#reading these tags i just wrote and it makes sense why enemies to lovers is like my favorite trope lmaaooo

[redstrewn]

Sometimes i wish we could just have a clown route where we could just do everything to piss off the LIs until they kill you

[hellfirenacht]

Anomaly Chapter 8

Fic Summary: You can talk to anyone in school with no problem. At least, anyone who’s not named Eddie Munson.

Chapter Summary: Eddie tries to make a connection, but unfortunately he is Eddie Munson

Tags: Eddie Munson x Reader, one-sided enemies to lovers, one-sided pining, miscommunication trope, anxious-ish!Reader, fem!Reader, Reader is not described, no use of Rachel, Rise of Hellfire characters

Word Count: 4.5k words

Authors Notes: Okay, this chapter is all over the place and I'm sorry about that. I re-wrote this a few times and I'm still not happy with it but it gets us where we need to go, like a sketchy gas station. Also this is ANGST.

Master List

Eddie felt confident about three things about himself; he knew he was a good Dungeon Master, he knew that he was skilled on guitar, and finally he was able to get a fairly good read on people if they could talk to him like a normal person for three fucking minutes.

That third thing was very helpful with the first. By knowing his players and how they worked and what made them tick, he was able to craft amazing stories that were satisfying to his players and their characters. 

It was also helpful when Eddie was earning his extra money on the side. Knowing who was genuinely safe to sell to was important when it seemed like everyone and their mother had a target on his back for no good reason. Stacy had been safe to sell to with her no-bullshit approach. The art kids were a safe bet in most cases when they needed to be “inspired”. And Chrissy Cunningham... well, he gave that shot but she never showed up. 

You had talked to him as a person the day that the two of you had snuck off for a smoke break when you were supposed to be calling businesses. You made small talk with him about his club. In those moments you treated him like an actual person, and he thought that maybe he had been wrong about you. 

And then he walked into school and saw you talking to Stacy. You looked pissed and Eddie, being the virtuous man he was in a small town, decided to eavesdrop on the conversion. 

“What’s your problem this morning?” Stacy laughed as you rummaged through your locker as best you could with one hand. 

“Eddie. Eddie is my problem. He’s always my problem.” You groaned. “I’d be perfectly fine and dandy otherwise.” 

Right, of course. You were just humoring him these past few days. Eddie always thought that you wore your emotions on your sleeve like he did. You had shown your dislike, but he thought you would have calmed down after the time you had spent together. 

Eddie kept listening though, because he wasn’t about to be that dipshit that heard something out of context just to misinterpret it. Maybe you weren’t talking about him. Maybe there was another Eddie he didn’t know. Hell, maybe you had a personal grudge against Van Halen. He’d have to judge your taste, but at least it wouldn’t be about him.

Why did he care so much?

“I’m really just exhausted.” You sighed. “I’m feeling too much at once lately, and all I want is a normal boring day. Between the wrist, my grades, Benson, and the whole Eddie thing- I’m just about running on fumes.” 

The whole Eddie thing. So there was a thing with him. Was he why you were exhausted? No, you just said it was more than him. Eddie found himself hoping that he was closer to the bottom of the list. 

The two of you had, what he had thought, was a really pleasant conversation when the two of you hung out behind the school. You had listened to him talk about his hobby, you two had discussed the alignments of water fowl. Eddie thought that things were going to be more amicable between the two of you. 

Guess not. 

Eddie moved away before he was caught eavesdropping. 

He tried to shake it off. It’s not like this was unusual; Eddie was used to people (usually his customers) playing nice in private and then ignoring his existence once back in society. 

It just didn’t make any fucking sense to him, no matter how he turned it in his mind. Those people never listened to him ramble about his game, let alone remember enough details to bring up so naturally with him. 

The whole Eddie thing. The conversation between you and Stacy shifted to other things and Eddie walked away. He’d rather you just come out and tell him what was wrong rather than just seeth at him from a distance. Everyone else in this shithole had the decency to make it clear what about him they didn’t like. And what a list there was! His hair, his clothes, his music, his grades, his speeches, his outspokenness, the way he’d lean into being a Satan Spawn to piss everyone off even though it was a load of bull- there was a long list that you could pick from!

If anyone had to make a guess, it was probably because you were so quiet about your dislike that pissed him off. If you would have just given him any of the reasons you didn’t like him then he could shrug it off and move on. Eddie wasn’t as self-aware as he would assume he was in this situation, and so your continuous ire irritated him to no end like a scratchy tag on a new t-shirt. It was always just barely there, no matter how much he wanted to ignore it. 

All he needed was one reason to drop it and to just carry on. And so, at the end of Benson’s class he offered to carry your books for you again and escort you to the cafeteria. You had gaped at him for a moment, probably for continuous nerve he had to speak to you when others were around, but accepted his help. 

The small talk was nothing to write home about; the test, Spring Day, your “extra credit”, and of course the infamous Pep Rally Incident. 

“You looked like you would have been anywhere else during the pep rally.” you had said. 

“I tried to skip, but I got caught.” Eddie had been skipping pep rallies for so long, and no one had ever given a shit before. In his humble opinion, they should be begging him to stay a thousand feet away from the gym at all times, lest his lack of school spirit affect and disillusion his fellow classmates. 

“Try breaking your wrist next time. It got me out of it.” Eddie hated that you amused him. Why were moments like this so easy, but you always looked at him so intensely? What was The whole Eddie thing?  

“You broke your wrist trying to apologize, I wouldn’t apologize to anyone in this shithole.” Eddie said without thinking. He’d be willing to apologize if he was wrong, being no stranger to humble pie as one Ronnie Ecker would know. Other than that one summer of groveling so that he wouldn’t lose his best friend, there was no one at Hawkins Hell that was worthy of his forgiveness. 

“Not even your friends?” 

“If I had an issue with one of my friends we’d talk about it.” Eddie looked at you, hoping that you’d get the hint. He just needed one reason, a single reason why you didn’t like him so that he could file you away with all the other people in this town. 

He tried to pinpoint the expression on your face. Surprise, or maybe embarrassment for being called out? Whatever it was, Eddie had struck a nerve and he knew it. 

Stacy, the busybody, interjected before you could say anything and promptly shoo’d him away when he declined to join them. 

The rest of the school day went by as usual. He did get caught trying to skip last period but as he was already serving Benson after school, he was let off with a warning this time. Eddie was beginning to suspect that the teachers here were growing bored of targeting him, especially with graduation looming over the horizon.

Eddie pushed aside his pride as he pulled your desk towards his as the two of you worked on the test. He tried to ignore your presence, pretending he was a wizard deep in study as the two of you poured over the books. He tried to imagine you as a toad, but your hair looked (and smelled) too nice for that. A cat would have to do. Eddie wasn’t particularly fond of cats, but they always seemed to like him better than anyone. 

With the test turned in, and with his dismissal, Eddie booked it out of the classroom with you not too far behind. He made sure to give you the slip, not wanting to be more of a thing than necessary. 

Outside, it was pouring rain and he was parked on the far side of the parking lot and he really wasn’t in the mood to get drenched or struck by lightning. So he figured he could dick around school while teachers and clubs continued their more voluntary after school activities save for the detention room where Eddie passed by and waved with a wiggle of his fingers to the teacher. 

He supposed it would have been too much to ask that the rest of his day could go by without incident. 

“Forget about the freaks, I need your help!”

What the fuck had that been about? Everything had happened so fast, he barely had time to register it until him and Dustin had been out of Danny’s sight. The cause of the fight didn’t matter, Danny had probably said something stupid and Dustin had said something too smart for his own good and Eddie had shown up seconds after Dustin had been slammed into a locker. 

It had been a while since someone had picked on his friends. Eddie had made a point to be such a spectacle that the worst that they could expect most of the time was a snide remark or a look. No one wanted to fight someone who they thought was genuinely out of his mind. 

The incident would have been unremarkable if you hadn’t shown up, drenched to the bone and screaming about homework. You looked almost as insane as he had felt. Was that your way of trying to help, or were you that shook up about your school work that you demanded help from someone who had probably never even opened a book before? 

“That’s the girl that keeps staring at you.” Dustin said, once they were out of the way. “Guess she saved our asses.”

“Right. Saved.” Eddie said, not fully convinced. He had met a lot of people in this small town, but none of them were as confusing as you. 

Once Dustin was safely in his mom’s car, Eddie ran through the rain to get into his van where he cranked up the stereo as loud as it could, hoping to drown out his thoughts. If that didn’t work then a sample of his stash at home would. 

---

Eddie would know Kenny’s copy of The Shady Dragon Inn anywhere. The edges were singed from the time the original dungeon master decided it would look cool to set the front cover on fire a little to give it the feel of having been burned by a dragon. There were tears and creases and notes all over the pages from past campaigns, and it filled Eddie with nostalgia for his first party with Kenny and Ronnie and the others. 

This module was less of an adventure and more of a guide for DMs to create NPCs with a few pre-generated ones, as well as a layout for the titular Inn. Eddie would never admit it, but creating NPCs could feel monotonous and was his least favorite part of creating his campaigns. He’d rather be designing villains and crafting dungeons and puzzles and monsters. Besides, there were a few in here that Kenny had used before that he thought would work for the next adventure. 

The last time he had seen this book it had been sitting on the dining room table at Kenny’s place over winter break when they had met up to shoot the shit. So how was it now sitting on his desk in the middle of school? Eddie doubted that his kid brother knew his schedule well enough to plant the book and he had thought Kenny would be showing up this week for Hellfire just to say hi. 

Forgot to give this to you yesterday. 

The sticky note that was slapped onto the front cover wasn’t signed, but Eddie had seen enough of your handwriting the other day to know it was yours. How the hell had you got your hands on this?

Every time Eddie thought he was going to leave you alone, you pulled him back in. 

This time, when he offered to carry your books, you didn’t stare at him so dumbfoundedly. You just nodded, and kept your head down at the floor as you two walked. 

“Where’d you get this?” Eddie asked, holding up the module. 

“I met your friend while talking to Zack.” you said, looking like you had personal beef with the linoleum. “He wanted to drop it off to you and I said I could hand it over. Then you ran off before I could.”

It was as good a reason as any. 

“You didn’t read any of it, did you?” Eddie asked, his voice overly suspicious for dramatic effect. “It’s full of dark magic and satanic spells. Really intense stuff.” 

“I opened it out of curiosity and my wrist started hurting again.” your voice was deadpan. “I told my mother and she took me to a priest who immediately performed an exorcism. I am no longer allowed to have pea soup.” 

Eddie laughed, genuinely laughed harder than he meant to. He threw his head back like a little kid, and the sound of his mirth echoed through the hallways and forgot that he didn’t know what your deal was with him. In a moment like this he could pretend that you two could have been friends. 

