#she’s a wip hopefully i’ll finish her someday

[ghoulish-sims]

anjali 💫🌿

[galwithalibrarycard]

Suchhh a fun game idk if i can ask one or several butt im so curious about 1 enjoltaire art supplies 2 beadick bird vet fic 3 lolilo obedience curse!!! So many interesting concepts in ur wips<33

Ooh I was hoping someone would ask about Art Supplies! Basically, when I got into Les Mis back in 2013, everyone was writing series, like connected fics in their own AU universes. (There were some truly excellent fic series out there, I could make a rec list.) So I wanted to write an E/R series of my own, and the concept, because Grantaire is an artist, is that each fic is based around and named after an art supply, so when you open the fic collection it’s like opening a box of art supplies. It charts moments in my headcanon of the E/R relationship when art was significant. The first two fics are done, and are a two-parter called White Blank Page and Charcoal. But the problem is they’re kind of canon era 1832, and a lot of the other planned fics were based around art supplies that didn’t exist then (fun fact - glitter as we know it was invented in the 1930s, 100 years after Les Mis took place). I wasn’t sure if I could get away with a fic series that was two or more different time periods in one series. And I was also a very new fic writer back then, and so intimidated by the high quality of fics in the Enjoltaire fandom that I was scared to post my own work! I still like the idea though, and I at least want to post White Blank Page and Charcoal someday, since they’re finished and I’m fond of them. What do you think, should I try to do more than that? Is it cool to mix canon era and modern AU like this?

Bird vet Ben is an AU where Beatrice doesn’t move back to Auckland until adulthood, when she becomes Hero’s roommate. Hero, always soft-hearted, finds a bird with a broken wing or illness or something and rescues it. She commissions Beatrice to take the bird to the local small animal veterinarian who specializes in birds. When Beatrice gets to the clinic, who should the vet be, but her childhood best friend turned enemy Benedick Hobbes? Only she hasn’t seen him since he was 14 and annoying. Now, he’s tall and handsome and incredibly gentle and caring towards cute small animals. How can she resist? 😉

Obedience curse AU came about when I saw a writing prompt list that included an Ella Enchanted-style obedience curse AU as an option. And I thought, what if instead of imposing the Rules on themselves, the flatmates got cursed by a wicked fairy or the universe or whatever, so that they could never break the Rules? In Ella Enchanted, her curse makes her feel great pain like she’s going to fly apart when she tries to disobey an order, and only a threat to her true love’s life is enough to break the curse. I don’t yet know quite how I’m going to translate that to the flatmates, if they all have to break their own curses or if one person breaking the curse breaks it for the whole flat, or what danger to put their love interests in. But it’ll be fun to figure it out!

Thank you, I’m so glad you like my ideas! Hopefully I’ll be able to finish and post more of them sooner than later! <333

[stereopticons]

Twylexis! Threesome! Black Swan! I’m here for so many things 🥰🦛

Hello friend! You definitely know about two of the three but I’m happy to tell you about them more!

twylexis childhood friends to lovers:

This has been languishing in my drafts for a long time but basically the idea is that the Roses move to SC when Alexis is in grade 9 (grade 12 for David). She and Twyla become friends and Twyla falls in love with her but never says anything. Alexis gets sent to boarding school after a year and doesn’t come back to SC and she and Twyla lose touch over the years. Ten years later, Alexis shows up in SC and they reconnect. Here’s a lil snippet:

Stevie thought the Roses would be snobbish assholes, but Twyla wasn’t so sure. She’d seen pictures of David and Alexis in her mom’s gossip magazines and she thought they just looked lonely.

So on the first day of grade nine, when Alexis slips into the empty desk next to her, Twyla sticks her hand across the aisle and introduces herself.

“Hi, I’m Twyla.”

“Um, hi, I’m Alexis,” she replies, pointing (unnecessarily) at her necklace that reads ‘Alexis’ in gold script. She limply takes Twyla’s hand in hers.

“I could show you around, if you like?” Twyla offers. “It’s not a big school but they changed the classroom numbers halfway through building it, so it doesn’t make a lot of sense.”

“Oh my god, that’s like, so sweet of you!” Alexis coos. “But I once found my way out of the Longleat Hedge Maze while being chased by an angry guard, so I think I’ll be fine.”

Threesome:

@ramonaflow also asked about this one!

Ah yes, the David/Patrick/Buck fic that answers the questions a) what if Buck knew he was bi during his slut era and b) what if married David and Patrick encountered bi!slut!Buck on a trip to LA? It requires a little bit of handwaving of timelines but I’ve never let that stop me lol. Unfortunately I do not have much written of this but hopefully I’ll finish it someday.

black swan au:

I was working at the theatre for a dance competition a few weeks ago and messaged @kiwiana-writes and @indestructibleheart and was like “okay but what about a gender swapped black swan au” and received some loving screaming in response. The idea is that Alex is the perfectionist dancer trying for the role of the Swan and he has a rival thing with Henry who is also trying for the part. The trouble is the ending, so it’s more of a loose adaptation because i would like there to be a happy or at least hopeful ending. I have a bit of this written but unfortunately it fell victim to my writers block. A snippet:

When Alex looks in the mirror, he doesn’t see himself, at least not as a whole. He sees himself broken down into parts—his thighs are strong but his left knee tends to stray out of line if he’s not paying enough attention. His shoulders and arms sag when he gets tired and he has to fight to keep them up. His turn out is good, but not perfect, and therefore not good enough.

Ever since he insisted on tagging along to June’s beginner ballet class, so much of his life has been spent in front of a studio mirror, pushing himself to be just a little bit better—to make his lines cleaner, his turns neater. Over time, the dance studio became a sort of refuge for him, a place where he could pour himself into perfecting his technique to distract himself from his own reality. The day his dad left, Alex spent hours at the barre rehearsing the same eight-bar combination until June showed up and dragged him back home.

wip tag game

[sickgraymeat]

which fic should i prioritize! (non-poll)

Ok it turns out I cannot make a poll haha. Hi I'm writing bubbline fic on ao3!! I'm having a hard time narrowing down my focus and I'm hoping a little feedback will motivate me. If you have any interest in any of these pls reply or send an ask if you wanna be anonymous (although if @peachpaws0 is the only one to respond then anonymity may not work lol (thank you))

Here are my current WIPs that have a good shot of being finished someday!!! I tried to make like cool teasers which idk they sound silly but I hope they at least get the basics across. Listed in order (top-bottom) of most to least developed right now, but doesn’t necessarily indicate how long I’ll take to finish. All (probably) oneshots and under E rating bc that’s me. Also obvs subject to change but hopefully not enough to disappoint! (Sorry this is so super wordy; I promise I'm better at editing fic than posts lol)

🏝️ (guest starring Hunson Abadeer, all of the Scream Queens, Neddy, Lolly, & Pepp But) — Marceline’s solo tour of the islands leads her to explore a side of her roots she’s been carefully avoiding for a long time. For Bonnie — manager, roadie, and travel companion to the star — roots have never felt further away. 

🔇 (guest starring Finn, Neddy, Ash, Jake, Pepp But, Simon) — Contemporary human au set near Christmas. Bonnie, a prosthetist who’s spent the past six years trying to forget her ex, finds it a bit more challenging when Marceline’s new release hits the top of the charts.

🕰️ (guest starring BMO and Finn) —  Marcy and Bonnie mourn the deaths of their favorite humans, decades apart. While Marceline struggles with the incongruity of her young body and ancient mind, Bonnie finds it increasingly difficult to stay nice and pink. 

🍬 (guest starring Gumbald, Neddy, Lolly, Chicle, Pepp But, and BMO) — The Punchbowl spills on Tiny Taffy Princess. She won’t stop asking Marceline to dance with her. 

🥂 (guest starting Glassboy and STP) — Bonnie and Marcy return to the Glass Kingdom ten years post Obsidian as guests of honor at the updated Molto Larvo ceremony. For Glob’s sake, no one has anything to prove.

[marzipanandminutiae]

WIP Meme: List the titles/filenames/descriptions of your WIPs and tell us a little bit about them/wail about them/beg for inspiration/whatever you want! Then tag some people for a no-obligation mutual wailing/cheering/complaining session!

