOB? At this point? Heiress or Lottery Winner. I am tired of working.

I am tagging @starsandskies @hunnybadgerv @vorchagirl @soldiermom1973 @thefrostyshepard @darth-salem-emperor-of-earth @thefathersbride @heroofshield and anyone else who wants to play! ❤️