For a second, he wished you two were, unknowing in that moment you were wishing for the same thing. 

“I didn’t read it.” you lied after his laughter had died down. You juggled your books as you swapped them out at your locker and grabbed your lunch box. Eddie would never know that you had rushed your math homework this morning at school before handing off a copy to Danny, as you had stayed up far too late reading the module and taking notes. 

“Good, I’d hate to be the one to corrupt your pure soul.” Eddie said, which made you snort loudly in turn. 

“Good, because I’m saving that for someone special.” you said, looking at him for a moment before realizing you were mad at the dirty floor and looking away. You were quiet for a few seconds, and Eddie was about to say something before you spoke up again. “Sorry about yesterday. I panicked.” 

Once again, you were apologizing but he wasn’t sure what exactly for. Was it for calling him and Dustin freaks? Probably not, that was just true. 

“Guess you really needed that homework, huh?” Eddie asked. 

You just shrugged, with a nonchalance reminiscent of how he’d responded a few days ago when you were asking about where he lived. He knew a touchy subject when he saw it.

“He’s not hurt is he?” you asked. “Your friend, I mean. The freshman.” 

“Henderson? He’s fine. He’s a fighter.” Well, technically he was a bard which didn’t exactly have the best hit points. But the kid was scrappy, and had faced worse bully encounters. 

“That’s good.” you sighed. 

“He says you saved his ass.” Eddie said casually. “If you hadn’t shown up and freaked out things might have been ugly.” 

Your face scrunched up. “Well, glad I could help. Danny’s an idiot. It was a crap shoot if he even knew what the homework was.” 

Once again, Eddie delivered you to Stacy and declined her invitation to sit with them. For a moment, he considered taking up her offer just to see what you would do. He imagined the faces you’d make if he sat across from you and Stacy; if you had been that mad at the floor just from him walking next to you, then you’d probably end up burning a hole in your lunch by sitting with you. 

---

With the final bell of the day rung, Eddie found himself walking into Benson’s class with you as the last student staggered out. The two of you sat at the front desks, waiting for your marching orders. 

After a few minutes, Ms. Benson looked up at the two of you. “What are you two doing here?” she asked. 

Eddie looked at you, and then back to Ms. Benson. “We’re here to help with Spring Day?” It was more of a question than an answer. 

“Hm? Oh, no you’re not.” she said. “That’s what the Student Council is for.” 

This time you and Eddie looked at each other, and you spoke up. “But you said that if we helped you’d give us extra credit.” 

“No.” Ms. Benson said again. “That wouldn’t be allowed. I had you two come to do personal detention to make up work. That’s all. You two can go now.” 

“This was detention?” you asked. 

“Am I still banned from Spring Day?” Eddie added. “And what was all that work for anyway?” 

Ms. Benson sighed deeply and spoke slowly. “I would never have any of my students take over any part of planning a school event if they were not part of the student council. Even if I did I would never give them a task that I, myself, was given. You two are done. Go.”

Neither of you needed to be told twice. The two of you got up and left the room quickly, closing the door behind you. 

“....Did she just pawn her work onto us?” you asked, looking at him with so much confusion that your issues with him or the floor were ignored for the moment. 

“Yup.” Eddie said, shaking his head with a chuckle. 

You rubbed your face, looking out a deep sigh. “At least we did get some extra credit?” 

“Looks like I’m still banned from Spring Day.” 

“Is it really that fun anyway? None of the places we called seemed... fun.” you said. 

“It’s more fun than sitting in detention all day.” Eddie replied. “I was just gonna skip anyway.” 

“I guess we’re done then.” Did you sound disappointed? Must be his imagination. 

The two of you walked in silence to the parking lot. Eddie found himself unusually quiet, reflecting over the last few afternoons with you. He would be the first to deny it, but he was almost disappointed. When the two of you were alone, you were nice to be around. 

“Ah. Well, shit.” 

Eddie looked at you, and then followed your gaze to the parking lot where he saw Stacy riding off  with Chrissy Cunningham. 

“I take it that was your ride?” Eddie asked. 

“Not officially,” you sighed. “Thought I’d catch her before she left. I wouldn’t wanna be the third wheel anyway.” 

Third wheel? Chrissy’s sparkly signature on your cast didn’t give off ‘third wheel’ to him. 

Eddie considered leaving you here, you probably had a ride home with your parents later in the day. 

“Need a ride?” he asked, not knowing which answer he wanted from you. 

“I... really?” you looked up at him. “I’m in the opposite direction of Forest Hills.” 

It would be so easy to decline, rescind his offer. 

“I’m going that way anyway.” Eddie shrugged, lying through his teeth. “I need to swing by somewhere first anyway if you don’t mind.”

If he scrounged up some change, he could make a quick stop. 

“I’d honestly really appreciate it.” you said, sounding genuine. “I don’t mind if you need to stop somewhere. I’d rather be anywhere else right now.”

Taking to heart that you meant the school and not his presence, he led you to his van. He strode forwards faster, using the distance to shove some things into the back seat as quickly as possible so that there was room for you. His van was messier than usual, it usually was in the colder months and he’d been telling himself for weeks that he’d clean it soon. 

You didn’t say a word or make a face as you hopped into the passenger side seat. Eddie’s van made a startling noise before coming to life and you winced as his radio blasted music on max volume. 

Eddie quickly scrambled to turn it down to a level more reasonable for normal ears, and you relaxed a little. 

“What are we listening to?” you asked, glancing down at the small stack of tapes on his center console. 

“It’s a mix tape I’m working on for Dustin.” Eddie said. “Only the first side is done.” 

“The freshman from the other day?”

“Yeah, I’ve been giving him a good lesson in rock and metal.” 

“What about minerals or crystals?” 

It took a moment for your joke to register completely with Eddie, and he stared at you for a moment. “No.” he said bluntly. 

“I thought witches liked crystals!” 

“Witches aren’t a playable class. Wizard would be the closest, maybe a mage.” Eddie said. “There might be a specialist wizard that would use crystals as components. Some spells might need them.” 

“Your game is a lot of work, huh?” you asked. “There’s a lot to remember.” 

Once again, you were showing interest in his game. There had to be some common ground there and once again, Eddie was never the type to turn down earnest questions about the game that gave him a feeling of belonging. 

“Oh yeah.” he agreed, shrugging off his jacket and tossing it into the back seat. “It’s easier if you’re just a player, but when you’re running the game you have to remember everything else.”

“Are those real?” you asked suddenly. “Your tattoos, I mean.” 

Eddie looked down and held out his arm towards you. “They better be with what I had to pay for them.” he said. Tattooing was technically illegal in Indiana, and so he had to really search for someone who was willing and able to mark him up. He had to pay and barter his way through what he currently had. 

Your hand was hesitant and surprisingly gentle as you touched the ink Wyvern on his arm. There weren’t exactly a ton of people in Hawkins with any kind of tattoos, as they didn’t really reflect the wholesome image of an upstanding citizen. 

“Did they hurt?” You asked, looking closer at his arm, as if you were really taking in the details. 

“The one on my collarbone hurt like a bitch.” Eddie admitted, pulling his shirt down to show off the black widow. 

“I like the bats.” you said. “I think they look badass.”

“They were the easiest ones for me.” Eddie said, trying not to look too pleased with the compliments. 

“They look better than a bunch of random signatures.” you said, touching the cast on your arm. Eddie looked it over, and remembered the thick expo marker he had jacked from one of his classes. 

“How attached to Jason Carver’s name are you?” Eddie asked. 

“Not at all. I didn’t have a choice with that one. Chrissy wanted to sign it and he was there so...” 

“Perfect.” Eddie grabbed the marker and pulled off the cap with his teeth as he pulled your cast towards him. “Any requests? Should be easy enough to cover up.”

“I- anything. Dealer’s choice.” There was a challenge in your eyes that Eddie wasn’t about to turn down. 

Being careful not to cause any harm to your wrist, he made quick work of scribbling a couple of bats on your arm over Jasons’s name. It wasn’t his best work; the texture of the plaster of your cast wasn’t exactly the easiest to draw on, but he managed. The result was a colony of bats, with one turned into a dragon for good measure*. 

When he released your arm, you took a look down at it and smiled- one of those real smiles that you had given him a few days ago. You were attractive when your face was relaxed like that. 

“So, am I a badass spawn of Satan, now?” you asked with a look in your eyes that gave Eddie a weird but excited feeling in his chest. 

“Not exactly, but if you walk around with that you might end up a social pariah which is a good starting point.” He shrugged, finally starting to pull out of the parking lot. 

“I guess I’ll have to start somewhere.” 

The two of you were a few blocks away from the school when Eddie had an idea. If you were really interested in the game and being a Spawn of Satan and his game, he should take you to the next best thing to Hellfire Club.   

Eddie pulled into the parking lot of the shopping center, not noticing how quiet you had suddenly become. He didn’t always have the cash to get something from the game shop, but- “I need to pick up some dice anyway, I think one of the freshmen is eating mine. Let’s go.” 

“No.” 

Eddie looked over at you and you were looking guilty, like you’d rather be anywhere else. You had your head down again, now deciding that the old can of TAB near your foot was the real problem. 

“There’s not gonna be anyone in there. It’s usually just Chris working.” Eddie said. “He’s kind of an ass, but-”

“I can’t.” your voice sounded a bit choked. “You go ahead. I’ll guard the car.” 

“Are you-”

“Dude, just go. It’s fine.” You snapped. 

It was the most openly hostile you had been to his face, and Eddie felt a flare of anger in him and he got out of the van. He was pissed as he got the dice, and pissed as he drove you back home in silence. 

Fine, he tried. With you it was one step forward and a mile back. You could hang out in private but wouldn’t date to be seen with him anywhere else. 

You gave him directions to your home, and there were times where you looked like you wanted to say something but couldn’t. 

When he finally pulled up into your driveway, you hopped out fast but didn’t close the door yet. You didn’t look at him when you spoke. 

“Sorry. I just- I can’t go in there. It’s not you.” 

“Right.” Eddie said, not believing you. He was starting to get annoyed at your constant apologizing. You’d say something, then apologize, and then the cycle would repeat. 

“I mean it!” you looked up at him. “I- I just can’t go in there.”  

“Why not?” Eddie said. 

You looked guilty again, and your looked like you were going to panic at the question. 

“Don’t worry about it.” He finally said, running his fingers through his hair. “I’ll see you around, I guess.” 

You closed the door without protest, and you watched as he drove away. He saw you through his mirrors as he drove down the street and you looked... bad. For a moment he felt like he was making a mistake, but when you kept insulting him and turning around to apologize... what was he supposed to do? He’d seen this pattern before. 