Tagged by @marypsue. mostly Crimson Peak fics.

1. Candles Two: Electric Boogaloo (real title pending). A sequel to my fic On Candles and What Came of Them, in which the OT3 returns to Buffalo and Edith takes great delight in getting away with social murder-suicide- figuratively speaking -because nobody who made her life miserable as Miss Edith Cushing can say shit to her as Lady Edith Sharpe. Features one of my favorite OCs (Alan’s fiancee) and Mrs. McMichael Having A Bad Time.

The writing playlist is mostly just There’s A Good Reason These Tables Are Numbered, Honey, etc. by Panic! At The Disco.

2. Homecoming. Grade-A OT3 fluff. Edith returns home from a business trip to London and everyone just has a grand old snuggle in front of the library fireplace. Why do I keep writing comedy or sweetness for a Gothic romance with a decidedly unhappy ending? I love my awful, awful Blorbos. Next question.

3. Coda. This one has my interest in fits and starts. Set in the same reincarnation AU as Variation On A Theme, it explores the relationship between Liv (reincarnated!Lucille) and Jenny (reincarnated!Edith) a year or so later. Reincarnation AUs mostly interest me in the conflict between Who You Were and Who You Are Now, and the concept of struggling to blaze a new path vs. succumbing to a cycle part of you longs to repeat, and these two have a lot of juicy stuff to explore there. Hopefully I’ll finish it someday.

4. Baby Sharpe, Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (real title pending). I have multiple versions of “what if the baby had lived, spirited away and raised by someone else” in my mind. The one with the most actually written, so far, involves a deeply naive 25-year-old flapper named Violet who falls in with unsuspecting fortysomething Edith. We’ll see if she ever makes it to AO3.

5. The Buffy AU. Something I’ve only talked about with friends, but I have a few enthusiastic cheerleaders who really want it to become A Thing. Basically, sometimes family is a deeply traumatized and untrained homicidal Slayer, her vampire brother, another Slayer (activated by a temporary death in childbirth, Kendra-style) who heard their story and promptly told the Watchers’ Council to shove it, and a young Watcher who seconded the “shove it” motion.

A rather harried amateur demon-hunter attempting to stop a doomsday cult thought they were a myth. He was myth-taken.

6. Better Living Through Husband-Murder (real title redacted for privacy reasons). What’s this? An original project? Yes, but less a WIP and more an APIP- Attempted Publishing In Progress. One of my original stories got shortlisted for an anthology in December, and though it didn’t make the final cut, I’m looking around for other things to submit it to. Hey, if one editor liked it, maybe someone else will, too. It’s got the three Gs, after all- Ghosts, Gay Shit, and Gorgeous Semi-Sentient Houses.

So that’s my current queue. Tagging @margridarnauds, @anxietylord, and @thedupshadove. 

[sky-scribbles]

Fanfic ask game for procrastinating on writing (very accurate, since I should really be working on either the Aeor Fic or my dissertation right now). Tagged by @essektheylyss and @saturdaysky - tysm, this is very fun! <3

1) How many works do you have on AO3?

28! I only really started posting regularly on AO3 after I got into writing for CR, so there’s a modest amount there right now.

2) What’s your total AO3 word count?

~126000; probably going to be a lot more by the time the Aeor Fic is finished!.

3) How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Only three on AO3 - Critrole, obviously, plus some from my Star Wars: The Old Republic days and a single lonely Dragon Age fic. I’ve written for some other fandoms in the past (Elder Scrolls, mainly).

4) What are your top five fics by kudos?

Show me where my skin begins: Shadowgast; a study of Essek’s touch starvation and the important of touch between him and Caleb as their relationship develops.

My reasons for defying reason: Oneshot looking at Essek’s friendships with each of the Nein in turn, and the Nein’s different love languages.

I shine only with the light you gave me: The wizards slow dance at a fancy Dynasty ball, and Essek negotiates Den dynamics.

I’ll use you as a focal point: Essek summons a familiar, and as he adjusts to life with her, she helps him speedrun his character arc.

How to struggle gracefully: The Mighty Nein and Essek have dinner with Deirta Thelyss, as told through Veth’s perspective. Feat. Veth unpacking some of her own issues and her relationship with Essek

5) Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

Not as much as I’d like to anymore; my current health issues mean I have trouble writing at all, let alone replying to comments... but when I’m functioning better, I do try to reply to as many as I can! I absolutely love seeing people’s insights and hearing their thoughts; you guys make every second of writer’s block worth it! <3

6) What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Hmm, I really don’t know! I’m generally an angst with a happy ending person, so I tend to round things off hopefully. I’d say that The scars that silence carved on me maybe qualifies, because from Essek’s perspective, it ends somewhat ambiguously - but the reader obviously knows that he’s about to get tackle-hugged by a little blue tiefling the moment after the fic ends.

7) Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

Not really. My Inquisitor!Essek AU is about the closest I’ve got, but I’m not sure I’d ever write anything or it.

8) Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Not since I was about fourteen, thankfully! I’ve had the odd ‘I hate [x character/fandom] but I love this story’ comment here and there.

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

Not really. I’ve occasionally strayed into very vaguely nsfw stuff, but I don’t think I’d enjoy writing real smut, nor do I have any confidence that I’d do so halfway decently!

10) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of!

11) Have you ever had a fic translated?

I did once, many years ago back when I was writing Elder Scrolls stuff.

12) Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, but I’m definitely not opposed to the idea!

13) What’s your all time favourite ship?

My fic history says Shadowgast, for sure, and I can see them being a love of mine for a very long time.

14) What’s a WIP you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Nothing that’s posted, thankfully, but I’d truly love to finish the one that currently sits under the working title of ‘the Essek and soup fic’. I’m very fond of it, but just don’t seem to be able to make work beyond its first scene. (Maybe I’ll post that as a standalone someday.)

15) What are your writing strengths?

I like to think I’ve got a good sense for prose rhythm? When I’m proofreading, I can generally count on a voice in my head to be saying ‘this sentence needs to be x length’, or ‘this sentence needs another adjective in it to carry the right emotional weight’, and to tell me when something just feels right and flows nicely.

16) What are your writing weaknesses?

I think I have a bit of a tendency to want to include everything - every interesting thought and bit of character exploration that I come up with in the planning process. Also, plotting! The reason I’ve generally stuck to oneshots is because I find writing lengthier plots really, really hard; sooner or later I just get stumped, thinking ‘ok, but what happens now?’ There’s a reason planning the Aeor fic has taken several months!

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

It’s not something I’d do myself, mostly because I really wouldn’t want to mess up another language in a fic - but I’ve seen it really suit certain stories before.

18) What was the first fandom you wrote for?

It is... really hard to remember that far back, but probably either Skyrim or Torchwood. I did not do so well, but I did it :’D

19) What’s your favourite fic you’ve written?

Show me where my skin begins has a special place in my heart for being such huge fun to write and for being a truly feelgood fic. Familiar (like my mirror years ago) will always be important to me just for being my first CR fic and my entry point, as it were, to the CR fandom.

... but I really do hve a soft spot for The scars that silence carved on me, a study of Essek’s growth between 99 and 124. It’ll never be one of my most popular fics - the Nein don’t even appear in it - but I just loved taking Essek through all of these little changes, bridging the gap between the negotations and his reunion with his friends. And there are some scenes and lines in here I’m really proud of.

I think just about everyone I’d love to tag for this has already been tagged, so consider this an open tag for anyone who’d like to do this!

[simonxriley]

WIP Day

I was tagged by the wonderful @preachercuster Thank you! 💜

I’m not gonna tag anyone this time cause I’m honestly lazy tonight. But if you have a wip you would like to share than you are tagged by me. 

The only thing I’ve been working on (slowly) is the next chapter to Jade Helm. Hopefully someday I’ll be able to finish this chapter.  

Once the charges were set it would take some time to burn through it, and no doubt more roaches would surround them. They were trespassing onto their nest after all, it wasn’t a surprise they were getting attacked. 

“Everyone ready?” 