---

“Stacy.... What the fuck is wrong with me?” 

---

Author Notes: No dividers right now, as I am at work and there's a lady in my ear complaining about pizza for the stupidest reasons. I'll come back later and make it more pretty but I need the boost from posting something.

Tag List: 

@eddiemunsonfuxks @kirsteng42 @strangereads @pedroschka @generoustrashpeach

@sheneedsrocknroll92 @cyanfairywren @crocworkships @tomtomslongdong @aphrogeneias

@ghcstpyre @totheforestandtheocean @stevekeeryswife @dreamyyy222222 @ajnerdess

@sp1dyb0y1008 @projectcampbell @emxxblog @thebadbatchfan

@transparentenemypenguin @ghoulsgraveyard @spread-the-hope @exploding-bonbon @paleidiot

@2spock @c14r3v1b3srs @yujyujj @saramelaniemoon @morganlolitta

@veemoon @mrsrdlw @eddieheart @bambibiest @mylovelycrazyworld

@sassidykassidy @cultish-corner @thedoubleexposurephotography @bambibiest @wheels-of-despair

@amieinghigh @hazydespair @princesssunderworld @thepinkpanther83 @justalotoffanfiction

@littlemissholy @rizzraa @vajjaa @ihaventgotaclue-really

[steddieunderdogfics]

This week’s writer spotlight feature is:  steddieasitgoes! @steddieasitgoes has 27 works posted to AO3 in the Stranger Things fandom and 23 of them are in the Steddie tag!

Our anonymous nominator recommends the following works by @steddieasitgoes:

Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)

for a fortnight there, we were forever

honey i'm still free (take a chance on me)

You Were All Yellow

Eat Your Heart Out, Big Boy

"Her fics are SO FUN. I have enjoyed every single one that I've read IMMENSELY and am always talking about them to my friends after I've read them <3" -- anonymous

Below the cut, @steddieasitgoes answered some questions about their writing process and some of their recommended work!

Why do you write Steddie?

Was I supposed to watch Eddie throw Steve his vest – the quintessential 80s romcom moment – and be totally normal about it? But in all honesty, there’s just something about them that compels me. When you dig deep into their personalities and arcs, they’re really two sides of the same coin and there’s so many ways for that to manifest in fic.hen

What’s your favorite trope to READ?

I had to consult my ao3 bookmarks for this one and “getting together” tops my list, which really isn’t a traditional trope but I absolutely adore that mutual pining, idiots in love sort of thing that happens in those fics. Bonus points for slow burns!

What’s your favorite trope to WRITE?

Idiots in love for sure. Again, not a typical trope but I’m pretty sure it’s tagged on just about every fic I’ve written. It’s just so easy to slot them into those roles and banter their way into a love confession. The show is so life and death all the time, that I like letting them be goofy boys.

What’s your favorite Steddie fic?

This is like asking me to choose if I’m more of a Steve girl or an Eddie girl – impossible! But if I had to narrow it down to a top few, I’d say: the most remarkable thing by greatunironic, rounding third, sliding home by througheden, better by you, better than me by palmviolet, and is your light on? By Adure

Is there a trope you’re excited to explore in a future work but haven’t yet?

Outside of fic I’m a huge fan of enemies/rivals to lovers so I think that would be fun to explore between Steddie. There’s a hint of it in Signed, Sealed, Delivered but I think their hatred fizzles out really quickly and I definitely want to play with something where that takes longer to happen.

What is your writing process like?

It sort of depends on the project, but typically I get a kernel of an idea. Somethings that’s a setting, sometime it’s a bit of dialogue, sometimes it’s just ✨ vibes ✨ Then I’ll add it to my jumbled mess of a notes app on my phone and keep adding to it as I get ideas. When I wrote my first fic (Can’t Fight This Feeling Anymore) I had no outline whatsoever. I just knew I had this one scene in mind and kept writing and building the world until I felt the moment made sense to happen. Nowadays, I’m a bit more organized when it comes to longer fics. I’ll usually do a bare bones outline with the major beats I want to hit outlined. This gives me enough structure to not feel lost, but also lets the characters breath one the page and make their own choices. Every fic, but the one I’m working on now for the steddie big bang, I’ve written chronologically which helps me because I can see the progression of the relationship dynamics in real time.  For one shots, it’s somewhat similar. I start with a kernel of an idea and a general plot in my head and just write and hope for the best lol

Do you have any writing quirks?

I think I use the same sentence structure a lot which drives me nuts, but I can’t always help it. Motif-wise I don’t think I have a unifying theme amongst all my fics, but I can almost guarantee that there will be some kind of third act break up. Happily ever afters are always going to be in my fics, but I like to make them work for it. Also they do a lot of gazing at each other and things in my fics. So much gazing!

Do you prefer posting when you’ve finished writing or on a schedule?

Generally, I like posting when something is completely finished. But I get antsy and have been known to start posting when the fic is 85% done and then procrastinate on writing the end until my deadline is looming.

Which fic are you most proud of?

I’m proud of all of them for different reasons, but I was really blown away with Can’t Fight This Feeling Anymore. I hadn’t written fic in years and had never written a third-person mlm story before. At the time it was also the longest thing I had ever written. It definitely made me fall back in love with fictional prose writing and the steddie community as a whole.

How did you get the idea for Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)?

It was actually inspired by a ficlet I had written earlier that year and decided to use as inspiration for the full length fic. I was driving around and I kept seeing mail trucks everywhere and I remember getting an image of Steve in those short khaki shorts, carrying a satchel full of mail. And then I remember thinking “I wonder what Eddie would think” and the worms took over. I will say, expanding it into a full fic did take some time though because the ficlet was just vibes

When writing Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours), what was something you didn’t expect?

How long it ended up being lol I think it came in double what I had predicted it to be. I also didn’t expect to write it in the way I did. All my other fics are very traditional in that each chapter is a day or a couple days and it follows a clear timeline. With Signed I really went for a vignette, slice of life sort of storytelling which was a bit difficult initially but I think it paid off in the end.

What inspired honey i'm still free (take a chance on me)?

That one was written for a valentine’s discord server so it was based on the prompt steddiealltheway on Tumblr had submitted. It took me a minute to work out the plot, but I liked the idea of Robin getting to be the wingwoman for Steve.

What was your favorite part to write from for a fortnight there, we were forever?

There was a metaness to that one that was so fun to write. You have Eddie falling in love with Supernatural, a show that was known for making questionable decisions in the end and talking about how fanfic saves the day and that’s exactly what I’ve spent the last two years doing for him lol I love the idea of Eddie being a fandom kid like all of us, and dragging and unknowing Steve into it with him.

How do/did you feel writing Eat Your Heart Out, Big Boy?

At the time I think I just wanted to write something fun and silly because I was deep into Signed, Sealed, Delivered at the time and was feeling bad about not sharing anything. It was like a palette cleanser.

What was the most difficult part of writing You Were All Yellow?

Definitely deciding which yellow objects I was going to use and figuring out how to string them together in a clear narrative arc. It was a puzzle of sorts that took a lot of patience to figure out. It was also a bit reverse-engineered where the objects dictated what the story would be. I think it would have been easier if I had the story first and then found things that fit that narrative.

Do you have a favorite scene and/or line from any of your fics?

I struggle with writing poetically, so I was really proud of this line from Duck, Dodge, Don’t Fall In Love: “He feels like an astronomer falling in love with stars for the first time in the untouchable night sky. Because that’s what Steve is, right? A dazzling force that Eddie can steal glances at but never touch, never reach.” But also any and all smut scenes I’ve written. That was an incredible challenge at first and I literally wrote the first make out scene ever under the covers of my bed lol

Do you have any upcoming projects or fics you’d like to share/promote?

I’m planning to participate in this year’s Steddie Week with some (hopefully) short one shots. And then I have my big bang fic When The Buzzer Sounds that will come out later this year. Other than that we’ll see. My notes are overflowing with ideas it’s all about finding the time and the right one.

Outside of these questions, Is there anything YOU would like to add?

As I write this I’m not sure who nominated me, but I want to say thank you to them! It’s so wild to me that people resonate with the silly stories my brain comes up with and I’ll never take that for granted. There’s so many creative steddie fic writers out there and I’m so happy to be one of them. We really blew up overnight and it’s been so fun watching everyone grow together. And I want to thank all the mods behind this blog for helping share writers hardwork!

Thank you to our author, @steddieasitgoes, and our anonymous nominator! See more of steddieasitgoes's works featured on our page throughout the day!

Writer’s Spotlight is every Wednesday! Want to nominate an author? You can nominate them here!

[onlythebravest]

✨️ Twenty Questions for Fic Writers ✨️

Thank you @disgruntledkittenface for tagging me! These questions things are always so fun to read and answer!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

37.

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

212 726

3. What fandoms do you write for?

rigt now, 1D and hockey rpf. I've written for harry potter and acotar before though

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

in order; never been a fan of change, but we're still the same, in the pub that we met he's got his arms around you, dream about a summer night, a conversation starter and these arms were made for holding you

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

yes! almost always. for different reasons. as a reader, I always enjoy getting replies to comments I've left. it also motivates me to leave more comments, esp on that author's fics. that's just how I work. and since I like and want that, I assume it's the same for other ppl so I do that to them. it's also bc getting comments sometimes makes my entire day, and it makes me so happy, and I want to let them know that

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

i'm not sure i've written anything with an angsty ending? oh wait, two of my older mini fics do. the loss of a friend and what are we now? both have pretty angsty endings, or at least not happy ones. so i'll go with them.

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

the rest of them? no, but I prefer happy endings so I think almost all of the rest have. all of my top five kudos ones that I mentioned above are the first ones I'd pick, so take your pick among those. but if I were to pick another one... most of the rest are kinda happy throughout the entire fic and then the ending doesn't feel as happy. so to pick one that's not happy throughout, but has a happy ending, I'll go with maybe we're good, maybe we're not.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

no, i don't. i've gotten some rude comments, but that's as far as it's gotten luckily

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

yes, i've written a little. it's still a bit out of my comfort zone though, esp posting it, but i've written some m/m smut of different variants.

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

no. or well, technically yes, but it's an abandoned wip that i don't like so that's all you're gonna get about it

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not as far as i'm aware, so i hope not

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

no

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

nope. I was part of a round robin, but that got abandoned and I vowed never to do it again. group projects are not my thing 😂

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

I don't think I have one. I change favorites so often, so I don't think I can say I've got an all-time fave

15. What's a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

oh multiple! I have one that I do doubt I'll ever finish but I still hope I will so so much, so I'm not gonna give up on that one just yet. instead, I have one that's even less likely I'll finish. it's a fantasy one, enemies to lovers (I should've known it was doomed already then, that's not my thing), magic that was based around elements. it's main feature is that it has a "who did this to you?" between two ppl who don't like each other, which is something I love. maybe I'll end up publishing only that scene, it can be read as a stand-alone so it's not that bad of an idea actually

16. What are your writing strengths?

dialogue, I think. specifically banter, I think I'm pretty good at that. I always manage to write it in at least and have a lot of fun writing it!

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I feel like I write pretty short sentences, making paragraphs sound a bit choppy. I'm also an expert in writing english sentences with swedish grammar, so I feel for my beta that has to correct that shit. esp when the sentence doesn't even make sense in English and it's a guessing game😂

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

if it's important to the plot, then yeah, that could be nice. but it's a bit of a pet peeve of mine when i read dialgoue in swedish and it's obvious that the author has used google translate, it bothers me. i'd rather read it in english with an accompanying "says in swedish" rather than the inaccurate translation. but that's probably bc it's my native language. when it's in languages i don't understand i don't have that issue obviously.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

harry potter probably? at least that I posted for, might've written something that I didn't realise was technically for fandom when I was younger

20. Favorite fic you've written?

oh, hm... right now it's probably a tie between does it always end in heartbreak? and maybe we're good, maybe we're not. but that's probably bc those are the latest ones I published. one favorite I always mention is one of the drabbles in the drabble collection snapshots of moments, the one in chapter 11, pretty when you beg

Since this was the first one I saw of these, I'm not sure who has done them, but I'll tag @greenfeelings, @neondiamond, @larrysballetslippers, @lunarheslwt, @sun-lt, @hellolovers13, @zjofierose and @zanniscaramouche. oh and if you see this and want to do this, just say I tagged you because I want to read it!

[forabeatofadrum]

Trope Grading game

Thank you @artsyunderstudy for the tag. This is fun.

Rules: How much do these tropes affect your decision to click on a fic?

-10 -> very dissuaded

0 - don’t care either way

+10 -> very enticed

nope -> if it’s a hard no and you’d never click on a fic with that tag or or you even have the tag blocked or you’d insta click out of the fic if it wasn’t tagged

Bonus points for explaining the rating and whether it’s conditional.

Age gap: -10

Define age gap. I don't think I will actively look for it, regardless of age gap, but what kind of age gap does matter. Obviously, I am not fond of, for example, one of them being 16 and the other being 26, but one being 26 and the other 36? Sure. As I always say, it's not about the amount of years, but whether people are in a similar moment in life.

Codependency: +5

Okay, yeah, remember how fiction is all about exploring themes that would be a big no no in real life? This is one of them. I am such a sucker for fics that explore codependency, especially since it can be quite toxic or it can stem from, for example, of inadequacy which... give me ANGST.

Or also, what happens when people seem to be different in how much of themselves they want to give? Like, with Klaine, I am a big "Kurt needs to learn how to let people in and Blaine needs to learn to care for himself" truther.

Obsession/Possessiveness, jealousy: +3

Kinda same thing as what I wrote above, but somehow I am less interested in it. I like to explore it if it stems from some internal conflict. As Ashton said, Simon's jealousy come from his own insecurities and I eat that shit up, but I would never think it's a cutesy thing.

Opposites (grumpy/sunshine etc): +5

Yeah, sure. I like the idea that people compliment each other, but I also like the idea of having a lot in common. So I do like it, but I am not nuts about it.

Enemies to lovers, Enemies with benefits: +5

"I don't really care for enemies to lovers" I say, as I ship Snowbaz and Firstprince and Zimbits.

I mean, it depends on what constitutes as enemies. If "enemies to lovers" is just being used as a way to have two terrible people forcibly end up together, then no thanks. It needs to make sense. It needs to show how people and the relationships evolve.

Enemies with benefits.... meh. Not really? Feels kinda weird to group these two categories together, since they're wildly different and I am just not into this one. Mostly. Sure. I mean, I do flail over Restoration Ecology by @captain-aralias. I cannot shut the fuck up about that fic and Simon thinks of Baz as his enemy so you know.

Friends with benefits: -5

No thanks. Not opposed to it, but just not for me.

Sex to feelings: still figuring it out

Can I redirect you to this long ass reply that I wrote about how my entire feelings with smut is *cha cha real smooth* super weird at the moment and also the main reason I am not into friends/enemies with benefits but how I am slowly, like, accepting (it makes sense if you read the post) that I do like smut when there's feelings?

Fake dating/relationship: -5

Honestly, I never got this trope. I don't hate it. I don't think it's a bad thing, I just never liked it that much and I didn't get the appeal and it's been done.

Friends to lovers: +10

OH YEAH. I am a big "date your best friend" believer. I think friendship can be a great foundation for romantic love and my angst loving ass also likes the whole "but will this ruin it?" stuff, although that has been a bit overdone, but also, two cakes principle.

Found Family: +10

I AM SUCH A BITCH FOR FOUND FAMILY WHY ELSE DO YOU THINK I ALWAYS TRY TO GIVE MY CHARACTERS A GROUP OF FRIENDS IN FICS.

There are so many goddamn good fanfics with this trope BUT the first one that comes to mind is like a handprint on my heart by @alphacrone, like this fic wrecked me to no end (affectionate).

Hurt/Comfort: +10

YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES

Love Triangle: -10

Fucking hate this. Sorry. I do. Well, not sorry, actually, because I think the media's obsession with love triangles is so fucking tiring anyway and I often find the dilemma to be widely stupid and not fun to read. This is why I am a big fan of shows like Sense8, The Legend of Korra, and Ted Lasso who ended their big love triangle stories in an unexpected way. More of that please, but then technically speaking it wouldn't be a love triangle.

Poly, open relationships: -5

Offline, in real life, I am not opposed to poly stuff, and in media I am all for more poly rep, but I am just one of those people who cannot multiship for life. So it depends on whether the ship/character in question is already poly, if that makes sense. I know I just said I like how Ted Lasso just fucking did nothing, but give me that good Roy/Jamie/Keeley shit, but for the love of God stay away from Klaine or Snowbaz with someone else.

Mistaken/hidden identity: 0

Hm, I wrote an entire fic about catfishing and how it's a messed up way to start a relationship since you don't really know the person in question. I think it can be interesting, and even comedic, but it really depends on how the fake identity came to be.

Monsterfucking: none

No thanks, but again, this has more to do with me not liking smut. Mostly. Again, I made a whole ass post about it. Idk, if you're just starting to figure out what you like, monsterfucking feels too daunting. Nope.

Pregnancy: none

No thanks. Mpreg is a big no for me and also just pregnancy in general is meh. Don't like it. Like many things on this list, I am not, like "morally opposed" to it, I just do not vibe with it at all.

Second Chance: +100000

BUT I DO FUCKING VIBE WITH THIS I AM SO FUCKING DOWN FOR THE REUNION FIC TROPE I ALWAYS SAY IT'S MY FAVOURITE. As much as I think it is a good thing for couples to work shit through as a couple, I am such a bitch for the idea of people finding themselves and growing as a person without the idea of being tied to someone AND then they fall in love with these improved versions of the other and also relearn to love the person they used to be. God yeah, I love this crap. Sign me up.

There are a lot of *chef's kiss* reunion fics in the world, but I need to give a shout out to the Woods verse by @flowerfan2, which I need to reread soon because I recently fell into the Into the Woods 2022 rabbit hole.

Slowburn: +7

I say I like it, but I am also impatient. But yeah, it is definitely something I would click on.

Soulmates: 0

Hm. Mixed bag, mostly since, like fake dating, it has become such a been there done that thing in my head. Oh, the world becomes colourful! Oh, you can write on your body and it shows up on the other's body. Oh, tattoos of your lover's first words! Oh, red string! (I keep saying I do want to write a soulmate fic where I fuck with these ideas, but idk how yet.)

So I don't actively click on it, but that being said, I love fics that throw what we know of soulmate fics out of the window or give their own spin to it. The Check, Please! fandom has some really good ones, especially with the angst potential of Jack "dying" in 2009. A really good one is i'll see you with your laughter lines, also written by @alphacrone. If you want a less angsty one, Those Tangled Olive Threads of Fate by @mcbangle is a hilarious way to fuck with the "red string" trope.

Anyway, thanks for reading. I am fucking tired now. I should sleep. And I am lazy because of it so I will tag everyone who wants to do it.

[starry-eyed-psychopomp]

I mean I actually do read more than just danmei. I only started reading danmei within the past year and have been consuming queer fantasy religiously for years now. I was an English Major. I work in a bookstore. This post was very much informed by my experience reading a shitload of queer fantasy. Lowkey a little offended by the implication that this opinion comes from just not reading enough. That’s kind of a rude assumption to make? Anyway, I’ll elaborate on my feelings, because I have a lot of Thoughts on the topic and I like to yap.

I do think a lot of people in the danmei community could stand to read more genres and generally diversify their shelves (heavy on DIVERSIFY), and I’m sure that was the point you were making, but that’s not really what I was talking about? Like my point wasn’t “Western books Bad, that’s why I only read danmei,” it was “I want to see This in MORE books!” Does that make sense?

This is my opinion of course, but when I’ve read Western fantasy books with queer romance, I often either felt like authors have to choose to either prioritize the romance or the fantasy. It’s either all romance with little high-stakes angst and worldbuilding (you don’t see enough characters getting brutally stabbed and their love interests wailing over their body in Western romantasy and THAT’S A SHAME), or all fantasy politics interspersed with enemies-to-lovers ~yearning~ and ~sexual tension~ every hundred or so pages (and it takes a good writer to keep my attention through all that). Romantasy doesn’t have enough angst and gore, fantasy with a romantic subplot doesn’t have enough kissing and cuddling. So far, most of the danmei I’ve read is able to strike that balance.

And not to mention that romantasy usually comes in the form of standalone books. It’s a lot harder to do high-stakes worldbuilding with those limitations. Or it’ll be technically a series, but every book follows a different couple in the same world, so you don’t get much time to spend with a single pairing. In danmei, it’s a lot more common to see five, eight, thirteen book-long series with lots of adaptations and additional content, which is generally just more engaging. And it’s all centered around a romance! A queer romance, at that!!

I’m familiar with both your recommendations, though I personally haven’t picked up Godkiller. Funnily enough though, A Marvellous Light was actually one of the Western queer romantasy books I was thinking about when I wrote this post, because as you said, it’s very popular, and I personally didn’t like it. The worldbuilding was too…generically British for my specific tastes, and overall I found it pretty boring. A lot of hanging out and fucking in mansions on the English countryside, not enough stabbing and bleeding out and dying in front of your love interest to keep me interested. OBVIOUSLY THIS IS JUST MY PERSONAL OPINION! Read what you want. Regency romance is a thing people like and that’s chill. But that’s something that I really like in romance that danmei is just more likely to deliver. So as an example of a Western book that embodies the traits I was talking about in my original post? Not really.