Everyone nodded their heads indicating they were ready to go. Skylar on the other hand mumbled ‘no’ as she fiddled with her gun. It’ll just be the same old song and dance, a bunch of roaches will come and they’ll defeat them all and blah blah blah. She just wanted this night to be over with. 

Jordan shook his head and placed the charges on the door, arming them. The sound of his exothermic charge melting through the steel door alerted the nearby roaches, sending them in their direction. They all began to spread out around the house, making sure they had no way of getting to those charges. 

“If patient zero was smart, he would have a sniper's nest on the second story too.” 

The words that just came out of Timur’s mouth gave Skylar an idea. She stopped, grabbing his arm to get his attention. “What you just said, a sniper’s nest on the second story. Let’s get up there.” 

He gave her a cheeky smile and they climbed up the side of the building to get on the second story floor. Timur took one side while she took the other, both having the perfect line of sight from where they stood. Just in time too as the roaches began showing up around the perimeter. 

All that could be heard were the sound of gunfire and the screeches from the infected. As she fired upon them she wished she asked Jordan how long it would take the charges to break through

[lilyvandersteen]

Fic Writer Tag

I was tagged by @forabeatofadrum (thank you, sweetie!)

How many works do you have on AO3?

I have published 33 works on AO3. Not all of them are completed yet, but hopefully they will be someday. I’m not planning on abandoning any of my WIPs, though it might take a long time until they are completed. I’m a slow writer, and I tend to get bouts of writer’s block.

What’s your total AO3 word count?

So far I have published 626,620 words on AO3.

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

At the moment, I have only written Glee fics, mostly Klaine.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Puppy Eyes. AKA the fic where Blaine is cursed to turn into a dog from time to time. By far the crackiest fic idea I’ve ever had, but I had so much fun writing it, and I guess the readers enjoy it just as much.

Weave Your Magic. My very first multichapter, and still a WIP, though it’s already 287091 words long. It’s massive, and it’s written in a soap opera style that could keep it going forever and ever and ever. I haven’t updated it in years, because to continue it, I first have to read it all the way through again, and that takes me four days. I will continue it when I can find the time, though.

Stop Flirting! This fic started out as a one-shot, and then I continued it for the first Kurt Hummel Big Bang I ever took part in. It’s a famous Blaine fic, with Tina as a crazy fangirl.

Worth the Wait. I love this verse, and it seems my readers do, too :-) This story is very fairytale-like, with magic rings and quests and challenges to prove your worth.

A Shoulder to Lean On. This is a meet-cute oneshot that resonated with many readers. Featuring an obnoxious Rachel, an embarrassed Kurt and a smitten Blaine.

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I do, yes. I absolutely love getting to talk about plot points or providing some background information that never made it into my actual fic. Also, seeing as I don’t always wait until the story is complete to start posting, I draw inspiration from my readers’ comments to add some stuff they request or to expand certain parts. That’s what I love so much about fanfiction: that it is truly a two-way street. Readers are as vital to the experience as writers are, and I am so grateful to my faithful readers for their help in shaping my stories.

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

Uhm... I write happy endings, mostly. I have a few fics that are pretty open-ended, but never angsty.

Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

As of now, I haven’t written any crossover fics. I have written a Pride & Prejudice inspired fic, though (Out of the Blue), but that doesn’t really count as a crossover.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Not so much hate, but I’ve received comments and reviews that shook me up and made me stop writing for months. I don’t deal well with criticism, I’m afraid. Fanfic writing is my happy place, so I hate it when people come in and lecture me.

That’s why I stopped writing Never Saying Goodbye to You for so long. One anonymous reviewer raked me over the coals because a movie star I mentioned in passing was wrong for the time period. “ If you want to write a story that is historical in nature, please do your research and get your facts straight.”

Whereas I was just trying to write a fun time-travelling story, and the time period my protagonist ended up was just the background for me. My friend @hkvoyage researches everything meticulously for her historical fics, and kudos to her for that, but I’m not that kind of writer. I have very limited time to write, and I don’t want to spend it doing research, nor should anyone expect me to. I’m not writing a master’s thesis in history, I’m writing a fanfiction story for my own amusement, and sharing it with you so you can enjoy it as well. If I get anything wrong, feel free to point it out and I’ll modify it, but there’s absolutely no need to get angry with me.

Do you write smut? If so what kind?

I do occasionally. It’s not really my thing. Fluff, I can do, and some angst here and there, but smut is difficult to get right.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

That’s possible.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Oh yes, by the wonderful @klaineship2, one of the few Tumblr Klainiacs I’ve met in real life. She’s absolutely lovely, and she translated one of my fics into German.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, I haven’t. I’ve betaed and suggested dialogue or plot points, though.

What’s your all time favourite ship?

Klaine. *Happy sigh*

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

Hmm, I have my mind made up to finish all of my WIPs, even Weave Your Magic. It might take me ages, but I will.

What are your writing strengths?

Does writing from several POVs count? You should ask my readers, I don’t really know.

What are your writing weaknesses?

I’m a pantser. I know how the story begins and ends, but the middle is always a muddle, and I need to piece it together like a puzzle.

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

I’ve used French in at least one fic. I’ve also used a sentence in Russian.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Glee. The one and only.

What’s your favourite fic you’ve written?

Ooh, that’s a difficult question ... There are bits and pieces of myself in every fic, so I love all of them. I love Weave Your Magic because it’s my first multichapter and just a story I can live in. I love Worth the Wait because it’s so much like a fairytale. I love Puppy Eyes because it’s cracky and fun. I love Out of the Blue because it heavily features the Anderson Bros and because I’m a big Pride & Prejudice fan and it was a great challenge giving this story the same enemies to lovers vibe. I love The Christmas Guest because it’s Fake Dating and that’s my fave trope. I could go on and on, but you get what I’m saying :-)

I’m tagging @hkvoyage @caramelcoffeeaddict @lady-divine-writes @quizasvivamos @whatstheproblembaby and any other Klaine writer whose name escapes me at the moment and who wants to do this. No pressure, though, if this is not your thing.

[lilydalexf]

Old School X is a project interviewing X-Files fanfic authors who were posting fic during the original run of the show. New interviews are posted every Tuesday.

Interview with Piper Sargasso

Piper Sargasso has 25 stories at Gossamer, but don’t miss her website where the fics each have cover collage art. If you are a fan of Mulder/Scully romance, there are a lot of MSR fics to read that are set in different seasons of the show. But like the show that never stuck to one type of story, Piper’s stories have variety, so you can also find AUs and /Other.  Big thanks to Piper for doing this interview.

Does it surprise you that people are still interested in reading your X-Files fanfics and others that were posted during the original run of the show (1993-2002)?

It does, but I love that people are still into it! Writers back in the day put so much work and love into their writing, and it's nice to know that the stories are still being appreciated to this day. As for my own stories, it puts a huge smile on my face to know there are still people out there checking them out and hopefully enjoying them.

What do you think of when you think about your X-Files fandom experience? What did you take away from it?

It was such a positive period of my life. I made some amazing friends who became something like older sisters (and some brothers) to me, even though I was a little ridiculous when I was in my early to mid-twenties. It was also a much-needed confidence booster. I was a pretty shy person and loved writing, but never had the nerve to show anything to anyone. My first fanfic was completely horrible, but because of it I made my first XF friend and super beta, Mimic117. Between her guidance and the encouraging words from my Yahoo group I was able to do something I really loved and felt great about myself and my abilities for the first time. That will stay with me forever. That first story was truly atrocious, but it was a catalyst for great things in my life when I needed them the most.

Social media didn't really exist during the show's original run. How were you most involved with the X-Files online (atxc, message board, email mailing list, etc.)?

I remember trying this cool new thing called an AOL chat room, but they were more interested in perving on each other than talking about the show. Once I knew about fanfiction I kept seeing that some of my favorite authors kept mentioning IWTBXF in their notes, a Yahoo group named I Want to Believe. I looked it up, joined, and with great trepidation made my introductory post. Everyone was so warm and welcoming, and talking to my favorite authors in the group was a little like meeting a celebrity and finding out that they're awesome in real life. After IWTBXF fell apart, an off-shoot called Beyond the Sea was created with almost all of the original group transferring over. I stuck to my little family there and didn't branch out into much else, other than the rare dip into Haven. Ephemeral and Gossamer, of course.

What did you take away from your experience with X-Files fic or with the fandom in general?

Mostly the overwhelming feeling of acceptance and confidence to write, something I was sorely lacking before in my life. I fell in with the best group, that's for sure! They made me feel like being a professional writer could be an achievable goal.

What was it that got you hooked on the X-Files as a show?

The commercial advertising. The pilot spoke to my supernatural-loving, angsty 15 year-old soul. I watched it religiously every week. There was nothing like it. It was off-beat, but serious (most of the time) and fulfilled my insatiable craving for the paranormal and weird. You just couldn't get that from Melrose Place and Beavis and Butthead, you know? It definitely helped that David Duchovny was adorable and the character of Scully was the strong and intelligent icon we needed in the 90's and beyond.

What got you involved with X-Files fanfic?

In high school I had a friend who was as obsessed with the show as I was. Maybe more, since she once had a slumber party that was exclusively to binge watch her taped episodes (the other girls who wanted to mess around with spells and the Ouija board weren't thrilled that she couldn't be swayed away from it) and she often drove me from play rehearsals in her convertible with the top down and the theme song blasting to the heavens, much to my delight and mortification. A couple years after we graduated she told me about the piece of fanfic she wrote. Insert a record screech here. What?! You mean there are thousands of stories dedicated to my favorite show? And hundreds more get added every month?! I was obsessed. If I could've stopped working and slept at my computer desk I would have.

What is your relationship like now to X-Files fandom?

Sadly it's nonexistent these days. I have great memories and it holds a big piece of my heart, but I haven't been active in a long time. I would love to see a huge revival, and would definitely want to be involved in that in some way, were it to happen.

Were you involved with any fandoms after the X-Files? If so, what was it like compared to X-Files?

I read a lot of Harry Potter fanfiction for a while, but I never could expend the kind of energy and time I did for the X-Files fandom. It came at a perfect time in my life, and so far nothing else has measured up to it.

Who are some of your favorite fictional characters? Why?

Besides XF characters? Off the top of my head I really love Hermione Granger, Buffy Summers, Elizabeth Bennet, and Claire Fraser for their sass and strength of character, Severus Snape for his complexity, and Christina Ricci's version of Wednesday Addams for her pure awesomeness. She's pretty much my spirit animal.

Do you ever still watch The X-Files or think about Mulder and Scully?

I do occasionally. I watched the series from season 1-7 so many times that I started to burn out, but I get on my X-Files kicks sometimes and binge it again.

Do you ever still read X-Files fic? Fic in another fandom?

Like with the show, I'll get nostalgic and need to consume all the fanfics my greedy little eyes can behold until I move on to something else. It can feel a little lonely though, if you'll excuse the drama. We're not in the heyday anymore, so it feels a little like walking through a ghost town. Many of the stories out there are suspended in time because the show ended, or people stopped writing.

Do you have any favorite X-Files fanfic stories or authors?

I know I have dozens, but I'm drawing a blank. My ultimate favorite is any well-written MSR casefile with UST finally resulting in RST. Those are my unicorns!

What is your favorite of your own fics, X-Files and/or otherwise?

I have a silly one called Baby, It's Cold Outside that I sometimes read around Christmastime. It was a fluffy song-fic, but I can see the scene so clearly in my mind when I read it and it's just pure fun. I also like my Donnie Pfaster series. I can see the potential in my writing with those, which makes me feel I could really write something special someday. Plus, he's such an interesting little slimeball to write and read about. Bless his heart.

Do you think you'll ever write another X-Files story? Or dust off and post an oldie that for whatever reason never made it online?

I still think about the two WIPs I haven't finished. I wrote myself into a corner with This Mortal Coil, and honestly I think it needs a total overhaul. I think Dana Scully's Diary would be a fun one to finish. I hate that I never finished them.

Do you still write fic now? Or other creative work?

I think about writing fanfic now and then and I've had a couple original novels sketched out, but there are so many other demands on my time that I haven't gotten very far. I still plan to see the novels through, even if no one but interested friends and family read them.  

Where do you get ideas for stories?

I used to watch an episode and really study the actors' expressions and actions, always trying to find new angles to the stories we all know. A lot of times things would just come to me and I'd get so excited I couldn't sleep until I wrote a good chunk of it down.

What's the story behind your pen name?

The friend who introduced me to fanfic told me the best way to choose a pen name was to make sure it derives from the show. For a couple days I looked at the titles and summaries of episodes and agonized over just the right name. Finally Piper Maru and the summary from Triangle, which mentions the Sargasso sea, stood out and just clicked.

Do your friends and family know about your fic and, if so, what have been their reactions?

My now husband always knew, and he thought it was cool that I had a hobby that made me so happy, but he was never a reader. My parents found out when I was about 24 and my step-dad would tell EVERYONE about it, much to my horror. Most reactions were of the bland, "Oh yeah? That's nice." variety but I definitely got some weird looks from others. The worst was when I found out how much of my racier MSR stories my parents read. My step-dad thought it was hilarious and teased me a little. My usually open-minded mom was uncomfortable, but tried to be supportive. It's all fun and games until your daughter starts writing psuedo-erotica for anyone to see!

Is there a place online (tumblr, twitter, AO3, etc.) where people can find you and/or your stories now?

Circe Invidiosa very generously hosts a page for me at http://pipers.invidiosa.com.

(Posted by Lilydale on January 26, 2021)

[phantomchick]

List of wips - aka struggles

Call Me A Jason Todd fic I started two years ago and still go back to poke at longingly, will the second and final chapter ever be posted? Who can know for sure.

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I tell myself that I don't need Anyone (But the truth is no one needs Me) Another Jason Todd fic I haven't completed, posted two years ago for whumptober, it was the only day of whumptober I participated in, intended to be full of Captain Atom and Jason Todd interacting during the fall out of Bludhaven getting chemo'd but he doesn't show up in the first chapter and have you ever tried to read Infinite Crisis? It's a fucking mess. With this wip I have a close to justifiable excuse in that I refuse to write without knowing the canon, and reading through all the canon that's relevant is A Task.

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The Monster in The Man A Merlin fic floating around my drafts, currently at a good bit over 5k wherein Merlin gets POSSESSED by an old enchantment gone mad. Written because a Merlin fic I read ended on a horror style cliffhanger and I couldn't handle it so I charged my way through the first 2k of a sequel and I've been adding to it ever since. Angst with a hopefully happy ending, if I ever frikking finish it.

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The Dragon Lord In the aftermath of his father's death after Merlin inherits his father's dragon lord abilities he notices some minor changes to his interactions with his friends, the thing is that Merlin is a dragon lord and unusually what he hoards is people, things might just turn out the better for it.

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Maelstrom A Naruto time travel fix it fic that wouldn't leave me alone until I got the first chapter out, ironically it has left me entirely alone since I finished the first chapter and I have no idea if inspiration for it will ever return or when that will be.

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You Don't Know Anything Long long ago in a land of asks and a time of legend @paradise-runway sent me a fic request for "one where the other Bat boys find out the circumstances of Jason's death and resurrection and their reaction?" it has been lingering in my drafts haunting me ever since, someday, someday I shall fulfill what has been promised.

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Of Curses and Covenants A longfic exploring the magical underbelly of Gotham's history, focuses on the intertwined relationship of the Wayne Family and the Zatara Family brought about by how often Waynes through the generations have ended up being cursed. I have an index of all the curses ready, the problem with this one is the plot and the story.

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Vicki Finds a Bat (temporary title) Vicki Vale stumbles upon a still alive young adult Jason Todd at a wafflehouse on the way back from snooping into Cobblepot's latest criminal schemes. Convincing the young man to go back home to his loving father might prove more of a challenge than she thinks however. (will have a happy ending if I ever fucking finish it, for now it looms in my drafts like an unhappy gargoyle)

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Hug Deficit A fic about Jason being touch starved and his family fixing it, hurt/comfort all the way, post resurrection.