Like I wasn't just talking about books that happen to have gay people and body horror. If that were the case I'd never have picked up another book after reading The Locked Tomb series, because there's no topping perfection. I elaborated a bit more in my tags, which I recognize wouldn't be kept in a reblog, but I meant it more in the sense of an intersection between the two? The intersection between romance and body horror that I was specifically talking about involves like. Melodrama. The agony of the romance is so intense it must be expressed with blood, and that physical, gory pain then goes on to inspire angst between the romantic leads.

So you get characters cradling their lover’s bloody body; holding onto their corpse for years, unable to accept their death; being forced to watch them be stabbed over and over again; mourning for years, devoted to them and only them; etc etc, and any number of new ways authors conceive to torment us. And all the while, the characters are still in proximity to each other. They flirt, they hold hands, they kiss, they cuddle, they get protective of each other, they keep bridal-carrying each other, and on and on.

There’s a level of physical intimacy that goes beyond just sexual tension and an eventual climactic kiss, and danmei authors seem to understand that it won’t detract from the intense violence that also exists in their stories. The gore and violence and body horror goes hand in hand with the romance, it’s not just tangential to it. Intense emotion that both drives the plot and brings a kind of cathartic pain to the audience, who remain secure in the knowledge that it will still work out in the end. Like Aristotelian tragedy for people who get a bit too emotionally attached to fictional characters.

And like, there are Western books that I think danmei fans would enjoy. They don't always hit all the marks I was talking about, but they exist. Danmei fans tend to really like Dark Rise by C.S. Pacat, for instance. A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows and Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell are fantasy/sci-fi romances with higher stakes and more complex worldbuilding. On the f/f and baihe side of things, She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan and the Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri are political fantasies with dense worldbuilding, but the romances are prominent enough, and they’re really good. And though it's not for everyone, I'll always preach the good word of Gideon the Ninth, which has tons of agonizing homoerotic angst that scratches a particular itch in my brain. I wouldn’t say any of these fit exactly the bill of what I’m going for (Dark Rise probably comes closest, though Gideon the Ninth would beat it if I thought griddlehark was ever gonna kiss for real) but not all danmei fits my specific standards either, so…¯\_(ツ)_/¯

But yeah. Like obviously there are fantastic books that aren’t danmei, but danmei has certain conventions and tropes that I feel we don’t often get from Western media. For some reason, our media is just…weirdly averse to sincerity and melodrama. Too much romance is considered trite and has no place in, like, a gritty war story. There are exceptions, but it is a trend in our culture that I find disappointing. And it’s a problem Chinese media like danmei doesn’t seem to have as much.

GOD I wish more Western books would take cues from danmei for how to write fantasy romance, danmei is like the only genre I’ve encountered that understands my ideal ratio of fluffy romance to body horror

[iturnlemonadeintolemons]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thanks for the tag, @morningstargirl666!

How many works do you have on ao3?

27, but most of them are small drabbles, so I don't know if they count as a full fic. Apart from the drabbles, I have 6 full-chap/multi-chap works

What's your total ao3 word count?

116,728. I'm fairly new to posting on ao3, I have been there as a guest for longer

What fandoms do you write for?

TVD, for Klaroline

Top five fics by kudos:

ATSBT (which I'm procrastinating on, cries in writer's block)

2. No more brandy

3. WDMMAM

4. Mountain of salt

5. Her first word(s)

Do you respond to comments?

I LOVE to respond to comments! I couldn't for a while at first, because for some reason, the comments section on my account had been glitching, so I couldn't reply or comment on fics I liked. I got it fixed, though, and I've been replying to older comments recently. I love to talk about the different opinions and views people have after reading something they like, so replying to comments is always fun! There's also always a chance you can get mutuals that way

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

As I said, I'm fairly new to posting, so I haven't written any angsty fics yet, but I guess if you put a gun to my head, I'd say the first chapter of ATSBT before I started to make it a multi-chap was not so much as angsty, but it was pretty emotional, at least for me while I was writing it. I don't write angst that I post, but sometimes I write a paragraph or two for myself

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

All my fics are pretty happy😄I think the ones who's endings are the most birthday party sugar rush after presents kind of happy are dancing is a dangerous thing, and ain't misbehavin, they're both pretty sappy❤️

(I'm Gen Z but I'm 83 in my soul and don't know how to put the line thingy underneath the name of the fic that has its link, so please excuse that)

Do you get hate on fics?

No, not yet. I hope not in the future as well

Do you write smut?

I have written it 2-3 times. I'm not that great at writing it, and I need plot with it to actually enjoy the fic, so I did try it once or twice, but it's really rare that I actually post it. I never actually write it after planning it. I don't write it that much, though

Craziest crossover:

Haven't written a crossover. I don't really like crossovers, but I LOVE AUs, if that makes sense, especially Harry Potter AUs. Klaroline at Hogwarts+enemies to lovers? * giggling so hard that my younger sister looks over with concern *

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I have not

...

I hope

Have you ever had a fic translated?

I have not, but I'd be very flattered if someone wanted to! (with credit)

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I have not as of yet, but it'd be fun to!

All time favorite ship?

kay, just a sec (goes on pinterest)

* crickets chirping for a few moments *

wow, the number of klaroline pins is honestly shameful

What's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I reeeeeeally want to finish Evolution, my oldest fic, but I think I've lost inspiration for that since I started it a long time ago

What are your writing strengths?

I've never thought about it myself, but I have been told that I'm good at writing Klaus and Rebekah

What are your writing weaknesses?

Accuracy when it comes to any field I don't know well. Regency, Medical AUs, which is why I don't write them much and mostly stick to Human AUs or TVD canon (the parts I like)

Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

Just a few words is enough for me. I'm too much of a nut to read a sentence in a language I don't understand and just let it go, I have to google translate it, so short sentences are enough.

First fandom you wrote in?

TVD. Klaroline was the second ship I fell in love with, the first was Romione (Ron and Hermione from harry Potter), but I never got invested enough to write about them, so Klaroline

Favorite fic you've written?

Excluding my drabbles, I really like how I've written ain't misbehavin. I loved writing it

[ao3feed-leopika]

Waiting for Blossoms | MULTIVERSE

Waiting for Blossoms | MULTIVERSE Link to fic: https://ift.tt/RytTbBh by PierreAndHisBaguette How doth one write a summary? A tale of heartbreak and happy endings. Slice of Life. (The Majority of these characters are OCs. Anything else belongs to their original Creators.) I originally wrote this with a friend, but since we're no longer talking (kinda just drifted apart, nothing bad I still think good of them) I did change the name of their OCs and some aspects about them. However, the OCs (KAMEKO, OSE, CHIHARU, EMIKO, and AHAN) still belong to my friend, so I take no credit for them! If the person I'm talking about happens to read this and get offended, I will gladly go back and change whatever you want or even add the characters back with their original names. I just really wanna post this fic since I worked super hard on it and would still like to give my friend a little bit of privacy by changing the names. Does that make sense? Anyways. Also the MC is kind of cringe ngl but he's literally 15 and a spoiled rich kid so... Words: 1503, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Fandoms: Multi-Fandom, 文豪ストレイドッグス | Bungou Stray Dogs, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia (Anime & Manga), 鬼滅の刃 | Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (Anime), Hunter X Hunter, Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler, Death Note (Anime & Manga), 외모지상주의 | Lookism Rating: Mature Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: F/M, M/M, Multi Characters: L (Death Note), Park Hyung Suk | Daniel, Kim Kimyeong | Jake, Jang Hyun | Eli, Lee Eun Tae | Vasco, Jin Ho Bin | Vin, Choi Soo Jung | Crystal, DG (Lookism), Vivi (Lookism), Lee Jin Sung | Zack, Kim Mi Jin | Mira, Kim Yui, Park Ha Neul | Zoe, Undertaker (Kuroshitsuji), Pro Heroes (My Hero Academia), Hero Public Safety Commission (My Hero Academia) Relationships: Kurapika/Leorio Paladiknight, Kaneki Ken | Sasaki Haise/Kirishima Touka, Uta/Yomo Renji, Kochou Shinobu/Tomioka Giyuu, William T. Spears/Grell Sutcliff, Hong Jae Yeol | Jay/Park Hyung Suk | Daniel, Kim Mi Jin | Mira/Lee Jin Sung | Zack, Undertaker (Kuroshitsuji)/Original Character(s) Additional Tags: Original Character(s), Major Character(s), Developing Relationship, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers, Friends to Lovers, Friends to Enemies, Enemies to Lovers, Family Issues, Daddy Issues, Gender Issues, Gay, Gay Panic, Gay Pride, Lesbian Character, Modern Era, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Fluff, Mother-Son Relationship, I Wrote This While Listening to Mitski's Music, Teen Angst, Teenagers, Hurt, Trauma, Multiverse, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Explicit Language, Triggers, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Child Abuse, Abuse, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Sexual Abuse, Verbal Abuse, High School, Japanese Character(s), Implied Sexual Content, Implied Childhood Sexual Abuse, why are all the characters men?, Slice of Life via AO3 works tagged 'Kurapika/Leorio Paladiknight' https://ift.tt/Tr3XSyU March 10, 2024 at 07:24AM

[lucithornz]

Tagged by two amazing people @amoxilwrites and @scoops404 I love you both <3

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Under my main and pseud 12 (35 if we are counting my other account)

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

I am about to expose myself . . . Under LuciThornz it's 495,611 Combined with my other account it's . . . . 2,205,774 . . . .(don't ask lol)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

DNF and the Aurelian Cycle, a few other niche fandoms but those are the main two(other account is all Supernatural baby)

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

I'm doing top 3 because I am lazy.

I'd Lie

2. Unsought is Better

3. Suffer Love

I'm so happy the series is together here!!!!

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

Yes! I love responding. People take the time to say something and I love talking about my work and stuff. It's fun and I think makes the reading experience a lot more dynamic if that makes sense. As a commenter I also really like hearing back from authors, it's a lot of fun!

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

. . . . Oh we all know. Haunted Deep (iykyk) I never link that fic so if you wanna find it you have to go digging :P

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

Umm probably Suffer Love, that or One Fated Thread(soulmates will make for a pretty sappy ending)

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Had one person take personal issue with George's characterization in Unsought is Better, but they still demanded updates ahead of schedule(blocked). Seen a few things on Twitter and one anon, but I really don't care.