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Stephanie Brown and The Mansion of Man Pain Robin Era Steph, she and Alfred have pumpkin spice lattes together, it's their thing because I say it is. Includes, Alfred raised 5 boys counting Bruce, he's not sure how to handle a little girl and Bruce trying to dad plus Steph trying her best. Would be a lot easier to write if I was any good at comedy.

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Another Time, Another Place Some twenty years or so after their death, Martha and Thomas Wayne appear in the middle of Wayne Manor's ground floor parlour room, the major problem with this? Not only are Bruce and Dick away, Alfred's on holiday in England! Which is why Jason as the eldest has been unwillingly nominated by his younger siblings to deal with the situation at hand. Martha and Thomas in this are heavily inspired by @unpretty's amazing portrayals in her fics with them.

- Queen Blackfire and the Lazarus Lord An au with Soulmate identifying marks: Jason Todd was having an okay time as de-facto leader of The Outlaws, a band of misfits and rebels with hearts of gold (or at least silver) saving the world the best they could and filling in the gaps the more straightforward heroes tended to miss while they were at it. Then he found out he was soulmates with the Alien Warrior Queen bent on declaring war on planet Earth if the Justice League didn't find her soulmate for her. Things with his friend, team mate and potential future sister in law Kori just got super awkward and the only good thing he can find about this situation is how angry (and protective? But maybe he's just imagining that) Bruce seems over the whole thing.

Side note: Kommand'r freaked out during the years Jason was 'dead' and accidentally brought peace to a huge chunk of space and intergalactic society via building up her empire after throwing herself into work to escape the grief.

- To Grasp The Hand of a Fox Naruto and Kurama travel back in time to save the world but unfortunately they land in the same moment that Kurama's just been put under a genjutsu by Madara Uchiha, Naruto has to make his way to Konoha and wake Kurama up before the villagers seal him away inside Mito. Can he save his friend in time to save them all?

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Those Winter Sundays Mcu fic. Snapshots of Tony working hard for the avengers and no one noticing. Civil War Team Iron Man.

- Salvation Rides a Solar Wind Iron Man fic in a Science fiction / Western style fic where Tony's presence is described through the eyes of the aliens he helps. Au where the war with Thanos goes very differently. The type of fic that needs like 5 multi chapter fics in a single series to truly shine, hence why I will likely never finish it.

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And We Break Away Again Jason goes back to Talia after Damian is brought back from the dead by Bruce. It's not that he begrudges his little brother his resurrection, the opposite, but he can't ignore what Bruce did to him by taking him to the magdala valley and he can't ignore what Bruce doing for Damian what he didn't do for him, (do for Dick, do for any of them besides the blood related one) means. So he decides to go back to the only person who ever seemed to understand why he wanted to avenge himself in the first place, the only person who seemed to agree that he had a right to be angry that he'd died at all, the only person he can trust to hold him together while he feels like he's falling apart that won't judge him against the heroic mold while they're at it. Not sure if this will be a oneshot or a series but we're going good Talia with this one regardless, DC's been ruining her lately but through fanfic all things are possible so fuck them.

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Fan The Flames In the aftermath of a magical fire taking hold of the Daily Planet in Metropolis, Superman is missing, can Batman and the rest of the Justice League find their friend as well as the identity of the evil arsonist before Lex Luther does it first?

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In a Whisper (In a Wish) Ichigo Kurosaki protects people, it's not just who he is, it's what he is, down to the core of his very soul. The only problem is, that a few weeks ago he sacrificed half his soul to protect the world. It aches inside where he knows something important used to be. When everyone he cares for is avoiding him and he's starting to feel more like a shadow than a person, that aches at him too and he can't help but wish, quietly, privately, painfully, to himself if no one else that things were different, that he wasn't so broken or so alone. But if wishes were fishes they'd fill a whole sea (just be careful not to whisper them within the hearing range of the Hōgyoku).

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An Honest Conversation (Is A Bitter Thing To Crave) Jason kidnaps Bruce but things don't go as Bruce expects. First of all the reason Jason was able to kidnap him was because Stephanie of all people was his insider, why would she support someone Batman knows she's only met once. And second of all the reason he's been abducted - So that Jason can drug them both with the same substance. And when Bruce asks what he's doing this for Jason only responds, "We don't trust each other enough to have a truthful conversation otherwise" and refuses to say anything more while they wait for it to kick in. What will be revealed by this forced honest encounter on both sides? -

carrying the world on thin shoulders Midoriya Izuku deserves better from literally all the adults in his life so this is part whump part hurt comfort part fix it fic that sprawls out from time to time but it's pretty bad tbh, at some point I'll probably make it neater and give it something resembling a coherent plot. Hopefully. -

Trust Issues HP fic. Harry gets dosed with a potion that's supposed to reinforce your strongest survival instinct, the person who drugged him might've intended to be helpful but said potion happened to be at extra strength and he was given what would be a normal fix for the regular version but for this one is twice the recommended amount. Great.. The biggest problem about all this - beyond his internationally wanted godfather Sirius endangering himself by hiding out in a cave near Hogsmeade against all rational advice, his best friend Ron hating him, everyone in school besides his other best friend Hermione also hating him or avoiding him and the entire Goblet of Fire problem - is that he can't bring himself to trust anyone enough to tell them what's wrong.

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Truth is Treason in the Empire of Lies A post marvel avengers story, thor pov probably, made because I like to dive into a pool of thor & loki sibling feels sometimes: Starts off as Thor regales his new human shield brothers with the story of his banishment and return to Asgard ending with Loki falling into the Void and the Avengers have some questions, questions Thor had not thought of, remarks on things that Thor doesn’t know how to explain away.  After he goes to Loki’s cell and asks him some things he becomes more and more angry despite having no one he can punch > Gets drunk and criticises Sif and The Warriors Three after they try to calm him down > mention of Loki still being underage by Aesir standards during Thor 1 seeing as Thor was being crowned due to being of age in the movie > heavy inspiration drawn from queen regnant by peaceheather. “For while the Treason I detest, the Traitor I love still.” Currently just an outline.

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Separation Split personality disorder Red Hood and Jason Todd, alternatively, Red Hood is a demon/parasite latched on to Jay. A lot of work necessary considering right now it’s currently just an idea inspired by a cool tumblr fanart.

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A Trinity of Head Wounds The dcu trinity in the aftermath of a fight against some alien invaders (or something along those lines), whump, hurt/comfort, starts with them arguing, ends with them bleeding on each other in a friendship way, whole thing should take place in a single room on the watchtower and be a oneshot so it's gotta be a short and sweet one-two gut punch with the feelings which is difficuuult.

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A Stark in The Stars an mcu fic, a really over complicated mcu fic, mostly because of Steve Roger's timeline fuckery, Tony's alive but he's not supposed to be, but so are a lot of people who were dead but aren't now you might say what with the snap and the blip. The thing is that Steve's timeline fuckery is making it so that everyone keeps getting confused between the two different timelines of events, obviously more confused the more that their characters were connected to the films/the events that were altered, the punchline of this particular fic though is that Tony's still alive and he's unaware of the timeline of events where he died. And as he's currently in space he's also unaware that everyone on Earth thinks he's dead (because why wouldn't they? he died in endgame after all). That makes this fic super tough to write because like ultimate unreliable narrator right here and not sure how to tie in the whole 'oh wait actually everyone on Earth thinks I'm dead because of the canon timelines' thing in or at what point of the story to do that at. The fuckery of it all gives me a headache. Plot is hard. Also all of that's basically background to the actual focus of most of the fic thus far which is Tony travelling around space in an Iron Man suit up until the point where it won't be background.

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Magic Chained Merlin au. When you put magic restraining cuffs on Magic himself you don't just bind him you bind all magic the world over. It is therefore, infinitely lucky that Uther Pendragon never became aware of this fact.

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A Child in The Cold bnha Midoriya deserves better also Recovery Girl and Aizawa have shit to answer for as far as I'm concerned.

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[sunsetcurve]

@catherine-adams asked for 6 and 7. i’ll post a snippet from 6 because i don’t really intend on finishing/publishing it, but 7 i will hopefully actually finish someday so i’ll just leave you a description.

6. you’re no atlas, you can put down the sky.

7. you’re a part of me (now ‘til eternity)

in an au where you have marks for each of the people who are vitally important in your life’s julie molina is born with eight soul bonds. three of them are dead already, and she loses another one later on. the story centers mainly around julie’s relationship with the boys and a platonic soulmate relationship between the four of them (with the inclusion of other people that are important to her)

ask me about my wips

[hillaryschu]

wip - three cats and a lion (night 1)

Way back when, I started writing a fic to respond to one of the /jaimebrienne subred challenges:

Jaime, Brienne and a cat. Brienne and/or Jaime take a cat in. Because they have to take care of her and are interacting with her, their relationship evolves and deepens.

I wrote it out as a series of “nights”—interactions between J/B (and the cat). It currently sits at 3,142 words, about 1/3-1/2 done, I think. Hopefully someday I’ll finish it? I think there’s some good stuff there, but it’s mostly missing any sort of real emotional arc. It’s a very long meetcute. ——————————————————

NIGHT 1

It’s 2am and the knocking on Brienne’s apartment door even sounds angry. She scoops up the meowing tabby kitten and makes her way to answer the insistent rapping. Flinging open the door she finds her jerk of a neighbor—face in a scowl; hair, a sleep-mussed mess; wearing only a pair of dark gray sweatpants. 

Despite his state of unrest, he still looks half a god. Brienne would be loathe to admit it, but she’s imagined him in a state of undress on more than one occasion and his tan skin and defined muscles live up to the fantasy.

“WHAT is going on in there?!” he spits out—narrowing his eyes in irritation.

“I’m sorry. She’s just a baby. I got her today.”

“Wait—that tiny cat is making all of that noise?!” brandishing a finger at the squirming ball of fur in Brienne’s arms.

“Yeah, sorry.”

“Well, I need sleep. Please try your best to keep the little monster under control.” Then, looking her up and down, his disdain clear, he mutters “What are you wearing?” before stalking back to his apartment. 

Brienne looks down at her pajamas and sighs. Of course she would be wearing the joke pajamas that her dad gave her for Sevenmas—traditional men’s PJs covered in a pattern of small Stormlands knights. Miles and miles of fighting cartoon men. The first time Brienne’s cruel but gorgeous neighbor, Jaime, talks to her with any real purpose and she looks like an idiot. 

Well, more of an idiot that she normally does. 

Jaime moved in about six months ago and he’s been nothing but cruel. The first time they met, the building manager was showing Jaime around the building’s amenities. Brienne was in the small gym for residents, doing a cool-down on the treadmill, when the manager introduced them. 

“Jaime, this is your next door neighbor, Brienne. Brienne, Jaime has just moved into 11B.”

Brienne was just about to reach out her hand to shake when Jaime spluttered “That’s a woman?!” Brienne glared at him and went back to her workout.

[missladysky]

BLESS ME WITH YOUR OTP!

I was not tagged but @tarberrymentats​ did it so I’m gonna do it. I don’t have any good fallout content rn so please accept these WIPs of my fave dnd girls, Aviyah and her wife Iesha, as tribute. (Maybe I’ll have time to actually finish my art someday lol)

Do they fight often? If so, what is their dynamic like?

The bicker more often than not, but it’s never mean-spirited. When they do fight though, it’s serious. Aviyah is prone to explosive bouts of anger, which immediately triggers Iesha’s flight response due to her past trauma. They’ve been actively working through this to get better over time and they refuse to go to sleep angry. 

Who is the most skeptical of the two?

Aviyah has her ears and eyes wide open at all times and she trusts almost no one, save for her traveling companions and her wife.She spent the majority of her childhood watching her back and dealing with the skeeviest criminals Varisia had to offer so she knows what kind of things are out there. Iesha is almost too trusting of everyone and everything (which is part of what got her killed in the first place) so it seems only right that Aviyah has to watch out for her, too. You can never be too careful.

Who would be most likely to suggest a night of dancing?

Iesha grew up in a Varisian caravan, dancing every day of her life. She never passes up the opportunity to give praise and she drags Aviyah with her whenever she can. Aviyah has been learning her peoples’ traditional dances with her wife and she’s more open to it now than she’s ever been prior, but she would still prefer to admire Iesha’s more elegant steps under the pavilion than join in. 

What would they do if the other was injured in battle?

Iesha is calm and collected in the field. They’ve encountered their fare share of creatures and ruffians on their travels through Varisia and Aviyah is injured more often than she isn’t. She keeps a cool head and carries an aid kit with her everywhere, just in case. She’s been dead before and she doesn’t worry too much about herself. The only time she ever panicked was when Aviyah was nearly killed too far from town for a cleric. She still applied her knowledge as best she could, speaking to Avi in a low, soothing voice, and they managed to keep her stabilized until she could be healed enough to walk.

Aviyah thought she’d be able to handle it. She’d been in countless fights before and she’d held her own in the blood and viscera that followed but when she saw Iesha’s eyes wide, the arrow dug into her chest above her heart, all of her resolve melted away to panic. She dropped everything to run to her side, hyperventilating, and forgot everything she’d ever known about healing and medicine. Ultimately, the group developed a more solid contingency plan after that so no one would be endangered again and they worked with Avi to develop her coping skills.

How do their fighting styles complement each other?

Iesha’s fighting style was definitely different from everything that Avi had ever seen before. She’s flashy and theatrical, fighting with a bladed scarf covered in bright embroidered patterns and trimmed with bells. At first glance, Aviyah thought it was absolutely ridiculous. That is, until she realized it made the perfect distraction in the field.

Aviyah is all cloak and dagger, sneaking up on unsuspecting enemies and rending them with precision damage. She carries three heirloom daggers on her hip (and about 11 more mundane ones in various hiding places) and she takes pride in using them. Iesha is the perfect partner for keeping her targets unaware of her presence and together they’ve taken down entire syndicates of baddies in the underbelly of Varisia. 

Do they want children? Does it frighten them? How many do they want?

Aviyah had never given any thought to having children. She suffered a mid-term pregnancy loss when she was being kept at Merchant’s Fortune and vowed after that moment that she’d never let another man touch her as long as she lived.She is absolutely terrified of being a parent because she doesn’t want to fail her children or give them an opportunity to be as broken as she thinks she is.

She wasn’t counting on meeting Iesha, though. Iesha had always wanted to be a mother and have a family. She’d grown up with many siblings, in a caravan with many younger children and she married the first man who promised to give her a future. Of course, when that man murdered her in cold blood, plans changed. She lived for a while as a spectre and vowed that if she ever got her corporeal body back, she’d never let another man touch her as long as she lived.

No man ever did, obviously.

They’ve considered adopting children but have ultimately dedicated their lives and their fortunes to ending the slave trafficking trade that took Aviyah as a child and funding housing and food for the poor in Varisian cities.

What happened when they took them home to their families? If their families aren’t in the picture anymore, how do they feel about it?

Aviyah’s mother passed away when she was young and her father and brother were killed while she was being held at Merchant’s Fortune. She’d been 8 the last time she saw them and she wished very desperately for them to meet her. Iesha took her to the temple to commune with their shared deity and they received the blessing of knowing that Aviyah’s family had passed on from Pharasma’s Boneyard and into Desna’s domain together. It brought Aviyah great peace and she asked Iesha to marry her the same day.

Meeting Iesha’s family was very different. For one, she had left the caravan with her new husband in tow and returned with a woman they had never seen before and in that time she had died and been resurrected. They asked few questions, just happy to see her home and they immediately adopted Aviyah into their fold with open arms. It was uncomfortable at first because it made Avi miss her family terribly but she realized she was being given an opportunity to finally be a part of her culture and a part of a family as a whole.

How does each person show affection towards the other?

Iesha speaks every love language, loudly and clearly and constantly. She wears her heart on her sleeve for everyone to see and makes sure that Aviyah knows she is loved and cared for. It can be smothering to Avi sometimes in comparison to her own reserved nature, but even she can’t deny that to finally feel wanted and loved after so long without is nice. 