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

I do. I have written omegaverse and monster smut. It's a work in progress I'd say, I like to try to ruin smut with emotions that's my M.O lol

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

No, but one day I'll write a dnf Supernatural crossover fic

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge, and it better stay that way. There's a very good reason I'm good at writing enemies to lovers.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

Nope

14. What's your all-time favourite ship

Destiel until the end of time!!! Sorry I love dnf too but the angel that changed the course of the entire universe for one man is more important. But yeah DNF, also Samifer, Daemon/Rhaenyra, Power/Annie(my beloved Aurelian Cycle ship) also Will/Emma Swan(literally never gets old)

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

None, I am a completionist to a fault. Now you have to be nice to me if you want to see the finished work, but I finish all my shit.

16. What are your writing strengths?

You all better tell me, the only thing I know I'm good at is angst.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Smut, sometimes I feel very shaky on characterization for some characters, and fluff(I am trying my best here people I promise)

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

Don't see the point, unless the character can't speak the language and doesn't understand also, but then just say they can't understand. I don't see the point unless it's elvish in LOTR I need that shit.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Wheel of Time/Supernatural. It was almost simultaneous. I gained access to Tumblr and went wild.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

I hate it till it's done, but it will be I'd Lie, until then Suffer Love gets the top spot

Thanks for tagging me, Scoops and Vesp! This was fun! Scoops tagged most people I would have, and I am very tired, so if you see this and want to play consider yourself tagged!

[jilyarchive]

OCTOBER AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: MISSGRYFFIN

Q: Where can we find you and your stories?

A: @missgryffin​, AO3

Q: How would you describe your writing style?

A: Intense, sexy, snappy, and fast-paced. I have a rampant imagination and love a good sexual tension build-up, so my fics usually include a lot of plot, drama, and (of course) smut.

Q: How do you come up with ideas for your writing?

A: It’s such a grab-bag. A pretty substantial number of my fics have originated from prompts, actually! I also draw a lot on TV shows/movies I’ve seen, novels I’ve read, tropes I see that I’m inspired to try, etc. Also, I find that a lot of my ideas actually form while I’m writing. I’ll go in with a sense of direction, but it’s not until I’m writing and really in the thick of it that the details take shape, and then new ideas begin to spout off from there, based on what I learn about what the characters and story need.

Q: When and why did you begin writing fanfiction?

A: Technically, during the two-year wait between the releases of books 5 and 6, because I was utterly HP obsessed, my imagination was in overdrive thinking about what could happen in the final two books, and I had discovered MuggleNet fanfiction / FFN by that point, so I’d been devouring all of that early era of HP fanfic. I actually have a giant binder of my own fanfic writing from that period; I would type up stories in Word, format them with fun fonts and fan art covers I found online, and print them out for myself. (Which, I still do this!) Fun fact: there’s even a Marauders story in there that I had completely forgotten about that has a striking resemblance to the bones of Eternal Summer. It genuinely freaked me out a little when I found it, ha! 

 But even though I wrote creatively through most of my childhood/school phases of life, I had taken a pretty substantial break in early adulthood and didn’t “return” to writing until the pandemic in 2020. Life was bizarre, Netflix had gotten boring, and I was craving a creative outlet or hobby that could make lockdown bearable. I randomly stumbled my way back to fanfic / fandom, and here we are!

Q: What’s one thing you’d tell someone who is considering reading one of your fics?

A: Buckle up! 🎢 Also, I hope you are either i) at home, or ii) have a really great NSFW poker face 😅 But to give a more serious answer, I’d say that I write a wide range of tones, and I really lean in to what that tone is. If a fic is tagged for fluff and crack, it will be so adorably sweet and cringe-funny that your face will hurt from smiling. If a fic is tagged for angst and darker themes, it will feel like a knife to the gut. (If it’s tagged for all of the above—cough Eternal Summer cough—you’re at the front of a line for a wild rollercoaster, my friend!) Since I write both extremes, I’m never offended when readers skip fics or prefer one “genre” to another. But please know that Jily is always endgame in all of my stories—that’s the whole reason why we’re here 💗

Q: What are some of your favorite Jily tropes?

A: Enemies to lovers is my #1, even if it’s more of that “enemies-ish” rivalry at the beginning. There’s just nothing more quintessentially Jily to me than the process of them discovering more layers to the other person and slowly realizing that the other person is so much more than the antagonist they’d built up in their head. (And that they -gasp- actually…like them! Worse, they like them like them! A lot!) Gets me every time. 

Other favorites include There Was Only One Bed, Hurt/Comfort, and Forced Proximity/Stuck/Trapped. 

Q: What do you like most about the Jily fandom?

A: That we celebrate how much of a power couple Jily is. I’m going to quote @jilyss’ answer for this because it’s so true: we understand James has an arrogant streak but grew up, we celebrate Lily for the intelligent, strong, cool, bamf woman she is, and we appreciate how they’re true, complementary equals finding real, raw love with one another. (And also all the wonderful reader and fellow-writer friends I’ve made! 😘)

Q: Pick a favourite Marauders era character.

A: My man JP. From only the few hints we get about him in the books, we know he’s such a dynamic person, and I really love bringing him to life. Also, his growth/redemption story deserved more air-time, so I’m glad fanfic is here to fill that gap.

Q: Self-promo time! List the fics that you are most proud of writing.

A:

Eternal Summer – My first born! Even though it’s far from being finished and needs a lot of work, I’m really proud of the world-building I’ve done thus far. 

Vindicated – This was thrilling for me to write because it’s a total departure from what I’d previously written: second chances, canon-divergent AU, American settings, original characters, more adult relationship, etc. I have more planned for this universe and I’m really excited for it. 

for the hope of it all – My latest completed fic. I challenged myself to write a softer, friends-to-lovers, mutually pining kind of summer fic, and this came together in a flood. But what makes me proud is that with this fic, I could really see how much my writing has evolved and improved from those early ES days. 

Q: Fic rec time! Could you recommend a few of your favourite Jily fics?

A:

Of Chrysalism by @maraudersftw​ – It’s only a short one-shot, but the way this fic haunts me!! Exquisite. 

The Wedding Ring by @mppmaraudergirl​ – Lauren is the Nancy Meyers of Jily, and this fic is the epitome of that. A total comfort fic for me; I want it to be a movie that I can play in my living room over and over again until I know it by heart. 

Eighteen Again by @scriibble-fics​ – If I didn’t know scriibble was getting her PhD in History, I’d think she was a screenwriter. The world-building in this fic is like no other—I’m in a constant state of chills when I read it. The emotional depth, the heartbreak, the romance, the political intrigue…it’s one of those fics that never leaves you.

Thank you @missgryffin​ for letting us ‘interview’ you and for sharing your fics with us! ❤️

[a-bucket-of-trash]

Damaged and Forgoten – Kelvin x Female Reader – Part 5/5

Part 4

Tags: smut and fluffff

That unexpected romance between you, between surviving and killing enemies, had happened without warning, but it was something that kept you hopeful for the future. Though with each passing day, it was getting harder for Kelvin to tell you the truth, and by the time another two weeks of kissing and cuddling had passed, part of him had given in to the idea of telling you. He couldn't, he just couldn't, he didn't want to lose that, even though his conscience killed him at night. He, at least, had promised himself not to go beyond that, not to do anything carnal with you, not like that.

You were feeling a little weird that morning, though you weren't sure what. You gave a couple of loud sneezes and rubbed between your eyes, while your head ached slightly. You opened your eyes, paying attention, memories appearing out of nowhere, somewhat mixed up, but finally there. You celebrated quietly inside the shelter, remembering things like your favorite song, your age, your phone number, what had happened on your last birthday, things from just before that failed mission. You stood still though, remembering something that made you frown.

You quickly left, seeing Kelvin setting some wooden poles aside. You approached him, seeing his smile, which you returned, to touch his cheek and slap him. Gentle enough not to hurt him, but firm enough for him to understand that you was serious.

He widened his eyes, perplexed, seeing your unpleasant expression. He paled slightly, saying a soft but clear “Fuck”. He saw you point to the shelter, as if you were ordering a dog to come home once and for all, and he hurried to obey, head down, sensing what was happening.

You sat down, writing a "Liar", crossing your arms, watching him sit next to you, shyly. "We are not a couple" you wrote again.

“You remember things, I'm hapy” He wrote, honestly happy inside, feeling you slap his arm firmly. "I'm sorry" he hastened to write.

"Scoundrel" You put on an angry face "That was disloyal."

"I'm sorry" He repeated "Was a joke", "I was going to say, but you kised me".

"You could have said it later" You denied.

"You kised me" He hurried "Why?", "I thought you didn't feel anything"

You just arched your shoulders, trying to avoid the question, hiding the embarrassment behind a serious face.

"You never acept a date with me" Kelvin wrote again "Why?"

"For that? You busy with others” You snorted “New woman every 5 days”

"They weren't dates" He looked at you tenderly "Date has love" "That was just sex"

"Is the same." You rolled your eyes.

"No, I just want date you" He hesitated a bit "You know me" "How many times have you heard me say I love you?" "Only you"

Kelvin touched his chest, made a heart with his hands and pointed at you, mouthing “I love you”, and repeating that over and over again, looking deep into your eyes. You sighed, denying.

"Be honest" He wrote to you "We survived by miracle" "We don't know what will happen" "We don't have time to lie"

You read it, thinking, knowing it was true. You two hadn't died because you had an angel on your butt, and to pretend that you could have a second miracle if you both got out alive, was waiting too long for an uncertain future.

You huffed and grumbled, typing “Jealous,” averting your eyes.

He looked at you, confused "From who?"

"Of your lovers" You kept not looking at him.

“I asked you dates tons of times” He got even more confused “For years”

“I wanted to be the only one, not one more” You frown.

“You were always the one” He softly denied “And I needed lovers” “You make me horny 24/7”

You said a scandalous and verbal "Kelvin!", blushing, angry, that, although he did not listen, he did read it on your lips and made him laugh in that precious way that you loved so much.

"I promise no more lovers" You read, almost without wanting to look at him "Only if you say yes" "You want be my girlfriend?"

You hated it. You hated that he always asked you that. You hated that you loved him enough to hate him for sleeping with random womens, even though it was obvious after you denying every time. You had no right to demand anything of him. Because you had always loved him, although you did not remember why you had refused the first time. You only remembered that, since that time, he flirted with you whenever he could, asked you out, you said no, and as a result, he would spend an hour with any free lady who was available to “chill out”. You hated that, you hated that he slept with a woman after flirting with you, you got mad and so jealous, that feeling came back to your brain every time he asked you for a date. And the cycle was repeated, over and over again, the resentment had grown in you, each time.

Kelvin was understanding a little about that, he understood that you were somewhat hurt, he understood that professing his love for you lost its meaning when you saw him go hand in hand with another lady, even though it was only to relax what you caused him.

His hands cupped your face so you could see him once and for all, so you could read the "I'm sorry" and the "I love you" on his lips, so you could see the seriousness in his eyes.

You stood still, looking at his brown eyes, as determined and serious as you had rarely seen in your life, thinking, recognizing that you had almost lost the man you loved, that he was still deaf, that having him in front of you was a miracle.

He watched your succulent mouth move, your lips draw an "I love you", while his heart bounced in his chest and his cheeks flushed as if he were an embarrassed teenager. He had waited years for that, and that was a real confession, you weren't amnesiac, at least not totally.

You weren't in a situation to pretend much more, so you hugged his waist, kissing him, listening to him murmur a “Fuck yes”, his lips searching for your mouth, his fingers caressing your face and hair as if you were the treasure of his life. That was what he wanted, for years, that was all Kelvin had needed.

You guys stood around frantically kissing and loving each other like a couple of hormonal boys, unaware that a rescue helicopter was approaching the island.

[silverstreams]

Hello again, let's see if I can be more coherent now that I'm not sick. I wanted to more properly answer your question about the sort of fic I was looking for! The timeline of it all was that once I stumbled on your fic, I'd been tossing around opening up A03 to find something, but hadn't consciously sat down to think "I wonder what fic to search for".

What I'd seen from yours in both the fanart and the tags on the fic told me it'd likely be in my interest wheelhouse. And then once I got reading, I very quickly realized "Oh, this is my type of fic." Sometimes when I get into or fall back into a fandom I do have the urge to write something, and that urge is usually because I want to read something that doesn't exist. I hadn't consciously, again, plotted out what a Portal story would actually be from myself, but TLG hits on a lot of themes and character features I like to write myself, and frankly has some great twists in it I don't think I would have ever thought of. So it's hitting the itch nicely.

But since I'm rambling a bit, this is what I usually write/enjoy in fics:

Morally complex antagonist or antihero who makes decisions ranging from 'that wasn't great' to 'yes okay we need to talk about your choices'

When the above character's descent into bad decisions is caused by a trauma or situation beyond their control

Explorations of what it means to be human, not in the neurotypical sense, but in "how do we connect as a species" in spite of the wonderful diversity of the human experience

When the above theme is applied to the above character, usually resulting in a non-human character with the potential for growth discovering something critical about what makes humanity profound and somewhat indestructible

When the above situation presents the character with the opportunity for growth and potentially redemption, wherein the growth at least in part involves them recognizing the mistakes they made regardless of the trauma that led them there

Sarcasm

Character(s) who identify outright as ace or could be characterized as such

A slow, slow burn dependent on character development and if a love story is even included in the fic.

A lot of this is featured in the last major fic I wrote. Oddly enough, enemies to lovers isn't something I usually gravitate to! But in TLG it has enough compelling character reasoning to make it work for me quite well.

Also, to reply a bit re: my kid, she loves the game. She's a bit young for it, so we're giving her "quick summary" of a couple parts in terms of content, but we've been introducing her slowly to gaming and she's really good at the problem solving. She loves the characters and likes to mash up stories about them with other characters based on figurines she finds around our house.

This is how we got a rousing crossover going with Geralt, Claptrap, and Glados. Then we showed her Poker Night at the Inventory and I think her mind blew a bit about why Glados and Claptrap were in one game like she was joking about.

She also brings us home a tremendous amount of drawings of Glados that she does at school and I'm just waiting for a phone call about "why does your kid keep drawing the scary looking robot and why does she love her so much?"

oh my god……child glados drawings……that is adorable thank you

[koishua]

content creator year in review!

thank you @daegall for tagging me! i am inviting any creator that sees this tag to also share their year of creating! (please do this i want more fics to read so if you could just run along and tag me yeah ty goodbye </3)

first creation and most recent creation of 2022:

my first creation this year is pretty little flowers, i think. it's a sunghoon hanahaki!au excerpt from a larger fic i had been working on, but then gave up completing, as always. i think i like it a lot.

moments like these. my latest creation! i don't have much to say about it haha honestly i wrote so many different stuff this year that my brain just can't think of more words to write but yeah say olé for jay fluff.

one of your favorite creations of 2022:

rain again. it's a gaon fic and it's one of my favourites to come out of this year. it's a little out there in terms of plot, but it's so comforting for me personally. it was a cathartic experience, writing this, and i just adore the concept of self here.

honorable mention: try again. i was in a slump and decided to make myself feel better by writing this comfort fic. it's a little personal, just like rain again, so i guess that's why i hold this dear to my heart.

one creation you're really proud of:

les mur des j'taimes. me writing this was all spontaneous after i'd visited paris this year haha. i love how sweet and overall wholesome jungwon is in this one.

a creation that took you forever:

when flowers wilt on the 21st of march... don't even get me started on this fic. i despise and adore it to my core. i hope it burns, but also, yeonjun, jay, and heather are everything to me. i have such personal connections with these characters. i cried even thinking about the ending, because it hurt me to hurt them. that's part of the reason why i can't bring myself to finish the other half of it.

a creation from 2022 that received the most notes:

enemies to lovers prompts. i don't know what i put in the pot, but people really seemed to like this, so have it as it is at 5k notes, i think (?).

attractive and cute thing yeonjun does as your bf. now this... this is purely self-indulgent. this was me brainrotting and 2k people agreeing with me </3

a creation from 2022 you think deserved more notes:

this wretched world. i believe it's criminal that this has less than 100 notes. i know i was shadowbanned randomly, but what the heck, tumblr </3 it was my rage-driven brain child. please read this for angry feels. grim reaper/devil!hoon btw idk how to describe this entity.

the way home. i have the biggest thing for strangers!aus and i think this is my favourite one and it hurts me that it hasn't gotten as many notes as my other tubatu drabbles haha but that's okay.

a new fandom you joined and a creation you made for it:

xdinary heroes, all yours. forever in a jooyeon brainrot. they have become one of my favourite groups and i love them so much. domestic aus break me, so i had to write this.

a creation you made that breaks your heart:

you'll be flying. jungwon angsts hurt almost as good as hee/hoon angsts, what can i say? this one was a little personal as well, so i definitely shed a tear or two while writing it. it's one of my favourites.

farewell to a love. so... yeah... obviously a heeseung angst. i don't have anything else to say. i love me some sad hee feels.

a 'simple' creation you really love:

adore you. gyu and busses strike a primal thing in me idk how to explain it. they just make sense. so yes, bad boy gyu simping over reader while going back home. what else do you even want?

a creation that was inspired by another one:

the long night. straight up jack frost!hyunjin. i love peter pan concepts, but i love jack more, so obviously i had to make hyunjin jack. the vibes in this are one of my favourites. please read it if you can, because i need others to squeal about jack frost!hyunjin with me.

some of your favorite content creators from this year:

@neo-shitty @lebrookestore @xdhaven @yyxgin @chocosvt @orpheyeux @indgio @kdyism are the creators i remember reading most often this year! i haven't read here much, but if i did, these are the people who i read from! do check them out, because their writings are incredible.

[searidings]

fic writer review!

thanks @kg1507 for the tag!

1. How many works do you have on ao3?

20 as of today :)

2. Whats your total ao3 word count?

303,463 my god i need a hobby

3. How many fandoms have you written for?

only one where the works have ever seen the light of day

4. Top 5 fics by kudos?

they don’t love you like i love you

you and me (and you makes three)

with the birds i’ll share this lonely view

i’ve got a fever, can you check?

run the red out

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

not on ao3 and it haunts me every day, im the type of person that if i responded to one i would have to respond to every single one otherwise i’d feel mean and i just haven’t done that. BUT i do try to respond to tumblr asks and i read every single ao3 comment and hoard them all like a lustful gremlin make no mistake

6. A fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending

probably i’ll take the desert, you take the coast although personally i think it’s more open-hopeful than angsty, but not your traditional happy ending so

7. Do you write crossovers?

yeah for sure i cross cwsg with coherent plotlines and consistent characterisation it’s a real blast (no i don’t)

8. Ever received hate on a fic?

:) anyone who wants to kick our enemies to lovers arc into full swing and come kiss me on the lips i’m waiting <3

9. Do you write smut?

spongebob no lips smile dot jpeg

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not to my knowledge! wilful ignorance is bliss

11. Ever had a fic translated?

yes! absolutely incredible experience i’m truly so honoured they’re so beautiful

12. Have you ever co-written a fic?

nope! but creating a fic from incredible art in the reverse big bang was an awesome collaboration

13. All time fav ship?

it’s gotta be my fruity little corps, no other ship has gotten 300k words out of me

14. WIP you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

my wip folder is a MESS y’all but the two that will probably never go any further are a rewrite of s2 under the premise that lena has a kid (or does she) and an alternate ending to s5 where lena puts herself between kara and andrea’s kryptonite dagger and andrea actually uses it

15. Writing strengths?

angst, hopefully consistent characterisation, trying desperately to dig through the mess of canon to make some sense of it

16. Writing weaknesses?

way too goddamn wordy, overuse of certain phrases and metaphors, must everything have angst? (yes)

17. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in a fic?

i’d try it if it was for a language i speak fluently and i felt it fit the context, but i’ve never personally felt the need. i have tried my hand at some ham-fisted kryptonian though

18. First fandom you wrote for?

soupercorp babey!

19. What’s your fav fic you’ve written so far?

god i love everything as i’m writing it, so for the sake of them being the most recent and also ones i put a lot of time into while trying to get a coherent narrative and have the motives make sense probably let all your damage damage me and if the lord don’t forgive me

tagging @hrwinter, @i-am-robie and @missluthorwillseeyounow if you haven’t already been tagged and fancy it!