Aviyah is less public about it. She loves to pick flowers while she’s walking and tuck them into secret places for Iesha to find later. She buys her wife’s favorite pastries when they are out for supplies to break out during dinner as a surprise. But by far her favorite thing is the quiet moments when the sun is just coming up and they share soft, tired kisses and just enjoy each other’s company.

Who cries the most? Who is better at comforting?

Iesha cries about nearly anything. Often, they’re happy tears but just as often they’re not. She never cries for long--she always says that time spent sad is time wasted and it never takes much to calm her down. She’s also better at comforting Aviyah when she cries than the other way around.

When Aviyah cries, it’s crushing. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, she can’t breathe and her knees buckle and she is overwhelmed with the sound of blood in her ears and the pressure in her chest. Iesha learned quickly to settle her on the floor where she could hold her and she guides her in breathing and regaining her control. They count floor tiles or trees together until she can think again.It’s a methodical process that Iesha is glad to help with. She doesn’t want to say how she learned.

Who is the bigger flirt?

Iesha is incorrigible. She’s constantly using innuendo and she loves to fluster her wife by any means necessary and she doesn’t care much who sees or hears.

Aviyah is more subtle. She likes to whisper in Iesha’s ear when no one is listening or stretch in just the right way when she knows she’s looking. It’s absolutely maddening. 

Ultimately, these two are a weird match and the second greatest of my dnd stories and I love them dearly with all my heart and hopefully someday I’ll finish their novelization and everyone can meet them properly. <3

[thefabelmans2022]

2019 fic writing round up!!

@quinnmorgendorffer tagged me to do this yesterday (or the day before maybe i don't know i'm exhausted) thank you alex ily

can you believe i actually started adding up all the words and kudos on all my individual fics before i remembered ao3 has a stats feature l m a o)

total 2019 word count: 42,178

total 2019 hits: 2,121

other ao3 stats: 254 kudos, 57 comment threads, 28 bookmarks, 46 subscriptions

total 2018 word count: 32,013

total 2018 hits: 2,865

other ao3 stats: 282 kudos, 62 comment threads, 44 bookmarks, 32 subscriptions

titles of and links to 2019 fics

in order of hits:

i believe in angels (something good in everything i see) (good omens, 4,822 words, WIP, 3/? chapters) - all the music in aziraphale's bookshop mutates into q copy of ABBA Gold. aziraphale starts to question his faith, friendships, and loyalties, to a soundtrack of 70s europop. i do plan to finish this one day but i can't make any promises.

An Abnormal Defect of Moral Control (IT, 2,722 words, one-shot) - eddie unknowingly stops taking his adhd medication. my favourite thing i've ever written.

Arresto Momentum (arrested development, 8,165 words, WIP, 4/? chapters) - an arrested development hogwarts au, featuring buster's first year blues, michael's anxiety, lindsay being a Gryffindor quidditch star, and gob gay panicking. i'm so sorry to the commenters asking when this is gonna update bc i don't think it ever will. i'm so sorry and i feel your pain.

Your Own Personal Jesus (good omens, 4,120 words, WIP, 1/? chapters) - a Catholic high school au, this time soundtracked by 80s new wave. i had big plans for this one but i really doubt i'll ever finish it.

you're in a hammock with a beautiful boy (IT, 600 words, one-shot) - a richard siken-inspired short prose thing featuring richie, eddie, and a hammock.

driving all night chasing some mirage (IT, 9,546 words, one-shot) - eddie and richie run away from derry and end up in asbury park, new jersey. 9,000 words of road tripping, pining, and me stanning bruce springsteen.

TBA (arrested development, 7,748 words, WIP, 4/? chapters) - band au!! the bluth siblings are in a band, their drummer (buster) loses a hand in a freak seal accident, and gob has many strong feelings about his replacement, tony wonder. part of the GG4EEADFU and the piano!gob cinematic universe. i really love this fic and i swear to god i will finish it someday.

Big Girls Don't Cry (arrested development, 4,455 words, WIP, 3/6 chapters) - it's 1959, lucille has her heart set on being prom queen, and she's willing to do anything to get it. i've got this one all mapped out and i really want to finish it at some point.

favourite fic: An Abnormal Defect of Moral Control. i was just diagnosed with adhd a few months ago and a lot of it just comes from my experiences growing up and just knowing that there's something wrong and your brain isn't functioning how it's supposed to but having no idea why or how to fix it. so it's very personal and it was really fucking cathartic to write and it's like actually pretty cathartic to re-read too?? i reckon a good chunk of those hits are just me re-reading it and crying a little bit.

hardest fic: driving all night chasing some mirage, mostly because i completely retooled it like halfway through. it started out as just the running away in the middle of the night and then breaking down and coming back idea, with a lot of flashbacks, mainly to do with eddie's car (there was one about him buying the car and it barely works so he spends a whole summer fixing it) and the mixtape (which i think gets a passing mention in the finished fic) was originally a really important part of it, and then i looked at google maps and realised that they were gonna pass by asbury park and i thought well shit that's definitely happening and it turned into a springsteen fic. and the title was originally gonna be from fast car by tracy chapman. the playlist i made was so long. i spent so many fucking hours researching cars for nothing. (if anyone cares, eddie's car is a blue 1968 plymouth roadrunner. the horn makes the roadrunner 'beep-beep' sound. imagine the comedic potential of eddie and richie in a car that goes 'beep-beep'.)

do you plan to take prompts in 2020? honestly, probably not. i never actually finish prompts so there's really no point.

what was the best thing about 2019? i had so many ideas!! i have google docs and memos full of ideas, and i think some of them are pretty good and i hope i can get around to writing them at some point.

what was the worst thing about 2019? i had so. many. ideas. i have google docs and memos full of ideas, and i think some of them are pretty good and i doubt i'll get around to writing them.

any last thoughts for 2019? all in all this was a pretty good year for my writing and i think i improved from last year, which is all i really want. that and the fleeting sense of self-worth i get when i get that '[someone] left a comment on [fic]!' email.

goals for 2020:

finish my WIPs

learn to finish things before i start on new things

hopefully write at least part of that one idea i have that i can't stop thinking about

look i'm very tired and i'm technically supposed to be writing an essay rn and i can't think of anyone to tag SO i'm tagging everyone who wants to do it.

[pens-swords-stuff]

idk if you're still doing the ask thing but uhhh what's it like being one of the best writeblrs in town? what's your primary source of inspiration? are there any old wips that you gave up ages ago but are tempted to go back and change/finish? are there any wips that you haven't told anyone about yet but are dying to share? (pls share if you want!) Finally, why do you like writing so much? (you don't have to answer all the questions i just really like asking people these questions bc they're fun)

Thank you so much for all of the questions! I really enjoyed answering them :)

It’s a bit long so I’m putting it all under a cut!

What's it like being one of the best writeblrs in town?

Oh my gosh, I really don’t think I’m anywhere near being one of the best writeblrs in town, but I’m super flattered that you think I am! 

Overall, I love being a writeblr, and I love the little community of friends, mutuals, and followers that I have. I definitely wouldn’t still be around if I didn’t enjoy the community so much! I love being able to support people, and sometimes sharing what little I have. The amount of passion, creativity and kindness here is phenomenal, and I’m really honored to be a part of it!

It’s pretty normal, honestly. I’m definitely not one of the super popular writeblrs that gets a whole lot of engagement (though I am really thankful for every bit of engagement I get 💙💙) so I think that I have a lot less going on than most people might think. That’s mostly my own fault though I think, because I haven’t shared a whole lot of my writing or projects. I reblog stuff, post stuff sometimes, I try to reblog and leave comments on people’s work when I’m feeling up to it, and occasionally I’m delighted by a very kind comment.

It’s not all roses and sparkles though, a lot of really hard work went into getting where I am. Being a bigger blog with a certain reputation also brings with it a lot of problems and frustrations that I usually don’t talk about because I think it’s pretty tacky to rant about publicly on my blog. 