[forabeatofadrum]

Either or

I got tagged by @martsonmars

slow burn or love at first sight // fake dating or secret dating // enemies to lovers or best friends to lovers // oh no there’s only one bed or long-distance correspondence // hurt-comfort or amnesia // fantasy au or modern au // mutual pining or domestic bliss // smut or fluff // canon-compliant or fix-it // reincarnation or character death // one-shot or multi-chapter // kid fic or road trip fic // arranged marriage or accidental marriage // high school romance or middle aged romance // time travel or isolated together // neighbours or roommates  // sci-fi au or magic au // body swap or gender bend // angst or crack // apocalyptic or mundane

Under the cut, because I also decided to go nuts with explanations.

slow burn or love at first sight

Marta, I fully agree with everything that you wrote in your post. I think the best way I’ve ever heard it, is when The Good Place said “If soulmates do exist, they're not found, they're made”, I felt that. Or I guess I did. Another reason why love at first sight doesn’t do it for me is my aro ass just cannot relate to any kind of romantic attraction, but especially not “I see a person and I am in love!” story. Not to say that I don’t enjoy them (heck, I’ve written this trope), but slow burn is an easy choice.

fake dating or secret dating

Fake dating can be a lot of fun and I am very much looking forward to more of @captain-aralias‘s Unintended, but I like the extra layer of secret dating, especially when it isn’t very clear from the beginning. Or even if it IS, and you just want to know how this will unfold (like the Klaine fic Rivalmance).

enemies to lovers or best friends to lovers 

Once again in line with that quote from The Good Place: I like the idea of a relationship forming over time and friendship is a good base. Once again, I don’t hate Enemies to Lovers (like, I ship Snowbaz and Firstprince), but I am all for the Growth! 

oh no there’s only one bed or long-distance correspondence

Okay, this might be kind of cheating? Why? Well, because I, uh, don’t think I’ve ever actually read an “there’s only one bed” fic. Shocking, I know. I just know of the trope, like everyone does. It’s just that long-distance correspondence doesn’t appeal me as a standalone. I mean, if it is part of a series like Crescendos in The Symphony Verse, but otherwise.... hm..... I don’t know. I do like epistolary and online identities etc. (GOD I WONDER WHAT FIC LED TO THAT CONCLUSION), but again, assuming these tropes are all for standalone fics, I gotta go for the classics.

hurt-comfort or amnesia 

Amnesia is a trope that I never got. That is the main reason I wrote my Myosotis series, to explore a trope I don’t particulary like. But that’s mostly because it feels like a “been there, done that” thing, you know? Predictability does not make a bad story, but most of the time it follows a formula. Hurt-comfort on the other hand is A Lot, including amnesia. Give me the angst.

fantasy au or modern au 

I dig both, but in the end I just prefer the Relatability a modern au offers over the Escapism from fantasy au. But overall, it depends on the fandom. I like reading fics in settings that make sense, so I actually prefer magic over non-magickal for Carry On fics, and on the same vein I’d pick a realistic setting for Glee. Again, it doesn’t have to be (catch me trying to nominate Endymion Fell at every possible book club category in the Lima Bean). Even I have written non-magickal Snowbaz and fantasy Klaine, but ya know.

mutual pining or domestic bliss 

Another hard one. Both are great. I suppose that in the end I love the drama more. I am definitely an angsty writer/reader and mutual pining is great for that, especially when they don’t know it is mutual.

smut or fluff 

Yes, yes, yes, angst galore, but I can appreciate some fluff. With this decision it’s just that I don’t read smut, so it is an easy pick. Although I have some more Thots on this topic, but I will post that soon. Hopefully. In another post.

canon-compliant or fix-it 

Another one where it is heavily context-dependent and I don’t have an overall preference for one of them. It’s something that someone also mentioned in the CO Discord when we did those trope tier lists. I love canon-compliant for Check, Please! or Carry On fics, because canon didn’t let me down there. Glee, on the other hand, oh boy.... OH BOY, give me that fucking fix-it.

reincarnation or character death 

I mean, look at my obsession with @cutestkilla​‘s What’s Left, @artsyunderstudy​‘s The Mirrors that Hold Us and @facewithoutheart‘s On Love’s Light Wings. And then there’s of course @urban-sith‘s deathcember. The CO fandom really delivers on this trope and it made me love it. Maybe this would be another context dependent thing, but I have no real “experience” with reincarnation, so I picked character death.

one-shot or multi-chapter

This is actually hard to answer, because the thing I look at in the end is word count. A 20K fic can be a one-shot or a 5 part multi-chapter. 

kid fic or road trip fic 

Hahahaha. This is quite funny. Up until this point I never really thought about how much I actually like kid fics. Fuck, I even made an entire post with my favourite kid OCs in Klaine fics years ago and I think about them still. And again, the CO fandom is out here making me appreciate the trope, with @martsonmars‘s fics The Curse of the 31 Cheeseburgers and The Dragon, The Sword, and The Knight coming to mind now. I ate a McDonald’s cheeseburger this weeked. It made me think of Leo. (And like Leo, I don’t want pickles!). Also, does namesakes by @tea-brigade count, because that one is also stellar.

arranged marriage or accidental marriage 

I honestly don’t read either of these, but just the thought of arranged marriage makes me very uncomfortable, whereas accidental marriage can lead to possible humour in my eyes. So I maybe should’ve left this one blank, but I still feel like I have some preference here.

high school romance or middle aged romance 

I am so done with high schools (I say, as I rewatch Heartstopper), but no jokes aside, I am so done with high school AUs, high school books, high school TV shows. They’re not bad (again, see Heartstopper), but I realised a while ago that I started preferring characters in their 20s like me, so not quite middle aged, but I have read some and yeah, it was fun.

time travel or isolated together 

I am not a fan of historical, so I suppose that rules out time travel, unless it’s in a Doccy Whomst sort of way. Can’t say that isolated together is something to write home about, but like everyone, I did devour some quaratine fics to cope in beginning 2020 so it was fine.

neighbours or roommates  

“And they were-” neighbours. Maybe this is something personal or whatever. As in, I hate living with roommates. Why would I willingly read a story about roommates? I mean, okay, okay, I concede that found family trope is right up my alley and roommates is one of the best way to do so (Check, Please! anyone?), but I like the distance that neighbours still brings. Does that make sense? Oh my god they were neighbours.

sci-fi au or magic au 

I, uh, see both of these as two peas of the same pod, ya know? And what I said about settings while answering the modern/fantasy au still stands here.

body swap or gender bend 

I was going to leave this one blank again, but then I remembered I went through a HUGE gender bend Glee phase back in 2012. As in, I read fics of it, I wrote fics of it, reblogged fanart, read HC posts, even followed RPG groups. Man, what the fuck. That’s so wack to think since I also don’t think I ever cared about it again after that, although I do know that I have a partial gender bend Glee fic in my hospital somewhere (as in, only Kurt and Blaine are gender bent and they’re aware of the change). So, huh, that happened.

angst or crack 

Angst! Angst! Angst! I love me some angst! I have a personal joke where I also say that I cannot have crack without at least some angst. And Thirst Trapped by @facewithoutheart definitely delivered there. I actually reread it two days ago. So I can definitely, absolutely, totally enjoy a good crack fic, but the angst keeps winning.

apocalyptic or mundane

Where’s that one Tweet about fanfic being the greatest fantasy and then it’s just characters having A Good Fucking Day? Due to my angst loving nature, I suppose I wouldn’t turn away an apocalyptic story, but even mundanity can bring drama! Oh no, who is doing the dishes? 

As for tags, to not clog up people’s notifications, I grouped this together with my WIP Wednesday. Hopefully, you found your way here after seeing the tag on there. 

[fedonciadale]

Hi! I was wondering...how many Jonsas are out there, do you think? Are we really so very on the fringe when we've got the second highest number of pairing fics (after Braime) on Ao3, like a good 3000 more than J0nerys? Maybe we just churn out the most fic! Of course I'm not taking into account the probably large amount of non-shipper fans — one of my friends is one such person and I made my case about the evidence for Jonsa and she thought it was likely, especially with how it would resolve the narrative reason for Jon's parentage reveal, if he's not actually destined to be kot7k. But she's waiting for the books (if they ever come out!) to fully come over to us Jonsas. But let's say Winds does come out, sooner rather than later, and Jonsa is brought forward from the subconsious foreshadowing into a conconsious reality, do you think we might see a new wave of Jonsas (akin to those who came on board during s6+)? I feel like there are some neutral readers open to it, though akin to ghosts (lol), they have to see it to believe it. Some people, of course, will HATE it though.

Hi there!

Well, this might be just my impression, but I actually think that the Jonsa fandom is not that small but maybe smaller than you would think if you look at the number of fics? If that makes sense. And it would be difficult to measure the number of shippers.

I’m involved/half-involved in some fandoms and fandoms tend to have differing flavours. I don’t know how to explain it better. Anyway of course every fandom has artist, writers, meta writers, gif makes, and supporters who might not produce much or only occasionally. And some ships are generally more hated within a fandom than others.

For example, I low-key ship Deckerstar, have read some fics, follow some blogs. I’m in no way really active and I only wrote one fic. Imho opinion the Lucifer fandom is pretty chill and Deckerstar is a highly popular ship that has some really amazing writers and art. People are pretty accepting of all ships. I might not be deep enough into it, but I haven’t blacklisted any tags from the Lucifer fandom.

The HP fandom is huge and quite divided and Dramione is a popular ship but also quite hated by others. But the books are written and there is nothing to fight about really. So apart from the occasional anti Dramione rant that happens occasionally and is not tagged properly, there is rarely any drama (well apart from the regular fandom drama). Most people understand that fanon and canon are not the same.  Most people understand why people like enemies to lovers even if they dislike Dramione. Even the anti-Dramione anons I occasionally get seem to originate in the Got fandom and seem to be by people who think they can call me out for shipping a disgusting ship. Sigh.

Dramione is a ship that is - at least in my experience - really very strong on the art side. There are many many absolutely and incredible artists. Of course there are good fics as well, but the art really catches the eye? Anyway I have blacklisted some HP ships, not because I clashed with anyone, just because I dislike the ships.

And then there is the GoT fandom...

Well, the show is over but the books are unfinished and an end of the discussion is nowhere in sight. And for some reason (and I have talked about this repeatedly on my blog) the Jonsa ship is the most hated of all. Random rare pair shippers claim they have seen something on a Jonsa blog, tag it Anti Jonsa and everyone and their mother will chime in, give them notes and reblogs and shout out loudly how the Jonsa fandom (and occasionally Sansa fans by association) are the worst part of the fandom. We ruin everybody’s experience etc. etc. The GoT/ASOIAF fandom has effectively driven the Jonsa fandom out of the Jon Snow and Daenerys tag. I know that some people still are brave enough to tag Arya, Jon and Daenerys but I for my part have given up on it, because I just don’t have time for the drama. And I still have stalkers.

So, there are reasons why people would rather be a closeted Jonsa shipper. The fandom is big enough that you don’t have to feel alone but people have dropped into my inbox, telling me that they agree but that they would never admit that publicly (Imagine that!). So, I can easily imagine that once TWOW drops and Sansa is indeed the Girl in Grey and we get Jonsa content that there will be an influx of shippers. As you said, some people might hate it, but that is only to be expected.

All in all, Jonsa is a fandom that is dominated by fic writers (again just my experience). Of course there are wonderful artists and gif makers, but the majority seems to be writers. I also have the impression that Jonsas are mostly active on tumblr and post to AO3. So, I actually do think that Jonsas are over-represented in fic, because AO3 is a space where you usually can post in peace and because the proportion of fic writers is probably higher than in other fandoms.

Please mind that this is just my impression.

Thanks for the ask!