But it’s worth it, you know? The positives definitely outweigh the negatives, and I met so many amazing people here which is the best gift. I just don’t think that my writeblr experience is that different from most other people haha!

What's your primary source of inspiration?

My writing partner is a really big one. She’s super creative and I absolutely adore writing with her. She comes up with the best ideas, and talking about our ideas and projects and characters with her is always a surefire way for me to get excited and inspired about something, even if I’m in a slump!

TV shows, movies, books, video games that I’m into also sometimes ignite a spark! When I’m creatively drained or suffering writer’s block, I always try to just disconnect from writing for a bit and immerse myself in other media until something clicks.

Otherwise, aesthetics are one of the primary ways I get into an idea or a concept so that’s pretty important as well!

Are there any old wips that you gave up ages ago but are tempted to go back and change/finish?

It’s been a really long time since I’ve written for any of the WIPs that I’ve announced on tumblr. For Queen and Country, Morsmordre, Post-Script, Wanderlust... Between me and my partners feeling burnt out, or stuck, or just otherwise busy with other things, they’ve all fallen to the wayside a bit and that makes me a bit sad.

I don’t think any of us have given up on them, but right now they’re not active and I really wish that they were.

Are there any wips that you haven't told anyone about yet but are dying to share?

YES!!! Two of them, in fact.

One of them is a fanfiction that will be accessible to people who aren’t part of the fandom and have no knowledge about it — it will have no spoilers for the fandom, and all of the fandom-specific worldbuilding and such will be explainable. But it’s an incredibly original idea; there’s no fic anything like it on AO3, fanfiction.net or wattpad, and I’m a bit paranoid that once I start talking about it, people might take the idea and run with it? Which you know, might not happen and I know I’m being overly cautious. But I’ve demanded a gag order until we’re ready to post the actual story. It’s so good and I can’t wait to tell people but I want to keep it a secret until it’s ready and faljdskhcnlkdsjcnlakdjn

The other one is my Nano project!!! I’m really close to being able to share it!!!!! So close, yet so far... Hoping to be able to announce within the next week or so.

Finally, why do you like writing so much?

I’ve been writing for my entire life basically, ever since I was 5 years old. It’s just been my choice of a creative outlet, I suppose, and I never really questioned it.

My first serious attempt at writing was play-by-post roleplaying, and I adored that because it allowed me to flesh out characters and character relationships with other people. That’s still a massive part of the appeal because I write with partners. Being able to collaborate on an idea, and endlessly talk about character relationships, dynamics, and plotting is definitely among the most rewarding experiences I’ve gotten with writing.

Like I said before, writing it my creative outlet. I’m a really creative person, but writing is really one of the only ways that I can express it because I’m not artistic whatsoever, and I don’t have a whole lot of other skills. Writing is something I can do though, and I often feel like I’m going to explode if I go too long without creating something. And it’s so immensely satisfying to be able to look at something I wrote or created and be like “Wow, I did really good.” My progress isn’t easily trackable, but I am able to look at my writing and see that I’ve improved, which is really motivating.

But when it comes to the question, why do I like it so much... I’m honestly not sure! Writing has always just been one of my things, and I’ve never actually delved too deeply into the why. It’s an interesting question though, and hopefully I’ll find an answer someday!

[the-edgy-butler]

Speak Now Update Part 1, Jokamu WIP

WARNING! Angst,romance, possible spoilers, WIP, Jokamu

Plot: After the war has ended, Xander is expected to take a wife and asks his ‘little princess’ to become his queen. Corrin reluctantly agrees and Jakob, despite the pain of his lady marrying another, continues to serve Corrin to the best of his abilities. Will these two oblivious dorks admit their feelings to each other on the morning of Corrin’s marriage or will they be forced to hide their affections forever?

A/N: I came up with this idea after reading a few angsty Jokamu fics earlier and figured the only way it would come to fruition would be to write it myself due to the lack of activity it seems there is atm with this ship and fandom in general.

Lemme know if this is something you’d like me to continue with and finish, if anyone is interested. I haven’t written fanfiction in a LONG time so I’m pretty rusty. And yes I did use the name of a Taylor Swift song for a fanfic because I am not that creative ^^;

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19247290/chapters/45769972 Fanfiction: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13313905/1/Speak-Now-a-tentative-Jokamu-fanfic

Hopefully this isn’t crap XD

"Thank you, Jakob; for all you do for me. You've always been there for me when I needed you. I'd like you to know that I consider you one of my closest friends and hope to continue to have your support," Corrin said with a forced smile. "I really can't thank you enough."

Jakob swallowed hard and his eyes became glassy; feeling his steely resolve weakening from the inside. But, just as he always had, Jakob found the strength to remain professional and cleared his throat. "It has been an honor, milady. You never need doubt my loyalty. I'll always be there for you, at your beck and call," he replied stiffly, repeating the words he had said so many times before. He then bowed and brought her ‘beautiful, surprisingly soft’ hand to his lips.

The butler savored the moment a few seconds longer than what was considered respectable yet he couldn't bring himself to care. The woman he had loved and devoted himself to since he was a child was marrying someone else. He had to lock this moment away; the final few moments when she was still his alone to care for.

When Jakob finally tore himself away, he missed the pained expression reflected on Corrin's face as he gave a curt nod of the head and hurried towards the door, his heart in his throat.

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

As soon as she heard the door click closed, Corrin let the tears fall freely from her eyes.

It wasn't that she didn't love Xander or thought him unattractive... Quite the contrary actually. She recalled the days of her youth when she was still unaware of the truth about her identity; when she would gaze at Xander and find herself silently jealous of the woman who would someday steal her beloved big brother away from her. She never dreamed that it would be her whom Xander chose to be his bride.

But all things aside, no matter how handsome or kind or generous Xander was, those qualities paled in comparison to the bond and memories Corrin had forged with a certain servant boy with shining silver hair.

Late night chats over tea and cakes, walks around the fortress' small gardens, falling asleep together whilst reading the latest novel for their book club; all of those precious memories had made Corrin hopelessly fall for her butler.

He was there for her when no one else was. Wasn't it only natural that she would feel more for Jakob than just simple fondness?

Then there were times that she had thought she had seen a glimpse of something like longing in his eyes as he brushed her hair in the mornings or when she practiced her dance lessons with his arms around her... But when she looked again, she saw nothing more than admiration. And that was why Corrin had reluctantly accepted Xander's proposal.

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»

On the other side of the wall, Jakob was having similar thoughts of bitterness as he leaned against the door and sank down to his feet. Burying his face in his hands, Jakob let his own tears roll down his cheeks while sob threatened to escape his lips. 'This is your own fault,' a voice inside said. 'You brought this upon yourself by loving her. You knew from the very beginning that she would fall in love and marry some nobleman yet you still fell. Now you're paying the price.'

He felt jealous. Angry. Hurt. Corrin was his lady to serve and protect. He had made that decision long ago. It was her who had saved him from being beaten and thrown out into the streets to starve; her who had said the first kind words to him in what could have been years; her who had made him feel more than just a failure... She had been his only friend. But that was where he made his mistake, by crossing the line between master and servant.

As they grew, Jakob began to realize that Corrin was the only person he ever wanted to serve. He devoted himself to becoming the best at everything in hopes of becoming her most personal servant; reasoning that he only desired to express his undying gratitude and loyalty. It was only now that he realized the truth. He wanted so much more than to just be her butler, no matter how many times he denied it. He had loved her from the moment she first held out her hand to him.

'It is not like you to so carelessly lose decorum in such a common space. Pull yourself together,' Jakob thought. 'If not for your own dignity, for Corrin. It would not do for her ladyship to hear about your... Breakdown. Particularly today of all days.'

Lifting his head slowly, Jakob quickly scanned the corridor to make sure no one saw his disgraceful display. Luckily no one was there. He was in no mood to threaten anyone.

He took a few deep breaths to steady himself and hastily wiped his remaining tears with his sleeve. If anyone asked about his red eyes or runny nose, he'd blame it on that ghastly spring pollon.

Unknown to the dejectected butler, someone had in fact seen his uncharacteristic display of emotions...

«────── « ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ » ──────»